THOMAS P1S BRIDE Nl ^.> .'(?- ^ PRINCETON, N. J. ^i{^ • ^ _ Presented hy\'<~^ S \ CX(S^^^ V^-V^O \^ BY 4211 .N5 Nichols, Thomas McBride Preaching PREACHING ^ Series of Briff C^aptrrs BY THOMAS McBRIDE NICHOLS Pastor of the Market Square Presbyterian Church. GERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA, PA. p{)ilal)ielp{)ia : PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION Witherspoon Building, 1319 Walnut Street. 1904 Copyright, 1904, by Presbyteriak Board of Publication. 2)ct)fcatton, TO THE MEMORY OF ONE WHO FOR NEARLY FORTY YEARS DECLARED WITH UNSWERVING FIDELITY AND UNFAL- TERING TRUST "the FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS," AND WHO, BY HIS PREACHING, LED MANY TO CHRIST, AND SOME INTO THE GOSPEL MINISTRY, THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED. preface It will be seen at a glance that these papers on " Preaching " do not pretend to exhaust the subject. Prepared originally for " The Presbyterian Jour- nal," they are, of necessity, abbreviated and con- densed; their purpose being not instruction, but sug- gestion. They express, however, what the author regards as the true aim of preaching, and the best methods of reaching the desired results. It is his hope that they may make the path a little plainer for some already in the ministry, and emphasize for others, who may be in doubt as to their vocation, the importance, the dignity and the claims of the Chris- tian pulpit. T. MoBride N'iohols. Germantovm, Philadelphia, Pa., January, 1904- CONTENTS The Importance of Preaching Doctrinal Preaching Evangelistic Preaching Expository Preaching Extemporaneous Preaching Qualifications for Preaching The Indorsement of Preaching The Joy of Preaching PAGE 13 21 29 37 45 53 61 69 Untro^uctton. Preaching the gospel is the most sacred work to which any man can be called. When the preacher stands up before his people to speak to them, he rep- resents his Master, and must be sure that he delivers his Master's message. Those into whose faces he looks have come up into God's presence with their needs, their questions, their burdens, their sorrows, their perplexities, and are waiting to learn from the preacher's lips what God has to say to them. Even if they are not consciously in this attitude of listen- ing expectation, this is really their condition, and it is the preacher's privilege and duty to give them what they need. Dr. rairbaim, in one of his books, tells of a young man of ability and genius, who had gone through his course of training to the satisfaction of his teachers, but who, when the time came for him to preach, shrank from the responsibility. When for the first time he stood up in a pulpit and looked into the eager 10 Introduction. faces of the people before him, and thought of their needs and sorrows, he could not speak, and silently declared to God that he would never stand in such a place again until he had something to tell the people which would really help them and answer their ques- tions. The pulpit is truly an awful place for any man who has not come there really as the messenger of Christ, with the divine message for the weary, the struggling, the sorrowing. The author of these chapters has written out of the experience of his own successful ministry. What he has to say about preaching he has learned in the actual work of preaching. The book does not profess to be an exhaustive treatise, or a course of Theologi- cal Seminary lectures on Preaching, but treats only of certain practical phases of the great subject. No preacher can read these earnest words thoughtfully without being freshly impressed with the sacredness and importance of his calling, and also encouraged and stimulated to the better doing of the work of his ministry. J. R. Miller. PMladelpMa. Xlbe Importance of preacbino» " The true sermon^ the utterance of living truth by living men, was never more powerful than it is to-day. People never came to it with more earnestness, nor carried away from it more good re- sults.'' — Brooks. I. ^be llmportance of preacbinQ* There is no question about it, the sermon is in dan- ger. As a distinctive feature of church life it has al- ready lost something of its grip. Less and less does it dominate the services on the Sabbath. Less and less does it pervade the mind and regulate the con- duct of the congregation during the week. The rea- sons for this are obvious. Much more is demanded of the minister to-day than fifty years ago. He is now not so much a scholar and a thinker as a man of affairs. If he is the pastor of a large and influential city church, a telephone and a stenographer are a necessary part of his equipment. His study is not a retreat for meditation, but an office in which ecclesi- astical business is systematized and pushed through; while his pulpit is less a teacher's desk than a sort of captain's bridge from which orders are shouted to the crew. His success, externally considered, de- pends largely on his administrative ability. This fact augments his pastoral labors. As an ex- ecutive officer he must keep in constant touch with his subordinates. Only as he is much in the homes of the people, radiating personal magnetism at close range, can he stir the members of his church to ac- tivity and elicit enthusiasm for the multiplicity of 14 The Importance of Preaching. enterprises which his fertile brain conceives, A working church means a pastor whom neither weari- ness nor weather can keep indoors. And we have no wish to belittle the value of this. Yet it is not ac- complished without a tremendous expenditure of time and nervous energy, which reacts to the detri- ment of the sermon. What chance is there under such conditions, for uninterrupted study and calm, deliberative preparation for the pulpit ? ISTow, while this may be an extreme statement of the case, it nevertheless reflects the spirit of the age, by which every wide-awake minister is to some extent con- trolled. Moreover, the modern church service is clamorous in its demands. The trend of sentiment in the di- rection of liturgies is plainly to be seen. In some cases the ritualistic ruffles almost obscure the plain garments of former days. The worshiper claims rights which must be considered. He covets a larger vocal part in the exercises. The order of service must be so arranged that something new will be do- ing every five minutes. Music by the choir is called for at frequent intervals. Movement and variety are the prime essentials. This is the tendency of the times, and is perhaps inevitable. As we live at high tension all the week, it is hardly to be expected that we will settle down on Sunday. But the sermon suf- fers. Elbowed roughly on the left and crowded badly on the right, it must push for a place. Often a clock in full view allows the congregation to keep tab on the flying minutes, and the minister is soon The Importance of Preaching. 15 made aware of his error, if by chance he oversteps the limits prescribed. So it has come to pass that with less time for prep- aration, and with less chance to preach, the modem clergyman is in danger of supposing that scholarly at- tributes are at a discount and that preaching is af- ter all an unimportant and insignificant part of his work. And if once that notion becomes imbedded in the mind of the ministry, the sermon is doomed, and the department of homiletics in our theological seminaries will give way to a chair of ecclesiastical technique, filled by some past-master in the art of or- ganizing raw material and superintending the mani- fold details of congregational activity. This would be most unfortunate. For, after all, the chief func- tion of the ministry is teaching. We may say that, without minimizing in the least, the significance of other functions. A pastor and an organizer, a min- ister must be; but first of all a preacher. The last command of Christ was not " Go ye into all tbe world, and organize Dorcas societies and mission bands," but " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel." No congregation can grow in grace, or become a vigorous and forceful element in the life of the com- munity, unless it is regularly and constantly fed on the strong meat of the Word of God. It may be trained to a certain proficiency in ecclesiastical gym- nastics; it may man and officer twenty or thirty sep- arate circles and committees, but if it is not nurtured on the Bread of Life, there mil be no vitality, no 16 The Importance of Preaching. stability in the work. Speaking comparatively, there- fore, we hold preaching to be " the one thing need- ful." The very choicest of the minister's intellectual and spiritual life must be poured into it unstint- ingly. 'No ordinary demands upon him should be al- lowed to interfere with it. If circumstances conspire to defeat preparation at any given time, better a good old sermon than a poor new one. There is more nutriment in a warmed-over steak than in a fresh brew of gruel. And as to the church service, we regard the ser- mon as the centralizing fact. The preliminary ex- ercises should lead toward it; the concluding exer- cises should deepen and fix the impressions made by it. If an extra five minutes is really needed to round out the treatment of some vital theme, let us excise an anthem rather than curtail the sermon. The min- ister is, more than anything else, a herald of good tid- ings. Give him a chance to put the trumpet to his lips. Let his message be heard in full. If he is con- scientious in the pulpit, he will not leave the rest of his work undone. Indeed, the rest follows as a mat- ter of course. Pastoral effort is simply personal, hand-to-hand application of the sermon. Organiza- tion is no more than a practical endeavor to dovetail the truth already proclaimed, in with the needs of the community and the world. The minister will ask no better model than the Master; and Christ's first concern was to teach the multitudes. His miracles were incidental. Mco- demus was attracted to Him, not by His marvelous The Importance of Preaching. 17 works, but because he recognized in Him " a teacher come from God." The men of Capernaum gaped no doubt when the unclean spirit was cast out; but be- fore that they had been astonished at Christ's doc- trine, " for He taught them as one that had author- ity." And in their amazement at the miracle, they did not omit to connect it by way of authentication, with the " new doctrine " He proclaimed. The apostles followed hard upon the heels of Jesus in this matter. After the death of Stephen, " they that were scattered abroad, went everywhere preach- ing the word." And we have as much need to give the sennon a fundamental place to-day. Why do we preach ? For two reasons. We wish to save sinners; we wish also to develop Christians. One or both of these objects the preacher always has in mind. " The world lieth in wickedness." We touch el- bows every day with the impenitent. Men and wo- men, careless of eternal interests, are absorbing themselves in the business of time and the pleasures of the body, and meanwhile the day of judgment is just ahead. Therefore, we preach " Jesus Christ and Him crucified." We lift the Cross into prominence that men may look and live. We emphasize man's sin and man's accountability; but over against those appalling facts we place the grace of God in the gos- pel of His Son ; and as the ambassadors of Christ, we beseech men to be reconciled to God. But our message is also to the Church. Here are Christians whose needs are numerous and insistent. They must be comforted in sorrow, braced against 18 The Importance of Preaching. temptation, strengthened for duty, instructed in ser- vice, urged to exercise their talents to the full. Therefore we preach, holding before them the per- fect symmetry of the life of Christ as the inspiring example for every child of God; emphasizing the virtues and the beauties of His character, one by one; explaining the necessities of the kingdom and matching the diverse parts of the Christian enter- prise to the peculiar gifts of individual believers; en- deavoring to so set forth the Word of God that Christians will be impelled to work out their own salvation. So, then, whichever class of hearers he addresses, the preacher must first instruct, and then persuade. He proclaims the truth as he finds it in the Scrip- tures; he interprets it, explains it, buttresses it with argument, clarifies it with illustration; and then he drives it home. He appeals to men to heed as well as hear; to accept the truth and act upon it. If need be, he plays upon the feelings of his audience with all the resources of rhetoric and oratory, convinced that any sermon fails of its object, which does not move men to receive and live the truth which it de- <}lares. He will not, of course, be satisfied with tears and visible emotion; nor will he be disheartened if his hearers go home apparently unmoved; but he will only count his sermon to have fulfilled its mission when he sees its fruits maturing in lives which, under the blessing of God, have been touched and purified by its power. Doctrinal preacbina. " There are congregations of the Lord before whose eye the vision of a tull- orbed Christianity has never risen, where only fragmentary and disjointed truth has from time to time appeared, and where, by so much, faith without a hear- ing has weakened its hold on men." — Eowe. n. Doctrinal preaching* Broadly speaking, there is no other kind. The primarj object of the sermon is to inculcate truth, di- vine truth. The treatment of the theme may be text- ual or~ topical, but there must be a theme to treat. As to form, the discourse may be propositional or ex- pository, but it must formulate facts. The method of reaching the end in view may be argumentative or hortatory, but the end must never be obscured. Whether a sermon is delivered extemporaneously or from manuscript, in either case there must be some- thing more than words to deliver. There is no pattern for a sermon. Conformity to type is impossible, for there is no type. Sermons dif- fer as widely as the individuals who produce them, as the occasions which suggest them. Each one is unique, a separate creation, to be judged on its own merits, and not side by side with others. But marked as is the necessary divergence between them in many particulars, they are in one respect alike. Every ser- mon is an attempt to declare and enforce some truth of theology or morals, as set forth directly or by im- plication in the Word of God. The first purpose of the sermon is to instruct. The preacher is a teacher. He indoctrinates his hearers. He is restricted in his choice of subjects as the lee- 22 Doctrinal Preaching. turer or the editor is not; but one thing he must do, " whether men will hear or whether they will for- bear," he must teach them. That is the meaning of doctrine — something taught. So that, broadly speak- ing, true preaching is always doctrinal. And if congre- gations are restless under instruction, if they insist on being entertained rather than enlightened, amused rather than taught, they will ultimately debauch the sermon, degrade the pulpit and strip the minister of his most pertinent and essential function. We som.e- times tremble for the future of the sermon, when we see how loath the people are to learn. There is however, a restricted sense in which the phrase " doctrinal preaching " is ordinarily used. Technically speaking, a doctrine is a statement of one of the fundamental facts of theology, one of the great truths of Revelation. The doctrine of the Atonement expresses the belief of the Church re- specting the sacrifice of Christ. Or, to narrow the term still further, we may say that a doctrine is one of the essential tenets of some school of religious thought. The doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints, for example, is one of the distinctive dogmas of Calvinism. A creed is, therefore, a collection of concatenated doctrines. The Westminster Confes- sion is the authoritative statement of Presbyterian belief. It contains the system of doctrine which we believe to be taught in the Scriptures, the basic truths of Revelation arranged in logical order. In the technical sense, then, a doctrinal sermon is one which is devoted to the consideration of some Doctrinal Preaching. 23 truth, fundamental, either to Christianity itself or to denominational interpretation of Christianity. Have such sermons a place in the pulpit ? To ask the ques- tion answers it. Put to the congregation the query might elicit a confusion of replies. But the minister of the gospel will have no doubt in his own mind. His duty is not determined by congregational tastes, but by congregational needs, and those needs are ap- parent. It would be no more absurd for the builder to question the necessity of foundation stones tkan for the preacher to deliberate as to the advisability of doctrinal preaching of the technical variety. Knowledge, intuitive or acquired, is the starting point of experience. Character results from the ap- prehension and appropriation of truth. Piety feeds on the facts of Revelation. There is a sense in which we must know, before we can believe. 'No man can trust Christ as a Saviour before he has been made painfully aware of sin and of guilt, and joyfully aware of the grace of God in the gospel. The head must be convinced of certain basic matters before the heart can be convicted of sin. " J^ay, I had not known sin, but by the law," wrote Paul. For that reason it is imperative that the preacher should acquaint his hearers with the granite princi- ples which underlie the Christian system. Let men know in plain terms what the Bible says about them. Tell them fearlessly what God thinks of them and what He has done for them. Elucidate the Cross. Explain the mission of the Church. Bring out into the clear the fimdamentals of religion. A character 24: Doctrinal Preaching. not grounded in the doctrines is like a house built upon the sand. Meat makes muscle, milk makes fat. Preaching which sedulously avoids the essentials of faith in the interests of any system of ethics, even that of the Sermon on the Mount, will eventuate in a limp and flaccid piety. In the order of revelation, Sinai precedes the Mount of the Beatitudes. Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill, enforce and apply it. The rampant materialism of our day can be suc- cessfully resisted only by a stalwart Christianity. There is a type of piety conspicuous chiefly for its lack of spinal column. It is the legitimate offspring of sentimental sermonizing, invertebrate preaching; and it has no chance at all against the rising tide of worldliness which threatens the Church. We need, therefore, to emphasize and insist upon those massive truths, which, wrought into the structure of charac- ter, will give it stability and strength. Moreover, denominational loyalty will be much encouraged by doctrinal preaching. Denominations are not a necessary or a permanent part of the divine order. The name " Christian " is more inclusive than the name " Presbyterian." The banner of the Cross invariably takes precedence of all sectarian in- signia. DenominationaHsm has of course been wick- edly overdone, and every true disciple rejoices that a reaction has set in. It is high time that the stone walls and the barbed-wire fences were removed. But that is not saying that we are ready for the oblitera- Doctrinal Preaching. 25 tion of all dividing lines. Denominations have un- questionably an important work to do. All things considered, they advantage the gospel. That being so, it is incumbent on Christians to be loyal not only to the kingdom at large, but also to that particular portion of the kingdom with which they are identified. In the long run a staunch sec- tarist will accomplish more for the cause than will the disciple who is so extremely liberal in his views as to have no point of attachment anywhere. This is the age not of the free lance, but of the regiment. Only organized effort counts. And as the kingdom kappens just now to be organized on denominational lines, a man must recognize that fact and fit himself in with prevailing conditions if he is to be a force in the religious world. And the better he is acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of his own denomination the more loyal will he be. The Christian who can tell why he is a Methodist will, other things being equal, be more interested and zealous than the Christian who cannot tell why he is a Presbyterian. The preacher should therefore bring to the front not only the general truths on which all Christians are agreed, but also the particular truths for which his own church stands, which have fashioned for it a unique place in the sphere of religious activity, and which have been responsible for its history. That is why we deplore the neglect of doctrine which is so char- acteristic of modern preaching, and plead for a res- toration of the doctrinal sermon to its rightful place in the Christian pulpit. 26 Doctrinal Preaching. We have no desire, of course, to emphasize theory at the expense of practice. The two are indissolubly united in the Gospel, and must not be divorced in the sennon. Dogma does not exist for its own sake. Unfleshed ribs and thigh bones are neither service- able nor ornamental. The economist may reduce them to phosphates, the anatomist may utilize them in demonstrations, but otherwise they have no value. The ultimate aim of doctrinal preaching is Christian living. "No sermon of this description is complete then, if it stops short of application. A house is not habitable as soon as the cellar has been excavated and the foundations laid. To prove the truth, that is the first step; to illu- mine it, that is the second step; to apply it, that is the third step, to Avhich the others are preliminary, and without which they were scarcely worth the tak- ing. The preacher is not satisfied when he has stated a doctrine and defended it. His propositions must be vitalized, and adjusted to the needs of his hearers. He would rather curtail the proofs than crowd the application. He only visits the head on his way to the heart. The practical bearing of the truth is the main consideration. He builds his skeleton with care, knowing well where the occiput and clavicle be- long. So he vertebrates his discourse. But to string bones on wires is an initial process. Only when clothed with living fiesh are they truly co-ordinated and endowed with propulsive power. We lay stress on doctrine, therefore, because it is the frame-work of character, the backbone of life. lEvanQclietic prcacbing. The captive to release, To God the lost to bring, To teach the way of life and peace, — It is a Christ-like thing." — Mow. m. levangcUstic prcacbtng. We may safely assume .the necessity of doctrinal preaching. But is there any choice between doc- trines? Among the truths which loom large along the horizon of Revelation, is one more conspicu- ous than another? Yes; for the preacher's pur- pose, the atonement claims pre-eminence. Logically estimated, theology is not Christocentric, as some have argued. The superstructure of any creed must rest back upon the divine decree. The sovereignty of God is the only anchorage for those who are " carried about with every wind of doctrine." But in the pulpit, the truths we hold in solution should crystallize around the Cross, and when that occurs we have evangelistic preaching. Unquestionably there is a popular distinction be- tween evangelistic preaching and preaching of other sorts, but the distinction is not valid. It is true that some sermons are addressed to the saved and some to the unsaved, but apart from that there is no sharp line of demarcation. The false impression which ob- tains has been fostered by professional evangelism of the inferior type. A familiar text, a few of the more general facts of the Gospel, a liberal sprinkling of illustrations drawn from personal experience, several threadbare anecdotes, a vivid word-picture of the fate 30 Evangelistic Preaching. of the impenitent, an impassioned, perhaps tearful, appeal to the unconverted; that, as many suppose, is evangelistic preaching, and can be had only from the regular evangelist. Let us hope so. We have no wish to minimize the good accomplished by men of God, who, having no settled pastorate, pass from city to city like the apostles, expounding the Word in the power of the Spirit, reaching some, doubtless, who hold aloof from the church, or whom the church has overlooked, ^o friction of after-event will erase the mark made by Moody on the life of his day. And Moody did not take his mantle with him. Elijah is translated, but more than one Elisha perpetuates his influence. There are men who, under the pressure of a divine call, have left their pulpits to " do the work of an evangelist." They have the confidence of their brethren, and prosecute their diflficult ministry with the indorsement of the Church. We recognize their gifts, admire their courage and bid them God-speed. We have small sympathy, however, with the irre- sponsible itinerants who, without ecclesiastical sanc- tion, wander up and down the land, a Bible bound in limp morocco in one hand, and a collection basket in the other. They are largely to blame for the sus- picion with which evangelistic services are sometimes viewed, and for the odium which in some minds at- taches to evangelistic preaching. These men may be sincere, but they are misguided. God summoned Amos from among the herdmen of Tekoa, and bade him prophesy. There are too many herdmen to-day who imagine that their name is Amos. Evangelistic Preaching. 31 We combat, then, tke notion that evangelistic preaching is of the peculiar variety instanced above, and that it cannot be expected from the settled min- istry. An evangelistic sermon is one which seeks souls, which emphasizes the cardinal facts of the Gos- pel in the hope that men will be moved to repentance, and induced to accept Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour. A sermon is not evangeKstic because of its homiletic form or its methods of enforcing truth, but because of its objective point, because it aims at con- versions. If sinners are hit, no one asks whether it was done with bird-shot or arrows. The truth is that evangelistic preaching, instead of being confined to a few peculiarly gifted individ- uals, is the first duty of every Christian minister. Ordination is a farce, if the candidate for the minis- try is not looking joyfully forward to a widening op- portunity of preaching the Gospel to sinners. His high ambition should be, when the Corinthians call him, " not to know anything among them save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." He has mistaken his vo- cation if he does not regard it of primal importance to draw men away from sin into fellowship with Christ; if he has not engraved on his memory as a perpetual spur the words of Solomon : " He that vsdn- neth souls is wise." He will not, of course, regard souls so won as scalps to be worn boastingly at his belt, when he makes his annual report to the Pres- bytery. Success will not engender seK-complacency. But he will count his ministry a failure unless he has gathered here and there some fruit which may be 32 Evangelistic Preaching. handed over to the Lord of the vineyard when the sun goes down. To this end his preaching will be largely evangel- istic. No one can develop Christians until he has Christians to develop. Men must be won to Christ before they can be made like Christ. The sinner is an unmined diamond. The converted sinner is a dia- mond dug from the dirt, but still in the rough. The finished Christian is that same stone, cut, poHshed and set in gold. Evangelistic preaching provides the raw material on which the educational forces of the church can operate. It is the starting point in every active ministry. John the Baptist preached evan- gelistic sermons in the wilderness. Jesus did the same, taking for His text the words of the forerun- ner : " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost was no different. Paul, by the fervor of his evangelistic preaching, made Felix tremble, and almost persuaded Agrippa to become a Christian. We are not sur- prised at this, for evangelistic preaching is, as has been said, only a variety of doctrinal preaching. It lays emphasis on those truths which are of burning sisTiificance to the sinner. The doctrinal sermon is right along the line of evangelism. On the one side, human depravity, the immortality of the soul, judg- ment to come, eternal punishment ; on the other side, divine grace, the love of God, an all-sufficient atone- ment, regeneration, faith, repentance. Are not these the truths best calculated to bring the prodigal to himself, and start him homeward? ISTo sinner was Evangelistic Preaching. 33 ever roused from his indifference by vapid sentimen- talities. The only preaching which can grip his con- science is the proclamation and application of those searchino- doctrines which center in the Cross. Evangelistic preaching is the largest, as well as the first, duty of the minister. The saved can be thrown in a measure on their own responsibility. It is a fine thing to drill them in Christian service and we will see to that, but it is better to leave them un- polished than to neglect the unconverted. There are times when we must turn our backs on the ninety and nine within the fold, and enlist all our energies in the pursuit and rescue of the lone wanderer on the mountain. It will not do for the preacher to remind himself on Sabbath morning that the greater part of his congregation are professing Christians. He wdll have a message for them, surely, a hopeful, inspiring message ; but what of the minority ? Shall he give no consideration to the few? One sinner saved is a bigger day's work than five Christians stimulated. As a rule, then, each sermon should have in it some- thing for the man who is out of Christ. In addition, there should be special seasons of evangelistic preaching, times when everything else is set aside in favor of direct, persistent reaching out after the unsaved. Any church will be the better for devoting a week or two every winter to revival services. And we hope that the time will come when the average pastor will feel himself competent to conduct such meetings without the aid of a profes- sional evangelist. Our theological seminaries should 34 Evangelistic Preaching. train their students for this sort of work. The weak- ness of the settled ministry is often at just this point. Young men are ordained to the sacred office, realizing the necessity of preaching to the unsaved, skilled in the mechanics of sermonizing, yet largely ignorant of the methods by which the seeds sown can be made to yield an abundant harvest. We have said nothing so far of evangelistic preach- ing outside the church. This is a separate depart- ment of the work, and might well claim a wider place in our sympathies, a larger share in our activities, than it has received even in our own city. Much might be written of the duty of the church to " go out into the highways and hedges." But so far as the preaching involved in such an effort is concerned, why should we say more ? It scarcely differs from evangelistic preaching within the church. Extreme simplicity in statement may be demanded by the lim- ited intelligence of the audience, but, after all, the same object is kept in view, and the same means of reaching it are employed. We regard evangelistic preaching, therefore, as the acme of the preacher's art. It keeps him close to the Gospel, in vital touch with the Cross; it holds before Christians the para- mount duty of Christian living, personal work among the unsaved ; and, under God, it is certain to issue in the salvation of precious souls. Brpositor^ preacbtng. '■' Expository preaching is not the evo- lution of a topic, but the elucidation of Scripture. The main purpose is to get at the real meaning of God's truth." — Setcall. IV. jgxpo0itor^ preacbing. Every true sermon reaches forward. It looks be- yond the hour and often beyond the audience. Right- ly viewed, it is a step in a process, not a finaUty. If the congregation, charmed by beauty of diction or fertility of illustration commends the sermon, it is to that extent a failure; a work of art perhaps, a model of eloquence, but a failure, for it has focussed attention on itself. But if sinners are " pricked in their heart " and begin inquiring what they must do to be saved; if Christians are startled out of their apathy and show themselves " zealous of good works," the sermon is a brilliant success, though both text and argument are forgotten. The preacher knows that it is always springtide in the pulpit ; that his sermons are no more than seed sown in expecta- tion of the coming harvest. A sermon achieves im- mortality not by being printed in a book, but by being buried so deeply in the hearts of men that it will germinate and rise again in the quickened con- science, the energized will, the consecrated life. But seed sown must penetrate the soil. Truth uttered must get beyond the ear. Unless our preaching is of a character that will arrest attention and secure a patient and considerate hearing, we might as well sit down. There lies the difficulty. 38 Expository Preaching. Congregations are not as receptive as we would like. Many come to church sadly pre-occupied. The wor- ries of Saturday still haunt them; the problems of Monday already confront them. Our lives are so crowded that the Sabbath is not the hiatus it should be. The laws of the Commonwealth may manacle the body, but our unfettered thoughts browse where they please. Some of the audience are worse than pre-occupied, they are prejudiced. The man whose mind has been soaked in the Sunday newspaper until it has become a saturated solution of secularities, is in no condition to profit by a sermon. He is drunk with the things of time and sense, and for the time being is in conflict with spiritual truth. It is of first importance, therefore, that we preach interesting sermons, that we present the truth in such a fashion that listening will be a pleasure. In order to do this the form of the discourse must be considered. The same amount of lead may be cast in a round bul- let or a pointed projectile. One will smash, while the other penetrates. So there are different moulds in which a sermon may be run. It is possible to select a truth, state it in the form of a proposition, analyze it, discuss it in detail, and then apply it. But the aver- age mind is not trained to logical analysis. We have so many thoughts that we are somewhat embarrassed in our attempt to think. Ideas crowd in upon us in such profusion that we have no time to sort them. Educational processes to-day are telescopic rather than microscopic. They bring near many things which once were out of reach, but fail to concentrate attention on details. Expository Preaching. o9 Expository preaching takes this fact into consider- ation. It remembers that the present generation has not been taught to think closely or minutely, and in- stead of treating exhaustively an isolated verse or clause of Scripture, it delineates in bold outlines the truth contained in an extended passage. An exposi- tory sermon bears the same relation to preaching that an impressionistic canvas bears to painting. It de- lights in broad strokes, and lays on the colors with a generous and splashing brush, for there is no need of economizing the pigments. When half a chapter is our text, even the most wasteful sennonizer will scarcely run short. It is true, some are prejudiced against this variety of preaching because of the abundance of material on which it draws. They regard it as a labor-saving device, and believe that it is always symptomatic of ministerial indolence. They suppose that the preacher, being unable or unwilling to dig the truth laboriously from a single verse, takes refuge in a paragraph or a parable, knowing, as has been whim- sically remarked, that " if he is persecuted in one verse he can flee into another." ISTothing is more remote from the truth. No other kind of preaching involves more careful preparation. The ordinary sermon interprets a few words; the ex- pository sermon interprets perhaps fifty sentences, containing, it may be, a dozen separate truths, which must be explained not only, but unified. If the pas- sage is to be made so Imninous that the hearers can grasp the salient points mthout mental fatigue, those 40 Expository Preaching. points must be marshaled in orderly array, their mutual relations recognized and established. Some central fact must correlate the others. There will be a clearly-defined plan, of course, and a certain prog- ress of thought, making a climax possible, just as in any other sermon, but the difference between exposi- torj preaching and preaching of other sorts is more than the difference between a long text and a short one. In proportion as the sermon ranges over a wide stretch of Scripture, it must exhibit the power of an- alysis not only, but the power of synthesis as well. Unless one has the selective faculty, the genius to perceive the essential elements of a narrative or an argument, together with the courage to reject all material, no matter how attractive, which will not lift the sermon forward, he would better stick to texts of limited area. Those then, who imagine that expository sermons are an evidence of slothfulness or hasty preparation on the part of the speaker, are a long way from the facts. The real reason why we have so little exposi- tory preaching is that it requires more labor than the average minister can give to the pulpit, without slighting the rest of his work. He simply has not time for it. Yet such preaching is worth all it costs. It is of value to the preacher because of the thorough and painstaking study of the Bible it necessitates. It is advantageous to the message itself, which is clamor- ing to be heard in its divine fullness, in its length and its breadth, its height and its depth. Some of the Expository Preaching. 41 minor truths, the less conspicuous subjects, which nevertheless have their importance, might never be approached in the pulpit, were it not for the exposi- tory sermon. But more to the point is the fact that this style of preaching helps the people. It arouses interest, piques curiosity, sets the con- gregation wondering what is coming next. If the text is some passage in Old Testament history, or an incident from the life of Christ, His conversation with the woman of Samaria, for example, or one of the miracles; if we find material for the sermon in the nan'ative portions of the Word, we put the audi- ence in good humor at the start. There are few who do not like a story. Men will swallow any quantity of moral teaching if it is incorporated in a stirring novel. And somehow, truth lays hold of most of us more forcefully when it springs out at us unex- pectedly from the shelter of some incident which spurs the imagination. The doctrine of the Atone- ment will appeal far more powerfully to the ordinary mind if presented pictorially in a parable, than if dis- cussed academically from a verse in Romans. Expository preaching also familiarizes men with the Bible. It broadens their acquaintance with the facts and the factors of Revelation, introducing them to scenes and putting them on intimate terms with characters of whose existence they were scarcely aware. This method inculcates truth wholesale, not piecemeal; in allopathic doses rather than in homeo- pathic pellets. How small a portion of the Bible wiU be covered in a year if we preach only from scattered 42 Expository Preaching. verses! How little system there will be in our ser- monizing under such conditions ! On the other hand, might ^ye not by expository preaching splendidly il- lumine whole sections of Revelation, for those who have neither the time nor the training to expound it on their o\vn account ? But best of all, sermons of this sort stimulate men to " search the Scriptures " for themselves. The more we know of the Bible the more we want to know. It is a book which lures us on from one field of investigation to another, each new line of inquiry revealing something further to be explored. And the wonder of it is we are never weary. We may not be critics, skilled in exegesis; we may miss some of the subtler beauties, certain of the finer shades of mean- ing, through ignorance of the Greek and Hebrew text ; but once sympathetically undertaken, the study of the Bible becomes an absorbing passion which will find its perfect satisfaction only when we see no longer " through a glass darkly, but face to face." The glory of expository preaching is that it awakens an enthusiasm for the Word, and stirs men to that personal exploration of the inspired message which will be worth more to them spiritually than all the sermons they vnYl ever hear. ]6itemporaneou0 preacbina. '"It seems to me that to speak to men without notes, out of a full and earnest mind, is the most natural and eftective way to address them; the way most fit- ting to those sublime and practical themes which the preacher of the Gospel has to present." — Storrs. V. }eitemporaneou0 ipreacbtng. The impressiveness of preaching is determined largely by the method of delivery, back of which lies the method of preparation. Some sermons are writ- ten out in full. Such an one may be taken into the pulpit on paper and read verbatim from the manu- script; it may be memorized, and recited before the congregation, the written copy not appearing; or it may be thoroughly mastered, not in verbal expres- sion, but in thought, until the mind is saturated with the substance of the discourse, and then reproduced with as much approximation to the original as may be possible at the time. Each of these methods has more than one pulpit-Goliath to champion its cause. So far as the congregation is concerned, however, general sentiment favors the absence of the manu- script. It may be in the head, in the pocket, on the desk at home or in the fire, no one asks its where- abouts, or cares, so long as it is not in the pulpit. Indeed, in some churches the pulpit itself is banished, lest the minister in a moment of inadvertence should be tempted to read a sermon. This is a healthful symptom. It indicates that men want the sort of preaching which appeals less to the head than to the heart; that they realize the incompetence of apa- thetic emotions, and long for some word from above, 46 Extemporaneous Preaching. which will trouble the waters of the stagnant pool. If the time has gone by, and we believe it has, when Christian people can be satisfied with mere acumen and rhetorical finish in the pulpit, if they are really anxious to be roused by the truth, if they prefer the rough-shod words which never slip on their way to the heart, rather than the sleek words with rubber heels, which wake no echo in the sensibilities, we may " thank God and take courage." At the same time, this popular demand for the exiling of the manuscript, may easily prove an em- barrassment to the youthful preacher. A written ser- mon close at hand is a strong tower into which he may flee when harried, and from which he may fire his guns at the forces of iniquity without fear of dis- comfiture. Congregations should not ask too much in this matter of delivery from the young man who is just learning to preach. He has his own troubles, and a consciousness that the people are critical of his methods will only augment the " fear and trem- bling " with which he " works out his own salvation." We must remember that he is dealing with " the deep things of God," and that only long experience in the pulpit can fit a man for handling such profound themes easily and well. A certain dignity of utter- ance is essential, and if the sprouting minister feels lost without his manuscript, he must be indulged. We tie the tender plant fast at first, that it may ac- quire strength to grow unsupported by and by. Yet there are so many advantages in direct ad- dress that the preacher should grow away from the Extemporaneous Preaching. 47 manuscript as soon as may be. At best it is only a crutch, and a crutch is a confession of lameness some- where. The young man proposing marriage might be more coherent if his proposal were written, but some one else would get the girl. The lawyer's im- passioned appeal to the jury would lose half its force if read from a type-written copy. What sinner, bur- dened with guilt, would stop, as he turns his face heavenward, to write out his agonized cry for par- don ? Our object in preaching is not only to instruct, but to persuade. Surely, the man who can fasten his eyes on the people, forcing them to fasten their eyes on him, will keep in closer touch with his audi- ence, will be more sensitive to the rise and fall of their feelings, and so more likely to reach their hearts. When the physician administers electricity, he watches the patient, not the battery. Men listen when we speak to them, if we have anything to say. But reading is not speaking. It is neither so direct nor so natural, and some men will pay no heed to the truth, no matter how weighty our words, if conveyed to their ears through the medium of a manuscript. Well then, shall we learn our sermons by heart, and recite them ? That would be far better than read- ing, but it means a dog's life for the preacher. Few men can memorize with facility, and fewer can be sure of finding at a moment's notice what they have thus stored away. There is always the danger of for- getting. Memory is as cranky as an automobile. A child cries, the fire engine rattles by, a restless audi- tor drops a hymn book, something out of the ordinary 48 Extemporaneous Preaching. occurs, the speaker's mind is diverted, he misses a word or two, loses his grip oi^ himself, and the rest of the discourse is irretrievably ditched. It is a laborious and dangerous method. Still, the discipline of the pen is indispensable at first. Until the preacher has acquired a suitable style, and gained the power of clothing truth in ap- propriate words, and expressing it in clean-cut sen- tences, he will treat neither himself nor his people fairly, if he does not commit his thoughts to paper. And if, as is likely, he finds no time for outside liter- ary work, he must write his sermons. ISTot otherwise can he avoid slip-shod composition and rhetoric which is a slur on the English language. But though his sermon is written, it need not enslave him. Let him familiarize himself with it, working it over and over in his mind, until its plan and salient ideas are for the time being a part of himseK, and then let him preach it as the Lord gives him utterance. This will not be recitation, but reproduction. What it lacks in polish it will gain in force, and though bom of a manuscript, it proves superior to its parentage, and may rightly be called extemporaneous preaching. Yet is there " a more excellent way." By this we do not mean extemporizing in the literal sense. He who goes into the pulpit without adequate prepara- tion, trusting that the Lord will put ideas into his head, and words into his mouth, will soon be looking for another charge. The Holy Spirit is continually helping the conscientious preacher out of tight places, but never honors either laziness or incapacity. Extemporaneous Preaching. 49 Preaching of this type wearies the congregation and insults the Gospel. But preaching without previous written preparation, except as one jots down an out- line for future reference, preaching in which the material of the sermon has been carefully gathered and arranged, but the phraseology left to the inspira- tion of the moment, that is preaching par excellence. It is, of course, the method of maturity, impossible in any degree of perfection, until one has been long enough in the pulpit to get his bearings. It requires a thoroughly-disciplined mind, as well as a heart on fire, and well it may, for it is royal preaching. In or- der to it the preacher must have a wide and verbal acquaintance with the Bible, so that he can quote at will. iJsTothing so clinches an argument as a verse from Scripture. He must possess an abundance of ideas, the fruit of extensive reading and close obser- vation. He must be master of a generous vocabu- lary, in which virile, meaty words predominate. He must acquire some readiness in concise and impres- sive statement, marshaling his ideas in sentences which ring in the ear, clear as the notes of a bell; which fall savagely on the mind like the strokes of a whip, leaving a mark behind. So equipped he can preach as no one can who is hampered by either the presence or the recollection of a manuscript. Structurally considered, his ser- mons will of necessity be simple, logical, straightfor- ward, and will therefore be the more easily digested and assimilated by the congregation. But not being cut and dried, they allow ample margin for such illus- 50 Extemporaneous Preaching. trations and arguments as may be born of the occa- sion, under the inspiration of an enkindled audience. Moreover, this method of preparation favors the an- ecdote, which has been called " the secret of pulpit popularity." We may go further, and say that it is one element in pulpit power. To move men, sermons must first be drenched with experience. So they be- come pictorial, vivid, true to life. Men who will de- ride a syllogism will listen breathlessly to a story, and stories cannot be read or recited, they must be told. The extemporaneous preacher is also, more than any other, en rapport with his hearers. They realize that he is saying what he feels at the time, not something which he felt days before and em- balmed in his manuscript or his memory. Their thirsty minds respond with eager attention, when of- fered a draft, not from a bottle of carbonated emo- tions, but from the bubbling spring itself. All things considered then, we believe that the extemporaneous sermon is best adapted to secure the desired results, and that facility in this kind of preaching should be the ultimate aim of every Gospel minister. (S^ualificattons tot ipteacbing* "A great many methods oi making preachers have been set forth, but 1 am inclined to think that preachers are God- made before we get hold of them, and if they are not, anything that we may do in the case will not furnish the preacher." — Day. VI. (aualificatione for preaching. We believe that the gospel ministry is the noblest and most exalted office to which a man can aspire. But not every one is qualified to preach. " There are diversities of gifts, for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another divers kinds of tongues." The Christian is concerned about useful- ness. He wants to know how he may best advance the kingdom. The young man who has pledged him- self to Christ will therefore at least consider the claims of the ministry, before he settles down defin- itely into his life-work. He will, of course, scorn to enter the pulpit as a last resort, deciding the matter by a process of ex- clusion. You will not hear him saying, " I am un- fit for business; as a physician I could not earn house-rent ; I have no taste for the law ; the ordinary occupations seem closed to me; there is nothing left but preaching." On the contrary, he assumes the paramount obligation of the ministry. He knows that the Lord has need of Christian merchants, and pious politicians, great need, but he is also aware that the fields are " white already to harvest," while the laborers are few, and that if he is competent to swing the scythe he ought to do it. From this standpoint he attacks the problem, and it is only after weighing 54 Qualifications for Preaching. the case with care, and discovering that he is not adapted to the pulpit, that he permits himself to look elsewhere for a profession which will focus his gifts and energies. As this may meet the eye of some young man who is still debating the question, a brief statement of some of the essentials to success in the pulpit will not be out of place. And it is understood that we are speaking now, not of the social and exec- utive gifts necessary in the pastorate, but of the qual- ifications one must exhibit, if he is to preach the gospel. The supreme qualification is a call from God. If one enters the ministry for any reason other than a rooted conviction that God wants him there, he de- serves to fail. Salary, social position, the deference of modest men, the admiration of dazzled women, the casting vote in many a controversy, all the other perquisites of the ofiice, and they are many, have nothing to do with the case. " Does God wish me to preach ? " — that is the sole consideration. In other days a man was not left in uncertainty. J£ in some emergency a new prophet was needed, he was called and commissioned in a manner so unmistakable that he went forward, undisturbed by doubts. The mat- ter was decided for him ; escape was impossible, even by paying the fare to Tarshish; what could he do but obey? When Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, " Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men," they straightway forsook their nets and followed Him, for they recognized the call. When Qualifications for Preaching. 55 Saul, bKnded by the white light from heaven, heard the Lord saying, " Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do," he knew that he was on the threshold of a new career, and we hear no more of the letters from the high-priest, which authorized him to arrest and bind the Chris- tians of Damascus. To-day, however, God leaves the matter more to the enlightened conscience and the good judgment of the individual, and so it has come to pass that there are men in the ministry who might better be making garden. The supreme quali- fication is still the divine call, but now the call is not so much audible or visible as providential. If God wants a man to preach the gospel, He will qualify him physically. A good physique is impress- ive. A sound body somehow inspires confidence. Strong, clear utterance wins a hearing, where a thin, discordant voice evokes ridicule. Poor health dis- counts the truth. The condition of the body affects the mind. Sickness fosters a jaundiced view of life. No man can appreciate or proclaim the splendid sym- metry of an historic creed, whose temperature tops the normal, or whose joints are full of rheumatism. A dyspeptic preacher is in danger of making the gos- pel indigestible. Many a headache has found its way into the sermon. If the minister is physically de- pressed, he unconsciously radiates from the pulpit an influence which is not conducive to spiritual vi- tality. It is reasonable to suppose, then, that a seri- ously deranged constitution is a bar to the ministry. If God wants a man to preach, He will qualify him 56 Qualifications for Preaching. mentally. We contend for an educated ministry. Illiteracy in the pulpit will not do. Cheap books, free libraries, abundant school facilities, have com- bined to lift the masses out of the dense ignorance of earlier times. To meet the demands of the mod- ern congregation, therefore, the preacher must be in touch with the significant intellectual movements of the day; conversant with the progress of thought. The terminology of the last century is already out of date. Moss-grown arguments, and bald-headed illus- trations, will not satisfy the present generation. We are dealing with men, and with women, too, whose expanded minds are stored with all the rich results of the latest scientific research. We must meet them on the same footing. Moreover, the preacher handles the weightiest truths of which man is cognizant. He is specially commissioned to interpret the Word of God, to in- struct men in the doctrines of the Christian religion, to elucidate and apply the tremendous facts of revela- tion. How can this be done, unless his o^vn mind first grips the truth, unless he is so endowed that he can lay hold of the fulness of the gospel, intellectu- ally, recognizing the logical relations of the funda- mentals ? It is one thing to understand the plan of salvation sufficiently to become a Christian; it is quite another, to have such a consistent and compre- hensive grasp of the truth, as will enable us to pro- claim it so clearly that others will understand and become Christians. We are not called to preach, then, if we cannot meet the educational exactions of Qualifications for Preaching. 57 the age, if we do not apprehend the entire circumfer- ence of the gospel, or if we have not the ability to impart, succinctly and intelligibly, what we know. If God wants a man to preach, He will qualify him spiritually. We are speaking now to Christians, so that personal piety is assumed. But piety alone is not enough. One must have also a vivid realization of the spiritual poverty of the world. It is so easy to gloss over the ugly facts; to enumerate the com- mercial opportunities, the intellectual attainments and the social benefits, which are the out-croppings of our magnificent civilization ; and by laying empha- sis on these material advantages, to hide from our eyes the moral destitution of the race. But the preacher's eye penetrates this veneer to the cross- grained wood beneath. He sees that men are still bad at heart. He knows that wealth and education are no remedy for sin; that family influence and the applause of men, guarantee no one a place in the kingdom of heaven. He is sure that no civilization, however imposing, can endure, unless based on right- eousness, planked with principles and buttressed with massive timbers, hewn from the gospel of Jesus Christ. He feels, therefore, that as a minister of God, he has in his keeping the message which, for its own security, the world must hear. In addition, the preacher must have a hunger for souls. As the passion for gold absorbs some men, and the passion for power absorbs others, so, if a man is called of God to proclaim " the unsearchable riches " of the gospel, all lesser ambitions will be 58 Qualifications for Preaching. swallowed up in his longing to lead men to Christ. Pitying their destitution, distressed by their peril, realizing the pricelessness of souls, for whom the Son of God thought it worth while to die, he puts all per- sonal considerations aside, that he may devote him- self to the salvation of the lost. Like Paul, he feels that necessity is laid upon him, and exclaims, " Yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel." Then will his sermons, shot through with the love of God, tinctured with the blood of the Cross, be evangelistic in the true sense, and driven forward by the power of the Holy Ghost, they will find a lodgment in the hearts of men. Por such a man the door into the min- istry is always open. His preceptors will delight to in- struct him, his brethren will be proud to ordain him, and congregations will be eager to supplement with their own invitations, a call so manifestly divine. JLhc 1 n&or5ement ot ipreacbing. " Whatever strange and scandalous ec- centricities the ministry has sometimes witnessed, this is certainly true, and is always encouraging, that no man per- manently succeeds in it who cannot make men believe that he is pure and devoted, and the only sure and lasting way to make men believe in one's de- votion and purity is to be what one wishes to be believed to be." — Brooks. vn. Zbc 1ln^or0cment of jpreacbing* The man behind the sermon — that is our theme. 1^0 bank will accept a note improperly indorsed. The name on the back guarantees the face, and con- verts the paper into cash. Few men discern any line of cleavage between the preaching and the preacher. The influence of the sermon is, in great measure, a matter of personality. We do not take it at its face value until we have ascertained what sort of a man stands behind it. A discourse may be homiletically correct, doctrinally sound, rhetorically brilliant, ora- torically cogent; but it is no more than "sounding brass " in our ears unless backed by character. The intellect may be stimulated, but the heart will not be deeply moved if the preacher's life does not become sponsor for his words. Action interprets diction. Only conduct is last- ingly eloquent. Reputation, rather than rhetoric, makes or mars the sermon. If the people trust their minister, they will hear and heed him, though he be not a pulpit star; but losing confidence in what he is, they lose confidence in what he says. It is most im- portant, therefore, that he should not only preach well on Sunday, but also " walk circumspectly " on Monday. There are qualifications, physical, mental and spiritual, lacking which, no man should enter the 62 The Indorsement of Preaching. Okristian pulpit. But no matter how highly he may be gifted, let him not imagine that he is done with the sermon when he has delivered it. Clinch the nail, and it will stay. Sermons are clinched by the week-day conduct of the man, who on Sabbath sunk them to the head in the hearts of his hearers. If the preacher would indorse his preaching, he must practise it. That is a reasonable demand. The medicine he prescribes for others, he needs equally him self. He does not differ from the ordinary run of men. If he would be a spiritual oculist, he must re- move with scrupulous care the beam from his own eye, before he can hope to eradicate even motes from his patient's eyes. If Satan reigns in his heart, he is thereby deprived of any pull he might otherwise have had on the imps which inhabit the hearts of others. ]^o pulpit lifts a man beyond the reach of temptation or insures integrity per se. One may fol- low a holy calling and be himself unholy. Environ- ment alone makes no man better than his fellows. There is nothing in his profession to inoculate a min- ister against the microbes of sin. He needs, as much as any man, to " fight the good fight of faith " on his own account. And just in pro- portion as his pulpit renders him conspicuous, it is incumbent on him to conquer his personal diabolism for the sake of others; because only as they see him putting off " the old man," and putting on the new, will they be spurred to attempt the same. The doc- trines he proclaims he will be careful, therefore, to make the foundation stones of his own character. The Indorsement of Preaching. 63 The principles he indorses he will endeavor to build into the structure of his own life. He will recom- mend no system of ethics which he has not subjected to th^^ test of experience. It is essential that he should be always insisting on ideals to which he has not himself attained, neverthe- less he will be striving to attain them; and when men see that he is reaching out, it may be that they will reach out too. There is no influence so potent as the influence of a consecrated Ufe. " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, wdll draw all men unto Me," said Christ. By what magnetism is this miracle of at- traction being wrought out before our eyes to-day? By the magnetism of the sublime unselfishness, the exalted heroism, the unsullied holiness of Him who in His perfect love for men, died for them on the Cross. We regard it as fundamental, therefore, that a minister should be what he would have others be- come. If the preacher would endorse his preaching, he must " abstain from all appearance of evil." He will not only exemplify in conduct the creed and the code he inculcates, he will also avoid as far as possible, those contacts with the world which would subject him to censure. His calling does not put him above suspicion any more than it puts him above tempta- tion. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, the min- istry is not surrounded by an atmosphere impervious to criticism. There are ill-natured persons in plenty who are watching eagerly for a chance to find fault. Let the 64 The Indorsement of Preaching. minister approach., no matter how innocently, the line which divides good from evil, and they will ride over him roughshod with their caustic comments. Con- duct which they would wink at in others they unspar- ingly condemn in him. They have one standard of morals for themselves, but a far higher one for him. Never stopping to ascertain his motives, or to inves- tigate tke circumstances in the case, they hurry to expose his alleged hypocrisy, anxious to prove him in the wrong without delay, urged on, apparently, by the fear that if he has any chance at all, he will prove himself in the right. The uncharitableness of the world will therefore keep the minister constantly on the alert, and that is well. It is altogether desirable that he " have a good report of them which are with- out, in all things showing himself a pattern of good works." To this end he will be careful of his associates. He may mingle freely with the vicious and the ungodly to do them good, but he may not make them his friends and confidants. So long as his relations with worldly-minded men are ofiicial, no one will ob- ject; but the moment those relations become per- sonal, giving others reason to suspect that he finds pleasure in the companionship of the irreligious, that moment men begin to discount his sincerity. He will be careful, also, of his recreations. The questionable amusements are not for him. " Un- spotted from the world " is the motto which deter- mines him. He needs physical exercise, and no one will grudge him his bicycle or golf sticks. His pro- The Indorsement of Preaching. 65 fession does not debar him from an intelligent inter- est and participation in outdoor sports. But it will be just as well for him not to be known as an expert in any game, lest men say that he cultivates his body at the expense of his congregation. Any indications of indolence, or neglect of the plain obligations of his calling will be fatal to his influence. Even in the matter of dress, while he may not always wish to ad- vertise his ordination by the cut of his vest or the color of his tie, he will at least avoid loud and conspicuous attire. He has a loftier mission in life than to pose as a tailor's model; and he has no desire that men should regard him chiefly for his clothes. If the preacher would indorse his preaching he must exhibit a certain seriousness of demeanor. Paul re- minded Timothy of the need of soberness in a bishop, but he was not referring to intoxicants. He had in mind that gravity of behavior which indicates a true apprehension of the significance of life. He who realizes that this world is not his home, and that by his conduct here he is determining his destiny here- after, will not wear a perpetual grin. Especially will he be sobered by the thought that his life is sure to swing other lives either away from, or nearer, God. This is pre-eminently the minister's position. He is charged with " the cure of souls," a responsibility be- neath which he staggers sometimes, and almost falls. Is the gaiety of the world for him? Shall he go through life whistUng, jesting, laughing, careless of the curse of sin ? He deals with the problems of life and death. He walks with God, and such fellowship 66 The Indorsement of Preaching. is no inducement to frivolity. He bears the ark of the covenant, and that necessitates a steady pace. He does not robe himself with mock solemnity. He is alive to the ludicrous, no doubt; he laughs, on ac- casion, as heartily as any; his enjoyment of life is as keen as it is innocent, for he is no ascetic; but he does not aspire to be a humorist or cultivate the funny side. Whatever his surface emotions may be from time to time, the undercurrent of his life is an abiding seriousness of thought and purpose. He feels that levity or flippancy on his part will inevitably discredit the truth he preaches, and he endeavors by his own earnestness to impress others with his implicit con- fidence in the cause he represents, and at the same time, with the high importance of that cause. So he adorns not only, but indorses, " the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." So, in his " walk and conversation," he recommends the gospel which it is his joy to preach. Ubc 5op of preacbtnfl. "And they that be teachers shall shine as the brightness oi the firma- ment; and they that tiirn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." — Daniel. vm. ^be 30^ of preacbiuG. No career is a sinecure. Let our ambition be what it may, success is bought with tears and blood. Harvests are expensive, always and everywhere. Wealth, reputation, culture, character, all must be paid for in some kind of coin; and spiritual results, while they are less conspicuous and dazzling, cost as much as any. He who would gather the Master's wheat into the gamer must bear " the burden and the heat of the day." Preaching, like every kind of service, has its rough side. Those who think other- wise have never preached. The plow tires the mus- cles, the pulpit drains the sympathies; and heartache is worse than backache. Those who contemplate the ministry would do well, therefore, to figure on the price. Yet there are compensations. Life is nicely bal- anced after all. God is in the habit of requiting losses. What He subtracts at one point He adds at another. Providence makes amends in the long run, insists on equilibrium, abhors the imfinished, clips ragged edges, squares all accounts. This principle of adjustment is more or less appar- ent in all divine operations; in nature, in social life, in the experience of the individual. Especially does it come to the fore in the case of conduct. Goodness 70 The Joy of Preaching. reaps goodness. If we spend our energies in loving and helping men, they will love and help us in re- turn. '' Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." Kindliness, scattered abroad, yields a goodly crop. " Virtue is its own re- ward," we say. Certainly, and the virtuous ask no more. But virtue is also a good investment from which tangible returns may be expected. Accord- ingly, when one consecrates his time and talents to the Gospel ministry, while he is sure to encounter difficulties and discouragements innumerable, he may confidently assume that his wages vdll be commen- surate. The man whom God calls to the pulpit has a satisfaction in preaching, which amply repays him for the exhaustion of body and the utter weariness of soul in which his work is sometimes prosecuted. Like his Master, for the joy set before him, he endures the Cross, despising the shame. The joy of preaching is the joy of obedience. God's purpose is the evangelization of the world. God's instruments in this sublime enterprise are the disciples of His Son — all of them. We have no choice in the matter. " Go ye and preach," is still the direct and inclusive command of Christ. Nine- teen centuries have not stripped the last commission of its urgent significance. 'No follower of Jesus es- capes the obligation. In proportion to his gifts and opportunities, each must proclaim the truth. Some by word of mouth, some by generous contributions, some by deeds of heroic sacrifice, and all by con- sistent, Christ-like lives, will publish to the world the The Joy of Preaching. 71 power and glory of the Gospel. With many, of course, such obedience will be, as one might say, in- cidental. Sincere and splendid no doubt, prompted by a heart alive with love for God and man, burning with enthusiasm for the kingdom, yet not with them the main business of life. The merchant's engage- ments are regulated primarily by his business; the lawyer's, by the interests of his clients; the diplo- matist's, by his official relations. The activities of the minister, however, are deter- mined first of all by the demands of the pulpit. Preaching is his business. Immortal souls are his clients. As an ambassador of Christ he represents the government of God, and negotiates the delicate diplomacy of the Cross, whereby those who have re- belled against their lawful Sovereign, are brought back to the old service and allegiance. This is the absorbing occupation of his days. On such accom- plishment he focuses all his powers of mind and spirit, freely offering the best he has of zeal and energy, careless of personal comfort and advantage, eager only for the enlargement of the kingdom and the reputation of the King. More than any other, then, he will be solaced by the joy of obedience. He will know the high satisfaction of a life harmonized with the will of God, of an ambition which runs par- allel to the divine purpose of Redemption, of a con- science undisturbed by opportunities neglected and duties unperformed. God has a right not only to exact of us the best service we can render, but also to indicate the lines along which our obligations shall 72 The Joy of Preaching. be met ; and there is a peculiar pleasure in the feeling that in our sympathies and efforts we are at one with Him. The joy of preaching is the joy of doing good. Obedience pays large dividends, first in its reaction- ary influence, and then in the results generated. It is absurd to suppose that God would qualify a man for preaching, and commission him, only to leave him in the lurch. It is His work. He wants it done, and we are entitled to assume that He Avill back with His omnipotence all honest striving. His word shall not return unto Him void. ISTo one can preach the Cross with singleness of heart, and not set in motion forces which will operate to the glory of God, in the reconstruction of sinners and the ennoblement of saints. " He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoic- ing, bringing his sheaves with him." God never al- lows faithful service to pass without some adequate return. It pleases him " by the foolishness of preach- ing to save them that believe." Sometimes the out- come is manifest right away, sometimes it is delayed indefinitely; but the preacher knows that sooner or later his effort is bound to eventuate in something good, something well worth while. Sustained by this confidence he labors on, though never permitted, it may be, to wield the sickle where he dropped the seed. Preaching leads men to Christ. That is its funda- mental purpose. It emphasizes guilt, predicts the judgment, premises grace, exalts the Crucified, in- The Joy of Preaching. 73 terprets redemption, applies the Gospel, invites the sinner. And by the power of the Spirit, such forceful presentation of the truth draws men away from the service of seK, into fellowship with God. This is the divinely appointed, and the divinely honored, agency for the conversion of men, the depletion of the king- dom of evil, and the increment of the church. Preaching rouses Christians and equips them for the conquest of the world. It promotes their growth in grace, certainly, but not so much by holding be- fore them an ideal, as by setting them at work. It is the active, rather than the contemplative, disciple who puts on the likeness of his Lord. Preaching which does not stimulate to service, will contribute very little to the spiritual enlargement of believers. Real preaching first wins the sinner, and then sends him out to win other sinners; and while urging on them the truth which has wrought such a change in him, he unconsciously acquires the graces, cultivates the virtues and develops the excellencies which are so clearly exemplified in the life of Christ. Surely, when the preacher considers the results of preach- ing, and appreciates that he is an integral part of the beneficent enterprise which has already revolution- ized the world, he will rejoice that God has selected him to be a herald of the Cross. The joy of preaching is the joy of coming victory. The preacher knows not only that his own exertions will be productive, but that the plan of salvation in its totality will some day be realized. He under- stands that he is enlisted in the most stupendous, the 74 The Joy of Preaching. most auspicious movement on record. What factor is more potent than any other in the affairs of men to-day? Imprisoned steam? Harnessed lightning? Popular government? An unfettered press? Not these, but the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Christianity is no longer an experiment. It has reached the vigor of mature manhood, and now challenges the atten- tion, commands the respect and solicits the allegiance of the world. In contrast with other religions it is aggressive and successful. It is the true explanation of modem progress, the only hope of society, the sole reliance of the race. And indications point to an enormous increase, in both the dimensions and the influence of the king- dom. Its mission is world-wide, and it is pushing on. Every decade finds men more deferential. The day is coming when the Church will dictate social cus- toms, commercial methods, governmental policies; when our vexatious industrial problems will find their true solution in the ethics of the kingdom; when science, outgrowing its self-conceit, and learning the modesty of mature experience, will see in the Word of God its truest friend, and in the Gospel of the Cross its mightiest coadjutor. The struggle between the Church and the world is a struggle to the death, but God's side will win, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Then those who labored faithfully will have their part in the triumph of the King. This is the supreme joy of .preaching, to know that one is help- ing forward the glad day of God. Date Due d8i****«ie«**». aEU.4.^ ) \ 1 f i , 1 1012 01022 5631