f 9" t^eg>^;/s^^ f 28. S'o PRINCETON, N. J. 'if. Shelf.. BV 4010 .B45 1880 ^1817-i8?2^^'''''^ Thurston, The pastor •"'^ w«4, .-1^',. -V w ,w :^ :<; >• n. THE PASTOE. PASTORAL THEOLOGY. EXPERIENTIA DOCENS, DOCET, DOCUIT. BY RT. EEV. GKEGOKY THURSTON 'bEDELL, D.D., BEDELI, PUOFKSSOK OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE OF OHIO. PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. LONDON: 16 SOUTHAMPTON ST., COVENT GARDEN. 188 0. Copyright, 1879, bv J. B. Lippincott & Co. TO THE MEMOKT OF MY FATHEE. ADVERTISEMENT. Experientia docens, docet, docuit. This Book gives the results of experience. It is nothing if it is not that. It is a history rather than a didactic essay. It is to be read between the lines as a memoir of a most happy Pastoral experience; for every principle recommended has been tested, and every method proposed has been tried. Nor is any- thing suggested for adoption that has not been found to be successful. The experience of nearly nineteen years of Pastoral life has been carefully measured, by the experience of other Pastors studied during twenty years of Episcopal life. The latter is a perpetual review of the former. If it cannot remedy, it can sometimes prevent a repetition of errors ; and in this lies its ad- vantage. Those happy early days — sixteen years in the Church of the Ascension, New York, and nearly three years previous in the Church of the Holy Trinity, West Chester, Pennsylvania — furnished an experience of Pastoral care somewhat remarkable for its variety and breadth : and I have been repeating the story of it for sixteen years, year by year, to successive classes of Theological Students in Bexley Hall, the Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Ohio. So that this Book 1* r> g • ADVERTISEMENT. has been in preparation for some years longer than Horace deemed necessary. Whatever may be its de- ficiencies, it does not lack the " limse labor." My students liave listened with apparent interest. I give them due credit for patience. They ha\e fre- quently requested me to put the lectures into a per- manent form as a Book. I now comply with their request, hoping that the suggestions which follow may not lose interest in their eyes, because it has not been possible for me to include all those personal reminis- cences which flavored them in the lecture-room, or all those comparisons of opinion which added zest to the half-hours after lecture. In writing such a Book it is not possible to avoid egoism, which, as I suppose, is a euphemism of these later days, for what in my younger days we used to know as egotism. I realize the danger. Indeed ex- perience, if it is to be valuable to others, must be per- sonal. How can any man tell the story of other men's experience ? But personal experience is my experience. To give to it the form of impersonality is not only to take from it freshness and force, but to savor of affecta- tion. I have preferred an occasional risk of egotism to the slightest shadow of a shade of affectation. Experience which has anything to teach may hope to be useful as a teacher. I hope for the usefulness of this Book the rather because the experience which it records has taught me. Experieniia docenSj dooet, docuit. CONTENTS. I. 11. Advertisement 5 Preliminary : prerequisites for the study . . 9 Introduction. Part I. The source of Clerical influence 15 Part II. Clerical Character .... 25 Suggestions : for Teachers .... 42 Pastoral Theology, defined .... 45 The Pastor's Office 48 PAKT I. INSTRUCTION. III. The Pastor Catechising, The History^ Value, and Duty of Catechising .... 57 IV. Analysis and Explication of the Catechism . 7G V. Mode of Catechising 90 VI. The Pastor preparing for Confirmation; its Importance 102 VII. History, Authority, and Intention of Confirma- tion ... .... 109 VIII. The Candidates 131 IX. Qualifications and Tests 154 X. Instimction folloioing the Rite . . . .170 XI. Helps to the Confirmed 192 XII. The Pastor Preaching. History and Value of Preaching .....•• 203 XIII. Object and Method 225 XIV. The Subject of Preaching 237 XV. What are not its Topics 251 XVI. Its Power 2G1 XVII. The Matter of Preaching , . . . .270 XVIII. Style and Language 277 CONTENTS ClIAPTEE XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. Written or Extempore .... Species and Characteristics of Sermons Choice and Ti^eatment of Texts Preparation for Preaching . The Pastor in Social Instruction. Importance, Advantages, and Methods PAOB 297 316 337 354 367 PAKT II. ADMINISTKATION. XXIV. A Pastoral Chahqe: its Li^nits and Extent 385 The Pastor administering by Sacraments 388 XXY. The Pastor Visiting ; its Advantages . 389 XXVI. The Difficulties 400 XXVII. Practical Hhits 406 XXVIII. The Pastor treating various cases of RELIGIOUS experience .... 434 XXIX. Treatment of Cases 441 XXX. Treatment of Cases 461 XXXI. Treatme?]^ of Cases 473 XXXII. The Pastor in his Sunday-Schools : his Relations and Responsibilities . . . 485 XXXIII. Objects and Method 501 XXXIV. The Pastor's direction of Activities . 517 XXXV. The Pastor's Parochial Administration : Parochial Relations 537 XXXVI. Parochial Duties . .... 553 PAKT III. DISCIPLINE. XXXVII. The Pastor exercising Discipline The Pastor a Gentleman. Manners m^aketh Man Conclusion .... 671 583 594 PRELIMINARY. The announcement of our theme is Evangelical. The very idea of Pastorship is significant of the Gospel. No other religion than that of Christ ab- sorbs all ideas of ministration within the idea of Pastorship, and concentrates the thoughts of its min- istry upon Pastoral care. Its Divine Author, their Divine Exemplar, presents himself as the Shepherd of his flock. He has left no more attractive portrait of himself than as one going forth ]:>efore his Sheep, guiding them into green pastures, guarding them from wolves, carrying the lambs in his bosom, gently lead- ing the mothers whose young ones gambol at their sides, folding the flock within safe bounds, and, when the necessity has arisen, willingly giving his life for the Sheep. Such a picture covers every feature of a Gospel ministry. The idea of Pastorship is not only essential to it, but it is the whole of it. Teaching, ad- ministration and discipline, indeed all the offices of the ministry, and all its functions, are included under this term. Christ calls his ministers to be Pastors of his flock. Therefore before entering on the work of the ministry, it is necessary to become familiar with those principles which ought to guide Pastoral care, and which secure success in it. A* 9 IQ PRELIMINARY. Such is the general subject of the following treatise. For a successful prosecution of the study of Pastoral Theology three conditions are required on the part of a student : 1. A theoretical knowledge of Tlieology. 2. An experimental knowledge of religion. 3. A degree of practical knowledge of human nature. 1. A theoretical knowledge of Theology. — The stu- dent should have a clear apprehension of the system of divine truth; or in another form — his knowledge of divine truth should be systematized. He should know not only what is truth, but what are the different parts of revealed truth, and the relations of the several parts in the divine system. A man who is to fight such a battle for God must thoroughly understand his weapons, their point, their edge, their temper, their endurance. Under- standing them, he can hopefully handle them ; he can enter upon the practice of this sword exercise — the cut, the thrust, the parry, the guard of "the sword of the Spirit.'^ The Word is the Pastor's only weapon. A true Theology puts him in entire possession of it. Then Pastoral Theology teaches him at what sins a truth may be aimed, what virtues it will sustain, Avhat diffi- culties it will relieve, what errors it will demolish. The successful student will know the length of the blow which any particular truth will give, without coming into collision with other truths ; when to trans- fer himself from an exhausted to a fresh truth ; when a verity will parry a blow, and when it will give a blow that shall divide asunder joints and marrow, and discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. PREREQUISITES. H Evidently, unless a student possesses the information which is to be applied, he will vainly study the science of its application. A knowledge of systematic Divinity is therefore pre-supposed. 2. An experimental knowledge of religion. — The student is supposed to be a Christian ; but more than that, a spiritual minded Christian. Nor is this all. A student in Pastoral Theology ought to have attained the rank of an experienced Christian. Not a novice; he should have made some good degree of progress in the Christian life. For he is to study methods of dealing with souls in all stages of spiritual education. How can he under- stand the true value or use of these methods if his ex- perience is confined to the first stage, if he himself be merely in the childhood of religious life? A good degree of religious experienee is therefore pre-supposed. 3. A degree of practical knowledge of human nature. — The Pastor is to deal with men. Humanity as it is, is the arena of all his conflicts and his victories. Men of all characters, in all positions, amidst all circum- stances, are to feel his influence. They come to him for guidance; or he is to volunteer his service. He is to be in turn, preacher, teacher, counsellor, comforter, father, brother, friend. The Pastor must therefore be a whole man, and wholly a man ; thoroughly versed in the intricacies of human composition, and the windings of human life. Consequently one who is studying how to become such a Pastor, must already in some degree understand that nature with which he is to deal. Our science takes cognizance of all sides of that strange character which is known as man ; men, women, 1 2 PRELIMINARY. and children ; the hard and the coarse in nature, the re- fined and gentle, the considerate and the selfish, the good and the wicked; proud, humble, open sinners; profligate, vile, secretly profiine, the hypocritical ; and the virtuous. No man can pursue the study of this science with profit to whom the existence of these varieties of character is merely a theory. Some ex- perience in life and some familiarity with human nature, are therefore pre-supposed. The study of Pastoral Theology is usually placed at a late date in a seminary course in order that these con- ditions may be realized. Most of our readers have doubtless seen much of life. Some may have struggled with difficulties, and looked the hard sides of human nature closely in the face ; perhaps, too, they may have warmed their hearts beside its genial generosity. Na- ture yields her knowledge very readily to one who struggles for it. She is never taciturn except to those who do not take the trouble to force her to speak. All have reached an age when even small powers of obser- vation or reflection must have produced a somewhat practical character. Having studied Theology theoretically, no deficiency of theological information in our readers, is to be feared. All our students are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ : and probably all have attained to a good degree in a religious life. Yet at this point the chief anxiety of a Teacher of this science will arise. A danger springs from the spirit of secularization even whilst one is pursuing studies of a Theological Seminary. Familiarity with the science of religion is very apt to cause religion itself to degenerate into mere PREREqUISITES. I3 science. Time absorbed in studying tlie literature or theory of the Bible, is apt to be stolen from the practical application of its teachings. Satan is very subtle. We are very weak. "Watchfulness and prayer indeed are mighty. But there is not always as much watchful- ness and prayer within a Seminary, and especially with- in our own rooms in it, as we intended to carry there, or know to be needed. And yet in preparing for the Pastoral work, we need the same spiritual qualifications which we shall require for the discharge of it. The soul must be consecrated to Christ ; must be absorbed with the love of souls for whom Christ died. And in order to this, a student must have a real experience of the love of Christ to himself, be satisfied that his re- generation was that which the baptismal sign signified, a new birth by the power of the Holy Ghost, that hav- ing been made partaker of the spiritual nature, he is enjoying a peace which flows from undoubting faith in God's covenant through Christ. Personal religion in this student is not to be a theory, but an affection, a feeling, a life. Love for the work, springing out of gratitude and love for the Master, is the essential ele- ment of successful study for it, just as that love in- tensified— as it burned in the Saviour's own bosom — is to be the real element of success in practising it. Let this question be examined again. The essence of a call to the ministry is an absorbing love for Christ and for the souls whom he has redeemed. If the call be absent, it is of little use to study the method of exercising: it. Let the question be examined again, if not to decide a doubt, better still to arouse a truer consciousness of 2 1 4 PRELIMINAR Y. motives, and a liigher appreciation of the student's sacred position. These considerations open the way for a nearer ap- proach to the science which is to engage our studies. But upon the threshold we are met with a vital question, What is the source of clerical influence f PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE.- INTRODUCTION. PAET I. The Source of Clencal Influence. Before presenting the topic positively, light will be thrown on it, if we consider some sources of clerical power that have been exhausted by the drains of the ages, and are now dried up. The history of Christianity presents some curious phenomena in the progress of the search after clerical influence. For one of the earliest necessities of a min- istry in an organized Church is power. Especially does the ministry of the Gospel need power, forced to a con- tinual struggle against opposition, inborn, inbred, and cherished. So that a desire on the part of the Christian ministry to possess power, is both natural and neces- sary ; and arises out of the very condition in which it is placed. For a ministry of religion must possess power, in order to success. Our Saviour's example is instructive. He needed to exhibit power, so that men might respect his mission. Nor, under the circumstances, could his moral influence alone have sufficiently enforced his claims. Therefore, 15 16 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER He added to it a manifestation of miraculous gifts. So the Apostles, initiating a new religious system, re- quired and possessed miraculous powers. These tended to prepare the Avay for, and to enforce, that moral influ- ence on which Christianity mainly depends for suc- cessful advancement. But near the close of the first century miraculous powers became extinct. The min- istry was then left to its own internal resources. During the purer ages, that moral power proved to be sufficient, which resulted from weight of personal character, and from a common acknowledgment that the ministry of Christ was divinely appointed. These gave sufficient effect to clerical instruction. As our Saviour and his Apostles in their times, so the clergy of the earliest centuries in their day perceived no reason for separating themselves in rank from their flocks ; no necessity for taking upon themselves the peculiarities of a Caste. There is a distinction between the idea of Order and Caste. Order is a separation of office, authority, and employment, among those who, in all other respects, are upon equality. Caste is a separation of quality; an essential separation of rank ; as when birth, or office, takes one out of a natural position, and places him in an artificial position, above or below those who are otherwise his equals ; and thereby separates the two in habits, thoughts, and feelings. Now the ministers of Christ were always an Order ; and from the beginning were separated from other Christians so far as office, spiritual authority and employment were concerned ; but no further. They were not a caste ; not a class distinct in all relations from other Christians. The THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 17 Levites were a Caste, not merely an Order. Brahmin priests are a Caste. Russian priests, until 1869, were a hereditary Caste. Romish priests are a Caste. The Ministry is an Order. Our Saviour, except in his official character, was one of the people ; a Nazarene, a carpenter, a tax-payer, a citizen. The Apostles, except in their official position, were parts of the community ; fishermen, tent-makers, working with their own hands so as not to be charge- able, dressing like .the people and living among them. In like manner, the clergy of the earlier Christian Church recognized no distinction in themselves from the members of their flocks, except what arose from their divine appointment as teachers. They were still a part of that community, within which they exercised spiritual gifts. But as corruptions increased in the Church, a new phase of clerical ideas arose. Perhaps as corruptions increased, the necessity for more power to contend with corruptions seemed also to increase. Most probably the thirst for authority was aggravated as the possibility of obtaining it became manifest. Such a forgetfulness of Gospel simplicity is not unnatural. The temptation always exists. The danger is always to be guarded against. A great impulse to this perversion of clerical power was aiforded by that false doctrine concerning the Sacra- ments, which before many ages became common in the Church. The idea of the Lord's Supper was gradually changed, in the conceptions of the Church. From a simple common feast of love following upon the com- memoration of the sacrifice once offi^red, and having the 18 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER nature of a Sacrament because it was an ordained out- ward sign and pledge of an inward spiritual grace re- ceived, it was changed to a mystery which assumed to repeat an actual sacrifice of Christ upon a Christian altar ; and, pari passu with that perversion, went on the separation of the clergy, who accomplished the miracle, from the people, and their formation into a priestly Caste. During many ages, the priests of a debased Chris- tianity were as actually a Caste, as are the priests of Hindooism. Transmission of authority among those, took the place of the inheritance of authority among these. An idea of indelibility in the Christian priestly office was as effectual a security of power to them, as birthright into office is for a Hindoo. The ministry became a close corporation; perpetuated by its own officers ; dependent on its own choice. The people had no part and no voice in it. Kept aloof by fear, or standing afar off in distrust, there were no common sympathies between them. It became the policy of the Clergy to encourage an entire separation of interests. They assumed a peculiar dress ; resided in their own communities. Deprived of family ties, and lost to social instincts, monasticism became their natural re- source. But when, under the monastic system, indi- vidual influence was gradually merged in the idea of corporate power, individual character became of minor importance. And when the influence of character, and, with it, its true moral power disappeared, a necessity arose for finding some substitute. That substitute was discovered in the creation of a spiritual tyranny. At last, then, the priestly Caste became complete in all THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 19 features; and, with an iron rod it ruled the Church; ruled the nations which bore the Christian name. Separated in all respects from the people, wielding by divine right a sacramental miracle, and holding the key to temporal pains and pleasures, as well as to eternal punishments and rewards, the Christian ministry had forgotten that they were servants, whilst they assumed mastership : and the Christian family presented the strange spectacle of a complete division into two classes — spiritual tyrants, and spiritual slaves. The Reformation was a resurrection. Dormant ideas, dead thoughts, awoke to life. And though the true notion of the ministry had apparently gone to dust, sepulchred for generations among lost things, yet was it instantly revivified by returning Christian conscious- ness. A reaction was to be expected. A reaction occurred. Priestly Caste disappeared in the Reforma- tion ; it melted away before that Truth, whose beams gave light to the mind and warmth to the affections. Falsehoods upon which its ideas were based vanished. It was impossible to maintain a priestly Caste when the Sacrament had ceased to be a sacrifice ; when the altar resumed its higher position as a Table for a sacra- ment of love ; when confession was reduced to brotherly communion, and absolution was again, as at the be- ginning, only a preaching of the Gospel of the Lord's foro-iveness. But unfortunately this reaction did not stop at the point of truth. Human ideas, loosed from an extreme, always swing to the opposite, vibrating often between ultimates, before they assume the true poise. And so men's ideas gradually tended toward the destruction of 20 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER the idea that the Christian ministry is even an Order. Happily the Ministry regained its share in the sympa- thies of the Christian people. Entering into their life, their habits, their family relations and social enjoy- ments, it became part of, and partook in, all the in- terests of the Christian commonwealth. Gradually the lay people re-asserted their forgotten right to a voice in the appointment of ministers. But gradually, and surely, the reaction progressed, swinging public opinion away from the truth that the minister is divinely appointed ; and from its necessary concomitant, that such a divinely appointed ministry is an Order to be perpetuated by divine regulation. At last the Church became familiar with a new theory of Ecclesiastical Government: a last stage. Independency and Congregationalism ; a theory as different from Apostolic truth on the better side, as the theory of Romanism was opposed to Apostolic truth on the worse side. Now appeared, opposite to Caste, an idea of Parity. The ministry, no longer sep- arated from the people, having returned to their former relations among the people, was scarcely distinguished any longer, (theoretically,) even as an office, from those whom it served. All were priests ; all had equal right to minister; all were equally consecrated. Only for convenience special public duties were laid upon a few. Vinet clearly enough sets forth this idea — although not always quite consistent with himself. "For us,'^ he says, "who do not receive the real presence, what remains in the minister when once the supernatural gifts have ceased ? The Christian, only the Christian, consecrating his activity to make others Christians, and to confirm in Christianity those who have embraced THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 21 this religion. He does habitually, what, occasionally, and in a special manner, all Christians should do. He does it with a degree of authority proportioned to what we may suppose a man has of knowledge and fitness, who has consecrated himself exclusively to that work. But he has no revelation peculiar to himself. . . . He is a steward, a manager of the common interest. If he thinks it right, according to the word of St. Paul, that believers should obey him as their spiritual ruler, the sense in which he understands this leaves intact the liberty and responsibility of those who obey."* Or, as we understand this statement, the ministry is self-con- secrated ; its authority is derived from its own self- appreciation of knowledge and fitness, and from the consent of the people to that estimate. The ministry is no longer an Order; is no longer separated even in office; derives no authority from that office ; each minister is on a par with every other Christian, even in duties, except, as weight of character, or some acknowledged fitness for the public service of a congregation, tempo- rarily elevates him. We shall not stay to discuss either extreme of those divergent theories. It is well for the Clergy to under- stand, however, that this last view is the popular and prevailing idea of ministerial authority in our day. The course of Church history reads us then an instructive lesson on the idea of clerical power. As on other topics, its examples produce a philosophy,' for those who understand. The principles established and illustrated by our Saviour and his Apostles were truth. * Yinet, Pastoral Care. 22 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER Error has vibrated between two extremes ; between Caste and absolute Parity; showing itself an error by just so many degrees as it departed from the early and scriptural standard of truth, and approached either of these erroneous notions. The Reformation in the Church of England en- deavored to strike the poise between extremes, and in most respects succeeded. But the peculiar political events which accompanied, and the political relations which followed that Reformation, have necessarily caused some deviation from the Apostolic model. Re- lieved from political complications by the Revolution, our Church has realized again the primitive relations between the ministry and the people. With us the Clergy are an Order : i.e., a rank among Christians charged with special duties; but separated from the rest only so far, and to that end. They are set apart by divine authority for the work of the min- istry; and according to the divine regulation, the Order is perpetuated by tactual succession. But this truth is not subject to any of the evils of the Caste-idea. No one rises to this ministerial Order without consent of the people out from whom he comes. By constant infusion of new elements fresh from the people, the whole Order is popularized in its feelings. But more than this, our doctrine has seized and appropriated all that was true on this topic in ideas of the Reformation : true tlien, because an older truth, even from Apostolic days. The ministry are in all respects part of the people; live among them, share their habits, manners, family ties, social enjoyments; eat with them, dress like them, think as they do, participate in all their ideas. It is an THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 23 Order, its authority divine and its perpetuity divinely arranged; but still it is merely an Order among the people. You will infer then that I derive clerical influence from a double source ; from its divine authority, and from the popular estimation in which it is held. Rightly so. It has of truth both these elements of power. But in respect to the first, let us appreciate the day in which we live. Present ideas most concern us. However attractive are the relics of the past, men are not accustomed now to live in tombs for sake of a companionship with past ideas. If this generation shall not understand or appreciate our thoughts, we will do well to lay aside all that may not be indispensable in theory, and learn to think as they do. We must be men of this day. And, consequently, it should be impressed on our minds, that this age does not allow any particular weight to theories of divine right. Indeed it has become popular even in our own Church, to depreciate this divine truth. It does not tally with extreme ideas of liberty in human govern- ment, those which border on licentiousness. And, con- sequently, there is a strong temptation to desert this important verity, — that Christ has regulated the affairs of his Church, and especially the mode of perpetuating his ministry : whicii regulations are to be found in, and interpreted by. Apostolic precept and practice. Instead of that truth, there is a prevailing tendency to assert that the foundations of the Church were laid in purely democratic methods, upon the choice of the people, and their sense of the expediency of the system. We yield to such a theory — no, not for a moment. Our Church 24 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER bases her rules upon Scripture, and upon ancient authors; upon divinely inspired directions, interpreted, so far as may be needed, by the earliest Christian custom. We have no question of the truth of the Divine appointment of our ministry y and that Christ himself di- rected the mode of its perpetuation by a tactual succession unhrohen from Apostolic days. And inasmuch as it is true, it is to be inculcated. Judiciously taught it will benefit a congregation ; and a right appreciation of it will also increase our solemn sense of responsibility to God, and of obligation 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 ])eople to think that we feel ourselves 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. Whilst, then, theoretically, our divine appointment is an element of j)ower; practically, under prevailing sentiments, it will not be an element of influence. We return, then, from this negative view of our subject, to reaffirm the positive side of it; which is the special purpose of the present Introduction. THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 25 PAET II. The Source of Clerical Influence is Personal Clerical Character. Nothing remains from the conflicts of the clergy with past generations, but Clerical Character. The clergy have no spiritual power apart from their moral influence ; that idea, although once maintained, has disappeared. They have no sacramental miracle by which to enforce a tyranny over consciences. That idea, once held, has been exploded. Even their divine Ordination, their right as heavenly ambassadors by virtue of office divinely bestowed, (as I have already said,) has been thrust out of sight by the hurry of new and false ideas. So that, practically, nothing remains to be a source of clerical influence in this age, except individual clerical character. Nor need we desire any other in- fluence. Enough respect exists for the sacred duties of the ministry to give to every one whose character is worthy of it, a position in the community equal to, inleed, as a general rule, higher than his proportionate worth, and sufliciently elevated to accomplish all the spiritual ends for which the ministry was appointed. Clerical character has relation to three great depart- ments of the Pastoral office; namely. Instruction, Administration, and Discipline. And with respect to each of them, the bearing of each distinct element of character will be apparent, as soon as it is mentioned. For character is formed of various elements: among which may be specified for our present purpose, Intel- 26 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER lectual, moral, social, practical, and spiritual character; and the hio-hest excellence in each element of this character is necessary in order to the highest success in each department of Pastoral life. I write for the Instructors of men ; and that in an age noted for its intellectual achievements. The science which the ministers of Christ are appointed to develop is the most profound of all the sciences. It requires all a minister's art, to induce men to think on topics which are not attractive in their nature, and which require in them an effort in order to enable them to grasp, even after being presented in the simplest form ; nor will men be easily induced to follow in thought, unless they feel that their minister's knowledge is superior to theirs, and unless they are impressed with the power of his methods. Every faculty then is to be cultivated ; all brought into play ; each pressed into the service of the heavenly Master. A minister's knowledge of Theology in all its parts, in its pro- foundest truths, as well as its simplest exhibitions, is to be thorough, discriminating, and complete. His The- ology, that is, his knowledge of divine truth, is to be systematic : the bearing of each part of truth upon the other is to be clearly appreciated, so that there sliall be no confusion of mind produced by his statements of different truths. On all subjects of religion he must be prepared to give an opinion ; and, on important topics, to give the grounds of his belief. I do not think that it is necessary for a clergyman to express himself positively on every theory which a parishioner may suggest. There are some topics concerning which it is wise immediately to confess that he knows nothing ; THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 27 even if he should not think it well to say that his in- quirer is in the same category. But, on great solemn practical and spiritual truths of religion, he is expected to have an opinion, and to express it ; as a guide to the ignorant, a resolver to the doubting, and a com- forter of the perplexed. And in the ability to make even profound truths clear to a mind of ordinary in- telligence, lies the strength of a minister's intellectual character. You will understand me to express the opinion, that our Church, and the community around it, which regards it with respect, expect that our Min- isters w^ill be something more than exhorters and evangelists; that they will be Instructors. Whilst capable of preaching the Gospel with the utmost sim- plicity, and of stirring men's souls by earnest appeals to their affections, and of leading sinners directly to a penitent faith in a Crucified Saviour, and from that faith into union with Christ's Church, our Ministry is expected to be capable of holding converted men in their place as professing Christians ; instructing, watch- ing, guiding, and influencing them, in such manner that they will be able to give a reasonable account of their belief, and will cling to it through temptation and trials. It is the function of our Church, and its glory, to possess a definite creed, and to expound it. The community which understands us relies on our Min- isters to explain and defend that creed. And their intellectual character is determined by fidelity in giving this instruction. In this respect I think that a Pastor must be equal, if not superior, to every person in his parish. He is to retain tliat mastery of minds, which in accepting a Pastorship he asserts. To lose it ever, 28 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER is at once to sink below the level of legitimate influ- ence. But when the intellectual character of a minister holds the rank which has been described, he wields a measure of influence which is power. I write for those who are to teach men the morals of the Gospels ; instruct in principles of virtue ; form men into a higher style of neighborly character than that which a sinful world exhibits. All relations of life are within the guardianship of a minister's warnings, advice, or reproofs. His own morality must therefore be without reproach. He is to lead men to Christ. Wandering sinners, astray without consciousness of it, often without thought, sometimes far gone from right, are to be led to Christ by the tones of a Pastor's voice, by the tenor of his ex- ])erience, and by the words of his Gospel. I speak ad- visedly ; for in this matter of preaching from experi- ence, the Gospel preached becomes one's own Gospel ; just that which he has appropriated to his own use. Theory is not enough. Without doubt, the Devil is an able Theologian. But a clerical character which is to assert power must add to a mind furnished, trained, and developed, a heart thoroughly placed under the power of these truths, and a will as thoroughly sancti- fied. A minister whose character in the pulpit will move and hold men, will have experienced, in his own religious history, the power of truths which he applies. Those truths are to work not alone upon the intellect of men, but always also on the affections ; and in gen- eral chiefly upon the affections. But one can never learn from books the way in which truth deals with a soul. Each teacher of it needs his own experience of THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 29 it. We need to have felt the influence of divine things. We need to have known the power of the law in ex- posing our own sin ; the depth of that sin ; the entire- ness of our depravity which it exposed ; the corruption which had seized and aifected every part of our nature j the helplessness of our condition, when we became con- scious of the Divine abhorrence of iniquity. We need to have experienced the sweet compulsion of the Spirit, drawing us willingly, unwilling, towards the Cross of Christ. We need to have felt the inrushing sense of a Saviour's love, and the outgusliing rush of aifection and desire, and devotion and self-abandonment, and self-consecration ; all mingling in the single act of faith towards Him, by which we are forever bound to Him, by which we share His life, and become partakers of life hidden with Him in God. From our own blessed experience we become able to apply such truths to the experience of other men. And further, sinners who are saved are to be led on by our ministry to the highest degrees of Christian ex- cellence; up to the full measure of perfect men in Christ Jesus. Consequently our preaching is to breathe a true spi ritual-mi ndedness. Words fall from a min- ister's lips with power, when it is evident that they are uttered as the experience of a spiritual man ; a man who has made good progress in the Christian life ; who has learned by experience to understand the usual methods in which God graciously deals with his chil- dren, has cultivated many graces, overcome in more than one conflict, and reached stability. The minister deals with souls who are at every stage of spiritual education : and he cannot gain the method 3* 30 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER of it except by personal religious experience. Yet his character as a teacher will be measured, as all teachers are, by his aptitude for every emergency. But when — for every emergency, both in meeting the necessities of a varying religious experience, and meeting the claims of the world^s strict measure of Christian morality, and meeting the exactions of an age, wdiich, under all its pretensions, does show a real thirst for knowledge and a habit of thinking — when a, minister has secured a character for information and mental force which will meet every emergency, he becomes a leader of men, and is a power. Then he does not need to ask for influ- ence. His clerical character is power. Strong personal character is equally valuable, nay is indispensable, in the department of Administration. Here success depends entirely on personal influence. Just as other men exert influence, a minister influences his people. As an administrator of a parish and its executive head, he comes into immediate contact with men. In these relations being removed from the con- ventional and proper influence of the pulpit, he is necessarily measured by the world's standard. This standard in reference to administration is no longer tliat which sufficed for him in the pulpit : that is a theological, or a churchly, or a merely experimentally religious standard. But as an administrator he faces the world, and is judged by the world from its own outlook. A minister who is merely a theologian stands little chance. Such a man is supposed to be dwelling either in the depths, or in the clouds, far beyond ordi- nary reach, or common human sympathy. The successful administrator will therefore be a theo- THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 31 logian who has added to knowledge of divine truth all other knowledge possible to him ; and if from want of books or opportunity he may not be able to pursue in- vestigations in mental, moral, and physical sciences, he will at least have become conversant with human na- ture as he finds it in the open books of human hearts, and characters, and lives. He will be a man whose eyes are open, and his ears quick, to receive every in- formation which is afforded by the world of men, of events, or of nature. And his mind, thoughtful and acting on these topics, will be equal to any conflict within their range. For influence, in this relation, it is not necessary that he should become a philosopher in physical sciences. Perhaps tliere is a danger in attempting it, for few men can be great in more than one department. The plane of scientific investigation may run parallel with the higher plane of theological and spiritual study; but the two do not coincide. The one deals with physical, the other with psychical phenomena. The scientist is not capable from his physical investigations to draw conclusions in spiritual science, nor is the theologian capable from his religious phenomena to determine the value of physical deductions. The spheres are separated and dissimilar. '' Sutor ne supra crepidam.'' But clerical influence is very much increased by breadth of culture. Every additional investigation, in any direc- tion, in which a minister becomes a master, gives him new insight of difficulties which assault some souls, or new means of meeting objections to Christianity, or fresh methods of illustrating the Gospel. And every advance in true knowledge is an advance in power. 32 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER A character for earnest piety adds greatly to his force as an administrator ; because it establishes confidence in him. And on the confidence of his people his adminis- trative influence must depend. Yet he must be more than holy and devotional. Unless his piety have a practical character it will not tell on his influence. Piety which sheds no light except on the person who possesses it, is a beautiful, but a cold image, whether in a clergyman or a lay person. It has much the effect of a statue. One admires but is not drawn towards the silent, emotionless, unsympathetic image. There is no- thing in it to be imitated. But that piety which shows itself in practical labor, which is skilful in charities, suggestive of plans of usefulness, able in direction, abundant in benevolence, anxious for the growth of holiness in others, is the piety which tells upon the world. And this sort of piety in a minister is that which gives him influence as an administrator. So also in his administration of a parish, both the Church and the outside world are very observant of a minister's moral habits. His moral principles they learn from the pulpit ; but as an administrator his people learn, by daily contacts of life, whether those principles bear the test of trial among temptations such as other men are obliged to stand. Still further, for full success as an administrator, a minister must be a practical man ; and his success will vary much in proportion to the real value of this ele- ment of his character. Men with whom he deals are practical. Theorists are few ; and fortunately they are generally so much absorbed with their own fancies, that they do not often interfere with the current, either of THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 33 clerical or lay life. The men or women with whom a minister comes really in contact are dealing with the facts of life. It is a hard life. He who is to influence them, either as guide, or counsellor, or helper, must himself be practical; a living man; a working man. He must not be too readily imposed upon. With all his Christian generosity in business affairs, he must be a man of business tact. He must know how to make a bargain, yet he must never be a hard man. He will know how to do things. And if he does not actually lay his hand to the hammer or the plough, at least he will be capable of it. A temptation arises out of this very disposition : as well as out of each of our specially practical aptitudes. Seeing a frequent lack of skill in others, a practical cler- gyman is sorely tempted to substitute his skill for theirs ; or, by sympathy, he is induced to add to admiration of a parishioner's practical habits, too constant association. In this way he is in danger of losing by familiarity what he has gained by talent. For it cannot be doubted that somewhat of that divinity which hedges a king because of his isolation, is necessary to clerical influence. It may not be right, but nevertheless it is true, that a minister's association with trifles, and especially if in those trifles his foibles be observed, destroys, in many minds, the idea of his power to deal with the great things of God's law. Seclusion is as grave an error on the other side. But there is a happy medium between too great isolation and too great familiarity, which when attained increases, nay which is indispensable to, a full development of clerical influence. So in social life, a minister will exhibit the virtues 34 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER which produce domestic happiness, and the sympathy which makes home and the fireside. And here is his chief field for direct spiritual influence. As he goes from house to house, and from heart to heart, he will carry everywhere the impression that he is a man of God. As a counsellor, a friend, a guardian, a com- forter, admitted to the intimacies of the life of his flock, a high toned honor and a high toned spirit, (which in- deed in a minister are to be part of each other,) will give his people that confidence in him, out of which his usefulness arises. Still more potential is personal charaeter for the exer- cise of Disclj^line. In the absence of personal character ministerial dis- cipline falls to the ground. The pastor who can firmly maintain the integrity of his flock is he, and he only, who can look every man in the face without fear of human censure. If only his own morality be pure and his piety respected, he may stand immovably beside the principles of justice, and apply them under the law of Christian charity, with inflexible nerve. If, beyond that, he be well considered for intellectual strength, and for acquirements more than are needed in his own line of study, but which mark a man of breadth of culture, if he be a man of practical wisdom, and if he fill a high social position secured by the affections of his people, the reins of right discipline lie in his hands by willing consent. Thus personal clerical character, in all its parts, forms the basis of clerical influence. It is the secret of pas- toral power. In confirmation of the general truth of these posi- THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 35 tions, it would be easy to show by example that in all departments of human activity, the weightiest and most steadily effective influence— certainly that which is to be most thoroughly relied on— is character. Benjamin Franklin attributed his success as a public man, not to his talents or his powers of speaking — for these were moderate — but to his known integrity of character. " Hence it was/' he says, '' that I had so much weight with my fellow-citizens. I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct in language, and yet I gen- erally carried my point." It was said of the first em- peror Alexander of Eussia, that his personal character was equivalent to a Constitution. During the wars of the Fronde, Montaigne was the only man among the French gentry who kept his castle gates unbarred ; and it was said of him that his personal character was worth more to him than a regiment of horse. Character is power, in low estate as well as high : in private life as well as in office. An old writer calls truthfulness, integrity, and goodness, — which are the essence of manly char- acter, " that inbred loyalty unto virtue which can serve her without a livery.'' But it is in misfortune that the character of the upright man shines forth with the greatest lustre ; and, when all else fails, he takes his stand upon his integrity, as on an everlasting rock. Personal clerical character, so inestimable, is neither a gift nor an indefeasible possession. Like all other char- acter it is worked out, and it is retained by the same process by which it is acquired. Orders will not pro- duce it. Although the minister may trace back his succession by indisputable line tlirough Augustine of 36 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER Canterbury, Irenseus, and Polycarp, to St. John him- self, there will have been no grace communicated by ordination which can give personal character. Under a minister's robes may sometimes be a fool or a knave. If there be, the people will soon find it out. And the moment they discover it his influence is gone; gone for- ever. It can never be recovered. A clergyman's char- acter will not bear a taint or even a reasonable suspicion of a fault. Therefore it is horrible cruelty and unspeakable maliciousness, without just cause, to breathe a word of suspicion against a clergyman's character. He is a mirror in which men are to see the reflection of Christ Jesus, both in principles and conduct. A foul breath of a lying spirit on the fair surface of that mirror dis- torts the Christ image, as surely as a fracture. And therefore it is the uppermost duty of a people to up- hold their pastor's fair fame. Not only should a Avhis- pered falsehood find no echo, but it should be openly reproved. The wise man writes that " death and life are in the power of the tongue." Being so, the tongue of the slanderer should be cut off from the congre- gation. That gossiping spirit which makes free with a pastor's instructions, or the manner of them, or his personal habits, either by direct word, or by indirect, or by the false story of the slanderer, should be at once exposed and thrust out of the Christian society. A trusting people will speak out their trust. Many a character has been ruined by the silence of those who in reality had entire confidence in their minister. A pastor's influence is too delicate a thing, and too precious to THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 37 his people, to be trifled with. Those who trust him, and depend on his reputation for their own spiritual profit, must protect that reputation. The esprit cle corps of a Christian brotherhood shoukl feel, and reprove, and shrink from, the slightest suggestion of suspicion which would low^er their pastor in the estimation of any one, either as to his intellectual, moral, social, practical, or spiritual character. But what shall I say when clergymen are found to assist in destroying each other's fame ? The Ministry is not seldom its own worst enemy. Chai^acter is not a gift. It is worked out by long, hard toil, by patience and labor. Some Christians seem to think, and it may possibly be true sometimes that even Christian ministers think, that character is the result, and the necessary result, of conversion and regeneration. It is a great mistake : and sometimes fatal. That blessed spiritual work, the divine re- newal of nature, leaves individuality untouched. It Christianizes the man, but it does not make him a saint, nor change his natural qualities. After that divine renewal has been accomplished a long process of sanctification is required to discipline him. It is his school in life. It is the divinely ordered mode of j^re- paring him for heaven. Every renewed man has un- dertaken the personal work of forming a new character. That is to be accomplished by laborious working at habits, by acquisition of knowledge, training of mind, establishment of principles, cultivation of affections, practising of graces, and influencing men. Conse- quently, for the preservation of personal character in any position, and especially for the preservation of 4 38 PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER personal clerical character, it is necessary for one to work. Character will not sustain itself. In a per- fect moral condition, such as the life of heaven, where heavenly example, and heavenly society, and heavenly employments surround an individual whilst all deteri- orating influences are absent, character may be self-sus- tainino;. But it can never be so in this life. We must work to retain what we have worked to gain. Mental training lays grand foundations, but they are to be builded upon. Habits of study will not keep them- selves up, and yet intellectual position among our people will depend upon the perpetuation of these habits. Such habits to be trusted as the working element of a minister's intellectual progress must have been care- fully formed. jSTo better method has been devised than that furnished by a college course. Such is the result of centuries of experience. A minister's usefulness and influence largely depends upon — will be seriously impaired by the want of — that training which is ob- tained in college : which is obtained, it may be safely said, nowhere else, and by no other method. The results of collegiate training are not mere knowledge of facts, nor knowledge of language and words, nor knowledge of events, nor familiarity with the acquire- ments of other men. But they consist in training ; in obtaining methods of mental activity, familiarity with processes of thought ; by Avhich processes all great men have attained the results which made them masters in their age. The issue of training is judicious strength- ening of intellectual power; the habit of study; knowl- edge of correct and successful modes of investigation. THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 39 Nothing can compensate for the want of it. It is im- portant to be a practical man, and to have an acquaint- ance with men and things. ' But although that may be learned in many other ways than by college life, it can never be a substitute for collegiate mental training. The clergyman ought to be in full possession of his mental powers, ought to feel that he has employed every possible means of reaching that position of self-com- mand. One Avho enters the Ministry lacking this, is liable to run just so far behind his equals, throughout his course. A student of Theology may sometimes be so circum- stanced that this deficiency is to be regarded as a cross. In such a case, he may go forth to his work manfully and hopefully bearing this cross. Other forms of edu- cation may come to his assistance. But when this par- ticular deficiency is self-imposed, or when it is the result of indifference or idleness, let the student not suppose that any divine miracle will enable him to obtain those mental habits or maintain an intellectual position which are not his by right. And woe to that student, who, having wasted or misused his divinely appointed oppor- tunity in college or university, comes, with feeble mind or untrained powers, to measure himself against that science which demands the highest vigor and the most perfect habits of study. So in every other respect. A character for wisdom is not gained nor is it re- tained by haphazard acts or ventures on speculation. It is retained, as it is gained, by slow degrees, by years of watchful prudence, during which a minister does not make one serious error or mistake. Wisdom is not gained by prayer, or by being holy. Those will help 40' PERSONAL CLERICAL CHARACTER US mightily: for faith which works by love, serene confidence in God which looks to Him for help and expects it, and holy obedience, are a great part of Avis- dom. But they are not all of it. God intends that the most prayerful and most holy minister shall become influential only by means of habits of prudence and common sense. So, to gain and retain an absolute morality, a strong, firm conscientiousness, a habit of doing right because it is right, a life approving itself to God on the one side, and our neighbors on the other, unremitting labor is required. The means to be employed, are watchfulness against temptation, resistance of evil, guard over temper, the deliberate choice of the purest principles and modes of life, and the deliberate following of them. It is not easy always to forsake the guidance of expediency, and to act only as in God's sight. It will only remind us that we are human, if we sometimes fail in our gradual approaches to this standard. But the manly minister will rise again and steadily pursue his end, until he possesses it. The successful pastor is that man only whose moral habits are without rebuke. And so, finally — for we can enter into no more de- tail on a subject which is inexhaustible — our character for piety is to be the result of years of discipline and struggle. The piety that tells on the world is not the .piety which talks, but that which lives. And the piety which lives, is that which is formed and perpetuated by endurance of temptation, by strife against and conquer- ing of self, by deep humility, by long communion with the God of all grace, whilst He is teaching us our need of the principles and virtues of the Christ-life, and THE SOURCE OF CLERICAL INFLUENCE. 41 revealing to us more and more the fulness of his love in that all-sufficient Saviour. It is a strengthening thought that the personal char- acter of each minister of Christ is precious to that Saviour. He is interested in our success. With what loving force, with what inimitable tact, with what gracious persistency, he helped Peter to recover ; and aided him to form a character which thenceforth he retained as unchangeable as a rock. A character for steadfastness in the Apostle Peter was important to the cause in which our Lord himself was engaged. And therefore we witness in that interview after the resurrection, on the memorable sea-shore of Tiberias, the probe thrice employed ; the earnest inquiry thrice addressed, not for informatit)n ; the loving reproachful- ness, not for rebuke, because Peter was already repent- ant, but thrice pressed to the heart, because he meant that nothing should thenceforth come between that heart and Him. And so the personal character of every one whom Christ has called to the Holy Min- istry is dear to the Lord. He watches, strengthens, and applauds, every right personal effort. As Pastors we are to work under a grateful sense of the loving help- fulness of that dear Christ. So, for the formation and the maintenance of a per- sonal clerical character which shall be a power, I com- mend each of my readers to the guidance of the Blessed Spirit, and the effectual sympathy of our all- gracious Saviour. 4* SUGGESTIONS. For Teachers and Scholars in a Theological Seminary; not intended for other Readers. In using the following chapters as a basis for class- room instruction, it is suggested that the Teacher shall turn them into familiar lectures, enlarging and illus- trating them by his own personal experiences. At the opening of each, let a few questions on the previous lecture be asked ; to serve as a brief review, and to fix the main points of it in the student's mind. At the close of each let the Teacher be ready to reply to any ques- tions, that may occur to the class during the course of the lecture : but, as the result of considerable experience both as a scholar and a Teacher, I suggest, that if ques- tions are asked and answered during the progress of a lecture, the thread of thought will be broken and the unity of impression endangered. It may be well for students to take brief notes. Notes, however, should only be helps to memory. They ought to be brief; for two reasons : that memory may not become imbecile by over much assistance, and be- cause the habit of taking extended notes interferes greatly with attention. By all means, if possible, let the student school himself to such attentive listening, 42 SUGGESTIONS. 43 as will enable him to remember without artificial assist- ance. The best mode is to carefully review the lecture on returning to one's room, subsequently comparing one's recollection with those of other students in the class, and then writing out additional thoughts which may have been suggested. The use of Bridges on the Christian Ministry is recommended ; it is not a text-book, but its instructions are both spiritual and practical, and of great value. Bishop Wilberforce's Lectures to his Students, and Bishop Oxenden's Pastoral Theology, although based on somewhat different theories are equally instructive, and arrive at the same practical conclusions. In the class room a comparison of views will tend to elicit and confirm the truth : and therefore it is well, at the close of every lecture to allow an opportunity for free conversation on the topics treated of; students should be required occasionally to write and read essays upon these topics. A systematized analysis of this Book will be found in the Appendix; by reference to and use of such analysis, a student will be able readily to review each lecture. The form of personal address has been retained as best suited to the object which the writer has in view. In arranging, classifying, and in the mode of treating subjects the author has followed a method of his own. Kecognizing the principle that each Teacher's mind will work best in his own traces, he recommends that a Teacher should use this volume only as a book of hints to aid, but not to be a substitute for his own methods of instruction. 44 SUGGESTIONS. The writer has freely availed himself of the labors of wise teachers in this department and often referred to them. His object is truth, not novelty. His aim is that every student shall be thoroughly furnished in this science. He has intended in every case to give the reference. If in any case he has omitted it, he asks the reader's indulgence. That wisdom which time and the consenting appro- bation of the Church has consecrated, ought to guide our investigations. Nor is he a skilful teacher, who, to point a thrust, or finish a blow, does not select out of the armory of the past, weapons which have borne the brunt of many an onset, whilst no dent has been left upon their fine temper. The writer has departed from the usual course of in- struction in this branch principally in particularity and minuteness of practical suggestions as to items of Pas- toral labor. But he trusts that no suggestion will be deemed of small account which may help in preparing a candidate for the Ministry to meet the actual exi- gencies of intercourse with a parish. PASTORAL THEOLOGY. CHAPTER I. THE TOPIC DEFINED. Definition. — Pastoral Theology is the Theory of the practice of Theology in Pastoral care. In order to definite aims in studying any science, it must be clearly defined to ourselves. Pastoral Theology is the science of applying a knowl- edge of Divine things to the relationships and duties of a Pastor. So in Law and Medicine, this depart- ment is named the ^' theory and practice/' or more cor- rectly, the theory of the practice. By this knowledge men are prepared, in the one case, to apply principles of law to practice at the Bar ; and in the otlier, to apply their knowledge of the curative powers of medi- cines, and the modes of administering remedies, to the cure of disease. In like manner Pastoral Theology stands between a knowledge of Divine things, and the application of that knowledge to the cure of souls. The definition is easily explained ; and an explana- tion will be sufficient proof of its correctness. Let us understand the terms. It is a theory in contradistinction from the practice of it : a theory, because it is a body of principles only. It is a theory, because intended to account for all the 45 46 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. phenomena of Pastoral care, and to cover all cases which may arise in the exercise of the Pastoral office. And its completeness as a theory is in proportion to the degree in which its principles meet the exigencies of Pastorship. Theory is defined " the knowledge of the principles by which practice accomplishes its end.'' Thus Pastoral Theology is a theory. It is a theory of practice : of practice merely. It does not deal in speculations. Speculative theology is beyond its precincts. Even a true theory of theology, a systematic Divinity, is excluded from our studies. The author's own views must necessarily be expressed on many points of dogmatic theology, ecclesiastical history and polity, of exegesis, homiletics, and liturgies. But on these points his purpose is not to teach : only, to show how a student is to make practical use of infor- mation, which he is supposed to have gained from other departments in the theological course. We have to do mainly with facts and experiences in human life : and our science is the practical application of a knowledge of religion to human life. It is a practice of theology ; i.e., of our knowledge of divine things. The term theology includes ideas we have formed concerning God ; concerning our relations to Him, con- cerning human destiny, and human hopes and fears in respect to God, concerning the offer of salvation, the mode in which it may be secured, its peculiarities as being the divine remedy for moral evils ; concerning our duties to God, (i.e., religion,) our duties to our neighbors, (i.e., morality,) and our duties to ourselves, in the system wherein God has placed us. THE TOPIC DEFINED. 47 So far in the course of tlieological study, opinions reached on all these points are theoretical. Now they are to become practical. Theories are to be applied to prac- tical life. And whereas, heretofore, they were mainly important to the student, as it is important for every one to form right opinions on whatever he thinks about, now they become important because he is to apply them to the guiding of other men. The scholar in Pastoral care is to study how to apply his knowledge of The- ologyy in guiding other men to think right, and to do right, in all relations. This science relates only to Pastorship. As Christians we bear many relations to mankind ; and our knowledge of theology should be practically useful in all of them : e.g., as we are citizens of a com- monwealth, or members of families, or of society. But as ministers of Jesus Christ, intrusted with the care of souls, our relations are peculiar, and limited : and this theory of the practice of theology refers only to those relations. All the terms have now been explained excepting one, the Pastoral care, or Pastorship. THE PASTOR'S OFFICE. CHAPTER 11. THE LIMITS AND RELATIONS OE PASTORSHIP. Pastorship is a large term. Our Saviour called himself Pastor. "I am the Shepherd of the sheep/^ He said. Those whom He calls to follovv Him in this ministry are admitted to a similar relationship : and bidden to discharge all like duties, so far as a minister may imitate his Master. He was Teacher, Guide, Exemplar, and Friend. He administered the affairs of his little flock. He exer- cised discipline. And his influence was personal and individual over each, one by one : and so over all. In the same sense, and in the same relations, a minis- ter of Christ becomes a Pastor. He is Teacher, Guide, Exemplar, Friend, Administrator, Judge, and Execu- tive. He deals with individuals. His intercourse is personal. His offices are for all, and for each. The body which he serves, and over which he presides, is gathered out of the world one by one. As one by one they are bonded to Christ, and bound in the holy chain of sacraments within the body which he serves, they become that church which calls him Pastor. Pastorship includes offices which are distinct, one from the other, and which may be separately exer- 48 LIMITS AND RELATIONS OF PASTORSHIP. 49 cised. A minister may be a preacher without being a Pastor. Then we term him an Evangelist. A minister may be a teacher without being a Pastor. Then he becomes a Professor. A minister may be a mere offici- ator, an administrator of sacraments, or a performer of services, without being a Pastor. Then the term cover- ing his functions is Priest. But Pastorship includes all these, and more. Yet, the distinguished feature is, that all offices, and all labors, have reference to men's spiritual interests primarily ; if in any case to temporal interests, then only because they are inseparably related to their spirit- ual interests. Pastorship is a cure of souls ; cura, a care, a charge, in the first instance, of men's souls. Whatever other care falls to the Pastor arises from this primary relation, and is secondary and subordinate to it. But his responsibility and care are limited. He is not charged with oversight of the souls of all men, but only of those over whom he is placed, those who are separated to his charge by the metes and bounds ordained within his church. For that particular num- ber of souls he is responsible before God. He is re- sponsible for their right instruction ; so far as his in- fluence extends for their right conduct ; and so far as ecclesiastical law provides or allows, for the consistency and purity of their morals and example. But his re- sponsibility goes no further than to the exercise of Pastorship over his own flock. Pastorship, then, is a relation to a definite number of human spiritual interests, involving certain spiritual cares; a relation formed by two elements, a divine appointment, and a call from a congregation. 50 THE PASTOR'S OFFICE. A minister is not a Pastor simply because he is or- dained ; nor can a layman, in any true sense, become a Pastor of souls. The elements involved are, a Divine call by the Holy Ghost to give fitness, a Divine ap- pointment to give authority, and a call from the people to define that number of souls over which the charge is to be exercised. A Pastorship is a very solemn office. The Holy Ghost prepares, sends, and ordains his minister. A Christian community seeing evidences of fitness, invites that minister ; places in his hands its submission to his wisdom, guidance, and love ; trusts itself entirely to his knowledge in religion, his devotion to Christ and to them ; and lays on his heart the momentous charge of preparing it for life and for eternity. Pastorship is a very difficult office. A minister is brought immediately into contact with souls. The questions which arise are not to be settled, as many questions of every-day interest may be, by considera- tions of expediency, and comparison of prospects of welfare either of body or estate. They are questions of principle. And they are the more difficult because spiritual conditions are not so easily fathomed, as con- ditions of body or estate. The Pastor's difficulties are multiplied, because of the great number of interests that are submitted to his judgment and advice; the difficulties ramifying by the number of parties in- terested in his decisions. The position is difficult, be- cause phases of spiritual character, and changes in spirit- ual condition, are infinite in variety. And difficult again, because advice and counsel are to be given, and action is to be taken, where there are few specific LIMITS AND RELATIONS OF PASTORSHIP. 51 statutes, where laws are principles rather than direc- tions, and where in general, he can rely only on his religious experience, spiritual knowledge, and discreet good sense, to determine his path of duty. Pastorship is the most attractive labor of the minis- try. It forms the dearest ties, next to those of the family. It interweaves one's sympathies, and offices, with the tenderest moments of the life of a people. The Pastor is present in hours of sorrow, and hours of joy. He comforts the mourner, he helps the de- sponding, he cheers the embarrassed, he guides the wandering, he brings back the erring, he throws God's light upon the shadow of death, he lifts up the sad penitent's eyes to the cross of the Redeemer, he bears up the soul that longs to speak its woes but dares not, until in the strength which his sympathy communicates, it can utter its needs to the heart of God the Holy Ghost. He rejoices with the believer who has found peace, he mingles in household scenes of thankfulness, he dedicates the children to Christ, he marries those round whom a family's hopes are clustering, he buries the dead. No other professional relations are so inti- mate, no other professional ties so tender, as those. Thus Pastorship becomes a very sacred office. It opens to the Pastor the most intimate communion with individuals of a charge. It involves the possession of confidences in spiritual intercourse. It implies a very thorough acquaintance with every member of a flock ; the peculiarities of their natural disposition, the spe- cialties of their religious history, and the influence of circumstances surrounding each. Pastorship involves a terrible responsibility : for each 52 THE PASTORS OFFICE. of these souls is to be rightly led by the earthly Pastor, through the vicissitudes of life and the variations of religious experience; led by counsel and instruction and watchful monitions, safely, and without harm, to the Great Shepherd. Who is sufficient for such a charge ! No man, except through the guidance and gracious sup- j^ort of God the Holy Ghost. The Pastorship concerning which we are to study, is therefore a cure of souls ; a specific and limited cure indeed : but covering all spiritual and ecclesiastical interests within those limits. Its duties cover the teaching of young and old, preaching from the pulpit and lecture desk, and teaching by catechisms : the training of children for Christ, in his Church; all that religious education (so far as a Pastor can give it) which will lead them, from the covenant of Baptism, through the safeguards of Confirmation, up to the privi- leges of the Lord's Supper. Its duties cover that per- sonal religious intercourse, by which the peculiar re- ligious experience of each is brought to a proper test, differences and mistakes are relieved, and errors are corrected. Its duties cover a life-long watchfulness over each, which shall never cease to aid, comfort, counsel, and correct as each has need. But these souls are gathered into a spiritual com- munity, which has its laws, interests, arid disorders. Each such community is a Church, which needs ser- vices, sacraments, and ordinances ; which has its officers and its property. The Pastor's duties then extend to the whole subject of administration of Parish affiiirs, and the right conducting of all its holy services. They cover the proper management of its schools, the arrange- LIMITS AND RELATIONS OF PASTORSHIP. 53 ment and oversight of all departments of its Christian charities, and its labor in the cause of Christ. And finally they cover the whole subject of Cluirch discipline. These topics group themselves round three main centres, namely, Instruction, Administration, and Dis- cipline. Our Lectures follow this order. 6* INSTRUCTION. 65 PART rmsT. CATECHISING. PKEPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. PREACHING. SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. 56 CATECHISING. CHAPTER III. ITS HISTORY, VALUE, AND THE DUTY. Definition. — Catechising is a Greek word used by- Saint Paul. Its root is double : /.ara -q/.tu) to sound against, or as we say in English echo. It is that sort of instruction by which the scholar echoes the Teacher's instruction : either repeating after him, or repeating the words which he is taught: or, less strictly, repeating the thoughts suggested by the Teacher, but in different words. Our Church Catechism requires one of the first two methods of instruction. Sunday-school instruction and that of Bible Classes generally follows the last ; and therefore can be termed catechising only in a modified sense. We speak now concerning Catechising in the strict sense ; instruction in, and according to the methods of our Church Catechism. Its History. — Archbishop Seeker says, "It is the peculiar glory of Christianity to have extended religious instruction, of which but few partook at all before, and scarce any in purity, through all ranks and ages of men and even women. The first Converts were immediately formed into regular societies and assemblies ; not only c* 57 58 CATECHISING. for the joint worship of God, but the further ^ edifying of the body of Christ ;' in which good work some of course were stated teachers, or to use the apostle's own expression (Galatians vi. 6) ^ Catechists in the word' ; and others were taught or catechised, Catechumens.^^ The existence of these catechetical classes is a promi- nent fact in early church history. The distinction be- tween Catechists and Catechumens is constantly made. Nor were the Catechists in all cases an inferior order in the church. Although generally this duty was confided to laymen of experience and learning, (Avho indeed thereby became in a degree official persons,) or to Deacon- esses ; yet Bingham remarks, that many records show, that Deacons, Presbyters, and often Bishops took upon themselves this difficult but honorable duty. The cele- brated Origen is said to have commenced his career in the Church as a Catechist. ^^It is observable that no Church anciently denied any order of Christians the use of the Holy Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, since even the Catechumens them- selves, who were but an imperfect sort of Christians, were exhorted and commanded to read the canonical books in all churches, and the apocryphal books in some churches, for moral instruction. Nay, if we may believe Bede, they were obliged to get some of the Holy Scriptures by heart, as a part of their exercise and dis- cipline before they were baptized. . . . Among them, as St. Austin and others have observed, those were commonly the most tractable and the best proficients who were the most conversant in the holy Scriptures." " As we descend into the dark ages of the Church, cat- echetical instruction, with all other instruction, appears ITS HISTORY. 59 to have been grossly neglected. At a synod held in England in the year 735, it was enjoined, ^that the priests learn and teach to know the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and words of consecration in the Masse (or eucharist)' in the English tongne. This seems to indicate, as Fuller (from whom the canon on these instructions is quoted) remarks, that ' learning then ran low, since the priests themselves had need to learn them ; yet ignorance was not then so high, but that the people were permitted to be taught them/ " " On the first dawn of the Eeformation in England it was found necessary to recommend catechetical in- struction as a means of dispelling t\iQ gross ignorance in which the people were involved. This work was commenced by Cromwell in the reign of Henry YIII, ' and though what he required,' Archbishop Wake re- marks, ' went no further than to teach first the parents and masters themselves, and by them their children and servants, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the ten Commandments,' yet this was a good beginning, and even more than many of the Clergy themselves in those days were very well able to expound to them."* It may teach us gratitude for our privileges in the present day to learn, from an old and faithful historian, the state of the people and the means adopted for their instruction in the early part of King Edward the Sixth's reign. " There was now great care taken that the vulgar sort might arrive at some knowledge of religion, which they were for the most part barbarously ignorant of * Dixon and Smith, pp. 219-221. go CATECHISING. before. And for this purpose provision was made that the people might learn in English the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ave, that were always to be said before in Latin, but especially the Lord's Prayer, com- monly called the Pater Noster. And therefore the better to inculcate it in the minds of the people, Lati- mer used to say this prayer constantly, both before and after sermon, in the country where he was. And when any poor people came to him to ask an alms, he w^ould oppose them with the Lord's Prayer and bid them say it, and cause his servants sometimes to require them to say it. Many would tell him they could say the Latin Pater Noster, and others that they could say the old Pater Noster, (as they termed the Lord's Prayer in Latin,) but not the new, meaning the English."* From this time the history of Catechising is distinct in the Church of Christ generally, and in our own Church particularly. The construction of Catechisms was among the earliest works of continental Reformers. Among those, that of Luther holds a high place. The Presbyterian Church has its Longer and Shorter Cate- chisms. The Dutch Church has a valuable Catechism, treating doctrines at length and with scriptural proofs ; besides a compendium of Christian faith. The Pomish Church set forth its Catechism of the Council of Trent. Cranmer's Catechism, to which I have alluded, was a reprint and revision of a German Catechism by Jonas, comprising " elementary instruction on The Command- ments, The Creed, The Lord's Prayer, The Sacrament of Baptism, The Power of the Keys, and the Lord's Supper." * Archbishop "Wake. See also Geikie's English Keformation, ITS BIS TOR V. Ql But — noticeable illustration of the slow gradations of progress of truth in that age, and in our own great Reformer's mind — the Commandments were arranged according to the Romish pattern: the first two coalesce; and the tenth is divided to make up the number to Ten. But Cranmer gives a distinct instruction on Idolatry, in which he expresses dislike of this arrange- ment. Still further, he acknowledges only three Sacra- ments, Penance being one. In the reign of Edward VI (1553) two Catechisms were set forth ; the larger was probably what is called NoelPs Catechism, and will be found in Volume 1 of the Christian Observer. The smaller is without name ; but was probably an abbreviation by Archbishop Cran- mer himself. The use of this latter was enjoined by Edward, and subsequently by Elizabeth ; and is sub- stantially that now in use ; except as to the instruction on the Sacraments, in which it was entirely deficient. In the reign of James I, during the Hampton Court conferences, 1603, it was determined to enlarge the Shorter Catechism. Bishop Overall, one of the translators of our Eng- lish Version, added that peculiarly discriminating and valuable instruction on the Sacraments which now forms part of our Catechism. Associated with him were such men as Andrews, afterwards Bishop of Winchester, and Sara via, Hooker's most intimate friend, and men of like character. I quote from Dixon and Smith's Catechism. "The Catechism of the Church of England has undergone no change since this period. It has been adopted by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the 62 CATECHISING. United States, with some few alterations, the most important of which are, the change of the expression ' who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God/ into ^ all the people of God / and the substitution of ^spiritually' for * verily and indeed' in that part of the Catechism which treats of the Lord's Supper. It now stands a monument of the wisdom and piety of former ages, not less honorable to the venerated men who educed its principles from beneath the accumu- lated rubbish of ages, than invaluable to us, who enjoy the fruits of their toils and sufferings. May we duly appreciate the inheritance, of which this brief ^form of sound words' forms a small but not unimportant part, and be enabled to transmit it, unimpaired and unsullied, to our latest posterity." Value. — The value of this mode of Instruction may be inferred from the foregoing brief sketch of its history. It was one of the earliest discovered wants of the Church, and as early supplied. It originated in the fact that heathen minds were entirely destitute of Christian ideas, and of the language in which to express them. A double necessity at once arose : the necessity of teaching Christian truths in their elements, and in particulars ; and also the necessity of teaching the words in which those truths were conveyed. Much of the derision and opposition with which early Christian Teachers were listened to, no doubt arose from the inability of the heathen mind to apprehend the great doctrines thus brought to their notice. No wonder that they called the Apostles "babblers." "Thou bringest strange things to our ears," said even ITS VALUE. 63 the wisest of them to Saint Paul. This arose not more from the natural enmity of the heart excited against the Gospel, than from the fact that the heathen found great difficulty in understanding the language of Christianity, as well as the Christian doctrines. Christianity did not use the language of the schools of philosophy, nor of the poets, nor of the Forum, much less of the market place. Consequently, as a general rule, we find that Christian sermons at first pro- duced little effect, except to arouse enmity, and awaken attention, until the Preachers had devoted themselves to Pastoral ministration, to Catechising from house to house, to explanations of the truth, in the sim- plest forms, and in its elements. Then, as occurred in Antioch of Pisidia, after a week spent by him in Catechising, Saint Paul's second sermon produced marked results. Let it be noted, that the w^onderful results of St. Peter's first sermon, were not exhibited upon minds unfamiliar with the truths of Divine re- ligion, but upon proselytes of Judaism ; upon men who had in effect been Catechised under the Jewish system, and had already mastered the first elements of Christian science. So that in the earliest times Catechisings, as pre- paratory to the full reception of the Gospel, as preparatory to Baptism, to Confirmation, and to full Communion, became a custom of the Church. And no doubt, to this instrumentality we are to attribute such steadfastness of faith as was exhibited by the early converts ; such clearness of view ; such comprehension of even deep mysteries of grace ; and such ability to unmask and to expose heresies. 64 CA TECHISING. A similar obstacle to that referred to above stands in the way of Missionary effort in our own day ; as in our mission to China for example. " The idea of God.^^ Our Missionaries were a long time in finding a word by which to express that first idea; and have not to this day entirely agreed among themselves as to the word which best expresses it. It was supposed that the word Baptism would occasion the chief difficulty. On the contrary^ the difficulty and the first schism among Missionaries to the " Flowery Kingdom" arose about the first idea of the Bible, God. And to this day the English prefer Shangti, and the Americans Shin. For Baptism no word could be found : and the Baptists were allowed to choose their own terms, all others adopting the same. So as to the general conception of religious ideas. When the Missionaries first prayed to an impersonal and unrepresented God, every Chinaman ran out of church, leaving the Missionary alone. The Missionaries of our own Church have adopted the plan of beginning by teaching through Catechisms both the language of Christianity and the ideas of Christianity. Consequently when they preach, their Chinese congregations understand them. In the earlier days they were regarded as the most successful of all Protestant missionaries in China, and Bishop Boone always attributed it to their constant habit of teaching by Catechisms. All missions have found it necessary to begin by teaching the language and ideas of Christianity in schools : as in India, in Africa, and in Greece. Applying this practice, which is indeed a principle. ITS VALUE. 65 to our own circumstances, we are to bear in mind that all unconversion is a modified heathenism. Neither ideas of Christianity, nor the terms of Christianity, are to be found in the vocabulary of an unconverted soul. Jeremy Taylor instructs his Clergy, not to be satisfied with telling their people to "come to Christ,'^ "give themselves to Jesus,'^ but to instruct them what these terms mean. Jeremy Taylor's language is, " Do not spend your sermons in general and indefinite things, in exhortations to the people to get Christ, to be united to Christ, and things of the like unlimited signification : but tell them in every duty, what are the measures, what circumstances, what instruments, and what is the prac- tical minute meaning of every general advice. For generals not explicated, do but fill tlie people's heads with empty notions, and their mouths with perpetual unintelligible talk : but their hearts remain empty, and themselves are not edified."* The A, B, C, of Christianity is in such terms as, "orig- inal sin," "natural sinfulness," "actual sinfulness," "God's law," "exposure to punishment," "Christ's sacrifice and substitution," "terms on which sins may be forgiven." Much of this language is learned, by means of Chris- tian influences which surround every man in this land : but still, in general, people's views are indistinct. Many intelligent persons are ignorant and therefore unprofited hearers. A wealthy man said to me once, " I do not know what you mean by self-denial :" yet he was decidedly a very advanced Christian man. The * Rules and Advice to Clergy, iv. 42. 0^ QQ CATECHISING. children in a congregation are almost altogether unprof- ited, when our sermons are wanting in this rudimental instruction ; whilst when well instructed in Catechisms, they become intelligent and interested. Jeremy Taylor says, " Let no person in your parishes be ignorant in the foundations of religion; ever remembering, that if, in these things, they be unskilful, whatever is taught besides, is like a house built upon the sand/'* Preaching is to the rudiments of Christianity, what composition is to the Alphabet of language. Rudi- mental instruction is as necessary to comprehension of preaching, as the primary school and the grammar are to advanced composition. If such rudimental instruc- tion is not given by Catechisings, it must be given in sermons : and sermons must descend in the scale accord- ing to the absence of Catechisms ; or they may ascend, both in gravity and deepness of truths, and in the free use of the language of Christianity, just in the propor- tion as Catechisms become more thoroughly employed. Jeremy Taylor says, "The Clergy should take great care to catechise all their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to prepare a holy seed for the service of God, to cultivate the young plants and to dress the old ones, to take care that those who are men in the world be not babes and uninstructed in Christ, and that they Avho are children in age may be wise unto salvation ; for by this means we shall rescue them from early temptation, when being so prepared, they are so assisted by a divine minister: we shall weaken the devil's power by which he too often and too * Works, vol. iii. 713. ITS VALUE. 67 much prevails upon uninstructed and unconfirmed youth. For /j.vpov t7](t fie^awatff biJ.oXoyiaff^ ^ Confirmation is the firmament of our profession;' but we profess nothing till we be Catechised. Catechisings are our best preachings, and by them Ave shall give the best accounts of our charges, while in the behalf of Christ we make disciples, and take prepossession of infant understandings, and by this holy Rite, by prayer and the imposition of hands, we minister the Holy Spirit to them, and so prevent and disable the artifices of the devil ; ' for we are not ignorant of his devices,' how he enters as soon as he can, and taking advantage of their ignorance and their passions, seats himself so strongly in their hearts and heads. ^ Turpius ejicitar quam non admittitur hostis.' It is harder to cast out the devil than to keep him out. Hence it is that the youth are so corrupted in their manners, so devilish in their natures, so cursed in their conversation, so dis- obedient to their parents, so wholly given to vanity and idleness ; they learn to swear before they can pray, and to lie as soon as they can speak. It is not my sense alone, but was long since observed by others. There is a coldness and deadness in religion, and it proceeds from the neglect of Confirmation strictly ministered and after due preparation and discipline. A little thing will fill a child's head : teach them to say their prayers, tell them the stories of the life and death of Christ, cause them to love the Holy Jesus with their first love, make them afraid of a sin ; let the principles which God hath planted in their very creation, the natural principles of justice and truth, of honesty and thank- fulness, of simplicity and obedience, be brought into 68 CA TECHISING. act, and habit, and confirmation by the holy sermons of the Gospel. If the guides of souls would have their people holy, let them teach holiness to their children, and then they will (at least) have a new gen- eration unto God better than this wherein we now live. They who are most zealous in this particular, will with most comfort reap the fruit of their labors, and the blessings of their Ministry.^'* Such is the estimate of Catechisms held by many of the wisest Churches, and most discreet men. Witness the Dutch Church. It has an extended Catechism in fifty-two parts, and directs that sermons on it shall be preached every Sunday afternoon : fifty-two in the year on the Catechism. Their ministers catechise children during the week. Ecv. Dr. De Witt and Rev. Dr. Knox, in their day, gathered their boys and girls regularly in the Consistory room on Wednesday afternoon of each week for the season, for catechisings : parents accompa- nying their children. Witness the attention paid by the Presbyterian Church to Catechisms, and their use of them in schools. Bishop White in the introduction of his letters on the Catechisms says, " Now it has been very much the complaint of judicious divines, that Sermons have too much superseded the old and useful expedient of Cate- chism instruction. By this they mean the repeating over and over the primitive truths of religion, until they are made familiar to tlie minds of the instructed : a work much more useful to them, than what is understood under the name preaching.'^f Yinet says, "Among * Ibid., vol. iii. p. 30. f See Bridges, Note 353. ITS VALUE. 69 our functions, tliis occupies the first rank. Religious instruction, well attended on, renews continually the foundation of the Church, and is the most real and val- uable part of that tradition by which Christianity, not only as a doctrine, but also as a life, perpetuates itself from age to age. In this tradition, the importance of the sermon, properly so called, is the greater in propor- tion as it is addressed to hearers who have been pre- pared by religious instruction.^^ " Catechising is useful to those who are its immediate objects ; it is useful to the parish, which has need to be, and with its children, is Catechised ; it is useful to the Pastor himself, who, by the duty of adapting religion to the apprehension of children, is incessantly carried back to simplicity and the true names of things. On all these accounts, it deserves our earnest attention, which it also demands by its difficulty, not the same for all pastors, but always great. For it is a work which, besides all the requisites to good preaching, includes special requisites of its own. He who catechises well will not preach badly ; though he who preaches excel- lently may be a bad catechist.'^* Baxter says in relation to Catechisings from house to house, " Let those who oppose it tread me in the dirt, and let me be as vile in tlieir eyes as they please, so that they will but fall upon the work ; that our hopes of a more complete salvation of men, and of a true reforma- tion of the Church may be revised. I must confess that I find by some experience that this is the work that must reform indeed ; that must expel our common pre- * Yinet, p. 229. 70 CATECHISING. vailing ignorance ; that must bow the stubborn hearts of men ; that must answer their vain objections, and take off their prejudice : that must reconcile their hearts to faithful ministers, and help on the success of our public preaching ; and must make true godliness a commoner thing, through the grace of God which worketh by means. I find that we never took the right course to demolish the kingdom of darkness until now. I won- der at myself how I was kept off from so clear and ex- cellent a duty so long. I was long convinced of it, but my apprehensions of the difficulties were too great, and my apprehension of the duty too small. I thought the people would have scorned it, and none but a few that had least need would have submitted to it. The thing seemed strange ; and I stayed till the people were better prepared. . . . Whereas upon trial I find the difficulties almost nothing, . . . and I find the benefits and comforts of the work to be such, as that I profess, I would not wish that I had forborne it for all the riches in the world."* From such estimates of the value of Catechising, formed and expressed by wise and good men, and by the Church at large, in every generation, we gather the grounds upon which its importance is to be affirmed. 1. Because the instruction is rudimental. It has to do with first principles of religion. They are of first importance in forming religious character : in forming the character of a Church. 2. Because the instruction is simple. It is the sim- * Baxter, p. 26, 27. — See Fisher and Erskiiie on Explanation of ■Westminster Catechism, ITS VALUE. 71 plest. It is necessary for the teacher to understand these principles thoroughly, in order to convey them. By the effort, the instruction itself becomes simplified ; for it is only in proportion to the indistinctness of our own views, that we render any topic misty to others. The elements of any science, though containing all its truths in the germ, are in themselves simple, and easily com- prehended. It is so with religion. 3. Because the instruction is impressive. It is by question and answer. It is conversational. The teacher and scholar are brought into close contact. Sympathy is increased. Truths are fixed upon the mind in cer- tain forms of speech. The words become things. The truths themselves become more significant on account of the importance attached to the language in which they are conveyed. " It is wonderful how much more he will achieve in this manner, by taking his pupils with him, than by setting up for himself, and imparting to them ten times as much knowledge in a formal oration of his own. In this latter case the matter will pass from them as it flows : and whether what he had been discussing re- lated to Peter, or James, or John ; or the facts were done at Jericho or Jerusalem ; or the scope of the argu- ment was to teach them to pray or to give alms, to re- pent or to believe the Gospel, they knew not. The sermon had been blameless, but there had been no con- straint upon them to give their thoughts to it. In the former case (to adopt the language of the excellent Herbert, w^hose chapter entitled ' The Parson catechis- ing,' affords many valuable suggestions on this topic), when the Parson has once got the skill of question- 72 CATECHISING. mg, he will draw out of ignorant and silly souls, even the dark and deep points of religion/^* 4. Because the instruction is systematic, positive, and churchly. Systematic : — All the advantages of system belong to it. It is a wedge-shaped instruction ; one part being constantly in advance of the next; working its own way, and working in. It is easily remembered, both because the impression made is stronger on account of the orderly arrange- ment; each part being remembered in its place and stored away in the mind is readily found again by the student ; but also because of the influence of natural association in assisting recollection. Positive : — No doubts are suggested by this mode of instruction. All truth conveyed by it comes by au- thority. Churchly: — In accordance with the system of our own Church. It encourages confidence in, and love for, our Church. It forms children in habits of attach- ment to it. It therefore lays a foundation for its future prosperity. The Catechetical class is a feeder for the Church. • It prevents the lambs of the flock from straying : because it enables even the youngest to de- tect a difference in that instruction which they receive in other Churches ; if unfortunately they are led into them, by the attractions of other Sunday-Schools. They may not be able to analyze the differences. Nevertheless the suggestion of doubts will render them uneasy. They may not quite comprehend the * Blunt, 186. ITS VALUE. 73 source of their discomfort. But they will prefer to remain beside their own fold, where no doubts suggest themselves, and where their minds are at peace, because sustained by familiar truths, and truths uncontroverted. 5. Because the instruction is given to the young. Its influence upon them is direct. God gives them teachableness of spirit for the purpose of laying them open to such influences. Upon older persons this mode of instruction is often wonderfully useful, on account of its indirect and in- cidental character. It is a chance shot. It is a blow delivered when they are unguarded ; when the armor is oif. David aimed at the part which the visor had left undefended. But it is direct upon children. They aj)preciate the eifort to do them good. They are peculiarly open to Pastoral influences. They are ready to yield to au- thoritative statements. They accept truth because their Minister assures them that it is truth. Our position is thus made one of the highest responsibility : but also of tremendous power. ^^ My first and greatest success (says Baxter, in his Introduction to compassionate counsel to youlig men) was upon the youth; and so it was when God had touched the hearts of the young, with love of good- ness and delightful obedience to the truth, in various instances their friends, their fathers, and their grand- fathers, who had grown old in an ignorant and worldly state, many of them fell into a liking and loving of piety, induced by their love to their children, who now appeared so much wiser and better and more dutiful." Such is every true Pastor's experience. D 7 74 CATECHISING. 6. Because the instruction prepares an intelligent audience for our sermons. We have already spoken of the importance of inculcating both the ideas and language of Christianity, in order to prepare an entrance for the GosjDel. And Catechising not only gives this necessary preparatory instruction, but enables it to lay firm hold upon mind and heart. 7. Because the instruction benefits the Minister. He thereby forms habits of close analysis, of systematic arrangement of ideas, of illustration, of simplicity in thought, of plainness in expression, of readiness, of knowledge of Scripture, and of familiarity in style and manner both in addressing his audience, and in touching subjects which might not be permitted in pulpit discourse. The Duty. — Is inferred from these considerations; but the Church at large, and several Diocesan Churches in particular, have pressed the duty ; not leaving it to the haphazard of a Minister's sense of obligation, or his aptness for the work. Observe the imperativeness of the two rubrics which follow the Catechism : '^The Minister of every parish shall diligently upon Sundays and Holy days, or on some other convenient occasions, openly in the Church, instruct or examine so many children of his parish, sent unto him, as he shall think convenient, in some part of this Catechism." "And all Fathers, Mothers, Masters and Mistresses, shall cause their children, servants, and apprentices, who have not learned their Catechism, to come to the Church at the time appointed, and obediently to hear and to be ordered by the Minister, until such time as THE DUTY. 75 they have learned all that is here appointed for them to learn." Observe also the positive direction of our Canon. "Canon 19. — The Ministers of this Church, who have charge of Parishes or Cures, shall not only be diligent in instructing the children in the Catechism, but shall also, by stated catechetical lectures and instruction, be diligent in informing the youth and others in the doctrine, constitution, and liturgy of the Church."* Also, weigh the force of a Resolution passed by the Diocesan Convention of Ohio, in September, 1842, as an example of the judgments expressed by many in- dividual Dioceses. Such resolution was as follows : " Resolved, That in the opinion of this Convention, the duty of catechetical instruction of the baptized children of the Church is one which ought to receive the diligent attention of every parochial clergyman in the diocese." * Title I. Digest. CATECHISING. CHAPTER ly. ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. We give an Analysis, and in some sort an Explica- .tion, of the Catechism. As a part of Pastoral Theology, it is to be shown how the Catechism may be and should be used in Pastoral ministrations ; especially in teaching the children of the Church, and in preparing Candi- dates for Confirmation. Subject — The Church Catechism is a brief compen- dium of Christian doctrine. A system of Divinity, both speculative and practical. This instruction is so much condensed that it is capable of indefinite expan- sion in Pastoral teaching. There are five parts in the Catechism : The Christian Covenant. The Rule of Christian Faith. The Rule of Christian Obedience. The Rule of Christian Prayer. The Christian Sacraments. A whole Theology is included here. It is especially practical : theology in its uses as a guide for our lives. It is wholly scriptural, and is in accordance with the Articles and Liturgy. For the evidence on these ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. ^"J points, and the means of exhibiting them, I refer to Smith and Dixon's Catechism, and advise that constant use be made of that manual. My object now is to show that a complete system of Theology is expressed or implied by the Catechism ; and in what manner. The Christian Covenant. — Under this term the following ideas are included: A covenant of grace, originating in Divine benevolence : its conditions exe- cuted by Christ our Saviour ; its benefits offered to men on terms which exhibit Divine love. A covenant wholly of grace. The first question and answer call attention to the fact tliat such a Covenant exists, N or nn, nomen or nomina f The question calls for the Christian name of the Catechumen ; the name as a Christ-child, so to speak, in contradistinction to the family name known by the world. It suggests the fact of the existence of a Covenant, and of a Covenant relation with Christ. Two ideas are pre-supposed : A Covenant : and the two parties to it ; God and man. A Covenant is an agreement between these two parties. By it one agrees to give to, or do for, the other something on certain conditions. But the fact that a Covenant exists betAveen God and man, implies that at some time there had been disagreement. God and holy angels do not need to enter into Covenant. Hence the idea of necessity for a Covenant, and con- sequently all the doctrines connected with the fall ; human depravity ; the weakness, as well as the wick- edness of human nature; and the danger and ruin which followed. 7* 78 CATECHISING. Next, the possibility of a Covenant. The grace of God made it possible by removing obstacles arising from Man's rebellion; that is, on the one side, the doctrines which cluster round the Atonement ; and on the other, the doctrine of Spiritual Regeneration. All hindrances having been removed by these Divine pro- visions (which are all of grace, and all exhibit the infinite undeserved and unconditional love of God) a Covenant became possible. It is in the option of Almighty God in appointing a Covenant to make it conditional or unconditional ; ab- solutely free, which is the doctrine of Universalism, or based on such terms as will secure the highest moral results, which is the doctrine of the Gospel. All Covenants have Form. The expressed or im- plied agreement is made visible, and impressed, and sanctioned, by an outward deed, signature, and seal. The outward form, the signature, the sealing of this Covenant, is the Sacrament of Baptism. The seal is not part of the Covenant. But under God's Ordinance the Covenant is not realizable by us, (if I may coin the word,) is not made real to us, except by the Rite that seals it to us. Under God's Ordinance the two are not to be separated. But whilst the Covenant cannot be real to us until it is sealed, and the Seal is nothing worth and means nothing, unless the Covenant exists ; it is evident that they may be separated in time. The Covenant may take place before, or after, or at the same time, as the declaration and sign of it. The point of most impor- tance is that both parts shall exist. And therefore the Catechism recites, in its closing portion, " a Sacrament ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. 79 is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spirit- ual grace :" the one ordained, the other given, by Christ ; that is, the one committed to his Ministers to be admin- istered for Him, the other given by Himself; the one visible, the other invisible. Both are requisite. Both are necessary to that idea of a complete Covenant which the Catechism supposes to exist. The Catechism therefore in using the term Baptism covers by it this whole idea of a completed Covenant. It refers both to the spiritual act, and the seal. And in the whole explanation, this idea must be carefully carried along in our own mind, and in our explications. The Church cannot provide formularies for exceptional, or what ought to be exceptional, cases. She provides a formulary not for an imperfect, but for a perfect Bap- tism. She regards God's promises as made to Christian faith, and writes her language of the Sacrament, to suit a true, not a false, or imperfect sacrament. She con- siders only a Baptism in which there is both the out- ward sign and the inward grace, the spiritual regenera- tion as well as the sign of it. Consequently the Bap- tismal service speaks not of an insufficient but of a real Sacrament ; asks God not for a pretence of grace, but for a real grace ; and having asked, (of course in faith,) gives God thanks for having bestowed not a partial mercy, but a real mercy — in the language of the day — not only a change of state, but also a change of heart, a spiritual renewal. The Church does not say that God always ties this great spiritual mercy to the sign of it. A formulary of worship is not the place for nice distinctions, or suggestions of controversy. The Church merely asserts 80 CATECHISING. the scriptural truth, and acts on it, and prays according to it, that a Sacrament consists both of the sign, and the thing signified. I may say in passing, that this view of Baptism and of our service for Baptism, is the view of the Reformers who prepared the formulary, as Goode has sufficiently and incontrovertibly shown ; is the view held by all the old -Reformed Churches, as is expressed in their formularies ; is, so far as I understand it, the view held by the great body of our Church. The Second Question and Answer ^ develop this idea. The Covenant having taken place, and the sign and seal of it having been affixed, we are taught to say, It was a true Baptism when I received my name. And in it I was made " a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven'' : all of them spiritual mercies of the highest spiritual char- acter, belonging only to those who are not only trans- ferred from an outward allegiance to Satan into the visi- ble kingdom of God, but who are spiritually regenerate. This second Question and Answer therefore lead to the terms of the Covenant. On God's part, expressed as above. On man's part expressed in the Third Question and Answer. " They did promise and vow three things in my name. First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh. Secondly, that I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And thirdly, that I should keep God's holy will and commandments and walk in the same all the days of my life." The fourth Question and Answer, are intended to im- ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. gl press on our minds the realities of these views. The Sacrament was a real thing ; the blessedness is unspeak- able. " He hath called me to ' a state of salvation/ not a state in which salvation is merely possible, but a state in which I am among the saved, and I pray to be continued in it ^ to my life's end.' " The Baptised seldom, alas ! seldom, in these days of little faith, can be addressed as if they were in posses- sion of the blessings affirmed in this formulary. It is important therefore to observe, that the Covenant having been entered into on God's part, and his agree- ment being sealed by his authority, He holds himself graciously bound by the agreement at whatever time the other party shall fulfil his part of the terms. The fourth question and answer, prepare us to con- sider these terms on man's part, expressed in several questions and answers. Repentance in the third. Faith in the fifth and sixth. Obedience in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth. In other words, the terms on our part are man's whole duty : repentance, faith, and obedience. The first term is Repentance. It is the renouncing of all forbidden things, in such way that " I will not follow or be led by them." It implies conviction of sin, contrition, penitence, renunciation, and reforma- tion ; entire, both in principle and practice. Rej^entance has reference to three classes of sins, according to their sources. " The Devil/' involving belief in the existence and agency of Satan ; in his power and habit of working upon man's evil passions. 32 CATECHISING. " The World," enticing us to sins by pomps and vanity. " The Flesh," involving the idea of our being ex- posed to temptations of sense. The second term is Faith. The rule of Faith is the Creed. — All this is to be believed. There are twelve articles to be noted in an accurate analysis of the Creed. THE RULE OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. 1. God the Father. — His personality, characteristics, and the part in the scheme of redemption which the Father is pleased to occupy. " I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." 2. God the Son. — His Divinity, personality, charac- teristics, and his relation in the scheme of redemption graciously assumed. " And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord." 3. Christ's incarnation, true manhood, and prophet- ical office. " Conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary." 4. Christ's atonement, its nature and characteristics. " Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead." 5. (Illustrative) Christ's partnership with us, and his actual substitution for us. "Dead" ''Buried." " Descended into Hell," the place of Spirits departed. 6. The doctrine of the resurrection of Christ. " The third day he rose from the dead." ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. 33 And the involved doctrine of our resurrection with Christ ; the resurrection of all men. 7. Christ's ascension ; the completion of His media- torial character and offices. He became First, our Priest, that is, Intercessor on the ground of his personal offering of the tokens of his sacrifice. Second, our King. " He ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father Almighty.'' And here are to be expounded all the truths relating to Christ's absolute sovereignty over all men, over all nations, over all kingdoms ; and His rule of the world for the sake of His Church, and for the accomplish- ment of the plans of His Gospel. 8. Christ^ s Judgment. " From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead." Here are to be expounded the reasons why he was appointed Judge, " because he is the Son of Man ;" The principles on which he will pronounce judgment; and The consequences of that final judgment; sentences according to men's deeds done in the body. 9. God the Holy Ghost. — His Divinity, personality, characteristics, and offices in the scheme of redemption. '^ I believe in the Holy Ghost." 10. The doctrine of the Church of Christ. Its extent, Catholic. Its limitation, Holy, explained by the term, the Communion of Saints. " The Holy Catholic Church, The Communion of Saints." Implied in this truth of the existence of a universal 84 CATECHISING. spiritual Body, the Catholic Churcli, is the doctrine of the visible Church, the Church which is known by the signs of the Covenant, that is, by the Sacraments ; and necessarily at this point comes in the doctrine of Episcopacy, as involved in the idea of a proper admin- istration of the Sacraments for the visible Church. 11. " The forgiveness of sins.'' Here is declared the efficacy of Christ's atonement and mediation. This is the place for explaining justification in its practical application. Also, the Holy Spirit's offices in applying Christ's salvation, and His modes of operating on the human heart. The instrument on man's part is Faith. The results are the Forgiveness of Sins, followed by holy obedience, and the calm peace of filial relationship. 12. The doctrine of the last things. A universal resu7Yection, and a universal life. " The resurrection of the dead, and the life everlast- ing." A summary of doctrine follows : • One question is asked : but the three answers to it are connected. " What dost thou chiefly learn by these articles ?" The Trinity, one God, three Persons ; The Gospel, one Salvation, three parts ; The Father, the author of Creation ; The Son, the author of Redemption ; And the Holy Ghost, the author of Sanctification. Creation, embracing all things material and imma- terial. Redemption, embracing mankind ; not all the world, or all intelligent beings, only mankind. Here is a ref- ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. §5 ereiice to the doctrine of a universal atonement and re- demption ; showing that it is not partial or particular : "All mankind/^ Sandification, including the ideas of renewal and sanctification. Here tha limits of the subject become more restricted. The work of the Holy Ghost, his specific office, is dis- charged, not for all mankind, but only for the " people of God/' And here it is to be • made clear to Cate- chumens that salvation is not universal ; although Atone- ment and Redemption are universal. But sanctifica- tion is limited, for necessarily it can reach none others than the people of God. And as there can be no sal- vation Avithout sanctification, therefore salvation is not universal. THE RULE OF CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE. The third term is obedience. — The rule of Christian obedience is the Ten Commandments. There is no anti- nomianism in Church teaching, any more than in the Gospel. The Law is short and comprehensive. It claims obedience in thought, Avord, and deed ; it forbids thoughts, Avords, and deeds against God, and against a neighbor. Offences being forbidden, it is implied that duties are required. The greatest offence in each class being forbidden, implies that all lesser offences in that class are forbidden. The two tables of the LaAV are next presented. The first commandment defines the Being to whom submission is due. In the second. Idolatry is forbidden, and reverence for God alone is required. 86 CATECHISING. In the third, irreverence to His name is forbidden ; and all kindred sins. Legal oaths are legalized. By the fourth, a devotion of certain time to God is demanded ; a fixed time in order that it may not be for- gotten ; a limited time that ordinary daily work may not be neglected. The second table refers to duties and offences in re- spect to Neighbors. The fifth defines our duty to, and forbids offences against, those in authority. In the Family : towards Parents, Guardians, and Teachers. In the State : towards Governors and Magistrates. In the Church : towards Spiritual Pastors. In the Social compact : towards Masters, Employers, and Superiors. . The sixth defines duties and offences respecting Life. The seventh defines duties and offences respecting Chastity. The eighth defines duties and offences respecting Property. / The ninth defines duties and offences respecting Character. In the tenth. Divine authority is asserted over the heart ; and Divine cognizance of evil desires is declared. The summary of these commandments given in our Catechism is unrivalled for completeness, brevity, and terse analysis. Such being the terms of the Covenant on man's part there follows of necessity a sense of need for prayer. Consequently the Church instructs us in this most sacred duty and privilege. ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION 87 The Lord's Prayer. — In studying this wonderful form of devotion, and preparing to expound it to Cate- chumens, attention should be given to its construction ; and its experimental character. THE RULE OF CHRISTIAN PRAYER. THE LORD'S PRAYER. CONSTRUCTION. 1. Invocation. Recognizing the Divine God, in respect to His 2. Supplication : as to ^ . / -^^ Ascription of praise. ° ' I A Declaration of faith. Greatness. Goodness. Our belief of his favor. Name or char- acter. Authority. Will. ff Bodily. Necessities '^ „ . ., , i Spiritual. Deliverances J Temporal. ( Eternal. EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTER. Our — The community of Believers in privileges: no selfishness exists in true prayer. Father — The confidence of certain faith. The Spirit of adoption. It is Christian prayer. Who art in heaven — Here is implied reverence, hu- mility, and an acknowledgment of the Sovereignty of God. Hallowed he thy name — Name is put for character, the whole character of God is the subject of our prayer. 88 CATECHISING. Thy kingdom come — That kingdom which Christ promised should be universal. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven — That is, entirely, cheerfully, unanimously. Give us this day our daily bread — Necessaries, not luxuries ; day by day, we do not ask for blessings for to-morrow. Here are implied patience, resignation, and confidence. So of spiritual necessaries; we ask for spiritual strength and grace sufficient for the one day. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tres- pass against us — We ask with acknowledgment of sin, with repentance, and with the spirit of charity. Lead us not into temptatio7i — We have a sense of danger; we are submissive, we do not ask to be en- tirely free, but not to be tempted above that which divine grace will enable us to bear. But deliver us from evil — Evils of sin ; and the evils of life. For thine is the Jdngdom — Is, of right ; and is now. And. the power — Therefore we may trust thee. And the glory — For in assured faith, we give thanks for the blessings which our Father has promised, and confiding in his love for our Saviour's sake we glorify his grace as if we had already received the mercy. For ever and ever — Eternity shall witness to Thy majesty, and to our fidelity of love, and to the earnest- ness of our gratitude. Amen — So may it be. The Covenanted agreement is now considered as hav- ing been formed, signed, and sealed ; the terms executed in purpose ; and prayer offered. It is reasonable then ANALYSIS AND EXPLICATION. 89 for us to ask what helps and outward assistances does God offer to his cliildren thus covenanted with Him. These helps and assistances are termed Sacraments. THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. Their design and use is first explained. They are positive institutions ; not natural pro- visions, but a positive provision by the Almighty. Their nature is shown by five marks : 1. An outward and visible sign. 2. An inward and spiritual grace. 3. The divine authority for the one : and for the other. * 4. They are authorized as a means of grace. 5. And also as a pledge of grace. Both Sacraments are examined by these tests : and all alleged sacraments are to be tested by the same. The propriety of the Baptism of Infants being some- times doubted, our Church provides that her Pastors shall give the reasons for Infant Baptism. As in other cases, so in this, the Church does not argue ; she teaches. And so should those who attempt to instruct Catechumens. 8* CATECHISING. CHAPTER V. MODE OF CATECHISING. The most important suggestion is that the Questions of the Catechism should be broken up into many ques- tions, at least sufficient in number to exhibit every important point contained in the original question, ex- hibiting each separately and distinctly. A suggestion only second in importance is that scholars should be carried along by questions in a series, toward the conclusion which the Catechist has in mind. SPECIMENS. A specimen is given, by a series of direct questions, On God's Commandments, Tell me how many they are ? No others ? Why ? Are all other sins forbidden ? (For example, the Ninth Commandment forbids all other sins of the same class ; false witness, evil speak- ing, lying, slandering.) Are all other duties commanded? (For example, the Fifth Commandment enjoins reverence for and obe- dience of parents, civil authorities, teachers, spiritual pastors, and masters.) 90 MODE OF CATECHISING. 91 Are these Commandments binding upon us? Who spake ? Where ? When ? Under what circumstances ? What is the book of Exodus? What is Exodus? What argument does God use to incline Israel to obey? How does God try to persuade Israel to obey Him ? Who brought them up out of Egypt? Was it not Moses ? Where is Egypt ? Who were the Israelites ? How did Israel get to Egypt ? Why did they stay there? What is a house of bondage ? What sort of bondage was this ? Had they hard labor ? How were they delivered ? By what Plagues ? River to blood. Plague of Frogs, and eight other plagues. Were these plagues miracles? What is a miracle? Could Moses have done them ? Would Pharaoh have suffered the Israelites to go unless he had suffered these plagues ? Then who led them out ? Ought they not then to have been glad to obey God ? Are we in bondage ? Are we born so ? Who is our Pharaoh ? What are the task-masters he sets over us ? (Envy, hatred, evil thinking, evil speaking, pro- fanity, folly, sin.) Who is our Moses ? What does He do for us ? 92 CATECHISING. How does He lead us out ? (By giving us his Holy Spirit to make us hate sin.) (By giving us his Holy Spirit to help us get the better of sin.) (By forgiving us, and making us love Him better than we love sin.) Ought we not to love to obey this Saviour ? A second example is given by a series of questions which elicit thought and lead the Catechumen gradually to the conclusion which the Pastor desires. On the Eighth Commandment, What is stealing ? If I take what belongs to another is that stealing ? Yes (answered impulsively, without sufficient thought). But he sees me, and is willing ? (former reply recon- sidered) No ; in that case it is not stealing. If I take it without his consent ? That is stealing. But he sees me take it ? That does not alter it, but it may make it a greater sin, robbery. If I take it without his knowledge ? That would be stealing. But suppose he is willing that I should take it, although he does not see me? That would not be stealing. Definition of Stealing, Then to steal is to take some- thing that belongs to somebody else without his knowl- edge and consent. Why is it wrong ? Has God forbidden it ? Has not every one a right to enjoy his own, as much as we to enjoy our own ? MODE OF CATECHISING. 93 But suppose one's neighbor has more than is good for him ? does not know how to enjoy what he possesses (a miser) ? or how to keep it (an idiot) ? has gained it by stealing (a thief)? keeps it only because he is strong (a robber and tyrant) ? will not miss it? may not one who needs it very much take a portion? Does the value of what is stolen make any difference in the sin? Negative side. What does this law forbid you to do ? It forbids common stealing? house stealing? horse stealing ? Man stealing ? Taking advantage of another's ignorance or necessities ? (as in shopping ; ordinary mar- keting ; brokerage in stocks or wheat or cattle, etc., if the ignorant or necessitous are thereby cheated ; use of false weigh ts and measures ?) Keeping back j ust wages ? paying unfair wages? borrowing without any hope of paying ? gathering the money of others into a Savings Bank or other Bank, and refusing or making oneself unable to pay it back ? or running away with it? re- ceiving stolen goods ? using stolen goods, as in fraudu- lent bankruptcy ? What Commandment would you break by pretending to be poor, and so getting charity ? Did Gehazi steal from Naaman ? Positive side. What does this Law require us to be ? ^^^ > in all our dealings, and just J Charitable to the poor ; to those in necessity. May we get others to steal for us ? May we tempt others to steal ? 94 CATECHISING. May we carelessly or thoughtlessly put temptation in the way ? (N.B. Parents or masters have no right to tempt children or servants by carelessly leaving money, jewelry, or any objects of desire in their way.) Had we not better keep as far away as possible from stealing ? If we covet do we not come near stealing ? How does God look upon covetousness ? Therefore be generous : which is to get as " far away as possible" from covetousness. Do not steal from God time, or talents. In all eiforts to impress truth upon our children, the Bible is to be our text book. The Church Catechism is part of a system of home or parish Biblical instruction. Blunt gives the following illustration of Scriptural Catechising : "We will suppose, for example's sake, the parish priest to enter his school, whilst the twelfth chapter of St. Matthew happens to be in reading ; for I presume him to drop in from time to time, as his other avoca- tions allow him ; which, so long as the school is his own, and the superintendence of it under his own eye, he can do, but no longer. ^ And when he was de- parted thence, he went into their synagogue : and, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days ? that they might accuse him,' etc. Now the passage affords him a fair opportunity of speaking on the subject of the Sabbath. Accordingly, he may deliver, if he pleases, a short address, taking this Scrip- MODE OF CATECHISING. 95 ture for his text: not a word, of which, in all prob- ability, would they carry away with them ; or be able, or willing to communicate to their friends, for instance, when they get home at night. Not so, on the other hand, if he put the matter to them in a series of questions, something after this manner : What are we told God, Himself, did on the Sabbath ? Why then do you suppose that day was called Sabbath ? If God so acted by that day, how ought we to act by it? Still, what did Jesus Christ do on the Sabbath, as here described ? But if it was a work to heal the man with the with- ered hand, what kind of work was it ? Was it only a wonderful work ? If then it Avas a work of charity, what sort of works may be done on the Sabbath, though it is a day of rest ? Again, — There is something said about a sheep ; what is supposed to have happened to it ? On what day ? What did you say it fell into ? Did Jesus think it right that it should be pulled out ? Why might it not have been left until another day ? Was it, then, a work of charity only ? Of what else was it a work ? If then it was a work of necessity, what other kind of works are lawful on that day ? When, therefore, the commandment says, 'in it thou shalt do no manner of work,' what works are ex- cepted, nevertheless?"* ^fr Blunt, p. 187. 96 CATECHISING, Dixon and Smith's Catechism is the best guide and help which I have seen for illustrating the Catechism by Scrijiture. I quote from their Book an illustration of their method. They are treating of the Divinity of Christ. ^' Jesus Christ has been considered as the Saviour and as the Anointed of God ; we must now consider him as the ' only Son' of God, and as ^ our Lord :' a part of our belief of such importance as to demand a distinct and separate discussion. What evidence have we that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God ? 1. We have the witness of men. Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. St. Matt. xvi. 16. We beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. St. John i. 14. The only begotten Son, etc. St. John i. 18. I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. St. John i. 34. 2. We have the witness of Christ himself. Art thou the Son of the Blessed ? and he said, I am. St. Mark xix. 61, 62. God — gave his only begotten Son. St. John iii. 16. The Son of God— is he that talketh with thee. St. John ix. 36, 37. I said, I am the Son of God. St. John X. 36. 3. We have also the witness of God the Father. Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ps. ii. 7; Acts xiii. 33; Heb. i. 5; v. 5. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. St. Matt, iii. 17. Jesus Christ is also our Lord. The Lord said unto my Lord, etc. Ps. ex. 1 ; St. Matt. xxii. 44. That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Phil. ii. 11. Who is King of MODE OF CATECESING. 97 Kings, and Lord of Lords. 1 Tim. vi. 15 ; Rev. xvii. 14; xix. 16. (See also St. John xiii. 13.)" Manner of arranging for Catechising . Catechising should always be held publicly in the Church. It should be made an important act, and a Pastoral act. Elder persons, especially parents or guardians, should be induced to be present. [See the Rubric] Incidentally it may be suggested that the Pastor should appear in this duty officially, using an official robe : so that the children may at once separate him in their ideas from an ordinary teacher. First. The children should be required to repeat the words of the Catechism ; all of it, and in its exact language at each time of Catechising. Second. They should be carefully instructed in the meaning of the Catechism, all parts of it in turn. For this purpose it may be well to divide the Cate- chism into twelve or twenty-four parts; taking one portion each month : and so completing the explanation of the whole in every year, or in two years. The children should be carefully arranged in the Church : not indiscriminately. If a few stand, it should not be required of them until they become weary. It is important to keep up attention, by changing your mode of address ; by questioning, now classes, now individuals. It is a good plan to connect the Catechising with a monthly gathering of Schools for a Missionary meeting ; or with a sermon to chil- dren. By all means, and primarily, the Catechising must not be allowed to become wearisome. 98 CATECHISING. Advice to a Catediist. Careful j^reparation is to be made, at least as careful as for preaching. The qualifications required in a Pastor for this diffi- cult duty are gentleness; patience; (impatience is fre- quently made apparent in irritation at indifference, or inattention, or restlessness ;) familiarity in address ; and seriousness^ carefully avoiding levity. Brevity should be studied. Concentration should be aimed at; but allowing for ample illustration. Unity should be ob- served : avoiding too many topics, and avoiding the frequent passing from one to another topic. The way to keep children quiet is to be interesting : I do not say try to be interesting, which will almost certainly miss the mark ; but so fill yourself with the subject, and be so full of love for children, that your interest will turn into what they will feel to be a fascination. " Gentleness and patience are the first qualifications ; ridicule is unpardonable ; hardly less so is embarrassing a child in the presence of the others. Gentleness should be paternal, but manly. Love for children is the sure means of an amiable deportment toward them, and will happily replace an aifectedly mild and evasive manner. As to familiarity, it should certainly not be wanting but it should be sefrious^ Yinet says, " we must prepare ourselves well for the Catechising, and not say to ourselves, I have only to speak to children ; for in this, as in everything, * maxima debetur puero reverentia.'^ The Eev. Daniel Moore, in his "Thoughts ou Preaching," says, " Among the causes which have led MODE OF CATECHISING. 99 to the neglect of catechising, is a current belief, that a peculiar faculty is required for drawing out the powers of youth; that it is not every man who can throw himself back into the mental processes of childhood, and look into the busy hives of thought before him, as if himself were young again ; in a word, a lurking idea that catechising is a gift. We believe it to be just as much a gift as swimming is a gift. And that in the one as in the other, it is compe- tent to most of us to succeed, if we will but try. As parochial ministers, w^e are accustomed, it is presumed, sometimes to take a class in our schools. We know what methods we are in the habit of adopting with children there ; how we lay ourselves out to stimulate and exercise their powers of reflection and thought; how we lead up, by faintly indicated lines, to the an- swer we are seeking ; how we avoid those ambiguously- worded questions, which may be rightly answered in more ways than one ; how we never have recourse to a remote analogy, w^hen we can find one to our ])ur23ose under their own eyes ; how we try to bring out what they know, rather than mortify them by a discovered ignorance; how we proceed onwards from their last answer, as if they had supplied us with a new form of illustration; and how we keep working, round and round, to bring them to a conclusion, taking care, meanwhile, so to make use of their words and replies as that the conclusion shall seem to be their own. Most of us, we say, can do this. And yet, what is there in public Catechising, which makes the same thing diffi- cult in the Church, that we find easy in the school ? It should be considered by us as preaching ; made use 100 CATECHISING. of as preaching ; prepared for as preaching. The illus- trative simile, the close appeal to the conscience, the well-pointed lesson of practice, ought to be thought out beforehand, as much as if they were intended for a sermon. There should be no attempt to hide the fact, that, besides doing good to the children, we have an ulterior object, that we have a deliberate design upon the citadel of the adult heart, and are employing the children to work in the trenches. If the benefit to the children were the only thing considered, we might ob- tain it in the school. We carry on the exercise in the presence of a congregation, because the method sup- plies us with another variety of teaching for a class, who, though not more than 'children in understand- ing,' yet in any other exercise than this, would expect to be addressed as men. 'Be it so,' we say, in the words of the Apostle in another case, ' I did not bur- den you : nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.' "* * Moore, p. 314-317. 9* CONFIRMATION. PEELUDE. Our Church system leads from the Catechetical Clasa to Confirmation. It is to be expected that " a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven,'' after having been thoroughly instructed in his obligations as a Catechumen, will immediately acknowledge and ratify them in Confir- mation. The next succeeding step will be to listen to Preaching, and thus become prepared to take the last step in external profession, by partaking of the Lord's Supper. Such is the system of the Church, patterned not only after the system of the Apostolic and Primi- tive Church, but entirely according to the theory of the Gospel. Alas! as in many critical moments of life, so in this, theory and fact do not always run parallel or coincide. In the arrangement of our topics we follow this order of sequences. The topic of a right preparation for the next step in the religious life of a Baptized Catechumen follows naturally : and its consideration should include not only suggestions which may assist the Pastor in his instructions, but such as will serve as a guide to a sincere inquirer as to the nature and authority of the Ordinance, and as to his fitness for receivmg it. 9* 101 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. CHAPTEK VI. THE OIPORTANCE OF PROPER PREPARATION. "We approach a subject of intense interest. For upon the character of those who are admitted to confir- mation depends tlie character of our Church : and by the fidelity and skill which a Pastor shows in this min- istration, must his pastoral ability, in a great degree, be measured, and his conscience before God be burdened or discharged. Our Church has fully recognized the important place which Apostles gave to the Ordinance of Confirmation It is the door to all external privileges of advanced fel- lowship. Especially is it the door to the privileges of Holy Communion. According to the rubric, as well as to general ])ractice under it, a person who has been con- firmed has a right without further question to be consid- ered as a Communicant. This right cannot be touched except by way of discipline. Consequently careful in- struction and examination of a Candidate before admis- sion to confirmation, becomes a high religious duty for every Pastor who would effectually guard the purity of his Communion. If uninstructed, or partially in- structed, if too young and too little experienced, these young Christians will form a community exposed to 102 ITS IMPORTANCE. 103 the temptations of headiness and liigh-mindedness, of inconstancy and vacillation, of rashness and incon- siderate activity. Whilst, if there be any want of fidelity in guarding against spiritual unqualification, that Church will have a Communion characterized by unfaithfulness to Christ, inconsistency in conduct, spiritual unhappiness and those follies of a worldly mind, or crimes, which disgrace religion and bring shame upon the Christian community. On the con- trary, if the Pastor is discreet and wise, and as firm as he is faithful, he will gather around him only those whom the Holy Spirit is leading to a true Communion with the Saviour. And such a Church will be charac- terized by religion which glorifies Christ, and brings unspeakable comfort to the Pastor's heart. Candidates may be fewer. The list of Communicants may increase more slowly. The Church may not be as widely noted for what a misjudging world calls success. Bat every addition will be permanent. The Communion list will exhibit fewer erasures — those sad tokens of ministerial unfaithfulness; the necessity for making them often brino-s infinite distress to the faithful successor of one whose laxity in examining candidates has been real disloyalty to Christ. And that Church, growing by a constant gathering of the Lord's own people, will in His time become a glory of Christ, and a praise among all discriminating observers. But the subject has a deeper, because a more pressing interest, to the Pastor himself. It is at this point chiefly that he is brought into contact with the re- ligious experiences of his people. It is not easy to exaggerate the delight with which an earnest Pastor 104 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. receives the first intimation that a soul under his charge is ready to accept tlie Saviour's call. He has been preaching with all his wisdom and all his energies, to bring his people near to this Saviour. But in the pulpit, he seems isolated. He does not touch hearts. He shoots his arrows at a venture. He knows not where the word is falling ; nor what seed the Spirit is quickening. He labors on, in patience of faith, which is always a state of trial to a minister ; and often in long deferred hope, which is heart sickness. Oh ! the luxury of that moment, when he hears, for the first time, that one who has been forgetful of re- ligious obligations, or has heretofore seemed ignorant of the loving mercies of Christ, is anxious to be led to Him. The reward for years of labor is concentrated in that moment. At once he passes from the mere teacher into the Pastor. He no longer deals in gen- eralities, but with a living personal experience. And as he now takes this friend by the hand, and leads him step by step into the presence, and up to the fellowship of his own most gracious Lord, it is an hour of in- tensest interest. In our Church, this personal contact with the re- ligious experiences of our people generally commences when we begin to prepare a Class for Confirmation. And subsequently we will probably find that the seasons of deepest religious interest among our people will lie nearest to these seasons of Confirmation. It is the natural association in our Church. Among us Confirmation is understood to be the expression of a purpose to lead a godly life. Consequently anxiety on the subject of religion generally gives its first expres- ITS IMPORTANCE. 105 sion to the Pastor in the desire to be confirmed. This is to be regretted on many accounts. And yet it has its compensations, especially as respects a young Pastor; for it enables him to concentrate his instructions. As the method of dealing witli personal experiences, is, in some particulars, new to him, it gives opportunity to leave general lessons, and fix his mind on this particu- lar point. The congregation expect him to be assiduous in dealing with these cases, both in private and in public. And thus he becomes both more quickly fur- nished, and more efficient in the work. Later in our Ministry, the peculiarity to which I have referred as an evil will not be apparent. Those who are anxious about religion, w^ill not conceal their thoughts from their Pastor, nor defer their decisions, after they sliall have learned that they can safely confide in his judg- ment and friendship. It is a moment bf intense interest. If the inquirer is rightly prepared, the Ordinance will open innumerable blessings. If unprepared, it will be the gate of sorrow; it may be the gate of spiritual death. At once then all our powers are brought into concentrated action. We review our knowledge, recollect our experience, quicken our faculties of judgment and discrimination. We are to deal gently and with a heart full of Christ's love lest we break a bruised reed. We are to deal faithfully and fearlessly, lest w^e cry peace, when the Holy Spirit has not spoken peace. And we are labor- iously to inform each mind, in order that no one who has been confirmed shall thereafter be carried about by winds of doctrine, or by unstable and deceitful guides. The Pastor's responsibility is greatly complicated by 106 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. the strange phases of religious experience which he will now meet. He is to be ready with a solution or with advice for all difficulties, doubts, hesitancies, perplex- ities. He can approach the task hopefully, only if he has been strengthened by prayer, and relies calmly on the sustaining grace of God. In many a difficulty human wisdom is entirely at fault. For many a per- plexity his own experience has no parallel. But there is none in which God's word and believing prayer do not furnish a sufficient resource. The Pastor's responsibility in preparing Candidates for Confirmation cannot then be measured. His sense of it will depend on his conscientmisness. The whole burden of responsibility lies on the Pastor. By the policy of the Church, the Bishop does not even share the responsibility of selecting Candidates. He confirms those who are presented to him. And this is wisely ordered ; for no one except the Pastor can be intimately acquainted with the Candidate's state of mind. In some Dioceses, a form of presentation is in use, for the purpose both of defining the Pastor's re- sponsibility to the people, and of impressing it on his own mind. In one instance, a Bishop over-rode a Pastor's de- cision, and confirmed a candidate whom the Pastor had rejected. Public opinion in the Church was at that time greatly excited on the subject ; and after full dis- cussion affirmed the Pastor's sole responsibility. This topic extends through several divisions of our general subject. It belongs partly to Instruction, and partly to Administration. A fulfilment of the duty will require right preaching, right catechising, right pas- ITS IMPORTANCE. 107 toral visiting, and right parochial arrangements. But to treat it thus in parts, would be to destroy the unity of the theme. It is practically of the first importance that impressions on this subject shall be unconfused, distinct and decided. I therefore bring together at this point all that I desire to say on the topic of preparing Candidates for Confirmation. If a reason be needed for placing this topic so closely under the shadow of Catechising, other than that it fol- lows in the order of church life, it may be found in the fact that this instruction is modified catechising. Can- didates are to be instructed ; taught : to be considered and treated not as equals in knowledge, but as pupils ; and allowing for difference in age, are to be taught the Catechism : and in many particulars as children are taught it ; and in classes. Whenever it is possible they are to be taught by echo ; induced to learn by heart and repeat truths. Especially, pains are to be taken to instil the words and meaning of the Catechism. It is often greatly needed. Moore says, " It is to be feared we take it for granted, that our people know a great deal more than they do. They may have a correct understanding of isolated doctrines of the faith, but of the relation of these truths, one to the other, and of their coherence, as one compact whole of Divine phi- losophy, it may be believed, that their views are any- thing but clear, and anything but perfect.'^ '' Baxter was amazed,'^ we are told, " at the lamentable ignorance of numbers of persons who had been regular attendants at his Church, for ten or twelve years, and who yet, in one hour's familiar instruction, seemed to learn more than in all their previous lives." Insomuch tliat, when 108 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. he Avas advanced in years, we find him writing, " Now it is the fundamental doctrines of the Catechism which I highliest value, and daily think of, and find most useful to myself and others. The Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments find me now the most acceptable and plentiful matter for all my medita- tions/' Frequently Candidates for Confirmation are too old to be subject to direct catechetical instruction. In all cases, a certain amount of instruction will be more profitably given by public discourse than in any other way. An " Echo" should be required, as far as possi- ble, during our Pastoral visitations : inquiry being then made as to whether our public instructions have been properly received. The necessary instructions are partly Intellectual ; and partly Spiritual ; but I consider them in the order of time, not in the order of importance. Intellectual preparation is generally given in public, in the pulpit or lecture-room. Indeed as it is often of great value to those who are not Candidates, and is in- tended to lead the general congregation to consider the subject, publicity should be preferred. Besides, even if it be confined to the Candidates, it should be given by lectures to a class ; otherwise the business of instruc- tion becomes so onerous as not to be within the reach of ordinary strength. Two topics are presented ; The Ordinance of Confirmation ; and The Doctrines of the Church. PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. CHAPTER yil. ITS HISTORY, AUTHORITY, PERPETUITY, AND IN- TENTION. The Ordinance of Confir^mation. Many false notions are current as to its authority, intention, and value. Some persons, even in our own congregations, regard it as superstitious ; many as useless. The Minister is to show, in the first place, his own sense of its importance. He must make much of it in liis instructions. It is wise to prepare a course of sermons giving a well considered view of the whole topic : and to throw into this preparation all the zeal, wisdom, and tact which he possesses. Six points will sufficiently exhaust the theme.* The History of the Ordinance. — The idea which un- derlies the Rite is connected with pious observances among God^s ancient people. Jewish infants were admitted into the Covenant, and shared in Ecclesiastical privileges by Circumcision, when they were only eight days old. The Law of Moses required Parents tc * Vide Tyng on Confirmation. 10 109 no PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. impress upon their children a sense of their obligations to that Covenant, by ruling that all male children at an early age should attend the three annual festivals. Here is the seed thought out of which the idea of Confirmation sprang; for here was an early public profession by Jewish children of attachment to the Covenant; and this is traced historically throughout the Mosaical dispensation. The idea had taken a still more definite shape before our Saviour's times. For we are told that at the Christian era, it was the custom to bring Jewish children, at thirteen years of age, to the House of God, in order that their Covenantal rights should be recognized. This recognition took place by an examination before the Doctors of the Law, and was accompanied by appropriate ceremonials. The Candidates were expected to be versed in the principles of the Law, and to be able to repeat the legal prayers. If approved they were placed before the congregation, and called "children of the precept." They were thenceforward considered ca^^able of obey- ing the Law, under obligations to it, and answerable for their own sins. Our Saviour complied with this custom ; at an earlier age than was usual. For Jesus was only twelve years old, when having accompanied his parents to Jerusalem to worship, according to the Law, he tarried behind to present himself to the Rabbles, and undergo the usual examinations. Out of this custom sprang an idea, like many others in the Jewish system, easily adopted into the Christian Church. The Apostles were familiar with it. It was no new thing for those who at the time when they were circumcised had entered into APOSTOLIC HISTORY. HI privileges of which they were unconscious, to assume the responsibility of that Sacrament publicly so soon as they became fully conscious of the duty. It is in- teresting to note that this reasonable and wise practice became part of the regular system of the Church so soon as it began to take a settled form. Yet I do not mean to say that this Jewish custom was more than a seed thought. Its fruit was developed into a Christian Ordinance by the authority of Christ, under the imme- diate inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and this Ordinance wherever it has been strictly administered has always glowed with gracious purposes from beneath the finger of its Divine originator. Its history in the Apostolic age is brief. Subse- quently to the day of Pentecost the Apostles continued at Jerusalem preaching the Gospel. After the martyr- dom of Saint Stephen and the consequent persecution, the disciples were scattered abroad ; the Apostles still remaining at Jerusalem. Among those who went out into the provinces to preach the new truth, Philip, one of the lately ordained Deacons, became an Evangelist to Samaria. While there he baptized many. This good news coming to the Church at Jerusalem, Peter and John were commissioned to follow Philip ; for, as the historian remarks, " as yet the Holy Ghost had fallen upon none" of these new disciples, " only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." The Apostles therefore being come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. " Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." This was the first recorded Confirmation in the Church of Christ. The Apostolicity of this Rite 112 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. is justly inferred from this record. But at present we point only to the fact that its main features accurately tally with the Ordinance as afterwards spoken of in the Acts, in early Church history, and as now practised by our own Episcopate. The next record of Confirmation is by the Apostle Paul. The account implies that it had already become cus- tomary in the Church. The Apostle was visiting the Churches, setting in order what was wanting. Arriv- ing at Ephesus, he found a body of religious men who among surrounding heathen, bore the name of Naza- renes. His first inquiry concerned confirmation ; "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed f^ Ob- serve : he did not first ask as to their baptism, nor as to their faith ; but as to whether they had received the laying on of hands. To my mind the inference is very strong, that even at that early date, the laying on of hands had become a custom of the Church, and that Apostles' visitations had relation in part, at least, to this purpose. We may imagine his surprise when they re- plied, " We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.'' Their whole foundation was defective. He therefore first laid a true foundation, substituting for John's baptism that which the Baptist had foretold, baptism in the name of Christ. Then, how significantly the fact comes out ! notwithstanding that the Apostle himself had baptized and admitted them into the Covenant, it was not enough. He must Confirm them. Consequently '^ he laid his hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost." Four particulars should be observed, whilst we trace EARLY CHURCH HISTORY. II3 the subsequent history of Confirmation. They are always observable in this administration by Apostles ; and bv these marks a right Confirmation may be recognized. The officiating persons ; Apostles. The recipients ; those who have been baptized. The Apostolic prayer ; that they might receive the Holy Ghost. The Apostolic Act; the imposition of hands upon the head of the Candidate. Notwithstanding additions which from time to time it has received under corrupt forms of Christianity, it has always retained these four marks, and at present exists among us under this precise form. In the year 200, TertulHan, having spoken of the rites of Baptism, proceeds, "After Baptism the hand is imposed, by blessing, calling and inviting the Holy Spirit." In the year 250, Cyprian, a Bishop, com- menting on the visit of St. Peter and St. John to the Baptized in Samaria, says, " Which custom is also de- scended to us, that they who are baptized might be brought by the Rulers of the Church, and by our prayer and the imposition of hands, may obtain the Holy Ghost, and be consummated with the Lord^s signature." Again : " They who have received lawful and ecclesias- tical baptism, it is not necessary that they should be baptized again ; but that which is wanting must be sup- plied, namely, that prayer being made for them and hands imposed, the Holy Ghost be invocated and poured upon them." A little later in the same century Euse- bius reports that Novatius was much censured, because, having been baptized when he was upon a sick-bed and at the point of death, and afterwards recovering, he 10- 114 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. neglected to be " consigned with the Lord's signature by the hands of the Bishop." Such a testimony is evi- dence of the existence of a custom in that age. Mel- chiades in the fourth century argues the necessity of Confirmation against the supposed objection that the Holy Ghost being received in baptism renders any further Ordinance useless. In the latter part of the same century Jerome thus speaks concerning the Rite : " Do you ask me where this is written ? In the Acts of the Apostles. But if there was no authority of Scripture at all for it, the consent of the whole world to this point might well challenge the force of a pre- cept.'^ And again ; he thus describes Episcopal visita- tions fourteen hundred years ago, in terms accurately applicable to our own times: '^As for those who are baptized afar oif in the lesser towns by the presbyters and deacons, the Bishop travels out to them to lay hands upon them and to invoke the Holy Spirit.'^ That it was the habit to confine this administration to Bishops, one or two testimonies may suffice. St. Chrysostom writes, ^^The power of giving the Holy Spirit was peculiar to the Apostles ; whence it comes to pass that the chiefs in the Church and no others do this." Dionysius says, " There is need of a Bishop to confirm the baptized ; for this was the ancient custom of the Church." '^ This was wont to be done by the Bishops, to conserve unity in the Church of Christ," saith Ambrose. " By Bishops only," saith St. Austin. '^ For the Bishops succeeded in the place and ordinary office of the Apostles," saith St. Jerome. Thus at a distance of four hundred years from Apos- tolic times confirmation was the custom of the Church; MEDIEVAL HIS TOR r. II5 its use was defended as an imitation of Apostolic prac- tice, and it had been perpetuated from Apostolic times. The Ordinance had become corrupted even at that early day, and lacked much of its original simplicity and evangelical character : nevertheless its characteristic fea- tures remained unchanged. It was still the laying on of Apostolic hands upon the heads of those who had been baptized with prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. During the thousand years next succeeding, this Ordinance did not fare better than other Apostolic usages. The Romish Church surrounded It wdth use- less superstitions, which to this day. In that community, deprive it of Apostolic simplicity. Such are, anointing the Candidates with a mysterious unction composed of oil and balsam, supposed to obtain a mystical virtue by the act of consecration ; repeating the sign of the Cross on the forehead ; striking a blow upon the cheek, instead of laying on of hands; and allowing children of seven years of age to partake of the Rite. Its history since the Reformation among Protestant churches. — Thus buried under superstitions, this Ordi- nance was untombed by our Reformers. Some Re- formers cast It away with other good things which the Romish Church had preserved; rejecting that which was Apostolical as If It were Romish, because it had come through Romish channels. Most of the Re- formers however attempted to restore It to Its proper place. The Lutherans, who did not retain the Epis- copal office, yet retained this Rite ; and committed its administration to Presbyters. The Church of Geneva, which at first rejected, afterwards restored this Rite, llg PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. and provided a form for its administration. All Epis- copal Churches retained it in its purity. Such was the course of the Moravian Church and the Church of Sweden : and such the course of the Church of Eng- land. ^^It is," says Bishop Mcllvaine, "one of the instances of that eminent wisdom and moderation with which the Church of England conducted her reforma- tion from the corruptions of the Papacy, that this Ordinance instead of being renounced as grievously corrupted, was cleansed, reformed, and retained, because, though defiled and corrupted, it was still Apostolic. As she retained the Scriptures, although found at the Reformation almost buried under the traditions of men, and joined in equal fellowship with books unin- spired; as she retained Episcopacy, though crushed under tlie polluting foot of Popery ; and the Liturgy, though mingled in all directions with idolatrous ser- vices to the Virgin and Saints and Angels; not think- ing that the pure gold was any the less to be valued and kept because it had been associated with wood, hay, stubble; so did she retain the Laying on of hands, as derived from the Apostles, and intended for the Church in all ages." With like discretion and judiciousness the Fathers of our own Protestant Episcopal Church retained this holy Ordinance. They found it among the practices of the Church of England, pure, simple, majestic, and apostolical, both in the form of its administration and in its sacred purpose. So it continues to our own day. AUTHORITY AND PERPETUITY. II7 The Authority and Perpetuity or Perpetual Obligation of Confirmation, If we place its obligation on the lowest ground, considering it merely as a Rite estiiblislied by the Church, its authority would be sufficient. Our XX. Article declares, "that the Church hath power to decree Rites and Ceremonies,^^ so that it doth not '^ ordain anything contrary to God's word written." The Church has decreed Confirmation to be one of its permanent "Rites and Ceremonies." Or, appeal- ing more distinctly to our ecclesiastical loyalty, we may consider it not as a Rite established by the Catholic or Universal Church of Christ, but only by our own Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Even then it possesses the force of a precept. For our XXXI. Y. Article of Religion says, " Every Par- ticular or National Church hath authority to ordain, change, and abolish ceremonies or Rites of the Church, ordained only by man's authority, so that all things be done to edifying." Placing it on this lowest ground; our Church has adopted the Rite of Confirmation as an appropriate mode of ratifying Baptismal vows. This Rite is established as a Law. After the Bap- tism of Infants, Sponsors are directed to bring the children so baptized in due time to the Bishop. After the Baptism of Adults, they are instructed that " it is expedient that every person thus baptized should be confirmed by the Bishop, so soon after his Baptism as convenient may be ; that so he may be admitted to the Holy Communion." And the rubric following Con- firmation is imperative upon Ministers in admitting to 118 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. full Communion with our Church : '^ there shall none be admitted to the Holy Communion, until such time as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed." The Law is explicit : and upon all good members of this Church, loving its order and respecting its government, its authority will be held sufficient. But we are not content to rest the authority of this Rite on such low grounds. History as already shown is neither silent nor uncertain respecting it. All along the track of the past since the Church received a stable policy the progress of this custom is distinctly visible ; whilst back into the very presence of the Apostles, voices of holy men, in a continual line, audibly testify to its perpetual obligation. We believe that it was ap- pointed by Apostles acting under the influences of the Holy Ghost, and with permission of Christ, to be a perpetual Ordinance in the Church. The two points involved are its Apostolicity, and its Permanency. By its Apostolicity J we mean that Apostles were ac- customed to lay their hands upon the heads of the baptized, and to invoke upon them the descent of the Holy Spirit. Our historical sketch sufficiently certifies the Apos- tolic custom. No such custom could have been palmed upon the Church, as if it were an ordinary habit of Apostles. Compare it with some other like observances. No one could have introduced the observance of the Lord's day as holy, or the administration of Baptism to Infants, at a date later than the Apostolic age, and at the same time have appealed to an unbroken Apos- tolic custom : nor could these customs have been re- AUTHORITY AND PERPETUITY. 119 ceived from the earliest ages on an appeal to Apostolic example unless they could plead the weight of Apostolic precept and habit. The argument is the same and of equal force in be- half of Confirmation. When writers of the first three centuries appeal to tlie fact that this Ordinance existed in their day, having descended to them by a constant custom of the Church from the Apostles, we cannot doubt that the Apostles had made this administration a habit. Our own Church expresses no doubt. In " the office for the Laying on of hands" it is affirmed that the Bishop is following " the example of the Holy Apos- tles." By the Perpetuity of the Ordinance, we mean that the Apostles intended this Ordinance to be perpetual. It is but repeating the same thought with a different application to say that this intention is to be directly in- ferred from the Apostles' example: and again from the consideration that no man in the early Church would have ventured to declare (as many did declare) that such was the Apostles' intention, if such were not the fact. But the declaration by the Apostle (Hebrews vi. 1, 2) that the " Laying on of hands" is one of the first prin- ciples of the doctrines of Christ, takes this whole sub- ject out of the region of historical proof, and places it upon the higher ground of Scriptural doctrine. The Ordinance becomes so important wdien viewed in this light, that we ought to give a careful interpretation to this passage. ^^ The principles of the doctrine of Christ." "Repentance from dead works, and faith towards God, 120 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judg- ment/^ The Apostle is about to introduce to the Hebrew Christians, the difficult doctrine, of the everlasting Priesthood of Messiah. He complains that their slow progress in spiritual things hinders him in teaching the greater mysteries of the divine plan. " When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God.'^ Yet he must pass by these. " There- fore," he continues, " leaving the principles of the doc- trine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection : not laying again the foundiltion (that is, the principles) of repent- ance from dead works, and of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judg- ment." It is to be observed that all these particulars are ^' first principles of the oracles of God," " the principles of the doctrine of Christ," " the foundation" of Chris- tian instruction, the food appropriate to " a babe" in Christ, to such as are " unskilful in the word of right- eousness" : consequently doctrines which they had all been taught, and in all of which each of them was per- sonally interested. They are elements ; they form the very foundation. Next, (and it is noticeable for it is very peculiar,) they all belong to the department of personal religion. There are six doctrines selected with evident design from the three departments of a Christian personal experience (following Dr. Tyng's interpretation of the passage) : A SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE. 121 " present spiritual preparations of heart ; present exter- nal ordinances of jirofession ; and future sanctions or prospects/^ Using the words of that very discriminating writer : " They are the two incipient principles in each department. As repentance from dead works, and faith towards God, form the commencement or foundation of the life of religion in the soul ; and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment, form the commencement of the life both of soul and body in the future world ; so the doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, form the commencement or first principles of a present external pro- fession of religion in the Ordinances of Christianity." " These six doctrines are evidently intended by the Apostle to be considered as the alphabet of the Christian religion : they are of equal importance ; equally to be made subjects of instruction to all. Observe their marked juxtaposition. Kepentance, then Faith: this is the natural order of acts of scriptural prepara- tion of heart. Kesurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment: this is the natural order considered either as events or as doc- trines which influence personal religion. And both events are necessary to the completion of the eternal life, and both doctrines requisite to be believed to the completeness of Christian faith. The analogy will surely hold in interpreting the middle member of a sentence so nicely balanced. The doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands : this is the natural order of external pro- fession and of instruction which ought to be given to young dis- ciples as to their outward acts of religion. While baptism must precede, the laying on of hands ought to follow: for both are doctrines and first principles of personal religion." The question on which our interpretation turns, is, what did the Apostle intend by this "laying on of hands" ? We are to look for some Apostolical instruc- tion or custom which by its relations to personal re- ligion, may be called a doctrine of Christ; which in its application to those who are young in the faith may F 11 122 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. be termed a first principle; which, as being of personal interest to every convert, may be reckoned an element of the Gospel ; and which in its nature or in fact, was intended to be perpetuated. The laying on of hands was practised by the Apostles in four ways; in ordinary benediction, in healing the sick, in ordination to the Ministry, and in invoking the Holy Ghost upon the baptized. To which of these does the Apostle refer ? Benediction was administered only to a few, and practised only on special occasions, as when a teacher was sent upon a distant mission. This cannot be it. Imposition of hands to recover from sickness was needed by few : and as a fact was not long practised in the Church. This cannot be it ; a perpetual element of Christianity. Imposition of hands on ordaining to the Ministry was required only by a small proportion. This cannot be that first principle of the Oracles of God, part of the Alphabet of the Gospel, in which every novice was interested. There was only one other Apostolic custom of laying on of hands ; namely. Confirmation. It fulfils all the conditions. It relates to personal religion ; it interests every convert; and its administration is connected with the commencement of a religious life. In the prepara- tion for it, as it requires a new spiritual birth ; in its nature, as it confirms baptismal engagements ; in its universal applicability; and in its fitness to be per- petuated, it contains every element of a first principle and doctrine of the Gospel. Many think it quite sufficient to reply that miracu- lous gifts always accompanied this laying on of Apos- A SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE. 123 tolic hands, and therefore, as miraculous gifts have ceased, this custom should cease. If the fact were so, the conclusion would not be unwarranted ; but the fact is not so. "As a general rule, the gift of the Spirit, as it was termed, was communicated by this laying on of hands : and it is prob- able that all thus received this gift of the Spirit. Of the graces and comforts which are the fruits of the Spirit, our blessed Lord prayed, that not only his twelve disciples might partake, but all who should believe on him through their word. And there are facts which show that all Christians did participate in the gift which was signified by the laying on of hands. The Apostle in writing to the Corinthians refers to their having received the Spirit by his instrumentality ; to the Galatians, to his minister- ing the Spirit unto them : and when he expresses his wish to visit the Christians at Rome, in order that he might impart unto them some spiritual gift, it is difficult to conceive why the gift might not have been communicated by letter or message, unless it were to be connected with some bodily act on his part. As it is evident therefore that in the judgment of charity all Chris- tians did receive this gift which was signified by the laying on of hands, it became more than probable that they all obtained it in the waj^ which is recorded in reference to some individual instances : and that that which was done to the believers in Samaria and Ephesus, was also done to all that in every place called upon the name of Jesus Christ. Unless this be allowed, it will be impossible to find in the Sacred volume, any trace of such an imposition of hands, as could, with any propriety, be denominated a first principle and foundation of the Gospel of Christ."* No doubt, as a general rule, all received some spirit- ual gift; but all did not receive a miraculous gift, nor the power of working miracles. For in the first place, a spiritual gift of any kind was not absolutely tied to * Tyng on Confirmation, 124 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. the Ordinance, so that it was necessarily conveyed by the Apostle's hands. It will be remembered that Simon, although fully admitted into the Church by an Apostle himself, remained in the gall of bitterness. And in the next place, spiritual gifts, when adminis- tered by Apostles, were of various kinds, some ordinary, some special, some extraordinary. The Apostle himself affirms it, for when writing to those to whom as he declares he had administered the Spirit, he asks, "Are all Apostles? Are all Prophets ? Are all Teachers? Are all workers of miracles ? Have all gifts of heal- ing? Do all speak with tongues ? Do all interpret?'' No ! "The Spirit giveth to each man severally as He will." Gifts of grace were signified by the laying on of hands ; but miraculous powers were conferred only as He chose and only upon those whom the Spirit selected for peculiar ministries. AYe hold then that even when Apostles administered this Ordinance, miraculous gifts were separable, and in fact were often separated from the ordinary gifts of the Spirit. It is to be further observed that miracles accom- panied other Apostolic ministrations as frequently as they accompanied this laying on of hands. Prayer always preceded their wonderful works. Their preach- ing was constantly followed by marvellous instances of conversion. Miraculous gifts were generally be- stowed on those whom they ordained. Yet surely we will not argue that because miraculous gifts generally accompanied these ministrations, we are no longer to imitate Apostles in them. We do not cease to pray for the sick, although we cannot raise them to health, or , A SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE. 125 deliver them from the grave. We do not cease to preach, because the miracle of a souFs conversion is seldom, alas ! seldom the result. Our Bishops do not cease to ordain by laying on of hands with prayer for the Holy Ghost, because those whom they thus make Stewards of mysteries can no longer work miracles. And why should not the Apostles be imitated in this other administration ; although extraordinary gifts of the Spirit have ceased? " When sinners profess repent- ance from dead works and faith towards God, and when they have obeyed the doctrine of baptisms, why should not our Bishops confer that next among the principles of the doctrine of Christ, the laying on of hands with solemn prayer, that they may increase in the Holy Spirit more and more, and so become prepared for the two last principles, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment?'^ This conclusion is perfectly legitimate; the logical process is sound : and the result reached should be freely accepted. Confirmation has the weight of an Ordinance of our own Church ; beyond that, it has the authority of the example of the Apostles, and the custom of all suc- ceeding antiquity ; beyond that, it was the intention of the Apostles that it should be a perpetual custom ; and beyond that, the Apostle has declared that it stands among the first principles of Christ's religion, a part of that very foundation of external profession which every child of God should share in. The inference is clear and direct, that every baptized Christian who has not been confirmed should feel it to be his first duty to comply with that precept. 11* 126 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. The Intention of Confirmation. Originally, and in Apostolic practice, it accomplished three distinct purposes, which may therefore be deemed its original intention. These were To administer a spiritual gift. To confirm young disciples in faith. To admit Christians into the body of the faithful, and to full privileges in the Church. There is no doubt that in the earliest ages, the Apos- tles frequently took advantage of this custom in order to convey spiritual gifts ; generally ordinary gifts, some- times extraordinary. This power which belonged to them as inspired men has not been perpetuated. Now, instead, we employ the term, a means of grace. Such it is. As prayer, or common worship, or the Ordinances of religion, so this Kite properly employed becomes a means of grace. A special means, especially effectual, because it combines those others. Prayer is made, in solemn manner, by all the congregation and by God's Ministers, whilst the Chief Minister indicates the in- dividual to be prayed for by laying his hand on that person's head. Thus uniting in prayer, for an out- pouring of the Holy Ghost, under the promises of the Gospel, the Cliurch cannot but regard this Ordinance as a means of graca. It confirms young disciples in their faith. There has scarcely been any change in this intention of the E-ite since the earliest times. So far as that faith is intel- lectual, that is, an understanding of truth, the course of study through which every faithful Pastor carries INTENTION. 127 his Candidates, establishes them in a knowledge of the Gospel. Just as in the olden time, Evangelists or the stated Ministers were roused to special activity by ex- pecting a visit from the Apostles, or their Episcopal assistants, such as Timothy or Titus ; so a modern visi- tation leads to more than ordinary activity in instruct- ing the young of our Parishes. And as the Catechism is the basis of such instruction. Candidates for Confir- mation become familiar, not only with truth generally, but with doctrine and practice, as taught and illustrated in our own particular Church. Further, and as its most important end. Candidates are confirmed in their spirit- ual faith; in experimental and practical religion. Under Pastoral guidance their religious views and religious characters are tested. And wherever confirmation is properly prepared for, the Candidates are necessarily established in their personal Christianity. The third intention has been slightly modified since Apostolic days. Then it was enough to say, that the confirmed were thereby admitted into all the privileges of the Church. There was then but one Body, as there was but one Faith, and one Baptism. But since the Reformation this Ordinance has received a new inten- tion. At that era, a large part of Christendom, called the Romish Church, began to separate itself from the Church of Christ, and other portions of Christ's Church allowed themselves to be divided into sections more or less irregular. Our Church, reformed and protesting against all error, standing in the old paths, changing nothing, yet discovered, that under the circumstances which surrounded her, this Apostolic Ordinance had as- sumed a new aspect. On the one side it was perverted 128 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. to superstition ; on the other it was thrown away. Con- sequently, among us, besides being, as in Apostolic days, the door of admission to general privileges in Christ's Church, it admits to a particular union and communion with this Church, which is both Protestant and Episcopal. Such is the threefold intention of this holy rite ; an intention perfectly in keeping with its Apostolic char- acter; and entirely in harmony with its Scriptural description as a first principle of the Gospel of Christ. Confirmation is in no sense a Sacrament. A clear understanding of this distinction is of grave impor- tance, because some incline towards that view of the Ordinance. The faulty ideas that its reception is *^ generally necessary to salvation;" that its administra- tion is invariably accompanied by a gift of divine grace ; that the imposition of the Bishop's hands is a "sign and pledge" of grace bestowed; or that the Ordinance supplies what are called defects of irregular baptism, so that one who has been baptized by a non- Episcopal minister or by a lay person, being subse- quently confirmed, shall occupy the same position, and be deemed to have received the same grace, as is sup- posed to be communicated in baptism regularly minis- tered; all these notions are based upon the notion of its sacramental character : and are erroneous. The admirable definition of " this word Sacrament," familiar to us in the Catechism, will sufficiently defend our view. A Sacrament " is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, given unto us ; ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive the same and a pledge to assure us thereof.'' INTENTION. 129 Every portion of this definition is essential ; and there- fore in a Sacrament all its terms must be fulfilled. It was carefully drawn up with the intent of excluding the five administrations which the Romish Church had united with the two Sacraments ias of equal value; and among these was Confirmation. The Romish Church maintaining the propriety of a portion of this definition, continued to administer this Ordinance with the use of certain significant outward acts which they declared to be signs of grace. Our Reformers in the revision of the Book of Common Prayer in 1551, commonly called the second Book of King Edward, directed all other outward acts to be disused except the imposition of the Bishop's hands; all others being deemed to want sufficient Scriptural authority. But even this external act was not ordained by Christ himself, nor ordered by Him to be a means of grace and a pledge of its reception : nor are there any means or pledges of grace in the administration except as prayer is a means, and the general promises which accompany the administration are a pledge, of grace. Since therefore these five signs are wanting in Con- firmation, the Ordinance has no Sacramental character. The intention of Confirmation is therefore, To lead to an increase of the influences of the Holy Spirit, in answer to Prayer, and as the result of the spiritual preparation made for receiving the Ordinance. It is a means of grace. To confirm young disciples in their faith : in specu- lative faith by instruction; in practical faith by conver- sation with a Pastor, by the public act of profession, and by the entrance on a life of religious activity. 130 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. To admit into all the privileges of the Church Catholic, and of our own Church in particular, as it is both Episcopal and Protestant. It is in no sense a Sacrament: not possessing the peculiar and essential marks of a Sacrament given in the Catechism; and having been expressly excluded from the region of the Sacraments by our Reformers. Note. — Keaders are referred to the Kev. Dr. Tyng's admira- ble argument on the Apostolicity and Perpetuity of this Ordi- nance, contained in his Treatise on Confirmation. I am greatly indebted to it. PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. CHAPTER yill. THE CANDIDATES, QUALIFICATIONS, AND BENEFITS. INSTKUCTION IN DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH. The Candidates for Confirmation. Who ought to become Candidates for Confirmation ? Generally ; every baptized believer who has attained to years of discretion, and who has not already been confirmed within our Church, or within a Cluirch in union with our Protestant Episcopal Church. Particularly ; I suggest answers to queries presented by the above definition. Suppose the person applying was baptized by a Min- ister not in Episcopal orders ? The distinction between validity and regularity of administering Sacraments has been so long recognized by our Church, as to have attained the weight of law. It decides this case. Baptism may be valid, that is, recognized and ratified and blessed of Christ, without being regular, or ad- ministered in all respects according to Christ's ordi- nance. Even lay baptism is admitted to be valid by strict constructionists of Episcopal authority; how much more if baptism was Ministerial although not regular ? 131 132 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. A question of greater difficulty arises when the ap- plicant has received only Unitarian Baptism. The Baptism Avas administered by one who is supposed to deny the divinity of Christ. It is indeed a question of validity even more than of irregularity. It becomes a question of opinion, as to how much error invalidates a Ministry ; and a question of fact in each particular case, as to how much error is held by the Minister wdio officiated. For it is well known that Unitarians hold every possible shade of opinion concerning the divinity of our Saviour. Such a question then becomes too difficult for decision. Besides, the administering of baptism is an act of obedience to the authority of Christ. And if it be performed in precise terms according to Christ's ordinance, it is a significant declaration of submission to Christ. To go further, and require that a certain definite purpose on the part of the Minister shall be declared, when he administers this Sacrament, would be to add to Christ's ordinance : which we have no right to do. No doubt the idea of Christian baptism implies an acknowledgment of faith in Christ, and of a Covenant based upon it. But the words of Christ's appointment themselves involve and include this idea. They involve an acknowledgment of Christ's equal Divinity with the Father, and the Holy Ghost. If any other terms had been requisite, Christ would have appointed them. If therefore these words are used in Baptism, Christ's ordinance is satis- fied. Besides, the Minister in these cases always pro- fesses to admit the baptized into the fellowship of the Christian Church and into the faith of Christ. We cannot go behind his act, to examine his inten- WHO OUGHT TO BE CANDIDATES. 133 tion. And we need not go behind his act to question his motive; for the XXVI. Article of religion declares that "the unworthiness of Ministers hinders not the effect of the Sacrament/' Unworthiness arising from pernicious doctrine may certainly be included under this term. Nor can it hinder Christ's promise, if the Minister has baptized the person professedly in obedience to Christ's commandment, as a profession of faith in Christ, and with the distinct Christian formula ap- pointed by Christ. If the conditions above named have been fulfilled. Unitarian baptism may be allowed. When this question first arose as a question of Pastoral duty, I consulted those in the Church w^hose opinions seemed most weighty, and found no difference in practice; among these were Bishop Elliott of South Carolina, and Bishop Eastburn of Massachusetts. If however any doubt should remain upon the minds either of the Pastor or of the Candidate, which cannot be pacified, or any doubt whether the facts of the case bring it clearly within the conditions named, or any doubt arising from questions as to lay baptism, let the person be baptized wdth the provisional formula. Many hold that confirmation will compensate for defects in Baptism : and those who take this view, consequently do not think it necessary to solve the question now proposed. But there is no declaration by our Saviour which thus puts Confirmation on a par with or superior to Baptism ; nor is there any shadow of such a doctrine set forth by our Church. Conse- quently, invalidity of Baptism is fatal to all outward fellowship with the Saviour. Neither Confirmation, nor Communion, nor Ordination, can compensate for 12 134 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. the want of it. An unbaptized person is not within Christ's visible Church. But supposing such a person to be baptized, after having been confirmed. Should he be reconfirmed? I answer, No. The ground of this opinion is, first, that Baptism is a Sacrament, which the other is not. Second, that the Sacrament of admission into the Church is necessary where it may be had. Third, that nothing of human device can take the place of that Sacrament, nor supply defects in its administration. But Confirmation is not a Sacrament; it is only an Ecclesiastical ordinance. Any defect in it arising from the absence of tlie divine Sacrament will be immediately supplied by its presence. Therefore a person would not be presented for recon- firmation, who had been baptized after being confirmed. Such a case occurred in my experience. One of my Communicants after having been several years a Com- municant, applied to a neighboring Rector for baptism. He had been baptized by a Presbyterian Clergyman. The Rector without consulting me referred him to the Bishop. And the Bishop, without my knowledge, re- baptized him, reconfirmed him, and readmitted him to ^he Communion. The whole series of acts being un- necessary and a violation of law. The ground taken for this act of intrusion was, that a Bishop is a universal Diocesan Pastor, and therefore to be appealed to as such : a ground of course unten- able, and to be resisted. The occurrence of one such case renders possible the occurrence of others. It is well to be forearmed therefore with this decision ; that while a valid Baptism is a sine qua non, and therefore WHO OUGHT TO BE CANDIDATES. 135 invalidity of baptism must at all hazards be supplied by valid l^aptism, yet that a valid baptism ought not to be repeated : a regular confirmation need not be repeated even when the Candidate was actually unbap- tized at the time of receiving that Ordinance, because his subsequent reception of the Sacrament will supply all that had been deficient in the Ordinance. Suppose the Candidate has already been confirmed ? Such confirmation will have taken place either, by a minister w^ho is not a bishop, as in the Lutheran Church ; by a Bishop in a Protestant Church, not in communion with ours, as in the Swedish; or by a Bishop who is heretical, as in the Romish Church. The answer is, that the Rite is apostolic, and must be administered according to apostolic usage. Its in- tention is to bring a believer not only into communion with the Church Catholic, but into union with our own particular Church, which is both Episcopal and Pr'otestant. On one or other of the prongs of the antlers of this definition, the doubts in question will be caught. For, in the Lutheran Church, which practises confir- mation, or the Calvinistic Church, which would practise confirmation if it followed the advice of its founder, ministers are not bishops ; and in the Methodist Church, which may yet be led to practise confirmation under the pressure of advancing public opinion, recurring to John Wesley's advice, its nominal bishops are only Presbyters ; consequently these ministers can only bring a Candidate into union with Presbyteries, that is, non- Episcopal Churches. A minister who is not a bishop cannot introduce a Candidate into union with an Epis- 136 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. copal Church. Such a confirmation is no confirmation as we understand it. In the next case ; a Bishop in a Church not in com- munion with ours, cannot introduce a member of his Church into communion with ours. But, on the other hand, the Church of England and the Churches in Ireland and Scotland are in communion with ours. The Moravian Church is generally con- sidered in communion with ours, although no definite decision has ever been given by General Convention. The Church of Sweden has been considered in union by one Bishop ; the late Bishop of the Diocese of Illi- nois. No act has ratified it, nor has general opinion as yet sanctioned it. In the next case: a Bishop in a Church which is heretical or schismatical cannot introduce a member into union with our Church, which is Protestant and orthodox. The question would turn upon the condition of the Greek, the Oriental, and the Romish Churches. But the Greek Church, and Oriental Churches, if not fatally heretical have not been acknowledged as in union with ours. The Romish Church, if not schismatical, is cer- tainly heretical, by positive declaration of our Church: and consequently cannot admit a member into union with our Protestant communion. Besides, confirmation in the Romish Church being not a laying on of hands is not the apostolic Rite. Suppose the Candidate was confirmed without proper spiritual qualifications ? This case has been referred to me more than once, both whilst I was a Pastor, and since I have been a Bishop. But it admits of easy solution : WHO OUGHT TO BE CANDIDATES. 137 although it may not be in our power so easily to pacify a conscience which may be disturbed by it. For if the person approaches the ordinance without a due sense of the solemnity or reality of his act, vowing without the intention of obedience to God, professing faith in Christ without possessing any living faith, an act of deliberate or of ignorant hypocrisy, Ave can readily imagine that when the conscience shall become truly awakened, it will be weighed down with a sense of sin committed in this act. And the first impulse will be to repair the fault by repeating the Ordinance in a proper spirit. But all that was external of the act was rightly per- formed. The vow was registered on earth and in heaven. That Avhich was lacking lay in the internal act ; and this is now supplied before God and accepted by Him. There can therefore be no necessity for repeat- ing the external act. And no propriety ; for it could accomplish for the Candidate nothing, nor admit him to any rights which he does not already possess. Confirmation being a ratification of baptismal en- gagements another class of questions is to be met. Suppose the person lias been baptized as an infant in a church which does not require formal engagements on the part of the child; as in some Protestant Churches which do not admit the office of sponsors ? Or supposing the person was baptized in our own Church in private, as an infant, sick, and in danger of death : in which case no engagements are entered into by sponsors ? The duty of bringing the child, if it lives, into the Church, and assuming the sponsorial obligations openly, although solemnly enjoined, is often forgotten. And the child who has been privately bap- 12* 138 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. tized often grows up, without having entered into any formal and verbal vow. Or suppose, what might be as pertinently urged, that the sponsors entered into engagements without any in- tention of keeping them, or any design that the child should be considered as bound by his vow ? Certainly promises made with the lips only are as worthless, as if they were not made at all. The reply to all these suppositions is the same, and simple. In Baptism a child enters into Covenant with Christ. It is not the sponsors' act, but the child's act. It is a real agreement between the child and Christ, through the sponsors, or if there be no sponsors. The terms are sometimes expressed, and sometimes not ex- pressed. But the agreement is always the same, and its terms are implied when not expressed. And this binding vow made in childhood is in all cases to be ratified in adult years. Still another class of difficulties arises, in the minds of those persons wlio have already made a profession of religion by baptism in adult years, or by com- munion; baptized as adults in our Church, or baptized and communing in other Churches. Suppose the person has already assumed vows pub- licly, or as it is termed made a profession of religion, and thereby has done that for whicli confirmation is appointed ? The reply is, as in former cases, that our Church opens only one door to its Communion, and knows only one method of acknowledging attachment to its fellowship. The argument to be used with one who has been baptized in adult years, would be formed, from the WHO OUGHT TO BE CANDIDATES. I39 Apostolic character of the Ordinance, the example of the early Church, and the importance of yielding obe- dience to the laws of our own body. But the most influential consideration with such persons will generally be, the propriety of reaffirming confidence in Christ and their delight in his service ; and the effect of their example upon younger Chris- tians. With all those whom we baptize as adults, care should be taken to forestall the difficulty, by explaining the Church's expectation as to Confirmation, previously to the administration .of the Sacrament. They should understand that when they receive Baptism they agree to come to Confirmation at the earliest opportunity. The argument to be used with those who are already Communicants will be of a similar character. Those who come to us from other Churches may well and courteously consider, that if indeed the Ordinance of Confirmation be onerous, it is not to be expected that strangers, however welcome, should be placed on a footing less onerous than that of the Church's own children : that as Confirmation is the rule for all our own, although educated among us, and although habituated to our modes of thinking, and of whose fidelity we have had experience, certainly it is a right rule for those who have lived without a knowledge of our ways and beyond the oversight of our Ministry. It will be remembered too, with respect to commu- nicants coming to our Church from other Bodies, that comity and good feeling entitle them to the ordinary privileges of general communion and fellowship on the letters they bring from their former Pastors ; but 140 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. these letters do not take the place of our Pastoral examination before admitting them to Confirmation: although it will generally be proper, and expedient, to accept such letters as sufficient testimony without ex- amination. But if a Pastor feels that an examination or further instruction is necessary or expedient, prior to Confirmation, he has a valuable opportunity to inform these new members as to the peculiarities of our own Church, to discover any errors of doctrinal or practical views, and to furnish the corrective. Unconfirmed Communicants will often be heads of families; and their example of neglecting the Ordi- nances of the Church will be employed by their chil- dren and other young people of our flock, as an argument to defend their own neglect, and sometimes their own indifference to religion. This fact puts a powerful plea in our possession. Tliis subject has been presented ^vith minuteness, because many such difficulties will arise in every one^s early ministry; and a solution of these doubts may be often aided by the experience of elders in the Ministry. The Qualifications of Candidates. We are considering only the intellectual qualifica- tions. We are hereafter to consider the spiritual qualifications in detail. But whilst nothing need to be added on these points at this point in the discussion, it will be well to show why this topic should be placed fifth, instead of first, in a course of preparing our Candidates, although it is confessedly first in impor- tance; and why the Spiritual should be considered QUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATES. 141 subsequently to the Intellectual qualifications, although they are of superior moment. Our first object is to invite, not to repel any. We desire not to discourage any one from a careful con- sideration of duty, but to draw if possible all the con- gregation, especially all the careless and irreligious, toward a conscientious regard to this obligation. One may well hope that if successful in this, he may be the means, under divine grace, of awakening their con- sciences. Consequently, let the subject be first presented in its general aspects. Present it as now suggested in its history, authority and perpetuity, and intention, with all the interest that can be thrown around it; so that even the hitherto careless may begin to think about it. Then let them be addressed on the subject of Candidateship, show^ing that all who have been baptized and have not been confirmed are considered by the Church as being bound to share in this Ordi- nance. That opportunity should be taken to press directly upon irreligious baptized persons the unwisdom and ingratitude and sin of neglecting to pay the vow which they have vowed. They may be led to wish that they might be Candidates, and come to listen, when you begin to treat the topic of qualifications. And when that subject is treated, let the same merciful design be kept in view; first show those qualifications which they can more easily, or which they will fancy they can more easily, possess. Show what knowledge is to be gained, and how it is to be acquired. Most of the intelligent members of a flock will see tliat after listen- ing to lectures on Confirmation they have received the 142 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. most of one part of it, the requisite knowledge, and will hope that by attending our lectures on the Cate- chism they will obtain the other part of it. Then there will stand between them and the blessings of the Ordinance the one only question, "Am I spiritually prepared ?" It is the vital question indeed : but now it will be proposed at a time when they will be pre- pared to listen with interest and without prejudice. Proposed at first, it would have repelled them from hearing our instructions. They would infer that they had no part, and were not desired to be present with our class. Proposed at this point, it will strike them, as indeed is true, that we long for their souls, that we present the subject of spiritual qualification not as a barrier but as a guide ; and they will probably be im- pressed by the solemn fact that nothing stands between them and the coveted privileges of a Christian, except the want of confidence in Jesus and loving devotion to Him. A fatal want. But the very fact strongly pressed, under such circumstances will be likely to arouse the conscience. Especially when we are per- mitted to show that the love of Jesus Christ has already bridged this chasm, and that the Holy Ghost is lovingly anxious to lead them in His mercies to the enjoyment of the peace which flows from the act of passing that chasm by faith in the Saviour. Besides, they will have broken the ice on the cold border of that chasm, by showing an interest in some- thing religious. It will seem to them to have been one step towards religion. One barrier between their hearts and ours will be broken down. They will have invited Christian offices : and we will be wanting both in tact QUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATES. 143 and love, if Ave do not take advantage of the opening, and secure their souls for Christ. On one other point, the ground for urghig intellectual qualifications is, first, the Church rule ; and secondly, the nature of the Ordinance. The Church rule. — " None shall be confirmed but such as can say the Creed, the Lord^s Prayer, and the ten Commandments, and can also answer to such other questions as in the short Catechism are contained." This is the lowest qualification. It is intended to exclude neither the feeblest intellect, nor the least amount of knowledge. But it implies that each Can- didate shall have as clear and full an apprehension of these truths as his mental condition or opportunities will allow. Consequently he is expected to study the Catechism, and of course to understand it, as far as his ability will permit. It has already been shown that to understand it thoroughly is to have at command a perfect system of Theology. The naturae of the Ordinance implies the same thing. For its intention, as has been shown, is to confirm dis- ciples in their faith. To be established in it, they must understand it. To prevent their being drawn aside by specious errors, or false teaching, they should be armed against these errors and falsehoods by possessing the truth. If they are to be stable Christians, they must be established in doctrine. A caution is necessary. Whilst endeavoring to in- struct Candidates thoroughly, and give them every reasonable opportunity for knowledge on these subjects, we must be careful to declare that intellectual prepara- tion is not the main thing ; that Christ accepts only the 144 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. preparation of the heart : and that He is ready to wel- come to this Ordinance every true believer however deficient in mere intellectual knowledge. The Benefits of Confirmation. These are direct, and indirect. Direct benefits; or what is sometimes called the grace of Confirmation: benefits which immediately result from its administration. We judge of these from the character of the Candidates, the character of the act, and the promises of God. The Candidates for Con- firmation profess to be, and we are to suppose them in every sense to be, members of Christ's kingdom ; hav- ing received both the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Now the Holy Ghost has selected certain visible Ordinances as the medium through which He dispenses spiritual favors: among these Confirmation is included. For the Ordinance was thus employed by Himself in the early ages of the Church. All tradition and ecclesiastical history de- clare that as a fact it continued to be a means of grace. The Protestant framers of our Prayer Book, from their own experience declare Confirmation to be a means of grace. And the Argument for the Authority and Per- petuity of the Ordinance requires us to believe that it must be so ; for if an external Ordinance is one of the first principles of the religion of Christ, it cannot be less than a means of grace. We add the consideration that prayer, which is al- ways a means of grace, is the chief appointment of this Ordinance; and prayer, while it has the promise of every blessing, is here used under such circumstances BENEFITS OF CONFIRMATION. 145 as are most likely to render it effectual. Believers in Christ supplicate for the bestowal of grace. The Can- didates, the Christian congregation, and the ministers of Jesus Christ, all the believers before his throne, j)ray ; and the single burden of their supplications is that the Ordinance may become a means of grace. Every circumstance tends to insure and increase the fervor of their prayer. The transaction which interests heaven well bespeaks the solemn attention of earth. Persons who have vowed unto the Lord stand before the duly commissioned Minister of Jesus Christ to register their oath of allegiance. Here, in the presence of those who witnessed for them in baptism ; in the sight of the whole body of the Church, with whom they are more particularly united ; under the eye of angels and guardian spirits, who erewhile sang glad songs as they spread tidings of their repentance through the Courts of the upper Sanctuary ; and before Him, the adorable Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in whose blessed Name they were sealed, and unto whom that vow was made which now they renew and ratify ; they solemnly renounce again everything opposed to the Supreme authority of Almighty God; they solemnly separate themselves again from the world : they sol- emnly promise once more and forever to continue Christ's faithful soldiers and servants unto their life's end. Having heard this deliberate determination, the whole body of the faithful, led by the Bishop, supplicate God, that the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit may descend upon these his servants. ^^ Strengthen them!" they cry; ^' strengthen them, we beseech Thee, O Lord ! with the Q 13 146 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. Holy Ghost the Comforter; and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace ; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness ; and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear now and forever/' The Bishop then proceeds to lay his hands upon their heads, by this gesture expressing his fervent desires for each individual, and pointing out one by one the person for whom specific prayer is to be made. And then inviting all to unite in silent prayer with him, he approaches the mercy seat. " De- fend, O Lord, this thy servant with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue thine forever, and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come unto thy everlasting kingdom.'^ ^ov does the siege of the throne cease even here. The true Israel of God remembering the wrestling of pious Jacob, and the Saviour's commendation of the importunate widow, once more unites to pray for these new disciples of the Lord. '^Let Thy Fatherly hand, we beseech Thee, ever be over them ; let Thy Holy Spirit ever be with them ; and so lead them in the knowledge and obe- dience of Thy word, that in the end they may obtain everlasting life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.'' We cannot question the efficacy of such prayers. Here not two only, but a whole Church agreeing in one petition, with holy boldness present it to the God of all grace through the merits of the Saviour, looking for and expecting a favorable answer. Unless w^e believe that grace is received accordingly, the service is a mockery of pious hopes and expectations. As to the nature of the grace to be thus received, a BENEFITS OF CONFIRMATION. I47 careful review of the service will convince us, that it is not any sadden or surprising communication of spiritual strength. An error sometimes exists on this subject, which afterwards leads to discouragement. The Candidates are looking to receive something, they know not exactly what, which invisibly but sensibly shall perfect their virtues, establish their holy habits, and induce a constant satisfactory feeling that they are children of God. But this is not to be anticipated, for this is not what we pray for. We pray for a gradual growth in spiritual graces, a constant steady increase in spiritual strengtli, a power of prevailing in hours of trial and danger, a certain ability of overcoming at tlie last, and of per- severing until the end, until salvation is attained. These graces are not for that instant, but for the future. A sufficiency for each emergency as it occurs is all that is requisite to any Christian. Any superabundant grace might become a snare, and dangerous because it would encourage presumption. Bishop tleremy Taylor well illustrates this truth, " That which we call the miraculous part is the less power. But to cast out the devil of lust, to throw down the pride of Lucifer, to tread on the Great Dragon, and to triumph over our spiritual enemies; to cure a diseased soul, to be unharmed by the poison of temptation, of evil example and evil company : these are the true signs which follow them who believe ; this is to live in the spirit, and walk in the spirit ; this is more than to receive the spirit for a power of working miracles in the natural world; for this is from a super- natural principle, to receive supernatural aids, to a 148 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. supernatural end wrought within the diviner spirit of man." The indirect benefits of Confirmation are : First. The natural consequence of decision. So long as one hesitates, he presents a fair mark for the assaults of fleshly and spiritual foes. The decided Christian is fortunately considered by the world as in a hopeless condition concerning its temptations, and is generally left to pursue his way unmolested. Second. The support afforded by the continual recol- lection of the necessity for maintaining a consistent Christian character. Ezra would not ask the king for a guard, when he was about to return to Jerusalem, simply because he had professed to believe that God favored them who helped Israel, and poured out his wrath upon all who molested them. Nehemiah, pro- fessing to be laboring for God, replied to those who would have tempted him to forsake his work, " Shall such a man as I flee ?'^ And Joseph, " How shall I/' who worship such an holy God, '^ how shall I do this great Avickedness and sin against God?" A professing Christian finds his profession a very great barrier against sin. Previously, when sinners enticed him, he could oppose them only with the secret reluctance of his heart. Now the character he wears is a defensive armor. His steadfast reply to sinners and to sin is the pithy language, with which the ancient martyr faced all solicitations to apostatize, " I am a Christian." Third. The access thus given to the sympathy and experience of elder Christians. Many persons are hin- dered for a long while, some indeed finally hindered, because they conceal their feelings. If they could BENEFITS OF CONFIRMATION. 149 reveal their difficulties to any sympathizing heart they would be immediately relieved and comforted. But when they are confirmed they enter the body of the faithful, and the heart of every true Christian is open to them. In future difficulties, temptations, and trials, they have a storehouse of assistance, in the experience of those who have passed this way before them, and to whom nothing should give greater delight than to succor the distressed, by their own experience. If the theory of the Gospel is realized among us, if we are Brethren of the household of faith, and fellow travellers towards the Celestial City, our Candidates have a right to feel that the sympathy and experience of elder pilgrims, with all the benefits of it, are theirs, so soon as they shall join the Christian company. It will be to compare great things by small : yet, if mem- bership in a Masonic or an Odd Fellows' Lodge, or even in a Co-operative Society, gives one substantial benefits, we cannot place a membership of Christ's Church on a lower plane. Sympathy and fellowship with the Church do not mean that all benefits are to be received directly from Christ, or waited for until we reach His presence, but that we may expect them from the love and fellowship of those who are Christ's, and expect to enjoy them whilst we are still on earth. A devout participation in this Ordinance secures the powerful assistance of Almiglity God. The Candidate humbly claims the fulfilment of the Divine Covenant of Baptism. So far as in him lies the conditions have been fulfilled ; and now he waits with assurance to re- ceive the promise of God. The Lord was pleased graciously to lay Himself under a conditional obliga- 13* 150 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. tion. The Candidate, through grace, has accomplished the condition. The whole power of God to succor and support is, therefore, from henceforth, his. The second topic of Intellectual preparation should be, instruction in The Doctrines of the Church. Confirmation implies maturity of faith, and steadfast- ness of religious opinions. And this not in general only ; but in those particular beliefs which distinguish Episcopal Churches from others. It is requisite then that the Confirmation class should understand the doctrines of the Bible, as our Church holds and teaches them. This requires specific and particular instruction. Many also will come to us from other Christian Churches, who will be already instructed, more or less. In the first case they study the differences between their previous and present Church. In the second case they study the whole subject of religion as do our own young Candidates. Many, it is to be hoped, will come directly to the Church out of the world. Their whole religious views are to be formed. The largest number will come by that regular pro- gress intended by our Church system, through Home training, Sunday and Bible Class, and the Pastor's class in the Catechism; trained up in the nurture of the Lord, in the doctrines of Baptism and of the Church. Instruction in their case is to be continued and per- fected. DOCTRINE ILLUSTRATED. 151 In order to give this combined and perfected in- struction, no method is so simple, easy, direct, or effec- tual, as to deliver carefully constructed Lectures on the Catechism ; enlarging the instruction already given to children, and putting it in a shape better suited for a general congregation, or at least for the more mature minds of Candidates for Confirmation. Every point of such instruction should be proved, when necessary, by Scripture ; always, should be de- clared to be based upon Scripture ; Scripture should be presented as the sole authority. Every point should be illustrated by the standards of our Church, by Creeds, Articles, Liturgy, and Homilies. As a guide in such lectures, let Archbishop Seeker's Lectures on the Catechism be studied. Bishop White has also shown his estimate of the value of this method of instruction, by preparing a course on the Catechism. Rev. Dr. Henshaw, before he was made Bishop of Rhode Island, prepared a full and admirable series of Lectures on the Catechism. My habit has been to lecture on the Catechism when- ever preparing a class for Confirmation ; both formally in church, and informally in the lecture-room : always taking the ground-work as already laid out, dividing the teachings of the Catechism into five parts. This course and method of instruction was recommended by Bishop Jeremy Taylor, and was adopted by Bishops Seeker, White, and Henshaw. Bishop Henshaw in his Preface says, "Acting under the belief, now generally received among us, that the Church Catechism is the best guide to Protestant Epis- copalians in the religious education of their children, 152 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. the Author prepared the following exposition of it for the benefit of his people." Special attention should be paid to illustrating the Catechism by our Articles ; not only because they are authoritative and carefully worded statements of our doctrines, but because they are so frequently overlooked. Our people seldom know what the Articles do teach. The whole subject of Doctrines, Liturgy, Worship, Kites, Usages and Laws should be taught. The Church's teaching is to be defined and enforced by its uniform practice, and at the same time occasional prac- tice is to be corrected by immemorial doctrine. As a specimen of the manner of using the standards to illustrate the Catechism, I give the following hints: On Doctrines. — The Rule of Christian faith, given in the Catechism, is proved by Scripture, and is stated clearly in Article VI. The Doctrine of the Trinity is illustrated in the Litany, and in the Gloria Patria, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Te Deum, and the Benedictions. The Doctrine of Repentance is illustrated by Homily XIX. The Doctrine of the Sacraments is given in Articles XXV.-XXXI. ; against superstitious use ; against the idea that the spiritual value of a Sacrament inheres in the elements. This is further illustrated by the Rubrics after the Communion. No private Sacraments are allowed ; no receiving alone is tolerated. The Lord's Supper is held to be efficacious although one may not be able to receive the elements ; this truth is illustrated by the last Rubric in the Liturgy of the Holy Com- munion. LITURGY AND CUSTOMS. 153 The Doctrine of the Lord's Day is given in Canon XX. Title I. of the Digest. Also in a Resolution passed at the Diocesan Convention of Ohio in 1836. On Practice. — Reverence to God, as inculcated in the Catechism, and the worship of God, are illustrated by our customs; for example, kneeling when one enters God's house, and a proper regard for the Chancel, where God's word is preached, where prayer is made, and the Sacraments are administered. So also by pos- tures in worship. Renunciation of worldly amusements, vain dress, and show, are illustrated by Homily YI. ; and by Resolu- tions of the Convention of Ohio, 1821-25, and those of Virginia. Family Prayer is enforced by the provisions of a form for it in the Prayer Book : and by a Resolution of the Convention of Ohio, 1834. G^ PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. CHAPTER IX. QUALIFICATIONS AND TESTS. Spiritual Instruction for Confirmation. According to a Pastor's view of the spiritual quali- fications demanded for Confirmation will be the spiritual character of the congregation which gathers around his ministry and forms his church. Various views of Qualifications are held, running between extremes. The lowest view is that Confirmation is merely a decent formality, which all children pass through be- fore they come of age and take their places in society. It is sometimes considered a prerequisite for young ladies and gentlemen before " coming out" into com- pany ! * The next view, scarcely higher, is, that it transfers from Sponsors' shoulders a burden, which the baptized person himself is now to carry. Observe; it is not considered as discharging a religious vow : but assuming of a vow, which it is inconvenient for the Sponsor longer to bear. It is supposed that the Candidate will * This opinion was expressed to me by a parent who brought a child to receive the Ordinance. 15 1 VARIOUS VIEWS OF QUALIFICATIONS. I55 discharge the vow if ever he should go to the Holy Oomraunioii : but it is understood that he is not to proceed at once to Communion, nor does he consider himself prepared therefor. It is a simple transfer of obligation from the shoulders of one subject to another: an entirely formal act, marked by no spiritual qualifi- cation whatsoever. The next higher view (that is, one degree less low) is that Confirmation being an item of Church law, all the Church's children are bound to conform to it. If they have put no particular hindrance in the way by evil lives, and in a general sense are willing to promise to pay decent respect to the Covenant, they are to be admitted, as loyal members of an ecclesiastical govern- ment. A shadow of a shade of rehgious thought manifests itself here, because the shadow of the Church falls on this conception of Confirmation. The next view, beginning to be really higher, be- cause it has respect to a spiritual qualification, is, that Confirmation is a part of an appointed spiritual educa- tion. Holding that a germ of life was planted in Baptism, it is held that Confirmation is one of the appointed means, and a chief means, of bringing that germ to healthful development. It is not required that Candidates shall exhibit spiritual life, but taking for granted that every one who is baptized has received the germs of a spiritual new life. Confirmation is em- ployed as a means of forcing that life into exhibition. I was present on one occasion wlien these views were put forth in a definite shape. The Sermon before Con- firmation had assumed that one who professed to have received Christ Jesus the Lord should inquire whether 156 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. his spiritual life Avas exhibiting itself as a living union with this Saviour. Immediately after the sermon, the Candidate was presented to be confirmed, and the Bishop addressed him thus : " It is a happy thing, my friend, that we are not required to go into any difficult questioning as to our union with Christ. We have been baptized. We have been admitted into his Church. We have been regenerated by water and the Holy Spirit. Our names are on the Register. It (the Parisli Register) will determine that we have a right to be admitted to all the privileges of his Church. . It is a happy thing that we need not trouble ourselves with deep spiritual questions, which are so apt to mislead the inquirers ; but in simple faith of the fact that our names are registered among the baptized we may go forward to take the solemn vows of Con- firmation, and endeavor to keep them unto our lives' end." It is to be presumed that in this expression the Bishop held that divine grace had been implanted at the time of Baj^tism, and needed only to be properly nurtured througli Confirmation, and by the means of grace which should follow. In the next higher view. Confirmation is a means of fixing and confirming religious impressions: and should be so employed. Positive signs of a spiritual new birth are not required: but the Ordinance is employed to deepen convictions, to strengthen resolutions, and to quicken holy purposes; in other words, to lead to spiritual renewal. This view is advocated by the obvious propriety of dealing very gently with tender consciences. We ought to encourage by every proper VARIOUS VIEWS OF QUALIFICATIONS. 157 means a preparation of heart which will open the way for the implanting of new life. But the question is, is the Ordinance an expression of spiritual life? The service for Confirmation so declares. But if so, can we use the Ordinance as if it were to be the means of giving that life ? We shall thereby run the hazard of teaching those who are merely awakened to the importance of religion, that they are truly Christians. Ministers are sorely tempted to adopt this view. Kindness of disposition, earnest desire to cherish the first sparks of religious impression, fear lest they should quench the spirit in any heart, as well as the difficulty of determining whether a true work of grace has begun, combine to render this view a popular one. If the next view to be presented is the true one, we must not act on this view, however attractive. And yet while cautioned against it, we must also be cautioned of the difficulty of deciding at what moment, or with how little observation, the w^ork of the Holy Spirit commences in the soul. At this point careful discretion will be called for. The oppo- site consideration, however, is scarcely less important. There is really more danger of encouraging a false profession, than of discouraging true spiritual life. The work of divine grace is never effectually hindered by external obstacles. That life grows in despite of outward difficulties. We have no right to check it : yet if we should err on that side, our ignorance or want of discretion is not likely to be fatal. Any evil which might arise from delaying Confirmation will be easily repaired; because so soon as religious life unmistakably appears our Church provides that the person may be 14 158 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. admitted to Communion ; and Confirmation will then follow at the first convenient season. But it is almost impossible to repair the injury, if we should admit a person to a profession of Christianity, when spiritual life is wanting. The probability is that having sub- stituted an unreality for the reality of religion, such a person will never recover. In the highest view spiritual renewal is presupposed. Clergymen differ much in applying this rule; differ much in reading the signs of spiritual new life. But all who adopt it agree that a spiritual new birth in some real sense is a prerequisite for confirmation. This view is based upon the words and meaning of the Ritual, and the reason of the thing. The words of the Preface to Confirmation are sig- nificant, "Which order is very convenient to be ob- served, to the end that children being now come to years of discretion, and having learned what their godfathers and godmothers promised for them in bap- tism, may themselves with their own mouth and con- sent, openly before the Church ratify and confirm the same ; and also promise that by the grace of God they will evermore endeavor themselves faithfully to observe such things, as they by their own confession have assented unto." In interpreting this language, it is to be noted that, although called children, these persons are no longer children. Carelessly employed, the language may and probably often does mislead. But these are children of God at years of discretion, capable of judging in spiritual things and acting for themselves, consequently no longer children. Let us use the word, persons, as VARIOUS VIEWS OF QUALIFICATIONS. 159 synonymous. These persons understand the vow of their Baptism. They come to ratify it. Consequently they understand its whole force and intent. Next, they assent to what is done. An act of will follows upon an act of understanding. And lest this should be considered a mere intellectual act, the Church takes care to state, that the person acts by his own mouth and consent. Consent implies an act of affections. It is consent of the heart. The understanding, the will, and the affections, all three are therefore engaged. Nor is this a barren act, nor limited by time ; for it leads to a promise that this act shall bind for life and govern one's actions ever thereafter. But all this might be tlie language of a deceived and self-confident heart. The Church makes its caveat here by declaring that this act is wholly spiritual, a promise made with entire reliance upon the grace of God. No terms in our language could more clearly declare that the Church supposes herself to be dealing with persons who have been spiritually renewed. Persons of age, discretion in judgment, understanding their obligations under the Christian covenant, by an act of will, both intellectual and of the heart, and professedly acting under the guidance of and dependent on, divine grace, assent to, and consent to, and affirm, a determi- nation to be guided by the Covenant with our Lord Jesus Christ unto their lives' end : that Covenant being nothing less than to believe all that God has taught, to renounce all that He has forbidden, and to do all that He has commanded. Without doubt, this is to be a Christian : and it cannot be in any real sense unless the person has been new born by the Holy Ghost. 160 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. This view is affirmed by the language of the Thanks- giving offered at the time of confirmation. " It hath pleased Thee to regenerate these persons by water and the Holy Ghost, and to give them forgiveness of all their sins." This is true spiritual regeneration ; on the one side signified by the baptism of water, and on the other proved by the baptism by the Holy Ghost and the remission of sins. It is not a mere repetition of language used at Infant baptism with charitable hope. These are not infants. They are persons of discretion. And the Pastor presents them as persons on whose nature (as he believes) has passed that great change without which our Saviour says no man can enter the kingdom of heaven. So far the language of the Ritual. But further : the Rubric requires that persons who have been baptized as Adults shall as soon as possible be confirmed. Consequently their qualifications for Confirmation are the same as, certainly no less than, those for Adult Baptism. " Repentance whereby they forsake sin and fiiith, whereby they steadfastly believe the promises of God made to them in that Sacrament." Their character and confession ! How delicate and yet how thorough are the outlines of this portrait of a child of God ! " As for you who have now by baptism put on Christ, it is your part and duty also, being made the child of God and of the light, by faith in Jesus Christ, to walk answerably to your Christian calling, and as becometh the children of light; remembering always that Baptism representeth us unto our profes- sion ; which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him ; that as he died, and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, MARKS OF SPIRITUAL CHARACTER. 1(31 die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness ; con- tinually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living." The reason of the thing equally proves our point. For Confirmation being intended as a Profession of Christ's religion, the Candidate is expected to possess what he professes to have. Being intended as a Con- fession of Faith, both intellectual and of the heart, the Candidate is therefore expected to have this faith which he confesses ; and in a good degree. Being in- tended to indicate that the person is an established Christian, he should therefore be such. Being intended to admit him to all Christian privileges, and especially to the Lord's Supper, he should therefore be fully prepared for that chief privilege of Christian faith. The Marks of Spiritual New Birth vary so widely, that it is almost impossible to give a test which may be universally or invariably applied. Beyond those or- dinary signs of faith, expressions of confidence in the Saviour, and signs of spiritual tranquillity after the tumult of feeling which follows upon a sense that our sins have been forgiven for His name's sake, I think the following will be recognized as distinguishing marks : 1. A desire for the salvation of the souls of others. It generally shows itself at first in a lively interest for the spiritual welfare of some dear friend, and an effort to effect it by prayer and labors more or less judicious. The circle of interest for others rapidly widens. 2. A real self-consecration to Christ. A readiness to labor for Him anywhere, and in any way which shall 14* 162 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. seem to be duty. Often this desire leaps over the bounds of discretion, is manifested by zeal rather than cautious labor, needs to be repressed, or rather guided, instead of being stimulated. 3. Self-distrust. 4. New views of Christ ; a sense of his presence and influence, unfelt before. A realization of the Saviour, as a friend and guide. Consequently what may be termed leaning upon him ; not so much a conscious log- ical result, or a sort of philosophical spiritual sequence, but an unnoticed, almost unconscious result, a needs be, as if it were the most natural thing in the world and by no means an effort ; a habit of taking counsel with the Saviour, appealing for His guidance at all times, and walking as if realizing His heavenly presence. 5. Right views of sin. 6. A readiness to give up everything that is felt to be opposed to the Saviour's service and inconsistent with it, or that it is feared, might be so. This shows itself in renunciations of worldly life ; a desire to avoid irreligious company, a decision to escape the snares of fashionable amusements, a breaking off of habits that lead into associations uncongenial with the Christian life. 7. A great desire to be at work in the Master's cause. This cannot be repressed. The Christian will work for Christ. And a Pastor's most arduous labor will probably be to find sufficient employment for his young Christians. The foregoing tests, or some modifications of them, may usually be applied to most of those who advise with us as to Confirmation. MARKS OF SPIRITUAL CHARACTER: 163 The real question in all cases is, as to the reality, not as to the degree of the new life. Bishop Mcll- vaine has given admirable cautions :* "It is the reality, not the degree of atttiinment in spiritual things, by which you are to judge of your fitness for the Ordi- nance in view. Tender consciences are not unfrequently much troubled for the want of this distinction. Because they easily ascertain that they are very far from having as deep a repent- ance, as lively a faith, as fervent a love, and as complete an obedience as they ought to have, and as they suppose Christians generally have ; they fear they are too far beneath the will of God to be warranted in coming to the communion of the Lord's Supper, and to that solemn Ordinance which is introductory thereto. But who, if this were the true method of ascertaining one's fitness, would not be prevented from approaching? True Christians are found of very different degrees of attainment in grace. But their privileges as Christians, in regard to the com- munion of the Church, are not different. Though some are more grown than others, all are alive unto God ; and therefore all are partakers of the hope of salvation through Christ, and of that Communion of his Body and Blood by which the true hope is strengthened and animated." " But the question now is, not whether you have need of more repentance and faith and love and obedience and holiness ; but whether you have any. Not whether you have advanced to a certain measure of growth, but whether you have been born into the divine life ; not how far you have attained towards the stature of men in Christ Jesus, but whether you have attained to the condition of ' children of God and of the light, by faith in Christ Jesus.' You may have been born again of the Holy Ghost, and so have begun to live unto God and to be His ' dear children,' and yet you may be still in the infancy of grace; having all the features of children of God, the heart, the mind, the will— and yet all in infancy ; growing indeed, but not grown ; becoming daily more established, but yet very weak, very deli- cate, and peculiarly dependent upon all the means of grace. The * Mcllvaine on Confirmation. IQ4: PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. question now is, Have you reason to believe that you have been born of the Spirit and are children of God ; that you have and do repent, believe, love, obey, and follow after holiness ? If you answer, 'Yes; though all is exceedingly weak and unworthy.' Then come. If any real Christians should more than any others partake in Ordinances of a sealing, confirming, and invigorating character, surely they are those who are still in the beginning of grace." Tests of Spiritual Character. It has been found profitable by many Pastors to place in the hands of Candidates a series of questions prepared and used by the Eev. Dr. Bedell of St. An- drew's Church, Philadelphia. I have employed them invariably, and always with profit. In not more than five or six cases have Candidates shown any reluctance to answer them; and those cases could be otherwise dealt with. Generally received with gratitude, and an- swered with pleasure, they enabled me to discover the precise point of spiritual difficulty, if there were any. In all cases where it was necessary, the insufficiency of replies given to these questions has proved to be a suffi- cient reason for the Candidate's withdrawal. DR. BEDELL TO HIS CANDIDATES. " My dear friend, as you are about to make a profession of re- ligion, I am exceedingly anxious that both you and I should be satisfied on some important points. In order to this, I have adopted a plan which my revered father pursued, for several years, in his parish. His example will excuse whatever novelty there may seem to be in the request which I now make. It is, that you will do me the favor (for I ask it as a favor, not as a right) to meditate on the following questions, and give me your answers in writing. I have two great objects in view : one is, that I may be satisfied as to the correctness of your sentiments ; and the other, that should I, at any subsequent periods, as a faith- TESTS OF SPIRITUAL CHARACTER. 1(35 ful Pastor, be obliged to remind you of any departures from the line of duty and love, I may have the advantage of placing be- fore you, your own deliberate conclusions, when you joined your- self to the Lord, in the bonds of a covenant which ought never to be forgotten. Kead these questions — pray over them — com- pare them with the Word of God. If they in the least depart from the simplicity of the Gospel, I have no wish that you should answer them. Satisfy your mind on this point. I wish you to act conscientiously, and in the fear of God. This is one of the most solemn periods of your life, and you must act with eternity in view. Take two copies of your answers, written both in pre- cisely the same words. Keep one for your own satisfaction — read it once every week, by yourself and with prayer ; and com- pare your spiritual condition and progress on each such occasion with what you now discover them to be. Give the other copy into my hands. It is for my private satisfaction, as the Pastor set over you in the Lord, and responsible to Him for the manner in which I discharge my duty to you. May the Lord direct you, and keep you by His grace, and finally present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. ^ ^ Questions f 07' Self -Examination. " 1. Do I acknowledge and feel that I am a sinner in the sight of God ? " 2. Do I recognize the necessity of repentance ; and what good reason have I to suppose that I have repented of my sins? "3. What reasons have I to suppose that I have experienced that change of heart which is so often spoken of in Scripture and without which no one can enter the kingdom of heaven ? " 4. Am I sure that as a sinner, unable to save myself, I am resting my only hope upon the sole merits of the Lord Jesus Christ? " 5. Do I look upon the Lord Jesus Christ as a Divine Saviour, who took our nature upon Him, and died upon the cross as an all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world ? " 6. Do I think that I am capable, without the influence of the Holy Spirit, to turn myself to the service of God ? "7. Do I feel as if it were my duty, as well as my privilege, to spend a stated time every day in prayer to God ? Do I take pleasure in this ? 166 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. " 8; Do I believe that the Bible is the Word of God ; and that I am bound to obey its requisitions? " 9. Do I think that I ought to read the Bible with regularity and prayer ; and do I love to do so ? " 10. Do I believe that I am bound to give up my heart and life to the service of God ; and is it my earnest desire to do so ? " 11. Do I believe it my solemn duty to make a profession of religion ? Do I think that I am bound to maintain a consistent Christian profession ? " 12. What is my candid and free opinion as to the nature of what are called the amusements of the world, such as theatres, operas, balls, gaming, horse racing, etc. " 13. Is it my Cipinion that I could with an}^ consistency as a professing Christian engage in these amusements? " 14. Do I love any of these things now? " 15. Should I be led astray in relation to any of these things, or should I in any way dishonor ray profession, what ought to be my own opinion of my own spiritual state? Ought not my Pastor, by counsel or admonition, to lead me back ? " 16. Do I think that I ought to be much engaged, by every lawful means, in advancing the Lord's cause? " 17. Am I determined, by divine grace, to adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour ; to follow in every possible way the example of Christ; and to seek, above every thing else, the glory of God, and the salvation of my soul ? " 18. Have I prayed over these questions, and have I answered them sincerely and in the fear of God ? ' Be not deceived : God is not mocked.' " Let your answers be full and explicit. You may not be able to reply as well as you would wish. Do not regard this. Keply as well as you are able. Your answers are for my eye alone. If you do not feel able to reply at all, I can send you answers for your approbation. What I want is to ascertain the state of your mind as to the things of religion. Thus I may know how to adapt my Christian instruction to your case. " Let your answers be written on a separate sheet of letter- paper, and let the numbers affixed to your answers correspond carefully with the questions. " If in any point you are in doubt, let me know. Gladly will T seek to direct you in anything which concerns your eternal TESTS OF SPIRITUAL CHARACTER. 167 peace. Gladly will T pray with you and for you. My heart's desire is that you may be saved, and be made, by your precept and example, the instrument of saving others ; which may God grant, for His mercy's sake in Jesus Christ our Lord. " Your friend and Pastor." As an illustration of this method of examining Can- didates I record a part of one set of answers, which were returned to me. They have been very precious to me, and have been tenderly cherished. They were written by a servant woman. They exhibit such a knowledge of Scripture, and of those ^Yants and ex- periences of soul which Scripture meets, that they at once revealed the fact that she was a sincere and much enlightened child of God. I wish that I had never had any greater difficulty in deciding as to the religious ripeness of a Candidate, than in this case. Questions. 1. Do I acknowledge and feel that I am a sinner in the sight of God ? 2. Do I recognize the neces- sity of repentance ; and what good reason have I to suppose that I have repented of my sins? 3. What reasons have I to suppose that I have experienced that change of heart which is so often spoken of in Scripture, and without which no one can enter the kingdom of heaven? 4. Am I sure that as a sin- ner, unable to save myself, I am resting my only hope upon the sole merits of the Lord Jesus Christ? Answers. 1. I acknowledge my trans- gressions, my sin is ever before me. 2. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father. 3. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to perform that is good, I find not. 4. Who is he that condemn- eth. It is Christ that died. Yea, rather that is risen again. Who is ever at the right hand of God. Who also maketh intercession for us. 168 PREPARATION FOR CONFIRMATION. QUESTIOKS. 12. What is my opinion as to the nature of what are called the amusements of the world, such as theatres, balls, gaming, horse racing? etc. 13. Is it my opinion that I could with any consistency as a professing Christian engage in these amusements ? 14. Do I love these things now ? 15. Should I be led astray in relation to any of these things ? etc. 18. Have I prayed over these questions, and have I answered them sincerely and in the fear of God? "Be not deceived: God is not mocked." Answers. 12. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the spirit. 13. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 14. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. 15. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall, 18. Lord, all my desire is before Thee. Teach me Thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth. Incline my heart to fear thy name. In using such helps, the Pastor must make it a rule to present the questions to every Candidate, without an exception, even when it does not appear to be abso- lutely necessary ; so that his custom may appear not less than a rule, and the presentation in any case may not be deemed invidious. It is an advantage for a Pastor to have beside him, at subsequent periods, evidence of what was the Chris- tianas state of mind at the time of Confirmation. This is frankly stated in the letter referred to : and should be understood. These answers may be employed, when necessary, as a means of administering unobtrusive counsel or rCproof. I have found it sufficient to recall a Christian from wandering, or to protect a Christian TESTS OF SPIRITUAL CHARACTER. 169 against temptatioiij quite sufficient, to read over, with such a person, the terms of this volunta'ry covenant with Christ. Some Clergymen urge young Christians to make a written dedication of themselves to God. Two evils may be feared from this course: encouraging an over- estimate of religious self-consecration : and encouraging a feeling that one is doing a meritorious service, and therefore I do not recommend it. H 16 CONFIRMATION. CHAPTER X. INSTRUCTION FOLLOWING THE RITE. Instruction subsequently to Confirmation is an impor- tant Pastoral duty ; certainly not less important than thai which precedes the Rite. It should embrace two topics; namely, The Dangers which threaten the Confirmed : and The Duties which devolve on them. Dangers. — The primary danger to one who has lately been confirmed arises from the pressure of temptation. In order to impress it, give it shape, and exhibit clearly the mode of relief, Satan should be revealed as its source. " We are not ignorant of his devices.'' * Supineness may be encouraged by the idea that we are wrestling with a common foe ; or indeed with an imaginary being. Satan is sometimes supposed to exist only as evil desires within : an impersonal foe. On the contrary we are engaged against a personal spiritual being of great intellectual power, acuteness, and malice. Although "not less than Archangel ruined,'' he does not possess all knowledge, however. He is not omniscient. He can know us only by our * 2 Corinthians ii. 11. 170 DANGERS. 271 acts; he judges by them: he cannot discover our dis- positions or designs except by lives which he sees, and words which he hears. Our advice then is very urgent that we should watch over actions and words in order to prevent his discovery of our peculiarities, and to avoid giving him a clue by which he might fit his temptations to our case. Encourage self-distrust. Let there be no want of manly confidence in oneself, under the resources which God in His grace and Gospel presents. Every external indication of faulty disposition and desire should be prevented. A look, an act, a Avord, especially one's habitual manner, may lay open one's whole soul to so subtle and wise an observer of character as Satan. God alone, blessed be his name! sees and reads our hearts. If, therefore, we can avoid the signs, the ex- ternal marks, of weakness, we shall prevent the Devil from discovering the real extent, and certainly the par- ticular details, of our spiritual infirmities. We thus close at least one door against him. He may resort to shrewd guesses and ingenious device : but in war there is every difference between an enemy who spies the in- terior of a castle, and one who only infers what it is likely to be. As an illustration of this truth, observe, that when the Tempter came to Jesus, he was baffled by his purity and silence ; wholly baffled. He guessed by signs of physical weakness; but he guessed wrongly. In every case, Jesus was so careful in his words, that the Tempter could not obtain any distinct idea of his desires or dis- position. In one instance he caught at Jesus' language; but again he was mistaken. In the last temptation he 1 72 CONFIRM A TION. resortea to a supposition. He assumed that to be true which he thought the Messiah would probably desire : but again he utterly missed his mark. So valuable are purity of conduct, and silence, or discreet words, in baffling the Tempter. In presenting this exceedingly important subject I can only suggest thoughts ; leaving to those who read to give them that full measure and roundness which will be needed when they are to be emnloyed in Pas- toral ministration. The peculiarities of Satan^s Temptations are to be considered. It is his habit to conceal himself. He is always disguised. He comes to us in unexpected forms, the most dangerous of which is the guise of friendship. He pretends to be afraid that these young soldiers of Christ will become over-religious, and thereby injure themselves by over-exertion in the cause of Christ either in bodily health, or mental or spiritual equa- nimity. Worldly friends often take this ground ; and worse than all, sometimes professed Christian friend- ship, whose religion has become cold, uses this advice, as much we surmise to excuse itself as to defend the young Christian from harm. In another guise the Devil offers to become an expounder of Holy Scripture. In cases of doubt he tempts one to become impatient of the ordinary guidance of the Divine Word sought for by prayer. He proposes to settle the question sooner by following the guidance of feeling, or the maxims of worldly wdsdom, or the advice of a class of friends whom ordinary Christian prudence would lead us to avoid. In any such case it is important to point out that the Bible is the only rule ; that under TEMPTATIONS DESTROYING HOPE. 173 the guidance of the Spirit as Interpreter, its obvious meaning can be trusted. That the safe rule is, to dis- trust every suggestion which would lead from a higher to a lower standard of piety: or which diminishes devotion, or detracts from a true surrender to Christ, or renders one less active in his service, or makes one less spiritual, or inclines one to approadi to the former line of worldly life. Distrust the influence of business, or even of study, or even of benevolent activity, if the necessary effect of them is to absorb time in such a manner as to prevent proper habits of religion, and attention to the primary duties of life. Ministers should be on their guard against this temptation ; for the tendency of close engagement in religious duties is to diminish attention to personal religion. Observe the ingenuity of Satan's plan when he pre- sents temptations to sin, the purpose and result of which is to destroy hope. If the Devil can induce a young Christian to sin, hope Avill be dimmed ; and if sin in- creases, hope will die. But with the diminution of hope, religious fervor, and activity in Christ's work are necessarily diminished. And so the one reacting on the other, sin and hopelessness increase to the ruin of piety. This class of temptations assumes various forms; one of which is to relaxation of efforts. A Pastor here will make great use of our Saviour's example, of constancy in well doing and in loving labors, in order to blunt and destroy the force of this temptation. Another is to omit specifiG religious duties. A Pastor will show that these religious acts are to become habit- ual. In order to protect himself, the young Christian must gain habits. Let no pressure of circumstances, 15* 1 74 CONFIRM A TION. either religious or worldly, interfere with the constant recurrence of duties. Remember no wise man is governed by circumstances. Wise men always control them. Another device is to tempt one to return little hy little towards^ and at last to resume worldly habits and customs which had been renounced. At this point a Pastor will meet, and should distinctly define the extent and lines of Renunciation, which is vowed in Baptism, and reaffirmed in Confirmation. WORLDLY AMUSEMENTS. The question what worldly amusements, customs, and habits are to be abandoned when one becomes a pro- fessing Christian is of no less importance than difficulty. The difficulty arises from the shelving off at the lines of contact between harmless and harmful amusements : and between harmless and inexpedient amusements. Here the Pastor's wisdom and skill exhibit themselves. Here his gentleness, sympathies, and fidelity all apply themselves to the task of settling doubts and aiding a young Christian's judgment. The questions will be easily put at rest if the person who presents them is thoroughly spiritually-minded ; indeed in that case will seldom even be suggested ; and just in proportion to the earnestness of religion will be easily answered. The general principles have been better stated — more simply, succinctly, and practically stated — by the late Dr. Bedell in his Essay on Worldly Amusements, than I have ever seen them elsewhere. The principles stated by Dr. Bedell are these. It is a Communicant's duty to renounce whatever will TEMPTATIONS DESTROYING HOPE. 175 tend to destroy personal religion : will have a tendency to weaken the influence of religion on the minds of others : will be in danger of putting a stumbling-block in the way of many : will give unnecessary offence to the feelings of many conscientious fellow Christians : will be inconsistent with the word of God.* No serious-minded Christian can dispute the correct- ness of these principles. And I am inclined to think that no Pastor will find difficulty in applying these principles, where a Christian is really desirous of know- ing the truth. As to the evil habits of gaming and horse-racing, Christians do not often differ. As to public Balls and the Theatre, some Pastors may be helped by the following statement of the argument: THE CHURCn'S RULE. " The Church's rule in all things is based upon Scripture, and is derived from it. The Scriptural rule, which covers these par- ticulars, is given by St. Paul in Eomans xii. 2, to wit: ' Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds.' And in Titus ii. 11-14, to wit: ' The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teach- ing us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, look- ing for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' * This Essay is attached to Bickersteth's Treatise on the Lord's Supper, as published by Kobert Carter, of New York ; or in a Btill more convenient form it is published by T. Whittaker, as " The Renunciation" : a little book which might wisely be given to every Candidate immediately after Confirmation. 176 CONFIRMATION. " The point of this Scriptural rule is, that we should live 'godly,' i.e., for God, 'in this present world,' 'not conformed to this world,' hut as *a peculiar people,' as the same Apostle writes, Ephes. ii. 2, thereby enabling us to define what he means by the term 'transformed,' and showing that the trans- formation extends to practices as well as to disposition ; to wit, 'in times.past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air,' i.e., the devil. It is a transformation from a ' course of life in ' this world,' which was under the. general guidance of evil principles, and conformed to worldly customs, to a course of life under the guidance of Christ, and conformed to the ' peculiar' customs of His ' people,' who are ' zealous of good works.' In other words, the Apostle declares that Christians have ceased to follow the habits of ' the world' in those particulars which display world- liness of spirit, and have conformed to habits which exhibit spiritual-mindedness. " What, then, did the Apostle mean by the term ' the world' ? He has not left us in doubt. And his definition will show the bearing of this Scriptural rule upon the particular customs in question. " The Apostle frequently speaks of the ' world' in contrast with the Church of Christ, in his Epistles to the Corinthians ; and it is not doubted that by this term, ' the world,' he charac- terizes that dominion which is opposed to the dominion of Christ over the affections and conduct, and out of which one passes into the Christian kingdom. Every classical student and every person familiar with Grecian history, and especially with Co- rinthian customs, knows that ' public balls' and ' theatres' were associated with, and were part of, that idolatrous and ungodly system which is characterized by St. Paul as 'the world,' the spirit of which is described as ' worldliness.' These two par- ticular customs were considered as belonging to, and significant of, the authority of ' the Prince of the power of the air' over those who were habituated to or adopted them. Therefore, it was with reference to these practices, among others, namely : 'public balls' and 'theatres,' that the Apostle, in his second Epistle to the Corinthians vi. 17, lays down this rule, ' Where- fore, come out from among them and be ye separate, saith TEMPTATIONS DESTROYING HOPE. 177 the^ Lord, and touch not the unclean thing.' Such is the Scriptural rule for Communicants. They are to separate them- selves from, not to be conformed to, ' worldliness' which is the spirit, and 'the world' which is the practice, renounced by them, when in baptism they renounced ' the devil and all his works. ' " If 'public balls' and ' theatres' have ceased to be what they were in Apostles' days, or now lead, not to demoralization and unspiritual-mindedness, but to virtue, godliness, and purity, no doubt the Apostolic rule has ceased to apply. But until they shall be transformed in their customs and tendencies, these two worldly practices must be considered to lie under the Apostolic prohibition. Upon this Kule the Church's Law is framed, and is, of course, consonant with it. " The Baptismal Rule is renunciation 'of the devil and all his works ;' and it will be difficult to give a full catalogue of all that tends to lead the mind and affections away from God and the life of religion back again to the world, unless the two customs in question are included in it. The Confirmation Rule implies this separation ; for it is neither reasonable nor possible to con- ceive that the prayer can be answered, ' that he may daily in- crease in thy Holy Spirit,' if, on any day, the Confirmed indulge in these practices. It is not supposed that any Christian regards ' public balls' or ' the theatre' as means of grace. " The Rule of Holy Communion requires this separation, and the being ' not conformed ;' for in the Invocation, ' we offer and present unto' the ' Lord' 'ourselves, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice.' It is not supposable that we could include in the idea of our ' living sacrifice' offered to God, the idea of participating in those particular customs which were habits of idolatrous sacrifices. Accordingly, the Bishops of our Church and the Conventions of our Dioceses have stated the Rule for Communicants in sim- ilar terms. The House of Bishops, in a resolution May 27, 1817, 'solicitous for the preservation of the purity of the Church and the piety of its members, warn the people of the danger of in- dulging in those worldly pleasures which tend to withdraw the affections from spiritual things. Especially on the subject of gaming, of amusements involving cruelty to the brute creation, 178 CONFIRMATION. and of theatrical representations, they express their unanimous opinion, that from their licentious tendency and the strong temptations to vice which they aiford, they ought not to be frequented.' "Again, in their Pastoral Letter of 1817, the Bishops say of the theatre, ' that it is a foul source of very extensive corrup- tion.' Similar language is held in several subsequent Pastoral Letters. " In 1868 the Bishops say : ' In former Pastoral Letters we have warned you concerning worldly amusements and of the tendency of many forms of them to create a distaste for pure, simple, and domestic pleasures, innocent enjoyments and espe- cially for the stern duties and elevated sympathies of a holy life.' ' In our day there is a licentiousness and grossness in theatrical and like entertainments which would have been shock- ing to even the least refined in the days of our fathers. We exhort you to flee these things ; and above all to separate from all contact with their pollutions the young and precious souls for whom you have answered in" Holy Baptism.' "And in 1871, the Bishops 'renew the warnings' 'against those public amusements, from the sight and lessons of which any true morality, to say nothing of true religion, ought to make good men and women withdraw themselves, and most scrupulously keep their children.' " In the last General Convention, the House of Bishops passed a resolution, which, although not enacted into a canon by the House of Deputies, is an expression of the opinion of the Bishops on the general subject. The particular points in question are included under the injunction ' to exhibit to the world in the membership of the Church, a peculiar people, called out to be scf arate from all vain pomps and glories, and all things which imperil spirituality of life :' and in the warning against 'attend- ance at places frequented by evil livers.' The expression of opinion is as follows : " ' Ministers shall also be continually diligent in the inculca- tion of Christian holiness of life in such following of the example of our Saviour Christ as shall exhibit to the world in the mem- bership of the Church a peculiar people, called out to be separate from all vain pomps and glories, covetous desires, fraudulent TEMPTATIONS DESTROYING HOPE. 179 dealings, and all things which imperil spirituality of life; and more specifically, as occasion shall require, shall warn their people against habits of gaming, intemperance, the criminal destruction of ante-natal life, attendance at places frequented by evil livers, and sports abused to purposes of licentiousness or fraud; exhorting to the maintenance of family worship and the due observance of the Lord's Day ; and calling upon parents and sponsors to train their children and god-children, both by precept and example, faithfully to observe their baptismal vows.' " In the Pastoral Letter of 1877, the Bishops assume that ' associations with the play-house are inconsistent with Christian character.' Individual Bishops have given similar expression to their opinions. "Archbishop Seeker, commenting on the renunciation in Bap- tism, writes: 'not only the heathen world had its idolatrous pomps and immoral vanities, which were meant by this renuncia- tion at the first, but that which calls itself Christian is full of things from which a Christian must abstain; all diversions, en- tertainments, and acquaintances, that have a tendency to hurt our morals or our piety.' " Bishop Daniel Wilson (whose unblemished character and con- sistent piety give weight to his opinion) remarks : ' The Christian renounces all vain and foolish mis-employment of time; stage^ plays, operas, and other seducing amusements.' " Bishop Henshaw says : ' Those pleasures which inflame the passions : all those trifling and corrupting pleasures which are fondly pursued by the world.' " It would not be possible to make an enumeration of customs which are thus characterized, without including ' public balls' and ' theatres.' "Accordingly, the Diocesan Convention of Virginia, in 1818, at that time combining such social influences as to be rightly capable of giving tone to the moral sentiment of our Church ; — • containing then, and speaking by the mouth of, such men as William H. Wilmer, Bushrod Washington, and Edmund I. Lee; — defining the prohibition of the Bishops' Pastoral Letter of 1817, declares its ' opinion, that gaming, attending on theatres, public balls, horse racing, should be relinquished by all the com- municants of this Church.' 180 CON FIRM A TION. " The Convention of the Diocese of Ohio, in 1821, declared that ' theatrical amusements ought not to be frequented, espe- cially by Communicants' : and in 1825, declared, that ' whereas the practice of mixing in the fashionable amusements of the world is inconsistent with the principles of Christianity, and has a direct tendency to check the progress of vital religion, it be earnestly recommended to the members of this Church, to abstain from frequenting balls, and other places of vain amusement.' "The Kule of Scripture, thus expounded by the Church for Communicants forbids attendance on 'Public Balls,' and 'The- atres.' " Common sentiment sufficiently defines the amusements which are thus named. Publicity, and indiscriminate attendance, are associated with the idea. Those amusements are especially ob- noxious to the rule which separate young people from the safe- guards of home, and from the protection of the conventionalities of that social life to which their parents or guardians are accus- tomed. Should a Communicant ever feel a doubt as to the pro- priety of joining in an amusement to which he or she is invited, it will be wise, as well us safe, to abstain from that which is ques- tionable. " It is not easy to draw the line which separates public from private amusements; or objectionable from those which are per- missible. But, 'gaming,' 'horse racing,' 'public balls,' and ' theatres,' have been declared by the Church to be objectionable ; and as to others, a Communicant, and especially a young Com- municant, will do well to keep within the safeguards of home life, and of that social circle which is frequented and adorned by a parent's presence. " ' And thou, man of God, speak thou the things which become .sound doctrine,' ' that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate' ; ' the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness,' ' that they may teach the young women to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home.' 'Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded.' ' In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works.' " A Pastor will decide many cases of conscience in these and similar respects with peculiar tenderness. TEMPTATIONS DESTROYING HAPPINESS. 181 Great allowances must be made for the influence of education and peculiar social habits which surround a young Christian. Whilst faithful to the purity of the Gospel, ani regardful of the true character of Christ's Church, yet tlie Pastor will do well to remember that he is the servant of Him who never broke a bruised reed nor quenched the smoking flax. Another form of Satan's temptation, leads one to yield again to one^s easily besetting sin. Here a Pastor will show the terrible danger of taking the first step back. All the danger lies there. "Ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute." A temptation to self-oonfidenoe and self-satisfaction, as if the whole business of religion were now done, and the matter settled forever : as if the person being now under the' grace of God, on which he presumes, were quite able to take care of liis religious future. This is a fruitful source of disasters, repentance, and grief. Observe the ingenuity of another class of tempta- tions : temptations to doubt in orxler to destroy the happi- ness of religious life. Unhappiness in religion is very likely to lead to distrust of Christ, and a return to irre- ligion ; therefore the Devil strives to make the young Christian un peaceful, at the very point where he ex- pected to find peace. A Christian should be advised to consider temporary un peaceful ness as a temptation, not as a sin : and then should be urged not to let it become a sin. He should not yield to it in the least degree. Let the promises of Christ be often read, and realized. Prayer should be resorted to. Acts of faith, obedience, and loving devotion should be constant. A Christian 16 182 CONFIRM A TION. activelv eng^aired in lovins: ministries for Christ's sake is not often a doubting Christian. This case will be specifically treated hereafter, when we consider various phases of religious experience. It is enough here to say, that when these temptations arise among Candi- dates, a Pastor's wisest plan will be, to draw them out of themselves and away from self-contemplation as far as possible. It is not wise to throw them into a whirl- pool of doubts circling round the questions, whether their repentance is real, or their faith in the Saviour sufficient. Enlist their activity in outside work for Christ. Let it be work which will call out their affections to Him through true charities. Thus by the best logic of facts they will be convinced that Satan's assertion is false, and that he lies (as usual) when he whispers that they are not true to Christ and have ceased to love Him. Duties. — As a preliminary consideration it is to be pressed on the Confirmed that by the nature of the vow, duties are incumbent, and are to be done at every cost and hazard. But to relieve an undue pressure, let it be remembered that God never requires of us more than one duty at a time. He gives us time enough for each. If a crowd of duties w^ere forcing themselves at any one moment, they Avould become oppressive ; but each is approached singly ; and being singly considered is bravely faced, and performed. The most prominent Duties are prayer, devotional reading and study, and personal usefulness. A habit of prayer. — We cannot trust ourselves to per- form punctually even so sacred a duty as prayer, until it becomes habitual and is enjoyed. The principle of DUTIES. 188 duty must be established by habit of practice. In order to form firm habits, which are repetitious of actioa or thoughts, we engage ourselves in them by the asso- ciations of time, place, manner, and surrounding cir- cumstances. 1. Private Prayer. — It should occur Morning and Evening. We should have a fixed hour for it and a place. It is well to have a room for private prayer : and a place in the room devoted to it. In the Mission- ary School at Basle, each student had an oratory, a little apartment of his own, used for no other purpose than prayer. An hour or part of an hour early in the day is best suited for prayer. It is better to secure it before business or pleasure divide one's thoughts. Some use the quiet hour of twilight in the evening. The most advanced Christians have observed a few moments at noon for prayer. David prayed three times a day : even seven times a day. The busiest Christian cannot be more busy than he. A workman, a mill- hand, a merchant, or a mother, any one, can find and take a few moments of nooning to retire within oneself to commune with God. 2. Family Prayer. — All the family should be pres- ent ; the servants as well as the children. Kegularity in hour and place are very important because of the valuable uses of association, and that business or do- mestic ari-angements may be adjusted to them. When a family rule is fixed in this respect, Roman Cath- olic servants are allowed to attend, if it is under- stood that otherwise they lose their situation. The Priests however recommend that they shall cross them- selves; a harmless habit, to which it is not worth our 1 84 CONFIRM A TION. while to object. Besides having a fixed hour and place^ it is of advantage to use a special pra} er desk, for hold- ing the Family Bible, and Prayer Book. Let it be so made that it cannot be employed for any other family purpose. Children thus learn to venerate the symbols of family devotion. Once, visiting a Presbyterian friend in Philadelphia, as he was showing me his beautiful home, he touched a spring in a panel within the wall on the stairway, and a door sprang open into a thoroughly appointed little family chapel. Everything within this beautiful room was suggestive of prayer : and it was never used for any other purpose. Those who have been privileged to worship morning and evening in the private Chapels of religious families in England will not soon forget the sweet impression of sacredness in place and manner. It would be well if without- degenerating into super- stitions we could enjoy in our own America more of such holy associations of place and circumstances in our Family devotion. Social Prayer. — We only name it now. We shall consider the subject of Social Prayer definitely under the topic of Social Instruction. Public Prayer. — Let punctuality be observed : and also strict attention to the forms of worship ; and these both for the sake of personal advantage, and for the sake of example. A Christian's example in this re- spect is of prime importance as a member of a Church whose principles are order, fixed regularity, and whole- some forms. Example is exceedingly important in educating children and dependents to follow these wise rules. Punctuality means on the point of time. Half- DUTIES. 185 past ten means half-paist ten; eleven o'clock means eleven o'clock, not five minutes after or fifteen minutes late ; (and, by the way, means it for the Minister, as well as the people ;) not after the sentences have been read; not when the noise of one's creaking boots or rustling silks may disturb the solemnity of the exhorta- tion or the sacredness of confession, or prevent the quiet appreciation of the absolution. Attention to forms should be pressed on the Con- firmed as a solemn duty. Opportunity should be taken to impress the importance of posture. It may even be necessary to explain that sitting is not kneeling in prayer; neither is sitting to sing that posture which our Church teaches us to use in praising God. The all-seeing God perceives, and a quick-witted Devil also perceives, that, that nondescript lazy half-sitting, half- bowing posture which is the fashion nowadays, instead of being both kneeling and sitting, is neither. God dis- cerns when such a posture is necessary to a Christian on account of bodily infirmity. But when the Devil per- ceives, as he can easily do by unmistakable signs, that such a posture is assumed for sheer laziness, he seizes that open door to thrust in his temptations ; and he holds it open, until he has produced thereby listlessness and wandering thoughts, and not seldom sleepiness and sleep. Impress on the Confirmed the importance of respond- ing in audible tones, tones that will encourage both the Minister and our neighbors : not indeed for the purpose of disturbing any, but of encouraging all. Impress the importance of saying Amen ; at the right places. It greatly assists the liveliness of one's own devotion ; and breaks up the currents of wandering thoughts. 16* 1 36 CONFIRM A TION. Devotional reading, and Study of Scripture. — This duty is evident. Study is the easiest of the two: Devotional reading is the more difficult. To assist in the latter, devotional helps should be used. Practical Commentaries on Scripture are of great value; such as Scott, especially; and experimental books, such as Bridges on the CXIX. Psalm, or Archbishop Leighton, or Jay's Morning and Evening Exercises ; or Hannah More's devotions ; or Thomas a Kempis. Study should be study, not the pretence of it. Next to the study of the Originals, we recommend the study of the English version. We have lately heard of a Lady who studied Hebrew for no other purpose than that she might appreciate more thoroughly the devo- tional treasures of the Old Testament Scriptures, espe- cially the Psalms. But few may be capable of such an effort. The best mode of individual religious study of the English version, is, by References ; comparing Scripture with Scripture. The worst method is de- pendence on Commentaries, which, instead of helping one to think, saves one the trouble of thinking. The American Tract Society's Commentary is a good hand- book for private study; suggestive but not substitu- tionary. Add to this study reflection, meditation, and prayer. By these means a simple-minded child of God, even without much learning, will become capable of discern- ing the " wondrous things" out of God's law, and dis- covering the depth of the riches of the revelation of God's love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Personal usefulness is among the most important par- ticulars to be pressed on a young Christian. Progress, PERSONAL USEFULNESS. 187 and happiness, will largely depend on the conscientious- ness with which he sets himself at once about the Lord's work ; and somewhat upon the degree of in- telligent knowledge with which his Pastor guides him. Here a Minister's responsibility shows itself very quickly, and at this point skill, experience, and wisdom will be instantly put to the test. The principles which guide personal usefulness, are to be, thorough self-consecration; readiness for self-sacrifice; supreme devotion to Christ; deep in- terest in the welfare of those who are to be influenced ; including an interest both in their spiritual health and their temporal happiness. Adaptation of means to ends: in other words, tact. Contrivance of means for ends : in other words, ingenuity and skill. The applications of these principles are to be guided by the following, among many, important rules. Christians are to act in their own sphere, not outside of it. Their object should be a definite one ; to promote Christ's glory. The means used should advance the spiritual good of others : and sometimes indirectly, but oftenest di- rectly, advance the temporal happiness of others. 1. Each is to be assisted in determining what he or she can do in their own sphere. Young men may be called to enter the Ministry : but it is not every earnest young Christian man's duty to preach the Gospel. Some skilful workmen in the handicrafts can serve Christ much better there than in preaching. Many a Merchant, or a Shoemaker, or a Blacksmith can do better work for Christ in those vocations, than by 188 CONFIRMATION. undertaking to guide men's spiritual interests. It is to be borne in mind that Christ needs servants in every sphere. Therefore let no young man be disturbed in his business calling, unless it is certain that the Lord has called him to the Ministry. " Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.'^ '^ Men and women are to be instructed how to serve Christ within the lines of their daily employment. They are to act precisely within the limits which God's Providence has fixed. An artisan is not to attempt to show a banker how he can more profitably manage his exchange for the glory of Christ. A landsman may not wisely attempt to teach a conscientious sea captain how to sail his ship for the greater glory of God. A Christian woman may use her influence in the social circle to remedy disorders, and improve customs and the general tone of Society. But she would be stepping out of her sphere to enter my domestic circle and help me rule the house, or my wife to manage her intricate housewifery. Onesimus the Christian was a servant still, although he was to be esteemed as a brother beloved. Each Christian is to work within his sphere. 2. In all occupations, plans and purposes let Christ's glory be the one object. A Christian should know no other purpose ; and this ought to be kept constantly in view. So the Apostles taught. A worthy object in one's life glorifies it. If Christ be all in all to a servant or a master, to a parent or a child, to a clerk or to the merchant who is wielding a thousand clerkly * 1 Corinthians vii. 20. PERSONAL INFLUENCE. 189 forces, each of them has an equally glorious task. Let us remember the old saying ; An Angel sent to rule a kingdom, and an Angel sent to rock the cradle of a Christ child, among the poorest of the poor, would be equally happy, and his task equally ennobled. 3. Efforts to do good are to be made by conversa- tion ; by tracts ; by silent consistency of life ; by earnest activity ; by prayer for others ; by particular plans suited to special cases. Sometimes, however, every door is shut except that which is opened close beside the Mercy-seat. At a revival near New Brunswick an aged negro woman full of faith, sitting in the gallery, watched the young men below her, not having any special interest in either of them. She fixed her mind on one who attracted attention by some quietness of demeanor; and she began to commune with her Father in heaven, con- cerning that young man, until she saw that he had been influenced to go to the Minister for counsel. Then she selected another as an object for her prayer. And so sitting alone in her gallery, unnoticed in her silence, she prayed until one after another of the body of S'tudents below her — ten or more, it is said — had become subjects of the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit. In the wonderful arrangements of means to ends, or, if one prefers to call them so, of precedents to consequents, in the Divine plan, we cannot decide how much, or how little, of the final result was due to her special prayer. But the fact is recorded as it occurred. It was a sequence, certainly, if not a con- sequence. Every Pastor may rejoice to know that there is ever lying behind his direct efforts, the indi- 190 CONFIRMATION. rectly acting forces of hearty faithful prayer, offered for special cases. In the use of tracts, good sense should be exercised. No one should be encouraged to distribute tracts with- out discrimination. ^' The swearer's prayer" was left at my door in New York regularly month after month ; subsequently varied by the " drunkard's grave." Ad- mirable tracts, but worse than useless if generally dis- tributed in that mode. It would be quite as useful to the distributor to have it done by a messenger boy. If this distribution is to become, as it may well be, a tremendous instrument for good, young Christians should be taught to use their judgment with some knowledge, and to manifest a personal interest in the results ; and also to follow them up by personal con- versation. In rare cases, especially when the parties are very familiar, personal conversation may injure the applica- tion of this spiritual force. In those cases the tract must take its course as an arrow shot at a venture. 4. Personal comfort of soul and body. — Let every young Christian strive first of all to make home happy. Cultivate social qualities. Cultivate the mind. Read books that lead to thought. Thus the Christian may be able to talk interestingly. It is well to become familiar with some one science, or art, or department of history. These furnish inexhaustible themes for conversation, and enable one to illustrate happily the grand truths of religion. Christians should discourage parsimony; using economy of course, but in every way they should make home the most attractive place on earth. Wisdom will be given if the Holy Spirit's PERSONAL USEFULNESS. 191 aid is sincerely sought. Similar suggestions apply to the efforts which a Christian ought to make to increase the happiness of other homes; especially of poorer homes. A thousand methods will occur to an in- genious and a sympathetic nature by which, without intrusion, he may bring or send happiness into homes where only misery has been known. Coming to the Lord's Supper, — This is both duty and privilege. The Confirmed ought not to be satis- fied, until they have made this solemn act a religious habit, and learned to enjoy it. CONFIRMATION. CHAPTER XL INSTRUCTION FOLLOWING THE RITE. The Candidates after Confirmation should not be left to find their own way onward in a religious life. Many of them will be young and inexperienced. These need a Pastor's guidance, sympathy, and care. The result of throwing them immediately upon their own resources, may be to expose them to temptation, and often does invite their downfall. It is not seldom said, " My Pastor was exceedingly interested in my welfare before I was confirmed ; since then, he has forgotten me ; he does not seem to care, whether I become strong and stable, or remain always a child in grace." Such expressions ought not ever to have even a shadow of truth in them. The Confirmed may be helped as a class. — Continued instruction to them in a class will be less invidious than instructions to individuals. It will also give oppor- tunity for indirectly counselling those who otherwise might hold themselves aloof from receiving individual advice. Many plans for such continued instruction have been proposed. Those which have been often profitably employed, are 1. Continuing the Confirmation Class meetings, so 192 HELPS TO THE CONFIRMED. 193 long as they are enjoyed ; and indeed until the interest in them is evidently passing away. As a matter of policy, the interest must not be allowed to die in our hands. If there should seem to be a fear of it, dis- solve the class whilst the interest is still lively ; and adopt some otlier scheme. The meetings may be con- tinued afterwards in the form of a Bible Class ; or a devotional or charitable circle. A Pastor's objects will be twofold ; instruction, and the culture of devotional and charitable habits. He will thus become easily and thoroughly acquainted with his young members, and with their states of mind ; and they will acquire con- fidence in him. 2. Annual meetings for Confirmation Classes, have been found beneficial. A special address is made re- calling past scenes and vows. An opportunity is given to hint at errors which may have been seen, without individualizing them. Perhaps an Annual Sermon may be preached for a Confirmation Class ; after one year merging the Class into others which have preceded it : and so addressing annually those who have dedi- cated themselves to God under our Pastoral care. 3. Commiming together. — Some Clergymen arrange that the Candidates after Confirmation shall receive their first Communion together, and alone. It may be a very happy and sacred bond, creating a special fel- lowship among these young servants of Christ. Dr. Bedell, of Philadelphia, was accustomed to use that opportunity for a brief address ; giving special solem- nity to the Sacramental Covenant, the oath of alle- giance, and deepening a sense of reality in the dedi- cation. I 17 ] 94 CONFIRM A TION. The Confirmed may he helped as individuals. — While Class instruction is to be encouraged, individual instruc- tion must not be neglected. It is undoubtedly the more effective of the two. A Pastor will watch the early steps of young disciples : watching not like a policeman, but like a compassionate father, with such solicitude as our heavenly Father shows, and with out- stretched arms of sympathy, and with paternal counsel. Of some he must be more careful than others. Of some he must be anxious, " pulling them out of the fire." Discrimination is to be shown. A true Pastor will lead his Confirmed on, one by one, to the Lord's Supper ; tending and guarding each until each has become amalgamated Avith the mass of the living Church, and is able to move on with that mass without further special help. Young Clergymen are sometimes troubled in deciding whether to admit all of the Confirmed to the Holy Communion without delay. As a general rule no hesitation need be shown, if proper caution has been used in admitting to Confirma- tion. If a doubt should arise, it is certainly better to take time to solve it ; and apply the test of experi- ence. A Minister may often make use of books or tracts suited to special needs, among these young Chris- tians. For example, to encourage private devotion, " Hannah More's Private Devotions'' is recommended. To help religious meditations, ^^ Jay's Morning and Evening Exercises.'' To guide in duties, "James's Christian Professor," "Personal Piety." To encour- age piety, "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life." Such books happily are supplied by the Societies HELPS TO THE CONFIRMED. 195 and by the "religious Booksellers/' almost without number.* It is well sometimes for a Pastor to put on paper his thoughts respecting a Candidate. A note or a letter may enable him to be more exact in statement, and to draw from Hiq young Christian a more clearly defined expression of religious difficulty or religious experience than can be done by conversation. Above all tlie Pastor will busy himself in setting his Confirmed at work. His business is to draw out their energies; to develop their talents; to quicken their relig- ious affections by inducing them to labor for the spiritual good or temporal happiness of others. Thus he will introduce them practically into the fellowship of Christ's people ; into the Communion of Saints. This subject of religious activity has assumed a new importance in the eye of the Church since Laymen, and specially Christian women, have taught us its true methods, and shown how wide, and widely open, are the opportunities for it. I refer to books Avhich ought to be studied, such as "Ragged homes and how to mend them;" "English hearts and hands;" "The Missing Link f " The City and ragged schools ;" " Haste to the rescue;" and "Women helpers in the Church." The last of these was written by Mr. and Mrs. Welsh. Their labors in the City of Philadelphia, and at Frankford, a manufacturing town near it, have done more than any other cause to awaken our Church's attention to this subject. * Eefer to the list of books and tracts recommended for Pastor's Practical Library, in the Appendix. 196 CONFIRMATION. Mr. Welsh,* by request of the Church Conference, held in Toronto, Canada, in November, 1877, wrote as follows, on this topic : " Before proceeding to this subject, let us briefly consider whether there is at this time any special need in the Church for increased personal service by the laity, and whether women are the most available and efficient helpers. " It is conceded that the Church is not ministering successfully to the great producing classes, and it is equally evident that there is an increasing determination on the part of ministers and people to benefit all sorts and conditions of men. " Public preaching has been intensified and popularized to the utmost, especially in connection with what is termed the revival system. On the other extreme, ornate ritual and sacramental rites and observances have been stretched to their utmost. Still, all orderly religious bodies know that the great body of the people, even in our large cities, are not likely to be incorporated as living members into the Church of Christ by any of the means hitherto relied on. The most intelligent and observant Christians have become convinced that visible religion is the great agency established by the Divine Founder of the Church for the successful preaching of the Gospel to every creature. It has been found that the subtle wiles of the devil, whether wrought through human philosophy, skepticism, or even infi- delity, lose their power in the presence of ^visible religion.'' It has also been found that the Church has been neglecting the older Divine institution, the family ; and that through its agency the Church can acquire tenfold more power over the people. "Woman's influence in the family is everywhere acknowl- edged; therefore, to reach it and to sanctify the household, women helpers are absolutely necessary. Communities of Sis- terhoods and Deaconesses are essential for women without family ties, or with certain characteristics that make a community life ^ Whilst these lines were being penned, the Lord called William Welsh, suddenly, from this life to the better; from active work to restful activity. HELPS TO THE CONFIRMED. 197 helpful, and there are classes of work that can only be performed successfully through the members of such communities. This, however, comprises but a small portion of the great work in- trusted to the Christian Church. " The ordained minister, being viewed as a man specially called of God to a peculiar work, cannot always reach the minds and hearts of those who class him with members of other professions. So the woman set apart to a special work, and pecu- liarly habited, is less successful in moulding family life than the wife or the mother or the daughter, who comes fresh from her own home, with all its cares and perplexities, to lighten the load of some sister overwrought or overperplexed with the cares of this life. Our Lord and Saviour sympathized with fallen beings so fully as to take upon Him their nature and their sins, but He asks fallen beings to go one step beyond what was possible to the sinless One ; and as actual penitent sinners to have perfect sym- pathy with other sinners, comforting and encouraging them with the very comfort wherewith they themselves have been com- forted. Any experienced, intelligent, sympathizing Christian woman, whether she be wife or daughter, can become an in- valuable helper by carrying the hopefulness of Christianity to the homes of the sons of toil, both in sickness and in health. " From a large experience, the writer can state with confidence that one such devoted woman can, through sisterly visits, lift up and ennoble hundreds of those who are now viewed as beyond the reach of the Christian Church. In one parish, 700 of such families are systematically visited, and in another 800, by women constrained by Christ's love to give gratuitous service, and in many of these families the toil-worn house-mother has become hopeful, and with her husband and children is drawn Church- ward and Christward. It is true that years are often required to reach successfully those who have been long neglected, or Gospel hardened through the extravagant use of what are known as revivals in religion. Men have often watched these visitors and teachers for years, hoping to discover some lurking sinister motive on their part, and when at last convinced that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ was the sole incentive, religion became to these skeptics and infidels a reality, so visible and powerful as to influence, savingly, both heart and life. The wife and mother who had become thoroughly disheartened because of the 17* 198 CONFIRM A TION. drunkenness of the so-called head of the house, have time and again been so lifted up and ennobled by Christianity thus illus- trated and enforced, tjiat they have refused pecuniary help when living on dry bread alone, saying that 'nothing gets ray man so soon out of a drunken spree, as the realization that his wife and children are almost starving.' These intelligent, sympa- thizing, devoted Christian visitors seem to infuse their very nature into many of those who were almost helpless. " Difficulties between husband and wife, parent and child, neighbor and neighbor, are readily adjusted by sisterly, sym- pathizing, praying visitors, who have had like experience, or have known of it in others. Nearly all of the devoted women, engaged in this work under the observation of the writer, have improved in bodily as well as in spiritual health and happiness, and in no instance have these women, working without distinctive dresses, been insulted in any way, by night or by day, in by- ways or tenement houses ; but they are always treated with the utmost reverence. Social distinctions are never interfered with by those condescending to those of low estate, although a true sisterly intimacy very often arises, for there is frequently real refinement of feeling in the lowliest cottage. The coming of these visitors is the joyous event of the household, and their presence at the Mothers' Meeting, in the Sunday-school, at the adult Bible Class, and in the large worshipping assembly, changes the whole character of the Church. The prodigal did not return home because of his elder brother's propriety of conduct, but be- cause he knew something of the beatings of a father's heart, yearning after the absent one. So a long neglected people will never be drawn into their Father's house by the proprieties of elder brother Christians, but it is found through a wide experi- ence, that with the welcome, the cordial welcome of sympathiz- ing women, the lanes and alleys, with the highways and hedges, yield up to the Church those who were estranged from the house of God. When pews are rented, these women helpers have sometimes paid for a little cluster of seats, welcoming by their presence the invited guests, until such become sufficiently inter- ested to procure seats for themselves. This is, however, but a temporary expedient, and it is seldom that any but chronic pau- pers can become permanently united with a Church into which they are not cordially welcomed by the mass of worshippers. HELPS TO THE CONFIRMED. 199 "In other instances, free services have been established; but the only means thus far ascertained for promoting a permanent incorporation of laboring people into the Church is the more cultivated Christians to welcome them and worship with them,. Mothers' Meetings, sometimes beginning in a cottage with two or three women, have steadily grown until they embrace two or three hundred women, now meeting in the lecture-room of the church. Through this social beginning, these neglected women in most instances have become united with the great worship- ping assembly. When religion became visible in the conduct of these wives and mothers, it was comparatively easy to induce the husband to care for the household one evening in the week, then to visit the adult Bible Class, and then through its agency to be drawn Churchward and Christward. When the husband and wife thus become interested in the Church, the Sunday- school overflows with children, and the parish church becomes permanent. This great work cannot be thoroughly successful where there is only one long morning service, and especially where the Lord's Supper is celebrated at the very hour for the only noonday meal at which the breadwinners can be present. In one parish, through agencies like these, the number of com- municants is nearly double the number of sittings in the church, and yet there is room for a further increase. " The following extracts from the Pastoral Letter recently issued by the House of Bishops, gives authority and force to these crude suggestions prepared as the basis for a discussion on Chris- tian work by women, the most important practical subject now before the Church : " ' Keligion in action has more force in this world than religion in theory. The life of God, if it be in a Church, will manifest its vital activity through the members thereof. If it flows through means of grace, it will flow into persons. It will show its power in the individual as well as by the organized parish. Living members will not be content with cultivating personal holiness, but will work for Christ by every means which the Church sanctions. " « We rejoice with you, beloved, that under the impression of these truths our Church has recognized the value of lay agency, and is rapidly systematizing it. Our pulpit fails to reach a large class of the community, but the Gospel can be successfully carried 200 CONFIRM A TION. to them — as has been proved by well tested experience — by lay people, through men's and women's Bible Classes, Mothers' Meetings, Church Guilds, Working Men's Clubs, Industrial Schools, and Parish Missions. We particularize these instru- mentalities, not to exhaust the enumeration, but to emphasize the methods. In the full work of such instrumentalities oppor- tunity is offered to all our lay people, both men and women, and all peculiarities of disposition and of taste may find occupation. But we caution you that this field of labor is so nearly .allied to the responsible labor of your ministers, that it will be most success- fully occupied by those whose religion has become experimental, and whose spiritual character has been tested, developed, and well rounded. "'In pressing these duties, we exhort you, brethren, to re- member your self-consecration. The breadth of your sacra- mental vows is the measure of your duty.' " As details and methods will all the while be chang- ing and improved, we need to be continually studying the latest developments. I suggest a few lines of work. Christ-work. — I mean by this, distinctively, the effort to bring the ignorant to a knowledge of the Saviour or to keep the enlightened within the range of his mercies. Church-work. — I mean by this, distinctively, work directed towards the purpose of bringing persons within the influences of our particular Church : and that whether they be religiously or irreligiously disposed ; unconverted, or converted. Quiet talks. Following upon such talks, encourage the reading of books such as, ''Walk about Zion,'' or "the Stranger in search of the Church," or " Why am I an Episcopalian." If the person be much interested in the subject, add Bishop Garrett's " Historical Continuity of the Church ;" and if he should become really studious, place in his HELPS TO THE CONFIRMED. 201 hands "Onderdonk on Episcopacy." Quiet Avalks. Let these walks always lead towards the Church. When our companions reach the Church, the work of attention to their comfort begins. They should be made to feel at home. Attentions should never be ob- trusive, but always courteous. At the Church, Prayer Books should be handed to strangers. A few necessary explanations of the service may be ventured, but un- necessary explanations are to be carefully avoided. Gentle and gentlemanly adherence to these companions may be advisable, until their attachment to the Church shall have become complete, and they are no longer in need of our aid in that direction. World-worh. — I mean by this, Christian work which is benevolent and beneficent, in which religion is made secondary and subsidiary ; the end is benevolence ; the means are religious. Such is work in Hospitals; in the guidance of charities; in Mothers' Meetings; in Men's Guilds ; in Co-operative associations ; in the establishment and guidance of Libraries and Reading Kooms, for those who would otherwise be deprived of opportunities for instruction and amusement. Religion should never be intruded ; but its influence should pervade all efforts like a healthy atmosphere. Participants will breathe it in, and unconsciously be- come imbued with it. They will be brought nearer to the Christ, by every sentiment of rectitude and affection which they show towards Christians. This periodical labor in our Church, of preparing a class for Confirmation, now discussed, is a rich Pastoral privilege. It may be a source of unmingled happiness. I* 202 CONFIRMATION. It will be so in proportion to our absolute fidelity to the Gospel, and our simple desire to glorify Christ when bringing the Baptized to acknowledge their Covenant with him. A Minister's most precious opportunity for reaching the truest sympathies of his flock, is found in this annual preparation for the Holy Rite of Confirmation. PREACHING. CHAPTER XIL ITS HISTORY AND VALUE. This topic comes within the lines of Pastoral The- ology, so far as it relates to the best methods of apply- ing sermons and lectures to Pastoral work. While Rhetoric teaches the general rules of composition, and Homiletics, the particular rules of composition of sermons, and the mode of adapting them to spiritual uses, Pastoral Theology treats of the definite applica- tion of Sermons and Lectures to particular cases, needs, and exigencies which may be met in Pastoral care. If our method of treating this latter topic should sometimes include both " Rhetoric" and " Homiletics," it will not be strange; and we trust it will not be deemed amiss. Definition. — Preaching is the authoritative declara- tion of truth by an Ambassador for Christ. It admits of all the power of oratory. But it is not merely ordinary teaching, with the superadded influ- ences arising from ministerial affirmation, and appeals to the reason, affections, and passions of men. For the prominent idea of a Divine Ambassadorship is that the Ambassador brings a sermon — a speech — from God. 203 204 PREACHING. It is the idea of revelation. God's will is to be re- vealed. Sometliing is to be told to man on the part of God. He has already explained it in his Word. But now he intends to explain or impress it further : and therefore he sends a man to whom he has revealed his will, and whom he has commissioned for the pur- pose. This man is to stand between God and man ; between, but not to separate ; only to connect the two ; and by revealing the divine mind, he preaches. Therefore, Preaching has held a high position among divine instruments for enlightening mankind : and has played an important part in sacred history. History. — The history of preaching exhibits two im- portant points, namely : Its significance in the divine economy ; and Its actual influence and power in sacred and secular history. The significance ivhich belongs to preaching in the Divine economy. Preachers in the true sense, those who give authori- tative declarations of truth as Ambassadors from God, are scattered along the whole course of sacred history, even from the remotest ages of the Church. Li olden days they employed not merely poetic skill of prophecy, but oratorical forms, such as now distinguish the pulpit. Before the Flood, Enoch was a Preacher of righteous- ness ; so noted, so eloquent, so much impressing him- self upon his age, that his name stands out from among the worthies who are perpetuated by the brief traditions of the antediluvian era. Noah was a preacher of right- eousness. Standing on the edge of time to the Avorld before the flood, we can well imagine that his sermons HISTORY OF PRE ACHING. 205 were full of power from his visions by faith of judg- ments to come. After him the Patriarchs, exercising their office in their family circles, kept alive the knowl- edge of God, by verbal communications which had the essence of preaching. We get a glimpse of it from Abraham's custom ; " I know that he will command his household after him." Such a household could not well come under the instruction of a single voice, unless the Patriarch revealed divine truth to them whilst, standing beside his morning or evening sacrifice, he preached to his family audience gathered around the altar. In later days, in the times of the Church in the wilderness, we have a record of sermons by the Preacher, Moses. It seems probable that the seventy elders w€re appointed with special reference to this duty of announcing God's revealed will authorita- tively ; for they prophesied.* When Joshua, fearing that they would encroach on Moses' prerogative, said, " My lord Moses, forbid them ;" the meek man replied, " Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets." He would seem to have used that term as signifying, those who make known divine revealed will, under the influence of the Spirit. Such an expression may well stand for a definition of preaching. Joshua was a preacher. You will find two of his sermons recorded in the 23d and 24th chapters of the Book which bears his name : so weighty and eloquent were they, that they fastened themselves on the minds of hearers and were perpetuated by tradition, until long after they had been written down * Vide, Meade. 18 206 PREACHING. by the Scribe. Samuel was both Preacher and Prophet. David "preached righteousness in the great congre- gation." Hengstenburg thinks that David was the author of the Psahn* in which this passage occurs: and that he applies it to himself. But even if the Psalm be Messiamic, there was a foundation for the figure which the Prophet uses; showing that preaching in the great congregation was then a custom well understood. We are familiar with the words of " the Preacher, the son of David." Elijah was Preacher and Prophet. Jonah was sent to preach to Nineveh whilst he prophesied. Schools of the prophets were evidently repositories for public teachers, and places for educating them. After the Captivity, the ordinance took a more posi- tive and historical shape, and appeared as it is in the present day. Then the pulpit of wood was erected ; and the Preacher gave both expositions of the divine word, and exhortations to arouse the people to action. It was a well-known ordinance of the Synagogue, at the opening of the Gospel dispensation. John the Baptist's great influence was exhibited in preaching. Our Saviour followed him, gaining his power over the people as much by preaching as by miracles. "Never man spake like this man." His sermon on the Mount was a grand introduction of his mission to the masses of Judea. Afterwards he applied to himself the prophet's words, " The Lord hath anointed me to preach." His injunctions, which gave the key-note for the harmonious duties of the Chris- * Ps. xl. 9. HISTORY. 207 tian ministiy were, " Go ye and preach the Gospel to eveiy creature.'' Apostles " ceased not to preach Christ Jesus." Their practice is recognized, when the false teachers say, '^ I adjure thee by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." Their injunction to Ministers, like Christ's to them, is, " preach the word, be instant in season, out of season.'^ In the Primitive Church, the same practice was fol- lowed. Homilies, or popular discourses, were delivered by ancient fathers twice, often three times on Sunday. In the second century preaching still maintained its simplicity and integrity; and only in the time of Origen began to decline, as errors began to multiply in the Church. When the Eomish system began to be developed, and it became necessary for its success that the word of God should be hidden, preaching necessarily became extinct. Homilies on the lives of Saints were in vogue ; they did not fill the measure of true preaching. A similar, but more gradual obliteration of true preach- ing, indicated and accompanied a gradual decay of divine truth in the Greek and other Oriental Churches. Many of the monks during the middle ages were emi- nent in preaching, and used this instrument effectively to impress their tenets. Saint Bernard, of Clairvaux,* used it in his contests against Abelard and other error- ists. Peter the Hermit employed it in instigating the earlier, and Saint Bernard the last of the Crusades. But true preaching revived at the Reformation. Nay, rather we should say, preaching led to the Refor- * 1091-1153. 208 PREACHING. mation. It was not only a sign of the revival of truth, but the means of that revival. Luther, trumpet-tongued, shook the Continent : and from his example preaching resumed its divinely ap- pointed place Avithin all orthodox Churches. The actual influence of jpreaching in sacred and secular history. From the history of its effects we infer God's inten- tion in appointing it. The account given by Saint Jude of what is termed Enoch's prophesying, seems little else than the descrip- tion of a sermon on the evils of his day. Although not the first to gather God's people into a Church : yet if we may suppose that he was named after and lived in the City which Cain had founded, then in his own City, Enoch endeavored to stem the torrent of wickedness which was hurrying the world toward a flood, and to prepare the Church of God to endure judgments, by enlivening its faith in the covenanted ^' Seed of the woman." It is a significant fact, that the only preachers of that age were found in the direct line of Christ's Ancestry ; consequently we infer that the purpose of their preaching was mainly evangelical. They kept alive the faith of a people, who whilst living in the midst of general ungodliness, were waiting for Messiah. The Patriarchs preserved truth in their day by religious instructions. Whilst Moses and his Elders, and Joshua and his Elders, lived, the Church was comparatively pure ; and even to the death of the Elders which over- lived Joshua, the Church of Israel was kept from ruin by their personal influence. We judge that this effect HISTORY. 209 was largely the result of preaching. For Joshua's ser- mon under the oak at Shechem is a fair illustration of the mode by which divine truth came in contact with the public mind of that day. Its result was a reforma- tion. Two other striking illustrations of the same truth are given, in Samuel's sermon at Gilgal, and Elijah's on Mount Carmel. After the captivity a revival of preaching seemed to follow very naturally on the finding of the law. Preaching was certainly the means of re-awakening true religion among the Jews, between the times of Ezra and Christ. The preaching of John the Baptist prepared Christ's way, by enlisting the attention of the masses to a com- ing Messiah. The effect of the Saviour's preaching was immediately obvious on the public mind of that day. Although, as the Holy Ghost had not yet come, his sermons seem seldom to have led men to a true faith in Messiah, and not at all to a spiritual awakening of the masses, yet their power was felt in convincing men of sin, and in calling all eyes to the coming, crowning facts of his redeeming work. But after the Holy Ghost was given, preaching began to develop all its intended power. There were sermons at Pentecost which shook Jerusalem as by an earth- quake. St. Paul at Philippi, by preaching opened a door, bound faster than was the gate of his prison, even the jailer's heart. At Iconium, at Ephesus, at Eome, there was a shaking among dry bones of thought, and resurrections in the valleys of dead men, ^'dead in trespasses and sins," whilst Apostles were preaching '' Christ and him crucified." And no other 18* 210 PREACHING. instrument than this, converted the world of those days. The decadence of preaching led to the decadence of truth, the eclipse of faith, and almost the destruction of the Church. The revival of preaching produced the revival of truth, and the resurrection of the Church's life. The right estimate of preaching. Such being the effects of preaching in the ages all along, we are not surprised at the stress laid upon it by- Christ, and by the Apostles under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The Gospel Estimate. — Already fitted for the part it was to play in the new dispensation, Christ adopted it as the one great instrument by which his Gospel should be propagated, and by which that Gospel should pro- duce its regenerating effects upon Society. ^' Go ye into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Such is the appointment which specified it and made it imperative on us. Apostles echoed their Lord's in- structions. " Necessity is laid upon me : yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel.'^* " Whereof I am made a Minister ... to fulfil the word of God, — i.e. (marginal reading) fully to preach the word of God."t " Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel."J " The foolishness of preaching'' is ap- pointed in order " to save them that believe."§ " God hath in due times manifested his word through preach- ing." || This, the divine estimate of preaching, leads ^ 1 Cor. ix. 16. t Col. i. 25. t 1 Cor. i. 17. § 1 Cor. i. 21. II Titus i. 2, 3. RIGHT ESTIMATE. 211 our judgment in describing it as an instrument of the Gospel. A lleans of Grace. — It is the one divinely appointed means for declaring " the glad tidings/^ In the first place, it is admirably fitted for the pur- pose. It carries truth to the heart. In order to move the heart, sympathies must be touched. And sympa- thies are excited mainly by the human voice. The ear is the avenue to the soul. The heart cannot be as quickly or surely approached by the eye as by the ear. The voice has a mysterious influence in touching the deepest cords of sympathy ; and setting them vibrating to the note which the speaker utters. The late Dr. Howe, of Boston, celebrated as the teacher of Laura Bridgman, who was born deaf, dumb, and blind, first called my attention to this peculiar influence, exerted by the human voice over the emo- tions and affections, and through them over the will. He compared the cheerfulness and happiness of blind persons and of deaf-mutes. The comparison is made between those who are living alone, not those living in communities. The deaf can read. All that can be gained from books is open to them. But amidst all the libraries that may be gathered round them, they remain isolated from human hearts ; and one sees the misery on every line of countenance, and catches the querulous tone of it in every sound they utter or sign they make. But the blind, although shut in from nature, and shut out from books, yet get close to human hearts. In every word which is spoken to them they receive a revelation from a human soul, and in replying, 212 PREACHING. they strengthen their sympathies whilst uttering them. Therefore smiles lighten their darkness, and songs tell out the joys of their souls. It is to be observed how closely human hearts ap- proach each other when experiences are exchanged by telling of them. There is such a power in Gough's description of his sad experience of temptation, that it has broken up the power of intemperance in many an- other. Is it ima2:inable that such an effect could be produced without words? Admirable })antomimist as he is, what power would Gougli have were he shut up to pantomime? No ! Truth reaches the heart chiefly, almost solely, by the voice. And therefore Christ chose preaching as the instrument of spreading his Gospel. All other means are inferior. The Sacraments are teachers of truth. They have a certain place as teachers, and a definite power. But their influence extends no further than to confirm and preserve truth which is already proclaimed and known. What effect could they produce, as original preachers? ^Vhat do they say, what does even the Cross say, to those who have never heard the announcement of a Saviour's love? To such persons the Sacraments are impressive, scenic, but silent. So services and Ordinances become teachers to those only who have already been taught. Even one's private reading of Scripture cannot ordi- narily move the soul as the preaching of a sermon may, provided it utter Scriptural truth which has been felt and comes from a heart that has tried it, to a heart that feels the need of it. Thus, through all the Christian ages, one beholds RIGHT ESTIMATE. 213 the efficient power of the pulpit. Peter the Hermit, by his preaching, sent crowds of enthusiastic men to captivity and death, for the rescue of a Saviour's tomb. Luther preaching, waked a dead Church, and brought it out of its sepulchre ; itself startled at its new life, and stumbling among the graves. Francis Xavier, by his preaching, planted the seeds of the Gospel among heathen nations of the far East so successfully, that our Missionaries to this day are still reaping the fruits of them. Bossuet by his sermons led that insurrection against the extreme doctrines of the Papacy, Avliich to this day characterizes Romanism in France. Whitefield roused the Church of England from its lethargy, when secularism and state policy, and human sin, liad fast- ened almost a death grasp upon it. And Wesley kindled a new flame of love to Christ upon its altars. Summerfield, Spurgeon, Liddon, and the Bishop of Peterborougli ; in our own country, Johns, Bedell, Tyng, Mcllvaine, Moody, John Hall, and Phillips Brooks; how their sermons have stirred the commu- nities within which they moved; how they have stirred the life of religion that was beating with slow pulses in the heart of a cold Church ! Bomanists, at last, have felt this truth. Their prac- tice under it reads a forcible lesson to us. Their power over the masses outside of their Church was dying out, because men were ceasing to be attracted by their cere- monials, and could be no longer deluded by mere mum- mery. So they sent forth preachers; repeating an experiment frequently made during the course of their chequered history. Their "Missions" now draw thou- sands into the net, who would have escaped every other 214 PREACHING. snare, but cannot escape the siren power of the human voice. Hooker says, "So worthy a part of divine service we should greatly wrong if we did not regard preach- ing as the ordinance of God. Sermons are as keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; as wings to the Soul; as spurs to the good affections of men ; unto the sound and healthy as food; as physic unto diseased minds." There is another view of the Ordinance of preaching. For not only is it the chief means of communicating the Gospel : but it is the only means, properly so called. For the Gospel is simply a message of salvation. It is not that which saves, but tidings concerning that which saves. If the Gospel were salvation, then Ministers who are " put in trust" of it, as the Apostle says, might possibly communicate it by some sacrament or out- ward sign. But, on the contrary, the Gospel is merely the announcement of salvation : nothing but news, glad tidings. Consequently a Minister of the Gospel has nothing to do but to declare the news — glad tidings. He can do it in no other Avay than by speech. Still further. This saying of God, this promise of mercy through Jesus Christ, is proposed for human belief. Now the heart cannot lay hold of a promise, except by faith. We cannot see or touch a promise. We deal with it only by believing or disbelieving. Consequently the assertion that we are justified by faith alone, is not only no mystery, but is a necessity of the case. As the only possible mode of enjoying the blessing of Christ's religion is believing his word of mercy, so RIGHT ESTIMATE. 215 the only possible method of communicating that word of mercy is by the human voice, by preaching.* A Safeguard of truth. — But preaching has other uses, divinely intended as we believe, to be part of the purpose with which Christ appointed this main Ordi- nance of his Gospel. It is the safeguai-d of truth. Truth however clearly proclaimed in, and however fully accepted by, a community or Church, will not maintain itself. It needs to be continually preached, enforced, explained, and confirmed. The pulpit is the great means, under the Holy Spirit's influence, of perpetually reaffirming truth ; of revealing error ; and of discuss- ing and correcting falsehoods. Its uses to society. — Still further — although on this wide-spreading and important theme we must not fur- ther dilate — preaching has abundant uses for the com- munity, wherein it is practised. It is intimately related to education : indeed is a part of that process in every intelligent community. It en- larges and cultivates the mind of a people by familiar- izing them with great thoughts, and increasing their powers of thinking on the deepest and grandest themes which can enter the soul. It is intimately related to the moral tone of a commu- nity. Its themes are a continual instruction in the prin- ciples of true righteousness towards God, and in neigh- borly justice : and a pulpit true to itself, carries these topics down to particular exhibitions of all right practice between man and man. A healthful moral tone is there- fore produced under the instructions of a healthy pulpit. * Bedell, Trusteeship of the Gospel, p. 16. 216 PREACHING. It is intimately related to the good order of the com- munity. A sound pulpit becomes a good police: it stands behind and gives power to all municipal law. And lastly, the Pulpit is the safeguard of the State. For the Church preaches the Gospel ; the end of the Gospel is obedience, and on obedience stands the State, and therefore the Church is the conservator of Govern- ment. Family discipline may be lax, parental authority may be disused, the schools may teach everything ex- cept submission, but the Church cannot depart from or fail in this its office, so long as its Prayer Book and its pulpit preach the Gospel, for the end of the Gospel is obedience. Christ came because law had been violated. Christ left the bosom of the Father because a word of that Father had been set at defiance. Christ took this poor human nature into union with His person because a world was in rebellion, and no other Being in the universe could bear the awful sin of rebels. Christ poured out his blood upon the Cross because sin, dis- obedience to law, disregard of rightful authority, is a stain so deep in the economy of God that no other foun- tain could wash it white. Even after Gethsemane, and Calvary, and the Tomb, and after the Easter; when Atonement was finished, Reconciliation complete, the body ransomed, the whole manhood saved ; yet, after all these, such was the inwrought iniquity of sin, the corruption that had eaten down among the powers of the soul, and into every one of them, that even the saved manhood could not save itself by so small an act as repentance, or so trifling an effort as belief. It was necessary, therefore, in the scheme of salvation that our ascended Christ should send down the Holy RIGHT ESTIMATE. 217 Gliost to save men. That mighty God, the Holy Ghost, helps the impotent sinner into the saving flood, shows the Saviour to be so able and salvation so precious, makes the Gospel so irresistibly attractive, that the lost soul leaps to this Saviour, and clings to Him, and is saved by Him. But the purpose of salvation is not all accomplished, even when one has believed and is for- given. Christ died not merely that the lawless might be pardoned. The Holy Spirit came not merely that pardoned law-breakers might be reconciled to God. The end of this great salvation wrought out by the Son and wrought in by the Spirit, is that the soul, when pardoned and reconciled, may be rebellious no longer, but may become a submissive and obedient child. The end of the Gosj^el is obedience. Christ came that He might "purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works." And 'Hhe fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.'' To accom- plish this, all teachings of the Bible tend — all the provisions of God toward His children, and all the dealings of Divine grace, direct themselves. So also ordinances of religion, the holy Sacraments, and the whole tone of the Church, agree in this purpose of the Gospel. The object is to reconcile lawless men to their lawful Sovereign, to root out the principle of disloyalty, to inculcate submission and reverence to authority, and to insist upon the practice of obedience, instantaneous, un- questioning, complete and willing obedience. Now these principles lie at the foundation of order in the State, and the only power within the community which can K 19 218 PREACHING. be depended upon, to inculcate these principles at all times, under all changes, at all hazards, is the Church. Courts may enforce them ; but penalty can never exert the influence of precept. Public schools might teach them, but it would be as science — principles that lie only on the surface of the mind. Schools have no means of settling those principles into the heart. School training, although largely depended on by our legisla- tors to form good citizens — ^school training naturally, and apart from religion necessarily, produces self-de- pendence, and self-dependence is the very spirit of law- lessness and license. Xo teacher in the community always, and under all circumstances alike, preaches loyalty, submission, reverence and obedience, except the Church. Our Church must preach it; for it is the Gospel. It is heard in every service, it is the tone of all her habits of worship; it must lie upon the tongues of her ministry, if they are true to Christ. And these principles come to us in the Church, not as abstractions, but for immediate practice; not as cold dictates of reason, but as warm impulses of religion ; not as the policy of government, but as the wish, which is law, of a loving Saviour. Therefore the Church is the conservator of the State. Independent of the State, belonging to another citizen- ship, using all earthly governments with equal freedom, it repays the State amply for its protection by the good order and submission which it inculcates, and which it leads by powerful example. The Church is worth, to a community, all that they expend upon it, or its min- ister, in giving influence and effect to its teachings — for the Church preaches the Gospel, and the end of DANGER OF DE PEE CIA TING. 219 the Gospel is obedience, and on obedience stands the State.* All these are parts of the grand purpose of God in appointing the ordinance of preaching. It has been wisely said that " the Pulpit, whether we view it with the eye of a legislator, watching for the welfare of the State ; of the learned, jealous for public science and taste ; of moral philosophers anxious for the virtue of the community, or of the devout Christian weighing everything in the balance of eternity — the Pulpit must in every light appear an object of vast importance.'' The Danger of depreciating Preaching. Singularly enough, the influence of the pulpit is endangered, even in an age which professes to hold it in high esteem. The first danger arises From the activity of the age; from the demand for practical ability, as it is called ; and the demand for excessive pastoral labors. The Pastor is now expected to take the lead in all schemes of benevolence and social progress, as well as in labors from house to house. Some people regarding such efforts as of supreme value foolishly depreciate the pulpit. And some Ministers seem to think that these practical labors will excuse in them a want of care and preparation for the pulpit. Blunt well re- marks, " a sound theology must not disappear in the Cottage Visitor." If a man finds himself in danger * See Bishop Bedell's Sermon before the Church Congress, New York, 1877. 220 PREACHING. of neglecting his pulpit, he ought to diminish his attention to those duties, and place the leading direction of them in the hands of others. From the Spirit of Formalism. — A second danger arises from a complication of causes, which, from its most salient type, we call Formalism. But it is diffi- cult to group those many exaggerations of truths out of which the Romish Church and its vitiated system originated ; and out of which, subsequently to the Keformation, and in our own days, have grown so many errors. An analysis and characterization of these causes belongs to another department of theological study. We are only to note, that one of its chief developments has been a depreciation of preaching, and an exaltation of the Ordinances, and especially of the Sacraments, as tlie proper instruments for communicating Christ to the Soul : an " opus operatum" communication not of the knowledge of Christ, but of Christ to the soul. Bishop Mcllvaine's work entitled " The Righteousness of Christ,'^ is recommended as a^ complete investiga- tion of the error referred to, and an exposition of its remedy. The evil shows itself in using prayers, fastings, ser- vices, Baptisms, and the Lord's Supper, as means of mysteriously conveying to human souls the principle of spiritual life in Christ Jesus, or of keeping it alive in them, apart and distinct from the use of these means, for developing the graces and emotions which are thereby exercised. They are legitimately employed as means of deepening humility and penitence, and quickening faith, love, hope, joy, and the like : and DANGER OF DEPRECIATING. 221 were intended by our Divine Lord to be so employed. But that they act on the soul apart from their influence on graces and emotions — or, otherwise, act like a charm — ^is absurd as well as false. Those who hold such views evidence their sincerity by depreciating preach- ing : for preaching cannot act mechanically, but always acts by moral power. As a distinct protest against any system, Avhich exalts the other Ordinances of religion, at the expense of the Ordinance of preaching, let us form to ourselves, and urge upon others, a right estimate of it : not esteem- ing it to the depreciation of any divinely authorized means of grace, but holding it in rightful association with them. From Seoularization. — A third danger arises from the secularization of the age. The pulpit is depre- ciated, because preachers depreciate its themes. The worldliness of the age is creeping into the pulpit. Men who love popularity, and court it, pander to this depre- ciated sentiment, by intruding into the pulpit themes apart from the Gospel ; themes which hit the fancy, or amuse the trifling thoughts, of a worldly age. Even men who know the Gospel, men who could exercise a tremendous power as Ev^angelists if they would use the Gospel wholly, departing from simple utterances of God's word, often indulge in what are termed pop- ular discourses. In the eyes of all right-minded men the pulpit is thereby depreciated. Even an ungodly world does not hesitate to criticise the fault, Avhilst it takes advantage of it to shelter itself, under the shadow of a so-called Christian pulpit, from the wholesome influences of the Gospel. 19* 222 PREACHING. It is important, therefore, that our right estimate of preaching and of its value should be strengthened. Approaching the responsibility which is imposed on preachers ; we are to recognize the worth of this in- strument for moving men's minds, moulding society, fashioning lives, and controlling consciences. First, we must feel that it is a power ; such as has been described. If a laxity of view in this respect exists among us, it is largely due to opinions expressed by the Clergy. It is perhaps natural for those to depreciate this ordi- nance of God, who are incapable of preaching, or too indolent to put forth sufficient exertions. But it is not reasonable, nor is it to be expected, that educated men and men of real power — men who are capable of moving their fellows by the gifts of oratory — should take a low view of this divine ordinance. Other professions have a much higher estimate of those means for usefulness which Divine Providence has committed to them. As a general rule I believe they labor more hopefully, if not more earnestly, than the Clergy. Even some other churches surpass our own in the use which their Ministers make of preach- ing, and their dependence on it as a power. We need to take truer views of this marvellous instrument. We must stir up our gifts, and ourselves. A sermon is not an end, but a means. A mechanician works at his machine not to get it done, but to get it to work, and to work out its object. A Lawyer forms his plea, not in order to fill so many sheets of paper, but to win his case. A Physician labors at his diagnosis, not to fill up the moments of his visit, but to cure his DANGER OF DEPRECIATINO. 223 patient. So a Minister should go to his study for the preparation of his sermon, not to finish the thing, but to produce something that will work ; something that will accomplish what he wants it to do. If it will not answer, let him try it again. No efforts can be wasted, no experiments shall have been in vain, no hours will fail to render a good account of themselves, which pro- duce at last a sermon that will make men think, will rouse consciences, will move affections and the Will. Phillips Brooks says, " The sermons of Christ and His apostles were valuable solely for the work they could accomplish. They were tools, and not works of art.''* A true Pastor will labor over his sermons. He will concentrate thought, and study on them. He will shape his reading^ for them. He will consecrate to them observation, meditation, and reflection. Although he may be capable of dashing off a sufficiency of thoughts from a fertile brain, or of pouring out a redundancy of words from a facility in language, more than enough to satisfy his people or to full-fill his hour, a conscien- tious Pastor will not deem that to be a sermon, unless it shall have cost him labor, and unless it shall produce the intended result, the moving of souls and the glory of God. Let us beware of preparing sermons, merely to get them done. Theological Students are especially exposed to the danger of forming this evil habit, under the pressure of their Seminary duties. Sermons written for criticism appear to many to have little other purpose. But they * Phillips Brooks, Preaching, p. 115. 224 PREACHING. should be written to move souls for whom Christ died. The audience for whom they are intended is beyond the recitation room. A student will rise above the critical circle which meets him there. Even if written only for criticism, a sermon should be so perfect in all its details, as to be beyond the critic's touch. A ser- mon is a means, not an end. Our purpose should be not to make an oration, nor to please merely one's taste or ear, but to produce a sermon — Sermo — a speech that will accomplish the ends of Gospel preaching. In this regard, we should endeavor, not to seem, but to he, superior to every man in our community, in all that belongs to a right sermon ; suitable information, power to employ it, ability of thought, and facility in expressing it. For such an end a Minister must needs work. And if we attain the end, it will be worth all that it has cost. Preaching ought to be esteemed. It will be our own fault if it is not. I do not say that the pulpit should be popular; but it ought to be ESTEEMED. PREACHING. CHAPTER XIII. ITS OBJECT AND METHOD. We consider the subject of Preaching under two aspects : Spiritually; as to its object, method, subject, and power, and Mechanically ; as to its matter, style, manner, species, characteristics, texts, and the methods of preparation. To attain an end, it is of the first importance that we see it clearly. The specific, clearly defined, object of a sermon, is the same as the one object of our Ministry, and the single object of our Saviour's mission, to save men. We have no other raison d^^tre, no other pur- pose for representing ourselves as Ambassadors of Christ. We have no object aside from this. As liter- ary men, philanthropists, leaders of society and formers of public opinion, we may be called upon to do many other things which are only related to this end. But as Ministers we have this one object only — to save men. Consequently our preaching must keep this object clearly in view ; and whatever is not part of this object, and does not lead to it, or is not legitimately a portion of this design, does not belong to a sermon, and is not preaching. By this test we may try the character - )f our preaching. We shall recur to this point. But at K* 225 226 PREACHING. present, let us keep distinctly in mind, that the object of preaching is to save souls. If all men whom we address were in the same re- ligious condition, our methods would be greatly simpli- fied. A principle of unity does indeed pervade them all ; for all are sinners, redeemed by Christ, and to all salvation is possible and to be offered. But many liearers having already listened to the Gospel, are being saved. Consequently every religious audience consists of two classes ; that is to say, of Unrepenting sinners, who are to be converted; and of Kepenting and believing sinners who are to be sancti- fied. Each person in these classes is probably in a state of mind differing from that of every other ; and we meet them in differing degrees of religious progress. Our preaching must be suited as far as possible to each, and to them all : and thus the work of the Ministry becomes very complicated and difficult. We shall subsequently examine some of these sub-divisions. But at present, for determining the great object of preaching, and the methods to be used, it will suffice to regard our hearers under those two main divisions, and to examine the purpose in each case ; namely, to convert the one, and to sanctify the other. Let it be observed that these distinctions do not divide the object of preaching. AYe have not two objects; only one. The purpose of preaching " conversion'' is to lead to sanctification. The purpose of preaching " sanctification" is to lead to salvation. To preach only to the unconverted, and to cease preaching when those souls were converted, would be to deliver as insufficient METHOD OF PREACHING. 227 a Gospel, as if one were to commence all preaching with announcing the doctrines of sanctification : whilst to preach only to Christians, and thus to leave uncon- verted men to grope their way in ignorance towards the Cross, would be as great an injustice to them, as it would be not to exliibit to believers every one of the blessed steps whicli lie between the world and heaven ; those steps of the way of life which are a gradual pro- gress from a death unto sin, and resurrection unto right- eousness, through a risen life with Christ, until the day of our Ascension and of glory. It is one object ; but there are two degrees in accomplishing it. Method. — A true Analysis will show the method to be employed. Our purpose is to produce healthful religious action in the soul : in other words, to move the will. The man is to be induced to one or the other of several acts ; either repentance, or faith, or loving obedience to Christ, as the case may be. Consequently he is to be led to desire these; and that desire can be awakened only if we can enkindle his affections. We persuade him to spiritual acts by presenting and urging sufficient motives. We are to move his will. But we shall not accomplish it until his conscience is awakened to realize the need. Nor can conscience be effectually aroused until Judgment, which sits as door-keeper at the avenues to our moral sense, has been convinced. This double process, partly intellectual, partly moral, the conviction of judgment and the awakening of conscience, describes that spiritual action which we name conviction. 228 PREACHING. In order, therefore, to produce persuasion, it must be preceded by conviction. A true conviction is the work of the Holy Ghost. But at present we are speaking only of human pro- cesses ; the means which when blessed by Him become effectual. Our purpose then as preachers is to produce Gonviction. Both conviction and persuasion are based on instruc- lion. There must be knowledge of truth before there can be conviction of truth, or a persuasion which will induce one to act under the influence of truth. Con- sequently our sermons should instruct the mind. We lay this foundation for all the spiritual processes which are to follow. We are to give sufiiciently full and clear information as to divine truth ; so full, that there will be basis enough for all our arguments to convince the judgment, for all our appeals to awaken the conscience, and for all our motives to influence the will. Now from this analysis, by reversing the process, we obtain synthetically a clear scheme of method as a gen- eral guide for the structure of sermons, in both parts of the one effort to save souls. Instruction to to inform the mind prepare for Conviction to f to convince '^ to awaken the judgment the conscience prepare the way for Persuasion ■ to lead to ■ desire through '- the aflfections to move /the Will In every case in order to produce Action. This scheme presents to the eye what I desire to im- METHOD OF PREACHING. 229 press as the distinct thing which preaching is to do — not merely to aim at, but to do. As an ilkistration ; we are cognizant of a case, in which a person who being under deep religious con- victions, but following wrong advice, has gone to the Lord's Table, instead of going first by penitent faith to the Lord, in order to obtain peace. The case is not fictitious. The primary need is instruction ; for such an act could result only from singular ignorance or misconcep- tion. Our special instruction, therefore, must cover all the main points which have been misconstrued ; namely, as to the nature of new birth, the character of those who belong to the new kingdom, and the purpose of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Next, our instruction must prepare a way for argu- ments, which may convince the hearer's judgment, that he was mistaken as to his spiritual condition, his spirit- ual need, and the true means of relief. Once being convinced that he needs conversion, not pacification of conscience; forgiveness of sin, not the appearance of peace, our w^ay will be prepared for awakening his conscience to a sense of a deeper guilt in having trifled with the Lord's Sacrament : and then his ignorance or misconception will appear to be sin. Next, our whole powers of persuasion are to be brought to bear to lead him to desire true conversion. If he be not only aroused and uneasy in sin, but thor- oughly awakened to the evil of it, he will be desirous of exercising true repentance. Then our representa- tions of the love of Christ, as manifested by his suifer- ings for us on the Cross, will have true power, for they 20 230 PREACHING. will address themselves to a soul already feeling its need of, and longing to realize the meaning of, the Gospel revelations of the Saviour. Desire for true faith in Christ will have been awakened ; and that is the next thing to action : and action, which in this case is the exercise of faith, will follow. Thus your hearer is brought, and by means of his individual case you have brought other hearers, to the point of '^ laying liold of the hope set before us,'' in the Gospel in Christ Jesus. If in such a sermon we wish to proceed from this point to the higher duties and privileges of a Christian life, the same scheme of method will give a key to the proj^er course. The person who has been brought back from a hope- less use of Sacraments, and from a sinful substitution of the symbols of life in Christ Jesus for the life itself, will be liable to a reaction. Probably such a person will be loath to accept the Sacrament again. Conse- quently, instruction, conviction, persuasion must again be brought to bear. By a proper view of the privileges and blessings of Sacraments, a hearer who possesses the graces which they are intended to strengthen, is led to desire them aright as means and pledges of grace ; and to look through them, and beyond them, to the Christ- life which they symbolize. So he is to be persuaded to struggle after* a full apprehension of the holy joys of being fully covenanted with Christ, being one with Christ, being made like to Christ, and w^alking day by day in the footsteps of Christ. * Agonize, run in the race for, as in 1 Cor. ix. 24, 25. METHOD OF FEE ACHING. 231 The reversal of this process is illogical, irrational, and must fail. It is building a pyramid on its apex. Appeals to the passions, and exhortations to action, before the conscience is awakened or the judgment con- vinced, may lead to spasmodic spiritual effort, and temporary emotion. But it can produce no lasting effect. That sort of religious feeling and apparent religious action which is produced thereby, ceases with the peculiar excitements which gave it birth. Our method is that which the Holy Spirit himself dictates. For ^' faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.^' First the word; then its en- trance into the mind, and laying hold upon the con- science ; then its movement upon the affectionate nature ; and so the soul is induced to confide in the Word : and this is faith. With respect to this method, I make some ex- planations. Instruction is a declaration of truth : an authoritative declaration, yet not always with appearance of authority. Here the Minister appears as teacher. He affirms what he knows, from God's word, or God's Spirit, as received and used in his own experience. Much use must be made of one's own experience. Instruction is specifically didactic, not argumentative. Argument may sometimes be a necessary part of in- struction. But then it should be thrown into the form, of a method of conveying truth, rather than into the form, of attempting to prove what is doubtful, or liable to be doubted : for it is a peculiarity of the human mind, when dealing with religious subjects, to array itself ap:ainst its teacher whenever he puts himself in 232 PREACHING. the position of appealing to reason. Dr. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, once said to the Author — then a be- ginner— '^ whenever a Clergyman says, ^ I intend to prove so and so,' we hearers say to ourselves, ^ it is not so easy as you think !' We are impelled at once to put ourselves in antagonism, and to defeat the argument if we can ; so that your task becomes doubly difficult. It is wiser for you to convince us, without letting as know what you are about." Such is human nature. And therefore in the act of instructing, whilst using argument, we should avoid the form of it. Whenever a Minister instructs, he should be in all respects a teacher. And truths, necessary for conviction and persuasion are to be iterated and reiterated, until they become fastened into the belief of his people. The Pastor has the same power which belongs to a true painter: for truths are listened to, even when not understood or perhaps are considered doubtful, until at last they become imbedded in the soul : just as a master painting carries its lesson to the mind, and by reiterated impressions fixes it there, whether the ob- server be willing or unwilling to receive it. After Divine truth has been thus impressed, and finally believed upon the authority of God's word, our explanations of it become possible, and then the whole meaning of truths is accepted ; whereas at any previous moment no explications would even have been list- ened to. I remember a striking illustration. A professed sceptic on his death-bed, with whom the Rev. Dr. Moore, of Staten Island, was conversing, even at that solemn hour was laughing at religion and the Gospel METHOD OF PREACHING. 233 of Christ. The old Pastor asked him, " What money will you take for the hope in Christ which you are cherishing at this moment?'^ The startling question, revealing to him a state of his mind respecting the Saviour of which he was scarcely conscious, sobered him instantly. His countenance fell ; and with a solemnity of tone and an earnestness which had all of truth in it, he said, " Nothing on earth !" The truth which he had been scoffing at, and rebelling against all his life, had, unconsciously, become fastened on his soul, by his Pastor's constant reiterations. He believed it whilst unconscious of belief, and he was actually rest- ing on a hope in Christ, even Avhilst his passions (not his reason) were striving to reject all thought of Christ. Our object then is to fasten truth upon the mind, without unnecessarily arraying antagonisms. Here we note an argument for the importance of catechisms, and catechetical instructions. By them, truths, and forms of truth, are imbedded on the youthful soul at an age when little opposition is made to them ; and so effectu- ally that those early impressions are never eradicated. Conviction has a different office from instruction. On the basis of truths impressed by instruction, our pur- 230se is to convince the judgment and awaken the con- science. Here argument comes into play. But it ought to be argument, and not the mere appearance of it. Reason is to be appealed to and judgment invoked. But observe ; during this process we are never to ques- tion the authority of the Bible ; and never to question truths which have been clearly revealed. Such truths are not to become footballs for logic. Our object here will be to use reason only as the instrument for 20- 234 PREACHING. drawing right inferences from the truths which God teaches. Judgment and conscience act upon each other. Some- times they act simultaneously ; sometimes one and some- times the other precedes. For example, a person may be convinced of sin whilst not awakened at all. Some- times a person's conscience may be fully alive to his guilt as a sinner; and yet the person can give no rational account of the process by which he reached that conviction. In our sermons we are not to separate these processes too much. The processes of convincing and awakening should be carried on together. Large use is to be made of the argument from experience. Persuasion is an easy task when conviction has pre- viously done its part faithfully. When judgment is convinced that the course we propose is right and wise, and when conscience is awakened to feel its necessity, our work of leading men to desire it is nearly complete. Here come in appeals to the passions — indeed to every faculty in turn. Motives are to be urged : especially those motives which arise from love of Christ, and love to Christ. Thus the will is influenced and decided. And when we have gained full possession of the Will we may be confident that right action will follow. Saint PauVs Metliod. In further illustration of this point, I call attention to Saint Paul's method as developed in his epistle to the Romans. This was a document intended to be read in the Churches : occupying the place now held by a modern sermon. Its method is incomparable. Notice his observance of the logical and philosophical order in METHOD OF PREACHING. 235 attempting to move the wills of men. The first part of the Epistle is occupied with instruction ; he gives infor- mation as to forgotten or hidden trutlis concerning human condition, and divine plans; not in a dry didactic manner, but with all the life that belongs to truths of momentous importance affecting the individ- ual spiritual interests of those who listen. The second part of the Epistle is occupied by argu- ment and appeal based on these informations ; having a distinct purpose to convince the judgment and awaken the conscience. On this foundation of conviction, St. Paul labors, in the third part of the Epistle, to build the thorough persuasion of his hearers. Observe, in this model, the line of topics which the Apostle deemed best calculated to attain the one great object of preaching. For the Apostle labors, First, To convict of sin. Second, To lead sinners to be justified by Christ through faith. Third, To induce to good works from the motive of love to Christ ; or in other words to lead his hearers to sanctification in its experimental and practical aspects. We should labor at these three points in every dis- course. Of course the thoroughness with which we discuss them will vary according to the nature of our theme. But as no sermon is complete without a clear statement of the Gospel, so no sermon can be fairly con- sidered as adapted to accomplish its one great end, un- less it sets forth, in some degree, all these three essential elements of the Gospel— namely, sin, justification, and the intended results of faith. Keferences might be multiplied. Examine St. Peter's 236 PREACHING. sermon in the Temple, after healing the lame man. He proclaims Christ that he may charge upon his auditors the murder of the Prince of life ; defends his charge by prophecies; urges them to repentance, by many motives, but especially by the prospect of Christ's com- ing again ; urges them to believe in this Jesus by the example of power of faith in the blind man healed ; moves them to turn aAvay from iniquities, by consider- ing that they are still children of the Covenant, and are receiving a fresh instance of God's love by the proc- lamation of " Christ crucified" to them first of all. Here the three topics referred to are distinctly brought out; namely, conviction of sin, faith in Christ as a Saviour ; and reformation : all on the basis of a simple preaching of Christ and him crucified. In preparing a discourse we should keep in mind these three particulars as an epitome of our duty. We should never be satisfied with a sermon, nor ever think that we have prepared one which will work, unless it touches one or other of these points ; and touches them in connection with an earnest presentation of Christ Jesus, his character and saving work, as the grand motive for religious action. PREACHING. CHAPTER XIY. ITS SUBJECT. What is this truth, wliich we use for the saving of men? Within what range of Scriptural verities do we find the substance of our instruction, our power for con- viction, and the motives to be employed for persuasion ? These cluster only around "Christ crucified." The subject for our preaching is that which Christ himself came to bring to us from heaven, " the Gospel of the Grace of God." The Gospel. Seeing that the Gospel is our only theme, what is its extent : and wliat are its limits ? The Gospel is defined, in the words :* " This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This is the truth we are looking for: and this text shows how that very thing is to be accomplished which we aim at. We preach to sav'e sinners. Christ came to save sinners. We therefore preach of him and his * 1 Tim. i. 15. 237 238 PRE A CHING. work. And so the Baptist, Forerunner of the Lord, directs all eyes and minds to him : " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The Apostles followed in the same track. To the Corin- thians,* Saint Paul affirms, " I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him cruci- fied." And further on in the same chapter, he affirms what had been his habit, and the habit of all the Apostles, and should therefore be the habit of all who stand in the ministry which they have left, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Christ crucified. The Gospel centres on the saving act, Christ's atoning death. It draws its life and inspiration from the Cross. The subject of our preaching is " Christ cracified.^^ So that Bridges well remarks, " Christ crucified is God's grand ordinance. No souls can be won to him except by setting forth his Name, his work, and his glory." And I add, more definitely still, that Name is the Crucified Saviour; that glory the lustre of the triumphs of his love on Calvary. This is especially "The Gospel." But the Gospel is not narrow, nor is it one only topic : as if a Minister were to be always answering the jailer's question, and in the precise language which the Apostle employs. It embraces a wide circle of truths, ^ 1 Cor. i. 2. THE SUBJECT. 239 which revolve around this central truth of the Cross. But it does not include all useful or all profitable truth. It has limits ; and they are well defined. Breadth and Limits. I give the following definition of the Gospel as a Theme, both as to its extent and its limits ; namely, it embraces that whole circle of doctrine and practice of which Christ on the Cross is the centre, and within which faith moves by love. It is that system of doctrine as to the nature, being, character, and work of God, which was manifested by Christ, and harmonized by his Cross : that scheme of doctrine as to the actual condition, relations, and re- sponsibilities of men, which was brought to light by the atonement. It is that system of practical holiness wherein every grace and virtue, radiant with the beams which spring from the bright example of Jesus, is revealed to the imitation of the child of God. It is that whole system within which faith in Jesus moves ; wherein the influence of his love and grace tells upon and draws the human heart; wherein the soul respond- ing to those influences finds arguments for its confi- dence, and motives for its love, nourishment for its life, and impulse for its action at tlie Cross of Christ. All truth which lies within this circle is the proper subject for Gospel preaching. Nothing outside of it is an appropriate theme for a sermon from a Minister of the Cross. Thus Bishop Mcllvaine affirms, in his most lucid and discriminating charge on the "Work of preaching Christ'' : 240 PREACHING. " The Gospel concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, is the circle of doctrines, and duties, and promises, and blessings, which constitute the message of Salvation in Him. There is in it a system of parts mutually related and dependent ; all in perfect harmony, none so obscure or remote as to be of no importance to the right representation of the whole. That system, like that of our Sun, has a centre, by which all the parts are held in place, from which all their life and light proceed, and around which all revolve. You cannot exhibit the system of truth and duty, till you have made known that central light and power: nor can you make known that power in all its truth, without ex- hibiting those surrounding and depending parts of doctrine and precept. That central sun of light and life is Christ. All of Gospel truth and duty, of consolation and strength, abides in Christ — is derived from Christ and glorifies Christ — and must be so presented, or it is divorced from its only life, and loses its Gospel character. He is the true Vine, and all parts of Gospel truth are branches in Him. Let such truth be presented with- out that connection, then its character as truth may remain, but its character for * truth as it is in Jesus' is lost. Its vitality is gone. Fruit of life in Christ Jesus it cannot produce." Bishop Meade says : " The more correct manner of speaking is not to say this is the greatest of all themes, but that properly understood it em- braces all others. Christ is A and n, the first and the last, all in all of Scripture. Himself pointed out how all old Scriptures tes- tified of him. Apostles were continually doing the same; and thus preaching Christ while explaining Jewish Scriptures. The Old Testament in truth is one continued though varied prophecy of Christ in types, figures, and predictions. The New Testament is historical of the fulfilment of these prophecies — a development of, the doctrines that lay concealed under the Old. Christ must therefore be the sum and substance of our preaching, if our preaching be right Christ must be interwoven in all our preach- ing, as the image of Phidias was said to have been carved on the shield of Minerva, nor could it be efl:aced without destroying the shield." According to the advice of Hermon, once Archbisliop CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 241 of Cologne, "All oar sermons should be made to set forth and magnify Christ the Lord." Cecil remarks, " To understand, enter into, and open the various offices of Christ— this is the knowledge of Christ/' And this is the knoAvledge, which is first to be made our own, and then to be conveyed to the people. The same author (Cecil) with severity, but not without truth, re- marks, " Divines in the present day are stunted dwarfs in this knowledge compared with the great men of a former age.'' Matthew Henry beautifully says, " The Scriptures are the circumference of faith, the round of which it walks, and every point of which compass it toucheth ; yet the centre of it is Christ. That is the polar star on which it resteth." And so our sermons are to be ; each one, and in every portion, should reveal or enforce some part of that system of truth, in which Christ is the central sun, which his light enlightens, which his influence sustains, and which his attraction constrains. We must never allow our sermons to get beyond the influence of His light and power: never put our hearers at a point where they cannot see Christ. As one well says, "No town is complete wliich has not a road to the Metropolis, so no sermon is finished, from every part of which the hearer cannot make his way to the Saviour." Observe — This is not to be accomplished by merely naming Christ, or speaking of his Cross. Some feel satisfied when they have done this: filling their ser- mons with an Evangelical symbolism. " Not that we would chime upon a name, as if it would operate with the magic of a charm. Some men think, that they preach Christ glowingly, because they name him every T. 21 242 PREACHING. ten minutes in their sermons. But this is not (neces- sarily) preaching Christ/'* I^or are those inconsiderate hearers always correct who are dissatisfied with a sermon because Christ's name has not been often mentioned in it: or indeed in which Christ himself has not been the nominal sub- ject. For "As all the principles and duties of the Gospel bear a relation more or less direct to Him, their enforcement upon the round of this relation is as strictly conformed to the Apostolic pattern, as would be the most complete exhibition of his sufferings and death." It is quite possible to preach a sermon full of the Gospel, replete with its spirit, surcharged with its priv- ileges, and based entirely on its promises, which shall seldom name specific dogmas of evangelism. Isaiah has given a marked illustration, in his wonderful pic- ture of the Messiah. f No one can mistake the Person with whom his soul is filled; his eye follows him wounded, suffering, dying : his heart beats quickly as he realizes that this one hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ; his cry of exultation is still leaping down the ages, awakening echoes in every believing spirit's emotions, '^ I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death." Yet he has not once mentioned the Messiah. He does not once declare who this servant is, wlio, as in another place, " Cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Boz- rah." But, without a name every generation has recog- * Bridges, p. 281. •f Isaiah, Ixii. and Ixiii. BREADTH AND LIMITS. 243 nized, in this inspired description, our suffering and glorified Lord Christ. So our sermons may be full of Christ, whilst his name is only in our hearts, and in the sacred reminiscences which we awaken in our people. It should never be necessary to write at the end of our discourse, this was a Gospel sermon, for its subject Avas Christ Jesus. In the spirit of a former suggestion, I repeat, our sermons should be real ; they should not only seem to be, but they should be in every part radiant with the graces and redolent of the love of the Gospel, and of our revered and beloved Lord. We will accomplish this purpose if, by every sermon, we leave on our hear- ers' minds the impression that every doctrine derives its value from the death of Christ ; that that religion is powerless which does not spring from faith in Christ ; that moral and practical godliness have no sufficient motive except love to Christ. When such an impres- sion has been made, we may be satisfied that Christ has been preached. Observe now what a wealth of topics lies within the circumference which we have pointed out, all being directly within the influences of the cross of Christ, and all illumined thereby. These are Direct Doctrines ; of Christ. — His glorious Godhead, his incarnation, manhood, perfect life, atoning death, resurrection, and exaltation. Related Doctrines; of Man^s condition. — (That is, the doctrines of man's condition related to the direct doctrines named above.) His fall, corruption, condem- nation, pardon, justification, present holiness, eternal salvation. 244 PREACHING. Manifested Doctrines; of God. — (That is, the doc- trines manifested by Christ.) God^s nature, character, purpose, and plan : the Trinity : the threefold work of Creation, Redemption, Sanctification. Consequent truths; of religion. — (That is, truths which are consequences of the Gospel.) Privileges, duties, precepts, examples, specific duties in the relations of life, experimental religion, various phases of religious character. Necessary adjuncts ; of the new dispensation. — The Bible : revelation, its character, and evidence ; history and biography, pointing to Christ ; connections of the Old and New Testaments as revealing Christ ; prophecy relating to the Messiah and his Kingdom ; the present means of grace and of keeping alive a knowledge of a true Gospel, namely, prayer, the Church, the Ministry, the Sacraments, and worship. All these are to be preached when occasion serves, in their proportions, and relations : always under a recol- lection of their direct connection with Christ, and with a purpose to make clear, effective, and practical the one truth of a Saviour crucified.* It may be asked. Should all truths within this pre- scribed range be preached? Certainly. But not all with equal frequency. Each when required. But some will be needed much more frequently than others. For example: the doctrine of Divine existence, the * Special attention is invited to Bridges's excellent remarks upon the two related subjects, " Scriptural preaching of the Law," and "Scriptural preaching of the Gospel." (Bridges's Christian Ministry, pp. 202-222.) Also to Bishop Mcllvaine's charge on the " Mode of preaching Christ." BREADTH AND LIMITS. 245 arguments for it, and the philosophical explanations of it, are seldom, perhaps never, to be made formally the topic of a sermon. It is to be treated incidentally ; taken for granted ; spoken of as an axiom and illus- trated ; but not preached about as if there really were any Atheists in a Christian Society, where religion is known and the Bible is read. " books that prove God's being so definitely, that man's doubt Grows self-defined, the other side the line Made Atheist by suggestion." Browning. The doctrine of divine decrees, is part of gospel truth : but it is not a part of the Gospel in the philo- sophical methods by which it is often taught and ex- plained. Consequently, while the practical aspects of it are to be preached about, the theoretical distinctions and explanations which have been thrown around it are not to be preached. The practical part of the doc- trine is displayed in Scriptural representations of God's sovereignty, and his gracious purpose towards redeemed souls. This truth must be taught and plainly set forth. But the most perfect manner of doing it is incidentally; by the way; occasionally, with proofs and illustrations. It should give tone and character to our pulpit instruc- tions. But it should never become so much the promi- nent theme, as to hide its relative doctrines, namely, human freedom, and the entire responsibility of the human Will. And yet it should always be so clearly taught as to lead to dependence on the sovereign grace of God. So, the more speculative doctrines of Christianity, 21* 246 PREACHING. such as the mode of divine existence, the doctrine of the harmony of Christ's two natures, the condition of the soul in its separate state, the character of the resur- rection, and the fulfihuent of unfulfilled prophecy, are to hold a very subordinate place in the instructions of the pulpit. At times each of them may be definitely enforced : at times the doctrine of the Trinity and the twofold natures of Christ must be both proved and illustrated. But the most profitable method of preach- ing on all these topics, is in general to take them for granted, to treat them as proved, to build upon them, and to teach them incidentally. This method is recom- mended on the ground that, in our preaching, practical truths should always be held of more importance than speculative, and the practical aspects of all truths should be presented primarily and habitually. Those doctrines, truths, precepts, and promises are to form the staple of pulpit teachings, which relate to man's lost condition and his recovery in Christ ; those which represent man's sinfulness, and the divine remedy in the Gospel ; those which lead him to humble him- self before divine grace, to seek the power of the Holy Spirit, to embrace the compassionate offers of the Saviour, to consecrate himself to Christ's service, and to pursue with diligence the one effort so to live as by God's mercy to attain eternal life. In immediate connection with this branch of our topic, attention is called to one series of doctrines which is too much overlooked, even by so styled Evangelical preachers. Undue prominence is not to be given to it, but it should be restored to the position in the analogy of doctrine, and to that due influence over THE HOLY SPIRIT. 247 practical religious life which it was intended to occupy. I refer to the practical aspects of the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, and its relations to the Christian scheme. It is intimately associated with the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty : and perhaps, in some minds, want of clear appreciation of that truth, has affected their ideas of the Holy Spirit's influence in the restoration of a sinner to holiness and the favor of God. Among points of doctrine belonging to the preaching of the Gospel, doctrines that circle around the Cross and lie within its influence, I specify the doctrine of The Holy Spirit. It is quite possible to dwell so entirely upon the work of Christ, as to shut out of view the work of the Holy Ghost : and it is quite possible to preach Christ in his saving offices, distinctly and constantly, whilst almost excluding the Holy Ghost from contemplation. A Clergyman may preach the rigid morality of the law, and its terrors, in order to lead to conviction of sin, repentance, and reformation. He may lead an inquirer out of that state of mind, directly to faith in Christ Jesus. He may preach that Saviour as full, complete, sufficient; as graciously inviting all; as open to the access of an humble faith. He may preach that Saviour as the Christianas strength, and life, and hope, and joy, and everlasting portion. He may preach Christ as the example, motive, and end of the Christian life. And he may thus make the Redeemer so only and constantly his theme, as never once to preach distinctly the offices and work of the Holy Ghost. Three wrongs are done by such omission : 248 PREACHING. First. A wrong to the God the Holy Ghost. It is a forgetfuhiess of his Divine grace; a hiding of his love : it is, as far as the preaching is concerned, a deny- ing of the Holy Spirit ; and dishonor done to the grace of the Triune Godhead. Second. A wrong done to Christ and his Gospel ; to the plan of God's sovereign grace. For Christ him- self has been pleased to reveal the Holy Ghost, and has set forth his relations to the work of Kedemption. The Divine plan is incomplete without it. Third. A wrong done to souls. For although it may please the Holy Ghost to bless the preaching of Christ Jesus to the saving of those who hear, notwithstand- ing this deficiency in the mode of ministration : yet as a general rule neither can sinners be converted, nor saints edified, unless they recognize the fact that the Holy Ghost is the author of every good and holy thought, affection, and action. Until this doctrine is revealed there is a hiatus, an unbridged gulf, between sinners and Christ. The hiding of these truths which relate to the Spirit and his offices, is no doubt the cause why many inquirers are kept long in darkness and doubt ; whilst many true believers make slow advances in Chris- tian hopefulness and enjoyment, and very little progress in the divine life, and in the imitation of the Saviour. We should bear in mind that we are living in the dispensation of the Spirit. It is distinctly such. The Saviour's work on earth, as Redeemer, has been com- pleted. His preparation of the scheme of salvation is fin- ished. He has ascended to heaven, to return only when the Holy Spirit shall have completed his part in the grand scheme. The Saviour is now fulfilling his offices THE HOLY SPIRIT. 249 in heaven. But the Spirit is definitely and personally present on earth ; abides with us ; is the Comforter, who never leaves us. This is now his dispensation ; and here he fulfils his part in the great scheme of human salvation. No spiritually needy man to whom we preach will ever be convinced of sin, except by this Holy Ghost. No new birth into Christ will take place among our people unless this Holy Ghost shall graciously give them spiritual regeneration. We take of the things of Christ and show them unto the peoj)le ; but tliey will not look at them, unless the Holy Ghost both opens their eyes and renders the objects attractive. Sacraments prove to be of little value without His effectual in- spiration. Ordinances are of little worth unless His presence blesses them. Public worship, social prayer, the voice of supplication, thanksgiving, and praise, are of slight value unless He be present to make them the offerings of true and honest hearts. There will not be a saint in our Churches unless the Holy Ghost makes them Saints. Nominally religious people may be full of action, and bear a certain resemblance to the Saviour's image, yet, they may be only automatons ; playing well, so long as we move the strings with skill and care. But there may be no life in them. " Dead whilst they are living,'' as the Apostle writes. But if the Holy Spirit shall have given to any of our people a new birth, and brought them out of darkness and death into a Christ-life ; if the Holy Spirit shall have assumed their education in the graces of Christ Jesus' character ; then we will see Saints, whose virtues will glorify their Lord; whose vigorous Christian life, and glowing Christian affections, will enkindle our own. These will be Saints 250 PREACHING. whose loving prayers will dra^v down upon ourselves and our work and our churches the constant blessings of God. Let me urge that this topic should be kept constantly before our people in its proper proportion. The doc- trine of the Holy Ghost is an essential part of the Gospel. Nor however plainly we may preach doctrines concerning Christ, in every other aspect, can w^e preach them as he desires, unless we preach him as revealed to men by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost is to be displayed in his Divine power, and Personal efficiency ; in his sovereignty and love as God; in his chosen position in the work of salvation. He is the Lord ; as in the Nicene Creed. We preach Him as the author of illumination, the source of religious life, the Creator of the new man, the Person who gives spiritual renewal. We preach Him as the Sovereign whose influences produce convic- tion, contrition, penitence, repentance, and faith. AVe proclaim Him as the gracious friend who efficiently leads a converted person through all steps of reforma- tion, and the slow process of formation of holy habits up to habitual walking with God, and the joys which be- long to the life of an established believer. We proclaim Him as the loving heavenly friend, who prepares God's children by faith, for saintly life, and a home with Christ. These doctrines are essential parts of God's plan of salvation. Tliey are to be proclaimed as such, clearly and fully, with their proofs and explanations and illus- trations: often indeed only assumed as truths, reasoned upon, and made the bases of appeal ; but often treated formally, with the warmth of a heart which has itself fed, and grown in grace, upon these spiritual verities. PREACHING. CHAPTER Xy. WHAT ARE NOT ITS TOPICS. What topics are not to be considered proper themes for a Christian sermon ? Not speculations. The exposition of mere speculative questions is not preaching; such as, ^^Are other planets inhabited?" or, a more important theme, " The day and the hour of Christ's second coming?"* or philosophical specu- lations, such as, '^ What determines the will ?" Not mere information. Geographical, Geological, Astronomical, Historical facts by themselves, and as substance of discourse, do not form a true sermon. Nor do they form a sermon even when used as explanations of the divine word, unless at the same time the practical use of the facts is distinctly pointed out. Such information can be gained elsewhere. These topics, however, are rightly employed as illustrative and explanatory of the Gospel. Then they serve to add brightness and freshness to sermons. St. Matt. xxiv. 3G. 251 252 PREACHING. Not barren truths. Such truths as, "Be honest/' "Be gentle/' "Be con- siderate." All these are good : but they do not form a true sermon, unless distinctly connected with the Gospel, and unless that connection is distinctly pointed out. Not remote from Christ. In applying this rule great wisdom is to be used : for it is not easy to decide at what point moral truth ceases to be Gospel truth. There is a point of remote- ness from Christ where such a truth ceases to be evan- gelical. That point is certainly reached when the presentation of truth is so far separated from Christ, that it reflects none of his light. For example ; the graces of the divine life may be the topics of discourse. But if we treat of them as we would of natural virtues, we shall fail to preach a Gospel sermon. In order that even the graces of Christian character should form the basis for a sermon, we must treat of them as " fruits of the Spirit," and show that they lie in the direct line of a living faith on Christ Jesus. Otherwise, the topic is remote from Christ: and it becomes a "barren truth." Not political. On the great and grave questions of public morality, and even of governmental sin, a Minister ought to express himself; but on mere questions of govern- mental policy, committed to statesmen, he should not preach. On no question, of any kind, should he preach, from the discussion of which Christ is excluded ; out NOT POLITICAL. 253 of the consideration of which the preacher cannot go back to Christ immediately ; on which the Gospel has not a direct bearing; which does not relate in a manner, not far fetched, to the saving of men ; from which a transition to the Gospel would appear forced. These are the general principles which affect this subject. In general their propriety will not be ques- tioned. It is evident that inasmuch as we are conse- crated, set apart, to preach the Gospel, any topic remote from the Gospel is excluded from our preaching by the very terms of our ordination. And topics become improper to the Christian pulpit in exact proportion to their remoteness from the Gospel. The subject of 'political preaching deserves a more particular consideration. It may be said, public policy often affects the interest of Christ's Kingdom; and therefore eminently requires discussion from the pulpit. But let us understand precisely the point in question. We are speaking of public affairs as they affect, not the morality of the Church, but its external condition. We are not questioning whether national sins, or gov- ernmental sins, are within the province of pulpit re- proof. Nor are we questioning whether laws affecting public morality are within the sphere of our discussion. Those points are not doubtful. Ministers are charged with a responsibility for the morality and virtue of the whole community. So that laws affecting the Sabbath, for example, are topics for the pulpit. But a law that would divide a State, would not be a topic for a Chris- tian Minister's sermon, although the result might be a dividing of a Diocese. Public policy, so far as it turns upon national sin or 22 254 PREACHING. national rigliteousness^ comes within our purview : but even then^ not as it is a feature of political economy, but only in its features of obedience or disobedience to God ; submission to or variance from the great funda- mental, universal, unchanging principles of holiness. The consideration of public policy, apart from the sin or righteousness involved in it, is excluded from the pulpit. First. By the relations of the Church to the State. We are members of a Kingdom separate and distinct from earthly kingdoms. There is an actual, formal, and recognized separation. We use all governments. The Church pursues its vocation under all, but inde- pendently of all. The form of State government is of much less importance to the Church than its own essential independence. And what we desire of the State is, liberty to serve Christ according to our con- sciences, and security from interference of government and its protection, whilst discharging our religious ob- ligations. This separation is distinctly recognized by our National Charter. In the original Constitution are the words, " No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office;" and more especially in the first amendment to the Constitution, ^^ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'^ On whicJi, Judge Story remarks, the first clause was " designed to cut off every pretence of an alliance between the Church and the State, in the administration of the National Government. The American people had suf- fered too much, not to dread the abuses of authority resulting from religious bigotry, intolerance, and per- NOT POLITICAL. 255 sedition. These evils were more eiFectually guarded against by the first amendment to the Constitution. We are not to attribute this prohibition of a National religious establishment to an indifference to religion in general, and especially to Christianity, but to a dread by the people of the influence of ecclesiastical power in matters of Government." Judge Story further remarks, " Tliere can be no doubt of the duty of Government to maintain by law the great interests of religion and morality." Nor can there be any doubt, we think, of its duty to guarantee the entire independence of the Church, so far as Church laws do not conflict with the rights and duties of citizens. The only serious question is this : what are the limits of governmental interference in religion ? And this ques- tion is still in abeyance. But the principle of separation of the Church, and its influence as a Church, from the State in reference to all questions of public policy, was no doubt intended to be settled in the constitutional provision before quoted. Judge Story interprets it as intending to prevent "the influence of Ecclesiastical power in matters of Government f and again, to " cut oif every pretence of alliance between Church and State in administration of Government." On this ground, therefore, the Clergy are bound to abstain from employing their clerical influence and their power in the pulpit, in any eftbrt to affect ques- tions of State policy. I consider any such interference a violation of the Constitution. And if there be no actual law to prevent it, there is a moral obligation which should suffice. ''Freedom of speech" is not touched by these remarks. Many harp upon this 256 PREACHING. string, mistaking the character of that freedom of speech which was guaranteed by the Constitution. As a citizen every Clergyman has entire liberty of speech ; but he is to use it as a citizen and not as a Minister of God. As an officer of Ecclesiastical government his liberty of speech is restrained, in order to prevent col- lisions between civil and ecclesiastical politics. Officers of ecclesiastical government among us use the pulpit as their place of authority, and employ their official position as the means of giving force to that authority. In accordance with our forms, they thus influence the public mind of congregations. Comparing our form of State policy with that against which the Constitution protested, can it be thought that a few Bishops in the House of Lords could exert more influence on public affiiirs, than can be exerted by the thousand pulpits of our land which move the sympathies and lead the judgments of citizens, if they were combined to influence the election of our legislators ? Illustrative of this topic; it is certain that, on this point, our people have always shown great jealousy. Especially watchful, they have not hesitated to protest through the papers -and in public meetings, against every flagrant violation of the principle. In times of grave political trial they have been as careful to protest against the interference of the pulpit, as to maintain the rights of law. During the agitations of the disas- trous years, from 1861 to 1865, the interference of the pulpit with public policy was made a grave cause of complaint. It was among the grievances complained of by those who opposed the government in the fall of 1863. In Congress it has been heard, more than once, NOT POLITICAL. 257 that that war was made by the "Abolition Clergy." And although the assertion may well be deemed mere demagogism, yet the prominent part taken by many of the Clergy in public discussions, both in the pulpit and on the platform, in respect to political affairs, was, as a fact, employed by irreligious men of both political parties in Congress, for enforcing the draft upon the Clergy. A curious illustration of this sensitiveness of our people occurred in my own experience. After a very exciting election in New York, I was preaching on the text, " There arose no small stir about that way. And the whole city was filled with confusion. Some there- fore cried one thing and some another; for the as- sembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. But all with one voice for the space of about two hours cried out, great is Diana of the Ephesians."* My purpose in using a text, which applied so well to the circumstances of the preceding week, was to enforce the truth that excitement from secular causes interferes with the quietness of religious practice and the progress of spiritual truth. In the process of argument, I said, "I am a party man." Instantly one of the leading men of my parish, an influential politician, who supposed that I had voted on the op- posite side from himself, rose and walked out of the church, not waiting for me to conclude the sentence, " My King is Jesus, and He is the object of my alle- giance and the subject of my enthusiasm." He learned * Acts xix. 23, 29, 32, 34. 22* 258 PREACHING. afterwards that there had been no ground for his fears ; but it furnished an important hint as to this sensitive- ness of our people, which has not failed to be profitable to me. Second, The consideration of public policy is ex- cluded from the pulpit by the nature of the subjects involved. Their necessary tendency is to lead the mind away from religion. Newspaj^ers are filled with them. The minds of our people are surcharged with them every secular day. We are bound to afford our people a day of rest, and to relieve them on the Sab- bath from the agitations of the week, by peaceful med- itations which belong to truths that cluster around the Cross and heaven. They are elements of discord in our congregation. And (saving discussion of questions of national morality and public right) we have no right to throw apples of discord on the paths of congregational life. Equally with these considerations, we as Clergymen are not put in charge of this subject of public policy ; nor does our education fit us especially to consider it wisely. This truth may not be flattering to our pride, but it is worthy of our reflection. Our theolo- gical studies have led in an entirely different direction. Our isolation of thought from ordinary politics, an isolation which is to be encouraged because it is suited to our holy calling, and our habit of looking at all topics in their relation to Christ's Kingdom, do not prepare us for profitably discussing politics before the people. Neither has God called us to the work of being political leaders. There may be some giant statesmen among our clergy whose peculiar turn of NOT POLITICAL. 259 mind, or well-matured opinions, would give weight to their judgment, and fit them to be leaders in aifairs of state. If such men feel called to enter the arena of political strife, they are called away from the ministry. Divine Providence invites them to the care of national affairs: and it will be their wisdom to obey the call. I apply these principles in one or two instances. Is rebellion a proper topic for the pulpit ? Certainly, because it is a sin ; an offence against God's law; a grave public crime. But in discussing it a Minister must keep to its moral and religious aspects ; and avoid com- plicating it with public and party policies. Is the way to deal with such a rebellion as disturbed our peace in 1861 to 1865 a proper subject for the pulpit? No. Because God has separated matters which are wholly political from ecclesiastical influence, and committed them to statesmen. Is slavery a proper topic for the pulpit ? At one time the inquiry would have been pertinent, but at present it has no practical value. Even when slavery existed the topic was excluded by every dictate of wisdom and good sense from those pulpits where the congregation had no relations with the system, and where it was not necessary to treat it either for the amelioration or the destruction of slavery. Now that it is no longer known among us, the question need not be discussed. Suppose public policy should be leading to a terri- torial division of the Church; should not the division be discussed in the pulpit? No; because if accomplished it would not necessarily affect the spiritual interests of religion or of the Church. 260 PREACHING, In the application of these principles great wisdona is to be used. If a Minister's soul be filled with love to Christ and desire for the saving of the souls of his people, he will be seldom troubled by conscientious doubts as to the themes which should occupy his pulpit discourse. PREACHmG. CHAPTER Xyi. ITS POWER. The power of preaching lies essentially in its subject Preaching possesses a natural power as an instrument, whether rightly or wrongly used ; employed by a heretic as well as an orthodox Minister. But there is a moral power, a divinely ordered influence, proceeding from that pulpit which preaches the Gospel of Christ, that no other can equal. Human eloquence can never compare itself Avith this divine eloquence. Graces of diction, arts of elocution, the skill of the orator, can never produce such effects as a simple, earnest, expe- rienced preaching of Christ crucified. When those other influences become adjuncts of the Gospel message, its power is increased. Christ intends that the highest skill of the human preacher shall be bent to give eflect to his Gospel. When a Christian orator forgets him- self in his message, and uses every eflbrt of skilful composition and effective delivery in order to set forth Christ, a Christ whom he loves above himself, then a redoubled power is given to his preaching. Yet even then it is, " not by might nor by power (human power) but by my spirit saith the Lord.'' And an Apostle thus expresses the result of his experience, an Apostle 261 262 PREACHING. who had studied eloquence in the highest school : " I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified/^ The power of preaching lies in a skilful, constant, faithful, experienced proclamation of Christ Jesus. This proclamation is to exhibit Christ in entireness, in his person, characteristics, offices, and example. In his person, as the God-man ; His true Divinity, and actual manhood ; the only person of the Trinity who has become personally manifest during the medi- atorial dispensation. The God of Adam and Ante- diluvians ; of Noah and the patriarchal church ; of Abraham and the ancient church of Israel. Jehovah. The God of Providence and Grace, the actual Head of the present Church, and the Ruler of the present age. The future Judge and Restorer. The author of the Resurrection; and the giver of eternal life. This personal Christ is man ; actually, really ; not by figure of speech. This relation was decided on before the World was; prefigured by frequent appearances, and foreshown by his constant interest exhibited in human affairs: assumed at Bethlehem. His manhood as shown by sympathy, experience of human wants, by fellowship in affections, in sufferings, and in temptation : and by his death and resurrection. This manhood still existing in all its realities. The man Christ Jesus is seated on his throne ; and the whole dispensation as thus linked with the truth that Christ is the God-man. His Characteristics. — All divine attributes. Too much of their force is lost w^hen preached as if they were attributes of a far-off Being, an impersonal essence, a Being incomprehensible. But Christ the Person is ITS POWER. 263 the Being who to us is Omnipotent^ Omniscient, Omni- present, Just, Wise, Loving, Truthful. Each of these attributes to be pressed as characteristic of the God-man, with whom, as individuals under his mediatorial dis- pensation, we have to do ; and our relations to him are immediate. His Offices, both general and particular. General : as Redeemer, Teacher, Governor, for all. Particular: as Saviour of them that believe, as Prophet teaching them. Priest in interceding for them. King in ruling them, and controlling all things for them. His Example, as the actual standard and guide in morals, for all men ; his example the one example of obedience to the law ; a test of sin ; his example giving the line of a possible obedience, because Christ was an actual man ; an obedience which is to be the standard for the final judgment of men. All these topics have also a special relation to his believing people. Laying such a basis of truth a preacher will possess power in producing conviction of sin; in its various aspects, actual and inherited ; sins in particular; sinful- ness as a condition ; spiritual ruin by sin ; danger from sin, and while continuing in sinful practices. Christ as the end of the Law. Preaching of the law is necessary in order to exhibit the character of sin and our exposure to condemnation. But this topic, not generally known as legal preaching, although it may be truly so called, possesses no vital power, and is very hard and dry unless one adds to it the true Gospel portraits of Christ as the Author of the Law ; the God-man who enforces it ; the one who reme- 264 PREACHING. dies the woe which sin has brought in ; and the griev- ousness of sin in that it offends and sets at nought this Christ. *' Out of Christ/^ said Cecil, " God is not even intelligible, much less amiable. Such men as Clarke and Abernethj talk sublime nonsense. A sick woman once said to me, ^ Sir, I have no notion of God ; I can form no notion of Him. You talk to me of Him, but I cannot get a single idea that seems to contain any- thing.' ^ But you know,' I said, * how to conceive of Jesus Christ as a man. God comes down to you in Him, full of kindness and condescension.' 'Ah, sir,' she replied ; ' that gives me something to lay hold on. There I can rest. I understand God in His Son. And if God,' she added, 'is not intelligible out of Christ, much less is He amiable, though I ought to feel Him to be so. He is an object of horror and aversion to me corrupted as I am. I fear — I tremble — I resist — J hate— I rebel.' " Job furnishes a true illustration when he says, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." A knowledge of the Gospel induces a deep sense of sin. A true Christian is the truest penitent. Increasing godliness produces, or at least is necessarily accompanied by, an increasing clear- ness in one's view of the Gospel, and consequently gives an increasing sense of our weakness and deficiency. Such preaching has great power when as the next step it leads to faith in Christ for justification. Thus : under a sense of sin, one longs to know that the Saviour actually possesses both ability and willingness to save. Your explanations of the method of justification, which ITS POWER. 265 is tlie substance of the mediatorial scheme, will present the Saviour in this light as supremely able, and abso- lutely friendly. Then an act of faith in such a Saviour becomes not only perfectly natural, l^ut is impulsive. The power of such preaching is shown by its leading men to reformation and sanctification : which are parts of each other, and of one process. The preaching of the Law produces no real reformation unless it is coupled with the presentation of a gracious Saviour, as a pure exemplar ; and withal as a sufficient and sus- taining God. His character. — Consider its winning power, its beauty, and attractiveness. Consider how rapidly ref- ormation of evil habits must proceed when a penitent realizes, and, as it were, lives in the presence of such a Saviour. Sanctification is essentially, becoming like to Christ, an affectionate imitation of his example. Consider how much this process will be advanced by our habitual representation of such a character in the Person wlio is our Saviour. The good old illustration that follows is none the worse for its age, not any the less iinj)ressive because it is familiar. The first Green- land convert of the Moravian Missionary, said : " Brethren, I have been a heathen, and have grown old among the heathen; therefore I know how heathens think. Once a preacher came and explained to us that there was a God. We answered, ' Dost thou think us so ignorant as not to know that?' Another preacher began to teach us, ' You must not steal, lie, nor get drunk.' "We answered, ' Thou fool, dost thou think that we don't know that?' And thus we dismissed him. After a time brother Christian Henry Eauch came into my hut, and sat down by me. He spoke to me nearly as follows : ' I come to you in the name of the Lord of heaven and earth. He sends M 23 266 PREACHING. me to let you know, that he will make you happy, and deliver you from the misery in which you lie at present. To this end he hecame a man, gave his life a ransom for man, and shed his . blood for us.' I could not forget his words. Even while I was asleep, I dreamt of that blood which Christ shed for us. I found this to be something different from what I had ever heard, and I interpreted Christian Henry's words to the other Indians. Thus through the grace of God, an awakening took place among ns. I say, therefore, brethren. Preach Christ our Saviour, and his sufferings and death, if you would have your words to gain entrance among the heathen."* What power for persuasion can compare with a preaching of a personal Christ! Our personal rela- tions to him furnish a motive which appeals to every affection and emotion in turn : fear, love, hope, am- bition, gratitude. Consider the power that lies in the truth, that Christ is our God, knowing us thoroughly, understanding every turn of our hearts by experience, ever present with us as the Almighty Sovereign. Such a representation does not leave God in remoteness ; does not diminish the impression of His majesty by the feeling that we are indefinitely separated from Him. Such preaching re- stores for practical use, the idea of personal unity in the Godhead, which is lost when we contemj^late the unity of the Godhead as a speculative idea. That is a tri-personal unity; and in that sense beyond our ap- prehension. But when we contemplate our Lord Christ as God, this personal idea has full effect. It brings God near us. We are placed in constant and close, and vital relations with Him : He is God manifested ; and He is God who has graciously made himself known * Crantz, History of Greenland. ITS POWER. 267 to us. We depend on Him as creatures. We depend on Him as redeemed men; on Him as believing chil- dren. A singular power resides in preaching when it represents the God-man, the Saviour, the loving, gracious friend, as the object of personal faith. But whilst this theme is a powerful instrument, its real spiritual effectiveness in the pulpit is given only by the Holy Ghost. The history of preaching mani- fests that the Holy Spirit never fails to make use of it as a power in any preacher's hands. And experience, tested by ministerial work, undoubtedly exhibits the fact that the Holy Spirit does not make any other theme powerful for the conversion of men, the gather- ing of a Church, or the edifying of Saints. One other thought is germane to this topic; namely, that this power in preaching is largely dependent upon a minister's personal experience. Human nature is a curious compound. Credulity and incredulity are twin sisters. Responding to truths conveyed by words, yet men are constantly engaged in reading between the lines; and if the truths uttered can possibly be re- garded as experiments rather than experimental, a majority of men will cast them aside as worthless. We are obliged to take this peculiarity into the account. If men see that a preacher utters what he has felt, advises to a course which he has already followed, points to a path over which he looks back with satis- faction rather than forward with speculative hope ; if he says, "come!" instead of "go!" they accept 'his counsel with readiness, or if they refuse it, do so with hesitation. There is very much reality in society around us. And men and women to whom we preach 268 PREACHING. desire above all things to see the evidences of reality in our speech. After a sermon which contained a great deal that was practical, an old Christian whispered to another, " He preaches well ; what a pity he never felt it!'^ The uncharitableness of the remark need not hide the force of the illustration. So far then, and only so far as Preaching is the utterance of one's own experience, it possesses Power. Hence we derive a reasonable definition of Unction. This term so familiar to the old French preachers, has been variously defined. It is that peculiar power in preaching which carries Gospel truth home to the heart. I am inclined to think that we find the true definition by coupling these two thoughts, now developed, namely, the theme, and personal experience. There can be no unction in a sermon, without a presentation of the one theme. But the theme will have no unction in its presentation except on the lips of one who utters his own deep and true experience of it. Heard, in his essay, " Pastor and Parish," well says, " The mystery of preaching is this, that a word should be the bridge across which spirit passes to hold com- munion with spirit. Nor is this all the mystery : the same word which heard by thousands is a sound in the ear, and nothing more ; the same pathetic appeal which in the eyes of thousands is only a flash of eloquence, becomes to the awakened spirit a sight and a sound, like that which Saul alone understood and interpreted, when the rest of the company stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. ■ So the voice and gesture UNCTION. 269 of the preacher may be voice and gesture only to a church full of people; but to one prepared spirit, it may be the Holy Ghost speaking with power." But we cannot look for the grace of the Holy Ghost to accompany our preaching unless we actually labor in the use of his theme and labor in his line. " Between spirit and spirit there is usually a gulf fixed. Even Christian people cannot always bridge it over." The difficulty in preaching is to pass this gulf. And preaching becomes effective only in proportion as it becomes spiritual communion. But for spiritual communion there must necessarily be common thoughts on a common theme, and a com- parison of experience. Consequently that which ren- ders Pastoral visiting efficient and valuable in its place, gives value to the pulpit ; that is, a communication of experience as to the things of Christ. Hence Fenelon used to say, " none but Pastors could preach." Heard adds, " This spiritual power which is the secret of all true pulpit eloquence comes not by study, nor by prac- tice. It is only seen with one who has been tried and tempted, as well as taught, in the school of Christ." We conclude then, with this definition of unction. It is spiritual experience preaching of Christ. 23* PREACHING. CHAPTER XVII. THE MATTER OF IT. In this chapter we turn to a totally different aspect of Preaching : the mechanical structure of a sermon : and first the matter which is to form it. Definition. — The matter of a sermon is the substance of the discourse; that upon which the mind of the hearer is to rest, and be exercised ; which is to excite thought; and which is to be remembered. It forms the basis of instruction, and conviction ; and out of it persuasion is to grow. A sermon, therefore should be full enough of mat- ter to accomplish these purposes. There must be thought in it, if one wishes the people to think when listening to it. Declamation, exhortation, and the ex- ercise of imagination, may awaken feeling or excite the mind, but they do not exercise it ; such influences will not produce permanent effects. Matter does not consist in quotations of passages of Scripture, nor in quotations from good authors ; but in elaborated thought. The sermon should produce the impression that what you are preaching results from a matured action of your own brain upon materials pre- sented to the people. Not much effect would be pro- 270 THE MATTER OF A SERMON. 271 duced by quoting three pages of Cruden, or a dozen from any commentator, or by a whole line of proof texts on any topic. But let the same material be ar- ranged, systematized, and jointed together, so that it becomes the product of the preacher's reflection ; then, even a valley of dry bones of texts, " very many in the open valley and very dry,'' will be transformed into a great army of living thoughts, for bone will have come to its bone, and the skeleton will have flesh on it, and a spirit of life will have entered into it. I can well imagine that that became one of the most eloquent sermons ever preached, which was read to his examiners by a young Methodist Minister, out of the v., vi., and vii. chapters of S. Matthew. He was com- pelled, unexpectedly, to make an exhortation before them. Vainly looking for a text, he turned from one thought to another, as he began to read aloud the Ser- mon on the Mount. He did not find his text. But his mind was so engaged, whilst searching earnestly into the meaning of each passage, and comprehending each verse with new intensity, that he preached the grand old ser- mon over to each hearer. A? he sat down, each felt that the matter of the sermon had become the speaker's own. The mode of obtaining such matter is by reading ; which is the feeding of the mind : and by meditation ; which is the digestion of the mind, appropriating and making its own what is read. The point is this : that matter however obtained, is to become the preacher's own. No man must preach other men's discourses : nor even satisfy himself by quoting them. Heard says, " Plagiarists steal thoughts as Gypsies do children ; and then disguise them, lest 272 PREACHING. they should be recognized/' " Many a laborious and wearisome search after that which might save the time and trouble of original thought, has ended in the pro- duction of a piece of vapid formality, not to be com- pared for ministerial efficiency, with a few pages of honest though inexperienced meditation." Little can be got out of the head, but what has been put into it. It is well to read approved authors ; but what is read should be submitted to a process of meditative diges- tion, in order to reproduce it in a new and original combination. Every thinker has a speciality of char- acter which will appear in all he writes. Even borrowed thoughts then become his. His mode of reproduction gives them originality. The golden vessels of the Sanc- tuary lose nothing by passing through the crucible of the refiner, and the hand of the skilful moulder. The fine gold is not changed : but the impress of the new workman's finger is left upon the work, and it has be- come an original. So worked over, borrowed thoughts possess a raciness, which no artifices of elocution applied to borrowed composition can successfully imitate. "A preacher who begins as a copyist is never likely to get the better of it. If he had begun with a quarter of an hour of his own reflections, he would find, that, with practice, the reflections would become more varied, the illustrations more lifelike, and the style, if not less homely than at first, would gain precision and force. But the young preacher puts down a dry stick instead of a sapling, and need not wonder if his dry stick does not blossom and bear fruit.''* * Heard, Pastor and Parish. ELABORATED THOUGHT. 273 Our Author is very properly inveighing against a habit of dependence upon other men's labor. But I do not understand him to condemn a habit of feedino; upon and assimilating in one's own mental processes the thoughts of other men. There is no other process indeed by which mental growth can be produced. Nor in fact is there anything under this sun absolutely new ; or purely original. What was true in Solomon's age is true to-day. Sometimes the thinker may create what is new to him ; but it may not be new to the world. Yet such thoughts are as original with him, as they were to the one who first uttered them. I heard a discourse on one of the Saviour's miracles, which contained a thought new, and fresh, and spark- ling with suggestiveness. Yet, when conversing about it with a scholar who is familiar with the deep places of patristic lore, it appeared that the same thought had occurred to Saint Augustine. The new thought was 1500 years old. JSTevertheless, it was as original to the younger as to the older Preacher. Thoughts have been used over and over again; originated, if I may so say, unnumbered times. Like the food our bodies grow upon, so is mental pabulum. Food for our minds is not created anew- for each suc- cessive generation; but it comes to them in altered forms, through those wonderful processes of mental elaboration which the Creator has devised. And all that the most original mind can hope for is, that every thought it obtains from others shall be so entirely made its own by meditation, that it shall honestly seem to be original to itself. From whatever source obtained then the matter of our discourses is to be elaborated thought. 274 PREACHING. Amount of Matter. A discourse should be full enough of matter to sat- isfy intelligent hearers. But discretion is to be shown. The sermon must not seem to be crowded. If unfor- tunately it should be a little too full, at least avoid impressing that idea upon your hearers. Never make an apology for the length of your sermon. If it be too long the people will discover it soon enough. For example, never say, " The subject is so large, that I must strain your patience," or, " I hope I shall not weary you," or, " Bear with me a little longer ;" at either of which wisely considerate suggestions all the congregation begin to be restless, and most of the gentlemen take out their watches, to see how long their patience has been already taxed ; and to calculate how much more they can endure. A Minister is not wise who wearies his people. They need food, and there should be enough of it ; but not too much, so as to disgust, for it is to be digested ; and a cheerful spirit is a great adjunct to healthy digestion. Too much even of a good thing leads to a mental revolt. Some of the Israelites suffered from a superabundange of quails, though those were brought to them on the very winds of God. And even God's truth, bountifully scattered by His Hand, and whole- some as it is when thus diffused, may, by human indiscretion, be so concentrated in a discourse, as to lose its wholesomeness. Bridges has well said : " It would be well that our discourses should be like Elihu's — full of matter : and we must regret that a good man is not always a wise and a full one. Yet we must remember our people's DILUTION. 275 capabilities, the limited nature of their digestive powers, and the serious injury of stretching them beyond their natural ex- ercise. The principle of our Lord's instruction was, to 'speak the word unto the people, as they wore able to hear it.' Had he said all that he could have said, it would have been infinitely more than they would have been able to have received ; and consequently the grand end of his instruction would have been lost. It needs much prudence to select the most appropriate instruction," Mr. Cecil justly remarks that ^' it requires as much reflection to know what is not to be put in a sermon, as what is." Dilution. We are to avoid dilution, '^Milk" for babes and '^ meat" for men are two different hinds of food, not the same food in two different states. We may boil the meat to shreds until it becomes unfit to be eaten, but we cannot make milk out of it. Some men seem to fora^et this fact. Simplicity is not simpleness. Simplicity in thought is not meagreness nor meanness. However simple, let the matter be strong. Matter should be suited to the simplest people ; but this is not done by degrading either truth, or the man- ner of expressing it. Blunt has well said : "It is a mistake, I think, into which many young Preachers fall, that they reckon upon the simple people whom they have to address, loving simplicity over-much, and on this account dilute their divinity till it is really too small for babes. In almost all congregations there are some persons of liberal education, many of shrewd natural parts ; and it must be always borne in mind that the Bible, and what relates to it, is the whole compass of every poor man's literature ; which is a circumstance that may sometimes bring him nearer to his teacher, whose attention is distracted by other subjects, than is suspected. A very humble 276 PREACHING. worshipper is capable of profiting by sound and pregnant argu- ments, if well put and simply worded ; and if occasionally you leave him behind you, you give him a cud to chew, and induce him to ask himself whether it may not be worth his while to sit at the feet of the teacher, instead of pushing him off his chair and taking his place. Nee mens hie sermo. Baxter, whose ex- perience of mankind with respect to this question was large, cau- tions the Preacher against ' enticing the people to think that he is as ignorant as they, and that they are as worthy to be preachers as he.'" St. Paul had meat for men as well as milk for babes. He employed some " sayings hard to be understood/^ and sometimes was for " leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ and going on unto perfection." We must remember that education is widely disseminated among our people. The educated members of our con- gregations require at our hands more careful instruction than any other class, and probably a larger share of it. In fine, we must not cater for any appetites exclusively. PREACHING. CHAPTER XYIIL STYLE. Definition. — Style is from the ancient Latin, stylus, the pen : accommodated ; that which it wrote for that which wrote it. Afterwards the word came to mean the peculiar manner of writing or composition belong- ing to each nation or person. Consequently, no invariable rule can be given for style, because it is formed by the constitution of mind, the character, or the circumstances of the individual. It is a matter of taste and habit. A bad style may be corrected, and ought to be : but one must be careful, when attempting to correct, not to become an imitator, and not to lose one's own, in endeavoring to follow an- other. The subject belongs to sacred composition. A few remarks are ventured here however, as pertinent to the present topic ; some of them, particularly valuable, be- cause they were impressed upon my mind by Professor Aytoun (the Poet), of Edinburgh, when attending his lectures on Belles-Lettres at the University in that city, in 1848-9. Undoubtedly he was the most bril- liant lecturer I ever listened to ; every thought whilst it sparkled, attracted his hearers, not only because it 24 277 278 PREACHING. seemed to be, but because it was, a gem. Some of his suggestions I am able to repeat, taking them from notes made at the time. I add my own comments. The Professor died many years ago. Aim. Two points are to be aimed at in a sermon : Sim- plicity and Point. There are three degrees of eloquence. The first aims only at pleasing ; such are panegyrics, inaugurals, and lectures. The second aims both to please and instruct, to in- form and convict, to remove prejudice, and lead a hearer to embrace the speaker's side; such is especially, the eloquence of the bar, and some of the higher class of lectures. The third aims to interest, to convince, to lead to sympathy with the speaker, to agitate, and prompt to act with decision. This is the eloquence of the pulpit : and is the highest kind. (Aytoun.) Simplicity, is most favorable to the development in a speaker of strong passion, which is necessary if he would sway the mind. Point, aids him in keeping his own mind and his hearers' minds fixed on the end to be attained; and gives his eloquence more freedom ; whilst its repeated blows are more effective. To attain simplicity and point; I recommend that you have something to say ; understand what you are going to say ; then say it. The qualities requisite are these four : sound argu- ment ; clear method ; perfect conviction on the part of STYLE. 279 the speaker, and the appearance of it; graces of diction, style and manner. His studies of theology ought to enable a Clergyman to produce sound argument. Of clear method we shall treat after a while. Perfect conviction on the part of a Minister is to be taken for granted. The consideration of graces of diction, style and manner belong to the subject of Rhetoric. But a few thoughts as to language and rules of composition will be pertinent before pro- ceeding to consider the subject of clear Method. Language. — The English is copious, varied, capable of all uses, appropriate to every purpose of the pulpit. Its chief sources are the Northern German, the Nor- man, and the Latin. It is like the people themselves, an amalgamation of tongues as of nationalities. After each conquest new words flowed into the stream of lan- guage, and gradually mingled with the current. Tliere is in it a representation, in words, of every blood which gives the peculiar tinge of life to the Anglo-Saxon family, from northern, central, or southern Europe. The Prayer Book, and the translation of the Bible are the best illustrations of this pure English tongue. The prayer book offers an illustration, at almost every page. For example, let us study the second special prayer for Ash Wednesday. " O most mighty God, and most merciful Father, who hast compassion upon all men and hatest nothing that thou hast made ; who would'st not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his sin, and be saved ; mercifully forgive us our tres- passes ; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sins. Thy property is always to have mercy; to thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast re- 280 PREACHING. deemed ; enter not into judgment with thy servants, who are vile earth, and miserable sinners ; but so turn thine anger from us, who meekly acknowledge our vileness, and truly repent us of our faults, and so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with thee in the world to come ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." mighty is Gothic. grieved is French or Latin. merciful, Low Lat. wearied. Anglo-Sax. (wearig). compassion, Latin. burdened. Anglo-Sax. (byrden). Latest, Gothic. property. French. wouldest, Germ. Lat. (wol vol). appertaineth , Latin. death, Anglo-Sax. (dead-ian). spare. Anglo-Sax. (sparien) sinner, Anglo-Sax. vile, Anglo-Sax. or Lat. rather, Anglo-Sax. (rath). miserable, Latin. turn. Anglo-Sax. (tyrn-an). fault. Latin. saved. Greek or Latin. make, Anglo-Sax. forgive, Anglo-Sax. (for-gif-an). haste, German. trespasses. French. help. Gothic, receive. French. •world. Anglo-Sax. (woruld). comfort. Mid. Latin. Of twenty-seven principal words in this Collect, six- teen are Anglo-Saxon or Northern German. The curi- ous mingling of national languages is also to be noted. In the choice of language, it is to be noted, that Saxon words are used for strength, simplicity, and precision. Latin words are generally used for ornament, de- scription, figures of speech, expansion, and illustration. As for example, the following " Johnsonianism" — Pope versus Dryden — "In acquired knowledge, the superiority must be allowed to Dryden, whose education was more scholastic. The notions of Dryden were formed by comprehensive speculation ; those of Pope by minute attention. There is more dignity in the knowl- edge of Dryden, and more certainty in that of Pope. " The style of Dryden is capricious and varied ; that of Pope is cautious and uniform. Dryden's page is a natural field, rising into inequalities, and diversified by the varied exuberance of ANGLO-SAXON LANGUAGE. 281 abundant vegetation ; Pope's is a velvet lawn, shaven by the scythe, and levelled by the roller. " Dryden is read with frequent astonishment, and Pope with perpetual delight." (Johnson.) Saxon is the best for the people ; most easily under- stood by all; specially liked by children. It is the basis of popular language. Observe the following specimen of pure Saxon by a Scotch poet who came from among the people : "The Early Dead. " But still the dead shall more than keep The beauty of their early sleep : Where comely looks shall never wear Uncomely, under toil 'an care. The fair at death be always fair : Still fair to living thought 'an love, 'An fairer still to God above. Than when they died in beauty." Wonderfully strong, because there is not one Latin word in the whole stanza ! Note the difference in strength between Saxon and Latin, in the following synonymes : Eest. Repose. Work. (Goth.) Labor. Go back. Retrograde. Sin. Transgression. Sinner. Transgressor. Turn. Reverse. I give you the same thought in two languages. " Repress thy desires, delay thy footsteps, and medi- 24* 282 PREACHING. tate, O insensate transgressor !" (Latin.) " Stop, poor sinner ! Stop, and think V^ (Saxon.) Short words have the most strength. Let the plain- est and simplest be used. In fine, use an Anglicized Saxon. Our translators of Scripture scarcely ever use words beyond a trisyllable in length. " In proportion as men have real and undoubted scholarship do they study a Saxon style and homely illustration.^' Technicalities, theological phrases, and professional forms of expression are to be avoided ; except when precision in theological statement is required. The language of the pulpit and the language of the people are too often different languages. We hardly realize how many of our hearers are ignorant of the simplest ideas in the language of religion. Many a time we preach to them in an unknown tongue. Being in South Carolina, in the pine woods, some twenty-five years ago, I met a Presbyterian Clergy- man, who gave a curious illustration of this point. One of his constant hearers was a learned and intelli- gent (?) physician. This gentleman came to him one day, and said, " My dear friend, you will pardon me, I hope, for the suggestion, but really sometimes, I think that it would be well if you gentlemen of the Clergy would study a little more physiology.^' " How so ?" answered my friend. ^^ Why,'' said he, " I have been listening to you a long while, and I like to hear you. But you often recommend your hearers to get a new heart. Do you know that that operation would kill the patient ?" We may ponder Avith profit Macaulay's eulogium on the style of the Liturgy ^ 1689 : LANGUAGE. 283 " To rewrite the Prayer Book was a bold undertaking, for in general the style of that volume is such as cannot be improved. The English Liturgy indeed gains by being compared even with those fine ancient liturgies from which it is in a great extent taken. The essential qualities of devotional eloquence, concise- ness, majestic simplicity, pathetic earnestness of supplication, sobered by a profound reverence, are common between trans- lations and the originals. But in the subordinate graces of diction the originals must be allowed to be far inferior to the translations." He proceeds to give the reason, namely, that the technical language of Christianity did not pass into the Latin until Latin was becoming barbarous: but the technical language of Christianity was found in the Saxon and the Norman before the union of the two had produced the Anglo-Saxon language, which is superior to either. A very profound observation. " The diction of our Book of Common Prayer," he continues, "has directly or indirectly contributed to form the diction of almost every great English writer, and has extorted the admira- tion of the most accomplished infidels, and of the most accom- plished non-conformists ; of such men as David Hume and Kobert Hall." I give as a contrast and a warning some illustrations of amplification and turgid weakness versus conciseness and strength. Macaulay says, " The Doctors of the Jerusalem Chamber voted the Collects too short and too simple : and Patrick was intrusted Avith the duty of expanding and ornamenting them. In one respect the choice seems to have been unexceptionable; for if we may judge by the way in which Patrick paraphrased the most sublime Hebrew poetry, we shall probably be of 284 PREACHING. opinion tnat whether he was or was not qualified to make the Collects better, no man that ever lived was more competent to make them longer !" " He maketh me to lie down in green pastures : he leadeth me beside the still waters." Commentary. " For as a good shepherd leads his sheep in the violent heat to shady places, where they may lie down and feed (not in parched, but) in fresh and green pastures ; and in the evening leads them (not to muddy and troubled waters, but) to pure and quiet streams : so hath he already made a fair and plentiful provision for me ; which I enjoy in peace without any disturbance."* " I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my be- loved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." Paraphrase. " So I turned myself to those of my neighbors and familiar acquaintance, who were awakened by my cries to come and see what the matter was ; and conjured them, as they would answer it to God, that if they met with my beloved, they would let him know— what shall I say? what shall I desire you to tell him? but that I do not enjoy myself, now that I want his company : nor can be well, till I recover his company again. "■{- '* What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women ? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us ?" Paraphrase. " And some of them had so much compassion upon me, as to interest themselves so far in my sorrows, as to inquire into the cause of them ; and how they might be assistant unto me in their cure; for they asked me, Wherein doth thy beloved excel other excellent persons? he is very lovely, no doubt, because beloved of thee, who art the most amiable of all other women ; * Patrick's Commentary, Psalm xxiii. 2. t Canticles v. 8. RULES OF COMPOSITION. 285 but what is his pre-eminence, wherein do those who are worthy of the greatest love, fall short of him? that thou art thiis solicitous about him, and layest such a severe charge upon us, to assist thee in thy search of him ?"* Rules of Composition. Discourse is composed of sentences. A sentence is that form of speech which has a be- ginning and an end within itself, and of such a length that it may be easily comprehended. (Aytoun.) Kinds. — Sentences are either simple or compound. In a simple sentence, the whole meaning is conveyed without any division. A simple sentence is best ex- pressed in Saxon, It is altogether the best form of sentence. In a compound sentence, the meaning is conveyed by parts ; but no perfect sentence conveys more than two ideas, or has m.ore than two parts. Punctuation is important, to aid in determining the character and length of a sentence. A Colon (:) marks the end and completion of one idea. A Semicolon (;) the subdivision of an idea. Consequently no good sentence contains more than one colon (:) ; and although a semicolon (;) may be repeated, it cannot be very fre- quently repeated in a sentence without leading to am- biguity and heaviness. A dash ( — ) is used to denote a sentence within a sentence; a sentence interjected. It is allowable, but rarely. It is dangerous. Its frequent use indicates a careless thinker, a mind wandering from the thought. (Aytoun.) A comma (,) denotes a pause in thought. A period (.) marks the close of a sentence. * Canticles v. 9. 286 PREACHING. Whenever a sentence cannot be easily punctuated, it is not clear, nor well formed. As an illustration of the value of punctuation, and also as an exercise in the art to those who desire to try their skill, I give the following extracts. The same passages, correctly punctuated, will be found elsewhere. Punctuation. Atheism. "I confess it is not a wicked man's interest if he resolve to continue such that there should be a God but then it is not men's interest to be wicked It is for the general good of human society and consequently of particular persons to be true and just it is for men's health to be temperate and so I could in- stance in all other virtues but this is the mystery of atheism men are wedded to their lusts and resolved upon a wicked course and so it becomes their interest to wish there were no God and to believe so if they can." — Tillotson, i. 369. Interior of St. MarWs Church. " The light fades away into the recess of the chamber towards the altar and the eye can hardly trace the lines of the bas-relief behind it of the baptism of Christ but on the vaulting of the roof the figures are distinct and there are seen upon it two great circles one surrounded by the ' Principalities and Powers in heavenly places' of which Milton has expressed the ancient division in the single massy line ^Thrones Dominations Princedoms Virtues Powers' and around the other the Apostles Christ the centre of both and upon the walls again and again repeated the gaunt figure of the Baptist in every circumstance of his life and death and the streams of the Jordan running down between their cloven rocks the axe laid to the root of a fruitless tree that springs upon their shore ' Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire' Yes verily to be baptized with fire or to be cast therein it is the choice set before all men." — Raskin's Stones of Venice. RULES OF COMPOSITION. 287 Tales of a Traveller. '' The carriage had driven up The wheels turning on patent axles without rattling the body hanging so well on its springs yielding to every motion yet protecting from every shock the ruddy faces gaping from the windows sometimes of a portly old citizen sometimes of a voluminous dowager and sometimes of a fine fresh hoyden just from boarding-school And then the dickeys loaded with well-dressed servants beef-fed and blufi" looking down from their heights with contempt on all the world around pro- foundly ignorant of the country and of the people and devoutly certain that every thing not English must be wrong."— Irving, Popkins Family. Advertisemetit in the Times. " Kooms to let No 6 Piccadilly for single gentlemen 13 feet long by 8 feet wide." It is important to vary the forms of sentences in a discourse. A succession of short sentences wearies the hearer ; so does a succession of long sentences. There- fore forms of sentences should be judiciously varied. A perfect sentence is an epitome of a perfect dis- course. Four qualities are requisite to it. The first relates to ideas : the other three to lanffuatre. 1. Unity of idea or thought. 2. Clearness. 3. Strength. 4. Harmony of language. Unity of thought or idea. — The very nature of a sentence implies that only one thought is expressed by it. Composition may be termed painting for the ear. Therefore it should be regarded as picture writing. Consequently, " a sentence should never contain more ideas than the eye could see at one time from one point, if it were a painting and the ideas were objects."* * Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg at the Flushing Institute. 288 PREACHING. The language which expresses that one thought should be clear; absolutely transparent. The order of words should be such as to allow of no ambiguity. A writer must take care that the hearer not only may, but that he must understand. Ambiguity is a grave fault in any writing except that of a sphinx ; a very grave fault in the sentences of a sermon. Ambiguity may arise sometimes from the choice of words ; as, for example, from a misuse of apparent synonym es. But, commonly, it arises from a faulty arrangement of words, or of the members of a sentence. Words or members of a sentence which are the most nearly related, should always be placed as near to each other as possible. Adverbs should be as close as pos- sible to the words they qualify. A useless repetition of particles, or pronouns, will produce ambiguity. Precision should be sought in every sentence ; and it should express neither more nor less than is intended. To attain strength of expression, let the idea be thought out clearly ; then written in the clearest lan- guage, which is always the strongest. The sentence sliould be divested of all redundant words ; that is, of all words which are not necessary to convey, or to add real importance to, the meaning. Strength in composi- tion may be acquired by avoiding two errors, first, re- dundancy and pleonasm ; that is, too many words, and a repetition of the same words : second, tautology ; that is, the repetition of the same idea in different words. The application of these principles is a difficult task, and will try the sincerity of a sermonizer. But as no preacher has a right to impose crude thoughts upon his auditors, so no preacher has a right to present to his RULES OF COMPOSITION. 289 people a sermon which is a crudity in composition. Professor Ay ton n recommended^ and every sincere writer will certainly endeavor to practise, the following rules : Review every sermon before preaching it; and strike out all words which do not convey an idea. This is what surgeons call heroic practice ; but such use of the knife Avill lengthen the life of a sermon. Strike out every phrase which repeats the idea in different words. Scarcely less heroism is needed for this process. Strike out all words which do not add to the idea. By this time your sentences will have been consider- ably, perhaps sufficiently reduced in number ; and will have become clear in expression. Avoid the use of small words, unless they are really necessary. For ex- ample, the appellative " and" will weaken style if it occurs too frequently. It may be an important word however, when each object is to be considered sepa- rately : as for example, ^^ Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." In this sentence, " ancV^ is the emphatic word. The idea is that God and Mammon cannot be served at the same moment. It is obvious that a person may serve God at one time, and Mammon at another. As a valuable specimen of a style, in which the form of sentences varies, and each sentence possesses unity, w^hilst all are clear, strong, and harmonious, let the fol- lowing passage from Macaulay be studied : ^^TUlotson's style.— Oi all members of tlie Low Church party Tillotson stood highest in general estimation. As a preacher he was thought by his cotemporaries to have surpassed all rivals N 25 290 PREACHING. living or dead. Posterity has reversed this judgment (reversed?). Yet Tillotson keeps his phice as a legitimate English Classic. His highest flights were indeed far below those of Taylor, of Barrow, and of South : but his oratory was more correct and equable than theirs. No quaint conceits, no pedantic quotations from Talmudiats and scholiasts, no mean images, buffoon stories, scurrilous invectives, ever marred the effect of his grave and temperate discourses. His reasoning was just sufficiently pro- found and sufficiently refined, to be followed by a popular audi- ence with that slight degree of intellectual exertion which is a pleasure. His style is not brilliant, but it is pu?e, transparently clear, and equally free from the levity and from the stiffness which disfigure the sermons of some eminent divines of the seventeenth century. He is always serious; yet there is about his manner a certain graceful ease which marks him as a man who knows the world, who has lived in populous cities and in splendid courts, and who has conversed not only with books, but with lawyers and merchants, wits and beauties, statesmen and princes. The greatest charm of his compositions, however, is derived from the benignity and candor which appear in every line, and which shone forth not less conspicuously in his life, than in his writings."* Harmony of language is agreeable to the hearers. It adds to impressiveness, when it is natural. It is de- structive to effect whenever it is labored, or leaves an impression that the speaker is seeking after it. In a degree it may be desired by a preacher. Harmony arises from the choice of words ; and from the colloca- tion and distribution of members of a sentence. Yowel sounds are always pleasing to the ear. Consonants are strong. Long words, if not too long, are agreeable. Short Avords are more nervous. (Aytoun.) Beauty arises from a balancing of parts in a sentence. The pauses in a discourse should be arranged so as to * Macaulay's England, 1856, p. 424. CLEAR METHOD. 291 give musical proportion. The distribution of sentences should be such, that the sermon may be easily pro- nounced. An occasional discord is equally n-ecessary ; for its resolution into harmony, as in music, increases the influence of the harmony, by the relief and contrast afforded. Too much harmony tires and nauseates. Gibbon's style is an illustration of both good and faulty harmony. In general, his constant antitheses, and the musical rhythm of his sentences wearies, whilst it charms. Clear Method. A discourse is a compound of sentences. Conse- quently similar rules apply to the structure of a dis- course. The requisites are unity, perspicuity, order, and naturalness. The first requisite of a discourse is Unity of design. Blair's rule is to be followed ; '^ to take one idea and stick to it." Leave one impression on the hearer's mind. There should be one leading topic in every good discourse. All parts should tend to that. All subordinate thoughts should rise out of it. All pro- posed action should be suggested by it. Every good sermon is therefore capable of receiving a title ; a name which will be characteristic, and describe all its features ; by which it may be known from all other discourses. A good title is brief. Tillotson and Jortin do not give names to their discourses : but in this they differ from almost all other principal writers, such as Chalmers, for example. Bradley's titles, in his volumes of sermons, are models of terseness and appropriateness. Each presents the salient truth of the discourse ; and of sixty 292 PREACHING. on a variety of subjects, the titles are generally in three words : in no instance more than seven. Unity should be also observed in the parts of a sermon. There should be no jumbling of instruction, argument, and exhortation. Each part should have a distinct design, and accomplish it, being kept distinct and separate from every other part. Occasionally, under an impulse of the theme, exhortation will follow immediately upon instruction or argument : but gen- erally, exhortation should be the climax of discourse, following after and naturally flowing out from them. By perspiGuity is meant clearness, transparency in the object of the discourse. As in a sentence so in a whole sermon, let the writer be sure that he compre- hends what he designs to say, before attempting to say it. Quintilian's rule is excellent: Nobis prima sit vii'tus iJerspicuitas. Propria verba; rectus ordo ; non in longum dilata condusio; nihil neque desit, neque superfluat. For us preachers a first rule is perspicuity. Aj^propriate words; a riglit order; a conclusion not long delayed. Nothing wanting, nothing superfluous. We speak to be understood. Let us determine not only that the hearer may, but that he must understand us. It is well to endeavor when writing a sermon to put one's self in the hearer's place: and to try the effect of an argument or exhortation, by imagining one's self listening to it. Some noted writer was ac- customed to practise upon a confidential servant, by reading to him his theses. We suppose that the ser- vant's wages must have been large : but it is said that his shrewdness often afforded his master valuable criticisms. It would be well for a Clergyman to enlist CLEAR METHOD. 293 a charitable friend occasionally in a similar service. One well says, ^^ What is written at first for our own sake, should be written a second time for the sake of others." Perspicuity in argument, or in instruction, will not admit of much mingling of those purposes. In- struction and exhortation are out of place in the midst of an argument. They offend and disappoint because they are unexpected: and consequently produce no good result. So, to break in upon a passionate appeal by a set argument will destroy them both. Order, in a discourse is of great importance. It is necessary to a thorough treatment of a subject. The want of completeness in sermons is due, not so often to want of correct views or of ability to express them, as to confusion in arrangement of thought, or want of arrangement. Perhaps a writer is carried along by one idea and its accessories. He follows it out without regard to unity. He lets his mind run away with him whilst he drops the reins. He suddenly finds himself at the end of his hour, whilst the most important sug- gestions of his subject are still unnoticed. It is the old story of Phaeton in the chariot of the Sun. Swiftly as the hours run, he outruns them all, and plunges over the edge of his topic, leaving his hearers in profound darkness as to it. I have heard such a sermon. The preacher rambled on extemporaneously for nearly an hour, most pleasantly it is true ; when, recalled by the clock, he hastily announced that on the next occasion he would preach upon the text. Sometimes a Preacher, allowing himself in an equally unjustifiable fault, runs hither and thither, like a care- less child in a flower garden, picking ideas without 25* 294 PREACHING. purpose or plan. Instead of offering to his people a bouquet carefully arranged to be enjoyed, his scattered thoughts are given loosely and loosely held, and are soon trampled under foot and forgotten. The diffi- culty of recollecting sermons arises from this fault. Congregations need to be led through a topic in some clear order ; their minds kept upon a track, so distinct that they can see and feel it, and when reviewing it be able easily to retrace their steps. They will not other- wise follow, and cannot remember. It is not always necessary to specify each step in the line of thought by numbers or symbolic words. Milestones and fences do not make a road. They are helps and conveniences to a traveller. So the road along which the hearer is to travel is not made by guide posts, or cabalistic words of minute divisions, but it is a line of thought. If the successive steps of it are clear to the speaker, they will be clear to the hearer. Not seldom the announce- ment of a minute analysis of a subject will tire, if it does not confuse, a listener. Naturalness, All natural discourse is impressive. No sermon can be effective which is or seems to be strained or affected. Naturalness in the pulpit is worth more than learning, talent, or oratory, without it. A hearer should feel that the speaker himself is speaking. This art is not the imitation of nature. The art of speak- ing, I define as, letting nature speak. Each speaker has a method and style of his own ; which is more effective than any that he can borrow : if, for no other reason, because he is used to using it. David with CLEAR METHOD. 295 sling and stone is a match for the Philistine : in SauFs armor he had been but a dead man. So let each speak his own thoughts, in the way that nature prompts. But nature should be educated. It is possible to correct errors in style without destroying its native qualities. A Clergyman's aim should be, whilst avoid- ing faults in his method of writing or speaking, such as all right training will point out, to retain that natu- ralness of style which individualizes him, and in the use of which alone he can exhibit strength. Note. — The following are the passages referred to on pages 286, 287 of these Lectures. Each is here given according to the punctuation of the Author : Punctuation. Atheis7n. " I confess it is not a wicked man's interest, if he resolve to continue such, that there should be a God; but then it is not men's interest to be wicked. It is for the general good of human society, and consequently of particular persons, to be true and just; it is for men's health to be temperate, and so I could instance in all other virtues : but this is the mystery of atheism, men are wedded to their lusts, and resolved upon a wicked course ; and so it becomes their interest to wish there were no God, and to believe so if they can." — Tillotson, i. 369. Interior of St. Mark's Church. " The light fades away into the recess of the chamber towards the altar, and the eye can hardly trace the lines of the bas- relief, behind it, of the baptism of Christ: but on the vaulting of the roof the figures are distinct, and there are seen upon it two great circles, one surrounded by the * Principalities and Powers in heavenly places,' of which Milton has expressed the an.cient division in the single massy line, * Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,* 296 PREACHING. and around the other the Apostles — Christ the centre of both ; and upon the walls, again and again repeated, the gaunt figure of the Baptist, in every circumstance of his life and death ; and the streams of the Jordan running down between their cloven rocks; the axe laid to the root of a fruitless tree that springs upon their shore. ' Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.' Yes, verily : to be baptized with fire, or to be cast therein ; it is the choice set before all men." — Ruskin's Stones of Venice. Tales of a Traveller. "The carriage had driven up. The wheels turning on patent axles without rattling ; the body, hanging so well on its springs, yielding to every motion, yet protecting from every shock; the ruddy faces gaping from the windows — sometimes of a portly old citizen, sometimes of a voluminous dowager, and sometimes of a fine fresh hoyden just from boarding-school. And then the dickeys loaded with well-dressed servants, beef-fed and bluff; looking down from their heights with contempt on all the world around ; profoundly ignorant of the country and of the people, and devoutly certain that every thing not English must be wrong." — Irving, Popkins Family. PREACHING. CHAPTER XIX. MANNER. WRITTEN AND EXTEMPORE DISCOURSE. Manner. It should be that of a man who is, and realizes that he is, an Ambassador of God. The Minister is a man, teaching men. Therefore he must be humble, because he is only a scholar; a scholar distinguished indeed by divine grace, but on that account the more to be clothed in humility. His manner should be solemn, devotional, affectionate, earnest, full of life, and suited to his theme. The old rule still lives, "Si vis me flere flevendum est tibi.^^ Bishop Meade, quoting from Dr. Miller, says, " Be assured that after all the rules and instructions which have been given on ])ulpit eloquence, and which in their place have great value, that which outweighs them all, is that you go to the Sanctuary with your heart full of your subject, warmed with a love to your Master, and to immortal souls, remembering, too, that the eye of that Master is upon you, and that for the sermon you are about to deliver, you must soon give an account before the judgment seat.'' N^ 297 298 PREACHING. Baxter says, " It is no trifling matter to stand up in the face of a congregation and deliver a message of salvation or damnation, as from the living God, in the name of the Redeemer. It is no easy thing to speak so plainly that the most ignorant may understand us ; so seriously that the deadest heart may feel ; so con- vincingly that contradicting cavillers may be silenced. Alas, how few ministers preach with all their might, and speak about everlasting joys and torments in such a manner as to make men believe that they are in good earnest! Few ministers will so much as exert their voice, and stir themselves up to an earnest delivery." The Rev. J. J. Blunt in his ^^ Duties of a Parish Priest" says, ^' But if I were to name any man who seems to me to possess a style at least eminently calcu- lated for the effective Preacher, the easy and flowing and unambitious diction, the firm sentence, the vigor- ous, original, and most appropriate metaphor, above all, the intense (I may say the vehement) desire (to use one of his own phrases) ^ to get within men' whilst preaching, it is Baxter. The younger Calamy says, ' Baxter talked in the pulpit with great freedom about another world, like one that had been there, and was come as a sort of express from thence to make a report concerning it. He was well advanced in years, but delivered himself in public as well as in private with great vivacity and freedom, and his thoughts ^ had a peculiar edge.^ " Delivery should be sufficiently deliberate without being slow; with distinct enunciation ; especially having that freedom which is gained by familiarity with one's manuscript or theme. The nearer it approaches to that MANNER. 299 of the extemporizer, the more impressive it will be. It should be conversational, but dignified. Burnet says : " In the delivering of sermons, a great composure of gesture and behavior is necessary, to give them weight and authority. Extremes are bad here." " The great rule, which the masters of rhetoric press much, can never be enough remembered ; that to make a man speak well, and pronounce with a right emphasis, he ought thoroughly to understand all that he says, be fully per- suaded of it, and bring himself to have those affections which he desires to infuse into others." " That a discourse be heard with any life, it must be spoken with some." " But the rule I have reserved for the last is the most necessary of all, and with- out it all the rest will never do the business ; it is this : That a man must have in himself a deep sense of the truth and power of religion ; he must have a life and flame in his thoughts with relation to those subjects : he must have felt in himself those things which he intends to explain and recommend to others. There is an authority in the simplest things that can be said, when they carry visible characters of genuineness in them. A man will often feel, that ' while he is musing, a fire is kindled within him.' Sometimes this fire will carry him, as it were, out of himself, and yet without anything that is frantic or en- thusiastical (fanatical ?). Discourses brought forth with a lively spirit and heat, where a composed gesture, and the proper mo- tions of the eye and countenance, and the due modulations of the voice concur, will have all the effect that can be expected from anything that is below immediate inspiration."* The most serious faults of manner arise from affecta- tions, from self-consciousness, and from attempts to imitate the manner of those who are regarded as distin- guished preachers. Mere rapidity of utterance without an exuberance of thought, would not be an imitation of Phillips Brooks. Any affectation proves that the * Burnet, edit. 1849, p. 241. 300 PREACHING. speaker is self-conscious, if not vain ; and the appear- ance of it is therefore destructive to a preacher's in- fluence. Indeed it produces in the hearers a feeling akin to disgust. Mannerisms are very disagreeable. An appearance of fatigue or illness, is to be avoided ; as also whatever methods of speech, posture, or gesture that might annoy or distress our hearers. If a Minister is really too fatigued or to ill to proceed, he should not attempt the task. Sometimes sucli artifices are employed to excite sympatliy ; but they invariably fail. Unless manner is genuine its unreality exposes itself. It is the actor re- citing his part behind the scenes, and produces the same effect. No other consciousness belongs to the pulpit, and none should guide the preacher's manner, except that he is standing, like Aaron between the living and the dead, a messencrer sent from God to save men's souls. WHtten versus Extempore Discourse. Under this head we discuss the question, of the com- parative value of written and extempore discourse. We are bound to arrive at a wise and positive conclusion on this topic. The question arises only between the exclu- sive use of one or the other of the two methods. By a written sermon, we mean one in Avhich every word from exordium to peroration, and through to the last word of impassioned eloquence, is penned to the paper. By an extempore sermon, we mean that in which no word is written, unless notes or a skeleton of thought ; but in which the speaker trusts entirely to the occasion for the word-clothing of his thoughts. I do not mean a discourse unpremeditated, the entire re- WRITTEN VERSUS EXTEMPORE DISCOURSE. 301 suit of the moment's inspiration. Except in rare in- stances, where men have attained this power by labori- ous and incessant practice, an unpremeditated extempore discourse is a barren nullity, unworthy the name of a sermon and unfit for the Master's use. I do not speak of it. There is a style of extempore speaking to which we now have no reference, except to warn you against it. It is that in which without helps . of any kind the man plunges into a speech, often as if indeed his only purpose were to make his way out again alive, utterly regardless of the distress he gives to his hearers by his convulsive efforts at self-preservation. This self-reliant system is adopted both by the best, and by the worst speakers. It is the impulsive resort of the best, whose minds are full and under control. It is the resource of the worst, who, by the powerful exertion it requires, hide the lack of matter and divert attention from their faults. " It is the chosen resource of pains- taking, earnest-loving zeal : or the cheap expedient of laziness and procrastination and a fluent tongue." But we have not now to do with those who abuse God's noblest gift, ^'the race of complacent mouthers, as Moore happily characterizes them, who without an idea, without an argument, without illustration or fact to be illustrated that seems pertinent to anything, can go on wearying their hearers with their inexhaustible talk." The comparison lies only between two sorts of ser- mons equally well prepared; one of them entirely formed in prepared sentences, but the other framed of skeleton ideas, waiting for the creative powers of the mind on the instant of speaking, to clothe them in appropriate language. If we must select between the 2G 302 PREACHING. methods, much must be considered on either side of what would be a dilemma. Written Discourse. Writing makes an accurate speaker. A written sermon enables us to secure to the hearer the advantage of correct expression, lucid order, and well-considered argument. In enunciating the more important doctrines of the faith, the writer is pre- served from liability to unguarded looseness and am- biguity of statement. A higher degree of exactness and finish can be given to his sentences, and to his style in general, than the most proficient extempore speaker can attain. This consideration is important when we remember that the weekly sermon is the only literary exercise, enjoyed in many communities. A minister as often forms the taste as he does the doctrine of his flock. But this argument assumes more strength, when the weekly sermon is regarded as a mode of intellectual culture. Unless by the reading of the weekly news- papers, or discussions at the counters of a country store, many of our people have little opportunity for the ex- citation of thought, except the Sabbath sermon. Or- dinary newspapers are not models of careful or instruc- tive composition. It is of no small importance to the people therefore, that the sermon should be so framed as most effectually to arouse thought and cultivate a pure taste. To the class of thinkers in every con- gregation, a wTitten discourse is obviously most at- tractive, because it secures to them uninterruptedly the luxury of connected and orderly ideas, expressed in well-considered language. " To these suggestions must WRITTEN DISCOURSE. 303 be added that written sermons have proved themselves of inestimable value to our theological and religious literature. Burnet, although a master in extemporane- ous discourse, has said the practice of writing sermons has produced many volumes of the best that are ex- tant." "It has produced the greatest treasures of weighty good and sound sermons which ever the Churcli of God had." Moore, whose opinions on this subject I quote freely and with approval, because I find that his conclusions coincide entirely with my own, has re- marked " that our published sermons form more than half of the religious literature of our middle and upper classes." Perhaps the same remark does not apply with equal force to the condition of American society, where the press is more freely employed in the depart- ment of religious literature. Still it has force : for it must not be forgotten that a large amount of our popu- lar religious reading existed first in the shape of ser- mons or lectures. Nor must we forget, how great a loss the world has sustained by the fact that the impres- sion made by some of tlie most distinguished extempore preachers has been ephemeral or limited. If it had not been for Saint Luke's skill as a reporter, we should have known nothing of Saint Peter or Saint Paul as preachers. As early as the times of Origen, we have notices of short-hand writers employed in taking down sermons. They were licensed by public authority ; and, like those of our days, took a considerable license with the speaker's utterances ; of which we find complaint as early as A. D. 386. To these reports we are indebted for some of those noblest eflPorts of ancient pulpit elo- quence, which have charmed and edified the Church. 304 PREACHING. Of the best sermons of Whitefield we have nothing left, except the tradition. " JRobert Hall's sermons were of the highest order ; and the scant memorials of his ama- teur stenographers may sufficiently indicate how much the world has lost/^ Few published sermons of Sum- merfield remain. And yet the tradition of his holy humility, his loving, earnest, quickening utterances of the Gospel, his soul, wrapt in the power of his theme, thrilling and swaying and melting into passionate tears whole masses of almost breathless auditors, will live as one of the choicest memorials of the brightest days of the Methodist Church. Who, of those who heard it, has not uttered the regret that no lasting monument remains of that most masterly discourse which Bishop Mcllvaine once delivered in Rosse Chapel, in Gambler, on the subject of natural depravity. It was a discourse won- derfully lucid, discriminating, and fashioned to meet the difficulties felt by every heart. Nor can it be supposed that extempore discourses can reach all the exigencies of a congregation. There are times when doctrine must be stated with such })recision, argument must assume such nicety of expression, diffi- culties must be encountered and avoided or overturned with such skilful handling, as no perfection of " ex- temporaneity" can attain. Extempore Discourse. To this array of argument the advocates of extem- porizing oppose an equal force. For it cannot be doubted that if the habit of writing makes an accurate speaker, the habit of extemporizing makes a ready speaker. And while the qualities do not indeed balance EXTEMPORE DISCOURSE. 305 each other, yet the latter is the more effective. '^ While it is possible for great accurateness and precision both of style and language to be acquired by constant prac- tice as an extempore speaker, it must be acknowledged that the written sermon is superior in this respect. But then the very refinement and polish so gained is de- structive of that manly and unstudied naturalness of expression which is the normal type of all effective oratory." It is not a small point on this side of the question, that the Apostles and eiirly Christians, with- out an exception, practised extemporaneous preaching. It may be said, ^' their sermons were inspirations in the highest sense :'^ and consequently the example has no force. But so were their writings inspirations in the same sense. The fact of inspiration w^ill therefore determine nothing for or against the mode. Nor, if the Spirit had decided to approve of written rather than oral sermonizing, is there any reason why " Saint Peter should not have been instructed to write his sermon for the day of Pentecost, or Saint Paul to have declaimed from a manuscript, when he was at Mars' Hiir^ (Moore, 265). Early records favor the supposition that early preachers used unwritten, though not unpremeditated, addresses. There is no certainty as to the time when the practice of reading sermons was introduced into the Church. Bishop Burnet thinks it was at the beginning of the Reformation. Moore seems to think, and Phillips Brooks agrees in the state- ment, that it had its real origin about the time of the civil wars. They refer to a proclamation of Charles II. to the University of Cambridge, forbidding the custom of reading sermons, " as one which took its beginning 306 PREACHING. from the disorders of the late times," but which, as being " a supine and slothful way of preaching,'^ he commands to be laid aside. A more important question is, in what portions of the Catholic Church does this habit of reading sermons prevail ? And the answer is largely in favor of ex- temporaneous discourse. For Bishop Burnet says, " Reading is peculiar to this nation, and is endured in no other." ^' In France we never hear of such a prac- tice ; (not quite accurate.) Even among Irish Protest- ants it is almost entirely laid aside. In Scotland it is abjured with almost superstitious dread ; (not accurate at the present time.) The Wesleyans of England would send back to the shopboard or the plough a candidate for the ministry who could not do without his notes ; whilst by other Dissenters the reading of a sermon is only tolerated as an infirmity, which they hope the preacher will be able to overcome, and which until he does he must use all lawful artifice to conceal." This is not quite true at present. In Roman Catholic countries, and amongst the most noted Roman Catholic preachers of our own country, discourse is either extempore, or intended to appear to be so. My observations in Italy lead me to think that as a rule Roman Catholics memorize their discourses. The Jesuit preachers declaim without notes: but it is not always extempore. As a general rule in the United States, except in portions of the Presbyterian and Congregational bodies and our own, written discourse is abjured. It is but fair, however, to say that some of the most thoughtful of those ministers are leaning towards written discourse. EXTEMPORE DISCOURSE. oq^ A very strong argument in favor of extemporaneous discourse is, that it is the popular form of all other addresses to the people. Among noted speakers in Congress, I remember none in the palmy days of the Senate, except Silas Wright of New York, who Avrote his speeches, and he was accustomed to memorize them : even then gaining but little weight, although a strong debater and writing with a lucid, flowing, genial style. Webster often used very copious notes. But generally the most effective speakers were strictly ex- temporaneous. Such was Henry Clay, whose snuff-box served for note, division, and pause ; and was his only manuscript. Or Wise, whose startling torrent of words was too impetuous for pen to control or paper to hold. What pleader at the bar would write his speech ? What advocate would gain his cause before the people by measuring out his words in the dippings of his ink- stand ? And how soon would our religious and mass meetings disperse, those I mean which depend upon the warmth of emotion engendered, if speakers came to them with written discourses ! And yet there is an exception to these illustrations, which I mention, be- cause it exhibits so forcibly the value of written in comparison with extemporaneous discourses, and its purpose. In the Supreme Court of the United States arguments are frequently written : indeed, it is the general rule. Certainly little dependence is placed upon the power of the advocate to influence the decision of that Court by turns of eloquence. I have seen Webster and Preston and Badger, come all glowing from the stump harangue, to the bar of the Supreme Court, where in short order they emptied the spec- 308 PREACHING, tators' benches. In the Supreme Court of Ohio all arguments are printed. The comparative value of written and extemporaneous discourse is thus shown, as being addressed, the one to the understanding, and the other to the heart. All other illustrations bear directly in favor of extempore discourse; and Walter Scott has said ^' it is conclusive against the frigid custom of reading sermons, that in any other mode of public speaking it would be held childish and absurd.'^ Conclusion. What then results from the balancing of two such strong cases ? The two modes should be employed to- gether. Every Minister should faithfully devote him- self to the practice of both. They should be used, each in its own place; each for its own important purposes; each as an instrument in the hands of the Spirit for reaching the wills of men through human intelligence or the passions. There are two ways of combining them. Both have advantages and patrons. First. Let the body of the discourse be written out, leaving the exhortation to be filled up, or enlarged, as the spur of thought on the moment may suggest. It may be well to leave, here and there, parts in the dis- course which may or may not be enlarged upon extem- poraneously as the feelings of the moment may decide. If such points are not so prominent that the omission to extemporize will spoil the current of thought, and if the mind is thus left entirely free to utter itself spon- taneously or not, this habit may prove profitable. Until practice has made the student perfect, it will be well to provide a careful peroration for each dis- CONCLUSION. 309 course. If at the time of preaching one's mind flows on beyond it^ well. If not, the discourse will be equally finished and complete. Second, Let one sermon be carefully and thoroughly written out in all its particulars ; one each week. Pre- pare one sermon w4th equal care to be preached extem- pore. This habit will be more laborious than the other, and therefore probably better. The sermon izer will not so easily fall into careless ways : nor so soon trust himself to the inspiration of the moment, rather than to preparation. The advantages of using the two methods together or alternately, are these. They assist one another. ^^ A habit of continually writing gives precision and clearness to the spoken sermon : the unconsciously acquired animation of ex- tempore utterance extends naturally to the written dis- course.'' By all means let even your written discourses be preached. The varying tastes of the people are thus better provided for. Prejudices on both sides are to be suited. Their wants will be better met. For it is evident that extempore discourse " has a licensed simplicity of illustration and a tolerated breaking up of the truth of God into small crumbs, which though needful for un- educated people and the young, for whom we ought always to care, we should feel to be out of place in written sermons." This use of the two modes as mutual helps enables a preacher to diversify his addresses to the people. All need it. There is a tendency to run into ruts of thought 310 PREACHING. and expression. The diiference between the methods of extempore and written discourse helps to make these ruts less apparent. Can all men extemporize ? Can all habituate them- selves to it or force themselves into the habit? Does not one of Shakspeare's heroes tell us, hoW he has seen " grave Clerks Shiver and grow pale ; Make periods in the midst of sentences ; Throttle their practised accents in their fear; And, in conclusion, dumbly have broke off?" Moore reminds us, that Bishop Sanderson before a village audience made a mortifying failure. Tillotson on one occasion after ten minutes of beating and buffet- ing about to the great distress of himself and his audi- ence, at last brought his sermon to a close, declaring that nothing should induce him to make the attempt again. South, who was accustomed to trust to his memory, once venturing without his manuscript, broke down in the very opening of his sermon : and with the exclamation "Lord be merciful to our infirmities!'' descended from the pulpit. These did indeed fail ; and so have many others on their first effort. It is rare that any one gets through this needle's eye on the first trial, without the loss of at least a little vanity. But how many instances have occurred of men who failing at first but determined to succeed have become completely successful. Sheridan, speaking for the first time in the House of Commons, was advised to abandon his parliamentary career. '^ Never !" he replied. '^ I know it is in me, and I am determined it shall come out." And it did CONCLUSION. 311 come out. After his speech on Warren Hastings, Pitt moved the adjournment of the house, on the ground that they could not come to a sober judgment, being so under the wand of the Enchanter (Moore, 278, n.). Disraeli in his maiden speech in the Commons failed ; but when passing to his seat whispered, prophetically, "You will hear from me again/' And the world has heard from him, in these days not only as a triumphant master in diplomacy but as an unequalled master of words in the contests of the Forum. Rev. Dr. Tyng, when Rector at Georgetown, soon after his Ordination, went into the pulpit intending to extemporize, but seeing Henry Clay, with other notable men in the congregation, became sick with excitement, and left his post. But from that day to this, he never allowed himself to be moved by any presence, and therefore has stood at the head of ready self-possessed extempore speakers, throughout his generation. There are circumstances, and certain audiences, among which even a comparatively ready man will be in great danger of breaking down. If the talent has been denied to any large number, how do we account for it that every Methodist Minister, all the non-conformists in England, most of the Scotch clergy, and a large number of our own both in England and America attain their skill ? They cannot all have extraordinary gifts of ready expression. No. They recognize the necessity of acquiring the art, and spare no pains. " Fit fabricando faber.'^ The Artist is made by labor- ing at his art. Does not Quintilian say, " The faculty of extempore speaking is undoubtedly the fruit of study, and the full reward of unremitted labor.'' There 312 PREACHING. may possibly be rare instances of men Avho cannot ex- • press tliemselves extemporaneously; and a few more who never can become distinguished in it. But I doubt if any well-regulated mind, of fair acquirements and sufficient determination, need despair of attaining a fair measure of success. Practice, practice, habit, long habit, early training; these are the requisites. And yet I know that even in maturer years, after long disuse, the habit may be formed or revived so as, under favorable circumstances, to be a very respectable talent. Rules for Extemporizing, How may the habit of extempore speaking be ac- quired? Very judicious hints are given in a brief English Tract, '^ Brief hints for Holy Orders,'^ the author of which is not named. Some of them fol- low; together with a few notes added from my own experience. " Give early attention to the reading aloud of works written in a lucid, simple, and powerful style; and scrutinize in them the order of thought, the collocation of sentences, and the turn of expression.'-' " Labor at the formation of a similar style of speaking ; cul- tivate it with care till it becomes natural and fluent, the habit of orderly thought, rather than the effort to assume the appear- ance of order. To speak in an artificial and labored style must be an evil both in the extra labor required to become unnatural, and in the unnaturality when it is acquired." " Take care in acquiring an idea to have it definitely and un- equivocally formed in the mind, so that, instead of a merely hazy notion of it, you may be conscious that you possess it in certain distinct intelligible terms. A thought so accurately allo- cated in the mind will abide there ready for easy production. It has been inspected, docketed, and laid by for use." "Avoid in general conversation a loose, slovenly, and inaccu- RULES FOR EXTEMPORIZING. 313 rate style of expression ; speak readily and somewhat fully, but without the assumption of pedantry or pomposity ; speak rather deliberately than otherwise; and aim at the expression of the idea in its native force, by the selection of words that naturally and spontaneously suggest themselves, rather than at the orna- menting of the thought by a studied verbosity. Try to speak accurately . and neatly at all times: good speaking, like good manners, never sits well on any one as an extraordinary effort. It must be the unconstrained every-day habit of the man. This only is true and useful fluency." "At an early period of life, either before or immediately after the entrance on professional engagement, begin the custom of speaking consecutively for some time to a small audience. The cottage lecture presents the proper field for this effort, where the utmost simplicity and clearness are the desirable qualities ; and where the fear of criticism will not be sufficient to get up a nervous byplay in the mind on the score of vanity, so as to dis- tract the attention from the direct object. It is this secondary and almost separate working of the mind which causes the failure of many unpractised speakers. This disturbing usurpa- tion increases till it becomes the primary object of thought; and then, as there is an end of thinking on the given subject, there must be an end of speaking on it, the orator breaks down. Vanity and self-seeking are the sources of this annoyance, and the great barriers to simple and powerful eloquence." " Commit no part of the subject in arranged sentences to memory, with the view of interweaving them at happy oppor- tunities ; this will defeat its object, and prevent the formation of a natural and easy style ; it will balk and impede the flow of native nervous eloquence in the warming and exciting parts of the subject, and will often lead to entanglement, confusion, and failure. Bather, let the whole previous effort be given to the obtaining a clear comprehension of the passage to be explained, and the ideas which it contains, or which properly branch out of it ; and without descending or going out of the way to use metaphors for the sake of ornament, select beforehand some natural and simple illustrations, and dwell on them minutely. Instead of trusting that if the idea is once caught, the various features of the analogy or parallelism will readily come forth at the time required; let the mind run calmly and deliberately o 27 314 PREACHING. beforehand along the line of parallelism, seizing accurately the points of resemblance, so as to be sure that you actually have them, rattier than a vague and shadowy semblance of an idea, the details of which will elude your grasp when you feel for it. No natural fluency and no oratorical art will supply the place of a clear conception of the subject about to be discussed; like the nebulous glare of some comets, that may exhibit a measure of circumambient splendor, it will be little satisfactory, while we look in vain and with weariness for the concentrated and accurately defined form of the luminary itself." Make a habit of translating aloud from one language to another ; giving a free translation to your wife or your friend. Translate from Latin to English, or from French or German into English. The result will be a habit of rapidly throwing a thought into appropriate language. Then, in extemporizing, when a thought suggests itself you will have nothing to do except to follow the course to which you have habituated your- self. Translate it from inarticulate into articulate lan- guage. It is said that it was Pitt's daily habit to translate aloud from the Classics into English at the breakfast table. When preparing to extemporize, never give a form of words to your thoughts such as that it will be neces- sary to remember the exact form of words. The reason is, that the two mental acts, composition and recollection, are wholly distinct: very probably they require the action of two different parts of the brain. However, experience shows that they cannot go on together, and wherever the two lines of brain work, composition and recollection, cross each other, confusion will occur, if not an entire breaking down. Either memorize the whole : or trust wholly to the creative power to clothe your ideas in words. RULES FOR EXTEMPORIZING. 315 Think the thought as clearly as possible, even in words, if you please; but when extemporizing re- member only the thought ; never attempt to remember the words. The greatest extempore speakers attain to a faculty of separate observation. It is not easy to describe it. They stand as it were on a separate and higher plane from their audience. Whilst they are speaking they watch the effect of their words and alter, amend, repeat, reform as they perceive that oc- casion requires. Some, like Dr. Tyng, carry this ability so far that, if an occasion requires it, they can speak words, whilst carrying on a distinct train of thought, to which tlie words are not related. I was present once in his lec- ture room, when he was lecturing grandly on Isaiah. Suddenly I was conscious that I did not catch his ideas. I was confused. The words did not carry on the train in which I had been interested. I wondered whether I had been unconsciously dozing. As suddenly all became clear again ; and then I was certain (and very much ashamed of it) that I had lost myself, and only now had become fully awake. After the service, going into the Vestry, the Doctor said, " Did you notice how I lost myself?" " I noticed that I could not follow you for awhile, but thought that it was I who was lost." ^^ No," he replied, " for a few minutes I forgot my subject entirely. I could not think to what point I had arrived in the exposition, nor indeed could I remember even the topic. It was necessary to go on talking for a time, until I could recover my subject, my train of thought, and my place in it." Marvellous power of separate observation ! PREACHING. CHAPTER XX. SPECIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SERMONS. Species, The species of an intended discourse is determined according to the method of treating the text, i.e., it is expository, topical, or illustrative ; or, according to the result to be obtained, i.e., it is doctrinal, experimental, or practical. We have called them species because they are perfectly distinct, each from the other : and a dis- course may be perfect in itself under either species. Expository preaching is that which endeavors to draw out of an extended passage of Scripture, and to set forth the whole mind of the Spirit, as revealed in that passage. It endeavors, as far as possible, to treat all the subjects contained within the passage. For this purpose the text must include a number of topics, or of parts of one topic, sufficiently distinct from each other. It must generally be so extended that one portion may illustrate and explain the other. Chief use is to be made of the parts of the 23assage itself, not, as in some other cases, of parallel passages : and every idea in it is, if possible, to be developed. The object is not primarily to make only one im- 316 EXPOSITORY AND TOPICAL. 317 pression on the mind. Whilst it is obviously important that one leading thought should give tone to the expo- sition, yet the object is not to make one impression only, but to associate each portion of the text with the idea that characterizes the text, and to enforce it upon the hearer's memory. This species of preaching is best suited for extemporaneous discourse, or for lec- tures, or for Bible-class instruction. It is the most valuable sort of preaching; but not generally well appreciated in our country. English preachers are noted, and deservedly distinguished, for this mode of instruction. Topical preaching is that which seizes on one idea in a text, and confines itself to proving, illustrating, or enforcing it. Its texts are short ; they contain only the subject. It explains the text by context, by scope, by j)arallel passages : but it is distinguished from all other species, in that it never leaves the one topic. It differs from exposition, because that may travel over as many topics as are included in the range of its text. But it has this advantage over exposition, for it gives and leaves an individual impression ; and as a general rule an auditory will not carry away more than one thought. It has an additional advantage, in that it gives great play to powers of illustration, and to forces of oratory. In it the Holy Spirit makes large use of the human instrument; and this species of discourse calls forth all human skill, ability, education, and information. It concentrates efforts. It is not well suited for extemporary discourse : but it is the best for written sermons. Illustrative preacJiir\g is that which hinges divine 27* 318 PREACHING. instruction on portions of the divine word which do not immediately, and without the commentary might not at all, convey it. This is accomplished either by association, or by accommodation. In this species of preaching it is required that the text shall distinctly cover the pivot of association, or the idea to be accommodated. It is always necessary to state that the instruction is not given by way of exposition, lest any one should suppose that the Holy Spirit intended to convey this particular instruction by the words which He employed. This mode of preach- ing renders the narratives of Scripture useful as in- structors. For example, the biography of Abraham may become an illustration of the character of the man of faith. It also allows of an allegorical use of Scripture for instruction ; thus, the life of Israel may illustrate the progress of Christian life. We may also use detached expressions to convey forcibly particular instruction. "They took Dagon and set him in his place again"* to enforce the question, "how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements?" "Ephraim is a cake not turned ;"t to enforce the evils of incon- sistency; or of incompleteness in religious character. Hearers are not likely to forget such texts, nor to forget the truth which was associated with them. This use should be rare. It should never so strain the real meaning of the text as to misuse it, or appear as if it were a witticism. Properly employed, this use has value. The species of a sermon may be determined by the * 1 Samuel v. 3. f Hosea vii. 8 DOCTRINAL. 319 result to be attained. Then another discrimination will be in place. Doctrinal Preaching, is that which is specifically en- gaged in drawing from Scripture one or more doctrinal truths, and setting them forth with precision and accu- racy. It is one of the most difficult sorts of preaching, because there is much danger of running into dry disqui- sition. It is necessary to define, to distinguish between shades of error, to express with logical precision. There is danger consequently of falling into the style of the schools and the lecture room. There is wonderful art in so interweaving discriminating doctrinal statements and proof, with illustration and practical suggestions, as will at the same time engage the attention, inform the un- derstanding, and warm the heart. Because of the diffi- culty, true doctrinal sermons have almost disappeared. We have become too well satisfied with plain doctrinal statement, instead of the good old practice of enforcing doctrine by sound argument. We have trusted too much to the reiteration of doctrinal formularies, instead of so engrafting the truth which lies under them into the minds of our people, that the doctrines become a part of their intellectual processes, and could, at any time, be accurately expressed by them in their own language. Doctrines should be implanted and made to grow in our people's thoughts. We should not be satisfied with fastening them like ornaments around their necks. What we want is, not that our people shall talk in the language of a system, but that they shall intelligibly feel the truths of God. This can only be done by teaching ; and teaching is, not mere reiteration of bar- ren propositions, but it is the declaration of God's truth, 320 PREACHING. in such a manner that the people easily understand what we are talking about. Then the proofs should be made so clear and forcible that they cannot reasonably question the truth, and illustrations made so apt that they cannot forget it. There is too much danger of being satisfied, if only our repetitions of Shibboleths have been so accurate and constant that no person in our congregation, man, woman, or child, will ever think of saying Sibboleth. We hear the terms Justification, Regeneration, Election, Sacra- mentarianism. High Churchism, and other symbolical expressions thrown back and forth like shuttle-cocks between the lips of persons who could give nothing but the most obscure declarations of obscure ideas, which they have formed about these deep questions. And yet these persons will sit in judgment on those who preach to them the way of life ; and possibly throw a whole Gospel sermon overboard with a toss of the head, and throw the preacher after it, because he omitted some favorite catch-word, or explained the truth without em- ploying their accustomed formulary. " They say he is a low Churchman." '' Indeed ! May I ask. What do you mean by High Churchism ?" ^^ I do not know that I can exactly define it, but I know that I am too much of a gentleman to like anything that is low!^' Doctrinal sermons are needed. But they are instruc- tions in doctrines, not in mere forms of speech: teach- ings of truths, not of mere expressions. I do not mean to say that formulas are unimportant. On the contrary, much of the clearness of our instruction will depend on clear statement, and we can hardly hope to improve upon the wisdom of the past in the matter of doctrinal DOCTRINAL. 321 statement. But it should be impressed on our minds that to state doctrine is not to preach doctrine: any more than to state that Christ died for sinners is to preach Christ crucified. To say that Christ's sacrifice was vicarious is not a sufficient preaching of his all- sufficient atonement. To iterate and reiterate that we are justified by faith, is not a sufficient teaching of that complex doctrine of justification. For to teach it truly and fully we must explain the cause^ which is God's love manifested through Christ's love ; the mode, which is accounting a sinner righteous on account of Christ's merits ; the means, which is a penitent sinner's simple reliance on the promise of God through Christ, which is faith ; and the inseparable consequence of jus- tification, which is a self-consecrated devotion to Christ's service, expressed by participation in the Sacraments, and by holy imitations of the Saviour. Care must therefore be taken, with proper regard to precision and clearness, to avoid technicalities and the language of schools. It is marvellous, how many of these words we use ; never remembering how few of them convey any definite idea to a large number of our hearers. For example, '^analogous, synonymous, met- aphorical, destiny, definition, retribution, vicarious." " Plain intelligible language is what we should aim at. We should never use a difficult word, when an easy one will express our meaning. Augustine asks : ' Of what use is a golden key, if it will not open what we wish ? And what is the harm of a wooden one, if it will accomplish this purpose ; since all we seek is to obtain access to what is concealed V It is by conversing with our people, that we find out what words and phrases are really adapted to their understandings. The language used in ordinary conversation is the language natural to us ; and if men o* 322 PREACHING. would but confine themselves to such language, their sermons would be both more intelligible and more weighty. In our city churches especially a larger amount of earnest simplicity is needed. Then there would be hope of numbering among our con- gregations the poor and uneducated, of whom there is oftentimes now so painful a dearth, within our Christian fellowship. These need to be taught in a language which can be understood ; and if they do not find it in our churches many will stay away, or seek it elsewhere."* The text of a doctrinal sermon ouo;ht to cover a clear and full statement of the doctrine, or some essential portion of it. The words ^'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved/^ when used as the text of a doctrinal sermon, should not be employed to indi- cate the mode of salvation, but the instrument of re- ceiving it; a sermon not on the atonement, but on faith. " With the heart man belie v^eth unto righteous- ness; and with the mouth confession is made unto sal- vation.'' The first part of this text gives the character of a saving faith: the second gives the nature of a genuine profession of Christ. But the efficacy of faith, and the efficiency and necessity of a profession of it, are not taught by this portion but by a preceding part of the passage, viz.: "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'' The whole is an instruction concerning rela- tions divinely established between the unseen grace and the external expression of it. The point I make is this: that in selecting texts for doctrinal sermons, we must choose accurately those which state, or define, or * Oxenden, p. 134. DOCTRINAL. 323 prove the doctrine. In topical sermons we may take those which suggest the truth ; but in doctrinal sermons we must take those which specifically teaeli it. In treating doctrinal texts we are at liberty to employ all the usual methods of explaining, proving, and en- forcing truth. Great care should be taken, whilst using technicalities (and only those which are absolutely necessary) to explain all such terms clearly. It is not enough to use technical synonymes. How will it help the matter to explain that regeneration is renewal; or that justification is forensic acquittal and restoration to privilege: or that the Atonement is a vicarious sacrifice? We must labor to get at and use language which the people understand. This difficulty is not easily appre- ciated by theological scholars, who have been accustomed to the terms of the schools; or by Christians who have been brought up from infancy in the language of re- ligion. Let any one try, for example, to explain to a Sunday-School of ordinary intelligence, the exact meaning of the term "broken heart;" one of the sim- plest of our common phrases. Its accommodated mean- ing we are familiar with. It is a figure of speech which has become part of religious language. But it is not so easy to describe it to one who never heard the term. It is singular that the term " new heart'' so familiar to us, is not used in our version of the New Testament; and only once in the Old Testament: (Ezekiel xviii. 31). The best doctrinal language for our sermons is that of our translation of the Bible; and, next to it, that of the Prayer Book. Of the Prayer Book it is best to select our doctrinal language from those portions with which our people are most familiar: first, use 324 PREACHING. the terms of the services ; second, use those of the Catechism; and only lastly employ the terms of the Articles. An admirable plan for preaching on doctrinal sub- jects, is, to select texts which include some Article or some statement of the Catechism, and then to illus- trate the text by using the language of the Article or Catechism : analyzing each phrase, simplifying each statement, and giving to each a literal scriptural ex- pression. Experimental preaching engages itself entirely with Christian experience. It has to do with all degrees of the life of religion ; from its remote beginning in the first whisperings of the Spirit caught by a soul which is arrested in sin, to the sublimest manifestations of grace in a soul on the verge of exchanging faith for saintly fruition. It deals with all the phases of re- 1 igious experience ; questionings, hesitancies, anxieties, doubts, temptations, lapses, recoveries, excitements, cold- ness, raptures, despair. It is the application of Scripture to each case. It is the illustration of divine truth in the Word by divine truth as exhibited in religious life of Christians. It is the most difficult kind of preaching. It requires great familiarity with Scripture, with the secret move- ments of one's own heart, and with manifestation of religious action on the hearts of others. Meditation, Pastoral visiting, and the Biography of Saints, furnish the indispensable preparation for success in it. Practical preaching has to do with the guidance of conduct ; including both right motives and right acts. It deals with religion as it is manifested to men ; out- EXPERIMENTAL AND PRACTICAL. 325 ward religion ; in opposition to experimental, which looks at religion solely as manifested to God, tlie hidden life of the soul. Practical preaching includes all relations, duties, responsibilities: instructs both rich and poor, the Sovereign and the subject, the master and the apprentice, the Parent and the child ; and all classes within these ranges. It applies principles of Christianity to uses of life. It requires familiarity with practical portions of Scripture, and with the principles of a strict moral philosophy, (familiarity with " Wayland's Moral Science'^ is earnestly recommended) : and in the preacher it re- quires common sense, tact, and knowledge of mankind. It is a very useful sort of preaching ; but too often neglected for mere doctrinal statements and exhorta- tions. It is highly appreciated by the people. The plainness which is requisite is readily borne ; rather, is enjoyed. For there are a host of hearers, of all classes, who desire above all things to be told exactly Avhat they ought to do, or, to leave undone. The plainest language is to be used ; not coarse, nor unrefined, nor undignified expressions; but terms which everybody can understand without a commentary. For example, if one is preaching on the Eighth Command- ment, it is better to say ^' thou shalt not steal,^^ than to say, " it is neither just nor neighborly, nor expedient, to appropriate to one's own use that which belongs to another." Falsehoods current in social life, or held to be excusable by the pressure of business comjietition, are much less easily exposed when we use, concerning them, the extenuating terms to which society and busi- ness is accustomed, than when we use the Bible terms 28 326 PREACHING. of ^^ liar" or '^ thief." Many a man will go on using "expletives" without consciousness of wrong, who would suddenly be arrested in his sin, if he should hear " thou shalt not swear by heaven, nor by thy head, nor by any other oatK^ ; for such swearing is taking God's name in vain. For practical preaching the clearest and most direct terms are to be used ; terms which need not to be ex- plained. The people understand some things without a definition. Here, a spade is, not a flat, iron, paral- lelogram, with a handle of wood, an instrument by which one may turn over the soil ; but a spade is a spade. It is well to comment upon the final chapters of the Epistles, treating them verse by verse. In this we explain by a sort of necessity each several virtue or vice. All such preaching is of course to be based on true Evangelism. " St. Paul, and indeed all the inspired preachers, were very- far from the opinion and practice of some who say, 'only preach the true doctrines of religion and the practice will follow ; he who is born again will walk in newness of life, just as certainly and naturally as the living man will breathe, and the stream will flow down its channel ; let religion once get into the heart, and the love of all worldly pleasures will be driven out ; you need not urge and forbid, for these things will be abandoned of course.' To all this we say, Scripture and experience are against it. The Apostle exhorts Christians to every special duty, as though they might neglect them, and warns against every vice as though they might practice them. Those who have put on the new man are exhorted to cast off the works of darkness. Even as to theft, they say to the Christian, 'Let him that stole, steal no more.' The history of Christianity proves the necessity of this. So far from all Christians easily, naturally, and neces- sarily doing all good things, andrenouncing all evil things, they CHARACTERISTICS. 327 sometimes act so as to bring great reproach on religion. When not thus addressed, but left to themselves, the}^ do far worse. This is only an excuse for indolent, cowardly, and unfaithful ministers, who do not wish to take trouble, and subject them- selves to the odium of censuring particular vices of Christians, and pressing neglected duties. Dearly does the Church pay for such neglect, and the ministers thus failing only bring more trouble and mortification on themselves, and more reproach on the cause of religion."* Although these six are distinct species, yet (with the exception of the first and second, expository and topical) in preaching they are not to be kept distinct, as a gen- eral rule. Generally they run into each other: and the most efficient sermons are those in which there is an infusion of doctrinal, experimental, and practical. It will be found most profitable, on the basis either of an exposition or a topic, to build by large illustration, a superstructure wisely mingled of doctrine, experience, and practice. Nor indeed is any discourse complete, which does not teach some truth of God's word, and apply it for the guidance of experience in a religious life, and for the profit of practical living. Characteristics. The characteristics of good preaching are given in the terms. Scriptural; Decided; Proportionate; Dis- criminating ; Individualizing. Scriptural is that which is imbued with the spirit of Scripture. Every discourse ought to have a Scriptural tone, so that men may say, it is God, not man, who is Bishop Meade, p. 108. 328 PREACHING. speaking. Scriptural quotations should be employed according to the purpose to be accomplished. In argument, or proof, Scripture is to be quoted ver- batim and directly, for example, this is so, for " it is written :'' or because "the Holy Ghost saith:^^ or "God has declared.^' Every such quotation should be care- fully examined in the Version before being quoted, and should not vary from it, in an iota. If a Minister intends to vary from the translation, or the marginal reading, it is far better not to quote at all. Let him frankly say, " I am wiser than our translators, and I give you my version of the Word of God.'^ In quoting Scripture for purposes of argument or proof, the least impressive method is to quote in a con- tinuous chain, without a break or a sign of junction, or an explanation of the difference in bearing of one or another on the point to be proved. Indeed, such quotations of Scripture in " bloc" are less interesting than a chain would be, for that may claim at least so much variety as is given by a succession of well-formed links. A fence, although it might effectually keep out intruders, and keep in those who have a fondness for erring, would be intolerable to the eye, were it not for the posts, which dissever and yet connect each length of rails. So a concordance of Scriptural texts, on any theme, may be very convincing to any one who will listen to or weigh the list; but it will be very wearying. On the con- trary, let each several passage when quoted carry before it some indication of its purpose. Let it be evident that the Preacher understands why he quotes it. Let there be a succession in the thought. Let each text be a step, and each step lead to a higher point in the argument. SCRIPTURAL. 329 For example; expounding by Scripture, the text, " His name shall be called the Prince of Peace ;" and indicating the purpose of the texts which follow, let the Preacher give some such thoughts, as these. Thus he was known by all sacred writers from the times of the Evangelical Prophets, to the times when they wrote under the immediate influence of his peaceful kingdom. The Prophet foresaw his blessed Ministry of spiritual peace when he wrote, " the chastisement of our peace was upon him:" and the perpetuity of the mercy, when he wrote, " Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed :" and the universality of his coming message of glad tidings, when he wrote, " He shall speak peace unto the people." It was the under-tone of this pro- phetic thouglit concerning Christ which was heard in Zechariah's song of the Advent, directing all eyes to him who should " guide our feet into the way of peace :" and this w^as the keynote of the Angels' anthem when they published "on earth peace, good will towards men." So our Saviour himself understood his message ; for he says, " these things I have spoken, that ye might have peace." And almost the last accents of his part- ing benediction bore this loving strain, " my peace I leave with you." Nor did Apostles understand his mission otherwise. It was " the word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ," and their own experience testified, " Christ is our peace." And therefore their benediction, imitating the consolations of their Master, the Prince of Peace, remains ever the same, "The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 28* 330 PREACHING. Ill this use of Scripture, which is both proof and ilhistration, it is required that texts be employed in the sense in which they are written; never forced from or beyond their meaning; and always quoted accurately. Illustrative use of Scriptural texts. — This use of Scrip- ture in sermons is not only allowable but highly profit- able : either by allusion, or by employing Scripture phrases to convey our idea. For example; speaking of Christ's presence with his people in all hours of severe trial, we might say, ^' Christ is present with his people as he was with the three Jewish confessors in the fiery furnace." This would be simple comparison. But it would be more effective to say, '^ in the midst of the fiery furnace there will always be found, walk- ing with them, One, having a form like unto the Son of Man.'' This is allusion ; and it is always more forcible than comparison : because it depends upon and takes for granted a hearer's knowledge, and therefore stimulates his mind. Again, " A Christian's a23proach to death is like Elisha's coming to the brink of Jordan : he needs the mantle of Elijah." Better. '^Approaching the river of death, the Elijah's mantle of love to Christ and hope in him, caught by faith and wielded by prayer, will make a way for the dying pilgrim, dry shod through the depths of the river." This is the most attractive form of this use of Scripture; more impressive than any other and most delighted in by our congregations. In another form of illustrative use, we may employ Scriptural phrases to convey our meaning. As on the text, "Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion ; ILLUSTRATIVE USE. 33I that turneth the shadow of death into the mornino; ; that calleth for the waters of the sea and poiireth them out upon the face of the earth, the Lord is his name/' Here is encouragement for your faith. '^Seek him" who " calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the earth," for ^' with him is the residue of the spirit/' and ^4ie shall descend" upon your soul, " as dew," ^' he shall fall as the small rain upon the tender grass and as showers that water the earth." '^ There shall no more be barrenness" in your heart, " nor a dry and thirsty land," for in that " wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in" that " desert ;" and it shall become " a garden of the Lord." " Seek him who turneth the shadow of death into the morn- ing," for he giveth "sight to the blind," and '^he that believeth in Jesus shall not walk in darkness," " but shall have the light of life ;" even now " until the day dawn and the shadows flee away," and '^ then, shall thy darkness be as the noonday," for " in the city that hath foundations," " the Lord God shall be thy everlasting light," and "thy God thy glory." The pleasantness of this use arises from the fact that we then speak in the language of the people, for the Bible is their one book. We use phrases entirely familiar to them. Great care must be taken, not to use Scriptural phrases as catch- words, they thus lose their meaning and impressiveness. Those passages are to be strictly avoided which irreligious men use irrev- erently. Care should be observed not to put into the mouths of Apostles, or Christ, or God, words which are not theirs, but ours. Allow the Divine Spirit to speak in the words which he has selected. For ex- 332 PREACHING. ample. ^^The Saviour said, Approach ye poor and suffering. Mj service is no hardship, and my love will comfort every sorrow. With me the weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blest.'^ Such teaching is well enough ; but the fact is that our Saviour did not say that, but this, " Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Decided — There should be no possibility of mistak- ing the preacher's meaning. Statements should be clear and precise. The preacher should make up his mind on all points which he attempts to touch, before he touches them. People should never see that he is doubting. His subjects are to be well studied, then decided ; and the decision considered as settled, until some new light is thrown upon them. Even then his former decisions are not to be hastily unsettled, but the whole subject is to be studied again. At no time should he be in the position of holding an unformed opinion upon a vitally important subject. He should stick to that which was once formed after sufficient reflection, until he shall have found a better. At the same time a preaclier, especially a young man, is not to be arrogant of his opinion. He is not to let the pronoun, I, stand too prominently in his teach- ing. State modestly, firmly, clearly, the views which are deemed to be truth, not as one's own views, but as truth. Never say, "I suppose it to be so and so,'' or ^^This is so, at least in my opinion or judgment." Such phrases create an unpleasant sense of insecurity in the hearer's mind ; and weaken confidence in the teacher's ability to instruct. On controverted points, PROPORTIONATE. 333 and where differences are allowable, let one's view of truth be stated as the truth, but not as if he were in- fallible. When convinced of having spoken what was erroneous, either as a fact or an opinion, never hesitate to acknowledge it frankly to the one who points it out, and thank him for it. A public acknowledgment of a mis- take is only necessary, when wrong has been done by a public announcement. In such a case, the error must be corrected ; but it can generally be so done as not to destroy one's influence as a teacher. On great fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, let no undecided language be employed. Christian Preachers' sentiments, like the Apostles' converts, should be known and read of all men. Proportionate — The delivering of truths in their proportions, measured according to their relative im- portance. Truths are relatively important in their practical value to a congregation. All truths are to be preached, but with careful regard to this relative value. No truths are to be preached to the neglect of others. A proportionate preacher will not allow his sermons to run in the channel of any favorite doctrines or favorite theories. He will observe the analogy of faith ; mani- fest the value of all parts of the faith; lead his congre- gation to reverence all, but to listen most frequently to those which are most practical. For example, the doc- trine of the Trinity is equally important with tllfe doc- trine of the Atonement in the scheme of salvation. But it is less important practically, and less often to be preached. Xlie doctrine of the Sacraments is less im- portant in the scheme of Salvation than the doctrine of the Divine existence. But the doctrine of the Sacra- 334 PREACHING. ments being of more practical value is to be more fre- quently preached. This point does not need further illustration, because its truth is obvious. We need only to bear in mind the danger we are in from the temptation of preaching too much in the line of our favorite studies. Discriminating — Rightly discerning between truths; and particularly measuring out to each class of hearers that which each needs. Consequently, we should keep clearly in mind, both the differences of truths, and the differences in character of each class of hearers, that which separates and distinguishes truth from truth, and character from character. A careless hearer is not always an infidel. All Uni- tarians do not in i\\Q same degree deny the Gospel doc- trines concerning our Lord Christ. A rich man is not necessarily worldly-minded. A poor man is not neces- sarily humble. An indifferent hearer is not always an indifferent thinker. A professing Christian is not always a spiritual child of God. Nor is every child of God at all times and equally steadfast, loving, duti- ful, hopeful. All these distinctions are to be kept in mind; sometimes drawn out; and discourse is to be fitted to and for them. Yet sermons must not be too discriminating, lest the force of exhortation be lost between the classes. All listeners belong to one of two classes. And this thought is to be kept prominently and distinctly before a congregation in every discourse. This is the most important discrimination ; and the point of passing the line that divides between the one class and the other, must be kept as clear as is the noon-day sun when not DISCRIMINATING AND INDIVIDUALIZING. 335 a cloud is visible. In general we will find that Pastoral visits furnish the best occasion for minute discrimina- tion. It is not wise to fill our discourses wdth these mi- nuter shades of difference : particularly we should avoid the eifort to make discriminations so clear that the people will forget the distinction in the search after it. Individualizing — This is applying instructions to a congregation in such a way that without giving personal offence, individuals will take the instructions to them- selves. It is not done by singling out individuals, or by describing persons: but by depicting classes with such fidelity that every one in it will see himself por- trayed. It is not preaching to persons, but characters. On this art depends much of the impression of what is known as a minister's sympathy with his congrega- tion. Sermons which will suit all congregations alike produce comparatively little effect on the hearts of any. A congregation should feel that the sermon is meant for them ; and individual characters should be so portrayed as to compel individuals to feel that the word describes them. Sermons should therefore be written, not as in a Theological school, from a watch-tower of general ob- servation, but from particular experiences in Pastoral visiting. Occasional allusions to passing events in which a congregation is interested will tend to increase this effect. There should not be too much of this class of allusion, lest the preaching be secularized. Nor should there be allusions to events in which only individuals are interested; lest the preaching become personal. But there can hardly be too much allusion to each ecclesiastical season as it passes by. 336 PREACHING. Practical applicaiion. A sermon is best concluded by a few terse remarks, deduced legitimately from the previous thoughts, and made to bear strongly on individual character; more particularly on that class of individuality which the subject has brought into consideration. Here close ob- servation of human nature is found to be most valuable to a clergyman. The character and motives of others should be studied through the medium of a man's ex- perience of his own heart : and if he then deals faith- fully in a practical application of his subject to the various evils that he finds within himself, his instruc- tion will not fall pointless on the hearts of others. (Moore.) General charges of sin fail to convince: they are readily met and neutralized by an unthinking admission of their truth. But when an accurate delin- eation of specific character is brought in connection with a close investigation of the secret workings of the heart there is a force which few can resist, and which brings forth the petulant cry, "personal preaching.^' A well-known preacher of great shrewdness was once addressed by a hearer, "Mr. , you certainly say strong things.'^ He replied, "Yes, sir, I do: I have found by experience that the people can dilute them for themselves." PREACHING. CHAPTEE XXL CHOICE AND TREATMENT OF TEXTS. Definition. — A Text is that portion of Scripture which is to lead and bound our own thoughts and those of our hearers. If texture is a thing woven, text ought to mean that on which it is woven : and such is its meaning in reference to the ideas of a sermon. A text and a motto are two different things. Mottoes are not to be entirely discarded, if suggestive of a Scrijitural and Gospel theme.* Texts are not indis- pensable to a Scripture sermon. But it is safer and best to use and preach from texts. The character and value of a sermon will generally depend on the choice of the text. " We should choose it not for the world at large, not for the press, but for the congregation to which we minister.'^ " Some sermons are like a letter put in the post-office, but addressed to no one." A text should comprehend the subject, and present it in a striking manner. Choice, In choosing a text, prayer is our first resource. We should pray earnestly to be rightly directed in selecting * Conceits are to be avoided. Porter, pp. 35-38 ; Vinet, pp. 96, 97. V 29 337 338 PREACHING. topics which will be of practical value to our people. We do not designedly shoot arrows at a venture ; and therefore we desire to be guided by the Holy Spirit's omniscient insight of character, so that our word may always enter into some ^^ joint of the harness/' Ser- mons are sure to do good ^vork, when, from the text to the final sentence they are the offspring of a heart ^^ praying always." Many sources of suggestion present themselves. We need variety in our preaching. That is the most whole- some which follows naturally from the variety of Bible subjects. Porter tells us of a preacher who, for var- iety's sake, chose the subject of "vaccination'' on one Sunday : and on the next the " beauties of a New England Summer." But we should observe the prevailing current of religious thought at the time when we are writing ; nor should we attempt to row against it without good reason. For example, a great calamity may have affected our community or congre- gation, it would call for thoughts on death and the judgment. An attempt may have been made by a City Council, or a Railroad Corporation, to violate a graveyard. It has offended the good sense, or the religious instincts of our community. It would prop- erly call for a sermon on the topic ; not indeed of the outrage, but on the " sacredness of the grave." If the current thought of the day is running towards some attractive heresy, whilst it may not be wise to enter into the controversy, lest thereby more currency be given to the evil, it will be wise to preach on the opposite truth ; thus strengthening one's own congregation to withstand, and, at the same time, counteracting the error. SUGGESTIONS OF TEXTS. 339 If the current of Church thought is towards a par- ticular Ecclesiastical season, one's texts and subjects should harmonize therewith. Certainly a sermon on the Crucifixion does not seem appropriate on Christmas day. Heading. — Many good suggestions of subjects come to us whilst we are reading. There is a happy fresh- ness about all such texts. A sense of want, after having preached a sermon, suggests a subject for the next. The impression that something was needed to complete the sermon just delivered, will direct our studies for the next. Suggestions of subjects or texts arising during Pas- toral visitations are the most valuable of all. Special care, however, is to be taken, in choosing such texts, to avoid the appearance of aiming at an individual fault, or alluding to a person. We should wait for an occasion, when the lessons or Scriptures read, or cir- cumstances, apart from the special case, naturally sug- gest a discourse on the particular error to be corrected, or circumstance to be availed of. No scruple need be felt in answering doubts, or spiritual difficulties in a sermon, or treating subjects of spiritual experience, suggested by Pastoral visitations : because on such topics inquirers are really anxious for instruction, and because our sermons when referring to them can scarcely be sup- posed to have a personal or individual bearing. It is the constant testimony of Pastors that sermons thus suggested by conversations in their people's homes, and relating to personal religious experience, are more valu- able than any other. And it is singular that such topics, although often supposed to be suite:! to only a 340 PRE A CHING. few, are found to reach a very large class of cases. It suggests the inquiry, whether there may not be epi- demics in the spiritual world. At times certain dis- eases prevail. At times a certain class of scepticism is everywhere current. At times in the moral world almost all popular sin seems to run into one special class of vices. So, at times, there may be an epidemic of spiritual evils. The Pastor finding the symptoms developed in two or three instances may be quite sure that his remedies, if wisely applied to them, will benefit many whose need has not been made known to him. Approaching services, — The services for the approach- ing Sunday are a copious reservoir of suggestions for texts and topics. The Lessons, Psalms, Epistle, Gospel, and Collects give an unfailing supply of variety of theme. It is wise to employ these suggestions, because our people are already prepared to sympathize with this course of religious contemplations. Their minds easily flow on from the service to thoughts in the sermon appropriate to the season. It saves us all trouble of lengthy introductions, for their suffrages are already secured for our theme. Such harmony between the Pulpit and Desk is expected by Episcopalians. It is always expected on the greater Festivals and Fasts. Still further it is very wise and beneficial to keep up a parallelism between the instructions given in Sunday- School and Bible Classes, and the seasons of the Church. The late Bishop of Oxford (Wilberforce) in his addresses to the Candidates of his Diocese, speaks forcibly on this topic. I shall often quote these addresses with approval, for a vein of wonderful spirituality of view of our Ministerial work, and a loving heartiness in looking SUGGESTIONS OF TEXTS. 341 at it, runs through all of them. " Our people ought to be so trained as to refuse to listen to the first whis- pered falsehood, and it is this training which the Church has provided for them. This is the meaning of that wise forethought, which has appointed Festivals for keeping ever in remembrance those leading events and acts of our blessed Master's life, out of which all the great truths of our Creed naturally unfold themselves.'^ With these views our own Masters in the pulpit agree. Phillips Brooks says : " It is not well to float over the whole sea of truth, and plunge here and there, like a gull, on any subject that suits your mood. No other instruction was ever given so. Hearers have not the least idea as they go to church what you will preach to them about to-day : it is hopeless for them to try to get ready for your preaching," " The great procession of the Ecclesiastical Year, sacred to our best human instincts with the accumulated reverence of ages, leads those who walk in it, at least once every year, past all the great Christian facts. The Church year too preserves the personality of our religion. It is concrete and picturesque. The historical Jesus is forever there. It lays each life down beside the perfect life, that it may see at once its imperfection and its hope."* The Course of the Ecclesiastical Year is certainly a fertile source of delightful topics for texts and themes. It is perennial; never fails. The fountain is ever fresh and full ; nor can any Teacher exhaust it. As an illustration note the obvious suggestions of the first of these seasons. * Phillips Brooks on Preaching, p. 91. 29* 342 PREACHING. Advent. — The ramifications, extensions, and applica- tions of these lines of thought, are almost innu- merable. Christ's first coming. Its history, purpose, results ; a fulfilment of prophecies. His second coming; its story, object, issues; the prophecies relating to it. The judgment of the world. The judgment of men. The judgment experimentally considered. The spiritual aspect of Christ's advent to the heart. Illustrative subjects for Courses for the four Sundays. "The desire of all nations shall come." 1 . The Messiah ; Israel's desire. 2. The Messiah ; a Believer's desire. 3. The Messiah ; all peoples' desire, as Restorer and Judge. 4. The Messiah. Universally desired as an . historical fact proved by tradition, ancient poetry, mythology, as well as history. A Course on the several appearances of Christ, as 1. The Law-giver on Mount Sinai. 2. The Redeemer on Mount Calvary. 3. The God-man on Mount Tabor. 4. The Restorer on the Mount of Olives. A Course of Sermons for Advent on the Spiritual Seed- work. 1. The Sowing; preparations for producing re- ligious life. 2. The Blade; commencement of religious life. 3. The Ear; its growth and encouragement. SUGGESTIONS OF TEXTS. 343 4. The Full corn; the characteristics of a ripe religion. A Course of Sermons upon the four Collects: 1. Repentance, as related to the Advent. 2. Preaching, as related to the Advent. 3. The Holy Spirit's relations to the Advent. 4. Renewed effort of Christians in its relations to the Advent. Topics for Seasons commemorating the Life of Christ: Christmas. — The Incarnation of Christ. Christ present. New- Year's eve. ^ Reflection, Self-examination. Consecration to Christ, Baptism, the Covenant of Grace. Resolution. Preparation for new work. The New Year of Heaven. Epiphany. — Christ's Kingdom in all its aspects. Circumcision. New Year's day. Ash -Wednesday. Lent. Repentance. Sin in all views, original and actual. Good-Friday. v The Cross, chiefly as seen by a repentant sinner: occasional glimpses of victory and glory. Easter. — Christ's resurrection: The Doctrine; its proofs. The future state. Heaven. Ascension. — Christ's offices. His Kingship completing the Mediatorial work. Our condition as subjects. Whit-Sunday. — The Holy Ghost: His Person, Di- vinity, and offices. Trinity. — The Tri-Unity. Arguments and illustra- 344 PREACHING. tions are unnumbered: the Scriptural; positive and incidental: the argument from reason: from analogy: from history: from tradition: from necessity, as required by the Harmony of Divine Attributes; as required by the Harmony of Divine offices in the work of Salvation.* Sundays after Trinity. — The subjects appropri- ate are particular morality and practical religion in its details, based upon the completed scheme of Salvation as revealed to us in the offices of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as one God, that is, in the Trinity. By Courses of Sermons, on the Ecclesiastical Year, a text may be carried through all the main seasons; for example, " Behold your King r In the manger, Christmas. At the manifestation, Epiphany. Un- der temptation. Lent. Before Pilate and on the Cross, Good-Friday. Bursting from bonds of death, Easter. Seated on His throne. Ascension. Sending the Holy Ghost, Whit-Sunday. Or by a motto. " Who is this V^ or " Seen of Angels ;" or illustrative: "Yet doth He devise means that his banished be not expelled from Him." A Course of Historical Sermons carried through the Seasons of the Ecclesiastical Year, showing the history of the Church of God : from the Old Testament, the Acts, and the Epistle to the Hebrews; showing the an- ticipations and realizations of the Gospel system. A Course of Biographical Sermons ;t Joseph, Aaron, Eli, Gideon, Ruth, and others. * Dwight's Sermons will aid in studying this theme. f Giving characteristics of a godly life. LENGTH OF TEXTS. 345 The Parables and Miracles; the Epistles; or the Psalms, afford good topics for sermons in a series, to be occasionally delivered. They are especially serviceable for lectures. Set courses of sermons on one subject are not ad- visable. They become prolix, exhausting, wearisome. Courses of sermons serve the best purpose when the writer keeps the subject on hand, continuing it from time to time when he feels particularly drawn towards it, or when nothing more pressing engages attention. For example, a Course on tlie Moral law as illustrated by practical religion, as it is exhibited in the precepts of the Epistles, might be kept ready at any time to attract one's thought and pen. It is not wise to go through the whole ten Commandments, in imperative succession, Sunday after Sunday, as a teacher might go throuo^h the Catechism. But let them be treated in regular order, determining the time for each by exigen- cies of occasions as they arise. The Length of a Text should be regulated according to the method which you are to pursue in your dis- course, whether topical or expository. A Text must cover the whole topic, or topics, of a discourse, and no more. The shorter a text is, the better, for remem- brance. Bishop Burnet has some very useful remarks on this theme. He says : "The plainer a text is in itself, the sooner it is cleared, and the fuller it is of matter of instruction ; and therefore such ought to be chosen for common auditories. Many will remem- ber the text, that remember nothing else ; therefore such a choice should be made, as may at least put a weighty and speaking sentence of the Scriptures upon the memories of the people. A sermon should be made for a text, and not a text p* 346 PREACHING. found out for a sermon. Great care should be also had, both in opening the text, and of that which arises from it, to illustrate them by concurrent passages of Scripture. A text being opened, then the point upon which the sermon is to run is to be opened; and it will be the better heard and understood, if there is but one point in a sermon ; so that one head, and only one, is well stated, and fully set out. In this, great regard is to be had to the nature of the auditory. Too close a thread of reasoning, too great an abstraction of thought, too sublime and too meta- physical a strain, are suitable to very few auditories, if to any at all. Things must be put in a clear light and brought out in as short periods and in as plain words as may be." Mode of studying a text. Examine the original. Translate the text for your- self. After thus satisfying yourself of the writer's meaning ; examine the English translation. I do not mean merely read it ; but examine it carefully by the a;id of dictionaries, not of commentaries. The object is to find out what meaning the translators put upon the text. It is necessary therefore to discover the " usus loquendi'^ in their day. Such books as Eichardson's Dictionary in tracing the history of words and Trench's Synonymes, will help in this inquiry, and throw light on the true meaning. Then read the context carefully. Take Angus' rules as a guide : study the words ; the words in their place in the sentence ; the Avords in con- nection with the writer's scope ; the words in connec- tion with other parts of Scripture. Then, and not until then, read one or two approved expositions; which will give an idea of the meaning as seen by others. This is what we are trying to get at, first by our own study and reflections : and next by comparing our views with those of the learned translators, and STUDYING TEXTS. 347 other competent commentators. Avoid reading too many authors. Only enough should be read to enable a student to correct any error into which he may chance to have fallen, from imperfect study or reflection. Locke says, " Many a man who was pretty well satisfied as to the meaning of a text, has, by consult- ing commentators, quite lost the sense of it." On the other hand, Cowper shows the evil of not endeavoring to correct any error arising from prejudice, Avhim, or caprice : " When some hypothesis absurd and vain Has filled with all its fumes a critic's brain, The text, that sorts not with his darling whim, Though plain to others is obscure to him." Let expositors be studied judiciously as spurs and bridle, not as crutches for idleness or weakness. Having thus determined Avhat is the real meaning of the text, next, decide precisely how much of the text is needed for use. Take such portion, use it for the purpose, and stick to it. By such a method a student will preserve originality of thought, as well as freedom from erroneous inter- pretations. Idiosyncrasies, or partialities, either theo- logical or mental, in explaining Scripture, are abhorrent. These are avoided by frank comparison of one's own views with those of standard writers. But freshness and originality are exceedingly desirable. And these are secured by the habit of studying the text from the original, with no other help than that which is necessary to discover the original meaning of the words used by the writer to convey the Holy Spirit's intention. 348 PREACHING. Treatment of the text. An incidental, indeed a primary query, is, shall the text be treated at all ; or shall it be used simply as an introduction to the treatment of a topic? To this question Bishop Mcllvaine replies, "Always Avrite on a text; even when you treat a subject/' My expe- rience leads to entire concurrence in this opinion. The reasons are : 1. That Scripture, God's word, is the theme. He expects us always to divine and divide his truth. 2. Variety for the sake of one's congregation de- mands the treatment of texts, not the consideration of subjects ; for subjects may be exhausted, but texts are inexhaustible. 3. The use of texts affords variety in the treatment of recurring subjects. It enables one to select parts of a subject, and to elucidate each part; and thus without wearisomeness, in the course of time, or by a series of sermons, to make specific all the parts. Vinet does not think so ;* but Mcllvaine is a wiser guide. Treat every subject by means of a text, and according to the suggestions of the text. Bishop Mcllvaine gave me this advice, soon after my entrance on duty as a Rector. I recommend the rule, not only by the weight of his testimony, but also by whatever value there may be in this record of thirty years' experience. It is a rule which wears well, and from it I have never varied. As an illustration of the meaning; suppose that one desires to preach on the IX. Article of Religion. It is * Yinet, pp. 98, 99. TREATMENT OF TEXTS. 349 dry enougli as an Article. Very little juice in it. Scho- lasticism has desiccated it, leaving only threads of thought; as linen out of flax. But use Isaiah i. 5 for a text, which contains the whole Article: and see how instantly it becomes full of life and light and interest. ^'The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint." "The whole head sick:" the mind disordered and corrupted, faculties perverted, working irregularly and uncertainly; imagination depraved, fears exaggerated, hopes depressed, will unsteady. " The whole heart faint:" not dead, but faint; the affections are faint, they have lost their power, lost their direction, lost their true use. "The Ox knoweth his owner, (has a sound head) and the Ass his Master's crib; (has a strong heart) but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider," (has neither head nor heart). This is the actual state of mankind, as we know it. Illustrated by Scriptural proofs; by examples from biography and narrative; by appeals to experience. " Very far gone from orig- inal righteousness," the Article says. It is not a result of following example: but it is exhibited prior to the realization of the force of example, and is universal; consequently it is an "original fault and corruption." If we desire to go further, in discussing the truth, it is easy to show by the comparison employed in the text, that this condition of mental aberration and heart- weakness is naturally displeasing to God ; and tlierefore must be corrected, that is, regenerated, before one can be at peace with God. Still further; the fault of it is so adhesive to the soul as that it remains to plague even those who are regenerated. " Israel, even the Prince with God," doth not know: "My people," even my 30 350 PREACHING. •people, do not consider ! Thus you have found the whole Article in the Text. Texts are always fruitful of thought. When studied by comparison of Scripture with Scripture, the fruit- fulness is multiplied. Subjects are treated by purely logical or philosophical methods, and therefore by uni- form trains of investigation. But if an apt text is chosen, and its natural suggestions are followed, a Preacher is almost of necessity led into variety, under tlie charming influence of association of ideas. I quote from " Brief Hints :'' " Let the text be studied not to ascertain what may be made of it by accommodation or by spiritualizing, but to bring forth ex- clusively that which God the Holy Spirit, in connection with the whole line of thought in that chapter, really intended to say, or rather has said, in that particular sentence, in the best possible way in which it could be said by infinite wisdom to convey prof- itable thought to a finite mind. This strict interpretation is the only justifiable mode of dealing with the Word of God. It will amply repay the efi'ort, by the gradual formation of a sound and undeceivable judgment in after-life, and is one of the best safe- guards against enthusiastic error," "Like the trigonometrical survey of a country, every text thus thoroughly examined is a well-ascertained base, preliminary to another measurement, and the proceeding goes on systematic- ally, with little liability to error; and with the power of check- ing and correcting errors which do occur, until the whole district is measured and mapped out in detail, and the general result placed before the eye in a way capable of being referred through all the steps of the process, to the original germs of thought." Bishop Auer once said to me, that he was accustomed in Basle to analyze each writing, especially the Epistles, thoroughly; so that he could tell the whole line of ar- gument and illustration; he knew the position of each TREATMENT OF TEXTS. 351 text with what went before and came behind it : so that at any moment, he could tell concerning any text, what were its bearings and relations. Consequently he was always ready to preach; and to give what he believed to be the mind of the Spirit on any text within the range of his studies. Scheme or Skeleton. The preparation of the plan of a sermon is of first importance. The character of a discourse depends on it, whether the scheme be written out, or merely thought out. Its unity, purpose, power of impressing any one idea, depend upon the distinctness of the plan as con- ceived before the discourse is begun. What would be thought of an Architect who should begin to build, without knowing whether his foundation was to carry one story or five ? And what sort of impression would his building make were it erected without rules of order and irrespectiv^e of the fitness of things ? Or how could a Lawyer win his cause were his witnesses brought in pell-mell, and his argument thrown at the jury or the Bench, piecemeal, having neither beginning, middle, nor end? Sermons uttered on the spur of the mo- ment often exhibit the want of well-considered plan. Even written sermons sometimes show extempore derangement. In the first place let the thinker kneel down and ask God's guidance in the formation of his plan, con- sidering how much of the effect of his sermon will depend on the arrangement of it. In the next place let the scheme be a clear, distinct, and positive line of thought : starting from a well- 352 PREACHING. defined point, and leading by a well-defined road, to a defined result. Some make merry with the idea of having a skeleton always present to the mind's eye. But a physician Avill tells us that on the perfection of the skeleton depends the functional perfection of the man. And it does not require a very learned Teacher to inform a student, that unless all his thoughts upon a text shall be arranged with like harmony, symmetry, and mutual dependence of parts, to that which signal- izes Divine skill in preparing the bones to bring out the beauty of a man, they will never present that per- fect trutli which God has prepared to be worked out from scattered elements in the Divine Word. Let the scheme be a thorough analysis of the text and theme. The whole course of thought, should be arranged, by putting every important idea in its order and place. The general idea is as follows : 1. Introduction or exordium. 2. Doctrine, or exposition and teaching. 3. Practice, or application to the hearers. 4. Exhortation or Peroration. The Introduction should be direct ; growing out of the theme or text, or surrounding circumstances. The object is to gain thereby the sufiVages and hearts of our hearers. It should be short and attractive, leading directly to the theme. Doctrine. — This is a technical phrase, meaning that which is to be taught in the body of the discourse : it should be a clear, full, and satisfactory exposition of the theme. Practice is the making use of every important truth which occurs in considering the doctrine. TREATMENT OF TEXTS. 353 Exhortation. — In general, the exhortation ought to seize the main theme, rouse the passions by reflections on it, and so lead the Will to action, in the line which the " Practice" has already suggested. This outline is given, not as an iron rule, but only as a guide to thought. Certainly the outline should not appear in the sermon. A pencil sketch may be necessary before a great picture can grow out of it ; but the grandest painting by Eaphael or Kubens would be spoiled were one to see the crayon lines beneath the coloring. Nor should every sermon follow the same lines. That would be a terrible monotony. Sometimes the best exordium is a simple announcement of the theme. Sometimes "doctrine," sometimes "practice" will be the body of a discourse. Sometimes a judicious silence is the hajipiest peroration. The outline is in- tended to be a guide, not a rule ; a living helper to direct and encourage our thinking, not a turnpike road over which we shall forever jog, jolting out thoughts by one unvarying jarring of the wheels over rough stones. 30* PREACHING. CHAPTEE XXII. PREPARATION FOR THE DUTY. Prayer. When preparing to write a Sermon, again pray. One can write profitably only under a sense of the impor- tance of liis vocation and of its necessity, and of his responsibility to God. The very idea of the divine authority of that vocation, and the feeling that one has been called of God to it, will naturally lead, should necessarily induce, a Minister to resort to the mercy- seat previously to engaging in this momentous duty. The Holy Spirit must needs be invoked on our study, if we hope for success in it. But we must combine study with prayer. " I have been cured," says Mr. Cecil, " of expecting the Holy- Spirit's influence without due preparation on our part, by ob- serving how men preach that take up that error. We must combine Luther with Saint Paul. ' Bene orasse, est bene stu- duisse,' must be united with 'give thyself wholly to these things that thy profiting may appear to all.'" "Well does one say, ' God will curse that man's labors who is found in the world all the week, and then on the afternoon of Saturday goes to his study ; whereas, God knows, that time were little enough to pray in, and weep in, and get his heart in a fit frame for the duties of the approaching Sabbath, Such an one must soon 354 STUDY AS A PREPARATION. 355 come to the contempt which he justly merits. Unlike the wise householder, he has no treasure out of which to bring forth things new and old. The old, indeed, always comes forth, but where is the new?' " Says Bridges, " Except there be a gathering proportionate to the expenditure, there can be no store of knowledge laid in for themselves, and consequently none for the people. Preachers of this stamp are known by their utter want of variety. It is sub- stantially not only the same doctrine, which it of course ought to be, but the same sermon, with only a change of texts and some variation of method, but with scarcely the accession of a new idea."* "All he said, (speaking of Philip Henry,) and all he saw, as well as the things he heard, were regarded by him with less or with more attention, as they bore upon his preparations for the pulpit." "'Brother,' said Eliot to a young preacher, 'there was oil required for the service of the sanctuary, but it must be beaten oil ; I praise God, that I saw your oil so well beaten to- day.' " "And yet he looked for something in a sermon beside and bej^ond the mere study of men. I have heard him com- plain, ' It is a sad thing, when a sermon shall have that one thing, the Spirit of God, wanting in it.' " Study, God's word is to be the source of all topics of preach- ing, and the guide and authority in them. Bishop Meade in his Lectures says, " Bishop Spratt mentions an instance of a Bishop in troublous times, who, being confined nearly twenty years in the Tower of London, and plundered of his library, applied himself exclu- sively to the study of the Scriptures. He was often heard solemnly to profess that in all his studies and various readings and observations, he had never met with a more useful guide, or a surer interpreter to * Bridges, p. 178. 356 PREACHING. direct his feet in the dark places of the living oracles, or to give satisfaction to his conscience in the experi- mental truths of them, than when he was driven by necessity to the assiduous cultivation of the Scriptures alone, and to weigh them, as it were, in the balance of the sanctuary."* "Wisdom towards God," says Matthew Henry, "is to be gotten out of God's own book, and that by digging. Most persons do but walk on the surface of it, and pick up here and there a flower. Few dig into it; they are too lazy." And again, "When we quote Scripture, we speak with authority. No man dare answer, for it is God who speaketh by us." Chrysostom says, "If anything be spoken without Scripture, the knowledge of the hearers halteth." Augustine says, " JN^on valet, hsec ego dico, hgec tu dicis, hsec ille dicit, sed hsec dicit Dominus." People expect their Minister to be familiar with the Bible. The People are well instructed in the Bible, as it is generally their one book. As it is prominent in our Church services, it should be equally prominent in the instructions of the pulpit. It is to be feared that there is much deficiency among Theological Stu- dents in their knowledge of the English Bible. They know a good deal about the Hebrew and the Greek originals, but very little, sometimes, about the English translation. Bishop Burnet says : " Our Ember weeks are the burden and grief of my life. The much greater part of those who come to be Ordained are igno- rant to a degree not to be apprehended by those who are not obliged to know it. The easiest part of knowledge is that to * Meade, pp. 50, 51. PROPER HELPS. 357 which they are the greatest strangers ; I mean the plainest parts of the Scriptures, which they say, in excuse of their ignorance, that their Tutors in the Universities never mention the reading of to them ; so that they can give no account, or at least a very imperfect one, of the contents even of the Gospels. Those who have read some few books, yet never seem to have read the Scriptures. Many cannot give a tolerable account even of the Catechism itself, how short and plain soever. They cry, and think it a sad disgrace to be denied Orders, though the ignorance of some is such, that, in a well regulated state of things, they would appear not knowing enough to be admitted to the Holy Sacrament." A Professor of great experience in a Theological School told me that he was confounded by the igno- rance which many of his students showed as to the Ens:- lish Bible; and that it was only paralleled by the story that was told of an Oxford graduate applying for Orders. The Bishop asked him to distinguish between and name the major and minor Prophets. "Really, my Lord," he replied, "I do not care to draw comparisons oetween such sacred characters.'' Proper Helps. These will be books on geography, history, arche- ology, manners of the times referred to in Scripture : Oldhausen's, Trench's, Clarke's, Henry's, Scott's Com- mentaries; ("No man when he hath drank old wine straightway desireth new, for he saith the old is better.") The Speaker's Commentary ; Ellicott's ; Smith's Dic- tionary: and such works as Farrar's Life of Christ, Geikie's Life of Jesus, Connybeare and Howson's Life of St. Paul, Stanley's Jewish Church, Robinson's Holy Land: such works as give valuable reliable informa- tion to help one's own study of Scripture. 358 PREACHING. Literature, Works on general literature and Belles-Lettres that bear directly or even remotely on an understanding of the Bible, are of great value in aiding one's preparation for the pulpit. In this view of the duty the wisest authors agree. Bishop Meade says, " But besides those ecclesiastical studies of the Seminary, there are other books of general literature, and science, and history, not to be neglected by those who have time and opportunity. Julian the apostate, endeavored to prevent Christian ministers from studying the heathen poets, historians, and mythologists, perceiving that they drew many arguments therefrom against the pagan system, and in favor of Chris- tianity." " Many things are now to be drawn from books not strictly religious, which may be applied to the service of re- ligion. Mr. Scott, the commentator, confesses, that in earlier life he fell into error on this subject, and limited his reading too much to purely religiolis "books. " " The vows of God are upon us ; all our reading should be subservient to the immediate ob- ject of instruction. As ministers, we should always note such things as may the better enable us to plead for the ' truth as it is in Jesus,' never merely for amusement, or curiosity, or love of learning simply for its own sake, or the credit and advantages derived from it."* The minister with his books should be as a mariner who makes every wind carry him to his destined port. With a free wind he uses all. With a wind on the quarter he uses a part. But whether tacking or sailing free he ever makes in the one direction. "No man," says Mr. Bridges, " attains remarkable eminence or suc- cess without an habitual and resolute self-denial in sub- ordinating every secondary point to the favorite object." * Meade, p. 60. MEDITATION AS A HELP. 359 Perhaps the highest praise for a minister of the gospel, was given by Dr. Johnson to Dr. Watts, in his life of him, when he said, ^'that whatever he took in hand was by his incessant solicitude for souls converted into theology/' " Lest I should be misunderstood, (Meade,) however, on the subject of this general reading, let me say that I do not mean an indiscriminate reading of all the trash now thrown before the public, or even all works of great genius that may be put forth. A well-regulated conscience and judgment should be exercised in the choice of them. There is no more propriety in reading all the books that are written, however evil, than in associating with all wicked persons, or going to hear preachers of infidelity or false doctrine, because they are eloquent, learned, or witty. We must use self-denial for the sake of example to others, as well as safety to ourselves. There is a great injury to the minds of Ministers from indulging a taste and fondness for light reading." In this connection it should be added that it is of great importance for a preacher to be familiar with' Authors whose style and manner of using the English tongue is approved. The purest English is given by Washington Irving, Prescott, and Lamb; next by Walter Scott, and Motley. Meditation. Meditation, or reflection, is the turning of thoughts over and over, and appropriating them to one's mental nourishment. It is the digestion of the mind. On this process depends the usefulness of information gained by study. Knowledge is not the mere reception of truths, nor even an accumulation of them in the mind : but it is the result of a healthful digestion of them. We discriminate between what is valuable to us, and ogQ PREACHING. that which is useless. We forget the former. We assimilate the latter. Thus by meditation those truths become part of our own mental resources; part of our- selves. Excessive reading, like any other excess, is unwholesome, because no time can be given to medita- tion; because reflection is impossible, and memory be- comes overburdened. A farmer will tell us that a flood of rain is of less value to his crop, than half the quan- tity in gentle showers. It is very important to find a place in the mind for all important thoughts, or information; and to store them away. It is equally important to remember where they are stowed away, so that those resources may be of immediate use when needed. A common- place book may be useful. Many recommend it. The danger in using such a book arises from the temptation to depend upon it rather than upon meditation. A further danger springs from the temptation to string quotations together, without reason. The peculiar thread of thought originally suggesting the quotation, and connecting the extracts having been forgotten the quotations become useless. The best course is to become familiar with every book which we study. Note in them such parts as are to be remembered as particularly of use. The best sort of commonplace book is the last fly-leaf of a familiar book; on which may be noted subjects of important topics, and the pages where their treatment will be found. Time to he given to preparing Sermons or Lectures. Sufficient time must be secured. We owe it to our congregations. We owe it to God. The surest way PRACTICAL HINTS. 3^1 to secure it is to fix upon certain hours of the day for study, and to adhere to them as a positive rule ; never to be broken for anything less important than duty to the sick and dying. Persons who want to see us on their own business should accommodate themselves to our hours. There are unreasonable people whose sel- fishness or self-importance is so great, and some whose inconsideration is so overmastering, that they will be offended if a Minister should seclude himself at any particular hour which happens to be most convenient to them. Better that they should be offended, than that one's congregation should suffer. Practical hints. If one's study is invaded, he is lost. Therefore that room in our home should be inviolate. As a precau- tion, during hours of study, only one chair should be visible ; and that the one which the Student is occupy- ing. When the visitor is either obliged to stand, or to keep his host standing, it is not too much to hope that the interview will be brief. This hint, however, is not always enough. But towards the impertinent or un- courteous, a Minister, without losing his character for politeness, may always find some forms of speech whicli will suffice to secure to him his needed solitude. It is best to hang a notice near the door, on the out- side, so prepared that it will attract attention. Thus, on a slate, " The Rector is engaged until — o'clock, and desires not to be interrupted except for cases of sickness or spiritual need. Messages may be left on the slate." For those cases the Pastor should be always ready to leave his studies ; other cases will not suffer 362 PREACHING. by the delay of a few hours. The best plan, is to fore- stall interruptions, by visiting up to the day, and to let the congregation see enough of us at times convenient to ourselves. It is well also to notify our people at what hours their Pastor can most conveniently attend to Parochial business. Illustrations of the necessity for these hints abound. A country Clergyman had just settled himself to his books and paper. It was a stormy day. He had carefully provided against interruption by visiting every case of need in the congregation on the previous day. His wife, too, had taken advantage of the storm for household work, intending to limit the dinner to a cold luncheon. Scarcely had the thoughts begun to flow, and the sermon paper begun to rejoice in them, when a thundering knock was heard on the door. A farmer friend appeared. *' Terrible storm. Couldn't do any work out-doors. Thought I would come round, and chat with you." And he did sit around all day. The sermon was gone. The wife was obliged to cook a dinner. And except for the pleasure of their Parish- ioner's company, the day was lost. I was not told whether the guest criticised the sermon on the next Sunday : but it is likely. For such a case perhaps there is no remedy : because this visitor came in the innocence of his heart, and with the kindest purposes of friendship: and his hosts were grateful for the attention. Nevertheless the injury to the sermon was irreparable. And if, in some way, we could make it known that there is a possibility of doing such harm, some of the harm might be prevented. A country Clergyman came to a city Pastor's study GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 3^3 to solicit alms for his Mission. He saw such a notice on the door as is referred to above. He went away in a huff, denouncing the arrogance of the whole class of city Rectors, and preferring to lose the alms rather than ask for it at the appointed hour. In this instance neither the Rector nor his sermon was the sufferer. But if a Clergyman can be so unreasonable, it is evi- dent that the difficulties of the case are great. Such illustrations emphasize the importance of the precau- tions recommended. Such rules are universal among other professional men. Morning hours are the best for study : the mind is then peculiarly vigorous. Late hours in the evening, or at night, are exhausting to the mind (besides being trying to the eyes); study is easier then because the mind has become excited. Physicians say that the excitement is caused by an increased flow of blood to the brain. Of course such brain-work is an over- action and therefore unhealthy; and such study is therefore less valuable. It rapidly weakens the powers of the mind. Sermons should be written early in the week. Sat- urday morning should be held sacred for reviewing the sermon and amending or perfecting it. Generally one will have little time on Sunday : and on that day the mind should be freed from the excitement of study, so as to be in harmony with the sacred restful occupations of the day. General observations. Sermons should differ from Lectures in style. There should be more gravity and dignity in the former. 364 PREACHING. Lectures had better be extemporary in form, and should exhibit more freedom in manner. A degree of plain- ness in the mode and frankness in the character of advice, of plain and direct speaking, is possible in lec- tures and proper to them which is not suited to sermons. Occasional discourses should be rare. Funeral ser- mons are to be avoided, if possible. And it is possible. During a thirty years' ministry I have preached only one such sermon in my own Parishes : and only two, even in other Parishes, except as memorials of de- ceased Clergymen. Bishop Meade recommends the same course strongly. Custom in country places de- mands a funeral sermon : but the Clergy, by judicious effort, could correct that public taste. Returning from a funeral service not conducted according to our forms, in company with three Clergymen, distinguished in their several Churches, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Dutch Reformed, each took occasion to approve and advocate the customs of the Episcopal Church, in using a fixed Burial service, and avoiding funeral sermons. I once attended a funeral service (not of our Church) in a house, where the Minister who officiated occupied his whole address by apologizing for his deceased friend's neglect in professing religion. A Parishioner was standing by my side, whom I had been earnestly striving to lead to a profession of his faith in Christ. He touched me on the arm, and nodded approvingly. Instantly I felt that my cause was lost. And so it proved. My friend died many years after without acknowledging his Saviour ; and the responsible cause, I have no doubt, was that funeral discourse, in which GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 365 the Minister palliated instead of reproving error. The temptation is not easily resisted. But if Ministers would always speak only the truth on such occasions, the demand for funeral discourses would be rapidly diminished. A Clergyman was called on to preach the funeral of a dissipated character. He frankly told the family that if he preached he must speak so that his hearers should be warned to avoid those faults. They insisted ; and the old Pastor did his duty, speak- ing the truth plainly, but in love and with all courtesy. My impression is that whilst his honor among the people was increased thereby, he was never called upon again to '^preach a funeral.^' A habit of preaching nothing but the truth on such occasions would soon break up the custom. Discourses to children are peculiar in construction and language, and are strangely neglected ; yet never- theless, no one should try to preach them, who does not understand the distinction between simplicity and simpleness: or who supposes that one must preach down to children. Repetition of sermons may occur after an interval of years ; but it is not a wise practice to repeat sermons in ordinary Pastoral life. A better habit is to review sermons carefully, in such a manner that they become essentially new. The average length of a sermon may be thirty minutes. Twenty minutes' length is better than forty. But much depends upon the interest which a preacher awakens. Some sermons are long, which continue after an announcement of the text and subject. Some ser- mons are short, when even at the end of an hour 31* 366 PREACHING. neither the Preacher's thoughts, nor the hearers' anxiety to listen, are exhausted. There are unmis- takable signs of attention and interest, or the contrary, which every preacher should study and watch. And he who trespasses often on a congregation's patience will soon find himself without a congregation on which to practise. A few weighty sentences from the Bishop of Oxford's addresses (Wilberforce) wdll emphasize these practical hints. " Your ministry has failed as to every soul entrusted to you who is not under it converted to the Lord, or built up in His holy faith." "When you preach, be real. Set your people before you in their numbers, their wants, their dangers, their capaci- ties ; choose a subject, not to show yourself off but to benefit them ; and then speak straight to them, as you would beg your life, or counsel your son, or call your dearest friend from a burn- ing house, in plain, strong, earnest words." " That you may be real, let your sermons be made up of truths learned on your knees, from your Bible, in self-examination, and amongst your people." " Beware of giving to God and souls the paring of your time, and the ends of other employment." "Beware of a pernicious fa- cilit^^ However poor or ignorant your people are, you may be assured that they will feel the difference between sermons which have been well digested and well arranged, and those which are put carelessly and ill together." " Let every sermon tend to this highest purpose, simply to exalt before your people Christ cruci- fied. Deal much in the great truths which the blessed God has taught us of Himself; beware of always tarrying amongst the graves and corruption of our own fallen and tempted state, but rise up to God and Christ and the Holy Ghost, and bear your flock with you there. To lead them for themselves indeed through the Spirit, to believe in the Person of the Eternal Son, and so to stand before the Father, accepted in the Beloved, — this is life eternal."* * Addresses, p. 28, et seq. SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. CHAPTER XXIIl. IMPORTANCE, ADVANTAGES/ AND METHODS. Definition. — Social instruction differs from public, in that the Teacher blends a social with an official position. He descends from the pulpit to take his chair in a circle of friends gathered for mutual benefit. He does not cease to be a teacher, but he teaches with more freedom, less formality, and more in conversational methods. The characteristic of these instructions is this blending with them of the social element. We take advantage of that significant principle of our nature on which society depends for its existence to impress and give power to our instructions. The Social Element is an eternal principle. It rules throughout the moral universe. A recognition of it lies at the basis of ajl true knowledge of God : for God has not revealed Himself to us as existing in isolation or solitariness, but as existing in blessed Trinity. Holy Scripture represents Divine existence from all eternity to have been the association of three Divine Persons in sacred and mysterious unity. All hard and repulsive notions of God's nature and character have arisen out of an idea of His isolation, His want of sympathy, His unlikeness to us. On the contrary, it is revealed 367 368 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. that He made us in His own image. Certainly He did not adopt some other pattern in that most strongly marked of all human characteristics, our social dispo- sition. We do not begin to know God until we can recognize Him as "Our Father.'^ But the very word Father involves a social idea. Nor does this idea spring out of His relations to us. He represents Himself as Father in the ages long before His creation of men. Far back beyond our creation was the creation of the Angels. And far back amidst the ages of eternity past, was the era when he assumed a Fatherly relation in the scheme of redemption. For when he said to "my Lord," "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee," evidently the second Person of the Holy Trinity was already existing. He announces a relationship, not a creation, or a beginning to be. The Father "said to my Lord"; he did not create "my Lord." He said to him, "this day," "thou art my Son." As if it were said: this day that particular relationship in the scheme of redemption has commenced, which, during the continu- ance of the Mediatorial work, is to be known, on my part as Fatherhood ; and on thy part as Sonship ; and I "declare this decree" to the universe. This relation- ship will continue, until "all things shall be subdued unto him," that is, subdued unto the One who is known by the double title. Son of God, Son of Man, the Christ Jesus. Then "when all things shall be subdued unto him," "shall the Son (in his Mediatorial relation- ship) also be subject unto Him that hath put all things under Him, that God may be all in all," as it was from eternity past. The Second Person of the adora- SOCIAL ELEMENT AN ETERNAL PRINCIPLE. 369 ble Trinity will not then pass into non-existence or be absorbed: but the relationship in this scheme having been completed its purpose will cease. And, as God was previously to the announcement of it, so after its termination, God will be all in all, Three Divine Per- sons in one Godhead; the Mediatorial relationship ceas- ing, but the social element remaining eternal. Conse- quently the Church's doctrine of the Eternal Sonship of the Second Person of the Trinity is an exact represen- tation of the truth. The particular Sonship which was connected with the Incarnation and Redemption com- menced and will terminate: but the eternal Sonship, which is a relation not of office but of nature, as it had no beginning, so will have no end. Father, Son, Holy Ghost, three Divine Persons, are eternally One God. These views have lately received strong confirmation in the Essays of Richard Holt Hutton, of England. He says : " We are told by it something of God's absolute and essential nature, something which does not merely describe what He is to us, but what He is in himself. If Christ is the Eternal Son of God, God is indeed and in essence a Father; the social nature, the spring of love is of the very essence of the Eternal being. The communication of His life, the reciprocation of His affection dates from beyond time, belongs, in other words, to the very being of God. Now, some persons think that such a certainty, even when attained has very little to do with human life. ' What does it matter,' they say, ' what the absolute nature of God is, if we know what He is to us; how can it concern us to know what He was before our race existed, if we know wbat He is to all his creatures now?' These questions seem plausible, but I believe they point to a very deep error. I can answer for myself that the Unitarian conviction that God is — as God and in his eternal essence — a single and, so to say, solitary personality, influenced 370 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. my imagination and the whole color of my faith most pro- foundly. Such a conviction, thoroughly realized, renders it im- possible to identify any of the social attributes with His real essence ; renders it difficult not to regard power as the true root of all other divine life. If we are to believe that the Father was from all time, we must believe that He was as a Father, that is, that love was actual in Him as well as potential, that the commu- nication of life and thought and fulness of joy was of the inmost nature of God and never began to be, if God never began to be." " For my own part, I am sure that our belief, whatever it may be, about the 'absolute' nature of God, influences far more than any one supposes our practical thoughts about the actual relation of God to us. Unitarians eagerly deny, I once eagerly denied, that God is to them a solitary omnipotence. Nor is He. But I am sure that the conception of a single eternal will as originating, and infinitely antecedent to, all acts of love or spiritual com- munion with any other, affects vitally the temper of their faith. The throne of heaven is to them a lonely one. The solitude of the eternities weighs upon their imaginations. Social are neces- sarily postponed to individual attributes ; for they date from a later origin — from creation — while power and thought are eter- nal." "If our prayers are addressed to one whose-eternity we habitually image as unshared, we necessarily for the time merge the Father in the omniscient and omnipotent genius of the universe. If, on the other hand, we pray to One who has revealed his own eternity through the Eternal Son ; if, in the spirit of the Liturgies, Catholic and Protestant, we alternate our prayers to the eternal originating love, and to that filial love in which it has been eternally mirrored, turning from the ' Father of heaven' to the ' Son Kedeemer of the world,' and back again to Him in whom that Son forever rests, then we keep a God essentially social before our hearts and minds, and fill our imag- ination with no solitary grandeur." " ' Before all worlds' God was essentially the Father, essentially Love, essentially some- thing infinitely more than knowledge or power, essentially com- municating and receiving a living affection. We are apt to take the word ' Father' as metaphorical in its application to God, a metaphor derived from human parentage. But such a faith teaches us that the most sacred human relations, which we feel to be far deeper than any individual and solitary human atri- SOCIAL ELEMENT AN ETERNAL PRINCIPLE. 371 bates, are but faint shadows of realities eternally existing in the divine mind." I emphasize these weighty sentences; ^'If Christ is the Eternal Son of God, God is indeed and in essence a Father : the social nature, the spring of love, is of the very essence of the Eternal Being/' Again. " The most sacred human relations are but faint shadows of realities eternally existing in the Divine mind." Bishop Huntington, of Central New York, in a letter to the author on this topic, thus responds to these views : " There was a time in my transition state when a powerful im- pression was made on my mind, as I was pondering the doctrine of the Trinity on which my whole life for years was turning, by this idea: — Unless the Son was from Eternity then there was 07ice a period when God was not a Father. Turning that idea over you will, 1 think, see how exactly it falls in with your sug- gestions as to the sociality in the Godhead and the absolute necessity, if we may say so, of reciprocal relations between the Divine Persons. I do not remember ever to have seen this point developed in any argument for the Trinity. But is it not strong? Indeed it seems to be philosophically doubtful whether any perfect Being, or nearly perfect, could exist in absolute and perpetual solitude. And even if God could so exist He would not have the character of God. We need not be afraid here of Anthropomorphism or Anthropopathy. We are in much more danger of abstractions in religion. Generally I think the expo- sitions and defences of the Trinity have been too scholastic in method. The Unitarians are not to be so convinced. Even Lid- don's admirable Bampton Lectures largely miss the mark. I never knew a Unitarian to be much aflfected by them. With Plato, Kant, and the best modern Germans on its side, philo- sophical Trinitarianism is sufficiently vindicated. What people want to see and feel is its practical power ; its blessed ministry to the life of the livino; man." 372 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. It is to be anticipated that an eternal element, so in- timately and intensely affecting our moral nature, would play an important part in every remedial plan for re- storing the condition of men, who were made " in the image of God/^ As it is the moving spring in redemp- tion, it must be a prime element in all instrumentalities wdiich apply that redemption. We may therefore ex- pect to find the social element constantly appealed to, in the structure of the Gospel and of the Church, and in the administration of them.* It is the principle on which the family relation is based. This idea was de- veloped with the creation of man. God said, it is not good for the man to be alone. There resulted the grand relationships of Families, Communities, Tribes, and Nations; the social element extending itself from the sim- plest form of society to the most complex, and embra- cing at last, in the complexities of international relations and laws, all communities in one grand social system. In the construction of His Church our Saviour took advantage of this principle. It is a leading idea. The Church is not a government, but a society. It is a body of members : a family in which God is Father, and our Lord condescends to be called our Brother. Baptism introduces us into a society. The Holy Com- munion, in its first notion, is a mode of sacred inter- course between members of this society. The Ministry is that office Avhich ministers to the members of the society. The Ministers of Christ are servants of all for Christ's sake. The reality and realization of these ^ The Bishop of Ely uses weight}^ expressions in a similar line of thought, in an address delivered in 1879, at the marriage of the Metropolitan of Cape Town. AD VANTA GES. 373 truths give to the Pastoral relation that importance and effectualness of which we have already spoken. Every wise Pastor will therefore take advantage of this principle. He will not isolate himself. He will not always remain asserting his dignified position as public teacher, in the pulpit. Sometimes, and the more frequently as his experience increases, he will blend his office as teacher with his position as equal, in the social bond of membership of Christ. The bearing of this great truth will become still more apparent when we speak of Pastoral Administration.* The history of the Mission established by Mr. and Mrs. William Welsh at Frankford, Pennsylvania, whilst especially illustrating lay-labor, also illustrates the ne- cessity of recognizing this social element in bringing men and women into contact with the Gospel and the Church : for its success was largely owing to the sociality of the methods employed. Questions may arise as to particular applications of this principle ; but not as to the truth of the principle. The advantages of Social instruction need only to be enumerated. They do not need to be explained nor enforced. Increased activity of sympathy. — The Teacher and the taught are brought into personal relations. Near- ness of presence quickens the emotions. The eye of the speaker catches fire from the eye of the hearer. The word enters with that electric influence which belongs to the personal communication. It is I and Thou. The feelings pass over from one heart to the * Chapter xxiv. 32 374 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. other as if by immediate contact, for it is no longer the Preacher who addresses a multitude from his dis- tant point of general observation, but the friend who is talking with a friend of that which kindles all their mutual sympathies. Freedom of manner, in a Pastor's communication both of instruction and advice, is an- other advantage. It becomes the freedom of a Father, or at least of a Teacher, applying his counsel to the particular needs of individuals. Directness of teach- ing is consequent upon this immediateness of inter- course between the parties taught, and the Instructor. Opportunity for comparison of views will be given. Many a sermon is lost because the Preacher is supposed to be unapproachable. His statements, accurate and applicable for many cases, may not be accurate nor applicable in some particular case; which therefore receives no benefit. Difficulties have arisen in some minds which do not happen to have been foreseen by the Preacher. His statements may have needed some correction, amendment, explanations, or enforcement. Social instruction enables a Pastor to remedy all such inconveniences. It gives him opportunity for a com- parison between his methods of looking at and pre- senting the subjects of religion, and those processes of thought which are common among his parishioners. A skilful Pastor will need only to know that the oppor- tunity is open to him. 3Iore particularity of statement will be possible. It is not always possible or even wise to enter into details in sermons; but in social instruction details of a line of duty are expected. The chief methods of Social Instruction are as fol- lows : COTTAGE LECTURES AND BIBLE CLASSES. 375 Cottage Ledwrs. This is a general term for meetings for informal ser- vices from house to house ; always accompanied by an exposition of Scripture, or exhortation, by the Pastor. We are not speaking now of such meetings when con- ducted by Laymen. The object is to carry the Gospel by Pastoral ministry to those who will not come to us for it. In country places these become substitutes for weekly lectures, and have great advantages. It affords an opportunity for a gathering of neighbors. It is an important part of the method of discharging Pastoral duty when visiting a farm or a country neighborhood. A Minister gives notice of time and place ; sometimes he emphasizes the notice by beating up recruits in per- sonal visits ; or enlisting others in that service. The Minister should be careful to greet, and have a friendly word for, each and every person as the neiglibors gather to these meetings. He takes a seat, not in a corner, nor far away from his peo])le, but as much as possible in their midst; the object being to encourage the social idea. All formality should be avoided, whilst whole- some forms are retained. After an Introduction, with a few kind words of welcome, let a Hymn be sung; always a familiar hymn : followed by Prayer, either entirely or largely from the Prayer Book. Next, the word of God ought always to be read ; not simply as a text, but definitely as in- struction ; for it is the duty of all people to listen to God's teaching before they listen to man's words. The Expository is the best form of address. It gives more opportunity for what we specifically mean 376 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. by instruction. In general it should be hortatory. An extempore address is decidedly the best : extempore, I mean, in the structure of sentences and use of words, but never extempore in arrangement and thouglit. An extempore prayer, or a preconceived prayer suited to the occasion, and to the subject of instruction, sliould close the order. Such a prepared prayer may easily be found in the words of the collects. Religious conversation should follow^ the close of the meeting, but not general conversation : above all gossip is to be avoided. The Minister and the people may profitably talk about matters related to Pastoral work. But the moment the talking degenerates into ordinary conversation about one's neighbors, the Minister should break up the assemblage, and manage to disperse the neighbors to their own homes. Cottage Lectures in a large city are not advisable, except among the humbler classes. City life requires a continual attention to conventional forms. It could not exist and would not be safe without them : and no Pastor violates them habitually with wisdom. Even a modification of them cannot be well introduced. For example, we have an instance of a very faithful Pastor's attempt to introduce neigliborhood parochial visiting into a church in a city. He gave notice that on such a day and hour he would visit a certain house, and wished all the members of the parish within that district to gather there. No one but the family was present ; for some of the congregation were not on visiting terms with the family, and none had received the invitation from the lady of the house. Consequently social propriety forbade such a gathering there. A second COTTAGE LECTURES AND BIBLE CLASSES. 377 attempt was made, at another house; but when the Pastor arrived at the appointed time he found that the servant was instructed to say, "Not at home." This finished the experiment. For a City, or large Town, we cannot dispense with the regular lecture and formal services. The people are able, and accustomed, to meet in one place, and prefer the formalities of a public act of worship. Pastor^s Bible Classes. I speak specifically of classes taught by the Pastor. Where Bible classes can be committed to Laymen, it is better that they should be placed in their hands on all accounts ; but when there is a dearth of lay instructors, or of suitable and competent lay instruction, the Pas- tor should make the effort and endure whatever sacri- fice may be necessary, to conduct these classes himself. A Bible class may be held in the church : then it be- comes merely an expository lecture. A lecture room or Sunday-School room is a better place. The Parson- age is the best place for it. A distinct object should be kept in mind: that is, to educe entire freedom and sympathy in communicating thoughts and opinions. The character of the instruction and method will of course depend upon the intellectual and social condition of its members. It is well to use maps, pictures, and visible illustrations. By all means let questions be used. Without these the instruction ceases to be that of a Bible class. Written questions are the most attractive. Written answers are the least attractive ; but they are sometimes necessary. It is not necessary that these classes should be held on the Lord's Day. Some of 32* 378 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. the largest Bible classes in the City of New York have been taught hy Pastors on week days. Sunday-School Teachers^ Meetings. This is an important field for a Pastor's social influ- ence. It is the place where he directs the whole ma- chinery of his Sunday-School, and whence his teaching flows out, as many streams from one fountain. A Pastor's instruction here gives unity to Sunday-School instruction. It prevents errors. Prevention is better than cure. Such a meeting leads to sympathy among teachers, and unity of plan and work. A Pastor should meet his teachers more or less frequently according to their capacity and facilities for self-education : at least once a month ; once a week is generally best. All the parish teachers should be present, and of all departments. Means are to be taken to induce punctuality. Pri- vate exhortation should be employed. Sometimes pub- lic notice may be taken of our success or ill success (less often of ill success) in securing attendance at the meetings. Sometimes we talk to a Sunday class about the teachers' meeting which is held to consult and to pray for them.* When the rule requires that Teachers' reports shall be presented at these meetings, teachers will be almost sure to be there, to explain or emphasize what they have written. But the principal means of securing punctual attendance is so to throw our zeal and spirit and effort into them as to make the meetings full of interest. * N.B. — If the teacher of that class should have been absent from the meeting, the hint will be effective. CIRCLES FOR PRAYER. 379 Express attention should be given to the lesson for the next Sunday, if the meeting is weekly ; or to the course of lessons for the next month, if monthly. Books explanatory or illustrative of the lesson are to be referred to : and in general the Teachers are to be shown how to study the lesson, and how to prepare for giving interest to their instruction of their classes. Circles /o7' Prayer. Here the social principle in the Church exhibits itself in the most attractive form. It is a meeting for com- muning as to things of God expressly : and for uniting together in that communion at the footstool of Divine grace. Here sympathies are quickened in the liveliest manner; and when rightly managed Christian people are bound together in a unity of love and work to which no other bond can compare. Here is a realiza- tion of Church unity. It is not the mere assertion of a formal ecclesiastical tie, but the thing itself, the church's bond, the family of Christ communing to- gether. Any objections will lie against them not on ground of principle, but of expediency. Bishop Griswold in his "Remarks on Social Prayer Meetings'' says, "The most candid of those who are opposed to them admit that this subject is ^a question of expediency.' That God's word forbids such meetings, no one probably will venture to afBrm. That the Church forbids them, no one has been able to show. And should she disapprove, nothing hinders that she should forbid them." The Weight of Authority is largely in their favor; if 380 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. we are to accept the opinions of earnest-minded Chris- tians. Bishop Griswold says: "So far as I am acquainted, and able to judge, they who at- tend these meetings are generally pious, sincere Christians, who think it profitable, and find it spiritually refreshing, during the six days usually appropriated to worldly pleasures, to pass an hour, or perhaps two or three hours, in social worship, A large part of those who are Communicants choose rather to attend to their temporal business, or to associate for other purposes, and do not attend the meetings. And for this I never hear them censured. It is considered as a voluntary thing ; as much so as giving alms. Our rule is, ' Let every man be persuaded in his own mind.' If others spend the time better, we rejoice and bless God. If while I and my friends are enjoying merriment and recreations, others choose to be devoutly praying for us, and for all men, it is a wrong which may easily be forgiven." "On questions of the same nature we might expect that the opinion of ' the pious Mr. Nelson' would have much more weight with Churchmen than that of Mr. Scott. Speaking of such voluntary meetings in England, he says, in the preface of his much esteemed work on the Festivals and Fasts of the Church, * I cannot apprehend but that \hej must be very serviceable to the interests of religion, and may contribute very much to re- vive that true spirit of Christianity, which was so much the glory of the primitive times. And I see no reason why men may not meet and consult together to improve one another in Christian knowledge, and by mutual advice take measures how best to further their own salvation, as well as that of their neighbors, when the same liberty is taken for the improvement of trade and for carrying on the pleasures and diversions of life. And for those objections which are urged against these societies from some canons of the Church, they seem to be founded upon a misunderstanding of the sense of those Canons.' " To those who desire to weigh the arguments in favor of general prayer meetings against current objections to them, I recommend Bishop Griswold's Tract on the subject. PLAN SUGGESTED FOR PRAYER CIRCLES. 381 It is a fact, however, that our people have a distaste for general prayer meetings; so that Avhilst they may not object to them on princij^le, or even regard them as inexpedient, they may feel them to be distasteful. Then it will not be wise for a Pastor to attempt to force them on his people. After an experiment of general prayer meetings in both my parishes, I found that this distaste was uncontrollable. No efficient Lay- men could be found to assist in maintaining them. Nor am I altogether free from such distaste; derived partly from early experiences, and partly from habits of mind. Whilst never discouraging, and often uniting in them with profit, I have ceased to encourage general prayer meetings ; not because they are not scriptural, and churchly, and useful to many persons, but because they do not suit me, and those over whom I have been placed. Instead of them, I recommend limited meetings, or what may be termed ^^ Communicants^ circles for prayer. ^^ The idea was first suggested by my venerated preceptor. Dr. Muhlenberg, adapting and utilizing what is good in the Methodist class meeting, suiting it to our own Church ideas. I have practised on it. The following rules are suggested by experience. "Communicants' Circles for Prayer." Our object is to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit : to read the Bible and to converse freely upon its precious truths. We are to pray that the influences of the Holy Spirit may be poured out upon the unconverted : the Church of Christ : our own beloved Church : our Bishops : our Kector, Vestrymen, our Parish, Sabbath, and Infant Schools, Bible Classes, benevo- lent and missionary Societies : our relations, friends, acquaint- ances, and on our own souls. At the first meeting in every month our prayers, reading, con- 382 SOCIAL INSTRUCTION. versation, and hymns shall have a special reference to missions : Foreign, Domestic, and Diocesan missions. At that meeting this paper shall be read aloud as a reminder of our objects of meeting ; and also shall be read our Rides. We will meet once a week for one hour at the same house. Not more than twelve members shall form a circle. The names being written in alphabetical order, the member who has charge of the meeting, shall, just before its close, an- nounce the three members who are to officiate at the next meet- ing. The duty of the first member will be to conduct the meeting, first reading a hymn ; after it shall have been sung, to call upon the second member to pray. Then the first member will read a portion of Scripture, and commence conversation upon it, in which the members generally shall join. Then read a selected, spiritual or practical, religious article. At the termination re- quest the third member to pray; after which, close with a hymn. Two prayers, two hymns, reading the Bible, conversation upon it, and religious reading compose the exercises. The meeting shall commence punctually even if only two are present: and close as punctually. No conversation to be held either before or after the meeting, as it is intended exclusively for prayer and spiritual communion. The prayers are to be extempore : or the members can read their previously composed prayers. The members will take their turns with regularity : but if providentially prevented from attending, will notify the next member on the list. The Scriptures are to be read in course, so that they may be studied by the members between the meetings. It is profitable to take up an Epistle ; and follow it to the end, even if the con- sideration should occupy more than one meeting. By the blessing of God the Holy Spirit, upon our circle, we will find that our prayers and Bible conversations will give us more freedom in praying and conversing with our rela- tions and friends ; the poor, sick, afflicted ; the unconverted, the backslider, inquirers, and the faithful Christian. Thus may we hope to become more like our Saviour and better promote the glory of God, as members of His Church. ADMINISTRATION, PART SECOND. PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING: THE SACRAMENTS. PASTORAL VISITING. CARE OF SCHOOLS. DIRECTION OF ACTIVITIES. PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING: RELATIONS TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY. DUTIES RESPECTING PUBLIC PRAYERS AND PUBLIC OFFICES. 384 ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXiy. LIMITS AND EXTENT OF PASTORAL CHARGE. THE SACRAMENTS. The Pastor's duties and responsibilities are limited to his own pastoral charge. His is not a roving com- mission to preach the Gospel, and administer sacraments and discipline wherever he will; but his field is defined. Under our system of government, sanctioned by long experience and wisdom as Avell as by Scripture, each Pastor's labors are confined to the care of the people over whom God, and the call of that people, have placed him. He will find this allotted sphere quite large enough. He has no right, nor will it be wise nor expedient, to interfere with another man's duties or responsibilities. This system provides more efficiently than any other for the wants of each flock. These limitations of a Pastor's responsibility are strictly in accordance with the law as defined in Title I of the Digest; Canon 14, Section 1; of Elections. Also in Section 6 ; of Parochial bounds. Legally, the Pastor's jurisdiction, and consequently his responsi- R 33 385 386 ADMINISTRATION. bility, extends over all the territory which is included within the limits of the city, town, or village, or dis- trict, in which his is tlie only Protestant Episcopal Church : or, if there are two or more churches within these limits, he shares a joint responsibility, to be ex- ercised in severalty, over these limits. Practically, a Pastor^s jurisdiction and responsibility are confined to that number of souls who have placed themselves under his pastoral care. His first duty on entering upon a charge will be to obtain accurate knowledge of his field. For this he should take some efficient method ; becoming thor- oughly acquainted with the persons, the ecclesiastical condition, and the religious habits of his people.* A settled state of the Church introduces the necessity for an Executive charge in each congregation : and the Pastor, besides his duties as ambassador for Christ, is the executive officer in the Parish organization. The whole spiritual care of the people, and a share of the temporal care of the parish, are confided to him. Upon the character of his administration in these particulars depends the healthy growth, stability, and consolidation of his congregation. Administration inchides a large department of work : in the two spheres Pastoral, and Parochial. Pastoral administration includes the executive over- sight of those departments which are peculiarly spiritual or related to the religious character of a people. Such are, the due administration of Holy Sacraments, Pas- * In the Appendix a plan is recommended which I have found feasible and satisfactory. LIMITS AND EXTENT OF PASTORAL CHARGE. 387 toral Visiting, the care of schools, and the right direc- tion of the religious activities of a congregation. Parochial administration includes the executive charge of the Parish, and the oversight of, and arrangement for the discharge of Parish duties. It embraces the relations into which a Rector is brought with official persons and with the property of his Parish; and also his duties in public prayers and offices. 388 THE SACRAMENTS. THE SACRAMENTS. The Administration of the Sacraments is not only a very sacred, but a most valuable portion of Pastoral duty. My object in giving the topic a distinct place here, is not to treat it separately, but merely to call attention to it as related to administration : inasmuch as the Sacraments are divinely appointed instruments in a Pastor's hands for accomplishing the highest spiritual good. He uses them at moments when his people are peculiarly susceptible to spiritual influences. The manner of such use, the preparation for it, the instruction which he will give as to the meaning and purposes of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and the training with which he will follow their administra- tion, will test his Pastoral character, and largely form the religious character of his flock. These various topics are treated in several portions of this Book; and those instructions need not to be repeated here. But it will be well that every Pastor should remember, when approaching the administration of these Holy Rites, that they are not mere ceremonials, nor Ordi- nances to be gazed at, but divinely appointed Signs, and Seals, and Pledges of Grace to all who receive them worthily. Very sacred is that Ministry which is permitted to employ the symbols of so great realities : and very responsible his trust to use them rightlv PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXV. PASTORAL VISITING. Definition. — It is the friendly, unceremonious visit of a Pastor. It is not ordinary visiting, such as the forms of social life require. Much less is it mere gossiping, chattering, inconsequential, formal visiting as in ordinary society. Much less is it trifling and worldly, made up of vain and useless talk, or of unseemly criticisms of a neighbor's life and manners. On the other side, it is not merely a formal religious lecture ; a transfer of the Church and desk and pulpit to the house. It is not Baxter's method. "At tlie delivery of the catechisms, I take a catalogue of the persons of understanding in the parish ; and the Clerk goeth a week before to every family to tell them when to come, and at what hour ; (one family at eight o'clock, the next at nine, and the next at ten, etc.) And I am forced by the number to deal with a whole family at once ; but admit not any of another to be present (ordinarily).^' Such formal, stately, ministerial visitings, adding to the solemnities of Divine Worship a somewhat public inquiry into private religious history, cannot be agree- able, and cannot be useful. 33* 389 390 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. The Pastoral visiting which we recommend and treat of, is the friendly, unceremonious visit of a Pastor. He never forgets that he is the Ambassador of Christ, but does not obtrude it. He sinks the officer in the friend. He bears in mind the Christian, whilst remembering that he is a partner in the social circle where his people move ; that he has like interests, cares, and wants with them : is with them living in the world, whilst jour- neying towards a heavenly home. As a visitor then, not only does he not separate himself from his people, but by every means draws near to them. Yet his high vocation and his religious purpose in the visit is always at hand ; so that every topic, which will bear it, is turned to a spiritual use; every opening for religious conversation is improved ; and as a rule, every visit is made an occasion of direct religious improvement to some one or all ; and when possible is made the occasion of some appropriate religious act. A visit is not neces- sarily a lost visit, nor an unpastoral visit, if religious instruction has not been given, or a direct religious impression has not been produced. No Pastor will be quite satisfied with such a visit ; and yet it may be an opening wedge for important religious influence over a family, to be improved on a happier occasion. Never- theless the highest style of Pastoral visiting — that which must be sought after, and will be reached in the habits of maturing years — is that in which it is under- stood that the Pastor comes to look after the spiritual interests of his flock. That is to be the main topic of conversation. And the visit should be of such a char- acter, that in the course of it a word of prayer would at least not be incongruous. . The Rev. Dr. Moore, of PASTORAL VISITING. 39] Staten Island, and his father Bishop Moore of Vir- ginia, were noted for the skill and affectionate piety by which they were able to lead their hosts to holy thoughts during Pastoral visits, so that they could always say, " Let us have a word of prayer before we part/' That phrase is still traditional in the commu- nities to whose religious life they gave a tone. It would be happier for the Church, and would more nearly realize our Saviour's intention, if such a custom were general. Bridges well defines the character of pastoral inter- course as " a conciliatory, close, affectionate, and spiritual contact with our people, combining the dignity with the condescension and humanity of our office, both inviting confidence and repressing familiarity. Such as would enable us to give prudent advice if necessary in matters of family management without being deemed intrusive; and will permit us to offer religious in- struction without being regarded as officious." All visits to our people which directly or even in- directly bear this aspect, and as a part of our system aim at this end, may be regarded as Pastoral visits : for a Pastoral visit is the frie7idly, unceremonious visit of a Pastor. Duty. — The duty of constant Pastoral intercourse, arises both from our spiritual relations, and from our office. I have so often alluded to the peculiarly inti- mate spiritual character of these relations, and so en- tirely are all our pastoral duties based upon these ideas, that it is not necessary now to enlarge on this topic. But rather let attention be fixed on the solemn charge, which is received when one is ordained to the Pastoral 392 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. care. How can this holy work be fulfilled without in- timate affectionate religious personal intercourse with our people ? To strengthen our impression of this duty, let it be observed, how much of our Saviour's ministration was Pastoral. He preached few sermons, but he was con- stant in private and social conversations, and in visiting of families.* So the Apostles. Saint Paul speaking to the Elders of Ephesus made a point of the fact that he had taught from house to house. And wherever the Gospel had large hold upon the hearts of people in Apostolic days we read that the Apostles and other ministers were constantly engaged in carrying their public instructions home, into the privacy of the family circle. Note the wonderful influence which Saint Paul's preaching at Iconium possessed, after he had spent a week in Pas- toral labor; going from house to house, proclaiming the truth, explaining, removing difficulties, and teach- ing to families the language of the new science of Christianity. "The whole city was moved!" Constant illustrations of the same thing are given in the lives of eminently successful ministers. " There will," saith Dr. Hammond, "l:)e little matter of doubt or controversy, but that private, frequent, spiritual conference be- twixt fellow-Christians, but especially (and in matters of high concernment and difficulty) between the Presbyter and those of his charge, even in the time of health, may prove very advan- tageous to the making of the man of God perfect." * Lazarus' house ; the house at Cana ; Simon the Pharisee's ; Peter's (wife's mother) ; Zaccheus ; Emmaus ; these visits were significant of a custom. DUTY. 393 " And to tell truth," says Baxter, " if the pride and self-conceit of some, and wretchlessness of others, the bashfulness of the third sort, the nauseating and instant satiety of any good in a fourth, the follies of men, and the artifices of Satan, have not put this practice quite out of fashion among us, there is no doubt but more good might be done by ministers this way, than is now done by any other means separated from the use of this. It is the more likely way, as Quintillian saith, (comparing public and private teaching of youth,) to fill narrow-mouthed bottles, (and such are the most of us,) by taking them singly in the hand, and pouring water into each, than by setting them altogether, and throwing never so many bottles of water over them." " The ignorant soul," saith Gurnall,* " feels no such smart : if the minister stay till he sends for him to instruct him, he may sooner hear the bell go for him, than any messenger come for him : you must seek them out, and not expect that they will come to you." "These are a sort of people that are more afraid of their remedy than their disease, and study more to hide their ignorance, than how to have it cured ; which should make us pity them the more, because they can pity themselves so little. I confess it is no small unhappiness to some of us, who have to do with a multitude, that we have neither time nor strength to make our addresses to everj^ particular person in our congregations, and attend on them as their needs require. Let not the difficulty of our province make us like some, who when they see they have more work upon their hands than they can well despatch, grow sick of it, and sit down out of a lazy despondency, and do just nothing. Oh, if once our hearts were filled with zeal for God, and compassion to our people's souls, we would up and be doing, though we could lay but a brick a day ! and God will be with us. It may be, you who find a people rude and ignorant, like stones in the quarry and trees unfelled, shall not bring the work to such perfection in your days as you desire! Yet, as David did for Solomon, thou may est by pains in teaching, prepare ma- terials for another, who shall rear the temple." In these days the duty is especially obvious, for our * Complete Armour. 394 PASTORAL VISITING. social system is undergoing fundamental changes. Old ideas of the possibility or wisdom of isolation are passing away. The tendency of the times is to throw society into a mass, in which individuals shall be distinguished only by their separate powei* of rising out of the indiscriminate throng; as it was in the elder barbarous days of the beginning of civili- zation. The idea of absolute equality, renders free- dom of intercourse among all classes a characteristic of the times. The Ministry must partake of the spirit of the age. They must use it. As they live in it, so they must work by it. The social element, not as it might be but as it is, is one of the most important factors in our present progress. A Min- ister must avail himself of it in accomplishing his purpose. Advantages. — While a Minister's labor in the sanc- tuary and the pulpit may be more conspicuous, the Pastor's real character will be exhibited in his dealing with separate souls, when the eye of the Church is not on him, " but in Avhich (says the Bishop of Oxford ad- dressing his students) your flock will feel even more truly than in your public services, your weakness or your strength.'' The advantages of Pastoral visiting may be classified as related to the Pastor, or to the People. Pastoral visiting is instructive to the Pastor — As to the characters with which we have to deal. As to the states of mind we have to reach. As to the best, and most practical methods. As testing our success in preaching. As affording topics for useful preaching. ADVANTAGES TO THE PASTOR. 395 As valuable in gaining the confidence and affection of our people.* The Bishop of Oxford says : " It is necessary for us to understand the people. Very many clergymen live always in a sort of amiable dream. They speak, or think they speak, very plainly in their sermons : their flock exhibit no manifest symptom of impatience or fatigue, (for the forbearance with which our people listen to that which conveys scarcely an idea to them is really wonderful !) and they conclude that all which they have said has been pretty well understood ; when if they would converse closely with the greater number of their hearers, they would often find that scarcely a word of one of their best reasoned sermons had really found its way into their minds. A physician will not heal his patients by dreams of their convalescence while he is ignorant of their malady. We can never hope to make our sermons thoroughly intelligible unless we are in the habit of conversing with our people, unless we sound them, to see how far we have reached their minds, and where we have failed. Such an examination would reveal a startling result to some who have been accus- tomed to regard their public efibrts with not a little secret satisfaction." Closely connected with these points is the following important consideration, for impressing which I use the words of the same author : "Pastoral visitation maintains in us the habits and temper essential for success. By it we keep alive reality of feeling toward our people. God has so formed us, that we must touch others closely in their particular wants, trials, sorrows, and joys, if we would really sympathize with them. When therefore we merely address a general congregation from the pulpit, instead of dealing with our people in detail, we almost certainly become unreal. We learii to substitute the play of feeling which we prac- * These are admirably treated by Bridges, Christian Ministry, Part V. 396 PASTORAL VISITING. Use when speaking to numbers for actual Christian sympathy. The instruction which pours into us when we patiently watch by sick-beds, grapple closely with sick consciences, bind up as with our own hands the soul's wounds, and pour into stricken hearts the balm of Christ's gospel, all this store of instruction is withheld from us. We grow accustomed to throw our spirit into the attitude of general compassion and sympathy without really compassionating : and so we become soft, sickly, effemi- nate declaimers about feelings we do not know and efforts we are too selfish to make. And this lack of reality of feeling grievously injures our own soul and weakens our ministry."* Pastoral visiting is advantageous to the People — be- cause it enables us to apply our instruction in details ; to follow them into the daily duties of life ; and par- ticularly, to repeat in conversational methods what we have said in the less familiar style of the pulpit ; and thus not only to enable them to understand us, but to make sure that they do comprehend. It enables us to impress the fact that religion is in- tended to make part of every on£s daily life. It is not for the Sunday only, nor for the hours of public wor- ship only : but the truths we preach and the precepts we enjoin, are to be carried into the practical religion of every day. There is a remarkable tendency, as the Bishop of Oxford remarks, "to lead two lives totally distinct from each other." "Persons are disposed to be religious up to a certain point in their feelings; to say their prayers, to come to church, perhaps occasionally to attend the Holy Communion, but they are sorely tempted not to apply what they hear to the government of their daily lives, or to connect these occasional acts and feelings with their ordinary conduct. Nay, even beyond this, they will be * Bishop of Oxford, p. 166. ADVANTAGES TO THE PEOPLE. 397 tempted to substitute these religious feelings and this religious knowledge for prompt and hearty obedience in the detailed trials of daily life. Now nothing will, under God's blessing, more help in making practical that which they thus feel, than our carrying out the general instruction of the pulpit into the closer lessons of personal ministerial converse." It enables us to explain misapprehensions ; of which not a few occur even in tlie most intelligent congrega- tion, under the cleverest and clearest of preachers. It enables us to take advantage of Providential open- ings to produce religious impressions: for example, of sickness, sorrow, or joys, the turns of circumstances and the thousand varieties in each family life; Avhich of course cannot be alluded to in the pulpit, but may readily be and indeed are expected to become the sub- jects of Pastoral conversation. " Just as the careful cultivator of the soil Avatches his time for more successful labor, and lets no change of atmosphere or sunshine pass by unimproved, but gains a more abundant produce from this day^s heat and that day's shoAver, because a ready diligence turned both to an immediate purpose; so is it in our spiritual hus- bandry. All the turns of their lives become openings for good to the hand of a skilful and loving diligence, which watches over our people as having to give an account of them.'' Pastoral visiting enables us to reach many who will not come to church : and many who cannot. The first we meet by happily intended accident, and speak a word in season. The second we meet of set purpose, and carry to them the Gospel and its sympathy. It is valuable, because by it we may maintain unity ; 34 398 PASTORAL VISITING. check differences and dissensions; heal bitter waters at the fountain before their streams shall have had oppor- tunity to spread brackish deathfulness over the banks where we had sown good seed. Many a difficulty in a parish would have been prevented by a genial frank Pastoral visit. Such visits have great effect also in preserving and keeping thoroughly alive a love for the Church. It is a means of attracting all the members of a family, and especially children, to the Pastor, drawing out and fostering their aifections towards him. "They must have seen us in their families, heard us by the sick-bed, felt individually that we do care for their bodies, and so learned to believe that we do really care for their souls, before they can give us that atten- tion of love which opens the heart to our words.^^* Pastoral visiting encourages family religion: an op- portunity may occur, or may be made, for introducing family Prayer; especially if the Pastor's visit is in the evening, and the family is alone. A valuable oppor- tunity is offered to impress the subject of religious in- struction of children ; opportunities are gained for guiding the reading of a family; and if the Parish is blessed with a good parish librar}^, the Pastor may absolutely direct the course of family reading, and that without undue influence or any appearance of authority. The servants' place in the family may be recognized by Pastoral visiting. Nor should visiting the servants ever be neglected by a Pastor when they are members * Bishop of Oxford, p. 159. ADVANTAGES TO THE PEOPLE. 399 of the Church. In this latter case he will contrive some way by which they may receive his visit, as a dis- tinctly recognized part of his Pastoral care. Generally, after visiting the other members of a family, it is proper to ask to see those domestics who are our parish- ioners. I have never experienced any difficulty in dis- charging this duty, even amidst the peculiarly artificial rules of society in the metropolis. The master or mis- tress of the house have always manifested great pleas- ure in encouraging this Pastoral attention to those on whom their family comfort and happiness so much depends. PASTORAL VISITING. CHAPTER XXYI. THE DIFFICULTIES OF PASTORAL VISITING. The chief difficulty of this duty arises out of in- disposition to the exertions or self-denials which it requires. Natural selfishness interposes. It is not easy to throw oneself into sympathy with others; not easy to make their cases our own, nor to feel that they need that peculiar personal labor w^hich can alone bring ourselves into close contact wdth their difficulties. It is quite natural, too, to find excuses for omitting the trouble- some parts of this duty, in the obvious necessity of caring for our own intellectual or spiritual improve- ment, and the comfort of our family. Love of ease interposes. This is a sore temptation. A little fatigue, a slight indisposition, the trouble and exertion of a visit, anything out of which our desire for ease can make an excuse, may be a hindrance to discharging this duty. On this subject the Bishop of Oxford says : " How many ftivorite tastes must be abandoned before our people can be really to us objects of supreme interest. What- ever stands in the way must be abandoned. This is why a really efficient parish priest cannot be a keen sportsman, or an eager 400 DIFFICULTIES. 401 politician, or a man of pleasure or devoted to society, or even given up to literature, because he cannot be any of these, and. yet be indeed giving the first and best part of his heart and aflfections to his people, as he must do if he intends to save him- self and. them. Perhaps, for instance, he has not naturally any liking for children ; an idle clergyman, so disposed, leaves his school to the schoolmaster, and the children, who will not come to school, to that busy school which the devil keeps for uncared- for children in most of our streets. Yet, on the other hand, he must have had many an interrupted meal, got up when he wished to lie in bed, left friends with whom he wished to stay, refused invitations he would have liked to accept, borne with noise, and fractiousness, and dulness, and close rooms, if he has indeed won the children to himself and to God ; and, through them, many parents who but through them would have been forever unap- proachable."* Procrastination is a terrible hinclerer; and yet the nature of this duty is- such, that immediateness is one of the most valuable elements in Pastoral visiting. Just when the emergency demands, it should be met. A visit deferred is often an opportunity forever lost. A peculiar class of difficulties occurs from the j^ressure of clerical duties. They are multifarious, and it is not easy to give them their proportionate value. Conse- quently there is a temptation to omit that which will cause the least observation and remark. Failure in a visit will not be so prominent, or observed, as failure in a sermon, and therefore the visit is postponed. Other similar illustrations will readily occur to any one who chooses to reflect on the subject. Fear of^ contracting or conveying disease sometimes leads a Clergyman to delay, or sometimes to omit a * Addresses, p. 206. 34* 402 PASTORAL VISITING. visit to a sick parishioner. This fear, if personal only, should at once be overcome, or at all events disregarded. In the case of contagious diseases, the duty may be measured by the necessity of the case. A visit to a thorough Christian Avho is known to be prepared for death may not be necessary, if the danger of conveying disease to others thereby is imminent ; whilst a visit to a parishioner who is unprepared to die should certainly be made at all hazards. A Minister may exercise dis- cretion in judging of the necessity: but if a visit is necessary or advisable, it should be made with as little hesitation as a Physician feels. The Minister is to use the same precautions against contagion as a Physician employs. Nor is there any serious danger to one who comes out of the fresh air, and immediately after the visit breathes the fresh air again. The danger is not at all as great as that which the medical adviser, or the nurse faces ; and yet they are seldom affected by the contagion. " With men of a certain temperament the inclination to guard their own safety by staying away from the sick room is a great temptation. And yet to yield to it is really fatal to our usefulness, not only with the sick, whom we thus leave with no man to help them, just when the angel of the Lord has troubled the waters of life around them, but with all our parish- ioners; who cannot believe in the reality of the priestly office, or our own sincerity in discharging it, if they see us at such a moment shrink back from our manifest duty.''* Natural timidity, want of boldness in dealing with * Addresses, pages 207, 208. DIFFICULTIES. 403 men, want of self-confidence, often render Pastoral visiting difficult, and sometimes hinder it altogether. These must be cured if possible ; must be set aside at all events. The visits must be made in spite of them. And generally, a fair degree of ease and self-possession can be obtained by effort, and perseverance, and will be the result of habit. Almost every one at first ex- periences some shrinking from this duty. Those who do not experience timidity are likely to run into an opposite extreme, equally unfortunate. Fondness for society may mislead them, or self-confident boldness may make their visits repulsive. A dread of coming face to face with spiritual disorders and perplexities is a subtle and serious form of difficulty interferino; with the habit of Pastoral visitation. Close grappling of mind with mind and spirit with spirit is an essential condition for dealing effectually with the soul of another. "Some draw back with a sort of instinctive avoidance of the realities of the inner life, just as they perceive that the stricken soul is about to open to them its grief; and often half nervously throw in some unmeaning generality, which shuts up forever the heart which might, had it truly revealed its secret burden, have been led to Christ."* This tendency must be carefully watched and guarded against. Many an opportunity to strike a blow for the truth is lost because timidity, or a false notion of the expediency of waiting for a better occasion, leads a Pastor to hesitate. Whilst hesitating, the opportunity passes away forever. It must not be forgotten that * Addresses, page 209. 404 PASTORAL VISITING. parishioners see, as readily as a Pastor can, the opening which has been given for direct spiritual instruction. Sometimes they make it of set purpose, hoping that the Pastor will probe their wound or examine their malady, and propound a cure. If he neglects the opportunity, a disappointment is not the only result. They charge the neglect upon indifference ; and are too apt to conclude either that the Pastor is unworthy of his office, or that their danger is less than his public exhortations have led them to conclude. In either way his influence is lost, and it may be, their souls will be lost also. CoiTedives. These difficulties arising from natural constitution and the intrinsic unpleasantness of meeting and grap- pling with spiritual troubles in private intercourse, are to be overcome only by prayer, by determined effort, by manly resolution, and by representing to ourselves in a strong light our duty, our obligations, and our privilege. An important corrective is, a decision that Pastoral visiting is a supreme duty. Being so, we determine to give it a place and an hour in our daily work. We make it part of our daily labor, no more to be neg- lected than study, or writing, or our meals. But the real correctives are to be found in such con- siderations as those which Bishop Wilberforce has urged with inimitable power. I refer my readers to his Addresses, and beg them to read, especially, the pages from 210 to 213. I quote some pregnant sen- tences. CORRECTIVES. 405 " The creeping moss of soul-sluggishness can be kept down only by the continual arts of a vigorous self-denial. Whoever enters on the ministry as an easy profession, whoever suffers it to become such to him, is sure to lose the distinctive features of the Pastor's character," " We must constantly remember the inestimable value of the souls for which we watch : often muse on their awful capacity of life or death everlasting, and on the certain connection be- tween these almost infinite issues and what seem to be the trifles of this present life. How can we meet them before the bar of God if, through our sinful self-indulgence, we have let them perish ; how can we cry for mercy, clinging as we must do for our- selves to that Cross which, had we been faithful, might have saved botli them and us." " We must remember the price at which they were redeemed, and Who it is that has committed them to our charge. Can we, for the sake of a little passing pleasure or the softness of a drowsy ease, let them perish whom Christ committed to our charge, when the Blood of our dearest Lord was shed for their redemp- tion ?" " We must seek more earnestly and more continually from Him the gift of love to Himself. This is His own lesson to us ; the ' Lovest thou Me?' must go before the Teed My lambs;' nothing else but love to Him will keep alive and quick within our hearts a true love to them ; nothing else will keep our hearts tender to the routine of duties." " Here, then, is the close of all. If we would watch diligently for our brethren, we must love our Lord. We must, beneath His Cross, on our knees, in our own struggle against sin, in re- ceiving our own deliverance, in hearing His voice, in receiving His benediction, in eating His flesh, in drinking His blood, learn to love Him, and for His sake to love our brethren. Then will the most ditficult duties become light, because all things are easy to love ; then shall we in our daily visiting and ministrations be taught by the Spirit of our Lord how to copy Him, and under- stand His words: 'If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.' " PASTORAL VISITING. CHAPTER XXyil. THE MODES OF VISITING. These should be varied according to cases ; varying as visits to the ^Svhole/' the "sick," the afflicted, and the troubled. Visiting " the whole J^ A minister must here be left largely to his discretion, for few rules can be formulated. Visits to people who are in health nmst not be neglected, and should be made equally to the poor and the rich. Some distinctions in method must be observed between visits to irrelio^ious and to religious families ; and to these we refer. Visiting irreligious families. — Proper skill must be employed not to offend by harsh forcing of the Gospel, so as to exclude oneself from the privilege of visiting thereafter. Yet proper boldness in speaking of the Gospel should always be employed. A Pastor may possibly forget his ministerial character, but irreligious people never forget it. They expect him to speak to them about religious things; will be disappointed if he does not, even if they revile him for so doing. They will not lose respect for his faithfulness, if he ventures for Christ's sake. Especially when children are pres- ent, some word must be dropped for them and for the 406 OF THE WHOLE. 407 sake of proper influence over them. Some special event in family life, or some irregularity of the family in outward religious observances, may give an opening to the subject. Yet the subject of religion should never be introduced by way of reproof, unless the offence is an open scandal. Rather let it come in way of advice; and if possible, by the use of leading questions, let those who are in error correct themselves. A Pastor's object is not to put himself in the right, but to induce his people to adopt the right. Never scold. Never allow your passions to be in- flamed. Grief is the Pastor's emotion, not anger. Never allow any one, especially an ungodly person, to think that a reproof originates in interested motives ; for example, in objecting to one's absence from church, do not let it be supposed that your reproof has a selfish motive, or originated in the thought that disrespect or neglect were intended to you. Never allow children to hear a reproof given to their parents: or anything which they might interpret as such. No success in remedying a parent's fault could compensate for the evil of having shaken a child's confidence in the char- acter of that parent. Pastoral visiting to irreligious families may produce little more visible result than the cultivating of their affectionate interest in their Pastor, and engaging their confidence towards him. But it will scarcely ever fail in preparing the way for his visits to become acceptable should sickness or sorrow intervene, or especially at those times which happily occur to all, when spiritual anxiety approaches a soul. A visit should never be intrusive. Suit the conver- 408 PASTORAL VISITING. sation to the condition and employment of those visited. Use subjects which you know are familiar to them to draw them out in talking; and lead gradually from those, the more familiar, to religion, the less familiar. Vinet, speaking of Pastoral visits, says: "If you would instruct your parishioner, associate the truth with his duties ; your ideas, with his daily labors. Let his harvest-field remind him of the conversation you had with him when he was sowing ; let the cutting of his second crop recall the ideas you unfolded to him when he was mowing his hay ; and, in a word, let him find you everywhere, and let him everywhere love to find you. But how may this be if you venture to go no- where ? How attach him to his duties when you seem to be so little concerned to make him love them ? How shall he not fear his yoke (and this fear is the pest of a virtue) if you fear so much to touch it? How not hate his condition, if those whom he thinks happy so carefully estrange themselves from it?"* It is important to make yourself familiar with the employments of the several members of your flock, if you are to interest them by means of conversation which bears upon tliese employments. Study the general rules of farming, shoemaking, carpentering, as well as the laws of natural philosophy. Study the principles of exchange and brokerage as well as your theology. Study society and social life as well as the Communion of Saints. Everything is grist that comes to the mill of a wise conversationalist. By all means he saves his people. I do not know much about shoemaking, still I have not been unobservant of the cordwainer's task, and have often enjoyed the homely wisdom which is em- ^ Vinet, p. 248. OF THE WHOLE. 4Q9 phaslzed by hammer blows on the lapstone. On one occasion after I had been talking with a sensible shoe- maker, at a village reception, he said to a friend, "Do you know our Bishop learned the trade! Certainly, he did ; for he knows a world about it." That man has always listened to me wdth marked attention since that evening, for he is convinced now that I must know something about shoeing a man with the "preparation of the Gospel of Peace." But, on {hQ other hand, of course one should talk about such things, only so far as he knows. The au- thor of "Recreations of a Country Parson" tells us, that John Robertson of Glasgow Cathedral is responsible for tin's little bit of pleasant satire : " If ye're goin' about," said the farmer to tliQ clergy- man, "John will be unco weel pleased, if yo speak to him and say it's a fine day, or the like o' that: but dinna," said th^ farmer, with much solemnity, "dinna say onything to him about plowin' and sawin': for John is a stupid body, but he has been plowin' and sawin' all his life, and he'll see in a minute that ye ken naething about plowin' and sawin'; and then," said the sagacious old farmer with extreme earnestness, "if he comes to think that yo ken naething about plowin' and sawin', he'll think that ye ken naething about ony- thing." ^ Visits to religious families.— A Pastor has little dif- ficulty here. With ordinary discretion, and proper ob- servance of times and seasons, his visits may always be profitable, and directly available spiritually. But even in religious families, especially in city life, it is not always advisable to turn Pastoral visiting into s 35 410 PASTORAL VISITING. religious meetings. A Pastor must observe times. It is well to sit down beside the wash-tub, or work bench, when necessary, and while work goes on direct our hearer's thoughts to heaven and Christ. This was the custom of the Rev. Sayre Harris in Southwark, Phila- delphia. But it might not be w^ell to interrupt the cooking or the dinner of a family by prayer. In a city it would be very mat d propos to force a family into a prayer meeting in the midst of visiting hours. A Clergyman (not now in this country) called on a fash- ionable lady in Cincinnati, (not now living,) in the midst of visiting hours. Knowing his habit, she sent for the servant and said "not at home, until I tell you'' : then went into the parlor, listened to the lecture and heard the prayer: and then recalling the order to the servant, Avent on with the visiting. What doth that profit ? Yet it would be equally unjustifiable to meet with a religious family when the day's work is done, when visiting hours are past, when evening has closed in, when children and servants can be gathered, and to bid them all farewell without having read the Scrip- tures, or offered prayer to God in their behalf, and with them. Visiting " the SickJ^ A Minister has here a serious and delicate duty: serious because the result of disease can seldom be positively forecast ; important, because of the peculiar susceptibility of the sick to impressions of religious truth, and the possibility of rendering true and lasting spiritual service to them ; delicate, because of a peculiar sensitiveness in the sick, which needs to be tenderly and OF THE SICK. 411 judiciously approached, and because medical advisers frequently think that clerical visits to the sick do not assist recovery. Promptness, is of first importance. The Physician should not be in advance of the Pastor, if a like notice has been given to them both. If the spiritual adviser cannot administer as immediately as the other, at least he can carry assurance of sympathy, and can strengthen the patient by evidence that a brother is near and feels. A Pastor should take every reasonable means of se- curing due notice of cases of sickness. Many parish- ioners seem possessed with the idea that a Minister's visit is of no value until a sick person has been given up by the Physician. Consequently, a Clergyman at the house of the sick is regarded as a sure forerunner of the Angel of Death. He is a sort of spiritual un- dertaker. Alas! for the Pastor whose neglect of his sick and invalid parishioners has given color to such a notion of liis sacred office. Another class of persons demands that a Clergyman shall have an intuitive knowledge of the encroachments of disease, as indeed of all other circumstances either of joy or sorrow. I have known some who would rather have died in the uncomfortable persuasion that they were neglected by their Pastor, than have taken the pains to send notice to him of their affliction. But as a Pastor is not om- niscient, and as his visits in the sick room to be of much benefit should be made during the earlier rather than the later stages of disease, he should take wise means of obtaining due notice. It is well to mention the subject occasionally, publicly in the church. It is wise to speak of it in Pastoral visiting. It is better, 412 PASTORAL VISITING. to be on such friendly terms with every member of the flock, that their first thought in any trouble, and especially in sickness, will be to ask for their Pastor's presence. As soon as the need occurs a Pastor should be prompt in visiting the patient. No delicacy is an ' excuse for delay. A call will be welcomed, even if it should prove not to be of immediate service to the sick person. A Pastor's visits to the sick room should be as much a matter of course as a Physician's. Where this is the rule, there will be no suggestion that a Minister's visit can be unwholesome. Other things being equal, it is only when a Minister's visits are a novelty that they are likely to excite a patient unduly. Vinet says : " If the pastor should wait to be sent for, he would run the risk of never visiting the sick. "We must desire to be called, we must in some way contrive to be; but called or not called, we must go." " Whatever prejudice we may have to encounter, how can we forbear when we know how important are seasons of sickness to the life of the soul, and that often apparent indif- ference conceals the germ of a new life not to be discovered except by the zeal of a pastor who hopes against hope? The first visit, we should remember, is the most difiicult, and often the only diflncult one. We should know how to be importunate, yet always with gentleness. We should not force an entrance, but return again and again, until aflfectionate patience prevails, and the door opens itself to us. Let us not be sustained and animated merely' by a desire to discharge our responsibility ; a narrow and fruitless motive truly. Love alone has no limits, and is never weary."* Blunt, speaking on the same subject, says : "Do not wait to be formally apprised by the sufierer himself. He will often delay to do it till the time when you could have * Pastoral Theology, page 277. OF THE SICK. 413 helped him is gone past; and though in such instances you may plead technically want of notice for want of attendance, and screen your lukewarmness under a law ; yet if you do know of the case, by whatever means, that, in foro conscientice, is notice enough ; and Grod will count it so, when He comes to reckon with you for the discharge of your trust. And if you are aware of channels by which you can readily certify yourselves of such particulars, and refuse to use them, your ignorance becomes wilful, and your consequent inactivity without excuse." " The case once reported, you will lose no time in acting upon the report; nor then, nor yet afterwards in the progress of the sickness, put off a visit till to-morrow."* Plenty of time must be given to these visits. A Minister should never exhibit haste in visiting the sick. Some Physicians err in this regard, much to the injury of their patients. It is even less excusable in a Cler- gyman: for, generally he has more command of his engagements than a physician can have. Whatever be the pressure on our time, it should never be seen by the patient. The ingenuity of true friendship, and a lively sympathy will always enable a Pastor to meet this exigency. Certainly if one duty should ever be sacrificed to another, duty to those in health must be postponed to duty to the suifering or dying. By sufficient forethought one can usually arrange so that these duties will not conflict. I do not remember ever to have been troubled by such a conflict of duties, except in one case, when I was called upon, suddenly, just at the hour of service, to prevent a young man from committing suicide. I could not leave him. As the bell stopped tolling, and I was alone with him, he vvas fainting under the eflbrt to strangle him- * Blunt, Pastoral Office, p. 227. 35* 414 PASTORAL VISITING. self. I untied the knot, and waited for a policeman, who had been sent for, and who was to watch against a repetition of the attempt. It was better that the congregation should wait for half an hour, than that the man should hurry himself unsummoned into eter- nity.* Such imminent cases do not often occur. A Pastor can generally prevent the conflict of duties. At all hazards, he must prevent any appearance of haste in his visits to the sick room, or what might be construed into want of sympathy with his sick friend. Blunt well says, " Neither will you make it in haste, and as if you had more important business to transact else- where ; it would be difficult to persuade either the sick man or his friends that you were in earnest, if they saw your thoughts evidently wandering from the scene before you ; nor could they well help entertaining an opinion of your heartlessness, when they fancied you were hurrying over your interview with perhaps a dying man — one, too, so dear to them at least — at the call of some secular and (as they might believe) frivolous engagement." Faithfulness is imperative. Faithfulness, first, in his diagnosis of the spiritual condition ; faithfulness, next, in dealing with it. But, as a wise Physician, who learns from symptoms the serious danger of a patient, abstains from showing his anxiety or awakening fear until all means of remedy have failed, so a wise Pastor, after possessing himself of all the worst features of the * The congregation, of course, were not informed of the cause of the delay. Those who may remember the circumstance, will now read the reason of it. OF THE SICK. 415 case, perceiving the dangers, restrains lils anxieties and the manifestation of them until he has tried the effects of spiritual remedies. By faithfulness, I do not mean brusqueness and harshness and injudicious exposure of spiritual danger such as at once damage the healing processes, and certainly do not advance a spiritual cure. A Minister should fii^^t discover the physical state of his patient ; this from the Physician or attendant : and this in order to adapt his religious instructions to the bodily condition, and sometimes to the endurance of the patient. A visit of five minutes is generally better than thirty ; five minutes well spent is always better than ten wasted in the sick room : sometimes one minute is all that a patient can bear in receiving even the wisest counsel. Next he should discover the mental state of his pa- tient; this, in order to decide wisely as to the spiritual indications : for if the mind be unhealthily affected by disease, the spiritual symptoms must be interpreted accordingly. Lastly, he should determine the condition of the soul. Then he is to deal with it faithfully. But great discretion is to be exercised. A friendly, kind, sympa- thetic, gentlemanly consideration will never err: and a visit made in such a spirit will be hailed by both patient and physician as a blessed adjunct to the healing pro- cesses. Under the guidance of such discretion the probe may be used effectively; without frightening, but with- out deceiving the patient. By wise use of questions, when the invalid is able to answer them, or by judicious inquiries from judicious attendants, one may learn to 416 PASTORAL VISITING. what points to direct religious reflections, and especially in what manner to guide selections for readings from Scripture. No spiritual hurt at such a time is to be healed slightly. All harshness of speech is to be avoided, whilst great plainness and directness are to be used. No ambiguous terms are to be employed. In- dulge in no speculations. Make no doubtful points. The mind is to be turned away from all mere curious questionings to positive truths. Those are, the nature of sin and the actual commission of sin, the certainty of pardon to one who is truly repentant, restitution and amendment as signs of penitence, the act of faith or confidence in the Saviour the simplest of all mental acts, the absoluteness of the Gospel's offer of justifica- tion, its instantaneous effectiveness whenever the heart is ready to receive that mercy ; the work of the Holy Spirit not as a speculation but as a blessed reality of helpfulness, to be laid hold of and made use of. The work of the Lord Jesus and the Avork of the Holy Spirit are the two main topics for the sick room ; especially when danger is imminent. It may be too late to turn the patient to much thinking about him- self, or to any self-investigation, but it will never be too late to direct him to the merciful Spirit and the most gracious Lord who proved his love for us on the Cross. Our Prayer Book, in its offices for the visitation of the sick, contains an address to a hick person and cer- tain rubrics that follow it, which together form an in- imitable guide. It is not possible to frame a more discreet, a more encouraging, or a more wholesome exhortation, nor need any one desire to frame a more PRACTICAL HINTS. 417 thoroughly searching* inquiry than llie rubrics have prepared. Let it be used as a model ; even if its qualntness should sometimes prevent its actual use in form. And let every Minister be faithful to those most judicious rubrics. Practical Hints. In ordinary cases of sickness, a Pastor snould make his visit known first to the family, and should never thrust himself into a patient's room unannounced. He has no right to intrude; it is impolite, it is ungentle manners; it may annoy the family; it may distress and agitate the patient. . If the Minister be a stranger, (as may sometimes be the case,) let him wait until prep- aration has been made for his entrance into the sick room. Enter quietly. Avoid using creaking shoes. No one needs, and no patient enjoys, that noisy an- nouncement. Leave your damp garments, and always leave your overcoat, outside of the room, as a thought- ful Physician does. Let the hands be without gloves. The hands should be carefully warmed before entering the room or touching the sick person, or should be dried, if wet, or in a perspiration. Salute the patient gently. Draw a chair to the side of the bed or couch. Place it sufficiently close, so that the sick person may be required to make as little exertion as possible in speaking: if too near, however, the patient may be annoyed. Never breathe into a patient's face. Let the Minister's chair be placed in front of the patient — never behind him, or so much on one side, that he must make an effort to turn in order to see his friend. If possible let the interview take place between you 418 PASTORAL VISITING. two alone. You may suggest to the attendants, that you will take care of the patient for awhile whilst they attend to outside duties. At least arrange that only the most intimate relatives be present. This may be easily managed before entering the chamber of sickness by simply expressing your wish. Attendants generally perceive its reasonableness. Freedom of communica- tion, is the thing to be attained. And there may be burdens on the mind that the patient will roll off on the Pastor when alone, which otherwise will weigh heavily on him into the grave. Nothing can more seriously interfere with the confidences of such an hour, with the sick person's readiness to open his griefs, or the Minister's frankness in relieving them, than the presence of those who are only there to listen. It is an inex- cusable habit of gossips to ^^ sit around" to hear every word that falls in the course of such a conversation. Equally with the Physician, a Minister is the autocrat of a sick room : and he should use his authority to clear it of all such intruders, before he enters on the sacred hour of spiritual communion with his suffering friend. Encourage conversation when possible. Let the patient talk as much as he desires, when the Physician regards it as prudent. But when he cannot converse let it be remembered that set lectures are not desirable. It is profitable to read successive short passages of Scripture, commenting in a few words on each of them. They should be chosen with special reference to the patient's state of mind, and, with regard to any pecu- liarity of experience or of circumstances. Always carry with you a Bible in which passages suitable to such purposes are marked — or a little book of Scrip- PRACTICAL HINTS. 419 ture quotations like "Brown's Scripture Selections.^' A few verses of an appropriate hymn, or a choice piece of poetry, will often furnish the patient with food for thought, and relief. Discover the patient's favorite hymns or texts and read them. AVhen it wdll be agree- able, and if you can do it agreeably, sing; or arrange that others shall sing a hymn by the patient's bedside. Watch the symptoms. At the first moment of apparent fatigue or restlessness prepare to say ^' Adieu." It is well to leave a text for a patient's meditation; or a verse of a hymn. These may form a basis for succeed- ing profitable conversations. Always be ready to pray. When proper, urge that you should be allowed the privilege of offering prayer. In every case prayer should be suggested. I cannot imagine a case where a Minister should be restrained from suggesting prayer. When desired use the Prayer Book. Never can a better book be found to lead the devotions of a sick room. Learn to pray extempore, and practise it, espe- cially in the sick room : but even when praying ex- tempore, or by appropriate forms, the Prayer Book may well lead your devotions; and its spirit should certainly inspire them. Bishop Hobart's Manual, or Dr. Bolles' Vade Mecum, are admirable helps. Never require a light to be brought, unless the sick person desires it. Close your devotions habitually with the Lord's Prayer. All sick people desire to repeat it with you. Often use the Gloria Patri. Always use a Benediction. Conversation in the chamber of sickness should never be agitated, nor in a loud tone. But it must never be in whispers, when the patient is awake. Sick 420 PASTORAL VISITING. people are suspicious ; they make an effoi t to hear, and are worried by such whisperings. Speak not loudly but very distinctly. The prevailing sentiment of the Pastor in visiting the sick should be sympathy. Heard, in his " Pastor and the Parish," says: " Instead of commonplaces such as even Job's friends were ready to offer, about sickness being the lot of all and submission the duty of all, we are to behave in a sick room as a nurse with a sick child in her arms. ' We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.' It is for the time to be our sick- ness. Who is afflicted and I burn not? We are so to burn in the fever, to languish with exhaustion, to feel our soul melting away for very trouble, and to realize, by sympathy if not by expe- rience, that beclouding of the faculties, and with it often of faith itself, which is the greatest penalty of sickness." "The first thing the good Samaritan did was to apply oil to the wounds, and to p)Our in wine as a cordial for the fainting strength. He asked no questions, how, or why the man had been waylaid, or of the fight he had made in resisting. Those who asked such questions, as the priest and levite probably did, came to the conclusion that it was the traveller's own fault, and that he must bear the penalty. But the true friend knows there is a time to cover up wounds as well as to probe them. In mod- ern practice it is the Physician's first care to keep up his patient's strength, and he gives stimulants in cases where a few years ago he used the lancet. So by the sick bed, the strongest consola- tion is not too strong for a poor sufterer. He is not to be told about terms of salvation, of faith ripening into assurance, of self-examination, or whether he is a dissembler before God or not. Give wine to him that is weary, and strong drink to him that is of a heavy heart. Even the confession of sins is not to be ex- tracted as a secret wrung from a dying man, under fear of pass- ing unpardoned, unannealed, to the bar of God. The Protestant Pastor is no casuist, who can substitute attrition for contrition, or penance for penitence. He must wait until the soul flows forth of itself to God, and when it flows he must be by rather to staunch the wound than to encourage the bleeding, lest the peni- PRACTICAL HINTS. 421 tent should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. A mod- erate discovery of the sinfulness of sin is quite as satisfactory at first, as one that throws the soul otf its balance, and paralyzes it for the time from laying hold upon Christ."* The attributes to be cherished by a Pastor as to man- ner in a sick chamber are gentleness, firmness, consid- eration, thoughtfuhiess, and genuine kindness of heart. It is all-important to make careful study and prepara- tion for visiting the sick. One should be very familiar with the Psalms: "of which the fervor, the heartiness, the fidelity with which they reflect (one or other of them) the variety of feelings which takes possession by turns of the sick man's mind, render them perhaps, of all Holy Writ the most affecting to him, and if prop- erly interpreted, the fullest of edification." Blunt thinks it would not be an unprofitable task for the Pastor of a parish, when exjlerience in visiting the sick shall have taught him his wants, to treasure up any prayers he may meet with in the course of his studies, such as in ancient Liturgies and Sacramentaries — a most pregnant mine — or the devotions of Worthies of the Church may supply, which he may deem fitted for the sick chamber; as also to make memoranda of such chapters in the Scriptures as it may be convenient to read on such occasions: till by degrees he shall have compiled for himself a manual which may be supple- mentary to the office for the Visitation of the Sick ; and some fund of which kind it is scarcely possible to dis- pense with. Blunt observes, keenly, " if, when sitting by the sick man's side, the Pastor finds his ideas stag- * Pastor and Parish, pp. 132, 133. 36 422 PASTORAL VISITING. nant, and his feelings unmoved — no power lo address him and no knowledge what to say — he has reason to suspect that he has work to do, nearer home, before he can be of much use there ; that he must first be con- verted himself, and then strengthen his brother.'^ Cheerfulness is very essential. It is expected in a Physician; it is indispensable in a Pastor. And the Pastor has more ground for it than the medical adviser. He knows that at most he can only stave ofP disease and death for a little; but the Pastor knows that he can meet death, and teach even a dying man to overcome it. He has a recipe for destroying the fear of death, and a balm which the Physician of Gilead prepared when He destroyed its power. The Pastor should be careful to carry pleasure to the sick room. Florence J^ightingale, in her "Notes on Nursing,'^ thus advises : " Do you who are about the sick or who visit the sick, try and give them pleasure, or remember to tell them what will do so? How often in such visits the sick person has to do the whole con- versation, exerting his own imagination and memory, while the visitor is absorbed in his own anxieties, and makes no effort of memory or imagination for the sick person ! * Oh ! my dear, I have so much to think of, I really quite forgot to tell him that; besides, I thought he would know it,' says the visitor to another friend. How could he know it? Depend upon it, the people who say this are really those who have little ' to think of.' There are many burthened with business who always manage to keep a pigeon-hole in their minds, full of things to tell the invalid. I do not say, don't tell him your anxieties — I believe it is good for him, and good for you too ; but if you tell him what may make him anxious, surely you can remember to tell him what is pleas- ant too." " A sick person does so enjoy hearing good news ; — for instance, of a love and courtship, while in progress to a good ending. If you tell him only when the marriage takes place, PRACTICAL HINTS. 423 he loses half the pleasure, which God knows he has little enough of; and ten to one but you have told him of some love making with a bad ending."* Her hints are so wise and practical that I must quote more of them : " A sick person also intensely enjoys hearing of any material good, any positive or practical success of the right. He has so much of books and fiction, of principles, and precepts, and theo- ries ! Do, instead of advising him with advice he has heard at least fifty times before, tell him of one benevolent act which has really succeeded practically, — it is like a day's health to him. A small pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick, for long chronic cases especially. A pet bird in a cage is sometimes the only pleasure of an invalid confined for years to the same room. If he can feed and clean the animal him.self, he ought always to be encouraged to do so." " You have no idea what the craving of the sick with undiminished power of thinking, but little power of doing, is to hear of a good practical action, when they can no longer partake in* it." "Do observe these things with the sick. Do remember how their life is to them disap- pointed and incomplete. You see them lying there with miser- able disappointments from which they can have no escape but death, and you can't remember to tell them of what would give them so much pleasure, or at least an hour's variety." "They don'i want you to be lachrymose and whining with them, they like you to be fresh and active and interested, but they cannot bear absence of mind, and they are so tired of the advice and preaching they receive from everybody, no matter whom it is, they see." " There is no better society than babies and sick people for one another. Of course you must manage this so that neither shall suffer from it, which is perfectly possible. If you think the 'air of the sick room bad for the baby,' why it is bad for the invalid too, and therefore, you will of course correct it for both. It freshens up a sick person's whole mental atmosphere to see ' the * Notes on Nursing, pp. 102-4. 424 PASTORAL VISITING. baby.' And a very young child, if unspoiled, will generally adapt itself wonderfully to the ways of a sick person, if the time they spend together is not too long." " If you knew how unreasonably sick people suffer from reason- able causes of distress, you would take more pains about all these things. An infant laid upon the sick bed will do the sick person, thus suffering, more good than all your logic. A piece of good news will do the same. Perhaps you are afraid of ' disturbing' him. You say there is no comfort for his present cause of afflic- tion. It is perfectly reasonable. The distinction is this, if he is obliged to act, do not 'disturb' him with another subject of thought just yet ; help him to do what he wants to do ; but, if he has done this, or if nothing can be done, then ' disturb' him by all means. You will relieve, more effectually, unreasonable suffer- ing from reasonable causes by telling him ' the news,' showing him ' the baby,' or giving him something new to think of or to look at, than by all the logic in the world." " It has been very justly said that the sick are like children in this, that there is no proportion in events to them. Now it is your business as their visitor to restore this right proportion for them — to show them what the rest of the world is doing. How can they find it out otherwise? You will find them far more open to conviction than children in this. And you will find that their unreasonable intensity of suffering from unkindness, from want of sympath}'^, etc., will disappear with their freshened in- terest in the big world's events. But then you must be able to give them real interests, not gossip." Reading for the sick. — I recommend as a spiritual guide, '^Sickness, its trials and its blessings.^^ But in the line of Miss Nightingale's most Avise sugges- tions, there is much reading that will benefit them, beside Scripture and its cognates. Nevertheless whilst other friends may read on other subjects, a Pastor can have little time except for that class of reading which is directly applicable to the spiritual needs of his patient. PROLONGED DISEASE. 425 Visiting in cases of prolonged disease."^ — The Pastor should prepare a course of instruction. It need not be apparent, nor should its systematic character be ob- truded ; but the parts should hang together, so naturally, that the patient will follow the successive portions in successive visits and remember them without difficulty. The benefit will be felt not less by the patient than the Minister. Haphazard conversation during a series of such visits cannot but fall into one line; at least it will depend for its variety only on variations in the spiritual frame of the parties, or on some change in external cir- cumstances. These cannot be depended on, and are not likely to give profitable suggestions for varied counsel. Systematic instruction will be easier to the Pastor as well as more usefully suggestive of valuable thought. Precisely as the Pastor cultivates variety for his teach- ing in the congregation, so should he do for the isolated and lonely soul which depends so largely on the stinm- lus of his visits, for its religious health and animation. These visits should be regular; generally once each week, sometimes once a fortnight. In very prolonged disease, and in the case of a large Parish, they may be still further delayed: but regularity in the day, and even as far as possible in the hour, is an important ele- ment in their value, and greatly increases a patient's appreciation of them. Visiting in cases of accident^ or sudden attack of dis- * Such as cases of consumption, rheumatism, ossification, dis- ease of heart, etc. I visited several such patients regularly for years. One in consumption for four years ; a case of gradual ossification for nearly ten years ; a case of disease of the heart for twelve years. 36* 426 PASTORAL VISITING. ease and imminent danger. — A physician will sometimes deny access to the Pastor as to other friends in these cases. A Pastor's course then becomes very delicate. He has responsibilities towards the patient^ not less than those of the physician. In a degree he must accept the responsibility and act accordingly. First let the Minister inquire as to the exact nature of the case; especially whether the patient is nervous, excitable, or is calm; whether he desires a clergy- man's visit; whether he needs it. Reflect then upon the relations borne to the patient; on your habits of familiarity or otherwise; on the probable eifect of a visit. Nexty if deciding that a visit should be made at that time, let him state the case to the physician and to the family. The physician has a responsibility, and under the circumstances has a prior right of decision. If he is seconded by the family a Minister has no right to in- terfere. The matter must then be left in the hands of God. If thus foiled, the Minister should yield with a good grace, but be as constantly as possible on hand ; not obtrusively, but as a really anxious and sympathetic friend, so that at any change of mind in either party or change of condition in the patient, he may be easily called in. As a general rule a wise physician will desire the assistance of a wise Pastor. Much will depend on the character for discretion which a Pastor has gained. Generally it is acknowledged that he can do more than any one else to calm an excited, or rouse a desponding patient. A judicious prayer is often the best medicine. It will be observed that I consider prayer to be not SUDDEN DANGER. 427 merely a petition to a Sovereign, but sacred communion between a child of God and the heavenly Father. Such utterances of the heart, if they be judicious as well as earnest, form a wholesome medicine to the sick. In many cases it is impossible to converse with a per- son suddenly brought in view of death; but prayer is always possible. Even when a patient cannot speak, and appears insensible, he may be conscious and hear much or all, and may be able to follow prayer. And cases are recorded where prayers have strengthened and tended towards the recovery of persons supposed to be beyond the reach of human aid. I remember having once been called to visit an aged man who had fallen into syncope and was thought to be past consciousness, and actually dying. I prayed with him as if he could unite in my thoughts, although lie seemed to be unable both to hear and to think. After two days he exhibited consciousness again : and, when sufficiently recovered, he told me that he had heard every word, had united in the prayer, and was refreshed and comforted by it. But even if prayer be of no value to the sick person, it can hardly fail to contribute to the composure and equanimity of the family. Nor, is a child of God ever to despair of the efficacy of prayer. God moves in a mysterious way in replying to the supplications of His people. Frequently He answers directly, to encourage our faith. He does not always reply directly; there- fore we may not presume, nor substitute confidence in prayer for reliance upon God. I remember an illus- tration. A dear child — the first born of young Chris- tian parents — was ill of whooping cough. The Physi- cian despaired of its life. I was sent for in haste. On 428 PASTORAL VISITING. arriving I found the parents bending over the dying child. First, consulting the physician, who was also a Christian, he said there was no hope; the child was in articulo mortis. We both kneeled beside the parents, and commended our petitions for the child's life to God. Whilst we were praying, the child coughed. We caught the sign, and rose from our knees. The physician in- stantly administered restoratives. The child revived. Our prayer was answered. And we kneeled again, a happy circle, to give thanks to God. Whatever may have been the second causes, none of that circle ever failed to consider that the life of the child was given in answer to prayer. Considering the possibility of consciousness in many cases Avhen patients are apparently unconscious, conver- sation in a sick room should be very guarded. Visiting at death. — At the death-bed, a Pastor's duty becomes most painful, and yet his visit may be most desirable and desired. He should never intrude at such a moment : but he should never be absent if his presence is asked for and is possible. My impression is that a dying person should be as much as possible alone with most intimate friends. The excitement of a crowd must be very unfavorable to calmness at such an hour. The emotions of less interested friends are generally more noisy than others, because occasioned not by aifection but by sympathy ; and therefore it is advisable that the chamber of the dying should be free from these. More than that; the air should be pure. A crowd destroys the oxygen, and adds to the difficulty of breathing. Besides, the mind should be abstracted from earthly scenes and the distractions in- PRACTICAL NOTES. 429 cident to the presence of a number of persons. Short sentences should be used; simple words of exhortation ; especially the promises should 'be repeated, strengthen- ing words of God, hopeful views of heaven, thoughts of the preciousness of Christ. Let prayer be short. Attend to every request of a dying person however trifling — there should be no demur. Let the Minister do precisely what is wished. At the moment of de- parture, the commendatory prayer from the Prayer Book should be used. Practical Notes. Every Miuister should possess and use a copy of Miss Nightingale's book on nursing the sick. He should know how to add to the comforts of the sick, by airing the room ; smoothing the pillows ; raising or turning the body; preparing the couch ; regulating the light and draughts of air, etc. He should often bring flowers, fruits, made dishes of simple delicacies; or books, wholesome news, printed pictures, cards, what- ever Avill cheer, enliven, and add to the small pleasures of a chamber of sickness. A physician's responsibility in advising the sick is very great. A Minister should never interfere with it. He ought in every way to uphold and enforce medical directions. Let him ask occasionally whether prescriptions have been attended to. Let him see that nurses do their duty. A Pastor's influence by way of general advice in most cases of illness or invalidism is controlling. But he should never interfere unless he is ready to take the whole responsibility which might follow any change of treatment. 430 PASTORAL VISITING. A Pastor should know something also of what is necessary to prepare a dead body for burial, so that he may be able to advise or even to act when necessary. Especially in country parishes the whole responsibility of arranging for burial is often imposed on him. Visiting the Afflicted. Here a Pastor will spend his strength. When God has softened the soil by fatherly chastenings then the Pastor will seize the opportunity to sow good seed of Divine truth. After an affliction of any kind, either relative or pecuniary, an immediate visit is expected, is desirable, and is of special value. Topics for suggestions at such a time are given in the books; or will readily occur to the Minister's mind. I prefer to give hints which are not to be found in print. It is of moment to see the person who is chiefly afilicted alone, if possible. No one should be present with you two to distract the currents of cordial sym- pathy. Even if a crowd be pressing around, a man of tact can manage to get a private ear. Words of consolation, sympathy, friendship, and strength come with a thousand-fold more force from a Pastor when he speaks to a single heart : and Avhen that heart feels the right to appropriate to itself the gracious words. It realizes that the Pastor appreciates the loneliness which has been suddenly allotted to it by a Sovereign Provi- dence. And there is a comfort in the thought that this loneliness is sympathized in by one who comes with messages of grace from God. Generally, friends will be gathered. Read a portion OF THE AFFLICTED 431 of the Scriptures, make a few remarks, then pray. In prayer be sufficiently specific. Individualize. It is expected at such a moment ; our Prayer Book wisely sets us an example, and shows us how to do it by its special prayers for individuals in distress. After the first burst of grief which will follow your expressions of sympathy, endeavor to draw out the mind of the afflicted person into a narrative of the grief. In most cases it will prove to be the greatest possible relief. A Pastor is thus thrown into the back- ground, and seems to be accomplishing nothing in his office as Consoler. But never was there a greater mis- take. He is doing his work most effectually when he has opened the flood-gate of tears and complaints, even if there be a storm of sorrow, and if his own tears flow too. When he has proved his sympathy, his words of counsel will return into their bosoms with refreshment and abundant solaces. An opportunity must be seized to address a word of counsel to those members of the family who are generally the least impressible, or are least under a Pastor's influence. It is better, if possible, to take such individuals aside. A word fitly spoken at such an hour never loses its impression. Now too is the time to leave wholesome counsels on children's minds. Visits should be continued at intervals until it is evident that thought is resuming its accustomed chan- nels: and should then cease, not abruptly as if the Min- ister had been only waiting for an opportunity to be re lieved, but by degrees, proportioned to the evidence that his visits are no longer necessary or expedient. 432 PASTORAL VISITING. Visiting those who are in trouble. Many anxieties oppress members of a parish besides those which may be classed among spiritual difficulties ; such as affairs of estate, neighborly quarrels, perplexi- ties in domestic matters. Many of these come before a Pastor ; indeed, are laid upon his mind and heart, as upon the nearest of friends. A Pastor must be ready to enter into them all ; to sympathize with them all ; and to give advice in all. He must needs be a man of broad experience, quick emotions and grave discretion. He will be applied to by rich and poor alike, by influ- ential persons in the parish, and by those who have little influence. Some practical hints are suggested. Always be ready to listen. I know nothing more difficult; and yet nothing more important. Listen pa- tiently. I remember on one occasion to have listened for four mortal hours without saying a word. I became the patient. But my client was relieved. It may be a hard task sometimes; yet on it will depend the impres- sion of your sympathy, and the degree of confidence reposed in you. On it too will depend your competence to give advice. Ask questions enough to enable you to get at the whole case. Take sufficient time to consider before making a judgment and before attempting to praise. As you are a man and not a woman, you can- not depend upon instinctive or intuitive judgments, but must rely on your second sober thoughts. If it is an important case, decline to express any opinion until you shall have taken it home, to think and pray over it. Young men sometimes desire credit for rapid decisions. It is far better to have the satisfaction of OF THOSE IN TROUBLE. 433 giving wise counsel according to divine will, than quick judgments by merely human wit. After giving an opinion thus carefully arrived at do not be easily moved from it. Be ready to reconsider if new light or new facts fairly reopen the case, otherwise it is the part of wisdom to maintain the ground which you have deliberately taken. A pastor should encourage confidence in himself by his ready sympathy with his people, by careful judg- ments, and especially by never opening his lips to any human being on what is confided to him as a secret. If he must tell it, let him tell it to the stars: but even then take care lest an echo hear it. Never let him speak of any subject concerning which he is consulted, unless he hears of it from some quarter other than his client. And not even then unless it is necessary to speak for his client's sake or the sake of truth and justice. Absolute reticency should be the Pastor's rule in matters large and small alike. If a Minister begins to talk to others — shall I say, to gossip — about little matters, all distinction will be soon forgotten between those which are important and non-important. But let one's reputation be established for entire reti- cency of affairs confided to him, and no person in the parish will hesitate to trust him at all times when necessary. 37 PASTORAL VISITING. CHAPTER XXyill. TREATMENT OF CASES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. The most difficult duty of a Pastor, is to treat dif- fering cases of religious experience with discriminating wisdom. Classes may be reached by public pulpit addresses. Nor is it difficult to speak about them to a congregation in general terms. It is easy to suit our advice to men when addressed in mass. But it be- comes seriously difficult, it tries one's bravery and skill, when we must meet individual perplexities face to face in private conversation ; when we must unravel them whilst watching the signs of anxiety in those who are opening to us their hearts. Yet this very contact of mind with mind, and this very freedom of private intercourse, present the happiest opj^ortunities for ex- plaining doubts, and enforcing necessary truth with the greatest hopefulness of conviction. A Minister should diligently p^^epare for this duty. — If for preaching, how much more for this more difficult task ! Bridges recommends ^' Owens' and Flavel's Treatises" and ^'Baxter's Christian Directory." I think that others which he mentions are better suited to our habits of thought ; such as " Gurnal's Christian 434 PREPARATORY STUDY. 435 Armour," and especially ^^Le^ghton^s Works." But all these are somewhat antiquated. For real practical guidance in our practical generation, "James' Guide books" will be found more valuable; and also " Philip^s guides." Newton's " Cardiphonia" gives insight into the experience of a Christian heart, and will furnish to some minds useful helps. " Pike's and Haywood's guide" I have examined, but cannot unite with Bridges in thinking that it will be of much avail to us. Me- moirs of men of large religious experience become of great value to us in preparing for this duty. The Evangelical Knowledge Society has published an ad- mirable series of such Biographies. The life of Bishop Patteson, and such stories of life as the unaffectedly simple memoir of Catherine Tait, furnish a store of instruction as to phases of Christian experience, and the modes of dealing with them. A Minister will naturally make most use of his own experience and must chiefly depend on it. One can best guide others by a careful study and review of the way by which God has led him : contrasts will be as useful in suggestion as are strictly parallel cases. In preparing for the actual work a Pastor will place great dependence on prayer. God has promised His Holy Spirit especially, as it seems to me, for such emergencies as arise in this delicate and difficult path. Not even the wisest Pastor can be instantly prepared to meet every doubt or perplexity which may be suggested. But a prayerful preparation of heart, being a spirit of humble reliance on God, both rouses the powers of a true Christian's soul, and secures, according to God's most true promise, the help of his omniscient guidance. 436 PASTORAL VISITING. Experience dictates that a Minister should never enter on an interview with a parishioner as to spiritual matters, without entreating a special blessing of God. When the interview occurs in one's own study, or in a private room, it should be a habit to close it by prayer. It will enforce what the Minister has said, and give solemnity and seriousness both to the tone of conversa- tion and the effect of the intercourse. A Pastor's skill should first be used in drawing out the whole of his parishioner's mind. Do not be in haste to give advice. Get the entire peculiarities of the case fairly before you ; take time to reflect on them ; lay the case before God; and only after these preliminaries venture to give counsel. A habit of discrimination is of first importance. It is quite possible to confound a self-righteous self-de- ceiver with a man strong in faith ; for there are no few parallelisms in the expressions they will use. A man who thinks that he does not need repentance, may em- ploy language much like that of one who really deems himself unworthy of divine grace. ^' Not good enough to be a Christian," he will say. A real child of God, full of holy desires and of the love of God, may seem to be on the very borders of despair; and his language may be that of a soul expecting to be lost. It is rare ; but not impossible. For example ; the following case oc- curred in my experience. I should have termed it ex- traordinary, had not an almost precisely similar case been reported in a religious paper which I was reading on the previous day. The method of treatment fol- lowed in that case was of great service in guiding me. A Christian was near death : dying apparently with- DISCRIMINATIONS. 437 out hope. The darkest of shadows had settled over her mind ; and visions of God's displeasure were filling every prospect of the future. She had been a devoted child of God for more than twelve years. She had never formerly doubted her right to be called ''accepted in the beloved"; although her religious expressions had never been demonstrative, nor was she a particularly cheerful Christian. But no one who had known her ever hesitated to place her name on the bright roll of the Communion of Saints. She was not in my charge: was not indeed in our Church. But in his perplexity, her husband sent for me : and I learned the particulars whilst preparing to make the visit. I found her en- tirely self-possessed, ready to converse, but filled with apprehensions of the judgments of God against sin, and fully anticipating eternal perdition. I turned the con- versation immediately towards her actual religious ex- perience ; her thoughts concerning God and Christ ; her devout adoration of the Saviour ; her affectionate de- votion to Him ; her gratitude for the Saviour's work of grace to her; her actual holiness of sentiment, desire, and practice ; her abhorrence (for it was nothing less) of sin and of all that was at enmity with God. Gradu- ally it dawned upon her mind, that such principles and feelings were utterly and irreconcilably inconsistent with the condition of one who was to live forever apart from God. Soon It dawned on her soul that the very agony of her agonizing thoughts was the fear that she would be separated from God and Christ and His Saints in Paradise. It was easy enough then to convince her that such a state of mind was not that of the lost. Indeed she returned answer to herself. She was not lost but 37* 438 PASTORAL VISITING. found. Tlie " hell'^ which she had been dreading was not suited to her condition. She dreaded it, because ah'eady longing for and fitted for the home of God's children, and that eternal presence of Jehovah which is "Heaven.'' She was instantly at peace, and rejoicing: and so she died. Yet, if one had dealt only with first impressions, derived only from her expressions of fear and over-sensitiveness, the case might have ended in serious spiritual disaster. Whilst writing these lines a letter is laid on my desk revealing a precisely similar case. The expressions are those of a man who deems himself on the borders of everlasting banishment from God : yet, happily, before replying to him I have learned from his Pastor that his condition is spiritual morbidness, and that there is no reason to doubt his real godliness. Such cases illustrate the point in hand, and show the necessity for a Pastor to accustom himself to careful discriminations of character and spiritual condition. Not having discernment of spirits we must take and use our next best qualification, which is natural judg- ment assisted by religious experience. It will aid us, to have become accustomed to divide our people into classes, according to usual religious conditions ; and to discriminate their differences. Bridges has done it well. We may advantageously study his description of cases and his treatment of each. Being able to refer to so wise a guide, it will be use- less to repeat or add to his instructions. I shall gener- ally only mention books or tracts which I have found useful in particular cases. They are easily accessible. Some of them should be constantly on hand ; especially DISCRIMINA TIONS. 439 in the earlier years of Pastoral life ; such as are named in the Appendix. Such books are necessarily written from the stand-point, theological or experimental, of the particular writer. They are not likely to express more than one phase of religious experience. This may be regretted. Other Pastors using this treatise will easily substitute for those which I may name, the guide books with which they are more familiar, or towards which their religious preferences gravitate. In studying how to treat cases of religious expe- rience, a discriminating Pastor observes a regular pro- gression in the history of soul-life. In a former part of this work I have alluded to two classes, who are to be addressed in sermons. These, the unconverted and the converted, are distinct ; and are to be kept separate in our study of character. Yet they approach one another. At certain stages the conditions of mind lie very near to each other. Sometimes they pass into each other without marked observation. These facts are to be noted. The steps of progress are as follows. Among uncon- verted persons we meet, first, the ignorant ; or second, the careless; or third, the self-righteous; or fourth, the intelligent unbeliever or sceptic^ that is, a doubter wdio is intelligent and of an ingenuous habit of mind. Each of these it may be hoped will pass into the fifth class, the awakened. The next stage, the sixth, is Conviction. At this point, by an almost imperceptible progression, the person so convicted of sin becomes Conve7'ted. Then he passes into the other class. He becomes what is commonly termed a Christian : that religious 440 PASTORAL VISITING. state which is prefigured by Baptism, and intended to be the result of that Holy Covenant with God. He is a Christian. But all Christians are not to be treated alike by the Pastor. A Christian is, seventh, outsetting: or imme- diately afterwards, eighth, professing. Next, his con- dition is properly described as, ninth, maturing : and, tenth, progressing. Then, the Christian who is pro- gressing towards the "perfect man in Christ Jesus,'' will be met in various stages of discipline. So that the Pastor will prepare to find him, eleventh, under temptation; or, twelfth, under. a//fic^ion; or, thirteenth, in sickness; or occasionally, fourteenth, saddest of all, under mental disorder. The Pastor may sometimes meet one of his flock who has lost his religious convictions, and who is no longer worthy of the holy name of Christian. Such a person is termed a Backslider. And it is possible that a faithful Pastor may meet a case of mistaken Pro- fession. For all these phases of character and habit a Pastor should prepare himself to deal wisely, faith- fully, gently as a brother, and meekly as the servant of Christ. PASTORAL VISITING. CHAPTER XXIX. TREATMENT OF CASES. The Ignorant form the largest class of those whom Christ has sent us to seek after. Many have never heard the Gospel preaclied. Many have never heard it in its simplicity or purity. Many hearts are blinded to the Gospel by sin. Many have heard the Gospel with entire unintelligence. A boy at Wilkesbarre in Pennsylvania, sixteen years old, in the habit of attending church, told me that he had never heard of Jesus, and did not know who I was preaching about. He was not an idiot; only his attention had not been arrested. This class includes a great deal of what is improperly called infidelity; it is merely ignorance. This ignorance must be dispelled by the pulpit. As soon as men allow you to talk to them j)ersonally on the subject of religion, especially if they come to you de- siring it, the work is begun; and the great difficulty is over. Your object then will be to arouse, to quicken apprehension of danger and truth, and to explain in the simplest way the plan of salvation. Heard says: " The ignorance of adults affects us very differently from the ignorance of children. The one inspires us with hope, the other with despair. We know how to cope with the one, but the other almost baffles us. In the rural districts this ignorance crops up T* 441 442 PASTORAL VISITING. on all sides. . . . The Pastor must assume nothing, if he does not wish to be disappointed. He must sit down in the poor man's cottage and begin at the beginning. In the fewest and plainest words, he must tell of the creation and fall of man ; of the birth, death, and life of Christ ; and see that the facts are laid up in the mind as the true foundation on which the doctrines of Christianity, as a holy temple to the Lord, may grow. Most peasants, however ignorant, can repeat the Creed, and when cross-questioned, admit that they repeat it as Koman Catholics say their ' Credo' or * Hail Mary,' as a pious invocation, the meaning of which they do not understand. Let them learn, to their surprise, that the Creed contains the whole of their re- ligion ; in a few words let the Pastor unfold the meaning of that which has been as unmeaning as the hedge priest's mumsimus." " It is almost incredible to those who dwell in cities what ignorance still prevails in our rural districts. ' Wut with the hissing, and the fizzing, and the world turning round, I am dead beat,' said the Lincolnshire clown, as he turned his face to the wall and died. We are apt to term such ignorance invincible, and so to excuse our failure to light up and disperse such mists. But the cretinism of the Alps, though it is incurable so long as the physical causes are unremoved, disappears when the patient is taken into sunshine. So the ignorance of our rural population is only the measure of our own past indolence. We do not allow enough for the stupefying effects of tending cattle and following the plough for fourteen hours a day, all the year round. ' How can he get wisdom that holdeth the plough, and that glorieth in the goad, that driveth oxen and is occupied in their labors, and whose talk is of bullocks?' (Ecclesiasticus xxxviii. 25.) The Sunday rest has not righted the balance in their case against six days of labor. The seventh day finds the farm laborer as weary as his cattle, and with no tastes higher than the beershop and the wrestling match. It is disheartening, but if he gird himself to this work in a missionary spirit, he will find he does not labor in vain. Oberlin at Ban de la Koche, Gilpin in Yorkshire, were sent to minister to such persons; but they did not despair, and like Nehemiah, God strengthened their hands, till they had in a great measure dispersed the darkness that lay around them."* * Heard, Pastor and Parish, p. 137. TREATMENT OF THE IGNORANT. 443 Such an estimate of the difficulty which the Gospel meets in approaching the " ignorant/^ is not altogether appropriate to the United States. Similar cases may no doubt be found among the lower grade of hired hands of our farming classes. But intelligence and education is widely distributed among our farmers. Yet we may wisely ponder the dulling effect which is pro- duced by the perpetual sameness and routine of farm- ing pursuits. Similar results follow the unvarying routine of mill life, or manufacturing, or even of small trading. Ignorance is often due to circumstances ; not to na- tural qualities or mental inability. A young woman of ordinary intelligence, who had lived in a little ham- let of Ohio until she was twenty-two years old, and had never walked five miles from her father's log house, once came to Gambler, which is not even called a town by population. After gazing at the college buildings and seeing the people who passed along the " Bishop's Walk," she came to me with a bewildered expression, and seemed lost in despair because of the new ideas that had begun to enter her mind. '^ Why/' she said, " I did not know that so many people were ever together in one place in the world !" What chance have the grand ideas of the revelation of God to enter the mind, when they must pass through thickets of such ignorance, and contend at every step against such inanition. The simplest books or tracts will best meet this case. " James' Anxious Inquirer," or '^ Come to Jesus." " Ryle's tracts" are admirably adapted to it. The Careless. — This class comprises the largest part of every congregation. They listen without heeding. 444 PASTORAL VISITING. Preaching has a pleasant sound. They are often at- tracted by pictures of the beauties of a religious life ; and especially by eloquent paintings of the delights of heaven : but they are not led thereby, or by any appeals, to serious reflection or to duty. Unless, however, public means of grace awaken them, generally only God's Providences can accomplish the end. Yet a word may be dropped in conversation which shall prove to be a word in season, or a book or tract may be judiciously used. The point to be aimed at is to convince them of the positive danger of indifference. " He that is not with me, is against me." The great mass of business men and great mass of busy women are of this class of people, who have not leisure either to be orthodox or to be unbelievers. "They are not without relations to the Church, in the bosom of which they are still retained by habit or decency. They meet the Pastor in social in- tercourse at the houses of others, or in civil affairs, or in solemn circumstances. They have affections, domes- tic pleasures and sorrows ; they are men : on the side of humanity they may be reached; all their natural affections have an affinity for religion. But when we have obtained the ear of the indifferent, we must de- stroy their security, and make them see that their posi- tion is not indifferent.^'* Intellectual men, scientists, and students, and intelligent working-men are often found in this class. " The great question'' meets their case. The tract *' Living or Dead" is valuable. " Baxter's Call" has * Vinet's Pastoral Theology, p. 256. TREATMENT OF THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS. 445 been much blessed In times past. It is a question whether the day of its usefulness has not terminated. At least, I have never been able to use it with effect. But "Awake, thou Sleeper/' by Clarke, although by no means as strong as " Baxter's Call," seems to meet the carelessness of the age more effectually. The memoir of Captain Yickars (E. K. S.) has a powerful effect in awakening attention to religion by the peculiarity of his character and the circumstances which gave him prominence in the Crimean War. The Self-Righteous are of two classes ; both of them very difficult to reach. No entrenchment is so impreg- nable as that of the pride of the human heart. The most difficult case of the two is presented by one who timsts to his natural goodness. It is well for society that there are very many men whose principles and conduct are just, upright, honorable, and esteemed, although they make no profession of Christianity. How much such men owe to their knowledge of Chris- tianity, and their general recognition of duty to God and Christ, is an interesting question ; but we may not dis- cuss it here. It may however form part of those con- siderations which a Pastor will be wise in presenting when endeavoring to induce such persons to realize their religious position. It may not be easy to point out particulars in the conduct of such persons which are to be amended. Nor is it worth while to make the attempt. Until the foundation of this form of self-righteousness can be sapped, no attack upon the fortress which is built upon it can be successful : for that fortress is strong in its proportions and its beauty. There is little use to pro- 38 446 PASTORAL VISITING. claim the excellence of a Saviour. The man does not feel the need of a Saviour; that is, of an absolute Saviour. Perhaps he would be willing to recognize the value of a helpful spiritual friend, or he might think it safe to have a stand-by in case of danger, and he might even be glad to accept the Christ of the Gospel as an exemplar. But a Saviour — no ! It is of no use to tell him that he is not a good man ; for besides that the statement would not be accurate in the usual sense of the term, he would probably be inclined to use a very keen argumentum ad hominem, and favor- ably compare natural goodness with the ordinary tone (alas !) of Church life. Nor will it help the matter at all in such a case to say, that, inasmuch as he that is guilty of violating one law of God is guilty of all, he must be considered in God's sight as on a par with a thief or a murderer. He might quietly ask whether you mean by a thief a communicant who in a position of trust violates it, and so robs the orphan and the widow of their savings ; or by a murderer, a communicant who puts the cup to his neighbor's lips, or supports the Church by liquor selling. Nor is it true that such a man in God's sight is an equal sinner with those gross violators of justice and truth. He is equally a sinner, but not an equal sinner. The distinction is real, but too nice for the personal conversation in which you are now engaged. The only method which promises success is to paint in true colors the infinite purity and holiness of God, and of His law ; to bring this good man into the pres- ence of the perfect Christ, and let his own conscience (not your words) make the comparison ; to probe the TREATMENT OF THE SELF-RIGHTEOVS. 447 motives of his goodness ; to show how largely selfish- ness and human approbation mingle with his higher aspirations. At this point you can begin to make com- parison between virtues and graces, showing how low is the position of natural goodness in the scale with spiritual holiness. Then you have reached the point where you may affirm and press the truth that there is no righteousness in the moral universe, except that which springs from love, and no human righteous per- son except that one in whose soul love to God, and Christ, and man, is the supreme and universally active motive. Of all books which I have read on this sub- ject the most considerate and faithful, and altogether the most useful, is " Mercien^s natural goodness." The other form of " self-righteousness exhibits itself by the expression, God will not judge me harshly, / try to do my best. A merciful Christ will make up for my deficiencies." Such a state of mind is frequent. Here you will present the absoluteness of God^s law ; and its inflexibility. The standard is obedience. For disobedience a penalty. For the penitent, divine for- giveness through the redemption. No other way al- luded to in the Gospel. Christ came on no such ignoble errand as to make up the balance for each human deficiency against the legal weights of absolute perfection. Then you will show how subtly sin has mingled with obediences, corrupting each, not leaving the man in deficiency, but leaving him in sin. The intention of obedience itself becomes corrupted and defiled ; and every act becomes not a deficient obedi- ence, but a positive disobedience. Read Ryle's " Wheat and Chaff." 448 PASTORAL VISITING. The Unbeliever; an intelligent and conscientious doubter. Perhaps we might more properly charac- terize this class as non-believers. Sceptics in the broad sense, Agnostics as they are now called, spiritual know- nothings, and Infidels, are not likely to cross your path ; more's the pity. But you will frequently be brought in contact with men who are doubtful as to the obliga- tions of Christianity, or doubtful as to the truth and divine inspirations of Holy Scripture. Not like fright- ened school boys going by a grave yard and whistling to keep their courage up ; but quiet, thoughtful men as desirous to know the truth of spiritual things as you can be to reveal it. These cases promise you the most interesting and valuable hours. For generally they are men who have read much ; and often they have thought more. Possibly you may find that they have explored depths which you have not approached. Possibly you may discover that their suggestion of difficulties opens a wider field of thought than you have ever undertaken. You are not to deal with such men as if their doubts were not honest or were destitute of reason. It will be well enough to bear in mind that you may not find it easy to meet their difficulties : and that if their souls should be lost, it may be not because they were in- capable of understanding your presentation of truths, but because you were not capable of comprehending the doubts which troubled their anxious spirits. In the present age doubts as to the inspiration, au- thority, and teaching of Scripture are foremost in our country. In England, especially among graduates of the two great universities, and among those circles of our countrymen who are inclined to classical studies, TREATMENT OF THE UNBELIEVER. 449 critical doubts stand largely in the way of faith in the Scriptures. In both cases it is fair to think, although it may be neither prudent nor polite to say, that doubts arise chiefly from indifferent knowledge. For it is un- doubtedly true that the most complete scientists, and the most finished critical students, in every age have been the most devout believers. You will, therefore, be on your guard not to accept from these inquirers every statement as correct, even though it be apparently scientific, or apparently taken fresh from the field of criticism. When, however, a fact is presented which is a fact, and you cannot meet it with an overbearing fact, or a sufficient argument, let the difficulty be ac- knowledged. Go again to your books, and your knees ; and prepare yourself afresh for a succeeding interview. It should be borne in mind that the arguments from scientific facts are undergoing a constant change : for as other facts are discovered the relations of the former become altered and defined. A partial investigation may result in an inference hostile to revelation ; but a thorough investigation has always attested the truth of Scripture. Never be hasty then in admitting partial truths, or drawing inferences from facts not completely developed. But whenever true science has reached a conclusion which cannot be controverted, seize it as an argument for the truths of God ; for such a scientific conclusion invariably turns against scepticism. You should, therefore, be busily engaged in studying the results of scientific studies. You may not have the time, nor the means, to follow the whole progress of those examinations : but waiting patiently until sci- entists have reached results, use them with skill and 38* 450 PASTORAL VISITING. boldness to defeat adverse inferences which they may have too hastily drawn. As a rule, you need not meet this class of sceptics on their ground. Their lines of study and yours do not coincide. Show your skill in transferring the argument from a scientific or critical field, of which they may be the masters, to the field of religious and spiritual ex- perience, in which you will probably be their equal. Indeed, I have always found that the most unanswerable argument for the existence of a Personal loving God is our own experience of the need of such a Being, and the most powerful argument for the authority of Rev- elation is its adaptation to meet all our spiritual neces- sities. If criticism could destroy this Bible to-day, or science could blot out every other evidence of God's existence to-morrow — nay, before the shadows of this evening could have time to fall — the critic's soul would call for some other word from heaven, and the scientist would be uneasy and restless in a Universe which had no God. The very thought which enables you to reach this class of non-believers is the unsatisfactoriness of living without religion; without the religion of the Bible. Your vantage, then, is in pressing the reductio ad absurdum. The consequences of want of belief are so disastrous, that it is evident there must be some fatal breach in the chain of their argument. Your business is only to help them to find it ; and their in- terest is equal if not greater than yours in making the search successful. Unfortunately we have few modern books which will help us to meet modern objections. ^' The credentials of Christianity" put forth lately by the Christian Evidence Society of England, is probably TREATMENT OF THE UNBELIEVER. 451 the most useful modern collection of treatises for this purpose. The Bishop of Carlisle's homely and practi- cal argument for the Inspiration of our Scriptures, con- trasted with all other so-called sacred books, which commences the volume, appears to me as nearly unas- sailable as any argument can be ; and the subsequent masterly statement by the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, as to the adequacy of the Christian answer to all deeper questions, is incontrovertible. But almost all our books fail at some point, to meet the manifoldness of the difficulty which this sprightly age creates. As knowledge runs to and fro and discovers facts, every new fact causes a hubbub in the realms of truth, until it has fairly found its relations to old facts and settled down to its place. It would be impossible to make books fast enough to meet each new phase of doubt. It will be well then to continue to study the arguments of former days. They have not lost their vigor or their force. Can it be necessary to name ^^ Butler's Analogy of Natural and Revealed Religion" ? In a similar sense, I quote the advice of former teachers on the point which we are discussing. They were not alluding to " Doubters" of the present day. But their counsels are not in vain ; for all doubt comes from one source, and in the long result tends to one end, and needs one remedy. Vinet says : "Infidelity piques itself on an aggressive character; that is to say, on believing something in opposition to the beliefs which religion proposes. Each has his system, which is often nothing more than a mass of gratuitous and incoherent assertions ; a collection of pithy phrases, stolen, without understanding them, from conversations and books. There is no point of doctrine so abstract or subtle that it does not produce itself under some 452 PASTORAL VISITING. trivial and puerile form in the language of tbese bold spirits of low degree. Contempt is never seasonable, never useful : but we must not give these ambitious proverbs of ignorant infidelity honor which they do not deserve, and engage in discussions which, though they may have a limit and a result with persons of a cultivated mind, have often neither result nor limit with narrow and ignorant minds." " We have more to do with rationalism, which accepts the sacred documents, than with infidelity, which discards them. We refer not only to learned rationalism, with which a simple pastor cannot always contend as a formal polemic, but to super- ficial and second-hand rationalism, which seeks to blunt the edge of that evangelical truth by which it is wounded. We venture little in assuming that this rationalism has for its ordinary source a repugnance of heart, and that it is in the rationalist's con- science that the weapons, in contending with him, are to be sought. Without, therefore, omitting arguments of another kind furnished by science, and without seeming to shrink from the combat, we must make great use of internal evidence, and call conscience to bear witness. The more we use the Scripture in explaining the Scripture, the more shall we be struck with the excellence of this method. The sense of each verse should be presented as penetrated with the ^nse and the savor of all the principal passages that relate to the same subject."* Heard on the same subjects says : " The wise physician of souls will deal dififerently with difierent cases. He will be patient with the stupid sceptic and bold with the profane ; he will use arguments to meet argument ; and as diamond cuts diamond, so he will employ reason to refute the sophisms of reason. But in all such cases he will act upon the wise rule of John Newton, who said that he went his rounds as the physician in Bedlam, neither disturbed by the impertinence, nor distracted by the chatter of the inmates." " There is a difierence, too, between the infidelity of our day and that of the generation preceding the present. Then there was a spirit of disbelief abroad in the world, now it is rather a * Vinet, Pastoral Theology, p. 267. TREATMENT OF THE UNBELIEVER. 453 spirit of unbelief. The century which began with Locke and ended with Paley has been called the seculum rationalisticum. It might be called with equal truth the seculum apologeticum. Christianity took its stand upon the defensive, it shut itself into its strongholds, and allowed the enemy to scour the open country, to levy contributions on the unarmed villages, until at last, in the language of the song of Deborah, the highways were unoc- cupied, and the travellers walked through byways. The spirit of the Church militant must have sunk indeed very low before Bishop Butler could have penned that melancholy sentence written in 1736 : ' It has come, I know not how, to be taken for granted by many persons, that Christianity is not so much as a subject of inquiry, but that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious. And accordingly they treat it as if in the present age this were an agreed point among all people of dis- cernment, and nothing remained but to set it up as a principal subject of mirth and ridicule, as it were, by way of reprisals for its having so long interrupted the pleasures of the world.' "* In the line of thought now suggested, you will find " Wilberforce's practical view of Christianity" of great use in meetins; men of able minds and accustomed to think. It was written by the great philanthropist after much experience in conversing on religious topics with his fellow members in Parliament: and was very valu- able in its age. It has not lost its value, as I know by experience in employing it. For a similar class, ^'The Great Question" may be serviceable. It was written by the Rev. Dr. Boardman, of Philadelphia, to meet just these states of mind. It is sometimes wise to attempt to arouse thought on religious topics: and with this idea you may find the following books of use, "Argyle's reign of Law.'' "Naville, Heavenly Father." '^ McCosh on the Divine Government" ; one * Heard, Pastor and Parish, p. 148. 454 PASTORAL VISITING. of the grandest books of the age. " Chalmers' Astro- nomical Lectures/' "The Theology of Invention." ''Keith on Prophecy." For Unitarians, "The Christ of History" : and three sermons by the late Dr. Bedell "on the Trinity" (E. K. S. Tract). " Rock of Ages," with Huntington's Introduction. For Deists "Leslie on Deism" is not likely soon to be superseded. On the whole argument, you will not find a more com- pactly logical or attractively popular treatise than "Mcllvaine's Evidences." The Christian Evidence Society has provided a Course of Lectures which reply to most of the " Popular Objections to Revealed Truth" : among them is a forcible presentation of the subject of " Miracles as the Credentials of Revelation," by Dr. Gladstone. General Counsels, " Maintain always, and with all persons, a frank and direct bearing." " Kely readily, and as far as possible, on the good faith of others." " Kegard ideas more than words, and sentiments more than ideas. Sentiment, or affection, is the true moral reality. How many heresies of thought correct themselves in the heart. And, in return, how much orthodoxy is in the heart heresy. Men re- fuse us the word; they concede to us the thing: or, again, they refuse us the thing in granting us the word." "When you recognize in an adversary a cavilling spirit, and perceive that jow have to do with a fabricator of difficulties, de- cline a contest in which there is no seriousness, and ' answer not a fool according to his folly.' — Prov. xxvi. 4." " Beware of considering yourself as personally offended by op- position, and by what is said, however unjustly, against the truths which you preach." " Appear not to regard as so much blasphemy all rash or inconsiderate assertions, whether relating to doctrine or morals." " Persevere without harassing." TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED. 455 " Expect not that arguments will have an identical and abso- lute influence on all minds. We do not alwaj-s know why an argument which has no power on one should prove efficacious on another; or why an individual who at one time received no impression from the word, should at another time be deeply impressed with it. This is God's secret ; and, after all our atten- tions, all our measures, the final result is left in His hands. All our hope is from Him ; to Him let all be ascribed. Attend more to the dispositions with which you acquit yourselves of your work, than the skill with which you used your talents." *' The first of lights, of powers, of preservatives, of defences, is charity. The spirit of the government of souls and of the whole pastoral office lies in the sentiment which these words of the Master so profoundly express : ' Ye will not come to me that ye might have life.' " "Add to your instructions the weight of your example, well knowing that the true mode of communicating moral truth is contagion; that it is only from life that life can proceed; and that, in fact, the decisive arguments for or against Christianity are Christians."* The AioaJcened. When your friend has reached this condition of re- ligious experience, the case becomes plainer. You will need only a hint from me. Take care lest in the excitement of seeing him so near the Kingdom of Heaven, you be tempted to sup- 2)ose that the work is done. To neglect the case at this point may be as fatal, as it would be for a physician to cease his applications at the first favorable turn of a disease. To heal the wound slightly may cover up the malady, and thrust the poison deeper into the system. Your object now will be to deepen not to lessen an in- terest in religious things. You are by all right means to quicken a sense of spiritual danger. -;<- Vinet, p. 272. 456 PASTORAL VISITING. The means are : primarily, a revelation and impres- sion of the power of God's law as a discerner of heart and life. Next, instruction that the Law is the Judge both of heart and life : an inflexible Judge, because it determines strictly by precepts written. AVhen you preach the Gospel to a person who is awakened, you are to display Christ and the Cross, not in the aspect of grace, but as they show so distinctly the evil nature, the heinousness, and the hateful character of sin ; sin that could demand such a sacrifice. Still it must not ever be out of sight, that the Gospel is an immediate and complete remedy. It is well to press, as a proof of real guiltiness in heart, the fact that this person has been willing so long to neglect the Saviour's offer of mercy, and his pure and holy service. A goad may be necessary now; a sj^ur, and not a rein. There is a temptation to rest in partial impressions or partial amendments, bringing nothing to perfection. Press the point that in coming to Christ spiritually, or coming to Christ's Church visibly, there is no safe halting place except at the Saviour's feet in conscious faith, or in the Saviour's fellowship by visible membership. He who halts short of this is lost as surely, as though the Judg- ment Day had come whilst he was only resting at his ease on the way towards the city of refuge. Nor must any one wait for the appearance of that folly — ^^ a day of power !" The only day of power for a reasonable man is that in which he is awakened to see his duty, hears the call, and feels that he is a re- sponsible being possessing a mind to think and a will to act. You will find an arousing tract in Ryle's "Call to TREATMENT OF THE CONVICTED. 457 Prayer" : and a wise guide, in the tract, " Counsels for the awakened." The Convicted. This is a stage of spiritual experience, beyond the last. It is more than being "awakened." The dis- crimination lies between a mere excitement of the emo- tions, an arousing of the sensibilities, a quickening of desire, and that movement towards determination which always results in an act of will. A man may be awake, without deciding to rise : but the moment he is convinced of the necessity of rising, convicted, for examj^le, of being slothfully neglectful of duty, he springs to his feet. It is this state of mind lying between the sense of necessity for action and the act, that is, the moment of conviction and decision, of which Ave are now think- ing. It is a conviction of sin, of sinfulness, of being actually in the condition before God of one who has offended him without apology or excuse. Sin now a}>pears hateful, when the man contrasts his character and conduct with the absolute purity and spiritual beauty of God. The true test of "conviction" is this aspect of sin. A sense of danger may mingle with his other ideas : but it is no longer prevailing. The preva- lent thought is the guiltiness of sin in God's sight. The man who is convicted of sin finds himself con- stantly contrasting himself with what he knows of God and Christ, and consequently he falls lower and lower in the scale. Humility is in the ascendant. As in Job's case, " Now mine eye seeth Thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." In true conviction, you will, I think, always discover a sense of the reality of the gracious offers of the Gos- u 39 458 PASTORAL VISITING. pel, and a longing to accept them : but at the same time such a sense of unworthiness, as prevents an im- mediate apprehension of them. Your object now is first to deepen these convictions. But the moment that you are satisfied of their reality, your purpose will be to lead your friend to an act of faith. He is not to wait for any preparatory process. He is not to expect to be made better by reflection, or by endeavoring to become fitter to ask Christ's mercy. Seeing that his sin needs pardon, he is instantly to pray for pardon. Seeing that his sinfulness needs reconcilia- tion, he is instantly to seek for admission to the family of God. Seeing that (although possibly he may nomi- nally be a member of the Church) he is really not of the body of Christ, he is instantly to undertake what- ever remaining visible act (Baptism, Confirmation, or Holy Communion) will bring him within the actual fellowship. You will impress u}X)n your friend that faith is not an emotion, nor a sentiment, but is an act ; an act of will. Nor is it merely a being willing to believe and do, but it is believing and doing. And the believing is always followed by the doing, just as much as though they were part of the same act. And the believing is tested by the doing. So that to believe Christ is to follow Christ. The act of \W11 is not a passive feeling, but an activity. Therefore conviction always passes into conversion. The man who is convicted of sin in- stantly turns round — is converted — into a follower of holiness. You will need some practical guides. The best is ''The Anxious Inquirer," which shows step by step TREATMENT OF THE CONVICTED. 459 the narrow way into life. " Come to Jesus" is a good tract. " Morrell's seven words'' is a better tract. There are many others. Vinet reveals some phases of difficulty in the act of faith which it may be well to study. " There are sincere and unhappy minds who, impressed by the Spirit of truth, and touched by the Gospel, are prepared to receive it, if they believed it were oflered to them ; and yet find them- selves detained from entering at the gate, as by a chain which seems to be stretched before them by their education, their first impressions, too much or too little Jcnowledge, I know not what — a sceptical temperament, which shows itself in them, even in things the most foreign from religion. It is well when we meet with such as these, to remind them that 'faith' according to the expression of an enlightened author 'realizes itself in the will;' that faith is nothing else than willingness to accept a pardon from God ; that doubts which remain in the mind do not change it ; that God has not made our salvation to depend on the vacillations of our feeble understandings ; that it is not the understanding which consents to accept of grace ; that it is not the imagination which is moved by it ; that it is the will, the only faculty always free, though feeble, which receives pardon, and turns itself to God, and may even cry, ' Lord, I believe ; help thou mine un- belief.'" " There are Christians by anticipation. There are souls in a singular state, to which we have given too little thought. They are those which have anticipated, I was going to say taken on credit, the grace of the Gospel ; or who have appropriated the promises before having felt conviction of sin. They believe, they bless, they confess, they profess intelligently and sincerely, all that is essential to Christian character, but may want, I will not say the joy, which is not the habitual disposition of every true Christian, but the peace, the love, and, in a word, the life of the Christian. . . . This Christian is one by anticipation, and so to speak, by hypothesis. His mouth has been before his heart in saying. Lord, Lord ! He is familiar with the words, with the forms, with the thoughts of Christianity, without having his soul in them. One sign by which these persons may be recog- 460 PASTORAL VISITING. nized is the want of progress and movement in the spiritual life. When the pastor visits them, he may find them well disposed, ready to confess their sins, their need of redemption, and the aid of the Holy Spirit ; but at each succeeding visit their lan- guage will be the same ; variety is wanting, because the reality is wanting. If he is called to treat a malady of this kind, he ought, on one hand, to see that the soul, of which we speak, takes account of its own state ; and on the other, to take care that he does not renounce what he has, because of the manner in which he obtained it. He must exhort it to a silent and interior activity, to a severe application of the law, and to whatever disciplines and mortifies the soul, as well as to all works which, while they imply charity, develop it without danger of inflating the heart ; in a word, silently to imitate Jesus Christ. But the shades of this state are exceedingly various ; each of them at once requires and indicates particular measures ; the important point is precisely to distinguish and estimate each of them."* I think that the want revealed by the foregoing de- scription of a frequently recurring case is a want of thorough conviction of sin : and that the true remedy will be found in going back to that state of mind and insisting upon that experience as a precedent to all that is to follow. * Vinet's Pastoral Theology, p. 265. PASTORAL VISITING. CHAPTER XXX. TREATMENT OF CASES. The Converted, \yE have passed the critical point. We are now to consider the case of those who have passed from death unto life. We are to speak of the discriminations necessary in defining to ourselves and treating different spiritual conditions all of which are phases of spiritual living. The Christian Outsetting. There is a moment after the act of faith, and the resolve of the soul to serve Christ only and wholly, when a Christian pauses to take account of his position. Looking backward and forward he satisfies himself as to his real condition. At this moment a Pastor be- comes helpful in applying tests. Evidences of real repentance and true faith are to be sought for with all care. A physician does not content himself as to the sound health of a patient who has been sick, merely because in the sudden con- trast of relief from pain and danger, the patient ex- presses himself joyously. He goes over again the catalogue of symptoms, he feels the heart-beats, he 39- 461 462 PASTORAL VISITING. measures the internal heat, he hears the inspirations, and gages the exhibitions of strength. So the Pastor deals with his converted friend outsetting for the Christian life. He deals gently and with compassion, binding up the broken heart, yet not crying peace too soon. The evidences are : Repentance: exhibiting self-distrust; humility; grief, involving regret, amounting sometimes to self-abhor- rence; and, restitution, with manly resolve to abandon even the appearance of evil. Faith: exhibiting a restful realization of the fatherly love of God for the sake of Christ the Saviour. An absence of tendency to think or talk about his own desert or well doing, or the probability of his doing good service. A singular tendency to think much and talk (if at all) about the grace and love and undeserved favor of the Lord our Redeemer. A desire instantly to begin to work in Christ's service. A Pastor will observe that in applying tests to de- termine the existence of this new and healthful life, his object is to decide the reality not the degree of life : whether the person has been new born by the Holy Spirit, not whether he gives signs of maturity. And he will Avelcome any even faint signs of real spiritual living. Perhaps the best evidence is given by an unselfish desire to benefit others. "He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, ^ We have found the Messaias' V^ This spontaneous outgoing of Chris- tian love is, I think, an invariable indication of true appreciation of Christ's love to us. It is impulsive ; TREATMENT OF THE OUTSETTING. 463 not always discreet : but it shows itself first and in- variably. The Pastor is now to feed, as St. Paul did, with milk, and not with meat ; for the new-born child of God will not be able to bear it. He is not to fill his mind with doctrine, but his heart with love, and his hands with good works. He will avoid everything that will tend to excite the old evil passions, or revive the remembrance of them. He will cultivate modesty, not pride ; quietness of spirit, not ostentation ; a frank confession of Christ, but not in the attitude of boasting, or of one puffed up, as if he had done a good thing for which the Lord ought rather to be grateful to him. So that those Pastors act with reprehensible unwisdom who immediately set novitiates to become teachers: taking an untested inebriate for example, who has merely professed to be converted, and making of him a public advocate for the Christian grace of temperance ; taking an untried penitent fresh from his ungodliness and making of him a public preacher of righteousness. The wise Pastor insists indeed that a convert shall immediately confess Chi^st : but it is to be done not first publicly, but first privately ; by telling those that are at home at his house, by showing charity and grace in his family, by professing his Divine Master in family worship. After the private confession, then comes the public. And it should not be delayed; but it should never be ostentatious. New Converts are to be immediately engaged in doing something for Christ. It will be their impulsive desire. The impulse is to be cherished, and formed into a habit. To this end a wise guide avoids over- 464 PASTORAL VISITING. straining the fresh desire, lest from overaction there will be a reaction, and the desire itself be lost. A wholesome check serves as a healthy stimulus. And those habits become firm which are of slow but steady growth. The Pastor now holds up constantly the ex- ample of the life of Christ ; that life which was not only holy, but busy, benevolent, consistent, and steadily increasing in its moral force. The dangers to which new Converts are exposed, should be a subject of earnest thought to a Pastor : and should excite his constant watchfulness over them. Vinet says (p. 258) : " The fervor of a first love is useful directly by the works it produces. This fervor is also useful as a rebuke to those who have suffered the gift which was in them to be impaired. It is a leaven which God is incessantly casting into the mass of the Church. But this period is not ordinarily that of moderation and balance of mind ; and we know that the primitive Church interdicted the ministry to new converts. It is ordinarily the period of bitter zeal, of a controversial spirit, of severe judg- ments : we forget what we were the evening before, and we for- get it the more, it seems, because we have ascended from so great a depth. Though we know that we ourselves have been the ob- jects and the monuments of so great a patience, we are too ready to say impatiently of our neighbor, as the man of the parable, * Cut him down ; why cumbereth he the ground !' It is also the time when we abuse Christian liberty; the time of presumption. We would preach to and school all the world, and perhaps the very person from whom we obtained our first light ; whence re- sults a danger to this last, also, who may not be always disposed to say with Moses, ' Would G-od all the Lord's people were prophets' — Numbers xi. 29. Let all this show the Pastor that new converts should be treated with both indulgence and sever- ity. He must not depress the spirit which is in them; nor per- mit a demon to enter through the breach which an angel has made." TREATMENT OF PROFESSING CHRISTIAN. 465 The following books bear on the subject: James' " True Christian/' Hannah More's '^ Practical Piety," " Buchanan on the Holy Spirit," Clark's " Young Dis- ciple," Abbott's '^ Young Christian." Various phases of Christian faith will aj^pear ; and the modes of dealing with them likewise vary. Yinet's suggestions are very wise, and may well be studied. " All pious men are not pious after the same manner. Almost always one element predominates, and some other suffers. There is always a weak side to be strengthened, with which we must in the first place, make ourselves acquainted." " To those in whom the principle of faith is prevalent we must recommend the practice of good works. ^' " To the scrupulous and the timorous, that the Kingdom of God does not consist in meat and drink, but in righteousness, in peace, and in joy, through the Holy Spirit, and should unite with itself a feeling of tranquil trust in God." " To the superstitious, that is to say, to those who through weakness of imagination, or a sort of spiritual sloth, prefer, in inquiring for the will of God, to consult some sign exterior to the conscience, we must show that the benefit of faith is to be found not in our renouncing the natural means of knowing and judg- ing, but in causing us to make a good use of them ; and that to proceed otherwise is, under a vain appearance of piety, to remit to chance, or rather to passion, the labor of determining our course."* The Christian making profession of his faith. It may not be without use to remind the Pastor that Baptism is not to be repeated. Inasmuch as a true con- version ought to be considered a precedent of a profes- sion of religion, some who have been baptized either in infancy, without having attained to the inward part which the sign signifies, or as adults, but in a state of * Vinet's Pastoral Theology, p. 254 et seq. 466 PASTORAL VISITING. conscious irreligion, may suppose that this Sacrament should now be employed again, seeing that now they are able to use it rightly. We refer to what has been already said under that topic. The Sacrament of ad- mission into the visible Church of Christ can never be repeated without sin, because thereby the participant would set at nought the Ordinance of Christ, and deny the grace which Christ promises to unite with the sign and seal to the faithful. So, but with less force, as to Confirmation. This is not a Sacrament. Consequently it may be repeated without sin. But the repetition is useless, and therefore improper. It is an indicative Ordinance, having a perpetuating sign. If when used it has indicated noth- ing because of the false profession of the Candidate, its sign (being a perpetuity) becomes indicative when- soever the Candidate reaches the point of a good pro- fession. Low notions of the use of the Lord's Supper are not so frequent. Yet a Pastor will sometimes discover cases where an unconverted person has used the Lord's Sup- per knowing himself to be unfit. It is sometimes, not often we trust, employed as the cloak of hypocrisy. Once in a while it is used thoughtlessly as a mark of respectability ; as a guarantee for entrance into public society. It is recommended by ignorant teachers some- times as a relief for what they deem undue spiritual anxiety. We have heard it reported in so-called re- vivals that persons were converted whilst partaking of the Communion. It is not less reprehensible, as we have known it in the elder days of our Church, that persons who were considered over-anxious on the subject of re- TREATMENT OF PROFESSING CHRISTIAN 467 ligion have been urged to come to the Lord's Supper, as a means of quieting their consciences, without hav- ing exercised conscious faith in Christ. Sometimes the Holy Communion is misused as a viaticum — a myste- rious safety chain — on a death-bed, when the patient unexpectedly reviving has sadly discovered how vain such a basis of hope would have been. The correction of all these errors is obvious : indeed, the correction is more than half accomplished when the person fairly states the error to himself or to his Pastor. Erroneous notions of the meaning, and proper prepa- ration for either profession of Christ, having been cleared away, there may nevertheless remain some sources of difficulty which must be wisely met. There may be too great timidity, as to one's acceptance of God. Recommend that your friend shall look away from his self-unworthiness to Christ's all-worthiness, and trust in it. There may be too great timidity, as to perse- verance. Recommend that your friend shall look away from his self-weakness to the Holy Spirit's all-mighti- ness ; for, under the principles of Divine grace a sense of dependence on God is really strength. There may be too great timidity, as to moral fitness. Advise that spiritual and moral fitness are found in humility ; that the real ground of our acceptance at the Holy Com- munion is the merit of the Lord's death which we are celebrating : and that the first step of right acting as a Christian is to obey Christ, by showing forth his death until He come. On the contrary, there may be too great boldness ; for it may indicate a danger, of rashness. Too great boldness, again, may indicate that the act of profession 468 PASTORAL VISITING. is the result of mere impulse. If so, it should be tested. Too great apparent boldness, may after all be only an evidence of the real work of conversion, upon a peculiar temperament; i.e., upon a disposition which is naturally prone to self-confidence and brave forwardness. There may be an unhealthy desire to delay. They wait for more grace. They wait for more evidences. They wait for their friends to join them in the act of profession. They wait for friends to assent ; they are delicate in acting without advice. There is considerable danger in checking early move- ments of Divine Grace in the soul. Some hold that the Holy Spirit will always carry His own Avork through successfully. True. But He may choose to take souls through deep waters if the appointed guide is unable to show the right ford. We cannot excuse our ignorance or inefficiency or want of tact by throwing the burden on God. Books which may prove useful. On Baptism ; " Bickersteth." On Confirmation ; " Mcllvaine/' " Tyng," " Wilson," '^Bedell." On the Lord's Sup- per ; " Bickersteth edited by Dr. Bedell." The Christian^ maturing, A Young Christian must not be left, as soon as the Pastor is persuaded of his conversion, or has carried him forward to a profession. There is a special danger in our Church of considering Confirmation an end of the matter. The Pastor is to watch over young dis- ciples ; gradually leading them on unto perfection, re- membering that the perfect man comes by a gradual TREATMENT OF MATURING CHRISTIAN. 469 growth. The way of life is to be travelled only step by step, each step in advance of the rest. Right prin- ciples are to be inculcated. Graces are to be cultivated. Holy habits are to be formed. Understanding of the Gospel is to be enlarged. The work of the Holy Spirit is to be chiefly dwelt upon, representing Him as author, helper, and guide in all that is good. Under the topic of Confirmation I have shown how to represent to young Christians the dangers to which they will be exposed ; and the duties that are incumbent. Sanctification is to be explained to be a process going on steadily, sometimes, indeed usually, with reverses, but steadily, and on the whole being growth. The Holy Spirit is its author and mover ; but man himself the actor : man the co-effixjient worker with the efficient Spirit. Books especially recommended are, "Buchanan on the Holy Spirit,'' "Bickersteth on Prayer," '^Christ our Example," by Caroline Fry. "The Young Christian." The Christian progressing. A Christian will exhibit one or other of two states of mind which may be designated as either introverted, or active. These two classes are easily distinguishable. The difference depends on natural temperament, and not on spiritual disposition. Both are true Christians; but they move in different spheres. The first is contem- plative, meditative, dwelling much on personal expe- riences and in self: the other is all aggressive, earnest, energetic, living outside of self in good works. As an illustration of the first, Thomas a Kempis, Fletcher, 40 470 PASTORAL VISITING. Payson, the Port Royalists : of the second, William Welsh, Howard ; and of the living, Miss Nightingale, and other practical workers. Both classes are to be treated judiciously according to their peculiarities, and by entirely different methods. For the Introverted, suitable books are, '' The Pre- ciousness of Christ." Upham's works; "Interior Life," "Life of Faith." "Precious things of God." Memoirs of such men as " Payson," " Thomas a Kempis," " Paschal." For the Active, suitable books are, "Tongue of Fire," "Systematic Charity," "Abbott's way to do good," "English hearts and hands," "Missing Link," "Haste to the Rescue," " Ragged Homes." Memoirs of such men as " Martyn," "" Brainard," " Howard," " Hoif- man," and " Patteson." The Christian, under temptation. Here occur a large number of cases. For we must not be ignorant of the devices of Satan. As I have already said, he is a being of great power : and one of the Divine j^nrposes in allowing his influences to con- tinue seems to be to strengthen Christian character by teaching us the necessity and methods of resistance, and thus developing our spiritual strength. The dangers arising from temptation are, that it may cause a Chris- tian to fall ; it may cause spiritual depression, which may lead to many disorders, and especially to religious unhappiness ; it may cause doubts of one's acceptance ; perplexities as to one's election ; doubts from want of assurance; it may lead to a sin against the Holy Ghost, or to a temporary hiding of God's presence, because of our loss of faith. TREATMENT OF THE TEMPTED CHRISTIAN. 471 A Pastor's fi7'st object will be to discover the precise character of the temptation, in order to trace it to its cause. The three main sources, are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil : yet all three are finally reduced to one. For the devil uses both the others to accom- plish his purposes. If, however, a person is too ready to throw the responsibility of his temptations on Satan, it is probable that his own spiritual indifference is really to blame. The Pastor's second object will be to determine, and make manifest, precisely how far the person has been in error ; by what means temptation has obtained inlet to the soul ; by what failures in duty, or possibly by what sins, of thought or deed, a door has been left open. This inquiry, faithfully pursued, will often suggest the remedy : at all events it will deepen (what is as often necessary) a sense of immediate peril. The Pastor's third object will be to rouse the soul against despondency ; by showing the nature of temp- tation, that it is not sin in itself, but only becomes sin if encouraged ; and by exhibiting its nature as a part of the discipline of grace, a test of graces, and a means of strengthening them. His fourth object will be to rouse the soul to resist- ance of Satan ; by showing his comparative feebleness in presence of Christ; the strength of Christ's promises; the power of the Holy Sj)irit ; and the peculiar value of the Spirit's offices in this peculiar position of the soul. His fifth object will be to propose action. Too much thinking will only increase the trouble. I repeat some remarks previously made under the topic of confirma- 472 PASTORAL VISITING. tion. Try to take the soul out of itself, out of its fancied bonds, call it to work for Christ, make it forget its own troubles in the greater troubles of the world around ; and overcome desires of evil by giving full play to an overpowering sense of the love of Christ, and by yielding to the impulse whilst it works out the reciprocation of love into acts of love for others. Views of Christ's graciousness, and of the Holy Ghost's offices and love are now important. Two good tracts are useful here, ^'The Doubting encouraged,'^ "The Preciousness of Christ." Books that are valu- able now are "Joy and Peace in believing;'' '^ Christ on the Cross," " The Lord our Shepherd." PASTORAL VISITING. CHAPTER XXXI. TKEATMENT OF CASES. The Christian, under affliction. Providences are special and constant teachers. More is learned in this school than in any other. Under earlier trials Christians are apt to look upon every rod as retributive ; and consequently to draw an immediate inference that they are separated from God's favor. As soon as a Christian becomes experienced, the Pastor's task, as interpreter of Providence, becomes compara- tively light. His first object will be to show the real nature of Providential dispensations, as a part of spiritual edu- cation. His second object will then be to lead the Christian to the right spirit in which to receive burdens, namely, submission and patience. The Pastor's work at this point becomes very heavy, for his heart is heavy. Sympathy compels him to carry himself sadly. It is not easy to rise above his human nature, into that nature of angelic mould which could come down to Gethsemane, and even while holding the cup to a Saviour's lips, be a strengthening spirit. Nevertheless this is a Pastor's opportunity; and di- 40^ 473 474 PASTORAL VISITING. rectly in this line lies a Pastor's duty ; with tears and weeping it may be, but with the oil of joy in his hand meanwhile. A Pastor at such moments will surely seek Divine help in prayer. Nor wall the Holy Spirit be absent when thus solicited, and in such an hour of need. Suggestions will come to the Pastor's mind in such an exigency. He may not know whence. He will not stop to analyze their sources. He will seize them. I remember a case where my heart was torn by the sorrows of two dear friends who had lost their only son, a bright promising boy, whom they had devoutly and from his Baptism dedicated to the ministry. He was growing rapidly in the fear of God. Suddenly he sickened ; and before they could realize the danger, he was dead. And all their hopes died with him. Their hearts were set on this purpose. And it was a right purpose. So right it was that they could not see why or how a gracious Father could disappoint such a hope. I used all ordinary methods. They failed. I prayed with them and for them. The prayers brought no comfort. I read God's word. It was all true, but it did not touch the point of perplexity. I represented God's love, and God's wisdom. Of course they did not doubt either. But still their right purpose, conse- crated by the very Sacrament of his covenant with Christ, was shattered, and buried forever in the grave of their first born. Suddenly whilst I was praying for light, the Holy Comforter suggested — God has not disap- pointed the desire. The child has not indeed been admitted among the ministries of the earthly church : but already, while we are waiting and praying, God has TREA TMENT OF THE AFFLICTED CHRISTIAN. 475 consecrated him by His own hand, to the higher minis- tries of the Church in Paradise. Simple as was the thought, the effect was magicaL Forty years have passed since that day. I have been with those dear friends since that day in many a sorrow. But concern- ing that particular sorrow, I have never heard a mur- muring word, from that instant when the Holy Spirit revealed to them, that, for their dedication of their first- born son to his service, God had already granted him a heavenly consecration to ministries in the very pres- ence of Christ the Lord. Admirable books to be used in such hours of trial are, '^Buchanan on Afflictions.'^ ^^Consolations,'' by Alexander. " It is well," by Bedell. Bonnar's " Night of Weeping." " The Family of Bethany." *' Heaven, or the Sainted Dead." ^' Early lost, early saved." The Christian in Sickness. This is a form of affliction which brings a Pastor into intimate connection with almost every member of his spiritual flock, at some time. Cases vary so infinitely that nothing but general directions can be given. A Pastor is to strengthen, encourage, and cheer. No de- pressing views are to be taken. The case being that of a true child of God, nothing is to be done or spoken but what will animate, increase faith and brighten hope. The Christian in Insanity. A Pastor not seldom meets this peculiar form of dis- ease. It may be permanent, or temporary. Religious melancholy is a frequent form of it. All forms of it being results of disease of mind or of body, not being 476 PASTORAL VISITING. results of religious experience, or dependent upon spir- itual causes, a Pastor can generally aid very little in removing it. He may soothe violent outbreaks; but he cannot cure. When any signs of reason recur he may suggest considerations applicable. But let him take care not to aggravate the disease. In such cases it is his duty immediately to recommend wise medical advice. All Clergymen are liable to meet such cases. One must endeavor to be self-possessed, calm, and quick- witted. My father was once left alone with a lunatic ^\\\o had sent for him in the middle of the night, and who, after my father entered the room, locked the door upon him, and against the keeper. He declared that the keeper and his crowd had agreed to hang him the next day ; and that he intended to keep my father as a host- age, life for life. It was of no use to oppose his aber- ration. My father turned the position by persuading the lunatic that the authorities had decided to defer the execution for at least a week : and that there would be time enough to appeal the case. This took several hours. It was daylight when he had accomplished this result, and the lunatic opening the door, my father was released. Vinet speaking of religious melancholy says : "As it appears to be certain that moral means maybe used successfully with a moral malady, the cause of which is physical, we think that the Minister, in concert with the Physician, may possibly eflfect something. The influence of the moral on the physical is as unquestionable, as conceivable, and probably as powerful, as that of the physical on the moral." " Sometimes the idea makes the disease ; moral evil becomes physical evil — a disease properly so called : let us ascertain if it has done so." TREATMENT OF A CHRISTIAN IN INSANITY. ^'J'J " We should be sorry to think that to persons in whom mental disease has become a complete insanit}', the spiritual aids of the ministry must be useless. With them, especially, reasoning would doubtless be useless, and even dangerous. But I think with Harms, that even when discussion is impossible, it may sometimes be useful to speak. Solitude and the absence of inter- course may irritate the disease as much as injudicious contradic- tion ; and by inducing him to speak, we may obtain some insight into the patient's soul. Let us indulge the hope that, in some lucid or less perturbed moment, we may introduce into the poor wanderer's spirit some peace, perhaps some light, or may excite some favorable emotion which God may regard." " The mere names of the heavenly Father and the divine Medi- ator are very powerful, and often have effect when discourse can do nothing. A certain authority, a certain daringness is neces- sary ; we should be conscious of feeling strong : to use an expres- sion of Harms, there is a kind of tnagic in authority which faith imparts."* A Clergyman should make himself familiar with the causes of temporary aberration, as presented in " Whar- ton's Medical Jurisprudence" ; especially with those which produce frequent periodical brief aberrations. As these occur in almost every Parish, a Minister, espe- cially a young Minister, is sorely harassed until he has discovered that they are natural, and pass away like other diseases with their causes. Prayer meeting with a Christian in Insanity. It happened nearly forty years ago. All the mem- bers of the family who were present on that occasion are dead. There will therefore be no impropriety in putting upon record the remarkable incidents of that evening. * Vinet, pp. 293-5. 478 PASTORAL VISITING. As usual, upon Wednesday evening the little knot of Christian people in my first parish were gathered for prayer. Among them came a Communicant who was specially valued among us for her gentleness, quietness, and amiable traits, and for the devoutness of her habits. During the previous fortnight she had been attending religious services in the Valley : but as we had fre- quently conversed about them I had no reason to sup- pose that they had been specially exciting. It happened, however, that during the later days of the meeting, the subject of our Saviour's second coming had been dwelt upon; and it happened, (as Ave should say unfortu- nately,) that during the same time, unknown to herself, my friend was suffering under the incipient symptoms of brain fever. She was in a condition of great excite- ment from this disease on the evening alluded to, but her husband, not realizing the danger, did not restrain her when she insisted upon going as usual to the AVednesday service. These facts came to my knowl- edge afterwards, and are necessary to be known in order to explain what followed. The service proceeded as usual; a brief form of prayer followed by a hymn, and then the reading of the Psalm on which I intended to comment. Whilst reading the Psalm, at an allusion to Messiah, suddenly a shriek ! Such a shriek ! It haunts me still. Most unearthly ! sharp, shrill, terrible ! It started the con- gregation to their feet. It chilled the currents of my blood. For a moment I stopped; until, recovering myself, feeling that to diminish the excitement I must retain self-possession, I went on with the reading. No further interruption occurred for a while. I observed, TREATMENT OF A CHRISTIAN IN INSANITY. 479 however, that my friend had refused to leave the chapel. 1 began my exposition in no very collected frame of mind, and it is pretty certain without much co- herence. When in the coarse of remark the critical verse had been reached, again that imearthly shriek ! Most of the congregation left the chapel instantly. I could do nothing except shut the book, pronounce a brief prayer, give a benediction, and go to the side of my friend. By this time her agitation began to exhibit itself painfully. With great difficulty she was per- suaded to leave the church. She refused to go home. We induced her to accompany us to my hostess' rooms, which were just across the street. There she began to upbraid me for the dishonor done to her infant son, who she affirmed to be the Messiah, by terminating a meeting which had been gathered in his honor, and was engaged in praising him. She insisted that the congre- gation should be recalled, and the services resumed : and absolutely refused to go home until her request should be complied with. At this interval, after nearly forty years, I can still feel the intense mental conflict of that moment. I had been a minister scarcely two years. I knew the inexpe- diency of using force with a patient in her condition. Of course to yield to the harmless vagary of insanity is the dictate of prudence. But could I venture, even in such a cause, to imitate the solemnities of Avorship ? At last I consented to the entreaties of her family, and I note the incident, if not for the guidance of others, at least to relieve somewhat their perplexities by my sympathy; if perchance they should ever be in a similar perplexity. 480 PASTORAL VISITING. A strange party it was, that crossed the street, and went again into our little chapel, at the rear of the church. With what singular feelings I opened the Prayer Book to begin again our service! For my friend insisted that not one word of the original service should be altered. But the all seeing One, reading our hearts, knew that the words we uttered meant not alto- gether what sounded on the ear, but that which filled our souls, anxiety for our friend and earnest supplica- tion for her relief. As all was solemn and quiet I began to be reassured. I reached the Psalm. When I mentioned Messiah's name, again that shriek ! I shut the Bible. My lips refused their office. Then my friend, observing the pause, said, "Let us pray.'' We knelt: and she poured forth such a prayer as I can imagine the Saints to utter before the throne. It was joyously faithful, and full of hope. It was perfectly coherent, except wdien al- luding to her son as the Messiah ; for she mingled the thought with remembrances of the Infant of Bethle- hem. But it was redolent of praise ; full of love to the Redeeming Lord. Her lips seemed touched with the fire of the Altar. We did not know how near she was kneeling at that moment, to the foot of the throne. When she had finished and rose, she said, "Now, Mr. Bedell, give out a hymn." I gave out the hymn, " God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform," marvelling what would happen next. For my choris- ter had gone. All music had by this time deserted my soul. I knew that my friend had no ear for music; A PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENON. 431 had never turned a tune in her life, could not even sing a lullaby to her children in the nursery. There was no one to sing. She rose; and then from that voice, all ignorant of song, came forth the hymn, to a familiar tune, as true and pure and musical as ever was heard on earth. It was such a song as Angels sing. Explain it, who can ? It is a psychological phenomenon not mentioned in the books, so far as I know. I have often thought that it throws light on that mystery of our future being — the perfection of our powers which is to follow the imperfection of their present earthly development. Here were perfect musical powers that had not only been unused during thirty years, but ihQ existence of which was actually unknown to the possessor of them; which no exigency of maternal life had brought to light; which had been in abeyance, but were suddenly developed under the pressure of disease ; or perhaps by the removal of some natural obstruction, at the approach of death. Explain it, who can? There never was a sweeter song. She sang every verse of the hymn; no one accompanying her: all listening in amazement, and when she had sung, " God is his own interpreter, And he will make it phiin;" she said, '^ Now, Mr. Bedell, dismiss us with the bene- diction." She returned quietly to her home. In one week we carried her body to the burial. The mysteries were opened to her. Her soul was with her Saviour. 41 482 PASTORAL VISITING. The Backslider. Such cases must be carefully followed. Great pa- tience is to be used. Their condition is to be faithfully and judiciously revealed to themselves. The difficulty lies not in unconsciousness, but in an unwillingness to realize the true peril of their state. A Pastor must use every method to get behind this unwillingness. When that is done, especially when the person has been induced to volunteer a visit to the Pastor or a request for a visit from him, the special obstacle will have been overcome. The Pastor's first object will be to discover precisely what the degree and character of this " falling away" has been. The second object will be to trace its causes and origin. Generally the origin will be found to have been neglect of private prayer, and of the means of grace ; probably a neglect of divine worship, and of the Holy Communion : or more probably, as underlying those other causes, some indulgence in former practices of worldly amusements or ungodly society, which had been renounced, and for a time discontinued. Then the remedy will be obvious. But immediate action is to be pressed, by all the influence of considerations arising from the dreadful danger of this state. Dis- cussion concerning the doctrines of election and assur- ance in such a case are futile : yet you must not be surprised if this person should take shelter under the declaration that having once been the object of Divine grace it is not scriptural to suppose that any permanent spiritual harm can now molest. Satan's most cunning resource is not a direct lie, but an indirect falsehood : THE BACKSLIDER AND THE MISTAKEN. 433 the perversion of truth. Your skill will be shown in preventing the mischievous consequences of this error. The Mistaken Professor. This is a dangerous case, full of difficulty; it requires great firmness and decision in the Pastor. The evil arises from too slight healing of the first wounds of the spirit : in other words from a too hasty profession of religion. The result has been that a person's pride of character and position have become involved. He is unwilling now not to consider himself a Christian ; for the eye of the world has rested upon him : and the inconsistency of continuing to profess to be a Christian, although unworthily, is less uncomfortable than an open acknowledgment of his error. The only remedy is to preach the Gospel over again to this person from the beginning. Go back to the foundations, and build again rightly. It is very diffi- cult and requires a great deal of resolution, of pains- taking effi^rt and considerate thought ; it requires tact and skill, and patience. It will probably be necessary to restrain the person from the Communion for a time : but in order to be effectual , this discipline must avoid publicity. It must result from conscientious conviction on the part of the penitent ; and must be an evidence of repentance, and a means of deepening it. Books and Tracts suitable are, ^^ Startling Questions.'' " Eight Choice." '' Kenunciation." (Bedell.) 484 PASTORAL VISITING. Practical miscellaneous hints as to Pastor'' s Visits. When entering a Parish, make it a first business to go the round of families and individuals; going to every family and calling at every house: every one without an exception, rich and poor, master and ser- vant, married and single. A system of visiting should be persevered in : both as to time, and order. No par- tiality is to be allowed to one's self either as to persons, or frequency of visiting.* A fixed time every day should be devoted to it ; as conscientiously as a time is fixed for study, and sermons; as decidedly as a time is fixed for reading, relaxation, or for dinner. As soon as circumstances permit, let the Pastor arrange for a weekly reception at his own home. Avoid too great intimacies in the parish. Never allow members of a parish to be on such a familiar footing, that they feel at liberty to run in and out of the house at all hours; thus constantly exercising a supervision of the household or family matters. Never repeat in one house what you hear in another. Establish a character for not betraying confidence. Talk about things and subjects: never talk about absent people. Never say a word, or allow a word to be said in your presence, disparaging of the Clergy. Cultivate a habit of recognizing people and calling them by name. This power of quick recognition adds greatly to a Pastor's influence. * Form of Record of Visits is given in Appendix. PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXXII. THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. History. One of the earliest results of the religious awaken- ing in the latter part of the last century, was a revival of care for the lambs of Christ's fold. John Wesley and his brothers, whilst arousing the Church of Eng- land to a sense of the error committed in loss of Gos- pel preaching, and lack of spiritual religion, effected a result probably little dreamed of, by awakening an inquiry as to the original cause of these religious dis- orders. They found it in the neglect of religious edu- cation of the children. 'No parents ever forgot to bring their children to the Parish Church for Baptism, or for- got to place their names on the Register ; but that was the end of their religious duty. And when the Rector had signed the children with the Cross and recorded their names in his book, he dismissed all thought of them. And so it happened that there grew up a gen- eration in England godless and lawless, uncivilized and disordered to a lamentable degree. No sooner was real religion revived than care for these lambs of Christ was felt to be an urgent necessity. Robert Raikes, of Gloucester, in 1781, is generally 41* 485 486 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. thought to have been the originator of Sunday-schools for poor and untaught children : and his constant per- severing labors to perfect this system entitle him to every credit as the leading instrument in God's hands. But the idea was suggested to him by others : and sev- eral recorded attempts had already been made to collect these poor unfortunates into Sunday-schools.* Mr. Raikes survived until somewhere about 1811, rejoicing in the glorious change produced by this simple instru- ment under the hand of God. My knowledge of Sunday-schools dates from about 1824-5, when my father had taken charge of Saint Andrew's Church, Philadelphia, and established a Sunday-school in the basement room under his vestry. Sunday-schools had existed in Saint Paul's, Philadel- phia, from 1816. And a Sunday-school is known to have been gathered by a lay reader in Quincy, Massa- chusetts, as early as 1819. But these, as well as that in Saint Andrew's, were intended, like the English Sunday-school, for children of the poor uneducated classes. Such were generally the scholars collected in the basement of Saint Andrew's. On one Sunday my father took me by the hand, led me down to the Sun- day-school, and placed me among a class of boys, under the care of William Russell. The room was close, * Those who desire to study the history of Sunday-schools will find in the Penny Cyclopsedia, vol. xxi.-xxii. p. 37, an account of Wesley's Method in Bedford, Lancashire, Sunday-school, five years before Raikes's efforts : and also an account of Raikes's Schools. 3 Section, ot seq. Mr. Raikes's views, and an account of the condition of the children, are given on the same page, last section. HISTORY. 487 damp, crowded, and dark. There was small attraction in it ; but I shall never forget the gentle winning Chris- tian love of that dear servant of God. He won his class to him, and bound them to him, by a power of sympathy which I have seldom known equalled. The purpose which my father had in view, is re- corded in the Superintendent's book on that morning. "The Kector brought in his son this morning and placed him in the school, with the purpose of setting an example to members of the congregation." I speak of it because it marked a new era in the Sunday-school idea. Ideas of popular education were in their infancy ; like some other ideas. Steamboats were running on the Delaware River, the machinery of which was made in England, because it could not be well done in America ! Railroads w^re just beginning their transforming career: for even at a much later date, I travelled from Amboy to Bordentown, New Jersey, in a two-decker car drawn by a team of horses tandem. Stages were still moving on the regular route between Philadelphia and New York. The distributing reservoir for the Fairmount water-works was in the square at the crossing of Broad and Market Streets, in Philadelphia: and water was supplied to the city of New York by carts. So, ideas concerning this great enginery of Sunday-schools were still in their infancy. The Sunday-school was still deemed a place only for the poor and uneducated. The Alphabet, the Primer, and the Spelling-book were the common means of instruction. Indeed, they so con- tinued for some subsequent years. When I re-entered St. Andrew's Sunday-school as a teacher, it was to take charge of a class in spelling and reading: and my 488 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. labor on Sundays, when a student at Bristol College, was to walk some three miles to teach young men to spell and read. Consequently it was held foreign to Christian duty for well educated religious parents to send their children to school on a Sunday : deemed neither necessary, important, nor desirable. But the principal objection arose from indisposition to allow children who were well brought up, to mingle with the poorer children, unwashed and uncared for. Gradually this prejudice gave way. By judicious effort some leading families in the congregation were induced to send their children to the school. When the ice was once broken, the thaw spread rapidly. Until now, in these later days, an opposite evil has arisen, and threatens the cause. Our Sunday-schools are filled with the children of the wealthy and middle classes, to the exclusion of the poor and uneducated. Those for whom Sunday-schools were invented are now taught in Mission Schools and Parish Schools, and others; for new names are invented whenever a new necessity occurs for migrating with poorer scholars from contact with the rich. And many, even Christian parents, have transferred the duty of religious teaching of their own children to the Sunday-school Instructor. They forget the obligation resting upon them to train up their offspring in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As usual, truth lies between extremes. The Sunday- school like the Church should be composed of all classes. The need of religious instruction is a common ground on which all classes stand. The poor and uu instructed come to learn all truth. Those who are partially in- HIS RESPONSIBILITY. 489 structed at liome come to be better instructed. Those who are well taught at home find, injudicious Sunday- school instruction, an auxiliary to enforce and imprint the beloved teachings of home. Hence the Sunday-school rightly organized and filled is an epitome of the Church ; and the Pastor finds in this little church the representatives of all the classes whom he meets in the laro^er cono-reo^ation. The Pastor^s responsibility. Consequently his responsibility is sole, and absolute. The entire charge of the religious education, and spiritual welfare of these children rests on the Pastor's soul. Is it a tremendous responsibility? is it an awful burden? so is the charge of his parish. Indeed it is but part of the whole. It sometimes oppresses the more, because individuals, otherwise scattered, are here aggregated and approached in mass ; or because individuals otherwise addressed at a distance, and as it were impersonally, from a pulpit, are here brought as close to the heart, as they are to the lips. The Pastor gets near, very near to their souls ; and as he sees them hanging on his words, and moulded by every touch, the responsibility of his pastoral power begins to be realized. But no Pastor can transfer this responsibility. It arises out of his relationship and is inherent. Neither is it to be divided. Teachers have their own responsibility. A Superintendent, if there be one, has his responsibility. But their responsibilities are not the Pastor's responsibility. They are for the time in the place of Parents. But the Pastor, like the Parents, has original responsibility arising out of his divinely ap- 490 "THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. pointed relationship. God has given him charge over these souls. It springs from his spiritual oversight of the Body of Christ. And it cannot be divided with any one. If these two ideas are settled in your minds, the question is settled, whether the Pastor is Superintendent of his Sunday-school. There may be questions of ex- pediency as to how many details of superintendency he shall discharge ; but there is no question either in prin- ciple or fact that by his ordination, and appointment as Pastor, he is Superintendent of his Sunday-school ; and this superintendence is not to be merely nominal. A Pastor is not to be anxious to secure the name, but the thing. Nor is he merely to exercise power and au- thority; but he is to discharge those difficult duties which authority secures, the privilege of discharging which is the only valuable result of power. The selec- tion of teachers, and the direction of studies belong to him. As the whole spiritual value of the school de- pends on these two points, he is to charge himself with them assiduously. Securing what helps he can, yet he alone is responsible before Christ for every teacher's fitness, to whom he confides a lamb of the flock, and for all instruction that is poured in upon the impressible souls of these precious ones of Christ. Assistant Superintendent. — Sometimes a name be- comes a thing. The name Superintendent sometimes implies the possession of a power and influence which excludes and supersedes the Pastor. As this ought never to be, I prefer to use the name Assistant Super- intendent for the officer, who is to be the Pastor's Lieu- tenant in the management of the Sunday-school. The HIS RESPONSIBILITY. 49 X Pastor is the superinteDclent, actually; but not in the title. The Assistant Minister (if there be one) should be Assistant Superintendent. Otherwise let some well qualified influential layman be appointed. Neither social position nor wealth, but religious, moral, social, and ecclesiastical position combined, should determine your selection. And he should be thoroughly in accord with the Pastor. As he must often stand in the Pas- tor's place, he should be well acquainted with the Pastor's views, and be in entire sympathy with his general opinions; if possible also with his peculiar views. There is only one Head to the Parish. The Shepherd has the responsibility for the way which the flock is to take. A strange confusion would there be should the under Shepherd lead the lambs one way, whilst the Sliepherd was leading the sheep another! The Assistant Superintendent's piety should be assured ; his morality undoubted and unsuspected; his social position respectable; his intelligence well known ; his general cultivation sufficient to enable him to hold his place with every teacher ; and his knowledge should be accurate both of Scripture and of those branches which illustrate it, such as history, geography, etc. He is a leader ; and is to exert power of influence. Such a right man is not easily found. A serious difficulty arises when a wrong man gets into this office. Some- times it is a less evil of two to allow him undisturbed possession. Asa general rule it is wisest to take for granted your position as Pastor, and to assume the direction as soon as you enter the Parish. Where you desire to assure the Superintendent in his position, let whatever you do 492 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. be seen to be done in your relation as Pastor, taking pains to leave all that you can in the Superintendent's hands. Where the Superintendent is not judicious, or acts as you do not approve, quietly assume more and more of the direction. The result will depend on the wisdom you exhibit. If you are recognized as Super- intendent the reins will soon lie in your hands ; and if the unfit man do not speedily retire, at least he will become a cipher. Where the interests of a School require a change in the Superintendency, let it never be made hastily or violently, or by a mere act of authority. A wise Pastor will find many ways to bring his ends about, no one being the wiser. Perhaps an exchange of duty may be effected; for the lines of talent for the posts of superintendent and teacher are not parallel. One who cannot guide a school may nevertheless be the best of teachers for a Bible Class. Executive ability to govern en masse, differs from that which influences individuals. Before leaving the subject of Assistant Superin- tendent I would say, that it may often be wise to select a woman to this office ; especially for girls. The best Superintendent of Sunday-schools I have ever known was the noble woman who had cliarge of a large girls' school during ten years of my father's Ministry, and after his death, for ten years longer, in St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia ; and subsequently had charge of the girls' department in my school at the Ascension Church, New York, for a longer period: fulfilling more than thirty years of the most devoted and efficient service, terminated only by death, at nearly seventy years of age. Miss Thurston had never HIS CHOICE OF TEACHERS. 493 been absent from her post for a single Sunday during all that period, except by absolute necessity ; and never a day from ill health. A woman excels in those pecu- liarities of disposition which fit a person for tlie duty of Superintendent ; whilst she may not have so much executive ability, she often has large religious devotion, purity of character, suavity, patience, and prudence; and by gentleness accomplishes the ends of Sunday- school government. By all means take a well-qualified woman for Superintendent, even of a whole school, rather than a partially qualified or ill qualified man. In such case, lead the devotions yourself, or when absent place that duty in the hands of some fit male teacher. The Choice of Teachers. — Pastoral visiting will aid you in discovering those who are fitted for teachers. It is not every one who has a desire, or even a religious impulse to teach, in whose hands that responsibility ought to be placed. If the Assistant Superintendent be prudent and judicious, the choice of teachers may well be left in his hands : the Pastor reserving only the right of confirming his nominations. And it will be important both for the Pastor's own sake, and that of the School, that the Assistant Superintendent shall exercise a large influence in the selection. It will aid his discipline, by increasing his authority. And it will greatly relieve the Pastor of an onerous task. Place in his hands the duty of dispensing with the services of unsuitable teachers, should that ever become necessary. Guidance of studies. — As a matter of principle, the Pastor will take control of all the studies of the Sunday-school. He will select the books, and arrange 42 494 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. the course. It is as obviously his duty, as it is to select themes for the pulpit. He is to feed the lambs of Christ. He must know the whole constituents and proportions of the spiritual nourishment which is given them. Disagreement on this as on all topics is to be prevented by avoiding ostentation of authority ; espe- cially in one's opening ministry. Make the choice of books to be studied and arrange the methods of study, after consulting with your Superintendent, or through your teachers' meeting. In this latter relation you may not only have the benefit of the experience of those who have been co-laborers, and have shown their interest in the work, but here you will be able to in- fluence, and in a legitimate and effective way may lead, their judgments to accord with your own. Tlie Pastor^ s relation to his Sunday-school is precisely that which he bears to every other department of his spiritual charge and to his Sunday scholars, that which he bears to them out of school. He is Pastor. The Pastor's responsibility for his Sunday-school is entire, before Christ. It is entire, before the people ; who have placed themselves and their children under his spiritual guidance. It extends to the whole su- perintendence of the school. It includes the selection of Assistant Superintendent; and of the Teachers. It includes the choice of books for study; and the course of study, and supervision of the mode of teach- ing and study. And incidentally, he is the judge of the character of all books that are read in the school. Qualifications. — In the selection of Teachers a Pastor should have regard to their possession of the following REQUISITES FOR A TEACHER. 495 qualifications, which are arranged in the order of com- parative importance : 1. Genuine pfety. 2, Good temper, 3. Self-control. 4, Punctuality. ■{ 5. Affectionate persuasive address. 6. Prudence. 7. Firmness. 8. Impartiality. ^ 9. Patience and perseverance, f 1. Intelligent knowledge of religion. Elements of character. Preparations. ! 2. Intellio-ent acquaintance with Scriptui 3. Love of children. 4. General intelligence and cultivation. In selecting an Assistant Superintendent it is to be remembered that the position should be that of entire authority in his or her sphere. Consequently, after choosing such an officer, let the Pastor exhibit perfect confidence in him or her. The Pastor may place limits and define the sphere. But having done so, the position should be made one of entire authority within those limits and in that sphere. The Qualities necessary are, Dignity. Punctuality. a prompt and distinct utterance. Orderliness. Quietness. Firmness. Spiritedness. Goodness or manners. Good manners are not the least point to be thought of in selecting an Assistant Superintendent. He should 496 '^HE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. be a gentleman or she a lady, in the highest and truest sense : persons of thoughtful considerate dealing, sym- pathizing and sincere. They are under the necessity of dealing with teachers as well as scholars. Rough, bluif, blunt inconsiderateness is often real unkindness. It repels, offends, and sometimes disgusts. The manners of a Superintendent are the models for imitation, and consequently should be a part of your system of educa- tion. Quietness in a Superintendent is especially necessary to the good order of your school. A noisy, boisterous, hurrying Superintendent, will be sure to keep a school in an uproar. Quietness subdues disorder, abates noise, gives weight to authority. A prompt and distinct utterance is very important. All being able to hear, all will be attentive. Notices of lessons, hymns, and ques- tions are not heard by any instinct. The opposite sort of utterance in a Superintendent invariably produces inattention and disorder. T\\Q 'preparations needed in a Superintendent in order that he may successfully face his position, should be carefully observed. His character will be reflected on the School. Consequently he should be an established Christian; and beyond that should be well considered, respected, and esteemed by the community. He must not be a novice^ nor untried. The community having known him, parents will be ready to place their chil- dren under his care : otherwise your school is likely to be (as it ought to be) empty. The selection of an Infant School Teacher presents some special difficulties. I have seen all necessary qualities once combined in a man, Ashton Claxton, REQUISITES FOR A TEACHER. 497 of Philadelphia. Generally they are to be found in an unmarried woman. Married women having been brought into collision with their children's tempers and wills, with worrying habits and evil hearts, have learned the necessity of using discipline not always the mildest. Therefore, as a rule, they are not quite so well suited to this task as the unmarried. Unmarried women think of the mode of disciplining children theo- retically ; and love and kindness are the only rods they employ. This method of treatment may be quite pos- sible, once a week, for one hour, w^ithout violating Solomon's precept or without interfering wdth any wise discipline of home. In general then I advise you to choose a young bright sprightly lively single woman for Infant School Teacher. She must be able to sing, and should love to sing. Before appointing such a Teacher to a permanent position, I advise that her apt- ness for the post be thoroughly tried. Let her make the experiment of instructing the class for several Sundays; and let the Pastor satisfy himself of her fit- ness before committing to her this most responsible work. The choice of Bible Class Teachers presents still greater difficulties. These Instructors hold an inter- mediate position between the Sunday-school, and the Pastor's own great school, the Church. On their com- petency depends the solution of that most serious ques- tion, so greatly agitating all Christian minds, how shall the Church retain its hold on those Sunday scholars Avho deem themselves, or perhaps really are, too old or too much advanced to enjoy or profit by ordinary Sun- day-school class instruction ? Our Common School 42* 498 ^^^ PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. system provides a High Seliool for such : but the High School pursues methods of its own under a higher class of Teachers than those who conduct the ordinary de- partments. The Bible Classes are the Church's High School. If the instruction should generally be the same in substance as that of the Sunday-school, and if possi- ble the same in subject, it should be pursued by sucli higher methods, and with such broader illustrations, as will render it supremely attractive to older scholars; so that they will not willingly be separated from their Bible Class. But to attain this end the Teacher must be superior; a superior person in mental qualities, in breadth of culture, in Scriptural knowledge, and in spiritual character. To say that we have few such Teachers is either to belie our Church, or to tell of its disgrace. I do not believe it. I have never found any such want, either in my little parish at West Chester, where my whole congregation immbered only eighty souls, or in the Church of the Ascension, New York, nor in any ordinarily alive parish in Ohio. The diffi- culty generally rises from a hap-hazard choice by the Rector, which it is not easy for him subsequently to remedy. He should take the Bible Class himself, until he can find a proper substitute : and he should realize that the proper substitute is not likely to volunteer, but must be sought for, and will probably be drawn out of modest retirement unwillingly, and only by pressure on the conscience. But let the right person be found, and the Pastor discovers that the questlo vexatci is solved to his hand. His scholars pass most cheerfully from the Sunday scholars' benches to the Bible Class, and from the Bible Class to his Confirmation Class, and thence to REQUISITES FOR A TEACHER. 499 the active lay work of his Church, without reluctance and without a break. The Bible Class Teacher should have an acknowl- edged good social position in the community. He should be a busy man, not an idler ; she an active, earn- est woman, with no leisure ; neither of them having a moment to spare except for conscientious preparation for the Sunday Lesson. A lawyer, or an earnest mer- chant, who has scarcely leisure to eat bread ; that is the man who will lay hold of this work for Christ with conscientiousness, and carry it through. A woman who is a student, whose family cares are no longer petty and worrying, but who is a leader in society and in social benevolences, whose conversation and wit are gen- erally attractive ; that is the person who will make your Bible Class the very centre of attraction. They will study the lesson not only to know what the words teach, but what the thousand revelations of God teach through the words ; revelations in nature, in art, in history, in daily circumstances. Such teachers may be found. Happy the Pastor who has an eye, and is guided by God's grace, to search them out. As a guide to determine the competency of a Bible Class Teacher, as well as to point out books suitable for such classes, place in your Teacher's hands such courses of instruction as " Eleven Months in Horeb,'^ and the ^'Church in the Wilderness."* That sort of books, giving the results of deep study, and long experience in what is needed for a Bible Class, will test your * Published by Kandolph, New York. 500 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. Teacher's willingness and zeal, will stimulate activity in inquiry in the same direction, and will quicken the earnestness of every scholar. Every Parish in our Church contains such Teachers, or ought to. Let the Pastor find them ; or let him never rest until he shall have educated some to meet the occasion. PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXXIII. SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. Definition of a Sunday-School. It is the nursery of the Church. It is that depart- ment of His household where Christ's children are trained. It bears the same relation to the Church as the nursery to the family. It is where His children are nurtured and trained to enter into and enjoy the employments and society of Christ's family. It is our Church's glory that she makes express provision for the religious education of her little ones. In this her rule is both Scriptural and Apostolic. From the earliest days children were the care of Christ's Ministers. The Sunday-school in these later days fills the place which was so largely occupied by Catechumens in the elder days. Those were indeed unbaptized ; but many in our Sunday-schools are in that condition. The resemblance, however, is specifically this, that Catechumens were being prepared to be admitted to all the privileges of the Church. And this is the distinct purpose for which Sunday-schools now exist. They are not nurseries in the sense that there 501 502 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. children are kept out of mischief on the Lord's day. A Sunday-school is not to be considered a Creche — a home for small children, where at small expense an indolent or careless parent may send a child to be nour- ished in the word of life or what not on Sundays, whilst the parent occupies himself or herself in more con- genial employments. But it is the holy place, where the children of Christ, the lambs of his fold, baptized or not baptized, like the Catechumens of old, are gath- ered under the immediate superintendence of his Min- isters, and the Brethren, to be educated for Christ and his Church. Departments. Naturally the children will be divided into classes according to age: and sometimes according to advance- ment. The Infant School consists of those who are from four years to eight or twelve. The age varies greatly according to the advancement of the Scholars. The General Sunday-School is composed of all whose advancement lies between the Infant School and the Bible Classes. Here Avill be opportunity for making wise and prudent discrimination, between different de- grees of moral, social, and intellectual training. No discrimination should be made merely on account of social position ; none based on wealth ; but some dis- crimination is allowable on the score of social habits. Discrimination is always to be made on account of training, and advancement in the scale of intellectual and moral education. Some poorer children will ex- hibit more intelligence, knowledge of Scripture, better manners, more real gentility, than neglected children OBJECTS OF SUNDAY INSTRUCTION. 5()3 of rich people; especially those whose training has been received entirely from the hands of ignorant nurses. City parents often leave their children to be cared for by hired servants; (many of them "French" nurses, who never left Ireland until they emigrated to America;) mere servants, having little knowledge, and less sympathy. Of course these children fall far be- hind those who have been trained by prayerful and loving, though, it may be, humble hands, of i)arents in poverty. Such discrimination should be made for the sake of each class ; and of each child. The rule as to formation of classes is, to gather into each those who are nearest the same degree of intellectual and moral advancement. Bible Classes are for the more advanced scholars. They are not to be taught catechetically, but are to be instructed in methods of gathering lessons for them- selves out of God's word, and should be practised in this art. The sexes should be taught separately, as a general rule. Objects of Sunday instruction. The primary object in all departments is i\\Q forma- tion and development of a Chnstian. It is to be kept constantly prominent. The object is not amusement ; not relief from tedium ; not secular instruction. But the distinct object is to develop the children as true Christians. This being so, it settles the question as to religious character in the teachers. They who are to lead children to Christ by the straight and narrow way must have gone that way themselves : and the higher the attainments of a teacher in the divine Life, the more 504 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. successful he is likely to be, provided he shall not have lost sympathy with the imperfections of childhood. An object of scarcely less importance is {\\q formation of character. Character partly results from natural gifts; partly from correction of wrong biasses and habits, and largely from the production of right habits. All traits of character were originally good, and even the most noxious now are only perversions of what were right. For example, impatience is often only energy perverted or ill regulated: a desire to see a thing quickly done which lingers ; or an end quickly attained, when the reason for delay does not appear. Ambition and pride are not in themselves wrong, but only their perversions are injurious. Vanity is the perversion of pride; emulation and jealousies are the perversions of ambition. Self-love is implanted in the nature for self-preservation : selfishness is its perver- sion. Now energy, ambition, pride, self-love, need to be regulated, educated, taught to hold their rightful place in the moral economy. And character therefore results, partly from tlie peculiar formation of one's dis- position as it is called ; and partly from the education or want of education of these peculiarities. As so much depends on early training of disposition, the part which a Sunday-school Teacher discharges is of the utmost importance. And one main effort of the Sunday-school Teacher should be to watch, develop, correct, and form these natural temperaments into permanent godly wholesome character. Another object is religious instruction, for it is the proper means by which to produce religion. Just as instruction is the first duty of the preacher, so of the OBJECTS OF SUNDAY INSTRUCTION. 505 Sunday-school teacher : for upon right information of the mind is based the right direction of the affections. Even where conversion does not immediately follow, right instruction implants seeds which are never eradi- cated. We find them in later years constantly devel- oped into plants of everlasting life. A Teacher should therefore be always hopeful of producing direct religious results by conscientious and well-directed religious teaching. A last object, and only a little inferior, is by Sunday instruction to form in every scholar, an intelligent at- tachment to our Church: not blind, but intelligent attachment, for that will stand. And yet even an attachment that has no better foundation than tradi- tionary love, based on a parent's instructions, or a teacher's example, is far better than no ecclesiastical attachment at all. Miserable is the fate reserved for a Sunday scholar whose affections are dispersed through all sorts of forms of religious faith, and whose religious habits are settled nowhere. Generally infidelity results, or heresy ; almost certainly carelessness of religion, and fatal irreligion. But a Pastor should desire this attach- ment to be intelligent. It should have a basis in his- torical facts and scriptural principles, and therefore be able to withstand temptation and attack. Distinct Church instruction should therefore be given. Not only should the whole line of instruction be churchly, that is, conformed to the standards of our Church and taking its tone from them, but definite teaching should be given as to the structure and government of our Church, the reasons for them and their propriety. It should never be controversial, never comparative, but w 43 506 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. always positive. It is better that the Pastor should give this class of instruction. He tliereby insures unity of views. As a necessary corollary, Sunday scholars should never be allowed to attend the schools of other Churches than their own. The instruction in our own Church should be so distinctive, that there will be no tempta- tion for others than our own children to attend our schools. And believing, as I do, that other Churches are equally alive to the importance of this precept, our Parents should never allow their children to stray from our own folds. I recommend that free use be made of Bishop Gar- rett's "Continuity of the Church," and "Clark's Walk about Zion.'' Means, The primary means of reaching these ends are the Word and Prayer. Except as the Bible lays the founda- tion for attaining these ends, nothing permanent will be accomplished : for as there is no real moral truth which has not its basis in Scripture principles and Divine revelation ; so no permanent influence can be produced on the character, except by the power of divine truths, by the guidance and aid of the Holy Ghost, and by the sanctions and assistance revealed in the Bible. The Word of God, therefore^ is to be the main sub- ject of Sunday-school instruction. No other book for study is to be allowed to be compared with it in im- portance or influence. It is prime. And all other in- struction is to be referred to it. Even the Church Cate- chism, and lessons from the Liturgy, are to be taught as having authority, because God's word teaches them. THE MEANS OF INSTRUCTION. 507 In every department the Bible is to be constantly pre- sented as the one Book, the main study, the Book to which all other instruction is referred and from which it derives its authority. The subsidiary means are : First. The mfluence of a teacher^s character. It is felt. It is direct. It is powerful. Every illustration of character for good, (and alas ! also for evil,) strikes deeply upon the impressible souls who are watching voice, tone, manner, and word. A gentle, kind, affec- tionate, calm, religious morning salutation, for example, especially when followed by a similar manner through the hour, will, by and by, form a class upon that model. The children imitate what they resj^ect and love. Alas! also they imitate more easily what leans to their own perversities. A cold, heartless, indifferent, perfunc- tionary character reflects itself speedily in producing chilliness in the hearts of the class. So a teacher's example tends to, or leads from, conversion ; assists, or detracts from religious instruction ; forms good, or evil, character ; creates, or prevents, attachment to our Church. Religious instruction. — A teacher is interested in it and intelligent in it or not, according to his own re- lio;ious views and their fervor. Character. — A teacher, quiet, composed, well bal- anced, not surprised, not thrown off his guard by im- proper conduct or ill-advised speech, will produce such a character by reflex influence on his class : or if un- punctual, late, hurried, flurried, quick in temper, hasty in speech, easily excited by ill-doing, soon angry, im- })atient, vexed, not studious, indiflerent in manner, care- 508 3W^ PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. less about the lessons, lie will soon make his class sadly like himself. Attachment to the Church. — What attachment to our Church can result if a teacher in our school be a con- scientious Methodist, or Presbyterian, or Baptist, or such in heart; or if, what is almost as much to be deprecated, he be an Episcopalian who knows little about his Church, and can give no intelligible reply to the question, why am I a Churchman? Every Pastor should have teachers who revere and love our Church, if he wishes his scholars to grow up in intelligent attachment to our Church. 'Prayer is a teacher's main resort, for he needs divine help in his teaching of Scripture, in leading the tender heart to Christ, and in forming character. Prayer, bringing Divine aid or rather inducing a sense of its presence, is the Teacher's main support. Children soon learn to feel the power of a praying teacher. There is an insensible influence produced by a teacher's manner who by continued prayer lives within an appreciation of heavenly realities. And, there is also a sensible influence ; for a teacher who comes from his knees to teach his class, brings with him a glory and a spiritual radiance, reflections of the mercy-seat, which affect the children's keen perceptions like as Moses' face im- pressed the Israelites when he came down from the Mount, ignorant of the glory which he brought with him, but so vivid that his peoj^le could not steadfastly behold it. Method. System in Instruction. — There should always be some system. Nothing good is accomplished at hap-hazard. METHODS. 509 To allow each teacher to select his own book for study and his own mode of using it, is no system. A thorough systematic tracing of the whole round of truth is to be secured. Studies should be so arranged that the Pastor as overseer should be able to address the School as a whole — as a unit ; which is impossible unless the in- struction has unity. The best system is that which comes nearest to the order of instruction in the Church. If it could run entirely parallel, if children could be taught in Schools the first elements of those truths which they are sub- sequently to hear expounded and matured in the pulpit, they would be prepared to listen to sermons intelligently, and would understand them. It is not impossible. Claxton's questions on the Gospels in two series, were written for my School in New York. They consist of two classes of questions : for the young on the text ; for the elder on the meaning of the passage. Addi- tional questions are given which can be still further expanded for Bible Classes, and Avhich will direct each teacher to practical thoughts ; and there are added always a few questions on the ecclesiastical season, and the Church. This scheme I believe to be as nearly perfect as anything that can be devised. A series of questions of similar character and equal value has been published by Rev. Dr. French, of Cleveland, Ohio. Now, suppose, the same sort of book should be pre- pared from the Epistles ; another from the First Les- sons ; another on the Second Lessons of Morning and Evening service. We should then have six books, forming a course for as many years. And no system- atic course has yet been devised which would compare 4^* 510 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. with this in giving a full knowledge of Scripture run- ning parallel with the orderly teaching of the Church. On each Sunday all scholars in every department should study the same passages of Scripture. The Infant School should study it by pictures illustrating it and by the Teacher's comments on it. The Sunday- school lower classes, by questions on the text ; higher classes, by a second fuller series of questions; Bible Classes, by expounding the practical questions ; and the congregation, by listening to a sermon which should give the highest elucidation of the whole meaning of the Spirit in the passages. All these should be coupled with the teachings of the day in the Church's year. So a Pastor would accomplish all the ends for which he gathers his Sunday-school. Mode of Gondueilng the exercises. These should be in harmony with the Church's modes: as to principle, liturgical, responsive, with brief preconceived prayers, and a short Scripture read- ing : as to posture, precisely that of the Church, rever- ential, and proper, — in ]3rayer, kneeling; in praise, standing; when listening to God's word, sitting; when addressed, standing. Many liturgies for Sunday-school are too long. The service should be varied, short, and spirited ; a portion of a Psalm should be read responsively, and a chant sung. It is better not to repeat precisely the same features as will occur in the Church service. The only exception should be the reading a small portion of the Psalter for the day, in order to prepare the children to respond in the approaching service in the Church. HABITS. 511 Habits in Sunday-school. — Habits are all-important in the process of education. Punctuality. Regularity. System, Thorough study. Churchliness. All these should be pressed and fixed as part of good and true character. A devotional manner should be inculcated ; the habit of making audible responses ; the practice of kneeling in prayer (I do not mean mere bowing of the head), and standing in singing (not lolling), and reverential attention. Order in all things is a part of character. All habits are to be impressed, not as a convenience to the Teacher, or to the School, but as part of true education for the pupil. They are to form that character, which is to be the most precious inlieritance which a scholar can receive from Sunday- school instruction. And all those habits are to be invariably practised by the Teacher. Modes of developing character. Punctuality. — No admittance to the Sunday-school room should be allowed during the time of worship. No book should be allowed from the library to any one who has not been present at the* opening worship. No reward should be given for punctuality ; for punctual- ity is a duty. There is no merit in it. It is right. The proper reward is satisfaction for right doing. Habits of study may be encouraged by an expression of pleasure on the Teaclier's part, when finding that the class or individual scholar has been industrious. A 512 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. Superintendent's report noticing a good scholar, and giving the name to the Rector; and his subsequent commendation of that scholar will have a salutary effect. Let it be observed, that encouragement is to be given not for the amount of texts or the knowledge gained, but for the real study done according to the capacity of the scholar ; and for his actual comprehension of and acquisition of truths. A small advance in real knowl- edge is worthy of more commendation than large gains in the mere recollection of words or of facts. Pre- miums for the number of verses learned are often unjust, because they cannot be measured according to the natural capacity or the real industry of the pupil. They create unhappiness and do much more harm than good. Habits of Benevolence. — Give to a Sunday-school constant opportunity for real charity. Always let the object be large ; sometimes beyond their feeble efforts, but not impossible; let it always be interesting to them. Keep them informed about the object. Treat them precisely as you do their elders. Make this benevo- lence a matter of principle, not of impulse. Never allow them to contribute for the maintenance of their own School or their Library, or for anything that can have a possible tinge of selfishness. Their own gifts are desired; not their- parents' money. They should be taught to contribute of money which has been given to them to spend as they please, not that which has been given to them to give. No invidious comparisons between classes or persons in the amount which they contribute ought ever to be allowed. In announcing a collection, name the whole amount : but never name HELPS. 513 individual gifts, and (I advise) never name class gifts ; for classes vary in their ability to make charitable offerings, and unhappy comparisons may arise, and unintentional injustice may be done. A loving spirit of charity may be checked — indeed may be killed — by praising the donations of a class which gives largely because it gives without self-sacrifice, whilst slighting the smaller gifts of a poorer class which have been the offering of a true hearty self-denial. A Pastor is to keep steadily in view, not present gains in amount, but, permanent habits of benevolence. Helps. A Library. — If it consists of such religious books as used to be published by the judicious work of the American Sunday-School Union, or the Episcopal Sunday-School Union, or the Evangelical Knowledge Society, or other like Christian Societies, it may help your children's education. But so-called Sunday-School Libraries prepared by booksellers of the present day entirely for their own profit, are an abomination, and should be abolished. Anniversary exercises are desirable : but in the mode of conducting them, they should be carefully distin- guished from worldly observances. School rooms should be made in every way convenient and pleasant. They should never be in a damp or dark basement. The scholars' benches should always be arranged in such a manner that the pupils may surround their Teacher. Every eye in a class should be concentrated upon the Instructor. In no other way can attention be insured. Pictures, maps, and other 514 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. appliances to help in education and encourage cheerful- ness should be plentifully provided. Discipline should never be needed. Nor will it be, if both Superintendent and Teachers understand their duty and discharge it. But if it should become neces- sary, it will scarcely ever go beyond the temporary loss of privileges : as, for example, loss of the use of the Library, or of attendance at the Anniversary or Fes- tivals. If the Treasurership of the Class Missionary Society be ahvays held as a mark of honor, and a position of high trust, the loss of the privilege of accepting that office will be a severe act of discipline. An incorrigible pupil should be excluded for the sake of other scholars, and, before his example shall have had time to work mischief. Discipline as it respects Teachers, relates only to the subject of Eeports, and to their discharge of the duty of visiting their scholars. Teachers should report monthly to the Assistant Superintendent, and through him to the Pastor. Reports should be prepared accord- ing to a schedule. They should exhibit always the punctuality and advancement of each member of the- Class. The Reports should account for each absence of a scholar : and should exhibit at least one visit each month by the Teacher to each scholar. The Superintendent's Report to the Pastor should be monthly ; and should embody the results of the month's work and visiting. It should be accompanied by all the individual reports of the Teachers. RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRIVILEGES. 515 Responsibilities of Teachers. The responsibilities of teachers are to be much urged by the Pastor. Their nature is shown by the fact that Teachers are in loco parentis for the time: charged with a parent's duty of religious culture. They take the place of sponsors for the time. The teacher's office is often a mode by which parents and sponsors can act ; and blessed are they when they feel towards their class as parents and sponsors should. But teachers are alto- gether misplaced, when neither a sense of responsibility, nor a love for their office animates their souls. Beyond this and higher is their responsibility to God : which is to be cherished by prayer. Below it is their responsi- bility to the Pastor. A sense of this responsibility is to be cultivated by regular systematic reports; espe- cially as to the spiritual condition of the Class. The faithful presentation of such reports has been known to bring about a revival of religious life in a whole school. Privileges of Teachers. These grow out of responsibilities. They consist in that intimacy, confidence, and personal attachment which grows up between Teacher and Pupil, and which often increases with years. A power of assistance comes also as a privilege to a loving teacher. He may aid the scholar in a hundred ways in after-life ; and bring many a blessing in times of sore trials and heart troubles. It is a precious privilege to have attained such a relationship of moral influence that a Pupil who needs it will not hesitate to 516 THE PASTOR IN HIS SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. ask help, counsel, or advice at any time from a Teaclier whom he trusts because he loves. Very important help will be given to a Pastor or to Teachers by careful study of " Forty years of Sunday- School," by the Kev. Stephen H. Tyng, D.D., Senior. It records his experiences, none could have been more valuable. No other book of the age with which I am acquainted contains so many or such useful practical hints on the whole subject, of Sunday-School man- agement. PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXXIV. DIRECTION OF ACTIVITIES. Definition. The direction of activities is the next topic of our course; and is defined by the term itself. History, It is comparatively a new department of Pastoral labor: springing up contemporaneously with the in- creased activity of mind and work, and the quickening of benevolence in the present century. But only in one sense is it new, for it is as old as Apostolic days. The ancient Church was full of the labors of the Brethren ; illustrated remarkably by indefatigable ex- ertions both of laymen and of Christian women. With the decay of religion lay co-operation declined, and equally the desire for it on the part of the Minis- try. When religion revived at the reformation lay activity was called into play again. And when again after the reformation a reaction took place, and spir- itual religion became dulled, and the pious affections of the Church were chilled, parish work was again left to the parish priests, and the laity subsided out of 44 517 518 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. sight, so far as regarded any labors for the spiritual good of their fellow-men. With the revival of re- ligion under the Wesleys and Whitefield at Oxford University, in the last half of the eighteenth century, a very wonderful outgrowth of laical co-operation was seen. This movement commenced with the little band of University students which gathered round the Wes- leys, and rapidly developed itself in the rise of Method- ism. But since the earlier years of the present century it has taken on new powers and energy, both in Eng- land and America; and indeed among Protestants on the Continent. Until 1800 even Methodism adhered in a measure to the old system, which was that the Ministry should be the sources of all spiritual instruc- tion and benevolences, and the active administrators of it. Under that system a new order of local preachers and class leaders grew up, a sort of ministerial laymen who formed the necessary link, in the slow movements of Providence, between the old idea that the Parish Priest is the only workman (however idle he may be), and the true idea that every true child of God is in a true sense a Priest unto God, and has a definite respon- sibility and a work to do for Christ in the salvation of men. This true idea that the laity as such have a part to do for Christ, is now the settled faith of the Church. Their part lies in three departments : Church benevolences. Individual cha7'ities. Spiritual assistance. Benevolences of the Church. — These are to a greater or less degree under the control and management of the DIRECTION OF ACTIVITIES. 51 9 laity. As they furnish the means for them, and have equal judgment with and often more experience than, the Clergy in conducting them, reason teaches that they should largely control them. A wise Pastor will en- deavor to retain only so much influence over the benev- olences of his people, as to give them the proper direc- tion and prevent abuses. He will throw upon them the burden of responsibility, as well as of labor: know- ing that those who feel the responsibility, always labor most prudently and energetically. Whilst he will en- deavor to exercise sufficient influence, and authority, to enable him to give effective direction and administer correctives, he will studiously keep it from being in- truded, and will hold himself as nmch as possible in the background. His object will be to throw judicious and trusty laymen forward. It will be no little task to induce the right men to take a sufficiently prominent position. The best men will generally be modest or diffident; and it will exercise a Pastor's judgment to restrain the ignorant forwardness of those who esteem themselves something when they are nothing, whilst he pre-sses out into prominent activity those whose meas- ure of their abilities is low, because their standard is scriptural and high. It is a favorite idea with some clerical theorists that the money of the Church should be placed in the Pas- tor's hands, with the entire right and responsibility of its distribution. In carrying out this theory they call upon the laity to give, but require of them only the duty of servants in administering the gift. To men- tion the theory in its boldness is to exhibit its weakness and impropriety. The benevolences of the Church are 520 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. therefore to be thrown upon the laity. They are to be encouraged to originate, to conduct, to sustain charities great and small : and the Pastor is to retain only influ- ence enough to direct them wisely. Individual cha7ities. — These are seldom exercised under the direct advice of the Pastor. They have more of the character of spontaneity ; and can hardly be included within the term church work. Yet it is well, if permitted, that the Pastor should exercise some guidance of them, and at least have cognizance of them. Sometimes much money and zeal are wasted by indi- viduals through want of information, or want of system. Sometimes individual charities interfere with, or become superfluous by, church charities. They are by no means to be discouraged. The direction of them is by no means to be taken out of the hands of those whose kindly thoughts have originated them, even should it be possible : for zeal and generosity would thereby probably be checked. But effort may fairly be made by a Pastor to weave them into the general line of his church's work. Spiritual assistance to the Pastor. — I use this term to indicate a special department of lay agency, in its refer- ence to the spiritual benefit of men. In this depart- ment laymen are distinctly assistants. They do not originate, they have no original authority, nor have they control or management, except as it is derived from the Ministry. The principle is this. All authority to teach and preach — to instruct by authority — is given by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to his Ministers. This is the general law. There may be exceptional CHURCH BENEVOLENCES. 521 cases. The Spirit may choose to use an individual who has no commission, except the evident anointing of the Holy One, for some noted evangelism. He violates no law of Grace towards the Church : because sporadic cases are quite as well known in nature and in providence as in this department, and their useful- ness must be acknowledged. Lay preaching then, as it is termed, if asserting original authority, is irregular and indefensible; but if it be in subordination to the Ministry, deriving authority to teach from the consent and advice of the Minister, and representing itself only as thus subordinate, it becomes a proper adjunct to the Ministerial work. In other words, in spiritual teaching laymen are helps only. A wise Pastor will make great use of tliis lay assist- ance. He will select wise, judicious, earnest-minded, truly pious children of God: and to these he will commit such acts of assistance in religious instruction, as will enable him the more faithfully and efficiently to carry forward his great work. They are to take all such burdens off his shoulders as he can dispense with ; for example, teaching in Sunday-school and Bible Classes, exhorting in cottages and hamlets and in private social meetings, praying with the people, visit- ing the sick and distressed, distributing religious books and visiting with religious conversation from house to house. In the degree in which these partake of a spiritual character, and require deeper spiritual knowl- edge, the Pastor will seek for more advanced Christians as his helpers; but for the most cases, younger and immature Christians may be employed, who will by means of this labor be more rapidly developed. 44* 522 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. Necessity for Lay work. I have already shown the necessity of lay agency from the fact that the principles of the Christian system sanction and require it. But there are three other reasons of great weight : First. — No Pastor can do all the icorh of a Parish in these days of action, mental and religious. He may attempt it; but inevitably he will fail of accomplishing it satisfactorily, or he will break himself down in the effort. It is a physical and moral impossibility. Under the Pastor who not only oversees, but does all the work, the Parish cannot develop its strength : or if it increases as it ought under his active energies, he must succumb. Second. — The necessity for lay work to the cause of Christ appears, by the consideration that all the powers of the Church combined are needed to carry forward the great cause of the Gospel. A battle fought by officers whilst the rank and file looked on idly, might be " magnifique," as the French said of the charge of the six hundred at Balaklava, but would not be " war." It would be almost absurd to attempt to argue such a point. It is self-evident, by the fact that every mem- ber of the Church is associated with every other, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Third. — The religious character of a Parish is to be developed to its utmost growth: graces, virtues, and energy are to be brought into full exercise. This can- not be acconq^lished by mere preaching. Reception of truth is not education. Education requires that knowl- edge and right principles should be put into practice. NECESSITY FOR LAY WORK. 523 Education for the Law, Medicine, or the Ministry, is not completed until the novice has spent much labor in practising on his theories. And spiritual education is never advanced until principles which have been inculcated l^ve been formed into habits : a Pastor must lead his people into exercising gracious disposi- tions, and the virtues of Christian character. There is no way in which these can be developed but by actions; actions which will exhibit these religious qualities. Such virtues and graces as benevolence, kindness of heart, sympathy, anxiety for the salvation of sinners, care for Christ's sick and poor, a large desire for the spread of the Gospel, can be thoroughly culti- vated only by deeds of charity, by visiting the sick, by the management of cases of pauperism, and by real self- denials and exertions in behalf of missions. A faithful Pastor, understanding this truth, will feel himself obliged, indeed will find his keenest happiness, in developing the religious character of his people by these active habits of usefulness. The task thus set before a Minister is of no little difficulty. It is easy to prepare sermons, and to direct the minds of a people from the pulpit or in the lecture room : but when they are to be followed, and watched over during the multi- plied difficulties of a religious life full of activity, the task becomes a mighty one, calling out all a Pastor's wisdom, ingenuity, firmness, zeal, and patience. Nor is it easy always to find work for his people. The larger the parish, and the greater the number of communicants, the more difficult it is to employ them all profitably. Often almost creative powers are called for in the Minister. He must make work when there 524 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. is none, or rather when there seems to be none. For example, he must sometimes transfer his own work to the laity, for their sake, not for his own. A Pastor is expected to suggest work. It will be of service if I shall to a degree develop the main branches of lay activity, and give a few hints as to their proper direction. Charitable Collections. The necessity of system in this department arises from the fact that a congregation's charities are to be the result of a process of education. Education cannot be produced by impulses, or irregular stimulants, or disjointed eiForts. This education, like every other, demands system ; systematic instruction of course : and equally (and this is our point now) systematic habits. These are produced only by fixed method, regular re- currence of opportunity, and continued repetition. In other words, some system (any is better than none) is necessary for this education. System is necessary in order that the habit of con- scientious giving may be encouraged. One may be quite ready to contribute according as God hath pros- pered him; but should he be taken unawares, at church, having had no time to reflect upon the merits of the object or to fill his purse for it, he is deprived of the opportunity of conscientiousness in giving. AVhen, therefore, a system is in use, it should never be varied from. This rule is essential. Occasional collections should be discontinued. But in order to provide for occasional calls, and unexpected demands, let the system itself meet the want by one or more collections for mis- SYSTEM OF CHURCH CHARITIES. 525 cellaneous objects, which shall be at the disposal of the Pastor and Wardens ; or by systematically arranging for and allowing an occasional object to have a place. The different systems practised in oar Church are, Weekly orrERiNGS. Communion offertories. Quarterly collections. Parish Collectors. Weekly offerings, are usually given without specifying a purpose ; and are distributed by the Rector, or better, by the Rector and Wardens, according to their judg- ment. The advantages are thouglit to be an encouragement of a habit of conscientious giving, irrespective of the excitements arising from sympathy with special objects. The disadvantage is, that the people cease to take intelligent interest in the specific and diverse operations of the Church. Communion offertories. — If weekly communion is en- couraged, these offertories are, as before stated, weekly offerings : and are subject to the same advantages and disadvantages. In parishes where the Holy Commu- nion is administered monthly, and where the number of poor is limited, the offertories may accomplish the purposes of a monthly offering : which is the system that I prefer for ordinary parishes not in a city. The system in the parish (Gambler) over which the Author is Rector is arranged on this basis: and I quote it as a convenient scheme, which now for more than ten years has served our purpose admirably, without change. 526 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. Offertories, SYSTEM FOR GAMBIER. BY THE BISHOPS. Date. Season. Object. Dec, 1st Sund. Advent, Domestic Missions. Dec, 25th, Christmas, Dioc. : Widows' and Orph. Soo. Jan., 1st Sunday in Epiphany, Foreign Missions. Feb., 1st Sund. Epiph. or Lent, Distribution of Scriptures. Mar., 1st Sund. Lent, Diocesan Missions. Apr., variable, Easter, The Poor. May, 1st Sund., Ascension, Convention Fund Diocese. May, variable, Whitsunday, Diocesan Missions. June, Sunday before Commencement, Education for the Ministry. Aug., 1st Sund. Trinity, Distribution of Tracts. Sept., 1st Sund. Trinity, Evangelical Knowledge. Oct., 1st Sund. Trinity, Distribution of Prayer Books. Nov., 1st Sund. Trinity, Diocesan Missions. Nov., variable, Thanksgiving Day, Freedman's Aid. Variable, Visitation Day, Disabled Clergy Fund. Quarterly collections, are made sometimes for speci- fied objects; generally grouping three or four in one collection, allowing contributors to specify the object to which their gift shall go : the remainder to be dis- tributed by the Pastor. It appears to me that this occasion comes too seldom. The impressions are not sufficiently rapid in their repetition to produce a habit. Or the object is not specified. Then they are distrib- uted according to the Pastor's judgment. I think the parishioner hereby loses half the value of his act, and almost all the pleasure. It seems scarcely Charity, Parish Collectors. — This system is a valuable mode of interesting a large number of parishioners in the work of charity. It is not easily maintained. But SYSTEM OF CHURCH CHARITIES. 527 when maintained it has many uses. It enables contrib- utors to give a large sum by minimum offerings. As the applications constantly recur, the habit of charity is more quickly formed. Many who could give little in money are hereby permitted to give much in time and labor. Great good has been accomplished by this method : although its difficult management has usually led to only an occasional temporary and interrupted use of it. The system recommended by my experience for city churches is that of monthly collections. Let them alternate with your Communion oifertories ; that is, let your collections be fortnightly. It is enough and not too often. The Communion offering will be on the first Sunday in the month, for regular Communion purposes. The charitable offering will be on the third Sunday in the month, for your systematic benevolences. Let the order of these monthly collections be care- fully arranged ; and then never be changed — again, I say, never change the order, or the days. Remember that you are working to form a habit. It is an encour- aging truth, that by Grod's natural laws, a habit of be- nevolence, like any other habit, grows under proper cultivation. Your labor is hopeful. A parish will after a while require what at first they will not bear. The parish must not be overburdened; especially at the outset. But no parish should be allowed to choose to do nothing, or to give nothing. They have no right to commit spiritual suicide. Not to give to Christ's Avork, whether it be a determination made by a Chris- tian or a Church, is voluntarily to crush out spiritual life. 528 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. The Church has specified certain objects which she recommends to her Clergy to present at specified dates. The General Church has recommended Advent season for a collection for Domestic Missions, and Epiphany season for a collection for Foreign Missions. Each Diocesan Church has named special seasons for pre- senting Diocesan Missions^ and other objects specially interesting to the Diocese. Taking these hints as a basis we have the foundation for a system. Supposing the General Church to override all Diocesan directions, we have Systematic offerings. Advent. Domestic Missions. Epiphany. Foreign Missions. February. Lent. April. Diocesan Missions (m Ohio). Easter. June. July. Education Committee {in Ohio). August. 12th Sunday after Trinity. Deaf-Mute Sunday. October. Diocesan Missions {in Ohio). October. 3d Sunday. Episcopal Fund {in Ohio). November. The Disabled Clergy Fund. Thanksgiving Day. A Thank offering. Christmas. Society for Clergy, WidoAvs, and Orphans. Last Sunday of the Year. Hospital Sunday. IMPORTANT OBJECTS. Important objects which should form part of a Parish system of offertories are named in the following list : METHODS OF LAY CO-OPERATION. 529 Missions. Ministry. Parish. General. 1. 2. 3. Diocesan. 4. 5. 6. Diocesan. < \ 8 I 11 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. L 20. Domestic. Foreign. Missionary Committee. Church Building. Education Fund. Disabled Clergy Fund. Widows and Children Fund. Episcopal Fund. Convention Fund. Poor. Sunday and other Schools. Parochial objects (not benevolences). Bible Societies. Tract Societies. Evangelical and Keligious Knowledge Societies. Church Building Commissions. Prayer Book Societies. Sunday-School Societies. Trustees' Fund for Disabled Clergy and for Widows and Orj^hans of Clergy. Missions to Deaf-Mutes, Hospitals. Care for the Poor, the Sick, and the Infirm. It is advisable to appoint Committees for this pur- pose. Men may go alone; women, and especially young women, had better go by two or three in company. In larger places a Physician should be added to the Com- mittee, and a Lawyer ; for both medical and legal ad- vice are frequently called for in these visits. By judi- cious choice of the Superintendent of minor committees the whole may be thrown into a system and easily and effectively managed. The Committees should regularly report to the Pastor : and weekly meetings of the Com- mittees should be held whenever the system is at all extended. X 45 530 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. Lay Reading. Cottage reading, as it is called, is better managed by two or three going out together, than by one alone. Lay reading has kept up many a vacant parish, and lias builded not a few. In these efforts, of course, the Laymen go without the Pastor, and have the whole responsibility : but they always report to him. Distribution of Bibles, Prayer Books, and Tracts. In distributing Bibles and Prayer Books it is seldom necessary and very seldom wise to give them away. They will be more appreciated if paid for by those who receive them : although it is not advisable always to require the full value. The distribution of Tracts is an important instrumentality for good. Young men may often be occupied in it. Young women also ; but they had better go by two and two, at least in larger towns. Teach your distributors not to fall readily into the habit of merely dropping tracts. They thereby lose half the benefit of the religious act. Let the dis- tributors converse with the recipients, choose the tracts as judiciously as possible, accompany them with kind words, and when possible with a word of prayer. This latter implies, what is very desirable, a quiet friendly visit to the family. But be careful that it shall not seem intrusive; and also that it be not a visit for money giving. Charity visits and tract visits should be kept quite separate. The reasons are obvious. Religious Teaching in Schools and Classes. Of Sunday-school teaching we have spoken. At Week-day schools religion may be incidentally intro- METHODS OF LAY CO-OPERATION. 53] duced. SmaU schooh or okwm are very valuable for encouraging reading, or for sewing, or for teaching house work, or even for so apparently insignificant a purpose as keeping children cat of mischief whilst their mothers who must be engaged in daily labor, are working for a livelihood. Kindergartens are specially useful in thi« regard, and originated in this charitable design. Benevolent Societies. These may well be conducted by laymen rather than by the Pastor, but always under advice of the Clergy- man. Laymen will more judiciously, economically, and with less prejudice conduct such operations. In parish societies I should recommend the Pastor to hold a spiritual directorial office, rather than to be the execu- tive head. Exercise a quiet influence in getting them thoroughly in order ; then gradually withdraw to a point from which you can effectively oversee, guide, and cor- rect, without appearing to interfere. Generally they will need nothing on your part except an occasional hint given to an influential officer. Be sure to arrange it that some man or woman of influence whom you can trust, shall hold a leading position in each such association If unfortunately you should find that a leader is refractory or likely to interfere with plans which have been laid in reference to a whole scheme, make that person your con- Mential adviser, explaining your design, and the bearing of each part upon the whole. Generally what appears to be refractoriness is only want of information, or igno- rance of the Pastor's designs, and perhaps comes from an irrepressible activity of disposition, which if rightly guided will be infinitely valuable. By proper explana- 532 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. tions, and confidence, a Pastor can almost certainly rely upon the very person who seemed to be thwarting his purposes, to become the most active leader in accom- plishing them. Missions. Under this head we include the formation of New Churches, and the establishment of Mission Sunday- schools, Free Churches, and Mission Churches. Every Pastor should induce his parish to become a direct Missionary. His object should be to plant and support Churches round him, in the most destitute and promising fields. This is the true method of extending the Church, especially in cities and large towns. Tlie best mode is (generally) to commence with a Sunday- school. Get active Christians to go off to a destitute neighborhood and establish an offshoot of the Parish Church : returning constantly to the Parish Church for worship, care, advice, and for sympathy, realizing that they are part of the old parish. When strong enough to build, build a school house first, where services may be held. When strong enough to undertake a Church, encourage your own parish to colonize. It is .an act of high Christian self-abnegation ; and can spring only from a true love for Christ's cause ; but it is an act of the highest wisdom, considering the grand interests of the Gospel. The Church presents a higher demand on your sacrifice and unselfishness than any parish can. Around such a nud'eus, a colony ^ the new Church will readily crystallize. Let the colony itself be strong. Let it be of the very best material, containing spiritual character, social position, and wealth : and let the visible motive be that the members of the CHURCH COLONIZATION. 533 Colony should live in the neighborhood where the new Church is to be planted. Without such a nucleus, a new Church in a city or large town must have a struggling and difficult existence : for not only will the older Churches have already absorbed all the active Episcopal life, but the new Church can scarcely fail of being regarded as in antagonism. The only sensible method is for the pastors and people of older parishes to agree together and encourage such colonization. By this principle the Church in Philadelphia has grown with marvellous rapidity, and grown strongly. St. Andrew's Church was a colonization encouraged by St. Paul's and St. James'. Grace Church was a direct colonization scheme arranged by Dr. Bedell, when sucli a man as Jacob Lex, one of his most influential vestry- men, left St. Andrew's in order to give the new scheme his influence ; but left with the greatest reluctance and only under a conviction of duty. St. Luke's Church was a colony from St. Andrew's principally, under the leadership of William AVelsh ; and he, with four other like-minded men, subsequently created Holy Trinity Church as a colony from many Churches, in a portion of the city where there was no Episcopal influence, but whither they felt that it ought to flow. And it did flow in continuous streams until that Church became the most influential centre in the city. In a similar manner the Church of the Incarnation, New York, sprang out of the Church of the Ascension, without antagonism, and with constant loving co-oper- ation. When a Colony is ready to move from a Parent Church, although it may possibly be not according to 45* 534 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. the Pastor's design, yet both Church and Pastor will be lacking in discretion if they endeavor to prevent it. The attempt to prevent never succeeds : but it may effectually weaken the new effort whilst it will certainly distract the old. On the contrary, let a Pastor and People encourage every movement which will extend the bounds of Christ's Kingdom within the lines of our beloved Church. They will find that a true missionary spirit here walks hand in hand with true discretion. Free Churches. This is the place for discussing the principle and policy of establishing Free Churches. No one can doubt that truly Free Churches are a desideratum. But for general success they require a system of state patronage (or its equivalent) such as exists in England ; where all parish churches are free. A few such churches exist in this country, established by wealthy corporations, such as the nobly endowed free churches of Trinity Parish, New York. Such free churches, where really poor people may have the Gospel without money and without price, and where they may have Pastoral care without feeling that they are encumbrances, and where the Minister may feel free to give his whole time to the work without solici- tude, are a blessed realization oi' the freeness of the Gospel of Christ. But Churches, which are not and are not designed to be really free, should not assume that honorable name. People who are able to contribute, should be encour- aged to do so. Every man in our free country expects to pay for what he receives, and va i:es it accordingly. FREE CHURCHES. 535 Oar Church is entirely supported by the voluntary system. Every one is expected to volunteer a suffi- cient support for it : sufficient according to his propor- tion of responsibility; and it is equally voluntary whether it be given in the shape of pew rents, or subscriptions, or offi^^rings on the plate, whether in envelopes or openly. The question is really one of method in contributing. In one class of free churches each one contributes what he chooses on a plate, under the watchful eye of his neighbors and the Minister. In another class of equally free churches, each man contributes what he has agreed to give, either by pew rents or subscriptions, without espionage or neighborly observation. As to free sittings — it is a fact that habitues of any Church always occupy the most desirable sittings. It is their right : and it is the custom, whether the Church be called free or not. No argument, nor exhortation, nor any arrangement, has yet been able to counteract this habit. It remains a fact. A system of free sittings must always meet with this serious drawback, namely, that it violates a funda- mental principle of our Church education. They pre- vent family association in Church ; not necessarily, but practically. They lead to the separation of children from parents, and break up the association of place, and home feeling in the House of God. A very ob- vious and very preponderating good would need to be shown in order to compensate for the loss of this Family element in our Church life. In place of this system, I recommend Missionary Churches. This system was first suggested and carried 536 PASTORAL ADMINISTRATION. out by the Rev. Sayre Harris in Southwark in Phila- delphia. Let the Mission Church be made complete in all appointments, and paid for entirely. Then invite families, or individuals, to occupy pews on the old rule — ^^ first come, first served/^ each family or indi- vidual paying for a pew (or for sittings) whatever amount the family or individual feels can be conve- niently paid. Let it be voluntary: but when volun- teered let it be fixed, and become an obligation. This plan secures independence. It secures to each family the continuance of home life in the Church. It se- cures a sense of obligation; and of relation to the Minister, and to the success of the Church. It com- bines all the real benefits of the so called free system ; and avoids its evils. This plan, other things being equal, has always been successful. In the second year of Rev. Mr. Harris's ministry it gave him a living salary. Many persons who could pay only one dollar, the first year, were not willing to pay less than five, the second year. The successful Mission Chapel of Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, was based on this system. In all your missionary enterprises beware of making spiritual paupers of the people who are to be benefited. PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXXY. PAROCHIAL RELATIONS. Parochial Relations have respect to Persons and Property. We speak first of the Pastor's Parochial relations to Persons. The Vestry. — Under a system which has grown out of our national circumstances and popular ideas, the Vestry has become an important element in our ecclesi- astical organization. A Vestry originally had no func- tions except to care for the temporal concerns of the par- ish, and the proper comfortable maintenance of the Pas- tor, by providing means for his carrying out all needed spiritual offices in the Church. But our system devolves upon the Vestry, as representing a parish, a further duty of choosing and calling a Rector : and also of sending delegates to Diocesan Conventions, except where special charter leaves these duties to a congregation. Conse- quently the Vestry has become an integral part of our ecclesiastical system. The former of these last two functions very naturally leads to (although it does not properly imply) a frequent interference with the proper functions of a Pastor ; for if persons have a right to X* 637 538 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. choose a pastor, it is quite natural that they shall feel a desire to vindicate their choice; and, if the pastor varies from the lines which led to their choice of him, to bring him back to them, or to indicate that he is disagreeably recalcitrant. A Vestry therefore some- times endeavors to direct, and sometimes directs, a Pastor in his duties; sometimes tries to rectify, and sometimes rectifies a Rector; sometimes reproves him for matters which are entirely within his jurisdiction, and sometimes ejects him for matters which the Church has left wholly to him, under the guidance of his Bishop. The other function, introducing the Vestry as an independent element into the control of the Diocesan Church, and through it into the control of the General Church, constructing canons, deciding points of doc- trine, and exercising spiritual discipline, has necessarily very much enlarged the sphere and responsibility of that representative body. It has brouglit the Consti- tution of our Church much more nearly into accord with the original Apostolic organization; and possesses advantages which far outweigh temporary and occa- sional disadvantages arising from the fact that a Vestry sometimes forgets its proper relations to a Pastor, and sometimes oversteps those limits. A Vestry, if constituted of real representative men of a parish, of men of wisdom and education, and business tact added to true piety, are the very right hand of a Pastor. They are the most important of all instrumentalities which a kind Providence has given him to work with, and work by. His relations with them are most intimate; and ought to be agreeable, RELATIONS TO PERSONS. 539 cordial, confidential, friendly, and indeed affectionate. A wise Vestry and a wise Pastor, understand that upon the cordiality of these relations depends the happiness of both parties, and both the temporal welfare and spiritual life of the parish. The pleasantness and usefulness of this relation de- pend largely upon the Pastor. One mind, one temper, one tongue, can be much more easily managed than ten. On his management of his own tongue will prob- ably depend that of the many tongues of the Yestry. And it is evident that if he be self-controlled, his is a commanding position. A wise Pastor will seek advice from such a Vestry: will rejoice to possess good friends who will tell him truth without favor. As it is to be supposed that they are gentlemen, (if Christians they certainly are gentlemen, for gentleness is a grace, and gentlemanness is the virtue that springs out of it,) he need never be afraid that the truth will be roughly or unpleasantly spoken : nor will it, nor can it ever be, if a Pastor seeks for the truth, and treats one who becomes to him a truth-teller as not less a friend. A Pastor will endeavor to engage the members of his Vestry as helpers in his plans for the spiritual advantage of the parish. They will probably be his most efficient aids. Should a Pastor have reason to suppose that a member of his Vestry is troublesome, he will set himself to dis- cover the source of the troublesomeness. It may arise from his own plans, or his manner of presenting them; then the correction is in his own hands. It may arise from a natural activity of mind or body or both in the troublesome member, to which scope enough has not been given. The Pastor has the remedy still in his 540 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. own hands : for if he will give the person enough to do, the troublesomeness will be entirely expended on work. Busy-ness well employed will prove to be a blessing. If, however, unfortunately a natural evil disposition lies at the seat of the trouble, the Pastor must exercise patience, and seize the opportunity to learn that "silence is golden." The remedy will of course occur to the Vestry itself, and will probably be applied by the congregation on some fair Easter Monday. If a Pastor's plans appear to be particularly objec- tionable to some in a Vestry, it is important that he shall converse with them specially, in order to obtain insight of their objections and remove them if possible. Often nothing more will be needed than a definite statement of his reasons. As a general rule, after such a conference, if the Pastor be encouraged to persevere, he can safely intrust his project to the advocacy of those who were formerly unfriendly to it. The Vestry being really representatives of parish opinion, it is important for the Pastor to be in frequent and intimate communication with them. I recommend that regular meetings be held at the Pastor's house : once in each quarter certainly ; once in each month is best. The day and hour should be fixed, so that all may consider it an engagement. The Pastor should never allow anything to interfere with his presence at it, except unanticipated and imperative Parochial duty. i^o personal pleasure should be of higher value to him than the meeting with his Vestry. It should be a business meeting: but not for business only, because there will seldom be sufficient business to require RELATIONS TO PERSONS. 54] frequent meetings. They will afford opportunity for friendly talk on topics related to the affairs of the parish : not concerning persons, of course, for that would be gossip — a vice naturally abhorrent to Ves- tries, as it is to Pastors. I recommend, when possible, that the members of the Vestry, be received on such occasions as guests by the Pastor and his wife and family : be entertained by a simple inexpensive meal — a cup of tea and a sandwich ; supposing the meeting to be in the evening, the most convenient hour gener- ally. I mean what I say— a cup of tea and a sand- wich, and nothing else: for if the Pastor begins to elaborate his entertainment, there will be no end to his expense, but there will be a very short end to the good purpose in view. The Vestry meeting should be com- menced by prayer. Such intercourse with a Vestry will prevent the evils that come from antagonisms; will cultivate friendly understandings; will tend to harmony both in feeling and policy. The system of parish government through Vestries has its possible evils. The Pastor's wisdom will be shown in forestalling or preventing them, and in get- ting all the good out of this necessary relationship, of which it is capable. I have discovered some of the evils, since entering the Episcopal office, from the ex- perience of others. But I did not discover them during eighteen years of Pastoral life. And therefore I do not believe that they are altogether inherent in, or inseparable from, the system. The Vestry is an Incorporation , being Trustees by general law of a State. The present law (Swan, page 227) of the State of Ohio should be understood by all 46 542 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. Ministers of Ohio. The Clergy of other States should examine and rule themselves by the laws of their several States relating to the subject. "Hoffman's Ecclesiastical Law," (a supreme authority,) " Hudson's Law for the Clergy/' (Chicago,) " Bawm's Rights and Duties," " Richey's Churchman's Hand Book," all of them well considered treatises, should be studied. The mode of reviving a Corporation, if extinct, is given in Swan ; as also the laws which govern a relig- ious corporation or members of it holding over. Sim- ilar laws exist in all the States. The law of Sale or Exchange of Property is given in Swan, page 247. Some interesting legislation on the subject of Minis- terial lands will also be found at pages 1005-7 ; which has a wider application, I imagine, than to Ohio only. Canon 11. of the Diocese of Ohio, and Canons in each Diocese, regulate the duties of a Vestry, and their relation to a Rector. The Minister's position and rights are clearly defined by Canon. He has only one vote as Chairman of a Vestry meeting, in tem- poral matters ; unless, perhaps, when he is a member of the Corporation. The question of a double vote is ably discussed by Bawm. In spiritual things, the Pastor is sole judge and executive. I refer also to the Country Parson,* which all Pastors will do well to read. Being trustees of temporalities it is a question whether the Vestry are not personally liable for misuse of the property. They cannot alienate any consecrated prop- erty, under Title L, Canon 21, of the Digest. * Country Parson, chap. xxix. p. 63. RELATIONS TO PERSONS. 543 The Minister is presiding officer; and no legal meet- ing can be held, except by his call, or, in his absence, by the call of a Warden, unless in Dioceses where these rights are expressly denied. A Minister, therefore, has a right to be present at all meetings of Yestry : and as a rule ought to exercise it. Proper delicacy will suggest to him when exceptions should be made. A Minister who is not Rector has no right of attendance at Yestry meetings ; although frequently admitted by courtesy. TJie Wardens are special helps to the Minister. Their canonical duty is to keep order in the Church during Divine Service : to provide for due administrations, es- pecially of the Lord's Supper, providing the necessary elements; to preside in Yestry meetings when the Rector is absent ; to assist (with members of the Yes- try) in making charitable collections; and to take charge of them (except the Communion Alms) when made. The Wardens are frequently very useful in providing seats for strangers. In this they may well be helped by a Committee of younger men appointed by the Rector. The Wardens should be the confidential ad- visers, and the special counsellors, of the Rector. An admirable guide to the discharge of these duties of Wardens and Yestrymen was published by the late Bishop De Lancey ; and has been added to and repub- lished by Bishop Huntington of Central New York. The Organist, On the Organist a Minister must greatly depend for the propriety of the musical part of the service ; for its spirit, and suitableness, and for his own comfort during 544 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. the services. A right-minded Organist will move all the music in entire harmony Avith the Minister's thought and wishes. A wrong-minded Organist is able to keep both Minister and congregation in discord, and to make every note of the musical service a jar on sensitive spirits. The Organist should understand that although liis skill is depended on, it is to be used in entire subor- dination to the Rector : and the Vestry should enforce this rule promptly and inflexibly. The Choir. So, also, the Minister must depend on the Choir for the efficient and pleasant management of the music. Both Organist and Choir should if possible be salaried ; or a proportion of them salaried : for this double purpose, that they may be depended on to do their duty at all times, and that they may be subject to proper discipline, or rule ; for a salaried Organist and Choir are of course under a Minister's control legally. He is (if he chooses) to appoint the tunes to be sung, and to supervise the char- acter of the music. But a Minister is also to bear in mind that in discharging these duties, he is not (under the rubric) allowed to act with entire independence. He is expected to accept the assistance and advice of persons skilled in music* * "And further, it shall be the duty of every Minister, with such assistance as he can obtain from persons skilled in music, to give order concerning the tunes to be sung at any time in the Church ; and especially, it shall be his duty to suppress all light and unseemly music, and all indecency and irreverence in the performance, by which vain and ungodly persons profane the service of the Sanctuary."— Rubric before The Hymnal. * RELATIONS TO PERSONS. 545 A Minister's task in conducting the services with a volunteer choir sometimes becomes very difficult; al- ways delicate; sometimes impossible. Even Solomon committed part of such a responsibility to Asaph, Jeduthen, and their brethren. It would have been too much for the Wisest of the Wise merely by wisdom, to manage a voluntary service of song in the Temple. And yet a Pastor who has genial good nature, with a moderate share of tact, and some knowledge (I do not say smattering) of music, will accomplish his object when wisdom sometimes fails. It is to be remembered that the best musicians necessarily possess a very fine and a nicely balanced nervous temperament. If they were not peculiarly sensitive they could not appreciate nice shades of difference in musical sounds. A Pastor recognizing this fact will be particularly discreet Avhen approaching this sensitiveness. He will first make sure that the advice which he ventures to give is correct. If he should once direct a long metre tune to be sung to a short metre hymn, or a dirge to be sung on Christmas, supposing it to be a carol, his influence is gone forever. Not every one has Bishop Mcllvaine's wit and presence of mind in covering a retreat from a musical defeat. He used to tell the story with great glee. He had given out the hundredth Psalm : and as no one seemed prepared to " start the tune," he began to sing what he supposed to be " Old Hundred." But he soon found to his dis- may that it did not fit, and as he altered " Christmas" to suit the metre, one after another of his congregation deserted him, until, at the last cadence his voice was heard alone. With his usual presence of mind, looking round the congregation and seeing a familiar face whose 46* 546 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. lips had at last closed in despair, and addressing that friend, he said, " Brother Johnson, the congregation do not seem to know this tune ; will you please start ^ Old Hundred^?" But if a Pastor appreciates true and pure music, especially that of a sacred classical character, if he ar- ranges so that an earnest and skilful choir may some- times exercise their talents at their own discretion with- out hinderance, and if he shows a genuine appreciation of whatever is really well done, he has passed the crisis. Then, if he wishes congregational singing, whether in Chants or Psalmody, he will find the way open. A Pastor should attend the practisings of the Choir, en- couraging and guiding if he be a musician ; silent, pa- tient, and enduring, if he knows nothing about music : but even in that case exhibiting sympathy in the ardu- ous and troublesome task assumed by these volunteers. The Organist and Choir should always be religious persons ; at the very least they should be respectful to religion, and of devotional habits. If any irreconcil- able difficulty should occur, the Vestry is bound to sup- port the Pastor; and that by every consideration of principle and policy. They have placed the responsi- bility in his hands ; and they should maintain it there. Sexton. The Sexton or Sextoness is a most useful person. The Minister should aid, advise, and encourage; and especially should commend the right doing of the hun- dred duties which devolve upon them. If he never meets a Sexton except to find fault, he will have himself to blame for any surliness or unpleasant temper which RELATIONS TO PERSONS. 547 may very naturally respond to his occasional greeting. Happy is the Pastor who can remember, as I can, so faithful a friend, as old " Donaldson'^ the Sexton. For more than thirty years he was Sexton of the Ascension Church, New York : and during my sixteen years of Pastorship was true as steel, pure as silver, and precious to me in that relation as fine gold. Active Helpers. We have already written on this subject. We need add nothing except in relation to the Committee who may assist the Wardens in extending courtesies to strangers attending Divine service. They should either be grave members of the Vestry : or young gentlemen worthy of that name. They should be men of sym- pathy and discreetness; and particularly appreciative of the sensitiveness of those who claim the hospitalities of a Church to which they are strangers. Especially they should feel that if Christian politeness says to "a man with a gold ring and goodly apparel," ^' sit here in a good place," it says precisely the same thing to " a poor man," and never says to such " sit here under my footstool." Poor. The poor should be treated Avith delicate attention. It must not be too marked, nor ever obtrusive ; but al- ways tender, and prompt. The poor should never have cause to feel that they are neglected ; nor ever that they are less the subject of a Pastor's thoughts than their wealthier neighbors. Christ's poor are rich in faith, and rich in prayer, and rich in earnest sympathy and love. And these forms of wealth should secure for 548 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. them the constant attentions of their Pastor. Where a parish has pensioners, it is well for the Minister to fix a day in the week or month, and an hour, for meeting them and relieving their wants. Otherwise he will find his time unnecessarily hampered. Parochial relations to Property/. Church Buildings — are to be under the eye of the Minister; and all necessary repairs or desirable im- provements, should be reported at once to the proper officer of the Vestry. Generally it is expected by the Vestry that the Minister will see the thing through. Herbert, in his ^^ Country Parson,'^ says: " The Country Parson hath a special care of his Church, that all things there be decent, and befitting His name by which it is called. Therefore, first, he takes order, that all things be in good repair; as walls plastered, windows glazed, floor pav«^d, seats whole, firm, and uniform, especially that the pulpit, and desk, and communion table, and font be as they ought, for those great duties that are performed in them. Secondly, that she church be swept, and kept clean, without dust or cobwebs ; and at great 'festivals, strewed and stuck with boughs, and perfumed with incense. [This remark is Herberfs, not the author. i.'\ Thirdly, that there be fit and proper texts of scripture eveiy- where painted ; and that all the paintings be grave and reverend, not with light colors or foolish antics. Fourthly, that all tiie books appointed by authority be there ; and those not torn or fouled, but whole and clean, and well bound : and that there be a fitting and sightly communion cloth of fine linen, with a hand- some and seemly carpet of good and costly stufl" or cloth, and all kept sweet and clean in a strong and decent chest ; with a chalice and cover, and a stoop or flagon ; and a basin for alms and offer- ings ; besides which, he hath a poor man's box conveniently seated, to receive the charity of well-minded people, and to lay up treasure for the sick and needy." " And all this he doth, not as out of necessity, or as puttl ig o- RELATIONS TO PROPERTY. 549 holiness in the things, but as desirous to keep the middle way between superstition and slovenliness ; and as following the Apostle's two great and admirable rules in things of this nature; the first whereof is, ' Let all things be done decently, and in order'; the second, ' Let all things be done to edification' (1 Cor. xiv.). For these two rules comprise and include the double ob- ject of our duty, God and our neighbor; the first being for the honor of God, the second for the benefit of our neighbor. So that they excellently score out the way, and in full and exactly contain, even in external and indifterent things, what course is to be taken ; and put them to great shame, who deny the Scrip- ture to be perfect."* ParsoTuige, Fortunate is the Minister who is permitted to use a Parsonage. It adds wonderfully to his independence: and it enables him easily to establish social relations with his parishioners. Unless there is a specific agree- ment otherwise the Minister is under obligation to keep his Parsonage in thorough repair. If he will remem- ber the old domestic adage '^a stitch in time saves nine" he may save his own purse, and the Vestry's, many a large outlay. Grounds. The grounds round the Church and Parsonage should be kept in good order by the Minister ; should be orna- mented if possible ; should be made attractive, and be beautified. Slovenly grounds mark a lazy or slovenly Pastor ; for a proper care of them costs — not money, for he may not have money to expend, but — labor and oversight, and in those he ought not to be wanting. * Country Parson, chap. xiii. 550 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. Grave Yard. "God's acre" should be the Pastor's especial care. Delicate charges which he will take of the places of the dead, will endear him deeply to those whose affec- tions are bound to graves which conceal precious forms of beloved ones. No one else will take this charge from love. The Sexton is paid for it. . The Warden looks on it as a duty. The Pastor alone has his heart in it, because his sympathies are awake for the mourn- ers. He will not lose his time, if he shall occasionally spend an hour in planting a rose bush or a shrub among the tombs. Funds and Collections, The management of all Parish funds, and the charge of all collections (except that which is strictly Com- munion Alms) is in the hands of the Vestry : and, if the Pastor is wise, it will be left there. I advise a Min- ister never to take charge of ordinary offertories, never to count them, never to touch them after they have been placed upon the Plate. Let the Vestry exercise their responsibility. Let the Minister sever himself absolutely from the possibility of being obliged to meet unpleasant questions which sometimes arise both as to the amount and the disposal of collections. The Communion Alms is entirely at his disposal. He should keep an exact account of all receipts and disbursements: and occasionally he should exhibit the account to his Wardens or the Vestry. If he has done this, he may very properly refuse to allow an examina- tion of his accounts of this particular charity, should it ever be offensively demanded. It is a Church prin- RELATIONS TO PROPERTY. 551 ciple which is to be guarded, that in the use of this fund, which his people contribute wholly for personal charities, the Pastor is to be entirely independent, and is to be able to act with the utmost delicacy and reti- cence for the sake of the recipients of it. He will find less objection made to his entire control of this offer- tory, if, in all other cases, he refuses to take any respon- sibility for either guardianship or distribution. Ohio Laws. Churches. — Protected against thieves ; and against malicious entrance. Swan, p. 271. Protected by Constitution, Article I., Sect. 7. Swan, p. 11. Bui'ial grounds. — Public, exempt from taxation, judgment sale, etc. ; private, also, if not valued at more than $50. Swan, p. 171. Cannot be sold even by petition of parties interested. Swan, pp. 247, 248. Incorporation. — Process under general law. Swan, pp. 227, 228. A Church to be organized: at a meeting of majority, to elect any number of members, not less than three, to be Trustees, and one member as Clerk. A true record certified, and name of Church to be deposited with Recorder of the County in which meeting is held, who is to record it at cost of ten cents for one hundred words, immediately: liable for all debts. Swan, p. 252, n. Church lands. — Section 29 reserved for Churches. Dividend of rent to be appropriated to each Church in the Township on the second Monday in April. 1858, p. 36. Agent to be appointed by each Church to give certified list of members over fifteen years old. Swan, p. 1005. Church property. — May be sold after petition by order of Court of Common Pleas of County. Swan, p. 248. Held in common by two Churches may be divided (except burial ground) by Court of Common Pleas. 1859, p. 67. Sabbath breaking. — Selling liquor on Sabbath, disturbing re- ligious meetings. Swan, p. 302. No liquor sold within two miles of religious meeting excej^t at usual places. Swan, p. 306. 552 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. Marriage. — Banns to be published two days within County where female resides, or license from Clerk of- Common Pleas of County where female resides. Minister .to obtain license from Court of Common Pleas of any County — to be recorded in any County where officiating — to return certificate within three months to Clerk of County. Penalty, $50. Penalty for vio- lating law, $100. Without license — female under eighteen must obtain consent of parents, and banns be published. Swan, pp. 569, 571. PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER XXXVI. PAEOCHIAL DUTIES. In Parochial duties uniformity, rubricality, and propriety, are the rules to be observed. Uniformity is important in order that a congregation may not be disturbed or oifended by unanticipated observances. Hubricality is important because it is the law, and is obligatory. The Rubrics should be carefully studied, and obeyed to the letter. Rubrics have no spiritual character ; they are merely letters of law : and they are to be obeyed pimctuatim et literatim, every jot and tittle. TJie spirit is to be judged by the letter: and the Church, not the minister, is responsible for the effect of the rubrics on the service, and on the minds of the people. Disobedience of rubrics by defect can be no more defended than disobedience by excess. No Min- ister has a right to use his judgment, with respect to either. Nor after a long experience in a ministry of thirty-five years, do I believe that it is ever necessary to disobey a rubric on either side : for I have never knowingly violated one. Propriety is required by every one's sense of the decency of things; and must be ruled by that sense. Y 47 653 554 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. Illustrating tlie possibility of improprieties — In olden times (forty years ago) I have seen a Minister throw his overcoat over the chancel rail, put his hat on the Communion table, and his overshoes underneath it, and then proceed to read prayers. In later days when proprieties are more observed I have seen a Clergyman enter the Church with his scarf hanging half down his back, and the other half in front : and his surplice but- toned all awry. I have seen a Clergyman sit in the chancel nursing one leg crossed on the other, his sur- plice thrown back for convenience. I have seen a Cler- gyman take out his watch and consult it, or even gape, whilst another Minister was engaged in the Desk or Pulpit. I have seen a Clergyman, who was credited with being specially precise, baptize an adult from a tumbler that happened to be on the table of his chapel, when the Font in his Church was not fifty feet away. Perhaps here is the place to allude to decency of ap- parel, politeness of manner, and cleanliness on the part of a Clergyman. It should not, however, be necessary to make more than a passing allusion to such topics. Cleanliness of the hands is specially necessary. Im- agine the disgust of a parishioner if a Pastor should baptize his child with unwashed hands, or should pre- sent the sacred symbols of our Lord's Passion in soiled palms or with dirty fingers. A similar remark applies to the necessity for keeping the clothes pure, and the breath sweet. A Clergyman who indulges in tobacco can scarcely ever rely upon the pureness of his clothes or of his breath. And if he is suffering from the odor that follows this indulgence, he should not enter the chancel, or perform any of the ofQces of religion. PUBLIC DUTIES. 555 Communicants have been known to retire disgusted from the Lord's Table, and in some instances have been unable to participate, because the Minister was noxious with tobacco smoke. A parishioner once re- vealed to me her reason for leaving a Pastor to whom she was strongly and deservedly attached ; because the perfume of tobacco in his clothes and his breath was intolerable. She selected another Pastor who had learned to deny himself such indulgences for the Lord's sake. An instance is on record, where a beloved Pastor was obliged to retire from the bedside of a dying parishioner to whom he had come to admin- ister the Lord's Supper. The very smell of his rai- ment on entering the room door gave the poor sufferer a fit of coughing which nearly strangled him ; and the Pastor was obliged to find another spiritual physician who could administer the consolations of religion and the last Sacrament to this soul. Allied to this subject is the important consideration that a Minister shall be certain that no disease is lurk- ing about him when he is to minister by touch. Of course, it would not affect ordinary ministrations ; but it might seriously affect others, for example, at bap- tisms, or in administering the Lord's Supper. It is desirable that a Minister shall wash his hands fully before entering on any clerical duty ; and especially before the administration of the Sacraments. Public Prayers are to be solemnized on all days re- quired by the Church. Public preachings and lectures are left to the discre- tion of the Minister. In Cathedrals, and wherever possible, public service 556 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. should be held on every day : but where no congrega- tion can be had, or where after proper effort a congre- gation will not attend, such a service becomes not public but private, and would be no longer a reasonable ser- vice. Daily public prayers are of much value to the afflicted, to strangers, to those whose minds or hearts are burdened or disturbed. In all cases, ordinary uses and observances should be followed : and even when the congregation is the small- est, the Minister should avoid haste or hurry, and re- member the solemn proprieties of his office. Ordinary Rules for Public Prayers vary according to the customs of Dioceses : but should always be within the rubrics. The Minister is to pray with the people, and there- fore not to turn his back to them. A Romish Priest, believing that the Body, Soul, and Divinity of Christ are present in the wafer on the Altar, may readily be excused for keeping his face to it : but a Clergyman of our Church knowing that the Divine presence is really in the hearts of devout worshippers, should speak to them face to face, as he endeavors to kindle devotion heart to heart. The service should be read distinctly enough and slowly enough for ordinary worshippers to follow. Gabbling is offensive to taste and destructive to wor- ship. In responsive portions full opportunity should be given to the people to respond, before the Minister advances to the next portion. The Bible should be read ; read not as an ordinary book, but as the Word from God. The Prayers should be prayed ; prayed as one would speak to the Most High God, in his imme- CHURCH SEASONS. 557 diate presence. Entrance into, and retiring from the church should be grave, serious, and with a conscious- ness of being in the presence of God. Special rules apply to Church Seasons. Advent. — The services commencing on the first Sunday in the season solemnly, should become more joyous as Christmas approaches. The season is appro- priate for urging Domestic Missions. Christmas should be celebrated with joyous songs and hymns and the Holy Communion : the sermon being in keeping with the associations. Evergreen decorations and flowers are in order, (except where dis- approved by Ecclesiastical authority,) provided they are gifts of loving hearts : not when hired for the occasion as a vain show. But flowers on the Lord's Table during the administration of the Holy Communion are not provided for by the rubrics. The Holy Days im- mediately preceding and following Christmas should be observed as parts of the Holy Season. Circumcision. (New Year.) — On New Yearns Eve a sermon is very useful. The New Year should always be opened by a holy service. As it generally occurs on a week-day, and a very busy one, a sermon on New Year's morning is not usually advisable. Epiphany. — The subject of Foreign Missions should be presented during this season. The Holy Day itself, occurring usually in the midst of the week, can very seldom be made use of for preaching, except in cities. The Holy Communion should be administered. 47* 558 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. ASH WEDNESDAY. As this is a Fast day, of course the administration of the Holy Communion is inadmissible.* One would not think of mingling the highest expression of holy joy with this expression of penitent grief. Morning and Evening Prayers should always be held, whether in city or country. The people should be urged, and taught by example, to gather for devotion on such a day. It is well to use the Lesser Litany as well as the Greater on Ash Wednesday. LENT. During Lent extra services, with sermons or lectures, or short addresses should be held. Twice in each week is little enough. Sometimes it is wise to hold a morning service without sermon on Wednesdays. A briefer service with lecture or address on Fridays. As it is a season for self-denials, it is well to urge the peo- ple to special offerings for the cause of the Gospel : or for special charities, as means of encouraging self-denial. PASSION WEEK AND GOOD FRIDAY. The administration of the Holy Communion is not allowable during this week (nor, indeed, during Lent, * The new practice of administering the Lord's Sapper on Fast days, seems to have originated in the fearfulness and dread, and consequent excessive penitence, with which one would approach a Mystery. On the contrary, hopefulness, joy- ousness, and the confidence of a certain faith are the emotions which ought to be in exercise. The Holy Communion is in all senses a sacred Feast, and belongs only to a Festival season. CHURCH SEASONS. 559 except on the Lord's Day, wliicli is a Feast) ; but is excluded both by the reason of the thing, and by ancient Canons* and custom. It is the most solemn Fast of the year, continuing for the whole six days. We cannot mingle our Feast with our Fast. To cele- brate the Holy Communion on Holy Thursday evening, will be to commemorate the Supper, rather than to " show forth the Lord's death'^ : and is an observance expressly forbidden by the rule already mentioned. Good Friday service should always be accompanied by a sermon in the morning : and a second service in the day is desirable, with a sermon or address if possi- ble. An offering on behalf of Missions to the Jews is appropriate on this Holy day. Faster Even (Saturday) on account of its associations is one of the most sacredly solemn days in the whole year. Yet its meaning is frequently overlooked : and its services are often neglected. Easter Even should be the Church's day for decorating the tombs of her faithful dead : and this commemoration of our sorrows and our hopes, all clustering around the dead Body of our Christ, which, in our celebrations, although lifeless, is waiting to arise, should be deep, earnest, and heart full. EASTER. On Easter day every service and association is joy- ous. This is one of the three High Festivals of the Ancient Church on w^hich the Lord's Supper, our Feast of Holy joy, was always administered. Anthems are appropriate on this day (as also on Christmas and * Yide Canon XLIX of the Council of Laodicea. 560 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. Whitsuntide) and may be sung by the Choir alone: the words to be selected from Scripture or the Book of Common Prayer. These should not interfere with the regular order appointed : but may be interjected at the intervals ; before or after service, before or after the Sermon. ASCENSION. This significant Festival has been mucli disused. It should be treated as of even more significance than Epiphany: and celebrated, if possible, by administering the Lord^s Supper. WHIT-SUNDAY. This is a day specially suitable for celebrating the Lord's Supper : and all associations and decorations and sermons should be of the most joyous description. It is the Day especially appropriate for Baptisms. It was so employed in the Ancient Church : and the custom might well be revived. It is sad enough to see how generally Baptisms are thrust into a corner. TRINITY. Trinity Sunday presents the doctrinal consummation of the teachings of all previous Festivals. The Lord's Supper is very approi)riately celebrated on this day. The Sermon should invariably deal with some aspect of the great truth of the everlasting existence of God in Holy Trinity. saints' days. Saints' Days should be celebrated by services and ser- mons or addresses. In cities and large towns there is no excuse for, or reason for, omitting this custom of the MODES OF ADMINISTERING. 5(31 Church, evidently designed by her to be continued, because of her appointment of special Ante Commu- nion services for Saints' Days. In country places it is difficult if not impossible to assemble the people ; and it would be unwise to force the custom. Sermons commemorating the lives and characters of the Saints are valuable. The example of each may profitably be followed in some particular line of grace or virtue or activity. When such sermons are not preached on the day, it will be well to occupy the Sunday nearest with this theme. THANKSGIVING DAY. The Church is to be opened for Divine Worship in- variably, and a sermon preached. No united services are admissible unless they are held in our Churches; for the rule is imperative that each of our Churches shall be opened. The services are to be conducted according to our own forms : and by our own Minis- ters. The point is this, that our people shall not lose the privilege of enjoying their own services in their own Houses of prayer on this occasion. VISITATION. At the Visitation of the Bishop the services are sub- mitted to his direction. Under the Canon he may if he pleases administer the Holy Communion. If he does so, the offertory on that occasion is at his disposal. Modes of administering. Ordinary Services. — Lessons and Psalms are not dis- cretionary except on days of civil or ecclesiastical Fast or Thanksgiving, and on occasion of conventions, and 562 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. charitable collections. In emergencies a Presbyter may exercise discretion, or assume the responsibility, but it is best, if there be time for it, to consult his Bishop, throwing the responsibility on him, where it belongs. The Ante Communion office is obligatory, and to be used on every day for which a Collect, Epistle, and Gospel are appointed. Bishop Mcllvaine presses this rule very strongly in one of his convention addresses. The place for special prayers and thanksgivings is before the general thanksgiving. Special Services. — Special Psalms and Lessons are not discretionary on any day for which the Church has specially arranged them. The General Convention has expressed the opinion that a Presbyter may use a large liberty in separating the three services — namely, Public Prayer, The Litany, and the Ante Communion. Origi- nally they were distinct offices: and the custom of uniting them has unwisely become common. In small towns and country places these separate services cannot now be held at separate hours; and all are too valuable to be entirely omitted. But in cities and large towns, they may be held at diffi3rent hours of the day. It is understood by the General Convention that all portions are to be used on Sundays, although it may be at dif- ferent hours. Missionaries, who serve two or three churches on a Sunday, may well adopt the following plan. In the morning, use Morning prayer and Sermon. In the after- noon, use the Litany and Ante Communion with Sermon. In the evening, use a short form of Evening prayer, or vary this method by exchanging that which is named for the evening with the afternoon, and vice versa. MODES OF ADMINISTERING. 563 The short form of Evening prayer authorized in Ohio and in some other Dioceses is as follows. (It would be lawful wherever it should be authorized by the Ordinary.) The Sentences as usual. In the Ex- hortation, after the words, " Dearly Beloved," pass to the last sentence, namely, " I pray and beseech you, etc.'^ The remainder as usual, except that one of the Canticles may be read instead of the Psalter. One Lesson is read instead of both. The Creed and Prayers are used : or instead of the usual prayers, the following order may be followed ; namely, the Collect for the day, the Collect for aid against perils, the prayer for the Church Militant, and a closing Col- lect, with the lesser Benediction. Administering Baptisms. Infant Baptism. — Previous information is to be given to the Minister : and the necessary items communicated. Three Sponsors are required. The parents may be Sponsors. Sponsors ought to be Communicants : must be baptized. Baptism is to be in public, except on an emergency : and when in public is always to follow the second lesson of morning or evening prayer. The rubric is imperative, and the reason is obvious. For the child is to be admitted into the Church : and how can it be unless the Church be present ? When Bap- tism is administered in private, it is to be subsequently publicly acknowledged in the church with the proper form, and the assumption of Sponsorship. Responses should be audibly made. The pouring of water should not be so profuse as to disturb the child's nerves. Bap- tism depends on other things than the amount of water 564 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATIONS. employed. Water is to be poured into the Font at the time of Baptism. Because of proper want of careful- ness in placing a child on the Minister's arm, there is a tradition among us that one of our most valued Clergymen baptized a child's feet instead of its head. If a Sponsor takes the Infant from the left arm of a nurse or friend, and without reversing it, hands it directly to the Minister, and lays it upon his left arm, it will lie upon his arm in precisely the same position which it occupied on the nurse's arm. All difficulties arise from unskilful and unnecessary attempts to re- verse the position of the Infant. Much handling of a child and passing it from one to another, is sure to disturb it, and naturally leads to its crying. A child who is not an infant, can seldom be held in the Minister's arms. If old enough it should be taught to kneel to receive this Holy Sacrament. Adult Baptism. — Previous information and exami- nation must be had. A witness or two witnesses must be present. It is always to be in public. The responses should be full and audible. The position and dress of the Candidate should be such as will not attract atten- tion. At Baptism the Candidate kneels to receive the Sacrament; and then the Minister gives him the right hand of fellowship. Immersion should be practised when desired. It will be observed that the Rubric does not contemplate private Adult baptism. It is inadmissible except on a death-bed, or when the person is disabled : and for this the Rubric specially provides. Confirmation. — Before the administration a full list is to be prepared. Full names are to be given, indi- MODES OF ADMINISTERING. 565 eating sex. In several Dioceses^ these lists are pre- sented to the Bishop with a formula which indicates that the responsibility of presenting the Candidates belongs to the Minister, not to the Bishop. Dress should be plain. The hair should be so arranged as not to interfere with the act of laying on of hands. No veil should interpose. The use of oil or pomatum on the hair of the Candidate is disagreeable to a Bishop : for after touching it his hands cannot retain their cleanliness. The Candidates should bring their Prayer Books to the chancel, and respond audibly. They should stand before the rail until the Bishop directs them to kneel. They stand during his address to them : and kneel at the Laying on of hands, and at the Benediction. The Holy Communion. — The preparation of the Table should be made by the Wardens or by their authority. The Bread may be marked and cut into slices ; but should not be broken into pieces until the Minister does it as ordered by the rubric. It should be bread, not cakes. It is to be broken : and the pieces should be large enough to permit of its being eaten as re- quired by the rubric. Wine, not brandy nor cider, should be used. Enough of it should be prepared, for it is required by the rubric to be drank, A pure white linen cloth below the elements is required. A clean napkin should be used to cover them. The rubric says ^' break,'^ but does not say handle the bread. The Minister's hands should be clean. Administer to several persons during one recital of the phrases. The Communicant's position should be reverential, and the elements should be received without gloves. The 48 566 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. rubric directs that the elements should be placed in the hands. The Cup is not to be held to the lips of the recipient, for the rubric expressly directs that the Cup, like the Bread, shall be delivered "into their hands." In approaching and leaving the table let haste and confusion be prevented, by a prearrange- ment. When Communicants are seated in two aisles, let them approach from the aisles alternately. When they are seated in three aisles, let the centre aisle alter- nate with the two side aisles. Any arrangement is better than none, so that confusion be avoided. The elements are not to be carried about. The Church is as particular in her laws on this point, as in implying that the Font shall be emptied after Baptism. Neither elements, bread, wine nor water, are to be put to a superstitious use after being consecrated. As the Font must be emptied, otherwise the rubric could not be complied with on the next occasion — " the Font shall then be filled with j9i^?'e Avater ;'^ so the consecrated Bread and Wine must be reverently eaten and drank before the Communicants leave the church. Private Communion. — The ordinary service is cur- tailed : but it is not to be shortened more than the rubric allows, because i\\Q Holy Communion is not to be considered as a Viaticum, and is not to be admin- istered except when the person is able to appreciate and bear the strain of it; having full consciousness. Usually not many are to be present : but, except in cases of contagious disease, the Church requires that three shall be present. It is important to observe that the sick person is to receive last of all : the reason is obvious. PARISH REGISTER. 567 3Iarriage. The position of parties is, the Bride on your right. The hands are to be free of gloves. The parties should be instructed beforehand to provide a Ring. After their approach to the chancel, a pause is to be avoided. When the marriage takes place in Church, they should kneel on approaching the chancel and at the appointed prayers. The responses should be guided by the Min- ister : he is to lead audibly in the parts which are to be recited after him. The giving away is a significant act and should not be omitted. The bride is given to the Church, implying the sacredness of the Covenant ; and by the Minister is given in Christ's name to the Groom. At the Benediction, kneeling is the proper posture of the parties. A full record should be kept: and the Certificate is always to be given to the Bride. burials. Conform to the customs of the place. When an address occurs, it should follow the lesson. The Coffin ought to be closed before the final part of the service. Part of the service may be used in the church, or the house : but the committal when possible should be used at the grave. Earth is to be thrown on the coffin ; not on the box or the lid which covers it from sight. Records. The Parish Register is an important legal document. The most complete one which I have ever seen was pre- pared by Rev. James Bonnar. The most convenient one was prepared by the Rev. Dr. Washburn, of Grace Church, Cleveland. 568 PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATION. In baptisms. — The Christian names of the Candidate and of the Father and Mother as well as their surname should be recorded. The names of sponsors or wit- nesses should be recorded; also the Candidate's age: with the date and other items of interest. In Confirmation. — Let the whole baptismal name be recorded. As to Communicants. — Keep an accurate Register of the full name and of the time of entrance and depart- ure. Never erase a name unless the person has died, or been formally transferred. As to Marriages. — The identification of the parties is the important matter: and therefore the Record should have the full names of both, and either the name of the Bride's father or the residence of both parties. Property has been lost by want of care in making the Parish registration of marriages. As to Burials. — Identification is the important point. The full name, the place of residence, and the age are to be given. The transmission of property is often dependent on the correctness of this record. A list of Families should be kept by every Pastor. A Register of services and of sermons and addresses forms an interesting document, and is valuable. A Register of the Communion collections, and of the disposal of them, is important, lest some question should arise which might aifect a Pastor's character for cor- rectness. A Register of the ordinary charitable collections should be kept, on the report of the Wardens who have them in charge; that both Rector and Congregation may become acquainted with the charities of the Parish. DISCIPLINE. 48* 569 PART THIRD. DISCIPLINE : CAUSES, MODES, PENALTIES. 670 DISCIPLINE. CHAPTER XXXVIL CHURCH DISCIPLINE. The subject of the DisGvpline of the Laity has been left at loose ends by our ecclesiastical legislators. One or two rubrics, which can hardly be supposed to exert more power over the Laity than they do over the Clergy, and a meagre Canon or two, form the whole body of laws on which our Clergy are to depend, in dealing with communicants who need the discipline of the Church. The House of Deputies in the General Con- vention is disinclined to enact laws on the subject. The Bishops sometimes propose laws, as they did in 1877 ; but they are usually returned, without the sanc- tion of the Clerical and Lay Delegates. A Pastor is therefore left to the force of his moral influence. Perhaps it is best, under the peculiar con- ditions of religious life in this country and in these times, that a Minister shall be debarred from appealing to statutes, and compelled to use only the rule of reason and the fetters of love. A Minister is thrown upon his discretion, judgment, tact, and character; his moral influence. Beyond these, except when a very flagrant case arises, whicli unmistakably offends the moral sense of the Church community, there is a very small measure 571 572 DISCIPLINE. of law, and of penalty, which he can employ to keep the Church from suffering grievous hurt. I have little to do, therefore, except, in outline, to state the Causes which may lead to discipline ; the Ifodes of procedure ; and the Punishment, for faults proven. But let me give a caution. A young Minister's first duty on entering a parish is not the exercise of discipline. It is not his primary obligation or function to discover all the evils and errors existing ; or when discovered to bring them into light. Possibly his predecessor may with a reason have left them buried. Perhaps an older or a more experienced head than his would still suffer them to remain unnoticed. At least he may safely wait until he has learned some of the reasons which actuated his predecessor's conduct, and gained some little experi- ence in the methods of dealing with men, before he opens the Pandora box of Parish scandals. Some evils in a parish cannot be remedied. A Clergy- man does not immediately discern that exceedingly un- satisfactory impossibility. A young man who should endeavor to destroy a Avhole brood of serpents at one blow, by removing the stone that covers them, and re- vealing the unclean nest, in order to attack it, would very likely be poisoned for his pains, and would cer- tainly fail of success. We come reluctantly to the con- clusion that some evils in the Church are irremediable. But when we arrive at that conclusion, then we see that it is abundantly illustrated in the Divine government of men in all departments; and that our Saviour pre- pared us for it by declaring that wheat and tares are to grow together, until He shall send forth His Angels, at the end of the world, to separate the two. CAUSES. 573 Besides the "cannot/' there is an ^^ ought notJ^ Some evils ouglit not to be touched. It may be possible to remove them, but if the process Avill certainly produce more evil than good, a wise man will let them alone. There are noxious poisons which are confined to a lim- ited locality. We may well desire to destroy them. But if the disturbance will extend their influence, and involve a larger circle in the area of death, certainly we will pause before we stir them ; probably upon reflec- tion will leave them undisturbed to act within their nar- row sphere. But some evils are remediable ; and Avhen w^e have decided that the remedy is within our power, we are bound to approach them and apply it, regardless of the consequences to ourselves. Of these, I am to write. Discipline is to be approached cautiously. A wise Pastor does not venture on such a step until he is sure that he is right. For having entered on that road he is never to turn back ; until either the offender has become penitent, or the Church has been purged of the wrong-doer. And when a Pastor has undertaken this disagreeable task conscientiously, the Communicants of his Parish, and especially the Vestry, are inexcusable if they withhold from him their moral support. Causes, The causes for discipline, may all be included under the general term of scandals: and they may be classed as those arising from irreligiousness, immoralities, or inconsistencies. Irreligiousness appears either in speech or habits : and in either may give scandal to godly people. Careless 574 DISCIPLINE. words about our God, or the obligations of religion ; or habits which show indifference to religious observances : may create a scandal. Immoralities, still more readily become scandalous : such are, Disorderly conduct or Intemperance. Pro- fanity, and that even in small degrees. Sabbath break- ing, a misuse of the Sabbath. Dishonesty; fraud, or suspicion of it. Uncharitableness ; in speech or deed. Inconsistencies. These embrace a large class. We have treated many of them under the topic of ^' temp- tations to return to the world or worldly habits." As the measure of inconsistency must necessarily be deter- mined by the Pastor's teaching, it becomes him to fix his own standard of consistency, and that of his family, firmly and sufficiently high. All these create, or may create, what the Rubric calls scandal. The term is indefinite, and the mode of determining it in any case, is very indefinite. A Min- ister will find his judgment much exercised in deciding what, and when, offences against propriety really be- come scandal. No positive rule can be given. That, however, is undoubtedly a scandal which not only offends a Minister's sense of propriety, but offends the religious sense and the moral sense of the influential part of his people ; reckoning as influential those who have a reputation for j^iety, good judgment, consider- ateness, and charity. Undue absence from the Holy Communion is an act of irreligiousness. Inasmuch as it is an act, and there can be no question about its reality, the Church rightly calls your attention to it. In the Diocese of Ohio, and (it is believed) in several Dioceses, absence from the MODES OF PROCEDURE. 575 Communion for one year is a sufficient cause of suspen- sion, unless satisfactorily explained and excused. Unscriptural Divorce is an immorality. It is only necessary to call your attention to the Scripture rule on this subject, and the Canon founded on it. The law of Christ is this : a husband and wife lawfully married become one flesh. No power on earth can rightly sep- arate those whom God has thus made one. An adul- terous offence against this sacred union is the most cruel and blackest of crimes. And a divorce for any cause, except adultery, violates this divinely created bond and therefore is of the same quality as adultery itself. If either party marries again whilst the other party remains unmarried, the marriage becomes actual adultery in that party. Modes of Procedure. Private admonition. — Admonition may be given pri- vately more accurately and more gently than in any other way ; and especially if it be done by a letter. I recommend this course. Verbal communication par- takes very much of the nature of explanations and answered inquiries : and can scarcely ever appear to be an act of discipline. A formal letter readily assumes the character of discipline. One of my early recollec- tions of St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia, is that I was sent, one Sunday morning, by my Father with a letter, which I overheard him say was intended to warn a person not to approach the Lord's Table. If it struck as much fear into the offender's heart, as it did in mine, the bearer of a missive containing unknown terrors, it was certainly most 'wholesome medicine for the soul. 576 DISCIPLINE. Admonition before a Witness. — This is a still more serious form of admonition. The witness should be a Warden, or some influential layman among your Com- municants; one in whose discretion, as well as reticence, you can confide. Admonition before a witness had best be in writing carefully prepared. It is better to put in written words what it may be necessary to say, rather than to trust to the excitement of the moment to suggest the fitting words for so grave a duty. Examination of Witnesses. — When a case is compli- cated, or when you cannot decide its merits by simply conversing with the offender, you may need witnesses and testimony. If it is really complicated or serious, or likely to involve others, it will be advisable to take to your help a sound, judicious Christian Lawyer, who is accustomed to sift evidence. A Clergyman depend- ing on his own judgment will soon become perplexed, and it may be embarrassed, in the presence of conflict- ing statements. Solomon's celebrated judgment was not that of a legal mind ; it was rather a clerical cut- tino; of a knot which he could not untie. A Minister should not expose himself to the danger of being not able to give a wise decision. Let your lay advisers get into and get out of the difficulties caused by con- flicting testimony. They are used to it, and understand it. Wait patiently until they shall have solved the perplexities. Give no decision until you see light from amidst the darkness ; a darkness which possibly they may have created, but which also their critical habits and legal skill will have enabled them at last to dispel. Cautions. — A Minister is to be careful not to run MODES OF PROCEDURE. ^'J'J after evidence ; and never to involve himself unneces- sarily in a case of discipline. Discipline is to be avoided ; not sought after. However much a man may love the exercise of authority, he can never desire to exhibit his authority in depriving a soul of spiritual privileges. If it should happen, that, for any cause, the person offending shall have become specially ob- noxious to the Pastor, he will on that account the more studiously stand aloof from discipline. In such a case, his act of discipline must not only appear to be, but must really be, forced upon him reluctant. Further cautions respect the Pastor in his judicial character. Inasmuch as he is to be a Judge, he must keep himself entirely free from acting as if he were a Grand Jury soliciting evidence, and from whatever may bear the least appearance of prejudging the case. Gossip and Rumor are not evidence. The Pastor cannot act on the testimony of mere gossiping talk, nor even on a tolerably defined rumor. A rumor may reach such a stage as that he will be bound to mention it to the person concerned : and that not only for the Church's sake, but for the sake of the person. But it is a delicate business ; and unless the Pastor even then is aware of some fact, or is possessed of some statement in detail to back him, he may find that he has unex- pectedly put himself in the position of a gossip. Gen- erally, a Pastor should wait until gossip has begun to relate facts, and rumor has begun to deal with dates and names and circumstances : then, with facts, dates, and names, he may be prepared to begin an inquiry. Another essential factor in every case is the witness on whose testimony a proof depends. Many a gossip z * 49 578 DISCIPLINE. will be quite ready to start a Pastor off on an unpleasant hunt, if only he will be willing to accept that position. The Pastor should be careful not to pull chestnuts off the fire for any too cautious witness. The caution is suspicious. If a deep interest in the Church's honor or welfare be felt, the witness will not withhold the truth because of the prospect of a trial, nor hesitate to take a public share in the responsibility of it. When a whisperer begins to tell a tale of a neigh- bor's sad misdeeds, stop him right there. Say quietly but firmly, " Stop for a moment. Remember that I am a Judge. If your tale implies that a neighbor has committed a misdeed, I must inquire into the truth of it. You are to be the witness. And the inquiry will, therefore, lead to one or the other of two consequences. Either I shall discipline your neighbor for the fault which you disclose to me ; or I shall discipline you for making a charge against him which you are unable to prove." More than once, such a reminder has put a sudden end to an " o'er true tale," " very sad," and "pity 'tis, 'tis true." But I was thereby spared the hearing of it. The greatest difficulty in exercising discipline lies at this point ; the difficulty of obtaining competent witnesses: for a Pastor has no right to compel testimony, nor can he administer an oath to determine the accuracy and truthfulness of testimony. Penalties. The only punishment known to our law is suspension from the privileges of the Holy Communion. No such penalty exists as a Pastoral Excommunication. A sus- pension may be declared to be for a fixed time; or PENALTIES. 579 indefinitely, until the offence shall have been repented of. Every act of suspension is to be immediately re- ported to the Bishop ; with a record of such circum- stances as may enable him to judge of its propriety. The suspension is not to be recorded on the Parish Register until it has been reported ; nor until oppor- tunity has been given for an appeal to the Ordinary. In all cases appeal may be taken to the Bishop. If the appeal is sustained, the Communicant is thereby restored : and no record is to be made on the Register. If the appeal is not sustained, the sentence is thereby confirmed, and is to be recorded. Repentance, restitution for wrong doing, and amend- ment of life are proper grounds for restoring an offender. The act of restoring to Church privileges remains within the province of the Pastor, unless an appeal has been taken. All acts of restoration shoukl also be reported to the Ordinary. MANNERS MAKETH MAN. 49* 581 " The servant of the Lord must ... be geiitle unto all men."— 2 Tim. ii. 24. THE PASTOR A GENTLEMAN Wise William of Wyckeham emphasized a great truth when he placed this alliterative proverb over the gateway of his hospital at Winchester. No doubt he intended to give a wide sweep to the meaning of " Manners'^ : a wider meaning than it has in our present habits of speech. But in its narrower intention it suits my purpose. For a Pastor should be in the first place a gentleman : a man of gentle-manners. The nearer his religious character approaches the per- fect model left by our Lord, the more truly will his whole bearing be gentlemanly. For this quality is not the result of culture only. It is somewhat a natural gift ; sometimes an inheritance : in some respects it is the result of education ; but chiefly it is a grace. For the truest gentlemanliness is the combined result of " love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- ness, and temperance.'' Of the nine graces which form a Christian's character, the only one which does not seem absolutely embodied in gentle-manners is joy. Of all the other eight it is the embodiment and expres- sion. And yet joy is the atmosphere which must surround a perfect gentleman: because the absolute 583 584 THE PASTOR A GENTLEMAN. perfection of gentle-manners is found only in the per- fect Christian. The secret of this character is constant considerate- ness. And this is its best definition. A gentleman is always and thoroughly considerate of the needs, wishes, and circumstances of those who are about him : and he acts accordingly. This habit of consideration enables him to say the right thing at the right time, to do the right thing in the right place, to be helpful at the right moment, and to be always polite without intrusiveness. Ordinary good manners as taught by the professors of " deportment" lie on the surface : and are not seldom ruffled or lost when the selfishness of an ill-regulated nature rouses the opposition of a selfishness, which is, not controlled by principle but, only hidden by " politesse." Christian unselfishness, guided by the charity of the Gospel, possessing a peace which is permanent, long suffering because it is not only good but meek, willing to confide in those who profess friendship, and withal temperate in all expressions of human kindness or de- votion, produces gentle-manners which can never be reproved. The Pastor should be such a gentleman. In dealing with the poor he will not offend their sensitiveness. In meeting the depraved and sinful he will not forget to em- ulate the compassion which, while infinitely pure, could pity and save the lost. In casual company, he will con- sider the character and circumstances of his companions, before venturing remarks which might hurt or displease unnecessarily. In the sick room, he Avill be especially gentle to the infirmities of shattered health, and inter- pret even fretfulness and impatience by the sensitiveness CONSIDERATENESS. 585 of diseased nerves. In the pulpit he will teach without arrogance, reprove without harshness, rebuke without anger. His allusions to personal faults, and sins of persons, will be impersonal : and so tempered that the apostle's exhortation Avill appear to be ever in his thoughts "considering thyself, lest thou also be temptedj^ This considerateness will show itself in minor mat- ters. It will govern that most annoying of all moments in a Pastor's life, when a visitor interrupts him in the midst of some favorite study, or in the very glow and heat of composition. He will consider the cause and need of interruption before he relieves himself of it: and the relief will be effected so gently that the visitor will praise himself for his considerateness. It will govern the length of his sermons, the manner in which he conducts services, i\\Q frequency of them, the peculiarities of his fancy in administering ordinances and sacraments. A gentleman will not offend his peo- ple by introducing novelties in worship to which they are opposed. A gentleman will not attempt to force on his people his own idiosyncrasies. Considerateness of their feelings will forbid. Good manners will often prevent unseemly differences between a Pastor and his People ; for in most cases they arise, not so much from devotion to principle, as from the determination of sel- fishness to carry a point, regardless of the wishes of those whose preferences ought to be considered. And the instincts of a gentleman will lead a Pastor to yield in every point except principle, when he discovers that 586 "THE PASTOR A GENTLEMAN. ungentle-manners are opposing him. He then retires within his own consciousness of right, and hides himself there, before 'Hhe beginning of strifeJ' Consideration for the wishes of his correspondents will lead to the habit of replying to all important letters, by return of post. If the subjects require delay in the formal reply, a Pastor will at least acknowledge the receipt immediately, and relieve his correspondent's anxiety. The witty saying of Napoleon I., that " most letters answer themselves after a week's delay," was worthy of an autocrat : but the Emperor was not dis- tinguished for his politeness, nor for consideration of the feelings or wishes of others. A like considerateness w^ill prevent a Pastor from running into debt. Cruel is the need, sometimes, and cruel, as well as wicked, is the neglect or carelessness to pay him promptly what is due. But the wise man saith, " the borrower is servant to the lender." While tlien a Minister, for his own sake, will avoid the de- pendent condition of being servant to any man (except for Christ's cause), he will equally avoid, for his neigh- bor's sake, placing him in a condition where he must be Master to his Pastor, and must hold the reins of his economy. I know of no rules for the cultivation of gentle manners. In some matters of detail, "Miller's Clerical Manners" is a book which it may be judicious for a young clergyman to consult. But, I am inclined to think, that the only efficient principle of politeness is COURTESIES. 537 a " new birth" bv the Holy Spirit, and the only irre- provable gentle manners are those that are learned by a successful imitation of the constantly considerate Christ. Courtesies, When a Clergyman enters on a Pastoral charge, it is polite for the Wardens and Vestry to call on him im- mediately, and also for the leading members of the con- gregation to show the same courtesy. If lie be married, the ladies of the congregation will be equally courteous to his wife. If he be a Deacon, he must not expect an equal degree of attention, although it ought to be shown. But although his people should fail to manifest courtesy, a Pastor should not fail in his duty. He should, as soon as possible, visit and make himself personally known to every member of his charge. It would be well for Pastors to hint to Wardens, (should they need it) that it is part of good church- manners for the Wardens to treat visiting Clergymen with special courtesy, those I mean who may be occa- sionally supplying the pulpit of their Parish Church; at least they should attend in the vestry room after service, and greet these visitors as brethren in Christ. Similar courtesy is due (and happily is generally paid) to a Bishop on his visitations. When a Clergyman enters a city or town to become a resident, the Clergy ought, without delay, to call on him, whether he be a Presbyter or Deacon. The omis- sion of this act of respect cannot be regarded in any other light than a discourtesy. A subsequent apology 588 I'HE PASTOR A GENTLEMAN. for the neglect never heals the wound which this defici- ency of gentle manners has inflicted. If the new resi- dent be married, the members of clerical families should show this courtesy. When a Bishop is resident the first call is due to him from the incomer : but a Bishop seldom allows an in- coming Presbyter to be more diligent than himself in offering his greetings. Parishioners entering a Parish should always call on their Pastor, or at least by card or note (never by mes- sage) should announce their new relationship to him. But a wise Pastor will never wait for this exhibition of courtesy. As soon as he hears of the arrival of a new family within his charge, he will call to greet them. In country towns, and villages, it is especially important that the Minister shall visit new-comers immediately. Nor is he to be restrained by the fact that he may be ignorant of their church relationship. Of course if he knows that they are not Episcopalians, he will not visit them until time has been allowed for their own Minister to call on them. But if nothing is known as to their church relationships, he may assume that they are as likely to belong to his Church as to any, and should act accordingly. A Minister should be very careful in paying the small courtesies, of a morning or evening greeting, to friends or neighbors whom he meets. A "good day/' the touching of the hat, the removal of the hat to those who especially deserve it, a kind and pleasant word, even to a passing stranger, is never lost. Too great familiarity with his people is as much an evil as too little. A true gentleman will find the happy mean. FEES. 589 It is not only contrary to our law, but is a violation of gentle-manners, for a clergyman to officiate in any office within the cure of another, except by the latter's request. A gentleman will be especially punctilious in observing this rule, in respect to Baptisms, Marriages, and Visiting the Sick. Superiority in office does not give a right to violate this rule. If a Presbyter may interfere with the charges assigned to a Deacon because of his superior order, then a Bishop, for a similar reason, may be excused for interfering with the special cure of any of his Presbyters. But all such interference in a Pastor's duties, without the Pastor's request, will be felt to be a violation, not only of Canon law but, of good breeding. It is advisable that requests from a Pastor to anotlier Clergyman to officiate in Baptisms, Marriages, or Official visits to any of his parishioners, should be in writing. A Clergyman will be wise if he declines to act on a verbal message in such a case. Fees. As to that class of clerical services, for which fees are usually given, the rule is, and it should be impera- tive, that the fees belong to the Pector of the Parish. A Clergyman whom he has invited to officiate for him sliould be satisfied with receiving the compliment. Wardens and Vestrymen are sometimes at a loss to know when to offer a fee to a Minister who officiates oc- casionally for the Parish : and by what rule to measure the same. The rule is this, that whenever a Minister officiates by theb^ request ^ he should receive a fee ; and 50 590 ^^^ PASTOR A GENTLEMAN. it should be the same in amount that they would have paid their Pastor for the same service, calculated by the ordinary salary. As it is the general rule of courtesy of the medical profession not to charge Clergymen for medical attend- ance, a Clergyman should never receive a fee from his medical adviser. It should be arranged that a Phys- ician who acts by this generous rule should receive all spiritual ministrations of his Pastor as a free gift from the Parish. Clergymen whose means are ample, will do well to decline such gratuitous services, on the Grround that the rule was formed when salaries were very small, and was intended to supplement insufficient salaries. The reciprocity of courtesy will be an unfailing guide for a Clergyman in deciding this class of questions. The Minister should ever bear in mind that he is the Ambassador of Christ. He is the representative of the Heavenly government. He is, or ought to be, the first gentleman in his community. And while his position requires untiring watchfulness lest he should dishonor it, and the utmost meekness because of his conscious unworthiness to represent so holy a Master, he should never fail in the courtesies which are characteristic of the gentle manners of that Kingdom, which is not of this world, and towards which it is his part to draw all men. A PASTOR'S WIFE. 59 1 A Pastor's Wife. He that findeth a good wife receivetli a rich blessing from the Lord. It is true in the clerical profession, above all other professions or businesses of life, that a wife makes or mars a Minister's usefulness. Tupper says, " Pray for your wife ! she is somewhere.'' Like a good deal of proverbial philosophy, that part which breathes the spirit of Holy Scripture is the most valuable. For, in so important an action as the choice of a Avife, the Bible itself has taught us, (as in all things,) to pray for this God's gift. A Minister who in this matter allows himself to be influenced only by impulse, who does not seek guidance from our Father in heaven, and who can- not or will not decide under the restraints of discreet judgment, deserves little sympathy if his happiness or usefulness should be forfeited. So supremely important is this subject that I venture this one suggestion. Neither marry, nor trammel your- self with an engagement, until after four or five years of experience in the Ministry ; indeed, until after such an interval as will enable you reasonably to judge, as to the character of work which God's providence intends for you. A man who finds himself best fitted to occupy the retired walks of Pastoral life, needs a wife suited to the sphere in which he moves. He has no right to with- draw a companion from society in which brilliant talents and high cultivation fit her to shine, and to associate her always with those who can fully appreciate neither. A good wife will not, indeed, hesitate to accept the more retired position : and most admirable is the bravery with which many such face the incongruity. iSTor is 592 THE PASTOR A GENTLEMAN. there a doubt that the noblest talents, and the highest culture, may spend themselves profitably in raising the tone of a social circle in the most humble parish. But the better work, on the whole, will be done, in such a sphere, by a woman whose habits are suited to the so- cial condition which surrounds her, and whose elevation beyond her neighbors is only such as not to create envy, but to be a healthful stimulus. So, a Clergyman, whose ministry is to be spent in the larger sphere of city life, needs a companion accustomed to the amenities of a great community, and is fitted to meet its exigencies, not only intellectually, but by ability of leadership. Many a Minister's wife who has known nothing in early days except a retired country home, has easily transferred its refinements and delicacy of feeling to the broader cur- rents of society in a city. But, in these cases, a peculiar wit and natural capacity have made the most of oppor- tunity. On the other hand, many a pure and simple heart, forced into such a situation, has found its happi- ness wrecked, by the impossibility of conforming to new habits a life which was patterned on less artificial ideas. Observation in the office of a Bishop affirms, without hesitation, that the prospects of Clergymen have been often marred by an ill-assorted marriage; con- tracted, whilst in their inexperience, they were neither able to judge discreetly as to character or capabilities, nor at all able to forecast the future of their own position. These hints will not come too late for students to whom the power of choice is still left. For them we repeat our caution — delay your choice until God's provi- dence has shown what sort of a wife you need. A PASTOR FOR LIFE. 593 A Pastor for life. I have reserved until the last, this most important suggestion, that the Pastoral tie is intended to be indis- soluble except by death. Our Canons are based on it. It pervades the beautiful office of Institution : an office which has gone almost into desuetude, because of our modern habits of looking on the Pastoral relation as fragile and brief. But whatever may be the fault of modern sentiment on this subject, and even if we fail in its correction, let us for ourselves appreciate the fact that our Lord intended this tie between Pastor and People to be permanent; and let us strive in such manner to discharge the sacred duties of the office, that it may be unbroken between our People and ourselves, until death us do part. All the finer sentiments of this relationship, all the deeper and truest intimacies that spring out of it, all the holiest sympathies that are created by it, depend upon the idea of its permanence. Blessed and sacred bond ! within whose gentle attach- ments Pastor and People walk side by side through all vicissitudes. Mutual respect passes naturally into re- gard, regard warms into affection; and that affection takes on so much of the character of the domestic vir- tue, that the Parish itself becomes a family, and the highest ideal of the Church on earth is realized, for it becomes the Household of God. 50* 594 THE PASTOR A GENTLEMAN. CONCLUSION. My most earnest hopes in preparing these pages will be satisfied, if the truths they announce, and the experi- ences they record, shall be helpful to any Brother in the Ministry, or who is approaching it. I have written what I needed to have known, but was not taught, be- fore I entered the Ministry. Without instruction in the details of the Pastoral office, and only possessed of a few general principles for guidance, I was left to work out the gravest problem of life — a Pastor's responsibility. Whether this attempt to supply a lack will prove helpful, time will show. It is at least honest, and brotherly. In the spirit of humble faith '^ The Pas- tor" is committed to the gracious uses of God the Holy Ghost; whilst I pray that the sanction of our chief Pastor, the Divine Shepherd of the sheep, may be given to this effort to delineate the office which is the noblest earthly type of the imitation of Christ. APPEE"DIX. VISITING BOOK. The best form of Visiting Book is that which arranges the names of Families alphabetically, devoting one page to each letter of the alphabet. The columns should be ruled so as to show the number of visits intended to be made in each year. The visits being recorded under each year will show at once how well the rule has been observed, and how many visits are still due. It is well for a Clergyman to have within daily sight a reminder in this duty. The best pocket visiting book which I have seen is published by Dutton & Co., of New York. Three visits per year. Address. 1878. 1879. John Smith. 200 6th St. Spring. Fall. V Winter. Spring. Fall. Winter, left. Adam Swan. 70 2d Av. V i ]/ V V Sarah Swayne. Sage Ct. ent'd Dec. V V V BLANK FOKMS. A Pastor should be supplied with printed blank forms for several purposes ; as follows : Baptism.— For obtaining accurate information as to the full name, date of birth, names of parents, and sponsors or witnesses of one who is to be brought to Baptism. Confirmation.— Fov obtaining the full name of Candidates for Confirmation. 595 596 APPENDIX. Marriage. — For obtaining the full names of both parties, their ages, the woman's father's name, and the witnesses in a marriage. Blank forms of Certificates for Baptism, Confirmation, and Mar- riage should be on hand to be given to those who desire them. A blank form for Transfer of a Communicant to another Parish should be at hand ; and should be given whenever it is known that a Communicant is about to remove. By waiting for the Communicant to apply for it, the Clergyman generally loses sight of the person ; and it results in his finding his Communion list encumbered by names of individuals no longer bona fide members of his parish. When a Communicant leaves the parish without the Minister's knowledge, it may not seldom be due to the laxity of his oversight, and the want of systematic attention to the duty of visiting. The best series of blank forms which have come to my attention are published by J. H. Carne & Co., Detroit, Michigan. book: of services. An interesting and valuable record of his services may be kept by a Clergyman with very little trouble. Let it be arranged on two pages which face each other. Thus, on the left hand page : Date. D.M. D.W. D. E.Y No. of Services. No. of Sermon. Text. Subject. 1879, Dec. 25 Th. Christm 325 270 St. L.xi. 13,14. Angels' Song. On the right hand page : Name of Church. Place. Diocese. Extra Ord. or Sacra. Remarks. St. John's. Eversham. Non. Communion, Clear, cold ; full church. 70 corns. If such a record be kept accurately from the day of one's Or- dination, it will furnish a grateful memorial when he shall have reached the days at which his vigor will begin to fail. THE PASTOR'S PRACTICAL LIBRARY. 597 YESTKY, PEEACHEK'S BOOK. A record of every one who has preached in St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia, and his text, has been kept in the Yestry room of that church since the day on which it was consecrated. The record is signed by the Preacher himself. It forms a Regis- ter valuable not only for the facts contained in it, but for the autographs of men who in their day have done the Church good service, during the last half century. Similar records are kept in many Vestry rooms in our churches. They are almost uni- versally found in the larger Parishes in England. The practice is strongly recommended. In forming the Book a page should be devoted to each day of the Ecclesiastical Year ; so that the record of each Lord's Day, and Festival and Fast shall stand by itself, showing the manner of its celebration from year to year. THE PASTOR'S PRACTICAL LIBRARY. A full supply to be kept on hand for the following purposes : Minister's daily hand-books. For Lay reading. For Cottage reading. For Sunday-School Teachers. Family Worship. The Protestant Episcopal Church. Instructions as to Baptism. Instructions as to Confirmation. Instructions as to Holy Communion. Intelligent Unbelief— Scepticism. Ignorance. Carelessness. Conviction. Conversion. Christians — to encourage progress. Christians — to encourage spirituality. Christians — to guide in practical work. Christians — to help under temptation. Christians — to instruct or comfort under affliction. Christians — to strengthen or solace in sickness. Backsliding. Mistaken Profession. 598 APPENDIX. THE PASTOK'S PKACTICAL LIBEAKY. Minister's Daily Hand-Books. Brown's Scripture Selections. Bolles' Vade Mecum. Hobart's Manual. Manual of Pastoral Visitations. (Parker.) Bather's Ministerial Duty. Notes on Nursing. (Nightingale.) Griswold, Social Prayer Meeting. Vaughan's Addresses to the Young Clergy. (Macmillan.) Moore, Thoughts on Preaching. Ordination Addresses, by the Bishop of Oxford. (Wilberforce.) Mcllvaine's Work of Preaching Christ. Westcott's Canon of New Testament. (Macmillan.) Westcott's Introduction to Study of the Gospel. (Macmillan.) Hard wick, Christ and other Masters. (Macmillan.) Wayland's Moral Science. Wharton's Medical Jurisprudence. Hugh Davy Evans on Marriage. (Hurd & Houghton.) For Lay Beading. The Homilies. Bishop Mcllvaine's Select Family and Parish Sermons. Norton's Sermons. (Whittaker.) Bradley's Sermons. The Alton Sermons by Hare. Sermons by Eev. Henry Blunt. Lewis' Sermons. (W. H. Lewis.) Eyle's Brief Addresses. Lefroy's Pleadings for the Church. (Eivington.) Melville's Sermons. Sermons by Eev. Edward Cooper. Norton's King's Ferry Boat. [For children.) THE PASTOR'S PRACTICAL LIBRARY. 599 For Cottage Beading. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Cottage Lectures on Pilgrim's Progress. (A. T. S.) Blunt's History of Christ. Blunt's History of Elisha. Blunt's History of St. Paul. Blunt's History of St. Peter. The Dairyman's Daughter. Tract Shepherd of Salisbury Plain. T7'act. The Lighted Valley. Tract. Annals of the Poor, by Leigh Kichmond. Tract. Village in the Mountains. Tract. Henry and his Bearer. Tract. "Watchmaker and his Family. Tract. David Baldwin. Tract. George Lovell. Tract. Little Jane ; or, the Young Cottager. Tract. Swiss Peasant, by Cassar Malan. Tract. We must live ; on temperance. Tract. Foe, Sunday-School Teachers. Tyng's Forty Years in Sunday-School. Todd's Sabbath-School Teacher. Dixon & Smith on Catechism. Eleven Months in Horeb. (Kandolph.) Church in the Wilderness. (Kandolph.) Bible Dictionary. (American Sunday-School Union.) . Moulton's Hist, of English Bible. (Cassell). Barnes' Notes. American Tract Society, Commentary. Cruden's Concordance. (Lippincott.) Brown's Concordance. {Small.) The Speaker's Commentary. (Scribner.) Butler's Bible Keader's Commentary. (Appleton.) Scott's Commentary. Dean Stanley's History of the Jewish Church. Dean Stanley's Palestine. Farrar's Life of Christ. Howson and Conj^beare, Life of St. Paul. (JOO APPENDIX, Family Wokship. "Walker's Church in the Family. (Rivington.) Wain Wright's Family Prayer. Oxenden and Ramsden, Family Prayer. Bickers teth's Family Prayer. The Protestant Episcopal Church. Onderdonk and Barnes. Clark's Walk about Zion. Kipp's Double Witness. Garrett's History, Continuity of the Church. (Whittaker..) Shirley's Church in the Apostolic Age. (Macmillan.) Hardwick, Christian Church, Middle Ages. (Macmillan.) Hardwick, Christian Church, Reformation. (Macmillan.) Bishop White's Memoirs of the Church. Shinn's Questions about our Church. (Whittaker.) Shanklin, some Objections. (Whittaker.) Westcott's Bible in the Church, (historical.) (Macmillan.) De Tessier, The House of Prayer, [exposition of the Services.) (Macmillan.) Vaughan's Liturgy and Worship, (Ch. Eng.) (Macmillan.) Chapman's Sermons. Wilmer's Manual. Hobart's Apology. Baptism. Sprigg, Baptism of Infants. Hall on Baptism. Bickersteth on Baptism. Slicer on Baptism. Confirmation. Tyng on Confirmation. Mcllvaine on Confirmation. Wilson's Manual on Confirmation. Shinn's Manual of Confirmation. (Whittaker.) Vaughan on Confirmation. (Macmillan.) Pay thy Vows, by Bedell. THE PASTOR'S PRACTICAL LIBRARY. 601 Eenunciation, by Bedell. Dixon and Smith on the Catechism. McClear, Catechism. (Macmillan.) Kamsey's Catechiser's Manual. (Macmillan.) Pastor's Testimony, by J. A. Clark, D.D. Holy Communion', Hannah More's Private Devotions. Tracts on Self-Examination. The true Christian, by James. The Lord's Supper, by Bickersteth. Goulburn's Personal Eeligion. Thomas a Kempis. (Lippincott.) Intelligent Unbelief — Scepticism. Great Question answered by Boardman. Importance of Consideration. Tract. Philosophy of the plan of Salvation. The Christ of History. Divinity of Christ. Inspiration of Scripture and its Interpretation, by Bishops Browne and Ellicott. (AVhittaker.) Westcott, Bible in the Church, {historical.) (Macmillan.) Credentials of Christianity. (Whittaker.) Mason's Divinity of Christ. Jones of Nayland. Eock of Ages, Bickersteth [introd. Huntington). (Dutton.) Butler's Analogy. Mcllvaine's Evidences. Keith on Prophecy. Chalmers' Astronomical Sermons. Argyle's Eeign of Law. McCosh on Divine Government. Theology of Invention. Dick's Philosophy of a future state. Principalities and Powers. Popular Objections to Eevealed Faith. (Eandolph.) Birk's Difficulties of Belief. (Macmillan.) 2a 51 602 APPENDIX. Ignorance. Startling Questions, by Kyle. Tract. Come to Jesus. Tract. The Great Change. Mercien's Natural Goodness. Pike's Persuasives to early piety. Carelessness. Living or Dead, by Ryle. Tract. Wheat and Chaff, by Eyle. Tract. Do you want a Friend ? Tract. Come and Welcome. Tract. Awake, thou Sleeper, by Clarke. Morrell's Seven Counsels. Tract. Conviction. Anxious Inquirer. (Palmer.) Counsels for the Awakened. Tract. Eight Choice. Tract. Way of Salvation made plain, by Bickersteth. The Wedding Garment. Tract. Inquirer directed. Tract. Conversion. The Great Change. Advice to Young Converts. Manly Piety. The True Christian, by James. Preciousness of Christ. Precious things of God. Christ on the Cross, by Stevenson. THE PASTOR'S PRACTICAL LIBRARY. 603 Christians — to encourage progress. Townsend's Bible. "Waymarks, by Dr. Bedell. Hannah Mere's Practical Piety. Guide to the Young Christian Youth's Book, by Brownlee. Christian Duty, by James. Pike's Guide to Young Disciples. Advice to a Young Christian. Bickersteth on Prayer. Christ our Example. Fellowship with Christ. Eighteousness by Faith, by Mcllvaine. Goulburn's Personal Religion. (Rivington.) Interior Life, by Upham. The Divine Life, by Craik. (Dutton.) Memoirs published by E. K. S. Goode's Better Covenant. , Memoir of Rev. Dr. Gregory Townsend Bedell. Memoir of Susan Allibone. (Lippincott.) Memoir of Miss Newton. Memoir of Leigh Richmond. Memoir of Wilberforce. Memoir of Captain Hedley Yicars. Christians — to encourage spirituality. Questions and Counsels. Tract. Instructions for Self-Examination. Trad. The Preciousness of Christ. Meditations on Prayer, by Hugh White. Phillips' Love of the Spirit. The Tongue of Eire. Gethsemane and Calvary. Lessons at the Cross. Christ our Example, by Stevenson. Buchanan on the Holy Spirit. Gurney's Love to God. Flavel on Keeping the heart. 604 APPENDIX. Christian Retirement. Memoir of Payson. The Christian's Secret of a happy life. Goulburn's Pursuit of HoHness. (Rivington.) Goulburn's Holy Catholic Church. (Rivington.) Upham's Life of Faith. Private Prayer, Ven. Alwyne Compton. (Whitaker, Lond. Gurnall's Christian Armor. Leighton's Works. Praise of the Holy Spirit, by Scribner. Randoli^h.) Christians — to guide in practical work. Little Things in my life. (E. K. S.) Systematic Charity. Tract. Abbott's Way to do good. Christian Duty, by James. English Hearts and Hands. (Carter.) Missing Link. (Carter.) Haste to the Rescue. (Carter.) Ragged Homes. (Carter.) Women Helpers in the Church. (Lippincott.) Memoirs of Martyn. (E. K. S.) Memoirs of Brainard. (E. K. S.) Memoirs of Howard. (E. K. S.) Memoirs of Hoffman. (E. K. S.) Memoirs of Bishop Patteson. Memoir of Catharine Tait. (Macmillan.) Christians — to help under temptation. Doubting encouraged. Tract. Do I grow in grace ? Tract. Joy and Peace in believing. Contest and Armor, by Abercrombie. Man of Eaith. The Lord our Shepherd, by Stevenson. Perfect Love, by Stevenson. THE PASTOR'S PRACTICAL LIBRARY. 605 Christians — to instruct or comfort in affliction. Buchanan on Affliction. Christian Consolation, by Kev. Dr. Alexander. Gray's Eecognition of Friends. (Whittaker.) Thoughts of Peace. Bonar's Night of "Weeping. It is well, by Bedell. It is I, by Hall. The Mount of Olives. Family of Bethany. Early Lost, Early Saved. The Kefiner. Sympathy for Mourners. The Awakening. Heaven ; or, the Sainted Dead. Baxter's Saints' Best. Christians — to strengthen or solace in sickness. Sickness, its Trials and its Blessings. Songs in the Night. Morning and Night Watches. The Heavenly Home. Backsliding. Winslow on Declension and Kevival of Eeligion. Hodge's "Way of Life. Mistaken Profession. Startling Questions. Tract. Living or Dead. Tract. Have You ? Tract. Wilberforce's Practical Yiew. 51* THE SCHEME AND INDEX. Public Instruc- tion is by I. INSTRUCTION is either Public, or Social. CatecMsing, p. 57, ■which is treated as to its Confirmation, p.l02 which is treated - as to its A Pastor's work lies in the three Departments of — I. INSTRUCTION, p. 55. II. ADMINISTRATION, p. 383. III. DISCIPLINE, p. 560. PAGE Definition 57 History 57 Value 62 Duty 74 Subject 76 Methods 90 History 109 Authority 117 Intention 126 Candidates 131 Qualifications 140 Benefits 144 Intellectual Preparation 150 Spiritual Preparation 154 Subsequent Instruction 170 Definition 203 History 204 Right Estimate 210 Danger of depreciating 219 Object 225 Method 227 ("Positively 237 (Negatively 251 Power 2f)l Matter 270 Style 277 Manner 297 Expository 316 Topical 317 Illustrative 317 Doctrinal 319 Experimental.... 324 Practical 324 (Scriptural 327 Decided 332 Proportionate... 333, Discriminating.. 334 Individualizing. 335 337 Preaching, p. 203, which is treated as to its Social Instbuc- TioN is by f Cottage Lectures, p. 375. Bible Classes, p. 377. Teachei-s'' Meetings, p. 378. Prayer Circles, p". 379. Subject. Species. Characteristit. Texts Preparations 354 606 THE SCHEME AND INDEX. 607 THE SCHEME AND l^Jy-^^.— {Continued.) PAGE n. ADMINISTRATION is either Pastoral or Parochial. ' Sacrarne7its, p. 388. Visiting, which is treated as to its Pastoral Admin- istration is in Treatment of vary- ing cases. The Sunday-School, which is treated as to its Direction of activi- ties, which is treated as to its Parochial Admin iSTRATiON refers ■ to III. DISCIPLINE is treated as to - its Relations to Dviies as to Causes, p. 573. Modes of procedure, Penalties, p. 578. Definition 389 Duty 391 Advantages to .he {g«-;;:::;::J^« Difficulties 400 {Whole 406 ffflic;;d.:::::::::::::t3S Troubled 432 The Ignorant 441 Careless 443 Self-Righteous 445 Sceptical 448 Awakened 455 Convicted 457 Outsetting 461 Professing Christian 465 Maturing Christian 468 Progressing Christian 469 Tempted Christian 470 Afflicted Christian 473 Christian in sickness 475 Christian in insanity 475 The Backslider 482 The Mistaken Professor 483 The Pastor's relation 489 The Pastor's responsibility 489 Teachers I Their Qualifications 494 xtacuers. | Their Preparations 496 Departments 502 Objects 503 Means 506 Methods 508 Helps 613 (Definition 517 History 517 Lay Element 522 Departments 524 Methods 525 Vestry 537 Wardens 543 Organist 543 Persons. \ Choir 544 Sexton 546 Active Helpers 547 ,Poor 547 (Church Building 548 Parsonage 549 Grave Yard 550 Funds 550 Collections 550 rPublic Prayers 555 -j Offices of religion 563 (Preaching..... 563 p. 575. 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