(^nrncll Mniocraitg Hthrarg THE GIFT OF ALFRED C. BARNES 1889 F. M. Outterson Cornell University Library BX5965 .T13 Bishop's message, counsels on M^^^ «i Clin 3 1924 029 458 480 B Cornell University B Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029458480 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE Counsels on Some of the Manifold Problems Confronting Clergymen To-day BY THE RIGHT REV. ETHELBERT TALBOT, D.D., LL.D. BISHOP OF BETHLEHEM PHILADELPHIA GEORGE W. JACOBS & COMPANY PUBLISHERS ■3 / ^ )3K r9^6- r'/5 /339jto- (Copyright, 1917, hy George W. Jacob) & Company Published April, 1917 AjcAjtA aJox the practical difficulties and dangers of the pastoral; office, and many of the problems which conf rqnt the Clergy- man in the discharge gf bis duties uoder the con- ditions of, modern life* He has also been pemiittfid tp, have a share in. guiding many young men in liheir studies and prep- aration for the Btoly Ministry. This book may therefore be regarded as liter- ally the outgrowth of his varied: experiences ao4 many sided contacts with men in different stages of their religious Ufe and development. He offers no apology for imposing on the read^* PREFACE ing public the results of his own observation, and hopes that this book may prove of some slight service, not only to his own younger Clergy, but to that larger constituency of ministers both within and beyond his own communion who may be in- terested in the subjects herein treated. In deference to the oft repeated request of those who have heard many of these familiar talks, they would have long since been published had they not been delivered either extemporaneously or from the briefest notes. To prepare them in their present form has been made possible only by utilizing the leisure hours of a few weeks vacation in which he has found time to arrange and marshal the material gathered through many years, and set it forth with some reference to a natural and logical sequence. As his former book, " A Bishop Among His Flock," addressed to his Laity, has met with such indulgent and generous acceptance, the writer cherishes the hope that these counsels to his Clergy may likewise prove helpful and inspiring. Ethelbert Talbot. Bishop's House, South Bethlehem, Pa. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I A Valid Call to the Ministry . . ii II The Foolishness of Preaching . 22 III The Parson and His Devotional Life 35 IV The Parson Dealing with Souls . 49 V Parish Visiting 61 VI The Parson as a Business Man . 74 VII The Parson as a Citizen ... 86 VIII Various Types of Churchmanship . 95 IX The Parson Among His Books . . 106 X Making Use of the Laity . . .118 XI The Parson as a Man Among Men . 131 XII The Parson and His Vestry . . . 143 XIII The Parson and His Choir . . .154 XIV The Parson and His Sunday School 169 XV The Parson Conducting Public Worship 181 XVI The Parson and the Institutional Church 194 XVII The Parson and His Diocese . . 209 A VALID CALL TO THE MINISTRY It may be well to ask in the beginning, " What constitutes a valid call to be a Minister of Christ?" The most obvious answer to this question is that a valid call is one in which the person concerned has been convinced that for him to consecrate himself to the service of his fellow- men in the work of preaching the Gospel, is in accordance with the will of Grod. Unless a man feels, after earnest and heart-searching prayer and a sincere ef£ort to ascertain God's will, that such a vocation is in entire harmony with the divine purpose in his behalf, he may well hesitate to undertake it. It is in determining this vital and all important issue that so many fatal mis- take have been made. la the case of St. Paul, that great Apostle could say, " Woe unto me if I preach not the II A BISHOP'S MESSAGE Gospel." So imperative had been the call which summoned him to his life work, he felt that to refuse would be to invite upon himself the sever- est condemnation. But in this instance all doubt and scruple had been removed by the fact that he had been the subject of a special and super- natural revelation direct from Christ Himself. The Master appeared unto him for that purpose. " To make him a minister " and a witness " to open the eyes of the Gentiles, and to turn them from darkness into light." With St. Paul it was simply a question of obedience to the unmis- takable voice of the risen and ascended Christ. He declares, in recounting the scene, that he " was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." But this unique experience of the Apostle furnishes no model for us in these modem days who live under the ordinary dispensation of God's Provi- dence. God's usual method of calling men to- day is that of appealing to their mind and con- science. But we are fallible in our judgments and liable to mistake our own weak and erring desires and opinions for a clear call to God. 12 A VALID CALL TO THE MINISTRY It is reported that after an exciting period of a religious revival in which the emotions of the community were greatly stirred, a young man presented himself to the Presiding Elder of the Methodist Church and said he desired to become a Preacher. On being questioned by his ecclesi- astical superior as to how he had arrived at that frame of mind, he replied that the night before he had seen in the sky, written in large characters of gold, the letters P. C. — Preach Christ. As the Presiding Elder knew the young man well, as a person very excitable, and otherwise utterly unfitted for the work of the Ministry, he said to him, " But, my young brother, you are mis- taken. P. C. does not mean in your case. Preach Christ. It means Plow Corn. You will be do- ing God's will most truly if you continue to help your father on the farm." To avoid such premature and unwise decisions, the Church has wisely ordained that what may be termed the inner call shall be authenticated and countersigned by the outward approval and judg- ment of others who are duly qualified to pass 13 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE upon our moral and intellectual fitness for the work of the Ministry. Not every one who im- agines himself called to this work is necessarily correct in his judgment. The young man is therefore wisely directed by the Church to lay before his Pastor his desire, and if encouraged by him, to proceed with his purpose; he is then to apply to his Bishop to become a Postulant for Holy Orders. Thus the responsibility for such an important decision affecting the life of the ap- plicant as well as the spiritual interest of the Church, is shared at the very beginning by these two persons who would naturally be disposed to encourage any man whom they deemed worthy for such an important undertaking. But this is not the only safeguard the Church employs. After the man has been accepted as a Postulant, and has passed the necessary ex- aminations to qualify him for entrance upon a course of study in preparation for Holy Orders, he must apply to the Standing Committee of the Diocese to be admitted as a Candidate. Belorfe he can be recognized as such, a Minister and 14 A VALID CAIL TO THE MINISTRY Vestry, who have persbiially knowti hitn for stt least three yeats, or arfe fully possiessed df 'evi- dencte satfe factory to thiem that he is a fit person, must recommend him to the Bishop. If accepted, he is then directed to enter upon his sacred studies under tlie direction of his Bishop for a period generally of at least three yitars. Meanwhile his life and conversation are open to the inspection atid approval of his superiors. When his studies have been completed, and he is intellectually prepared for Ordination, the rec- ord of his life must again be carefully reviewed by the Standing Committee of the Diocese who must bear witness to his mental and moral fitness for the discharge of his sacred functions and the Bishop must again give his approval. When one considers how many and technical are the precautionary measures taken to prevent any unworthy persons from being ordained, one Wonders that any should be admitted ivho do not refiect credit upon the Church's Ministry. However, this is only another proof of the Weakness of our frail human nature, and ^hen IS A BISHOP'S MESSAGE we realize that even among the twelve Apostles, chosen by our Lord Himself, there was one who proved a traitor and betrayed Him, we should not be surprised that errors of judgment are found among men to-day. It is said that when Phillips Brooks consulted a Professor at Harvard as to what career he could most wisely devote himself, that good friend told him that whatever else he might be thinking of, it was quite evident he must lay aside all thought of the Ministry on account of his impediment of speech. It was not easy even for the Professor to discern in the stammering youth who consulted him one of the greatest orators and prophets of the Christian Church. A venerable Missionary Bishop, well known to the writer, the late Bishop Morris of Oregon, after a long life spent in the Episcopate, was accustomed to remark that while he had ordained but few men to the Ministry, he thanked God that he had been instrumental in keeping many unworthy ones out. Considering the unspeakably awful issues at i6 A VALID CALL TO THE MINISTRY stake, both for the man himself, and for the souls to whom he would be called to minister, it is evident that too much care cannot be taken to lay hands suddenly on no m,an, but faithfully and wisely to make choice of fit persons to serve in the sacred Ministry of God's Church. From time to time, of recent years, there has been a lamentable and somewhat alarming dearth of young men offering them,selves for the work of the Ministry. Various causes for this have been suggested, such as the inadequate compen- sation of the Clergy, and the consequent life of hardship which they would be called upon to en- dure. Others have alleged that this falling off of candidates for the Ministry is an indication of decaying faith in the reality of spiritual things among us ; while still others have asserted that the amazing and brilliant opportunities for success in commercial life, offered at the present day, have appealed to the imagination of our best young men and drawn them into the pursuit of money. There is no doubt that all of these causes, and others which might be mentioned, have operated 17 A BISHOPS MESSAGE to bring about a scarcity of the right material for this high and important office. But is it not at least conceivable that many of our most gifted and well disposed jroung men are hesitating about entering the ranks of the Clergy just because they fail to see in those already engaged in that work those high ideals of happy consecration and en- thusiastic devotion, those marks of leadership and service among men which can only come as the result of choosing the best material ? The surest way to increase the supply of the right kind of men is to improve the quality of those ordained. The contagion of a noble example in the Min- istry, of a life touched with the fire of God's spirit, and filled with a passion for souls, and animated with a self-forgetful consecration to the service of his fellowmen, can hardly fail to instil in young men a like desire to serve. There is no joy like the joy of the Ministry of Christ, but to enter into that joy demands the absolute surrender of a man to the will of the Master. One must lose himself in the love of i8 A VALID CALL TO THE MINISTRY Christ to find himself in the atmosphere of an irresistible desire for unselfish service. The demands upon the modern Minister, in the way of intellectual equipment, moral and spirit- ual culture, are far more exacting than in former years, and no shortcut to so great a responsibility ought to be encouraged. Far more important, however, than any knowledge which the schools can impart, is the possession of the spirit of devotion to one's fellowman, an utter willingness to serve him which can only come in answer to prayer. There are three great words of the divine Mas- ter which might serve to test the validity of our call to the Ministry. They are words which con- note three great spiritual principles which ani- mated Him, and may well inspire any man look- ing forward to the Ministry. Those principles are a sense of Divine Companionship, a sense of personal mission, and a sense of the glory and moral beauty of service. Here they are. First, " I am not alone." He was stayed and comforted 19 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE in all hours of doubt and discouragement by the assurance of His Father's presence. Secondly, " I have come not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." This clear sense of a divine mission urged Him on always to the high- est and best. It was this sense of mission that led St. Paul to say, " This one thing I do." With- out this overmastering sense of a specific mis- sion, a Minister's life may indeed be that of a member of a respectable profession, but it can never be a life of spiritual power. With this sense of mission clearly before him, he will have a passionate, definite, and triumphant motive ever present to inspire and nerve him to his best en- deavor. Thirdly, " I am not come to be min- istered unto, but to minister, and to give my life a ransom for many." So vital did our Lord con- sider this passion for service that He illustrated it to the great amazement of His Disciples by girding Himself and stooping down and con- descending literally to wash the soiled feet of His Disciples. There can be no highly successful and Christ- 20 A VALID CALL TO THE MINISTRY like Ministry without this glad willingness to serve our fellowmen. Following in the footsteps of his Master, the Minister of Christ can hesi- tate at no act of self-efifacement, no exercise of patience, no persistency of love, that he may win those for whom the Saviour died, and whose souls are precious in His sight. 21 II THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING As in St. Paul's day, even so now, it still pleases God " to save them that believe by the foolishness of preaching." Therefore the ques- tions why shall I preach, what shall I preach, and how shall I preach, must always be invested with a vital interest to every earnest and conscientious minister of the Gospel. And first of all, let us consider why shall I preach? How does it happen that preaching is still necessary ? It is easy to understand why this method of propagating the faith was of prime importance at the beginning of the Christian era. Books were very scarce and expensive, the print- ing press, with its enormous power of dissemi- nating knowledge by way of literature, maga- zines and newspapers, was unknown, and more- over, comparatively few of the people could read. 22 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING If the good news was to spread far and wide and reach all classes of men, such result could only be at^ieved by means of the living voice, bearit^ testimony to the faith that was in them. Because of the greatly increased means of dis- senlination through other agencies, there are those who claim that the power of the pulpit in these modern days has waned, and that the office of the preacher at present is neither as necessary nor commanding as formerly. They assert that through iht press all who desire to ascertain the truth can find it, and that while preaching may be a useful adjunct in imparting religious knowl- edge, men are no longer dependent on the pul- pit for their inspiration and guidance. But those who thus reason, leave out of coa- sider^on a fimdamental element in human na- ture. It is that the message of our Christian faith cannot be written in a book, nor can it be dis- played in some stately form of ritual. Books, and especially the Book of Books, are important. An impressive and dignified ceremonial may well ; accomptUiy and symbolize a living faith. But the 23 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE faith itself must be embodied in a life and com- municated by a living person. It can only find adequate expression in terms of personality. This personal testimony of the Disciple who has caught the mood and genius and spirit of the Master is the only abiding method of imparting it. By the subtle irresistible power of spiritual contagion, the message must be passed on by those who have personally felt its effect. Many words are made print, but " the Word " which saves the world is made flesh, and dwells among us, full of grace and truth. Therefore, as long as human nature remains what it is, the time will never come when the necessity for the preacher and prophet of God is not paramount. Indeed the greater the in- crease of knowledge and intelligence on every hand, and the more widespread the education of the people, all the more will there be a demand for the well-equipped and consecrated priest of God to interpret to the age the divine message. St. Paul asks, " How shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they 24 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING be sent?" We who are called to this high and sacred privilege cannot therefore be too pro- foundly impressed with the tremendous impor- tance of the dignity and necessity of preaching. Unto us, God has committed the word of recon- ciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech men by us to be recon- ciled to Him. Other duties of the Christian ministry, it need hardly be urged, are also important. There is the reverent esteem of the holy sacraments as channels for the conveyance of divine grace and their worthy celebration; there is pastoral visit- ing, and the ministering to individual souls ; more especially, there is the care of the sick and the relief of the poor; but it is no disparagement of any of these, if we give jealous heed to preaching and carefully safeguard it against any infringe- ment or loss of power. That minister alone can hope for the greatest blessing of God in winning souls who holds in high esteem the dignity of " rightly dividing the word of God." We cannot all be pulpit orators, but it is pos- 25 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE sible for every clergyman to bring to the work of preadiing a spirit which will lead him to con- secrate his best gifts of mind and heart towards its greatest efficiency. We are now ready to ask the question: V/hat shall I preach? If we thus appreciate the vital importance of preaching as here set forth, and lay the proper emphasis upon it in the plan of redemption, we should have no great difficulty in deciding what to preach. We read that the great apostle to the Gentiles preached, " Jesus and the Resurrection " ; again that he preached " Christ crucified." Interpreting these two striking phrases broadly, and bearing in mind that the mission of Christianity is to bring the life and power and example of the Master home to the heart of the individual, we have before us a suf- ficiently definite and inspiring aim. Every mes- sage delivered in the name and under the author- ity of Jesus Christ should be filled with His spirit. Even though the sacred name of Christ should not be mentioned in our sermon, yet it ought 26 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING to be manifest to those who hear it, that the preacher has been inspired and guided by the mind and temper of the Master. It ought not to be possible for any intelHgent critic in fairness to make the charge that our utterance is out of harmony with the divine will as interpreted and exemplified by the life and teaching of Christ. If we are sure that the aspect of truth, which we desire to emphasize, has behind it the unmistaka- ble approval of our Lord, we shall be embold- ened to declare it with all the power that springs from such a conviction. There is no question which may arise in the life of the individual, the community, or the na- tion, which cannot be interpreted in the light of the Gospel. Christianity is a message for the guidance of human life under all its manifold conditions, and the preacher who has caught the genius and spirit of the Saviour of men, will know how to make the application. 'AH life, whether individual, social, commercial, political, or national, is related to Him and is to be judged by His spirit. The eternal Christ of yesterday, 27 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE to-day, and forever, is as truly guiding and teach- ing His Church to-day as when He trod these earthly courts, and it is the province of a vital Christianity to so modernize and adapt the ever fresh and potent faith, once for all delivered to the saints as to make its influence felt in the lives of men. There has never been a time when men were more responsive to the appeal of Christ than the present, and the world is eager to catch the echo of His commanding voice as His prophet sounds it forth amid the conflicting counsels of men. There is therefore, to-day, the largest oppor- tunity for the ambassador of Christ, equipped with the regenerating influence of the spirit, to make His impress on the age, and to contribute his share towards the bringing in of the Kingdom of Righteousness. There is practically no limi- tation to the freedom of the preacher's choice of a theme, for nothing is foreign to the Gospel mes- sage which has for its object the promotion of right relations between God and man, and the 28 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING ushering in of the reign of universal brotherhood and good-will. As to the question, how shall I preach, we may well regard it as secondary. Assuming that a minister of Christ has anything like an adequate motive for preaching, and an intelligent concep- tion of its great theme, as revealed in the breadth and length, and depth and height of the love of Christ, we need not long dwell on the method of delivering the message. And yet while one's method of giving expres- sion to the truth as compared with its supreme motive, and the subject matter of that truth, may seem unimportant, we are far from saying that it ought to be despised. Shall the sermon be delivered with or without notes? To this ques- tion we should be disposed to reply, adopt that method which in each individual case will prove most effective. No iron-clad and invariable rule can be laid down which is equally applicable to every individual. There are those who are possessed of such tem- 29 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE perament as to make it possible, without great effort, to cultivate the habit of ready and effective expression, even though it be not natural to them. There are others who, even by the putting forth of the most patient and strenuous endeavor, can never achieve any facility of public utterance without the aid of their manuscript. It may perhaps be conceded that where the power has been thoroughly acquired, a message delivered without notes is likely to prove at once more pleasing and telling. Such a method en- ables the preacher to lay under tribute and bring into service whatever aids to persuasion may come from the free use of the body, and espe- cially the eye and countenance. It is the more natural method of speaking when a man is pro- foundly in earnest and greatly moved. At the same time some of the greatest preachers of our own, or any age, have been men who achieved their reputation by confining themselves entirely to the written page. Such was the practice of Canon Liddon, and of our own Phillips Brooks, save in the latter part of his remarkable career. 30 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING It is possible, in some instances, to acquire such familiarity with the manuscript, and such free- dom and facility in making use of it, that a con- gregation would find it difficult to determine whether the sermon was being read or spoken en- tirely without the aid of notes. Whatever method of delivery is adopted, it will be admitted that there ought always to be something worth delivering. In other words, a man should have a message for the people, and it should be thoroughly prepared. The truth to be brought home to his hearers should have so possessed, not only the mind, but the heart of the preacher, as to leave no doubt with those who hear him, that he is deeply in earnest, and feels that what he has to say is worthy of their best consideration. The man must be behind the message. Strictly speaking, no man can per- suade others, who is not himself first persuaded, and while a man must preach the Gospel, it must be the Gospel as experienced and interpreted by his own life. Given a man, whose soul is afire with his mes' 31 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE sage, and whose life is consecrated to the privi- lege of communicating it to his brother-man, we may well leave the details of manner and method to the individual. It is quite customary at the present day for many of our young men to pride themselves on their ability to dispense with manu- script. They call themselves extempore speak- ers. If by this phrase they mean that they have trained themselves, after most careful prepara- tion of their subject matter, to present their mes- sage in a clear, thoughtful, orderly and persuasive manner without their notes, let us congratulate them by all means. But if they mean simply, that whatever they have to say, whether prepared or unprepared, they propose to deliver it without any help from the written page, such a practice may lead to fatal results. There is a fluency that borders close upon flippancy, and the young preacher must be on his guard against cultivating, as a substitute for well digested, wholesome food, the blatant vapors of meaningless words. It is well to gain such self-mastery as to en- able a man to rise to his feet and express himself 32 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING intelligently and well whenever called upon. That kind of ability is well worth our best ef- forts. But let us beware of depending on mere facility of utterance, for the temptation is an in- sidious one and grows stronger with indulgence. The best preparation for a sermon is in the heart of the preacher, and if he brings to the pulpit a message steeped with a noble purpose of helping his brother-man, some effective way of communi- cating it is sure to be found. Irrespective of methods of preaching, the habit of carefully writing out our sermons should not be neglected. It is Lord Bacon who says that writing makes the accurate man, reading the full man, and speaking the ready man. Not Lord Bacon only, but all thoughtful men will testify to the truth of this pregnant statement, and it may also be added that the highest proficiency in public speaking cannot be achieved without pay- ing the price of conscientious and painstaking effort. If much wtiting gives accuracy of thought and clearness of expression, much read- ing, especially of our Bible, the preacher's great 33 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE storehouse and armory, supplemented by the mastery of other great books, will supply that fullness of knowledge out of which readiness of well ordered speech will the n;ore persuasively flow. 34 Ill THE PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE " The life is more than meat and the body than raiment." Above all knowledge, wisdom, power, eloquence, emphasis is here placed by our Divine Master on the kind of life a man leads. What a parson is in the sight of God counts far more than what he says or does. " Do not speak to me," said Emerson, with a pardonable exaggera- tion, " what you are thunders so loud, that I can- not hear what you say." Nothing would be easier than to multiply illustrations to show that to-day, in this twentieth century, as of old, the life is the light of men. Indeed, sooner or later it will be found that the influence which proceeds from the conviction that the parson is above all things a sincere and humble man of God, whose heart IS set on doing His will, makes every sermon a message of help and comfort, and every outward 35 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE act an inspiration to his flock. And conversely, though he speaks with the " tongues of men and of angels," and has a faith that can remove moun- tains, yet if he be lacking in Godliness, that bond of peace and of all virtues, he is as nothing. Even before the imagination of St. Paul there loomed up the terrible possibility lest, that having preached to others, he himself might be a casta- way. That he may be used by the Holy Spirit as an instrument to save the souls of his brother men, it is vitally necessary that the parson's own soul shall first be saved. At that most solemn moment in a parson's life, when he stands before the Bishop and in the presence of the congregation is examined as to his mind and will in seeking the ministry of reconciliation, this question is addressed to him, "Will you apply your diligence to frame and fashion your own life and the life of your fam- ily according to the doctrine of Christ and to make both yourself and them as much as lieth in you, wholesome examples to the flock of 36 PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE Christ ? " The act of Ordination would be worse than a mockery were it to fail to lay emphasis at that critical hour on that which is the prime con- dition of an acceptable service, namely, a heart devoted to the love of God and a life agreeable to His holy will. Herein the joy of the Min- istry, its highest compensations, all its most worthy inspiration, its abiding support and its sole justification consist. In all our thoughts and activities, in all our plans and ambitions, care must be taken that Christ and not ourselves shall have the pre-eminence. Probably there never was an age in the whole history of the Church when this note of personal consecration, or holiness in the minister of Christ counted so much. At the same time it must be confessed that the conditions of modern life are not such as to make the cultivation of spiritu- ality on the part of the parson an easy achieve- ment. Opportunity for personal service on every side is abundant and manifold. Many worthy objects of parochial activity make demands on his time and tend to divert his attention from the ^ 37 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE more quiet and contemplative side of life. In- teresting problems of a social, charitable or edu- cational character clamor for solution and press upon the busy days of the active Clergyman and threaten to fill up every hour with their inces- sant demands. Unless the parson first of all realizes the prime importance of constantly refreshing his own soul from the inexhaustible storehouse of God's bounty, no progress will be made. At whatever cost to his own ease and comfort, moreover, he must jealously provide a time and place for his own spiritual enrichment and daily communings with God in prayer. If it is entirely true that laborare est orare, it is also equally true that to pray is to work, and under present day surround- ings really to pray demands hard and painstaking and persistent labor. And first as to the times or hours which should find the parson on his knees. His private devo- tions must be regulated by himself, and should in a measure at least be governed by circum- stances. Far more important than the hours set 38 PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE apart for that holy exercise, is the strictness and regularity with which they are observed. Time redeemed in the quiet of the early morning, when the mind and body have been refreshed by sleep has been found, in the experience of holy men, most conducive to devotion. There can be no more fitting way in which to begin the duties of the day. Then the noonday hour when our Lord hung upon the cross stretching forth His loving arms for our redemption, is another time when perhaps even the busiest parson will find delight in withdrawing to the privacy of his closet and making a brief intercession for the spread of God's Kingdom. Again when the labors of the day are over, what is more in harmony with the dictates of a grateful spirit than an offering of praise and thanksgiving for the blessings vouch- safed us and commending ourselves to God's holy keeping during the hours of darkness. Of course those hours called canonical will naturally and properly be observed by those who are living in a religious community. But our chief con- tention now is that the parson, under any and all 39 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE circumstances, should keep with fixed regularity his times of prayer and meditation, when he can be literally alone with God and realize His pres- ence. When the first Bishop of New Zealand, the great Selwyn, was one day sitting in his study a knock w&s heard at the door. It was one of his native catechists from a far distant station. " Why have you come ? " enquired the Bishop. " I want to be filled up and the people tell me I need to be filled up," was the man's reply. How truly the parson might make the same confession himself. He is so constantly giving out that he is in danger of becoming spiritually exhausted. It is ever more life and fuller that he needs. How is he to get it save by prayer and communion with God? He must realize his entire depend- ence upon the divine supply to satisfy his craving for help and guidance. He must come to the source of power deeply conscious of his own un- worthiness and insufficiency. That is the prime condition, the first necessity. Said the late Bishop Wilberforce of Winchester, " Whilst we may 40 PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE find instances of great success in the Ministry of those who have lacked almost every other qualification, there can, I believe, be no in- stances found of a successful ministry which was not full of prayers." Some of you have read the story of the Vicar in a village where the Church stands on the summit of a considerable hill. When the nights are dark and the wind is rising, it has long been his practice to go up to the Church and kindle the beacon light on the tower as a guide to the simple fishermen who are tossed upon the angry waves. They see the light as it flashes over the waters and they know that their good parson is spending the intervals of the night in the Church at prayer for their souls and their bodies. We need not wonder that they love him with a great devotion and are ready to spend and be spent for him in return. The following extract from William Laws's great classic, " The Serious Call," shows the effect of a habit of de- vout and earnest prayer upon both the worker and the work. " Ouranius is a holy priest, full of the spirit of the Gospel, watching, laboring 41 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE and praying for a poor country village. Every soul in it is as dear to him as himself; and he loves them all as he loves himself; because he prays for them all as often as he prays for him- self. It would strangely delight you with what spirit he converses, with what tenderness he re- proves, with what affection he exhorts and with what vigor he preaches; and it is all owing to this, because he reproves, exhorts, and preaches to those for whom he first prays to God. This devotion softens his heart, enlightens his mind, sweetens his temper, and makes everything that comes from him, instructive, amiable and affect- ing. " At his first coming to this little village it was as disagreeable to him as a prison, and every day seemed too tedious to be endured in so retired a place. He thought his Parish was too full of poor and common people, that they were not fit for the conversation of a gentleman. This was his polite, or I may rather say, poor ignorant turn of mind, before devotion had got the gov- ernment of his heart. But now his days are so 42 PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE far from being tedious, or his parish too great a retirement that he now only wants more time to do that variety of good which his soul thirsts after. The solitude of his little parish is become a matter of great comfort to him because he hopes that God has placed him and his flock there to make it their way to heaven. " He can now not only converse with but gladly attend and wait upon the poorest kind of people. He is now daily watching over the weak, and in- firm, humbling himself to perverse rude and ig- norant people, wherever he can find them ; and so far from desiring to be considered as a gentle- man, that he desires to be used as the servant of all; and in the spirit of his Lord and Master, girds himself, and is glad to kneel down and wash any of their feet. " All these noble thoughts and divine sentiments are the effects of his great devotion ; he presents every one so often before God in his prayers, that he never thinks he can esteem, reverence or serve those enough, for whom he implores so many mercies from God. 43 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE " These are the happy effects which a devout intercession has produced in the life of Oura- nius." In such a spirit and Hfe of prayer, beheve me, hes the real secret of influence. It does not con- sist in a copying of what is most noticeable in the lives and actions of other men; still less does it depend upon external conditions of station, ma- terial strength, or wealth. Indeed, money and earthly resources may even be detrimental when it is a question of exerting the influence which is to do most for the upbuilding of the life of God in man. It is recorded that Innocent IV and Thomas Aquinas were standing together as the bags of treasure were being carried in through the gates of the Lateran. " You see," observed the Pope, with a smile, " the day is past when the Church could say, * silver and gold have I none.' " " Yes, Holy Father," was the Saint's reply, " and the day is past also when the Church could say to the lame man, ' Rise and walk.' " It is entirely right and proper that the parson should wish to be highly successful, and dis- 44 PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE charge his priestly functions acceptably to God. In striving for the mastery, he is tempted to imagine that intellectual gifts count for a great deal in the matter of such influence. Beyond question, they do, and yet it is even more cer- tain, that they are not the chief factor, nor even an indispensable factor. The most learned and able have not seldom been those wfho have most conspicuously failed. Again there can be no doubt that methods of organization may be made extremely effective; yet even these have a tendency to become fatally mechanical and the apparatus of machinery may be kept going for its own sake rather than for any spiritual good resulting from it. Neither will hard work accomplish everything, as is so often supposed. That is a sad illusion. All these gifts and activities have their place, but in the last analysis only one thing is needful, and that is a deep personal, childlike devotion to our Divine Master. That we may cherish that devotion, that we may love our Master with that consuming passion which alone will make His 45 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE service perfect freedom, and permanently mold and influence our lives, we must learn to know Him as He is. This intimate knowledge of Him can best be acquired by living with Him during the years in which He sojourned among men. Our devotion will be quickened and stimulated by placing ourselves in His company; by rever- ently and consciously associating ourselves with Him as He reveals Himself to us in the pages of the four Gospels. We live in an age of books. There are numer- ous books of devotion, books of criticism, books about the Gospels. But what amount of time and careful, systematic study and labor do we give to the Gospels themselves? How many of us really live in the hallowing atmosphere of those four wonderful Biographies? How many of us so read, mark, learn and inwardly digest those words and acts and scenes of our Lord's earthly life, that we are led to embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope we find in our Lord Jesus Christ? In these photographs of our great exemplar we have pictures of what He was, taken from 46 PARSON AND HIS DEVOTIONAL LIFE four very different points of view. Thus His deeds, His words. His very looks become extraor- dinarily vivid and real to us. As a great Chris- tian scholar has expressed it, " These writings bring back to you the living image of the most holy mind, the very Christ Himself speaking, healing, dying, rising, in fact so entirely present that you would see less of Him if you actually beheld Him with your eyes," Let us set our gaze upon Him who is full of grace and truth. In Him only shall we behold the perfect ideal of beauty. In His fullness alone can we hope to discover what our own particular life was intended to be. Let us study to know more and more what He was like. Let us be filled with His spirit so that we may in ever so small a degree set forth the lineaments of His perfect manhood. It is when the truth is brought home to us that we have a strictly personal interest and share in the great facts of the divine redemption that we are able to appropriate their value and force in such a degree as to make them the joy and in- 47 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE spiration of our lives. Is it not one great pur- pose of the sacraments to bring home to our hearts and minds our personal interest in Him? Who has not in some supreme moment of his life been thrilled and stirred by the words, " The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee?" Let us not forget as some one has so well said, that meditation on Him, prayer to Him, learning of Him, conformity to Him, par- taking of Him, are the chief business of the Christian life. 48 CHAPTER IV THE PARSON DEALING WITH SOULS We now approach that which is at once the most responsible and at the same time the most dehcate and difficult part of the parson's sacred vocation. He is a messenger, a watchman, and a steward of the Lord. With all due authority he has been commissioned by Christ Himself to teach, to premonish, to feed and provide for the Lord's family; He is to seek for Christ's sheep that are scattered abroad and for His children who are in the midst of this sinful world that they may be saved through Christ forever. He is to give such an account of every soul committed to him, that he may do it with joy and not with grief. As the parson stands before the Bishop at the solemn hour of his Ordination, he is reminded of the greatness of the fault and the horrible punishment that will ensue, if it shall happen that 49 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE any member of his congregation take any hurt or hindrance by reason of his negligence. As he weighs with himself such a responsibility the most courageous man may well hesitate and with fear and trembling exclaim, " Who is sufficient for these things ? " Surely nothing less than the grace of God, no power but the gift of the Holy Ghost, pledged and conveyed to him abundantly by prayer and the laying on of hands in answer to his faith would embolden him to undertake such a task. He is solemnly admonished and he knows in his own heart that he cannot have a mind and will to perform so great a work of him- self but that the ability is given of God alone. Three things stand out conspicuously in the service of Ordination. First, that the parson's great and absorbing work is to compass the sal- vation of the souls of his people. He seeks not theirs but them. Secondly, he is reminded of his sole dependence on the grace of God for the ability to perform his work. In the third place, he is assured of the presence and power of Jesus Christ vouchsafed him in the laying on of hands. 50 THE PARSON DEALING WITH SOULS It only remains for him to stir up the grace of God thus given him. Thus commissioned by the great head of the Church, and thus equipped with the manifold grace of the Holy Spirit, the newly ordained par- son is sent to his appointed field of labor. How interesting and diversified his mission! He is to arouse the careless, the indifferent, the irre- ligious and profane. He is to inspire to greater zeal and good works all professed Christians. He is to make the acquaintance of the young people of his flock, the boys and girls that he may win them to Christ. He is to seek out the sick and aged, that he may cheer and comfort and minis- ter to them. He is as yet a stranger in the com- munity and has come to make his abode there and to identify himself with the life of his people. For the sake of his influence for good, he de- sires to secure the respect and esteem of all with whom he is brought into contact. He is glad to know personally all the people among whom he is about to make his home, whether they belong to his own congregation or not. As he is polite SI A BISHOP'S MESSAGE and courteous in his bearing and wishes to make friends, he finds a readiness on the part of the business men and others to greet him as he passes them on the street. He realizes that while his public ministra- tions at the altar and in the pulpit count for much, his personal contact with individuals will afford him even greater opportunity of doing good. He knows that unless he can in some way win the confidence of his flock, and thus encourage them to express their views and opinions, their doubts and difficulties, much of his preaching will be a vain beating of the air and dwelling upon imaginary needs quite re- mote from their actual spiritual condition. To dispense the medicines of the Gospel as a good physician of souls, the parson must know some- thing of the diseases with which the members of his congregation are troubled. In his rounds of Parish visiting he has found a young man whose faith, somewhat impaired by an infidel publication, needs to be strengthened. He has met a woman whose life has been sadly embit- 52 THE PARSON DEALING WITH SOULS tered by dwelling upon some real or imaginary wrong received long ago. He has found an- other parishioner who has been led to doubt God's love because of the sorrows which have come into his life. For all these and many other individual cases, he will have some helpful word which carries with it unspeakable comfort when most needed. In dealing with souls the parson will sometimes find it a slow and difficult task to secure such confidence as may enable him either personally or in his sermons to meet the special need. While habitual and auricular confession does not seem in harmony with the genius and spirit of our prayer-book teaching, yet ample provision is made for those instances where souls, being unable to quiet their own consciences otherwise, but require further comfort or counsel, are ex- horted to come to their own or some other min- ister of God's word and open their grief, that they may receive such Godly counsel and ad- vice as they may require. Such confession of sins to one's minister and the receiving of that 53 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE comfort and grace of absolution thereby pro- vided by the Church, might well be more fre- quently made use of than it is. The abuse of private confession and the fact that it has in some other communions been made compulsory should not be allowed to deprive souls who need it of its legitimate use as a purely voluntary act of spiritual benefit. Indeed the mere fact that con- fession has been so generally practiced histori- cally for so many years by great sections of the Church Catholic, would lead us to regard with favor the advice of our prayer-book in recom- mending its use as a medicine when the need of it is felt. But whatever may be the attitude and practice of the parson in encouraging his people to make use of the liberty which the Church gives them in this regard, we may be sure that unless they do repose in him such confidence as to lead them to open their hearts to him and seek coimsel and help, his relations with them are not such as they ought to be. A very devout and prominent Presbyterian minister once remarked to the writer, that he believed he heard more con- 54 THE PARSON DEALING WITH SOULS fessions than all the other ministers in his town combined. This was simply another way of say- ing that his people brought to him in loving con- fidence their spiritual doubts, sorrows and difficul- ties and sought his help and guidance. Such close and intimate spiritual relationship must in some way find expression in the pastoral life and ex- perience of every truly helpful minister of Christ. In this sacred responsibility of dealing with souls, the faithful parson will find certain times and occasions most helpful. Among these may be mentioned visitations of death in the family when hearts ordinarily indifferent to the claims of religion become tender and susceptible and turn almost instinctively to God for help and comfort. Not infrequently a birth in a family predisposes the parents with grateful hearts to think of their duty to God. But no more fav- orable opportunity to mold and influence and deeply impress the spiritual life is presented in the ordinary course of parochial work than that of preparing an individual for confirmation. We speak of the individual rather than of the class 55 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE although we are well aware that this work of prep- aration is, alas, too often done in a very super- ficial and perfunctory way. It is when this crit- ical period is allowed to pass without dealing with the soul individually that a great wrong is per- petrated and a unique opportunity lost to per- manently inform the mind and impress the heart with the great reality of things eternal. While much instruction may well be imparted by con- firmation lectures addressed to classes or groups of candidates, that method should rather supple- ment than take the place of the personal heart to heart examination. We owe it to a person about to be confirmed to challenge his motives and aims and ideals and this can only be accom- plished by the prayerful and conscientious effort of the parson as he deals with the individual alone. When a person, young or old, presents himself for confirmation, the parson has a right to assume that he desires to consecrate himself to the glad and loyal service of Christ. What that service involves should then be clearly and search- ingly brought home to the heart and intelligence 56 THE PARSON DEALING WITH SOULS of the candidate. The sacredness and solemnity of that contract between Christ and the individual then entered upon should be set forth with un- mistakable clearness, in detail. Confirmation is the Church's ordained sacramental rite which ad- mits a person to the privilege of the Holy Com- munion and the full responsibilities and privi- leges of the Christian life. If this is true then what kind of a life should a confirmed person lead? To say the least, it is a life in which a relationship of personal love and loyalty and obedience to Jesus Christ as God and Saviour has been established. The implications of this per- sonal devotion to Christ should not be a vague, indefinite sentiment carrying with it no practical obligations and duties. There is first of all the great privilege of partaking of Christ in the blessed Sacrament, not as an occasional act, but as the Church provides, regularly and at least on every Lord's day when possible, and this should be laid upon the conscience, not so much as a duty, but as it is, a great and unspeakable joy, graciously provided for the soul's refreshment and 57 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE Heavenly food. Then there is the accompany- ing call and challenge to a life agreeable to such a communion and fellowship with Christ. It is because the parson fails to instruct the candidate for confirmation as to the nature of the Church as a divine institution with its three-fold min- istry, its sacramental life, and its worship that our Church people are often so weak in the faith and so slack in their obedience and careless in their lives. Too often the parson utterly over- looks the fact that the candidate will be sur- rounded by many other forms of organized religion or Churches of many names. The dis- tinctive doctrines of the Church of which the candidate is about to become an accredited com- municant, her customs, historical lineage, her ministry, discipline and worship are frequently but lightly dwelt upon. As a result, the person when confirmed can give no worthy reason for the faith which is in him. He is not only sadly ignorant of the origin, teaching and practice of other religious bodies and of the Church's rela- tion to them, but he is left hopelessly in the dark 58 THE PARSON DEALING WITH SOULS as to what the teaching of his own communion really is. The questions as to how a lawful min- ister of Christ becomes such, what constitutes a valid sacrament, what is the meaning of the Church's various forms and customs and liturgy, how his Church differs fundamentally from the other Christian bodies surrounding her, these are left untouched. One person well and thoroughly instructed and thereby made capable of bearing an intelligent witness and testimony to others, is worth a score of ill informed and superficial can- didates admitted to the communion without any adequate knowledge of the Church's ways. Such persons become a source of weakness if not a scandal to the Church, and are easily led astray and often disappear from the ranks of the faith- ful. Such sad betrayal of a trust imposed can often be traced directly to the parson himself who has simply failed to discharge a bounden duty at a time when the Church expects him to admit no one to her privileges who is not both ready and prepared. The parson must realize above all things that 59 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE the divine method of propagating the faith and inspiring souls to the love of God is that of per- sonality. The message must be embodied in a life. It can only find adequate expression as by the contagion of one person it is communicated to another. Moreover, this is the only abiding method. Irmumerable good words have found their way into books, but The Word which saves the world is made flesh and dwells among us full of grace and truth. The parson should try to cultivate a loving patience that never despairs of winning a soul however tempted and sinful. He should cherish a hopefulness born of the love wherewith Christ hath loved us and a spirit of humble thankfulness to God for calling him into the Ministry. He will rejoice at every manifestation of the Divine Presence and thus cheerfully accomplish the work committed to him. His disappointments will be many but amid them all his compensations will be those which unfailingly come to the man who has the joy of proclaiming in his life the unsearch- able riches of Christ. 60 PARISH VISITING The parable of the Good Shepherd, interpreted in the light of present day conditions, describes in a very picturesque way the ideal relation be- tween a clergyman and his flock. The pastor has entered into his sheep-fold by the door, and is a real shepherd of the sheep. They gladly hear his voice which has become dear and fa- miliar to them. He calls each one by his name, knowing them one by one, and even the little lambs are precious in his sight. He leads them forth into the green pastures of refreshment, and they delight to follow his guidance, for they know his voice and confide in his loving care. He leads them, and does not attempt to drive them. They follow him, for he is no longer a stranger, but a true and well-tried friend. He is no hireling, doing so much work for so much 6i A BISHOP'S MESSAGE pay, but really loves his sheep for what they are, and not for what they have and can give him. His heart has been moved to serve them in order that he may give them life and give it them more abundantly because he carries each one of them with his hopes and fears in his heart. Through many an experience of joy and sorrow in their homes, they have learned that their shep- herd seeks not theirs but them ; that he is Waiting for their souls as one that must give an account, that he may do it with joy and not with grief. It is perfectly evident to the flock that their shep- herd stands ready at all times to spend and to be spent in behalf of his flock, and even to lay down his life for them. Animated by the spirit of such a relationship as that described by our Lord in this striking parable, let us now approach the discussion of the value of that feature of the pastor's work com- monly understood by the term parish visiting. At the very beginning let us frankly admit that the whole subject is attended by certain obvious difficulties. It is not unusual to find clergymen 62 PARISH VISITING to whom much parish visiting seems a sheer and lamentable waste. Theoretically, it is easy enough to prove that it is the clear duty of our people to come to Church, and to faithfully dis- charge their Christian obligations without depend- ing on their Rector to keep up their interest by constantly calling upon them. If Christian peo- ple were invariably governed by the highest prin- ciples of loyalty and devotion, it would be en- tirely safe for a minister to dispense with the formality of calling. In that case they would neither expect it, nor would their spiritual wel- fare demand it. But as human nature is at present, and always has been constituted, who does not know that such ideal church members are the rare excep- tions, and by no means the usual type. The per- sonal touch between the shepherd and the individ- ual sheep is absolutely necessary in the great majority of instances to keep our people keyed up to anything like a genuine and keen interest in the life and work of the parish. It has been found that their zeal will grow cool, and their 62 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE enthusiasm slacken, if the only relation between themselves and their minister is a purely official one, in which they see him only in church, when he is leading their devotions, or on those infre- quent occasions when they call upon him to cele- brate a marriage. Baptism or funeral. In those branches of the historic church where auricular confession is the rule, such as the Roman and Greek Communions, the need of house to house visiting may not be so obvious. But with us among whom such confession is as yet voluntary and exceptional, and not the rule, there is no other way of maintaining the close personal rela- tionship so necessary to create a vital and whole- some contact with things spiritual. Therefore, the familiar aphorism, that a house-going parson makes a church-going congregation, contains a truth that we cannot ignore save at the peril of our success. No eloquence in the pulpit, or attractive power of our public ministrations, or even the charm and inspiration of the best music, can take the place of knowing our people in their homes. On 64 PARISH VISITING the other hand, again and again, do we see in- stances where a very mediocre abihty in the preacher, and an exceedingly unattractive service have not been sufficient to keep the people away where they have learned to love their pastor be- cause he has first loved them, and has evinced that love by an individual and personal interest in them as their friend. His church has been filled Sunday after Sunday, by glad and devout worshipers, attracted by the bond of reverent affection, cemented by the faithful use of pas- toral oversight. To this insistence on parish visiting, it may with some truth be objected that the modern parish, with its busy parish house and its institu- tional work, its numerous guilds and brotherhoods of men and boys, its woman's auxiliaries and other missionary societies, leaves little or no time for such visiting. In all that we have thus far said, we have had in mind, and kept steadily be- fore us, the conditions that prevail, even in the largest parish. But we still maintain that time must be systematically found for careful and 65 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE thorough parish visiting whether the parish be large or small. It is the peculiar glory of the modern parish, if it be really spiritually alive, that the doors of the church are always open, and that frequent, if not daily celebrations of the holy communion, and morning and evening prayer, as contemplated by the prayer-book, shall be offered. Where the parish is small, it will hardly be claimed that time cannot be found for such pastoral work, and in large parishes, curates are employed to assist the Rector in the various parochial activities, and especially in calling on people. But no wise rec- tor will relegate to his curates, however acceptable they may be, the whole duty of pastoral visita- tion. The people who are likely to be neglected are the poor, the indifferent, and the non-church- goers, and they are just the people who most need to feel that the rector himself cares for them and desires their interest and cooperation. Therefore in making out the parish list for calls, it would be well to assign to the curate, the rich and comfortable and socially attractive. 66 PARISH VISITING By all means let the rector reserve for himself, so far as he can, the Lord's poor and needy, and let him identify himself strongly with the com- mon people, the rank and file of his flock. He will thus spare himself the stigma of being thought a snob and toady and at the same time will win the reverence of rich and poor alike. It is exceedingly important that the minister of Christ should cultivate in himself and others the spirit of a true and manly democracy, and make the people realize that as a clergyman, he cher- ishes for all of his flock, quite irrespective of their worldly circumstances, a profound rever- ence and consideration. If we seem to lay special emphasis on the im- portance of parish visiting, it is simply because of the fact that for his highest influence, the min- ister must be known by his people, and what is of equal importance perhaps, he must know them ; and it is only in the intimate and unrestrained life and atmosphere of the home that he can learn to know them well. This is especially true of the men, who for the most part can only be 67 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE found at home with their families in the evening, owing to the exacting demands of their business. The clergyman will also find frequent oppor- tunities to drop in upon the men at their places of employment during their less busy hours. A brief call at such a time is often appreciated, and helps to familiarize him with the conditions of life and work among his parishioners, and to strengthen the bonds of sympathy between him- self and them. Clergymen to whom parish visiting is especially distasteful sometimes ask, " What shall we talk about when we do call ? " We should be inclined to answer not necessarily about religion or the parish. It may well happen that it will be easier to interest the family by dwelling on their domes- tic or business affairs. Indeed as the object of the call is to become well acquainted with the household in order to serve them spiritually the clergyman should try and make himself agreeable and welcome to them and thus encourage them to give him their confidence. As in everything else in this world, a little tact and common sense 68 PARISH VISITING should be exercised, and where these qualities do not come naturally to a man, he should try to cultivate them. Cheerfulness, absolute courtesy, and brevity, are three elements that ought to en- ter into the problem in every case, and also the use of some discrimination as to when the call can be most wisely made. There is no reason why such a visit should degenerate into a mere formality nor that a minister should forget his sacred office. But on the other hand, it is just as w'ell for him to remember that his great desire is to sustain or quicken an interest in spiritual things. To this result, the brief call can gradu- ally lead up. If we can secure the esteem and confidence of our people, and let them see that we really care for their highest and best interests, the chief difficulty will have been overcome. Thus far, we have not dwelt upon the pastoral ministration to those, who, by reason of old age, are confined to their homes, and to visiting the sick, and those bereaved or in trouble. In all such cases an opportunity is given to show that gentleness and tender sympathy which open the 69 A BISHOP'S MESSAGE way to a word of prayer and the consolations of religion. The baptism of every child, the cele- bration of every marriage, the occasion of every funeral, all these furnish opportunities of strengthening the bond of affection between our people and ourselves. For it is on such occasions that the heart is tender and susceptible and if they are followed up by the spiritual pastor, with the manifestation of deep personal interest and concern, they will create an atmosphere in which the greatest possibilities of influence and leader- ship may be realized. Finally, it ought to be borne in mind that in these happy days of parochial activity, in which there are so many worthy causes and objects likely to appeal to people, one great reward of our pastoral visiting should be to find workers both among the youth and adults of our flock, and to assign each one to some congenial and worthy undertaking. It is only as we can enlist our people in some definite department of Chris- tian endeavor, that we promote their highest spiritual happiness. Work for Christ and the 70 PARISH VISITING church is the real salvation of our faith. " He that doeth my will," saith our Lord, " shall know of the doctrine," and " He that loseth his life," in love and interest for others, shall find it again in the best and most satisfying experiences of religion. While no other calling in life places a man under such heavy responsibilities as that of a cure of souls, yet in none is the distribution of one's time so absolutely under one's control. The merchant, the banker, the doctor, the laborer, all other classes of men who respect themselves desire to be reckoned among the workers of the worl