YLLABI
Manuscript, Archives,
and Rare Book Library
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EMORY UNIVERSITY
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Suggestive
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By
Bishop L. J. Coppin
Jiuthor of
'Relation of Baptised Children to the Church'
"Key to Scriptural Interpretation"
"Observations of Persons and
Things in South Africa"
Etc., Etc.. Etc.
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Printed By
THE A. M. E. BOOK CONCERN
printers anb publishers
631 Pine Street
Phila.. Pa.
1910
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By L.J. Coppin
CONTENTS
Page
Preface vii
Introduction ix
Prelude—The Ministry; Hebrew and Chris¬
tian xv
The Divine Image in Man • 35
The Entrance to Eternal Life 38
Christian Liberality 41
Christ's Kingdom 45
Faith 47
A Test of Faith 49
Spiritual Life Insurance 51
Human Impotency 54
Palm Sunday Service 56
Easter Service: The Resurrection 59
The Spiritual Harvest 62
Children's Day 65
The Plan of Salvation 68
iii
CONTENTS
A Thirsty Soul 71
Spiritual Fortification 73
An Hour of Sore Trial 76
A Great Handicap 78
The Moral Law 81
The Transfiguration 86
Baptism 89
The Gracious Call 93
The Rich Young Ruler 96
Divine Guardianship 99
The Parable of the Sower 101
An Acceptable Sacrifice 104
Business and Religion 107
The New Commandment no
The New Life in Christ 113
Solomon's Wise Choice 116
Brevity and Uncertainty of Life 119
The Midnight Wrestle at Jabbok 123
The Numberless Multitude 127
A Good Resolution 130
The River of Life 133
How to Win God's Favor and Help 137
iv
CONTENTS
Zaccheus, the Publican 140
The Crucifixion and Its Lessons 144
Joy in the Service of God 147
Planning for Temporal Success in the Work
of the Church 151
The Last Messenger and His Last Message 154
The Virtue of Silence 158
Teaching by Example 162
The Will of God Man's Delight 165
The Dove of Peace and Hope 168
Individual Responsibility 171
The Dark Cloud With Silver Lining 174
Quenching Spiritual Thirst 177
A Summons to Idolatrous Worship 180
The Christian's Duty and Privilege 183
The Messiah's Kingdom 187
Woman's Work in the Church 19°
The Great Invitation 195
ADDENDA
Preaching and Pastoring—
The Preacher 199
Evidence of the Divine Call to the Min
istry 205
The Pastor 215
The Children of the Church 233
Infant Baptism, and Its Purpose 236
Other Ordinances of the Church 240
The Holy Communion 244
Class Meetings, and Class Leaders 256
Love Feast 262
VI
PREFACE.
The title of this unpretending work fully
explains the purpose of the author. It is
not a book of sermons, but a series of sug¬
gestions upon passages that may start a
train of thought and be to some extent a
guide, especially to those ministers who
have not had large experience in sermon¬
izing. Sermons fully written out may be
of much benefit for reading and meditation,
but the aid most needed for the young
preacher is the aid of suggestion. The
minister who preaches effectively must be
himself. Theological schools and books for
private study are necessary and helpful
aids, and because necessary and helpful,
cannot be discarded by one who would
make full proof of his ministry; but how¬
ever much such helps may be employed,
the real object should be the development
of a strong and independent personality,
that enables every man to stand out as an
Vll
PREFACE
individual, and count for one, within him¬
self.
The suggestions are purposely made
brief, so that, whether they are followed
fully or only in part, they can be but a
framework upon which to build a discourse ;
just so much material to be used, if needed,
in the real construction, or that may sug¬
gest material that can be used even to bet¬
ter advantage.
It is my earnest prayer that Divine light
may illumine these suggestions, and the
Divine thought may direct the mind of the
deader in the pursuance of his work.
L. J. COPPIN.
INTRODUCTION.
The messenger that I am about to intro¬
duce is one whose mission will be to spread
light over the range which the "Fifty-two
Suggestive Sermon Syllabi" are to cover.
Aside from the literary finish of the treat¬
ise, which is but natural and correct, the
author's greatest desire is to make plain
the truth of the Holy Scriptures, so that the
careful reader cannot mistake in any way
the value of his effort. To make simple
the Gospel, and to have it interpret itself,
seems to be the aim of the preacher in this
case, and no reason is left for complaint
along that line; but he verily has studied
to show himself a workman approved unto
God, that needeth not to be ashamed.
We have far too many among us who
mystify the Bible and make their sermons
hard to be understood, so that the average
man has neither the time nor the disposi¬
tion to interpret the thoughts that are bur¬
ied in the mist and labyrinth of high-sound-
IX
INTRODUCTION
ing words. But here is a book of sermons
delivered in such a plain manner that no
one may complain of their intricacies only
as he may be unfamiliar with his Bible; for
here we have Scripture unfolding Scripture
with a glorious enlightenment that enrap¬
tures the soul. It is a book for the young
minister and will serve the old ones while
truth will serve to reveal other truths, be¬
cause such revelation will always be in or¬
der. Every preacher cannot read Greek
and Hebrew, but all are supposed to read
the plain English Bible and to know how
to compare parallel passages and to inter¬
weave them with such historical and natural
observations as to cause them to serve the
purpose of enlightening the souls of men
to their salvation.
No one can hope to be less fortunate
than to receive such a blessing at the hands
of Bishop L. J. Coppin, the pastor, the edi¬
tor, the preacher and the scholar, who has
been for years studying and proclaiming
God's Word to the people and is an author
of excellent parts among us, and who knows
of the needs of the young ministry of the
x
INTRODUCTION
Church and of the race. To have so ripe
a mind to administer to us just now upon
the subject treated of in this book is not
short of a benediction, and one for which
we should devoutly thank our Heavenly
Father.
And now, that we may not be tedious to
our readers, we desire to say to men who
are young in the ministry, and to many
who have served many years in the same,
that it will be among the best of invest¬
ments to purchase and to place in your
library or on your table a copy of the
"Fifty-two Suggestive Sermon Syllabi" for
quick work when you want rapid-fire opera¬
tions upon thoughts of duty, faith or what¬
ever grounds indicated in this work that
will carry you a great distance over the
path of your ecclesiastical obligations and
greatly assist you in building up yourselves
into a strong, forceful apostleship of the
New Testament, without which we shall
fall far below the design of our great Re¬
deemer who has called us to be His mouth¬
pieces on the earth.
I can possibly make my meaning clearer
xi
INTRODUCTION
in the following story told by our own
Bishop Gaines, which brings the tears when
he tells it: He was to preach out in the
country to many people who knew but little
of books and of what they thought to be
great churchmen. In the mighty throng he
saw an old father with a white head, and
inquired as to who he was, when he was
informed that he was just a good old man
who did not know much. "But," the Bishop
said, "I feel like I want to hear that old
brother pray for me." And accordingly he
called upon him to pray, which the father
proceeded to do.
Among many other things for which he
prayed, after thanking God for the privi¬
lege of being there to see one of the great
men of the Church, he prayed the Lord to
bless the bishop who was about to break
the bread of life to the people, and enable
him to break it up right fine and to sprinkle
it right low, so that all of the chickens
might get a crumb. That is just what we
want, and that is just the exact purpose of
this little giant.
xn
INTRODUCTION
Whose heart is so hard as not to feel that
father's wish, and who is it that does not
see daily the need of putting- the bread of
the Gospel in reach of all of God's family,
so that all may get a crumb at feed time?
May this evangel do its work in the pul¬
pit, in the Sunday school and in the home,
is my prayer for it, and a long and useful
life for the author, my colleague and class¬
mate, with endless felicity in heaven when
life's labors are over.
Yours in Christian bonds,
E. TYREE.
xiii
PRELUDE.
The Ministry, Hebrew and Christian.
In its commonly accepted meaning, the
word Ministry suggests the idea of religion,
and vice versa; for a religion without an
officiating and teaching ministry would be
as much out of place as a college without
professors.
Religion is both natural and universal;
that is to say, religion in some form or
other. Without a teaching priesthood or
a Divine revelation, the religious nature of
man still asserts itself; but, void of definite
and intelligent direction, the natural bent is
not toward the best form of religion, but
rather toward Polytheism.
When we speak of a religion or a re¬
ligious system, we are bound to mean more
than the all-pervading idea of religion that
is constitutional with mankind. The idea
embraces organization, tenets and priests.
Viewed in this light, then, the oldest re-
XV
PRELUDE
ligion of which we have a definite and au¬
thentic account is the religion of the Jews.
We have Adam talking with God and
receiving a law at His hand.
Enoch walking with God, and the story
of his translation.
Job serving God and directing his house¬
hold.
Noah believing God and building an ark
and an altar.
But it remained for Abram, great Father,
afterwards Abraham, Father of a multi¬
tude, to lead forth the host of believers
who accepted pure monotheism as a re¬
ligious system, and for 2000 years handed
it down from father to son and from gen¬
eration to generation, until the fundamental
doctrines of Judaism developed into their
highest form, namely, Christianity. Hence
our subject: The Ministry, Hebrew and
Christian.
Religion is the effort of the soul to ob¬
tain peace and satisfaction. It is the man.
conscious of his relation to powers and in¬
fluences outside of himself; man trying to
lift his conscience to a plane where it will
XVI
PRELUDE
not trouble him. The idea of supernatural
existence and power is ever present with
him, nor can he rid himself of the belief
that in some way or other he is accountable
to the higher powers. How to bring him¬
self into harmonious relation with this un¬
seen and, in a sense, unknown power, is the
object of his endeavor and the source of
his religion.
In all ages there have been men of a
keener insight than their fellows, both as to
things temporal and things spiritual; these
naturally became the leaders. But concern¬
ing things spiritual, added to keenness of
insight is the revelation, the Divine revela¬
tion that has been vouchsafed to men in
every period of the world. Hence a dis¬
tinctive class of religious leaders from very
early times has been recognized and fol¬
lowed. The principal question of interest
to us in this necessarily brief statement is,
To what extent did the Hebrew priests and
sages lead their people to a knowledge of
the true God, teach true doctrine concern¬
ing immortality, concerning morality, and
lift mankind to that exalted plane of purity
2
xvii
PRELUDE
of thought and life that he is capable of
occupying?
On the other hand, in what respects is the
Christian ministry an improvement upon
the Hebrew priesthood? An improvement
that will justify the teaching that the Chris¬
tian system is not only an outgrowth of the
Jewish religion, but a real development and
a higher form of worship and service.
In making the comparison it will be nec¬
essary to notice the principal things taught
in the Hebrew system, and the things that
are taught or emphasized by Christianity
that are not found in the Hebrew code.
The first and most important article of
faith in a religion is correct views concern¬
ing God. This the Hebrew ministry held:
A belief in one God, who is from everlast¬
ing to everlasting, omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent, creator of all things, visible
and invisible, is the one great feature of
Judaism that made it different from Pagan¬
ism. "Hear ye, O Israel, the Lord thy God
is one God." "Before the mountains were
brought forth or ever thou hadst formed
the earth and the world." "There is not a
xviii
PRELUDE
word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou
knowest it altogether." "Whither shall I
go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee
from thy presence?" "I am the Almighty
God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
These are expressions that speak of the
unity, eternity, wisdom, omnipresence and
omnipotence of the God of Abraham and
his posterity. This was a bold and gigantic
stride from the polytheism and idolatry
from which Abraham by faith wrested him¬
self. It was a precious legacy that he be¬
queathed to his household. It is the doc¬
trine that has filled the world with its truth
and greatness, and is now addressing itself
to the world's highest intelligence; and
when compared with contrary doctrines, it
is as the sun compared with the dim and
flickering light of a distant star. The God
of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob has
become the God of the nations whose power
and influence dominate the world. And al¬
though gross darkness still covers a portion
of the earth, and though there are those
who, though they ha-ve received a degree of
enlightenment, yet do not acknowledge Him
xix
PRELUDE
Lord of All, yet even now His dominion is
from sea to sea and from the rivers to the
ends of the earth. His going forth is from
the end of the heaven, and His circuit unto
the ends of it. The voice from Sinai sound¬
ed and echoed through the ages until it
became possible before the close of the
nineteenth century to hold a World's Con¬
gress of religions, in which every sect and
cult could unite in singing "Nearer, My
God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee." Around
the stony pillar of Jacob they all assem¬
bled, and upon the ladder reaching from
earth to heaven all endeavored to ascend in
search of Divine light. Whether among
civilized or uncivilized people; whether
among the learned or unlearned of earth's
kindreds and tongues, the voice of con¬
science is but the voice of God calling his
wandering children, and the Divine nature
drawing, as with magnetic force, the im¬
mortal souls which bear the Divine image.
Next in importance in the Hebrew code
are the moral precepts—the ten words, ten
commandments, or Decalogue. The history
of their Divine origin is given in the 19th
xx
PRELUDE
and 20th chapters of Exodus. The graphic
description here given of the Divine pres¬
ence lifts those passages above a mere his¬
toric narration, for it is the very voice of
God speaking to man out of the thick dark¬
ness. Mount Sinai was altogether on a
smoke, and amid thunder and lightning
and fire and smoke and earthquake and
loud-sounding trumpets God descended
upon the historic mountain and gave the
fiery law.
In the division of the precepts the first
four have to do with man's duty to God,
the other six with his duty to man.
The code is not elaborate. The race is
in its childhood period of spiritual disci¬
pline, and is accordingly dealt with.
Our Lord, in giving a summary of the
Decalogue, embraces in two divisions the
spirit of the ten: "Love God with all thy
heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." L;.it
to love God with all thy heart is to observe
the teaching of the first four of the ten,
and to love one's neighbor as himself is
to observe the requirements of the other
six.
XXI
PRELUDE
With this simple code of ethics the He¬
brew ministry undertook the task of ele¬
vating the morals of the people to a de¬
gree that would make them superior in their
religious life to the nations about them.
This was their "Magna Charta" for both
civil and religious guidance. Their govern¬
ment was a democratic theocracy, and
whether in matters political or religious,
they were guided by the Divine code which
they received at the hand of their great
leader and minister. This code has never
been abrogated nor abridged. The minis¬
try Christian, as well as the ministry He¬
brew, regards these precepts as Divine ora¬
cles that are as binding now as they were
the day that they were written on tables of
stone in the holy mountain.
The Hebrew ministry dealt, at the first,
with a primitive and crude people, and, not¬
withstanding the limitations of their ethical
code, it was not always possible to bring
their followers up to its full requirements.
Our Lord, in accounting for the apparent
dereliction of the Hebrew ministration,
said: "Moses, on account of the hardness
xxii
PRELUDE
of your heart, suffered you; but it was not
so from the beginning." It remained for
the Christian ministry, living in a day of
greater light, to expound and expand the
Divine precepts to their fullest meaning;
and this brings us to the second division of
our subject, the Christian ministry.
Judaism was not highly spiritual, not
enough so to meet the spiritual needs of
mankind. It abounded in types, ceremo¬
nies and ritual. Even their tabernacle was
prescribed according to a pattern shown to
Moses on the mount embodying the minu¬
test details. Their offerings and sacrifices
were so varied and complex that only the
priests could keep track of them.
The reward offered and kept constantly
before them was the land of promise—the
land flowing with milk and honey. In the
Old Testament everlasting life is but once
mentioned, namely, in Daniel xii, 2.
What a disappointment and a revelation
it must have been to the woman of Samaria
when our Lord, with a single expression,
brushed aside all ceremony and sanctity of
place of worship, and said that neither
xxiii
PRELUDE
Mount Gerazim nor Mount Moriah was the
place of worship. "Ye worship ye know
not what. God is a spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit
and in truth." John came preaching the gos¬
pel of repentance and emphasizing the bap¬
tism of the Holy Ghost. St. Paul says:
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things that are above, where Christ sitteth
on the right hand of God." Our Lord
said: "And I give unto them eternal life."
And again: "What would it profit a man,
though he should gain the whole world and
lose his own soul, or what would a man
give in exchange for his soul?" Even our
Lord's explanation of Sabbath observance
was that the Sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the Sabbath. Nearly all
forms and ceremonies were denounced and
set aside by our Lord, and stress was con¬
stantly laid upon the spiritual aspect, char¬
acterizing it as belonging to the weightier
matters of the law.
The Christian minister who depends upon
forms and ceremonies and outward show to
build up his church, even upon the theory
xxiv
PRELUDE
that the young must be attracted, will find
in the end that he has sought the shadow
instead of the substance, and has missed
both. The young may require and demand
many things that are of human origin and
even of doubtful reputation, but they do
not expect to find it in the Church, nor do
they expect to find the ministry the advo¬
cates of such things as cannot be squared
by the Word of God. The Christian min¬
isters who have made the greatest and most
lasting impression upon the world, and have
been the greatest blessing to mankind, are
those who were deeply spiritual. For ex¬
ample, our Divine Master and the Holy
Apostles; and in our day many whom we
could name, among them Matthew Simp¬
son, Phillips Brooks, Daniel A. Payne,
Dwight L. Moody, Alexander W. Wayman
and many others of whom these are but
samples.
St. Paul was the great apostle to the
Gentiles, and next to our Lord Himself
may be held up as an example for the
Christian ministry. In speaking of the
means of salvation he has this to say to the
xxv
PRELUDE
Corinthian Church: "Christ sent me not to
baptize, but to preach the Gospel; not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ
should be made of none effect. For the
preaching of the cross is to them that per¬
ish, foolishness; but to us which are saved,
it is the power of God. For after that, in
the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom
knew not God, it pleased God by the fool¬
ishness of preaching to save them that be¬
lieve. For the Jews require a sign, and the
Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach
Christ crucified; unto the Jews a stumbling
block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but
unto them which are called both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the
wisdom of God."
Our Lord, in commissioning the twelve,
said: "As you go, preach, saying the king¬
dom of heaven is at hand." And again He
said: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached to the world for a witness." And
again: "Go ye therefore, and teach all na¬
tions."
So we see that under the new dispensa¬
tion the ministry is emphatically a preach-
xxvi
PRELUDE
ing ministry, and the kind of preaching is
so definitely named that there can be no
mistake as to what it shall consist of. The
ceremonial law, abounding in types and
forms, seemed necessary to attract the peo¬
ple and hold them in the earlier and darker
age. It was but a means to an end, like the
lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness;
but now, under the sunlight of the Gospel,
the Word of God, to which forms and cere¬
monies but pointed, must be set forth as the
only means of salvation. The Christian
minister must preach; he must preach the
Word; he must understand the Word;
he must depend upon an honest and
intelligent presentation of the Word of God
for his success. He must not be frightened
by adverse criticism from those who do not
accept the Word of God as a divine reve¬
lation. Its rejection as such is nothing new.
It has been in the fire and tried, and has
come out as pure gold. It will yet stand
every test to which it may be put. The
Christian minister must preach the Word
made flesh, and fear not to make very defi¬
nite the Divine sonship of Christ. Nothing
xxvii
PRELUDE
can be gained by hedging and compromis¬
ing. He that hath the Son, hath life, and he
that hath not the Son, whatever else he may
have, he hath not life. Only let the minis¬
ter be sure that he himself is in possession
of that which he offers to others. Let him
take care of his own character, and God
will take care of His Word.
Another difference that may be noted be¬
tween the ministry of the old and the new
dispensation is, under Judaism the idea of
universal brotherhood was not developed.
Even St. Peter did not at first understand
that the Gentiles were to be partakers and
beneficiaries of the faith of Abraham.
When first called by a figurative vision to
go and minister to those who were outside
of the "household of faith" he said: "Not
so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything
that is common or unclean."
St. Paul could generally interest his au¬
diences until he would speak either of the
Resurrection, or of fellowship with the Gen¬
tiles. These doctrines were not incorpo¬
rated in the Hebrew code, but they are the
very essence of Christianity. When it was
xxviii
PRELUDE
demanded of our Lord to explain what was
meant by the doctrine love thy neighbor as
thyself, by the question "Who is my neigh¬
bor?" He related the story of the Good
Samaritan.
This doctrine of universal brotherhood
seems even now to put some Christians to
the test, but he who cannot accept it cannot
avoid the alternative of rejecting Christ.
The Christian minister who cannot sub¬
scribe to the creed, "God our Father, Christ
our Redeemer, and man our brother," is
not representing his Divine Master. When
our Lord was told that His mother and
brethren stood without desiring to speak
with Him, He asked, "Who is my mother
and who are my brethren? Whosoever
shall do the will of my Father which is in
heaven, the same is my brother and sister
and mother."
Kinship, then, in the spiritual family con¬
sists in doing God's will. Other conditions
may be set forth, but the words of our Lord
above quoted must be the guide of the
Christian minister.
Another important sense in which the
xxix
PRELUDE
Christian ministry differs from that of the
Hebrew, is in its scope.
In Messianic prophecies we find the idea
of world-wide ministration more or less
clearly announced. In Second Psalms we
have the following passage: "The Lord
hath said unto me, thou art my son, this
day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and
I shall give thee the heathen for thine in¬
heritance and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession." This and many
other passages in the Old Testament show
the Divine purpose of extending the re¬
ligion of Jehovah throughout the world.
But the Old Testament ministry did not un¬
dertake foreign mission work. Of course
this work would not be undertaken so long
as other nations were not included in their
religious system.
But under the new dispensation the scope
of the Christian minister is definitely given.
Our Lord and His disciples began as itiner¬
ants, and ministered to the people in Judea,
in Galilee and in Samaria. Their ministra¬
tions in Judea and Galilee were principally
among the Jews; occasionally a "stranger"
XXX
PRELUDE
would come under their notice and receive
their blessing. But in Samaria it was dif¬
ferent, There a new field was entered. It
was at Jacob's well and with the woman
of Samaria that the work outside of the
Jews took a definite form. "And many of
the Samaritans of that city believed on Him
for the saying of the woman, who testified,
He told me all that ever I did. So when
the Samaritans were come unto Him they
besought Him that He would tarry with
them, and He abode there two days. And
many more believed because of His own
words."
St. Luke, in giving an account of the as¬
cension in the Acts of the Apostles, gives
our Lord's parting words to the apostles as
follows: "It is not for you to know the
times or the seasons which the Father hath
put in His own power. But ye shall re¬
ceive power after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in Judea
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
parts of the earth." Here the field of oper¬
ation is clearly defined. But little progress
XXXI
PRELUDE
was made in the lifetime of the apostles
toward reaching the uttermost parts of the
earth, but the work is now well under way,
and the Christian minister of to-day may
well feel that he is called upon to make no
uncertain contribution to its consummation.
It is not necessary that every one should
go into the foreign field in order to be a
foreign missionary. It is just as important
to tarry by the stuff as to go down to the
battle. There must be an arsenal and sup¬
plies. The organization of the Christian
Church affords the needed opportunity to
carry on foreign work, and it is as much
the duty of its ministry to see to it that the
work of extension proceeds as it is to carry
on the local work. We pray, "Thy kingdom
come," but it has not fully come because it
has reached us; and so we must pray and
labor on until everywhere the Gospel is
heard, everywhere the reign of the Christ is
accepted, everywhere the righteousness of
God shall be the chief concern of the peo¬
ple, until one shall not have to say to an¬
other, "Know ye the Lord?" but all shall
xxxii
PRELUDE
come to know Him, from the least to the
greatest.
May we not pray that there shall come
upon us a fresh baptism of the Divine
Spirit? We are told by St. Luke that at a
time when the apostles prayed, the place was
shaken where they were assembled. Why
should we limit God? May we not pray
that His ministers may again speak with
tongues—if not with unknown tongues, then
with such power that the temples of sin
may be shaken; that the rushing, mighty
wind of the Divine Spirit may fall upon the
people to whom we speak, so that thousands
of souls may again lift up their voices and
cry: "Men and brethren, what shall we do
to be saved?"
3
xxxiii
THE DIVINE IMAGE IN MAN.
"So God created man in His own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them." Genesis i, 27.
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living
soul." Genesis ii, 7.
I. The Divine Origin of Man.
Two accounts of the origin of man, but
they are not contradictory. In the first ac¬
count it is created, from the Hebrew bar a.
The word occurs three times in the verse,
making it very emphatic. In the second
account it is formed, Hebrew word asah
the development given more in detail, but
in each case it is G'od; creating, then form¬
ing, fashioning.
The wonderful mystery of creation is not
explained away by resorting to the theory
of evolution. If God did not create man,
then Avho created the substance out of which
35
SERMON SYLLABI
he was evolved ? The finite, endeavoring to
comprehend the infinite, will always dis¬
cover mysteries.
The great truth plainly stated in the Bible
is that God is the Creator of all things, and
"in Him we live, and move, and have our
being."
"His sovereign power without our aid"
Made us of clay, and formed us men."
II. "In His Own Image."
In what does the image of God consist?
We are not to think of the Divine One as
having "body or parts." "God is a spirit."
The image and likeness of God, in which
man was created, is an image of righteous¬
ness and holiness.
The sad account is given of the fact that
man lost the image, his original righteous¬
ness, through disobedience; but, thanks to
the plan of salvation, he may regain it
through obedience. "For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive." I Corinthians, xv, 22.
The earth and its fullness, the universe
and its greatness, the heavens above us and
36
SERMON SYLLABI
the earth beneath us, as great as they are,
are not to be compared in greatness to man,
made in the image of God, capable of son-
ship with God and heirship with Jesus
Christ. What dignity ! What blessedness!
If in Christ all are not made alive, it can
only be because some will neglect the means
of grace so freely offered to all.
III. "Male and Female Created He
Them."
Man and woman, made for companion¬
ship in life. Not unlike in creation. Every
provision is made for the happiness of the
creatures who are made in the image of
their Creator. Man is not left alone as to
earthly companionship any more than he is
as to Divine guidance.
The story of The Fall is a solemn warn¬
ing to all the sons of Adam.
1. Obey God, and beware of the voice
of the tempter that may come in many
forms other than that of a serpent.
2. Companions should assist each other
in preserving the image of God, and not
lead each other into temptation.
3. To regain the lost image should be
the chief endeavor of man.
37
THE ENTRANCE TO ETERNAL
LIFE.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it." Matthew vii, 13-14.
The desire tor life is instinctive and uni¬
versal. Even the lower animals have an
instinct to preserve life.
Man alone aspires to eternal life. This
seems to be the chief object of all religious
effort. Man is a religious being with an
implanted idea of future life.
"The Heathen, in his blindness
Bows down to wood and stone."
How to obtain Eternal Life is the ques¬
tion of the ages. Polytheism is the natural
tendency of all unenlightened people, i. e.,
a belief in a plurality of gods. Also a be¬
lief that only chosen ones will be saved
finds a place even in the minds of enlight¬
ened men.
38
SERMON SYLLABI
The Calvinistic tendency of the early
Christian Church was a relic of Judaism.
"Then said one unto Him, Lord, are there
few that be saved ? And He said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate." Luke
xiii, 23-24.
The prevailing thought was, only the
"circumcised" could be saved; the heavenly
Canaan, like the land of Canaan, was only
for the "chosen people." Peter must be con¬
vinced by a heavenly vision that the Gen¬
tiles had a right to salvation. Acts x, 1-5.
I. Our Lord's Doctrine Upon the Sub¬
ject.
1. Eternal life is for all who will ac¬
cept it upon the terms of the Gospel. "Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." The Lord's
teaching abounds with the offer of salva¬
tion to all.
2. It requires self-denial.
"He that would be my disciple, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and fol¬
low me." The crown is by way of the
cross.
"Jesus, I my cross have taken
All to leave, and follow Thee."
39
SERMON SYLLABI
3. It is a struggle.
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate.
History and experience teach that the
most valuable things of earth are only ob¬
tained by striving. Eternal life, more val¬
uable than all of earth's possessions, is not
made an exception. "In the world ye shall
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I
have overcome the world." John xvii, 33.
4. Faith necessary to salvation.
Without faith it is impossible to please
God. Abraham believed God. By faith
the patriarchs entered into life. Read the
eleventh chapter of Hebrews; see the mira¬
cles wrought by faith.
To become discouraged in the struggle
against sin is to aid the tempter.
Faith gives courage and strength.
40
CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY.
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your
sakes He became poor, that ye, through His
poverty might be rich." II, Cor. viii, 9.
Beneficence is one of the most valuable
Christian graces. A good deed may be done
in a bad spirit. See Matthew vi, 1-4.
Christian giving should be not only lib¬
eral, but genuine, with both the feeling of
gratitude for mercies received and a desire
to help those who are in need of help.
St. Paul would stimulate the Corinthians
to more liberal giving by rehearsing to them
the example of the Macedonian churches.
The Corinthians had made large promises,
which led the apostle to hope for large re¬
sults ; but it is evident from the spirit of
this chapter that he had some reason to be¬
lieve that they might fall short of what he
had reason to expect.
It may be that holding up to them for an
example the liberal gifts of the Macedo-
4*
SERMON SYLLABI
nians may awaken in them a laudable de¬
sire to do likewise.
The contributions sought were not for
local purposes, but for the poor of the
Church at Jerusalem. It was a giving from
which they might not hope to receive any
material benefit in return, such as comes
from repairing, furnishing and paying the
current expenses of the church in which one
worships.
In soliciting contributions for purely
charitable purposes, or for foreign missions,
we are often confronted with the suggestion
that "charity begins at home," or that "we
have the heathen all about us." Such sug¬
gestions savor more or less of the spirit of
unwillingness to go to the full extent of
Christian duty.
It seemed to the apostle not sufficient to
simply hold up to his auditors the good ex¬
ample of fellow-Christians, but to refer
them to the very source of Christian benev¬
olence. "We do you to wit of the grace of
God bestowed on the churches of Macedo¬
nia, i. e., we make known or declare to you
what they have done, viii, I, but, further
42
SERMON SYLLABI
than this, and more important still: "Ye
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
etc.
I. Christ is Our Unerring Example
for Christian Faith and Work.
All controversies may be settled by this
standard.
There could have been no ulterior motive
in the attitude of our Lord toward mankind.
He was rich. He had honor and glory.
There was nothing He could receive as
compensation for the investment. It was
grace, pure and simple. Grace, love, pity.
A desire to help those who were in need,
and because they were in need. They were
strangers, aliens and far away, but in need.
And although He was "rich" He pitied, He
had compassion.
"Down from the Shining Courts above
With joyful haste He fled."
II. His Great Sacrifice.
"He became poor."
No such sacrifice is required or even
asked of His followers. They are asked to
give as God has prospered them; To return
43
SERMON SYLLABI
but a part of His bounty bestowed upon
them.
1. We sow, in order to reap.
So in Christian service our reward is
sure.
2. We sow bountifully to reap bounti¬
fully.
In Christian service the rewards are com¬
mensurate with devotion and sacrifice.
3. Neglecting to sow the field can but
result in the loss of a harvest.
In like manner, refusing to use our means
as God requires, may result in the loss of
all: "From him that hath not shall be taken
away even that which he hath." Matt,
xxv, 29.
44
CHRIST'S KINGDOM.
"Thy kingdom come." Luke xi, 2.
Even the Disciples thought the Kingdom
of God would be political. This is clearly
indicated by the request made by the mother
of James and John that her sons might sit,
one upon the right and the other upon the
left in the kingdom which she thought our
Lord was going to Jerusalem to establish.
The Kingdom of God is spiritual, and is
not established and maintained by force,
but it is a growth, like "a grain of mustard
seed."
Men are workers together with God in
His kingdom. If the work were given over
to angels, it would be much to our disad¬
vantage.
1. We could not have real fellowship
with them.
2. We would become mere automatons,
depending upon their administrations.
3. We never could reach that nobility
45
SERMON SYLLABI
of manly independence of choice, thought
and action that creatures made in the im¬
age of God are capable of.
4. The Kingdom of God means the
reign of Christ on earth. The reign of
righteousness. The Messianic prophets so
understood it, and spoke with confidence
concerning it.
5. That Christ's kingdom is being estab¬
lished on earth is seen in the conviction and
conversion of men. This shows its con¬
quering power.
6. It is to be universal in its extent—
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ut¬
termost parts of the earth.
7. In its duration it is eternal. It will
never be overthrown, but will stand for¬
ever. Daniel ii, 44.
8. When we pray, "Thy kingdom come,"
we must bestir ourselves and help to bring
if about. Inactivity and unbelief on the part
of Christians greatly retard the coming of
the kingdom.
46
FAITH.
"And Jesus answering saith unto them, have
faith in God." Mark xi, 22.
The Disciples marveled, that a fig tree
green and flourishing but twenty-four hours
previous, was now a dry, dead stick. Our
Lord replied: "Have faith in God," then
uttered the important words that are found
in verses 23-24, on the wonders that can
be accomplished by faith. Read and study
the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.
I. What Hinders Men from Believing?
1. Ignorance of the nature and end of
Christ's Kingdom.
a. It baffled the Disciples.
b. It hindered our Lord in His work.—■
Mat. xiii, 58; Mark vi, 5.
2. The devil.
The seed sown by the wayside, the seed
of truth, was destroyed by Satan before it
could take root. Read I Peter v, 8.
Revelation, twelfth chapter. Satan is ac¬
tive in his work and persistently follows
it up.
47
SERMON SYLLABI
II. How Are We Benefited by Exercis¬
ing Faith ?
1. Faith inspires action; faith that does
not act has no promise of reward: "Faith
without works is dead, being alone." Ac¬
tion is the best definition or illustration of
faith. To say, "Have faith in God," is
about equivalent to saying-, proceed, act,
venture upon God's word. To refuse to
trust God by remaining passive, must be
interpreted as a lack of faith.
2. Faith begets faith.
"Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord
of Hosts."
II. Pray for an Increase of Faith.
Perhaps few things are more sadly need¬
ed in Christian life than faith: more faith.
When the Disciples became convinced of
what was possible through faith, and how
much was lost on account of the lack of it,
they said: "Lord, increase our faith."
48
A TEST OF FAITH.
"And when Abram was ninety years old and
nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said un¬
to him, I am the Almighty God; walk before
me, and be thou perfect." Gen. xvii, 1.
Three things to be considered.
i. The age of Abram.
God had said from the very first, when
Abraham was seventy-five, that he was to
be what his name implied, a great father.
"I will make of thee a great nation."
Twenty-four years past, and there were
no visible signs of fulfillment. A severe
test of faith.
It occurred to Abram that an adopted
child might answer the Divine purpose. See
Gen. xv, 2-3.
Sarai also thought of a plan to assist
God in keeping His promise. Gen. xvi, 2.
God's word, God's plans cannot be im¬
proved upon. Any attempt to do so is sure
to end in trouble. Sarai may have been sin-
4
49
SERMON SYLLABI
cere enough, but she brought trouble into
her home.
2. The nature of the command: "Be per¬
fect." Evidently the imperfection was a
lack of faith. Abram had faith from the
beginning: that is, he believed, and acted
upon his belief; but he was not perfect in
his faith so long as he feared that there
might be some insuperable difficulties in the
way of the fulfillment of God's promise.
He was old. Sarai was old. Viewed from
a human standpoint, the promise could not
now be fulfilled in them. But, "without
faith, it is impossible to please God," and
faith must go to the limit of God's word,
and not £top at the limit of human reason.
3. The reason for giving the command.
"I am the Almighty God."
Almightiness is not an attribute of men,
or angels; but God is almighty, and there¬
fore able to fulfill all His promises | then,
why limit Him.
Abram, struggling with his faith and still
hoping against hope, was reassured. This
should encourage and Strengthen every
child of God. God is the same, yesterday,
to-day, and forever.
5Q
SPIRITUAL LIFE INSURANCE.
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and
he that loseth his life for my sake shall find
it." Matthew x, 39.
There is no desire in the human breast
stronger than the desire to perpetuate life.
The miser may close his ears to all ap¬
peals of sorrow and suffering, but, if dis¬
ease threatens his miserable life, he will
surrender all, if need be, to save it.
This desire for life is natural, and in¬
stinctive in the animal creation.
The first commandment with promise
holds out llfd as a reVard. It seems' to have
been pre-eminently fulfilled in the long life
of the Chinese empire, whose people are
noted for their honor to ancestors.
I. What is the Best Way to Secure and
Prolong Life?
Our Lord's statement in the text seems
paradoxical.
i. It does not mean that one must reck¬
lessly disregard life. Such a course is sin-
Si
SERMON SYLLABI
ful. Being engaged in a good cause does
not excuse one from taking every precau¬
tion to protect and preserve life and health.
When natural laws are violated the violator
must pay the penalty.
2. The words: "for my sake" constitute
the essence of the passage. Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, etc., "falsely, for my sake." Eliminate
the "falsely," and the "for my sake," and
no blessing is promised.
3. Duty is ours; the consequence is God's.
But we must be in the line of duty, and it
must be the path of duty prudently though
bravely pursued. The coward, the deserter
who runs from his post of duty, loses the
respect and protection of his comrades in
battle, and yet does not gain favor with the
opposing forces.
4. He that is willing, if need be, to lose
his life for duty's sake: He that will not
flinch from duty for Christ's sake even
though his life is endangered: He that re¬
mains at his post of duty and attends the
sick and dying, though in the midst of con¬
tagious diseases : He who, David like, will
52
SERMON SYLLABI
meet the threatening Goliahs and trust in
God for results: who like Daniel, Jeremiah,
Elijah, Paul, Peter and John, will "obey
God rather than man/' are on the safe side.
5. Sometimes the path of duty leads
through dangers that actually result in the
loss of physical life; but such an honorable
death is but the gateway to life. "He that
loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
"Fear not them which kill the body, but
are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear
Him which is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell." Matthew x, 28.
53
HUMAN IMPOTENCY.
"A certain blind man sat by the way, beg¬
ging." Luke xviii, 35-42.
"Pity the blind I" Who has not heard
this cry? Who can listen to it without be¬
ing moved by compassion? Blindness seems
to render one more helpless than most any
other kind of affliction. The "whole body
is full of darkness." And yet I once heard
a blind man praying that the Lord would
open the eyes of the sinner. "If therefore
the light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is thy darkness."
1. Impotency is the condition of every
one who is out of Christ. He may be liken¬
ed to a ship at sea without a rudder. "With¬
out Me, ye can do nothing."
2. Helplessness does not necessarily mean
that no help is nigh. A man may be starv¬
ing when a plenty of food is all about him.
Naaman was about to return to his home
full of leprosy, while the healing stream
just awaited an act of obedience on his part.
54
SKRMON SYLLABI
3. Man must do what he can, and that not
in a half-hearted way. The blind man cried
out for help: and when he was told to hold
his peace, he cried so much the more: liter¬
ally, "more by a great deal." Determination
has often brought success when failure
seemed certain.
4. The will must be exercised: that is to
say, man must be willing to receive help.
"When he was come near, He asked him,
saying, what wilt thou that I shall do unto
thee." To make a choice is a most import¬
ant step in life. "If ye be willing and obe¬
dient, ye shall eat the good of the land."
The Almighty does not force His blessings
on those who are not willing to receive
them. "Ye stifFnecked and uncircumcised
in heart and ears, ye do always resist the
Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."
5. Faith indispensable.
"And Jesus said unto him, receive thy
sight; thy faith hath saved thee."
Will, determination and faith dispelled
the darkness, and enabled the blind man to
behold the beauties of nature. All these
means are within our reach, and God stands
ready to help us in the exercise of them.
55
PALM SUNDAY SERVICE.
"And the multitudes that went before, and
that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the
son of David: blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest."
Matthew, xxi, 9.
In Zechariah ix, 9, we have the prophecy
of which the passage in Matthew is a ful¬
fillment.
The fulfillment of prophecy is one of the
strong evidences of the inspiration of the
Bible.
Palm Sunday is the last Sunday before
Easter.
Palm Sunday marks Christ's triumph in
life: Easter Sunday His triumph in death.
He passes through Jericho—city of
palms—and reaches Bethany in time to
spend the Sabbath, in the quiet and obscure
home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Re¬
mote from noise and confusion, in the bos¬
om of His friends, the Saviour of the world
56
SERMON SYLLABI
spends the last Sabbath of His natural life.
Monday morning—our Sabbath—many
from Galilee and Judea came out; over
Mount Olivet, to see Lazarus whom Jesus
had raised from the dead.
Christ, "riding upon an ass, and upon a
colt the foal of an ass," met the curious
crowds on his triumphant ride toward the
city, Jerusalem.
"Hosanna," was the cry. It became con¬
tagious. The Disciples, the people who fol¬
lowed from the hill country, the strangers
and visitors who were on their way to Beth¬
any, the multitude cried: "Hosanna to the
Son of David."
1. The supplication. Hosanna! save! or
save us now. Thou son of David, save us!
See Psalms cxviii, 25-26.
2. "He shall save His people." Hence:
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus." Salva¬
tion is the definite and specific work of
Christ.
3. "From their sins." This is quite dif¬
ferent from the idea of simply saving from
punishment. Many cry for mercy at the
time of death. Many are willing to "enjoy
57
SERMON SYLLABI
the pleasures of sin" for a time, or even
for the most of their lifetime, if they can
but be "saved" when dying. This is not the
exalted idea of salvation. We are to be
saved from sin, and not in spite of sin.
4. Hosanna means save now: "Behold,
to-day is the day of salvation."
5. Those who cried Hosanna, perhaps,
had especially in mind the political oppres¬
sion under which they were laboring: even
so, Christ sympathizes with the oppressed,
and this salvation should not be limited.
"Earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot
heal."
1. We all need salvation.
2. Salvation from sin.
3. Salvation from life's burdens and sor¬
rows.
4. Jesus alone can save.
5. He can save now.
58
EASTER SERVICE: THE RESUR¬
RECTION.
"And that He was buried, and that He rose
sgain the third day according to the Scrip¬
tures." I, Corinthians: xv, 14.
I. The Doctrine of the Resurrection.
1. According to the Scriptures.
Daniel xii, 2; Isaiah xxvi, 19; Isaiah
liii 10; Hosea vi, 2. Compare Psalms xvi,
10, with Acts ii, 31. Also compare Jonah
11, 10, with Matt, xii, 40.
2. According to nature.
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it
die, it bringeth forth much fruit." John
xii, 24.
This fact of nature is well known to all:
it is a great truth that deserves more atten¬
tion than we are wont to give it.
Even nature revolts against the idea of
annihilation. Many animals and much of
vegetable nature hibernate with the appear-
59
SERMON SYLLABI
ance of winter, only to come forth in new
life at the return of spring.
The cocoon, dry and apparently lifeless,
is resurrected a beautiful butterfly.
3. According- to reason.
Is it at all likely or reasonable that man,
the masterpiece of creation, the monarch
of the world, commanded to "subdue it,"
made in the image of God, "but a step re¬
moved from the Elohim," should, unlike
the animal and vegetable creation, have but
one brief period in which to exist? Reason
rejects the very thought of such a fate.
What we call death is not annihilation
but transformation, change of form.
4. As taught by our Lord and the Holy
Apostles.
No Bible doctrine is more definitely
taught than the doctrine of the Resurrec¬
tion.
Concerning Himself, our Lord says:
"The Son of Man shall be betrayed into
the hands of men: And they shall kill him,
and the third day he shall be raised again.
Mat. xvii, 22-23. Concerning believers, He
60
SERMON SYLLABI
says: "And I will raise him up at the last
day." John vi, 40, 44, 54.
St. Paul makes the Resurrection the one
prominent feature in the whole Christian
system. Read carefully and study the
whole Chapter I Cor. xv.
61
THE SPIRITUAL HARVEST FIELD
"Therefore said He unto them, the harvest
truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He
would send forth laborers into His harvest."
Luke, x, 2.
1. The world a great harvest field.
"Wheat and tares" are growing together.
Christ and His followers are sowing good
seed; Satan and his devotees are sowing
tares. No time is to be lost, lest the evil
influences choke out the good impressions.
2. The harvest is great.
When He saw the multitudes, He was
moved with compassion. They were like
sheep in the midst of wolves: flayed, rent,
torn, bewildered. "When I would do good,
evil is present." Sheep need shepherding.
People are torn and mangled by disease, sin,
hunger of soul, as sheep are taken by wild
beasts.
3. More laborers needed.
62
SERMON SYLLABI
Is the Church really doing its best? Are
all at work? Each has a talent, some five,
some two, some one; how are these talents
being used? Are those who are saved suf¬
ficiently concerned about the unsaved?
4. Pray for success.
We often say that we are going to have
a revival; but have we had a prayer meet¬
ing? The Church needs to be revived. On
the Day of Pentecost, the Church was as¬
sembled and at prayer. The coming of the
Holy Ghost was in answer to prayer. It is
to be feared that often attempted revivals
are too mechanical to have good spiritual
results. "Pray ye therefore the Lard of
the haiVest."
5. The fields ready to harvest.
The sowing is continually in progress, by
preachers, teachers, lives of godly men and
women; the ripening fields must be gath¬
ered in time, or the grain will be wasted.
I. God uses human agencies to gather
His harvest.
II. The need is for both an increase of
laborers and an increase of power.
63
SERMON SYLLABI
III. God helps His earnest laborers: we
are simply workers together with Him.
IV. Prayer, humility, dependence upon
God, earnest work are prerequisites to spir¬
itual success.
64
CHILDREN'S DAY.
"I have lent him to the Lord: as 'long as he
liveth he shall be lent to the Lord." I, Samuel
i, 28.
1. "Children are an heritage of the Lord."
Psalms cxxvii, 3.
2. Hannah prayed for a child, but she
was unselfish, and promised that, if her
prayer were answered, she would dedicate
him to the service of God.
3. A desire for children is a natural and
worthy desire, but they are a Divine trust,
and we have no right to neglect their Chris¬
tian education.
4. To give our children to God in Chris¬
tian Baptism is a duty that no parent should
neglect. It is one of the principles set
forth in Methodism.
5. The idea of child consecration is en¬
joined both in the Old Testament and the
New. Proverbs xxii, 6; Ecclesiastes,
Twelfth Chapter; Luke i, 59; Mark x, 13-
16.
5 65
SERMON SYLLABI
6. Early impressions are most lasting.
Moses, the great prophet and law giver, and
Samuel, Israel's greatest judge, received
their religious training from their mothers,
and their lives are but an example of what
is possible if children are properly trained.
7. Prevention is better than cure. It is
all right for the Church to use all possible
means to convert men and women who
have entered upon a life of sin, but it is far
better to use all possible means to keep
them in the Church. This course is in har¬
mony both with the Bible and reason, and
is emphatically required by the A. M. E.
Book of Discipline: See "duties of pastors,"
Discipline, page 184, sec. 23, paragraphs
1-8.
8. Children are nature not art, and must
be trained, cultivated, to yield the best
fruit. "Environment" has more to do with
the final course of a child than "heredity/'
else mankind is but a creature of chance or
predestination.
g. The boy "is the father of the man;"
that is, the boy grows into the man, and
66
SERMON SYLLABI
therefore, the Church and state are what
the children make them.
10. Character once formed may be modi¬
fied and changed to some extent, but the
rule is, persons are likely to be in after life
v\'hat their training in youth fitted them for.
11. Christian character is the one safe
foundation to lay in childhood. Upon such
a foundation a useful life can be built no
matter what the vocation may be. In the
lowly walks of life, and in the learned pro¬
fessions, Christian character is alike the
prerequisite for safety and success.
r,7
THE PLAN OF SALVATION.
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to
save that which was lost." Luke xix, 10.
The story of the fall of man as given in
the Book of Genesis may seem allegorical
and unsatisfactory to some minds, but there
is one thing upon which all can agree, name¬
ly : that there is a condition of moral dis¬
order in the world from the result of which
mankind has need to be saved.
If a man is overboard, it is not wise to
waste time in discussing how he came to be
in peril, but to devise a means for his im¬
mediate rescue.
i. The means of salvation.
"It shall bruise thy head." Gen. iii, 15.
Read Galatians iii, 16; I John iii, 8; St.
John xvii, 2-3; I Timothy i, 15; Titus ii,
11-12.
"Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven
68
SERMON SYLLABI
given among men., whereby we must be
saved." Acts iv, 12.
2. "The Son of man" is come, etc.
Our Lord frequently referred to Himself
as the Son of man. In St. John iii, 13-14,
the expression twice occurs. Though God,
He "came down from heaven" and thor¬
oughly identified Himself with our human¬
ity. Son of God, and Son of man, He has
wisdom to know our needs—John iij 25—
and human sympathy to enter with us into
the sorrows and burdens of life. John xi,
35-
3. "Is come to seek."
How touching is the thought that the
Saviour seeks the lost! We plead with men
to seek Him, when in fact He is ever seek¬
ing them. The parable of the lost sheep
shows the innermost soul of Jesus going
out seeking the lost ones. The father saw
the prodigal while he was yet "afar off."
He was longing and looking for his lost
child, who had but to turn his face home¬
ward and start that the father might meet
him.
69
SERMON SYLLABI
4. "And to save."
a. Salvation is offered to all. Rev. xxii,
17'
b. Salvation is the gift of God. Ephesi-
ans ii, 8.
c. To-day is the day of salvation. II Cor.
vi, 2.
70
A THIRSTY SOUL.
"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living
Cod." Psalms xlii, 2.
1. There is a condition of the human soul
that is admirably described by the words
hunger and thirst.
2. The body hungers for food, and thirsts
for water. The soul thirsts for God: "for
the living God."
3. There are various kinds of food that
will satisfy hunger, but for thirst, nothing
can take the place of water: the thirsty soul
can find no substitute for God.
4. Bodily thirst must be satisfied, but it
is for a time only; spiritual thirst must be
satisfied for both time and eternity.
"Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never
thirst: but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life." John iv, 13-14.
5. Bodily hunger and thirst result in
71
SERMON SYLLABI
weakness, and if continued, end in death;
spiritual hunger and thirst is a thing to be
desired. "Blessed are they which do hun¬
ger and thirst after righteousness, for they
shall be filled." Matthew v, 6.
6. There comes a time when even food
and water will not satisfy the needs of the
body: God is always, and under all circum¬
stances the portion of the soul.
"Insatiate to the Spring I fly,
I drink, and yet am ever dry."
7. Sometimes the hungry and thirsty can¬
not obtain food and water. "Even "the
young lions do lack, and suffer hunger."
Psalm xxxiv, 10. But God is a very pres¬
ent help. He is omnipresent. No condi¬
tion in life can exclude His presence.
8. The body becomes imjpaired on ac¬
count of age and disease and cannot receive
and digest the food it needs for nourish¬
ment. The soul never grows old, nor loses
its power of spiritual digestion.
9. There are apparently abnormal condi¬
tions under which the body does not seem
to be benefited by food. We eat and yet
fail to grow strong. But spiritual food al¬
ways produces spiritual strength.
72
SPIRITUAL FORTIFICATION.
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower:
the righteous runneth into it and is safe:"
Prov. xviii, 10.
Before men were acquainted with the art
of house building they lived in caves. Thus
situated they were exposed to attacks of
wild beasts.
Then they learned to build fortifications
or towers in which many could dwell to¬
gether for mutual protection.
As civilization progressed, walled cities
were built and in them, or near them, was
erected a citadel or tower. The object of
the tower was:
1. A place from which to watch the ap¬
proach of an enemy.
2. To be used as a last resort for safety
when hotly pursued.
I. Christians Are in the Midst of
Enemies.
i. Natural depravity or sinful inclination.
73
SERMON SYLLABI
2. Various outward temptations.
3. The devil.
II. The Name of the Lord is the Chris¬
tian's Citadel.
What is there in a name! Have you ever
signed your name to a note as security?
1. The value is not in the name per se,
but in what it stands for or signifies.
2. Various names are used to indicate
what God is.
a. Jehovah; indicating eternal existence.
b. The Almighty; no limit of power.
c. The Counselor; indicating wisdom.
d. Various names defining His attributes,
all of which make the name of the Lord a
desirable and safe tower, or place of se¬
curity.
III. An Impregnable Tower.
1. Many a strong fortification has been
stormed and destroyed by the enemy. But,
in God, the soul is safe from all attacks.
2. In human warfare, if the fort or
stronghold is "impregnable," it is possible
to lay a siege and force a surrender when
all supplies are exhausted. With the Chris-
74
SERMON SYLLABI
tian such a condition is impossible. "Though
a host should encamp aganst me, my heart
shall not fear." Psalm xxvii, 3.
3. The retreating warrior does not always
have a tower into which to hide: but God is
an ever present city of refuge for His peo¬
ple.
"God is the refuge of His Saints
When storms of sharp distress invade;
Ere we can offer our complaints
Behold Him present with His aid."
75
AN HOUR OF SORE TRIAL.
"And he 'left them, and went away again,
and prayed the third time, saying the same
words." Matthew xxvi: 44.
I. The Place.
On the night of His betrayal our Lord
went with His Disciples to the Garden—or
park—of Gethsemane, a quiet spot. He was
anxious and restless and in great sorrow.
II. The Cause of His Sorrow.
a. He was under the shadow of the Cross
and was conscious of the impending con¬
flict.
b. A professed friend was His betrayer
and was then engaged in the last scheme to
entrap Him.
c. Even His faithful friends were heavy
and seemingly indifferent as to His condi¬
tion. The spirit was willing, but the flesh
was weak.
d. The "humanity" must now stand the
test, and that without human aid or sym¬
pathy.
76
SERMON SYLLABI
e. It was the supreme moment in a life
that had been bravely and conscientiously
devoted to duty, and for the first time show¬
ed signs of faltering.
f. An effort to obtain Divine help seemed
to fail. Both heaven and earth seemed list¬
less and unconcerned. The Disciples were
asleep, and no answer, for a time, came
from heaven.
III. The Triumph.
1. "He was resigned to His fate. Not as
I will, but as Thou wilt."
2. He continued to pray—see text—till
the answer came.
IV. The Lesson.
t. The hour of trial will come.
2. Human aid and sympathy may fail.
3. Pray for Divine help.
4. Pray again for Divine help.
5. Continue to pray until the answer
comes. "Be of good cheer, I have over¬
come the world."
77
THE GREAT HANDICAP.
"Naaman, captain of the host of the King of
Syria, was a great man with his master, and
honorable, because by him the Lord had given
deliverance to Syria; he was also a mighty man
in valor, but he was a leper." II Kings v, 1.
Here is a great man in a sad plight.
1. A captain: man of position.
2. Great with his master: man of influ¬
ence.
3. Honorable: man of excellent reputa¬
tion.
4. Mighty man in valor: noted for bra¬
very. All these are covetable qualities.
"But," alas! he was a leper.
I. The Leprosy.
1. An insidious disease; cannot detect it
at its first appearance.
2. A loathsome disease; separates one
from family and friends.
3. Incurable.
4. It was not Naaman's fault, but this
fact did not remove any of the disabilities
that the disease entailed.
78
SERMON SYLLABI
II. The Remedy.
It was incurable so far as human skill is
concerned. Even in this enlightened age of
wonderful achievements in science, no cure
has been discovered for leprosy. But there
was a Divine remedy.
III. Sin is Like Leprosy.
1. Insidious; it is daily making inroads
upon one's character and yet its progress
is not discovered.
2. Loathsome; indulgence in bad habits
makes one objectionable to good society and
often separates relatives and friends.
3. Incurable. Many schemes have been
tried to make men respectable and respected
while yet indulging in sinful habits; but
they all fail. Being "born in sin" does not
exonerate one from "the wages of sin."
4. There is one remedy; only one. Naa-
man for a time discarded the remedy of¬
fered him, but at last he accepted it and was
healed.
5. Naaman was told to wash in the Jor¬
dan : a simple remedy.
The sinner is told to believe on the Lord
79
SERMON SYLLABI
Jesus Christ: this is so simple that many,
like Naaman, refuse to obey.
6. Nothing can be gained by refusing to
use the remedy offered. As many as have
obeyed have been healed; and the offer is
to all, and the remedy is within the reach
of all.
80
THE MORAL LAW.
"And he was there with the" Lord, forty days
and forty nights: he did neither eat bread nor
drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the
words of the covenant, the ten commandments."
Exodus, xxxiv, 28.
For the two copies of the Command¬
ments read Ex. xx, 1-17, and Deuteronomy
v, 6-21.
Literally, the "Ten Words." Hebrew
rendering: So distinguished because they
are the only words recorded in the Old Tes¬
tament as having been given directly by the
voice of God to man. See Exodus xix, 16,
to xx, 17.
Called also the Decalogue, from the
Greek: deka, ten, and logoi, words. Our
English translation in both instances is "Ten
Commandments."
The code taken as a whole is called the
"Moral Law." True, it was used both for
the moral and civil regulation of the people,
but it has-not the aspect of a civil code with
6 81
SERMON SYLLABI
penalties attached, and therefore lacks the
appearance of a human instrument for civil
government. It is God handing down to
man a law for the regulation of his life,
moral and civil, that is to continue for all
time.
Civil laws are made, changed and amend¬
ed to suit the varying conditions of human
society, but the Moral Law is the Divine
Magna Charta that is as applicable to the
well-being of mankind now as it was when
first given, and it is never to be abrogated
nor in any way changed. It expresses not
only duties, but the great moral principles
for the regulation of the Kingdom of Heav¬
en on earth. Note the expression: "The
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Matthew
iii, 2.
The two copies, Exodus xx, 1-17, and
Deuteronomy v, 6-31, are substantially the
same. In Deut., Moses in rehearsing the
law, gives here and there a word of ex¬
planation or comment without changing the
order or a single principle.
They were wrilt::i cn tables of stone: two
tables, two grand divisions, perhaps system-
82
SERMON SYLLABI
atically divided on the tables: the first four
pertaining to man's duty to God, and the
following six relating to man's duty to his
fellow-man.
I. The Prelude.
"And God spake all these words." Their
Divine origin. To Moses in articulate
sounds; to the people—all the people—in
the voice of thunder, with trumpetlike re¬
verberations on Mount Sinai. "I am the
Lord thy God." The Lord of Heaven and
earth, but, also, thy God, in covenant rela¬
tion with thee. The people's God, and God's
people.
II. The Code.
1. No other Gods before me. All men
must have some God, or an object of wor¬
ship upon which they will bestow their af¬
fections.
2. No substitute. No "graven image or
any likeness." The true God must not be
worshipped in a false manner.
3. The holy name of God must not be
taken "in vain." Not carelessly nor irrever¬
ently, nor in a judicial oath to establish a
falsehood: perjury.
83
SERMON SYLLABI
4. "Remember" to keep the Sabbath Day.
It was not then just being established. No
manna was gathered on the Holy Sabbath.
See Exodus xvi, 23. Man and beasts, the
stranger and the hireling come under the
law and the blessing of the holy day of rest.
5. Second table. "Honor thy father and
thy mother." More than simply obey, as
by restraint. Reverence is due alike to
father and mother as equals in the govern¬
ment of the home. To dishonor parents is
to dishonor God.
6. Literally, "thou shalt do no murder."
All killing is not murder. The sacredness
of human life is herein set forth. Hatred
may lead to murder, therefore hatred is for¬
bidden by the word of God. Matthew v,
21-24.
7. Adultery forbidden. Here, the home
is to be safeguarded. More than this, such
self-indulgence would lead to the destruc¬
tion of those who became controlled by it.
A safeguard is suggested in Matthew v, 27-
28.
8. Against stealing. The rights of prop¬
erty recognized and protected. If advan-
84
SERMON SYLLABI
tage is taken of one's ignorance and he is
defrauded, the Commandment is broken
just the same as when a sneak thief takes
one's property at his absence. If a man is
only honest when he is watched or when he
is unable to take advantage, he is not honest
at all.
9. Against falsehood in any and every
form; whether telling a lie or acting a lie;
especially against the forms of falsehood
which do injury to others. Against the
slanderer and him who listens and gives
countenance to slander. Against the cir¬
culation of false reports, whether by mouth
or by the public press.
10. Against the sin of covetousness.
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for
out of it are the issues of life." This Tenth
Commandment gets down to the root of evil.
Read Mark vii, 14-23.
NOTE.—In this, as well as in all the Syllabi, only sugges¬
tions are made; merely a frame work given. It would be
well to divide the Moral Law into a series of sermons, taking
one or more Commandments at a time; though a running
comment on the Ten Commandments in one sermon would
serve to emphasize their sacredness and importance.
§5
THE TRANSFIGURATION.
"And was transfigured before them." Mat.
xvii, 1-2: Mark ix, 2: Luke ix, 28.
Peter, James and John were with the
Saviour on certain special occasions when
the other Apostles were not invited.
1. At the Transfiguration.
2. Raising of Jairus' daughter.
3. In Gethsemane, and on one other oc¬
casion when Andrew was with them. See
Mark xiii, 3.
Perhaps these special meetings were in¬
tended to prepare them for a special work
by confirming and strengthening their
faith.
The special work of St. Peter was to con¬
vert the Jews to Christianity. He was the
Apostle to the Circumcision as St. Paul was
to the Uncircumcision.
The special work of St. James was to
give organic authority. At the First Coun¬
cil at Jerusalem he was the presiding officer
and the ruling spirit.
86
SERMON SYLLABI
The special work of St. John was to write
the doctrines. Read the declaration con¬
cerning the Divine Logos with which he
introduces his Gospel; also like declarations
in his Epistles.
I. Some Lessons of the Transfiguration.
1. The Lord had spoken plainly of His
death which would soon take place at Jeru¬
salem. The Disciples were troubled, not to
say disappointed, and needed special
strengthening. They must know that the
Cross precedes the crown, like labor and re¬
ward.
2. The Gospel must supersede the law.
Mat. xvii, 5. Moses and Elijah were pres¬
ent, the Apostles thought it would be good
to keep them with Christ who represented
the Gospel. Let us make three Tabernacles
—but a cloud overshadowed them, and a
voice from the cloud said: "This is My be¬
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear
ye him." When the cloud lifted Jesus alone
was there.
3. Individuals represent certain move¬
ments in the Christian Church. Hildebrand
the Romanists; Luther the Protestants;
87
SERMON SYLLABI
Henry VIII Anglicanism; Roger Williams
the Baptists; John Wesley Methodism;
Richard Allen African Methodism; but
Christ the Christian Church in all of its
legitimate departments.
4. Jesus the one connecting link between
heaven and earth. The one Advocate with
the Father. He alone has power on earth
to forgive sin. He alone kept the Law per¬
fectly and won His exaltation. Hear Him!
88
BAPTISM.
"Baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Mat¬
thew xxviii, 19.
Baptism considered under four heads:
A. The obligation; B. The subject; C. The
mode; D. The design.
I. The Obligation.
The mission of John the Baptist was to
admit members into the "Kingdom of
Heaven" which he said was at hand. They
were to "repent," as a spiritual or moral
condition of their fitness to enter the new
society, and make a public demonstration or
acknowledgment, by accepting the new re¬
ligious ceremony of Baptism. That the act
of Baptism was an obligation is evident
from the fact that it was endorsed by our
Lord. Mat. iii, 13-15. Also, John iv, 1-2.
Our Lord did not Himself perform the cer¬
emony, but His Disciples did. Having Di¬
vine sanction, we accept it as a religious
obligation and feel bound to practice it.
89
SERMON SYLLABI
II. The Subjects.
Under the Old Dispensation the subjects
were children only; that is, none were per¬
mitted to reach manhood among the cove¬
nant people without having the religious
rite of circumcision performed. The ex¬
ception being an adult proselyte. The rite
was for men only.
Under the New Dispensation, the rite is
changed from circumcision to Baptism, and
all exceptions are set aside. "All nations/'
and not Jews only. The word "male" no
longer occurs. "Then went out to him Jeru¬
salem, and all Judea, and all the region
round about Jordan, and were baptized of
him in Jordan confessing their sins." No
subjects are specified. All went out to him.
Why should children be excluded without
a specific command to exclude them ? They
were most emphatically included in the old
rite, and in the absence of a command to
exclude them from the new, it would seem
to be unwarrantable presumption to do so.
Read Mark x, 13.
III. The Mode.
The command is to baptize; no specific
90
SERMON SYLLABI
mode is authorized. Hebrew, Bapto;
Greek, Baptizo; English, Baptize. For de¬
finitions, see unabridged dictionaries. For
custom following the word Bapto, see Le¬
viticus xiv. Notice particularly verses 7,
16, 27. There are numerous other passages
in the Old Testament that explain Bapto.
Baptizo is the New Testament word, and
the mode is nowhere named. All the defi¬
nitions which legitimately belong to the
word—see dictionaries—may be inferred,
though the inference is that the three thou¬
sand baptized at "Pentecost" between the
morning and afternoon service., must have
been sprinkled.
The modes generally in use, especially in
modern times, are by sprinkling and by im¬
mersing. "The application of water applied
to a person in the Triune name as a religi¬
ous ceremony" constitutes Baptism. Some
Christians employ some one mode exclu¬
sively, and others use various modes. The
A. M. E. Church leaves the mode to the
choice of adult candidates and parents of
children.
9i
SERMON SYLLABI
IV. The Design.
It is evident that "John the Baptizer" had
no thought that the act of baptism would
remove guilt. He "warns" those who come,
to "repent", and to "bring forth fruit", and
not depend upon being benefited by the
ceremony, which was only "unto repent¬
ance", the ceremonial door of entrance,
through which our Lord also came, though
He was without sin.
A marriage ceremony does not join two
together in heart, though civilized persons
would not think of coming together as man
and wife without some kind of ceremony.
And so, the marriage ceremony and the bap¬
tismal ceremony are both "outward signs";
and a public declaration of something that
lies infinitely deeper than the visible cere¬
mony; and, are designed to publicly and
definitely announce and declare what has
taken place in the heart. "An outward sign
of an inward grace."
92
THE GRACIOUS CALL.
"Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,
call ye upon Him while He is near." Isaiah Iv,
6.
How impressively this chapter opens. A
loud and unconditional call to come to the
fountain of life. "Every one that thirsteth."
No one can truly seek salvation who does
not feel the need of it. Conviction for sin'
precedes repentance. The Prophet is defi¬
nite and direct, and calls aloud to the thirsty,
and thirst is the only condition imposed.
Our text begins a new paragraph. The
call is as urgent as it is important. He
would seem to say: Hear, obey, come seek¬
ing the Lord, but,
i. While He may be found.
To-day is the day of salvation. The
Word of God does not promise 1 future
salvation after a lapse of time. He who
puts off the day of repentance, does so at
his own risk. But more than this, the ex¬
pression, "while He may be found," is equi-
93
SERMON SYLLABI
valent to saying, there may come a time
when He may not be found. The five fool¬
ish virgins delayed getting oil for their
lamps until it was too late.
2. While He is near.
Is there ever a time when the Lord is not
near? He is everywhere.
But there are times when He is near in a
special manner, or, especially near.
(a) The youthful heart is tender and con¬
fiding; the soul responsive. The "cares of
the world" have not had an opportunity to
harden the heart against good impressions.
(b) In time of trouble, when the heart
is wounded, bleeding, and longing for com¬
fort; the sympathizing comforter is pres¬
ent and ready to help. Sometimes, sorrow
and afflictions are intended as a means of
bringing one to hear and consider. The
great heart of Jesus seemed always moved
with pity when trouble was near.
(c) There is such a thing as a special
visitation, as, on the Day of Pentecost.
When the Church comes together with
"one accord", the Pentecost is often repeat-
94
SERMON SYLLABI
ed, and while "the Lord is near" the thirsty
soul should rush to the living fountain.
We may learn lessons from nature.
There is a time to sow, and he who neglects
to sow at seed time cannot expect to reap
at harvest. Then again, the season must
be watched and followed up. We make
hay while the sun shines, and we reap a
field when the harvest is ripe and ready foi
the reaper: So, in the kingdom of grace.
When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus
passed by, he regarded that as his special
opportunity to call on Him, nor did he call
in vain. The Lord was near, others were
receiving His blessing, and it was the time
for all to come,
95
THE RICH YOUNG RULER.
"And he was sad at that saying, and went
away grieved: for he had great possessions."
Mark x, 22.
Parallel passages: Matthew xix, 22-30; Luke
xviii, 23-30.
I. The Subject.
1. He was a young man. and, he was
rich. What a splendid opportunity for a
life of usefulness! Being youthful, his life
was before him: having wealth, he could
do good in many ways.
2. He was religious. "All these have I
observed from my youth."—Verse 20—
Religious observance may be superficial.
The "Pharisees and Scribes" were intense¬
ly religious, but were wanting in vital piety.
3. He had good intentions. When he
spoke of how he had observed the moral
law, Jesus, "beholding him loved him."—
Verse 21—A severe trial may come to the
most sincere Christian.
96
SERMON SYLLABI
II. The Crucial Test.
The young man had a laudable ambition
to reach religious perfection. "Jesus said
unto him, if thou wilt be perfect." Mat¬
thew xix, 21.
A rough piece of steel may be fitted for
a watch spring, but only by frequent appli¬
cation of the refiner's fire. Gold cannot be
"perfect" until it is separated from the
dross. One may desire to become great,
without considering the cost of greatness.
Everything of value is obtained only at a
cost.
III. The Disappointment.
This rather exemplary young man, was
not prepared to meet so severe a test as
awaited him. Being young, he lacked ex¬
perience. He loved God. and he loved
Mammon, but, could not serve both.
The real test of character consists in
what one is willing to give up. Many a
man is brave enough to risk his life in a
duel to defend his personal honor, but, lacks
the greater bravery of suffering an injury
for Christ's sake.
7
97
SERMON SYLLABI
IV. The Hindrances to Salvation.
In the case under consideration, riches
were the hindrance. "He had great pos¬
sessions," and he was unwilling to give
them up. Riches, possessions, of them¬
selves, do not constitute a sin; but, it is the
inordinate love of them that makes them
an idol.
Those who have not riches to idolize,
may make an idol of something else. Any
thing that takes the place of God; or any
thing that shares equal honor with God, is
an idol. "Thou shalt have no other Gods
before me."
A willingness to give up our dearest pos¬
sessions is all that God requires; as, in the
case of Abraham and Isaac. Sometimes a
call to self-denial is but a test of faith,
which, if like Job and Abraham we stand,
the end will be gain instead of loss.
98
DIVINE GUARDIANSHIP.
"Casting all your care upon Him; for He
careth for you". I, Peter, v. 7.
I. This Is a World of Cares.
Christians are not promised exemption
from the cares and trials that are the com¬
mon lot of mankind, though many suffer
from disregarding the laws of nature, and
the Divinely appointed means of grace.
II. What Help in Trouble May a
Christian Expect?
Deism acknowledges the existence of
God, but denies Divine revelation and Di¬
vine supervision in human affairs. If this
doctrine were true, there would be no dif¬
ference between those who serve God, and
those who serve Him not.
The Holy Scriptures are not more defin¬
ite upon any doctrine than they are upon
God's care for His people. Read Matthew
vi, 25-33.
"Take no thought" does not mean that
one must be careless and inprovident, but,
99
SERMON SYLLABI
not to be overanxious, as one without Di¬
vine concern.
III. We Should Acknowledge God in
All the Affairs of Life.
Our temporal as well as our spiritual con¬
cerns come under His notice, and are with¬
in His power.
We should remember Him and be thank¬
ful and humble in prosperity as well as in
adversity, and not wait until trouble comes
to call upon Him and trust Him.
We are not competent judges of the
things we need: we often want what is not
good for us. God is a wise, as well as a
loving Father, and His children can well
afford to trust Him, even when we cannot
fully interpret His providence, nor fully
understand the way He leads us.
IV. Why Is God Interested in Human
Affairs ?
1. Because He cares for us.
2. Because we need His care.
3. Because we are His children.
4. Because of His promises.
100
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER.
"Behold a sower went forth to sow." Mat¬
thew xiii, 3.
This is one of the striking parables of
Matt. xiii. On this particular day—see
verse i—The audience of Jesus became so
large, that He left the house, and went out
into the open, and "great multitudes" fol¬
lowed Him to hear His words."
People are hungry for the bread of life.
He who faithfully and wisely feeds the
people can generally get an audience.
Many plans have been tried to attract
the people and increase Church attendance,
but nothing has been found to take the place
of the Gospel.
Preaching, both in the Old and the New
Testament is compared to sowing. See
Jeremiah iv, 3 ; Prov. xi, 18; John iv, 36-38;
I Corinthians ix, 11.
Parallel passages: Mark iv, 1-20; Luke
viii, 4-15.
101
SERMON SYLLABI
I. The World is the Field.
A large field, but, must be sown.
"This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto
all nations."
II. The Seed is the Word of God.
"Now, the parable is this: the seed is the
Word of God." Luke viii, 11.
"Verily, verily I say unto you, he that
heareth my word, and believeth on Him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life." John v, 24.
III. The Sower Is:
1. The Son of God, who brought the
word of God from heaven.
2. Preachers, teachers, all good people
who sow the word of God into the hearts
of the people, by precept, and by example.
All can be sowers; it requires no special li¬
cense to be good and to do good. The field
is large, the laborers are comparatively
few.
IV. The Sowing.
The sower went forth to sow. These
two words "went forth" are significant and
102
SERMON SYLLABI
important in this passage, and in the work
of winning souls.
Our Lord went about doing good. His
Disciples must also be active, and go forth;
"Go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in."
Churches are often weak on account of
a lack of activity on the part of members
and Christian people.
V. The Soil.
The soil is the heart, soul, conscience,
mind, memory of man. Many difficulties
will be found to be in the way. The way¬
side, the stony ground, among thorns, hard
hearts, indifference; but, the sowing must
go on continuously. Difficulties can be over¬
come ; and besides, there is much good
ground.
103
AN ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE.
"And the King said unto Araunah, nay: but I
will surely buy it of thee at a price; neither
will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my
God of that which doth cost me nothing." II,
Samuel xxiv, 24.
Read the whole chapter and become fa¬
miliar with all the circumstances leading up
to the text.
Offering sacrifice unto the Lord is a
familiar religious service, and carries with
it an acknowledgment of benefits received
from Him to whom the offering is made.
David was especially anxious at this time
to express in no unmistakable way his grat¬
itude to God, who had mercifully saved him,
his people, and their Capital City from de¬
struction at the hand of the destroying An¬
gel. See verse 16.
I. A Worthy Sacrifice.
Our service to the Lord is valued by Him
according to what it costs us. The woman
who gave a farthing into the Treasury, was
104
SERMON SYLLABI
commended by our Lord above all those
who gave larger amounts, because, said He:
"She, of her want, did cast in all that she
had, even all her living."
An acceptable sacrifice may be made to
God in various ways.
1. To His Church by material gifts.
"Honor the Lord with thy substance, and
with the first fruits of all thine increase."
Proverbs iii, 9. "Bring ye all the tithes
into the storehouse, that there may be meat
in mine house." Read Malachi iii, 8-10.
2. By helping the needy. No one should
be willing to live only for himself, and say,
"soul take thine ease." What we do for
those in need, is regarded as having been
done for our Lord. Read Matthew xxv,
34-4°'
3. By dedicating our lives to His service.
Service is the most acceptable way to honor
God. Romans xii, 1.
II. The Rewards of Sacrifice.
Sacrifice and service to God are invest¬
ed capital, that will surely pay a dividend.
105
SERMON SYLLABI
No earthly investment can be half so valu¬
able, or so sure of profitable returns.
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily, I
say unto you, there is no man that hath
left house or brethren, or sisters, or father,
or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for
My sake or the Gospel's, but he shall re¬
ceive a hundredfold now in this time," etc.,
"and in the world to come, eternal life."
Mark x, 29-30.
106
BUSINESS AND RELIGION.
"Not slothful in business: fervent in spirit:
serving the Lord." Romans xii, 11.
What has the Apostle to do with men's
business affairs, and what has business to
do with religion? We should carry our re¬
ligion into our business, and, make a busi¬
ness of our religion.
Business, like politics, is necessary among
civilized people, and, when neither is sanc¬
tified by religion, the community must suf¬
fer.
Legitimate business, and religion, are not
incongruous, nor are they antagonistic to
each other. See Genesis i, 27-28.
"They that go down to the sea in ships,
that do business in great waters: these see
the works of the Lord and His wonders in
the deep." Psalm£ cvii, 23-24.
I. Slothfulness ; Its Disadvantages.
Read Proverbs vi, 6-8; x, 4-5; xxvi, 13-
16.
107
SERMON SYLLABI
The slothful man cannot meet his liabili¬
ties. Religion does not exempt from legal
obligations.
The more religious a man is, the more
trustworthy he should be in business.
Methodism protests against "borrowing
without a probability of paying"; a sin,
which slothfulness is likely to lead to.
Want and suffering follow in the wake
of slothfulness; besides, it is a condition
that leads to dishonesty in many ways.
"But if any provide not for his own, and
especially for those of his own household,
he hath denied the faith, and is worse than
an infidel." I Timothy v, 8.
II. Industry ; Its Advantages.
i. Civilization is dependent upon it. To
"subdue the earth," is a tremendous busi¬
ness. The world's great progress in
science and art, is the result of human activ¬
ity. The earth is the Lord's, and the ful¬
ness thereof; and, the meek shall inherit the
earth.
Food, raiment, shelter and like necessary
comforts come in response to industry and
108
SERMON SYLLABI
economy, and fits one for the enjoyment of
religion.
2. Evangelization is dependent upon it.
"My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."
John v, 17. Also see John ix, 4.
The life of our Lord was one of con¬
stant activity, His immediate Disciples fol¬
lowed His example, and, if the Gospel is to
reach earth's remotest bounds, there is no
place for the sluggard and slothful in the
Christian Church.
The Church needs business men to carry
on its legitimate work. Wealth should be
used to the glory of God;, and not for self-
indulgence. The Apostle would exhort
men to be diligent in business, expecting
God's blessing upon the labors of their
hands; and then, in supporting the Gospel,
he would also exhort them to sow bounti¬
fully, that they might also reap bountifully.
109
THE NEW COMMANDMENT.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that
ye love one another; as 1 have 'loved you, that
ye also love one another." John viii, 34.
Love may be defined as "an affection of
the heart, excited by that which delights, or
commands admiration."
1. Parental love—the love of parents for
their children: especially the maternal love
which seems to excel.
2. Fraternal love—the love between
friends: as, David and Jonathan: Naomi
and Ruth: Damon and Pythias.
3. Love resulting from consanguinity; or
blood relationship. The adage is: "Blood is
thicker than water." In some families, the
feeling is intensely strong.
4. Love, resulting from affinity, the mar¬
riage relation. "Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother and shall
cleave unto his jvife, and they shall be one
flesh." Genesis ii, 24.
11®
SERMON SYLLABI
II. The Nature and Scope of This
Love.
"That ye love one another," was not a
new commandment; but, "As I have loved
you" embraced principles hitherto unknown
and unpracticed.
The "Law and the Prophets," gave us a
standard, "love thy neighbor as thy self:"
here, self was the standard of love for oth¬
ers. In the text, a new standard is given,
namely, as Christ loved.
1. The love of Christ is essentially disin¬
terested, unselfish, nothing to gain. "Here¬
in is love, not that we loved God, but that
He loved us, and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sons." I John iv, 10.
2. Has the element of forgiveness.
"Father forgive them" was the _prayer ut¬
tered by our Lord on the Cross dying for
His enemies.
3. Self-sacrificing. His love was unto
death. He died, that we might live.
4. It is pure. The human type of love
can often be traced to strong motives,
which, if removed, the love would no longer
exist.
111
SERMON SYLLABI
5. It is mutual love, and is the tie that
holds the Christian Church together. It is
enjoined upon all who are followers of
Christ. Men may honestly differ concerning
religious tenets, formulated by man into
Creeds; but, there can be no difference of
opinion among Christians upon the doctrine
of mutual love. It is universally binding
upon all who would follow Christ.
We may not hope to bring about perma¬
nent and lasting reforms in society, until all
are governed by this universal law of love.
112
THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST.
"Repent ye therefore and be converted, that
your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of
the Lord." Acts iii, 19.
A man, lame from his birth, had been
miraculously healed by the word of Peter,
or, by the words of Peter and John. The
people greatly wondered at what was done.
The Apostles assured them that the healing
was by Divine, and not human power, and
exhorted them to accept the new life, with
its manifold blessings.
I. Repentance.
See Acts v, 31; xi, 18; xiii, 24; xix, 4;
xx, 21; xxvi, 20.
"Repentance" is from the Greek word
metanoia, and means a change of mind.
New actions are no guarantee of a new life,
unless there is a change of mind, of purpose,
of desire, "a change of heart."
8 j 13
SERMON SYLLABI
II. Conversion.
"And be converted." A change of mind
is sure to be followed by a change of course,
as is implied by the word conversion. "By
their fruits ye shall know them." Chris¬
tianity is not simply a confession or a pro¬
fession;, but, it is, decidedly a life. "If any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold all things
are become new." II Corinthians v, 17.
III. Forgiveness.
"That your sins may be blotted out." It
is sin that separates man from God. Israel,
God's chosen people, had sinned and incur¬
red the Divine displeasure, and lost their
Divine inheritance, were scattered among
the nations of earth. They looked for a
Messiah who would restore them; but, there
cannot be any restoration to divine favor
without the forgiveness of sin. This the
Apostles admonished the people to seek
through Jesus, their Messiah, who alone
has power to forgive sin.
IV. The Ti:,:i:s of Refreshing.
Literally, "so that there may come times
114
SERMON SYLLABI
of refreshing"; that is, if Israel will return
to the Lord, He will pardon and restore
them, and the time of peace, happiness and
prosperity will return.
1. All have sinned, and all need forgive¬
ness. We sin daily, by thought, word or
deed.
2. There is no forgiveness without re¬
pentance. "When thou saidst, seek ye My
face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face,
Lord, will I seek."
3. God blesses the just and the unjust,
but, the blessing of God can only be claimed
by those who love and serve Him. All His
promises are to the upright in heart, and,
the righteous are "scarcely saved."
"5
SOLOMON'S WISE CHOICE.
"Give therefore thy Servant, an understand¬
ing heart." I Kings iii, 9.
We are likely to think of Solomon as a
fortunate young man, with blessings and
privileges so exceptional that he cannot be
t?ken as a guide for others; but there is
no life, so exceptional but that it may in
some points be imitated by others.
Solomon was the son of a king, and suc¬
ceeded his father on the throne. He also
had greater riches than the rich men of his
day ; but, that which most distinguished him,
and is most frequently referred to, is not
his office, nor his riches, but his wisdom.
Solomon's wisdom was not inherited, like
his royal office and his possessions; but
was obtained as the result of a deliberate
choice. And so, the best that was in his life
may be sought and obtained by persons
of humblest birth and by those who are des¬
titute of the wealth of the world.
116
SERMON SYLLABI
I. The Dream. Verse 5.
And what is a dream?
"If there be a prophet among you, I, the
Lord, will make myself known unto him,
and will speak unto him in a dream."
Numbers xii, 6. God has "at sundry times
and in divers manners' spoken to man.
But man must be in a frame of mind, and
condition of heart to receive a divine mes¬
sage if he expects God to speak to him, and
through him. The fact is, we are likely .to
dream about what we think about; what our
mind is full of. Verses three and four, im¬
mediately preceding the dream of verse 5,
tell their own story of Solomon's thought,
and aims, and desires.
II. The Divine Proffer.
"Ask what I shall give thee," verse 5.
Thus, God spoke to Solomon in a dream.
"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you." Matthew vii, 7. These are the
words of our Lord to His Disciples.
The promises and the blessings do not be¬
gin and end with Solomon of old, nor with
117
SERMON SYLLABI
the immediate Disciples of the Lord, but
they are for every true child of God.
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through
their word." John xvii, 20.
III. The Choice. Verse 9.
"Give therefore thy servant an under¬
standing heart."
1. A wise choice.
a. He needed it most, for his own happi¬
ness, safety and success.
b. He needed it most, for the benefit of
the people over whose destinies he was call¬
ed to preside.
c. In making a wise choice, he received
what he asked for and much more besides.
2. A timely choice.
a. He was a young man with life and op¬
portunities before him. That is the time
to make a decision.
b. When God spoke, Solomon did not
hesitate, and ponder in his mind what to do
until the evil one took away the good im¬
pression. Read Matthew xiii, 19.
118
THE BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY
OF LIFE.
"In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth
up; in the evening it is cut down and wither-
eth." Psalms xc, 6.
This most interesting discourse or poem,
Psalms 90th, was written by Moses, Israel's
great Leader and Law giver. The title of
the Psalm is: "A prayer of Moses, the man
of God." Moses is called "the Man of
God" in Deut. xxxiii, 7, and Joshua xiv, 6,
and Ezra iii, 2.
The Psalm is solemn and meditative.
THe writer opens his song by the declara¬
tion that God is our dwelling place, or hab¬
itation. When we think of Moses wander¬
ing about for forty years with no fixed hab¬
itation, and yet trusting in the God of his
"Fathers," it seems natural that the thought
of dwelling in God would possess him.
The allusions to the rapid vanishing of
life has the tone of complaint, or regret; es-
1l9
SERMON SYLLABI
pecially so, in the light of the fact that our
"iniquities" are constantly before His face,
verse 8. The estimate of life given in verse
10, seems low in comparison with the
length of days lived by many in an earlier
period, and even by some in the writer's
day; he, himself, reaching the age of one
hundred and twenty, and his brother Aaron
a hundred and twenty-three. See Deut.
xxxiv, 7, and Numbers xxxiii, 39. But,
life's period, whether long or short in com¬
parison, is brief, in fact, and may be fitly
compared, as in the text, to the grass of the
field, which, in the morning is flourishing
and growing and in the evening is cut down
by the reapers.
I. Life's Brevity.
How rapidly the moments fly! From
youth to old age seems but a step. How
short is time compared with eternity! Is
it any wonder that man's existence is re¬
ferred to as "life's short day!" When "by
reason of strength" four score years are
reached,"this, still, is but a short time.
120
SERMON SYLLABI
II. Life's Uncertainty.
There is nothing so uncertain as life. We
die in youth as well as age: in health as
well as in sickness: by accident, as well as
from natural causes. No one knows the
time when "the Son of man cometh."
III. Life Being Brief, We Should:
1. Begin early to do life's work.
"Remember now thy Creator in the days
of thy youth."
Even when no time is lost, we cannot ac¬
complish all that we desire.
When Moses looked back over a period
of forty years of active and faithful service,
the work seemed just beginning, and the
promised Canaan not yet reached.
2. Work constantly and faithfully.
"I must work the works of Him that sent
me, while it is day: the night cometh when
no man can work." John ix, 4.
In the parable of the talents, Matthew
xxv, those who went immediately and
"traded with the same," gained other tal¬
ents, while the one who hesitated, accom¬
plished nothing.
121
SERMON SYLLABI
IV. Reward is According to Work.
Life is made up of sowing and reaping.
Sow bountifully, and reap bountifully: sow
sparingly and reap sparingly: fail to sow,
and no harvest is reaped. So in the spiritual
harvest field. That which is sown, is reap¬
ed, be it good or evil: much or little.
I 2 2
THE MIDNIGHT WRESTLE AT JAB-
BOK.
"And Jacob was left alone; and there wres¬
tled a man with him until the breaking of the
day; And he said, let me go, for the day break-
eth. And he said, I wifl not let thee go except
thou bless me."
Genesis xxxii, 24:26.
Who has not read about wrestling Jacob!
Charles Wesley, inspired by the victorious
encounter, wrote a hymn entitled, "Wrest¬
ling Jacob," which is indeed an inspiring,
and illuminating commentary on the Scrip¬
ture that relates the story. The opening
lines are:
"As Jacob did in days of old,
So will my soul do now.
Wrestle and on my Jesus, hold,
I will not let thee go."
It is not necessary to be greatly exercised
about who the "man" of verse 24 really
was. Certainly he was a supernatural be¬
ing.
123
SERMON SYLLABI
Jacob was accustomed to trials, conflicts,
and oppositions; some of which came as the
result of his own actions as a "supplanter":
but, he is now facing the greatest conflict of
his life. Indeed, it is with him a matter of
life or death, for his "twice" injured brother
was meeting him with four hundred men,
while Jacob had no means by which to de¬
fend himself and family from a hostile at¬
tack.
Nothing but supernatural help can now
be of assistance to Jacob, and this he im¬
plores. The person who came in answer to
his pleading, is called "a man" in the text;
in Hosea he is called an angel; see Hosea
xii, 2-4. And in verse 30 of this chapter,
Jacob calls him God.
I. Jacob Was Alone.
Solitude offers both the opportunity and
the inspiration for communion with God.
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet," etc.
Even the prison has been blessed as a
convenient place to get in touch with God.
Paul and Silas prayed in the prison. John
124
SERMON SYLLABI
Bunyon wrote his matchless allegory,
"Pilgrim's Progress," in the quiet and soli¬
tude of the prison.
II. Wrestling in Prayer.
Wonders have been wrought by prayer,
and especially, prayer that wrestles, and will
not let go. Prayer that has for its object
but one result. "Except thou bless me,"
was the ultimatum of Jacob.
For instances of wrestling, agonizing and
importunate prayer, see Luke xxii, 44;
Nehemiah ii, 2; I Samuel i, 13; Daniel viii,
27; I Kings xviii, 42. Read also what St.
Paul has to say, Romans xv, 30.
III. Confessing in Prayer.
A prayer that is to be answered must not
contain the least semblance of insincerity.
David said: "I have sinned." The woman
who touched the garments of our Lord and
was healed, confessed. The Disciples, not
knowing what was done, said: "The multi¬
tudes throng Thee; but she, fell at His
feet and confessed."
When the Angel with whom Jacob
wrestled, said, "What is thy name?" Jacob
125
SERMON SYLLABI
gave his old true name with all that it meant
of supplanting and deceiving. He might
have resorted to a subterfuge, and said, I am
of seed royal, a descendant of Abraham, of
Isaac; or, the one who received the Vision
at Bethel. But, he said, I am Jacob. The
prayer which prevails with God, must say,
I am a sinner.
IV. The Victory.
Jacob wanted a blessing, and he obtained
it. He threw himself upon the mercy of
God. He asked for what he most needed.
He wrestled all night. He exercised faith
and would not be discouraged, though the
angel said, "Let me go." The victory was
signaled by a change of name from Jacob
to Israel, which means Prince of God: one
who has power with God. The struggle
was great, and the victory was also great.
As Jacob did, so may we do, and obtain the
"white stone," and the "new name."
126
THE NUMBERLESS MULTITUDE.
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multi¬
tude, which no man could number, of all na¬
tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues."
Revelation: vii, 9.
Following the opening of the sixth seal
of chapter vi, verse 12, numerous disas¬
trous happenings are noted. Men, great
and small, bond and free seek refuge from
impending danger.
The seventh chapter opens with the ap¬
pearance of the "Angels of the Winds,"
four in number—denoting universality—
and standing on the four corners of the
earth, holding the evil winds, that no more
disasters might happen until the Servants
of God were sealed, i. e., marked for pro¬
tection, as were the Israelites whose door
posts were stained with the blood of the
Lamb.
God cares for and protects His own,
though often, the good has to suffer with
the evil.
127
SERMON SYLLABI
One hundred, forty and four thousand
are sealed: that is, all the twelve tribes are
represented in the sealing. Twelve, like
four, denotes universality, and in the figura¬
tive expressions of the "Revelation" refers
to the Jewish Church.
When all were sealed, it would seem in
order for the four angels to turn loose the
evil winds on the rest of mankind: but all
were not sealed. The order to the winds
was: "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea,
nor the trees, till we have sealed the ser¬
vants of our God in their foreheads"; verse
3-
Who are the "servants of our God"? It
was difficult for Judaism to see that the
Salvation which came first to the "chosen
people" through Abraham, was intended for
all mankind. Read what Peter said about
the "common and unclean"; the Vision, and
his subsequent declaration. Read Acts x to
v. 36.
After the sealing of the hundred forty
and four thousand, there was yet a multi¬
tude, including all the nations, people and
tongues of earth, that under the Gospel
128
SERMON SYLLABI
must share the blessing of salvation through
faith: for, in Christ, the grace of God that
brfngeth salvation to all men, hath appeared.
The language of this chapter from verse
9 to the close seems to place all of the
"great multitude" before the throne of God
in heaven; but not until they came out of
the great tribulations of earth.
I. Christians are not exempt from trib¬
ulations and trials. John xvi, 33.
II. The Lord delivers His people in the
time of trials. Genesis xv, 1; II Peter ii, 9.
III. Salvation is universal. Acts x, 34-
35-
IV. Angels minister to God's people.
Hebrews i, 14; Rev. vii, 2-3.
9
129
A GOOD RESOLUTION.
"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he
would not defile himself with the portion of the
King's meat, nor, with the wine which he
drank." Daniel i, 8.
Daniel, and his three captive companions.
Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah, were
chosen to "stand in the king's palace, and
learn the tongue of the Chaldeans."
This was indeed a post of honor and dis¬
tinction, but certainly not without its temp¬
tations ; and being young men, without ex¬
perience in the ways of the world, it was an
open question whether or not their appar¬
ent good fortune would prove a .blessing or
a curse.
Often, the things we would most natural¬
ly desire, are not the things to prove most
beneficial to us in the end. Life in a heath¬
en Court was not such as to promote spir¬
itual growth; on the contrary, it would be
most likely to turn away the youthful mind
from thoughts of soberness and piety.
130
SERMON SYLLABI
I. The First Temptation.
The King appointed for his juvenile stu¬
dents, a daily portion, and, among the things
prescribed and enjoined was wine. Daily
contact with those who indulged in ques¬
tionable luxuries, with only the privilege of
participation, would have been a sore temp¬
tation; but, in this case, the lads were not
left to their own choice, but it was the
King's command. See verse 5.
II. A Fixed Purpose.
Daniel saw evil in the course laid down
for him. It is reasonable to infer that his
home training had been of such a nature as
to suggest to him the danger that was hid¬
den in what upon the surface seemed only
promotion and good fortune. How impor¬
tant it is to make early impressions for good
at the fireside!
So Daniel purposed in his heart that he
would not defile himself, even though it was
a Royal command that ordered his course.
III. Wise Diplomacy.
Open rebellion against the King's com¬
mand would not have been only unwise, but
I3I
SERMON SYLLABI
dangerous, and would have been the surest
way for Daniel to have defeated his own
purpose. Common sense and good judg¬
ment should be used even in dealing with
popular evils. Daniel proposed a trial, and
he believed that God would assist and pro¬
tect him in his effort to do the right. Read
verses 9-13. The results of the trial proved
both the wisdom of Daniel, and the good¬
ness of God.
IV. The Power of Example.
Among young men who are companions,
there is generally a leading spirit; and this
was true in the case of Daniel and his com¬
panions. Had he taken the opposite course,
it is altogether likely that his companions
would have followed him. The course he
did take, may not have impressed his asso¬
ciates as being the wisest, and safest, but
his courage gave them courage, and his tact
gained their confidence: and so it was, his
influence with them, was used or the glory
of God, and the Salvation of himself and
those who followed his example.
132
THE RIVER OF LIFE.
"And it shall come to pass, that every thing
that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the
rivers shall come, shall live." Ezekiel, xlvii: 9.
Ezekiel, like Daniel, was among the
Tewish captives that were carried to Baby¬
lon—Ezekiel i, i.
His name means; strength of God. He
was one of the Temple Priests before his
captivity. Unlike Daniel, he was somewhat
advanced in- years at the time he was car¬
ried to Babylon.
His life was spent in a Jewish Colony or
settlement, at Tel-Abib near the river Che-
bar. He began his work as a prophet in the
fifth year of his captivity. Eze. i, 2. As
Daniel was a light to those about him in the
Palace, Ezekiel was a light and inspiration
to his fellow Colonists.
His writings, like those of the Book of
Revelation, are highly figurative, and, con¬
tain, in symbolic form, much of the spirit
T33
SERMON SYLLABI
and teaching of the New Testament: read
and compare John x with Ezekiel xxxvi on
the subject of Shepherds.
His prophecies are full of hope and en¬
couragement for the exiles. He bids them
look forward to the time that God will
visit them, forgive, and restore them to
their native land. But they must prepare
themselves for this blessing by leading cor¬
rect lives in the land of their captivity.
I. The River.
This vision was intended to inspire hope
in a people, who, on account of their unfor¬
tunate situation, could see nothing but death
awaiting them, just as a land perisheth for
want of rain. Rivers, and water, are fre¬
quently used in Bible language, to convey
the idea of life; of returning life. See Zech.
xiii, i; Rev. xxii, 1-2; Psalms i, 3; Rev.
xxii, 17; John iv, 13-14.
There are portions of our country where
there is little or no rain, and men have to
resort to the scheme of irrigation in order
to produce vegetable life. The text tells
us, that "whithersoever the rivers shall
come" there shall be life.
I34
SERMON SYLLABI
II. Rivers Never Run Dry.
Small streams often dry up. Wells and
springs sometimes run dry; but Rivers, and
Lakes flow on and on to the great seas, and
the waters are caught up into the clouds
and they water anew the thirsty land, and
flow again into the Riversy replenishing
them. What a striking figure of the River
of Life, the grace of God, which is constant,
and abundant; supplying spiritual life for
all who will drink thereof.
III. Rivers Are Not Private Property.
Smaller streams are often fenced in for
private ownership, and trespassing is for¬
bidden. Not so with the High Seas. The
rich and poor alike may share their bless¬
ing. The beasts of the forest stand upon
their banks and slake their thirst. They
are the gift of God to His creatures. Men
of every nation ply their crafts upon their
bosom, and by them, carry their merchan¬
dise to the ends of the earth.
IV. The Church Is Like a River.
Where there is no church, the people per¬
ish for want of the water of life. Where
*35
SERMON SYLLABI
the church sends forth its streams of truth,
there is life and growth. The church opens
its doors for all and forbids none. The
church is the gift of God, purchased by the
blood of Jesus, and its supplies of grace can
never be exhausted.
136
HOW TO WIN GOD'S FAVOR AND
HELP,
"Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be
with the good." I Chron. xix, 11.
These are strong and wise words, spoken
by one of the Kings of Judah after an
eventful reign of twenty years. The ex¬
hortation cannot be fully appreciated with¬
out becoming familiar with all the circum¬
stances connected with the history of
Jehoshaphat, the speaker in the text.
Read II Chronicles, chapters 17-22 inclu¬
sive ; and I Kings, xxii.
There was an element of goodness in
Jehoshaphat, which, entering into his pub¬
lic life, gave him success; but there were
also serious mistakes and blunders which
marred his reign, and which, had they not
been corrected, would have finally ended in
his downfall.
Prosperity often blinds the eyes to sin
137
SERMON SYLLABI
and error. The goodness and mercy of God
are often mistaken for approbation. Be¬
ware, then, of prosperity. It is more diffi¬
cult to be humble and grateful in prosper¬
ity than in adversity.
Friendly alliances with wicked men, often
turn the heart of good men. A man is not
only known by the company he keeps, but is
influenced thereby.
Often, what we regard as a great misfor¬
tune, is, in fact, a great blessing, especially,
when it results in serious reflection and
reformation. Some progress is made when
one discovers his faults, but nothing sub¬
stantial is gained, until he corrects them.
I. An Effort to Reform.
Good intentions, and good resolutions are
barren of good results, until put into action.
How many there are who stand ready al¬
ways to assist in every good cause: who at¬
tend the church and contribute to its sup¬
port; who believe in truth and righteous¬
ness : whose lives are in many respects
worthy of emulation, and yet, who fail to
declare fully for God by seeking a change
of heart.
138
SERMON SYLLABI
II. Courage and Determination.
Courage is needed in order to accomplish
any difficult task.
It is generally harder for persons of good
moral habits to see the need of reformation,
than it is for those who make no claim at
all upon goodness. "All these have I kept
from my youth," said the young man who
was told by our Lord to keep the Command¬
ments. He had kept them, but not all of
them. A full and complete surrender is
necessary for him who "would be perfect."
III. Divine Help Assured.
"And the Lord shall be with the good."
How helpless we are in our efforts to do
good and to be good unless we are divinely
aided! Jehoshaphat had learned this les¬
son from painful experience, and now he
was prepared to counsel others.
He had learned that even well drilled
soldiers could not win a battle if God was
not with them.
We cannot even pray as we ought unless
the spirit helpeth our infirmities.
*39
ZACCHEUS, THE PUBLICAN.
"And he sought to see Jesus, who he was;
and could not for the press, for he was little of
stature. And he ran before and climbed up
into a sycamore tree to see him; for he was to
pass that way." Luke xix, 3-4.
I. The Subject in Question.
Zaccheus was evidently a Jew. See Jew¬
ish enumerations. Ezra ii, 9; Nehemiah vii,
I4'
His occupation as tax collector, as was
managed in those days, offered a great
temptation to one who desired to get rich,
to be dishonest. He was the chief collector
at Jericho: paid a certain amount for the
contract, and charged what he pleased.
An occupation that offers such a tempta¬
tion to be dishonest, is not necessarily a
"good one," because it "pays well." Some¬
times, the things we most desire, are those
that are most likely to result in our destruc¬
tion ; hence, our desires should be modified
by the will of God.
140
SERMON SYLLABI
II. He Was in Bad Repute.
It may be that he was disliked because
other men of his profession had practiced
injustice, or, because he, himself had done
the same. In either case it proved to be an
obstacle to him when the richer blessing's
of grace were being bestowed.
III. He Was Not At All Bad.
The Hebrew name Zaccai, or, Zakkai, as
it is also spelled, signifies pure. We know
that there was something good in him, be¬
cause he sought to see Jesus; and what
followed, showed that he had an earnest de¬
sire to meet the person whose fame had
gone out for purity, goodness and all that
is highest and best in human life. The fol¬
lowing passages show that other Publicans,
like Zaccheus were being attracted to Jesus.
Luke iii, 12, v. 29; vii, 29; xv, 1; xviii, 10.
Jesus, the "Light of the World," is still
attracting men to him: men of every nation
and clime, and of every station in life.
IV. Overcoming Difficulties.
The road to destruction is broad: the road
to life is narrow. It costs some effort, and,
141
SERMON SYLLABI
perhaps, much sacrifice to be a Christian.
Zaccheus was small of stature, and could
not, by force, push his way through the
crowd; and besides, being in disrepute, the
people were not disposed to render him any
assistance.
He was a rich Jew, and would be an ob¬
ject of ridicule to go running down the
road, and climbing up a tree to see a peasant
Christian teacher.
Moreover, he might have entertained
doubts of the kind of reception that await¬
ed him from the prophet, who was crying
out against the sins of the nation, and of
individuals. But he desired to see Jesus and
did not permit any obstacle, or any amount
of obstacles to thwart his purpose. What
a lesson to those who seek Jesus!
1. An individual should not be judged by
a class. Many Publicans were dishonest,
but this did not prove that they all were.
Had Zaccheus accumulated all his wealth
by dishonesty, he could not have restored
"four fold."
2. Even when men are bad, an effort
should be made to save them. This is
142
SERMON SYLLABI
what our Lord meant when he said of the
man who hired laborers, he went out, early
in the morning, and at the third, the sixth,
the ninth, and eleventh hours. Men of the
world are sometimes denied the encourage¬
ment they should receive from Christians.
3. Zaccheus made a bold effort and a full
surrender. He offered to give voluntarily,
the half of his goods to the poor. This offer
was unconditional. Then, upon the condi¬
tion that he had taken anything by false ac¬
cusation, he offered to restore four fold.
143
THE CRUCIFIXION AND ITS
LESSONS.
"Pilate answered, what I have written, 1
have written." John xix, 22.
The tragedy of the Crucifixion should al¬
ways be approached with becoming rever¬
ence.
Jesus, the Saviour, suffering and dying
for the sins of the world!
"O, Lamb of God; was ever pain,
Was ever love like Thine!"
His sufferings and death, foretold in the
Scriptures, and symbolized by the Rites of
the Old Testament, are so numerous, that
only a few passages may be cited. Exodus
xxix, 36; Leviticus vi, 7; ix, 7; Isaiah liii,
7-11; Luke ii, 30-32; Colossians, i, 19-20;
Hebrews vii, 27; Matthew xx, 28; Gene¬
sis iv, 4; Revelation v, 9; Romans v, 6-8.
"For as in Adam all die, even so, in
Christ, shall all be made alive." I Corin¬
thians xv, 22.
144
SERMON SYLLABI
I. The Inscription on the Cross.
"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews." John xix, 19. See also Matthew
xxviii, 37; Mark xv, 26; Luke xxiii, 38.
Luke tells us that the writing was in Greek,
Latin and Hebrew. Thus written, all could
read it. The foreigners who were visitors,
read it in Greek; the Romans, then in au¬
thority read it in Latin; the Jews, His own
nation, read it in Hebrew.
The exact words are not used in all of
the Gospels; the translation from each
language employed would not be the very
same in expression, but all are agreed upon
one thing, and that the essential thing,
namely, "The King of the Jews."
To all nations, tongues and kindreds, He
is "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."
Whether Pilate was sincere, or, speaking
in jest and ridicule, the fact of the sover¬
eignty of Christ remains the same, and the
world is daily being brought to the knowl¬
edge of this great truth.
II. The Lessons.
1. Only by the Crucifixion could Christ
10
145
SERMON SYLLABI
become "King of Kings," and found a
Kingdom to which no other being could lay
claim. It is His "sacrifice for sin" that wins
the heart of His subjects, who, in gratitude,
render to Him loyal and loving obedience
and service. "And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me."
John xii, 32.
2. The glory of Christ was won through
the triumph of the Cross: even so. we must
take up the Cross, and follow him, if we
would share His glory.
3. The declaration of Pilate, was, to say
the least, prophetic. He would not change
the declaration : its truth cannot be changed.
He who was once dead, is alive forever-
more, and will reign until all things are
made subject to Him.
JOY IN THE SERVICE OF GOD.
"I was g'lad when they said unto me, let us
qo into the house of the Lord." Psalms cxxii,
1.
The Book of Psalms is the Hebrew Hym¬
nal. The worship of the Temple was large¬
ly that of praise. These Psalms are one
hundred and fifty in number and seem to
comprehend every emotion and desire of
the human heart.
They are the product of many authors,
though we are accustomed to say "Psalms
of David." Perhaps, he, the "sweet singer
of Israel," is the author of most of them.
The book is divided into five parts—or
books—ending with Psalms 41, 72, 80, 106,
150. Beginning with Psalm 120, and end¬
ing with 134, the collection is called, "Song
of degrees"; or songs of "ascent." This is
the third of said group. The sentiment ex¬
pressed is beautiful. The worshiper, on his
way "up" to the house of God, not by con-
147
SERMON SYLLABI
straint, not to perform an unpleasant task,
but with joy and gladness: rejoicing be¬
cause another opportunity had come to him,
to turn aside from secular cares and bur¬
dens, and lift up his soul in song and praise,
that his spiritual strength might be renewed.
To such a one, the opportunity is like a
refreshing shower upon the dry ground,
when all nature seems to rejoice. When
field and forest lift up their heads to receive
the baptism of life. To such a worshiper,
duty is not a load, nor worship a task.
I. The Glad Summons.
We are bound to associate the church
and worship with the Sabbath Day. This
is the day set apart for rest and religious
service.
As a day of rest, it is necessary foi* the
weary body; as a day of worship, it is nec¬
essary for the hungry soul. Body and soul
alike must be refreshed and strengthened
Man and beast should rejoice together when
the day of rest comes around But man
alone is capable of paying his vows, in
gratitude to Him who has made such gra¬
cious provisions for His creatures. The
148
SERMON SYLLABI
very bells of the Sabbath as they call to
worship may be called joy bells. Who is
there among the multitude of worshipers
that is not glad.
II. The Place.
The House of the Lord. Nowhere
seems so appropriate, as this appointed, di¬
vinely appointed place. God summons the
worshiper, and He meets him there. "God
loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the
dwellings of Jacob." Worship may be as
sincere anywhere, but the House of God is
the place divinely chosen, and we are warn¬
ed against neglecting to assemble there.
III. It Is Both a Duty and a Privilege.
Read Malachi iii, especially verses 7-9.
Our Lord attended the service of the
Synagogue. The Apostles followed His
example. "They that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength." To neglect the
service of God is to grow cold and indiffer¬
ent, and become spiritually weak. God does
not enjoin any duty that is not intended for
our good. Those who are regular in their
attendance at Church are not only blessed
149
SERMON SYLLABI
themselves, but are a blessing and help to
others; and, to be a help to others is the
very essence of religion. "Those that be
pianted in the House of the Lrrd: shall
flourish in the Courts of our God."
15°
PLANNING FOR TEMPORAL SUC¬
CESS IN THE WORK OF THE
CHURCH.
"So, we fasted and besought our God for this:
and He was entreated of us." Ezra viii, 23.
The Book of Ezra contains but 9 chap¬
ters, all of which should be read and
studied, in order to appreciate the work that
was undertaken by the Captives.
The Captivity of the people, and the de¬
struction of the Temple were the result of
unfaithfulness to God. We often wonder
why God does not prosper His work in our
hands, without considering whether-or not
we have been faithful to the trust commit-
ed to us.
Even a good cause may suffer, and fail,
in the hands of those who are unfaithful.
The Ark of the Covenant was captured in
battle and carried into the enemy's country
because those who kept it had lost favor
with God. I Samuel iv, 10-11.
151
SERMON SYLLABI
Adversity that comes to us from the hand
of God, is intended for our good, in the
way of correction. "No chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peace¬
able fruit of righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby." Hebrews xiij n.
When Nehemiah, Ezra, and the faithful
ones among them, resolved to rebuild the
Temple and the Walls, they realized the im¬
portance of preparing the hearts of the
people who were to co-operate with them
in the work.
I. So We Fasted.
It may not be the custom in our day, to
prepare for a financial rally by fasting: on
the contrary, it is to be feared, that unholy,
or questionable measures are often resorted
to, to obtain means by which to carry on
the work of the Church.
In order to succeed in any good work, it
is necessary to work in harmony with God,
and, fasting and self-denial tend to bring
us into such harmony.
II. We Besought God.
Fasting alone, may be called a negative
r52
SERMON SYLLABI
preparation, but prayer should always ac¬
company fasting. "Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you." Mat¬
thew vii, 7.
The word "besought" implies that the
praying was earnest, determined prayer.
This cannot always be said of prayer.
Isaiah speaks of those who draw near to
God with their mouth, and honor Him with
their lips, while their heart is far from
Him.
"Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask
amiss." James iv, 3.
III. He Was Entreated of Us.
1. There was a great religious awakening
among the people.
2. The giving was abundant. Verses
25-28.
*53
THE LAST MESSENGER, AND HIS
LAST MESSAGE.
"But, unto you that fear my name, shall the
Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in His
wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as
calves of the stall." Malachi. iv, 2.
There is something pathetic, and impres¬
sive, in a last call: a last opportunity.
The five wise Virgins kept oil in their
lamps, but the five foolish, neglecting this
all important duty and privilege, were too
late to go into the marriage, and, "the door
was shut."
Malachi was God's last prophet under the
Old Dispensation. He co-operated with
Ezra and Nehemiah in arousing the people
to religious duty; and especially with Nehe¬
miah upon his second return from the Per¬
sian Court.
Zerubbabel, Joshua and Ezra were now
dead, and Malachi was especially needed to
assist Nehemiah in this last call to a care¬
less and backsliding people.
154
SERMON SYLLABI
The first verse of the chapter is quite
severe, and warns the people that the day
of reckoning will come, when nothing will
prevent their final destruction. Dry, and
lifeless by sin and neglect of every means
of grace, they will burn like stubble in the
fire of God's wrath.
Still, there is hope, if they will only heed
this last call. And so the second verse be¬
gins with "but": as though he would say:
"Notwithstanding all the past, if you will
hear and act now, there is yet hope of sal¬
vation."
But the promise also looks beyond the
generation to whom the prophet was speak¬
ing, to the coming of the Messiah, who, as
"The Sun of Righteousness" would bring
healing and health to those who would hear
the voice of the Son of God, and accept
His salvation.
I. To Whom Is the Promise Made?
i. To those that "fear my name."
Do not mistake the word fear. Our
Heavenly Father does not want His chil¬
dren to be afraid of Him as an abject slave
*55
SERMON SYLLABI
fears his master; but as a grateful child
who reverences his father, and wishes to
obey him.
The true relation of Creator and Crea¬
ture, is that of parent and child. "Behold
what manner of love the Father hath be¬
stowed upon us that we should be called the
sons of God."
2. Those who seek forgiveness. Devils
fear, but do not repent. Many fear God's
wrath, but do not turn from sin and ask for¬
giveness.
Mercy's door is open, but he who would
be saved, must enter in.
Everywhere the Bible calls to action;
passive faith is not sufficient. "If ye love
me, keep my commandments."
II. The Sun of Righteousness Shall
Arise.
What a beautiful figure! The earth can¬
not bring forth "seed for the sower," with¬
out the helpful and life giving rays of sun¬
light that fall upon it.
How helpless we are without Divine aid!
"Without Me, ye can do nothing."
J56
SERMON SYLLABI
III. With Healing.
Sin is a disease which must be cured.
We sometimes sign a pledge to lead a new
life, and, may hold out for a time; but
like a sore, cured up from the top, the trou¬
ble breaks out again. The work of grace is
from within, outward. "If the Son shall
set you free, ye shall be free indeed."
IV. Growth in Grace.
"Ye shall go forth and grow up as calves
of the stall."
The calf of the stall has daily care. Is
fed and nourished, and grows. Christians,
who stay within the fold, and feed upon the
Word of God, grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of the truth.
J57
THE VIRTUE OF SILENCE.
"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I
sin not with my tongue. I was dumb with sil¬
ence. I held my peace even from good."
Psalms xxxix, 1-2.
David, who is evidently the author of this
Psalm, was under a mental strain. Sor¬
row, from some cause, burdened his heart.
This is evident from verse 10. "Remove
thy stroke away from me: I am consumed
by the blow of thy hand." What could it
have been? affliction? bereavement? A se¬
vere blow from an enemy? Losses?
Consciousness of sin? Any, or all of these
causes may be inferred from a close study
of the language of the Psalm. Verse 9,
which says, "Thou didst it," is not to be
taken as an evidence that the trouble, what¬
ever it may have been was from God, and
that David was in no way responsible. The
"stroke" which sometimes comes from the
hand of God—v. 10—is but the rod of cor-
I
15*
SERMON SYLLABI
rection. God does not "willingly afflict,"
any more than does a kind earthly parent,
but He does chastise, and correct. Hebrews
xii, 6-8; Revelation iii, 19; Deut. viii, 5;
Leviticus xxvi, 28.
Whether or not trouble, or correction
contributes anything to one's good, depends
upon how it is taken; or how one deports
himself while under the rod. "No chasten¬
ing for the present seemeth joyous, but
grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yield-
eth the peaceable fruit of righteous unto
them which are exercised thereby." Heb.
xii, 11.
Any one can fret and complain under
trying circumstances, but every one cannot
maintain a dignified silence. Vehement com¬
plaint is not necessarily an evidence of in¬
nocence, but, often, it is but an effort to
direct attention in a different direction and
thus avoid detection. When one approaches
the nest of a kildeer, she will quietly and
stealthily go a distance from the nest, and
then cry out, as though in great distress,
and thus lure the intruder farther and far¬
ther away from the object of her concern.
159
SERMON SYLLABI
But, if trouble and crosses come to one
who is not blameworthy, all the more hard
is it to be silent and patient. It requires
more courage to suffer in silence than it
does to vigorously resent wrong: to say:
"Thy will be done," than, to cry out, like
Tob's wife, with the voice of impatience.
I. Why Keep Silent.
1. Complaining, of itself, never helps the
case; on the contrary, it often creates
greater trouble.
2. Silence suggests meditation. Think¬
ing twice, before speaking once is an ex¬
cellent rule for those who would speak
wisely.
3. Words hastily spoken, may afterwards
be regretted, but like an arrow from the
bow, cannot be taken back before the mark
is pierced.
4. Hasty words are often misunderstood,
and misunderstandings generally result in
misrepresentations, which cause wounds
that are difficult to be healed.
5. The tongue is not only an "unruly,"
but a dangerous member when not under
good control, and must sometimes be kept
160
SERMON SYLLABI
silent even "from good"—v. 2—also, James
iii, 1-6.
6. The power of example. Verse 1,
"While the wicked is before me." Our
Lord was often silent when wicked men
desired to entrap Him; so must we be.
Many a person has saved himself from
trouble by simply keeping silent. "Take no
thought how or what ye shall speak: for it
shall be given you in that same hour what
ye shall speak." Matthew x, 18. When
man is silent, God speaks.
7. A prayerful silence, is a proper prepa¬
ration for wise speech. "Then spake I with
my tongue," v. 3, but not until he had been
silently communing with God. When he
did break his silence, he spoke to God; ask¬
ed for guidance, and forgiveness, the things
most needed to lift from him his burden.
TEACHING BY EXAMPLE.
"If I then, your Lord and Master have washed
your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's
feet. For I have given you an example, that ye
should do as I have done to you." John xiii: 14-
15.
Christianity is to be taught both by pre¬
cept and example, but the power of example
is by far greater than that of precept.
It sometimes happens among religious
teachers, that they "say, and do not," Mat¬
thew xxiii, 3-4. This form of teaching our
Lord bitterly denounced even to the extent
of characterizing it as hypocrisy.
The lesson of the text is all the more im¬
pressive, since it is among the last lessons
taught by our Lord to His Disciples before
leaving them. The nature of the lesson,
imposing great humility, and the fact that
it occurred at the last meeting, must have
made a deep impression, just as was evi¬
dently intended, from the time and occasion
selected.
162
SERMON SYLLAB
We should not regard the literal act of
washing the Disciples' feet as the establish¬
ment of a religious rite to be henceforth
observed by the Church, like the Holy Com¬
munion. Our Lord called it an example;
and said, do" as" I have done—Kathos—
and not, do that which I have done. The
example is intended to teach humility, and
goes much farther in one's religious life
than any one particular act ceremonially
performed.
I. Mutual Condescension and Service.
The Christian Church is the formation of
a brotherhood for mutual service and bene¬
fit. Christianity is not something to think
of abstractly, it is intensely practical. "As
I have done" are the forceful words of the
text. He who wishes to be great, or great¬
est of all, should establish his right to this
distinction by becoming servant of all.
II. The Example is Binding Upon All.
St. Paul spoke of some things which he
gave as his opinion, and not as the result
of revelation. Also, he referred to some
things that would be better for the Church
163
SERMON SYLLABI
under certain circumstances. But here, we
have an example given by the Founder and
Head of the Church, and definitely enjoined
upon His followers.
III. It Is Essential to Spiritual
Growth.
A plant cannot grow without proper en¬
vironment of earth and air and sunshine.
Just so; there are conditions under which
spiritual growth is impossible. Pride and
haughtiness rob the soul of its very life's
blood.
Christian life and growth are dependent
upon Him, who is the fountain of life. "I
am the vine, ye are the branches." A sure
way to become severed from the spiritual
vine is to lack humility; but, the "poor in
spirit" are heirs of the "Kingdom of
Heaven."
164
THE WILL OF GOD MAN'S DE¬
LIGHT.
"I delight to do Thy will, O my Lord."
Psalms xl, 8.
This Psalm is a most interesting one.
The Davidic authorship., so far as we know
has never been questioned. He praises God
for deliverance. Verses 1-3.
From the expression of verse 14, some
have concluded that it was suggested upon
the restoration of the King to his throne
after the revolt of Absalom. But that is
not of vital importance. It is enough to
know that he felt and expressed gratitude
for deliverance out of "a horrible pit,"
whatever trouble the "pit" may refer to.
In his outburst of praise, he adds a Mis-
sionic strain. Compare verses 6-8 with
Hebrews x, 5-7; also, our Lord's own words
in Luke xxiv, 44. So, we have praise and
prophecy happily combined.
i65
SERMON SYLLABI
The first recorded utterance of our Lord
was upon the occasion of His reply to Jo¬
seph, and Mary His mother, when they
found Him in the Temple: "Wist ye not
that I must be about My Father's busi¬
ness"? Though He was only at the tender
age of twelve, and had not entered upon
His public career, yet the will of the Father,
His Father's business, His life work, had
(juite taken possession of Him. "For I
came down from heaven, not to do Mine
own will, but the will of Him that sent Me."
John vi, 38.
When at the well of Samaria, the Disci¬
ples returned with food, and said: "Master
eat/' His reply was: "My meat is to do
the will of Him that sent me, and to finish
His work."
So, whether David in the text is express¬
ing his own delight in doing God's will, or,
speaking of the Messiah who would so
faithfully carry out the will of the Father,
the lesson is the same, and lifts service for
God above the unworthy and degrading
thought of one fulfilling an unwelcome task.
In our hymnal, we have a selection for
166
SERMON SYLLABI
opening service that contains a prayer for
a proper frame of mind:
"Once more we come before our God,
Once more His blessings ask.
O, may not duty seem a load
Nor worship prove a task."
1. The will of God is not burdensome.
"My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
2. The will of God always leads into safe
paths. This cannot be said when one fol¬
lows his own will.
3. Doing the will of God ultimately
brings joy and happiness, even when not at
first understood. "What I do, ye know not
now, but shall know hereafter."
4. Serving God from choice, not only
gives joy, but strengthens the moral nature
and makes it more easy to do the right.
167
THE DOVE OF PEACE AND HOPE.
"And he stayed yet other seven days; and
again he sent forth the dove out of the Ark.
And the dove came in to him in the evening,
and lo, in her mouth was an olive 'leaf plucked
off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated
from off the earth." Genesis viii, 10-11.
Read chapters six and seven, which tell
of the Deluge, and its cause. "And God
saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil con¬
tinually/' Genesis vi, 5.
Divine love and mercy, would not, with¬
out a sufficient cause, permit the awful de¬
struction which came with the flood. Jus¬
tice, co-operating with love and mercy
brings about the correction and reformation
which are necessary for the salvation of
mankind.
When Divine Justice decreed a flood for
correction, Divine love and mercy planned
an Ark for the penitent and faithful.
168
SERMON SYLLABI
While the storm raged, and the waters
covered the earth, the fire of hope ceased
not to burn in the heart of the patriarch.
Faith, without hope, would cease to be ac¬
tive," Psalms lxxviii, 7; Romans iv, 8. "For
we are saved by hope," Romans viii, 24.
While Noah was hoping for a cessation
of the storm, and believing that deliverance
would finally come, he was not inactive.
Read verse 7, Genesis viii, where he sent
forth a raven.
While resting upon the promises of God,
we should keep a constant and vigilant out¬
look for every sign of their fulfillment for
we are "workers together with Him," II
Corinthians vi, i-io.
I. The Raven and the Dove.
A beautiful symbolism is seen in the three
efforts put forth by Noah to discover the
restoration of the human family to the
favor of God.
1. The raven is sent forth: v. 7. The
raven, the carrion bird, that feeds upon
dead animals, may be likened unto the Dis¬
pensation of the Law, with judgments and
penalties.
169
SERMON SYLLABI
2. The dove is sent forth; v. 8. Find¬
ing no rest for the "soul of her foot," she
returned to the Ark. This second effort
may be likened to the Dispensation of the
Prophets, seeking to restore Israel; calling
with the voice of hope, Jeremiah iii, 14-18.
3. The dove is again sent forth; verses
10-11. This time, the dove returns with an
olive branch; the dove an emblem of grace
and peace. The olive holds a unique place
in the Scriptures as an emblem of peace,
plenty, prosperity, beauty, fruitfulness; and
the oil was used for healing, and also
anointing the chosen of Jehovah.
How fitly then, the dove and the olive leaf
may be used as emblematic of the dispen¬
sation of grace. Jesus, the Prince of Peace,
comes to the Ark, with healing and salva¬
tion.
From the Mount of Olives, He received
kingly honors, as He rode triumphantly into
Jerusalem, and from the same sacred mount
He gave His Disciples their last commission
to carry the tidings of salvation to earth's
remotest bounds.
170
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY.
"If I will that he tarry 'til I come, what is
that to thee? follow thou me." John xxi: 22.
Our Lord's answer to Peter seems _to
contain a mild rebuke; or, to say the least,
it is a very emphatic statement of indi¬
vidual responsibility.
Verses 15-19 give a history of the conver¬
sation concerning the extent of Peter's love
for his Divine Master. The question:
"Lovest thou Me" was directed to the im¬
petuous Disciple three times. Once the
qualifying words "more than these" were
added. Peter was grieved on account of the
repetition as it seemed to express doubt.
Peter's heart was right. He had in him
the elements for producing the true, fear¬
less and faithful Disciple that he after¬
wards became, but not until he had under¬
gone certain correcting experiences. He
must see the vision from heaven before he
would fellowship the Gentiles. He must
171
SERMON SYLLABI
hear the "cock crow" before he actually re¬
membered that he had denied his Master.
He must hear the words, "what is that to
thee? follow thou Me" before he could so
see and appreciate his own individual re¬
sponsibility, as to be able to defy the
"Rulers" when commanded to cease speak¬
ing in the name of Jesus. See Acts iv,
1-20.
I. Individual Duties.
The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to the construction of a great building
where many workmen are engaged; each
one, or every group giving attention only
to a specific portion of the work. The
architect draws a plan that will tax the skill
of various kinds and grades of workmen
to complete the building. The duty of each
one is to do well his own part, and let the
Master Builder be the judge of all.
II. Individual Talents.
Every one, by being faithful, can succeed
at the work for which natun. has fitted him,
and to which God has called him, Matthew
xxv, 14-15. To proceed otherwise is to in¬
vite failure, as well as incui Divine dis¬
pleasure.
172
SERMON SYLLABI
III. Individual Responsibility
Neglecting to discharge a duty, does not
at all shift the responsibility. To say: "I
am not a Christian," does not free one from
Christian obligations. The man of the
world is still held responsible for what he
fails to do and to be; just as was the barren
fig tree on Mount Olivet; or, the one which
a man planted in his garden. "Follow thou
Me" is the command to each and to all alike.
1. Our Lord calls all, but directs each in
his specific work.
2. Too much concern about the duty of
others may result in the neglect of our own.
The five wise Virgins had no oil to spare to
the five foolish. "Pilgrim" was anxious
that his household and neighbors should
leave the city of destruction with him, but
he could not hesitate to go himself.
Read Luke ix, 57-62 on following Christ.
173
THE DARK CLOUD WITH SILVER
LINING.
"Now, no chastening for the present seemeth
to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, after¬
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of right¬
eousness unto them which are exercised there¬
by." Hebrews xii, 11.
In chapter xi where the narrative begins
with faith, it closes with an account of the
heroic achievements of those who were
steadfast under great trials. See verses
33-40-
St. James says: "Count it all joy when ye
fall into divers temptations," James i, 2.
The word "divers" helps to throw light on
this whole subject of trials and chastise¬
ments; otherwise, we might unduly limit its
meaning. All kinds of trials and tempta¬
tions are meant.
Notice the graceful descent from the
"trials of cruel mockings," of chapter xi, 36,
to the "for whom the Lord loveth He
i74
SERMON SYLLABI
chasteneth," of chapter xii, 6, and read
these passages in connection with James i,
2-4-
The apostle reminds those Christians who
are passing through severe trials, that
others have had similar experiences, and
even greater; for says he: "Ye have not yet
resisted unto blood, striving against sin."
Verse 4.
So we have "trials" and "chastening"—or
chastisement—used in the same connection,
which bears out the idea that the "mani¬
fold" sufferings that may come to the be¬
liever, may be turned into a blessing if by
faith and patience they are received and
endured in the proper spirit.
I. The Cause of Chastening.
"Some one has blundered." The remote
cause of all disorder is sin. Disobedience
first brought man into disfavor with God,
and was the cause of the first chastening,
Genesis iii, 9-19. Also Genesis vi, 5-8.
Wherever there is suffering, it may be
traced to some violation of moral or physi¬
cal law, either directly or remotely ; and, the
innocent suffer with the guilty.
175
SERMON SYLLABI
II. The Purpose of Chastening.
We are likely to regard correction of any-
kind as an evidence that we are being
harshly or unkindly dealt with. Children
seldom take the discipline of parents as an
evidence of their love. But we should learn
to search out the real cause. "For whom
the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourg-
eth every son whom He receiveth. But if
ye be without chastisement whereof all are
partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons."
III. The Effect of Chastening.
That depends upon how it is received;
and how one behaves under the rod of cor¬
rection. See verse 5.
If we are "exercised thereby," then it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteous¬
ness."
1. Consider that we are not without fault.
2. Consider that correction is from God.
3. Consider that the object is our benefit.
176
QUENCHING SPIRITUAL THIRST.
"Jesus answered and said unto her, whoso¬
ever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
but whosoever drinketh of the water that 1
shall give him, shall never thirst, but the water
that I shall give him, shall be in him a well
of water springing up into everlasting life."
John iv, 13-14.
There is nothing' more common to the hu¬
man family than hunger and thirst, and
nothing more indispensable than food and
water to sustain the body.
But what of the Soul? Spiritual hunger
and thirst are also real, and universal, and
spiritual food and water a necessity for spir¬
itual life.
Jacob's well, and the woman coming for
water, afforded our Lord an opportunity to
teach the important lessons of our text, and
to make a comparison between the relative
value of things temporal and things eternal,
II Corinthians iv, 16-8.
Prejudice is not only sinful and foolish,
but generally it is but skin deep. So soon
177
SERMON SYLLABI
as the woman discovered that companion¬
ship with the Lord would bring to her a
great blessing, she set aside her traditional
objections to conversing with Him. See
verses 9 and 15.
Our Lord's courteous and gentle words
t^. His unwilling and prejudiced guest se¬
cured for Him a hearing and His example
is a lesson to all Christians who would win
souls, and especially to the Christian min¬
ister, Matthew x, 16; Luke ix, 49-56.
The woman sought to draw our Lord into
a discussion concerning the relative great¬
ness of Himself and Jacob. See verse 12;
but the great Teacher answered in the lan¬
guage of the text. He sought not His own
glory, but the salvation of mankind.
I. The Water of the Well.
1. It was good, but for the body only.
2. It satisfied, but for only a short time.
3. Natural water, like all things that are
temporal and perishable, was but an out¬
ward supply, and had to be "drawn." Be¬
sides, wells and streams often run dry, and
man and beast perish for the want of water,
I Kings xvii, 7.
178
SERMON SYLLABI
II. The Living Water.
1. Is good for time and eternity.
2. Is from within, and like a running
stream or fountain, is constantly pouring in
its supplies.
3. It is from an inexhaustible source,
which like the mighty ocean, never runs dry,
nor are the supplies contingent upon condi¬
tion, time or place.
4. It is the gift of God. See verse 14.
a. To those who thirst. Matthew v, 6.
b. To those who ask. John iv, 10.
c. To "whosoever will." Rev. xxii, 17.
179
A SUMMONS TO IDOLATROUS
WORSHIP.
"Then a herald cried aloud; to you it is com¬
manded, O, people, nations and languages, that
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet,
flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all
kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the King
hath set up.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered
and said to the King, O, Nebuchadnezzar, we
are not careful to answer Thee in this matter."
Daniel iii; Verses 4-5, and 16.
Read carefully the whole of the chapter
and study the life and times of Nebuchad¬
nezzar. Compare those ancient times with
our present age.
Men were then often forced to act con¬
trary to their conscience or be punished.
We are now protected by law, under our
Christian civilization.
While legalized forces are no longer used
to drag" men into sin and idolatry, other
means are employed, and often they are to
180
SERMON SYLLABI
an alarming extent effectual in leading mul¬
titudes astray.
The "herald" still goes forth, and in
many ways, and by many devices, seeks to
allure, entice and entrap the innocent and
unwary.
Idolatry may not be represented by a
"golden image," but anything that draws
the mind and affections from God, and se¬
cures one's love and devotion, may be call¬
ed an idol. I John v, 21.
''The dearest idol I have known
What e'er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne
And worship only Thee."
Skepticism, which denies the fundamen¬
tal doctrines of the Bible, and endeavors to
read into it new interpretations to meet the
demands of a liberal age, is a most danger¬
ous and insidious form of idolatry.
Nebuchadnezzar did not seek to prohibit
worship, but he sought to turn the people
from the spiritual to the material. God is
a spirit. Beware of anything that lessens
spirituality in religion.
1 81
SERMON SYLLABI
I. The Idols.
They differ according to environment.
In the cities they are numerous, and differ
from those that are prevalent among the
plainer people of village or country; but
Satan is busy everywhere, by intense activ¬
ity and by tempting the idle.
II. The Faithful Few.
Three stood up against the edict of the
King who had absolute authority. Like
Peter and John, who defied the Sanhedrim,
and like all men and women who defy pub¬
lic opinion, as did Garrison and other anti
slavery heroes.
God preserved the courageous Hebrew
children, and He is the same yesterday, to¬
day and forever.
182
THE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY AND
PRIVILEGE.
"For thou shalt be His witness unto all men
of what thou hast seen a ^d heard." Acts xxii,
15.
I. To Bear Witness,
i. By precept.
St. Paul never permitted an opportunity
to speak a word for his Divine Master to
go unimproved. Whether in heathen lands
where the people were ready to worship him
as a god, or on Mars Hill, where they were
ready to scoff and criticize, he would boldly
speak of Christ and the resurrection, of
pardon to the penitent, of His power to
keep all who put their trust in Him, of the
Scriptures which pointed to Him as the
coming Messiah. Of his own miraculous
conversion while he was bent upon persecut¬
ing the Church, of how he was blinded by
the light from heaven above the bright¬
ness of the sun, and how he afterwards re¬
ceived his sight.
183
SERMON SYLLABI
Christianity loses so much by silent be¬
lievers.
Silence may indicate that one is not in
possession of the joy and hope that comes
of believing. Or, it may indicate fear of
criticism by unbelievers who are ever ready
to intimidate by jeer or ridicule. Or, it may
be regarded as an evidence of unconcern in
the salvation of others. At all events, the
cause suffers when believers hold their
peace. "For Zion's sake, I will not hold
my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will
not rest until the righteousness thereof go
forth as brightness, and the salvation there¬
of as a lamp that burneth." Isaiah lxii, i.
"If these should hold their peace, the
stones would immediately cry out." Luke
xix, 40.
2. By example.
Speaking for Christ is but one way of
bearing witness for Him. Sometimes the
silent example of faith under trials or
Christian fortitude in danger and adversity,
is a form of witnessing that speaks more
eloquently than high sounding words, or
eloquent sermons. Have you heard of the
184
SERMON SYLLABI
patience of Job? The resignation of Eli?
The prayer of Stephen for his slayers while
under a shower of stones? The songs of
praise and earnest prayers of Paul and Silas
in the inner prison? And, above all the
"Father forgive them", by our Lord, when
dying for the sins of the world.
3. By working for Jesus.
The world is a great harvest field. Lab¬
orers are ever and everywhere needed, to
sow the precious seed; to cultivate the
field; to gather out the weeds that choke and
destroy the grain; to water the tender plants
that are drooping and dying on account of
the scorching sun; to bring tithes into the
"storehouse"; to go like Jonathan and his
armor bearer to the stronghold of the
enemy, and charge the forts of sin; to visit
the sick and the unfortunate. "Pure re¬
ligion and undefiled before God and the
Father is this, to visit the fatherless and
widows in their affliction, and to keep him¬
self unspotted from the world." James i,
27. Also Matthew xxv, 24-26.
iS5
SERMON SYLLABI
4. Each one according to his ability.
Every man hath his proper gift of God.
Each is to proceed according to his talent
and gifts. As on a building there are many
kinds of workmen, so, in the Christian
Church there are diversified gifts, but all
may be used in bearing witness for Christ.
186
THE MESSIAH'S KINGDOM.
"But in the last days it shall come to pass
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shal'l be established in the top of the moun¬
tains, and it shall be exalted above the hills;
and people shall flow unto it," Micah iv: 7.
Read also Isaiah ii, 1-2.
Micah and Isaiah were contemporaneous,
and both prophesy of the coming Messiah
and speak of conditions under His reign.
In the prophecy of the text, Judah, Jerusa¬
lem and "the mountain"—evidently mean¬
ing Mount Moriah—are figuratively refer¬
red to, to draw attention to the Christian
Church. "Judah", the tribe from which our
Lord came; "Jerusalem", the Holy City of
the Jews; Metropolis of the Nation, and
center of their religious activities; used
typically of heaven. Rev. xxi, 2. "Mount
Moriah", site of the Temple. A beautiful
blending of figures for spiritual teaching.
187
SERMON SYLLABI
Preceding the prophecy in Isaiah, comes
a terrible arraignment of backsliding Israel.
Read Isaiah, chapter i. Read also Micah,
chapter iii, 12.
Following the words which, in detail, tell
of the punishment for sin; are the words of
hope and promise. "In the last days it shall
come to pass." He will not keep His anger
forever; judah and Jerusalem shall pass
away, but that for which they stand shall be
pre-eminently fulfilled under the reign of
the Messiah. The "mountain of the house"
shall become as the "high places of the for¬
est," but, the truth of God, wherever pro¬
claimed, shall attract the nations of the
earth, and bring them "flowing" to the
Cross of Christ. Then shall be fulfilled the
saying: "Blessed are your eyes for they
see; and your ears, for they hear. For ver¬
ily I say unto you, that many prophets and
righteous men desired to see those things
which ye see, and have not seen them; and
to hear those things which ye hear, and have
not heard them." Matthew xiii, 16-17.
188
SERMON SYLLABI
I. The Messiah's Kingdom Will Be,
a. Spiritual.
Spirituality is not a prominent doctrine
of the Old Testament. The Commandment
"with promise" offers long life. The Ca¬
naan promised, flowed with "milk and
honey." The highest honor in the gift of
the nation was the throne.
Under the Messiah's reign, life eternal is
offered; and the crowning honor in this life,
is spiritual companionship with Christ. "In
Me, ye shall have peace." "Be of good
comfort, I have overcome the world."
b. A kingdom of peace.
Nations shall learn war no more. "The
Golden Rule" becomes the guide for man¬
kind.
c. Cosmopolitan.
"All nations shall flow unto it."
d. Everlasting. Daniel ii, 44.
189
WOMAN'S WORK IN THE CHURCH.
"I beseech Euodius, and I beseech Synty-
che that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
And I entreat thee, true yoke fellow, help those
women who labored with me in the Gospel."
Philippians iv: 2-3.
St. Paul was about to make a second
round of his mission work through parts
of Asia when, in a vision at Troas, he saw
a stranger standing near him who said:
''Come over into Macedonia and help us."
Acts xvi, 9.
Leaving Troas by ship, and sailing by
way of the Samothracian Islands, they land¬
ed at Neapolis the seaport, and proceeded
by land to Philippi, the chief city of that
part of Macedonia.
On the Sabbath Day he learned that a
prayer meeting was held by women by a
river side, and being no synagogue in the
place, he went to said prayer meeting.
The leading spirit among those devout
190
SERMON SYLLABI
women, was Lydia, an influential woman
from Thyatira, a "seller of purple." Her
heart was touched through the preaching of
the apostle, and she became a convert to
Christianity. A church was established
there, having for its first members, the con¬
verts from the open air prayer meeting
held by the women at the river side.
Under the Old Dispensation women are
not frequently nor prominently mentioned
in the service of the synagogue and Tem¬
ple. It remained for the Christian Church,
with its brighter and fuller light, to open
the door of opportunity to the "hand maid¬
ens," upon whom the Lord had said He
would pour out His spirit. Acts ii, 17-18.
Among the most faithful followers of our
Lord, who waited upon His ministry, who
bestowed personal acts of kindness and
who followed Llim to the Cross and were
the first to witness the Resurrection, were
certain women converts to the new faith.
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist,
forerunner of the Christ, and Mary, His
Virgin mother, realized the divine commis¬
sion of the forerunner and founder of the
191
SERMON SYLLABI
Christian Church, and were the first under
the New Dispensation to prophesy of the
coming kingdom. Luke i, 39-56.
First to realize the fulfillment of the Mes¬
sianic prophecy; foremost in service of love
during His earthly ministry; last at the
Cross; first at the Resurrection, woman has
fixed her own place and work in the Chris¬
tian Church.
I. Women In the Church at Philippi.
St. Paul testifies to their service to him
in founding the Church in Europe, and
speaks of the liberal spirit of the Mace¬
donian churches. II Corinthians viii, 1-4;
ix, 2-4.
II. They "labored" with Paul, the found¬
er of the Macedonian churches, and with
his successors in this trying mission field;
and they labor now in every department of
church work.
With sympathetic nature, strong faith
and quick decision, the Christian woman
exercises a commanding influence in the
Church and in the community.
III. Special gifts and graces.
192
SERMON SYLLABI
1. Sympathy.
The Christian Church is founded upon
the love of God for mankind. John iii, 16.
This love of God in the human heart is
the best guarantee for faithful service in
His Church.
2. Unselfishness.
Woman in her devotion is noted for her
unselfishness. It is not so much what the
ointment could have been sold for, as it is
what good can be accomplished with it; and
besides, the poor are never neglected.
3. Her influence.
Woman accomplishes results not only by
personal effort, but by influencing others to
espouse her cau^e.
It was Deborah who induced Barak to de¬
liver Israel from the hand of Jabin, King
of Canaan. Judges iv, 1-9, "His mother
saith unto the servants, whatsoever He saith
unto you, do it." John ii, 5. It is by the
inspiration of Christian women that the
Church and its auxiliaries in moral and
social reforms, wins its greatest victories.
4. Her patience and constancy.
"Weary not in well doing" is the Apos-
I93
SERMON SYLLABI
tolic injunction, and it is a practical asset
in all the affairs of life. When the Disci¬
ples despaired of seeing the risen Lord, and
went away, Mary stood alone at the Tomb.
The mother is the last to lose hope of win¬
ning back an erring child. In patience and
burden bearing, she is the "Everlasting
Mother," as said Bishop Matthew Simpson
once, in one of his characteristic addresses.
But necessary to the accomplishment of
her highest and best possibilties, woman
should take the admonition of the Apostle
given in the text, and "be of the same mind
in the Lord." Let them avoid the discord
that had unfortunately happened in the
Philippian Church, and use all their God
given powers for the promotion of peace,
and the advancement of the Redeemer's
Kingdom.
194
THE GREAT INVITATION.
"And the Spirit and the Bride say, come. And
let him that heareth say, come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let
him take the water of life freely." Revelation
xxii: 17.
The last book of the Sacred Canon closes
with a general invitation, to come and par¬
take of the blessings that have been so
beautifully and so graphically set forth in
symbolism.
The book is a revelation from God, given
by Jesus Christ, through—or by—an Angel,
to His servant John, for His servants. Rev¬
elation i, i.
The scene begins with "heaven" chapter
iv, 1-2, and closes with "heaven" chapters
xxi, xxii.
A great battle is described as being
fought between the powers of good and
evil, the "Lamb" representing the good, and
the "Beast," the evil forces. The "Lamb"
undertakes the work of opening the sealed
i9S
SERMON SYLLABI
book of the "Mysteries of the Kingdom of
heaven"—Matthew xiii, n, and immediate¬
ly the struggle is on. Chapter v and vi, 1-2.
The rider upon the white horse of chap¬
ter vi, 2; had a bow,—as he was going to
battle—and a crown was given to him; a
pledge of victory. In chapter xix, he again
appears upon the scene, having no bow—the
fight being over—but he has many crowns.
Chapter xix, 11-12.
As to his encounters with the "Beast" and
how the victory was finally won, see course
of events as they are narrated in the book
of Revelation.
Chapters xxi-xxii carry us back to scenes
of heaven, and then follows the great invi¬
tation to partake of its joys.
I. The Spirit Invites.
The Holy Spirit, Third Person in the
Trinity, "quickeneth" the conscience, and
"will guide you into all truth." John xvi,
7-15-
According to the word that I covenanted
with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my
Spirit remaineth among you. Haggai ii, 5.
What awakened conscience has not felt
196
SERMON SYLLABI
the influence of the Holy Spirit calling to
higher and nobler purposes in life!
II. The Bride Invites.
The Bride is the Church in her organic
form. John iii, 29; Revelation xxi, 9;
Mark ii, 19-20. The supreme business of
the Church is to call, invite, persuade, en¬
treat mankind to come to the fountain of
life. Isaiah lxi, 1-2; Malachi i, 11; Mat¬
thew xvi, 18.
"It pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe." I
Corinthians i, 21.
III. Let Him That Heareth Say Come.
Every saved man should go and tell what
great things the Lord hath done for him.
He who hears and receives the word of life,
should "pass it on" to others. "When thou
art converted, strengthen thy brethren."
Luke xxii, 32.
IV. Let Him That is Athirst Come.
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to
the waters." Isaiah lv, 1-3. They which do
"hunger and thirst." Matt, v, 6. He who
thirsts for "the living God" is not far from
197
SERMON SYLLABI
the Kingdom, and should "come" without
delay.
V. Whosoever Will!
There are no "middle walls of partition."
The invitation is to all. Acts x, 34-35.
"There need not one be left behind
For God hath bidden all mankind."
Come, and take the water of life, which
is freely given upon the condition of repent¬
ance toward God, and faith in Jesus Christ.
198
ADDENDA
PREACHING AND PASTORING.
I. The Preacher.
"For after that in the wisdom of God, the
world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them
that believe."
This passage sets forth in strong and un¬
mistakable words the prominence of preach¬
ing as a means of salvation. The object of
religion, is the salvation of man. The
means employed through human agencies
are many, but preaching takes first place.
Preaching is the divinely appointed means
of bearing the divine message to the world.
The Almighty Father has various ways of
speaking to His children. Nature, with her
manifold voices, speaks. The heavens
above us, the earth beneath us, utter their
voice. What though they speak in "solemn
silence," the voice is real and impressive.
199
ADDENDA
The universe everywhere bears the finger
marks of infinite wisdom, and plan, and
purpose. Out of nothing has come forth
the world in which we live; and world
upon world, visible to the natural eye; and
world after world beyond the natural vision,
and seen only by the aid of the telescope.
These all follow their path; march and
countermarch with minute precision. Day
unto day they utter speech and night unto
night they show knowledge. "But ask now
the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and
the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach
thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare
unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these
that the hand of the Lord hath wrought
this?" Job xii, 7-9.
Even without a divine revelation, the
world was not in utter darkness, for the
light of nature led man to the thought of
a superhuman being. Man soon becomes
conscious of his own limited power; he soon
learns that he cannot create anything, and
hence, looks about for the origin of ma¬
teriality. It does not satisfy the human
200
ADDENDA
mind to conclude that the world with its
fullness sprang into existence of itself.
There is ever present with man the feel¬
ing, the conviction, may we not say, the
positive knowledge, that there is somewhere,
and everywhere, supreme wisdom, knowl¬
edge, power.
But this conviction, however deep and
ineradicable in the mind or consciousness of
man, does not fully satisfy. The voice of
nature is not loud enough. The teachings
of nature are not clear enough. These but
serve to intensify man's desire to know
more of the things which by the aid of na¬
ture he sees "through a glass darkly."
Revealed religion fills this void. God speaks
to the world, first, "at sundry times and in
divers manners" by prophets, by visions
and dreams, but "in these last days," by
His Son. This divine word which comes
to us through inspired men, and by His
Son, is the message which the preacher is
to carry forth to the world.
The preacher must not be self-appointed.
He cannot be self-appointed and be a genu¬
ine bearer of the divine message.
For the successful conveying of a mes-
2 O I
ADDENDA
sage, and more especially the divine message,
one needs more than the mere knowledge of
words by which he may declare a truth.
He must be clothed with authority.
The idea of a call to the ministry should
never be lost sight of by the Christian
Church. Abraham was called; Jacob, while
sleeping upon his stony pillow, saw the
vision of the ladder, and vowed a vow, and
afterwards wrestled with an angel until his
name was changed from Jacob, the sup-
planter, to Israel, soldier, or Prince of God.
The prophets were called; the Apostles were
chosen and sent forth. What man would
be willing to take upon himself the sacred
office of the Christian ministry? "No man
taketh this honour unto himself, but he that
is called of God as was Aaron." Heb. v,
4. These words of the inspired Apostle are
direct and positive.
When we take into consideration the aw¬
ful responsibility of the Christian ministry,
and the weakness and imperfection of hu¬
man nature, it is no wonder that every one
engaging in the work would be satisfied
with nothing less than divine authority.
202
ADDENDA
"They watch for souls for whom the Lord
did heavenly bliss forego." Our Lord fre¬
quently declared that the Father sent him,
and that He did nothing of himself. There
is nothing pertaining to the Christian min¬
istry that seems more certain than the fact,
that the Almighty reserves to Himself the
right to choose His own messengers. All
men are called to be Christians, but only
some are chosen to stand as watchmen upon
the wall and proclaim the word as minis¬
ters.
Of all the Bible characters who were call¬
ed of God and sent forth to proclaim His
word, it cannot be said of any of them, that
they were unequal to the task, and failed.
Jonah hesitated to go on his divinely ap¬
pointed mission, but having gone, he preach¬
ed so convincingly, that the people repented
and the city was saved. It appears from
St. Matthew x, that Judas Iscariot, among
the chosen, was not an exception, for while
acting under the divine command, even dev¬
ils were subject to him, as to the other Apos¬
tles. His lapse into sin disqualified him,
and his ministry came to a shameful end.
203
ADDENDA
Those who are chosen of God and sent
forth, need not fail. "Lo I am with you," is
the guarantee of success. When we see
men in the ministry who constantly fail,
we are bound to decide that they were either
not chosen of God, or that they are unfaith¬
ful. How can a man fail, when he is faith¬
fully endeavoring to do that which God has
sent him to do? St. Paul was a leader
among men, in proclaiming and defending
the religion of the Jews. He seemed, by
nature and temperament to have been es¬
pecially fitted for such work. What would
have been more natural after his wonder¬
ful and miraculous conversion, than that he
should give himself to the work of pro¬
claiming the new religion which he had em¬
braced? But he did not of himself under¬
take the work, but inquired: "Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do ?" Nor did he enter
upon his great mission until he received a
definite command from his divine Master
whose word he was henceforth to bear.
The ministry is a profession, but it is
more than this, it is a calling: a divine call¬
ing. It cannot be placed among secular pro-
204
ADDENDA
fessions and callings and be chosen at will.
It seems quite out of place for one to say
that he is undecided as to whether he will
take up law, medicine, or theology. Hav¬
ing consulted his natural fitness he may de¬
cide for himself whether he will study law
or practice medicine, but he has no choice
as to whether or not he will take up the
work of the ministry. This office does not
belong in the realm of secular vocations,
and should not be so considered. Let us
get back to the old time Methodistic way of
insisting upon genuine and unmistakable
conversion ,and a divine call for every one
who enters the Christian ministry.
Evidence Of The Divine Call To The
Ministry.
In considering the question, what consti¬
tutes a call to the ministry, we shall find a
difference of opinion even among men who
hold to the belief that such a call is neces¬
sary. Among those who are conscious of a
call, we shall find a wide difference as to
their experience. This is true concerning
the Bible characters, both of the Old and
New Testaments. The call of Abraham is
205
ADDENDA
clear, definite and pronounced. The call of
Elijah has no definite history. He suddenly
appears upon the scene and begins the
proclamation of his message. Of Jeremiah,
it is said—Jeremiah i, 5. "Before I form¬
ed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before
thou earnest forth out of the womb, I sanc¬
tified thee and ordained thee a prophet unto
the nations." The call of Samuel was oral,
and the particulars are given. I Samuel iii.
With the call of Moses there is quite an ex¬
tended history. Concerning many of the
prophets, the general statement is given:
"came the word of the Lord." A history
of a number of the twelve Apostles is
given, but of others, nothing is known of
their call, but, as to the divine commission,
we have the words: "these twelve Jesus
sent forth, and commanded them." Matthew
x, 5. The call of St. Paul the last of the
Apostles to enter into the work is given in
detail. The call of Christian men now
may differ as widely in detail as those of
whom we have made mention, but there are
certain qualifications that are, according to
the very nature of their work, expected of
206
ADDENDA
all. We shall mention first of all, that gen¬
eral qualification which our Lord gives con¬
cerning disciples: "He that would be my
disciple, let him first, deny himself, take up
his cross, and follow me." Self-denial, im¬
plies, self-control. If this qualification is
necessary for any one who embraces the
Christian life, how much more necessary
for the minister, who above all others, is
to be an example for the people to whom
he ministers. The blind cannot lead the
blind. It is sad indeed to see one occupying
the place of a minister, who has not himself
learned the lessons of self-control. How
can such a one succeed in the ministry? It
may not be expected that every one who
enters the ministry immediately loses his
individuality, and has no "buffet of Satan":
is no more susceptible of evil influences.
This of itself would disqualify one for the
ministry. To have genuine sympathy with
men in their struggles, one must have a
common struggle with them. "For we
have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we, yet
207
ADDENDA
without sin." Hebrews iv. 15. Our Lord
more than once rebuked His disciples, dur¬
ing their earlier ministry, because they
lacked self-control, or gave way to un¬
belief. To Peter, he once said: "Get be¬
hind me Satan." This is sufficient to prove,
that though following the Saviour, they
were yet men with human weaknesses. But
they had the desire, and were given the
power to overcome the evil within them¬
selves. As much must be expected of every
one who claims to be called to preach the
Gospel. The divine call may also be evi¬
denced by a controlling conviction, that is
as clear and definite as one's conversion.
Men with such conviction have entered into
other professions, but were unhappy and
without peace of mind until they became
obedient unto the heavenly calling. When
one takes up the minnistry, on account of
an ever present conviction that it is his duty
to do so, he can have a consciousness of one
thing, namely, that he was not influenced
by a desire for a life of ease; or, a desire to
be honored by man; or, a desire to follow a
lucrative vocation. If, however, there is
208
ADDENDA
lurking beneath the surface of what seems
to be a genuine conviction of duty, a
greater desire to benefit himself than to ben¬
efit mankind, it will be revealed to him by
his unwillingness to "endure hardness as a
good soldier." When one follows the
straight line of duty, he cannot choose his
path. An unwillingness to follow the path
of duty when it leads through rugged ways,
should be sufficient to convince one that
he had either mistaken his call, or else
proved unfaithful.
When the conviction of a divine call to
the ministry is deep and lasting, it is sure
to be followed by a preparation for the
work. Indeed, if there were no such desire
for preparation, it should be taken as an
evidence that the call was not divine. A
call to preach is also a call to prepare for
preaching. It may not be difficult to cite
instances where divine aid was given to
those who were sent to bear the message of
the Lord: Divine aid to the extent that hu¬
man preparation seemed unnecessary. These
instances, however, are rare and special,
and they have to do with conditions which
14 209
ADDENDA
do not ordinarily fall to the lot of the Mes¬
senger of God. Conditions which could not
be anticipated. No one can accurately de¬
termine the extent to which faithful human
effort will be supplemented by divine aid.
But this does not preclude the necessity of
individual preparation. The Bible is the
minister's text book. Herein is found the
Word of God which he is to delclare to the
world, and it is necessary for him to have
an intelligent understanding of the Bible,
and to be able to make an intelligent pres¬
entation of its truths. No one thinks of
entering into secular vocations without
first preparing for the work. The lawyer
who pleads at the bar of justice must pre¬
pare himself: and so, with other callings
of a secular kind. A minister dishonors his
divine Master, when he presumes to bear
His message in a way that makes it appear
unimportant. It is painful to hear a min¬
ister stumbling over the Word of God, un¬
able to read it intelligently. There is no
excuse for such a procedure. It is not
enough to point to the past, when in the
days of unavoidable ignorance men preach-
2 IO
ADDENDA
ed with power who could not intelligently
read and explain the Bible. They were,
through God, sufficient to their day. But
the minister of the present day has a dif¬
ferent audience and an abundant opportuni¬
ty to prepare himself for the demands of
his day: demands .which the fathers never
dreamed of nor were called upon to meet.
The absolute need of literary as well as
spiritual preparation for the work of the
Christian ministry, is so evident it needs
not to be elaborated. The wonder is that
so many are found who do take upon them¬
selves the sacred, arduous and exacting
work of the ministry without special prep¬
aration. If such persons, having more zeal
than knowledge are misled, it becomes the
duty of those who are in authority in the
Christian Church, to take the matter in
hand, and correct the evil, in order that the
sacred cause of the ministry may not be
brought into dishonor. It frequently hap-
oens in our Conferences, that persons are
presented for admission into the ministry
who are by no means prepared for the
work. Sometimes they are admitted and
2 [ I
ADDENDA
kept on a supernumerary list, until by acci¬
dent they get into the active service of the
Church. This course does an injustice both
to the persons themselves and to the cause
which they fail to properly represent. If
the demand for ministers were greater than
the supply, there would be an argument, at
least, in favor of training men on the field
as was done in the earlier days of Metho¬
dism ; but. where the supply is greater than
the demand, there is absolutely no excuse
for imposing upon the people men who are
incompetent for their work.
System in Preaching.
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
riqhtly dividing the word of truth. II, Tim¬
othy, ii: 15.
In this passage. St. Paul speaks to
Timothy, not about his faith, or the conduct
of his life as a Christian, but he speaks to
him as a "workman." By workman, we
know he refers to his work of preparing, i.
e., of sermonizing, because, he says "rightly
dividing the word." It is not necessary to
so limit the meaning of this Scriptural in-
2 12
ADDEiNDA
junction, as to rob it of its broadest signifi¬
cance. That which we are absolutely sure
of, is, it refers to the handling of the Word
of God; and that too, as a skillful workman.
We have heard men 'preaching, who
seemed to lack nothing in zeal, earnestness
and sincerity, but they used no system in
presenting the Word. They would read
the text, emphasize its central truth, and
then seemingly proceed in a circle. About
every five or ten minutes, they would sub¬
stantially repeat themselves. A sermon thus
delivered, even by an earnest and worthy
man, loses much of its value. The aim of
the preacher should be to so simplify the
Word that it may be easily understood, and
present it in as impressive a manner as pos¬
sible. The science of preaching is taught in
theological schools, but many have not had
the privilege of study in such schools. But
a systematic or orderly presentation of a
theme is possible even for one who has not
been regularly trained in the schools.
In preparing for the ministry, and in pur¬
suing the work, be it remembered and never
forgotten, that communion with God in
213
ADDENDA
prayer, is a most essential preparation.
The Patriarchs and Prophets prayed, and
God heard and answered them. The in¬
stances are too numerous to give. Let the
minister search them out for himself. The
Apostles and "Fathers" prayed, and their
prayers were answered. Our Lord was fre¬
quently engaged in prayer to the Father.
The Christian minister who would have
power with God, must know the worth of
prayer, and not fail to seek the quiet hour
alone, with the Divine Teacher.
214
II. THE PASTOR
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made your overseers." Acts xx, 23.
The preceding sections have principally
to do with preaching. There are persons
who work in the Church as Evangelists,
and go from place to place preaching.
Dwight L. Moody was a bright example of
this. There are men and women who feel
called to this work. Amanda Smith, among
our women, may be regarded as a special
example among the pioneers. These Evan¬
gelists, whether women or men, do not un¬
dertake the pastoral care of any congrega¬
tion. Through their efforts many souls are
convinced of sin, converted and brought
into the Kingdom. "By the foolishness of
preaching" they are brought to faith and
salvation.
But most preachers, have the additional
work of pastoring. They are "overseers"
2*5
ADDENDA
of the flock, to feed, nourish, direct, and
discipline. These callings, preaching and
pastoring, are separate and distinct parts
of Christian work, and they are of equal
importance. Read carefully 12th chapter
of I Corinthians.
In the Early Church, these pastors are
called Episcopous; translated Elders,
Bishops, or Overseers. Since then, the
definitions have become more specific, and
the various duties definitely defined. But
it is not the technical terms that attention
is called to here; rather, it is the work of
caring for the people who are brought into
the Church as members; the work generally
called pastoring.
In the Old Testament, the favorite ex¬
pression is "Shepherd." "He shall feed
his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the
lambs with his arm, and carry them in his
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are
with young." Isaiah xl, II. Read also
Psalms xxiii. Concerning the unfaithful
shepherds, Ezekiel xxxiv; concerning the
Good Shepherd, where the figure is used in
the New Testament, read St. John x, 1-14.
216
ADDENDA
A great responsibility rests upon the Shep¬
herd—the Pastor.
In the text above quoted from Acts,
where St. Paul addresses the Ephesian Pas¬
tors at Miletus, he first of all refers to his
own life among them, before giving any ad¬
vice to them. They are Pastors, he is a
chief Pastor. He recognizes the supreme
power and importance of example, and is
willing to apply the gauge to himself, and
let the under Pastors be wintesses against
him if he fails to come up to the standard.
Then, he charges them: "Take heed to
yourselves."
The first duty of a pastor is to take him¬
self in hand.
Preaching and Pastoring is both a pro¬
fession and a life. As a profession much is
to be learned, as in other professions. No
one would think of practicing medicine
without previous preparation. No one
thinks of asking for a position as instructor
in a school, who is ignorant of the studies
to be taught. How strange it seems, that
any one should be willing to undertake the
responsible work of caring for a congre-
217
ADDENDA
gation of people, without some special
preparation. And yet there are many who
do not seem to recognize the importance
of this all important work; and like a ship
without a rudder, they are at the mercy of
the stronger influences about them; or,
like the foolish virgins, who marched for
a time with the wise ones, but at a critical
moment, found to their dismay, that oilless
lamps, are of no service at midnight. The
blind may attempt to lead the blind, and
both fall into the ditch, but it seems ludi¬
crous for one who is blind to aspire to be a
leader of those who can see.
But the pastor is to take heed to him¬
self also, as to his religious life. Both
Samuel of the Old Testament, and Paul of
the New, lay much stress upon this phase
of a leader's qualification.
When Israel demanded a king to lead
them, perhaps they thought most about the
military qualifications necessary for one
who would go' before them to battle. But
Samuel directed their attention to other
essentials. Himself old, and ready to re¬
tire from active leadership, he, like Paul did
2 1 8
ADDENDA
afterwards, put his own life on record be¬
fore the people. "Behold, here I am; wit¬
ness against me before the Lord and before
His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? or
whose ass have I taken? or whom have I
defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of
whose hand have I received any bribe to
blind mine eyes therewith? and I will re¬
store it to you." I Sam. xii, 3-4.
St. Paul said: "Wherefore, I take you
to record this day, that I am pure from the
blood of all men." Acts xx, 26.
Thus, we have the chief among the
Judges of the Old Testament, and the chief
among the pastors of the New, emphasizing
their administration by laying bare their
manner of life among the people. Each is
bidding farewell. St. Paul says: "I know
that ye all, among whom I have gone
preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see
my face no more. Samuel says: "I am
old and grayheaded: and, behold, my sonc.
are with you: and I have walked before you
from my childhood unto this day." Each
discourse is a valedictory, and in each, the
thought most prominent in the mind of the
219
ADDENDA
speaker is his mariner of life among the
people. The fact that these are farewell
addresses, makes the subject all the more
important to us. It shows the importance
that was placed upon right living by these
representatives who were chief among reli¬
gious leaders. In reviewing their career,
and being intensely anxious about the im¬
pression they had made upon their follow¬
ers, they were more anxious about how they
had lived than about what they had said.
Not that they had taught erroneously: not
that they had an apology to make for the
doctrines they had promulgated, but when
the life is not in harmony with the doctrine
taught, the teacher loses his influence, and
his teaching goes for naught. Read Mat¬
thew xxiii for our Lord's discourse and de¬
nunciation upon those teachers who "say,
and do not/'
Take heed to thyself in general adminis¬
tration."
In the A. M. E. Book of Discipline, the
chapter having to do with the reception of
ministers on trial, proceeds as follows: "A
preacher being duly recommended by the
2 20
ADDENDA
District Conference, or having been pre¬
viously appointed to a charge by the Bishop
or Presiding Elder, in the interim of the An¬
nual Conference, may be received on trial in
the Annual Conference by vote: provided
he give us satisfaction as to his knowledge
of the Discipline and Doctrines of the
Church, the connections necessary in a dis¬
course, Church history, and on all the
studies prescribed in the appendix to the
Book of Discipline, for admission on trial.
Then let him carefuly read and weigh the
contents of the Book of Discipline, if he
have any doubt, it may be removed." Then
follows a series of questions on Faith,
Christian perfection, devotion to pastoral
duties and the General Rules.
Attention is then called to: "The Rules
of a Preacher," and the candidate is ques¬
tioned upon diligence, seriousness, and many
other things which are adjudged to be
necessary for him to know and observe.
In these series of questions particular at¬
tention is called to two subjects, namely,
punctuality, and obedience to authority.
"Be punctual." A lack of punctuality has
2 2 1
ADDENDA
been the undoing of many who have taken
upon themselves the responsibility of lead¬
ership. So much is involved in this trait
or character. A minister who is not punctu¬
al in opening and closing his services, en¬
courages indifference and tardiness among
his members, and is likely to have an irreg¬
ular and uncertain congregation. Attend¬
ance upon the services of the Church,
should be a pleasure, not a burden. But
when .it is a matter of uncertainty when the
services will open, and when they will
close, it causes disharmony between Church
and other duties. The Church and the home
are closely allied, and should co-operate in
the work of family order and discipline.
Every well regulated home has rules and
system, and these cannot be kept inviolate
if the Church proves to be an obstacle in
carrying them out. It also often happens
that some of the family are Church mem¬
bers and some are not, and the non-
members are not likely to be won if rules
of Church and home so conflict as to cause
discussion or strife. Cases could be cited
where irreligious husbands have held the
222
ADDENDA
Church responsible for the Christian wife's
neglect of her home. Cases could also be
cited, where irregularity of Church services,
lack of punctuality, lack of system in the
management of the affairs of the Church,
have been the leading causes of strife be¬
tween the Church and the home. The Dis¬
ciplinary rule says : "Be punctual; do every¬
thing exactly on time." This is one of the
rules that is singled out and made promi¬
nent when a minister is being received on
trial. But the harm coming from a lack
of punctuality does not begin and end with
the management of Church services. If the
habit is indulged in, it will enter into one's
everyday life. A promise, an obligation in
business, should be conscientiously and
promptly kept. Church debts and individ¬
ual debts should be regarded as moral obli¬
gations and discharged accordingly. I do
not know anything that will more surely
destroy the influence of a minister, and
hinder his success, than for him to acquire
the reputation for not keeping his word.
Complaints of this kind often come to our
Annual Conferences, and sometimes they
223
ADDENDA
are traceable more to habit than to inability
to discharge obligations.
One may not always be able to promptly
keep an obligation, but a habit of punctu¬
ality conscientiously formed, will save one
much trouble in business pursuits.
The second rule to which special atten¬
tion is called, is thus stated: "Act in all
things, not according to your own will, but
as a son in the Gospel." The Centurion
said: "I am a man under authority, having
soldiers under me." He who would com¬
mand, must know how to obey. The minis¬
ter who is himself unwilling to be subject
to discipline, should not be surprised to find
his members disregarding his authority.
Laws are enacted and rules are made for
the government of all, and no one is above
law. The position of the pastor is an hon¬
orable one, and people are disposed to honor
him who fills it. All the more then, should
the occupant of such a high and holy office,
be careful to merit the honor so willingly
bestowed. Self-will and haughtiness should
find no place in the mind of the Christian
minister. God chose Saul to be leader of
224
ADDENDA
His people Israel, and at a time sent him
to perform a duty, and demanded strict
obedience to every detail.. But there was
a great temptation to obey only in part. He
satisfied his pride by bringing the King,
Agag, alive. The desire was strong to
have a captive King, in humiliation and
dishonor, among those who constituted the
subjects of his triumphal return from bat¬
tle. He also satisfied his greed for spoils
by saving the best of the cattle. Strange to
say, when discovered in his act of disobedi¬
ence and self-will, he endeavored to fasten
the blame upon the people. Would an im¬
perious King like Saul permit "the people"
to so disregard his command? Had they
dared to have disobeyed him, there is no
doubt but that he would have defended his
imperial dignity to the uttermost limit. At
last he was obliged to acknowledge his er¬
ror, and listen to the sentence which was
pronounced. Alas! may his case be a warn¬
ing for every "Son in the Gospel" who finds
it difficult to set aside his own will, when
there is a strong temptation to do otherwise.
I Samuel xv.
T5
225
ADDENDA
Visiting from House to House.
The authority for visiting as a religious
duty, is found in the Bible. "Pure religion
and undefiled before God and the Father
is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep himself unspot¬
ted from the world." James 1: 27.
In the chapter upon "Preachers admitted
to full connection", A. M. E. Discipline,
question 16, is, "will you visit from house
to house?" Visiting then is an important
item in pastoring. All men have not the
same gifts. "Every man hath his proper
gift of God." It has often been made a
subject of interesting discussion, how some
ministers who are not attractive or power¬
ful preachers, can nevertheless always com¬
mand a large attendance upon the services
of their church; or, what is even better, can
build up and hold a membership; collect
local and general claims, and keep their
churches in a thriving condition both tem¬
porally and spiritually. Congregations have
sometimes pronounced a minister unaccept¬
able upon hearing his first sermon, or even,
a number of sermons tho, after he remained
226
ADDENDA
for a time they would not agree to a change.
Here again, we have a distinction between
a preacher and a pastor. Fortunate is he
who has a combination of gifts, graces and
excellences, but such is not always the case;
perhaps, not generally the case. The pastor
who cares for his flock at their homes as
well as at the church; who is ever on the
alert to hear the cry of distress, and ever
ready to minister to the wants of the sick,
the poor and the unfortunate, is sure to win
the hearts and confidence of his people.
He is the Good Samaritan who attends
personally to the needs of those who need
him most. There are various reasons why
members should be visited at their homes.
Probationers often drift away from the fold,
before becoming strong in their Christian
life, who could have been saved to the
church had a little timely interest been
shown in them at their homes. This is es¬
pecially true of young people, who may not,
at once, take to the close meetings of the
church; the class meetings and the praj-
er meetings. They need Christian nurture.
They especially need it if such is not affor-
227
ADDENDA
ded them by their home surroundings. Of¬
ten abundant domestic duties, or, the want
of means to make the necessary prepara¬
tion to appear in public, are causes of ab¬
sence from the church. Or, it may be sick¬
ness. Any of the above named reasons
are sufficient to point out the importance
of pastoral visitations. But even when none
of these reasons exist, or, when it is not
known to the pastor that they do exist, it is
encouraging to members for the pastor to
show a personal interest in them by calling
upon them at their homes. The Minister
is really the spiritual father of his flock,
and should feel an interest in his church
membership, alike to that -which he feels
for his family. Indeed, his members are his
spiritual family, and should no more be neg¬
lected than his personal household. People
are often depressed by conditions from
which the public cannot afford them re¬
lief. In such a state of mind they are in¬
clined to stay at home, and thus become
despondent. In such cases, the minister,
above all other persons, can by his pres¬
ence, in prayer and counsel, bring sunshine
228
ADDENDA
and hope. Read Matthew xxv: 31-45.
The Discipline in speaking of visiting,
says: "From house to house." The infer¬
ence is, the itinerary should be throughout
the entire membership. There might be a
temptation to visit only such as could afford
pleasant entertainment for the visitor. If
this course were followed, the whole object
of pastoral visitations would be defeated.
Read what our Lord says in Luke xiv, 7-14.
Also James ii, 1-9. Neither should those
who are in comfortable surroundings be
neglected. The ministrations of the pastor
should be without respect of persons. All
should be the objects of his care, and all
alike are entitled to the same spiritual super¬
vision. To make a specialty of the poor
and needy, to the neglect of those who are
not in want, would be to rob the latter class
of the spiritual help and comfort to which
they are entitled. To make a specialty of
either class, would be to practice partiality,
and bring about division and strife in the
fold. There is no reason why the ministra¬
tions of the pastor should be such as to
229
addenda
cause one portion of the membership to be
arraigned against the other.
The Disciplinary injunction to visit,
specifies that it shall be "from house to
house." The St. James injunction adds:
"And to keep himself unspotted from the
world."
Objections have been made to pastoral
visitations on account of instances of dis¬
cord in families, caused by such visits. Our
Lord saw the possibility of such in sending
forth His Disciples, and, He gave a word
of caution, which if heeded, will remove
the danger of any such discord. "Be ye
therefore wise as serpents, and harmless
as doves." Mat. x, 16. Be wise, and be
harmless, says the great Shepherd and
Teacher. Imprudent conduct is often the
cause of trouble, even when the motives
are pure. The minister, like the physician,
is admitted into homes with perfect free¬
dom, it is well therefore to shun even the
appearance of evil. Pastoral visits should
not be made unduly long at any one home,
neither should they be made the occasion
for feasting, especially when some of the
230
ADDENDA
members of the home are absent; or, to be
more definite, when the husband is absent.
The husband is sometimes not a Christian,
and may not interpret the frequent visits of
the pastor as an evidence of spiritual inter¬
est.
These are points to be guarded.
Herein should the uttermost wisdom be
shown. When the pastor establishes a repu¬
tation for rectitude, few can be found ob¬
jecting to his presence. The conduct of
Elisha was such that the Shunamite woman
said to her husband: "Behold, now, I per¬
ceive that this is a holy man of God, which
passeth by us continually." Then it was,
that by the consent and co-operation of her
husband a room in the house was set apart
for him. This did not happen the first day
he appeared in their midst, but after he
had won the title, "holy man of God," a
title more to be desired and sought for than
the literary or honorary titles so eagerly
sought and so seldom merited. Wisdom
and goodness are valuable passports for
anyone, and most valuable assets for the
231
ADDENDA
pastor, whose duty it is to visit from house
to house.
Every pastor would do well to refresh his
mind by reading from the A. M. E. Disci¬
pline the Chapters on Preachers' personal
life and duties, in which there is a section
on visiting.
232
THE CHILDREN OF THE CHURCH.
"Is it well with thee? is it well with thy hus¬
band? is it well with the child?" II, Kings, iv:
26.
"Feed my lambs." John xxi: 15.
"Every pastor shall gather in the chil¬
dren, and wherever there are ten whose
parents will permit it, he shall meet them
once in a week, or, once in two weeks for
the purpose of giving them instruction and
training them in the Catechism, etc. He
shall expressly preach on education; talk
with the children at home; explain the na¬
ture of religion to them and impress the
necessity of it upon their hearts. He shall
earnestly pray for them and exhort their
parents at home. He shall take the names
of those who have been truly awakened and
admit them to society," etc., etc. A. M. E.
Discipline.
The injunction, whether in the Old Tes¬
tament or the New, or in the Discipline of
233
ADDENDA
the Church, embraces the whole family
circle; the "Sheep" and the "Lambs." But
both revelation and reason point to the wis¬
dom and necessity of beginning the work
of religious instruction in early youth. The
reasons are too numerous and apparent to
need repetition in these pages. Nature
unites with reason and revelation to prove
beyond doubt that, "the tree will grow as
the twig is bent." Habits formed in youth,
whether good or bad, are not easily chang¬
ed. A reason is given for the selection of
Abraham to be the Father of the Faithful.
"For I know him, that he will command his
children and his household after him, and
they shall keep the way of the Lord, to
do justice and judgment; that the Lord may
bring upon Abraham, that which He hath
spoken of him." Genesis, xviii, 19.
The pastor who has not the taste nor
talent for directing the young, is greatly
wanting in a most important pastoral gift.
The membership of a church should be
constantly replenished from the children of
the Church. Revivals and special services
234
ADDENDA
that are held to win converts are right and
necessary. Every legitimate means should
be resorted to, and every possible opportun¬
ity used to win souls for Christ; to bring the
sinful and erring into the fold. But, much
of the danger of losing souls, and much of
the labor of trying to win them back, could
be avoided by simply obeying the Word of
God and the voice of reason. The mother
of Moses and of Samuel, the mother and
grandmother of Timothy, so impressed
themselves upon the hearts of the youths
divinely entrusted to their care, that no
worldly power or inducement was sufficient
to eradicate those early impressions. Some,
of course, will go astray in spite of all ef¬
forts to save them, but, according to the
Word of God, they will be the exception
and not the rule; and when early training
is faithfully done, experience proves the
wisdom of such a course.
235
INFANT BAPTISM, AND ITS PUR¬
POSE.
"Let every adult person, and the parents of
every child to be baptised have their choice of
either immersion, sprinkling or pouring." A.
M. E. Discipline.
"Suffer the little children to come unto Me
and forbid them not; for of such is the King¬
dom of heaven." Mark, x: 14.
In the Discipline, the injunction is to "our
ministers." In the Bible, it is to "His Dis¬
ciples." In both cases, it is the pastors of
the flock. "And they brought young chil¬
dren to Him."
Evidently it was the mothers who brought
them. The Lord was blessing others, why
not the children? Had the Disciples un¬
derstood the mysteries of the Kingdom,
they would not have "rebuked those that
brought them.'"' He quickly came to the
rescue, being "much displeased", and gave
the Disciples a word of direction.
The minister of to-day, standing in a
23b
ADDENDA
fuller light of the Gospel, should take the
initiative in bringing the children to Christ
through the ceremony prescribed by the
Church. All parents are not as active in
the religious discharge of their duty to¬
ward their children, as were those of whom
the Bible speaks. All parents are not
Christians, it is therefore to the pastors
that the Church must look, and they are ex¬
pected to see to it that the rite of Christian
Baptism is not denied the children. Pas¬
toral care of the Church should include a
record of births, as well as of deaths; for it
seems unreasonable to count them going
out, and not to record them coming in.
Children who are born in a parish, are a
part of the parishioners. "Of such is the
kingdom of heaven." It is a religious duty
of parents, to give their children to Christ
through the Church, by Christian baptism,
and, it is a religious duty of the pastor to
see that this sacred rite is performed.
Every Sunday School has, or surely should
have an Infant Department, under the care
of Christian teachers, and it should not be
237
ADDENDA
difficult to find out what children had not
been baptized.
There should be system observed for the
spiritual work of the Church as well as for
the temporal. It is to be feared that too
much is left for the mysterious operation
of the Holy Spirit. Often, more stress is
laid upon conversion than upon retention.
If children are born within the covenant of
grace—of such is the kingdom of heaven—
they should not be shut out of the Church.
What other interpretation can be put on
our Lord's words: "Feed My lambs?"
If it is said that the word lambs may refer
to the tender ones of the flock, the young
converts, we make no objection, since it in¬
cludes among them "little children."
In St. Luke xviii, 15, the Greek word em¬
ployed, means infants, or babes, which is
even stronger than the word commonly
translated "children." There seems indeed
to be no escape from the obligation to pas¬
tor the children, and the first step toward
doing so, is to ceremonially give them to the
Lord by Christian baptism.
238
ADDENDA
After the baptism of children, or the re¬
ception of probationers, it becomes the duty
of the pastor to see to it that the "lambs"
are instructed, and, especially, that they are
given the instruction that the Church pro¬
vides. For the children, the Catechism is
distinctly named. The infant classes of the
Sunday School should be supplied with
Catechisms, where carefully arranged in¬
struction has been provided by the Church.
As to the probationers of riper years, the
Probationers' Guide, also provided by the
Church, should be used in conjunction with
other Disciplinary provisions. Thus, the
children and young people may be kept
within the Church, through the faithful dis¬
charge of duty by the pastor.
239
OTHER ORDINANCES OF THE
CHURCH.
"Have you read the form of Discipline? Are
you willing to conform to it?" A. M. E. Disci¬
pline.
"For this cause, left I thee in Crete, that thou
shouldest set in order the things that art want¬
ing." Titus i: 5.
St. Paul did not remain long enough at
Crete to perfect the organization of the
Church there. Some things were still
"wanting." He therefore left Titus to per¬
fect the work of organization, as well as to
ordain Elders to take charge.
Those who have had experience on mis¬
sion fields, know of what great importance
it is, after having persuaded men to accept
the Gospel and enrolled them as members,
to effect an organization, order of services,
celebration of Christian ordinances, doc¬
trine and discipline. If this is not carefully
done, and the newly acquired members plac-
240
ADDENDA
eel in care of a pastor, they will soon drift
into their former ways of life. But what if
the pastor, though present, fails to "set in
order" the things that are necessary for the
new beginners in Christian life?
Much is said of backsliding, knd of con¬
verts not remaining in the Church long
enough to be received into full membership.
If half, or two-thirds remain steadfast, it
is said to be a good proportion. But what
may be said about the lack of pastoral care,
to which much that is called backsliding
may be traceable? Have the class meetings
and prayer meetings and Young People's
Endeavor meetings, and love feasts been
kept intact? Have the General Rules ever
been read in the hearing of the newly re¬
ceived members? What are the "General
Rules"? Are they read Quarterly? What
use is made of "The Catechism on Faith"?
or the "Articles on Religion"? We often
call it "saving souls," when persons are
induced under the pressure of religious ex¬
citement to come forward to the altar and
extend the hand of fellowship. This is well
16
ADDENDA
enough in itself, but, at most, it cannot be
more than the beginning of a Chris|ian life.
It is the same as sowing good seed in the
field, on stony ground, among thorns, by
the wayside, and some, perchance, in good
ground; nothing more. The cultivation and
care which must follow is just as essential
as deep plowing. No matter how good the
seed is, or how good the ground is, the crop
must be properly attended, or it will not
come to perfection. Plowing, planting and
"watering" precede the harvest. Those who
believe, must believe something, and the Or¬
dinances of the Church designate what the
things are which we believe and practice.
It was a point of doctrine that Peter declar¬
ed at Caesarea-Philippi, when he said:
"Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living
God." Our Lord said: Upon this rock I
build my Church. Upon the truth of this
doctrine of the Divine Sonship of Christ.
Thus, the Christian Church is founded upon
the truths that were proclaimed by the Di¬
vine Founder of the Church, and these
truths are in various ways taught by the
242
ADDENDA
doctrines, ordinances and ceremonies that
are formulated for the instruction of Chris¬
tians.
In the different denominations of Chris¬
tians, there are shades of differences in the
interpretation of certain fundamental
truths; differences in mode and form, but
essential truths are the same, and every de¬
nomination is in duty bound to teach its
members those things which it sincerely be¬
lieves.
243
THE HOLY COMMUNION.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not
the communion of the blood of Christ? the
bread which we break, is it not the communion
of the body of Christ? for we being many, are
one bread, and one body: for we are h\\ par¬
takers of that one bread. I Corinthians, x: 16-
17.
This sacred service is known by different
names.
1. Eucharist: To give thanks. "He took
bread, and when He had given thanks, He
brake it," etc.
2. The Lord's Supper: An evening meal.
"The Lord Jesus the same night in which
He was betrayed."
3. Sacrament: Something sacred; a
mystery. "For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh condemna¬
tion to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body."
4. Institution: A title given by Bishop
Ambrose.
244
ADDENDA
5. Mass : A term used by Roman Catho¬
lics ; an abbreviation of the Latin word dis¬
miss ; originally meaning, the service held
after the Catechumen were dismissed, and
only the faithful admitted.
6. Communion: Common, mutual.
"And all that believed, were together and
had'all things common." Read Acts ii, 44-
45 ; I Cor. x, 16-17.
Nearly all Christian denominations cele¬
brate the Communion in some way. Bread
and wine are the symbols used. The Mor¬
mons use water instead of wine.
The service originated in Egypt upon the
last night before the Israelites left for their
journey through the Wilderness. The last
plague was the slaying of the first born of
the Egyptians, by the Destroying Angel.
The Israelites were saved only by having
the blood of the Paschal Lamb sprinkled
upon their door posts; seeing which, the
Angel of Death passed over them, hence,
the "Passover." The Paschal Lamb—
whose blood was sprinkled upon the door
posts, was eaten with unleavened bread.
245
ADDENDA
The bread and the blood were the promi¬
nent symbols in the Passover, as the bread
and the wine—representing the blood—are
in the Communion. Those who obeyed,
were saved by the Blood of the Lamb.
Read Exodus xii, 1-17. The Christian be¬
liever is saved by the blood of the "Lamb
of God."
Unleavened bread is specifically enjoined
in the celebration of the Passover, and we
think should be exclusively used at the
Communion. "Beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke xii, 1.
"Purge out, therefore, the old leaven
that ye may be a new lump, as
ye are unleavened." I Corinthians v,
7. "Therefore let us keep the feast,
not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth." I Corinthians v, 8. Read also
Malachi i, 7-14. Since our Lord and St.
Paul both consider the words leaven and un-
leaven of sufficient importance to be used
figuratively to designate that which is pure
and that which is impure, it may be consid-
246
ADDENDA
ered a strong suggestion, that unleavened
bread is the kind to be used in the Holy
Communion for symbolic instruction. The
purpose of symbols, is to lead the mind
more directly to the truths intended to be
set forth. The serpent upon the pole, lifted
up in the wilderness, had no intrinsic heal¬
ing merit, but it directed the minds of the
people to the real cause of their trouble, and
those who obeyed, and looked with faith,
were healed.
Much of spiritual good may be lost in the
Communion by a thoughtless and careless
handling of the emblems. Not only should
the proper selection of bread be made to rep¬
resent the body of the Lord, but it should
be so used as to not destroy the spiritual
teaching. "He took the bread, and when he
had given thanks He brake it." There
seems therefore no good reason why we
should cut it. As it represents the body of
Christ, it is nothing less than sacrilege to
drop pieces on the floor and trample upon
them, forgetful of, or indifferent to the fact
that it is being used in the most sacred and
247
ADDENDA
solemn service of the Christian Church.
There should also be uniformity in serving
it to the people. We sometimes pass around
a loaf and permit the people to break off
pieces and serve themselves: sometimes the
plate is passed with broken or cut pieces
for the people to select from. I have even
known cases where the bread would be liter¬
ally extended to the mouth of the commu¬
nicant. The proper way to serve the Com¬
munion is, for the communicant to reverent¬
ly hold the palm of the hand open, in which
a broken piece of the bread is reverently
placed by the minister. The communicant
then may with his other hand take the bread
from his open palm and eat it, or, he may
lift the palm containing the bread to his
mouth and take it. This method of taking
the bread has no symbolic teaching, ex¬
cept the fact that the Saviour's palm was
pierced; but, it is an orderly and reverent
way to proceed, and the importance of the
service demands that there should be both
order and uniformity in its celebration.
As to the wine, much may be said con¬
cerning the kind that should be used in the
248
ADDENDA
Communion. Our Lord called it, the fruit
of the vine, "Verily I say unto you, I will
drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until
that day I drink it new in the Kingdom
of God." Mark xiv, 25. Figuratively, the
bread represents the body, and the wine
the blood of Jesus, and, since the sacredness
of the service requires that proper bread
should be used, that is, unleavened or unfer-
mented bread, it is but reasonable to con¬
clude that' the same kind of wine should be
used. The "fruit of the vine" in our Lord's
day, was no such mixtures as are in common
use today. It does seem highly improper
to go to the common saloons where all kinds
of intoxicating liquors are dispensed, and
purchase any kind of wine to represent the
precious blood of Jesus. Besides the fact
of the impure quality of the wine that is
so far removed from the simple fruit of
the vine, is the fact, that the same unholy
hands that are supplying an article that re¬
sults in so much degradation and shame,
are supplying the self same article to be
used for a sacred purpose. Those who for
conscience sake would not enter such a
249
ADDENDA
saloon to procure such an article for their
own use, would surely deem it improper to
do so in providing for the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper. It is not necessary to so
degrade the Holy Communion, when unfer-
mented wine, provided specially for the oc¬
casion, can be easily secured. Those who
provide Sacramental wine, send it by order
to all parts of the civilized world, and little
or no inconvenience would be experienced
in securing it.
The Lessons of the
Communion
Of the various names given to this sacred
service, I have selected the word Commu¬
nion as being the most approprite to con¬
vey the lessons that are to be taught by
its observance. St. Paul, the great Theo¬
logian, is the author of the word. The idea
set forth is, that here is a service, estab¬
lished by our Lord Himself, in which all
Christians may engage, and be fellow par¬
takers of its benefits. It is the Lord's table,
and all believers in Him are invited upon
equal terms; only let each examine him¬
self, that he may not participate "unworth-
250
ADDENDA
ily." Notice "unworthily." Not that any
one is worthy, by reason of being
free from the stain of sin, but, coming
for cleansing and forgiveness, he should
come in a worthy manner: repentant, with
reverence, and after due examination.
These are the conditions, and the only con¬
ditions that any Society has a right to im¬
pose. Our Lord was careful to ordain this
Feast Himself in its Christian form. The
Disciples baptized, thus opening the door of
fellowship, but our Lord did not baptize
any one. See John iv, 2. St. Paul cared
so little about the formal ceremony of bap¬
tism, that he said he was not sent to baptize,
but to preach. See I Cor. i, 14-17. But
when it comes to the Communion, no chance
is left for sectarian controversy. No one
can say: "I am of Paul; and I of Apol-
los; -and I of Cephas; and I of Christ."
In the Communion, all who are not of
Christ, are not entitled to participate; and
all who are of Christ, cannot lawfully be
rejected. Our Lord Himself, on the same
night that He was betrayed ordained the
Feast, and instructed the Disciples con¬
cerning its meaning.
25i
ADDENDA
The Idea of Communion
is Threefold:
I. The Communion of Christ with God.
This Communion or fellowship between the
Father and the Son is from all eternity.
Read John i, 1-3. Also John xvii, 5, and
24. Our Lord was frequently engaged in
prayer to the Father, and in Gethsemane,
He prayed until an angel came to strengthen
Him. His acknowledgment of co-opera¬
tion between Himself and the Father was
often made. "If I bear witness of myself,
my witness is not true. There is another
that beareth witness of me." John v, 31-32.
Read also John viii, 28.
II. Communion between Christ and
those that are His. I am the Vine,
ye are the branches. For without me
ye can do nothing. His Disciples are also to
be partakers with Him in suffering. Read
Mark x: 38-39. Simon, a Cyrenian took
part with his Divine Master in bearing the
Cross up Calvary. Lo, I am with you al-
way, were the parting words of our Lord
to His Disciples. "I will not leave you
comfortless; I will come to you." Christ
252
ADDENDA
is the Mediator between God and man. We
pray to God through Jesus Christ, our Re¬
deemer. "Wherefore, He is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them." Hebrew vii, 25.
III. Our Communion one with another.
The keynote of Christian fellowship is
found in the following words: "And other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold:
them also I must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one flock, and
one shepherd." John x, 16. One flock and
one shepherd is the correct translation.
There may be many folds. No one fold
could hold them all; but there is but one
flock, and all are His, and all are brethren.
"But if we walk in the light, as He is in
the light, we have fellowship one with an¬
other, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanseth us from all sin." I John i, 7.
We do not hold to the doctrine of Trans-
substantiation, and teach that the consecrat¬
ed bread becomes flesh, and the wine be¬
comes blood, but we do believe that one who
receives the Communion in a proper spirit,
2 53
ADDENDA
receives spiritual benefit, and, perhaps more
than we can definitely determine. If we do
not have the bodily presence of the Cruci¬
fied One, there is no reason why we may
not have the Spiritual presence. "He was
known of them in breaking of bread."
Luke xxiv, 35.
In our zeal to turn away from what we
consider erroneous and unwarranted in the
Communion, we may go too far in the op¬
posite direction, and regard it as having
no more sacredness than any ordinary
church service. Such an observance of this
Holy Service is but mechanical and without
spiritual profit to those who simply go
through the^form of observing it.
"Do this in remembrance of Me" are
words not to be lightly regarded. No one
can reverently take the Communion, in a
proper frame of heart and mind, having be¬
fore him the suffering, the death, the atone¬
ment for sin, the Resurrection, the interces¬
sion, without being filled with love and grat¬
itude; without feeling a spiritual union be¬
tween himself and his Divine Master, his
254
ADDENDA
only means of salvation. It is of the high¬
est importance, then, to "prepare the pass-
over" in such a way, and take it in such a
manner, as to receive all the benefits that
are Divinely intended.
255
CLASS MEETINGS, AND CLASS
LEADERS.
"Then they that feared the Lord spake often
one to another, and the Lord hearkened and
heard it." MalachI iii: 16.
"He that believeth on the Son of God hath
the witness in himself." I John v, 10.
Has the Class Meeting lost its influence
and power? The Methodist Church orig¬
inated in the class room; and its origin is
set forth in the followng words:
In the latter end of the year 1739 eight
or ten persons came to Mr. Wesley in Lon¬
don, who appeared to be deeply convinced
of sin, and earnestly groaning for redemp¬
tion. They desired, as did two or three
more the next day, that he would spend
some time with them in prayer, and advise
them how to flee from the wrath to come,
which they saw continually hanging over
their heads. 1 That he might have more
time for this great work, he appointed a
day when they might all come together;
256
ADDENDA
which from thenceforward they did every
week, namely, on Thursday, in the evening.
To these, and as many more as desired to
join with them (for their number increased
daily) he gave those advices from time to
time which he judged most needful for
them; and they always concluded their
meeting with prayer suited to their several
necessities.
This was the rise of the United Society,
first in Europe, and then in America. Such
a society is no other than "a company of
men having the form and seeking the power
of godliness, united in order to pray to¬
gether, to receive the word of exhortation,
and to watch over one another in love, that
they may help each other to work out their
salvation."
Thus, we have the origin and object of
the "United Society" that grew into a large
and influential Church, with a number of
branches or denominations, of the same
connection. All the branches, differing,
however, much in discipline and minor rules
of government, hold to the essential doc¬
trines of Methodism.
!7
257
ADDENDA
In a preface to the Articles of Religion
in the Methodist Episcopal Discipline, a
further reason is given for the birth of
Methodism, namely, "A great deficiency of
vital religion" in the Church. The oppor¬
tunity for "close meetings" which the new
movement afforded seemed to supply this
deficiency, and the number who had the
"form of Godliness," and earnestly sought
the "power," increased so rapidly that Mr.
Wesley, the founder, was obliged to organ¬
ize and systematize his work by appoint¬
ing a certain day, when all who were like
minded could come together for prayer and
advice. The numbers still increased, until
it became necessary to divide the work into
classes. There were twelve persons in each
class, of whom one was styled the Leader.
Twelve is the apostolic number, and this
fact may have had something to do with
the number chosen to constitute each class.
But, be that as it may, the number chosen,
being small, enabled the Leader to give at¬
tention to each individual in advising, in¬
structing or reproving. The classes now,
in our Churches, are often so large, that the
258
ADDENDA
Leader can neither give proper attention in
instruction in the class room, nor in the im¬
portant work of visiting his members to
ascertain "if any are sick, or if any walk
disorderly and will not be reproved," as
required by our Discipline.
If the classes are so large that each in¬
dividual cannot receive due attention, or if
the Leader is negligent or incompetent, the
class meeting will fail in the very objects
for which it was established. It may not be
necessary to hold tenaciously to the num¬
ber twelve, but, as a rule, double that num¬
ber gives about as many members as a
Leader can see "once a week," or, as often
as is necessary to give the needed spiritual
help. The class room affords an opportu¬
nity for those who are depressed, to receive
solace and comfort. But if the leader is
lacking in ability or pushed for time, the
dejected ones will leave the meeting without
receiving the help they sought, and the class
room will grow into disfavor as a means of
grace.
Another advantage of the class meeting
is: many are not gifted as leaders in the
259
ADDENDA
various work of the Church, such as con¬
ducting prayer and praise meetings, or fill¬
ing the posts of exhorter, local preacher or
evangelist. They are sincere in their pro¬
fession, and desire in some way to declare
themselves true and faithful servants of
God. While they would hesitate to take a
leading part in a service, they would be
willing to testify in a few words concern¬
ing their purpose, and would be glad to hear
the testimony of others, that they them¬
selves might be encouraged, enlightened and
strengthened. Many in the quiet and pri¬
vacy afforded by the limited number of the
class room, have gained strength and confi¬
dence which enabled them to become rep¬
resentative forces in the work of the
Church. In the hands of a wise and skill¬
ful leader, the class room may become an
important training school for all, and a
gracious retreat for those who naturally
prefer reserve and quiet, to the more excit-
ing gathering of the whole congregation.
In the class room, those who testify,
should be encouraged to be brief, simple
and to the point. Long drawn out experi-
260
ADDENDA
ences and lengthy hymns frequently sung,
make the services tedious and uninteresting,
as does also a lengthy exhortation given to
each individual that testifies. When expe¬
riences are much the same, one exhortation
from the Leader may be, with the same
profit, addressed to all. An experience that
reveals a peculiar state of mind or condi¬
tion, should be quickly seized upon by the
alert Leader, and such exhortation and in¬
struction given as would suit the case and
afford help and comfort.
When members are absent from class for
several meetings and the Leader does not
know the cause of such absence, he should
feel it his bounden duty to look up the ab¬
sent one. Members are often lost to the
Church for the want of vigilant and faith¬
ful leaders. The Leader is, in a sense, an
assistant pastor, and when his duties are
well and faithfully performed there is no
officer in the Church who can be so helpful
to the pastor in keeping the flock together,
and no meeting more productive of spiritual
growth than the class meeting.
261
LOVE FEAST.
"And they continued steadfast in the Apos¬
tles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking
of bread, and in prayers." Acts ii, 42.
Love Feast is the Christian Fellowship
meeting of the Church. It is a class meet¬
ing, and more. It is a general class, where
all come together in one service, and besides
the testimony giving that is peculiar to a
class meeting, there is the breaking of
bread, or sharing of bread, a beautiful and
striking emblematic suggestion of fellow¬
ship.
These meetings should be held quarterly.
The usual custom—certainly in years past
—was to have General Class on Friday
night preceding the Quarterly Meeting, at
which time the General Rules would be
read, and Love Feast on Monday night fol¬
lowing the Quarterly Meeting, when pro¬
bationers would be received into full mem¬
bership, and if any one had been expelled
262
ADDENDA
during the Quarter, the announcement of
said expulsion would be made. It was
called "reading in and reading out."
Bread and water are the materials used
at Love Feast. A plate of bread broken
into small pieces is handed around by a
steward of the church, that each partici¬
pant may take a piece. The old custom
was to hold the bread until the time for gen¬
eral hand shaking, and then have a mutual
breaking of bread among all. To this cus¬
tom we offer no objection, but think that
the purpose of the Love Feast has been met,
when, from one common plate, each one
takes a bit of bread and eats it; afterwards,
rising, and extending the hand to every one
within reach.
As one steward serves the bread, another
follows with a pitcher or glass of water,
from which each one takes a sip. The idea
set forth is, that here is a Christian family
gathering, at which, all eat from the same
dish, and drink from the same cup, then,
rising, extends the right hand of fellow¬
ship, showing that all are in "love and char¬
ity" with each other. The giving of testi-
263
ADDENDA
mony that follows, differs only from the
Class Meeting, in that the leaders neither
call on the members to speak, nor exhort
them. Each rises and testifies as he feels
moved by the Spirit to do so. This part of
the service is exactly the same as a General
Class.
Early Methodism established a rule of
issuing "Love Feast Tickets," containing a
verse of Scripture.
These were given to the members by
their class leaders, who, at the same time,
collected the quarterly assessment agreed
upon by the Official Board, for the susten¬
ance of the Stewards' Department of the
church. The money thus collected by the
Leaders would be returned to the Stewards
at the following Official Board meeting. The
Love Feast was once a very popular ser¬
vice of the church, and deservedly so. Once
in a quarter is not too often for church
members to come together and signify their
love for each other. If love for God is the
"first and great commandment," then love
for "thy neighbor" is "like unto it." The
Church must be kept strong by the cords
264
addenda
of love. There is entirely too much cool¬
ness and indifference among Christian peo¬
ple of different denominations, and among,
those who, though of the same denomina¬
tion, worship in different church buildings.
Read John xiii, 34-35. It is impossible
to bring them all together, even if it were
desirable, but, if each church, can keep the
fire of love and fellowship burning at its
own altar, the spirit of indifference for the
welfare of others, can be largely changed to
affectionate interest. When the Love Feast
Meetings were kept up, the Church was
spiritually stronger, and the Christian fel¬
lowship more united. Besides the spiritual
benefits of the Love Feast, which indeed
constitute its chief claim upon the Church,
there is also a material benefit to be deriv¬
ed. It is the business of the Stewards to
provide the salary of the minister or minis¬
ters, and, to look after the sick and poor of
the church. This places upon the Stewards'
Department a considerable financial obliga¬
tion. When the quarterly Love Feast Meet¬
ings were kept up, and the Love Feast
Tickets regarded as an evidence of good
265
ADDENDA
standing, the quarterly collections went far
toward meeting the expenses of the quar¬
ter. The ticket showed that the assessment
had been paid, and also inferentially showed
that the holder was in good spiritual stand¬
ing at Love Feast. Those tickets were very
highly prized by early Methodists, and
would be kept by them for as much as fifty
and sixty years. A file of such tickets left
by an aged member, was regarded by the
children as a valuable possession, showing
both the religious and financial standing
of a beloved one who had passed away.
These advantages should be seen by the
Pastor, and it should be regarded as his
legitimate work as such, to foster, encour¬
age and make strong those ordinances and
services that have done so much toward
strengthening the Church in the past.
We hear much about the Church being
secularized. Either the members are too
worldly minded as it regards the pleasures
and fashions of the world; or, that the
moral lives of many are of questionable pro¬
priety; or, that the Church as a whole is
more a business than a religious institu-
266
ADDENDA
tion, because so much time is given to the
raising of money for its maintenance. All
of this may be, to an extent, true; if so,
there is a cause for it.
In reviewing the history of the Church
as it is given either in the Old Testament
or the New, we find that a revival of re¬
ligion, results in, not only a reformation
of moral life, but in more liberal giving for
the support of the Church. Read Malachi
iii, 7-10; especially verse 10, "Bring ye all
the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing that there shall
not be room enough to receive it." Read
also Acts ii, 37-47; especially verses 44-
45: "And all that believed were together,
and had all things in common, and sold
their possessions and goods, and parted
them to all men, as every man had need."
It is true now, as it was under the Old
Dispensation, and in the early days of
Christianity, that the Spiritual and tem¬
poral life of the Church are so interwoven,
267
ADDENDA
that both are cared for when the fire of re¬
ligious enthusiasm is kept burning. And
in every case, the Pastor is expected to lead
in the work of making known the will of
God, as declared in His Word, and, as sym¬
bolized by the ordinances and services of
the Church. As Priest and Shepherd, as
Preacher and Pastor, his lips are to keep
knowledge, and his hands to direct the
Church in all its activities, that make for
the final triumph of the people of God.
268