00* 28 1925 ) 
 
 BV 3790 .J77 1918 
 Joseph, Oscar Loos, 1873- 
 Essentials of evangelism 
 
ESSENTIALS OF EVANGELISM 
 OSCAR L. JOSEPH 
 
ESSENTIALS 
 EVANGELISM 
 
 BY 
 
 / 
 
 OSCAR L. JOSEPH 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE FAITH AND THE FELLOWSHIP," 
 
 " PERSONAL APPEALS TO SUNDAY 
 
 SCHOOL WORKERS," ETC. 
 
 ** Speak but the word! the Evangel shall awaken 
 Life in the lost, the hero in the slave," 
 
 NEW YORK 
 GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1018, 
 BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 
 
 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 
 
TO MY FRIEND 
 
 S. PARKES CADMAN, D.D. 
 
 ▲ GREAT PROPHET OP GRACE AND TRUTH 
 
 WHO COMBINES 
 
 THE PASSION OF THE EVANGEL 
 
 WITH SPIRITUAL INSIGHT 
 
 AND BROAD CULTURE 
 
PREFACE 
 
 WE are on the threshold of most radical 
 changes touching every phase of thought 
 and life. New and better ideals are 
 about to appear out of the clash of competing 
 nations and armies. We shall soon find ourselves 
 in a new world, when the acid test of real fitness 
 will be searchingly applied to every institution. 
 The severe sifting will leave only the gold of 
 genuine worth. It will glisten with greater re- 
 splendence and be diligently sought after by 
 earnest souls, who have survived the terrible 
 ordeal of suffering and loss. The church will not 
 escape this fiery trial. But I am confident that 
 the church of Jesus Christ is competent to meet 
 the urgent demands of the new day. Some of the 
 ways in which this should be done is indicated in 
 this book. It is a discussion of the dynamics of 
 evangelism, whose purpose is to reconstruct so- 
 ciety by changing the individual, so that his look 
 inward in penitence, will enable him to look up- 
 ward to God in confidence, and then look outward 
 to men with enthusiasm, for the service of the 
 kingdom of God, in the interest of worldwide 
 democracy and fraternity. 
 
 0. L. J. 
 
^'»- 
 

 CONTENTS 
 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. 
 
 The Evangel 
 
 PAOK 
 
 13 
 
 II. 
 
 Thf, Hebalds 
 
 241^ 
 
 III. 
 
 The Supeeme Unction 
 
 35 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Centeal Peacticb 
 
 46 
 
 V. 
 
 The Holy Passion 
 
 57 
 
 VI. 
 
 Religious Conveesation . 
 
 67 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Peesonal Touch 
 
 . 79 
 
 VIII. 
 
 "j^LL AT It and Always at It" 
 
 . 90 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Needed Revival ... 
 
 . 103^ 
 
 X. 
 
 The Indispensable Book . 
 
 . 117 
 
 XI. 
 
 The Evangelistic Teachbk 
 
 . 131 1' 
 
 XII. 
 
 The Peesuasive Pbeachee 
 
 . 142 
 
 XTTT. 
 
 Thinking Theough . 
 
 . 154 
 
ESSENTIALS OF EVANGELISM 
 
ESSENTIALS OF EVANGELISM 
 
 CHAPTER ONE 
 
 THE EVANGEL 
 
 THE emphasis on spiritual things is one of 
 the striking by-products of the war. But 
 it is a significant fact that much of this 
 emphasis is seen outside organised Christianity. 
 At the outbreak; of the war many turned to the 
 churches for relief but were disappointed, and so 
 their restless spirits went elsewhere for consola- 
 tion. The popularity of spiritualism, crystal- 
 gazing and other cults is a decided sign of the 
 times. So far as these persons are concerned, the 
 church failed to give a searching and satisfying 
 message. It was moreover regarded by many as 
 having gone into spiritual bankruptcy. This is 
 all the more deplorable because the church was 
 organised for the precise purpose of bringing men 
 into fellowship with the living God and of enabling 
 them to realise the brotherhood of all believers 
 through Jesus Christ. We have turned away 
 from the essential truth and have busied ourselves 
 with side-issues. We have struggled to maintain 
 the organisation by a series of checkmating in a 
 
 13 
 
14 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 spirit of competition and suspicion, in sheer neg- 
 lect of the primary aim of the church's mission. 
 Bishop Brent, in a memorable sermon at St. 
 Paul's, London, declared: *^A large part of the 
 public has already issued notice on the churches 
 that unless we observe the elementary principles 
 of peaceableness and fairness and fellowship, they 
 will get on without us." The loss that will follow 
 from such a separation must needs be irreparable. 
 The time has surely come for the church to take 
 an inventory and learn what is absolutely essen- 
 tial for its effective task in the all-round redemp- 
 tion of the individual, of society and of humanity. 
 This investigation will surely bring enrichment. 
 What is the conspicuous message of the church? 
 It is the same with which it began its militant 
 career. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son 
 of God. This is not a declaration of propositions 
 but the proclamation of a living person of excep- 
 tional power and incomparable grace. He is the 
 ideal man — Jesus, who shows us the way of life 
 and truth. He is the chosen man — the anointed 
 Christ, who is ever present with us as we scale 
 the sunlit summits to God, to enter the divine 
 presence in the enjoyment of forgiveness. He is 
 the filial man — Son of God in a unique sense, who 
 offers us also the privilege of communion with 
 God in the experience of sonship. He is, finally 
 the fraternal man, who bears the suffering human 
 race upon his heart and summons everyone with 
 
The Evangel 15 
 
 the winsome invitation: ^^Come unto me, all ye 
 that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give 
 you rest.'' The burden of the apostolic evangel 
 was Jesus Christ *^ Strong Son of God, immortal 
 love,'' who alone is capable of interpreting and 
 supplying our divers needs. Eecall some of the 
 sentences which utter the central and recurring 
 theme of apostle and disciple. *^In none other 
 is there salvation." ^^ Through his name every 
 one that believeth on him shall receive remission 
 of sins." *^ Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou 
 shalt be saved." ^^ Other foundation can no man 
 lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 
 * ' There is therefore now no condemnation to them 
 that are in Christ Jesus." ^* Faithful is the say- 
 ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus 
 Christ came into the world to save sinners." **Ye 
 were redeemed with precious blood, even the blood 
 of Christ." ^^He was manifested to take away 
 sins ; and in him is no sin. ' ' Turn wherever you 
 will in the New Testament and you meet with one 
 continuous and convincing testimony that to Jesus 
 Christ was given all the affection and devotion of 
 the whole church. His prophetic declaration: *'I, 
 if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto myself," 
 was heartily accepted without the slightest hint of 
 dissension. Those who were drawn to him set 
 their seal that he is the unique Saviour, while 
 others who rejected him thereby showed their dis- 
 approval of his character of holiness, his cross 
 
1 6 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 of sacrifice, his gospel of redemption and his claim 
 of authority. In doing so, they only exposed their 
 own inability to fathom the gracious counsels and 
 purposes of God, who ^*so loved the world, that 
 he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever 
 believeth on him should not perish, but have 
 eternal life.'' Well might Bishop Henson say: 
 ** Remove Christ from the central place and the 
 temple of religion is not only empty but ruined." 
 Jesus Christ is the only adequate evangel for our 
 present day of depressing confusion, of subtle sin- 
 fulness, of heartbreaking anguish, of irreparable 
 loss. 
 ^ It is true that he laid the emphasis on the king- 
 . dom of God. But we cannot infer, as some do, 
 that the apostles were mistaken when they sub- 
 stituted the King for the Kingdom. Jesus re- 
 peatedly drew the attention of his hearers to him- 
 self and compelled them to reckon with him. 
 *^ Follow me"; ^^Come unto me"; ^^He that is 
 not with me is against me"; ^^ Whosoever loveth 
 father or mother more than me is not worthy of 
 me"; are clear and forceful utterances which per- 
 mit of only one meaning. After his disciples had 
 sojourned with him for a season, he questioned 
 them searchingly: *'Whom say ye that I am?" 
 If they failed to understand him and to give him 
 the first place, there was little hope of their being 
 able to press his claims on others and to secure 
 their implicit submission to him. The synoptic 
 
The Evangel 17 
 
 gospels agree with the gospel of John in this 
 respect. Indeed, the four taken together consti- 
 tute a composite portrait of Jesus, clear in its 
 features and compelling in its appeal. The dis- 
 tinctive qualities of the gospels enrich the signifi- 
 cance of their unity. Mark writes of the strength 
 of the Servant of God; Matthew, of the sacrifice 
 of the Anointed of God ; Luke, of the sympathy of 
 the Man of God ; John, of the sublime spirituality 
 of the Son of God. And yet these traits are not 
 exclusive in each of the memoirs but appear in all 
 four. The several epistles, moreover, interpret 
 and apply the truth of the gospel records. When 
 therefore we hear the cry, *^Back to Christ,^' we 
 accept it on condition that it is back to the Christ 
 of the entire New Testament, whose testimony 
 is consistent, without any disparity or evasion. 
 When we think of him as the living Christ, the 
 more appropriate summons should be ** Forward 
 to Christ,'^ who stands at the parting of the ways 
 and calls us to follow him and turn away from 
 the slippery paths which slope down to hell. Hear 
 him and find peace. 
 
 The three great words of the gospel are life, 
 light and love. They strikingly set forth the dis- 
 tinctive character of God. He is life, even the 
 source and fountain of it, in whom we live and 
 move and have our being. He is light , who re- 
 veals himself in gracious self -communication, with 
 whom we realise the blessedness of fellowship. 
 
1 8 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 He is love whereby he exhibits his supreme pas- 
 sion in equity and benignity for the benefit of 
 whosoever will. These sublime ideas found ex- 
 pression in the person of Jesus Christ, who re- 
 flected God's bright glory and was stamped with 
 God's own character. *'In Jesus the chasm be- 
 tween God and man has closed up ; in our search 
 for God we have at last arrived; there is no be- 
 yond to torment our tired and aching souls; no 
 sense of a distance yet to be traversed, of a 
 separating river yet to be crossed." So writes 
 Principal E. Griffith-Jones in his refreshing book 
 on '^ Faith and Immortality.'' For years Chris- 
 tian people have lived without any vital relation- 
 ship to the future life, and many even declared 
 that both God and immortality were of small 
 significance. The war has shown the folly of 
 such an attitude. Eager souls are craving for 
 assurance concerning the destiny of their loved 
 ones who have fallen in *^No Man's Land," and 
 at other places on the war front. How timely is 
 the message of him who is the resurrection and 
 the life. He tells us that since God is our Father 
 and we have the experience of his presence now 
 with us, the incident of death cannot violate nor 
 destroy our relationship. Indeed, our assurance 
 of immortality is based on the personality of 
 Christ, who is supreme in the moral and spiritual 
 world. His companionship with us shall never be 
 broken by the event of death. 
 
The Evangel 19 
 
 " God is ! Christ loves ! Christ lives ! 
 And by his own returning gives 
 Sure pledge of immortality. 
 The first-fruits — He; and we — 
 The harvest of his victory. 
 The life beyond shall this life far transcend, 
 And death is the beginning — not the end." 
 
 The idea of God as love, so richly illuminated 
 in the life of Jesus, makes for the large enrich- 
 ment of human life. The trappings of time, the 
 adornments of princes, the honours of govern- 
 ments — what are they of themselves but so many 
 empty favours ! They sit well only on those who 
 have the character of Christlikeness, which is the 
 first and final test of genuine worth. Jesus scan- 
 dalised the aristocracy of his day because he 
 discarded the cast-iron distinctions of society. 
 He cared neither for the glamour of riches nor 
 for the gloom of poverty. The outcast and the 
 fallen both found in him a friend. His sympathy 
 was so unusually generous, in word and deed, that 
 various classes and nationalities were won. The 
 Eoman centurion, the Samaritans of Sychar and 
 the Syrophenician ; the publican, the Magdalene 
 and the outcast of every type found a welcome in 
 his healing company. In every age, the labouring 
 man and the professional man, the Oriental and 
 the Occidental, the pious and the impious, have 
 been ennobled by him, who has more than fulfilled 
 their most ardent expectations. Under the in- 
 fluence of Jesus, the early church received this 
 
20 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 true view of the human race. Room was made 
 for the slave by the side of his master. Both 
 enjoyed equal privileges. It meant a great deal 
 when Paul the aristocrat and Onesimus the run- 
 away slave fraternised with each other. It was 
 this apostle who declared in explicit terms that 
 where Christ is supremely recognised, *^ there can- 
 not be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircum- 
 cision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; 
 but Christ is all and in all. ' ' 
 
 The evangel teaches the love of man as man, 
 regardless of class, caste or country. In the days 
 of the church's romance when it honestly accepted, 
 in scorn of consequence, the principle of a common 
 fraternity, there was power in its midst. It 
 wielded an influence even to the undermining of 
 empires and the enthroning of righteousness and 
 truth. Of course, its members were exposed to the 
 contempt of the literati and the hostility of the 
 elite of every nation who regarded them as ^* crazy 
 and credulous fanatics and as an abomination to 
 society.'' But none of these things moved them, 
 for they had the witness within. The passport 
 into recognition and honour was the Christlike 
 character and not the affluent circumstances. We 
 are being told that the spirit of democracy should 
 universally prevail. It is only as the rights of 
 individuals are mutually respected that we can 
 overcome race and class hatreds with their violent 
 reprisals. ^^Our gospel is not the survival of the 
 
The Evangel 21 
 
 fit but the revival of the unfit.'' The missionary 
 is demonstrating this on the foreign field, where 
 distance lends enchantment to the truth. We are 
 doubtless glad to read about the awakening of 
 China and the conversion to Christ of its peoples ; 
 but how much do we care about speaking a word 
 for Christ to the Chinese laundryman in our 
 own town? If he were really to attend our 
 church services, some pious folk would surely be 
 scandalised. 
 
 The ideas of immortality, equality and fra- 
 ternity are found in the evangel of Christ. They 
 can be actualised in daily living only as Christ 
 takes control of the mind, the conscience, the heart 
 and the will of those who call themselves Chris- 
 tians. Such a course will doubtless have uncom- 
 fortable consequences; but there is no other 
 alternative if the church is to secure a hold on 
 human life in the service of individual and social 
 redemption. We think of Jesus as the sin- 
 revealing, sin-expiating, sin-destroying Christ. 
 This evangel is in the custody of the church, 
 although the church has not taken possession of 
 it, to the extent of letting it have the right of 
 way and compelling other issues to step aside. 
 
 (a) Sin is the one sinister fact of human life. 
 It has had divers forms but the results have ever 
 been tragic. The foul pollutions of the first Chris- 
 tian century can be duplicated by the no less fatal 
 corruptions of the twentieth century. Wliat the 
 
22 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 Bible says of sin and its serpentine subtlety is 
 endorsed by the conscience of humanity. It is so 
 humiliating a menace because it not only alienates 
 man from God but also introduces the demoniac 
 elements of suspicion and hostility among men 
 and interferes with progress in the arts and crafts 
 of life. The penalties of sin are both sharp and 
 devouring. Jesus has shown, as no other, that sin 
 is an inexcusable act making the sinner blame- 
 worthy and guilty. No one can plead that it was 
 inevitable and so find relief for his troubled 
 conscience. In the presence of the sin-revealing 
 One, there is a sifting process. The best and 
 noblest of men acknowledge their failure. Some 
 of their confessions are of classic value. However 
 much we may disagree with their psychology, the 
 mirror is held up to our lives by such searching 
 utterances as the Psalms, the Confessions of 
 Augustine, The Imitation of Christ, Grace 
 Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, the Apologia 
 of Newman, My Confession by Tolstoy. 
 
 (b) It is this fact of a stainless life that has 
 enabled Jesus to become the sin-expiating One. 
 We need not stop to discuss any theory of the 
 atonement. It is enough to know that the sacri- 
 fice of the Just for the unjust has verily brought 
 many to God, who never could otherwise have 
 been reconciled. You cannot understand the 
 grace of the evangel and the unfailing love of 
 God, until you face Calvary and bow in penitence 
 
The Evangel 23 
 
 before Christus Reconciliator, who for us men and 
 for our salvation trod the wine-press alone. 
 
 (c) Far more important than any theory is 
 the exultant testimony of a multitude whom no 
 man can number, who have the glowing experience 
 of being delivered from evil and becoming free 
 from the trammels of sinful appetites and pas- 
 sions. 
 
 Our evangel then is the good tidings of Jesus 
 Christ, who generously and opulently redeems 
 men from the fatal dominance of sin, and delivers 
 them from the depths of despair, and saves 
 them from the peril of passion, and guides them 
 with ever deepening consecration towards the 
 splendor of light, the fulness of life and the per- 
 fection of love in God. 
 
 "Not what, but Whom I do believe, 
 
 That in my darkest hour of need, 
 
 Hath comfort that no mortal creed 
 
 To mortal man may give; — 
 Not what, but Whom! 
 
 For Christ is more than all the creeds, 
 
 And his full life of gentle deeds 
 
 Shall all the creeds outlive. 
 Not what I do believe but Whom! 
 
 Who walks beside me in the gloom? 
 
 Who shares the burden wearisome? 
 
 Who all the dim way doth illume, 
 
 And bids me look beyond the tomb 
 
 The larger life to live? — 
 Not what I do believe, 
 But Whom! "» 
 
 *Bees in Amher, by John Oxenham. American Tract Society, 
 New York, N. Y. 
 
CHAPTER TWO 
 
 THE HEEALDS 
 
 WE are witnessing to-day a repetition of 
 the state of society in the first century. 
 The world in which the first apostles of 
 Jesus began their work was one of moral chaos, 
 spiritual destitution and social upheaval. Pagan 
 religions had failed to exert any potent influence 
 on morals. In spite of the systems of faith which 
 were exalted and held in high repute, the spirit 
 of man felt crushed and distracted. The ex- 
 tremes of society — the rich and the poor — were 
 living without the motives of purity and nobility. 
 The great middle class was in a healthier state 
 but there was nothing to brag about. The note 
 of discord and unrest was seen on every hand. 
 
 " The world was sinking in a slough 
 Of sloth and ease and selfish greed.'* 
 
 In many respects we are better favoured than 
 the early Christians. We have the testimony 
 of the centuries during which Christ has made 
 his appeal and turned multitudes to him. This 
 fact of history must be reckoned with. Just as 
 the scientist and philosopher take note of previous 
 investigations in their departments, so the in- 
 
 24 
 
The Heralds 25 
 
 fluence of Christ during the past must be regarded 
 as an invaluable factor in the solution of our 
 problem how to win the world for him. The 
 closing verse in the gospel of Mark reads: 
 **They went forth and preached everywhere, the 
 Lord working with them and confirming the word 
 by the signs that followed.'* The book of Acts 
 richly illustrates the ways in which this was done. 
 The narrative shares the glow of the movement. 
 It was a company of devoted men and women who 
 undertook the business of magnifying the name of 
 Jesus Christ. Opposition and persecution only 
 stimulated their activities. After the martyrdom 
 of Stephen, the opponents of the gospel increased 
 their fiery hostility and undertook a systematic 
 campaign of assault so that many were compelled 
 to leave Jerusalem. *^They therefore that were 
 scattered abroad went about preaching the word.'' 
 The reference! is to the rank and file of the dis- 
 ciples who realised their obligation as mission- 
 aries. One conspicuous result was the capture of 
 Antioch for Christ. This city at once became the 
 centre of a notable evangelistic and missionary 
 campaign. These earnest Christians threw them- 
 selves heart and soul into the movement. The 
 loyalty of love for Jesus so fired their lives that 
 their faith was spread in the very act of living. 
 They themselves were the most vital part of their 
 testimony. In the words of Bishop Westcott. 
 they were ^*a living Gospel, a message of God's 
 
26 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 good-will to those with whom they lived and suf- 
 fered." They took with them an experience and 
 not a theory ; they proclaimed a person and not a 
 doctrine. It was therefore impossible to suppress 
 them. Peter voiced their sentiments when he said 
 to the Jewish Council: **We cannot but speak the 
 things which we have seen and heard." Silence 
 was out of the question and their influence pene- 
 trated near and far, enabling them to score unpre- 
 cedented triumphs in the name of the Lord Jesus. 
 The evangel of redemption was worthily pro- 
 claimed. Their preaching of purity was consist- 
 ently supported by their practise of it. The water 
 of life did not flow through rusty pipes; it was 
 therefore sweet and refreshing. The Sanhedrin, 
 before whom Peter and John appeared to answer 
 charges, were impressed by the boldness of these 
 men. Their behaviour recalled that of their 
 Master, whose calmness and courage some of them 
 had witnessed. *'And they took knowledge of 
 them that they had been with Jesus." Herein is 
 the splendour and power of the Christian life, that 
 it is patterned after Jesus, whose possessing spirit 
 reproduces in his followers the unique traits of 
 character which were so distinctive of our Saviour 
 and Lord. What he was in such sublime grace, 
 they also can become by faith in him. ^^ Jesus 
 Christ shows us in living definition what the 
 Christian ought to be." The Apostolic Church 
 was fully persuaded of this truth, and had the 
 
The Heralds 27 
 
 courage to accept it for themselves as well as to 
 commend it to others. These living epistles were 
 more intelligible and persuasive than the written 
 ones. What counted most was not the argument 
 of logic but the appeal of life ; not the declaration 
 of a creed but the exhibition of a character. Their 
 glowing experience of the grace of Jesus gave 
 them the consciousness of his forgiveness. The 
 conviction of his redeeming love thus induced 
 them to make consecration of their lives to him, 
 who in his own person had brought to them free- 
 dom from moral slavery, redemption from spirit- 
 ual bondage and relief from social pressure. 
 Since then Jesus Christ has ever remained the 
 central fact in the life of the world, regarded with 
 eagerness by some, with confusion by others, but 
 with satisfaction by all who have accepted him. 
 
 "Sweetest note in seraph's song, 
 Sweetest name on mortal tongue, 
 Sweetest carol ever sung, 
 Jesus! blessed Jesus! 
 
 The Christian experience was something unique 
 in the first century. It is even so to-day although 
 we are familiar with its features. It has never 
 failed to secure a favourable verdict for the 
 Christ, who has received the allegiance of the 
 highest reason and the most enlightened con- 
 science of every age and land. The same is true 
 of lesser grades of intelligence. We think of such 
 extreme cases as are cited in ** Twice Born Men'' 
 
28 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 by Begbie and *^The Everlasting Mercy'' by 
 Masefield, and it makes us grateful to know that 
 the power of the living Saviour is effective among 
 men who have lapsed into the moral depths. 
 Those who were not so desperately alienated from 
 God have also been reconciled and brought into 
 filial relations with the Heavenly Father. It is 
 through Jesus Christ that they have all been able 
 to find themselves and to realise the best for them 
 in the purpose of redemption. *^The saved soul, 
 if saved in Love's name," writes Boyce Gibson, 
 **must itself become a saviour; for the spiritual 
 life, as Love conceives it, is by nature self-com- 
 municative, invasive, redemptive." It is not 
 enough to rejoice in the promise of the gospel, 
 which is forgiveness ; we must also rejoice in the 
 pressure of the gospel, which is fidelity to Christ 
 in making him known. We shall then be able to 
 exult in the power of the gospel which has saved 
 unto the uttermost and will continue to do so. 
 
 Here then we are confronted by the all-im- 
 portant question of personality. Wliat is this 
 but character which is the result, of a series of 
 practices and habits quietly and diligently pur- 
 sued in the obscure routine and daily grind of 
 life. A full heart will act with spontaneity, cor- 
 diality and generosity. Such a beautiful spirit 
 which manifests itself in deeds is due to that 
 subtle and evasive but very real thing known as 
 a redeemed and consecrated personality. The 
 
The Heralds 29 
 
 spirit of love accepts no limits and its fruitage is 
 both versatile and abundant. . We think of love as 
 the clear illuminator, the strong liberator, the 
 complete transformer of life in every condition, 
 of weal or of woe. We do not think of it merely 
 as an emotion, although even so it has been the 
 bringer of untold blessing to the human race, 
 through parenthood, filial devotion, patriotism, 
 and the myriad forms in which it has found ex- 
 pression. There is no need to apologise for emo- 
 tionalism. As Professor Coe has well said in 
 ^^The Eeligion of a Mature Mind'': ''We are 
 suffering not from excess of emotion in religion, 
 but rather from too little emotion, from the nar- 
 rowness of our emotional range, and especially 
 from neglect of the more robust emotions." He 
 further states that: "Three great changes are 
 coming over the practical life of Jesus' disciples. 
 First, the Christian life is being simplified; 
 second, its ideals are being socialised; third, its 
 motives are being intensified. The substitution 
 of a simple for a complex creed appears at first 
 sight to imply sacrifice of truth, but in the end 
 we discover that what we have lost in the range 
 of our pretensions we have gained in the stability 
 of our faith. Similarly, the abandonment of a 
 scheme of rules in favour of a simple principle or 
 motive appears like letting go something of 
 virtue, but we find that it is progress from letter 
 to spirit, from that which kills to that which makes 
 
30 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ,.iive. Simplification of the issues of life, more- 
 over, makes it harder for us to dodge them, or to 
 thin out our consecration.'' This is really a re- 
 turn to the New Testament standard of thought 
 and life. When we read of the advances of that 
 early century, telling of comprehensiveness and 
 progress due to the influence of Christ-filled per- 
 sonalities, let us not doubt the veracity of the 
 record but take it at its face value, as it points out 
 to us the better course that we should follow. 
 
 There are several things which stand out in the 
 life of the early Christians which may well be 
 followed by modern Christians. They were in- 
 tensely in earnest and were fully swayed by their 
 convictions. A man who is sincere even though 
 he may be mistaken, has a better chance of per- 
 suading people than the other who is lukewarm, 
 although he may be in possession of God's truth. 
 Earnestness is single-mindedness of purpose 
 which says *^This one thing I do" and therefore 
 subordinates everything else to it. It is not dif- 
 ficult to know where such a person stands. He 
 is never on the fence and under no circumstance 
 will he compromise if principle is at stake. He 
 realises the seriousness of the issues and is ever 
 intent on duty in season and out of season. "Who 
 can turn down such an individual or resist the 
 winsomeness of his speech and action? There is 
 nothing of the fanatic in such behaviour but a 
 sober reasonableness, like that shown by Paul 
 
The Heralds 31 
 
 when he argued with Felix about righteousness, 
 self-mastery and the future judgment, and when 
 on a different occasion he appealed to Agrippa, 
 wishing from the depths of his being that the king 
 himself might also become a Christian. 
 
 Another quality which invariably accompanies 
 earnestness is certainty. It was not sinking 
 ground on which they stood, for they had the 
 assurance of experience that ** Other foundation 
 can no man lay than that which is laid, which is 
 Jesus Christ/' There was the note of finality 
 permitting of no denial nor dispute that ' ^ In none 
 other is there salvation; for neither is there any 
 other name under heaven, that is given among 
 men, wherein we must be saved.'' This consen- 
 tient testimony of many witnesses could hardly be 
 challenged with any chancei of its being refuted. 
 Principal P. T. Forsyth once said that the ancient 
 prophet responded to the summons with the quick 
 answer **Here am I!" But the modern prophet 
 speaks out of confusion and despair, and asks: 
 ** Where am I?" Such an attitude of doubt and 
 perplexity can never accomplish much. It was 
 Phillips Brooks who counselled, saying: *^Be sure 
 of God and yourself and of the love between your 
 soul and his, and then shrink from no changeful- 
 ness, cling to no present, be ready for new skies, 
 new tasks, new truths. ' ' Such confidence did they 
 of the first century have. 
 
 There was thus begotten in them the spirit of 
 
32 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 joy which was full of gladness and glory. It 
 charmed away their despair and weariness; it 
 worked like a spell over souls diseased and per- 
 plexed by sin; it was a precious cordial when 
 borne down by the weight of care and trouble. 
 The voice of song from the heart, the witness to 
 joy from the depths, the temper of peace in truth, 
 will do more to convince the world of the power 
 of the evangel, which is truly good news, than any 
 other seemingly strong arguments. Joy will 
 further dispel worry, which William James 
 defined as ^^fearthought as distinct from fore- 
 thought." It will also give the restful disposi- 
 tion which is so unlike the fret and strain and 
 humid distemper of much modern Christianity. 
 
 Joy is of such consequence because it quickens 
 enthusiasm. This is the spirit of buoyancy and 
 optimism, of indomitable faith and unyielding 
 vitality. This it is that inspires and impels us 
 and hastens us on to victory. This is the spirit 
 which has purified the spirit and enlightened the 
 vision of those who made great ventures on God 
 and who enlisted on stalwart adventures for God. 
 Hence they were aggressive and bold to take 
 initiative in making the approach to the needy 
 soul. When we think of so many who are un- 
 churched and indifferent, and even resentful and 
 hostile, it is clear that they can be won, if at all, 
 only by those who are endowed with a large 
 supply of enthusiasm, that wavers not but which 
 
The Heralds 33 
 
 increases in endurance through patience. ^^The 
 church lives,'' says W. Robertson Nicoll, ^^only 
 by capture, by booty, by winning over from the 
 world the citizens that make her numbers.'' 
 Donald Hankey in one of his last papers wrote: 
 * ' There is only one way to win men to Christ, and 
 that is to show to them something of his love, and 
 humility, and quiet strength, and humorous com- 
 monsense, his distrust of the efficacy of human 
 aids to success, and his quiet confidence in the 
 power of love and truth." Saul Kane in *^The 
 Everlasting Mercy" recognised his obligation in 
 words which should be used by every Christian: 
 
 "I knew that I was done with sin, 
 I knew that Christ had given me birth, 
 To brother all the sons of earth." 
 
 These men of Jesus of the early dawn carried 
 with them a sacramental spirit to impart the grace 
 of the gospel of love and redemption to all who 
 were without its blessed benefits. Divine virtue 
 thus went forth from them to heal, to comfort, to 
 purify and to gladden troubled lives. They gave 
 themselves to the work, not as though it were a 
 superficial performance and a perfunctory task, 
 to be gotten through as speedily as possible. 
 They took it as a privileged toil at which they 
 continued until nightfall. Their persistence they 
 received through intimate and constant associa- 
 tion with him who came, not to be ministered unto 
 
34 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 but to minister and to give his life a ransom for 
 many. It is said of Fra Angelico that he painted 
 the Crucifixion on his knees and with deep emo- 
 tion. He is reported to have said that ^^He who 
 would do the work of Christ must dwell contin- 
 ually with him.'' Such was the practice of the 
 first followers as it has been that of the faithful 
 in every generation. They caught the spirit of 
 the Master and so they had his accent and manner, 
 his purpose and bearing, his ministry and service. 
 Their character was marked by quietness and 
 confidence, strength and repose, joy and patience, 
 assurance and endurance. Thus they gave answer 
 to controversy and criticism, and were more than 
 conquerors through him that loved them and 
 loveth us. 
 
 " O blessed work for Jesus ! 
 rest at Jesus' feet! 
 There toil seems pleasure, 
 My wants are treasure, 
 And pain for him is sweet. 
 Lord, if I may, 
 I'll serve another day! ** 
 
CHAPTER THREE 
 
 THE SUPKEME UNCTION 
 
 THE work of the first Christian community 
 was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost. 
 It was signalised by the out-pouring of the 
 Holy Spirit. But we must not think of Pentecost 
 in terms of the calendar, for there was a continu- 
 ous experience of energy which increased from 
 more to more according to the faith, love and 
 obedience of the disciples. The initial enduement 
 was marked by the gift of tongues which was more 
 a freedom of speech for testimony than any ec- 
 static exhibitions. The men who had been timid 
 and fearful were now possessed of abounding 
 courage and fearless aggressiveness. In their 
 desire to exalt the Name that is above every name, 
 they went out of the way to proclaim its virtues. 
 Such was their ardour that they broke through 
 national barriers and age-long prejudices and pro- 
 claimed to Jew and Samaritan, to Roman and 
 Greek, the glories of the Christ. Converts multi- 
 plied wherever these flaming evangelists went. 
 **So mightily grew the word of God and pre- 
 vailed." The forward movements were all ac- 
 companied by spiritual exhibitions which were 
 distinct manifestations of the working of the Holy 
 
 35 
 
36 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 Spirit in and through these believers, for the 
 greater glory of God and his Christ. 
 
 It was this fact of the indwelling spirit which 
 explains the intrepid energy, the zealous perse- 
 verance, the holy enthusiasm, the inspirational 
 devotion of the early Christians. God was not 
 afar off but near at hand, and they had a vivid 
 consciousness of the divine presence. They gave 
 the impression that they had the best thing in the 
 world. They further let it be known in so attrac- 
 tive a manner that enquirers appeared who 
 promptly entered into the enjoyment of the Pente- 
 costal blessedness. The fulness of the Spirit was 
 the secret of their conspicuous success as it was 
 the primary and indispensable qualification for 
 effective evangelism. The divine Spirit did not 
 touch them from without but transformed them 
 from within. So one chased a thousand and two 
 put ten thousand to flight, illustrating at once the 
 source of their ability which was from above, and 
 the significance of their unity, in that two men, 
 in the communion of the Spirit, did not do twice 
 the work of one but ten times the work of one, 
 according to the process of multiplication in the 
 spiritual world. 
 
 There may be other advantages like organi- 
 sation and scholarship and institutions, but they 
 are of real worth only when they are connected 
 with the dynamo of God. Thus did there come 
 power to move men — to enlighten the mind, to stir 
 
The Supreme Unction 37 
 
 the conscience, to warm the heart, to direct the 
 will and to sway the life Godwards. Take the 
 case of Apollos who was both learned and elo- 
 quent. But he was at best only a preacher of 
 ethical culture and his appeals continued to be 
 ineffectual until he received the evangelical ex- 
 perience. A similar illustration was that of 
 Thomas Chalmers who was an exemplary minister 
 so far as he went. But there came a spiritual 
 crisis when, after much searching, he made the 
 great surrender, and then his career witnessed a 
 release of energies that made him the conspicuous 
 leader of the church in Scotland and one of the 
 great Christian prophets of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury. Go back in time to the twelve men whom 
 Paul met at Ephesus. They were earnest and 
 sincere and willing to work, but they were without 
 spiritual ability. They had received the baptism 
 of repentance unto a great expectation of the 
 coming Messiah. The deliverer had already 
 come, of which they were not aware, and so Paul 
 offered them the baptism of redemption unto a 
 gracious experience and a glorious enduement. 
 Pentecost is related to Calvary and the two must 
 never be separated. There can be renewal of life 
 only as there is redemption from sin. The Holy 
 Spirit has been well described as **the missing 
 factor in our personality.'' It was only after 
 these twelve men accepted Christ as Saviour that 
 they experienced the spirit of revival and quick- 
 
38 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ening, which radically changed them. The abid- 
 ing presence of the Spirit with them and within 
 them empowered and enabled them to become 
 effectual helpers of the apostle in the evangelisa- 
 tion of Ephesus and around. Until the fire of the 
 Spirit fell on them they were arrested in their 
 movements, but afterwards they had grip and tone 
 and resonance. They were emancipated from all 
 encumbrances and entered upon the campaign 
 with the white heat of enthusiasm. Under these 
 circumstances, we are not surprised to read of 
 the mighty revival which swept through the city, 
 so that Diana the goddess had to give way to 
 Christ the Redeemer. 
 
 This is the central issue before the Christian 
 church. Questions of organisation and method 
 are absolutely subordinate to the vital question of 
 the control of our life by the Holy Spirit. Other 
 matters are to be determined by local necessities 
 but this is the preeminent consideration, to be 
 faced everywhere and by everyone with serious- 
 ness and urgency. There can be union and unity 
 only in the Holy Spirit ; there can be communion 
 only of the Holy Spirit ; there can be power only 
 through the Holy Spirit; there can be advance 
 only with the Holy Spirit. If we work indepen- 
 dently of this divine agency we are bound to fail. 
 This indeed has been the case, as we think of the 
 present spiritual helplessness of the church. We 
 do not deny the activity of ecclesiastical machin- 
 
The Supreme Unction 39 
 
 ery of all types and sizes, but there seems to be 
 a strange lack of power. Only the enlightening 
 and energising Spirit can make of the church an 
 inspired and inspiring people, who by reason of 
 their superior vitality will destroy the enervating 
 and enfeebling atmosphere of the world, with its 
 disregard and discounting of the creative and re- 
 demptive presence of the everlasting God. This 
 will give the aroma and fragrance of the full 
 Christian life with its exuberance of joy and glad- 
 ness. The melody in the heart will express itself 
 in song. The power of song is mighty. That is 
 why our soldiers in training are taught to sing. 
 If there is anything worth singing about, it will 
 drive out all the poisonous vapours which depress 
 the spirits. The languid feeling, the laggard 
 movement, the weary look, the sense of defeat, 
 will be replaced by buoyant optimism, gladsome 
 endurance, dauntless vigour and singing confi- 
 dence. 
 
 ^hat do we commonly find in the church? 
 There are lines of weariness on the face when it 
 should reflect the light of heaven. Instead of the 
 animating note of conviction we hear what might 
 be called machine-made opinions with the clang 
 and clatter of chains, more suggestive of bondage 
 than of freedom. A present illumination will 
 not lead us nervously seeking for precedents but 
 will give us independence of the past, which need 
 not necessarily imply that we lose our respect for 
 
40 Essentials of Kvangelism 
 
 the honoured and holy past. The desire for a 
 higher life, a closer walk with God, a fuller sense 
 of his fellowship, a keener insight in discerning 
 his will, a heartier willingness to remedy the 
 wrongs of life even at the cost of sacrifice, a more 
 eager response to the cry of need and anguish, a 
 readier sympathy with the sufferer are among the 
 marks of the militant church. But the attitude 
 and life of Christians hardly convey the impres- 
 sion made by their Master, who said of himself: 
 **I am in the midst of you as he that serveth.'' 
 Surely there is a distinction that needs to be 
 clearly understood, a truth that must be accepted, 
 an emphasis that should be recovered by the 
 church. We are straitened in ourselves and so 
 we have become limited in the exercise of that in- 
 fluence which is strictly conditioned by the daily, 
 personal renewal of the Holy Spirit. Doctor J. 
 H. Jowett's testimony in his volume, **The Pas- 
 sion for Souls,'' deserves to be most earnestly 
 considered. ^* Speaking for myself, I have to say 
 that even when for a day I enter upon my inheri- 
 tance, and realise the ineffable nearness of the 
 great Companion-Spirit, the strain not only goes 
 out of my mind and heart, but I feel the very 
 wrinkles and care-lines being smoothed out of my 
 face. If we were children of Pentecost, living up 
 to our spiritual times, heart 's-ease would bloom 
 just within our gate, and the weary wayfarer 
 would be stopped by its perfume, and would 
 
The Supreme Unction 41 
 
 question us as to the secret and manner of its 
 growth. ' ' 
 
 At different periods in the history of the 
 church, great truths which were overlooked and 
 neglected have arrested attention like the re- 
 splendence of the sun at high-noon. Such occa- 
 sions have been invariably followed by revivals, 
 when the church entered as it were upon a new 
 career in a spirit of rejuvenescence. So was it 
 at the Reformation, when Luther declared that a 
 man is justified by faith. So was it at the Evan- 
 gelical revival, when Wesley proclaimed the as- 
 surance of salvation and the witness of the Spirit. 
 So in the recent awakening of the social con- 
 science, when the church is being brought to see 
 the imperious, necessity of applying the social 
 teachings of Jesus, the prophets and the apostles 
 for the Christianisation of all society. So also 
 after the church has passed through the fiery 
 ordeal of war, it will realise how utterly inade- 
 quate is reliance on temporal resources. It will 
 then seek and obtain the spiritual reinvigoration 
 that comes from the eternal Spirit of the living 
 God. Well for us if the sense of insufficiency has 
 already smitten us. We shall then be driven to 
 our knees in penitent supplication, in genuine sur- 
 render, in sincere consecration, to obtain the 
 power which will give us greatest capacity and 
 largest achievement. Professor J. Rendel Harris, 
 a New Testament scholar and one of the rare 
 
42 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 spiritual teachers of the church, says in 
 *' Aaron's Breastplate '^ *'To put the matter 
 plainly for practical people, the Pentecostal gift 
 is, to a large extent, one of the lapsed experiences 
 of the Christian Church. Every believer ought 
 to have the experience ; only a few really have it 
 and confess it. For us, then, it is not a question 
 how the first believers reached the blessing, but 
 how may modern believers get back to it. As far 
 as we are concerned, the gift and grace of which 
 we speak lies in the Spiritual Lost Property 
 Office. And if that is so, I say without hesitation 
 that a minute description of the lost property is 
 not necessary to the establishment of a claim. 
 The fact that you are seeking something which 
 you have lost is presumptive evidence in your 
 favour. . . . And while we value exactness in 
 spiritual things, wherever it can be obtained by 
 creatures as normally inexact as ourselves, we 
 need not think that it all turns on an exact defini- 
 tion. The theology of the experience is not ab- 
 solutely necessary to the experience. What is 
 necessary is that we should hunger and thirst 
 after righteousness. What is certain is that if 
 we do so hunger we shall be sated." 
 
 Our identity is not lost when we thus identify 
 ourselves with God. Our individuality is rather 
 deepened and intensified and our faculties are 
 reinforced. There is a marked release of energy 
 which enhances personality. What is latent 
 
The Supreme Unction 43 
 
 comes to the surface, and powers of which we 
 were hardly aware are stirred within ns. In a 
 very literal and true sense we become a new 
 creation, even the workmanship of God, created 
 in Christ Jesus for good works, ^*in righteousness 
 and holiness of truth.'' There is no room in such 
 a life for the pettiness of selfishness and strife, 
 for the rancour of discord and jealousy, for the 
 bitterness of spite and ill-will. We shall, instead, 
 give diligence, '*to keep the unity of the Spirit in 
 the bond of peace.'' We shall see to it that the 
 peace of Christ rules in our hearts and that the 
 word of Christ dwells in us richly in all wisdom ; 
 and whatsoever we do, in word or deed, we shall 
 doi all in the name of the Lord Jesus, according 
 to the Spirit of the Master, who did always those 
 things that pleased the Father. Paul condemned 
 the Corinthian Christians because their behaviour 
 was un-Christlike ; and he pointed out how absurd 
 it was to expect to win the world by unwinsome 
 means. The Holy Spirit is a glad Spirit. He 
 does not make for confusion and disorder but for 
 harmony and unity. He inspires to steadfastness 
 and continuance in well-doing. He is the Spirit 
 of truth and those who are influenced by him have 
 the note of reality and genuineness. He is the 
 Spirit of holiness; the Christian character is 
 therefore distinguished by healthy and wholesome 
 virtues. He is the Spirit of power; the life which 
 is strengthened by him does not yield to despair, 
 
44 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 nor surrender to defeat, nor give way to discour- 
 agement. Thus did those men of the New Testa- 
 ment live ; and as you read this remarkable little 
 book you never come across the minor key in the 
 music of their Spirit-filled lives. Every page is 
 written in the style of the doxology, although its 
 writers had suffered much which might have jus- 
 tified the passing lapse into an occasional com- 
 plaint. They were constantly aware of the rich 
 resources of their ally, the divine Companion ; and 
 even when it was darkest they were certain that 
 the rift in the cloud would appear somewhere, 
 somehow, sometime. In this confidence they were 
 heroically sustained by the blessed Presence and 
 they had the peace of God which passeth all 
 understanding. 
 
 When you are run down physically hard tasks 
 are difficult and you feel a nervous strain in every- 
 thing. A tonic is then necessary to brace up the 
 system. When you suffer from spiritual de- 
 pression and are easily upset, when you are 
 quickly discouraged and lightly lose heart, it may 
 be due to general depletion. But do not sit under 
 a juniper tree. *^Go forth, and stand upon the 
 mount before the Lord.'' You will there learn 
 that his presence is not in the strong wind nor in 
 the earthquake nor in the fire, but in the still small 
 voice. As you listen you will hear : and when you 
 understand, obey. Thus will you be refreshed at 
 the fountain of life and be able to lead others also 
 
The Supreme Unction 45 
 
 to him who giveth what shall become in each one 
 *^a well of water springing up unto eternal life." 
 The source of power is within your reach. But 
 you cannot receive its benefits unless you are will- 
 ing to let the spirit of self give way to the Spirit 
 of God. Thus only could you be controlled, di- 
 rected and sustained by him, who is the life of 
 life, for your joy and rejoicing in all things, 
 
 " Spirit, who makest all things new, 
 Thou leadest onward: we pursue 
 
 The heavenly march sublime. 
 *Neath thy renewing fire we glow. 
 And still from strength to strength we go, 
 
 From height to height we climb. 
 
 " In thee we rise, in thee we rest ; 
 We stay at home, we go in quest, 
 
 Still thou art our abode. 
 The rapture swells, the wonder grows, 
 As full on us new life still flows 
 
 From our unchanging God." 
 
CHAPTER FOUR 
 
 THE CENTKAL PRACTICE 
 
 IT was only after Pentecost that the disciples 
 understood the true value of prayer. They 
 were instructed to wait for the promise of the 
 Father before undertaking their appointed work 
 of evangelism. They therefore with one accord 
 continued steadfastly in prayer. But this period 
 of energetic expectation was interrupted by Peter. 
 He suggested that they should take some time to 
 select a successor to Judas the traitor. The 
 choice fell on Matthias of whom we hear nothing 
 in the later activities of the church. I cannot give 
 up the thought that this was a premature and 
 mistaken move. God had in mind a different sort 
 of man to fill this vacancy. He was ^^born out of 
 due time/' to use his own words; but he was to 
 appear on the scene at the appointed time to dis- 
 charge a magnificent apostleship, in the spread of 
 the evangel. By the grace of God, Paul made 
 room for himself from the beginning. It has fre- 
 quently happened in the history of the church that 
 men have tried to improve the divine program in- 
 stead of carrying it out in obedience, and have 
 thereby placed themselves farther from the goal 
 than when they started out. The first thing and 
 
 46 
 
The Central Practice 47 
 
 the only thing that the Lord required his disciples 
 to do was to pray and wait for the enduement by 
 the Holy Spirit. They would then understand 
 how best to fulfil their commission and introduce 
 new and more effective methods of work. A 
 finely constructed engine according to the latest 
 model is of no value unless it has steam or elec- 
 tricity. More important than perfecting the or- 
 ganisation as to the personnel of the leadership 
 and the like is to obtain the capital wherewith to 
 operate it. What John Mott recently said is sadly 
 true: **An alarming weakness among Christian^ 
 is that we are producing Christian activities 
 faster than we are producing Christian experience 
 and Christian faith. '^ In spite of the movement 
 and noise of ecclesiastical machinery, the results 
 accomplished are out of all proportion to the 
 efforts put forth. The outstanding cause is hon- 
 estly stated in a volume of essays entitled, ^^Con- 
 cerning Prayer,'' by representative leaders of 
 British thought. *^In all the churches of late 
 there has resounded a call to prayer. It has met 
 with singularly little response. The reason is 
 not far to seek. The present generation is ready 
 to respond to a call for higher service — that has 
 been demonstrated by the war — but the times do 
 not allow men to put thought and effort into any- 
 thing unless they are convinced that it is well 
 worth while. And at the back of most men's 
 minds there is the belief, more or less clearly de- 
 
48 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 fined, that prayer is an activity the value of which 
 is so open to question, that for the men and 
 women who have to carry on the world's work it 
 decidedly is not worth while ; it may safely be left 
 to ministers and) monks and to pious ladies who 
 have nothing else to do.'' 
 
 This is a challenge of indifference which must 
 be accepted. If religion is union with God then 
 there must be communion with God, in order that 
 its efficacy might be increasingly experienced. 
 Now, prayer is the essence of religion, and the 
 consciousness of the love of God is the essence of 
 prayer. So that without the practise of prayer 
 we are left without any foundation. The baptism 
 of the Holy Spirit gave to the disciples the accent 
 and authority of prayer. It was offered in the 
 name of Christ, whose will and purpose they ac- 
 cepted for their own guidance. He strictly en- 
 joined them to cultivate the true inwardness of 
 life, and he made it clear that it was possible only 
 through prayer. Certain conditions must how- 
 ever be diligently observed. **When thou pray- 
 est, enter into thine inner chamber, and having 
 shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, 
 and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recom- 
 pense thee." It is a place of quiet — this of 
 prayer, where the distractions of contrary coun- 
 sels and interests are set aside for the sake of 
 meditation. It is also a place of silence^ where we 
 cease our clatter and listen to the still small voice 
 
The Central Practice 49 
 
 for understanding and direction. It is further a 
 place of calmness, when the winds of God blow 
 over the soul and there comes the peace of God 
 which passeth all understanding. The terms of 
 the divine promise are explicit: *' Where two or 
 three are gathered together in my name, there am 
 I in the midst of them. ' ' The emphasis is on the 
 spirit and attitude of those assembled, without 
 any reference to numbers. When those who are 
 in personal fellowship with God associate with 
 one another in the exercises of supplication, they 
 enter into the richest religious experiences. They 
 pray in unity of spirit and there is unanimity as 
 their desires sound together. Deliverance came 
 to Peter from prison in answer to the united, fer- 
 vent, continued prayer of the disciples. When 
 Peter and John were threatened by the authori- 
 ties, they returned to their company, and when 
 **they had prayed, the place was shaken where 
 they were gathered together.'' These two in- 
 stances, and others can be multiplied, carry their 
 own message and need no note nor comment. 
 Think of John Wycliffe and his russet preachers, 
 of Luther, Melanchthon and their associates, of 
 Wesley and the Holy Club, of Livingstone in 
 Africa, of Paton in the New Hebrides, of the Hay- 
 stack meeting, of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, of 
 George Miiller, of Dwight L. Moody. The out- 
 burst of spiritual activity and zeal with which 
 these several men were connected was directly 
 
50 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 due to the fellowship of prayer. It can never be 
 otherwise. We hold conventions and conferences, 
 to listen to noted speakers and to reports from 
 committees. We then pass resolutions and flatter 
 ourselves that everything is prosperous. It is a 
 delusion. At very few of our religious gatherings 
 does prayer occupy a conspicuous place, and when 
 it does appear it takes an apologetic stand behind 
 a song service or some such device, which is more 
 or less of a compromise measure. The pathos of 
 it all is that we are not conscious of the fact of 
 loss, and yet we are being smitten hip and thigh 
 by the enemy, and are left high and dry. 
 
 Eeal prayer depends on a true conception of 
 God. He is not a harsh tyrant before whom we 
 should grovel in abject submission. He is not a 
 whimsical taskmaster whose judgment is warped 
 by passion and prejudice. He is not a blood- 
 thirsty demon who is satisfied only with rivers of 
 blood. He is our Father who does not need to be 
 coaxed or bribed or flattered or entreated with 
 much speaking before he hears us. He does for 
 us exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or 
 think, and he confers his blessings with a liberal 
 hand, without stint or limitation. Hence the en- 
 couraging exhortation: ^'Let us draw near with a 
 true heart, in absolute assurance of faith.'' Much 
 of the trouble with most prayers is the lack of 
 faith. Hence there is uncertainty and hesitation. 
 If we actually believe that prayer is the mightiest 
 
The Central Practice 5r 
 
 force on earth to sway the destinies of men, we 
 will rely on it with whole-hearted abandon and use 
 it with enthusiastic confidence. In the presence 
 of the withered fig tree, Jesus urged his disciples 
 to have faith in God, and he added: ** Whosoever 
 shall say unto this mountain, be thou taken up and 
 cast into the sea ; and shall not doubt in his heart, 
 but shall believe that what he saith cometh to 
 pass; he shall have it.'' How different this is to 
 that cringing attitude which is common in many 
 books of devotion. Turn to **The Spiritual Exer- 
 cises of St. Ignatius, ' ' and you find that the spirit 
 of the suppliant is both pagan and artificial, and 
 radically different to the exhilarating atmosphere 
 of filial freedom which we breathe in the presence 
 of Jesus. Or read the ** Private Devotions" of 
 Bishop Andrewes, and in spite of Doctor Alex- 
 ander Whyte's eulogy, you find yourself in a 
 world of ascetic mortifications, so unlike the 
 breezy open air of the gospels. Jesus was much 
 in prayer but it did not consist of protracted 
 petitioning as of continuous communing with God. 
 When demands on his time and energy pressed on 
 him, he insisted on spending time in solitude for 
 intercession and inspiration. *^In the morning," 
 before the distractions began to interfere; **when 
 even was come," at the close of the day's labours, 
 Jesus found refreshment in the presence of hi 
 Father. This secret of power has been enjoyeu 
 by others who have been with the Master in the 
 
52 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 *^ school of prayer/' It has been well said that, 
 * * the man who prays will be found to be the man 
 who is generative and operative when others are 
 non-resultant. '* 
 
 The nature of prayer is as manysided as life 
 at its noblest and best. There is adoration with 
 reverence, thanksgiving and praise, as we come 
 into the presence of the Divine, recognising the 
 majesty and holiness, the might and grace of God, 
 and rejoicing in the mercies so opulently con- 
 veyed to us. There is confession which keeps one 
 humble, as he acknowledges sin and imperfection, 
 and pleads the merits of the blessed Saviour, and 
 seeks for pardon and renewal of life in sincere 
 obedience. There is supplication when we submit 
 our needs to God, not as though we were making a 
 demand but expressing an earnest desire, like the 
 Man of Gethsemane, who said: ^^Not my will but 
 thine be done." While petition has reference to 
 oneself, the act of intercession is prayer on behalf 
 of others. It is the highest form of prayer when 
 we carry the needs of others in a vicarious spirit, 
 and are ready to go to the limit of sacrifice and 
 suffering. You have a new interest in those for 
 whom you have earnestly prayed. It invariably 
 prepares you to do more and better for them. 
 Think of the interceding Christ in the Upper 
 Eoom, when he poured out his soul for his im- 
 mediate and prospective disciples. Then think 
 of Christ on Calvary, and you will realise that 
 
The Central Practice 53 
 
 intercession always leads to the noblest service. 
 *'He is able to save unto the uttermost . , . 
 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us." 
 The bearing of this on evangelism can be demon- 
 strated without any lengthy argument. An inter- 
 ceding church is a victorious church, concerning 
 which our Lord said : ' ' The gates of hell shall not 
 prevail against it. ' ' Every revival is sent of God 
 but it is also the '^result of strivings and plead- 
 ings and agonies of desire," as well as of strug- 
 glings and wrestlings and activities of will in 
 every walk of life, inspired thereto by the Spirit 
 of Christ. *^As soon as Zion travailed she 
 brought forth children." Are we willing to go 
 down into the valley of humiliation, and pay the 
 price of sacrifice, and take our life in our hands, 
 and thus show a spirit of determination as we 
 begin a season of supplication and intercession? 
 We shall then reap the reward. 
 
 All prayer is based on the filial spirit, and what 
 counts most is the direction of our prayer. Our 
 will is not dormant but dominant, and through 
 prayer we seek to rise to those higher levels where 
 God's will reigns supreme. On those holy heights 
 the human will is charged and surcharged, formed 
 and transformed, endued and endowed by the 
 Spirit divine. Man then approaches God not as 
 a suppliant in a spirit of fatalism, but as a sym- 
 pathiser in the spirit of faith. *^The curse of so 
 much religion is that men cling to God with their 
 
54 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 weakness rather than with their strength/' For- 
 syth, who quotes this sentence from George Mere- 
 dith, adds: ^'Let us beware of a pietist fatalism 
 which thins the spiritual life, saps the vigour of 
 character, makes humility mere acquiescence and 
 piety only feminine, by banishing the will from 
 prayer as much as thought has been banished from 
 it." Prayer when rightly understood is the real 
 battlefield of life. The inevitable wrestling in 
 prayer makes it a serious, an exacting and an 
 exhausting business. In the garden our Lord 
 sweat as it were great drops of blood, in his stern 
 endeavour, at that hour of darkness, to enter into 
 the full counsel of God with unreserved surrender. 
 The outcome in Gethsemane explains his victory 
 at Calvary. If we would meet dark days and 
 nerve-racking difficulties, it must be in a spirit of 
 calmness and self-possession which can be ob- 
 tained by the use of the sacrament of prayer. 
 
 " Be not afraid to pray — to pray is right. 
 Pray, if thou canst, with hope ; but ever pray. 
 Though hope be weak, or sick with long delay; 
 Pray in the darkness, if there be no light. 
 Far is the time, remote from human sight. 
 When war and discord on the earth shall cease. 
 Yet every prayer for universal peace 
 Avails the blessed time to expedite. 
 Whate'er is good to wish, ask that of Heaven, 
 Though it be what thou canst not hope to see; 
 Pray to be perfect, though material leaven 
 Forbid the spirit so on earth to be; 
 But if for any wish thou darest not pray, 
 Then pray to God to cast that wish away." 
 
The Central Practice 55 
 
 Answers to prayer do not consist so much in 
 receiving what we ask as in getting insight and 
 moral strength for the performance of duty. It 
 is illumination that we need, which gives us guid- 
 ance and ability to do at any cost. ** We know not 
 how to pray as we ought/' wrote the apostle, *^but 
 the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us.'' 
 So if we pray in the Spirit, weakness will turn to 
 strength, uncertainty to confidence, fear into cour- 
 age, anxiety into assurance, panic into peace. 
 These are the true answers to the waiting soul, 
 and it means that we obtain inspiration for en- 
 durance and continuance in the work of evan- 
 gelism. How easy it is to become discouraged, 
 especially when results do not immediately follow 
 earnest and sustained efforts ! But by prayer the 
 mind is strengthened, the will is invigorated, the 
 life is kept joyous and equable. But let us not 
 infer that prayers are not literally answered. 
 The lives of Christians abundantly illustrate that 
 fervent supplications are actually heard. We 
 have only to mention the names of such leaders 
 like Andrew Murray, George Miiller, Hudson 
 Taylor, Chinese Gordon, George Matheson, to be 
 reminded that this is one of the joys of the prayer 
 life. **No really great theologian, no really great 
 believer," says W. Robertson Nicoll, ^'has ever 
 lived to whom prayer was not infinitely more im- 
 portant than any mere exercise of the intellect." 
 Let us recover the habit of prayer v/hich has been 
 
^6 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 lost by spiritual inertia and attention to secondary 
 matters. You can do this by directly giving your- 
 self to prayer and by keeping at it, until the cloud 
 appears in the brazen sky. But do not stop when 
 the showers descend. Keep up the blessed prac- 
 tice and continue unceasing in prayer for the 
 triumphs of the Church and the Kingdom through- 
 out the world. 
 
 " If we with earnest effort could succeed 
 To make our life one long connected prayer, 
 As lives of some perhaps have been and are; 
 If never leaving Thee, we had no need 
 Our wandering spirits back again to lead 
 Into Thy presence, but continued there, 
 Like angels standing on the highest stair 
 Of the sapphire throne, this were to pray indeed. 
 But if distractions manifold prevail, 
 And if in this we must confess we fail. 
 Grant us to keep at least a prompt desire, 
 Continual readiness for prayer and praise. 
 An altar heaped and waiting to take fire 
 With the least spark, and leap into a blaze." 
 
CHAPTER FIVE 
 
 THE HOLY PASSION 
 
 WE can really understand a person if we 
 know what is the underlying purpose of 
 his life. There are many interests in 
 most lives but back of all there is what Doctor 
 Henry VanDyke has well called a ** ruling pas- 
 sion. ' ' If that is known you have got at the secret 
 of personality. *^ Music, nature, children, honour, 
 strife, revenge, money, pride, friendship, loyalty, 
 duty — to these objects and to others like them, the 
 secret power of personal passion often turns, and 
 the life unconsciously follows it, as the tides in the 
 sea follow the moon in the sky. ' ' Many apparent 
 inconsistencies are also better understood and 
 they cease to be regarded as such when we know 
 what is the absorbing thought, aim and desire of 
 any individual. Many errors of judgment can 
 thus be avoided as we get behind the scenes of 
 life. John Morley in his life of Gladstone refers 
 to the wonderful versatility of this British states- 
 man and goes on to say: '^All his activities were 
 in his mind one. Political life was only part of 
 his religious life. It was religion that prompted 
 his literary life. It was the religious motive that 
 through a thousand avenues and channels stirred 
 
 57 
 
^8 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 him and guided him in his whole conception of 
 active, social duty/' The apostle Paul frequently 
 refers to the purpose that was controlling, stimu- 
 lating and compelling him. **The love of Christ 
 constraineth us,'* is a brief but weighty sentence 
 which lucidly expresses the prevailing passion of 
 his life. In the light of it, we are able to under- 
 stand and appreciate his whole career. He was 
 indebted to the Redeemer Christ beyond all that 
 tongue could tell, and daily did his sense of obliga- 
 tion increase. The promise of the gospel of sal- 
 vation was so thoroughly fulfilled in his own life 
 that he experienced the passionate passion of the 
 gospel and was ready on every occasion to preach 
 its good tidings. Whether he was speaking to a 
 single individual like Felix the governor or to 
 Onesimus the runaway slave; or whether he was 
 addressing a company, composed of royalty or 
 of the common people, he was always eager to 
 induce his hearers to accept the message of Christ 
 and receive deliverance from sin. He became all 
 things to all men that he might by all means save 
 them. It was not rhetoric when he soberly de- 
 clared : '*I could have wished myself accursed and 
 banished from Christ for the sake of my brothers, 
 my natural kinsmen"; and again when he said: 
 **I am debtor both to Greeks and Barbarians, both 
 to the wise and to the foolish." It was this same 
 irrepressible ardour which he showed when, after 
 he was stoned at Lystra almost to the point of 
 
The Holy Passion 59 
 
 death, he returned to that same city in a few 
 days, fearless and faithful (Acts 14:19-21). 
 
 Paul was certain beyond any shadow of doubt 
 that the world was alienated and estranged from 
 God. He was also confident that only through 
 Christ could man be restored to friendship with 
 God. He knew that many had wandered away 
 from the Father owing to ignorance of his char- 
 acter and a misunderstanding of his purpose of 
 world-wide redemption. He always made a 
 point of emphasising the truth that all people 
 are equally precious in the sight of God and that 
 in Christ every wall of separation has for ever 
 been abolished, be it racial, ethnic, national, social 
 or what not. He moreover had the courage to 
 accept this conclusion, although he was severely 
 criticised by some of his fellow-Christians for 
 going too far and letting down the bars of in- 
 herited privilege, in the name of Jesus Christ, who 
 was the first to recognise only the privilege of 
 genuine merit and intrinsic worth. It is cer- 
 tainly refreshing to be in the company of this 
 fervent preacher who was so far ahead of his 
 times, as indeed he is of our own times, and whose 
 teaching of Christ the Saviour and Unifier of all 
 peoples puts the blush of shame upon us for being 
 so provincial and superficial. 
 
 We are doubtless familiar with the words of 
 Jesus spoken in defence or in explanation of his 
 practices ; but they have a deeply profound mean- 
 
6o Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ing when considered in the light of recent events. 
 * ' The Son of man has come to seek and to save the 
 lost/' was the reason why he extended the hospi- 
 tality of the gospel to Zaccheus the outcast. ' ' The 
 Son of man has not come to be served but to serve, 
 and to give his life a ransom for many," was said 
 to his disciples, who were obsessed by thoughts of 
 place and position and ignored the uncomfortable 
 mission of sacrificing and sacrificial service of 
 those who were socially submerged, for whom also 
 Christ had died. Jesus treated everyone with 
 respect, and by his gracious bearing he drew out 
 of the inner recesses of the soul those feelings 
 and desires which find satisfaction only in fellow- 
 ship with the heavenly Father. Nowhere do we 
 see any spirit of indifference or hopelessness con- 
 cerning the spiritual possibilities of men. Jesus 
 always had a wholesome confidence in the re- 
 demptibility of everyone. His life was therefore 
 heartily consecrated to the business of winning 
 them for God, with an enthusiasm that was con- 
 tinuous and costly. It involved the sacrifice on 
 the Cross, which was the price of this all-dominat- 
 ing passion for the highest welfare of the whole 
 human race. ^ ' Perhaps the conscience of him who 
 feels that he is obliged to go as far as this for 
 men, most of whom he has never seen, none of 
 whom can wholly please him, and many of whom 
 pain him unutterably is the crowning marvel. 
 The sense of obligation revealed at Calvary is its 
 
The Holy Passion bi 
 
 supreme surprise. '^ So wrote Doctor Coffin in 
 his searching volume of sermons on ^^ Social 
 Aspects of the Cross/' On another page he says : 
 **It is only when we are convinced of Christ's 
 individual concern in every one of the millions of 
 China, or of the thousands on a congested city 
 block that we are at one with him. We then cease 
 arguing about their worth, their improvability, 
 their need of more justice or better religion. 
 What each is to the heart of God in Christ, that 
 and nothing less he is to us." 
 
 This deep sense of obligation was shared to the 
 full by Paul and the writers of the New Testa- 
 ment. **We love, because he first loved us,'' said 
 John. The love for Christ thus had a reflex in- 
 fluence. You cannot love Christ without loving 
 what he loved, and showing your love in ways 
 that are suggestive of his spirit. ^*I desire to 
 burn out for my God," said Henry Martyn, as he 
 began missionary work in India. How very like 
 Paul, who spoke of the constraining love of Christ. 
 The word constrain has the elements of strength. 
 It describes an active and not a passive experi- 
 ence. Eestraint is negative, and does not lead to 
 redemption, either of oneself or of others. Con- 
 straint implies an urging and an impelling. It 
 holds together the several impulses of the soul; it 
 shuts them in and confines within bounds like the 
 banks of a river for depth, and so there is con- 
 centration for effectiveness. Such was the ex- 
 
62 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 perience which led Paul to say; ^^This one thing 
 I do.^' Everything else was subordinated to the 
 supreme business of bringing men to God. His 
 evangelistic spirit has been well described by F. 
 W. H. Myers in the stirring poem, ** Saint Paul": 
 
 " Oft when the Word is on me to deliver 
 
 Lifts the illusion and the truth lies bare; 
 Desert or throng, the city or the river. 
 Melts in a lucid Paradise of air; — 
 
 " Only like souls I see the folk thereunder, 
 
 Bound who should conquer, slaves who should be kings, — ^ 
 Hearing their one hope with an empty wonder. 
 Sadly contented in a show of things; — 
 
 " Then with a rush the intolerable craving 
 
 Shivers throughout me like a trumpet-call, — 
 Oh to save these! to perish for their saving. 
 Die for their life, be offered for them all! " 
 
 No one can feel in this way except those who 
 have the vision of Christ. It was said of Hugh 
 Price Hughes, the English Methodist, that he re- 
 covered for his church its ancient passion for the 
 souls of men and set it in living power in the 
 stream of modern life. But Hughes believed in 
 the redemption of the whole man and was one of 
 the pioneers in preaching social Christianity. In 
 replying to a charge that he was not preaching 
 the gospel when he discussed social questions, he 
 said: **I might have settled the matter by saying 
 that I had no disembodied * souls' in my congrega- 
 
The Holy Passion 63 
 
 tion, but that I had souls incarnate, souls attached 
 to bodies and that we must deal with man as a 
 complex being. There is too much truth in the 
 saying I have often quoted of late that * some very- 
 earnest Christians are so diligently engaged in 
 saving souls that they have no time to save men 
 and women/ "' Those who have the passion and 
 compassion of Jesus will be stirred to carry out 
 his whole program and they will co-operate to do 
 so with joy. There will be earnestness and seri- 
 ousness of purpose ; there will be tenderness and 
 tactf ulness of manner ; there will be patience and 
 endurance in practice ; there will be sensitiveness 
 to every need and readiness to adjust ourselves 
 to the divers and distracted relationships of 
 life. Enthusiasm is so balanced and buoyant a 
 disposition that it knows nothing of times and 
 seasons. It has convictions as to the rightfulness 
 of the cause ; it has courage in the face of ridicule 
 and calumny ; it shows continuance in well-doing ; 
 it keeps its hand on the plough and its eyes look- 
 ing forward until the whole field is cultivated. 
 Just as Jesus came into the world with a redemp- 
 tive passion and was swayed by it to the very last 
 and unto the uttermost, so must it be with every 
 Christian, who offers not a system of morality but 
 a heart of love. 
 
 " One holy passion filling all my frame ; 
 
 The kindling of the heaven-descended dove, 
 My heart an altar, and thy love the flame." 
 
64 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 Love always means sacrifice. *^God so loved 
 the world that he gave his only begotten Son." 
 Doctor Jowett well says : *^The gospel of a broken 
 heart demands the ministry of bleeding hearts. 
 If that succession be broken we lose our fellow- 
 ship with the King. As soon as we cease to bleed 
 we cease to bless. When our sympathy loses its 
 pang we can no longer be the servants of the 
 passion.'' But how can sympathy be shown un- 
 less we take the point of view of the other person 
 and suffer with him in his sorrow and distress? 
 There is nothing officious nor official but human 
 and humane in such a Christ-inspired fellow-feel- 
 ing. How can you be friendly unless you bring 
 succour in the hour of need, even at the cost of 
 your own inconvenience and discomfort? How 
 can there be compassion unless you carry the 
 burden on your own soul, even if it must wear you 
 down to the point of exhaustion! Said one of 
 old: ^'I will not offer unto the Lord my God of 
 that which cost me nothing. ' ' What you do with- 
 out effort accomplishes little. There must be 
 wrestling in prayer, tirelessness in work, eager 
 watchfulness for opportunities, willingness to 
 continue although repeatedly rebuffed. This is 
 how men have laboured who got results in the 
 home field as well as on the mission field. Father 
 Stanton who worked for fifty years in a congested 
 London parish said that he preferred to be known 
 as * * an enthusiast for the love of Jesus. ' ' He thus 
 
The Holy Passion 65 
 
 entered vicariously into communion with Christ, 
 for the sake of saving souls — * ' to displace vice by 
 purity, hatred by love, despair by joy; working 
 never alone, but with Jesus, and knowing this.'* 
 
 This truly is the spirit of the Cross, and it is 
 indispensable for the possession and the practice 
 of the holy passion. '* Paganism is an elaborate 
 device to do without the Cross. Yet it is ever a 
 futile device, for the Cross is in the very grain 
 and essence of all life; it is absolutely necessary 
 to all permanent and satisfying gladness.*' So 
 wrote Doctor John Kelman in his discerning essay 
 on Thomson's *^The Hound of Heaven." It is 
 one of the great poems of English literature and 
 describes the persistent pursuit of God after the 
 soul of man. The seeking God has been perfectly 
 incarnated in Jesus Christ, and we who believe in 
 him must in turn incarnate this spirit of the 
 Saviour in order that a lost world might be 
 brought back to God. Such a course alone will 
 adequately accomplish the task. 
 
 This then is the great motive of the church. It 
 is big enough and strong enough, to carry far, 
 even to the ends of the world. Where it operates 
 all lesser things will be shamed out of its presence. 
 The storm of domestic strife will be calmed; the 
 rancour of denominationalism will be suppressed ; 
 petty differences will be ignored. The surge and 
 thrill of ^4ove divine, all loves excelling" will 
 burn out the dross of selfishness and enmity, and 
 
66 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 bring all lovers of the Lord to love men in his 
 way, and so labour in season and out of season, 
 to bring in that better day of universal blessed- 
 ness and peace. 
 
 "0 Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling, 
 To tell to all the world that God is Light; 
 That he who made all nations is not willing 
 
 One soul should perish, lost in shades of night. 
 Publish glad tidings; 
 
 Tidings of peace; 
 Tidings of Jesus, 
 
 Redemption and release." 
 
CHAPTER SIX 
 
 RELIGIOUS CONVERSATION" 
 
 THE greatest results have often been ob- 
 tained in quiet and out-of-the-way places 
 by people whose names have not come down 
 to posterity. Christianity was established in the 
 city of Antioch after the martyrdom of Stephen 
 by some unknown disciples who were driven out 
 of Jerusalem by the bloody persecution. When 
 Europe was under the pall of spiritual darkness, 
 the Poor Men of Lyons carried about the torch 
 of truth. Wycliffe spread the principles of gospel 
 liberty throughout England with the aid of his 
 russet preachers. The local preachers of Method- 
 ism were indispensable in carrying the evangel 
 and they were loyally supported by the followers 
 of John Wesley. The enterprise of foreign mis- 
 sions which began almost simultaneously with the 
 start of Methodism was carried out by conse- 
 crated laymen who took service in foreign ports 
 as merchants that they might spread Christ's 
 kingdom, without embarrassing the far too limited 
 exchequer of the missionary society. All these 
 devout folk, and many others like them at differ- 
 ent periods of the church's history, made effective 
 
 67 
 
68 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 strokes for their Christian convictions by seizjing 
 every opportunity which presented itself in their 
 daily intercourse with people. They engaged in 
 *^ wayside preaching" in the course of business 
 and social relations. Their interest in the subject 
 was so keen and the influence which it exercised 
 over them was so quickening that all they did was 
 for the glory of Christ. They found points of 
 contact in ordinary topics, and in the most natural 
 way they led up to the higher themes of the Chris- 
 tian life, and the purpose of the gospel to Chris- 
 tianise every vocation and avocation. They be- 
 lieved in the sort of social evangelism which is at 
 home in every walk of life, and they maintained 
 that it was most seemly and proper to refer to it 
 in '* polite'' society, as well as in what by an 
 unnatural distinction is called *' religious'' so- 
 ciety. They evidently thought it strange that 
 anyone should object to the introduction of re- 
 ligion as a topic of conversation. If men talk 
 about what they are most interested, and welcome 
 questions relating to politics, commerce, litera- 
 ture, travel, invention, but at the same time ex- 
 clude the question of religion, it must be inferred 
 that they are not interested in it. This can hardly 
 be the case, for religion is the most permanent and 
 persistent concern of mankind in every age. The 
 reason why it is not frankly talked about may be 
 because it is not the custom to do so. The notion 
 doubtless prevails that the subject is too sacred 
 
Religious Conversation 69 
 
 for promiscuous discussion. The fact is that we 
 have lost the art of religious conversation by- 
 sheer neglect and disuse. George W. Pepper, 
 himself a layman, suggestively refers to this 
 matter in his Yale lectures, ^*A Voice from the 
 Crowd.'' He says: *'The rehearsal of one's per- 
 sonal religious experience is a dangerous habit 
 and is to be checked rather than to be encouraged. 
 But the place of religion in life, the nature and 
 method of revelation, the hope of immortality and 
 its bearing upon conduct — these are topics of ex- 
 traordinary interest, and intelligent men would do 
 well to recognise the fact. We fail to realise that 
 to stifle religion is quite as dangerous as to 
 feign it." 
 
 The apostle Paul has many counsels on this 
 subject. ^'Let your speech be always with grace, 
 seasoned with salt. " " Let no corrupt speech pro- 
 ceed out of our mouth, but such as is good for 
 edifying as the need may be, that it may give 
 grace to them that hear." The guiding principle 
 of such communications is found in the words of 
 Jesus: *^Out of the abundance of the heart the 
 mouth speaketh." Your talk will indicate your 
 manner of life. Can it be that if you say nothing, 
 it is because you have nothing to say? And yet 
 you call yourself a follower of Christ. He ex- 
 pected his disciples to be the salt of the earth and 
 give to society a purifying influence. He desired 
 them to be the light of the world and dispel the 
 
70 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 darkness of error and evil. He meant them to be 
 of a communicative disposition and to be cheerful 
 and amiable in sharing their spiritual treasures 
 with others. 
 
 Conversation is at once an informal and an in- 
 forming medium of intercourse. If it is to delight 
 and profit, it must have the elements of courtesy 
 and sympathy, cordiality and interest, goodness 
 and patience, calmness and friendliness. The at- 
 mosphere must also be warm and genial, with a 
 sense of leisureliness, free from reserve and cyni- 
 cism. Conversation is not the small talk of gossip 
 but the enlivening talk of mutual suggestiveness 
 and good cheer. It is the kind of talk that comes 
 spontaneously out of a full mind and a kindly 
 heart, and brings joy and gladness. In true con- 
 versation there is a healthy give and take, and the 
 process is exhilarating and enjoyable. Such talk- 
 ability is altogether unlike what Henry VanDyke 
 calls *Hhe vice of talkativeness,'' which is ^^a sel- 
 fish, one-sided, inharmonious affair, full of dis- 
 comfort and productive of most un-Christian 
 feelings.'' What makes the correspondence be- 
 tween souls so attractive is the fact that the talk 
 has to do with personal experiences in all their 
 varied grades and stages. But it is not merely 
 the retailing of personal items that gives spice to 
 conversation. There must be facts of interest, 
 bits of news that give cheer, thoughts that kindle 
 the emotions and stir the affections. In this way 
 
Religious Conversation 71 
 
 the finest virtues of companionship are cultivated 
 and fellowship widened. 
 
 All these qualities which make general conver- 
 sation attractive must also appear in religious 
 conversation. You cannot interest others in what 
 you are not interested yourself. It is impossible 
 to share in the gifts and graces of religious ex- 
 perience when one has it in doubtful or limited 
 measure. Topics which are threadbare are as 
 stale and distasteful as stories which are known 
 as ^* chestnuts.'* There must be freshness and 
 directness, reality and genuineness, warmth and 
 welcome, heartiness and happiness, glow and 
 gladness, cheer and charm. 
 
 " We share our mutual woes, 
 Our mutual burdens bear; 
 And often for each other flows 
 The sympathising tear." 
 
 But how can we act in this fraternal manner 
 if we are not familiar with each other *s circum- 
 stances? Such knowledge is invariably obtained 
 through conversation. It was to encourage this 
 practice that the class meeting was organised by 
 Wesley. Those who desired to speak often one to 
 another came together in an informal way. They 
 were accustomed to meet ^4n kitchen, or drawing 
 room, hay-loft, coal pit or barn"; and the results 
 more than justified its existence. The class meet- 
 ing often became the germ-cell of new Methodist 
 societies, and through it the principle of com- 
 
72 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 munion found exquisite expression. Mr. Eayrs 
 in ^*A New History of Methodism,'' succinctly 
 describes the characteristics of the class meeting, 
 which I gladly quote because it aptly sets forth 
 some of the necessary features which make re- 
 ligious conversation so wholesome and fragrant. 
 **It was marked as non-sacerdotal, since in these 
 gatherings for fellowship ordained and unor- 
 dained persons dealt freely with the mysteries of 
 the spiritual life; as experimental and practical 
 rather than doctrinaire and controversial, for here 
 everything was brought to the test of common ex- 
 perience; as ethical as well as emotional, for the 
 members knew the conduct of one another and all 
 combined to sustain each in such behaviour as 
 became the gospel and Methodism; as social and 
 gladsome with holy song, rather than self-cen- 
 tred, cloistered and sombre; as free from state 
 aid and control, as it was sustained by the regular 
 freewill offerings of those who voluntarily ac- 
 cepted its ministrations'' (Vol. I. 289). Say 
 what we will, the warmth of temperament which 
 has been the glory of Methodism can be explained 
 by the influence of the class meeting, which drew 
 the members into closer bonds of unity and fra- 
 ternity, and was ^^an objective visualisation of the 
 principle of communion as Christendom had never 
 before seen." American Methodism has prac- 
 tically given up this distinctive institution, on the 
 plea that it had outgrown its usefulness. An at- 
 
Religious Conversation 73 
 
 tempt should rather have been made to adjust 
 it to modern needs in harmony with a growing 
 Christian experience. But having let it go, noth- 
 ing else has taken its place as an agency for the 
 development of free and ready religious speech, 
 concerning the things that are near and dear to 
 life. 
 
 So many Christian people surround themselves 
 by inaccessible walls of exclusiveness and they 
 remain silent touching the deep interests of life. 
 Such a spirit of reserve and restraint is most 
 unhealthy. They are sociable enough in a general 
 way but the barriers go up as soon as serious 
 issues are introduced. We have become so afraid 
 of cant and hypocrisy that there is a sentimental 
 sensitiveness about giving oral expression to our 
 religious feelings and desires. The well from 
 which water is not drawn ceases to be sweet and 
 refreshing. In like manner, if we fail to draw 
 from the wells of religious emotion, we had better 
 close them up for the sake of the health of the 
 community. Of all tragic cases are those Chris- 
 tians who illustrate the *'law of arrested develop- 
 ment.'' Let us recognise the causes of our dis- 
 tress and honestly remove them. One of these is 
 the lack of *^ seasoned conversation'' and *^ seized 
 conversation." As we practise this manner of 
 communing, it will be said of us what the 
 prophet wrote of the pious at a time of depres- 
 sion : ' ' They that feared the Lord spake one with 
 
74 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 another, and the Lord hearkened and heard.'' 
 These faithful souls were confronted by a truly- 
 dark situation — the priests had become careless, 
 the people were lax in their religious duties, the 
 value of the worship and service of God was ques- 
 tioned. But these select spirits knew better, and 
 they were determined not to surrender to harsh 
 circumstances nor to severe criticisms. They 
 thus conversed often with each other, not about 
 their difficulties but rather about their deliver- 
 ances, so graciously granted them by the blessed 
 God. There was no pessimistic strain which is 
 not unusual in the modern prayer meeting. There 
 was no tirade nor attack of those who were absent. 
 They met not to tear down each other's faith or 
 to weaken fidelity but to inspirit and encourage 
 one another in every good word and work. They 
 were persuaded that this could be done through 
 optimistic confession of the graciousness, tender- 
 ness and redeeming love of God. ^'A friendly 
 thought," said Carlyle, ^*is the purest gift that 
 man can afford to man." Where can we obtain 
 this to such great advantage as by rightly directed 
 religious conversation? On this subject, Bunyan 
 has an enlightening word in his ^' Grace Abound- 
 ing to the Chief of Sinners." ^'Upon a day the 
 good providence of God called me to Bedford, to 
 work at my calling; and in one of the streets of 
 that town I came where there were three or four 
 poor women sitting at a door, in the sun, talking 
 
Religious Conversation 75 
 
 about the things of God; and being now willing 
 to hear their discourse, I drew near to hear what 
 they said ; for I was now a brisk talker in matters 
 of religion, but they were far above my reach. 
 Their talk was about a new birth, the work of God 
 in their hearts, as also how they were convinced of 
 their miserable state by nature : they talked how 
 God had visited their souls with his love in the 
 Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises 
 they had been refreshed, comforted and supported 
 against the temptations of the devil: moreover, 
 they reasoned of the suggestions and temptations 
 of Satan in particular ; and told to each other by 
 what means they had been afflicted ; and how they 
 were borne up under his assaults. They also dis- 
 coursed of their own wretchedness of heart, and 
 of their unbelief, and did condemn, slight and 
 abhor their own righteousness as filthy and insuf- 
 ficient to do them any good. And methought they 
 spake as if joy did make them speak, with such 
 pleasantness of Scripture language, and with such 
 appearance of grace in all they said, that they 
 were to me as if they had found a new world — as 
 if they were people that dwelt alone, and were not 
 to be reckoned among their neighbours.'' Notice 
 the spirit of faith, humility and joy in the conver- 
 sation of these pious women, and how it affected 
 Bunyan who was a stranger to their blessed ex- 
 perience. These features are not common or 
 characteristic of much of our modern Christian 
 
76 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 experience. Consider the note of joy more par- 
 ticularly. We may use the triumph song but 
 there is little of the triumph spirit when we sing. 
 As long as valiant souls could come together for 
 mutual uplift, they need find no cause for com- 
 plaint but many reasons for gratulation as they 
 celebrate the divine mercies which are new every 
 morning. However untoward may be their lot in 
 life they are not exiles from God. Such kindred 
 souls breathe the atmosphere of mutual under- 
 standing and find solace in each other ^s fellowship. 
 They thus become equipped for the struggles, the 
 perils, the obstructions, the disappointments and 
 the mishaps which inevitably come to every life. 
 Their conversation was moreover so healthy be- 
 cause they did not evade the pressing issues but 
 dealt with essential facts and kept back nothing 
 for fear of being censured. They did not hold off 
 at arm's length in suspicion, but spoke in trustful- 
 ness and considered how they might stir up each 
 other to love and good works. They did not keep 
 their hearts under lock and key and steel them- 
 selves against the approach of friendship ; nor on 
 the other hand did they wear their heart on their 
 sleeve and let every chance acquaintance into its 
 sanctities, which are open only to the initiated. 
 Thus they talked freely, fearlessly and fraternally 
 with those who were of one accord. It was done 
 in the name of Christian friendship and for the 
 sake of Christian fellowship, and they had no 
 
Religious Conversation 77 
 
 reason to regret their congenial associations. 
 They therefore found the promise repeatedly ful- 
 filled: ^^ Where two or three are gathered together 
 in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ' ' It 
 was the realised presence of Jesus Christ that 
 gave the tonic air which braced them up for what- 
 ever storm or stress awaited them. Ordinary 
 men thus acted with heroic consecration to duty 
 and were courageously calm and self-possessed in 
 the face of defeat or danger. They knew that 
 they had a better possession and an abiding one 
 and they held to this confidence which had great 
 recompense of reward. It was not surprising that 
 thereby they brought cheer to each other, since 
 they were refreshed and strengthened and made 
 glad in the hour of felicity no less than in the 
 hour of adversity. Well might they rejoice as 
 they sang; 
 
 "My Saviour comes and walks with me, 
 And sweet communion here have wej 
 He gently leads me by the hand, 
 For this is heaven's border land." 
 
 Viewed at its best, the atmosphere of the world 
 is inhospitable to spiritual ideas and ideals. 
 There is much that is depressing and demoralis- 
 ing and which offers anything but the stimulus 
 that is so needed, especially in these times of up- 
 heaval, uncertainty and disaster. *^ Taken all in 
 all, where,'' asks Sabatier in *' Religions of 
 Authority and the Eeligion of the Spirit, " ' ^ shall 
 
yS Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 we find a higher or more universal school of re- 
 spect and virtue than in the church, a more effica- 
 cious means of comfort and consolation than the 
 communion of brethren, a safer tutelary shelter 
 for souls still in their minority.'* Professor 
 McGiff ert recently said : ^ ^ The church is an engine 
 of untold moral and spiritual power." One way 
 by which it can be brought into active exercise is 
 by the culture of religious conversation. ^^This 
 is a difficult art,'* writes Professor Stalker in 
 *^ Imago Christ!." ^^It must be natural — it must 
 well up out of a heart full of religion — or it is 
 worse than useless. Yet it is of priceless value, 
 and no trouble is too great to be spent in acquir- 
 ing it. I am not sure but we are more in need 
 of those who can talk about religion than of those 
 who can preach about it." Here then is our great 
 opportunity for effective evangelism. So many 
 are afflicted with anxiety, dismayed by doubt, 
 troubled by perplexity, confused by misunder- 
 standing, misled by false teaching. Seek them 
 and win their confidence and lead them to the 
 fountains of living water. 
 
 " I love to tell the story ; 
 
 More wonderful it seems 
 Than all the golden fancies 
 ■ Of all our golden dreams. 
 I love to tell the story, 
 
 It did so much for me; 
 And that is just the reason 
 
 I tell it now to thee." 
 
CHAPTER SEVEN 
 
 THE PEESONAL TOUCH 
 
 THIS is the day of highly perfected machin- 
 ery when the factories produce articles in 
 large abundance. And yet we must ac- 
 knowledge the superiority of hand-carved furni- 
 ture, hand-made lace and hand-painted pictures. 
 Who prefers the reproduction of the phonograph 
 to the skilful playing of the pianist or violinist? 
 We admire the splendid building, so imposing and 
 architecturally perfect; and yet the mason has 
 handled each brick separately with trowel and 
 cement ; the carpenter has driven each single nail 
 and riveted it in place; the plumber has looked 
 after every screw and joint in the extensive heat- 
 ing plant; the electrician has cared for each 
 lamp, and all the others who have worked in and 
 around the building have given personal super- 
 vision to their tasks. Unless each screw is true 
 and every bolt is strong, the monster airplane 
 must fatally fail. Everyone thus recognises the 
 dignity of trifles and reckons with them at the 
 cost of time and labour. We talk of people in the 
 mass, collectively and generalisingly. Jesus al- 
 ways talked of the individual specifically, and 
 never failed to deal with each person on his own 
 
 79 
 
8o Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 merits. ^'The Son of man came to seek and to 
 save the lost,'' and he sought them each one at a 
 time. He avoided the crowds that he might do 
 intensive work with the individual. He thus gave 
 his hest to Nicodemus and to Zaccheus, to the 
 Samaritan woman and to Mary Magdalene. That 
 was his consistent policy. Although after his 
 resurrection he appeared to his disciples when 
 they were gathered together, he also had heart- 
 to-heart communings with Peter and Mary and 
 James and others of his followers. 
 
 The importance of the individual is to-day 
 accepted in strategic connections. The politician 
 does not forget the value of the single vote at 
 election time, even though he may ignore it the 
 rest of the year. The effective speaker does not 
 address his entire audience but singles out an 
 individual here and there, and appeals to them 
 in a sort of exclusive way and so wins the atten- 
 tion and accord of the rest of his hearers. Vast 
 sums of money are spent on advertising and yet 
 eighty per cent of the successful business is 
 done by personal solicitation. Salesmanship is 
 a science, nay it is an art, even the art of per- 
 suasion. Much of its efficient working depends 
 on the pleasing personality of the solicitor, his 
 knowledge of the goods and of the needs of the 
 prospective buyer. All this emphasises the 
 significance of the personal equation. It is also 
 necessary that we know how to discriminate be- 
 
The Personal Touch 8l 
 
 cause people are so widely and radically differ- 
 ent, and what appeals to one may by reason 
 of temperament and associations fall flat on 
 another. The wife of Sir Edward Burne-Jones 
 once wrote of her husband: ^^As a rule Edward 
 was a little irritated by people finding likenesses 
 in one face to another. ^It is difference not like- 
 ness that I see/ he would say.'* All students of 
 human life will endorse this sentiment, for they 
 understand and appreciate ^*the sacredness of 
 personality.'' 
 
 Consider how the church began. When An- 
 drew and John were won by Jesus on that memo- 
 rable night, they returned to their homes with the 
 determination to convey to others their convic- 
 tions concerning Christ the Messiah. Andrew 
 then brought his brother Peter to Jesus, and 
 John his brother James. Peter next led Philip 
 to the Master, and Philip in turn guided 
 Nathaniel to him. From that time on, through 
 the Christian centuries, the gospel has spread 
 through personal efforts. It has often happened 
 that obscure men have brought to Jesus those 
 who became distinguished, and whose remark- 
 able achievements reacted gratifyingly on their 
 little known leaders. Think of Joel Stratton and 
 John Gough, George Warner and Gypsy Smith, 
 Edward Kimball and Dwight L. Moody, Harry 
 Monroe and Billy Sunday. As forcibly illustrat- 
 ing a chain of influences there is the case of Ed- 
 
82 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ward R. Graves, the commercial traveller, who 
 won S. M. Sayford, who then won C. K. Ober, who 
 in turn won John R. Mott, for Christ and his 
 cause. We never know what harvest will come 
 from the seed faithfully sown. It is the personal 
 touch that transmits the power of the evangel. 
 Much misunderstanding and enmity must be re- 
 moved before the right atmosphere can be created, 
 in which people will come with the request : *^Sirs, 
 we would see Jesus." Many people have curious 
 notions concerning the church; they think of it as 
 an institution apart from life and out of sympathy 
 with the struggles of ordinary folk. If these out- 
 siders are to be brought into right relationships, 
 it will be due to work done quietly, patiently, 
 persistently, generously by men and women, who 
 are followers of Christ and members of the church. 
 It may sound trite and commonplace to say that 
 we must have the experience of Christ's saving 
 grace and be quickened by it to the white heat of 
 enthusiasm before we can go out to speak to others 
 of the Saviour's redeeming love. But let the 
 statement stand, for it is the indispensable con- 
 dition of spreading the gospel of salvation. Our 
 goodness must have edge to it, if it is to quicken 
 others. Our experience must be vivid, if it is to 
 vitalise others. Our convictions must be decided, 
 if they are to persuade others. Our efforts must 
 be whole-hearted, if they are to affect others. In 
 his great book, **The Meaning of God in Human 
 
The Personal Touch 83 
 
 Experience/' Doctor W. E. Hocking, says: **We 
 know religion when we meet it in persons. We 
 are in no need of definition to guide our eyes, or 
 to help in identifying it. We are perpetually see- 
 ing its fruits, or missing them, in our neighbours. 
 We are sensitive even to its shades and degrees; 
 aware of its more or less, its depth, its texture, its 
 resistance.'' Again he says: ^'To see the signifi- 
 cance of things trivial is the prerogative of great- 
 ness, to see everything as bearing upon the whole 
 is both genius and happiness, to see all things 
 suh specie aeternitatis is the joy of religion 
 itself." If there is love in the heart, it will then 
 set you on fire to become an ardent helper of peo- 
 ple, in everything that enables them to have an 
 adequate share of *'the leisure and pleasure and 
 treasure of life." 
 
 The familiar story of Philip and the Ethiopian 
 eunuch illustrates some of the indispensable quali- 
 fications of successful personal work. Philip was 
 chosen at the same time as Stephen, to attend 
 to the temporal matters of the church. But it is 
 very significant that we know hardly anything of 
 their financial and administrative abilities. We 
 know more of their spiritual labours. Stephen 
 was the first martyr, impressive in speech and 
 forcible in persuasion. Philip was an evangelist 
 who led in the notable revival in Samaria. They 
 were both men ^'of good report, full of the Spirit 
 and of wisdom. ' ' The Christian must have a good 
 
84 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 reputation and be honourable in all his trans- 
 actions, so that the finger of scorn and contempt 
 cannot be pointed at him. He must be consistent 
 so that his Christian profession will be manifest 
 in his business, not only by what he says but also 
 by what he does. Every Christian is an anti- 
 septic — the salt of the earth — and no corruption 
 should be tolerated in his company, whether it is 
 the sinister speech or the crooked deal. Philip 
 furthermore was a man of faith. When he heard 
 the voice commanding him to go to the desert, he 
 obeyed, nothing doubting. It meant much for 
 him to leave the revival activities at Samaria, and 
 go to the lonely outskirts of the desert ; but he was 
 persuaded that it was a direction of God and not 
 a delusion of the devil. As the chariot ap- 
 proached, he listened to the eunuch reading from 
 the prophet Isaiah, and with exquisite tact he ap- 
 proached this eminent prince of Ethiopia, and 
 obtained his consent to act as his interpreter of 
 the prophet's utterances concerning the suffering 
 Messiah. Philip was in such harmony with the 
 divine Spirit, that he was able intuitively to un- 
 derstand this man's needs. He was also in sjrm- 
 pathy with the eunuch and showed patient frank- 
 ness as he led this seeker, step by step, to Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Many objections which are raised against per- 
 sonal work are purely theoretical. They are 
 generally offered by those who have neither a cor- 
 
The Personal Touch 85 
 
 rect idea of the purpose of the gospel nor a clear 
 experience of its power in their own lives. I do 
 not mean to say that you will be received with a 
 welcome in every case, as was the happy experi- 
 ence of Philip with the eunuch. You may even 
 be insulted; but if you have the sweetness and 
 sanity of Jesus, you will know how to take these 
 slights ; and instead of being readily discouraged, 
 you will be spurred to continue and increase in the 
 good work. If repelled and turned down by one, 
 you may be welcomed by another. Be frank and 
 faithful, be true and tactful, be earnest and en- 
 lightening, be friendly and interesting, and you 
 will surely have the joy of winning people, one by 
 one, for Christ and the kingdom of God. The 
 story of the mission field is one continued illus- 
 tration of the indispensable value of the personal 
 touch in inducing non-Christians to consider and 
 accept the claims of Christ. **The Life of Henry 
 Drummond,'' by George Adam Smith has several 
 chapters, showing the unique qualities of Drum- 
 mond in dealing with enquirers, not only in con- 
 nection with the great mission of Moody but also 
 in his own work among college men. Principal 
 Smith writes: *'He [Drummond] worked hard 
 in the inquiry rooms, but shy men, who would not 
 stand up in a meeting, nor enter an inquiry room, 
 waited for him by the doors as he came out, or 
 waylaid him in the street, or wrote, asking him 
 for an interview. He took great trouble with 
 
86 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 every one of them, as mucli trouble and interest 
 as if each was a large meeting. '^ On a man being 
 asked what led him to decide for Christ, he re- 
 plied, ^'It was the way Mr. Drummond laid his 
 hand on my shoulder and looked me in the face 
 that led me to Christ.'' This testimony throws 
 much light on what Drummond wrote in his essay 
 on '^Spiritual Diagnosis." He pointed out that 
 the Puritan writers were skilled analysists of 
 human nature but that, *Hhey seem to have ap- 
 plied their power more in the pulpit than the pew. 
 They knew so much about humanity that they had 
 lost what of it they had themselves in the pursuit 
 of it in others. They were most of them wanting 
 in that delicacy of handling which makes analysis 
 effective instead of insulting ; and many of the 
 Puritans were quite destitute of the foremost 
 quality which distinguishes the successful diag- 
 nosist — respect, veneration even, for the soul of 
 another. A man may be ever so gross and vulgar, 
 but when you come to deal with the deepest that 
 is in him, he becomes sensitive and feminine. 
 Brusqueness and an impolite familiarity may do 
 very well when dealing with his brains, but 
 without tenderness and courtesy you can only 
 approach his heart to shock it. The whole of 
 etiquette is founded on respect; and by far the 
 highest and tenderest etiquette is the etiquette of 
 soul and soul.'' 
 
 The joy of personal work, only they know who 
 
The Personal Touch 87 
 
 have served in it. It was said of Father Stanton 
 of St. Alban's, London, that individual work lay 
 nearest to his hand and his heart, and that, **he 
 excelled in personal ministration to individual 
 souls, and especially to the souls of men.*^ The 
 testimonial which was presented to him, signed by 
 over three thousand six hundred men, contained 
 this striking sentence: *^It has been not only 
 the charm of your speech which has drawn us to 
 you, but, what is of course of far higher value — 
 the depth of reality of your religious teaching, 
 your devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, and your 
 conspicuous ability to enter with sympathy into 
 our thoughts and needs, and into all that which at 
 this time makes faith and life difficult for men." 
 Sympathy means insight and understanding of 
 human needs. How divers these are! Each in- 
 dividual case must be studied separately and inde- 
 pendently, with a view to finding out the tempera- 
 ment, habits, preferences and aptitudes of each 
 one. The way to one will be prepared by a 
 letter, to another by making a special appoint- 
 ment, to yet another by invitation to a meal or to 
 a religious service. In these ways the point of 
 contact is secured. All this means energy, toil 
 and sacrifice ; but surely it is worth while to have 
 the privilege of witnessing the coming of the light 
 of heaven into a soul and the expression of glow 
 upon the countenance. 
 
 <<The greatest obstacle to the progress of the 
 
88 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 chariot wheels of the kingdom of God is the abso- 
 lute indifference of the majority of the people in 
 the churches. '^ This from R. J. Patterson in 
 his book, ''The Happy Art of Catching Men," 
 which is a thrilling record of work for temperance 
 and clean manhood, applies to more than one form 
 of Christian work. It is not an exaggerated 
 statement when placed by the side of the reports 
 of the Men and Religion Forward Movement, 
 held a few years ago. Here are a few sentences 
 that we do well to ponder. ' ' We could save every 
 individual in this land for Christ in two years ^ 
 time if each of us would win but one a year. The 
 number of church members who engage in Chris- 
 tian work of any kind is deplorably small. ' ' The 
 summons is clear and imperative, and the call is 
 loud and insistent for volunteer workers, who will 
 give a sacrificial service and say, as did the Master 
 of us all, "for their sakes I sanctify myself." 
 All through the history of the church, the profit- 
 able contributions have come not from the wealthy 
 few but from the many poor, whose gifts consisted 
 not only of money but first of their own selves. 
 Effective evangelism is individual evangelism, and 
 as we realise the bigness of the issue, we shall see 
 that "indi\ddual effort is imperative if collective 
 success is to be obtained." 
 
 There are two words in the gospels which must 
 be emphasised and reiterated. The first word is 
 "Come," and find rest unto your souls. The 
 
The Personal Touch 89 
 
 second word is '^Go,'' and disciple others, so that 
 they also may obtain this rest. **Come'^ is an 
 invitation in the name of the gospel of blessed 
 redemption. *^Go'' is a command for the sake 
 of this same gospel, which offers its benefits to 
 everyone, that all may find and receive the love 
 and joy of God unto everlasting life. It has in 
 mind the reconstruction of the life of the indi- 
 vidual and also that of society, in accord with the 
 principles and the spirit of Jesus. Where such 
 an ideal and inspiration are in control, there will 
 be produced a better type of nationalism and in- 
 ternationalism in all their many-sided bearings 
 on education, commerce, and the general welfare 
 of the whole race. Truly, ^^how great a forest 
 is kindled by how small a fire ! ' ' 
 
 " Go, labour on ; spend and be spent, 
 Thy joy to do the Father's will; 
 It is the way the Master went; 
 Should not the servant tread it still?" 
 
CHAPTEE EIGHT 
 
 THERE are two conceptions of the church. 
 One regards it as an institution for its own 
 members, a sort of a family institution. 
 If it cares for its own and pays its bills and re- 
 sponds to sundry appeals for charity, it has done 
 everything that might be expected of it. Tiiis 
 form of self-respect and respectability is no doubt 
 virtuous but it is inadequate. A church is ex- 
 pected to do much more than the fraternal orders, 
 which at best are benevolent clubs. The other 
 conception of the church is more in harmony with 
 the spirit of Jesus, who taught that his followers 
 should regard themselves as banded together for 
 the benefit of the community in which they live, 
 and also not forget their obligations to the large 
 world, which is without God and without hope. 
 This idea implies an excess of strength over and 
 above what is needed for home consumption. It 
 is true that charity begins at home, but it must 
 not remain there. The church is a society of 
 those who love Jesus Christ and are indebted to 
 him for salvation. Its members regard them- 
 selves as a redeemed people, with the redemptive 
 and evangelistic passion, impelling them to en- 
 
 90 
 
''All at It and Always at It'' 91 
 
 gage in the work of making God real, and of 
 giving the spiritual life the place of primacy in 
 individual and social relationships. 
 
 When Jethro the priest of Midian visited Moses, 
 the leader of the Exodus rehearsed to his father- 
 in-law the wonderful works of Jehovah, wrought 
 on behalf of the Israelites. The past was glo- 
 rious with acts of redemption ; but the future was 
 going to be still more glorious. And so he in- 
 vited Jethro to identify himself with this promis- 
 ing movement, saying to him: *^Come thou with 
 us and we will do thee good. ^ ' When he hesitated, 
 Moses appealed to him and said that if he did not 
 care to enlist for his own sake, let him do it for 
 Israel's sake. This won him. Can the church 
 use this twofold appeal to-day? Most assuredly 
 it can. Its record on the whole has been satis- 
 factory throughout the centuries, but the work 
 that it must undertake during the coming days is 
 to be far greater, out of all proportion to anything 
 that has been attempted and achieved since the 
 day of Pentecost. And it needs strong characters 
 to advance its interests. In what ways is the 
 church to do good? By giving a sense of the 
 reality of God, by making clear the spiritual values 
 of life, by imparting courage in the face of heavy 
 and depressing duties, by offering sympathy and 
 support in a spirit of friendship. All who enter 
 within its sacred circle should at once know 
 that here is a company of men and women, whose 
 
92 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 controlling purpose in life is to make their churcli 
 a minister of grace, a distributor of kindness, a 
 companion of the discouraged, an inspirer of the 
 weak, a guide to the Saviour, and a never-failing 
 refuge to all who desire God and redemption. 
 'V^Tiether the promise of doing good is a matter 
 of words and phrases, or whether it is a matter of 
 deeds can soon be discovered by those who accept 
 the invitation and enter within the portals of the 
 church. If the church fails here, it is of doubtful 
 advantage, whatever else it may do incidentally 
 or in eleemosynary ways. The reason for this 
 lies in the undisputed fact that the very genius 
 of Christianity compels its adherents to become 
 missionaries, and to witness to its benefits by word 
 and deed. The gospel is essentially social and 
 the spirit of obligation is one of its cardinal fea- 
 tures. This truth has lately found convincing 
 expression in the phrase '* social evangelism, ' ' 
 which addresses itself to the business, not of sav- 
 ing an occasional brand from the burning, but of 
 transforming all the conditions which affect char- 
 acter and of helping in its freer and fuller de- 
 velopment. 
 
 Christianity operates as the law of love, and 
 the church is its living exponent. It enlists the 
 services of every member by the constraint of 
 this penetrating principle and lays upon each one 
 the unescapable responsibility to be influenced by 
 it and to commend it in most favourable ways to 
 
''All at It and Always at It'' 93 
 
 every person. John Wesley's phrase, *^A11 at it, 
 and always at it,'' sententiously expresses a vital 
 truth. We believe in the priesthood of all be- 
 lievers. There is a difference between clergy and 
 laity only as to function. Every Christian has 
 free access to the mercy-seat in the name of the 
 great Mediator. Every Christian moreover can 
 act as a priest to lead men to God. Thus John 
 Nelson, mason and soldier, and John Hunt, plough- 
 boy, were as much the priests of God as John 
 Wesley. Saul of Tarsus enjoyed the priestly help 
 of Ananias, Luther received that of Staupitz, 
 Alexander Maclaren that of Benjamin Gregory, 
 Moody that of his Sunday school teacher. This 
 is a privilege within the reach of every Chris- 
 tian who should take advantage of it without pro- 
 fessionalism or officialism, but in a kindly, cheer- 
 ful and natural manner. We can readily imagine 
 the power of a church whose membership is dis- 
 tinguished by such Christian calibre and char- 
 acter. 
 
 The question of spiritual atmosphere is mo- 
 mentous. Just as atmosphere is all-important in 
 the world of nature and without it the farmer 
 must plough in vain, and sow his seed for naught, 
 so also the vital glow of spiritual atmosphere is 
 indispensable in the church, and nothing else can 
 take its place. Now, atmosphere is a matter of 
 personality. It is created by men and women, 
 who realise that, in Christ, they are members one 
 
94 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 of another. People are at times heard to say 
 that they are unable to go to church, as long as a 
 particular person attends. We may resent this 
 as an excuse or a presumptuous criticism, and tell 
 the objectors that the presence of the persons to 
 whom they take exception should not interfere 
 with their enjoyment of the worship of God. But 
 that does not remove the unfortunate situation. 
 Worship is a social exercise and it thrives only in 
 a warm atmosphere. The person criticised, if 
 deserving of it, lowers the spiritual temperature, 
 and in his company a disagreeable feeling creeps 
 over one, like the slimy feeling that you have on 
 a damp, dull day, with the chills running up and 
 down your back. Just as you do not expect peo- 
 ple in winter to come to church and be comfortable 
 in a building that is not heated, so you must not 
 expect people, especially outsiders, to attend 
 church under circumstances which are both un- 
 desirable and intolerable. 
 
 The church must be the heartiest, the friend- 
 liest, the happiest place in the community. 
 Friendship is what the world most needs, more 
 especially in these days when hearts are being 
 tried, when the vision is clouded, when a sense of 
 loss and bereavement is common, when a spirit 
 of foreboding meets us on every hand. Since the 
 church is a brotherhood, the members are bound 
 to one another by family ties. In the first epistle 
 to the Thessalonians, which is the earliest New 
 
''All at It and Always at It'' 95 
 
 Testament writing, we read that as soon as the 
 people in this city became Christian believers, 
 their relations to one another underwent a radi- 
 cal change; and this fact is assumed in the way 
 the apostle addresses them. *^ Concerning love 
 of the brethren ye have no need that one write 
 untd you; for indeed ye do it toward all the 
 brethren.'' Peter exhorts in his first epistle: 
 ^^Be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as 
 brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded.'' John 
 is very decided in his first epistle: *^We know 
 that we have passed out of death into life, because 
 we love the brethren." **If any man say, I love 
 God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he 
 that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, 
 cannot love God whom he hath not seen." All 
 these counsels are reflections of the teaching and 
 practice of Jesus. In the upper room, among his 
 parting words to them were these : *^ A new com- 
 mandment I give unto you, that ye love one an- 
 other ; even as I have loved you, that ye also love 
 one another. By this shall all men know that ye 
 are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." 
 The reason why this spirit of love is so repeatedly 
 exalted is because its practice is difficult and also 
 distinctive of the true Christian. This is the 
 secret of genuine fellowship, when souls hold com- 
 merce with each other and find both pleasure and 
 profit in one another's company. How is it in 
 actual life? Here is a testimony from a represen- 
 
96 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 tative minister: ^^Many city churches are made 
 up of people who do not even know one another, 
 and who do not even want to know one another. 
 Too many village churches are composed of people 
 who know one another, and are sorry that they do. 
 The weakness of the modern church lies in its 
 dwarfed affections. The shame of present-day 
 Christianity is its stunted sympathies. The church 
 is rich in money, ideas, apparatus, numbers, but 
 poor in love.'' From Doctor C. E. Jefferson in 
 his volume, *'The Building of the Church,'' let 
 us turn to a representative layman, G. W. Pepper, 
 in his Yale Lectures, ^'A Voice from the Crowd." 
 He writes : ' ^ The man in the pulpit may do much 
 to hasten a revival of the spirit of democracy 
 within the church by reiterating our Lord's plain 
 teachings upon this subject. But after all it rests 
 with the man in the pew to eliminate snobbishness 
 from congregational life and to make democracy 
 once more a test of discipleship." A writer in a 
 recent issue of ^^The Hibbert Journal" refers to 
 conditions in Great Britain which are not unlike 
 those in the United States. ^'Few of us, whether 
 in church or chapel, are prepared to-day for the 
 invasion of our churches by the ^poor' in any 
 temper of mind. If they were animated by the 
 inward urge of fresh energy and responsibility 
 for the common good, would not such an invasion 
 be even more appalling to us? Our churches 
 stand very empty, but that is not our greatest mis- 
 
''All at It and Always at It'' 97 
 
 fortune. It is that so many who are in them are 
 keen to cry to the poor that they must not seek 
 to better their conditions, that *the kingdom of 
 God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness 
 and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost,' while they 
 eat and drink to their fill of the best every day, 
 not only material food, but of the feast of beauty 
 and of knowledge, and of all worldly delight, and 
 will not face the fact that half the brethren of 
 their own nation — the brethren for whom Christ 
 died — are destroyed by their meat/* The prac- 
 tice of hospitality is fast getting to be one of the 
 lost arts of the church. This may be partly due 
 to our manner of living in flats and apartments, 
 which do not permit the social amenities of life. 
 A more vital reason is that the right temper is 
 absent. We do well to heed the counsel of the 
 writer of the epistle to the Hebrews: *^ Never 
 forget to be hospitable, for by hospitality some 
 have entertained angels unawares.** Such a 
 spirit is to be shown in our homes and in our 
 churches with sanguine cordiality, and the proba- 
 bilities are that we shall have experiences similar 
 to that suggested by the sacred author. A failure 
 of these winsome graces must of necessity compel 
 the church to limp along under the severest 
 limitations. 
 
 Our first business then is to Christianise the 
 church, and make it more Christlike. A revival 
 of the elemental virtues of the Christ life are im- 
 
98 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 peratively desired. This would be the best sort 
 of advertisement that a church can possibly have 
 in a community. It is a farce to have the words, 
 ** Friendly Church," printed on the bulletin board 
 outside, unless the reality is exemplified by those 
 inside. One test of a church's usefulness is that 
 of the opinion of the community concerning it. 
 What do the non-church goers think of us? Or 
 have we become such a negligible quantity that 
 they do not think of us at all? Assuredly in 
 every church there are faithful souis ; but our pur- 
 pose must be to increase this number and 
 strengthen the leaven of loving-kindness. This 
 work summons our best powers, to which every- 
 one should consecrate ability and time. The 
 smug self-satisfaction of the average church- 
 member is pathetic. Not many have really 
 grasped the meaning of discipleship, which means 
 to take up the cross daily and to follow Christ. 
 Most of them think that they have discharged 
 their obligations when they attend the church ser- 
 vice, provided nothing else interferes, and when 
 they contribute to the support of the work, ac- 
 cording to their inclinations. Bishop McDowell, 
 in his Yale Lectures, '^Good Ministers of Jesus 
 Christ, '^ laid bare the cause of our present malady 
 in two forceful sentences. '^The churches in any 
 town are marked by the calmness, the self-re- 
 straint, the ordinariness of their consecration, the 
 humdrum of their life, the lack of daring and 
 
''All at It and Always at It'^ 99 
 
 heroism in their adventure, and the occasionalness 
 and conservatism of their positive devotion. One 
 does not like to speak of the vast and paralysing 
 unconsciousness of Jesus the Redeemer and Lord 
 of life which pervades the churches that bear his 
 name, the unconsciousness of him which permits 
 people to go on day by day as if he were not/' 
 Let the faithful rouse themselves to a sense of 
 their exacting responsibility and take no rest from 
 prayer and from toil, until the church shall always 
 and everywhere do the work of evangelism. 
 
 It is acknowledged by everyone that the minis- 
 ter must be a pastor and keep in close touch with 
 his people and be quickly at their side in times of 
 trouble. Doctor R. F. Horton in his moving 
 ** Autobiography, '' refers to this part of minister- 
 ial work in most impressive terms. * * Often I have 
 visited for four or fiYe hours at a time, until I 
 was quite spent, and my tongue could do no more. 
 For twenty years I have kept up this practice. 
 . . . For some unexplained reason this part of a 
 minister 's work is always laborious and uncongen- 
 ial, and a thousand excuses are at hand for sur- 
 rendering it. But facing it invitd Minerva, week 
 by week for many years, I have come to regard it 
 as the indispensable function of successful church 
 work.'' But there is another side to this ques- 
 tion which must be reckoned with in order that 
 success may be complete. Pastoral work must 
 also be undertaken by the members of the church, 
 
lOO Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 and visits made in the homes, not only of those 
 who are congenial, but also of those who are not 
 quite so agreeable. If preachers find it to be 
 arduous, the laity will not find it to be different, 
 but it is the kind of work that is worthwhile and 
 which has rich compensations. **If ye love them 
 that love you, what reward have ye? do not even 
 the publicans the samef As Christians, it is 
 our privilege to love the unlovely, and to do good 
 to both the just and the unjust, for we pattern 
 our lives after the higher standards of our 
 Heavenly Father. Think of some of the benefits 
 from such work. Some have got out of the way 
 of coming to church. An informal visit from one 
 or two church members will at least get them to 
 feel that they are not forgotten, and it may rouse 
 them to a sense of their negligence and -win them 
 back. Others are sick or in difficulty of one sort 
 or another. It is expected that the minister will 
 visit them, but it is not supposed that anyone 
 else will do so. All the more reason why a call 
 of sympathy and friendship will be welcome. 
 Some feel that they are slighted or that they are 
 not wanted, and that nobody cares for them, be- 
 cause perchance they are poor and cannot give 
 much. Naturally they are sensitive and need at- 
 tention. Then there are people who move from 
 one town to another, who often lose interest in 
 the church in their new place of residence. Their 
 support might be enlisted by a friendly visit. Let 
 
''All at It and Always at It'' loi 
 
 the stranger be made welcome into our church 
 home, not only when he happens to attend but 
 before he does so and afterwards. What a won- 
 derful uplift will come into the lives of these folk 
 by the quiet and interested notice which they re- 
 ceive. Be pleasant and do not act like Job's 
 comforters. If you go to the sick, do not add to 
 their troubles by discussing the ills of life and 
 going into all manner of blood-curdling details. 
 Always remember that you are a representative 
 of Jesus Christ and his church. Have the evan- 
 gelical temper and graces. Show the joy of the 
 Christian life. 
 
 What a fine opportunity will thus be given you 
 to speak a word for the church and also put in a 
 plea for the Saviour, as the occasion may suggest 
 and your common-sense may direct. How often 
 we hear it said that the only time church people 
 make visits is when they want cake or cash ! This 
 gives the impression that the church is a parasite 
 living on others, when it really should be a friend 
 living for others. In such a campaign of visita- 
 tion it is generally best for two to go together, to 
 guard against discouragements. This was the 
 plan when the seventy were sent forth, and it had 
 good results. In this way we can talk up the 
 church, and it will become favourably known as 
 friendly and sociable, made up of members who 
 are actually interested in people for their own 
 sake. Such a church can exercise an extensive 
 
I02 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 influence in the community. Its power will in- 
 crease from more to more as its members are 
 quickened by the fires of faith, the allegiance of 
 loyalty and the enthusiasm of friendship, to min- 
 ister to the needs of people. The demands for 
 such service will multiply after the war, so that 
 now is the time to get ready. 
 
 " Master, let me walk with thee 
 In lowly paths of service free; 
 Teach me thy secret; let me bear 
 The strain of toil, the fret of care. 
 
 Help me the slow of heart to move 
 By some clear, winning word of love; 
 Teach me the wayward feet to stay, 
 And guide them in the homeward way." 
 
CHAPTER NINE 
 
 THE NEEDED REVIVAL. 
 
 4 NY reference to revivals generally brings 
 r\ to mind methods of appeal with their emo- 
 tional accompaniments. We think of ex- 
 citement and commotion and eager urgency, with 
 exhibitions of hysteria, animated singing, vigor- 
 ous exhortations, altar services, enquiry rooms, 
 raising of hands for prayer, and other expressions 
 which have been invariably associated with re- 
 vival meetings. There also come to mind the in- 
 evitable reactions, after the physical, mental and 
 spiritual strain and the tragic lapses of those who 
 made the profession but had not the stability for 
 fidelity. Such a season of summer heat is accept- 
 able to many, who prefer its continuance the year 
 round. They forget that just as a single season 
 is not good for the world of nature, so also it is 
 unfavourable to growth in the spiritual world. 
 They seem to be like Peter who desired to remain 
 on the Mount of Transfiguration, not realising 
 that that was a special experience to fit him and 
 the other disciples, as well as the Master, for the 
 difficult duties at the foot of the mountain. The 
 temporary upheaval of a revival is necessary at 
 different periods. The church has repeatedly 
 
 103 
 
I04 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 fallen from the levels of spiritual experience and 
 activity, which should be its normal condition. 
 Such decadence and lethargy are due to many 
 causes. Jesus anticipated these depressions, and 
 earnestly called on his disciples to watch and pray, 
 lest they yield to the temptations of ^^the world, 
 the flesh and the devil. '* Failure to resist evil 
 produces spiritual paralysis. Concentrated ef- 
 forts must then be put forth to arrest the attention 
 of people who have become religiously indifferent 
 or have got into a rut, or are careless, that they 
 might turn their thoughts towards a godly man- 
 ner, living worthy of the gospel of redemption. 
 The influence of such revival activities is on 
 record. In the eighteenth century. New England 
 was the scene of a remarkable movement under 
 the quiet but intense preaching of Jonathan 
 Edwards, when vast multitudes were stirred and 
 quickened and turned to God for mercy. So pro- 
 found were the effects of this revival that the fire 
 leaped across the ocean and roused Great Britain. 
 John Wesley himself was deeply moved as he read 
 the story of this extraordinary outburst of re- 
 ligious fervour and zeal. The evangelical revival 
 in England was another notable movement, which 
 followed on the heels of the work inaugurated by 
 the Wesleys, Wliitefield and their colleagues. 
 Another of the historic revivals was in Kentucky, 
 which swept men of the vilest character into the 
 kingdom of God and cleansed social conditions 
 
The Needed Revival 105 
 
 which were like the Augean stables. Yet another 
 of these ^^imes of refreshing'^ came with Moody 
 and Sankey, who conducted great missions in the 
 United States and Great Britain, leaving per- 
 manent results, not only in quickened lives, but in 
 institutions like the Northfield schools and sum- 
 mer conferences, the Student Volunteer movement 
 and other forms of Christian advance. There 
 have been other revivals operating on a smaller 
 scale, but their characteristics have been about the 
 same as the wider-reaching manifestations of the 
 divine Spirit. It is true that in many cases the 
 appeal was to the emotions. The feelings of fear 
 were roused by the emphatic declarations concern- 
 ing death, judgment and punishment, and the in- 
 sistent call to an immediate surrender to Christ, 
 on peril of eternal disaster. The preaching of 
 hell was not always of the gruesome type of 
 Jonathan Edwards, although some modern evan- 
 gelists would not hesitate to endorse the very 
 words of the Northampton preacher: ^^The God 
 that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one 
 holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the 
 fire abhors you. It is nothing but his hand that 
 holds you from falling into the fire every moment ; 
 it is to be ascribed to nothing else that you did 
 not go to hell last night; and there is no other 
 reason why you have not dropped into hell since 
 you arose in the morning.'' It is a strange sort 
 of Christian who would rejoice with Edwards, 
 
io6 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 who said: ^^The sight of hell torments will exalt 
 the happiness of the saints for ever; it will give 
 them a more lively relish. ' ' 
 
 To speak of hypnotic suggestion is not to belittle 
 the revival but rather to seek a clearer under- 
 standing of it. Many have responded, under the 
 spell of the atmosphere created by the revivalist, 
 stirred by the decisions made, and the ecstatic 
 jubilations of those who entered into peace 
 and joy. The movement thereby gathered force 
 by the multiplication of converts. In not a few 
 cases, the physical excitement was neither ethical 
 nor spiritual; and this explains why some lost 
 their grip and fell into a worse state than they 
 were before they came under the influence of the 
 revival. What Principal George Adam Smith 
 wrote of the work of Moody and Sankey, in his 
 **Life of Henry Drummond,'' applies equally well 
 to other protracted meetings. ^^Tliis mission 
 lifted thousands and tens of thousands of persons 
 already trained in religion to a more clear and 
 decided consciousness of their Christianity. It 
 baptised crowds in the Spirit of Jesus and opened 
 the eyes of innumerable men and women to the 
 reality of the great facts of repentance and con- 
 version, to the possibility of self-control and of 
 peace by God^s Spirit. We have admired the 
 organisation of its converts. The young men 
 who came under its influence are now in middle 
 life, and to-day one can point to ministers in many 
 
The Needed Revival 107 
 
 churches, and to laymen in charge of the munici- 
 pal and social interests of almost every town, 
 who were first roused to faith and first enlisted in 
 the cause of God and of their fellow-men by the 
 evangelists of 1873-75/' On the other hand, there 
 were some undesirable features. *'The idealism 
 of the movement, the emphasis which it laid on 
 general principles and the speed with which mul- 
 titudes were aroused to the conviction of these, 
 conspired with the general excitement to destroy, 
 in a certain class of minds, all sense for facts, and 
 to corrupt their conscience for accuracy/' One 
 serious temptation of this sanguine evangelical- 
 ism was *'to ignore all religious experience which 
 lay outside the definite theology of the movement, 
 and a stubborn refusal to recognise the manifest 
 fruits of God's Spirit apart from the formulas 
 and processes by which its converts had arrived 
 at the truth. . . . The Spirit of our God works 
 among us in many other ways than by * revivals' 
 and church services, and the evangelical move- 
 ment which Messrs. Moody and Sankey did so 
 much to reinforce has required every iota of the 
 influence of science to teach it tolerance, accuracy 
 and fearlessness of facts, and all the strength of 
 the socialist movement to reawaken within it that 
 sense of civic and economic duty by which the 
 older evangelicalism of Wilberforce, Chalmers 
 and Shaftesbury was so nobly distinguished." No 
 one would call this an unfair criticism. 
 
io8 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 All things considered, it must be acknowledged 
 that this particular type of revival exercises a 
 limited influence at the present day. Even the 
 Welsh revival which was the most significant of 
 recent years produced very disappointing results. 
 In proportion to the efforts expended, with the 
 extensive preliminary advertising and prepara- 
 tion, most of the modern evangelistic campaigns 
 have produced very disappointing fruit. It is not 
 that this method of conversion is discredited, so 
 much as it is really ineffectual. Let us beware of 
 the ^^ wretched apotheosis of custom which has 
 throttled the growth of Christ's Kingdom on 
 earth, more than all unbelief put together.'* 
 
 " New times demand new measures and new men, 
 The world advances, and in time outgrows 
 The laws that in our father's days were best; 
 And doubtless, after us, some purer scheme 
 Will be shaped out by wiser men than we, 
 Made wiser by the steady growth of truth." 
 
 At the risk of being misunderstood, it must be 
 said that one of the most serious perils of the 
 modern church comes from the abnormal invasion 
 by evangelists. It is an appeal to the spectacular 
 and the sensational, with methods that are not 
 only artificial, but which savour far too much of 
 cant and claptrap. An evangelist had been se- 
 cured for a town. The usual preliminaries being 
 over, the people began to pray, and at their meet- 
 ings decisions for Christ coromenced. "When the 
 
The Needed Revival 109 
 
 evangelist heard of it, he promptly wired the com- 
 mittee : ^^Hold the work in check till I come.'* If 
 the efforts pnt forth by Christian people, prior to 
 the coming of the evangelist, were given, under 
 the leadership of their own pastors and infused 
 by prayer, we believe that greater and more per- 
 manent results would be secured. The fact is 
 that a revival cannot be worked up; it must be 
 prayed down. 
 
 Let us however not conclude that the day of 
 revivals is over. A different kind of spiritual 
 awakening has also appeared at several periods 
 in the church's history. It has not only been 
 more comprehensive in its appeal but more con- 
 structive in its effects. It has not been marked 
 by spasmodic undertakings, at high pressure, but 
 it has gone forward according to the law of de- 
 velopment by a series of consecutive and consis- 
 tent efforts from day to day. Those who prefer 
 the method of revolution with its violent dis- 
 turbances may not be satisfied with the course 
 of evolution. Both have nevertheless operated in 
 the world, and the method of evolution has really 
 achieved more than that of revolution. This is 
 increasingly in evidence, even in these days of the 
 War and of cataclysmic events. It moreover calls 
 for definite conditions. "We have seen in previous 
 chapters that the church is at a low ebb spiritually. 
 There is much movement without momentum. The 
 practice of prayer is considered as of doubtful 
 
no Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 value. The necessity for Christian unity is con- 
 ceded by all but when it comes to a practical ex- 
 pression, so many difficulties raise their heads, 
 inspired by bigotry, ecclesiasticism, social differ- 
 ences and the like. The day of genuine fellow- 
 ship, determined by spiritual affinity, is thus 
 indefinitely postponed. We have only to think 
 of industrial and civic conditions to see what a 
 veritable jungle of undergrowth must be cleared 
 away before we can think of Christian fraternity 
 in the all-round terms of Jesus. The miseries of 
 the poor are intolerable and an affront to Chris- 
 tianity. The situation thus calls for radical 
 changes and speedy redress in the matter of 
 environment and other influences which tell on 
 character and destiny. With the vision of a 
 prophet. Bishop Franklin Spencer Spalding re- 
 peatedly emphasised the imperative demand for 
 the recognition of this truth. He once said: 
 *^ Behind all the movement for social uplift outside 
 the religious organisations to-day, is a philosophy 
 which is as yet unappropriated by the church, and 
 yet which is, I believe, true. It is based upon 
 the fact that environment has most to do with 
 the making of the product, and that therefore the 
 chief work of any organisation desiring success 
 must be to create right conditions." Other 
 leaders of thought, with equal force have declared 
 the same truth and the phrase, *' social evangel- 
 ism/' points to the direction in which the needed 
 
The Needed Revival ill 
 
 revival of religion will find one of its manifes- 
 tations. 
 
 Indeed, the very content of the Christian mes- 
 sage must be reconsidered and restated, in view 
 of the radical changes in the world of thought and 
 life. *^ Invective and condemnation,'' says Henry 
 Churchill King, ^*do not answer questions, nor 
 does mere dogmatic repetition of old forms of 
 statement. To keep now the same great Chris- 
 tian truths real to ourselves, and to be able to 
 make them real to others, we must have some 
 degree of restatement." We may protest as we 
 please against the fantastic religious cults of our 
 time, but we cannot deny that they came into 
 existence and continue to flourish because the 
 church had not kept pace with the changes created 
 by science, psychology, philosophy and social 
 ethics. The signal principle of development, 
 known as the law of evolution, has revolutionised 
 thought. Doctor Frank Ballard in ' ' The Rational 
 Way to Spiritual Revival," well says: ^^The plea 
 for growth is the only true conservatism ; because 
 there is no other possible way of preserving what 
 of value has been handed down to us. ' ' The truth 
 of the Fatherhood of God has received much light 
 from the science of comparative religion, which 
 makes all the more noteworthy the teaching of 
 Jesus. If we accept it fully and apply it honestly, 
 our understanding of mankind will be radically 
 changed, our attitude to our fellows will become 
 
112 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 fraternal and the falsities and inconsistencies of 
 many of our practices will be exposed. We will 
 further see that sin is defiance of the law of love, 
 under which all must live, who acknowledge the 
 Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man. 
 Loyalty to the Master whom we serve will con- 
 strain us to uphold his leadership and control in 
 every sphere of life. The simplicity of the Chris- 
 tianity of the New Testament is so refreshingly 
 unlike the complications of theological and ecclesi- 
 astical Christianity, that we must often strain 
 more than a point to see wherein the two are 
 related. The essence of the Christian message 
 really consists of a spiritual disposition, whose 
 ardent devotion to God is equalled by a zealous 
 service of man, in the name of the one Mediator 
 and only Saviour Jesus Christ. The Christian 
 life is a growth in grace and knowledge. An in- 
 crease of the knowledge of God and of life will 
 then deepen the evangelical experience and pro- 
 duce a character of developing Christlikeness, 
 which will insistently and consistently make 
 Christ the common centre of unity, the fruitful 
 generator of vitality and the inspiring creator of 
 personality. 
 
 The variety of Christian types is due to the 
 differences of temperament. Some are prevail- 
 ingly emotional, others are of the intellectual cast, 
 while not a few are volitional. It is a common- 
 place of thought that no two people are alike, and 
 
The Needed Revival 113 
 
 yet how often this elemental +ruth is overlooked 
 when the appeal is made foi Christiai) decision. 
 **By their fruits they shall be known/ ^ constitutes 
 the final test of worth. As long as it can be satis- 
 fied, it makes little difference whether the conver- 
 sion was the result of emotionalism, rationalism 
 or volitionalism. What matters it if one comes 
 into the kingdom by a sudden conversion, or an- 
 other enters by a gradual change I They are both 
 the works of divine grace. If two liners enter 
 port and are securely anchored, the one that had 
 a tempestuous voyage may receive more sym- 
 pathy but not any more approval than the other 
 one which had a relatively calm voyage. The 
 attempt to standardise the Christian life, as to its 
 emotional manifestations, is to turn away from 
 the essential to the incidental. Such a tendency 
 might well expose one to the censure of Jesus, 
 who spoke of those shortsighted folk, *^who strain 
 out the gnat and swallow the camel. ' ' There can 
 never be any uniform Christian experience, any 
 more than there is any depressing uniformity in 
 nature. *^The communion of saints is not merely 
 the reproduction but the verification of experi- 
 ence.'' If we can be delivered ^^from the tyranny 
 of the subjective and emotional,'' there will come 
 to us a larger toleration of forms of religious life 
 unlike ours. God who shows his versatility in the 
 realm of nature is also gloriously versatile in the 
 regions of grace. Let us then salute everyone 
 
114 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 who has the marks of Christ, regardless of the 
 place and the manner in which they received them. 
 Such is the opulence of divine grace. 
 
 The results of the revival here considered are 
 calculated to affect human life in its entirety. The 
 Reformation protested, in the interest of individ- 
 ualism, against 'Hhe excessive solidarity char- 
 acteristic of the medieval mind." The pendulum 
 has since swung to the other extreme, and now we 
 are called upon to accentuate the rights and duties 
 of the individual in his social relations with other 
 individuals. It is the summons to Christianise 
 the social order, which means, in the words of 
 Professor Rauschenbusch, ^'bringing it into har- 
 mony with the ethical convictions which we iden- 
 tify with Christ. '^ It must begin with making 
 more of the corporate life of each local church as 
 a Christian fraternity, and of co-operation with 
 other churches in the community, to make vivid 
 and real the message and mission of Jesus Christ 
 through his followers, who have consecrated them- 
 selves to the work of influencing and directing 
 their several communities towards God and good- 
 ness, with all that it implies of justice, purity, 
 honour, for the sake of humanitarianism. The 
 processes by which these desirable blessings are 
 to be reached will not be cataclysmic but construc- 
 tive. They will work from within and not be 
 operations from without. Less will be made of 
 emotionalism and more of education, in the nur- 
 
The Needed Revival 115 
 
 ture and culture of the virtues and graces which 
 adorn character and beautify conduct. Spasmodic 
 efforts need not therefore be discounted. There 
 will continue to be a place for such activities, at 
 least until the leaven of Christian truth has 
 moulded society. We shall however rely far 
 more earnestly on the attempts to awaken people 
 to a sense of the realities, the vitalities, the rich 
 privileges and the large responsibilities of de- 
 voted Christian living. 
 
 The more popular revival practices may doubt- 
 less stop the leakage in the church for a time; 
 but they really evade the problem how to secure 
 steady and continuous accessions of those who 
 will not only enter the church but remain in it, to 
 live ** soberly, righteously and godly,'' and walk 
 worthy of their vocation as fully-fledged Chris- 
 tians. But if we are to make headway in these 
 healthy directions, there must be a quickening of 
 faith in God the Holy Spirit, who speaks not with 
 the accent of the first century or the eighteenth 
 century, but of the twentieth century, urging us to 
 face all the facts and make the conditions for the 
 favourable coming of God to a world, distracted 
 and desolated by war and by the godless passions 
 of men. Let our preparation make us more sensi- 
 tive to the leadings of the divine Spirit. We shall 
 then be purged of prejudice, informed in mind as 
 to our own times, enlightened in spirit as to the 
 needs and strengthened to accept the challenge 
 
Ii6 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 and make it possible for Christ to have the pre- 
 eminence. ' ' There are diversities of gifts, but the 
 same Spirit. And there are diversities of min- 
 istrations and the same Lord. And there are 
 diversities of workings, but the same God, who 
 worketh all things in all.'' 
 
 " The old order changeth, yielding place to new, 
 And God fulfils himself in many ways. 
 Lest one good custom should corrupt the world." 
 
CHAPTER TEN 
 
 THE INDISPENSABLE BOOK 
 
 THE Bible appeals to so many sides of life 
 that it can be studied in different ways. 
 This library of sixty-six books is made np 
 of every type of literature — history, biography, 
 poetry, drama, letters, essays, proverbs, parables. 
 It deals with as many subjects as are of interest 
 to men — philosophy, psychology, sociology, proph- 
 ecy, prayer, praise, as they touch on the su- 
 preme question of religion. The Bible is pre- 
 eminently the book of religion. It is the record 
 of the self-disclosure of God to man, of the re- 
 sponse of man to God and of the resulting respon- 
 sibility between men in their individual, social, 
 national and international relationships. Think 
 of the Bible as biography, and it excels in the 
 analysis of character, taking note not only of *Hhe 
 greater men and women,'' but also of the lesser 
 known, who belong to the rank and file. Think of 
 it as history, and you find in its pages the gradual 
 unfolding of the life of nations, particularly of 
 one nation, in everything that concerns their best 
 welfare. Think of it as a volume of devotion, 
 and nowhere can you find more rapturous utter- 
 ances of the human spirit, in its ascent towards 
 
 117 
 
Il8 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 the mount of vision and triumph. The Bible has 
 only recently been recognised as a missionary 
 book, proclaiming the consolation of humanity, in 
 notes of conviction and assurance. It is also the 
 book of revivals and reformations, and a most 
 profitable study of it can be made on this subject. 
 Those interested in literature can obtain from the 
 Bible far greater benefits than from the ancient 
 classics, as Moulton has so conclusively shown in 
 his suggestive volume, ^^The Literary Study of 
 the Bible.'' This aspect of it can be supplemented 
 with great advantage by a study of the influence 
 of the Bible on literature, which impressively 
 demonstrates that these writings of power have 
 moulded the world's civilisation. This fact is 
 finely discussed, with special reference to English- 
 speaking peoples, in ^'The Bible in English Lit- 
 erature," by Doctor E. W. Work. Our study of 
 the Bible, from whatever point of view, will be 
 limited, unless we learn to regard it as the revela- 
 tion of the purpose of God for the redemption of 
 humanity. It is ^^the record of the pre-eminent 
 meetings of God with men, and the direct reflec- 
 tions of the supreme revelation in Christ." 
 
 It would save us considerable difficulty if we 
 regard this select literature from its own stand- 
 point. Many of our troubles with the Bible are 
 due to inadequate theories, which have not reck- 
 oned with all the facts. Thanks to the devoted 
 labours of modern scholarship, we are learning 
 
The Indispensable Book 119 
 
 that questions of date, authorship and literary 
 composition are incidental, and do not affect the 
 vital truths. The critical study of the Bible does 
 not lessen our appreciation and reverence of it, 
 any more than botanical study would give us less 
 pleasure and profit from flowers and plants. In 
 fact, as a result of constructive Biblical criticism, 
 we have a bigger and better Bible, because we 
 have a clearer conception of the development of 
 spiritual truth, from its dim beginnings in pre- 
 historic times up to the perfect revelation in Jesus 
 Christ. President H. C. King reminds us that, 
 ** every life of Christ worth reading, outside the 
 gospels, has been written since 1835,'' when the 
 fruits of critical scholarship began to be reaped. 
 Its significance is that, ^^this generation has given 
 to the life of Christ such direct, painstaking, his- 
 torical study as the world has never before seen ; 
 and as a consequence we are able, to an extent 
 not true of any preceding generation, to put the 
 life of Christ into its real historical setting — 
 political, intellectual, social, moral and religious 
 — and so to understand more certainly the precise 
 meaning of his acts and of his teaching.'' An- 
 other significant benefit is that since the divine 
 revelation came through the human experience of 
 elect souls, who had high commerce with God, the 
 Bible must be judged in terms of life and not of 
 logic. This means a great deal because religion 
 is a personal matter; and the experience which 
 
I20 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 grows out of it, is rich and vigorous, in the meas- 
 ure of the direct fellowship with God. 
 
 The Bible then is a criterion from experience, 
 giving us a standard by which to regulate our 
 own lives. On the other hand, it is tested by 
 human experience. We acknowledge its author- 
 ity where it finds and satisfies the needs and 
 desires of our heart. But of course, we remember 
 that our best experience, at any stage, is limited, 
 with vast possessions of spiritual blessing yet to 
 be appropriated. We shall however find that at 
 every advance the Bible maintains its leadership. 
 We have found some parts of this precious volume 
 more attractive because more helpful than other 
 parts. Without hardly being aware of it, we ac- 
 cept one of the canons of criticism and treat the 
 book with historical and spiritual perspective. 
 For instance, literary experts first declare as to 
 the distinction of Shakespeare, Milton, Goethe, 
 Emerson, Browning and other leading lights of 
 literature; but their word alone is not final. 
 These writers have won their place by reason of 
 intrinsic merit, which is recognised by the people 
 at large. In the same way, the authority of the 
 Bible is not finally determined by the findings of 
 councils or the conclusions of scholars, but by the 
 consensus of testimony of Christian men and 
 women, who have used the book and find in their 
 own experience that it has met their needs. In 
 this sense, the Bible must be discovered by each 
 
The Indispensable Book 1 21 
 
 generation for itself. We must not depend on 
 tradition although this voice of the past is not 
 to be discarded. Just as second-hand religion is 
 worthless, for purposes of testimony, so the ac- 
 ceptance of the Bible as the Word of God, on 
 the strength of ecclesiastical verdicts, carries no 
 weight, unless we have found out for ourselves 
 that it is *'a lamp unto our feet and light unto 
 our path. ' ' It is the personal note that gives such 
 force to the meditations and prayers of the Golden 
 Psalm which has reference to the law. But what 
 is true of the one hundred and nineteenth psalm 
 as a testimony from experience is equally true of 
 the whole Bible, whose real worth is endorsed by 
 living witnesses. Well might Sabatier say: **It 
 is the book above all books, light of the conscience, 
 bread of the soul, leaven of all reforms. It is the 
 lamp that hangs from the arched roof of the sanc- 
 tuary, to give light to those who are seeking God. 
 The destiny of holiness on earth is irrevocably 
 linked with the destiny of the Bible. ' ' 
 
 The chief use of the Bible is for the culture of 
 the religious life and the growth of character. 
 Protestantism does not make as much of books of 
 devotion as does Roman Catholicism. The reason 
 is that the Bible is its pre-eminent book of devo- 
 tion. ^' Every Scripture inspired of God is also 
 profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, 
 for instruction which is in righteousness : that the 
 man of God may be complete, furnished completely 
 
122 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 unto every good work.'' Such a service has been 
 rendered by the Bible wherever its voice has been 
 heard; but we are compelled to confess that it has 
 often been muffled. Phillips Brooks correctly ob- 
 served that, '^religious people read thin, super- 
 ficial books of religious sentiment, but do not meet 
 face to face the strong, exacting, masculine pages 
 of their Bibles." The most subtle dangers to 
 which the church is exposed come from ignorance 
 of the Bible. There is no other substitute as an 
 aid to the best growth in character and influence. 
 *'I have been seriously perplexed to know,'' said 
 Professor Huxley, ^^how the religious feeling 
 which is the essential basis of conduct can be kept 
 up without the use of the Bible." Doctor R. F. 
 Horton once remarked, ^^It is the unhappy de- 
 lusion of the church that it knows the teaching 
 of Jesus." How we can call ourselves the dis- 
 ciples of the Master and yet have so confused an 
 understanding of his truth, is not only marvellous 
 but tragic. Herein is one reason why such a small 
 percentage of Christians bear their testimony in 
 personal work to lead others to Christ. If we are 
 familiar with the redemptive purpose of God as 
 interpreted by prophets and apostles, an increas- 
 ing appreciation of its message will inevitably 
 constrain us to share the blessings of salvation 
 with others. 
 
 Wlierever the Bible is read with enlightenment 
 and earnestness, there cannot be damage from 
 
The Indispensable Book 123 
 
 sectarianisms and fanaticisms. All the fantastic 
 and one-sided cults are based on erroneous con- 
 ceptions of the method and character of revela- 
 tion. History is treated as allegory, prophecy 
 is confused with mantic prognostications, num- 
 bers are made to unravel unfathomable mysteries, 
 apocalypse is regarded with gross literalness. 
 Alas, the Bible is still read by those who wrest it 
 to their own confusion and undoing. The Holy 
 Spirit was not promised to give us the truth but 
 to lead us into the truth. Such illumination does 
 not dispense with the exercise of our own facul- 
 ties, but makes it all the more obligatory that we 
 use reason, conscience, heart and will in becom- 
 ing directly and practically acquainted with the 
 oracles of God. We hold, at least in theory, that 
 an intelligent and regular study of the Book is 
 vital to Christian life, but the fact is that the 
 personal use of the Bible is far from common 
 among us. We treat it with respect, and praise 
 it, and present it as gifts bound in morocco with 
 gilt edges. We give it a central place on the 
 parlour table and even have a vase of flowers upon 
 it. All this is ornamental but not useful, and 
 nothing really worth while comes out of it. For- 
 tunately, this is not the only sort of treatment 
 which is meted out to the Book of life. 
 
 When the apostle Paul was driven out of Thes- 
 salonica, he went to the neighbouring town of 
 Berea. Here he was given a cordial welcome. 
 
124 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 The atmosphere was cahn and judicious, free from 
 ignorant antagonism. '^ These were more noble 
 than those in Thessalonica, in that they received 
 the word with all readiness of mind, examining 
 the Scriptures daily, whether these things were 
 so. Many of them therefore believed.'' The 
 reference is to the word of the gospel, telling of 
 Jesus the Messiah and of his work of redemption 
 from sin. The spirit and attitude of these people 
 are worthy of our imitation in the use of the 
 Bible, which in a large sense is the Word of God. 
 The Bereans were noble in character; they were 
 serious, open-minded, unprejudiced, seeking the 
 truth and ready to welcome it from whichever 
 source it came. The fact that Paul and Silas 
 were not ecclesiastically authorised made no dif- 
 ference to these enquirers. It was more impor- 
 tant to give attention to what they said, especially 
 as there was a note of conviction and confidence 
 in their speech. **I will hear what God the Lord 
 will speak,'' is a good resolution with regard to 
 the Bible, for it implies willingness to give time 
 and thought to its study in all of its bearings. 
 When Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians, 
 he exhorted them to ^^ prove all things, hold fast 
 that which is good." Just as the Bereans gave 
 themselves to examination of the Scriptures of 
 the Old Testament, so should we treat the whole 
 Bible. *^ God's message to the human soul," to 
 quote the apt title of a discerning volume by 
 
The Indispensable Book 125 
 
 Doctor John Watson, challenges our most cordial 
 consideration. Like the truth, it is not afraid of 
 the light because it is not clad in the garments 
 of darkness. 
 
 There are some necessary qualifications which 
 are demanded of every Bible student, (a) Intel- 
 ligence must be shown by the exercise of thought 
 and the cultivation of memory. Intellectual effort 
 of the best is none too good, to understand the 
 mind of God which is expounded in the Bible, and 
 which has been made accessible to us by the 
 great scholars of the church. (b) Confidence 
 must be given to the testimony of the Scriptures. 
 Think of the noble company of men and women 
 who were directed, comforted and inspired to 
 faithful living, as they accepted the promises, 
 heeded the precepts and followed the program for 
 world redemption, found in the Bible. This book 
 has never failed anyone, the leading scholars and 
 historians being witness thereto; and their ver- 
 dicts have been confirmed by the saints, who in a 
 question like this always have the last word, (c) 
 Perseverance is another quality to be cultivated. 
 The Bible must be read daily. It is like the 
 manna which had to be gathered day by day. It 
 is like the mercies of God which are new every 
 morning. Those v/ho know, declare that the regu- 
 lar study of the Book brings spiritual replenish- 
 ment and refreshment, unlike that obtained from 
 any other book, (d) The whole Bible, if read at 
 
126 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 the rate of a chapter a day, can be finished in two 
 years and nine months. But we are not concerned 
 in getting through the book so much as getting its 
 ideas and ideals, in order that they might govern 
 our lives. No haphazard reading will do this, but 
 only a plan of study can secure the best results. 
 There must be what Bishop Handley C. G. Moule 
 called continuous **under-surface'' study of the 
 Bible, or what an ancient writer described as 
 *^ burrowing in'' the Word of God. Read it in 
 sympathy with its high ideals and be inspired by 
 them. Read it with reverence, intent on hearing 
 the voice of God who speaks directly through its 
 pages. Read it intensively. Take the gospel of 
 Mark or the epistle of James and concentrate on 
 it, till you understand its thought and are pos- 
 sessed by its spirit. Read it historically. If you 
 select the first part of Isaiah, find out the social, 
 political and religious conditions, with the help of 
 such a volume like that by George Adam Smith in 
 the Expositor's Bible series. You will then not 
 only understand the burning message of the 
 prophet but also understand how to apply it to 
 your own life and times. If you select the epistle 
 to the Galatians, learn of the temperament and 
 circumstances of that people and the temptations 
 before which they fell, as discussed by Adeney in 
 the New-Century Bible series or by Dods in his 
 ** Introduction to the New Testament." You 
 will then appreciate the vigorous appeals of 
 
The Indispensable Book 127 
 
 the apostle and know liow to apply the teachings 
 of this letter to the life of nominal, impulsive or 
 steady Christians in the modern church. Of 
 course, this method of study means work, but then 
 no one has ever stumbled upon truth. The 
 promise is **seek and ye shall find.'' This is 
 true of discoverers like Columbus, Stanley and 
 Nansen; of scientists like Faraday and Darwin; 
 of naturalists like Audubon and Burroughs; of 
 inventors like Edison and Marconi. It is also 
 true of those who investigate in the spiritual 
 realm, whether they are conspicuous Biblical 
 scholars like A. B. Davidson, Frances Brown, S. 
 R. Driver, J. H. Moulton or ordinary folk like the 
 most of us. (e) To all these qualifications, we 
 must add the practice of prayer. The Bible is a 
 spiritual book and its teachings can be spiritually 
 discerned only by those who have the devotional 
 frame of mind to recognise the presence of God, 
 not only in the pages of the Scriptures, but also 
 in the life of every day. Such an approach to the 
 Bible will lead to the discovery of untold riches, 
 which are there to be mined by those who employ 
 determination, diligence and devotion, (f ) Let it 
 be further said that how much to study or how 
 to study largely depends on individual circum- 
 stances. You may observe the morning watch 
 or the evening hour. It makes little difference 
 whether you get your lunch at a buffet counter or 
 seated at a table, so long as your hunger is satis- 
 
128 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 fied. The same is true as to feeding your soul 
 from day to day, which may be done on the train, 
 in the boat or in the quiet of your home. Be sure, 
 however, that you are really nourished. 
 
 A knowledge of the Bible is a wonderful help 
 in times of need. When you are dismayed, think 
 of Elijah's experience; when perplexed, recall the 
 guidance given to Abraham; when answers to 
 prayer are delayed, remind yourself of Jesus in 
 Gethsemane or Paul supplicating for the removal 
 of the thorn in the flesh; when religiously indif- 
 ferent or at a low state of spiritual temperature, 
 turn to the Psalms, or the gospels, or the book of 
 Acts which tell of the enthusiasm of the early 
 Christians in the face of harsh handicaps. One 
 argument for the excellence of the Bible is that 
 sermons on Shakespeare, Browning, Tennyson 
 and current topics quickly run their course. But 
 preaching which is based on the Bible never palls, 
 and we never fail to rejoice in the unadulterated 
 riches of the wisdom and love of God. In review- 
 ing his ministry of thirty years, Doctor John 
 Watson said that he found that while people ap- 
 preciate literature in the preachers, they do not 
 desire literature for the subjects of the pulpits; 
 and that, ^' while they do not undervalue infor- 
 mation on the Bible, they are ten thousand times 
 more grateful for the inspiration of the book.'' 
 Yet another argument is that every great revival 
 has been preceded by a rediscovery of the Bible 
 
The Indispensable Book 129 
 
 and the placing of it in the hands of the laity. 
 John Wycliffe with his popular translation of the 
 Scriptures was a terror to corrupt ecclesiastics. 
 John Huss made vigorous onslaughts on Roman- 
 ism with the aid of the Bible. The edition of the 
 Greek New Testament by Erasmus was a mighty 
 weapon in the hands of Luther. The German 
 translation by the great reformer himself helped 
 considerably in the spread of the principles of 
 Protestantism. Tyndale 's version of the English 
 Bible, followed by the King James version pre- 
 pared the way for the evangelical revival. And 
 last but not least, the work of our modern scholars 
 has made it possible for us to see the manifold 
 message of the Book, that it contains much more 
 than a ^^few lines of evangelical doctrine and 
 special providence*'; and to believe with Pastor 
 Eobinson, when he declared to the Pilgrim 
 Fathers, ^'i am convinced that the Lord hath yet 
 more light and truth to break forth from his holy 
 Word. ' ' The revivals of religion of a former day 
 wrought graciously among the common people. 
 This is another way of saying with Rousseau: 
 ^' 'Tis the people that compose the human race; 
 what is not people is so small a concern that it 
 is not worth the trouble of counting. '* John 
 Morley quotes this sentence in his ** Recollec- 
 tions, *' and adds, ^^ Bright put the same civilising 
 truth in homelier words w^ien he reminded us that 
 great halls and baronial castles do not make a 
 
130 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 nation: the nation in every country dwells in the 
 cottage. ' ' This is the cardinal teaching of democ- 
 racy, so decidedly set forth in the Book of the 
 evangel. Well might it be said that, ^^the Bible 
 is the true panacea for a corrupt Christianity and 
 the best bulwark of a holy religion.'' Become 
 familiar with its message. Be faithful to its man- 
 dates. Bear its truths to others. Give it a full 
 chance, and it shall yet win trophies for the 
 Saviour and Lord of us all. 
 
 " Welcome dear book, soul's Joy and Food ! The feast 
 Of Spirits: Heav'n extracted lyes in thee. 
 Thou art life's Charter, The Dove's spotless nest 
 Where souls are hatch'd unto Eternitie. 
 
 In thee the hidden stone, the Manna lies; 
 
 Thou art the great Elixir rare and Choice j 
 The Key that opens to all Mysteries, 
 
 xTie Word in Characters, God in the Vofce;"" 
 
CHAPTER ELEVEN 
 
 THE EVANGELISTIC TEACHEE 
 
 THE Sunday school is one of the greatest 
 agencies of the church for the cultivation 
 of the Christian life. Its work is done 
 chiefly among those who normally are most re- 
 ceptive to the Christian appeal. About eighty 
 per cent of those who make confession of Christ 
 are under twenty-five years of age. Most of them 
 are between the years of twelve and eighteen. 
 Eighty per cent of those who have joined the 
 church came from the Sunday school. But here 
 is the arresting fact that it is only twenty per 
 cent of the members of the school who have taken 
 this stand. Many who drop out of the school 
 belong to the critical period of life, between twelve 
 and twenty-one, when life decisions made are most 
 decisive, and when youth sorely needs counsel 
 and guidance. Through failure of the Sunday 
 school at this strategic place, many who reach the 
 parting of the ways are lost to the church. If 
 they are to be won back at all, it is through the 
 intensive efforts of revival activity, with its good 
 and evil associations. A business that regularly 
 fails, where most profit is expected, is clearly con- 
 
 131 
 
132 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ducted on a wrong basis. This chronic leakage 
 betrays lack of efficiency and economy. 
 
 There are many reasons for this alarming sit- 
 uation. The chief one is that the church has not 
 yet grasped Christ ^s conception of childhood. He 
 held that all children belong to God. Brushing 
 aside the officious interference of his disciples on 
 one occasion, he said: ^* Suffer the little children, 
 and forbid them not to come unto me : for of such 
 is the Kingdom of heaven.'' Bishop William 
 Taylor was in accord with this sentiment of the 
 Master, when he held up an African child before 
 an American audience and said, ^' There are no 
 heathen children." He meant that by nature 
 none of them are aliens from God, and that it 
 is we who by our ignorance and neglect alienate 
 them from the heavenly Father. ^'The child 
 should grow up a Christian, and never know him- 
 self as being otherwise.'' So wrote Horace Bush- 
 nell in his thought-provoking book, ^^ Christian 
 Nurture." His idea was that our purpose must 
 be not to save children for God, but to keep them 
 for God all their days. To be sure, we accept this 
 theory but our practice contradicts it and so we 
 belittle the importance of conserving child life 
 and we wait until adult age before putting forth 
 earnest efforts to win them for Christ. Children 
 recognise Jesus as their Friend and receive him 
 as such. The aim of religious education must 
 then be to reconstruct the purpose of each child, 
 
The Evangelistic Teacher 133 
 
 in harmony with his growing Christian intelli- 
 gence and experience. This means that there will 
 be a progressive renewing of the mind, a strength- 
 ening of the will and the forming of good habits. 
 All this will react on the character and conduct 
 of the pupil. This method further implies the 
 cultivation of life relationships in the name of our 
 Father and Saviour, whose purpose of redemptive 
 love to all mankind is thus shared by us. This 
 quiet way is doubtless not spectacular, and the 
 achievements may not be chronicled to the satis- 
 faction of ardent statisticians. But it is the final 
 result that counts, and those with the long vision 
 are the ultimate winners. 
 
 It is a commonplace that the leaders of to- 
 morrow are in the schools to-day. If the better 
 type of leadership is to be produced, it will depend 
 on the instruction and influence there wielded. 
 Wlio can say what far-reaching results will be 
 produced by your scholars'? When the Sunday 
 school teacher led Robert Morrison to Christ, that 
 obscure worker did not realise that the first step 
 was taken to open China for the gospel. The 
 teacher who led Moody to the Saviour had no 
 idea of the vast harvest of souls which would be 
 gathered by the evangelist. Well might we accept 
 the statement in the book of Daniel, according to 
 the marginal reading in the Revised Version: 
 *^The teachers shall shine as the brightness of the 
 firmament : and they that turn many to righteous- 
 
134 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ness as the stars for ever and ever." The orig- 
 inal reference is to the pious, the martyrs and the 
 genuine leaders of religion : but we can apply the 
 sentiment with equal force to teachers in the 
 Sunday school. The solution of our problem then 
 virtually lies with the teacher, who has a rare 
 opportunity in the service of the kingdom of God. 
 What the school is depends in large measure on 
 the character and qualifications of the teacher. 
 He who has the requisite ability, which is the 
 result of training, inevitably raises the standards 
 of the school. One with purpose and program 
 naturally brings others to share the vision of 
 possibility and achievement. One who is conse- 
 crated to Christ and interested in the church will 
 know both the subject of study and the object of 
 instruction, which is the pupil. Such a person 
 will follow the pedagogical method of precept 
 upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there 
 a little : and thereby find in the course of the years 
 the structure of Christian character growing in 
 balanced and beautiful proportions. Such a 
 teacher is not an artisan or day labourer insist- 
 ing on immediate pay and prompt returns; he is 
 an artist with an informed and inspired imagina- 
 tion, who builds well to-day and can afford with 
 patience to await the decision of the future. Good 
 seed cannot fail of a harvest. 
 
 It is certainly a severe indictment on the inade- 
 quate religious education imparted by the church, 
 
The Evangelistic Teacher 135 
 
 when a report like this can be made in a recent 
 volume: '^Religious Training in the School and 
 Home," by Sneath, Hodges and Tweedy. **Many 
 of our boys and girls grow up believing that re- 
 ligion has no intrinsic and necessary place in real 
 life. Those who champion it are to their minds 
 peculiar and erratic, not quite normal. The 
 supernatural, to use that much abused word, be- 
 comes to them almost synonymous with the super- 
 stitious. Anything which is tinged with the mys- 
 tical, w^hich cannot be reasoned out logically and 
 plotted geometrically and proved scientifically, is 
 negligible if not queer. Religion may belong to 
 sainthood, but they have no desire to be saints, at 
 least the kind with which art and story have made 
 them familiar. The life of Jesus is not synony- 
 mous with their ideal. In fact, the real Christ is 
 to them practically unknown. Their conception 
 of him is as unlike the original as the paintings 
 of the early Italian school or the drawings in the 
 catacombs. The Master appears in their eyes as 
 the wan ascetic, the sentimental dreamer, the 
 heavenly herald of an impractical code of ethics, 
 and a teacher of a theological system which the 
 world has outgrown. Naturally the church for 
 them ceases to function. It is a social club, a 
 purveyor of pious platitudes, apparently a com- 
 fort and a joy to the select few who are emotion- 
 ally excitable and mentally incredulous. But for 
 practical men of the world, for all thinkers fa- 
 
136 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 miliar with science and philosophy, it may safely 
 be allowed to pass out of their lives'^ (p. 30 f). 
 
 A great deal has to be unlearned before the 
 real truth is taught. Now, the great business of 
 the teacher is **to open the gates of life for the 
 pupils.'' Everything must subserve this aim. 
 *^ Whether we scan the heavens, penetrate the 
 depths of the sea, pore over the pages of books 
 or look into the minds and hearts of men, we are 
 striving after an interpretation of life." This 
 sentence from Pearson in his suggestive volume, 
 *^The Vitalised School," has reference to the 
 public school teacher, but it is equally applicable 
 to the Sunday school teacher, who must interpret 
 life according to the highest and noblest ideal of 
 Jesus. The teacher who has a trained mind, 
 which is a discerning mind, will understand and 
 appreciate the interests of each scholar. Here 
 after all is the crux of the whole matter. The 
 preacher who is more interested in his subject 
 than in his object is failing in his mission. So 
 also, the teacher who knows the lesson but does 
 not know the pupil is playing a hit or miss game. 
 One child is plastic, sanguine and quickly respon- 
 sive: another is impulsive, changeable, and at 
 times unreliable : yet another is phlegmatic, dull 
 and finds it difficult to grasp the truth, but he is 
 possessed of heroic and enduring qualities. These 
 differences are determined not only by tempera- 
 ment but also by age, sex, education and up- 
 
The Evangelistic Teacher 137 
 
 bringing. Each scholar must be treated separ- 
 ately, and we must not attempt to standardize 
 the experience but should encourage the pic- 
 turesque diversity, each according to his own 
 order. **The more one thinks of it,'^ said J. 
 Brierley, **the more plainly it appears that in all 
 regions of thought — religious, scientific, artistic, 
 literary — the question of questions, the pivot on 
 which everything turns, is personality. The per- 
 sonal life is the ultimate life, the personal interest 
 the ultimate interest.'' This is true of youth as 
 well as of adult life, for **the child is father of 
 the man." We shall fail unless we reckon with 
 all the facts. To put old heads on young shoul- 
 ders is unnatural because contrary to the laws 
 of growth and development. ' Where this is at- 
 tempted the result is only a make-believe with 
 damaging reactions on character. The child or 
 the youth should therefore be taught only what 
 will most directly benefit him and what will in 
 turn become seed for the harvest of the future 
 years. 
 
 The ultimate aim of religious teaching is to 
 secure a favourable decision for Christ and the 
 Christian life. The instruction is so framed and 
 imparted that the scholar does not merely receive 
 so much Bible information and become familiar 
 with a set of doctrines about God. He has missed 
 the mark if he does not come to know God the 
 Father as revealed in Jesus Christ, whom he also 
 
138 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 accepts as personal Saviour. Such knowledge with 
 surrender enlightens the understanding, quickens 
 the conscience and moves the will. The German 
 schools are acknowledged to have the most rigid 
 system of religious education, but it is too wooden. 
 A great deal is made of creed and catechism, with- 
 out any vital relation to character. It reminds 
 one of the high school boy who was expelled and 
 with a sense of unconscious irony said, ''I got 
 fired, but I got ninety-eight in ethics.'' There 
 should be no gap between theory and practice in 
 the matter of morals and religion. We must 
 moreover distinguish between instruction, which 
 draws out the best in a pupil, and exhortation^ 
 which expects the pupils to submit without any 
 further discussion. The first is a form of ex- 
 pression, the second is one of repression. The 
 first makes for development and initiative, the 
 second for a static and passive type of life, which 
 is always uncertain of itself and weakly dependent 
 on others. The first encourages the cultivation 
 of the Christian consciousness as the privilege of 
 Protestantism, the second makes much of author- 
 ity of the dogmatic order, and compels one to be 
 guided by rules and not by principles. 
 
 The teaching which is most effective is con- 
 tinued after the class hour. What is done during 
 the far too brief session of half an hour, more or 
 less, oftener less, must be followed up mth each 
 individual. Such is the diffidence of the average 
 
The Evangelistic Teacher 139 
 
 pupil that he will not make public confession in 
 the presence of the class. One who has had con- 
 siderable experience with young men says that 
 nowadays they are *^ strangely and obstinately 
 reticent as to their inner life.'' Imagine how em- 
 barrassing it would be to answer personal ques- 
 tions when taken off-guard. Respect for the per- 
 sonality of each pupil should show that such a 
 method is not only untimely but really evades the 
 issues. Wliere you desire to attract you alienate. 
 It is in the privacy of heart-to-heart dealing that 
 difficulties can be met, objections answered, and 
 suggestions offered, which shall pave the way for 
 the definite surrender to Christ, and for the open 
 declaration. Here is where the teacher does the 
 best work. If tactful and patient, sympathetic 
 and earnest, if a personal interest is shown in 
 everything relating to the pupil, the teacher will 
 have the joy of guiding the young life to Christ 
 and of helping him or her, to give practical ex- 
 pression to faith by joining the church. 
 
 Personal contact will introduce the teacher into 
 the pupiPs world. He will by all means become 
 acquainted with the home life and secure the intel- 
 ligent co-operation of the parents. Some may be 
 hostile, either through lack of Christian concern 
 or through inability to understand the significance 
 of the young taking a stand for Christ. Those 
 children who have Christian parents and who 
 therefore have the training of a Christian home 
 
140 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 would be more favourably disposed to make the 
 open avowal of discipleship, since they have al- 
 ways been lovers of Jesus and never knew dif- 
 ferent. Others without this privilege must be 
 dealt with according to their respective condi- 
 tions. In every case, we must be frank and fair, 
 and submit all the facts without evasion. This 
 will enable us to avoid what Professor Coe, in ** A 
 Social Theory of Religious Education/^ calls 
 '^high pressure methods that ignore the laws of 
 growth," which are ^' not only unnecessary but 
 also injurious. They are injurious because the 
 impression that they make upon children as to 
 the nature of the Christian life is untrue. It is 
 as untrue as would be the presentation to healthy 
 children of a bottle of medicine to make them 
 grow. The Christian life cannot be truthfully 
 separated, with either child or adult, from the 
 social issues that constitute the difference between 
 the mind of Christ and the love of the world. To 
 draw the child's mind away from these issues as 
 they appear before him in his own inch-by-inch 
 experience, and as the faithful Sunday school 
 teacher has to recognise them, into a relatively 
 abstract or sentimental contemplation of himself 
 or of Christ, is to counteract not to supplement 
 the sound work of religious education. '* 
 
 We should surely take advantage of the great 
 days of the church year on account of their op- 
 portune messages. Their appeal would be all 
 
The Evangelistic Teacher 141 
 
 the more conclusive because of the ** educative 
 process, '* which has prepared the scholar to enter 
 upon his inheritance, with all the social respon- 
 sibilities that accrue to it. Decision day need not 
 be one special occasion in the year, when the regu- 
 lar lesson study must be suspended. It will be 
 one of the usual and normal features of school 
 life. *^ Every day should be a day of decision 
 for every pupil according to his capacity for de- 
 cision.'' The evangelistic teacher knows the 
 evangel, which is Jesus Christ in all the wealth 
 of his redeeming grace. He has the evangelistic 
 spirit, which is love shown in patience, kindness 
 and eagerness without discouragement or dismay. 
 He further has the evangelistic purpose to win 
 every scholar for Christ and to bring every one of 
 them into personal fellowship with the Saviour. 
 He finally follows the best evangelistic method, 
 which is a friendly approach to each one with the 
 goal ever in sight. The co-operation of other 
 teachers likeminded will then help to make the 
 atmosphere for the growth of every member of 
 the school, **unto the measure of the stature of 
 the fulness of Christ. ' ' * 
 
 * I venture to refer to my book, " Personal Appeals to Sunday 
 School Workers," for a fuller discussion of every important phase 
 of this subject. 
 
CHAPTER TWELVE 
 
 THE PEKSUASIVE PKEACHER 
 
 THE triumpli of democracy will make more of 
 authority than could ever be possible under 
 any theory of autocracy or oligarchy. But 
 it is the authority of ability and merit and not 
 the doubtful authority of privilege, influence and 
 vested interests. This truth applies in a very 
 marked way to the authority of the preacher. 
 The credentials of apostolic succession, ecclesi- 
 astical sanction and churchly decorum are at best 
 but incidental issues. As Principal Forsyth 
 strongly puts it in his volume, ^^The Church and 
 the Sacraments,'' *'The church can appoint min- 
 isters, but the ministry, as an institution, is God's 
 gift to his church, like the preacher's power. No 
 power of men can make any man the oracle of 
 God. * There is no shekinah but by divine as- 
 signation.' " In the final analysis, therefore, the 
 authority of the preacher is a question of person- 
 ality. His vital and glowing experience of Christ 
 the Redeemer and Lord enables him to exercise 
 a creative ministry and he regards himself as a 
 trustee of *^the Word of New Creation." When 
 he speaks from the inner sanctuary of experience, 
 it is not only that of his own, but of the entire 
 
 142 
 
The Persuasive Preacher 143 
 
 company of Christian believers of all the cen- 
 turies. Grace therefore adorns his message and 
 it has irresistible sway. His speech is moreover 
 marked by urgency, and he is keen on imparting 
 what alone can bring spiritual relief, like *^the 
 shadow of a great rock in a weary land.'' His 
 business is not to defend Christ but to proclaim 
 him in all the wondrous sufficiency of his power 
 to save unto the uttermost. *^As it now ap- 
 pears,'' wrote John Watson in reviewing his fruit- 
 ful ministry at Sef ton Park, Liverpool, ' ' the chief 
 effort of every sermon should be to unveil Christ, 
 and the chief art of the preacher to conceal him- 
 self." 
 
 The great preachers of the church commanded 
 a hearing because they dealt with the substantial 
 facts of redemptive experience, and not with 
 speculative inferences. Paul emphasized the per- 
 sonal note, when he spoke of *^my gospel" (Rom. 
 2:16; 16:25; II Tim. 2:8). He did not imply 
 that he had any exclusive monopoly, but that he 
 had appropriated the gospel inheritance for him- 
 self and its virtue was a reality in his own life. 
 ^'But though his experience was individual, it was 
 not eccentric." He was certain that what had so 
 adequately helped him was equally able to help 
 all sinning and struggling humanity. Every 
 preacher must have this assurance, without which 
 he cannot have enthusiasm, energy and endur- 
 ance. The greatness of preaching is not deter- 
 
144 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 mined by the size of the field of labour but by the 
 spirit of the labourer. The greatest preacher fre- 
 quently had an audience of only one; but he 
 stirred that single hearer with the joy of redemp- 
 tion, that like the seed sown on good ground the 
 one was indefinitely multiplied and yielded an ex- 
 tensive harvest. Such a result was made possible 
 because the preacher believed in his hearers. 
 Oftentimes he quickened faith in those who did 
 not believe in • themselves, as in the case of the 
 Samaritan woman, Zaccheus the publican and 
 Mary Magdalene. John Morley confesses in his 
 ** Recollections, '^ that a maxim which he repeated 
 once a month or oftener was, ^^If you would love 
 mankind, you must not expect too much from 
 them.'^ With all respect to this distinguished 
 statesman, we must say that this is a form of 
 cynicism, wholly different to the buoyant optim- 
 ism of Jesus. He had full confidence in the 
 generative and regenerative power of the gospel 
 and was not disappointed. 
 
 " Speak but the word ! the Evangel shall awaken 
 Life in the lost, the hero in the slave." 
 
 Like Jesus, every preacher must have a sane 
 and balanced view of life. He should speak to 
 life imperfect, of the life perfect; to life dis- 
 tracted and disconnected, of the life united and 
 poised; to life self-centred, of the life God-pos- 
 sessed. The Master had an all-round program. 
 
The Persuasive Preacher 145 
 
 Over against social abuses, he placed social duties ; 
 and he balanced social privileges with social re- 
 sponsibilities. The ideal of the prophet concern- 
 ing the Servant of Jehovah was heartily endorsed 
 by Jesus, who completely realised it in his own 
 ministry (Luke 4:16-30). The Sermon on the 
 Mount is a summary of manifold obligation, which 
 can be discharged only by those who have the 
 experience of the beatitudes. The purpose of 
 preaching is to persuade people to accept this 
 noble ideal for their own practical guidance. Men 
 were induced to take notice of what Jesus said 
 because he gave them the impression that he knew 
 with certainty what he was talking about. His 
 whole soul went out to his hearers. They were 
 swayed by his compassion which had pity and 
 patience, by his courage with its vehemence of 
 unction, by his gladness which had not even the 
 tinge of melancholy. Those who heard him could 
 not fail to learn that religion is both real and 
 reasonable, and that its purpose is the redemp- 
 tion of all life and all of life, even of the ** peoples 
 and multitudes and nations and tongues.'' 
 
 Since all knowledge is the province of the Chris- 
 tian preacher, he must never allow himself to be 
 ** smothered by parochialism.'' He is a mes- 
 senger of Christ, whose dominion has no frontier, 
 and whose empire must extend its sway over all 
 the vocations and avocations of life. As one has 
 said, ^* Christian progress, progress with Christ at 
 
146 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 the head of it, has the promise of to-morrow and 
 of the imaginable future.'' One who has such a 
 conviction will give himself to the task of per- 
 suading men and women to decide promptly for 
 Christ. He realises that many are not alive to 
 their actual conditions and he therefore en- 
 deavours to awaken them out of sleep. The 
 mother awakens her child in the morning in one 
 way; the man is roused from sleep to go to work 
 in a different way ; those who are asleep in a house 
 which is on fire are awakened in yet another 
 way. So the preacher plays on every chord of 
 the human heart, and as the necessities of each 
 case may demand, he appeals to fear or ambition 
 or self-respect or distress. This is not an easy 
 business. • It requires a full mind and a full heart. 
 A knowledge of human nature which is replen- 
 ished by the study of psychology will enable him 
 to reckon with the varying moods, divers tempera- 
 ments, changing emotions and complex experi- 
 ences of human life. Such diversity is due to the 
 endless flow of influences from friendship, preju- 
 dice, sentiment, tradition, custom, nationality and 
 other circumstances of social and communal 
 experience. Referring to Doctor Jowett of 
 Balliol, Doctor Stopford Brooke wrote in his 
 diary, **The blamelessness of his personal life 
 kept him wholly ignorant of the desperateness of 
 the temptations and trials of men, and he floun- 
 dered when he got among them. ' ' This criticism 
 
The Persuasive Preacher 147 
 
 is a strong argument why the preacher must also 
 be a pastor, keeping close to the people, if he 
 would speak pointedly and persuasively to them. 
 Indeed, preaching is a species of wrestling and he 
 who would succeed must know the strength and 
 weakness of his contestant. The man in the 
 pulpit offers a proposition to the men in the pew. 
 His concern is to secure their favourable accept- 
 ance of it, to the extent that they will change their 
 method of living. What is said must therefore 
 have compelling force, to constrain them to recon- 
 sider their ineffectual lives and submit decisively 
 and uncompromisingly to Jesus Christ. As the 
 preacher thus deals with the startling facts of sin, 
 penitence and redemption, his hearers should be 
 staggered rather than pleased, aroused rather 
 than gratified, and then be induced in penitence 
 to accept the sole solution for the removal of the 
 discord and defeat within. 
 
 Evangelistic preaching of the *^Come to Jesus '* 
 type is not enough. We must not only win men 
 to Christ but show them how to be anchored in 
 the faith. They must not only get right with God 
 but keep right with him. We must not only have 
 people but hold them. We should not only be 
 solicitous of their salvation but persuade them to 
 go on unto perfection. **It is easier to convert 
 men than it is to educate them. The converts are 
 many but the developed workers are few. ' ' One 
 reason why so many lapse is **due to the fact that 
 
148 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 their mental being has not been fully unified in the 
 change.'' This omission can be rectified as the 
 preacher discharges the function of a teacher and 
 demonstrates how the right adjustments should 
 be made. It was said of Jesus that he went about 
 the synagogues of Galilee, ^^ teaching and preach- 
 ing" the gospel of the kingdom. His last com- 
 mission was to make disciples of all the nations, 
 ** teaching them to observe all things whatsoever 
 I commanded you." The whole counsel of God 
 must then be announced and enunciated, so that 
 the entire circle of truth shall captivate every 
 Christian, with the imperative of divine grace, 
 instructing him, *^to renounce irreligion and 
 worldly passions and to live a life of self-mastery, 
 of integrity and of piety in this present world." 
 Our temptation has been to rely on a partial mes- 
 sage, and consequently the citadel of truth has 
 been endangered by the invasion of the votaries 
 of fantastic and fatalistic cults. The great 
 preachers of the church were generous in their 
 proclamations, and, in the words of Doctor R. 
 W. Dale, avoided **the danger of failing to give 
 to any of the great doctrines of the Christian 
 Faith an adequate place." The secret was that 
 they breathed the spacious atmosphere of the 
 Bible and expounded it with a wealth of learning 
 and of spiritual insight, to gladden and strengthen 
 their hearers with tidings of the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ. **The best of books was in his 
 
The Persuasive Preacher 149 
 
 hand/' wrote Bunyan of his ideal preacher, and 
 those who have come nearest to this ideal have 
 always been enlightened and fortified by the Book 
 of God. So was it with Paul in the first century, 
 with Maclaren in the last century and with every 
 preacher of note and weight in all the centuries. 
 In these days when we think of the Scriptures 
 not as a quarry of texts but as a literature of 
 life, our use of the Bible should be more thorough 
 than that of any previous generation. Where 
 this is the case, an evangelistic-teaching ministry 
 is exercised, and there is witnessed a steady 
 stream of conversions with their marvel and joy, 
 and a continuous flow of consistent confessions of 
 Christ made by speech and in service. The testi- 
 mony of Doctor R. F. Horton in his ** Autobiog- 
 raphy '* is worth quoting on this point. He is 
 referring to the thirtieth anniversary of the open- 
 ing of the Lyndhurst Road Church, of which he 
 is pastor. ^' There was one curious coincidence 
 which came out in this review of the membership 
 of the church; it made a deep impression on me. 
 I had often bemoaned the fact that my work did 
 not result in large harvests and impressive in- 
 gatherings. But, strange to say, we found that 
 the number of members who had joined the church 
 from the beginning represented exactly one for 
 every Sunday service that had been held. The 
 slow and steady work of my long years was per- 
 mitted to produce just what was effected at Pente- 
 
i^o Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 cost in one day. Laus Deo! Thirty years now 
 to do what then required a few hours'' (p. 335). 
 It is largely due to our nervous desire for short 
 cuts and quick results, that there is a growing 
 tendency to hire some outsider to do the work 
 of evangelism. The professional evangelist no 
 doubt has his place, but it is a very limited and 
 subordinate place. Those who look to him so 
 eagerly, tacitly acknowledge their own incapacity 
 or rather their negligence. The Protestant 
 Church has surely fallen on evil times, when it 
 thinks more of the spectacular appeals of the 
 itinerant gospeler than of the all-round work of 
 the settled ministry. It is really a reflection on 
 the failure of the preacher and the people. This 
 stigma cannot be removed by resorting to clap- 
 trap, with the inevitable displays of vulgar ri- 
 baldry and the obnoxious heckling over financial 
 profits. The whole business is unethical, not to 
 speak of it being tragically unspiritual. The 
 popular evangelist invariably represents the re- 
 actionary and obscurantist forces in the church. 
 He is out of sympathy with Christian scholarship, 
 holding as he does to a theology which crudely 
 misrepresents the true essence of Christianity, 
 and its spiritual and social passion. He is more 
 like the seller of patent medicines than like the 
 duly qualified practitioner. At the close of his 
 so-called revivalistic campaign, which has been 
 characterised by pulpit rant and the unwarranted 
 
The Persuasive Preacher 151 
 
 vituperation of the church and the ministry, he 
 leaves the community in a state of ecclesiastical 
 and moral disruption, with problems made all the 
 more complicated because of misplaced emphases 
 and distorted views of duty and obligation. The 
 scene is more like the wreckage from an explosion, 
 which calls for the tedious removal of debris and 
 years of reconstructive work, from the very foun^ 
 dations. How long are we going to permit such 
 shameful displays? 
 
 It is unfortunate that the modern preacher is 
 compelled to do so many things which really lie 
 outside his particular sphere. How easy it is for 
 the laity to shove things aside, on the assumption 
 that these miscellaneous duties will be shouldered 
 by the pastor! He thus becomes an advertising 
 agent, concerned with bills and badges; a can- 
 vasser, taken up with surveys and census returns ; 
 and a financial manipulator, busied and wearied 
 to make ends meet. In short, he is a *'jack of all 
 trades and master of none,'' a sort of an indi- 
 vidual aptly described as a ^^pack horse,'' when 
 he really should be a prophet of God, an evan- 
 gelist of good tidings, a teacher of truth and a 
 pastor of his people and of the community. No 
 doubt this is partly due to the social conditions 
 of our day. But it is nevertheless true, that so 
 long as the minister is taken up with the oppor- 
 tunities of action, he will find it impossible, by 
 the sheer weakness of the flesh, to face the diffi- 
 
152 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 culties of thought, to solve the problems of life 
 and to give himself to the supremely vital work 
 of persuasive preaching, with independence of in- 
 sight, vigour of vision and authority of conviction. 
 The darkness of temporising and compromising 
 is however passing away, and the true light of the 
 new day of the evangel's glory is already shining. 
 There is coming a renaissance of the Christian 
 pulpit, due in no small measure to the disillusions 
 of the War. The outlook is therefore marked by 
 the triumph of apostolic optimism. We shall 
 again hear the gospel of redemption proclaimed 
 with the fervour of Paul, the conviction of Athana- 
 sius, the eloquence of Chrysostum, the volcanic 
 energy of Savonarola, the fearlessness of Knox, 
 the courage of Luther, the independence of Calvin, 
 the passion of Wesley, the scorching keenness of 
 Edwards, the daring of Robertson, the charm 
 of Punshon, the glow of Spurgeon, the rapture of 
 Newman, the insight of Matheson, the splendour 
 of Phillips Brooks, the joy of Moody, the tender- 
 ness of Beecher, the majesty of Dale, the grace 
 of Maclaren. No negation of historian nor pessi- 
 mism of philosopher nor materialism of scientist 
 can ever withstand the joyful optimism of the 
 evangelism of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the 
 Saviour of the world, the Lord of life. Let the 
 preacher devote himself to earnest prayer, ar- 
 duous study, intense meditation and continuous 
 shepherding, under the spell of the vision splen- 
 
The Persuasive Preacher 153 
 
 did, and his ministry shall make glad the City 
 of our God. Great is thy office and opportunity, 
 preacher! Make full use of it as a worthy 
 steward of the Gospel of grace and truth. 
 
 "'Twas August, and the fierce sun overhead 
 Smote on the squalid streets of Bethnal Green, 
 And the pale weaver, through his windows seen 
 In Spitalfields, look'd thrice dispirited. 
 
 I met a preacher there I knew, and said: 
 
 * 111 and o'erwork'd, how fare you in this scene ? ' — 
 
 ' Bravely ! ' said he ; ' for I of late have been 
 
 Much cheer'd with thoughts of Christ, the living bread.* 
 
 O human soul! as long as thou canst so 
 Set up a mark of everlasting light, 
 Above the howling senses' ebb and flow, 
 
 To cheer thee, and to right thee if thou roam — 
 
 Not with lost toil thou labourest through the night! * 
 
 Thou mak'st the heaven thou hop'st indeed thy home." 
 
 * " East London," by Matthew Arnold in Poetical Works. 
 The Macmillan Company, New York. 
 
CHAPTER THIRTEEN * 
 
 THINKING THROUGH 
 
 EVERY movement passes through three 
 stages. It is first met with opposition, 
 then with ridicule, and if it survives these 
 two fires, it becomes established. So was it with 
 Christianity in its early career. It was opposed 
 in Jerusalem, it was ridiculed in Antioch, it was 
 established in Rome. The successful issue de- 
 pended on the ability of the leaders, who not only 
 had vital convictions, but who proclaimed them, 
 in spite of the forces which threatened to under- 
 mine and destroy them. If their convictions had 
 been superficial, these men would not have been 
 gripped by them nor would they have been able 
 to grip the people. But they knew him whom 
 they believed and they were persuaded, beyond 
 cavil, rebuke or disparagement, that absolutely 
 nothing could separate them from the love of God 
 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. They had 
 thought through to their conclusions and were 
 established on a firm foundation. No power 
 could, therefore, move them. They had strong 
 
 * This chapter originally appeared in the Methodist Review, 
 November, 1917. It is here introduced, with the kind permission 
 of the editor. Dr. William V. Kelley, because it deals with some 
 questions touching the larger mission of evangelism. 
 
 154 
 
Thinking Through 155 
 
 encouragement which was as an anchor of the 
 soul both sure and steadfast. This was particu- 
 larly true of the leaders of the Apostolic Church. 
 In spite of imperfections, due to traditional in- 
 fluences, they had the progressive manner and the 
 forward look. What saved them from wreckage 
 on the rocks of traditionalism was the illumination 
 of the Holy Spirit, whom they accepted as their 
 constant and consistent guide into the larger 
 areas of thought and life. Recall how Paul won 
 the triumph for the cosmopolitan and democratic 
 view of Christianity. The voice of opposition was 
 stilled when the conservative leaders recognised 
 that the apostle to the Gentiles had the guidance 
 of the divine Spirit. They did not hesitate to 
 accept conclusions which went counter to their 
 accepted beliefs, because they were convinced that 
 the new conclusions were nearer the whole truth 
 than the old. 
 
 The leaders of the Protestant Reformation did 
 not have the same consistent attitude to truth. 
 Conservatism and radicalism struggled for the 
 mastery, but so great was the influence of me- 
 disevalism that the reformers were prevented 
 from thinking through. In this case conservatism 
 meant reaction. For instance, the principle of 
 individual liberty in Christ, with its complemen- 
 tary principle of social obligation, was imperfectly 
 expounded. The freedom of the Christian was 
 modified by the dogma of sacerdotalism. The 
 
156 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 priesthood of all believers was qualified by the 
 separation into clergy and laity, with tbe impli- 
 cation of superior and inferior. The spirit of 
 free enquiry and the rights of private judgment 
 were limited by the distrust of reason. The lib- 
 eration by the indwelling Holy Spirit was re- 
 stricted by ecclesiastical pronouncements. The 
 message of the open Book of God was kept within 
 bounds by dogmatic interpretations. The author- 
 ity of the Christian consciousness and the witness 
 of the Spirit had the elements of spiritual vitality 
 sapped out. The fact is that the Reformers were 
 very much the children of their time. It was, 
 therefore, inevitable that they were unable to 
 pursue their conclusions to a consistent climax. 
 They were held back by prepossessions and 
 presuppositions, imposed upon them by Catholic 
 scholasticism. This in turn was succeeded by 
 Protestant scholasticism, which was no less dog- 
 matic than its paralysing predecessor. 
 
 Much has happened since the date when Luther 
 nailed his defiant theses. It ill becomes us at the 
 present time to point out the manifest weaknesses 
 of the greatest revival movement in the history 
 of the church. It is not by criticising its defects 
 that we can worthily commemorate this heroic 
 protest on behalf of spiritual liberty in Christ and 
 the nobler progress of humanity. It is rather by 
 completing the program of Protestantism in the 
 light of modern needs, that we shall prove our- 
 
Thinking Through 157 
 
 selves to be the devoted descendants of those 
 brave souls, who, in the teeth of bitter opposition 
 and unscrupulous persecution, remained loyal to 
 the light as they saw it, and were faithful to the 
 truth as they understood it. Our task is all the 
 greater because of the innumerable changes 
 wrought by science, travel, invention and the 
 two ways of evolution and revolution in the social, 
 economic, political and religious life of all peoples. 
 The more pressing then is the call for a leadership 
 to be characterised by ^^ wisdom without egotism 
 and truthfulness without cynicism.'^ Just at this 
 point we are confronted by one of the serious 
 perils of our American life, due to slack disci- 
 pline. It is well described by Professor Peabody, 
 a true modern prophet, in *'The Religious Educa- 
 tion of an American Citizen '^ *^A distinguished 
 American has said that his country is alone in 
 the world in its distrust of experts. One man's 
 opinion is commonly thought to be as good as 
 another's, if not better. A citizen may train him- 
 self laboriously for some form of public service, 
 for diplomacy or legislation or the teaching of 
 some branch of learning, and may find himself 
 some day displaced by a wholly untrained com- 
 petitor. Wlien a candidate is proposed for office 
 the first question asked concerning him is likely 
 to be, not *How adequately prepared is he for his 
 taskr but 'Is he of our party; can he get the 
 votes r Inexperience may be a passport to pre- 
 
1^8 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 ferment, and ignorance a title to self-respect." 
 This means that leaders are not held in deserved 
 honour. People insist on doing their own think- 
 ing. This is as it should be, provided they have 
 the adequate data. But this, unfortunately, is 
 not always the case, and we frequently find our- 
 selves in the comic or rather tragic situation of 
 the beggar on horseback and the prince walking. 
 Another peril comes from the tendency to look for 
 the safe man. This generally gives us the medi- 
 ocre man who hesitates to say that his soul is his 
 own, lest he offend vested interests and startle 
 the prejudices of the ^^ self -preoccupied business 
 man.'' In these rushful times we have made the 
 man of action our guide, while the man of thought 
 is consigned to a place of secondary importance. 
 This is akin to the inane talk about the *^ scholar 
 in politics," as though our supremest need were 
 the man of affairs with his nose to the grindstone, 
 and not the man of vision with deep historic 
 knowledge and world outlook. In urging the 
 imperious necessity for the preparedness of the 
 American mind, conscience and will. Doctor James 
 A. Macdonald has pointed out that, *'In the world 
 conflict of ideas the college classrooms are our 
 strategic heights. Hold them to-day, and the 
 hinterland of the Vimy Ridge of Truth will be 
 yours to-morrow." The New York Tribune, in 
 an editorial on ''The Mental Habits of Democ- 
 racy," called attention to some of our conspicuous 
 
Thinking Through 159 
 
 failings: *'Our national maxim has been, *Get 
 busy.' *The hustler' has become our hero, with 
 the result that few people, even leaders and 
 moulders of public opinion, have had time for 
 thinking. Scarcely anywhere in our blind milling 
 around has there been an opportunity for the 
 modern equivalent of that calm meditation which 
 characterised the great minds of ancient and 
 mediaeval times.'' In such a *^ psychological cli- 
 mate" it is impossible to engage in work that is 
 definitely constructive and which can bear fruit 
 in all-round character and deeply moving conduct. 
 The effect of all this is seen in the life and in- 
 fluence of the church. 
 
 One of the first questions which demands thor- 
 ough thinking -bears on church unity. The church 
 is called upon to give an account of itself, not to 
 enemies, but to friends. Those who are persuaded 
 that the church offers the unique means of bring- 
 ing blessing to mankind feel that its power is 
 weakened by the blight of sectarianism. The out- 
 standing principle of Protestantism is the free- 
 dom of the individual. The attempt to consecrate 
 the intrinsic worth of personality has, however, 
 resulted in an excessive individualistic emphasis, 
 which has become an obsession in many deplorable 
 instances. Room has assuredly been made for 
 individual initiative, but the social boundaries 
 within which this independence should be prac- 
 tised has often been overlooked. Consequently, 
 
i6o Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 irresponsible persons have done violence to the 
 social nexus which binds all believers together, 
 and have neutralised the testimony of the church 
 by the misery of divisions, which are as petty 
 and provincial as they are selfish and self-willed. 
 One of the inevitable but disastrous results has 
 been the one-sided presentation of the whole coun- 
 sel of God. '*It is more or less of a scandal,*' 
 says Bishop McDowell, **that we have preached 
 the partial truth. And we are paying the penalty 
 for it. If we do not do better, we must face the 
 permanent alienation and loss of countless men 
 from Christ's ranks. We cannot touch all life 
 unless we use all of Christ's truth." People will 
 give their adherence and confidence only to * ^ that 
 church, free or bond, which has most of the power, 
 the future, the authority and the liberty which are 
 in the Christ of the apostles and of the church." 
 It can come about only by a union of forces, made 
 possible by whole-souled sacrifice. As I have 
 stated in ''The Faith and the Fellowship" : ''This 
 implies a spirit of enthusiasm which must be 
 kindled at Calvary, if it is to be profitably effec- 
 tual. With it must also go the conviction of the 
 urgent need of the world for Christ, and of the 
 spiritual waste of duplicating effort for the sake 
 of maintaining an institution and not of redeem- 
 ing society." 
 
 The purpose of the Protestant reformers was 
 to supplant ecclesiastical authority by that of the 
 
Thinking Through i6i 
 
 educated and enlightened Christian consciousness, 
 which is a living thing, flexible and progressive, 
 and marked by candour and integrity. But they 
 became lost in a. sea of fog and did not think out 
 the implications of this freedom of the Spirit. So 
 they compromised by placing reliance on the 
 authority of the Bible. A book thus took the 
 place of an organisation. The damage wrought 
 was not due to the fact that the Book of God was 
 made the court of appeal, but that its living mes- 
 sage was qualified, modified and limited by a cast- 
 iron theory of inspiration and revelation. These 
 leaders failed to recognise that the Bible came out 
 of experience and is the chronicle of the dealings 
 of the living God with living men, concerned in 
 concrete matters. It must not be regarded as a 
 set of dogmatic propositions with a theological 
 bias, but a recital of happenings with a religious 
 interest. The researches of Biblical scholars have 
 further been discredited because their work has 
 tended to discount the traditional method of 
 appeal to proof-texts, in favour of the rational 
 appeal to the historical perspective, in the pro- 
 gressive unfolding of the will of God, ^'by divers 
 portions and in divers manners." The final word 
 is not to be had from quotations, but from the 
 facts of life. A lamentable illustration of the 
 confused thinking on this subject is given in **A 
 Student in Arms," by Donald Hankey. He pays 
 a high tribute to the unselfishness and charity of 
 
1 62 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 the men in the trenches, but goes on to point out 
 that the average Tommy, who before the war was 
 a workingman, does not associate such virtues 
 with Christianity. ^*He thinks that Christianity 
 consists in believing the Bible and setting up to 
 be better than your neighbours. By believing the 
 Bible he means believing that Jonah was swal- 
 lowed by the whale. By setting up to be better 
 than your neighbours, he means not drinking, not 
 swearing and preferably not smoking, being close- 
 fisted with your money, avoiding the companion- 
 ship of doubtful characters and refusing to ac- 
 knowledge that such have any claim upon you'' 
 (page 109). What a parody on the Christianity 
 of the New Testament ! What a reflection on the 
 religious education of the Sunday school and the 
 pulpit! With such a premium on ignorance, we 
 must not be surprised that church people have 
 become so easy a prey to every fantastic cult, 
 ingenious enough to wrest the Scriptures to its 
 own advantage and to the religious undoing of 
 its unwitting perverts. We must have conse- 
 crated courage to resist the temptation, common 
 to both clergy and laity, ^'to substitute the cheap 
 guess for the costly certainty, the easy evasion 
 for the expensive solution of a hard problem.'' 
 We must discountenance the holding of second- 
 hand opinions which are surely not convictions. 
 Such a practice, moreover, is not only a form of 
 mental indolence ; it is also an ethical lapse which 
 
Thinking Through 163 
 
 cannot fail to dull the conscience, to cloud the 
 vision, to enervate the will and to spoil the 
 character. 
 
 When the reformers abolished the confessional 
 with its attendant evils, no provision was made 
 for personal guidance in the religious life. To 
 be sure, the pastoral office has always been sup- 
 posed to discharge this function and there are 
 pastors whose ministry in this direction has been 
 beneficial. But as a matter of fact, this import- 
 ant phase of pastoral service is inadequately 
 performed. It is arduous and exacting; it 
 requires a familiarity with the best Christian 
 thought and a sympathetic knowledge of human 
 life in its multitudinous phases of need. One of 
 the best parts of **A Spiritual Pilgrimage,'' by 
 E. J. Campbell, is where he recounts his experi- 
 ence in dealing with enquirers at the City Temple, 
 London. *^It is wonderful," he writes, **how few 
 people there are in the world to whom we can open 
 our hearts freely, how few to whom we would dare 
 to humiliate ourselves by admission of weakness 
 and failure, how few to listen and understand'' 
 (page 159). Souls *4n wandering mazes lost" 
 querulously look around for help and not finding 
 it go astray and make spiritual wreckage of their 
 lives. Of course, some of the enquiries tend to 
 casuistry and purposeless quibbling; but there are 
 more cases than otherwise of ** personal distress 
 and melancholy despair," which must be given 
 
164 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 direction. Some religious journals conduct a 
 correspondence column, which is in the nature of 
 a Protestant confessional. Its character can be 
 judged from *^ Christian Counsel/' by David 
 Smith, and ^* Problems and Perplexities,'' by W. 
 E. Orchard. These two volumes contain material 
 that originally appeared in The British Weekly 
 and The Christian Commonwealth. They are 
 very suggestive to those who would fulfil their 
 pastoral stewardship. 
 
 When we talk of relationships we are at once 
 confronted by the modern problem of democracy. 
 This ideal recognises the rights of the individual 
 without overlooking his personal responsibilities. 
 Faith in man is of the essence of a true democracy. 
 It implies courage to accept the truth that every 
 man is entitled to the right of life, liberty and the 
 pursuit of happiness; and, moreover, that it is 
 incumbent on each one to help every other in a 
 spirit of consideration and co-operation. It is not 
 the policy of live-and-let-live, but the Christian 
 policy of *^live-and-help-live" that must govern 
 all who espouse this ideal. **A democracy must 
 be tempered," writes Croly, ^* first of all by and 
 for action. Yet if it cannot combine thought with 
 action, discussion with decision, criticism with 
 resolution, a searching inquisitiveness with a 
 tenacious faith, it cannot avoid going seriously 
 astray. Democracy must risk its success on the 
 integrity of human nature. ' ' Here is the crux of 
 
Thinking Through 165 
 
 the modem social question. It has to do not 
 only with economic and social readjustments, but 
 chiefly with a spiritual attitude of life. We must 
 acknowledge that we are our brother ^s keeper, 
 whatever his racial or religious traditions may be. 
 In a discerning discussion of ^'The Principle of 
 Nationalities,'^ Israel Zangwill states that, ^'The 
 brotherhood; of the peoples is not barred by the 
 plurality of patriotisms. It takes two men to 
 make one brother. Internationalism, so far then 
 from being the antithesis of Nationalism, actually 
 requires nations to interrelate" (page 98). Those 
 who desire to look further into this question will 
 find food for thought in two volumes by Doctor 
 James A. Macdonald. One is ** Democracy and 
 the Nations,'' the other consists of the Cole lec- 
 tures on ^'The North American Idea." In the 
 latter he declares : ^^ Where slavery, serfdom, caste 
 prevail, the foundation of democracy, the sense of 
 personal right and obligation, the sense of the citi- 
 zenship of all men, which allows to others the 
 liberty we claim for ourselves, is never secured. 
 Democracy is a process, not even to-day an accom- 
 plished fact, an evolution, not a fulfilment attained 
 in any past stage of the world's history" (page 
 214). Some of the results achieved by the prac- 
 tice of the spirit of socialised democracy are given 
 in a recent volume, entitled, ^^Sons of Italy," by 
 Antonio Mangano, published by the Missionary 
 Education Movement. Here then is the real basis 
 
1 66 Essentials of Evangelism 
 
 of the missionary enterprise. The purpose of 
 Christian missions is to transform the individual 
 as well as his surroundings. The spirit that 
 impels us to undertake and support it is the love 
 of man as man, in order that every man, woman 
 and child might enjoy the higher benefits through 
 Jesus Christ. * * For our gospel is not the survival 
 of the fit, but the revival of the unfit.'' So said 
 C. Silvester Home in his glowing book, **The 
 Eomance of Preaching. ' ' But if the converts are 
 penned in by themselves and not permitted the 
 freedom of fellowship, because forsooth they be- 
 long to a different nationality, then we practically 
 reopen the controversy which was decidedly 
 settled by the Apostolic Church, when Jew and 
 Gentile were received on terms of absolute equal- 
 ity, and when the racial and social discriminations 
 of an unregenerate world were wholly set aside. 
 Any disparity that we accept is a virtual dispar- 
 agement of the New Testament ideal and experi- 
 ence. By what right do we discriminate against 
 those who enjoy the benefits of the life that is 
 hid with Christ in God? Can it be that they are 
 acceptable to the Lord Christ, but not to us ? On 
 whose authority do we establish a double standard 
 which contradicts the very genius of Christianity? 
 The melting pot has reached the boiling point. If 
 the lid is not speedily removed, it will boil over 
 and do damage. To use another figure suggested 
 by Bishop Williams in his outspoken volume, 
 
Thinking Through 167 
 
 *^The Christian Ministry and Social Problems," 
 instead of perpetually mopping up the floor, let 
 us turn off the spigot (page QQ), 
 
 Is it not because we have turned away from 
 the central issues of the Christian life that we 
 feel ourselves spiritually powerless as churches? 
 Principal Forsyth once put the case in his char- 
 acteristic way when he said that the ancient 
 prophet answered the summons with, **Here am 
 IV ^ while his modern successor looks up with con- 
 fusion and dismay, and asks, *^ Where am IV ^ 
 The title of one of President H. C. King's most 
 helpful books is *^The Seeming Unreality of the 
 Spiritual Life.'' The phrase is significant. It is 
 largely because we have faced our problems in a 
 purely academic fashion and apart from life, 
 theoretically and not with the scientific test of 
 experiment and experience, that we find ourselves 
 in so much of a dilemma. But the perplexity is 
 itself a challenge to us to bend under the yoke in 
 a spirit of heroic consecration. What Professor 
 Peabody said of the social question applies to 
 every question : * ^ It cannot be fought through, or 
 crowded through, or blundered through; it must 
 be thought through. ' ' Thus only shall we be pre- 
 pared for the demands which press upon us for 
 attention and which summon us to action in the 
 name of Christ, that in all things he might have 
 the pre-eminence. 
 
Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries 
 
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