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 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 
 <nul<l, 320. I'rize Examinations and Competitions, 328. Free Church 
 of Scotland Guild, 329. German " Unions," 330. " Brother Houses " 
 330.
 
 CO^'TENTS. xm 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PAGES 
 
 The Pastou and the Childrln 332-3G1 
 
 The Siiiulay sc-huul ami tlie children, 332. Juuior Societies, 333. 
 The " Cliildreii's Hour," 334. The pa.stor'.s relation to the children, 334. 
 Catechists in tlie early church, 335. Decline of catechetical instruction, 
 337. Reasons wliy pastors sliould resume this work, 338. The rationale 
 of cateclietics, 338. Tiie basis of the instruction, 341. Classification of 
 catechumens, 342. Bishop Dupanloup's Treatise, 342. Cateclietics 
 among the Lutlicrans, 349. Among otiier American Christians, 351. 
 The Church rondi, 353. Chihlrcn's Day, 355. The I>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 \<y W. 11. ^\^ Stephens, in 
 Scliaff's oilition of Clirvsostoin's Works.
 
 12 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 pastoral function in accordance with that high theory. 
 About the same time appeared the treatise of Ambrose, 
 De Ojficiis Clcricorum^ and that of Eplu-aem Syrus, Be 
 Sacerdotio. In the middle of the next century appeared 
 the book De Pastorali Cura, the authorship of which was 
 ascribed to Leo the Great, and at the end of the sixth 
 century the Liber Pastoralis of Gregory the Great. All 
 these boolis take a high view of the pastoral functions. 
 The last named, which held the place of eminence as a 
 pastor's handbook for many centuries, which was trans- 
 lated during its author's lifetime into the Greek, and later 
 into English, and which was enjoined upon llie clergy of 
 the ancient church for constant use, speaks of the priest 
 as " ruler," and of his parishioners as " subjects." First, 
 it discusses the qualifications of a priest; then treats of 
 his manner of life in his pastorate, and finall}- gives spe- 
 cific directions respecting the methods of instruction to be 
 followed in dealing with different classes. 
 
 The Middle Ages furnished comparativel}' few treatises 
 of this nature ; as the emphasis uj)on the sacramental func- 
 tions of the church grew stronger, the need of the pastoral 
 function was minimized. Two notable treatises appeared, 
 however, in the middle centuries ; the first is that of the 
 illustrious Bernard of Clairvaux, Tractatns de Morihus ct 
 Officiis Clcricorum. It presents a glowing picture of the 
 true minister of Christ, and a stern denunciation of the 
 scandalous conduct of the unfaithful clerics of his time. 
 The second, which is like unto it, is by John Wiclif. — 
 Tractatus de Officio Pastorali. The first part of this dis- 
 courses of purity of life, and the second part of wholesome- 
 ness of doctrine. 
 
 For the most part, liowevcr, the cai'c of souls through- 
 out this period is largely identified \\\W\ the administra- 
 tion of tlie sacraments, including, of course, confessioii ami 
 absolution. 'V\\o manuals of the period lay great stress 
 upon celibacy, ecclesiastical vestments, and the recitation 
 of the divine ofTices. 
 
 Tlie Protestant lJcf(.rmation must needs Inve given a 
 great impulse to studies of this character. Luther wrote
 
 XNTRODUCTOKY 13 
 
 no consecutive treatise upon Pastonil Theology ; but some 
 of his counsels were gathered by Conrad Porta in his 
 Pastorale Luthcri. Zwingle's Voni Prcdi(jtamtc and Der 
 Hirt^ and portions of the fourth book of Calvin's ItLstitutio, 
 deal with various aspects of pastoral relation. From this 
 time forward the stream of this literature widens so rapidly 
 that we can only note a few of the more important treatises. 
 Tlie Parcencsis ad Ecclcsioi Ministros of Joh. Val. Andrea, 
 the Pia Dcsideria of Spener, the Moiiita Pastoralia of A. 
 II. Francke are German treatises of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury ; while the quaint Country Parson of George Herbert, 
 and the Pi,pformed Pastor of Richard Baxter, appearing in 
 the same century in England, are among the most precious 
 gifts that the church has received since the days of the 
 Apostles. 
 
 In the eighteenth century we have the treatise in Fi'cnch 
 of P. Roqucs, Le Pasteur Evangelique^ and in German the 
 Pastor al-thcolo(/ie of J. F. von Mosheim, and the Bcitriige 
 zur Pastoral-theolofjie of J. F. Jacobi ; along with one valu- 
 able handbook, presenting the subject from the Roman 
 Catholic point of view, the Vorlesungen ous der Pastoral- 
 theologie of J. M. Sailer. The rationalism of the eighteenth 
 century tended to cheapen the estimate of the minister's 
 calling, and some of the treatises which appeared toward 
 the end of that century reduced pastoral theology to its 
 lowest terms. Against the unspiritual conceptions then 
 current, the passionate protest of J. G. Herder, in his 
 ZiviJlf Provincial-blatter an Prediger, and his Briefc iibcr 
 das Studiiun der Thcologie^ was not altogether in vain. 
 Bishop Ijiirnct's Discourse of the Pastoral Care^ and 
 Girard's treatise entitled Pastoral Carc^ belong also to 
 this century ; and with them may be numbered Cotton 
 Mather's quaint Mannductio ad 3finisteriunl, or The Angrls 
 Preparing to Sound the Trnmjtds^ Avhich was republished 
 in Fngland, with an equall}^ quaint introduclion by John 
 Ryland, addressed "To the (ientlenien and other several 
 Christians in London and the Country wlio have the Cause 
 of Christ and tlie Honour of the Christian MinistiT at 
 Heart."
 
 14 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 At the beginning of the present century, Friedrich 
 Schleiermacher gave to the general subject of Practical 
 Theoloo-}^ its first scientific exposition. In his Outlines 
 of Theological Study, he treated this branch of theology as 
 the culmination and crown of the theologic encyclopicdia. 
 The advent of the nineteenth century strikes the hour 
 of the utilities ; and the studies which bear directly upon 
 the activities of the church are exalted to a rank which has 
 not before been given them. Of this tendency of thought 
 Schleiermacher, who is pastor as well as professor, is the 
 protagonist. It is not, however, to be wholly a question 
 of utility, for Philip Marheinecke in his Entwurf der 
 jjraJctischen Theologie will have us consider it from the stand- 
 point of speculative philosophy, and Clans Harms in his 
 Fastoral-theologic will enforce it upon us with the warmth 
 of a most fervid piety. Other German works of this cen- 
 tury are Karl Immanuel Nitzsch's Praktischc TJicologic, 
 ¥. L. Steinmeyer's Beitrdge zur Prahtischcn Theologie, Tlieo- 
 dosius Harnack's Pralctische Theologie, and Johann Tobias 
 Beck's Pastorallehren. 
 
 The French writer whose work on this subject has be- 
 come a classic is Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet, the Lausanne 
 professor, whose Theologie pastorale, ou thcorie du ministire 
 evangclique, has been translated into English and German. 
 Tlie perspicuous style, the just discrimination and the evan- 
 gelical spirit of Vinet are worthy of all praise. Vinet is at 
 the farthest remove from sacerdotalism ; the minislrr in liis 
 view is a priest only as all believers are priests ; his author- 
 ity is only that of knowledge and character. Sui)plenu'nted 
 by his Homilclique oil theorie de la iwcdication, and liis Jlis- 
 toire dc la predieation 2'>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 f<mr divisions of lIoniih>tics, 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<i^ in the way 
 of the Lord,^ before he came under the tuition of Aquila 
 and Priscilla ; and Theophilus had received the same kind 
 of " instruction." ^ Naturally, all who sought to connect 
 themselves with the groups of disciples must have re- 
 ceived, from intelligent and competent leaders, some such 
 tuition. There is, however, no clear trace of classes or 
 methods until the third or fourth century ; then we lind 
 the converts organized for instruction ; and two classes 
 distinctly appear. First are the " Audientes," who are 
 receiving instruction in the rudiments of religious truth, 
 and who are permitted to be present in the church wlu-n 
 the Scriptures are read and the sermon is preached, but 
 who are excluded when the liturgical worship is in pro- 
 gress. It is not in order fnr tliem to hear the Creed or 
 the Lord's Prayer in the church, or to witness the adminis- 
 tration of the Lord's Supper.* After they have received 
 a proper amount of instruction they advance into the class 
 of " Competentes,"' and the Creed, tlie nature of the sacra- 
 ments, and the penitential rites of the churcli, are ex- 
 j)lained to them. This was the stage of preparation which 
 immediately preceded l)aptism ; it continued forty days, 
 during whicli a severely ascetic regimen w as prescribed. 
 
 1 1 Cor. xiv. i;) ; (uil. vl. G. 
 
 2 Acts xviii. 25. 
 
 3 T.iikc i. 4. 
 
 * Const. A/iosf., viii. ,'■>.
 
 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, an<l its increase 
 was obtained by tlie birth and baptism of children rather 
 than by conversions from heathendom, the idea of catechet- 
 ical instruction passed from lieing that of a prejiaration 
 for baptism to being that of a culture of l)aptized cliildien. 
 When confirmation became general, catechetical instruc- 
 tion began to iiear the same relation to it tlini it li;i<l 
 formerly done to l»njitism. In the missions to licathens 
 in the Middle Ages, it became usual (o liaptizc converts
 
 INTRODUCTORY 19 
 
 at once, and the ancient cateclmmenate fell into disuse. 
 Nor was great attention given to the catechising of bap- 
 tized children in the Roman Church up to the time of 
 the Reformation: the confessional took the place of the 
 Catechism." ^ Nevertheless something was done through 
 all this period for the systematic instruction of the young ; 
 Charlemagne, in one of his Capitularies, admonishes the 
 bishops that their priests must be required to attend to 
 this duty ; and the names of Bruno, Bishop of Wiirzburg, 
 and Huo'o of St. Victor, are to be mentioned as those who 
 were zealous for the restoration of catechetical instruction. 
 Chancellor John Gerson, of the University of Paris, was 
 the author of a tract De Parvulis ad Christum Trahendis ; 
 but the subjects for which this instruction was intended 
 were young men rather than young children. 
 
 The Reformation brought about a great revival in the 
 religious training of children. The appeal to private 
 judgment demanded an instructed judgment. Luther was 
 the leader in this enterprise ; his Catechisms, Larger and 
 Smaller, which appeared in 1529, are still the standards of 
 the Lutheran Church in all parts of the world. The title 
 of the latter in 3rd edition is Enchiridion : Dcr Klcine 
 Catechismus fiXr die gemeine Pfarher und Predigcr^ 1529. 
 Thj Decalogue, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and 
 the Sacraments are the principal themes of Luther's 
 Catechisms. 
 
 Calvin also prepared a Catechism for the Church of 
 Geneva, which was published in VyZ~ under the title. 
 Instruction & Confession de Foy dont on use en Vl^glisc de 
 Genhe^ in 1538 in Latin, revised 1545, and translated into 
 English in 1508. The themes of this Catechism arc tlie 
 Decalogue, tlie Apostles' Creed, and the T^ord's Prayer; 
 after which follow brief chapters on the Bible and the 
 Sacraments. 
 
 One of the most influential of the Catechisms is that 
 known as tlie Heidelberg Catechism, which was i)ublislicd 
 ill the city whose name it bears in 15(13. Its f)riginal Ger- 
 man title is Catechismus, odcr Christlivhrr Undcrriclit wic 
 
 ^ McClintock niid Strong's C;/clopirdia, Art. Catix/ietics.
 
 20 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORIONG CHURCH 
 
 der in Kirchen unci Schulen der Churfilrstlichen Pfalz 
 getrichcn wirdt, Gedrucid in der Churfurstlichen Stad 
 HcydMerg. The Catechism was mainly the work of the 
 famous Zachaiy Ursinus, aided by Caspar Olevianus, a\1io 
 was then court preacher to the Elector of the Palatinate, 
 Frederick III. It was under the patronage of this Protes- 
 tant prince that the work was undertaken ; a synod of the 
 superintendents of the Palatinate approved it in 1562, and 
 it was at once by command of the Elector made the doc- 
 trinal standard of the Reformed Church in his dominions. 
 The Synod of Dort adopted it in 1618 ; for the German 
 and Dutch Reformed Churches it lias always been the 
 authoritative confession. The three parts into which the 
 instruction is divided are : 1. The jNIisery of Man ; 2. The 
 Redemption of jNIan ; 3. The Gratitude due from ]\lan 
 to God, — under which are included our moral obligations. 
 
 The Catechism of the English Church appears in the 
 Prayer Book of 1549 under the title Confirmation ivkercin 
 is contained a Catechism for Children. In its final revision 
 in 1661 it is entitled A Catechism. The language is evi- 
 dently adapted to the use of young children. The fift}^- 
 ninth canon of the English Church requires every parson, 
 vicar, or curate, upon every Sunday and holida}^ before 
 evenino- prayer, for half an hour or more, to examine and 
 instruct the youth and ignorant persons of his parish in 
 this Catechism, commanding all fathers, mothers, masters, 
 and mistresses to bring their children or wards to this 
 service, and prescribing heavy piimllii'S i\>v 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)lislic<l, cntilleil TItc C/iuich ami tin; Kingdom. 
 2 Encyc. Brit., Art. Iiiolo(jij,
 
 THK CHFRCH 43 
 
 Thus in the lower orders of sentient creatures the ner- 
 vous system is diffused through the living mass, or dis- 
 tributed over its surface ; but as the creatures rise in the 
 scale, the nerves are gathered into knots or ganglions, and 
 their function is gradually separated until in the vertebrates, 
 and especially in man, you lind the brain, a great central 
 organ, safely housed in a strong cavity made for its pro- 
 tection, whence it moves and directs the whole body. The 
 separation and specialization of the nervous function does 
 not make the human body as a whole less sensitive or less 
 responsive to nervous action than the bodies of the snails 
 and the worms ; the contrary is the fact. By concentra- 
 tion the nervous force is increased and intensitied. 
 
 In the same manner, as society advances, the different 
 social functions are specialized ; this is likely to be more 
 and more the case. And although religion ought to per- 
 vade and govern the whole of society, just as the nervous 
 system pervades and governs the human body, yet religion, 
 for this very reason, needs to be sj^ecialized in institu- 
 tions of its owm, as the brain is specialized and localized 
 in the human body. It is thus that it gains power to move 
 and direct human society. 
 
 This illustration may suggest to us the relation between 
 the church and the Kins['dom of Heaven. Tlie Kino-dom 
 of Heaven is the entire social organism in its ideal perfec- 
 tion ; the church is one of the organs, — the most central 
 and important of them all, — having much the same rela- 
 tion to Christian society that the brain lias to the body. 
 The body is not all brain, but the brain is the seat of 
 thouglit and feeling and motion. A body without a brain 
 could not be a very effective instrument of the mind ; 
 society, without those specialized religious functions which 
 are gather(-'(l up in the churcli, would not very readily re- 
 ceive and incarnate and distribufc the gifts of the S])irit 
 of God. 
 
 And yet the brain is of usi; only as it fniiiishrs to all 
 the other organs and parts of tlie body feeling and motion. 
 It must make the eye sensitive to light, the tongue to 
 flavors, the ear to sound, the hands and Irct lo the Nolitions
 
 44 CHRISTIAN PASTOR, AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 of the will wliicli set them in motion. The brain is in one 
 sense the master, in another sense the servant of the whole 
 body. It lielps to co-ordinate all the physical powers, and 
 it supplies them all with the conditions by means of which 
 their work is done. Suppose that the brain undertook to 
 set up housekeeping on its own account ; to look out for it- 
 self, and have little relation to the other parts of the body ; 
 to assume that the brain was the man, and that, so long as 
 the brain was well developed, it mattered little about the 
 other parts of the human economy. Is it not evident that 
 any separation of the brain from the rest of the body 
 would kill the brain as well as the rest of the body ? The 
 life and health of the brain are found only in ministering 
 to the whole body. 
 
 In the same way is the church related to all the other 
 parts of human society. Its life is in their life ; it cannot 
 live apart from them ; it lives by what it gives to them ; it 
 has neither meaning nor justilication, except in what it 
 does to vitalize and spiritualize business and politics and 
 amusement and art and literature and education and 
 every other interest of society. The moment it draws 
 apart and tries to set up a snug little ecclesiasticism with 
 interests of its own, and a cultus all its own, and stan- 
 dards and sentiments of its own, and enjoyments of its 
 own, — the moment it begins to teach men to be religious 
 just for the sake of being religious, — that moment it 
 becomes dead and accursed ; it is worse than useless ; it is a 
 bane and a l)light to all the society in which it stands. 
 
 These illustrations may enable us to see what are tlie 
 true relations of the church to the Kingdom of (Jod. And 
 they will point out two errors, of an exactly op])osite 
 nature, both of wliich are too prevalent. 
 
 The first error is that of tliose to whom Christianity is 
 churcliism ; those who separate tlic church fioiii tlu; rest 
 of th(; world, and give their whole time and strength to 
 exalting it, and l)uihling it uj), caring little or uofliing for 
 tlie otlier departments of life ; not wishing, or at any rate 
 not trying, to establisli any vital relations between it and 
 those interests wliich men call secular. To tliese persons
 
 THE CHURCH 45 
 
 tlie church is not a means to an end, but it is an end 
 in itself. The church is not the channel through A\hich 
 the life of God flows into the world ; it is the reservoir 
 into which the tribute of the world is to flow for the 
 honor of God. Humanity exists for the church, not the 
 church for humanity. The great object is to make men 
 into good churclimeii, not to train cluirchnien to be good 
 men. 
 
 The other error is that of those who think that, because 
 it is the office of religion to mingle with and sanctify 
 every department of human life, therefore there is no 
 need that we should have any separate institutions of 
 religion. This is much as if one should say, " Because 
 we want the nervous influence diffused through every part 
 of the human body, therefore we do not want any brain.'' 
 This does not appear to be good philosophy. Is there not 
 the same need of separate organs for the development and 
 manifestation of the spiritual life in the social organism, 
 that there is for the concentration and diffusion of nervous 
 influence in the physical organism ? They are not wise 
 who disparage the function of the church, or imagine that 
 we are likely to outgrow it, as we go on toward social per- 
 fection. We are just as likely to do without it as we are 
 likely, in our ascent toward intellectual perfection, to dis- 
 pense with 1>rains, 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;ii<l lli;it they did not understand it. it is to Ijc 
 feared that it has been very imperfectl}^ understood by 
 u'.any who have come after them. The Master's words 
 suggest a close and sacred friendship l)etween the slicp- 
 lierd and his flock. lie calls them, and tliey know his 
 voice. His relation to them is not merely that of teacher 
 with pupil nor of master Avith servant, but of friend with 
 friend. A largo part of his wnvk uihohl;' ihciii is (( 
 
 h) DC 
 
 ^ Oflhr Pastoral Care, in The Clcriji/inru's Itislrurliir. j). 92. 
 - .luliii X. 1 1, 1.'). '-' .IkIiii X. 3-5.
 
 62 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 wrought througli familiar association and personal influ- 
 ence. His chief function Is that of teacher; but their 
 love for him becomes the solvent and the medium of the 
 truth which he imparts. " We can sum up the fundamen- 
 tal idea of the ministry of the church at the present da}' in 
 the conception of the scriptural TroL^irjv. ' Shepherd ' brings 
 out the idea of pre-eminence above the rest of the church, 
 the dignity of the position, but at the same time it brings 
 out also its aspect of duty^ the obligation which he owes 
 to the church, and his responsibility to the Lord of the 
 Cliurch ; moreover, both aspects, that of dignity and that 
 of duty, are seen united in the shepherd by the tenderest 
 bond, the bond of love or of mutual attacliment. The 
 shepherd's dignity is not one of lordly command, but of 
 benevolent guidance ; the shepherd's duty is not one of 
 servile herding and hireling labor, but of cherisliing and 
 tendinsf." ^ 
 
 It has just been said that the title of priest was ill- 
 naturedly applied to the pastors of New England by those 
 who did not love them. The word imputed to them the 
 habit of assuming sacerdotal functions, the tendency to be 
 lords over God's heritage. Doubtless the imputation bore 
 some color of truth. The New England ministers at one 
 time had more power than was good for them, and tliey 
 were only men. There is no better opening for a poj)e 
 than the Congregational system offers to a strong man in 
 a church composed of weak or ignorant members. Never- 
 theless, the sacerdotal assumptions of these pastors were 
 openly at war with their own theory of the ministry. By 
 that theory the minister is the servant of his ])eople; from 
 them his oHicc is derived; he has no si)iritu;il rights and 
 powers that are not shared by the liumblest member of liis 
 flock. Whatever of clerical authority or extra-human 
 agency the word " priest " conn()t(>s 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 <if ])riests. The author of (he 
 Epistle to the Hebrews sliows tliat there is a liigher i)ries(- 
 hood than that which is ollicial or ecclesiastical ; a j)riest- 
 hood like tliat of Melcliisedec ; a i)ricsthood whose l)asis is 
 hioh and l)eni[jn character. There are ja-iesLs who are made, 
 
 ' Xo.iikUt, AUgemcine Ceschichtc dcr christlichrii Ii'ilii/imi mid Kirclu , XkA. 
 1. p. 177.
 
 60 CHRISTD\2? PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 "not after the law of a carnal commandment " (for so tlio 
 sacred writer characterizes the Levitical ecclesiasticism), 
 "but after the power of an endless life," the eternal life, 
 whose elements are righteousness and peace and joy in the 
 Holy Ghost. Every good man, in whom the life of God is 
 dwelling, through whom the love of God is manifested, is 
 in the Christian sense of the word a priest ; he has a work 
 of reconciliation to do; he is called to reconcile men to 
 themselves and to one another, and to God. Men are 
 often at war with themselves; the law in the members 
 fights aofainst the law in the mind ; there is need of the 
 comuuniication to them of a larger life in which these con- 
 tradictions and conflicts shall be reconciled. So also are 
 they at strife with one another, and the good offices of a days- 
 man are needed to bring them together. So also are they 
 estranged from tlieir Father in heaven, and in deepest need 
 of being led back to him in the ways of trustful reverence 
 and obedience. Here, now, is a work of mediation in 
 which men can help one another. It is for this work that 
 Christians are made priests unto God. But this is no 
 official function ; it is wrought l)y influences which are 
 purely spiritual; it is the love of God, shed abroad in the 
 good man's heart, incarnated in his life, which gives liini 
 the power to do this work. 
 
 Tliere is also a Christian priesthood of sympathy. We 
 are permitted to bear one another's burdens bcith of sin and 
 of sorrow. The guilt of my shi no in;ui can share, but the 
 misery of it, the shame of it, my brother may share. And 
 in all our cares and conflicts and woes the symi)athy of 
 those in whom we love and confide is often a great allevia- 
 tion. 'J'he l)cst offices of the Roman confessional have 
 been wrought tln-ough tliis power of symi)atby. When 
 the priest is a wise and large-hearted man, liis words of 
 gentle consideration and firm counsel are often the very 
 words of life. Uiit it is not the oflicialism of liis counsel 
 iliai makes it efficacious: it is tlie truth and h)ve of God 
 that an^ in it. 
 
 To this sjjii'itnal pricstliood, t his i^rirstliood of Clu'istly 
 character, tlie pastor is certainly called. The ministry of
 
 THE PASTOR 61 
 
 reconciliation, the ministry of sympathy, will enlist his 
 highest powers. No matter what view he may take of his 
 office, the real value of his service to liis people will be 
 found in his personal and spiritual, rather than in his 
 formal and ecclesiastical relations to them. I lis usefulness 
 among them will be due not to any powers by which he is 
 elevated above them or separated from them, but to a char- 
 acter which in the fullest sense he shares with them. He 
 is the servant of a Master whose work for his disciples 
 is done, not by being made unlike his brethren, but by 
 becominof identified with them. If the mind of Christ 
 is in him, his word ^ill be with power, no matter how 
 little claim he may make to superior dignity. If that 
 character is wanting to him, the attribution of priestly 
 rank will not add anything essential to his influence. It 
 was said of our Master, that when he had iinished his 
 Sermon on the ]\Iount, " the multitudes were astonished at 
 his teaching, for he taught them as one having author- 
 ity, and not as the scribes." ^ The one thing that the 
 people knew about him was that lie did not speak officially • 
 there was no ecclesiasticism behind him to give weight to 
 his words, and yet there was an authority in them Avhich 
 they had never felt before. His ministry, in all its phases, 
 derived its eificacy, not from the law of a carnal command- 
 ment, but from the power of an endless life. And the 
 ministry of every true pastor will draw its power from the 
 same source. 
 
 Tliis brings us to the consideration of the question of the 
 pastoral rule over the flock. What shall be said of his 
 governmental prerogatives? H he lias no sacerdotal func- 
 tions, can we aflirm that he has no power as a ruler to 
 direct the conduct of those under his charge? Words of 
 the apostles are supposed to imi»ly ])astoral authorily: 
 " Oljey them that have the rule over you, and submit to 
 them; for tliey watcli in bclialf of your souls, as they tliat 
 shall give account." - '' Likewise, ye younger, ])0 subject 
 unto tlie ('ld(>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'ifie<l l)y means of "getting to know on :ill (lie subjects 
 which most concern us, the best wbicli has been thought 
 and said in the world, and throu'di ihis knowledjxe turn-
 
 96 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 inof a stream of fresh and free thouo-ht on all our stock 
 notions and habits." ^ The best that has been thought and 
 said in the world is to be found in books, in sermons and 
 essays, in history and biography, in liction and poetry. 
 Much of this literature is, of course, worthless ; all of it 
 must be studied with a discriminating mind ; but it should 
 not be difficult for the scribe instructed unto the kingdom 
 of heaven to select out of all that has been said in the world 
 something of the best, that it may turn " a stream of fresh 
 and free thought " upon the facts collected in his own 
 investigations. The great poets, the great novelists are 
 always dealing with these very facts and tendencies of 
 character ; the essayists have left us the results of their 
 thinking on the same themes, and the preachers of many 
 generations are ready to show us how they have grappled 
 with the problems that are confronting us. 
 
 Best of all books for the pastor are the good biogra- 
 phies. The good ones, mark ; there is nothing worse than 
 a bad one. Many successful pastors bear testimony that 
 they have found more stimulus in books of this class than 
 in any other kind of literature. Now, as always, life is 
 the light of men. The life of Christ, incarnated in the 
 lives of his bravest and best servants, is full of inspiration. 
 The lives of Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius, Savonarola, 
 Colet, Thomas More, Luther, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas 
 Arnold, Thomas Chalmers, Frederick Robertson, Charles 
 Kingsley, Norman McLeod, Frederick Denison Maurice, 
 Dorothy Pattison, Horace Bushnell, will always be found 
 profitable for teacliing, for reproof, for correction, for 
 instruction in righteousness. 
 
 Tliat studies of tliis nature will be most useful in tlic 
 working pastor is obvious enough. An artist perfects 
 himself in liis art Ijy making liimscdf familiar with nature, 
 and with the b(\st tliat has been done in his own dej)ai"t- 
 ment of art. The painter studit's nature and tlie l)est 
 paintings; the poet studies natun^ and the masterpieces 
 of literature; the musician studies loims of natural melody 
 and the Avorks of the best musicians. What they all crave 
 
 1 Culture and Anarch i/. Preface, p. xi.
 
 Tin: I'ASTdK IX Ills STUDV *.I7 
 
 is tlie power to convey the beauty of the worhl to other 
 iiuiids, and they study the works and the words in which 
 this beauty has been expressed. Beneath all these arts 
 there are deep questions of philosophy, of metaphysics ; 
 the artist may be interested in these questions, but his 
 power and success as an artist depend in no great degree 
 upon his ability to answer them. Poetry rests on meta- 
 physics, painting on i)erspective, music on mathematics, 
 but it is not by digging among these roots that a man be- 
 comes an artist. Ai't is one thing, philosophy is another 
 and perhaps a higher thing ; but it is rather dilficidt for 
 a man to excel in both. 
 
 Is there not, in this analogy, some instruction for min- 
 isters ? Might not the minister have too much ambition 
 to be a philosopher, and too little care for the equipment 
 which shall lit him for his calling ? It is not so much the 
 solution of the fundamental problems of existence as the 
 shaping of human character that is his proper task ; and 
 therefore the actual working of the spiritual laws in the 
 lives of men will be his chief concern, rather than the 
 ontological problems which underlie all existence. If this 
 is true, then literature, which deals directly with life, will 
 give him more practical hcl]) tlian ])liilosop]iv, which deals 
 with origins. 
 
 All that lias ])(*en said about the studies of the ininisttT 
 has been intended to throw light upon the (piestion re- 
 specting his use of the Bible. That this l)ook, above all 
 otliers, will be the subject of his study, needs scarcely to 
 l)e urged upon these pages. .Aiilliinjjology does not de})end 
 on it, but Soteriolog}^ does. No revelation was needed to 
 show that man is a sinner; but a revelation is needed to 
 tell him of a Saviour. And no other book l)ut the IJibU' 
 brings to him this clear knowledge. All that the min- 
 ister knows about that Christ whose name lie bears, whose 
 gospel he jn'oclaims, whos(! life he tries to cxcnq)lifv, is 
 contained in this precious l)o(>k. '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(»<jni/.c'S the fact of 
 Iniman frecMlimi. \\lii( li iiicliiiles the facts of historical 
 Christianity and stutUcs the acdial working in the world 
 of the Chiistian morality, will lurnish a |)ronf of the 
 truth of ( 'hiistianitv which no caviller can gainsay. Such
 
 102 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 studies have a great apologetic value. They show that 
 Christianity has never yet been fairly tried anywhere in 
 the world; but they indicate by cumulative evidence 
 that the partial trials which have been made of it prove 
 it to be the only social rule that will bring peace and 
 good-will, with happiness and plenty. The minister who 
 does not know this is not thoroughly furnished for 
 his work as a Christian teacher. The fact is one that 
 vitally concerns his people ; it is the one fact which they 
 ouQfht to recosrnize in all their conduct. The work of 
 the church, in its largest sense, is the enforcement of 
 this truth. The Christianization of society, in all its parts 
 and organs, is the high calling of the church. How any 
 minister can properl}^ guide his people in this work with- 
 out faithfully studying the conditions of the society in 
 the midst of which he is living it would be difficult to 
 explain. 
 
 Of course this study will involve some familiarity with 
 political and economic science, for the kingdom of heaven 
 rules in every department of society. But so far as politi- 
 cal science is divorced from ethics and becomes a mere 
 consideration of expediencies, and so far as economics 
 confines itself merely to material interests, and leaves 
 out of sight the larger interests of humanity, the minister 
 of tlie Gospel has no concern with either of them. It is 
 a question whether sciences which undertake such a frac- 
 tional investigation of human life have value for any one ; 
 but if any one can find profit in studying them let l)im 
 do so; tlie Christian minister has other and more im- 
 portant Imsiness. When he studies social questions, his 
 sole interest in tliem is found in their relation to the 
 facts of the spiritual realm. What lie seeks to know 
 is the effect of social conditions upon character — the 
 character of individuals and of tlic social organism. That 
 the character of every man is dce])ly and constantly af- 
 fected by the society in the midst of which lie lives, we 
 have seen already; liow can the minister of (^.hrist, whose 
 high calling respects only the values of character, be 
 unmindful of those social forces which so powerfully
 
 THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY l03 
 
 tend to shape the characters of the men and women to 
 whom he ministers? 
 
 So long as the old individualistic philosophy prevails it 
 is possible to think of saving men as separate souls, with- 
 out paying any regard to the social order. But as soon 
 as the conception of society as an organism enters the 
 mind, — as soon as it becomes evident that we are indeed 
 members one of another, — then the attempt to fence 
 off religion into a department by itself becomes manifestly 
 absurd. The question whether any individual is living 
 rightly, — whether he is saved, in fact, — can be an- 
 swered only by considering how his life affects the society 
 iu which he lives. If his life is a savor of death unto 
 death to those with whom he associates, it is idle to talk 
 of him as a "saved" man. The distinctive quality of 
 the saved is their power of saving the society in which 
 they live. They are the salt of the earth. But in order 
 to know whether his life rightly affects the society in 
 which lie lives, we must have some clear conception of 
 what that society ought to be. The separation of spiritual 
 problems from social problems is, therefore, a most mis- 
 chievous l)usiness ; it rends asunder what God has joined 
 together; it can only result in sterilizing religion and 
 in demoralizing society. That is a painful story which 
 tells us of the rise in the early church of those purely 
 theological distinctions by which this separation was 
 effected. A failure to comprehend the true doctrine of 
 the Incarnation lies at the root of it all. The faith for 
 which Athanasius stood against the world would never 
 have given room to this deadly heresy. We have no 
 time to study the origin of that " princii)le of dualism 
 which sanctioned the divorce between the human and 
 the divine, the secular and the religious, the body and 
 the spirit." But we shall hud, if we look into the mattt^r, 
 that, in the language of anotlier, it "runs tlirough all (he 
 institutions of tlie Middle Ages, affecting not only the 
 religious experience, but the political and socinl life of 
 Christendom. As a theological principle it underlies as- 
 ceticism in all its forms; it rreat(^s and enforces the
 
 104 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 distinction between sacred and profane things, holy days 
 and common days, between the clergy and the people, 
 the church and the world, the pope and the emperor, the 
 city of God and the city of man. As a theological princi- 
 ple it reigned supreme from the time of Augustine till 
 the age of the Ileformation," ^ If, since the Reformation, 
 its reign has not been unchallenged, it is still able to 
 affect very powerfully the thought and the conduct of 
 many of the stanchest of the Reformers. And it is not 
 difficult to see that the whole evangelistic work of the 
 church has been paralyzed by this unnatural bisection 
 of human life. No valuable work can be done for the 
 individual which does not keep constantly in mind his 
 social relations. 
 
 It may be said that the minister should study sociology, 
 indeed, but only Christian Sociology ; that he has no use 
 for merely scientific sociology. Here, again, the old dual- 
 ism crops out. It is assumed that there is a sociology 
 which is scientific, which is anti-Christian or non-Christian. 
 But sociology is the science of society. As such it ought 
 to be able to formulate for us the law of the best human 
 society. But it does so simply by collecting and com- 
 paring all the facts and tendencies, and drawing from them 
 the proper inferences. Much social science, so-called, fails, 
 like many other attempts at science, of being truly scien- 
 tific, because it either overlooks, or does not ])roperly esti- 
 mate some of the facts of the social order. Thus Mr. Kidd, 
 in his stimulating l)Ook on " Social Evolution " has pointed 
 out to the sociologists that they have wholly failed to make 
 due account of the one capital fact in llie development of 
 Western Civilization. There may therefoi'C be works treat- 
 ing of social science which would not be profitable read- 
 ing for any minister of the (Jospel, because they eitlier 
 carelessly or dogmatically exclude some of tlie ruling ideas 
 or elements of modern society. But the true objection 
 to these books is not that they are not Christian, but that 
 they are not scientifn'. Tlic genuinely scientific sociology, 
 which includes ;ill tlie id(>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<folofjie Pastomir, pp. 169, 170. - //./,/., 170. 
 
 8 The Country Parson, i'li;\[). iii.
 
 116 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 example in their trades and their domestic life, as Ober- 
 lin and Felix Neff did, is one question. Doubtless this 
 is one of the duties of many a missionary; and it may 
 easily be that practical skill of this kind would often add 
 to the influence of ministers on the frontiers, and in the 
 rural parishes. Nevertheless, the counsel of Vinet is sound, 
 as a general rule, that the minister had better not try to 
 be a jack at all trades ; his function is that of the spiritual 
 leader, and not the business counsellor. 
 
 What Herbert says respecting the value of such prac- 
 tical knowledge for purposes of illustration is obvious 
 enough. Analogies are not always proofs, but they help 
 wonderfully to let in the light. None who sit at the feet 
 of the great Teacher will fail to understand this. The 
 common men who listened to Jesus were astonished at his 
 doctrine, because he showed them the truth of the spirit 
 mirrored in the life with which they were familiar. But 
 the minister's business is not only to find proofs of spiritual 
 law in the natural world, it is also his business to make 
 the spiritual law regnant in the natural w'orld ; to show 
 how all the realms of life must be brought under the domi- 
 nation of the principles of Christianity; and if this is his 
 task the kind of separation for which Vinet, in some of the 
 sentences above, seems to be pleading is not possible. And 
 yet what Vinet has said al)out specialization contains a 
 truth, as we have seen.^ The confusion of the thourrht 
 arises from the failure to distinguish between specializa- 
 tion and separation, in the inability to see that the special- 
 ization of functions does not imply any separation of life^ 
 but rather a vital union with each other of the parts thus 
 specialized. The organic conception of society clears up 
 all these confusions. One cannot, in these days, be " solely 
 a Christian and a minister," any more than the liaiid can 
 be solely a hand, or the eye solely an eye. 'Hie life of tlie 
 body is in all the organs of the body; and each of lliem 
 ministers to all tlie rest, and finds its life and its lieaUh in 
 tlie life and health of the whole. All (his, Vinet him- 
 self did not fail to see, for in other sentences following 
 
 1 Chap. ii.
 
 PULPIT AND ALTAR 117 
 
 those quoted he states with much clearness the essential 
 truths for which we are here contending. " In short," he 
 says, " let us not condemn beforehand all extension of the 
 ministry, nor undertake to define its limit ; we think that, 
 when the times call for it, it is capable of an indt-finite 
 extension; but these times have their signs which it is 
 necessary to attend to and understand." ^ And again, in a 
 student's report of a later lecture of Vinet ai)pended to 
 Sldnner's translation of the Theologic Pastorale, is this 
 weighty counsel : " In a wider sense we may say that the- 
 ology attracts all to itself, that it subordinates to itself all 
 the sciences, and receives from them their tribute. And 
 without disputing as to the word ' theology,' consider that 
 there is not a development of the human mind which does 
 not either benefit or injure religion. As it borders on every- 
 thing so everything borders on it. It must embrace all 
 life, under penalty, if it does not, of being banished from it. 
 This is true now more than ever. Our time, notwithstand- 
 ing its chaotic aspects, is still a time of organization. 
 Piety only can organize the world, and to he organized the 
 vjorld must he known. Preaching, accordingly, that of the 
 world and of books, must undergo some modification. The 
 minister must know many things, not to be cumbered by 
 them, but to serve himself of them with reference to the 
 one thing needful. The more we sift everything, the more 
 we shall be able to bring into captivity every thought to 
 the obedience of Christ. The great awakenings have all 
 been promoted by science. The Reformers were the learned 
 men of their ago. Unenlightened men have never suc- 
 ceeded in anything."^ 
 
 Here, surely, is the gist of the whole matter. We need 
 ask for the pul})it no wider scope tlian that which Vinet 
 JK-rc concedes to it. We must not say that all truth comes 
 within the proper purview of the })reachcr. 'I'here are 
 whole realms of science and art and industry and finance 
 with wliicli lu! is not called directly to deal ; lie is not 
 connuissioued to investigate the properties and laws of 
 
 ' Cli.-xp. ii. ]). i::i. 
 
 '•* Tlnfoloijic I'astoral) , Skinmr'w triiiisliilioii, p. l'J2.
 
 118 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 matter, nor to teach men how to plough or weave or build ; 
 it is only when these interests and occupations come into 
 direct relation to the interests of character that he has any 
 concern with them. He has no call to instruct the manu- 
 facturer as to what kind of machinery he shall put into his 
 mill ; but he has a very loud call to stud}- the human rela- 
 tions which exist between the manufacturer and his men, 
 because in these relations character is deeply affected on 
 both sides, and the interests of the Kingxlom are vitally 
 concerned. 
 
 As emphasizing the prophetic remark of the French 
 teacher quoted above, respecting the extension of the min- 
 istry for which the times may call, take these serious words 
 of one who lately fell, greatly lamented, upon the threshold 
 of his work as a teacher of teachers : " Industrial changes, 
 added to the change of population, have modified our social 
 customs, individual habits, ways of thought. The frame- 
 work of society is subtly altered. Interests are isolated, 
 men have grown apart, a common feeling is lost, mutual 
 indifference succeeds, classes are strongly marked and 
 separated. The sim})le conditions of the past are gone ; 
 relations grow strained ; new social problems arise ; ethical 
 questions become multiplied and complex. Differences in 
 thought and life growing out of differences of inheritance, 
 birth, training, and association are not lightly overcome. 
 Men misunderstand one another, and a common standard 
 is lost. . . . The church cannot remain untouched by these 
 changes all around her ; she must hear and heed the call 
 of each new occasion. If her members grow lethargic, it is 
 the pastor's task to awaken them, and set more clearly be- 
 fore their eyes the duties of to-day. In each cominunity, 
 along all lines of modern movement, in society, business, 
 politics, the highest Christian principle, as already under- 
 stood, needs to be made effective an<l paramount by the 
 influence of an aroused, united chui'ch. Religious prob- 
 lems, also more complex than in other days, demand for 
 their solution larger intelligence and charity, sympatliy 
 and patience. Tlic divei'se elements in ever}'' church, :ill 
 ages and all classes, must be not simply harmonized, Init
 
 PULPIT AND ALTAR 119 
 
 lifted into some broader union, knit together as members 
 of one body, by diverse yet mutual service. Oiganization, 
 so potent a factor in all our Avork to-day, must be extended 
 here, and informed with life, until the church has brought 
 her special blessing near the whole community and home 
 to every heart.^ 
 
 Having thus determined what the general trend of the 
 minister's teaching must be, we may attend to certain prac- 
 tical questions concerning liis administration of the truth. 
 
 Whether and to what extent questions of casuistry 
 should be discussed in the pulpit is an interesting inquiry. 
 That the pulpit should clearly inculcate the principles of 
 good conduct is unquestioned. " Let the business of your 
 sermons be," says Jeremy Taylor, " to preach holy life, 
 obedience, peace, love among neighbors, hearty love, to 
 love as the old Christians did and the new should ; to do 
 hurt to no man, to do good to every man ; for in these 
 things the honor of God consists, and the Kingdom of the 
 Lord Jesus." ^ But George Herbert counsels an applica- 
 tion of the Christian law to life which is nmch more specific. 
 Tu his description of the Country Parson he says: "He 
 greatly esteems also cases of conscience, wherein he is 
 much versed. And, indeed, herein is the greatest ability 
 of a parson, to lead his people exactly in the ways of truth, 
 so that they neither decline to the light hand nor to the 
 left. Neither, indeed, does he think these a slight thing. 
 For every one hath not digested when it is a sin to take 
 something for money lent, or when not ; when it is fault to 
 discover another's fault, and when not ; when the alTection 
 of the soul in desiring and procuring increase of means or 
 honor be a sin of covetousness, and when not; when the 
 appetites of the body in eating, drinking, sleep and the 
 pleasure that comes from sleep be sins of gluttony, drunk- 
 enness, sloth, lust, and when not; ami so in many cir- 
 cumstances of action. Now if a shepherd know not which 
 grass will l)ane, and which not, how is lie lit to be a shcfv 
 lierd? Wlicrc^fore the parson lialh thornnglily canvassed 
 
 ' Tlif Cliristiau Minislr;/, l)y Tlicodoro C. I'fiisi', ]ip. .'Jl-ol. 
 - " Advice to Clergy," in 'J'/ic Clcrijijman's Instnulor, p. 112.
 
 120 CHEISTIAN PASTOli AND WOEiaXG CHURCH 
 
 all the particulars of liuman actions, at least all tliose 
 which he observeth are most incident to the parish.'' ^ 
 
 Such a statement seems forcible, and yet it may be ques- 
 tioned whether the Christian teacher would wisely under- 
 take to discuss, with much fulness, the details of human 
 conduct. The New Testament method seems to be the 
 enforcement of general principles, rather than practical 
 rules. The Book of Leviticus in the New Testament, so 
 strongly desiderated by one strenuous character, does not 
 appear to have been written. It is, however, difficult to 
 enforce principles without giving some illustrations of their 
 working. The preacher must not be so abstract that no- 
 body shall understand liim. Sometimes it is clearly neces- 
 sary to make a definite application of Christian principles 
 to the affairs of common life. Especially in these days, 
 when a new system of industry has completely revolu- 
 tionized human relations, the bearing of the Christian law 
 upon the new conditions needs to be carefully explained. 
 
 The question as to the right division of the word of 
 truth between the interests that are more personal and 
 spiritual and those that are more public and social is some- 
 times difficult. The pulpit that becomes nothing l)ut a 
 platform for tlie discussion of sociological questions soon 
 loses its power ; the pulpit which reflects onl}^ a cloistered 
 piety is of little use in this generation. The problem is to 
 fuse a genuine faith with a broad ])liilantl)ropy ; to keep 
 the people in the closest fellowship with Cod and with 
 their neighl)ors; to fill the hours of the life that now is 
 Avith the power of an endless life. He who seeks to spirit- 
 ualize the whole of life must have the ])()wer to bring 
 home to men llic things of the spirit; and liis ministry 
 must be one that shall inake real to liis ]»(()j)lc the power 
 of i)rayer, the reality of faith. ITow he shall ordoi- his 
 ministrations so that neither of these interests shall l)e 
 neglected is a serious problem for every minister. Tliere 
 can be no liard and fast rule for this matter, l)ul it may 
 sometimes be well (<i ilesolc llic nKtrning services to themes 
 more closely relating to the ])erson;il life, and llie even- 
 
 ^ Countnj Parson, chap. v.
 
 PULP IT AND ALTAR 121 
 
 ing to a wider application of Christian principles, or to 
 the discussion of subjects germane to the })rogress of the 
 kino'doni of heaven. 
 
 In America, at least, the problem of the evening service 
 is one of considerable difficulty. In England and Scot> 
 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/ <ij' /'riiic/iiiig,h<:t. \s.
 
 130 CHRISTIAN rASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 lie should not do so, without hunthig up some Scripture 
 text, more or less pertinent, to tack his remarks upon. 
 The event is the proper text ; his business is to draw the 
 Word of God out of that, and bring it home to the hearts 
 of men. 
 
 If the examples of biblical preaching are consulted, they 
 will afford very little warrant for the modern theory that 
 a minister must always speak from a text of Scripture. 
 Several of Christ's discourses are reported, and not one of 
 them is founded on a text. In the most considerable and 
 formal of them he mentions several texts only to repeal 
 and set aside the maxims they contain. The teachings of 
 Christ were almost always founded on events which were 
 happening before his eyes ; on similitudes di"awn from 
 facts and laws of nature ; on the circumstances of daily 
 life. The same thing is true of the preaching of the 
 apostles. Stephen's address before the Sanhedrin is a 
 rdsumd of Hebrew history, but it is not the exposition of 
 a text. Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost is a recita- 
 tion of current history, into which Scripture is woven for 
 illustrative purposes, but it is neither an expository nor 
 a topical sermon. We have several of Paul's discourses, 
 and none of them was preached from a bil)lical text. On 
 the Areopagus, before the Athenian i)hilosophers, he took 
 for his text an inscription which he had just fomid on a 
 lieathen altar. The modern liomiletical rules are not 
 drawn from biblical models. 
 
 That the minister should speak God's word, and not 
 his own, seems to some persons to be an end of contro- 
 versy on tliis question. IJut what minister, let us ask, for 
 a moment imagines that lie has any word of his own to 
 speak ? Any teacher who should intimate that his doc- 
 trine was his own peculiar possession, a nostrum of his 
 own concoction, would at once write himself doAvn a char- 
 latan. All truth is of God, and should be spoken rever- 
 ently by those who fear him, and boldly by those who trust 
 in him. The fact that a preacher does not take a text 
 must not be considered as a sign that he does not wish and 
 intend to declare the truth of God.
 
 PULPIT AM) ALTAR 131 
 
 The homiletical teachers are not all agreed upon the 
 proposition that the Scripture text is indispensable. " I 
 do not," says the prince of them all, ''regard the use 
 of a text as essential to puljiit discoui-se. What gives a 
 Christian character to a sermon is not the use of a text, 
 but the spirit of the preacher. A sermon may be Chris- 
 tian, edifying, instructing, without containing even one 
 passage of Holy Scripture. It may be very biblical with- 
 out a text, and with a text not biblical at all. A passage 
 of Scripture has a thousand times served as a passport for 
 ideas that were not in it; and we have seen preachers 
 amusing themselves, as it were, by prefixing to their com- 
 position very strong biblical texts for the sake of the pleas- 
 ure of emasculating them. "VVe have witnessed a formal 
 immolation of tlie Divine Word. When the text is only 
 a deceptive signal, when a steei)le surmounts a playhouse, 
 it would doubtless be better to remove the siofual and 
 throw down the steeple." ^ And one of the great German 
 writers, Klaus Harms, is even more positive : " May we be 
 permitted to ask if preaching on texts is founded as iinich 
 in ]-eason as on custom? JNIay we venture to express the 
 opinion that the theme and the text approach each other 
 only in order to their mutual exclusion of each other; 
 that a theme does not need a text, and tliat a text does 
 not need a theme ? JNIay we dare even to say that the 
 usage of preaching fi'om a text has done injury, not only 
 to the ])erfection of preaching as an art, l)ut to Christian 
 knowledge also, and what is 3-et more serious, to the 
 Cliristian life?"^ Vinet, in commenting ujxtu this passage 
 of Harms, is inclined to admit its tiiitli. liiit sueli a 
 sweeping condenniation of the practice is (piitt' as far 
 from the truth as is the insistence u})ou it as in all eases 
 indispensable. For, after all is said, tlu' Hilde must ])e 
 to every preacher the IJook of religion. All the central 
 facts anil principles with which he deals are theie, and 
 some of the most central of them are nowhere else. He 
 who is himself The A\'(ir(l is there revealed, ills life and 
 
 ' VinctH Ifomilrtirs, part i., sect, i., chap. iii. 
 - J'listiiriilthcu/ot/ir, vol. i., ]i. (i.').
 
 132 CHRISTIAN TASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 his words must be the one great theme of the preacher. 
 The exposition and enforcement of the truth as it is in 
 Jesus is his high calling. Most sermons of a devout and 
 studious minister are apt to grow directly out of some 
 portion of this written revelation. There need be no hard 
 and fast rule about it ; but this will be the natural con- 
 sequence of the kind of study and devotion required of 
 every faithful minister of Christ. 
 
 A practical question for the busy pastor of this genera- 
 tion is whether or not sermons may be repeated. It has 
 been the custom of the great preachers to repeat the same 
 sermon very often. Whitefield had comparatively few ser- 
 mons ; Mr. Moody repeats the same wherever he goes ; 
 the same has been true of all the great evangelists ; and 
 when the polity provides for an itinerant ministry this is 
 undoubtedly the general rule. But the repetition of the 
 sermon to the same congregation presents a somewhat 
 different question. Even here, however, some great ex- 
 amples warrant a judicious repetition, at sufficient intervals, 
 of sermons carefully prepared. " Dr. Chalmers," says 
 Bisliop Carpenter, "was fond of preaching his old sermons. 
 He did so openly, giving notice of his intention ; l)ut the 
 crowds still came to hear from his lips even sermons Avhich 
 were in print." ^ Bishop Phillips Brooks often preached 
 old sermons, and the piles of manuscript and notes in the 
 closets of most of the great preachers would be found 
 bearing inscriptions of numerous dates and places. There 
 seems to be no good reason why a sermon, which embodies 
 important thought, which has cost the preacher many liours 
 of painful labor, and which embodies, perhaps, the reflec- 
 tion and expci'ience of a lifetime, should not be given 
 more than once to the same conjxrcfjation. Conofreg'ations 
 are constantly cliangiiig, and many will hear it on the 
 second delivery mIio did not hear it on the first. And it 
 is safe to say that, after ;iii interval of live years, not one 
 ill (iiic Imiidii'd (if the regular congregation would clearly 
 recall even such sermons as those of I'liillips I'rooks. A 
 stranger hearing the preacher once Asonld i)e more apt to 
 
 ' Lectures on Preachiuij, \\. '.I.
 
 I'ULl'lT A.ND ALTAR 133 
 
 remember the text and some portions of the sei'nion ; those 
 who hear him reguhxrly, and who are accustomed to his 
 modes of presentation, woukl be much less likely to retain 
 the form of the presentation delinitely in their memorj'. 
 But it seems rather absurd to suppose that, even if the 
 sermon were remembered, no good could be derived from 
 it by the auditor wdio heard it the second time. Those 
 of us who possess the printed sermons of Robertson or 
 Brooks or Mozley or Bushnell, are not, probaljlv, con- 
 tented with reading them once. Such sermons as Brooks's 
 -The Light of the World," or '^ The Bread of Life," — as 
 ]\Iozley's " The Unspoken Judgment of jNIankind," or 
 " Our Duty to Equals," — as Buslmell's "Unconscious Influ- 
 ence," or " Every Man's Life a Plan of God," — as Robert- 
 son's " God's Revelation of Heaven," or " Elijah," — have 
 l)eL'ii read over by many of us, not once, but scores of 
 times ; we have gone back to them, not because we had 
 forgotten them, but because we remembered them, and 
 desired to bring the truth which they contained once more 
 into vital relations to our own souls. If printed sermons 
 may be read many times over with profit by the most intel- 
 ligent Christians, it is probable that a good sermon miglit 
 be preached more than once \\illi no detriment t(» llic 
 same congregation. The young woman mIio h;ul '' lead 
 Browning once," and therefore did not care to read him 
 any more, is the type of a class who would l)e troubled 
 ])y hearing a second time a good sermon. It is often 
 true that a sermon five or ten yeare ohl contains a truth 
 whicli is specialU' pert incut to tlic (',ongregati(»n in its 
 present coiiilit inn, — more pcitinrnt. jicilinps, tlian \\'Ii('n it 
 was first written. 'J'hcre are cinninstanccs wliidi make 
 it specially ap[)licab](' at the present jnnclnrt'. I*<»ssii)ly, 
 also, it is fi tiMith whicb was given out at first witli some 
 misgiving, but expericiu'c lias strengthened the preadiei-'s 
 hold upon it, and he will utter it the second time with far 
 more vigor ami (tonvictiiui than lie was aMr to |imi into it 
 at till' tirst delivery. It is aUo jiossililc, very olicn. to 
 l)ring an old scnnon dnwii In ditc. as it were, l)v adilid 
 illnslrations (liawn Iroin cuiTi'iit events. W'liilc. therefore,
 
 134 CFIRTStlAX ii?ASTOit AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 the repetition of .sermons may become the excuse of hizi- 
 ness, yet it is not to be forbidden to the diligent and con- 
 scientious pastor ; and in these days, when his burdens of 
 administration are so greatly increased, it may furnish him 
 at times a great and needed relief. 
 
 The pastor in the pulpit is the leader of the worship of 
 the congregation. Even when the worship is liturgical 
 the proper conduct of it largely depends upon his judg- 
 ment and spirit. "If the officiating minister should go 
 through this department of his work in a dull and spirit- 
 less style, like one treading the round of a prescribed 
 formalism, the performance is sure to repress and deaden 
 the devotional feelings of the people, rather than stir and 
 quicken them into lively exercise. I>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<li is sliining around others who are already 
 living in tlic liglit of fJod. 
 
 "The enumeration, if 1 attempted to go through \\'i(li 
 it, would occupy hours. We have to think of aged pe()[ile 
 who liave outlived their generation, and whose strength is 
 gradually decaying, in lonely and desolate houses, un- 
 cheered by the presence of living affection and sanctilieil 
 by memories of the dead. We liavt; to tliiiil< of llic men 
 and \\(ini('n \\liose cliihlreii arc growing up aixmt tlicin, 
 and on whom tlic cares of life arc resting heavil}'. Wc 
 have to lliinlc of places wbicli are vacant in sonic scats 
 because a boy is at college or lias gone (o sea, or lias just 
 entered a house of business in a distant cily, or because a 
 girl lias been sent away to recover healtli under some 
 kindlier sky. Thei'e are otlni' ]iiaces vacant for otlicr 
 reasons. Those who once lill((| iluin li;i\(^ forsaken and 
 forgotten llic God of llnir r.iilicis. W'o have to tliink of 
 families in tlic coiiLrreLralion whose forluncs li;i\c been
 
 138 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WOEIONG CHUKCH 
 
 ruined, and of orpliaiis and ^vido^vs; and of the young 
 bride Mliose orange-flowers have liardlj^ faded ; and of 
 the young mother whose heart is filled all church time 
 with haj^py thoughts about her first-born at home." ^ 
 
 The pastor who can identify himself with the life of his 
 people after this manner, who can bear upon his heart 
 their burdens, and enter into their joys, will have no lack 
 of themes for his pastoral prayers. Only, this must be 
 handled with the ^utmost delicacy. Any delhiite allusions 
 to individuals in public prayer is of doubtful wisdom; 
 the petition must be one in which the persons prayed for 
 can heartily join, because it expresses the sense of their 
 need, but which does not embarrass them by calling the 
 attention of the congregation to them." 
 
 Above all we must remember, as taught by Van 
 Oosterzee, that "even the best precepts with regard to 
 liturgical matters and liturgical actions run the risk of 
 failing of their object, unless powerfully supported by the 
 liturgical personality. ... In the words of Goethe, 'say 
 what one will, everything turns in the long run upon the 
 person.' The liturgist, too, not less than the homilete, 
 must be not merely a something, but also a some one ; no 
 speaking-trumpet merely of the Holy Gliost, but his in- 
 spired mouth-piece and living organ. The claim of the per- 
 sonality is just as little unlimited in the liturgical as in the 
 homiletic domain, but nevertheless real, and precisely from 
 the Evangelical-Reformed standpoint lo be emphatically 
 maintained, in connection with the piinci])le of freedom. 
 The one prays and thanks, consecrates and blesses in a 
 wholly different manner from another, and he is free to do 
 so, inasnuich as he is really a different man from his more 
 highly or less liighly endowed brothei'. I lere, too, the diver- 
 sity of cliarisin is uiniiistakable, — liannless, yes even of 
 advantage to the unity, beauty, and gidwtli ol' the wliole 
 spiiitn;!] organism. In order to bt; a good liturgist the 
 lirst i'('(iuisite is notl)rilliant talent, but tliesjuritual l)ent of 
 tlie licart, and the presence of a I'adicallv inoi'al cliaracter." ^ 
 
 1 l);ili;'s /.rrtitns on /'rcoi'/tiii'/, ])[). li()7-ii6'J. 
 ■^ Practical T/ieolof/ 1/ , p. 443.
 
 PUI.riT AND ALTAR 139 
 
 Tlie pastor in his pulpit is the director of the worship of 
 the congregation, inchuling its song. This part of the ser- 
 vice should never be surrendered by him to the control of 
 irresponsible choirs and untutored music committees. The 
 service of song in the house of the Lord is an integral part 
 of the worship ; it should harmonize with all the other parts 
 of the service ; it should be made tributary to the general 
 effect of prayer and Scripture and sermon. The indepen- 
 dent conduct of the music by organist or choirmaster, who, 
 in many cases, is utterly devoid of the sentiment or spirit of 
 worship, is a shocking anomaly. It is not too much to say 
 that the musical portion of the service in many American 
 Protestant churches verges close on blasphemy. In many 
 congregations it is the first duty of the minister to instruct 
 his peoi)le in the first principles of Christian worship ; to 
 make it entirely clear to their minds that the church is no 
 place for the exhibition of vocal gymnastics ; that Chris- 
 tian song must never degenerate into a show, and that art 
 must always be subordinated to reverence. 
 
 There is need, no (loul>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;i<l l)i'cn well beloved 
 and generously treated, the selection by the ehoir consisted 
 of the follow ill''- words: •• ( ) .Icrusaleni, .brusalem, thuu
 
 150 CHKISTIAX PASTOR AND WOEiaXG CHURCH 
 
 that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent 
 unto thee, how often wonkl I have gathered thy children 
 together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her 
 wings, and ye would not. Henceforth your house is left 
 unto you desolate." The effect of such words upon intel- 
 ligent and sensitive listeners may be imagined. 
 
 There are choir-leaders whose taste and judgment can 
 always be trusted. Happy is the pastor who has such a 
 helper by his side. But it is his duty to guard against 
 all such monstrous incongruities, and to see to it that 
 the whole service of the Lord's house is approjDriate and 
 harmonious. 
 
 The question as to what is sometimes called "the en- 
 richment of worship " is now discussed by non-litui"gical 
 churches. That the forms of worship in some of the Re- 
 formed churches, notably the Scotch and the Puritan 
 churches, both English and American, have been some- 
 what bare and meagre can scarcely be denied. The reac- 
 tion against a sacramental ritualism swept away even the 
 decencies of public worship. For a long time, in New 
 England, even the reading of the Scriptures was under 
 the ban ; that seemed, to these sturdy Protestants, a rag 
 of popery. In the diary of the Rev. Ste})lien Williams of 
 Longmeadow, Mass., under date of March 30, 1755, li6 
 writes : " This day I began to read the Scriptures publicly 
 in the congregation. Wish and pray it may be service- 
 able and a means to promote Scripture knowledge among 
 us." His biographer adds : " This was an innovation 
 which Stephen Williams had some difficulty in sustain- 
 ing." ^ Many of the old New England town histories 
 record disputes ujion this subject. It is a curious fact 
 that in tlieii" rebellion against tlie sacerdotal principle, 
 whicli lies at the foundation of the system with wliicli 
 they had broken, these j'eformers gave to their minister, 
 under another form, a priestly character; for tlie pul)lic 
 worship) was almost wholly connnitted to liim, and ti'an- 
 sacted l)y liiui for them; tliey took no part in it whatever 
 1 Longmeadow Ceutenuial, p. 222.
 
 rULI'lT AND Al/PAi; 151 
 
 beyond tlio sinq-ing of a psalm which ho ''Imed out" to 
 them. The present tendency is toward the restoration to 
 the people of the privilege then volnntarily relinquished 
 by them. As tlie Protestant chnrcli of to-day is seeking 
 to become a working church, so, and for kindred reasons, 
 it is seeking to l^e a worshipping church. It wislies to 
 take a larger part, audibly and openly, in the service of 
 the Lord's house. The changes in the order of w^orship 
 introduced or advocated are mainly, if not wholly, changes 
 in the direction of congregational worship. 
 
 The question whether these additions to the accus- 
 tomed order shall be made by the officiating clergj-man, 
 or whether the people of each communion, through their 
 wisest and most devout representatives, should set forth 
 some forms of praise and prayer for the guidance of their 
 congregations, has been discussed in some of the ecclesi- 
 astical assemblies. One of the most distinGfuished and 
 broad-minded of the Congregational clergymen of New 
 England, in an address before a church congress, said : — 
 
 " Here I am constrained to say and confess that worship 
 cannot do its whole good work as the vehicle of truth to 
 the mind, except as it is formulated and prescribed by 
 general authority, and is not left to the genius and piety 
 of the officiating minister, according as he may hap[)en to 
 have the use of his genius or liis piety at the moment. 
 As a minister in a non-liturgical comnumion I can say 
 this more easily, perhaps, than some otlier ministers could, 
 and I do say it. There are extemporizing ministers whose 
 study of worshij) has been so complete, wliose good sense 
 is so good, and whose natural gifts arc so great, that they 
 accomplish a pretty complete liturgical sweep in their ser- 
 vices; and when ministers do not accomplish jimch <»f a 
 sweep ever, as leaders of worship, l)ut bear down liabitu- 
 ally and only on a few facts and ddctriiics lying near th(! 
 lieart of Christianity, God forbid 1 slmnld (\v]\y thcni 
 access to God, and their use as preachers oi' truth througli 
 the worsliip they conduct. I'nl, taking all things into 
 ac(;ount, it seems to me clear that in the one i-especl <if 
 truth conveyed, conve\cd in its iiilirei\, and i(>n\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<le use of litui'gies for tlie use of the wor- 
 sliippors. There was the Lord's Prayer and (lie Creed 
 always to be recited aloud by the people. Tlunc was the 
 'general confession,' which every one joined in repeat- 
 ing, making it his own ])ersonal confession of sin. There 
 was the rea<ling of the Decalogue, to which the people 
 responded, ' Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law.' There was the responsive read-
 
 PULPIT AND ALTAK 155 
 
 ing of the Psalter, an exercise to which it might seem 
 the most exaggerated Puritanism coukl make no objection. 
 All these features appear in the Strushurg Liturgy of John 
 Calvin, in the Saxon Lititrgij drawn by Luther, in tlie 
 Liturgy of the Palatinate prepared by Melanclithon and in 
 all the other forms of prayer that were the product 
 of the Keformation period." ^ The Lutheran Church 
 still employs a considerable liturg}-; so also does the 
 ^loravian. It is evident that a desire for the extension of 
 congregational worship is making itself felt in many of the 
 non-liturgical churches ; and this movement is, in reality, 
 very nearly the antithesis of the ritualistic tendenc}', which 
 in effect confines the audible worship to the priest and 
 tiie vested choir. 
 
 With the introduction of responsive readings, chants, and 
 creeds, it is evident that some reduction must needs be made 
 in other parts of the service ; and it is i)robable that what 
 is known in the Reformed churches as the " long prayer " 
 might, in many cases, be usefully shortened. One cannot 
 have too much of the spirit of prayer, and the habit of 
 lingering long at the mercy seat must not be rudely cen- 
 sured ; Ijut the physical and mental demands of tlie con- 
 gregation must be considered, and it is doubtless true that 
 tliis prayer does often become a weariness to the flesli. 
 No rule as to length can ]je laid down ; but most of us 
 have attended services in which we have felt that a far 
 more devotional frame would have been maintained by tlie 
 congregation if the long prayer had not been half as long. 
 Whitefield cannot be suspected of undervaluing ]iul.lic 
 l)rayer, and his remark to a good minister, whose jirayer 
 had been unduly protracted, may well be remendjered : 
 '' YdU j)rayed me into a good fi"inu>, 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, <li(l als(» the notion gain ground that in baptism 
 one was cleansed from sin, wla-tlier hereditary or actual, — 
 a consideration which led not a few to delay the reception
 
 158 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AXD \YORKIXG CHURCH 
 
 of baptism as long as possible. By preference was the 
 sacred action administered by the bishop, yet also by 
 presbyters and deacons, even, in case of necessity, by lay- 
 men, — a course which, among others, Tertullian and 
 Jerome declared to be admissible, provided it Avas per- 
 formed in a becoming manner." ^ 
 
 In the third century baptism began to be assigned to 
 special seasons and places; Easter and Pentecost were 
 supposed to be more appropriate than other times ; and 
 buildings were erected for this purpose. One by one the 
 various ceremonial appendages of the rite were added: 
 the eastward posture, the anointing, the consecration of 
 the water, the laying aside of the old garments, the impo- 
 sition of hands, the white vestments of the candidates, the 
 burning tapers in their hands, the kiss of peace, the milk 
 and honey, the sal sajnenticc, and finally the administration 
 of the first communion. 
 
 All this involves a theory of the nature of baptism which 
 is still held in a large part of Christendom. It supposes a 
 transaction of great and vital importance ; it connotes a 
 belief that in the performance of the rite a spiritual change 
 is wrought ui)on the recipient. The phraseology of some 
 of the Protestant rituals expresses this belief, and the rite of 
 Exorcism, wliich is part of the baptismal service, not only 
 in the ]\oman Catholic church, but in some branches of 
 the Lutheran church, possesses a significance which cannot 
 be ignored. 
 
 Tlie discussion of these questions docs not come ^\•itllin 
 the scope of this treatise ; it is only necessar}' to admonish 
 the pastor that he nuist know what baj^tism means to him, 
 and that he must see to it that tliose who seek it lor tlicm- 
 selves or for their cliildren are instructed as to its mean- 
 ing, ^riie manner of administering tlie sacrament will be 
 affectetl l)y the l)elicf on which it rests. 
 
 Tlic Protestant pastors into wliose hands this treatise 
 will fall will disagree respecting the mode and the subjects 
 
 1 Van Oostcrzcc's Prnrliml Tlieolo^i/, ]). 410. Soe also Christian Tnsliln- 
 tlons, liy A. V. (J. Allen, in tliis-scrics, Stanley's C'lin'stian Instilulioiis, and 
 Sniitli's Ci/clopedia of Christian Anliijuilies, Ait. Baptism.
 
 PULPIT AND ALTAR 159 
 
 of baptism. By some of them the rite is believed to be 
 conHnetl to adult believers, and to be administered to them 
 upon the confession of their own faitli in Christ. By others 
 it is believed to be intended for children as well as for 
 adults. hi either case the administration ought to be 
 performed in a reverent spirit, and with a dignified and 
 simple ritual. Never should it be disfigured by rude haste 
 or indecorous familiarities. A grave solemnity it always 
 is ; and not only those who participate in it but all who 
 witness it should be made to take this view of it. When 
 baptism is administered by immersion, whether in the font 
 or at the river-side, great care should ]k' taken to make 
 the rite impressive and beautiful. It is, in this observance, 
 tlie ratification of the covenant of the soul with God ; 
 and the nature of the transaction should be kept clearly 
 in vicAA'. 
 
 In Pa^dobaptist churches baptism by sprinkling is usu- 
 ally administered to adults, in the churches, in connection 
 with the solemn rite by which they are received into the 
 fellowship of the church. It is fitting that the candidate 
 should kneel when he receives baptism ; women should lay 
 aside the covering of the head. 
 
 The administration of the sacrament to children raises 
 some questions respecting the significance of the rite, 
 which the pastor must settle before he can determine upon 
 the form of the observance. By most of the Reformers the 
 baptism of children is regarded as the seal of the covenant 
 made by God with believing parents. It is argued that 
 the performance of this rite is the outward fulfilment, on 
 the part of the parents, of their i)art of this covenant, and 
 that, if rightly done, it estal)lishos a claim on thcii- ])art to 
 the bestowment of the grace of (Jod uj)on their children. 
 If such is the nature of the observance, the words in which 
 the rite is administd'cd. and the ]iiayer by which it is fol- 
 lowed \\ill ciuiforiii to tliis theory of it. If tlic (•Juirrli is 
 one of those which ])rovides delinite forms and nilnics foi- 
 the administration of baptism, the pastor has. indeed, no 
 choice respecting the ])hraseology which he will use; but 
 if considera])le liberty of liturgical exjuession is allowed,
 
 160 crmisTiAN pastor and woiiivIng church 
 
 the i^astor must have some clear idea of the nature of llic 
 ordinance, and must make the administration express the 
 idea. The parents presenting the chilch^en should them- 
 selves be carefullj^ instructed respecting the meaning of 
 the rite, and a brief address to them, at the time of the 
 administration, should put this meaning into a form to 
 which they should be expected to signify their assent. 
 If the doctrine of the covenant is adopted by the liturgist, 
 let him express the covenant, in simple words, and call 
 upon the parents to accept it for themselves and for their 
 children. 
 
 There are those, however, by whom this sacrament of 
 baptism is not regarded as the seal of a covenant, but 
 rather as a solemn declaration of the fatherhood and the 
 redeeming love of God. This is the view so impressively 
 set forth by Frederick W. Robertson, in liis instructions 
 to catechumens.^ Baptism is not, according to this view, 
 a ceremony the observance of which entitles the parent 
 to claim for the child the saving grace of God ; it is rather 
 a solemn affirmation, made by the churcli, and assented to 
 by the parent, that the child belongs to God; that God is 
 his Father, Christ his Redeemer, and the IIol}- Spirit his 
 Teacher and Inspirer. Baptism does not make him God's 
 child, any more than coronation makes a prince a king. 
 The prince was king the moment his father died ; corona- 
 tion solemnly witnesses to a fact, but it does not create 
 the fact. So baptism testifies to the truth that this chihl 
 has a Father in lieaven. Nothing wliatever is done in 
 baptism by wliicli the child's claim upon God's grace, or 
 tlie parent's claim in the child's belialf is cstablislicd ; 
 God's love and care are not conceived as conditioned u})on 
 the observance of an outward rite; 1)u( Ihc rite expresses 
 the fatherly love of Him avIio said, "All souls are mine," 
 and the redeominrj bfrace of Him who said, " Of such is the 
 kingdom of lieaven." If snch is tlu; view of the nature 
 of baptism, the words in wliieh it is lulministered will ex- 
 press this thonglit. 'Jlie parents ^\ill understand tliat 
 they are joining in a solcnni declaration that this chikl 
 ^ Life and Letters of F. W. Robertson, vol. ii. ]>. .'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 j<iyriil and 
 inspiring service towhi(d» they are d(>voting 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<lge. 
 That the sacrament be administered at the sick bed in a 
 dignified and ap])ropriate manner is worth some painstaking. 
 A few of the sacred vessels should be taken from the church 
 to the house ; the bread and wine should be properly pre- 
 pared, and it Avill be well if one or more of the officers of 
 the church can assist tlie pastor in the administration. If 
 all lliino's connected with the oidiiiance can be done 
 decently and in order, the effect n]»oii llie mind of tlic 
 recipient is likely to be nioi-e salulaiy.- 
 
 ^ Prnclical Thrnlnrji/, ]>. 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 sai<l tlial all tbis is 
 beneatli tlic dignity (»!' our profession, aiul that we cannot 
 ex[)ect an educated man to spend liis time in visiting 
 mechanics in their sbojis. and in sitting down \\itli Avomen 
 
 1 The Parish Priest of the Toron, ]). 44. 
 - The Mniislri/ ofthr ir«HY/, p. 185. 
 ^ Quoted in Parish Problems, p. 185.
 
 THE PASTOR AS FRIKXD 203 
 
 engaged in their domestic labor to converse -witli them on 
 the subject of religion, to this objection I have no reply 
 to offer. Let the objector present his case in its full force 
 to Ilim M'ho on his journey to Galilee sat thus at the well 
 and held a memorable conversation with a woman of 
 Samaria.*' ^ " My heart does not upbraid me," said Dod- 
 dridge, "with having kept back anything that may be 
 profitable to my people. But I fear I have not followed 
 them sulhciently with domestic and personal exhorta- 
 tions."'-^ "Acquaint yourselves," said Matthew Ilenr}-, 
 "with the state of your people's souls, — their tempta- 
 tions, their infirmities. You will then know the better 
 how to preach to them." "I am too backward," said 
 John llogers, of Dedham, " to private visiting of neigh- 
 bors at their houses, which neglect is very injurious ; for 
 from this cause their love to me cannot be as great as it 
 would be, nor am I so well acquainted with their particu- 
 lar states and cannot therefore speak so fitly to them as I 
 miglit." ^ " The true portrait of a Christian pastor," says 
 the Rev. Charles Bridges, " is that of a parent walking 
 among his children, — maintaining indeed the authority 
 and reverence, but carefully securing along with it the 
 love and confidence that belongs to this endearing rela- 
 tion, lie is always to be found in his own liouse, or met 
 with among the folds of liis fiock, encouraging, warning, 
 directing, inslnicting, — as a counsellor, ready to advise, 
 as a friend to aid, sympathize and console, — with the 
 affection of a mother to lift up the weak, with the long- 
 suffering of a father to reprove, relnike, and exhort. Sueli 
 a one, like Bishop Wilson in tlie Isle of Man, ( )I)i'rliii in 
 th(! Ban di- l;i Koclic, or llic Apostolical I'li-ioi- of tlie 
 High Ali)S, — gradually bears duw u ,ill opposition, really 
 lives in the liearts of liis jx-ople, iind will do more for 
 their temporal and spiritual weH'iii'e than men of the 
 most splendid talents and commanding eiuqueiiee.' 
 
 1 Quoted ill Parish Prchlrms, p. 1!^:'). - Orton's fjfl, \) IJl. 
 
 ^ Quilted ill HridgoH, The < '/uislinn Miuisln/, p. 315, ;i. 
 ■* The Christian Ministry/, p. 322.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE CHURCH ORGANIZATION 
 
 Every church is organized. It is not an incoherent 
 mass of human beings, it is an orderly association of 
 Christian men and women. Organization, in the world 
 of mind, is the definition of functions. To orsfanize a 
 church is to make definite arrangements for various kinds 
 of work, and to assign these to diffei'ent individuals or 
 groups who shall be responsible for their performance. 
 Each of the officers of the church is charged with certain 
 duties, and these duties pertain to certain definite depart- 
 ments of church work. There is thus a division of labor, 
 and intelligent co-operation among those whose efforts are 
 directed to the same result. In the humblest church, 
 with the simplest polity, some definition of functions is 
 required, 'iliere must be a clerk to keep the list of mem- 
 bers and the record of proceedings, and a treasurer to 
 receive and disburse the funds, and a Sunday-school 
 superintendent, with his assistants, and generally deacons 
 or leaders to take charge of meetings and direct the work 
 of the church. Some intelligent arrangement and super- 
 vision is necessary to the success ol' all social institutions. 
 
 The church has often a dual organization, oiu^ depart- 
 ment devoted to temporal affairs, and another to s})iritual 
 activities. Man is a spirit, but he lias a body Avitli matciial 
 needs whicli must be provided for: and llic cliurcli, like- 
 wise, thougb it is a sjiiritual oi'gani/.aticii. li;is idso a Iciu- 
 poral side, for whicli some orderly provision must be 
 made. It has been found necessary^ in the free commun- 
 ions, to secure for llie church a legal incorporation, lliat 
 the body so incorpoiated may hold and administer j'l'o- 
 perty, and receive and disburse funds. In some cases the 
 members of the eliuith are members of this corporation,
 
 THE CHUnCH OKGAXIZATION 205 
 
 and there is but one body, with two sets of functions ; in 
 other cases all those contributing to the support of the 
 cliurch, whether communicants or not, are members of 
 the corporation, with power to vote for trustees and to 
 take part in all the linancial work of the society, but not 
 to participate in the spiritual government of the church. 
 The wisdom of this dual organization is often questioned ; 
 but it possesses certain obvious advantages. "Every 
 church," says Professor Austin Abbott, "has two very 
 different kinds of business to attend to. Difference of 
 opinion exists as to whether they may best be administered 
 by the same persons, or by different sets of persons. In 
 some denominations one organization attends to botli ; iu 
 othei"S there is a separate organization for each. Some 
 persons think the pastor should have nothing to do with 
 the finances ; others think it wrong to exclude him from 
 them. Without desiring here to discuss the question, it 
 is well to say that it appears to me that Providence, who 
 is wiser than all our ingenuity, has so alloted the causes 
 of o[)inion and the dispositions of men that there are, and 
 for a long time to come are likely to be, many churches of 
 each kind, some of the one form and some of the other, 
 and some of a composite form, all engaged in tlie same 
 object, but in different methods, and thus enlisting diverse 
 gifts and aptitudes. Whether this be an advantage, as I 
 suj)pose, or not, the fact exists ; and the reader who would 
 understand ])arish Inisiness clearly sliould not fail to 
 olwcrve the dilfcrencc between the principles which govern 
 the two classes respectively ; and even if liis churcli is a 
 single organization, he will be ri'paid for noticing the 
 forms of orcjanization in which tliese two classes of func- 
 lions are separated." ^ 
 
 If the cluirch lias a permanent al)i(lii)g-place, it must 
 possess land on which its cdilice shall stand, and the title 
 of this land must be secured and lield. Tlu' building must 
 be erected, and kept in repair; fuel and lights and water 
 must be furnished; if it stands iu a city it must bear 
 assessments for the paving and maintenance of streets and 
 
 1 Parish Problems, pp. G9, 70.
 
 20G CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CTTURCH 
 
 sewers ; the sexton who takes care of the buikling must 
 be paid for Ms services ; the minister and perhaps other 
 servants of the church who are spending their time in its 
 service must receive some remuneration ; it is necessary 
 to collect the funds required for all tliese ])urposes and to 
 disburse them in a just and business-like manner; the 
 church, as an organization, is constantl}^ entering into 
 contracts wliich must be intelligently made and faithfully 
 kept ; and this part of its work deserves the serious atten- 
 tion of all its members. There is room here for the exer- 
 cise of some of the best Christian virtues. The church 
 must provide things honest in the sight of all men ; its 
 business must be done with system and promptness ; lionor, 
 fidelity, consideration for the rights of others must charac- 
 terize all its transactions. 
 
 The men who are chosen to have the care of the tempo- 
 ralities must be men of the utmost probity. The affairs 
 of the church should not be intrusted to men who are sus- 
 pected of dishonesty or extortion in their own affairs. It 
 is a great scandal to put the finances of the church into the 
 liands of men who do not possess the confidence of their 
 neiglibors. They ought also to be men with liigh stand- 
 ards of Christian propriety ; men w ho can feel the special 
 unfitness of sharp and shifty financiering in church admin- 
 istration. They will be called on not merel}^ to disburse 
 with care the funds collected, but also to collect the funds 
 of tlie church : the methods of raising the revenues will be 
 under their supervision ; and this is a matter concerning 
 which the church needs wise and higli-mindcd Icadersliip. 
 
 There is reason to fear that many churches are greatly 
 iiijurod by the dubious methods employed in the raising 
 (if tlicir revenues. Ways iiml means that are positively 
 unchristian are often resorted to; competition in its most 
 offensive forms is sometimes employed in the collection of 
 eliui-eh funds. ""I'lie animal sale of sidings in the cliureli to 
 the highest bidder is a practice \\liie1i violates the funda- 
 mental pnnci})les of C'hristi;in I'laternity. It offers place 
 and distinction in llic clniiM h In ilic longest purses ; it says 
 to the man with a gold ring and goodly apparel, '■'■ You may
 
 THE CHUJlCll UKGAMZATIOX 207 
 
 sit here, in the centre aisle, for you have the money to pay 
 for the best ; " but to the poor man in vile raiment it says, 
 "Stand out there in the vestibule, or sit here under the 
 gallery; you must wait for your place till your betters 
 have chosen their seats." The sale of privilege in the 
 church for money is the essence of it ; how this differs in 
 principle from the simony against which the curse of the 
 church has been pronounced from the apostolic days until 
 now, it is difficult to explain. It is undoubtedly true that 
 larger revenues can be raised by this method than by any 
 other, for there are multitudes who Avill pay well for con- 
 spicuous sittings and whose contributions Avould be small 
 if they were compelled to take their chances with all the 
 rest. But a church which resorts to such methods for 
 raising money is not apt to receive the benedictions of 
 Christ's poor. By the very terms of its life they are 
 practically excluded ; self-respecting people do not wish 
 to go where " the rich-man's aisle " and " the poor man's 
 corner " are easily pointed out. 
 
 The men who are chosen to manage the finances of the 
 church should be those to whom considerations of this 
 nature are intelligible, — men who are not onl}^ capable 
 of skilfully conducting business affairs, but wlio are also 
 capable of comprehending the principles on which the 
 fellowsliip of the church is based. There is a loud call 
 just now for Christianizing all business relations; there 
 are those who believe that every department of Iniman life 
 must be bi'ought under the Christian law. It is dilTicnlt 
 to understand what (Hir gospel means if it does imi intaii 
 all this. But if llic Imsiiiess of tlie mart and llic factorv 
 are to be Christianized, the business of tlie churcli nuist 
 first l)e subdued to the obedience of the law of Cluist. It 
 must l)e ])ossil)l(' to raise the revenues of ihc cliurch 1)\- 
 mctliods wliich do not involve any concessions to the pride 
 of riclies or any false distinctions among men. Tlic one 
 2)lace in the world where money can buy no privileges 
 should be the place where men meet to woi-ship (Jod. '|\) 
 manage the cliurcli liiKiiiccs witli lliis cnil in xjcw is the 
 task of those to whom this (hit\ is intrusicd. It calls.
 
 208 CIIKISTIAN PASTOIl AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 therefore, for men of a lofty pui'pose and a genuine 
 consecration. 
 
 When the business of the church is conducted, in this 
 manner — reverently, conscientiousl}-, and with a sincere 
 desire that the mind of Christ shall rule in all the tempo- 
 ralities of the church, the work of this department is no 
 less genuine Christian work than is the conduct of the 
 prayer meeting or the teaching of the Sunday-school. It 
 is sometimes assumed that the business of the church is a 
 profane occupation ; that whatever has to do with money 
 must needs be of the earth, earthy ; that the trustees and 
 the treasurer, in their service of the church, are not, in 
 any proper sense, "Christian workers." But everything 
 depends on the spirit in which they do their work. They 
 may, indeed, manage these affairs in such a way that their 
 owai selfishness shall be aggravated, and the life of the 
 church demoralized; but they may also put so much of 
 the spirit of Christ into the methods of church business 
 that it shall be a means of grace to them and to the whole 
 brotherhood. There can be no more fruitful Christian 
 work than this. A church that organizes its financial 
 affairs upon Christian principles, and puts them under 
 Christian leadership is doing as effective missionary 
 work as the church that j^lants missions or liolds revival 
 services. 
 
 The assignment of the sittings in the church is part of 
 the business that greatly needs to be Christianized. In 
 some churches all sittings are absolutely free, and there is 
 no need of any distribution. For many reasons this plan 
 is to be preferred. To liave no individual riglits or reser- 
 vations in the Lord's liouse, but to open the Avliole of it, 
 each Sabbatli day, to all who come, is the simplest of all 
 an-angements. ]>ut 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(le<l, and is leaviiiu' them in an in- 
 tellectual position in wliich tliey are sure to lind, whenever 
 they are led to examine the whole question loi' themselves, 
 that they liave been either ignorautly or insincerely dealt 
 with. It is a grave responsibilitv \\ lii'li the SiMida3xschool
 
 238 CHillSTIAN TASTOIl AND WORKING CHUIICH 
 
 teacher takes, who sends his pupils out into the world with 
 such a mental outfit as this. 
 
 Tlie Home Department of the Sunday-school is an in- 
 stitution which has proved its usefulness in some American 
 churches. The plan involves the enlistment of those in- 
 dividuals and families that are unable to attend the reo'ular 
 sessions of the Sunday-school in the systematic and con- 
 secutive study of the Bible, in connection with the Sunday- 
 school. A superintendent of the Home Department is 
 appointed, several visitors are chosen, and the congregation 
 is canvassed, soliciting the signatures of those who are 
 willing to engage in this study, and leaving with them the 
 lesson-helps for the month, with blank reports on which 
 they may credit themselves with the weekly study of the 
 Sunday-school lesson. These reports are collected quarterly, 
 and new supplies of the lesson helps are left by the visitors. 
 Monthly meetings of the members of this dej)artment, for 
 the review of the lesson, are also held at the residences of 
 the members. Considerable interest in Bible stud}- has 
 been awakened by this method ; and it results not seldom 
 in brino'infy recruits into the Bible classes connected with 
 the Sunday-school. Those who have undertaken the study 
 by themselves have often found the need of assistance, and 
 they wish to avail themselves of the light which is always 
 thrown upon the study by the conversations and discus- 
 sions of a class. 
 
 Here, again, much depends upon the services of a com- 
 petent and faithful superintendent. One who has both tact 
 and patience can succeed in securing the co-operation of 
 many in tliis work. But without great thorouglmess and 
 perseverance the interest is not hkely to be maintained.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE JIIDWEEK SERVICE 
 
 Most of the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches 
 provide for certain week-day services. In the cathedrals 
 and in some of the larger churches morning and evening- 
 prayer is offered every day in the year, and the fasts and 
 festival days of the Clnistian year are also observed. 
 Worshippers have thus an opportunity of meeting in the 
 sacred place at stated times during the week for prayer and 
 praise. The attendance upon these week-day services is 
 often very small ; but no one who has been in the habit of 
 attending them can doubt that they are highly valued by 
 the faithful few who avail themselves of the opportunity. 
 
 Ecw Protestant churches, except those of the Episcopal 
 communion, undertake to sustain daily public worship, but 
 some kind of midweek service is maintained by most of the 
 American churches called Evangelical. These services are 
 sometimes drearily perfunctory, and sometimes sentimen- 
 tidly effusive, and there are those wlio counsel their al)an- 
 donment. Tliere is no necessity, liowever, that they sliould 
 be formal and frigid ; and no necessity that they sliould be 
 emotionally extravagant : it is the pastor's business to see 
 tliat they are not. When they are Avhat they ouglit lo l)e, 
 they serve an important purpose in llic life of the cliuich. 
 Tlie type to which they ought to conform is that of a free 
 and informal conference of IIk^ nicnibcrs u]»on the life of 
 the Christian and tlic work of tiie church. Tiic demand is 
 not supplied by a lecture from the pastor; what is wanted 
 is that tli(! people themselves sliould be trained to think 
 ;iii(l to express their thoughts on the great themes of the 
 spiritual life. It is well, also, lo connect w itli tlicsc (lc\(»- 
 tioiial meetings consultations about the Narioiis charitable
 
 240 CHR1ST1A^' PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 enterprises of 11 le church, so that prayer and study may 
 bear fruit in service, and so that work may be informed by 
 study and consecrated by prayer. Tliere is no need to 
 search history for a warrant for such services ; it is possible 
 that nothing closely resembling the best prayer-meeting of 
 the present day can be found in the apostolic churches or 
 in the church of the Middle Ages. It may well be that 
 social conditions in the earlier days did not warrant this 
 kind of conference. If existing social conditions warrant 
 it and call for it, that is enough. It is to be hoped that we 
 may learn to use many instrumentalities that the early 
 Fathers never dreamed of. The life of the church may be 
 left to develop the forms which are most serviceable. 
 
 The early prayer-meetings in the Evangelical churches 
 of America were simply meetings for praj'cr. The min- 
 ister generally presided, and sometimes read and ex- 
 pounded a portion of Sciipture ; one or two hymns were 
 sung, and then those laymen offered prayer, and those 
 only, who were called on by the ministei'. Meetings 
 substantially of this type have largely prevailed in the 
 Presbyterian church, and sometimes they have been full 
 of the spirit of devotion. '• Of the prayer-meeting proper," 
 says Dr. Blaikie, " we have had more characteristic samples 
 among us of late years in connection with the revival of 
 religion. Such meetings are really for prayer ; many 
 Christian friends take part and the prayers are like arrows 
 from the bow of the mighty, jets of petition darting up 
 to heaven. Intercession is a prominent and very blessed 
 feature of such meetings, as it ought to be of all i)rayer- 
 meetings. Intercession revives and expands ihc heart, 
 and tends to deepen the spirit out of which it springs. 
 It is a favored congregation that can keep up such a 
 meeting, leaving to the minister the duty of simply guid- 
 ing the ])roceedings and drawing out the gifts and graces 
 (if liis j)eople."^ And yet there is probably inuch truth 
 ill these words from tlie sniiie page of the same book : 
 "• In many cases the true conception of a prayer-meeting 
 has not l)een realized. The meeting so described is gen- 
 
 1 The yV^orkoftlicMiiiistri/,]).'2\().
 
 THE MIDWEEK SERVICE 241 
 
 erally little else than a diluted edition of a pulpit service. 
 It may be doubted whether the meeting, as it is often 
 conducted, has in it the elements of permanent vigor. 
 It is a kind of cross between the college lecture, the 
 prayer-meeting proper and the pulpit service — without 
 what is most valuable in any. It is better, if possible, 
 to keep these separate and let each possess its character- 
 istic features." ^ 
 
 In the non-Episcopal churches of America at the present 
 time, the " conference " has largely supplanted the prayer 
 in these services. There is far more of speaking than of 
 praying. In the JNIethodist churches, generally, this speak- 
 ing takes the form of personal " testimony." The speaker 
 undertakes to give some brief account of his own religious 
 experience, — of the gains and losses, the victories and 
 defeats of his personal life. Such a recital, if modestly 
 and honestly made, by persons who are living serious 
 lives, might often have great value ; but it is greatly to 
 be feared that those whose lives are most serious are 
 least inclined to give absolutely truthful reports of their 
 own spiritual states ; and of that which is most intimate 
 and most vital, it is hardly possible to tell the story. The 
 danger is that " experience meetings " will degenerate into 
 a recital of welWorn phrases which represent no real 
 facts of the inner life. The mischief of such insincerity 
 must be very great. When one who has scarcely thought 
 of spiritual tilings during the week — his mind having 
 been wholly al)sorbed in the pleasures and strifes of the 
 world — goes into the weekly meeting and fluently ex- 
 presses his deep interest in the great tilings of the 
 Kingdom, and testifies that lie is making steady progress 
 in the religious life, tlie injury to his own cliaracter 
 must he deep, and the effect upon tlie minds of tliose 
 who know him well, most unhai)j)y. 'i'o tliis insincerity 
 the cut-and-dricd experience-meeting affords a strong 
 temptation. Every one is expected to give some account 
 of his own spiritual condition, and no one likes to give 
 a discouraging report. It is too easy to assume a virtue 
 
 1 Thld.. p. 210. 
 16
 
 242 CHKISTIAN PASTOIl AND WORKING CHlJKCn 
 
 which one does not possess, and to avow an interest which 
 is optative rather than actual. 
 
 On the other hand, the speaking- in many of the other 
 prayer-meeting conferences Lirgely takes the form of dis- 
 cussion, sometimes of debate, and the pure intellectuality 
 of the performance affords little nutriment to the spiritual 
 affections. We find the speakers wrestling with subjects 
 to which they have not given much attention, and on 
 which they are not prepared to throw a great deal of 
 light, and the net result of the conference is intellectual 
 confusion rather than spiritual refreshment. How to 
 escape cant and insincerity on the one side, and the dry 
 bones of theological or philosophical arguuient on the 
 other, is the problem of the conduct of the modern prayer- 
 meeting. 
 
 To begin with, it may be said that nothing is more 
 to be desired than that the modern American prayer- 
 meetins: should recover somethincr of the character which 
 it has lost as a meeting for prayer. It is quite true that 
 public prayer, like every kind of public utterance, may 
 become insincere and formal ; and as such it is more 
 abominable than any other kind of speech. On the other 
 hand, it is the highest form of expression of which the 
 human mind is capable ; and its exercise may well be 
 cultivated in the assemblies of the saints. The sincere 
 outpouring of an honest soul liefore God, in confession, 
 supplication, intercession, communiou, should, in the very 
 nature of the case, have more ii]S])iratioii in it for those 
 wlio join in the prayer than any other jiossible communi- 
 cation between human minds. Sucli ;in ad of prayer 
 brings man at once into fellowsliip with his I'athrr above 
 him and with his brother by his side; it expresses the 
 heart df both the great conuuandmcnits of the law. 
 
 "^riie utility and cvv^) llio ])r()])ri('(y of social prayer ai'c 
 often questioned. What our Lord says in the sixth chap- 
 ter of Matthew about the hypocrites who pray in the syna- 
 gogues and on tlie corners of the streets is quoted in sn]ipoi'1 
 of the position that we ouglit not to pray in ])ublic. Hut 
 when these words of his are compared with Ids other
 
 THE :midweek service 243 
 
 commands, and witli liis own example, it becomes evident 
 that it is not social pra3er, but ostentatious praying that 
 he is condonniing. It is upon those who pray in the pub- 
 lic places " that they may be seen of men " that he is visit- 
 ing his censure. " They receive their reward," he says. 
 They are seen of men. They get all that they are praying 
 for. Their real prayer is not addressed to God in heaven 
 but to men standing b}-. Its burden is : " Look at me. 
 See how devoted I am. Listen to the sonorous solemnity 
 of my tones and the well-feigned fervor of my utterances." 
 And men do look and listen, and the hypocrite gets his 
 reward. From such a horrible profanation of })rayer our 
 Lord bids his disciples to flee. If you are tempted to any 
 such display of yourself, then hasten to the inner chamber, 
 and shut the door, and pray to your Father in secret. The 
 spirit of humilit}^ ratliL'r than the spirit of ostentation is 
 the spirit of prayer. You must keep yourself out of sight 
 when you pray. If you cannot do that when you pray in 
 pul)lic, do not pray in public. If you cannot pray in a 
 social meetinof without thinkinfj all the while of the fiofure 
 you are making, then by no means pray in a social meeting. 
 But if you can forget yourself in your identification with 
 your fellows, if your sympathy with man and your fel- 
 lowship -with Ciod, rather than your own egotism, can find 
 expression in your prayers, then the act of social prayer 
 is the highest act you can perform. When you have thus 
 merged your o^\^l personality in the large benevolence 
 of your wishes, you have, in effect, obeyed the command 
 Avhicli bids you keep yourself out of sight when you 
 pray. 
 
 It is a singular misconception wliidi leads men to ques- 
 tion tlie propriety of social prayer. What are the words 
 of tlie model that our I>ord 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 :iii<I tiiiics has been 
 a grave injuiy to religion in America, it is not necessary 
 
 ^ Parish Problems, pp. 204-5.
 
 THE MIDWEEK SERVICE 251 
 
 to submit to this infliction. Prayer-meeting hymnals can 
 be found containing easy melodies and familiar hymns, 
 which are at the same time good music and good poetry. 
 
 It is well to Iiave much singing in the social meeting, 
 provided the singing can be at once musical and worship- 
 ful. The praise, the confession, the aspiration, the hope, 
 the desire which find voice in the hymns, may afford a 
 beautiful expression of the devotional feeling which the 
 prayer-meeting should call forth. The leader of the sing- 
 ing ought to be one who can feel the meaning of the 
 hynuis he is singing, and can help those who sing wiili 
 him to feel it also. The leader of the meeting ought to 
 know the hymn-book so well that he can quickly call for 
 the hj-mn which best expresses the tliought or the feeling 
 whicli is uppermost at any moment. W^hen any kindling 
 word has Ijeen spoken or any fervent wish has found 
 utterance in prayer, it will be a happy inspiration whicli 
 calls upon the whole assembly to respond to it in the 
 words of an appropriate song. In all this there should be 
 no more formality than is necessary ; the hymn may be 
 announced by its number only, and no prelude is needed. 
 A single verse or two verses are often better than the 
 whole hymn. 
 
 The suppi-ession of long harangues and [)r()lix })rayers 
 is a problem for the pastor. Many social meetings are 
 made wearisome by those to whom the gift of contiiuiance 
 has been unduly vouchsafed. Those who have not had 
 large experience in public speech are often unaware of the 
 rapidity with which time passes while they are standing 
 up to speak. The ordinary man to whom three or five 
 minutes is assigned for speed i on any su})ject is apt to 
 use up most of it in getting ready to b(L;in. I?\' kindly 
 admonition tlie pastor can usually guard against this 
 fault; if there be any who are so obtuse that they offend 
 in this way without being aware of it, a frank and friendly 
 word from him in ])rivat(! will usually correct the error. 
 
 Some of our bii.sk j)rayt'r-nieeting conductors establish 
 a three-minute rule, and introduce a call-bell to ailnioiiish 
 the speaker that his time has exj)ired ; Ijut such methoils
 
 252 CHPwISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 savor too much of the auction-room. It is better to as- 
 sume that the proprieties of the occasion will be observed 
 by Christian brethren who meet for social worship. 
 " Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty," and 
 if there is also love and consideration and courtesy, the 
 spirit of the assembly is likely to prevent those who fre- 
 quent it from imposing upon its patience. 
 
 A question box is sometimes introduced, -with great 
 prolit, into the midweek service. Difficulties and problems 
 of the Christian life which are burdening the minds of 
 members of the church are thus brought to light, and 
 cleared up, stumbling-blocks are taken out of the way and 
 troubled souls are comforted. The pastor thus gains some 
 valuable knowledge of the mental processes of some of 
 his parishioners, and is guided somewhat in his public 
 teaching. The questions should, however, be collected a 
 week before they are answered, that the pastor may have 
 time to prepare judicious answers. And the right of re- 
 jecting any questions wliich do not seem to him suitable 
 for public discussion should be clearly reserved by him. 
 
 It is well to make this midweek service a social oi)por- 
 tunity for the members of the chureli. Its devotional 
 character will not be marred by using it for the promotion 
 of acquaintance and fellowship. Sometimes the pastor 
 may announce that he will be present in the room assigned 
 to the service, or in an adjoining room, for a quarter of an 
 hour or half an hour before the meeting, to receive any 
 who may wish to speak with him, and he may also en- 
 courage all those who attend the meeting to tarry after its 
 close for fraternal greetings. Such a kindly interchange 
 of words of goodwill may do much to strengthen the 
 bond of brotherhood.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 PARISH EVANGELIZATION 
 
 Tui: minister is commonl}- supposed to be the pastor of 
 the church ; the head of a body, lesser or greater, of com- 
 municants ; the shepherd of a flock which gathers in a 
 certain sheepfold. The members of his church, the fam- 
 ilies also, to some extent, to which these membei"S belong, 
 the individuals and families which have sittings in his 
 church and are considered as belong-infj to his concreo-a- 
 tion, the children of his Sunday-school — all these are 
 supposed to be under his care. Here is a small select 
 community for which he considers himself responsible. Is 
 this the extent of his responsibility? Is his shepherding 
 well done when these are all housed and fed ? 
 
 Such is apt to be the habitual feeling of the minister. 
 He has no such theory of his function, but it is easy for 
 him to settle doAvn upon some such assumption. Our 
 Ijostulates are generally implicit. It is well for us to have 
 an understandino- with ourselves at the outset which Avill 
 prevent the suri-eptitious entrance of any notion of this 
 order. Tlie minister needs first of all to know whose 
 servant he is ; the pastor ought to have clear ideas about 
 the number of his flock and the extent of their pasturage. 
 
 That corporate community with whicli we have boon 
 dealing, the local congregation, is generally quite incliiii'd 
 to take a narrow view of the pastor's responsibiHties. He 
 is tlictr minister, the people say. Tlioy liave hired Iiiin, 
 and they expect him to (leNoft- liis time a7i(l strength to 
 them. If there are any individuals or liouscbolds within 
 reacli who can be brought witliin (licir fold, that, of course, 
 is his business, but liere his obligation ends. Tliere is 
 complaint of ministers, sometimt-s, on tlie jiart of their
 
 254 CHIIISTIAN I'ASTOll AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 congregations, because they do too much " outside work." 
 The church seems to think that it has a fair monopoly of 
 all the minister's production. 
 
 That the pastor owes to the people who have committed 
 tliemselves to his care faithful instruction and patient 
 edification cannot be gainsaid. He is to minister to the 
 church in holy things, biinging to them out of his treasure 
 things new and old. ]>ut 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<l un-
 
 2G4 CHrasTiAX pastou and woiikixg church 
 
 married. They know nothing about privacy ; modesty is 
 an unknown word and an impossible conception. IIow 
 can you teach such people in Sunday-school how to be 
 good? How much can an agency like this do to lessen 
 or purify the deep and dismal flood of vulgarity and 
 brutality and vice and crime which sweeps forever 
 through these streets ? " The pastor must not be held 
 responsible for all the language of this report, but this 
 is the substance of what he said. As we walked on, 
 we soon came to another building, in the same neighbor- 
 hood, of which much is known, and concerning which no 
 such doubtful verdict could be spoken. That was Toynbee 
 Hall, the first of the university settlements. Toynbee 
 Hall may not be an ideal institution ; doubtless its meth- 
 ods might be in many ways improved ; but this must be 
 said of it, that it has made a perceptible change in the 
 face of the neighborhood in which it stands. There are a 
 great many homes in that neighborhood which are cleaner 
 and happier because of it ; the gracious and kindly com- 
 panionship of ]\Ir. and Mrs. Barnett and the 3'oung gentle- 
 men who live here with them, has done a great deal to 
 sweeten the atmosphere of Whitechapel. 
 
 There are quite a number of colonics like this in other 
 parts of London, and in several of our American cities, 
 whose influence upon the vicinage has been quite percepti- 
 ble. But these college settlements are lacking, after all, 
 in the finest and strongest influence. They are mainly 
 composed of young men or women, who live all together in 
 one house, and who are manifestly only sojourners in tlic 
 neighborhood ; they are here to stay for a little while, but 
 not to live. Tlieir life is club life, and not family life. 
 It is far closer to the life of the ncighborliood thiin that of 
 the workers in tlie average mission, but the relation of 
 these inrlividuals to the people round about them is felt 
 to be but temporary. Besides, these are 3"oung people, 
 with Init limited experience of life, and there is much in 
 tlie daily liistory of many of tliese fiimilies into which they 
 cannot enter. We know liow heartily ;iii(l licroically they 
 have thrown themselves intu llic work, especially the
 
 rARISII EVAXOELIZATION 205 
 
 young women ; but there are many things which an ex- 
 perienced matron coiikl do for these mothers and these 
 chiklren which a young girl could not undertake. And a 
 group of families, living in such a neighborhood, would 
 afl'ect the life of the neighborhood in many ways far more 
 directly and beneficently than the best regulated club 
 could possibly do. 
 
 j\ll this will seem quixotic and chimerical to many. 
 They will not be able to conceive of the possibility of such 
 devotion. " How," they will ask, " could you expect in- 
 telligent and cultivated families to exile tkemselves, 
 socially, after tkis manner ? It is all very well for young 
 and unmarried people to go away and live in suck places 
 for a few months or years, but to ask families to take up 
 their residence there is a very different thing. Could you 
 expect well-bred fatkers and motkers to deprive tkeir ckil- 
 dren as w^ell as tkemselves of tke advantafjes of refined 
 society ? " 
 
 To all this it may be answered that it is, indeed, diffi- 
 cult to say just how much you can expect in the way of 
 sacrifice of good Christians in these days; yet it does not 
 appear that this is, after all, sucli a very heroic adven- 
 ture. It is no more than we expect of every missionary 
 who goes to Calcutta or Hong-kong ; indeed most of tkese 
 foreign missionaries would be glad if tkeir exile was no 
 more a1)Solute, and tke ck'scomforts and dangers of tkeir 
 lives were no greater tkan a residence in tke I'^leventli 
 Ward of New York or tlie Nortk End of IJoston woukl 
 require of them. These colonists in the destitute districts 
 of our American cities wouhl not, in fact be, Avholly cut 
 olT from intercourse with their fellow men ; they could 
 easily keep themselves in toueh with all tli;it was really 
 helpful in tke life of tke city. If the colony consisted of 
 a (lo/en or twenty families of tke class supj)osed, they 
 would have among theuiselvi-s some excellent society. 
 Doubtless their life would be far siiupler thau if they 
 lived on the avenues ; would that be. to iutdligent fathei's 
 ;iud mothers, a real objection? W'oidd nut iilcase fi-oui 
 the extravagances and artilicialities of city life be a great
 
 266 CHRISTIAN PASTOE AND WOliKING CHUKCH 
 
 gain U) thuni and to their children? Suppose that these 
 families were compelled, by such a change of their en- 
 vironment, to live a little more within themselves — to 
 get a little better acquainted with one another, — would 
 that be an unmitigated misfortune ? On the whole, there 
 is some reason to say that, looking at the matter from the 
 view-point of the family's highest good, the sacrifices in- 
 volved in such an enterprise are not without their 
 compensations. 
 
 At any rate, it is not easy to discover any other ade- 
 quate solution of tlie problem of city evangelization than 
 this plan of colonization, or something which involves the 
 same principle. These neglected districts are what they 
 are to-day because the churches have deserted tliem. Tliat 
 was a great crime — treachery to Christ and his gospel. 
 There is only one way to atone for it. The people who 
 have abandoned these districts must go back and occupy 
 them. If this involves some sacrifice, we must not won- 
 der ; but we need not be so faithless as to think that none 
 can be found to make the sacrifice. We may trust that 
 there is enough of Christly love and consecrated purpose 
 in the churcli to do this work, if the thought of the people 
 can only be turned toward it. 
 
 These suggestions as to the extension of the work of (lie 
 church to the districts for whose evangelization it holds 
 itself responsible are offered with some confidence. It is 
 true that they involve a considerable revision of current 
 habits of thouj^ht and current evangelistic methods, Init 
 tliis may be tlie first requisite of successful evangelism. 
 1'hc full and frank recognition of the clear implications of 
 the Christian law is not readily yielded. The eliurcli lias 
 been trying, too long, to ap})ly tlie Sermon on the iVIoiint 
 in a narrow and partial way to the problems before it. It 
 lias not been willing to go after the lost sheep into the 
 wilderness; it lias preferi'cd to send deh^gates. It has a 
 great deal to learn of tlu; very rudiments of its high 
 calling. 
 
 Without resorting either to colonization or the planting 
 of Christian institutions which shall be self-sustaining
 
 rAi;TSII EVANGELIZATION 267 
 
 riithci- than eleemosynary, the cliurch may often do miieli 
 w iiliin its own gates for the evangelization of its neighbor- 
 hood. jNIany churches attended mainly by the well-to-do 
 classes are in close proximity to districts inhabited by the 
 very poor. It is true that the stampede of the churches 
 from these districts where poverty and sorrow and spirit- 
 ual need abound has, of late years, presented to the angels 
 a melancholy spectacle ; but there are still many churches 
 whose location would enable them to enter in an effective 
 way upon the work of evangelization. There is a large 
 population within easy reach of them in the alleys and the 
 upper stories of the business blocks. These people can be 
 l)r()Ught into the churches if they are wanted there. Some 
 effort will be needed, no doubt, to convince them that they 
 are wanted, but not more than would be needed to estab- 
 lish and maintain a separate building for their use. Says 
 Bishop Hurst : 
 
 " The drift of the city churches is alwaj'S toward tlie 
 cleaner, less packed, and less commercial parts of the city. 
 All through this century the attraction in New York has 
 ])een north\\ard. When the strong church moves away, a 
 weak one is left behind. It seems to need but little care. 
 A scanty allowance is left for it. So nuich is needed for 
 the new chinch elsewhere, and it nuist be so fine, that tlie 
 old church soon l)ecomes a mere skeleton. Little llie 
 people think that for the power to biiihl tlic new ihe 
 obligation is due to the old! 
 
 " In Home it is never thought of, that, because St. 
 Peter's has to be reached by a bridge, and to reacli the 
 bridge one must go through dark and lilthy streets, there- 
 fore St. Peter's must not l)i' thought of as a sanctuary. 
 The mere fact that it is St. Peter's makes it an attiac^tion. 
 In A'^ienna, St. Stei)hen's is in the midst of darker and imu'e 
 rejH'llent streets; y<'t it is nevci- urged against it that 
 it is too far down town, and nut in the ^\^'st I-'iid. In 
 Iicrlin and in Paiis tlie same rule applies. St. I'aul's in 
 Liiiiddn. is sunounded still, as cenlnries ago. Ii\- small 
 shops, while tjic city stages ami cabs run aionnd it, and 
 make a perpt'tual din (Hi every side. ^ \'t [)i'ople go from
 
 2()8 CHRISTIAN PASTOIl AND AVORKING CHURCH 
 
 palace and noble residence far away to get to that beauti- 
 ful temple. St. Margaret's and Westminster are by no 
 means in the midst of fine residences. Yet all these places 
 are visited by the people of every class. Why should we 
 cry that the churches must follow the people ? " ^ 
 
 The assumption that poor people cannot be enticed into 
 a comfortable and pleasant place of public worship is one 
 that needs to be challenged. It is to be feared that the 
 unwillingness is largely imputed to them by those who 
 in their hearts Avould rather not have them come. That 
 is a strange sight, which is frequently seen in England, 
 of ministers and evangelists standing on the front steps 
 of churches and preaching to a little group of wayfarers 
 gathered about them in the street. Wliy are these listen- 
 ers afraid or disinclined to cross the threshold? If bar- 
 riers are there which they cannot cross, is it not the first 
 business of the churcli to tear them down ? 
 
 The whole enterprise of street preaching, as carried on 
 by organized bands of Christian churcli-m embers, appears 
 to be a sad confession of failure on the joart of tlie church. 
 So far as these services are intended to bring people into 
 the churches tliey may have some value ; but the impres- 
 sion which they make upon the casual listener does not 
 usually convey this as the primary intention. Tliey are 
 rather an attempt to reach with the Gospel those between 
 whom and the churches there is a great gulf fixed. It is 
 possible that some hearts are touclicd by tliese street 
 sermons, Imt how superficial and fleeting are their iiifhi- 
 ence ! What these poor people need above everything 
 else is friendship — tlie kind of friendsliip wliieh tlie 
 clnirch, in the ideal of its Founder, undertakes to provide. 
 It is not truth, it is not even Gosj)el trutli, ever so patheti- 
 cally utteivd, it is hive that is the fulfilling of the law. 
 AVluit these |)e(>[)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<r the ancrcls ; lie needed not to take on him- 
 
 1 John XV. 12.
 
 THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH 275 
 
 self the foiin of a serviiiit. To love our neighbor as Christ 
 loved us, means more than to feel kindly toward him ; it 
 means that we should take pains, and make sacrifices to do 
 him good. It is not possible, of course, that we should 
 manifest in this practical way our Christian love for all 
 the individuals in the world, or even to all within the 
 community in which we live. But, in order that we may 
 ]je fully exercised in loving our neighbors, the Christian 
 church lias been organized. 
 
 Into this chiu'cli, the local church, all sorts and condi- 
 tions of people ought to be gathered. Each local chui"ch 
 should be, so far as it is possible, an epitome of the univer- 
 sal church. And that, in its Founder's conception, is not 
 a theoretical or a sentimental, but a practical and real 
 brotherhood, — in which the rich and the poor meet to- 
 gether, learning how, in all their relations with one another, 
 to put the Golden Rule into constant practice. 
 
 It is necessary to the perfection of individual character 
 that there should be in the church not only diversities of 
 gifts, but diversities of culture and diversities of condition, 
 and tliat thus we should be practised in our relations to all 
 kinds of people. We need to know how to bear ourselves 
 clis;'reetly, lovingly, helpfully, not only toward those of our 
 own station in life, but toward tliose higher than ourselves 
 and those lower. A Christian Avho only knows how to live 
 in fellowsliip with one grade or caste in society is like a 
 gardener whose sole recommendation consists in tlie ability 
 to raise Japan lilies, or like a woman a\1ii) thinks she is 
 fitted to l)e a hoiLscwife because she knows how to make 
 dainties for tlie tal)le and parlor decorations. Tlie gardc- 
 Jier who is fitted for his calling must have knowledge of 
 tlie hal)its and needs of all sorts of plants ; and tlie skil- 
 ful housewife must be practiced in other l)rini('li('s of her 
 art tliiiii those which relate Avholly to luxury ami ornament. 
 So the Cliristian must have intimate knowledge of all kiuds 
 of people; of their ways of (liinkiug and living; ani]»le 
 acquaintance with all dcpartineiils of Christian household 
 work. What we should all desiderate as Christians is large- 
 ness of sympathy ; breadth of view : power to enter into
 
 276 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 the experiences of all our fellows, and to bear their burdens 
 upon our feeling. Our Master was equally at liome in the 
 hovels of the poor and in the palaces of rich Pharisees. So 
 shall we be if we are like him. 
 
 It is by this close relation of personal friendship, and by 
 this alone, that tlie Christian church can be built up and 
 the principles of the Gospel be made to prevail. The 
 religion of Christ cannot be propagated in any other way. 
 It is only by the contact of mind with mind, of heart with 
 heart, of life with life, that its virtues and graces are repro- 
 duced and multiplied. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman 
 hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened. 
 But in order that the whole may be leavened, the whole 
 must be brought together in one compact body. From one 
 life to another the sacred influences of love must flow, and 
 it is only when men are brought near enough together so 
 that their lives touch each other that the influence can be 
 communicated. 
 
 Courtesy, for example, is one of the Christian graces. It 
 is a fruit which the religion of Christ will always bear when 
 it gets its growth in the human soul. But there are many 
 Christians in whom this grace is not yet perfectly devel- 
 oped. This is the part of their character which needs 
 culture. How are they ever to gain this culture if tliey arc 
 excluded from polite society? The spirit of God does 
 develop this grace, but only under favorable conditions. 
 The sunsliinc wakes to life the crcrm that is in the seed : 
 but it will not make it grow through an asphalt paveiiu'nt. 
 And it will be dilFicult for those who were born and bred 
 ill rude society to acquire the graces of true courtesy if 
 they are sluit out from the circles in which courtesy is the 
 law — if all their associations are with the unci\ il. Tliey 
 never can l)ecome refined except by association with men 
 and women who are refined. If tliose wlio lead gentle lives 
 liold Ihemselvcs aloof from those; who lead rude lives, there 
 can be little growth of refinement in society. But when 
 all classes of people arc brought togetlier in the cliureh, 
 the expectation is that the principles of the divine life will
 
 THE SOCIAL LITE OF THE CHURCH 277 
 
 be communicated from one to another ; that the gentleness 
 and the unselfislniess and the grace Avhich liud expression 
 in ideal Christian lives, will pervade the whole society and 
 prevail at length over the roughness and barbarism of the 
 woods. This expectation is alwa^'s realized when Chris- 
 tians recognize the duty of using their social influence and 
 their social opportunities unseltishly ; of consecrating to 
 God not only their money and their talents, but their social 
 hfe. 
 
 What is true of courtesy is true of every other high 
 qualit}'. Knowledge is a Christian grace that will scarcely 
 be communicated in any other way. Many of our neigh- 
 bors are ignorant and dull-witted. Those who are intelli- 
 gent and cultivated, by their loving and helpful intercourse 
 with them, may not only impart to them much information, 
 but, what is better, the contact of their minds with minds 
 better trained \\ill quicken and awaken their intelligence, 
 and inspire them with a desire to know. So with patience ; 
 so with charitableness of judgment; so with self-denying 
 beneficence. They are all best learned from the lives of 
 those who practise them ; and it is hardly possible to learn 
 them in any other way. 
 
 Here, then, are the two main reasons why the members 
 of tlie same church should establisli and maintain close and 
 friendly social relations — first, because each individual 
 needs, for the perfection of his Christian character, to learn 
 to rule himself by the law of love in his intercouise with 
 all kinds of people, those above him and those below liim ; 
 and secondly, l)ecause it is only by the loving contact of 
 mind with mind and heart with heart that tlie Cluistian 
 virtues can be reproduced and propagated. 
 
 Such associations as these are, no doid)t, repulsive to llic 
 feelings of refined and cultured persons, 'llwy do iiol like 
 to nu'ct and mingle with such people, even if they arc llieir 
 Christian brethren. Tlieii' ])ersons are uncouth; tlieir 
 dress offemls the taste; their manners are awkward and 
 constrained ; their views are nan-ow ; their tenijiers are 
 often sulleii ; it is hard to get at them, to establish jiny 
 [toinls of sym[)athy or understanding with thiin. h seems
 
 278 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 hard and disagreeable, no doubt. But the disciples of the 
 Nazarene should bear in mind that it is enough for them to 
 be as their Master. We know that if he were here in the 
 flesh, he would gladly receive us to his society ; would 
 walk with us and talk with us ; would sit down with us in 
 our homes ; would admit us to the closest friendship. Yet 
 we are not so vain as not to be aware that such association 
 with us would offend his tastes — let us speak reverently. 
 For we must not forget that his perceptions of beauty of 
 conduct and character are far keener than ours ; and that 
 it pains him more than it can pain us to witness such un- 
 gainliness of soul and body as that from which we are wont 
 to sluink. He could not have been the Saviour of the world 
 if he had suffered himself to be governed by his aesthetic 
 feelings, instead of his benevolent feelings. If we would 
 be disciples of his we must take up this cross and follow 
 him. 
 
 But would it not be very difficult, it may be asked, to 
 put this principle of the text into practice ? It would be 
 difficult. It is commonly difficult to do right. It is diffi- 
 cult for some to speak the truth ; it is difficult for others 
 to judge their neighbors charitably ; it is difficult for otliers 
 to be honest, and for others to consecrate their property 
 to Christ ; but the fact that a duty is difficult hardly ex- 
 cuses us from its performance. The more arduous the 
 work the greater the reward for doing it. 
 
 But would not tins make a comjjlete overturning in all 
 our social customs ? Possibly : but may it not be tliat 
 society needs a complete overturning ? Tlie law of wliat 
 is called society is, for the greater part, the law of self- 
 pleasing. Not benevolence, but taste, is tlie arbiter of its 
 affairs. Tht- (piestion is not in social circles and social as- 
 semblies, I low can I do the most good — liow can I ((mrcr 
 the most liaijpincss? Imt rather. How can I gratify my 
 own tastes most thoroughly? As our civilization advances, 
 this becomes more and more tlie princi])le on wliich society 
 in some of its circles is organized. And this is not CJhiis- 
 tianily; it is heathenism; it is paganism; a refined and 
 elegant variety, n<> 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 <jf tlie ministry as no light thing, and invests it willi 
 dignity and honor. 
 
 The close connection of these Scotch deaconesses ^\ith 
 the work of the local cluircli is emphasi/X'd in all tlitir 
 training. Tliey are not independent laborers, nur is there 
 any organization to whicli tliey behmg whicli prosecutes 
 its work upon lines of its own clioosing ; they are strictly 
 sul)ordiiiatc to the ecclesiastical authorities. 'J'hey ;ire to 
 1h' helpei's of the clnirch, sharers in its ministry, messengers 
 of its goodwill. They are to furnish a cliannel of com- 
 
 ^ The Place and Power of Woman, p. 11.
 
 302 CHRISTIAN rASTOK AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 miuiication between the cliurc'h and the needy poor to 
 whom it is sent with help and consolation. In this respect 
 their work is probably wiser and more effective than that 
 of certain orders in this country whose relation to the 
 church is but slight, whose ministry is not known in the 
 community as representing the church, and whose service 
 has little if any tendency to draw the poor into the fellow- 
 ship of the church. 
 
 The effective beg'innino' of this modern movement toward 
 the enlistment of women as official servants of the church 
 may be traced to a little town on the banks of the Rhine, 
 where, in 1836, Pastor Fliedner, of the Lutheran Church, 
 opened his little parish hospital and called for help in min- 
 istering to the sick. This was the first training school for 
 nurses in modern times. A picture in the little gate-house 
 of the parsonage-garden where Fliedner began liis work 
 bears the inscription : " The kingdom of heaven is like to 
 a grain of mustard-seed." The Scripture lias been abun- 
 dantly fulfilled. The grain of mustard seed has not merely 
 become a tree, it has multiplied to many trees ; the birds of 
 the air on many shores are lodging in the branches thereof. 
 
 Wlien Pastor Fliedner assumed charo-o of the little 
 parish of Kaisers worth in 1822, destitution had overtaken 
 the connnunity through the failure of a velvet manufactory 
 in which nearly all his small flock had earned their liveli- 
 hood. His people were starving, and he was compelled to 
 go forth into Holland and England to collect funds for 
 their relief. His observations in those countries quickened 
 his })hilanthropic impulses, and he came home with a ])ur- 
 pose to do something for the relief of his fellow-mcu. 'J'he 
 first call came from the Prison Society of Diisseldorf, six 
 miles distant, in a proposition to provide an asylum for 
 discharged female prisoners, where they could be sheltered 
 and trained for usefulness. It was a great undertaking 
 for a parish with sucli nairow means, but Ihc brave pastor, 
 wlujse wife most lieartily sup[)()rted him, opened a summer- 
 liouse in his garden, and bade tlie prisonos Avclcomc. 
 Shortly alter, a house was hired for tlie asylum, and tlic 
 summer-house was used for a knitting-school for poor
 
 woman's work IX THE CHURCH 303 
 
 children, wliicli soon took on some of tlic characteristics of 
 a kindergarten. It was a curious combination of phihxn- 
 tlu-opies, but resolute hearts were in the work and it greatly 
 prospered. ]Many prisoners were reformed and little 
 children were made ha[)py and wise under the tuition of 
 the faithful pastor and his wife. 
 
 And now another human need appealed to them. There 
 w^ere many sick, and a hospital was demanded. One house 
 only in Kaiserswerth was available for such a purpose ; its 
 l)rice, in American money, was sixteen hundred dollars ; 
 the penniless pastor bought it, and before the year was 
 gone paid for it also. Two friends, single women, volun- 
 teered to be the nui-ses in this hospital : Oct. 13, 1836, the 
 maidens took possession of the house ; they had for furni- 
 ture a table, a few chairs with half-broken backs, a small 
 set of crippled knives and forks, and a heterogeneous collec- 
 tion of rickety bedsteads. Thus, " with great glacbiess and 
 thanksgiving," began the Deaconess House at Kaiserswerth. 
 To-day the little hamlet is one of the centres of the philan- 
 thropic work of the world. Besides the principal hospital, 
 now containing two hundred and twenty beds, there is a 
 hospital for disabled deaconesses, a INIagdalen home, a large 
 kindergarten, a training-school for teachers, an orphanage, 
 a holida}' house for retired deaconesses, an old ladies' home, 
 and a great many shops and buildings in which the indus- 
 trial work of the mission is carried on. This is the seed- 
 plot. But how wide has been the planting. To all parts 
 of the world the work has spread. Fliedner was called to 
 otlier countries to establish branches of liis hospital train- 
 ing-schools, and the women who have been litted for ser- 
 vic(i in Kaiserswerth have found their way into many 
 lands. 
 
 With two of his deaconesses, Fliedner came early to a 
 German church in rhil;i{l(l[ihi;i. Otliers have foUowcil, 
 and Kaiserswertli now has six branch traininir-schools in 
 the Luthei-an cluirches of the United States. In .Ii-riisa- 
 Iciii, in Constant inoj)le, in Alexandria, Beiiiil, Smyrna 
 and many other jilaces the indefatigable founder l)uilt 
 hosjntals, Ijoarding schools and ()r[ihanagcs. Since Kaisers-
 
 304 CHllISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 wertli was instituted, ten thousand four hundred deacon- 
 esses have been ordained in the German Protestant Cliurcli, 
 and they are found to-day at work in three thousand 
 six hundred and forty different phxces. 
 
 The course in the training school at Kaiserswerth covers 
 three years. There are t^^'o classes — one for nurses, the 
 other for teachers. In certain rudiments of service all are 
 trained. Every one must know how to do general house- 
 work — to cook, to wash and iron, to sew, — for these 
 homely services may be required of any deaconess. After 
 these primary lessons the course divides, and those who 
 are to become nui'ses are specially trained in the hospital 
 VAdiile the teaching sisters receive the instruction that fits 
 them for their work. All these sisters also are set apart 
 to their work by a solemn service of consecration.^ 
 
 1 Tlie form of consecration as used at Dresden is as follows : 
 
 " LlTDUlJIK nEI ElXSEGNtrNG VOX DlAKON'ISSEX. LlED. AnSPHACHE. 
 
 " Nacli der iVusjjrache legen die Einzusegnendcu ihr Gelubuiss in die 
 Hand des Geistlichen ab. 
 
 " P. Kniet niedor luid bittet urn den Segeu. — Die Einzusegiionden beteu : 
 ' Gott sei uns guiidig und barmbcr/.ig, und gebe uns seiuen giillliidicn 8egcn ! 
 Er lasse iiber nns sein Antlitz leuchten, dass wir ;iuf Erden erkeunen seine 
 Wege. Es segnc nns Gott, unser (iott, und gcb nns seincn Fvieden. Amen.' 
 
 "P. Es segne cucli der dreieiuige Gott, Gott der Vater, ISohu, und lieiliger 
 Geist. 
 
 "Schw. Amen. 
 
 " P. Eriede sei mit Schw. N. N. 
 
 " Schw. Friede sei mit ihr. 
 
 " P. Er sende ihr Hilfe vom Ileiligtlinm. 
 
 "Schw. Und stiirke sie aus Zion. 
 
 " P. Der Uerr unser Gott sei ihr freundlidi und flirdrc d.os Werk ilirc 
 Hiindc l)ei uns. 
 
 " Sc'liw. Ja, das Werk iliii' Iliiude wollc er fiJrdern. 
 
 " P. Amen ! In Je.su Nameu. 
 
 "Schw. Amen. 
 
 " Hicranf giebt der Geistliche jeder der Sehwestern einen Gedenkspnuli und 
 betet iibcr ihnon : Ewiger Gott, A^1tc^ unsers Hcrr Jesu Cliristi, dii Sclir>|)fer 
 dos Maiincs un<l des Weibes, der du Alirjain und Debora und llanna und 
 HnUIa mit dem hciligen Geistc erfiillt und es nicht versciimaht lia.st, deincn 
 cingeliorncn Solni von oiiiem Weilie gol)(>rcii 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!iollirr<t S<icni, WA. \\\ iii., ]i. :\. 
 
 1.'0
 
 30G CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 pitals that most of llic charitable nursing must be dune. 
 Tlie work of teaching, and visiting the poor and church- 
 less might, however, be largely done in connection with 
 the local congregation. It is only as the work of the 
 deaconess is turned in this direction that it comes strictly 
 within the view of this treatise. What the deaconess is 
 trained to do in pastoi'al work — as a helper and leader in 
 the Christian service of the congregation — chiefly con- 
 cerns us. It is evident that the " Lehrschwestern " of the 
 Kaiserswerth Institution are prepared for such service. 
 The evident purpose is that they shall bring to the pastors 
 to whom they report, a reinforcement of strength and skill 
 by which the church will be enabled to do its work more 
 efficientl}'. It is not only by what they themselves will 
 do, but by what they will stir up other members of the 
 church to do that the church will be prolited. They will 
 assist in opening communication between the church and 
 the needy and the neglected round about it, and Avill 
 strengthen its hold upon their confidence and affection. 
 Such, as we have seen, is the design of those who arc 
 foremost in promoting the training of deaconesses in the 
 Church of Scotland, and in tlie Protestant Episcopal 
 Church of the United States. The assistance thus fur- 
 nished to the local church in the prosecution of its proper 
 mission may be of great value. 
 
 In cases where the aim seems to be to estal)lish religious 
 or philanthropic centres separate from the churches, to do 
 the work which it is assumed the cliurches cannot do, 
 there is some reason for hesitation in our commendation 
 of it. If deaconess homes are calculated to supersede tlie 
 churches, or to afford tlie churclies an excuse for neglect- 
 ing the work which properly belongs to them, their utility 
 will 1)0 doubtful. The church ought to be the centre of 
 all evangelical and charitable operations : and the multi- 
 plication of agencies which intercept its lines of influence 
 is to be regretted. The deaconess homo ought to be in 
 every case closely connected with sdiiic church : it ought 
 to be evident to the whole community that its gracious 
 inlluences proceed directly from the church; and its
 
 woman's work in the church 307 
 
 gospel invitations shuuld draw men into the fellowsliip of 
 the chnrch. It is to be hoped that as the movements for 
 the establishment of this agency, now largely tentative, 
 are better matured, the connection between the work of 
 the deaconesses and the work of the parishes will be closer 
 and more vital. 
 
 In most American Protestant churches the work of the 
 women is well organized. In many churches will be 
 found an association, variously named, whose function is 
 partly social and partly financial. Its work consists in 
 promoting the fellowsliip of the church and in increasing 
 its necessary funds. 
 
 Much can be done by the women of the church to 
 strengthen the bonds of fellowship. Indeed it may be 
 said tliat most of what is done for the promotion of better 
 acquaintance and the development of fraternal feeling 
 nuist be done by them. They have not only the leisure 
 for this work but the tact and the experience which fit 
 them for it. If the women of any congregation are so 
 minded they ma}' establish a condition of things which 
 will make the pastor's work easy and delightful. If eveiy 
 new family finds a cordial welcome and a prompt intro- 
 duction to congenial friends ; if social opportunities are 
 so arranged and improved that those wlio ought to know 
 one another are l)rought together pleasantly and fre- 
 quently, a social atmosphere will be created whicli w ill be 
 favorable to the growth and fruitfulness of the churcli. 
 On the "Women's Society of the church the responsibility 
 for this work mainly rests. 
 
 The financial operations of tliese societies liave attracted 
 criticism. The various nu-thods emjiloycd hy them in 
 raising funds are often censured as undignified and dis- 
 graceful. The su})])ers, the festivals, tlie bazaars and sales 
 to which they resoii are often stigmatized as niiwurlliy 
 devices for Ihe procureniciit of tlu! necessary revenues of 
 the clnu'ch. It is not improbable thai indecorous cou(hu't 
 niav sometimes mar these festivities: the same luiglif be 
 said of prayer-meetings. If the stale joke of the news- 
 papers were well founded, — that tlic charges made on
 
 308 CHRISTIAN PASTOK AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 these occasions are exorbitant, — ■ that would be good 
 ground for censure. But the truth is that the good 
 women usually err in the other direction, giving their 
 customers more in return for their money than they could 
 obtain elsewhere. The charge that they interfere with 
 trade by selling goods below the market price might more 
 easily be proven against them. 
 
 It may be said that any such commercial expedient to 
 raise the funds for the support of the church is to be con- 
 demned, since the amount necessary ought to be freely 
 contributed. That this is the ideal method will not be 
 disputed; but our ideals are not easily realized, and the 
 friendly enterprises of the women's societies often afford 
 a substantial assistance to those who have the charge of 
 building or furnishing churches and of maintaining wor- 
 ship in them. It is, indeed, often possible for good women 
 to give of their handiwork more value than they could 
 give in current funds ; and the provision for turning these 
 offerings into money seems to involve no essential impro- 
 priety. In the olden time, we are told, "all the women 
 that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and 
 l)rought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of 
 purple, and of scarlet, and of line linen. And all the 
 women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goat's 
 hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to 
 be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate ; and sj)ices 
 and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the 
 sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing 
 offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose 
 lieart made them Midinsx to brino; of all manner of work, 
 which the Lord had conunanded to be made by the hand 
 of iMoscs." ^ It is not clear that the contributions of handi- 
 work to a modern church bazaar differ essentially from this 
 ancient donation. 
 
 It may sometimes l)c true that enterprises of this nature 
 give rise to jealousies and ill-tempers among the p.'irtici- 
 ])ants; any close association of human beings is liable to 
 result in this way. But, on the other hand, it is quite 
 
 1 Ex. XXXV. 2.'j-29.
 
 WOMAN S WORK IN THE CHURCH 309 
 
 possible that the association for such purposes should be a 
 means of grace to those who engage in it. There is no 
 better place to learn to behave unselfishly and generously, 
 to consider one another, to prefer one another in honor. 
 Churches do sometimes make great gains of Christian char- 
 acter in the loving co-operation of these enterprises. 
 
 The social advantages of these events are also consider- 
 able. They bring together those who would not otherwise 
 meet; they enlist all the women of the church in a com- 
 mon enterprise; and if care be taken to make each one 
 feel that her assistance is valued, the tie that binds the 
 members to the church and to one another may be greatly 
 strengthened. 
 
 In most churches a Women's ^Missionary Society will 
 be found, sometimes both a foreign and a home missionaiy 
 society; and many churches, in addition to these, have 
 room for a Young AVomen's Missionary Society, and a 
 Cliildren's Band. Of these missionary organizations we 
 shall speak in a subsequent chapter: they are mentioned 
 here in order that attention may be called to the multiplic- 
 ity of women's societies within the church, and to tiie 
 need of co-ordinatinof them. This is the task Avhich lias 
 been undertaken by the Women's Guild of the Church of 
 Scotland. This (iuild is a national organization, but its 
 purpose is to develop and also to unify the work of the 
 women in the local parishes. It aims to establish a Branch 
 Guild in every congregation, and this is not an additional 
 society, but a consolidation of all the societies. Each of 
 the diiferent organizations for woman's work is regarded' 
 as a section of this Guild; and one of the aims of its 
 promoters is to enlist every woman of the church in the 
 work of one or more of these sections. In tlir icjiorts 
 which the Branch Guilds make to the National (iuild, 
 fourteen different sections are specified, as foUows: Visiting 
 the sick and ])oor; hos])itality to the lowly; entcrtainnu'iit 
 for the pfopK?; mothers' meeting workers; workeis at 
 home for missions; members of Dorcas society; fellow- 
 workers' union; mothers' union; Sabbath-school teach- 
 ing; magazine and tract distiiliuting; church music;
 
 310 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 temperance society; Bible class; collectors. Each of 
 these sections, it would seem, should be under the care of 
 some capable leader or committee; the work of the Guild 
 should be to get every woman or girl in the church to 
 choose some one or more of these kinds of work and report 
 to the leader of the section. All these sections constitute 
 the Branch Guild, and the workers meet together from time 
 to time, to exchange experiences and to report progress. 
 The rules for the meml)ers of the Guild are as folio \a's : 
 
 "The members of this Guild are united together with 
 the view of deepening and strengthening their own religious 
 life and of promoting good works ; and they resolve — 
 
 " 1. To give service to the Lord Jesus Christ as workers 
 in his Church, or as receiving guidance and instruction 
 with a view to work in future. 
 
 " 2. To meet together at such times as may be agreed 
 upon. 
 
 " 3. To read a portion of Scripture and pray in private 
 every day, and to go to church as regularly as possible. 
 
 " 4. In private prayer to pray often for the furtherance 
 and success of the work undertaken by the Church of 
 Christ, especially by the Church of Scotland. 
 
 "5. To pray for other members of the Guild on Sunday 
 morning, and on that day also to pray for a blessing on 
 all the good works done in this parish, on the parish min- 
 ister, and on all the workers."^ 
 
 The little Handbook from which those rules are copied 
 gives also under the title "What is the AVoman's Guihl?" 
 'a clear statement of the purjioses of the organization: 
 
 "1. It is not a Young Woman's Guild. It is therefore, 
 even in this respect, not parallel with the Girls' Friendly 
 Society and llic Young Women's Christian Association. 
 It is an attempt to band together all the women in a con- 
 gregation, so that they may be helpful to each otlier. It 
 ])ro])oses to make all workers acr|uaint(Hl witli onrli otlier, 
 and with eacli other's work, and llii'ougli this accpiaintanoe, 
 and the sympatliy resulting from it, to strengthen tlieir 
 luiiids and increase their powoi- to work. 
 
 ' llnndbook, j). 4.
 
 "U'o^ian's wokk in thk church 311 
 
 "2. It is II union within the Church. The Christian 
 Church has lost much by so many of its members going 
 outside of it for companionship in work, and for Christian 
 fellowship. This scheme by no means proposes that mem- 
 bers of the Church of Scotland shall not be members of 
 their non-ecclesiastical societies, but it reminds them that 
 they have a primary duty within their own church. The 
 Guild can reach, and ought to reach, every adherent of 
 every congregation, so that, for example, domestic ser- 
 vants and young women in shops, if they be sitters in a 
 church, shall have associates, advisers, and guides of their 
 own sex in the congregation to which they belong. This 
 is a part of the ' communion ' to which all are solemnly 
 pledged at the Lord's table. As it is through working 
 together that people come to know each other best, the 
 Guild is — 
 
 " 3. A Union of Workers. It has been found that poor 
 and rich rejoice when it is put in their power to do some- 
 thing: and rich and poor can be allied in working for mis- 
 sions in connection with the congregation, or in some of 
 the many branches of congregational activity. A union 
 for work in Christ's cause ought surely to be a part of 
 congfregational life. 
 
 " 4. It is a union whose members may do good to others. 
 The ultimate question is not ' AVhat will the Guild do for 
 me?' but 'What will the Guild enable me to do for 
 others ? ' 
 
 "Therefore w^e may sum up ])y saying, — 
 
 " 1. A branch of the Woman's Guild in any parish or 
 congregation ought to be a union nl all women, old and 
 young, \\lin are engaged in the service of Christ in con- 
 nection with the Churcli, or wlio desii-e to give help to any 
 practical Christian w^ork in tlic i)arish, as well as all Mho 
 arc receiving Cliristian teaching, and looking forward to 
 Christian service. 
 
 "2. Each member sliould take j)art iu at least ouc of 
 the sections of the parisli work, — as for cxaniiilc, the 
 Dorcas Society, thr Tract I )istiibutors, the Mission \\'(>il<- 
 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(l<rii Missiovs in (lie luist, liy 1'. A. I.iiwrciiro, |i. 3()7.
 
 36G CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WOlllvING CHURCn 
 
 natiug, but swiftly and surely assimilating every country 
 and every people under the sun. with the solitary exception 
 of Cliina. At a rough estimate, we may say that Christen- 
 dom includes within its dominion about two-thirds of tlie 
 land of the earth and 800,000,000 of the 1,500,000,000 of its 
 population." ^ 
 
 The industrial expansion of Christendom, as the same 
 writer shows us, is not less marvellous. More and more 
 the markets of the world are filled with the machinery and 
 the wares produced by Christian nations : the industries 
 of Europe and America are pushing their conquests in every 
 quarter of the globe. The science of the Western world 
 is also steadily prevailing against the superstition of the 
 East ; where liglit is, darkness cannot be. 
 
 It is this tremendous advance of the physical and intel- 
 lectual forces of Christendom which makes the problem of 
 Christian missions so urgent. It is a time for Christian 
 statesmanship. A certain supremacy has already been 
 won for nominal Christianit}-. The immense vigor of tlie 
 Christian civilization compared with the civilizations that 
 have been produced by other faitlis, is thus demonstrated. 
 But the triumph is full of peril. The vast multitudes 
 which have been brought under Christian rule need to knoAV 
 something more of the power of Christ than the soldier or 
 the civil servant or the trader is likely to teacli them. A 
 Christianity which is merely official or nominal may easily 
 become a snare to them. The form of Christianity witli- 
 out the power thereof bewilders and burdens tliem. The 
 very fact of the ])olitical supremacy of Cliristendom creates, 
 therefore, an f)l)ligation weightier and more imperative tlinn 
 the Church has ever before been called to l)car. Witli 
 these tremendous considei-ations every pastor ought (o l)e 
 familiiir. Tlic woik of Cln-istiiiti missions is not done; 
 it is liardly begun. Tlic ])hast's wliich tlie work will 
 assume, the enthusiiisnis Avhich it will arouse, we may 
 partly conjecture. Doubtless we arc likely to need a large 
 revision of ideas and methods ; l)ut the ono faot to be kept 
 in view is that the political and industrial and intellectual 
 
 ' Modern J//s.s/();/.< in the EnsI, ji. .'i09.
 
 SOCIETIES AND CHURCH CONTRIBUTIONS 3G7 
 
 expansion of Christendom must be the forerunners of a 
 spiritual e\[iansion not less sionificant. First that which 
 is natural ; afterward that Avhieh is spiritual. The foun- 
 dations of the New Jerasalem are laid; the Church is 
 called to complete the superstructure. The Christian 
 pastor of to-day must learn how to brinq- home to the 
 hearts of his people the signiticance of the movements now 
 going forward in all the earth. It is his task to make 
 them see that the time in -which they are living is one of 
 mighty signihcance ; that the business of Christian missions 
 is connected in the most vital manner with the political and 
 social changes wliich are taking place ; and that the sub- 
 ject is one concerning which they cannot afford to be 
 ignorant. The enlargement of the knowdedgfe of the 
 Church is the one thing needful. Men are not likely to 
 take a deep interest in subjects of wdiich they know little 
 or nothing. And this subject of missions in other lands is 
 one of which the majority of church members will have no 
 knowledge unless considerable pains be taken to give 
 them information. The needs of their own neiohborhood 
 are before their eyes every day ; the conditions of their 
 own country they have some knowledge of ; but the sul'fci- 
 ings and miseries of their neighbors on the other side of 
 the world they do not see, nor are they aware of tlie wf)rk 
 that has been done in tliese fields and of the j)romising 
 nature of tlie beginnings that liave been made. To sjiread 
 this information, to arrest and liold the attention of the 
 church to the sul)ject of missions is the first thing to do. 
 Some stated meeting, held as often as once a month, should 
 furnish this information in such a form tliat the peoiile 
 will eagerly receive it. Tt is not best to call it a " montlily 
 concert; " that name is seriously discredited. M or should 
 it ever l)e conliucd to work in foreign lands, lint if every 
 cliui'ili coiiM have a nioiitlily meeting a( which ihc jn'og- 
 rcss of the kingdom in the wliole world slioiilij he reported, 
 taking up the salient events of ciincnt religious iiistory 
 at home and abroad, ])ointing out the hojx'fid and dis- 
 couraging f(>atur(\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(><litious or so exciting 
 as the other, but on the whole it would be nunv judicious. 
 And it would seem that there must be a better method of 
 delivering a cliuidi from a condition of lnw tcinjx'ra- 
 ture than by applying to it the torch of liigh-j)r('ssure 
 revivalism. 
 
 I>ut not <tnly is the life of the Cliuicli unlicalthily affected
 
 REVIVALS AXD KEVIVALISM 387 
 
 by a too exclusive reliance upon the revivalistic methods, 
 there is also, as has been suggested, a serious loss in the 
 neglect of those quieter methods of nurture and training, 
 out of which such important gains might come. Tliat 
 chapter of Dr. Bushnell's from wliich quotations have 
 already been made is entitled "The Out-Populating 
 Power of the Christian Stock." His argument is that if 
 the Church simply holds its oivn^ its growth will be rapid, 
 even phenomenal. If the children of Christian families 
 are kept in the Church and trained for efficient service, if 
 the organic life of the Church is as vigorous as it ought to 
 be, its own law of natural increase will speedily put it in 
 possession of the world. 
 
 " In this view it is to be expected, as the life of Chris- 
 tian piety becomes more extended in the earth, and the 
 spirit of God obtains a living power, in the successive 
 generations, more and more complete, that finally the race 
 itself will be so thoroughly regenerated as to have a genu- 
 inely populating power in faith and godliness. By a kind 
 of ante-natal and post-natal nurture combined, the new- 
 born generations will be started into Christian piety, and 
 the world itself over-populated and taken possession of 
 by a truly sanctified stock. This I conceive to be the 
 expectation of Christianity. Not that the bad heritage of 
 depravity will cease, but that the second Adam will get 
 into power with the first, and Ije entered seminally into 
 the same great process of propagated life. And this ful- 
 fils tliat primal desire of the world's Creator and Father, 
 of wliich the prophet speaks — ' That he might have a 
 godly seed.' "^ , 
 
 It may be objected that piety is a matter of individual 
 choice. The answer is that the same is true of sin. 
 "Many of us liave no dilliculty in saying that m;ud<ind :ire 
 belli sinners. 'J'hey may just as truly mid prupcily be 
 born saints — it re(inircs the self-active power to be just as 
 far develojK'd to commit sin as it docs to cliodsc obedi- 
 ence."- The organic tendency to holiness may be as posi- 
 tive as the organic tondcncy to evil. And the Seiij)tiires 
 
 ^ Vliristiiin yiiiliiir, J). liOj. - ////(/ , ]i. |'.)7.
 
 388 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 everywhere assume that this mighty force of heredity will 
 be employed by the Chiireh in transmitting the forces of 
 righteousness. It is needful, indeed, that the Church and 
 the Christian home shall be ready to take the children, 
 thus predisposed to the acceptance of Christ, and give 
 them a godly nurture, surrounding them with the influ- 
 ences which shall cherish and not extino-nish the o-ood 
 tendencies which they have inherited, and lead them 
 toward the voluntary clioice- of Christ and his service. 
 This expectation rests upon the doctrine of the Innnanent 
 Christ. " What higher ground of supernaturalism can be 
 taken," demands this prophet, "than that which supposes 
 a capacity in the Incarnate Word and sanctified Spirit to 
 penetrate our fallen nature, at a point so deep as to cover 
 tlie whole spread of the fall, and be a grace of life, travel- 
 ling outward from the earliest, most latent germs of our 
 human development."^ If the saving grace of God does 
 enter thus into the very sources of our life, and is to be 
 found working there to regenerate and sanctify, there is 
 surely great hope for us, when we seek to work out our 
 own salvation, and to guide the children committed to 
 our charge into the ways of life. The Church thus sanc- 
 tified in its life and entering with intelligent purpose into 
 the great plans of God for its redem})tion would become 
 "the great populating motherhood of the world." 2 
 
 The manner in which this may come to pass is outlined 
 in a luminous passage of the volume under our considera- 
 tion. In a regenerated society the tides of health and 
 physical vigor will be stronger than elsewhere. The 
 dei)ilitating effects of vice and extravagance \\\\\ be 
 minimized, and the energies of life will be rciid'orccd, 
 Plivsif-al vigor will give the mastery of tlio ])liysi('al con- 
 ditions of life, and 'Mlio wealth accruing is powx'r in every 
 direction, ])ow('r in production, enterprise, education, 
 colonization, iulluence, and consequent popular increase."'' 
 Intellectual development is the natural fruit of such con- 
 ditions; fill' llie great thouglits of Cod wliicli llic Clii'istian 
 
 1 Christian Nurturf, p. 20.'). 
 2 a;,/., p. 20fi. " //'/'/., p. 211.
 
 KEVIVALS AND IIEVIVALISM 389 
 
 faitli makes faiiiiliav not only purify the heart but stinni- 
 late tlie reasoning powers and give wings to the imagina- 
 tion. Thus the great fact of the expansion of Christendom, 
 to which reference was made in a former chapter, is seen 
 to he the natural outcome of the principle of life which 
 Christianity communicates. It is in the nature of the 
 leaven to leaven the whole lump. "These great popula- 
 tions of Christendom, ^\■hat are they doing hut throwing 
 out their colonies on every side, and populating themselves, 
 if I may so speak, into the possession of all countries and 
 climes ? I^>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 <Ufferences of administration, and divi'rsities of 
 operation, and theie should be workers of differing gifts to 
 carry them on. Tlie aggregate salaries need not nimli 
 exceed tlie salary of the star preacher; and a (Iimch 
 A\i)ikcd ill this way, by men and women of even ordinary 
 ability, will show resnlts that will fai- exceed any which 
 can (iiiiic from mere l)rilliant preaching.'' ^ 
 
 i Tliv Andovrr livvicw, ^^ll. xii. j). .'102.
 
 414 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKIN(J CHURCH 
 
 The social influence of cliiirclies of tliis nature can 
 scarcely be computed. More than any other agency at 
 work in the community they tend to break down the bar- 
 riers which keep social classes apart, and to cultivate that 
 goodwill which is the only adequate social bond.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 ENLISTING THE :MEMBERSHIP 
 
 The rapid survey which avc have taken of the varied 
 activities of the working Church at the end of the nine- 
 teenth century makes it clear that in a church fully organ- 
 ized enough work will be found to employ all the members. 
 The too frequent conception of the church as a safe refuge 
 into Avhicli Aveary wayfarers turn for rest and refreshment, 
 does not harmonize with the view of its functions which 
 ^\•e have entertained. That the Chiircli may be a haven 
 of rest for troubled souls is not to be disputed, but the 
 rest wdll be gained in other ways than those in which men 
 are wont to seek it. "" Not as the world giveth " does our 
 IMaster give his peace. His own rest and refreshment 
 were found in his ministry of love. While his disciples 
 were gone away into the city to buy food, and he sat, 
 weary, by the well at Sychar, his fatigue was forgotten in 
 bis faithful service of the needs of a sinful soul. '' J have 
 meat to eat that ye know not of,'' ^ he said to his Avonder- 
 ing disciples, as they returned and pressed liim to partake 
 of the needed food. And the fundamental truth respect- 
 ing his service is that it revei-ses, in many respects, the 
 C(mnnon conception of welfare. The laws of the spiritual 
 realm are, in their primary statement, antithclical to lliose 
 of (lie ])hysical realm, thougli tlicre is a liigber unity in 
 wbich Im.Ui cohere. Of tlie tilings of tiic si)irit it is 
 always true that the more one gives away the more one 
 lias left. The economic piinciples which govern material 
 exchanges are uttrily inapplicable to I he sjiirilnal rehitions 
 of men. And the sanu* thing is trnc of the conceptions ot 
 labor and rest as ai)|)lie(l to the Christian service. 'I'he 
 
 1 .J.iliii iv. a:;.
 
 416 CHllISTIAX PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 time may come when the disciples of Christ will rest from 
 their labors, Imt in this world the law is that they sliall 
 rest in their labors. What is the word of the Master 
 himself to the weary and heavy laden ? " Take my yolcc 
 upon you^ and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your 
 souls.'' 1 
 
 It is this conception of the essential nature of the Chris- 
 tian life which is beginning to find expression in the 
 organized activities of the Christian Church. The idea is 
 still very imperfectly comprehended by the great multi- 
 tude of communicants: the notion still prevails, both 
 within and without the Church, that it is mainly an 
 Ark of Safety rather than an army of occupation. Four 
 persons out of every five of those who are invited into the 
 Church fellowship will be heard answering, for substance, 
 "What will it profit me? " The idea that men come into 
 the Church simply and solely to secure some benefit for 
 themselves is almost universal. It is a great reproach 
 against the Church of Jesus Christ that such an impression 
 should still prevail. "Come thou with us and we will 
 do thee good"^ is not the invitation upon which the 
 Church should put the chief emphasis. The followers of 
 Him who came not to be ministered unto but to minister, 
 must not reverse the order of his kin<Tdom in their mes- 
 sage to the world. It is enough for the disciple that he 
 be as his Master. Not to be saved, but to serve, is the 
 high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The sneer of the 
 on-lookers when Jesus hung upon the cross embodied 
 the profoundest truth of his gospel : " He saved others, 
 himself he cannot save." '^ It was because lie did not save 
 himself that he was al)le to save others. 
 
 iVftcr tliis great truth tlie Cliurch, in tliese latter days, 
 seems to l)e dul)iously reaching forlli. The meaning of its 
 missiou in the world is dimly borne into its thought. It 
 1)egins to get some glimpses of the kind of work tliat it is 
 called (o do, as the body of Christ, — ;is liis representative 
 in the world. 
 
 It is not, indeed, a new conception tliat the Church is 
 
 1 Matt. xi. 2;t. - Xuiii. x. 2'.). " Ua.il. xxvii. 42.
 
 ENLISTING TUH MEMIJEUSIUP 417 
 
 called to minister in Christ's name, and to give its life for 
 men; but this conception has g-enerally been coupled, 
 avowedl}- or tacitly, with the theory that tlie Church, 
 thus cfiinmissioned, is the clergy. That such is the func- 
 tion of all those who are entrusted with the official ministry 
 of the gospel has always been understood. Their first 
 business, as all men know^ is not to save themselves, but 
 to save others. But those theories of the Church which 
 separate the clergy from the laity have resulted in prac- 
 tically surrendering to the clergy this highest form of 
 service. The high calling of the clergy is to save others ; 
 that of the laity is to be saved. Such is the steady impli- 
 cation of sacerdotalism. And although the Reformed 
 Churches have repudiated the sacerdotal theories, they 
 have by no means rid themselves of all their implications. 
 The notion that the people are in the Church to be taught 
 and fed and strengthened and comforted and inspired and 
 led to heaven, and that the minister is among them to do 
 tliis work for them, has been the prevailing notion, to 
 which all the treatises on pastoral theology are clear \\\i- 
 nesses. It is probable that the very name of pastor, 
 which those at the furthest remove from sacerdotalism have 
 usually bestowed upon their ministers, has suggested limi- 
 tations which do not belong to the ministerial relation. 
 All analogies fail at some points; and the minister must 
 })e Sf)mething other than a shepherd, and the members of 
 the Church something more than sheep. This is the mis- 
 conception which we constantly encounter, in all our 
 dealings with the people of our churclies. What is more 
 common than to see the pco})le in the pews on a Sunday 
 morning, apparently settling themselves in an attitude 
 wholly passive and negative to await the operation of the 
 minister ui)ou their minds. It is much as if they were 
 folding their arms and saying: "He is going to try to do 
 us ;i little good; let us see liow his enterprise will |)i'os])er. 
 If he succeeds, he will be (puly :iu unjirolitable servant: if 
 he I'.iils. we shall have good reason to find fault." 'I'iiis 
 is jiardly a caricature of tlie mood in whieh many congre- 
 gations weekly [iresent themselves Iwf'Mv tlie pul]iit. To
 
 418 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORiaNG CHURCH 
 
 drive all these misconceptions from the minds of his people 
 is one of the first duties of the Christian minister. Line 
 upon line, precept upon precept, let him instruct them 
 that the call to service is addressed not only to the man in 
 the pulpit, but to all the men and women in the pews; 
 that it is the whole Church and not merely its office-bearers 
 who are to be witnesses for Christ and laborers tosrether 
 with him ; that the duty of ministering to those who are 
 Avithout rests upon the "laity as well as upon the clergy ; 
 that the injunction to do good to all men as we have 
 opportunity, and especiidly to those of the household of 
 faith, 1 is addressed by the apostle to the people, and not 
 to their pastors. And it will be the minister's constant 
 endeavor to secure from each member of his flock, even 
 the feeblest, some co-operation in the work to which the 
 Church is called. 
 
 The extent and the urgency of this work he ought to 
 keep before their minds. The relation of the church to 
 the community in which it stands; i^s function as teacher, 
 inspirer, healer, light-bearer, leader of the people ; its duty 
 to do for the people round about, rich and poor, high and 
 low, believing and unbelieving, the work that Christ would 
 be doing if he were there, is the truth which he must con- 
 stantly urge upon the consciences of his people. The pos- 
 sibility and the duty of some active participation in this 
 work by every one that has named tlie name of Christ — 
 by the children of the fold, even, and l»y llu' iuNaUds at 
 home — must be faithfully enforced. 
 
 We are sometimes inclined to say that it would be 
 better for all our churches if the}' could be sifted, as 
 Gideon's army was sifted; if tlie faint-hearted and tlic 
 ease-loving and the worldly-minded could all l)e sent to 
 the rear, and only the brave and the faithful were left in 
 the ranks. Hut this is the counsel nf unwisdom. 'I'hese 
 timid and indifferent people in the chuicli arc worth sav- 
 ing; and the only w'ay to s;i\e llicm is to set them (o 
 wa)rk. Even if the service which they inulertakc is but 
 slight, it will lie good fur them to feel tli;it they are iden- 
 
 ' Ciil. vi. U).
 
 ENLISTING THE MEMBERSHIP 419 
 
 tified Avith the life of the church, and have a right to 
 count themselves not merely as passengers but as helpers. 
 
 In order to secure this co-operation of all, the first thing 
 to be done is to keep the members of the church well 
 informed respecting the work in hand. The pulpit 
 announeoments from Sunday to Sunday will convey much 
 of this information; but it is not judicious to devote much 
 of the time of the morning service to the discussion of the 
 details of these various enterprises: and it is therefore 
 desirable tliat some means of communication be establisiied 
 between the members of the congregation by which all the 
 news of the church Avork can be conveyed to all. A 
 printed calendar of services and engagements for the week, 
 with the standing list of the officers and the working- 
 organizations of the church, distributed at the doors of 
 the church at every service, answers this purpose. Such 
 a calendar may be sufficiently large to admit, every week, 
 brief notes about the various enterprises, and reminders of 
 the obligation of the members to support them. In a city 
 cliurch where the membership is scattered, and the diffi- 
 culty of maintaining social intercourse among the members 
 is serious, such a method of communication is valual)le. 
 Some churches maintain a monthly periodical, somewhat 
 more pretentious, in which the Avork of the churcli is 
 reported and discussed. If judiciously edited, such a 
 newspaper may be a great aid to the pastor. If, liowever, 
 the labor of editing it is wholly thrown upon him, tlie 
 burden, in many cases, will Ik^ too heav}'. 
 
 The mid-week service, as lias already been suggested, 
 may be utilized in reporting the progress oi llie work of 
 the cliurch. A definite schedule might l)e arranged, hy 
 w liicli brief reports fi-om one or two departincnts should be 
 secured at each weekly meeting. Or i( might be preferred 
 that an occasional inid-wcck service sliould be Ashollv 
 set ajtart for the hearing of such rejiorts from all depart- 
 ments. The idea that the church is a working lio(l\-, en- 
 gaged in delinite enteri)i'ises, und inti-n-sted in the progie.ss 
 of tliese enteiprises, would thus be st<'adily kept in view. 
 
 The annual meetintr "I the church shuuld he larirelv
 
 420 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 devoted to rej)orts from all departments of the church. 
 It should be made the duty of the head of each of these 
 departments to prepare and present a clear and condensed 
 account of the work done during the year in his depart- 
 ment, with intelligent criticisms and suggestions. Fol- 
 lowing tliese reports of the heads of departments should be 
 the pastor's report, covering the whole field, pointing out 
 the encouraging and the discouraging features of the 
 work, emphasizing the points that need to be especially 
 considered, and making any suggestions that ma}^ seem 
 wise to him respecting enlargements or modifications of 
 method. These reports should in all cases be written; 
 after the meeting they should be recorded in a book kept 
 for the purpose, so that a complete history of the work of 
 the church should be written from year to year. 
 
 The meeting at which the work of the year is thus com- 
 prehensively reviewed should be treated by the pastor and 
 the officers of the church as the most important meeting 
 of the year. Notice of it should be given two or three 
 weeks beforehand, and the members should be admonished 
 to arrange their business so that they may be in attendance. 
 It should be made A'^ery clear by the pastor that their 
 presence at this meeting is expected of all who are not 
 sick or necessarily absent from the city; that no social 
 engagement and no business engagement should be per- 
 mitted to take precedence of this, and that the ordinary 
 excuses for absence will not be accepted. 
 
 In churches congregationally governed, the duty of all 
 the members to attend the annual meeting, and take i)art 
 in the choice of the leaders of the work for the coming year 
 is ol)vious enough. Even in these churclics, however, 
 lliis l))isincss is apt to be left to a few. Hut wlicn the 
 amiual meeting is made the great event of the churcli 
 year, and the work of the year is clearly presented in brief 
 and well-digested reports, it takes on a new signilicance, 
 and the ajjpeal to the members to attend and participate 
 is more likely to be heeded. 
 
 Tlicre is no reason however, why clinrclics under an 
 opisco])al or a preslj^tci'ian governmcnl shouhl not lia\<'
 
 ENLISTING THE MEMBERSHIP 421 
 
 such annual assemblies of the whole membership to hear 
 the recital of what has been done during- the year, and to 
 jisten to the proposals which may be made by the proper 
 ollicers of new work for the coming year. If the church 
 is a working bod}', it would seem to be highly important 
 that an annual review of what has been accomplished 
 should in some way be brought to the attention of every 
 member of the church. With nothing short of this 
 should the pastor be for one moment content. The 
 presence of a small minority of the members at this impor- 
 tant meeting should be to him an intolerable neglect, and 
 he should set himself, with all good-natured determination, 
 to overcome it. Once a year, if no oftener, the fact that 
 the church is a working body ought to be brought home 
 to the comprehension of every member thereof. 
 
 It is sometimes assumed that the printing, in a church 
 year-book, of the reports of all the departments of the 
 church, for distribution among the members, will answer 
 the same purpose. But this is hardly suflicient. The 
 printed report can be easily laid aside; there is reason td 
 fear that not half the members receiving it would read it; 
 and the reading, in any case, would not have the same 
 effect upon the mind that would be produced by the oral 
 presentation, in the assemli] cd congregation, of these 
 recitals of faithful service. 
 
 Nor is the plan adopted by some churches of providing 
 an annual supper for the members, in connection with 
 which these matters shall be considered, in all respects 
 advisable. The festivities would interfere, to a consider- 
 able extent, witli the business; and it is not well to give 
 tlie impression that this meeting is in any sense a festivity. 
 It is a business meeting; an<l those who attend it slionhl 
 be exjieeted to give their minds sirietly to business. 'I'o 
 albire them with the ^jromise of a good time and soiiie- 
 tliiiig to eat is to touch the wrong elioKh This meeting 
 means service and sacrilice, if it means anything; and wi- 
 do not well when we assume llial lliere are many memhei-s 
 of our eliui'ches who can never 1h' enlisted in anything 
 that invohcs service and sacrilice.
 
 422 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WORIvIXG CHURCH 
 
 By sucli measures as have been suggested, the work of 
 the church may be kept before the minds of its members. 
 This is the first consideration. Those wlio come into its 
 communion must be constantly advised and reminded of 
 the fact that it is a working body; that it is seeking to 
 follow him who said, " My Father worketh hitherto, and I 
 work."i In this very matter many churches fail. A 
 considerable number of their members are at work, but 
 there are also large numbers who are doing notliing, and 
 no means are taken to bring the work of the church directly 
 before the minds of those who are living in idleness. 
 
 But it is not enough that information should be freely 
 afforded to all the members. Vigorous measures should 
 be taken to enlist every one of them in some department of 
 the work. The problem of the luiemployed is quite as 
 serious in the church as it is in society. The number of 
 those church members who, from one year's end to another, 
 never lift a finger in any effort to promote the enterprises 
 in which the church is engaged, is, in most cliurches, far 
 too large. We must not, indeed, assume that those 
 church members who are never known to take part in the 
 organized activities of the churches to which they belong, 
 are all fruitless Christians. Some of them may be bringing 
 forth good fruit in their homes, and in their Imsiness 
 relations, and in their daily association with their fellow- 
 men. The inspiration wliich they receive in the public 
 services of the church may greatly influence their con- 
 duct. But it would seem to be true that even these, if 
 they were a little more conscientious, Avould I't'cl dial tlioy 
 owed some service to the church whose covenant tin y have 
 taken ujxtn tliemselves, — that they nmst not bcwliolly 
 negligent of tlic o])portunities of associated work which 
 the church offt-rs tliem. And every ])astor should set it 
 before him as llie end of liis leadership, to get every mem- 
 ber of his church definitely and consciously pledged tf) 
 some kind of service in connection Avitli the work of the 
 organization. Thei-e is \\(iil< cikhil;-]! to (h): the lii'lds art; 
 white foi' thr liai'vest ; and ihi' prohh'iii is to assign every 
 one his work. 
 
 ^ John V. 17.
 
 ENLISTING THE MEMBERSHIP 423 
 
 In every cliuicli a goodly nunil)ei' of the members are 
 now employed. They are teaching in the Sunday-schools, 
 or working in the Women's Aid Societies, or the jNIis- 
 sionary Societies, or the Young People's Associations, or 
 the Guilds, or the Brotherhoods ; many individuals are 
 engaged in several different departments of work. To 
 reach those not thus employed is the business in hand. It 
 can only be done l)y systematic and patient effort. 
 
 It is quite proljable that there are many persons in the 
 communion who would not feel competent to undertake 
 any kind of work now organized. If so, some new depart- 
 ments nnist at once be formed. It is possible, surely, to 
 I^rovide some kind of work in which every one may be a 
 helper. 
 
 There ought, for example, to be a very large force of 
 visitors of the ]:)Oor in every considerable city church ; and 
 an}' one should be invited to take part in this visitation 
 who would be willing to take the oversight of a single 
 poor family. 
 
 There should be a large committee on fellowship also; 
 and those who would consent to make a few calls upon 
 new members of the church living in their neighborhood 
 should be assigned to this conmiittee. 
 
 The committee on church and Sunday-school attendance 
 shoidd l)e larger still; scores or even hundreds of the 
 members of a large cliurch could belong to it; all those 
 wild would engage to invite to clmicli or Sunday-school 
 those having no church home might be members of this 
 committee. There might be committees on flowers and 
 decorations, and conunittces on visiting and reading to 
 the sick and the airt'd: and collectinLjf connhittecs for the 
 church offerings; and many others which the circum- 
 stances of each congregation woidd readily suggest. Now 
 let the pastor set to work to assign every one of liis mem- 
 bers, by tlirir own consent, to some onc^ of these various 
 departments of woilc. ('aids maybe pi'ei)are(|, on wliicli 
 tliese (l('|)artnu'nts art.' named, and t]ies(^ may be jtiaced in 
 the liands of all the memlx-rs, witli the I'efpiest that each 
 one mark those kinds of service in wliieli lie is willing to
 
 424 CHEISTIAX PASTOIl AXD WORKING CHURCH 
 
 engage, and return the card, with his signature, to the 
 pastor. The names thus gathered in may be given to the 
 leader in charge of each department, wlio shouhl be 
 responsible for putting himself in communication with his 
 volunteers and assigning to them their special tasks. 
 
 This will do for a beginning; but it will need to be 
 followed up. Many will fail to respond ; they should be 
 visited and kindl}' pressed into undertaking something in 
 the way of definite Christian service. "No unemployed 
 members " should be the motto of every church. By 
 diligence, by patience, by persistence, the expectation 
 should be established that every person coming into the 
 cliurch should find, at once, some post of service. Every 
 candidate presenting himself for admission to the church 
 should be requested to assign himself, at once, to some 
 department of the work of the church. 
 
 To brinar about such a state of thino-s in some churches 
 would seem to be a herculean undertaking. So large is 
 the number of those to whom church-membership has 
 never brought a suggestion of responsibility or actual 
 service, and to whom it has always seemed that they were 
 fulfilling all righteousness, if they folded their hands, and 
 absorbed wliat they could, and found fault M'ith those who 
 bore the burden and heat of the day, that the attempt 
 to enlist the whole membership of every church in some 
 kind of Christian service may even appear to many a 
 quixotic proposition. IJut it will ])e far better to aim at 
 this than at any lower mark. The admission ouglit never 
 lobe made (hat any person can belong to a chuicli ^itli- 
 out having some active part in its labor. That a ])iipil 
 should be admitted to a school Avithout any definite uiidci- 
 standing that lie should become actively interested in its 
 studies, or that a soldier should be enlisted in an army 
 without being rcupiircd to })erfonii any service, wouhi 
 seem an inalidiial proceeding; is it any less anomah)Us 
 that men and wumcn sIkhiIiI lie received inln llic member- 
 ship of a Christian church and ])('rmitted to live and die in 
 its cnnunnnion witliont lu'coniing r('sp(tnsil)le for any por- 
 tion uf the work which that church is organized to per-
 
 ENLISTING THE MEMBEKSHIP 425 
 
 form ? The clear and emphatic statement of this principle, 
 from time to time, will carry conviction to the minds of 
 tliose wlio hear it. It is so manifestly true that they can- 
 not deny it. And when, without passion or accusation, it 
 is firmly insisted on as the only rational theory of church 
 membership, most of the members of the churcli A\ill 
 accept the situation and seek to be counted as having some 
 , part in the work. A thorough-going policy of this nature 
 will connnend itself to the reason of every intelligent 
 person ; it is more reasonable and more feasible than the 
 })()licy which expects all the work of the church to be 
 done by one-third or one-half of the membership, while 
 the rest are permitted to be merely nominal or honorary 
 members. Doubtless we often fail in our church work 
 because we do not ask enough of our church-members. 
 r>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, 
 an<l twenty-four thousand absent. Is there no waste of 
 tliat power wliiili resides in nunibcis'.^ If I lie re were four
 
 ENXISTIXG THE MEMBERSHIP 427 
 
 times as many present, the service would do good to four 
 limes as many, and vastly more than four times as much 
 good could be done, because the meeting would be vastly 
 better. If a given number of Christians do a certain 
 amount of good, manifestly twice as many of the same 
 sort Avould accomplish twice as much. But this is not all. 
 The Word says that ' one shall chase a thousand and two 
 i)ut ' — not two thousand, but — ' ten thousand to flight. ' ^ 
 There is a cumulative power in numbers greater than the 
 numerical increase. Two hundred Christians ought to be 
 able to accomplish far more than twice as much as one 
 hundred, and will if they properly co-operate. If half of 
 uur church-membership does nothing, far more than half 
 of the possible power is lost. If four out of live do 
 nothing, possibl}^ ninety-nine oiie-liiiiubedths of the power 
 is wasted. The secret of the fact that possible power 
 increases more rapidly than nund)ers lies in organization, 
 the value of which in Christian work the churches and 
 denominations are barely beginning to learn. "^ 
 
 1 Dent, xxxii. .30. 
 
 ^ liev. Josiali Strong, D. D., in Parish Problems, p. 348.
 
 CIIArTER XX 
 
 CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER CHURCHES 
 
 The unity of Christendom is a problem to whicli the 
 great ecclesiasticisms have lately been addressing them- 
 selves with unnsnal seriousness and insistence. It seems 
 to be felt, on all sides, that something must be done about 
 it. Discussion of the various propositions for oi-ganic 
 unity, from that of the Vatican to that of the Congrega- 
 tional Council, is quite aside from the purpose of the 
 present treatise. Yet no working church can study its 
 responsibilities and prepare to take its place in the held of 
 the world and its part in the service of the kingdom, with- 
 out being confronted, at once, with serious dilficulties that 
 grow out of this lack of unity. Indeed, it is the develop- 
 ment of the working church which has forced this problem 
 upon the attention of Christendoni. So long as each local 
 church was content with sheltering and shepherding such 
 as were born within its fold, or came of their own accord 
 into it, this question was large!}' in abeyance. lUit as 
 soon as it was discovered that there were large regions 
 lying unevangelizcd, and (]iat the churclu's must go out 
 with thcii' gospt'l into these waste places, llic evils of 
 scliisiii hcgan to manifest themselves. In almost every 
 city in the land the collisions and confusions arising from 
 this sonrce are slKimcful, and tlic \\ast(' of vesonrces tlius 
 entailed is little less than criminal. .\n\ rlinnli st'iidiiig 
 out its visitors into a neglecti'(l (Uslrirt. to invite the 
 cliildrcn into its Sunday-school, is apt to find tliat a neigh- 
 l)oi' clnucli has liccn over tlie ground jnst lid'orc it; and 
 the cliililrcn, tlins solicitcil, nianifcsl a li\cly intei'csi in 
 finding ont \\lii(li of the Sunday-scliools is offering tlie 
 larfrest inducfincnt^. Alnllitndfs of tlicsc cliihb'cn arc
 
 CO-()]'ERATK)X WITH OTHEll CIU'RCHES 429 
 
 thus coiitiniuilly dnuvii away from one school to another 
 by what they regard as superior attractions; there is no 
 stability in their church relations, and small possibility of 
 making any permanent impression on tlieir characters. 
 
 AMien any cliurch, after carefully studying the neglected 
 districts of its own city, plants a chapel in some promising 
 held, it may confidently expect that before the paint is 
 dry upon the walls of the new building, another, like unto 
 it, \\'ill Ije rising on the next square, to contest with it the 
 occupancy of its field, and to divide with it a constituency 
 whicli is not large enough to support one enterprise. If 
 this competitor is backed by large revenues, and aggres- 
 sive workers, it is possible that it may absorb the attend- 
 ance, and leave the original occupant of the field to 
 struggle and starve and finally perish. Such things are 
 constantly occurring. The principle of the survival of 
 the strongest is allowed free play among church organiza- 
 tions in the cities. Mr. Fiske says that civilization largely 
 consists in setting metes and bounds to tliis force of 
 natural selection ; in replacing the animal competitions by 
 sympathy and consideration and good-will. He calls tin's 
 "castinof off the brute inheritance." This stasfe of civili- 
 zation has not yet overtaken our contending ecclesiasticisms. 
 
 " Dragons of tlie prime 
 That tare eacli other in their slime" 
 
 were not more ready to devour each other than are the 
 Christian churches, so called, planted for sectarian \mv- 
 poses, in the growing districts of American cities. It is a 
 striking illustration of the adage that corporations have no 
 souls. Th(! impersonal scjciety whicli we call a churcli 
 does not consider itself bound by tlic law of h>ve 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 |ii<Hlii(ti\(ly 
 em[)loyed elsewhere in aiding the progress of tlie kingdom 
 of lieaveu. 
 
 Such ;nc the eouditious which e\-ei-y woikiug ehuich 
 must face when it sets forth, at the conunand of its Lord,
 
 CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER CHURCHES 431 
 
 to occupy the licld iiiLo wliicli, in ilic exercise of its best 
 wisdom, it believes itself to be sent. It is a situation 
 which no body of sincere believers, to whom the welfare 
 of Christ's kingdom is dearer than the prosperity of any 
 sect, can contemplate without a sinking of the heart. 
 Was this any part of the calamity which our Lord foresaw 
 when he said, "A man's foes shall be they of his own 
 household?"^ Can anything be more melancholy than 
 this fratricidal strife of men who sing so blithely, in their 
 union meetings, — 
 
 •• \\'e are not divided, 
 All one body "vve : 
 One in hope and doctrine, 
 One in charity I " 
 
 For the waste of the Lord's money to which we have 
 alluded is not the oidy loss involved. The whole message 
 of the Church is enfcel)led and perverted. The pushing 
 rivalr}', so patent to all observers, impresses those to whom 
 the invitations are spoken with the egoism of the whole 
 proceeding. It becomes too evident that these eager can- 
 vassers are working to save the Church, more than to 
 make the Church the saviour of men. " The competition 
 of churches," says one, "which is so mournfully common, 
 almost universal, is sufficient evidence to the world that 
 the churches are selfish; that they seek attendants in 
 exactly the same spirit that a Imsiness house seeks cus- 
 tomers. And, of course, men w^ho care notliing for the 
 Church cannot be induced to attend for the sake of the 
 Church. When we really convince men that we seek not 
 theirs but tlicui, and tliat we seek them for their own 
 sakcs, not ouis, we shall have far more inlluence with 
 them." 
 
 What sliall the church do when it tinds itself face to 
 tiue with these conditions? It ought to seek, by every 
 means in its power, to secure some kiml of nndcistiinding 
 or agreement with the churches round about, by which 
 competition shall be as far as ])Ossil)le supj)ressed, and the 
 prinei[)le of co-o]ieralion substituted therefor. In the day 
 
 1 Matt. X. 3G.
 
 432 CHRISTIAN PASTOll AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 when the wastefiihiess of a wholly selfish competition is 
 fully recognized by political economists, and when it has 
 become; evident, even in the material w^orld, that it is 
 better to unite than to contend, it w^ould seem that the pos- 
 sibility of securing some kind of co-operative arrangemeiit 
 among Christian churches ought not to be despaired of. 
 
 Asa beginning, it might be well to propose a convention 
 of all the churches of the town or municipality, for the 
 sole purpose of studying together their common field of 
 labor. A friendly conference of this nature, even if it 
 were pledged beforehand to pass no votes and take no 
 action, might prove to be useful. It would necessarily 
 emphasize the fact that the field was common to the 
 churches thus conferring ; the obligations of comity Avould 
 be suggested and emphasized by the existence of the con- 
 ference. Some churches, doubtless, w^ould be reluctant 
 to enter into it for this veiy reason; for there are still 
 some who are shy of any proposition that looks toward 
 unity — some, because they are so fully convinced that 
 theirs is the only possible form of church order, and others, 
 because they think that the existing "cut-throat competi- 
 tion " of the sects is the best regimen for the kingdom of 
 heaven. But it should not be diflicult to answer these 
 objections and bring the various churches together, by 
 their representatives, to consider the condition of the held 
 which they are occupying together — to leaiii what their 
 neighbors are doing, and what is left undone ; to investi- 
 gate the hindrances to the progress of the kingdom; to 
 secure careful reports ui)on the state of the most neglected 
 neiglil)orhoods; to study the relation of tlie churches to 
 the working people and the unchurched classes generally ; 
 to look into tlie condition of the foreign-born populations; 
 to lind out wlictlici- oi- imt the laws and ordinances n\' the 
 town or city are enfoiccd by the proper authorities, and 
 if uiif. why not; to Icaiii what is being done for the poor 
 by public and voluntary agencies, and whether and to 
 what extent this work of outdoor relief is tending to the 
 pauperization of the recipients; and to consider any otlier 
 matter of this nature which may be of interest to the 
 
 1
 
 COOPERATION WITH OTHER CHURCHES 433 
 
 Christian people of the community. The purpose of this 
 conference would thus be purely educational. Work of 
 this kind is by no means superfluous. Clear information 
 respecting the social and religious conditions of the com- 
 munities in which they are at work is one of the things 
 most needed by all working churches. Far too often they 
 keep working away, year after year, with little knowledge 
 of what needs to be done, or of what others are doing. 
 An intelligent survey of the entire field for which they 
 are jointly and severally responsible, would be full of 
 instruction for them. 
 
 Such a conference, in which each church should be 
 represented by its pastor and two or three delegates, calls 
 for no elaborate organization. A well-chosen Business 
 Committee of three or live members furnishes all the 
 machinery needed. The duty of this committee should be 
 to decide upon the topic for each meeting, to secure the 
 opening paper or address, which should be limited to half 
 an hour, and to engage one of the churches for the meet- 
 ing. The pastor of the churcli in which the meeting is 
 held should be the chairman of the meeting. The paper 
 of the evening should be open for discussion, in speeches 
 of limited length, and should be prepared with a ^'iew to 
 its puljlication in the local newspapers. Careful studies, 
 not too long, of the religious or social conditions of the 
 connnunity, are available "news," which any enterprising 
 journal would gladly print. The conference would thus 
 assist in enlightening the whole community respecting its 
 own social needs, and could he an effective means of 
 creating an intelligent and wliolesome public opinion. 
 
 There is good reason to believe that a few nieetings ol' 
 this nature would convince the churches taking part in 
 theni that they onglit to devise some method <>r jiractical 
 co-operation. Such an association as this would be lil<ely 
 to deepen, in llie hearts of all sincere disri[)li's, tlic reeling 
 of their eouuiiou interests and aims., and would strengthen 
 the craving for hdlowshiji in work wliieh nuist spring in 
 the heart of all who liave learned of Christ, Evidence of 
 wasted resources and conflicting labors nuist needs ai)pcar 
 
 28
 
 434 CHIilSTIAN PASTOR AND WORIONG CHURCH 
 
 ill abundance to those engaged in such studies; and 
 douljtless hirge tracts of heathenism, practically untouched 
 by all these striving bands of sectaries, would be brought 
 to light. The need of a more comprehensive and a 
 more rational policy of evangelization would be strongly 
 emphasized. 
 
 The first question respecting the active co-operation of 
 the Christian churches of the local community in their 
 common work Avould have resj)ect to the basis of such 
 organization. What churches shall be invited or admitted ? 
 What shall . be the doctrinal foundation of such an effort ? 
 To some persons this is a paramount consideration. They 
 are not willing to unite in Christian work of any kind 
 with those whose beliefs are unsound. The Roman Catholic 
 church, in its strenuous testimony to the unity of the 
 church, and its unflinching assertion that there can be no 
 unity which is not based upon acceptance of the supreme 
 authority of the Bishop of Rome, refuses, as a matter of 
 course, to take part in any association by which the recog- 
 nition of other Christian bodies as churches is even im- 
 plied. Many high Anglicans, with a different standard 
 of regularity, adopt a similar practical rule. Some of 
 the Reformed bodies have hitherto held so strongly to 
 the vital importance of certain tenets of orthodoxy that 
 they could not co-operate with any who did not hold these 
 doctrines. Various attempts have been made to find a 
 doctrinal basis on which Christians of different names, 
 residing in the same neighborhood, might unite in Chris- 
 tian work. The creed of the Evangelical Alliance was 
 long su])})osed to be a statement broad enough for all prac- 
 tical purposes. This creed contained the doctrine of the 
 Trinity and what are known among the Reformed churches 
 as the doctrines of grace, including the expiatory atone- 
 ment, and the need of regeneration; it asserted also the 
 everlasting punislnnent of those dying in impenitence. l>y 
 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 <lc\ising lilK'inl tilings in 
 tliose more peculiar cases of want and distress w hich IVom 
 time to time occur, and for whicli a legal macliinery affords 
 no adequate souroo of roliof."'^ 
 
 1 Mark xiv. 7. - Poslonil Tlirolo;jij, p. 'MO.
 
 THE CARE OF THE POOR 451 
 
 The care of the poor, Avhich was once the exclusive 
 function of the Church, has been relinquished, in most 
 Christian countries, to the state or the municipality. We 
 have here a notable fact of modern civilization, and one 
 upon wliich not a little serious thought ought to he ex- 
 pended by the Church of tliis generation. Whether this 
 result is one upon which we may congratulate ourselves is 
 not altogether clear. It is, indeed, a great trium})!! of 
 Christianity that that ''fund of altruistic feeling" which it 
 has contributed to modern civilization has so influenced 
 the ^\■hole community as to impel the state to take up this 
 work of charitable relief. That " All-of-us," in our corpo- 
 rate capacity, should be compassionate enough to wish to 
 ])rovide for the wants of the needy is matter for profound 
 tliankfulness. But it is not yet clear that civil society is 
 fully etjuipped for the performance of the whole of this 
 work, nor that the Church has done well in relinquishing 
 it. For the most part, it must be admitted that much of 
 the work is badly done by the civil authorities; that those 
 most needy are apt to be least cared for, and that those to 
 \\'hom the aid of the state is injurious rather than helpful 
 get the lion's share of its dispensation. That the Church 
 has been stripped of a large part of its power by its sur- 
 render of the charge connnitted to it by its iNIaster is also 
 manifest. If its influence in civil society has been weak- 
 ened; if suspicions have arisen that it has become too 
 closely identified witli tlic more fortunate classes; if the 
 problem of "reaching the masses " has come to be discussed 
 in its councils in a somewhat despairing tone, these facts 
 are to be largely explained by its practical al)andonm('nt 
 of the field into which it was sent b}' its Ahistcr. It is 
 time, let us urge, for a great revision of the relation of the 
 Christian Cliurch to the i)oor li\ iiig in its iieigliliorliood. — 
 and for (lci'[( searchiiigs of ln'art on the part of Cliiistian 
 disciples, with res[)ect to the meaning of the conniiission 
 under which they arc serving. Has the parabh^ of the 
 Judgment no relation to the ]iresent conditions of the 
 Christian Cliurch? 
 
 In the study of this question, we are lirst reminded of
 
 452 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCU 
 
 the tnitli tliat eveiy church ought to have, in its own 
 membership, those for whom its compassionate offices will 
 be needed.-^ The constitution of the church implies such 
 a condition of things. Not only will it include those of 
 the lower classes, it will also rejoice to find among its 
 members those to whose needs it may minister in Christ's 
 name. Some of these have been overtaken by sickness or 
 misfortune or old age, and in their destitution they need 
 the sympathy and succor of their brethren. There are 
 few churches in these days in which such members are not 
 found, and the care of them is one of the most sacred 
 duties of the brotherhood. Nor is this duty often wholly 
 neglected. An offering is usually taken at each com- 
 munion service for the relief of the wants of needy 
 members, and the sums thus collected are quietly and 
 judiciously distributed, under the direction of the pastor 
 or the officers of the church. What the churches do in 
 this way is not noised abroad; most of the money thus 
 dispensed is given by stealth ; many self-respecting people, 
 who would shrink from revealing the penury into which 
 they have fallen, are visited and fed, as it were by ravens, 
 and thank God for relief that comes through unseen mes- 
 sengers. Tlie amount of this secret charity, annually dis- 
 tributed to church-members, is not inconsiderable; many 
 of those who charge the churches with neglecting their 
 own should be advised of the fact that they do not always 
 blow trumpets before them in the streets when they bestow 
 their alms. 
 
 It must be confessed, however, that the churches are 
 sometimes remiss in this very service, and that their mem- 
 IxTs are sometimes permittted to appeal to tlie public 
 authorities, or the voluntary charities for relief. Such is 
 the case in the United States; to what extent it occurs in 
 other Christian countriis we are not a1)le to say. Tlie 
 consciences of inwny Christians need enlightenment on 
 this subject. Is it not a grievous reproach against any 
 clinrcli of Jesus Christ that it permits any of its members 
 to become recipients of alms from tliosc outside its fcUow- 
 
 ' Sec Clia]i. II.
 
 THE CARE OF THE POOR 453 
 
 ship? Is not the apostolic judgment, that he who pro- 
 videth not for his own liath denied the faith and is worse 
 tlian an unbeliever, applicable to the household of faith as 
 well as to other households? 
 
 In the care of the poor of the Church great delicacy 
 and consideration are needful. It may sometimes be the 
 pastor's duty publicly to enforce upon his people the truth 
 that there is a Christian grace of receiving, as well as of 
 giving ; and that while, as Jesus said, ' it may be more 
 blessed to give than to receive, it is often the part of a 
 Christian cheerfully and thankfully to accept the ministra- 
 tions of those who love him and who sincerely wish to 
 help him in bearing his burdens. There are those who 
 need our help to whom we often find it difficult to convey 
 it. Their honorable pride we respect, but it is possible to 
 carry this principle beyond the limits laid down by the law 
 of Christian brotherhood. If it is a Christian duty to give 
 help to those in need, it must be the Christian duty of 
 those in need to accept it. Let them put themselves in 
 the place of the givers, and consider how the}' would be 
 pained if their kindness were repelled. There may be 
 great profit to them in this fellowship of giving and receiv- 
 ing. It will do them good thankfully to take what is 
 lovingly bestowed; to appreciate the generosity of their 
 l)rcthren; to be comforted by a recognition of the kind- 
 ness that exists in other hearts; to give large place in 
 their own hearts to the love that rejoices not in iniquity, 
 Ijut rejoices in goodness. 
 
 Still it is more than probable that the Church will find, 
 from lime to time, within its communion, some Avith whom 
 its dilficulty will be quite unlike that of which we have 
 just spoken — some Avho are willing enough to receive; 
 whose purpose and lialiit it is to get as nuieh as they can 
 out of everybody with whom they have any kind of social 
 commerce, and to give as little as they can. If they enter 
 into any kind of association witli thrir fcllowmen. ilicii' 
 only question is liow luuch they may li(>[)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 <ln paiivio, do I'eiif^afijcr ii clicrclicr dcs rossourccs en lui-nu'mc, de 
 maiiitonir ct do ri'vcillcr Ic sciitiiuciit do sa dii^iiito, do liii temoignor, dans sa 
 ])anvrot(', tout le resi)cct anriuel il ])eut avoir droit ou (ju'il est en i-'tat d'apprc- 
 cier." — Vinet, Thcoloijic Pastorale, p. 361 .
 
 THE CARE OF THE TOOR 455 
 
 iovis nature, and seeks to raise the poor and reconcile tlieni 
 to their hjt, even when it is not in our power to ameliorate 
 that lot. Generally speaking, it is not to be expected of 
 tlie preacher, himself as a rule but scantily remunerated, 
 tliat he should belong to the number of those who give 
 largel}-; but he may sometimes effect very much by means 
 of his influence, intercession and recommendation. . . . 
 Not a little may be accomplished moreover with the poor 
 themselves, by means of a good and friendly word, which 
 is sometimes to be weighed against all silver and gold. 
 The true pastor's heart indeed feels impelled to seek the 
 poor, particularly not less than the prosperous and respected, 
 and even more to set them in a way of helping themselves 
 than actually to support them. In all pastoral care for 
 the poor, the material must be the means, the spiritual the 
 linal aim in the labour, ' The soul of caring for the poor is 
 caring for the soul,' according to Elizabeth Fry's maxim." ^ 
 
 Wliat is here said respecting the Church's minister 
 must be equally true of the ministering Church. These 
 art' the lessons that the Church must learn and practise. 
 To confine this lore to the leaders of the churches is not 
 the Christian Avay. To such Christly ministry all disciples 
 are called. Nor must we too strongly emphasize the sug- 
 gestion about reconciling the poor to their lot. i\Iost of 
 them are too well satisfied; if we could kindle in their 
 souls a divine discontent, we should serve them most 
 wisely. 
 
 By such faithful and loving ministry to the poor within 
 its own doors — the shy and the proud, who liide their neces- 
 sities, and the malingereis, who are too ready to settle into 
 mendicancy — the Church should (pialify itself to go out 
 into the garrets and the alleys with liel]) for the ])oor that 
 are without. Both these classes will lie found in the 
 encircling ])Oj)ulations; and the work of caring for them is 
 becoiiiing, in tliese latter days of the nineteenth century, 
 one of herculean pro])ortions. 
 
 'J'his work, as we have already seen, has lu'cii uudi'r- 
 taken in all Christian lands l)y the pul)lic authorities. 
 
 ' Practicill Thrahiiiii, |i. .").").'}.
 
 456 CHRISTIAN PASTOE AND WORKINa CHURCH 
 
 Almshouses are now, as a rule, built and maintained by 
 the state ; hospitals, orphanages, asylums for the defective 
 classes — the blind, the deaf, the feeble-minded — are also 
 furnished in America, and to some extent in other coun- 
 tries, at the public charge. The amount of this work 
 which the state has undertaken is prodigious ; the figures 
 furnish an impressive revelation of the extent to which 
 Christendom has been leavened with the enthusiasm of 
 humanity. The state of New York has nearly eight mil- 
 lions of dollars invested in country poorhouses and city 
 almshouses; in twenty-three years the money paid out for 
 the maintenance of these institutions amounted to nearly 
 sixty millions of dollars. In 1890, the out-door and in- 
 door relief administered by public authorities in this state 
 footed up 83,319,864. In 1892, Pennsylvania paid, for 
 the support of homes for needy children and for indoor 
 and outdoor relief of the poor, $!4,272,868, besides 
 $2,036,822 for the insane and feeble-minded, the deaf, 
 dumb and l)lind. Tliese are only samples of what all 
 American states are doing, and the public philanthropies 
 of Great Britain are not less remarkable, though here it is 
 somewhat difficult to distinguish between the institutions 
 which depend on the public purse and those which are 
 supported l)y voluntary charity. 
 
 In Germany, the care of tlic poor is almost wholly 
 entrusted to the municipalities, and the work is performed 
 with admirable system and thoroughness. The system 
 of Elbcrfeld is thus sketched: 
 
 " Every four paupers are classed in a precinct with an 
 overseer whose acceptance of the office may be legally 
 enforced; it is his business to sec the four once in two 
 weeks. He records their circumstances, he is their friend 
 and adviser, lie requires their good behavior, and he brings 
 them before the police court if they are vicious or idle. 
 The precincts are united in districts. The iirecinct over- 
 seers and their district chairmen decide what aid shall be 
 given to eaoh mnn's four ]i;iu])ers for two weeks lo come, 
 and only lor tlint time, every case coming up new every 
 two weeks. There is then a Central Administrative
 
 THE CARE OF THE POOR 457 
 
 Board, in which tlie municipiil government is represented ; 
 they oversee the districts. There, is, besides, a Business 
 J)epartment, which maintains a bookkeeping system, 
 recording all the facts about each pauper, and the relief 
 given. This department pays out all the money and gives 
 all orders for supplies. The officers are unpaid, except 
 so far as a few are required to give all their time to these 
 duties, and that for a considerable length of time."i 
 
 The city of Berlin is divided into several hundred dis- 
 tricts, over each of which is placed, by the City Council, 
 a visiting committee of several members, — the number of 
 persons officially employed by the city in the care of the 
 poor running up into the thousands. Service upon these 
 committees of visitation and relief is not remunerated, but 
 it is not optional; the city enforces it by fines and the 
 deprivation of some of the privileges of citizenship. 
 Hamburg, with a population of 600,000, has fifteen hun- 
 ilred precinct overseers, ninety district chairmen, nine 
 circuit chairmen, a central board of twenty members, 
 and a business department of sixty officials and twenty 
 (lerks; sixteen hundred and ninety-nine persons. 
 
 In most European countries the public relief of the 
 poor is well organized, but Germany is undoubtedly the 
 country in wliich the work of municipal relief is most 
 thoionghly systematized and most efficiently performed. 
 
 "What is done by the state for the poor and the unfortu- 
 nate in England has been thus summarized: 
 
 "Tlie endowed charities, or rather such of them as have 
 l)cen i)laced under the control of the Charity Connnis- 
 sioners, have a total annual income of nearly eleven mil- 
 lions of dollars. This does not incbule the uni\'ersities 
 and colleges and the cathedral foundations. The most of 
 these endowments are in lands; more than half a million 
 acres, renting at more than seven and a half millions of 
 dollars. Hesides these lands there are fnnds amounting 
 to some ninety-eight millions of dollars. The entire 
 revenue in 1S77, at 4 per cent., repn'sent(Ml a gross 
 eliaritable cajjital, in land and in moneyed investments, df 
 
 ' rriumjihs nf tlie Cross, j). 422.
 
 458 CHKISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 $266,750,000. Of the annual income of these endowed 
 charities somewhat more tlian four and a half millions of 
 dollars is distributed to the poor, and from it also there are 
 maintained about a thousand hospitals and almshouses. 
 
 " The municipal care of the poor, early established, was 
 largely developed under Elizabeth. The municipal aid to 
 the poor in England and Wales, in 1873, was $37,298,077; 
 this, with that given by the endowed charities, makes a 
 total of $41,833,54:5 poor relief in one year. The poor 
 relief in the United Kingdom, through money raised hy laiv, 
 amounted in five years — 1887-1891 — to $260,000,000." i 
 
 The Charities Register and Digest of London, which 
 includes only such charities as are available for the me- 
 tropolis, enumerates no less than twenty-eight hundred 
 and fifty-three charitable organizations. Of the particular 
 classes of institutions a few may be named: of charities 
 for the blind alone there are no less than one hundred and 
 fifteen; for the deaf and dumb, thirty-two; for lunatics, 
 eighteen; for inebriates, twenty; for incurables, thirty- 
 two; of hospitals there are one hundred and forty-eight; 
 of free dispensaries, forty-one, of convalescent homes, two 
 hundred and sixty-one ; of institutions for training nurses, 
 twenty-eight; of charities that afford money relief to the 
 poor, relief in kind, temporary shelter, sou[) kitchens, 
 ragged schools and day nurseries, there are two hundred 
 and fifty-five; of homes for children, five hundred and 
 seventy-nine. This stupendous provision costs London 
 not less than thirty -five millions of dollars a year. 
 
 It is evident that such a vast array of philanthropic 
 agencies, working independently, would often cross one 
 another's tracks and interfere with one another's work ; 
 that the duplication of relief and the waste of resouri;es 
 would be constantly occurring, and that the need of co-oper- 
 atioii wDuhl jjresently appeal-. In Ihiglaiid and in America, 
 liming ihc past twenty years, nuuli Ihduglit has l)een given 
 to the work of oi-ganizing the voluntary charities; and to 
 tiie problem of securing a rational and business-like ad- 
 ministration of iheii- work. It was(!vi(lent that the careless 
 
 1 Jriiiiiiji/is of ihc Cross, j). 4127.
 
 THE CARE OF THE POOR 459 
 
 and sentimental distribution of vast sums of money was 
 resulting in gross abuses, in the pauperization of multitudes, 
 and in weakeninsf the motives to honest thrift and inde- 
 pendence. To bring these groups of philanthropic workers 
 together, and to form some rules for the conduct of their 
 \\ork, so that those in actual need might receive prompt 
 relief, and imposture and mendicancy be prevented, is the 
 enterprise known as charity organization. There are now 
 somethino- less than one hundred of these associations in 
 the United States and Canada. Doubtless, in some cases, 
 the preventive and repressive features of this work have 
 been unduly emphasized. This is not a matter of wonder, 
 for the abuses of sentimental philanthropy had become 
 flagrant ; bejond a doubt the community was suffering 
 ^•ast injury through careless almsgiving. The reaction 
 against this extravagance ma}^ sometimes have gone too 
 far ; yet it is evident that in spite of all that has been done, 
 the abuses are still flourishing in most of our communities. 
 And it must be admitted that the methods enforced by the 
 charity organization societies do, for the most part, commend 
 lliemselves to the judgment of the wise. " The attempt to 
 administer the social benevolence of Christendom according 
 to business methods marks a distinct advance in the appli- 
 cation of the Golden lUile to mankind. So simple a matter 
 as the registration of tlie poor tliroughout a given district, 
 and the establishment of a I)urcau which secures the co- 
 operation of tlie cliarities of a community, in advice and 
 action as to all cases, effects no small saving as to twice go- 
 ing over tlie same ground ; this stands in lieu of partial and 
 uiH'ecordcd information obtained by many agents, and in the 
 place of ineffective spasmodic relief." ' 
 
 To describe the methods of the neweharity as " business 
 methods " is, however, to undervalue them. The organi- 
 zati(in wliifh ccononiizes eft'Drl, ;in(l ]in(s ihr inhtiination 
 gained Ijy each society at the service of ;ill Ihc ivst. dues, 
 inilfcil, proceed by business luetliods: hut the unik'rlying 
 jjrinriph' of this movement is a eoii\ietion of llie vabie of 
 character, — a wish to save men. 'I'lie waste of funds is a 
 
 ^ Triumphs of tin- I'ross, j>. 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<l last of these classes 
 of tlic iiced_y, those who receive rdid' in tlicii' own homes, 
 that we encounter the most serinus (lucsiiiui respecting 
 the present dntv of l1ic Cliristian (Iinrcli. In lliis field, 
 as we have seen, juililic and private agencies ai'e working 
 together, often with little concert of action. The mnnici-
 
 THE CARE OF THE TOOK 463 
 
 jjality, by its officers, is receiving applications for aid and 
 granting them, often with slight knowledge of the merits 
 of the case; the various private societies for the relief of 
 tlie poor are doing the same kind of \\ork; and many of 
 the churches also are dispensing more or less charity out- 
 side of their own membership. 
 
 The first question to be raised respecting this complica- 
 tion is whether the state ought to enter this held at all. 
 In the face of such facts as have been recited concernino- 
 the German cities, this question may seem unwarranted. 
 And it must be admitted that under a civic administration 
 as pure and efhcient and beneficent as that of a modern 
 German mmiicipality the outside poor are cared for in a 
 manner that leaves little to be desired. If anything half 
 as good could be hoped for in all modern cities, the question 
 we are now considering would be much less urgent. But 
 even here, it is conceivable that the work might be better 
 done, if, to this expression of civic compassion were added 
 the element of a genuine Christian fraternity. The " biirg- 
 erliche Gemeinde " does its work well ; but if these " pre- 
 cinct overseers " were Christian brethren who came in the 
 name of their Master, with his love in their hearts, the 
 ministry would liave a dep])er meaning. At all events, the 
 churches themselves would derive from such a service a 
 benefit that they now fail to gain. The influence which 
 such a ministry would give them among those classes in 
 the comnumity upon which their hold is now the weakest 
 would ;i(lil greatly to their power; and the performance 
 of the work itself would wonderfully deepen their symi)athy 
 and enlarge their life. If German Christianity has inspired 
 the (lernian muiucipalitics to perform this woik for the 
 needy, German Christianity has done well; but wliat has 
 ])een the effect u|)(m the relation of the German Chnicli tn 
 the poor people'/ That tlie hold of the Clninli ujmhi the 
 lower classes must have been greatly weakeiicil in this 
 ])rocess seems proljable. Is not the ra])id giowlh of a 
 Socialism Avhieli is bitterly anti-Christian to Ix- partly 
 accounted for in this way? It would a|)pear that some such 
 conviction nuist have overtaken tin; (Jeniian clnirelu's ;
 
 404 CHRISTIAN PASTOR AND WORKING CHURCH 
 
 the rise of the "Innere Mission" in our times is a testi- 
 mony to an awakening purpose of putting the Church into 
 more sympathetic relations with the brethren of Christ. 
 
 But whatever may be true of those countries in which 
 outdoor relief is administered by the public authorities 
 with fidelity and intelligence, it cannot be true of countries 
 like the United States, where this work is shockingly 
 mismanaged by the State, that the churches are relieved 
 of their responsibility. In view of the fact that, in most 
 American communities, this business of public outdoor 
 relief is rapidly growing, that the worthy poor are apt to 
 be neglected in the administration of it, and that the class 
 of mendicants is being nourished by it into a huge and 
 dangerous proletariat, it is evident that the churches ought 
 to be rousing themselves to make inquiry into these alarm- 
 ing conditions. 
 
 Two possible solutions of this problem suggest them- 
 selves. The churches may so renovate and inspire the 
 existing municipal authorities that they shall do their part 
 of this work thoroughly and humanely, as it is done in 
 German cities, or they may ask that it be put back into 
 their hands and gird themselves for the task of perform- 
 ing it. In countries where State churches co-exist with 
 strong nonconformist bodies, the latter solution is prob- 
 ably impracticable ; much of what follows is applicable to 
 conditions existing in the western hemisphere. 
 
 It would be a great and wortliy achievement if the 
 churches of Christ, in the American cities, would concen- 
 trate their efforts upon the task of securing, through the 
 public authorities, an intelligent and benign administration 
 of outdoor relief. In their present state of schism these 
 churches can of course do nothing of importance. No 
 American city presents an organized unity of the Christian 
 elements which could speak witli authority on a subject 
 like this. The first essential condition of any valuable 
 interference with these great abuses is that the churclics 
 sliall come together, in some such association as was sug- 
 gested in the last chajitcr. If an alliance of this sort could 
 be formed in any community, and if th(> 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 lea<ler of worsliip, 134; 
 ])reparation for worship, 135 : 
 j.ricstly function of, 136 ; the min- 
 ister at the altar, 156-172; Tin: 
 Pastor as Fkikno, 172-203; re- 
 lation to general society, 172; in- 
 tercourse with all clMS-ii's, 173-175; 
 coiifidcnlial friend, 176; pcrsoiia'i 
 ministry, 179; dealing with dunbt- 
 crs, 180; reclaiming wanderers, 
 184; treatment of despondency, 
 185 ; visitation of the sick, 186 ; iu 
 infectious di.seases, 191 ; .it the 
 bnrial of the dead. 192; general 
 visitation, 195-203; liis increasing 
 
 ai
 
 482 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Imrdcns, 210; Pastor and Teacher, 
 212; Till-; Tastou and tiik Chil- 
 dren', 532-361 ; a closer l)oii(l 
 needed, 333 ; the Cliildreu's Hour, 
 33-i; c.ateclietical work, 335 ; causes 
 of its decline, 337 ; reasons for re- 
 sinning it, 338. 
 
 Pastoral Tlieolog}-, a branch of Prac- 
 tical Theology, 1 ; divisions of, 1 ; 
 defined, 1 ; relation to Church 
 Polity, 2 ; to Liturgies, 2 ; to Ilomi- 
 letics, 2; to Christiau Missions, 3; 
 includes Catechetics and Poimeuics, 
 3 ; excludes lloniilctics and litur- 
 gies, 3 ; important change in its 
 subject matter, 4 ; earlier treatises 
 exclusively concerned Avith the 
 work of the Pastor, 4-7 ; later 
 conception that the church is a 
 working body, 7-9 ; tlie later con- 
 ce])tion the liigher, 10; Historical 
 outline of Poimenics, 10-17 ; Bibli- 
 cal references, 10; Patristic theo- 
 ries and treatises, 11,12; mediicval 
 ideas, 12; of the Pcformation, 12, 
 13; of the eighteenth century, 13; 
 of the nineteenth centur}-, 14-17 ; 
 History of Catechetics, 17-22; 
 in apostolic times, 17; among the 
 early Fathers, 17, 18; in the Mid- 
 dle Ages, 19; in the reformed 
 churches, 19, 20; Presbyterian 
 Catechisms, 20, 21 ; in tlie Roman 
 Catholic cliurch, 21 ; in the Mctli- 
 odist Episcopal church, 22; in 
 Socinian churches, 22 ; among Bap- 
 tists, 22 ; among Quakers, 22. 
 
 Pastoral Visitation, importance of 
 it, 195; finding time for it, 196; 
 nature of ])astnral calls, 197; pro- 
 fessional character of, 198; as an 
 opportunity of friojidship, 199 ; 
 religious conversation, 200; sys- 
 tematic visitation, 201 ; value of, 
 201. 
 
 pASTonATK, Tin; Cai.i, to, f.0-82 ; 
 all Christians arc called of Cod, 
 66, 67 ; every good work a divine 
 vocation, 68 ; the inward call con- 
 notes inclination, love of tlic work, 
 and a reasonable conviction of fit- 
 
 ness for it, 68 ; the outward call 
 is the voice of the church, 69; 
 tlie pastor's dual relation, 69, 70; 
 how shall minister and people be 
 bronglit together? 71; patronage, 
 72 ; methods of free churches, 72 ; 
 qualifications to be s(mght in a 
 pastor, 73, 74 ; the ethics and pro- 
 prieties of candidature, 74-81 ; 
 ]>reaching 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.
 
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 To be completed in Four Volumes, imperial 8uo {of nearly 900 pages each). 
 
 Price per Volume : in cloth, 28s. ; in half-morocco, 34a. 
 
 {subject to the usual discount) 
 
 The Guardian says : (Vol. I.)—' Wo offer Dr. Hastings our sincere congratulations on the 
 publication of the first instalment of this great enterprise. . . . A work was urgently needed which 
 should present tlie student with tlie approved results of modern inquiry, and which should also 
 acquaint hitn with the methods by whicli theolDgical problems are now approached by the most 
 learned and devout of our theologians.' (Vol. II.) — 'Dr. Hastings has brought out the second 
 Volume of his great Dictionary in good time. . . . The criliail articles seem to us to maintain the 
 same high level of excellence which we naturally expect from their distinguished WTiters. . . . 
 Dr. Sanday's article "Jesus Christ" will take rank as of the first importance for students of 
 theology.' 
 
 ' Wo welcome with the utmost cordiality the first, volume of Messrs. Clark's great enterprise, 
 "A Dictionary of the Bible." That there was room and need for such a book is unquestionable. 
 . Wo have here all that the student can desire, a work of reraarkalilo fulness, woU up to date, 
 and yet at tlio same time conservative in its general tendency, almost faultlessly accunito, and 
 produced by the jjublishers in a most excellent and convenient style. We ean thoroughly recom- 
 mend it to our readers as a book which should fully satisfy their anticipations. . . . 'I'his new 
 Dictionary is one of the most important aids tliat have recently been furnished to a true under- 
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 minister who posse.sscs it. . . . We are greatly stnick by the excellence of the short articles. They 
 are tetter done than in any other work of the kind. Wo have compared several of them with tlioir 
 sources, and this Khowsatoiico the unpretentious hibourthat is behind them. . . . Dr. .\. 11. Davidson 
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 lull of illumination), and on Eschatolog>' 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 
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 forward to make the best of the opportunity now i>reseiited them.' — Ei>itou, l!rili.'<h IVrrk'y. 
 
 'Without (piestlon the most important contribution to the second volume is Dr. .S:iii(l:iy'« 
 article on "Jesus Christ." There is nothing in English so full (It takes up llfty iiages in doublu 
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 to students." — Journal of Theological .'Studies. 
 
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 BEYSCHLAG'S NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY. 
 
 New Testament Theology; or, Historical Account of the 
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 of Theology at Halle. Translated by Rev. Neil Bucuanan. In 
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 'Dr. Beyschlag has achieved so large a measure of success as to have fiu-nished one of 
 the best guides to an understanding of the New Testament. . . . These pages teem with 
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 to ministers and all students of the sacred text it expounds, we heartily commend it to 
 our readers.' — Methodist Recorder, 
 
 ' A book of much interest and importance, independent in conception and treatment ; 
 happy in seizing and characterising the courses of thought with which he has to deal ; 
 ingenious in combination, and acute in criticism; expressing the results which he 
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 The work well merits translation into English.'— Professor W. P. Dickson, D.D., ia 
 Tks Critical Review. 
 
 WENDT'S TEACHING OF JESUS. 
 
 The Teaching of Jesus. By Professor Hans Hr.s-Ricn Wendt, 
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 'Dr. Wendt's work is of the utmost importance for the study of the Gospels, both 
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 [new translated into English], which sets forth the contents of the doctrine of Jesus, 
 IS the most important contribution yet made to biblical theology, and the method and 
 results of Dr. Wendt deserve the closest attention. . . . No greater contribution to the 
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 exposition of the teaching of Christ.'— Professor J. Iverach, D.D., in The Expositor. 
 
 ' Dr. Wendt has produced a remarkably fresh and suggestive work, deserving to be 
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 hardly a page which is not suggestive; and, apart from the general value of its con- 
 clusions, there are numerous specimens of iugonious exegesis thro\vn out with more 
 or less confidence as to particular passages.' — The Critical Review. 
 
 Dr. R. F. HouTON refers to Beysclilag's ' New Testament Theology ' and Wendt's 
 'Teachii);' of Jesus' as ' two invaluable books.' 
 
 Messianic Prophecy: Its Origin, Historical Growth, and Relation 
 to New Testament i'ullilment. V,y Dr. Eowaud Rikiim. New 
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 ' A standard work on this subject may be said to be indispensable to every theologian 
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 KAFTAN'S TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 The Truth of the Christian Religion. By Professor 
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 Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New 
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