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Author of'-Chridian F.thi.s:' "»7,v Four Cosfeh r' f.,iitor of the "fhmiletic h'eviftv" Lute Managing Editor of" The Standard Dh tionary," etc ; APR :;»o RWP.' ^\] NEW YORK (^ '^ FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY LONDON AND TORONTO 1896 Dl -^^ K^ r f Copyright, i8g6, IIY FUNK & WAdXALLS COMPAKY [printed in thh united states] D\' j^ It PREFACE. The following pages embody the thoughts and reasoned convictions of the writer on a subject that has been prominently before his mind during much of the last thirty years of a somewhat active life. They lie along the line of a belief which he shares in common with many other Christians, that the Church of Christ has come to the great crisis in her history and work— a crisis big either with unspeakable dis- aster and misery for all the future, or with decisive victory and the conquest of the world for Christ. They are presented with the profound— almost over- whelming—conviction that the questions discussed are, for the ministry and the Church, life-and-death questions that every preacher of the Gospel should, for the glory of the Master and for the sake of a lost world, take up, consider carefully, and settle in the light of the Word of God, without an hour's delay. They have been expressed in the popular and practical form that permits the repetition and even reiteration of important facts and principles that require empha- sis by presentation in various aspects and relations. They are addressed especially to preachers of the Gospel, for the reason that upon the preacher as leader in the work of the Church, more than upon all else, will depend the final result. New York City, April, 1896. '/ mi»¥mmatimim CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. The Preacher's Present Commission, . . . i II. The Preacher's Messa(;e 53 III. The Preai'her and His Fuknishinc;, . .130 IV. The Preachinc iok these Times, ... 205 V. The Pre.vcher Ar, a Pastor in ihese Ti.mes, . 304 a CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. CHAPTER I. THE PREACHER'S PRESENT COMMISSION. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth: " For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God ; it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." "Preaching" is, therefore, the one supreme require- ment of this lost world; and the "preacher" is thus lifted to the supreme place of initiative, leadership, dignity, and responsibility in the work of Christ for the lost world. The preacher's position and work, always peculiarly important, have assumed vastly more of importance in the present crisis of the en- terprise of the Church in carrying out the Great Commission. The preacher who at all takes in the situation can hardly help asking, in view of this crisis, such questions as the following: What vi the present immediate requirement that the Great Commission makes of me as a preacher? What is the mi. -'-sage that must constitute the 2 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. burden of my preaching in order to nieet that re- quirement? What is the special furnishing that will best fit me for the effective delivery of that message ? What must be the aim, and what the characteris- tics, of the preaching that will meet the demands of the times and the crisis in saving men and the world ? What must be my character as pastor, and what the chai'acter of my work of pastoral oversight and direc- tion, in order that I may do what needs to be done for those saved through preaching? There is obviously nothing new in the form of the preacher's commission. Its language is the same to- The Great day as in the Apostolic age. It is Commission, familiarly known as "The Great Com- mission." It came originally from the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. As recorded by the Evangelist Matthew, it reads: "All power is given unto me in lieaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing thcai in the- name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Hc'v Ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have con.manded you. And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end ff the world. Amen." As recorded by the Evangelist Ma:k, it reads: " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel tc jvery creature, lie that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned." These are certainly among the most solemn words ever addressed to a company of moi ,,ils. They take hold on life and death; they ir./olve the issues of the judgment and of eternity. The missi')n to which they give expression is the most important ever entrusted 1 NISTRY. iieet that re- 1 best fit me ; characteris- ; demands of d the world ? and what the ;ht and direc- o be done for ; form of the the same to- age. It is ; Great Com- Head of the As recorded in earth. Go ye the- name of the leaching them to you. And, lo, I rid. Amen." t reads: ;o jvery creature. i;e that believeth solemn words . They take issues of the to which they ?er entrusted THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. 3 to men. It is the evangelizing of the whole race of lost men, the making over of the world in right- eousness. That mission was doubtless intended, in a very real and pregnant sense, not for the Apostles only, but for all the disciples and followers of Jesus there present when tiiey were uttered, and for all the Church of the ages as represented by them. But, with as great cer- tainty, in the highest and most pregnant sense, they were intended especially for those who were to be officially the Apostles, or " Missionaries," of our Lord to the world, and for all those in the ages since who have officially represented, or who now officially represent, the Master in the great work of the Church for the salvation of inankind. To these has been entrusted the special task of directing, leading, in- spiring, and impelling the Church in its great work. It is not necessary to enter into the general exposi- tion of the langu.ige of this commission, nor to show the application of the whole to the Two Special Church at large in its entire iT\ember- Points, ship. Preachers are familiar with these things; besides, it would be quite aside from the present pur- pose. That purpose requires, as preliminary to its statement, two points of special .Mgnificance and application. Tiiese preliminary points are involved or expressed in two words of the preacher's commis- sion : "Go ye." The verb " Go " is in the imperative mode. The words are words not simply of permission nor of entreaty, but of command. As Christ utters them to the Church and to the ministry, he implies that he has a claim upon those whom he addresses, for the employment of themselves, and for the use of all their 4 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. powers and possessions, in the great work of evan- gelizing the world. He bases his claim upon the absolute authority given him for the conquest of the world in redemption. This claim of Cnrist assuredly rests upon the highest conceivable grounds, whether scripturally or rationally considered. The Church and the ministry are Christ's by right of production in creation, by virtue of his essential Deity; by right of purchase in redemption, by virtue of his vicarious and sacrificial death; and by right of gift, by virtue of the sinner's voluntary consecration at his conversion. They can only get away from the duty by repudiating Christ's right to them as Creator, by denying his claim as Redeemer, ami by casting off their vows ot fealty to Christ as Lord in the Kingdom of God, and casting away with these their hope of salvation. The command is issued to them to carry out the Great Commission. As addressed to the Church, that includes and is summed up in the requirement to furnish the messengers of salvation to carry the Gospel into all the world, ami to supply the pecuniary means ami the moral ami spiritual support needed to sustain them in the completion of the world-wide task assigned by the command As addressed to the ministry, it includes the requirement that, as the messengers and mouth- pieces of Christ and the official leaders and guides of the Church, they shall take up the great task and push it to its completion, keeping the commission always before the Church, and instructing, guiding, leading, inspiring, and impelling her to the accomplishment of her divinely assigned task. And so upon the preacher rests the supreme responsibility in the work of the Gospel, the duty of making the Kingdom of Christ coextensive with the world of mankind. HE MINISTRY. reat work of evan- is claim upon the he conquest of the of Christ assuredly .e grounds, whether red. The Church ght of production in Deity; by right of of his vicarious and f gift, by virtue of n at his conversion, duty by repudiating or, by denying his ig off their vows of e Kingdom of God, hope of salvation, cm to carry out the sed to the Church, I in the requirement on to carry the Gospel e pecuniary means ami tied to sustain them in task assii^ned by the ministry, it includes ssengers and mouth- l leaders and guides up the ,i^nrat task and he commission always ng, guiding, leading, he accomplishment of 1 so upon the preacher in the work of the ; Kingdom of Christ inkind. i THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. 5 The command, "Go ye," is in the present tense, not in the future. That means, " Do it nori:" It means, '* Do it, ye to whom the words are addressed." It has been taken up by the Church and the ministry through the ages, as presently and directly applicable to them. That command, with the obligation it car- ries for the salvation of the lost world, has rested upon every generation of the Christian membership and the Christian ministry, from the beginning until to-day; and Christ has held every generation respon- sible from the beginning until now— unless it could give the best of reasons for not fulfilling the require- ments of the Great Commission. If, in any particular age or generation, the Church and her messengers have been able to give a valid reason for failure to accomplish the appointed task well, either from lack of men or lack of means or lack of opportunity, the reason has been so far accepted and approved. The means of the Church may have been limited; the world of heathendom may have been inaccessible to Christendom; the nations may have been closed to the Gospel— these and other excuses have been reasonably urged in extenuation of past failures. The past has been able to give at least a partial reason for lack of complete success in this so great enterprise; and beyond that, and so far as its reasons have not been adequate, it has suffered even to judg- ment for those failures. Does Christ demand of the Church that she shall give the Gospel to all the world mm; in this present genera- tion to which we belong, which we constitute, and whose responsibilities are ours ? Does Christ require of the preacher that he shall be a leader of the Church in immediately evangelizing the world t \ 6 CHRIST'S TRUMPFT-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. These are the first questions that the preacher of The Test ^'^^ present clay should ask himself in Quertions. connection with his commission from Christ. , , In the past history of the Church, two, and only two, reasons have been given-when the Great Com- mission has been urged as a present duty-for a nega- tive answer to these two questions: First.— The world is inaccessible to the messengers of the Gospel. Second.— The Christian Church can not furnish the pecuniary means necessary to send these messengers immediately into all the world. Do these hold as valid reasons still; or have they come to be mere pretexts to cover up the unwilling- ness of the Church to obey the command of her Lord? , , , Now we think it clear that, altho the form of ihe preacher's commission is the same to-day as always, there has been an absolute change in its present and immediate requirements and responsibilities. The world has changed front. Christendom has come to the fore The learning and wealth and power of the world are in its hands. God calls upon the Church and the ministry to complete the conquest of the world for Christ-not one, five, ten, twenty generations hence, but absolutely no7V, in this present generation. '1 he first task of the preacher of the Gospel in this age, as the bearer of the Great Commission, is, therefore and necessarily, to understand that commission in its present pressing demands, that he may understand his own mission and responsibility so as to enter inte U- gently, energetically, and enthusiastically upon his task of leadership, inspiration, and impulse, in the F. MINISTRY. THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. t the preacher of Id ask himself in :omnv.ssion from :h, two, and only 1 the Great Corn- duty— for a nega- te the messengers ;an not furnish the these messengers .till; or have they • up the unwilling- command of her the form of ihe to-day as always, in its present and oonsibilities. The ndom has come to 1 and power of the s upon the Church inquest of the world wenty generations \cnt generation. The 3spel in this age, as in, is, therefore and commission in its may understand his as to enter intelli- iastically upon his nd impulse, in the Church, in the accomplislnncnt of the work of evan- gelizing the world, if he misunderstands tiic situation or fails to take it in, he will be found wanting in his place of leadership and direction; the Church will be hindered c^r fail in her work; and the world will remain still unevangclized and the travail of the Redeemer's soul still unsatisfied. In answering the critical questions just propounded, and in meeting the first of the objections so often urged, he will need to study diligently the teaching of the Word of Cod and to read with broad sweep of vision the signs of the times. He will find by such study and reading, if we mistake not, that, as surely as all Scripture and all providences pointed to the time when the light of the first morning sun shone upon tiiat cradle in Bethlehem as "the fulness of times" for the Incarnation, so now the light of every morning sun, as it glances along the mountain-peaks from east to west around the globe, points to "the fulness of times " for the world's completed redemption. In meeting the second objcciion, he will need to study earnestly the teachings of the Word of Cod con- cerning the principles of beneficence, and to try the conduct of the Church in the matter of giving for the cause of Christ, in the light of the scriptural principles of Christian giving and of the marvelous ealth that the present age has poured into her coffers. And wiien he has learned the true answers to the questions and the present worthlessness of the old objections, the preacher's commission requires that he should see to it that the whole truth in the matter should be made known to the Church, and that the Church be roused, as with trumpet-call from (iod, to consider and take up the mighty and glorious task and 8 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. complete it. That is the part of his comrnission that is L and for the living present, ^or ^hjit in th>s I.:iriaUstic and sordid age, he will need the bapt.sm of the Holy Ghost and the " tongues of fire. We propose to take up and consider somewha m detail the two standing objections already adverted to „ ,, in order to show their futdity, and at the The Standing '" '""-'^ .u„ ^innr nreriselv what, Objections, same tmie to make clear precisely w. , in the light of the divine word and providence, he preacher's commission requires him to proclaim to the Church, in the present crisis, regarding these so vital matters. SECTION FIRST. The Whole World is Now Accessible to the Church. We suggest some special points, in order to help clear the'fidd of vision, and make manifest the breadth and scope of present Christian and ministerial duty. I The World Now Physically Accessible to the Church. ♦ ■ The nreacher's commission authorizes and requires him nth light of God's providences, to proclaim o t icdeaying Jhurch that the excuse that the wor d is ;; ically inaccessible to the messengers of e C s^ pel can no longer be honestly pleaded for hei delay [n the work of evangelizing the world This excuse may once have been v-alid ^h^ °b tades in the way may once have been actually insuperable Wh n \l Apostles, the first M-^— '/^^"Vom no the Roman Empire with their message fresh from MINISTRY. ommissiop that ar that, in this ;ed the baptism f fire." ;r somewhat in idy adverted to, ility, and at the precisely what, providence, the proclaim to the g these so vital to the Church. in order to help lifest the breadth inisterial duty. :CESS1BLE TO THE ■izes and requires =s, to proclaim to ; that the world is igers of the Gos- ded for her delay d. alid; the obstacles aially insuperable, ionaries, went out nessage fresh from THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. 9 the lips of the Master, they found tiiat the Roman had cast up highways for them across the Empire and that his law was omnipotent within the limits of his sway. Hut through the vast reaches of the heathen world beyond, there were no highways and no all-reaching and powerful law. Later, when the empire crumbled, paganism came in like a flood and seemed to sweep away much of what was b> . t, in destroying tiie much that was evil— leaving centuries of chaos and darkness to settle down upon what had been the civilized world. The great world was then pliysically inaccessible. But a most remarkable series of providences, reach- ing over the Christian ages, has made all the world physically accessible to Protestant Chris- The Nature tendom of to-day. In Psalm cxi. we Providences, read that God " Hath showed his people the power of his works, that he might give them the heritage of the heathen." That word has been fulfilled, not only in God's providential dealings with Israel of old and with his Church in modern times, but also in another and remarkable sense, in which the "power of God's works "may be understood to mean the " forces of nature." Along with the Christian movement of the ages and the other providential movements, God has been revealing to the nations, especially to the Chris- tian nations, and in a peculiar sense to the Protestant Christian nations, three great forces of nature, by which everything has been «-ransfornied and civilization made another thing from what it was in the distant past. Those three great forces are magnetism, steam, and electricity. Each of these has had its r.'.ssion in the great plan of God, in making the world -hysically accessible to the Gospel message. It may properly be admitted that, to begin with, in w i!l lO CHRIST'S TRVMPET-CALL TO TIIF. MINISTRY. the early centuries, the world, especially beyond the Ronum I'-inpiri'. was unknown and inaccessible, (-od revealed to man~no one knows how or when or where- the application of magnetism in the mariner's compass, and, with that as his guide, man went out over the earth in his work of discovery, a.ul in process of tniie it became a known world. M the opening of the thirteenth century, a. o., about all the known world was a little strip of land around the Mediterranean Sea. But magnetism, in the mariner's compass, in the next three centuries practically opened the whole world to the knowledge of the civilized nations. In due time, after the Reformation, with the awakened and earnest life of the Christian Church, there came the need for enlarged facilities for com- merce and more rapid intercommunication among the nations. It was then, when the missionary idea began to take possession of men's hearts, that (.oc gave to man the knowledge of the application ..f steam, in the steam-engine, to prepare the way for such increased intercourse. The bearing of this provi- dential gift upon the problems of modern evangeliza- tion may readily be seen. It is to be observed that the knowledge of this power of steam was not given to the heathen nations, nor to the Mohammedan nations. It was not given first to the Roman Catholic nations; and it has not been largely applied by them. '1 hey are not to-day employing one-fourth as much stcjarn- power as is employed by the Protestant nations. I he gift was reserved until the Greater Spain, the (.reater Portugal, and the Greater France were passing away, and the Greater Britain, representing Protestant Christendom, had come to the front. And all this wonderful power of steam is to-day mainly in the INI8TRY. ly bi-yoiul the :essil))e. dod lienor where — ner's compass, t)iit over tlie process of time I pen hi g of the : known worUl iterranean Sea. ss, in the next whole world to ion, with the ristian Church, ilities for com- ication among nissionary idea ;arts, that (iod application of he way for such of this provi- lera evangeliza- i observed that vas not given to imedan nations, atholic nations; 3y them. They as much steam- it nations. The lain, the (ireater ■e passing away, ting Protestant t. And all this ' mainly in the THE preacher''^ PRESENT COMMISSION. M hands of the Protestant nations. Steam began the work of bringing the world closer together and making it easily accessible— the world that was befoie inacces- sible, even after it had been made known through, tiie mariner's compass. This was a marvelous step for- ward in the work of preparing for the evangelization of the world. Following the revelation of magnetism and steam there has come, in this age, that of a new force— elec- tricity, to be employed as an agency in bringing the nations of the earth togetiier into practical unity. This new force of nature promises to be the great motor of the world for the coming generation, to cheapen trans- portation and intercourse, and to help in annihilating the vast interspaces that have hitherto kept the nations a;;art. It promises to make— is already mak- ing—revolutions in comparison with which what lias been accomplished by magnetism and steam can not but appear insignificant. We have already seen the tele- graph and the telephone advance in their reach, from the "short-distance" to the "long-distance"; until men can literally speak their messages across a conti- nent or under a sea, in their own distinct and clear tones. God in his providence has been making this three- fold revelation of his power to his people, that he might give them the "heritage of the heathen." Christ has, so to speak, been gathering all the world into one mighty audience-chamber, to the remotest aisles of which every word for Christ may reach; and he is now waiting for the Church to look this condi- tion of things in the face, and to acknowledge that, however it may have been in the past ages or genera- tions, the excuse that the world is an inaccessible TO THE MINISTRY. I J CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL world can now no lonRcr be honestly pleaded at the bar of Cod. and that it can not be rt.^arded as worthy of serious consideration even by intelligent men. II. The World Covernmentally Open to the Church. The preacher's commission authorizes him, in the liKht of Cod's providences, to proclaim to the dilatory Church that the old excuse, that heathenism is govern- mentally closed to missionary effort, no longer holds at the bar of reason. When, about fifty years ago, Dr. Joht. Hams wrote the prize essay entitled, "The Great Commission - the most eloquent and stirring appeal that has been made to the modern Church in behalf of miss.ons,- he proclaimed with almost prophetic foresight the dawning of a new era, and summoned with almost Apostolic fervor Christ's followers to the rescue of the world from sin and Satan. At that time the more earnest Christians were gathering, from month to month, to pray in concert for the breaking down of the barriers imposed by the governments of the nations, Roman Catholic and Pagan, to the spread of the true Gospel. These nations were then every- where substantially closed against evangelical Chr.s- tianity-the whole force of the governments being arrayed against it and on the side of error. Many are now living who can recollect when the ' Month y Concert of Prayer for Missions " was introduced in o the churches. The Christian Church prayed unitedly for the opening of the world to Christianity. In answer to this prayer God's providence has been moving in a most wonderful way in breaking down the MINISTRY. pleaded at the rded as worthy jent men. Open to the zes him, in the I to the dilatory ;nism is govern- no longer holds in. Harris wrote Commission," — I that has been f of missions, — ic foresight the led with almost o the rescue of It time the more from month to reaking down of ;rnments of the to the spread of ere then every- vangelical Chris- vernments being error. Many are n the "Monthly s introduced into h prayed unitedly itianity. vidence has been breaking down the THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. «3 barriers. The governmental obstacles interposed by the heathen nations have successively been removed — partly through internal revolution Hoitile Bar- and partly through external pressure; rleri Eemoved. partly l)y advances of commerce and the quicken- ing of thought, and partly by mighty throes that have shaken the world— until the masses of Asia and of Africa and of the Islands of the Sea are almost as open to the Christian missionary as are the non- church-going multitudes in so-called Christian lands. At this very date we seem to be witnessing the com- pletion of this work in the far East, in the great con- flict between Japan and China, that is already throw- ing wide open the gates of tlie Hermit Nation, and that promises to shatter the walls that have hitherto barred the way of Christian civilization to most of the four hundred million inhabitants of the Flowery King- dom. In the I'apal world, on the Western Continent, from Mexico to I'atagonia, and on the Eastern Conti- nent, in Italy, Spain, Austria, and the other leading Roman Catholic nations, the religious changes that have taken place in the same period have opened vast and inviting mission fields to Protestant Christianity. Men of this generation have seen the lines of traffic and intercourse, with power of magnetism, stcr.'", and electricity, reach out over the earth, until the net- work of inter-communication has become well-nigh Complete. The Suez Canal and the transcontinental and international railway and steamship lines have brought Christianity right to the open doors of all the world. The lines of travel that, under control of the Protestant nations, pass through t'le straits of Gibral- tar and the Suez Canal to the (ireat East, and those that are to be found in connection with the steamers m illl 14 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. on the great rivbrs, together with the great Indian and other railways, carry those who take them right to the doors of nine hundred millions of the human race who need the greater light that shines out from the open Bible— to the doors of all the great represen- tative Papal nations, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Austria; of all the representative Mohammedan nations,' the Barbary States, the two Turkeys, Egypt, Nubia, the Sudan and Eastern Africa, Arabia, Persia; and of all the representative Pagan nations, Afghan- istan Baluchistan, Hindustan, India, Farther China, Japan, Korea, and the inhabitants of the almost innumerable islands of the Pacific Ocean. Every one will be ready to admit that this new route has vast significance for the commerce of the future, but the Christian can not help oftoe World's seeing that it will not have less for the Commerce, church in its work; fo*" the very steam- ships that bear the traffic of the world along the Mediterranean, up the Nile, the Euphrates, the Indus, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Irrawaddy, the Cambodia, the Yang-tse-Kiang, and the Hoang-Ho, into the very heart, nay, to the remotest bounds, of all these great nations, are ready to bear the missionaries of the Church to the same regions. The man of most exalted imagination can have but an inadequate view of the vast import, to the cause of Christ, of this new step in the onward movement cl Providence. Viewed in its relation to the population of the globe, its bearings appear no less striking and important than when viewed in its relations to the nationalities. Estimating the total population of the globe in round numbers at fifteen hundred millions, more than nine hundred millions are found along this great thorough- INISTRY. THE PREACHER S PRESENT COMMISSION. IS great Indian :e them right of the human ines out from reat represen- France, Italy, Mohammedan irkeys, Egypt, Arabia, Persia; tions, Afghan- •"arther China, :)f the almost 1. that this new iimerce of the can not help ,ve less for the he very steam- jrld along the ates, the Indus, Irrawaddy, the ;he Hoang-Ho, St bounds, of all the missionaries he man of most nadequate view ist, of this new dence. ion of the globe, I important than le nationalities, e globe in round more than nine great thorough- fare! Of the remaining millions, the one half, along Northern Europe and Asia, are under the control of the Protestant and Greek Churches. The remaining millions inhabit the portions of America and Africa peculiarly under the moral influence of the United States and Great Britain. Let the fact b'i emphasized, then, that the Protes- tant Churches, with all their new facilities for giving the world the Gospel, ,w7Cf for the first protestantism time in history, stand foremost at every at the one of the open doors of the world. A 0P*° °'"'"- single month will soon suffice to place a band of mis- sionaries far within the bounds of the most remote of these nations. The i'lr'uiry forces itself upon every one who gives this subject a moment's thougiit: What does it all mean ? This almost incomprehensible increase in tiie facilities for propagating the Gospel among the unevangelized races, and the giving of them all into the hands of the leading Protestant states — do not these providences point Protestant Christians to a special duty ? The creation of tliese facilities within the memory of men still living — does it not point to present duty i Before the imperious demands of commerce the reluctant monarchs of the earth have withdrawn the barriers of government, and thrown open the portals of their nations to the trade of Christendom, and the missionary of the Church. lias to-day practically free access icith the Gospel to all the nations of the earth. ^!'l;c commission of the preacher requires him, therefore, to announce and to demonstrate to the slow-going Church that she is henceforth barred from pleading, as an excuse for her delay in evangelizing tiie world that impassable governmental barriers block the way I6 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. Of her messengers. That excuse has been shown to be no longer valid at the bar of reason, and ^K must be worse than vain at the bar of God. III. Roman Cathouctsm no Longer Dominates THE World. The preacher's commission warrants him in the lilt of God's p-ovidence, in proclaim.ng to the hesi- taUng Church of Christ that the excuse that Roman Ca holicism dominates the world, however true .t may hat been in the past, is no longer valid and can no 'TZeTof remarkable providences i. modern tij^s has brought Protestant Christendom pracu- , V. callv into commercial, political, morai, ^^vSr atd religious control of the world. These oast four hundred years and more, since Columbus otd tL way to the New World, »-- ^-^--^ ^ nus vears It is well to stop and think what has Uken place in them. In recent years Columbus has been the one great figure brought '"to pron.nence n •connection with this Continent, ^^J ^'^ A^^;;^"^^^'^;, ExDOsition. In the centuries since the discovery oi fnferil the entire face of the Christian world has ^^^:rh^Ld and fifty years ago, th.e w. the Roman Catholic Church covering ^^^^^^''^^IZI nractically the extent of Christendom; and there v^as ?heMoh mmedan world surrounding it on the sou. h and east- while the two, in military array, were face to face at Constantinople and Grenada. It wa. a question liter Roman and Greek Christendom would conquer The Mohammedan world, or the Mohammedan world ♦ .IINISTRY. en shown ':o be ind it must be ER Dominates ts him, in the ing to the hesi- ise that Roman ever true it may aUd and can no ices i.i modern stet.dom practi- political, moral, he world. These since Columbus ive been marvel- think what lias rs Columbus has to prominence, in J the Columbian the discovery of ristian world has fo. there was the Europe— that was ,m; and there was ig it on the south array, were face to It wa'-i a question dom would conquer ;ohammedan world THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISS.ON. 17 would conquer Roman ana Greek Christendom, the Christendom of that day. When the Turk took Constantinople, in 1453, men thought that the world had almost come to an end. It seemed the great disaster of all time. The Turk, in getting possession of Constantinople, sat down across the gateway to India, whence riches came; and the lines of commerce were in his control and the riches of the world at his feet. Europe was shut out, and Christendom shut out, from that source of wealth. But the fall of the Eastern Empire spurred the Roman Christendom in the West to new and redoubled effort, and Spain, under Ferdinand and Isabella, aided by the military genius of Gon^alo de Cordova, conquered Grenada and expelled the Moor from Western Europe, only forty years after the fall of Constantinople, and so became the foremost power in Europe. A great nation, trained and disciplined into strength and enterprise and chivalrous spirit by seven hundred years of warfare with the Moors, was thus compelled to seek new channels of adventure and a broader field of action. It was these two great events, the one in the Orient and the other in the Occident, that changed the destiny of the modern world. As one result of them, we have the reaching out over the world, until then unknown, by the great voyagers of the next seventy years after the fall of Constantinople, and thirty years after the conquest of Grenada. These events indirectly gave the inspira- tion, the impulse. They rendered it necessary that those three great voyages of all time should be made. In 1492 Columbus, seekinj,^ India by a new way, found this New World, a New India. In 1497 Vasco da Gama, again seeking India, found the way around the CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. Cape of Good Hope, and voyaged to Calcutta, and so opened a new route to India. A few years later, Magellan that most wonderful of the great voyagers, s Hng w stward, still in search of India, made h.s ^y y Cape Horn and across the Pacific Ocean, u. that „Lt marvelous voyage of all the ages, twe ve thou^ sand miles across the open, trackless sea, with starMug men in frail vessels, and found India by a new route^ And so instead of being shutout from all the world of wealth, there was a new world of wealth, and two new routes to the old one. La result of these voyages, England, .h,eh haci been at the backdoor o, the world nnt,l that day was . wheeled right to the front. Creat trie rS Britain became the one point from which it was most convenient to go to every part of the g obe^ This became the great commercial point and center o'f he woZ pst tt the time when Spain. ruined by the luxury following the golden conquest in the Uso Am n s and blighted and dwarfed by the Romanism of he ge of the Inquisition, lost her power and ore tige- and, from her impregnable island home, Br an ia has remained mistress of the seas to this d y A Herschel said: She has just the position to make her most convenient of access to all mankind- Uke a sh P anchored at the ve.v spot where the nation eeded tl be, that should be at the fron. and the SS^in eve;y great movement, and at t^ -ssn^ and crossing-place ^f the m..^..se^e. of the commercial results oi i n- „^„„f But there were other results vastly more impo^ant than th s" When the Turk took Constantinople, he ■ Grek learning that had been shut up there and si -t out from all the world, was scattered over Europe. THE PRKACHER'S PRESENT COMMISSION. '9 INISTRY. Icutta, and so V years later, rcat voyagers, matlc his way Ocean, in that , twelve thoii- , with starving (y a new route. 1 all the world ealth, and two ind, which had 1 that day, was front. C.reat aint from which art of the globe, aint and center ,pain, ruined by uest in the two y the Romanism her power and ie island home, the seas to this t the position to :o all mankind— where the nation le front and the i at thf nassing- rhese wer« some f Constantinople. f more impo'-tant jnstantinople, ^he ip tliere, and shut red 'iver Europe. For almost a century, for fear of the Turk, the scholars had been finding their way across Europe, and by the time the Turk had taken Constantinople all the great centers and cities were filled wit!; men of learning; and the Greek Scriptures, with the old Creek classics and Latin classics and all the learning of tiie past, had been given to the world that had been without them hitherto. As a result of that movement, there came the historic revival of learning, which, in fifty years from the time of the fall of Constantinople, was approaching its heigiit. The invention of printing came as a necessity in connection with it. The Reformation that has since swept over the world followed quickly, and has made out of the great Teutonic peoples— the German and the English-speaking peoples on the other side of the sea and our own on this side— the most powerful nations of the earth, constituting Protestant Chris- tendom of to-day. Now all this series of providences seems a part of the great plan of the world, and we have to consider it in connection with our present duty. To-day, in consequence of these changes, Protestant Christendom is dominating the world. About seven hundred millions of the inhabitants of the globe are now, according to those who furnish statistics of this matter, under its dominance, and in a large and special sense it controls the destinies of mankind. These providences have brought Protestantism face to face with the problem of the world's evangelization, and have taken away all excuse based proteBtantism on its comparative weakness and lack of at the Front, influence. What Protestantism commands in this age must be obeyed in all the length and breadth of the world. What Protestantism undertakes in this age m so CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTR must, humanly speaking, be accomplished Protes- tantism is practically supreme. The preacher must utter no uncertain sound on this subject, but must leave the Church stripped of its old excuse, for God himself has made it utterly baseless and worthless. IV, The Means Necessary for the Work in THE Hands of the Church. The preacher's commission requires him, in the light of God-s providence and of his Word, to pro- claim to a covetous Church that her old excuse that her poverty stands in the way of her fulfilment of her mission, and that the Lord's money-tithes are made- nuate to the work, has come to be an msult to God. to cover up a positive and long continued failure to meet this plain equirement. Christians have in the past pleaded their poverty as a reason for not literally obeying Christ's last com- mand They have often claimed that proper pro- vision for the present necessities of life, and the need of "laving by something against a rainy day, have exhausted their means and left nothing-at best a mere nittance-to give to the work of missions at home and ToZ for ?he saving of mankind. That this has usually been little more than - '"f^,. ^yP^^'J';,^' nretexc, the past experience of such bodies of Chris- tians as the Moravians clearly shows. The time has now fully come when the preacher needs to show the Christian Church, beyond possibility of ga'nsaying that the state of things on which she based her dd excuse has passed away, and that the theory of Chris- tian giving by which she has directed her conduct has no foundation in the Word of God. lSTR'-\ d. Protes- acher must t, but must se, for God orthless. Work in lim, in the ord, to pro- excuse, that ment of her ;s are inade- sult to God, 2d failure to ir poverty as t's last corn- proper pro- and the need y day," have It best a mere at home and rhat this has ; hypocritical iies of Chris- The time has 5 to show the f gainsaying, based her old eory of Chris- ;r conduct has THE I'REACHEk's PRESENT COMMISSION. 2t Let it l)e emphasized tliat it is not the poor Church of the past, but the marveloiisly rich Church (,f to-day, that calls for consideration, and tliat must set the law and pace for Christian duty in the matter of giving and in the work of the Gospel. A silent revolution,— a revolution almost inconceiv- able as we look back upon it,— that has been going on through the century, has resultetl in throwing vast wealth into the hands of lutionandits Christendom, and especially into the Causes, hands of Protestant Christendom. The remarkable revolutions of the past fifty years have been so numer- ous, and so silent, that even the best ecclesiastical statisticians and fmanciers scarcely understood the full meaning of that rich Church and its vast income, which so often enter into their calculations. l)e Quincey, in some curious investigations, in his Biographical Essays, has shown that the d(jwry that Mary Arden, the mother of Shakespeare, brought to his father, John Shakespeare— the estate amounting at the lowest calculation to /"loo and at the highest to ^^.'24, and the rent amounting at the lowest to ^^8 and at the highest to ^i,<_\vas really a very respectable for- tune. In these days, and that even after taking into account the difference in values, so greatly in favor of three centuries ago, such an income would be con- sidered but a beggarly one for the most unskilful boot-black. Only seventy-five years ago, when Cole- ridge refused a half-share in Tlic Morning Post and Courier, with the empliatic declaration that he would not give up his country life with the lazy reading of old folios, for two thousand times the income it offered; he added : "In short, beyond ^,550 a year I regard money as a real evil." Yet this would barely „ CHR.BT'S TK»MPET.CA,X TO THE >PN,ST,.V. „eet .l,c wa„ts ot a f.rst.class mechanic of .he present '\,„ma causes have «7™«"' ,';:, Jl^t^es Jt al„,os. fatuh..,s increase ■" 'h' -» ' "'j," „, ,, „a.,„„s, ..rinK .he >-- "" :„r the nerv,n,s ;rU:;:»er,tr.e„nn«.n,n,a..ia,.^^^^^^^ '"-"•. -''iL'lre^SirrtJ*:; ";u.au"on ,.. the furnish, m the form of prouucu century that number of days' work u. a -"8 -f^,^^ ^^..^^^ ,,^. ago, that constituted the major ,.t of the could be done by mankind m a d^}- a i H,.e Great Britain alone by 2ToJZ\o ten steam and electricity .s ^^ ^^' ^^'^^ ^,,, states times that amount of work -^^^ ,^ ...^ing can probably do even -"^^ .^^^^^Z^^'^- ,, ^evelop- rapid advance in the ^^^^^'^^ ,,,,ee of an ment of productive power has been immense increase of wealth commerce. Another cause may bu .n^^ ^^ ^^.^ that has grown so '"^'"'^"'^'y ^ j^^je the enlarged productive power d -J ^^ p^^,^,,,„, world chiefly tributary to the leaum^ "t:;-rituseistobenotedinthosestnking^^^ , Ic th.t seem to indicate the purpose of God to dences that seem to Christendom, among ;SftoTr:;:t:r:V:rh:.a„o, Europe, at the NISTRY. )f the present producing an the Protestant )ne of these is s the nervous material civili- ; been revolu- lulation of the the gh)be can n-power, about ay. A century the work that At the present inc-power with oni five to ten ; United States iiany is making This develop- he source of an the commerce, isequence of this t has made the ding Protestant ;e striking provi- rpose of God to stendom, among lat in a century itish Empire from those that have )f an insignificant )f Europe, at the THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. »3 head of the German Empire with its 50,000,000 of people ; and those that have estabUshed on these western shores our great RepubHc with its ahnost 70,000,000 of free people, mostly Christian and Prot- estant. Most marked perhaps of all ha.? been tiio gift of the great gold and silver fields — Australia, California, South Africa, and tiic Unl region— ^he Treasure- to the Protestant or anti-papal nations. Fields of the If these deposits of the precious metals World, had been discovered a little earlier, they would have gone into the hands of people holding other religions, and would have been used— as the wealth that Spain wrested from Mexico and Peru was used to spread Roman Catholicism— for the dissemination of those other religions. Hut they were reserved until Prot- estant Christendom was at the front and had substan- tial control, and they were then providentially given into the hands of the foremost Protestant Christian nations. There have been some strange things in connection with the opening up of these vast stores of riches. Dr. Stone gave the writer, several years ago, a little incident learned in connection with the Historical Society in San Francisco, that will show how wonder- ful these providences have sometimes been. Before we had taken California from Mexico, or about that time, the Jesuit Fathers became aware, through the Indians, of the fact of the existence of gold-mines in that region. They surveyed the mines, prepared their maps, and took ship for Spain just before California came into our hands, to inform the Spanish govern- ment and the authorities abroad of their wonderful discovery. But those charts and those Fathers were ,T- 24 CHRIST'S TRUMPEl-CAI.L TO THK MINISTRY. never l.e.nl of again: Had they reached the ...her side Spain would doubtless have grasped falif.^rnia with a firm grip, or woidd have aided Mexico to hold fast to it, to prevent it from coming into the hands ot the United States. The increase of wealf.. resulting from these and other causes has almost outrun accurate statistics, and even imagination. So far as we have been able to ascertain by somewhat careful imp.iry, an annual income of a million d.,llars is more common on this side of the ocean now than was an income of fifty thousand hal a century ago. Three centuries ago, the ransom of the Inca Atahualpa, paid to that Spanish robber and butcher Pizarro, turned the brain of all Europe by its magnitude; yet it was less than the annual income of many of our merchant princes as the reward of lef iti- mate business, and hardly a tithe of what man> of our speculators manage to get hold of by illegitimate business. . ^ i , The increase of national wealth in the aggregate haf. kept pace with that of individual wealth. The material J J u «f progress of the nation, for the two dec- th'eKSil Lies from .850 to 1870, will illustrate the earlier stages of the change. The total wealth of the nation in .850 was $7,000,000,000; in i860 $x6,ooo,ooo,ooo ; in .870, ace .rding to the estimate c,f Special Commissioner Wells, $23,000,000,000, and. according to that of Judge Kelly, member of Congress from Pennsylvania, $43,000,000,000. The increase in twenty vears, during five of which there was expended or wasted in civil war at least $.0,000,000,000, was therefore somewhere from three to si.x fold. The gross product of the industry of the country about i87o, which may represent its gross annual income. NISTRY. TlIK I'RK.ACHER's Pkl-.SF.NT COMMISSION. ifd the o'.hcr )ed California exico to hold I the hands of licse and other ties, and even Ic to ascertain 1 income of a is side of tlie housand half a ransom of the 1 robber and Europe by its mal income of ward of lc[ iti- what iTian> of by illegitimate a aggregate haf. 'l"he material jr the two dec- will illustrate he total wealth 1,000; in i860, the estimate of 0,000,000, and, ber of Congress The increase in e was expended 100,000,000, was six fold. The ; country about annual income. apart from the annual increase of aggregate values just referred to, Mr. Wells estimated at §6,825,000,- 000. He |)roceeds, however, at once to show that this " is an under rather than an over estimate"; and in doing this gives data drawn from the wages of tlie lowest of the working classes, that indicate that §8,- 000,000,000 would i)e a very moderate estimate. These statistics show that the product of tlie industry of the nation in 1870 equaled or surpassed the entire value of all its property twenty years before. A like marvel- ous increase took place in tlie wealth of (Ireat Britain and an almost etpial increase in the case of some other nations. The last twenty-five years has witnessed the continuance of this astonisliing pace of material prosperity, as might readily be siiown by statistics. In view of these extraordinary facts, the question comes home with overwhelming force. Why has God so flooded the Protestant nations with 3 consequent wealth, and done it in these same years Christian in which the way has been opened for the Ji^tj- Gospel into all nations, and Protestant Christendom brought to stand foremost at all these openings ? It cannot be claimed with a shadow of justice, or even a show of plausibility, that this vastly enlarged wealth is required for increased expenses of living. Nor can it be claimed, with any greater show of justice, that either the Scriptures or human experience war- rants the hoarding up of tiiese vast sums in private coffers. Mr. Lewis Tappan, well known once as a Christian merchant, and later as secretary of one of the benevolent societies of the country, in his little tract, " Is it Right to be Rich ?" gives a forcible ex- hibition of the teachings of the Scriptures on tiiis sub- ject, in connection with many striking corroborative 26 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. facts drawn from liis cxleiulcd observation and experi- ence-an cxliil)ilie ce up and plan aster, if it were would prevent s world, and at id increase the rger and better :oo, that others ,ting about for THE PREACHER'3 PRESENT COMMISSION. 31 The late Colonel Elliot F. Shcpard was a conspicu- ous illustration of t!iis. Wlien about to enter upon the career of a journalist, lie divulged his plans to a distinguished citizen of New York. Immense wealth, and the power of rapidly increasing it, did not satisfy him as a Christian man. He said: "A man can ac- complish very little ihat is worth his while witii money." Distinguished position in the law and in so- ciety did not satisfy liim. He rated fame as of little value in itself, and as conferring little added power upon a Christian man for doing good. He had deter- mined to use his wealth in establishing a great secular journal that should advocate the application of Chris- tian principles along all the lines of social, municipal, and national reform, and to dev(jte his time and influ- ence to giving it success. In this way he began, and for years carried on, the sfuggle for municipal reform in New York tiiat culminated in the recent great political revolulion in that city. At the same time, as a stanch advocate of tlie Christian observance of the Sabbath, he made his influence powerfully felt over the nation. And all the success that crowned his efforts in these directions did not turn him away from his churchly Christian duties, nor from a practical and princely interest in the work of missions, either at home— as is witnessed by church iiortages paid off and churches endowed— or abroad— as is witnessed by the Christian school founded and endowed by him for the children of Paul's native city of Tarsus. The story of such lives— this is but one of many — narrated by preacher or press, would doubtless furnish inspiration for others, and direct them to nobler purpose and better accomplishment in Christ's service, until, in God's own time and way, all the Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. needed administrative and organizing ability should be subsidized in the interests of the Church, in carrying out her commission for a lost world. The messengers can assuredly be had, as appears fro.i the immense volunteer force— in connection with the Young People's Society of Christian En- deavor and other organizations, and in the Volunteer Missionary movement— waiting everywhere to be sent. The organizations necessary are all ready and prepared to handle the means, the men. and the work; as may be seen by inquiring into ti.e character and scope of the great missionary societies of the nation and of the world. The business and administrative ability requisite for so great a work is all to be had for the asking-as may be seen by the increasing num- ber of those who have been leaders in the world's business, who are now ready to devote something of their time and ability to this greater task; or who have already given up their worldly business and are ready to devote all their time and powers for their re- maining days to the Lord's work, for the taking ui- of which their world'y successes have admirably prepared them. The preacher who fails to understand all this, and to bring home the truth to the Church, in such a way as to inspire her with that truth, and who PreSor's fails to lead his people to take up the Duty. work and carry it forward, will so far ^ail in fulfilling his commission. That commission most assuredly requires him to let it be known with all clearness that such an excuse as lack of messengers and organizations and administrative ability for the work, can no longer be rationally entertained or pleaded at the bar vf human reason or of conscience, NISTRY. THE PREACHER S PRESENT COMMISSION. 33 lity should be li, in carrying J, as appears n connection Christian Kn- the Volunteer where to be all ready and and the work; character and 3 of the nation administrative all to he had icreasingniim- in the world's : something of task; or who usiness and are rs for their re- lie taking u{. of irably prepared 1 all this, and to such a way as truth, and who to take up the ird, will so far lat commission ; known with all of messengers ability for the entertained or r of conscience, or innocently presented and urged at the bar of (iod, in extenuation of the sin of neglecting tlie command of Christ. Let the preacher understand, then, and give himself to making all Christendom understand, that God has providentially taken away all the obstacles and excuses that have in the past delayed the work of evangelizing the world; that the Church stands to-day in the pres- ence of him who gave hi. the commission, without shadow of excuse or pretext for further delay, and that, if the work is not done at once, the Church will be responsible for not doing it. In doing tiiis he will need to make clear as sunlight the providential drift of recent years and the result- ing situation and duty. The Church needs, first of all, to have light on these subjects. She must be m.ade to see that (iod has set the task of the world's evangelization right before her, and be forced to feel that her obligation is immediate and imperative. The preacher must make it clear that God has removed the old natural and governmental barriers that stood in the way of missions, and opened all the world to them; that he has brought Protestant Chris- tendom to tiie front and made it the dominant power in the world; that he has revealed to the Protestant nations the swift and subtile forces of nature where- with to multiply inconceivably its working-power by machine production, and to emancipate vast multitudes to be his messengers J;o the world, and that he has given to these nations all the great treasure-fields and most of the commerce of the globe. He must bring the Church to realize the meaning of the immense wealth that the second half of the nineteenth century has poured into her cofiers, and that will bring wreck ■^4 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. 'and perdition if used for selfish ends and enjoyments instead of lor the glory of God. He must press upon her attention, with u;^'ent zeal, the signilicance of the Christian unity that has come to pervade her spirit and her hosts; of the universal rousing of the laity to a sense of the fact that they are coworkers with Christ in saving the world; of the world-wide organizations for effective service for Christ; and of the attitude of vast numbers, especially of the young men and the young women, in waiting to be sent to aid in estab- lishing the Kingdom of God. All this, in connection with the dreadful condition of the lost world, and the life and death urgency of the -ork, must be enforced and emphasized by the preacher unu\ aU Christians shall come to understand the situation, and be constrained to stop and consider, and to inquire what is their present duty in relation to the world's evangelization. SECTION SECOND. The Scriptural Law of Giving Provides the Needed Means for the Work. But may not all this be true, and yet the Church be under no obligation to furnish, at the present time, all the pecuniary means needed to send the Gospel at once into all the world? So the Church-j»dging from her acts— seems to think. A greater or more deadly error is hardly conceiv- able. There is not even the shadow of a foundation for it in the V.'nd of God. The supreme need of the hour, next to the outpour- ing of the Holy Spirit, is that t/ie Church should be set wm n ai C( tl si h tl be m tl w S( ir ai tl SI SI ir m tl ni h( tl tl si 01 le as ai si n T r£ [NISTRY. d enjoyments it press upon ficance of the ide her spirit f the laity to rs with Christ organizations le attitude of men and the aid in estab- dful condition th urgency of asized by the to understand I and consider, ity in relation i the Needed the Church be resent time, all the Gospel at iiurch— j"<^g'"S liardly conceiv- of a foundation to the outpour- rc/i should be set i THE PREACHER S PRESENT COMMISSION. 35 rigAf in her theory of Christian giving. She has been, and is still, directing her conduct in this matter in ac- cordance with a false and unscriptural False theory, that would prove fatal to her Theories, success even if her wealth were again multiplied a hundredfold, as it has already been multiplied a thousandfold— a theory that must always prove fatal because false and unscriptural. It therefore becomes a main part of the duty of the ministry, as the leaders in the Church, to set her right in this regard, that the world may be saved without delay. So general and so fundamental is the error on this point, and so inevitably fatal, that we arc constrained to ask special and prayerful attention to its consideration, and to the teaching of the Word of God regarding it. If such error exists, the subject manifestly calls for such attention and consideration, and no leader in Zion can innocently avoid or evade the duty of making a complete investigation for himself. Perhaps it is almost too much to speak of such a thing as the Church's theory of Christian giving. A vast number of professing Christians do not consciously hold any theory on that subject. Their practical theory, as formulated from their conduct, seems to be that, after they iiave ministered to their own neces- sities and enjoyments to the full and laid up a gener- ous sum "against a rainy day," if there be anything left from their income, such driblets of this surplusage as the minister may extort from them by pathetic appeals, or the parish draw from them by oyster suppers and other pious entertainments, should go reluctantly to help carry out Christ's commission. The brother who thar' ed the Lord for a " free religion," and de'-lared that tho he had been "a 36 Christ's trumpet-call to the minmstry. member of the Church for twcnty-fivc years it had only cost him twenty-five cents," may be regarded as the typical Christian of this class. There is still another and large class who treat their giving very much as a matter of impulse, and so give without system. At a far remove from these is a small class of conscientious Christians who advocate systematic giving, according to the Jewish law of tithes, which, it is claime<' requires of every one a tenth of his income, either m the net or in the gross. The great fact remains, as will be seen, that the Church is giving next to nothing of what she should give for the carrying out of lier com- mission from the Master. And unless the preachers wake up and tell the Church the whole truth of God in this matter, there is no good reason to expect the world's conversion for a thousand years to come. The t:hurch's theories are all wrong,— as demonstrated by the outcome, -and the preacher must make that plain beyond misunderstand- ing, doubt, or peradventure. If he is to do that, his watchword must be, "To the law and to the testi- mony." It is high time for him to go back to the Word of God to learn what is the law of Christian giv- ing, in order to enforce it upon the rich Church of to-day. The Law of Christian Giving. The law of Christian giving is the basal thing for the Church of the present time. If there are any prin- ciples involved in the matter, or if there are any rules that govern or should govern it, it is most assuredly of vital importance that the preacher should find out what they are, and that he should let the Church know HE MINMSTRY. THE PREACHER S I'RESEN T COMMISSION. 37 I'c years it had only )C regarded as the ere is still another ing very much as a lout system. At a iss of conscientious : giving, according ich, it is claimed. s income, either in at fact remains, as ving next to nothing ing out of iier com- e up and tell the this matter, there is J's conversion for a lurch's theories are ; outcome,— and the ond misunderstand- le is to do that, his w and to the testi- I to go back to the law of Christian giv- the rich Church of N Giving. le basal thing for the there are any prin- f there are any rules it is most assuredly cher should find out let the Church know- just what they are and precisely what the Master rccjuires of her. It may be that we ought not to say " Christian giv- ing" for the time is fast coming, if, indeed, it has not already come— when that expression must be aban- diHied. We cannot give to any one what already belongs to him. The Christian can not, strictly speak- ing, give to Christ what is already his own ' ery pos. sil'le title. We should speak rather of "I nristian's use of wealtii as the steward of Christ in the Kingdom of God." The starting-point is with the requirements made through Moses, tlie Hebrew lawgiver. Tlie old dis- pensation laid the foundation for the old Testament new. According to the Mosaic code, 7i-eq";rcment can fo a moment stand, for, by accurate calculation a mos one half the time of the Jew was required in God s Lrvice. It was evidently the divine purpc^e to require great things of the chosen people, m^^^e^' '^ s necessary to go further and to take into -co«n the fact that these tithes were only a part of the gifts of he Jew-the ordered and measured l-'^t-before we can appreciate the full extent of the means which he devoted to God's service. The other ixxrt consisted of frce-will offerings, the largeness and frequency o whfch were feft to the promptings of the individua heart, but which might, in some instances, even exceed the tithes. Moreover, in the case of the Jew it was he l-oss ineonu or product of his industry that was tUheT before anything had been used for his own ^Tt'we are rescued from all need of dependence on probabilities by finding just at hand reliable w.tnesses to the correctness of the above reading of the Mosaic aw Josephus, who lived at the time of the destruc- ion of Jerusalem, says distinctly that one tenth w-as to be civen yearly to the Levites; one tenth was to be a pUed tJ the'festivals at Jerusalem^; and one ten h was to be given every third year to the poor. Fob t who probacy wrote about 400 «• c, and Jerome, who > miSTRY. ted in Deut. tly, the Mosaic very year, and age of two and \d incorrectly? iult arrived at, •cnient, can for Hilation, almost [uired in God's ne purpose to pie. Indeed, it into account the ( of the gifts of part— before we means which he r ixirt consisted nd frequency of )f the individual ices, even exceed ■ the Jew, it was idustry that was sed for his own Df dependence on reliable witnesses ing of the Mosaic le of the destruc- t one tenth was to e tenth was to be m; and one tenth the poor. Tobit, and Jerome, who THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. .39 wrote about 400 a. d., tell us the same thing. Now, these are all credible and competent witnesses to the Jewish understanding of the law, in their various days, and they all confirm our reading of the rule which was to govern the benevolence of the Jews. but the pertinent question arises: Docs tiiis enact- ment of the Jewisl-i lawgiver belong to that part of his code that, as is the case with the Deca- New Testament logue, is oi perpetual ohtii^ation, and, tiierc- "AvX^. fore, necessarily binding upon the Cliristian Church ? Or, if not, what is the present rule that is to govern the Church in its Christian giving ? This involves the inquiry: Hoiu did Christ and /lis Apostles treat the tithes system? What rule did they acknowled?ie or lay down ? How did Christ, himself the greater lawgiver than Moses, treat the tithe system ? It is learned from the Gospels that he ratified it, at least for the Jew. He did this when he reproved the Pharisees for their neglect of the weightier matters of the law: "Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypoctltes; for ye pay tithes of mint, and anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." This rati- fication is recorded in Matt, x.xiii. 23, and in Luke xi. 42. Hut was this ratification for any one besides the Jew ? The considerations in favor of a negative answer appear to be conclusive — for the Jew clearly, since the Jew was still under the law of Moses, and this was but an affirmation of that fact; for nc le besides the Jew, since Jesus was himself "a minister of the cir- cumcision," or of the old dispensation (see Rom. xv. 8), Christ's View. 40 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALl, TO THE MINISTRY. and, as such, enforcing the law of Moses. The new dispensation could not have its full beginning until its foundation had been laid in Christ's death. I'aking into account the teachings of the Apostles, along with those of ouV Lord himself, there is Jiowhere any clear and sufficient evidence that he made the old Jewish law of tithes the law of that dispensation. There is nowhere even the shadow of evidence that he did. If he did reaffirm the law, then the requirement would be that the Church should yearly devote at least sar>, thirtieths of its income to the objects of Christian benevolence: and this, too, in addition to all the free-will offerings for which the special favors of (^.od give ton thousand occasions. If he did not reaffirm it, then more, rather than less, in some form, must be required of Christians as a body. H a reason be asked, it may be answered that, since the times of the Mosaic law, the grand truth of God's ownership of all things has given place to that of Christ's owner- ship of all things; that the motive has risen all the way up from law to love; and that the mission of the people in covenant with Cod has enlarged from the reception and conservation of the divine revelation in the little Jewish state to the propagation of the Gospel throughout the whole world. To the Christian, the Mead of the Church can say: " Give as bought by my blood; as recreated by my Spirit; as you love me; as a perishing world needs." But assuming t .at Christ did not make the Mosaic system binding under the new dispensation, did the The Apostles. Apostles, on whom devolved the work View. of organizing the primitive Church, ao any such thing ? We think the answer must be an emphatic negative. \ tl (I a ti t( c \\ n tl c w {) s c MINISTRY. THF. I'RF.ACHFR S I'RFSF.NT COMMISSION. 41 uses. Tlie new jinning until its death. Taking ;tles, along with where any clear the old Jewish ition. There is tliat he did. the requirement early devote at I the objects of , in addition to le special favors If he did not s, in some form, )dy. If a reason ince the times of )d's ownership of [ Christ's owner- has risen all the le mission of the nlarged from the vine revelation in ;ion of the Gospel he Christian, the as bought by my you love me; as make the Mosaic )ensation, did the evolved the work nitive Church, do ;mphatic negative. The substantive expression for " tithe," and the two- fold verbal expression for "giving tithes" and "re- ceiving tithes," occur in the Apostolic writings, from the Acts to tilt' Revelation, only seven times — never out of the l'",pistle to ilie Hebrews, and always in such connection as to preclude the basing upon them of any valid argument for the reenactment of the Jewish tithe law for the New Testament Church. It is liard to see how any one who does clear thinking can avoid coming to the same conclusion, with regard to the whole tithing system, tiiat Hiackstone reached with regard to the clergy of the Church of England, and ■ that in spite of his notorious and ahnost slavish adher- ence to past usages, and whic'; lie expressed when he wrote in his Commentaries, " I will not put the title of the clergy to tithes upon ,iiiy divine right, though such a right certainly commenced, and I believe as certainly ceased, with the Jewish theocracy.'" See Blackstone, Commentaries, bk. ii. ch. 8. ll'/iat, then, is the Seripttiral and Apostolie rule laid doi^>f this country only, leaving out all the rest of tile Protestant nations. 'I'his emphasizes the question: Is (he Church able to furnish the means to send :ry. THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. 45 e actual. 3,000,000, lirectly or lurch and (ligations. 3,000,000 ; two and a , 166,000,- is needed ig of the Christian- question give ac- lem from ;e United ai Troies- n the vast it Clnirch tiaris con- he nation, -oduction. ,ooo,oco,- ,'o tenths, 6,000,000. em yearly of tithes; gnition of irk for the ant Chris- ut all the asizes the ans to send ■J the Gospel into all this perishing world now ? Is she not herself perishing in wealth and luxury and corruption because she is not doing it ? Let every Christian apply his arithmetic to this life-and-death problem and find its true solution, and measure his duty by the Gospel standard, by Christ's own ^andard. Who can contemplate, without shuddering, the consequences that must follow from using this vast God-given wealth— given by God and, as „ III.- ■ 1 r . • Dangers shown by his providences, for this one from Hoarded great end of saving a lost world — for Wealth, other purposes than that for which he has given it? And yet it is undoubtedly being so used ; and all the material show and grandeur gathered at the Co- lumbian Exposition demonstrated that misuse. It is rapidly becoming manifest that the greatest danger to-day to society, to the Church, to this nation, and to the world, is the danger from misused wealth ; for the misuse of such wealth brings to the individual and to the nation luxury; it brings idleness; it brings vice ; it must bring wreck. That is the natural pen- alty. That was the course run in the nations of antiq- uity; and in our case there will follow the same results, if we gather and hoard, or scatter and abuse, this vast wealth, and do nothing more or higher than that. Already thoughtful men are coming to recognize the fact that the most dangerous classes in society are not, after all, the men and women Dangerous down in the slums ; but the rich people Classes, who have millions and nothing to do, except to try to get more, or to find something to kill time and out of which to get a passing enjoyment. These are the dangerous classes, because their position and wealth and show give them mai -.elous influence over all the fi,. r 46 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. middle classes, and thereby enable them to gloss over irreligion, immorality, and vice ; to pervert the moral sentiment of the country and of the world ; and to debase and debauch with equal ease the home-life, politics, and religion. Now God's providences, in all past history, have shown that it was not his purpose that we should gather up all this wealui for ourselves, ^MUuIlr and keep it for ourselves-or, at least. Wealth. that we can not do it without ruin. n\ e ought to have learned this lesson in connection with the late Civil War. We kept the slave to make money by; but we learned that "God will have his own. He struck off the chains. He took ten thousand million dollars, in various ways ; and that was proba- bly as much as we had made by our oppression-or more God will have his own ! Men ought to learn it by 'the panics that come periodically, in consequence of their pushing on in their greed for wealth and thinking of nothing else. Every great panic has tl a lesson of God in it; and the financial crisis and tress through which the nation is passing at the present time has a lesson along the same line. Just so long as men use the gold and silver and steam and the e ectricity and all these forces of nature and humanity, that God has given them, for selfish ends, for the amassing of wealth, for pleasure and luxury and «l;°^v-3ust so long they will find panics recurring, they wil find stoppages of activity, they will find ruin overwhelming them from time to time. These providences are always coming and will keep coming; they are God s voice warning of error and danger and destruction and calling to imperative duty and glorious privilege in Christian work. iTRY. gloss over : the moral d ; and to home-life, story, have we should r ourselves, jr, at least, t ruin. We lection with nake money e his own." ;n thousand t was proba- pression — or ight to learn consequence wealth and inic has that ;is and stress present time long as men he electricity ity, that God : amassing of ,how— just so :hey will find overwhelming evidences are ley are God's 1 destruction, ious privilege THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. 47 The exact situation, then, as it appears from provi- dence and Scriptures, seems to be this: The rich Church, with her great possessions, is The Present to day confronting a lost world. Christ Problem, is holding up before her the ideal Christian, the man of service and of self-sacrifice, and is bidding her to go forward illustrating the ideal Christian character. It can readily be seen that, on the principles of the Old Dispensation, we would have enough in five years to send the Gospel into all the world. We could fur- nish enough at once, if we were disposed to do it. There is no reason why it should not be done. Every one would be better— and in the end richer too— for doing it. The Church can only refuse it at her peril. Will she consecrate her sons and daughters, and send them to this work? Or will she keep them at home, and pamper them with her wealth and destroy them ? Will her wealth become a consuming canker ? Or will it be wrought into a crown of glory? Christ calls her; he pleads his dying love and her solemn vows ! She can not falter and fail without repudiating her Master, breaking her vows and her covenant, and giving up her hope of salvation. The preacher must bring home her responsiblity in this matter to the Church of Christ, until the truth has been burned into the very souls of all her members and they come to realize, as in the presence of the judgment, the exact situation ! In this critical condition of affairs, it was eminently appropriate that all the great American Missionary Societies should send, in the year of xhe Mission- grace, 1894, "An Epistle to the Church aryCall. concerning the World's Evangelization," and that they should call upon the Churches with which they are con- 48 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. nected to make " The Final Rally of the Century. " We quote the opening of that call, as in essential harmony with the considerations that we have been urging : " For nearly nineteen centuries the vast majority of the populations of the globe have \va:;ed in vain for the Gospel of rcileniption that was committed to the Christian Church. It was said most truthfully, by the late Earl of Shaftesbury, that ' the (^.ospel miRht have been proclaimed to all nations a dozen times over if the Christian Church had been faithful to her trust,' It is appalling to think that sixty generations of the unevangelized heathen world have perished in darkness since our Lord cs'.ablished and commissioned his Church as a living and aggressive force in the world. And of all the genera- tions ours is the most guilty in proportion to its greater opportuni- ties. In some mission-fields it is already demonstrated that by the Spirit of God thousands may be gathered where there have only been hundreds or scores. ' Let us expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.' " The call is for universal cooperation— to instructors in colleges and theological seminaries, to pastors and associate officers of churches, to superintendents and teachers of Sabbath-schools, to the women of the Church, to Young Men's Christian Associations, and Young Women's Christian Associations, to Societies of Christian Endeavor, to the Epworth League, to the St. Andrew Brotherhood, to all gilds and societies of the young in any branch of the Church, to join in one common effort for the salvation of the world, and to unite, with new meaning and emphasis, in the divinely prescribed petition, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." If any one thing is manifest to any one who stops for serious thought, it is that the Church can be The Only emancipated from this worldly thraldom, Help. and this greatest of obstacles can be removed, by the renovating power of the Holy Ghost, RY. THE PREACHER S PRESENT COMMISSION. 49 -y." We harmony Ting: populations niption that t truthfully, have been lian Church k that sixty perished in his Church the genera- r opportuni- ihat by the ; have only 3m God and istructors stors and Jents and :n of the tions, and Societies ue, to the )cieties of oin in one Id, and to e divinely hy will be who stops h can be thraldom, ;s can be Dly Ghost, and by that alone. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is therefore the supreme need of the hour. In the inter- view of Jesus with his disciples, when he met them, on the evening following the first day of the week, after the crucif.xion, with Thomas absent, he gave them ^promise and a command : " And behold I send the promise of my Father upon you. Put tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke states more fully the promise of baptism with the Holy Ghost : " But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." In the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles Luke records the fulfilment: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a auund from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto -them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Gliost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." The immediate result on that day was the adding of three thousand souls to the number of the disciples. That pentacostal season has been regarded as typical of all great religious awakenings and conquests in the ages since ; and the " tongues of fire " have been the symbol of that baptism, or that pouring out, of the Holy Spirit which has been the only thing that has 4 50 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. ever endued the Church with power in its work of saving the world. , r^u ^u Such baptism of the Holy Ghost is what the Church supremely needs to-day. The tongue of f.re .s what TLpreaoher'. the preacher needs, if he is to be, .n h.s Present Duty, official position, the agent m preparing the Church for such a baptism, and in saving lost sinners from the power of sin and death, i'lat need is emphasized and made so imperative, by the great fact that, while, in this age as in every other age. he is to carry on the general work of his commission the preacher has, at the present day, the added work and responsibility .f bringing all Christians to a deeper sense of th«ir deficiencies and of their respon- sibilities, and of leading them to seek, with an urgency that can not be denied, for the immediate and univer- sal outpouring of God's Spirit, that the world may be saved noic. , u Meanwhile, it is high time that the preacher should everywhere lead on the Church in the final rally of the century i he supreme demand upon him in this con- nection is that he should absolutely overwhelm his people with the momentous facts of providence, o history, and of the Word of God on this subject, until by the breath of the Spirit they shall be brought to feel in every fiber of their being, that " covetousness is idolatry," that God hates it in them just as fiercely as -yea, much more fiercely than-he hated it in Achan of old, and in Ananias and Sapphira, when he crushed them with his thunderbolts, and that there is no escape from the bottomless pit for those who are und^r its dominion. :ry. work of le Church e is what be, in his preparing iving lost i'lat need the great jther age, immission, Ided work ians to a ;ir respon- an urgencj' md univer- rld may be her should rally of the in this con- rwhclin his vidence, of bject, until brought to avetousness IS fiercely as it in Achan , he crushed is no escape e und'jr its THE preacher's PRESENT COMMISSION. Summary and Conclusion. 5» The consiiierations that have been urged make it clear that the Church is to-day passing tin-ough a great crisis. It is not simply a crisis in foreign missions, but a crisis in the entire work of evangelizing the race at home and abroad. The whole world is open to the Gospel, waiting for it, perishing for the lack of it. The Church has every means and facility for giving it that Gospel. The great Church and missionary agen- cies are already pushing on to take possession of the highways and byways of tiiis nation and of all the nations. The command " Go ye " has at this hour a pregnant and momentous meaning that it never had before. The preacher's commission, as the official leader, director, inspirer, of the great forward move- ment, takes on a solemnity that it has never had before. Upon the preacher, under God, the great bur- den of responsibility supremely rests. The answer to the question, " What shall be done ?" depends largely upon him. If he fails to grasp the situation himself, he cannot instruct the Church in her present duty. It has been said that Christ has providentially taken away eTe/y obstacle to the spread of the Gospel, and that he has made worthless every one of The One Only the old excuses for delaying the work. Obetacle. That statement needs to be corrected : He has taken away all obstacles except those in the hearts of professing Christians themselves. It can not be reasonably denied that there is still deep spiritual lethargy resting upon the Church ; deep insensibility to the needs of a perishing world; a wide-spread indifference to her obligation to the Master. We had better tace the facts. There is nothing to be gained— rather every- 52 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. tliin.i; to l)c lost— by blinking them. Hardness r,( heart is upon us to-day, as upon Israel of old. World- lincss wraps us about and lulls us into unconsciousness to-day, as it did priest and people and kii.g of old. Gold dazzles us with its glitter, as it dazzled in the olden times, shutting out with its glare the glory of our misr.ion and the glory of God. Money-getting is practically and the world over, in the view of the multi- tude, the chief end of man. 'IMie same sins— idolatry and the self-righteous formality of outward works— against whuh the later prophets strove, in seeking to bring the Chosen I'eople to a sense of their mission, stand in the way of the progress of the Kingdom of God to-day. The influence of all this is powerfully .operative with prcaclier and people alike; and in con- sequence of it the world is left to perish in its sin, wliile we keep up our self-deception by officially enact- ing our " I'lay of Missions"! Dr. Arthur T. Pierson has graphically mim.ned 'tp the present condition of affairs and the failure 'f the Christian centuries to push the Gospel, e\ -cpt so far as God has carried his own work majestically on, by his providence : " Mcnnwhile, what ar<- we doinf; ? Trifling with the whole matter of a world's evangeliz.itioii ; trifling on a magnificent scale ! Since our Lord on Calvary breath-d his dying prayer, fifty successive gen- erations of human beings have passed away. In this awful aggregate twt:ity-five times the present population of the globe have perished without the Go?pel ; and as yet the entire Christian Church sends less than Cooo l.iborers into the foreign field and spends less than $12,000,000 a year on the world-wide work ! " of (l//t STRY. ardness of d. World- n^ciousness ii.g of old. zl-^d in the le glory of y-getting is )f tiie multi- is — idolatry rd works — seeking to .'ir mission, Kingdom of powerfully and in con- 1 in its sin, cially enact- T. Pierson :ondition of centuries to carried bis ce ; le whole matter t scale ! Since successive gen- awful aggregate ! have perished 1 Church sends ^encls less than CHAin"{:R II. iiiK i"Ri;A('iii;R's .Mi;ssA(;K. ^^l^\^, in view of iIk" present pressing re{|uirenicnt of liis eoiiiiuission, is to be the prearlier's message? What must it be in view of the great crisis of the limir? \\\' answer: ■ Bihlr C/uisti,uiity as a Sarin;:; /'oicrr for f/ir Siiiiirr ami for the U'or/J. The preaclier's one essential message, inidtT his comniissir.il, is tlie message of saivatiini : " I'reai li tlie (lospel to every creature. • Christianity salvation the IS essentially liistinguished from all dtlier Key-Note. n.-]igioiis, by being ihr religimi of salvation. It has undoubtedly furnished the source and inspiration (;f all that is highest and iiest in chaiac ter ai- ' nduct, art and literature, culture; aiul i ivilizatioii— but ail that has been merely incidental and si'coiidary to its main purpose of saving men. 'i'lie angel said to Joseph: " 'i'hou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his jieople from their sins." Christ defined liis own mission, wjicii he said: "The Son of man is come to save that whieii is lost." Paul expressed it, when he wrote: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." The cry of a human scnil, when brought to a sense of its true condition, is voiced in the anxious and des|)airing cpifstion of the jailer of riiilippi; "What must 1 do to be saved?" The n ^mm^fmtfmitim 54 CHRIST'S TKUMPKr-CAI.I. TO THK MINMSTRY. Bible everywhere bases the whole (iospel system on the lost and helpless conditi.in of the race-some- times assuming or presupposing it; sometimes em- phatically and dogmatically pro. laiming it, and again proceeding with irresistible logic to demonstrate it In short, the Word of Clod exhausts the power of human language and imagery in presenting the desper- ate condition of the lost soul out of Christ in this life, and the hopelessness of its destiny in the life to come. In short, sin and death, salvation and life, constitute the marrow of Bible divinity; and outside of and apart from these, the Scriptures have no message that has any great and paramount interest for a human sou The preaching that leaves out these may just as well cease at once ; for its narrowness and shallowness mark it with '.mpotcnce and foredoom it to failure. The Church of Christ, as commissioned by Him for saving men, is a spiritual agency. Her supreme task A R iritnal 's I'^e salvation of the world-the re- Agenoy. making of men in righteousness, by the power and grace of Christ accompanying and indors- ing the commission and message he has given her The preacher who has not learned this has not learned the alphabet of Christ. He needs to start anew in his work of preparation. His aims, under Christ's com- mission, are spiritual, not secular. The implements of his warfare are spiritual, not carnal-" the sword of the Spirit " being his chief offensive weapon. He has to bring the world into subjection to Christ— not by benevolence, nor bv philanthropy, nor by social re- form, but by the Gospel; nut by reformation, but by regeneration and salvation from sin. be pr ci- is in im T ISTRY. spel system race — some- netimes em- t, and again lonstrate it. he power of g the desper- t in this life, life to come. fe, constitute ; of and apart sage that has human soul. r just as well 1 shallowness to failure, d by Him for supreme task wrld— the re- isness, by the ig and indors- las given her. las not learned rt anew in his Christ's corn- he implements 1 — " the sword ; weapon. He to Christ— not or by social re- mation, but by i I THE Treacher's message. j| SECTION FIRST. Bible Christianity as a Saving Power. The preacher's fundamental theme must, therefore, be Christianity as a saving power. The ultimate first principle for him is not that it is the duty of the Church to save the world by reforming it, but that it is her duty to reform the world by saving it. As put in the famous epigram of Bushnell: " The soul of all improvement is the improvement of the soul." I. Regenerating Power and Grace Fundamental. Let it be emphasized that the aim of the preacher is to bring in the new heavens and the new earth, and to inaugurate the reign of Christ, not by reforming men, but by saving them; and that the only effective agency in saving men is Christianity as a regenerating power. This is undoubtedly the Scriptural view on this sub- ject, as that view is everywhere presented, but espe- cially as it is presented in the one great Man's Moral Bible treatise on the way of salvation, Disorder. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. 'l"o the Roman— the man of power, action, law— Paul wrote: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." After making this bold statement the apostle pro- ceeds to show that all men, Jews and Gentiles, are under the condemnation of the law, and that the fact that the Gospel is the power of fiod to deliver men from this lost condition, through justification by faith ii; ^.^ 56 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. in the righteniipness of God in Christ, is the ground of his glorying in it. But it may be taken to be demuns'.rable, even without recourse to the clear teaching of the Scriptures on the subject — as far as demonstration can be said to be ap- plicable to the region of contingent thought— that the evil condition of human nature without the grace of God, and the resulting evil conditions of society and of politics, are sucli as can be met by nothing less than divine regeneration. Christianity has shown it- self to be the only agency able to remedy the abnormal moral and social condition, and bring about the moral reconstruction of the individual and society. In short, man's natural state is one of moral obliquity and dis- order, hopelessly beyond the reach of evervthing but the religion of Jesus Christ. Any candid and adequate investigation brings to light abundant evidence that human nature is in such disorder, and that the ideal life of duty, prescribed by God and by conscience, has become impossible to man without moral renovation. This disorder is apparent in that condition of evil in the nature out of which, as from a fountain, all the evil of human conduct flows. Man's moral judgment is confessedly both weakened and darkened; his moral feelings are both deadened and perverted; his strong- est moral impulses are persistently mclined toward evil, so that while his whole being shows, in accord- ance with the voice of conscience, that he was un- doubtedly mr-le for virtue, he is now just as evidently biased toward the morally evil. This disorder appears, with equal clearness, in the fact that man's moral nature does not work harmon- iously under the moral law. either as moral rule or as '.u, NISTRY. the ground of even without ptiires on the laid to be ap- ght— that the the grace of of society and nothing less has shown it- the abnormal out the moral ety. In short, juity and dis- ;vervthing but ion brings to ure is in such prescribed by impossible to ition of evil in untain, all the oral judgment ned; his moral ;d; his strong- iclined toward 3ws, in accord- lat he was un- st as evidently earness, in the ; work harmon- oral rule or as THK PREACHER S MESSAGE. 57 moral mission. In none of his great relations does he, in a state of nature, fulfd his mission of duty and conform his conduct to the requirements of God's law. It is true of the majority of mankind, even in Christen- dom, that, wiiile acknowledging their obligation to supreme devotion to God, they yet practically neglect or even reject God; that, while acknowledging their obligation to a proper regard for and care of their own being, they yet in the worst sense neglect or even abuse that being; that, while freely confessing their obligation to do to others as they would that others should do to them, they yet selfishly disregard the well-being of their fellow-men, or even do their utmost to injure them. Indeed, this is true of men universally, except so far as something extraneous comes in to prevent these results. Positive law and government, using force to restrain evil and to inflict penalty, are necessary for the preservation of the individual and society from destruction; and even these have never been able to preserve either the man or the State from corruption and anarchy and ruin, without the added regenerating power of vital Christianity. Following upon man's condition of disorder, there is found everywhere the inevitable accompaniment of wreck and wretchedness that attaches to wreokand all breaking of law, as at once penalty Wretchedness, for transgression and a warning against ruin. Broken law is inexorable to the impenitent. The penalty of immoral conduct is not always immediate, for that might prevent the possibility of morality; but the extreme penalty of moral death is in the end inevi- table. "Thou shalt surely die" was the penalty attached to the first transgression, and it is the pen- -f T 58 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry alty that must follow the moral disorder so manifest and so wide-spread in man's nature and the world. There is neither ultimate secrecy nor impunity for sin in God's moral government. The only escape from the penalty is to be found in removal of the disorder. The great practical moral question in all ages has therefore been: Is there any way 0/ escape or 0/ moral restoration ? The answer of the ages, that rings out clearly everywhere, is, that Christianity has proved itself, not only philosophically but also historically, the only effective agency in man's deliverance and moral renovation and reconstruction. The absolute certainty of this conclusion appears from the very conditions of any true solution of the problem involved, (i) Any Bequirement. effective scheme of moral renovation of the Case, must take into account all the main facts of man's moral nature, moral condition, and moral des- tiny. (2) It must not overlook the wreck of the moral manhood, nor the failure of the life of man to attain to the moral ideal; but must furnish a power adequate to the reconstruction of the one, and a universal motive and mission equal to the task of lifting up the other to the normal and ideal standard. (3) It must likewise make provision for counteracting the natural forces that are set to work by transgression of law, and that must otherwise doom man to perpetual pain and ruin; and for remaking or reconstructing the human wreck. Much of the thinking of the ages has been devoted to this problem, and innumerable solutions have been proposed. These solutions, by their failure to meet the conditions of the problem, or requirements of the case, as just stated, have proved themselves worthless. Self-reconstruction has been shown, both philosophic- ally and historically, to be impracticable. The false rel Mf ins dai ha' ( ma an; kir to pn nai C0| th( It air for mc ele It ma wh do di^ in It en to eai mc sir Ct in( iTRV . manifest the world, nity for sin scape from e disorder, ill ages has or of moral t rings out has proved jrically, the and moral te certainty inditions of 1. (i) Any renovation ; main facts \ moral des- jf the moral to attain to adequate to irsal motive the other to lust likewise tural forces LW, and that in and ruin; jman wreck, leen devoted IS have been ure to meet ments of the es worthless. philosophic- The false THE PREACHER S MESSAGE. i9 religions — Confucianism, Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Mohammedanism— have in the same way been proved insufficient. Man's new philosophies all the way up to date — Pantheism, Positivism, Culturism, Secularism — have been shown in the same way to be worthless. Christianity alone meets the demands legitimately made of any scheme of moral reconstruction that has any right to claim the attention of man- Christianity's kind; and it thereby demonstrates itself Proposals, to be the only adequate solution of the great moral problem. It takes into account the facts of man's natural condition of moral disorder. It takes full cognizance of the all-important facts of the wreck of the moral manhood and the failure in the moral task. It provides for the restoration of the former by an almighty reconstructing agency, the Holy Spirit; and for the lifting up of the latter by the new and universal motive power of divine faith and love, and by an elevating and everlasting mission for the glory of God. It embodies its perfect system of morality and its marvelous scheme of grace in a person, Jesus Christ, who is at once the perfect example of human right- doing and self-sacrifice, the complete exhibition of divine love for man, and the almighty helper of man in his struggle up toward the right life and manhood. It seats upon the throne of the universe the once crucified but now risen and ascended Savior as Lord, to whom all authority and all power in heaven and earth are given, to save from the bondage and defile- ment of sin, and from its dreadful consequences, all sinners who repent and believe on him. Making such provision for human reconstruction, Christianity has shown itself able to make over the individual life, and with equal ease to transform the T 60 CHRTjT's TRrMPF.T-CAI.I. TO THE MIXISTRV. cultivated Saul of Tarsus r^d tlie savage Africaner into ideal men; and to reconstruct the social life, Christianity ''^^ '" '1"^' t-'arly transformation of the Reconstructs. Roman I'juiiire and the savaj>e Anglo- Saxons, and in tlie hiter making over of tlie Sandwich Islanders, Fuegians, and Soutii Sea Islanders. Christianity as a regenerating anil saving power is therefore necessarily and essentially the message of the preacher to men, and the only one tjiat has in it any gospel for men. II. The Ioxorinc. of Rkgenkra riox Fatal. It follows that any other method tiian that by the application of the (Jospel, with its saving power, even tho that method be presented and advocated by the Church, must inevitai)ly prove a failure in tlie end. It is a fatal objection to all such methods, by whomso- ever suggested, adopted, or advocated, that they deal only with the surface symptoms, and do not touch the dee|i-lying seat of the fatal moral disease. Those who make use of them must logically be classed with the prophets and priests of old, against whom Jeremiah brought the accusation of the Lord: " They have liciilcd .nlsD the hurt of the tUiughter of my people slightly, snyiiit;, Pc;icc. pc.iie ; when there is 110 peace " (Jcr. vi. 14). T/ii' Relations of Prciic/iiiii; to Rtfonii. It can be made abundantly clear that the mtdtiludi- nous schemes of refo"m that have not tiieir root in Ciiristianity must fail of accom])lishing the moral results desired and aimed at. > trut ity. thai ard and ject mus to I rctp No: perr the tian vari natu mov reuK ■■ N^ elevi tion. only in a the fail t higii- or a tion they I'^duc the s tially Th a gen I iV. kfricaner L'ial life, I of the : Anglo- andwich )(i\vcr is ssage of has in it riAL. : In- the er, even 1 by the ill' end. iViiOIllSO- iic}- deal 3uch the lose wlin ,vith tiie ercniiah my people cr. vi. 14). llitiUldl- root in e moral THE preacher's MESSAGE. &t No scheme of j;.)veniment can t;ive permanent and true elevation to society wiliunit the aid of Christian- ity. Two tilings are al)so!uteiy necessary in order tiiat society may i)e made what it siiould be : A stand- ard of absolute right and justice must be furnished and put into the hands and minds of rulers and sub- jects, to be the perfect guide of both; and a power must be provided to bring men in their conduct up to this standard. fiiristianity alone furnishes the retpusite standard and necessary transforming power. No scheme of philosophy or of moral reform can give permanent elevation to society, except as it adopts the aims and uses the means furnished by the Chris- tian system. In order to the actual removal of the various evils of society, the moral disorder of man's nature in which they have their origin must be re- moved. The Christian system alone provides the remedy re(|uired. No sciieme of education can lead to the permanent elevation of society, except as it is Christian educa- tion. Kdncation as divorced from Christianity can only tlevelop what is in the man. .\s man's nature is ill a condition of moral disorder, even education of the most liberal and comprehensive character must fail to purify and transform the man, and may at tiie highest make no more than a Lord liacon, or a Byron, or a Burr, or a Stuart Mill. If men are good, educa- tion will make them the more powerful for good: if they are bad, it will only make them stronger for evil. I'Alucation, transformed, elevated, and controlled by the spirit of Christ, is the only kind that can essen- tially and permanently elevate society. These remarks are esiiecially applicable to all such agencies as Mr. Stead's "Civic Church," by which he 6a chrtst's trumpet-call to the ministry. proposes to elevate the masses, as well as to all the devices of socialistic secularism. It has no root in Christ, in Ciod's law of riRht and justice, or in the Word of God; and no motive but a sentimentar notion of a brotherhood without a basis in a Divine Fatherhood, and which could not, therefore, prove effective even with regenerate men, much less with a morally corrupt and debased mass of men. If the preceding observations are well grounded, it follows that the present effort in much of the preach- ing apparently so popular in many quar- iotSubsWUry ters, to subordinate the mission and to Reform. ^^q^Ic of the Church to the various com- mon reform activities, is in the wrong direction, and must ultimately not only fail but also prove most posi- tively harmful. The Gospel is not something merely subsidiary to reform. I. This subordination is entirely at variance with the whole method and spirit of Christ and his religion, and with the method of the Apostles. ^ Mrthodof The Duke of Argyll recently brought ChrUt. oyt this point very clearly in his article on "Christian Socialism" in The Nineteenth Century for November, 1894. He writes : •' It has been well said by a modern philosopher that the whole system of human society rests on a few fundamental conceptions and a few accepted beliefs. And this is exactly what Christianity sup- plied to a world which had come to believe in nothing. Without conde- scending to take the least notice of anything that could be connected with the politics of its own early days, without breathing one word which can be construed as taking any side in the great secular con- tests of men, whether then or since, it did, nevertheless, bring in and establish a few fundamental conceptions and beliefs which have trans- formed the world. Beyond this it deliberately abstained from going. "There is nothing more striking, more divine, than its majestic re Pt su te th so ju cc th cr b< id th til •g' d( w te in re ai b; E d ft h P ir SI ai e: d C is rt RY. to all the o root in the Word ition of a therhood, tive even ly corrupt 3unded, it le preach- lany quar- ssion and rious com- ction, and most posi- ing merely iance with is religion, Apostles. ly brought his article Century for liat the whole nceptions and iristianity sup- Vithout conde- be connected ling one word t secular con- 5, bring in and ich have trans- ed from going, in its majestic THE PREACHER S MESSAGE. H reticence. It made no attack upon anything in the nature of a political institution. " Although many of the evils under which heathendom was then suffering were undoubtedly and closely connected with bad sys- tems and principles of government, Christianity was silent upon them all. .S.ive in so far as, in its own higher sphere, it implanted some new truth prejjnant with new conse((uences, it left them all to be judged by the more enlightened reason and tlie gradually awakened conscience of mankind. 'I'here is no method of reform so powerful as this. If alongside of any false and corrupt belief, or any vicious and cruel custom, however strong and however deeply rooted these may be, we can succeed in planting successfully some one incompatible idea, then, without the noise of controversy or the clash of battle, those beliefs and customs will wane and die. It was thus that Chris- tianity, without a single word of ciirect attack, killed off one of the .greatest and most universal curses of the pagan world — the ever- deepening curse of slavery. The antagonistic and incompatible truth which had this effect was among the profoundest in the Christian sys- tem, namely : the inalienable dignity, value, and responsibility of the individual human soul. But this truth was left to work out its own results without any attempt to anticipate that work in its thousand applications." This is the rational side of the principle presented by Dr. Chalmers, in his celebrated sermon on " The Expulsive Power of a Nev/ Affection." This is un- doubtedly the true and effective method of procedure for the preacher of the present day. It is well for him to keep to the great example of Christ and to practise the Apostolic rule. That gives him an immense domain; for those far-reaching moral and spiritual truths that were the only theme of our Lord and his Apostles take in the question as to what extent the evils of the world, social and political, are directly due to the failure of men to come up to Christ's standard of doctrine and of precept; and that is a question of inexhaustible variety and of the widest reach. 64 Christ's trumi-et-call to the ministry. The recently proposed method inevitably leads the preaiher and the Church out of the sphere of (2) Trenches religion into that of the State and of upon Polvtics. i)olitics, and can only result in the same CO-' cations of Church and State that have been the r:»^. of both, and the cause of political and religious opjj! ; ion and persecution in past ages. The State v, ., b.,ond its sphere, and encroaches upon the free- dom of .1 Midividual, when it says that the church- member shall do this or that, or shall refrain from doing this o- that, in matters that have nothing to do with the field of politics as such. The Church takes undue liberties with the rights of conscience when it says that, in the sphere of purely secular or political activity, its members shall do this and shall not do that. The result, in the former case, is always politi- cal oppression, and in extreme cases political persecu- tion. In the latter case, it is always religious oppres- sion, or religious ostracism or persecution. This new method inevitably leads the preacher and the Church back to the system of Tegaiu™ and self-righteousness and formal and out- Formality. \yard works, from the bondage of which the Reformation emancipated Protestant Christendom. Human conduct is operated on by two great agen- cies : by outward rule and by inward principle. The true method of the Christian religion, as has been seen, is to regenerate the man and implant within him the inward principle that shall substantially work itself out in the Christian life. The Romish Church had substituted for this inward principle the outward rule, and its elaborate system of rules, covering all human activities and claiming control over both Church and State, had destroyed the spontaneous a( fc n: II n: u w o ti S( ir ai tl r( tc ti tl e' d l< C rt t( (< ei tl w t{ tl o: It THF. I'KI'.ACHKK S MESSAGE. H >ver both jntaneous activities of tiie inward principle of faith. It railed for work done in conformity with its rules, and that made life a drmlgery and a weariness of the flesh. Its morality had become a n:oralily of outward for- mality and rules. Its system of outward works had usurped the place of the life of faith, and held all liie world in absolute bondage. It was from this bondajj;e of outwartl rule tiiat the Reformers broke loose, in tiieir great movement in the si.Ntcenth century, and sought to carry back tiie Church to the control of the inner principles of Christian faith. There are two modes of preaching, in the present age, that are diametricaliy opposed. The one presses the Gospel upon men as a saving power, aims at regeneration, and encourages spontaneous conformity to Gospel prin( ii)les, which is the old method. The other dwells constantly upon social and political ques- tions, and attempts to lay down rules that shall govern the entire range of human activity, and to say to men, everywhere and on every occasion, "Thus thou shalt do, and thus." The former is the method of the Reformation, and the true method of Protestant Christendom; the latter, the method of the new reformers and the old Romanism. The one, as Paul teaches, carries back the Church to the covenant "from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth bondage" (Gal. iv. 24) to ritual observance and legal obedi- ence; the other carries her forward to the covenant that is from Mount Zion, from " the Jerusalem above which is free, which is the mother of us all," and tends to free spiritual activity by bringing her members more thoroughly under the influence of love, the higher law of the spirit of liberty. See Rom. viii. and xiii. 8, 10. It is difficult to see how anything can come from this 66 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. new departure, except the old evil and the old bond- age of ritualism and legalism. The fatal defect of the new method is, tiiat it leads to the neglect of the vital matter of all Chris- (4) Fatal to tian teaching— the presentation of the the Gospel, saving doctrines of the Gospel— and to the exaltation into its place of social problems, politi- cal issues, and minor morals generally. However clearly these ethical and political matters may be presented, in the preaching that dwells exten- sively or exclusively upon them, such preaching does nothing toward regenerating men, and thereby pre- paring in them the moral character that would lead them to conform to the requirements laid down. But it will hardly be denied that the average preacher fails to present such matters clearly; for, while he may be most familiar with the fundamental theological and moral principles, and abundantly qualified to present these principles, he is usually— and that justly-looked upon by the mass of intellectual men as the last man to take up and attempt to discuss and settle such industrial, social, and civic problems. As the Duke of Argyll shows, in the article already referred to, even Dr. Chalmers failed, in undertaking to solve the problems of poverty practically, tho perfectly familiar with the conditions involved. The true vocation of the preacher, in relation to - -. » , .• the working out of the social and politi- 2. True Belation . , . , i i of the Preacher cal problems of the day, may perhaps be to Eeform. gummed up in the following particulars : It is the preacher's fundamental and all-impor- tant task to bring about, through the preaching of Christianity as a saving power, the ^'^^S'"'"*"*"'' regeneration of individual men— that is. to pc CI l)C of ar m ar ti: es sa pr la th Pi ar ar m pt fit it er in ar ot ar C er se in se le iTRY. 1 old bonc'- is, that it all Chris- ion of the »el — and to ems, politi- cal matters veils exten- iching does lereby pre- would lead Jown. But eacher fails he may be logical and to present tly— looked he last man settle such 5 the Duke referred to, to solve the ctly familiar relation to 1 and politi- ' perhaps be particulars : 1 all-impor- •reaching of power, the len — that is. THE PREACHERS MESSAGE. BJ to make Christians of them. That alone makes reform possible, and that makes it practicable, by making Christian ( onscience and Christian character. It is his task to indoctrinate the individual mem- bers of the Church in the great fundamental principles of Christi.mity as a system of salvation, ,•.., Tolndoo- and to eduiateand to inspire individual trinate in Oo«- mcn, especially men of marked ability pel Principle*, and fitness, to become leaders and guides and influen- tial factors of society, .ilong the lines and in the inter- ests of righteousness and of Christian living and self- sacrifice for mankind. It is especially his duty to present and < nforce the great principles of the moral law and of Christianity itself, that men are to apply in the practical solution of the problems th^L are so prominently before the public mind. But in these days of so com|)licated social relations and of such complex social problems, it would be arrant folly for the preacher himself to ai tempt to make specific and exhaustive application of the Gospel principles to all those relations and problems. The field is too vast; and the man who attempts to cover it in this way will inevitably become involved in the endless unimi)ortant details and lose sight of all- important vital principles. The method of Christ and of the primitive Christianity is the simple and only true and effective method. There are multitudes among the members of the Christian Agency of Church — professors, lawyers, physicians. Laymen, engineers, business men, farmers, artisans, who repre- sent vast practical knowledge along all lines, and immense brain-power — in whose mind the preacher is sent to fix the principles of righteousness and benevo- lence that should control all the conduct and relations 68 Christ's trtmi'I' r-t \i i. (<> i nr ministry. of men. Tlu'so men have tlif (lualifiiations — of inti- mate kiio\vl(ily;i- of the variuns spheres of life and activity, imlusirial, social, poiitieai, and moral, and of practical sense and expLrieni c in affairs — tiiat the averajje prcaclur can not be expectetl to have, and that arc essential to tlie ri)j;ht applieatiim of tlie principles of tlic ("losprl to tlie practical soliilion of all the difficult problems at present di-n)aiidin.!j; solution. It is in this way, throii;;h the Gospel messajLje and the Christian inspiration and instruction of tiie pulpit, that Ciiristianity has in lime past revniiilinnized the world; and in this way it may be expeclcci to brinji like results in time to come. It is the preacher's task, also, to make conscience in society, by i^ersistently pressing ui)on men the C.DToMake authority of the law of Clod anil of Conscience. Christ ovi'r the public tonscience. Without such creation ami development of conscience, all attempts at ri'form must necessarily be evanesc ent, since they will have no root ii. the moral convictions and character of the community to support them. Rut this subject will be treated more fully under tlu' preaching of the law, as a pari of the preacher's message. It is the preacher's task, finally, to furnish the moral strength and spirit nccdeil by the varied ministries of (DToOive '"-Mp ^'"<^1 healing that assist in the work Tone to Society, of elevating society. This he can do most efficiently by enlarging the views of men and by e.xalting their Christian character and itleals. Mis work is, by the teaching of the C.ospel, to lead men to Christian views of benevolence and philanthropy and human brotherhood, and to Christlike self-sacrifice in the interests of humanitv and for the glory of God. •I'll uni ora of out Vol of I ing fal. at' ope res stri in 11, his then fvcr iiess lie.Tn r still Gos era I the in ( beci The surf deei refo outv TUV. THK PKl At III.K H MESSAGE. IS — of inti- if life and moral, and 5— that the liave, and ion of tiic ntion of all ^ solution. ijL^c anil till- tin; pulpit, ionizc'tl the ■d to brini; conscience II men the (id and of conscience, conscience, L'vanesc ent, (diivictions port them. ,■ undrr tlu' preaciier's h tiic moral linistries of in the work he can do lien and by deals. His lead men to thropy and -sacrifice in )ry of God. The right kinti of preaching unquestionably has an immense moral intUience in this direi tion. 'I'liomas Chalmers, Scotland's most famous puljiit orator, furni^liusa historic example of the uorlhlessiiess of the prcaihing thai aiiiis at reform with- _„ ,,, , o. futility 01 out rci^ent r.ition. i'or many years he tic- the Popular votnl ins spl'iulid clotpience to the task Method, of trying to make men better by secular motives, dilat- ing upon " the meanness of tlishoiusly, the villainy of falsehood," and kindred subjects. . .fter the regener- at 'ig grace of (lod hatl transformed tiie preacher and openetl his eyes to divine realities, he summed up the results of his comiiaratively wasted years when, under stress of conscience — in an address delivered to the inliabitants of Kilmany, I'ifcshire, in ICS15, the year of his translation to (ilasgow — he said: " I never licanl of nny such reformatidii li.iviiig been effected : if there u.is aiiylhiiij; at ail imniglit alxiut Iji tliis way il is more lliau I ever {;o| any account nf. It was not until the free i»tTcr of forgive- ness thruiigh the bl.iod of Christ was urged upon men, that I ever licard of any of those subordinate reformations." The practical futility of the popular method, of sub- stituting the preaching of morality for that of the Cospel, and of reform for that of regen- Recent Illus- eration, has had abundant illustration in trations. the struggles for moral, social, and muiiii ipal reform, in our cities, in the cases in which the clergy have been the leadc:rs and have applied the new method. 'I'he work has been sliown by the results to be mere surface work, followetl by inevitable reaction and deeper and more widely pervading corruption. Tlie refiu-m, in sucli instances, is td'ten merely a matter of outward decen .• in api)earance, to be thrown olf as 70 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. soon as the public gaze is withdrawn. It proceeds and returns in spasmodic cycles. When corruption in a great commercial metropolis becomes absolutely un- endurable, the public journals set to work to expose it; the preachers join in denouncing it; decent citizens whose comfort or pocket has b^ien seriously affected raise their voices against it; practical politicians, who always know " which way t'le wind blows," hasten, in the role of reformers, to get control of the movement and to profit by it; the corrupt leaders and bosses, against whom public indignation is turned, hide them- selves for a time, while some of their miserable and insignificant tools vicariously suffer for them, and the people rejoice over a "glorious revolution!" Soon the waking up comes, when it is found that the great seething heart of corruption, whether designated as Tweedism or as Tammanyism, has not been changed nor affected in the slightest degree, and that the new political bosses are largely men with the same unre- generate hearts as the old, and equally ready to illus- trate Vergil's "facilis descensus Averni." Anon the old lethargy returns, and the people once more find themselves helpless in the grip of organized vice; and immorality and crime again hold high carnival. Such is inevitably the last result of even honest, earnest Chr.stian work, that seeks only outward reform and not inward regeneration— a result always conspicu- ously illustrating, at the same time, both the futility of the new reformer's method, and the absolute necessity for a return to the method of Christ and primitive Christianity. It is thereby demonstrated, for the time being, that no mere thin blanket of decency can cover and smother the deep-burning fires and Titanic forces of a great moral Vesuvius, and insure the safety of th mi lej to bo rai an a I ho in en go wil ma for ] saj on gei say tio pre me poi inc hea IRV. t proceeds ruption in )lutely un- to expose nt citizens ly affected cians, who hasten, in movement nd bosses, lide them- erable and n, and the 1 ! " Soon : the great jignated as ;n changed at the new same unre- ly to illus- Anon the ; more find i vice; and ival. Such ;st, earnest reform and s conspicu- le futility of te necessity id primitive for the time y can cover tanic forces le safety of THE preacher's MESSAGE. n those who take refuge upon it. The volcanic fires must first be put out by Almighty Power. Equally powerless for securing genuine reform is the legal method so often advocated. It is a good thing to have wise and just laws on the statute Eefomation by booiis. The mere existence of such laws l-aw. raises a moral presumption against unrighteousness and vice and crime. But no pressure of law, even in a nation with despotic government, can permanently hold down the forces of evil. Much less can it do this in a democratic nation, where the pressure of law de- creases as the iniquity iacreasep,. Regeneration must go before and make and sustain the law. SECTION SECOND. Both Law and Gospel Essential to the Message. But to be more specific, the preacher must present with all clearness and fulness the law of God and man's lost condition under it, and the Gospel provision for salvation. It must go with the saying that the preacher's mes- sage, both in its matter and its authority, rests back on the Word of God It behooves him to inquire dili- gently and first of all: What has the Divine Word to say on this all-important subject of the way of salva- tion ? The pages of the Bible obviously abound in incidental presentations, literal and figurative, of the nature and method of salvation. But, as this is the one all-im- portant subject of revelation, it is not left to mere incidental illustration. In the Old Testament, it is the heart of the whole sacrificial and priestly system and v«r 72 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. ritual, on which the religion of Judaism rested or of which it mainly consisted. In the New Testament, three of the principal Epistles of Paul B^ooSomiva: are devoted to the doctrine of salvation, tion. vvith the purpose of exhibiting the truth on that subject, and of guarding against the three errors into whi :h Jew, Greek, and Roman-the world- races of that a-e and the representative and ty^iical men of all time-w • peculiarly liable to fall. In the Epistle to the Galatians, it is shown for the Jew, the representative of religious forms and ceremonies, that man is not to be saved by the observances of the cere- monial lav^, in which the Jew was inclined to trust; but by faith in Christ and " circumcision of the heart." In the Epistles to the Corinthians, it is made clear to the Greek, the representative of reason and philosophy, that salvation is not to be attained by human wisdom, on which he was accustomed to rest his faith; but by faith in "Jesus Christ and him crucified," "who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." In the Epistle to the Romans, it is demonstrated for the Roman, the repre- sentative of activity and works and law, that salvation can not be secured by any human acts or works in the observance of any law whatsoever; but, that " being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," the vicarious sacrifice for sin. _ Of these three Epistles, that to the Romans mani- festly approaches nearest to being of universal appli- cation, partaking of the character of a systematic treatise, and in its sweep taking in the whole range of law, human and divine. Moreover, it has peculiar applicability to the English-speaking peoples, the mod- ern representatives of Imv, in free governmental insti- tut del anc pn Ep Go er'i Pr( fail lie J asc she nle law the his ] ow mu vat as it c so los in 1 enc of tha sai anc Mi ■RY. ted or of jstament, s of Paul salvation, the truth the three ;he world - id ty.pical I. In the ; Jew, the )nies, that f the cere- trust; but eart." In lear to the hilosophy, n wisdom, :h; but by ' "who of isness, and istle to the the repre- .t salvation orks in the liat " being h rough our or sin. nans mani- ersal appli- systematic lie range of las peculiar ;s, the mod- lental insti- T THE PREACHER S MESSAGE. tutions and vast extent of rule, and of loorks, in the development and extension of industrial enterprise and the solution of the great industrial and social problems. For us especially, and in this age, the Epistle to the Romans may, therefore, be taken as God's presentation, according to Paul, of the preach- er's message, in the business of saving mankind. Preaching that omits any of its great features, or that fails to give prominence to what it emphasizes, must be in so far defective. In taking this Epistle as a guide and authority in ascertaining what the preacher's message of salvation should be, it is easily to be seen that, in order to com- nleteness, two things must always be presented: the law as exhibiting and enforcing the lost condition of the sinner; and the Gospel as the divine provision for his salvation. It is not the preaching of the law in itself, or for its own sake, that is to be advocated. There may be much preaching of law that does not result in the sal- vation of sinners; either because it does not so much as suggest either the Gospel or salvation, or because it does not bring men into relation to the Law-giver, so as to bring out the sense of responsibility and of lost condition under the law. There is also assuredly, in this age, much preacliing of love, that has no tend- ency to save man; because there is no law-work back of it to bring home to the sinner his lost condition that leaves him in perishing need of the Gospel. Paul said: "When the law came, sin revived and I died; " and that is the condition precedent to salvation. I 74 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. I. The Law the Starting-point in the Message. The preacher must lay the foundation for the saving power of the Gospel by presenting the law, in all the length and breadth of its requirement, and in all the solemnity and awfulness of its sanctions; in fact, with the very definiteness and clearness and with the divine authority of the Word of God. The generation past, in this country, has heard but little of the law of God. "Come to Jesus"; "Come to Jesus"; "Go work"; "Go work "—this has too often been regarded and affirmed as making up the sum of all necessary and helpful theology. It is in fact '^ I'^re shallow sentimentalism — totally inadequate, eitl.. : to rouse any one to a sense of his need of salvation, or to develop anything like Christian character. The result has been an almost universal reign of shallow evangelism, and i rain of superficial c vang3l- ists, that have well-nigh killed out the life of the Church. Hence, the conscious imp' -v/'oe ot i/astors and people, and the meager ingatherings ir.to the Church in -onnecti'^n with the ordinary meansi of grace. Hence, the ;>e..odical sending for the travel- ing evangelist, »,! e hov , -eacher, the student, or the talking layman, ui chc praying-band; and the intro- duction of sentimental and mass-meeting methods, in order to enlarge the membership of the churches. Hence, from another side, the universal worldliness and the rage for amusements and follies, and the mak- ing of life a time of play, without any aim, rather than a period of earnest work for the accomplishment of a rational mission. Hence, from still another side, or by cor < eve siti of pul ass thi for qui the Bil lav am Gc Gc bai mc foi ral fei th( mc CO de thi pe in th th I'RY. THE THE PREACHER S MrSSAGE. u the saving in all the , in all the fact, with the divine heard but "; "Come s has too ip the sum 1 fact '^ i":re eitl. , to tion, or to i reign of ■j.i e\'ang3l- lifo- fjf the of pastors 3 ir.to the means of the travel- ;nt, or the the intro- lethods, in churches, .vorldliness d the mak- rather than iment of a er side, or by further evolution, the universal and awful moral corruption, individual, social, and political. " Back to the law ! " should be the cry in this age of every preacher who has any conception of the real situation of things in this land, or any adequate sense of the relations of the divine law to individual and public conscience, character, and life. And the man, assuredly, who has no proper conception of these things, should make haste to get such a conception, for life and death depend upon its being gained quickly. As in Paul's presentation of the way of salvation to the Romans, so now, in the preaching of ood'sLawin Bible Christianity as a saving power, the Various Aspects, law of God needs to be presented in various aspects and relations. It needs to be presented fundamentally as t/ie latv of God, binding every moral being in duty to God and to God alone, and thus furnishing the only i. ood's Law basis for sound morality. Any so-called the Basis of morality that starts from some other Moraity. foundation is essentially vicious and worthless. There are two essentially different theories of mo- rality, the pagan and the Christian. Their basal dif- ference lies in the fact that one is man-centered and the other God-centered. The essence of the pagan morality, whether taught in heathen or in Christian countries, is selfishness, and its results are inevitably demoralizing and destructive. Christian morality, on the other hand, is God-centered. In the Christian dis- pensation, God becomes Christ in his relation to man in redemption, and Christ is the sovereign or Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven. See Matthew xxviii. i8. In the view of the Word of God, righteousness, or conform- 76 CHfUSX's TRUMPET-CAI.I. I O THE MINISTRY. ily to tlie will of (iod, or Christ, is the supremo thinly to be sought in human conduct. The call of the law, from this point of view, is a call to duty and to ooedi- encc. The proper preaching of the law must have this fundamentally in view, and not bcnevoleiuc, or philanthropy, or happiness. If this is left out of view, the i)reaching of the law is vitiated and perverted in its whole* nature and effect. In the view of the Word of Cod— which is directly contrary to the popular view of the day— a'', duty and morality '.urn Codward and Ciiristward, rather than manward. Egoism and altruism, as usually under- stood, are the one immoral a;id the other non-mora' All duty is owed to God and to him only. It may be performed, according t(> his directions— /(Javrn/ one- self, in wh.ich case it is selfial and moral; toward one's fellows, in which case it is social and moral; or toward Cod, in which case it is theistic and moral, If not done as to God, selfial actions become selfish and innnoral; social actions, altruistic merely aiul non- moral; and all alike arc directed to selfish or merely humanitarian ends. From the general theistic point of view, that alone is niortUy good which is intentionally conformed to the will of God; from the snecilic Christian point of view, that alone is morally good which is conformec to the will of Christ the Lorci. Failure to recogni;u' and to emphasize this has been the perverting and fatal defect of very much of the moral teaching from the pulpit and in the schools, since Hobbes and the days f the E iglish Restoration. In the last century, Paley crystallized the principles of selfishness for the Church, by making " virtue " " consist in doing the will f God for the sake of everlasting happiness." Others IRY. TIIK I'RF.ACHF.R S MF.SSAOF.. n ■mo tlii'if; if llu' law, lo (ii)cdi- mist have )kiuc', or It of view, i-vcrlcd in is (.lirectly '. duty and itiier than Uv iiiuler- lon-niora' It may be •cii7/'i/ onc- d; toward moral; or iiKi moral, me selfish y and non- or merely that alone I formed to n point of conformec reeognize erting and ching from cs and the St century, ess for the ing the will ,."^ Others have followed, wiio have taken out tiie hypocritical feature of llie happiness theory, ami, in thereljy saving it from being immoral, have left it purely heathen. Sometimes "the dignity of human nature" has taken the plare of the will of Ootl, as the ground of moral obligation. Sometimes the principle has appeared as "the greatest good of the greatest number"; some- times as " the greatest good of the individual himself." Recently it has been exploited as '■^ altniism" or as judi- (nis advice to man to avoid injuring other peojile lest they slu)idd injure him. And, so far as morality so- called lias been preached from the pulpit, for genera- tions it has largely been this heathen so-called morality, w-hicli is in fact debasing immorality. Twenty yc;!rs ago Bishop Warren, then of Boston University, ca!h-il attention, in his " Introduction" to the translation of Wuttke's Christian schismof Ethics, to the schism between the prev- Ethics and alent dogmatics and ethics, ■i'he doc- DoS'natics. trine he regarded as sulistanlially and prevailingly Scriptural and Christian; the morality as essentially pagan and self-centered. The ethics tauglit in our schools has been largely paganism, ami that not even l)apti/,etl. Man is made a law and end to himself; his own enjoyment, or dignity, or culture, or blessedness, is kept upi)ermost, has been kept upiiermost ft)r these generations. ,\n(.l so the dogmatics has largely swung loose from the ethics ; the creed from the practise. The legitimate outcome of this ethical system has been manifest in the exaltation of wealth and money- getting, as means to the hajipiness and culture that are set before men as the great ends; in the underes- timate of manhood and chaiacter; in the increasing 78 Christ's trumpet-cai.i. to the ministry. tendency to ignore God and think that "his laws will not work"; in the materialization and brutalization of humanity and civilization. Hence, the great problems of capital and labor; of caste and communism; of the church-going people and the lapsed masses; t,f public and private corruption everywhere. It is impossible to overstate the fact, that a large portion of the so- called moral teaching is totally and distinctively pagan and immoral; and that, so long as it is continued, the schism in society can only widen and the yawning chasm grow deeper. The new Dornerism, that has come in from Ger- many, has introduced into the theology certain erro- neous ideas that have helped still further to befog the moral teachings and teachers of this generation. It makes the essence of God, the supreme thing in the divine goodness, to be "love." It analyzes "love" or goodness into three parts : the primary and funda- mental, benevolence ; the second, sympathy ; the third, righteousness. Now this is undoubtedly the natural order on the materialistic basis of sensation, which makes feeling the supreme thing and reduces all feeling to pleasure or pain. But ; reverses the order set by God. That makes the fundamental ele- ment in God's goodness his infinite desire for the righteousness and purity, or moral well-being, of his creatures, and not for their happiness merely. Uncon- sciously the preache;, under the guidance of this false theology, finds his way back into the ethical fog of heathenism. The supreme goodness of God becomes his supreme regard for the tvell-being of his creatures; well-being becomes comfortable-being; and God's supreme goodness becomes his benevolence to his creatures, and is manifested in supreme regard for MINISTRY. ,t "his laws will brutalization of e great problems imunism; of the lasses; tf public It is impossible rtion of the so- itinctively pagan s continued, the nd the yawning le in from Ger- gy certain erro- ther to befog the ; generation. It ;me thing in the aiialyzes "love" mary and funda- sympathy ; the undoubtedly the sis of sensation, lirig and reduces t ; reverses the fundamental ele- e desire for the well-being, of his merely. Uncon- guidance of this into the ethical joodness of God well-being of his ortable-being ; and is benevolence to ipreme regard for THE PkEACHF.R S MESSAGE. 79 their happiness. As an ethical basis, this naturally prepares the way for and leads to post-mortem proba- tion, semi-universalism, and universalism, in theology. It deftly puts man in the place of God as the center, by making man's comfort the supreme thing ; and so, after having appeared to thrust pagan ethics out of the front door, in the name of Christ and righteousness, it brings them in at the back door, in the name of humanity and happiness. If, on the contrary, the well-being becomes the right-being, then the supreme goodness of God becomes his righteousness and holi- ness, and is manifested in his supreme regard for the perfection and righteousness of his creatures. As the true ethical basis, this last necessarily excludes all the previously mentioned errors. Is God first benevolent, and then subordinately righteous.' Or is the reverse the case ? Is God first a father, and then subordi- nately a moral governor and law-giver ? Or is the reverse the case ? These are test questions. All this false theorizing is in the face of the fact that the law of the universe is a law of righteousness primarily, and of happiness only secondarily; as well as of the fact that conscience never fails to exalt the right to the place of supremacy over the pleasurable. On the basis of such false theologizing, eudemonism is the only ethical theory logically possible, and uni- versalism the only ultimate orthodoxy xhe Moral possible. The natural outcome from Eesults. teaching such so-called morality is immorality on the broadest possible scale, and the perversion of all human and Christian relations. The universal corruption prevalent in this nation to-day, and reaching every phase of life, and every position from the lowest to the highest, is the natural and inevitable product of .So CHUlSr's IKUMl'Kl-CALI, 1 llllC MIMSIKV. such teachin,!,^ and pi\'a. Iiinp:. The only remedy is to be found in the call, " li i< k to the /r the riulitsof man to life, liberty, property, truthfulness, and the offices of human broth- erhood that binds the individual man in his conduct, and that all this is the requirement of God Genuine social and political reform can be reached in no otlicr way than by bringing men up to these requirements of God, and making them understand that they are rcciuircments of God, not to be escaped by shrewdness and not to be neglected with impunity. Problems of Society. It is at this point that the preacher comes into con- nection with the great industrial, social, ;':id civil problems that are so prominently before ';lie public mind, and is called upon to mark out his course in dealing with those problems. There are certain things to which he will do well to attend. His message will need to guan' against the new positivist sociology that has arisen out of the atomism (1) To Guard and materialism of the age, and that is against everywhere exerting its demoralizing in- Sociology, fluence upon public opinion and law. The materialistic method, in excluding all rational and moral facts, principles, and considerations, leaves out everything that is of any real importance and scientific value in social science, and shuts out all possibility of human improvement on such a basis. Its affirmation IINISTRY. II a halt in this ime for him to uman societies h mankind, by e individual in d of them the to life, liberty, f human brolh- n his conduct, Liod Genuine icd in no oilier equirements of that they are by shrewdness ;omes into con- )cial, p.'.td civil ;ore ';lie public t his course in e certain things gainst the new of the atomism ge, and that is lemoralizing in- nion and law. all rational and ions, leaves out ce and scientific ,11 possibility of Its affirmation IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. 4f m <^ ^4£ M % \. ^o W., A / 1.0 f. I.I 11.25 43 2.2 lis .2:0 6" 1.8 \A. Ill 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 TKI-MPET-CAIJ. lo MH MIM-IKV. rcRcncraliiiK p:'\vei-, to the worthless prujecls oi the faddists. Sujii so-called soriology jitlcmpts to apply the methods of pliysical science to what is pre-eminently non-physical in all its most important factors. It prac- tically ignores those important factors. It assumes that society is an c>ri^;7//is//i, when, as matter of fact, it is only remotely analogous to an organism. It has no vital arrangement of organized parts, and there is no single structm-al principle of life evolving all s(;cial results. It is biological only in a loose and analogical sense. It assumes the ideiilily of m'.ui/ , iv/u//»/i dUL] soaa/ progrcss-whevcAS the former is only '"a reasonable sequence of the unintended "; the latter undoubtedly "a reasonable sequence of the intended."* In the former blind forces, under necessarv law, unfoUl along inevitable lines toward unavoidable results; in the • latter, will, mmd, man, great men, Divine Providence, all enter in as the essential and controlling factors in a movement that has merely a physical basis. Social progress comes from these elements, and Christianity recognizes as fundamental the truth that Clod is not only the author of all social laws, but that he also superintends their operation. The general introduction of the preaching of soci- ology in the jiiace of the preaching of the Cospel, woidd thus, at its best, be the substitution of positive * An exceedin-lv able ami helpful cxposiue of this and many other current soeinlo-ie.il f.allaeies aiui upvL.rifiable assumptions may he foand in a series of arlieles on " Plivsies and Soeiology," by Mr. W. II. MalloeU, in the Ccw/,;n/on,ry /v'rrvVr.', running through the numbers for December, 1S95, and January an.i February, 1S96, and vet unfinished. M-IKV. ujei'ls ol' the ) apply tlic ji-c-vjiuincntly )rs. It prai- ll aftsuims Ler of fact, it lisiii. It lias , and there is •ing all scjtial lid analogical lion and social a reasonable • nndoubtedly ■d."* In the unfold aliiiig ,iilts; in the e Providence, ing factors in basis. Social d Christianity at Ciod is not that he also thing of soci- f the Ciospel, on of positive is ami many oilier umptions iiiny lio lo;;y," l')' ^b'. W. ning tlu-dugh the ;briiarv, 1896, ami THE preacher's MESSAGE. 85 and fatal error for saving truth. What it would be at its worst will appear when we consider that Christ's method— already shown to be the only effective method of lifting up society— accomplishes its work by infusing into the structure and texture of society the regenera- tive and formative ideas of the Gospel of salvation, and that anything short of this unity centering in Christ and salvation would hopelessly confuse and distract not only the hearers, but the preachers also. Christ's own direction has the basal wisdom in it for preacher as well as hearer:* " Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The Apostle Paul's direction to the Corinthian Christians presents the same principle of unity from another point of view \\ "But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." It is commendable to covet earnestly the best spiritual gifts and to cultivate assiduously the increased breadth; but the most notable gifts and the greatest breadth, leading to the highest achievements in the Kingdom of God, are to be attained only through becoming saturated and possessed with the overwhelm- ing and all-pervading power of Christian love, working in and out from a divinely renewed soul. While, on the one hand, the turning of the human mind and effort to many things unessential, even tho important, dis- sipates the energies and prevents the accomplishment *Matt. vi. 32- 1 1 Cor. xii. 31 ; xiii. I. I * 86 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINMSTRY. of anything worth while in any direction ; absolute concentration, on the other hand, on the great ger- minal principle of Christianity, leads to limitless d-nel- opment and accomplishment along all important and essential lines of endeavor. It will readily become apparent, therefore, to any thoughtful student of theology and the social sciences, that of the thousand and one proposals of the secu- larized sociologists very many are likely to prove both unscientific and unpractical. But it will not be enough to scou : all this as unscien- tific, even tho it be so to the last degree, or even to demonstrate it to be unscientific. The preacher must find the message of the law of God in the Bible with which to meet it. He needs to enforce with renewed distinctness and emphasis the teachings of that Bible concerning man's spiritual nature and his freedom and responsibility; the sacredness and abso- lute character of right and virtue, and the inherently despicable character of wrong and crime; the depend- ence of character upon the man himself rather than upon his environment— of all of which, with all the kindred and related principles, innumerable illustra- tions will be found in the preacher's text-book, the Word of God. If the moral atmosphere that is so hazy with secularism and animalism is to be cleared; if the mad, unprecedented rush of vice and crime that to-day dazes Christendom is to be stayed; and if the mawkish sentimentality in dealing with crimes and criminals— that has reached such a pass that, as Dr. Andrew D. White says, "the only taking of life that Americans object to seems to be that which is done by judicial process"— is to be swept out of existence, these Scrip- tural principles will need to be persistently presented [NISTRY. on ; absolute le great ^ar- mitless d'nel- mportant and efore, to any 3cial sciences, i of the secu- to prove both his as unscien- gree, or even The preacher d in the Bible enforce with ! teachings of lature and his less and abso- the inherently ;; the depend- If rather than 1, with all the arable illustra- text-book, the that is so hazy :leared; if the me that to-day if the mawkish nd criminals — Dr. Andrew D. hat Americans one by judicial :e, these Scrip- ;ntly presented THE rREACHF.R S MESSAGE. s? and enforced after Christ's method of enforcing prin- ciples, until something of the old moral foundation is restored, through the quickening of conscience and the enlightening power of Divine truth. The preacher will also need to understand the situa- tion of the English-speaking, or per- ^j) loUuder- haps Teutonic, races, and their special stand the , I , /■ ^1 Situation, relation to the problems of the age, and to shape and direct his message accordingly. The fact of the giving of the wealth and commerce of the world, and the power of machine production, into the hands of I'rotestant Christendom, as repre- sented by the Teutonic peoples, and especially by those of Anglo-Saxon descent, carries with it a vast meaning that has probably attracted the attention of few persons. Cunningham in rolitics and Economics, a book of rare insight and breadth, has given a glimpse of its meaning in connection with Great Britain. He says : * " Each great race has made a notable contribution to the develop- ment of the civilization of the world ; we owe a debt to Egypt for some measure of likill, to Greece for the triumph of art to Rome for the vigor of her law. We English, too, have a destiny to fulfil, a duty thrust upon us by him whom we profess to serve, a heri- tage to bequeath to all future generations and all other races. We are a nation of shopkeepers ; a nation whose triumphs and whose position are inextricably bound up with commercial sue- cess. And therefore it is that the problems of industrial and social life lie before us for solution ; that it is in our progress and our pov- erty, our bitter misery and our struggle with it, that l!ie world may learn about the evils of grinding competition and pitiable luxury, of * Politics and Economics, p. 275, by W. Cunningham, B. D., Lec- turer and Chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge. London : Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1885. ', \ "MX 88 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. the race for wealth and failure to enjoy it. These are the questions with which the Sphinx has set us face to face, and by our answe'. to these will our place as a nation be judged in the ages to come." In order to get a full conception of the meaning of the fact thus presented, the view and scope of Mr. The Anglo- Cunningham must be somewhat widened, Saxon Problem, and some new factors in the problem must be taken in. To begin with, "the Anglo-Saxon peoples" needs to be substituted for "we English." Possibly an extension may soon be needed, as already suggested, to take in the Teutonic peoples; but for the present the Anglo-Saxons hold the place of supremacy. The capital factors to be taken in, as furnishing the principles and standard of judgment and adjustment, are the open Bible and free democratic institutions. With this new breadth and light the special mission of the Anglo-Saxon peoples, of which we form a very large element, is to solve for mankind the problems of industrial, social, and civil life, by the aid of Bible Christianity and under free democratic political insti- tutions. The things of special account are essential manhood and free development under the sway of Bible principles. The precepts of the Divine Word must therefore furnish the standard of manhood and Christian character, and the rule for the direction of development and progress. These considerations open the way to an under- standing of the preacher's message to men regarding present and pressing problems. They make it plain that manhood and character are the things to be sought and regarded supremely in this world. Not wealth, not commerce, no. material progress, not the State, but man with his immortal nature, and charac- ter that is to remain his only permanent belonging. nSTRY. e the questions our answe' > to to come." ; meaning of cope of Mr. hat widened, the problem Anglo-Saxon ve English." d, as already 5; but for the f supremacy, rnishing the adjustment, institutions, lal mission of form a very the problems ; aid of Bible )olitical insti- are essential the sway of Divine Word manhood and e direction of to an under- nen regarding make it plain things to be world. Not rress, not the e, and charac- nt belonging. THE preacher's MESSAGE. 89 are the supreme things from the Bible point of view The mural and Christian precepts laid down by God and Christ are the governing principles, equally appli- cable to all spheres and all problems. The preacher to the English, speaking peoples is therefore peculiarly bound to unfold and enforce these in his message He is to present the moral law as supreme over all questions of society, and social position and relation. High manhood and womanhood, charac- Moral Law ter attainment, and achievement in ser- over Society, vice and self-sacrifice, are to be impressed, by Scrip- tural precept and illustration, as the only titles of nobility and aristocracy in the Kingdom of God. Iti the precepts of the Divine Word he is to supply the test and touchstone of all social usages, amusements, en- tertainments, and the like; ruling out thereby a I tha is detrimental to true manhood and womanhood, and to the interests of humanity, and seeking to mold everything in accordance with the spirit of Christ his religion. , He is to find in the Divine law the supreme rule of economics, applicable to all industrial questions, whether concerning supply or demand. Moral law labor or capital, employee or employer, over Economics He will need to make deadly onset with " the sword of the Spirit" upon the "age-temptation," and make it full clear that wealth is not an adequate s!0,mion tonum for man or for society. He will need to ponder well the real condition of things, until he understands and appreciates the exact dangers that just now threaten the Anglo-Saxon peoples, from their long- concinued defiance of the righteous law of the universe. Mr W S Lilly, one of the ablest of British writers, has uttered a note of warning that may give a hint i't !iE! 90 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. of the foreboding of one clear thinker and seer. He says : * " The law of the worM— wlicllier stated in theological ph.aseology or not— is justice ; yes, ffhihiilive justice. It rules absolutely throughout the universe, in every sphere of action of all intelligent being. Fraud upon workers, fraud upon buyers, must, by the very nature of things, entail the destruction of any society which tolerates it : nay, which blesses and approves it with the names of competi- tion, supi>ly and demand, the Course of Trade. Who, that has eyes to see, can fail to discern even now the handwriting upon the wall — the Mene, Tekcl, Upharsin of this great Babylon which vve have built? Socialism, Communism, Nihilism — think you they portend nothing ? Do not think it. These should need no Daniel to expound them. Their interpretatio- is plain enough. Different expressions of one and the same movement, they mean 'red ruin and the break- ing up of laws' for a society which has enthroned Mammon as the supreme object of human affection and worship ; which sets up, as the all-sufficient rule of life, the principle of self-interest ; which accounts of man as a mere wealth-producing animal. They mean the negation of country, of history, of liberty, of property ; the destruction of all thfct constitutes civilization in the highest sense." In escaping such fate, the preacher will find no help in the materialistic platitudes and mummeries of the Spencerian social science, or in the inane mutterings and babblings of a positivist sociology. He will need to resort for sucli help to the Word of God; to bring from that the simple principles that fell with the weight of omnipotence from the inspired lips of Moses and Paul and John, and from the divine lips of Christ; and to present these to men for their guidance, and to be applied by them with the united wisdom of the Church of Christ, and the higher and silent wisdom of the Holy Spirit, to the solution of the intricate and perplexing problems now demanding attention. *'0n Shibboleths, pp. 212, 213. ^ iiiiii- ■! irrtr- ^ISTRY. d seer. He ical ph.aseoloijy iiles absolutely if all iiUelligcnt tust, by the very which tolerates nies of competi- o, that has eyes upon the wall — which vve have DU they portend aniel to expound rent expressions II and the break- klammon as the ch sets up, as the ; which accounts ean the negation sstruction of all I find no help leries of the le mutterings He will need od; to bring ell with the lips of Moses ips of Christ; guidance, and isdom of the nt wisdom of intricate and ntion. THE preacher's MESSAGE. 9> He is to find in the same law the supreme rule in pol- itics and statesmanship, and to vmfold and enforce its principles in all the civil and civic rela- MoralUw tions. m this way alone is the remedy over Pohti • to be found for the slavery that has come from the Irutal despot upon a throne in the Old World, and for the slavery and bottomless political corruption com- bined that have come from the <' ^-^=^\;"d;7'"^^l'; ^^ of the '• sovereign people " in the New ^^ o^^^-^J'^ sitv will be on him to hold up the divine standard, with absolute clearness and distinctness, until every citizen shall feel the weight of obligation resting upon citizenship and hasten to the performance of h.s dut=.s, in the primary, in the political mee ing a tlie polls, in public office and trust, in short, in all his civil relations; until every citizen sha 1 understand that he is individually responsible, and accept the ■ responsibility, for the character of politics and o 1 1 e legislators, and of public officers and rulers; and unt. every office-seeker shall be made to understand that, as .. public office is a public trust," it should never be com- mitted to a rake or to adrunkard, to a mere politician or to a sheer scoundrel, whether that one is an impecunious lawyer, a fat saloon-keeper, or a multi-mill.ona.re. As regards the state of things that needs to be rem- edied in our own country, and that has been so empha^ sized by the recent Lexow investigations in New York City, and the subsequent political developments, it may be well to look upon American politics through the eyes of the same foreigner just quoted. Mr. Lilly says: .. In what I am writing. I know that I am but expressing the views of the most highly educated and thoughtful among the inhab.tants of * On Shibboleths, p. 93- inmw • 92 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. the Uniteil States, who, un(la7zle» it- Applioa- redemption fo" man and in man are to be • attained The Apostle Paul presents this divine work, in connection with his three great " therefores," in the Epistle to the Romans. " Therefore, being justi- fied by faith " (Rom. v. i); " There is therefore now no condemnation" (Rom. viii. i); " I beseech you there- fore, brethren, by the mercies of God" (Rom. xu i). On the threshold, and prepared for by the preaching of the law and of the atonement by Christ for man, is "W** »i « i iw i OTi' - 102 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. the doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ, the great test doctrine from the point of view of Protestantism. It is Luther's doctrine of a " standing or falling Church." Paul introduces this point by his first *' therefore." And just here there is need of special caution against confounding justification with sanctification. By confounding the two and giving to the former merely the signification of the latter, the new liberalism is remanding the Church to the bondage to the law from which the Reformation sought to deliver her. Justification is to be regarded as the change in the relation of the sinner to God and his law, made by the grace of God on the ground of faith in a righteousness provided by God. It is not God's making the sinner good or righteous; but his regarding and treating him as righteous, on the ground of what Christ has done for him. Justification is a forensic conception, based upon the sinner's relation to God in law and justice. Romanism and the new liberalism confound this treat- ing of man as righteous, with making him righteous; and so remand the Christian to the old system of law, leaving hiai to live on in legal bondage, instead of in a condition of grace. In the Bible and Protestant view, justification is the necessary preparation for regen- eration and sanctification, and for all that follows them in the Christian life. It introduces the sinner into a state of grace in which, having been justified for Christ's sake, God treats him as tho he were actually righteous; graciously bestowing upon him, in consideration of his acceptance of what Christ has done for him, all that he needs of help and life and saving power. The Roman doctrine, in ignoring this distinction, is fatal to vital Christianity, and, where NISTRY. Jesus Christ, : of view of f a "standing point by his ecial caution sanctification. the former new liberalism je to the law 1 deliver her. :hange in the , made by the righteousness ing the sinner d treating him irist has done ception, based IV and justice, und this treat- lim righteous; system of law, instead of in a rotestant view, ion for regen- l that follows ces the sinner been justified ; tho he were g upon him, in hat Christ has Ip and life and n ignoring this ty, and, where THE preacher's MESSAGE. los fully accepted, inevitably leads to dead legalism and formalism, in short, to that whole system of works which makes the righteousness of Christ of none effect. This justification is by faith. Not that faith is any great thing in itself, or has any merit in itself; but that God has used faith, in accordance with the con- stitution of man's nature, as the agency for adjusting the relations of the great scheme of redemption. It is the soul's act in receiving the atonement made for it by Christ, and resting upon Christ alone for salvation. It takes in the soul's act of repentance, which is the turning away from sin and wandering, in turning back toward God and fixing its thoughts, feelings, and pur- poses on God as revealed in Christ its Savior. It is the attitude and drift of the Christian soul God-ward. In its connection with justification, it therefore shapes character and decides the conduct and the life. It is like the key in its adaptation to the adjustments of the lock, insignificant in itself, but great in its accomplish- ments because of that adaptation. Justification by faith thus becomes, on the man-ward side, the foundation of the Christian life. It is easy to see, in the light of these relations, why the great reformer of the sixteenth century made so much of it; and why Paul, in the one authoritative treatise in the Bible on the way of salvation, makes so much of it. It is the parting of the way between Romanism and legal liberalism, and genuine evangelical religion. It is the one only and essential basis and starting-point in vital piety and a right religious life. The so-called preach- ing of Christiaiii.y that omits it is necessarily without regenerating a 1 saving efficacy. Regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit accompany or follow upon justification, being prepared 104 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. for by it. The doctrines concerning these need to be made especially prominent in the preacher's message in this age. The historic passage on the first of these doctrines is, of course, Christ's teaching to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John. The second doctrine Christ expressed in one of the most intense yearnings in his Intercessory Prayer (John xvii. i8, 19), and the Bible is full of it. The tendency, as already seen, has been of the strongest to displace regeneration by reformation. But Christ himself taught, with that double zr;-/7y which he never used except in connection with life-and-death doctrines, "Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God," and again : " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God." Most assuredly, that without which man can neither see nor enter into the Kingdom of God must be an essential in the Christian religion; and the preaching that ignores it is not the preaching for which the Master commissioned his messengers. The tendency has been equally marked to ignore or slur over the doctrine of sanctification by the Holy Spirit, and to teach in its place outward, moral refor- mation. Outward change of conduct that has no root in that truth by which Christ prayed that his followers might be sanctified, and in which the Holy Spirit, the divine author of sanctification, has no part, can not properly claim to have any spiritual value. A renewed life of righteousness, holiness, and ser- vice, on the part of the believer, is the natural and (3)' The New necessary outcome of justification, re- life in Christ, generation, and sanctification. This is what the Apostle Paul introduces by his third emphatic '' therefore" {^ova.. rXx. \). [INISTRY. ;se need to be her's message e first of these to Nicodeinus cond doctrine ;nse yearnings i, 19), and the 5 been of the yr reformation. •Me verily which 1 hfe-and-death lin, he can not ' Except a man 1 not enter into yr, that without '0 the Kingdom istian religion; t the preaching messengers. ;ed to ignore or n by the Holy rd, moral refor- ;hat has no root lat his followers Holy Spirit, the o part, can not lue. )liness, and ser- the natural and justification, re- cation. This is is third emphatic THE 1'REACHER's MESSAGE. »05 The Christian is saved, not merely for his own sake, nor for his own special comfort and selfish enjoyment,— a conception that would neutralize or nuliiiy salvation itself,— but for the great interests and services of the Kingtlom of Cod, in which he is to be a coworker with Christ and all other Christians, for the glory of God and the salvation of the world— in short, in the carrying out of the Great Commission. The /////(•/■ life of religio., is an essential element in the Bible idea of Christianity, and forms the only adequate basis for the right outward life of Christian activity. The preacher needs to emphasize this feature in the present age. Christians in the past no doubt sometimes gave too exclusive attention to the inner, contemplative life of faith, devoting themselves morbidly to the work of introspection and self-exami- nation; but the tendency of the completed organiza- tions, the vast machinery of the present day, is to sink this element, and keep in view only the out- ward activity. The true mean is to be found in calling men back to the life of reflection and con- templation, not for its own sake, nor as a means of spiritual comfort, but as furnishing the only living basis for real, genuine spiritual activity in the service of Christ. Preachers would do well to review their system of fundamental doctrines, from time to time, and, taking a broad view of the field, to com- jourFunda- plete and round cue that system in menta^Doo- accordance with the latest illumination *'"*'• of God's truth by the Holy Spirit. Such a review will lead, not to an addition to the doctrines of the Word of God, '* The faith once for all delivered to the saints," but to a better comprehension of the Scriptural i-sar 1 1 I06 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. doctrines that stand out prominently in tlie Christian consciuusnehS of the Church of the present day. There ar- the old doctrines, that have long been recognized as essential by the Church of Christ, and that are still essential: the doctrine of an inspired revelation from Cod, laying a sure foundation for Christian faith; the doctrine of a vicarious atonement by the active and passive obedience of Christ, present- ing a way of salvation indcrsed by Cod himself; and the doctrine of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, furnishing men the reeded power for the application of this divinely revealed and divinely wrought atone- ment. But since the age of the Reformation, through the spiritual awakening of the Church to its great mission of saving thf; world, a fourth doctrine of the Word of God has been brought into peculiar and appropriate prominence, in the mind of the Christian Church: the doctrine of Christian service for the Master, that makes every saved soul a coworker with Christ, under the Great Commission, in the work of giving the Gospel to all mankind, and that, as already seen, binds every follower of Christ to devote himself, with all his powers and possessions, to that as the supreme end of his life on earth. This new doctrine— not new to the Word of God, nor new to the Christian of missionary spirit in any age, but new in the con- sciousness of the Church as a whole— needs to be added to the others already emphasized as essentials. If the Gospel structure in the world is to stand out four-square to all the winds of heaven, these four corner-stones must all be laid underneath— Christ with his atonement, the chief corner-stone; the inspired revelation, divine regeneration, and Christian service, the remaining corner-stones. y the preacher than that redemotion has manifold lelations, all of which are essential to its integrity. It has its legal aspect. It is God's work of freeing the sinner from the bondage and curse (n Legal of the law. Paul says, in Rom. v. i, 2: Aipeot. " Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ : by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Doubtless the perversion of this view has often led to antinomianism, but it is nevertheless an essential part of divine truth. It has its governmental aspect, as it seeks to bring the sinner into right relations to the divine govern- ment, under which he must live whether «) oovern- he will or not. The perversion of this mental Aspect, aspect has led to the governmental theory, regarded I08 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. as a complete theory of redemption. But notwith- standing the error possibly resulting, this too must be retained and presented as essential. It has its moral aspect, proposing to bring the sinner to a right life before God, and in doing this (3) Moral bringing to bear upon him the moral Aspect. influence of all the truths and motives of religion. The perversion of tliis may have led to the moral influence tneory— Bushnellism and all that— a scheme that in its extreme form would make " nature and nurture " adequate to all needed changes in the sinner's character, and would exclude divine, super- natural regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit " by and with the truth " of the Word of God. But the truth involved in it is an essential element in redemp- tion, and must be enfor:ed, tho always in its proper relation, as such. It has its dynamic aspect, for Christ on the throne of the universe has become the possessor of all (4) Dy.iamio authority and power, to be used in mak- Aspeot. ing " all things work together for good " to those who love God. The too common neglect of this has led to mistaken views of the inevitable- ness of natural consequences following upon all sin. The perversion of it has led men to naturalistic views respeccing what redemption can do for man. Such views have regarded the Christian as wholly subject to natural law, and doomed to reap the natural conse- quences of his sins, despite the grace of salvation. But, while guarding against the error and perversion, the truth must be enforced, that, in the work of redemption, omnipotence, in the person of Christ on the throne, comes in to deliver, as it only can deliver, the penitent from natural retribution. NISTRV. But notwith- s too must be to bring the in doing this im the moral nd motives of ave led to the id all that — a make " nature hanges in the divine, super- oly Spirit "by jod. But the ;nt in redemp- 5 in its proper on the throne sse;sor of all e used in mak- ther for good " )mmon neglect the inevitable- g upon all sin. turalistic views or man. Such holly subject to natural conse- e of salvation, ind perversion, n the work of )n of Christ on nly can deliver, THL PREACHER S MESSAGE. 109 It has its aspect of self-sacrifice and of service, as illustrated in the lives of the redeemed in following the example of Christ. The perversion (5) Aspect of of this has led to dead works, to e.Torts Service, after salvation by works, to legal bondage, and, in this age, to Christian socialism in its extreme fo ms. The fault has been, not in undue davtion to works, but in undue exaltation of human works and merit. The office of self-sacrifice and service is to demonstrate the saved condition and exhibit the gratitude of the saved; to give expression to the renewed life, and to push the work of the Great Commission to 'ts consum- mation—and to this office, as a factor of redemption, the preacher should give all emphasis. It has its sacrificial and vicarious aspect- he one upon which the Bible places special empha 's — repre- senting the crucified Christ as the sacri- (6) sacrificial fice for sin, and as the lost sinner's Aspect, substitute before the law and justice of God. The perversion of this, or its exclusive consideration, even tho it be Jie most important factor of all, has often led to selfish indolence and carnal security, in connection with a life demonstrating the man not a Christian at all. Oftener, however, its neglect has remanded man to the bondage of law, and left him without any salvation, since "without shedding of blood there is no remission " of sin. This last defect, with its tendency to discredit divine revelation and all Scriptural agencies and influences, is the defect against which the preachci needs most earnestly to set him- self in his preaching to the present gone ition, as this is the most marked current phase of error, and most fatal to the success of Christianity ,.s a saving power. All these great trUhs and phases of the Gospel entrr no CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. into the full message of the preacher, and constitute its essentials. So far as that message has been effect- ive in any agf, it has been because of their more or less complete, more or less faithful, presentation. There can be no question regarding their importance as factors in the preaching of Biblical Christianity as a saving power. A question that has, however, arisen, in these later days, and that has been promi- nently before the public, and needs now to be con- sidered, is : Shall this preaching take on a doctrinal form ? SECTION THIRD. Bible Christiinity in Doctrinal Form an Essential. In presenting Bible Christianity as a saving power, the preacher needs, at the present day, to give special attention to the right doctrinal presentation of the great truths that cluster around and center in salva- tion by the cross of Christ. We are quite aware that this does not give expres- sion to the tendency of the present day. With a few, the question of abandoning doctrinal teaching and preaching is no longer regarded as an open question. Such teaching and preaching they have already dis- carded. Very many are sure that the matter has gone much further, and they loudly affirm that only fossils and old fogies think of continuing to give any atten- tion to the great Scriptural doctrines that once con- stituted the staple of all evangelical preaching. In view of this state of things, the preacher needs to inquire very seriously: How has this break with past methods come about ? i IISTRY. d constitute , been effcct- leir more or presentation. r importance Christianity as, however, been promi- v to be ccn- 1 a doctrinal THE PREACHER S MESSAGE. in Is it rationally or Biblically justifiable ? What is the true method of presenting the message of the Gospel, and does it not require a return to all that was essential in the past methods now partially discredited ? If the reasons for the present tendency to eschew doctrinal teaching and preaching are fairly and can- didly weighed, we think that their consideration will not only show clearly, but also emphasize tremen- dously, the imperative need for a powerful revival of such teaching and preaching. : Essential. laving power, o give special tation of the nter in salva- t give expres- With a few, teaching and jpen question, e already dis- atter has gone at only fossils ;ive any atten- ;hat once con- preaching. In cher needs to Is come about ? I. Change of Method from Erroneous Views. The reasons for the present tendency are to be looked for in the influence of the current philosophic opinions and of the resulting practical life. The philosophy shapes the conduct; hence, the explanation of the latter is to be found in the former. It will appear, from even a cursory examination, that certain philosophical assumptions, all equally baseless, have resulted in phu i ;g a ban upon the preaching of the great Christian doctrines, and in leaving them at a discount in the estimation of the Church cf the present day. A shallow rationalistic transcendentalism has per- sistently assumed and asserted the supremacy of philosophy over faith and the antago- i. influence of nism of the two, until the mass of man- Shallow Trana- kind almost feel that the great distinctive oend«ntaUsm. doctrines of Christianity have been generally dis- carded as quite obsolete. What ground is there for this ? 112 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. We have nothing to say against a rational transcen- dentalism; rather everything in its favor. It has its (1) Bational legitimate sphere, and is the only pos- Transoen- gji^jg ^^gis of a rational, as distinguished gitimate. from a purely speculative, philosophy. There is no antagonism between such a system of philosophy and the doctrines of the Christian system. This is made plain by the relations of philosophy and Christian faith.* The sources of the two, philosophy and faith, are entirely different. Philosophy seeks a knowledge of ultimate facts and principles, by studying man, the universe, and God, as revelations of such principles, and verifying these by reason— in order to find the final explanation of all existences. Christianity finds the source of its truth in the Bible, accepted as a revelation from God. The two deal, to a certain extent, with the same themes— man, the universe, and God, and the relations of these; but the starting- point? and the modes of procedure are different. Philosophy culminates in these truths as the end of its rational processes; Christianity starts out with them as a direct revelation from God in the Bible. The one depends upon reason, the other upon faith. The one says : " This is intuitive truth "; the other, " This is the testimony of God." The evidence in each sphere is distinct and peculiar. In philosophy, inductive verification is employed, in bringing out rational principles as tested by the canons of intuition— self- evidence, necessity, and catholicity; in our religion, * The reader will find special help and inspiration on this subject in an artic'e by the late Dr. Henry B. Smith, entitled "the Rela- tions of Faith ana Philosophy," in his volume, Faith and Philosophy, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. I! NISTRY. inal transcen- r. It has its the only pos- distinguished ;, philosophy. a system of istian system, hilosophy and and faith, are knowledge of ring man, the ich principles, ;r to find the ristianity finds accepted as a to a certain ; universe, and the starting- are different. 5 the end of its out with them ible. The one aith. The one )ther, " This is in each sphere phy, inductive r out rational intuition — self- n our religion, ion on this subject sntitled " the Rela- ith and Philosophy, THE preacher's MESSAGE. "3 induction proper is made use of, on the basis of the facts and truths in God's Word written. It is appar- ent, therefore, that the range of Christian doctrine is vastly more extended than the sphere of philosophy, as the range of revelation is much wider than that of intuition. Nor is faith in the Christian system simply a blind trust; it is rather a rational belief or conviction. It rests on a revelation historically attested, confirmed by miracle and prophecy, centering in Jesus Christ, and recorded in an inspired book, and proposing and claiming to solve the great problems of human life and destiny. It has its corresponding subjective evi- dence, in the profound experiences in which) the believer's soul responds to this great divine revela- tion, and all centering in the same divine person ; 'i the historical revelation. This revelation has entered into and controlled the whole course of human history and human thought— the movement of the old world, before Jesus of Nazareth, converging to the cross of Calvary, and the movement of the ages since radiating from that same c-oss, thus confirming the historical revelation and the experience. The great problems of the universe, the life-and-death questions always pressing upon the human soul, this revelation answers with sublime simplicity, clearness, certainty, and sufficiency in its doctrines of creation, providence, original sin, incarnation, and redemption — making all again center in the person and work of the historical Christ. Resting, as does the Christian faith, upon such a vast scheme of rational evidence, no weapon forged from so-called reason or intuition has ever been lifted against it to prosper. Indeed, what clear utter- 114 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. ance has intuitu a to make about the Trinity and the nature of God, the origin of sin and evil, the vork of redemption, the judgment of man and his final destiny ? And, so far as those truths are concerned, concerning which intuition, reason, has something to say, its utterances are in accord with those of revela- tion. It is only by speculation, and by perversion of principles, that antagonism has been made to appear to exist between the two. In short, the whole vast fabric of rationalistic philosophy is made up of speculation, based upon (2) Bational- assumption and assertion. A single iBtio Transoen- example will illustrate the entire method ^'''^''li?.""'" and scheme. The so-called philosopher affirms that there is no God, and therefore that the Bible revelation of God is baseless, and Christianity the latest and most stupendous of the ancient super- stitions. But how does he reach his affirmation? He asserts that there is no such thing as spirit, and no such thing as cause, and therefore no such being as the Infinite Spirit and the First Cause. Now, all this is in the very face of the most certain of our intuitive knowledges. For the most intimate and fundamental knowledge is that of our existence as spiritual personalities, and of our causal agency; since these are involved in all our conscious activity. The philosopher, professing to de-l with reason and intuition, and to set these up as authorities against revelation, starts out therefore by assuming the con- tradictories of the real intuitions, and bases all his speculation upon these fundamental lies. It is all mere brazen assertion. And that is the best that Mill and Spencer, the modern Aristotle and Plato, can do ! On such grounds their senseless followers raise the '^1 m NISTRY. THE PREACHER S MESSAGE. I»S Trinity and ;vil, the vork and his final ■e concerned, something to ose of revela- perversion of ide to appear ■ rationalistic , based upon 1. A single entire method d philosopher efore that the d Christianity ancient super- s affirmation ? ; as spirit, and no such being Caiise. Now, certain of our intimate and r existence as ausal agency; icious activity, ith reason and lorities against iming the con- J bases all his lies. It is all e best that Mill Plato, can do ! jwers raise the cry that Christianity is obsclete, and bow down and worship the great philosophers! For a "Thus saith the Lord," they have substituted, " Thus it is written in the books of Mill and Spencer! " Let it be understood then and affirmed, in the face of this " philosophy falsely so-called," that there is not one fact or doctrine in all t^e Christian system that a true and rational philosophy has ever done any- thing else than to confirm. The relation of philosophy and faith is not that of absolute exclusion — philosophy or faith; nor that of antagonism — philosophy versus faith; but that of harmony and co-operation — philoso- phy and faith. It would be as senseless and irrational to give up the great Scriptural doctrines, because of this persistent and impudent cry of rationalism about the " collapse of the supernatural," as it would be for the world to suspend all its business activities because Vennor predicts a coming cyclone, or, rather, because of the one that he predicted but which did not come. A still more shallow sensationalism and material- ism, culminating in the all-pervasive teaching of Herbert Spencer, has gone far toward o infl e oe f muddling the minds of men over the ' Shallow question whether we are anything more Materialism, than developed brutes, or, worse than that, anything more than mere developments of matter and motion by redistribution. "There is no God, no soul, no free- dom, no immortality — at bottom, only matter and motion." This is sensationalism run mad, "the phi- losophy of dirt " clasping hands with the philosophy of brutality. Animal enjoyment is the great end of existence. Virtue consists in pursuing it under stress of the master instincts of nutrition and reproduction, and is thus merged in pure bestiality. God there is [#' ■ill ,X6 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. nonP except nerhaps the double, or supposed ghost of r.rtrg';e;t-graLfath. Of -rse both rei.,.o„ and virtue are blotted out and men are left to bald animalism and blank despair. And this is the so-called new philosophy that scouts God and revelation and Christianity! N- ph.lo^^^^^^^^^ according to Ueberweg, is "the science of principles , but this scheme of so-called philosophy has no pnnc- ps and its assumptions and assertions fly in the ace of all the fundamental truths of reason. J^s truth °hich its followers boast of as being established s Tus^as nearly demonstrated and Just as demon trable as the proposition that "the moon is ^ade of green ^ ationalcharacter of this pretentious system, and Sr:it at its reaU rationa, vaine » .ch -at'-e- matically expressed by zero. It is a ouga , "^;:t^pS^^e chief force militating against cioc- trinal teaching and preaching is the indefinite think- trinal g ^f „„.,hinking. embodied in so '•Sar' much of what is furnished for popular Thinking, reading. It commonly takes on a higniy ^'Trs?fairphilosophies.in connection with others of Indred nature inherited from the past with he ad o all the indefinite theological thinking, have re^^ul ed ;n thP nrevalence of a heatht.i and immoral morality Ltha led to the divorce of Christian doctrine rom Christian ethics, thus fossilising the former and anm- hilating the latter. i> Hisiory of Philosophy, yo\.\. -p. 1- J INISTRY. osed ghost, of ; both relision e left to bald ihy that scouts ow philosophy, if principles";* has no princi- 5 fly in the face ,n. Its truth, established, is 3 demonstrable, made of green losophical basis ; that thinking the essentially us system, and which is mathe- «' bugaboo," and ing" against doc- indefinite think- ;mbodied in so ;hed for popular takes on a highly ction with others past, with the aid ng, have resulted immoral morality ian doctrine from former and anni- THE preacher's MESSAGE. "7 1. p. I. Now, if this be so, it is certainly a very serious state of things. The Fathers said : "Truth is in order to holiness." Ciiristian doctrine was e\ idently intended to be the foundation of Christian ethics— /. e., of an ethics whose essential elements are self-renunciation and self-sacrifice in devotion to Christ, and that leads to a heroism that crucifies self and scorns all ends centering merely in man, whether in his happiness, his culture, or his dignity. The great Christian doctrines, rightly presented, imperatively demand, and by the grace of God surely lead to, such Christian morality. But the false and heathen philosophy, new and old, has introduced the new morality, so-called, of egoism, selfishness and mere humanitari; nism, Ethics of which bids man get the best and the Selfl»hneM. most for his own enjoyment, and perhaps for the enjoyment of his fellows, so far as that promotes his own. This unchristian, heathen, unmoral, or rather immoral, morality, based on the ethics of animalism, has, as has been already indicated, largely supplanted Christian morality as a theory of life. It answers the first question of the catechism, What is the chief end of man? in its own peculiar style : "To have a good time and come out number one!" The view of prac- tical life is thus revolutionized. There is no room for the old doctrines. They only make men uncom- fortable; and as comfort is the chief end of man, the preacher who in this day would preach those doctrines is regarded as a brute. Said a lady to another in a fashionable congregation recently: "How did you like Dr. V. ? " The reply was : " Ah ! the vulgar man ! Why, he said, 'You sinners!'" And so, if they are to be preached at all, the practical bearings, the force and fire, must be taken out of them. A congregation V 1 1 >}. r „8 CHRIST'S TKrMPF.T-CA.L TO THF. MINISTRY. thoroughly enlightened (?) by the new ethics does not and 3 not hear of a just God, sin, the judgment, hell ad everlasting punishment; and therefore has no onscious need to hear of Christ as the .ncarna Son of God. the sacrifice for sin, the atonem^ t nd no disposition to hear of h.m as Lord and Master. T^ey say to the preacher, as Israel of old sa.d to e prophets: « Prophesy unto us smooth th.ng^ hey iell him blandly-echoing Mr. Greg and th" t st>lc o essayist-that there is no possibility of the old k.nd of a rttian life; that no man in this age can hve the^ required of the primitive Christians; and thatChn n the very requirement showed the narrowness of h.s age and of himself, and proved that his religion was not the absolute religion ! aI a natural conse .lence, the systems of the theo- logians have tended more and more to become dry, ^ mathematical, barren statements-mere Dead Orthodoxy, ^j^gmas divorced from all the great prac- tical Christian ends which God conteniplated in the Gospel revelation-ano often, as one has remarked -about as fit to nourish the soul as sawdust vvould be tonou^Hshthebody." ^o there has been some reason for the cry of even good Christians : Don t give us any of your dry, dead theology ! " Aiiy ui y jy preached with Even where the old ...-h has oeen p freshness and living, practical power, the heaiers Bi.ta.te for under control of the new eth s, have Bound Doctrine, ^ome to cry out : " Away with it . Away with it ' It is gloomy and morose, and belongs to the Dark Ages! We will have none of it ! Give us some- fh"g abreast of the times. Your doctrine is a .back number"' To meet this popular demand the truth has been minimized, until there is little left of doctrine MINMSTRY. ;thics, does not the judgment, I therefore has ; the incarnate atonement, and rd and Master, old said to the things." They id th'it style of ■ the old kind of can live the life and that Christ irrowness of his his religion was ;ms of the theo- to become dry, tatements — mere U the great prac- :emplated in the le has remarked, sawdust would be been some reason : «' Don't give us en preached with ,ver, the hearers, new ethics, have ay with it ! Away and belongs to the t ! Give us some- loctrine is a 'back demand the truth ttle left of doctrine THE preacher's MESSAGE. "9 but the " Fatherhood of God " and " Come to Jesus ! " in short, nothing l)ut scmi-universahsm; and nothing left of ethics but heathen and minor morals, summed up in the various ma.xims of the lowest epicureanism or utilitarianism. To vary and add spice to this gospel of twaddle, which is essentially commonplace and monotonous' the preacher who is "abreast of the times," your Rev. Shallow /I-lstheticus, must add tiie gospel of clap-trap, of vinegar, and wormwood (applicable to the sinners not present), and of art and esthetics, until the perfection of the new state of things is reached in some ideal "Church of the Holy Oriflamme." The multitudes must have a "smart gospel," and prefer the "gospel of smartness " even to that. In fine, the question: "Shall we give up doctrine in our teaching and preaching?" really mean.s, "Shall we, under stress of a false and heathen view of life- called Christian, but without a single Christian element in it-give up Christianity ? " The demand is infinitely unreasonable. II. Return to Doctrine a Necessity. The genesis of the present and prevailing treatment of doctrines in preaching would be enough, even were there nothing else to be said, to stamp it as not the treatment needed in the preaching that is to save the world. But, besides and beyond all this, the very nature and aim of Gospel message make doctrinal preaching a necessity. And in view of the defect and failure, the preacher should understand, and the Church should be made to understand, that the one great and absolutely imperative need of the present ,20 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. day is a powerful revival of the right kind of doctrinal teaching; and preaching. This is not the place to discuss the need for the revival of such teaching in the training of the nun.stry^ That is, doubtless a matter of v.tal .mport to the Church The fact is well known that the study of theulogv has been reduced to a minimum, other sub- iects im-ing absorbed nearly all the time once g.ven r„ it Moreover, it is easy to see that a homeopath.c dose of theological lore, administered «";« ^ J"^; through two years of the course, by means of wr.tten lectures smoked and dried a generat.on ago. - no likely to result in any theological plethora. And there is undoubtedly a growing feeling among competen ulges that there must be a great revoUmon .n presen methods, if the Church is not to perish of theolog.cal jnanitv and emptiness. . . B t'apart frr!m the question of theological tra.n.ng it is easily shown that the teaching and preachmg o the great Christian doctrines, in their LSlTo practical bearings, is the only possible p"«hinff. way of accomplishing the ends sought in Christ's Kingdom. The end to be attained, in Gospe Sicllg and preaching. ^^ "'^.^--^^f ^^ t^Lv" Cod But. proximately and directly, it is to save dinners and to develop them in Christian character Tncl oower so as to make them strong and intelligent rowoTk^^sTth Christ in bringing the world back to r.od No one will deny this. . "" itcan not be reasonably denied that the first aim o Gosnel teaching and preaching is to save sinners, or r ! 1 « make them Christians. That end can not ai'^LwlSSn ordinarily be attained except through the fundamental Christian doctrines. In becoming a MINISTRY. kind of doctrinal :he need for the ;r of the ministry, il import to the lat the study of imum, other sub- time once given lat a homeopathic ed once a week, means of written ation ago, is not thora. And there imong competent 'olution in present •ish of theological eological training, r and preaching of ioctrines, in their the only possible the ends sought in attained, in Gospel itely the glory of ;tly, it is to save Christian character •ong and intelligent the world back to that the first aim of to save sinners, or 5. That end can not ed except through es. In becoming a THE preacher's MESSAGE. In Christian two things are implied : the reception of the c;iiristian system as the creed, and the conforming of the inward and outward life to its teaciiings. There is the acceptance of Christ, first, as Savior, the sacri- ficial atonement ; and, secondly, as Lord, the Divine Master, to whom the life is given up in obedience and devotion. The method of the Christian life is that of faith working by love. Christ and the great doctrines of revelation centering in him are presented to the sinner in the Divine Word on the testimony of God. Upon them he lays hold by faith, which thus becomes the inspiration of love and devotion. The entire process is properly a rational one, proceeding on the basis of intelligent instruction in essential truth. From another point of view, the three R's are at the foundation of the transformation from death to life : Ruin, Redemption, and Regeneration. The sinner's conception and appreciation of his own ruin and lost condition must depend upon his understanding of the doctrine concerning God, against whom he has sinned; of the nature and heinousness of sin, as transgression of the holy law of God ; of his own depravity and corruption ; of the powerful foes within and without who are seeking his destruction; and of the utter hopelessness of his case, as a sinner hastening to the bar of God. But this involves all the great doctrines of theology proper and of anthropology. His concep- tion and appreciation of redemption must depend upon his knowledge of the doctrines of the everlasting love of the Father for a lost world ; of the incarnation, humiliation, vicarious obedience and sacrifice, the resurrection, ascension, intercession, and universal and everlasting kingdom of the Son of God as the Redeemer. His conception and appreciation of regen- 1 *■%-:{' t22 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. eration must depend upon his knowledge of the con dition and needs of his own heart ; of the person, ctoter and mission of the Holy Sp-nt. as the appUer of' redemption; and of the nature of hohness anS its necessit before God. in order to peace and eternal life. But this involves the doctrines of soter. ology, as well as those centering in the Ir.nity. In .ne%e preaching of Christian doctrine under the stress of a divine call, must necessarily be the only intelligent way of seeking to ^^^e s.nners, so ^g as man remains a rational being. As Paul phr-.es it . .. How shall they believe except they hear? And how shall they hear w^out a preJcher? And hre per- sistent, if a life powerful enough to meet the needs of the age is to be the result. The hosts of evil are so marshaled and panoplied that only a truer and stronger presentation of vital Christian doctrine can gird the Church with the power to accomplish their overthrow. The Christian may find some of the facts concerning the evil with which he is to cope, in such works as Strong's Our Country, or Pierson s Crisis of Missions; he may find the defects o the Christianity of the age set forth in such works as Fish's Primitive Piety Revived, and the needs of the ministry in Horatius Bonar's Words to the W.nners of Souls; but the needed power must come out of the practical doctrines of the Christian revelation In fine, nothing short of the message of the preacher, as given him by Christ himself -the Gospel as a regenerating and saving power, -embracing all the essential factors and truths already noted in sketch- ing that message, and presented to men as rational and religious beings, in the form of rational instruc tion, i. e, as doctrine, in its rational relations and con- nections, i. e., in coherent doctrinal system, can mee the needs of the present hour. A rational spiritual life can not be developed in an irrational way, nor by an irrational method. The preacher must press home his message with the tongue of fire-unt.l God and the unseen world, the lost soul and its condemnation to everlasting wo, Christ and his redemption, the judg- ment and eternity, become living realities, and the theology of the Church a living theology-if the coming of Christ's Kingdom 's to be hastened. He THE PREACHER S MESSAGE. NISTKY. le work has ling home of nd m'ire per- the needs of 3f evil are so a truer and ian doctrine o accomplish find some of he is to cope, or Pierson's efects of the uch works as needs of the '0 the Winners : come out of revelation, jssage of the f,— the Gospel ibr^cing all the )ted in sketch- len as rational itional instruc ations and con- stem, can meet itional spiritual lal way, nor by iust press home itil God and the jndemnation to )tion, the judg- alities, and the leology— if the hastened. He 139 needs to lift up the standard of the cross anew, and to rally the Church around it for the conquest of the world for Christ, and to proclaim his message to that Church, as an official instructor, with 1 n energy born of the Holy Spirit. With a minister in the lead bear- ing such a message, girded with divine power, with a single aim for Christ, a complete consecration to him, entire self-sacrifice for his cauoe, absolute faith in him as Savior and Lord, and a holy earnestness in his service; with a Church understanding its mission for the world, and inspired with such principles and such self-sa'^rifice in the Master's service — the require- ment which the Great Commission makes of the preacher and the Church, for the immediate evangeliza- tion of all the world, is far within the possibilities of accomplishment for the present generation. But if the possible is to become the actual, the preacher will need, in bearing his message and rousing men, to give supreme heed and supreme emphasis to God's manifest call for the immediate evangelization of the world, and to press that call upon the Church, with all the energy and enthusiasm that its paramount importance can inspire, with all the solemnity he can draw from the consciousness of his own overwhelming responsibility, with all the weight and authority of the divine command of Christ, and with all -he fiery earnestness that can blaze forth from a tongue touched and kindled by the Holy Spirit. CHAPTER 111. THE PREACHER AND ^'IS FURNISHING. Having such a commission and such a message for mankind, the question naturally arises : What manner of man should the preacher be, and what furnishing will best fit him for the special work of this genera- tion ? We answer : He needs to be a man who has complete mastery of him- self of the situation, and of his Bible message. This is an age of Sphinx riddles, of which the Gospel furnishes the only possible solution. The modern Sphinx— our boasted and boast- Sphinx Kiddies. ^^^ material civilization, with its godless principles and equally godless practise-is plying her vocation and working her destruction among us, on a scale far grander than Greek ever imagined. Her rid- dles are : the political economy riddle-how to prevent the destruction and demoralization resulting from the frequent alternation of inflation and prostration in the national industries; the social riddle-how to elimi- nate the caste system generated by the separation o labor and capital; the political riddle-how to get rid of demagogism and official corruption; the scientific riddle-how to stay the force of the materialism "that is sapping the genius and spiritual aspirations of many of our best minds, and which shov • its disastrous effects even in the sacred desk." And we may rest THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHINO. »3i INISHING. a message for What manner hat furnishing jf this genera- mastery of him- age. of which the solution. The 5ted and boast- with its godless ;_is plying her among us, on a rined. Her rid- -how to prevent suiting from the rostraticn in the —how to elimi- he separation of —how to get rid n; the scientific laterialism "that )irations of many • its disastrous ind we may rest assured that this modern Sphinx will not fail to de- stroy—as did the ancient Sphinx, in the days of OEdipus— those who can not ans'.ver her riddles. But the riddle of riddles is the one propounded to the Church of this age, the one pressing especially upon the ministry, and perhaps most of all upon the men who are to-day making their way into the min- istry—the Sphinx riddle of religion: how to bring the ministry up to the extraordinary demands of these times, and ve it larger measure of powtr, as God's agency, aigh the Gospel, for regenerating and purifying society and saving tlie world. That is the riddle pressing upon us to-day, and destruction — indus- trial, social, political, moral, and spiritual— will be the inevitable penalty of failure to solve it speedily, cor- rectly, and completely. Seven centuries and a half before the coming of Christ, in the year that Rome was founded, the prophet Isaiah had his wonderful vision of Jehovah in the Temple, as recorded in the sixth chapter of his prophecies. It was then that the prophet was called and set apart by God— amid surroundings at once magnificent and awful — to meet a great crisis in the history of God's chosen people. That call and crisis suggest the crisis that is upon us in this day, and the preparation of the prophet for his work suggests the preparation that the preacher needs, if he is to meet successfully the demands of the present crisis. It is difficult to present the real state of the case clearly, so as to enforce adequately the preacher's duty, and yet escape the danger ot being misunder- stood. We hear much of the decline of the power of ne Church. Has there been such a decline ? We hear equally often of the progress and requirements of 132 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. this age of culture. Has there been such progress as to outstrip the Gospel ? It is not necessary to decide whether either, or neither, or both, ot these things be true. However it may have arisen, he must be blind who does not see that there is certainly a tremendous gap between the power and work of the ministry and the present demand of God, in his providence, for the immediate giving of the Gospel to all the world. Comparing this extraordinary proviuential call with what we are accomplishing, it becomes manifest that the Church is nowhere doing all that needs to be done. Is not the insufficiency of the power and work for the needs only too obvious ? But, taking the facts as they appear, is this condi- tion of things inevitable and irremediable ? Or is there a cause that may be pointed out and a remedy that may be applied : a cause which it is the preacher's first duty to understand and appreciate; and a remedy which it is his special mission to apply ? The fact presupposes and proves a cause. That a remedy may be found is the belief of all who are not pessimists. There is need to point out the cause and the remedy, and to show what is the present duty of the ministry in the premises. In doing this, some preliminary observations, touching the characteristics of the age, as affecting the world, the Church, and the minister himself, will bring us upon the profitable con- sideration of the kind of preacher and the character of the furnishing called for. % MINISTRY. )Uch progress as essary to decide these things be e must be blind ly a tremendous he ministry and ividence, for the all the world, ential call with 2S manifest that leeds to be done, md work for the ir, is this condi- lediable ? Or is at and a remedy is the prej.cher's ;e; and a remedy r ? \ cause. That a f all who are not ut the cause and ; present duty of ioing this, some le characteristics Church, and the iie profitable con- I the character of THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. SECTION FIRST. »33 The Cause of the Present Inadequacy of the Ministry. The cause of the present inadequacy of the ministry to the work to be done is doubtless to be found in the materialistic and secular spirit of the age, which is at once most powerful in resisting the influence of the Church and most dangerous and harmful in molding the Church and the ministry. "Because ye are not of the world, . . . there- fore the world hateth you," —so taught the Master.* There is an essential and eternal hostility between the spirit of worldliness and the spirit of Christ. An age in which the world wields the Church influence is an age of evil. An age in which the Church and ministry are either in accord with the world or molded by it must be an age of religious degeneracy and godless- ness and spiritual inefficiency — and these always indi- cate the highroad to destruction. I. An Age of Intense Secularism. No preacher can fail to be made aware of the fact that secularism, which is, literally, tliis-7votld-ism, is to-day assuredly at the front. Note that we are not emphasizing here the practical tendencies and social customs that grow out of the secular spirit, and that have revolutionized the preaching and pastoral work; but the intellectual tendencies, the spirit of the age, the Zeitgeist,, that controls and molds man, both in the pulpit and out of it. * John XV. 19. . „ '! >' I l l H I . il |i. |i 'H » ! | 134 chrjst's trumpet-call to the ministry. The age, through the influence of Mill and Darwin and Spencer and Huxley, and such as they, has come Mat.riall.tio largely under control of a nater.ahst.c Bcientism. scientisni, tending toward atomism, and on the verge of culminating in organized socialistic secularism. . . ^ ^i » What is here objected to is not science, but the vast mass of superficial imagination, assumption, and asser- tion that is decked out in imposing verbiage and palmed off upon men as science. No one is disposec to ignore or underrate t!ic great achievements of genuine science in this age. As Christians we are thankful for them. They are our heritage. All true science is for us. Every great scientist of the land will be found on the side of God and Christianity- President Hitchcock, Professors Silliman, Agassiz, Henry, Guyot, Dana, Dawson-all along the line. The mighty thinkers and philosophers will be found in the same ranks-Professors Tayler Lewis and Bowen, and Presidents Woolsey, McCosh, Porter, Anderson- all along the line again. It is much the same across the water. lUit the strange thing about it all is that a superficial scientism has the ear of the public rather than this profound science; that a shallow and baseless atomism molds society, rather than a deep and well- founded theism. Preachers are especially familiar with the ' prog- ress" of "advanced science," from the old-fashioned Bible notion of a personal, spiritual God, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being and attributes, to the new God of the atomist; which is neither per- sonal nor spiritual, which is without either quant.ta- tive or qualitative attributes, and which is changeable at the will of every wiseacre. The noise of it has MINISTRY. lill aivl Darwin they, has come a naterialistic d atomism, and [lized socialistic ice, but the vast )tion, and asser- g verbiage and one is disposed ichievements of iristians we are -itage. All true itist of the land d Christianity— lliman, Agassiz, along the line. 5 will be found in .ewis and Bowen, rter, Anderson — the same across jout it all is that the public, rather dlow and baseless a deep and well- with the "prog- the old-fashioned jal God, infinite, ng and attributes, ich is neither per- t either quantita- hich is changeable ,e noise of it has THE PREACHER ANIJ HIS FCRNISHINO. 'JS gone out into all the world. Popular Science maga- zines and Popular Science series liavc borne the new doctrine everywhere, asserting its trutii with a bold- ness and impudence ecjualed only by its siiallowness and want of scientific basis. It is all around us, in the atmosphere, so that men take it in at every breath. The men who advocate these new views arrogate to themselves the right of eminent domain in the region of science; and tho the grand men of science all repudiate their doctrines, yet so confident has been the tone of the quasi-scientists that they have made the world abjure faith in God and then receive their teachings on faith, and so are claiming to have it all their own way. The natural result is the reign of a shallow and boastful egotism, that does not hesitate to put forward the wildest and most irrational specula- shallow tions as truths fit to take the place of Philosophy, the grand and eternal verities of the Word of God. "There is no God." " Or, if there be a God, he must forever remain unknown and unknowable." "Or, if he can be known, it is only as an impersonal, blind force." Atheism, pantheism, know-nothingism, pes- simism, have flooded the world. The same spirit of egotism and shallowness and dogmatism that marked their original authors and advocates has been repro- duced in the hosts outside the Church, and drifting farther and farther away from it, that need to be reached by the ministry of this age if Christianity is to prevail. The world is filled with doubt and neglect, or with despair and hatred, of God and religion, of morality and immortality. This blighting materialism and atheism have not only made logical wreck of the r' 136 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. world's thinking, but are making wreck of all the highest feelings, grandest motives, and subhmest pos- sibilities to which Christianity would exalt humanity. The present, the fleeting, the tangible, is all that .s left to man, the blind infant of father Chance and mother Matter and Must-be. The invisible and eternal personal God has been pushed from his throne because, forsooth, no man has seen nor can see h.m, and the atom which no man hath seen nor can see, and to whose existence no one can hold with any clear scien- tific reason, has been enthroned in his place ; and Professor Clifford even proceeded so far as to replace his worship by " cosmic emotion" ! All this has made the world a hard world to reach with the Gospe. It is not inclined to listen to what the messenger of God has to say from the pulpit. It nas dnlted away from the Church. It is scarcely more inclined to listen to what he may have to say outside of the pulpit, for it confidently assumes on the worst of hearsay, that the Bible is an obsoletc.book and that Christianity has nothing in it really worthy the bd^ of reasonable men, and especially of the men of th s highly educated and intelligent age! In truth, in its opinion, the scientific .eitgeist has breathed upon the religion of Christ and straightway resolved it into shadowy, unsubstantial, mythical elements and d.ssi- uated it forever! Nor is this the worst. It is impossible to escape the conviction that this flood of materialistic atheism has come in upon the Church, and is per- 'ICchurT ceptibly molding and modifying it m creed and practise. Almost everywhere one can see a growing want of faith in the grand doctrines of the Bible There is a tendency to estimate all things MINISTRY. reck of all the i sublimest pos- exaU humanity, le, is all that is her Chance and sible and eternal throne because, ee him, and the can see, and to any clear scien- his place ; and far as to replace d world to reach to listen to what n the pulpit. It t is scarcely more ire to say outside les, on the worst ;tc book, and that worthy the belief f the men of this In truth, in its reathed upon the resolved it into ements and dissi- sible to escape the .listic atheism has lurch, and is per- modifying it in ■here one can see a i doctrines of the stimate all things THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 137 invisible and spiritual according to the standard of this quasi-scientific atheism. We hear science and art and literature, physiology and biology, cried up, and psychology and metaphysics, philosophy and theology, cried down. In many quarters there is a manifest weakening in the hold of even the great essential doc- trines, upon laymen and ministers, upon churches and conferences and councils. Dogmas and creeds are at a discount in too many pulpits, in' too many pews, in too much of the literature of the Church. Who could not point to instances illustrating the giving way of the old-fashioned, permanent, every-day religion of principle, before the new-fashioned, intermittent, mid- winter religion of feeling and excitement? And here is evidently a new element of difficulty in the work of the minister of the present period. But even this is not the worst. "Like priest like people" was the old half-truth. "Like people like priest " is the new complementary half-truth of this age. Is it any wonder that these evil tendencies have had large influence in molding the ministry ? It is doubtful if an" of us have wholly escaped the baleful influence of th.s rationalism and materialism. We recognize in ourselves, in spite of ourselves, a prevailing want of faith in the reality of God and heaven and hell, of the judgment and eternity. The veil of the seen hides from our eyes the glory of the unseen. Recall how an overwhelming sense of the in- visible made Luther h;irl his inkstand at the devil; and then imagine such a sense of reality taking posses- sion of some learned and eminent preacher at the present day ! With a scientific curl of the lip we com- placently say : " Luther lived in an age of darkness ! " Imagine such a sense of '.he worth of souls as made 138 chri5.t's trumpet-call to the ministry. Paul weep night and day for three years, over the perishing sinners at Ephesus, taking possession of some of our ministers in New York or Chicago ! " Ah well'" we would be ready to say, "he is a weak brother, doubtless a little beside himself!" Imagine such a sense of the power of prayer as moved the souls of martyrs and confessors, taking possession of one of ourselves in this age of the supremacy of "things seen"' Why, the rest of us would think him insane. Who does not feel that the faith and fire with which Christ and the Apostles inspired the first believers, the faith and fire that were rekindled in the Reformation and in the later times under Whitefield and the Wes- leys, have well-nigh gone out of us under the blight- iug influence of this modern materialism ? But it is to be feared that even this is not the worst. The spirit of secularism has followed the skepticism of secularism into the Church. The same standards for the measurement of the man are too often applied there. There is a wide-reaching tendency to break Dr.CharlM with the poor and ignorant. Several Hodge's View, years before his death, Dr. Charles Hodge wrote in a careful paper on "Preaching the Gospel to the Poor":* •• It is with great reluctance that we are constrained to acknowl- edge that the Presbyterian Church of this country is not tlie Church for the poor. . . We, as a church, are not doing, and never have done, what we were bound to do in order to secure the preaching of the Gospel to the poor." And what if it be true, as Dr. Hodge says, that "the Church which fails to bring the Gospel to bear upon the poor, fails in its duty to Christ"? What if it be * Princeton Review, January, 1871, p. 86. MINISTRY. /ears, over the ; possession of hicago ! "Ah, ♦he is a weak ,elf!" Imagine moved the souls ession of one of acy of "things link him insane! I fire with which -st believers, the the Reformation Id and the Wes- inder the blight- 5m ? Is not the worst. 1 the skepticism same standards oo often applied ndency to break lorant. Several ith. Dr. Charles "Preaching the istrained to acknowl- try is not the Church loing, and never have 5cure the preaching of jesays, that "the ipel to bear upon "? What if it be 71. P 86. THE PREACHER AND HIS FJRNIGHING. 139 true that "it refuses or neglects to do what he has specially commanded; and sooner or later its candle- stick will be removed out of its place " ? And what if all the Church so fail, and the poor drift away to perdition ? All unconsciously to themselves, some of the best men in the Church are influenced by this spirit of caste. The writer well remembers once hearing an officer in his church— and a good man he was, too— complaining of the se.xton: "He is unfit for liis office. He doesn't know broadcloth." The sexton had seated a plain person in an eligible pew in the center of the church. Now, that man never fur one moment dreameu that he was manifesting the same spirit against which the Apostle James brings that most terrible charge in iiis Epistle, \^en he writes of the man with the gold ring and the goodly apparel! * The consequences of all this may be seen in the "lapsed masses," or the immense non-church-going multitude, and in the growing spirit of communism and hostility to religion among the poor and debased. Nor will it escape any observing man that there is a tendency in the Church to apply the worldly standard, so far as may be, in the choice of its ministry and in its forms of worship. It is assumed that in this age, if men are to go to church on the Sabbath, they must be entertained, and must get the worth of their money as the world judges. Wc are in danger of having interesting "entertainment" set above "spiritual religion"; "eloquence," above " soul-saving "; "cul- ture," above "Christ." Could the ministry possibly escape being molded by these forces of secularism? Have not questions of ♦ James ii. 1-9. I40 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. position and salary been made far more prominent th?n is warranted by the Word of God ? Has rot the Christ-idea of preaching the Gospel to the poor, and lifting up the low and debased, largely given way to the new-fashioned theory that men must be reached from above down, so that the preaching must be pri- marily for the refined and cultivated if we would reach and influence the masses? Are there not terrible forces of evil at work tending to transform the man who, as God's messenger, should be on fire of the Holy Ghost, into the lion of social occasions, the man of elegant manners, attainments, and leisure? Do not our own hearts assure 's that few, if any, of us have escaped without some taint of secularism ? II. An Age of Socialistic Secularism. But the tide of secularism, that in this age threatens to leave helpless or to sweep away preacher and The New Church alike, is not merely that of the Seoularism. old-fashioned secularism, based upon disbelief, but that of the new secularism that takes on the sociological form and bases itself on the discontent and tt«m/ abroad among men the world over— the tide of socialistic secularism. The extreme positive pole of churchism may be the other-worldliness, at which George Eliot sneers; the extreme negative pole of materialism is the this- worldliness, that has come in upon Christendom like a vast electric wave, infolding and enswathing every- thing. Of this new phase, Mr. Walter Walsh writes ably, in an article in the Contemporary Review, for January, 1895. He says : w(*«#s»W(-', 1895, p. 171. uUs* :r-ii-' rii' ! i;i;i 150 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. itself out, in the rage for entertainment and amuse- ment in theater and social function and every other forn,' especially in forms made questionable or dam- nable by satire upon virtue or by touch or even broad smirch of licentiousness, as in the "ballet" and the "living picture " show, and apparently hastemng on to still more flagrant and immoral manifestations, until life, already with vast numbers merely a play, threatens to become a " dance of death." The picture presented by the age is one of vast wealth used in extravagant outlay for selfish enjoyment and show, and contributing to little else than the sweeping tide of intemperance, licentiousness, and moral worthless- ness and ruin. Even more marked is the development of anarchism, in the criiul.iai disregard, so widely exhibited, for the feelings and rights and personality of others. Ihe rich in the enjoyment of unstinted indulgence in the Christian palace, laugh lightly at, or think not at all of the starving poor, in the Christian hovel hard by. Selfishness and greed have organized themselves m giant corporations and trusts, that are simply com- binations for robbing the masses of mankind, under gu^.se of law or in spite of law, for the benefit of the {e^r so that the great wealth heaped upon us by Providence for the ends of the Gospel is being turned Instead into a means of oppression and into a curse The lawlessness has culminated in that condition of The Aw of things that marks this age as the Age of Murder. Murder in all Christendom. The aston- ishing disregard of that most sacred possession, human life— a disregard to which attention is now being aroused-may well amaze men. All who are interested in the welfare of humanity will do well to consider Jjl'TfLlrHVi MINISTRY. nent and amuse- and every other tion.'ible or dam- ch or even broad ' ballet " and the itly hastening on 1 manifestations, rs merely a play, th." The picture St wealth used in ,'ment and show, the sweeping tide I moral worthless- nent of anarchism, exhibited, for the r of Others. The indulgence in the or think not at all ian hovel hard by. zed themselves in t are simply com- of mankind, under the benefit of the eaped upon us by ipel is being turned n and into a curse. 1 that condition of s age as the Age of ;ndom. The aston- I possession, human ition is now being II who are interested lo well to consider THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 151 thoughtfully the statistics on the subject, furnished by Mr. Henry C. Lea, in T/ie Forum, of August, 1894. The record of homicides has gone on swelling in numbers, until the annual tale in Europe has reached 15,000, and in America io,ooc,— in the United States alone averaging from 3000 to 5000. The record of 20,000 to 25,000 murders annually, in the so-called Christian nations— surpassing the death-roll of most of the great decisive battles of the world, and rolling up a hundred Waterloos or Gettysburgs of death in a century— is assuredly frightful to contemplate, while horribly emphasizing the age as the Age of An- archism! And what of the task of the preacher in reaching such a world with his message ? What of the hopeful- ness of it ? What of the message he is The Preacher's sent to deliver to it ? If there be noth- Task, ing but reform forces; if there be no divine, regen- erating power to transform men and remedy the exist- ing state of things,-then the task of the preacher- judged by the Zeitgeist, or by the drift of the century even— is a hopeless one. The preacher will find such a world hard to reach with the Gospel. Law is the only preparation for Gospel, the only thing that brings home the need of it. He who blots out the law-giver, or gives the relation to him a subordinate place, discounts and minimizes the Gospel. The world of t day hates all law, and has no care for the Gospel. The people in the Church do not listen to it willingly. A practical protest comes up irom multitudes whenever opportunity offers. The recent wide discussion of the doctrine of " future pun- ishment,"andof "post-mortem probation," is absolute proof of the dislike of the law of God and of the drift 152 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. toward semi-u .iversalism. Men do not like even to be called " sinners." They resent it. The Zeitgeist has no doubt gone further and done a large work in molding the ministry and their preach- ing Where such tremendous pressure is brought to bear against the strong truths of the Word of God, and against the awful sanctions of the law, the uncon- scious drift of the minister is, at the outset, from the messenger toward the advocate and apologist. In- stead of boldly proclaiming God's truth, and thus holding firmly his high vantage ground, he gives him- self to the useless work of defending God, or to the mean work of apologizing for God. And, when he has descended to that, he is likely soon to be found teach- ing restorationism, repentance in a future world, preaching to the lost spirits in prison, or uttering any other sentimental twaddle men may desire to hear. Innumerable examples could be given of the work- hig of these things. As a typical case, a thoroughly godly man was, not long since, driven out of a New England parish by the influence of one rich Umversal- ist pew-holder, just because he ventured mildly to affirm his belief in future punishment. The writer recalls an examination for ordination, at which he himself was present, several years since. In the course of the examination, the -andidate was asked : «' What does the Bible teach on the subject of future punishment ?" He leaned back in his seat, and, with half-closed eyes, toyed with his pet mustache for a moment, and then answered, with evident satisfaction ind profound confidence of superior wisdom : " I have not made up my mind on that point." He was ordained ! Naturally, he long since drifted out of the evangelical ministry. ))ii»it -» ■Ijiri MINISTRY. t like even to be ther and done a id their preach- re is brought to e Word of God, ; law, the uncon- outset, from the apologist. In- truth, and thus »d, he gives him- g God, or to the And, when he has be found teach- a future world, 1, or uttering any desire to hear, iven of the work- ase, a thoroughly :en. out of a New ne rich Universal- entured mildly to lent. The writer ion, at which he ■s since. In the didate was asked : e subject of future his seat, and, with let mustache for a jvident satisfaction r wisdom: " I have point." He was e drifted out of the THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 153 To sum up the condition of things: the world of to-day, with its atomism and its secularism, presents the most tremendous obstacles to the summary work of the ministry. The Church of of Difficulties. God, with its shattered sense of the invisible and eter- nal, with its low estimate of character and souls, and with its practical dislike of these life-and-death truths of God's Word, furnishes but little of that earnestness and inspiration that would lead her membership to overtake this vast work of salvation— for the lapsed masses, for the Greek and Roman Churches, and for the dying heathen— a vast work which, as has been seen, God calls upon her to do without delay. We of the ministry — without the overwhelming sense of the presence of God and the call from God; without the profound conviction of the infinite value of souls; and without the unfaltering faith in the grand and terrible truths that make the work of salvation matter of in- finite urgency— have not the elements of power neces- sary to inspire and lead men, to mold society, and save a lost world. We are manifestly at one of these crises in the history of the Church, where there is imperative and supreme need for the interposition of the Spirit of God. ! I- SECTION SECOND. The Remedy in the Preacher and his Furnishing. The remedy for this evil condition is to be found in such a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church as this age needs, and as the signs of the times seem to indicate to be imminent, and, in connection with and as the outcome of this, in a new order of 154 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. preachers, who shall be so prepared for their work, and so divinely girded, as to be able to mold the Church and the world, rather than be molded by the Church and the world. Besides these general require- ments, there is need to emphasize some of the special needs of the preacher. I. Intellectual Mastery of the Situation. The preacher who would belong to this order will need to begin with surveying carefully and mastering the existing situation, in its relations to the develop- ment and progress of Christianity. He will need to study and ascertain the origin and causes of the pres- ent crisis in Christendom. He will find, by such study, that the state of things is the result of perver- sions of the fundamental principles of Protestant Perversions of Christianity. The Reformation of the Protestantism, si.xteenth century undertook the task of freeing man from slavery to the Roman hierarchy, with its unhistorical traditions and its usurped au- thority over the human soul and the Church. Its fun- damental principles may be summed up as embracing: First. The Bible, as the Word of God, the only au- thoritative rule of faith and practise, and Christ the sole Head of the Church. Second. Justification by faith the only way of salva- tion. Third. The right of private judgment, under the authority of the Bible, in matters of religion— involving religious responsibility and liberty. He will find marked perversions, especially in the making of one of these principles supreme. The EJtu MINISTRY. or their work, e to mold the molded by the eneral require- ; of the special Situation, this order will and mastering o the develop- [e will need to es of the pres- find, by such suit of perver- of Protestant rmation of the )ok the task of man hierarchy, ts usurped au- lurch. Its fun- > as embracing: )d, the only au- and Christ the ly way of salva- lent, under the gion — involving specially in the supreme. The THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. ISS Bible and Christ as sole rule and Head have been dis- placed by State-Church and decrees of ecclesiastical councils and assemblies, and by the assumed authority of secular and theological schools, and secular scholars, critics, and philosophers. Every one knows the re- sults. Christianity as a saving power, working tiirough justification by faith and regeneration, has given place to merely formal religion, seeking at best nothing above rites an J ceremonies with outward morality, and, at worst, permitting all immorality. Reform and decepfv have been substituted for regeneration and holiness. The power of godliness at the foundation having been thus removed, the principle of individual freedom has been pushed to the extreme, until men have repu- diated, not only all illegitimate authority, but all authority of whatever kind, human and divine. Indi- vidualism has reached egoism pure and simple, which makes the essence of life thinking of oneself only, living for oneself only— in short, has reached Mr. Spencer's complete morality, in the working out of the two basal brute instincts of self-preservation and the reproduction of the species. Those who have thrown off the authorit; ,.' the Bible and the Church, elevated bodily comfort i» d interests to the chief places, and come to think the enjoyment of plenty to eat and drink in this world the only Kingdom of Heaven, have naturally developed into modern democracy, inspired with the hope of bringing in their Kingdom of Heaven by political means and forces. It can hardly be 'loubted that democratic principle is in the line of no nal Protestant development; but always in due subordination to the authority of God and his Word, and of law divine and human. It may is6 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. have been necessary in the working out of the best final results, in the present evil condition of humanity, that this development should pass through certain perversions and extremes. But, however that may be, the extreme development of democracy has apparently been reached, throughout Christendom. In 1894, in Europe, $5,500,000,000 was added to the national debts in sustaining the militarism necessary to hold down the masses; and the nations are thereby rapidly drifting, under stress of the democratic forces, into the national bankruptcy that must wreck that mili- tarism and revolutionize society. In this country the destiny of the nation has seemed to be quite as rapidly drifting under the control of a bloated plu- tocracy—more dangerous and demoralizing than the militarism— built upon a basis of gigantic frauds and robberies, in railway wreckings and Black Fridays, and of robber trade-combinations and trusts, holding monopoly of everything used by the people— from sugar and oil to quinine and coffins— a plutocracy that has debauched the legislatures, the national congress, and the courts of justice, and is doing its best to cor- rupt popular sentiment by aping the manners and morals of the effete European aristocracy or seeking alUances with it, and lowering the tone of Christian sentiment by its efforts to purchase churchly respect- ability and a reputation for Christian charity. The phenomenal development of populism and socialism, and the frequent recurrence of strikes and riots, show that the masses in this country are becoming quite as desperate as in Europe, and the situation almost as threatening. It is the perverted democratic principle against the world and everything else. Everywhere the human MINISTRY. lut of the best in of hunianity, [irouRh certain er that may be, has apparently 1. In 1894, in the national :essary to hold thereby rapidly tic forces, into ■reck that mili- his country the to be quite as a bloated plu- ilizing than the ntic frauds and Black Fridays, trusts, holding e people— from plutocracy that tional congress, ; its best to cor- le manners and ;racy or seeking )ne of Christian hurchly respect- n charity. The 1 and socialism, ; and riots, show icoming quite as lation almost as ciple against the here the human THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 157 tiger— the fiercest of all beasts when driven to the wall — has evidently almost reached the point of des- peration — as is shown in the anarchism of the age that is so portentous of coming anarchy. The preacher will also note, in his study, that lead- ing economists and publicists are everywhere antici- pating as possible — nay, as probable, if not inevitable — in the near future, great and radical changes in society and politics; perhaps absolute and world-wide up- heaval and revolution. As Mr. W. S. Lilly has so strikingly said : * " Assuredly, if morality be the life of nations, these ominous symp- toms might lead us to anticipate a soc'al catrclysm ; a breaking up of civilization more terrible and complete than that which Europe witnessed fourteen hundred years ago ; for the destroyers would not be simple and uncorrupted races, with strong, broad notions of right and wrong, with keen susceptibility to the influences of religion, but decivilized men, emancipated from moral and civil restraints, and ruled solely by brute instincts and passions." He will also be convinced by his study that were there nothing more or stronger, in modern society, to counteract these destructive chriBtianity a tendencies than the moral forces of the Principle of old Roman world, the outlook would Recovery. certainly be hopeless. But he will find Christianity is in the world as an immense recuperative and recon- structive force. The extreme developments of indi- vidualism, while they are the perversion of a principle of the Reformation, are proof of an immense advance in " the apprehension of the transcendent worth of human personality." The Church is in the world and yet not of it — the Church invisible, the Church "against which the gates of hell shall not prevail," — * On Shibboleths, pp. 36, 37. i: 158 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. containing in it a "principle of recovery " unknown to the ancient world. The moral advance of the ages through her influence has been immense. The silent influence she wields is incalculable. The principles that she has wrought into law, into the higher elements of society, into great permanent institutions, show themselves to be dominant when great crises come. A divine life and power are in her. While the trend of a generation may seem to be away from the right : the trend of the ages under Christian forces is upward and God-ward. The purpose of God in the Gospel moves majestically on. James Russell Lowell has justly contrasted the seeming and the reality, and his con- trast answers to history : " Careless seems the Great Avenger ; History's pages but record One death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the \N ord ; Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne- Yet that scaffold sways the future and. behind the dim unknown,^ Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own." The investigator will likwise see how this perverted individualism has carried with it elevated conceptions, before undreamed of in history, of the dignity of man- hood and of human responsibility, freedom, and power. And the survey will help him to see clearly that Christianity as a saving power— in the vital principles that made the Reformation— has the principles that can shape and direct aright the destiny of Christendom in this time of so grave contingencies; that, as the present condition has resulted from their perversion, and carries elements of vast progress along with the elements of evil; so the remedy indicated for the cor- rection of the evil is the reaffirmation and the vigor- ous pushing of those principles in their correct form, 4» iiCStSisSWA J MINISTRY. ■y " unknown to ice of the ages se. The silent The principles higher elements ititutions, show at crises come, hile the trend of ti the right : the es is upward and le Gospel moves )well has justly ity, and his con- pages but record stems and the Word ; on the throne — the dim unknown, ;ch above his own." 3W this perverted ited conceptions, e dignity of man- edom, and power, see clearly that le vital principles e principles that lyof Christendom :ies; that, as the their perversion, ss along with the cated for the cor- an and the vigor- leir correct form. THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING, »S9 especially in its formal principle, of the Bible as tu". Word of God, and in its material principle, of justifica' tion by faith. The coming upheavals and revolutions may thus be made the means of progress in saving the world. The preacher of to-day, as the leader of the Church and the representative and expounder of her mission, who thus masters the situation, will The Preacher's understand that the saving efficacy of Timely Mee- his message will depend, so far as truth "*'" is concerned, upon the emp" sizing of the discredited truths of Protestantism U . u t go to correct the spurious individualism iwO oiin en back to God and the Bible. He will be ,.. ourt J to fill men's minds with the words of de' -ai „ and salvation, and of true freedom that, with * j blessing of God, will silently master and tr nsform the forces of evil and reconstruct society v. . ^.e breaking up comes, on the principles of a genuine Christianity. In addition to calling attention to the general and fundamental truths of Protestantism, it is proposed to emphasize some special characteristics required in the typical preacher, for whom the Church of this age has such urgent need, and for whom Christ so urgently calls. II. A More Scriptural Working-Theorv. The preacher for these times needs to adopt, at the outset, a more Scriptural working-theory of the minis- try — one that will give him such a sense of the truth that he is the representative of God in the world, the embassador of God to lost souls, that his very ^tTi l6o CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. personal presence shall bring God down into the world as a reality again. Let it be understood tliat, in all that is to be said on this subject, piety is presupposed. With.nit that there can be no minister of God; but presupposing that, there are certain special requirements. The preacher needs to have an unmistakable call from God. The only warrant for any man's entrance 1 ACallfrom "P"" the ministry is such a divine call. God. An uncalled ministry must be an un- qualified and an unsent ministry; for God only quali- fies and sends whom he calls. " 1 have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; 1 have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied." "Wo be to the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture ! saith the Lord." A man who has simply gone through tlie training-school, and been licensed and ordained by the Presbytery or Consociation or Council, is not neces- sarily a minister of the Gospel in the sight of God. No mere human training and setting apart can make him such. God only can call to the sacred office, and the one who enters uncalled helps to " overstock " the ministry, and becomes the cause, perhaps unwitting and unwilling, of innumerable and grievous evils, even tho it still be true that there is need of a hundred ministers where there is but one. No man can speak or act with the authority with which men must speak and act in this day, to be heard above the thunder of the world's traffic, and heeded, unless he has a call as real, if not as articulate, as had the prophets in the olden times. There is special need to remember, in this day, that the ministry is not simply a profession, like medicine or law, in which a man is to make a living and gain a MIN'ISTRY. 1 into the world is to be said on hout that there supposing that, imistalcable call man's entrance h a divine call, lust be an un- Ciod only quali- e not sent these poken to them, ;he pastors tiiat r pasture ! saith one through tlie ordained by the :il, is not neces- le sight of God. apart can make ;acred office, and "overstock" the jrhaps unwitting evous evils, even ed of a hundred o man can speak men must speak 'e the thunder of ,s he has a call as ; prophets in the , in this day, that wn, like medicine living and gain a THE PRV.ACHFR AND HIS FURNISHINC;. i6i position. We have known men to enter it as a pro- fession, by a syllogism, instead of by a rail from God. It may have been by a syllogism in everybody's mouth: "A Christian man can accomplish more good in the ministry than in any other work in life; there- fore, I am bound to enter the ministry." It may have been by a syllogism from a Secretary of some Hoard of Kducation : " Kvery |)ious young man is bound to enter the ministry, unless he ran demonstrate that he is not." If one will look into them, he will see that both of these syllogisms are sheer fallacies. Take the first. There is many a Christian man who would accomplish a hundred-fold more for God as a plow- man, or a carpenter, or a merchant, than as a minister. Take the last. Its major premise would be nearer Scriptu'-'?, if it read: " Kvery pious young man is bound to stay out of the ministry, unless he can demonstrate the contrary." If a man is to be wortli the most in the ministry, he must go into it in answer to that prayer which Christ taught his disciples, when he said : " Pray, ye, there- fore, the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into the harvest." The word is send, hurl, drive forth ! The ministry needed is a ministry sent, hurled, driven, into the work by stress of conscience and divine command; a ministry with the urj^ency of God himself back of them, so that they can sympathize with Paul, when he said, ''Wo is me if I preach not the Gospel," and with John Knox, when he tried to hide himself from God and his call. Said a brilliant preacher to the writer, not long since, "I entered the ministry as a profession. I have never been conscious of anything like a call to preach the Gospel, and wonder if any such thing is i62 Christ's tki'Mpf.t-cai.i. to tiik mimstky. necessary." He had been a brilliant sermonizcr, had ministered to rich, cultivated, and fashionable churches, had won a large circle of admirers; but he had become soured anil misanthropic, had become conscious that even his success had Deen failure. The fruits of his ministry in saved souls, in noble Christian characters, and in energetic spiritual workers for Christ, had been wanting. He acknowledged with sadness that his was an uncalled ministry. The preacher must find his one message in the Word of God. "Go preach my Gospel " is the commission. " Preach the Word " is the command. "'Bag'frJm Bible Christianity as a saving power is Ood. the message. Men in this rapid age have tried many ways of reaching the busy and ab- sorbed world. They have tried the Gospel of phi- losophy and esthetics, the Gospel of science and art; they have tried the Gospel of sensation, clap-trap, and twaddle; the gospel of scolding, of denunciation and abuse, of vinegar and wormwood; but the masses have been steadily drifting away from the Church in spite of them. The philosophers and scientists can beat the pulpit at the first; the theatrical managers can distance it at the second; and the Daily Heralds and Times can place themselves beyond its competition at the third. No message has been found to take the place of the Word of God; no keenness of speculation, no profundity of philosophy, no polish of learning. There is nothing but God's eternal Word, uttered from a heart and lips toi;';hed and fired by a call from God, brought to bear upon tho sins and evils of the time, and driven home upon the conscience with a voice of divine authority— there is nothing but this that can reach and hold the attention of this modern work! MINISTKY. sermonizcr, had nd fashionable dmircrs; but he ic, had become jii failure. The noble (Christian ,al workers for nowlcdged with try. age in the Word the eom mission. ii the command, saving power is this rapid age he busy and ab- (lospel of phi- science and art; n, clap-trap, and lenunciation and the masses have Church in spite entists can beat il managers can aily Heralds and ts competition at lund to take the ss of speculation, lish of learning, ord, uttered from a call from God, evils of the time, ice W'ith a voice but this that can iiodern worlU. THE PREACHER AND HIS FrRNISHINO. •63 The preacher must have as his grand aim the saving of souls. It is not, as too many seem to think, the mission of the preacher to deliver two 3 xheAimof polished orations weekly to ajiplaui.iig Saving SouU. audiences. It is something higher by all the spaces than that. Dr. (lardincr Spring ninarks, in his Autobiography* that laborious ministers generally gain their (object. " If it is to write elegant sermons, they write them, and gain their object. If it is to write /t'(//-«A/ sermons, they write them, and gain their )bject. If it is to enrich their discourses with the pithy and concentrated sentences of other days, and great men, they do it and gain their object. If it is to be popular, they are popular, and there the matter ends. They look no further. They gain their object, and have never thought of anything beyond it. It was not the conversion of sinners they were aiming at, and therefore they never attained it. I know a most worthy minister who preached more than a year to the same people, and his preaching was sound in dv^ctrine, logi- ical, and able; but during that whole period I have yet to learn that a single sinner was alarmed, convinced, or converted to God, And the reason is, that was not his object. He did not study for it, nor pray for it, nor preach for it. He gained his object most effec- tually, but it was not the conversion of men." The preacher will be tested before God, by his aim in the work. An aged minister — we suspect it was Dr. Spring — once put the pointed question to Dr. William M. Pa.xton, then of New York: "When you prepare a sermon, what are you in favor of? " In explaining his meaning he added: "Some ministers are in favor of * Autobiography, vol. i., p. 107. l64 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. preparing a discourse; some of discussing a subject before tlie public; and some of saving souls. What are you in favor of ? " There is only one thing that one can be in favor of, and be in sympathy with Him who called him to the sacred off.ce. He sent his Sou into the world to save sinners ; and he sends men, if he sends them at all, on a misfjion of soul-seeking to lost sinners, and with no other aim can they over- take and rescue this world of lost souls, hastening on the wings of steam and elerlricity to perdition. To the call from God, the message from him, and the single aim of saving souls, there must be added 4 Theftuick- ^^^ quickening power of the Holy Ghost. eningofthe In that sublime vision of the Prophet in Spirit. j-i-ie temple, before God called from his throne, "Who will go for us?" and the trembling prophet responded, "Here am I. Send me," one of the seraphim flew with a live coal, which he had taken from off the altar, and laid it upon the prophet's mouth, and said, " Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged." So the fire from the Holy Ghost must needs touch the lips, before the message will avail. In the New Testament the central point of power was revealed at Pentecost. The command to the Pentecostal Apostles was, not to go out and enter Power. upon the work of evangelizing the world, without any special preparation for this, but, "Tarry ye at Jerusalem until ye shall be endued with power from on high." There was given them the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That promise was fulfilled at P-ntecost, when the Christian Church was born and the Apostles girded for their work for mankind. The sermon by Peter, the preacher on that ■IINISTRY. ising a subject T souls. What one thing that latby with Him le sent his Sou s sends men, if soul-seeking to can they over- 5, hastening on edition. from him, and must be added he Holy Ghost. the Prophet in called from his the trembling nd me," one of :h he had taken I the prophet's jched thy lips; hysin purged." needs touch the point of power jmmand to the ) out and enter lizing the world, ^is, but, "Tarry ued v.'ith power em the promise That promise hristian Church r their work for preacher on that THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. i6S day, gifted with the tongue of fire, was the means of saving thousands of souls. No preacher can expect to reach the world with a sermon that is not prepared by the aid of the Holy Ghost, delivered under his quickening and inspiring influence, and carried home to the hearer by his illumining and saving power. This is true, too, of the Word of God spoken by the way. The preacher must everywhere and always exalt and lean upon the power of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit who can alone "reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment."* His polished rhetoric will fail, his profoundest learning prove impo-ent, his sublimest eloquence be but as the "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal," without this "supreme and only saving power. Now all this sense of the call and presence of the living God must somehow be embodied in the working- theory of the ministry that is to speak for God to this self-indulgent, utilitarian, God-neglectir.g, and God- defying age, with any saving efficaty. Let every servant of Christ be urged and warned, in the Master's name, if his working-theory be wrong or defective in any one of these points, to lay not his hand upon the sacred things until he has made it right. Let the word go out to the ministry, in Christ's name : "Tarry at your Jerusalem till you have heard the call, received the message, been inspired with the aim — till ye be endued with power from on high." HL A Different and Better Training. The preacher who v/ould succeed in the highest sense in these times requires a different and better training of his various powers for the work in which he is engaged. ■ *Johnxvi. 8-10. •i 1 1 I l66 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. It may seem quite obvious, yet it needs to be espe- 1 Better Logi- ciaHy emphasized, that a better and dif- oal Training, erent training of the logical faculty is indispensable in the present age. The bane of the age is the indefinite, indistinct, in- coherent thinking that is kept so constantly before the public through all the popular channels of intelligence, and made so prominent, imposing, and fascinating as to shut out of view or obscure all the higher and exact thinking, and cause itself to be regarded as the sum of all truth and wisdom. We refer to the indefinite thinking, or no-thinking, that has come to the present generation, as a special inaction, from those loosest of all modern so-called thinkers, John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer, and their friendr and disciples, and that has been embodied in so much of what has been furnished for popular reading. It commonly takes on a highly rhetorical form, and delights to explain away, or envelop in haziness or mysticism, the plain doc- trines of the Bible, so that they come from its touch so transformed as not to be recognizable by those familiar with the ordinary use of language. Theologi- cal weaklings and literary Miss Nancys devote them- selves to translating Scriptural truth into popular twaddle, and succeed to perfection. The love of God becomes sentimental gush; the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, a mere exhibition of sentimental sympathy; and the divine retributive justice of God, merely an aspect of his love hitherto obscured by hard-hearted and perverse theologians. They attempt to translate common-sense Bible and Christian thought in terms of Spencerian evolution,' and the crowd become wild over it; altho, when competent critics examine the product of their labors, the skilled theologian rejects MINISTRY. leeds to be espe- a better and dif- ogical faculty is te, indistinct, in- .tantly before the Is of intelligence, nd fascinating as higher and exact xded as the sum to the indefinite tne to the present om those loosest in Stuart Mill and and disciples, and of what has been )mmonly takes on s to explain away, m, the plain doc- ne from its touch gnizable by those guage. Theologi- icys devote them- ruth into popular The love of God :rifice of Christ on imental sympathy; of God, merely an :d by hard-hearted ttempt to translate thought in terms :rowd become wild ritics examine the theologian rejects THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 167 it as bad theology, and the exact scientist spews it out as pseudo-science. They nod wisely and talk learnedly of "environment" in the Kingdom of God, of "sur- vival of the fittest," of "persistence of force," and all that; and are spoken of as being "abreast of the age." Definition, clear statement, old-fashioned phrase, are the special aversion of these inventors or mongers of the undefined. Appearance of originality, of freshness, of rhetorical finish, of flavor of learning and literary culture, is their peculiar ambition. What with the in- tellectual thimble-rigging and general sleight-of-hand, supplemented by unlimited assertion and so-called reasoning, the great facts of the Bible dissolve and disappear, under their handling, as readily as do the doctrines. One takes up one of the great foreign reviews, and is entertained by some professor of im- posing name and fame, but without scientific knowl- edge of geology, theology, or Scriptures, with a breezy essay going to show that the Noacl.ic deluge, or the miracle of the destruction of the swine, is a mere mytli, if not a fraudulent invention. One opens his American religious paper, and finds a leading clerical writer represented as saying, " Genesis on th'' fall of man is an ancient legend, which a great writer took, as Tennyson took the Arthurian legends, and rewrote it in order that he might write a moral and spiritual lesson. I think that the Hebrew people believed the fall of man affected the whole human race. I think Paul believed so." And so, with one flourish of the tongue, the entire foundation of the Bible and its theology, of incarnation and redemption, is swept away. These men write and speak patronizingly of Moses and of Christ. Ingersoll talks bluntly of " the mistakes of Moses " ; these men tnlk of " the„legends " 0! > ■ * --•v-''***««***sffV?rtt^' i68 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. or "myths" of Moses, with a begging-your-pardon air for using language that might seem to imply that there was a Moses and that he possibly wrote something ! Perhaps the assumption and assertion of these spirits of indefiniteness have done more than anything else to discredit clear thinking and Bible truth, and sound doctrine as resting upon these. And on how- slender a capital have they carried on their immense business! It has been brazen impudence— sometimes under the guise of modesty, sometimes not. Every one who knows them know-, that they are not acquainted with the principles of scientific method, and that they have neither real theological learning nor logical acumen. Most of them show, in every sentence, that they are incapable of logical and clear thinking, innocent of knowledge of Phle truth, and out of sympathy with earnest, evang..i> al religion. Their strongest hand with the masses is in the role of modesty. They barely suggest tlat "the old theologians were too confi- dent. They knew too much. Paul's statements were doubtless ace mmodated to Jewish or Greek, or Roman prejudices, i; will not do to take him too literally whc!. L-. wntv.5 of salvation, of propitiation, of vicari- ous atonemeni:, and all that. The Apostles thought and believed so and so; but they, like ourselves, were under the influence of the popular beliefs of the age. It is better to recognize our limitations, the limitations common to humanity. The region of religion is a mys- terious region, and we should not attempt to take the mystery out of it by our too definite dogmatic state- ments." And on hearing them, in this role of the modest theologian, Mr. Hardcastle would no doubt ex- claim: " This may be modern modesty, but I never saw anything look so like old-fashioned impudence!" As INISTRY. our-pardon air aply that there something ! of these spirits nything else to th, and sound n how- slender lense business! mes under the Ivery one who :quainted with that they have 3gical acumen. , that they are g, innocent of sympathy with strongest hand ■. They barely rere too confi- tatements were reek, or Roman m too literally ition, of vicari- )ostles thought ourselves, were iefs of the age. , the limitations eligion is a mys- npt to take the iogmatic state- his role of the lid no doubt ex- but I never saw ipudence!" As THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 169 if the world had just come to itself, and come to know something, in the muddled religious consciousness ot these dwarfs and pygmies, the laughing-stock of the thinking men of their own generation even; so that, at their beck and nod, at the wag of their tongue, or the scratch of their pen, all the giants of the ages- Moses and Isaiah, and John and Paul, and even Jesus himself, and all the great theologians of the Christian ages besides— were to be discredited and set aside ! Now no man is in a position to exert so powerful an influence, either for or against the continuance of such thinking, as the preacher of the Gospel. By a gospel of indefinitenefr. and inconsistency, he can help continue the muddle, in which so many find themselves, regarding the truths of Christianity; by a clear, dis- tinct, and consistent presentation of the truth, he can help them out of this condition. Owing to many and various influences, b'dsides this drift of the times^ chief of which is perhaps the fact that the courses of study are too fuii of other things to admit of any adequate study of che auire ' ' the human mind and of human thought, the average inan gets, in his course of training, by his own confession, next to nothing on these important subjects Said a young professor, who had been the honor-in,- n in ore of the great colleges: " I studied menta; oi^.i./soph}', moral philosophy, and logic, under that ",tinguished scholar, Professor So and So, but they .aade no im- pression whatever on my ind, and I have novv no defi- nite theories on those su' Jts." Thatisatypic;i!c;i-e. Before the preacher ready to deal with any sub- ject of discourse that is worth presenting to a people, he needs to lay the p; !v::r foundation fur it by gaining the power of formiig correct conceptior.-s, on the i ;l i s 'I Mr*«91M»rtfl^^«||MfP^WWi ] I70 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINMSTRY. basis of reality and fact; and then to acquire the power of bringing out the essence of these conceptions in exact definitions, and of accurately distributing their elements by means of logical division and par- tition. He needs to do his thinking in such a way that, when he reaches his conceptions and notions, they shall be knowledge to him, and something that he can set before the people as kncnvledge. "What do you mean by that term?" was asked of a somewhat brilliant young professor. " Define the term." "I cannot define it," was the reply; "this thing of definition is a great hindrance to thought and to progress in attainments." "It is impossible to know," said another. " What do you mean by knoivV was asked him. The reply was : " It can not be de- fined. The limitations of knowledge are such that it can not be known what it is to know." The natural response was: " How do you /iw^ze' that ? " To the preacher the power of distinct thinking is fundamental, even more clearly so than to the mere teacher. He needs most of all, and first of all, to gain definite, clear, and distinct views of things, so that he shall be able to say, on this point or that, " I know" "This is truth" He needs to study with equal care the process of forming correct judgments, by comparing and com- bining the conceptic ns he has formed, defined to him- self, and verified. "Man is intelligent;" "Man is round— square." Are these both judgments? If not, why not ? What are the intuitive and natural relations by which conceptions are so bound together in judg- ments that one can say of such a combination: "This is true." " This is not true." The formation of cor- rect inferences or conclusions from assured judg- MINMSTRY. to acquire the esc conceptions ly distributing vision and par- in such a way IS and notions, nething that he " was asked of " Define the ,e reply; *' this to thought and ; impossible to nean hy ktmvt" can not be de- are such that it ." The natural t?" inct thinking is an to the mere St of all, to gain things, so that that, ''I know." 2 the process of )aring and corn- defined to him- ent;" "Man is rments ? If not, natural relations ogether in judg- bination: "This ormation of cor- 1 assured judg- THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 171 ments, by the process of reasoning, should equally be mastered; so that a man can say of a conclusion reached by such a process: "This is truth, and can not be gainsaid." It is simple matter of fact that very few have any clear conviction that there are such things as these to be done; and that fewer still have any distinct idea of how they are to be done. Especially is there requisite for the preacher a better knowledge and training of the constructive faculty, by which conceptions, judg- Training of ments, and reasonings are gathered into Constructive systems of scientific, artistic, or practi- Faculty, cal thought. From the intellectual side, the construc- tion of such systems is the great work of life; this form of intellectual activity, the form for which all the other and lower forms exist. And yet, how often is this power left without any training or intelligent development! Indeed, the theories of psychology, and the books c.a that subject, do not even recognize it, except incidentally; so that it is natural that educa- tional methods should ignore it. In this age,when so much is heard about science, and so much that has no science in it claims to be science, there is peculiar need for a better train- scientific ingto the knowledge and use of scientific Method, methods. What is science ? What are its materials ? What are its methods ? These are fundamental ques- tions. In these days, when both inductive and de- ductive logic are so travestied, and when speculation and imagination and guess-work are palmed off upon men in the name of science, and especially in the name of Biblical learning and Christian theology, it is of momentous importance that the preacher should be be master of these subjects. I i< 11 , 1 .1 1 Iji^ i ju.l i 172 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MIN'ISTRY. The preacher needs a different and better theologi- 2. A Better ^al training to fit him for his woik in Theological this age, in which the old truths have so Training. ^^^^ ^^^^ bearings, and when so many new doctrinal issues are raised. The purpose for which theological seminaries were established was the preparation of the preacher for carrying out his divine commission, in proclaiming the salvation of the Gospel to the world. They are re- ligious and Christian institutions, for a particular end; not educational and scholastic institutions, to make scholars in religious or technical specialties. Failure to keep these things in mind has, in some instances, led to tendencies to departure from their original idea and purpose. There has been in some quarters a marked tendency to Germanize the seminaries, on the assumption that all scholarship is German, and that mere Slo"SiSf scholarship is the end of the work in the Seminaries, institution. The essential . things in a thelogical school are, on the contrary, evangelical learning and the development of pious activities in connection with the principles of Christianity, and along with this the power to get the message out of the Word of God and to put it in the best shape for reach- ing and saving men. Now, if there is one thing manifest in the view of common sense it is, that Continental, and especially German, theological institutions can not be safely made the models for our seminaries, in spirit, method, or ideas. Those institutions are State institutions. The appointments to them are political. The man does not need to be a Christian in order to become either student or professor in one of them. He may INISTRY. ;tter theologi- his woik in truths have so irhen so many ;minaries were ; preacher for roclainiing the They are re- )articular end ; ;ions, to make Ities. Failure ome instances, ir original idea irked tendency ssumption that and that mere he work in the al. things in a ry, evangelical IS activities in iristianity, and isage out of the hape for reach- in the view of and especially not be safely spirit, method, te institutions, cal. The man rder to become hem. He may THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 173 even be a pronounced atheist, as Kuenen was, and de- vote himself to showing that there is no supernatural, and that the so-called supernatural in the Bible is without any foundation in fact or truth. At best, he is required to know only a formal and perfunctory State-Church religion. Ordinarily he has never known anything of vital piety, even by observation. Often he hates evangelical religion and God and earnest Christians, because they are a perpetual rebuke to the corrupt and immoral life he leads. If he fills a pro- fessor's chair in such a theological institution— where drunken brawls are not unknown, and where licen- tiousness is rife and often open— to attract attention, he must have something striking to present in his teaching. Hence, the theological vagaries and specula- tions, the neologisms and rationalistic hypotheses and assumptions and assertions, to which each generation gives birth. It would be as reasonable to expect the appointees of the Government in Washington, who owe their places to family relationship, political favoritism, or ability to do "fine work" in politics, to evolve on short notice into pattern saints with rapidly sprouting wings, as it would be to expect the appointees in Con- tinental theological schools to develop into lovers of God's Word and preachers of evangelical truth; or into leaders in evangelistic and Salvation Army work. Such institutions are certainly not the models for Christian theological seminaries. And when the advocates of rationalistic laxness in this country claim all the Continental leaders in the seminaries as advocates of skeptical and destructive rationalistic criticism, the weight of all that authority, even if the claim be allowed to be correct, should not J X74 CHRIST'S TRUMPIT-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. be regarded by evangelical thinkers and preachers as being very great. But the claims are certainly lo be regarded as extravagant, when we find such men as Kahler of Erlangen and Professor Niisgen setting their faces against so many of the critical vagaries and absolutely refuting them. While there has been a long line of rationalistic and atheistic teachers, and while it is true that an orthodox theologian may have been an accident, and an exception to the general rule- still, by the grace of God, Germany has produc such stanch defenders of the faith as Neander, Tho- luck, Hengstenberg, Keil, and many others like them in -)irit and attainments. And there is it present peculiar reason for gratification and hope, m the fact that the vast majority of the preachers and churches are soundly evangelical, and arrayed in open antago- nism and hostility against a comparatively few teachers in the universities who have set themselves to corrup. religion and to destroy the faith they were appointed to teach and are paid to defend.* This tendency to import Germany and German methods and theological ideas into this country; to push the great mass of skeptical and irreligious criti- cism and speculation as the sum of all wisdom in theol- ogy, and to make use of the impious laxness in un- christian and State institutions there as a reason for the same thing here, is absurdly indefensible. The fact that a young man has studied in Germany or Hol- land, so far from being a recommendation for a pro- fessorship in one of our American theological schools, ought, therefore, to go far toward barring him from such a place, at least until his fitness has been proved *See Homiktic Review for February, 1896. article on " Theo- logical Thought in Germany." by Dr. Geo. P. Schodde. NISTRY. preachers as ertainly uo be such men as jsjien setting tiial vagaries :re has been a teachers, and fian may have ; general rule- has produc ■Jeander, Tho- ers like them is It present pe, in the fact and churches open antago- ly few teachers ives to corrupt rere appointed and German is country; to •religious criti- isdom in theol- laxness in un- is a reason for fensible. The ;rmany or Hol- tion for a pro- logical schools, ring him from is been proved THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. '75 irticle on lodde. Theo- by Other methods and tests. A training under even the best of the German unchristian specialists, in the midst of unchristian or anti-christian environment, is not the training that is needed to fit men to prepare young men to preach the Gospel. The introduction of such men and methods into the Church seminaries is simply the planting of the rationalistic and infidel spirit and method and idea right in the heart of the Church. The glorification of the learning and work of these men, when we have in our seminaries such Chris- tian scholars as Dr. Howard Osgood and Dr. William Henry Green, is in the lii;;hest degree absurd. There has been an equally marked tendency toward the introduction of mere specialists as teachers of the great Biblical, theological, and philo- Tendency to sophical essentials that constitute the Mere prime requisite in the student's theolog- Specialism, ical furnishing. Mere specialism is, from its very nature, both narrow and superficial. In many in- stances the ground for the choice of such specialism as a subject of study is to be found in the egotism of the young man and his ambition to occupy a posi- tion for which he has not the breadth to qualify him, and which he can only gain through some specialty. Such men, outside their specialties, are mere novices, and are sure speedily to becom.e vain and puffed up by con parison of themselves with others who have not given attention to these specialties, which to them constitute all scientific knowledge. Trained in this way in a mere specialty, perhaps in a secularized Ger- man institution, the man enters upon his work without any logical, philosophical, or theological knowledge or perspective ; without any conception, adequate or inadequate, of the nature and aim of the sacred call- M iM v* ' .! *B P ' j ' ffl '!j ' ^m" ' ■- »; " 176 Christ's trumpet-call to thk ministry. ing of the preacher; with incorrect notions cf the objects for which theological seminaries were founded, and without anything of the strong man or the Chris- tian manhood back of the specialist thai is absolutely necessary to give jiroper aim and ilirection and moral and spiritual weight to his teachings. Such men form a striking contrast with the broad- minded, evangelical men— like Henry H Smith and Charles Hodge and Alvah Hovey, and the many others —who have grace'l and honored such positions in the past history of the Church. All that is necessary to make a theological seminary utterly worthless for the main purpose— perhaps we ought to say f 'r the one purpose— of its existence, is to fdl its chairs with such exclusive specialists. Along with the other two features already noticed, there seems to be a tendency to an increasing neglect of that constructive work and training C?Mtrootive that should be a constant aim in institu- Thinking. ^■^(^^^^ f^r the training of preachers. The chief work, intellectual and practical, of the preacher must always be constructive work. The dis- position to exhaust the time of study in barren critical work, often purely destructive— in short, in all kinds of work that cultivates merely the perceptive powers in gathering minutiiB, and the memory in retaining them— has been the bane of our educational system in these recent times, and is largely the prod-ct of the specialism and Germanism already considered. In our public-school system, the introduction of innu- merable subjects into the course of study, and the requirement of a smattering of knowledge c( each, have already gone far toward transforming the schools into dull, dead machines, and have called forth the I I IINISTRY. notions of the I were founded, n or the Chris- at is absolutely tion and moral ,ith the broad- JV Smith and he many others positions in the is necessary to irthless for the say f 'r the one hairs with such ilready noticed. reasinR neglect rk and training t aim in institu- ,M-eachcrs. radical, of the rt'ork. The dis- II barren critical jrt, in all kinds rceptive powers jry in retaining tional system in ; prod-'ct oi the considered. In uction of innu- study, and the wledge of each, ming the schools called forth the sn-i .%. 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i*T5>ITii"i»*g' ' THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 177 reprobation of the best educators. The same thing can not fail to be noted in the curriculum of some of the theological schools. So many subsidiary branches have been added that only the minimum of time is left for study and mental effort upon the great subjects of the Bible and theology in their relations to preaching. And in many cases, because of their newness, and because of the lack of perspective in the view of those who represent them, these purely subordinate topics have been made to overshadow and almost to eliminate from the course, in the case of many a student, the great and all-important ones. Apart from all its other defects, this method is educationally most vicious; unfitting rather than tit- ting the theological student for the work constructive of the preacher. It is true, no doubt, framing that there should be men and instructors "®° " who have been specially trained in these subordinate subjects; for, so far as they art involved in the apolo- getic work of the Church, they must be understood. But it is true also that such men are not needed in great numbers, since the questions to be settled, in connection with such departments, do not turn upon the mere knowledge of the specialists, but upon the great principles of logic, and especially of inductive logic, of which the specialists arc often quite as inno- cent as new-born babes. It is also true that such spe- cialties can only be studied, with safety to the man and profit to the Church, after a broad foundation in logic and philosophy and theology, and in the methods of sci- entific construction; and we are inclined to think that they should be provided for in a theologicil university. The one great need, intellectually, in theological training is manifestly the constructive study and work «,.**■ 178 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. that lead tli man to grasp things in their broad rela- tions and prepare the preacher to present them to men in such relations. In short, tie practical training of the constructive faculty of the preacher is the supreme thing for him intellectually. Now, the rational method of training the construct- ive faculty is the same as that of training any other power— that is, by intelligently, systematically, and abundantly exercising that power. The exercise must be intelligent; for this infinite beating about the bush in the dark and for nothing, is worse than useless; it is positively harmful. The teacher must know the power and its possibilities and laws, and direct his work accordingly. It must be systematic, for only by system can the maximum of results be reached with the minimum of effort. The procedure must be from the simple to the complex, from the lower part to the higher part, until the whole field is intelligently com- passed, and that completeness must be the goal clearly in view from the beginning. The exercise must be abundant, taking in the whole work and period of education. The bee, building his cell by instinct, reaches perfection unconsciously on the first trial; the man, building his structures by reason, must make progress through many attempts and failures, and approximate perfection only as the result of innu- merable repetitions. Moreover the constructive or creative method must proceed in the usual twofold rational way : first, by direction in studying the constructions of others as constructions ; secondly, by training the student to construct for himself, and both these educative proc- esses must be pushed along the three lines of scien- tific, artistic, and practical system. JISTRY. r broad rela- therp to men il training of , the supreme he construct- ng any other latically, and exercise must )out the bush in useless; it jst know the nd direct his c, for only by reached with must be from er part to the lligently com- le goal clearly "cise must be md period of 1 by instinct, first trial ; the 11, must make failures, and esult of innu- 5 method must way : first, by s of others as ;he student to ducative proc- lines of scien- THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. '79 The starting-point in this training is in the study of the constructions of others as constructions. This should always be accompanied with constant exercises in construction. Just here is where much of our edu- cational work, especially in our higher institutions, utterly fails. There is an infinite difference between the critical, microscopic, and painful study that char- acterizes the present methods, in which there is nothing educative in any high sense; and the large- minded study of constructions, as such, that is needed if the results are to be educative. In short, a radical change of the methods in vogue, especially in literary and scientific study, is demanded, if they are to be made the means of securing the best educational results. This is peculiarly called for in theological training, which should intelligently aim at grasping each book in the Bible as a whole, in the light of the principle that Genesis or Job or Matthew is infinitely more than the simple sum of all its parts, and with a full understanding of the relation of all the parts to each other, and to the one central theme of the book as a whole; while it aims at like comprehension of the theological system involved in "the faith once deliv- ered to the saints." The completion of the work of developing the con- structive faculty requires the constant exercise of that faculty in the actual work of construction. Every recitation, and every exercise in a course of study, may be made an exercise of this power; and only as they are so made is study transformed, from a dead, dull drudgery, in the use of the senses or memory, or the mere logical faculty, into a joyous and free activity that leads on to higher effort and encourages in such effort. l8o CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. There is no comprehensiun of any great subjecv. to be had without such constructive study and training. Withr'ut it there can be no preparation to handle such subjects. But such constructive study and exercise are peculiarly essential in training the preacher to preach the Gospel. Nothing short of this will prepare men for the direct, free, and effective preaching so essential for reaching the masses. The increase in the number of studies and of side issues in our seminary work has doubtless strongly tended to the elimination of that constructive work, once a somewhat prom- inent factor in those institutions. Correct educa- tional method requires that there should be a return to it— nay more, that the chief intellectual energy of the student in his work should be made to take this direction. If that better preparation, needed by the new order of the ministry called for in the present crisis, is to be had by the Church, it must be by securing a training better than the present and different from it mainly in the respects that have just been emphasized. IV. A More Complete Special Furnishing in Knowledge and Oratorical Skill. It is equally true that the preacher in this age has need of a more complete furnishing in the special knowledge and qualifications required in carrying out his commission. Such discussions as the present always presuppose general scholarship, knowledge of the original Scrip- tures, acquaintance with literature, general science, etc. But the preacher needs, besides these, such a thorough furnishing for the work, especially with the STRY. t subjeci to id training, handle fuch nd exercise preacher to will prepare ireaching so increase in )ur seminary ! elimination nvhat prom- •rect educa- be a return al energy of to take this le new order risis, is to be ig a training 1 it mainly in :ed.' INISHING IN KILL. this age has n the special carrying out rs presuppose riginal Scrip- neral science, these, such a ially with the THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. l8l material of that field of truth with which he has chiefly to do, as shall force the world to cease its scoffing at the Bible as obsolete, and at the utterances of the pul- pit as weak and worthies^. There is undoubtedly demanded of the preacher of the present day, especially of the preacher who ad- drosses the more intelligent audiences in in Science the great centers of thought, a tliorough and Philosophy, furnishing in the great principles of science and phi- losophy. These subjects are obviously connected most intimately with the great BiJjlical and religious prob- lems that are common to the pulpit in all ages. More- over, the present evil condition of the world, which the preacher is called upon to remedy, — the abounding secularism and anarchism, — is the result of false teach- ing in science and philosophy that he can not hope to counteract without first understanding it. The air is so full of it, literature is so saturated with it, life so pervaded by it, and all industrial, social, and political problems so bound up with it, that he can scarcely come in contact with a human being on the street, or broach a subject in familiar conversation, or deal with a common issue in the pulpit, without having the re- sults of such false teaching forced upon his attention and consideration, by finding that it has prejudiced men against his message, or incapacitated them men- tally for understanding the truth of God. Written sermons, with frequent changes of parish and reversals of the barrel, have, as we take it, often been destructive of intellectual life and activity among the clergy, in these later times, and in the various denominations. There is at present a reasonable and just demand, on the part of the Church, for an increase in substantial breadth and vigor of manhood, in mental ii -iH: ■a^s^ssaissss, l82 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. acuteness and grasp, and in alertness and enterprise in action, in those who claim the leading places as the teachers and molders of society. Other men are every- where awake and alive, full of activity and enterprise, in science, in philosophy, in business, in pleasure- seeking ; this is no time for the man in tiie pulpit to sleep. He needs to keep abreast of the age on all the grand issues, and to be able to measure strength with the strongest, knowledge with the profoundest, wisdom with the wisest, if need be, on all the great theoretical and practical questions, if he is to hold his place for God and truth. And be it said without fear of contradiction, there is no position or calling so favorable as the ministry for grappling with and mastering tlie great fundamental doctrines of science and philosophy. There is no place in modern life where there is such constant call for a thorough acquaintance with these principles. True, the preacher is not to preach science or phi- losophy ; but he must have a large and firm grasp of their principles, if he is to deal successfully with the men whom he meets on the streets every day, to whom he preaches on the Sabbath, and for whose souls he is responsible. He will find that erroneous views regard- ing both science and philosophy, and most of the questions connected with them, have found their way into all the forms and phases of modern thought, lit- erature, and life. He will have oi'.inions of John Stuart Mill, of Herbert Spencer, of Matthew Arnold, of Professor Tyndall, thrust at him every day, with confident assurance, by those who will take it for granted that the assertions of these scientific dogma- tists are unanswerable and boast that they are so, unless they are fairly brought to book and answered. JISTRY. THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 183 snterprise in laces as the snareevery- 1 enterprise, in pleasure- :lie pulpit to e age on all ure strength profoundest, all the great s to hold his ;tion, there is ministry for fundamental There is no constant call ;e principles, ence or phi- firm grasp of ully with the day, to whom se souls he is views regard- most of the ind their way I thought, lit- ions of John thew Arnold, ■ery day, with II take it for sntific dogma- : they are so, and answered. Let the man of God present these modern apostles and their new gospel in all their shallowness, and faith in them will die. Mr. Mill wrote with amazing confidence, and with an appearance of candor that enabled him to rule the opinions of vast numbers of so-called educated men in the last generation with absolute tyranny. It may become necessary for the preacher to show, as Profes- sor Jevons has shown it, that, in one way or another, the intellect of this modern Sir Oracle was wrecked; that his mind was essentially illogical ; that his te.xt can never be safely interpreted by the context, because there is no certainty that in his writings the same line of thought will be maintained for two consecutive sentences ; that there is nothing in logic that he has not touched, and that he has touched nothing without confusing it; that he has never advocated any false principles in his works which he has not himself either amply refuted or furnished the materials for refuting, and that without knowing it. Let this be shown to the men who worship Mill instead of the only true God, and they will speedily be silenced, and become agnos- tics or skeptics on the point of Mill's deity ! He will hear Herbert Spencer called by his admirers the "Apostle of the Understanding," and exalted above Aristotle. It may be necessary to show up the beauties of this apostle. It is an easy matter. He is a very acrobat of logic. In the opening of his First Principles he demonstrates, to his own satisfaction, the impossibility of the theistic theory of the universe, of the theory of self-creation, and of that of eternal existence, because they involve the idea of self- existence, which is unthinkable as implying infinity; in the concluding portions of the same discussion, he : K lit ii! i n 184 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. teaches that " the fundamental verity," whatever that may be, which is to take the place of God, involves the same unthinkable idea of self-existence, and yet is not only possible but actual, and the basis of all philoso- phy In his writings on general philosophy, he scouts all intuitions, all necessary truths, as absurdities ; and yet, in his subsequent writings, proceeds to build his Special Philosophy upon these very intuitions ! Or let the preacher show up-as may easily be done— Mr. Spencer's latest feat in reducing all ethics to the ethics of bestiality, having no foundation but the two animal instincts of self-preservation and reproduction of the species. Something of this kind, in the way of clear thinking and accurate definition, assuredly needs to be done by the pulpit, at proper times and places, to stay 1 he Spencerian and evolution craze that has swept even such a man as Professor Drummond into the quagmire of materialism, unconsciously to himself, while leading him to pose, and Christian assemblies to let him pose, as the lion of the day. ■ It is easy to show, and has been abundantly shown by the ablest men in Great Britain, that when that apostle of the new science. Professor Tyndall, at- tempted anything outside of his own narrow sphere of experimental physics, there is no end to the absurdi- ties into which he rushed. Nothing, for example, could be more absurd than his famous demand made some years ago at Belfast. While insisting upon the experimental method, and making experience the only source of knowledg*^ and its limit, he was able to per- form vhat astonishing scientific feat of prolonging his vision by experience infinitely beyond the bounds of experi- ence and to discern in what he called matter the prom- ise and potency of all life-afeat compared with which k^J) ffi: i i'B mr i it* 196 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. men in prosecuting great enterprises — to train them also to the ready command of clear, powerful, and polished speech, to be used in a hand-to-hand conflict for the rescue of souls. And there is little doubt that to the average preacher such training can be given, if the proper constructive and creative method of study and discipline is made use of in such institutions. Ikit whatever may be said of reading the Gospel for preachers and communities made up of intelligent Preaching, for Christian people, nothing is clearer than theMasseB. that the poor and the ignorant can not be reached with a read Gospel in any age. A clear- minded, unprejudiced man mnst see that cumbrous written forms are never suited to minds of this class, and that they are peculiarly unsuited to the minds of this age. Dr. William M. Paxton was right when he said : * " The long, prolix, syllogistic statements of the schoolmen are surely not adapted to an age of telegrams. The mental conditions of a people who travel in a stage-coach at the rate of five miles an hour must differ greatly from those of a people who travel in a railroad car at a speed of forty miles. In an age when mind is intensely active and all other ideas come to men on the wing, it will not do for the truth of God to crawl like a snail, or slumber like a crow. It must fly with tiie celerity of a carrier-pigeon to bring its messages to men in the thick of life's battle, or it must mount like an eagle to command attention and to cany its glad tidings upon swift wungs to every corner of the earth." It can hardly be doubted that, with the better fur- nishing, in the directions already considered, the min- istry will feel more and more constrained to acquire this power of free and direct speech, to be used as * " Address at the inauguration of Archibald Alexander Hodge as , professor of theology, in Princeton Theological Seminary," ^flSTRY. ) train them owerful, and hand conflict Ic doubt that 1 be given, if hod of study itutions. le Gospel for i( intelhgent 5 clearer than jrant can not ge. A clear- lat cumbrous of this class, the minds of 1 right when e schoolmen are ntal conditions of ve miles an hour il in a railroad car 3 intensely active 11 not do for the a crow. It must messages to men eagle to command t wings to every lie better fur- 2red, the min- ed to acquire ;o be used as xander Hodge as linary," THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 197 the most effective instrument in carrying out their commission. Without such thorough furnishing for the work the preacher may not expect to overtake this age of steam and lightning ; with it, with God's help and inspira- tion, we have the means suited— rationally at least— to the end of bringing the world to heed the Gospel. Given this bet r intellectual and scholarly equipment, this firmer grip of the Bible with its glorious living theology and practical life-and-death truth, and given this command of the power to bear the message of God right home to men by living speech— and there may be expected, with the divine quickening and a new consecration, and devotion, the speedy hushing and confounding of all the boastful and scoffing secularism and atheism, and a new and healthful atmosphere in which the coming generation may live and accomplish its task. V. A More Complete Consecration. It is preeminently true that in this age the preacher needs a more complete consecration to the work for which he holds his commission. That work is the saving of souls, the speedy conquest of the whole world for Christ, incomparably greater than all other human enterprises. In order to the accomplishment of this there is needed an awakened sense of responsibility, leading to new devotion, such as the professional ^ Quickened preacher has never dreamed of, ' nd re- Sense of Be- suiting in spiritual efforts and eir-n-prises ^ such as the most consecrated has not thought to be within the reach of possibility. 198 Christ's trumpet-call to the minmstry. The world too often makes mock of the lack of devotion in the ministry of the clay. It is justified in doing so. It is a fact established by history that, from time to time the ministry, along with the Church, falls into spiritual decline, needs to be roused anew to a sense of its solemn mission. From time to time God sendib his special messengers to rouse them anew. So Gildas came to our forefathers in Britain, in the fifth and sixth centuries; so Wyclif, in the fourteenth century; so John Knox, in the sixteenth; so Baxter and Owen and Bunyan, in the seventeenth; so Whitefie'd and Wesley and Edwards and Brainerd, in the eighteenth ; and so came the noble men, who pushed the revival and Bible and mission work at the beginning of the present century, and who have been its later representatives, the Paysuiis and Judsons and Duffs and Livingstones. So now there is a pressing need of some messenger of God to awaken and renew a sense of the preacher's responsibility. In 1651 the Church of Scotland, feeling, in regard to her ministers **how deep their hand was in the „ . , transgression, and that ministers had no Confession '^ . ' , . • <• »i,o, of Church of small occasion to the drawing on of the Scotland. judgments that were upon the land," drew up what was called a complete account of the sins of the ministry. The document is a searching one, and has been pronounced "one of the fullest, most faithful and impartial confessions of sins ever made." In his Words to the Winners of Souls, Horatius Bonar has called this age to substantially the same confession. The confession comes home to all the ministry. It runs thus : " We have been unfaithful." "We have been carnal sMSTRY. the lack of t is justified I by history , aU)ng with needs to be ision. From igers to rouse urefathers in so Wyclif, in :he sixteenth; seventeenth; ,nd Brainerd, ale men, who n work at the ho have been I Judsons and is a pressing en and renew ing. in regard d was in the nisters had no ving on of the in the land," ccount of the s a searching of the fullest, , of sins ever mis, Horatius ally the same me to all the ive been carnal THE PRKACIIKK \NI> IIIS KT K MSIIINT.. 199 and unspiritual." " We have been selfish." " We have been slothful." "We have been cold." "We have been timid." "We have been wanting in solemnity." "We have been proaciiing ourselves, not Ciirist." "We have used words of man's wisdom." "We have not fully preached a free Gospel." "We have not duly studied the Word and honored the Spirit of God." " We have had little of the mind of Christ." These are confessions drawn from the communion of the mightiest souls with God— the confessions of Archbishop Usher and Jonathan Edwards and Row- land Hill, of Howe and Ba.xter and Brainerd and Pay- son, yea, of Paul and Augustine. How much more then should the rest of us make them, with our faces in the dust before God! There is need of a new life in the ministry, if the preacher is to command the respect of this godless, scoffing age, and to have power with it. There is call for the renunciation of self and the putting on of Christ. There is demand for a singleness of purpose, a consecration to God, a spiritual faith, a self-denial for Christ, such as we of this age have, it is to be feared, scarcely yet a faint conception of. It is recorded that, when the people of Collatia were stipu- lating about their surrender to the authority and pro- tection of Rome, they were asked: " Do you deliver up yourselves and the Collatine people, your city, your fields, your water, your bounds, your temples, your utensils, all things that are yours, both human and divine, into the hand of the people of Rome ? " and when they replied: "We deliver up all," they were received. God makes loud demand, in this age, for such com- plete surrender and entire consecration of every Chris- I |ii 200 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THR MINISTRY. tian- but lio most imperatively makes that demand of every one whom he calls into that new order of Ood'iCallto tl'^' '"i'l'stry that, from this time forth, Conieoratlon. should be the only order— the wholly consecrated ministry. When the prc.>het was calling Israel to repentance, God commanded him to cry: "Wo be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pastures." • Will there not be ten thou- sand woes for such teachers, living on these heights of time ? It is true always, and especially true to-day, that an unconsecrated, worldly, lukewarm, faithless min- istry is the worst of blights and curses to the Church! Who does not agree with Bonar, concerning the need for the infusion of new life into the ministry? This he voices, when he says, that this "oucht to be the object of more direct and special effort, as well as of more united and fervent prayer. To the students, and preachers, the ministers of the Christian Church, the prayers of Cnristians ought more largely to be directed. It is a living ministry that our country neeTRY. THE PREACHER AND HIS FURNISHING. 203 easing the ivilization, il reverses, and of the o has been iwn. With ould bring pisinji and md'Hir and t in agony, Edwards or o view the il, in terror n their sins s noly bold- heard and .lay. : new order s Word and an intense n rescuing iralls them, recklessly part on his o shared his ened by the heard from O my God ! i the vision, and terrible im. There were barbarous regions, islands, and continents, and mighty empires, which he was to win to his faith. Storms, indeed, swept around iiim, and hunger and thirst were everywiiere, and death in many a fear- ful form; yet he shrank not back. He was willing to dare the peril, if lie could but win the prize. Nay, he yearned for still wider fields of labor, and with an ab- sorbing passion, that filled every faculty, and haunted him even in his slumber, he exclaimed: " Vet more, O my God ! yet more ! " That may furnish the preacher of this age a worthy example. Or, rather, he may find a better example still in that three years of Paul's ministry, recorded in the twentieth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, in view of which he could say to the Ephesian Church, on his departure from it: "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased net to warn every one night and day with tears."* That is what is especially needed in the minisier of to-day— a mighty yearning for souls that will not let him rest. With that he will preach the Word, expect- ing results. With that he will find the way open to the godless souls that have been overtaken by the blighting skepticism and secularism. That will moke him watch for souls as those who must give account. That will lead to the awakening and quickening of the Church, and to the speedy carrying out of the commis- sion Christ hris given the preacher in sending him with his message to a lost world. These may seem plain and strong words; but noth- ing less plain and strong will meet the case. God, by his Word and providence, has put his m>7c> into the commission of the preacher and Ciuirc'i for the con- quest of the world. 'I'lie embattled hos^s of sin and * Acts XX. 31. '■■■ 204 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THF, MINISTRY. Satan, in fulfdment of prophecy, arc gathered in im- posing array. Nothing but a Church aroused and qnirkened and led by such a minstry can hope for speedy victory, or for victory at all. These may seem heaven-high requirements, but tlicy are assuredly nt.t too high for the needs of the hour, and, by help of the grace of God in the gift of the Holy Spirit, not too high to be met by the ministry of whom they are made. With Christ's requirements understood and Christ's call heeded, there is no reason why the Church, under the leadership of such a ministry, should not carry out the Great Commission in the present generation. "-■m. aSTRY. lered in im- iroused and an hope for se may seem issuredly not y help of the lirit, not too ey are made, and Christ's hurch, under not carry out eration. ! CHAPTER IV. THE PREACHING TOR THESE TIMES. Thk topics already treated — the Commission of *he Preacher, his Message, and the Preacher himself, with his Furnishing — have prepared for the consideration of the question: What is the character of the preaching demanded by the times in which we live ? '1 lie answer must be: Direct and effective Gospel preaching for the immediate salvation of a lost world. Before that question can be answered intelligently and satisfactorily, there must come in the preliminary inciuiries: What are the characteristics of these times ? What special influences and forces are at work in the worjd ? SECTION FIRST. The Times as a Factor in Preaching. Clearly everything depends upon the answers to these interrogations. In the grand problem. How is the Gospel to be brought home to men ? we are to look upon "the times," as constituting the one vari- able quantity. Man remains essentially th" same — spiritual, immortal, yet sinning and perishing in his rebellion against God. The Gospel remains essen- tially the same — the Son of God incarnate, obeying, suffering, dying as the sinner's substitute, freely 30J 206 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. offered of God to man's faith, as the way of salvation. The times, with their influences and circumstance?, change daily in slighter degree, and, in the course of generations, often, if not ordinarily, change essentially. While, therefore, acknowledging the sole efficiency of the Holy Spirit, it must yet be admitted, as in accord- ance with the Divine method, that a message to men, to be heard and heeded of men, must recognize their altered circumstances. In order to make way for the presentation of the true Bible remedy, it, therefore, becomes necessary to ask : What are some of the practical characteristics of these times that have special bearing upon preaching? What have been or should be their effects upon the preaching? I. Practical Characteristics of the Times. The trend toward materialism and secularism that has beer, seen to mark the present age has naturally resulted in certain practical characteristics, running through all our civilization and demanding to be reck- oned with specifically in all the theory and practise of the pulpit. It is necessary for the preacher to under- stand and appreciate the most important of these. A glance, even :;he most superficial, can not fail to fi.\ upon the extraoromary activity of what may be 1 Activityof the called the scientific spirit, as a marked Scientific Spirit, feature of this age with its civilization. This activity, in its special modern manifestation, began more than a cer.tury ago, in the realm of phys- ical nature. During all this period, until the present day, the process of correcting and defining the ideas of men touching the outer world has gone on with accel- il 5TRY. THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 207 salvation. umstanceF, ; course of essentially, fiiciency of 1 in accord- ige to men, )gnize their way for the , therefore, ;teristics of preaching? ts upon the E Times. ilarism that as naturally iC5, running to be reck- 1 practise of er to under- )f these. a not fail to ,hat may be is a marked civilization, anifestation, aim of phys- 1 the present r the ideas of n with accel- erated speed, until, out of the once chaotic mass of fact ami truth, order and system have everywhere been evoked, and the domain of science has been extended to the whole sphere of terrestrial exist- ence and to the material aspects of the starry heavens. From tiie ice-rivers of Greenland to the fiery moun- tains of the Antan:tic Continent — from the grain of sand at one's feet to the nebuhc in the outer depths of space — from the fuchsia that blooms in the greenhouse of to-day to the tree ferns of the geologic periods of a thousand ages gone — science has pushed her investi- gations, everywhere recording, arranging, classifying-, systematizing, until, to the thinking, intelligent man, the world of nature is a different world from what it was to the man of like mind a century ago — different in its rocks and plants, in its clouds and lightnings, and tempests and rainbows — different, in short, in everything, from the mystic dance of the atoms to the sublimer dance of the stars. Nor has this scientific spirit of the age confined itself exclusively to the physical world; it has over- leaped all such bounds and pushed its inquiries into the regions bordering upon the grossly material in which work the forces that have to do with the increase of wealth and the progress of nations, and on into the province of the more subtile spiritual forces that ap- pear in the human soul and in human history — until, in the work of its masters, political economy has almost taken its place among the exact sciences; until, in the hands of such men as Hamilton and Green, McCosh and Mivart, the graver questions of meta- physics and logic, even where not answered, have become as clearly defined in statement as problems in geometry; and until, in the hands of those whose com- 208 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. ing we wait, a philosophy of history, already foreshad- owed and outlined in the work of Professor Robert Flint* of Edinburgh, will no longer be rec'-oned among the impossibilities. As this work of the century in its more palpable forms approached completion, the same processes began to be applied to literature and art. Criticism began striving to take on the scientific form. Men were no longer satisfied with a few empirical rules, reverenced and applied simply because an Aristotle or a Blair, some giant or some pygmy, had pronounced tnem truth. The power that had accomplished so much in behalf of order in other departments led men, in its workings in this sphere, to conclude, by an iron logic, that every art must have its basis of prin- ciples, that may, at least in measure, be ascertained and scientifically arranged, and by which one can judge correctly of its products. As a result, we have had a new class of writings, which the seventeenth century or even the eighteenth could not have pro- duced; comprising, in the field of general literature, the works of such men as Goethe and Schiller, Hazlitt and Coleridge, and the whole line of modern British essayists; and in the field of special art, such elaborate criticisms as those of Hermann Ulrici and Gervinus on the plays of Shakespeare, and the Modern Painters and kindred works of John Ruskin. To the man of intelligence and thought, the world of art is not the same as it was to one of like power of a century ago. Not that great art is at all different now from what it was then; not that a man can be taught now by rule to write a great poem, or paint a great picture, or improvise a sublime song, or extem- * The Philosophy of History in France and Germany. IISTRY. THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 309 dy foreshad- :ssor Robert be rec''oned lore palpable ne processes t. Criticism form. Men pirical rules, 1 Aristotle or 1 pronounced 3mplished so artments led nclude, by an basis of prin- e ascertained nich one can :sult, we have ; seventeenth lot have pro- ral literature, hiller, Hazlitt lodern British such elaborate and Gervinus '^odern Painters ght, the world f like power of it all different a man can be em, or paint a ong, or extem- i Germany. porize a masterly oration, any more than a lark can be tauglit to flap its wings by instruction out of Whewell or the Duke of Argyll, or a nightingale to sing accord- ing to the musical grammar of Calcott; not, above everything else, that any other than God can make the great artist, and not that any other than a great artist can produce a grand poem, or painting, or song, or oration; but that, given the great artist, made of God and clothed of him with his mission, there is all this new knowledge to aid him in his work, and, given the man of common sense and culture, with the dis- cerning eye, he has all this knowledge at his command to enable him to study, understand and give intelligent judgment concerning the artist's great productions. The two men, of the past and of the present, brought side by side, look upon essentially the same thing, but he of the present with different and vastly clearer vision. This restless scientific activity thus reaches and employs itself in every department of thought. The educated, thinking men in every community are under its dominant influence, and, tho not with the masses the chief molding force, it yet exerts more or less power of restraint and control far down among them. There is, consequently, everywhere a demand, within certain limits, for the philosophic and the artistic in the method and form of whatever aspires to be considered a literary production, before it can gain the attention of men. As a second feature of the times, one can not but note the rage for novelty that so 2. TheEage possesses the masses, and shapes lit- for Novelty, erature, art, and life, in all their departments. As a fact, the world, in so far as our knowledge of its occurrences is concerned, is another world from what 'yl 210 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. it was a century since. Then the news came from a region comparatively narrow, traveUng at tlie slow pare of the stage-coach, the mounted post, or t'.ie sail- ing vessel, and was narrowly diffused by a few weekly journals. It furnished but little of the novel to excite men. The progress of science and art has latterly brought the world in its vast regions into intimate intercommunion and union of parts. With steam and electricity at his service, the professional man, the merchant, or the mechanic, has for yfi.rs been able to read in his daily paper, before breakfast, of all the chief events, and especially every startling event, of the past night, occurri.ig in all Christendom and in a large part of heathendom. Circumstances seem thus providentially arranged, if not to develop, at least to meet, the craving for the new and exciting. But how- ever developed, the fact of such a craving is beyond dispute. It is very marked in the reading of the masses of the present day. This may well be styled the era of novels, and of base and worthless novels at that. Solid literature The Era of does not furnish enough of excitement. NoveLi. All through the range of reading, in papers, magazines, and books, to meet the demands of multitudinous readers, we have the descending scale all the way to the bottom, from the weekly sheet of sensational tales, that, after its brazen manner, insists on pressing its way up into good society, to the despicable page that knows its friends too well to think of any such aim; from the pretentious magazine, that while seeking to exalt itself to the chief literary seati scarcely dares to tell the truth lest it should not be new, to the yellow-covered pamphlet that is so irredeemably base as never to attempt anything better MISTRY. THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 311 5 came from at the slow t, or the sail- a few weekly 5vel to excite has latterly into intimate th steam and nal man, the ; been able to St, of all the ing event, of dom and in a ces seem thus ip, at least to ig. But how- ing is beyond lading of the f novels, and lolid literature )f excitement, f reading, in the demands le descending e weekly sheet -azen manner, )od society, to ids too well to ious magazine, e chief literary t it should not let that is so nything better than a bald lie; from the portly volume that aspires to a place in the Church library, to the unbound ten-cent sheet, that never comes to the light of day and upon wiiich the eyes of the man of virtue never fall. The descent began witli the portrayal by writers of what was simply worthless, and its endurance and acceptance by readers; it has i cached the bottom of the downward grr.de, in the later portrayals by the artists, of positive error, infidelity, vice, and crime, and their eager acceptance by the public— in such books as /iofii-rt Elsmere, with its weak rehash of stale infidel objections to the Bible and Christianity, already a thousand times exploded, and never having had any better basis than the shallow conceit of th.ir originators or their virulent hatred of God and vital religion; in such sentimental romance as Anna Karenina and its fellows, in which the authors at the same time paint vice in glowing colors and inculcate the destructive principles of anarchism that are sap- ping the foundations of human society; and in such realistic fiction as that in which M. Zola depicts French vice and licentiousness in such cold-blooded style that, altho the depraved masses run wild over It, it is too gross to admit of the indorsement of his genius by the atheistic French Academy. And so immense has been the deterioration of the moral sense of the Christian public, in connection with this literary descent from mere worthlessness to positive irreligicn and vice, that the pulpit and the religious press have not hesitated to be among the most prominent agencies in giving publicity to such productions, and thereby adding vastly to their circulation and power for evil. Public lectures and amusements have moved in the same direction, until in their downward reach there is ftaJMBfc—'B— ■ 'I ,12 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. scarcely anything, however offensive to sound sense, cultivated taste, correct morals, and right rehgu.us feeling, that fails to fmd a place to exhibit Use f and an audience to witness the exhibition, provided only that it be novel. The legitimate culmination has been reached in forms indefensibly vicious, in the latest developments, in nude art, the variety show and ballet dance, and in "living pictures," over which eager crowds gloat. . , ,-u v. Nor has this tendency left the religion in the Church untouched and uninfluenced. No thinking ^^n has failed to mark its presence in the work of the Sabbath- school-in changing the character of the instruction, , until we hear too little of the solid portions of the Scripture, while pointless stories are often substituted for God's truth; in transforming the adc'resscs, until, in some regions, one who is not equal to Gough as a mimic, to Blondin as a rope-walker, and to Punch as a punster, is hardly thought to be fitted to speak to an audience of children; in metamorphosing the library, until it often happens that there is little left to be read but vapid, so-called religious novels, which, in spite of all their pretensions and of all the puffing of ihe religious press, are, in fact, in their own essentia nature, at war with common sense, morality, and religion,and, in their necessary influence, irretr.evably, we had almost said, infinitely bad. The same spirit has not hesitated to invade and desecrate even the pulpit with its unseemly ways. Koveltvinthe Tradition has it that, at a certain stage """Sr" in their progress. Dr. Archibald Alex- ander used to address his classes in Princeton Theo- logical Seminary on the subject of popularity as preachers somewhat on this wise: "Why, young :.t3tm)if>-Krf. I ISTRY. uiind sense, lit religious it itsf \f and . ovided only lun has been n the latest w and ballet ivhich eager 1 the Church ng man has the Sabbath- instruction, , tions of the n substituted resscs, until, to Gough as 1 to Punch as o speak to an g the library, tie left to be els, which, in the pufifing of own essential norality, and , irretrievably, o invade and iseemly ways. certain stage rchibald Alex- rinceton Theo- popularity as 'Why, young THE prf.achim; for tiiesf, times. 2 '3 gentlemen, you can be popular as preachers. It's the easiest thing in the world It does not require any genius, or common sense, or stuily, or culture. Get access to the columns of the newspaper, and advertise that on Sunilay, at the usual hours of servicf, you will preach standing on your head, and the house will be crowded. It's easy to be popular in that way if you want to be." In the present day one couki bring from the .Saturday and Sunday dailies of many a ( ity adver- tisements in which clergymen propose in all soberness to perform for the public entertainment feats quite as absurd as that suggested by the great educator of ministers. It would need no prophet to predict the results of all this, even were they yet in the far future; and since they are here in the present, it takes no seer to discern what they are. This is not the place to demonstrate what must be the logical result of reading novels only, and only poor ones at that. The man who thinks and reasons for himself knows what it must be. We have come, in fact, upon a public with one of its great ele- ments in such a condition that it has no m.ntal muscle with which to lay hold of truth; cares nothing for the standard English literature; takes no interest in the- ology or the truth of God, and goes to church, if at all, to be entertained rather than instructed. We have trained up a generation of men by the reading of books filled with pretended facts that are yet contrary to the nature of things, of man and of God— that is con- trolled by a morality not of God, a religion not of Christ, and a spirit infused of Mammon and Fashion, rather than of the Holy Ghost; and in so training them we have substantially destroyed all taste for that which is true and Christ-like, and almost barred the II ' V J U'.< 314 cjirist's trumpet-cam- to the ministry, possibility of their becomiiiR the powerful thinkers and the earnest practical workers that the exigencies of the Church demand for its mission. The day may not yet have come when the people of God are ready to enter their solemn protest, and to sweep all such trash out of church, Sabbath-school, and family; but it must come sooner or later, for Clod's government is so ordered that it never suffers a foolish, a base, or an evil thing to perpetuate its existence in his Church forever. lUit, however that may be, there is no disputing the fact of this morbid tendency to novelty, and that is all that need be contended for now and here. It manifests itself everywhere, reaching to some extent all classes. The cultivated and refined are not wholly free from it; with the masses it is the molding, ruling tendency. We are almost repeating the experience of the old Athenians, in the decline of the Greek nation, in the time of Paul, with whom the one all-absorbing question was: "What is there new?"* It need hardly be said that in consequence of this the demand for the novel, the unusual, the startling, is brought to bear upon everything that aspires to the dignity of literature in its higher artistic forms, and almost made a condition of its gaining access to men. A tb-d feature of the age, and the last we shall enumerate, is the prevalence of the utilitarian spirit, 8. The BBge coexisting with the tendencies already forUtiUty. noted. "Cui bono?" is the universal cry. Men hurry— we shall not stop to inquire whether consistently or inconsistently— from their scientific investigations, from their art-worship, and from their novel-reading and sight-seeing, to join in that common cry. This we believe an admitted fact. * Acts xvii. 31. IINISTRY. erfiil thinkers the exigencies the people of (rotest, and to abbath-school, later, for (lod's iffersa foolish, ts existence in ; may be, there id tendency to tended for now re, reaching to ed and refined masses it is the most repeating in the decline aul, with whom 'What is there in consequence ^e unusual, the iverything that 5 higher artistic of its gaining e last we shall tilitarian spirit, dencies already is the universal inquire whether their scientific , and from their in that common t. TUP. PRFACHINi; VoH TUKSF, riMF.5;, 2'5 There is doubtless a true and right noble sense of th.: word "useful."' Ruskin has wd! affirmed that as nun's chief use is to i)e " tiic witness of tlie glury of CJoil, and to advance that glory by his reasonable obe.iienee and resultant liappiness, whatever enables him to lulfil this function is in the noblest and truest sense of the word useful to him "; but there is a meaner sense as well. "Things that help us to exist are, in a secondary and mean sense, useful; or rather, if they be looked for alone, they are useless and worse, for it would be better that we should not exist than that we should guiltily disappoint the purposes of existence." * And the present is admitted to be one of those periods when men gravitate toward this lower utility. Taking up this baser sense of utility, we are ready in this age to ask of everything. What is it worth? Wherein will it aid us? Will it make business easier? Will It help us to run ou, factories, and dig our canals and build „ur railroads, and bridge our rivers, and tunnel our mountains? What will its value be esti- mated in "greenbacks" or in gold? Even religion can not escape the influence, tho in its case that influ- ence has doubtless been elevating, in producing a reaction against practical worthlessne-'}. We are ac(imring a habit of asking, even of religion. What is Its value? Will it make better merchants, scholars, and mechanics? Will it make truer husbands and wives, better sons and daughters, more faithful friends and neighbors, happier homes and communities? What IS It as a working power, affecting the business and bosoms of men ? What profit is it ? Everywhere in everything we may note this third tendency, ruling multitudes and influencing all. It demands and exacts of everything literary, even to the poem and the novel, * Modeni Painters, vol. ii., p. 4, |i :' .,6 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. that it submit to an infusion, in seeming at least of ul-s demonstrable utility, before it can secure the ear of the great public II. A fi U - t THE RESULTS OK THESE CHARACTERISTICS UPON ,HE Preaching ok the Present Day. In any ordinary audience these three tendencies ar re : Jsented. aid a corresponding tl-eJoM re.u.re- ment is consequently made of the m n s jritt^nd trations of the pulp.f. Hrst, for phdo- •^ Tendency. .^phic and artistic form ; secondly, for originality and vividness in presenting ^J^^ .,nd thirdly for an intense practicality. Accortiin^iy, :::l!o;s of this age are undoubtedly g^^^^^ any ever before made of God's messenger . Humanly spLking, if a mass of men so constituted is to be reach d molded, and controlled, the canons of a nu not be viol ted; God's plain truth must be made Tore te ling than man's most highly wrought fiction^ "ndtle Gospel must somehow be made more deep y an Uraa^ practical than stock speculation, bank- :^t:;:rbuild,ng, and costly and luxuricn^eaun^ before »t, ai ..j ,,^, rather lead a preacher, v. \v. Koperisou, ^ ^ • .. YpMip forlorn hope than mount the pulpit stairs ^ e .vho bears his message in God's --^^^^H^' ^^;''^, from meeting the responsibility, whatever trial o effort it may entail. How, then, shall the task accomplished ? 1 1 THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. NISTRY. 217 g at least, of ecure the ear .RISTICS UPON I- Day. ee tendencies eefold require- i of the minis- rst, for philo- ; secondly, for T God's truth; Accordingly, lly greater than ers. Humanly tuted is to be canons of art h must be made wrought fiction, de more deeply )eculation, bank- rious eating and I the mission of mand is enough reciates it, quail jnderfully gifted Id rather lead a stairs." Yet he ; may not shrink .-hatever trial or ihall the task be If we e.xamine their working-schemes, as distin- guished fium their rhetorical theories, men, inattemjit- ing this task, have njade trial of three methods, each of which has been determined by predominant or ex- clusive regard to some one of the three great tenden- cies of the times — a regard resulting sometimes from eccentricity of temperament, sometimes from peculiar- ity in circumstances, and sometimes from defective logic. Sincere and in earnest they have doubtless been in tlie trial, but the result has been admitted failure, for the simple reason that God's world is so made that no half-truth can win and wield permanent influence over all classes in a community. Men under the influence of the scientific tendency have reasoned thus : "This is the noblest of these pre- vailing influences of the age. Special , _. _ . " . *" ' 1. The Soien- heed to it w ill give us control over the tifio and Eb- highest class of hearers. We must bring ^^^^^'^ Gospel. the masses up to our standpoint, rather than descend to theirs." And so, as one-sided things naturally run into extremes, we have had metaphysical disquisitions, and splendid essays, and prose-poems — often profound and elaborate indeed, but quickening the plain man with no new and telling truth, and making no common heart beat faster by laying magic touch on earnest and noble practical instincts; in short, we have had our gospel of philosophy and esthetics. Its theory may be very fine; but it has swept the masses out of the church by a logic inevitable as fate : "If that be the Gospel, it is incomprehensible and wort.'.less to us; we don't see how it can elevate or save us; we may as well stay at home " — and so they have stayed at home, as the complaints and wails of the day attest. Nor has that been all, for this style of presenting mmamm < I. 218 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. God's message lias weakened the sense of obligation even in the higher classes to whom it has been directed. They have reasoned thus : " If the v'.ospel be only a beautiful thing, with nothing living and practical, it is not worth much to us"— and so they too have stayed at home. .\r.other class, under the influence of the thirst for novelty, has made chief or exclusive use of that tend- 2 The Gospel ency, in seeking to accomplish the great of Sensation, task of securing and holding the atten- tion of men. "Here is the way "-so they have reasoned—" of reaching the masses, and of saving the most souls; anything is right in so noble a work; we must go down to men and take advantage of every- thing that is in them." -^nd so again, by the common tendency to extremes, we have had our gospel of " clap-trap " and " twaddle." Religion has thus been made a play, an entertainment, too often a fashionable one, and the church turned into a petty show-house, a theater, on whose stage the " mysteries and morali- ties " have been re-enacted. The result has been a very natural one; worldly men prefer good acting to bad, Shakespeare's tragedies and comedies to the poor parrion's, and a first-class to a tenth-rate theater,— and so of all other entertainments,— and in the end they have too frequently gone to the genuine play- house, with its cards, billiards, or theatricals- the playhouse that is such without hypocrisy, tho its doors open into the pit. The gospel of clap-trap has lamentablv failed, and men have felt and acted upon, even where they have not acknowledged, its worthlessness; and the movement, from the highest to the lowest, has been away from at least such sane tuaries. The churches in recent times that have most ISTRY. THE PREACHING FOR THKSE TIMES. 219 f obligation it has been f the v'lospel living and J so they too lie thirst for jf that tend- sh the great ng the atten- o they have of saving the e u work ; we ige of every- the common iir gospel of las thus been a fashionable ,' show-house, ;s and morali- It has been a ood acting to es to the poor ite theater, — id in the end genuine play- leatricals — the crisy, tho its 1 of clap-trap felt and acted lowledged, its m the highest .•ast such sanc- that have most notably depended upon it have ultimately gone to pieces, thereby demonstrating the suijerficial char- acter of their work, as well as the falsity of their principle. The third class has fallen in with utilitarianism, and come under its sway. They have reasoned : " It matters neither how true, nor how new, g ~ «gg_.i nor how beautiful, a thing maybe, if it of Petty Prao- be of no practical value; its practical ticality. worth must be clearly seen and laid hold of, and presented most pungently and directly to men." Hut, as the practical power of (lod's truth is ordinarily too vast in its workings to be summed up and expressed in figures, and estimated in dollars and cents, the so-, called practicality has, from its original one-sidedness, in many cases degenerated into small scolding on sub- jects of the least possible importance to any human being. And so we have had our gospel of vinegar and wormwood — our Xantippe gospel. Men of taste and culture can not, and will not, long endure this; the novelty-seekers do not care for it; only small gossip- ing people take an interest in such things — and the tide again turns away from the pews. It needs no argument to demonstrate that none of these methods 'las accomplished, or ever will accom- plish, the great task of reaching, swaying, and saving the multitudes in our Christian lands. Each is partial and one-sided in its assumed principle, and nugatory, if not evil, in its results. We must have a working- scheme broad enough to take into account all these forces at once, and that shall at once meet the right- ful demands of all three of these prominent tenden- cies, — while doing vastly more than that. Discourse must in some way be made to conform to the highest I :!! 2,0 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. orinciples of art, and yet be neither essay nor poem; •^omih. novelty w.h truthfulness, the '^^^th.ngs new an.1 old," of Scriptare; and to be .n the b.oadest, de.oest truest sense, practical and useful 'no things render the present a favorable t.me fo theLnsider'tion of the problem thus seated, w.h view to its correct solution. '1 he first «/ these is the Ixtlnsive agitation of the question, " How shal the SsseTbe brought ..to the sanctuary, -tac e to t I -,>• TKo f"h. \ cees. as it has never bccu and t;.ived ' 1 he L-Uu .l -eta, ci^ , • u _ be?o e tl.at it is a vital question, one touching her V y 'xistence, and she is naturally anxious to reach a true answer. The other favorable feature s, the reac ion that has set in against the extreme and one- s ded mea^ures that even earnest men have been dis- nosedrtry. The gospel of esthetics,, the gospel o laplrap. an'd the gospel of petty ^^^'^^^l^^^ popular things they once were in cer n cua^te • Common sense, the right Christian feel g haNe re volted against them. S-^'^'>--^°«':, '^no" It es wild over the waies of the quack vender of ""^'t les nowshut out everything of that kind, or meet it, when "t lorced upon them, with indignation and loathing. Clurd es th^t once delighted in the dispensation of ^oy'and gewgaws, have found these to be very wor h- ess things in the work of building up a permanent cong gation and a vigorous and healthy work ng nSbership. These two things, we say, indicate hat tietrese^i is a favorable time for the consideration of t^e great problem, with the view to its correct "uirequally true that these popular methods do not ^ LttPr results in the direction of the evan- INISTRY. THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 22t say nor poem; ; "things new the broadest, ul. )rable time for tated, with the )f these is, the How shall the attached to it, has never seen i touching her xious to reach feature is, the treme and one- have been dis- s, the gospel of ling are not the 5rtain quarters. ;eling, have re- s that once ran jer of novelties, or meet it, when on and loathing, dispensation of be very worth- up a permanent healthy working say, indicate that ;he consideration w to its correct r methods dp not ;ction of the evan- t are heathenizing Christendom can not be depended upon to Christianize heathendom. It is proposed to consider the problem of effective preaching in its twofold relation: first, to the general state of things at the present time ; and secondly, to Christ's present requirement for the immediate evan- gelization of the world. SECTION SECOND. The Preaching Required by the General State of Things at the Present Day. The characteristics of the times being such as al- ready noted, and such being the stage reached in the experiment of solving the great practical problem of the Church, v.e are prepared to advance a step further in the discussion, and with a view to framingan answer in one degree less general, ask again the question: What is the preaching suited to these determined conditions of the case ? The plain answer, which is neither unchristian nor unchurchly, is: Got/'s truth, in its practical hearings, must he presented with proper artistic form, and %vith power, with the grand end of saving and elevating men. This answer would, we opine, be found not wholly new, if we could take the sense of the thinking, ear- nest men of the past and present; and yet we trust that, when unfolded, it will be seen to have enough of the new to meet fully the exigencies of the case. God's truth, in the proper artistic form, will meet the wants of those who have come under the influence of the sci- entific spirit. God's truth, in its grandeur, properly understood, contains the "things new and old" — ne7ii no less than old — with which the wants of the spirit 222 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. naturally thirsting for newness must be met. God's truth, in its practical bearings, is widely and intensely practical enough for the most thorough-going of all sound utilitarians. And the one aim, in the elevation and salvation of men, subordinating everything else to itself and God's glory, furnishes the true principle of unity that will bind all together, and make the work single while it is earnest and hopeful. In passing on to the unfoMingof the proposition just laid down, it follows that, if these considerations ac- cord with truth, certain exceedingly important topics need to be presented and emphasized. 'it';! I. A Better Theory of the Art of Oratory Must be Grasped. There is absolute necessity on the part of the clergy for a more correct, complete, and consistent theory of rhetoric, or the art of oratory. One mj.y study the laws of eloquence, solely that he may know them, and in this way attain to a science of the subject ; or for the purpose of applying them to any particular product of art that he may estimate it, and in this way acquire a knowledge of tV^ principles oj criticism; or for the purpose of instruction, develop- ment, and guidance, in attaining skill in public speak- ing, and in this way become master of the subject as art The demand made upon the preacher can not be properly complied v/,th without a thorough command of rhetoric in aV. these relations. Assuredly he ought to have a thorough mastery of the means, the fores and the principles involved in his sublime work, as well as how they are to be applied, both in criticism and in production. ;iii.: ISTRY. net. God's nd intensely going of all he elevation thing else to principle of ke the work position just lerations ac- artant topics Oratory of the clergy ent theory of iolely that he a H if nee of {\x\g them to ' estimate it, \& principles of ion, develop- public speak- ;he subject as ler can not be tgh command Assuredly he le means, the sublime work, th in criticism THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 223 It is our firm belief that, other things being equal, a man's success, in any sphere, is, under God, in ex- act proportion to the correctness of the theory by which he carries forward his work; and we base our judgment on faith in that justice of the divine govern- ment, by virtue of which it is always found on the side of the right, whether it be the right in method or in action. Nor would we hesitate to make strictest application of this rule to the work of the ministry. A God of order can not delight in disorder in the high- est mission assigned to man. Other things being equal, a man's success in the ministry is in exact pro- portion to the correctness and completeness of his working-theory. What am I to do ? How, and with what am I to do it ? are thus vital questions for one sent with a message from God to men. God will never fail to do his part ; it is man's to see to it that his be done the best possible. (I) Prevailing Theories and No Theories. Leaving out of view those among the clergy who have been led to entertain intelligent and right views of the art of oratory, the remainder naturally fall into two classes : first, those who have no theory at all on the subject, and, secondly, those who hold only partial theories. Of these in their order. It requires not even a discerning eye to advise one of the fact that there are numbers j. a,,„„,,,,„, among the clergy who have no theory No Theory, whatever on the important subject of their mission as God's mouthpieces in the world. Any one can recall those of his own acquaintance who scoff at all sucli theories when out of the pulpit, and I> 224 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINMSTRY. violate everything that could be rightly embodied =a them when in the pulpit. And, in self-defense, they are always resurrecting the old and senseless objec- tions to art and the knowledge of it, that they may confront the advocates of right method with their ghosts. The familiar words of even so distinguished a man as Lord Macaulay, running in a line with the opinions of these objectors, will doubtless occu-" to any one at all familiar with our English literatur We refer to the passage in his critique on Bacon, lu which he rails at rhetoric, logic, and grammar. Macaulay s practise is the best refutation of his theory, for in all his writings we find a studied adherence to the very principles at which, in this article, he scoffs. To the class with which we are dealing, art is syn- onymous with artificial, or artful. They profess to plead for nature. " I must be natural-must speak out and act out my own nature." " But you are rude in manner, awkward in gesture, rough in style, harsh in voice. You ought to practise elocution, and to seek to polish your style." " But it is my own natural self. God has made me so, and I must act out my- self." And thus the man deliberately persists in utter- ing what is at once a libel upon his nature and his God —for he is not at all as God made him, but as man has unmade him,-and what he calls his " own natural self" is most horridly and indefensibly unnatural. Such objections are shorn of all their force to one who has caught even a glimpse of the simple truth— that all perfect art, if not nature, is yet like and con- sistent with her; and who has come but to suspect that all imperfect art, so far as true, aims at this like- ness and consistency. To him everything that falls short of the full likeness and consistency, is, in so far, i i III "* ill ISTRY. ;mbodied 'a efense, they eless objec- it they may 1 with their listinguished line with the ;ss occtr- to eratur We :on, iu which Macaulay's ry, for in all to the very ffs. g, art is syn- ;y profess to -must speak you are rude 1 style, harsh ition, and to ly own natural t act out my- rsists in utter- ature and his im, but as man *' own natural innatural. • force to one simple truth- like and con- jut to suspect ns at this like- hing that falls y, is, in so far, THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 225 unnatural and wrong. He finds that the principles of the highest art are merely the interpretation of the plain facts of nature. It is just by tlie interpretation of the facts of nature that the true, thinking man, of clear view.s, comes by his theory of sacred eloquence, and he therttore knows it can be neither artificial nor unnatural. The essential phenomena are before him at the outset. A right theorv must take into account and embody all these fact? , in striving to do this, he adds anything to natur. .ue result is inconsistency; if from nature he subtracts anything, incompleteness. He is so far true as he adheres to nature. The thing is so simple that shallow talk about being "artificial " and "unnatural" can not shake his faith in the slightest. As we come now to judge of partial theories, held by the second class, above-mentioned, there is need that we pause a moment to contemplate _ .^ ii / , , , , ' 2. Advocates those facts of eloquence of which we of ParUal have spoken as patent to aii, and to in- Theoriej. terpret them, in order that we may have the correct and complete as a standard by which to try the in- correct and incomplete. In sacred eloquence we have before us a soul, in the concrete fulness of its powers and functions, possessed by God's truth and Spirit, expressing itself by means of appropriate language, to move and save other souls constituted like itself. There is first, and on either side, a soul, in the fulness of its powers, /. e., mind, heart, will, taste, conscience— all these. A soul ex- pressing itself, or a soul moved, involves all of these. Then this soul is under the controlling influence of God's truth and Spirit. That lifts its activity out of the sphere of the purely human and natural, and T 226 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. makes the man a divine messenger. Then there is the fit instrument of expression, appropriate language, articulate and inarticulate, including speech, tone, look, gesture, in short, whatever in the orator aids expression. And, lastly, the one grand aim, to move and save souls. These are the facts, as any one may read them for himself. Theories of pulpit eloquence that fail to take into account any of these facts must be partial, one-sided, so far wrong. The test is simple; let us try some of them. "Preaching," says one, "is the presentation of theological truth ! " If in his practise he holds firmly Pregenta- ^"^ consistently to his theory, in its tion orTheo- ordinary acceptation, a sermon with him logical Truth, becomes a theological essay. He evi- dently has a truth in his scheme, but it is only a par- tial truth, not even a half-truth. He has omitted the essential aim of preaching, forgotten the Divine com- mission, and somehow substituted an intellect for a soul. Perhaps, if he ever suspected man possessed of heart, will, taste, and conscience, he has summarily reached the conclusion that these are never affected except through cold, logical presentations of truth to the understanding, and that they have no reciprocat- ing or reacting power. And by the phrase, " presen- tation of truth," such theorists too often mean, simply putting it into logical and grammatical formulas, that are intelligible to the speaker himself, and to educated, thinking men, but either unintelligible or forceless to the plain man. To them expression exhausts the mean- ing of their theory. We protest that expression is not the whole of oratory. The expression of truth characterizes i 11 T ISTRY. there is the 2 language, eech, tone, orator aids im, to move !ad them for that fail to t be partial, nple; let us sentation of holds firmly leory, in its ion with him ly. He evi- i only a par- 3 omitted the Divine com- itel.lect for a possessed of as summarily lever affected ns of truth to 10 reciprocat- ise, " presen- mean, simply formulas, that d to educated, )r forceless to Lists the mean- the whole of characterizes THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 237 science and philosophy, and the expression of esthetic truth, the fine arts; but oratory is set apart from both these by the fact that it nut only expresses but Uansfers truth. Before the preacher has fulfilled his mission, the theological truth must be put in fit words; into these must be breathed the quickening power of right feeling, deep moral purpose, and in- tense spirituality; and then this living whole must be pressed home with all the art and force of outward eloquence until that truth of God, in its clearness, completeness, warmth, and life, is left lodged in the heart of the hearer. The actual transfer of God's truth to other souls is essential to a proper oratorical presentation, and every effort that falls short of this is, so far as the highest aim of oratory is concerned, a failure. And yet, narrow as is this view that is satisfied with mere expression in language, it is amazing to how large an extent it is the working-theory in the pulpit. We once heard a sermon after this pattern, which treated of the whole subject of the future state of God's children, answering the questions: "What is heaven?" "What of heavenly recognition?" etc., etc., quoting three or four poems — the whole discourse occupying precisely twenty minutes ! We are certain that the man had never dreamed of one thing that belongs distinctively to the sermon. We grant this an extreme case, but many a discourse is constructed after a like model; and, as is always the case, the mightier the logic of the man who works after such incomplete pattern, the more rigidly does he adhere to it. The partial truth that gives this view its power over certain minds is that uian has an intellect to which aj8 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. the preacher must impart the knowledge of God's Word An important truth it is admitted to be; the great, we had almost said, fatal error, is m supposing it the whole truth. Reacting against this view, another class holds that preaching is moving the religious feelings of men by ^ any means whatsoever. If one of this 'L^ESSiuf opinion hold firmly by it in his practise. *1«otS a sermon with him may possibly rise to the dignity of an exhortation. There is evidently some truth in his notion, but only a modicum. n- smiction is of the least possible importance in his sc me God's Word is of no worth where a good y or a telling gesture will compass his end better^ n place of a soul, in all the fulnes. of its powers he puts the emotional part of man's nature, and that o?tennot the heart in its entireness embracing those :tls of feeling that may be as lasting as Uie soul itself- but the fitful, fleeting passions of a moment neittr deep enough nor permanent enough to affect '^Ufwriter once listened, for a month or two, to the nightly ministrations of the once notorious Rev^ John NewLd Maffit, a most admirable 'H-tration o his method. Any one who ever heard him can recal the "start and stare theatric." the moving sent.menta story, the thousand little nothings in style and voice and gesture, fitted and intended to rouse the eeling of hi! audience; and any one who ever -^^J^ nroirress of his plot to its denouement, will readily ? cogn e i-' him' complete specimen of the man who Thinks it to be his mission to move the religious feel- ines by any means whatever. . The truth that gives this theory all its power is that RY. of God's > be; the upposing lokls that f men by 10 of this practise, )ly rise to evidently cum. In- ice in his re a good nd better. ,)owers, he and that cing those s the soul i moment, [h to affect or two, to irious Rev. istration of n can recall sentimental e and voice the feelings vatched the will readily he man who ;ligious feel- luwer is that < THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 339 man has a heart that is to be moved and affected; the great and almcst fatal error is in supposing that this is all. Passing over the multitudinous variations of opin- ion, eacli of which has its truth, great or g jjee^o^ little, as the case may hv, we find one Requires Avoid- I ■ I >' anceofRulei. thmg more deserving special notice— the theory that no definite rules or principles are needed by the pulpit orator. It may appear inconsistent to call such a view a theory, when, on its very face, it professes to discard all theories. Nevertheless, it does, in fact, seek to make a theory of its no-theory. We have seen elaborate articles in the *' Quarterlies" advocating it. " Let us have freedom for genius," is its cry. "Away with your formal divisions; they hamper us !" " Down with your for.nal rules; man is a law to himself!" " Out with yo r stereotyped forms; they are the dead letter that killeth ! " " Give us the largest liberty ! " Unfortunately, it is seldom genius that utters the cry; ordinarily it is mediocrity — sometimes honest, in- dustrious mediocrity, but mediocrity still. If it be a man of mark, it is ordinarily raised in reference to something of which he knows but little. A generation ago the literary world had, in another department, an illustration of the truth of these afifirmations, in the Dean of Canterbury's absolution of himself from the shackles of grammatical rules, while undertaking to be an authoritive teacher of the "Queen's English." "The Dean's English," and various other brochures, demonstrated that no one had more need than Dean Alford himself to be taught these rules, and to be guided in the practise of them. This is but one case of the million. i I ,30 CHR.ST-S TKUMPET-CALL TO THE MimSTKV. I <.;„ fViic view if it be considered A„dye.tl,ere,savaue nto,e«.^^^^^^^.^^^^,^ 1 = The Divine government, in every spnerc, ^ laws. 1 ne uiviuc g cons stent with '""" '°; ^thrS't - Sa* " : free being, *o t^::^:Z .own . *e -.; ana „„e .ay if there were in some way t," up the sky against gravitatj. ^ ^^^^ .^ If there is one thing e^''^^"' ' ^^ reached by is that freedom of discourse can nev^r be ^^^ ^^^ casting away the ^^[^^"^"^J^/f^d running counter principles found in — "a^^ \l':,\,,, ,1, free- to all the laws of G°^^^'.7^^^^-g,,,,red when working dom and vanety can on Y b ec^^^ ^ ^^ ^^^ under a system of rules as br ^.^^^^ facts of nature which center in h ^^^ principles will always admit ^n^ P-'^PJ^^^^^' ^^J^ase perfect freedom and i'^^"'^^ ^^"^^7' "f ^e^^^^^ prepare with which a few ultimate ^'^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^'^^ i^.Lich for the variety of that vast -aim oj nature ^^^ ^^^^ ''' ''''\ TthtX^thXomr^eotyped; and no sermon, but the man, that o j remedy that, taking of divisions out of the sermo ^^^^^^ What is needed is not freedom from rules ^^ unde rules; and this only --e^ bj th«se y^, ^^ Hard to human nature-by a^ "J^ ^^^^^.^.^e, because brow; or, to -P^^ '^ ^gh ^ ^irase, which yet at „,ore familiar ^""J Jt^^^^^.'^.u^le meaning-by knowl- rdgrnd^r-Usl r^:.l without r.. at the first RY. THE PRKACHINO FOR THESE TIMES. 231 onsidered lUty, with ted truth, rgets that vith God's lere, gives stent with being, tho d one may better off, ivver to run ing man, it reached by 'ing all the ing counter , such free- en working iplete as the ice. These the way for he same ease snts prepare ire in which It is not the yped ; and no remedy that. ^ but freedom lose ways, so and sweat of able, because which yet at ig_by knovvl- le, at the first license, becomes, in its progress, the dullest of for- mality, and ends in the unhelpful liberty of the sweep- ing dust — utter dissolution. (II) Correct Theory Emph.. sized and Unfolded. Such a survey of the field we have been traversing, with the application of the proper test to these partial theories, has prepared for the reaffirmation, with in- creased emphasis, of the necessity fur a thorough knowledge, on the part of the pulpit orator, both of what is to be done by him and how it is to be done; or, in other words, of the absolute need of a more correct, complete, and consistent theory of sacred eloquence. Taking into account all the elements properly enter- ing into the discussion — the shortcomings of the theo- ries and the practical evil resulting from them; the necessity of right views in order to the most success- ful work; the state of science and art to which tlie century has brought us; the imperative demand made, by the Lliinking and cultivated portion of society, for artistic excellence in the prcsentati - of God's truth — the need that has been affirmed must, we think, be admitted. The principles at the foundation of this conclusion are simple. If a mechanic, working blindly, can not do worthy work, then an artist, in the sublimest of arts, can not blindly do noble work. Give him the light of true principle for his gmidance. Jf a theory, right in its principles, is inevitably wrong in its opera- tions, tiien let no man, in the highest sphere of effort, where every word is trembling with destinies immortal, attempt to deliver God's message with such a theory. l,et him rigiit tlie wrong. If the progress of science has made an art of oratory possible, then ■ tj ■. f 232 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. let not him who is sent to be an orator for Christ think to work acceptably to the Master, or saccess- fuUy, without systematic knowledge of it. Give him all that may be known, to use in his great mission. If there is a right and sure method of reaching, hold- ing, and swaying the thinking, educated men of the country by the truth of God, let no messenger of God scoff at or neglect that method. Give him the mastery of it. By rightly becoming "all things to all men," some will assuredly be saved. It is preeminently the duty of the preacher, in these times, to fail not to ascer- tain, at the outset, the correct method of doing God's work. He will honor just that, and, other things bemg equal, crown it, alone and above all, with the largest and most notable success. A complete and consistent working-theory on this subject, such as the preacncr needs, must embrace certain fundamental principles that he ^^'St°' should understand clearly anU formulate Working-Theory, carefully, if they are to be. of the utmost service to him in his preaching. These principles need to be the more carefully con- sidered, because of the false and superficial views of rhetoric and oratory that have been so long in vogue. The shallow platitudes and empirical rules of the Blair school of rhetoric seem to have shaped, to a very la-'re extent, the views of rhetoric in the public school and the university, and of the homiletics of the theo- logical seminaries. Until the preacher is absolutely set free from the trammels imposed by this artificial system, he must attain to pulpit power, if at all, in spite of the instructions and so-called principles given him for his guidance. Hence, the importance of special attention to this subject. MINISTRY. ator for Christ iter, or saccess- if it. Give him 3 great mission. reaching, hold- led men of the essenger of God him the mastery ngs to all men," preeminently the fail not to ascer- J of doing God's ther things being with the largest ig-theory on this ;, must embrace rinciples that he rly anU formulate I be. of the utmost ore carefully con- iperficial views of so long in vogue. rules of the Blair ihaped, to a very the public school ietics of the theo- ;her is absolutely by this artificial ower, if at all, in ;d principles given he importance of THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 233 In considering how truth, especially Gospel and saving truth, is rationally to be communicated to men, so as to affect and transform them, it is necessary to fix upon the practical ideas in man and the rhetorical and oratorical principles by wliich men are to be -'ached. These suggest the cjuestions that are to be asked and answered in order to construct the right working-theory of preaching as an art. What are the practical ideas in man, to which appeal must be made and through which the j Practical truth is to be brought to bear upon the Ideas in Man. soul ? There are multitudes who apparently have never learned tiiat there are any such ideas. One reason why much of the presentation of truth is powerless is, no doubt, because it awakens no interest in the one who hears it. Unless there is something in the soul of man to which the truth appeals, it might be just as well not to present it at all. Unless there is something in the soul to which to attach the trutii in such a way as to lead to action, it will certainly be vain to attempt to present it to that soul. If the hearer were a mere intellectual machine, without emotional or practical capacities or ideas, it would be vain to hope for his enlightenment or salvation through the Gospel. On the other hand, if he who presents the truth has no knowledge, or no clear knowledge, of what those capacities and ideas are— so that he can not intelligently bring the truth into connection with its natural and rational points of attachment in the man— if he accomplishes anything by the way of enlighten- ment or salvation, it will be by sheer accident. The great importance of gaining a clear knowledge of these practical ideas is thus made manifest. So far as we are aware, there is but one clear and iU if!: 234 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. adequate presentation of these ideas-that made by Dr Francis Theren.in of Berlin, and translated by the late Dr. William G. T. Shedd, with an Introductory Essay in the little book entitled Eloquence a Virtue; or. Outlines of a Systematic Rhetoric. This book is the abstract presentation of those ideas. Later m life, Dr Theremin published a companion volume, enti- tled Demosthenes urn' Massillon, which has not been translated, in which he presents these principles in concrete shape, or as embodied in the orations of Demosthenes and the sermons of Massillon. The fundamental practical idea is that of truth, it is assumed that man has a natural intercsn in truth; an « ♦• 1 M„a interest that, in its abnormal develop- Practioal Idea ' . . , . •. of Truth. ment, leads to curiosity, and, in its nor mal to scientific investigation and research. That which is presented to man as truth, so far as it is appreciated as such, interests him. The appeal of the orator or preacher, from the purely rational point of view, is an appeal to this practical idea of truth But even if man were in an ideal intellectual and moral condition, appeals to truth would still be insufficient. Much more, evidently, must this be the case with man as he is, often stupefied by ignorance and blinded by sin. Other and more distinctively practical ideas must come in to supplement that of truth. The practical idea to which appeal is perhaps most universally made is that of happiness. It may be practical Idea assumed that every man desires happi- of Happiness, ness, or, at least, desires to avoid its opposite; and that men will act and act energetically to secure happiness or to avoid unhappiness. This is one of the powerful motive-principles in man; indeed the most powerful of these principles in man regarded MINISTRY. -that made by anslated by the n Introductory Itwnce a Virtue; This book is ;. Later in life, 1 volume, enti- 1 has not been se principles in the orations of assillon. hat of tnit/i. It rest in truth ; an normal develop- and, in its nor- research. That , so far as it is 'he appeal of the rational point of ea of trut/i. But ictual and moral 1 be insufficient, be case with man ; and blinded by ictical ideas must is perhaps most ^ess. It may be an desires happi- ires to avoid its act energetically ippiness. This is IS in man; indeed 3 in man regarded THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 235 from the animal and selfish side of his nature. That which promises to secure or to increase man's happi- ness is, therefore, of peculiar interest to him; moves and rouses him to action. The truth, the scheme of conduct, or the call to action, that appeals to this practical idea, may be expected to load man to accept the view, pursue the course, or perform the action to which these considerations invite him, in order to secure the happiness which his nature craves. But happiness is not one of the higher and nobler ideas. It has nothing in it that leads to the ideal. It has nothing in it that is morally or es- Practical Idea sentially elevating. The idea of virtue, of Perfection, or per/'xtion, comes in to supplement those of truth and happiness. It assumes that man desires the per- fect, according to his idea of perfection, which may be either good or bad, and which may have reference to either the animal, the intellectual, or the spiritual. In connection with this a man's ideal is high or low, according as his character is high or low, or his views high or low. But even the pursuit of the ideal, or of perfection, may be merely selfish. The culture-theories lift men into egoism and indifference to the Practical Idea needs of humanity, and may lead them of Duty, only to supreme vanity and supercilious airs. It needs the idea of duty to supplement it with the grip of eternal obligation, and to take the man outside of and above himself. This, when one has been bound to Christ by the obligations of his redemption and the power of an endless life, becomes the supreme and all- controlling principle, taking in and subsidizing in the Christian life, faith, hope, and love, all directed toward him who is the way, the truth, and the life. 236 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINMSTRY. These are the great prac tical points of attachment for the truth, in its work of transforming character and life, as that truth reaches man in the preacher's mes- sage, emphasized by "the still, small voice," of the Spirit of God. But what are the principles and rules of rhetorical and oratorical method that must govern the preacher, in bis presentation of truth to men, if it o'fJheToS is to be effective? This question of Method. method is the second of the questions that must be answered by the preacher in arriving at a complete and consistent working-theory of preach- ing as an art. Rhetorical method, according to the common notiun, is a matter of style. Its essence consists in the " tricks of rhetoric." This is simply a matter of puerilities. If rhetoric has to do only with the manner of saying little or nothing, or little nothings, it is an abomina- tion pure and simple. A broac. theory of rhetorical method must go back to the Aristotelian idea and analysis, and make the what of discourse the basis and end of the hcmK It must take in invention, which has to do with the fur- nishing of thought, in kind and form suited for dis- course; and style, which has to do with the manner of molding that thought in suitable forms of speech; and it must make full note of the fact that the latter is «trictly and wholly subordinate to the former. The Rhetoric of Archbishop Whately, prepared originally as an article for the Encyclopcedia Bri- tannica, had the merit of restoring invention, as a part of rhetoric, to its rightful place; and of going back again to the old and complete Aristotelian analysis of the subject, after it has been overiaid by MIN'ISTRY. s of attachment ig character and preacher's mes- 1 voice," of the les of rhetorical ;rn the preacher, nth to men, if it his question of )f the questions ler in arriving at heory of preach- ; common notiun, stsin the "tricks ;er of puerilities, rianner of saying it is an abomina- lod must go back is, and make the 1 of the houi. It do with the fur- m suited for dis- ith the manner of US of speech ; and t that the latter is le former. Vhately, prepared incyclopcedia Bri- ig invention, as a ace; and of going plete Aristotelian ; been overlaid by THF "REACHING FOR THESE TI.MES. 237 the shallownesses of Boileau and Blair and all the rest of their kind. It made rhetoric a matter of brains once more, after it had been so long a matter of mere breath; but Whately's attempt was encyclopedic, rather than scientific, and so of comparatively little value except as a reminder of a better way, and an index pointing along that way. Of all the works that have been inspired by Whately, one of the most complete with vvliich we are acquainted — and the one that presents the principles and rules of rhetorical method in the best logical and scien- tific form, for the preacher's use — is the Art of Dis- course, by the late Dr. Kenry N. Day of New Haven. It presents a complete working-scheme of the subject, which a writer or speaker, when once he has grasped it, can carry into and apply with ease to any depart- ment of discourse or of public speaking with which he may have to do. Under " Invention," the work unfolds with wonder- ful precision the various processes by which truth, in its practical bearing, may be mediated to principles and the human mind. First, comes " Ex- ProcesseB of In- planation," by which the speaker, appeal- vention. ing to the intellect of the hearer, gives him a new con- ception of truth or beauty or goodness, or removes or modifies an old and dominant conception. Its metli- ods embrace narration, description, division, parti- tion, exemplification, and comparison and contrast. Secondly, comes "Confirmation," by which, appealing still to the intellect, the speaker leads his hearer to a new judgment regarding truth, beauty, or goodness, or removes or modifies one already dominant in the mind. The treatment embraces the entire doctrine of proof, in its positive and negative forms. Thirdly, comes ■'i-l If; m- 238 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. "Excitation." by which, appealing to the emotional nature, the speaker seeks to rouse the feehngs of lus hearer toward some form of truth, beauty, or good- ne'r or to remove or modify some already preva.hng feeling The treatment presents the various forms of moving the feelings, as by pathetic explanation by appeal to sympathy, etc. Lastly, comes "Persuasion by which, appealing to the will, the speaker brings to bear reasons and motives, to rouse to some new choice or purpose or action, in view of the true, the be utiful, or the good, or endeavors to remove or dissuade from some dominant choice or purpose or habitual mode of ^' jTder "Style," with equal breadth of thought and vision, the work unfolds the properties of style. Be- , ginning with the " Absolute Properties. ^^ulf or those that rise out of the very nature Stylo. of style, as making use of language, it presents the entire range of oral, suggestive, and gram- matical properties, as they are nowhere else presented^ Proceeding to the "Relative Properties or ^those that rise out of the nature of style, as related to the peak r or to the hearer, it presents the relative sub- ective properties, embracing significance, naturalness ind coherence; and the relative objective properties, embracing clearness, energy, and beauty. It would probably be difficult to find, anywhere else in any language, so compendious and helpful a view o his old aft. for the P-cher's use in training h.mse for his work and directing himself m it; and t is believed that this is the unanimous judgment of the strong and solid thinkers and wiiters who have made the acquaintance of the book and mastered its principle It must not be forgotten, however, that the knowL HINISTRY. the emotional feelings of his ;auty, or good- eady prevailing ■arious forms of Explanation, by 5 '« Persuasion," )eaker brings to ;ome new choice le, the beautiful, r dissuade from, labitual mode of of thought and Es of style. Be- lute Properties," the very nature ; of language, it estive, and gram- re else presented. ;rties," or those as related to the the relative sub- mce, naturalness, ective properties, luty. id, anywhere else, I helpful a view of n training himself f in it; and it is i judgment of the who have made the ured its principles. ;r, that the knowl- T'lF, PRKACHINO FOR THESE TIMES. 239 edge of the practical ideas, and of the scientific nictliod of rhetoric, is not enougli to give a public speaker power of the highest order 3. jorceof True with men. There must be a man back Manhood. of all these, a soul conscious of a worthy mission and message and inspired by these, before the working- theory can be wrought by effectively. It used to be said that "the orator must be a good man." It is manifest that this, in its literal sense, is not in accordance with fact; but if " ^ood man" is used in the sense of "possessed of large manhood," the meaning intended is true and valuable. Sincerity, at least for the time being, the successful speaker should have, so that he is able to throw his whole soul into his subject, with which he is heartily in sym- pathy — if he is to carry with him his audience to any permanent conclusion. This is most true in the case of the preacher. He, of all men, needs to be abso- lutely true and sincere, if his instruction or persuasion is to be of a permanent character. We have known various preachers, noted for power in producing an immediate popular effect, whose lives contradicted and neutralized their preaching; and we have found the religious results in these cases to be neither good nor permanent. There must be, then, as has just been said, a true and sincere Christian soul, possessed with its message of truth and ^race, back of all the knowl- edge of principles and method, to give to the preacher real power, and to enable him to secure permanent spiritual results in the saving of men. Too great stress can hardly be laid upon this requirement of a correct working-theory of preaching as an art, if the preacher is to be able intelligently to aim at and secure the best results. m Ill ii 340 CHRIST S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. II. The Practise mus" Be Conformed to the Correct Theory. In accordance with tie general answer already given to the question unde,- consideration, the pract.se o thepulpit'inustbe conformed to right theory and to tne wants of the times, so as to Present Go^ truth to men, in its practical ^^^arings and with fresh ness and Yividness. Consider now mater and «'«j«'^ in the respects herein involved, apart from each other and then glance at the spirit of the preacher, that must help to consecrate both matter and manner. (I) In the Matter of Preaching. The matter of the preaching for these times mus be^at the foundation, God's truth in its great practical bearings on the actual relations of men in hfe God's truth first of all and fundamentally. It is admitted that the methods of one age -« "-" [J^^; cisely suited to the needs of another, '•JSanT'^ but the great essential truths of Gods rundamental. ^vord, u\ their relations to man s neces- '■^rj X;eC'ctress to no sympathy with the tendency of Processor Draper and the neolog.ers o his school, who seem almost desirou.. m t^e^^ pro found admiration for the physical ^^^^^^^^^ tute the truth of nature for the truth of God s >Vord n the training of the theological seminary and in the deliverances of the pulpit. It is true t»^^^' '"^^^j^^^;,^ be best fitted for any great mission, ^/"^" ^^^ have attained to that kind and degree of culture that ■IINISTRY. MED TO THE .nswer alrfady on, the practise ght theory, and present God's and with fresh- tter and manner, rom each other, preacher, that id manner. .ACHING. hese times must :s great practical n in life, imentally. It is ;e are never pre- seds of another; truths of God's i to man's neces- mpathy with the he neologizers of ,us, in their pro- :iences, to substi- ;h of God's Word, minary and in the e that, in order to an, a man should ree of culture that THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 241 will insure to him right and complete views of every department in nature, as well as in art, and in the higher sphere of theology; but that is farthest pos- sible from justifying the claims advanced by the pro- fessor, in 77ie Future Civil Policy of America, for citltcr the predominance, or the exclusive use of, the physical sciences, in even the preliminary training of theclergy. We protest against such a view, and, while we humbly bow before him in his own department, fearlessly affirm the incapacity of Professor Draper or any other student of mere physical science, to decide what is the need of the clergy, and to mark out the course by which they must be prepared for thflr work. It is high time that when such men as Tyndall, Hu.xley, and Spencer give forth ex-cathedra utterances on subjects of '-hich they are utterly and hopelessly ignorant — subjects entirely beyond the range of their own departments of thought— that such utterance should be given just the weight that properly belongs to them — ;'. is not more intensely practical than the ques- onHow shall the energies of the Chr.stian Church be brought out and gathered up, and directed mos powerfully and efficiently to the great end of the world's salvation ? Now, the logic of Christian living, aside from he power of the Holy Ghost, is eminently simple: Chr st has lived and died for me, therefore 1 will live and die for him"; or, as Paul puts it, "The love of Christ constraineth us." The doctrine of the cross, as unfolding the heart of God to men, must be preached such a way as to deepen and call forth this sense o Ob igation, and lead to that work for want of more o which the generations are perishing 1 he ruin of the world ; the mission of the Church to save ,t ; .he agencies by wh^ch this is to be accomplished r^ht methods of worK for the heathen at home and abroad, with the progress and prospects; i"^'-f-' --^P;"- sibility in the matter must be constantly set orth, and the appeals in view of them made urgent and irre- i MINISTRY. ) acceptance of and presented e first center of :ker for God, or, m. To lead him ler. In all true Jhristianity must ;, but also as an smanding action, It should need no :n that special at- e of religious cul- be converted to il than the ques- Christian Church nd directed most rreat end of the ig, aside from the y simple: "Christ 1 will live and die Mie love of Christ of the cross, as must be preached forth this sense of or want of more of r The ruin of the ;h to save it ; the ccomplished ; right t home and abroad, individual respon- )nstantly set forth, ade urgent and irre- THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 247 sistible by the application of the power of Christ's constraining love, until we have a Church which, by adding works to its faith, shall demonstrate that faith to be living, and not dead. All must be preached in connection with this living faith, and this living faith must be aimed at and sought in all. The doctrine of the cross, in its relations to Christian activity, is thus a second center of crystallization. But Christian believing and working are to be done in the world as it is in connection with its divinely ordained institutions. There are three 3. God's Truth great divine institutions — the family, the ^'^ *^® <*"** Church, and the State ; the family'and e5om. the State as truly of divine ordaining as the Church ; the State appointed to embrace all men; the Church to embrace all Christian men ; and the family .^^^^ jjj^j^g the kernel of tlie State and the type of Institutions, the Church. The Christian is not an abstraction, but a being living in all these relations, and therefore needing direction in them all. God's law— not some human law— reaches and claims supremacy over him in every position he may occupy either in or in relation to these three institutions. There is a profound, and, we hold. Scriptural truth bearing on this point, and one to which this genera- tion needs to give special heed, brought out most powerfully by Julius Muller in his Christian Doctrine of Sin, in the brief passage in which he insists that man is not a legislator, that is a justice-maker or a law- maker in the strict sense; but simply under God, who has himself made the justice and ordained the law, a laut-discerner and law-proclaimer. That truth sweeps away the popular ideas: "man a law to himself"; "the Church a mere voluntary association"; "the f I 248 ch-'st's trumpet-call to the ministry. people sovereign." God in Christ is the head of all, and God's Word the law of all. Now God's Word as the law of conduct is not the rule of some abstract man, but of the man m the family the Church, and the State. The mm.ster o God is the divinely authorized expounder of the great principles of this law that apply to all these relations In, to men in them. It is not simply h.s pnvdege conceded by sufferance, but his solemn cktty to bring that law to bear in all these aspects, and thus to make God's own Word the molder of sentiment in all the relations of life. We believe that vhe future progress of salvation in the Church will depend very much upon her recognition and appreciation of this her position ^^The'wholJ tendency of our national history has been toward putting God's messengers and his Word out of their rightful place. Reaction in the early history against much-abused authority has in the end rmninto impatience of all authority, even that which on y aims to check the evil. The assumption of political dema- gogs, and of pulpit demagogs, just as truly in he interests of evil; the vulgar outcry against preaching the moral and Christian principles that should contro politics and statesmanship, and the gross ultraisms of Lny who assume to be models in this sort of preach- •mg, seemed to finish the work of divorcing the Chris- tian man and preaching from all practical connection with the world, and thus to leave great vital issues to work themselves out with no proper gmdanc^, and to spread ruin, individual, social, ecclesiastical, and national, everywhere. It is matter of rejoicing that the terrible expe- rience of the past has done much to open the eyes INISTRY. e head of all, ict is not the ; man in the le minister of r of the great hese relations J his privilege duty to bring 1 thus to make lent in all the uture progress ery much upon is her position istory has been 1 his Word out le early history he end run into vhich only aims political dema- as truly in the ainst preaching t should control ■OSS ultraisms of ; sort of preach- ircing the Chris- itical connection It vital issues to r guidance, and clesiastical, and e terrible expe- open the eyes THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 249 of the clergy, and to rouse them to a sense of their responsibility as God's watchmen and to reinstate them in their true position. The present and the coming years demand the presentation, plain, forcible, constant, such as the past has not known, o' the prin- ciples of God's Word, applicable to all the nlations of life, for after sowing the wind we are reaping the whirlwind : in the family, in nev. theories of marriage and divorce, of the obedience and service of children, and all that; in the Ch"rch, in independency and law- lessness, in the clogging of right work by the mul- tiplication of voluntary associations outside of the Church, and controlled too often by irresponsible and unfit men ; and in the State — God save the State ! The principles out of God's Word that furnish prac- tical direction in dll these positions in which he is a believer and worker, the Christian must especially have in this age in which the old landmarks are being removed. The law of God in the principles that apply to the social, civil, and ecclesiastical spheres of duty is thus another of the centers of crystallization. Once more all this truth of God, whether it have in view the conversion of men, ; ; e development of Christian activity, or direction i:! -ocial ^ q^,,^ Truth duty, must be addresed to wl.at are to the Practical called by Dr. Theremin the practical ideas. Ideas. The truth must somehow be brought into living con- nection with the soul to which it is directed. Now, as has been seen, by virtue of his constitution, "every man ideally (tho, by reason of his «in, not actually) wills the perfect." "Everyman w is the perfect in so far as it is specially determined and conditioned by his peculiar relations; this is the idea of duty. Every man wills to be inclined and able to realize the perfect I I. T 250 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. at all times and everywhere; this is the idea of virtue. Every man wills th it each and every one of his actions result in a series of internal and external consequences that will render the realization of the perfect ideal easier for him in the future ; this is the idea of hap. tiness " (See Eloquence a Virtue, p. 74-) Here is the side from which, oratorically, man may and must be approached. Show him that a thing is due to his manliness, and you have a friend within Connect a thing inseparably with his happiness, and you have another answering voice. These times call for powerful addresses to these practical ideas It is one of the pressing necessities. By departure from ,t preaching has lost much of its authority as well as much of its power. God's Word, especially as coming from the lips of Christ himself, lays tremendous stress on all of these ideas, even to that one of ^O'/';"'^ which the tremulous delicacy and subtle pnde of this age so shrink away. Success will be won in these days only by following the example of Jesus ..f Nazareth in his plain dealing with the truth on these subjects. It is an absolute necessity that the preaching of the day should take on more of this practical shape as to its matter. What meets no living need %Sr' will never reach man; for he is, after all a practical being, and will never travel very far out of his way for that which can clearly be of no use to him Speculate and abstract till you take all the sou and life out of God's Word, and he no longer wan s it. The mightiest nreachers, in moving power, have always taken advantage of the wonderful common sense o the race, and made the most of it; but somehow we of the pulpit, in this day, are slow to believe fallen men endowed with common sense and practicalness. INISTRY. idea of virtue. ; of his actions 1 consequences perfect ideal e idea of hap- ;ally, man may that a thing is friend within, happiness, and hese times call al ideas. It is parture from it rity as well as :ially as coming imendous stress ne of wo, from le pride of this on in these days 3 of Nazareth in se subjects, preaching of the tical shape as to 3 no living need r he is, after all, ;1 very far out of af no use to him. all the soul and longer wants it. nver, have always ommon sense of It somehow we of elieve fallen men cticalness. THE PREA HING FOR THESE TIMES. 251 - We have heard the broad statement made from the pulpit, and that by those credited with being thinking men, that the work of the preacher is unlike any other in the world, in that the operation of the principles of cause and effect, and of adaptation of means to end, has no place in it. .\gainst this we plead, not for a rationalizing, much less a rationalistic view, but for a rational one; a;id we hold that nothing in God's uni- verse is so perfectly adapted to the end designed as that (lospel of Christ which is confessedly the highest revelation of his wisdom. While God is admitted sovereign, we deem it de- monstrable that, in the ordinary administration of that sovereignty, the results of right work, when done in the pulpit, are not as uncertain as men seem to think. The Scriptures read : " He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall ihmbthss come rgain with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."* "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." \ With all possible clearness God has pre- sented just what will save the sinner, provided he will comply with the divine conditions. He has done nothing more in any sphere. It would be madness to say that he who has provided redemption at such a cost takes less interest in the saving of souls than in the ordinary work of men. Dependence for the results is here upon the direct and supernatural power of God, secured in his promise to faith; and the man who does not wish to cast away faith will hardly claim that C-od's promise and direct power are less a de- pendence than the so-called laws of nature. The difficulty is that, in our worldly w'sdom, we have too often mistaken man, emasculated the Gospel, * Psalm cxxvi. 6. \ Cial- vi. 7- •% I m Christ's trumpet-cali. to the ministry. and distrusted God: mistaken man— foolishly think- ing him a fool or a puppet, to be interested by sle-.ght- of-hand performances, ratl:er than a being once made in God's image, and having still intense anu earnest gazings upward toward the skies, and ceaseless tho undefined longings for something that he feels to be lacking; emasculated the Gospel-vainly imagining that which appeals to the lower and perishing instincts mightier than that which reaches down after what is enduring and Godlike in him; distrusted God-weakly losing confidence in that way of bearing life to men that he has declared to be the embodiment of his highest wisdom. One thing that we of this age must learn anew, and in its full significance, is that these practical things, that have to do with the conversion of men, with the growth of Christian activity, and the direction in duty in the world, and that appeal to man's highest instincts, have not yet lost their power. They must be used more constantly and mightily in our preaching, if we are to e.xpect great results in the Master's service. The Gospel is just what man needs; holding this, we need to preach it as if we believed it. Man, by nature, does not appreciate it; admitting this, we yet need to preach it as if he did, for God has promised to make it a light to the blind. We can not save men by preach- ing the Word; acknowledging this with all humility, we must yet, in some sort, preach it as if, under God, we could; for God can save and has promised to make it a word of life. The preaching whose matter shall be such as has been thus set forth can not but be a power in the world, gaining the ear of the perishing multitudes, and, by God's grace, saving their souls. T INISTRY. olishly think- ed by sleighi- ng once made » and earnest ceaseless tho he feels to be dly imagining ihing instincts I after what is I God— weakly ng life to men diment of his ;arn anew, and •actical things, men, with the e direction in man's highest ;r. They must our preaching, [aster's service, lolding this, we Man, by nature, we yet need to omised to make menbypreach- th all humility, i if, under God, ■omised to make )se matter shall an not but be a )f the perishing ig their souls. THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. (II) In THE Manner of Preaching, 253 Passing from matter to manner, it is obvious that, in respect of form, the preaching for these times must be with freshness and vividness, or with power. Professor Day has given, in his Art of Discourse, previously referred to, a most admirable compendium of the essential qualities of a good style, i_ principlea under the head of "Objective Properties Giving Power, of Style." First comes clearness, as truth must be intelligible in order to be felt. Second '1 order is energy, as truth must possess force and •v.,i''?ss in order to reach and stir men. Last m i ce is elegance, as what offends good taste v.. not adily gain access to men, even tho it be i " ii 'nu power- ful. Professor Day's discussion of iht ^r iciples of style is commended to any one who ma> ut ciesirous of an intelligent guide on the sub "^he course of the present discussion does not lie .n i;he same line with his treatise, as the aim here is, not to deal with the general qualities of style, but merely to call atten- tion to certain special principles that have to do with adapting the style of the pulpit to the needs of the present day, and with making it more a power with the men of this age. In attaining that freshness and vividness for which simplicity prepares, there are, aside from the general laws of energy, certain principles, that enter more or less into the style of the powerful preachers of all times, as an element in winning success, and that, while exceedingly important always, are especially a necessity to the pulpit of the present. They may be denominated Biblical qualities. To enumerate, in brief, some of them : I ,54 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. The Word of God needs to be presented more in concrete form. The idea, apparently of so many, that the preacher's diief mission is to turn ;;;eSrof his text into abstract truth, o, - flitter. Truth. ing generality," with which to ply a sleepy congregation, is all wrong. However necessary the process of abstraction maybe for the purpose., systematic theology, it is not the Bible method o reaching men. There was never a truer ut erance than that of Coleridge, in one of the 'ntroductory aphorisms, in his A,Js to Refl.t.n : "To restore a commonplace truth to its first uncommon luster. )ou need only translate it into action." What we can .. has power. The Lord's Supper takes advantage of this principle, and embodying the central truth of the G spel. aSd;esses it to reason and faith, with the add d power of the senses. It is thus the mo powerful of all presentations of the doctrine of the " And accordingly, we find Scripture everywhere pre- senting its truth largely in living shape and relation in history and individual experience and incident, and thereby attaining to a perpetual freshness and interest. The pulpit of a day in which the world presents cN-ery- thng in the concrete needs to model after the Bible n this regard. Volumes on faith in the abstract can never so unfold its nature to the masses of men a will the exposition of that master example in Abraham s Tf ring of Isaac. Volumes on parental responsibility in he abstract can never so fix the idea in the hearts of men, in all its fulness, as will that terribly solemn Lm.; of a pious father's grief over a favont. son gone down to perdition through his agency, that is brought before us in David's lament over his son Absa- NISTRV. nted more in so many, that i)n is to turn I, oi 'Kl'tter- lich to ply a ;ver necessary he purpose of lie method of uer utterance ; introductory 'To restore a ion luster, you k'hat we can see , advantage of ral truth of the aith, with the thus the most loctrine of the verywhere pre- )e and relation, id incident, and ;ss and interest, presents every- afterthe Bible he abstract can isses of men as pie in Abraham's al responsibility ea in the hearts terribly solemn r a favorite son agency, that is ver his son Absa- THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 255 loin. For our instruction and guidance, God's Word has put its utterances in these forceful shapes, and we may find in it instances without numl)er, applicable to every possible phase of life, whether in its faith and work or in its relations to family. State, and Church. Here is one of the powers that God has put into the hands of the ministry, to be used in their mission, and it is preeminently llio demand of this age, as well as of human nature, that it be used freely and largely. God's truth must be presented, as is the Bible man- ner, with apt and ample illustrations. John Ruskin (in pt. 3, vol. ii., of Afo furnished the ative language. Tie lower form, figure, used in }sents the very ; somewhere in way of helpful luse of Ruskin, od Ruskin has er; for we hold way of viewing ; typical. The family in all its in all its consti- 1 its ordinances ;rial universe in of change and teach us of God [iving us in this ual realities and )f anything that le of the secrets ual freshness of ler and merely ly as an element ide remove from aman work. We much-elaborated and with which THE PREACHINr. FOR THESE TIMES. '57 manufactured stock we vainly think to illustrate in an arbitrary way what (lod has given us to utter. Such work is like all work purely of man, and after his pattern— forceless and lifeless, and witiiout any real sense or significance. What thi', age preeminently v/unts is the seeing eye, the quick-discerning mind; and then, turning this down into the soul, or to the household life, or out u,ion tiic world, God will make revelations of himself to us, with which we may enforce his higher truths; and he will make them everywhere, in the flying Ic^f, the vanishing vapor, and the sweep- ing dust; in the falling sparrow, the short-lived moth, and the blooming and fading flower; in the yearning of a father over his wandering son, the watching of a mother over her helpless babe, and the heavenliness of home. So seeing, we shall no longer bear man's illustrations, but God's; and men will unconsciously recognize in them something of God's power. Taking art and science by the hand, as aids and guides in this their sphere, religion must make the world, with all in it, tributary to the pulpit, and make full use of it, until the message of wrath and love is written, as the Bible would write it, on everything that meets man's eye, appeals to his reason, dwells in his memory, fastens to his hopes, moves his heart, and links itself with his life. Such preaching will have power with man. In the end, the distilling dew shall, from morn to morn, speak to him of the silence, the energy, the quickening, invigorating contact, and the wide-reaching infli'ence of God's proclaimed message; the flaming course of the morning sun, as it hastens to its meridian splendor, shall show him daily the "path of the just" drawn across the skies, in its beginnings out of darkness, in its light dispelling the iarkness 258 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. and calling forth the life of the world, in its constant progress, and in its reaching out toward perfection; and the fading leaf, sweeping across the sky, while it speaks to him of his own withering life, shall tel! him also of the accumulated work and imperishable monu- ment, in the tc'.l monarch of the forct-t standing out against the sky, left behind to bless the coming generatiors with its shade and protection. Another element of power and effectiveness is to be found in the presentation of the specific truths of God's Word. We deal too much in these (3) Presentation ^^^^ in generalities. It is all wrong. Speoiflo Truth. 3u(,h truths, from their very nature, can possess comparatively little interest. And they are few in number; the man who deals in them must soon either exhaust or repeat himself. Moreover, it is not the Bible way; for in it everything is specific. The one who holds fast by the precise truth of each text of Scripture will always present what is fresh and new, because, unlike general truths, specific truths are infinite in number and variety. Over each text a vital question is. What is the exact thing that God would teach in this message? What is the The man who always asks it, and always Exact Point 1 presents what he ascertains as its answer, will not present the same subject in connection with all kindred texts, and will preach neither abstract theology nor philosophy, but God's Word, which is better than either or both. Here, by way of illustration, are two texts : Col. i. 17. ' By him all things consist." Jer. X. 23. " O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in him- self ; it is not in the man that, walketh to direct his steps." I MINISTRY. in its constant ard perfection; le sky, while it :, shall tel! him irishable raonu- ■ t standing out iss the coming on. iveness is to be ecific truths of )o much in these t is all wrong, 'ery nature, can And they are them must soon reover, it is not 5 specific. The 1 of each text of fresh and new, ;ific truths are s. What is the 1 this message? cs it, and always ns as its answer, connection with neither abstract Word, which is texts ; )f man is not in him- his steps." ) THE PREAC; NG FOR THESE TIMES. 259 We have heard men preach on the same general doc- trine of providence from both of them. It was not preaching God's Word. The first of the texts has nothing to say of providence in general; it only speaks of one element in the doctrine of providence —preservatio'i, and is still more specific in affirming this not of God absolute, but of Jesus Christ. "By CInist ^\\ things are continued in being." The other text is still more specific, but in another direction. The emphatic words— at least in significance — are, "in man," "in himself"; and the theme from it, in its relations to providence would be the prophet's thorough conviction of the necessity of r. special providence as demonstrated to him by the nature of man. Again, here are three texts : Ps. Ixii. II, " God hath spoken once ; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." Ps. cxi. 6. " He hath showed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen." Ter. V. 22. " Fear ye .not me? saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the .,and for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it can not pass it ; and tho the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail ; th j they roar, yet can they not pass over it ? " One might preach on the power of God from each of them, but that would by no means bring out their truth. Taking them only in iheir applications to the present, they?/-j/ points rather to the abundant and clear evidence that power is God's prerogative; the second may turn our attention to the won''erful manner in which, by the progress of science and art God is unfolding the powers of nature to the Christian 26o CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CAM. TO THE MINISTRY. flu il nations, and making way for the possession and con- version of the world; while the third speaks not specifically of the power of God, nor of the power of God to control, nor of the power of God tf> control the mightiest things, nor of the power of God to con- trol the mightiest things by the most insignificant means, but of the p:nver of God to control the mightiest forces by the most insignificant means, as a rea: ■ why the sinner should fear him— or, in more rhetorical form, the omnipotence of the most insignifi- cant things in God's hands as a reason for the sinner's fearing him. The three run in wholly different lines of thought; one takes us out through the universe, and bids us listen for the voices of God's power every- where, from man's soul to the sweep of the remotest star; another takes us along the experience of Chris- tendom, and shows us how the forces of nature, in wind, steam, magnetism, electricity, in all their appli- cations to the arts, to trade and intercourse, are being revealed to the Christian nations, and being used to bring the heathen to their very door for a possession for the Church and Christ; and the third takes us to the storm-lashed shore of the never-resting sea, and to where the minute and mysterious forces of God's vast world are working out in silence the behests of his omnipotence— and bids us sinners tremble as we see how God can hold for ages those furious and seem- ingly resistless waves by that shifting sand, while the adamantine rocks wear away and disappear— how he can grind up the mountains by the turn of atoms, bind the proudest with the web of a spider, take his life with a particle of dust or air, or crush him by the turn- ing of a falling leaf. While it is not the purpose to recommend some TNISTRY. sion and con- d speaks not the power of od tn control if God to con- t insignificant a control the nt means, as a —or, in more most insignifi- or the sinner's different lines I universe, and power every- f the remotest ence of Chris- i of nature, in all their appli- urse, are being being used to or a possession t/iird takes us -esting sea, and orces of God's the behests of tremble as we rious and seem- sand, while the ppear — how he 1 of atoms, bind er, take his life lim by the turn- commend some THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 261 superficial forms of expository preaching, as suited to this age of cheap commentaries, yet specific truth we must have, as an element of power Fresh Exposi- in the pulpit, even tho it carry us tory Preaching, all the way back to simple exposition, for that is better than generalities, however glittering, and as much better as God's Word is better than man's abstractions. We must learn to come to a text, not to see whether it may be warped to suit our purposes, but to ascertain what God says in it, and then to present and enforce that from the pulpit. Such, in hasty sketch, are these simple Biblical principles that have so much to do with the effective- ness of preaching, and that the preacher must make use of to meet the demands of the times. The pulpit must hold up the practical truth of God in concrete shape, illustrated in God's way, and specific as in God's Word. The theoretical, the abstract, the indefinite, the general, have no living energy. The practical, the concrete, the illustrative, the specific, alone are always new and fresh and forceful, and so fitted to take living hold on human souls. As a passing glance is turned to those who from the pulpit hold and control men, are found to be clearly possessed, in large measure, of at least 2. Principles some of these elements, and to wield Illustrated, influence according to the completeness of their fur- nishing in this respect. Two men stand out prominently as the popular men of the past generation in the pulpit, with reputation world-wide— Charles Haddon Spurgeon seecherand and Henry Ward Beecher. It was long Spurgeon. the custom to call in question the power of these men, but the day passed when one could exclaim, "clap- 262 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. trap," with a sneer, and pass them by. The fact of their substantial and permanent success met men face to face. " Clap-trap " may attract the crowd for a twelve- month, but it has no power to hold it through the years. It is wiser to acknowledge the facts, and, while guard- ing against error, seek to make the most of that pover, whatever it may be, by which they won their success. Spurgeon and Beecher stand before the world as the most successful popular pulpit orators of the past generation. Wherein lay their power ? Holding fast the distinction of matter and fuim, we should say that, in the particulars we have enumerated, Spur- geon's success was due more to the matter, Beecher's more to the form; tho each possessed, in some degree, all the elements both in matter and form.^ Taking Coleridge's antithesis between ^'science" and " poetry," Mr. Beecher's cart of mind was rather poetic than scientific. This accounted for some of his peculiarities. If he had any system of theology, it was one peculiar to himself; so that, taking him in connec- tion with his family, the divi ion of theologians into "the orthodox, tiu- hcte. . .1 ;x, and the Beecher family," is more tha a witticsiu. As a result of this laxness and want of system, he was often to be found <-■■■; , ; ig at "orthodoxy " and " sound theology," and dispar ing some of the truths most precious to the Char- a of God-a feature in his preaching that was deeply deplored by some of his best friends. Spurgeon dwelt more than Beecher upon the doc- trine of the cross, in its relations to the conversion of men and to the development of Christian activity. The number of conversions under his ministry was therefore greater, and the distinctively Christian activity of his church more noteworthy. H„ :-x' li:^^il(fE1^1SSi!r-^^ts ■ ^ il INISTRY. The fact of let men face to rd for a twelve- )ugh the years. 3, while guard- of that pover, 1 their success, le world as the s of the past Holding fast ^ve should say nerated, Spur- tter, Beecher's ssed, in some tter and form, en ''science" lind was rather for some of his theology, it was him in connec- heologians into 1 the Beecher a result of this ten to be found theology," and precious to the iching that was ends. ■ upon the doc- le conversion of ristian activity, is ministry was ively Christian rthy. I [, THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES, 263 Beecher dwelt more than Spurgeon upon the duties of the Christian believer and worker in the spheres of social and civil duty— applying the truth more to the every-day home-wants of men- seeking to guide them in the world as it is, and so aiming to make them better fathers, relatives, and friends, better business men and citizens, by laying down rules for their guidance. Perhaps no man of his day attempted to apply God's Word to these practical connections of the Christian with the world, especially in the national sphere, as did Beecher; often radically and wrongly, to be sure, in consequence of attempting t) go beyond the sphere of vital gospel principles to which, as has been seen, Christ and his Apostles confined them- selves; but yet, men were constrained to concede, with an aim to faithfulness, and, on the whole, present- ing vital truth that took hold of human hearts and made him a molder of public sentiment and a leader among men, and aroused many among the clergy to a renewed sense of neglected or forgotten duty in tnis direction. Both addressed their messages to the practical ideas in man; but Spurgeon the more powerfully, speaking chiefly to duty and happiness, and appealing to the latter from its darker side with a tremendous and awful intensity of earnestness that has hardly been surpassed since Je-ius of Nazareth uttered his procla. mations of wo in Galilee and Judea; while Beecher addressed more the idea of virtue or man' ss, as if seeking lo press home dishonesty, cow lice, and meanness, as the cardinal sins. In respect to form, both made use of all the elements of power enumerated. Both delighted to present truth in the concrete. Both held practically to the theory ^^ 264 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. that the world is typical, and so both abounded in apt illustration. Beecher, born poet, yet affectionately acknowledged, in his Star Papers, his indebtedness to John Ruskin for the "blessings of sight" : " We are more indebted to him for the blessings of sight than to all other men. We were, in respect to nature, of the number of those who, having eyes saw not, and ears, heard not. He taught us what to see and how to see." Spurgeon, in one of his early sermons, gave substan- tial expression of his ad'.erence to the same theory, tho coming by it in a different way. The world in all its breadth was thus tributary to both, and was made to speak most eloquently for God through them. Beecher saw it the more poetically; Spurgeon the more practically. Both presented specific truth, and were, therefore, always fresh and novel. Of the two, Beecher was rather the man of genius and arUstic excellence, and th favorite on the platform , Spurgeon the represent- ative of the earnest and evangelical type of piety, the model preacher of the Gospel, and the man of larger Christian influence with the masses and with evangeli- cal Christendom. Beecher drew large audiences by the exhibitions of his genius and the fascination of his eloquence, who found much to admire in the man and in his utter-; nces. Spurgeon gathered a vast and per- manent congregation, in the literary and commercial metropolis of the English world, by the simple elo- quence of the message of salvation and his personal magnetism, who consecrated themselves to organized service for Christ for the saving of the world. It should be remarked, also, that Spurgeon added to his qualities as a preacher perhaps the most extraordinary MINISTRY. bounded in apt ; affectionately ndebtedness to It": s of sight than to all le number of those He taught us what s, gave substan- e same theory, The world in both, and was d through them. ; Spurgeon the were, therefore, 0, Beecher was excellence, and m the represent- ype of piety, the le man of larger id with evangeli- se audiences by ascination of his ; in the man and 1 a vast and per- and commercial the simple elo- and his personal ves to organized f the world. It eon added to his 3St extraordinary THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 261, administrative power possessed by any preacher of the century; by virtue of which he was enabled to embody his gospel ideas in various forms of churchly activity and various educational and missionary institutions, that have already sent out many hundreds of ministers and Christian workers, and exerted a vast influence upon all Protestant Christendom, and that promise to continue permanently their ever-widening influence for the cause of Christ and his Gospel. The preaching of the two, in contrasts and conse- quences, strongly emphasizes the larger and more permanent Christian results of that preaching, with no "uncertain sound," of Christianity as the saving power, with its two-fold message of law and Gospel, that has been already dwelt upon as the better way. As lessons are often better learned by example than by precept, these two men are presented, as perhaps illustrating better than any other men of Howfkr recent times, the elements in matter Models, and manner that are fitted to reach the men of the present day. While insisting that no man is to be servilely copied, yet it must be regarded as a duty to lay hold of and turn to service every element of power in every man. It is granted and even affirmed, that there are objectionable elements and eccen- tricities in their style — especially in Mr. Beecher's and in Mr. Spurgeon's earlier efforts — that are to be avoided, at least by other men, and through mad imitation of which this country and Great Britain were at one time visited with an infliction of clergymen of the "Rev. Snallow Splurge" type. But tho these peculiarities lessened their influence, they abated not one whit from the value of the princely gifts 266 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. bestowed upon them by the Master. We have some- times been constrained to think that, if Mr. Belcher had preached the central doctrine of the cross with the fulness and the " blood earnestness" of Spi rgeon. he would have been every way the mightiest man of the modern popular pulpit. But whatever may be the comparative estimate of Beecher and Spurgeon. there can be no question but that all who are called to stand in the pulpit should seek to make of service these powers of the two men so far as available. Preaching, so conformed to what is right in high example, as well as to the demands o correct theory, meeting the actual needs of men in all the relations of life, will be a master-power in the world. It will have the grandest of beauty, and yet not be a gospel of esthetics ; it will possess perpetual novelty, and yet not be a gospel of - clap-trap and sensation ; it will always be sublimely practical, but never a gos- pel of petty scolding, nor of minor mora s. Such preaching will meet all the just demands of the three tendencies noted, at the beginning of th« discussion, as characterizing the times in which we live. (Ill) In THE Spirit of Preaching. Passing from matter and manner to spirit, it is clear that, in accordance with the general answer to the question proposed at the outset, the spirit of the pulpit must be conformed to the correct working-theory so as to meet the needs of the times. It is the spirit of the preacher that transforms and glorifies both matter and manner. He must preach the Gospel with a living sense of his grand mission to save souls. iIINISTRY. Ve have some- if Mr. Belcher e cross with the if Spi rgeon, he ;st man of the ive estimate of lO question but e pulpit should )f the two men, formed to what the demands of ds of men in all ver in the world, id yet not be a rpetual novelty, ind sensation " ; )ut never a gos- • morals. Such ids of the three th« discussion, ■e live. ACHING. spirit, it is clear il answer to the ipirit of the pulpit orking-theory, so t is the spirit of rifies both matter ispel with a living uls. THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 267 It isonly necessary here barely to indicate what needs to be brought out in this connection. Dr. Francis Wayiand, in his work on the Christian calling and Ministry, has clearly shown that ministry Consecration, to be, not a profession, and not on a level with the professions, but most widely separated from them in being a calling. A call to this great and solemn work, direct from the living God, is, as already insisted, the first thing requisite — a call which shall make a man cry out with Paul, under a sense of his responsibility, •' Wo is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel." * Then the vocation of the minister demands intense sympathy with Christ in the work of saving the world. It calls for an overmastering enthusiasm in the work of soul-winning. It demands an absolute consecration to that work, and an entire devotion to it. This can come only through the knowledge of God's Word, in which Christ's will is expressed, and through the rich indwelling of the Spirit of Christ. Moreover, there must be that complete knowledge of men, and sympa- thy with them, that can come only from intimate and constant contact with them, both as a man and a pastor. Add to all, large expectation of results. " Preach the Word, and leave the results to God "; so we are wont to say. We hold this form of state- Expectation of ment, as it is sometimes meant, to be Besults. neither Scriptural nor true. Preach the Word, and expect results from God, is truth and Scripture. It recognizes faith as a substantial element of power. Men must feel that their work is one of life and death, and, at the same time, a work in which God and Christ are more interested than they can be; and then, with correct theory, working in the right way and in the * I Cor. ix. 16. a68 CHRIST'S TKUMPET-CAI.t, TO THE MINISTRY. proper spirit, they may expect that perishing men will assuredly be reached, and, by God's grace, saved. Would that the whole truth concerning the mission of the ministry might be written on the heart of every messenger of God with a pen of fire, and in perpetu- ally burning words; for without it thus fixed in the soul, there can be no such thing as success in the highest and truest sense. The little work of Bonar,^ entitled ll'on/s to the Winners of Souls, already re- ferred to, presents the idea with great force. True it is that a certain class of men cry out against what they are pleased to denominate its " legal spirit," and declaim against it as setting up an unscriptural standard by which *■^ try the work of the ministry; but we believe that ea.nest and sincere men can not but plead guilty to every charge it brings against us of this day. All such men feel intensely that we need a new life in the ministry. And such men feel, too, that without such a new life, without such men, there i. no salvation for us ! If the consecrated spirit shall thus cro\yn the Scrip- tural and divine matter and the intelligent and wise manner, the divine blessing and resultant large suc- cess may be confidently expected. SECTION THIRD. The Preaching for Immediately Evangelizing the World. The preaching of the Gospel has been considered in its general relations to the times in which we live. It is vastly more important that it be considered in its special relations to the present meaning of the Great Commission, in the light of God's Word and of God's INISTRY. ;hing men will :e, saved, ifj the mission heart of every nd in perpetu- 1 fixed in the luccess in the •ork of Bonar,^ 's, already re- force. True t against what al spirit," and 1 unscriptural ; ministry; but sn can not but against us of that we need a 1 feel, too, that len, there i.:. no •o\yn the Scrip- igent and wir.e tant large suc- ;ing the World. ;n considered in ich we live. It onsidered in its ig of the Great :d and of God's THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 269 providences. That calls for a preaching that shall keep in vi«nv the obligation of the ministry, and of the Church, to give the Gospel to all mankind without delay. The preaching that is to have this in view must manifestly be nreaching for awakening and revival — not for emotional or hysterical revival, nor even for sporadic and local revival of the genuine sort; but for a great awakening, such as the Ciiurch has never therto known, that shall reach and rouse and set to work the Church of Christendom for the accomplish- ment of this one object. From this point of view, the supreme thing to be emphasized in the preaching of the day, if it is to meet the present needs, fulfil the preacher's commission, and be effective, is that it must be essentially and directly evangelistic, and with constant reference to the present status of that commission. The Gospel must be preached as a regenerating and saving power, of present efificacy for the individual sinner and for all mankind. Now, if ever, preaching should intelligently and constantly aim at the immediate conversion of sinners and of the world. It should be heartily and intensely Gospel-preaching, in this awakening and sav- ing sense. Such preaching will doubtless rouse opposition, as it always has in the past; but that opposition will be God's testimony and Satan's testimony to the neces- sity for it. It will not excuse the preacher from faith- fully delivering the message Christ has committed to him. The "carnal mind" has never ceased to be at "enmity against God," * and never will cease to be so. It will never listen to the complete presentation of God's truth concerning man's sinful and lost condi- * Rom. viii. 7. J 870 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. tion Without reluctance or resentment, varying in in- tensity and virulence according to circumstances. A method of questioning young evangelists, on the.r re- Turn from a preaching tour, in order to t-t the. sc.c- cess-which we have heard attributed to John Wesley -is highly suggestive of man's condition and need, as well as (f keen discernment of human nature^ It was by three c.uestions and their answers: "Has your preaching resulted in the conversion of any sinner ? ..No" "Has it resulted in the conviction of any sinner?" "No." •« Has it made any one mad ? .. No." " Then you will not do for a preacher of the ^sTh "opposition will doubtless be strongest where the pews are filled with the rich and so-called culti- . * vated classes; and it will be thereby '^rr* proved of gr;ater need just there, if these souls are not to be lost. The preacher needs o remembe that the great sinners are not necessarily hrrrggecl denizens of the slums, and to be judged by their rags and squalor-as so many m these days seem to think Righteousness does not consist in external decency and |ood clothes; nor sin simply m poverty, fi th, Ind wretchedness. Paul, by inspiration de- clar d himself to be tbe greatest of all sinners i F.m. • 15 i6). and affirmed that God had, for this very rel n, slved him and set him up as an example for al sinner^ in all ages, of the power of divine g -ce^ 1 he .. wickedest man." as the gospel ^^an^lards measure wickedness, is rather the man of great brain and great rrghtenment and great gospel opportunities and or v^leges, who, notwithstanding all these, remains an unb eve and rebel against God, and a hater and reTec ter of Christ's claims and commands and en- i INISTRY. varying in in- imstances. A ;s, on their re- test their suc- John Wesley n and need, as lature. It was 5 : " Has your f any sinner?" viction of any ly one mad ? " preacher of the ;trongest where so-called culti- irill be thereby just there, if eacher needs to not necessarily to be judged by these days seem nsist in external mply in poverty, inspiration, de- 1 sinners (i Tim. d, for this very n example for all I'ine grace. The indards measure t brain and great pportunities and these, remains an and a hater and mmands and en- • ■m,X '. m r"' ^f >v.;'isrc?^^i^!?^'^T;?-"5if?^Pv?^ MBMHIHBP HWi s^V ^. &> %. .a.%^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V // ^/ A i 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^> 4 "•l) rv" ?sg^5S|&1S^iS(-ir<^-S@!«"!-; mBmmammsmsm ^ MP< mi CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques ^■ f ffii m fmm. w^tg w wq \ tf ^-_ jV'-'VfJi 1 ; i . ' - ' " ' ^i"^ ''■^'■^■•^ ff -T- ". ■* ■< »?■)« ■■•■ ' j '"«'- ' ^^»y THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 271 treaties; and he is more lilcely to be found in the "best pew " in the fashionable church than in tiie slums or the prison, unless, as is sometimes the case, he has passed from the first to the last. That his plain message from God might have stirred up opposition will furnish no adequate e.xcuse at the judgment bar for the preacher who has x^e Watch- for this reason failed to deliver it. Per- man's Responsi- ishing souls need the message, and the di ity. compassionate Savior, knowing this, commissioned the preacher to deliver it, that lost souls might be saved. Ezekiel's judgment upon the watchman is the divine judgment upon the unfaithful watchmen on the walls of Zion to-day : ' \ " But if the watchman see the sword coming and blow not the trumpet and the people be not warned ; if the sword come and take any person from among them, he is taiKT-CA!,I. TO TIIK M.NISTUY. /.•/;,/ There has been, m .ach case, a provielcntial preparation, in th. revival ..f faith in ^^^^^^f^^^^J^' th,.rity ..f tlK- Sa.rcd Scriptures as the U-.rd .f Cod- a genuine and general religious revival l-'^^ j^M-r- , .;i>i,. vi'itli shaken or shattered faitli m r-iu V impossible wim .iiuiklh , ... i d ereJelation. This revival of faith ,n the NN ore has brought the Church and the world to the test o he '' Law and the resliinony," and awakened and n.used them bv the exposure of current errors, the uncovering of churchly formality and hypocrisy, and the judgment and condemnation of all sin. )lJ/iy. There have been, in each case, spec phases o'f error and sin, having their clearly markec di'lcrences, and calling for peculiar and appropriate '"'rl^^J^: There have been, in each case, sp^if^c dif- ferences in the doctrines presented by preachers and , ssed by the Holy Spirit, in remedying the evds by nuising the Church and saving sinners-these doctrines ;;:;:g Lctly suited to counteract the peculiar errors and sins of the period. The first era of -Vn.erican revivals was that n er Fdwards and Whiteficld and their successors, cc^n cm- p:^:::.us with the movement in England under NN hite- f.eld and the Wesleys, and dating back to 1740. The philosophical English deism, which m the course c^f a long controversy, had largely undermined , the faith of the English-speaking peoples, "'Cg:. and resulted in general religious stupor received its logical death-blow in the P"^"-;-; '^^ Butler's A.„/o,y of Religion, in 1738. . ^ N^w Eng and vhich in the eighteenth century, in consequence o he immigration of much of the better Puntan e lemen om England, became the great center of theological 1 i iNisruY. a pr(nitlential doj^matic aii- /oril of (loci — W\ng appar- :crcd faith in in llic Word to the test of awakened and 'lit errors, the liypocrisy, and ,in. ease, speeial clearly marked nd appropriate ase, specific dif- y preachers and nj; the evils by -tliese doctrines peculiar errors was that under :essors, contem- ind under White- : to 1740. , which, in the Tely undermined ;peaking peoples, religious stupor, he publication of In New England, 1 consequence of r Puritan element :er of theological IIIK I'UKACIllNii inii IIIKSK IIMKS. 2S1 thought, the skepticism showed itself in tlic prevalence of mere forniaiisni in religion, in place of the system nf gospel grace that lays stress on regeiuratioii and vital jiiety; and in the consecpient prevaUnce of open im- morality in the conduct or of trust in mere morality, ill place of a life of t'liristian virtue. 'I'he world had been largely received into the Church, in (onseipience of ignoring liie doctrine of the new birth, of the bai)- tism of the children of those who were not members of the Church and their admission to the Lord's Supper, of regarding tlie sacraments as saving ordinances, ami of otlicr like irregularities. There liad thus grown up a system of works tliat, in tlie .\merican Cliurch of Edwards' day, had protluced tlie same fruits that were produced by it in the early cliun ii at Rome, and to the remedying of which Paul had directed the Epistle to the Romans— that is, they had "made the grace of God without effect." * In the Creat Awakening, as it has been called, Edwards, Ikllamy, and their contemporaries planted themselves solidly on the assumption and distinct reaffirmation of the authority of the Word of Cod. They met the ultra .Vrminiaiiism and churchly legalism by appealing to Paul's doctrine to the Romans in anal- ogous circumstances— the doctrine of justification by faith in the Divine Redeemer. This was the one com- mon burden of the preaching of the day. As essen- tially connected with justification, tremendous stress was laid, in this era, upon the condemning power of the law, and the lost condition of the sinner, in order to leave the sinner hopele^ , unless he could obtain justification through the righteousness of the crucified Savior, and find refuge in him; while the necessity for the new birth was emphasized, in order to bring the Rom. iii. 3. 282 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. formal and godless professor to despair of deliverance and salvation except by the power of the Holy Ghost. These were the um.inctive dogmatic features of the first era of revivals, and these were the specific doc- trines blessed by the Holy Spirit, in connection with the Great .\wakening. The second era of American revivals— that in which President Dwight, Dr. Edward Uorr Griffin, and Second Era of others were among the leaders in its Revivals. earlier phase; and Drs. Nettleton and Finney the leading revivalists in its later phase — may be reckoned from 1797, and it ^-xtended well into the nineteenth century. A period of backsliding and moral defection followed the Great Awakening. The errors and sins of this period were again of a peculiar character. A blatant and scoffing form of skepticism had taken the place of- the old, reasoned deism, and had sought to undermine Christianity and the authority of the Bible in another way. The French skeptics and their followers had laughed the Word of God out of court, had gone squarciy to the polls and voted, "There is no God," and then had formally repudiated the sovereign rule of God. In connection with the American and French revolutions, and in consequence of the sympathy re- sulting from the generous aid we had received from the French during our Revolutionary War, this infi- delity had spread widely in this country, either in its more popular and scoffing form, as represented by Voltaire and his compeers, or in its coarser and more brutal form, as represented by Tom Paine. It had gained a hold, especially .anong many of those who laid claim to high intelligence and culture, and who were proud to be considered '* free-thinkers "; and it ^■r [NISTRY. )f deliverance Holy Ghost. atiires of the specific doc- nnection with vals — that in rr Griffin, and jaders in its Niettleton and r phase — may well into the ction followed d sins of this ;r. A blatant n the place of to undermine lie in another followers had irt, had gone e is no God," /ereign rule of n and French sympathy re- received from War, this infi- ', either in its ^presented by rser and more ['aine. It had of those who ture, and who kers "; and it THE PREACH'NG FOR THESE TIMES. 283 had greatly affected a large number of the public men and of the young men in the colleges and seminaries of learning. There was a wide-spread revolt against authority in every form, but especially in religion, against the authority of God and his Word. 'I'he prac- tical creed of these men uiuy be sunniied up in the sentence • " We will not have God to reign over us." But error in faith and practise had come in from another side. The preaching in the Great .Awakening naturally erred by defect. In keeping tlieir minds intently fixed upon the central truth of justilHation by faitii, as furnishing the antidote to the corrupting influence of formality and legality, the preachers had not, perhaps, laid sufficient stress upon the neces- sity for an active life of Christian duty, as the neces- sary result of the true life of faith. At all events the Chuuh, after the day of Edwards, fell into this error. " Di.id orthodo.xy " had been the result, accompanied too often by open immoralities, or at least by their advocacy in the sacred name of lijjerty. Moreover, the success and prosperity that had at- tended the American Republic had led to boastful pride and arrogance. The nation that had " whipped England could whip the world," and did not feel like acknowledging any sovereign but the "sovereign people." Reaction was inevitable. The dreadful ex- cesses of the French Revolution, acknowledged and boasted of as the legitimate fruit of the skeptical theories, the equally dreadful licentiousness of the leading skeptics themselves, and the threatened disso- lution of society and of Christian civilization, drove men back to the Bible and Christianity by the con- trast, and forced upon the masses, almost uncon- sciously to themselves, d Irni conviction of the abso- 11 I ii! 284 Christ's tkumi'KT-cai.l to the ministry. lute necessity for the authority of God as a foundation for life and religion. 'I'he influence of tliat gr-.at Christian philanthropist, Wilberforce, in introducing the knowledge of a higher Christian life among the nobility and the educated classes abroad, together with the disgust with which the folly and corruption that had characterized the leaders and literature and society of the time of the Restoration and of the Georges, had caused many of the more intelligent to turn to the Bible and Christianity for refuge and help. The leaders in the reaction— such men as Dwight, Griffin, and the ekler Mills— fell back once more upon the Bible, assuming, affirming, or proving, by unan- swerable arguments, its divine authority, and they directed their preaching intelligently against the pre- vailing errors and sin. The peculiar dogmatic feature of this era, appearing to a large e.xtent in all the preaching, was necessarily the sovereignty of God. The people had largely revolted against God, and needed to be made to feel, to the utmost, that there is an infinite God ai)ove all and CMitrolling all, and the arbiter of future destiny. The Spirit of God made use of this doctrine of the sovereignty of God in the preaching of that age of revival; and, in the teaching of the strong men of the day, it becar.ie a trumpet-call to repentance and judgment. The m- 5sage was: *' Submit to God, your rightful sovereign." " Throw down the weapons of your rebellion." The churchly and personal errors and sins of the times were met by emphasizing the doctrines of re- pentance and of a holy life, and the (;ersonal duty to love and serve God with all the soul, nvght, mind, and strength. The message became: " i\^..ent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressioi-'s." " Son, give 1 SMSTRV. THE PREA( MING KOR IHESE IIMES. 285 a foundation f that gr-.at introducing e among the togetiu T with rruption that e and society the Georges, ,0 turn to the n as Dwight, ;e more upon ng, by unan- ty, and they iinst the pre- jmatic feature Mit in all the rnty of God. 1st God, and , that there is g all, and the of God made )f God in the I the teaching a trumpet-call m' ssage was: n." "Throw id sins of the ictrines of re- rsonal duty to ght, mind, and jent, and turn ' " Son, give me thine heart." "Devote yourself and your life to the service of God." The Holy Spirit led the preachers to use just the doctrines needed to meet the case, it is obvious that the natural tendency of the call to submission and duty was to make pnutical Christiaus. Great reform movements sprang up against inteuucrance, profanity, Sabbath desecration, licentiousness, slavery, war, etc. The great benevolent and missionary agencies came into e.xistence — the Bible Society, 'I'ract Society, mis- sion societies, etc. A powerful and permanent im- pulse was given to home missions and to foreign missions. The opening hdf of the century witnessed a marked elevation in Christian ideals, character, and activity. The third era of American revivals began with the great awakening of 1858. It was a revival among the people. It made revivalists, rather than ThirdEraof was made by them, and has been es- Eevivals. timated to have added a million members to the churches. A reaction had folhnved the second era of revivals. The authority of the Sacred Scriptures was attacked from a new point of view. Certain dvocates of imma- ture science, or of " science falsely so called,' insisted that the latest discoveries of astr(jnomy, geology, and other sciences contradicted the Bible, and that, there- fjre, the Bible must be every way false, untrust- worthy, and worthless. The wide publication of their views, and their loud advocacy in the newsjiapers, at the post-offices and corner groceries and gathering- places, and even in the rationalistic pulpits, led to a rapid extension of their influence and the consequent V, eakening of the faith of many. 286 Christ's trumpet-call to thl ministry, It was during this period tliat German rationalistic criticism began to exert a large inlluence against the acceptance of the Scriptures as tiie Word of God. A special agent in introducing it was Theodore Parker, then of Boston, whose work in this direction cul- minated in the translation of I)e Wctte's Iniyodiiction to the Old Testament. That English scholar, I-'rcderick W. Newman, also did much toward undermining faith in the Scriptures by presenting, in Phases of Faith, the universal religion common to all creeds— a view that at once appealed to and embodied the philo- sophical Zeitgeist. More than all else, perliaps, the philosophy of August Comte acted as a disintegrating and undermining power. Positivism was silent about the existence of a Deity, and thus practically atlieistic. It made nature's laws the v)nly providence, and obe- dience to them the only piety. It thus brought in the sway of naturalism and anti-supernaturalism. Moreover, out of the preaching of the previous era there had resulted, by empliasis of responsii)ility and human duty, a tendency to undue exallatioii of human ability, and a characteristic self-sufficiency on the part of the impenitent, in the assurance that they could repent when they pleased, and so did not need any special help from (iod. The emphasis laid upon duty had resulted in the depreciation of faith; and this again had reacted upi i the sense of duty, to such an extent as to threaten its annihilation and the reduc- tion of Christian activity to the mere management of the machinery of organization. Besides, new secularizing forces had come in and changed the whole face of society. The great gold- fields of California had been discovered and their riches developed. Science in various forms had begun I INISTRY. 1 rat'onalistic :e against the d of Clod. A ■odore Parker, direction cul- 's Introduction liar, Frederick ermining faith ases of Faith, reeds — a view ed the philo- perhaps, the disintegrating IS silent about (•ally atheistic, ence, and obe- brought in the lism. e previous era ponsibilitj' and xlioh of human icy on the part hat they could not need any laid upon duty faith; and this uty, to such an and the reduc- management of d come in and 'h'.,' great gold- ered and their :)rms had begun rHK I'RF.Al.lIINr. FOR TUKSK IIMKS. 287 to be widely applied to the arts and industries— in the chemical lab jratcn-y, in the mines, and in the mag- netic telegraph, and in innumeralile other inventions. The application of steam to locomotion and machine- production had covered the rivers and oceans with steamers, gridironed the continent with railways, and opened the way to possibilities of almost fabulous production of the means of enjoyment and luxury. Intense worldliness threatened to engulf the Church. Tiie attacks upon the Scriptures by the scientists and the rationalists were met, their objections answered, and their arguments refuted, by such men as Thomas Chalmers, John Fye Smith, Hugh Miller, Pritchard, Edward Hitchcock, Arnold Guyot, and James D. Dana, and by such men as Charles Hodjrf, Henry B. Smith, Ezra Abbot, Mark Hopkins, Tayler Lewis, and many others; so that the intelligent and educated were quite generally satisfied that both science and reason had failed to iminign the authority of God's Word. But the religious awakening came in a most unusual way, and took on an entirely new aspect. The pre- vious movements, already considered, were intimately connected with some special presentation of dogmatic truth, or with the appearance of great leaders; but the revival of 185S came as one result of the pressure of a peculiar providence. A great financial crisis had some time before prostrated the industries of the country; the depression continued and increased until vast numbers, left without work, were on the verge of abject want. In tneir despair they were driven to turn to (;od in prayer, (iod, who has many ways of accomplishing his purposes, had this time roused men by smiting their idol, Mammon! New York City, the center of commercial depres- 288 CHRIST'S TKLMPET-CAI.I. lO THK MIMSTKV. sion, was the place in wliicli the iiioveniL-nt originated. The I'ulton Street Noon I'rayer-nieeting, establish nl October S, 1857, with a layman, Mr. J. C. Lanphier, in charjre, was tlie \m>'u\1 of ori<;in. That n.eeti.ig was itself an inspiration, In tliree months after it was opened the great revival iiad already begun. In six months noon prayer-meetings had spread across the continent, in all the cities and centers, and the revival went wuh them. Dr. A. P. Marvin, in the Bibliotheai Sacra, for 1859, says : " rerluip-, tlicro was no period of four months' duration, in the time of Kdwards, wla-n the results were so {;reat and astonishing as during the four moiitlis uliicli followed the opening of Kebmary in the year 1858. And as the present work is still going forward with power, may we not hope that its final results will mark it as the grandest since the planting of Christianity in the midst of pagan darkness and pollution ! " The work spread from the prayer-meetings to the churches, and the preachers added their messages to the sympathetic intluence of the iniion gatherings. In Philadelphia alone ten thousand new members were gathered into the chiu-ches at that time. Dr. T. W. Chambers, in his memorial volume on T/ie Noon rraxfr-iiiediih^, in I'ulton Street, during its first year, gives an account of a memorab^.■ sermon by the lamented Rev. Dudley A. Tyng, "where the congregation numbered more than five thousand jjer- sons, and where 'the slain of the Lord' were more perhaps as the result of a single sermon than almost any sermon in modern times." Dr. W. \V. Newell— in AVrvVvfA-.- JIoiv and ll'/ieii—^'AU- mates that " more than a million of souls were saved." It was not a revival for preaching tiie doctrines of dogmatic theology, but for the Spirit to write certain ISTKV. IHK, I'RKAl H1N(; KuK IlIKM. II.Ml.S. 289 t originated. , establish d LanpliiiT, in n.ccli.iK w;i^ after it was gun. In six d acrtjss tli'- d the revival lie Bibliotheca ition, in the time li^hinf; as during rnary in the year ard with jiowcr, as the yraiuk'st lan darkness and etings to tlie • messages to iheriiigs. In iiembers were ;. Dr. T. W. m The Noon its first year, rmon by the ive thousand per- re perhaps as the n modern limes." /(/ When — esti- s were saved." e doctrines of ) write certain needed practical doctrines in liio heart of liie fluirc h. It demonstrated for ("hristendoni tiie power of prayer. It was a great symjiathctic, social movtnient, that l)roiigiU <"liristians of all denoniinatiims together heart to deart, and demonstrated and reah/ed tlie essential unity of (Christendom and tlie power tiiat lies in tliis unity. It brougiit to the knowledge of the Ciuirch sources of untold power hitherto Brouehtout unrecognized. It fixed in the hearts of the Lay all Ciiristians the doctrine that every Element. memi)er of the Church of ("hrist is a coworker with Christ in the work of saving the world, and that a " manifestation of the Sjiirit is given to each one for tlie profit" of tlie Churcii. It tiius awakened and letl to tlie development and organization of the lay eleiiteiit, which in church and mission wc^-k, and in tlie organ- ized effort of the N'oung Men's Christian .Association and the various young people's societies, and in the Salvation Army movement, has liiatle it such an incalculai)le pcnver in Cospel worK. Apparently the Spirit, with wise purpose, kept the mind of Christians generally centered on the great practical principles that were being wrought into tiie life of the Church; directing the |)reachers, in their regular or revival ministrations, in supple :enting the work and giving it to some extent a solid basis in the law of Ciod and in the great doctrines of grace. On the whole, it is easy to see, at this later day, that the revival of 1858 transformed the life and work of Protestant Christendom, and gathered its forces together to hold them in readiness for some mighty future enterprise tliat shoidd need the cond)ined effort of all Ciiristians in the entire Holy Catholic Church. It has been seen, in the discussion of "the Preacher's 290 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. Commission," that the Church of to-day is confronted l)y such an enterprise, in which ministers are God's appointed heralds and leaders of the people. 1 I 2. Application of the Ascertained Principles. Having investigated tlie principles that have pre- vailed in recent great and confessedly genuine „ J , revivals of religion, the preacher is pre- Fourth Era of pared for tiie methodical and practical EevivalB. application of these principles to the great enterprise that immediately confronts him; and to aid thereby in bringing about the foi/rtli ami greater era of re-.'ijals now called for. So much space has been devoted to the survey just made, in order to assist in grasping the situation, and understanding, in the light of the history of past awakenings, just what is needed, in the preaching of to-day, to make most powerfully for an awakening tiiat may bring the Church to the summit (jf its achievement, in that immediate, final, and complete carrying out of the Creat Commission that seems to be clearly called for by the " signs of the times." It can not be too strongly emphasized that, in view of the imperative demand made upon the preacher Gravity of the 'I'^^l t'le Church, in the present status of Situation. the commission under which they are acting, the situation is one of peculiar gravity. The work to be done manifestly surpasses everything that has heretofore been attempted. The obstacles in the way are immense. No half-hearted consecration, no half-intelligent purpose, no half-way effort, will either win or deserve success. Nothing short of a mighty awakening, that shall rouse all Christendom, can pos- inii; S'ISTRY. is confronted rs arc God's lie. 'nciples. lat have pre- ;dly genuine ■acher is jire- and practical iples to the mts him; and /// and greater le survey just situation, and ;tory of past preaching of m awakening uinmit <■){ its and complete that seems to ; times." that, in view the preacher ;sent status of lich they are gravity. The t-erything that )stacles in the nsecration, no jrt, will either t of a mighty dom, can pos- TIIE PREACHING FOR Tl. SE TIMES. 391 sibly lead to the accomi)lishinent of the divinely ap- pointed task of the Church. 'I'lit're is neeil tiiat every preacher should bravely face the situation and fearlessly direct his |)rcaching so as to meet tlie peculiar exigencies. The Exigencies The needs in various regions will differ, tobeMet. but the doctrinal jjreachinj^ for hastening the coming fourth era of revivals, must meet the peculiar exigen- cies. These exigencies, that must be fairly met, can be taken in at a glance. Powerful influences are operating directly upon the outside world to unsettle faith in the Scriptures as the Word of God, and at the same time largely molding the unintelligent and unthinking churchly and Christian opinion in tiie same direction. Atomism, materialistic evolution, secularism, are in the air; so also are the so-called princii)les of the rationalistic higher criticism. The two tendencies conspire in seeking to eliminate the supernatural from wiiat Christians regard as the world of CJod and the Word of (}od. The men under their influence are always asking : " What is written in the I3ook of Herbert Spencer, or r accepting Christ.' lersons came in and to revoliiti'-nize the ,t our mode of opera- nt to the climax. If THE PREACHING FOR THESE TUIES. 299 they are mere orations, m -1 1'. cones of Christianity, an invitation to such a meeting is incongruous and absurd." * A hearty affirmative reply, on the part of the preacher, to Dr. Booth's interrogatory, would d<)ui)t- less be the needed initial impulse to the work to be done. The practical carrying out of this affirmation would be the initial movement in that work. If it is asked. What is to be done beyond this ? let any Christian minister, who appreciates the situation and the responsibility, stir up the man next to him, in his own church and in the ministry. In this way the circle of influence will grow and widen. The greatest and most genuine revivals that we have ever known have originated and extended in this simple way, without thought of the presence or help of the special revivalist. Let every preacher who is fully roused carry his own ideas on tiiis suoject and his own spirit into the ecclesiastical convention and organization with which he is connected, and thus reach and rouse the whole brotherhood, until all are ready to unite in the work. Let Christian officers and laymen stir up their asso- ciates and neighbors, and consider this great question of present duty with them, until the whole Church is roused and girded for tiie work. Let the united wisdom of all be employed in planning and pushing the campaign. The Spirit of God can be relied upon for the proper guidance of the grand work, and for the enduement with the "power from on high "with which to carry it forward. And, in the accomplishment of the great individual tasks that enter into the whole work of * Revivals : flow and IVhui, pp. 17, 18. »8 iilil 300 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. Clirist for the world, we can see no good reason why tliat commanding genius of reputed Christian iTcn, such as tiiose wlio have used their genius in inicjui- tously organizing great Sugar Trusts and Standard Oil Trusts, sluiuld not be wrested by tiie Spirit of God from the service of Mammon and Satan, and employed in such greater, reputable, and holy enterprises as the rapid evangelization of China or of tiie Dark Continent. All these are but hints and suggestions thrown out to those who have the promise that they will be made wise to understand the will of (iod, if they are ready to do that will.* The accomplishment of the glorious work will undoubtedly reiiuire the spiritual awakening and quickening of every individual preacher of the Gospel; his intelligent apprehension and appreciation of Christ's present call to carry out his commission now; and the wisest application of his consecrated powers to the acconiplishment of the task set before him. It will require the consecrated an.d combined effort of all the ministry, and of all the Church, em- bracing the hosts of able laymen of large business capacity and experience, and the great lay organiza- tions of old and young, in the carrying out of the pur- pose of Christ by the present generation; and the persistent and unwearied pvshing of the work along all lines until it is accomplished. Retrospect and Prospect. To present the possibility and the feasibility of the immediate accomplishment of this great work of the Gospel for the world of mankind, and to make clear the responsibility cf the Church for its being done noio^ these chapters have been v, ritten. The command * Jiiliti vii. 17. NISTRY. THE PREACHING FUR THESi: TIMES. 301 d reason why iristian iTcn, ills in ini(}ui- StanJard Oil Spirit of God Hid emjiloyed rprises as tlie rk Continent. IS thrown out will be made liey are ready f the glorious al awakening ■acher of the 1 appreciation s commission 3 consecrated isk set before iT.d combined ; Church, em- erge business lay organiza- ut of the pnr- ion; and the e work along isibility of the t work of the to make clear ;s being done The ( ommand of Christ, that it be done now, is unmistakable. The evidence of tiie jn-ovidcntial readiness of all that is necessary for the work is overwhelming. The signs of the times indicate the presence of the conditions of the glorious coming of the Master to victory, and emphasize the imminence of his coming. In the light of all these considerations, the glance that a living Church casts down from the eminence to which the ages have brought her, can not but be an an.xious one. Looking out upon the world, and noting the signs of the times, it is impossible to resist the conviction that she is at the dawning of an eventful periotl in her history. The growth of the modern missionary movement has been confessedly one of the marvels of the world. That Cod, for the coming of whose Kingdom all things are working together, has prepared the way for it by the progress of science, art, and civilization is already noted. There has always been this same perishing world, but it has heretofore been a far-off world. The later centuries have been bringing it nearer and into living contact with the Church, until, at last, by that mysterious electric power that with ecjual ease spans the continents and oceans Cod is gathering the nations into one mighty audience chamber 01 the Cospel, to the remotest aisles of which every voice in the Church may reach, and the touch of every hand vibrate. The rapidity of the flight of the angel of the .Apocalypse, bearing the ever- la-ling Cospel, seems about to be realized. And in the movements of Cod's Kingdom this nation has, by its geographical jiosition, its political character, its commercial ccMinection, and the order- ings of Providence, been made a center. Upon us the Old World has poured out its superabundant popu- i 302 cukist's irumim:t-cai.;, to the minis- xy. i ii li v;; latioii. Besides the myriads brought near In- the won- derfully incrcasrd means of intercommuni' alinn, here are the millions from darkened Africa, thrown into direct contact with the Church; furnishing, s:. to speak, the links in the chain of sympathy that is to bind her to the destinies of the world. Here, in control of the Church, is the learning requisite to translate the Bible into every tongue, within the lifetime of a single gen- eration. Here is the printing-nress, with which to print a copy of it for every son and daughter of Adam within the same period. Saying nothing of the rest of Christendom, here are the men from whom messen- gers might in the same time be sent to every hamlet on the face of the globe; and here is the beginning of the very work itself in the present spontaneous upris- ing and consecration to the work of Christ of great multitudes of young men and w<.men, who are either preparing to go or are already waiting to be sent. And here is the gold with which to accomplish all this work in so brief space. The great thoroughfares by which Hie missionaries and Bibles might be sent are open These considerations and facts open to us the glorious possibilitics-what shall the actual be ? A complete Christianity, workiaig with full power in the Church of this land, and out from it, would, we doubt not in the course of the ne.xt quarter century, com- pass the globe with its saving and elevating influences, and usher in the millennia! glory. Shall all this be ? The answer will depend, in chief measure, under God upon what the ministry s'^^ll be for these coming year's and upon what the character of the preaching shall be Providence has prepared the universal mines for shattering with equal ease and completeness the newest and most formidable strongholds of iniquity in MINIS XY. •ar liy the won- uiii' aiiiip, here :a, thrown into ng, SM to speak, is to bind her 1 control of the nslate the Bible of a sinj;U" gen- with which to lighter of Adam ng of the rest of whom niessen- to every hamlet he beginning of jntaneous upris- Christ of great , who are either ing to be sent, complish all this horoughfares by ight be sent are s open to us the ; actual be ? A .ill power in the would, we doubt tr century, com- ating influences, ,all all this be? measure, under ■or these coming of the preaching e universal mines :ompleteness the lids of iniquity in THE PREACHING FOR THESE TIMES. 303 the centers of Christendom, and the intrenched cita- dels of paganism hoary with a-e. The trains have been laid ami are waiting for the impulse, the leader- ship, the mora! inspiration of the ministry, with the "tongues of fire" and the lips touched with the live coals from off the altar of Cod, to rouse the Church, fire the train, and complete the great (onsiimmation. What will the preacher and the Church have wherewith to answer the Master, if the work be not done without delay ? T CHAPTER V. THE PREACHER AS A PAS TOR IN 'iHESE IIMES. Preaching is admittedly a most important, as well as a most solemn work; but the gathering of Us fruits into the c:hun:h of Chri>.t, and their conservation there, depend upon the preacher's ottice of pastor or shepherd of the flock of dod. Christ's -threefold charge to Peter, on the shores of the Lake of 1 ibenas, was- "Feed my sheep." " Feed my lambs." "Shep- herd my sheep." That charge is on the preacher and pistor still. The preacher's commission, message, and furnishing prepare for his preaching; but the preaching and all the rest for his work in the care of souls, including their ingathering into the Church and their nurture and direction in the work of tiie Church. If the (pKslion be asked, What is the work of the preacher as pastor in these times ? the answer may be given : , The lu^^atherhi^ and sheplierdhis "/ Hwse who are saved by the preachhis of the Gospel, and their wise orgamzatwn and direction in the great campaign for the immediate salvation of the 7i■ wise organization for the iiniiH'diate these times— how ly one whose im- d by its difficulty, ofold character of ivinely appointed THE PREACHER AS A I'ASTOR IN THI.SE TIMES. 305 leader in tlie work of the Cluux li, must iiave an intense and abiding interest in its discussion and solution. It is proposed to consiilcr the ([ueslion of llie effi- ciency of tlie pastorate in its relations to the circ uin- stances and the wants, tiie great difticulties and the Imperative demands, of the present age, in order to ascertain, if possible, what, needs to be done to bring it up to tlie recpiisite efficiency for completing the suc- cessful carrying out of the preacher's commission, and obtaining tiic desired results from the preacher's message. In dealing with this subject, we shall consider the work rdcr of tlie day is no lon^jer by cjitimate increase ictiiai change of cing a fictitious : pressing neces- on- change," and is being played, rtitle of food and uxury of life, and air. From the )rought about by results a risk in Jesmen that was scape from such s of the specula- J that command if everything, and ; proceeds of the the hard-earned H i« Mil. I'KK,\( IIIK As A I'AsKik IN llll-sr. IIMhS. 309 bread from the nouth of tlie starving jxior. Corners, pools, combines, trusts— these are llireatening the life of the inilividiial antl the life of the luition. In this an.xious whirl, men of business have little time for religiouii intercourse or thought, and arc almost inaccessible to a pastor. \ revolution in character and social usages has followed ii|)()n this i liaiige in traile. Sentiment is fast outgrowing priiuiple. The merchant or „ , „ . , • , , , , . Revolution in tradesman, worried by the business ot character and the world and absorbed in it, has neither Usages, time nor disposition to lay a solid basis of |iriiuii)le in himself or in the members of his household, or in those connected with his business establishment. It is neither easy nor comfortable to tliiiik < losely of principles when the life is so abnorma', This has been superficially designated a day of "introspection"; but it is this only as to feelings, not as to priiips s open infidelity, f the work of the sreby. onding change in We have a vivid ression made upon e, relative to this Church, by that h, Primitive Piety sm " was set forth piety of the age. n then, how much machinery in the that in the factory 1 of the world is often, alas ! is the n this complicated an indispensable rsede, but to evoke of individual men; THE PREACHER AS A I'ASTOR IN THESE TIMES. 3I3 not as a substitute for personal effort, but as the in- struments for insuring it and rendering it effective. It is too much the case that everything can be done by machinery and by proxy now. Tiiere is some way by which every one can give iiis money and witlihold his personal presence and effort, while securing a substi- tute to carry on the work of every department of moral reform, Christian pliilanthropy, and religious instruction. The children of the family are to be taught. They can be turned over to the Sunday- school. The masses outside of the Clnirch are to be looked after and saved. That can be given over to the mission-school and hired missionary. The Church of God is to be built up. That work is safe in the hands of the pastor. The tide of vice in the com- munity is to be stayed. Instead of having the trouble of going to the victims, and by personal Christian kindliness liftiiig them up and saving them, and tiien by personal influence and example elevating the tone of society till it shall be an efficient aid in this work, the power of legislation rather is relied upon, and the whole matter turned over to the civil government, to legislate tlie moral evil out of existence, and the indi- vidual Christian conscience into (juict sleep. All this change in the method of the work has put the individual further from the reach of pastoral effort. While these changes have been taking place, there has arisen an increased demand upon the pulpit. Perhaps this may not be owing to greater |n„ea«ed De- intelligence and culture in some of the mandonthe hearers; but rather to the general dif- Pwlpit- fusion of the Bible and religious literature, and of in- formation on all subjects. When the Pilgrim Fathers came to this country, the first English translation of i^ ■ If r 314 Christ's trumpet-cai.i, to thk ministry, the Bible (Coverdale's) had been read only eighty-five years, and King James's version had been published but nine years, and had not been nnah used as yet. Every child had not a Bible then, as he has now. What was acceptable and edifying to the men of that age, as dispensed from the pulpit, may be common- pTace and unimportant now, even to the child. Ihis increased demand upon the pr.acher has rendered it more difficult to meet tlic rcciuirements made of the pastor, by so much abridgiui. the time at ms command. II. Popular Methods of Meeting the Changes. With this glance at some of the altered circum- stances of the age, that most seriously iiffect tlie pas- toral work, we turn to inquire briefly, What has been done toward the adjustment of the energies of the pastorate to these changed conditions ? It is hard to divest oneself of the conviction that much remains to be done in this direction, both in the task of formulating the law of the pastorate, and in making the proper adjustment of it to present condi- tions Touching the twofold work of the minister, a<; preacher and pastor, we have had our " homiletics" and "pastoral theology"; but in the old treatment of the subjects involved in them, while tiie sphere of the pulpit is plainly and adequately defined, the scope of the pastorate is not so clearly determined. There are certain duties somehow connected with the twofold work— and all-important duties they are in this day— which the authors have not seemed to know exactly how to deal with, or to which part to assign them, even when conscious of their existence. MINISTRY, only eighty-five been pui)lishecl iich used as yet. as he has now, the men of tliat lay be comnion- the child. This -r has rendered ements made of ihe time at his THE Ch.xngf.s. altered rirciim- dy iiffect tiic pas- y, What has been : energies of the 5? z conviction that ction, both in the pastorate, and in to present condi- : of the minister, our " homiletics" :he old treatment hile the sphere of defined, the scope termincd. There d with the twofold y are in this day — :1 to know exactly t to assign them, ice. t? 1 lU: I'Kl'.Atlll K AS A l'AST(JK IN IIIKSK TI.MKS. .V 5 /Imost thirty years ago. Dr. Horace Husiuull, in an address Ixl'nre tlie Porter Rhetorical Society of Andover Tlieologit al Seminary, on " I'ul- Administrative pit Talent," i)rought forwartl and empha- Talent, sized one of these duties— that of administration— in making " administrative or organizing capacity" one of his "preaching talents." He evidently did it with hesitancy, alth he said not. In the ordinary schemes tiiere was no place assigned for any such talent; perhaps the ordinary definitions e.NcUided it. 'I'hat address aiipeared tt) be the first revelation of it to many. Dr. Shedd, while showing in his work on Hiwiildical and Pastoral T/ifo/oi::y—irom his jioint of view so admirable— that he was conscious of the exist- ence of such a side to jiastoral work, was content to say, in his definition, that the office of a pastor "is to give private and personal advice from house to house and to make his influence felt in the social and domes- tic life of his congregation"; and then, in his furtiier development of the subject, to recognize the negative and subjective side of this work of administration by making " decision " one of the necessary ciualities of the pastor's character in his relation to the Church. This point, like many others, seems to have been only gradually working its way into the teaching-conscious- ness of the Church, Now we do not, either in Chris- tian doctrine or in tiie law of the pastorate, believe in any change by way of improvement upon God's Word; but we do believe in change, by way of development and growth in knowledge, and by way of adaptation to the varying wants and characters of men. Were we to venture a critic ism upon the old view of this subject, it would be that it failed to take into account the necessity and fact of change by way of adaptation to M 3l6 CHRIST'S TRl'MPKT-CAll. TO lU? v-nisTRV. the changing circumstances of living men, so that it sent the pastor to ^he oversight of an ,r/'sfruc/ man (perhaps it siioukl l)e said a stiuh-iit), just as it often sent the preacher to preacli to an ahsliait sinner. It is sufficiently obvious that, in some (luarlers, the changed condition of things, to which attention has just been called, has not been noted at all. When it is reported, lor example, that the additions in membership to one large branch of the Church, for a certain year, were all in one-half the churches in that denomination, the information is sadly significant. In other (juarters, the revolution spoiimiisement (piestion, that has been so much under discussion in some (juarters, had its origin, in its connection with the Church, in the time-serving, worUl- serving spirit of this class of men. The leaven is to be put into the lump; cartl-playing and billiard-playing are to be sanctified; Paul's rule of refraining from eat- ing meat, when it makes a brother to stumble, is to give way to Clhristian "liberty," so called. We have heard men in hig.i places favor the establishment of religious club rooms, with all the approved appliances 1' i .Mi HI W' T 3,8 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THK MINISTRY. of a club room, for reclaiming the younR men of our cities ami furnishing them society! Artules advo- cating; these things, having not even the poor merit of ability to atone for their error, have filled tne secular journals, and have even been admitted to places in leading religious papers. He it recorded to the honor (,f the rtiristian young men of the country that, when, more tiian twenty-five years ago, the matter came to be pressed upon their attention at tiie national conven- tion held at Montreal, they emphatically pronounced against all compli- ity witii such time-serving schemes. This is but one of the ways in whicii men of the spirit here deprecated have set about their work of secularizing the Church. More recently it has been seriously proposed, by a prominent city clergyman, to found saloons, under church control, for the saving of voung men! It is self-evident that all such schemes must be futile, as they can only result in worldl.ness, or in worldly power, if in any power at all. Men of still another class have sought to devise new methods of Christian work to meet the obvious Bv Devisin. wants of the day. These have been put New Methods, in the place of the simple and divinely ordained method of the Church. In some regions the aim has been to introduce some popular service in the place of the second preaching service. Organiza- tion upon organization has been added to the regular church machinery, to make it equal to its mission. We knew of one pastor who organized the young members of his congregation into what a good mother in Israel called a "singing-gang." and sent them out to spend the Sabbath afternoons in singing to the sick people of the parisli. It was somewhat barren of spiritual fruits, but resulted in as many weddings as Ilii MINISTRY. ing men uf our Artirles ail vo- te poor merit of lied tiie secular h1 to places in ed to the honor ntry that, when, atter came to be lational conven- ally pronounced erving schemes, licii men of the It their work of rttly it has been ty clergyman, to for the saving of ill such schemes t in worldliness, It all. lought to devise neet the obvious se have been put iple and divinely In some regions (opular service in •vice. Organiza- ed to the regular 1 to its mission, nized the young at a good mother nd sent them out inging to the sick lewhat barren of nany weddings as T! THE PRK.XCIIKR AS A PASTOR IN THESE TI.MES. 319 there were couples in the "singing-gang." It seems indeed to have been almost forgotten in many quarters, that all the methods given by (iod to the Church are none the less perfect and atieciuate because of their simplicity, so tliat nothin;^ needs to be added to them. But the innumerable conventions anil conferences, and the much discussion, have shown that the Church at large is conscious of not having reai ' the right method of adjustment, while at the ' time it has come to realize in some degree the increased difficulty in reaching men, and the real lark of efficiency and adeiiuacy in the work of the pastorate, as it is now understood and wrought. It sees that things are going wrong, but it has not yet hit upon a remedy; hence the protracted discussion grows in interest and earnestness; And it must be noted, by the way, that such discussion, while it is the harbinger of coming progress, is at the same time an indispensable condi- tion to such progress. Every gencrati'-n — we might with truth say, every man — must discuss and solve each practical, moral, and social problem for itself, be- fore the truth involved in it can find a place of power in the consciousness and hearts of men. The ministry should, therefore, always hail the agitation of such a subject as an ally in the work of God. Meanwhile, for the pastor to go on his course in the way the fathers went, igno.oig or giving no heed to all such recurring agitation growing out of chang- ing circumstances, were as unwise as for the military man to cling to his old-fashioned guns and his wooden ships, regardless of the revolution wrought by earth- works and steel armored cruisers. And hence, by just so much as any one interested in the resuU.? of such movement delays to enter into it, and make the 320 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CAI.I. TO THK MINMSTRV. requisite investigation of principles and adjustment of forces, he suffers serious loss. What needs to be (lone should be done at the earliest possdV.e moment. The ministry, the Church, should certainly meet the situation fairly, and if we find ourselves, our prin- ciples, or our method:-,, at fault, in directing the forces ordained of God for the work of the Church, neither pride of consistency nor love of conservatism should be allowed to prevent us from righting whatever is found wrong. SECTION SECOND. The Requisites to the Increased Efficiency Demanded. This preliminary discussion has prepared for the treatment of the practical question, What is to be done to bring the pastorate, in efficiency, I'P to the requirements of the times ? Its shortcomings in efficiency or adequacy may re- sult either from the departure of the Churc.i from the Divine law laid down for the guidance of the work; or from failure, on the part of the one who holds the office of pastor, to come up to the demands of his position. The subject at this point, therefore, natu- rally falls into two parts: first, the Divine law of the pastorate, and then, the pastor for the place and age. I. The Divine Law of the Pastorate, and how OnsERVEn. The Divine law of the pastorate must first be clearly defined and affirmed. The place must be considered, first to prepare for ascertaining the qualities that fit the man for the place. In order to reach any satis- MIN'ISTRY. d adjustment of Kit needs to be ossib'.e moment, rtainly meet the elves, our prin- Licting the forces Church, neither iervatism should ting whatever is ency Demanded. )repared for the IV/iat is to be done the requirements of adequacy may re- ; Church from the e of the work; or lie who holds the e demands of his ;, therefore, natu- Uivine law of the he place and age. rORATE, AND HOW Hist first be clearly ust be considered, lie qualities that fit to reach any satis- I'HE PREACHKR AS A PASTOR IN THESE TIMES. 32I factory view on this subject, it is obviously a first necessity that there should be a return to tiie Hiblical idea of the Church as " the body of Christ," and to learn from this its organization and work, for on this wise only can the place of the pastoraie, in its relation to the whole, be ascertained. The only right mode of procedure is to ascertain, first, what the office is, and then make the definition to suit; not, as is so often done, to construct first the definition; and then warp or dwarf the thing to suit it. There are three comn^only received propositions in this connection that are held *■'< be fundamental: 1. In the Church of Christ, in the en- jj^^g Funda- tire membership, are to be found the mental Proposi- human energies that are to be directed *"'"'■ ■ to the accomplishment of Christ's work of salvation in the world. 2. The prerogative and duty of directing these energies inheres in that Church in its organized capacity. 3. The pastorate holds, under Christ, the chief place in that work of direction. These three propositions, while they mark off the sphere and authority of the pastorate, furnish, it is believed, at the same time, the logical and Scriptural basis on which the Church is to build. (I) The Energies in the Membership. In the Church of Christ, in its entire membership, are to be found tiie human energies which are to be directed to the accomplishment of ( hrist's work in the world. In opening this discussion, the place of the Spirit ill: ^2 CHRIST'S TRUMfKT-CALL TO TUF. MINISTRY. of God is, of course, to be carefully guarded. The preaching of the word of Christ and work for Christ, both attended by the Holy Chost, are the two great instrumentalities in the extension of Christ's kingdom, and without the Holy Chost the work is as worthless as the preaching is ineffectual. Hut, under the Spirit, the working element is to be found in the Church of Christ, and takes in the entirety of its membership. And by this it is meant to include the two aspects of the truth: that each member of the Church is a worker sent of Christ on a special mission, and that all the members in their united capacity are coworkers with Christ. Individual effort and combined effort are the two sides of tlie law that governs all the work of the universe. The illimitable forests that cover the hills like the shadow of God have been built by the combined work of the single leaves; the mighty tides that gird the globe are but the sum of the flow of the single drops; the tempests that sweep over the earth with resistless force only combine the momentum of single particles of the viewless air; the force of gravi- tation that hurls the innumerable starry train along with such fearful velocity only sums up the power of the single atoms, each of Ahich pulls for itself. In precisely the same way, the vast work of the Church in bringing the world back to God, is only the sum of single efforts, the combined work of single Christians. The whole frame--vork of Christianity presupposes this twofold principle. The mission and structure of the Church embody it. The history of the early Christian converts conspicuously exhibited its practi- cal working. Paul, in his Epistles, takes special pains to present and enforce both its aspects. A " manifestation of MINISTRY. )• guarded. The work for Christ, •e the two great ;hrist's kingdom, k is as wortliless under the Spirit, n the Church of s membership. I the two aspects the Church is a mission, and that ity are coworkers mbined effort are s all the work of s that cover the )een built by the the miglity tides of the flow of the ep over the earth he momentum of ;he force of gravi- starry train along up the power of lis for itself. In rk of the Church is only the sum of single Christians, inity presupposes ion and structure story of the early diibited its practi- d pains to present " manifestation of Tl rilK I'KKACIIIR AS A PASTOR IN niKSK ITMKS. ^^^ tiic Spirit is given to every man for the prnfit" of tiic Ciuirch and the world.* This is one as|)i'(t. It ( ou- templates man as an individual. As eacii man is to repent for himself, believe for himself, live for him- self, and tlie and give an account for himself; so the Holy Ghost gives each man a gift peculiar to himself, and assigns to him a place and work suited to himself, in carrying on tiie great work of the Church for the salvation of a lost world. Paul exhibits, by the relation of the parts of the body to the whole, the relation of the work of each man to the whole work of the Church, f This is the other aspect. God has so arranged the parts of the human body as to conraitute one living organic whole, in which harmonious ■ operation is added to the action of the individual parts. If any one part refuses to perform its office, — if the eye refuses to see, or the ear to hear, or the hand to work at the bidding of the soul, — the power and completeness of the body are destroyed and its mission made a failure. Just so God has fixed the position and gifts of every member of Christ's body, the Church, — the endowments being as various as the places, — and the harmonious co- operation of all in their places is as essential in the Church as the united working of the eye, the ear, and the hand, in their places in the human frame. The Church is thus to be regarded as a great work- ing institution, in which each member is to be a work- man for God, with the ability given him in his own appointed place; and in which all together are to be regarded as cooperating in carrying out the one plan of God. This is the divine law of the work of the Church, and here are to be found, in the individual * I Cor. xii. 8. f i Cor. xii. 12-27. Jv ill 324 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALl. TO THE MINISTRY. members and their gifts from tlie Holy Spirit, the energies tiiat are to be directed to the accomplishment of Christ's designs in the world. (II) The AuTHORiiY in the Organized Church. Believing that this needs little more than to be stated fidly and clearly, to gain admission, we pass to the second proposition: that the prerogative and duty of directing its own energies in its work inhere in the Church in its organized capacity. All forms ot Church government imply this, at least to the extent to which it is here desirable to affirm it. All churches assume it as fundamental. Christ has organized and endowed the Church for this mission. It has thi. right in virtue of Christ indwelling. There are three conceivable ways ot proceeding in ail our Christian work : /hsf, that by independent individual effort ; snvmf/y, that by voluntary organized effort ; i/iin^/y, that by organized Church effort The Jirst met/iod-that by independent individual effort-has the advantage of simplicity. Its doctrine is • " Let every man work with his might in his own sphere God deals with men, not in the mass, but as single souls. They are regenerated, sanctified, and saved, as individuals. Every man whom God saves, he saves and sends forth to work for him in the world. All power murt, in the last analysis, be resolved into individual power-the power of gravitation into the pull of the single atoms ; the power of the Church into the energies of its separate members. Let every man labor for Christ, to the extent of his ability, in hi3 place, and the work will go forward. It requires no officers, no cumbrous machinery." p J •, MINISTRY. Holy Spirit, the e accomplishment iNizED Church. more than to be ission, we pass to prerogative and n its work inhere ity. All forms of east to the extent 1 it. All churches has organized and . It has thic right ; 01 proceeding in it by independent oluntary organized iiurch effort. )endent individual city. Its doctrine ; might in his own n the mass, but as ;ed, sanctified, and whom God saves, jr him in the world. is, be resolved into ravitation into the r of the Church into rs. Let every man f his ability, in his s± It requires no THE PREACHER AS A PASTOR IN THESE TIMES. 325 Now this metiiod has a most important truth at its foundation, one of the truths embraced in our first prop'jsition, but not both. It is certainly a great ad- vantage to have a simple way of doing our work; but just as certainly there are things that men, as indi- viduals and working alone, can not accomplish. Some- times tile power of many individuals needs to be gathered up and directed to one end, in order to do what must be done. We must have all the individual etfort; but, in addition to that, we must have organ- ized effort too. The second method— iha.t of voluntary organization —has been proposed to meet this necessitj'. The doctrine is : " Let those, who choose to do it, combine together voluntarily for that purpose, devise their plans, and prepare their machinery for carrying out those plans. Union is strength. Together men can accomplis.i what, working singly, is beyond far their power to compass. " This method has the advantage over the other of organizing effort, of combining the single and -^epa- rate; and it takes into account both sides of the truth of our first proposition. But theoretically it involves a fatal error, in departing from the truth of our second proposition. It assumes that it is not the duty and prerogative of the Church, as organized by Christ, to direct its own energies in its appointed work. It assumes that the Church, to which Christ has given the mission of saving the world, is not fitted for its work, or is not equal to it, and that man can devise some better way of doing God's work. Practically, it is against economy, against unity, dangerous in its tendencies, and must prove a failure ; against economy, for it introdices a new set of machinery, and every l,iHi '.'J p i' 3.6 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CAtL TO THE MINISTRY. new set requires so much the more power in/t^.^n^S^ Tt against unity, for it divides the energies of the Churfh and weakens it by so much cnsorgan..ng in or^rani/ine ; dangerous in its tendencies, for it is irre !nons b e i; its direction and control, and must fail attst! L: nothing can succeed that is not done in Christ's appointed way. , effort— The third ...//.../-that of organized Church effort is believed to be the Scriptural method, and the one , appl able in all ordinary work. It was to the Church a organized by Chnst that the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to every creature, was given, and wih that commission, there was conferred upon .^ th ■ luthority to devise all the plans, and to invent all the "echaniL and direct all the power required in its "it^can not be denied that this way has the advantage of simplicity. It does not divide the energies of the S bul recognizing the fact that its work is one it unites and concentrates all its power. Moreover, it keep ev rything out of irresponsible hands by giving the contro to those whom Christ, in and through the Chu h, calls to the positions of authority, and who a e directl subject to the Church and -spo-^^^^^^^^^ More than all, it is willing to accep .^hnsts ^y as the best way, tho it be an old and plain way. It has thus alth^e advantages of unity and concentration, s^inlicity and directness, organization and respon- sibUity scripturalness and the consequent divine ''we"!id it, therefore, to be fundamental, vital truth that i is at once the prerogative and the duty of the Cltch?as constituted of Christ, to direct its own energies in its appointed work. J MINISTRY. wer in managing energies of the disorganizing in es, for it is irre- ol, and must fail It is not done in d Church effort- hod, and the one (vas to the Church at Commission, to 3, was given, and, iferred upon it the J to invent all the er required in its has the advantage he energies of the iiat its work is one, wer. Moreover, it lie hands, by giving in and through the thority, andwhoare a responsible to it. :ept Christ's way as I plain way. It has and concentration, zation and respon- consequent divine lamental, vital truth, and the duty of the t, to direct its own THE PREACHER AS A PASTOR IN THESE TIMES. 327 (III) The Pastor in the Leadership. Our third proposition is that the pastorate holds, under Christ, the chief place in the direction of the energies of the Chuich in its mission. The pastor is properly at the head of the directing element, whatever it may be. It can hardly be doubted that this is in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures. Christ's words to Peter, when he restored him after his fall, were : "Feed my sheep"; "Feed my lambs"; "Shepherd my sheep."* These words unfold the work for the old and the young, and add to instruction the office of guarding, directing, in short, whatever is included in " shepherding " the sheep. Tn his charge to the elders at Ephesus, Paul e.xhortsthem to "take heed to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers."! Christ is the shep- herd and bishop of our souls. Under him, the minister is the under-shepherd and bishop; as Christ's repre- sentative, the head of the particular Church over which God places him. This has been substantially the working-theory of all the branches of the evangelical Church in this country. Methodism assumed this as the basis, and doubtless owes much of its efficiency in the past to its rigid adherence to it. The Protestant Episcopal body, altho adhering to what Dr. Samuel Hanson Cox once characterized as " the doctrine of the threefold disorder of the clergy," and even when mani- festing a hierarchical bent, has always given to the ministry the chief place in the direction of the ener- gies of the Church in the work of Christ. Congrega- tionalism in this country, tho starting from another * John xxi. 15-18. f Acts xx. 28 n mV 3.8 CHRIST'S TKUMPKT-CAL. TO THK MTNISTRV. theory in the abstract, has been ^^^^^^l^^J^J^ :^U.a[ working, to co.e to ^1- ;;- -^ ^-^^^::^ in the Saybrook Platform, which reads t a s, « t . "Weaiiree that the ministerial office is inst 'T\ hv I sus Ch ist for the gathering, guiding, edi- tilted by Jesus cnnsi i b _ continue to fying, and governing o ]l^' !;^f^;^ ,,, church eral views of the evangelical churches. (IV) Failure to Conform to the Divine Law. ,,,„= i. mu,. a.,„ -j>j;'';:::;\;v tit.;:: of .1,; ;.! tlip estimation oi Cnrisiiaus, mv- Ch d, il every ,ne,„ber .; .., i. not one „ ea ne^ „„,. ,„r C>,rU. -, t|,e,, there .. af *e^^:,';,;°;, s:r:, :.';':„' ;i;.t:r.he'c,,u.Msor.a.,.e<, ers- then the pastor at once sinks to ^he e^elo a y pr ;ate member, and there is no one ,n the Church To embodies the idea of unity that .s so essential to "' B " to turn from what should be to what has been, ; MINISTRY. ;ompelled. in its so well expressed ids thus, on this ial office is insti- •ing, guiding, edi- aiid continue to sbyterian Church ics the pastor the r the church and he Sabbath-school, efore, be taken to and with the gen es. HE Divine Law. )sitions are true, it m any one of them ;y of the pastorate, of the Church. If, the mission of the i not one of earnest ick of the full ener- it be not considered ;hurch, as organized ;nergies in the work; it of the reach of the in directing be not by other office-bear- s to the level of any , one in the Church that is so essential to be to what has been, THE PREACHER AS A PASTOR IN THESE TIMES. 329 from theory to practise — too often the Church has not conformed to this Scriptural theory, and failure or in- efficiency has, therefore, been the too common result. I'ractically, the majority (jf the churciics do not hold by our first proposition. 'I'lie Church is looked upon too exclusively as a great ark, in First Principle which men are to be borne safely to Neglected, heaven; and too little as a body of workmen, sent to I'so all its energies for tiie spread and prevalence of the Gospel. We see no reason why a church of many hundred members, filled witii the Holy Clhost and conscious of their commission, should not to-day, with the grander facilities for work and influence, make themselves felt in the world even more powerfully than did those hundreds who went forth on that first mission for Christ; yet who does not know many a a church with such a membership that scarcely holds its own from year to year? The elders, deacons, and private members practically all unite in saying : " We have nothing to do, and will do nothing"; and there are therefore no living energies to be directed. Practically there has also been a wide departure from the truth of our second proposition. The Church, as organized of Christ and fitted for the second Princi- work of directing its own energies in his pie Disregarded, work, and gifted with the prerogative and duty of di- recting them, has been very largely denied its place in practise, or has failed to come up to its duty. The great number of voluntary organizations existing for the purpose of doing the work that God has made the special duty of the Church — which often aim to control the Church rather than to be controlled by it, and which are wholly beyond the reach of the divinely given government of the Church — is proof in point. i 330 ciiKisr's tri:mi-kt-call to tiii: mimsiry. It is freely admitted that such organizations have had their origin in the faiUire of the Church V, do its work, or sometimes even in its refusal; and that they have been devised by earnest men in the Church, under the apparent pressure of necessity; and we insist that the Church, in allowing its work to call for any such new methods, is guilty before God. But it is true, nevertheless, that there is a better way of remedying the evil; for, while it is admitted that organization is invaluable, since two working together can accomplish more than twice what each one could if working alone, yet it can hardly be disputed that the same energy, m the Church and working in Christ's appointed way, will do more than working in any way that man can possibly devise. Where collision and conflict have not resulted from the voluntary and divisive course, the life has Mther been drained from the Church, or its energies divided, and the elements of power God has given it for his glory praclicallj placed beyond its reach. But even where the first two principles have been acknowledged, that involved in the third proposition Third Princi- ^^-'s too often been ignored or denied, pie Ignored. The pastor is widely looked upon too much as a hireling of the people. With many dis- posed to give him a higher place, he is still merely a member of an honorable profession. Many who honor him still more, confine the sphere of the pastorate to th^ narrow limit of ministering to the sick and afflicted, and influencing the people in their social and domestic relations. Few are inclined to concede to him, be- yond this, the larger and more important sphere of presiding and governing in the work of bending the energies of the Church to the task of the world's salvation. MINISTRY. janizations liavc Church t', do its 1; and that they he Church, under nd we insist that call for any such But it is true, vay of remedying it organizatiiHi is ir can accomplish if working alone, e same energy, in ppointed way, will ; man can possibly have not resulted urse, the life has :h, or its energies • God has given it nd its reach, nciples have been : third proposition gnored or denied. looked upon too With many dis- he is still merely a Many who honor of the pastorate to le sick and afflicted, social and domestic jncede to him, be- nportant sphere of ork of bending the ask of the world's THE PREACHER AS A I'ASTi. IN THESE Tl.MES. 33I This is doubtless in great measure the fault of the ministry themselves; they have often given up their headship voluntarily, because of the amount of labor involved in il, and have been only too glad to let the Cluircii lak'> its own course or no course at ail, as best suited it; but in many instances the pastor has been denied his true place, in all the work of tiie Cluircii, and even put out of it. The Reformation justly cast out the idea of priesthood from its conception of the ministry. In its failure to discriminate clearly, Protestantism has since almost cast out the ideas of direction Vi\\<\ control. With Ua\\ priesthood and headship retained, the papacy wields a marvelous power; with neither, the Protestant Church is largely shorn of its vigor and efficiency. Now it is evident that the first adjustment demand d by these times is a threefold adjustment TheAdjust- of the practise of the Church to this meat Eequin.;. divine law. The Reformation, under Luther, fi.xed in the heart of the Church the vital truth that man can only be saved by personal faitli in ti)e Lord Jesus Christ. There seems almost to be needed a second refor- mation, to fix in the soul of every member of the Church the vital truth that he has been saved in order that lie may become a personal worker for the Lord Jesus Christ, and that every Christian, if he is not to forfeit his title to the name, must go to work for Christ. This will give the energies to be directed. Christians must be brought to understand, and feel too, that the Church is a Divine institution, ordained of Christ for the mission of the world's conversion; gifted with the requisite powers; containing in its simple organization all the machinery necessary, and 332 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO 1 HE MINISTRY. at once competent to the direction of those powers and the wielding of that machinery; and irrevocably under ol.liyati..n to carry forward the work at once m obedience to Christ's command. And then the Church, with this conscic.nsness of its mission, instead of plant- ing itself immovably across the track of progress, must carry forward the work with all its powers m Cod s way And the Church obviously needs to rise to that larger conception of the sphere of the pastorate that shall clearly take in all its fnnctions and recogm.e the sacredness of the office; and then to seek, in its schools of training, to mold and fashion those sent o God to fill that office in accordance with such larger conception, so that the right man may be prepared for the place. And the pastor needs to take his place of direction; and when he does so-with a working membership, organized in the chnrch and under one chief director-we may e.xpect glorious progress for the Kingdom of Cod on earth. II. The Pastor i or this Age. We are thus brought to the second part of our sub- ject- the pastor for the .-^.ge and place. What sort of man must he be in his ChrisU.in character? \\ hat m his place of direction ? What must be his training ? In general, it will be admitted that we must have a Christian soul inspired, energized, and molded by God's Word and Spirit, and fitted at once to reach out through a Christian life and activity, and impress the Church with his own Christlikcness, and to direct that Church in doing like work. Success will depend, other things being equal, upon the dignity and intensity of the life; upon its directing power and the energy given MINMSTRY. of those powers and irrPs'ocably ; work at once in tlicn the Church, instead of plant- of progress, must ,'crs in Clod's way. ; to rise to that he pastorate that IS and recognize en to seek, in its hion those sent of with such larger \y be prepared for 1 take his place of -with a working ch and under one ■ious progress for is Age. id part of our sub- ace. What sort of laracter ? What in be his training ? ;hat we must have ;d, and molded by t once to reach out ty, and impress the ,, and to direct that s will depend, other lity and intensity of nd the energy given THE PRKACHKR AS A PASTOR IN TIIKSF. TIMES. m it of the Holy (Ihost; and upon the bent and devel- opment resulting from its training and its contact with men, (I) A Better Christian Man and Worker. In giving a more specific answer to the first of the questions proposed above, it may be said that 'he first and pressing demand of the times is for a better Christian man and worker in the pastoral ofifice This has already been emphasized from the side of the preacher; it needs to be emphasized from tnat of the pastor. The "world," which the early disciples were to overcome by faith, had a miglity meaning. It was the iron world of Rome, embracing every- 1. Stronger thing included in that, from the emperor *'*"t*^*y,°" to the slave, fri)m the gods to the pas- Calling, sions over which they presided, and from the laws to the legions. But the sul)tle, unprincipled, un- impressible world of to-day, sweeping to perdition under pressure of steam and electricity with awful momentum, is quite as hard a world to deal with. To impress this wor'd at all, there is demanded a higher style of man, a ma-i after Christ's own pattern, more pervaded by Ciirist's spirit as a sp.rit of wisdom and power, a spirit of boundless love and self-sacrifice, and put in his place in Christ's own way. To sum up in a single period — the e is needed in the pastorate a man called of God, cultured and guided and energized of God, for his work; upheld and directed by the promised personal presence of God; and possessed with an abiding and overwhelming sense of his mission from heaven. In a word, there is lit 334 c'irist's trumpet-call to the ministry. emphatic call fi)r a minister of that new order that we have already seen to be demanded by these times. Nothing less can meet the needs of thr. age and for- ward the solution of its problems. T-.ese reipiire- mcnts are therefore to be insist-d upon strenuously and cnipliasi/ed distinctly. It would not be easy to lay too great stress upon an unmistakable call from Christ to the work of tiie pastorate. In the past generation of ministers, there was much timely and earnest discussion of the nature of the office of tne ministry, by Dr. Wayland and others. We heard much about an " overstocked minis- try." Ir. one respect not without reason. Speaking to his class on this theme, Dr. Joseph Addison Alexander once said : " The pastor is sent to feed the flock of Christ; but some men only drive the sheep about and ileece them." it is to be hoped that this is true of comparatively few of the accredited evangelical ministry of this age, but doubtless it is still true that there is a large class, proved uncalled by their lifelong idleness or uselessness, who give some color to the complaint of an "overstocked ministry." In view of these facts, there is no possibility jf emphasizing too strongly tne wortlilessness of an uncalled ministry. The pastoral work tests such men. They have no interest in the pastoral vocation; and it is in this sphere that they are peculiarly a source of evil to il^ Church. "Wo be to the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! 5:aith the Lord." * The way in which the minister carries himself in the pastorate is perhaps the severest test of his divine call. . . , It Is manifest that no man can speak or act with the authority with which men must speak and act in this ■^ ler. xxiii. I. E MINISTRY. lew order that we I by tlie«j times. tin: age and for- T lese reciuire- upon strenuously great stress upon <) the work of the jf niiiiislcrs, there 5sion of the nature Dr. Wayland and overstocked minis- reason. Speaking . Joseph Addison is sent to feed the ly drive the sheep i hoped that this is ;redited evangelical , it is still true that cd by their lifelong some color to the listry." In view of jf emphasizing too uncalled ministry. ;n. They have no ; and it is in this ource of evil to l'.' s that destroy and ! saith the Lord."* irries himself in the t test of his divine peak or act with the peak and act in this THE PREACHKR AS A PASTOR IN THESE TI.MES. 335 day, to be heard above the tluinder of the woiKl's traffic and hceiled, without a call as leal, if not as articulate, as had the proj)hets in the olden times. Secondly, there is equal need to emjjhasize the importance, in the pastorate of the present day, of a man led of (lod to that higher Christian g, a Higher life in which a constant Divine pres- Chriotian Life, ence is realized in speech and action, in all the life and work. There is perhaps valid reason to fear that much of the so-called Christian work of the day draws too little of its inspiration from the communion of the closet and the approbation of the God who -oes in secret. The "right liantls " too often spend quite as much time in telling the " left hands " * what they have been doing as they occupy in the work itself; and, as might be anticipated, tiie workmen frequently accpiire a greater facility in telling than in doing. It shows a state of things all wrong. The perfectionism, advocated by various parties, and put into systematic shape by Upham, in the Interior Life and Life of Faith, a-"i the books tiiat have recentlv followed in the sai-.j line, we arc inclined to think partly the result of a dawning sense of the need of a higlier and better life in the Chuich. In the growing consciousness of this need we find the explanation of the hearty response with whicii Boardman's Higher Christian Life was met by so many Christians. Now it is the advance in Christian attainment which the latter book urges — however greatly one may differ from it in its terms and modes of e.Kplanation — that is needed in the sacred office; the style of Christian life that comes from complete understanding and acceptance of Christ. Too many are living with only half a Christ, and that the half * .Matt. vi. 3. V{': 336 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. which has least to do with yinling tlie Christian for the work of life. The tendency is to stop with the doctrine of justification by the blood of Jesus. The heathen Festus, in rehearsinjr to Agrippa the grounds of dispute between Paul and his Jewisii a(e users, said tliat it had to do with "one i/nu/ Jesus, whom Paul affirmed to be a/ive again."* It takes the two, the dying and dead Jesus, and the risen and living Jesus, to lay a complete foundation for a Christian life— the dying Jesus, by whose righteousness the law and justice of Cod are satisfied, and forgiveness and restoration to the Divine favor secured— and the risen, living, interceding, reigning Jesus, by whose promised personal presence, along with and in the Christian, h. is girded for all the struggle of life— it takes the two to make the strong man in the service of God. Too many of us have only a ", his medioc- rity in the sermon will be made up by respect for his always right- seeing activity. In this office, then, of preaching, one of the very highest talents demanded is an administrative talent. Every preacher wants it, even more than he would in the governing of a State." With the qualification that we look upon it from the side of the pastorate rather than of the pulpit, and *0n "Pulpit Talent." m 340 CHRIST'S TRUMPET-CALL TO THE MINISTRY. with some exceptions elsewhere noted, we are ready to indorse the thought of this passage most heartily. Admitting the importance of the duties ordinarily assigned to the pastor, still we do not hesitate to affirm that the work of the pastorate in this age must be made chiefly one of direction. The pastor is to accomplish more by wielding the energies of the Church than by his own personal effort. He can not in any other way do what is waiting to be done. It is evident to one who discerns the signs of the times that we have come upon the day when the adminis- trative talent of the clergy needs to be developed, along with the individual activity of the membership. The attempts made to remedy the existing defects show this. Hence has arisen the long-continued and all-important discussion of the responsibility and agency of the laity in the service of Christ— a discus- sion upon the decision of which, as one can readily see, the future of the Church must to a very large degree depend. As in connection with all great religious movements there are great errors to be guarded against, so in this there are such, patent to all discerning men, that it will require all the wisdom of God's people to avoid. The Church all workers; the Church with the prerog- ative and duty of directing its own energies to Christ's work; the pastor at the head of the directing element,— we have seen to be the Divine law that should govern Christian effort. Any departure from this, even on what may seem the best of hunan grounds, must, in the last result, be fraught with evil. Least of all can the regulative, administrative capacity, lodged in the organized Church and in the divinely appointed leader, be dispensed with. There is reason for fearing that ! ^>, ' ." ' yg MINISTRY. , we are ready to ; most heartily, iutiev ordinarily not hesitate to in this age must rhe pastor is to energies of the ort. He can not be done. It is ^Ls of the times hen the adminis- to be developed, the membership. existing defects ig-continued and ;sponsibility and Christ— a discus- 5 one can readily t to a very large igious movements against, so in this ning men, that it s people to avoid. 1 with the prerog- nergies to Christ's -ecting element, — hat should govern om this, even on grounds, must, in Least of all can :ity, lodged in the I appointed leader, ti for fearing that THE PREACHF.R AS A I'ASTuR IN THKSE IIMES. 341 this is not enough taken into account in some of the current Church movements. An increased development and application of admin- istrative capacity in the pastorate must then be insisted upon, as essential to the highest success g. Necessary to in pushing the immediate evangelization Push the Work, of the world in obedience to Christ's last command. Administrative is the word rather than organizing. That minister is a rare man who has come to even a slight appreciation of the command of Christ, " Feed my sheep"; but the man called for by the exigencies of the present day is the much rarer man, who has come to some slight understanding of that more compre- hensive command, " Shepherd my sheep," "shepherd my with which Christ followed up the former Sheep." command. That is where the administrative talent comes in. That is just where ministerial development needs to >^e brought into sympathy with the spirit of the age, as manifested in business and all other prac- tical activities— in the wielding and directing of organ- ized masses and forces. There is need of power, not to make new machinery, but to use efficiently that which has already been given to the Church by Christ. This demand for increased administrative ability is enforced by the fact that there has been no period in modern times that afforded such facilities as the present for the exercise and direction of individual Christian activity. Of the change that had then taken place in individual Christian activity. Dr. Enoch Pond said, thirty years ago, in \\\'i Lectures on Pastoral Theology : " I count it one of the peculiar privileges of the present age that it presents so many opportunities for labor in the cause of Christ — labor not only for the officers of the Church, but for all the members, 342 CHRIST S ■lRUMPi:i-<-AI,I. TO Till. MINISTKY. m Every one who l.as . hand and heart to labor in the I or.l s v.neyan frfow fin.i son,ethin« appropriate for hin. to .lo. In t:ns respec ;L times are very different from what they were two ,e„erat.ons ago." The thirty years that liave since elapsed have wrought a still more marvelous change, not only in the breadth and scope atul variety of Chnst.an activity, but also iu its organization and defin.teness of aim This movement has included the extensive work of the various tract, Sunday-school, and mission agencies, by which it has been sought to extend the influence of the Gospel to all regions and al classes. We recognize the latest phase of it in " Silent Kvangel- ism," which is practically the old tract work brought itito touch with the present time, and bringing well- directed personal effort within the reach of those who have not the gift of tongue. The movement has also included the thorough organizing of the youthful working forces in the Church, in the great agencies that now belt the globe,-the Y. M. C. A. the \. I. S C E etc., -the spiritual value of which must llways depend upon their yielding an increase of genuine Christian work, and the ability and wisdom of the directory that is back of them. It is thus a special problem of the day how best to r J,- r develop and direct the activity of the theSS. membership, and how best to use all these new agencies in accomplishing this object. The spheres are various. In the home-church and congregation there is always a wide field for Christian effort The multitudes within the scope of the home- nastorate arc to be reached and influenced and shaped by personal and constant intercourse with the pastor and officers; are to be led by Christian communion ■: MINISTRY. ill the Lord's vineyard do. In i^iis respect were two generations ice elapsed have ange, not only in ety of Christian 1 and definiteness led the extensive :hool, and mission iht to extend the ins and all classes. 1 "Silent Evangel- ract work brought and bringing well- reach of those who movement has also r of the youthful the great agencies M. C. A., the Y. V. le "of which must ng an increase of ility and wisdom of lie day how best to :he activity of the iw best to use all ling this object. e home-church and 2 field for Christian scope of the home- auenced and shaped Lirse with the pastor liristian communion f 'i THE I'REACUF.R AS A PASTOR IX THF.SF. TIMIS. 343 and interchange of views, sentiments, and experiences, to a higher piety and a larger and more intelligent benevolence; are to he bn.iiglit together, and all tlie varied and even discordant elements to be molded into unity and harmony and efficiency, and then per- vaded with that indcscribai)le hut irresistible «/;•// de aufs to whicii nothing by way of organized and ener- getic effort is impossible. In this scheme every man finds his pla'-c, and there need no longer be occasion for the im|)ression of the honest Scotchman, that the only use of a deacon or an elder is to be at the bottom of ail the Church quar- rels, and the only use of tlie members to furnish the material for quarrels. Within this general work there is the special func- tion that has to do with the preparation for the Church of the next generation, in training the jn Training young; which is perhaps the most im- the Young, portant that comes within the reach of the preacher as pastor. The younger element in the membership requires of the pastor practical instruction, that shall restrain the ruinous tendency to withdraw :r,-n spiritual activity and to fall into laxity of views, -.nd the not less ruinous tendency to conceit,— by lading in them a solid basis in doctrine, by giving them intel- ligent conceptions of their mission, and by leading them to the early formation of right habits of Christian usefulness. There is, besides, a duty to the children of the Church, to be performed through the Sabbath- school and family. To use the Sunday-school aright as a place for training the church members to work for Chrst, while leading the children to a knowledge of Bible-truth; to give interest and efficiency to its work without a library of tenth-rate novels, a concert 344 C.K.ST'S TKUM.-.T-CA,,,. TO THE MINISTRY. Of theatricals, and a teaching .nade u, of V^^^^ and clever story-nust demand <' -' P^^ ^ ^ ^ eKcrcise of an administrative capacity Uuit can lay MdXnd employ all the piety and talent and energy "'T;:e^ttrhaps no command of Christ that is c.f ,r^;::i:;irtaiJe to the minister to^lay^^^^^^^^ ..v«„. Mv command, " Feed my lambs , and there SI?-' is perhaps no command just now n n,,re danger of being forgotten. ^^^^^^^ ^^':^^;^ Vincent of the Methodist l^piscopal Chu d, vlose life-long work for the young has made him a recog : •:ed :L.ority in that department of a.,^.aneo^ has recently uttered some wise words f ^^^^^S, Jo ,vhich the ininistry will do well to give full heed. He says : * by an ollicwl visit. 1 l>ere are i a ^^^^^^ meetings are held for specii b j^ ^^^^^^ ,„ come tinaer the "^ ^° J^J-"' ^^ ' ^rrtier ,oun/peop,e's Cinstian ^ndcav.^ E^^j- _^ the Christian Endeavor have associations. 1 ne muhi.iv immature and "ThP IMstor in the Sunday-school-his Place, pp. 104-05. in£tu K MINISTRY. ip of petty gossip f the pastor the :ity that can lay talent and energy Christ that is of r to-day than the lambs"; and there and just now in Bishop John H. ,al Church, whose made him a recog- of Christian effort, rds of warning, to rive full heed. He f on the part of certain the care of the superin- ' the school occasionally ) hold no teachers' mect- if there be one, who h.ave no voice whatever in the as representatives of the itant part of the flock, our churches no children's rvices except those which :n very young laymen, in ind other young people's Christian Endeavor have nany cases, immature and , of religious things whom my families, even in Chris- a reminiscence. In many Sunday-school-his Place, ficviav for February, 1896, THK VRl AC IIEK AS A I'ASrOR IN I'llKSE TIMES. 345 churches there are no longer classes of catccluimens. In many Methodist Fpiscopal churches, altiio the Bi\>k of DisapHiu- of tliat Church is very explicit on the subject, there are no tl.asses of chil- dren and youth in which the pastor conforms to the well-known I'ar- agraph 46, which reads as follows : ' The jiastor shall organize llie baptised cliildren of the Ciuirch, when they .are .at the age of ten years or younger, into classes, and appoint suitable leaders (male nr female), whose duty it shall be to meet them in class once a week, and instruct them in tlic nature, design, and obligations of baptism, and in the truths of religion necessary to make liiem ' wise unto sal- vation'; urge tliem to give regular attendance u|)on the means of gr.ice ; advise, exhort, and encourage them to an immediate conse- cration of their hearts and lives to God, and inquire into the state of their religious experience.' Tiiis same pregnant paragraph pro- vides, ' that children unbapti^ed are not to be excluded from these classes.' The fear which I express is that the jiastor does not organize young jjcople and bring them under his person.al direction and teaching, as the statutes of most churches require, and as the very fact of his pastoral relation renders imperative. To the .Sunday- school and the young people's organization is turned over all this important work, and instead of tlie pastor we have untaught, inex- perienced, and, too often, worldly men and women, and these not .ilways wise with the experience of age, to fulfil functions of the most delicate and sacred character. " Tiie pastor should tlierefore fiiui his place in the Sunday-school as pastor, and proceed to orgaui/.c such classes, to proviile such courses of instruction and himself to sujicrvise them, that he mny remove from the thought of the Church, and especially from the thought of childhood, that someliow the Sund.ay-school is a substi- tute for the pastorate, and that Sunday-school teachers are sutlicient to do the work which the commission of the Master imposes upon the ministry— the feeding of the lambs, the teaching of Holy Scrip- tures which m.ake ' wise unto salvation,' and which teach, reprove, correct, and instruct in righteousness those who are to be, if they are not already, formally enrolled as disciples of Christ." Moreover, to bring back home instruction to be what it should be, an eftuient aid in training for tlie Church; to siiow parents, and make them feel, that t li f ' II 346 CHRIST'S TRUMI'F.T-CAl.L TO THF. MINISTRY. the work committed to them— for which Cod has pre- pared them by the deepest and tciiderost love, ami the mosr constant and winnin^^ example, and tie strongest .nd most absolute authority— can not possibly be turned over with safety to any one else; and to give ,e new impulse, so much needed, to home religion— w,'' -(piire of the pastor a weight of inlluence that shau .-,. ipe the sentiment of the whole community. In bringing up the Church to this various work, private communion and consultation and systematic visitation will be needed— in short, every means of exerting influence, and of leading others to active cooperation, will be called into requisition. Moreover, in the outlying and destitute regions, beyond the bounds of the immediate congregation, is an almost unlimited field of effort. In rtJwwW the cities this vast work is as yet almost Outside. untouched. There are greater numbers yet to be reached by the Gospel than are now found in all our congregations. To reach and bring them in will require the most wise and tactful application of every legitimate method. But, in the opinion of many the "territorial method"— introduced by Chalmers, The"Tem- advocated and presented by Guthrie, in torial Method." O/tf of Harness, and Sketches of the Co^v- ^ate—\% to be the chief and most efificient mode of 'reaching these multitudes. The Church seems to be settling upon it with a firmer conviction. It takes into account all tlie principles that, in the discussion of the law of the pastorate, hav.e been seen to be essential. In the work of the teachers, and of the helpers of the missionary pastors, is furnished a channel into which an amount of energy may be turned that shall bring greater results than have been seen to flow from our J -. MIN'ISTRY. ich Cod lias prc- rost love, and the iiul tie strongest not possibly be L'lse; and to give ) home religion — of iiilliience that le community, lis various work, [1 and systematic , every means of others to active |uisition. destitute regions, i congregation, is eld of effort. In k is as yet almost : greater numbers m are now found and bring them in .ful application of lie opinion of many ced by Chalmers, ted by Guthrie, in keU/trs of the Co7C>- efificient mode of lurch seems to be iviction. It takes in the discussion of ;een to be essential. the helpers of the channel into which ed that shall bring 1 to flow from our rHK I'KF.ACIIEll AS A PASTOR I.V THESK. TI.MKS. 547 efforts, by way of mission schools, and street, and dock, and theater preaching, in all the past. And in reaching the masses in our great cities "the insti- tutional church," just now becoming so important a factor, will doubtless in the near future have a large development and application. Then there is a great world beyond, to which we can send a substitute if we can not go ourselves,, and to the immediate evangelization of which Christ calls his Church. Is it not patent to every one that there has never been an age that admitted and called for such develo- ment in tiie right direction ? The work is waiting on every hand. The channels are already prepared; b t this rushing world will never be overtaken witiiout the energies the Church can furnish, united and directed in the right way. Tlie call is for men, in the pastor's place, fitted by enlarged administrative capacity to be leaders of Christ's hosts. Wherever such men are found in the place, progress is made. The grandest successes of the day are won by them. We have had examples in the heart of London— in Newman Hall, with his twenty mission places, and in Spurgeon, wielding, in ceaseless activity and in every direction at once, the largest membership in any one Church organization in Christendom. It was clearly in Just this qualilication, that Mr. Spurgeon greatly surpassed that other splen- did preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, and in virtue of this he was able to lay the foundations of a work in- volving many institutions and vast and complicated machinery for instruction and training for ministers and Christian workers, and for missionary and philan- thropic effort, that remains as an enduring monument ;l I! ■' I ' If. ! 348 Christ's trumpet-call to thk ministry. of his admiiiistrativc gi-iiius, wliilc still c()iitin.iinjr to bless tile wliolc world. In this age, there is a mission for some second Luther, in rousing the (.'luirch to a sense of the grandeur of her present opportunities, and impressing upon her the divine law of right work under right direction. Meanwhile the absence of some one mighty soul, sent for this end, casts the responsi- bility upon all who are in the ranks of the ministry. (Ill) A Man of Broader and Better Pastoral Training. The third question, touching the man for the pastor in these times, had to do with his training. This fer- tile subject must be passed over with a few brief hints. Three things enter into the idea intended— increased vigor of soul, enlarged sympathy with men, and nwe practical knowledge of the work; the first to meet the requirement for a higher style of man for the place, and the other two to secure a Detter adaptation to his place of influence and direction. The proper training must intelligently seek the production of these. That training should send the pastor to his work with a larger soul; that is, with an increase both of mental and spiritual power. There is need of a more vigorous thinker, with both greater acuteness and broader comprehensiveness. 1. AMoreVig- Let it not be said that this is a require- oroua Thinker, nient for the pulpit only; it is as much a necessity for the pastorate, for problems more difficult are constantly presenting themselves there for solu- tion—problems involving at once a keener logic and a more subtile metaphysics. As Dr. Bushnell has well indicated, the pastorate is the place calling for the MINISTRY. 11 loiitiiuiing to here is a mission the (."iuirc.h to a U opportunities, i\v of rij^lit work : absence of some ists the responsi- [ the ministry. TTER Pastoral lan for the pastor ininJ,^ This fer- a few brief hints, ended — increased with men, and ork; the first to >'le of man for the jetter adaptation ion. The proper le production of the pastor to his I an increase both thinker, with both jmprehensiveness. this is a require- y; it is as much a iems more difficult es there for solu- on, wh. ou'gh the mariner's compass, the v.orld .n Us proration for the doctrine of Christ keq. pace m Lcling a known world ; ^^^_;;^^^lZ:!l mission movement, whde, by the discovery Ti its application to printing -d ocomo Uon - world is bemg made accessible to the ^-P » ^^^^ fj^ Now, when we see the energies of the world be ng developed as never before, and ^-gh ened y the manifold adaptations of science and the duection oi The mightiest and most subtle forces of nature, to the vcrk of life; and when, along with this, innumerable diannels are open for Christian effort, and wait ng for this energy to be guided through them to the accom plishment of Christ's great purpose-waat, we constrained to ask, will be the result? This vast store of human energy indicates, in its dev lopment and accumula'don, the preparation for a -i:^nn:de!r^r^^-o^^ S^^rr^Jb;:^^-::^™-^^ Ln :«:rt anf enterprise. Christ is wai^^-ng to give • .U to the Church when she sincerely and be ^J^^g^ asks for it, and shows herself ready to wield it for his gov Upon the pastorate of these coming yea even more than upon the pulpit, w.U depend the oroere" of the Chirch and the hopes of the world. With llright man in the right place everywhere in leCh re Catholic, and with the Divine blessing, the sins of the times would indicate the near approach o tfe great consummation; and the pastors now just ^tefh^g upon thei. work may confidently hope to ^ MINISTRY. )wn and inacces- formation, while, Lhe v/orkl in its ■ist keeps pace in ,ng herself for the iscovery of steam 1 locomotion, ihe e Gospel of Christ. r the world being leightened by the d the direction of ;s of nature, to the , this, innumerable rt, and waiting for hem to the accom- jse— what, we are It? Ty indicates, in its e preparation for a and owned of God, sn the work of the Even now much the ways of Chris- is waiting to give it ely and believingly dy to wield it for his :hese coming years, it, will depend the hopes of the world. place everywhere in ! Divine blessing, the the near approach of he pastors now just confidently hope to THE PREACHER AS A PASTOR IN TliESE TIMES. 353 witness that consummation in the effective preaching of the Gospel to every creature. Concluding Outlook. The present outlook upon humanity reveals an awful crisis in human affairs. Two mighty hosts are confronting each other in hostile array. On the one side, the armies of the spiritual Babylon are gathering, and the forces and spirits The Hosts of of evil, human and Satanic, are mass- Darkness, ing as if for the great final struggle of Arn.ageddon: " The three unclean spirits like frogs con-e out of the nmuth cf the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet . . . the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to th-; battle of that great day of God Almighty." * Anarchism is hastening to its fruition in anarchy, and the massing of the forces of evil portend " the end of an age." From a merely human point of view the times are portentous. Figure apart, for the moment— the writer in the Qmrterly Review, already referred to, calls earnest attention to the fact that the conditions that preceded, prepared for, and precipitated the French Revolution with its agony and blood, are now reproduced on the scale of the civilized world. He says : f " It would be interesting to trace the resemblance between our time and the latter years of Louis XV., 01 those which went bef'-.e *Rev. xvi. 13, 14. \ Quarterly Review, Article "Anarchist Literature," January, 1894, p. 4- i I' I iii 1 354 Christ's trumpet-call to the ministry. the great Revolution. In both cases, we should find ourselves dwelling on the ' (air humanities,' the ' mild manners,' the ioleration of conflicting ideals, the dreams of everlasting peace, and, above all, the dilettante, bric-a-brac, and pseudo-artistic mania, .rom which the whole of society was suffering. Everywhere we should hear the prophet's cry, 'Watchman, what of the night?' while those whose ears were keene; t might catch his oracular response, ' The morning Cometh— and als.< the night '—such a night as a hundred years ago hung over the Pkce de la Revolution for months together." On the other siu,., the host of the King of kings, the Church, is gathering in opposing array, witii every The Hosts of needed equipment of power and grace Light. at her command; bearing the sharp and omnipotent sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, with its double edge of judgment and grace, in the law and the Gospel; and with her great leader sum- moning her, by his Word and his providence, to present victory over all the forces of evil, and to the immediate conquest of the world. As the battle is about to be joined, men ask with bated breath: What is to be the result? Shall it be the reenactment, on the scale of the world, of the scenes of the French Revolution ? The titanic, vol- canic forces are all there, and only a touch of evil is needed to bring the tremendous, results, in the defeat of the good and in social, civil, and moral de- struction. How light a touch may serve the purpose, and how hopeless the defeat and ruin may become, the experience in the Pittsburg riots and the later uprisings of labor and anarchism in Chicago may sug- gest. Or shall it be the final victory of him who has "on his thigh a name written. King of kings, and The Leader's Lord of lords" ? * That will all depend Call. upon the response of the Church to her Leader's call. She is commissioned to wield " the two- * Rev. xix. i6. MINISTRY. lould find ourselves nners,' the ioleration eace, and, above all, mia, .roin which the fie should hear the ' ' while those whose onse, ' The morning i hundred years ago > together." ing of kings, the ray, witli every lower and grace ig the sharp and ! Word of God, nd grace, in the reat leader sum- providence, to evil, and to the d, men ask with alt ? Shall it be le world, of the The titanic, vol- a touch of evil , results, in the il, and moral de- :rve the purpose, lin may become, ts and the later Chicago may sug- Y of him who has ig of kings, and at will all depend he Church to her wield "the two- THE PREACHER AS A PASTOR IN I HI.SE TIMES. 355 edged sword " for Christ. She has the promise and assurance of certain, complete, and speedy victory. Every obstacle has been removed; every e.xcuse for delay has been swept away. Will she obey the com- mand "Go ye," and move on without delay to the triumph and conquest ? JVhet/ier she rci/l do it or not will depend, most of all, upon what her appointed leaders, under C/z/vV/— the min- istry— 7^77/ do. They bear up the standard of the cross; they hold the key to the situation, the talis- man of victory, the commission for commanding and sounding the forward movement; and upon the min- istry can not therefore fail to rest the chief weight of responsibility ! THE END. X \ \ I 1 jl— ' INDEX. Administrative ability, large de- velopment of, 29; Busliiiellon, 3i5i 3391 larger measure needed by the pastor, 339, 348; exam- ples of, 347 Alexander, Archibald, on popu- larity, 212 Alexander, Joseph Addison, on the mercenary pastor, 334 Alford, Dean, "The Queen's English," 229 Anarchism, Age of, 147; charac- teristics, 147-151 Anarchist literature, 149 " Anna Karenina," characterized, 211 Apologists meeting scientists and iitionalists, 287 Apostles, the, their Commission, 3; the first " missionaries," 8; view of giving, 40; were preachers, 195 Apostolic, rule of giving, 41 ; rule in preaching, 62 Argyll, Duke of, on " Christian Socialism," 62, 209 Aristotle, " The Modern," 20S Arithmetic, some problems in, 43 Arnold, Matthew, 182 Augustine, 199 Authority, modern revolt against, 147 " Back to the Law," the need of the age, 75; net merely as the battle-cry of refcrm, 80 Beecher, Henry V.'ard, character- istics of, 261-266; debt to Ruskii, 264 Beecher, Lyman, on value of revi- vals, 273 Bellamy, Joseph, Bible as word of Clod, 281 Bible Christianity, as a saving power, the preacher's theme, 53; in doctrinal form, essential to preaching, 1 10 Bible, text-books of salvation, 72; as the Book of God, 188; as theology, 190; as practical truth, 192; intensely practical, 193; a practical book, 243; an-.wers in its doctrines the great human questions, 243; makes all ma- terial things tyjiical, 256 Biblical knowledge, ineacher's need of a better, 188; from three points of view, 188-194 lilackstone, view of tithes, 41 Blair, William, rhetoric of, 206-237 Bonar, l)r Horatius, "Words to tl-.e Winners of Souls," 128, 1198, 200, 268 Booth, Robert Ivussell, experience in revival, 298 Bushnell, Horace, his famous epi- gram, 55; on duty of adminis- tration, 315, 339 Butler, Joseph, "Analogy of Re- ligion," 280 Call to the ministry, essential, 160; from Christ and constraining, 161; the brilliant preacher with- out, 162 Candlish, Dr. Robert S., the judge's estimate of his preaching. 310 1 357 tli^" INDEX. 358 Carlyle.T'.onias, on "bankruptcy of science" and mechanical era, Chalmers, Dr. Thomas " expul- sive power of a new affection, 63- failure to solve the problem of 'poverty, 66; estimate of re- form preaching, 64; failure in, ClSnbers, Talbot W., The Noon Prayer Meeting, 288 Changes in Christian methods, Clirist, his command, and his au- thority, 3; his statement of his mission, 53; method of preachy ing, 62, 67; his principle of unity of aim, 85; emphasis on repentance, 971 li>^ emphasis on regeneration, 104; on the en- mity of the world, 135; o" prayer for more laborers in the vinevard, i6i; his threefold charge to Peter, 304; Ins re quirement of pastoral care for the young, 3441 li's "Leaders call," 354 , ^ ... Christian giving, thebcnptural law of 34-48; false theories, 35; the Church's practical theory, 35' Christian th.e steward of Christ in, 3-'; Old Testament rule, 37; New Testament rule, 3iy; Christ's view of, 39; •'"'I'O'- tles' view, 40; Apostolic n .e, 41 ; Church's unscripiural theory, ,12; Scriptural law of, makes i.mple provision for evangeli.- Church, her commission and re- sponsibility, 34; requirement to furnish pecuniary means, 6; missionary opportunity, 8; im- mense wealth, ri; failure in the , work, 51; a spiritu.il agency, 54; decline of power, 133; causes at work, 133; influence of skepticism, 13b; why young men don't go to, 14b; the retro- spect and prospect, 300; what her future, humanly speaking, dependent upon the ministry, 302; her crif ;«il position, 354 Church of Scotland, confession of, 198 . , • Clifford, Professor, his atheism, 136 Coleridge, S. T., on wealth, '.i; aphorism, 254 CoUatia, illustration of consecra- tion from, 199 Columbian exposition, -15 Columbus, Christopher, voyage ot, 16, 17 , . • , 1 Comte, Auguste, atlicist.c philos- ophy, 286 Consecration, pre.icher s need of I more complete, 197-204; God s ! call for, 2Q0 , „ , a 1 Constantinople, the fall ot, 18 ' Constructive training, importance ' of 171; neglect of, 17b; essen- in, the w.-rUi, 43 Christianity, its proposals, ^9". re- constructs. f^, essen- 7; method of, 178, 179 ons and law, 81 less, God's hatred of, 50 ? the motto of the a^e, 214 .am, \V., the Anglo- problem, 87; historical lie changes, 307 ;nry N., "Art of Dis- " 237; principles of '53 hodoxy, itsworthlessiiess, n, value of exact, 170 English, prevalence of, 280 cey, 'I'homas, " Biograph- isays," 21 INDEX. Despotic sway of militarism and monopoly, 155, 156 DeWette, " Introduction," 286 Doctrinal preaching, its partial ahandonment and the reasons, iio-iiq; return to, a necessity, 119-127; the three R's of sal- vation, 121 Doctrine, schism of, and ethics, 77; linked with life, g8; four fundamental doctrines, 105; es- sential to preaching, 110-119; return to, in preaching a neces- sity, 119-121; and ideal Chris- tian life, Paul's view, 122 ; Peter's view, 123; Froude's view, 124; essential to rational religious life, 128; central in preaching, 245 ; present depre- ciation of, 295; what now re- quired, 293-297 Dogma, unreasonable sneers at, 98 Dornerism, defects of, 78; tends to Universalism, post-mortem probation, etc., 79 Draper, John \V., physical sciences in training the clergy, 240; " Conflict of Science and Relig- ion," 242 Earnestness, intense, demanded of the preacher, 202; illustrated by Xavier, 202; Paul's example of, 203; essential to the leadership of the ministry, 204 Economics, moral law over, 89; historical principles of, 307 Edwards, Jonathan, character of his Hj^r^, g6 Kgoism and Altruism, 76 Electricity, agency in opening the world, H Eloquence, various study of, 222; elements of sacred, 225; need of correct theory of, 231; working- theory of, 232 Emmons, Dr. Nathaniel, on "tol- erably good ministers," 349 Enthusiasm, demanded of the 359 by preacher, 200; illustrated Michelangelo, 201 Era of Revival, need of a fourth era, 290; exigencies to be met, 291; doctrines required to pro- mote it, 293 Eras of Revival, 279; peculiar features of, 280; first era, 280; second era, 282; third era, 285 Ethics of selfishness, crystallized by Paley, etc., 76 ;-illustrated, 117 Faith, justification by, the test of Protestantism, 102; importance illustrated, 103^ relations to reason and jihilosophy; not blind trust, but rational, 113 Farrar, F. W., ' The Message of the Books," i8g Finney, Charles G., secret of power, 96, 292 Fish, Dr. Henry Piety Revived, Flint, Robert, History," 208 French, skepticism, prevalence of , 282 Fulton Street Prayer-meeting, its origin, 288; memorial volume on, 288; its development of the laity, 289 Furnishing of the preacher, what essential, 130; in knowledge and oratorical skill, 180-197; in science and philosophy, 181; Biblical knowledge, 188; special power to preach, 194 Future punishment, disbelief the age in, 151; examination a candidate on, 152 C. , "Primitive ' 127, 128,312 " Philosophy of in in of of Germanizing theological semina- ries, 172 Germany, influence of, methods, 174; present tendency of the- ology in, 174 God's law, the rule of family, Church, and State, 248 Gonoth law and gospel essential, 71 ; duty to jircach doctrine, 127 ; pressure of secularism on, 153 ; the furnishing needed, 153-204 ; intellectual mastery of the situation, 154 ; more Scriptural working-theory, 159; a different and better training, 165 ; more of knowledge and oratorical skill, 180 ; a more complete consecration, 197 ; present recjuirements of, 278 ; his relation to levivals, 278 ; need to study principles of re- vivals, 279 ; as a pastor in these . times, 304-355 ; his work in gathering and shepherding, 304 Preaching, its place in Gospel scheme, i: that leads to legalism, 64; two opposite modes of, 65; the law to sinners, 80 ; dis- tinguished from reading, 195 ; for the masses, 196 ; Dr. W. M. Paxton on, 196 ; for these times, 205-303 ; the times as a factor in, 205 ; required by the state of things, 221 ; cor- ed of bettor knowledge ; false, how to he met, )r. Artluir T., " Play of s," 52 ; " Crisis of Mis- 128 ■, ihiiit;t'r from, 156 ehilion of preadiing to, I nuiral law over, igl prca' li, iireacher's need • "^-^ . ideas in man, 1 hereniin s f, 233 ; the r.ililf, 243 ; ms, from second era of , of, 285 the, his present commis- -52 ; his anxious fines- I ; his leadership, 5; duty, 50 ; his message, ; salvation the key-note, ble Christianity as a sav- wer, his theme, 55 ; re- :ion fundamental, 55 ; i\v and gospel essential, iity to i)reach doctrine, iressure of secularism on, the furnishing needed, 14 ; inlfllett\ial mastery 5 situation, 154 ; more iral working-theory, 159 ; rent and better training, more of knowledge and cal skill, 180 ; a more He consecration, 197 ; t recjuirements of, 278 ; dation to levivals, 278 ; study principles of re- 27g ; as a pastor in these . 304-355 ; his work in ing and shepherding, 304 ig, its place in Gospel e, i: that leads to legalism, vo opposite modes of, 65; iw to sinners, 80 ; dis- shed from reading, 195 ; e masses, 196 ; Dr. W. M. n on, 196 ; for these 205-303 ; the times as a in, 205 ; required by ate of things, 221 ; cor- INDEX. 3^>3 rect theory of, 231 ; in its matter, 240 ; expectation of re- sults in, 251-261 ; in its man- ner, 253 ; expository, 261 ; in its spirit, 2(><' ; for innnedialely evangeli/.ing tlie world, 268-303; shoulil keep in view the ( ireat Commission, "'^-'^ : Wesley's test of si>' ' '; staled, (.Kid's met! /i , >vilh(nit prepara- tion, langer (-f, 275, 276 ; for saving the world, 277-30*>""- mary statement of the (.odward side of redemption, (yiy, the three great " ther( fores," lol : legal aspect t>( redemption, 107 Romish prEathing, by I'rotestants, 64 R's, the ihrec. of s.alvation, 121 Riiskin, John, " Modirn I'aint- ers,"'ao8; on utility, 215: theory of beauty, 255; debt of Deecher to, 264 Sacrificial aspect of redemption, Salvation the key-note of the (Jos- pel, 53; Rible text-books of, 72; law the startiiij;-point. 74; /""«, and not in, sin, (/); its (iodward si7. "^ Specialism tendency of mere, 175; leads to .legUct of constructive training a:ul thinking, 176 Spencer, ll;rbert, unwarranted ' estimate of, II4; all-pervasive false teaching, 115, 182, 183, 241, 291 Sphinx riddles, 130; of religion the greatest, 131 Spring, Dr. dardner, on purpose in sermonizing, 163 Spurgeon, C. H., characteristics of, 261-266 Stated preaching for conversion the normal method, 271 Stead, Mr., "Civic Church," 61. Steam, agency in opening the world, II ; in the hands of Protestants, 10 Strong, Dr. Josiah, "Our Coun- try," 128 IIU lu'w ethics of, 117; I, 149 iMu a failure, 276 nan, (Uinaiiilftl liy the as an as|)ei I of reilenip- 9 ; aii «?. <9 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductlons historiques <.* I INDEX. 365 Style, principles and essentials of, 253; principles giving power in, 253; Biblical qualities, concrete, illustrative, and specific presen- tation, 254-261; principles illus- trated in IJeecher and Spurgeon, 261-266 Tappan, Lewis, "Is it Right to lie Rich?" 25 Territorial Method, in reaching the world, 346 Texts, specific truths in, illus- trated, 258-260 Theological training, need of bet- ter, 172; danger from Germaniz- ing tendency, 172: from mere specialism, 175; from neglect of constructive thinking, 176 Theology, shallowness and impu- dence of the rationalistic, 166- 168 Therefores, Paul's three great, lOI Theremin, Francis, " Eloquence a Virtue," 234; "Demosthenes and Massilloii," practical ideas 249 Thinking, indefinite, influence of, 116 This-world-ism, 133 This-worldliness, Walter Walsh on, 140, 145 Times, the, as a factor in preach- ing, 205; practical characteris- tics of these, 206-216; results in the preaching, 216-220 Tithe, expressions for, in New Testament, 41 Tithe-system, errors regarding, 37-39; abrogated, 39-41; Black- stone's view, 41 Tobit, view of tithes, 38 Tolstoi, "The Kreutzer Sonata," 149 Transcendentalism, shallow, in; rational, legitimate, 112; ration- alistic, baseless, n4 Triad, the Christian and the pagan, 145 Truth, in order to holiness, 117; essential to rational and relig- ious life, 124 Ueberwcg, "History of Philos- ophy," 116 Universalist pew-holder, power of a, 152 Utility the rage for, 214 ; John Ruskin's distinction, 215 Vasco da Cama; voyage of, 17 Vincent, Bishoj) John H., on pas- tor's duty of training the young, 344 Walsh, Walter, on "The New Secularism," 140-145 Warren, Bishop II. W., view of ethics, 77 Watchman's resjionsiuility, 271 Wayland, Francis, ministry not a profession, 267, 334 Wealth of the Church, revolution and its causes, 21 ; the world's treasure-fields given to Protest- antism, 23 ; results of the revo- lution, 24 ; consecpicnt Chris- tian duty, 25 ; dangers from hoarded, 45 ; perils from mis- used, 46 ; the present problem of, 47 ; and the age-temptatit)n, 89 Well-being, its two senses, 78 ; the sense chosen decides the morality and the theology, 79 ; the wrong view of, wrecks morals and life, 79 Wesley, John, tests of success, 270 Westminster Review, on " The Sexual Problem," 149 Whately, Archbishop, " Rhet- oric," 236 Wickedest siiniers, 270 Wuttke, "Christian Ethics, 77 Xavier, Francis, earnestness of, 202 Zola, M., as.anarchist novelist, 21 1