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This church boasts of a splendid group of
earnest Christian workers who are thoroughly
consecrated to the work. This plan may help
some other church to get back on its feet for
1he fall and winter work. It can be run for
one or more months.
The pastor of this church will be glad to
send further particulars and suggestions to
anyone interested. This work was born in
prayer and the great desire of all was to give
Him the pre-eminence.
Bradentown, Pla.
"THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WIL
DERNESS."
By Rev. J. B. Bittinger.
Only the voice, Christ was the Word,
And yet, the voice was clear,
And they who heard and heeded, too,
The Word themselves would hear,
About the voice all walks o[ men.
The rich, refined and rude did gather
All stations, high and low, and all conditions, came
And stately stood
There bowed their heads for shame and sin
Forgiveness? No, repentance first,
That voice proclaimed.
Forgiveness comes to those alone who turn away
And are from Sin divorced,
Who turn away from Sin
But turn to God.
And Christ is God.
Gerrard8town, W. Va.
A CHARGE TO A PASTOR.
By Rev. John C. Langford.
Every workman knows the necessity of
keeping his tools in good repair, for "if the
iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge,
then must he put to more strength."
Michael Angelo, the prince of painters, un
derstood so well the importance of his tools,
that he always made his own brushes. In this
he gives us an illustration of our Master, who,
with special care fashions for Himself all true
ministers: and yet there is a sense in which we
are both, the workman and our own tools, and
therefore must keep ourselves in order.
It is of the four-fold work of Christ's min
ister of which I wish to speak.
I. Prayer. Of course the minister is above
all others distinguished as a man of prayer.
He prays as an ordinary Christian. He prays
more than an ordinary Christian, else he were
disqualified for the office of a pastor. "It
would be wholly monstrous," said Bernard,
"for a man to be highest in office and lowest
in soul; first in station and last in life." Over
all his other relationships the pre-eminence of
the pastor's responsibility is seen, and if true
to his Master, he becomes distinguished for his
prayerfulness in them all. As a citizen he in
tercedes for his country; as a neighbor for
those in touch with his daily life. He pray? as
a husband and father. He endeavors to make
his family devotions a model for his people.
If the fire shall burn low on other altars, it
must be well tended in the home of God's
chosen servant. The daily sacrifice must sanc
tify his dwelling.
The pastor offers peculiar supplication as a
minister of the Word, and here he draws nearer
to God than at other times. As a minister he
should be always praying. His holy desires,
like well directed arrows, should be always
fiying heavenward. Not that he is to be con
stantly in the act of prayer, but he lives in the
spirit of prayer. If his heart be in his work,
he cannot eat or drink, take recreation, go to
his sleep, or rise in the morning, without a
weight of anxiety, an hunger for souls, and a
sense of dependence upon God. Thus in one
form or another he gives himself to prayer.
The Christian minister has peculiar tempta
tions, special trials, strange difficulties and
great duties. He has to deal with God in aw
ful relationships, and with men in mysterious
interests, and as he realizes this he becomes a
man of prayer, and the mercy seat possesses a
value beyond all estimate.
II. Study. Duty and ambiuon oblige every
minister of the Gospel to do his utmost, both
as regards the number of hours he devotes to
study, and the intensity of his application.
Other things being equal a minister's useful
ness depends upon his diligence as a student.
TJiis is true in every profesion. Our great law
yers, physicians and statesmen are diligent
students of men and books. This is pre-emi
nently true of the ministry. In every century,
the men who have made a permanent impress,
and have shed a lustre on their faith, have been
devout students and ripe scholars. The love
of books and of men have gone hand in hand,
and seem to have mutually intensified each
the other. Augustine, Wycliff, Tindal, Luther,
Calvin, Edwards, Wesley and Theo. L. Cuyler
are familiar examples.
Nor would we be far from the truth, if we
were to say that their success as soul-winners
was in proportion to their intellectual attain
ments.
You arc to do the profound religious think
ing for the people and you must do it in the
study. There is one Book which you must
study. If you know your Bible you will be like
David with his sling and stones, fully equipped
for the struggle. In that Book you have a
perfect library. To understand it should be
your ambition. The man who knows his Bible,
and is transformed into its spirit, is no mean
man. You know the old proverb, "Beware of
the man of one Book." He is a terrible an
tagonist.
Make the Bible the Book of your right hand,
the companion of every hour; yea, let all your
study center in this Book and in Him, who is
its spirit and life.
III. Preaching the Word. God has spoken.
We have His Word. It is abroad in the earth.
It has been copied by pen and press a thousand
times more than any other book. All down the
ages it has been thrust upon the attention of
the world, demanding search, belief, homage
and obedience. It has been tested skillfully,
remorselessly and in many ways. Every joint
in its celcstial armour has been tried again and
again by swords and spears of infernal temper.
Persecution has decreed it destruction.
Science has proclaimed its falsity. Ration
alistic criticism has self-complacently an
nounced its utter lack of authenticity. All
these, and every other form of opposition have
affected it very much as thunder and storms
do the mountains. The clouds around their
base only make them appear loftier and more
majestic.
Is it not high time for those who teach the
Bible to lay aside all nervousness, and preach
the Word as if no one had spoken against the
Bookt As, in truth, nothing has been proven
to affect in the slightest degree the substance
of the faith, or the all-conquering power of the
Word.
No man has a right to preach his doubts.
These he should tell to God. It is what you
know to be true that you are to preach. It is
art unpardonable thing for a man to preach un
supported theories.
"Before God, I charge you, preach the
Word." Preach it. Proclaim it. Trust God
to make a way for it in the hearts of men.
Preach the Word, not some weak dilution of
it. Preach it without doubts as to its inspira
tion. Do not waste a moment in apology for,
or in defense of, the Book. That is not our
mission.
As did the Master, so do you, preach repent
ance. Subsoil the hearts of your congregation
with the sinfulness of sin and the doom of sin.
Remember that Sinai is not an extinct volcano
in our theology; nor are sin and hell obsolete
words.
With this truth of the destructive power of
sin in love preach it, so that the sin-smitten
soul may see the Lamb of God and live. Let
every note struck in your pulpit echo in Heaven
and God shall give you many seals of your
ministry.
"Stronger than steel
Is the sword of the Spirit;
Swifter than arrows
The light of the truth is,
Greater than anger
Is love, and subdueth.
The dawn is not distinct,
Nor is the night starless.
Love is eternal !
God is still God, and
His faith shall not fail us,
Christ is eternal."
IV. I am persuaded that a very large part
of a pastor 'se work lies outside his pulpit. Go
among your people. Put electricity into your
sermons by contact with living people. You
will need to study books in boots. Study books
and do not fail to study men.
The unanswerable argument for thorough
pastoral visitation is, that it. brings a minister
into close touch with his people. Do not neg
lect this privilege for it will make you a more
efficient soul-winner.
Our sermons are addressed to everybody. A
conversation is addressed to a person. A man
may dodge a sermon, he cannot dodge a per
sonal conversation. The Master spoke with
men, face to face and heart to heart. Let us
daily pray for wisdom that we may be wise
winners of men.
There is no need that I remind you of those
whom the Master has shut in. Whoever you
neglect, these you will not forget. There is no
serviee more Christlike.
I have learned that our people look at us
when out of the pulpit to discover what we
mean when we are in our pulpits. God-likeness
is power. Irresistible is the eloquence of a
pure, manly, noble and unselfish life.
A lady once said to me, "Our pastor is not
a great preacher, but "his every day life is a
senium all the week." "The living epistle" of
Paul was as convincing as the words of elo
quence and power which fell from his lips on
Mars' Hill. Your work is to produce Christian
character, and one of the strongest factors in
that work will be, the example of a life copied
after the life of our blessed Master.
"Give all diligence to present thyself ap
proved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, holding a straight course in the
Word of Truth."
"What's donfi for earth fails by and by;
What's done for God can never die;
What's done for God is placed on high,
'Tis treasured in eternity.
What '8 done for God can never die."
Comer, Ga.