Wj ^^iiM-1 _______ ■'•■S2^' ,v::w^V>. v','v •yi- >■' , '.' Ir/v ■ > . ■ ,.■■.'-• - ■ ■■■■ .■'.', , *^Mt; ^i* .i»:^A;'.;.*\-^"*1 ■A^ (^' i>i 'J ^■^^ >?§^«^sgi:s?^ s^ii^m. '■*^ '■■, •■MfS^rit i ••..-•-■-■■ ■■■• •.y •.• is$^mt m^.i ,"<> . ■; ' ;U;|^C.K^^V i'v' ^K^^'M 14 -; uiun.'Atv I UKIVE^J.SITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGD , y i-i Zbc 3ntcrnational IThcolooical Xibrarv. EDITED BY STEWART D. F. SALMOND, D.D., Professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament Exegesis, Free Church College, Aberdeen; CHARLES A. BRIGGS, D.D., Edward Robinson Professor of Biblical Theology. Union Theological Seminary, Neiu York. THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND THE WORKING CHURCH. By WASHINGTON GLADDEN. PRINTED BY MOKIUSON AND GIBB LIMITED, FOR T. & T. CLARK, EDINBURGH. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, AND CO. LIMITED. NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER's SONS. TORONTO: THE PUBLISHERS' SYNDICATE LIMITED. International Theological Library THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND THE WORKING CHURCH BY WASHINGTON GLADDEN D.D., LL.D. AUTIIOI! OF "applied CHHISTfANITY," " WHO WROTE THE BIBLE?" "KULING IDEAS OF THE PI5ESEXT AGE," ETC. EDINBURGH T. & T. CLAiiX, 08 GEORGE fcJTKEET loni PREFACE. This book is intended to cover the field of what is known as Pastoral Theology. The technical phrase is not well chosen : theology, in any proper sense of the word is not connoted by it. It deals with the work of the Chris- tian pastor and the Christian church. Its subject is applied Christianit3^ It is concerned with the ways and means by which the truth of the Gospel of Christ is brought to bear upon the lives of men, in the administra- tion of the local congregation. It seeks to show the pastor how he may order his own life and the life of his flock so that their joint service may be most effective in extending the Kingdom of God upon earth. It is not wholly a matter of methods and machinery, for the spirit in Avhich the work is done is the main concern; but it is a study of the life of the church as it is manifested in the connnunity where it is ])lanted. The forms of this life greatly vary as civilization changes. New occasions teach new duties. Ethical standards are purified and elevated; the emphasis of the teaching is altered; modes of address, methods of adminis- tration that once were effective are no longer practicable-, the work of the church must bo adapted to the conditions by wliich it is surrounded. This truth has been con- stantly in view in the preparation of tliis treatise. It is the work of one who has been for many years an active pastor; it has been written in siu Ii leisure as could be snatclied from the engrossing cares of a laige congregation, and it deals on every page with ju-oblems which have been and are in this present age matters of innnediati.; practical v yi PREFACE. concern. It is therefore to be feared that on the scholastic side it will be found less elaborate than many of the trea- tises which have i3receded it. The history of pastoral methods is a matter of interest, but that has been well told and scarcely needs retelling; the scholarly pages of Jan Jacob Van Oosterzee and Theodosius llarnack present all that the student needs to know about the administra- tion of the churches in past generations. What has seemed more important, in the preparation of this volume, is the study of the life of the busy pastor at the end of the nineteenth century, in the midst of the swift and turbu- lent intellectual and social movements now going forward ; in a society partially or wholly democratized ; in the pres- ence of influences that are reshaping philosophies and in- stitutions; in the day when it seems to be a question whether the religion of Christ represents an obsolescent force, or is just about to take up the sceptre of universal empire. That this is the day of opportunity and respon- sil)ility for the Christian church is the faith on which this treatise is founded; and if this be true the need of dis- cerning tliis time is the deepest need of tiio Christian pastor. The hope set l)efore him is that the Church of (iod will have a great deal more to do with the life of coming generations than it has ever had to do with tlio life of past generations, — not as a political power, but as iiii informing ami inspiring innnence. To lift u]) his licart with this expectation and to help him to see some of the ways in which it may be realized lias l)oeu tlic motive of this labor. It needs not to be said thai no man can fully understand tlio life of the eliurcli in any country but liis own. It is only by inlieritance of that life and lifelon- identirication with its various fortunes that lie gains the powtidf esti- matijig its aims and criticising its ])i'actice. He can live his life but once and therefore he cannot intimately know the Conditions and needs of the church in more than one rfiuntrv. Such knowledge cannot be gained merely from PREFACE. Vll books. It follows that works on what is known as Pas- toral Theology must always reflect the life of the churches out of whose experience they have grown. The flavor of the soil is always in them. Systematic Theology, Biblical Theology, Apologetics, Ethics are practically independent of local influences, but Pastoral Theology never is. It must be expected, therefore, that this volume, like those of Ilarnack and Van Oosterzee and Fairbairn and Palmer will show considerable local coloring ; if the book is alive it will pulsate with the life from which it has sprung. Between America and Great Britain there is so close a relationship that the discussions of these pages will not, it is hoped, be wholly unintelligil)le in the older country; and where the conditions are dissimilar, comparison and contrast may make them suggestive. Even to Chris- tians of the Continental churches the book may be of ser- vice as a somewhat imperfect picture of the Christian activities of other lands. For the free use of quotation which some of these chap- ters will show, the author has no apologies to make. The questions under consideration are largely questions of practical administration concerning which many men know more tlian any man; and tlic readers of lliis volume have a riiiht to know something of the best that has been said upon these themes by wise pastors and teachers of the present generation. To the younger men in tlio minislry and to those ujion its threshold this book is oiVert'd in the lioju' that they may tind in it some guidance in a calling whose l)rightcst oia and whose most glorions triiiniplis are yet to come. COLDMIMS, Ohio, Jlanh 17, 1808. CONTENTS CIIArTER T. PAGES IXTRODUCTOUY 1--- Pastoral Theology defined, 1. A Branch of I'ractical Theology, 1. ■Relation to other branches, 1. To Cliurch Polity, 2. To Liturgies, 2. To lloniiletics, 2. To Christian Jlissions, .3. Includes roinicnics and Catechetics, 3. Excludes Homiletics and Liturgies, 3. Its theme con- notes a working church, 4. Change in the subject matter of the science, 4. Earlier Treatises concerned with tlu; work of tlie pastor, 4. Later conception of the church as a working body, 8, The later con- ception the liiglier, 10. Historical outline, 10. Biblical conception of Poimenics, 10. Patristic theories and treatises, II. i\Iedi;vval ideas, 1 2. Poimenics of the Reformation, 13. Of the Eighteenth Century, 13. Of the Nineteenth Century, 14. Historical sketcli of catechetics, — Apostolic times, 17. Among the Early Fathers, 18. In the Middle Ages, 1 9. Among the lieformers, 19. In the Roman Catholic Church, 21. In various Christian bodies, 22. CIIAPTEll II. TiiK CniRCH 23-49 This discussion is concerned with the local congregation, 2.5. Lim- its of its membership, 23. Parish must not be too large for ])astoral oversight, 24. Must not be too large for efticient organization and fellowship, 25. The editice — ethics of its architecture, 20. Location of the edifice, 28. Constituency of the congregation, 29. No caste in its assemldies, 30. All classes accessiide, 31. Do the poor prefer to worslii|i by themselves? 32. The churches on trial upon tins issue, 33. Difliculty of maintaining Christian fellowship, 34. Signiliiance and v.ilnc of it, 35. Excliisiveness not wlndiy the fault uf one class, 30. Kilation of the Church to the Kingdom of (Jod, .38. The Kingdom, not the church, the inclusive term, 40. Tlic need of specializing re- ligion in institutions of its own, 42. The (hurcli nncillary to the King- d')m, 44. The end of the church tiie cliristi.uii/.alinu of society, 40. The church must save society or lose its own life, 48. CONTENTS. ClIArXER III. PAGES Tin: Pa^^tor 50-G5 iSiguilkauce of the uaine, 50. Is the pastor a priest ? 5:i. Growth of the sacerdotal idea, 54. Remnants of the idea in reformed churclies, 56. A spiritual priesthood, 59. The auUiority of the pastor, 61. Democracy implies leadership, 62. Spiritual power is moral in- fluence, 64. CHArTER IV. 'I'm; Call to the Pastorate 66-82 The Pastor is the minister of Christ, 66. Every good work a divine vocation, 68. Tiie inward call, 68. The outward call, 69. The Pas- tor's dual relation, 70. How shall tlie church find a minLster, 71. The system of patronage, 72. Qualifications of a pastor, 73. Methods of calling a minister, 74. Preacliing as a candidate, 75. The calling of settled ministers to vacant ciuirches, 76. May the minister seek a church? 78. One candidate at a time, 79. Xo candidates without good and fre.>ih credentials, 80. Must the call be unauiuious ? 81. Definite dealings with temporalities, 82. CHAPTER V. Tin; Pastou ix ni.s Sti'dy 83-106 'i'he minister a student, 83. (Jth(?r functions of the ministry, 84. The prophet must be a student, 85. Language and inspiration, 86. Art and inspiration, 88. The minister will continue the studies of the l)rofe.ssional school, 90. The history of doctrines, 91. Apologetic studies, 92. Inductive study of human nature, 93. Literature, 95. The Bible, 97. Tiie individual and the social order inseparable, 100. The study of social science, 101. Mischief of separating individual in- terests from social interests, 103. A scientific sociology confirms the Christian law, 1(U. The ndnistcr's study is liis oratory, 105. rilAI'TER VT. I'l I III \M> All VI! 107-171 Preiichiiig the Pastor's chief function, l()7. Tiie message to the indi- vidual, 108. Tlic conversiou of men, 109. Preaching the law, 110. Preaching the gospel. 111. The Gosjiel of the Kingdom, 112. The miui.Htcr's relation to practical affairs, 114. Spiritual law in the natural world, 116. Ca-tuiHtry in the ])nl]>it, 119. The evening service ami Applied Cliri.slianity, 121. The secularization of the pulpit, 123. Cur- rent topicH in the jinlpit, 125. Historical studies, 125. The jioets as prencherH, 120. Uiographical studies, 127. The use nf a text. 128. M.iy wnnon.x be repeated ? 132. 'I'he leader of worslii]), 1.11. Prepa- ration for public pr.iyer, 135. The .service of song, 139. llvimials, 140. Church tuiies, 141. The organ, 112. Vocal leadership of ihe congregation, 143. Kngli.sh choirs, IJJ. American choirs, 14.'). CONTENTS. XI FAOES Choir and congregation, 146. Liturgical enrichmcut of worship, 150. Kespousive reading, 152. Creeds and collects, 153. Devotional read- ing, 155. The administration of baptism, 157. The significance of baptism, 159. Sponsors, 162. Tlie Lord's Supper, 164. Preparatory services, 164. Modes of administration, 166. Guarding the table, 167. Reception of new members, 168. The ordinance of marriage, 170. CHAPTER Vn. The Pastor as Friend 172-203 The Pastor in general society, 172. Intercourse with all classes, 173. As confidential friend, 176. His personal ministry, 179. Deahng with doubters, 180. Reclaiming wanderers, 184. Desjiondency and despair, 185. The visitation of the sick, 186. The Lord's Supper in the sick- room, 189. Infectious diseases, 191. Burial services, 192. General visitation, 195. Nature of pastoral calls, 197. Shall they be profes- sional ? 198. The opportiiuity of friendship, 199. Systematic visiting, 200. Value of such work, 202. CHAPTER VTTL The CnuRCU Organization 204-219 Temporalities and spiritualities, 204. Tlie business side of the church, 205. Need of upriglit men for this service, 206. The cliri.stian- ization of church business, 207. Assignment of sittings, 208. Keep- ing of church records, 209. The minister needs as.sistance, 209. Pas- tor and Preacher, 212. Cimrcli officers as leaders of work, 214. Or- ganism and nicclianisni, 215. The problem of organization, 217. CHAPTER JX. The Sunday School 220-238 Tiie Sunday school a modern institution, 220. Robert Raikes, 221. The Oxford movement, 222. The Sunday School and the Clmrch, 223. Best hour for the session, 224. Organization of the school, 225. Tiio pa-storal work of tiie teaclier, 226. Tiu^ service of song, 227. Order in the scliool, 228. The Sunday school rooms, 229. Subjects to bo studied, 230. Gradation of the scliool, 232. Senior (h^i)artmfnt, 233. Work of tliis dc]iartmcnt, 234. The Iligli('r Criticism and Sunday school teaching, 236. 'I'be Home Department, 238. CHAI'TIMl X. The Midweek Servke 239-252 Need of a social nioctiug for worsliip, 239. Meetings for prayer, 240. "Expcrieuco" meetings, 241. Social prayer, and lis uses, 242. Uses and abuses of pul)lic conf<'rcnce, 245. Tlie work of the diurch the thonie of the service, 247. Leader of tlic meeting, 248. Toj)ics, 24S. Familiar and conversational nut hods, 249. The singing, 250. The question box, 252. A Social o])])ortiinily, 252. XU CONTENTS. CHAPTER XL FADES PaPvIsh Evangelization 253-270 Fur wIkjiii is the churcli ros])oiisihle? 253. Wlioso servant is the iiiiiiistcr ! 234. Getting ai-(iuainte(l with the neglecters, 25G. Tlieir number sometimes exaggerated, 256. Visitation by the churcli, 258. Can tlie uncliurclied be brought to cliurch? 259. Location of new en- terprises, 2t)0. Cluircli colonies, 2G2. Ineffectiveness of missions, 263. College settlements and cliurches, 264. Strong churches in poor dis- tricts, 267. Street preaching, 268. The shepherding of the poor, 269. CHAPTER Xn. The Social Life of the Church 271-288 The Church a social fellowship, 271. Not a commune, 272. It har- monizes all types of character, 273. The opjjortunity of love, 274. Tlio mingling of the leaven, 276. Difficulty of this task, 278. The christianization of the church, 279. The fellowship of work, 280. Neighborly relations, 281. Division of the parish into districts, 282. Welcoming committees, 283. Social assemblies, 284. Fellowship meetings, 285. CHAPTER XIIT. Woman's Wdkk in the Ciiuitcii 289-312 'i'lie place of woman in modern society, 289. AVoman's work in the Apo.stolic church, 291. In the jjost-apostolic church, 293. The Sisters of Charity, 293. The revival of the order of deaconesses, 295. In the K|)iscoi)al churches, 293. In the Metiiodist Epi.scopal Cliurch, 297. Deaconesses as pastor's as.Mstants, 298. In the Church of Scotland, 299. The Kaiserswerth Institution, 302. Form of consecration, 304. The dcaccjncss homo and tlio local church, 306. Women's associa- tions in tlie churches, 307. Their liiiaiicial operations, 307. Churcli of Scotland Woman's Guild, 309. ClIAPTEi; XIV. Tur. Yni Nf; Mkn ani> WOmis 313-331 The German ChristliclKJungiiiifrsvoreino, 313. Young Men's Chiis- tian Assuriatinn. .'irt. Young People's Societies of Christian En- deavor. 31. -i. Ej)Wortli League and Baptist Y(mng People's Union, 310. •J'hft aims of these organi/.at ions, 3 1 8. The En.ieavor movement and mu- nicipal reform, 310. Mi.H.xi,,!, work, 320. Work in the local church, 321. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew, 322. The Brotlierhood of St. Andrew and Philip, 325. Young Men's Leagues, 325. The Church of Scotland ai)tized chihlren, 355. The ciiildren in the Sunday service, 356. The Boys' Brigade, 357. CHArTEll XVI MiSSIONAUY SOCIICTIKS AND ClIUKCII CONTRIHUTIONS 3G2-3" The universality of Christianity, 3G2. Our deljt to men in otlier lands, 3G3. The expansion of Cliristendom, 3G5. Tlie new era of missions, 3G6. Informing tlie church, 3C7. Woman's .Mission Boards, 368. Methods of awakening missionary interest, 370. Who shall present the work? 370. The development of benevolence, 371. Proportionate giving, 374. The mites of the many, 375. Methods of gathering tiie offerings, 37G. CHAPTER XVII Revivals and Rkvivalism 378-400 Hebrew " revivals," 378. Was Pentecost a revival ? 379. The two modes of extending tlie Kingdom, 381. The implications of revival- ism, 382. Chills and fever, 384. Ciiri.stian nurture, 387. Christianity as organic, 388. Converting agencies not superseded, 389. Tiie omni- presence of tlie S|)irit, 390. Seasons of refreshing, 302. Sjiecial evan- gelistic measures, 394. Professional evangelists, 397. How to secure decision, 398. Lenten services, 399. CII.Vri'KlL X\I1I The Institutional Ciiikcii 101-414 Dclinition of the term, 401. Some Institutional ('Innrhcs, 402. Churches doing similar work, 405. Criticism of these methods, 407. The fundamental jirinciplc — all life is sacred, 409. Fruits of such labors, 410. The Clmrch and the Social Settlement, 412. Coopera- tion of churches in this work, -113. xiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX PAGES Enltstixg the Membersiiip 415-427 The church as a haven of rest, 415. The cliurch as the servant of Christ, 416. A ministering laity, 417. Inforniiug tlie church ahout its work, 419. The aiiiuial meeting of the church, 420. The chtirch jn-oh- lem of the unemj)loyed, 422. JJepartments of work, 423. Enlisting the whole memher.ship, 424. Conferences of leaders, 425. Unused power in the church, 420. CHAPTER XX CooPEK.vnox WITH Otiiek Cfilkciies 428-447 Christian unity, 428. Destructive competitions, 429. Endeavors after coiiperation, 431. The basis of cooperation, 434. The division of the field, 436. Canvassing the districts, 437. Difficulties of tiie work in large cities, 439. Nature of cor>perative work, 439. Provision of safe places of resort, 440. Closing the drinking places on Sunday, 441. U]jholding the sacredncss of law, 442. Unity found in local coopera- tion, 444. But one church in any conununity, 44G. CHAPTER XXI The Cake of the Poor 448-475 Christian Charity in the Early Church, 448. Decay of this function, 449. Its a.ssumption by the State, 451. The poor within the church, 452. Public charities, 455. The new charity, 458. Three classes of charities, 460. The duty of the church as to public institutions, 4G1. The duty of the cluircji as to j)rivate charities, 4G2. Tiic duty of the church as to outside relief, 462. The stimulation of the State, 463. Shall the churches undertake this work ? 467. The Buffalo oxpcri- ment, 408. Difficulties of such coiijjeratiou, 472. The ministry of discipline, 473. INDEX 477 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND THE WORKING CHURCH CHAPTER I INTEODUCTOllY The Christian Church and its Pastor form the subject of this study. By the Church is meant the local congregation of Christian believers. To the organization and work of this congregation, under the leadership of its minister, our inquiry will be addressed. The field to be explored is that which is covered by the branch of study commonly known as Pastoral Tlieology. Pastoral Theology is a department of Practical Theology, which Cave describes as " the science of the functions of the Christian Church," ^ and which in the words of Hagen- bach, " embraces the theory of the ecclesiastical activities (functions) as they proceed either from the cliurch as a whole, or f roin its individual members and representatives in the name of the cliurch." ^ Practical Theology is variously divided. It includes : 1. Church Polity. 2. Theory of Worship (Liturgies). 3. Theory of Preaching (Homi- letics). 4. Theory of Teaching the Young (Catecheiies). 5. Theory of the Care of Souls (Poimenics). 6. Theory of Pastoral Training (Pedagogics). 7. 'i'heory of Missions (llalieuties). It is evident that all these topics are related more or less closely to the life of the local church, and lliaL mo.st t)f them are likely to come under consideration; but several of ^ Introduction to Theology, by .Mfrcd Cuvo, p. 547. 2 Encyklopiidic, 11" Aiijl. >-. 421. 1 2 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WOKKING CHURCH them will be treated incidentally, while others will form the substance of our study. The question of church polity, for example, is not before us, except as its deeper spiritual implications may appear. Whether there ought to be two or three orders of the min- istry, and whether the church should be presbyterially or cono-regationally governed we shall not inquire. We are interested rather in learning how existing organizations, of all varieties, are employed, and may be more effectively employed in extending the Kingdom of God. Certain principles of church organization Avill, indeed, be assumed in the discussion. Those theories of the church which at- tribute to the clergy a sacerdotal character are not accepted ; all our reasonings about the relation of pastor and people will proceed upon a different assumption. It is not pos- sible to discuss these relations without having some clear idea of the powers and prerogatives of the Christian min- istry; but, for the purposes of this work, the Protestant theory of the pastoral office will be taken for granted. We may gather from the practice of the hierarchical churches many useful hints respecting the administration of the par- isli ; Ijut we do not consent to their claims for their clergy of sui)erhuman dignity and power. Tu ]iiecisely the same way Liturgies will come under our view, in its practical relation to the life of the chui'ch. The question lietween written and cxtem])ore ])ra3^ers we do not raise ; we rather seek to know how worship is made hclj)ful to life. That view of the sacraments which regards them as possessing an inherent and magical efficacy we shall not follow ; but we have no conti'ovei'sy respecting the mode of their administration ; we wish to know what is their true re- lation to the faitli and the love of those who emi^oy them. The art of sermon making we do not specially study, nui- are we roneerned willi the preparatory discipline by whicli the minister is made ready for his work ; but we lind him at work in tlie parisli, and discover that preach- ing is an essential part of his woik ; the iclaliiui of lliis work to the growth and fnii I fulness of the church we must carefully consider. INTRODUCTORY 3 The theory and practice of foreign missions are also re- lated to our study but incideutiilly. The foreign mission work is one of the channels through which the energies of the church How out into the world ; and it is needful that the church should comprehend the importance of this work, and contribute money and men for its maintenance. The local church is not fullilling its function until its in- terest and co-operation in this work has been secui'ed. Two of the departments of Practical Theology named above — Catechetics and Poimenics — come wholly within the field of Pastoral Theology proper, and constitute the larger portion of tliis field, as hitherto defined. The teach- ing and training of the young, and the care of souls, take up most of the space in the standard books devoted to this subject, — after the chapters which treat of Homiletics and Liturgies. The work of shepherding and training is of the essence of Pastoral Theology, and will receive due attention in the following pages. It will be seen that the scope of this treatise is at some points more restricted than that of most of the standard works on Pastoral Theology. By a necessary specialization, Homiletics and Liturgies have been excluded for separate treatment in other volumes of the present series of text- books. Yet it is to these topics that the chief attention of writers on Pastoral Theology lias been given. In turning from these great interests, to which Vinet ^ and Palmer '^ and Van Oosterzee ^ and Fairbairn ■* and Cannon ^ and Iilaikic° and Rothe <■ and Harms ^ and Cave ^ and Shedd,io and many other great teachers, have devoted much pains- ^ I'aig. Trans., Iloiniletirs, by A. Vinet. 2 Pastoral-Theolofjic, by C. Palmer. 3 Practical Theology, a MaiiudI for Theological Students, by J. J. ^^ln Oosterzee. * Pastoral Thmlogi/, a localise on the Ojjice and iJittics of the Christian Pastor, by Patrick Fairbairn. '» Lectures on Pastoral Theology, hy James S. Cannon. " For the Gospel Ministry, ]ty W. {',. Plaikie. '' Theologische Enryclopiidie, by K. Rothc. ^ Pastoral-Tlieoliigir, bv Clans Harms. ^ An Introduction to Theology: its Princijilts, its Lirmirli, <, iis I!i suits, and its Literature, by Alfred Cave. ''J Tlomiletics and Pastoral Theology, by W. C. T. Slie.lil. 4 CHEISTIAN PASTOR AND AVOKKING CHURCH taking thought, we leave behind us a most fruitful and at- tractive study. We are constrained to omit these subjects by two considerations ; first, that there seems to be less need of dwelling upon topics which have been handled with learning and skill by so many great teachers, and, secondly, tliat other phases of the life of the church have lately come into prominence, to which much less attention has hitherto been g^iven. The theme of our investigation is the working church. And it is evident that the working church as we now meet with it in every considerable community of English speak- ing people, is a comparatively new thing under the sun. For long periods and over wide spaces of Christendom the ruling idea has been that Christian work is the function of the ministry ; that the laity are the subjects of its gracious operation. There is a text of Paul's which has been quite too literally inteipreted : " We are fellow workers with God; 1/e are God's husbandry, God's building." i It is not indeed difilicult to find evidence that in the Apostolic cluirclies the laity wrought actively with their leaders ; in the Epistles to the Romans and to the Philippians there is clear proof of this. But a day came when the church was the clergy, and the function of the laity shrank into insig- nificance. And even after the Reformation, although in Protestant churches the ministry was shorn of sacerdotal functions, it still largely monopolized the work of the church. For proof of this examine any of the classical treatises on Practical or Pastoral Theology. The monu- mental work of Van Oosterzee, above cited, with six hun- dred and twenty compactly printed octavo pages, gives to the minister's call and Ilomiletics three hundred and forty- two pages, to Liturgies one lumdred pages, to Catechetics sixty pages, to Poimenics tifty-seven pages. But Poi- mcnics, as here treated, means only tlie Avork of the pastor among his peoiile. The only suggestion that tlie people may be actively employed in the work of the church is coutained iu a brief reference to the Sunday school, which ' 1 Cur. iii. 9. INTRODUCTORY 5 occupies half a page. It is a book of marvellous learning and admirable wisdom ; the extent of the author's reading on this great theme is notable ; but the fact that it is a laro-e part of the pastor's business to find work for the members of his church, and to secure their general and hearty co-operation with himself in teaching and shepherd- in o- and savino" men and women and children, does not seem to have been brought home to him. Van Oosterzee's definition of Practical Theology is, " the science of labor for the Kingdom of God conceived of in its whole extent, as this is called into exercise ly the jJastor and teacher of the Christian Church in 'particular y ^ Dr. Philip Schaff^ divides Practical Theology into the following branches: " 1. Theory of the Christian Ministry — The Minister an Ambassador of Christ (prophet, priest, and king) ; 2. Ec- clesiology or Ecclesiastic (Church Law and Church Pol- ity) — The Minister as Ruler ; 3. Liturgic — The jNIinister in Worship (as priest) ; 4. Homiletic — The Minister as Preacher ; 5. Catechetic — The Minister as Teacher ; 6. Poimenic — The Minister as Pastor ; 7. Evangelistic — The Minister as Evangelist and Missionary." He adds: " The duties of the laity should be considered in each department."-^ This sentence recognizes the new condi- tions ; but the fact remains that the whole study is con- (hicted from the point of view of the minister. All these l)ranclies of practical theology revolve about him. The duties of the laity are incidental and secondary. The need of a readjustment is, however, admitted : " Heretofore this department has been exclusively confined to clerical duties and functions. But the recent development of the lay energies in Protestant churches, especially in England and America, requires an additional branch or a corresjionding enlargement of other l)ranch('S. Tlu; Protestant doctrine oL" the general priesthood of believers implies the co-oper- ation of the members (if the congregation with the pastor 1 Pmcfical TfirnJofji/, p. 1. - Tlifolo'/irnl /^rnpirfhuitic : a General Introduction to the Study of Theology, l.y IMiilip Schaff. " ■^ Ibid., PI). -SI'.), -150. 6 CHIIISTIAX PASTOE AND WORKING CHURCH in all departments of Christian activity, especially in church government, in the Sunday school, and in mission work." 1 The judicious and admirable treatise of Dr. Patrick Fairbairn on Pastoral Theology cited above opens with a statement which agrees with the new conditions. He says : — " The office of a Christian pastor obviously proceeds on the assumption of a Cluisiian membership or community as the parties in respect to whom and among whom it is to be exercised. It assumes that the flock of Christ are not a mere aggregation of units, but have by divine ordination a corporate existence, with interconnecting relationships, mutual responsibilities, and common interests. It assumes, further, that the church in this associated or corporate respect has a distinct organization for the management of its own affairs, in which the office of pastor occupies a prominent place, having for its specific object the over- sight of particular communities, and the increase or mul- tiplication of these, according to the circumstances of particular times and places." ^ Yet I do not find in this elaborate treatise any evi- dence that Dr. Fairbairn seriously contemplated any ex- tensive co-operation of the people with the pastor in the work of the church. The concluding chapter, compris- ing five pages upon " Subsidiary Means and Agencies," just mentions the Sunday school as one of the interests which should " receive the considerate attention, and, when formed, the watchful superintendence of the pastor." Prayer meetings — meetings for prayer only — the learned autlior encourages the pastor to establish, "if he can only find ])('rsons wlio have the re(]uisite zeal and gifts for con- ducting them." As to fcllowsliip meetings, — known in America as Prayer and Conference Meetings, — "formed witli a view, not merely to engage in exercises of worshi[), but also to interchange tlioughts among the members on mattei-s pertaining to divine trutli or religious experience," 1 Ihid., p. 440. 2 Pastoral T/icolojij, p. 1. INTRODUCTORY 7 lie remarks that they are " safe enough, probably, and im- proving, if the membership is small, and composed of such as have much conhdence and fellow feeling one with another, so that they can really speak heart to heart ; but when it is otherwise they are extremely apt to become loquacious, disputative, and even to gender strifes. A prudent pastor will therefore rarely intermeddle with meetings of this description, and neither directly encourage nor discountenance them." The care of the poor. Dr. Fairbairn suggests, is now in the hands of agencies outside the church; and the Christian pastor does not therefore find the field which once he found for organized work among the poor in his parish. But, he continues, " in the present circumstances of our country it belongs more to the province of a minister of the Gospel to concert, or lend his countenance and support to those who may be con- certing, measures which have for their object the reduc- tion of pauperism and other social evils ; in particular the repression of prostitution, and the diminution of that in- temperance which is a fountain of immeasurable disorders. For this purpose he will readily co-operate in the efforts made to curtail, in particular localities, the number of public houses, to establish coffee rooms and places of healthful refreshment and innocent resort, and to form when they are ol)viously needed temperance societies. For tilings of this description, lying outside, in a manner, the pastoral sphere, yet pressing closely on its border, no general rule can be prescribed, or any uniform practice recommended." ^ It is not clear that Dr. Fairbairn ex- pected the pastor to enlist his people in any of these outside activities ; if iiot, his scheme appears to make very little provision of work of any kind for them. 'J'his volume has been published since the deatli of its author, in 1874, and presents undoubtedly the view of church activities prevailing in Scotland during liis lifetime. A later volume, by Dr. W. G. Blaikie, gives some clear indications of the recent rapid development of the Chris- tian Church along these lines. It contains a chapter upon 1 Thill., pp. n48-,'i:)0. 8 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH the " Organization of Work," in which the importance of securin^^ the co-operation, not merely of the otHcers, but of the entire membership of the church, in its proper work, is strongly argued. He says : — " It is evident from the New Testament that elders and deacons, though the only persons who are said to have been formally ordained, were not the only persons who were allowed to labor in the church. The sixteenth cliapter of Romans contains the Apostles' greeting to many men and women who were laboring in the church at Rome. There is no reason to suppose that all these were expressly ordained. At the top of the list is Phcbe, a servant or deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, but of whom we have no reason to believe that she was ordained. Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple, come next, the wife's name preceding the husband's. It is extremely improbable that the long list of active men and women that follows were persons who had all been ordained to oflice. But all of them were actively using their abilities for the advancement of the Kinofdom. and in so doing they were not only recognized but commended b}^ the Apostle. It follows that in every well equipped congre- gation, in addition to those expressly ordained, but under their sanction and superintendence, there ought to be a body of active workers engaged in the various operations of Christian love and zeal which the circumstances call for. In many such congregations we find a body of Sun- day school teachers, or of helpers in a children's church; a body of district visitors, a young men's association, a missionary association, a school committee, and a mothers' meeting. It is riglit that all these should be recognized and superintended by the office bearers. Their Mork ought to bo embraced in the prayers of the congregation, and it ought to b(> made ])lain that they are not mere free lanc(!S but that they labor under the warm wing and pa- ternal guiflance of tlio clnu-cli." ' Tliis briiif'-.-; dcnvlv bofori' lis tlic newer conception of 1 For the Work of the Mlnistri/, p. 219. IXTKODUCTORY 9 the church as a working body/ and of the minister as the organizer and leader of its work. " In this matter," says Professor Willcox, " as in other features of church Kfe, there has been within the century an immense change. The minister among tlie fathers, being superior in edu- cation to most of his flock, was accounted, as to church work, their proxy. He was less like General Grant, directing the army, than like David, with sling and stone, fighting the battle for them. The midweek meeting was occupied with a lecture from the pastor. Sunday school til ere was none. With no women's colleges or higher seminaries, the sisters were not thouglit capable of giving instruction. Societies of Christian Endeavor and juvenile mission bands are among later inventions and discoveries. There were no young Christians in any considerable numbers. "When a young man joined the church of Dr. Lyman Bcecher, in Litchfield, Connecticut, early in the century, so strange an event astonislied all the western section of that State." ^ Pastoral Theology, therefore, whether we consider it as art or as science,^ has greatl}^ extended its field within the past generation. New occasions are constantly teach- ing the minister of Christ new duties ; his position in the church has greatly changed, and the functions which he is called to perform are quite unlike those which were assigned to ministers in the first half of this century. The American college president of fifty years ago was the jnincipal teacher of his college ; to-da}^ lie rarely en- gages in the work of teacliing ; liis work is mainly tliat of organization and administration. The channrc which lias taken place in the functions of the pastor is not so radical, but it -is considerable. The largest and most dillicult part of his work to-day consists in enlisting and 1 AbniKlant evidence, to wliich wo shall have frequent occasion to refer, will lie found in the recent Ve;ir I'ooks of tho Sc(jttisli ehnrches, to show that these ciinrchos have fully eomprchcnded the extent of their calling as workinr; oriranizations. - T/ip. Pastlor mul his Finch, ]i. 77. ^' " C'est I'art apri's la science, ou la science so rcsolvant en art." Vinet, Thcblogie Pastorale, p. 1. 10 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH directing the activities of his people. In all wise teaching on this subject, the emphasis must now rest, not upon the pastor, but upon the church. We may perhaps assume that the conception which to- day prevails is the higher and truer conception of the life of the church. Not in the primordial germ, but in the per- fected organism, do we seek for the true idea of any Chris- tian institution. Belief in the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, who is guiding the church into all truth, who is taking the things of Christ and making them plain unto us, should assiu-e us that the later phases of ecclesiastical life are higher and more near to the divine purpose than those of primitive days. The church, in its organic life, must leave behind the rudiments and go on toward per- fection.i \Ve do not, therefore, go back to the Apostolic Church, nor to any of the past ages for our types ; but a glance at the history of what we now know as Pastoral Theology may indicate the lines upon which the church has been moving forward. The theocratic and sacerdotal conceptions of the Old Testament left little room for that peculiar relation be- tween pastor and people which Pastoral Theology assumes. The political heads of communities, such as the elders of the congregation, or the judges said to have been appointed by Moses at the suggestion of Jethro,^ exercised more of the true pastoral functions, probably, than did the priests or the Levites. The conception of the ministers of religion as sustaining a kind of pastoral relation occurs, however, in some of tlie later prophets, — in the Deutero-Tsaiah,^ and notably in E/okiel.-^ Similar references in Jeremiah npi)ly perha])S indiscriminately to political and religious leaders/^ Put the ai»i)lication by our Lord to himself, in Jolin xii., of the figure of the Cood Shepherd, gave to the Apostolic Clim.li a conception wliirli speedily bore fruit. Ill Paul's beaulit'iil a-ldic^^ to the Kphesian elders," and notably in the Pastoral Epistles, are laid the foundations 1 II. 1,. vi I -3. - Ex. xviii. ^ Cli. Ivi. 11. « Ch. xxiv. ^ Oil. xxiii. )-4. ° Acts xx. INTRODUCTORY 11 of Pastoral Theology. In most of the Epistles, indeed, useful counsels are found concerning the proper consti- tution of the chiu"ch, concerning the duties of pastors to their flocks, and of the members of the churches to their leaders and to one another. Especially instructive are those illustrations which Paul has given us in 1 Cor. xii. and in Eph. iv., — the full meaning of which is only be- ginning to dawn upon the churches. Immediately following the times of the Apostles come certain manuals and directories of worship, most complete and authentic of which is the recently discovered Teach- ing of t/ic Tivelve Ajjostles. The Apostolical Canons and the Apostolical Constitutions undoubtedly embody material which originated in that early period, and give us, in some of their regulations, the conceptions of churcli order and activity entertained by the successors of the Apostles. It was in this period that the sacerdotal view of the clerical office began to be emphasized, and the hierarchical organization of the church began to take definite form. The term Pastor was first given to the chief officer of a local congregation ; tlien the name was applied to the chief officer of a district or diocese including many con- gregations ; and finally, in a still more com[)reliensive sense, to the occupant of the See of Rome, who Avas styled Pastor Pastorum. To these gradually enlarging conceptions of the pastorate, the theories of pastoral care necessarily adjusted tliemselves. To a primitive Congregationalist l-*astoral Theology was one thing; to a believer in tlic Diocesan Episcopate it meant somctliing more; and !•» the bcHever in tlie Pa[)acy it liad still anotlicr meaning. Accordingly the treatises dealing with this subject \\iruh have appeai'ed during the centuries have not been uniform in scope and signification. The; snl)j(Mt niatlcr \;ii-ies. Till! treatise of (Mirysostom, On Ihr J'n'rst/iond,^ written in the last year of the foui-th centnry, rests on tlio sacer- dotal conception of tlic (derical oHici'. and inagnilics the ' Uepl ifpaiffiVrjy, — Dr Sncrrdottn, — tninsl.itcd \armi les reformcs de France au di.v- septihnc siecle, Vinet's treatise covers the field of practical theology. Perliaps the most complete treatise on Practical Theology which the present century has produced is that of Jan Ja- kob Van Oosterzee, Professor in the University of Utrecht. Under tlio ftics, Liturgies, Catc- chelics, and roinicnics, this writer discusses exhauslivcly the whole sul)ject of pastoral activity. Van Oosterzee, as INTRODUCTORY 15 the leader of the Evangelical party in the Church of Hol- land, occupies the standjjoint of the conservative reformers, investing the pastoral office with large dignity and author- ity, and yet emphasizing, at ever}- point, the bond of a common humanity whicli binds together pastor and people. Of English treatises api)earing during the nineteenth century may be mentioned The Uishopric of Souls, by R. W. Evans; A Treatise on the Fastoral Office, by J. W. Burgon; The Parish Priest, by J. J. Blunt ; Pastor in Parochia, by W. Walsham How; Aji Par nest Ministry the Want of the Times, by John Angell James ; The Christian Ministry, by Charles Bridges ; Pastoral Theology, by Patrick Fairbairn ; For the Work of the Ministry, by W. G. Blaikie; Homiletical and Pastoral Lectures, by C. J. Ellicott ; Christus Consolator : the Pulpit in Relation to Social Z?/c, by Alexander McLeod; The Pastoral Office, by Ashton Oxenden ; and Letters to a Yuung Clergyman, by J. C. Miller. An excellent volume, compiled in England about the middle of the century and entitled The Christian Instructor contains Herbert's Country Parson; Jeremy Taylor's Advices to his Clergy; Bishop Burnet's Discourse of the Pastoral Care; Bishop Sprat's Discourse to his Clergy; Bishop Ball's Companion for Can- didates of Holy Orders; Bishop Vnhsons Directions to his clergy ; Bishop Hort's Instructions ; Bishop Wilson's Paro- chalia ; a Pastoral Letter by Archbishop Howley, and a Charge to the Clergy, by Bishop Kaye. One could hardly desire a more comprehensive exhibition of the subject from the point of view of the Anglican Church. The vigorous development of the voluntary system of cliurcli maintenance in tlio I'^nited States has natui'ally resulted in a diliuent cuUivation of the whole Held of practical religion and the literature of Pastoral 'J'heology is iibundant. Especially i lining the present century liave the treatises upon tlic work of tlie ministry been greatly multij)licd. Tlic Lectures on Ilomiletics and Preaching, and on Puhiv- Prayer, by Ebenezcr Porter, and tlie Lectures on Pastoral 77/6'o^o_y//, by James S. Cannon, belong to llie e;irlier part of the century ; and to the latter hall' of it, {\\(' Pas- toral Tlieology of Thoniius Murpli}*, whieh presents the 16 CHRISTLVN PASTOll AND WORKING CHURCU subject from a Presbyterian point of view ; the Christian Pastorate, by Daniel P. Kidder, wliich represents the con- ditions prevailing in the Methodist Episcopal Church, TJte Pastor, by Gregory Thurston Bedell, which is calculated for the latitude of the Protestant Episcopalians, The Office and Worh of the Christian Ministr//, by James jM. Hoppin, in which a teacher in a Congregational Theological Semi- nary gives his view of the pastor's work. Familiar and pithy counsels to young ministers are found in Samuel Miller's Letters to a Student on Clerical Manners and Hahits, in Humphrey's Letters to a Son in the Ministry, and in Francis Wa^dand's Letters on the Ministry of the GosjocL Tlie Homilctics and Pastoral Theology of W. G. T. Shedd is a dignified treatise; Enoch Pond's Lectures on Past- oral Theology are plain and practical ; Austin Phelps's Tlie Theory of Preaching is the fruitage of a fine nature ; Franklin W. Fisk's Homilctics contains the harvest of a rich experience, and G. B. Willcox's The Pastor in the Parish presents its topic in the form of a conversation between a teacher and his pupils. A foundation established in the Theological Seminary at New Haven, in memory of Lyman Beecher, has been built upon by successive lec- turers ; the first three volumes of this series, entitled Yale Lectures on Preaching, are by Henry Ward Beecher; other lectures have followed by Robert William Dale, Mine Lecttcres on Preaching ; by John Hall, God''s Word. Tlirough Preaching; by Richard Salter Storrs, Preaching ivithout Notes; by William INI. Taylor, The Ministry of the Word; by Phillips Brooks, Lectures on Preaching; by Howard Crosby, The Christian Preacher; by Ezckiel G. Robinson, Yale Lectures on Preaching ; by Matlliew Samp- son, Lectures on Preaching; by Nathaniel J. Burton, Yale Lectures, Sermons, and Other Writings; by James Stalker, The Prc'icher and His Models; hy R. F. Horton, Vcrhum Dei; by Jolin Watscm, llic Cure of Souls ; and by A. J. F. Behrcnds, The Phxloso'phy of Preaching. Most of these volumes seem to put tlie emphasis upon homilctics; but tlie pastoral caro is also considered in many of them. One course of lectures on this foundation, bv Washinnrton INTRODUCTORY 17 Gladden, entitled Tools and the Alan; Property and In- dustry under the Christian L':nt\ deals with the duty of the pulpit with reference to industrial and social problems. A compilation of Essays entitled Parish Problems, by the writer last named, exhibits the field of pastoral theology from the point of view of the co-operating church. General Poiraenics is sufficiently covered by the above survey; a little space may be given to the history of Catechetics. The teaching to which this name is given is alluded to, but not defined, in the Xew Testament ; ^ oral instruction seems to be implied ; but there is no clear discrimination between preaching and private teaching. Apollos had been " instructed " (^Karri')(r]^evo. 18 CHinSTIAX PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH At the end of this time those who endured the ordeal were admitted to baptism. No distinct order of catechists appears during this pe- riod ; each pastor was charged with this function. It is evident that the teaching was progressive, beginning with the simplest truths of natural theology, and leading up to Christian mysteries. It was, however, mainly intended for adult converts, who sought preparation for admission to the church ; the character which it has chiefly borne in modern times, as that of instruction imparted to the children of Christian families, was not then impressed upon it. The hrst writings which bear this name are the Cata- dieses of Cyril of Jerusalem (^KaTi]xv(^€L^ (fxori^ofxevcov), which consist of addresses delivered during Lent to the Catechumens. The Christian doctrines are carefully ex- pounded in these discourses, and much emphasis is laid upon relics, exorcism, unction, and the adoration of the cross. Discourses Avith a similar purpose are the Oratio Catcchctica of Gregory Nj'ssen, and the Catecheses ad Uluminandos of Chrysostom. The first treatise on theo- retical catechetics is that of Augustine, Dc Catccliizandis Eudibus, which begins with sacred history and proceeds to the Christian doctrines. It is addressed to his friend the Deacon Deogratias of Carthage. All these treatises are intended for the instruction of adult candidates for baptism. As infant baptism became more and more prevalent, the cateclietical preparation for baptism necessarily fell into desuetude; the catachete was superseded by tlie priest. "After the church had become established, anv the neglect of tliis injunction, whether by priests or parishioners. 'Jlie letter of tliis law is not generally obeyed. The American Episcopal (1 lurch also expressly requires of its ministers regular and diligent instruction of tlie rliildi-on of tlieir parishes in the trutlis of this Catechism. The Presl)yterian Catechisms are of later date; the Larger Catechism, prepared by the Westminster Assem- bly of Pivines, was ]>resented to tlie House of Commons ;iim1 i.iiiitrd Iiy authority in Oct^)ber, 1647, and tlie Sliorter Catechism in November of the same year. These syml)ols arc fruits of the later Rer(»riiialioii. 'I'he Sliorter Catechism LN'TRODUCTOllY 21 has been in universal use among Presbyterian churches, and was formerly employed very largely for purposes of instruction by Independents and Congregationalists in England and America. jNIany volumes have been pub- lished in exposition of it ; those of Ashbel Green, Pater- son, Vincent, Boyd, and Wliyte are among the most noted.^ The revival of catechetical teachino: in the Churches of the Reformation reacted powerfully upon the Roman Catholic Church. What may be regarded as one of the first fruits of this activity is a little book published at jMayence in 1550 with the imprint of John Schoeifer, son of the partner of Gutenberg, entitled Brevis Institutio ad Christianam Pietatem, secundum Doctrinctm Catholicam con- tincns Explicationcm Symholi Apostolici, Orationis Bominicce, ScdiUationis Anrjelicce, Decern Prcceptorum, Septcm Sacramcn- torum. It was compiled for the use of the " noble youth " Avho were receiving instruction under Sebastian, Arch- bishop of Mayence. It is profusely illustrated with wood- cuts of the period, exliibiting the Creation of Eve, the Salutation of ^lary, the Birth of Jesus, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and other Scriptural events. It is written in Latin, and presents the chief point-5 of Catholic doctrine in a succinct and interesting manner. Tlie Catechisms of Canisius, the Jesuit, issued ill 1554 and 1556, exerted great intluence throughout the Roman Catholic Church as well as in Germany until quite recent times. The Catechism of Bellarmine, pub- lished in 1603, was also much used. Tlie Catecliism of the Diocese of Meaux, publislied by Bossuet in 1698, and addressed by him '' Aux Curez, Vicaires, aux Feres ct uux Meres, et c\ tons les Fldelles de son DiocescC^ is one of the most cari'l'iil ;iiid systematic manuals of the Catholic Church. 'i'ln- standard C'atecliism of the Roman Churdi is llic 'i'riduiitine C'atechisin, published in 1566, under the au- thority of Pius y. I'^ach bisho[) is, liowever, allowed to jire- pare such manuals of instruction as he may deem necessaiy ; ^ See Catcch'txmx of the Scottish Rrfhriiidtioii, liy Ilnratins Doiiar. 22 CHIIISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH and in 1885, the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore compiled a new Catechism of Christian Doctrine^ which has been commended to the faithful by the highest authorities of the Church in the United States. Many of the Protestant bodies have provided their children with manuals of instruction. The Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States has a series of these catechisms, embodying the same questions and answers, but extending the exposition so as to provide for a graded system of teaching. The subjects of this threefold cate- chism are : God ; Creation ; The Fall ; Salvation ; The Means of Grace ; God's Law ; Death, Judgment, and Eternity. Socinian Catechisms were prepared by Schomann in 1574, by Faustus Socinus in 1618, and by Moscorovius in 1609. The last named, known as the Racovian Cate- chism, was translated into English by Rees, and published in London in 1818. Christian bodies which adopt no theological symbols have been furnished with catechisms by independent teachers. The Baptist denomination was thus served by Benjamin Beddome, whose Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Cate- chism was issued in 1752 ; and even the Quakers have A Catechism and Confession of Faith., which was prepared by Robert Barclay in 1673, and which declares upon its title-page that it has been "Approved of and Agreed unto by the General AssemU/j of the Patriarchs, Prophets^ and Apostles, Christ himself Chief Speaker in and among them." The questions of this Catechism are in the words of Mr. Barclay, but the answers are iu the v.ords of the Scripture. CHAPTER II THE CHUECH All Protestant denominations unite in giving to the local congregation of Christian believers — those wlio worship in one place, and have an organization under which the sacraments are administered to them by their own olhcers — the name of church. By some of these denominations the word is used also to designate larger organizations, provincial or national ; but the Episcopalian, the Presbyterian, the Methodist, and the Lutheran, as well as the Congregationalist and the Baptist, speak of the permanent local assembly of disciples as a church. This is the sense in which the word is always used in these pages. Into the question of the form of this organization we do not go. The church may be organized with a vestry, a session, a classis, an official board, a diaconate and pru- dential committee, or in any other manner which seems good unto itself. Certain questions are, however, pertinent and practical when we are considering the church as a working body. 1. How large may a church l)e wisely permitted to become ? Is there any judicious limit to be placed upon the membership of a church ? Obviously, much will de])cn(l upon the nature of its pastorate. If the pastor is jjrovided witli a large staff of assistants, the mcmbersliij) of tlie church may be more safely multiplic(l. Tlie work of organization and supervision may thus l)e extended to large numbers, and a large body accumulates inlliient-e and moves with power. Yet these gains are offset by serious losses. The worshi|)ping congregation cannot exceed ;i certain limited number without putting upon the preacher 24 CHRISTIAN rASTOK AND WOKiaNG CHUKCH a strain which few are able to bear. Not many speakers can effectively address more than two thousand people in the best auditorium. Indeed the church audiences in America which are regularly more numerous than this can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. Nothing is more uniformly exaggerated than the size of church autliences. And even if a larger audience could be brought within the range of the preacher's voice, the wisdom of attempting to care for so large a body of communicants is not beyond disputation. A regular audi- ence of two thousand persons would imply a membership of about the same number. The communicants who are necessarily absent are usually about equal in number to the non-communicants in attendance ; and a working force of two thousand would be handled with considerable diiliculty by the most eflicient pastoral staff. The per- centage of the unemployed in such a mass is likely to be very large. If a church employs but a single pastor, the policy of gathering a huge membership is still more questionable. A leader with even exceptional al)ility as an organizer finds himself burdened by the care of more than a thousand church members. The impossibility of maintaining any real pastoral supervision of a larger number is obvious ; and the difiiculty of developing the social life of a congregation which exceeds this limit is almost insuperable. There may be circumstances under which a larger number can be effectively employed in Christian service; there may be leaders to whom sucli a task is not impossible; but as a rule it may be questioned wliether it is good economy to gather churches of more than a thousand members, (ien- erally il will be expedient to colonize In'fore the number reaches that limit. The policy of concentration, which is so successful in commercial enteriirises, does not work so v/cll in ec^clcsiastlcal enterprises. Two churches of six or seven liundred meml)ers eacli will generally acconq)lish far more than one church of twelve or fourteen hundred nieiiibci-s. In short, it may be said that the church membership THE CHURCH 25 should not be so large but that some good measure of acquaintance and friendship may be maintained among its members, and between its members and their minister; nor so large but that they may be effectively employed in the work of the church. " When we are commanded," says Baxter, " to ' take heed to all the flock,' it is plainly implied that flocks must be no greater, regularly and ordi- narily, than we are capable of overseeing or taking heed of; that particular churches should be no greater, or ministers no fewer, than may consist with taking heed to all ; for God will not lay upon us natural impossibilities. He will not bind men on so strict account as we are bound, to leap up to the moon, to touch the stars, to number the sands of the sea. If it be the pastoral Avork to oversee and take heed to all tlie flock, then surely there must be such a proportion of pastors assigned to each flock, or such a number of souls in the care of each pastor, as he is able to take such heed to as is here required." ^ The fellowship of the brotherhood is never to be lost sight of. The organizing principle of the Christian church is such a union with Christ, the Head, as brings the mem- bers into vital relation with one another. " For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office : so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another." ^ This surely implies acquaintance and friendship). It is absurd to talk of such relations as these among people who have not even a speaking acquaintance witli one another. The cliurch must not be so large as to defeat the very purpose of its organization. And it is equally clear that it must not be so larere that no effective use can be made of its forces in Christian work. It will be found that by far the greater proportion of many large churches are merely " honorary members," liaving no part in the activities of the churcli. In the great cathedral clinrclu'S, to eacli of which is attached a large clerical stall", much good work is done; and it is probable that large classes are reached ;iinl hciie- fited by such services who woiihl not b(; brouglil into close 1 licformed Pastor, \>. lO.J. - Koni. xii. -I, 5. 26 CHRISTIAN rASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH affiliation with smaller churches. So, too, in the great institutional chm-ches which will be discussed in a later chapter, a certain kind of shepherding is effectively done. For all such methods there is room in the Kingdom of God. Yet it may still be maintained that the ideal Christian church is a " household of faith," the members of wliich are bound together by personal affection ; and that it is also a working body whose function is best fulfdled when its members are all actively enlisted in some kind of helpful ministry ; and for this mutual fellowship and co-operation the body must not be too large. It is a serious question whether the passion for bigness which characterizes our time has not increased the bulk of many of our churches at the expense of their vitality. 2. Closely connected with tliis question of the extent of the membership is the question of the nature of the edifice which the church must provide for itself. There is no rea- son why the church building should not be a noble and at- tractive structure, if those who worship witliin it are able to provide such an edifice, and pay for it. It is not seendy that those who themselves dwell in palaces should offer to the Lord a barn for his sanctuary. And yet it is easy to err in this direction. The clmrch may be solidly and beauti- fully built; it ought to be comfortable and commodious and bright and attractive ; but it ought not to have the look of elegance or luxury. It should never be a building whose exterior or interior would make upon any working man the impression that the people Avorshipping in it were too fine to associate witli him. A dignified simplicity should characterize all its features and ap[)ointments. Many churches are as ostentatious of splendor, Avitliout and within, as are the turnouts in winch their worshippers dis])lay themselves in tlie park. To every passer-by they loudly proclaim, " It is not the elect, it is the clitc^ who congregate here: Procid, prociil cste profani!^'' Such churches, and tlicir entire administration, arc a hideous travesty of the religion of the Nazarenc. A pastor wlio had foi- several years ])een minisiering to the flock that worship[)ed in one of these splendid churches, once said to THE CHURCH 27 the writer : " It would have been far better for the cause of Christ if one huncli'ed thousand dollars of the money expended upon this church had been tlu-own into the river ; there it would liave done no harjn, at least ; here it is a positive hindrance to the progress of the Kingdom." Money which is expended in such gorgeousness and show is worse than wasted. The ethics of church architecture needs to be studied by Clu-istian disciples everywhere. There is no virtue in deformity and discomfort ; the ugliness of some of the old meeting-houses is an abomination. He who hath made everything beautiful in its season is not honored by offer- ing him a building which offends the taste that bears wit- ness for him. But, on the other hand, every Christian congregation must bear in mind who is its Master, and who are his friends, — the people in its neighborhood Avitli whom he is most closely identified, — and must seek to administer all its affairs in such a way that they shall not be repelled from its assemblies. In churches whose chief function is that of teaching, it would also seem to be reasonable to expect that much regard would l)e paid to the properties of the church as an auditorium. " How shall they hear without a preaclier ? " is a question not much more pertinent than "• How shall they hear the preacher ? " It would be well if architects could bo impressed with the truth that all architectural effects must be subordinated to tlie uses of the church as a place of worship. The first problem to be solved is that of bringing the whole congregation under the leader's eye, and within easy range of liis voice. The newer conception of the churcli as a working body calls also for an adaptation of the churcli building to the })urposcs of work. In some portion of the edifice place must be found for class rooms, social rooms, connnittee rooms, and the other conveniences of a working organiza- tion. The arrangement of tlie structure will be determined by the plans of the clmrch ; in souk; places it would ]je wise to undertake many more kinds of work than in others ; and in every case the edifice should be built with an intel- 28 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH ligent regard for the future requirements of the church. It is not sufficient to commission an architect to furnish the design of a church edifice ; as well tell him to build a factory without letting him know whether it was pro- posed to manufacture cotton goods or mowing machines or writing paper. The church must carefully study its field, and determine what kind of work it can wisely undertake ; and must then adapt its building, as well as it can, to the requirements of its w*ork. The location of the church is also a matter of crreat importance. Many churches are wellnigh ruined by placing them on noisy streets where the voice of the prcaclier is often cbowned by the din. It is well that the church should be near some principal thoroughfare, near enough to attract some portion of the throng ; it ought to be easily accessible from all directions ; but it is not good policy to push the church into the midst of the market- place. " Wisdom," according to the wise man, " crieth aloud in the street ; she uttereth her voice in the broad places ; she crieth at the head of the noisy streets ; " ^ and there may be occasions for Wisdom to deport herself after this manner ; but when she seeks to gather worship- pers into the sanctuary, she may well betake herself to quieter regions. There is reason to believe that Wisdom has often failed to make herself heard by reason of the clatter of carts and the din of electric cars, and the clamor of bands of Sal)bath-l)rcakers marcliing by. The question of economy must also be considered in tins connection. It is a question whether any church has a right to expend hundreds of thousands of dollai-s upon a site for its edifice, simply in order that it may occupy liiini upon which fashion has put an exorbitant piice, when land cfpially serviceable can be ol)tained only one or two Sfpiares away for one half or one qunrtor of tlic money. 1'he people who ^vill worshi{) on tlic most fashionable avenue and vnll not worship on a sti-eet where the resi- dences are humbler, arc people for whom wo liave no right to spend the Lord's money. The more of them there are in 1 Prov. i. 20, 21, iMarg. THE CHURCn 29 any church, the poorer it will be in all the elements that go to make up a true church of Christ. In sliort, it needs to be said that this question of the local habittition of the church is one that needs to be treated with much more intelligence and conscience than has sometimes been expended upon it. The life of the church is powerfully affected for good or ill by the envi- ronment which it thus provides for itself: the question whether pride shall be fostered or repressed ; whether the church shall be brought near to the people who need it most or separated from them; whether the standards to which its life shall be conformed shall be the standards of the world and the flesh or the standards of the spirit; whether the demands of style or the law of service shall rule in its assemblies, — will be answered in part, at least, in the one sense or the other, by the joint efforts of the architect and the building committee. 3. What has already been said respecting the size of the membership and the construction of the edifice has suggested, in part, the answer to the question, AVhat kind of people should be gathered into the fellowship of any given church? The answer is that the people who live in the neighborliood should, ordinarily, form the membership of the church ; and that they should be impartially gath- ered in, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, with no dis- tinction of caste or color. It is true that in large cities, with present facilities of transportation, families and individuals often travel considerable distances to worship in tlie churches whicli they prefer. Sometimes they are constrained to do this by their attachment to old associations ; they have cliaiig{!(l their residence, but they cannot bear to separate themselves from the feHowshij) in which tli(>y wen; reared, or with which they have long been liaj)|)ily connected. Sometimes tlie pastor is one whose ministry is to them cs- I)ecially stimulating and helpful, and they are willing to make large sacrifices for the sake of what he giv(>s tlniu. It is not prudent, perhaps it is not desirable, to aii(agoni/.e such preferences. Doubtless tli(^ })rinei|tle of spiritual selection will determine, to a considerable extent, the mom- 30 CHRISTIAN PASTOIl AND WOKKING CHUIICH bership of churclies in all our larger communities. Proba- bly they will be more efficient and fruitful, if, as a rule, those whose opinions and tastes are similar are united in the same communion. Most city ciiurches will be made up, not only of those who are near, but of some also who arc afar off. But when the church itself considers the ques- tion of its own membership, and sends out its invitations, it can have but one message : " Ho, every one that thirst- eth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk with- out money and without price." ^ " And the Spirit and the bride say. Come. And he thatlieareth, let him sa}^ Come. And he that is athirst, let him come ; he that will, let him take of the water of life freely." ^ If those from afar choose to come to its solemn feasts they must be hospitably treated ; but those who are near must not be left in any doubt as to the warmth of their welcome. The very first [)roblem for any church to solve is how to make the people of its own neighborhood — all the people — understand that its services are for them ; that its bell rings for them ; that its doors open to them ; that its ushers are waiting for them ; that its seats are for them to occupy ; that it stands, as the representative of Christ, repeating to all the people, with such powers of persuasion as it can com- mand, his gracious call : " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." '^ That there should be any mistake aljout this, any possibilit}- of misconception, any misgiving in anybody's mind that this church does not really mean this, that it wishes only for the adhesion of those who belong to a certain social class, or who can brincf contributions to its coffers and social in- flucnce to its assemblies, — this is a thought not for one moment to be entertained. What! C\\\\ it bo true that there are ciiurches bearing the name of Jesus Christ which are understood to be churches for tlie " upper class," or churches for tlie "lower class"; churches in wliich con- siderations of weidtli oi- lank or (culture largely determine the membership ? The sooner such churches are blotted J Isa. Iv. 1. " i;ov. xxii. 17. 3 Matt. xi. 28. THE CHURCH 31 from existence, the sooner the Kingdom of God Avill come. It is true that in some neighborhoods the majority of the residents belong to one class, and in others the majority belong to another class ; such a geographical distribution of wealth and poverty may be unfortunate, but it exists, and we must make the best of it. It is therefore probable that the social standing of the membership of some churches will be different from tliat of others. But there are few neighborhoods in which many poor people may not be found, and few which are not accessible to some well to do people ; and wherever the sentiment of the church heartily favors it, the rich and the poor will be worsliipping together. The pastor of a church which lias lately moved to a rather fashionable residence district in one of our fairest Western cities, told the writer that his congregation contained a large working-class element. These were serving-men and serving- women in the households of the neighborhood, poor clerks and shop girls living near, and others of the same social class. Ordinarily these persons, if in church at all, would be found worsliipping in some small mission chapel on a side street, probably at a distance from their place of residence ; but this clmrc'h had somehow convinced them that there was room for them in its assemblies. This is by no means an impossible task for men and women of good will ; and no church has justified its existence until it has exhausted its ingenuity and patience in seeking to accomplisli it. Not only will many working people be found scattered through the districts where the more favored classes dwell, but it is not seldom the case that sections inhabited by tiio poor are closely contiguous to chunihes now frecjuentcnl by the rich. In multitudes of instances the most aristo- cratic churches are Avithin easy reach of tliousands of tlu; humblest people. If the worsliippers in these churclics are all of one social class, tin; reasons for this are not topo- graphical, but purely moral. 1'hc oidy reason mIiv the poor are not there is that th:\y are not wanted. If these were Ivonian Catholic chnrrlics the poor wonld lie lniiiid in thcni. There is no cathedral on the continent of Europe 32 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH SO splendid that the poor are not perfectly at home in it. To say that the same thing cannot exist in Protestant churches is to proclaim that Protestantism is a failure. We often hear it said that persons of this class are offen- sive to the more refined by reason of their uncleanliness. But a fastidiousness which cannot endure some discomfort of this sort for an hour or two, once a week, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, is not likely to achieve any im- portant victories in the Christian warfare. And nothing- would be more effective in improving the personal haljits of these people than bringing them into association every week with those to whom such matters were a care. An object lesson like this is the best way of teaching them the important truth that cleanliness is next to godliness. It is sometimes said that the poor prefer plainer churches ; that they are more at home in them ; that they enjoy asso- ciation with those of their own class. Doubtless they would not feel at home in churches that were ostentatiously luxurious ; but we have already assumed that the Christian church will not be built upon that plan. They can have no distaste for a beautiful and comfortable interior. It would not be pleasant for them to worsliip in churches where most of the worshippers Avere richly and gaudily dressed ; but few people of refinement are in the habit of dressing for display when they go to church. The ordi- nary laws of good breeding require plain and inconspicuous attire in the house of God. And as to the preference for association with those of their own class, it is to be said that very few working people would fail to respond to the overtures of a genuine Christian courtesy. Condescension or patronage the best of them do not want and will not endure; l)ut a sincere interest in them and a ival friend- ship for them will win tlieir confidence, no matter liow large may be the possessions or hoAv fine tlie culture of those wlio prnffcr it. 'J'he Christian clinrcli is on liinl bcfoiH! this generation upon tliis very issue, whether there exists Avithin it a genuint; l)rotherhood by which tlie bar- riers of social caste can he broken down. The separation of classes threatens the disru[)ti()n of existing society, and THE CHURCH 33 the overturn of all our institutions. There appears to be no agency by which this separation can be averted except the Clu'istian church. If the church is true to the prin- ciples of its Founder we may escape revolution, and go forward with the processes of a healthy social evolution. If the church, faithless to its trust, becomes the embodi- ment of that pride and exclusiveness which its Master came to rebuke and destroy, the church, with the state, will be revolutionized ; the ecclesiastical structures now existing will be demolished, and the Kingdom of God will be rebuilt on sure foundations. The question of the social structure of the existing churches is one of great moment to the churches themselves, and to society at large. If tlie principle of Christian fraternity means any- thing, it is high time that we were beginning to compre- hend its meaning, and to give it full scope in our church organizations. The questions about which we are forever squabbling, — whether our churches shall be governed by bishops or elders, or committees of their own choosing; whether the clergy shall be robed in one color or another ; whether prayer shall be oral or written ; whether baptism shall l)e with little water or with much ; whether we shall sing psalms or hymns ; whether ]\Ioses wrote all the Penta- teuch or not, — are of very small consequence compared with the question whether we are the disciples of the jMaster who is shown us in the first seventeen verses of the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John. If we are, in deed and in truth, learners in liis school, followers of liis divine example, we shall find some way of administering our churches so tliat those to whom he came to bring the glad tidings shall feel at home in them. The unity of the churcli of Christ is something more than a voluntary association ; it is a vital, an organic unity. "For in one Spirit," says Paul, ''were we all baptized into one body, Avliether Jews or Greeks, whether Ijond or free, and were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. 11" the foot shall say, Pecause T am not the liand, I am not of tlie l)0(ly, it is nut therefore not of the body. And if the ear sliull say, 3 3-1 CIIIIISTIAN TASTOIi AND WOKKING CHUKCH Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, it is not therefore not of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing ? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body even as it pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body ? But now they are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee ; or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary ; and those parts of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant lionor, and our uncomely parts liave more abundant comeliness ; whereas our comely parts have no need; but God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked ; that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffcreth, all the members suffer with it, or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." ^ Here is the constitution of the Christian church ; and a right understanding of this, and a hearty acceptance of it, are a thousand times more important than all that is involved in our disputes about polities and liturgies and doctrines. The one damning lieresy is the rejection of this organic law of the church ; the one intolerable schism is tliat by which Christ's poor are practically cut off from the fellowship of their more prosperous neighbors. It is true that it is l)ccoming increasingly difiicult to realize the fellowship on which the Christian cliurch is founded. In all our larger cities the conventionalities of society are so multiplied, and tliere are so many outside interests that cnsfross the time and thought of church members, that it is hard to maintain any general acquaint- ance, even among those of the same class, l^ut it must not be admitted that this is impossible; tlio maintenance of this relation is essential to the development of the Christian character. Tlie kind of association which is 1 1 Ci.r. xii. 13-2G. THE CHntCH 35 fvirnished by a Christian cliurcli in which the rich and the poor, the cultured and the uncultured, the old and the young, meet together on a perfect equality, is a little dif- ferent from any other that we enjoy in this world; and it is the only environment in which some of the best fruits of the spirit are likely to be cultivated. We do not find in our philanthropic work, in our condescension to those who are content to be our beneficiaries, still less in tlie super- ficial amenities of general society, the opportunity for the kind of social commerce which the church affords to those who intelligently accept its covenant and heartily endeavor to realize the life which it implies. There is pertinence in the counsel which bids us do good to all men as we have opportunity, " especially toward them that are of the household of the faitli." ^ The absolute mutuality which lies at the basis of that relation calls for the cultivation of some of the highest Christian qualities. All classes in the congregation need this discipline. The capitalistic elements need to be brought, through the church, into fraternal relations with the laboring classes, and the laboring classes need it not less. The church ought to be a constant and unfaltering witness to the people of both these classes that they are meml)ers one of another. The learning of tliis lesson is the beginning and end of wisdom in the solution of what is known as the social question ; and where is this lesson to be learned if not in the fellowship of the Christian church ? Neither of these classes, it is to be feared, wishes to learn it ; l)olh of tliem shrink from association with each other ; botli of tliem often seem to prefer to cherish the alienations and rinimosities by which tlio l)ond of society is sorely strained and often sundered. Tliere are briglit exceptions on botli sides, but this is the ju-cvailing tenqjcr. It is liere, if any- where, that the true priestly function comes into ])lay, — the function of mediation. If we, as Cliristian disciph-s, are made priests to God, il is for such worl< as this. The church which does not see that this is ils liigli calling at tliis hour sadly fails to diseeiii Ihis time. 1 Llal. vi. 10. S6 cHEisTri\jsr pastok and working church Between the educated and the uneducated classes the same work of reconciliation is called for. The conceit of culture is often about as virulent and anti-social as the pride of wealth. The fact that he can pronounce the English language a little more accurately than his neigh- bor, or that he can interpret some literary allusion which to the other has no meaning is, to many a man, good reason why he should treat that other with indifference, if not with contempt. The tendency is strong to erect these barriers of caste and exclusiveness between those who know a little more about certain things and those who know a little less. Such tempers are fatal to the best social construction. There will be diversities of knowl- edge in society ; the Christian theory is that men should be united and not divided by these diversities. " And what delights can equal those That stir the spirit's inner deeps, "When one that loves;, but knows not, reaps A truth from one that loves and knows?" ^ If these precious fruits of the Christian discipline are to be gathered in the church, it would seem clear that the church must have all these classes in its membership. No church should therefore be content for a day to be a church of the rich or of the poor, of the educated or of the uneducated. It is hard, no doubt, to prevent tlicse social stratifications ; the tendency is strong to bring the churcli under the domination of {esthetic rather than of ctliical standards. The notion that wo are to seek, in our church relations, that which will minister to our culture and gratify our tastes, and surround us with congenial associations, is far too prevalent, even among our most orthodox Clu'istians. How many are tlicie mIio do not make tlicsc or similar considerations paramount wlicn tliey are selecting tlieir places of woi-sliij)? It is not true, lioAvever, that the ol)stacU\s which hinder the realization of the ideal of the churcli are all interposed by the more fortunate classes. However tlie tact maybe explained, it is the fact that the spirit of exclusiveness and ^ Tennyson, fn Memoriatn, XLI. THE CHURCH 37 alienation exists among the poorer classes, and is keep- ing a great many of them out of the church. The families that tend to pauperism can usually be reached without much difficulty; their children can be brought into the Sunday school ; they themselves are willing, for reasons that are usually too apparent, to maintain some sort of connection with a charitable church. But among the self- supporting working people the notion seems to be growing that the churches are for the rich and cultivated people ; that they are not in sympathy with the working classes ; that they are the apologists and beneficiaries of monopoly. This is by no means the universal fact; there are many churches which are largely composed of working-men ; and the sweeping condemnation of the churches as aristo- cratic and exclusive which we sometimes hear from work- ing people need not be admitted, though we may recognize certain ominous tendencies in this direction. It is lAnin that the alienation of the working people from the churches is in part the result of a systematic and energetic effort to separate them from the rest of the community and compact them in a class by themselves in the warfare with capital, or rather with the employing class. Industrial society is at present on something like a war basis, and the leaders of the labor army do not like to have their forces fraternize in any way with the enemy. It appears to them, therefore, good tactics to keep the working people out of all associa- tions in which kindlier relations might be cultivated ; and many of the denunciations of the churches are prompted by this policy. The aristocratic temper of the church is not the real objection ; the more of real fraternity there was in it, the less they would like it. It would not l)e true to say that all labor leaders are governed by tliis ])urj)oso ; perhaps it is not often consciously cherislicd : ])iil tin- ()l)\i- ous logic of the maintenance of industrial society on a war basis must lead them in this direction. Sucli, then, ;\iv. ob- stacles to the fratiTnization of classes mIiIcIi are found in the temjxu'S of the less fortunate classes. There is just as nuicli human nature in tlie under crust of society as in the upjicr crust. liut it is the business of the Christian church to 38 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH break down all these obstacles, to bring these suspicious and antipathetic people all together in one fellowship, and teach them to respect one another and care for one another. To this separation, quite as truly as to that of an older day, we may apply Paul's words : " For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle ^\all of partition, . . . that he might create in himself of the twain one new man, so making peace ; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." ^ The church that wrought this reconciliation in the olden time between Jews and Gentiles can do it to-day for capitalists and laborers, if it will only hold fast by the truth on which it is founded. And in or- der that it may do the work for which it exists, it must place itself firmly on this foundation. It may thus be evident that the question of the consti- tution of the local church at the present day goes a great deal deeper than our disputes about polity and dogma and ceremonial. It is a question which strikes at the very heart of the social order ; which challenges the principles of our conduct as social beings. The first question for any church to ask is, "Who is my nciglibor?" That question must be answered in the Christian sense, and the whole reffimen of the church's life must be conformed to tlie answer. If Christianity has a law for society, the church must first of all learn that law and ()l)cy it. The relation of the church to the Kingdom of God is a matter concerning which it is necessary to have clear ideas. To a considerable extent it is a question of words, but there are, after all, important distinctions which we must learn to make. In one of the most inspiring books - of this generation, Dean Fremantle urges that the cliiucli is the inclusive word ; that all departments of what is known as secular life are in reality departments of church life ; that ''tlie clmrch ('the fulness of Ilim that lilletli all in all') is the wliole connnnnity of Cln-istian ])eoi)le in tlie wliole ranges of their life, and tends to (,'nil)race the ^\ hok; woild ; and therefore that it cannot be adecpiately represented l)y com- 1 Eph. il. 14-10. 2 Xhe World as the Subject of Redemption. THE ciirRcii 39 mimities organized for public worsliip and its accessories. Why, then," he demands, '^ do we hear the words ' The Church,' or 'The Churches,' applied solely to bodies or- ganized for public w'orship, doctrinal teaching, and a few adjuncts of beneficence ? Why do historical writers con- stantly speak of acts that are those of the clergy alone as acts of the Church ? Why do we find that, in nine cases out of ten, when ' The Church ' is named, the clergy and the worshipping body (most commonly the clergy alone) are meant ? . . . Each of the rings or circles of human society, the family, the communities which exist for the further- ance of science, of art, of social intercourse, of commerce, as well as for public worship, are essentially religious so- cieties, and the Nation most of all. Why, then, are those societies still spoken of as secular or worldly, instead of the attempt being made to raise their spheres of action to the dignity of church functions, and their leaders to that of church ministers ? " ^ The central idea for which this book contends — the sacredness of all life, the essential religiousness of every kind of useful work — is not to be gainsaid ; it is indeed part of the great constructive idea which is giving us all our new departures in theology as well as in practical Christian work. liut it is a question whetlier the word church has not become so thoroughly fixed in its mean- incT that it cannot be stretched to cover all that Dean Fremantle tries to include under it. Will the old wine- skin hold the new wine ? Is it not better to keep the word church for the " communities organized for public wor- ship and its accessories," and to appl)' to "• the whole community of Christian people, in all the range of their life," Christ's own phrase, the Kingdom of God, (ir llic Kingdom of Heaven. It will be necessary, then, to show that it is possiljle and greatly desiral)le to widen the scope of the church, and make it touch the life of the peojilc at many more points tlian it lias hilliei-to done; and it will also be necessarv to show that the rliiircii, so deliiicd, — even wIk'Ii so enlarged, — is sulxtnlinatc. in all respects, to ' Preface to the new cilllion, ]i<'J^>. 40 CHEISTIAN PASTOR AND WOEKIXG CHUECH the Kinc^dom of God ; that it is a part, and not the whole, of that Kino'dom. It might be possible, following the suggestion of Dean Fremantle, to include under the term church all the spiritual and ethical interests of the community, and to conceive of charity and education, and even of art, as proper functions of the church ; but the function of civil government involves methods and agencies that cannot well be identified with the church in fact or in name. Civil government must employ force, and the weapons of the church are not carnal. The state does not lose its divine character when it employs force ; the powers that be are ordained of God, and they bear not the sword in vain,^ but the work to which the state is called is a differ- ent kind of work from that to which the church is ap- pointed, and it is essential to the effectiveness of each that the two functions be separated. The state with its politi- cal and retributive functions is an integral part of the Kingdom of God ; and the duties to which it summons us are not less sacred than those to which the church calls us, but they are duties of a different nature, and must not be confused. So, at least, it seems to those of us who do not live under religrious establishments. The Kingdom of (iod includes both state and church ; it is, indeed, "• the whole community of Christian people in the whole range of their life"; every part of that life is sacred, ])iil there are some parts of it A\liich arc not wisely considered as functions of the church. The church and its ministry are, then, a part, a vital part of tlie Kingdom of God, but they do not constitute that Kingdom. It is not the churcli and its righteousness that we are bidden to seek first, but the King(h)m of (iod and liis righteousness. The church is auxiliary to the King- dom, it is one of tlic means by which the Kingdom is brouglit in ; but every Christian's first loyalty is to tlie Kingdom, and not to the church. Tli(> clnirf]!, in its best estate, liolds much the same relation to the Iviiigdom that the political party, at its best estate, holds to the govern- ^ Hoin. xiii. 1-6. THE CHITRCn 41 ment of the country ; it is an instrument which men em- ploy to secure the progress and the permanence of the Kingdom. Better, perhaps, v,e may say that it is the training school, ordained by God, in which men are fitted for the life of the Kingdom. The usefulness of the church is tested by observing the condition of the community' in which it stands. If the life of the community is healthily affected by its presence its life is vindicated, otherwise it lacks credentials. By its fruits in the civic community its character must be judged. It is never an end in itself, it is a means to an end. The city which John saw in his vision, the New Jerusalem, which represents the perfected society that is to fill the earth at the latter day, was a city without a temple. All its life was sacred ; its home life, its business life, its education, its art, its work, its play, were all consecrated. Men had learned the meaning of that hard saying, " Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." ^ All work was done in the spirit of prayer ; all callings were sacred. That city is coming down out of heaven from God even now ; but it comes without observation ; of its enduring temples one living stone after another is silently descending to its place, but long years are yet to pass before this process AvlU be consummated ; it is only in its idea, its promise, its elemental forces, and in certain l)eautiful beginnings, that this city is now here upon the earth; the actual society of the municipality or the commonwealth is yet a long way from the millennial perfection. And yet tliis promise, this ideal, is always before tlie mind of cM-iy well instructed servant of Christ. What lie is chiclly working for and praying foi- is not the success of his church, or his denomination, or any ecclesiasticism wliat- ever; it is the uplniilding of tliis Kingdom. To this end the church is a divinely appointed moans. As things now are, the spiritual interests must, to a certain extent, be specialized. In our northern climates the green- house and the inirsery are important adjuncts of the garden and the orchard. Yet it is not by what is grow u in t!ie 1 1 fur. X. ;ji. 42 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH greenhouse and the nursery that life is nourished, so much as by that which is planted out in the open air and in the broad fields. And the church, while the spiritual climate remains what it is, serves the Kingdom of Heaven in the same way; it affords a care and a culture in which the beautiful growths of the Kingdom may be made ready for planting out in the field of the world. ^ It is necessary that religion should be specialized in in- stitutions which are devoted to its interests. The problem is to make all life religious ; but in order that it may be- come so, associations are needed whose function it shall be to cultivate religious ideas and feelings. Electricity, we are told, pervades the whole earth and the whole atmosphere. It is everywdiere about us ; per- haps the time may come when we can make this diffused electricity do our chores and run our errands ; but for the present we must have the power-house Avith the dyna- mos, where it is collected and concentrated and distributed to the places where it is wanted. And, in like manner, although the spirit of Christianity ought to pervade and to some extent does pervade the whole of the societ)' in which we live, — though the Kingdom of Heaven, like the hidden leaven, is here, living and working upon the earth, — yet there is need that this influence be gathered up and con- centrated in institutions formed for this special purpose, that its nature may be more distinctly seen, and its power more wisely directed. As we study the laws of life, we fmd the higher orders of l)eing distinguished by what the i)hysiologists call an increasing specialization of function. " In the progress from the lower to the higher organisms," says Mr. Huxley, " there is a gradual differentiation of organs and of func- tions. Each function is separated into many parts, which are severally intrusted to distinct organs. 'J'o use the st liking phrase of Milne-Edwards, 'In passing from low to hiirli orfjanisnis tliero is ;i division of physiological labor.' " ^ * I take the liberty of (|ii()linf^ liorc ;i few ]):ir!iKr:vitlis from asiiiall hook of my own, obscurely j)ul)lislicrains, and return to the condition of the oys- ter, witli the nervous system diffused through the whole molhiscous mass. This relation of the church to the Kinrj-dom of God, as that of a vital part of the whole, is often l)ut dimly com- prehended. The stanch ecclesiastic often inainlains to- ward his church precisely the same attitude that the partisan maintains toward his party. As the politii-ian is often willing to sacrifice the interests of tlie nation to the success of liis party, so tlie (ilnii-climan often sliows him- self more than willing to put the interests of the Kingdom of Heaven in jeopardy for tlie aggrandizement of his sect. Not until the idea more widely prevails that eveiy Cliris- tian's first loyalty is due, not to the church, not to any or all churches, but to the Kingdom of Heaven, and that 46 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AXD WORKING CHURCH the churches are simply helps in the building of that King- dom, sliall wc see any rapid progress in the Christianiza- tion of the world. Those who have the care of churches find themselves, therefore, included in a larger organism which claims their constant interest. This is the community in which they live, and the commonwealth of which they are citizens. This larger society, with its government, its political machinery, its industrial and commercial organizations, its educational and charitable institutions, its grou])s of artists and writers, its manifold social life, — all this is the held of their labor. What they are there, as a church, to think of and work for, is nothing less than this, — that all this complex, highly organized life may be redeemed, regenerated, sanctified. That is the ideal always before their thought. Whatever kind of work will help toward this consummation is lawful : that which does not clearly tend in this direction is of small account. They pray, every day, " Thy Kingdom come," and their labors must tally with their prayers. What they do in and through the church will 1)C done with the Cliristianization of this society constantly in view. If they should succeed in building up their church in numbers, in wealth, in social position ; if its individuals maintained a good degree of personal integrity, and its families were nurtured in do- mestic purity, and if, at the same time, the community round about them were steadily deteriorating; if its ])()li- tics were becoming more corrupt; if its laws \\v\v mnw and more disregarded ; if its business methods were in- creasingly tricky ; if the chasm between employers and em- ployed were widening and deepening ; if its society were sinking into profoundor depths of vanity and frivolity; if its amusements were degenerating fniin recreation to- ward dissipation, — then the satisfaction with wliieh these eliill'eliniell reeoinited tlie details (if their ehureli Welk sliould, it wouhl seem. 1)e greatlv chastened by the spec- tacle of the sinking civilization roinid about them. Tt may be questioned whetlier tliey ought to be very comf()rta])le in their own little shccpfold, witli the flock ever so well THE CHURCH 47 shepherded, if evil were raging and triumphing in tho community round about tliem. In truth, however, it is hardly possible that they should be able, by the most strenuous exertions, to maintain such a contrast between their religious society and the rest of the community. The ethical standards, the social senti- ments of the outside world Avill surely affect the congre- gation ; no separation between those within and those without the fold can be secured which will prevent the church life from being constantly and profoundly influ- enced by the thought and the life of the political and the commercial and the industrial world round about. They cannot save the church from decadence unless they can save the community from deterioration. The churches are, indeed, the salt of the earth ; but the salt is for the preservation of society. The church is not in the world to save itself, but to save the world ; and when it ex- hibits no power to regenerate the community in which it stands, it is clear that the salt has lost its savor, and is Qfood for nothincT but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. " Ye are the light of the world," said the Master to his disciples. But when no radiance streams out through the windows of the clmrch, lighting up tlic spaces round about, it is to be feared that the light which is in it is darkness. And how great is that darkness ! It is impossible, therefore, to segregate the church from the community. The very function of the church is found in its organic relation to the communit3\ It is no more possible to have a sound cliurch in a decaying community tlian it is to have pure air within our garden walls while the surrounding region is infested with malaria. The church must either be pouring a steady stream of saving power into the community, or it will be receiving a steady stream of poisonous and debilitating iiillueuces finm the community. Tho current will go one way or the other. If the church is not to the coniinunity a savor of life unto life, the community will be to the church a savor of death unto death. Indeeil, iu s\nie of our best exertions, our most vigorous churches do feel continually these deadly 48 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH influences from the materialism of the outside worhl. It is hard to liokl up the standards of fidelity and honor before the thought of the young men, when the methods of poli- tics and of business are generally disreputable ; when great fortunes are made, if not by downright dishonesty, at least by a cynical disregard of the rights of the weak; Mhen honor and humanity are sacrificed to greed ; when the spoils of office are selfishly souglit and corruptly distri- buted ; when the oath of office is lightly taken and appar- ently forgotten, when the sense of public duty is obscured by party passion or personal ambition. Such methods are by no means universal, but where they are more or less common, and there is no effective public opinion to de- nounce and resist them, and those who practise them lose no credit among their neighbors, l)ut are })ointed to as the successfid men of the community, the efforts of the teacher and the preacher to make the yomig believe in things honorable and true and of good report will be laborious and often ineffectual. If the church wishes to save itself from extinction, then, it must send out its light and its truth into the community. If it does not wish to be pulled down into the mire itself it must lift up the community to a higher plane of thought and action. It is childish to suppose that we can shut ourselves within our little conventicles and sing and pray and have a happy time all by ourselves, saving our own souls, and letting the great roaiing world outside go on its way to destruction. Nor is it enough to go out now and then, and pull a few of the passers-by into our conventicles to save them. Such evangelism is utterly inadequate. It misses the true function of the churcli by as mucli as the sanitary engineer would miss the prol)lem of curing a malarious district, if he sliould try to catch tlie air in bas- ketfuls and treat it with disinfectants. If this truth is many times repeated, il is l)ecause it is one of the things tliat most need to l)e said, and one of tlie things most easily misconceived and most constantly forgot- ten. It is to be feared lliatthe idea of the Cliurch still cfen- erally prevailing is that of an institution into which men THE CHURCH 49 are withdrawn, as much as possible, from knowledge of or contact with the world outside. "' Come out from among them and be separate," is still the classical text. In many churches there is a strong sentiment requiring the minister to make but little reference in his teaching to the affairs of daily life. " We have enough of that," say these pious folk, '' ill our week-days ; when we come to church, we want to stop thinking about this world and think about heaven ; we want to sing hymns and pray, and be soothed and comforted by purely spiritual ministrations." Whether such peoj)le have been born again we may not venture to judge, but it is certain that they have not seen the King- dom of God ; that they would not know it if they should see it ; that they do not even know Adhere to look for it. Of that great realm to which their superior loyalty is clue, which their Master bids them seek fh'st, they in their unctuous sentimentalism are utterly oblivious. It scarcely needs to be said that the whole theory of Pastoral Theology is revolutionized by this conception of the relation of the church to the Kingdom. If the church is an instrument, and not an end, a great many of the theories and practices now prevailing will need to be reconsidered. CHAPTER III THE PASTOR The names by which the minister is known among his parishioners are somewhat significant. Hector and Domi- nie describe him as a ruler of his congregation ; I'arson points him out as the Person, by eminence, of the com- munity; Ekler represents him as proving a maturity which in the primitive church may have belonged to him ; Preacher, which appears to be the official title in the Methodist Episcopal Church, misses that part of the min- ister's function with which wc are concerned ; Father, the familiar designation by which Roman Catholics address their minister is affectionate, but somewhat lacking in fitness when applied to one who knows only by observa- tion or by hearsay what the word means ; '' Priest " they used sometimes to call the New England minister ; but that term was a stigma, invented by those who hated the standing order; the liiss of the sibilant witli wliieh it closes is distinctly audil)le. "St. Paul," says Bisliop Rurnet, "does also call ihurch- men by the name of builders, and gives to the Apostles the title of master-builders. Tliis imjioits both hard ami patient labor, and likewise great care and exactness in il, for want of which the building will ])c not only exposed to the injuries of weather, but Avill (|uickly tumble down ; and it gives us to understand that those who cany this title ought to study well the great rule by which they nnist carry on the interest of religion, so that they may build up their peo])le in their most lioly faith so as to be a building fitly framed together. 'I'hey are also called laborers in God's luisl)aiidi\-, laborei-s in his vineyard and harvest, who are to sow, [ilant, and \\ater, and cultivate THE TASTOR 61 the soil of the church. Tliis imports a continual return of daily and hard labor, which requires both pain and dili- gence. They are also called soldiers, men that did war and light against tlie powers of darkness. The fatigue, the dangers and dilhculties, of that state of life are so well uudei-stood tliat no application is necessary to make them more sensible.^ " The name by wliich the New England minister wished to be known, the official title by which he has always been known, is, perhaps, the best name of all, — the Pastor. This is the name by which our Lord loved to describe himself. " I am the Good Shepherd," he said ; and in tlie new version we find a statement about his rela- tion to his flock which startles us by its boldness : " I am the Good Shepherd ; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father."^ The intimacy between Clirist and his peo- ple, on the one hand, is the same kind of intimacy as that between Christ and the Father, on the other. All that this means we may not try to tell, but it must signify a very near and dear relation between the shepherd and the flock. If this term may be adopted by an under shepherd, it must have a deep and tender signification. " He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers." ^ This is the parable which Jesus spake unto liis disci[)les. It is .s;iis is foreign to that conce[)ti()n of the ministry upon which the New England churches were founded. It is true, however, tliat some Christian ministers con- ^ Pastoral Theology of the New Testament, by J. T. Beck, U. D., Edin- burgli cd., Trans. THE PASTOR 5S sider and describe themselves as priests ; it is the official title of the second order of the Anf^lican Church ; Charles Kingsley called himself a priest, and so do multitudes of the best men in the same communion. The term implies a distinction of functions and powers between the clergy and the laity ; it involves questions with which we cannot adequately deal. Some of those who call themselves priests maintain, to use the language of one of them, that '' within the Apos- tolic Church all are priests. There is no sacerdotal caste, as some opponents of Catholic doctrine have imagined the church to create, — performing religious offices for a secu- lar laity. The contrast between clergy and laity is that between a higher and a lower degree in the priesthood. This is implied in the ancient title of ' Ordination,' and of ' Holy Orders,' which bear witness to the fact that the difference between clergy and laity is one of function and arrangement and mutual relations, not a difference of fundamental opposites. If wilfully severed from the faith- ful laity, the clergy would have no right to act in the name of Christ. Their priestly ministries are those of the whole body, performed througli them as its natural organs." ^ This view differs widely from that which regards the Christian minister as belonging to a separate caste. On the other hand it differs not less widely from the theory that tlie minister has no powers that do not belong to his brethren, and that lie owes his official function and leadership to their choice. For the higher and lower degree in the priesthood, to whicli tliis writer calls atten- tion, marks an indcliliic! distinction between clergy and laity, and supposes the former to be invested with powcis wliich the latter may not exercise. 'I'liis is a conception wliich does not seem to have prevailed in the early clnuvli ; as T)i'. Ilatcli lias shown, preaching, the exercise of disci- pline, and the administration of l)a])tism andtlir I'lucharist, were all practised l)y laymen in the lirst twn centuries."-^ These duties were usually p(>ifoniicd by the invsidi-nt or ' Till' Fitilh nftlir Coxjirl, l>y A rtliiir Jaiiics Mason, ])j). 255, 256. '^ The Organization of I he Karhj Vhmrl,, <. I.t-i't. V. 54 CHKISTIAN rASTOR AKD WORKING CHURCH leader oi the congregation ; but when occasion demanded, la3'nien also performed them. The assumption of the priestly prerogative was a later development. Dr. Fair- bairn points out this change : — " In all that is said concerning the office, in the words either of our Lord or of his apostles, not a hint is dropped which would bespeak for the ministers of the Gospel the character of a secret-loving, wonder-working priesthood. And when, a few centuries after the gospel era, we light upon descriptions which present them in such a character, one cannot but be sensible of a huge discrepance between them and the representations of Scripture. It seems as if an essentially new office had come into being, rather than the original office perpetuated with certain slight modifica- tions. Listen, for example, to Clu-ysostom's description of what he calls the glory of the Christian priesthood : ' 1'he priesthood, indeed, is discharged upon earth, but it takes rank with heavenly appointments, and deservedlj- docs so. For this office has been ordained not by a man, nor l)y an angel, nor by an archangel, nor by any created power, but by the Paraclete himself, who has laid hold on men still abiding in llio flesh to perpetuate the ministry of angels. And therefore should the priest, as standing in the heavenly regions amid those higher intelligences, be as pure as they are. Terrible, indeed, yea, most awful, were even the things which preceded the Gospel, such as the bells, the pomegranates, the stones in the breastplate, the mitre, etc., the holy of holies, the profound silence that reigned within. But when tlie things belonging to tlie gosi)el are considered, those others will be found little, and so also what is said concerning the law, however truly it may bo spoken : " That whieli Avas glorious has no glory by reason of that which excelleth." And when you see the Lord that has been slain, and now lies before you, and the priest bending over tin; victim, and interceding, and all dyed with that precious blood, do you still reckon yourself to be \\itli men and still standing on the earth? Do you not lathcr feel transplaiited into heaven, and, casting aside all fleshly thoughts and feelings, dost thou THE PASTOK 55 not with thy naked soul and thy pure mind behohl tlie things of heaven ? O the marvel ! O the philanthropy of God ! He who is seated above with the Father is at that moment held by the hands of all, and to those that are willing gives himself to be clasped and received ; all which they do tlirough the eyes of faith ! ' He then refers to the action of Elias on Carmel, declaring that of the Christian priest to be much greater, and he asks : ' Who that is not absolutely mad or beside himself could slight so dreadful a mystery? Are you ignorant that the soul of man could never have borne the fire of such a sacrifice, and that all should have utterly perished had there not been the mighty help of the grace of God?' Such was what constituted, in Chrysostom's view, the peculiar glory of the Christian ministry ; and he proceeds in the same magniloquent st^le to enlarge on the pre-eminent dignity and power connected with it in its prerogative to bind and to loose souls, to forgive or retain sins, to purge men through baptism and other rites from all stains of pollution and send tliem pure and holy into the heavenly mansions. All that is, of course, priestly work ; work in which the officiating minister has something to offer for the people, and something by virtue of his ollice to procure for them ; benefits, indeed, so great, so wonderful, so incomparably pre- cious, that the typical ministrations of the old priestliood, and the benefits accruing from them to the people, were com- pletely thrown into the shade. Now this is a view of pas- toral work on which New Testament Scri[)turc is not oidy silent, but against which it virtually ])rotests. The ser- vice which it associates with the ministry of the gospel is one that employs itself not with presenting a sacrifice for men, but in persuading them to believe in a sacrifice already offered, and through that promoting in tluiii a woik of personal reconciliation with God, and growing meetness for liis pi'esencc! and glory." ' This extract clearly i)ri'si'nts the contrast bi^twccn the sacerdotal theory of the ministry and tin; theory g(>nei-.dly accepted by tlie reformed ('hurches. Vet even in these 1 Pastoral Thcohpij, pp. 47-4'J. 56 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH cliurclies there are survivals of the sacerdotal principle, in the belief that none but an ordained clergyman can administer the sacraments or pronounce the benediction. Thus one of the stanchest of the Puritans, Professor Austin Phelps, in his lectures on the Theory of Pi'eaching, recognizes the benediction as a sacerdotal act, and urges its retention on this ground. He says : — " It is the only act of clerical prerogative except the ad- ministration of the ordinances, in which the idea of clerical mediatorship is retained. The sacerdotal theory of it does no harm to either preacher or people. . . . Often the final effect of song and sermon and rehearsal of God's word is to excite a profound feeling of dependence, of which a craving for the blessing of a ' man of God ' is the natural sequence. The intervention of a solitary human voice between the silent assembly and God, speaking in his name, and pronouncing his blessing u[)on them, becomes a relief to their wrought-up emotions. They feel the natural- ness of it. They volunteer to clothe it with the authority of their own devotional desires. It is an act in which the preacher is not as other men. He is invested by the wants of the people with a mediatorial office. Pie is an intercessor by divine appointment and by popular choice. The peo- ple will have it so. . . . Time has indeed wrought revolu- tionary changes in the ancient theory of worship. We will not ignore them. But it has not destroyed, nor essen- tially impaired that instinct of human nature whicli exalts a teacher of religion above other men, and often invests his service with a mediatorial significance. The one thing in which our Congregational society recognizes that instinct and in which the people, if left alone to follow tlieir own religious intuitions, will certainly o])ey it, is this act of pastoral ])encdicti()n. We are in no danger of an abuse of it in the direction of sacerdotal arrogance. We cannot afford to spare it. It is not wise to sacrifice it to eccle- siastical theory. Human nature craves it, and in some form Avill liavo it. For tlic want of it and some things kindred to it. Congregational and Presbyterian churches are losing their liold upon cei'taiii matci'ials in the con- THE PASTOR 57 stituency of clnirchcs -wliich by lu'roditaiy affinities belong to them/' ^ This plea for a slight infusion of the sacerdotal element coming out of the heart of independency, may be regarded as significant. Some of the facts which it adduces are indu- bitable, whatever may be the interpretation put upon them. The craving of men for the intervention of some person or power between themselves and God cannot be denied. Just how far this craving is to be encouraged is a question which the hierarchical churches commonly answer in one way, and the reformed churches in another way. The fact that men want some kind of human mediatorship may not be a conclusive reason for offering it to them. Is it a natural or an artificial want? Does it grow out of a true conception of the Father in licaven, or out of a heathen conception of him ? Still, if it be true that the minister possesses any media- torial function, even the slightest, he ought to exercise it to the fullest extent. If his office empower him to bless his parishioners, or to forgive their sins, or to offer sacri- fices for them, let him discharge, with all fidelity, the duties of his office. If his office confer upon him no sucli exclusive power, it is better not to go through the foiiiis of it, no matter how much the people may crave it, lun- how many of them may go over to the hierarchical com- munions in search of it. An assumption, whether open or covert, of powers tliat do not belong to him will not l)e found, in the long run, to promote the infiuence of any pastor. So far as the form of the benediction is concerned, it seems to be a slight matter, and yet it is not dilficult to preserve the dignified and beautiful ceremony without employing language which ini[)li('s saci-rdolal luni'tions. TIic lienediction may be a ])rayer, in wliich the preacher identifies himself with the congregation. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all "" is a form of words no less impressive or significant tlian llial wliirh im[)lics equality with the Apostles. It appears to answer 1 0;>. ril., jip. .'■)O2-.")04. 58 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH all the ends of reverence for which IVofessor Phelps is pleading, while it avoids an assumption which, though it is a little one, is repugnant to the feelings of some of the ministers of Christ. It will be said that the minister, in these acts which have a sacerdotal color, is not speaking for himself ; that he is the mouthpiece of the church ; that he is conveying the grace which is committed to the whole church ; that he should recognize himself only as the instrument or channel through whom that grace is imparted.^ I'hat this is the view taken by multitudes of devout men cannot be denied. There are many who call themselves priests who are as humble and self-distrustful as any men on earth. It is not assumed, in this discussion, that the sacerdotal theory is inconsistent with devoted and heroic Christian service. The whole history of the Christian Church con- tradicts such an assumption. But it is important that every pastor should have a clear understanding with him- self about the matter ; that he should know exactly what his functions are, and that he should make his conduct con- form to his theory. And those of us who do accept the reformed doctrine - can do no Ijetter than frankly and fully to accept the logic of our theory and utterly to refuse to take upon ourselves any prerogatives or privileges by whicli we may seem to be separated from our brethren in the churches. We are ministers of the churches, and we are supposed to have enough knowledge of Latin to know what the word " minister " means. For those who adopt this theory, it is well to avoid, so far as they can 1 " Wo (lie Kirche aber ein solchcs Wort hat, da ist amli ilir rinin nidit ein bloHses Wunsclicii mul Bctcii, niclit oiii Wiinsclisegcii tilnss, wic I>iUlicr sagt, sondern eiu Tliatsegcn, sii'li fnichthar orwoiscinl an Jodoiii, ilcr in sol- ches gottgeordnctc'S Verliilltniss trill uiid den Spgen dcssclboii von llcrtzen ergrcift." — llaniaclv, G'escfiir/itc mid T/i(<>n'c tirr Predif/l uiul dcr Scd- sorr/fi, 512. '■^ " Le niinisterc orclt'siastifnic scrait la consi'cration, faite sous ccrtaines conditious, dc (iuol(|ne.s mnndjros du troupeau chrdticn a s'occuper specialo- ment, mais non a rexclusion d'ancnns autros, do I'ad ministration du culte, ct flo la coTiduitc dos fimos. T^nc socic'tc' rcligionso pent d'aillnnrs roglor quo Ics sulcnniti's qui la rcnnissont, soront pn'sidt'cs oxclnsivomont par ces hommcs spcciaux qu'on appcllc ministres ou pasteurs." — Viuct, The'ologie Pastorale, p. 41. THE PASTOR 59 do so without rudeness, everything which implies niinis- teriid privileg'e. " Christianity," says a great authority, "allows no place to a tribe of priests, ordained to direct other men, as under religious pupilage, having exclusive charge to supply men's needs, in respect to God and divine tilings. While the Gospel removes whatever separates men from (lod, it also calls men to fellowship with God tlu'ough Christ ; it takes away, moreover, every barrier which separates men from one another in respect of their highest interests. All have the same High Priest and Me- diator through whom all, as reconciled and united to God, have themselves become a sacerdotal and spiritual race ; the same King, the same celestial Master and Teacher, through whom all have become wise unto God ; the same faith, the same hope, the same spirit, by which all are ani- mated ; the same oracle in the heart of all, — the voice of the Spirit proceeding from the Father, — all citizens of the same celestial Kingdom. There were here neither laics nor ecclesiastics ; but all, so far as they were Christians, were, in tlieir interior life and state, dead to wliatever there was in the world that was contrary to God, and were animated by the Spirit of (iod. Who might arrogate to himself, what an inspired apostle durst not, to domineer over the faith of Christians ? The oilice of teaching was not ex- clusively conferred on one man or many ; but every believer who miglit feel himself called might speak a word in the assembled church for the common edification." ^ By our theory sacerdotal autliority does not belong to us as pastors. The kind of power to forgive sins whicli is claimed by the priest under tlie Roman or the High Angli- can rite is not ours, nor anything akin to it. Nevertheless, there is a certiiin priesthood which is shaivd by all be- lievers. We are a kingdom r." -^ Passaijes from the carlv I'atliers bear 1 aMuU. vii. 128, liO. - Jl.b. \iii. 17. a 1 Tet. V. 5. 62 CHRISTIAN TASTOR AND WORIONG CHURCH the same significance.^ But tliis does not necessarily im- ply anything more tlian that wholesome subordination whicli is the condition of all concerted action. It does not argue any hierarchical powers, pertaining to the ministry as a sejjarate and permanent order. The niembers of any association owe to the officers, whom they have chosen to take the direction of their affairs, respect and co-operation. The subjection and submission enjoined in the passages quoted above may mean no more than this. The words of Jesus are not to be forgotten : " But be not ye called Rabbi ; for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on the earth ; for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters ; for one is your Master, even the Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." ^ 1'his seems to point to a genuine democracy as the social foundation of the church. But democracy is not anarchy; it imjDlies order and subordination and leadership. And most of the New Testament passages whicli refer to the government of tlie church *•' agree in connoting primarily the idea of presidency or leadership." ^ Tliis is the very conception of the pastorate which the present conditions are tending to emphasize. For as a learning church needs a teacher, and a feeding church needs a pastor, so a working church needs a leader. It is not as a lord over God's heritage, but as a wise organizer and guide of tlie worlcing body tliat the pastor is appointed to rule the church. Tbe eV/WoTro? was the superintendent or overseer of th(^ early church ; the same term had been employed by the (ireeks to de- scribe officers of private associations and also of munici- palities ; the iiriaKOTTOL were persons to whom authority had been delegated by the bodies over which tliey ])ie- sided. 'Hiat the chnrch must be to this extent an ordeily association; that those who arc called to tlu; leadershij) should be loyally followed by those who call Ihem ; that their administration should be liiin and consistent and fearless, and tliat tin; spirit and traditions of the organi- ^ Hatch's Ortjnnizntinn of the Early Christian Chnrrhex, \\. 11.3, note. 2 Matt, xxiii. 8-11. ^ Hatch, cit. siij). THE PASTOR 63 zation sliould eouspiro to muintain this order, — sueli is the logic of all human co-operation. The pastor of a work- ing church is the leader, and he should take the lead, and steadily maintain it. The initiative belongs to him, and the support of the church is due to him. If he is not capable of such leadership, the church should not have chosen him, and sliould now, as soon as it can safely and kindly do so, replace him by one who can lead. But, having chosen such a leader, the church owes him a prompt and hearty following. This is not to say that nothing which he proposes is ever to be questioned or criticised ; if he is a wise pastor, he will welcome any ingenuous criticisms ; but the fact remains that in any working or- ganization there must be trusted leadership and willing co- operation ; and those who are chosen as leaders must be able to count on the harmonious co-working of all the rest. Taking the lowest conception of the pastor's rank and dignity, he is entitled, therefore, to a certain deference as the one to whose hands tlie administration of the church has in an especial degree been confided. If his authority is delegated, still it is delegated authority, and as such ought to be respected. Other tlieories of the office impute to the pastor a larger power. Those who find in the Christian minister a sacer- dotal character are compelled, of course, to ascribe to him a kind of autliority altogether different from that of wh'n h we have been speaking. 1'liosc who suppose that the sacraments are necessary to salvation, and that the minis- ter has the power to give or withhold the sacraments, clothe him with a power which he is able to wield with inc- sistible effect in tlie government of tlie church. To such a piiesthood the rule of the churcli must ('xclusi\rly lic- long; the laity are there not to iiilc but lo be ruled. I>ut even mIk-u sacerd(^tal ])()wers aic (Iciiicd, tlicic is sometimes a conception of pastoral j)o\vcr which sei)aratcs the minister from his Hock, and clolhcs him with essi-ntial governmental rights and dignities. In all such casi's, however, the assumption of superiority may w(dl bo de- clined. The wise pastor will not, whatever may ix' his 64 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH theory of his office, undertake to overbear the judgment of his parishioners by force of his prerogative. Even if he suppose himself to belong to a different order from theirs, his wisdom will be shown in understating that fact, and in putting himself on a basis of equality with them. His problem is to secure their co-operation with liimself iu Christian labor. An arbitrary assertion of authority is not the best method of accomplishing this. He must convince their reason and get the consent of their judgment. His authority must be confirmed by the methods of influence. A familiar maxim declares that " governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." The accuracy of this proposition may be challenged. "Just powers " are not the creation of majorities. But this much is true — that governments derive their effective powers from the consent of the governed. Even the despotisms reign by consent of their subjects. And it can be no otherwise with the pastoral authority. It is only effective when it is " broad based upon the people's will." The day of absolutism in government has gone by. One or two European rulers still continue to assert an unlim- ited prerogative, but the whole world listens with a smile to their presumption, and knows that they will keep w'ell within the limit of the popular approval. Kepresentative legislatiu'cs, in almost all states, have assumed the chief control of the national exchequer. The power of the purse is in the hands of the people. Even the papal government shows many signs of sen- sitiveness to popular oi)inion. The Pope is infallible and supreme, by decree of the Vatican Council ; but the present Pope, witli these vastly reinforced ])rerogatives, shows himself to ha far more closely identified with the people than any of his predecessors. Even to him it is apparent that persuasion is stronger llian coercion ; tliat if lie would keep his place at the head of the church he must lead his flock, not drive them. Tliat indeed would seem to Ijc the j)astoral method. " He called Ins own sheep \yy name, and Ir./nfrth Ihcvi out." There is a wlnj) for tlie horse, and a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fooFs Till-: rA8T()i: G5 back, but sheep are not well shepherded by any of these coercions. Considerations of this nature are urged, with consider- able force, by one who lately adorned the episcopal olhce. " We have no question" says Bishop Bedell, " of the truth of the Divine appointment of our ministrij, and that Christ him- self directed the mode of its perpetuation hy a taetual succes- sion unhrohen from apostolic days. And inasmuch as it is true it is to be inculcated. Judiciously taught it will ben- etit a congregation ; and a right appreciation of it will also increase our solemn sense of responsibility to God, and of oblisfation to be faithful to souls whom he has committed to our care. But, injudiciously obtruded, tenaciously insisted on, forced upon unwilling ears, and presented in such a manner as to lead our people to think that we feel our- selves elevated by divine intention beyond their reach and beyond their sympathies, and, more especially, if the cherishing of such an idea should separate us in the least degree from perfect unity of feeling with the people of our charge, this idea of clerical authority will annihilate our power. While, then, theoretically, our divine appoint- ment is an element of power ; practically under prevailing sentiments it will not be an element of influence. . . . Notli- ing remains from the conflicts of the clergy with past generations' but clerical character. The clergy have no sph'itual power apart from their moral influence ; that idea, although once maintained, has disappeared. Tlic}' have no sacramental miracle by which to enforce a tyranny over conscience. That idea, once held, has been exploded. Even their divine Ordination, their right as lieavcnly am- l)assadors by virtue of ol'lice divinely bestowed (as I liave said) lias been thrust oul of sight by the liurry of now and false ideas. So that, practically, nothing remains to be a source of clerical influence in this age, except indi- vidual clerical character. Nor need we desire any other influence." ^ AVhatevcr may be said of tlic logic oi' this argument, the practical wisdom of tlic conclusion cannot be disputed. 1 The Pastui, i>i.. li»,25. 5 CHAPTER IV THE CALL TO THE PASTOHATE The call to the work of the ministiy, and the training of the minister for his work, are subjects which do not come within the scope of this treatise. It is necessarj'-, however, to refer in a general way to the nature of the minister's call, because of the conceptions of his work which grow out of it. We have found reasons for denjdng to the pastor sacerdo- tal or hierarchical functions ; we regard him in one aspect as the servant, and in another as the leader of the church, — as one who ministers to the people in holy things, and who superintends and guides them in their work. There is, however, a higher relation which must never be ob- scured. The pastor is not only the minister of the Church, he is also, and first of all, the minister of Christ. In some important sense he must derive his authority and power from the Head of the church. Between these conceptions confusion is apt to arise. It may help us to solve this difficulty if we remember that every man is called of God to holy and Christly ser- vice. Let us liear the judicious Fairbairn : — " It is a fundamental principle in Christianity tliat tlicrc is nothing absolutely peculiar to any one who has a place in the true church. Among its members there is room only for relative distinctions, or for differences in degree, not in kind. It is a consequence of the vital union of true believers to Christ by virtue of wliich there belongs to all the same spiritual standing, the same privileges and ])rospccts, and, as a matter of course, tlie same general obligations of duty. If every sincere Christian can say, THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE G7 ' I am one with Christ and have a personal interest in all that is his,' there can manifestly be no essential differ- ence between him and other believers ; and whatever may distinguish any one in particular, either as regards the call to work, or the capacity for work, in the Lord's ser- vice, it nnist in kind belong to the whole community of the faithful, or else form but a subordinate characteristic. The ministry itself in its distinctive prerogatives and func- tions is but the special embodiment and exhibition of those which pertain inherently to the church as Christ's spirit- ual body. And the moment any one recognizes himself to be a living member of this body, it thenceforth becomes, not his right merely, but his bounden duty, to consider what part of its collective responsibilities lies at his door, or what part of its common vocation he should apply him- self in some speciiic manner to fulfil. . . . The church collectively is the habitation of the Spirit ; so is the indi- vidual believer. The works, which, as a believer, he is called to do in order to make his calling and election sure must be works of God ; and for one and all of them he needs the illuminating and strengthening agency of the Holy Spirit. No Christian parent within the private walks of domestic life can fulfil his obligations in regard to the godly upbringing of his children ; no Christian philanthropist, yearning over the miserable and degraded multitudes around him, can discharge the labors of love whicli tlie mercies of God in Christ impel liim to under- take in their behalf ; no solitary individual, even, warring in liis personal experiences with the solicitations of the flesh and of the power of evil in tlie world, can resist, and stand fast, and do the will of God, except by re- ceiving gifts of grace to qualify him for tlie work, and to render the work itself serviceable to the end toward which it is directed. In sliort, all who would serve their generation according to tlie will of God must stand in living connection with the heavenly world. Their call- ing as the Lord's servants warrants them to expect, and, if they succeed in that calling, their success proves tlirm to have received, grace for spiritual work; in which re- C8 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHIIRCH spect, therefore, they are vessels of honor fitted for the Master's use, and partakers of the blessing." ^ Is it not possible to go further than this, and say that men are called of God not only to work which is dis- tinctively religious, but to all other kinds of honest and beneficent work ? Is not every man who helps to increase the sum total of human welfare a co-worker with God? Has any man a right to engage in any kind of labor in any other than a consecrated spirit ? Is the work of the min- istry distinguished in this respect from the work of the teacher, or the artist, or the mechanic? "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men, for ye serve the Lord Christ." This is the apostolic conception. That eveiy good man's work is a divine vo- cation is what he ought to believe. But the evidence that God has called him to this work must be gathered from various sources. It will not do for him to depend on supposed intimations and impressions ; these are often mis- leading. A strong inclination to undertake the work is, indeed, the primary indication of a divine call. Where such an inclination to the work does not exist in the man's heart, there is no evidence that God ha^ called him to the work. But an inclination is not enough. There must be a love of the work itself, — not a hankering after its per- quisites, the position it offers, the gains and emoluments it {)romises. In the case of the ministry tliere must be a genuine passion for righteousness, and a strong desire to lead men into the knowledge and the joy of the Lord, and an unconquerable faith in the Kingdom that cannot be moved. Tliere must also be a reasonal)le assurance on the part of the candidate that he possesses the qualilications of body and mind and heart for which tliis work sj^ecially calls. Jt is nianifest tliat the mental and social equipment for a salesman or a banker or a draughtsman would be dif- ferent from that required in ii minister; and a man ought to 1)0 able to judge liis own al)ilities, and to determine 1 Pastoral Theologij, pp. 62-66. THU CALL TO THE PASTORATE 69 \\ hether he possesses a natural fitness for the work of the ministry. AVhcn any man can answer these questions satisfactorily, what is sometimes desciibed as tiie inward call may be regarded as sufficient. But in every vocation tlie inward call must be corrected or confirmed by the outward call. If a man thinks himself called to the vocation of a teacher or an engineer, and, after his best exertions in this direc- tion, can get no one to employ him in his chosen work, it is rational for him to conclude that he is mistaken in re- gard to the call. So if a man thinks himself called to preach, and can find no one who wishes to hear him preach, he ought to decide that the inward call was misunderstood. Thus it is plain that, whatever a man's inward impulses may be, he is compelled to test his inspirations by the judgment of his fellow men. And the Christian Church has wisely provided that this double test shall be applied. No minister ought to undertake the work unless he be- lieves that he has a divine vocation ; but he ought to sub- mit tliis conviction of his to the approval of his brethren. AVhether this approval is given by the church that calls him, or by the presbytery, or by the conference, or by the bishop, is a secondary matter ; it is Avell that other clear and judicious minds should confirm Ins choice and send him forth with their blessing into the work of the ministiy. Thus it is clear tliat the minister is both the servant of the church and tlie ambassador of Christ. This twofohl relation he must always recognize. lie must preach the preaching that God bids him, yet he must wait upon tlic church to do the work to which i( lias called him. It is evident tliat, as the truth which he is to teach is divine tin til, he should expect to receive his message direct from (iod, throngh ])rayer and meditation and the study of every word that proceedeth out of the month of (Iod. 'J'lic prophets of all the ages have been incii who s|)()ki' the word given them by God, whether lucii would hear or for- bear. The preacher who inquires only what his j)eo])h! wish to hear, and adjusts his message to their deinnnd, may often })rovc a blind leader of the biiixl. The truth whieh 70 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORiaNG CHURCH they need is often the very truth which they do not de- sire. As preacher, the final responsibility rests with liim. They have called him to be their teacher because they credited him with ability to teach; if he does not bring them a message from God, lie is not faithful to the trust Avhich they have reposed in him. The physician who in- quires what is agreeable to his patient, rather than what is good for him, is false to his profession. So the j)astor who is loyal to his flock will hearken most diligently for the word that God may give him. Still, the wise pastor will listen also to the voice of his people. They, too, are the people of God ; many of them, no doubt, are serious and consecrated men and women; it is by their godly judgment that he has been put into the pastorate ; God is speaking to them as well as to him ; and sometimes they, or some of them, may hear the word not less distinctly than he hears it. If those among them whom he believes to be intelligent and devout should question his message, it would not be a sufficient reason why he should recall it, but it would be a good reason why he should carefully reconsider it. After all objections have been duly weighed, he may still find that he cannot modify it, and he must be faithful to tlic truth that God has given him. But it will often be the case that the pastor will learn mucli from those to whom he ministers. " Let him that is taught," says Paul, " communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things." ^ Such, then, is the nature of the relation between the pastor and his people. He ought to be regarded by them neither as a mere employee, nor yet as a master, but as their spiritual guide and fellow helper in the Gosi)el. He is their minister, l)ut in a sense wliicli tliey must never dis- regard he is tlio ])ond-servaiit of Anotlicr; it is because they believed and wished him to be such (hat they laid their hands upon liim. This character thc^y must respect i]i him, so hjng as they Ixdievc him to possess it. H' lie is not to them the mouthpiece of the Divine Wisdom, lie is not the man they want for their pastor ; if this is his high 1 Gal. vi. 6. THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE 71 calling, tliey should listen to the truth he brings them, and the demands he makes upon them, never with abject and unreasoning submission, alwa3'S with wakeful and discrim- inating minds, but with docile tempers and readiness to know and follow the truth. The ideal relation between the pastor and his flock will thus be seen to be founded upon their common relation to the Head of the church. The minister and those to whom he ministers all are called with a heavenly calling. All of them are about their Father s business. The minister is a servant of God ; so is the man who walks in the furrow or pushes the plane ; so is the woman " who sweeps a room as for God's laws." All are in some true measure in- spired, but none is infallible ; each has need to correct, by comparison with the truth given to others, his own inspirations : — " For all we have power to see is a straight staff beiit in a pool." ^ The refractions of our human imperfection make but broken lights of our best intuitions. And tlierefore pastor and people will dwell together in mutual confidence and expectation, each waiting for any word that the other may receive, all remembering that God is the author, not of confusion, but of peace in all the churches of the saints ; and that all the messages which he has inspired must agree with one another. liut how shall this relation between minister and people Ijc formed? Every church needs a pastor, and every min- ister wants a church. Sometimes tlie two are long sepa- rated. How can they wisely be brought together? How shall the church find a minister, and the minister a church? In most established churches this is not a jiractical ques- tion. As there are social systems under which a maiden has little to say in the choice of her huslmnd, so there arc ecclesiastical systems under which tlu; chinch is furnished witli a pastor witliout asking its consent. Doubtless some- thing can be said in defence of both these dispensations ; ' Tennyson, The Iliijhcr Pantheism. 72 CHKISTI.VN PASTOR AND WORKING CPIURCII we are not liere disputing the validity of either. The Anglican Church numbers more than eleven thousand par- ishes; for about a thousand of these the Crown provides pastors ; twelve hundred or more look to bishops or arch- bishops for their leaders; deans and chapters have the choice in about eight hundred cases ; other dignitaries in about eighteen hundred, colleges in seven hundred, and private patrons in about six thousand. This last category includes all parishes in which the owners of estates are charged with the payment of the salaries of incumbents ; to the proprietor belongs the right of nomination. Neither the church, nor the bishop of the diocese, has much voice in the matter ; the patron has it all his own Avay. For a long time patronage prevailed also in the Church of Scotland, though here some form of consulting the people must be gone through with ; it was a dispute about the force which should be allowed to the popular veto upon the choice of the patron that led to the Disruption of 1843, and the establishment of the Free Church. In 1874, pat- ronage was abolished in the Church of Scotland ; the people now choose their own ministers under certain conditions. In the Protestant Churches of Germany, Sweden, and Denmark this right of patronage exists, subject to some important modifications ; the consistory is generally allowed some voice in the selection of the pastor. In some of the Protestant churches of America provision is made, by the polity of tlie church, for furnisliing every congregation with a minister. The Methodist E]iiscopal Church puts tlie Avhole power into the hands of its bislio])S. But even wlion tlie ecclesiastical rules are definite, the principle of natural selection often proves too strong for the clmrcli machinery, and the best pulpits arc apt to be filled by tlie choice of the congregation. It is a rule almost universal in Amci'ican Protestant churches tliat the local churcli has the virtual control of its own i)astorate. The selection of a j)astor tlien becomes an important practical question, — the most important question with whicli any church has to deal. I low shall tlic clmicli liiid its ])astor? It would seem reasonable, to begin with, that the church THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE 73 should come to a good understanding with itself as to what kind of man it wants for a pastor. Too much is generally left, in such cases, to mere instinctive impressions and attachments. The first qualification commonly demanded is preaching ability. And this, when rightly conceived, is indeed a capital qualification. The church is yet, and probably will always be, a teaching body ; efficient and adequate pulpit power is therefore always to be considered in calling a pastor. It is only to be remembered that the main thing in a religious teacher is not elegance of manner or elocu- tionary brilliancy, but the power of conveying spiritual truth to the minds and hearts of his hearers. The tempta- tion is stronsr to choose the man whose discourses cause his hearers to exclaim, " How fine ! how eloquent I " instead of the man whose sober words lead them to search their own hearts, and stir them to new efforts and larger sacrifices. The preacher who promises to fill the pews and swell the revenues is too apt to be chosen, without much reference to his spiritual thoroughness. There is need of much seri- ous thought and prayer when the church is looking for a preacher. The social gifts of a pastor are also to be considered. He ought to be a courteous and kindly man, with some genius for friendship, with the power of drawing to liim- self the old and the young, and the strangers within and witliout tlic gates. The qualities wliich inspire not only respect, but confidence and affection, are greatly to be desired in a pastor. It will bo well also, if lie possess some good knowledge of human nature, and something of tliat saving sense of liuTiior wliich sci'ves as a lubricant of life's frictions. It is involved in wliat has been said already, tliat. Ix'foie all things else, he must be a genuine Christian man, \\]\() Ijclieves from his heart the word that he will j)rcach, w ho knows by lieart the Master whdin lie seeks to roniiiuiK], and whose deepest purpose it is to seek first tlu- Iviiigiloin of (Jod and liis righteousness. iJut if this is a working clnuvli, one of the piinic cpiali- (■i ■ CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH ficaticns of the pastor will be leadersliip. The question whether he is a man who possesses the gift of organization, and the power of enlisting others in the work of the church, would seem to be very important. The relation of the superintendent of a factory to the work of the factory is not in all respects similar to the relation of a pastor to a church ; but there is, after all, an important analogy. So far as the church is to be considered as a working body, the question about the pastor is simply, not how much nor how good work he will do himself, but how much he will get the church to do. And we have seen that the new and higher conception of the church is that it is primarily a working body ; that it is formed not mainly of those who seek to be fed and ministered unto, but of those who are working^ tofjether to extend the Kinofdom of God. The church which has attained unto this conception of its own vocation will emphasize in its choice of a pastor the func- tion of leadership. Having determined what manner of man it would have for its pastor, the church sets forth in search of him. In some of our American communions at the present time, there is no need that the church shall go far from its own doors after a candidate. As soon as the vacancy in its pastorate becomes known — sometimes long before it is known, even when it is first anticipated, — the candidates come flying as a cloud, and as the doves to its windows. It is soon suffering from an embarrassment of riches. And the need of a sober judgment and a firm will in dealing with this problem must soon be manifest. In independent churches a committee is generally formed to whom the matter of procuring a candidate is intrusted ; in other churches the permanent olTiccrs — the session, or the vestry, or the consistory, or the ofiicial board — niay act for the church. It would seem to be wise, whenever the rules of the church permit, that a special committee for this purpose be carefully selected, representing all Ihc different elements of which the clnircli is composed and embodying in itself the best wisdom of tlie organization. To the candidates brought to its notice the committee THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE 75 should faithfully apply such standards as we have just been considering, and when the minister is found who seems to promise a fair measure of conformity to them, his name, with the facts which the committee lias learned about him, should be reported to the church. It would be well, of course, if some or all of the committee could first see him in some pulpit, and become acquainted with him, that they may testify concerning him not from hear- say merely, but from personal knowledge. The question whether the candidate should be invited to preach in the church before the invitation is extended to him is one to v/hich it is not possible to give a positive answer. If the candidate is a man Avell known in all the churches, such an exhibition of himself seems quite super- fluous. Even if he is not well known, the practice of requiring him to preach before the church is often of doubt- ful expediency. The test is apt to be unfair. The better preacher he is, the less likely is he to be quite himself in such an ordeal. The consciousness that he is on exhibi- tion is not conducive to the highest spiritual frame in the best preaclier. The knowledge that his own personal for- tunes are in an}-- way affected by the work that he is doing needs to be put far away from him. The church that insists on hearing a candidate has, therefore, adopted a method by wliich its own ends are apt to be defeated. Still, it is possible for a good man to forget himself in such an emergency, and there can be no doubt tliat many happy pastorates have been initiated by this method. " "When one is professedly preacliing to do good," says Professor AVillcox, "it must be an awkward matter to preach for a position. r>ut there arc alleviations. You are not mercenary in seeking a pulitit. You can honestly sa3% 'I seek not yours, but you.' Then, too, it is as nuu;h in tlie line of Cod's ordering that you should preach on trial as that j-ou should afterwaid picadi as a jcistor. Therefore thoroughly prepare Un- the service, coinmciid yourself to God for his presence and liis gi-aco, and tlicn, as far as possil)lc forgelting youi'self, ;iim to bciiclit your hearers. The best of them will be lookiuLf for a man who 76 CHRISTIAN rASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH hides behind his Master and throws his heart into his message." ^ But it is safe to say that, on the whole, it is not only less embarrassing for the minister, but wiser for the church, if the whole matter be intrusted to a large and judicious committee, upon whose report, without further invest! Gfation, the church consents to act. Should a vacant church, in any case, make overtures to the minister of another church? Here, also, it is not wise to lay down hard and fast rules. Ordinarily, it is not best to disturb with suggestions of removal a pastor who is happily at work. Yet this cannot be erected into a maxim. It may happen that a church in search of a pastor will find in some comparatively obscure and unim- portant place a man to whom it can offer a far larger op- portunity ; and it cannot be wrong for the church to make this offer. Paul may have been contentedly working at Troas, but tlie vision of the man from Macedonia who said, " Come over and help us," constrained him to arise and depart. In such a case the voice of the peoj)le may be the voice of God. When the Church of the I'ilojrims in Brooklyn found its present pastor comfortably settled in his iNlassachusetts parish, it ought not to have been pre- cluded, by any notion of the exclusive riglit of a cluirch to its pastor, from calling him to the position which lie has filled for so many years with honor. No church pos- sesses any exclusive right to any minister. Tlic interests of the Kingdom of Heaven are paramount. J'] very man ought to be in tlie place where, on the whole, his service can be most effective. A vacant churcli may act, consci- entiously, on tills principle, in calling to its service the pastor of another church ; and it is fair to presume, when such a call is given, tliat this motive has entered into the transaction. It is Inic tlmt dnirclies, like individuals, may act selfislily, lliat the main consideration may be the social aggrandizement of tlie local cliurch making the call; but that ought not to be assumed, nor charged without abundant evidence. Churches thns dispossessed of their pastors arc a[)t to 1 The Pastor amidst his Flock, ]). 24. THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE 77 make complaints which imply a sweeping accusation against all churches and all ministers. They say that the pastor has been tolled away by the offer of a higher salary and a more conspicuous position ; they resent this trespass on their demesne, and denounce the perpetrators of it. All this indicates not merely a bad temper, but a sad estimate of the motives governing Christian people in their work. If, indeed, their pastor is a man who can be induced to to abandon the post of duty by sordid or seltish consider- ations, why should they wish to retain him? Has not the church that drew away from them a false and fickle shepherd done them the greatest possible service ? Their pastor has gone from them either for selfish or for unself- ish reasons. If his reasons are unselfish, they have no right to complain ; if they are selfish, it is absurd for them to complain. It must, however, be said that the vacant church, which thus seeks to remove from his field of labor a pastor in active service, ought to be sure that it is acting consci- entiously in the matter. It must not assume that, because its congregation is large and its position is more conspicu- ous, it offers necessarily a more important post of duty. Tlic work which this minister is performing may be so fruitful, and his adaptation to it so peculiar, that any at- tempt to draw him away from it would be manifestly wrong. Every church must proceed in this business with a deep and prayerful sense of its responsibility, not for its own welfare alone, but for the interests of its sister church and of the Kingdom of Heaven. To build it- self up by pulling down other cliurclies is not tlie prin- ciple on which it is founded. It is surely possible for a Christian church to undei-stand and obsei-ve, in its rela- tions with its sister churches, the law of Christ the Lord. The question whether, in the formation of the pastoral relation, the initiative should be taken l)y the church or by the minister is one of some practical interest. Ordi- narily, it would appear, the church should be first to act. Although to the chm-ch the feminine pronoun is applied, custom seems to require that the proposition 78 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORIvING CnURCH should coiiio from her and not from him. There is a seeming indelicacy in the direct approach by a minister to a church. The decisive action must be taken by the church, and for this reason the overture should, ordinarily, come from the church. The normal condition of the minister's mind in this matter would seem to be one of passivity. It is natural, under the law of the Kingdom, for him to say, "I am where I am, because God has placed me here ; I woulcl not have come hither unless there had seemed to be provi- dential leadings ; I ought to stay here until Providence makes it clear that he wants me somewhere else. When I am sure that he has called me to a more important or more difficult work I will go." This is not always the proper attitude of the minister's mind, for Providence may have made it plain to him that he might probably do better work elsewhere, before Providence has shown him the opening. And therefore it may sometimes be his duty to seek a change. The conditions of his health, or of that of his family, may indicate the wisdom of such a change ; he may have discovered that the peculiar kind of work required in his present parish is work to which he is im- perfectly adapted ; he may know, by a careful study of his own capabilities, that he could do more effective work in a different field ; he may feel that the opportunity to employ elsewhere the intellectual capital which he has accumulated here, would set him free for other highly important services which here he cannot render. And therefore he may wisely desire a change, althougli he feels that it would be unwise for him to abandon his present work, and indelicate for him to offer his services to any vacant church. It is this state of things which makes it lawful and expedient to give to the vacant church the right to open negotiations with the pastor in active ser- vice. Often it finds a man in precisely this state of mind, and its inquiry opens to him a clear patli of duty. But it need not be laid down as a universal rule that the minister must always wait until the church has spoken. " Should one seek for a pulpit, or passively wait till Providence THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE 79 opens the way for it? " is a question which Professor Will- cox puts into the mouth of a theological student. And his answer is : " Faith is not inactive. Faith and works belong together. But do not apply in person to a vacant chiu'ch. Commonly it would prejudice your case. Some pastor or theological teacher can be found to introduce you." ^ The customs of the churches being what they are, this would seem to be the proper principle of action. The minister who has determined that a change of parish would be wise for him can usually, without any indelicacy, make that decision known to a judicious friend, who will see that his name is properly presented to vacant churches. One rule is to be always observed, both by the vacant church and by the ministerial candidate. No church should enter into negotiations with a second candidate Avliile it has one before it whose case is not yet determined; and no minister should permit himself to be considered as a candidate by a church until he is positively assured that that church is negotiating with no candidate with respect to whom it has not reached a decision. The plainest dic- tates of good sense and Christian decency should enforce upon every church the rule of one candidate at a time, and should require every minister to see to it that the church lives up to this rule. Nothing is more scandalous than that a churcli should pass through its pulpit a line of candidates, suspending judgment upon them until it has heard a con- siderable number, and then picking and choosing among them. Into such a competition no self-respecting minister will consent to go. Out of such conflicts over candidates, the bitterest and most disgraceful church quarrels often arise. The church should permit but one name at a time to be presented to it ; not until it has determined that it does not want this man, should it open negotiations with any other man, or permit him to appear in its pulpit as a pos- sible candidate. The condition into which churches are sometimes tin-own by long periods of candidating, and of disputation over candidates is mi'lancholy in the extreme. The whole attitude of the congregation becomes critical 1 The Pastor amidst his Flock; ]>. 21. 80 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND AVOIIKIKG CHURCH and captious ; the people come to listen, not with devout and receptive minds, but with itching ears ; a^sthetical standards replace spiritual standards ; the question, "• How much good can I find in this message ? " is overlaid by the question, '' How do I like this messenger ? " Add to this the disagreements and alienations which such strife in- volves, and a state of things is revealed which offers an unpromising field to the wisest and most devoted pastor. Yet it is quite possible that the experience of seeking a minister should bind the church together in a closer fellow- ship, and deepen the sources of its spiritual power. Cases are not unknown in which the church left vacant has come together in a prayerful spirit, and has sought so earnestly to be divinely guided in its search for a pastor that a new baptism of love and gentle consideration has descended upon it; all its deliberations have been full of harmony and sweet reasonableness ; each has sought to conform his choice to the will of the others, and to make the general good rather than his personal preference the standard of his judgment, and when the new pastor has come, he has found a warm welcome from a united and happy church. One word of caution is not superfluous. No church should admit to its pulpit, no, not for a single service, a man who does not come with the clearest and amplest and most recent credentials of ministerial standing. However it may be in other lands, it is true that in tlie United States not a few ministerial vagrants are abroad, and many of them are plausible villains, with smooth tongues and tak- ing ways, who are able to do incalculable injmy to those churches which har])or them even for a day. "-These are they that creep into houses and lead captive silly women," and no less silly men ; and the cliurch that unwittingly gives them a footing is apt to rei)ent, at its leisure, of its unwise hospitality. Tlie pains that are fciken by most Christian communions to keep the lists of their ministers clean, and to allow no discredited name upon them, are not needless; the purpose is to protect the churclies against adventurers. It is easy for any man who lias a right to the confidence of his brethren to bring clear and ample THE CALL TO THE PASTORATE 81 evidence of the fact. The papers should be recent, and explicit ; it would be better if testimon}^ as to their genuine- ness should be furnished by some neighboring minister of the same communion. Simple carelessness about this on the part of church officials has resulted, not seldom, in the blighting of characters, the blasting of lives, and the rend- ing of the church in twain. For it is a melancholy fact that the most obvious scoundrel, if he be a fluent and in- sinuating person, is generally able to attach to himself and to lead away a considerable portion of almost any congregation. Important churches in the United States have been divided by men whose proper place was the penitentiary. It is a grave responsibility which is taken by church officers who admit an unknown or doubtful candidate to the pulpit of their church. One or two other matters of practical interest should be referred to. The question may arise whether a call which is not unanimous should be accepted. The answer of Professor Willcox is, on the whole, judicious : " ' That depends.' Ask several questions. How large is the mi- nority? Are they persons of weight or influence? Are they obstinate or reasonable ? Is their opposition based on reasons that you can probably remove ? Seek candid answei"s to these questions. Seek them not only from your friends, but directly from the objectors themselves. But avoid implying that you submit to the objectors the decision of the matter. If you conclude to accept the call, give your first attention, after settlement, to tlie mi- nority. As the foremost duty conciliate them. Many a pastor soon lias a united churcli s])lit into factions. Many a pastor who begins his work with a divided clnuch soon lias tliem harmoniously united." ^ Tlic only (pialillcation needful here is that the efforts at conciliation of the mi- nority, after settlement, should not be loo demonstrative. It is ratlier better to assume that there is no minority, and to treat tliosc wlio were supposed to constitute it with the same rnnsideration and cnui'tesy tliat are olVerod to tlic rest. ' The Pastor amidol hi< Fim-k, j). 27. 82 CIIKISTLAN TASTOR AND AVOKKING CHURCH Another question concerns the temporalities. The min- ister is a man amongst men, with what are known as secu- lar obligations and responsibilities, with physical needs, with a family, presumably, to provide for, and it is one of the prime necessities of his position that he meet all the just demands of his neighbors, promptly and honestly. One thing that cannot be tolerated in any minister of Christ is financial looseness or irregularity. The minister who is always in debt, and who leaves a legacy of unpaid claims behind him in every parish is never able, by the elo- quence of the pulpit, to counteract the damage done by his example. Therefore, as a matter of course, the min- ister must be enabled, by his people, to provide things honest in the siofht of all men. It is not necessarv that the stipend should be large, for the actual necessaries of life cost but little ; but it is necessary on the part of the minister that he should live within his income, be it large or small, and it is necessary on the part of the people that it be promptly paid. A fair and explicit understanding on this matter between minister and people is advisable, at the outset. The minister may wisely say, "I propose, with the favor of God, to owe no man anything Imt love ; therefore I hope that my peoj^le will not permit themselves to be in any other kind of debt to me." It is generally far easier for the churcli to meet engagements of this na- ture promptly than to bring up large arrearages : to insist upon a business-like policy is to lighten the burden of the church. There is often a woful lack of common honesty in the administration of church finances, and the influence of the church is greatly impaired thereby. I( is not well tliat tlic minister shouhl be ])urdencd with the linancial administration ; the l(\ss lie needs to know about it, the better; but, on the otlier liand, tliere arc certain princi- ples of punctuality and probity which tlie cliurch ouglit to observe in all its business relations, and it is not to the credit of the minister if these princi[)les arc violated. Ib- is ])onnd to see that the administration of clnuch alTain; conforms to the liighcst principles of morality. CHAPTER V THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY The Cluistian minister is first of all a student. This is, indeed, the primary designation of all followers of Christ. Before they were called Christians at Antioch they were called disciples in Jerusalem, in Capernaum, and along the banks of the Jordan. The great name of the Founder of Christianity is Master, that is, Teacher ; and the generic description of those who bear his name is dis- ciple, that is, student. " To this end have I been born," said the Clu'ist, " and to this end have I come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." When Ave are told by the Lord himself that the disciple must be as his IMaster, it is involved in that saying tliat the student must become a teacher ; it is for this that he studies, that he may be qualitied to teach. The Master himself was a leiuner before he was a Teacher. As a child he advanced in wisdom and in stature : "They found him in tlie temple, sitting in the midst of the teachei-s, both hearing them and asking them questions." ^ And his method throughout his eartlily ministry was tliat of the teacher. He " went about in all Galilee, teaching in tlieir synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the King- dom." ^ And his CTeat discourse was delivered after the manner of an instructor ratlier tlian an orator; "when Iio had sat down," — the posture of the teacher, — "liis dis- ciples canic! unto him, and he oj)cned liis mouth ami tauglit them." And to tliosc w lio hud been sitting at his feet he said when lie sent them forth, "• I^'i-eely ye received, freely give."'' He wlio teaches must tirst he a student, and he studies that he ma}- teacli. 1 Luke ii. 4C. 2 j^x.jtt. [y 03. « Matt. \ 8. 84 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND T\rORKING CHURCH We need not forget that the Christian minister has other functions than that of the didactic instructor. He is, to begin with, to be a living illustration of the truth which he teaches. Unless it can be said, with some good measure of verity, of him as of his Master, " He is the truth," his teaching will not be influential. He must have digested and assimilated the vital word which he tries to utter ; it must have become bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, else it will have but little power on his lips. There is also that great work of evangelism which is sometimes distinguished from the work of teaching, and there is a sense in which the distinction may be main- tained. Christ said, " Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost ; teach- in[l them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you." 1 Men were to be made disciples, and then to be taught ; that is to say, they were first to be enlisted and enrolled, and then instructed. In a certain large sense this ought always to be true. The greater part of the in- struction which men receive follows rather than precedes the date of their disciplcship. They become disciples not because they are fully instructed, but because they desire instruction. The preaching which awakens in their minds this desiie is what we rightly call evangelistic preaching. And yet there is, in these days, a great deal of the element of teaching in tlie best of the evangelistic preacliing. It is diflicult to separate, in fact, the function of the teacher from that of tlio evangelist. It is unfortunate for both of them when tlicjy are separated. The evangelist who does not care to teach is apt to become a bad kind of sentimen- talist ; and the teacher who has no evangelistic fervor is apt to degenerate into a critic or an essayist. The minister, as we have seen, and shall fnither see, is also a leader of men, an organizer and inspirer of spir- itual activities. And yet this is all to come as the result of his teaching, — because the trut]i wliich he has im- 1 Matt, xxviii. VJ, UO. THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY 85 parted to his hearers has awakened in them the desire of service, and has pointed out to them the work that needs to be done. In order that this desire of theirs may he sane and healthful, and in order that his leadership may be wise and effective, there is need that he should be a patient and faithful student. The man of God who is " furnished completely unto every good work " must be a patient and thorough student. He must not only know his books, he must know men ; he must be familiar with the experience of the world; he must be able to avoid, in his leadership, the rocks and shoals on which many generous enterprises have been wrecked. Thus it becomes evident that before he can be a good leader he must be a patient learner. It may be said, however, that the function of the Chris- tian minister is mainly that of the prophet ; that his equip- ment for his task must come, not through study but through inspiration ; that the truth which he is to teach and the wisdom by Avliich he is to guide will be given him direct!}'- from heaven ; that the true Word of God which it is his vocation to declare and incarnate is immediately communi- cated to those who have the spirit of faith; that there- fore study is superfluous ; that meditation and })rayer are the only true methods of preparation for the minister's work. It is scarcely needful to confute this crude con- ception, ]jut it may be well to give a little thought to the necessary relation between study and inspiration. That tlie relation has lonij been recocrnized among rational men may be suggested by the fact that in the days when the prophetic function was most exalted among the Hebrews tlicre were schools of the prophets. Even then some study was deemed necessary to fit a man to be a prophet. If it is the breath within the flute that makes the inelody, lliere is still need of much careful fashioning of the lluto before it receives tlic breath. The fact of insjiiration — the immediate communication of the trutli and life of God to the soul of the preacher — is indeed the one great fact that none nmst miss. For every preacher there is access to the very heart of the 86 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH spiritual reality. Prophets we must be, and not mere reciters of traditions learned by rote. It is only when " The finger of God, a flash of the "Will that can, Existent beliiiid ail laws," ^ touches our lips that we speak with authority. A strong statement of this need is found in Mr. Robert F. Horton"s Verhum Dei. The possibility of inspiration, the truth that even in these days the Word of God is nigh to the mouth and the heart of every devout man, the fact that the preacher is not called merely to report what he has been tauffht that some one once knew about God and his Kincf- dom, but what he himself knows about it, — all this is here set forth most impressively. Whatever reservations one may wish to make concerning some of these statements, he will feel, as he reads these burning pages, that the prophetic function is not wholly obsolete. And yet it will also be clear that this mystic has not disregarded the in- tellectual discipline by which the prophet is prepared to receive the message. Every page gives evidence of patient and profound study. Language, philosophy, histor}-, lit- erature, all have helped to furnish the transparent medium through whicli the winged word flies to its mark. The vivid metaphor, the felicitous phrase, the just discrimina- tion, the vital analogy, could not have been given to an untrained mind. So it must ahvays be. If the message coincs from God, tlie form which tlie message takes must be largely determined by the dimensions and the furniture of the mind through which it is communicated. Language is the instrument by which the greater part of the minister's work is done. If he lias u mcssaoe to deliver, it will be conveyed in llie forms of liuniau speech. Tlic Word of God must reach the minds of men througli tlie language of men. All revelation, all inspiration, is conditioned by this fact. There can be no more revela- tion than there is language to convey. A truth for which no word-mould lias licen ])rcpared is a trutli that can- not l)c directly communicated. Every written or spoken revelation consists of words; and the words are manu- ^ JJrowuiiig, Aid Vogler. THE PASTOll IX HIS STUDY 87 factuied bv nieii. Tlic relation of this fact to the theory of an inerrant revehition ought to be well considered. That a revelation absolutely without flaw could be given through a medium so cloudy, by an instrument so inexact, so full of imperfection, so constantly undergoing repair, as human language is and must be, could be maintained by no one wlio has the slightest acquaintance with philology. The revelation may bo sufficient for all the purposes of the spiritual life, — its very imperfection may adapt it to our needs, — but infallible it cannot be. Nevertheless, this instrument of human language, intri- cate and complex in its structure, constantly changing in its forms, growing as human experience grows, always ap- proaching that perfection wdnch it can never reach, — this is the instrument by which the truth of God is conveyed to the mind of man ; and it is also the instrument by means of which men communicate with one another. It goes without saying that the better a man understands the instrument, the more familiar he is with its structure and its possibilities, the more perfectly he can convey his own conceptions to the minds of other men. And it is not less true that the Spirit of all truth can use the mind thus trained and equipped to convey messages which could not be given to minds less perfectly furnished. One of the first things that Paul found to thank God for, when he began to write his first letter to the Corintliians, was that they had been enriched in Christ Jesus " in all utterance^ and in all knowledge." The enrichment of our utterance, the improvement of all tliose faculties by wliieh thought linds expression, — this must ever be a large ])art of the duty of all who desire to be the messengers of (iod to men. The fact of inspiration is, therefore, and must always be, a very homely, familiar fact. It was so in the days of the propliets and apostles, it Avill be so in the milloiniium, it ought to be so now. Tlio j)rimarv reason wliy more of the Word of God has come to us tlirough Isaiah and Puul than through other men is that the minds of Isaiah and l';iul were better fitted to receive these sublinu? truths than the minds of other men. This Illness may have bi'cn (hie in 88 CHllISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH part to providential causes, but it must have been largely explained by the thoroughness with wliich they had pre- pared themselves for such mediumship. The laws which govern the inspiration of the prophet must be in many respects similar to those which govern the inspiration of the artist. The artist must become familiar with the forms by wliich beauty, the beauty of wliich his art is the vehicle, linds its best expresision. Long and painful courses of discipline are needful in order that he may gain the power of utterance. There is a lan- guage for him to learn, and the task is difficult and tedious. We have been told that poets are born, not made ; but if this implies that all their powers are the gift of nature, and that none of them is due to training, it is far from the truth. The poet, for his part, was first compelled to learn the language in which he writes ; a great deal of patient training was expended on him by his mother, and his nurse, and all the household, before he was able to articulate the simplest words of our common speech. Later he was led by many tutors through the mysteries of alphabet and spelling-book and grammar; there is no royal road even for poets through these mysteries ; the knowledge must be gained by toil. After the rudiments of tlie language have been mastered, there is a great deal more for him to learn of the idioms and forms by means of which the spirit of beauty finds expression in language. And after the tech- nique of his art, so to speak, lias thus been acquired, if he is to be an interpreter of nature and of life — and this, as we are taught, is the poet's function — there will be room for long years of patient study of nature and of life before he will be able to interpret them to any clear purpose. Some men get this preliminary training more easily than others do, — get it, indeed, almost unconsciously, — but they must get it, before they can do genuine poetic work. And it is when, with faculties thus trained, A\itli tastes thus purified, witli vision thus sharjicncd. \]\r poet stands in the presence of nature or of life that his insj)iration be- comes prodiK'tive. Tlie delight in beauty, the swift insight into truth, have found a voice. THE PASTOn IX HIS STUDY 89 True it is that all this study and discipline would be worthless if through the forms thus fui-nished the spirit of life did not breathe. The inspiration is the essential thing. Life is diviner than form. Yet life is never formless. The poet's power is not all the gift of nature. The old adage is one of those vicious antitheses in which the thing denied is not less true than the thing affirmed. The poet is born and made. His faculty is from nature, his facility is from art. The tuneful breath is divine, but the instrument through which it speaks is fashioned for its work by the care and skill of man. Of every kind of art this principle holds true. The musician must prepare himself by the same kind of disci- pline. There is a certain manual facility which can be gained only by the most patient toil. Abt Vogler is right when he tells us by the lips of Robert Browning that the melodies and harmonies that flood his thouglit as he sits improvising at the organ are not products of art ; but if art had not had the training of his fingers they would never have found expression. The principle is not different in the case of the minister, even when we are tliinking of his prophetic function. Prophecy is the divine Word spoken by the human voice, and the voice must l>e trained for speaking. Surely it must be to him who has most carcfull}- disciplined both heart and mind by i)atient and long study of the truth within his reacli, that tlie larger truth, the unifying truth, will be given, — that the spirit of prophecy will be imparted in largest measure. Insi)iration is not caprice ; it nuist follow the law wliidi conditions all divine intervention in behalf of men. Tlio gods help those who help themselves. The grace of God is not given to relieve us from effort or to discharge us from responsibility, but to suj)])leinent our powers, and to stimulate our activity. Lutlier said that prayer is stud}-, and it is true, — henc ordssc est bene stu- duisse ; but it is not less tru(! that study is j)raycr. The diligent preparation of the mind for ihc heavenly gifts is the indispensable condition df the brstowmcnt of these gifts. 90 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH The minister who has spent many years in the University and the Theological School has evinced his conviction that study is an essential part of the preparation for the work of the ministry. Possibly, however, there may lurk in the corner of some mind the notion that the period of prepara- tion is the period of study, and that the pastorate will be devoted to other kinds of activity in which study will not be an essential part. The conception was once quite preva- lent that when a man had passed through the professional school his education was substantially finished. That, in- deed, has been, so far as the ministry is concerned, a pretty general understanding. It has often been supposed that the minister is taught in the theological school all that it is needful or proper for him to know; that it is rather dangerous and even disloyal for him to venture beyond the boundaries there prescribed for his thought ; that one of the chief functions of the theological seminary is to lead the student all round the field of investigation, and show him authoritatively the limitations thereof, and to say to him, " Thus far shalt thou go and no farther." But this phase of thought is becoming antiquated. Most of the younger ministers know that the teachings of the theologi- cal institution are no more final than those of the acadennc department ; that the function of the divinity school, like that of every other school, is best fulfilled Avhcn it lias taught us how to study. In the theological college the minister learns the use of the tools that he will be handling all Ins life. lie is not to spend his life in rehearsing the lessons that he learned there ; tilings new and old will come forth every week from his treasury- JJut if tlie divinity scliool is a place where we learn to study, it would seem that the su])jccts of study, after tlie work of the ministry is entered upon, would l)u likely to be, to a considerable extent, the same as those winch oc- cupied us in the preparatory period. We liave not mas- tered lliose subjects; we have been faiily introduced to them; we go on from tlie jioint at whi( li tlic teachers leave us in the patlis into whicli they h;i\c led us; wo proceed to build on the foundation which they have heliied THE PASTOll IN HIS STUDY 91 US to lay. AVliatever it was worth our wliile to study in the days of preparation it \\'iil be worth our while to keep on studying after our work is begun. If Hebrew and Greek were wisely placed in the curriculum, the minister in his study cannot afford to drop them. Of course his manner of using these languages will be modified ; he will not necessarily continue to study them philologically, — there should, at any rate, be little need of studying them in this way ; he will employ them rather as the instruments of investigation ; he will not study the ancient languages ; he will study history and archaeology and sacred litera- ture and theology by means of the ancient languages. Other studies of the professional school will be treated in the same manner. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews counsels those to Avhom he is Avriting to " leave the word of the beginning of Christ" behind them, and press on to perfection, — not laying over and over the foundatioJis, but going on to build on tlie foundations.^ This is the true method for the studious minister. The history of doctrine, the history of philosophy, are full of instruc- tion; the light which they throw upon the evolution of belief is profitable for guidance ; some general knowledge of the course which religious thought has followed, every Christian teacher ought to have. But it may be ques- tioned whether the effort to ti-ace the speculations of the church tln-ough all their vagaries is altogether worth while ; whether we have not expended upon the eluci- dation of these erratic and fruitless efforts after religious certainty time that might have been more productively em[)loyed. A great deal of wood, hay, stubble, lias been heaped togetlier in past ages on tlic true foundation, and the fire of criticisni has already coiisuiikmI tlio larger part of it ; to wliat extent it is wortli while for the working pastor to reconstruct, from tlioir ashes, these vanisheil systems, is an open ([iicstioii. 'l'\\r thinking whidi lias advanced to some sure eonelusion may be jirofitably stud- ied; the thinking that conducts us into a cul dc sac or a bottomh'ss l)og may be safely neglected. ICven in the divin- 1 Hcl). vi. 1, 2. K. V. M.uj. 92 CHRISTIAN PASTOIl AND WORKING CHURCH ity school these studies of morbid theology and abortive philosophy might be wisely abbreviated ; outside the semi- nary, the busy pastor is not likely to pursue them. It may sometimes be useful to know what not to believe, but the proper nutriment of faith is not negations. The value of contrast and comparison in elucidating truth is not to be denied, yet in our efforts to reach certainty we may easily spend too much time in the contemplation of what we know to be uncertainties. A sermon by a profound scholar was once preached in a New England church, from the text, " Where sin abounded grace did much more abound," and the preacher spent so much time in showing how sin had abounded, through the centuries, and made such an appalling picture of it, that he was by no means able, in the few minutes devoted to the other phrase, to counteract the impression; so that his discourse, without his intending it, exactly contradicted his text, and left liis hearers with the feeling that though grace had soniewliat abounded, sin did always and everywhere exceedingly superabound. The laws of proportion must not be dis- obeyed ; they should govern our studies as well as our speecli ; and they require that the great affirmations should always prevail ; that life and not death should evidently have the mastery ; that the things which cannot be sliaken should occupy the u[)permost place in all our thinking. Per]ia})s the same maxim will relegate studies of an apologetic nature to a secondary place. If it is not wise to fill our minds with the futile speculations of past centu- ries, it may not be wise to spend a great deal of time on the doubts and denials of the present century. Too much stress must not be laid on this admonition, for the present difficulties of many minds in every intelligent congrega- tion must ])e met by the preacher, and if the preaclier is to meet them he must understand them. Wnt when a man begins to preach the Gosi)el the great underlying verities of the Kingdom of Heaven ought to be settled in his mind beyond (piestioning ; it should not be necessary for him to keep convincing himself that they are true. That will not be a fruitful ministry which is continually digging up the germinal truth to see if it is alive. THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY 93 As to tlie directions which the minister's study should take, it is possible to speak only in a general way. liut there are two main lines which he may proiitaljly follow in liis studies. The problems about which liis thought will chiefly revolve are the problems of the soul and the I)roblems of society. By problems of the soul are intended those which relate to the fundamental facts of character, — ethical and spir- itual, rather than ontological questions. The existence of the spiritual realm and the main facts of that realm are the postulates of the pastor's problems. That love and not law is the heart of the universe ; that there is a con- scious God, our Father, who loves men and seeks their welfare ; that between the spirit of man and the Spirit of God there may be fellowship and communion, so that light and help and peace and power can flow from the grace that abounds to the need that implores ; that man is a free spirit whose choices determine his own destiny, — all this is assumed. Any man who is in doubt on any of these propositions stultifies himself by accepting the office of a Christian pastor. His problem is not to assure him- self of these things, but to bring them home to the lives of men. This involves, first, a patient study of tlic facts of human nature. The men and women and children of his parish and his vicinage will l)o the principal objects of his stud}'. lie is likely to find a great variety of types among them and all sorts of tendencies ; the laws of character are work- ing themselves out before his eyes; he will see some sowing to the flesh and rea[)ing corruption, and others sowing to the spirit and reaping life everlasting ; retribution will not be an obscure fact to a nnnister Avho keeps his eyes open; redemption should not be. A most fascinating study is this to Mliich his vocation calls him ; i( uncov- ers many painful facts ; it raises many hard (]UCStions ; but it is more interesting and more signilicant than any other subject which can engage the human intellect. And every minister can be and must be an oiiginal investiga- tor. Genuine laboratory work is demanded of liim. lie 94 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH must not get his knowledge of human nature wholly or mainly from books, though books may greatly aid him in interpreting his plienomena. Wliat other careful observ- ers have seen will guide him in his search. But first-hand knowledge is imperative. The people with wliom he is dealing will be apt to know whether he is speaking from tradition or from observation ; he must be able to say, " We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen." The power of the teaching of Jesus lay, as a recent writer has told us, in the appeal to life. Jesus taught with authority, and not as the scribes, bscause he adhered closely to the facts of nature and of human nature. More than one hearer, like the woman at the well, cried out in wonder, " He told me all that ever I did." It is not for any of us to know as perfectly as he knew what was in man, but it is possible for all of us to follow his method. One large division of Christian theology is Anthro])ol- ogy, the doctrine of man. What is the ideal man? Wliat are the elements of his constitution? What are the normal and the abnormal tendencies of liis nature ? Has lie any veririal)le relations to other powers above or beneath him? If there are evidences of disease and disorder, what is the probable outcome of these? Such are tlie primary ques- tions of the Christian thinker. Now it is obvious that the truth about all tliis must be gathered by the study of liuman nature. There is no other source of knowledge. If the Bible gives us any information about this, it must be simply a repetition of what is before our eyes, every day, in living examples. Tlie l>il)le may have sometliing to tell us about the remedy for the ills of hninau nature, which we could not Icai-n finm the study of liuman nature itself; but tliese ills tluMusflves are part of our own cx- poiienco, and no otlier statement about man can possibly outweigh in authority that which is Imsed upon a broad and careful iiidu(;tion of the facts of ]iiiin;m luiturc. The right way to study tlic geography of Bible lands is to ex- plore the lands themselves, and explain the references of the Bible to tliem ; the right way to study the condition THE PA8TOI;. 1\ HIS STUDY 95 of the human race upon the earth is to investigate the facts, and compare with them the statements of the Bible. We sliall lind many statements in the Bible that will throw nuich light upon our investigations; but our doc- trine of man must rest, after all, on facts which we ourselves can verify. It will be found, indeed, that the more careful our in- vestigations are, and the more complete our induction, the more perfectly will the doctrine of Jesus respecting the nature and needs of man ba verified. The better Ave know the facts of human nature as they are displayed before our eyes, and as they report themselves in our own conscious- nesses, the more sure we shall be that He did indeed know what was in man ; that he spake as one having authority — the authority of perfect knowledge — when he dis- coursed of the human soul and its problems. But it is better, in our treatment of all this mittar, to appeal as he constantly did to life, and to bring confirmation for his words from the experience of men. It has been said that books may greatly help the min- ister in his study of anthropological and spiritual problems. Books contain a record, more or less complete, of human experience, — a report upon the facts of life. Patrick Henry said that experience was the onl^' light by which his feet were guided ; it may be doubted whether his words were true of himself, and whether they have been true of any great leader of men. Tliere are other and diviner guides — ])illars of fire by night, and of cloud by da}'. The ideals that transcend experience, the intuitions that throw liglit forward on our ])alh are also to be trusted. Iiut if exjjcri- once is not the only guide, it is a safe guide in many paths, and the record of it which we find in l)0()ks is of (he great- est value. Is it not true that for the minister u\nrv liclp is to be found in literature jjroper than in science <»i' pliiloso- phy? Mattliew Arnold's familiar saying is to be ifiiu'ui- bered, — that our understanding of life is enlarged and piu'ifiek. 'V]\r Life whose appear- and' ill the world nineteen centuries ago has revolution- ized history, and given us the dale by which we reckon the things uf time, is d(>scribcd foi' us upon Ihe [lages of 98 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH this Book ; we read the record of the long ages of prepara- tion for him ; we are made familiar with the transcendent facts of his birth and death and resurrection ; we hear the very word of liim who spake as never man spake ; we see the marvellous growth, in the first century, of that King- dom of his which, in two more centuries, had overspread a good part of the then known world. To know all that human language can tell him of this divine Life is the minister's first task. The Book which puts this knowledge within his reach is the one hook of the world for him. His reason, his imagination will be always under its s})ell. What Lamartine says of the young Bossuet should be true of every minister : — " The Bible, and above all, the poetical portions of Holy Writ, struck as if with lightning and dazzled the eyes of the child ; he fancied he saw the living fire of Sinai, and heard the voice of omnipotence reechoed by the rocks of Horeb. His God was Jehovah ; his law-giver, INIoses ; his high priest, Aaron; his poet, Isaiah, his country, Ju- dea. The vivacity of his imagination, the poetical bent of his genius, the analogy of his disposition to that of the Orientals, the fervid nature of the people and ages de- scribed, the sublimity of the language, the everlasting novelty of the history, the grandeur of the laws, tlie pierc- ing eloquence of tlie hymns, and, finally, the ancient, con- secrated, and traditionally reverential character of the Book, transformed Bossuet at once into a biblical cntliusiast. The metal was malleable, the impression was received and remained indelibly stamped. This child became a prophet ; sucli he was born, sucli lu- was as lie grew to manhood, lived and died, the Bible tranfifuscd into a man." ^ The devotional reading of the Tiible is, of course, the first and most important use of it ; after tliis some critical knowledge of it is needed ; but its use as tlie sword of the Spirit is tlie great thing for the pastor to learn. " To be able," says Dr. lilaikie, "to grasp the great purposes of Divine revelation as a whole ; to see at the same time the drift ami bearing of its several parts; to apprehend the ^ C^uotud liy Bhiikic in For thcWork of the Ministri/, p. 77. THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY 99 great lessons of the various histories, biographies, and epis- tles, tlie parables, the sermons, the doctrinal statements, the allegories, the lyrical allusions that make up lioly Scripture ; to know Avhere to find the most striking state- ments on any subject which Scripture embraces ; to make one part throw light on another, and bring out the chief lessons of the whole are attainments of inestimable value to the preacher of the Word." ^ All this falls in with ]\Iatthew Arnold's true contention that the Bible is literature and not science nor philosophy. When it is so regarded and treated we get the best results of our study. The questions of criticism, now so hotly debated, are of temporary interest ; it is necessary for the minister to have some knowledge of the matters in dis- pute ; but the staple truths with which he deals are not touched liy these discussions. The Bible, intelligently studied, will tlu'ow just as much light on questions of conduct, on the laws of the spiritual life, under the new h}pothesis as it has ever given us under the old hypothe- sis — perhaps a little more. Some moral confusion may be avoided by recognizing as altogether human certain elements which were formerly supposed to be divine. It is a great gain to be discharged from the task of defend- ing tlie historicity of certain narratives, and to be aljle to give our whole attention to their moral and spiritual values. The question whether Jonah was swallowed by a fish or not can have no possible relation to tlie life of any living man ; but the moral and spiritual questions whicli the story so vividly brings before us are well worthy of our attention. The date of the Book of Daniel is a matter of curious interest ; the character of Daniid is a theme of profitable study. "The importance of .Abraham and Daniel does not lie," says a recent writer, " in their being uni(iue personages, but in their representing Hebrew i(U'als, the highest life of Israel. Of the reality in this sense of the patriarchal narratives there can be no dou])t whatever. They cmbo ly profoundly real experiences ; they were re- ceived into the traditions and literature of Israel because 1 /•''/»■ llif Wdvk (if llir Miiiislrii, p T'.i. 100 CIIRISTIAX PASTOR AND AVOlflONG CIIUrtCH they appealed to, influenced, and inspired generation after generation of pious Israelites. Tiiey maintained their place through successive revisions of the Hebrew Bible; they have passed into the sacred literature of Christianity and of Islam, because they have been recognized by men of many races and of many periods as representative of spiritual experience and fruitful of spiritual instruction. Whatever view may be held as to the origin of Genesis, its narratives are no longer mere histories of Bedouin sheiks ; they stand as symbols and embodiment of what is most permanent and universal in human nature." ^ Such is the merest hint of the direction which the stud- ies of the minister may profitably take when he seeks to comprehend the facts of the spiritual life. It is all summed up by saying that the pastor's main interest is in charac- ter, and that the studies which fix his attention upon character, the laws by wliich it is conditioned, the influ- ences by which it is affected, the motives b}^ which it is governed, the a})proaches by which it is brought into vital communication with the unseen Helper — are for him the studies of supreme importance. To the other great dej)artment of pastoral stud}^, that which relates to the pVoljlems of society, less space can here be given. But it should be evident that no man can be understood when he is studied by himself, because " no man liveth unto himself." The individual can no more be separated from his kind in oui' study of liis spiritual problems tlian a stamen can be separated from tlie rest of the flower in our study of its nature, — than a hand can be separated I'loin the rest of the Ixxly in oni- study of its uses. It is in his social relations that the spiritual activi- ties of the man find exercise. The individual and the society in wliich he lives are as inseparaljle as the inside and the outside of a curve. But it is necessary for us to stndy tlic areas on both sides of the curve. Tlic in(li\ iilu:il linds liis ])('rfection by seek- inc first the Kintrdom ol' ( Iml. And tlic one snblime con- ' ]{(v. W. II. I>(!nnctt, ill Fnitli and Criticism; Essays hij Congrrgatiou- alisls, ]». 2'J. THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY lUl ception which must never depart from the mind of the minister is the thought of the Kingdom of God, for whose coming he daily prays. To comprehend this Kingdom; to gain that anointing of the vision by which he shall he able to discern it; to become sure that it is a present reality ; to understand the nature of the laws by which it is governed ; to trace the movements of those unseen Powers that are working to establish it ; to learn how to help in extending its boundaries and in confirming its dominion, — this is a large part of the life work of the Christian minister. The question is sometimes raised whether the minister should devote much time to the study of sociology. If the relation of the individual to society is Avhat we liave represented it to be, it would appear that studies of this nature involve the very substance of the learning which he must acquire. If the Kingdom of God is here in the world, if it is not a remote possibilit}^ Init a present fact, and if it is every man's first business to seek it, then those studies which are called sociological must put the minister in possession of the facts and laws of this king- dom. Here, as in the case of the individual soul, he -w ill find liis induction confirming the teachings of Christ; he will lind obedience to the law of Christ l)riiiging heallli and i)ea(:c and contentment and social welfare, and diso- bedience producing poverty and anarchy and social dis- integration. The kingdom of God is discerned not only in the blessings Avhich it brinsfs, l)ut in tlic woes which are inherited l)y tliose who depart from its ])reccpts. And these are the facts which confront the minister on every side. lie ought to be familiar with them. Tbcy are the voices with Avliich God is s])oal\ing dii-ectly to him and to the people of his genciiitioii. A tlioioughly scien- tific sociology, a sociology wliirli inkcs in all (ho facta of the existincf social order, w liirli rcc(»as, influences, movements, ])y 1 The Contlnuily nf Christian T/iourjhl, ]>y A. V. 0. Alk-ii, p. 145. THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY 105 which society is formed, and gives to each its proper weight, must be the true sociology. If what is called " Christian sociology " does less or more than this it is not worth studying. The Christian student may, indeed, stiirt with the hypothesis that a complete induction will verify the Christian law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God witli all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself." But his study ought to be pursued in a purely scientific spirit, witli a determination to observe all the facts and to give them tlieir J )roper weight. Let us not be afraid to subject Chris- tianity to this test. It is simply the test of reality. If a careful and thorough investieration of the facts of existingr society does not prove that the Kingdom of God is here in the world, does not clearly indicate that the law which Christ has given us is the true law of human society, then there is no good reason w' hy any man should be a Christian. But if these things are so, then there is a reason for ])eing a Christian that no sane man can gainsay. The minister's study is also his oratory. It is the secret place where he communes, not only with those whom God has taught, but with their Teacher. It is not necessary, it is even a kind of impertinence, to dwell upon tlie im- portance of this secret communion. lie who is not fully aware of it, not only has no right to preach the gos])el, but he is not likely to be convinced of its value by any word of man. " It may, liowever," says Dr. Faii-bairn, "be laid down as a general [ninciple, that the whole oi' a ininistor's laljors should ])e intermingled with meditation and pi-ayer. II(; should never l)e sinij)ly a man of Icai-ning and study, for this itself may become a snare to liini ; it may evt'n serve to stand l)etween liis soul and CJod and nnise a spirit of worldliness in one f)f its most relined and sul)tl(' forms. If he l)e really a man of God, cxjierienoe w ill tcadi liini how nuich, even for success in study, lie nrcds to he undrr the habitual direction of (Jod's presence, and to Iia\c the direction of his s])iiit. ft \\\\\ also teaidi liiui how littli' he can jivcvail, with the most careful ])rej)arations and ac- tive dilitrence, in regard to the great ends of the ininislr\-. 106 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH without the special aid of the Holy Spirit ; how, when left to themselves, his most zealous efforts and best premeditated discourses fall to the ground ; yea, and how often, amid the comparatively great and orderly events of ministerial employment, he will himself err in counsel and do that which he shall have occasion to regret, unless he is guided by a higher wisdom and sustained by a stronger arm than his own. Continually, therefore, has the true pastor to give himself to prayer ; his study should also be his pi'os- cuche in which he daily holds communion, not only with the better sjjirits of the j^ast and present through the written page, but with the Father of Sj)irits in the secret communications of his grace and love." ^ " La priere," says the French apostle, " est n^jcessaire pour nous maintenir au vrai point de vue des clioses qui nous echappe toujours ; pour gudrir les blessures de Ta- mour-propre et de la sensibilite ; pour retremper le cou- rage ; pour pr^venir Tinvasion toujours imminente de la paressc, de la frivolitd, du relachement, do I'orgueil spirituel ou ecclesiastique, de la vanit(i de pr(idicateui', de la ja- lousie de mdtier. La priere ressemble a cet air si pur de certaines iles de I'oc^an, ou aucune vermine ne peut vivre. Nous devons nous entourer de cette atmosphere, comme le plongeur s'entoure de sa cloche avant de descendre dans la mer." ^ 1 Pnslnrnl Tlieolofji/, p. 101. 2 Viuet, The'olofjie Pastorale, p. 123. CHAPTER VI PULPIT AND ALTAR Nothing which has been said in the preceding chapters shoukl be interpreted as a disparagement of the teaching function of the Christian minister. This teachinsf, as we have seen, differs from some other kinds of teaching in being largely prophetic ; nevertheless it is teaching, the impartation of vitalized truth. The minister has other functions, as we have already seen, and shall hereafter more clearly see. Some of these functions were but slightly empliasized in the earlier treatises on Pastoral Theology ; the newer conception of the church in its rela- tion to the Kinsfdom brinofs them out in clearer lio-ht. Nevertheless the first and highest function of the Christian minister is that of preacher. The minister's throne is his pulpit ; when he abdicates that, to become an organizer of charities, or a purveyor of amusements, or a gossip in parlors and street-cars, the clerical profession will cease to hohl the place which be- longs to it in the respect of men. A great man}' kinds of work are now expected of the minister, and some of them are of great importance ; but the minister makes a great mistake avIio permits his pulpit work to take a secondary place. Christ said that the one su[)rt'me purj)Ose of liis mission ti) tlic world was tliat he miglit bear witness to tliu truth; and the same must always be tlie higli calling of the servant of Christ. To pour unto tlie minds of men a steady stream of the truth which reveals the Kingdom of God; to keep tlie realities of the moral order always be- fore their thouglil, — this is his one great business. Ab'u are saved from beiiiir conformed to this world oid\- when they are transformed hij the rcncwintj of fhn'r niiiuh : and it is tlie minister''s ehief business to keep their minds well 108 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH supjjlied with the truth by which this transformation is wrought. In pointing out the niain lines which the minister will follow in his studies, we have indicated the scope of his Avork as a preacher. If the problems of the soul and the problems of the social order are the themes of his study, the interests of character, and the interests of the Kingdom of God will be the topics of his discourse. Let all things, said Paul, be done with a view to building. A symmet- rical and beautiful character is the temple of the Holy Ghost; a Christianized society is the city of God, the Kew Jerusalem, which is to stand in the latter day upon the earth. This temple and this city are the structures which the minister of Christ is called to build. Let us think, first, of his preaching as a message to the individual. It used to be said that the chief end of preach- ing is the salvation of souls. If these terms are riglitly understood no fault can be found with them. A soul is a man ; and there can be no question that a great many men are in danger of being lost, and that all men are worth saving. The preaching that saves manhood, — that saves it from being frittered away in the frivolities of life ; from being consumed by the canker of avarice ; from being blasted l)y the inildcw of idleness; from being wrecked on the breakers of passion ; from being enervated by luxury ; from being crippled l)y the creeping paralysis of doubt, is a kind of preaching which the world will ahva3-s need. The meaning which we put into the phrase is thus a little lai'ger than that which once it carried; for once it signi- fied very little more than getting men to a place of safety after death. It is now pi-ctty generally believed that if a man is saved in this Avord from selfishness and animalism, and hate, and pride, and all the otiier evils that arc de- stroying his maidiood, there is no need to l)e anxious about his future welfare ; while any assurance of salvation in another world that has no perco])(il)l(! inlhicnce upon his life in this world is piobably delusive. Tlie minister is preaching, then, to save men, — to save llioin from sin and sorrow and shame ; to save them from losses that are PULPIT AND ALTAR 109 irreparable ; to save them for lives of honor and nobil- ity, and for the service of humanity. The longer any earnest minister lives, the more deeply he will feel the need of such preaching as this, — the more earnestly he will long for the power to speak the persuasive word which shall turn men from the ways of death into the paths of life. No fault can be found, therefore, with the statement that a large part of the preacher's work is the conversion of men. That has been the mission of preachers and prophets from the beginning. In all the ages they have been crying to purblind and deluded men, " Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die ? " That many of the men whom the preacher addresses from week to week are going in wrong directions is a palpable fact ; it is his business to show them whither their steps are tending, and to persuade them to turn. There are a great many people in all our congregations for whom there is no salvation but in a complete reversal of their general course of life ; and the squeamislmess which withholds from them this salutary tiuth is worthy of the severest censure. The value of what is called evangelistic preaching is therefore clear; and it would seem that any preacher, whether he call himself orthodox or liberal, who expects to serve the ends of character in the most effective way will find that he must do a large amount of this kind of preaching. The question of life or death with mau}^ a man is simply whether he will break with his past life and take a fresh start; whether he will take steps which he himself recognizes as revolutionary; whether he will ])urn his bridges, and so oi)eidy and manfully conuuit himself to anotlier way of life that there shall be no line of retreat left open to him. No matter what the minister's theology may be, he must face just such problems as tliis ; and he will do well to make his preaching conform to obvious psychological facts. Tiie old preachers used to maki; a distinction between preaching the; law and preaching the gosj)el. V>y the law they generally meant the penalties of the law; and by the 110 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH gospel the promises of escape from these penalties. The matter does not shape itself in our minds exactly as it did in theirs, for we have come to see that the spiritual laws are natural laws ; that they are self-enforcing, and that the only way to get their penalties remitted is to stop dis- obeying them. But Christianity is, as it has always been, a law as well as a gospel ; and the importance of preaching the law is not fully comprehended by some of our most orthodox preachers. Law connotes both precept and penalty. The Christian precept, which is grounded in the nature of things, which is, indeed, a clear induction from the facts of human ex- perience, is summed up in this sublime generalization : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Thou shalt love thyself with a rational love ; with a love that prompts thee to seek the completion and fultilment of the nature with which thy Maker has endowed thee ; with a love that restrains thee from degrading and imbruting thyself. Thou shalt love thy neighbor with an equal love ; be- holding and honoring in him the same divine humanity wliich is thine own birthright ; interfering in no way with the development of his manhood, l)ut helping him, with all Avise ministries, to become what God meant him to be. Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, who is the Life of all that lives, the Source of all love, and the Archetype of all perfect ideals, with a supreme and perfect love. This is the Christian law which the minister is to preach witli all good fidelity and patience, wliether men will hear or for})ear. He is to apply this law intelligently and un- com[)roinisingly to all the interests of life ; he is to show men that this is indeed the way of life, and that there is no other safe way. lie will find that it is a very compre- hensive law; lit; will slowly come to understand what the Psalmist meant when he said, " Thy commandment is exceeding broad." The ])enalty of the law as well as its precept he is also PULPJT AND ALTAR 111 to declare. As tlie lav/ is o-roauded in the nature of tliinofs, its penalties are natural. They are simply the fruit of our own doings, — the effects of causes which we ourselves have set in motion. This is the fact which the preacher has to emphasize. The old forensic conceptions still hold sway over the majority of minds ; the notion that i)enalty is an arbitrary infliction whicli waits to be visited upon the transgressor at some future assize, and that the judge who inflicts it is clement, and may easily be persuaded to remit it, — this is the popular idea with respect to the punish- ment of sin. One great part of the duty of the Christian teacher is to show men how immediate and inevitable are tlie consequences of evil doing ; how sui'e is the law of the spiritual harvest, that he who sows to the flesh will reap corruption. But there is a gospel as well as a law to preach, a gospel of forgiveness and salvation. That gospel is that there is love as well as law in the universe, and that love is the deepest fact in the universe, the foundation, indeed, of all law. For while the reti-ibutions of natural law can never be set aside, the infinite love is alwaj^s seeking to restrain the sinner from the ways of disobedience, to lead him into the ways of life and peace, to re-enforce him in every struggle to overcome the evil, to redeem him from the bondage of corruption and to lead him into the glorious liberty of the children of God. And there are also remedial forces which the divine love knows how to use, by which tlie damage wrought in our natures by sin may be repaired ; a l)lesscd vis medicatrix, for the S})iritual nature, as well as for the ])hysical, by wliicli wounds may bo lu'alcd and wasted pmvers restored. Ibnv it is that tliis saving iidhiencc of the divine love finds its way into luiinan hearts and Hves is a mystery; all life is a mystery. But this is the one fact tliat Jesus came into the world to bear witness to and to make men l)ilieve, — that their Father in heaven loves them and knows how to lielp tliem in overcoming the evil; that he can lielp them wlien they have lost the power to hell) themselves ; that wliere their sin has abounded his grace can much more abound : that there is lio[)e for the 112 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WOllKING CHURCH degraded, succor for the tempted, life for the dying. This gospel has been told in a great many ways ; it has often been encumbered with all sorts of theological invpcdimenta ; but the substance of it has been the message of all the great preachers of all the ages, and the world needs it to-day as much as ever it did. It is the men who have a gos- pel to preach, and who know how to strip it of its glosses and its excrescences, and to bring the light and the joy and the hope of it home to human hearts, whom the hungry world hears to-day most gladly. A literary man of the present day bears a striking testimony to this truth. '• Much Christian symbolism," he says, "is doubtless entirely fanci- ful ; but the great central symbols are as exactly records of fact as any proven scientific proposition. The dogma of Conversion, the New Birth, for example, is no mere figure of Mysticism, but a psychological fact daily illustrated in the lives of thousands of persons. The change is not ne- cessarily brought about by confessedly religious agencies ; most frequently it comes of the mysterious workings of natural love, — but by whatever chance influence it is set in motion, the fact of its daily occurrence is undeniable. A man is a brute to-day, and in a week's time, without any apparent cause, he is seen to be undergoing a mystical cliange ; a new light is in his face, and he is every way a new creature. This is no invention of Christianity, but simply a natural process which Christianity has included in its body of spiritual doctrine. . . . What also is the dogma that man cannot be ' saved ' of himself Init a recognition of the obvious fact that he did not make him- self, and the resulting doctrine of Grace but a more im- pressive way of stating man's entire dependence for his gifts and liis fortunes on a power beyond liis own control?" ^ liut the preacher has a message, not oidy for tlic individ- ual, but for the society in whicli he lives. The Gospel of the Kingdom is also committed to him. The Gospel of the Kingdom! The l)rea(ltli and h'ligtli and dej)th and height of it arc yet l)ut inii)erfectly measured. A glorious gosi)el it is, though some have never heard it, that God is 1 The Religion of n /.itrrari/ Mun, hy Richard I^c Gallienne, pj). 75-77. PULPIT AND ALTAR 113 organizing on earth a divine society ; that the New Jerusa- lem, whose walls are salvation and whose gates are praise, is rising here upon sure foundations ; that there is no need to say Lo here, or Lo there, because the Kingdom of God is among us ! The power to discern this Kingdom ; to recognize the silent forces which are building it ; to inter- pret its legislation ; to identify himself with it, heart and soul, is one of the characteristics of the scribe instructed unto the Kingdom. One of the facts that he needs to get most clearly fixed in his mind is that the Christ is rightly named, — that he is the King ; that he does give to human society its law ; that it is only when men learn to conform their political and industrial order to his teachings that they find peace and welfare. Christianity is not merely for Sundays and prayer-meetings, for closet and death-bed ; it is for sho}) and office, for counting-room and factory, for kitchen and drawing-room, for forum and council- chamber. Unless it has the power to rule all these multi- farious affairs of men it is less than nothing and vanity ; the sooner the world is done with it, the better. The main reason why it has failed, thus far, to gain the allegiance of the whole world is that its adherents have contented them- selves with claiming for it only a secondary and remote relation to human affairs. Grievously is Christianity dis- paraged when it is represented merely as a scheme for getting human beings safely out of this world. When men begin to comprehend that the law of love is not a senti- mental maxim, but tliat it is what the apostle James has named it, the Royal Law, the supreme regulative principle of Iniman society, and when they begin to make their business and their politics conform to this law, they will discover tliat Christianity is not a failure. It is the business of the ministers and witnesses of Clirist in the world to lift up his laAv into its riglitful regnancy, and to ])reach tlie Gospel of liis Kingdom. It is a (Jospcl, the good news tliat the world needs to hear. The wliole creation groans and travails tog(^thcr until now, under the burd(!n of strif(j and confusion which it has heaped uj) for itself through the long ages of greed and force and compc- 8 114 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH tition, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, — for the day when it shall appear that men are of divine origin, made to be ruled by a heavenly law ; and to this groaning world the tidings of one who is able to compose its strife and to hush its tumult ought to be welcome. Doubtless it may be hard to make the multitude believe the message, but that is no reason why the messenger should hesitate to speak it. And no man can tell how soon the day will come, when the meaning of it and the joy and glory of it shall burst upon the world with convincing power. For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Such is the substance of the twofold message which the ministers of Christ are commissioned to deliver, — the word of salvation for the man, the gospel of the Kingdom of God. It would not be difficult to find, in the treatises upon Pastoral Theology, statements of the relation of the pastor and his message to the world outside the church which would not agree with the foregoing. It may be well to consider some of these statements. Vinet, in his classical treatise, puts the question thus : — " It remains to ask what, apart from his pastoral rela- tions, the pastor should be in liis relations to general so- ciety. Does he belong only to his parisli ? Does he belong only to religion ? " In the light of all that has been con- tended for in this discussion we might answer at once, that the pastor does not need to go outside of his pastoral relations in order that he should be a very active force in general society. If the church is one of the organs of the social organism, vitally related to every part of it, then the pastoral relations to general society arc of the very closest and most influential character. The question "Docs he belong only to his parish?" is much like the question, " Does the linger lielong only to the hand, and not to the whole body?" Vinet is not wholly oblivious of this fact, for li(^ goes on : " Tt ajipoars at first that, as religion adopts the whole of human life in order to elevate it, the [)astor PULPIT AND ALTAR 115 ■who is the. most perfect representative of religion ought, in the same degree, to be representative of hiiuian life. . . . We agree to all this, and we acknowledge that duties may vary with times, but we must make the following reserva- tions. Religion is a specialty. It embraces everything, but it is not everything ; it is itself. To connect itself usefully with the things of life it must separate itself from them. Cliristianity has been in no haste to mix itself with the leaven of the people, or, when it has done so, it has been dynamicall}^ as a spirit. It should be the same with every individual. He must be well rooted at the centre to sj)read his shade over the circumference. Let the min- ister be first of all occupied with his own affairs ; let him be solely a Christian, and a minister ; as a consequence his branches will spread out and his beneficent shade ex- tend itself over all the affairs of society." ^ In a later paragra[)h Vinet makes his meaning a little clearer. " The minister may extend his ministry by con- ferring external advantages ; still when there are others to do this, let him confine himself to his calling. He may employ himself in agriculture when it is necessary, also in schools and in religious music ; but before everything he should be about his miiiistry. Nevertheless, when it is his duty to act, as tlid Oberlin and Felix Neff, by all means let him do it without hesitation." ^ With this compare the quaint words of old George Her- bert: "The Country Parson is full of all knowledge. They say it is an ill mason that rcfuseth any stone ; and there is no knowledge but in a skilful hand serves cither positively as it is, or else to illustrate some other knowl- edge. He condescends even to the knowlediro of tillage and pasturage, and makes great use of tliem in teaching, because people by what they undersUmd are best led to what they understand not." ^ Two questions are here suggested. Wliethor a min- ister should make himself familiar willi practical affairs, so th;it lu; may iustruct liis peoj)le and set tlicni a good 1 T/i land the embarrassments seem to be less ; the churches there are fairly well attended at the second service. ( )ii the continent of Europe, many of the Protestant churches appear to have abandoned the evening service; and the tendency is strongly in this direction in America. In most of our churches the service is thinly attended, and the question of its maintenance weighs heavily on the minds of the pastors. Where it has not been abandoned, various devices have been resorted to for increasing the congregation, — praise services, musical services, spectacu- lar services with lantei'ns, and such like. One despairing pastor, of one of the larger cities, has lately grasped at the device of employing 3'oung lady ushers as bait to catch the young men. It would not l)e difficult to hit upon a less objectionable method. If the great concern is to get the young men into the chiu'ch, a free luncheon witli liquid refreshments would be more effectual and less indecent. It must be admitted that all the plans for increasing the evening congregation whicli liave the tendency to turn tlie churcli into a place of amusement are of d()ul)tful utility. Tlie churches cannot compete in the amusement line with the Sunday theatres ; and Avhen the ohnrclies admit that Sunday evening may I'f pi(i[i(ily dcMilcd to amusement, their congregations w ill resort to the theatres. In all conscience it must be allowed tliat the people ol' our cities — the C'lu-istian jieople even — have aniusenuMit enougli on the other six: days, and are in no manifest need of anuisenient on Sunday evenings. The attempt to make the services attractive, therefore, in tlie sense of making them aninsing or diverting, is, to say the least, a mistaken policy. Nor is Ihc plan of making llicin itrtisticaUii at- tractive any more legitimati'. The service of the rhnich ought to be decorous and beautiful. " Let the beauty of the Lord (iiir (iml be updii ns," is alwavs an appropriate 122 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH prayer for the Lord's house. But the element of beauty is always to be kept in strict subordination to the ethical and spiritual elements ; it is not to the testhetic nature that the services of the church make their appeal ; and the moment it becomes evident that pleasure, no matter of how refined a sort, has been exalted in these services above serious thought, the power and the glory of the churcli are gone. It must be said, therefore, that the minister makes a serious mistake who seeks to furnish men diversion on any part of the Lord's day. The church may, under certain circumstances, be called on other days of the week to be a purveyor of amusement ; but the use of its Sunday ser- vices for this purpose is nothing less than the prostitution of a high office. There is no reason, however, why the evening service may not be made deeply interesting, and, in a strong sense of the word, attractive, without appealing to the love of diversion. There are plenty of themes which the minis- ter, in his public teaching, can make interesting. ]\Iost men are thoroughly interested in the social questions of the day ; they are, indeed, the burning questions ; and all these questions have, as we have seen, a spiritual side ; character is profoundly affected by them ; the coming of the kingdom of God depends upon the answer we give to them. The discussion of these questions from this point of view is, therefore, the minister's business. The applica- tion of the Christian law to the solution of these ques- tions is good work for Sunday evening ; and such work as this will be found legitimately attractive, especially to men, who are apt to be in a small minority in our Sunday congregations. The labor question, in al! its moral as- pects; the questions of poverty and ])aiq)erism; the treat- ment of the criminal classes; the question of the public health, especially as it relates to the welfare of tlie people living in neglected districts ; the (piestion of education, witli particular reference to its effects u[)()n character; the relation of nuuiieipal government to ])ublic iiuirality; the ethical bearings of iH.lilical measures ;iiid methods, — all siieh topics as these, if they are intelligently and temper- PULPIT AND ALT^VK 123 ately treated, will appeal strongly to thoughtful men and women. Objection is sonieLinies made lo the discussiun of these topics in the pulpit on the ground that they are mere secularities. Two classes of people make these objections, — those who hold the old notion that religion is mainly concerned mth another world, and those who do not wish to know what are the applications of the Christian law to the business of this life, because they fear that it would interfere with their gains or pleasures. Such objections constitute the strongest justification of this kind of preach- ing. The pulpit may, indeed, be secularized; but it is not secularized so much by the kind of topics treated as by the manner of their treatment. Jesus dealt, in his teaching, with many common things, — seed-sowing, fisli- ine, bread-makinof, — but his teaching was not secularized thereby. One can treat the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as thoroughly to secularize it ; it has been so treated thousantls of times in the pulpit; it has been represented primarily as a commercial transaction; the spiritual element has been virtually eliminated from it. On the otlier hand, one can preach upon the wages ques- tion in such a way as thoroughly to spiritualize it; the divine elements entering into this relation may be so pre- sented tliat masters and men may sec in it something sac- ramental. "The discussion of doctrine, the deternuning of duty," says Dr. George Hodges, " may be no more relig- ious than the transactions of the Stock Exchange ; the distinction between tlie sacred and the secular does not depend on the subjects that men talk about, nor on the places where men meet to talk about tliem, iku- on i.]w profession or the position of the delxilers. An elcclioii is not made sacred by the fact that the people are voting for a bishop, nor is it made secular by the fact that the people are voting for a congressman. A good niiiiiy ])olitical speeches have been really more religious lliaii a good many sermons,"^ It is of courst; tlie s[)iritual side of all tlicsc ([uestions that the minister is to ])ri'sciil : he is ^ L'lirislninit;i lutircin kSiiihIcii/s, ]>. 171. 124 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH to show how the Christian law bears upon these problems ; he is to indicate the way in which a Christian man will act when confronted by them. The idea that the Chris- tian pulpit is secularized by such uses of it is a singular misconception. "There is a social psychology," says Vinet, " as there is a social physiology. It forms part of the domain which we have just opened to the preacher. Nothing is more natural and more easy than to connect all providential institutions with the idea of God; to show, for example, that from the beginning of the Bible and of the world, God was the Founder of society and of civilization by the almost simultaneous institution of the family^ of the Word of laio and of labor. These objects, which are very much neglected, and which at the same time give a sort of religious shock to the hearers, are comprehended in the preceding one. In truth, institu- tions, manners, and, witli them, industry, arts, civilization, multiform developments, flow from human nature. All truth leads to truth. Christ, Avithout doubt, is the centre of all truth; but to show that Christ is the centre, we must speak of the circle, and of tlie most remote circumference." ^ It is quite true that pnniching of this kind makes some unusual demands upon the intelligence of the minister. To speak instructively upon topics of this iialnve requires careful study and close observation. A minister may easily lose the respect of thoughtful men by his treat- ment of such themes. There is good reason, therefore, wliy much time should be given, in studies prepara- tory for the ministry, to subjects of this class. In many of tlie tlieologioal seminaries they have recently been in- troduced, and tlie proportion t)f time given to them miglit profitably be increased. Tlic relation of siuli (liscoiiisos to tlie jiroblcin of the evening service is the sjjecial point now under discussion ; and the sum rif \\li;i1 is to bo said about it is tliis: lliat tin; iiiiuislcr who deals with these tliemes wisely and intel- ligently, never forgetting liis divine commission, always 1 Jlomiletics, part i., section i., cliaji. ii. PULPIT AND ALTAR 125 keeping the spiritual values and the laws of the Kingdom of God clearly in view, will be obeying, in this, the com- mand to make good proof of his ministry. Events are frequently occurring the significance of which may be profitably impressed upon the hearer. If God is now in his world every day, the things that are happening here should be of some importance to those who witness them. There may easily be a straining after the novel and the sensational in such presentations, but there can be no worse sensationalism than that which is often exhibited in the treatment of Scripture texts. The sensationalism is not in the subject, it is in the mind of the preacher. Regeneration may be treated in a perfectly sensational fashion, and the financial panic may furnish the theme of a reverential and earnest sermon. " Connecting general truths," says Vinet, " with certain and well known facts is doubtless a means of reanimating general truth, and, on the other hand, it is giving to parti- cular facts, which are often misjudged or unobserved, the form of instruction. If the preacher may say God in- structs us by events (God also preaches occasional ser- mons) why should he adopt the absurd inference that he ought never to speak of events? Undoubtedly, indeed, the substance of i)reaching is not that which is transient, it is that whicli dcjes not pass away; but this does not imply that we deprive it of this character by using it to connect witli passing events trullis wliich do not pass away. The hearer brings into the temple all the small money of his particular im]i)ressions that it may become histoiy. He who preaches in this manner, that is to say, in the spirit wliich generalizes the particular, which eter- nizes the temporary, may discourse of circumstances. AVe forl)id it to the man who only regards it as a means ol stimulating oiir dull curiosity." ' Otliii' lines of pulpit work may be found useful lor lliis ])Urpose. History has fruitful lessons for the wise preacher. The great events which have signalized the presence in the world of thai '• I'owi'i-, not ourselves, that ' Iliimili lies, ji. .S.') ; SkiiiiierV Iraiislatiuu. 126 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH makes for righteousness," may furnish good themes of Sunday evening discourses. It is of great importance to present, now and then, such careful pictures of the life of those "good old times" to which pessimists are always harking back, and of the people then called saints, as shall make evident the progress of God's kingdom in the Avorld. The best course of lectures upon the Evidences of Chris- tianity that any minister could preach would be a course which traced in outline the history of law and govern- ment, of family life, of social life, of industry and trade, of language and literature, of philosophy and religion, through the Christian era, showing, by representative facts, picked up all along the ages, how the ethical stand- ards have been steadily but surely rising in all these departments, and how very inferior, morall}', were those " good old times " to the times in which we live. The preacher should lay hold on the help of the great poets. It may be plausibly asserted that the best theolo- gian of the nineteenth century is Alfred Tennyson. Brown- ing is a more subtle analyst of the soul, but his ethical intuitions are less sure. Wordsworth may almost be called the leader in this age of the intellectual movement which has banished a dismal deism, and restored the living God to his world. Lowell and Lonrfellow and Whittier have all expressed, in words that will not die, many of the deepest truths of the spiritual realm. Studies of tliese and other poets who have made these greatest themes their own, bringing out the testimony which they liave Ijorne to the spiritual laws, and pointing out what may appear to be marks of dispro])ortion and defect in their message as preacliers may, with skilful handling, be very instructive. A more impressive statement of the sublime probability of the Incarnation it Avould be difficult to lind than some passages in Browning's "Saul," or tlie closing words of " The I^pistle of Karshisli." The best tliat man can say about immortality is said in Tenn3^son's "Wages," while his ]iocm "Tlie Higher Pantheism" puts into words tliat cannot be forgotten that truth of the immanence of God which is leading in the new era. PULPIT AND ALTAR 127 Most fruitful of all these lines of study, as we have seen already, is Biography. It is the living epistle that has in it the power of God and the wisdom of God. Life is the light of men ; it was in tlie beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Careful studies of the great characters of the Bible, male and female, putting each of them into his environment and illustratinsf throuirli them the laws of conduct and the rise of the ethical standards, will be found prolitablc. Great historical personages, like Con- stantinc and Ilildebrand and Savonarola and Wiclif and lluss and Luther and Cromwell and Wesley and Chan- ning, olfer luminous lessons. The legitimacy of such topics will be made manifest by their proper treatment. If the ethical and spiritual pur- pose do but control the preacher, they will commend themselves to the most devout of his hearers. A minister whose main pui-pose is to amuse his audience would, of course, make very unprofitable use of themes like these. So would lie make an unprofitable use of any proposition of dogmatic theology. A man whose strongest motives are artistic or literary might also present such subjects in a way that would do little good. But the true preacher, the man Avho is seeking in these events, these characters, these testimonies of tlie spirit, for some word of God whic-li he can bring home to the hearts of his hearers, may make them serve the highest purposes in a very effective way. If all life is to be sanctified, such an ethical and spiritual criticism of events, cliaracters, creations of art, would seem to be imperative. Discourses of this character dis- cover tliese essential spiritual truths in regions of life where their presence had not been suspected liy the aver- age hearer, and help liim to understand how ]iervasive and universal are tlie principles of ('hristianity. These suggestions arc offered, primarily, as bearing upon the prol)leni of the Sunday evening service. They are iiol, indeed, limited in their application, l)nt inasmuch as the maintenance of this service has been fmind dilli- cult, there may be more willingness to consider nietliods of this nature in connection with it. In short, it may be 128 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH said that the modern minister, who will put his mind into his work, can make his Sunday evening ministrations interesting and attractive in the highest sense, without worshipping the idols of the theatre, or pandering in the least degree to the craving for diversion. It will take work, hard work, to treat effectively such themes, but such work greatly strengthens the preacher's influence among thinking men. The only way to maintain the pulpit in the rank and dignity that belong to it is to hold it steadily to its own highest purpose. A question of some practical importance relates to the uniform use of a text from the Bible in pulpit discourse. If the subject is some current event, or some modern personality, sliall a text of Scripture always be taken as the foundation of the discourse ? Most of the authorities in homiletics are emphatic in saying that no minister should ever speak in the pulj^it without founding his remarks wpon some passage of Holy Writ. It is the minister's function, they say, to explain and enforce the truth of the Bible ; the word which he speaks has authority over men because it is not his word, but the word of God; it is therefore a tactical blunder, to say nothing w^orse, for him to divorce his message from this source of authority, and give it in his own name. " Preach the Word," it is said, is the minister's commis- sion ; and there is nothing for him to do as a public teacher ])ut to expound the (I'lUh of the Bible. There is no need that he should exceed his commission. There is truth enough in the Bible to cover every part of the realm of human conduct; and the minister will never be at a loss to find a text to fit any message Avhicli he is called to deliver. There is much force in tlu^sc suggestions, and yet they come a little slmrt of flic entire Initli. The minister in called lo ])rea(li the Word of (bxl, but we have no warrant for identifying tlie Word of (Jod with the Sciip- tures of tlio ()1(1 and New Testaments. Tliese contain a most precious [)ortioii of the Word of Cxod, but by no means the whole of it. Other words of God, of the very PULPIT AM) ALTAI: 120 last importance, are found outside the Bible. Through the whole course of history God has been revealing him- self to men ; he has never left himself without a a\ itness in the world ; and we do not well to ignore all these manifold revelations. It is doubtless true that we can generally find some passage of Scripture which we can connect with the present revelation; and a great deal of ingenuity has been exercised in making such adapta- tions. But it is a question Avhether this straining- after accommodations of biblical words to the events of to-day adds any impressiveness to the teaching of Provi- dence, or any sanctity to the old Revelation. It is often painfully evident that a text has been dragged in by the hair of the head; that its relation to the discourse is of the most artificial nature. The Bible is not honored when it is treated in this way. Professor Phelps gives several illustrations of this manner of using texts, some of which he mildly approves. " Professor Park," he tells us, '' once preached a sermon on the value of theological seminaries upon the text, ' That the soul be Avithout knowledge, it is not good.' .... From the text, Prove all things, hold fast that which is good,' the late Pro- fessor Edwards once preached a discourse on the state of the Roman Catholic religion in Italy. On the follow- ing Sabbath, in the same pulpit, a sermon from the same text was preached on education societies. Some years ago, on the occasion of a famine in Ireland, a charity sermon was preached in Boston from the text, ' I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction.' A Sal)bath-school mis- sionary preached a discourse in Ifichmond, some years ago, on the text, 'The iield is the world.' The object of the sermon was to give some information respecting the estiiljlishment of Sabbalh-scliools in Minnesota. The result WHS the request for the sum of twentv-five dollars for a Sab])ath-scliool library."' iroinilctical acrol>atics of this sort are at least of doiilill'ul propriety. Nor docs tlicrc ap|)oar to be any good reason why, if there is a famine in Ireland, and the minister lliinks it good to speak al)out it. ' 'I'/ir T/ieori/ et the mode of con- ducting worship be what it may, if it is to be for a congre- gation of believers a worship in spirit and in truth, the person who conducts it must himself enter into the spirit of the service, utterino- from his own heart what he would have re-echoed from the hearts of others. And, obviously, the more beaten the track that is to be followed, the more familiar to all the specific forms of devotion, the greater at (mce must be the need of a lively devotional sentiment to inspirit them with life, and the diCliculty also of express- ing it through the appointed chaunels." ^ The need of entering the chancel or the pulpit in a ])r()])er devotional temper must, then, be apparent to every thoughtful minister. The people are there for worsliip; tliis is tlic primary object of the assembly. lie must keep tliis truth steadily l)efore their minds. They are some- times in the habit of calling themselves an "audience;" tliat is a word which he will not use in descrilnng them. '\\\v\ iii'e not there In '•licar"" him, Iml to worshij) the Father of spirits. Unless the service brings tluiii into this attitude it fails of its proper effect u[)f)n tliem. To this end theic is need, Avhatever the form of woishiji may be, that the leader of the worship ])rei)are his own mind and heart for the service before him. The reading in 1 Fail-bairn's Pastoral Theolor/i/, pp. 307, 308. PULPIT AND ALTAR 135 the last lioiir before the worship begins of some stirring book of devotion, of some presentation of truth that shall awaken the mind and quicken the pulses of the heart, is a wholesome i)ractice. It is not the hortatory books that are best, but those which kindle the emotions by stimulating the thought. A sermon of Phillips Brooks or of Horace Bushnell is often better than any manual of devotion. Nor is it needful to protract the reading. When the spark kindles the mind, lay down the book, and muse wliile the fire burns. If the service is not liturgical, the question will arise whether verbal preparation should be made for puljlic prayer. That some careful thought should be given to this i)art of the service is evident. Yet it is difficult to lay down any rule of conduct. To some minds any formal preparation would be a fetter ; to be in a praying frame is enough. Others are undoubtedly helped by reflection upon the substance if not the form of the petition. "For, as the pastor, when going to conduct the services of the sanctuary has to bear on his heart various interests and relations, none of which should be overlooked or passed lightly r)ver, he both may and should have in his eye dis- tinct topics for notice in prayer and particular trains of thought to be pursued. Not (otherwise Avill he be able to give suflicient freshness and point to his supplications, or present them in a form altogether appropriate to the occa- sion. ICutirely unpremeditated prayers will usually par- take much of the character of unpremeditated discoui"ses ; they will consist chiefly of commonplaces whicli float much upon the memory rather tlian of tlioughts and feelings that well up from the liiddcn man of the heart; and as tliey have stirred no de[)ths in the; bosom of the speaker, so they naturally awaken but a feeble response in the hearts of tlu! hearers. . . . I'lohablv thi; iiion^ advisable coui'se for ministers of settled congregations will he to meditate, ratlier than t'ormally commit to writing, the cliicf ])i-ay«'i-s they are going to offer in the ])ublie meetings foi- worshijt; to think carefullv over, occasionally also to note down, the train of thouglit, or the special to[)ics and petitions tlicy 136 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH mean to introduce, with such passages of Scripture as are appropriate to the occasion. The mind will thus be kept from wandering at large in the exercise, and yet will move with more freedom than if it were trammelled by the for- mality of a written form ; will be able more readily to sur- render itself to the hallowed influence of the moment." ^ The minister must never forget that in the public wor- ship he is exercising, in a special manner, the priestly function which belongs to all believers. He must be able, by the exercise of a true sympathy, to put himself in the places of those whom he is leading in worship, and to give voice to their needs and their desires. PerhajDS he knows the real needs of some of those before him better than they themselves know them ; perhaps he may be able, in his prayer, to utter the word that shall reveal to them the condition in which they are, the good which they ought to crave. The words which follow, from the pen of a wise and faithful pastor, show the nature of that priesthood of sympathy exercised by the pastor in his prayers : — " We may derive materials for prayer from the lives of our conn^reofations, — materials of inexhaustible variety. There is always sin to be confessed, sorrow which God alone can soothe and comfort, weakness that needs divine support; and there is always happiness for which we should offer thanksgiving. ]>ut Ave must be very indolent or else Ave must be cursed Avith a dull and unsympathetic nature if Ave are satisfied with a A'ayue and o'eneral renicni- brance of the sin, the sorrow, the Aveakness, the joy wliicli cloud or brighten the lives of our people. In our prci)ara- tion for our ])nblic prayers avc should think of the ])(">])le one by one, and make all their trouble and their gladness our own. There are the children, — children Avhose faces are pale from i-ecent sickness or accident, or Avhose forms are neA'cr rolmst, and wlxtsc spiiits are ncA'cr high : chil- dren that are strong and healthy, \\ itli ])nio blood in their veins, with sound limbs, and avIio arc always as happy as birds in snnnner-linie : cliildrcn llmt arc wretched because they have no kindness ;il hoim;; children tliat want to do 1 Fiiiilinirn's /'astoral The.oUif] ij , ))ji. .'Hi), 'V2Q. rULl'lT AND ALTAR 137 well, l)iit who have inherited from their parents a tempera- ment which makes it hard for them to be gentle, obedi- ent, industrious, courageous, and kindly ; and children to whom with the earliest dawn of reason there came a purer light from the presence of God, and to whom it seems natural and easy to be good. " We should tliink of the young men and women, with their ardor, their ambition, their vanity ; their dreams of the joy and glory that the opening years are to bring them ; their generous impulses ; the inconstancy in right-doing which troubles and perplexes them; the disa})pointnu'nts which have already imbittered the hearts of some and made them imagine that for them life has no gladness left ; the consciousness of guilt which already rankles in tlic hearts of others ; the frivolity, the selfishness, of \\liiih some are the early victims; tlic liard light wliich some are carrying on with temptations which are conquered but not crushed ; the doubts which are assaulting the faith of others; the bright lieaven of happiness in which some are living, happiness which comes from the complete satisfac- tion of the strongest liuman affections ; the still brighter heaven \\1ii
  • t, of judicious and considerate treatment of this matter on the part of the minister, for in many cases the tastes of the congregation have become so vitiated and their standards so del)ased that it will be hard for them to receive the truth. Hut if the minister will begin Avith the ollicia] memlH'is of his congregation, and will seri(tusly and kindly consider the whole subject wilii them, pointing out the principles which must rule in all Avorshi[), and the sacred and priestly character of those who l(;id in every act of worship, he will generally be able to carry them with him in liis effcjrts to rcrmin this portion of the service. Tlie choice of the liymns rests with ihi' pastor. It is a matter of great importance. It is not to be assnmc(l that all the hymns in the best hynnial arc 111 tn bi' sung ; some of ihciii express a mawkish sentiment, and othei-s a l»ad the- ology; the minister mnst not ask his pcdjilc to tell lies in their songs. It is a (|uestion alsci whether the old style of (lidaelie livnuis should be used in pid)lie woi'sliip. .\s a rnle the hvmns should 1)e wttrsliipt'nl ; pfaisi-, adoration, 140 CHRISTIAN TASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH aspiration, trust, contrition, supplication — are the proper voices of Christian song. Yet hymns of a meditative sort may sometimes he used, and there are sj)irited work-songs and battle-songs of the Church which are full of lyrical fire, and readily lend themselves to the best puiposes of congre- gational song. The hymnals now in use are, as a rule, far better than those of a former day ; most of the objectionable h3'mns have been eliminated, and the tunes are, as a rule, dignilied and worshipful. But it must be admitted that many con- gregations of our American churches have become addicted to a style of hymnody which is an offence against good taste and good sense. Verbal jingles which are destitute of all poetic character, and which often express an effusive sentimentalism, are joined to melodic jingles which are equally destitute of musical meaning ; and the result is a series of combinations that tend to debilitate the mind and pervert the sensibilities of those who use them. Such com- binations do not long endure ; the prattle of the rliynies soon palls upon the sense, and the catchy melody becomes dull and stale, and a new batch is soon called for, to give place, in its turn, to something ligliter and more worthless still. But it is with hymnody of this sort precisely as it is with flashy literature ; those who get a taste for it are apt to think that anything of a higher order is stupid and uu- j)roritable. The consequence is that when {\\v liyinuals which try to confine themselves to hynuis which are really poetic, and to music which is oiot suital)le for opera hovffe or a cafe rhantant, are introduced into llic congregation, it is difficult to secure for them a general and liearty accept- ance. There is imicli j)atient educational work to l)e done along this line l)y iiiiclligent jiastors, in seeking to correct llie pervei'sions of taste, and lo elexate the standards of j)salmo(ly in llieir congregations. The hest h\inns. when they Ijeconie familiar, will nevei' gi'ow stale or old, and the best tunes are lliose that can no more be anti(|ualed than daisies or daily ])read. The ])astor should know enough ahmit niusie to lie ahle to select tunes wliieh his concfrecation can and will sinsf. rULl'lT AND Al/i'AU 141 It is sometimes difficult to find in the hymnal provided for him the h3"ran whicli he wants, adajjted to a tune which the congregation can use ; but such a combination justifies and will reward a careful search. The adaptation of the liymns to the sermon and the other parts of the service should al- ways be carefully considered. The hymns which are sung in the earlier portions of the service may be simply wor- shipful ; but if any hymn follows the sermon, it ought to be in closest harmony with the thought which has been enforced. As a rule our church hymnals are far too large. It is (piite impossible that a congregation should become famil- iar with twelve hundred or fifteen hundred hymns ; it is probable that the minister will use, out of such a book, not more than one Innidred and fifty hymns. A carefully sifted collection of three or four hundred hymns would be better for any church than the hynniological libraries whicli burden the hands and oppress the minds of most worship- pers. In the use of such a small collection the congrega- tion is more apt to become thoroughly familiar with some of the best of the hymns and tunes, so as to sing them with spirit and heartiness. The ideal church hymn-book is yet to appear. As to the tunes, that canon of judgment which tends to prevail among recent scholarly' writers upon psalmody, to the effect that the church tune should always be a choral, in common time, and with a plain and even movement, leads in the right direction, but goes too far. Siicli an excess of conservatism would not be salutary. The choral is a good form of church tune, and may be used in America much more freely than it has yet l)een ; but other rhytli- niical forms are admissible ; and it is indeed desirable that there should be a o-ood degree of variety in the nnisical service of the Lord's house. Such a s|)irited movement as Lowell Mason's "Duke Street," sueii a llowing melody :is Mr. Bradlmrv's '' Wood worth," such n ringing ])raise-song as Giardini's '"Italian Hymn," or even smli an elaborate composition as the setting which Mr. Dykes lias given, in " Ln\' lU-nitrna," to Newman's iinniDrtal Iniini, m;iv be 142 CHRISTIAN TASTOR AXD WORKIXG CHUIICK sung, under good leadership, with the greatest enjoyment, by the average congregation. The leadership of the congregation is, of course, the main thing. If this leadership is intelligent, reverent, and enthusiastic, the congregation can be made to render the best music in the best manner. How to secure such leadership in the service of song is the principal question. Not indispensable, but highly important to the best rendering of sacred song, is that " king of musical instru- ments, the organ." " There are not wanting," says Van Oosterzee, "instances here and there of such harmonious congregational singing that the absence of the organ, in that case at least, is not felt; while it is equally undeni- able that a defective, tasteless style of playing jii'oves more of a hindi-ance than a help to edification. Yet in by far the larger number of places the singing is of such a character that, in default of something better, a mediocre leading with the organ is preferable to that which only impi'operly bears the name of church song. . . . The religious value of the organ in clmrch depends mainly on the liand to which it is intrusted. This remark will not be without its value, if it only impresses on the liturgist his duty of using everj'- endeavor to secure that the organ- ist to be chosen for this purpose is in the fullest sense of the word a Christian artist, who feels and understands what he is playing, and shows that he is penetrated with the desire to serve the Holy by means of the truly l*)eau- tiful. Sacred art must support the sacred Word, and place its great power entirely and exclusively at the service of the Most Iligli; while the artist feels liimself not only the ])riest of art, but also the servant of the con- gregation. Wlicn the opposite is llic case, tlic Piiiilsin polemic against the organ is still to a great extent justi- fied. It is — what is too often forgotten — not neces- sary that the organ should always be heard, and still less that it should always l)e lieard equally loud, liather woidd now and then, with sullicient vocal strength of itself, a temporary silence of the insd iiuKut be dcsiiable. When, however, tlie organ is heard in the cliunli, let PULPIT AND ALTAR 143 it never give fortli the note of false taste or of mere worldly art.*' ^ With the organist, or the choirmaster, or whoever is employed to conduct the musical part of the service, the minister should be in constant co-operation ; there should be, at the outset, a clear understanding that all parts of the worship are under the minister's direction, and tliat all must be made to harmonize. When it is understood that the ends of worsliip, rather than of art, are alwaj-s to be kept uppermost, many of the causes of contention among church nuisicians will be eliminated. Among artists jeal- ousies are natural, for the aisthetic judgment rules, and the fundamental question is one of pleasure. But among worshippers such contentions at once appear to be gro- tesque. To strive for the privilege of prayer, or to dispute about the highest seats at the altar of sacrifice ^\•()uld be so manifestly incongruous that the dullest minds AN'ould revolt from it. Make the singers understand that they are there, not to exhibit their voices or to display the results of their musical training, but to woi-ship God, and they will be ashamed to quarrel. A\"]iat the vocal leadership of the congregation shall be is a question of some seriousness. The perfection of con- gregational worship is perhaps attained in tliose Englisli Dissenting chiuches where the organ is ihe sole leader of the voices, so far as can be seen by the casual visitor, and where the whole congregation forms a great chorus, render- ing, Avith heartiness and precision, autliem and cliant and hymn. Ill these clnirches, however, a niicltiis of trained voices is usually clustered about the organ, who torni an invisible dioir, and wliose strong initiative cairits ihc congregation steadily along. In one of these chniclies we are told that tlie '' Ilallelujah Chorus," iVoni "The Messiah" is sometimes sung with fine effect by llu' whole eongrega- liiiii. Ill iiiaii\(ir tlieiii, aiitlieiiis (if considerable intiieaey are rendered with no liesitation ; voices all over the elmrch are heard joining in them. Tlie use of ijie ehanl in these congregations is almost nni\eisal: llie peojile lia\t' been 1 I'ractiriil 77/. ../.,,/(/, p. .•t7'.». 144 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH accustomed to it from their childhood, and the musical declamation is as natural to them as reading. In most of the English Congregational churches there is, however, a large choir in plain sight of the congregation, and the leadership) of the church song is committed to them. In few cases do they undertake any performance of tlieir own; the anthems and the chants as well as the hymns are all sung by the congregation, the choir serving only as leaders of the song. This full, strong chorus, with such other members of the congregation as wish to attend, meets once a week for practice under the direction of the organ- ist. The ability to render the music of the church so accept- ably is in almost all cases the result of some painstaking effort. In one church in London the regular choir, of hfty or sixty members, is supported by a substitute choir of about the same number. To one person in each part is assigned the duty of filling up the ranks, at every service. If, at five minutes before the beginning of the service, the seats of the bass singers are not full, the gentleman in charge of that part makes an immediate levy upon the substitute bass singers already in the house, to lill the seats, and so with each of the other parts ; thus each part is always full of trained singers. Very little in the way of fine artistic effects is attempted by these English choirs, but they sing with great heartiness, and the congregation is admirably led. English oiganists are also, as a rule, expert leaders of congregational singing, and the congre- gation is made to feel the meaning of the words of the hymn and to respond to the sentiment expressed. In many of the state churches of England the vested choirs, with boys u})on the upper parts, perform the liigh- est style of music in a very admirable manner. So large is the number of the English boys who thus receive a thorougli training in sacred music that male singers of cultivation ai)pear'to be more numerous in tliat country than female singers. At one of tlic triennial Handel festivals at the Sydenham Palace, wIk-u nearly four thou- sand singers were present, the basses and tenors quite outnumbered the sopranos and altos. This may be f)]ie PULl'lT AND ALTAR 145 reason why the men in any English congregation generally join in the song, wliile in an American congregation the reverse is the rule. The vested choirs, in the cathedrals, and in the larger churches are, however, left to perform most of the service. AVhat is called a choral service is not congregational worship ; we find that, in far greater perfection, in the Dissenting churches. In America, however, the choir is often permitted to have matters all its own way. In the majority of Ameri- can churches the choir is a quartette, and the congregation takes but little part in the singing. Even the hymns are sung by the people in the gallery, without much aid from the pews. Quartette choirs, as a rule, disapprove of con- gregational singing, and make it difficult, if not impossible, for the congregation to follow them in the hymns. And the hymns are rendered in a manner so unintelligent and perfunctory that no one cares to join in them. It would be far better if churches employing choirs of this character would aljandon wholly the congregational hymns. The purpose of the quartette choir is, almost always, the artistic rendition of some highly elaborate and florid musical composition. It is rare that a performance of this natm*e awakens in any auditor a worshipful feeling. Pre- cisely the same emotions are excited as those Avliich are appealed to in the concert-room. Tliose wlio enjoy the pe-rformanee Avill be seen nodding one to another, at its conclusion, as if to say : " Was not that a splendid exhibi- tion?" To any reverential person sucli a perversion of the act of worship is little less than horrible. It is a grave question whether the nuisical service, in very many ^Vmerican churches, is not a savor of death unto death, rather tlian of life unto life. 'I'liis nmst not be understood as a condcnmntion of the em])l<)ym('nt of single voices or any combinations of voii-os in woiship. It is quite possible that a song or a prayer should he rendered in church l)y f>n(' oi- more persons with the true spirit of devotion, in sndi a niannrr that tlio thought of the listeners slionhl be fixed upon tlic theme, and not upon tlie art of the performance. If manv voices 10 146 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH may worship God in song, so may a single voice. If the pastor may lead the worship in prayer, so may the singer. But in sucli case the singer must be a real worshipper. The art of the rendition must be hidden in the sincerity of the worship. These elementary truths are well-nigh forgotten in many of our fashionable churches. Music should be an aid to devotion ; but many of those who most keenly enjoy it in the concert-room or the drawing-room listen to the same thing in church with pain. The first thing to be desired in the church song is that the whole congregation should heartily participate in it. The full choral song admits of no efforts at display. The vanity of the individual is merged in the voice of the mul- titude. When all the people thus praise God in the sanc- tuary it is possible that each should join with some real uplifting of the heart. Yet even this service may be ren- dered \\\i]\ regard for beauty and fitness ; the congrega- tion may be taught to observe the sentiment of the hymn, and properly to express it. Tlie people will learn, if tliey are taught, to sing with the spirit and with the understand- ing also. The organ and the leading clioir can easily sug- gest to the people the subdued and tender expression of the plaintive lines, and the accelerated time and accumu- lated power of the triumphant strains. Congregational singing must not be considered good when ever3'body sings all the time with all his might; there must be evidence that the congregation is thinking of the words of the song and is touched witli their moaning. It is beautiful to see how a congfrecrn/tion will learn to follow sncli intelligent leadership, and will come, after a little, to make the Moids of the hynni their own. The si)iritnal value of tliis part of the service is thus indefinitely increased. The chief use of the choir must be to lead tlie worship of the congregation. It should be diligently impressed upon the si)igers when they arc called into this service, that this is their main I)usiness. If they help the pen])le to ])raise God in song they will do well; if they fail of that tlicv arc; worse tlian useless, no matter how artistic PULPIT AND ALTAR 147 maybe their own performance. 'I'n this end the hymns must be studied and their meaning understood and felt by the singers in the gallery. The choir will sometimes say, " Oh, that is ' Federal Street,' or ' Ilur.sley,' — surely we do not need to practise that old tune." But the question is not whether " that old tune " can be sung, it is Avhether the hymn now set to the tune can be intelligently and feelingly sung ; whether its meaning can be conveyed in the use of this old tune. The intelligent and reverential leadership of tlie congregation is the lirst business of the choir. To this end they ought to be intelligent and reverential per- sons, and the spirit of their leader ought to be so full of intelligent reverence that the true nature of their Avork should be constantly kept before them. The best kind of choir to lead a congregation is, mani- festly, a large chorus. There may be quartettes which can lead congregations, but they are not numerous. There is difficulty, however, in maintaining large choruses, because members of the congregation who can sing are often, un- fortunately, slow to lend their services for the promotion of the good of the church. Those who can sing or play upon an instrument are apt to feel that if they render any help in })u1)li(:; worsliip they must be i)aid for it. The prevalence of thio feeling shows liow this whole depart- ment of church life has been secularized. AVhen music touches the life of the church the standard suddt-idy falls. Tliose who possess some little musical ability or training arc wont to say that tliey have paid much money for tlieir iiiiisiL-al education, and that therefore they ought to receive compensation for their services. lint it is equally true that the people who teacl I in tlie Sunday-schools, and who speak ill the i)rayer-meetiiigs have jiaid much money lor the education wliirh qualilies them to assist so eOicieiitlv in the work of the ehui'di. In many of onr congrega- tions there art' many college graduates and j)rofrssional people whose cducatiim has cost them live limes as inufh as that of the singers and the players on instniinents, ;ind wild arc yet rendering to the chuivli, werkly. ni;inv hours of uncompensated la1)oi'. There seems to be no gooil lea- 148 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHURCH son why the musicians should make themselves exceptions to the rule of willing service, which binds all the members of the church together in unity. It is true, of course, that some musicians recognize this principle, and give to the churches to which they belong, a great deal of the most valuable assistance. But the failure on the part of many to comprehend the fact that musical gifts, like other gifts, are subject to the law of consecration, makes it difficult, in many congregations, to gather the singers in chorus choirs. The maintenance of artistic standards of judgment upon the singing of choirs also strengthens the mercenary claim. If the service is reallj- a performance for the delectation of an audience, perhaps the audience ought to pay the performers. If the service is recognized as having another and higher function, perhaps those who recognize their Christian obligation would be more willing to assist in it. The question whetlier the choir, however organized, should be expected to render any music of their own, apart from the leadership of the congregation, is answered in one way, as has been said, by most of the Nonconformist churclies of England, and in another way by most of the Anglican churches, and by the great majority of Protestant churches in America. There is danger, no doubt, that choirs, and especially quartettes, if tliey are permitted to sing anthems or set pieces of their own, will embrace the opportunity to make a great dispkiy of their OAvn musical powers, thus turning worship into mockery. But, on the other hand, it is quite possible that the choir should be so instructed and led as that it shall keep steadily in view its true function as the leader of worsliip; and so tliat it shall render dignified and inspiring nuisic, not only witli })ro- priety, but ^\itll excellent effect. Choruses like Costa's " The Loid is Good," or j\Iendelssohn's " lie Watching over Israel," or Sullivan's " O Taste and See," could not well be sung l)y the ordinary American congregation; but tliey may be rendered by large choirs in sndi a way as to stir the hearts of the worship})ers, and to kindle the flame of sacred love. Smaller combinations of voices, or single PULPIT AND ALTAR 149 voices may serve in the same way. It is not true that the singing of the congregation is tlie only kind of music to be tolerated in church ; the congregation may worship by silently joining in the prayer or the thanksgiving or the aspiration to which their leaders give voice in song. The only thing to be insisted on is that the conm-eo-ation shall be able to recognize this as worship, and to feel that it is Avorship. If the choir is permitted to provide music of its OAvn, the leader of the worship should see that the anthems or solos sung are of a character appropriate to public worship. jNIucli of the music printed for American choii-s is too florid and showy for the sanctuar}'. But it is possible to lind dignilied and serious music for this purpose, and much care should be exercised in this selection. Especially should the minister take care that the service be not marred by the introduction of choir pieces which, however unobjectionable in themselves, are wholly out of harmony with the occasion. The most grotesquely inappropriate selections are often thrust into religious services by aml)i- tious choir-leaders. Not one in ten of these worthies exhiliits the slightest sense of the fitness of things. lie is quite apt to sing a morning hymn at an evening service, or to introduce, just before the sermon, such words as these : — " Saviour, again to thy dear name we raise Witli one accord our parting liyniu of praise ; We rise to bless thee, ere our worsiiip cease, And now departing-, wait thy word of peace." Such a delicate suggestion to the minister that the congre- gation has finislied its business and is going home — that it has no use for his sermon — has been listened to by tho minister witli such equanimity as lie could nuislcr. On the occasion of the celelwation of the hundredth aiinivei-sary of a cliurch whose lif'cliad been csjiecially liarnionious, anil whdsc ministers, witliniii cxcrptioii, Ii;in\r\.(| 152 CHllISTIAN PASTOK AND WOKKING CHURCH proportionately, a worship prescribed, or substantially pre- scribed, is not only valuable but indispensable. I contrib- ute that item towards the reunion of Christendom on the point of worship." ^ There would be much dissent from the proposition to formulate a uniform ritual for any of the non-liturgical churches. Even if considerable freedom were allowed in the use of it, the tendency to a monotonous and lifeless repetition would be regarded by many as far outweighing the gain that would be realized througli a more complete and comprehensive presentation of the truths on wliich worship is founded. Christians of different temperament and different training will answer this question differently. Undoubtedly a prescribed ritual avoids much irreverence and many painfully arid performances ; but on the other hand it sacrifices a spontaneity and timeliness which, in the service of the preacher who has both the gift and the sjDirit of prayer, arc often very inspiring. But if no such com- plete ritual is furnished, it is surely lawful to add some- thinof to the barrenness of the old Puritan ritual. The responsive reading of portions of the Scripture is no^v quite common in American churches, and when prop- erly conducted it is an excellent feature. The first re- quisite of success in this service is the selection of a suitable manual of responsive readings. Not all Scripture is suited to this use ; the historical, philosophical, and didactic portions lend themselves but awkwardly to such a service ; it is really only tlie poetry that ouglit to be treated in this way. A few of the New Testament passages, like the Beatitudes, and the Trocm of John's Gospel, and some portions of the epistles wliich a])pr()xi- matc to lyrical form may l)e read rcsponsivcly, — thougli even here the verses should be broken up into phrases that are antiphonal or cumulative. But for the most part it is tlic Psalms and the prophetic poems that are best suited 111 responsive reading. These should always be pnt for tills jnirposc into the rliythiuic form that belongs ^ Address of Rev. N. J. I'>iutoii, D.I)., Proceedings of l/ic American Con- gress of Ciiurchcs, 1883, j). 02. PULPIT AND ALTAR 153 to tlieni. It is little less than absurd to adhere to the verse divisions in the responsive reading of the Psalms. The poetry is constructed for the veiy purpose of anti- plionul expression ; our verse divisions simply destroy its artistic form. The parallelisms of these old lyrics, as we liml tlieni arranged in the revised version, are better adapted than anything else in literature to the responses of a consfresfation. The congregation should stand up to read ; and tlie loader should read with distinct but rapid enunciation, suf- fering no long pauses between the responses. There is no room here for elocutionary effects ; anything of that sort is grotesque enough ; but the reading should be full of spirit and feeling, — and the responsory character of it should be so marked that it shall seem more like a chant than a reading. Any painful attempt of the congregation to speak in concert should be avoided; but on the other hand the helter-skelter readinfj of manv conj^refrations is not particularly inspiriting. If the })arallclisms are used, and the leader sets the pace witli a firm, rapid, steady tempo, the responses will naturally and almost inevitably maintain a good measure of unity, and the rliythmic effect will 1)6 marked and beautiful. In some congregations the outpouring of the full heart in these reponsory vf»ices of praise and hope and aspiration is more inspiring tlian any other portion of the service. The repetition of one of the ancient creeds — the Apostles' or the Nicene — by the congregation is also com- ninii mill altogether suitable, while the ])eople of most of our churches have learned to join with the minister in the audible repetition of the Lord's i'ra3ei'. A\'hether the Decalogue should be employed liturgically is an open question ; our Loid has translated that law into a (liHer- ent language, and his rendering of it should be nearest to our thought, 'i'he lU-atitudes and the Lord's sunmiary ol' the i^awmight well take the jijace, in our congregational worshi]), of the Ten Coinuiandments. Some jmlicions se- l(M;tions might also Im- made from the Anglican IJook of ("onnnoii I'raver; iN (leneral ( "oiifession, iiian\- of 154 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND AVORKIXG CHURCH its beautiful collects, and sometimes its majestic Litany might be introduced into the service of our non-liturgical churches. Language like this, which has been hallowed by centuries of use, into which many generations of pray- ing men have poured their hearts, possesses a value which no newly formed phrases could possibly contain. If the enrichment of the non-liturgical litual is sought, it is in these sources that we shall be most likely to hnd it. It is well to remember that not all the reformers soup-ht to banish from the sanctuary the hallowed forms of prayer and praise. There was really, at the beginning of the Keformation, a decided disposition to enlist the people, as they had not before been enlisted, in the public worship of the Lord's house. " The spirit of Protestantism," says Dr. Samuel M. Hopkins, " requires that the people shall take part in the public w^orship of God, and thus make it 'common worship.' The Ivomish church, during the Middle Ages, resolved worsliip into a spectacle. Tlie great cathedrals were built for a dramatic religion, in which the i)eople could look on, while the priests went through witli tlie service of the mass ; down wliose broad naves, chanting and cross-bearing processions could move, and through whose ogived arches the pealing tones of the orsfan could resound. Throughout the whole the people were only a body of spectators. This accorded entirely with the spirit and policy of the Ilomish church. Protestantism changed all that. It recognized the Chris- tian ])ody as something more than a dumb and passive laity. It recognized them as a 'lioly priesthood,' each called to offer spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise to God. The great reformers, therefore, all of tliem, pre- pared or ina, and you pi-ayed \m\ out of it."' One cnricliiiient of the service is suggested with some dillidence. If the soncr f^' l'"' ri'verent singer may lift our hearts to Cod, niiglit not (lie sinijile and devout read- ing of a sacred lyric sonietinies have a dr\ of ioiial \aliie'.' The reading Mdiild convey tlic words more jicrfcctly than 1 PnicccdiiKjs of t/ic American Coiii/irss i>/ Churches, lt(8.">, pp. 75, 70. 156 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHUECH the siugiug- ordinarily does ; and the confession, the trust, the hope, the aspiration expressed in such beautiful words might help to kindle a worshipful feeling in the minds of listeners. There are many hymns of the highest liter- ary merit, and the deepest spiritual insight, which cannot well be sung ; might not a truly liturgical use be made of them ? There are many other excellent hymns which the hymnal of the worshipping congregation does not contain, and which might be employed in this way. If, just before the " long prayer," one or two of these sacred lyrics were reverently read, not with elocutionary effect, but as if it were a prayer, might this not be, in some cases, an inspir- ing introduction to the prayer about to follow? Nor is it essential that tliese devotional excerpts should be expressed in lyrical form. Words that contain the heart of prayer, the spirit of devotion, may be found in sermons and in contemplative writings. A beautiful col- lection of such meditations has been added to the devo- tional literature of the church by the blind preacher of Edinburgh, tlie Kev. George Matheson, and there is many an anthology of devout and uplifting thoughts, from which selections might be made. These should always be very brief, and should be manifestly joined by vital bonds with the prayer which follows. It cannot be too strongly said that this part of the service must be as far as possible removed from everything that savors of the theatrical ; if it is not essentially worship it can have no place in the pulpit. .Ml this matter of the enrichment of public worship needs to be wisely and firmly handled. Changes which have no merit but novelty, and Avhich are intended chiefly as baits to draw auditors slmulil be li^idly excluded; only those should be permitted \\ liii li promise to assist in mak- ing the worsliip of the congregation more general, more liearty, and more intelligent. The pastor, as the leader of tlic worslii]) of the congre- gation, must sometimes descend from tht- j)ulj)it to the altar, l-dr c\cii wliere nothini; rcsenibliny' that nnicli dis- PULPIT AND ALTAE, loT putecl piece of ecclesiastical furniture is visible in tlie sanctuary, there are still services whose nature is sacra- mental, Avhich cannot fitly be performed in the preacher's desk. The administration of these sacraments is an essential part of the pastor's duty. Among the Protestant churches the only rites to which the sacramental character attaches are Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Kespecting the nature of these sacra- ments, no extended discussion is here called for; we assume their practice, and simpl}^ seek to know how the ])astor ought to regard and administer them. It is, how- ever, necessary to recall the conclusions of the third chap- ter of tliis treatise, and to remember that the Christian pastor, in Protestant churches, in the administration of these sacraments assumes no sacerdotal powers, and that the sacraments themselves are not supi)osed by him to possess any intrinsic or magical ellicacy. They are not opera opcrata; they are symbols of spiritual facts and relations, — beautiful symbols which may greatly aid in impressing upon our minds these spiritual facts and in leading us to enter joyfully into these spiritual relations. The history of Baptism, beginning with the Day of Pentecost and coming down through the first live centu- ries of the life of the Church is a striking illustration of the growth of ritualistic elements. "What Matthew Ar- nold calls the invasion of Ahcnjlauhc is here visibly set fortli. "Originally administered in connection with im- mersion by the Apostles and tlicir fellow-laborers, we see Holy Baptism in the ancient Church already indicated by names which testify of a higli degree of appreciation, but at the same time lend [no ?] countenance to the sui)ei-sti- tious view which we see beginning to make its api)('arancc already in the second and third eenturics. Baptism was very soon termed 'anointing, seal, illumiiiaiinii. salva- tion;' also 'the spiritual gift, gmce, the garb of iiniiior- talitv.' Ill ]iio]Mirti(iii as iiifaiil ba^jtism bccanic more general, . .'341, setj. I'LLl'lT AND ALTAU 161 belongs to God ; that the beginning of wisdom for him must therefore be to know God and trust and serve liim ; and they shouhl be made to promise that they will teach the child, as soon as he can comprehend the meaning of the words, whose child he is and what are his duties to his Father in heaven. The question whether baptism should ever be adminis- tered to the children of parents who are not members of the church is answered, naturally, in different senses, by the holders of these differin"- theories. I'hose who regard ba2)tism as the seal of a covenant made by believers with God can see no propriety in administering it to the chil- dren of those who are not believers. By the assumption such parents can neither exercise the faith nor make the claim which gives the ordinance its validity. Dr. Van Oosterzee is inclined to make an exception ; he says that '• no parents who are not yet members must be received at the font, save under the express promise that they wall at once receive Christian instruction for themselves, in order that they may be in a position duly to instruct and set an example to their children." ^ But most pastors of Ileformed churches in Avhich the doctrine of the covenant is made the basis of infant baptism are inclined to say that the parents must publicly accept the covenant for themselves before they are permitted to claim it for their children. If, however, the other theory is adopted, there seems to be no conclusive reason why the children of i:)arents who aic not believers should not be declared to l)e the children of God, for siicli lliey are. If the parents wish this declara- tion to be made, i)ul)licly, in God\s house, concerning their cliildren, it is not clear that they ought to be refused. They ought, however, to be carefully instructed that this baptism makes no particle of change in the condition of their cliildren ; that they are no more sure to go to heaven when they die after than before bai)tisiii ; that, altliough they are God's children, tliey may, unless they are properly trained, grow up to lie jirodigal and idjcllious cliihhvn, and may wander away into (he far couiidN- and perish * Practical T/itoJo;/!/, \). r_'2. 11 162 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WOEiaNG CHURCH there. And they should be required to listen carefully to the promise which the parents must make who present their children for baptism, — the promise that they will teach the children to know their Father in heaven and strive to lead them into his service. If they cannot con- scientiously make this promise, they ouglit not to offer their children in baptism. If they can and will make it, the privilege of dedicating their children to God should not be denied them. All this closely connects the parents with the rite of infant baptism, and assumes that the sacrament can have no validity unless they take part in it. The presentation of the child by sponsors involves the doctrine of sacra- mental efficacy. If regeneration is eifected by baptism, it matters little who presents the child. Yet there was, no doubt, a reason underlying the institution of sponsors. The Church sought to enlarge the circle of those who should hold themselves responsible for the training of the child. The parental responsibility was assumed ; the sponsors were called in to supplement the parental function : it was understood that in case of the death of the parents the godfathers and godmothers were to assume the spiritual care of the children. Tliis obligation has come to rest lightly on most of those who now assume it ; yet there are conscientious souls to whom it is not desti- tute of meaning. Tlie precise terms of the baptismal formula should be considered. Should it be, "I baptize thee in the name of tlie Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," — or does the preposition ^Hnto''^ better express the real mean- ing of the ordinance ? The first form seems to assume on the part of the administrator some sacerdotal or ecclesias- tical autliority. He is acting in the name and \\'\\\\ the power of God. The other forui ratlier a]i]iears to comjxtrt with those views of tlie ministry to which this treatise adheres. The meaning is that ba[)tism introduces the per- son receiving it into the name and family of God ; cere- monially confers on him the Cliiislian name; publicly recognizes liini as belonfjinc: to the household of faith. PULPIT AND ALTAR 163 "Whether baptism should be privately adniinistered or not is a question that often confronts the Christian minis- ter. No inflexible rule can be laid down ; but it is evidLiit that, if the second theory of the rite is accepted, the public administration is far more appropriate. The declaration involved in the ordinance is made by the church ; tlie min- ister is only the mouth-piece of the church, and it is fitting that it should be made in the sanctuary and in the presence of the congregation. jMoreover it is, as we shall see in a later chapter, the formal initiation of the child into the fellowship of the church. " Infant baptism," says Dr. Cannon, '' recognizes that infant church-membership which is a great privilege ; its public administration, wliich con- nects it with the prayers of the church, for parents and their children, shows that it is an invaluable privilege." ^ The final words of Dr. van Oosterzee upon this subject are full of the wisdom and gentleness of Christ : " Do not always baptize at the close, but at least now and then at the beginning of the service, while the attention is yet fresh. Where local services admit of it, the mothers with their little ones should enter only immediately before the solemnit}^, during the reverent singing of the congregation. Care should be taken that all the material here necessary be in due order, and that the weak women be not kept too long standing. . . . Do not delay to speak a word of tenderness and love, when this is possil)le, in the families after the l)aptism, and be on your guard against all tliat may ever give rise to the impression that, in our estimation the whole matter is only a less significant appendix to the public service of the sanctuar3\ Accustom the congrega- tion, on the other hand, to think of baptism in immediate connection witli the confession later to be made, and con- stantly seek, al)ove all, for the congregation and yourself, the ba])tism of the IToly Ghost. In this w.ay the fruit of baptism will become finiii time to fiinc niort' a])undanl for family, congregation, and societ}', and ilic baptist be at the same time one who prepares the \\;\y for llie kingdom of heaven." ^ 1 J'dstoral Theolofji/, p. MO. 2 p,acti(ul Thcolog;/, p. IL'.n. 164 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH The adiriinistration of the Lord's Supper is also a sacred duty to which the pastor must give serious thought. Al- though among the Reformed churches generally neither tliis sacrament nor the other is supposed to call for the service of a priest, and although by many Protestants it is be- lieved that a layman may, with perfect propriety, adminis- ter the ordinance, when circumstances render it advisable, yet the careful and reverent performance of it is esteemed by all intelligent Christians to be a matter of great importance. The practice of the Reformed churclies differs greatly with respect to the frequency of this administration. The Scotch churches formerly observed the sacrament but twice a year ; the Dutch churches observe it four times a year ; most Presbyterian and Congregational churches in America six times a 3'ear ; some Protestant Episcopal churches cele- brate it monthly, and others weekly. The theories of the sacramentalists naturally require the frequent observance ; if the rite has efficacy in itself for the removal of sin and the conveyance of grace, it cannot be too often celebrated. But those who do not receive this theory must be governed by considerations of expediency in determining the times of its observance. The Scotch interval seems to be too long, but the added seriousness and importance with which it in- vests the Supper is a great gain. It is certain that increas- ing the frequency of observance does not proportionately enhance its value, and it is a question worth considering l)y the American churches, whether the quarterly observ- ance of the Dutch would not be better, on tlie whole, than the monthly or bi-monthly celebration. Most Protestant churclies provide some service of prepa- ration for tlie Supper. Sometimes, as among the I):q)tists, it takes the form of a Covenant meeting in which the mem- bers participate, with confession and testimony and song and piayer. Among the Scotch Presbyterians, the pi xpa- ration for the Su])per is a great solemnity, occu])ying sev- eral days. AVitli fasting and jiraycr. \\itli iniuli solemn instruction and meditation, the cominunicants aj)proacli tlic taljle. Presbyterians in America often devote considerate PULPIT AXD ALTAIi 165 time to services of this nature. ]\Ianuals of instruction prepared for their ministry lay much emphasis upon tliis work of preparation. In the early part of the week pre- ceding the comnuinion, the pastor is advised to call a meeting of the church for prayer. Toward the end of the week, generally on Friday afternoon or evening, a more formal service is held, at which a discourse, having distinct reference to the sacrament, is preached by the Pastor. This " Preparatory Lecture," or Sermon, is common to many of the Reformed churches. The nature of this ad- dress will be suggested b}^ the circumstances and the pres- ent condition of the church. The underlviuQ- tliouo-ht must be the Lord's gift of himself for us, — the revelation of his saving love in liis great sacrifice. His identification of himself with men in his life and death, and our salvation tlu-ough our voluntar}^ identification of ourselves with him, will be the central theme of all these services. Paul's Avoi'ds convey the thought which sliould be uppermost : " For the love of Christ constraineth us ; l)ecause we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died ; and that he died for all that they which live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died niid rose aijaiii."' ' I)Ut this thouglit admits of many practical applications to the existing life of the cliurcli itself; and it is often ver}^ serviceable when the members of the church are gathered for tliis preparatory service, and few others are present, to consider dclinitely Avhat this principle of identification with Christ involves with respect to the work in which the church is engaged, and how they may best manifest their gratitude for his great love, and show tliemselves to be identified with liim in thouglit and life. If tlie cluirch is to undertake any new srivicM' in Ix-lialf of the poor or the negk^cted, tlie projx'r place to consider it is at the Loi'd's table, and at tlu^ service of jirepai'atioii lor it. In the IJonian Catholic clinicii, confession ;d\\;iys |>re- "cdes tlic I'.iieharist ; and the jncpai'ation is made in ihe conversation between the penitent and the priest, and in 1 ;; Cnv. V. II, 1.'.. 166 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH the discipline enjoined at the confessional. The Lutheran church also adheres to private confession, but considerably modifies the Roman Catholic practice. Dr. Harnack ad- mits that confession is not enjoined by the Scriptures, but maintains that it is of great practical value, — especially as a means of safeguarding the Lord's Supper.^ The manner of the administration differs in Protestant churches. Episcopalians and Methodists receive it kneel- ing at the altar ; in some churches large tables are sur- rounded with the communicants, and are cleared and filled afresh until all have partaken ; and in many others the elements are distributed by the officers of the church to the communicants sitting in their pews. The form of the sac- rament is evidently not essential ; each of these methods has a fitness and beauty of its own which endears it to those who have become accustomed to it. In the Dutch churches it has long been the practice for the minister at the table to address a few questions to the communicants, reverently standing, to which they make audible response. Such a renewal of their confession of loyalty to the Lord seems highly aj)propriate. After these questions there were formerly added, in some parts of Holland, the following beautiful words by the pastor : "Now, beloved, if we are faithful, and will be faitliful with all our heart, although much weakness and sin still cleave to us, contrary to our desire, the Lord is faithful, Avlio also will complete his work in us. Tie will bless and strengthen us ; he will lift up his countenance upon us and enlighten and sanctify us. lie shall preserve our whole l)eing, spirit, soul, and bod}-, unblamable unto his appearing. Amen." ^ The address at the Communion service must not be i"A1)or in dor Alpsniiuion haiulclt dor Triigor des Anits weder als /Hc/er, wie dcr runiisclic Kirclio lohrt, nocli al3 fralcr, wic dio Sclnvcitzcrischcii be- liauptcn, soiidern als minislrr Del, als Dioner, ^'c'r\valto^ des ncuestostamciit- liclieii (iiiadonamtH. Darnni ist Absolution wedcr cin riclitcrliclips .ludicoron, nocli cin bruderlidios IJcratlicn ; sondcrn cs ist oin Spcndcn uiid s]io(ielies Applicercn dcr Gnadc an den Kin/.clnen im Namen Gottcs." (Gtschichte and Thcorif dcr Prcdi'fjf iitid drr Serlsorije, p. 481.) ^ Van Oostcrzec, Practical T/icolorji/, p. 42G. VITLVIT AND ALTAR 167 extended ; a brief sermon, of not more than fifteen minutes in length, may be the best preparation ; but all the exer- cises should be so ordered that the service shall not be fatiguing. To append the Communion to a service of ordiuaiy length is not wise. In most Protestant churches some form of invitation to the table is generally given. Sometimes all members of sister churches or of Evangelical churches, in good and regular standinof, are invited ; sometimes the broader invi- tation is given to all disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. It is not to be supposed that any form of words Avill serve to bar from the table all unworthy persons ; and it may be wisest to throw upon the communicant liimself the entire responsibility of receiving or refusing the Supper. The pastor will often find among his people some who hesitate to come to the table because of a conceived un- worthiness. That blunt translation of Paul's words in the Old ^"e^sion, that "he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself," ^ has terrilied many timid disciples. The pastor needs carefully to in- struct his people as to the force of that word "unworthily," and that other word " damnation ; " and should make them understand that those who most deeply feel their own un worthiness are those who are most welcome at Christ's tal)le, if only they come with contrite hearts and sincere desire to overcome the evil. The words of Paul just quoted have led, in some churches, to a careful guarding of the sacrament from unworthy communicants. In Holland the address pre- ceding communion is called "fencing the tables," from the fact that it is designed to warn away those who are unfit to participate. The need of sincerity and sericnisnoss in this as in all other acts of worship is too evident to be insisted on ; and it is not unnatural that some excei)tioiial caution be enjoined on those wlio approacli the Lord's table; yet it may be questioned wlutlier too mucli «iii|ili;i- sis has not been put on llu'sc ail litions. A supei-sti- 1 Cor. xi. '2<.K 168 CHEISTIAN PASTOH AKD "WORKING CHURCH tious fear of " eating and diiuking condemnation," if not damnation, keeps many hnnible and conscientious Chris- tians away from the table. The feeling is prevalent that the rite is only for those whose sanctity is exceptional ; those who most need its comfort often either deprive themselves of the ordinance, or else draw near to the table with so much doubt and fear that its benefits are lessened, if not lost. All such stumbling-blocks the pastor must seek to remove. In his preparatory services and in his invitations to the Supper he must make it clear that the sacrament is not for the sinless, but for all needy souls Avho in true poverty of spirit are seeking to turn from their evil ways and to receive the forgiveness of their sins. Some cliurches require intending communicants to be provided with tickets of admission to the sacrament. The provision springs from the anxiety of the church to prevent unworthy communication ; it is not so much the profana- tion of the Supper that is dreaded as the injury to the unworthy communicant. The im2)ossibility of exercising, in such a case, any adequate judgment upon the characters of communicants might, however, lead the church authori- ties to question tlie wisdom of sucli a course. The most vigilant censorship will not shut out all the unworthy; and it is at least an open question whether it is not better to require every discijjle to judge liimself. This seems, at any rate, to be the clear meaning of the apostolic instruction.^ One of tlie most solemn services of the altar to wliich the pastor is called is the reception of new members to the church. In some of the churches the v\tv of Confii-mation is carefully defined ih rules and rnl^rics ; the minister's duty is precisely laid down. The instruction of tliose who are to be received into the cominunidu of tlie clmivli is systematized and enjoined; of tliis we slmll have more to say in a subsequent cba[)ter. Even in these churches, however, much iimsl l)e h-ft to tlie discretion of the pastor: it will be his duty to bring liome the obligation of publicly confessing their Lord to the minds of many 1 1 C(.r. xi. 28, 29. PULPIT AND ALTAR 169 wliD liave been consecrated to his service in their infancy, and of many others who have not received such initiation into the divine society. In many of the Protestant clmrches the ritual of admis- sion is not ehiborate, and the whole matter largely depends on the wisdom of the pastor. To him is chiefly committed the question of the fitness of candidates ; even where there is a session or a consistory or a committee whose approval must be secured, the pastor's recommendations are gener- ally influential. If the form of admission includes the acceptance of a creed it is manifestly the duty of the pastor to see that the candidate understands the words to which he will give his assent. There should be no concealment or evasion here ; the intellectual dishonesty of repeating phrases whicli do not express the convictions of the candidate should never be encouraged by the pastor. The wisdom of employing theological creeds in the formularies of ad- mission to the church may well be questioned; but if his church has established this condition, he can do nothing otlior than conform to it. Wliere no such theological expressions arc required of candidates there is still an important duty for the pastor in ])ringing those who are without into the communion of the church. It is for liim to set before tliem an open door, and to speak the invitation so graciously that they shall l)e constrained to come in. And the moment when he meets on the tlu'cshold of the clmrcli these disciples who liave been won to confession tlirough his ministry will be to liim and to them a moment of great seriousness. Witli great dignity, with entire simplicity, with deep tenderness of spirit the service ought to be conducted. The self- dedication of the candidates is a solemn act, and its sig- nificance ought to appear. Rut il is also a jvoting tlicmselves, and tiio note of hope and exaltation nuist not be absoit. Not only for the candiilates, l)ut for (he members of the house- hold of faith into which they arc now entering, sndi a ser- vice ought to be memorable and upHfling. Whcllicr or not 170 CHRISTIAN PASTOE AND WORKING CHURCH it shall bo so will depend very largely iipon the spirit of the pastor. One other service of a liturgical character the pastor is often called to perform. jMarriage is not, in the Protes- tant churches, a sacrament ; but it is a rite of great sacred- ness, and it is entirely fitting that it should be performed within the church. Wherever the covenant is conse- crated, however, its true character should not be lost sight of. The State provides for civil marriage by magis- trates ; the fact that so few persons avail themselves of this provision is proof that the sacredness of the act is still deeply impressed upon the consciousness of the dwellers in Christian lands. The great majority even of those who have no connection with the churches desire that the cere- mony of marriage should be performed by a minister of Clnist and blessed by prayer. It is a choice which the conduct of the officiating minister should abundantly con- firm. Let him see to it tliat the sacredness of the rite be manifest to those who have thus invoked his service.^ Let him make them feel, if they never felt it before, that they arc standing in the very presence of God, and speak- ing their vows directly to liim ; that no act of their lives can ever require deeper humility or greater conscientious- ness. Not seldom young men and women unknown to him will come to him with the authorization of the State in their hands, but with a very inadequate conception in tlicir minds of the importance of the business in which they solicit his offices. It is a pitiful emergency wliicli he thus confronts ; it is not ordinarily advisable for liim to refuse to render the service whicli they request, nor is it judicious for liiiu to offm- remonstrance or cxliortation. All that he can do is to lill tlic simple rite so full of its true meaning that some sense of its vital significance may dawn upon them, even in llie nK)mcnts while they are stancUng before him. As ho pronounces the solemn words 1 " Le ministrc iloit bien se pardcr d'accoinplir certains rites, tcls que baptcmc et lo mariac;o, (1*11110. iiianiiTe l/^jjcre et trop commune. Ce qui est u 11 acto joiirnaliiT jiour iions est toujours uii actc soleiiiiel pour antres." (Vinet, T/ic'olo'/ie Pasloralc, p. 211.) PULPIT ^VXD ALTAR 171 of the covenant, as he lifts up his voice in prayer, the truth may be borne into their minds that the vows which they are uttering must not be lightly spoken. In all cases the marriage service, as the Christian min- ister performs it, ought to be one of the most impressive and genuinely religious services in which he ever partici- pates ; the festivities with which it is apt to be surrounded should never be permitted to encroach uj^on its sacred character. CHAPTER VII THE PASTOR AS miEND In a previous chapter we have spoken of that priesthood of sympathy which the pastor exercises through his iden- tification with his people. It is evident that the fulfil- ment of this relation is made possible only by a general acquaintance with the community, and a more or less inti- mate friendship with the families and the individuals to whom he is called to minister. In the general social life of the neighborhood in which he lives the pastor ought to mingle as freely as he can. He will not be able to give nearly as much time to this part of his work as he would like to give ; for his study must not be neglected, and the administrative work, of which we have yet to speak, must be carefully attended to; but he Avill understand the importance of knowing his neighbors, and of being fully informed concerning the general interests of the (•oiiiiiiuiiity in which he lives. Tliis is not to say that he will devote a very large part of his time to what is technically known as " society," though even into this, Avith due circumspection, he will find it to Ids account to enter. The fashionable pe()[)U'- are his neighbors; some of them may be his parisliioners, and he needs to know them. Tlieii- fiivolitii's and dissipations Ik' need iiol (■(iimtenance ; but a lii'sl-liaud ac(|ii;iiiil;mce with them is iii(lis])ensa1)l(\ Tliese peo])U' arc not clean gone astray ; many of them entertain serious aims ; some nf llicm arc full of ])cucficcnt labors; not only that lie luay ilii thciu good, but thai he may enlist thciu in the work of the kingdom it is important that he sliould iiiain- taiu fiieiidly relations with Iheiu. "Take an illustra- tion," says one writer, "from the society of the second THE PASTOR AS FRIEND 173 century. It is said of St. Ignatius that he longed to know more Christians, and to give them an interest in each other. Tliis is a natural wa}- iu \\hich we can contrihute our share to the drawing-rooms of our parish. We can- not guide the conversation if we tried, and it would per- haps savor of presumption if we could; ])ut we can often throw a kindness into some sharp criticism that is going on ; Ave can go and talk with some one who seems shy or neglected ; we must not argue, but we may quietly give a practical reason for our faith when questions arise about it; if we cannot conquer people b}^ the force of our intel- lect, we may win them by unaffected humility ; we need not assert ourselves, our views, or our cause, but we may commend them by their effect on our own character. And we shall often gain more than we give ; we shall wear off the Aveariness of our parish work, and Ave shall humanize our morning study ; Ave shall enlarge and enrich our oavu mind by liA'ing in contact Avith those Avho see things fioiu another vicAV-point and from a different training." ^ But it is more important that the pastor should make himself thoroughly familiar Avitli the industrial, the educa- tional, and the philanthropic circles, and that he should have a good ac({uaintance with the busy life of the com- numity. lie Avill have much to do with the proper dcA^el- opment of this life. His task, as Ave liaA^e seen already and shall hereafter more distinctly see, is the Christianization of all this manifold and nuiltiform activity. But our thought at present concerns only his relation to the individuals of Avhich these social groups are composed. He needs to knoAV something about tlie labor question; but most ho needs to knoAV the men Avho arc Avi-estling w it1i (liis ques- tidii. It is important to understand ecoiKtmic theories, ijiiL it is more important to haA'c some personal ai'(iuaint- ance Avith the liuman ])eings to Avliom tliese tlieories are matters of life and deatli. It is precisely so Avitli all these social interests. Each has a theoretic side, and each has a liuman side; and the minister needs to know a\1ki( he can of both. That his |ireaeliinL,^ will be more intflli^cnt ' J7ir /'aris/i I'riisl in l\ncii, j)|). .'iCi, ."17. 174 CHEISTIAX PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH and more liuinane because of this knowledge is evident enough ; but the point now before us is that he gains, by such a familiarity with every-day affairs, opportunities of friendship which will greatly add to the fruitfulness of his ministry. The minister ouo-ht to be one of the best known men in his neighborhood; the men of business, the professional men, the laboring men, the teachers, the pupils in the schools ought to recognize him in the streets and exchange with him a cordial greeting ; he ought to be the one man in all the vicinage to whom the heart of any one in need of a friend would instinctively turn. He is, by virtue of his calling, nay, rather, by reason of the life that is in him, the friend of all these people. The chief Pastor, when he was here, was the people's friend. Everybody seems to have known him ; nobody was afraid of him. Faber's verses describe what was true of his life in the flesh : — " O see how Jesus trusts himself Unto our childish love ! As though by his free ways with us Our earnestness to prove. " His sacred name a common word On earth he loves to iiear : There is no majesty in him That love may not come near." He was the Friend of pul)licans and sinners, but he was not less truly the Friend of rich men, and of little children. It is the first business of the i)astor to establish sucli relations as these between himself and all the people of his neighborhood. Jt is not merely to the members of his own congregation tliat lie will miiiiifest this friendliness; if the mind that was in (lirist is in liim, no such exclusive affection will be possible to him. To do good to all men as lie has oppoi'tnnity will be the imi^ulse of his love. Such free Jind familiar intercourse with all classes of people has not always been expected of the Christian minister. Indeed, it has sometimes been suj)posed that a somewhat careful reserve was most becoming in him. THE TASTOi: AS FRIEND 175 " Tlie very question," says Van Oosterzee, '• whether the pastor ought to associate on terms of friendship with the members of his congregation, is by no means answered by all in the same sense. The Romish church permits this only within great limitations. J. B. Massilon, for instance, in his Discours sur la maniere dont les EccUsiastiques doivent convcrser avec les personnes die monde, Avould have the priest, as a rule, associate only with priests ; and cer- tainly it cannot be denied on the Protestant side that one may as greatly err in this respect by the too much as by the too little." ^ For priests, who recognize themselyes as belonging to a separate caste, this may be a good rule ; but not for those who regard themselves as possessing no such dignity. Even the parish priests of France and Germany, the best among them, have but lightly regarded counsels of this kind, and have kept themselves in closest friendship with the people to whom the}^ ministered. It is not by withdrawing from familiar intercourse with the people that the minister best preserves the sanctity of his character. The leaven must be mingled with the meal ; and the more thoroughly it is worked into it, the better the results will be. And this means, among other things, a close and familiar intercourse between those lives which have received the divine influence in its fulness and those which have not. The one task of the minister is to brincf the active goodness Avhich exists in the hearts and lives of his people into vital contact with the needs of tlie human beings round about them. It is by this personal and ])rac- tical friendship of the members of the church with tlinse who are without tliat the work of evangelization is to ])o carried on. And if the pastor wishes his i)eoj)le to do this work he must show tliem liow to do it. I low the Christian minister, in this generation, ciin liold himself aloof from the people of his congregation and of his neigliborliood, or how lie can maintain a kind of social distinction fioni them, does not clearly appear. Antl yet it is very important tliat his intercourse with his neighbors be not of sueli a eliaractt'r as to undermine ^ I'racticul Theology, p. 543. 176 CHRISTIAN PASTOIl AND WORKING CHURCH his intluence. He is not to assume any superiority over them, but on the other hand he must beware how he lowers his own standards of judgment or conduct in conformity to theirs. It may not be necessary for him constantly to rebuke tlie selfishness, the frivolit}-, the sordidness, the un- charity which he encounters in his conversation with those whom he meets ; these people are his friends, and it is of the utmost importance that he should not forfeit their friendship ; but it is possible for him to set forth, affirma- tively, in his own conversation and conduct, such an ideal of character as shall awaken in them a desire for somethino- better. When he is in the company of those who are too much given to frivolous amusement, he may lead the con- versation to more serious subjects — to the great opportu- nities for unselfish service ; when he hears a word of ungenerous criticism, he can ve]Ay to it with a charitable judgment; when he comes in contact with one who is being consumed with covetousness or ambition he may gently endeavor to turn his thought toward higher interests. One may be in the closest friendship with the selfish and the worldly and not be overl)orne by their selfishness and worldliness. One must be in close friendship witli them in order to do them any good. " As thou didst send me into the world," said the Master, " even so have I sent them into the world." " They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." " I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." ^ When the pastor has succeeded in establishing between liimsell" and his neighbors and parishioners such relations of friendship, great opportunities of helpful ministry will come to liim. As friend and coiinscllor and ofidde of men, licavy responsibilities will be laid upon him. Tliere will be no confessional in which he will sit as the mouth- piece of (jod, to liear the word of the penitent and pro- nounce a])Solution, but if Ik; is the kind of man tliat he ought to be, a great many stories of donbt and iitiplexity •4nd soiTOW '.ind shame and despair are likely to be ponied ^ Jiiliii xvii. THE I'ASTOR AS FRIEND 177 into his ears. The cure of souls is his high calling ; it invokes for him what tenderness, what dignity, what sym- pathetic insight, what sanity of judgment, what love for men, what faith in God I His own personality will deter- mine very largely the iiature of the confidence reposed in liim. If he is weak and effusive and credulous, all sorts ,of sentimentalists will burden him with their tales of woe and entangle him in their trilling toils. There is peril on this side, and he must be on his guard. But if he is known to be a man of sober sense and firm character, the silly sort will not greatly affect him. He will not, if he is as wise as Solomon was reputed to be, wholly escape such confidants, but they will not seriously trouble him. Above all tilings let him beware how he deals Avith domestic dilficulties. To take sides in a quarrel between a husband and a wife is generally perilous business. It is a good rule to hear nothing from either except in the other s presence. In many cases — probably in the great majority of cases — the right word for the minister to the one who brings the complaint is a very firm and ener- getic injunction to go home, and never speak of it to any mortal, but to settle the trouble without any outside inter- ference. A minister may often say in such a case, with all the authority and solemnity of the everlasting truth in his utterance : '• Yon iwn must live together. Y(in have covenanted to do so Ijci'orc the eternal (iod, and you nuist keep your covenant. Separation is not to be tliought of. You took each other for better or worse, and you nuist not desert each other now. The problem for eacli of yon is to win and compel tlie respect, the affection, of tlie otlier. You can do it if you try. You liad better die tlian fail, rio liomo niid ])ogin to-day." Sucli words as tliese have put an end, more than once, to discords that would have destroyed hoitscliolds and left children homeless. There is, however, in eveiy congregation, enougli of real trouble to tax Uw minister's resources of s^Ill])athv and wisdom. I low niiich there is. in every conununity, of anxiety and disappoinlmenl and lieart-lireaking sorrow that never comes to the snrface, of which the gossiping 178 CHRISTIAN PASTOR ANJJ \\ORKlXG CHURCH Avoiid never knows anything at ail ! A great deal of this trouble comes to the minister; he must always be the sharer of many burdens which are hidden from the public gaze. This is just as it ought to be ; the pastor has as little reason to complain of it as the doctor has to com- plain of a multitude of patients. But it is apt to be the most exhaustive part of the pastor's work; the drafts made upon his nervous energy through the appeal to his sympathies are heavier than those which are due to liis studies. Every pastor must be ready for a great deal of this kind of work, — work that will make no noise in the newspapers, and that will not greatly affect his clerical reputation, but that will have its reward in the day when he is received into the everlasting habitations. Pastoral work rather tends, in these days, to take this form, especially in the larger churches. There is less of what is known as pastoral visiting ; but there is more of demand upon the pastor for counsel and help in all sorts of personal troubles. The pastor offers less of personal ser- vice than once he did, but he is called on for more. This is partly because the sacerdotal character of the minister is fading out, and the brotherly character is more strongly accentuated. Formerly the pastor was expected to go regular!}- to the homes of his parishioners, and there to enter into religious conversation with every meml)er of the family, seeking to learn the secrets of tlie spiritual history of each one, and offering such admonition as seemed wise to him. Tliere is less of this than once there was ; some wise men think that there is less of it noAV than there oufjlit to be. The cliano-e lias i-esultcd in ])art, no doul)t, from an enlarged, perhaps an exagger- ated, sense of the sacredness of personality. Conscien- tious ministers often liave scruples about tln-usting their counsel upon those who give no sign of desiring it, and are more than donbtful about the utility of such a method of family visitation as was formerly practised. Some of us wlio were by no moans indisposed, in oni' cliildhood, to religious conversation, nndci- jtropcr concHtions, do yet vividly recall the repugnance witli which the ollicial visit THE PASTOR AS FKIEND 179 of the i)arsoii to the family was expected, and ihu annoy- ance with which we replied to his inquisition. Dr. "Will- cox is not far from the truth when he says to young ministers: "In your labor with individuals, to draw them to Christ, see each of them always alone. It is a griev- ance to any one to ask him to throw open to a group of listeners his inmost life. Commonly he will decline. If he does you will talk, not with, but onl}^ at him. You ^^•ill preach to him only the general counsel that never comes home to us." ^ It is not clear that this can be adopted as a universal rule; the pastor may know of family circles into which he could safely introduce the most intimate conversation on religious themes. lUit it is ordinarily far wiser to respect the natural reticence which shrinks from the exposure of the secrets of the soul. And it is pirobable that the pastor who went about among the homes of his people, questioning husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters as he found them, in the family groups, would not be so apt to attract to himself the confidence of those who really need counsel as if he adopted a lo?s aggressive method. Pastoral visitation, as we shall presently see, may still serve an excellent purpose ; but, as affording an oppor- tunity for serious conversation upon the religious life, it does not hold the same place that once it held in the estimation of the wise pastoi-. For the personal ministry which we are now considering, otlicr op[!Oi-tunities must be sought than those which are afforded by general pastoral visitation. Sometimes the man can be found in liis ollice or his place of business; but care must be taken not to encroach upon time which is occupied with necessary duties. Sometimes a walk or a driNc or :i iiiilway journey in company will l)ring the o])])ortunitv ; very often th(> pastor's study or his j)arlor at home will fuinisli the ])la('e foi- such ;iii iii(( r\ ii'W. It is ahvnvs fni- Ix'ttcr, of coui'sc. Ili;it the coulidciicc slituild be sought by the pnrishiolicr ; to ojtcii the \\:iv for (his and lead up to it is what the skilful j)ast()r will seek to ■ Tlic Pdslor amidst Ins Flovl, y. II 180 CHEISTIAX PASTOR AKD WORKING CHtJRCH do. But it may sometimes be wise for liim to invite such confidences. He may have reason to believe that some friend of his in the congregation is in a state of mind in wliich a frank talk with his pastor would be welcome, though he would shrink from proposing it. A cordial invitation might Ijring him to the study or the parsonage. The wise and faithful pastor is alwa3'S seeking for such opportunities of personal ministry to those who have learned to confide in his friendship. A confidential note will sometimes open the way for such a conversation. There may be circumstances in which the pastor could more easily and delicately invite the confidence in this way. To find the occasion for the first serious words is often difficult. But the pastor should be sure that he possesses the entire respect and confidence of the friend whom he thus addresses. It is always better, when possible, that the communication should be face to face, as a man speaketh with his friend. The needs of the souls to whom the pastor seeks to minister are many and various. No two cases are alike ; each is a separate study. But one may think of types which are always found in all our congregations. The pastor is too apt to find among the members of his church some who have ceased to take any active part in its work, and some who have even lost their interest in spirit- ual things ; with such persons as these he should seek to establish friendship, that he may, if possible, lead them back to the ways of disciplcship. The first thing is to win their confidence; then he may seek to learn the reasons of their lack of service. AVith some of these the chief difliculty ^\ ill bo found to be intellectual. The}^ have become entangled in (liiul)ts, and either are, or suppose themselves to be, disabled for riiristian service. The problem of dealing with tlie doubter is thus l)rought liome to the pastor. Tn these latter days it is a problem of hirgc dimensions. TIk; tremendous ad- vance of tlie physical sciences, tlie rise of tlie ]»liilosopliy of evolution, the prevalence of the methods ol' historical criticism, have made necessary a restatement of many of THE PASTOlf, AS FRIEND 181 the doctrines of religion, and have swept the foundations from beneath the feet of multitudes who have not had time to adjust themselves to these rapid movements of mind. Many of these doubters, who liave withdrawn from active work in the church, are not really half so Avidely separated from their brethren as they suppose themselves to be. The things which they are inclined to deny are things which no one wishes them to affirm. The pastor finds, when he comes to close quarters with their difficulties, that the stund)ling- blocks from which they have turned back are not really there, — that they were swept away long ago by the move- ments of Christian thought. One is often surprised to find how ignorant men are of what is going on around thcin, — how little aware they are of the progress of theological science. The wise pastor is often able to give great relief to burdened minds by showing them that the difficulties Mhicli had troubled them do not exist. Real diffictilties there are, however, and they must be met with the utmost candor. Not seldom it will be easy to show that they rest upon an unsound philosophy ; that what the doubters deny w^ould lead, if they consistently maintained it, to intellectual chaos. And it is generally true that there are mysteries quite as profound in the sim- plest phenomena of life as any which theology presents. Tennyson's lines are an adequate reply to many sceptical suggestions : — " Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out (jf the crannies ; Hold you liere, root and all, in my hand, Little flower — but if I could understand What you are, root and all, and all in all, I .should know what (iod and man is." Tlic pastor will often be able to put into ilif liaiids oC the doubter some book tliat deals siKM-ilicnlly and wisely wilh his dillieulties. Familiarity with liteiaLuie oi tliis kind is higldy im[)ortant, and a judicious use of it; for iiuieli of tliat which is employed is ciilcnlatiMl lo Mggravate rallier tliiiii til iclicvc doubt. Certain cumistds of Dr. \an ()t(.s- terzee niay wvW be poinlered : — 182 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH " The doubter may be led by means of the Scripture to Christ, but also by faith in Christ to the just estimate of the Scriptures ; and according to the apportionment of these times, the last-mentioned way appears preferable in the case of by far the greater number. From the niulta, there- fore, direct the attention to the niidtum ; from the circum- ference of the circle to its unmovable centre. Learn to comprehend and explain each of the parts in the light of the whole ; the miracles of the prophets, from the idea of the theocrac}'; those of Jesus and the apostles, from the whole divine plan of salvation ; those of creation in connection with the idea of God. In the clearing up of historic difficulties for persons of intelligence, frankly surrender all that you cannot, with a good conscience, maintain; but point out at the same time (in connection with the details of the resurrection, e.g.) how many a de- tail less certain, or even for us irreconcilable with other statements, detracts nothing whatever from the great fact with which we have here exclusively to do. In the treat- ment of dogmatic questions, withdraw quickly (when there is a divergency,) from the province of ecclesiastical doctrine to that of the purer doctrine of Scripture, espe- cially of the New Testament, and show that, even though very considerable difficulties attach to the acknowledg- ment of the truth, its consistent rejection leads to much greater difficulties, nay, absurdities. Call attention to the limitation of the intellect with regard to the liow of invisible things, but at the same time to the validity of the grounds whicli compel us to believe in the that. Extol the power and glor}' of faith, even according to the tes- timony of not a few unbelievers themselves ; and point not less to the depths of denial and misery to which (he path of doul)t must in the long run inevitably lead."* ^ This Avhole sidjject of the treatment of doubt belongs to Apologetics, rather than to Pastoral Theology ; yet it is in this sphere that tlie pastor is called to apply wliat he has liiiiiicil ill many departments of study ; and a few simple priiicijilcs may be s('i-\iceable in this part of his woi'k. ^ Practical Thcoluijjj, j)]). 570-571. THE i'ASTOiL A6 i'i:iE:SD 183 1. Must of the intellectual difficulties which the pastor \\'ill encounter at the present day arise from the assump- tion of the antecedent improbability of the miraculous. Upon this it is well to say that while what is known as the miraculous may be supernatural, it is not anti-nat- ural. It may be the revelation of a power Avhich works upon or within nature in a way that we do not understand ; it is not a violation of nature. 2. To one who objects to any religion in ^^'lliL•h tlie su})ernatural is implied, it may be useful to put the ques- tion whether he believes in a supernatural God, and Avhetlier if there be such a God it is possible for men to have any relations with him. If religion consists in fel- lowship and communion with a supernatural divinity, it is difficult to see how the element of the supernatural can be wlioUy eliminated from it. o. The proof of religion, so far as it is gained by or- dinary argumentation, must rest on probabilities ; demon- strative proofs are out of the question. Respecting the existence of God or the fact of a future life there can be no mathematical certainty. A preponderance of evidence in support of the proposition may be shown — nothing' more. But this is precisely the ground on which we rest! all our judgments of practical affairs; we risk our lives,' our fortunes, our happiness upon such evidence. ' 4. The Christian religion is given to us not for specula- tive, but for practical purposes. There is only one test, tliat is the test of life. It is not much less absurd to try to determine its truth by simply arguing about it than it Willi Id 1)0 to try to find out whether a peach was good with(Hit tasting it, or whether air would support life with- out breathing it. " If any man willeth to do his will he shall know of the doctrine." ^ Th(! lirst condition of intel- ligent inquiry is readiness U) '' du the trutli." The man who wishes liglit upon the decj) things of God must ]nit himself in the position in which light can come to him. This l)usiness of dealing with doulil is one of the most delicate and difficult to which the luiiiister is calleil : It ' .luliii vii. 1 7. 18-1: CIIRISTIAX TASTOR AND WOIIKESTG CHUltCH requires a large equipment of knowledge, but more than this it demands tact and sympathy and loving considera- tion. Doubtless there is much scepticism whicli is born of ignorance and conceit and headiness, — wliicli vaunteth itself and is puffed up, and assumes that whatsoever things have been believed must be disputed, — that this is the beginning of wisdom. But even this distemper of mind is to be dealt with patiently ; false logic and arrogant as- sumptions must be mercilessly exposed, yet always with kindness. The most of those, however, who will mako known to the minister their doubts are honest doubters, and a generous and patient treatment will lead them into the truth. Such doubters must be admonished not to bo afraid of their doubts, but to face them, and grapple with them fearlessly ; never to accept any sophistries for reason- ings ; and never to try to compel the mind to assent to a statement because it is safer or more comfortable to believe it. " Have it as a law," says Dr. Bushnell, " never to put force upon the mind, or try to make it believe ; because it spoils the mind's integrity, and when that is gone, wliat power of advance in the trutli is left? " ^ In short, it may be said that in his treatment of tho doubters in liis congregation the pastor has a great op- portunity of extending his friendships. No greater service can be rendered to any man than an honest and manly effort to enable him to (iml lh(! ti-utli. And tliose who have found their wa}-, under his guidance, out of the ^vil- derness of doubt into the green pastures and besidi^ llie still waters, are likely to cherish a deep and lasting affec- tion for the slieplierd wlio has led theiu. The pastor will lind among bis parisliioners not a few who have fallen out of the ways of active disci])leshi]) be- cause the views of the Christian life with whicli they set out have not been verified in their experience. They entertained ratlier fanciful notions of wliat it means to fol- low Christ. At the beginning of the way there was a icr- tain exliilaration and fervor of si)irit which on the dull 1 Siriiiiiiis on Lir'tuij Siihjrrts. p. 181. 'I'liis wlmli' seriiKJii on " Tlie Dis- solving of Doubts " id full of the ripest wisiloui. THE PASTOR AS FPwIEND 185 levels of every day duty it is luiid to sustain ; and when that exalted mood was lost they thought their religious life was gone, and relapsed into careless and undevout ways. It is needful to bring these wanderers back into the paths of service, and to show them that a religion of more sober color is quite as genuine and more serviceable. In the last generation and probably in the former genera- tions, cases of religious despair were very common. Men and women were not rare who had settled down upon the conviction that they were lost souls ; that for them there could be no future but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment. This state of mind was due in large measui-e to the fatalistic theories with which theology had been infested. A thoroughly conscientious person, working strenuously upon the problems of personal salvation, and failing to enter into those emotional experiences which he often hears reported, might easily come to feel that the reason of his failure was to be found in those inscrutable decrees by which heaven is sealed to all but the elect. When such an appalling conviction has been reached, it must hold the mind fast in its palsying grasp ; and the offers of the gospel forever sound like a dismal mockery. It is not many years since persons could be found in nearly every congregation who had sunk into chronic hopelessness tln-ough the operation of such causes. These things are better understood in our day ; the ethical element in the- ology has supplanted mere force as a regulative principle ; and the belief that the Judge of all the earth will do right has (|uieted most of these despairing cries. lUit theic arc still occasional cases of religious melanclmly wliidi ic(|tiiri' to be wisely treated. In most of these cases, the irouble is jihvsical, and the sufferer must be gently l)ut linnly en- joined to lose no time in consulting a jihysician. The ])as- tor may liims(df have had experiences of de|)ressiou arising from ])urely physical causes, ami may be id)le (<• cDnviuce the \iitim of melancholia that he knows what \\r is saying. The close relation of the body and the mind, and thr hict that mental suffering is oficii caust'd by j)hysi(al maladies, nuist always In- kept before the thought of him who is 18G CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHUrvCII called to minister to minds diseased. The converse of all this is, however, just as true. There are many physical ailments whose source is in a troubled conscience or a morbid fear. The pastor may often call to his aid the medical inan in dissolving doubt and despair ; but, on the other hand, there are many sicknesses that the doctor with his drugs can never cure, but that would be quickly put to flight if the load of shame and remorse that are resting upon the heart could be removed. The utmost wisdom is needed in dealing with such cases ; the true priesthood of the pastor is here called into exercise. If by gentle ques- tioning he can draw forth the rankling secret, and con- vince the troubled soul, by his own forgivingness, that the Infinite Love is able to save to the uttermost all who trust in him, he may prove to be the bringer of health and peace. The cure of souls is a phrase Avith a deep and real meanino-. The visitation of the sick is one of the constant labors of the Christian pastor. In any considerable congi-egation the weeks are few in which some service of this sort is not laid upon him ; and the duty is one which taxes heavily his wisdom and his strength. It is impossible to give directions concerning this minis- tration which will be applicable in all cases. The pastor of a village church of fifty families will be able to give far more time and thought to each family than the pastor of a city church with four or five hundred families can possibly give. In tlie great congregations the limitations of pastoral service are obvious. Nevertheless the pastor will wish to see all members of his flock A\ho arc seriously ill, and lie will make the congregation understand lliat this is his wish, l^ot liim tell them, frequently and emphatically, to send for him when they need him; to have no more hesitation in sendinrr for lijiu tlian in send- iiig Utv the i)hysician. Let him make liis people nndei- stand that the rcsponsi])ility of calling him rests on tluin : that they must not expect liim to lumw by intuition A\h() is sick ; that they must take pains to inform him. I'aiish- THE PASTOU AS FKIE.ND 187 ioners are sometimes unreasomible in this matter; it is clilticult for tliem to understand that trouble which so profoundly affects them should not be known to ever}-- body ; and in the distress and nervous disturbance which the sickness brings not only to the invalid but to those who are caring for him, it is easy to entertain unjust suspicions of pastoral neglect. The pastor nuist guard against this by establishing the rule that those who need liiin must send for him. Still, he need not refuse to go wliere he knows that there is trouble until he is sent for ; let him rather say to people : " I shall always try to visit you when I know that you need me ; but if 1 do not come 3'ou must assume that I do not know, and that it is your duty to let me know." Mucli discretion must be exercised in the visitation of the sick. In the fust place the pastor should be careful to co-operate in every possible way with the attending [)hysician, to whom belongs the chief responsibility, and wliose orders should be scrupulously respected. The phy- sician will know whether the patient should be allowed to see any visitors ; and if this has been prohibited, no question should be raised. It is not often that a pastor, who lias shown good sense in liis manner of visitation, will be forbidden the sick-room ; ordinarily his visit, if properly timed, will aid the doctor; but there are times when even this must be disallowed. Tlie pastor should be very careful about volunteering medical advice ; the cases are rare in which he should venture any suggestion whicli would liave the effect to weaken the confidence of tlic patient or his friends in tlie physician in charge. In cases of serious illness, the visit should ordinarily be very biief. Laying aside outer garments that are damp or cold the pastor should quietly ciilcr the room, and always with a smile and a cheeifnl woid. Nothing that savoi"S of onicialism can be tolerated ; he is not there as a religious functionary, but as a friend. The ease may l»e critical, bnt it is not for him to manifest alaiiii or con- sternation even in the ])resence of Deatli. An nnwonteil solemniU' is ne\cr demanded in (he siek t'liamher. If 188 (JIIKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH serious talk is necessary the tone of it should always be gentle and unflurried. A few pleasant and sympathetic words with the patient, that will tend to calm his apprehensions and strengthen his courage are generally all that are needed. It is not wise, ordinarily, to attempt any keen in{i[uisition into the patient's spiritual condition ; the simple counsel to put himself wholly into the keeping of the Infinite Care-taker, and leave himself there, is generally the best that can be said. If he wishes to talk, — if he has questions to ask, anxieties to confess, — it may be wise to meet his wishes ; possibly some word of comfort and assurance will be spoken that A\dll be more efficacious than much medicine. But the conversation should not be protracted ; never let the patient weary himself in the interview. Whether prayer should be offered will depend on cir- cumstances. It is far better that it should be asked for by the patient himself ; if the conversation opens the way for that, it Avill be well. But often the request is not made, more through diflidence or delicacy than unwilling- ness ; in some cases even when the sufferer is secretly desiring it. The wise pastor can generally tell whether such a service would be acceptable or not, and will know when to propose it. In almost all cases it should be very brief. A few verses from the Bible, and a prayer not more than two or three minutes in lengtli will generally be more useful than any lengtliened exercise. ''What we say to tlie sick," says Dr. Andrew lionar, "should be brief: ;ind when we pray with the sick we should !)(• slioi't ill oiir prayers."^ Some ol." tlie elini-(dies funnsli to the pastor a lilurgii-al ("oi-m for use in llie siek-rooni, Iml llie sim[)lei- :ind less foiiii.d words that come from the lieart of a sympathetic friend will generally be moi'e wtdeonu^ tlian a ])resei'il)ed form of" player. "An\ one desii'ous, as a iii;itter of enriosity, to see a complete rubric on the visitation of the sick, should get hold of Dr. Stearne's Tractatus dc Visitationc Iitjirmorum^ ' Qnotcil in Hlaikic's Fur tlir Work of the Minislri/, ]>. 2C)1. THE PASTOR AS FKIEXD 189 as contained in the " Clergyman's Instructor." There he will find instructions, cut and dried, for all sorts of cases, includincr that of criminals sentenced to be lianofed. In the coldest and driest manner, lie will find topics sug- gested for conversation and praj^er in such circumstances, as if tlie whole of a clergyman's duty were exhausted in saying the proper thing, and no consideration were to be given to the tone and spirit in which it is said. The visitation of the sick is of all duties that for which the spirit of formality is most unsuitable, and where the speak- ing must be most thoroughly from the heart to the heart. Yet a rubric like that to which we have referred might not be Avithout its use in the way of suggestion, — it might show the minister how great a variety of cases he is called to deal with, and of Avhat value it is for him to be pro- vided with manifold Scripture texts and references, sayings and anecdotes of suffering Christians, counsels and encour- agements of well tried value, in order that to every sick and sorrowing person he may be able to give his portion of meat in due season." ^ Whether the Lord's Supper should be administered at the sick bed is a question to which theological controversy has sometimes given point. " In itself," says Van Oosterzee, " an affirmative ansA\'er to this question appears reasonable, as also history speaks of Ijlessed observances of the Supper upon the bed of sickness and of death (Schlciermacher, Adolph Monod, and others). On tlie other hand, liow- ever, it can hardly be denied that the desire for the Com- munion ill I lie case supposed is sometimes connected w itli a not jmrely evangelical conception Avitli regard to the sacramental efiicacy and significance of the sacred emblems, and is to 1)0 but imperfectly harmonized Milli tlie view of tlic Holy Su})[)er as a social meal. IJesidcs, i(, is diflicnlt to iiiak(! a distinction by virtue of which we deny to some M lial could lie L;i;iii1cd without imidi hesitation to others. No Wdinlcr thai in (he a^c of the Kcfoniial ion a lliillingcr should deem sejiarate eomniiinioii iindcsirabh' ; and that later it should be opposed by those w ho in other rt'spccts ^ Blaikic's For the Work of the Minislri/, p. 259. 190 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH I'eadily acknowledged the beneficial psychological effect of the sacred action for sick persons. It might also so easily degenerate into a custom, observed even in the case of those but little concerned, and lead to the Romish custom of a viaticum. For all these reasons we would not will- ingly see ' private communion ' made the rule ; but only conceded as a rare exception, when the pastor is convinced on good grounds that it is desired without superstition, from a right motive. In particular, from those confined to the bed of sickness, who with sorrow have already been long deprived of the sacred emblems, and earnestly desire them, we need not continue arbitrarily to withhold them. In that case, however, a little household congregation must be assembled round the bed of sickness, and the necessities of the poor remembered, wliile the pastor fulfils with dignity and simplicity the task of the liturgist." ^ The difiiculties felt by the writer of this paragraph would not, probably, occur to many Protestant pastors in America. There is practically no danger whatever that the Lord's Supper will be regarded sujierstitiously by our sick parishioners ; and there are few cases in which its administration is requested by sick persons from any other than proper motives. Often it is a great solace to the devout believer ; those who are drawing nigh to death find their hopes strengthened by it; and it sometimes brings to the troubled spirit the peace that passeth knowle. ri'iS. - " II est li'pitimo cl parfaitcmcnt legal dc donncr lacc'nc aux inaladcs cluz eux ; niais que re soit avec soleimitc et qu'il y ait cnininunion, c'est-ii-dire, non scnlcmoiit drs assistants mais dos porsoiincs qui pronnciit la ceiio avec la maladc." — Viuet, Thenloyic Puslmak, \>. 21.3. THE PASTOR 7».R FIIIEND 191 Whether the pastor shoiihl reveal tlieir true condition to those who are drawing nigh to death is often a difficult question. In cases not a few the physician's orders to the contrary are explicit ; yet the pastor's responsibility in such a case may be equal to that of the physician. When the pliAsician has distinctly declared that there is no hope of recovery, the right of the patient to know that fact would seem to be unquestionable. It may not be necessary that he should know it ; it may be best that he should not ; but in many cases it is evidently wrong that it should be concealed from him. Respecting all this matter the pastor is precisel}- as able to judge as is the ph3sician ; and after consultation with the famil}', he must take the responsi- bility. There are many kinds of preparation which the dying man may wish to make for his departure ; that right should not be denied him. It is not, indeed, the salvation of the soul tliat chiefly calls for such a disclosure ; for the repentance which can only be produced by the imminence of death is of little avail ; but there are few rational human beings who would not feel deeply wronged if a truth of so much moment were concealed from them by those in whom they had reason to confide. What is the duty of the pastor with respect to the visita- tion of those who are sick with infectious diseases? His obligation to his own household and his other parishioners must indeed be well considered; putting his own safety out of tlie question, he must not wantonly expose others. Yet there are otlier virtues besides caution. The Cliristian pastor must not be a coward. lie must take all iiecessary precautions on belialf of others ; but he must not be afraid to go where lie is needed. The ])hysician must go into all tliesc dangers, why should the iniuistri- be less courageous? Indeed, the ])hysician's experience is proof positive that the danger of infection is, in many oases, greatly exaggerated. "When," says Van Ooster/.ee, "in l")?!, the (piestion hcic put was expressly deliberated at the Synod of Doit, tlii' answer was given 'that they should go, being called, and even uncalled, insnnuich as they know that there will be need of them.' With what right shall the physician of souls 192 CHllISTIAN PASTOR AND WOK KING CHURCH ■withdraw from a task from wliicli even tlie unbelieving medical man does not too greatly shrink? 'Das Leben ist der Giiter hochstens nicht ' (Life is not the highest of possessions), in the words of Schiller ; and the ^propter vitam Vivendi perdcre causas is certainly to be desired of no one less tlian of the true shei:iherd of the flock. Considering the brilliant example of believing courage and self-denial on tlie part of Catholic priests, the Protestant clergy must not remain too much behind. The risk incurred on that occasion finds its abundant compensation in the gratitude of the flock, the approval of our own conscience, and the ever renewed experience that the Lord supports his ser- vants in this school of exercise also, and often manifestly preserves them. Of course, belief in his power and faith- fulness can release no one from the dnt}^ of taking those measures of precaution prescribed under such circumstances by experience and science." ^ No service more delicate or more difficult is required of the pastor than that which he is called to render in the Imrial of the dead. The Anglican church and some of the other churches furnish a ritual to which the minister is expected to adhere ; the solemn and beautiful service of the English church leaves little to be desired in the way of a dignified ceremonial. Ihit many American pastors have no such chart to guide them, and they find themselves confronted with conditions and expectations which often tax their wisdom. Death knocks with ecpial punctuality at the doors of tlic unchurched and of the devout ; and tliose Avho never seek the churches, and ^\•ho often rail at tlicm, are always in need, when death invades tlieir dwellings, of the services of a minister of tl)e gospel. To this call the Christian pastor will never turn a deaf ear; whenever it is possible he will gladly l)ear to those in trouble the words of conso- lati(m. In many of the rural connnunities a funeral ser- mon is expected; and the successful "funeral preacher" is the one who can most strongly appeal to the feelings of 1 Practical Theology, p. 559. Till': rxiSTOU AS fkiend 193 the mourners, and elicit the most extravagant demonstra- tions of sorrow. Against this tendency the wise pastor Avill quietly set his face. He must not too rudely disregard the feelings of the afflicted, but with gentleness and kind- ness he must seek to lead them into better ways. The funeral sermon may well be omitted, and the brief address which takes its place should be full of the comfort of the gospel. The one central truth that God is love ; that even as we draw nearest to our own cliildi-en and yearn over them most tenderly when they are in the deep- est trouble, so our heavenly Father is nearest to us in the day of our affliction ; that while many things happen to us which we can never explain, nothing can ever happen to us that he will not overrule for our good, if we will but trust in him, — all this the minister must seek to make these mourners see and understand. All this is the most direct and certain inference from that doctrine of God A\hicli Jesus has taught us. If we have such a Father in heaven as oui' Lord sought to reveal to us, then there are no sorrows that cannot be comforted, and no wounds that cannot be healed. Either in the sermon, or in the " remarks " which are substituted for it, some biographical sketch, more or less eulogistic, is generally expected of the minister. Tliis, too, is a custom wliieh is best honored in the breach. Tlie ministerjiiay: well make it a fixe_d rule to es chew all e sti- niates of JLhe ch arac ter of tliedeceased. In many cases the attempt to do this is emLarrassingln the extreme ; and often the minister, who relies for the materials of such a sketch upon the judgments of partial friends, finds after- wards that he has been whitening a sepulchre. The simple annals of tlie life, — the time and ])lace of birth, the family record, tlie date of death, may in all cases be simpl}' staled from UK'inoranda furnished l)y the family ; be3()iid this, biography does not need to go at the funeral service. Many wise pastors in these days art- inrlined to confnu! themselves on these occasions to the reading of the Scrip- tures and })]-ayer. It is l)ecoming more and more connnon for men and womon of high cliaivictor :in(l (MiiiiuMit station 1.-! 194 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH to give direction, before their death, that the burial service shall be limited to these exercises. It is greatly to be wished that all persons of sound mind would make the same request. It is, however, possible, to enlarge this simple ritual by reading appropriate selections, not only from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, but also from the writ- ings of saints and prophets and psalmists of later times. In the book of Scripture selections which the pastor uses at funerals he may insert loose leaves whereon he has copied sentences and paragraphs gathered from many sources, which are full of the light and hope and comfort of the gospel. In the course of years this anthology of consolation may become copious and rich ; the pastor has become familiar with it ; he can tell by glancing over it Avhicli of these gracious words will be most appropriate in the case before him. Pastors who have followed this prac- tice for many years bear testimony to its usefulness. Such words of life as may thus be gathered together, the utter- ances of men and women of strongest faith, of deepest insight, are far better tlian any extemporaneous words that the preacher would be likely to bring forth. The service must not, however, be protracted. Seldom should the whole exercise exceed half an hour. It is no time for lengthened liomilies and long-di-awn-out petitions. At the grave the service should be brief and simple. The short committal service of the Anglican church, wliich is almost identical with that employed in the Ger- man Lutheran cluirches, is always appropriate ; or a brief prayer may be uttered, closing with the benediction. In winter it is well for the minister to admonish the men standing about the grave to remain covered during this service ; that is not true respect for the dead which endan- gers the liealth of the living. Tliese times of nniietion furnish tlie true pastor Avith a precious op])ortunity. His wise and sympathetic friend- ship at sucli a time will never be forgotten. He often gains, in these days, an iiiflncncc tliat he couhl never otherwise liave won ; let liim use it judiciously. THE TASTOR AS FRIEXD 195 The pastor who has proved liis friendship for his people will ])e welcome in their homes; and a most important part of his pastoral service will be performed in the maintenance of a fruitful personal and social relation between his own family and the families of his Hock. In many large churches the work of the study, the organization of the parish, and the multitudinous public engagements make it difficult for the pastor to find time for such pastoral work as he wishes to do. Tliat great change, to which reference is made in the introductory chapter, which has passed upon tlie chiu-ch during the past twenty-five years — the change by which, in Dr. Parkhurst's happy phrase, the church is no longer the pastor's lield, but the pastor's force — itself largely prevents the pastor from undertaking the amount of pastoral visitation which was common in former years. "Sometimes," says a successful pastor, " general parish oversight, through the network of socie- ties and organizations that fall to the minister to manage, is supposed to take the place of visiting and personal contact with individuals ; but this does not meet the necessities of the case. Tliat general superintendency or presidency of the parish and pastoral care are not the same thing. The former has respect to the general life of the community and is busy with the machinery, while the latter has to do witli internal states, conditions, and ten- dencies. It is possil)lo and not uneonnnon to donmeh with the former while doing little with the latter. There are parislies where things are well organized, where there are all sorts of activities and societies, Init where there is no proportionate apprehension of, and no ])roi)ortionate jno- visjion for, the ri^'al wants of iiidi\idual men and wdineii. Tliere may be a lively scene on (lit- suifacc, hut imt iinu li going on l)eneatli it. It is not easy, in the rcstU'Ssncss and C(mi[)lexity of Ins [)ul)li(; rcdations, for a miiusler to give to this part of his work its pro[)cr place. Provision nuist l)e made for this and the jiastormust be helix'd. Demands n|i(in his time and altcnlinii ninl(i[)l\. In pidjtortion Id the importance of his jiarish, to his personal intluciicc, to his capacity for busiiu-ss, the calls for jiublic and outside 196 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WORKING CHURCH service are more frequent and urgent. There are meet- ings here, committees there, constitutions to be cb-awn up, organizations to be kept running, records to be made ; but sliall he be absorbed in presiding, organizing, managing? The danger is not new in our da}. It showed itself in the early Church, and the apostles met it by division of labor, saying : ' It is not lit that we should forsake the word of God and serve tables; search out suitable men for this business, but we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.' As then, so now, much of tlie detail of general parish work can be better devolved on others, that the minister may be more free to ' teach pul)- licly and from house to house,' ministering the word in its more spiritual application." ^ The question of linding time for the work of pastoral visitation is one that burdens the mind of many a faithful pastor. The need of thoroughly organizing his church for work, that the powers and capabilities of these disciples may be developed, and that his force may occupy and cultivate its field, is always pressing upon his conscience ; and the amount of administrative work thus re(|uired of him, when added to the intellectual work which the pul- pit of this day demands, renders it simply impossible that he should find very much time for social calls. Even if the pastor has assistance, so that much of the detail of his administration can be devolved on others, the general superintendence of it, which rests with liiin, is no slight care. In a church of fifty to a hundred families the pas- tor may easily become intimately acquainted with most of his people, but wlien the Jiumber grows to three or four hundred families, the task, under existing conditions, be- comes formidable. One consideration must be borne in mind in estimating the necessity for this kind of work ; the pastor of a work- ing church lias many ojiportnnities of becoming well ac- quainted with those of his peo})le who are at work. AN'ith them tliere are many conferences and consultations ; he is with them every week, in the Sunday-schools, in the mis- 1 Rev. J.cuLllyii Tiatt, iu Parish Problems, p. 180. THE PASTOR AS FRIEND 197 sions, in the Young People's Societies, in the Boys and Girls Guilds, in the Sewing Schools, — in all the active ministries which the church is carrying forward. It is not at all as once it was, when the people's only chance of meeting their minister was when they confronted him in the pews, at the Sunday services ; there is a fellowship of work which brings pastor and people into frequent and close association. The need of calling upon the people in their homes to get acquainted with tliem is obviously not what once it was. This applies, of course, only to those members of the church who are at work ; but the application should be distinctly brought before the minds of all the people. Let them be told, from time to time, that the fellowship of the church is largely a fellowship of work, and that if they wish to become well acquainted with their pastor or with their fellow-members, the best ■way is to find some place in the active work of the cburch. Nevertheless, wdien all is said, there remains a large opportunity and an urgent call for house to house visita- tion by the pastor. In some way he ought to arrange the administrative work of his parish so that he may iind some time to see his people in their homes. In most large churches it will not be possible for the minister to make Ills round of pastoral calls more than once in a year; some- times even this will overtax him ; but as much as this he DUght to strive for. What should 1)C the nature of tliose pastoral calls? Here, also, it is evident that changed couditiDUs must consideral)]y modify our practice. The late Dr. ^^'iUianl ]\I. Taylor, of New York, in a recital of his early experi- ence, brings before us the typical jiastoral visit of tlie for- mer days. '' I was tirst settled,"' he says, ''ovci a churcli of iibout one hundred and eighty nieuibers, many of whom resided in the village in A\liieh tlie jilaee of worship was situated, l)ut a eonsi(leral)le nuuilH'i-ol' wlioni were fanners, scattered ovei' an area of about si\ niiU's in length l>y about two in breadtli. I made my visits systematically, week by week, taking the parish in manageable districts. At lirst 198 CHllISTIAX PASTOR AND WOEKING CHURCH I was accompanied on each occasion by an elder. It was expected that I shoidd ask a few questions of the chiklren, assemble the members of the household, give a formal ad- dress, and then conclude with x)rayer. The presence of the ' lay brother ' was a great embarrassment. I supposed that because he was with me I should have a new address in every house, and should liave a prayer in every instance perfectly distinct from any whicli I had formerly offered. ... So I went on from house to house, making a new address in each, until, when it was toward evening, and I had walked jDcrhaps five or six miles and made ten or twelve addresses, 1 was more dead than alive. You can- not wonder that, in these circumstances, pastoral visitation became the hete noir of my life, and I positively hated it. Thus prosecuted it was simply and only drudgery, and, so far as I know, was not productive of any good result." ^ It is evident that visitation of this type is no longer called for in English-speaking parishes. And there is a question whether the call of the minister should be re- garded in any sense as a professional call. Most of the writers on pastoral care assume that it should have this character; that it should be well understood that the min- ister, in seeking the homes of his people, is engaged in liis professional duty. "The minister," says Dr. Blaikie, "has come for the purpose of promoting tlie spiritual and eternal welfare of the family, and tlierefore the sooner lie addresses liimself to this errand the better. ... It is often desirable for a minister, after a brief salutation and kindly incpury after the welfare of the household, to proceed at once, like Abraham's servant at Padan Aram, to tell his eri'aii(l, to do what he has come to do. Jn speaking to the liouseliold lie may iind a point of (l([i;iiture by saying Avhy he has come, adverting to the exceeding solemnity of spiritual things and to the importance, not of a mere gen- eral, but of a special application of what is said fiom the l)ulpit, so that no one may suffei' the appeal to go past him, or think he does right Avliile he fails pei'sonally to re- ceive the message of God. Something may be said appli- ^ The Ministry of the Word, p. 272. THE PASTOR AS FRIE^^) 199 cable to tlie circumstances of the different portions of the family, — the parents, the children, older and younger, the servants, when there are such. Of the children questions may be asked, and are probably expected to be asked ; but let this be done in the kindly manner of a friend, not in the stern tone of a taskmaster. Generally, too, it will be ^\■ell to bear in mind that there is a tendency on the part of people to think of ministers as beings awfully solenni, with ])ut little of human sympathy, — men to be dreaded as stern reprovers, instead of respected and loved as affec- tionate and sympathetic guides. In pastoral visitation, therefore, let there be shown a frankness, a cordiality, a humility of spirit, a winning brotherly kindness that shall dissipate such an impression and tend to gain the conli- dence of all." ^ But it is a serious question whether even so much of formality and professionalism as is here de- scribed would not, in the majority of cases, effectually counteract the best results of the pastor's call. Is not the primary object of this house-to-house visitation the es- tablishment of friendly personal relations between himself and the members of his flock, old and young? Is it not, therefore, far better that the professional business of the pastor should be subordinated, in these calls, to the pur- pose of putting himself on terms of cordial intimacy w itli his people. Tlie minister who is always preaching, \\\u) never meets his parishioners without the word of admoni- tion and exhortation upon his lips, is not certain to know them very well, or to have the best influence over them. Such unbending professionalism forces them into an un- natui-al attitude toward him ; he never really knows them. Ther(^ is abundant justification, therefore, for the i)as- toral call, considered simply as the endeavor of tlic pastor to draw closer the bonds of personal friendship between himself and the families of his congregation. ^Meeting tliem thus, in their own homes, the circumstances of tluir lives are better known to him, he more perfectly individu- ali/.es them, and every visit gives liiin a larger knowledge of the manifold jihases of human experience. If there are 1 For the Work of the Ministry, pp. 187, 18R. 200 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND AVOKKIXG CHURCH children in the househokl, the pastor learns their names and fixes them in his memory. He finds them at their lessons or their pastimes, and seeks to enter into their life, speaking a hearty word of approval of their conduct, when he knows that such a word is deserved. In these brief social calls the pastor may be able to let the people see that he is interested in all that concerns them ; that he has been thinking about them, and studying their welfare ; that he is rejoicing with them in their prosperity, or bear- ing their burdens with them ; that his deepest wish is to be a trusted and a useful friend. If all this is in his heart, thej^ will be apt to find it out. The one thing needful for them to know is that he loves them and wants to do them good. The pastoral call that conveys this impression to their minds is a thoroughly successful call, even though there may have been no preaching nor even praying con- nected with it. And yet it must not be inferred that religious conversa- tion should be avoided. The door aa^III always be open for that. The tone of the interview will Ije such as to make that seem natural and fitting. The spirit of the whole communication will be such as to invite questions or confi- dences of this nature. The pastor will be quick to seize any intimation or suggestion of a wish to speak of the higher themes, and will deftly lead the talk that Avay if such a liint is dropped. The people will easily know that if he refrains his lii)S from pressing these things upon thorn, it is notl)ecause there is no interest in their spiritual welfare. If such is the posture of his nnnd, it is altogether likely that man}'' opportunities for religious conversation will occur in connection with these social calls, and that the net spiritual result of tlie visitation will be l';ir larger than if, by a perfunctory professionalism, tlie subject of religion were eveiywhere introduced by him. Many pastors arc accustomed to make a systematic divi- sion of their jmrish, and to announce, (.'ach Sunday, tlie days on which they intend to visit certain streets. Some inconvenience may thus be occasioned to ])nrishioncrs, who may wish to be away from linme on the day designated, THE PASTOR AS FRIEND 201 but the acUantages of such a system are considerable. It [pledges the pastor to a definite task, which he might other- wise neoflect or defer ; and it gives those wlio wish to see him due notice of his coming that they may, if possible, be at home to receive him. "Moreover," says Dr. Taylor, " the public announcement had this incidental advantage, of which at first I had not thought, namely, that it stopped at once all grumbling on the part of the unvisited. They saw that I Avas steadily working week by week somewhere ; it became a matter of interest to them to watch my prog- ress, and they looked with a certain strange eagerness for the day when I sliould name the street in which they re- sided. I do not know that in the long run I actually did much more pastoral work than I M'as doing before ; but I accomplished it with more ease to myself and with far more 'satisfaction to my people."^ The value to the minister of such contact as this with the people cannot be easily overstated. It keeps him in vital rehitions with the people to whom he is sent to min- ister ; it enables him more perfectly to get their point of view. Sometimes his mind will be saddened by revela- tions of the shallowness and selfishness of those from whom better things miglit have been expected ; but more often he will be cheered and strengthened by discoveries of fidelity and heroism in the lives of commonplace peoi)le. The tendency of most studious men to a certain subtilty and remoteness of discussion upon spiritual themes will 1)0 arrested by the study of the intellectuid processes of the people in tlic pews, and the effect of this interconrse will be to gfive the preacbinsr a crreafcr homehness and directness of presentation. Here is a sufrrrestion Avortli considerinnf : '• I would make one exception about the, honsc-lo-lionsc visitation of tlic town parish priest. It is sometimes good to thmw himscdf into one of bis districts, pitch his cam)) (here, and jjcrmcale it with his ])resenco. For a month he brings his wliole influence to bear upon it, both getting hold singly ofcMTy inhabitant and collectiuLr all tocjether in cottacrc or mis- * The MiniMrtf of the Word, p. 274. 202 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH sioiiaiy meetings." ^ The kind of visitation here contem- plated is, however, that of the whole population, rather than that of the members of the congregation. But there may be advantages in concentrating, after tliis manner, the labors of the pastor among his own people. It is doubtless well, as things now are, in most of our city parishes, that the pastor should " lead about a wife " with him in making these pastoral calls. The men of the household are seldom at home in the daytime, and not only for reasons of propriety, but also for the enhance- ment of- the social value of the call, the minister may often wisely claim the companionship of his wife. Her tact and sympathy will be a great help to him in many cases. The testimony of leading pastors to the importance of this kind of Avork is worth remembering. Dr. A\^illiam M. Taylor, in speaking to the students of tlie New Haven Theological Seminary, said : " You will make a great mis- take if 3'ou undervalue the visitation of your people. The pul})it is your throne, no doubt, but then a throne is staljle as it rests on the affections of the people, and to get their affections you must visit them in their dwellings." ^ Dr. John Hall, addressing a similar audience, said : " Pains should be taken that nothing prevents your pastoral visits. It is very necessary for you to know the people in their homes, and for the peojile to know you. The little chil- dren and the young people slimild know you. The men should know you. Do not begrudge the time thus spent. In freely conversing with liumble pcojile you will get side lights or particular testimony that will make you a stronger man and a l)etter minister for many a day to come." '"^ Dr. I'^rancis \Va\ laml, s])eaking on lliis subject to pastors, said: ''If, at last, it be saiut there are many with wliom tlie senti- ment of locality is strong; who like to sit week by wtH'k in tlie accustomed place, and to have their families witli them ; and there seems to be no violation of the principles of equality and fraternit}'^ if temporary assignments of sit- tings are made to regular worshi[)pcrs. It is only neces- sary that the method of selection be something other iIkui THE CHUIiCH ORGANIZATION 209 commercial competition, and that frequent redistributions take place, so that the most desirable places be not perma- nently monopolized. There appears no better way than a distribution of choices by lot at the beginning of each year; the name first cb-awn taking the first choice, and so on to the end of the list. Those who are last this year may be first next year ; and the favors are divided with- out partiality. When the poor widow who contributes but five cents a week to the revenues of the church has the same opportunity of securing the best seat in the middle aisle as the rich merchant who contributes ten dollars a week, the opprobrium of ecclesiastical finance is practi- cally wiped out. The point is to bring the rich merchant to accept this situation heartily; to be quite willing to take his chance of a back seat under the gallery. And this is by no means a visionary proposition ; churches can be found in wliich the Christian law governs even the dis- tribution of the pews. There are Christian disciples who decline to take advantage, in their church relations, of the power which their wealth would give them of securing for themselves privilege and honor ; who have learned to use neither their freedom nor their power as occasions of the flesh, but who know how by love to serve one another. And when tliis spirit takes possession of the church and rules in all its affairs, tlie Kingdom seems near at hand. No more effectual work of grace could be desired in many of our churches than would be signalized by tlie distribu- tion of tlie sittings of the churcli on Christian i)iinciples. Such an exercise is nothing slioit of a means of crrace to those wlio enter upon it in the right spirit; and a revival of religion, so called, no matter how fervid its manifesta- tions may Ije, is of small value unless it docs result in infusing a larger measure of unselfislinoss and kind con- sideration into the social ivhitions of the nn inhers of the chuicli, and especially into the manner and s[)irit of tiieir association in (ho liouse of (iod. The organization of the cliurch on its financial side be- ('otn(>s. tlierefore, a mnltei- (tf (h'e]» and genuine eoiieern to tlie wise pastor. It is not a matter which he can neglect 14 210 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHURCH or ignore ; the spiritual life of the church is vitally affected by the working out of these problems. The church can- not afford to intrust these interests to men who are simply slirewd financiers, who will adopt in the transaction of church business the methods of the street and the mart. One large part of the mission of the church in this genera- tion is to show the world how business can be done on Christian principles. The records of the church must be kept with care ; the register of baptisms, admissions, dismissions, deaths, should be accurate ; the minutes of all transactions should be clear and full ; and the history of the work of the churcli should be faithfully preserved. The olhcer who has the charge of this work bears different names in the different forms of polity, but his service is always important. In most of the larger Protestant churches the fact is now recognized that the work of the ministry cannot be adequately performed by a single man. The fact has long been known in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches; the discovery lias been tardily made by some of the other communions. The preparation of two sermons a week, with the wide reading and study which such a task im- plies, the visitation of the sick and the afflicted, the super- vision of all the departments of church work, the participa- tion in the social activities of the community, in all the multiform public enterprises of pliilanthropy and reform which demand no small share of his attention, — all this is more than any single man can do. That part of the cor- respondence of a pastor which grows out of his pastoral relation, — whicli is official rather than personal, — is no small burden. 1'he number of letters that come to the busy pastor of ;i prominent church asking advice, assist- ance, or sympaihy is always veiy large. Riddles to solve, wounds to salve, axes to grind, the postman biings liim every day. All these letters must 1)6 answered, and many precious hours of every week are thus consumed. The work of the faithfid pastor is constantly increasing. IILs pongregation is growing, its Avork is widening, tlio orgimi- zations within tlic cliurch arc nudtiplying, calling upon TITE CIIUKCH ORGANIZATION 211 liiui for more and more attention ; the longer lie lives in the community, the more identified does he become with all its public and social life, and the heavier are the drafts upon him for service growing out of these relations. Add to this that tlie intellectual demand upon his pulpit is heavier every year, and the need of bringing a fresh, strong mes- sage to his people every Sunday increasingly urgent. It seems inevitable that the successful pastor's work should become more and more laborious and exacting; the very sign of his success is the steady increase of his work. And the peculiarity of the case is that so little of this burden can be shifted to other shoulders. The successful merchant or manufacturer or railway manager can relieve himself of the larger part of his cares ; his work can be so divided and systematized that he shall have only a general super- vision. Even the most successful professional man hands over to subordinates the laborious details of his business, and the great sculptor leaves most of the chiselling to skilled workmen. But the nature of the pastor's work is such that the greater part of it must be done by him alone. Nobody can give him the slightest help in the preparation of his sermons, and a large proportion of liis pastoral work is of a nature so personal that no one can perform it fwr him. in spite of all that can be done for his relief the faithful and successful pastor will nml liis work growing heavier year by year. Something can, however, be done to lighten his burden. A competent and well-trained assistant may take from his hands a great many of the small details of administration. The care of I lie Sunday-school ; tlie supervision of the young people's societies, and tlio boys' and girls' guilds; the preparation of children's concerts and ])raise services ; the clerical work of writing notices and olTicial letters, and attending to the necessary printing, as well as considerable portions of the pastoral work, can be delegated to a cajiablo assistant. The young man who has been jitti'd foi' this kind of work may bf abl.' io do imicli (bat the pastor liim- self could not i\()\ he can give nnndi ])crsonal attention to the young men of the congregation ; he can develop in 212 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH many "\^'ays the activities of the chihh-en and the youth. In the larger Episcojial churches the pastor's assistant has always been a recognized necessity, and partly for tliis reason the parochial work of the average Episcopal church is apt to be better organized and more vigorously prose- cuted than that of other Protestant churches. The other churches are, however, learning this Avisdom. Any work which involves the division and co-ordination of force must have adequate superintendence ; it is bad economy to neg- lect the directing intelligence by which " the working in due measure of each several part " shall be secured. The first condition of this effective organization of the work of a large church is the employment of one or more assist- ants to whom the pastor may delegate such duties as they may be qualified to perform. There might be, in many cases, a wise division of labor along the line suggested by the early Puritan nomencla- ture. The English Congregational churches of the seven- teenth century were served by two ministers, one of whom was called the Pastor, and the other the Teacher. This division of functions was not very clearly made ; the Pas- tor was to " attend to exhortation," and the Teacher to "attend to doctrine." The maintenance of this distinction proved impracticable.^ But it might be wise in these days to commit to one man the responsibility for the pulpit work, and leave him free for this service, while intrusting to another the chief care of the pastoral administration. Neither of these would then be counted as the others assistant ; there would be no subordination, but each would have a recognized and well defined oflice, and could devote his whole time to his special work. The preacher, with none of the cares of parish business on his hands, and none of the l)urdens of pastoral service on liis mind, could give far more time and thought to his pnl[)il woik ; and the pastor, without tlic millstone of Sunday preparation a])ont liis neck, could give to the Sunday-scliool, and the mid-week service, and the young people's organizations, 1 History nfthn Co»(jrrqational Churches in the United States, by Willistoii Walker, p. 220. THE CHURCH ORGANIZATION 213 and the missionary societies, and the church charities his undivided attention, greatly increasing their efficiency. For this pastoral service the church would not be likely to choose a young man, but one of experience and of well- matured character. There are ministers who have unusual o-ifts for Avork of this nature, as there are others whose strength is in their pulpit work. If two with such com- plementary qualities coidd be brought together, the best provision would seem to be made for the service of the church. One or two questions suggest themselves, however, when such an arrangement is contemplated. The preacher who came into no living contact with the life of his parish would be apt to lack some of the elements of the best teaclier. A mere book-man could not give the people what they need. It would be necessary, therefore, if such a division of labor were proposed, that the preacher should not be entirely withdrawn from association with the peo- ple. The care of the pastoral administration might be lifted from his shoulders, but he should keep himself in close touch with the people themselves, understanding their problems, and sympathizing with them in their sorrows. It is not improbable, also, that the people would crave the presence in their homes, in their times of sickness and trouble, of the man whose words in the pulpit had been their comfort and inspiration. Whether a large-hearted preacher could easily free himself from the burdens of pastoral service may be doubted. It nuist be admitted that the division of the minister's work upon lliis liiu! pre- sents some serious difliculties. Nevertheless, it is probable that two men of fair common-sense ami Clirisliaii temper could divide the work of the cluirch between them upon a i)laii like tliis, neither Ix'ing exclusively oonliucd to his own liild, — the pasloi- sometimes preaching, and the [)reacher, in the pastor's absence, assuming the ])aRtoi-al care, — but each holding himself resj)onsible t'«ir a dclinite part of llie worl< of the chuivh, and neither assuming the pre-eminence. By such a plan vacations could be arranged 214 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH SO that the church should never be left without a mhiister, and the work might go on without interruption from one year's end to another. The pertinence of this discussion is seen when the ques- tion of the organization of the church is considered. For such varied and organized activities as most churches now propose, trained leadership is indispensable, more of such leadership than one man can furnish. In some way the executive force must be increased. The volunteer help of members of the church is not sufficient; most of the church officers are busy men, who cannot give to the tasks of organization and leadership the time that they require. In most Protestant churches there are, however, officers who render valuable service. In Episcopal churches the wardens and vestrymen ; in IMethodist Episcopal churches the stewards and class leaders ; in Presbyterian churches the session, composed of the elders and deacons ; in Lu- theran churches the consistory; in the large group of cl lurches congregationally governed the deacons and the prudential committee, assist in this work. They are not only ecclesiastical officers wliose function it is to rule, but they are also, by virtue of their office, leaders in the organ- ized work of the church. The enterprising pastor often seeks to assign each of these official members to the over- sight of some department of the work. Even if he has an assistant to supervise the entire organization, it is a\x'11 to have a department chief for each branch of the church work. Thus tlie pastor may wisely request one of Ifis staff of helpers to take special interest in the Sunday- school work ; another to look after the interests of the young people ; another to study the mid-week service with a view to suggestions of improvement ; anotlicr to give attention to the benevolent collections, and so fortli. It is well if the various church officials, the ciders, wardens, deacons, and tlic rest, can be made to feel that their prin- cipal concern should lie not so much witli tlie government of tlie church as with its labors. That tlie church is an organism can scarcely be disputed. Life never exists apart from organization. II" the church THE CHUKCH OIKJAMZATION 215 is alive something closely akin to Avhat we see in a living body must apx^^^'H" iii the relation of its parts and members. This is the truth A\'hich is put with such marvellous power in Paul's epistles. But there is a distinction just here which we must learn to make. In a late essay are these words : — "As the work of the Spirit is organic in the individual, so is it in the Church. The Church is an organic unity. It so orcranizes its individual members that the Church becomes a co-operative society. The vision of the wheels in the lii'st chapter of the prophecy of Ezekiel may be taken as a vision of the Church, the wheels being the individual members carefully combined as a divine mech- anism, and intelligently directed by the living Spirit with- in. Not simply did the wheels move as he descended among them ; they moved together. The idea in the vision may be expressed in one word, as the co-operation of the A\heels with each other, and with the living God, to whose power they were so completely submissive, and of which they were so perfectly executive. The reason for the oi'ganization of Christian activity thus stated is the divine constitution of Christian life, and of the Christian Church. We are under a spiritual constitution whose supreme aim is the organization of life." ^ It is here assumed that the church is both an oi-ganism and a mechanism. The conceptions are used interchange- aljly. There is reason, doubtless, for this combination of the two ideas. It expresses a fundamental fact. liut if the ideas are combined it is well that they be clearly dis- criminated, and not amalgamated. 'I'liu iliuicli is an organism, and it is also, to some extent, a meclianism ; but the organic fact is deepest, and to this tlie meclianii-al process nnist always adjust itself. Its organization is due to the unconscious and sjiontaneous action of tlie s|)iritual life witliin ; ils mcehanisin is the n-sult of the application of human thought and volition to its processi.'s of work. Mechanism is the child ol iusention, of contrivance; 1 Rev. {;. li. I,e;ivitt, in Dlsriissiunx of llir Intcidniomiiiatioiinl Coiifjrcxs at Cincinnati, p. 249. 216 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND AVOEKING CHURCH organization is llie fruit of tliat Spirit of Life wlio divid- etli to each one severally as he will. Now it is evident that we must have a certain amount of mechanism in our church work. 'J'here must be wheels, and wheels within wheels. The prophet saw this in his vision long ago ; that was a prediction which reached far into the future. The mind must Avork upon this problem, inventing processes, devising methods. The failure to use our minds in this way would result in fanaticism. There is great need of the use of all the wits we possess in meet- ing the difficulties that confront us, and in adjusting our forces to the work in hand. This is what we see in the manifold activities of the modern church. Yet there are those who greatly distrust this whole tendency. The multiplication of agencies and methods seems to them a dubious good. Faitli in God is giving place, they say, to faith in machinery. In the perfection of methods the need of power is forgotten. Beyond controversy danger lies in this neighborhood. Yet the true wisdom co-ordinates these tendencies, always keeping the vital energies supreme, and making tlie mechan- ism subservient to life. The problem is to comprehend the adaptations which life produces and to shape our methods in accordance with these. Methods Ave must have ; they ought to be such methods as " the law of the s})irit of life in Christ Jesus" Avould naturally evolve; and they who have " the mind of the sjjirit " ought to be able to devise them. The curse of all ecclesiasticisms lias been the swallowing up of life in \\liat men call organization, Avhicli is not truly organizatidn, hut iiicthanism. .Vnd this is the danger against which, in tliis day, we must be constantly on our guard. Yet Ave must not iu\glect to use the ne- cessary instrumentalities. No matter liou inniuious aic our wheels, if llic Spiiit of llic hi\ing Ci'cature is in tlicni. 'J'Ik; cliurcli must be organized for the dcn'clopment of its own lib;, — that it " may grow up in all tilings unto him which is the head, even Christ; from whom all the body, fitly framed ami knit together through that Avhich THE CHUllCH OKGAXIZATION 217 eveiy joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, niaketli the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love." ^ And it must be organized also for effective ministry to the needs of the community, — needs that are manifold and various and that require many forms of evangelistic and philanthropic activity. For a clear view of this problem of organization as it presents itself to a laborer in a wide and fruitful held, the little book of Dean Gott, entitled The Farish Priest in Town may be usefully studied. The organization of an Anglican parish is here discussed with great particularity, and useful liints may be found for pastors in every church. As to the nature and extent of the work, his testimony is impressive: "The Parish Priest of the town has to lay the Hand of his Lord personally on every m.iii in liis crowded, ever-changing streets. The minimum population of a town parish is fixed by the Ecclesiastical Commis- sioners at 4,000, but this gives only a shadow of the difHculty. I have many streets where no family remains a quarter of a year ; in these quarters the population is quadrupled for practical purposes, and the misettled con- dition of these people produces a like character of the inner man. To fix the spiritual impression on so volatile a subject needs new resources, of which George Ilcrlx'rt never knew the want. To tliis ebbing and flowing effect of large wells of life in a town, you must add tlic lodging 1 louses where many lumdreds spend a few weeks or nights, in some of whicli one thousand men remain a little while as straws in an eddy of the river. And you iirst begin to '-know what you have to do.' The first tlionght is that to 'do it' is a slicer im])ossil)ilil y. 'J'ho second tliought is that inspired cou[)let of St. Taufs, — ' By myself I can do nothing.' 'Through Christ I can do all things.' The third thought is that leading genius of man — organi- zation. Was it not Professor .lindiut' who said, 'The high- 1 Kph. iv. ic. 218 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH est exertion of genius, — the uniting and concentrating effort ' ? Into this teeming multitude, ever coming and going, diffuse yourself that you may concentrate yourself through an army of church-workers, and unite them with your parishioners and yourself in Christ." ^ •! This leader of Christian work counsels the pastor to begin by gathering unofficially about him a few kindred souls, to whom this work of the church will be, as it Avas to the Master, meat and drink. A few such can be found in every parish; and to confer and commune with them respecting the work to be done, is the wise beginning. The greatness of the task, and its urgency; the desola- tion and danger of the multitudes that are scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd ; the call for faithful, heroic, self-denying service, — let the pastor and those that are with liim lay the burden of all this on their hearts. It is not for him to make the work seem light to those whom he calls about him. " The self-sacrifice of this active Christianity is only an attraction, never a deter- rent ; you need not water it down or assure your would- be Church-worker that the task is easy and the difliculty slight. The only helpers this will give you Avill be a limp and sorry crew, like Falstaff's recruits. God's ordere to Gideon in the selection of his first army was an inspira- tion for all time : * Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return, and depart early.' Lay this to heart as a principle of your work in this and other matters. True men and women love trouble ; they believe in dilliculty, for it calls out their God-given qualities and prays for tliem to the Almighty. In work they know that they increase their talents by use; and in the armies of heaven as well as of earth, the post of danger is the post of honor." - Among the organizations named and described by this pai'ish leader are his Sundni/school, wliich he divides into tlrree departments : the Infants, the INIiddle Scliool, and the Communicants, with each of which the pastor is closely idcntilied; his District visitors, respecting whom he gives careful instruction, each of whom is to keep 1 The Parish Priest in Town, pp. 38, 39. « Ibiil. p. 42. THE CHUllCH ORGANIZATION 219 a strict roll of all her families, and to report to her cm^ate- iii-charge the names of any whom he ought to visit ; and all of whom are to meet once a month for prayer and consultation with the minister; his Peiinjj Bank^ — a department of liis day-school and Sunday-school, officered by wise men and educating the young in honest thrift ; his Singing Class, to the care of which he can assign some who would not otherwise be church-workers ; his Athletic Cliihs, under the direction of sound-hearted young men, into which men and boys may be gathered for wholesome exercise ; his Girls^ Friendly Society, and his Young Mea^s Friendly Society, and his Church of England Tenvperance Society. For the management of these various organizations, the services of many church-members will be required; and the task of the pastor is to get the right men and women for each of these places, and tu keep them steadily and enthusiastically about their work. In addition to this he provides also for the opening of Mission Chapels in neglected districts and for outdoor preaching. It is a large conception of the work of the parish which is thus brought before us ; and it is one, as we shall see, which underlies the activity of the church at the present day. The chapters which follow will be devoted to the siiljsidiary organizations now existing in most working cliurches. These methods of work are now very numer- ous ; in the development of the life of the church its functions have been highly specialized. I*crhaps the differentiation of ecclesiastical tissue has gone quite as far as is wholesome ; we may be suffering, in some quarters, from a surfeit of societies. It is not likely tliat all of them will be mentioned in the pages which follow. In it an effort will be made to bring undt-r consideration those which are most important. CHAPTER IX THE SUNDAY SCHOOL One of the most important departments of the modern church is the Sunday-school. In most of the excellent treatises on practical theology to which reference has been made in the preceding pages, the Sunday-school is virtu- ally an unknown quantity. The learned and admirable Van Oosterzee, in his monumental work, devotes barely half a page to the consideration of this institution. The later Scotch writers on pastoral theology dispose of the whole subject with a mere allusion. The Sunday-school does not seem to them to constitute any essential part of the Christian pastor's care. Jn the more recent year books of the churches of Scotland we lind evidence that the Sun- day-school interest is receiving careful attention. The general assembly of the Kirk gives a large place in its business arrangements to the Sunday-school reports ; and the Free Church is not behind in its devotion to this cause. In many of the presbyteries, Sablxith-school unions liave been formed to quicken and stimulate the intei'cst of the church in the spiritual care of the young. Schools have in many cases been carefully graded, well-matured schemes of Sunday-school lessons have been prepared and i)ub- lished, and many practical teachers of eminence arc de- voting their time and lliought to the development of tliis work. It is evident that the next volume of pastoral theology publislie(l in Scotland will need to take account of the Sunday-school as one of the departments of church work . Heiii'V Clay Tiiiiiibiill. in liis lectures on the Sunday- school, traces this institution to the Jewish Synagogue, I THE SIINT)AY SCHOOL, 221 and follows its history through seventeen centuries of varying progress from the time of the rabbins to the time of Wesle}-. But the modern institution known by this name originated in Gloucester, England, in 1780. Robert Raikes, the founder of the first Sunday-school, was not a clergyman, but an active man of lousiness, the editor and proprietor of the " Gloucester Journal." Perhaps his phil- anthropic efforts at prison reform had convinced him of the need of beGfinniner with the children. In the month of July, 1780, he gathered into the rooms of a private house in a manufacturing quarter of that city a number of the poorer children of the neighborhood for instruction in read- ing and in the elementary truths of religion. " The cliil- dren were to go soon after ten in the morning, and stay till twelve. They were then to go home and stay till one, and after reading a lesson they were to be conducted to churcli. After church they were to be employed in re^ peating the catechism till half-past five, and then to be dismissed with the injunction to go home without making a noise, and by no means to play in the street." The teachers of this Sundaj'-school were four women, employed by Raikes and paid at the rate of a shilling a day. From this humljle beginning has grown the modern Sunday- school work. "Tlio school on Sunday," says Bishop Vincent, "by which little children of the neglected English populations were, one hundred years ago, taught lessons in spelling, reading, and religious truth, has come to be a great and powerful factor in our social and Christian life. A meas- ure of this success must be attributed to otlier ideas Iban those embraced by Robert Raikes and his co-workers. The school on Sunday in America at the present time is a very different institution from that opened and sustained by the CJloucester printer in 1780. It is more compre- liensive, and contains clcniciils not ditaincil i>\' in the sclu'iiie of Mr. Kaikcs. It ictaius the name and also tin." domestic, missionary feature of the (jh)ucester movement, l)ut lliis feature is only a small part of the modern vXmeri- can Sunday-school. The tinv stream of laic, ou(-of-cliurch, 222 CHRISTIAN TASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH humanitaiiaii effort tliat trickled from tlie Immble foun- tain in Gloucester soon joined the swollen and rushing flood that had broken loose from fountains of Christian and churchly philanthropy in Oxford, nearly half a cen- tury before Raikes and his assistants began tlieir work. The latter effort was in behalf of ncQ-lected children. The Oxford brotherhood did also teach children in street and private dwelling, but they labored as well in l)clialf of men and women in hospitals, prisons, and wretched homes ; in behalf of tempted and doubting and godless young men in Oxford University ; in behalf of all classes and all ages everywhere ; and the key-note of all their work was Bible study and holy living. The Oxford idea was broader, more comprehensive, more radical, as it was earlier by nearly fifty years than the Gloucester idea. Both, how- ever, developed a form of social, hand-to-hand, church ef- fort, to the end that children, and youth, and adults of all grades of society might know the truth and live for God ; and thus both Oxford and Gloucester unite in the best Sunday-school thought of the present day. Those who study the institution have discovered earlier and similar endeavors in the same direction, and it is not difficult to trace all the essentials of the best modern Sunday-school work to apostolic and pre-Christian times. Whatever re- lations the Sunday-school may have sustained to the cluirch in the days of Charles Borromeo in Italy, of Ilobert Raikes in England, of Francis Asbury or Isabella Graham in America, it is a most gratifjdiig fact that to-day it is, especially in America, duly recognized as, in some very sig- nificant sense, a part of the church. It is held in build- ings provided by the church; sustained l)y funds collected, in one way or another, from the supporters of the church ; oi'ganizcd and officered under the supervision nnd subject to at least the veto of the church ; taught by members of the church ; preached aljout, prayed for, and in many cases reviewed and catechised by the pastor of i]\c church; sup- plying from its ranks a large ])roportion of the new con- verts, ministers, and missionaries of the church ; Imilding up by its patronage immense publishing interests, and con- I I THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 223 tributing to the large benevolences which are controlled and directed by the church.'' ^ The Sunday-school was, at the beginning, an institution separate from the church, and until recently, it has been inclined in many places to maintain its independence of the churcli ; but in later years it has become evident that this separation could not continue. Nearly all the churches have adopted the Sunday-school as a constituent part of the church. The relation of the Sunday-school to the church is well set forth by Bishop Vincent in the passage folio win Of : — " There must be one and not two institutions, and that one institution must be the church. And the church must make her power — a power of grace rather than of govern- ment — felt in all that concerns the school. The pastor must be recognized as the highest officer of the school, relieved indeed from the responsibility for details of admin- istration, Ijut present, as pastor, whenever possible ; sus- taining it, and identifying himself with it, and not merely patronizing it with an air of superiority and condescension. The superintendent and all other officers should perform their duties in the interest of the church, and no thouQflit of rivalry, as between two institutions, should ever be al- lowed to enter the mind of a child in the school. The teachers should be members of the church. They sliouhl, at the time of their appointment, be publicly installed or otherwise officially'' recognized before the whole congrega- tion. They should be thoroughly trained in the doctrines and usages of the church they represent, and seek to pro- mote an ac(juaintance with and lo3'alty to the church on the part of tiieir pupils." - A few years ago many of the Sunday-schools in the cities of the United States held two sessions, one at nine o'clock in tin; morning, and the other at two o'clock in tlic afternoon. Oflicers, teachers, mid scholars were the same at l)oth sessions. The morning session was devoted mainly to the study of the lesson ; the afternoon to more general exercises. This donble session is now generally » Parish Problems, pp. 301, .'102. - Ihid. p. .If. ». 224 CHEISTIAN PASTOR AKD WOilKlNG CHUilCH abandoned. It would be difficult to secure the attendance of the same school twice every Sunday, and experience has proved that it is far better to concentrate the effort of the school upon a single service. At what hour the session should be held is a question not easily answered. In some churches the morning hour is best; in others the school may fitl}^ follow the forenoon service ; in others still a separate session in tlie afternoon is undoubtedly preferable. The morning session has its advantage in the freshness with which pupils and teachers come to the work ; one of its chief disadvantages is the difficulty of securing the attendance of adults. Tlie parents of the children are busy in the early morning with liousehold cares, and the young men are not given to early rising on Sunday morning. Many of the children are accus- tomed to go directly home after the Sunday-school session, and few children are seen in the morning service. When tlie school meets immediately after the morning service many of the adults can be induced to remain and take part in the Bible study. The children, also, are more apt to attend the morning service. The disadvantage of connecting the two services, whether the Sunday-school precede or follow the preaching service, is the weariness caused by the double session; yet it is easy to overstate this disadvantage. A brief intermission may refresh those who pass from the one service to the other, and the two hours and a half of varied and spirited exercises are certainly much less fatiguing than the three hours' school session to wliicli most of the children are daily accustomed. And it is greatly to be desired Ixith that the adults should attend the Sunday-school, and that the children slioiild be prcscMit at tho morning service of the church, it is to be feared that in many nKxk'rn churches the attendance of eliildren is rapidly tUminisbiiig. Tlio number of children visible in most American congre- gations is very small. The children are at Sunday-sehool in tho morning, bnt they never attend any other religious service, 'i'hc liahit of church attendance is not formed; the time never comes when they are ready to begin ; as THE SUNDAY fciClIUOL "22.") soon as they deem themselves too old to attend Sunday- school, they are wholly outside of all I'eligious influence. Any adjustment of the Sunday-school session which would help to retain the children in the church is greatly to be preferred. For the Sunday-school itself it is probable that the afternoon hour is most favorable. There is time enough, and the separation of the school from the other services lends to it dignity and importance. But, considering the interests of the church, and the future welfare of the children, it is probable that the best hour for the school is that which follows tlie morning service. The officers of the Sunday-school should be chosen by the church, although the privilege of nomination may well be left to the teachers of the school. Every Sunday- school needs one superintendent, from one to three assistant superintendents, a secretary, a treasurer, and a librarian. The superintendent ought to be a man of good organizing ability, with sound judgment and abun- dant enthusiasm. Tlie most important part of his work is the selection of teachers, for the success of the school depends almost wholly upon the ability of these teachers to attract and hold tlie [)Uj)ils committed to their care. Here will always be found the pivotal point of the Sunday- school work. Interesting genoial exercises, spirited sing- iug, a good lilnary are all attractive, Init nothing will compensate for the lack of a tactful, resourceful, faithful teacher. There is no otln r wdik w illiin the reach of ilie members of the cliuicli of more \ ital importance than this. To gatlier a little grouj) of l)oys or girls and \uA(\ their attention, week by week, to the great themes of religion is a task wliich :in angel might covet. No eultui-(> can be too line, no mental e(ini])nient too perfect foi- sneli a task, since it is only the best educated minds who can make the profoundest truths simple iinij interesting. It will be found that the Sunday-school teachers whose gener.il knowledge of tln' subjects they ;ii-e liiichin^- is already the broadest are those who will s]iend the most time, week by week, in the prej)aration of tjicir lessons. 220 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND AVORKING CHURCH Because they are now so well informed they know the value and importance of fresh study. The teacher who knows the least is apt to be the one who feels the least need of diligent preparation to meet liis class. The intellectual equipment of the teacher is not, how- ever, all that he needs. Pie is the instructor of these pupils, but he is also their pastor, the undershepherd by whom they are to be led into the green pastures and beside the still waters. The one thing needful is that he should win the love of these young people. It is well for him to remember that there is only one way to win love, — the way by which the divine Master won the hearts of his disciples : " We love him because he first loved us." No man or woman to whom a genuine affec- tion for boys and girls is not possible ought to under- take the work of a Sunday-school teacher. And this affection must find constant expression in many practical ways. The teacher will know his pupils in their homes, and will often have them in his own homo ; he will keep a record of their birthdays and remember each with a kind note or some slight token of remembrance ; he will keep himself informed respecting their school work, their companions, their occupations out of school ; he will encourage them to confide in him, and suffer liim to be their counsellor and friend. Such a Sunday-school teacher supplements in a most effective way the work of the wise parent, and supplies in many cases the lack of parental wisdom. It scarcely needs to be said that he will take good care never to come between the ])arent and the child, but always to reinforce parental authority, and emphasize the honor Avhich is the parent's due. There is never any diriiculty about maintaining the numbers and the interest of Sunday-schools Avhose teachers are of tliis character. The classes of such teachei>; never dwindle ; if some pupils are removed by migration or death, tlieir places arc quickly filled ; boys and girls arc as sure to find teachers of this quality as bees are to lind sweet clover. The great task of the superintendent is there- fore to secure, for all his classes, teachers of this kind. — THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 227 intelligent, studious, apt to teach, and, above all, with a genius for friendship, and a power of binding young hearts to themselves with the cords of a lifelong affection. Such teachers are not so i)lenty as they might be ; it is to be feared that the superintendent will often be compelled to accept some who do not answer all these requirements. But it is well for him to know what he wants, and to liold steadily before the eyes of all his teachers this high ideal. If he knows how to kindle in tlii'ir hearts the love which is the fultillino- of all holy law, he possesses the one supreme qualilication of the perfect superintendent. If he can sing well he possesses another. It is not essential that tlie su[jerintendent should be a singer ; he may find some one who can perform tins service for him ; but if the gift of musical leadership does belong to him he can make excellent use of it. The sinsfino- of the Sunday-school ought to be an inspiring and elevating exercise. To this end the words and the tunes sung must be poetiy and music, not sentimental doggerel and rhyth- mical ding-dong. The kind of trash which the children in man}' Sunday-schools are condemned to sing can have no wholesome effect upon their minds or their hearts. Tlie effusive silliness of the verses is often repulsive to the mind of an intelligent child, and tlie manner in which words which represent great thoughts, and which sliould always be reverently uttered, are caught up, and tossc^d into tlie air, and pitched about in tlie shuttlecock and JKittledore movement of these fantastic Sunday-school liymns, is enough to make fools laugh and the judicious grieve. Yet so long have our Sunday-schools been fed on this kind of musical provender that it is diHicult to introduce anything of a higher natuic. The boy wlio lias been reading pcniiy-drcadfuls for a i\'\v years is not interested in good books. Still mor(! diflicult is it to liiid lc;i(K'rs of Sunday-school music who will try to teach the children the more digiii- lit'd liynins. \vt when a leader of intelligence and enthusiasm for good words and good music takes up lliis 228 CHIMSTIAX PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH task with a hearty good-will, the school will learn the nobler songs and will sing them with Si)irit. It is worth something to be able to teach two oi- three hundred boys and girls to sing Cas wall's "When morning gilds the skies," to Barnby's beautiful setting, or Bonar's " Upward when the stars are burning," to Calkin's lovely melody, or Miss Procter's " The shadows of the evening hours," to Hiles's noble tune "St. Leonard." These words a child may be exhorted to heed and ponder and remember ; their beauty will steal into his heart, and abide there ; and it will always be linked A\itli music that can never grow stale or old. All the general services of the Sunday-school ought to be spirited and heart}', but they should also be dignified. Bishop Vincent rightly protests against calling them pre- liminary services : they are w^orship, he insists, and the spirit of worship ouglit to pervade them all. The singing, the responsive reading, the prayers in concert should be full of genuine praise and devotion. Nor should disorder or levity be tolerated by the su[)erintendent during these services. It is sometimes supposed that inattention and irreverence are unavoidable concomitants of Sunday-school exercises ; that the same pupils who on the week-days are quiet and decorous in the presence of their teachers, nuist be allowed on Sundaj^s, in (he house of God. to behave like heathen. It is not possible, it is sometimes said, to enforce upon children in the Sunday-schools the discipline of tlu" day schools; if they ai'c disposed to be tinbulent ami (Usrespectful we nuist simi)ly endure it. All lliis is a grave mistake. Tlie one thing tliat should not be tolerated in a Sunday-school is disordci'. Nor is tliere any difTiculty in the case. A superintendent who demands it can secure it. There are mission schools, drawn IK mi the slums, in wliich tlu^ cliildren's l)eliavi(n- in tiie houi- of worshi]) li'avcs nothing to be dcsii'cd ; nnd tliis lias been secured without any a])proacli to coercion, by simply en- forcing upon the minds of the children the trntli that worship is a sacred tiling, and tliat irreverence is ;m abomi- nation. C'hildren can understand this, ami the ludest of THE RirXDAY SCHOOL 229 them can be made to respect the sacred exercise. Mis- behavior in the Sunday-school is sometimes tolerated be- cause superintendents fear that by the enforcement of order they will drive children from the school. It is bet- ter, they say, that the children sliould come, even if they do misbehave ; they may get some good out of the ser- vice ; we must not drive them into the street. But this is sophistr}'. It is far better that the children should be in the street tlian that they should be behaving riotously in tlie Lord's house. The lesson of irreverence, of disrespect for sacred places and sacred services which mau}^ of them are learning in the Sunda3--school, is one of the worst lessons they could learn. It is doubtful whether any in- fluence exerted upon them l)y rude companions outside could l)e more injurious tliaii the formation of tliis habit. A Sunday-school of one hundred members in which rever- ence and decorum are secured, is likely to do far more good than a Sunday-scliool of two hundred members in which the superintendent is constantly 1)egging for silence, and in which tlie voice of prayer is lieard with dilhculty because of the whispering and tittering of the pupils. This is IK) plea for a stupid and formal Sunday-school service, — it ought to be as In'iglit and cheery as a -luiu' day; and wlien the conversational and teaching period arrives, there is plenty of room for tlie natural vivacity of cliildren, whieli no wise teacher will try to repress. But ill the public Avorship of the school, and in all the exercises in whiili the superintendent is leading, reverence and respect should be insisted on. The usefulness of the Sunday-schof)l may be greatly in- creased l)y I lir [)rovisioii nf piopcr rnonis for its exercises. The importance of separatiug the piimaiy department fioiu tile rest of the scliool has loug been recognized ; the exer- cises adapted to the youngest children art- such as cannot well be carried forward in a room where classes are study- ing the lesson together. l>ut the modern Sunday-school building uudertakes to give, so lar as possible, to each class the same seclusion ; and the o|)]iortunity of tli'' teacher is greatly enlarged by this device. One teacher 230 CHEISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH can more easily instruct a class of twenty or thirty pupils in a small class-room than a class of four or five when the groups are huddled together within the same enclosure. A great economy of teaching force is thus secured ; and since the one difficult thing is the suj)ply of proper teachers, this arrangement is highly serviceable to the interests of the school. The school should be brought together for the opening and closing exercises, but the classes may then be permitted to retire to their rooms for the study of the lesson. ]Maps, blackboards, diagrams, and the like can there be introduced in class work ; and if the teacher wishes to have a serious word with the class, or a few moments of prayer with them, the puj^ils are neither em- barrassed nor distracted by the observation of others. The question concerning the subjects to be taught in the Sunday-school has attracted much attention of late. There can be no doubt that the Bible must be the central, if not the sole sul)ject of Sunday-school study. Various sul)sti- tutes for it have been sought in the schools of some of the churches which claim to be progressive, but it is doubtful whether any of them have proved to be satisfactory. To one school belonging to an Ethical Society the Bible was restored, after a period of banishment, and tlie pupils were told that it had been brought back because it was, above all other books in the world, the book of conduct ; that the main interest of the book was in righteousness ; and that, therefore, although the standards of conduct followed by its characters were not always perfect, tlie study of it must be of the highest value to any man Avho wished to know how to live. There is not, however, much question among modern l*rotf'Stant C'liristians as to tlie place Avhich the liible should occupy in Sunday-school instruction. But there is some difforcnf-e of opinion as to tlie way in which tlie liible should be tauglil. A large proportion of the Evan- gelical Christians of the United States ami ilic I'liilcd Kingdom liave been studying, for many years, the Inter- national Series of Lessons, prepared by a committee in which several denominations are represented. By this THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 231 scheme it is j)roposed that the entire Bible shall be covered about once in seven years, Old Testament and New Testa- ment lessons alternating. In the preparation of lesson helps and commentaries much money has been invested, and a vast literature has been created ; the forms and appliances of intelligent study have been greatly multi- plied. The study of the same lesson in all the schools of a town or city gives an opportunity for union meetings of teachers, and strengthens, to some extent, the bonds of Christian felloA\'ship. ^Vll these are gains, and it may be that they are important enough to outweigh all the losses which the system involves. Of these the chief is the de- sultory and disconnected character of the course. The classes that go skipping back and forth from the Old Testa- ment to the New, and ranging up and down the centuries with no sense of the historic continuity of the events with which they are dealing, are lialjle to find themselves in a state of intellectual confusion with respect to Bibli- cal matters out of which it is not easy to extricate them. Teachers of general history in tlie high schools have great trouble in disentangling the ideas of Sunday-school pupils with respect to the events of Old Testament history. It is probable that the worthy gentlemen Avho prepare these courses are not altogether clear in their own minds as to the genetic relations of that histoiy. Perhaps it is not possil)le, in tlie present condition of Biblical science, to arrange a satisfactory programme for the study of the history of Israel. In that case it would be better to aban- don the attempt to cover the entire Old Testament with this scheme of study, and be content with the selection of typical events and characters. Another serious ol)jcction to the Intrniatioiial i^essons is in the fact that tlie school adopting them is likely to bo hindered from undertaking the gradation of its pupils, and till' prosecution of a systematic course of study. It would seem that the Sunday-school ought to offer to all those who attend upon its instruction the t-hancc of acconii>lish- ing some definile thing. When a l)oy has been a mcinlx'r of a Sunday-school for ten or fifteen years, he ought to 232 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WOKKIXG CHURCH have something to show for it. He ought not to be compelled to say that he has been present Sunday after Sunday, going through the routine of Bible study, and receiving more or less of good impressions, but that he does not know what lie has studied or what he has learned. He ought to have some reason for believing that lie has been making progress ; that in this study, as in every other, he has been rising from the primary to the higher grades, — leaving the rudiments behind and going on toward perfection of knowledge. If every Sunday-school were graded in such a manner that each grade should be studying some definite part of the Bible, with the expec- tation of being advanced to the grade next higher when it had completed this study, an incentive which is now lack- ing would be offered to intelligent pupils. Thus the primary grade should be confined to the simplest record of the Life of Christ ; the first intermediate grade might complete the story of his life, getting a clear and connected notion of the order in which the events follow each other; the second intermediate grade might take up his teachings, including his parables and his discourses; the third might study the planting and training of the Apostolic Church ; the fourth, the epistles; the fifth, some outline of Old Testament history and biography, and the sixth the prophe- cies and the Psalms. This arrangement is a mere sugges- tion ; objections to it could, no doubt, be i)ointed out, and a wiser course selected ; it is only given as an illustration of what might be attempted in the way of systematic study. Many pupils would, of course, do tlicir work very iin})er- fectly ; but the faithful teacher would try to secure the performance of it by all tlie pii])ils, and those who have some intellectual seriousness would have the satisfaction of knowing that they had accom])lislicd it. It would not lie wise for the teachers to remain, as in the day schools, year after year in the same grades, receiving new pujdls from time to tinn; and sending them foi\\ai(l when the work was finished; it woiiM be far better for the teacher to begin with the class in the fii-st intermediate gi-ade and goon with the class through the course: and the ques- THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 233 tion of promotion should be largely left to the decision of the teacher. The personal friendship of teacher and pupil is of far more consequence than the character of thu in- struction ; and while something might be gained in the expertness of teaching by having the teachers remain, as in the day schools, in the same grade, far more Avould be lost in the way of personal influence. Such a scheme could be introduced only mth great dif- ficulty and at considerable expense b}'- a single school ; for it would involve an elaborate arrangement of lessons, and much expense in the publication of them. But if a nnin- ber of schools should unite in the plan the literature could be printed without much difficulty. A beginning has been made in this direction by one organization ; and inductive studies in the Life of Christ, the History of the Apostolic Church, and the Old Testament History have been pro- vided. But tlie studies need to be more carefully sul)- divided, and a clear division established between different grades, with the lines of promotion open from the one grade to the othci-. Connected with the ordinary Sunday-school organizatioi? it w(nd(l be well to have a Senior Department, into which young men and women should pass on completing the lower course, and which in its methods of instruction should have the same relation to the Sunday-school that the college has to the grammar school. One reason wliy tlic young men and women so generally disappear fi'om tlie Sunday-school as they approach maturity', is that the Sun- day-scliool is, traditionally and by tlie terms of ourconnnon speech concerning it, a child's affair. That character has been fastened upon it, and it is imj)ossil)le to change the impression. The attem])t lias bi'cn niailc to counteract tliis idea by calling it a '• Iiiblc Sciiool " ; bnt the device has not been successful. It is true that we have " WWAv Classes " connected with the Sunday-s(diool, but they are still })art of the Sunday-school, and the l)a(lge of ])ueiilily someliow attaches to them. Tlic suggestion of Hislictj) \ incciit lliat a separate dc])ar(nicnt be formed, to lie callccl '"The Assembly " or " 'I'he Institute." in wliich the young 234 CHlilSTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH men and women should be grouped for work of a some- what different order from that of the Sunday-school is well worth considering. " The High School Department," might be an appropriate name. Into tliis, young people of sixteen years of age and over should be admitted on their completion of the work in the lower grades. " Lec- tures and outlines," says liishop Vincent, " should take the place of mere drills ; individual statements by teach- ers and pupils, instead of simultaneous responses. A higher class of music may be rendered, doctrinal discussions conducted, responsive readings introduced, and the methods of the College rather than those of the primary or inter- mediate school should control the hour." ^ Much depends on a name, — the adoption of some such title as has been suggested would go far to disarm the dis- like of heady adolescence to the Sunday-school. It miglit not be necessary to separate this " Assembly," or " Insti- tute " from the rest of the school ; the young men and women might be willing to meet with the rest for some portion of the opening worship, if they could then go away into a room by themselves and prosecute their studies in their own way. Such a group of students should have its own organiza- tion, with president, secretary, and executive committee ; it mifjlit hold social meetinofs from time to time ; it mio-ht undertake certain philantln-opic or missionary enterprises. "Its existence being guaranteed," says Bishop Vincent, " it becomes the meeting point for the younger and older people of the church. It remains Avith them as an incen- tive. It gains a firm grij) u|inii the young people, and prevents tlicir early escapi' IVoui (lie juvenile and too often j)U('rile intluences of the so-called Sunday-school." ^ 'J'hc need of some such devif(> as this to check the hegira of the young men and women from our Sunday- schools and froni our churches will not l)e dis])uted by any intelligent pastor. Whether this is the Ijest method that can Ije devised, we need not dispute ; the sugges- ' 77/f Mmlcrn Sunday School, p. 224, seq. 2 Op. cit. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 235 tion will have served its purpose if it leads to something better. Bishop Vincent assumes that the Assembl}' thus consti- tuted will study the ordinary Sunday-school lesson. Here, however, it is impossible to follow him, for we have already provided for a graded school in which there is to be no uniform lesson. This Assembly should have wide range in its course of study. It may take up the history of the church, following the Apostolic period; it may study the history of doctrine ; it may study Christian biography, ^Missions, reforms as promoted by the Gospel, any subject which is vitally related to the progress of the Kingdom of God, and which the leader can make intelli- gible and fruitful. Here doubtless we come upon the crux of the whole experiment. How to find your leader — this is the difficulty. Yet it ouglit not to be impossible to secure, in many congregations, a man or a woman to whom a task of this nature would not be impossible, — who could succeed in organizing and directing the work of an assem- bly of young people in such a way as to make it in the highest degree stimulating and profitable to all its mem- bers. It would be important that the co-operation of the members themselves should be enlisted; subjects should be assigned at every session for investigation and report at stibsequent sessions; and freedom of inquiry slinuld be encouraged. It has become evident to many careful observers that some important changes nnist be made in the Sunday- school administration, in order that the boys and girls, from the ages of fourteen or fifteen u[)\vard, may be kept in the school. The great majority of these drop out of it just at the time when they most need its invigorating and lestraining influences. Is not tlic failure of the school to appeal to their higher intelligence and their self-respect responsible for this, at least in p;irl ? Would not such an arrangement as liisho}) Vincent has outlined hel|i lo Imld many of them in tlu^ j)laees where sanctirying influences might reach them, and to lead them, in due season, into the active fellowship of the church? 286 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WORKING CHURCH There is reason to fear that one cause of the somewhat diminished influence of the Sundaj'-school may be found in the uncertain handling of the Bible to which recent crit- icism has given rise. The faith of many in the inerrancy of the Scriptures has been shaken ; they may know but little of what the critics have proven, but they know, in a general way, that the scholars of this generation do not use the language respecting the Sacred Book to which, from their childhood, they have been accustomed. And many of them have shrunk from informing themselves, feeling that the admission of such an inquiry to their own minds involves a kind of disloyalty. It is not too much to say that the majorit}^ of Sunday-school teachers are uncertain as to what the}^ should say about the Bible. If their views are challenged they are likely to re-affirm witli some lieat the old theories, because they know not what else to affirm. Now it is manifest that teachiuQ- of this nature cannot be effective. The first thing that the teacher of the Biljle needs to do is to get a clear notion of what the Bible is. And it should not be feared tliat the truth about the Bible is going to do any harm. That a con- siderable modification nuist be made in the theories of inspiration and revelation A\lii(li were current fifty years ago is not to be denied ; and the sooner Sunday-school teachers adjust themselves to tlie facts of the case, the better it will be for them and for all conccrnecL 'I'lie words of the pastor of an Englisli Congregational church, uttered in a recent iiewspaper discussion, are words of wisdom : — " Are the teachers to go on repeating ideas wliich the progress of scientific research and llihlical criticism have rendered untenable, or are they to have tlicir iiisli-uctions in the liglit of 1lie new knowledge acquired in our own generation? '\'\\r former course can only end in disaster to the faith ol the chihlrcii. The latter, as the honest and straightfoi'ward course, will have, I lielievo, only liappy re- sults. There are those wJio would l)anish (Jenesis from the Sunday-school. I>ui it is just on suhjccts connected with the Genesis records that the faith of young people will he THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 237 soonest and most sorely tried when tliey mingle with the world. It is in Genesis also that some of the most beauti- ful, suggestive, and attractive stories for children are con- tained. Great will be the loss to the Sunday-school that displaces Genesis. Nor do I fear that any damage would be caused, I think lather great good would accrue, by a faithful and honest interpretation of these sublimely simple records. Let the teacher of boys from ten to fourteen years of age go over the first chapter of Genesis, and give side by side with it the geological story of Creation ; let him show that tlie earth lias been made to tell its own story of how it was built up ; let him also show that Gene- sis has much to tell on the spiritual side of things of which the rocks say nothing, and I believe he will make the old record live anew to his charges, and wdll })ut into their minds and hearts ideas by which infidelity will be rendered powerless. In the same way let tlie story of the Tempta- tion and the Fall be honestly interpreted. Let the chil- dren know that the serpent was not a literal serpent ; that the whole record is parabolic and full of intense interest, — a mirror, indeed, of every child's and of every man's experience when he falls into temptation. The treatment of these records in the light of modern knowledge would, r believe, imbue young minds with a deepened sense of tlie preciousness and never-fading interest of the Bible ; and the impressions received in the Sunday-school would not liave to be revised in the presence of the sceptic, but would victoriously withstand Ins assaults." Indeed it is evident that the Sunday-school is tlie very place where our children ouglit to be receiving instruction, not onl^' out of the Bible but concerning the Bil)lt', whicli would ('(juip them to resist the attacks of a blatant inti- dclity. Instead of this it is to be feared that the Sunday- school, ill most cases, is giving them ideas about the IWble which cannot l)e defen(leord gives us in tlie same conversa- tion ? "^ Our Fatlier which art in heaven." The whole l)rayer is in the plural nunibi r. Its piiniarv use must be soiial. It is not adapted to tlie use of a solitary wursliipiicr. ( )ne man alone can no more rightly prav that pra\cr than one violin alone can ])lay ISeetliovcirs Ninth Svin|)hon\. As no man conld be a Christian alone, or go to heaven 244 CHEISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH alone, so no man can be always solitary in tliis greatest of all the exercises of human speech. There are uses, indeed, for private prayer, and times when we should literally enter into the inner chamber and shut the door ; but the highest form of prayer is social and not solitary. Even in the secret place we must perfectly identify ourselves with our fellows, else there is no meaning in our petitions. The kind of prayer that isolates a man from his kind brings no blessing. There is absolutely no spiritual good that we ask for that can be ours to have and hold ; if we receive any gift it is that we may minister tlie same one to another as good stewards of the manifold gifts of God. And since this is so, it is manifest tliat when two or three are gath- ered together, and the social bond is clearly emphasized, we ought to find the spirit of true prayer more evidently present. " Our Father," we say, and the meaning of brotherhood becomes more clear ; and as we try to put ourselves in one another's places, and to covet the best gifts for others as well as for ourselves, we are able to offer the fervent, energetic prayer of the loving soul. By loving our brother whom we do see, we draw nigh to God whom we cannot see. If something of the true signifi- cance of social prayer could only be conveyed into tlie minds of the worshippers in our midweek assemblies, we might hope that they would spend more of their time in that direct speech with God which brings to all ^\\\o enter into the meaning of it the largest spiritual gains. Tlie fashion of "sentence prayers," in which, while the whole congregation sits with bowed heads, one after an- other lifts Uj) a voluntary ejaculation, iiicmioiiing some one object of desire, has come into use iu some of our prayer-meetings. It is ungracious to criticise any such practice, and doubtless it may sometimes be helpful to de- votion; but the impression made by this exercise on many minds is nf)t always ]iloasant. The fi-agmentnry character of the petitions, mid the lack of n-flection that they wyq. apt to reveal, often make themselves too evident. It is well, indeed, that the ])rayers slioiild l)c generally l)iief, and that each petitioner should concentrate his desire upon II THE JNITDWEEK SERVICE 245 some one thing which seems to him, at that moment, the one thing needful. And it is usually far better that the prayers should be voluntary than that they should be called forth by the leader, so that no man shall pray un- less some desire is burning in his heart which he Avishes to pour out before God. Of the speaking of the conference-meeting what shall be said? There are critics of this service who point out the fact that the speaking is often the reverse of edifying. Tliey say that the time is apt to be monopolized by igno- rant, effusive, opinionated persons, who have no wisdom to impart and no inspiration to convey ; that they only suc- ceed in gratifying their own vanity or in confirming their own delusions, while they irritate and disgust the sensible people who listen to them. Or, in many cases, the service fails of its usefulness by the aridity of its exercises ; no- body has anything to say ; and after a series of long and dreary pauses, broken mainly b)^ the vain exhortations of the leader who tries to stir up the saints to some utter- ance of the faith that is in them, the meetinsf comes to a close in a shamefaced wa}^, and the brethren and sisters separate with thankfulness that one more midweek ser- vice is at an end. These complaints and criticisms are often too A\'L'll founded. And there is plausibility in the suggestion that only those persons should be expected to speak on religious su})jects who have qualilied them- selves to speak intelligently, and who have something important to say. Yet there is another aspect ot" this question wliith must not be lost sight of. 'J'he use of expression in Ww. develop- ment of the spiritual life must be well considered. There is meaning in the man}' commands of the Master and liis apostles wliieh place such emphasis ujxtn tlie confession of the lips. It may be said that one does not really know anything until lu; lias clearly e\j)ressed it. The teacher requires the pupil to ex]»ress what he is ti ying to learn, not for the teacher's information, but for the eonlirniation of the scholar's own knowledge. It is this ])rineiple which is involved in the calls to testimony whii h (Hsciples always 246 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH hear. To afford them an opportunity to speak of what they have seen and felt, and to give iitterance to those conceptions of the Christian Hfe which are shaping them- selves in their minds is tlie primary business of the mid- week conference. It seems to be, indeed, a natural thing for one who is enlisted in this discipleship, and is trying to learn by heart the word of liis Master, to give expression to his thoughts and purposes. " The evident fact is that a true inward experience, or discovery of God in the heart, is itself an impulse also of self-manifestation, as all love and gratitude are — wants to speak and declare itself, and will as naturally do it, when it is born, as a child will utter its first cry. And exactly this is what David means ; namel}', that he had been obliged to speak, and was never able to shut up the lire burning in liis spirit, from the lirst moment when it Avas kindled. He speaks as one who could not lind how to suppress the joy that lilled his heart, but must needs break loose in a testimony for God. And so it is in all cases the instinct of a new heart, in its experience of God, to acknowledge liim. No one ever thinks it a matter of delicac}^, or genu- ine modesty, to entirely suppress any reasonable joy ; least of all, any fit testimony of gratitude toward a deliverer and for a deliverance. In such a case no one ever asks, what is the use '.■' wliere is the propriety ? for it is the sim})le instinct of his nature to speak, and he speaks. "Thus, if one of you had been rescued, in a shi])wreck on a foreign shore, by some common sailor who had risked his life to save you, and yon sliould discover him across the street in some great cil}-, you would rush to liis side, seize his hand, and begin at once, with a choking utterance, to testify your gratitude to him for so great a deliverance. Oi-, if you sliould pass restrainedly on, making no sign, pretending to yourself lli;it mhi mi^lit be wanting in (Kdi- cacy or modesty to publish your private feelings by any such eaofer acknowlediifment of youi- deliverer, oi- that von ought first to Ix' nioi'c sure of liic genuineness of your grati- tude, what opinion must we have, in sucli a case, of your heartlessness and falseness to nature? in the same simple •>17 THE MIDWEEK SEllVlCE 24 way, all ambition apart, all conceit of self forgot, all arti- ficial and mock modesty exclnded, it will be the instinct of every one that loves God to acknowledge him. He will say with our Psalmist, on another occasion, — " Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul. Verily God hath heard me, he hath attended to the voice of my prayer." ^ While, therefore, the bald recital of personal spiritual experiences may not be the best exercise for a social re- lio-ious meetinfi:, the themes of conversation ought to be such as shall connect themselves clearly and consciously with the religious experience of those who speak. Tlie main thing is to get from them a clear expression of truths which they have verified. I'he leader should be wise to encourage always this kind of utterance. Let every man remember the words of the Master : " We speak that we do know and testify that we have seen." Let those who speak be kindly admonished to keep within their own knowledge ; to avoid speculations and hypotheses ; to bring forth the truths which they have cither veiified or are tr}-- ing to verify. — truths wliich have been vitalized by ex- periment in their daily lives. It is not always necessary to give the process of verification ; what is wanted is the results. The men and women who are fighting the hard battles of life and working out its problems can often greatly aid one another Ijy giving the clear issues of their serious thinking, while at the same time they strengthen their own hold on spiritual realities. And specific testimony to truths verified in the experience is a different thing from the general report of spiritual conditions and tendencies to whicli ex'iierience meetings are mainly achlicted. 'I'iii! life of the Christian is the iirst great tli(>mo of the midweek service ; the second, which is Hke unto it, is the work of the cliureli. 'Hie service may freiiucntly take on a very practical < liaiacter. Tlie various enterj)rises in wliich the ebiireh is engaged slmiilil oricii eonie beloiv it foi- study and consultation. 'I'hose who h;ive the imme- diate charge of tlie work' iiixler eoiisiilei:iI ioii should be 1 UnslmcH's Srrmoiis for tlir New Li/'r, jip. .'?S4-ri. 248 CHIIISTIAN TASTOR AND WORKING CHUIICH present, and their report should be heard respecting the progress of the work, its difficulties and its hopeful feat- ures. The problem is to bring all these tasks to the altar, and let them feel the glow of its consecrating flame. It is not chiefly about methods tliat the meeting should be inter- ested, it is rather about the work in its larger relations, and the motives that should govern it and the spirit in which it should be pursued. The inquiry here is, what is God's part in this work, and how would he have us co-operate with him ? The machinery is a matter of importance, but the main question before these social meetings is the sup- ply of motive power. Thus the Sunday-school, the Parish Missions, the Young People's Organizations, the Mission- ary Societies, the Brotherhoods, all features of the organ- ized work of the church should occasionally be taken up for study and prayer at the midweek service. Such a cus- tom helps to clear the meeting of the charge of dealing wholly with abstractions and sentimentalisms, and brings prayer and work into closer relations. To the question avIio shall lead the midweek service the answer is, the pastor, unless there is a more skilful leader. If there is a capable assistant on whom many of the pas- toral duties devolve, this service would naturally come to him. The man who leads the meeting ought to be a well equipped man, ready, prompt, resourceful, enthusiastic, with an abundance of tact and good-nature. He sliould also be one who knows the work of the church thoroughly, and knows tlie people ; else he may fail to guide the con- versation into safe channels. It is well that the subject of the meeting should be announced on the preceding Sunday ; and it may some- .times be advisable to have a series of related topics ar- ranged for several successive weeks and printed for tlio use of the mendjcrs. To secure a promjjt and coherent treatment of the theme under consideration, some pains may well be taken. Good pi-ayer-meetings are not apt to grow spontaneously; they need planting and watering and diligent cultivation. The leader should study liis theme and take some measures to get it before the minds of those THE MIDWKKlv SEllVICE 249 who will be present. A c«irefiil analysis of the subject into sub-topics or questions might be made ; and a postal card or note, with one of these questions clearly stated, might be sent early in the week to each of several persons who are likely to be in attendance. This brings a specific inquiry before the mind of each of these persons, and is likely to secure some consideration of the subject before the meetino-. The leader need make no reference in the meeting to this distribution of questions, but his opening of the subject would naturally follow the outline he had made, and might leave these questions open for consider- ation. This would prevent the leader, also, from exhaust- ing the sul:)ject in his opening, — a vice to which leaders are addicted. The chief business of the one who conducts such a service is to ask questions or throw out suggestions which others may seize and utilize. At the close of the meeting he may profitably gather up the ravelled ends and enforce the salient truths in a brief address. One advantage of this method of distrilniting the themes tlirough the mails is that the church directory may be freely used, and those who are wont to be silent or Avho are habitually absent may thus from time to time be re- minded of the service and invited to participate in it. As to the mode of conducting the service a few sug- gestions may be quoted from Parish Prohlcms : — " The meetino- ouirht to be so free and so familiar that one sitting in his seat might ask a question or drop a re- mark without rising. Sometimes a thought comes that could be expressed in a sentence. It seems hardly worth while to get up to say it; the uprising and downsitting make it sound affectedly sententious. Yet it would be spoken very naturally by one sitting still, if that were the usual practice, and might have a good di-al more iu i( tliau many long spt-eches. ''I rcmembci' a foi-mcr parishioner nf uiiue, a. man of exceeding dinidcncc, wlio never made a speech in his life, in prayer-meeting or anywhere else, but whos(! daily life and convei-sation were both df ihcin wiili grace seasoned with salt. We had a habit iu our prayer-meeting of 250 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH talking pretty familiarly ; and although he did not often speak, when he did he usually said something. One evening we had the parable of the great supper and the wedding garment, and the fact came out that the master of the feast furnished the guests with garment. "And is it not so with our Master? " asked somebody. " Does he not clothe us with the robe of his lio-hteousness ? " "■ lie does," I answered. " But ive must put it on, must we not ? " asked my friend. Nine words ! but nothing was left to be said on that subject. " Now, if we can attain unto a measure of freedom in our prayer-meetings which shall admit of such pithy questions and observations, 1 am persuaded that their interest and value would be very greatly increased. Our Clu'istian women might, in such a condition of things, open their mouths now and then, greatly to the profiting of the rest of us. One stej) in this direction is easily taken, and that is the repetition of texts of Scripture in the pauses of the meeting by old and young, male and female. Tlie subject is known beforehand, and those who come should be requested to bring in their memor}^ verses of Scripture which illustrate it, and recite them as they find room for them during the evening. Sometimes these well-chosen words will go home to the hearts of hearers with great power. Verses of hymns, or short and perti- nent extracts from the writings of good men, might be repeated in the same way with ])ro(it." ^ The singing is an important part of this social service. The hymns may be somewhat less dignified and stately than those of the church service, but the jingling doggerel which greatly prevails in our American churches is not to be encouraged. All that was said in the last chapter about tlie Sunday school music is equally applicable to the music in Ihcsc; meetings for social worship. Tlic vulgarization of the tastes and the depravation of the sentiments of worshippers through the use of sensational ;iiiil SL'iiliiiiciilal [)rayer-meeting liynnis :iiiut there is a little higher conce}> tion of the work of the minister than that which regards him as a hired man whose duty is wholly owed to the people who pay him his wage. He is, to begin v/ith, the minister of Christ ; he must regard himself as sent to all those to whom Christ would be ministering if he were dwelling in that community. And he may sometimes recall those words of the Good Shepherd, " Otlier sheep I have which are not of this fold ; them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice." ^ Nor can he well forget those other tender words, " I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." '^ He is, indeed, the min- ister of this particular church ; but if the church is Christ's church there can be nothing exclusive in its ministry. Tlie church is Christ's representative ; and the servant whom it employs is employed to do Christ's work. Tliat the church should ever conceive of itself as a close corpor- ation, organized to promote the welfare and happiness of its own members, is an indication of the melancholy truth that the church itself (jften needs to be christianized. " The church is, in a word," says Mi-. Herbert Stead, " the body of Christ. The redemptive and mediatorial purpose incarnate in liim is incorporated in it. He came expressly to establisli and extend the kiiiordom. The cliuich lives expressly for the same end. As tliou didst send me inlo the world, even so sent I them into the world; and llic same voice has said. The Son of Man came to seek and Id save that which is lost. The later record runs, Tlic Father hatli sent the Son to be the Savioin' df the world. 1'his, then, is the avowed vocation of the ( hiiicli. I bic idl the characteristics we liave noticed arc focusscd. 'Jdie 1 John. X. 10. - Malt. nv. 24. PARISH EVANGELIZATION 255 church is the organized Saviour. It is God's implement for overtly and directly bringing over the world into the realm of saving health. It is to search for the lost. It is to save them. Jt is to make them whole. It is to inte- grate humanity." ^ All this is of the rudiments, but there is reason to fear that it is not well understood. How long must we wait for the church to be christianized? If we could conceive the church to be in the truest sense Clnistian. then it, like its ^Master, must say, " I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give my life as a ransom for many."'^ And it is a large part of the pastor's duty to bring the church into the realization of its high calling as a repre- sentative of Christ, as the body of which he is the head, thinking his thoughts after him, filled with his spirit, and doing his work. When the church so conceives of its function, its feeling about its minister will undergo a change. The people will still say " He is our minister ; " but they will not mean by that, ours to care exclusively for our organization or for our households, but ours to help us in our proper work of doing good to all men as we have opportunity. How many churches there are which still have need to learn the primary lesson of the kingdom, that to look out and not in, and to lend a hand, is as truly the law of the corporate life of the church as it is the law of the spiritual life of an individual ! And how great would be the gains of some of our churches if they could only see that the clninli w liirli is always linding its o\mi life by that act loses it; while the church which loses its life for Chiist's sake finds it. Kvery pastor finds liimsolf, llnii. in the midst of a com- nninity, in which are consideraljle iium])ors of ])eo])U' who are not connected witli his congrcgatii)ii, nor with any other Christian congregation. TIk' outside heathen, the neglecters, the non-church-going classes — these are round about him ; and, whatever may be the expectations of his church, he has certainly some relation to these people, nnd some obligation concerning them. He m;iy snfclv assnme 1 Fait/i and Criticism, p. 332. - .Mark x. •».'). 256 CHEISTIAN PASTOR A^D AV0HK1>;g CUUllCIl that all the people within reach of his church, who are not under anybody else's pastoral care, are under his pastoral care — so long at any rate as they have not made it mani- fest to him in any way that they do not wish to be cared for by him. This may, in some cases, seem to put a tremen- dous burden upon him ; doubtless it wdll ; but no pastor will be willing to admit that there are any human beings within the reach of his church for whom no representative of Christ deems himself responsible. If there are other churches and pastors in the vicinity, some part of the responsibility for these unchurched mul- titudes midoubtedly belongs to them, and the pastor will be wise if he shall persuade them to share it with liim. If they will divide the district with him, setting off to him a certain territory, his burden will be lightened. His first duty to the parish thus put under his special care is to get acquainted with it. The problem of " reach- ing the masses," as it is called, now confronts him. That phrase is one which always has an unpleasant sound ; it should always be confined within quotation marks. It is to be hoped that the wise pastor will never try to " reach the masses." One reason of church neglect is that men have been thouo-ht of and talked of too much as " masses." They are inclined to resent that phraseology^ and all that it implies. They are not to be blamed. J\Iost of us know that we are not " masses " and we do not wish to be con- sidered as such. Every human being greatly prefers to be regarded as a person, with a name and an individuality of his own. If the men, women, and children dwelling in the territory for which the pastor has now become resi)onsible, shall present themselves before his thought as individuals, rather than as "masses," he will be much more likely to "reach " tlicm. lie is likely to over-estimate, somcwliat, tlie extent of the absolute neglect within liis jjarish. The great majority of the families in the worst districts of our American cities, will cbiini In be connected with some church. Three Christian ministers of different denominations, canvassed together very carefully a large district in an American PAltlSH EVANGELIZATION 257 city, inhabited by tlie lower middle, and well-to-do work- ing- classes, and only about twelve per cent, of that popu- lation would confess that they were outside the churches. It is probable that less than twenty-live per cent, of the [jopulation of any city east of the Mississippi would make that admission. This shoAvs, if it is true, that tlie aliena- tion of the multitudes from the churches is not so hopeless as it is often supposed to be. For even if the relation of man}^ of these people to the churches is very slight indeed, the fact that they are inclined to claim such relation indi- cates that there is in their hearts no inveterate hostility to the churches. That the relation of many of these people to the churches is very slight indeed, the minister will soon discover. Many of them are connected only through their children, who attend some mission Sunday-school. Even those working men whose complaint of the church is most bitter, are thus, very commonl}-, connected with the churches. The children of these men are apt to be found in Sunday- school ; the mother, probably, does not feel quite willing to be wholly separated from the offices and influences of the church. People of whom he has never heard are often reported to a city pastor as saying that they attend his church ; he need not always on this account accuse him- self of pastoral neglect ; probably these are people a\^1io once in a while come in to an eveninor service; who like his church better than any other, and would call on him if there were a funeral in the family. The number of these semi-attached persons is very large — much larger, prob- ably, than tlie number of those who announce themselves as non-clnirch-goers. And the great majority of tliem may be regarded as practically outside the cliurclies — as lost sheep of the house of Israel. The minister's iii-st proljknn is (o get ac(piainted wiih this ujichurched contingent. By tliis is not meant that he must personally visit all these faniilies ; though that, if he can lind lime to do it, would In; most jiroductivc labor. There is nothing which Christian ministers need more than just such ii'.timate, personal acquaintaiK^^ with the 17 258 CHKISTLAJS^ PASTOR AKD WORKING CHURCH people who do not come to church. The minister ought to be able to see life from their point of view ; to learn, by actual contact with their minds, wliat are their mental habits and tendencies. If, however, the church is doing the work which it ought to do in this field, the minister will have all that he can do to care for those who are thus brought in ; and the work of visitation and invitation should, in large churches, be assumed by the church. It is the minister's task to see that the work is done. Nor can it well be delegated to city missionaries and paid visitors. The real significance of the work is lost when it is thus performed by proxy. It must always be essentially a labor of love, and love-making is not well done by proxy. It is only when a genuine Christian friendship is expressed in such a call that it can be other than impertinent. The minister ought to see to it then that the non-church- goers in the vicinity of his church — those for whom he has become responsible — have the Christian greetings of the church extended to them from time to time. It is not necessary to persecute them with attentions, and those who continue to decline the invitation should be })assed by ; it is only necessary that all the people of the vicinage should be kept aware of the fact that a Christian church is there, that it has not forgotten them, and tliat it wishes to share its best gifts with them. For many reasons it is vastly better that this work of visitation should be done by the co-operation of all the churches in the neighborhood; as it was recently done, for example, by the churches of the east end of Pittsburg. There have been many such examples. Then the visitors of each cliiircli, instead of seeking to gather into its t»\\'n fold all those in its territory who liave no eliunli linnu^ III id out the denominational preference of each family called uj)()ii, and gain its consent to report its name to the pastor of tlie nearest clnirch of that denomination. Tlie effect of such a co-operative work is good in every way ; it is a demonstration of Christian unity worth more tlian weeks of t;dl< in iinidii meetings; and it is niucli more PAEISJr EVAXGELTZATTOX 259 effective, because the denominational preferences of these outsiders count for much ; and the family is more likely to accept the invitation of the minister with which it is thus put in communication than that of the church of M'hich it has no knowledge, or against which it may have some prejudice. It lias been assumed that these people ma}- be and ought to be brought into the churches. But this assump- tion will be challenged. It is impossible, it M'ill l)e said, to prevail u[)()n them to come into the churches ; they will not come to us ; we must go to them. Other agencies outside the church must be provided for the evangelization of these people. We must go down among them and plant mission churches, mission schools, homes, refuges, and all such saving agencies. These people are afraid of our churches. The churches are, in fact, too fine for them. They would not feel at home worshipping with us, nor we witli them. The social stratification is a fact, and it is foolish to try to evade it. You must adjust yourself to the situation. All this is urged by the people who have sold their down-town cliurches and gone up to worship on the aven- ues, urged with the emphasis of conviction. Some of us have listened well but we are not yet convinced. To say that we do not feel the force of tliis reasoning would be inaccurate. We feel it as keenly as we feel the force of the east wind in April. We feel the weiglit of it as we feel the weight of a muggy atmosphere in the ilug-days. liut we cannot aver that our faith is strengthened or our hope invigorated by it. It is not necessary to speak dis- respectfully iibout mission schools, or mission cliurches. Many good people are engagctl in such (•n(ci[)riscs, and it would be highly uncharitable to censure them. P.ut there are vigorous churches which have never yet found it wise to propose the establishment of Avhat are commonly known as missions. These churches are engagecl in |)liin(ing Christian institutions; ])iit tlicy arc not missions, in name or in I'ari. 'I'licy arc founding Sunday-schools in suiiablc localities, but these are not mission Sunday-. cliools ; care 2G0 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING- CHURCH has Ijceii taken to avoid calling them hy that name or giving them that character ; the expectation is that they will become churches. In the first place, these churches do not go into the heart of any degraded district to find a site for their Christian enterprises. It seems to them wiser to select a place near the border of such a district, at a mediating point between the more fortunate and the less fortunate classes. If the church is to do this work of mediation, it is important that its purpose should be distinctly signal- ized by the selection of its site. If it goes up on the avenue and purchases a very expensive location, that is a distinct advertisement of the kind of church it intends to be. It will be perfectly true of the church which stands on this ground, that the people in the tenement houses will not feel at home in it. If, on the other hand, a site is chosen in the midst of the squalor and filth of some poverty-stricken district, everybody knows that this can only be a ]nission ; that self-support is not looked for ; that it is a purely gratuitous ministration on the part of certain rich Christians to the spiritual needs of tliis neg- lected neighborhood; and if there are any thoroughly self-respecting poor people in that precinct, they will be inclined to keep away from it. A chapel built on the edge of such a district, but just outside it, appeals quite as strongly to the poorest people in it as if it stood in the midst of them, perhaps more strongly. Tliey would willingly walk a few squares further for the sake of worship[)ing in a more decent place. Very few of them expect to remain in this s(pialor; they do not regard it as their natural habitat, and they are more iliau willing to be reminded once a week that tlicir inter- ests do not iill centre here. If the chapel can draw tlie people out of the shuns a few times every Av^cek, into cleaner neiglil)orliood and l)etter air, it will do them a good service. They will go back to tliat dirt every time a little more unwillingly. And there is no serious dil'li- culty in inducing the people of these districts to come to the churches which stand near lluin l)iiL Jiot in tiieni. It PAlliSIl EVANGELIZATION 261 is usiiall}^ a matter of a few furlongs or even rocls ; the S(j[ualid areas are generally in surprisingly close neighbor- hood to the abodes of comfort. When the chapel or church is thus located, when it stands as the mediator between the rich and the poor, reacliing one hand to the people who dwell in the respect- able residence streets, and the other toward those who hive in the tenement houses, its character and work are at once determined. It must not be a " mission " ; the eleemosynary features of its work cannot be thrust into the foreground ; it must be a people's church, a church for all sorts and conditions of men, where the rich and poor meet together, confessincf the Lord who is the Maker of them all. It hopes to draw into its fellowship enough of tlie dwellers in the respectable streets to give it the needful financial strength, and enough of trained intelligence to give it wise guidance, and enough of the surrounding poverty and need to give it a good field for work within its own congregation, or at any rate within those circles which will open directl}' out of its own congregation. This plan has been kept distinctly in mind by some churches, in their evangelistic work, and experience has justified it. The Sunday-schools thus started have become churches ; they are not rich man's clnn'ohos, and can never be ; they are people's churches ; and that is the only kind of church which has any right to exist. All classes come together in them and learn in them tlie lessons of mutual respect and of self-respect. Poor i)eople wlio are not paupers have exactly the same riglits in them as their more fortunate neighboi-s enjoy; the poorest prefer to belong lo churches, membersliip in which is not a badge of meudicaney. It may be said that there ai-e areas of j)overty in some of our cities so large tJiat it woidd be lio[K'h.'ss to tiy to draw the people away from tlicm ; that churches and chapels must be establislied iu I hem; and that these must ucimIs have the cliaracter, if imi the ii.inic <>{' missions. TIic geograj^liical statement may be true, biii the ecclesiastical inference does not follow. It is not necessary that chapels or churches thus located should be missions. Tliev niav 262 CHPJSTIAN PASTOIl AND WOllKlXG CHUllCH be colonies. It is possible for meinbers of Chiistian churches to be actuated by motives not less Christian than those which have inspired the founders of the college and university settlements. It is possible for Christians of wealth and education to care enough for the welfare of the people of the neglected districts to be willing to go and live among them. Of course, this would mean that the sanitary conditions of those districts would be sharply looked after, for it would not be right for the well-to-do Christians to take their families into these precincts unless they were made habitable ; and thus their very advent would brinQ- savin Qf liealth to their new neio'hbors. The churches tlius formed by colonies In the neglected districts would differ widely from what are now known as mission churches. The edifices Avould doubtless be plain, but they would be tasteful and comfortable ; the minister would be a man of intelligence ; tlie services would be de- corous and orderly. But the important feature would be the footing of neighborliness upon which the worsliippers and the workers would stand too-ether. The leaders in this enterprise, the teachers in this Sunday-school, would not be hired men and women sent down here to perform a certain work of charity; nor would they be occasional visitants, letting themselves down, as it were, once or twice a week, out of some higher realm of social life, to minister to tlie poor, wliose coming was felt to be an act of condescension ; they would be neighbors and acquaintan- ces, whom tlie poor people met every day ui)()n the street, and with whom tliey were identified in many otlier thincrs besides the reliGrious services. Tlie social contact of these classes with each other could not but be of great benefit to both of them. Gentleness and refinement would be taught in the only w:iy in wliich llicv can l)e tauglit; and icspcct for hibor and s\nipalli\ for tlu' liiboivr mouM l)('Come soinetliing moi'c than a seutiniciii. Wlmt opjioi-- tuiiities, too, of geiiiiiin' cliarity would conic dnilv to llicse C'hrisliaus, lluough their close acquaintance willi their needy bretliren ! And liow l)e;iutifully wttuld the Ixnids of social peace be woven by such organizations as these ! PAKTSH EVANGELIZxVTION 263 If there had been as many as twenty such churches, phinted by Christian colonies, in the poorer wards of New York, how different would be the social conditions of that great city I One such colony would be a far better safeguard against anarchy than one hundred policemen. This, then, is the shape which we could wish to see our Christian work taking in the cities. No one ought to speak disrespectfully of missions ; but they seem to be an impotent device. It is clear that they cannot meet the demand. Their work, at best, is sketchy and superficial ; they " heal the hurt of the daughter of my people " very sliglitly. A few years ago the present writer walked through some of the worst parts of East London, in company with an alderman of the London County Council, who is also pas- tor of a Congregational church in one of the working-class districts of the metropolis. This pastor Avas thoroughly informed respecting the social and religious conditions of tlie great city, and his comments on what appeared were full of instruction. In the course of the walk we came upon a mission cliapel, planted by another Congregational church, in one of the worst comers of that section. " See," said the pastor, " here is Doctor Blank's mission. Can you not perceive, by the very look of it, that it has very little relation to the life of these people ? One does not wish to say a word against such a work as this ; these people are trying to do good here ; Ijut the sum of vv'hat they accomi)lish is infinitesimal. Tlicy come down here once or twice a week; they are here for an liour or two at a time; they sing and jn-each and pray; tlieir services make a little emotional rij)])l(' in the lives of these peo])h>, and then tliey go away. Some thoughts of a belter life, some wishes for strength and purity are awakened in the liearts of those who hoar, Init how can such feeble impulses stiiiggh' into life ill sueli an i-nvironment? Yon migbl as well plant a violet between tliese curbstones. The girls in tli;il Sunday-school sleep, most of them, in apartments, where from half a dozen to a dozen peojjle are limldletl proniisenonslv together, male and female, married an[)le want is love, aiul su(;h social relations with their Chiistian neighbors as shall allow the ex])ivssion of this love. To be prcaehcd to is not the thing they are hungry for, but to be known and cared for. .And there- fore the church which stands near to a neighborhood where ^ National Pej-ilsand Opportunities, p. 107. PARISH KVANGKLIZATIOX 269 numbers of sack people live has a great opportunity. Its work cannot be done by sending bands of its young people about to stand on the corners of the streets and speak and sing to those who are passing, but rather by sending its best and its bravest out two by two into the streets and the highway's, the attics and the cellars to constrain them to come into its own sanctuary, and by providing such a welcome for them that when they do come in they shall feel themselves to be among friends. Doubtless special services of one kind or another will need to be arranged for them ; and many new measures adopted for their instruction and edification ; the church Avill need to exer- cise all its invention upon this problem of manifesting its fellowship to those whom Christ reckons as " the least of these [his] brethren." The families thus gathered into tlie Sunday-school or the church need careful shepherding, and it is far better that it should be done by members of the church, in an unofficial way, than by paid visitors. The pastor may wisely assign to each of the women of the church who will undertake the care, two or three of these families as her special charge. She should be instructed to call on them not as a committee or a delegate, but as a Christian friend, desirous of making their acquaintance and of enter- iniTf into relations of Christian friendship Avith them. She nuist not efo as an almoner of cliaritN', searchinjif out their penury and offering assistance ; that, in most cases, is the very tiling to be avoided. AVhen she becomes the Lady Bountiful, and tliey the pensioners upon Iut bounty, the relation is apt to be vitiated. She must rather serk to preserve between herself and them tin- fricndslii]) wliirli rests on mutual respect. If relief is needed she li;td Ix (h r see that it rea"hes them through some otlier eliaiiiiel. If she can become a trusted friend, giving' tlieni ;it all times counsel and sympathy, aiding them in seeuring employ- ment and in helping themselves, winning their contidenee, and stimulating their self-resj)ect ami iudcjHiKlcnc,.. the S'M'vice that she will render tlicm Mill he mic nf tin' Iii'_;li- est value. Wmk of this kind is projiosecl b\- Ihecjiaritv 270 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH organization societies, and much good work of this kind is, undoubtedly, done by them : but it is above all things important that the Christian churches should count it their chief work — a work of which no other organization can possibly relieve them. CHAPTER XII THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH Ix our study of tlie constitutiou of the chuieh we have found that it is, primarily, a social organization, and that the bond which holds it together must be the mutual love of its membere. The fundamental law of the church as a social organization is well expressed by the apostle Paul in these words : " Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifying. For Christ also pleased not him- self. . . . Wherefore receive ye one another, even as Clnist also received you, to the glory of God.^ This is the paraphrase and the amplification of the new commandment of Christ — " that ye love one another as I liave loved you."^ If the doctrine of justification by faith is, theologically, articidus stantis vel cadcntis ccdcsicv^ it is no less true that of Christian society the only sure foundation is Christ's law of brotherliood. Wlien this law is disregarded or set at nouglit in t lie practical work- ing of the body, it ceases to be a Christian churcli. It may be a school of sound tlieology ; it maybe a i)()puhir ])reaching place; it may be a ])lac(' of ])()litc resort; but it is not any longer a church of Christ. If Paul's statement is true, tlie cliurch iflatioii iiiij)lii's acquaintance and friendship on the part of the memlK'rs df tlic rliurch. "Wlierefore receive yi- nuc miotlirr as ('hrist also received you, to tlie glory of (icjd."^ This word "receive" means mu(tli. Undoubtedly its connotation is sofiah It signilies more tlian merely standing u]) before tlie foniniunion table when new nicmlHTS arc adiiiitlcd : more 1 Ikoui. XV. 1, '2, .'1, 1.^ 7. - .luliii XV. 12. '' Hoin xv. 7. 272 CHllISTIAN PASTOR AND WORiaNG CHURCH than sitting together once a Aveek, beneath the same church roof ; more than having a speaking acquaintance Avith members of the church. The primary sense of the word here translated "■ receive," is to take another by the hand and draw him toward yourself ; and tlie definitions of the word are these : " To take to one's company, intercourse, house ; to receive to oneself ; to admit to one's society and fellow- ship ; to receive and treat with kindness." ^ This, then, is the duty which Paul commands the Roman Christians to practise toward one another. In the church he expects that there will be friendship and social intercourse among the members ; the church is to be a genuine sodality. Various social organizations exist at the present da}^, some open, others secret, whose members are bound together by vows of fellowship and fraternity. But none of these contemplate a closer fellowship, a more hearty fraternity than Christ desiofned to be the bond of union amonij the members of his church. This view of the relationship of church members may seem to some extravagant and vi- sionary. Be this as it may, it is the view which Christ and all his apostles held and enforced by precept and by practice ; it is the only view to wliicli any countenance is given in the New Testament. It may be said that this implies a sort of communistic or agrarian equality and that this is contrary to the teachings of Christianity. It is true that the New Testament does not teach state socialism, as that term is commonly understood, nor does it encourage communism. Even the iirst cliapters of the Acts of the Apostles, if lightly interpreted, do not sanction the abolition of private property, and the establisli- ment of communistic societies. The family is exalted in tlie New Testament ; Christianity glorifies and cstablislies tlie family; tlie preservation of tlio family as a social unit recpiircs tlie accumulation of piivatc j)r()perty; and the existence of private property involves disparity of con- ditions. If industry and tralfic are free to all, there will be ineciunlity in men's estates. The inequality in men's temporal conditions results largely from differences in 1 Roliinson's Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. THE SOCIAL LIFE OP THE CHUKCH 273 their natural powers and capacities. Christianity does not change these natural capacities, and does not, of course, change the results that flow from them. It does not make all men alike either in gifts or in possessions. The Chris- tian morality assumes that there will he rich and poor, strong and weak, coarse and fine, fast and slow, all living together in the same society; it does not undertake to abolish such distinctions, but only to establish a law by wliich all these sorts of people shall form one harmonious societ}'. The good maestro does not desire to have the instruments of the orchestra all violins or French horns ; neither does he wish to have them all play the same part ; the silver bugle, and the brass ophicleide, and the wooden bassoon ; the stringed instruments and the reed instru- ments, and the instruments of percussion, — he wants them all, as many kinds of voices as he can get ; and then he will divide up among them as many melodies as can be made to harmonize. What is essential is that all the instruments shall be in tune, and that they shall be played in time, and with a distinct appreciation on the part of each musician of the part which he is called to deliver, as well as of the complete harmony of which his part is one harmonious strain. So in the Christian society Christ wants all varieties of condition and of capacity, so that the whole body, " fitly framed and knit together through that wliich every joint sujiplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love." ^ Hie church is to be an organism, not a mass of inde- pendent atoms. The members of the church have the same relation to each otlicr that tlie parts of an organized body liavc to each other, a vital rehition, a formative relation. Take the parts of the tree, leaves, bark, branches, roots — wlicnce do they derive the life by wliich tin y live? From the sun, tlu; air, the soil. Hut it is not tine tliat each individual leaf, branch, rootlet, seeks its (»\vn nourish- ment — sujiplies itself with life from sunshine and soil :md atniosphci'e — and permits the rest, of the tree to provide 1 i:|.ii. iv. 10. 18 274 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH for itself. The roots, drawing up from the earth its nioist- ture and its life-giving juices, partake of the nourishment they thus draw from the soil, and at the same time convey it through the woody veins of the trunk and tlie branches to all parts of the tree ; the leaves drinking in the sun- shine, send its vitalizing currents back along the same channels to the roots again ; so that every leaf, and every branch, and every cell of tissue, and every rootlet under- ground is busy in ministering to the health and growth of every other part of the organism ; all are working together for the upbuilding of the body in love. The roots under- ground may be soiled and scraggy, without form or come- liness, but they have an equal part in the work of vegeta- tion ; and they are not forgotten or neglected by the gay leaves overhead; for draughts of nectar that the golden sunshine brews are sent to them every hour to cheer them in their lowly toil. A partnership of life, a vital unity, binds all parts of the tree together. The relation which the members of the church sustain to each other is like unto this. The members of the church are not only united by an individual faith to Christ the living head, from whom all their life flows ; but they are united to each other in a living fellowship, and as every man has received the gift, they are to minister of the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Love is the essence of Cliristianity. Not love for those nearest us, for our family, or our social circle, but love for all who are made in God's image. My neigliboi- may hv coarse, hard-hearted, stui)id, but lie is a child of God, and therefore my brother, and I must love him, and do him good as I have opportunity. And this love must be some- thing more than a vapory sentiment ; it iiinstl)e a practical power issuing from my life and reaching liis life, " As I have loved you, so ought yc to love one another," ' said tlie Master. If the cherishing of loving sentiments liad been all tliat was ncfossary, ho miglit have remained on liis^ throne amon doubt, but still paganism; and the THE SOCIAL I>TFE OF THE CHURCH 279 religion of the meek and lowly Nazarene has no more po\\erfLil foe. Nothing needs christianizing more than ^^■hat is called, by a polite euphemism, Christian society. The thorough application of the Christian law to the social intercourse of neighbors, of members of the same church, would work a marvellous transformation. We sometimes hear it said that the christianization of the church is a visionary enterprise. In great ecclesiasti- cal assemblies the suggestion that party spirit be laid aside, and that, instead of trying to overpower one an- otlier, the representatives of the churches seek to please one another, and to prefer one another in honor, is received with a signiilcant silence. And the proposition to introduce the Christian law of social intercourse into the church is likely to be viewed in many quarters as an impracticable innovation. Yet, so long as we call ourselves Christians, and accept the man of Nazareth as our Master, we ought, manifestly, to recognize the duty of making some attempts in this direction. Any church which will throw itself heartily into the enterprise of realizing the life of Christ in its fellowship will find that it is an easy and delightful thing to do. The diHiculty of which we have spoken is mainly the difficulty of overcoming the disinclination — of making the attempt. Lilcc; many other services from wliich we shrink, tlie thorough performance of it brings an abundant reward. That which is drudgery in tlie an- ticipation often becomes a deliglit when we do it with all our liearts. If the social life of the Church is to l)e christianized, it is needful not only that tlie Christian spirit dwell in the hearts of the pastor and the members, but that methods and opportunities be provided for the manifestation of it. INIuch could be done freely and spontaneously by the members in their intercourse with one another, and this will be the best fruit of the Christian sjiirit. For such manifestations of Christian kindness and neighborliness no i-ule can l)e given; thosi' wlm practise them are a law unto themselves. I'.ut while it is true, on the one hand, that the spirit will make forms for itself, it is iMpiall}' 280 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WOllKING CHUKCH true, on the other hand, that the provision of beautiful and appropriate forms gives the spirit freer utterance. It is part of our work to " make channels for the streams of love." And the Christian church ouo-lit to be so orsranized that its members should have ample opportunities of be- coming acquainted with one another, and of manifesting the unity of the spirit. It is true, however, that the best fellowship of the ideal church will be the fellowship of work. Those who are engaged in the various activities of the church are inevi- tably brought into close relations. It will be well for the pastor always to keep this fact before the people. Let him say, very often, from the pulpit ; " This is a working church ; we are trying to carry on a number of kinds of religious and charitable work ; and those of you who wish to extend your acquaintance will do well to enlist in some of these enterprises." Jn truth the friendships that are formed among those who are partners in a common labor and sharers of an unselfish purpose, are worth far more than those whose only motive is social enjoyment. Fellow- soldiers or fellow-workers in the hospital are united by a stronger bond than that which joins members of the samo social club. And because the pastor knows that this is true his first and strongest effort will be put forth to bring as many as he can of the members of his church into the fellowship of Christian labor. Those who are taking an active part in the Sunday-school, in the mid-week service, in the sewing-school, in the charitable visitation, in the guilds and brotherhoods, will find in their work a connade- sliip that will go far to satisfy tlieir social needs. In order that this may be, however, I lie social side of all these de- partments of labor sliould be developed, and those a\1io aie co-operating in them sliould cultivate the bond of brother- liood. In their consultations about their mutual work and in all their association, they should seek to be hel[)ers of one another, and sliarers of one another's bnrdens and joys. If then^ are any among tlicin lli;il me liniid mid unj)ractised in social intercourse, special kindness should be slio\\ ii to tliciii. ( 'liiisliaii disciides wlio are tlius encfaijed tosj'ctlier THE SOCIAL LIFP: OF THE CHURCH 281 in tlie labors of the cluirch inay often be quite as service- able to those with whom they work as to those /or Avliom they work. But, in addition to the fellowship of work, the church should make opportunities for fellowship in social pleas- ures. " Let each one of us please his neighbor, for that which is good, unto edifying." ^ One important way of doing good to our neighbors is by giving them social pleasure, and this is a method which every Clnistian church should learn and practise. It is highly important, to begin with, that methods should be devised of promoting acquaintance among church mem- bers. In small churches this task is not difficult ; there are many churches in which it is not impossible for every member to know every other. But in large churches in the cities, where the membership is scattered over a wide territory and where the social engagements are many, this problem becomes somewhat difficult. It is never solved with entire satisfaction to the faitliful pastor, but a warm heart and a resolute purpose can accomplish much. 'J'here are many churches in which it seems almost a physical impossibility that acquaintance should be universal ; but it is possible to provide that no household and no indi- vidual shall be left friendless ; that every one shall have ample opportunities of Christian fellowship. If no one can know all his brethren, each one may know many, and may find in the social life which the church provides the su])ply of his highest wants. Those church members who reside in the same neighbor- liood ought to Ije able to maintain some neighborly relations. 'I'll tliis end pains sliould Ik; taken to infoiin Ihosi; wlio live ill any given neighl)orhood Avhen a family living in llieir vicinity is added to tlie congregation. In some churelies it is customary, w licii individuals or honseholds are receivi'd into the ehurcli, to name tin- ])lace of llicir residi-iiee, that those wlif) live nearest them may Ix^ able to di.scharge tlieii- neighborly o1)ligations. It^ is well for the ))astor (n jiave a supply of cards jirinted in blank, on wliidi lie nKi\- inseri]»e ' K'lin. XV. 2. 282 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH the name and residence of every new member, inclosing them to those who can most conveniently call, and inviting them to manifest to the new-comers the fellowship of the church. For many reasons it is better that the people themselves should do this work than that it should be done b}' the pastor. TJie pastor's call is perfunctory. He goes be- cause it is his duty to go. It is well if he has the grace to conceal this disagreeable fact; but many of those on whom he calls must be aware that it is an official service, and does not possess any social significance. A friendly call from one of the members of the church living in the neisfhborhood mit»'ht wear a different look. It Avould almost uniformly be accepted as an act of friendship; it would manifest the fellowship of the church more clearly than a call from the pastor. It is desirable that tlie social ties which biud members to the church be as strong as those which bind them to their pastor. Those who join the church, and not the pastor, should be received by the church at least as heartily as by the pastor. Pastors come and go, but the church abides ; and it is of the utmost importance tliat the attachment of each member be fastened upon the church, and not merely upon its minister.^ There are, dou1)tless, congregations in which such a recognition of the fraternal relations of members would not be possible; in which the members Avonld resent the suggestion tliat they owe any courtesies to one another because they belong to the same church and live in the same neighborhood; in which the barriers of social reserve are far too liiuh and stronnf to admit of anv genuine brotlier- hood; l)ut theses churches greatly need to consider tlie charter of tlieir existence and their riglit to l)ear the name of Ciiiist. Ill (liiirclK's wliich recognize a fraternal relation among their m(!m])ers, and desire to jiromote and strengthen it, a ronvcnicnt device is tlie division of the ])aris]i into a num- ber of wcll-delined geogra[)hical districts, each of Avhicli ^ Pari.ih I' ruble ms, p. 2.13. THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH 283 should be placed iii cliarge of a pastoral committee, con- sisting perhaps of one gentleman and tliree ladies. The directory of the church should be printed, Avith the boun- daries of each district distinctly defined, and the names and residences of families and individuals residing Avithin the district brought together. The members of the con- gregation can thus see at a glance who their neighbors are, and where they live ; and they can, if they desire, show themselves neighborly to those within their reach. The pastoral committee should visit every family in its district at least once a year, and should report to the pastor any changes of residence in the district, and any removals from it, with the names of new-comers within their territory Avho are attending the church. Such a division of the parish into geographical districts, with a pastoral committee in charge of each, is a con- venient arrangement for many purposes. It is necessary to canvass the parish from time to time for various objects ; this machinery provides a way whereby every family can be expeditiously and surely reached. In some churches the benevolent collections are thus taken with but little labor. Cottage meetings and neighborhood sociables may also 1)0 held occasionally in the several districts under the direction of the pastoral committees. The chief value of the geographical division is, how- ever, the aid which it affords in the cultivation of church fellows] ii[) by grouping the members of the congregation. By means of such a system, it is possible for those belong- ing to the same church to fulfil tiicir fraternal obligations to one another, and to foster that sentiment and spirit of bi'othci'hood on which the usefulness of the cliurcli so largely depends.^ ill tlic city churches it is often dillicull to iii;ik(' ilie acquaintanci! of those who have becoinc icguhir attendants upon the Sunday services. In such churehes it is well to appoint a welcome committee, whose duty it sh;ill l»r to watch for such regular comers, to express to them the hospitality of the church, to obtain their names and ' Ptirinh Problems, j). '23'). 284 CIIKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKESTG CHURCH addresses, and, if they are willing, to present them to the pastor. Another simple device is to place in the pews occasionally plain cards on whicli any persons who know that they are not known, and who wish to be considered as members of the congregation, should be desired to write their names, with their places of residence, dropping the cards into the collection baskets. The pastor is thus directed to the homes of strangers who desire his acquaint- ance, and he may bring them to the notice of the pastoral committee. It is important, however, that frequent meetings for the promotion of acquaintance be held in the social rooms of the church itself — meetings to whicli the whole congre- gation should be invited. To this end it is necessary that the church should be provided Avitli social rooms, apart- ments adapted to social intercourse. The parlors of the church are an essential part of its outfit for Christian work, and the social meetings held in them, with which no religious exercises are connected, are to be reckoned as a means of grace. These church sociables have frequently been made the subject of caustic comment, and there is no doubt but that serious abuses have been connected with them; neverthe- less they should serve an important purpose in the develop- ment of the social life of the church. In some cases they have lieen almost wholly devoted to diversions of some nature ; long programmes of musical and elocutionary per- formance, and various amusements are provided; thus the entire evening is occupied and very little opportunity is given for the promotion of acquaintance. The primary ol)ject of tlie church sociable is not, liowever, recreation, but social)ility, and its exercises should be so ordered as to give ample time for conversation. A litth^ music or a Inief recitation oi- two to enliven (lie occasion ina\' be allowed, but this ])art of lln' exercise should mil be pro- tracted. Some light refresjnnents ni;iy be served, Init this also should bo a. subordinate feature, and the (Milertain- meiit should always be [)lain and inex])ensive. It is better that it should lie gratuitously served. The purpose of the THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH 285 sociable can only be to afford an opportunity for free and friendly conversation among members of the same congre- gation. They have come together to recognize the bond that unites them, and to receive one another even as Christ also has received them to the glory of God. Here they are neither rich nor poor, learned nor ignorant; they are brethren in Christ Jesus. It is not the place for friends and cronies to gather into congenial groups ; it is the place to remember the solemn covenant of mutual help and sj-mpathy which was uttered or implied when they entered into the fellowship of the church. Much depends on the spirit of the pastor. If he is a man of genuine friendliness, and if he is fully possessed with the truth that the church must be a brotherhood, his enihusiasm is likely to be contagious and the spirit of good-will and cordiality will prevail in these social assem- blies. When the leaders of the congregation, the men and women of wealth and social standing take up this purpose heartily and devote themselves to seeking out those whom they do not know, and those who are likely to be neglected, manifesting to them a true Christian courtes}', the effect upon the life of the church is often very salutary. There are churches in which the prosperous and the cultured members have learned to use their power and prestige in such a way as to draw tlie membership into the most fraternal relations. No spectacle can be more grateful to the faithful pastor than that which he sometimes witnesses in these social meetings, when with no sign of patronage or condescension on the one liand, or of sycoi)hanc'y on the r)ther, the rich and the poor meet together as Christian bretln-en. It is doubtful whether any service wliich the church roof shelters lias a deeper significance than this, or helps more effectually to bring to earth the kingdom of heaven. The kind of social assembly wliich we have been con- sidering is iutend'cd for the wliolo roiigi'ogiition. I>ut there seems to Ik; a \)];\i'r for a uiccting, pai'lly religious and partly social, to which none but, roinuuinicanls in the church shall be invited, und which shall bo wholly devoted 286 CHEISTIAN PASTOE, AJ^D WOKKING CHURCH to strengtlieiiino- the tie tluit binds the believers into one household of faith and one brotherhood of love. Assem blies of this description, sometimes called fellowship meet- ings, are held in some churches. They may well be called on the JNIonday evening following every connnunion, that there may be opportunity for the members of the church to meet any who may have been received into the church on the preceding day. It is often the case that members thus received have no early opportunity of making the acquaintance of those with whom they enter into covenant ; and the solemn words that are spoken by both parties to this covenant appear to be nothing better than mockery, unless some way is provided by which the friendship thus promised may have a chance to begin its life in a mutual acquaintance. In some churches the pastor, on behalf of the church, extends to the candidates the right hand of fellowship ; but it is well if the members are permitted to express their greetings in their own way. If it be found inexpedient to devote a whole evening to this purpose, it may be practicable to give to it half of the hour of the mid-week service in the week following the Sacrament. But if the church can be brought to consider the matter, it will not grudge a Avhole evening, once in two months, for the cementing of its own unity; for the more perfect realization of that communion of saints which its creed so clearly affirms, but which its practice so inii)crfectly illustrates. Tiie conduct of this meeting should be altogether informal. It will be well to spend a liule lime in song and pra3'er at the beginning; and if tliere are members of the cluirch who can be trusted to speak judiciously and heartily and briefly of the friendships which llic church fosters and consecrates, of the benefits and joys of Chris- tian fraternity, a few words from them may be helpful mid welcome. Then an o[»portunity should be filVcrcd for crinversatioii. This intercourse of the fellowsliii) mcrting Avill natuially be somewhat less liilarious ilian tli;il of the sociable; the voices will be ke3'cd to a lower [)itch ; the talk will l)e in THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH 287 a gentler strain; but it ought to be cordial and unreserved. No introductions should be required or tolerated; people Avho have said to each other what all these have said before the communion-table do not require the formality of an introduction. Let every one speak first to those whom he does not know, if any such there be, and then to those with whom he is least intimately acquainted; let him reserve his intercourse with familiar friends for other occa- sions. The themes of conversation cannot be prescribed ; but the natural drift of the talk in such a meeting would be, it would seem, toward the more serious topics ; toward the life and the work which the church is seeking to pro- mote. After half an hour spent in these familiar greet- ings and communings, the assembly may again be called to order, and ^^■itll a few words of prayer and song, may be dismissed. Such a meeting will be of no profit — it will be postively mischievous — unless there be in the church a genuine and hearty fellowship which seeks expression. To call together people who really care very little for one another, who do not prize the friendships into which the church introduces tliem. Avho are haughty or supercilious or indifferent toward their fellow-members in the church, and to turn them loose upon one another in the fashion here suggested, would result in nothing but injury. Doubtless there are such in all our flmiches. Perhaps there are many churches in wliich the nund)er of these is so large that no such method as this could be profitably introduced. But it is certainly true of most of our churclies that there is no lack of a real friendsliip; the only failure is in a i)roper expi'cssion of the brotherly interest and good-will that are in the hearts of the multitude. How often a better acquaintance shows us tender sympathy and scir-denying generosity wliere we had thought were notliing liut indilTercnce and exclusiveness! The great majority of (niv rei)utable neigh- bors arc far kinder tlian we thiid< them; the lack whieh we (le])l(>re is not in tlie feeling s(» mueh as in its (^X|)res- sion. Ill the eliurcli, more tlian anywlieif else, this is true. Oiu- modern life, in our cities and larger towns, is 288 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH SO intense that the opportunities are few for the cultiva- tion of friendships beyond a very narrow circle. And if some simple ways can be devised in which the people of the churclies can be brought together and encouraged to express their sympathies and their good wislies, great benefits will result — to those who give as well as to those who receive these overtures of kindness. It is well to have a short fellowship meeting at the end of every mid-week service. The people should be encour- aged to tarry for ten minutes or so after the close of this service, for handshaking and the interchange of friendly words. The more opportunities of this sort they enjoy, the less likely are they to indulge in bickerings and jealousies. One of the deepest needs of our large churches is a more perfect union. It is needed to consolidate the church for work; it is needed to develop and express those Christian sentiments of good-will which are the only enduring cement of society in these turbulent and ominous times. Assemblies of this nature, which are intended to bring all the members of the church, rich and poor, old and young, together on an equal footing, and to cultivate and manifest a genuine Christian brotherhood, have an influence that reaches far beyond the confines of the church. 1 1 Parish Problems, p. 269-271. CHAPTER XIII woisian's work in the church Till'] place of woman in the modern Church is not that which she occupied in the Apostolic Church or in any of the centuries preceding the Reformation. It is equally true that the place of Avoman in the state, in the com- munity, and even in the family, is unlike that to which she was confined in the days of Paul the Apostle. From a position of subjection she has passed to one of social e([uality. The natural laws are not repealed, and the relation of woman to man will always be what nature has ordained that it shall be ; but the race has come to under- stand that differences of function and endowment amonof human beings do not necessarily signify superiority or inferiority, and that, since we must all stand before the judgment seat of God, there ought to be no lordship or vassalage among us. In the days when brute force was the arbiter of all disputes, the position of woman in society was necessarily that of an inferior; but as spiritual \alues liave asserted themselves, the ground of this subordination has disappeared. Tlial tiic emancipation and elevation of woman are chiefly due to Christianity cannot be gainsaid. It would l)e strange indeed if tlic Cliurch of Clirist shouhl deny to woman the lionor of wliicli his gosj)el lias made her worthy. For \\\inl else lias she been lifted iij) and dignilied if not that she should occupy that social position for which she has been littcd? If, therefore, the entire relation of woman to the society in which she lives is different now from what it was in the time of Paul, we need not be snrjirised to lind her relation to tlie Cliurch corivs])ondingly changed. I'auTs injunc- tions to women to refrain from i)ublic sjieech and to main- tain a strict reserve in ]nd)lie places were wholly justilied 1'.) 290 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WOEKIXG CHURCH by the social conditions then prevailing. lie simply for- l)ade women to put themselves in an equivocal attitude before the community — to adopt a line of conduct which would have brought scandal upon the Church. It wuvdd have been indecorous for a woman to appear in a public assembly with an unveiled face; Paul disallowed this as expressly as he condemned public teaching, and for the same reason. The social conditions have changed; it is no longer proof of a lack of modesty if a woman shows her face or opens her lips in a public assembly, and therefore the admonitions of Paul are no longer pertinent. There seems to be no longer any good reason why women may not do any kind of work in the Church that they are fitted to do. The time has come of which the apostle's words were only a prediction: "There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." ^ Whether women will, in any considerable num- bers, undertake the work of the regular ministry may be doubted. In those communions Avhicli have opened the pastoral office to them they do not seem to be eager to assume it. But the fields of labor that are opened to them in connection with the work of the local church are wide and fruitful. Their influence in its councils everywhere is pervasive and commanding. They compose about two- thirds of the membership of our American Protestant churches and a far larger proportion of the active laborers in these churclies. There is no longer any need to claim for woman a place of influence and power in the Christian Church. The prudential maxims of tlu; Apostle Paul, cautioning women against bringing scandal upon the Church by a violent departure from social customs, are not, liowever, the only Hil)lical references to woiinin in connection \\itli the work of the Churcli. In the .Icwish dis])ensati()U prophetesses were recognized, and among tiic Christians tlie active service of women is often mentioned with praise. 1 G;il. iii. 28. WOM^LN'S work IX THE CHURCH 201 "Our Lord fuiiiid among women the most ardent and faithful disciples, and the most efficient in ministering to His wants. The Son of God, in ])ecoming Incarnate, was born of a woman. Thus was conferred upon womanhood tlie highest honor and a transcendent glory. She whom all men should call l)lessed, — she who was so highly favored, is properly the type of what wT)man in Christ should seek to become. No privilege could be greater than to belong to that sex, upon which the mother of our Lord conferred such distinction. Observe the confidence our Lord reposed in women and the fidelity of their minis- trations. The names of the JNIarys and others are as imperishable as those of the Apostles. As often remarked, holy women were ' last at the Cross and first at the sepul- chre ' on Easter morning. Holy women were part of the Church which w^aited for the promise of the Father, the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.^ Tlie gifts of the Spirit descended upon women, and not upon men only. They equally shared in the Church's Baptism and Eucha- ristic Feast. They were ministered unto, and themselves fulfilled a ministr3^ It was the wddows of the Hellenic portion of the church at Jerusalem that gave occasion to the appointment of the Seven Deacons.-^ And that there were deaconesses in the Apostolic Church is scarcely more doubtful than that there were deacons. St. Paul says, Avriting to the Romans, ' I commend unto you Phebe, our sister, which is a servant (Greek, a deaconess) of the church w^hich is at Cenchrca.' ^ She was evidently a per- son of much consideration. St. Paul reconnuciuls her at greater length than any others: ' that ye receive her in the Lord as l)ecometh saints, and that yc assist her in wliatso- ever business she hath need of you, for she hath been a succourer of many and of me also.' In St. Paul's first ICpistle to Timothy ■* a litei'al translation of the CJivck would seem to show, and in this agree the best ancient and iiiiidciii interpreters — that where we read of tlic \\i\cs of deacons, the meaning is really feni;de deacons. ' I'^veu so 1 Acts i. 14. - Acts vi. 1. ^ l\om. xvi. 1. ■• 1 'liiii. iii. 1 1. 292 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH must the women deaconesses be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.' "^ Precisely what were the official functions of these women named by Paul is not so clear. His counsels against the public teaching of women are not inconsistent ^v'ith the supposition that women may have been employed by the Church in the quiet ministries of charity. ]>ut in addition to those who may have been officially related to the Church, (|uite a number of others are mentioned about whom no such suggestion is made, and whose efficient service in the work of the Church is recorded with high approval. Dorcas was a woman well beloved in the com- munity where she lived, "for the good works and alms deeds that she did; " - Priscilla,^ the wife of Aquila, seems to have had equal part with her husband in training for his ministry the eloquent A polios, ranking thus among the earliest of the instructors in divinity; there was a Mary* in Rome, who as Paul testifies, bestowed much labor on him ; " Tryphena and Tryphosa who labor in the Lord," and ''the beloved Persis who labored nuich in the Lord,"^ are also gratefully remembered by him; Euodias and Syntyche, who appear to have been zealous workers, receive a message from him, and there is also a general reference, in the letter to the Philippians, to " those women wlio labored with me in the gospel."^ Nor should it be forgotten that the first Christian church iji Europe was gathered by a woman who opened her house (after llic Lord had opened her heart) to Paul and liis companions on tlicir first visit to Pliili])])i." None of tliesc appear to liave l)een deaconesses or official women; but they were l)eariiig tlieir part, evidently an inqxM-tant part, in the work of the Church. In spite of tlic unfavorable social condi- tions, the ('hurcli tnimd niiployment tor its (Icvoui women. It wduld iippcar IVoni Paul's testimou}' that the unolficial women — tliosc whose service was voluntary — liad (piitc ' 'I'lif Ut. Kov. Juliii 1'. Spaukliiij? in The Best }[odc of ]Vorki»r; a Parish, p. 187-189. ■■^ Acts ix. 26. 8 Arfs xviii. 24-27. •• Koni. x\ i. fi. ^ Horn. xvi. 10. '> riiil. iv. 2, .'J. ' Acts xvi. 11-15. \VOMA]S^*S WOllK IN THE CHtlllCH 293 as much to do with the life of the Apostolic Church as those who were supposed to have belonged to an order of the ministry. In the post-Apostolic Churcli the existence of an order of deaconesses is unquestioned. The names of many of them are mentioned by the early fathers, and their duties are defined in the primitive legislation. They assisted the deacons in ministrations to the poor, and acted as ushers for their own sex in puljlic assemblies. AVomen and girls who were candidates for baptism were instructed by them in the baptismal answers, and robed by them in white for the solemn sacrament. The agapae^ or love- feasts, were also provided by the deaconesses. In the times of persecution it was part of their duty to visit the women prisoners, and to show hospitality to fugitives of their own sex. At first they were ordained to office pre- cisely as men were ordained, by prayer and the lajdng on of hands; but later, the tactual imposition was reserved for the male clergy, and the deaconesses were conse- crated by prayer alone. Up to tlie fourth century, only those could thus be set apart who were either maidens, or widows who had been married but once, and they must be at least sixty years of age ; after the council of Chalcedon the age was fixed at forty. This order of Church servants lingered in the Latin Church through the sixth century, ami ill the Greek until tlie twclflli. The name is still given ill the lioman Church to the women in monasteries who have the care of the altar. Although the (u-der of deaconesses lias disai)peared from the Church of lioinc. tlie work to whicli the ii;ime was once given has had a Ijeaulifiil dcxclopuiciit. Tlie order known in France as the ""Daughters of Charity," and in most Englisli-speakiug countries as the "(ri-ay Sisters" or the "Sisters of ('harity," l)ut whose oHieial designation is "The Daughters of Christian Lom',"' is one of the most notable and ilbistrious fi-uils of the (hiislian spirit ill modern times. The or«h'r was rounded in Paris ill liilT by St. Vincent de I'aul and .Madame Louise Morillac le Gras. It began with a little group of lifteen 294 CHlUSTIAN PASTOE and WOiiKING CHURCH women who were associated for the purpose of visiting and caring for the sick. Originally they seem to have been connected with a parish, and many of them were married women; but the work rapidly spread to other parishes and cities, and the need of some organization of the work became apparent. The good woman who was St. Vincent's coadjutor in the beginning was left a widow in 1625, and she at once signified her purpose of devoting her life to this work. Her duty to her family held her back, however, from undertaking the care of contagious cases, and the founder discovered that none but unmarried women or childless widows could render the service re- quired. In 1633 the order was estal)lishcd by the Arch- bisliop of Paris; and in 1668 it was ol'lieially acknowledged and endorsed b}' Pope Clement IX. The rule of the order has not been changed from the beginning ; there seems to be no provision for amending it, nor has there appeared any serious need of amendment. The vows are not per- petual; a five-years' probation is required before the vow can be taken, but it is annually renewed. The constitu- tion appoints a superior for every congregation, to be elected triennially by the members : she may be re-elected once, but no oftener. She is aided in the administration by an assistant, a treasurer, and a dispensiere or steward. The superior of the congregation is under the authority of the superior general of the order; the sisters of the con- gregation are pledged to obey their superior. Their rule rcfpiires them to rise daily at four o'clock; to pray twice a day; to live abstemiously; never to take wine exccjjt wlien they are ill ; never to refuse to nurse the sick, even iu the most loathsome and dangerous cases; never to stand ill awe of dciith; always to ronunnljcr that in nurs- ing tlie sick they are nursing Clirist, whose servants they are. They are to liave no intimacies or special friend- sliips; one sister is not allowed to kiss anothoi-, except as a sign of reconciliation, and the manner of this rite is prescribed. They are warned against feeling greater in- terest in (iiie patient than in another: their service must be, like tiie sunshine and the rain nf hciucn, an equal wu-Man's work in the church 295 bounty to the agreeable and the disagreeable, the just and the unjust. Before the death of St. Vincent the order which he founded had spread through many lands; it now numbers many thousands; the messengers whom it has sent forth are found in every city in Christendom, and on every battlefield; and wherever the dark wings of the pestilence are spread, there are the}', ministering in Christ's name. Before the spectacle which they present, ancient bigotry and religious rancor often stand dumb or open their mouths with praise and blessing; it is a hopeless blind- ness of soul Avhich refuses to recognize the mind of Christ in the work of the Sisters of Charity. In some of the Protestant churches serious attempts have been made to revive the ancient order of deaconesses, which, in the growth of monasticism, disappeared from the life of the Church. Speaking of the Episcopal churches, Bishop Spaulding says: " The attempted restoration of this Order in the reformed Catholic Church is more than justified. Indeed, this is the imperative duty of every branch of the Church which claims the Bible as interpreted by the Chiu'ch in the past ages as its rule of faith and practice. And the success of every effort in this direction is only what might be expected. The inference cannot be set aside, that it is the will of Christ that His Church should be served by the ministry of Deaconesses or Sisters, as well as of Deacons and other Orders. And now that the A\ork which the Chuicli is called to do is pressed upon us, and we are working up to a sense of its magnitude and of the need of moic laborers, and the faithful are everywhere searching for the best instrumentalities and methods, by the study of Holy Scripture and thi' exam]ile of the primi- tive ages of Faith and of most successful labor, there can hardly be a doubt that we shall soon have tlie iirimitive Diaconate revived and restored among us; we sliall have Deaconesses under this or sonic dthci- name, as that of Sisters, successfully laboring in cNcry I'aiish. in tin' sdiools of till! Cluircli. and in hosj»i(;ils, homes and asylums, for •29{J CHllISTIAN PASTOll AND WOliKlNG CHURCH all classes of the afflicted. We shall have teachincr Dea- conesses or Sisters for our Parish schools, which a\ ill by and by be seen to be necessary, not for a salary, but with the assurance of the Church's support and care through life. We shall have Deaconesses or Sisters regularly employed in winning to Christ both men and women, and imparting primary instruction and ministering to the sick and needy under the care and maintenance of the Church. The sanction given to this office and work of women in the Church of England, and by the General Convention of the American Church, is one of the most hopeful of the signs of the times. It gives us hope that the thorough working out of a principle of the Gospel so generally recognized, cannot be long delayed." ^ The canons of the Protestant Episcopal churcli in the United States now make full provision for the employment of deaconesses. Any bishop of the church is authorized to appoint to the office unmarried women of devout char- acter and proved fitness. The candidate must be at least twenty-five years of age and must present to the bishop testimonials showing that she has spent at least two years in preparation for the work, and that she possesses such characteristics as would fit her for the service contem- plated. 'J1ie duty of a deaconess, in the words of the canon, is " to assist the minister in tlie care of tlic poor and the sick, the religious training of the young and others, and tlic work of moral reformation." It is also ])rovided that no woman shall accept work in a diocese without the Avi"itten permission of the bishop, nor in a parish without like authority from the rector. '^Fhe vows of tliese deaconesses are not perpetual : ihcy may at any time resign the olllice to the bisho}) of the diocese ; 1)nt they may not resume the office thus laid down, indess, in the judgment of the bishop receiving the resignation, " there be weiglity cause for such reappointment." The canon also provides that no Avoman shall exercise this office until she has been set apart by an ajiproi^riate reli- gious service — ilic form of whicli is Icfi 1o the disci'ction 1 T/ie Best Mode of nWkinrf a Parish, ]>]>. I'.H, 102. avoman's avokk in thk church 297 of the bishop. In some dioceses the solemnity is similar to that of the early Church, involving not only pra^^er but the laying- on of liaiids. These deaconesses serve as assist- ants in parishes, as teachers of kindergartens, as Bi])le readers, as workers in missions and hospitals, and as visit- ors and nurses among the poor and tlie sick. In some of the larger parishes several are emploj^ed, and the revival of this ancient order of servants of the Church is meeting Avitli much favor. The ^lethodist Episcopal Church in the United States has also entered this field and is cultivating it with much enthusiasm. The Woman's Home Missionary Society of this church has under its care eighteen " homes," in differ- ent parts of the coiuitr}-, to which more than one hundred trained deaconesses are attached ; and there are three or four such homes, under independent boards of manage- ment, emplo}dng a considerable number of women. The principal training school is at Washington. It would appear that the cliief work of the deaconesses in this cliurch is that generally known as city mission work. The head of the training school thus describes it : "Take the work of the deaconess; wliat is her employ- ment? She visits from house to house where the masses are, by Avhom the cliuicli so sadly and so wrongly is ]e- garded as a social club, which has no interest in them nor to them. She opens industrial schools for the ignorant and lielpless ones for whom the word home has no associa- tions and who have never experienced the joy and blessed- ness of the family. She gatlicrs the children of the foreigners into kindergartens, where, along the avenues of th(^ eye, tlie ear, the touch, mercy and grace shall lind their way to the heart ami iniiid. She enters the dwellings of the pool- and sick where suffering is unmitigated l)y the soft hand of love. She comforts and befriends the victims of the vices and sins of men. She consoles and counsels the deserted and bereaved. She searehes out the widow and orphan and aids them with her sympathy and charity. She brightens with her presence the cots of the hospital wards and directs the asvluiiis lor llic orphan and 298 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCn the aged. She soothes the List hours of the dying with helpful messages from the Holy Word." It Avould appear from the reports that most of the deaconess homes connected with this church are of the nature of settlements or city mission stations, and that the deaconesses having their head(puirters in these homes are engaged, somewhat independently, in the prosecution of such evangelistic and philanthropic work as is described above. There are occasional references to co-operation with pastors, but for the most part it is the "Deaconess Home " and not the church which is regarded as the centre of the work. In some of the other American Protestant churches the name of deaconess is given to women whose service among their own sex corresponds to that of the Congregational deacons ; they are members of the church, chosen to have a certain oversight of its charitable work ; the care of the poor and the sick is committed to them, but they have received no special training for the work, nor do they de- vote their lives to it. The meaning of the term as thus employed is set forth by a Congregational i)astor in tlic following |)aragraphs : " No workers in a churcli can du more to increase its usefulness than a band of properly qualified deaconesses. Shall they be elected as other oflicers? or shall they be selected by the pastor as his especial lielpcrs in ])astoral work ? Tlie writer of this paper prefers tlie latter method. Tlie pastor selects sucli a number and such persons as llie circumstances of the churcli make ex})edient. The Avhole parish is divided into districts. Each district has a dea- coness whose duty it is to keep watch over all tlie persons ill tliiii district. Jf any need tlie pastor she informs him; if :iiiy are liable to be neglected, she asks olhcis to call and extend friendly courtesies ; if any are })oor, and need assistance, they arc reported to the proj)er oflicers; if any strangers come into her district, she takes care that they are invited to attend church. These are what may be called the social and temporal duties of the deaconesses. Then follow the spiritual duties. They keep \\at( li over all "WOMAN'S AVORK IN THE CHURCH 299 tlu'ir district, and if any need especial care they go to them, and either help them or direct them to the proper ones to give help. They visit young converts ; they talk with the unconverted, they look after the sick, and if need be pray Avith them ; the}^ act for the pastor in all possible ways. They have a monthly or weekly meeting with the pastor, at which the results of their calling and various observa- tions are reported, and they give to him usually the most reliable information he obtains concerning the condition of the parish. Where the proper women are secured for this work, no people in the parish are likely to be neg- lected. All are called upon, and the pastor is kept in- formed as he could not be if dependent on his own resources alone. "The women chosen i'or this service should nc\cr be of the ' goody goody ' kind, and seldom past middle age. They should be selected for their social position and social gifts, as well as for their spirituality. Sociabilit}-, social position, intelligence, and spirituality are essential to the successful deaconess. These qualifications are far more likely to be secured when the pastor carefully chooses his helpers than when they are selected by vote of the chui-cli." ^ The Church of Scotland has undertaken to restore the order of deaconesses. In the report for 1895 of the Com- mittee on Christian Life and Work is the followinof statement : "Our Cluirch, following the Scriptures and the example of the early Christians, has found a name and place in Iter ranks for women of culture and refmement who wisli to devote their whole time and skill to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ in Ilis Clnncli. I hiving this ideal, the oich-r of Ihf Diaconate is one that is certain (o attract to itself many ardent and sympathetic natures who ai'c longing to give themselves entirely to work among the medy ;iiid troul)led and suffei'ing, and A\ho are not ]»re\(iil<'d from doing so by family ties and duties or by other circum- stances. A\'e know how the j)oor and friendless in their 1 Tho Kc\ . A. 11. IJnulfunl in Paris/i Problems, \^\>. 285, 280. 300 CHKISTIAX PASTOR AND WORKING CHUllCH distress turn naturally to the parish church and minister as their home and counsellor; and in the more crowded centres of population, and even in rural districts, where the conditions under which the out-workers and farm- workers toil are unfavorable to virtue, it is of immense consequence to have the help of a thoroughly trained and \\'ell-educated and devoted Christian lady." ^ Some of the women thus set apart for service are at work in foreign mission fields, some in connection with city missions, but the most of them are in the employ of large city churches, working under the direction of the church session. A Deaconess House has been estal)lished, in which a thorough training is given to those wdio wish to devote their lives to tliis work. A recent report of the Deaconess Superintendent thus sets forth the purpose of the institution : " The object of the Home is twofold : 1st, that of receiv- ing women, who, coming to it with pure and holy motives, are able to make Christian work tlu' cliiof object of their life. These, after fuliilling the con(Htion laid down by the Assembly, — namel}', that of having been trained for two years in the Home (or of having been known as active workers elsewhere for seven years), may, if they desire it, be set apart as Deaconesses. If they remain in the Home, they will then be expected to go to any part of Scotland where they may he required, and to woil-: there under tlie minister and kirk-session of the parish. Some may wisli to b(! Deaconesses living not in tlie Institution, but in their own homes, and tliese Avill br set apart by tlie kirk- session of their own parishes \\iili consent of tlieir jjres- bytery. 2d, tliat of receiving as residents for instruction and training in various methods of Christian A\ork ladies Avlio, Avliih' tliey do not wisli to 1)0 Deaconesses, desire to be competent Clnistiaii workers. I^xperience indeed teaclies at liome, l)ut it is often with many blunders and much loss of time and usefulness, whereas if methods whicli liave been tried and ])idV('d ai-e learned, they can be carried away and adapted in the smaller particulars to local requircincnls." - 1 Page 577. ^ Year-Bookfor 1890, p. .34. woman's work IX THE CHURCH 301 The instruction in this institution includes classes in Scriptural knowledge and the art of teaching, courses of I>ible readings by neighboring ministers, lectures on mis- sions to the heathen, on the qualifications of church woi'k- ers, on sick-room cookery and the care of the sick, on literature for church workers, on the district visitor as an evangelist, and various similar lines of training. The deaconesses thus prepared are set a^jart by a solemn service, prescribed by the General Assembly. A sermon is preached on the occasion and the following questions are proposed to the candidate : "1. — Do you desire to be set apart as a Deaconess, and as such to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church, which is His bod}' ? " Ans. — 1 du. " 2. — Do you promise, as a Deaconess of the Church of Scotland, to work in connection with that Church, subject to its courts, and in particular to the Kirk-Session of the parish in which you are to work ? " Ans. — I do. " 3. — Do you huml)ly engage, in the strength and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and JMastcr, faithfully and prayerfully to cUscharge the duties of tins office ? "Ans. — I do."i After silent prayer by the congregation, and a consecrat- ing prayer by the minister, the candidate is declared to be a deaconess of the Church of Scotland. It will be seen that the Church esteems the rcstorati(m of this ancient order |)fer dos Maiincs unrcii wenlcn zu lasscn ; dor du auch in der Hiitte des Zeugnis.ses und im Tcmiici Wiiclitcrinnen deiner heiligcn Pforteu erwiililcn hast; sieho doch nun auf diese Miigde, die (dir) zuin Dioiist verordnct wcmvIcu, und giclt iliiu'ii (h'iiicn wcrtlien liciligcn Geist, und rcinige sie von allcr I'fllcckung d<'S I'leisdics niid (Jcistcs, auf dass sio wiirdiglich vollstrccken das iimcn aufgetragne Work zii deiner Klire und /inn woman's WOIIK IN THE CHURCH 305 The Kaiserswcrth deaconesses are assigned to their work by the parent institution ; they are always under marching orders, and they receive no remuneration from those wlio employ them. Hospitals which accept their services as nurses pay the " mother-house " at Kaisers- wcrth, or the branch house from which they go forth, a small annual sum ; the dressmaking department furnishes each deaconess with the simple garments needful, and a small yearly allowance for pocket money. Food and shelter are furnished them in the hospital or the parish where the work is done. When they are disabled a home awaits them in the parent institution. The vow of the Kaiserswcrth deaconess is not perpetual ; a probation of from six months to three years is required of each one, and during this period she is constantly admonished that unless she is assured of her calling it is better for her to withdraw. When, at length, the pledge of service is made, it amounts to no more than this, that she will be obedient to the rules of the association while she remains in it, and will suffer no entangling alliances to hinder her in her work. The deaconesses are not shut off from intercourse with their kindred ; considerable lil)erty of action is left them. Of course no vow of celi- bacy is required or permitted. A sister cannot marry and remain in the sisterhood. But she is at liberty to leave the community at any time, and a subsequent marriage is no reproach. Tlie vow signifies only this, that while the sister is a member of the community she must live accord- ing to its rules. Tliis recent development of tlie trained activities of women in the Christian Church possesses great signifi- cance. As will be seen, it has largely taken place outside the local congregation. So far ;is the work of nursing the sick is concerned, preparation for it must, of course, be made ill connection with hospitals; and it is in the hos- Lolic (Iciiies ChristuH, mil welcliem dir IClire, uiid Aiil)eliui;^ iiiil lieiligcm Gcist von Ewif^kcit zu Ewigkeit. Aiiicn. Vnter Unscr, etc. " r. Schliissvotum. " Sfliw. Allien I " — Quoted iu Dili!iollirril<- I'arty, the SaMiath-school 'I'cachers, llic ('Imir; ami those 312 CHEISTIAN PASTOll AND WOllIONG CHURCH sections should be entered on one roll of the Guild. One great object of the Guild is to make every worker acquainted with all that the others are doing, so that joint meetings, at which the work is reported on and encouraged, may be attended by all. At those meetings all who are interested in the work are welcome; and they soon choose the work with which they specially desire to be connected. Those who are but beginning, or who wish to begin, and those lately come as strangers, are also welcomed ; for thus they put themselves under good influences." ^ Of these Branch Guilds there were reported, in the year 1895, no less than 337, with a membership of 24, 924, and a sum of .£4,372 had been raised by these branches for church jDurposes during that year. It is clear that the ancient Church of Scotland has here discovered a most valuable agency. For the development and co-ordination of the activities of its women, the Guild furnishes an admirable plan. Its suggestion may well be adopted by many other Protestant churches. The scheme would need to be modified to suit the conditions of some of our American churches, but the method is clearly applicable everywhere. It is not essential that a national or denomi- national organization for this purpose should be formed: each congregation could unite its own agencies after this manner without connecting itself with otlier congregations similarly organized. Tlie union of the Branch Guilds in a national or denominational association would, no doubt, add something of entJiusiasm to the movement; but on the other hand it would call for another annual convention; and in America the plague of the conventions is becoming nearly as formidable as the plague of the frogs was in ancient Egypt. If, indeed, the numerous denominational societies of women could be consolidated in one "Woman's Guild for eacli denomination, so that one aiuiual meeting miglit serve tlie ]mii)osos of all, that would be a con- sunnnation on \\irKli luaiiy devout wislies could well l)e expended. The Free Chun li of Scotland and the Unitetl Presbyterian Church have (ilso large guilds. 1 Handbook, p. 1-T. CHAPTER XIV THE YOUNG MEN AND W03IEN It is barely half a century since the young people of our American Protestant churches first began to be organized for Christian work. Nineteen centuries ago tlie promise was recalled of a day when the Spirit should be poured from on high upon the whole Church, and when the young men should see visions ^ — presumably visions of work to be done, for these are the visions which the Spirit most often vouchsafes. The apostle John, in his old age, wrote to young men because they were strong ; ^ his purpose must have been to enlist their strength in the service of the Church. By those who reflected that the apostolic band were probably all young men, it might have been conjec- tured that what has been termed "the young-man-power " could be used with great effect in the work of the Church. But tliis hint was tardily taken by most of the organized ecclesiasticisms, and but little provision was made for the co-operation of the young men and women in Christian Avork. In Germany, after the Napoleonic wars, when the pe()})lc in the bitterness of their poverty began to turn to God, and wlien that great deepening of spiritual experience took place out of wliich Iiave grown so many of the best fruits of modern German civilization, there sprang up in man}' ])arislK'S Christliche J i'l lujlingsvcrcinc — Christian Young ^Mcn's Associations. These were generally groups of young men, belonging to some parisli, wlio came together for prayer, for Bil)le study, and for mutual liidp in tlie Cln-istian life. Doubtless wi- may lind in tliese associa- tions some reverberations ol" I'^ichtc's epocli-making book, J Acts ii. 17. 2 1 joi,„ ii, ,4_ 314 CHEISTIAX PASTOIl AND WOllKING CHURCH The Way to the Blessed Life. These German Vereine were not, however, widely influential ; the enlistment of the young in Christian activity was barely begun in them. In 1844 the first Young Men's Christian Association was organized in London by George Williams, lately knighted by the Queen in recognition of this great service to religion. The association from the beginning was undenominational; the young men met first for prayer and Bible study; soon the reading room, the library, and courses of popular lectures became a necessity, and the Young Men's Christian Association developed into a sanc- tified club, offering an inexpensive and safe resort to the homeless, and providing social opportunities for the young men who were united in Christian work. The gynniasium, the amusement room, the bowling alle}-, the SAvimming bath, and many appliances for physical culture are now generally furnished to members. Educational classes in great variety are also offered at merely nominal cost; courses of lectures are provided for the winter evenings and employment bureaux assist the workless to find occu- pation. The strictly religious work of the association has been less emphasized of late than the social and educational features ; but special religious services for young men are held every week; Bible classes are taught, and groups of young men go forth from the association rooms to perform evangelistic and charitable worl< in the community. The development of this arm of the chureli has l)een phenomenal; between five and six thousand associations now exist, distributed over the known world. The Young AVomen's Clu'istian Associations liavc liad a later and much less extensive development; they under- take to perform for young women a service similar to that which the other associations perform for young men. Both these institutions, liowever, do tlu'ir work outside tlic lines of tlic local congregation. Tlicy depend uj)on the churclies for their suj)])ort, and tliey are, to some extent, feeders of the cliurches; but they are not under ])arish control, and no organization connected with tliem takes any part in parish work. They furnish a splendid THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN 315 illustration of what can be accomplished b}- the conse- crated energies of young men and women ; but they do not help to solve the problem of the local church, save as they perform some portion of the work which the church would otherwise be required to undertake. If, for example, a well-equipped building of the Young i\Ien\s Christian Association stands in close proximity to some down-town church, it is manifest that this church may be released from undertaking the kind of work for the young men of the neighborhood which might, in the absence of the asso- ciation, be expected of it. The reading room, the educa- tional classes, the pleasant Sunday afternoon service, are all furnished by the association, and it would be poor economy and worse comity for the church to duplicate them. To some extent, therefore, these associations do relieve those churches which are their neighboi-s from their responsibilities. In another way, also, the life of the parish is affected by the existence of these institutions. The work of the Young Men's Cliristian Association must be done by the young men \\'ho are members of the churches; and the pastor will regard tliis as one of the lields in which his force is employed, and will gladly sur- render such of his young men as may be needed to this important work. It is one of the cases in which the Church, for Christ's sake, loses its life that it may keep it unto life eternal. IJiit there are other organizations of young people Avhich are vitally connected Avitli tlie local congregation and do the chief part of their Avork within it, and btr its benelit. For the past thirty years in America organizations of the young people have existed in many churches, the i)Ui'pose of which was tlie cultivation ol" llic religious life of their iiiciiilu'is and till' improvement of their minds, as well as the provision of wholesome social recreation for them. I»ut a great impetus was given to the movement w hen. in I'S.Sl, ii young Congi-egational pastor of Poitland, Maine, called his young men and women together and submitted to them tlie constitution of a, Young I'eo])le's Society of Christian ICndeavor. This eonstitulinn, snlistantially as 316 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AXD WORKING CHURCH then submitted, has been adopted by more than twenty- five thousand societies in all parts of the world, represent- ing at least thirty different denominations, and including more than two and a half million members. To this must be added the Epworth League of the Methodist Episcopal Churches, with eighteen thousand chapters and nearlj^ a million members, and the Baptist Young People's Union, Avitli a large membership. These last-named organizations are offshoots of the Society of Christian Endeavor. Such a growth, in sixteen years, is perhaps unparalleled in the annals of evangelical Christianity. The young people, after long obscurity, have thus sud- denly blazed forth like the lightning from one end of the heaven to the other; they are very much in evidence; the air resounds with their marching cries, and the streets are gay with their badges and banners. Yet this is not a centralized organization. There is a " United Society of Christian Endeavor," consisting of one trustee from each of several religious denominations, but it is only a bureau of information. There is no central authority or board of control. The great Christian Endeavor conventions attempt no legislation; they are simply religious meetings. Every local society is independent; its membership is drawn from its OAvn congregation, and it is subject to the control of the authorities of that congregation. In the words of its founder: "The Society of Christian Endeavor is a purely religious organization, tliough there may be social features, literary features, and nuisical features con- nected with it. In fact, the society is meant to do any- thing that the Church wishes to liave it do. The scope of its energies is almost limitless. It may relieve the desti- tute, visit the sick, furnish flowers for the pulpit, replenish llic missionary treasuries, build up the Sunday-school, awaken an interest in the temperance cause, preach a W'liite Cross crusade. The inspiration for all these mniii- f(tld forms of service comes from the weekly ))rayer-m('et- ing, which is always a vital matter in a Christian lOndeavor Society. The prayer-meeting pledge, while no uniformity of language is insisted upon, binds the young disciple to THE YOUNG 3IP:N AND WOMEN 317 tlaily private clevotious, to loyal support of his own church, and to attendance and participation in the weekly prayer- meeting, unless prevented by a reason which he can con- scientiousl}- give to his ^Master. This, perhaps, is the most vital and important thing in the society. It has rejuve- nated and revived the young people's prayer-meeting in all parts of the world and has poured new life into the other services of the Church. The monthly consecration meeting, at which the roll is called and the members answer to their names, is also a very serious and important meeting, and shows who are faithful to their covenant vows."' As an illustration of the breadth of the field occupied Ijy this society, the following paragraph may be cited: "One society kept the church alive for months wdiile its pastor was sick ; another has given two hundred dollars a year to foreign missions, and supports a girl in Syria; another has sent two foreign missionaries ; another has two young men studying for the ministry ; another has sent two mission- aries to Africa; another is educating a Japanese girl; another has organized thirteen other Christian Endeavor Societies in eighteen months; another, in Bombay, supports twelve missionary enterprises in that cit}^; another, in ]\Iexico, has fourteen members studying for the ministry; another sent one hundred and fourteen sacks of flour to the Kussians; another has built a new church and hclijod erect a school for colored girls ; another has bouglit a horse for a liome missionary; another sent mcnd)ers to sing and pra}'- at the poorhousc every week ; anotlicr supports tliree native preacliers in China, Japan, and India; another is running five Saljbath-schools, and has starved a saloon- keeper to deatli ; another reports tliirty conversions in one year; anotlicr is fighting race-track gambling; another sends fifty ])eriodicals a week to missionaries in the West; anotlioi' lias live young women employed as cily mission- aries; another has establislied two branch Sunday-schools; another runs a ' fresh-air ' home." ^ This may seem to indicate tlial (lie society travels far * 7'nnm/)/i.s n/t/ic Cross, j). .'iCj'j. 318 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORiaNG CHURCH beyond the boundaries of the parish, but if it does so, it is only because the field of the Church is the world, and the society is helping the Church to occupy its field. And it ought to be strongly affirmed that in the conception of those who have had most to do with the leadership of the movement, the entire subordination of the local society to the church with which it is connected has ahvays been kept in view. The pastor and the church officers are ex officio members of the society, and their counsel and approval must be sought in any work undertaken by the society. It is not improbable that these groups of young people sometimes become rash and headstrong, and that they occasionally manifest some lack of respect for the authorities of the chui'ch, and some disposition to carry on their work without much regard for the wishes of the older members; but when this spirit takes possession of them they are departing from the counsels of their leaders and from the spirit and the letter of their own constitution. The impulse which has been given to the religious activity of the young people of the churches by this organi- zation is one of the notable events of recent history. It is not too much to say that the rise of the Societ}'' of Clnistian Endeavor has made even skeptics see that it is hazardous to count Christianity among the spent forces of modern civilization. Certainly there is no lack of yoiitli- ful vigor and consecrated purpose in the Church of Christ to-day. There is power liere with which a prodigious amoinit of work can be done if it is only Avisely directed. It is a great thing to have made this truth clear to the a})prche)ision of believers and unbelievers. In tlie days wlien men are talking about the decadence of faitli, here is a demonstration of religious enthusiasm scarcely paral- leled since the Crusades. All tliat is needed is tliat tins enthusiasm be husl)anded and I'ightly guided. These young people Icnow tlieir power; they must be shown how lo use it. Tlie ])rol)lein now is to lind for them the riglit things to do, — things which they can do: and to let tlieni see that they are pro- ducing results. Hitherto they have lacked definite pur- THE YOUNG :mex axd M'o:srE]sr 319 poses. Some of the societies, as we have seen, have fouiitl work to do, and have rejoiced in the things accomplished ; but with many of them success has consisted in holding meetings, in getting a large number to take part in the meetings, in increasing the number of members and in holding enthusiastic conventions. And it must be admitted that a strong tendency to the spectacular has been devel- oped. There are many members of these societies to whom the holding of a great convention seems the greatest thing in the world. The fact that meetings and conven- tions are only devices for the generation of power, and that they are woree than useless unless the power there generated is emplojed in producing some useful changes in the lives of men and in the social order, is a fact not so fully impressed as it ought to be upon the minds of many of these zealous young disciples. It is evident that those who have the movement in charefe have felt the force of these considerations, and that they have been casting about them for methods of utilizing the force they have evoked. This will be their most difficult problem. Tlie suggestion has been heard that the moral power of the luideavor movement be turned toward the work of nnmicipal reform. Here is a great field, and the young })eople miglit cultivate it with excellent results, if their efforts could be Avell directed. But it is plain that they ought not to undertake any political campaigning; and that any eff'orts of theirs in the direction of law enforce- ment would bo injudicious. A\''liat they can do is to pre- pare themselves ly thorougli study of muni{'ii)al i)roblems to act intelligently when tiie leadership) siiall fall into their hands. The older .young men might join the (iofxl Gov- ernment Clubs and the Municii)al Leagues, and llu' socie- ties might t'orni themselves into associations for (lie investigation of civic problems and civic conditions. To stndv, ])atiently and thoroughly, the methods of doing the imhlie business; to make tlieniselves llioi'onghlv familiar with the details of the administration of the nnuiicipalily in which thoy live; to cultivate the habit of earefid judi- cial examination into such affairs, so that they might 1x3 320 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH conscious of having a well-formed opinion upon j)nl)lic questions — this would be a most useful exercise for tliese young men and women. The one thing needful in all our communities is sound and strong public opinion ; and the presence in the community of a large body of intelligent young men and women who had taken pains to obtain accurate information upon municipal questions would powerfully tend to create such a public opinion. j\Iany persons might object to their meddling with municipal government; but nobody can object to their learning all they can about the existing methods of government, and telling what they know, provided they always talk temperately. There is also a vast work of political education to be done for the foreign-born populations of the American cities. It is a mistake to regard all these people as vicious and depraved; many of them are capable of unselfish action, ])ut most of them are wofully ignorant of the first prin- ciples of civil government, and all of them are in danger of being led astray by demagogues. To the tender mercies of the most unscrupulous politicians Americans are in the habit of consigning them ; if they vote unwisely who can blame them? The presence in all our popula- tions of a vast mass of such ignorant voters imposes a heavy responsibility on all good citizens. In some way these people must l)e reached and instructed. The politi- cal education of these multitudes is a duty oidy less pressing than their spiritual evangelization. And it can be done only by going among them, and cstal)lishing friendly relations with them and winning their confidence. It will require a vast a mount of liand-lo-liand work in the slums of the cities. The Good Government C^lubs are organized to do this very work, and the Good Government Clubs ought to get from the young men of the Cliristian Endeavor societies large rcinfmremcnts of triistwortliy and steadfast workers. The eidistment of llie Endeavor societies in mission work, at home and abroad, is a proposition which involves fewer difliculties. Tliere is no reason why these young THE YOUNO .MEN AND WOMEN 321 peoplo, under the direction of their pastors and the officers of their churches, shoiikl not do efficient work in estab- hshing and maintaining Sunday-schools, and sewing- schools, and kindergartens, and coffee-houses, and all manner of instrumentalities for the enlightenment and evangelization of the needy of their own community. If their hearts are on fire with the purpose to serve, they will find leaders and counsellors. And there is ample room for all their energy in the great mission enterprises by which the Church seeks to carry the gospel to the far-off lands. All that is needed to kindle the missionary enthu- siasm of these young people to a white heat is to acquaint them with the facts. Let them see what the work is and what the encouragements are and they will give to the cause a full measure of devotion. To these wide fields outside the parishes to which they belong their thoughts may well be directed ; but after all there is much work waiting for them within the precincts of these parishes of which they should not be suffered to lose sight. In the Sunday-schools, the i\lid-week Services, the Boys' Brigades, the Girls' Guilds, the Flower Com- mittees, the singing services, the missionary and charitable work of the church, there is a great deal of work to be done, and the young people of the Endeavor societies ought to be made to feel that it is for them a point of honor to see to it that no vacancy be permitted to exist in any of these forms of service. The commission of the risen Lord required the disciples to preach his gospel among all nations, hcginniiif) from Jerusalem.'^ Tliis is where we must always begin — at lionic The (.liurcli whose home work is thoroughly done can send out a more efficient ])and of lal)orers to the fields outside. The day will come — porlia])s it lias already risen — wIumi tlu; interest of tliese young peojjh^ will 1k> more surely maintiiined by getting them employrd in some definite work, and making them see that they are succeeding in j it, than by some of the methods now ehiefly relied on. The pledge is not amiss; the thing which it promises is ^ l.iiki' wiv. 17. 21 322 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH not unreasonable, and no faithful young disciple needs to shrink from making the promise ; but the official surveil- lance of the members, to see whether or not they are keep- ing the pledge, and to call them to account if they do not keep it, is of doubtful wisdom. The kind of fidelity wliich is produced by this device Avill not prove to be the highest. The motive to which these methods appeal is far from being the noblest. The society would better depend for its success upon the enthusiasm for some good work which it can inspire in its members, than upon the disci- pline which it can exercise over them. It is failing, to- day, to secure the co-operation of a large number of the best and strongest young people in our churches, — of those whose intelligence and conscientiousness it greatly needs, — because it insists on these mild forms of cen- sorshij). Doubtless, if these methods prove to be unwise, they will, in time, be modified. And there is every reason to hope that this great movement of the young people will go forward with increasing power, and that all the churches of all the lands will be vitalized by its influence. Tlie subject is one which the Avise pastor needs to study carefully, that he may know how to keep alive this gener- ous enthusiasm, and how to direct it so that it shall accomplish for the church and through the church the greatest amount of good. In the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States tlie impulse to consecrated activity has taken form in the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. The society is now about thirteen years of age, and it reports about fourteen liini(ii((] chapters, representing as many local ])arishcs. Th(^ l)urpose of the Brotherhood is set forth in its consti- tution: "Tlic soh' object of tlie ]>rolherhood of St. Andrew is the sj)rcad of Chi'ist's Kingdom among young men, and to this end every man desiring to l)ecome a member thereof must ])ledge himself to obey the rules of the Brotherhood so long ;is lie shall be a member. These rules are two: The ruh; of Prayer and the rule of Service. The rule of THE YOUNC; MEN AND WOJIEX 323 Prayer is to pray daily for the spread of Christ's Kingdom among young men and for God's blessing upon the labors of the Brotherhood. The rule of Service is to make an earnest effort each week to bring at least one young man within hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as set forth in the services of the church and in young men's Bible classes. Any organization of young men, in any parish, mission, or educational institution of the Protestant Epis- copal Church, effected under this name, and with the ap]H-oval of the rector or minister in charge, for this object, and whose members so pledge themselves, is entitled to become a Chapter of the Brotherhood, and, as such, to representation in its conventions unless such approval be withdrawn. No man shall be an active member of a Chapter who is not baptized, and no member shall be elected presiding officer or delegate to the convention wlio is not also a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal Church." This Brotherhood has already taken a large place in the life of the Episcopal Church in America. Its conven- tions l)ring together a large number of vigorous young men, and these meetings have been full of fervor and resolute purpose. We find here the same spirit that ani- mates the legions of Christian Endeavor, and although the numbers are comparatively small, tlie intelligence and force of the assemblies are of u high order. It is remark- able, indeed, to witness the large variety of characters in these conventions. A recent newspaper report gives a graphic pictuic of tlie constituency of one of them: "The convenLi(jn included men engaged in almost every honest occupation. Some of them could have designed a house and drawn plans U>v it ; ollicrs could have l)uill it, painted it, or fuinished it. There were men in every line of skilled hibor ncodcd to l)uild a railroad — track, hridgcs, rolling-stock, and all; and others who could have uiauned and managed the road, froiu brakeman to ]ii'esident. I'heie wei-e men wlioas lawyers could try cases, and otiieis who as judges could decide them. There were men who coidd edit a paper or ^^rite a book; several reportei"s; 324 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH Others who couki set the type, feed the press, miike tlie paper stock, or turn patterns for the macliinery. There were enough farmers to make quite a village ; teachers and students enough to start several schools and colleges; doctors enough for a hospital ; and as many clergymen as there are in the diocese of Virginia. Some of the men could design a piece of cloth, others could weave it, and others could make the garment. There were men who could survey a field and others who could plough it. There were men who could build ships and men who could sail them; men who could build engines and men who could run them ; men who could manage a business, keep the books, buy goods or sell them; men who spend most of their time on the road as salesmen, and men who sit in oilices and keep the travellers bus}'. There were coach- men, telegraphers, artists, postmen, plumbers, mill-workers, barbers, blacksmiths, miners, scientists and merchants in almost every line of business. They all stood together as citizens of one Kingdom." One striking feature of these conventions is the " Quiet Day " with which they begin. The delegates assemble at their place of meeting the day before the business of the convention is opened, and spend the whole day together, for the greater part in silence, — receiving together the Communion in the morning; reading the liible and devo- tional books; joining in the Litany; 1 nit devoting most of the time to meditation and silent prayer. " Just before the close," says one, "we were asked to repeat or read aloud any texts peculiarly dear to each one or especially ajjplicable to the day. How quickly they came, those l)lessed words, so full of joy, encouragement and ho]ic! The men's voices, as the}'- read, now from one part of the church, now from anotlier, indicated liow deep were the impressions the quiet communion of tlic day ]i;ul made. It closed, outwardly, Avilh evening prayer at lialf-])ast four, but who can tell when it really closed?" If, as seems evident, tlie spirit of the St. Andrew's Brotherliood finds ex])rcssion in services of this nature, we may readily credit the statement of a leading journal of THE YOUXG JEEN AXD WOMEN 825 tlie Church, that it is ''by far the most important of all the voluntary agencies organized to serve the Church and to extend the Kingdom." It Mill be seen that this Brotherhood, like the Society of Christian Endeavor, proposes to devote all its energies to the work of strength- ening the local church. It puts its forces under the leadership of the rector of the church, and seeks to co- operate with him. Its first and most constant aim is to bring 3-oung men under the influence of the Church. It is a recruiting agency, sending out its trained helpers to do the work of gospel ministration for the church to which they belong. It seeks to express the hospitality of the church to all who approach its threshold; it undertakes mission services, under the rector's guidance, but its main business is bringing people to church. To make the acquaintance of young men who are not church-goers, to gain their confidence, and then to give them a cordial invi- tation to attend pu1)lic worship — this is the simple service in whicli these Brothers of St. Andrew are most frequently engaged. The first work of St. Andrew the Apostle (John i. 40-42) is that to Avhich they give their best energies. How effective such service may be, when a large l)ody of manly young men heartily engage in it, many pastors of this clnirch have had occasion to learn. The St. .Vndrew's Brotherhood is confined in its mem- l)ership to the Protestant Episcopal Church; but its spirit is not sectarian, and one of the three prayeis printed on the mombcrshi]) card is a pra3'er for the unity of tlio Church. There is a similar society — the IWdlliciiiood of Andrew and Bliilip, — which is interdenominational, and cliapters of which are found in various Protestant churches in America. In some of these churches Voung Men's Leagues have been formed with the special design of improving the Sunday evening services. Co-operating with tlie pastor, tliey arrange for the enlargement of the choir, tiie jirepa- ration of good nnisic, and the jirinting and distribution of the order of service, with hynuis and responsive icad- 326 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH ings ; and tliey constitute themselves a committee of invi- tation to bring into the house of worship those who would not otherwise attend. In these and many other Avays the newly awakened zeal of the Christian young men of America finds expression in the life of the churches. On the other side of the ocean one of the sio-nificant movements for the development of the religious life of the young appears in the Guilds which have been formed in several of the Protestant churches. Of these the Chuich of Scotland presents one of the most perfect examples, and a somewhat careful account of this organization will be instructive. It is a national organization, conterminous with the Church of Scotland, and under the charge of the General Assembly's Committee on Christian Life and Work. In the language of its official manifesto, "the Guild aims at having in every parish a union of young men, either in the form of a society or a Bible class, which will be a centre toward which young men may be attracted, and which will oxert a healthy Christian influence u})on all who connect themselves with it. It desires to have all these different societies united into one large ITnion or Guild, through the existence of which individual societies may be strengthened, new societies formed, combined efforts made for the welfare of young men, and a system of comnnmication provided whereby members leaving one district for another may })e introduced into another asso- ciation similar to that wliicli tliey have left." Great liljerty is therefore left to the local organization. Any congregation may associate its young men l)v any method which it prefers; any local organization which has for its object "to serve the Lord Jesus Christ by promot- ing the spiritual and iiilclh'ctii;il life of ^•ou^g men, and by encouraging them to iindcitake works of Christian nscfidness," may l)e represented in the Xational Guild. The Parent Society fui-nishes to each llianch wliich wishes to be al'liliated, a schedule^ for (h(> rctui'ii of ]i;nticnlars respecting its name and i'orm and tlie l^ind nf work it is doing. The local Branches are su})])()S('(l, also, to l)e divided into several sections, each of which is engaged in THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN 327 some kind of work, and the return provides for the speci- fication of the number enlisted in the work of each section, naming, in the example now in view, the Fellowship Section, the Literary Section, the Bible Class Section, the Sabbath School Association Section, the Psalmody Section, the White Cross Section, the Athletic Section, the Tem- perance Section. This return is to be signed by the Secretary of the Brancli and countersigned by the parish minister, who thus becomes responsible for the accuracy of the return. The tabulated returns show a wide variety of Christian work among the young men of the Scottish cono-reo'ations. There is an annual meeting of the National Guild, in which each Branch Guild may be represented ; and local Councils have also been organized, in which neighboring Guilds come together for mutual assistance and encourage- ment. The Central Committee of Management and Refer- ence is constituted in part by the Assembly's Committee on Christian Life and Work, in part by the representatives of the local Councils, and in part by election at the annual meeting. The Guild has now been in existence for sixteen years, and it reports 670 Branches, representing every Presbytery, A\itli a total membership of about 25,000. So far as it is possible to judge from the representations on paper, this is an admirable scheme for developing the interest of the young men of the congregations and unit- ing them in active Christian work. It will be seen that this Society, like the Christian Endeavor Society and the St. Andrew's Brotherhood, concentrates its interest upon lln- Inia] coufrreofation. 'i'lic ^'oiiiil!- INIcn's Guild of the Cliurch of Scotland is su]i]i()itiiig one Foreign Mission in India; with this exception its energies aie devoted to strengthening the work of the home c-liuichcs. The mem- bers meet and consult in tlie national union and in the [irovincial couneils cliiclly as to tlic methods which they may em})loy in making l)roader ami more fruitful the work of the individual churches to which ihcy bch)ng. Tlie Branch (inild tlius liccomes in every parish an organized pastor's assistant; it ought to be possible for him lo use it B28 CHlllSTlAM I'ASTOU AND ^VUUK1^•G CHUllCH with great effect in prosecuting the entire work of which he has the oversight. A sj'stem of Daily Bible Readings is also prepared and furnished to all members, by which they arc encouraged and aided in the regular private reading of the Bible and in intercessory prayer for one another, and an almanac, combining with these Bible Readings a goodly number of well-chosen devotional excerpts for each month, in prose and verse, is furnished for threepence. One of the most interesting features connected with this work is a series of prize examinations and essay competi- tions, in which the Young Men's Guild and the Women's Guild unite. These examinations are conducted in two departments, one of Biblical Study and one of Literature ; and text books are provided for the preliminary studies. In each of the departments the examinations are arranged under three grades ; the highest candidate in the highest grade receives a gold medal with a money prize of <£5; in the second grade a silver medal with a money prize of the same value ; in the first grade a bronze medal Avith a money prize of £S. Those who stand second and third in the three grades receive prizes of a little less value. In each of these grades the subject for Biblical study prescribed for 1895 included nine chapters in the Acts of the Apostles, beginning with the eighth; and portions of one of three books, The Old Testament and its Contents, Landmarhs of Church History, and a handbook on Our Lord's Teach inrj. The questions set for the examination of that year in all the grades of each department are printed ill tlie Report of the Connnittce on Christian Life and Work, with the comments of llic oxaiiiiiiei's. Tn the examinations last reported, which were held at 87 different centres, 568 candidates competed, of Avhom 238 were yonng men and 825 young women; of these 512 took the "Bil)lical examination and 51 the Literary examination. Prizes were awarded to 08 contestants and certificates to .814. The names of nil wlm obtiiincd testimonials of any sort are printed in the report. Tlic criiciency of tbis method of stimulating the study of the Bil)le and of good literature nuist be ex idcnt. THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN 329 In the Free Church of Scothiiid, the Committee on the Welfare of the Youth has l)een carrying on for a still longer period this system of instruction, and examinations are lield in several hundreds of centres, while the number of registered candidates for examination runs up into the thousands. The subjects of examination, as named in a late report, have been the Lives of St. Paul, David, ]Moses, and Solomon; the Books of Zechariah, Kings, St. ]\Iark, St. Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles ; the Taber- nacle; the Story of the New Testament; the Confession of Faith; the Larger, Shorter, Constitutional and Free Church (Jatechisms; Scottish Church History; the Sacra- ments; Horcc Paulincc ; Whately's Evidences, and the PiUjriin's Progress, "Nothing," said the Committee, "had been more encouraging than the assurances received from many parents that they never saw so much enthusiasm in their homes as this scheme had awakened over Bible and ecclesiastical studies." It is doubtful whether any meas- ures for the Christian education of the youth have ever Ijeen imdertaken by any American church, which are worthy to be compared with those which have been suc- cessfully })rosecutcd by the two great Bresbyterian churches of Scotland. Not only in the Free Clmn li of Scotland, Ijut also in others of the Reformed churches of Great Britain, the Guilds have come to be an important factor of the life of tlie Church. Thus the movement among the young people of America, which has so largely taken an undenomina- tional form, lias gone forward on the other side ol' the sea mainly under denominational guidance. The Society of Clnistian Endeavor has, however, a considerable member- sliip in I'^ngland. 'I'lie Methodist Epworth Leagneaiid tlie Yduiig I'enjile's liaptist Union of America more closely resemble ilie Scot- tish (luilds, Th(! organization of the latter is more com- ])act and the guidance is nutre jxisitive and authoritative; Init the strong inlluenee in behalf of Christian unity which the I'jideavor Society exerts, is necessarily wanting. The Scottish (iuilds are not. hnwever, hostile to interih'Uoiui- 330 CHRISTIAN PASTOR ANT) WORKING CHURCH national fellowship, and the ninth article of the Constitu- tion of the Church of Scotland (juild provides that " while the Union proposes primarily to foster the life of the young men of the Church of Scotland, it shall, in all cases, be open to those belonging to other churches ; and when- ever, from special circumstances, an undenominational association is found to be more desirable, it may be put in correspondence with the Church of Scotland Union." Reference was made in the early part of the chapter to certain beginnings of organized Christian work among young men in German}-. Of recent years, this work has been greatly developed. At the present time about a thousand " Unions " of Christian young men exist in Germany. They are not called "Christian Associations," nor do they follow altogetlier the lines of work taken up by the organizations which bear this name, but they are probably well adapted to the conditions of the young men of Germany. The organization of such a Union is gen- erally undertaken by the pastor of the church, and he is apt to be its leader and presiding officer. Sometimes two or three evenings of each week are given to the work, and a membership fee of from six to twelve cents a month is required. The under limit of age is generally eighteen. Intellectual, social, and religious culture are the objects which these young men set before themselves. Bible study with tlie pastor as teacher is common ; meetings for the discussion of religious questions are often held. Tlie provision of suitable rooms in which homeless young men may spend their Sundays and tlieir leisure is one of llieir enter[)ris('s. Organized work among soldiers, and })ris- oners, and certain classes of working men is undertaken by mosl ol iliese Unions. An (ti'gani/.iilidii of young men as deacons or bi'otliers, corresjionding, to sonu^ extent, witli ilic Kaiserswertli M'ork among women, has also l)een formed in (icrmany. "Urollicr Houses " have been established in maTiy towns and cities, the inmates of whieli nw enlisted in cliaritaVtle and Cliristian woik. The candidate for admission to one of these liomes must be between twenty and thirty years THE YOUNG MEN" AM) WOMEN 331 of age, in sound health, unmarried, and not intending marriage. A thorough course of training is prescribed, which usually occupies three years. Agriculture, horti- culture, the management of cattle and various kinds of handicraft are taught. Vocal music is made a leading feature of the instruction. No vow is assumed; continu- ance in the work is entirely voluntary. The work of these "Brothers" is done among the poor children avIio are gathered into schools and houses of refuge; in Orphan Houses, and hospitals for the sick and the unfortunate ; in houses of correction, in prisons, and especially in those Arljeitercolonien, or temporary homes which the German government provides for the unemplojed. Nearly thirty institutions of this character are now enumerated, the lieads of which, in nearly all cases, are pastors. A Con- ference of these Brother Houses and Seminaries meets statedly for discussion and comparison of experiences. ^ 1 Christian Life in Germany, by E. F. Williams, pp. 232-259. CHAPTER XV THE PASTOR AXD THE CHILDEEN The Sunday-school is the instrumentality employed by the modern Protestant church for the training of its chil- dren. Though originally intended for the ragged urchins of the streets, it has been gradually transformed into an agency which the church employs for the instruction of the young wlio belong to its own communion. Mission schools still perpetuate the type of Ivobert liaikes, but when we speak of Sunday-schools in America we usually think of the children of our own families, gathered on Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon in the sanctuaries where their fathers and mothers worship, to be taught the rudiments of religious truth and to be guided into the way of life. When the Sunday-school is what it ought to be, it may seem that no other agency for this purpose should be needed \)y the church. The multiplication of organiza- tions wliich practically cover the same ground ought to be avoided. In view of the niuHilonn activities of the modern church, the need of organization is evident enough, l)ut tliere may easily be too nuich of a good thing; and of nothing is this more probably true than of the tendency to organization. Many societies are organized to death. There are so many wliecls within wheels, and there is such a complicated machinery that power enough to keep it all moving is not easily generated. It is at least an open question whether some of the organizations wliich have taken up tln' woik luloiiging to the Sunday-school are not sui^ertluous. Thi' ^'oung People's Societies, now so jioworfnl a factor in the life of tlie ("hurcli, liave sought to extend tlicir metliods to the children ; and we liave Junior Endeavor Societies and Tin: PASTOi; and the ciiildhen 333 Junior Epworth Leagues, and Boys' Branches in the Young Men's Cliristian Associations, and Boys' Departments in tlie Great Brotherlioods, and various such associations of children within the Chui-ch. Doubtless nuich faithful work is done in these departments and no little good accom- plished ; but might it not be better, on the w^hole, if this work were concentrated upon the Sunday-school, in increasing its efficiency, and in developing the different lines of its work ? Can we conceive of a better or more lasting influence upon boys and girls than that vvliich is exerted by the faithful Sunday-school teacher? Is there any better kind of association than that which naturally grows out of a well-shepherded Sunday-school class ? Tlie boys and girls under fifteen years of age are not old enough to be employed in any evangelistic work ; and the wisdom of calling on them for public utterance is greatly to be questioned. Instruction they need, and free conver- sation with judicious friends on the themes of religion should not be denied them; but services of public speech in which they are expected to have the chief part are of douljtful usefulness. Besides, these boys and girls ought to spend most of their time at home ; and the number of outside engagements for them should be sparingly in- creased. They are busy with their school duties, and their out-door sj)orts ought not to be curtailed ; too many social oUigations are not good for them. With the deep- est gratitude to those who seek the "welfare of our boys and girls through these junior societies, we may fairly question whether there is not danger in carrying wt)rk of this kind too far. Another consideration lends weight to those alnvady suggested. There ought to be a closer bond in most of our churclies between the pastor and the chilthcn, and thercfoi-e tlie pastor ought to liavc fr(M|uent and regular op[)ortunities of meeting tlicm Im purjxises of inst iiiclion. The Junior Societies eaniu)! do the ])aslor's work. Tliev ought not, then^fore, to t;dce the time which the ])astor could more prolital)ly use. If tlie ehildi-en's time is aj)t to be crowded, it is better tliat the lionrs whiili thev may 334 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH profitably give to cliurcli instruction, outside the Sunday- school, should be occupied by the pastor. That many pastors do not seek this opportunity, and have never valued it, is true ; nevertheless, the obligation rests on all pastors, and careful reflection upon what is involved in it would be salutary for most of them. In some of the Protestant churches the " Children's Hour " has become an institution. In this exercise the pastor meets the children regularly — sometimes once a week, immediately after the dismissal of the Friday after- noon session of the public school, — and leads them in acts of j)ubliG worship, giving them some incidental instruction. Tlie nature of this service has, however, generally been emotional and hortatory rather than didactic ; the children have been entertained by lively songs and interesting stories more than they have heen instructed. Such a meeting, which keeps the pastor in touch with the children, may be very useful ; but it does not quite answer the demand that the pastor shall be, in a special sense, the teacher of the children committed to his care. The Great Teacher, in his last commission to the chief of the apostles, laid it upon him, as the test of his affection and loyalty, that he should feed the lambs of the flock. ^ The lambs were mentioned before the sheep. The true sliepherd's first care must Ijg for the lambs. He must not only help to fold them, he must feed them. Is not this duty sadly neglected by most Protestant pastors in this day of grace ? Some of us, whose best days arc past, must look back with keen regret upon the years behind us, because we have so imperfectly kept this part of our charge. It is true that the single pastor of a large Protestant church finds liiiii- sclf lieavily buidened. To })rcj)ai'e two weekly seinums, and arrange for th(^ mid-week service ; to supervise all the organizations whicli his ]);ii'isli ((unpi'ises ; to visit the sick and tlic sti-iingci-s : to n'S|)oii(l to tlio nuincrons calls for cliaritahU; and ])iililic sci'vici^, is more than any man can do; but would it not liavo been licttcr for sonic of us if we had sacrificed some of these other interests — or dc- ' Joliii xxi. IT). TTTi: pAsToi; Axi) tttt: children 335 voted to them a smaller portion of our time and care — in order that we might have found more hours for the children of our churches ? The canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States require that the rector shall meet the children of his parish at least once a month for catechetical instruc- tion ; but the pastors of most of our Protestant churches are under no such rule, and it is probable that the large pro- portion of them have no regular methods of meeting and teachinof the children. But it must be acknowledged that the difficulties in the way of performing this duty are many and serious. Not to speak of the preoccupation of the pastor with other interests and labors, the disinclination of the children to attend such services, and the unwilling- ness of the parents to co-operate witli the pastor in securing their attendance must also be taken into the account. Many a faithful pastor who has desired to gather the chil- dren of his church about him for instruction, and who has besought the parents to aid him in this endeavor, has been disheartened to find tliat but a handful out of the whole number responded to his call. It must be admitted that comparatively few parents have any adequate sense of the inqjortance to their children of such instruction, and so long as this is the case, the opportunity of the pastor will ])c greatly limited. In this fact there is, however, all the more reason why he should throw himself into tlie enterprise with all the strength lie possesses, tliat the indifference of the parents may Ijc overcc^me, and the sentiment of ihe home made more favorable to the undertakinir. Tlie work of catechizing the children is iio n()\cll\ in the Christian Cluucli. l-'iom llic earliest years the candi- dates for ba|)tisiii were prepared by careful instniciioii, and llu' ol'licc (if ilie catechist was recognized as oih' hI' great ini|i(iitanee. "'Wc aec(jr(lingly see particular ('ateeliists make tlieii- a[)[)earauee so early as the second half of the second een- turv, wliile the Missa catcchumcnorum becomes constantly mme and more sharply separated from the Missa fulvli am. I'loni Iho ConstiUttiones A2)ostuiicac, composed in git'at 336 CHllISTIAN PASTOR AND WOKKIXG CHURCir part during the second half of the thu'd century, we become acquainted with the main substance of that instruction, as well as the earliest precepts concerning its duration and conduct. While the duration of the catechumenate varied in different lands, we see, from the time of the third cen- tury, the catechumens themselves divided into three dif- ferent classes. The first, that of the hearers (Andientes), who in the public service might only attend the reading of the Scripture and the preaching of the word. The second, that of the kneeling ones (Genu flectentes), who might in this posture attend at the prayers wliich were offered on their behalf. Finally, that of the candidates for baptism (Competentes), who were already waiting to receive that baptism for which they were now adjudged fit. In the instruction of these classes a regular ascent was observed, by virtue of which much remained concealed from the beginners, which was communicated to those farther ad- vanced. Only when the discijjlina arcani was unveiled for them, was also that which is necessary communicated to them with regard to the Creeds, the Lord's Prayer, the Church Prayers of believers, and the Sacraments : not in writing, but in order that they might preserve them upon the tables of their hearts." ^ It is true that many of these catechumens were adult persons, converts to Christianity, who needed to be in- structed before tliey were received into the eliurch ; but the same instruction was required by baptized children and young persons when they were prepared for church mem- bership. "A glance into an ancient catcchnmenium, oi' sacred schoolroom, will sliow the nature and aptness and power of the system proposed. Baptized cliildren, and candidates for baptism, young or old, if old enough to be instructed, compose the audience. Tlie instiuctor corresponds to our Sabbath-scliool superintendent, or Biblc-chiss teacher. Som(;times, however, \\i\ is wliat the ancient (Hnu-cli styled a dea(;on, ])resl)yt('r, or even l)isliop. Possibly tlie class is special, being made u[) of rustic women and girls of low 1 V.in Oosterzec, Practical Theoloffij, p. 454. THE PASTOR AND THE CHILDREN 337 intelligence, when the teacher is a deaconess. The topics are the simplest in a com"se of sacred instruction, varjdng and progressive with the attainments of the class. Cle- mens Romanus, possibly contemporary with the apostles, in an apocryphal, though very early epistle, is represented as comparing the Church to a ship. In it he says, the bishop is the pilot, the presbyters are the mariners, the deacons are the chief oarsmen, and the catechists are those who give information about the voyage, take fare, and admit passengers. So they prepare the catechumens to make the voyage of life successfully. Such a catechist was the great Origen at Alexandria, when only eighteen years of aofe." ^ The practice of catechetical instruction, not only for adult converts but also for children, declined after the early centuries. The sacramental theories overbore the catechesis. The minister was a priest and the communica- tion of the sacramental grace largely displaced the necessity for the more laborious work of teaching and training. Through all the pre-lieformation period, although there were many strenuous calls for the restoration of this ser- vice, but little was done. But the dawn of the Reforma- tion witnessed a great revival of the work of the catechist. All the great Reformers recognized its importance ; the two catechisms of Luther, the Genevan catechism, tlie Heidelberg catechism, the catechism of Zurich, and the Anglican catechism, are landmarks of the Reformation. The Lonsfer and Shorter catechisms of the Westminster Assembly, came later. In this activity of teaching pro- duced by the Reformation the Roman Catholic church also shared; Erasmus made a great preparation for it in his Exposition of the Decalogue and tlu; Lord's Prayer ; ;ind the catechisms of Canisius and Bellarinine, and later, those of Aliilines and of Trent, furnislicd ni;i(i'ri;d wliidi that Church has used with all diligence in the subsctjucnt cen- turies. At the present time the lidclity ami thorouglnicss with wiiicli Roman Catholic- chihhcn an; taught by their pastors the doctrines of their Churcli utterly put to sliamo i The Church and Her Childrru, by Willijuii IJarrows, ]>. 3i>4. 22 838 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH the negligence of the descendants of the Reformers. It can no longer be said that sacramentalism paralyzes the teaching power of that Church. Roman Catholic children, as a rule, are far better instructed with respect to the doc- trines of their church than most Protestant children are ; they know what they believe, and they know why they believe it ; they can give a reason for the faith that is in them. It is time that the Reformed Churches, whose system rests on instruction, had taken up the weapons which have been thrown away, and had returned to that work of training the young, without which all their splendid machinery of parochial and missionary organization will produce little else but noise. There are s})ecial reasons also, growing out of the intel- lectual conditions of this time, Avhy pastors should take this charge upon them. It is a time of transition in theo- logical opinion ; the great philosophical conceptions Avhich underlie the theory of evolution enter into all our tlioologi- cal thinking and modify many of the statements of doctrine with which we have become familiar. Perhaps one reason why the careful instruction of the young has been omitted is tliat the ancient catechisms no longer represent the best thought of the church, and the pastor is not able to see how he can adjust his teaching to these formularies. Doubtless his task will be made much heavier by this circumstance. But there never was a time when the children of our churches so much needed the instruction of their pastors. Comparatively few of the laity are competent to guide llie children llirough the rapids and tlie shallows of modern thouglit. It may even be necessary for the jiastor to con- fess, on many points, his own ignorance. But there is certainly still remaining a body of elementary truths which can be clearly and cogently taught : and it is tlir [)astor's task to select those wliidi ;u'o vital ;iii(] limdanicntal. and to fasten them in the minds of the chikh'cn of his charge. 'riie fundamental ])rcsupposition of tlio ratechetical teaching is well stated in tlie woi-ds of \'an OostcrzcG: "In every human being there is jiresent in piinciplc a Jiatural gift for the formation of a Christian-religious THE PASTOR AND THE CHILDIIEN 339 cliamcter. This yilt, liowever, needs calling forth, devel- oping, and guidance, if he is to be trained to become, in harmony with that for wliicli he Avas designed, a subject of the kino'dom of God." ^ How far tlie work of instructingf the young may have been obstructed by the prevalence of a theology wliich denied this presupposition it would be interesting to inquire. " Till about a hundred years ago,'' says Bishop Huntington, "• theology and the i)ulpit in the Eastern States insisted aloud that mankind are accureed absolutely, universally, totall}^ by reason of the first trans- gression. That was believed. I heard it preached through all my cliildhood with learning, logic, and as much picto- rial luridness as the preacher's imagination could supply." To one with such a belief about human nature, what mo- tive could there be to undertake the work of Christian instruction ? A theory of this kind is as fatal to all effort toward the traininsr of the character of children as is the Ijaldest sacramentalism. It is not to be disputed that those holding such theories have done good work in train- ing children, l)ut this was because their piety set at nought their loffic. " A natural gift for the formation of a Christian charac- ter," but a gift to be called forth, developed, guided; this is what we see in every child that comes to us for instruc- tion. There is already something of Christ in the nature of tlic cliild. If all things were created through Him, and in Him find their rationale, then He must surely be re- vealed ill tlic licart of a little cliild. 1'lie Christ who is immanent in the whole of creation is not absent from the lives of little children. Tlie Cliiist Ihere enshrined may be obscured b}'' many inherited tcndiiicies to evil; it is for us to discover the divine lineaments and by God's grace cause that to become clear wliich now is diiu. *' Wliat, however, must Ik; least of all oNcrlookrd is this, that, contemplated in the light of the Gospel, this rcHgious constitution is, after all, a Christian constitution: one, in other words, endowed with a natural alVmity for the things ot tin; kingdom of heaven. And so it must be ; for the ' Pincliral T/icold'/i/, ]). 4()7. 840 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AKB WORKING CHURCH image of God, after which man was created, is primarily no other than he, who is himself the radiance of God's glory, the final aim in the whole natural and moral crea- tion, the great centre, in a word, of the whole divine plan of the world. This is the profound significance of the doctrine of the Logos Spcrmaticos^ either hinted at or more distinctly uttered by Justin Martyr and the Alexandrine School ; this the truth of the anima naturalitcr Christiana, pleaded by TertuUian with so much warmth. The being man is in its profoundest depths only the basis for becom- ing Christian : he who becomes not this, becomes not man in the noblest sense of the word, and can much less remain so ; for the higher capacity dies out, and he sinks back to the level of stone, or plant, or animal, which has been trained, but in no degree humanized, because only the homo Chris- tianus may be called the true homo. It is folly to seek the man beyond the Christian, or in principle to place the man above the Christian ; because this very Christianity, of definitely divine origin, is at the same time the acme of manhood. " Nothing can tlius be of greater importance or of more glorious nature than to lead a soul to Christ, that is, to the final aim of its life. Such special guidance is, how- ever, actually necessary for every one ; for it is otherwise in the kingdom of nature from what it is in the kingdom of grace. The sunflower of itself finds the sun, l)ut tlie conducting of the soul to Christ is somethincf more than an unconscious and unchoscn process of nature. Tlie im- planted power is nowhere brought to maturity witliout exercise and training- ; least of all in tlio liighcst domain of life. No isolated human being can, without the in- fluence of others, attain the main end of life even in things temporal; and if iikim is — it may here safely be further presupposed — constituted not merely for occupying a place in the liousehold, in the state, in society, but also in the kingdom of lieavcn. never A\ill lie be inimbered among the citizens of tlie kingdom of CJod, so long as lie has not found a pedagogue to Christ." ^ ^ Van Oostorzco, Practical T/icoInrji/, p. 4G8. THE PASTOR AND THE CHnL,DREX 341 Siu'li is the rationale of the great work to which the pastor is called when he gathers the children of his chiu-ch about him and seeks to lead them into the true and living way. Tlie place to which he invites them should be a cheerful place, and all the surroundings should be as attractive as they can be made. The pastor should have two or tlu^ee judicious helpers, to take the names of those present, to distribute singing books and leaflets, to see that the class is compactly seated, and that none straggle away into the corners of the room, and to assist in the singing. Let him endeavor, in his manner, to preserve the happy medium between a cold formality and an effusive famil- iarity. The children should not be frozen, but on the other hand they ought never to lose sight of the truth that they are in a sacred place on serious business. As to the basis of the instruction it is not easy to give advice. The question is settled for Anglicans whose cate- chism is prescribed by canonical law, and for Presbyteri- ans, to whom the Westminster Shorter Catechism is the standard, and for Lutherans, and for the Reformed Church, and perliaps for the Methodist Episcopal church as well. Whether these church catechisms are adequate for the present purpose of the pastor who wishes to impart to his children the elementary truths of the Gospel of Christ each must determine for himself. It is at least doubtful wliether some of them can ever be used with success in the instruction of young children. Other simple manuals of catechetical instruction may be found ; but it may Ijc well for the pastor, if the discipline of liis cluirch will ])i'r- mit him to do so, to select his own line of teaching and ])re])are with care liis own outlines. Statements of trutli \v]ii(;h lie has made his own by stud}' and prayer, he will be al)le to communicate more readily than those which he lias learned by rote. A sinq)lc beginning can be made willi tJK^ Loid's I'rayer, tlie Apostles' Ci'ced, the Iieatiludes, and the l"'irsl Chaj)ter of the (ios])el ol -John. lint some deliiiite and comi)re- hensive condensation dl" IJiblieal History will need to fol- low; and the [(reparation of liiis will call i'mih the hot 342 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH judgment of the pastor. An example of sucli a course may be found in Bishop Dupanloup's lectures on The Ministry of Catechising. ^ Some modification would need to be made in two or three of his topics, to adapt the course to the uses of a Protestant teacher; but for the most part it will be found to answer his purpose remarkabl}' well. If the pastor is to continue this work, year after year, it is evident that his teaching must provide for the advancement of his pupils; and it will be necessary to separate them into classes. Perhaps the course should not continue more than two or three years ; when pupils have passed through it they should be released from attendance, and some appropriate public service in the church itself should signalize their accomplishment of this part of their Christian education. How often these classes should meet is a question that each pastor should settle for himself. It would be better that the lessons should be given only during a portion of the year, — perhaps through the autumn and the wdnter. If the lessons could be as frequent as once a week, the interest would be more easily maintained ; but three classes a week Avould tax the pastor's strength, and it might be difficult to secure the attendance of the pupils. With respect to all these details the pastor must judge for him- self; only let him not be afraid to make large demands both upon himself and upon his pupils. If lie shall con- stantly assume that it is a great and important business, for which lessor interests must give way, many dilhcuUics will disappear. Any pastor who contemplates this task would dd well to make himself familiar with the volume of liishop Dupanloup on TIlc ^finistry of Catcchisinr/, to wliicli reference has already been made. Allowance will need to be made for theological divergencies. Many of the things emphasized in this instruction will seem trivial to a Protestant pastor, l)ut the spirit of the book is of the liighest. The impor- tance of the work will Ije Ijorne in upon the mind of tlie candid reader and most of the practical suggestions as to 1 Page 284, seq. Tin-: I'ASToi; and tiik rnii.iii;i:x 343 the conduct of it will commend themselves to his judg- ment. This good and great prelate, who in his earlier life was the Catechist of the Church of the ]Madeleine in Paris, declared that no work of his life had been so delightful or so fruitful as this work with the children. Plis office as the children's pastor was more significant and more influ- ential than his olhce as the Bishop of Orleans. "Si vous me perniettrez ici, messieurs, un souvenir personnel, je vous dirai, en toute simplicite, c'est aux catdchismes que je dois tout. Pour moi, ah I que les enfants qui ont (it^ mon premier amour et le premier devouement de ma vie en soicnt aussi le dernier." ^ liishop Dupanloup delights to recall his great predecessors in the work of teaching the young ; he reminds us that some of tlie most famous men of the Church have devoted themselves to this service ; he tells us how Gerson, the great Chancellor of the Univer- sity of Paris, gave the ripest years of his life to the cate- chisms for children in the Church of St. Paul at Lyons, "and such was his respect for them, and his confidence in the innocence of their age and the power of their prayers, that, feeling his last hour to be near, he desired to have them all around him, on his death-bed, and asked them to commend to God ' His poor servant, Jean Gerson; ' " how the great Archbishop Bellarmine of Capua "went into the fliffcrent parishes and himself held the catechism for the children in the presence of the Cures;" how Ignatius Loyola began the labor of his life as the General of his order by conducting the catechism in Rome; how Francis Xavier, and Franc;ois de Sales, and Vincent de Paul and many others of the most renowned and beloved ol IJoniaii Catholic teachei'S and ])i(lates had been distinguished for their success as teachers of childicii. I)ishop l)iq)anlou[) lays great stress at the beginning on the truth that the woi'k of the catechist is not instrudion merely, that it is education ; not siiiq)ly tlic inq)ar(ation of well-ordered knowledge, ])Ut above all the training of character. Instruction must iiidccd lie careful and piccisc and tliorough. And (his, he insists, will I'cipiire inu(di * Sec The Miiiistri/ of Vutechisimj, Hook I., Discourse .\. 344 CHKISTIAX TASTOE A]S'D AVOKKIXG CHURCH labor on the part of the catechist. His chapter on this subject is exceedingly suggestive : — " It is impossible to give a good Catechetical Instruction without having prepared it with the greatest care. For my own part, gentlemen, it would be infinitely easier for me to preach a sermon or a prone without preparation. A good Catechetical Instruction demands of the most skil- ful, four, five, or six hours of preparation. I have some- times had two or three days of continuous work, sometimes a whole week, in preparation for certain very diiilicult or very special Instructions. "I shall perhaps astonish you, gentlemen, when I tell you that I wrote out all the Catechetical Instructions, not only those which I gave myself, but also those of my col- leagues ; I have them still, written by my own hand, each of fifteen or twenty pages, — and that for four years : all the Instructions on dogma, on morals, then those on the Sacraments, and on Sacrifice. " I wrote out also all my Homilies, all the little sermons which I used at the Catechism. I ought to add that I did not say them, nor know them, by heart, except sometimes the Homilies and sermons on the festivals. I do not pre- tend, gentlemen, to set mj-self as a model. I only tell j-ou simply what I did. But what I do maintain is, that if an Instruction is not properly prepared, it runs a great risk of l)eing vague, wordy, and wearisome."^ The Bishop means that he did not use his manuscript in the class, nor did he commit it to memory, but tliat he wrote out the lesson, so that every point might be [)crfectly clear in his own mind, and then made himself so familiar Avitli it that he could speak promptly and clearly on every point. Other admonitions of his are pertinent: " I may add that brevity is above all necessary in tlic Instructions given to children, for, as lYndlon says, ' tlioir mind is like a vase witli a very small opening, M'liich can oidy be filled drop by drop. If the Instruction is to be of use to them, they must be told a very few things at a time. ' Believe nie,' said S. Francois do Sales to the Bishoj) of 1 The Ministry nf Catcchisiiifj, ]<\<. lU, 145. THE PASTOR AND THE CHILDREN 345 Bellej, ' I tell yon tliis from experience, from long expe- rience: the more you sa}-, the less they will retain; the less you say, the more they will profit; by dint of burden- ing your hearers' memor}-, you break it down, just as lamps are extinguished if we put too much oil in them, or as plants are suffocated if we water them too much. Indilferent preachers are acceptable, provided they are short, and excellent ones are a burden if they are too long. ' We may say the same of Catechists ; and for this reason the Council of Trent, in the decree which binds all pastors to instruct the people, recommends brevity and also simplicity of language: C21771 hrevitate et facilitat& ser mollis. "In the first place the Instruction ought to be well divided. This is the important point, gentlemen, if you would be short, be clear, be interesting, and be sound. You should begin by recapitulating clearly and briefly the subject and the divisions of the last Instruction. Then give out, Avith the same clearness, and very slowly, the su])ject of the new Instruction ; then point out very dis- tinctly the divisions into two, three, or four heads, gen- erally in the form of questions; for instance, you are giving an Instruction on grace, you can give the children these five questions: "(1 ) Can any one be converted and obtain his salvation witliout gi'ace ? "(2) Has every one sufficient grace to convert liiin and to enable liim to ol)tain salvation? "C;-}) Witli grace, is it easy to be converted and to obtain salvation? '' (4) Can any one resist grace ? "(0) Is it a very grievous thing to resist grace? "(Questions presented in this way are very mm li easier cauglit by the cliiklren, going straight to tlieii- understand- ing, than if ])ut in an abstract form; sueli as, ' Tn ilie lii-st phiee, we will speak of tlie necessity of grace, iVc. ; in tlie second, of the sullieiency of grace,' »S:c. IJut in wliatt'ver lorm you put it, the division must be sinqile and eh'ar, and given out so slowly that the children luav be able to 346 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH write it out correctly, as from dictation. Otherwise you put these young- intellects to the torture; they wish to follow you and they cannot; soon the}^ no longer know where they are, they understand nothing that is said to them, and in despair they will sometimes even shed tears. I remember once that one of my colleagues had forgotten to give out the division of his Instruction; the children, who were taking notes, were so disheartened that T saw one of them dissolved in tears. I immediately let the Catechist know ; he gave out his division, and as they came to under- stand, their faces lighted up again with joy. "The Instruction must be perfectly clear both as to groundwork and in every detail. You Avill allow me to remind you, gentlemen, of the precept of Quintilian, ' Non ut intelligere jJossit, sed ne omnino non intelligere non possit, curanduin.'' ^ It is not onl}' necessary that the child understands, but that it shall not be possible for him not to understand. There are three very efficacious ways of doing this : "I. Things must be told simply; as they are, not labored nor exaggerated; one does sometimes exaggerate wdth cliildren, but it is wrong, it only troubles them and puts a strain on their minds. "II. Things must be said in their most natural, most suitable order, nothing brusque or forced, nothing contra- dictory; above all, avoid the confusion of digressive phrases or parentheses. Nearly all 3'()ung Catechists are apt to fa]] into tliis fau]t. "^iil. Tlie greater nuinbtT arc unlortuaatcly la\isli in useless words ; they do not know liow to cut s]iort a sen- tence, or liow to a]jridge it, and hence we ]i;i\c longthi- ness, rcdnndance, and confused expressions.'' - From ;il] tliis it will l)e evidcnl tJiat this master cate- cliist does not undervalue tlie im])()rtance of clear and definite instruction. ]'>ut, after ail, the emp]iasis of liis lectures rests on tlie spiritual more llian on t]ie intellectual results. Tlie cliildren are to be skilfully taught, l)ut only that tlicy may be formed after the mind of Chi-ist and filled ' Quint, lib. vii. c. ii. '^ Pages 140, 147. THE I'ASTOIt AXD THE CHlLDrtEX 347 with his spirit. And the one supreme qualification of the catecliist is a genuine affection for the children. He must love them, and they must knoAv it. " But, 30U will perhaps ask me how to make them feel this ? Ah, gentlemen, this is something which cannot be defined. I can only tell you simply this, that when I was a Catechist I made it to be felt. How? 1 know not. But we felt it ourselves, we loved these young souls for God's sake, we tried to love God in them; and God deigned to bless this devotion of our hearts. " But it is not a question of myself here. One word of S. Augustine says it all, and with soveieign authority: ^ Anna, ct fac quod vis.'' Love, love! and all which j-ou believe impossible will be easy to you. S. Augustine says again: ' Da amantem et sentit qiiod dico.^ In the work of souls the heart and love are the spirit and the life: '' Spiritus et vita. Da amantem, da sitientem, da es2i- rientem.'' Love the precious souls of these children! Be hungry and thirsty for their happiness, for their eternal beauty, for their sah'ation. Then you Avill understand all things, and you will make all things to be understood; for it is the Divine Unction which is love, which teaches everything: ' JJnctio docet omnia.'' " ^ Here, beyond nil coniroversy, is the sovereign qualilica- tion of the good shepherd (if the chihlren. And this whole treatise is surcharged with this pure passion. Let the Protestant pastor sit at the feet of tliis Catholic l)isliop and learn fi'oiii liim to estimate tlie debt of love tliat he owestothecliildicii of his congregation. IJisliop I)uj)aiil(iii|i makes mucli of the idea that the Catecliism, ])v which hi' means not tlic l)0(»k Imt the act of catecliizinc" or tlic ( lass at work, nuist liavc the essential characteristics of a family. " 111 ;i fainily."" lie says, "iio donlit children ;irc taught, but still more ihey are advised, they are exhorted, they are encouraged, they are blamed, they are rewarded, they are loved, and ihey are made to love goodness. And all this cniiics Iroiii the sjnrif of the famihi; that is to say, on the one hand anthority and dcNoiidii, with every shade 1 I'a^'cs 10, 11. 348 CHRISTIAX rASTOR AND WOKiaXG CHURCH and every form of tenderness and zeal ; and on the other respect, docility and confidence A\'ith every shade also of filial love and gratitude." ^ Something like this is what Catechisms and Catechists ought to be; and when this spirit pervades all the communications between the pastor and the children, great residts are sure to follow. The good Bishop records the fact that at his meetings with the children in the Madeleine, large numbers of their parents came with them, so that galleries had to be added to the chapel for their accommodation. Thus the hearts of the parents were turned to the children and the hearts of the children to the parents by the faithful ministry of the pastor of the church. To strengthen the family bond, now, in so many households, sorely strained by the world- liness of parents and recklessness of children, no better measure could be devised than the faithful instruction of the children of the church by their pastor iu the truths of the Christian religion. One feature of this exercise of Catechist Dupanloup in the Madeleine we should find it extremely difiicult to reproduce in many of the American Protestant churches. He tells us that during the time of his service in that church, Paris was filled with refugees, patricians and plebeians, from all countries, all of whom were wont to gather in his chapel, — " poor children, rich and even royal children; children who, coming to the Catechism, came out of the most miserable quarters of Paris or from the most brilliant dwellijigs of the rich; children, moreover, whose parents belonged to all the most contrary shades of political parties whicli then divided France; well — all had but one heart and one soul; all these differences, all these divisions, disappeared; all these children, gathered togetlier in the Chapel of St. Hyacinthe, filled with the same tlioughts and the same desires, sharing in the same instructions, (lie same f('te.s^ ])roiiaring together for the same great action." Of ro3alties he mentions the 3'oung (>)u('en of I'ortugal, who came with her mother-in-law, the Empress of Ih-.i/.il; lur royal Highness tlie Princess 1 Page 58. THE PASTOR AND THK CHILDREN 349 Clementine; the pious Queen .Alarie Amelie and lier worthy daughter, tlie Queen of the Belgians; and with these, boys of higli degree who have since become such distinguished men as General Foy, M. de Villele, ]M. Casimir-Perier, and M. de Polignac. The kind of equality which such a case connotes is not easily secured in all the Trcjtestant churches of democratic commonwealths, Aluch is made in these Roman Catholic " Catechisms " of the devotional exercises, especially of the singing. The choir is present, to lead the children in hymns adapted to the service. The length of the sitting will astonish most Protestant pastors. Not less than two hours, this Cate- chist testifies, should be given to the lesson. It is not proljable that such a burden as this w^ould be borne by the children of American Protestants. Nor is it clear that so much time coidd be usefully given to the exercise. One hour would be ample for ordinary lessons. Would that the kindling enthusiasm of this great prelate for the work of training the young might be caught by many pastors in all brandies of the Christian church! We may differ Mdth him widely with respect to many of the doctrines taught, but in his tender love for children and his burnino; desire to lead them early into the ways of life, he is a bright example to us all. One, at least, of the Protestant churches, that which bears the name of the Great Reformer, maintains, A\itli increasing vigor, the catechetical practice. The Smaller Catechism written l)y Luther himself is still universally employed in the instruction of children; the J>utherans are divided into many schools, and the conflicts of opinion among them are intense; but in this they all agree; Luther's Catechism forms tlie groundwork of iiislriietidii ill all their synods. And the thorough teaching of all the baptized eliildren is rigidly insisted »in. As a rule, it may be said that no one is conlirmed in the; Lutheran church until lie has given evidence of careful instruction in the doctrines of the Catechism. It is suj)posed that children ought to pass througli a course of weekly lessons, covering at least two years. 350 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH It is true that not all this work is done by the pastors of the churches. Many of the Lutheran churches, in America as well as in Europe, support parochial day- schools, and in these the catechism or the Bible history is a daily exercise. Many Lutheran children are thus under daily religious instruction for several years. The teacher in such a school must be a qualified catechist. The opportunities enjoyed by Lutheran children for full relig- ious instruction are thus unexampled among American Protestants ; the Church of England day-schools undertake a similar work. But this drill in the day-school, under the hired schoolmaster is, after all, a very different thing from that pastoral care of the children of which we have been speaking. An excellent thing it is, no doubt; l)ut it does not answer the highest purpose. The children instructed in these congregational schools are not brought into intimate relations with the pastor until just before the time of confirmation, when he always meets them for a brief course of instruction, which amounts to a review of the work they have done in the day-school. Even this is more than most of our Protestant pastors can boast of; Ijut it is not the kind of relation described l)y Bishop Dupanloup. Many of the Lutheran churches in America, however, maintain no parochial schools, and in these the full labor of catechetical instruction falls on the pastor. vVnd no small labor it is. For a period of at least two years he meets the children of his charge as often as once a week, and often twice a week, requiring them to memorize the words of the catechism, and taking inlinite pains to explain to them its meaning. A very large })crcentage of the children of the congregation attend juiiutually upon this instruction; it is a cardinal [xiiiit of tlic Lutheran disci- pline. Some sinall children, who live at too great a dis- tance from tlio church, receive instruction at home, and others, whosi^ occupations arc such that tliey caimot attend the pastor's class, are sometimes excused: l)ut it is a point that the ]iastor does not readily yiflil: und tlic sentiment in I.uLlitian families is very strong in favor of THE PASTOll AND THE CHILDEEX 351 the maintenance of the catechetical instruction. A vast amount of Libor is thus entailed upon the pastor, hut it is labor which, if rightly performed, bears abundant fruit. That it may be done in a manner so dry and perfunctory that it shall be a burden to both teacher and taught is evident enough; but if the love to which the good IJishop Dupaidoup ascribes such power be the heart of it all, the jjastor's opportunity of forming the minds and shaping the characters of the children is one that an angel might covet. We are told that a conviction of the value of catechetics has recently been strengthening in the minds of Lutheran Christians, and that the practice was never so universal or so enthusiastically pursued as it is to-day. A few years ago there was a disposition in some synods to relax this demand, and to rely more upon the revivalistic methods ; Ijut that tendency seems to have spent its force, and the Church, in all its branches, has returned with new ardor to the work of teaching and training the children, putting its chief reliance upon this method of propagating the gospel. So strong is the faith of the Lutherans in the efficacy of this method, that even their city mission work takes this form. If a new church enterprise is to be started in a city, the missionary generally begins by opening a school and teaching the children. It is a notable fact that the growth of the Lutheran cliurch in America, during the last decade, was more rapid than that of any other Christian Ijody — the percentage of growth was larger. That this is due in part to tlie large German and Scandinavian innnigration is undoubtedly true; but it is also due, in large measure, as intelligent Lutherans believe, to the revived interest in the work of catechetical instruction of the 3'oung. It must not be infeiTcd that there are no I'rotestant pastoi-s in other denominations who are aware of the impor- tance of this duty. Here and there, in all the churches, iii-f tlidse who give much Ihouglit iind lalim- to ihc cliildicn ot their charge. In liis liltlc bonk on The Workinrf Church, tlic \\v\ . ( "liarlcs I". Tliwing, s])('aking of the 352 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH tendency of boys and girls between the ages of ten and sixteen to drop away from the churches, thus testifies : — " I write out of my own experience when I say that a special class should be formed of those young Christians, and that special instruction and guidance should be given them. This instruction and guidance should be committed to one most able to give it. This one may be the pastor or it may not be. If it is not he, he should discover some other person qualified to perform this duty. I think I may say he will usually find that it is wise to intrust this labor to other hands ; and yet these other hands he may think it well specially to train for this important service. This instruction should consist of a systematic presentation of the great truths of Christ. It should be systematic, tak- ing up in order the central doctrines and themes of the Bible. It should be, it must be, to secure favorable results, attractive, — attractive in the person of the teacher and attractive in its methods. It should be thorough ; for children will receive and appreciate, be it properl}^ illus- trated. Christian teaching far more profound than is com- monly credited to them. Such a class should meet on some week-day, after the exercises of the public school, and should be held each week for certain periods of each year. " With the methods and the results of such teaching, I am already somewhat acquainted. Year by year I have seen a class of boys and girls grow from a membershij) of forty to a membership of three hundred. I have seen these boys and girls listening intently to the presentation of tlie historic facts and truths of the Bible. I have seen this class made so attractive that scores of children would run from the jjublic school-room in order to lose no moment of the short hour. I have seen this interest aroused and maintainod ])y the power of a strong and living personality rather than l)y extraneous aids. I know this teaching to be systematic; and thorough. I liave seen examination papers in writing of these l)oys and girls tliat were a wonder in tlieir revelation of the appreciatidii nl' llus nature and duties of the Christian life. I liavc Ijecn made glad in Tin: PASTOR AND THE CHILDKKN 358 receiving many of those thus trained into the membership of the Church, and have daily rejoiced in beholding the good confessions they witnessed at home and school."^ The opinion here incidentally expressed that the pastor might better entrust this work to some one else may well be reconsidered. It is doubtful whether the pastor can afford to surrender this opportunity. If he is not fitted for this work, he ought to lose no time in seeking the necessary qualifications. The knowledge which this work ^^•ill give him of the thoughts of the children, the friend- ships which it will enable him to form with the boys and girls of his flock, are worth more to him as a pastor than almost any other experience of his life. Not the least valuable result of such a service is its effect upon the char- acter of the pastor himself. The call to sincerity, sim- plicity and fidelity which these young lives continually address to him is one that he must hear. He cannot feed these lambs unless he abides in the love of the Good Shepherd. One American pastor has provided for the children of Ids charge an association which he describes as the Church Porch. Its design as he describes it, "is not simply to convey instruction, but to bring tlie children into an organization which has no more completeness in itself than has the porch of an ecclesiastical building. It is a passage- way into a larger and completer relationship." And lie thus outlines its method : — "In the one direction it will be connected witli the family; in the other, with the church — a liidc between the two. It will have as its honorary olhcers the pastor and deacons of tlie cluirch; as its executive, young mm and women of sucli an age as to liave sulhcient ri|)i'ness of judgment to know how to act witli wisdom and discretion. The adult Christian fellowship of the church will be at tlie back of it, encoui'aging the attendance of tlieii- children upon its meetings, regulaily and conscicJitionsly, for to develop character is one of the great aims. The Church Porch will [jrovidc some simple words, whiih arc of the ^ Tlw Workimj Church, \\\y 11-17. 23 354 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH nature of a confession of clisciplesliip to the great Head of the Church. It will so conduct its meetings as that the youngest may take some part. It will so organize itself as that the members shall have mutual care one of another. It will provide meetings for social intercourse as well as for devotional, thus recognizing the good of all innocent recreation. It will provide for the daily home reading by its members of wisely selected Scriptures. It will have some such graduation in membershij) as shall allow the more developed to assume responsibility, and put them- selves one step nearer to full membership of the Christian church. Of course, organization is not everything, nor the principal thing. We cannot do much without it, l)ut the most ideally perfect organization in the world must depend for its reputation upon those who use it. It will be urged as an objection by some who have had little or no experience in these matters, that it is requiring too much to ask a child to sign such a simple pledge as this: ' Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I purpose to try to do whatever He would like to have me do. I will pray to Him, and road the Bible every day, and henceforth I will try to l)e His disciple.' Analyze it, and what do we find? Nothing at all inconsistent with that which is possible to tlie youngest disciple. A child can ' trust; ' a child can ' try; ' a child can ' pray; ' a child can ' read the l>il)k' ; ' a child can be a ' disci[)le ' — a learner. It is that from its constitution. Children like to be members of societies, and they are generally more faithful to tlieir duties tlian arc adults. 'I'hey grow into right thoughts and right feelings, just as their seniors do, by right deeds."" ' 'I'lic pastor's work of instruction and ])ersonal influence mi^^ht 1)6 carried nn in coimection with such an ortjfaniza- tion of the cliildien. But the organization must not take the ])lacc of tliat work, "^riie pastor should 1)0 jealous of anything wliiili sdmds in tln^ Avay of tliat intimate asso- ciation with ills cliildicn wliicli the work of systematic instruction implies ;ni(l r('(|uii'('s. ^ Kc'V. lieufii 'J'liiiiiins, ill l'ini»li Prolih ins, ])ji. 2I.'l, 214. THE PASTOIl AND THE CHILDREN 355 Most American cliiirclies now observe tlio second Sun- day in June as Children's Day. On that day the Sunday- schools are gathered in the place of public worship made beautiful with flowers, and the exercises are ordered for the benefit of the children. Songs and recitations in which they participate, and an appropriate sermon or address by the pastor make the service of special interest to the 3-oungest of the flock. In churches wliich practise infant l)aptism, the little ones are often presented on Children's Sunday; and it is the custom of some pastors to give to each baptized child, on the festival which follows his twelfth birthday, a Bible, in the name of the church, thus reminding him that the church has not forgotten the con- secrating rite and still holds him in its fellowship. In the churches in which this rite is observed, the status of the baptized children is often a subject of inquiry. The theological and ecclesiastical questions here involved do not come within the purview of this essay; but it is, nevertheless, important that the pastor and the {Innch should have some theor}'- about the relation of these children to the church; the kind of pastoral care exercised over them will be determined, to a considerable extent, by this tlieory. There seems to be no other reasonable view of the case than to regard these children as membeis of the chiiich, — not yet enjoying all its rights and privileges, liut members still, and entitled to the care and love of the ulidlc household of faith. Tlie children of a famil}^ are not less truly members of the family than are the adidts; and their sense of proprietorship in all the l)eloiigiiigs of the hom(! is always keen. It should not be otherwise in the church; and the administration of its services should bo such as to cultivate in the children this sense of iden- tilication witli its life. The lime will conir wlicu tliry will come forwaid and assume for thcnischi's the rcspdu- sibilities of mend)ership: but before that ilaw and while they arc receiving prej)aratioii for tlie active labors of the church, the recognition of the fact tliat they are not aliens and strangers, but fellow-c-ilizens with the saints aiul of the household of love, ought to Ix; kept clearly befoie tlieir minds. 356 CHRISTIAN PASTOR A^T) WORKING CHURCH Whether any portion of the Sunday morning service should be specially devoted to the children is a question of some importance. Some American pastors address a short sermon — five or six minutes in length — to the children in the congregation. Others decline to interject this exercise into the services, on the ground that their unity is impaired, and their best effect lost, when a portion of the congregation is singled out for separate instruction. It is a matter concerning which every man has a right to be fully persuaded in his own mind. Some pastors may succeed with the method and others may fail. It should be remembered, however, that when no special words are addressed to the children, there will often be, in an ordi- nary discourse, portions, longer or shorter, which even young children will perfectly understand. Every pastor who watches the effect of his teachings upon the children will often find them grasping with perfect intelligence many statements that were not intended for them. If the truth is made simple and clear, as it always ought to be, some good part of every sermon will find its way into the minds of the children of six or seven years of ago. The ability of children to understand such matters is gen- erally under-estimated. Even, therefore, though there may be no special address to the children, there are many reasons why they should be present, from their earliest years, in the morning ser- vice. The absence from the great majority of the Ameri- can churches of the children of the congrcffiition is becoming an alarming fact. It is often assumed tliat the Sunday- school is the children's service, and that attendance upon that should release them from the pul)lic Avorship of tlie sanctuary. Ohildren would in this way rarely form the habit of church-going in their later years. The time never comes when they are willing to begin. Tliey have no taste for such employments. They prefer to s])end the Sunday as tliey have always done, reading or riding or visiting. Habit, in matters of this nature, is nearly every- tlnng; and if the habit of church-going is ever formed it must be formed in childhood. And the plea, generally THE PASTOT^ AXD THE CHILDREN 357 heard, that the chihlren cannot understand the service and are not profited by it, nnist not be allowed. The Scripture readings are, for the most part, perfectly intelli- giljle to them ; the hymns and the prayers are not beyond tiieir comprehension; and much of the service will often be level to their understanding. This is a matter concern- ing A\hich the wise pastor must bear faithful testimony. He must not quietly suffer the children of his church to fall away from its fellowship. He must convince their parents that the public worship of the Lord's house is for the young as well as for the old, and that if the one or the other must be foregone, the children had far better be taken from the Sunday-school and brought into the church. The close of this chapter appears to be the appropriate place to refer to an organization which is attracting much attention on both sides of the sea at the present time, and which is laiown as the Boys' Brigade. It had its origin in Glasgow, Scotland, where the first company was organ- ized in 1883, by a gentleman active in Christian work, who was a member of the Lanark Rifles. Like Robert Raikes, Mr. Smith began watli ragged boys in the street, but his scheme proved popular among the boys of the church, and the movement soon spread to other churches. Companies were formed in great numbers and men of standing and influence soon were found among the enthu- siastic promoters of the enterprise. The late Professor lleiny Drummond was one of its leaders. It is said that more than fifty thousand boys are now organized in fifteen hundred companies, in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and othrr parts of the woild. From the Manual of tlu! American branch of the organization the fallowing exj)lanation is taken: "■Briefly' stated, it is a woild-wide movement among young men and Ixiys for the advanceineiit of the kingdom of Christ. The Brigade consists of local companies of twelve to forty youth, between the ages of 12 and 21 yeai-s, the only condition of memlR-i-shij) lu-ing attendance at some local Sunday-school and subscription to the folhnving 358 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WOKKING CHURCH pledge: ' I promise and pledge, that 1 will not use tobacco nor intoxicating liquors in any form ; that I will not use profane, vulgar nor indecent language; that I will obey faithfully all the company rules, and that I will, at all times, set an example of good conduct to my comrades and other boys.' "The company must be attached to some Christian organization which will supervise its civil and religious affairs. The distinctive feature of the movement is that all meetings of the company are conducted under military regulations and discipline. The required meetings are: 1. Some weekly religious exercise; cither a Bible drill, prayer-meeting or Sunday school. 2. A weekly military drill, conducted strictly according to infantry tactics of the United States Army. "The military features have been found to possess surprising attractions for boys who would otherwise drift away from church fellowship. They also furnish excellent physical training and have many advantages which need only to be tested to be proved. Bear in mind, however, tliat they are but a means to an end : that is to promote hal)its of obedience, reverence, discipline, self-respect, and all that tends toward a true Christian manliness." In the third article of the constitution, relating to agencies, it is provided that religious exercises shall be emi)loyed "as a means of rendering the l)oys familiar with the Bil)le, and acquainted Avith its truths;" that i)atriotic studies shall be introduced, \)y Avhich loyalty and good citizenship shall be inculcated; that provision shall l)i' made for such physical-culture exercises as inny In- adapted to the age of the mend)ers, and calculated to develoj) a perfect body and a perfect manhood; and tliat military organization and drill shall l)e used as a means of si'cnriiig the interest of the membcis, banding them togctlu'r in the Avork of the Brigade and promoting such habits as it is designed to form. Strict ol)edience and disci[)line are ahvays to Ik- enforced. One of tlic inles requires that every member shall attend Sunday-school at least once every Sal)l)ath. 'i'lic Company Council consists nf the THE PASTOR AND THE CHILDREN 359 pastor and the three ranking commissioned officers and three members appointed annually by the Christian organi- zation ^vith Avhieh the company is connected. The entire power of governing the company is entrusted to this Council, which admits and discharges members, appoints officers, enacts by-laws and controls the company's funds. It is thus evident that the purpose is to put every com- pany of the Boys' Brigade under the care of the church to which it belongs and under the immediate supervision of the pastor. The commanding officers of these companies are always men — usually young men. It is clear, at a glance, that everything will depend on the tact and char- acter of these connnanding officers. If the right man can be found for captain, such a company may become a strong influence for good over the lives of the boys belonging to it. The military drill and discipline is, in itself, an excel- lent regimen for boys. The physical benefits are consider- aljle: the carriage of the boys who have been for some time under the drill is almost always perceptibly improved; they stand erect and step more finnly and manifest an increase of physical vigor. The moral gains of the drill and the discipline are also important. The habits of obe- dience and subordination which are thus formed become, to some good degree, automatic. Boys obey their parents and their teachers more promptly : it becomes evident to them that (jbedience is manly. The organization also inculcates and even enforces respect for religidii ; the ])riniary and indispensable condition of mendicrshij) in \\\r Brigade is membership in that Sunday-school from wliii h the Ijoy is often so strongly inclined to slip away. To In- associated with a military organization of boys who aiv all members of the Sunday-school puts thai institution at once upon a different footing in all his thoughts about if. 'I'lie lliblical study and the religious exercises with which the iiiectino-s of the company nuist always begin, arc a constant witness to him ol' the ini]»ortance of an interest which the boy between twelve and twenty is too nnich inclined to underyalue. Am! llic pledge to avoid the nsi' oi' tobacco 360 CIIIMSTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHURCH and intoxicating liquor, and to keep liis lips clean from profanity and indecency, is one in tlic keeping of which there is safety and honor. All these gains are manifest. Over against them we must set a possible injur}- to which some good men and women are inclined to attribute great importance. It is said that the organization fosters the military spirit ; that it will fill the hearts of the boys with the passions of war ; that it is not the right kind of a regimen for disciples of the Prince of Peace. In the days when all good men are seekino- to exterminate from human hearts the love of carnage and to lead the nations onward in the paths of peace, it is not good, say these critics, to set our Christian children to learn the arts of war. To all this the reply of those who are most active in promoting the organization is that the Boys' Brigades are practically having no such effect; that the drill is really no more than a good gymnastic exercise ; that so much is made of the Christian features of the organization that the sentiments and passions of warfare find no place in the boys' hearts. The ideas which prevail are thus set forth in the Manual : — "It is consistently military and for two reasons. First, for the purpose of system and thorough organization. Second, if boys are taught military tactics at all it is wortli while to teach them correctly and completclv- But mark this and forever remember, that the Boys' Jirigade is a])0vc all for spiritual conquest; its object is to advance Christ's kingdom among boys. It will not and must not 1)6 done with the SAVord. But just as the l)oy Jesus learned to ])ly tlio liannner and saw and cliiscl of bis father's craft, jhhI thus was trained in reverence, obe- dience and s('lf-ics])cct, so may onr l)oys through military drill and Bible drill and ])atriotic study learn habits of self-restraint; learn that victories over self are those that shine in everlasting records ; learn that to fight for Jesus means to fight for the ])Oor ;iii(l tlie A\c;ik mid disabled: learn thai the reveille for which they must ])rcpare is that \\lii(li will sound on the resurrection morn, when shoulder THE PASTOIl AND THE CHILDIIEN 361 to sliuulder youth and old age .shall march to their eternal reward." On the whole there is good reason to hope that the dangers against which the protest is lifted up are nt)t serious, and that the organization ^\'ill prove to be a strong agency for training in Christian manliness the boys of Christendom. CHAPTER XVI MISSIONARY SOCIETIES AND CHURCH CONTRIBUTIONS The relation of the church to the work of missions — to the christianization not merely of its own parish and of its own community, but of the whole world — is a su1)ject concerning which most churches need admonition. The development in this generation of the working church has somewhat withdrawn tlie attention of many zealous Christians from the field of the world. The work at home is so manifold and so urgent that they find neither time nor resources for enterprises at a distance. Never- theless, the very note of Christianity is universality. The Christian law was not, in terms, a new connnandment when Christ gave it utterance ; the identical phrases are in the Mosaic legislation ; what he did was to o-ive a new dctinition to tlie word "neighbor." The Jew believed that he ought to love his neighbor as himself : the obscuration of his ethics was revealed in the lawyer's question, " Who, then, is my neighbor ? " Christ's answer was the parable of the Good Samaritan, which teaches us that our neiglibor may be one of another nationality, another color, one joined to us by no ties of race or kinsliip, one dwelling on a distant shore and speaking an unknown tongue. My neighbor is any liiinian being whom I may reach and help. The ethnic morality is superseded by the law oi' universal love. And it is essential to the development of the Chris- tian life in the indivi(hial t1iaf lliis love shall ha\r ils constant o])portuniiy. W'oiks of love that call forth good- Avill and hclprulness toward all sorts and conditions of men in every part of the world furnish the (dement in which ( hiistianity lives and has ils being. The attempt to shut it in, to erect or maintain limitations beyond which SOCIETIES AND CHUKCH CONTRIBUTIONS 3G3 its impulse shall not travel is fatal to its existence. It is no more true that there are geographical boundaries which love does not cross, than it is true that there are physical limitations to space which thought cannot pass beyond. The country of goodwill has no frontiers. Since this is the nature of Christian love, it is plain that the missionary impulse must alwaj-s exist where the spirit of Christ abides ; and that a church of Jesus Cln-ist AN hich has no interests beyond its own immediate precinct is a moral anomaly. True is it that the needs which are nearest most strongly appeal to us, and that the benevo- lence which spends all its energies upon those on the other side of the sea, and has no sympathy for those on the other side of the street is a spurious variety. Begin- ning at Jerusalem, the apostles preached the good tidings in many lands. But the charity which begins at home and sta^s there is no less defective than that which travels abroad and neglects its nearest neighbors. The Christian churches, in all the vital parts of Chris- tendom, aie profoundly interested, in these days, not only in their neighbors who live in the next ward, but in their neighbors who live on the other side of the world. We know a great deal and care a great deal about peo[)le who have very little knowledge of us. The people of Africa, of Armenia, of China, of India, are the objects of our dis- interested I'cgaid. We are not always thinking of how we may establish relations of trallic with them and make their industries serve oui- interests; we are often thinking of what we can do to eidarge and brighten their lives. It is not that we believe that they are all doomed to endless woe nidess they hear our gospel; our faith in (nxl is stronger than this. Nor is it tiiat we regard their beliefs as wholly false and pernicious; we recognize in many of tlicm great elements of nni\(rs;il triitli. liiil we can see tliat while some (tf tliem mii\ lie ;il)le to impart to us mudi lliat may I)rolit US, the substance of the triilli as it is in Jesus is something far better than any ot" tliem lias yet attained unto ; and bueause this truth is ours, and they n«'ed it, we cannot rest until we have sliared it with them, ^\'e know 304 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WOltlvINC CHUllCH that the Gospel of Christ, with all that it implies, would wonclerfull}^ brighten the lives of any people that would receive it. We know that it would greatly alleviate human sufferinof. How vast and overshadowinq- are the woes of the lands unvisitcd by the messengers of the blessed Christ it is difficult to realize. Cldna is by some persons supposed to be a highly civilized nation, and it is urged that China needs none of our religion ; but any one who will acquaint himself with the condition of medical science in that coun- try, and learn how many suffer and die from remediable maladies, may be Avilling to admit that the disciples of him who healed the sick and cleansed the lepers and opened the eyes of the blind could do much to lighten the woes and to lengthen the lives of these helpless people. This, indeed, is what Christian missionaries are actually doing in every part of the world to-day, not by miracle, but b}' the intervention of an intelligence consecrated to the ser- vice of mankind. One missionary in China treated more than fifty-three thousand patients, and organized agencies by which at least one million received scientific medical care. AVhen we think of the sightless eyes that have been opened, of the millions that have been delivered from i)ain and misery, of llio blessed relief given 1)y aiursthetics to those in agony, of the lives that have been lengthened and the hearts that have been comforted by tliese services of love, we shall feel that the work of Christian missions must have a deep significance to every one who wislies well to his fellow men. Add to this wliat has been done to lift women in all the pagan lands from their degradation, and to point out the wa}' df tlu'ii' (hdiverance from the tliraldom of the dark generations, and we shall see that the enterprise of Christian missions, considered merely from a philanthropic ])()int of view, is cntidcd to serious consideration. It would be sti-ange, tlu'relorf, if the ( liiistian love which is ])oniing itself out in such a wealth of philanthropic service, should overlook these great opportunities of miuis- terinn- to llic wauls and sorrows of men in other lands. For it is not difficult to see that the source of many of these SOCIETIES AND CHUKCU CONTIIIBUTIONS 305 physical ills must be sought in the darkened minds of the people, and that the Light of the World is the only sovereign remedy. The enterprise of Christian missions has often been rested on a base too narrow to support it and has been commended by arguments which contradicted its message, but it is a sure and divine impulse that finds expression through it, and one can hardly conceive that with the en- larging conceptions of the Gospel of the Son of God, there should be in the hearts of his disciples any diminution of love for their brethren in other lands who need the lioht and hope which are their precious heritage. " Freely ye received, freely give," ^ is a maxim not likely to lose its force as the centuries pass. It is a great part of the pastor's work to organize the missionary zeal and activity of his congregation. lie needs to be intelligent respecting this work, to have a rational theory about it ; to comprehend the fact that it is an essen- tial element in the life of his church ; to be able to deal effectually with the stock objections of the caviller ; to have the power of enlisting all classes in his congregation in this great enterprise. For one thing, he must be able to recognize what a modern writer has called the recent vast political expansion of Christendom.^ Within the lifetime of many now living, by far the greater i)art of the known world lias passed under the power of nations nominally Christian. Africa, not long ago, was no man's land ; the . present generation has seen its territory parcelled out among the great Christian powers. Out of ll,r)14,r)00 square miles, only one-tenth remains unappropriated ; out of a p(.i)ulation of 130,000,000, all but 20,000,000, are liv- ing under the sway of some iMiro^Jcan govt'i-nment. Tuikoy claims the oveiiordship of about 8,(H)0.()()0 of these, but ICiiLiland is the real ruler of most of I lie Afiican territory that Turkey claims. Even in Asia lialf iIm- land ami one- third of the people are under the rule of Christian ])owers. ''Everywhere, in every continent, you shall lind Christen- donnn such niai'vellous ascendency that it is not oid\(lonii- ' Miitt. X. 8. - Mu(latur(\s; the gains and losses: the liehls whcic tln> struLTU'le is iiei'cest and (he rciiir<>iccineii(s nm^^l n Ird, 308 CIiniSTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH and making it plain that the battle is one all along the line, it would appear that this meeting might be made one of great interest and power. " If I heard," said President Edwards, " the least hint of anything that happened, in any part of the world, having a favorable aspect on the interests of Christ's kingdom, my soul eagerly catched at it." That is but the normal feeling of every genuine Christian disciple. How can any man keep praying daily for scores of years, " Thy kingdom come," and not be alive to signs of its coming ? The preparation for such a meet- ing as is here suggested would require, on the part of somebody, much work, at least at the outset. The field of the world should be divided, and the different j^ortions assigned to competent persons, each of whom should be on the outlook for the epochal movements going on within ]iis territory. After this educational process has been vigorously carried forward for a year or two, there may be need of forming organizations for the more effective pro- motion of missionary interests. But the organization may well be deferred until the interest has been created. Is it well to divide tlie missionary interests of the con- gregation along the line of sex ? Such seems at present to be the tendency. At any rate, we have women's missionary organizations everywhere ; whether there are societies of this nature exclusively for men may be ques- tioned. It seems to be supposed that men can obtain all the information and impulse tliat they will need in the general meeting of the church. The women's missionary societies in llie eliurdics, are, of course, intended to be auxiliary to tlie AVoman's i\Iission Board of the denomination to whicli the clmrch belongs. These Women's Boards liave been organized, Avitliin tlie last generation, in nearly all tlie natioiwil (Imrelies of America; and the ollicers of tlic missionary societies have given the movement much enciMiragement. The Mission Boards and Societies, having been originally composed of men, and women having no representation in them, it was natural thai the women, as they came to take a larger part in the life ol' the cluirch, slmiiM wish to have organizations SOCIETIES AXD CIIUKCH CONTRIBUTIONS 369 of their own wlioso operations they might controL The Women's Boards came into existence as the expression of the growing consciousness of influence and power on the part of the women of the churches. The fact that a dual organization of the missionary forces provided, two collect- ing agencies for the same cause, and made sure of two collections in a year instead of one was calculated to conniiend the scheme to the officers of the Missionary Societies. If Women's Boards exist, tlie Avonien of the congregations must be separately organized for the i)urpose of sustaining them. The scheme has its advantages, and doubtless much missionary zeal has been evoked, and much administrative efficiency developed in its operation. But there are imfavorable indications. The fact that in every church there is a Woman's Missionary Societ}-, and no IMan's ^Missionary Society makes upon the wayfaring nuui and the average boy the impression that missions are the special interest of women ; that men are connected witli them mainly through their wives. Tliat this impression has grown very rapidly during the past twenty-five years can scarcely be doubted. And while the amount of money raised by tlie Women's Boards has been considerable, it may be questioned whether the aggregate amount has not been diminished by this process. It would be interesting to know how many men decline or Jieglect to make con- tiibutions to the work of missions, on the plea that their wives ha\e already contributed, through the Woman's Society. When it comes to tliis, the collections are apt to fall off, for the wife, with casli resources tliat are generally limited, will not l)e able to represent the family so liberally in the collection as the husband could do. And it may also be questioned whether one effect of ilic separate oiganization for women has not been greatly to reduce the interest of the Church at large in the general clnnvli nitct- ings for missions. On the whole, therefore, it is not clear that the sejiaration of the sexes in the work of missions is work in'^- well. And there are those who strongly believe that it would be far better to consolidate tlie .Mission Hoards giving the women a representation in the official member- 24 370 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORIvING CHUUCH sliip of tlie Cliurcli Board, — perniitting them to liukl a certain number of secretaryships and other offices, — and uniting instead of dividing the sexes in the work of evangelizing the world. There are tliose who think that a serious loss of moral power results from this separation ; that neither the Men's Boards nor the Women's Boards are so Avell managed as a consolidated Board would be ; and that the missionary interest in the local church would be far stronger and more productive if the men and women were working together, and there were one treasury instead of two. When the organization of mission work in the local chiu-ch is contemplated this question must be met. It is not often wise violently to oppose existing methods of administration ; and it may seem best to maintain for the time a separate missionary society for women ; but it is certainl}^ important tliat the co-operation of the sexes in the work carried on by the congregation should in some way be secured. With respect to the methods of disseminating informa- tion and awaking interest, there is need of the constant exercise of invention on the part of the pastor and those associated with him in the work. No method should l)e worked after it has lost its efficiency ; new forms of pres- entation, new ways of combining the forces of the church must be devised every year. Life is always taking on new forms. " The usual prayer-meeting," " the usual missionary meeting," are phrases Avhich must not l)e heard too often from the pulpit. Let the people learn to expect something unusual — something fresh and vital. Sliould the annual presentation of the various mission- ary societies to the congregation be made by the represen- tatives of those societies when that is possil)lo, or by the pastor (if llic church? No universal rule can l)e given. Prol)ably it is l)ctter, in most cases, to combine the t\\<> metliods. The representative n\' the society possesses a certain skill in marshalling the lads which is not wholly offset l)y the prejudice against him in the minds of his hearers, trrnwinLT out of their Icnowlodm! that he is a SOCIETIES AND ciiL'ucii cu.nti;ii;ltiu>;s 371 special pleader. lie may very often speak more convinc- ingly than the pastor could do, and his service is not to be uniformly refused. The occasional visit to the conn-re- gation of those "who are in constant comnumicatioii witli the held, and who are familiar with all its needs, is lui- douhtedly desirable. On the other hand, the pastor can often present these causes far more effectively than any oflicial representative could d(j. He knows his own con- gregation, and can judge what kind of information they need, and what manner of appeal will be most effective. He lias no professional or personal interest in any of these causes : his representations will not be discredited by any such suspicion. If the people have the confidence in him that they ought to have, his word will go farther witli them th;iii tlie word of any stranger could go. And. iiiore than all, if he studies the subject carefull}-, his treatment will be sure to have a freshness and vitality that the appeal of the professional advocate is apt to lack. It is dillicult for any man to speak daily on a single theme and preserve the appearance of s[)ontaneity and the accent of conviction. It will be found that those churclies, as a rule, are the largest contributors to missionary causes, in which the pastors frequently, if not uniformly, present the causes to their congregations. With respect to the development of the spirit and lial)it nf benevolence in the congregation, much miglit be said. The pastor will need to give to the subject no little careful study. It is a hard lesson for the average Anglo-Saxon of this generation to learn that it is inore blessed to give than to receive, but this of all truths is the one he needs to lay to heart. The pastor must endeavor to make it l)lain to his people that it is of tlie nature of all genuine Christian experience tliat giving and receiving arc coi-i-cda- tives ; that each is the condition of tlie other; that no Christian can live without giving, any more than he can live without receiving. When (his is said, the word gixc must be used in a large and coiMpicliensiNc meaning. Tlie C'hiistian is a giver in many ways, on many sides, thi'ougli man)- channels of gracious ministry. It is not always that 372 CIIiaSTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH his giving takes the form of material aid, though this is an expression tliat it must often take in a world where there are so many hungiy mouths, and so many tireless hearths, and so many naked and shivering limbs. The first if not the deepest needs of our fellow-men are bodily needs ; and these must often be supplied before we can bestow any higher gift upon them. A great part of the ministry of Christ was directed to the physical wants of men, and none of us is likely to give more wisely than he gave. JJesides, and this is the truth which the faithful pastor must not fail to enforce, it is an essential condition of profitable giving, so far as the giver is concerned, that he should bestow that which he highly values. The use- fulness of the gift ought to be as great to the one who imparts it as to the one who receives it, though in a differ- ent way ; and this cannot be unless the giver parts with something that he prizes. A man whose main interest is in material things can hardly be said to be a giver at all unless he gives money, or that which costs money. For him, at any rate, this exercise is indispensable. His spirit- ual life will shrivel if he deny to love this outlet. No matter how constant or how fervent may be his prayers, no matter how diligent may be his endeavors to do good in other ways, if the man whose energies are devoted to the accumulation of wealth does not give money or money's worth freely his spiritual life will soon be a withered and l)lasted thing. The pastor must not tell his people that it is a sin for a Cln'istian to have money or to desire money, (ir to 1)(ii(l his powers to the acquisition of money; but lie must warn them that the (^hristian whose heart is set on getting must train liimself to be a liberal donor also or lie will lose his soul. AVliat lie freely receives he must freely give or liis gain will lie his ruin. And yet the pastoi' must not fail to iciiiIik] liis jx'oplc tliat money wrongfully obtained can never 1)0 siiiictilicd by giving ])ai'l of it away. The consecrated ] mi pose must govern the wiiniing as well as the liestowing of Avealth. Money that has been gained in extortion, in grinding the face of the poor, by the unmLrciful treatment of rivals in SOCIETreS AXD CHUKCH CONTKIBUTIOXS 373 trade, by corrupting ol'licers of the government, is not the Lord's money and the Lord wants none of it : the Chris- tian pastor must beware how he soils his hands with the rewards of iniquity. The church might better close its doors and the missionary societies call home their evange- lists, than that the testimony of the church against iniquity should bo withheld. There are those in many of our modern churches who ought to hear the prophet's bitter words : " Your new moons and your ajipointed feasts my soul hateth : they are a trouble to me ; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when je make many prayers I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil: learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the opjiressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." ^ It is not these who should be admonished that they can only save their souls by being generous with their money; something more radical than liljerality is required of them. But those who have striven to avoid dishonesty and extortion in the acquisition of their fortunes, are often absorbed in the mere eagerness of the pursuit, and their hearts are hardened and their standards lowered by the greed of acquisition. It is to these that such admonitions as were referred to should be addressed. It is they who need to cultivate the grace of giving that the injurious effects of their daily habits may be counteracted. And it is not i\\r. lich and prosperous alone, not alone those whose hearts are set on great accunudations who need this kind of discipline; those whose gains are small, and who are not ambitious of great linancial success will iind it useful for them to inq)art tliat wliich it is lianl for them to get and not easy for them to sj)are. The benelit that comes from making pecuniary sacrifices for worthy objects is a benelit that the ]inorest members of the ehui-cli cannot afford to forfro. 'I'liose \\\io can trive but little often resolve to give notliing, and thus they themselves 1 Isn. i. 14-17. 374 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WOltKfNG CHUltCH are heavy losers. They are willing to do good, so far as they can, in other ways; Ijut they excuse themselves from chantal)le offerings. Ji^verything else but their pos- sessions and gains they consecrate to the Lord : these are so small, they say, that they are hardly worth consecrat- incr. So there is one corner of their lives in which selfish- ness is intrenched and the result is a defective character. The pastor must seek to make all his people feel that none of them can he so poor as not to need, for his own soul's sake, to be on all sides of his nature and out of every one of his resources, a charitable giver. In developing the charital)le gifts of the church, two facts are to be borne in mind. The first is that, in most congregations, much the largest part of the offering ought to come from a comparatively small number. The ine- qualities of condition are such in most of our churches that the few are abundantly able to give much more than the many can give. If the benevolent gifts of the church are what they ought to be, there must be a few large contributions. A man whose income is twent}^ thousand dollars a year ought to give more than ten times as nuicli as the man who has but two thousand ; his surplus, above all that could be regarded as the necessaries of life, is vastly greater. Accordingly all jilans for the raising of money wliicli propose to find a certain inunber of persons in the church, each of whom shall give the same amount, are likely to be impracticable because of th(>ir injustice. Sometimes it is said: "Are there not one hundred mem- bers who Avill give five dollars apiece?" To which, in many cases, the reply slionld be made: "If this money is to Ije raised, according to the gospel rule, whicli requires every one to give as he has prospered, it would ])r()bal»ly r(M[uirc some such division as tliis: that one shall give; one hundred doHars, and two fifty each, and three twenty-five each, and ten ten caih, and s(!venty-five one dollar each," The api)lication of this princij)le, that those wliose surplus is large slioiild expect to contribute viicrh vw7r, {71 propor- tion to their incomes, than those whose suiplus is small. sliiiuM lie faithfully made by the Cliristian 2)astor. SOCIETIES AND CHUItCH CONTKIBUTIONS 375 Tlie otlier fact is that everybody ought to give soiiie- tliing. The diligent, persistent effort to secure from every member of the church, ricli or poor, okl or young, male or female, some offering for every cause is the pastor's clear obligation, INIost of our Protestant churches fail in this respect. A very large proportion of the members of the church hold tliemselves excused from contributing either to the current expenses of the church, or to its missionary funds. Even Avhen a churcli is to be built, the proportion of tlie names of the membership found on the subscription list is apt to be ver}^ small. Against this tendency an organized and patient effort should be directed. Those who can give but little ought not to be permitted to lose the reward of the giver. It is essential to their growth in grace that they exercise themselves in this grace also. And the aggregate of these small offerings would be con- siderable. We want, for all our charities, larger gifts from tliose who are able to give liberally, but we want also the small gifts which might be bestowed by those who are now giving nothing. Many an enterprise now languish- ing would find its resources abundant if these gifts could be secured. The mites of the million would furnish to our benevolent operations a motive power which we can- not afford to lose. Consider how great are the resources of the Itoman Catholic Church, drawn very largel}- from the wages of day laborers and servant-maids. These rills, if we can combine them, will cause the stream of our (•liarities to flow with an am})le flood. Tliese considerations will enable us to deal with tlie question of systematic and proportionate giving. Tliat the ])astor should seek to guide his peoi)le towards some intelligent and systematic use of their income, in the way I if Ijenevolent contributions, is reasonalile. (Jiving is an important part of Christian service, and it ought to l)e ilnne thoughtfully, — not from erratic; impulse, but from sober reason. 'IMiat tlic giv(;r shduld carcfnll}' consider liow large a portion it[' liis incoinc lie cmi set a})ai't for gifts tu iiiissionary and charitable j)iir|)(ises, and that he slutMld eii(lea\()i' saeredlv to devote (o these purposes (he uionev 37G CHlllSTIAX PASTOll AND WOKKl^SG CHUKCH thus set apart, is good doctrine wliicli the pastor may wisely enforce. But the giving should be proportionate to ability and not according to any fixed percentage. The doctrine of the tithe is not applicable to Christian giving. There are those who ought not to give so much as a tenth of their income to such purposes ; and there are those who ouglit, perhaps, to give nine-tenths of it. Insistence upon the titlie is apt to obscure the Christian principle : " Every man according to his several ability." The Jewish rule is not the Christian rule, and should not be appealed to in Christian instruction. The methods of gathering these offerings of the church greatly var}^ In some congregations the plate or basket collections for each cause are relied on, notice of the col- lection being given on the previous Sunday. In such cases only a portion of the congregation is offered the opportunity of contributing, for a large percentage of the members will be absent on any given Sunday. In some churches collections for benevolent purposes are taken every Sunday, and either a certain number of Sundays are set apart to each object, or else the entire amount collected is divided periodically, according to some ratio agreed upon, among the several objects to which the church con- tributes. This plan is practicable in the churches which do not need to take collections for their own current expenses. It would, doubtless, be far better if the entire revenues of the church could be provided by other means, so that the cluirch collections miglit be wholly given to the purposes of benevolence. By some churches the attempt is made to secure, at the beginning of the year, pledges to each of the causes to be presented to the church. 'I'lie pledge card is returned to the clerk of the church, who keeps an account with each member pledging, and a du])licatc is retained by the mem- ber to keep liim in mind of his jjvonn'so. In some churches, (he palish is geographically dividi'd into districts, and collectors arc sent to every parishioner's house to receive the offerings of the inmates. In some cliurclies the mails ari^ used (o remind the members of tlu' coming offeiing. SOCIETIES AND CHURCH CONTRIBUTIONS 377 In an envelope, addressed to each pei-son or each family, are enclosed a smaller envelope and any leaflet or other literature illustrating the object for which the offering is taken. A printed note from the pastor should also be enclosed, making further explanation and requesting that the gift be enclosed in the small envelope, sealed, and brought or sent to the church on the next Sunday. This metliod renders it tolerably sure that every one will have an opportunity of making an offering. P]ver3^ church must determine for itself what method it will employ in gathering its benevolent offerings, but the subject is one that should not be too lightly disposed of. ^luch depends on the adoption of the best method, and the best is not likely to be the easiest. The church ought to be willing to take pains and trouble in putting the opportunity of giving before every one of its members. And the pastor should feel that it rests with him to secure the adoption of plans by which this work will be done, and to iill the whole enterprise with his own courage and enthusiasm. CHAPTER XVII REVIVALS AKD EEVIVALISM A QUESTION whicli must deeply affect the welfare and even tlie character of the local church respects the method on which it will chiefly rely for the increase of its mem- bership. Two principal methods may be said to be in use among Protestant churches — that of catechetical instruc- tion, of which the Lutheran Church gives us perhaps the strongest example, and that of revivalism, on which several other cliurches mainly depend. Both methods have been traced back to the beginnings of Christianity and even to the ancient Judaism. No less an authority than Matthew Arnold tells us that we may read in the Old Testament of a great "religious revival in Hebrew religion, under Samson and Samuel, and how by degrees Judaism grew in spirituality, and the age of ecstasy and the Witch of Endor gave place to the prophets of the eighth centur}-, conscious of a real inner call." So, too, under Ilezekiah, and under Josiah, and in the time of Ezra, religious movements occurred which are described by the same writer as religious revivals.^ It will be observed, however, that these were events which occuncd at long intervals. There appears to be no provision in tlie Hebrew sclieme of religion for a revival every winter. AVlicn ])y tlie invasion of luxury, or formality, or h(>athen- ism, the heart of the Church had grown cold, and its altars were neglected and its i-ites corrupted, there sometimes came to the people an influence that aroused them from llicii' degeneracy and led tlicni back to tJicir allegiance to the God of thcii- fathers. It might be some national dis- aster, it might be the voice of a j)ro[)het or tlie decree of a godly king lliiit awakened tlicin; but llic ic\i\al, in all ' Sec God and The Bible, chap, iv., see. iii. KEVTVALS AND REVIVALIS]M 379 these cases, consisted in the recognition by the whole |)e()[)le that they had departed from the service of the living CJoil, and that they ought to forsake their idolatries and return to Him. It was not an effort, on the part of the Church, to increase its membership, by calling in those who were without its pale; it was a reformation of the Church itself. The remarkable event which took place at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost is often called a revival. But this \\as the result of the enforcement by the word of the apostles and the spirit of God, upon the minds of a great multitude of people, of the truth that Jesus of Nazareth, whom the}'- had crucified, was the Messiah for whom they had so long been waiting. Most of these men and women had known Jesus and had been inclined to believe on him and follow him. Ilis blameless life and his marvellous teachings had appealed to their reason and their affection: pr()l)ably they had been in the multitude that led him in triumph into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, shouting, " Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord I" This enthusiasm of theirs was sincere enough; like the two disciples that were walking to Emmaus, they were trusting that it was he who should redeem Israel. But when Jesus suffered himself to be apprehended by the Sanhedrin, and, when, unresistingly, he was led away from Pilate to be crucified, their faith in him was gone ; he could be nothing but an impostor. The testimony of the apostles at Pentecost, uncontradicted by the authorities, that he had risen lioiii the dead and ascended into licavcu, — witli the full revelation of the fact that his was a s[tiritual and not a temporal kingdom, — threw a new liglit upon his character; and with Intter contrition tlic multitude accepted as their Lord and King liim wliom iipoii the cross, in their unspiritual blindness, llnv liml dciiitd and forsaken. r>ut tli(! ])syidiological exi)erience of these thousands on the day of Pentecost nnist have been altogether dilVcrent from that of tliose who arc a]>j)ealed to in a modcni i('vi\al incctiu"'-. 'I'licsc were not irifli'^ii'iis mcu; the record 380 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH distinctly says that they were "devout men." They were not men who had rejected a King whom they knew to be divine, because of a moral unwillingness on their part to submit their lives to his gentle reign. They had turned away from him sadly, and no doubt resentfully-, because he did not fill their conception of Messiahship. lie had not proved to be the kind of Deliverer for whom they had been taught to look. It was necessary that their intel- lectual conception of the Christ should be transformed. This was what happened at Pentecost. The fact of the resurrection convinced them that Jesus of Nazareth was the ]\Iessiah. Probably no fact less significant would have changed their minds. When they were once assured that this Jesus was their long-expected Deliverer, they were willing at once to be baptized into liis name. This is not the condition of the multitude that listens to the revivalist's appeals in a Christian church of the nineteenth century. There is no uncertainty in their minds respecting the character of Christ; most of them believe all that the preacher believes concerning liim ; they refuse to accept Christ as Lord because they do not wish to follow him in the ways of consecrated service. The revival whicli brought the three thousand at Jerusalem to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the true Messiah involved a very different intellectual and spiritual process from that which is described as conversion in modern evangelical churches. It is not, therefore, legitimate to argue from Pentecost to a modern revival of religion. The two events ai'c not of the same nature. And it is doubtful wliether any close analogies can be found in r)il)lical his- tory for that wliicli is l)est known, in modern Christen- dom, as a revival. This is not, however, decisive as against tlie modein revival. The Church lias developed many new methotls; life will create its own forms; the anxiety of the apologists to trace all good institutions back to a[)ostolic or patri- archal models is quite sui)erfluous. The modern revival may not have been known to llezekiiili nr ICzra, to Peter or Paul, and may still be a very good thing. The ({Ues- REVIVALS AND REVIVALISM 381 tioii is not whether it is okl, but whether it is good. And, to xjut the case more precisely, the real question is whether the Church should mainly depend for its growth upon revival methods, or upon the method of instruction and nurture. In his treatise on Christian Nurture, Dr. liushnell ihus states the case: — '' Tliere are two principal modes by which the kingdom of God among men may be, and is to be extended. One is by the process of conversion, and the other by that of family propagation; one by gaining over to the side of faith and piety, the other by the populating force of faith and piety themselves. The former is the grand idea that has taken possession of the churches of our times, — they are going to convert the world. They have taken hold of the promise, which so many of the prophets have given out, of a time when the reign of Christ shall be universal, extending to all nations and peoples ; and the expectation is that, by preaching Christ to all the nations, they will finally convert them and bring them over into the gospel fold. Meantime very much less, or almost nothing, is made of the other method, viz., that of Christian popu- lation. Indeed, as we are now looking at religion, or religious character and experience, we can hardly find a place for any such thought as a possible reproduction thus of parental character and grace in children. They must come ill by choice, on their own account; they must be converted over from an outside life that lias grown to maturity in sin. Are they not individuals? and how are they to be initiated into any good by inheritance and before choice? It is as if tlic}^ were all so many Melchisedecs in their religious nature, only not righteous at all, — without father, without mother, without descent. Descent ])rings them nothing. I.orn of faitli, and l)osomed in it, and niutnivil by it, still there is yet to be no faith begotten in them, nor so much as a contiigion even of I'aitli to be caught in their garments. Wliat I propose, at the present time, is to restore, if possibU', a juster impression of this great subject; to sliow that conversion over to tlie Church is not the only way of increase; that God ordains a law of 382 CHRISTIAN TASTOK AND WOllIONG CHURCH jiopulation in it as truly as he does in an earthly kingdom, or colony, and by this increase from within, quite as mucli as by conversion from without, designs to give it, finally, the complete dominion promised. "^ In the book from which these words are taken, this great teacher sought to turn the thought of the Church away from her almost exclusive trust in revivalistic methods, which, as it seemed to him, were greatly weaken- ing her life, toward the less demonstrative ways of Chris- tian education, not only in the Church, but also and more especially in the home. The fact was pointed out that the Church, in many of its branches, had come to rely, almost wholly, on the revival system, for the replenishment of its membership and the invigoration of its life. Additions to its numbers, except as the fruit of revivals, there were, in these denominations, almost none: between these peri- odic awakenings tlie stream of its activities flowed slug- gishly: the converting gi-ace was onl}^ looked for in the revival season. This complete reliance upon revivalism had led to the practical abandonment of the quieter methods. Children were trained for Christian discipleshi}) neither in the Church nor in the home, nor was it expected that they would be quietly led into the "ways of Christian service: the}^ were to be swept into the Church on some flood of excitement in the time of a revival. The manner in Avliich the conduct of Christian parents is affected by this expectation is described by Dr. Bushnell: — "They believe in what are called revivals of religion, and have a great opinion of them as being, in a very special sonso, llio converting times of the gospel. They bring up their children, therefore, not for conversion exactly, l)nt, what is less dogmatic and formal, for the converting times. And lliis they think is even more evangelical and spiiitual because it is more practical; though, in fact, nincli loosci-. and connected conunoidy witli even greater defections fmni parental duty and lidcl- ity. To l)iing uj) a family for revivals of religion reqnires, alas! aljout the smallest possible amount of consistency 1 Christian Nnrlurc, ]»]>. rj.")-l'.»7. RE^TV^ALS AND REVIVALISM 383 and Christian assiduity. No matter what opinion nui}' be lield of such times, or of their inherent value and propriety as pertaining to the genuine economy of the gospel, any one can see that Christian parents may very easily roll off a great part of their responsibilities, and comfort them- selves in utter vanity and worldliness of life, by just hold- ing it ..s a principal hope for their children, that they are to be finally taken up and rescued from sin by revivals of religion. As it costs much to be steadily and uniformly spiritual, how agreeable the hope that gales of the Spirit will come to make amends for their conscious defections ! If they do not maintain the unworldly and heavenly spirit, so as to make it the element of life in their house, God will some time have his day of power in the connnunity, and they piously hope that their children will then be con- verted to Christ. So they fall into a key of expectation ll that permits, for the present, modes of life and conduct which they cannot quite approve. They go after the world with an eagerness which they expect by and by to check, or possdjly, for the time, to repent of. The family prayers grow cold and formal, and are often intermitted. The tempers are earthly, coarse, violent. Discipline is ministered in anger, not in love. The children are lec- tured, scolded, scorched by fiery words. The plans are all for money, show, position, not for the more sacred and higher interests ot character. The convei-sation is unchari- tal)lc, harsh, malignant, an effusion of spleen, a tirade, a taking down of supposed wortli and character l)y low imputations and carping criticisms. Jn this kind of ele- ment tlie children are to have their growth and nurture, but the parents piously hope that there Avill some time be a revival of religion, and that so God Avill mercifully uiako u]) what they conceive to be only the natural inliruiity of tlieir lives. Finally the hoped-for day arrives, and tliere 1)egins to be a remarkable and strange jnety in the house. The father chokes almost in his ])ray(M-, sliowing lliat ho really prays with a meaning: The mother, (•(.nscious that ihiu-s have not l)een going riglitly with th(> clnhhcn, and seeing many frightful signs of their certain ruin at hand, 384 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHUUCH warns them, even weeping, of the impending dangers by which she is so greatly distressed on their account; add- ing also bitter confessions of fault in herself. The chil- dren stare, of course, not knowing what strange thing has come! They cannot be unaffected; perhaps they seem to be converted, perhaps not. In many cases it makes little difference which; for if all this new piety in the house is to burn out in a few days, and the old regimen of worldli- ness and sin to return, it will be wonderful if they are not converted back again to be only just as neglectful, in the matter of Christian living, as they were brought up to be. Any scheme of nurture that brings up children thus for revivals of religion is a virtual abuse and cruelty. And it is none the less cruel that some pious-looking pretexts are cunningly blended with it. Instead of that steady, forma- tive, new-creating power that ought to be exerted by holi- ness in the house, it looks to campaigns of force that really dispense with holiness, and it results that all the best ends of Christian nurture are practically lost."^ It must be admitted that this picture is quite too real- istic; and that, under the prevalence of the revival system, the normal methods of Christian nurture have been sadly neglected, both in the Church and in the liomc. The effect, both upon the Church and upon the home, of this too exclusive reliance upon the revival system, has un- doubtedly l)een disastrous. The life of many of the churches has thus come to be a constant succession of floods and droughts, of chills and fever. Between stagna- tion and excitement they are all the while vibrating. Sometimes they are on the heights of religious faith and fervor; oftener they are in the dcptlis of discouragement and fruitlessness. The influence affecting them appears to ])(' malarial. The periodicity of heats and rigors is not a sign of health. Yet this is the state of things for whicli, in many churches, systematic provision is made. It seems to be expected that the churcli will either l)e on the heights or in the depths. There is a certain time of year when it is 1 Pages 77-79. KEVIVALS AM) KEVIVALISM 385 on the pinnacle of emotional excitement, — when its assem- lilie.s are scenes of the most boisterous enthusiasm; Avhen tlie cries and shouts and passionate appeals of its wor- shippers evince a perfervid zeal; and there are other times — imiili more extended and continuous, it must be admitted — when the flame of holy love burns low in the candle- stick ; A\hen there is only a small attendance upon public worship; when the earnestness of prayer and exhortation appears to be simulated or forced rather than spontaneous, — pumped up, as it were, out of a dry well; and Avhen the most frequent word of the prayer-room is a word of cen- sure or complaint because of the coldness of the times. These reactions are part of the history of a good many Christian churches, — indeed they may be said to consti- tute their history. It is easy to see that the one of these conditions is the natural consequence of the other. It is no more strange nor unaccountable than sleep following nuiscular exhaustion, or low tide following high tide. Just as long as men live in bodies and in their present environment so long will abnormal excitement on any sub- ject be followed by unwonted indifference to that subject; and excessive exertion on behalf of it give place to undue neo-lect. The law of stimulants is well known. AVhen any oi'ganism is wliipped up to unnatural activity, it will inevitably tlag when the goad ceases to be applied. 'J'liis law liolds good of a religious society as Avell as of a hunmii body. When the druid-caid is in tlic depression following liis debauch, he is not apt to seek the right remedy. It' lie would content himself with nourishing and stimulating food and soothing potions l)y Avhicli he might gradually regain steadiness of nerve and strength of bod}*, it would be well with him. Hut this he does not choose to do. 'I'd regain the safe ]e\els oC sobriety and hcaltli is not what occurs In liiiii; he wants to go back to those giddy heights of inebriated liilaiity from which lie ])lungcd into this abyss. lie \\ill icturn to his cu|ts. That is his notion of the iiro]icr rciiicd\- fur his dismal condition. And there is something \rv\ liki' unto this in the cxperi- 386 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHURCH ence of some of our churches. During the long period when the church is in the depths, and the air of the prayer-meeting is full of jeremiades, and the mourners are going al)out the streets, there is not much thought of try- ino- to rise to a condition of moderate activity, a condition that can be sustained ; of taking a pace that can be held, and holding it; the only thought is of climbing to the heights again, — of getting another start in that break-neck gait whicli must end in collapse and prostration. So long as the churclies of this country are subject to malarial influences of this kind, their usefulness will be limited. It is highly desirable that a conception of the religious life which is nuich less hysterical and emotional should prevail in many sections of the Church. Doubtless, these churches may often feel that their life is far less vigorous and fruitful than it ought to be. If they are not in the depths, they know that the}^ are far below the level of earnest fidelity and consecrated zeal on which they ought to be living. How to get out of their present low condition into a safer and healthier and hap- pier one is a problem that often confronts them. ^I'hey ought not be content to stay where they are; if their faith is feeble and their life is low and their gains are few, they ought to bestir themselves: but how shall they escape, and whither? A man who awakes in the morning and finds the mercury in his hcmse down to freezing point, does not wish to live in this temperature ; he cannot. But what shall he do to raise it? He miijht set the house on liic: that would accomplish the result, but it miglit not be the ])est way. Another Avay would bo to l)uild good fires in the fire-places and keep them burning steadily. Prob- ably that would make tlie house comfoi'table after a litth". "^rhis metliod miglit not be so exp(>ut not y this doom of increase, the stone that was cut out without hands shows itself to he a very peculiar stone, namely, a gro\Adng stone, that is fast hecoming a great mountain, and preparing, as the vision shows, to fill the whole earth." ^ This does not mean that we have no evangelistic work to do ; it only means that we are not to under-estimate the natural fruits of Christian nurture, and the gains that must come to us from simply recognizing the normal law of increase. In a high and true sense we ma}^ expect to see the principle of natural selection working to secure the triumph of Christianity. That, in fact, is what we do see, ill the marvellous progress of Christian civilization. If the siofuificance of these great truths could onlv he ai)[)rehended hy the churches, it is proljable that we should see some wonderful gains in the next century. If llie churches Avere all to put their chief reliance on methods less dramatic and spectacular, hut more in harmony with all the great economies of nature, there is reason to lu'lieve that such an accession of strength would come tn tliem as would make the promise of the speedy triumjili of tlie kingdom far easier to believe. It will l)e said, howevei-, that the revival system is so llidioughly intrenched in the clnuclics wliicli have employed it that it will 1)e next to impossible to supplant it. More- over, it will he urged, it is oven secuiiiig a strong footing ill some (tf llu\ sacerdotal cliiiiclics: (he High Anglicans are resorting to "missions,'' and the I'aulist Fathei"s among 1 C/iiislian Xitrtitir, ji. 213. 390 (JIIIUSTIAN PASTOR AND WOltKlXG CHUECH the Roman Catholics undertake a service not dissimilar to that of the travelling evangelists of the Protestant churches. All these things show, it will be argued, that revival measures meet a recognized need of the Church, and that some provision must be made for work of this kind in connection with the churches. If the Church must cherish and nurture its own children, it has also a message for those who are without its pale. Its commis- sion is '"'' Go and preach!" Not only to those of its own household, but to those who are in the highways and hedges it is sent, with the good tidings. It must be not only a teaching but a converting Church. And in order that it may do this work efficiently, it must learn how to concen- trate its energies upon it, and to marshal in forces for its accomplishment. In all this is truth which must not be forgotten. The work that is done through what are known as revival measures is work that cannot be left undone. The two kinds of activity which we are considering must go on together. The question before us is really one of propor- tion. The converting agencies cannot be neglected; the question is whether they shall have the relative importance now often given to them, and whether the work of church and household nurture should not have the highest place. Is the church which makes the latter a secondary interest likely to preserve its spiritual health? The Anglican churches, which have long relied almost exclusively upon the intensive methotl, have lately been constrained to take up the work of the "missioner," and to organize a vigorous camj)aign of evangelization. They have felt the deficiency of thcii- metliod, and are seeking to supply it. Would not the same wisdom compel the churches which have been resting wholly on the revival system to revise their programm(! and dev(>t(^ themselves with equal zeal to the work of teacliing and training? The idea wliich underlies revivalism is tlial of a certain fluctuation in tin; niovements of spiritual inlluence. It is supposed that the converting grace of God is sometimes present in the conmnmity in far greater fulness thiin at REVn'^ALS AND KE\aVALISM 391 other times; that lie is sometimes ready and sometimes reluctant to aid us in our efforts to l)ring men to a knowl- edge of the truth. Concerning all this we hear many stiitements which evince crude notions of the divine good- ness. It is necessary for the faithful pastor to disahuse the minds of his people of such quaint superstitions. Let him not hesitate to preach, with all positiveness, the doc- trine of the divine omnipresence. And let him make it clear that omnipresence is a spiritual fact not less than a physical fact. That God's power is everywhere in Nature men easily believe; but it is more difficult for some to comprehend that as a Spirit he is no less pervasive and constant in his operations. They would never think of praying that God would come to the scene of their daily laljor and give cohesion to the particles of matter or chemical affinity to its atoms, or actinic force to the rays of the sun ; they would never be heard lamenting that the law of gravitation had ceased to operate in the cit}- of their residence, or praying that the power of God, as manifested in gravitation, might be displayed in their neighborhood as wonderfully as it had been displayed in other neighborhoods: yet they do often lament that the spiritual influences of God have departed, and pray that they may be restored. It might be supposed that no such conception could occupy the minds of Christian disciples, but it will be found that notions of this kind do prevail to a considerable extent. To remove this misconception is l)art of the duty of the Christian teacher. He must make it clear that no such literal se})aration of God's spirit from man can be conceived of. It can be no more true that his spirit is withdrawn from human lives, than that his })ower is withdrawn from the natural systems by which (Hir Ixidies are sustained. God is not less constant in liis ministrations to the soids of men tlmn to tlicir liodirs. Tlie doctrine of his onmipresence is sadly mutilated wlicn we make it ajiply only to physical nature and (>xelu(le it fi'om the s])iritual world. When, tlierefore, we hear the jiropliet saying, "Seek ye the Lord while he may bo found, call ye U})on him while 392 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WOKKING CHUllCH he is near," ^ we must be ready at once to admit that these words are not to be taken as literal statements of his relation to us. Yet there is a truth of experience to which these words conform. Like many other words of Scripture and of common speech, they put the subjective for the objective. We speak of a room as cheerful, meaning that we are cheerful while we occupy it. We talk of a dizzy height, attributing to the place our sensations. And thus it often happens that, so far as our consciousness is con- cerned, God is nearer to us at some times than at other times. There may be various reasons for this. The environ- ment, the spiritual atmosphere, may be clearer at some times than at others. The hills of the distant horizon seem much nearer on one day than on another. Some- times clouds hide them from our sight: sometimes in the autumn haze they are very dim; we can hardly tell whether they are mountains or clouds: sometimes in the clear air of a winter morning they appear to draw near: we can almost individualize the trees in tlie horizon line. It is undeniable that our personal experience of the di^•ine presence is subject to variations not unlike these. There are hours and days when our sense of his existence and of our relation to him is comparatively dim and unreal : and there are hours and days when the thouglit of biiii impresses us, and wlien all things remind us of liiiii. This is not because he is really nearer at one tiiiu' tlian at anotlier, but because something in ourselves or in our surroundings renders communication with him more direct at some times tlian at others. The earth is nearer to the sun when it is winter in the nortliern homispliere Lh;iu when it is summer, but it seems farther <^\'\\ because tlie rays of tlie sun strike it obliquely in (he ^\i^ter and directly in (lie sinumer. And in like manner there are times when the plane of our lives is turned away from tlie Sun of liighteousness, so that Ave do not receive the direct rays of his light and love; and olliei' times whou our lives are turned toward him and onr atmosphere is as full of his 1 ls:i. Iv. (1. RI<:VIVALS AND KEVLVALIS.^r 393 inflnonrc as is the air in June of the sun's life-civino- iHiwcr. It is very important that we shoukl know that these vicissitudes in our experience are not due to any htfulness of the Giver of all good: with him "there can he no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning."^ J>ut it is also reasonable that we should make the most of the flood-tides of our experience. If, in some hours or seasons, we are more conscious than at others of the presence of tlie divine influence in our lives, it is then that we should press into the audience chamber and make known to him our requests. Sometimes the social conditions are such that there is nnnsual readiness on the part of those not known as dis- (•l[)les to consider the claims of (lod upon their lives. It is not necessary to enter into any discussion of the causes which produce these social conditions. Doubtless they are much less recondite than they are sometimes supposed to be. But no matter what may be the causes, the effects are notable, and tliey ought to be wisely used. The sun is no nearer in ,Iune than in December, but June and not January is harvest time. "Seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord "^ will come, therefore, to every faithful church. It Avill not Ije true of any cliurch which sets before itself the true ideal of life and work that its activities will always move upon one dead level. While it goes about its work cheer- fully and patiently, seasons of unwonted interest and enjoyment will supervene; lititli will lie borne iji npon the minds df disci[)les with unwonted power; they will fi'c] new delight in their devotions and new zeal in their lal)()rs: tlieii- hearts will burn within them as they joui'uey ill the common patlis of daily experience and tlie (piickcii- ing inlluence of the divine Spirit will be felt in all their assem])lies. Sudi times df it-freshing do come (o all faithful companies of Christian lal)orers; there are Imurs when the Kingdom of (lod seems to be very near to them. Such visitations as these, Avhieh dcenr to those who are ])atiently doing theii- Mast(;r"s work. dinVr widelv from the ' Jaiiius i. 17. - Alls iii. I'.i. 394 ClllIiSTlAN J'ASTOR AND WOUKING CHURCH custom-made excitements into which some disciples are wont periodically to lash themselves. When they come we may well regard them as seasons for renewing our vigilance and increasing our diligence. IIow to use such seasons wisely, when they come, is one of the practical questions that test the judgment of the Christian minister. "The church," says a wise pastor, "should welcome these periodic revival occasions when they come naturally, as affording it a special opportunity for its proper work. Sometimes, indeed, these occasions have been abused by ignorant and unwise leaders. Sometimes they have used exaggerated statements of doctrines or gross sensationalism to stampede men into the kingdom of heaven under a panic of fear or through the common impulse of the crowd. The result is an explosion of passional excitement rather than a genuine arousing of the religious nature. And the reaction that follows such a spurious work brings a deep distaste for religion and a greater unwillingness to listen to its appeals and engage in its duties. We need to be on our guard against any such misuse of the opportunity. " ^ As a rule it will be well, when such tides of religious feeling sweep through the congregation, to keep the ordi- nary activities of the church moving steadily forwanl, without any great change in methods. Some greater frequency of public services may be advisable, but even here moderation is wise. It is not good to permit the impression to obtain that this new earnestness is the effect of some special measures employed, or inseparable froui them. It ought to be evident that tlie lieightened relig- ious feeling can find ample expression in tlic oi'diiiary services of llie church, and in the conmum round of daily duties. In his work on the TJicor// of Pirachinr/^ Professor Austin l*li('I[)S gives useful counsel on this subject: "I'iic tendency of [)opular religious excitement to uku Md grow tlis is ])ro])ortioned to tlie insignilicancc of the execu- tive action to wliicli it is directed. Neither nature nor grace in noiinal action fosters |)i(il'onnd agitations of con- science ahont petty things. Make such things the centre 1 liCV. C. II. i;iili;inl.s, in Parish Problems, j)]). 312, ."H.'l. REVIVALS AND REVn'ALlSM 395 of intense convictions of conscience, and you inevitably create religious distortions. The prick of a needle in the spinal marrow may make a child a hunchback for life. So let an awakened conscience be penetrated deepl}' concern- ing action which is not significant of character, and its working becomes diseased. The penetration results in ulceration. Therefore it is always the aim of a wise preacher in a revival to guide the current, and, still more carefully, a torrent of quickened emotion, as soon as pos- sible into the even tenor of life's ordinary duties. The specialty of a revival of religion in itself is not a desirable thing. The sooner it ceases to be exceptional, and flows into life's common channel of interests, the better. Relig- ious excitement has no value any further than it can be utilized in the sanctifying of common life. All conver- sions, until they receive the test of real life, are of the nature of death-bed repentance in this respect, that they have not been subjected to the divinely appointed disci- pline of religious character. Hence it is seldom, if ever, wise to suspend for any long time the common routine of life, because of the presence of the Holy Ghost in regener- ating power. We can devise no better means of moral disci[)line. We dislocate the divine plan, if we displace that in the attempt to improve upon it."^ Professor Phelps calls attention also to the fact that the machinery of the revival, — the anxious seat, the in(juiry meeting, the rising for prayer, the public confession, the street singing, are apt to absorb the popular thought. For this reason it is highly important that special instrumen- talities of all sorts be sparingly employed. Tin- t(Midency is strong to identify the spiritual inlluences with the methods used in giving them effect. The sacramentalism whirli attril)utes spiiitual effects to physical causes is not coiiliiK'd to the sacerdotal systems. Precisely Die same thing widely ]>revails in the cjiurches whidi dciicinl mi the ri'vival system. Tlie use of certain expedients comes to he regarded as indispensable to the ailioii of the coiiveitiiig grace of (iod. Intelligent past(trs have lestilieil that the 1 I'ago 553. 396 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHrRCH piety of a candidate for membership in their cliurches was greatly discredited in the opinion of the church if he did not come in by way of the " anxious seat " or the '^ mourner's bench." To go through tliese particular motions seems to many disciples almost the sine qua non of conversion. The outward act is in their minds as much an opus oinratum as is the administration of the sacrament in the mind of a Roman Catholic. AVhen things have come to this pass the abolition of the usage is the only way of safety. A distinguished American revivalist of a former generation, the Rev. Dr. Kirk, speaks thus of the evils which may s])ring from emphasizing mere methods : — "Inquirers easily substitute the mechanical act for the spiritual step that leads to the Saviour. I have known leaders to become so earnest in urging to this bodily exercise, that it seemed to me certain that some of those thus urged would lose sight of the spiritual objects which are the only real magnet to draw the life into new chan- nels, while their attention was engrossed with the outward. And when they yield to this urgency' there is some danger they may substitute the outward act for the faith wliicli saves, depending on the measure instead of Christ. Tlie leader is often placed in a very undesirable position. He lias undertaken a public contest with the inquirers; and I have seen one become angry because he was foiled in it. This can be avoided, liowever, by simply making tlic offer, and not undertaking to urge the step. Tlic inciuiicr sometimes is hardened by his resistance to tlir minister; so tliat he more easily resists the 8i)irit of (iod. His success in tlie contest with God's servant eml)okk'ns him. The attention of tlie Clmrcli becomes diverted from the mercy-scat, to watcli the success of this measure, witli mixed emotions of true zeal, curiosity, and a party spirit." ' The (list condition ol health\ growtli in a season of this kind is entire freedom from all these nieelianical devices. "Where the S])irit of the l>oi(l is. ihere is lil)erty." Ste- reotyjied nietlKxls aic iiol ihe sign of his presence. His 1 The Siiiieinatuml Factor in Revivals, p 1H9. RE\aVALS AND REVIVALISM 397 manifestation will be as free and various as is the reve- lation of the spirit of beauty in the natural Avorkl. Whether the assistance of a professional evangelist slidiild be called in is a question on which Avise pastors (litter. The fresh voice and the new way of presenting the truth are sometimes effectual: undoubtedly the evan- gelist may reach some whom the pastor has failed to influence. There are evangelists so sane and prudent that they might be safely trusted in any congregation. But, as a rule, it is better for the pastor to keep the work in his own hands. The dift'erent methods of presentation J nay be helpful to some, but they will be distracting to others, and doctrinal ditliculties are often suggested by the homiletical divergence of the evangelist from the pastor. There are few evangelists who do not introduce more or less of revivalistic machinery; and the increase of this is always to be deprecated. The presence of the evangelist is itself something exceptional : the tendency will be strong to identify the unusual interest with liiin, and to imagine tiiat when he departs the work is at an end. On the "wliole, therefore, the results are apt to be better if the pastor goes quietly forw'ard with his w'ork, making no more changes than he must in the ordinar}" appointments of the church, and turning the rising current of faith and love into the regular channels of churcli service. The only purpose of such a revival, so far as the church is concerned, is to replenish all its normal activities. In services wdiich are chiefly intended for the conver- sion of men, it is usually assumed that some method should be employed to secure the decision of those to whom the invitation of the gospel is addressed, and to nbtain the confession of their purpose to begin the life of a disciple. The duty of some [)ublic expressimi of tliis ]iur[)ose is often enhtrced by our Lord and his apostles: and il seems rational that somu; way should be devised (»f ascertaining whether those who hear the appeal of the ]ir(>acher are inclined to r(\spond to it. There is sometimes a singidar lack of deliniti-ncss and )iriictirali(y in our evauijfelistie efforts: we lire into (lie llocl^ and make no 398 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH effort to ascertain whether any shot has taken effect. In special evangelistic services an attempt is made to supply this deticiency. Sometimes those who are inclined to accept the gospel offer are asked to stand np in the con- gregation, or to raise their hands : sometimes they are invited to remain, after the public service, for conversa- tion with the minister: sometimes, as we have seen, they are called forward to kneel at the altar of the church. No. method can be prescribed for the accomplishment of this purpose, and it is not necessary that any of those ordinarily employed should be unqualifiedly condemned. The character of the congregation appealed to, and the usage of the church will largely determine the method. One or two cautions are needful. The appeal should never be made in such a way as to embarrass those who for any reason may not wish to respond to it, or to put them in a false position. When a minister asks all who are already Christians to rise and remain standing, and then asks those who wish to become Christians to rise with them, attention is sharply called to the few who remain sitting. They are put in the attitude of saying that they do not wish to become the disciples of Christ. This may not at all represent their real feeling. Tliey simply do not wish to express their desire publicly; and they may have good reasons for this hesitation. Any method of calling for public expression which embarrasses tliose who do not answer to the call is always to be avoided. It is better to say, "If there are any who would like to make known their desire to be Christians, let them rise." There are always some who are touched by the appeal and inclined to commit themselves, but who sln-iidv at the outset from any such public proclamation of their purpose as is involved in standing up in tlie congregation. Some zealous evangelists insist that such scruples sliould not be respected, ;iii(l that those who cainiot accei)t this invitation are not to be regarded as sincere in their jnirpose. l>ut he who does not quench llic smoking flax is i-eady to recognize the most timid and halting resolution. And it is well, if such confessions are called for, to i)rovide some REVIVALS AND ItEVIVALTSM 399 means l)y which every one who desires to do so may signify his wish to begin a better life. A simple device is the distribution of plain cards to all members of the con- gregation. The cards may be handed to them as they come in. At the close of the service, tlie minister may ask all those who are present to write their names upon the cards : those who are alread}- members of the church to signify that fact by a cross under the name ; those wlio are not, but who are willing to enter the way of the dis- ciple, to write under the name the word "Yes," — adding tlieir address if they would like to receive a call from him. Upon the cards thus collected he may find the names of some who have accepted the gospel invitation and with w'hom he may put himself in communication. iVll this is done with the utmost decorum ; there is no invasion of any personalit}' ; there is no excitement ; the choice is quietly made and registered and the first step is taken in the Christian way. The pastor should also invite any wdio may wish to speak with him to tarry after the service: and he will do well to appoint an hour during the day when those who desire conversation wdth liim may call upon him. Respecting all these matters of detail it must be said, however, that they must never be stereotyped, and that the piistor nuist exercise his own judgment freely in adapt- ing his methods to the needs of his congregation. It has been assumed, in this discussion, that "times of refreshing " Avould come to the faithful churcli: and that it is the duty of the church to expect them, ami Ijc ready to make the most of them when they come, l)ut not to attem[)t, by any artificial means, to work them u|t. iJut may it not 1)0 well to devote certain ])ortions of every year to special services? The Ivonian Catholic and Angbcan ( liiirclies observe the Lenten season in this nuuiiicr; there arc then daily services in tlio chui-ches, social engage- ments are fewer than is usual, and the interests of the religious life are made llu^ uppeiinost subjeet of tliought. Is not this observance, on the whole, a salutary one? Is it not well to concentrate oni- thought and desire, in this 400 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH manner, upon the things that so deeply concern onr peace? Might not all the churches appropriately choose this season, or some portion of it, for daily service? There seems to be some tendency in this direction, and it may well be encouraged. A period favorable to special relig- ious services, says an experienced pastor, "is the Lenten season, when abstention from gayety and pleasure on the part of a large portion of the Christians would induce social quiet and thoughtfulness, which is peculiarly suited to the introduction of religious themes. The attention of men is more readily arrested then : there are fcAver diver- sions to distract their thoughts when once turned to these momentous questions, and the sacred and touching events in the life of our Saviour which are associated with the observance of this season make it a particularly fitting and inq)ressive time for evangelistic meetings. The very days speak of penitence, of consecration, and of grateful devo- tion to Christ."^ If such meetings should result in the deepening of the life of the church, conversions would surely be the fruit of them. ^ Kev. Charles H. Richards, in Parish Problems, p. 314. CHAPTER XVTTT THE INSTITUTIONAL CHUKCH The adjective wliicli stands at the head of this chapter is neither apt nor convenient ; its significance does not appear ; but it has been applied to a type of religious organ- ization which is becoming frequent, and there seems to be no other term to take its place. The church which is described as " institutional " is one which adds to the ordi- nary features of church life a number of appliances not commonly regarded as ecclesiastical, — such as gymnasia, reading^ rooms, amusement rooms, and class rooms for in- struction in science or literature or music or ai't or useful industries. The distinction is not easily applied, for many churches that do not claim the name have some such fea- tures in their work : indeed there are few vigorous churches in the larger towns and cities which do not employ some of the methods indicated above. It is true, liowever, that quite a iiimiher of churches in America have recently made extensive provision for the introduction of these methods ; and it is to tliose churclies which ])ut a strong emphasis upon instrumentalities of tliis nature that the term " institutional '" is familiarly ajtplied. " It relates," says one authority, '' to that form of city mission work which adds certain appliances to the ordinary functions of the local church, that adapt the clmnli work Ixttcr to the youth of the neighborhood and the families of woi'king inm. 'The Iniilding is an every-day house. 'Hie wdiIc is social and educational, and helpful to the poor: it is ilivrrtiug, amusing, as well as keenly cvangcHstic. Its evening ser- vices are so nianijiulate(l as to reach the classes to which the churcli ministers. It is a cluirch in wliicli tlie vei-sa- U 402 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH tility of the pastor and his associates, and their knack at catching tlie crowd connt for more than in staid family churches, where good preaching, systematic edification, and certain routine pastoral activities are most in demand." ^ It must be said, however, that sensational preaching is not a peculiarity of this type of church : churches which admit no novelties of method are quite as apt to resort to this. The pastors of the churches best known as " insti- tutional " in the United States are not, as a rule, sensa- tional preachers : most of them are as dignilied and decorous in their pulpit work as any one could desire. A brief description of the kinds of work attempted by these churches will bring the matter clearly into view. The Berkeley Temple, of Boston, under Congregational auspices, was one of the first churches to undertake what is known as institutional work, and its methods arc thus described : " It started out with the idea of evansfelizins^ the non- church-going community, rather than merely edifying the habitual church-goer, and in place of the ordinary rou- tine of parochial visitation, and occasional special services to reach the impenitent, the pastoral force was to be first of all evangelistic in its methods of work. " Tlie building itself was made an open-door church, with daily ministrations ; a business house, in spiritual business. The attention of non-church-going people was attracted at once by popular lectures and concerts, liy a Dorcastry Superintendent, tliree hundred young women were gathered, for whom reading rooms were opened, and twenty evening classes. Young men's reading rooms, gymnasium, lyceum work, and evening classes were o[)enc(l, a Boys' Brigade organized ; a sewing scliool and a kinder- garten provided ; and thirty-seven gatlierings, comprising fidin ciglit to twelve thousand people every week, have utilized tlie Berkeley Temple Imildiii'.;. 'I'ln re is a iclicf department for llie poor, rescue wmk lor lallcii woiih'M, and a tcni])i'rau(;(' guild of two linndiisd rel'ornuMl men. '•• It is in its new cnAirdunKMil one of tlic most Iiighly ^ Jriiuiiji/is (>/ tli( Cross, \). jIO. THE INSTITUTIOXAL CHUKCH 403 organized and cllicient institutions ; fully armed at every l^oint, and intensely alive spiritually. In seven years the church membership has increased from three hundred to more than a thousand." ^ Students from neighboring theological seminaries have taken large part in the Avork of this church. With such assistance it has been found possible to establish an " In- stitute of Applied Christianity," with a well organized teaching force and a regular course of study. Grace Church, or The Temple, in Philadelphia, is a Baptist institution of far larger ambitions. This church, Ijcginning in a small mission, in the outskirts of the city, has taken on one kind of Avork after another until its scope is now wider than that of any other similar organization. The membership of the church is now about twenty-five hundred, with regular congregations of from four to five tliousand, of whom many hundreds are devoting much of their leisure time to charitable and evangelistic work. One striking outcome of this work is a college thus de- scribed l)y the pastor: " Beginning with seven young men who wished to study for tlie ministry, these attracted others, and the new class still others. Teachers were added as the need developed. New studies were introduced, as demanded, until now a full College Corporation, chartered by the State and inde- pendent of the church, gives instruction directly and in- directly to about thirty-five huntbed students. The courses include a full college course, a college preparatory and ])usiness coui-scs, a professional course, a School of Christian Religion, a musical department, a special department in practical instruction connected Avith mechanics, household science, and the useful arts. Tlie ncAV building just dedi- cated, together Avith the halls in different parts of tlie city of IMiiladelphia, have been so arranged as to take six tliousand students at the opening of the fall (ci-iii. These student.s are from all classes of society, l)ut most largely from the Avorking classes, avIio Avould have no oj)])()i-tuni(y to secure such instruction unless permitted to study in their spare 1 Triumiihs of the Cross, pp. 536, 537. 40-4 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORIONG CHURCH hours and to go for recitation at the hours most convenient for them, clay or evening." ^ Another remarkable outgrowth of this work is the Hos- pital, located in a neighborhood where no provision had been made for the care of the sick. It began with four beds, and the number has increased to twenty-one, now housed with a dispensary in a building owned by the church. These beds are usually full the year round with accident cases ; sometimes the dispensary and the yard adjoining are crowded with afflicted persons waiting for medical or surgical assistance. The church regards this part of its work as only just begun, and looks for a larger building and a work of medical visitation wliich shall cover the entire city. Of organizations connected with this church there are mentioned seven Christian Endeavor Societies, the Boys' Brigade, the Young Women's Christian Association, the Yomig Men's Association, the Business Men's Union, the Ladies' Aid Society, the College Athletic Associa- tion, the Great Chorus, the King's Daughters and King's Sons, the Gymnasium, the Sunday Schools, the Sanitarium, the Society for furnishing work for the homeless poor, the Home for Young Women, the Girls' Lamp and Lilies Bene- volent Society, the Young Men's Congress, and the Literary Societies. The seven readincf rooms are said to be over-full in the evenings. There are four assistant pastors besides the dean of the college and the hospital chaplain. Eighteen deacons divide among them the parochial charities. The field covered by this single church of Jesus Christ is ex- ceeding broad. The Jersey City Tabernacle is located in a very unprom- ising section of tliat city. Tlio licensed saloons in tlic vicinity number al)()ut three hundred to the square mih', and tliere are unnumbered groceries where liquor is sohl, ;iii(l ;i full supply of houses of prostitution, pooling sliops and gambling places. On one side of the Tabernacle, in its immediate ncigliboiliood, is the Canal Boat r)asin, with a shifting ])ojiulation of extremely low character; docks, ^ Triinnjilis of the Cross, ])p. C)'3-i, 535. THE INSTITUTIOXAL CHURCH 405 freight yards and factories form tlie environment in other directions. The first addition to the appliances of this cliureh was a bowling alley : this proved so useful that the wisdom of })roviding wholesome amusements for the people of the vicinity was justified. A People's Palace has been built adjoining the church, in which are billiard tables, a room for dramatic entertainments, a swimming tank, and a gym- nasium. jNIore than a score of indoor games of various lands attract the boys, and there is a four-acre lot adjoining for out-door sports. There are lecture courses, popular entertainments, an employment bureau, a Chautauqua circle, a Christian Endeavor Society, and a cooking class and a dressmaking class for the girls. Six hundred boys are attached to the Tabernacle : there is a Boys' Brigade and a carpenters' shop.^ The churches tlius described are known as " institu- tional ; " others, bearing the same designation, and doing the same kind of work, are found in Cleveland, Detroit^ Milwaukee, and several other American cities. Other churches, not thus designated, are performing the same kind of work. The largest and richest Episcopal church in America, Trinity Parish, in New York, with eight chapels, a total membership of 6488 communicants, and 4377 pupils in its Sunday-schools, includes in its machinery of service relief societies, employment bureaux, industrial training scliools, a number of societies for men, and clubs for all ages. Its educational equiinnent comprises ten day and night schools with 1043 scholars and 1357 ])upils in the industrial schools. Grace Cluirch in the same city, to which an endowment of .So50,000 has l)een given by a benevolent ])arislii()ncr, divides its work into twelve departments : '' The Religious Instruction of the Young, having eleven liiiinlitd in the Sunday-schools; INIissions at Home and .Abroad; Indus- trial Education, Avith six hundred pujiils ; Indnstrial Em])loyment ; The Care of the Sick and Needy ; The Care of l^ittle Children; The Visitation of Neighlwrhoods ; ^ The. Triumphs of the Cross, p. r)25. 40G CHRISTIAN TASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH The Visitation of Prisoners ; The Promotion of Temper- ance ; Fresh Air Work, benefiting eiglit thousand recipi- ents ; Libraries and Reading Rooms, and Friendly Societies and Brotlierlioods. Tlie work of tliese departments is divided between thirty-five organizations." St. Bartholomew's Church in New York has a jNIen's Club, with a membership of three hundred ; a (xirls' Club, which assists young women to find employment, and Avhose membership, limited to five hundred, is always full, with candidates in Avaiting; and a Boys' Club, with a cadet corps, a drum and fife corps, a gynmastic class, and classes for tjq^ewriting, mechanical drawing and bookkeeping. A tailor-shop in which women make over or repair old gar- ments, a cooking class for married women, a sewing school with five hundred pupils, and several kindergartens are also included among the departments of church work. The St. Bartholomew clinic has treated more than six thousand sur- gical cases in a year and made more than three thousand medical visits, and a niglit dispensary for eye, ear, nose and throat disorders has given free treatment to eighteen hun- dred patients. A novel institution connected with this church is the loan bureau, with a capital of 825,000, which has aided during one year 768 families by small loans upon chattel mortgages. Ilie loan is for one year, and is paid in monthly instalments. The purpose is to deliver those in distress from the power of the extortioner. The annual disbursements of this church are about 1*200,000. St. George's Church, now far down town, with 3185 communicants on its registrj' and 1124 families of 5872 individuals in its parish, has a parish lioiise with a free lil)rary, a fine g^nnuasium, industrial schools for boys and girls, a free tra(U;-school, with live d('j)artinents, a Men's Club, a Boys' Battalion, an Employment Society, an Atli- letic Club, with sections devoted to base ball, bicycling, croquet and trmiis ; legal, medical relief, and sanitary bureaux, nml ;iii extensive kindergarten work. Tlie sea- side cottage charity, and llie poor relief are also important d(!])artments. These sketches c»f sonic of the more iinj)oi'tant Ameri- THE INSTITUTIONAL CHUllCH 407 can eliiirelies now devotino- their enerqies to tliis kind of work will serve to indicate the nature of the development ^\ liicli is now taking- place in this field. The list might be greatly extended. In England, both in the national church and in the dissenting churches, methods of this nature are extensively employed. It is needless to say that the classi- cal treatises on pastoral theology do not contemplate the existence of such functions as these modern churches are exercising. ]\Iany things which churches in the cities are now attempting would have been thought, a few yeai-s ago, to be utterly beyond the ecclesiastical pale. Even now there are many who sharply question the legitimacy of llieso methods, — maintaining that the line between the secular and the sacred should be clearly drawn, and that the church should confine itself to purely spiritual func- tions. The question which is raised by this new departure ill church activities is one that demands careful con- sideration. It should be at once admitted, that if these new measures have the effect to diminish the spiritual power of the church, tliey are by that fact condemned. If libraries and gym- nasiums and bowling alleys and educational classes and men's and boys' clubs are inconsistent with or hostile to spiritual life and activity they must not be encouraged. It is not, however, usually believed that these things are es- sentially opposed to spiritual culture : it is only contended that they are distinct from it, and cannot be usefully com- bined with it. The assumption is that they belong to a different department of life and should be kept separate from our religious activities. That Christian men should belong to an organization outside the church for (lie pro- motion of studies or recreations, would be deemed ciitii-ely ])roper: what is (|uestioned is the incorporation of such interests in the life of the clnucli. Tin' effect of this, i( is argued, can only In; the "secularization"' of tlie iliiuvh, and the weakening: of its religious iiilliu iin-. The. lirst answer to this criticism miisl lie found in an a[)peal to the facts. Is it true that tlie rehgious life of the ehurclies adopting these measures has been jirecept ilil v 408 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH weakened ? Tlie testimony seems to be clear that such is not the case. The preaching of most of these pulpits is said to be exceptionally faithful in its presentation of spiritual trutlis ; the percentage of additions to these churches by conversion is far larger than is the average in the other churches of the country. It appears, therefore, that the proximity of the gymnasium and the amusement room to the prayer-meeting room has not reduced the attendance in the latter place, nor the interest of its services, but has rather augmented them. If these diversions were suffered to become substitutes for Christian activity their influence would be evil ; but if they are made tributary to the life of the spirit they may be beneficial. If it is possible for us, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, to do all to the glory of God, it must be possible to use all AAholesoiiie means of education and recreation in building up his kingdom. So far as the strictly philanthropic work of the institu- tional church is concerned, there would probabl}' be little dispute about its legitimacy. The question arises respect- insr the educational and recreative features of the work. It is to these that the taint of secularity is supposed to attach. But it is evident that a church situated as is the Jersey City Tabernacle or St. George's Church in New York could hardly devise a wiser philanthropy than that which offers to young men and boys wholesome diver- sions in safe places. If recreation is a normal need of human beings, and if tlie church finds thousands of its neighbors going down to ruin before its eyes because there is no recreation Avithin their reach that is not full of deadly ])oisnn, the instincts of Christian love would promj)t tlic clnuvh to supply tliis normal need. To save a soul from deatli, even l)y means of a gymnasium or a bowling alley, is not a secular proceeding. The church that is too dainlv- fingercd to use such means for llic rescue cf llie youth from tlie ways of destruction, lias not learned Iioav to be all things to all men that it may by all means save some. But llic ])hilos(»]iliy (if lliis mdvcincnt goes deejicr. It THE INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH 409 rests upon the truth that Christ lias redeemed the whole ■world, that it all belongs to him — its industries, its pleas- ures, its arts, its social institutions — and that it is the duty of the Church to claim it all for him and use it in his honor. The conventional distinction between the sacred and the secular it abolishes. It places the emphasis not upon the form of the service, but upon the spirit in which it is administered. It sees many a religious rite performed in a temper which is too manifestly irreligious ; and it beholds the divineness of love displayed in homely tasks and simple pleasures. All work, all study, all social ser- vice, rightly perfomied, are sacred. If the ploughing of the wicked is sin, the ploughing of the righteous is holiness, and for the same reason. The sanctification of all life is the great business of the Church ; and the demonstration that useful studies and wholesome pleasures are essentially relig- ious is one of the highest services that she can render to the present generation. In the presence of this conviction the common objections to tlie programme of the institutional churches are at once ruled out. It has been said concerning one of these churches : " The gymnasium has its place in this plan because physical health and strength are sacred possessions, oifts which God Avishes and works to bestow on all his children. It is because this church aims to be a co-worker with Cod that it furnishes the gymnasium. The recreation rooms and the clubs for outdoor sports are furnished for the same reason, because in (iod's plan rest must alternate with work and recreation follow mental strain. This is not a secular provision ; it is part of the divine order, and the church recognizes and treats it as such." The pastor of one of tliese churches bears this testi- mony: '-Great fear has been expressed by timid souls, lest the adoption of the bowling alley, the biHiiiid tabic, the dramatic entertainment, the gymnasium, ami the swiiii- iiiing tank, slmiilil detract from the s]tirilual, but ('Xiniiciice ])ro\('s that, on the contrary, all these legitimate S])orts predis]»<)se young j)eople in l'a\(ii' of religion iiml lirlji mightily to builil u]) the elnnvh. 410 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND ^^■ORKlNG ClirKCH " The improvement in the manners and morals of the attendants is pleasing to contemplate. Boisterous behav- ior, profanity, betting, and all manner of ungentlemanly conduct are strictly prohibited, and this gentle constraint is not without its refining effect. Men who are compelled to be polite two or three hours every evening acquire a certain polish in the course of time, which is gratifying to themselves and their friends. This polishing process is one of the conspicuous peculiarities of our institution. "Blessed familiarities are formed between Christians and those not Christians, which under other circumstances would be impossible. You must know men before you can expect to lead them, and when you once gain their good- will it is astonishing how easily many of them can be led. " The congregation of the Tabernacle is peculiar for its proportion of young men. It is not an uncommon siglit to see as many as three hundred young men present on Sabbath evenings in an audience of fourteen hundred. The young men's Bible class always impresses the stranger, and in the Sunday-school — contrary to the general rule — the male element predominates. Conversions are frequent, and almost all who come into the church come on con- fession of faith. "The present clerk of 11 le church is a young man ^\ho seldom frequented God's house, but his love for billiards and bowlincc brouofht him into the outer court of oui* peculiar temple, and thence he naturally drifted into the holiest of all. Throughout our entire institution the current makes strongly towards the Cross, ;iii(l aljove all else we place the regeneration of thr individual by the power of God. This genial, bi-oad-gaugc, conunon- sense religion is very attractive to young people, and if the Master were liore to-day we believe He would be in the van of the present 'forward movement' of His Clmrcli." 1 Another pastor, after a comprehensive sketcli of I lie work of his cliiiirlu draws the It il lowing conclusions : '"It appears lli;it the (diurch which honestly tries to adapt these ^ Rev. J. li. Sciidilcr, in '/'//( '/'riuinji/is of the Cross, jip. 522, r)23. THK INSTITUTIONAL CHUUCH 411 secular means to a spiritual end accomplishes three things which add inueli to the solution of the vexed problem of cvano-elizino- the masses. First : It attracts to itself a large number of people who, under ordinary conditions of our church life, would not be brought within tlie influence of the gospel. Tliis has invariably been the case whenever the experiment has been tried in this country. Secondly : It confers an actual blessing on the objects of its minis- tration, and so fulfils the law of Christ. Such a church puts its warm hand, athrill with the heart-beats of the Saviour, into the hand of the distressed, the tempted, the fallen ; and leads them out into a large place. It may be said that this is the duty of the individual Christian, and so it is ; but it is also the duty of the church as a church. For, thirdly, in attending to this duty as an organization it will make that impression upon the comnuinity without which it must inevital)lv become effete. It mio'lit often seem, to a superficial critic, that there was a larger outlay of time and energy in this kind of work than the results would justify. The mathematical Christian who is forever trying to solve the arithmetic of the Trinity, or presuming to demonstrate the results of church work in terms of the addition table or by the rule of three, might l)c disappointed with his figuring. The true value of such a work lies not in the material, or even in the spiritual help which may have been given to a few individuals ; it lies rather in that indefinite yet potent influence, which like a subtle fragrance pervades the surrounding coniniiiiiity, and countei'acts the malaria of scorn and dou])t \\liicli threatens tlic religious life of our time:s." ^ The only comment Avliich these words call for is the query wliethcr it is not an error to us(! th(! word secular in tliis connection. The maintenance of the distinction im- plied is rather apt to vitiate, to some extent, the wliole worlc. .lust so fai- as these new features of the cluircli life arc fi-calc(l as mere ex[)edicnts or liaits will their ellicicncN- be ini|)aired. If they are not sacred in themselves let tlu; church have nothing to do with thcni. If they are, let her ' Rt'v. ('. ,\. Uickiiisdii. ill Aiulovii- Jiiviric Vol. \ii. )t|i. -'K')'!, .'170. •112 GHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH not apologize for them, but honor them. They are not merely means of getting people under religious influences, they are means of grace, every one of them — helps to a godly life — just as truly as is the prayer meeting itself. The essential thing is that those who are brought into these churches should understand that these things in whicli they take pleasure are the good things of God, and are provided as such by his people ; that they ought to be received with thanksgiving ; that the sense of his presence should be with true disciples, not only when they are in the devotional meet- ing, but also in the recreation room. This clear recogni- tion of the essential sacredness of all honest work, of all wholesome diversion, of all pure social enjoyment should vitalize and consecrate all the work of these churches. There is reason to hope that work of this nature will greatly increase in the near future. The fields are white for such harvesting. It would be well if in every large city we could have many churches employed in work like this. As has been remarked in a former chapter, the Christian church which will devote itself unitedly and courageously to work like this, can accomplish far more than the average College Settlement. The Christian men and women of mature wisdom and ripened character \\lio form the membership of the churches ought to be able to give to the ignorant and the needy more effective help than could be given by young volunteers, just out of college. If the clmrch could so organize its work as to bring its own memljership into helpful relations v.dth the needy multitude round about, it might look for large results. 1'hc great advantage of these methods is that they put the church into direct communication with those to whom it is sent \\ iili its message. It is true, however, that work of the kind under con- sideration cannot be done by all cluirclics. Iliere are many, in country districts, and in small villages, in wliidi such methods would be impracticable. Not a few city cIiuicIhs ;iif ill neigliborhoods where agencies of this nature are not called fm-. A churcli, as lias been before remarked, whicli has for its near neighljor a M-ell-e(|uipped Young THE INSTITUTIONAL CHUECH 413 Men's Christian Association, scarcely needs to open a j:,''yni- nasium or a reading- room, or educational classes for young- men. It might, perliaps, lind a field of labor among- young women. One of the difficulties in the way of the prosecution of such work is its expensiveness. Buildings, well adapted for all tliese various uses, are costly : if they are opened every day the expense of warming, lighting, and caring for them is considerable : and the staff of pastors and helpers must be much larger than in an ordinary church. And usuall}^ it will be true that the churches which are properly located for service of this kind have not many of the rich in their membership. One solution of this difficulty is found in the generous support by churches in the more prosperous districts of those which are properly located to undertake this work. In the words of a city pastor : " Some churches, because of their location and environ- ment, cannot directly reach many of this class, but this makes them no less responsible for the solution of our prob- lem. The very fact that they are thus situated implies that God has so prospered them as to make it incumbent upon them to maintain a double work, — that in their own held, and some aggressive work among the masses else- wliere. '• It is iu this cooperation of the up-town and down-town churches that the ideal church of the future is to be real- ized; and when it appears it will be an Institutional Church, tliat is, a church with several pastors and other salaried workers, and many well-organized departments of work. It is impossible for one man to discliarge in a satis- factory manner the nniltiform duties of a city pastorate. There are ut it must not be forgotten that when we ask service of all, we must provide forms of service in which all can engage. ^Vll cannot talk in the prayer-meeting or teach in the Sunday-school; but some simple kinds of work can be devised in which the humblest and the youngest and the busiest can take part. The leaders who have the charge of the several depart- ments thus organized, should be expected to have frequent meetings of those enlisted under them, that progress may be reported and counsel and encouragement given to the workers. A roll of all engaged in each department should be kept and called at every meeting. The visitors ol" the poor, for example, should meet frequent!}', to exchange experiences and make return to the committee in charge of the work done. The larcje committee on church attendance should be brought together occasioiially, and each member of tlu^ oouunittee should be cxjicclcd to re^jort in person or by letter how many invitations lu' had given and with Avhat success. The conuuittce on fellow- ship sliould nu'ct to exchange inrninmtinu ;il)()ut icino\als, and to learn wliat their icadci" or the ]»astor may lia\t' to tell them rcsjjccting new comers. It will be nscjcss to provide these different depai'tnieuts of work, ludess those who are assigned to them ai'i' inaiU' to feel that somethini:; 426 CHRISTIAN i'ASTOli AND WOUJCING CHURCH definite is being done in every one of them, and that the work which they do will be recognized. The responsibility of the head of every department for keeping his forces together and securing some contribution of help from every one of them should be insisted on. No such plan can be made to work unless the pastor can succeed in finding men and women for these positions who will take time and trouble in securing the co-operation of tliose who have enlisted under them. It is at this point, no doubt, that the chief difhculty will be encountered. Not a few of those to whom this leadership is entrusted will be found careless and neglectful. ]Mucli of the work will be indif- ferently done. Perfection is never quite attainable in this world. But it is worth while to aim at securing the co-operation of the whole membership in the work of the church, even though the aim may not be completely realized. It is the onl\' ideal upon v;hich any })astor can wisely fix his thought. To kee}) the proposition clearly before the minds of his people, that, as every one has received the gifts of grace, even so they must minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold gifts of God, would be, to some thoughtless and irrespon- sible souls, a most wholesome dispensation of saving trutli. The amount of unused power in most of our churclies is not often estimated l)y those aa'Iio are responsil)le for the care of them. The neglect exists, and we fall into the way of condoning it, and do not take pains to find out liow serious it is. ( )iic iiivestigation, made a few years ago by a pastor in Ohio, showed that of thirty churches investigated, only about half the membei-s were present in the cluirch on a pleasant Sunday morning, and only almut twenty-two per cent, at tlu^ mid-week service. Here are his reflections : — "It is a sad comment on the siiiriiu;il life of (Hii dnirclies that out ot tliirty thousand membeis only six thousand slioidd ])e present at tlie prayer-meeting on a given week, anve in its relations to similar bodies round about it. There are casuists who maintain that it cannot l)e; that any social oi'ganization, as such, nnist look out \nr its own intei'csts, with no regard for the interests of its neighbors. The ethical soundness of this ])rop()sition may M'ell be qu(>s- tioned. Through the, acceptance of some such doi-triiie. the strife of classes and all tlie woes that tlnvaten the 430 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH social order have crept into our iiiodcru woild. It is, however, the principle which is tacitly assumed by most of the sectarian propagandists. Led by such a maxim, those who are zealous for denominational aggi-andizement fling themselves into competitions which must result in great waste of energy and in the destruction of vast amounts of capital. It would be uncharitable to say that the delib- erate intent of those who engage in these competitions is to destroy one another's property; prol)ably they often silence the voice of conscience with the plea that the growth of the neighborhood will soon develop support for all the competing churches; but in four cases out of five this expectation would be proved, by any serious investi- gation, to have slight foundations ; and the fact would plainly appear that the nudtiplieation of churches in the neighborhood must mean the death of some of them, and the annihilation of the capital invested in them. Such a contingency cannot be remote from the thouglit of any intelligent person carefully considering the situation. If it is recognized by any of these zealous sectarians, they are at least fain to hope that ilicir enterprise will survive in the struggle. None of them would think of applying the torch of the incendiary to the edifices erected by their "sister" churches; but they adopt a policy which will quite as effectually, if a little less suddenly, wipe out the value of their neighbor's pi'operty. The mere question of material economy is, therefore, a serious one. No man knoAvs how many hundred tliou- sand dollars worth of Iniildings have been rendered Avorth- less by these sectarian competitions; and even when the edifices have not l)een abandoned, the enormous ovcr- sujiply of chuich acconnnodation, in the comjjetitive neighl)orhoods, signilies the un]irofital»le iuvcstment of large ainouuls of capital, fioui which no ;i(hiju;it(' return Mill ever come, and which should have been |iir jiractical co-operation. Such an association as this would be lily this creed, many of tliose who "profess mid call themselves Christians "' wore excluded from fellowship in Christian work; and while a goodly number of the denominations were alJc to range themselves under the banner of the COOPERATION WITH OTHER CHURCHES 435 Evangelical Alliance, its delinitions of doctrine served to divide rather than to unite the followers of Christ. The Apostles' Creed has often been proposed as a basis of fellowship for local organizations, but even this proves to be a stumljling-block to some whose co-operation is greatly to be desired. Tlic'se unsuccessful endeavors after unity have raised the question whether, in the local community, any dog- matic basis is essential to the co-operation of Christians. Doubtless when the great denominations negotiate respect- ing organic union, it is necessary that they should come to some definite understanding about doctrines. But when neighboring churches come together to consider the work lying at their doors, and to agree upon some plan by which this work may be carried forward without waste or friction, is it really important that a doctrinal ])latform should be agreed upon before they set to work ? iMay they not "receive one another," as servants of the same Master, and agree to waive doctrinal differences ? There is, however, one important affirmation, mIiicIi Christian churches, engaged in avowedly religious work, should always utter and maintain. They are Christian churches ; and the very principle of their organization is loyalty to Jesus Christ. No co-operation of Christian churches is to be desired, in which this principle is disal- lowed. Christian churches may unite, for various social and ethical purposes, with organizations that are not Chris- tian ; but when, as churches, they meet to form a union of churches, the organic idea of llic Christian church cannot be ignored. All organizations taking part in such a union must be those that "liold to the Head.'" Acce])t- ance of the lordship and leadersliip of .Tcsus Christ is the only ])ond of union between Christian lu-lievers; but (his and this alone is essential to useful Christian fcllowsliip. Those will) can answer the Master's question. " Whom say ye that I am?" as Vvirv answered it, "Tliou ait tlie Christ, the Son of the living (rod," may suiv]\- be iccog- nized as Christians, Furtlier iiKpiiiT into the piiilosophi- cal distinctions wliich thcv are in llie liabit of luakiiitr 436 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORiaNG CHURCH respecting the essentials of divinity and linmanity may be forgone. His own apostles were by no means clear respecting the essential nature of our Lord, wdiile they companied with him in Wiv llesli; such as those whom he chose to be always with him here, and for whom he praj'ed tliat they might be with him forever, are not to be set aside by us as unworthy of our fellowship. Loyalty to him, the acceptance of him as IVIastcr, a true discipleship — this is the only condition on which we need to insist when we come together as Christian neighbors to form plans for the better prosecution of our common work. Doubtless the first thing to be done by such an organi- zation of the churches would be to divide the held among themselves, so that each church should have some definite territory for whose evangelization it should be held respon- sible. These districts should be assigned with consider- able care, so that each church would lind opportunity of work among the poor and the neglected. To assign to each church a district contiguous to its own edifice would not be wise, for some of the churches are located in neigh- borhoods where there are few of the necessitous and unchurched, and other churches have almost no other kind of neighbors. The aim should be to distribute the work as fairly as possible, considering the ability of the several churches. Nor should any church bo given exclusive charge, for evangelistic })urp()ses, of tlic territory thus entrusted to it. For within this territory, wherever it might be, wttiild lio found many families connected with other cliurches, and the right of these churches to care for thciv own members could Jiot be disputed. The duty of the occupying clinrcli would Ije to find, by a careful canvass, those families in the district which had no connection with any churcli, and to be responsible foi- llic eare of Ihcin. ]\Iany I'limilics would be found, in sudi a canvass, which had formerly been communicants in some church, but, foi- simio i-eason, had lost connection witli it. Tlie visitors should be instructed to send (lie iinincs of such families to tlu^ ])astor of the nearest church of the denoniinaLiou to which the CO-OPERATION AVITH OTHER CHURCHES 437 wanderers were formerly attacliod. Otliers, though never connnmiicants, would have decided preferences among the chnrchcs, and the aim should be to ]mt these also into communication Mith the churches \\hich they prefer. Those having neither relationships nor preferences else- \\here should be cordially welcomed to the services of the church giving the invitation. When the canvass of the district is made in this spirit and with these purposes, the people receiving the invita- tion ^^■ili get a new impression of the meaning of Christian evangelization. It will be evident that the visiting church is not working exclusively for its own aggrandizement; that it considers the interests of the kingdom of heaven as paramount, and the interests of its own organization as secondary. " When the invitation is given in the name of all the churches," says Dr. Strong, ''it is manifest that they are co-operating instead of competing, and the invi- tation which is seen to be unselfish is much more effec- tive. Such oneness of spirit and eifort has an influence which thrice the effort without co-operation cannot have ; not simply because organization always economizes force, ])ut because such oneness is the convincing evidence of the (li\iiie origin and character of the Christian religion ^\llich tlie world lacks. Christ prayed that his followers miglit be one, that the world mvjht know that the Father sent him.^^ The churches tlius co-operating should have regular meetings at which each church should report tlic ivsnlts of its canvass, and for this purpose uniform l)lanks slmuld l)e provided for the visitors, showing tlie iiinid)er of families calltid upon by each one, tlie numbrr atlending other churches. Ibe nuiiib(;r attending im cliiiivli, tbe uuml)er uathercd into the inviting church and its Sunda\- school, and the names and addresses of the families reported to llio ])astors of otlici- clnirclirs. These ir|i(irts should ])(' siiiiiiiiaiizc(l ;iii{l irpi iilcd t(i thi' uiiinii. and I he returns, when compiled, would furnish a coniph-ti^ religious census of the toAvn or city. Tlie attem|it is sometimes made to fmni an alliance o| 438 CHEISTIiiN PASTOK AXU WORKING CHURCH all the churches, and perform this Avork of visitation by means of a general connuittee or superintendent represent- ing all, who shall subdivide the whole field and assign the visitoi-s, selecting them from all the churches. But it is doubtful whether this plan would be generally found prac- ticable. It is better to assign to each church a delinite territory for its care, providing it with the blanks for its report to the union, indicating, in a general way, the method by which its work should be done, and leaving it free to work out its problem with its own resources. It should also be understood that the responsiljility of initiat- ing any new religious enterprise — Sunday-school or chapel service — in the district thus assigned should belong to the church having the care of it; and that no other church should enter the district for such a purpose without con- sultation with the church in charge. Upon this principle of comity much stress should be laid. In the meetings of the union the scandalous and disastrous results of multi- plying organizations for purely sectarian purposes should often be held up to reprobation, and the need of adhering to some such rule of good-neighborhood should be empha- sized. If some consultation with other churches and some consideration of the interests of the kingdom must precede the attempt of any sect to establish a ncAV enter- prise, mau)^ grievous offences against prudence and charity would be avoided. Most of the organizations that have been thrust into fields where they were not needed were tlie frnit of a heedless sectarian impulse; if their projec- tors had been called to justify them before the bar of reason, tliey would have been put to shame. The church receiving the charge of such a disti-ict should be expected to canvass it frequently, certainly as often as once a year. Necessitous families Avill be found which ouglit to l)e visited very frequently; these, liow- ever, slmiild l)e placed uiHicr (he care of the visitors ol llic poor. Families which are known to be in attendance upon othci' cliiiiclics need not 1)C called upon a second time; those wandcjers rc])orted to other j)astors should 1h' seen again, to make suiv tliat they have been pro] tcrly folded; CO-OPERATION "WITH OTHER CHURCHES 439 and those a\ liu still reiuaiu misht'plierdcd should he kindly entreated, until they make it evident that the friendly overtures of the visitors are no longer welcome.^ By measures of co-operation of some such character the churches of most towns and cities could make sure that no classes and no districts were neglected, but that the invitations of the gospel had been carried to the whole community. There would be difficult}', no doubt, in adapting a plan like this to such a metropolis as London, or even to a city like Glasgow or New York or Chicago. In cities of one or two hundred thousand people the plan might be adopted, and more easily in lesser communities. It would, however, be practicable in the great cities to select certain large districts or sections, and group the churches within them for this co-operative work. This geographical division of a great city should include locali- ties inhabited by the less fortunate as well as the more fortunate classes, and should not be so large that the workere could not conveniently meet and co-operate. A plan like this was recently adopted at the East End of Pittsburgh, Pa., with the best results. The churches of that vicinity were brought into the most cordial fraternal relations, the life of all of them was greatly enriched and stimulated, and the effect of this co-operation upon the community at large was manifest. It is clear that churches thus associated may find other w(nk in which they can unite besides the visitation of the unchurched. Their joint study of their common field will reveal to them a great number of interests which need their care, and in which they may usefully co-o[)erate. Here, however, there will be need of great wisdom and moderation, ('hristian people arc by no means ol' one iiiiml respecting the things that ought to be done. When ])i"ictical measures are proposed, great differences of o[)ini(iii immediately appeal-. IJcspccting tlic evils arising from the use of intoxicating li(|U(tis, for i'xam])l('. there is not nnich differenco of opinion; and the wish to do sonicthiiig for the removal of these evils would be practically unaninioiis. 1 Spo ('liap. i\. 440 CHEISTLVN PASTOll AXD WORKING CHURCH But wlieii the waj^s and. means were considered, the unanim- ity would vanish. The sectarianism of the advocates of temperance is not less virulent than the ecclesiastical variety. Some would be inclined, to insist upon measures which others would, deem quixotic; it is not unusual for zealous partisans of one method to denounce those who favor other methods as foes of the cause and " friends of the rum interest." The existence of great differences of opinion must be clearly and frankly recognized at the out- set, and the question must be raised whether any line of policy can be found in which all can heartily co-operate. Here is a great ojjportunity for these Christians to take a few lessons in tolerance and sweet reasonableness. It is quite worth while to learn that although it is impossible for two to walk together all the way except they be agreed, it is still often possible for those who have different ends in view to go together a good part of the way. "If in anything," says Paul, "ye are otherwise minded, even this shall God reveal unto you: only, Avhereunto we have already attained, by that same rule let us walk."^ "Let us go together as far as we can," must be the motto of these co-operating churches. It must be understood at the outset that there will be many practical matters in which they cannot co-operate; the problem is to find the tilings in which they can heartily work together. And, in this bitterly controverted field of temperance, there will be some useful things Avliich these churches can uiiiti' to do. It is probable, for example, that they could unite to provide safe places of resort and i-cfreshmcnt, to counter- act the attractions of the drinkiiig-places. Recent careful investigations show the great need of some such ])rovision. A. good part of the patronage of the saloons and public- houses is due to the desire for society and for a comfort- al)le place to sit and chat and ivad the evening newspaper. Sucli iilaccs of lesort, with none l)n( "temperance drinks," iuv, provided in great numbers in I'.iitish cilies, Init in America there are few of tlieni. It is probable that tjie 1 riiii. iii. 15, n'.. CO-OPERATIOX WITH OTHER CHURCHES 441 opening of such places in our American cities would prove an effective temperance measure. They should never be offered as charities, and it would be a mistake to connect with them any kind of religious exercises; they ought to be simply and frankly places of decent resort for every- body; and they ought to be managed in such a way as to be self-supporting. The relation of the associated churches to such an enterprise would be simply that of promoter and patron ; through a competent committee, they might secure the formation of a company Avhich would undertake the business, and they could lend to it their moral support. 'J'hat the united churches of any town or city could, by their heart}- advocacy, set such an enterprise on foot is scarcely to be doubted; and it would appear that until something of the kind is done, they ought not to be too severe in their censure of those who resort to the only warm and Ijright places they can find to spend their winter evenings in, nor to those who furnish such places for tlie comfort and entertainment of their fellow-men. Much of what passes for zealous temperance sentiment, when viewed from the standpoint of the man in the street, savors quite too much of the spirit of the dog in the manger. Dill' appeal to the hal)itu(j of the saloon will be much more cogent when Ave have furnished him with something better to take its place; and our ])olitical agitation for the closing of the saloon will be greatly strengthened by the same provision. The associated churches could also, in all probability, unite in the demand for tlic closing of the drinking-places on Sunday. Tliat the open saloon is far more injurious to the community on Sunday than on any other day of tlic week is matter of demonstration. Wlicn the saloons are open, the arrests on Sunday and Sunday night arc nioi'c numerous than on otlier days; the cost to the connnnnitv of the maintenance oF the jx-acc on this dav of rest is hcaxici' tiiaii on other da\s. and the loss to the families nf l)rcad-\\iiniers ol the means of li \ clihoinh with their con- seciuent ])auperi'/,ation, is fat- \\\n\\\ sciions on Snnda\ than on any other day. It is. thei'efoi'c, the sinijile ri<_;ht of 442 CHKIg«.lAX PASTOIl AND AVOKKING CHURCH the community, for its own protection, to insist upon the closing of tlie drinking-places on the day of rest; and the churches, resting their demand on no tlieological assump- tions, but simply on the general welfare, which they are interested in promoting, may join in enforcing this demand. A steady and resolute insistence upon a princii)le so clear, in which all the Christian churches of the community united, could not fail to have great influence in forming the public opinion by which this policy would be made effectual. In another testimony, of the greatest value, these asso- ciated churches may be able to unite. That is the testi- mony to the sacredness of law. The stability of all free governments rests upon the obedience of the people, and especially of the magistrates, to the laws enacted for their government. Liberty is the cliild of law ; where there is no restraint of human passion, and no rational establish- ment of social order, there is no freedom for any ; the only rule is the power of the strongest. Tliat the laws mIucIi undertake to secure the liberties of men are entitled to the respect of all is, therefore, the fiuidameiital principle of civilized society. Even though thc}^ may be imperfect, it is better to bear with their imperfection until they can be lawfully amended, than to ignore and disobey them. The notion that every citizen may judge for himself what laws are beneficent, and may set aside those which are displeasing to himself, braving the censure and retri- bution of the constituted authorities, is a most pernicious and abominable conceit; albeit we lind it, now and then, advocated in newspapers, and avowed in pul)lic speeches. Still less is it to be conceded that a public ollicer, sworn, in the very terms of his oath of ol'lice, to support and administer tlu^ laws, should pick and choose among these laws, selecting those which he Avill enforce, and tacitly permitting those which are displeasing to himself to be dishonored. That some such policy as this has become traditional in some American municipalities there is reason to fear. Wlial can lie done lo check the sjji'cad of tliis political CO-OPERATION WITH UTUER CHURCHES 443 leprosy? It would seem that the Christian churches of every coiumunit}-, whose duty it is to enforce the funda- mental principles of morality, niig'ht unite in a resolute denumd for obedience to the Lavs of the land, es[)eciall3' on the [)art of those who have sworn to honor and admin- ister them. When they see the laws openly disobeyed, and those who are charged A\itli the duty of enforcing them plainly conniving at the disobedience, and even enriching themselves by corruptly granting immunity to the law-breakers, it is their duty to raise their united voices in condemnation of the shameful infidelity. It is not their duty to organize volunteer detective or prosecut- ing agencies for the performance of the work thus neglected by the officials, but it is their duty, as the witnesses for righteousness, to condemn, in no ambiguous terms, the most grievous unrighteousness existing among them. The function of the old prophets must belong to somebody in this generation, and to whom has it descended, if not to the teachers of religion? Doubtless the obligation to declare the truth respecting all these matters which con- cern the existence of society rests on the occupant of every pulpit; but the united voice of all the churches, clearly and strongly testifying upon such an issue, would exert an influence stronger than that of the single and separate pulpits. Such a testimony, faithfully spoken, again and again, must produce a wholesome change in public o])ini»)n with respect to this crying evil. It is a testimony which no man can gainsay. The reason of it is self-evident to all who have reflected u})on the nature of civil society. And the associated churches, by sim})ly declaring llic whole counsel of God with respect to this great interest of law. would perform for the coiimniiiily a service of Ihe higlu'st value. To the churches of (lie coniiimiiilx- Ihiis associati'd, and seeking for objects to \\hi(li they might devote their united energies, other op|tortunitii's of co-oj)er;iiiiiii lh;iM those mentioned would iiiid(iid)te(lly aj)])e:ir. lo (uie of tiie most im[)Oi'tiint of these we sh;dl dexote the eonelud- ing chapter. The det<'iiniiiation to ;itleiii|i( UdlhiiiL^- in 444 CHIMSTIAX PASTOR AND WORIONG CHURCH which they could not heartily unite — to be content with undertaking only such laborsas they could hope to carry throuo-h with entire success — would result in a conscious- ness of power which would greatl}^ add to the hopefulness and courage of every member of the organization. And doubtless the word of the Master would be fulfilled, to his Church thus united: "Because thou hast been faithful in a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." It is even possible that churches thus seriously endeav- oring to find common ground on which they could stand, and objects in which they could combine their efforts, would come to realize their essential unity. It might, by and by, be evident that here was truly but one Church ; that the associated congregations of any town or city really constituted the Church of that town or city; that there could be but one Church of Jesus Christ in any commun- it}^ and that, in their common loyaity to him, and their consistent endeavors to work together with him and for him, the unity of the Church had been realized. It is here, if anywhere, that Christian unity will be achieved. Neighboring congregations of believers, whose principle of organization is sim^jh; loyalty to Jesus Christ, may grow together. It is j)ossible that such associations should come into such close and helpful relations that their Tuiion would mean more to them than any denominational l)()nd could mean; and that they would iinally stand together as one Church, together contending for tlie faith once deliv- ered to tlie saints, and lil'tiiig uj) a united front against tlie powers of evil. Notliing seems to be wanting to I his but the recognition of the impoi'tancc of co-ojjeration, iiiid tlie wilHngness to co-operate. There do not appear to lu' any lliooretical obstacles to some moiisnrc of co-oiKM-ntioii. liouuin ('atholics mny be willing to stand with us on some ])hitfo)'ms, and to recognize the fact that they are our lii'cl liicii. lOvery overture tVom tlial diicctioii sliould be cordially wcIcoiikmI : it ]\\\\s[ lie tlinl in certain mailers they will be willing to unite witli ns. In the preface to his Jufarmed I'aslur^ so devont an ll\angelical and so COOrERATION WITH OTHER CHURCHES 445 sturdy a Protestant as Richard Baxter thus sets forth liis own feeling respecting the co-operation of Christians of different beliefs : — " The thing I desire is this : (1) That ^ye might all consider how far we ma}' hold communion together even in the same congregations, notwithstanding our different oi)inions ; and to agree not to withdraw when it may possibly be avoided. (2) But when it cannot, that yet we may consult how far we may hold commiuiion in dis- tinct congregations ; and to avoid that no further than is of mere necessit3\ And (3), and principally, to consult and agree upon certain rules for the management of our differ- ences in such manner as may be least to the disadvantage of the common Christian truths which are acknowledged by us all. Thus far would I seek peace with Arminians, Antinomians, Anabaptists, or any that hold the founda- tion. Yea, and in the two last I would not refuse to con- sult an accommodation with moderate Papists themselves, if their principles were not against such consultations and accommodations; and I should judge it a course which God will better approve of, than to proceed by carnal con- trivances to undermine their adversaries, or by cruel nnir- ders to root them out, which are their ordinary courses. I remember tliat godly, orthodox, peaceable man, I^ishop Ussher (lately deceased), tells us in his sermon at Wansted, for the unity of the Church, that he made a motion to the Papist priests iu Ireland; that because it was ignorance of the common principles that was likely to be the undoing of the common peo])le more than the holding of the points which we differ in, therefore both parties should agree to teach thcni some catechism containing those conunon princijiles oi' religion Avliich aii- acknowledged hy us all. But jealousies and carnal counsels would not allow them to hearken to the motion." Such jealousies and eanial counsels have, indeed. I'oi' long centuries, been l)uilding barriers between the disciples of a connnon L(U'd; but the day must come when these obstructions will be swc|)t away, and when tlie determina- tion to stud}' the things that make Tor nnily will be 446 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH stronger than the selfish passions tliat foster scliisni. And tliis, let us repeat, is likely to come to pass as the result of the efforts of local churches to come to an understand- ing respecting the work lying before them in their several communities. Therefore it is a matter which directly and vitally concerns the pastor of the local church, and those who are laborinsf with him. It is in the administration of these local churches that the practical solution of this problem will be found. The principle which luiderlies the whole matter is the principle which is revolutionizing modern sociology and economics, — 'the conception of society as an organism. If this is true of all society it is even more vitally true of Christian society. If it illustrates the relations of the members of churches to the churches, it illustrates also the relation of groups of Christians to the Clnistian conunun- ity. " Many mendjcrs but one body " is as true of the Church of Jesus Christ in any town or city as it is of the individual members of any given church. These separated congregations are not normally separate, and cannot be if the life of Christ is in them. They are members one of another. There can be no fulness or perfection of life in any of them unless each is ministering to all and all are ministering to each. Tlie churches of any one denomina- tion may be like the lingers of one hand ; but that liand draws its life-blood from the body of Christ and mnst l)C the servant of the body. The independency of tlic local church is a doctrine Avhich must not l)e too stronirlv asserted. Indeed, oven those to whom it is a cardinal principle make haste to declare that it must never be dis- sociated from the otlicr principle, equally fundamental, of tlic fellowship of the churclies. If a certain measure of autonomy be granted to each congregation, it is only tliat tlie freedom thus conceded jnay be used in a loving co- operation Avith all who folloAV tlio same IVfastor. And lliis principle of the fellowshij) of tlie elnirchcs is one to wliicli no dcncmiinational limits can be set. It is not merely the churches of the same denomination which arc members one of another. It is not their acceptance of the creed of CO-OrERATION WITH OTHER CHURCHES 447 a (lenomination, or their utterance of some "consensus of doctrine,'-' or their observance of certain common usages that makes them one, it is the life of Christ that is in them. Brandies of the same tree have no need of a con- fession of faith to consummate and manifest their unity. And all true churches of Jesus Christ, living so near to one another that they can be affected b}' one another's life, must feel themselves to be one, and must realize more and more fully, as his life is perfected in them, how unnatural and even suicidal is the attempt to maintain separate interests, and the refusal to be helpers of one another's faith and love. There is reason to hope that this conception of Christian society as an organism will give us, during the century which is now approaching, some precious fruitage. I'ho old individualism has done its disintegrating work in ecclesiastical as well as in civil society. It was a neces- sary reaction against the hierarchical despotisms by which not only the local congregation was robbed of the precious right of "home rule," but the individual layman was reduced to a cipher, — the clergy being the only significant figures. IJut the force of this protest has gone quite far enough. Those local churches which have most completely won their autonomy may Avell be the first to sliow how free they are to seek tlie unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace, and how many and precious are tlie interests Avhich churches of differing creeds and rites may combine to serve. Tliat the spiritual unity of Christian believers is a sublime reality, the churches of the next century ouglit to make manifest. CHAPTER XXI THE CARE OF THE POOR It might almost be said that the Christian church Avas organized for the care of the poor. The version of the first Beatitude found in Luke's Gospel, "Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God,"^ was rightly supposed, in the earliest times, to refer primarily to those who were not rich in this world's goods. The first assem- blies of the saints were largely composed of the needy and the destitute. "Hearken, my beloved brethren," cries the Apostle James: "did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him ? " ^ The first ecclesiastical act of the first church in Jerusalem was the appointment of seven deacons to receive and disburse the contrilnitions for the relief of the poor. From time imme- morial the administration of the Lord's Supper has been regarded as incomplete unless accompanied l)y a contribu- tion for the relief of the poor. The most striking feature of the development of the early Church was its thorough and systematic ministration to the needy and the suffering. The learned treatise of Di\ rhlhorn on Christian Chariti/ in the Early Church is a most inspiring relation. It is, therefore, somewhat singular that Ave find in some recent treatises on pastoral theology scarcely a word respecting this most important duty. 1'he elaborate work of J)r. J. S. Cannon, an honored American professor of pastoral theolog}' does not allude to this as one of the functions of the churcli. 'Hie only reference to the j^oor a\ liicli a some- what cursory examination of the stately volume has dis- closed is the following, in a chajiter on "Pastoral Duties": " In his visitations let liiin not ])ass Iw the habitations of the 1 Luke vi. 20. - .James ii. 5. THE CAKE OF THE POOR 449 poor nor consider any family too mean and insignificant to 1)0 attended to. The ' gospel must be preached to the poor.' ' Condescend,' says Pan], ' to men of low estate.' The Master regarded the poor in liis ministry; their souls are precious. It is certain that if any gospel minister can fill the place of worship with the poorer class of people, he will soon find those of a higher class falling into his society, for it is only among the poor that the pride of wealth can be variously displayed. The jNIethodists now, in most places, begin to afford illustrations of this fact. The rich in society are joining them, and producing a change among them."^ The naivete of this reasoning is notable; but we find no hint of any obligation on the part of the Church toward the needy of its neighborhood; the poor here referred to are evidently not those who need assist- ance. Yet this cannot have been due to any lack of sym- pathy with the poor on the part of this godly teacher. In the biographical sketch of him which introduces these lectures, mention is specially made of his benevolence to the poor, who never went empty from his door. Two facts are indicated by the silence of this book: first, that the congregations to which the young men instructed by these lectures were intending to minister contained few necessitous persons ; and secondly, that it was not regarded as a special duty of these congregations to seek out and relieve the wants of the poor living in their neighborhood. Both these inferences, wliicli seem to reflect somewhat seriously upon the benevolence of the churches, ma}^ be in part exi)lained by the fact that when these lectures were delivered, nearly half a century ago, the mnnbor of tlie poor needing assistance was comparatively small in most American connnunities. Tlio eleemosynary service of the cliurch to its own members must needs have been a sub- ordinate portion of its work. Prol)al)ly this wo)k \\iis done with kindness and lidclity; Imt it did not occni- lo the good professor to refer to it as a dei)artnient of church activity. Even in the prosperous American communities of lifty ' Lectures on Paslmtil Tludliuni. \\ .".".d. 450 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AXD WORKING CHURCH years ago the Master's word must, however, have been verified : "' For ye have the poor always with you, and when- soever ye will ye can do them good." ^ In the vicinity of every church, if not in its membership, there must have been those who needed the love and care of the Church. The fact that they were not in its membership is a fact for which, perhaps, explanation will be required when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him. But, if they were not in its membership, why did it not charge itself with the duty of seeking them out and relieving their necessities? Probably because this work had been taken out of its hands, and entrusted to other agencies. A remark of the judicious Fairbairn, who himself finds need in his excellent volume for no more than a page of discussion upon this subject, Avill throw light upon the question : — " Passing now to the other branch of subsidiary means, that relating to social economics, a pretty large field till lately lay open here for parish ministers in connection Avith the management of the poor, calling for the exercise of discretion, sagacity and good feeling. It was in this field that Dr. Chalmers won for himself his first claim to dis- tinction as a philantliropist; and to the discussion of topics connected with it one of his most elal)orate works is devoted — his Parish Economics. Tlie work may still be read witli interest and profit, as it is pregnant with views and principles which admit of a certain application in every age; but as a guide-book for pastors in a specific department of official duty, it may justly be said to be antiquated. This whole hranch of social economics is now directed hy an agency of its own, in which tninistcrs of the Gospel, whether of the EstahlishcA Church or not, have hut a subordinate 2JC(vt to perform. But, of course, it will never cease to be their duty to interest themselves in the state of the poor, and to be forward in [)e to receive; llic thought of giving t)r servincf scarcely enters into tlu'ir minds. Witli some whose concejition of Christian h'llow- 454 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH sliip is exceedingly crude, the Church may be called to deal ; and its ministry to their needs must \)e no less kind than that of which we have spoken, but of a different order. The deepest need of these poor is the need of manliness and self-respect. This need will not be sup- plied by a lavish or careless bestowment of alms ; a judi- cious withholding of material aid will often l)e more charitable to them than any amount of giving. The thing to be first considered in their cases is the interest of char- acter. Whatever will encourage tliem to help themselves is true charity; whatever tends to lighten their feeling of responsibility and to weaken their self-reliance is mistaken kindness. The problem of relieving cases of this nature is often extremely difficult. These are sick and helpless souls; and the cure of them requires the greatest skill. It is easy to send a ton of coal or a barrel of flour; it is not easy to arouse the dormant will or to quicken the sense of honor. Yet here is tlie case where the Christian law must be rigidly applied. To love these brethren as we love ourselves is our first duty. Because we love our- selves too well to accept a kind of gratuity which would weaken our characters, we must love them too avcII tf) offer them such a dubious bounty. To recognize the fact that Christ came to save these people, not primarily from suffer- ing, but from sin and weakness and moral degradation, — to make them whole men and women, and not mendicants or parasites, — is the primary condition of successful min- istry to their deepest need.^ A genuine friendsliip is tlie best medicine for them, — a friendship which conveys to them, by sympatliy and insi)iration, the saving vigor of the very life of Christ. Their primary need is a spiritual need. "Tlie character of the pastoral care of the poor,'' says Van Oostcrzee, "must not depend on the whim of the individual, l)ut nuist l)e governed by a fixed jninciple. It is, as a rule, not of a material hut of a moral and reJig- ^ " (^ue Ic pasteur mctto an picmicr ran^ de scs soiiis celui de relevcr Tcsprit et le courage . 4 H'>. 460 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH small matter compared witli the degradation of manhood to which the nndiscriminating methods of relief were con- stantly contributing. The mendicant wdio consents to be coddled and carried and relieved of the responsibility of self- support is in danger of the most fatal of losses — the loss of himself. The charity Avhich fosters this fatal weakness is his worst foe. The revolt against nndiscriminating charity is in the interest of souls ; its motive is a true evano-elism. This hasty and imperfect survey of the great develop- ment of modern philanthropy brings befoi'e us three great classes of agencies, outside the Church, which are engaged in the work of caring for the poor. First are the institutions suj)ported by taxation, in which the state or the municipality undertakes the support of the helpless poor : the almshouses, asjdums, orphanages, child- ren's homes, in which those are gathered who are unable to do anj'thing for their own support. Second are institutions of a similar purpose, established and supported by voluntary charity, of which the State has no control. Third are the agencies intended to assist the poor in their own homes — to give temporary relief to those persons or families who are now in distress, through sickness or mis- fortune, and who may be expected after a little to take up the burden of self-support. This relief of the poor in their homes is again subdivided into public and private relief. The state and the municipalities occupy this field, and side by side with them, in many places, private organiza- tions are at work. \\\ some European countries, as in Germany, the municipal outdoor relief is so perfectly organized and so clhcicntly administered that it has prac- tically supplanted private charity ; in England, the attempt lias lieen made to reduce this form of public relief to a mini- mum ; in (he United States the cities and towns are gen- erally dispensing out-door relief, and in ;i manner so unsystematic and ineffectual as to produce more evil than good. Sucli arc the conditions confronted to-day l»y the Chris- tian Church. The work of caring for tlie poor, originally THE CARE OF THE POOR 4G1 committed to her, has passed very largely from her hands, and we have seen into whose hands it has fallen. A\^hat is the present duty of the Church with regard to tliis great interest of humanity ? It does not seem possible or desirable at present that the Church should undertake to relieve the State of the care of those institutions into which the helpless poor are gathered. In many cases these institutions are well conducted ; the State has the care of them, but the spirit of a true Christian charity is revealed in all their administration. The work which the Church has inspired the State to do is done as the Church would have it done. In some cases, however, there is reason to fear that the State permits these institutions to fall into the hands of corrupt and incapable men, and that grave abuses are con- nected with their management. Not only is the adminis- tration extravagant; it is also wanting in kindness, and purity, and fidelity to the inmates. This is a state of things to which tlie Christian Church must never consent. The obligation rests on her to see to it that the helpless poor are tenderly cared for : that they are neither neglected nor despised nor debauched. They are her wards. It is con- cerning them that her Lord is always saying unto her : " Inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." The Church has done \\ell to inspire the State to take upon itself tlie care of these helji- less ones ; but the church is not doing well if she permit tliis charge to be neglected. AVith all the influence that she possesses she must interfere to protect and shelter tliese unfortunates. There arc thojc who are always insisting that the Chiircli miLst not interfere in civil affairs. How can the Chiuvh avoid this duty, so long as she has permitted llie civil au- thorities to assume a very imj)ortant portion of her own work? Can the Chui-ch transfer to the State the care of tlie helpless poor, and tlini wasli lier own liands of all riisponsibility for the manner in which this care is exer- cised? The Church is bound to see that the governors, superintendents, trustees nnd directors of these State instil u- 462 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH tions are men in whose Lands these l^rethren of Christ will be tenderly and wisely cared for. When these institutions are employed, as is not uncommon in American comnnini- ties, as instruments of the ambition of unscrupulous politi- cians ; when capable and experienced men are removed that their places may be filled by the retainers of political leaders, and the interests of good administration are sacrificed to personal ambition or party spirit, the churches of the land ought to cry out with one voice against the iniquity. A Chiu'ch that has no testimony to utter against such a crime as this, is faithless to Christ's poor. The duty of the church with respect to the public institu- tions for the care of the poor and the unfortunate is, there- fore, to see that they are j^urely and humanely governed — that the law of Christ is the life of their administration. The churches of any Christian land can secure this result if they unite to demand it ; and until they have done it an essential part of tlieir work is left undone. With respect to the private institutions for the care of the same classes, the duty of the Church is equally clear. Nor is this duty often neglected. These are, as a rule, institutions which have been established and endowed by Christian men and women, and their management has remained in the hands of tliose who represent the churches. In most cases they are not under sectarian control ; the philanthropy of A\hich they are the fruit is that pure Christian love which ignores the distinctions of sect and race, and seeks to do good to all men as it has opportunity. The hospitals, the orphanages, the homes for tlie aged, the houses of refuge, the day nurseries, wliirh Cliristian charity has established, are largely supported by roiitri- Imtions of members of the churches, and tlieir admiuistiu- tion is almost uniformly faithful ;iii(l Iminaiic. It is wlicii we consider the tliiid ;iii classes rei^resented THE CARE OF THE POOR 4G5 in tliis alliance, whic-li would comprise a strong majority of the intelligence and the wealth of any city, should set tliemselves resolutely to the reform of these abuses, there coidd be no doubt that something would be speedily done. The associated churches could compel the election of men and the adoption of methods by which outdoor relief would be more safely and usefully administered. And it is a fair question whether this is not the best solution of the problem ; whether the city or the town ought not to be the agency through which this work should be done ; and whether the churches had not better address themselves to the task of purifj-ing the municipal administration. Before settling upon this conclusion, however, one or two matters should be well considered. Tlic fact should be borne in mind that this work cannot be well done by the municipality without an enormous extension of the political macliinery. Berlin takes excellent care of her poor : no worthy sufferer is neglected and the chances of imposture are reduced to a minimum ; but the explanation of this suc- cess is found in the fact that Berlin employs, in the business of administering its outdoor relief, an army of about three tliousand persons. Nearly all of these, it is true, work witliout compensation ; nevertheless there is a considerable staff of Avell-paid ofhcials to direct the work. Comj)are witli this the method of iiu American city of one hundred thousand people, in which a single ollicial, who is expected to give but a portion of his time to this scrsdce, lias the entire care of this distribution. In Ucrlin, about one person in every five hundred of the population is enlisted in the work of outdoor relief : in America, one in one hundred tliousand of tlic i)opulati()n is thouglit to be snllieient. There is, at least, some doubt wliellier American niuniei- ])alities could be easily brought to make the outlay neces- sary for an efficient organization of this woi'k ; wlietlier tliev wonlil be willincf to remunerate (he skilled ollieials wlio could wiselv direct it: and also whether it would be ))Ossil)le to impri'ss into tli(^ service of the nuinicipality enoutrh unrcmunerated workers to do tlie work ellicientlv. 30 466 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH American citizens are not, it must be confessed, so ready as they ouglit to be to render gratuitous public service. The unsalaried j)ositions, of which there are not many, are generally sought and obtained by men who have some political ambition, and who use these places as stepping- stones. Whether New York or Chicago would readily secure three thousand capable and faithful citizens to serve constantly as the almoners of its charity is an open ques- tion. The clironic unwillingness of American citizens of the better classes to take any part in the administration of municipal government, is a fact that must be reckoned with. The difference, in this respect, between European and American cities, is very great. To be connected, in any honorable way, with the service of the city in Avhich he lives seems to the average European a distinction ; to the average American it is an intolerable imposition. It may be justly said that the American churches could find no more useful enterprise than that of the conversion of American citizens from this egregious sin of omission. But this is a tremendous task ; it requires a radical change in the habitual thinking of the whole community : and, while we are not to despair of seeing it accomplished, it is a question whether the work of debauching the poor should be suffered to go on while we are seeking to effect the po- litical regeneration of our cities. And besides, as we have already seen in the case of the German cities, there is a ques- tion whether the churches can afford to relinquish the care of the outside poor, even when the work is honestly and thoroughly done by the city authorities. It is conceivable that tlie churches might get their prayer meetings or their Sunday-schools Avell managed by the public authorities ; l)ut there miglit be doubt as to the wisdom of abandoning such portions of their work. In short, it must l)e said, that if the Christian Church is to exist as a spiritual body, apart from the State, it is important that it do not sur- render too many of its vital functions. And if this work of caring for tlic poor of its neighborhood is not one of the vital functions of the C'hurcli, it is not easy to think of aiiy- tliing wliich shouM hr so considered. THE CARE OF TUE POOR 467 Is it not, then, the dictate of sound policy, as well as of true philanthropy, that the Christian churches of America should seek to reclaim this business, which they have suffered to fall out of their hands ? This whole depart- ment of charity is now in a confessedly chaotic condition ; some reorganization of it is imperative ; all students of philanthropic problems are agreed as to the grievous and costly failure of the American municipality in its attempts to care for the outside poor: is not this the juncture in which the chui'ches should come to the front and take tliis tiisk upon themselves? When this question is raised, we are at once confronted with the voluntary agencies for poor relief now occupying the field. In most cities some such misectarian charities are at work ; some of them possess endowments of consider- able value ; and many of them have done faithful and beautiful service among the poor. How can the churches inidertake the task while these societies are in existence ? To this it may be answered, first, that these societies, where they are most efficient, by no means occupy the field. It is but a fraction of the real want of any community tliat they can relieve. Where they are associated, as they have been in many cities, their united action is more efficient, but even here they are not adequate : the public authorities are still called upon for a large portion of the relief. And it ought to be possible for the Associated Churches and the Associated Charities to come to a o-ood undcrstandincf and organize the work, so that it shall be thoroughly and eilcc- tually done. It might be expedient that each of these societies should be given a district to care for, or that they should co-operate with tlie weaker clnn-ches in tlie districts assigned to them for evangelistic purposes. A most interesting ex[)erinu'nt in tin's direction is now in progress in the Americini city of IJnIbilo, with a po])n- lation of nearly thrive Imndicd lliousand. Tlie Charity Organization Society of BnlValo claims to l)e the oldest in America, and the work of systematic relief in that city has been exceptionally efficient, lint tlie fact of vast neglect and grievous abuse was still nj)j)arent and the need of some 468 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORIQNG CHURCH better plan for the care of the poor pressed upon the con- sciences of those who were engaged in the work. Into minds thus quickened, the following words, spoken by Mr. W. T. Stead to a fclloAv-passenger on an ocean steamer, cast a fruitful suggestion : " If you could district the large cities, and induce the churches to look after those districts as the politicians look after the voters in those districts, there would follow such an uplifting of the masses as has not been known since the coming of the Master." The woman to whom these words were spoken is a citizen of Buffalo, and it is chiefly due to her that the thouglit bids fair to become a fact. By the aid of the assistant secretary of the Charity Organization Society in that city, and Avith the most cordial co-operation of its secretary, this lady prepared a map of Buffalo, dividing the whole city into one hundred and ninety-five districts, — which seemed to be the number that the churches of the city might hope to care for. Then the clergy of different denominations were called together and the plan was explained to them, and received by most of them with hearty approval. At the date of this -writing something more than a liundred of these districts have been accepted by the different local churches, and the hope is that many more will yet be taken. No better account of what is here attempted can be given tlian is furnished by the following circular, addressed to the clergy of the city of Buffalo, which is reproduced entire, in the belief that it may prove to be an important historical document : " Roqupsts still come for a precise statement of what a church pledges itselt' to by accepting a district from tlie com- mittee of the Charity Organization Society. To take a district means : " 1st. That yon will feci a special responsibility for the moral elevation of tliat district by means of uplifting agencies, and for the removal of ])laguc spots. "2d. That citlior with or Avithont tlie assistance of flu- Poormaster and the charitable institntions of the city you will become responsil^lc for the material relief of those in your district who are destitute and neglected. If sucli i)coplc in THE CARE OF THE POOR 469 your district have spiritual relations with another church, the responsibility for their relief still rests upon you, if that church, after due notice from you, continues to neglect tliein. "What the plan proposed does not involve is almost equally important: •'1st. Ko church is asked to interrupt any spiritual rela- tions which it now holds with families in any part of the city. If it chooses, it can give relief to its own poor wherever they live, but it is nevertheless desired that each church should confine its relief Avork as far as possible to its own district. '•2d. r>y accepting a district a church does not come in any way under the direction of the Cliarity Organization Society, and does not agree to follow its methods. Registration with the Society of relief given is desirable, however, to prevent overlapping. When charity is not registered, one family some- times receives aid from several different societies, no one of which knows what the others are giving. " A word or two in regard to the economy and advantage oi the plan may not be amiss. Difficulties will always exist with this plan or any other, but we ask only of each church whether exactly the same amount of work now being done by it would not yield larger and more encouraging results if concentrated in the main in a limited area. Desultory visiting of families scattered over all points of the compass is wasteful in every way. It wastes knowledge, for the knowledge gained of the environment and conditions of one family may be useless in regard to the next. It wastes time, for it may take longer to visit two families in opposite quarters of the city than to visit ten in the same block, and in the block the knowledge gained of each family helps in regard to all the rest. IMoreover, visi- tors in the same church would find themselves all going in the same direction. They could go together and they would keep each other up to the work, and tlie knowledge of one would assist tlie rest. " ]*robably only a few clmrclies could afford to engage a special agent to direct tlieir work, but all could sujjport a com- mittee working under the |)astor's guidan(!e, and tliis cuniiuittee would prubably find tliat its work did lujt call for the expendi- ture of money so much as of time and thought. "Tlie very fact that in politics it is necessary for effective action to divide tli(> city into different districts indicates tliat in charitable work tlie same division is needed. It is tlie old 470 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH story that faggots wliicli in a bunch cannot be broken can be broken one by one. To practical men the plan must appeal, for it gives each church a definite responsibility, which it can see clearly, and a special limited field, not so large but that the results of work done can be seen. It is well to have a definite responsibility which we can see instead of a general responsibility everywhere. A strong church, or even a few strong workers in a church, can often see wonderful results if the work is confined to a fixed area. Moreover, if there is a plague spot in the district which taints the neighborhood morally and physically, it helps to have a definite body of people feel a special responsibility in that special district. It is not everybody's business, and so nobody's. " It has been suggested that some denominations or churches would fail to co-operate in this plan, with the result that the burden of caring for their poor would be lifted largely from them and would devolve unduly upon those participating in the movement. As for this objection, if the church with which a destitute family has spiritual relations, when formally requested, fails to provide for it, it would seem to be an honor and privilege for any Christian church to minister to those who are deserted by the friends to whom they would naturally turn for help, and the example of unselfish charity would redound ultimately to the glory, and even to the advantage, of the church Avhich practised it. "It is already certain that the district plan will be tried upon a large scale in Buffalo, and many churches have defi- nitely accepted districts, but the plan does not depend for its success upon the co-operation of all the churches. That of course is not to be expected, but every church now doing any active work would find its work less desultor}^, more telling, more visible, so to speak, if it were confined to a special dis- trict. "United, an army; divided, a mob" is a motto which applies with force. If every church scatters its work it is impossible to expect such effective results in the warfare on human misery and vice as will follow a combined attack on special, limited areas." Some of the strong clinrchcs which were earliest to accept districts, appear to liavc found in lliis plan large opportunities. One of thcni reported that whereas, at the beginning of its fust year, one linndred and tliirty-four THE CAKE OF THE J'OUK 471 families were on the poor Looks, tlie end of the year showed only eight such families, "and that this great change was due to lessons of self-help, rather than to the substitution of church money for city money." Some of the churches have already established, in districts assigned to them, settlement-houses, which are the headquarters of the work of the church for its district. "These settle- ments," says the Secretary of the Charity Organization Society, "are centres of the most sunny and beautiful influ- ences. They are not intended to spread a religious faith or to proselytize, but to help the residents of the neigh- borhood to rise to their best possibilities, to give them sympathy and affection, counsel and encouragement, and helpful service. Each has a free kindergarten and diet kitchen, and Welcome Hall is the headquarters for one of the district nurses. Each has boys' clubs, and mothers' clubs, sewing classes, mothers' meetings, penny savings funds, free baths, work rooms, and all sorts of good things, all simply conducted, on a modest scale, but all acting as seeds of good influences. The East Side Reform Club meets at Westminster House for the discussion of civic questions. Five different boys' clubs hold their meetings there also on different evenings, and there are a reading circle, a circulating librar}'-, and classes in cooking, sing- ing, drawing and physical culture. This is quite enough to show that the intention of these settlements is far liigher than to serve as a mere station for giving out alms. Their aim is to civilize and humanize, to teach thrift and elHcicncy, and to substitute higher for lower pleasures. "The higher side of this ])laii docs not consist in the giving out of alms and su[)plies, Imt in the developnient anu)ng those who take a district of such a feeling of lov- ing friendliness and neighliorliness as will make tlicm seek to know as well as to h('l[) tliose who live within llie neigliborhood in tlieir charge. A resident established in the district can help greatly towards this." The first dilliculty in tlie realization of this ])lan will bo to secure tlie co-oi)oralion of all the clmrclies. TJic I'luffalo experiment has been remarkably successful in 472 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH enlisting so many at the outset; but only about half the districts are yet occupied. The Roman Catholic churches have been slow to take up their assignments, but this is perhaps due to the death of their Bishop, who, before his death, had given strong assurances of practical interest. The animosities of Protestant and Catholic will be hard to overcome ; but this alone would be a great and beauti- ful achievement. If, by a plan like this, in which surely no theological questions are raised, these two great divi- sions of Christians could be brought together in friendly labor for the poor, the gain to the kingdom of God would be of unspeakable value. It is devoutly to l)e hoped that the Buffalo plan may prove to be successful in this par- ticular. The end is one to the achievement of which all good Protestants and all good Roman Catholics should bend all their energies. A second diiliculty will be found in teaching the churches to administer their chaiity by wise methods. Too many of them still practise the old effusive and uiidiscriminat- ing almsgiving; and when they find the objects of their charity a])using their kindness, they are apt to abandon them in disgust. Few of them have yet learned that the chief end of charity is to make almsgiving unnecessary. "In many cases," says the sagacious promoter of the Buffalo plan, "we shall be obliged to sit by and see vicious work done by churches whose charity is thoroughly unintelligent, Imt our hope is that in such cases our agents can suggest wiser methods with sulhcient tact to modify, at least, what threatens to be harmful. The societies which do un\vis(^ work will be no worse on account of this [ilaii, and may, ])crhaps, im])rove in their methods. It will be hard to hand some woi'thy family over to unintelli- gent treatment, which may, liv mistaken kindness, jiiiiipcr- ize theiiiwiili \i>n niinli lice aid; but the economy of the |il;iii is s(» great, ;iiid llic iicni'cr a('(ni;iiiil;iiicc witli llmse Jielped \\liicli tlic plan involves is so valuable, tli;it we conlidciiUy exjx'ct great good from the experiment."" Other ])i'a('ti('al diflieulties will be eneonntei-ed : as the circular above suggests, no })liin is without diflieulties; THE CARE OF THE POOR 473 but tlic possible gains of this method are so great that no pains shoukl be spared in overcoming these obstacles. The hope of bringing the churches of Jesus Christ into immediate, vital, helpful contact with those who most need their love and care — of restoring to the churches the great opportunity of ministry A\'hich their Master committed to them and which they have so unhappily suffered to slip away from them, is a hope which no well-wisher of the churches would willingl}^ al)andon. The remark, above quoted, that such a resumption by the Church of its proper function would lead to "such an uplifting of the masses as has not been known since the coming of the Master,'' is scarcely too enthusiastic. Indeed, this would be, in a true sense, the coming of the Master — his return from a far country. No greater outshining of his glory could be prayed for by his Church. Nor need there be any fear lest the resources of the churches will be inadequate for this task. The material needs of the really poor are not large ; the amount needed for the relief of actual suffering in the homes of tl t) lie people could easily be raised ; the stronger churches could hel[) the weaker in bearing this part of the burden. What these people need most is what that church in Ijullalo has given them — friendship, and stimulating "lessons in self-help." The number on the poor-lists of any city can be indefinitely decreased in this way. It is still assumed, let it be remembered, that the liclp- less poor — those Avho are likely to be a permanent charge upon charity — will still, for the greater part, be cared for by the State or the municipality in the institutions main- tained l)y taxation for tliat ]>urpose. And tlicic will be need, also, that the associated churches, as they lake ui) this work of out-door relief, shall keej) themselves in close and syiniiathetic relation with the |)ul)lic authorities. The State must resign to the cliurclies the iiiiiiistr\ of hclj) wliich belongs to them; but there is a iniuislrxof ilisei- pliiie which the State must exercise toward some of these unhappy ju'ople. Some among them will prn\c to lie incorrigible by any methods of IrientUy tuition which the 474 CHRISTIAN TASTOR AND \yOEKING CHURCH Cliiircli can apply. The mendicant habit is so ingrained that they cannot be roused to self-respect and self-help; they will insist on being the parasites of society. For such as these, workhouses and penal settlements must be provided; the curse of pauperism will not be cured without the exercise of a wholesome severity. The con- ditions described by Dr. Harnack in the following extract are substantially present in this country: " Somit erhalten wir drei Kategorieen von Armen : solche, die sich gern christlich helfen, berathen, und aus ihrer Armuth auf helfen lassen; solche die die blirgerliche Ge- meinde und der Staat versorgt ; und solche, die der christ- lichen Liebe und dem Staat zum Trotz ihre Armuth absichtlich festhalten, sie gleichsam industriell, fabrikmiis- sig betreiben. Diese bilden in jeder Gemeinde den eisrentlichen ansteckenden Ileerd unsittlicher suchtloser Armuth, des socialen Aussatzes, und sind der Zuclit des Staats und seiner Zwangsmittel zu iibergeben. So wird der Staat audi nothwendig eine Armenzucht zu Uben haben, wo sich hinter die Armuth das Laster oder gar das Verbrechen versteckt. Aber wer dieser Zucht verftillt, hbrt damit audi auf sui juris zu sein, bis er sich eines Besseren besinnt. So scheiden sich diese drei Spharen: Jcirchliche Armenpflege, staatliche Ai'menversorgumj^ und polizciliche Armenzucht, von einander."^ The second of the categories named above, the public care of the poor in their homes, is the one which, in America, ought to be by all possible means reduced in its dimensions; but there will still be need of the discipline of the state in caring for tliose who count themselves unworthy of the responsibilities of free citizenship. Let us now seek to bring clearly before our thought tlie consideration which renders this whole discussion pertinent to a treatise on pastoral theology, namely, that no such work as this can be undertaken witliont the active participation of tlio local church. Only by chuichcs e([ui[)pod and trained for service like this can any such plan of enlightened charily be carried into effect. This ' Gcsrhichlv rniil Tlicuric der I'redigt und der Srcl.sort/c. )). 415. THE CAKE OF THE PCXJK 475 plan does not appeal to the sects as such; in their con- ferences and synods and assemblies tliey will have little to say al)out it; the question whether this thing- shall be done is addressed to the local churches of all denomina- tions; it is the question whether they will join with churches of other names in their neighborhood in doing the work that lies at their doors. It is a work for which the local parish must be organized and instructed, and in which, by its pastor, it must be wisely and enthusiasticall}^ led. No more important field of labor is open to the work- ing church; none in which greater Avisdom or a more uenuine love of souls is needed ; none in which the church can do more to help in answering its prayer for the coming of the kingdom of heaven. INDEX Abbott, Austin, 205. " Al.t Vogler," 80, 89. Africa, appropriated by European powers, 365. Allon, A. G. v., 104, 158 n. Anilirose, 12. Amusements, in the church, 121, 402, 405, 408, 409, 410; in Young Men's Chri.'itiau Associations, 314. Andreae, J. V., 13. Anglican Cliurch, 20. Annual cliurch meeting, 420. Anthropology and the pulpit, 94. A])ologetic studies, 92. Apostidical Constitutions, 11. Apostolical succession, 63. Applied Christianity, 122. Arciiitecture, church, ctliics of, 26, 28. Arn(dd, Matthew, 95, 99, 157, 378. Art and inspiration, 88. A.ssistant, the Pastor's, 210-214. Athanasius, 96, 103. Audiences, size of, 24. Augustine, 18, 347. Autiiority of pastor, 61. Baptism, significance of, 157; admin- istration of, 159 ; sponsors in, 162; formula of, 162. Barrows, William, 337. Baxter, Kidiard, 13, 25, 44.5. Bazaars and fairs in churclics, 307. Beclv, .1. r., 14, 51. Bedell, (;. T., 16, 65. BeecluT, Henry Ward, 16. Beeclier, Lyman, 9, 16. Bchniid.s A. .1. v., 16. Bellarmine, 21, 343. Benevolence, development of, 371. Bennett, W. II., 100. Berkeley Temple, Boston, 402. Berlin, (icrinany, poor relief in, 457. Bernard of Clairvaux, 12. Bible, the minister's book, 97 ; in the Sunday scliool, 230. Biography in the j)ulpit, 127. Blaikie,W.G.,3,7,15,98,188,198,240. Blunt,,;. J., 15. Bossuet, Jacques Benigne, 21, 96. Boys' Brigade, The, 357. Bradford, A. II., 298. Bridges, Charles, 15, 203. Brooks, Phillips, 16, 132. Brotlierhood of St. Andrew, 322. Brotherhood of St. Andrew and Philip, 325. Brother Houses in Germany, 330. Browning, Robert, 86, 89, 126. Bruno of Wiirzhurg, 19. Buffalo experiment in poor relief, 467. Bull, George, 10,34. Burgon, J. W., 15. Burial of the dead, 190-194. Burnet, Gilbert, 13, 15, 50. Burton, N. J., 16, 151. Bushnell, Horace, 96, 133, 184, 246, 381, 382, 387, 388. Cai.t, to Tin: P.vsTonATK, 66-82. Calvin, John, 19. 155. Candidates, ministerial, 74-81. Canisius, Peter, 21. Cauiion, .lames S., .3, 15, 1(>.'1, 1 18. Casui.stry in the pul])it, 119. Catechetics, 1,3,4, 17-22, .335-352; catcdiizing in the early church, 335 ; in tlio reformation period, ■337 ; the rationale of, .338 ; b.Txis fif instruction, 341 : Bishop Du- l>aidnuj) on, 342-349 ; among the Lutherans, 349. 478 INDEX Catechisms, of Cyril, Gregory and Augustiue, 18; of Gerson, 19; of Luther, 19; of Calvin, 19; Heidel- berg, 19 ; of tlie English church, 20; of Presbyterian churches, 20; of Sebastian of Mayence, 21 ; of Canisius, 21 ; of Bellarniine, 21 ; of Bossuet, 21 ; Tridentiiie, 21 ; of American Catholics, 22 ; of tlie Metliodist Episcopal church, 22 ; of Schomann, 22 ; liacoviau, 22 ; Baptist, 22 ; of Friends, 22. Cave, Alfred, 1, 3. Chalmers, Thomas, 132, 450. Chanuiug, W. E., 127. Charity organization, 458. Charity, public, 455. Chai-lcniagne, 19. Children, the baptized, 355 ; in tiie Sunday service, 356. Cliildreu's Day, 355. Children's Hour, 334. Choirs, English and American, 144, 145, 147, 148. Christendom, extent of, 366. Christian Endeavor, 9, 315. Ciiry.sost(mi, .Tohn, 11, 18, 54. Chdrch, Tiik, 23-49; defined, 1. 23 ; a working body, 4 ; provincial or national, 23 ; local, 23 ; limits of membership, 24 ; gains of size offset by losses, 25 ; connotes fel- lowship, 25 ; ethics of church arcliitecture, 26-28 ; location of the edifice, 28-30 ; wlio should form its congregation, 29 scq. ; rich anil poor must meet together, 29, 30 ; social structure of the church a vital fpiostion, 33 ; diffi- culties in the way of fcllnwsliip, 34 ; value and significance of it, 35, 36 ; reasons for the alienation of working classes, 36, 37 ; the church as the reconciler of social classes, 34-3S ; tlic church ancillary to the Kingdom of God, 38-44 ; need of specializing religion, 41- 43 ; analogy of the liraiii in the body, 43, 44 ; function of tlie church the chrisfiani/ation of society, 46-49 ; the ministering church, 255 ; strong churches in poor districts, 267 ; a social organi- zation, 271 ; uot a commune, 272 ; furnishes the oj)portuuity of good will, 274 ; the christianization of, 279. Church Porch, The, 353. Clement of Alexandria. 96. Clerk of tiie church, 204, 210. Coffee rooms, 7. Colet, John, 96. College and Social Settlements, 264, 412. Colonies, Church, in neglected dis- tricts, 262. Comjietitions of churches, 429. Conference meetings, 247. Conferences of local churches, 432. Congregational singing, 146. Constantiue, 127. Conversation, religious, 200. Converting agencies, 3S9. Cooperation w'itii Other Chuhciiks, 428-447; Christianity and the working churcli, 428 ; de- structive competitions, 429 ; how to secure cooperation, 431 ; the basis of union, 434 ; dividing tlie field, 436 ; canvassing the districts, 437 ; large and small populations, 439 ; in what could the churciies coiiper- ate ■? 439 ; provision of places of resoi't, 440 ; closing drinking jdaces on Sunday, 441 ; upholding the laws, 442 ; unit}' best secured by local coo]ioration, 444 ; the muni- cipal church, 446. Creeds in worship, 1.53. Cromwell, Oliver, 127. Crosby, Howard, 16. Cyril of Jerusalem, 18. Dale, R. W., 16, 136-138. Deaconesses in the apostolic church, 291 ; in the post-apostolic diurch, 293 ; in mfxlern diurches, 29.5-30."). Deigrali.as of Carthage, IS Pemocracv, connotes jeadorsliiii. 62. Dr. Ofjiriis C/crirorinn, 12. Departments of work in the cliunh, 423. INDEX 479 De Pastorale Cnra, 12. Lie Sacevdotio, 11", 12. Despair and its pathology, 185. Dickinson, C. A., 411. Districting the parish, 282. Doddridge, Pliilip, 204. Domestic difficulties, 177. Doubters, and liow to deal uith them, 180-184. Dupanloup, Bishop, 342, 349. Educational work of the church, 402- 412. Elberfeld, Germany, poor relief in, 456. Elder, 50. Ellicott, C. J., 15. Enlisting the Membership, 415- 427 ; the serving church, 415-416 ; respon.sibility of the hiity, 417 ; in- forming the church, 419; the an- nual review, 420 ; the problem of the unemployed, 422; departments of work, 423 ; all members en- listed, 424 ; conferences of leaders, 425 ; unilevelopcd power of the church, 426. Ephrem Syrus, 12. Epwortli League, 316. Evangelists, 397. EvANfiELIZATION OF THE PaRISH, 253-270; the Pastor's responsibil- ity, 253 ; wliosc servant is he ? 254 ; the ministering church, 255 ; the outside heathen, 255 ; extent of church neglect, 256 ; parish visitation, 258 ; missions, 259; peo- ple's chnrches, 260 ; church colo- nies, 202 ; social settlements, 264 ; strong chnrches in poor districts, 266 ; street preaching, 268 ; the slic]ilierding of the poor, 209. Evans, \\. W., 15. Evening Service, 121. Evidences of Christianity, the best, 120. Examinations and prizes <>f Yuuiig Men's GniM, 328. Ex])ressi(>n, u.ses of, in tlic religions life, 245. Eaber, F. AY., 174. Fairbairn, Patrick, 3, 6, 7, 15, 54, 06, 105, 134, 136, 450. Fairs in churches, 307. Fellowsliip of the church and its difficulties, 29-38; fellowship meet- ings, 285. Fenelon, 344. Finances of the church, 206. Fisk, F. W., 16. Fiske, John, 429. Flicdner, Tiieodore, 302. Fraucke, A. II., 13. Frederick III., Elector of Palatinate, 20. Fremantle, "W. II., 38, 39, 40. Funeral services, 192-194. Gerson, John, 1 9, 343. Gibson, Edmund, 15. Givers, large and small, 374. Gladden, W., 17. Gott, John, 173, 201, 217, 218. Grace Church, New York, 405. Grace CInirch, Philadelphia, 403. Graded Sunday schools, 232. Gregory of Nyssa, 18. Gregory the Great, 12. Guild, Church of t^cotlaud, 320. Guild, Free Church of Scotland, 329. Guild, Women's, in Church of Scot- land, 309. Ilagenbach, Karl Rudolf, 1. Ilaliontics, 1. Hall, John, 10, 202. Harms, Clans, 3, 131. Harnack, Theodosius, 14, 58;;, 100, 474. Ilatdi, Edwin, 53, 62. IIcidell)erg Catechism, 19. Henry, Mattliew, 20;i. Henry, Patrick, 95. Herbert, George, 13, !.'■•. II. V 119. Herder, J. G., 13. Higher Criticism and the Smnlay school, 230. Ilild. 'brand, 127. lli.story in the pulpit, 125. Hodges, George, 123. 480 INDEX Home Department of the Sunday school, 2.38. Homiletics, 1, 2, 3, 4. Ilopkius, Samuel M., 154. Hoppin, J. M., 16. Hort, Josiah, \5. Horton, 11. F., IG, 86. Hospital work and the church, 404- 406. How, W. W., 1.5. Howley, William, 15. Ilumpliroy, llemaii, 16. Hurst, John F., 267. Huss, John, 127. Huxley, T. H., 42. Hymnals, 140. Hymns, 139. Incorporation of the clinrcli, 204. Inductive study of the Bilde, 2.'i.'3. Infant Baptism, 18. Infectious diseases, 191. Institutioxal Ciu hcii. The, 401- 414 ; definition of, 401 ; examples of, 402 ; similar churches, 405 ; these methods criticised, 407 ; tliey imply the sacredness of all life ; 409; fruits of their labors, 410; compared witli social settlements, 412; co-operation uf churches in such work, 413. International Sunday School Lessons, 230. Jacobi, .1. F., 13. James, John Angell, 15. Jersey City Tahcrnacle, 404. Jungliugsvereine, Christliche, 31.'!. Kaiserswcrth Institution, 302 - 305 ; deaconesses, 304 ; form of conse- cration, 304 II. Kayo, John, 15. Kidd, Benjamin, in4. Kiildcr, DaiMcl I'., H'.. Ivingdom of (iixl, 38 scf). : includes stale and church, 40; tlie (Miris- tian's fir.st loyalty due to. 40; church ancillary to, 40 ; gospel of, 112. King-.slcy, Charles, 96. Kirk, Edwin N., 396. Labor leaders and the churches, 37. Lamartine, Alphouse, 98. Language, the instrument of inspira tiou, 86-88. Law, the sacredness of, 442. Lawrence, Edward A., 365. Leader of Midweek Service, 248. Leagues, Young Men's, 325. Leavitt, G. K., 215. Le Gallicnne, Ricliard, 112. Lenten Services, 399. Loo the Great, 12. Liber I'astoralis, 12. Literature and the I'ulpit, 95. Liturgies, 1, 2, 4. Location of cluirches, 28. London, charities of, 458. Longfellow, Henry W., 126. Lord's Supper, 'I'lie, 164; prepara- tion for, 1 64 ; mode of administra- tion, 166 ; invitation to, 167 ; guarding the table, 168; in the sick room, 190. Lowell, James llnssell, 126. Luther, Martin, 12, 19, 96, 127, 155. IMarlicinccke, Thili]) Konrad, 14. Marriage, cch'bration of, 170. Mason, Arthur J., 53. Matlior, Cotton, 13. Matlicson, George, 156. IMaurice, Frederick D., 96. McTjCod, Alexander. 15. McLeod, Norman, 96. Melanchthon, Philip, 155. MimvKEK Servick, Tim;, 239-252; the need of a social religious meeting, 239 ; the prayer-meeting, 240 ; tlie " experience " meeting, 241 ; conference and controvcr.sy, 242 ; uses of social prayer, 242 ; uses and abuses of conference, 245; the life of the Cliristian and the work of tlie clnirch as themes, 247,419; the leader, 248 ; familiar mctliods, 249 ; the singing, 250 ; tlie r|uestion box, 252. Miller, J. C. 15. INDEX 481 Miller, Samuel, 16. Milne-Edwards, llcuri, 42. MiS.SIONAUV SOCIETIKS AND ClIUKCII CoNTUiRLTiONS,3G:i-377 ; tlic field i.s tlie world, 362 ; niisiJions and pliilanthropy, 364; the expansion of Cliristendoin, 363 ; tlie new era of missions, 366 ; monthly mission- ary meeting, 367 ; woman's boards, 368 ; who sliall present the work, 370; learning to give, 371; large gifts from those of large ability, 374 ; the mites of the many, 375 ; how to gather the offerings, 376. Missions in cities, 259. Montlily missionary meeting, 367. Moody," D wight L,.', 132. More, Sir Thomas, 96. Moslieim, von, J. L., 13. Mozley, J. B., 133. Municipal reform and Young People, 319. Murphy, Thomas, 15. Music, Sacred, 139-150; in the Sun- day school, 227 ; in the midweek service, 250. Ncander, Johann A. W., 59. Neff, Felix, 115. Neglect of the church, 256. Neighborhood fellowship, 281. Nitzsch, K. 1., 14. Oborlin, J. F., 115. Offerings for mis.sions, 376. Officers of the church, 204, 214. Olivianus, C, 20. Organ and organist, 142. Organism ami mochaiiisin, 215. OiKiAM/.ATION OITIIi; ( 'lUlCCII, TuK, 204-219; dual character of, 204; temimral interests, 205 ; to be cared for by men of probity, 206 ; cliunli bnsines.H needs to be christianized, 207; a.ssis:nment of sittings, 2()8 ; records, 209 ; minister's a.ssisfants, 209; pastor and jjreacher. 212; chnrcli otVicers as IcaderM of work, 214 ; organism and moidianism, 215; departments of work, 217. Outdoor relief, 462. Outside heathen, 255. Oxenden, Ashtou, 15. Oxford Methodism, 1'22. Palmer. C, 1. rajiiil infallibility, 64. Parish and church, 205. Park, Edwards A., 129. Parkhurst, Charles H., 195. Parson, meaning of, 50. Pastor, The, 1 ; considered as the subject of pastoral theology, 2 ; relation to the church, 3 ; his social obligations, 7 ; significance of the name, 50 ; is he a priest ? 52-61 ; conception of the early church, 53 ; growth of sacerdotal idea, 54, 55 ; remnants of sacerdotalism in Pro- testant churches, 56, 57 ; a spiritual priesthood, 59-61 ; pastoral author- ity, 61 seq. ; democracy calls for leadership, 62 ; spiritual power is moral influence, 64 ; his call to the ministry, 66-82 ; dual relation of, 69, 70 ; qualifications of, 73, 74 ; THK Pastor as Studkxt, 83-106; a prophet, 85 ; a student of language, 86-88 ; of history of doctrine, 91 ; of human nature, 93 ; of literature, 95 ; of the Bible, 97 ; of social science, 100-104; devo- tional life of, 105; the ])astor as preacher, 107 scq.; preacher of the law, 110; of the gospel. Ill ; his relation to parochial affairs, 114- 119; the leareaching as a candidate, 75 ; va- cant cluirchcs and settled min- isters, 76 ; sliall the minister seek a church ? 77; one candidate at a time, 79 ; ministerial vagrants, 80; minorities, 81 ; financial agree- ments, 82. Patronage, ecclesiastical, 72, Pattison, Dorotliy, 96. Pauperism, 7. Pease, Theodore C, 118. Pedagogics, 1. Pentecost, 379. People's churches, 259. Phelps, Austin, 16, 56, 129, 394. Philanthropy and Christiau ilissions, 366. Phoebe, the deaconess, 8. Poets, the, as preachers, 126. Poimenics, 1, 3, 4. Polity of the church, 1, 2. I'oou, Cark or TiiK, 7, 448-475 ; in the early church, 448 ; decay of this function, 449 ; its assumption by the state, 451 ; the poor of tlie clmrcli. 452 ; ])ublic ciiarities, 455 ; tlie new charity, 458 ; ciiarities classified, 460; the churi'h and )>ulilic institutions, 461 ; the church ami jirivate ]ibilanthro])ics, 462; t lie cliurcli and outdoor relief, 462 ; the church the conscience of the state, 463 ; can the churches un- dertake the care of tlie outside poor? 467; the Buffalo experi- ment, 468; difficulties, 472; cor- rectional methods, 473. Porta, Conrad, 13. Porter, Kbenezcr, 15. I'ratt, Lewellyn, 196. Prayer .Mci'ting, 6, 240. Prayer, public, 135. INDEX 483 Preaching, Evangelistic, 108 ; preach- ing the Law, 109; the gospel, 110; tlie gospel of the Kingdom, 112. I*rcparation for the Lord's Supper, IfU. Priest, is tlic pastor a ? 52-61. Priscilla and Atiuila, 8, 1 7. Proportionate giving, 374. Prostitution, 7. Question IJox in ^Ildweek Service, 252. "Quiet Day" of St. Andrews' Brotherhood, 324. Quintilian, 346. Raikes, Robert, 221. Reco])tion of communicants, 168. Reformation, 12. Repetition of sermons, 132. Responsive reading of Scripture, ir,2. Revivals and Revivalism, 378- 400; revivals in ancient Israel, 378; Pentecost, 379; extensive and intensive methods, 381 ; revivalism as a system, its implications, 382 ; extremes of spiritual temjierature, 384 ; Christian nurture, 387 ; Christianity as an orgaiiific power, 388 ; still room for converting agencies, 389 ; the omnipresence of the Spirit, 390 ; special religious interest, 392 ; special measures, 394 ; professional evangelists and pa.stors, 397 ; Lenten services, 399. Richards, Charles II., 394, 400. Robertson, Frederick W., 96, 133, 161. Robin.son, Ezekiel G., 16. Rogers, Jolin, 203. Rotpies, P., 13. Rothc, Richard, 3. Ryland, John, I'l. Sacerdotalism, growth of, 54, 55. Sailer, J. M., I.i. St. .i\ndrcw, Hmilicrlininl cif, .•|l'2. St. Andrew and Pliilip, Hrothirhood of, 325. St. Bartliolomew's Church, New York, 406. St. George's Church, New York, 406, Saloons, 441. Savonarola, 96, 127. Schaff, Philip, 5. Schleiormachcr, Friedricli, 14. Schoeffer, Johann, 21. Scudder, J. L., 410. Sebastian, Archbishop of Mayence, 21. Secularization of the pulpit, 123. Senior department of Sunday school, 233. Shedd, William G. T., 3, 16. Sliopherding of the poor, 269. Sick, visitation of, 186-190. Sisters of charity, 293. Sittings in church at auction, 206 ; free, 208 ; assigned by lot, 209. Slum.s, missions in, 260. Social classes in churclies, 29-38. Social Life of the Church, 271- 288 ; the church a social organiza- tion, 271 ; not a commune, 272 ; liarmonizes social elements, 273 ; organic character, 274; furnishes the opportunity of love, 274 ; the mingling of tiio leaven, 276 ; difti- culty of this task, 278; fellowship in work, 280; neighborly fellow- ship, 281 ; districting the parish, 282 ; welcoming committees, 28.3 ; socialiles, 284 ; fellowshij) meet- ings, 285 ; women's part in, 307. Social Science and the pulpit, 100- 104, 122. Social Settlements, 264, 412. Song, the service of. 139-150. Spaiding, John F., 292. 295. Specialization of religious functions, 42-44. Special religious services, 392-.'t94. Spcner, P. J., 13. Sprat, 'I'homns, 15. Stalker, James, 16. Stanley. A. P., 158 n. Slc.ul, Herbert, 254. Sleiiimeyor, F. L., 14. Storrs, Richard S.. 16, 76. Street j)rea(liing, 268. 484. INDEX Strong, Josiah, 428, 437. .SixDAY School, The, 4, 6, 220- 2-38 ; a modern iustitutiou, 220 ; tlie first at Gloucester, England, 221 ; its relation to the church, 22.3 ; best hour, 224 ; how organ- ized, 225 ; the teacher a pastor, 226 ; the singing, 227 ; order and decorum, 228 ; the room, 229 ; sulj- jects of study, 2.30 j can it be graded"? 232 ; senior department, 233 ; the Higher Criticism and the Sunday school, 23G ; the Home Department, 238. Sunday school teacliers, 8, 225, 226. Sujierintendent of Sunday school, 225. Synod of Dort, 20. Taylor, Jeremy, 15, II 'J. 'Jaylor, William M., 10, 1117, 201, 202. Teac/iinrj of the Twelve Aposlles, 11. Temporalities of the church, 205. Tennyson, Alfred, 71, 120, 181. Text, the, 128. Thomas, Reuen, 354. Thwing, diaries F., 351. Toynbce Hall, London, 204. Trinity Pari.-;h, New York, 405. Trumbull, Henry C, 220. Uhlhorn, Gerhard, 448. Unchurched, number of, 25C ; visita- tion of, 257. Unemployed church members, 422. Unions, Young Men's, in German v, 330. T'nity, Chri.sti.an, 428. Ursinus, Zachary, 20. Vagrants, ministerial, 80. Van ( )ostf'r7,oo, .Tan .Tncol), 3, 4, 5, 14, 1.5, 1.38, 143, 1.58, 101, 103, 100, 175, 182, 190, 101, 220, .336, .339, .340, 455. Vincent, John H., 221, 223, 228, 234, 235. Vincent do I'anl, 293, L'!t4, 295. Vinet Alexandre Kodolplie, 3, 9;i, 11, 58n, lOO, 114, 115, 110, 117, 124. 125, 131, 170», 190h, 454«. Visitation by the church, 358. ^'isitors of the poor, 423. Walker, Willistou, 212. Watson, John, 10. Way land, Francis, 16, 202. Welcoming committees, 283. Wesley, John, 127. Whitcchapel, London, 204. Whitefield, George, 132, 155. WJiittier, John G., 120. Wyclif, John, 12, 127. Willcox, G. B., 9, 10, 75, 78, 81, 179. Williams, E. F., 331. Williams, George, 314. Williams, Ste])hen, 150. Wilson, Thomas, 15. Women's Mission Eoard.s, 368. Woman's Work in the Church, 289-312 ; Avoman in modern so- ciety, 289 ; her place in the early church, 291 ; in tiic post-apostolic church, 293 ; the Sisters of Charity, 293 ; revival of the order of dea- conesses in the Episco])al churches, 295 ; in tlie JNlethodist Episcopal church, 297 ; pastor's helpers, 298 ; deaconesses in the Church of Scot- land, 299; form of consecration, 301 ; the Kaiserswerth Institution, 302 ; form of consecration of the Kaiserswerth sisters, 304n ; tlie deaconess homes and the churches, 306; Women's Social Unions in American I'rotestant chnrclics, 307 ; thoir financial operations, .307 ; Church of Scotland W^oman'a Guild, 309. Working people and the cliurchcs, 29-38. Worship, the pastor tlie leader of, 134; tlie enrichment of, 150; litur- gical tendencies, 151. Yoim; Men and Women, TirE, 31.3-331 ; the German Christliche .liinglingsvereine, .313 : Y'ning Men's Christian Assoii.it ions, 314; Societies of Christian Enileavor, 315; Epworth Leagues and Baptist Young I'eojilc's unions, 310; inter- INDEX 485 est in municipal reform, 319 ; mis- sion work, 320 ; work in the local church, 321 ; the Brotherhood of St. Andrew 322 ; of Andrew and Philijj, 325 ; Young Men's Leagues, 323 ; Cliurcli of Scotland Ciuild, 320 ; Free Churcli of Scotland Ciuihi, 32'J ; German unions, 330; Brother Houses, 330. Young Men's Christian Associations, 314. Young Men's Leagues, 323. Young People's Societies of Christian Endeavor, 313. Young Women's Christian Associa- tions, 314. Zwiugli, Ulric, 13. T. & T. Clark's Publications. (tbc Intcvuational ^J)ca(00ical l^ibrarn. EDITED BY Principal S. D. F. SALMOND, D.D., and Professor C. A. BRIGGS, D.D. &^ ' A valuable and much needed addition to the theological literature of the Euglish- speiikiug nations.' — Academy. 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Kejulers will peruse with pleasure his treatment of the leading characteristics of the Gosjiel.' 8) The Scotsman says: ' In every way worthy of the series which was so well com- menced [in the IS'ew 'J'ostamerit] with the admirable commentary on tlio Itoinana by Dr. Sanday and ilr. lioadlam.' 9) The Kxposilory Tiincs siiya : 'There is no w' of the Old Testament. His contributions are the chief ornaments and treasure-stores of the Dictionary. . . . We are very conscious of having done most inadequate justice to this very valuable book. Perhaps, however, enough has been said to show our great sense of its worth. It is a Iwok that one is siiro to be turning to again and again with increased conlldence and gratitude. It will lie an evil omen for the Church if ministers do not come forward to make the best of the opportunity now i>reseiited them.' — Ei>itou, l!rili.'f the teaching of Jesus, which after twenty-five years is still unsurpassed.' — Piritish Weekly. ' A great bor)k. full of suggestion and savour. It should be the companion df tlio minister.' — Mr. Sitkokon in Sirord and Travel. ' That minister who has not read " Tlie Training of the Twelve " bntrays an imlifTer- ence to modern thought which is unimrdouablo.' — I'resideut 1Iai:i-kk in the JUhlical World. The Humiliatio n of Christ, in its Physical, Ethical, and OnTicinl Aspects. In demy 8vii, Fourth Edition, jirice 10s. 6d. ' These lectures are able and i(-reaehing to a degree not often found in tln« rcllL'iouH literature of the day; withal, they are fresh and suggestive. . . . The learning and tlin deeji and sweet spiritunlity of this discussion will commend it to niany faithftd students of the truth as it is in Jesus.' — Conffregalionalist . 'We have not for a long time met with a work so fresii nnd suggestive a.s tins of Professor Bruce. . . . Wo do not know where to look at our Knglish Universities for a treatise so calm, logical, ancl scholarly.' — llnglixh fiidrpnu/nii. T. & T. Clark's Publications. ANDREWS' LIFE OF CHRIST. The Life of our Lord upon the Earth: Considered in its Historical, Chronological, and Geographical Relations. By the Rev. Samuel J. Andrews. A New and Revised Edition (the only Authorised Edition in this Country). In demy 8vo, price 9s. *»* This book has long been an acknowledged authority with scholars and with the general public. In order to retain for it the rank it has gained, the author has undertaken a complete revision, having almost entirely rewritten the work in the light of recent researches. 'As a teacher's apparatus, I would recommend— (1) Andrews' Life of our Lord, an unpretentious but excellent book, in which the apologetic difficulties in the details of the life are treated with much candour and success.' — Kev, J. Stalker, D.D. The Incarnate Saviour. By W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., LL.D. A New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, price 3s. 6d. The late Canon Liddon: 'It commands my warm sympathy and admiration. 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CoNTKNTS: — Habits. — Keeping the Soul. — Holiness. — Growing. — Half-Hearfed. — Power, Love, and a Sound Mind. — Three Pictures. — The Christian Walk.— Earnest Living. — A Good Man. — The Friendship of Jesus. — Looking unto Josus.— Order of Service. 'A beautiful little volume, both in its form and in its contents. . . . We trust it will be largely circulated.' — United Presbyterian Magazine. 'These addresses have a most fascinating charm. Full of literary grace, spiritual insight, and moral elevation.' — Review of the Churches. Scenes from the Life of Jesus. Eoctures by Pastor E. Lkh.mann. In crown 8vu, price 3s. Gd. ' No one can read these lectures without gathering from them many holy and devotional thoughts.' — Ecclesiastical Gazette. ' There is in these lectures a tender sjTiipnthy, an. *.'■ ' •' ''\i^> -' i's^i.' '' ' ♦ V ■^^■^^■/"■■; ■.*■■ -'. 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