f I L.-t^ 
 
 DSfilfM. 
 
 Section. 
 
 No 
 
 pi 
 
 m 
 
< 
 
SECOND SERIES 
 
 OF 
 
 l^ditm i0 mg ^tttri^nt$^ 
 
 BEING 
 
 DDRESSES DELIVERED TO THE STUDENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 t farfcrs' Mlt^t, 
 
 METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE. 
 
 BY 
 
 C. H. "^PURGEON, 
 
 Prfsitient. 
 
 London: 
 
 PASSMORE AND ALABASTER, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS. 
 
 1877. 
 

PEIHCJETON 
 INTEODl^Cl?IO!l:r;^^ 
 
 The former series of my lectures met with a welcome which was 
 by no means anticipated by their author. Everyone has received 
 the book kindly, and some have grown enthusiastic over it. To 
 the gentlemen of the press I am deeply indebted for their cordial 
 reviews, to the general public for lai'gely purchasing, but specially 
 to the many individuals who in private letters have spoken of the 
 work in approving words, which I am not ungrateful enough to 
 forget, nor vain enough to repeat. A man may be allowed to feel 
 glad when he is thanked for having been of service to his fellow 
 men, and those men the ministers of the Lord. It is comforting 
 to know that you have aimed at usefulness, pleasant to believe 
 that you have succeeded, and most of all encouraging to have been 
 assured of it by the persons benefited. With no Tittle fear and 
 trembling the former lectures were submitted to the public eye, 
 but the result is now looked back upon with unusual content. 
 As in duty bound and by gratitude prompted, thanksgivings to 
 God are hereby very earnestly recorded, and indebtedness is also 
 expressed to kindly hearts who have given my addresses so hearty 
 a receptioui 
 
 One result of the unanimous generosity of my critics has been 
 this second series of lectures : whether this will prove to be a fresh 
 trial for patience, or a further source of satisfaction to my readers, 
 time alone will show. I hope the lectures are not worse than their 
 predecessors. In some respects they ought to be better, for I 
 have had three years' more experience ; but there is one valid 
 reason why the latter should hardly be expected to be equal to 
 the former, and it is this — the subjects are not numerous, and the 
 hrst choice naturally takes oif the cream, so that the next gather- 
 ing must consist of minor topics. I hope, however, that the 
 quality has not very seriously fallen off, and that the charity of 
 my readers will not fail. At any rate, I do not offer that Avhicli 
 has cost me nothing, for I have done my best and taken abundant 
 pams. Therefore with clear conscience I place my work at the 
 service of my brethren, especially hoping to have a careful reading 
 from young preachers, whose profiting has been my principal an)u 
 I have made my addresses entirely for students and beginners in 
 preaching, and I beg that they may always be regarded from that 
 point of view, for many remarks which are proper enough to be 
 made to raw recruits it would be gross impertinence to place 
 before masters in Israel. The intent and object will be borne in 
 mind by every candid reader. 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I seize the present opportunity to call attention to the second of 
 my three books for students, for this is properly the third. I allude 
 to the volume entitled, " Commenting and Commentaries.^'' It em- 
 bodies the experience and information of a lifetime, but being 
 very mucli occupied with a Catalogue of Commentaries it cannot 
 commend itself to popular tastes, and must be confined in its 
 circulation to those who wish for information upon expository 
 works. To my own surprise it is in the tenth thousand, but 
 numbers of readers to whom it might be valuable have not yet 
 seen it. As almost all the reviewers speak of it with much praise, 
 I think it will be worth any young man's while to buy it before he 
 gets far on in the formation of a libraiy. It is on my heart, if life 
 is spared, to issue six half-crown books for preachers : the fourth, 
 Avhicli is much of it prepared, will be occupied with " The Art of 
 Illustration" and I am anxious in no one instance to waste time 
 and labour upon books which will not be read. Hence my reason 
 for mentioning the Commenting book in this place. Life is short, 
 and time is precious to a busy man. Whatever we do we wish to 
 make the most of. 
 
 One more apology and note. The lectures upon " Posture, 
 Gesture, Action, etc.,''' will probably be judged to make too much 
 of a secondary matter. I wish I could think so myself. My own 
 observation led me to think them needful, for it has scores of 
 times occurred to me to lament that speakers should neglect those 
 minor points until they spoil themselves tliereby. It matters 
 little how a man moves his body and hands so long as he does not 
 call attention to himself by becoming ungainly and grotesque. 
 That many do this is a fact which few will deny, and my motive 
 is not to make mirth at good men's expense, but to prevent its 
 being done by their hearers. It is sad to see the Lord's message 
 marred by being ill told, or to have attention taken off from it by 
 the oddities of the messenger's manner. Could those who con- 
 sider me to be trifling only see the results of bad action, as they 
 are seen by those who wish that they did not see them, they 
 would discover that a very serious purpose lies beneath the some- 
 what sarcastic humour which I have employed ; and if they also 
 believed, as I do, that such evils cannot be cured except by ex- 
 posing them to ridicule, they would acquit me of ti'ifling, even 
 if they did not approve of my mode of dealing with the evil. 
 
 Hoping that some benefit may accrue to the rising race of 
 preachers, and through them to the church of God, this book is 
 offered to the Lord's service, in the hope that he will use it for his 
 own glory. 
 
9;^e §'ast0rs' ®0lkgc. 
 
 The lectui'es of which this volume is composed were delivered at 
 the Pastors' College, in the rear of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, 
 and, therefore, we take the liberty to notice that Institution in 
 these pages. To make the College known, and to w^in for it will- 
 ing friends, is confessedly one object of our publications upon the 
 ministry, which may, indeed, be viewed as merely the giving forth 
 to a wider area the instruction carried on within the College walls. 
 The Institution is intended to aid useful preachers in obtaining 
 a better education. It takes no man to make him a minister, but 
 requires that its pupils should, as a rule, have exercised their gifts 
 for at least two years, and have won souls to Jesus. These we receive, 
 however poor or backward they may be, and our endeavours are 
 all directed to the one aim that they should be instructed in 
 the things of God, furnished for their work, and practised in the 
 gift of utterance. Much prayer is made by the Church in the 
 Tabernacle that this end may be accomplished, nor has the prayer 
 been in vain, for some 365 men wdio were trained in this manner 
 are now declaring the gospel of Jesus. Besides the students for 
 the regular ministry, several hundreds of street preachers, city mis- 
 sionaries, teachers, and workers of all kinds have passed through 
 our Evening Classes, and more than 200 men are now with us, 
 pursuing their callings by day and studying in the evening. We 
 
VI THE PASTORS COLLEGE. 
 
 ask for much prayer from all oiu- brethi'en, that the supply of 
 the Spirit may sanctify the teaching, and anoint every worker for 
 the service of the Lord. 
 
 As it would be quite unwarrantable for us to interfere with the 
 arrangements of other bodies of Christians, who have their own 
 methods of training their ministers, and as it is obvious that we 
 could not find spheres for men in denominations with which we 
 have_ no ecclesiastical connection, we confine our College to 
 Baptists ; and, in order not to be liarassed with endless contro- 
 versies, we invite those only who hold those views of divine truth 
 which are popularly known as Calvinistic,— not that we care for 
 names and phrases ; but, as we wish to be understood, we use a term 
 which conveys our meaning as nearly as any descriptive word can 
 do. Believmg the grand doctrines of grace to be the natural 
 accompaniments of the fundamental evangelical truth of redemp- 
 tion by the blood of Jesus, Ave hold and teach them, not only in 
 our ministry to the masses, but in the more select instruction of 
 the class room. Latitudinarianism with its infidelity, and unsec- 
 tarianism with its intolerance, are neither of them friends of ours : 
 we delight in the man who believes, and therefore speaks. Our 
 Lord has given us no permission to be libel'al Avith Avhat is none 
 of ours.^ We are to give an account of every truth Avith which Ave 
 are put in trust. 
 
 Our means for conducting this Avork are with the Most High 
 God, possessor of heaven and earth. We have no list of sub- 
 scribers or roll of endowments. Our trust is in him Avhom Ave 
 desire to serve. He has supported the Avork for many years, by 
 moving his stewards to send us help, and we are sure that he will 
 continue to do so as long as he desires us to pursue this labour of 
 love. We need at least £120 every Aveek of the year, for we haA'e 
 113 men to board, lodge, and educate, preaching stations to hire, 
 and ncAv churches to help. Since our service is gratuitous in 
 every sense, we the more freely appeal to those avIio agree Avith us 
 in believmg that to aid an earnest young minister to equip himself 
 for his life-Avork is a Avorthy effort. No money yields so large a 
 return, no AA'ork is so important, just noAv none is so absolutely 
 needful. 
 
 Nightingale Lane. X y> ^.f^^ 
 
 ClAPHAM, SUKREY. f ^r.^^'—^'-^ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PACK 
 
 LEOTURK I. 
 
 The Holy Spirit in couuection ^ith our Ministry - l 
 
 LECTURE ir. 
 The necessity of Ministerial Progress - - - 23 
 
 LECTURE IIL 
 
 The need of Decision for the Truth - - - . 39 
 
 LECTURE IV, 
 
 Open Air Preachiug— a Sketch of its History - - 54 
 
 LECTURE v. 
 
 Open Air Preaching-^Remarks thereon - - - 7G 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 
 Posture, Action, Gesture, etc. " - ■, - - 9(5 
 
 LECTURE VII. 
 
 Posture, Action, Gesture, etc. (Second Lecture) - - nc 
 Illustrations of Action - - , , . .1-57 
 
 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 Earnestness : its Marring and Maintenance - - 145 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 The Blind Eye and the Deaf Ear - - . - 163 
 
 I-ECTURE X. 
 
 On Conversion as our Aim - - - _ - 179 
 
S!|e f 0lg Spirit in r0im^di0ii foit]^ 0itr ^mistrg. 
 
 I HAVE selected a topic upon which it would be difficult to say 
 anything which has not been often said before ; but as the theme 
 is of the highest importance it is good to dwell upon it fre- 
 quently, and even if we bring forth only old things and nothing 
 more, it may be wise to put you in remembrance of them. 
 Our subject is " The Holy Spirit in connection with ouk 
 MINISTKY," or — the work of the Holy Ghost in relation to our- 
 selves as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 
 "3 ieliebe in t]^e f^olg ffil)O0t." Having pronounced that sen- 
 tence as a matter of creed, I hope we can also repeat it as a 
 devout soliloquy forced to our lips by personal experience. To us 
 the presence and work of the Holy Spirit are the ground of our 
 confidence as to the wisdom and hopefulness of our life work. If 
 we had not believed in the Holy Ghost we should have laid down 
 our ministry long ere this, for " who is sufficient for these things V 
 Our hope of success, and our strength for continuing the service, 
 lie in our belief that the Spirit of the Lord resteth upon us. 
 
 I will for the time being take it for granted that we are all of 
 us conscious of the existence of the Holy Spirit. We have said 
 we believe in him ; but in very deed we have advanced beyond 
 faith in this matter, and have come into the region of conscious- 
 ness. Time was when most of us believed in the existence of our 
 present friends, for we had heard of them by the hearing of the 
 ear, but we have now seen each other, and retui'ned the fraternal 
 grip, and felt the influence of happy companionship, and therefore 
 we do not now so much believe as know. Even so we have felt 
 the Spirit of God operating upon our hearts, we have known and 
 perceived the power which he wields over human spirits, and we 
 know him by frequent, conscious, personal contact. By the sen- 
 sitiveness of our spirit we are as much made conscious of the 
 presence of the Spirit of God as we are made cognizant of the 
 
 2 
 
2 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 existence of the souls of oui- fellow-men by their action upon our 
 souls, or as we are certified of the existence of matter by its action 
 upon our senses. We have been raised from the dull sphere of mere 
 mind and matter into the heavenly radiance of the spirit-world ; 
 and now, as spiritual men, we discern spiritual things, we feel the 
 forces which are paramount in the spirit-realm, and we know that 
 there is a Holy Ghost, for we feel him operating upon our spirits. 
 If it were not so, we should certainly have no right to be in tho 
 ministry of Christ's church. Should we even dare to remain in 
 her membership ? But, my brethren, we have been spiritually 
 quickened. We are distinctly conscious of a new life, with all 
 that comes out of it : we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, and 
 dwell in a new world. We have been illuminated, and made to 
 behold the things which eye hath not seen ; we have been guided 
 into truth such as flesh and blood could never have revealed. We 
 have been comforted of the Spirit : full often have we been lifted 
 up from the deeps of sorrow to the heights of joy by the sacred 
 Paraclete. We have also, in a measure, been sanctified by him ; 
 and we are conscious that the operation of sanctification is going 
 on in us in different forms and ways. Therefore, because of all 
 these personal experiences, we know that there is a Holy Ghost, 
 as surely as we know that we ourselves exist. 
 / 1 am tempted to linger here, for the point is worthy of longer 
 notice. Unbelievers ask for phenomena. The old business doc- 
 trine of Gradgrind has entered into religion, and the sceptic cries, 
 " What I want is facts." These are our facts : let us not forget to 
 use them. A Sceptic challenges me with the remark, " I cannot 
 pin my faith to a book or a history ; I want to see present facts." 
 My reply is, " You cannot see them, because your eyes are blinded ; 
 but the facts are there none the less. Those of us who have eyes 
 see marvellous things, though you do not." If he ridicules my 
 assertion, I am not at all astonished. I expected him to do so, and 
 should have been very much surprised if he had not done so ; but 
 I demand respect to my own position as a witness to facts, and I 
 turn upon the objector with the enquiry — " AVhat right have you 
 to deny my evidence? If I were a blind man, and were told by 
 you that you possessed a faculty called sight, I should be un- 
 reasonable if I railed at you as a conceited enthusiast. All you 
 have a right to say is — that you know nothing about it, but you 
 are not authorized to call us all liars or dupes. You may join 
 with rcvilcrs of old and declare that the spiritual man is mad, but 
 that does not disprove his statements." Brethren, to me the 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OLTw MINISTRY. 3 
 
 phenomena which are produced by the Spirit of God demonstrate 
 the truth of tlie Christian religion as clearly as ever the destruction 
 of Pharaoh at the Red Sea, or the fall of manna in the wilderness, 
 or the water leaping from the smitten rock, could have proved to 
 Israel the presence of God in the midst of her tribes. 
 
 We will now come to the core of our subject. To us, as 
 ministers, the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. Without him 
 our office is a mere name. We claim no priesthood over and above 
 that which belongs to every child of God ; but we are the suc- 
 cessors of those who, in olden times, were moved of God to 
 declare his word, to testify against transgression, and to plead his 
 cause. Unless Ave have the spirit of the prophets resting vipon us, 
 the mantle which we wear is nothing but a rough garment to 
 deceive. We ought to be driven forth with abhorrence from the 
 society of honest men for daring to speak in the name of the Lord 
 if the Spirit of God rests not upon us. We believe ourselves to be 
 spokesmen for Jesus Christ, appointed to continue his witness 
 upon earth ; but upon him and his testimony the Spirit of God 
 always rested, and if it does not rest upon us, we are evidently not 
 •^ent forth into the world as he was. At Pentecost the commence- 
 ment of the great work of converting the world was with flaming 
 tongues and a rushing mighty wind, symbols of the presence of the 
 Spirit ; if, therefore, we think to succeed without the Spirit, we 
 are not after the Pentecostal order. If we have not the Spirit 
 which Jesus promised, we cannot perform the commission which 
 Jesus gave. 
 
 I need scarcely warn any brother here against falling into the 
 delusion that we may have the Spirit so as to become inspii'ed. 
 Yet the members of a certain litigious modern sect need to be 
 warned against this folly. They hold that their meetings are 
 under "the presidency of the Holy Spirit:" concerning which 
 notion I can only say that I have been unable to discover in 
 holy Scripture either the term or the idea. I do find in the 
 New Testament a body of Corinthians eminently gifted, fond of 
 speaking, and given to party strifes — true representatives of 
 those to whom I allude, but as Paul said of them, " I thank 
 God I baptized none of you,'' so also do I thank the Lord that few 
 of that school have ever been found in our midst. It would seem 
 that their assemblies possess a peculiar gift of inspiration, not 
 quite perhaps amounting to infallibility, but nearly approximating 
 thereto. If you have mingled in their gatherings, I greatly 
 question wdiether you have been more edified by the prelections 
 
4 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN COXNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 produced under celestial presidency, than you have been by those 
 of ordinary preachers of the Word, who only consider themselves 
 to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, as one spirit is under 
 the influence of another spirit, or one mind under the influence of 
 another mind. We are not the passive communicators of infalli- 
 bility, but the honest teachers of such things as we have learned, 
 so far as we have been able to grasp them. As our minds are 
 active, and have a personal existence while the mind of the Spirit 
 is acting upon them, our infirmities are apparent as well as his 
 wisdom ; and while we reveal what he has made us to know, we 
 are greatly abased by the fear that our own ignorance and error 
 are in a measure manifested at the same time, because we have 
 not been more perfectly subject to the divine power. I do not 
 suspect that you will go astray in the direction I have hinted at : 
 certainly the results of previous experiments are not likely to 
 tempt wise men to that folly. 
 
 This is our first question. Wherein may we look for the aid of 
 the Holy Spirit? When we have spoken on this point, we will, 
 very solemnly,, consider a second — How may we lose that assistance'^ 
 Let us pray th9,t, by God's blessing, this consideration may help 
 us to retain it 
 
 Wherein may we look for the aid of the Holy Spirit ? I should 
 reply, — in seven or eight ways. 
 
 1. First, he is the Spirit of knowledge, — '^ He shall guide you into 
 all truth." In this character we need his teachinsr. 
 
 We have urgent need to study, for the teacher of others must 
 himself be instructed. Habitually to come into the pulpit unpre- 
 pared is unpardonable presumption : nothing can more effectually 
 lower ourselves and our office. After a visitation discourse by the 
 Bishop of Lichfield upon the necessity of earnestly studying the 
 Word, a certain vicar told his lordship that he could not believe his 
 doctrine, *' for^" said he, " often when I am in the vestry I do not 
 know what I am going to talk about ; but I go into the pulpit and 
 preach, and think nothing of it." His lordship replied, " And you 
 are quite right in thinking nothing of it, for your churchwardens 
 have told me that they share your opinion." If we are not 
 instructed, how can we instruct ? If we have not thought, how 
 shall we lead others to think? It is in our study-work, in that 
 blessed labour when we are alone with the Book before us, that we 
 need the help of the Holy Spirit. He holds the key of the 
 lieavenly treasury, and can enrich us beyond conception ; he has 
 the clue of the most labyrinthine doctrine, and can lead us in the 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 5 
 
 way of truth. He can break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut 
 in sunder the bars of iron, and give to us the treasures of darkness, 
 and hidden riches of secret places. If you study the original, 
 consult the commentaries, and meditate deeply, yet if you neglect 
 to cry mightily unto the Spirit of God your study will not profit 
 you ; but even if you are debarred the use of helps (which I trust 
 you will not be), if you wait upon the Holy Ghost in simple de- 
 pendence upon his teaching, you will lay hold of very much of the 
 divine meanincj. 
 
 The Spirit of God is pecuh'arly precious fo trs, Because he 
 especially instructs us as to the person and work of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ ; and that is the main point of our preaching. He takes of 
 the things of Christ, and shows them unto us^- If he had taken of 
 the things of doctrine or precept, we should have been glad of 
 such gracious assistance j but since he especially delights in the 
 things of Christ, and focusses his sacred light upon the cross, we 
 rejoice to see the centre of our testimony so divinely illuminated, 
 and we are sure that the light will be diffused over all the rest of 
 our ministry. Let us wait upon the Spirit of God with this cry — 
 " O Holy Spirit, reveal to us the Son of God, and thus show us 
 the Father." 
 
 ^ As the Spirit of knowledge, he not only instructs us as to the' 
 gospel, but he leads us to see the Lord in all other matters. We 
 are not to shut our eyes to God in nature, or to God in general 
 history, or to God in the daily occurrences of providence, or to 
 God in our own experience ; and the blessed Spirit is the inter^' 
 preter to us of the mind of God in all these. If we cry, *' Teach 
 me what thou wouldst have me to do ; or, show me wherefore thou 
 contendest with me ; or, tell me what is thy mind in this precious 
 providence of mercy, or in that other dispensation of mingled 
 judgment and grace," — we shall in each case be well instructed ; 
 for the Spirit is the seven-branched candlestick of the sanctuary, 
 and by his light all things are rightly seen. As Goodwin well ob- 
 serves, " There must be light to accompany the truth if we are to 
 know it. The experience of all gracious men proves this. What 
 is the reason that you shall see some things in a chapter at one 
 time, and not at another ; some grace in your hearts at one time, 
 and not at another ; have a sight of spiritual things at one time, 
 and not at another? The eye is the same, but it is the Holy 
 Ghost that openeth and shutteth this dark lantern, as I may so 
 call it ; as he openeth it wider, or contracts it, or shutteth it 
 narrower, so do we see more or less : and sometimes he shutteth it 
 
G THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONXECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 ■wholly, and then the soul is in darkness, though it have never so 
 good an eye." 
 
 Beloved brethren, wait npon him for this light, or you will abide 
 in darkness and become blind leaders of the blind. 
 ^ 2. In the second place, the Spirit is called the Sjnrit of wisdom, 
 and we greatly need him in that capacity ; for knowledge may be 
 dangerous if unaccompanied with wisdom, which is the art of 
 rightly using what we know. Rightly to divide the Word of God 
 is as important as fully to understand it, for some Avho have evi- 
 dently understood a part of the gospel have given undue prominence 
 to that one portion of it, and have therefore exhibited a distorted 
 Christianity, to the injury of those who have received it, since 
 they in their turn have exhibited a distorted character in 
 consequence thereof. A man's nose is a prominent feature in his 
 face, but it is possible to make it so large that eyes and mouth, and 
 everything else are thrown into insignificance, and the drawing 
 is a caricature and not a portrait : so cex'tain important doctrines 
 of the gospel can be so proclaimed in excess as to throw the rest of 
 truth into the shade, and the preaching is no longer the gospel in 
 its natural beauty, but a caricature of the truth, of which carica- 
 ture, however, let me say, some people seem to be mightily fond. 
 The Spidt of God will teach you the use of the sacrificial knife to 
 divide the offerings ; and he will show you how to use the balances 
 of the saiictuary so as to weigh out and mix the precious spices in 
 their proper quantities. Every experienced preacher feels this to 
 be of the utmost moment, and it is well if he is able to resist all 
 temptation to neglect it. Alas, some .of our hearers do not desire 
 to hear the whole counsel of God, They have their favourite 
 doctrines, and would have us silent .on all besides. Many are like 
 the Scotchwoman, who, after hearing a sermon, said, " It was very 
 well if it hadna been for the trash of duties at the hinner end." 
 There are brethren of that kind ; they enjoy the comforting part^- 
 the promises and the doctrines, but practical holiness must scarcely 
 be touched upon. Faithfulness requires us to give them a four- 
 square gospel, from which nothing is omitted, and in which nothing 
 is exaggerated, and for^ this much wisdom is requisite. I gravely 
 question Avhether any of us have so much of this wisdom as we 
 need. We are probably afflicted by some inexcusable partialities 
 and unjustifiable leanings ; let us search them out and have done 
 with them. We may be conscious of having passed by certain texts, 
 not because we do not understand them (which might be justifiable), 
 but because we do understand tluun, and hardly like to say what 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 7 
 
 they have taught us, or because there may be some imperfection 
 in ourselves, or some prejudice among our hearers which those 
 texts woukl reveal too clearly for our comfort. Such sinful silence 
 must be ended forthwith. To be wise stewards and bring forth 
 the right portions of meat for our Master's household we need thy 
 teaching, O Spirit of the Lord 1 
 
 Nor is this all, for even if we know how rightly to divide the 
 Word of God, we want wisdom in the selection of the particular 
 part of truth which is most applicable to the season and to the 
 people assembled ; and equal discretion in the tone and manner in 
 which the doctrine shall be presented. I believe that many 
 brethren who preach human responsibility deliver themselves in so 
 legal a manner as to disgust all those who love the doctrines of 
 grace. On the other hand, I fear that many have preached the 
 sovereignty of God in such a way as to drive all persons who 
 believe in man's free agency entirely away from the Calvinistic 
 side. We should not hide truth for a moment, but we should have 
 wisdom so to preach it that there shall be no needless jarring or 
 offending, but a gradual enlightenment of those who cannot see it 
 at all, and a leading of weaker brethren into the full circle of 
 gospel doctrine. 
 
 Brethren, we also need wisdom in the way of putting things to 
 different people. You can cast a man down with the very truth 
 which was intended to build him up. You can sicken a man 
 with the honey with which you meant to sweeten his mouth. The 
 great mercy of God has been preached unguardedly, and has led 
 hundreds into licentiousness ; and, on the other hand, the terrors 
 of the Lord have been occasionally fulminated with such violence 
 that they have driven men into despair, and so into a settled de- 
 fiance of the Most High. Wisdom is profitable to direct, and he 
 who hath it brings forth each truth in its season, dressed in its 
 most appropriate garments. Who can give us this wisdom but the 
 blessed Spirit ? O, my brethren, see to it, that in lowliest reve- 
 rence you wait for his direction. 
 
 3. Thirdly, we need the Spirit in another manner, namely, as 
 the live coal from off the altar, touching our lips, so that when we 
 have knowledge and wisdom to select the fitting portion of truth, 
 we may enjoy freedom of utterance when we come to deliver it. 
 " Lo, this hath touched thy lips." Oh, how gloriously a man 
 speaks when his lips are blistered with the live coal from the altar 
 — feeling the burning power of the truth, not only in his inmost 
 soul, but on the very lip with which he is speaking I Mark at 
 
8 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 such times how his rery utteratice quivers. Did you not notice in 
 the prayer-meeting just now, in two of the suppliant brethren, 
 how their tones were tremulous, and their bodily frames were 
 quivering, because not only were their hearts touched, as I 
 hope all our hearts were, but their lips were touched, and their 
 speech was thei'eby affected. Brethren, we need the Spirit of 
 God to open our mouths that we may show forth the praises of 
 the Lord, or else we shall not speak with power. 
 
 We need the divine influence to keep us back from saying 
 many things which, if they actually left our tongue, would 
 mar our messaire. Those of us who are endowed with the dan- 
 gerous gift of humour have need, sometimes, to stop and take the 
 word out of our mouth and look at it, and see whether it is quite 
 to edification ; and those whose previous lives have borne them 
 among the coarse and the rough had need watch with lynx eyes 
 against indelicacy. Brethren, far be it from us to utter a syl- 
 Jable which would suggest an impure thought, or raise a question- 
 able memory. We need the Spirit of God to put bit and bridle 
 upon us to keep us from saying that which would take the minds 
 of our hearers away from Christ and eternal realities, and set 
 them thinking upon the grovelling things of earth. 
 
 Brethren, we require the Holy Spirit also to incite us in our 
 utterance. I doubt not you are all conscious of different states 
 of mind in preaching. Some of those states arise from your 
 body being in different conditions. A bad cold will not only spoil 
 the clearness of the voice, but freeze the flow of the thoughts. 
 For my own part if I cannot speak clearly I am unable to think 
 clearly, and the matter becomes hoarse as well as the voice. 
 The stomach, also, and all the other organs of the body, affect the 
 mind ; but it is not to these things that I allude. Are you not 
 conscious of changes altogether independent of the body? When 
 you are in robust health do you not find yourselves one day as 
 heavy as Pharaoh's chariots with the wheels taken off, and at 
 another time as much at liberty as " a hind let loose "? To-day 
 your branch glitters with the dew, yesterday it was parched with 
 drought. Who knoweth not that the Spirit of God is in all this ? 
 The divine Spirit will sometimes work upon us so as to bear us 
 completely out of ourselves. From the beginning of the sermon 
 to the end we might at such times say, " Whether in the body 
 or out of the body I cannot tell : God knoweth." Everything 
 has been forgotten but the one all-engrossing subject in hand. If 
 I were forbidden to enter heaven, but were permitted to select my 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 9 
 
 state for all eternity, I should choose to be as I sometimes feel in 
 preaching the gospel. Heaven is foreshadowed in such a state : 
 the mind shut out from all disturbing influences, adoring the 
 majestic and consciously present God, every faculty aroused and 
 joyously excited to its utmost capability, all the thoughts and 
 powers of the soul joyously occupied in contemplating the glory 
 of the Lord, and extolling to listening crowds the Beloved of our 
 soul ; and all the while the purest conceivable benevolence towards 
 one's fellow creatures urging the heart to plead with them on 
 God's behalf — what state of mind can rival this ? Alas, we have 
 readied this ideal, but we cannot always maintain it, for we know 
 also what it is to preach in chains, or beat the air. We may not 
 attribute holy and happy changes in our ministry to anything 
 less than the action of the Holy Spirit upon our souls. I am 
 sure the Spirit does so work. Often and often, when I have had 
 doubts suggested by the infidel, I have been able to fling them to 
 the winds with utter scorn, because I am distinctly conscious of 
 a power working upon me when I am speaking in the name of 
 the Lord, infinitely transcending any personal power of fluency, 
 and far surpassing any energy derived from excitement such as I 
 have felt when delivering a secular lecture or making a speech — 
 so utterly distinct from such power that I am quite certain it 
 is not of the same order or class as the enthusiasm of the poli- 
 tician or the glow of the orator. May we full often feel the 
 divine energy, and speak with power. 
 
 4. But then, fourthly, the Spirit of God acts also as an anoint- 
 ing oil, and this relates to the entire delivery — not to the utterance 
 merely from the mouth, but to the whole delivery of the discourse. 
 He can make you feel your subject till it thrills you, and you 
 become depressed by it so as to be crushed into the earth, or 
 elevated by it so as to be borne upon its eagle wings ; making 
 you feel, besides your subject, your object, till you yearn for the 
 conversion of men, and for the uplifting of Christians to some- 
 thing nobler than they have known as yet. At the same time, 
 another feeling is with you, namely, an intense desire that God 
 may be glorified through the truth which you are delivering. You 
 are conscious of a deep sympathy with the people to whom you are 
 speaking, making you mourn over some of them because they 
 know so little, and over others because they have known much, 
 but have rejected iti You look into some faces, and your heart 
 silently says. '' The dew is dropping there ;" and, turning to 
 others, you sorrowfully perceive that they are as Gilboa's dewless 
 
10 THE HOLY SPIEIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 mountain. All this will be going on during the jdiscourse. We can- 
 not tell how many thoughts can traverse the mind at once. I once 
 counted eight sets of thoughts which were going on in my brain 
 simultaneously, or at least within the space of the same second. 
 I was preaching the gospel with all my might, but could not help 
 feeling for a lady who was evidently about to faint, and also 
 looking out for our brother who opens the "vindows that he might 
 give us more air. I was thinking of that illustration which I had 
 omitted under the first head, casting the form of the second di- 
 vision, wondering if A felt my rebuke, and praying that B might 
 get comfort from the consoling observation, and at the same time 
 praising God for my own personal enjoyment of the truth I was 
 proclaiming. Some interpreters consider the cherubim with their 
 four faces to be emblems of ministers, and assuredly I see no diffi- 
 culty in the quadruple form, for the sacred Spirit can multiply our 
 mental states, and make us many times the men we are by nature. 
 How much he can make of us, and how grandly he can elevate us, 
 I will not dare to surmise : certainly, he can do exceeding abund- 
 antly above what we ask or even think. 
 
 Especially is it the Holy Spirit's work to maintain in us a devo- 
 tional frame of mind whilst we are discoursing. This is a condition 
 to be greatly coveted — to continue praying while you are occupied 
 with preaching ; to do the Lord's commandments, hearkening unto 
 the voice of his word ; to keep the eye on the throne, and the wing 
 in perpetual motion. I hope we know what this means ; I am sure 
 we know, or may soon experience, its opposite, namely, the evil of 
 preaching in an undevotional spirit. What can be worse than to 
 speak under the influence of a proud or angry spirit I What more 
 weakening than to preach in an unbelieving spirit ? But, oh, to burn 
 in our secret heart while we blaze before the eyes of others ! This 
 is the work of the Spirit of God. Work it in us, O adorable 
 Comforter ! ^ 
 
 In our pulpits we need the spirit of dependence to be mixed with 
 that of devotion, so that all along, from the first word to the last 
 syllable, we may be looking up to the strong for strength. It is 
 well to feel that though you have continued up to the present point, 
 yet if the Holy Spirit were to leave you, you would play the fool 
 ere the sermon closed. Looking to the hills whence cometli your 
 help all the sermon through, with absolute dependence upon God, 
 you will preach in a brave, confident spirit all the while. Per- 
 haps I was wrong to say " brave," for it is not a brave thing to 
 trust God : to true believers it is a simple matter of sweet necessity — 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 11 
 
 how call they help trusting him ? Wherefore should they doubt 
 their ever faithful Friend ? I told my people the other morning, 
 when preaching from the text, " My grace is sufficient for thee," 
 that for the first time in my life I experienced what Abraham 
 felt when he fell upon his face and laughed. I was riding 
 home, very weary with a long week's work, when there came 
 to my mind this text — " My grace is sufficient for thee :" but 
 it came with the emphasis laid upon two words : " Jiy grace 
 is sufficient for tliee." My soul said, " Doubtless it is. Surely 
 the grace of the infinite God is more than sufficient for such a 
 mere insect as I am," and I laughed, and laughed again, to think 
 how far the supply exceeded all my needs. It seemed to me as 
 though I were a little fish in the sea, and in my thirst I said, 
 " Alas, I shall drink up the ocean." Then the Father of the 
 waters lifted up his head sublime, and smilingly replied, " Little 
 fish, the boundless main is sufficient for thee." The thought made 
 unbelief appear supremely ridiculous, as indeed it is. Oh, brethren, 
 we ought to preach feeling that God means to bless the word, 
 for we have his promise for it ; and when we have done preaching 
 we should look out for the people who have received a blessing. Do 
 you ever say, " I am overwhelmed with astonishment to find that 
 the Lord has converted souls through my poor ministry"? Mock 
 humility ! Your ministry is poor enough. Everybody knows that, 
 and you ought to know it most of all : but, at the same time, is it 
 any wonder that God, who said " My word shall not return unto 
 me void," has kept his promise % Is the meat to lose its nourish' 
 ment because the dish is a poor platter ? Is divine grace to be 
 overcome by our infirmity"? No, but we have this treasure in 
 earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God 
 and not of us. 
 
 We need the Spirit of God, then, all through the sermon to keep 
 our hearts and minds in a proper condition, for if we have not the 
 right spirit we shall lose the tone which persuades and prevails, 
 and our people will discover that Samson's strength has departed 
 from him. Some speak scoldingly, and so betray their bad temper; 
 others preach themselves, and so reveal their pride. Some dis- 
 course as though it were a condescension on their part to occupy 
 the pulpit, while others preach as though they apologised for their 
 existence. To avoid en'ors of manners and tone, we must be led 
 of the Holy Spirit, who alone teacheth us to profit. 
 
 5. Fifthly, we depend entirely upon the Spirit of God to produce 
 actual effect from the gospel, and at this effect we must always aim. 
 
12 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 We do not stand up in our pulpits to display our skill in spiritual 
 sword play, but we come to actual fighting : our object is to drive the 
 sword of the Spirit through men's hearts. If preaching can ever in 
 any sense be viewed as a public exhibition, it shovild be like the exhi- 
 bition of a ploughing match, which consists in actual ploughing. The 
 competition does not lie in the appearance of the ploughs, but in 
 the work done ; so let ministers be judged by the way in which 
 they drive the gospel plough, and cut the furrow from end to end 
 of the field. Always aim at effect. *' Oh," says one, '* I thought 
 you would have said, 'Never do that.'" I do also say, never aim 
 at effect, in the unhappy sense of that expression. Never aim at 
 effect after the manner of the climax makers, poetry quoters, 
 handkerchief manipulators, and bombast blowers. Far better for 
 a man that he had never been born than that he should degrade a 
 pulpit into a show box to exhibit himself in. Aim at the right 
 sort of effect ; the inspiring of 'saints to nobler things, the leading 
 cf Christians closer to their Master, the comforting of doubters 
 till they rise out of their terrors, the repentance of sinners, and 
 their exercise of immediate faith in Christ. Without these signs 
 following, what is the use of our sennons ? It would be a miser- 
 able thing to have to say with a certain archbishop, " I have passed 
 through many places of honour and trust, both in Church and 
 State, more than any of my order in England, for seventy years 
 before ; but were I assured that by my preaching I had but con- 
 verted one soul to God, I should herein take more comfort that in 
 all the honoured offices that have been bestowed upon me." 
 Miracles of grace must be the seals of our ministry; who can 
 bestow them but the Spirit of God 1 Convert a soul without the 
 Spirit of God I Why, you cannot even make a fly, much less 
 create a new heart and a right spirit. Lead the children of God 
 to a higher life without the Holy Ghost I You are inexpressibly 
 more likely to conduct them into carnal security, if you attempt 
 their elevation by any method of your own. Our ends can never 
 be gained if we miss the co-operation of the Spirit of the Lord. 
 Therefore, with strong crying and tears, wait upon him from day 
 to day. 
 
 The lack of distinctly recognizing the power of the Holy Ghost 
 lies at the root of many useless ministries. The forcible words of 
 Kobert Hall are as true now as when he poured tliem forth like 
 molten lava upon a semi-socinian generation. " On the one hand 
 it deserves attention, that the most eminent and successful 
 preachers of the gospel in different communities, a Brainerd, a 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 13 
 
 Baxter, and a Schwartz, have been the most conspicuous for simple 
 dependence on spiritual aid; and on the other that no success 
 whatever has attended the ministrations of those by whom this 
 doctrine has been either neglected or denied. They have met 
 with such a rebuke of their presumption, in the total failure of 
 their eiforts, that none will contend for the reality of Divine 
 intei'position, as far as they are concerned ; for when has the arm 
 of the Lord been revealed to those pretended teachers of Christi- 
 anity, who believe there is no such arm ? We must leave them to 
 labour in a field respecting which God has commanded the clouds 
 not to rain upon it. As if conscious of this, of late they have 
 turned their efforts into a new channel, and despairing of the con- 
 version of sinners, have confined themselves to the seduction of the 
 faithful; in which, it must be confessed, they have acted in a 
 manner perfectly consistent with their principles ; the propaga- 
 tion of heresy requiring, at least, no divine assistance." 
 
 6. Next we need the Spirit of God as the Spirit of supplications^ 
 who maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of 
 God. A very important part of our lives consists in praying in 
 the Holy Ghost, and that minister who does not think so had 
 better escape from his ministry. Abundant prayer must go with 
 earnest preaching. We cannot be always on the knees of the 
 body, but the soul should never leave the posture of devotion. 
 The habit of prayer is good, but the spirit of prayer is better. 
 Regular retirement is to be maintained, but continued communion 
 with God is to be our aim. As a rule, we ministers ought never 
 to be many minutes without actually lifting up our hearts in 
 prayer. Some of us could honestly say that we are seldom a 
 quarter of an hour without speaking to God, and that not as a duty 
 but as an instinct, a habit of the new nature for which we claim 
 no more credit than a babe does for crying after its mother. How 
 could we do otherwise ? Now, if we are to be much in the spirit 
 of prayer, we need secret oil to be poured upon the' sacred fire of 
 our heart's devotion ; we want to be again and again visited by 
 the Spirit of grace and of supplications. 
 
 As to our prayers in public, let it never be truthfully said that 
 they are ofiicial, formal, and cold; yet they will be so if the supply 
 of the Spirit be scant. Those who use a liturgy I judge not ; but 
 to those who are accustomed to free prayer I say, — you cannot 
 pray acceptably in public year after year without the Spirit of 
 God ; dead praying will become offensive to the people long before 
 that time. What then"? Whence shall our help come ? Certain 
 
14 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN' CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 Aveaklings have said, " Let us have a liturgy !" Rather than seek 
 divine aid they will go down to Egypt for help. Eathcr than be 
 dependent upon the Spirit of God, they will pray by a book ! For 
 my part, if I cannot pray, I would rather know it, and groan over 
 my soul's bai-renness till the Lord shall again visit me -with fruit- 
 fulness of devotion. If you are filled with the Spirit, you will be 
 glad to throw off all formal fetters, that you may commit yourself 
 to the sacred current, to be borne along till you find waters to 
 swim in. Sometimes you will enjoy closer fellowship with God in 
 prayer in the pulpit than you have known anywhere else. To me 
 my greatest secrecy in prayer has often been in public ; my truest 
 loneliness with God has occurred to me while pleading in the 
 midst of thousands. I have opened my eyes at the close of a 
 prayer and come back to the assembly with a sort of a shock at 
 finding myself upon earth and among men. Such seasons are not 
 at our command, neither can we raise ourselves into such conditions 
 by any preparations or efforts. How blessed they are both to the 
 minister and his people no tongue can tell ! How full of power 
 and blessing habitual prayerfulness must also be I cannot here 
 pause to declare, but for it all Ave must look to the Holy Spirit, 
 and blessed be God we shall not look in vain, for it is especially 
 said of him that he helpeth our infirmities in prayer. 
 
 7. Furthermore, it is important that we be under the influence 
 of the Holy Ghost, as he is the Spirit of holiness ; for a very con- 
 siderable and essential part of Christian ministry lies in example. 
 Our people take much note of what we say out of the pulpit, and 
 what we do in the social circle and elsewhere. Do you find it 
 easy, my brethren, to be saints'? — such saints that others may 
 regard you as examples? We ought to be such husbands that 
 every husband in the parish may safely be such as we are. Is it 
 so ? We ought to be the best of fathers. Alas ! some ministers, 
 to my knowledge, are far from this, for as to their families, they 
 have kept the vineyards of others, but their own vineyards they 
 have not kept. Their children are neglected, and do not grow up 
 as a godly seed. Is it so with yours 1 In our converse with our 
 fellow men are we blameless and harmless, the sons of God without 
 rebuke ? Such we ought to be. I admire Mr. Whitfield's reasons 
 for always having his linen scrupulously clean. " No, no," ho 
 would say, " these are not trifles ; a minister must be without 
 spot, even in his garments, if he can." Purity cannot be carried 
 too far in a minister. You have knoAATi an unhappy brother be- 
 spatter himself, and you have affectionately aided in removing the 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 15 
 
 spots, but you have felt that it would have been better had the 
 garments been always white. O to keep ourselves unspotted from 
 the world ! How can this be in such a scene of tem})tation, and 
 with such besetting sins unless we are preserved by superior 
 power? If you are to walk in all holiness and purity, as be- 
 cometh ministers of the gospel, you must be daily baptized into 
 the Spirit of God. 
 
 8. Once again, we need the Spirit as a Spirit of discernment, 
 for he knows the minds of men as he knows the mind of God, 
 and we need this very much in dealing with difficult characters. 
 There are in this world some persons who might possibly be 
 allowed to preach, but they should never be suffered to become 
 pastors. They have a mental or spiritual disqualification. In the 
 church of San Zeno, at Verona, I saw the statue of that saint in 
 a sitting posture, and the artist has given him knees so short that 
 he has no lap whatever, so that he could not have been a nursing 
 father. I fear there are many others who labour under a similar 
 disability : they cannot bring their minds to enter heartily into 
 the pastoral care. They can dogmatize upon a doctrine, and con- 
 trovert upon an ordinance, but as to sympathizing with an expe- 
 rience, it is far from them. Cold comfort can such render to 
 afflicted consciences ; their advice will be equally valuable with 
 that of the highlander who is reported to have seen an English- 
 man sinking in a bocr on Ben Nevis. "I am sinkinfr !" cried the 
 traveller. " Can you tell me how to get out ? " The highlander 
 calmly replied, " I think it is likely you never will," and walked 
 away. We have known ministers of that kind, puzzled, and 
 almost annoyed with sinners struggling in the slough of despond. 
 If you and I, untrained in the shepherd's art, were placed among 
 the ewes and young lambs in the early spring, what should we do 
 with them ? In some such perplexity are those found who have 
 never been taught of the Holy Spirit how to care for the souls of 
 men. May his instructions save us from such wretched incom- 
 petence. 
 
 Moreover, brethren, whatever our tenderness of heart, or loving 
 anxiety, we shall not know how to deal with the vast variety of 
 cases unless the Spirit of God shall direct us, for no two indi- 
 viduals are alike ; and even the same case will require different 
 treatment at different times. At one period it may be best to 
 console, at another to rebuke ; and the person with whom you 
 sympathized even to tears to-day may need that you confront him 
 with a frown to-morrow, for trifling with the consolation which 
 
16 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 you presented. Those who bind up the broken-hearted, and set 
 free the captives, must have the Spirit of the Lord upon them. 
 
 In the oversight and guidance of a church the Spirit's aid is 
 needed. At bottom the chief reason for secession from our de- 
 nomination has been the difficulty arising out of oui' church 
 government. It is said to " tend to the unrest of the ministry." 
 Doubtless, it is very trying to those who crave for the dignity of 
 officialism, and must need be Sir Oracles, before whom not a dog 
 must bark. Those who are no more capable of ruling. than mere 
 babes are the very persons who have the greatest thirst for autho- 
 rity, and, finding little of it awarded to them in these parts, they 
 seek other regions. If you cannot rule yourself, if you are not 
 manly and independent, if you are not superior in moral weight, 
 if you have not more gift and more grace than your ordinary 
 hearers, you may put on a gown and claim to be the ruling person 
 in the church ; but it will not be in a church of the Baptist or New 
 Testament order. For my part I should loathe to be the pastor 
 of a people who have nothing to say, or who, if they do say anything, 
 might as well be quiet, for the pastor is Lord Paramount, and 
 they are mere laymen and nobodies. I would sooner be the leader 
 of six free men, whose enthusiastic love is my only power over 
 them, than play the dictator to a score of enslaved nations. What 
 position is nobler than that of a spiritual father who claims no 
 authority and yet is universally esteemed, whose word is given 
 only as tender advice, but is allowed to operate with the force of 
 law? Consulting the wishes of others he finds that they first 
 desire to know what he would recommend, and deferring always to 
 the desires of others, he finds that they are glad to defer to him. 
 Lovingly firm and graciously gentle, he is the chief of all because 
 he is the servant of all. Does not this need wisdom from above ? 
 What can require it more ? David when established on the throne 
 said, " It is he that subdueth my people under me," and so may 
 every happy pastor say when he sees so many brethren of differing 
 temperaments all happily willing to be under discipline, and to 
 accept his leadership in the work of the Lord. If the Lord were 
 not among us how soon there would be confusion. Ministers, 
 deacons, and elders may all be wise, but if the sacred Dove de- 
 parts, and the spirit of strife enters, it is all over with us. Brethren, 
 our system will not work without the Spirit of God, and I am 
 glad it will not, for its stoppages and breakages call our attention 
 to the fact of his absence. Our system was never intended to 
 promote the glory of priests and pastors, but it is calculated to 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 17 
 
 educate manly Christians, who will not take their faith at second- 
 hand. What am I, and what are you, that we should be lords 
 over God's heritage ? Dare any of us say with the French king, 
 " L'^tat, c'est moi "— " the state is myself,"— I am the most im- 
 portant person in the church! If so, the Holy Spirit is not likely 
 to use such unsuitable instruments ; but if we know our places 
 and desire to keep them with all humility, he will help us, and the 
 churches will flourish beneath our care. 
 
 I have given you a lengthened catalogue of matters wherein the 
 Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary to us, and yet the list is very 
 far from complete. I have intentionally left it imperfect, because 
 if I attempted its completion all our time would have expired 
 before we were able to answer the question, How may we lose 
 THIS NEEDFUL ASSISTANCE? Let none of US ever try the experi- 
 ment, but it is certain that ministers may lose the aid of the Holy 
 Ghost. Each man here may lose it. You shall not perish as be- 
 lievers, for everlasting life is in you; but you may perish as minis- 
 ters, and be no more heard of as witnesses for the Lord. Should 
 this happen it will not be without a cause. The Spirit claims 
 a sovereignty like that of the wind which bloweth where it 
 hsteth; but let us never dream that sovereignty and capriciousness 
 are the same thing. The blessed Spirit acts as he wills, but he 
 always acts justly, wisely, and with motive and reason. At times 
 he gives or withholds his blessing, for reasons connected with our- 
 selves. Mark the course of a river like the Thames; how it winds 
 and twists according to its own sweet will : yet there is a reason for 
 every bend and curve: the geologist studying the soil and marking 
 the conformation of the rock, sees a reason why the river's bed di- 
 verges to the right or to the left: and so, though the Spirit of God 
 blesses one preacher more than another, and the reason cannot be 
 such that any man could congratulate himself upon his own good- 
 ness, yet there are certain things about Christian ministers which 
 God blesses, and certain other things which hinder success. The 
 Spirit of God falls like the dew, in mystery and power, but it is in 
 the spiritual world as in the natural : certain substances are wet 
 with the celestial moisture while others are always dry. Is there 
 not a cause? The wind blows where it lists; but if we desire to 
 feel a stiff breeze we must go oiit to sea, or climb the hills. The 
 Spirit of God has his favoured places for displaying his might. 
 He is typified by a dove, and the dove has its chosen haunts : to the 
 rivers of waters, to the peaceful and quiet places, the dove resorts; 
 
 3 
 
18 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 we meet it not upon the battle-field, neither does it alight on 
 carrion. There are things congruous to the Spirit, and things 
 contrary to his mind. The Spirit of God is compared to light, and 
 light can shine where it wills, but some bodies are opaque, while 
 others are transparent; and so there are men through whom God 
 the Holy Ghost can shine, and there are others through whom his 
 brightness never appears. Thus, then, it can be shown that the 
 Holy Ghost, though he be the "free Spirit" of God, is by no means 
 capricious in his operations. 
 
 But, dear brethren, the Spirit of God may be grieved and vexed, 
 and even resisted : to deny this is to oppose the constant testimony 
 of Scripture. Worst of all, we may do despite to him, and so in- 
 sult him that he will speak no more by us, but leave us as he left 
 king Saul of old. Alas, that there should be men in the Christian 
 ministry to whom this has happened; but I am afraid there are. 
 
 Brethren, what are those evils which will grieve the Spirit"? I 
 answer, anything that would have disqualified you as an ordinary 
 Christian for communion with God also disqualifies you for feeling 
 the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit as a minister: but, 
 apart from that, there are special hindrances. 
 
 Among the first we must mention a want of sensitiveness, or that 
 unfeeling condition which arises from disobeying the Spirit's in- 
 fluences. We should be delicately sensitive to his faintest move- 
 ment, and then we may expect his abiding presence, but if we are 
 as the horse and as the mule, which have no understanding, we 
 shall feel the whip, but we shall not enjoy the tender influences of 
 the Comforter. 
 
 Another grieving fault is a want of truthfulness. When a great 
 musician takes a guitar, or touches a harp, and finds that the notes 
 are false, he stays his hand. Some men's souls are not honest ; 
 they are sophistical and double-minded. Christ's Spirit will not 
 be an accomplice with men in the wretched business of shuffling and 
 deceiving. Does it really come to this — that you preach certain 
 doctrines, not because you believe them, but because your congre- 
 gation expects you to do so ? Are you biding your time till you 
 can, without risk, renounce your present creed and tell out what 
 your dastardly mind really holds to be true? Then are you fallen 
 indeed, and are baser than the meanest slaves. God deliver us 
 from treacherous men, and if they enter our ranks, may they 
 speedily be drummed out to the tune of the Rogue's March. If 
 we feel an abhorrence of them, how much more must the Spirit 
 of truth detest them I 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 19 
 
 You can greatly grieve the Holy Spirit by a general scantiness 
 of grace. The phrase is awkward, but it describes certain persons 
 better than any other which occurs to me. The Scanty-grace 
 family usually have one of the brothers in the ministry. I know 
 the man. He is not dishonest, nor immoral, he is not bad tempered, 
 nor self-indulgent, but there is a something wanting: it would not 
 be easy to prove its absence by any overt offence, but it is wanting 
 in the whole man, and its absence spoils everything. He wants 
 the one thing needful. He is not spiritual, he has no savour of 
 Christ, his heart never burns within him, his soul is not alive, he 
 wants grace. We cannot expect the Spirit of God to bless a 
 ministry which never ought to have been exercised, and certainly a 
 graceless ministry is of that character. 
 
 Another evil which drives away the divine Spirit is pride. The 
 way to be very great is to be very little. To be very noteworthy 
 in your own esteem is to be unnoticed of God. If you must needs 
 dwell upon the high places of the earth, you shall find the mountain 
 summits cold and barren : the Lord dwells with the lowly, but he 
 knows the proud afar off. 
 
 The Holy Ghost is also vexed by laziness. I cannot imagine 
 the Spirit waiting at the door of a sluggard, and supplying the 
 deficiencies created by indolence. Sloth in the cause of the Re- 
 deemer is a vice for which no excuse can be invented. We our- 
 selves feel our flesh creep when we see the dilatory movements of 
 sluggards, and we may be sui'e that the active Spirit is equally 
 vexed with those who trifle ir, the work of the Lord. 
 
 Neglect of private prayer and many other evils will produce the 
 same unhappy result, but there is no need to enlarge, for your own 
 consciences will tell you, brethren, what it is that grieves the Holy 
 One of Israel. 
 
 And now, let me entreat you, listen to this word : — Do you knoio 
 what may happen if the Spirit of God he greatly grieved and depart 
 from us f There are two suppositions. The first is that we never 
 were God's true servants at all, but were only temporarily used by 
 him, as Balaam was, and even the ass on which he rode. Suppose, 
 brethren, that you and I go on comfortably preaching a while, and 
 are neither suspected by ourselves nor others to be destitute of the 
 Spirit of God : our ministry may all come to an end on a sudden, 
 and we may come to an end with it ; we may be smitten down in 
 our prime, as were Nadab and Abidu, no more to be seen ministering 
 before the Lord, or removed in riper years, like Hophni and 
 Phineas, no longer to serve in the tabernacle of the congi*egation. 
 
20 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 We have no inspired annalist to record for us tlie sudden cutting 
 off of promising men, but if we had, it may be we should read 
 with terror — of zeal sustained by strong drink, of public Phari- 
 seeism associated with secret defilement, of avowed orthodoxy 
 concealing absolute infidelity, or of some other form of strange 
 fire presented upon the altar till the Lord would endure it no 
 more, and cut off the offenders with a sudden stroke. Shall this 
 terrible doom happen to any one of us ? 
 
 Alas, I have seen some deserted by the Holy Spirit, as Saul was. 
 It is written that the Spirit of God came upon Saul, but he was 
 faithless to the divine influence, and it departed, and an evil spirit 
 occupied its place. See how the deserted preacher moodily plays 
 the cynic, criticises all others, and hurls the javelin of detraction 
 at a better man than himself. Saul was once among the prophets, 
 but he was more at home among the persecutors. The disap- 
 pointed preacher worries the true evangelist, resorts to the witch- 
 craft of philosophy, and seeks help from dead heresies ; but Ins 
 power is gone, and the Philistines will soon find him among the 
 slain. " Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of 
 Askelon ! ye daughters of Israel weep over Saul I How are the 
 mighty fallen in the midst of the battle ! " 
 
 Some, too, deserted by the Spirit of God, have become like the 
 sons of one Sceva, a Jew. These pretenders tried to cast out 
 devils in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preached, but the devils 
 leaped upon them and overcame them ; thus while certain preachers 
 have declaimed against sin, the very vices which they denounced 
 have overthrown them. The sons of Sceva have been among us in 
 England : the devils of drunkenness have prevailed over the very 
 man who denounced the bewitching cup, and the demon of un- 
 chastity has leaped upon the preacher who applauded purity. If 
 the Holy Ghost be absent, ours is of all positions the most perilous ; 
 therefore let us beware. 
 
 Alas, some ministers become like Balaam. He was a prophet, 
 was he not ? Did he not speak in the name of the Lord ? Is he 
 not called "the man whose eyes are opened, which saw the vision 
 of the Almighty V Yet Balaam fought against Israel, and cun- 
 ningly devised a scheme by which the chosen people might be 
 overthrown. Ministers of the gospel have become Papists, infidels, 
 and freethinkers, and plotted the destruction of what they once 
 jn'ofessed to prize. We may be apostles, and yet, like Judas, tui'n 
 out to be sons of perdition. Woe unto us if this be the case ! 
 
 Brethren, I will assume that we really are the children of God, 
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 21 
 
 and what then? Why, even then, if the Spirit of God depart 
 from us, we may be taken away on a sudden as the deceived pro- 
 phet was who failed to obey the command of the Lord in the days 
 of Jeroboam. He was no doubt a man of God, and the death of 
 his body was no evidence of the loss of his soul, but he broke 
 away from what he knew to be the command of God given specially 
 to himself, and his ministry ended there and then, for a lion met 
 him by the way and slew him. May the Holy Spirit preserve us 
 from deceivers, and keep us true to the voice of God. 
 
 Worse still, we may reproduce the life of Samson, upon whom 
 the Spirit of God came in the. camps of Dan; but in Delilah's lap 
 he lost his strength, and in the dungeon he lost his eyes. He 
 bravely finished his life-work, blind as he was, but who among us 
 wishes to tempt such a fate? 
 
 Or — and this last has saddened me beyond all expression, 
 because it is much more likely than any of the rest — we may be 
 left by the Spirit of God, in a painful degree, to mar the close of 
 our life-work as Moses did. Not to lose our souls, nay, not even to 
 lose our crowns in heaven, or even our reputations on earth ; but, 
 still, to be under a cloud in our last days through once speaking 
 unadvisedly with our lips. I have lately studied the later days 
 of the great prophet of Horeb, and I have not yet recovered 
 from the deep gloom of spirit which it cast over me. What was 
 the sin of Moses ? You need not enquire. It was not gross like 
 the transgression of David, nor startling like the failure of Peter, 
 nor weak and foolish like the grave fault of his brother Aaron; 
 indeed, it seems an infinitesimal offence as weighed in the balances 
 of ordinary judgment. But then, you see, it was the sin of Moses, 
 of a man favoured of God beyond all others, of a leader of the 
 people, of a representative of the divine King. The Lord could 
 have overlooked it in anyone else, but not in Moses : Moses must 
 be chastened by being forbidden to lead the people into the pro- 
 mised land. Truly, he had a glorious view from the top of Pisgah, 
 and everything else which could mitigate the rigour of the sen- 
 tence, but it was a great disappointment never to enter the land of 
 Israel's inheritance, and that for once speaking unadvisedly. I 
 would not shun my Master's service, but I tremble in his presence. 
 Who can be faultless when even Moses erred ? It is a dreadful 
 thing to be beloved of God. " Who among us shall dwell with 
 devouring fire? Who among us. shall dwell with everlasting 
 burnings ? He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly " — 
 he alone can face that sin-consuming flame of love. Brethren, 
 
22 THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION WITH OUR MINISTRY. 
 
 I beseech you, crave Moses's place, but tremble as you take it. 
 Fear and tremble for all the good that God shall make to pass 
 before you. When you are fullest of the fruits of the Spirit bow- 
 lowest before the throne, and serve the Lord with fear. " The 
 Lord our God is a jealous God." Remember that God has come 
 unto us, not to exalt us, but to exalt himself, and we must see to 
 it that his glory is the one sole object of all that we do. " He must 
 increase, and I must decrease." Oh, may God bring us to this, 
 and make us walk very carefully and humbly before him. God 
 will search us and try us, for judgment begins at his own house, 
 and in that house it begins with his ministers. Will any of us be 
 found wanting? Shall the pit of hell draw a portion of its 
 wretched inhabitants from among our band of pastors ? Ter- 
 rible will be the doom of a fallen preacher: his condemnation 
 %vill astonish common transgressors. " Hell from beneath is moved 
 for thee to meet thee at thy coming." All they shall speak and 
 say unto thee, " Art thou also become weak as we ? Art thou 
 become like unto us ?" O for the Spirit of God to make and 
 keep us alive unto God, faithful to our office, and useful to our 
 generation, and clear of the blood of men's souls. Amen. 
 
LECTURE 11. 
 
 Dear Fellow Soldiers ! We are few, and we have a desperate 
 fight before us, therefore it is needful that every man should be 
 made the most of, and nerved to his highest point of strength. It 
 is desirable that the Lord's ministers should be the picked men of 
 the church, yea, of the entire universe, for such the age demands ; 
 therefore, in reference to yourselves and your personal qualifica- 
 tions, I give you the motto, '^ Go forward^ Go forward in per- 
 sonal attainments, forward in gifts and in grace, forward in fitness 
 for the work, and forward in conformity to the image of Jesus. 
 The points I shall speak upon begin at the base, and ascend. 
 
 1. First, dear brethren, I think it necessary to say to myself 
 and to you that we must go forward in our mental acquirements. 
 It will never do for us continually to present ourselves to God at 
 our worst. We are not worth his having at our best ; but at any 
 rate let not the offering be maimed and blemished by our idleness. 
 "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" is, per- 
 haps, more easy to comply with, than to love him with all our 
 mind ; yet we must give him our mind as well as our affections, 
 and that mind should be well furnished, that we may not offer 
 him an empty casket. Our ministry demands mind. I shall not 
 insist upon " the enlightenment of the age," still it is quite certain 
 that there is a great educational advance among all classes, and 
 that there will yet be much more of it. The time is passed when 
 ungrammatical speech will suffice for a preacher. Even in a 
 country village, where, according to tradition, " nobody knows 
 nothing," the schoolmaster is now abroad, and want of education 
 will hinder usefulness more than it once did ; for, when the speaker 
 wishes his audience to remember the gospel, they on the other 
 
 • This lecture was delivered to ministers who had been educated at the Pastors' 
 College as well as to students, hence certain differences of expression. 
 
24 FORWARD 
 
 hand will remember his ungrammatical expi'essions, and will re- 
 peat them as themes for jest, when we conld have wished they 
 had j-ehearsed the divine doctrines to one another in solemn 
 earnest. Dear brethren, we mnst cultivate ourselves to the highest 
 possible point, and we should do this, firi t, by gathering in know- 
 ledge that we may fill the barn, then by acquiring discrimination 
 that we may winnow the heap, and lastly by a firm retentiveness 
 of mind, by which we may lay up the winnowed grain in the 
 storehouse. These three points may not be equally important, but 
 they are all necessary to a complete man. 
 
 We must, 1 say, make great efforts to acquire information, 
 especially of a Biblical kind. We must not confine ourselves to 
 one topic of study, or we shall not exercise our whole mental man- 
 hood. God made the world for man, and he made man with a mind 
 intended to occupy and use all the world ; he is the tenant, and 
 nature is for a while his house ; why should he shut himself out of 
 any of its rooms ? Why refuse to taste any of the cleansed meats 
 the great Father has put upon the table? Still, our main busi- 
 ness is to study the Scriptures. The smith's main business is to 
 shoe horses ; let him see that he knows how to do it, for should he 
 be able to belt an angel with a girdle of gold he will fail as a 
 smith if he cannot make and fix a horse-shoe. It is a small matter 
 that you should be able to write the most brilliant poetry, as pos- 
 sibly you could, unless you can preach a good and telling sermon, 
 which will have the effect of comforting saints and convincing 
 sinners. Study the Bible, dear brethren, through and through, 
 with all helps that you can possibly obtain : remember that the 
 appliances now within the reach of ordinary Christians are much 
 more extensive than they were in our fathers' days, and therefore 
 you must be greater Biblical scholars if you would keep in front 
 of your hearers. Intermeddle with all knowledge, but above all 
 things meditate day and night in the law of the Lord. 
 
 Be well instructed in theology, and do not regard the sneers of 
 those who rail at it because they are ignorant of it. Many 
 preachers are not theologians, and hence the mistakes which they 
 make. It cannot do any hurt to the most lively evangelist to be 
 also a sound theologian, and it may often be the means of saving 
 him from gross blunders, Now-a-days we hear men tear a single 
 sentence of Scripture from its connection, and cry " Eureka ! 
 Eureka ! " as if they had found a new truth ; and yet they have 
 not discovered a diamond, but a piece of broken glass. Had they 
 been able to compare spiritual things with spiritual, had they 
 
FORAVARD I 25 
 
 understood the analop;y of tlie faith, and had they been acquainted 
 with the holy learning of the great Bible students of ages past, 
 they would not have been quite so fast in vaunting their marvel- 
 lous knowledge. Let us be thoroughly well acquainted with the 
 great doctrines of the Word of God, and let us be mighty in ex- 
 pounding Scripture. I am sure that no preaching will last so 
 long, or build up a church so well, as the expository. To renounce 
 altogether the hortatory discourse for the expository would be run- 
 ning to a preposterous extreme ; but I cannot too earnestly assure 
 you that if your ministries are to be lastingly useful you must be 
 expositors. For this you must understand the Word yourselves, 
 and be able so to comment upon it that the people may be built 
 up by the Word. Be masters of your Bibles, brethren : whatever 
 other works you have not searched, be at home with the writings 
 of the prophets and apostles. " Let the word of God dwell in you 
 richly." 
 
 Having given precedence to the inspired writings, neglect no 
 field of knowledge. The presence of Jesus on the earth has sanc- 
 tified the realms of nature, and what he has cleansed call not you 
 common. All that your Father has made is yours, and you should 
 learn from it. You may read a naturalist's journal, or a traveller's 
 voyage, and find profit in it. Yes, and even an old herbal, or a 
 manual of alchemy may, like Samson's dead lion, yield you honey. 
 There are pearls in oyster shells, and fruits on thorny boughs. The 
 paths of true science, especially natural history and botany, drop 
 fatness. Geology, so far as it is fact, and not fiction, is full of 
 treasures. History — wonderful are the visions which it makes to 
 pass before you — is eminently instructive ; indeed, every portion 
 of God's dominion in nature teems with precious teachings. Follow 
 the trails of knowledge, according as you have the time, the op- 
 portunity, and the peculiar faculty ; and do not hesitate to do so 
 because of any apprehension that you will educate yourselves up 
 to too high a point. When grace abounds, learning will not puff 
 you up, or injure your simplicity in the gospel. Serve God with 
 such education as you have, and thank him for blowing througli 
 you if you are a ram's horn, but if there be a possibility of your 
 becoming a silver trumpet, choose it rather. 
 
 I have said that we must also learn to discriminate, and at 
 this particular time that point needs insisting on. Many run 
 after novelties, charmed with every invention : learn to judge 
 between truth and its counterfeits, and you will not be led astray. 
 Others adhere like limpets to old teachings, and yet these may 
 
26 FORWARD 1 
 
 only be ancient errors : prove all things, and hold fast that which 
 is good. The use of the sieve, and the winnowing fan, is much 
 to be commended. Dear brethren, a man who has asked of the 
 Lord to give him clear eyes by which he shall see the truth and 
 discern its bearings, and who, by reason of the constant exercise 
 of his faculties, has obtained an accurate judgment, is one fit to 
 be a leader of the Lord's host ; but all are not such. It is painful 
 to observe how many embrace anything if it be but earnestly 
 brought before them. They s\Aallow the medicine of every 
 spiritual quack who has enough of brazen assurance to appear to 
 be sincere. Be ye not such children in understanding, but test 
 carefully before you accept. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the 
 faculty of discerning, so shall you conduct your flocks far from 
 poisonous meadows, and lead them into safe pasturage. 
 
 When in due time you have gained the power of acquiring 
 knowledge, and the faculty of discrimination, seek next for ability 
 to retain and hold firmly what you have learned. In these times 
 certain men glory in being weathercocks ; they hold fast nothing, 
 they have, in fact, nothing worth the holding. They believed 
 yesterday, but not that which they believe to-day, nor that which 
 they will believe to-morrow ; and he would be a greater prophet 
 than Isaiah who should be able to tell what they will believe when 
 next the moon doth nil her horns, for they are constantly altering, 
 and seem to be born under that said moon, and to partake of her 
 changing moods. These men may be as honest as they claim to be, 
 but of what use are they ? Like good trees oftentimes transplanted, 
 they may be of a noble nature, but they bring forth nothing ; 
 their strength goes out in rooting and re-rooting, they have no 
 sap to spare for fruit. Be sure you have the truth, and then 
 be sure you hold it. Be ready for fresh ti'uth, if it he trutli, 
 but be very chary how you subscribe to the belief that a better 
 lifjht has been found than that of the sun. Those who hawk 
 new truth about the street, as the boys do a second edition of the 
 evening paper, are usually no better than they should be. The 
 fair maid of truth does not paint her cheeks and tire her head 
 like Jezebel, following every new philosophic fashion ; she is con- 
 tent with her own native beauty, and her aspect is in the main the 
 same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. When men change often 
 they generally need to be changed in the most emphatic sense. 
 Our " modern thought " gentry are doing incalculable mischief to 
 the souls of men, and resemble Nero fiddling upon the top of a 
 tower with Rome burning at his feet. Souls are being damned, 
 
FORWARD ! 27 
 
 and yet these men are spinning theories. Hell gapes Avide, and 
 with her open mouth swallows up myriads, and those who should 
 spread the tidings of salvation are "pursuing fresh lines of 
 thought." Highly cultured soul-murderers will find their boasted 
 *' culture " to be no excuse in the day of judgment. For God's 
 sake, let us know how men are to be saved, and get to the Avork : 
 to be for ever deliberating as to the proper mode of makin«' 
 bread while a nation dies of famine is detestable triflinsr. It is 
 time we knew what to teach, or else renounced our office. " For 
 ever learning and never coming to the truth " is the motto of the 
 worst rather than the best of men. I saw in Kome a statue of 
 a boy extracting a thorn from his foot ; I went my way, and re- 
 turned in a year's time, and there sat the selfsame boy, extracting 
 the intruder still. Is this to be our model ? "I shape my creed 
 every week," was the confession of one of these divines to me. 
 Whereunto shall I liken such unsettled ones? Are they not 
 like those birds which frequent the Golden Horn, and are to be 
 seen from Constantinople, of which it is said that they are always 
 on the wing, and never rest? No one ever saw them alight on 
 the water or on the land, they are for ever poised in mid-air. 
 The natives call them " lost souls," seeking rest and finding none. 
 Assuredly, men who have no personal rest in the truth, if they 
 are not unsaved themselves, are, at least, very unlikely to save 
 others. He who has no assured truth to tell must not wonder 
 if his hearers set small store by him. We must know tlie truth, 
 understand it, and hold it with firm grip, or Ave cannot hope to 
 lead others to believe it. Brethren, I charge you, seek to knoAv 
 and to discriminate ; and then, having discriminated, labour to be 
 rooted and grounded in the truth. Keep in full operation the 
 processes of filling the barn, winnoAving the grain, and storinf 
 it in granaries, so shall you mentally " Go forward." 
 
 2. We need to go forward in oratorical qualifications. I am 
 beginning at the bottom, but even this is important, for it is a 
 pity that even the feet of this image should be of clay. Nothinfr 
 is trifling which can be of any service to our grand design. Onl}'- 
 for want of a nail the horse lost his shoe, and so became unfit for 
 the battle ; that shoe was only a trifling rim of iron which smote 
 the ground, and yet the neck clothed with thunder Avas of no aAail 
 when the shoe was gone. A man may be irretrievably ruined for 
 spiritual usefulness, not because he fails either in character or 
 spirit, but because he breaks down mentally or oratorically, and, 
 therefore, I have begun with these points, and again remark that 
 
28 FORWARD ! 
 
 we must improve in utterance. It is not every one of iis who can 
 speak as some can do, and even tliese men cannot speak up to 
 their own ideal. If there be any brother here who thinks he can 
 preach as well as he should, I would advise him to leave off alto- 
 gether. If he did so he would be acting as wisely as the great 
 painter who broke his palette, and, turning to his wife, said, " My 
 painting days are over, for I have satisfied myself, and therefore I 
 am sure my power is gone." Whatever other perfection may be 
 reachable, I am certain that he who thinks he has gained perfec- 
 tion in oratory mistakes volubility for eloquence, and verbiage for 
 argument. Whatever you may know, you cannot be truly efficient 
 ministers if you are not " apt to teach." You know ministers 
 who have mistaken their calling, and evidently have no gifts for it: 
 make sure that none tliink the same of you. There are brethren 
 in the ministry whose speech is intolerable ; either they rouse you to 
 wrath, or else they send you to sleep. No chloral can ever equal 
 some discourses in sleep-giving properties ; no human being, unless 
 gifted with infinite patience, could long endure to listen to them, 
 and nature does well to give the victim deliverance through sleep. 
 I heard one say the other day that a certain preacher had no more 
 gifts for the ministry than an oyster, and in my own judgment 
 this was a slander on the oyster, for that worthy bivalve shows 
 great discretion in his openings, and knows when to close. If 
 some men were sentenced to hear their own sermons it would be 
 a righteous judgment upon them, and they would soon cry out 
 with Cain, " My punishment is greater than I can bear." Let us 
 not fall under the same condemnation. 
 
 Brethren, we should cultivate a clear style. When a man does 
 not make me understand what he means, it is because he does not 
 himself know what he means. An average hearer, who is unable 
 to follow the course of thought of the preacher, ought not to worry 
 himself, but to blame the preacher, whose business it is to make 
 the matter plain. If you look down into a well, if it be empty it 
 will appear to be very deep, but if there be water in it you will see 
 its brightness. I believe that many " deep " preachers are smiply 
 so because they are like dry wells with nothing whatever in them, 
 except decaying leaves, a few stones, and perhaps a dead cat or 
 two. If there be living water in your preaching it may be very 
 deep, but the light of truth will give clearness to it. It is not 
 enough to be so plain that you can be understood, you must speak 
 so til at you cannot be misunderstood. 
 
 We must cultivate a cogent as well as a clear style ; our speech 
 
FORWARD ! 29 
 
 must be forceful. Some imagine that this consists in speaking 
 loudly, but I can assure them they are in error. Nonsense does 
 not improve by being bellowed. God does not require us to shout 
 as if we were speaking to ten thousand when we are only ad- 
 dressing three hundred. Let us be forcible by reason of the ex- 
 cellence of our matter, and the energy of spirit which we throw 
 into the delivery of it. In a word, let our speaking be natural 
 and living. I hope we have foresworn the tricks of professional 
 orators, the strain for effect, the studied climax, the pre-arranged 
 pause, the theatric strut, the mouthing of words, and I know not 
 what besides, which you may see in certain pompous divines who 
 still survive upon the face of the earth. May such become extinct 
 animals ere long, and may a living, natural, simple way of talking 
 out the gospel be learned by us all ; for I am persuaded that such 
 a style is one which God is likely to bless. 
 
 Among many other things, we must cultivate persuasiveness. 
 Some of our brethren have great influence over men, and yet 
 others with greater gifts are devoid of it ; these last do not appear 
 to get near to the people, they cannot grip them and make them 
 feel. There are preachers who in their sermons seem to take their 
 hearers one by one by the button-hole, and drive the truth right 
 into their souls, while others generalise so much, and are so cold 
 withal, that one would think they were speaking of dwellers in 
 some remote planet, whose affairs did not much concern them. 
 Learn the art of pleading with men. You will do this well if you 
 often see the Lord. If I remember rightly, the old classic story 
 tells us that, when a soldier was about to kill Darius, his son, who 
 had been dumb from his childhood, suddenly cried out in surprise, 
 " Know you not that he is the king ? " His silent tongue was 
 unloosed by love to his father, and well may ours find earnest 
 speech when the Lord is seen by us crucified for sin. If there be 
 any speech in us, this will rouse it. The knowledge of the terrors 
 of the Lord should also bestir us to persuade men. We cannot do 
 other than plead with them to be reconciled to God. Brethren, 
 mark those who woo sinners to Jesus, find out their secret, and 
 never rest till you obtain the same power. If you find them very 
 simple and homely, yet if you see them really useful, say to your- 
 self, " That is my fashion ; " but if on the other hand you listen 
 to a preacher who is much admired, and on inquiry find that no 
 souls are savingly converted, say to yourself, " This is not the 
 thing for me, for I am not seeking to be great, but to be really 
 usefuU" 
 
30 FORWARD I 
 
 Let your oratory, therefore, constantly improve in clearness, 
 cogency, naturalness, and persuasiveness. Try, clear brethren, to 
 get such a style of speaking that you suit yourselves to yow 
 audiences. Much lies in that. The preacher who should address 
 an educated congregation in the language which he would use in 
 speaking to a company of costermongers would prove himself a 
 fool : and on the other hand, he who goes down amongst miners and 
 colliers with technical theological terms and drawing-room phrases 
 acts like an idiot. The confusion of tongues at Babel was more thorough 
 than we imagine. It did not merely give different languages to 
 great nations, but it made the speech of each class to vary from 
 that of others. A fellow of Billin";so;ate cannot understand a 
 fellow of Brazenose. Now as the costermonger cannot learn the 
 language of the college, let the college learn the language of the 
 costermonger. " We use the language of the market," said Whit- 
 field, and this was much to his honour ; yet when he stood in the 
 drawing-room of the Countess of Huntingdon, and his speech 
 entranced the infidel noblemen whom she brought to hear him, he 
 adopted another style. His language was equally plain in each 
 case, because it was equally familiar to the audience : he did 
 not use the ipsissima verba, or his language would have lost its 
 plainness in the one case or the other, and would either have been 
 slang to the nobility, or Greek to the crowd. In our modes of 
 speech we should aim at being " all things to all men." He is 
 the greatest master of oratory who is able to address any class of 
 people in a manner suitable to their condition, and likely to touch 
 their hearts. 
 
 Brethren, let none excel us in power of speech : let none surpass 
 us in the mastery of our mother tongue. Beloved fellow-soldiers, 
 our tongues are the swords which God has given us to use for him, 
 even as it is said of our Lord, " Out of his mouth went a two- 
 edged sword." Let these swords be sharp. Cultivate your 
 powers of speech, and be amongst the foremost in the land for 
 utterance. I do not exhort you to this because you are remarkably 
 deficient ; far from it, for everybody says to me, " We know the 
 college men by their plain, bold speech." This leads me to believe 
 that you have the gift largely in you, and I beseech you to take 
 pains to perfect it. 
 
 3. Brethren, we must be even more earnest to go forward in 
 moral qualities. Let the points I shall mention here come home 
 to those who shall require them, but I assure you I have no special 
 persons among you in my mind's eye. We desire to rise to the 
 
FORWARD ! 31 
 
 highest style of ministry, and if so, even if we obtain the mental 
 and oratorical qualifications, we shall fail, unless we also possess 
 high moral qualities. 
 
 There are evils which we must shake off, as Paul shook the 
 viper from his hand, and there are virtues which we must gain at 
 any cost. 
 
 Self-indulgence has slain its thousands ; let us tremble lest we 
 perish by the hands of that Delilah. Let us have every passion 
 and habit under due restraint : if we are not masters of ourselves 
 we are not fit to be leaders in the church. 
 
 We must put away all notion of self-importance. God will not 
 bless the man who thinks himself great. To glory even in the 
 work of God the Holy Spirit in yourself is to tread dangerously 
 near to self-adulation. " Let another praise thee, and not thine 
 own lips," and be very glad when that other has sense enough to 
 hold his tongue. 
 
 We must also ha.ve our tempers well under restraint. A vigor- 
 ous temper is not altogether an evil. Men who are as easy as an 
 old shoe are generally of as little worth. I would not say to you, 
 " Dear brethren, have a temper," but I do say, " If you have it, 
 control it carefully." I thank God when I see a minister have 
 temper enough to be indignant at wrong, and to be firm for the 
 right ; still, temper is an edged tool, and often cuts the man who 
 handles it. " Gentle, easy to be entreated," preferring to bear 
 evil rather than inflict it, this is to be our spirit. If any brother 
 here naturally boils over too soon, let him mind that when he does 
 do so he scalds nobody but the devil, and then let him boil away. 
 
 We must conquer — some of us especially — our tendency to 
 levity. A great distinction exists between holy cheerfulness, 
 which is a virtue, and that general levity, which is a vice. There 
 is a levity which has not enough heart to laugh, but trifles with 
 everything ; it is flippant, hollow, unreal. A hearty laugh is no 
 more levity than a hearty cry. I speak of that religious veneering 
 which is pretentious, but thin, superficial, and insincere about the 
 weightiest matters. Godliness is no jest, nor is it a mere form. 
 Beware of being actors. Never give earnest men the impression 
 that you do not mean what you say, and are mere professionals. 
 To be burning at the lip and freezing at the soul is a mark of 
 reprobation. God deliver us from being superfine and superficial : 
 may we never be the butterflies of the garden of God. 
 
 At the same time, we should avoid everything like the ferocity 
 of bigotry. I know a class of rehgious people who, I have no 
 
32 FORWARD ! 
 
 doubt, were born of a woman, but they appear to have been suckled 
 by a wolf. I have done them no dishonour : were not Romulus 
 and Kemus, the founders of Rome, so reared? Some warlike 
 men of this order have had sufficient mental power to found 
 dynasties of thought ; but human kindness and brotherly love 
 consort better with the kinodom of Christ. We are not to go 
 about the world searching out heresies, like terrier dogs sniffing 
 for rats ; nor are ^ye to be so confident of our own infallibility as 
 to erect ecclesiastical stakes at which to roast all who differ from 
 us, not, 'tis true, with fagots of wood, but with those coals of 
 juniper, which consist of strong prejudice and cruel suspicion. 
 
 In addition to all this, there are mannerisms, and moods, and 
 ways which I cannot now describe, against which we must struggle, 
 for little faults may often be the source of failure, and to get rid 
 of them may be the secret of success. Count nothing little which 
 even in a small degree hinders your usefulness ; -cast out from the 
 temple of your soul the seats of them that sell doves as well as the 
 traffickers in sheep and oxen. 
 
 And, dear brethren, we must acquire certain moral faculties 
 and habits, as well as put aside their opposites. He will never do 
 much for God who has not integrity of spirit. If we be guided 
 by policy, if there be any mode of action for us but that which is 
 straightforward, we shall make shipwreck before long. Resolve, 
 dear brethren, that you can be poor, that you can be despised, 
 that you can lose life itself, but that you cannot do a crooked 
 thing. For you, let the only policy be honesty. 
 
 May you also possess the grand moral characteristic of courage. 
 By this we do not mean impertinence, impudence, or self-conceit ; 
 but real courage to do and say calmly the right thing, and to go 
 straight on at all hazards, though there should be none to give 
 you a good word. I am astonished at the number of Christians 
 who are afraid to speak the truth to their brethren. I thank God 
 I can say this, there is no member of my church, no officer of the 
 church, and no man in the world to whom I am afraid to say 
 before his face what I would say behind his back. Under God I 
 owe my position in my own church to the absence of all policy, 
 and the habit of savino; what I mean. The plan of making 
 things pleasant all round is a perilous as well as a wicked one. If 
 you say one thing to one man, and another to another, they will 
 one day compare notes and find you out, and then you will be 
 despised. The man of two faces will sooner or later be the object 
 of contempt, and justly so. Above all things avoid cowardice, 
 
FORWARD I 33 
 
 for it makes men liars. If you have anything that you feel you 
 ought to say about a man, let the measure of what you say be 
 this — " How much dare I say to his face ? " You must not allow 
 yourselves a word more in censure of any man living. If that be 
 your rule, your courage will save you from a thousand difficulties, 
 and win you lasting respect. 
 
 Having the integrity and the courage, dear brethren, may you 
 be gifted with an indomitable zeal. Zeal — what is it? How 
 shall I describe it? Possess it, and you will know what it is. Be 
 consumed with love for Christ, and let the flame burn continuously, 
 not flaming up at public meetings and dying out in the routine 
 work of every day. We need indomitable perseverance, dogged 
 resolution, and a combination of sacred obstinacy, self-denial, holy 
 gentleness, and invincible courage. 
 
 Excel also in one power, which is both mental and moral, namely, 
 the power of concentrating all your forces upon the w^ork to which 
 you are called. Collect your thoughts, rally all your faculties, 
 mass your energies, focus your capacities. Turn all the springs of 
 your soul into one channel, causing it to flow onward in an undi- 
 vided stream. Some men lack this quality. They scatter them- 
 selves and fail. Mass your battalions, and hurl them upon the 
 enemy. Do not try to be great at this and great at that — to be 
 "everything by turns, and nothing long;" but suffer your entire 
 nature to be led in captivity by Jesus Christ, and lay everything 
 at his dear feet who bled and died for you. 
 
 4. Above all these, we need spiritual qualifications, graces which 
 must be wrought in us by the Lord himself. This is the main 
 matter, I am sure. Other things are precious, but this is price- 
 less ; we must be I'ich towards God. 
 
 We need to know ourselves. The preacher should be great in 
 the science of the heart, the philosophy of inward experience. 
 There are two schools of experience, and neither is content to 
 learn from the other; let us be content, however, to learn from 
 both. The one school speaks of the child of God as one who 
 knows the deep depravity of his heart, who understands the 
 loathsomeness of his nature, and daily feels that in his flesh there 
 dwelleth no good thing. " That man has not the life of God in 
 his soul," say they, " wdio does not know and feel this, and feel it 
 by bitter and painful experience from day to day." It is in vain 
 to talk to them about liberty, and joy in the Holy Ghost ; they 
 will not have it. Let us learn from these one-sided brethren. 
 They know much that should be known, and woe to that minister 
 
 4 
 
34 FORWARD 1 
 
 who ignores their set of truths. Martin Luther used to say tliat 
 temptation is the best teacher for a minister. There is truth on 
 that side of the question. Another school of believers dwell 
 much upon the glorious work of the Spirit of God, and rightly 
 and blessedly so. They believe in the Spirit of God as a cleansing 
 power, sweeping the Augean stable of the soul, and making it 
 into a temple for God. But frequently they talk as if they had 
 ceased to sin, or to be annoyed by temptation ; they glory as if 
 the battle were already fought, and the victory won. Let us learn 
 from these brethren. All the truth they can teach us let us know. 
 Let us become familiar with the hill-tops, and the glory that 
 shines thereon, the Hermons and the Tabors, where we may be 
 transfigured with our Lord. Do not be afraid of becoming too 
 holy. Do not be afraid of being too full of the Holy Spirit. I 
 would have you wise on all sides, and able to deal with man both 
 in his conflicts and in his joys, as one familiar with both. Know 
 where Adam left you ; know where the Spirit of God has placed 
 you. Do not know either of these so exclusively as to forget the 
 other. I believe that if any men are likely to cry, " O wretched 
 man that I am ! Who shall deliver me from the body of this 
 death ? " it will always be the ministers, because we need to be 
 tempted in all points, so that we may be able to comfort others. 
 Li a railway carriage last week I saw a poor man with his leg 
 placed upon the seat. An official happening to see him in th's 
 posture, remarked, " Those cushions were not made for you to put 
 your dirty boots on." As soon as the guard was gone the man 
 put up his leg again, and said to me, " He has never broken his leg 
 in two places, I am sure, or he would not be so sharp with me." 
 When I have heard brethren who have lived at ease, enjoying 
 good incomes, condemning others who are much tried, because 
 they could not rejoice in their fashion, I have felt that they knew 
 nothing of the broken bones which others have to carry through- 
 out the whole of their pilgrimage. 
 
 Brethren, know man in Christ, and out of Christ. Study him 
 at his best, and study him at his worst; know his anatomy, his 
 secrets, and his passions. You cannot do this by books ; you must 
 have personal spiritual experience ; God alone can give you that. 
 Among spiritual acquirements, it is beyond all other things 
 needful to know him who is the sure remedy for all human diseases. 
 Know Jesus. Sit at his feet. Consider his nature, his work, his 
 sufferings, his glory. Rejoice in his presence : commune with liim 
 from day to day. To know Christ is to understand the most 
 
FORWARD ! 35 
 
 excellent of sciences. You cannot fail to be wise if you commune 
 with wisdom ; you cannot miss of strength if you have fellowship 
 with the mighty Son of God. I saw the other day in an Italian 
 grotto a little fern, which grew where its leaves continually glis- 
 tened and danced in the spray of a fountain. It was always green, 
 and neither summer's drought nor winter's cold affected it. So let 
 us for ever abide under the sweet influence of Jesus' love. Dwell 
 in God, brethren ; do not occasionally visit him, but abide in him. 
 They say in Italy that where the sun does not enter the physician 
 must. Where Jesus does not shine the soul is sick. Bask in his 
 beams and you shall be vigorous in the service of the Lord. Last 
 Sunday night I had a text which mastered me : — " No man knowetli 
 the Son but the Father." I told the people that poor sinners who 
 had gone to Jesus and trusted him, thought they knew him, but that 
 they knew only a little of him. Saints of sixty years' experience, 
 who have walked with him every day, think they know him; but they 
 are only beginners yet. The perfect spirits before the throne, who 
 have been for five thousand years perpetually adoring him, perhaps 
 think they know him, but they do not to the full. " No man 
 knoweth the Son but the Father." He is so glorious, that only 
 the infinite God has full knowledge of him, therefore there will be 
 no limit to our study, or narrowness in our line of thought, if Ave 
 make our Lord the great object of all our meditations. 
 
 Brethren, as the outcome of this, if we are to be strong men, we 
 must be conformed to our Lord. Oh, to be like him ! Blessed be 
 that cross on which we shall suffer, if we suffer for being made 
 like unto the Lord Jesus. If we obtain conformity to Christ, we 
 shall have a wondrous uncticm upon our ministry, and without that, 
 what is a ministry w^orth ? 
 
 In a word, we must labour for holiness of character. ^Yliat is 
 holiness 1 Is it not wholeness of character *? a balanced condition 
 in which there is neither lack nor redundance ? It is not morality, 
 that is a cold lifeless statue; holiness is life. You must have 
 holiness ; and, dear brethren, if you should fail in mental qualifi- 
 cations (as I hope you will not), and if you should have a slender 
 measure of the oratorical faculty (as I trust you will not), yet, 
 depend upon it, a holy life is, in itself, a wonderful power, and 
 will make up for many deficiencies ; it is, in fact, the best sermon 
 the best man can deliver. Let us resolve that all the purity which 
 can be had we will have, that all the sanctity which can be reached 
 we will obtain, and that all the likeness to Christ that is possible 
 in this world of sin shall certainly be in us through the work of the 
 
3g FORWARD . 
 
 Spirit of God. The Lord lift us all as a college right up to u 
 higher platform, and he shall have the glory ! 
 
 5. Still I have uot done, dear brethren. I have to say to you, 
 go forward in actual toorh, for, after all, we shall be known by 
 what we have done. We ouglit to be mighty in deed as well as 
 word. There are good brethren in the world who are impractical. 
 The grand doctrine of the second advent makes them stand with 
 open mouths, peering into tlie skios, so that I am ready to say, 
 " Ye men of Plymouth, why stand ye here gazing up into heaven % " 
 The fact that Jesus Christ is to co.ne is not a reason for star-gazing, 
 but for working in the power of the Holy Gliost. Be not so taken 
 up with speculations as to prefer a Bible reading over a dark passage 
 in the Kevelation to teaching in a ragged-school or discoursing to the 
 poor concerning Jesus. We must have done with day-dreams, and get 
 to work. I believe in eggs, but we must get chickens out of them. 
 I do not mind how big your egg is ; it may be an ostrich's egg if 
 you like, but if there is nothing in it, pray clear away the shells. 
 If something comes of it, God bless your speculations, and even if 
 you should go a little further than I think it wise to venture, still, 
 if you are more useful, God be praised for it. We want facts — 
 deeds done, souls saved. It is all very well to write essays, but 
 what souls have you saved from going down to hell? Your 
 excellent management of your school interests me, but how many 
 children have been brought into the church by it "? We are glad 
 to hear of those special meetings, but how many have really been 
 born to God in them? Are saints edified I Are sinners converted ? 
 To swing to and fro on a five-barred gate is not progress, yet some 
 seem to think so.. I see them in perpetual Elysium, humming over 
 to themselves and their friends, *' We are very comfortable." God 
 save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell. 
 In travelling along the mountain roads in Switzerland you will 
 oontinually see marks of the boring-rod; and in every minister's 
 life there should be traces of stern labour. Brethren, do some- 
 thing; do something; do sometliing. AVhile committees waste 
 their time over resolutions, do something. While Societies and 
 Unions are making constitutions, let us win souls. Too often we 
 discuss, and discuss, and discuss, and Satan laughs in his sleeve. 
 It is time we had done planning and sought something to plan. I 
 pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit 
 yourselves like men. Old Suwarrow's idea of war is mine: 
 *' Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form column! 
 Charge bayonets! Plunge into the centre of the enemy." Our 
 
FORWARD ! 37 
 
 one aim is to save sinners, and this we are not to talk about, but to 
 do in the power of God. 
 
 6. Lastly, and here I am going to deliver a messaige" which weighs 
 upon me, — -Go forward in the matter of the choice of your sphere of 
 action. I plead this day for those who cannot plead for themselves, 
 namely, the great outlying masses of the' heathen world. Our 
 existing pulpits are tolerably well supplied, but we need men who 
 will build on new foundations. Who will do this 1 Are we, as a 
 company of faithful men, clear in our consciences about the heathen? 
 Millions have never heard the nam« of Jesus^' Hundreds of 
 millions have seen a missionary only once in their lives, and know 
 nothing of our King. Shall we let them perish? Can we go to 
 our beds and sleep while China, India, Japan, and other nations 
 are being damned ? Are We clear of their blood ? Have they no 
 claim upon us 1 We ought to put it on this footing — not " Can 
 I prove that I ought to go % " but "Can I prove that I ought not 
 to go ?" When a man can prove honestly that he ought not to go 
 then he is clear, but not else. What answer do you give, my 
 brethren! I put it to you man by man. I am not raising a 
 question among you which I have not honestly put to myself, I 
 have felt that if some of our leading ministers Would go forth it 
 would have a grand effect in stimulating the churches, and I have 
 honestly asked myself whether I ought to go* After balancing 
 the whole thing I feel bound to keep my place, and I think the 
 judgment of most Christians would be the same ; but I hope I 
 would cheerfully go if it were my duty to do so. Brethren, 
 put yourselves through the same process. We must have the 
 heathen converted; God has myriads of his elect among them, 
 we must go and search for them till we find them. Many 
 difficulties are now removed, all lands are open to us, and distance 
 is annihilated. True we have not the Pentecostal gift of tongues, 
 but languages are now readily acquired, while the art of printing 
 is a full equivalent for the lost gift. The dangers incident to mis- 
 sions ought not to keep any true man back, even if they were very 
 great, but they are now reduced to a minimum. There are hun- 
 dreds of places where the cross of C^hrist is unknown, to which 
 we can go without risk. Who will go ? The men who ought to 
 go are young brethren of good abilities who have not yet taken 
 upon themselves family cares. 
 
 Each student entering the college should consider this matter, 
 and surrender himself to the work unless there are conclusive 
 reasons for his not doino; so. It is a fact that even for the 
 
SS FOItWAKD I 
 
 colonies it is very difficult to find men, for I have had openings 
 ill Australia which I have been oblifred to decline. It ought not 
 to be so. Surelj there is some self-sacrifice among us yet, and 
 some among us are willing to be exiled for Jesus. The Mission 
 languishes for want of men. If the men were forthcoming the 
 liberality of the church would supply their needs, and, in fact, the 
 liberality of the church has made the supply, and yet there are not 
 the men to go. I shall never feel, brethren, that we, as a band of 
 men, have done our duty until we see our comrades fighting for 
 Jesus in every land in the van of conflict. I believe that if God 
 moves you to go, you will be among the best of missionaries, be- 
 cause you will make the preaching of the gospel the great feature 
 of your work, and that is God's sure way of power. I wish that 
 our churches would imitate that of Pastor Harms, in Germany, 
 where every member was consecrated to God indeed and of a 
 truth. The farmers gave the produce of their lands, the working- * 
 men their labour ; one gave a large house to be used as a mission- 
 ary college, and Pastor Harms obtained money for a ship which he 
 fitted out, to make voyages to Africa, and then he sent missionaries, 
 and little companies of his people with them, to form Christian 
 communities among the Bushmen. When will our churches be 
 equally self-denying and energetic? Look at the Moravians! 
 how every man and woman becomes a missionary, and how much 
 they do in consequence. Let us catch their spirit. Is it a right 
 spirit ? Then it is right for us to have it. It is not enough for us 
 to say, " Those Moravians are very wonderful people ! " We ouo-ht 
 to be wonderful people too. Christ did not purchase the Mora- 
 vians any more than he purchased us ; they are under no more 
 obligation to make sacrifices than we are. Why then this back- 
 wardness? When we read of heroic men who gave up all for 
 Jesus, we are not merely to admire, but to imitate them. Who 
 will imitate them now? Come to the point. Are there not 
 some among you willing to consecrate yourselves to the Lord? 
 "Forward" is the watchword to-day 1 Are there no bold spirits 
 to lead the van? Pray all of you that during this Pentecost the 
 Spirit may say, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work." 
 Forward! In God's name, Fokward ! ! 
 
LECTURE III. 
 
 t ^ttia d ^mmn fox il^t Wxntl], 
 
 Some tliino;s are true and some thino;s are false : — I regard that as 
 an axiom ; but there are many persons who evidently do not 
 beheve it. The current principle of the present age seems to be, 
 " Some things are either true or false, according to the point of 
 view from which you look at them. Black is white, and white is 
 black according to circumstances ; and it does not particularly 
 matter which you call it. Truth of course is true, but it would 
 be rude to say that the opposite is a lie ; we must not be bigoted, 
 but remember the motto, ' So many men, so many minds,' " Our 
 forefathers were particular about maintaining landmarks ; they 
 had strong notions about fixed points of revealed doctrine, and 
 were very tenacious of what they believed to be scriptural ; their 
 fields were protected by hedges and ditches, but their sons have 
 grubbed up the hedges, filled up the ditches, laid all level, and 
 played at leap-frog with the boundary stones. The school of 
 modern thought laughs at the ridiculous positiveness of Reformers 
 and Puritans ; it is advancing in glorious liberality, and before 
 long will publish a grand alliance between heaven and hell, or, 
 rather, an amalgamation of the two establishments upon terms of 
 mutual concession, allowing falsehood and truth to lie side by side, 
 like the lion with the lamb. Still, for all that, my firm old- 
 fashioned belief is that some doctrines are true, and that state- 
 ments which are diametrically opposite to them are not true, — that 
 when "No" is the fact, "Yes" is out of court, and that when 
 " Yes " can be justified, " No " must be abandoned. I believe 
 that the gentleman who has for so long a time perplexed our 
 courts is either Sir Roger Tichborne or somebody else ; I am not 
 yet able to conceive of his being the true heir and an impostor at 
 the same time. Yet in religious matters the fashionable standpoint 
 is somewhere in that latitude. 
 
40 THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 
 
 We have a fixed faith to preach, my brethren, and we are sent 
 forth with a definite message from God. We are not left to fabri- 
 cate the message as we go along. We are not sent forth by our 
 Master with a general commission arranged on this fashion — " As 
 you shall think in your heart and inveait in your head, so preach. 
 Keep abreast of the times. Whatever the people want to hear, tell 
 them that, and they shall be saved." Verily, we read not so. 
 There is something definite in the Bible. It is not quite a lump 
 of wax to be shaped at our will, or a roll of cloth to be cut 
 according to the prevailing fashion. Your great thinkers evidently 
 look upon the Scriptures as a box of letters for them to play' with, 
 and make what they like of, or a wizard's bottle, out of which 
 they may pour anything they choose, from atheism up to spiritualism. 
 I am too old-fashioned to fall down and worship this theory. 
 There is something told me in the Bible — told me for certain — not 
 put before me with a " but " and a " perhaps," and an " if," and a 
 " may be," and fifty thousand suspicions behind it, so that really 
 the long and the short of it is, that it may not be so at all ; but 
 revealed to me as infallible fact, which must be believed, the 
 opposite of which is deadly error, and comes fi'om the father 
 of lies. 
 
 Believing, therefore, that there is such a thing as truth, and 
 such a thing as fabehood, that there are truths in the Bible, and 
 that the gospel consists in something definite which is to be 
 believed by men, it becomes us to be decided as to what we teach, 
 and to teach it in a decided manner. We have to deal with men 
 who will be either lost or saved, and they certainly will not be 
 saved by erroneous doctrine. We have to deal with God, whose 
 servants we are, and he will not be honoured by our delivering 
 falsehoods ; neither will he give us a reward, and say, '• Well done, 
 good and faithful servant, thou hast mangled the gospel as 
 judiciously as any man that ever lived before thee." We stand 
 in a very solemn position, and ours should be the spirit of old 
 Micaiali, who said, " As the Lord my God liveth, before whom I 
 stand, whatsoever the Lord saith unto me that will I speak." 
 Neither less nor more than God's word are we called to state, but 
 that word we are hound to declare in a spirit which convinces the 
 sons of men that, whatever they may think of it, we believe God, 
 and are not to be shaken in our confidence in him. 
 
 Brethren, in what ought we to he positive^ Well, there are 
 gentlemen alive who imagine that there are no fixed principles to 
 go upon. " Perhaps a few doctrines," said one to me, " perhaps a 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TKUTII. 41 
 
 few doctrines may be considered as established. It is, perhaps, 
 ascertained that there is a God ; but one ought not to dogmatise 
 upon his personality : a great deal may be said for pantheism." 
 Such men creep into the ministry, but they are generally cunning 
 enough to conceal the breadth of their minds beneath Christian 
 phraseology, thus acting in consistency with their principles, for 
 their fundamental rule is that truth is of no consequence. 
 
 As for as — as for me, at any rate — I am certain that there is a 
 God, and I mean to preach it as a man does who is absolutely 
 sure. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the Master of 
 providence, and the Lord of grace : let his name be blessed 
 for ever and ever 1 We will have no questions and debates as 
 to him. 
 
 We are equally certain that the book which is called " the 
 Bible " is his word, and is inspired : not inspired in the sense in 
 which Shakespeare, and Milton, and Dryden may be inspired, but 
 in an infinitely higher sense ; so that, provided we have the exact 
 text, we regard the words themselves as infallible. We believe 
 that everything stated in the book that comes to us from God is 
 to be accepted by us as his sure testimony, and nothing less than 
 that. God forbid we should be ensnared by those various inter- 
 pretations of the modus of inspiration, which amount to little 
 more than frittering it away. The book is a divine production ; 
 it is perfect, and is the last court of appeal — " the judge which 
 ends the strife." I would as soon dream of blaspheming my Maker 
 as of questioning the infallibility of his word. 
 
 We are also sure concerning the doctrine of the blessed Trinity. 
 We cannot explain how the Father, Son, and Spirit can be each 
 one distinct and perfect in himself, and yet that these three are 
 one, so that there is but one God ; yet we do verily believe it, 
 and mean to preach it, notwithstanding Unitarian, Socinian, 
 Sabellian, or any other error. We shall hold fast evermore the 
 doctrine of the Trinity in Unity. 
 
 And, brethren, there will be no uncertain sound from us as to 
 the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot leave the 
 blood out of our ministry, or the life of it will be gone ; for we 
 may say of the gospel, " The blood is the life thereof." The 
 proper substitution of Christ, the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, on 
 the behalf of his people, that they might live through him, — this 
 we must publish till we die. 
 
 Neither can we waver in our mind for a moment concerning 
 the great and glorious Spirit of God — the fact of his existence, 
 
42 THE NEED OF DECISION FOPw THE TRUTH. 
 
 his personality, the power of his working, the necessity of liis 
 influences, the certainty that no man is regenerated except by 
 him ; that we are born again by the Spirit of God, and that the 
 Spirit dwells in believers, and is the author of all good in them, 
 their sanctifier and preserver, without whom they can do no good 
 thing whatsoever : — we shall not at all hesitate as to preaching 
 these truths. 
 
 The absolute necessity of the new birth is also a certainty. We 
 come down with demonstration when we touch that point. We 
 shall never poison our people with the notion that a moral 
 reformation will suffice, but we will over and over again say to 
 them, " Ye must be born again." We have not got into the con- 
 dition of the Scotch minister who, when old John Macdonald 
 preached to his congregation a sermon to sinners, remarked, 
 " Well, Mr. Macdonald, that was a very good sermon which you 
 have preached, but it is very much out of place, for I do nqt 
 know one single unregenerate person in my congregation." Poor 
 soul, he was in all probability unregenerated himself. No, we dare 
 not flatter our hearers, but we must continue to tell them that 
 they are born sinners, and must be born saints, or they will 
 never see the face of God with acceptance. 
 
 The tremendous evil of sin — we shall not hesitate about that. 
 We shall speak or that matter both sorrowfully and positively; 
 and, though some very wise men raise difficult questions about 
 hell, we shall not fail to declare the terrors of the Lord, and the 
 fact that the Lord has said, " These shall go away into everlast- 
 ing punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." 
 
 Neither will we ever give an uncertain sound as to the glorious 
 truth that -salvation is all of grace. If ever we ourselves are 
 saved, we know that sovereign grace alone has done it, and we 
 feel it must be the same with others. We will publish, " Grace I 
 grace ! grace ! " with all our might, living and dying. 
 
 We shall be very decided, also, as to justification by faith ; for 
 salvation is " Not of works, lest any man should boast." " Life in 
 a look at the Crucified One " will be our message. Trust in the 
 Redeemer will be that saving grace which we will pray the Lord 
 to implant in all our hearers' hearts. 
 
 And everything else which we believe to be true in the Scri}> 
 tures we shall preach with decision. If there be questions which 
 may be regarded as moot, or comparatively unimportant, we shall 
 speak with such a measure of decision about them as may be 
 comely. But points which cannot be moot, which are essential 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 4.3 
 
 and fundamental, will be declared by us without any stammering, 
 without any enquiring of the people, " What would you wish us 
 to say?" Yes, and without the apology, "Those are my views, 
 but other people's views may be correct." We ought to preach 
 the gospel, not as our views at all, but as the mind of God — the 
 testimony of Jehovah concerning his own Son, and in reference 
 to salvation for lost men. If we had been entrusted with the 
 making of the gospel, we might have altered it to suit the taste 
 of this modest century, but never having been employed to origi- 
 nate the good news, but merely to repeat it, we dare not stir 
 beyond the record. What we have been taught of God we teach. 
 If we do not do this, we are not fit for our position. If I have 
 a servant in my house, and I send a message by her to the door, 
 and she amends it on her own authority, she may take away the 
 very soul of the message by so doing, and she will be responsible 
 for what she has done. She will not remain long in my employ, 
 for I need a servant who will repeat what I say, as nearly as pos- 
 sible, word for word ; and if she does so, I am responsible for the 
 message, she is not. If any one should be angry with her on ac- 
 count of- what she said, they would be very unjust ; their quarrel 
 lies with me, and not with the person whom I employ to act as 
 mouth for me. He that hath God's Word, let him speak it faith- 
 fully, and he will have no need to answer gainsayers, except with 
 a " Thus saith the Lord." This, then, is the matter concerning 
 which we are decided. 
 
 How are we to show this decision? We need not be careful to 
 answer this question, our decision will show itself in its own way. 
 If we really believe a truth, we shall be decided about it. Cer- 
 tainly we are not to show our decision by that obstinate, furious, 
 wolfish bigotry which cuts off every other body from the chance 
 and hope of salvation and the possibility of being regenerate or 
 even decently honest if they happen to differ from us about the 
 colour of a scale of the great leviathan. Some individuals appear 
 to be naturally cut on the cross ; they are manufactured to be 
 rasps, and rasp they will. Sooner than not quarrel with you they 
 would raise a question upon the colour of invisibility, or the 
 weight of a non-existent substance. ■• They are up in arms with 
 you, not because of the importance of the question under discussion, 
 but because of the far greater importance of their being always 
 the Pope of the party. Don't go about the world with your fist 
 doubled up for fighting, carrying a theological revolver in the leg 
 of your trousers. There is no sense in being a sort of doctrinal 
 
44 THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TUUTII. 
 
 game-cock, to be carried about to show your spirit, or a terrier of 
 orthodoxy, ready to tackle heterodox rats by the score. Practise 
 the suaviter in modo as well as the fortiter in re. Be prepared to 
 figlit, and always haye your sword buckled on your thigli, but wear 
 a scabbard ; there can be no sense in waying your weapon about 
 before everybody's eyes to provoke conflict, after the manner of 
 our beloved friends of the Emerald Isle, who are said to fake their 
 coats off at Donnybrook Fair, and drag them along the ground, 
 crying out, while they flourish their shillelahs, "Will any gentle- 
 man be so good as to tread on the tail of my coat ? " These are 
 theologians of such warm, generous blood, that they are never at 
 peace till they are fully engaged in war. 
 
 If you really believe the gospel, you will be decided for it in 
 more sensible ways. Your very tone will betray your sincerity ; 
 you.^will speak like a man who has something to say, which he 
 knows to be true. Have you ever watched a rogue when he is 
 about to tell a falsehood ? Have you noticed the way in which he 
 has to mouth it? It takes a long time to be able to tell a lie well, 
 for the facial organs were not originally constituted and adapted 
 for the complacent delivery of falsehood. When a man knows he 
 is telling you the truth, everything about him corroborates hia 
 sincerity. Any accomplished cross-examining lawyer knows within 
 a little whether a witness is genuine or a deceiver. Truth has her 
 own air and manner, her own tone and emphasis. Yonder is a 
 blundering, ignorant country fellow in the witness-box ; the counsel 
 tries to bamboozle and confuse him, if possible, but all the while he 
 feels that he is an honest witness, and he says to himself, " I should 
 like to shake this fellow's evidence, for it will greatly damage my 
 side of the question." There ought to be always that same air 
 of truth about the Christian minister ; only as he is not only 
 bearing witness to the truth, but wants other people to feel that 
 truth and own the power of it, he ought to have more decision in 
 his tone than a mere witness who is stating facts which may be 
 believed or not without any serious consequences following either 
 way. Luther was the man for decision. Nobody doubted that he 
 believed what he spoke. He spoke with thunder, for there was 
 lightning in his faith. The man preached all over, for his entire 
 nature believed. You felt, " Well, he may be mad, or he may be 
 altogether mistaken, but he assui'edly believes what he says. He 
 is the incarnation of faith ; his heart is running over at his lips." 
 
 If we would show decision for the truth, we must not only do so 
 by our tone and manner, but by our daily actions. A man's life is 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOK THE TRUTH. 45 
 
 always more forcible than his speech ; when men take stock of him 
 they reckon his deeds as pounds and his words as pence. If liis 
 life and his doctrines disagree, the mass of lookers-on accept his 
 practice and reject his preaching. A man may know a great deal 
 about truth, and yet be a very damaging witness on its behalf, 
 because he is no credit to it. The quack who in the classic story 
 cried up an infallible cure for colds, coughing and sneezing between 
 every sentence of his panegyric, may serve as the image and symbol 
 of an unholy minister. The Satyr in ^sop's fable was indignant 
 with the man who blew hot and cold with the same mouth, and 
 well he might be. I can conceive no surer method of prejudicing 
 men against the truth than by sounding her praises through the 
 lips of men of suspicious character. When the devil turned 
 preacher in our Lord's day, the Master bade him hold his peace ; 
 he did not care for Satanic praises. It is very ridiculous to hear 
 good truth from a bad man ; it is like flour in a coal-sack. When 
 I was last in one of our Scottish towns I heard of an idiot at the 
 asylum, who thought himself a great historic character. With 
 much solemnity the poor fellow put himself into an impressive 
 attitude and exclaimed, "I'm Sir William Wallace ! Gie me a bit of 
 bacca." The descent from Sir William Wallace to a piece of 
 tobacco was too absurd for gravity ; yet it was neither so absurd 
 nor so sad as to see a professed ambassador of the cross covetous, 
 worldly, passionate, or sluggish. How strange it would be to hear 
 a man say, '^ I am a servant of the Most High God, and I will go 
 wherever I can get the most salary. I am called to labour for the 
 glory of Jesus only, and I will go nowhere unless the church is of 
 most respectable standing. For me to live is Christ, but I cannot 
 do it under five hundred pounds per annum." 
 
 Brother, if the truth be in thee it Avill flow out of thine entire 
 being as the perfume streams from every bough of the sandal-wood 
 tree ; it will drive thee onward as the trade-wind speeds the ships, 
 filling all their sails ; it will consume thy whole natm-e with its 
 energy as the forest fire burns up all the trees of the wood. Truth 
 has not fully given thee her friendship till all thy doings are 
 marked with her seal. 
 
 We must show our decision for the truth by the sacrifices we 
 are ready to make. This is, indeed, the most efficient as well as 
 the most trying method. We must be ready to give up anything 
 and everything for the sake of the principles which we have 
 espoused, and must be ready to offend our best supporters, to 
 alienate our wannest friends, sooner than belie our consciences. 
 
46 
 
 THE NEED OF DECISION^ FOR THE TRUTH. 
 
 We must be ready to be beggars in purse, and offscourings in 
 reputation, rather than act treacherously. We can die, but we 
 cannot deny the truth. The cost is ah'eady counted, and we are 
 determined to buy the truth at any price, and sell it at no price. 
 Too little of this spirit is abroad now-a-days. Men have a saving 
 faith, and save their own persons from trouble ; they have great 
 discernment, and know on which side their bread is buttered ; they 
 are large-hearted, and are all things tx) all men, if by any means 
 they may save a sum. There are plenty of curs about, who would 
 follow at the heel of any man who would keep them in meat. 
 They are among the first to bark at decision, and call it obstinate 
 dogmatism, and ignorant bigotry. Their condemnatory verdict 
 causes us no distress ; it is what we expected. 
 
 Above all we must show our zeal for the truth by continually, 
 m season and out of season, endeavouring to maintain it in the 
 tenderest and most loving manner, but still very earnestly and 
 firmly. We must not talk to our congregations as if we were half 
 asleep. Our preaching must not be articulate snoring. There 
 must be power, life, energy, vigour. We must throw our whole 
 selves into it, and show that the zeal of God's house has eaten ns 
 up. 
 
 How are we to manifest our decision ? Certainly not by harp- 
 mg on one string and repeating over and over again the same 
 truths with the declaration that we beheve them. Such a course 
 of action could only suggest itself to the incompetent. The barrel- 
 organ grinder is not a pattern of decision, he may have persistency, 
 but that is not the same thing as consistency. I could indicate 
 certain brethren who have learned four or five doctrines, and they 
 grind them over and over again with everlasting monotony. I am 
 always glad when they gi-ind their tunes in some street far re- 
 moved from my abode. To weary with perpetual repetition is not 
 the way to manifest our firmness in the faith. 
 
 My brethren, you will strengthen your decision by the recollection 
 of the importance of these truths to your own souls. Are your sins 
 forgiven ? Have you a hope of heaven ? How do the solemnities 
 of eternity affect you ? Certainly you are not saved apart from 
 these things, and therefore you must hold them, for you feel you 
 are a lost man if they be not true. You have to die, and, being 
 conscious that these things alone can sustain you in the last article^ 
 you hold them with all your might. You cannot give them up. 
 How can a man resign a truth which he feels to be vitally im- 
 poi-taut to his own soul ? He daily feels—" I have to live on it, I 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOll THE TllUTH. 4 7 
 
 have to die on it, I am wretched now, and lost for ever apart from 
 it, and therefore by the help of God I cannot relinquish it." 
 
 Y^our own experience from day to day will sustain you, beloved 
 brethren. I hope you have realised already and will experience 
 much more the power of the truth which you preach. I believe"^ 
 the doctrine of election, because I am quite sure that if God had ' 
 not chosen me I should never have chosen him ; and I am sure he 
 chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me 
 afterwards ; and he must have elected me for reasons unknown to 
 me, for I never could find any reason in myself why he should 
 have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept 
 that doctrine. I am bound to the doctrine of the depravity of the 
 human heart, because I find myself depraved in heart, and have 
 daily proofs that there dwelleth in my flesh no good thing. I 
 cannot help holding that there must be an atonement before there 
 can be pardon, because my conscience demands it, and my peace 
 depends upon it. The little court within my own heart is not 
 satisfied unless some retribution be exacted for dishonour done to 
 God. They tell us sometimes that such and such statements are 
 not true ; but when we are able to reply that we have tried them 
 and proved them, what answer is there to such reasoning? A 
 man propounds the wonderful discovery that honey is not sweet. 
 *' But I had some for breakfast, and I found it very sweet," say 
 you, and your reply is conclusive. He tells you that salt is 
 poisonous, but you point to your own health, and declare that you 
 have eaten salt these twenty years. He says that to eat bread is a 
 mistake — a vulgar error, an antiquated absurdity; but at each 
 meal you make his protest the subject for a merry laugh. If you 
 are daily and habitually experienced in the truth of God's Word, I 
 am not afraid of your being shaken in mind in reference to it. 
 Those young fellows who never felt conviction of sin, but obtained 
 their religion as they get their bath in the morning, by jumping 
 into it — these will as readily leap out of it as they leaped in. 
 Those who feel neither the joys nor yet the depressions of spirit 
 which indicate spiritual life, are torpid, and their palsied hand has 
 no firm grip of truth. Mere skimmers of the Word, who, like 
 swallows, touch the water with their wings, are the first to fly from 
 one land to another as personal considerations guide them. They 
 believe this, and then believe that, for, in truth, they believe 
 nothing intensely. If you have ever been dragged through tl^ 
 mu'e and clay of soul-despair, if you have been turned upside down, 
 and wiped out like a dish as to all your own strength and pride, 
 
48 THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 
 
 and have then been filled with the joy and peace of God, through 
 Jesus Christ, I will trust you among fifty thousand infidels. 
 AVhenever I hear the sceptic's stale attacks upon the Word of 
 God, I smile within myself, and think, " Why, you simpleton I 
 how can you urge such trifling objections I I have felt, in the 
 contentions of my own unbelief, ten times greater difficulties." 
 We who have contended with horses are not to be wearied by 
 footmen. Gordon Gumming and other lion-killers are not to be 
 scared by Avild cats, nor will those who have stood foot to foot with 
 Satan resign the field to pretentious sceptics, or any other of the 
 evil one's inferior servants. 
 
 If, my brethren, w^e have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 . we cannot be made to doubt the fundamentals of the gospel ; 
 neither can Ave be undecided. A glimpse at the thorn-crowned 
 head and pierced hands and feet is the sure cure for " modern 
 doubt " and all its vagaries. Get into the " Rock of Ages, cleft 
 for you," and you will abhor the quicksand. That eminent 
 American preacher, the seraphic Summerfield, when he lay a-dying, 
 turned round to a friend in the room and said, "I have taken a 
 look into eternity. Oh, if I could come back and preach again, 
 how differently would I preach from what I have done before ! " 
 Take a look into eternity, brethren, if j^ou want to be decided. 
 Remember how Atheist met Christian and Hopeful on the road to 
 the New Jerusalem, and said, " Thore is no celestial country. I 
 have gone a long way, and could not find it." Then Christian said 
 to Hopeful, ^' Did we not see it from the top of ^Mount Clear, 
 when we were with the shepherds ? " There was an answer I So 
 when men have said, " There is no Christ — there is no truth in 
 religion," w^e have replied to them, " Have we not sat under his 
 shadow with great delight ? Was not his fruit sweet to our taste? 
 Go with your scepticisms to those who do not know whom they 
 have believed. We have tasted and handled the good word of life. 
 What we have seen and heard, that we do testify ; and whether 
 men receive our testimony or not, we cannot but speak it, for we 
 speak what we do know, and testify wdiat we have seen." That, 
 my brethren, is the sure way to be decided. 
 
 And now, lastly, lohy should we at this particular age he decided 
 and hold'? We should be so because this age is a doubtino- ase. 
 It swarms with doubters as Egypt of old with frogs. You rub 
 against them everywhere. Everybody is doubting everything, not 
 merely in religion, but in politics and social economics, in everything 
 indeed. Jt is the era of progress, and I suppose it must be the 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 49 
 
 asje, therefore, of unloosening, in order that the whole body politic 
 may move on a little further. Well, brethren, as the age is 
 doubting, it is wise for us to put our foot down and stand still 
 where we are sure we have truth beneath us. Perhaps, if it were 
 an age of bigotry, and men would not learn, we might be more 
 inclined to listen to new teachers ; but now the Conservative side 
 must be ours, or rather the Radical side, which is the truly Con- 
 servative side. We must go back to the radix, or root of truth, 
 and stand sternly by that which God has revealed, and so meet the 
 wavering of the age. Our eloquent neighbour, Mr. Arthur 
 Mursell, has well hit off the present age : — 
 
 "Have we gone too far in saying that modern thought has 
 grown impatient with the Bible, the gospel, and the cross ? Let 
 us see. What part of the Bible has it not assailed? The Penta- 
 teuch it has long ago swept from the canon as unauthentic. What 
 we read about the creation and the flood is branded as fable. And 
 the laws about the landmarks, from which Solomon was not 
 ashamed to quote, are buried or laid upon the shelf. 
 
 " Different men assail different portions of the book, and various 
 systems level their batteries of prejudice at various points ; until 
 by some the Scripture is torn all to pieces, and cast to the four 
 winds of heaven, and by even the most forbearing of the cultured 
 Vandals of what is called modern thought, it is condensed into a 
 thin pamphlet of morality, instead of the tome of teaching through 
 which we have eternal life. There is hardly a prophet but has 
 been reviewed by the wiseacres of the day in precisely the same 
 spirit as they would review a work from Mudie's library. The 
 Temanite and the Shuhite never misconstrued the baited Job 
 with half the prejudice of the acknowledged intellects of our time. 
 Isaiah, instead of being sawn asunder, is quartered and hacked in 
 pieces. The weeping prophet is drowned in his own tears. Ezekiel 
 is ground to atoms amidst his wheels. Daniel is devoured bodily 
 by the learned lions. And Jonah is swallowed by the deep 
 monsters with a more inexorable voracity than the fish, for they 
 never cast him up again. The histories and events of the great 
 chronicle are rudely contradicted and gainsaid, because some 
 schoolmaster with a slate and pencil cannot bring his sums right. 
 And every miracle which the might of the Lord wrought for the 
 favour of his people, or the frustration of their foes, is pooh-poohed 
 as an absurdity, because the professors cannot do the like with 
 their enchantments. A few of what are called miracles may be 
 credible, because our leaders think they can do them themselves. 
 
50 THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 
 
 A few natural phenomena, which some doctor can show to a com- 
 pany of martinets in a dark room, or with a table-full of apparatus, 
 will account for the miracle of the Red Sea. An aeronaut goes up 
 in a balloon, and then comes down again, and quite explains away 
 the pillar of fire and of cloud, and trifles of that kind. And so 
 our great men are satisfied when they think that their toy wand 
 lias swallowed up the wand of Aaron : but when Aaron's wand 
 threatens to swallow up theirs, they say that part is not authentic, 
 and that miracle never occurred. 
 
 " Nor does the New Testament fare any better than the Old at 
 the hands of these in\aders. There is no toll of deference levied 
 on their homage as they pass across the line. They recognise no 
 voice of warning with the cry, ' Take thy shoes from off thy feet, 
 because the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.' The 
 mind which halts in its career of spiritual rapine on any reverential 
 j)retext, is denounced as ignorant or slavish. To hesitate to stamp 
 the hoof upon a lily or a spring flower is the sentimental folly of a 
 child, and the vanguard of the thought of the age has only pity 
 and a sneer for such a feeling, as it stalks upon its boasted march 
 of progress. We are told that the legends of our nurseries are 
 obsolete, and that broader views are gaining ground with thought- 
 ful minds. We are unwilling to believe it. The truth is, that a 
 few, a very few, thoughtful men, whose thinking consists in 
 negation from first to last, and whose minds are tortured with a 
 chronic twist or curve, which turns them into intellectual notes of 
 interrogation, have laid the basis of this system ; these few honest 
 doubters have been joined by a larger band who are simply restless ; 
 and these again by men who are inimical to the spirit and the 
 truths of Scripture, and together they have formed a coterie, and 
 called themselves the leaders of the thought of the age. They have 
 a following, it is true ; but of whom does it consist "? Of the mere 
 satellites of fashion. Of the wealth, the pedantry, and the 
 stupidity of our large populations. A string of carriages is seen 
 ' setting down ' and ' taking up ' at the door where an advanced 
 ])rofessor is to lecture, and because the milliner is advertised from 
 floor to ceiling in the lecture room, these views are said to be 
 gaining ground. But in an age of fashion like this, who ever 
 suspects these minions of the mode of having any views at all? It 
 becomes respectable to follow a certain name for a time, and so the 
 vainlings go to follow the name and to display the dress. Biit as 
 to views, one would no more suspect such peojde of having any 
 views than they would dream of charging more than a tenth part 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 51 
 
 of the crowds who go to the Royal Academy's exliibition with 
 understanding the laws of perspective. It is the thing to do : and 
 so every one who has a dress to show and a lounge to air, goes to 
 show it, and all who would be in the fashion (and who would not?) 
 are bound to advance with the times. And hence we find the 
 times advancing over the sacred precincts of the New Testament, 
 as though it were the floor of St. Alban's or of a professor's 
 lecture room ; and ladies drag their trains, and dandies set their 
 dress-boots on the authenticity of this, or the authority of that, or 
 the inspiration of the other. People who never heard of Strauss, 
 of Bauer, or of Tiibingen, are quite prepared to say that our 
 Saviour was but a well-meaning man, who had a gi*eat many faults, 
 and made a great many mistakes ; that his miracles, as recorded in 
 the New Testament, were in part imaginary, and in part account- 
 able by natural theories ; that the raising of Lazarus never 
 occurred, since the Gospel of John is a forgery from first to last ; 
 that the atonement is a doctrine to be scouted as bloody and 
 unrighteous ; that Paul was a fanatic who wrote unthinkingly, and 
 that much of what bears his name was never written by him at all. 
 Thus is the Bible rubbed through the tribulum of criticism from 
 Genesis to Revelation, until, in the faith of the age in which we 
 live, as represented by its so-called leaders, there are but a few 
 inspired fragments here and there remaining." 
 
 Moreover, after all, this is not an earnestly doubting age ; we 
 live among a careless, frivolous race. If the doubters were honest 
 there would be more infidel places of concourse than there are ; but 
 infidelity as an organised community does not prosper. Infidelity in 
 London, open and avowed, has come down to one old corrugated 
 iron shed opposite St. Luke's. I believe that is the present posi- 
 tion of it. " The Hall of Science " is it not called ? Its litera- 
 ture was carried on for a long time in half a shop in Fleet Street, 
 that Avas all it could manage to support, and I don't know whether 
 even that half shop is used now. It is a poor, doting, drivelling 
 thing. In Tom Paine's time it bullied like a vigorous blasphemer, 
 but it was outspoken, and, in its own way, downright and earnest 
 in its outspokenness. It commanded in former days some names 
 which one might mention with a measure of respect ; Hume, to 
 wit, and Bolingbroke, and VoUaire were great in talent, if not in 
 character. But where now will you find a Hobbes or a Gibbon ? 
 The doubters now are usually doubters because they do not care 
 about truth at all. They are indifferent altogether. Modern 
 scepticism is playing and toying with truth ; and it takes to 
 
52 THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 
 
 " modern tliouglit " as an amusement, as ladies take to croquet or 
 archery. This is nothing less than an age of millinery and dolls 
 and comedy. Even good people do not believe out and out as 
 their fathers used to do. Some even among Nonconformists are 
 shamefully lax in their convictions ; they have few masterly con- 
 victions such as would lead them to the stake, or even to imprison- 
 ment. Molluscs have taken the place of men, and men are 
 turned to jelly-fishes. Far from us be the desire to imitate 
 them. 
 
 Moreover it is an age which is very impressible, and therefore I 
 should like to see you very decided, that you may impress it. The 
 wonderful progress made in England by the High Church move- 
 ment shows that earnestness is power. The Ritualists believe 
 something, and that fact has given them influence. To me their 
 distinctive creed is intolerable nonsense, and their proceedings are 
 childish foolery ; but they have dared to go against the mob, and 
 have turned the mob round to their side. Bravely did they battle, 
 let us say it to their honour ; when their churches became the scenes 
 of riot and disorder, and there was raised the temble howl of " No 
 Popery " by the lower orders, they boldly confronted the foe and 
 never winced. They went against the whole current of .what was 
 thought to be the deep-seated feeling of England in favour of 
 Protestantism, and with scarcely a bishop to patronise them, and 
 but few loaves and fishes of patronage, they have increased from a 
 handful to becojae the dominant and most vital party in the 
 Church of England, and to our intense surprise and horror they 
 have brought people to receive again the Popery which we thought 
 dead and buried. If anybody had told me twenty years ago that 
 the witch of Endor would become Queen of England, I should as 
 soon have believed it as that we should now have such a High 
 Church development ; but the fact is, the men were earnest and 
 decided, and held what they believed most firmly, and did not 
 hesitate to push their cause. The age, therefore, can be im- 
 pressed ; it will receive what is taught by zealous men, whether it 
 it be truth or falsehood. It may be objected that falsehood will be 
 received the more readily ; that is just possible, but anything will 
 be accepted by men if you will but preach it with tremendous 
 energy and living earnestness. If they will not receive it into 
 their hearts in a spiritual sense, yet at any rate there will be a 
 mental assent and consent, very much in proportion to the energy 
 with which you proclaim it ; ay, and God will bless our decision 
 too, so that when the mind is gained by our earnestness, and the 
 
THE NEED OF DECISION FOR THE TRUTH. 06 
 
 attention is won bj our zeal, the heart itself will be opened by 
 the Spirit of God. 
 
 We must be decided. What have Dissenters been doing to a 
 great extent lately but trying to be fine ? How many of our 
 ministers are labouring to be grand orators or intellectual thinkers ? 
 That is not the thing. Our young ministers have been dazzled 
 by that, and have gone off to bray like wild asses under the notion 
 that they v/ould then be reputed to have come from Jerusalem, or 
 to have been reared in Germany. The world has found them out. 
 There is nothing now I believe that genuine Christians despise 
 more than the foolish affectation of intellectualism. You will hear 
 a good old deacon say, " Mr. So-and-so, whom we had here, was a 
 very clever man, and preached wonderful sermons, but the cause has 
 gone down through it. We can hardly support the minister, 
 and we mean next time to have one of the old-fashioned ministers 
 back again who believe in something and preach it. There will be 
 no addition to our church else." Will you go out and tell th<* 
 people that you believe you can say something, but you hardly 
 know what ; you are not quite sure that what you preach is cor- 
 rect, but the trust-deed requires you to say it, and therefore yoti 
 say it ? Why, you may cause fools and idiots to be pleased with 
 you, and you will be sure to propagate infidelity, but you cannot 
 do more. When a prophet comes forward he must speak as from 
 the Lord, and if he cannot do that, let him go back to his bed. 
 It is quite certain, dear friends, that now or never we must be 
 decided, because the age is manifestly drifting. You cannot watch 
 for twelve months without seeing how it is going down the tide ; 
 the anchors are pulled up, and the vessel is floating to destruction. 
 It is drifting now, as near as I can tell you, south-east, and 
 is nearing Cape Vatican, and if it drives much further in that 
 direction it will be on the rocks of the Roman reef. We must 
 get aboard her, and connect her with the glorious steam -tug of 
 gospel truth, and drag her back. I should be glad if I could take 
 her round by Cape Calvin, right up into the Bay of Calvary, and 
 anchor her in the fair haven which is close over by Vera Cruz, or 
 the cross. God grant us grace to do it. We must have a strong 
 hand, and have our steam well up, and defy the current ; and so 
 by God's grace we shall both save this age and the generations 
 yet to come. 
 
LECTURE IV. 
 
 It %ix f rmtIjiiT0 — % ^l\tk^ of its litet0rg. 
 
 There are some customs for whicli nothing can be pleaded, except 
 that they are very old. In such cases ^ntiquity is of no more 
 value than the rust upon a counterfeit coin. It is, however, a 
 liappy cii'cumstance when the usage of ages can be pleaded for a 
 really good and scriptural practice, for it invests it with a halo of 
 reverence. Now, it can be argued, with small fear of refutation, 
 that open air preaching is as old as preaching itself. We are at 
 full liberty to believe that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, when 
 he prophesied, asked for no better pulpit than the hill-side, and 
 that Noah, as a preacher of righteousness, was willing to reason 
 with his cotemporaries in the ship-yard wherein his marvellous 
 ark was builded. Certainly, Moses and Joshua found their most 
 convenient place for addressing vast assemblies beneath the un- 
 pillared arch of heaven. Samuel closed a sermon in the field at 
 Gilgal amid thunder and rain, by which the Lord rebuked the 
 people and drove them to their knees. Elijah stood on Carmel, 
 and challenged the vacillating nation, with " How long halt ye 
 between two opinions?" Jonah, whose spirit was somewhat 
 similar, lifted up his cry of warning in the streets of Nineveh, and 
 in all her places of concourse gave forth the warning utterance, 
 " Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown !" To hear 
 Ezra and Nehemiah " all the people gathered themselves together 
 as one man into the street that was before the water gate." 
 Indeed, we find examples of open air preaching everywhere around 
 us in the records of the Old Testament. 
 
 It may suffice us, however, to go back as far as the origin of 
 our own holy faith, and there we hear the forerunner of the 
 Saviour crying in the wilderness and lifting up his voice from the 
 river's bank. Our Lord himself, who is yet more our pattern, 
 delivered the larger proportion of his sermons on the mountain's 
 side, or by the sea shore, or in the sti'eets. Our Lord was to all 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING— A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 55 
 
 intents and purposes an open air preacher. He did not remani 
 silent in the synagogue, but he was equally at home in the field. 
 We have no discourse of his on record delivered in the chapel 
 royal, but we have the sermon on the mount, and the sernion m 
 the plain ; so that the very earliest and most divine kind of 
 preaching was practised out of doors by him who spake as never 
 man spake. . . 
 
 There were gatherings of his disciples after his decease, withni 
 walk, especially that in the upper room ; but the preaching was 
 even then most frequently in the court of the temple, or ni 
 such other open spaces as" were available. The notion of holy 
 places and consecrated meeting-houses had not occurred to them 
 as Ciiristians ; they preached in the temple because it was the 
 chief place of concourse, but with equal earnestness "in every 
 house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." 
 
 The apostles and their immediate successoi's delivered^ then- 
 message of mercy not only in their own hired houses, and in the 
 synagogues, but also anywhere and everywhere as occasion served 
 theni! This may be gathered incidentally from the following 
 statement of Eusebius. " The divine and admirable disciples of 
 the apostles built up the superstructure of the churches, the 
 foundations whereof the apostles had laid, in all places where they 
 came ; they everywhere prosecuted the preaching of the gospel, 
 sowing the seeds of heavenly doctrine throughout the whole world. 
 Many^'of the disciples then alive distributed their estates to the 
 poor ; and, leaving their own country, did the work of evangelists 
 to those who had never yet heard the Christian faith, preaching 
 Christ, and delivering the evangelical writings to them. No 
 sooner had they planted the faith in any foreign countries, and 
 ordained guides and pastors, to whom they committed the care of 
 these new plantations, but they went to other nations, assisted by 
 the grace and powerful working of the Holy Spirit. As soon as 
 they began to preach the gospel the people flocked universally to 
 them, and cheerfully worshipped the true God, the Creator of the 
 world, piously and heartily believing in his name." 
 
 As the dark ages lowered, the best preachers of the gradually 
 declining church Vere also preachers in the open air ; as were also 
 those itinerant friars and great founders of religious orders who 
 kept alive such piety as remained. We hear of Berthold, of 
 Ratisbon, with audiences of sixty or a hundred thousand, in a 
 field near Glatz in Bohemia. There were also Bernards, and Ber- 
 nardijies, and Anthonys, and Thomases of i^reut fame as travelling 
 
5G OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 preachers, of whom we cannot find time to speak particularly. 
 Dr. Lavington, Bishop of Exeter, being short of other argu- 
 ments, stated, as a proof that the Methodists were identical witli 
 the Papists, that the early Friar Preachers were great at holding 
 forth in the open fields. Quoting from Ribadeneira, he mentions 
 Peter of Verona, who had " a divine talent in preaching ; neither 
 churches, nor streets, nor market-places could contain the great 
 concourse that resorted to hear his sermons." The learned bishoj) 
 might have easily multiplied his examples, as we also could do, but 
 they would prove nothing more than that, for good or evil, field 
 preaching is a great power. 
 
 When Antichrist had commenced its more universal sw^ay, 
 the Reformers before the Reformation were full often open air 
 preachers, as, for instance, Arnold of Brescia, who denounced Papal 
 usurpations at the very gates of the Vatican. 
 
 It would be very easy to prove that revivals of religion have 
 usually been accompanied, if not caused, by a considerable amount 
 of preaching out of doors, or in unusual places. Tlie first avowed 
 preaching of Protestant doctrine was almost necessarily in the open 
 air, or in buildings which were not dedicated to worship, for these 
 were in the hands of the Papacy. True, Wycliffe for a while preached 
 the gospel in the church at Lutterworth ; Huss, and Jerome, and 
 Savonarola for a time delivered semi-gospel addresses in connec- 
 tion with the ecclesiastical arrangements around them ; but when 
 they began more fully to know and proclaim the gospel, they were 
 driven to find other platforms. The Reformation when yet a babe 
 was like the new-born Christ, and had not wdiere to lay its head, 
 but a company of men comparable to the heavenly host proclaimed 
 it under the open heavens, Avhere shepherds and common people 
 heard them gladly. Thoughout England we have several trees 
 remaining called " gospel oaks." There is one spot on the other 
 side of the Thames known by the name of " Gospel Oak," and 
 I have myself preached at Addlestone, in Surrey, under the far- 
 spreading boughs of an ancient oak, beneath which John Knox is 
 said to have proclaimed the gospel during his sojourn in England. 
 Full many a Avild moor, and lone hill side, and secret spot in the 
 forest have been consecrated in the same fashion, and traditions 
 still linger over caves, and dells, and hill tops, where of old time 
 the bands of the faithful met to hear the word of the Lord. 
 Nor was it alone in solitary places that in days of yore the voice 
 of the preacher was heard, for scarcely is there a market cross 
 which has not served as a pulpit for itinerant gospellers. Dui'ing 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 57 
 
 the lifetime of Wycliffe liis missionaries traversed the country, 
 everywhere preaching the word. An Act of ParHament of Richard 
 II. (1382) sets it forth as a grievance of the clergy that a number 
 of persons in frieze gowns went from town to town, without tlie 
 license of the ordinaries, and preached not only in churches, but in 
 churchyards, and market-places, and also at fairs. To hear tiiese 
 heralds of the cross the country people flocked in great numbers, 
 and the soldiers mingled with the crowd, ready to defend the 
 preachers with their swords if any offered to molest them. After 
 Wycliffe's decease his followers scrupled not to use the same 
 methods. It is specially recorded of William Swinderby that, 
 *' being excommunicated, and forbidden to preach in any chvirch 
 or churchyard, he made a pulpit of two mill-stones in the High- 
 street of Leicester, and there preached ' in contempt of the 
 bishop.' ' There,' says Knighton, * you might see throngs of 
 people from every part, as well from the town as the country, 
 double the number there used to be when they might hear him 
 lawfully.' " 
 
 In Germany and other continental countries the Reformation 
 was greatly aided by the sermons delivered to the masses out of 
 doors. We read of Lutheran preachers perambulating the country 
 proclaiming the new doctrine to crowds in the market-places, 
 and burial-grounds, and also on mountains and in meadows. At 
 Goslar a Wittemberg student preached in a meadow planted with 
 lime-trees, which procured for his hearers the designation of " the 
 Lime-tree Brethren." D'Aubigne tells us that at Appenzel, as 
 the crowds could not be contained in the churches, the preaching- 
 was held in the fields and public squares, and, notwithstanding 
 keen opposition, the hills, meadoAvs, and mountains echoed with 
 the glad tidings of salvation. In the life of Farel we meet with 
 incidents connected with out-of-doors ministry ; for instance, when 
 at Metz he preached his first sermon in the churchyard of the 
 Dominicans, his enemies caused all the bells to be tolled, but his 
 voice of thunder overpowered the sound. In Neuchatel we are 
 told that " the whole town became his church. He preached in 
 the market-place, in the streets, at the gates, before the houses, 
 and in the squares, and with such persuasion and effect that he 
 won over many to the gospel. The people crowded to hear his 
 sermons, and could not be kept back either by threats or per- 
 suasions." 
 
 From Dr. Wylie's " History of Protestantism " I borrow the 
 following: — "It is said that the first field-preaching in the Nether- 
 
5b OPEN AIR rREACIIING— A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 lands took place on the 14th of June, 1566, and was held in the 
 neighbourhood of Ghent. The preacher was Herman Modet, who 
 had formerly been a monk, but was now the reformed pastor at 
 Oudenard. ' This man,' says a Popish chronicler, ' was the first 
 who ventured to preach in public, and there were 7,000 persons 
 at his first sermon.' .... The second great field-preaching took 
 place on the 23rd of July following, the people assembling in a 
 large meadow in the vicinity of Ghent. The ' Word ' was precious 
 in those days, and the people, eagerly thirsting to hear it, pre- 
 pared to remain two days consecutively on the ground. Their 
 arrangements moi'e resembled an army pitching their camp than 
 a peaceful multitude assembled for worship. Around the wor- 
 shippers was a wall of barricades in the shape of carts and 
 waggons. Sentinels Avere placed at all the entrances. A rude 
 pulpit of planks was hastily run up and placed aloft on a cart. 
 Modet was preacher, and around him were many thousands of 
 j^ersons, who listened with their pikes, hatchets, and guns lying by 
 their sides ready to be grasped on a sign from the sentinels who 
 kept watch all around the assembly. In front of the entrances 
 were erected stalls, whereat pedlars offered prohibited books to all 
 who wished to buy. Along the roads running into the country 
 were stationed certain persons, whose office it was to bid the 
 
 casual passenger turn in and hear the Gospel When the 
 
 services were finished, the multitude would repair to other dis- 
 tricts, where they encamped after the same fashion, and remained 
 for the same sjiace of time, and so passed through the whole of 
 West Flanders. At these conventicles the Psalms of David, 
 which had been translated into Low Dutch from the version of 
 Clement Marot, and Theodore Beza, were always sung. The 
 odes of the Hebrew king, pealed forth by from five to ten 
 thousand voices, and borne by the breeze over the woods and 
 meadows, might be heard at great distances, arresting the plough- 
 man as he turned the furrow, or the traveller as he pursued his 
 way, and making him stop and wonder whence the minstrels\- 
 proceeded." It is most interesting to observe that congregational 
 singing is sure to revive at the same moment as gospel-preaching. 
 In all ages a Moody has been attended by a Sankey. History 
 repeats itself because like causes are pretty sure to produce like 
 effects. 
 
 It would be an interesting task to prepare a volume of notable 
 facts connected with open air preaching, or, better still, a consecu- 
 tive history of it. I have no time for even a complete outline, 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 59 
 
 but would simply ask you, where would the Reformation have been 
 if its great preachers had confined themselves to churches and 
 cathedrals? How would the common people have become in- 
 doctrinated with the gospel had it not been for those far wander- 
 ing evangelists, the colporteurs, and those daring innovators who 
 found a pulpit on every heap of stones, and an audience chamber 
 in every open space near the abodes of men ? 
 
 Among examples within our own highly favoured island I cannot 
 forbear mentioning the notable case of holy Wishart. This I 
 quote from Gillie's " Historical Collections" : — 
 
 " George Wishart was one of the early preachers of the doctrines 
 of the Reformers, and suffered martyrdom in the days of Knox. 
 His public exposition of the Epistle to the Romans especially 
 excited the fears and hatred of the Romish ecclesiastics, who 
 caused him to be silenced at Dundee. He went to Ayr, and began 
 to preach the gospel with great freedom and faithfulness. But 
 Dunbar, the then Archbishop of Glasgow, being informed of the 
 great concourse of people who crowded to his sermons, at the 
 instigation of Cardinal Beaton, went to Ayr, with the resolution 
 to apprehend him ; bnt first took possession of the church, to pre- 
 vent him from preaching in it. The news of this brought Alex- 
 ander, Earl of Glencairn, and some gentlemen of the neighbourhood 
 immediately to town. They wished and offered to put Wishart 
 into the church, but he would not consent, saying, ' that the 
 Bishop's sermon would not do much hurt, and that, if they pleased, 
 he would go to the market cross,' which he accordingly did, and 
 preached with such success, that several of his hearers, formerly 
 enemies to the truth, were converted on the occasion. 
 
 " Wishart continued with the gentlemen of Kyle, after the 
 archbishop's departure ; and being desired to preach next Lord's- 
 day at the church of Mauchline, he went thither with that design, 
 but the sheriff of Ayr had, in the night time, put a garrison of 
 soldiers into the church to keep him out. Hugh Campbell, of 
 Kinzeancleugh, with others in the parish, were exceedingly 
 offended at this impiety, and would have entered the church by 
 force ; but Wishart would not suffer it, saying, ' Brethren, it is 
 the word of peace which I preach unto you ; the blood of no man 
 shall be shed for it this day : Jesus Christ is as mighty in the 
 fields as in the church, and he himself, while he lived in the flesh, 
 preached of tener in the desert and upon the sea side than in the 
 temple of Jerusalem.' Upon this the people were appeased, and 
 went with him to the edge of the moor, on the south-west of 
 
60 OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 Mauchline, where having placed himself upon a ditch-dike, he 
 preached to a great multitude. He continued speaking for more 
 than three hours, God working wondrously by him ; insomuch that 
 Laurence Ranken, the Laird of Shield, a very profane person, was 
 converted by his means. About a month after the above circum- 
 stance, he was informed that the plague had broken out at Dundee, 
 the fourth day after he had left it ; and that it still continued to 
 rage in such a manner that great numbers were swept off daily. 
 This affected him so much, that he resolved to return to them, and 
 accordingly took leave of his friends in the west, who were filled 
 with sorrow at his departure. The next day, after his arrival at 
 Dundee, he caused intimation to be made that he would preach ; 
 and for that purpose chose his station at the head of the east gate, 
 the infected persons standing without, and those that were whole, 
 within. His text on this occasion was Psalm cvii. 20 : * He sent 
 his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruc- 
 tions.' By this discourse he so comforted the people, that they 
 thought themselves happy in having such a preacher, and en- 
 treated him to remain with them while the plague continued." 
 What a scene must this have been 1 Seldom has preacher had 
 such an audience, and, I may add, seldon\ has audience had such a 
 preacher. Then, to use the words of an old author, " Old time 
 stood at the preacher's side witli his scythe, saying with hoarse 
 voice, * Work while it is called to-day, for at night I will mow thee 
 down.' There, too, stood grim death hard by the pulpit, with his 
 sharp arrows, saying, ' Do thou shoot God's arrows and I will shoot 
 mine.' " This is, indeed, a notable instance of preaching out of 
 doors. 
 
 I wish it were in my power to give more particulars of that 
 famous discourse by John Livingstone in the yard of the Kirk of 
 Shotts, when not less than five hundred of his hearers found 
 Christ, though it rained in torrents during a considerable part of 
 the time. It remains as one of the great out-door sermons of 
 history, unsurpassed by any within walls. Here is the gist of 
 what we know about it : — 
 
 " It was not usual, it seems, in those times, to have any sermon 
 on the Monday after dispensing the Lord's Supper. But God 
 had given so much of his gracious presence, and afforded his people 
 so much communion with himself, on the foregoing days of that 
 solemnity, that they knew not how to part without thanksgiving and 
 praise. There had been a vast confluence of choice Christians, Avith 
 several eminent ministers, from almost all the corners of the land. 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 61 
 
 There had been many of them there together for several days be- 
 fore the sacrament, hearing sermons, and joining together in larger 
 or lesser companies, in prayer, praise, and spiritual conferences. 
 While their hearts were warm with the love of God, some ex- 
 j)ressing their desire of a sermon on the Monday, were joined by 
 others, and in a little the desire became very general. Mr. John 
 Livingstone, chaplain to the Countess of Wigtoun (at that time 
 only a preacher, not an ordained minister, and about twenty-seven 
 years of age), was with very much ado prevailed on to think of 
 giving the sermon. He had spent the night before in prayer and 
 conference ; but when he was alone in the fields, about eight or 
 nine in the morning, there came such a misgiving of heart upon 
 him under a sense of unworthiness and unfitness to speak before 
 so many aged and worthy ministers, and so many eminent and 
 experienced Christians ; that he was thinking to have stolen quite 
 away, and was actually gone away to some distance ; but when 
 just about to lose sight of the Kirk of Shotts these words, ' Have 
 I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness"?' were brought 
 into his heart with such an overcoming power, as constrained him 
 to think it his duty to return and comply with the call to preach ; 
 which he accordingly did with good assistance for about an hour 
 and a half on the points he had meditated from that text, Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 25, 26 : * Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and 
 ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, 
 will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new 
 spirit will I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart 
 out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.' As he 
 was about to close, a heavy shower coming suddenly on, which 
 made the people hastily take to their cloaks and mantles, he began 
 to speak to the following purpose : * If a few drops of rain from 
 the clouds so discomposed them, how discomposed would they be, 
 how full of horror and despair, if God should deal with them as 
 they deserved : and thus he will deal with all the finally impeni- 
 tent. That God might justly rain fire and brimstone upon them, 
 as upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain. 
 That the Son of God, by tabernacling in our nature, and obeying 
 and suffering in it, is the only refuge and covert from the storm 
 of divine wrath due to us for sin. That his merits and mediation 
 are the alone screen from that storm, and none but penitent be- 
 lievers shall have the benefit of that shelter.' In these or some 
 ex j)ressions to this purpose, and many others, he was led on for about 
 an hour's time (after he had done with what he had premeditated) 
 
62 OrEN AIR PREACHING A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 in a strain of exhortation and warning, with great enlargement 
 and melting of heart." 
 
 We must not forget the regular out-of-doors ministry at Paul's 
 Cross, under the eaves of the old cathedral. This was a famous 
 institution, and enabled the notable preachers of the times 
 to be heard by the citizens in great numbers. Kings and princes 
 did not disdain to sit in the gallery built upon the cathedral wall, 
 and listen to the preacher for the day. Latimer tells us that the 
 graveyard was in such an unhealthy condition that many died 
 through attending the sermons ; and yet there was never a lack of 
 hearers. Now that the abomination of intra-mural burial is done 
 away with, the like evil would not arise, and Paul's Cross might be 
 set up again ; perhaps a change to the open space might blow away 
 some of the Popery which is gradually attaching itself to the 
 services of the cathedral. The restoration of the system of 
 public preaching of which Paul's Cross was the central station 
 is greatly to be desired. I earnestly wish that some person pos- 
 sessed of sufficient wealth would purchase a central space in our 
 great metropolis, erect a pulpit, and a certain number of benches, 
 and then set it apart for the use of approved ministers of the 
 gospel, who should there freely declare the gospel to all comers 
 without favour or distinction. It would be of more real service 
 to our ever-growing city than all its cathedrals, abbeys, and 
 grand Gothic edifices. Before all open spaces are utterly swept 
 away by the ever-swelling tide of mortar and brick, it would be a 
 wise policy to secure Gospel Fields, or God's-acres-for-the-living, 
 or Avhatever else you may please to call open spaces for free gospel 
 preaching. 
 
 All through the Puritan times there were gatherings in all sorts 
 of out-of-the-wMy places, for fear of persecutors. " We took," 
 says Archbishop Laud, in a letter dated Fulham, June, 1632, 
 " another conventicle of separatists in Newington Woods, in the 
 very brake wdiere the king's stag was to be lodged, for his hunting 
 next morning." A hollow or gravel-pit on Hounslow Heath 
 sometimes served as a conventicle, and there is a dell near 
 Hitchin where John Bunyan was wont to preach in perilous 
 times. All over Scotland the straths, and dells, and vales, and 
 hill-sides are full of covenanting memories to this day. You 
 will not fail to meet with rock pulpits whence the stern fathers 
 of the Presbyterian church thundered forth their denuncia- 
 tions of Erastianism, and pleaded the claims of the King of 
 kings. Cargill and Cameron and their fellows found congenial 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. G3 
 
 scenes for their brave ministries mid the lone mountains' rents and 
 ravines. 
 
 " Long ere tbe dawn, by devious ways, 
 O'er hills, thi'ough woods, o'er dreary wastes, they sought 
 The upland moors, where rivers, there but brooks, 
 Dispart to different seas : fast by such brooks, 
 A little glen is sometimes scoop'd, a plat 
 "With greensward gay, and flowers that strangers seem 
 Amid the heathery wild, that all around 
 Fatigues the eye : in solitudes like these 
 Thy persecuted children, Scotia, foil'd 
 A tyrant's and a bigot's bloody law. 
 There, leaning on his spear .... 
 The lyart veteran heard the word of God 
 By Cameron thunder'd, or by Reuwick pour'd 
 In gentle stream : then rose the song, the loud 
 Acclaim of praise ; the wheeling plover ceased 
 Her plaint ; the solitary place was glad. 
 And on the distant cairns, the watcher's ear 
 Caught doubtfully at times the breeze-borne note. 
 13ut years more gloomy follow'd; and no more 
 The assembled people dared, in face of day, 
 To worship God, or even at the dead 
 Of night, save when the wintry storm raved fierce, 
 And thunder-peals compell'd the men of blood 
 To couch within their dens ; then dauntlessly 
 The scatter'd few would meet, in some deep dell 
 By rocks o'er-canopied, to hear the voice. 
 Their faithful pastor's voice : he by the gleam 
 Of sheeted lightning oped the sacred book, 
 And words of comfort spake : over their souls 
 His accents soothing came, as to her young 
 The heathfowl's plumes, when at the close of eve 
 She gathers in, mournful, her brood dispersed 
 By murderous sport, and o'er the remnant spreads 
 Fondly her wings ; close nestling 'neath her breast 
 They cherish'd cower amid the purple blooms." 
 
 At the risk of being prolix I feel I must add the following 
 touching description of one of these scenes. Tlie prose picture 
 even excels the poet's painting. 
 
 " We entered on the administration of the holy ordinance, com- 
 mitting it and ourselves to the invisible protection of the Lord of 
 liosts, in whose name we were met together. Our trust was in the 
 arm of Jehovah, which was better than weapons of war, or the 
 strength of the hills. The place where we convened was every wa y 
 commodious, and seemed to have been formed on purpose. It was 
 
64 OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 a green and pleasant liaugh, fast by the water side (the Whittader). 
 On either hand there was a spacious brae, in the form of a half 
 round, covered with delightful pasture, and rising with a gentle 
 slope to a goodly height. Above us was the clear blue sky, for it 
 was a sweet and calm Sabbath morning, promising indeed to be 
 'one of the days of the Son of man.' There was a solemnity in the 
 place befitting the occasion, and elevating the whole soul to a pure 
 and holy frame. The communion tables were spread on the green 
 by the water, and around them the people had arranged them- 
 selves in decent order. But the far greater multitude sat on the 
 brae face, which was crowded from top to bottom — full as pleasant 
 a sight as ever was seen of that sort. Each day at the congrega- 
 tion's dismissing the ministers with their guards, and as many of 
 of the people as could, retired to their quarters in three several 
 country towns, where they might be provided with necessaries. 
 The horsemen drew up in a body till the people left the place, and 
 then marched in goodly array behind at a little distance, until all 
 were safely lodged in their quarters. In the morning, when the 
 people returned to the meeting, the horsemen accompanied them : 
 all the three parties met a mile from the spot, and marched in 
 a full body to the consecrated ground. The congregation being all 
 fairly settled in their places, the guardsmen took their several 
 stations, as formerly. These accidental volunteers seemed to have 
 been the gift of Providence, and they secured the peace and quiet 
 of the audience; for, from Saturday morning, when the work 
 began, until Monday afternoon, we suffered not the least affront or 
 molestation from enemies, which appeared wonderful. At first 
 ther^was some apprehension, but the people sat undisturbed, and 
 the whole was closed in as orderly a way as it had been in the time 
 of Scotland's brightest noon. And truly the spectacle of so many 
 grave, composed, and devout faces must have struck the adv^ersaries 
 with awe, and been more formidable than any outward ability of 
 fierce looks and warlike array. We desired not the countenance of 
 earthly kings : there was a spiritual and divine Majesty shining 
 on the work, and sensible evidence that the great Master of 
 assemblies was present in the midst. It was indeed the doing of 
 the Lord, who covered us a table in the wilderness, in presence of 
 our foes ; and reared a pillar of glory between us and the enemy, 
 like the fiery cloud of old that separated between the camp of 
 Israel and the Egyptians — encouraging to the one, but dark and 
 terrible to the other. Though our vows were not offered within 
 the courts of God's house, they wanted not sincerity of heart, 
 
OFEN^ AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 65 
 
 which is better than the reverence of sanctuaries. Amidst the 
 lonely mountains we remembered the words of our Lord, that true 
 worship was not peculiar to Jerusalem or Samaria — that the 
 beauty of holiness consisted not in consecrated buildings or material 
 temples. We remembered the ark of the Israelites which had 
 sojourned for years in the desert, with no dwelling place but the 
 tabernacle of the plain. We thought of Abraham and the ancient 
 patriarchs, who laid their victims on the rocks for an altar, and 
 burnt sweet incense under the shade of the green tree. 
 
 " The ordinance of the Last Supper, that memorial of his dying 
 love till his second coming, was signally countenanced and backed 
 with power and refreshing influence from above. Blessed be God, 
 for he hath visited and confirmed his heritage when it was weary. 
 In that day Zion put on the beauty of Sharon and Carmel ; the 
 mountains broke forth into singing, and the desert place was made 
 to bud and blossom as the rose. Few such days were seen in the 
 desolate Church of Scotland ; and few will ever witness the like. 
 There was a rich effusion of the Spirit shed abroad in many hearts ; 
 their souls, filled with heavenly transports, seemed to breathe a 
 diviner element, and to burn upwards as with the fire of a pure and 
 holy devotion. The ministers were visibly assisted to speak home 
 to the conscience of the hearers. It seemed as if God had touched 
 their lips with a live coal from off his altar : for they who witnessed 
 declared they carried themselves more like ambassadors from the 
 court of heaven than men cast in earthly mould. 
 
 " The tables were served by some gentlemen and persons of the 
 gravest deportment. None were admitted without tokens as usual, 
 which were distributed on the Saturday, but only to such as were known 
 to some of the ministers or persons of trust to be free of public scan- 
 dals. All the regular forms were gone through. The communicants 
 entered at one end and retired at the other, a way being kept clear 
 to take their seats again on the hill-side. Mr. Welsh preached 
 the action sermon and served the two first tables, as he was ordin- 
 arily put to do so on such occasions. The other four ministers, 
 Mr. Blackader, Mr. Dickson, Mr. Riddell, and Mr. Eae, exhorted 
 the rest in their turn ; the table service was closed by Mr. Welsh 
 with solemn thanksgiving, and solemn it was, and sweet and 
 edifying to see the gravity and composure of all present, as well 
 as of all parts of the service. The communion was peaceably 
 concluded, all the people heartily offering up their gratitude, and 
 singing with a joyful voice to the Rock of their salvation. 
 It was pleasant as the night fell to hear their melody swelling in 
 
 6 
 
()() OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 full unison along the hill, the whole congregation joining with one 
 accord, and praising God with the voice of psalms. 
 
 " There were two long tables and one short across the head, 
 with seats on each side. About a hundred sat at every table. 
 There were sixteen tables in all, so that about three thousand two 
 hundred communicated that day." 
 
 Perhaps the most remarkable place ever chosen for a discoiirse 
 was the centre of the river Tweed, where Mr. John Welsh often 
 preached during hard frosts, in order that he might escape from 
 the authorities of either Scotland or England, whichever might in- 
 terfere. Prize-fighters have often selected the borders of two 
 counties for their performances, but their prudence would seem 
 to have been anticipated by the children of light. 
 
 It is amusing also to read of Archbishop Sharp's commanding 
 the militia to be sent to disperse the crowd who had gathered on 
 the hill side to hear Mr. Blackader, and of his being informed 
 that they had all gone an hour before to attend the sermon. 
 
 What the world would have been if there had not been preach- 
 ing outside of walls, and beneath a more glorious roof than 
 these rafters of fir, I am sure I cannot guess. It was a brave day 
 for England when Whitefield began field preaching. When 
 Wesley stood and preached a sermon on his father's grave, at 
 Epworth, because the parish priest would not allow him admission 
 within the (so-called) sacred edifice, Mr. Wesley writes : " I am 
 well assiu'ed that I did far more good to my Lincolnshire parish- 
 ioners by preaching three days on my father's tomb than I did by 
 preaching three years in his pulpit." The same might be said of 
 all the open air preaching which followed, as compared with the 
 regular discourses within doors. " The thought of preaching in 
 the open air was suggested to Whitefield by a crowd of a thousand 
 people unable to gain admission to Bermondsey church, where he 
 preached one Sunday afternoon. He met with no encouragement 
 when he mentioned it to some of his friends ; they thought it was 
 a ' mad notion.' However, it wou.ld have been carried out the 
 next Sunday at Ironmongers' Almshouses had not the preacher 
 been disappointed in his congregation, which was small enough to 
 hear him from the pulpit. He took two sermons with him, one for 
 within and the other for without." The idea which had thus 
 ripened into a resolve had not long to wait before it was car- 
 ried into execution. The Chancellor of the Diocese having put 
 impediments in the way of Whitefield's preaching in the churches 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHIXG — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. G7 
 
 of Bristol on behalf of his Orplian-liouse, he went to preach to the 
 colliers at Kingswood " for the first time on a Saturday afternoon, 
 taking his stand on Hannan Mount. He spoke on Matt. v. 1, 2, 3, 
 to as many as came to hear ; upwards of two hundred attended. 
 His only remark in his journal is, Blessed be God that the ice is 
 now broke, and I have now taken the field ! Some may censure me. 
 But is there not a cause? Pulpits are denied; and the poor 
 colliers ready to perish for lack of knowledge." Now he was the 
 owner of a pulpit that no man could take from him, and his 
 heart rejoiced in this great gift. On the following day the 
 journal relates, " All the church doors being now shut, and if 
 open not able to contain half that came to hear, at three in the 
 afternoon I went to Kingswood among the colliers. God highly 
 favoured us in sending us a fine day, and near two thousand 
 people were assembled on that occasion. I preached and enlarged 
 on John iii. 3 for near an hour, and, I hope, to the comfort and 
 edification of those that heard me." Two days afterwards he 
 stood upon the same spot, and preached to a congregation of four 
 or five thousand with great freedom. The bright sun overhead, 
 and the immense throng standing aroiind him in awful silence, 
 formed a picture which filled him with ' holy admiration.' On a 
 subsequent Sunday, Bassleton, a village two miles from Bristol, 
 opened its church to him, and a numerous congregation coming 
 together, he first read prayers in the church, and then preached in 
 the churchyard. At four he hastened to Kingswood. Though 
 the month was February the weather was unusually open and 
 mild ; the setting sun shone with its fullest power ; the trees 
 and hedges were crowded with hearers who wanted to see the 
 preacher as well as to hear him. For an hour he spoke with a 
 voice loud enough to be heard by every one, and his heart was 
 not without joy in his own message. He writes in his journal : 
 ' Blessed be God, The fire is kindled ; may the gates of hell never 
 be able to prevail against it I' It is important to know what were 
 his feelings when he met those immense field congregations, whose 
 numbers had grown from two hundred to twenty thousand, and Avhat 
 were the effects of his preaching upon his audience. His own words 
 are, ' Having no righteousness of their own to renounce, the 
 colliers were glad to hear of Jesus who was a friend to publicans, 
 and came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. 
 The first discovery of their being affected was, to see the white 
 gutters made by their tears, which plentifully fell down their 
 black cheeks, as they came out of their coal pits. Hundreds and 
 
68 OPEN AIR PREACHING A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 Jiunclreds of them were soon brought under deep convictions, 
 which (as the event proved) happily ended in a sound and thorough 
 conversion. The change was visible to all, though numbers chose 
 to impute it to anything rather than the finger of God. As the 
 scene was quite new, and I had just began to be an extempore 
 preacher, it often occasioned many inward conflicts. Sometimes, 
 when twenty thousand people were before me, I had not, in my 
 own apprehension, a word to say, either to God or them. But I 
 was never totally deserted, and frequently knew by happy expe- 
 rience what our Lord meant when he said, ' Out of his belly 
 shall flow rivers of living water.' The open firmament above me, 
 the prospect of the adjacent fields, with the sight of thousands and 
 thousands, some in coaches, some on horseback, and some on the 
 trees, and, at times, all affected and drenched in tears together, 
 to which sometimes was added the solemnity of the approaching 
 evening, was almost too much for, and quite overcame, me." 
 
 Wesley writes in his journal, " Saturday, 31 [March, 1731]. 
 In the evening I reached Bristol, and met Mr. Whitefield there. 
 I could scarce reconcile myself at first to this strange way of 
 preaching in the fields, of which he set me an example on Sun- 
 day ; having been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of 
 every point relating to decency and order, that I should have 
 thouo-ht the savins; of souls almost a sin, if had it not been done 
 in a church." Such were the feelings of a man who in after 
 life became one of the greatest open air preachers that ever 
 lived ! 
 
 I shall not tarry to describe Mr. Whitefield on our oyn\ Ken- 
 nington Common among the tens of thousands, or at Moorfields 
 early in the morning, when the lanterns twinkled like so many 
 glowworms on a grassy bank on a summer's night, neither will I 
 mention the multitudes of glorious scenes with Wesley and his 
 more renowned preachers ; but a picture more like that Avhich 
 some of you can easily copy has taken a strong hold upon my 
 memory ; and I set it before you that you may never in times to 
 come despise the day of small things : — 
 
 " Wesley reached Newcastle on Friday, the 28th of May. On 
 walking out, after tea, he was surprised and shocked at the 
 aboundinfr wickedness. Drunkenness and swearing seemed 
 general, and even the mouths of little children were full of 
 curses. How he spent the Saturday we are not informed ; but, 
 on Sunday mornin^^ at seven, he and John Taylor took their 
 stand near the pump, in Sandgate, * the poorest and most 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. G9 
 
 contemptible part of the town,' and began to sing the Old 
 Hundredth Psalm and tune. Three or four people came about 
 them, to see what was the matter; these soon inci*eased in number, 
 and, before Wesley finished preaching, his congregation consisted 
 of from twelve to fifteen hundred persons. When the service 
 'was ended, the people still stood gaping, with the most pro- 
 found astonishment, upon which Wesley said, 'If you desire to 
 know who I am, my name is John Wesley. At five in the even- 
 ing, wMth God's help, I design to preach here again.'" 
 
 Glorious were those great gatherings in fields and commons 
 which lasted throughout the long period in which Wesley and 
 Whitefield blessed our nation. Field-preaching was the wild note 
 ©f the birds singing in the trees, in testimony that the true spring- 
 time of religion had come. Birds in cages may sing more sweetly, 
 perhaps, but their music is not so natural, nor so sure a pledge of 
 the coming summer. It was a blessed day when ^lethodists and 
 others began to proclaim Jesus in the open air ; then were the 
 gates of hell shaken, and the captives of the devil set free by 
 hundreds and by thousands. 
 
 Once recommenced, the fruitful agency of field-preaching was 
 not allowed to cease. Amid jeering crow^ds and showers of rotten 
 eggs and filth, the immediate followers of the two great Methodists 
 continued to storm village after village and town after town. 
 Very varied were their adventures, but their success was generally 
 great. One smiles often when reading incidents in their labours. 
 A string of packhorses is so driven as to break up a congregation, 
 and a fire-engine is brought out and played over the throng to 
 achieve the same purpose. Hand-bells, old kettles, marrow-bones and 
 cleavers, trumpets, drums, and entire bands of music were engaged 
 to drown the preachers' voices. In one case the parish bull was let 
 loose, and in others dogs were set to fight. The preachers needed 
 to have faces set like flints, and so indeed they had. John Furz 
 says : " As soon as I began to preach, a man came straight 
 forward, and presented a gun at my face; swearing that he 
 would blow my brains out, if I spake another word. However, 
 I continued speaking, and he continued swearing, sometimes 
 putting the muzzle of the gun to my mouth, sometimes against 
 my ear. While we were singing the last hymn, he got behind me, 
 fired the gun, and burned off part of my hair." After this, 
 my brethren, we ought never to speak of petty interruptions 
 or annoyances. The proximity of a blunderbuss in the hands 
 of a son of Belial is not very conducive to collected thought 
 
70 OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 and clear utterance, but the experience of Furz was probably no 
 worse than that of John Nelson, who coolly says, " But when I 
 was in the middle of my discourse, one at the outside of the 
 congregation threw a stone, which cut me on the head : however, 
 that made the people give greater attention, especially when they 
 saw the blood run down my face ; so that all was quiet till I had 
 done, and Avas singing a hymn." 
 
 The life of Gideon Ouseley, by Dr. Arthur, is one of the most 
 powerful testimonies to the value of outdoor preaching. In the 
 • early part of the present century, from 1800 to 1830, he was in 
 full vigour, riding throughout the whole of Ireland, preaching the 
 gospel of Jesus in every town. His pulpit was generally the back 
 of his horse, and he himself and his coadjutors were known as the 
 men with the black caps, from their habit of weai'ing skull caps. 
 This cavalry ministry was in its time the cause of a great revival 
 in Ireland, and gave promise of really touching Erin's deep-seated 
 curse — the power of the priesthood, and the superstition of the 
 people. Ouseley showed at all times much shrewdness, and a touch 
 of common-sense humour; hence he generally preached in front of 
 the apothecary's window because the mob would be the less liberal 
 with their stones, or next best he chose to have the residence of a 
 respectable Catholic in his rear, for the same reason. His sermon 
 from the stone stairs of the market house of Enniscorthy was a fair 
 specimen of his dexterous method of meeting an excited mob of 
 Irishmen. I will give it you at length, that you may know how to 
 act if ever you are placed in similar circumstances: — "He took his 
 stand, put off his hat, assumed his black velvet cap, and, after a 
 few moments spent in silent prayer, commenced to sing. People 
 began to gather round him, and, during the singing of a few verses, 
 were quiet, and apparently attentive, but soon began to be restless 
 and noisy. He then commenced to pray, and quietness for a shoii; 
 time followed; but presently, as the crowd increased, it became 
 uneasy, and even turbulent. He closed his prayer, and began to 
 preach; but evidently his audience were not disposed to hear him. 
 Before many sentences had been uttered, missiles began to fly — at 
 first not of a very destructive character, being refuse — vegetables, 
 potatoes, turnips, &c.; but before long harder matei'ials were 
 thi'own — brickbats and stones, some of which reached him and in- 
 flicted slight wounds. He stopped, and, after a pause, cried out, 
 'Boys dear, what's the matter with you to-day? Won't you let an 
 old man talk to you a little?' 'We don't want to hear a word out 
 of your old head,' was the prompt reply from one in the crowd. 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 71 
 
 *But I want to tell you what, I think, you would like to hear.' 
 *No, we'll like nothing you can tell us.' 'How do you know? I 
 want to tell you a story about one you all say you respect and love.' 
 * Who's that?' ' The blessed Virgin.' ' Och, and what do you know 
 about the blessed Virgin?' 'More than you think; and I'm sure 
 you'll be pleased with what I have to tell you, if you'll only listen 
 to me.' 'Come then,' said another voice, 'let us hear what he has 
 to say about the Holy Mother.' And there was a lull, and the 
 missionary began: 'There was once a young couple to be married, 
 belonging to a little town called Cana. It's away in that country 
 where our blessed Saviour spent a great part of his life among us ; 
 and the decent people whose children were to be married thought 
 it riffht to invite the blessed Virmn to the weddinsf feast, and her 
 blessed Son too, and some of his disciples; and they all thought it 
 right to come. As they sat at table, the Virgin Mother thought 
 she saw that the wine provided for the entertainment began to run 
 short, and she was troubled lest the decent young people should be 
 shamed before their neighbours; and so she whispered to her blessed 
 Son, "They have no wine." "Don't let that trouble you, ma'am," 
 said he. And in a minute or two after, she, knowing well what 
 was in his good heart, said to one of the servants that was passing 
 behind them, " Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." Accordingly, 
 by-and-by, our blessed Lord said to another of them — I suppose they 
 had passed the word among themselves — "Fill those large water- 
 pots with water." (There were six of them standing in a corner 
 of the room, and they held nearly three gallons apiece, for the 
 people of those countries use a great deal of water every day.) 
 And, remembering the words of the Holy Virgin, they did his 
 bidding, and came back, and said, " Sir, they are full to the brim." 
 "Take some, then, to the master, at the head of the table," he 
 said. And they did so, and the master tasted it, and lo and behold 
 you I it was wine, and the best of wine too. And there was plenty 
 of it for the feast, ay, and, it may be, some left to help the young 
 couple setting up house-keeping. And all that, you see, came of 
 the servants taking the advice of the blessed Virgin, and doing 
 what she bid them. Now, if she was here among us this day, she 
 would give just the same ad^ace to every one of us, "Whatsoever he 
 saith to you, do it," and with good reason too, for well she knows 
 there is nothing but love in his heart to us, and nothing but wisdom 
 comes from his lips. And now I'll tell you some of the things he 
 says to us. He says, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for 
 many, I say unto you, will strive to enter in, and shall not be able." ' 
 
72 OPEN AIR PREACHING— A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 And straightway the preacher briefly, but clearly and forcibly, ex- 
 pounded the nature of the gate of life, its straitness, and the dread 
 necessity for pressing into it, winding up with the Virgin's counsel, 
 'Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.' In like manner he explained, 
 and pressed upon his hearers, some other of the weighty words of 
 our divine Lord, — ' Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, 
 he cannot enter into the kingdom of God'; and, 'If any man will 
 come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily 
 and follow me,' — enforcing his exhortation in each instance by the 
 Virgin's counsel to the servants at Cana. 'But no,' at last he broke 
 forth 'no; with all the love and reverence you pretend for the 
 blessed Virgin, you won't take her advice, but will listen willingly 
 to any drunken schoolmaster that will wheedle you into a public- 
 house, and put mischief and wickedness into your heads.' Here he 
 was interrupted by a voice, which seemed to be that of an old man, 
 exclaiming, 'True for you, true for ye. If you were tellin' lies all 
 the days of your life, it's the truth you're tellin' now.' And so the 
 preacher got leave to finish his discourse with not a little of good 
 effect." 
 
 The history of Primitive Methodism might here be incorporated 
 bodily as part of our sketch of Field-preaching, for that wonderful 
 mission movement owed its rise and progress to this agency. It 
 is, however, a singular reproduction of the events which attended 
 the earlier Methodism of eighty or ninety years before. The 
 Wesleyans had become respectable, and it was time that the old 
 fire should burn up among another class of men. Had Wesley 
 been alive he would have gloried in the poor but brave preachers 
 who risked their lives to proclaim the message of eternal love 
 among the depraved, and he would have headed them in their 
 crusade. As it was, other leaders came forward, and it was not 
 long before their zeal called forth a host of fervent witnesses who 
 could not be daunted by mobs, or squires, or clergymen ; nor even 
 chilled by the genteel brethren whose proprieties they so dread- 
 fully shocked. Then came forth the old weapons in abundance. 
 Agricultural produce in all stages of decomposition rewarded the 
 zealous apostles — turnips and potatoes w^ere a first course, and 
 rotten eggs followed in special abundance, these last we note were 
 frequently goose eggs, selected we suppose for their size. A tub 
 of coal-tar was often in readiness, filth fi'om the horse-ponds was 
 added, and all this to the music of tin whistles, horns, and watch- 
 mens' rattles. Ban els of ale were provided by the advocates of 
 "Church and king" to refresh the orthodox assailants, while both 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 73 
 
 preachers and disciples were treated with brutality such as to 
 excite compassion even in the hearts of adversaries. All this was, 
 liappily, a violation of law, but the great unpaid winked at the 
 transgressors, and endeavoured to bully the preacher into silence. 
 For Christ's sake they were content to be treated as vagrants and 
 vagabonds, and the Lord put great honour upon them. Disciples 
 were made and the Kanters multiplied. Even till a late period 
 these devoted brethren have been opposed with violence, but their 
 joyful experience has led them to persevere in their singing through 
 the streets, camp-meetings, and other irregularities : blessed irre- 
 gularities by which hundreds of wanderers have been met with and 
 led to the fold of Jesus. 
 
 I have no time further to illustrate my subject by descriptions 
 of the work of Christmas Evans and others in Wales, or of the 
 Haldanes in Scotland, or even of Rowland Hill and his brethren 
 in England. If you wish to pursue the subject these names may 
 serve as hints for discovering abundant materials ; and I may add 
 to the list " The Life of Dr. Guthrie," in which he records notable 
 open-air assemblies at the time of the Disruption, when as yet the 
 Free Church had no places of worship built with human hands. 
 
 I must linger a moment over Robert Flockhart of Edinburgh, 
 who, though a lesser light, was a constant one, and a fit example to 
 the bulk of Christ's street witnesses. Every evening, in all 
 weathers and amid many persecutions, did this bi-ave man continue 
 to speak in the street for forty-three years. Think of that, and 
 never be discouraged. When he was tottering to the grave the 
 old soldier was still at his post. " Compassion to the souls of men 
 drove me," said he, " to the streets and lanes of my native city, to 
 plead with sinners and persuade them to come to Jesus. The love 
 of Christ constrained me." Neither the hostility of the police, nor 
 the insults of Papists, Unitarians, and the like could move him, he 
 rebuked error in the plainest terms, and preached salvation by 
 grace with all his might. So lately has he passed away that Edin- 
 burgh remembers him still. There is room for such in all our 
 cities and towns, and need for hundreds of his noble order in this 
 huge nation of London — can I call it less ? 
 
 In America men like Peter Cartwright, Lorenzo Dow, Jacob 
 Gruber, and others of a past generation, carried on a glorious 
 warfare under the open heavens in their own original fashion ; and 
 in later times Father Taylor has given us another proof of the 
 immeasurable power of this mode of crusade in his " Seven Years 
 of Street Preaching in San Francisco, California." Though sorely 
 
74 OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 
 
 tempted, I shall forbear at this tune from making extracts from 
 that very remarkable work. 
 
 The camp-meeting is a sort of associated field-preaching, and 
 has become an institution in the United States, where everything 
 must needs be done upon a great scale. This M'ould lead me into 
 another subject, and therefore I shall merely give you a glimpse at 
 that means of usefulness, and then forbear. 
 
 The following description of the earlier camp meetings in 
 America is from the pen of the author of a " Narrative of a 
 Mission to Nova Scotia ": — " The tents are generally pitched in 
 the form of a crescent, in the centre of which is an elevated stand 
 for the preachers, round which, in all directions, are placed rows 
 of planks for the people to sit upon while they hear the word. 
 Among the trees, which spread their tops over this forest church, 
 are hung the lamps, which burn all night, and give light to the 
 various exercises of religion, which occupy the solemn midnight 
 hours. It was nearly eleven o'clock at night when I first arrived 
 on the border of the camp. I left my boat at the edge of the 
 wood, one mile from the scene ; and when I opened upon the camp 
 ground, my curiosity was converted into astonishment, to behold 
 the pendant lamps among the trees ; the tents half -encircling a 
 large space ; four thousand people in the centre of this, listening 
 with profound attention to the preacher, whose stentorian voice 
 and animated manner carried the vibration of each word to a 
 great distance through the deeply umbrageous wood, where, save 
 the twinkling lamps of the camp, brooding darkness spread a tenfold 
 gloom. All excited my astonishment, and forcibly brought before 
 my view the Hebrews in the wilderness. The meetings generally 
 begin on Monday morning, and on Friday morning following break 
 up. The daily exercises are carried forward in the following 
 manner: in the morning at five o'clock the horn sounds through 
 the camp, either for preaching or for prayer ; this, with similar 
 exercises, or a little intermission, brings on the breakfast hour, 
 eight o'clock; at ten, the horn sounds for public preaching, after 
 which, until noon, the interval is filled up with little groups of 
 praying persons, who scatter themselves up and down the camp, 
 both in the tents and under the trees. After dinner the horn 
 sounds at two o'clock ; this is for preaching. I should have ob- 
 served that a female or two is generally left in each tent, to 
 prepare materials for dinner. A fire is kept burning in different 
 parts of the camp, where water is boiled for tea, the use of ardent 
 spirits being forbidden. After the afternoon preaching things 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. <0 
 
 take nearly the same course as in the morning, only the praying 
 gi'oups are upon a larger scale, and more scope is given to 
 animated exhortations and loud prayers. Some who exercise on 
 these occasions soon lose their voices, and, at the end of a camp 
 meeting, many of both preachers and people can only speak in a 
 whisper. At six o'clock in the evening the horn summons to 
 preaching, after which, though in no regulated form, all the 
 above means continue until evening; yea, and during whatever 
 part of the night you awake, the wilderness is vocal with praise." 
 
 Whether or not under discreet management some such gather- 
 ings could be held in our country I cannot decide, but it does 
 strike me as worthy of consideration whether in some spacious 
 grounds services might not be held in summer weather, say for a 
 week at a time, by ministers who would follow each other in pro- 
 claiming the gospel beneath the trees. Sermons and prayer- 
 meetings, addresses and hymns, might follow each other in wise 
 succession, and perhaps thousands might be induced to gather to 
 worship God, among whom would be scores and hundreds who 
 never enter our regular sanctuaries. Not only must sometldng 
 be done to evangelize the millions, but everijtldng must be done, 
 and perhaps amid variety of effort the best thing would be dis- 
 covered. " If by any means I may save some " must be our motto, 
 and this must urge us onward to go forth into the highways and 
 hedges and compel them to come in. Brethren, I speak as unto 
 wise men, consider what I say. 
 
LECTURE V. 
 
 I FEAR that in some of our less enlightened country churches 
 there are conservative individuals wdio almost believe that to preach 
 anywhere except in the chapel would be a shocking innovation, 
 a sure token of heretical tendencies, and a mark of zeal without 
 knowledge. Any young brother who studies his comfort among 
 them must not sucjoest anvthino; so irregular as a sermon outside 
 the walls of their Zion. In the olden times we are told " Wis- 
 dom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets, she 
 crietli in the chief places of concourse, in the openings of the 
 gates"; but the wise men of orthodoxy would have wisdom gagged 
 except beneath the roof of a licensed building. These people 
 believe in a New Testament which says, " Go out into the high- 
 ways and hedges and compel them to come in," and yet they dislike 
 a literal obedience to the command. Do they imagine that a 
 special blessing results from sitting upon a particular deal board 
 with a piece of straight-up panelling at their back — an invention 
 of discomfort which ought long ago to have made people prefer 
 to worship outside on the green grass? Do they suppose that 
 grace rebounds from sounding-boards, or can be beaten out of 
 pulpit cushions in the same fashion as the dust ? Are they en- 
 amoured of the bad air, and the stifling stuffiness which in some 
 of our meeting-houses make them almost as loathsome to the 
 nose and to the lungs as the mass-houses of Papists with their 
 cheap and nasty incense ? To reply to these objectors is a task 
 for which we have no heart: we prefer foemen worthy of the 
 steel we use upon them, but these are scarcely worth a passing 
 remark. One smiles at their prejudice, but we may yet have to 
 weep over it, if it be allowed to stand in the way of usefulness. 
 
 No sort of defence is needed for preaching out of doors ; but 
 it would need very potent arguments to prove that a man had 
 done his duty who has never preached beyond the walls of his 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 77 
 
 meeting-house. A defence is required rather for services within 
 buildings than for worship outside of them. Apologies are cer- 
 tainly wanted for architects who pile up brick and stone into the 
 skies when there is so much need for preaching rooms among poor 
 sinners down below. Defence is greatly needed for forests of stone 
 pillars, which prevent the preacher's being seen and his voice from 
 being heard ; for high-pitched Gothic roofs in which all sound is 
 lost, and men are killed by being compelled to shout till they burst 
 their bloodvessels ; and also for the wilful creation of echoes by 
 exposing hard, sound-refracting sui'faces to satisfy the demands of 
 art, to the total overlooking of the comfort of both audience and 
 speaker. Surely also some decent excuse is badly wanted for 
 those childish people who must needs waste money in placing 
 hobgoblins and monsters on the outside of their preaching houses, 
 and must have other ridiculous pieces of Popery stuck up both 
 inside and outside, to deface rather than to adorn their churches 
 and chapels : but no defence whatever is wanted for using the 
 heavenly Father's vast audience chamber, which is in every way 
 so well fitted for the proclamation of a gospel so free, so full, so 
 expansive, so sublime. The usual holding of religious assemblies 
 under cover may be excused in England, because our climate is 
 so execrably bad ; but it were well to cease from such use when 
 the weather is fine and fixed, and space and quiet can be obtained. 
 We are not like the people of Palestine, who can foresee their 
 weather, and are not every hour in danger of a shower ; but if 
 we meet sub Jove, as the Latins say, we must expect the Jove of 
 the hour to be Jupiter pluvius. We can always have a deluge if 
 we do not wish for it, but if we fix a service out of doors for next 
 Sunday morning, we have no guarantee that we shall not all be 
 drenched to the skin. It is true that some notable sermons have 
 been preached in the rain, but as a general rule the ardour of our 
 auditors is hardly so great as to endure much damping. Besides, 
 the cold of our winters is too intense for services out of doors all 
 the year round, though in Scotland I have heai'd of sermons amid 
 the sleet, and John Nelson writes of speaking to " a croAvd too 
 large to get into the house, though it was dark and snowed." Such 
 things may be done now and then, but exceptions only prove the 
 rule. It is fair also to admit that when people will come within 
 walls, if the house be so commodious that a man could not readily 
 make more persons hear, and if it be always full, there can be no 
 need to go out of doors to preach to fewer than there would be in- 
 doors ; for, all things considered, a comfortable seat screened from 
 
78 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 the weather, and shut in from noise and intrusion, is helpful to a 
 man's hearing the gospel with solemnity and quiet thought. A 
 well ventilated, well managed building is an advantage if the 
 crowds can be accommodated and can be induced to come ; but 
 these conditions are very rarely met, and therefore my voice is 
 for the fields. 
 
 Tlie great benefit of open-air preacJiing is that we get so many neiv 
 comers to hear the gospel who otherioise would never hear it. The 
 gospel command is, " Go ye into all the world and preach the 
 gospel to every creature," but it is so little obeyed that one would 
 imagine that it ran thus, " Go into your own place of worship 
 and preach the gospel to the few creatures who will come inside." 
 " Go ye into the highways and hedges and compel them to come 
 in," — albeit it constitutes part of a parable, is worthy to be taken 
 very literally, and in so doing its meaning will be best carried out. 
 We ought actually to go into the streets and lanes and highways, 
 for there are lurkers in the hedges, tramps on the highway, street- 
 walkers, and lane-haunters, whom we shall never reach unless we 
 pursue them into their own domains. Sportsmen must not stop 
 at home and wait for the birds to come and be shot at, neither 
 must fishermen throw their nets inside their boats and hope to 
 take many fish. Traders go to the markets, they follow their 
 customers and go out after business if it will not come to them ; 
 and so must we. Some of our brethren are prosing on and on, 
 to empty pews and musty hassocks, while they might be conferring 
 lasting benefit upon hundreds by quitting the old walls for awhile, 
 and seekino; living stones for Jesus. Let them come out of Reho- 
 both and find room at the street corner, let them leave Salem and 
 seek the peace of neglected souls, let them dream no longer at 
 Bethel, but make an open space to be none other than the house 
 of God, let them come down from Mount Zion, and up from 
 ^non, and even away from Trinity, and St. Agnes, and St. 
 ]\Iichael-and-A U-Angels, and St. Margaret-Pattens, and St. Ve- 
 dast, and St. Ethelburga, and all the rest of them, and try to find 
 new saints among the sinners who are perishing for lack of 
 knowledge. 
 
 I have known street preaching in London remarkably blest to 
 persons whose character and condition would quite preclude their 
 having been found in a place of worship. I know, for instance, a 
 Jewish friend who, on coming from Poland, understood nothing 
 whatever of the English language. In going about the streets 
 on the Sunday he noticed the numerous groups listening to 
 
OPEN AIR PRFACHING— REMARKS THEREON". 79 
 
 earnest speakers. He had never seen sucii a thiuir in his own 
 country, where the Russian police would be alarmed if groups 
 were seen in conversation, and he was therefore all the more 
 interested. As he acquired a little Enolish he became more and 
 more constant in his attendance upon street speakers, indeed, it 
 was very much with the view of learning the language that he 
 listened at the first. I am afraid that the English which he 
 acquired was not of the very best, which judgment I form as 
 much from what I have heard of open air oratory as from having 
 listened to our Jewish friend himself, whose theology is better 
 than his English. However, that " Israelite indeed" has always 
 reason to commend the street preachers. How many other 
 strangers and foreigners may, by the same instrumentality, have 
 become fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of 
 God we cannot tell. Romanists also are met with in this manner 
 more frequently than some would suppose. It is seldom prudent 
 to publish cases of conversion among Papists, but my own obser- 
 vation leads me to believe that they are far more common than 
 they were ten years ago, and the gracious work is frequently com- 
 menced by what is heard of the gospel at our street corners. 
 Infidels, also, are constantly yielding to the word of the Lord thus 
 brought home to them. The street evangelist, moreover, wins 
 attention from those eccentric people whose religion can neither 
 be described nor imagined. Such people hate the very sight of 
 our churches and meeting houses, but will stand in a crowd to 
 hear what is said, and are often most impressed when they affect 
 the greatest contempt. 
 
 Besides, there are numbers of persons in great cities who have 
 not fit clothes to worship in, according to the current idea of what 
 clothes ought to be ; and not a few whose persons as well as their 
 garments are so filthy, so odorous, so unapproachable, that the 
 greatest philanthropist and the most levelling democrat might 
 desire to have a little space between himself and their lively indi- 
 vidualities. There are others who, whatever raiment they wear, 
 would not go into a chapel upon any consideration, for they 
 consider it to be a sort of punishment to attend divine service. 
 Possibly they remember the dull Sundays of their childhood and 
 the dreary sermons they have heard when for a few times they 
 have entered a church, but it is certain that they look upon persons 
 who attend places of worship as getting off the punishment they 
 ought to endure in the next world by suffering it in this world 
 instead. The Sunday newspaper, the pipe, and the pot, have mure 
 
80 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 cliarms for them than all the preachments of bishops and parsons, 
 whether of church or dissent. The open-air evangelist frequently 
 picks up these members of the "No church" party, and in so 
 doing he often finds some of the richest gems that will at last 
 adorn the Redeemer's crovvn : jewels, which, by reason of their 
 roughness, are apt to be unnoticed by a more fastidious class of 
 soul-winners. Jonah in the streets of Nineveh was heard by 
 multitudes who would never have known of his existence if he had 
 hired a hall ; John the Baptist by the Jordan awakened an in- 
 terest which would never have been aroused had he kept to the 
 synagogue ; and those who went from city to city proclaiming 
 everywhere the word of the Lord Jesus would never have turned 
 the world upside down if they had felt it needful to confine them- 
 selves to iron rooms adorned with the orthodox announcement, 
 *' The gospel of the grace of God will (D.V.) be preached here 
 next Lord's day evening." 
 
 I am quite sure, too, that if we could persuade our friends in 
 the country to come out a good many times in the year and hold a 
 service in a meadow, or in a shady grove, or on the hill side, or 
 in a garden, or on a common, it zcould be all the better for the usual 
 hearers. The mere novelty of the place would freshen their 
 interest, and wake them up. The slight change of scene would 
 have a wonderful effect upon the more somnolent. See how 
 mechanically they move into their usual place of worship, and how 
 mechanically they go out again. They fall into their seats as if 
 at last they had found a resting place; they rise to sing with an 
 amazing effort, and they drop down before you have time for a 
 doxology at the close of the hymn because they did not notice it 
 was coming. What logs some regular hearers are ! Many of 
 them are asleep with their eyes open. After sitting a certain 
 number of years in the same old spot, where the pews, pulpit, 
 galleries, and all things else are always the same, except that they 
 get a little dirtier and dingier every week, where everybody 
 occupies the same position for ever and for evermore, and the 
 minister's face, voice, tone are much the same from January to 
 December, — you get to feel the holy quiet of the scene and 
 listen to what is going on as though it were addressed to " the 
 dull cold ear of death." As a miller hears his wheels as though 
 he did not hear them, or a stoker scarcely notices the clatter of 
 his engine after enduring it for a little time ; or as a dweller in 
 London never notices the ceaseless grind of the traffic; so do 
 many members of our congregations become insensible to the most 
 
OrEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREOX. 81 
 
 earnest addresses, and accept tliem as a matter of course. The 
 preaching and the rest of it get to be so usual that they might as 
 well not be at all. Hence a change of place might be useful, it 
 might prevent monotony, shake up indifference, suggest thought, 
 and in a thousand ways promote attention, and give new ho])e of 
 doing good. A great fire which should burn some of our chapels 
 to the ground might not be the greatest calamity which has 
 ever occurred, if it only aroused some of those rivals of the 
 seven sleepers of Ephesus who will never be moved so long as the 
 old house and the old pews hold together. Besides, the fresh air 
 and plenty of it is a grand thing for every mortal man, woman, 
 and child. I preached in Scotland twice on a Sabbath day at 
 Blairmore, on a little height by the side of the sea, and after 
 discoursing with all my might to large congregations, to be counted 
 by thousands, I did not feel one-half so much exhausted as I 
 often am when addressing a few hundreds in some horrible black 
 hole of Calcutta, called a chapel. I trace my freshness and 
 freedom from lassitude at Blairmore to the fact that the windows 
 could not be shut down by persons afraid of draughts, and that 
 the roof was as high as the heavens are above the earth. My con- 
 viction is that a man could preach three or four times on a Sabbath 
 out of doors with less fatigue than would be occasioned by one dis- 
 course delivered in an impure atmosphere, heated and poisoned 
 by human breath, and carefully preserved from every refreshing 
 infusion of natural air. 
 
 Tents are bad — ixnutterably bad : far worse than the worst 
 buildings. I think a tent is the most objectionable covering for a 
 preaching place that was ever invented. I am glad to see tents 
 used in London, for the very worst place is better than none, and 
 because they can easily be moved from place to place, and are not 
 very expensive; but still, if I had my choice between having nothing 
 at all and having a tent, I should prefer the open air by far. Under 
 canvas the voice is deadened and the labour of speaking greatly in- 
 creased. The material acts as a wet blanket to the voice, kills its 
 resonance, and prevents its travelling. With fearful exertion, in 
 the sweltering air generated in a tent, you will be more likely to be 
 killed than to be heard. You must have noticed even at our own 
 College gatherings, when we number only some two hundred, how 
 difficult it is to hear at the end of a tent, even when the sides are 
 open, and the air is pure. Perhaps you may on that occasion 
 attribute this fact in some degree to a want of attentiveness and 
 quietness on the part of that somewhat jubilant congregation, but 
 
 7 
 
82 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 still even when prayer is offered, and all is hushed, I have observed 
 a great want of travelling power in the best voice beneath a 
 marquee. 
 
 If you are going to preach in the open air in the country, 3'ou 
 will perhaps have your choice of a spot wherein to preach; if not, 
 of course you must have Avhat you can get, and you must in faith 
 accept it as the very best. Hobson's choice of that or none makes 
 the matter simple, and saves a deal of debate. Do not be very 
 squeamish. If there should happen to be an available meadow 
 hard by your chapel, select it because it will be veiy convenient 
 to turn into the meeting-house should the weather prove unsuit- 
 able, or if you wish to hold a prayer-meeting or an after-meeting 
 at the close of your address. It is well to preach before your 
 regular services on a spot near your place of worship, so as to march 
 the crowd right into the building before they know what they are 
 about. Half-an-hour's out-of-door speaking and singing before your 
 ordinary hour of assembly will often fill an empty house. At the 
 same time, do not always adhere to near and handy spots, but 
 choose a locality for the very opposite reason, because it is far 
 away from any place of worship and altogether neglected. Hang 
 up the lamps wherever there is a dark corner ; the darker the more 
 need of light. Paradise Row and Pleasant Place are generally 
 the least paradisaical and the most unpleasant: thither let your steps 
 be turned. Let the dwellers in the valley of the shadow of death 
 perceive that light has sprung up for them. 
 
 I have somewhere met with the recommendation always to 
 preach with a wall behind you, but against that I respectfully 
 enter my caveat. Have a care of what may be on the other side 
 of the wall ! One evangelist received a can of scalding water 
 from over a wall with the kindly remark, " There's soup for 
 Protestants ! " and another was favoured with most unsavoury 
 bespatterings from a vessel emptied from above. Gideon Ouseley 
 began to preach in Roscommon with his back against the gable of 
 a tobacco factory in which there was a window with a wooden 
 door, through which goods were hoisted into the loft. Would 
 you be surprised to learn that the window suddenly opened, and 
 that from it descended a pailful of tobacco water, an acrid fluid 
 most painful to the eyes 1 The preacher in after years knew better 
 than to put himself in such a tempting position. Let his expe- 
 rience instruct you. 
 
 If I had my choice of a pitch for preaching, I should prefer to 
 front a rising ground, or an open spot bounded at some little 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING— REMARKS THEREON. 83 
 
 distance by a wall. Of course there must be sufficient space to 
 allow of the congregation assembling between the pulpit and 
 the bounding object in front, but I like to see an end, and not 
 to shout into boundless space. I do not know a prettier site for 
 a sermon than that which I occupied in my friend Mr. Duncan's 
 grounds at Benmore. It was a level sweep of lawn, backed by 
 rising terraces covered with fir-trees. The people could either 
 occupy the seats below, or drop down upon the grassy banks, as 
 best comported with their comfort, and thus I had part of my 
 congregation in rising galleries above me, and the rest in the area 
 around me. My voice readily ascended, and I conceive that if 
 the people had been seated up the hill for half-a-mile they would 
 have been able to hear me with ease. I should suppose that 
 Wesley's favourite spot at Gwennap Pit must be somewhat after 
 the same order. Amphitheatres and hillsides are always favourite 
 spots with preachers in the fields, and their advantages will be at 
 once evident to you. 
 
 My friend Mr. Abraham once produced for me a grand cathe- 
 dral in Oxfordshire. The remains of it are still called " Spur- 
 geon's Tabernacle," and may be seen near Minster Lovell, in the 
 form of a quadrilateral of oaks. Originally it was the heau ideal 
 of a preaching place, for it was a cleared spot in the thick forest 
 of Witchwood, and was reached by roads cut through the dense 
 underwood. I shall never forget those " alleys green," and the 
 verdant walls which shut them in. When you reached the inner 
 temple it consisted of a large square, out of which the underwood 
 and smaller trees had been cut away, while a sufficient number of 
 young oaks had been left to rise to a considerable height, and 
 then overshadow us with their branches. Here was a truly mag- 
 nificent cathedral, with pillars and arches : a temple not made 
 with hands, of Avhich we might truly say, 
 
 " Father, thy hard 
 Hath reared these venerable columns, thou 
 Didst weave this verdant roof." 
 
 I have never, either at home or on the Continent, seen archi- 
 tecture which could rival my cathedral. " Lo, we heard of it 
 at Ephratah : we found it in the fields of the wood." The blue 
 sky was visible through our clerestory, and from the great window 
 at the further end the sun smiled upon us toward evening. Oh, 
 sirs, it was grand indeed, to worship thus beneath the vaulted firma- 
 ment, beyond the sound of city hum, where all around ministered 
 
84 OPEX AIR PREACHING— REMARKS THEREOX. 
 
 to quiet fellowship with God. That spot is now cleared, and 
 the place of our assembly has been selected at a little distance 
 from it. It is of much the same character, only that my boundary 
 walls of forest growth have disappeared to give place to an open 
 expanse of ploughed fields. Only the pillars and the roof of my 
 temple remain, but I am still glad, like the Druids, to worship among 
 the oak trees. This year a dove had built her nest just above my 
 head, and she continued flying to and fro to feed her young, while 
 the sermon proceeded. Why not ? Where should she be more 
 at home than where the Lord of love and Prince of Peace was 
 adored ? It is true my arched cathedral is not waterproof, and 
 other showers besides those of grace will descend upon the 
 conoreeation, but this has its advantages, for it makes us the 
 more grateful when the day is propitious, and the very precari- 
 ousness of the weather excites a large amount of earnest prayer. 
 
 I once preached a sermon in the open air in haying time during 
 a violent storm of rain. The text was, " He shall come down like 
 rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth," and 
 surely we had the blessing as well as the inconvenience. I was 
 sufficiently wet, :and my congregation must have been drenched, 
 but they stood it out, and I never heard that anybody was the worse 
 in health, though, I thank God, I have heard of souls brought to 
 Jesus under that discourse. Once in a while, and under strong 
 excitement, such things do no one any harm, but we are not to 
 expect miracles, nor wantonly venture upon a course of proce- 
 dure which might kill the sickly and lay the foundations of disease 
 in the strong. 
 
 I remember well preaching between Cheddar Cliffs. What a 
 noble position ! What beauty and sublimity! But there was great 
 danger from falling pieces of stone, mored by the people who sat 
 upon the higher portions of the cliff, and hence I would not choose 
 the spot again. We must studiously avoid positions where serious 
 accident might be possible. An injured head qualifies no one for 
 enjoying the beauties of nature, or the consolations of grace. 
 Concluding a discourse in that place, I called upon those mighty 
 rocks to bear witness that I had preached the gospel to the people, 
 and to be a testimony against them at the last great day, if they 
 rejected the message. Only the other day I heard of a person to 
 whom that appeal was made useful by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Look well to the ground you select, that it is not swampy. I 
 never like to see a man slip up to his knees in mire while I am 
 preaching. Rushy places are often so smooth and green that wo 
 
OPEX AIR PEEACHING REMARKS THEREON. 85 
 
 select tliem without noting that they are apt to be muddy, and to 
 give our hearers wet feet. Always inconvenience yourself rather 
 than your audience : your Master would have done so. Even in the 
 streets of London a concern for the convenience of your hearers is 
 one of the things which conciliates a crowd more than anything. 
 
 Avoid as your worst enemy the neighbourhood of the Normandy 
 poplar. These trees cause a perpetual hissing and rustling sound, 
 almost like tiie noise of the sea. Every leaf of certain kinds of 
 poplar is in perpetual motion, like the tongue of Talkative. The 
 noise may not seem very loud, but it will drown the best of voices, 
 ** The sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees " is all 
 very well, but keep clear of the noise of poplars and some other 
 trees, or you will suffer for it. I have had painful experience of 
 this misery. The old serpent himself seemed to hiss at me out of 
 those unquiet boughs. 
 
 Practised preachers do not care to have the sun directly in their 
 faces if they can help it, neither do they wish their hearers to be 
 distressed in like manner, and therefore they take this item into 
 considei-ation when arranging for a service. In London we do 
 not see that luminary often enough to be much concerned upon 
 this point. 
 
 Do not try to preach against the wind, for it is an idle attempt. 
 You may hurl your voice a short distance by an amazing effort, 
 but you cannot be well heard even by the few. I do not often 
 advise you to consider which way the wind blows, but on this occa- 
 sion I urge you to do it, or you will labour in vain. Preach so 
 that the wind carries your voice towards the people, and does not 
 blow it down your throat, or you will have to eat your own 
 words. There is no telling how far a man may be heard toitli the 
 wind. In certain atmospheres and climates, as for instance in 
 that of Palestine, persons might be heard for several miles ; and 
 single sentences of well-known speech may in England be recog- 
 nised a long way off, but I should gravely doubt a man if he 
 asserted that he understood a new sentence beyond the distance of 
 a mile. Whitfield is reported to have been heard a mile, and I have 
 been myself assured that I was heard for that distance, but I am 
 somewhat sceptical.* Half-a-mile is surely enough, even with the 
 wind, but you must make sure of that to be heard at all. 
 
 * From " Chambers' Book of Days " we borrow the following note : — 
 "Mrs. Oliphant, in her 'Life of the Rev. Edward Irving,' states that he had 
 been on some occasions clearly heard at the distance of half-a-iuile. It has 
 
86 OPEX AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 Ill the country it ought to be easy to find a fit place for preach- 
 ing. One of the earhest thino;s that a minister shoukl do when he 
 leaves College and settles in a country town or village is to begin 
 open air speaking. He will generally have no difficulty as to the 
 position ; the land is before him and he may choose according to 
 his own sweet will. The market-cross will be a good beginning, 
 then the head of a court crowded with the poor, and next the 
 favourite corner of the idlers of the parish. Cheap-Jack's stand 
 will make a capital pulpit on Sunday night during the village fair, 
 and a wagon will serve well on the green, or in a field at a little 
 distance, during the week-day evenings of the rustic festival. A 
 capital place for an al fresco discourse is the green where the old 
 elm trees, felled long ago, are still lying in reserve as if they 
 were meant to be seats for your congregation ; so also is the burial 
 ffround of the meeting-house where " the rude forefathers of the 
 hamlet sleep." Consecrate it to the living and let the people 
 enjoy " Meditations among the Tombs." Make no excuses, then, 
 but get to work at once. 
 
 In London, or any other large town, it is a great thing to find 
 a vacant spot where you can obtain a right to hold services at your 
 pleasure. If you can discover a piece of grovmd which is not yet 
 built over, and if you can obtain the use of it from the owner 
 till he covers it, it will be a great acquisition, and worth a slight 
 expense in fencing ; for you are then king of the castle and dis- 
 turbers will be trespassers. I suppose that such a spot is not often 
 obtainable, especially by persons who have no money ; but it is 
 worth thinking about. It is a great gain when your place of 
 worship has even a small outside space, like that at Surrey Chapel, 
 or upon the Tabernacle steps ; for here you are beyond the inter- 
 ference of the police or drunken men. If we have none of these, 
 we must find street corners, triangles, quiet nooks, and wide spaces 
 wherein to proclaim the gospel. Years ago I preached to enor- 
 mous assemblies in King Edward's Road, Hackney, which was 
 
 been alleged, however, that Black John Russell, of Kilmarnock, celebrated by 
 Eurns in no gracious terms, was heard, though not perhaps intelligibly, at the 
 distance of a full mile. It would appear that even this is not the utmost 
 stretch of the phenomenon. A correspondent of the Jumesoii's Jouriial, in 
 1828, states that, being at the west end of Dumferline, he overheard part of a 
 sermon then delivering at a tent at Cuirneyhill by Dr. Black : he did not miss 
 a word, 'though the distance must be something about two miles:' the 
 preacher has, perhaps, seldom been sui-passed for distinct speaking and a clear 
 voice : ' and the wind, which was steady and moderate, came in the direction 
 of the sound.' " 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING REMARKS THEREON. bi 
 
 then open fields, but now not a spare yard remains. On those 
 occasions the rush was perilous to life and limb, and there seemed 
 no limit to the throngs. Half the number would have been safer. 
 That open space has vanished, and it is the same with fields at 
 Brixton, where in years gone by it was delightful to see the 
 assembled crowds listening to the word. Burdened with the rare 
 trouble of drawing too many together, I have been compelled to 
 abstain from these exercises in London, but not from any lessened 
 sense of their importance. With the Tabernacle always full I 
 have as large a congregation as I desire at home, and therefore do 
 not preach outside except in the country ; but for those ministers 
 whose area under cover is but small, and whose cono;reo;ations 
 are thin, the open air is the remedy Avhether in London or in 
 the provinces. 
 
 In raising a new interest, and in mission operations, out of door 
 services are a main agency. Get the people to listen outside that 
 they may by-and-by xoorship inside. You want no pulpit, a chair 
 will do, or the kerb of the road. The less formality the better, 
 and if you begin by merely talking to the two or three around you 
 and make no pretence of sermonizing you will do well. More good 
 may be done by personal talk to one than by a rhetorical address 
 to fifty. ])o not purposely interfere with the thoroughfare, but if 
 the crowd should accumulate do not hasten away in sheer fright : 
 the policeman will let you know soon enough. You are most 
 wanted, however, where you will be in no danger of impeding 
 passers-by, but far more likely to be in danger yourself — I refer to 
 those central courts and blind alleys in our great cities which lie 
 out of the route of decency, and are known to nobody but the 
 ])olice, and to them principally through bruises and wounds. Talk 
 of discovering the interior of Africa, we need explorers for Frying- 
 pan Alley and Emerald-Island Court : the Arctic regions are well 
 nigh as accessible as Dobinson's Rents and Jack Ketch's Warren. 
 Heroes of the cross — here is a field for you more glorious than the 
 Cid ever beheld when with his brave right arm he smote the Pay- 
 nim hosts. " Who will bring me into the strong city ? AVho will 
 lead me into Edom?" Who will enable us to win these slums and 
 dens for Jesus ? Who can do it but the Lord? Soldiers of Christ 
 who venture into these regions must expect a revival of the practices 
 of the good old times, so far as brickbats are concerned, and I have 
 known a flower-pot fall accidentally from an upper window in a re- 
 markably slanting direction. Still, if we are born to be drowned we 
 shall not be killed by flower-pots. Under such treatment it may be 
 
88 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 refreshing to read what Christopher Hopper wrote under similar 
 conditions more than a hundred years ago. " I did not much re- 
 gard a little dirt, ^ few rotten eggs, the sound of a cow's horn, 
 the noise of bells, or a few snowballs in their season ; but some- 
 times I was saluted with blows, stones, brickbats, and bludgeons. 
 These I did not well like : they were not pleasing to flesh and 
 blood. I sometimes lost a little skin, and once a little blood, 
 Avhich was drawn from my forehead with a sharp stone. I wore a 
 patch for a few days, and was not ashamed ; I gloried in the cross. 
 And when my small sufferings abounded for the sake of Christ, 
 my comfort abounded much more. I never was more happy in 
 my own soul, or blessed in my labours." 
 
 I am somewhat pleased when I occasionally hear of a brother's 
 being locked up by the police, for it does him good, and it 
 does the people good also. It is a fine sight to see the minister 
 of the gospel marched off by the servant of the law 1 It excites 
 sympathy for him, and the next step is sympathy for his m^essage. 
 Many who felt no interest in him before are eager to hear him 
 when he is ordered to leave off, and still more so when he is taken 
 to the station. The vilest of mankind respect a man who gets 
 into trouble in order to do them good, and if they see unfair oppo- 
 sition excited they grow quite zealous in the man's defence. 
 
 I am persuaded that the more of open air preaching there is in 
 London the better. If it should become a nuisance to some it will 
 be a blessing to others, if properly conducted. If it be the gospel 
 which is spoken, and if the spirit of the preacher be one of love and 
 truth, the results cannot be doubted : the bread cast upon the waters 
 must be found again after many days. The gospel must, how- 
 ever, be preached in a manner worth the hearing, for mere noise- 
 making is an evil rather than a benefit. I know a family almost 
 driven out of their senses by the hideous shouting of monotonous 
 exhortations, and the howling of " Safe in the arms of Jesus " 
 near their door every Sabbath afternoon by the year together. 
 They are zealous Christians, and would willingly help their tor- 
 mentors if they saw the slightest probability of usefulness from 
 the violent bawling : but as they seldom see a hearer, and do not 
 think that what is spoken would do any good if it were heard, they 
 complain that they are compelled to lose their few hours of quiet 
 because two good men think it their duty to perform a noisy but 
 perfectly useless service. I once saw a man preaching with no 
 liearer but a dog, which sat upon its tail and looked up very 
 reverently while its master orated. There were no people at 
 
OrEN AIR PREACHING— REMARKS THEREON. Hd 
 
 the windows nor passina; by, but the brother and his dog were 
 at their post whether the people would hear or whether they 
 would forbear. Once also I passed an earnest declaimer, whose 
 hat was on the ground before him, filled with papers, and there 
 was not even a dog for an audience, nor any one within hearing, 
 yet did he " waste his sweetness on the desert air." I hope it 
 relieved his own mind. Really it must be viewed as an essential 
 part of a sermon that somebody should hear it : it cainiot be a gi'eat 
 benefit to the world to have sermons preached in vacuo. 
 
 As to sti/le in preacldng out of doors, it should certainly be 
 very different from much of that which prevails within, and per- 
 haps if a speaker were to acquire a style fully adapted to a street 
 audience, he would be wise to bring it indoors with him. A great 
 deal of sermonizing may be defined as saying nothing at extreme 
 length ; but out of doors verbosity is not admired, you must say 
 something and have done with it and go on to say something more, 
 or your hearers will let you know. " Now then," cries a street 
 critic, "let us have it, old fellow." Or else the observation is 
 made, " Now then, pitch it out I You'd better go home and learn 
 your lesson." " Cut it short, old boy," is a very common admo- 
 nition, and I wish the presenters of this advice gratis could let 
 it be heard inside Ebenezer and Zoar and some other places sacred 
 to long-winded orations. Where these outspoken criticisms are 
 not employed, the hearers rebuke prosiness by qiiietly walking 
 away. Very unpleasant this, to find your congregation dispersing, 
 but a very plain intimation that your ideas are also much dispersed. 
 
 In the street, a man must keep himself alive, and use many 
 illustrations and anecdotes, and sprinkle a quaint remark here and 
 there. To dwell long on a point wall never do. Reasoning must be 
 brief, clear, and soon done with. The discourse must not be 
 laboured or involved, neither must the second head depend upon 
 the first, for the audience is a changing one, and each point must 
 be complete in itself. The chain of thought must be taken to 
 pieces, and each link melted down and turned into bullets : you 
 will need not so much Saladin's sabre to cut through a muslin 
 handkerchief as Coeur de Lion's battle-axe to break a bar of iron. 
 Come to the point at once, and come there with all your might. 
 
 Short sentences of words and short passages of thought are 
 needed for out of doors. Long paragraphs and long arguments 
 had better be reserved for other occasions. In quiet country 
 crowds there is much force in an eloquent silence, now and then 
 
90 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 interjected ; it gives people time to breathe, and also to reflect. 
 Do not, however, attempt this in a London street ; you must go 
 ahead, or someone else may run off with your congregation. In 
 a regular field sermon pauses are very effective, and are useful in 
 several ways, both to speaker and listeners, but to a passing com- 
 pany who are not inclined for anything like worship, quick, short, 
 sliai'p address is most adapted. 
 
 In the streets a man must from beginning to end be intense, and 
 for that vexy reason he must be condensed and concentrated in 
 his thought and utterance. It would never do to begin by saying, 
 " My text, dear friends, is a passage from the inspired word, con- 
 taining doctrmes of the utmost importance, and bringing before 
 us in the clearest manner the most valuable practical instruction. 
 I invite your careful attention and the exercise of your most candid 
 judgment while we consider it under various aspects and place it 
 in different lights, in order that we may be able to perceive its 
 position in the analogy of the faith. In its exegesis we shall find 
 an arena for the cultured intellect, aud the refined sensibilities. 
 As the purling brook meanders among the meads and fertilizes the 
 pastures, so a stream of .-sacred truth flows through the remarkable 
 words which now lie before us. It will be well for us to divert 
 the crystal current to the reservoir of our meditation, that we 
 may quaff the cup of wisdom with the lips of satisfaction." 
 There, gentleman, is not that rather above the average of word- 
 spinning, and is not the art very generally in vogue in these days I 
 If you go out to the obelisk in Blackfriars Eoad, and talk in that 
 fashion, you Avill be saluted with " Go on, old buffer," or " Aint 
 he Jine? My eye!" Avery vulgar youth will cry, "What a 
 mouth for atater!" and another will shout in a tone of mock 
 solemnity, " A:\ien !" If you give them chaff they will cheerfiilly 
 return it into your own bosom. Good measure, pressed down and 
 running over will they mete out to you. Shams and shows will 
 have no mercy from a street gathering. But have something to say, 
 look them in the face, say what you mean, put it plainly, boldly, 
 earnestly, courteously, and they will hear you. Never speak against 
 time or for the sake of hearing your own voice, or you will obtain 
 some information about your personal appearance or manner of 
 oratory which will probably be more true than pleasing. " Crikey," 
 says one, " wouldn't he do for an vmdertaker I He'd make 'em 
 weep." This was a compliment paid to a melancholy brother 
 whose tone is peculiarly funereal. " There, old fellow," said a 
 critic on another occasion, " you go and wet your whistle. You 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING— REMARKS THEREON 91 
 
 must feel awfully dry after jawing away at that rate about 
 nothing at all." This also was specially appropriate to a very 
 heavy brother of whom Ave had aforetime remarked that he would 
 make a good martyr, for there was no doubt of his burning well, he 
 was so dry. It is sad, very sad, that such rude remarks should be 
 made, but there is a wicked vein in some of tis, which makes us 
 take note that the vulgar observations are often very true, and 
 " hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature." As caricature often 
 gives you a more vivid idea of a man than a photograph would 
 afford you, so do these rough mob critics hit off an orator to the 
 life by their exaggerated censures. The very best speaker must be 
 prepared to take his share of street wit, and to return it if need 
 be; but primness, demureness, formality, sanctimonious long- 
 windedness, and the affection of superiority, actually invite offen- 
 sive pleasantries, and to a considerable extent deserve them. 
 Chadband or Stiggins in rusty black, with plastered hair and huge 
 choker, is as natural an object of derision as Mr. Guide Fawkes 
 himself. A very great man in his own esteem will provoke im- 
 mediate opposition, and the affectation of supernatural saintliness 
 will have the same effect. The less you are like a parson the 
 more likely you are to be heard ; and, if you are known to be a 
 minister, the more you show yourself to be a man the better. 
 "What do you get for that, governor"?" is sure to be asked, if 
 you appear to be a cleric, and it will be well to tell them at once 
 that this is extra, that you are doing overtime, and that there is 
 to be no collection. '^ You'd do more good if you gave us some 
 bread or a drop of beer, instead of them tracts," is constantly 
 remarked, but a manly manner, and the outspoken declaration 
 that you seek no wages but their good, will silence that stale 
 objection. 
 
 The action of the street preacher should be of the very best. It 
 should be purely natural and unconstrained. No speaker should 
 stand up in the street in a grotesque manner, or he will weaken 
 himself and invite attack. The street preacher should not imitate 
 his own minister, or the crowd will spy out the imitation very 
 speedily, if the brother is anywhere near home. Neither should 
 he strike an attitude as little boys do who say, " My name is 
 Norval." The stiff straight posture with the regular up and 
 down motion of arm and hand is too commonly adopted : and I 
 would even more condemn the wild-raving-maniac action which 
 some are so fond of, which seems to be a cross between Whitefield 
 
92 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 with botli Ills arms in the air, and Saint George with both his feet 
 violently engaged in trampling on the dragon. Some good men 
 are grotesque by nature, and others take great pains to make 
 themselves so. The wicked Londoners say, " What a cure !" I 
 only wish I knew of a cure for the evil. 
 
 All mannerisms should be avoided. Just now I observe that 
 nothing can be done without a very large Bagster's Bible with a 
 limp cover. There seems to be some special charm about the large 
 size, though it almost needs a little perambulator in which to push 
 it about. With such a Bible full of ribbons, select a standing in 
 Seven Dials, after the pattern of a divine so graphically described 
 by Mr. McCree. Take off your hat, put your Bible in it, and 
 place it on the ground. Let the kind friend who approaches you 
 on the right hold your umbrella. See how eager the dear man is 
 to do sol Is it not pleasing? He assures you he is never so 
 happy as when he is helping good men to do good. Now close 
 your eyes in prayer. W^hen your devotions are over, somehodi/ 
 will have profited hy the occasion. Where is your affectionate 
 friend who held your umbrella and your hymn-book ? Where is 
 that well-brushed hat, and that orthodox Bagster ? Where "? oh, 
 where ? Echo answers, " Where ? " 
 
 The catastrophe which I have thus described suggests that a 
 brother had better accompany you in your earlier ministries, that 
 one may watch while the other prays. If a number of friends will 
 go with you and make a ring around you it will be a great acqui- 
 sition, and if these can sing it will be still further helpful. The 
 friendly company will attract others, will help to secure order, and 
 will do good service by sounding forth sermons in song. 
 
 It will be very desirable to speak so as to be heard, but there is 
 no use in incessant bawling. The best street preaching is not that 
 which is done at the top of your voice, for it must be impossible 
 to lay the proper emphasis upon telling passages when all along 
 you are shouting with all your might. When there are no 
 hearers near you, and yet people stand upon the other side of the 
 road and listen, would it not be as well to cross over and so save 
 a little of the strength which is now wasted? A quiet, pene- 
 trating, conversational style would seem to be the most telling. 
 Men do not bawl and halloa when they are pleading in deepest 
 earnestness ; they have generally at such times less wind and a 
 little more rain : less rant and a few more tears. On, on, on 
 with one monotonous shout and you will weary everybody and 
 wear out yourself. Be wise now, therefore, O ye who would 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 93 
 
 succeed in declaring your INIaster's message among the multitude, 
 and use your voices as common sense would dictate. 
 
 In a tract published by that excellent society " The Open Air 
 Mission," I notice the following 
 
 QUALIFICATIONS FOR OPEN-AIR PREACHERS. 
 
 1. A good voice. 
 
 2. Naturalness of manner. 
 
 3. Self-possession. 
 
 4. A good knowledge of Scripture and of common things. 
 
 5. Ability to adapt himself to any congregation. 
 
 6. Good illustrative powers. 
 
 7. Zeal, prudence, and common sense. 
 
 8. A large, loving heart. 
 
 9. Sincere belief in all he says. 
 
 10. Entire dependence on the Holy Spirit for success. 
 
 11. A close walk with God by prayer. 
 
 12. A consistent walk before men by a holy life. 
 
 If any man has all these qualifications, the Queen had better 
 make a bishop of him at once, yet there is no one of these qualities 
 which could well be dispensed with. 
 
 Interruptions are pretty sure to occur in the streets of London. 
 At certain places all will go well for months, but in other positions 
 the fight begins as soon as the speaker opens his mouth. There 
 are seasons of opposition : different schools of adversaries rise and 
 fall, and accordingly there is disorder or quiet. The best tact will 
 not always avail to prevent disturbance ; when men are drunk there 
 is no reasoning with them, and of furious Irish Papists we may say 
 much the same. Little is to be done with such unless the crowd 
 around will co-operate, as oftentimes they will, in removing the 
 obstructor. Certain characters, if they find that preaching is 
 going on, will interrupt by hook or by crook. They go on purpose, 
 and if answered once and again they still persevere. One con- 
 stant rule is to be always courteous and good tempered, for if you 
 become cross or angry it is all over with you. Another rule is 
 to keep to your subject, and never be drawn into side issues. 
 Preach Christ or nothing : don't dispute or discuss except with 
 your eye on the cross. If driven off for a moment always be 
 on the watch to get back to your sole to})ic. Tell them the old, 
 old story, and if they will not hear tltat, move on. Yet be adroit, 
 and take them with guile. Seek the one object by many roads. 
 
94 OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 
 
 A little mother-wit is often the best resource and will work 
 W'Onders with a crowd. Bonhommie is the next best thin^ to grace 
 on such occasions. A brother of my acquaintance silenced a 
 violent Romanist by offering him his stand and requesting liim 
 to preach. The man's comrades for the very fun of the thing 
 urged him on, but, as he declined, the dog in the manger fable 
 was narrated and the disturber disappeared. If it be a real 
 sceptic who is assailing you it is prudence to shun debate as much 
 as possible, or ask him questions in return, for your business is not 
 to argue but to proclaim the gospel. ]Mr. Johii McGregor says 
 " Sceptics are of many kinds. Some of them ask questions to get 
 answers, and others put difficulties to puzzle the people. An 
 honest sceptic said to me in a crowd in Hyde-park, ' I have been 
 trying to believe for these ten years, but there is a contradiction 
 I cannot get over, and it is this : we are told that printing was 
 invented not five hundred years ago, and yet that the Bible is five 
 thousand years old, and I cannot for the life of me see how this 
 can be.' Nay! the crowd did not laugh at this man. Very feio 
 people in a croicd know much more than he did about the Bible. But 
 how deeply they drank in a half-hour's account of the Scripture 
 manuscripts, tlieir preservation, their translations and versions, 
 their dispersion and collection, their collation and transmission, 
 and the overwhelming evidence of their genuine truth ! " 
 
 I remember an infidel on Kennington Common being most 
 effectually stopped. He continued to cry up the beauties of 
 nature and the works of nature until the preacher asked him if he 
 would kindly tell them what nature was. He replied that " every- 
 body knew what nature was." The preacher retorted, "Well, 
 then, it will be all the easier for you to tell us." " Why, nature — 
 nature," he said, " nature, —nature is nature." Of course, the 
 crowd laughed and the wise man subsided. 
 
 Ignorance when it is allied with a coarse voluble tongue is to 
 be met by letting it have rope enough. One fellow wanted to 
 know " how Jacob kneio that Esau hated him." He had hold of 
 the wrong end of the stick that time, and the preacher did not 
 enlighten him, or he would have set him up with ammunition for 
 future encounters. 
 
 Our business is not to supply men with arguments by inform- 
 ing them of difficulties. In the process of answering them minis- 
 ters have published the sentiments of infidels more widely than 
 the infidels themselves could have done. Unbelievers only " glean 
 their blunted shafts, and shoot them at the shield of truth again.' 
 
OPEN AIR PREACHING — REMARKS THEREON. 95 
 
 Our object is not to conquer tliem in logical encouiiters, but to save 
 their souls. Real difficulties we should endeavour to meet, and hence 
 a competent knowledge of the evidences is most desirable ; but 
 honest objectors are best conversed with alone, when they are not 
 ashamed to own themselves in the wrong, and this we could not 
 expect of them in the crowd. Christ is to be preached whether 
 men will believe in him or no. Our own experience of His power 
 to save will be our best reasoning, and earnestness our best rhetoric. 
 The occasion will frequently suggest the fittest thing to say, and we 
 may also fall back on the Holy Spirit who will teach us in the self- 
 same hour what we shall speak. 
 
 The open-air speaker's calling is as honourable as it is arduous, 
 as useful as it is laborious, God alone can sustain you in it, but 
 with Him at your side you will have nothing to fear. If ten 
 thousand rebels were before you and a legion of devils in every 
 one of them you need not tremble. More is he that is for you 
 than all they that be against you. 
 
 " By all hell's host withstood, 
 We all hell's host o'erthrow ; 
 And conquering them through Jesus' blocd. 
 We still to conquer go." 
 
LECTURE VI. 
 |!'0shtrr, %dm, (Bt^tmt, tk. 
 
 The subjects of tliis lecture are to be " Posture, Gesture, and 
 A ction in the Delivery of a Sermon^ I shall not attempt to draw 
 any hard and fast line of division between the one and the other ; 
 for it would need a verj highly discriminating mind to keep them 
 separate ; indeed, it could not be done at all, for they naturally 
 merge into each other. As I have, after a fair trial, found it 
 impossible to keep even " posture " and " gesture" in an absolutely 
 unmingled state in my own mind, I have allowed them to run 
 together ; but I hope that no confusion will appear in the result. 
 
 The sermon itself is the main thing : its matter, its aim, and 
 the spirit in which it is brought before the people, the sacred 
 anointing upon the preacher, and the divine power applying the 
 truth to the hearer: — these are infinitely more important than any 
 details of manner. Posture and action are comparatively small 
 and inconsiderable matters ; but still even the sandal in the statue 
 of Minerva should be correctly carved, and in the service of God 
 even the smallest things should be regarded with holy care. Life 
 is made up of little incidents, and success in it often depends upon 
 attention to minor details. Small flies make the apothecary's 
 ointment to stink, and little foxes spoil the vines, and therefore 
 small flies and little foxes should be kept out of our ministry. 
 Doubtless, faults in even so secondary a matter as posture have 
 prejudiced men's minds, and so injured the success of what would 
 otherwise have been most acceptable ministries. A man of more, 
 than average abilities may, by ridiculous action, be thrown into the 
 rear rank and kept there. This is a great pity, even if there 
 were only one such case, but it is to be feared that many are 
 injured by the same cause. Little oddities and absurdities of 
 mode and o-esture which wise men would endeavour not to notice 
 are not overlooked by the general public ; in fact, the majority 
 of hearers fix their eyes mainly upon those very things, while those 
 
POSTUKE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 97 
 
 who come to scoff observe nodiinfr else. Persons are either dis- 
 gusted or diverted by the oddities of certain preachers, or else 
 they want an excuse for inattention, and jump at this convenient 
 one : there can be no reason why we should help men to resist our 
 own endeavours for their good. No minister would wilhngly 
 cultivate a habit which would blunt his arrows, or drift them 
 aside from the mark; and, therefore, since these minor matters of 
 movement, posture, and gesture may have that effect, you will 
 give them your immediate attention. 
 
 We very readily admit that action in preaching is an affair of 
 minor consequence ; for some who have succeeded in the highest 
 sense have been exceedingly faulty from the rhetorician's point of 
 view. At the present moment there is in Boston, TJ. S. A., a 
 preacher of the very highest order of power, of whom a friendlv 
 critic writes : " In the opening sentences one or the other of his 
 arms shakes at his side in a helpless fashion, as if it were made of 
 caudal vertebrae loosely jointed. He soon exhibits a most engaging 
 awkwardness, waddling about in a way to suggest that eacli" leg is 
 shorter than the other, and shaking his head and shoulders in un- 
 ganily emphasis. He raises one eyebrow in a quite impossible 
 fashion. No one else can squint so." This is an instance of mind 
 overcoming matter, and tlie excellence of the teaching condoning 
 defects in utterance ; but it would be better if no such drawbacks 
 existed. Are not apples of gold all the more attractive for being 
 placed in baskets of silver? Why should powerful teaching be 
 associated with waddling and squinting? Still it is evident that 
 proper action is, to say the least, not essential to success. Homer 
 would appear to have considered the entire absence of gesture to 
 be no detriment to eminent power in speech, for he pictures one 
 of his greatest heroes as entirely abjuring it, though not without 
 some sense of censure from his audience. 
 
 " But when Uljsses rose, in thought profound, 
 His modest eyes he fixed upon the ground ; 
 As one unskilled or dumb, he seemed to stand, 
 Nor rais'd his head, nor sti-etched his sceptred hand. 
 But when he speaks, what elocution flows ! 
 Soft as the fleeces of descending snows, 
 The copious accents fall, with easy ai-t ; 
 Melting they fall, and sink into the heart ! 
 Wondering we hear, and, fixed in deep surprise. 
 Our ears refute the censures of our eyes." 
 
 Nor need we go back to the ancients for proof that an exci'edingly 
 
98 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 quiet action maybe connected with the highest power of eloquence, 
 for several instances occur to us among the moderns. One may 
 suffice : our own supremely gifted Robert Hall had no oratorical 
 action, and scarcely any motion in the pulpit, except an occasional 
 lifting or waving of the right hand, and in his most impassioned 
 moments an alternate retreat and advance. 
 
 It is not so much incumbent upon you to acquire right pulpit 
 action as it is to get rid of that which is wrong. If you could be 
 reduced to motionless dummies, it would be better than being 
 active and even vigorous incarnations of the grotesque, as some of 
 our brethren have been. Some men by degrees fall into a suicidal 
 style of preaching, and it is a very rare thing indeed to see a man 
 escape when once he has entangled himself in the meshes of an 
 evil mannerism. No one likes to tell them of their queer antics, 
 and so they are unaware of them ; but it is surprising that their 
 wives do not mimic them in private and laugh them out of their 
 awkwardness. I have heard of a brother who in his earlier days 
 was most acceptable, but who afterwards dropped far behind in the 
 race because he by degrees fell into bad habits : he spoke with a 
 discordant whine, assumed most singular attitudes, and used such 
 extraordinary mouthings that people could not hear him with 
 pleasure. He developed into a man to be esteemed and honoured, 
 but not to be listened to. Excellent Christian men have said that 
 they did not know whether to laugh or to cry when they were 
 hearing him preach : they felt as if they must laugh at the 
 bidding of nature, and then they felt that they ought to cry from 
 the impulse of grace when they saw so good a preacher utterly 
 ^:uined by absurd affectations. If you do not care to cultivate 
 proper action, at least be wise enough to steer clear of that which 
 is grotesque or affected. There is a wide range between the fop, 
 curling and perfuming his locks, and permitting one's hair to hang 
 in matted masses like the mane of a wild beast. We should never 
 advise you to practise postures before a glass, nor to imitate 
 great divines, nor to ape the fine gentleman ; but there is no 
 need, on the other hand, to be vulgar or absurd. Postures and 
 attitudes are merely a small part of the dress of a discourse, and it 
 is not in dress that the substance of the matter lies : a man in 
 fustian is " a man for a' that," and so a sermon which is oddly 
 delivered may be a good sermon for all that ; but still, as none of"> 
 you would care to wear a pauper's suit if you could procure better 
 raiment, so you should not be so slovenly as to clothe truth like 
 a mendicant when you might array her as a prince's daughter. 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTUKE, ETC. 99 
 
 Some men are naturally very awkward in their persons and 
 movements. I suppose we must blame what the countryman called 
 their " broughtens up." The rustic's gait is heavy, and his walk is 
 slouching. You can see that his natural habitat is a ploughed field. 
 On the pavement or the carpet he is suspicious of his footing, but 
 down a muddy lane, with a mule's burden of earth on each boot, he 
 progresses with ease, if not with elegance. There is a lumpishness 
 and lubberliness innate in the elements of some men's constitu- 
 tions. You could not make them elegant if you brayed them in a 
 mortar among wheat with a pestle. The drill-sergeant is of the 
 utmost use in our schools, and those parents who think that drill 
 exercise is a waste of time are very much mistaken. There is a 
 shape and handiness, a general propriety of form, which the 
 Imman body acquires under proper drill which seldom comes in any 
 other manner. Drill brings a man's shoulders down, keeps his 
 arms from excessive swinging, expands the chest, shows him what 
 to do with his hands, and, in a word, teaches a man how to walk 
 uprightly, and to bring himself into something like ship-shape, 
 without any conscious effort to do so, which effort would be a sure 
 betrayal of his awkwardness. Very spiritual people will think me 
 trifling, but indeed I am not. I hope the day will come when it 
 will be looked upon as an essential part of education to teach a 
 youno- man how to carry himself, and move without clumsiness. 
 
 It may happen that awkward gestures arise from feeble utterance, and 
 a nervous consciousness of lack of power in that direction. Certain 
 splendid men of our acquaintance are so modest as to be diffident, 
 and hence they become hesitating in speech, and disarranged in 
 manner. Perhaps no more notable instance of this can be men- 
 tioned than the late beloved Dr. James Hamilton. He was the 
 piost beautiful and chaste of speakers, with an action painful to 
 the last degree. His biographer says : — " In mental resources and 
 acquirements he was possessed of great wealth ; but in the capacity 
 to utter his thoughts, with all the variation of tone and key which 
 their nature required, yet so as to be thoroughly heard in a great 
 edifice, he was far less gifted. In this department, accordingly, 
 he was always pained by a conscious shortcoming from his own 
 ideal. It is certain that lack of vocal force, and ready control over 
 his intonations, largely detracted from the power and popularity of 
 his preaching. In delicacy of conception, in the happy choice of 
 idioms, in the command of stj-iking and original imagery, and in 
 the glow of evangelical fervour that pervaded all, he had few 
 equals. These rare qualities, however, were shorn of half their 
 
ICO POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 strength, in as far as his public preaching was concerned, by the 
 necessity under which he constantly lay of straining to make him- 
 self audible, by standing on Ids tip-toes, and thrmving out his words 
 in hand/ ids, if so be they might reach the far-distant aisles. If the 
 muscles of his chest had been such as to enable him to stand solidly 
 at ease, while his lips performed the task of articulation without 
 the aid of auxiliary blasts from over-inflated lungs, James 
 Hamilton Avould certainly have been followed by greater crowds, 
 and obtained access for his message to a wider and more varied 
 circle. But we do not know what counterbalancing evil might 
 have come in along with such external success. Although with all 
 his prayers and pains this thorn was still left in the flesh, the grand 
 compensation remained : ' My grace is suflicient for thee ; my 
 strength is perfect in thy weakness,' What talents the Lord saw 
 meet to bestow, he laid out with marvellous skill and diligence in 
 the giver's service, and if some of the talents were withheld, the 
 Withholder knows why. He hath done all things well." In this 
 sentiment we heartily concur, but we should be sorry for any young 
 man to submit at discretion to a similar defect, and ascribe it to the 
 hand of the Lord. Dr. Hamilton did not so. He earnestly en- 
 deavoui'ed to overcome his natural disadvantage, and to our know- 
 ledge took lessons of more than one professor of elocution. He did 
 not take refuge in the sluggard's plea, but laboured hard to master 
 the difficulty, and only failed because it was a physical defect be- 
 yond all remedy. Let us wherever we see awkwardness, which is 
 evidently unavoidable, take little or no notice of it, and take care to 
 commend the brother that he does so well under the circumstances ; 
 counting it no small achievement for a divine to cover by richness of 
 thought and fitness of language the ungainliness of his outer man, 
 thus making the soul triumph over the body. Yet should we 
 ourselves be afflicted with any fault of manner, let us resolve to 
 overcome it, for it is not an impossible task. Edward Irving was 
 a striking instance of a man's power to improve himself in this 
 respect. At first his manner was awkward, constrained, and un- 
 natural; but by diligent culture his attitude and action were made 
 to be striking aids to his eloquence. 
 
 Pulpits have much to answer for in having made men aiokward. 
 What horrible inventions they are ! If we could once abolish 
 them we might say concerning them as Joshua did concerning 
 Jericho — " Cursed be he that buildeth this Jericho," for the old- 
 fashioned pulpit has been a greater curse to the churches than 
 is at first sight evident. No barrister would ever enter a pulpit 
 
POSTURE, ACTIOX, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 101 
 
 to plead a case at the bar. How could he hope to succeed while 
 buried alive almost up to his shoulders 1 The client would be 
 ruined if the advocate were thus imprisoned. How manly, how 
 commanding is the attitude in which Chrysostom is usually 
 .represented! Forgetting his robes for the moment one cannot 
 but feel that such a natural posture is far more worthy of 
 sublime truth than that of a person crouching over a sheet of 
 paper, looking up very occasionally, and then revealing no 
 more than his head 
 and shoulders. Aus- 
 tin in his Cldro- 
 nomia* very pro- 
 perly says, " Free- 
 dom is also necessary 
 to gracefulness of 
 action. No gestures 
 can be graceful 
 which are either 
 confined by exter- 
 nal circumstances, 
 or restrained by the 
 mind. If a man 
 were obliged to ad- 
 dress an assembly 
 from a narrow win- 
 dow, through which 
 he could not extend 
 his arms and his 
 head, it would be 
 in vain for him 
 to attempt graceful 
 gesture. Confine- 
 ment in every lesser 
 degree must be pro- 
 portionally injurious to grace; thus the crowded bar is injurious 
 to the action of the advocate, and the enclosed and bolstered 
 pulpit, which often cuts off more than half of his figure, is equally 
 injurious to the graceful action of the preacher." 
 
 * Chironomia ; or, a Treatise on Rhetorical Delivery : comprehending many- 
 precepts, both ancient and modern, for the proper regulation of the Voice, the 
 Countenance, and Gesture, and a new method for the notation thereof; illustrated 
 by many figures. By the Heverend Gilbert Austin, A M. Loudon. 1806. [Quajto.J 
 
102 
 
 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 The late Thomas Binney was unable to endure a platform, and 
 was known to fetch gowns and other materials to hang over the 
 rails of an open rostrum, if he found himself placed in one : this 
 must have arisen solely from the force of habit, for there can be 
 no real advantage in being enclosed in a wooden pen. This feeling 
 will no doubt retain the close pulpit in its place for awhile longer, 
 but in ages to come men will find an argument for the divinity of 
 our holy faith in the fact that it survived pulpits. 
 
 Ministers cannot be blamed for ungainly postures and attitudes 
 when only a very small part of their bodies can be seen during a 
 
 discourse. If it was the custom 
 to preach as Paul did at Athens 
 public speakers would become 
 models of propi'iety, but when 
 the usual method is modelled 
 upon our woodcut of " The 
 Keverend Dr. Paul preaching 
 in London " we cannot marvel 
 if the ungainly and the gro- 
 tesque abound. By the way, 
 it is interesting to note that 
 Raphael in his representation 
 of Paul at Athens evidently 
 had in his mind the apostle's 
 utterance, "God dwelleth not 
 in temples made with hands, 
 neither is worshipped Avith 
 man's hands": hence he de- 
 lineates him as lifting his 
 hands. I am indebted for this 
 hint to G. W. Hervey, M.A., 
 who has written a very able 
 and comprehensive " System 
 of Rhetoric."* 
 
 Remarkable are the forms which pulpits have assumed according 
 to the freaks of human fancy and folly. Twenty years ago they had 
 probably reached their very worst. What could have been their 
 design and intent it would be hard to conjecture. A deep wooden 
 ])ulpit of the old sort might well remind a minister of his mortality, 
 for it is nothing but a coffin set on end : but on what rational 
 
 PAUL PUEACniNG AT ATHENS, 
 AFTER RAPHAEL. 
 
 * A System of Christian Ehetoric for the Use of Preachers and other Speakers. 
 By George VVinfred Hervey, M.A.. lloulstoii and Sons, 1873. 
 
POSTURE, ACTIOX, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 103 
 
 ground do we bury our pastors alive 1 Many of these erections 
 resemble barrels, others are of the fashion of egg cups and wine 
 glasses ; a third class were evidently modelled after corn bins upon 
 four legs ; and yet a fourth variety can only be likened to swallows' 
 nests stuck upon the wall. Some of them are so high as to turn 
 the heads of the occupants when they dare to peer into the awful 
 depths below them, and they give those who look up to the elevated 
 preacher for any length of time a crick in the neck. I have felt 
 like a man at the mast-head while perched aloft in these " towers 
 of the flock." These abominations are in themselves evils, and 
 create evils. 
 
 While I am upon pulpits I 
 will make a digression, and re- 
 mark for the benefit of deacons 
 and churchwardens that I fre- 
 quently notice in pulpits a most 
 abominable savour of gas, which 
 evidently arises from leakage in 
 the gas-pipes, and is very apt to 
 make a preacher feel half intoxi- 
 cated, or to sicken him. We 
 ought to be spared this infliction. 
 Frequently, also, a large lamp is 
 placed close to each side of the 
 minister's head, thus cramping 
 all his movements and placing 
 him between two fires. If any 
 complaints are made of the hot- 
 headedness of our ministers, it is 
 readily to be accounted for, since 
 the apparatus for the purpose is 
 arranged with great care. Only 
 the other night I had the privilege, when I sat down in the pulpit, 
 to feel as if some one had smitten me on the top of my head, and 
 as I looked up there was an enormous argand burner with a 
 reflector placed immediately above me, in order to throw a light on 
 my Bible : a very considerate contrivance no doubt, only the in- 
 ventor had forgotten that his burners were pouring down a 
 terrible heat upon a sensitive brain. One has no desire to 
 experience an artificial coup de soleil while preaching ; if we must 
 suffer from such a calamity let it come upon us during our holi- 
 days, and let it befall us from the sun himself. No one in erecting 
 
 THE VERY KEVERENI> DR. PAUL 
 
 PREACHING IN LONDON. 
 
104 POSTURE, ACTION", GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 a pulpit seems to think of the preacher as a, man of like feelings 
 and senses with other people ; the seat upon which you are to rest 
 at intervals is often a mere ledge, and the door handle runs into 
 the small of your back, while when you stand up and would come 
 to the front there is often a ciirious gutta-percha bag interposed 
 between you and your pulpit. This gummy depository is charitably 
 intended for the assistance of certain deaf people, who are I hope 
 benefited ; they ought to be, for every evil should have a compen- 
 sating influence. You cannot bend forward without forcing this 
 contrivance to close up, and I for my own part usually deposit my 
 pocket-handkerchief in it, which causes the deaf people to take 
 the ends of the tubes out of their ears and to discover that they 
 hear me well enouo;h without them. 
 
 No one knows the discomfort of pulpits except the man who 
 has been in very many, and found each one worse than the last. 
 They are generally so deep that a short person like myself can 
 scarcely see over the top of them, and when I ask for something 
 to stand upon they bring me a hassock. Think of a minister 
 of the gospel poising himself upon a hassock while he is preaching : 
 a Boanerges and a Blondin in one person. It is too much to 
 expect us to keep the balance of our minds and the equilibrium of 
 our bodies at the same time. The tippings up, and overturnings 
 of stools and hassocks which I have had to suffer while preaching 
 rush on my memory now, and revive the most painful sensations. 
 Surely we ought to be saved such petty annoyances, for their 
 evil is by no means limited by our discomfort ; if it were so, it 
 would be of no consequence; but, alas ! these little things often 
 throw the mind out of gear, disconnect our thoughts, and trouble 
 our spirit. We ought to rise superior to such trifles, but though 
 the spirit truly is willing the flesh is weak. It is marvellous how 
 the mind is affected by the most trifling matters: there can be no 
 need to perpetuate needless causes of discomfort. Sydney Smith's 
 story shows that we have not been alone in our tribulation. " I 
 can't bear," said he, " to be imprisoned in the true orthodox way in 
 my pulpit, with my head just peeping above the desk. I like to 
 look down upon my congregation — to Are into them. The common 
 people say I am a hould j^^eacher, for I like to have my arms 
 free, and to thump the pulpit. A singular contretemps happened 
 to me once, when, to effect this, I had ordered the clerk to pile 
 up some hassocks for me to stand on. ]My text was, ' We are 
 perplexed, but not in despair ; persecuted, but not foTsaken ; cast 
 down, but not destroyed.' I had scarcely uttered these words, 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 105 
 
 and was preparing to illustrate them, when I did so practical Ij, 
 and in a way I had not at all anticipated. My fabric of hassocks 
 suddenly gave way; down I fell, and with difficulty prevented 
 mvself from being precipitated into the arms of my congregation, 
 who, I must say, behaved very well, and recovered their gravity 
 sooner than I could have expected." 
 
 But I must return to my subject, and I do so by repeating the 
 belief that boxed-up pulpits are largely accountable for tlie un- 
 gainly postures which some of our preachers assume when they are 
 out of their cages and are loose upon a platform. They do not 
 know what to do with their legs and arms, and feel awkward and 
 exposed, and hence drop into ridiculous attitudes. When a man 
 has been accustomed to regard himself as an " animated bust " he 
 feels as if he had become too long when he is made to appear 
 at full length. 
 
 There can be no doubt that many men are made awhioard through 
 fear. It is not the man's nature, nor his pulpit, but his nervousness 
 which makes a guy of him. To some it is a display of great 
 courage even to stand before an audience, and to speak is an ordeal 
 indeed : no wonder that their attitude is constrained, for they are 
 twitching and trembling all over. Every nerve is in a state of 
 excitement, and their whole body is tremulous with fear. Es- 
 pecially are they perplexed what to do with their hands, and they 
 move them about in a restless, irregular, meaningless manner ; if 
 they could have them strapped down to their sides they might re- 
 joice in the deliverance. One of the clergy of the Church of 
 England, in pleading for the use of the manuscript, makes use of 
 the remarkable argument that a nervous man by having to turn 
 over the leaves of his discourse thus keeps his hands occupied ; 
 whereas, if he had no paper before him, he would not know what 
 to do with them. It is an ill wind that blows no one any good, 
 and it must be a very bad practice indeed which has not some 
 remote and occasional advantages. For nervousness, however, 
 there must be a more effectual treatment; the preacher should 
 try to conquer the evil rather than look for a mode of concealing 
 its outward manifestations. Practice is a great remedy, and faith 
 in God is a still more potent cure. When the minister becomes 
 accustomed to the people he stands at ease because he is at ease, 
 he feels at home, and as to his hands or legs, or any other part 
 of his person, he has no thought : he goes to work with all his 
 heart, and drops into the positions most natural to an earnest man, 
 aud these are the most appropriate. Unstudied gestures, to which 
 
106 POSTUKE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 you never turned your thoiights for a moment, are the very best, 
 and the highest result of art is to banish art, and leave the man as 
 free to be graceful as tlie o-azelle amons; the mountains. 
 
 Occasional oddities of posture and gesture may arise from the 
 dijfficulty of finding the next word. An American observer some 
 years ago said, "It is interesting, sometimes, to see the different 
 ways in which different individuals get out of the same dilemma. 
 Mr. Calhoun is not often at a loss for a word, but occasionally one 
 sticks in his throat, in the pronunciation, like Macbeth's ^ Amen.' 
 In such a case he gives a petulant twitch or two at his shirt collar, 
 and runs his bony lingers through his long grey hair, till it fairly 
 bristles again. Webster, when bothered for a word, or snarled up 
 in a sentence, almost invariably scratches the inner corner of his 
 left eye carefully with the third finger of his right hand. Failing 
 in this, he rubs his nose quite fiercely with the bent knuckle of 
 his thumb. As a dernier ressort, he springs his knees apart until 
 his legs resemble an ellipsis, then plunging his hands deep into 
 his pockets, he throws the upper section of his body smartly for- 
 ward, and the word is ' hound to come.' " A man ought to be 
 forgiven for what he does when he is in an agony, but it would be a 
 areat gain if he never suffered from such embarrassments, and 
 so escaped from the consequent contortions. 
 
 Habit also frequently leads speakers into very singidar move- 
 ments, and to these they become so wedded that they cannot speak 
 without them. Tugging at a button at the back of the coat, or 
 twiddling the fingers, will be often seen, not as a part of the 
 preacher's oratory, but as a sort of free accompaniment to it. 
 Addison, in the Spectator, relates an amusing incident of this kind. 
 " I remember, when I was a young man, and used to frequent 
 Westminster Hall, there was a counsellor who never pleaded with- 
 out a piece of packthread in his hand, which he used to twist about 
 a thumb or a finger all the while he was speaking : the wags of 
 those days used to call it the thread of his discourse, for he was 
 not able to utter a word without it. One of his clients, who was 
 more merry than wise, stole it from him one day in the midst of 
 his pleading, but he had better have let it alone, for he lost his 
 cause by his jest." Gentlemen who are as yet free from such 
 little peculiarities should be upon their guard lest they should 
 gradually yield to them ; but, so long as they are mere trifles, 
 observed only by the few, and not injurious to the preachers 
 efforts, no great stress needs to be laid upon them. 
 
 The posture of the minister should be natural, but his nature 
 
roSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 107 
 
 must not be of a coarse type; it should be graceful, educated 
 nature. He should avoid especially those positions which are un- 
 natural to a speaker, because they hamper the organs of utterance, 
 or cramp his lungs. He should use his common sense, and not make 
 it difficult for him to speak by leaning forward over the Bible or 
 book-board. Bending over as if you were speaking confidentially 
 to the persons immediately below may be tolerated occasionally, 
 but as a customary position it is as injurious as it is ungraceful. 
 Who thinks of stooping when he speaks in the parlour? What 
 killincT work it would he to conduct a long conversation while 
 pressing the breathing apparatus against the edge of a table! 
 Stand upright, get a firm position, and then speak like a man. 
 A few orators even err in the other direction, and throw their 
 heads far back as though they were addressing the angels, or saw 
 a handwriting upon the ceiling. This also cometh of evil, and 
 unless the occasional sublime apostrophe requires it, is by no 
 means to be practised. John Wesley well says, " The head ought 
 not to be held up too high, nor clownishly thrust too forward, 
 neither to be cast down and hang, as it were, on tlie breast ; nor 
 to lean always on one or the other side ; but to be kept modestly 
 and decently upright, in its natural state and position. Further, 
 it ought neither to be kept immovable, as a statue, nor to be con- 
 tinually moving and throwing itself about. To avoid both ex- 
 tremes, it should be turned gently, as occasion is, sometimes one 
 way, sometimes the other; and at other times remain, looking 
 straight forward, to the middle of the auditory." 
 
 Too many men assume a slouching attitude, lolling and sprawling 
 as if they were lounging on the parapet of a bridge and chatting with 
 somebody down in a boat on the river. We do not go into the 
 pulpit to slouch about, and to look free and easy, but we go there 
 upon very solemn business, and our posture should be such as be- 
 comes our mission. A reverent and earnest spirit will not be in- 
 dicated by a sluggish lounge or a careless slouch. It is said that 
 among the Greeks even the ploughmen and herdsmen take up 
 graceful attitudes without any idea that they are doing so. I think 
 it is also true of the Italians, for wherever I have seen a Roman 
 man or woman— no matter whether they are sleeping upon 
 the Spagna steps, or sitting upon a fragment of the baths of 
 Caracalla, or carrying a bundle on their heads, or ndnig a mule, 
 they always look like studies for an artist ; yet this is the last 
 thing which ever crosses their minds. Those picturesque peasants 
 have°never taken lessons in cahsthenics, nor do they trouble then' 
 
108 POSTUEE, ACTION, GESTUKE, ETC. 
 
 heads as to how they appear to the foreigner; pure nature, dehvered 
 from mannerism, primness, and aifectation, moulds their habits 
 into gracefuhiess. We should be foolish to imitate Greeks or 
 Italians, except in their freedom from all imitation, but it were 
 well if we could copy their unconstrained and natural action. 
 There is no reason why a Christian should be a clown, and there 
 are a great many reasons why a minister should not be a boor. As 
 Rowland Hill said that he could not see why Satan should have 
 the best tunes, so neither can I see why he should have the most 
 graceful speakers ! 
 
 NoAV, leaving posture, let us more distinctly notice action in 
 preaching ; this also is a secondary and yet an important item. 
 Our first observation shall be, it should never he excessive. In 
 this matter bodily exercise profiteth little. We cannot readily 
 judge when action is excessive, for what would be excessive in one 
 man maybe most fitting and proper in another. Different races 
 employ different action in speaking. Two Englishmen will talk 
 very quietly and soberly to one another compared with a couple of 
 Frenchmen. Notice our Gallic neighbours : they talk all over, and 
 shrug their shoulders, and move their fingers, and gesticulate most 
 vehemently. Very well, then, we may allow a French preacher to 
 be more demonstrative in preaching than an Englishman, because 
 he is so in ordinary speech. I am not sure that a French divine is 
 so as a matter of fact, but if he were so it could be accounted for 
 by the national habit. If you and I were to converse in the 
 Parisian fashion we should excite ridicule, and, in the same wav, 
 if we were to become violent and vehement in the pulpit we 
 might run the same risk ; for if Addison be an authority, English 
 orators use less gestures than those of other countries. As it is 
 with races so is it with men : some naturally gesticulate more 
 than others, and if it be really natural, we have little fault to find. 
 For instance, we cannot censure John Gough's maiwellous gesticu- 
 lation and perambulation, for he would not have been Gough 
 without them. I wonder how many miles he walks in the course 
 of one of his lectures ! Did we not see him climb the sides of a 
 volcano in pursuit of a bubble ? How we pitied him as we saw 
 him ankle deep in the hot ashes ! Then he was away, away at the 
 other end of the platform at Exeter Hall, apostrophising a glass of 
 water ; but he only stopped there a moment, and anon made 
 another rush over the corns of the temperance brethren in the 
 front row. Now, this was right enough for John Gough; but if 
 you, John Smith or John Brown, commence these perambulations 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 109 
 
 you will soon be likened to the wandering Jew, or to the polnr 
 bear, at the Zoological Gardens, which for ever goes backwards 
 and forwards in its den. Martin Luther was wont to smite with 
 his fist at such a rate that they show, at Eisenach, a board — I think 
 a three-inch board — which he broke while hammering at a text. 
 The truth of the legend has been doubted, for it has been asserted 
 that those delicate hands, which could play so charmingly upon 
 the guitar, could hardly have been treated so roughly; but if the 
 hand be an index of its owner's character, we can well believe it, 
 for strength and tenderness were marvellously combined in Luther. 
 There was much delicacy and sensitiveness about Luther's mind, 
 yet these never diminished, but rather increased, its tremendous 
 energy. It is by no means difficult to believe that he could smash 
 up a plank, from the style in which he struck out at the Pope ; 
 and vet we can well imagine that he would touch the strings of 
 his guitar with a maiden's hand; even as David could play 
 skilfully upon the harp, and yet a bow of steel was broken by his 
 arms. John Knox is said at one time to have been so feeble that, 
 before he entered the pulpit, you would expect to see him drop 
 down in a fainting fit ; but once before the audience he seemed 
 as though he would " ding the pulpit in blads," which, being 
 interpreted, means in English that he would knock it into shivers. 
 That was evidently the style of the period when Protestants were 
 figliting for their very existence, and the Pope and his priests 
 and the devil and his angels were aroused to special fury : yet 
 I do not suppose that Melancthon thought it needful to be quite 
 so tremendous, nor did Calvin hammer and slash in a like manner. 
 At any rate, you need not try to break three-inch boards, for 
 there might be a nail in one of them ; neither need you ding a 
 pulpit into " blads," for you might find yourself without a pulpit if 
 you did. Come upon consciences with a crash, and aim at break- 
 ing hard hearts by the power of the Spirit, but these require 
 spiritual power; physical energy is not the power of God unto 
 salvation. 
 
 It is very easy to overdo the thing so much as to make your- 
 self appear ridiculous. Perhaps it was a keen perception of this 
 danger which led Dr. Johnson to forbid action altogether, and to 
 commend Dr. Watts very highly because " he did not endeavour 
 to assist his eloquence by any gesticulations ; for as no corporeal 
 actions have any correspondence with theological truth, he did not 
 see how they could enforce it." The great lexicographer's remark 
 is nonsense, but if it should be thought weighty enough to reduce 
 
110 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 a preacher to absolute inaction, it will be better tlian overwrought 
 posturing. When Nathan addressed David, I suppose that he 
 delivered his parable very quietly, and that when the time came to 
 say, "Thou art the man," he gave the king a deeply earnest look; 
 but younger ministers imagine that the prophet strode into the 
 middle of the room and, setting his right foot forward, pointed 
 his finger like a pistol between the royal eyes, and giving a loud 
 stamp of the foot, shouted, "thou art the man." Had it 
 been so done it is to be feared that the royal culprit would have 
 had his thoughts turned from himself to the insane prophet, and 
 w^ould have called for his guard to clear the hall. Nathan was 
 too solemnly in earnest to be indecently violent; and as a 
 general rule we may here note that it is the tendency of deep 
 feelinf rather to subdue the manner than to render it too ener- 
 getic. He who beats the air, and bawls, and raves, and stamps, 
 means nothing; and the more a man really means what he says 
 the less of vulgar vehemence will there be. John Wesley in his 
 " Directions concerning Pronunciation and Gesture " cramps the 
 preacher too much when he says, " He must never clap his hands, 
 nor thump the pulpit. The hands should seldom be raised higher 
 than the eyes ": but he probably had his eye upon some glaring 
 case of extravagance. He is right, however, when he warns his 
 preachers that " the hands should not be in perpetual motion, for 
 this the ancients called the babbling of the hands." 
 
 Russell very wisely says : " True vehemence never degenerates 
 into violence and vociferation. It is the force of inspiration, — not 
 of frenzy. It is not manifested in the screaming and foaming, 
 the stamping and the contortions, of vulgar excess. It is ever 
 manly and noble, in its intensest excitement : it elevates, — it does 
 not degrade. It never descends to the bawling voice, the guttural 
 coarseness, the slmeking emphasis, the hysteric ecstacy of tone, 
 the bullying attitude, and the clinched fist of extravagant passion."* 
 
 When your sermon seems to demand of you a little imitative 
 action, be peculiarly Avatchful lest you go too far, for this you 
 may do before you are aware of it. I have heard of a young 
 divine who in expostulation with the unconverted, exclaimed, 
 " Alas, you shut your eyes to the light (here he closed both 
 
 * Pulpit Elocution: comprising Remarks on the Effect of Manner in Public 
 Discourse ; the Elements of Elocution, applied to the reading of Scripture, Hymns, 
 and Sermons ; with observations on the Principles of Gesture ; and a Selection of 
 Exercises in Heading and Speaking. By William Russell, with an Introduction, 
 by Edwards A. Park, D.D., and Rev. Edward N. Kirk. Andover [U. S. A.]. 1853. 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 Ill 
 
 eyes) ; you stop your ears to the truth (here lie put a finger 
 into each ear) ; and you turn your backs upon salvation " 
 (here he turned his back on the people). Do you wonder that 
 when the people saw a man standing with his back to them and 
 his finccers in his ears they all fell to laughing? The action might 
 be appropriate, but it was overdone, and had better have been left 
 undone. Violent gesture, even when commended by some, will 
 be sure to strike others from its comic side. When Burke in the 
 House of Commons flung down 
 the datro-er to show that En- 
 glishmen were making weapons 
 to be used against their own 
 countrymen, his action seems 
 to me to have been striking 
 and much to the purpose, and 
 yet Sheridan said, "Tlie gen- 
 tleman has brought us the 
 knife, where is the fork ? " and 
 Gilray wickedly caricatured 
 him. The risks of too little 
 action are by no means great, 
 but you can plainly see that 
 there are great perils in the 
 other direction. Therefore, do 
 not carry action too far, and 
 if you feel that you are naturally 
 very energetic in your delivery, 
 repress your energies a little. 
 Wave your hands a little less, 
 smite the Bible somewhat more 
 mercifully, and in general take 
 matters rather more calmly. 
 
 Perhaps a man is nearest to the golden mean in action when his 
 manner excites no remark either of praise or censure, because it is 
 so completely of a piece with the discourse that it is not regarded 
 as a separate item at all. That action which gains conspicuous 
 notice is probably out of proportion, and excessive. Mr. Hall once 
 spent an evening with Mrs. Hannah More, and his judgment upon 
 her manners might well serve as a criticism upon the mannerisms 
 of ministers. "Nothing striking, madam, certainly not. Her 
 manners are too perfectly proper to be striking. Striking manners 
 are bad manners, you know, madam. She is a perfect lady, and 
 
112 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 studiously avoids those eccentricities which constitute striking 
 manners." 
 
 In the second place, action sliould he expressive and ajypropriate. 
 We cannot express so much by action as by language, but one 
 may express a few things with even greater force. Indignantly to 
 open a door and point to it is quite as emphatic as the words, 
 *•' Leave the room ! " To refuse the hand when another offers his 
 own is a very marked declaration of ill-will, and will probably 
 create a more enduring bitterness than the severest words. A 
 request to remain silent upon a certain subject could be well 
 conveyed by laying the finger across the lips. A shake of the head 
 indicates disapprobation in a very marked manner. The lifted eye- 
 brows express surprise in a forcible style ; and every part of the 
 face has its own eloquence of pleasure and of grief. What volumes 
 can be condensed into a shrug of the shoulders, and what mournful 
 mischief that same shrug has wrought ! Since, then, gesture and 
 posture can speak powerfully, we must take care to let them speak 
 correctly. It will never do to imitate the famous Grecian who 
 cried, " O heaven ! " with his finger pointing to the earth ; nor 
 to describe dying weakness by thumping upon the book-board. 
 Nervous speakers appear to fire at random with their gestures, 
 and you may see them wringing their hands while they are 
 dilating upon the joys of faith, or grasping the side of the 
 pulpit convulsively when they are bidding the believer hold all 
 earthly things with a loose hand. Even when no longer timorous, 
 brethren do not always manage their gestures so as to make them 
 run parallel with their words. Men may be seen denouncing with 
 descending fist the very persons whom they are endeavouring to 
 comfort. No brother among you would, I hope, be so stupid as to 
 clasp his hands while saying — " the gospel is not meant to be 
 confined to a few. Its spirit is generous and expansive. It 
 opens its arms to men of all ranks and nations." It would be an 
 equal solecism if you were to spread forth your arms and cry, . 
 " Brethren, concentrate your energies ! Gather them up, as a 
 commander gathers his troops to the royal standard in the day of 
 battle." Now, put the gestures into their proper places and see 
 how diffusion may be expressed by the opened arms, and con- 
 centration by the united hands. 
 
 Action and tone together may absolutely contradict the mean- 
 ing of the words. The Abbe Mullois tells us of a malicious wag 
 who on hearing a preacher pronounce those terrible words, "Depart, 
 ye cursed," in the blandest manner, turned to his companion and 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 ii; 
 
 said, " Come here, my lad, and let me embrace you ; that is what 
 the parson has just expressed." This is a sad business, but by no 
 means an uncommon one. What force may the language of Scrip- 
 ture lose through the preacher's ill-delivery ! Those, words which 
 the French preacher pronounced in so ill a manner are very 
 terrible, and I felt them to be so when a short while ago I heard 
 them hissed forth in awful earnest, by an insane person who 
 thought himself a prophet sent to curse myself and my congrega- 
 tion. " Depart, ye cursed" came forth from his lips like the mut- 
 terings of thunder, and the last word seemed to bite into the very 
 soul, as with flaming eye and outstretched hand the fanatic 
 flashed it upon the assembly. 
 
 Too many speakers appear to have taken lessons from Bendigo, 
 or some other professor of the noble art of self-defence, for they 
 hold their fists as if they were 
 ready for a round. It is not 
 pleasant to watch brethren 
 preaching the gospel of peace 
 in that pugnacious style ; yet 
 it is by no means rare to hear 
 of an evangelist preaching a 
 free Christ with a clinched 
 fist. It is amusing; to see them 
 putting themselves into an 
 attitude and saying, " Come 
 unto me," and then, with a re- 
 volution of both fists, " and I 
 will give you — rest." Better 
 not suggest such ridiculous 
 ideas, but they have been sug- 
 gested more than once by men 
 who earnestly desired above all 
 things to make their hearers 
 think of better things. Gentle- 
 men, I am not at all surprised 
 
 at your laughing, but it is infinitely better that you sliould have 
 a hearty laugh at these absurdities here than that your people 
 should laugh at you in the future. I am giving you no imaginary 
 sketch, but one which I have seen myself and fear I may yet 
 see again. Those awkward hands, if once brought into subjection, 
 become our best allies. We can talk with them almost as well as 
 with our tongues, and make a sort of silent music with them which 
 
 9 
 
114 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 will add to the charm of our words. If you have never read Sir 
 Charles Bell on " The Hand," be sure to do so, and note well the 
 following passage : — " We must not omit to speak of the hand as 
 an instrument of expression. Formal dissertations have been 
 wTitten on this. But were we constrained to seek authorities, 
 we might take the great painters in evidence, since by the 
 position of the hands, in conformity wdth the figure, they have 
 expressed every sentiment. Who, for example, can deny the 
 eloquence of the hands in the Magdalens of Guido ; their ex- 
 pression in the cartoons of Raphael, or in the last Supper, 
 by Leonardo da Vinci ? We see there expressed ail that Quinc- 
 tilian says the hand is capable of expressing. ' For other parts of 
 the body,' says he, ' assist the speaker, but these, I may say, speak 
 themselves. By them we ask, we promise, we invoke, we dismiss, 
 we threaten, we intreat, we deprecate, we express fear, joy, grief, 
 our doubts, our assent, our penitence : we show moderation, or 
 profusion ; we mark number and time.' " 
 
 The face, and especially the eyes, will play a very important 
 part in all appropriate action. It is very unfortunate when minis- 
 ters cannot look at their people. It is singular to hear them 
 pleading with persons whom they do not see. They are entreat- 
 ing them to look to Jesus upon the cross ! You wonder where 
 the sinners are. The preacher's eyes are turned upon his 
 book, or up to the ceiling, or into empty space. It seems to me 
 that you must fix your eyes upon the people when you come to 
 exhortation. There are parts of a sermon in which the sublimity 
 of the doctrine may call for the uplifted gaze, and thei'e are 
 other portions which may allow the eyes to wander as you will; 
 but when pleading tinie has come, it will be inappropriate to look 
 anywhere but to the persons addressed. Brethren who never do 
 this at all lose a great power. When Dr. Wayland was ill, he 
 WTote, " Whether I am to recover my former health I know not. 
 If, however, I should be permitted to preach again, I will certainly 
 do what is in my power to learn to preach directly to men, looking 
 them in their faces, and not looking at the paper on the desk." 
 
 The man who would be perfect in posture and gesture must 
 regulate his whole frame, for in one case a man's most suitable 
 action will be that of his head, and in another that of his hands, 
 and in a third that of his trunk alone. Quinctilian says — " The 
 sides should bear their part in the gesture. The motion, also, of 
 the whole body contributes much to the effect in delivery : so much 
 so that Cicero is of opinion that more can be done by its gesture 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 115 
 
 than even by the hands themselves. Thus he says in his work De 
 Oratore : — ' There will be no affected motions of the fingers, no 
 fall of the fingers to suit the measured cadence of the language ; 
 but he will produce gestures by the movements of his whole body 
 and by the manly inflexion of his side.' " 
 
 I might multiply illustrations of what I mean by appropriate 
 action, but these must sufl[ice. Let the gesture tally with the 
 words, and be a sort of running commentary and practical exegesis 
 upon what you are saying. Here I must make a pause, hoping 
 to continue the subject in my next lecture. But so conscious am 
 I that many may think my subject so secondary as to be of no 
 importance whatever, that I close by giving an instance of the 
 careful manner in which great painters take heed to minute 
 details, only drawing this inference, that if they are thus atten- 
 tive to little things, much more ought we to be. Vigneul Mar- 
 ville says : — " When I was at Rome I frequently saw Claude, who 
 was then patronised by the most eminent persons in that city ; I 
 frequently met him on the banks of the Tiber, or wandering in 
 the neighbourhood of Rome, amidst the venerable remains of 
 antiquity. He was then an old man, yet I have seen him return- 
 ing from his walk with his handkerchief filled with mosses, flowers, 
 stones, etc., that he might consider them at home with that inde- 
 fatigable attention which rendered him so exact a copier of nature. 
 I asked him one day by what means he arrived at such an excel- 
 lency of character among painters, even in Italy. ' I spare no 
 pains whatever, even in the minutest trifles,' was the modest reply 
 of this venerable genius." 
 
LECTURE VII. 
 f 0.dw;r^, ^dim, 6^ste, tk, 
 
 [second lecture.] 
 
 This lecture begins at thirdly. If you remember, we have said 
 that gesture should not be excessive, and secondly that it should 
 be appropriate : now comes the third canon, action and gesture 
 sJiould never be grotesque. This is plain enough, and I shall not 
 enforce it except by giving specimens of the grotesque, that you 
 may not only avoid the identical instances, but all of a similar 
 character. In all ages absurd gestures would appear to have been 
 very numerous, for in an old author I find a long list of oddities, 
 some of which it is to be hoped have taken their leave of this 
 world, while others are described in language so forcible that it 
 probably caricatures the actual facts. This writer says : " Some 
 hold their heads immovable, and turned to one side, as if they 
 were made of horn ; others stare with their eyes as horribly as if 
 they intended to frighten every one ; some are continually twisting 
 their mouths and working their chins while they are speaking, as if, 
 all the time, they were cracking nuts; some like the apostate Julian, 
 breathe insult, and express contempt and impudence in their coun- 
 tenances. Others, as if they personated the fictitious heroes in 
 tragedy, gape enormously, and extend their jaws as widely as if 
 they were going to swallow up everybody : above all, when they 
 bellow with fury, they scatter their foam about, and threaten with 
 contracted brow, and eyes like Saturn. These, as if they were 
 playing some game, are continually making motions with their 
 fingers, and, by the extraordinary working of their hands, en- 
 deavour to form in the air, I may almost say, all the figures of 
 the mathematicians : those, on the contrary, have hands so pon- 
 derous, and so fastened down by terror, that they could more 
 easily move beams of timber. Many labour so with their elbows, 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 117 
 
 tliat it is evident, either that they had been formerly shoemakers 
 themselves, or had lived in no other society than that of cobblers- 
 Some are so unsteady in the motions of their bodies, that they 
 seem to be speaking out of a • cock-boat ; others again are so un- 
 wieldy and uncouth in their motions, that you v/ould think them 
 to be sacks of tow painted to look like men. I have seen some who 
 jumped on the platform and capered nearly in measure ; men that 
 exhibited the fuller's dance, and, as the old poet says, expressed 
 their wit with their feet. But who in a short compass is able t<i 
 enumerate all the faults of gesture, and all the absurdities of bad 
 delivery V This catalogue might surely content the most a^o- 
 racious collector for the chamber of horrors, but it does not include 
 the half of what may be seen in our own times by anyone who is 
 able to ramble from one assembly to another. As children seem 
 never to have exhausted their mischievous tricks, so speakers ap- 
 pear never to be at the end of their singular gestures. Even the 
 best fall into them occasionally. 
 
 The first species of grotesque action maybe named the stiff ; and 
 this is very common. Men who exhibit this horror appear to have 
 no bend in their bodies and to be rigid about the joints. The 
 arms and legs are moved as if they were upon iron hinges, and 
 were made of exceedingly hard metal. A wooden anatomical doll, 
 such as artists use, might well represent their limbs so straight and 
 stiff, but it would fail to show the jerks with which those limbs 
 are thrown up and down. There is nothing round in the action of 
 these brethren; everything is angular, sharp, mechanical. If I 
 were to set forth what I mean by putting myself into their rect- 
 angular attitudes I might be supposed to caricature more than 
 one exceedingly able northern divine, and having the fear of this 
 before my eyes, and, moreover, holding these brethren in supreme 
 respect, I dare not go into very minute particulars. Yet it is sup- 
 posable that these good men are themselves aware that their legs 
 should not be set down as if they belonged to a linen-horse, or 
 a huge pair of tongs, and that their arms should not be absolutely 
 rigid like pokers. Oil for the joints has been suggested, but there 
 appears to be a want of oil in the limbs themselves, which move 
 up and down as if they belonged to a machine rather than to a 
 living organism. Surely any sort of physical exercise might help 
 to cure this mischief, which in some living preachers almost 
 amounts to a deformity. On the platform of Exeter Hall, gentle- 
 men afflicted with unnatural stiffness not only furnish matter for 
 the skilful caricaturist, but unfortunately caU off the attention of 
 
118 
 
 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTUEE, ETC. 
 
 their .auditors from their admirable speeches by their execrable 
 action. On a certain occasion we heard five or six remarks upon 
 the awkwardness of the doctor's posturin£;, and only one or two 
 encomiums upon his excellent speech. " People should not notice 
 such trifles," remarks our friend Philo ; but people do notice such 
 trifles whether they ought to do so or not, and therefore it is well 
 not to display them. It is probable that the whole of this lecture 
 will be regarded by some very excellent people as beneath their 
 notice, and savouring of questionable humour, but that I cannot 
 help ; for although I do not set so much value upon action as 
 Demosthenes did when he made it the first, the second, and the 
 third point in oratory, yet it is certain that much good speech is 
 bereft of power through the awkward deportment of the speaker ; 
 and therefore if I may in any measure redress the evil I will 
 cheerfully bear the criticism of my more sombre brethren. I am 
 deeply in earnest, however playful my remarks may seem to be. 
 These follies may be best shot at by the light arrows of ridicule, 
 and therefore I employ them, not being of the same mind as those 
 
 " Who think all virtue lies in gravity. 
 And smiles are symptoms of depi*avity." 
 
 The second form of the gi'otesque is not unlike the first, and 
 may be best distinguished as the i-egnlar and mechanical. Men in 
 this case move as if they were not living beings possessed of will 
 and intellect, but as if they were automatons formed to go through 
 prescribed movements at precise intervals. At the back of the 
 Tabernacle a cottager has placed over his house 
 a kind of vane, in the form of a little soldier, 
 which lifts first one arm and then the other 
 with rather an important air. It has made me 
 smile many a time by irresistibly reminding 
 
 me of , who alternately jerks each arm, or 
 
 if he allows one arm to lie still, chops the other 
 up and down as persistently as if he were 
 moved by wind or by clock-work. Up and 
 down, up and down the hand goes, turning 
 neither to the right nor to the left, ever)' oth( 
 movement being utterly abjured, except this 
 one monotonous ascent and descent. It mat- 
 ters little how unobjectionable a movement may 
 be in itself, it will become intolerable if it be 
 c;>ntinued without variation. Ludovicus Cresollius, of Brittany, 
 
POSTURE, ACTION", GESTURE, ETC. 119 
 
 (1620) in Ills treatise upon the action and pronunciation of an 
 orator, speaks somewhat strongly of a learned and polished 
 Parisian preacher, who had aroused his ire by the wearisome mo- 
 notony of his action. " When he turned himself to the left he 
 spoke a few words accompanied by a moderate gesture of the 
 hand, then bending to the right he acted the same part over again ; 
 tlien back again to the left, and presently to the right again : 
 almost at an equal and measured interval of time he worked 
 himself up to his usual gesture, and went through his one kind of 
 movement. You could compare him only to the blindfolded 
 Babylonian oxen going forward and turning back by the same 
 path. I was so disgusted that I shut my eyes, but even so I 
 could not get over the disagreeable impression of the speaker's 
 manner." 
 
 The prevailing House of Commons' style, so far as I have seen 
 it in public meetings, consists of an up and down movement of 
 the back and the hand ; one seems to see the M.P. bowing to Mr. 
 Speaker and the honourable house much as a waiter will do at 
 an eating-house when he is receiving an order for an elaborate 
 dinner. '' Yes sir," " Yes sir," " Yes sir," with a jerk between 
 each exclamation. The amusing rhyme with its short lines brings 
 many a parliamentary speaker before my mind's eye : — 
 
 " Mr, Tattat 
 You must not pat 
 Your arguments flat 
 On to the crown of another man's bat." 
 
 This is near akin to what has been accurately described as the 
 pump-handle style. This is to be witnessed very frequently, and 
 consists of a long series of jerkings of the arm, meant, perhajis, 
 to increase emphasis, but really doing nothing whatever. Speakers 
 of this sort remind us of Moore's conundrum, " Why is a pump 
 like Lord Castlereagh I " 
 
 " Because it is a slender tiling of wood, 
 
 That up and down its awkward arm doth sway. 
 And coolly spout, and spout, and spout away 
 In one weak, washy, everlasting flood. ' 
 
 Occasionally one meets with a saw-like action, in which the arm 
 seems lengthened and contracted alternately. This motion is carried 
 out to perfection when the orator leans over the rail, or over the 
 front of the pulpit, and cuts downward at the people, like the 
 top sawyer operating upon a piece of timber. One wonders how 
 
120 
 
 POSIURE, ACTIOX, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 many planks a man would cut in the time if he were really 
 working upon wood instead of sawing the air. We are all grateful 
 for converted sawyers, but we trust they will feel at liberty to 
 leave their saws behind them. 
 
 Much the same may be said for the numerous hammer-men who 
 are at work among us, Avho pound and smite at a great rate, to the 
 ruining of Bibles and the dusting of pulpit cushions. The pre- 
 decessors of these gentlemen w'ere celebrated by Hudibras in the 
 oft-quoted lines, — 
 
 " And puljiit drum ecclesiastic, 
 
 Was beat wilh fist instead of a stick." 
 
 Their one and only action is to hammer, hammer, hammer, without 
 sense or reason, whether the theme be pleasing or pathetic. They 
 
 preach with demonstration and 
 power, but evermore the manifes- 
 tation is the same. We dare not 
 say that they smite with the fist 
 of wickedness, but certainly they 
 do smite, and that most vigor- 
 ously. They set forth the sweet 
 influences of the Pleiades and 
 the gentle wooings of love with 
 blows of the fist ; and they en- 
 deavour to make you feel the 
 beauty and the tenderness of 
 their theme by strokes from their 
 never-ceasing hammer. 
 
 Some of them are dull enough 
 in all conscience, and do not even 
 hammer with a hearty good will, 
 and then the business becom.es 
 intolerable. One likes to hear a good noise, and see a man go in 
 for hammering vehemently, if the thing must be done at all ; but 
 the gentleman we have in our mind seldom or never warms to his 
 work, and merely smites because it is the way of hnn. 
 
 " You can hear him swing his heavy sledge, 
 With measured beat and slow." 
 
 If a man must strike, let him do it in earnest ; but there is no 
 need for perpetual pounding. There are better ways of becoming 
 striking preachers than by imitating the divine of whom his ])re- 
 centor said that he had dashed the inwards out of one Bible and 
 
rOSTURE, ACTION. GESTURE, ETC. 121 
 
 was far gone with another. In certain old Latin MSS. sermons, 
 with notes in the margin, tlie preacher is recommended to shake 
 the crucifix, and to hammer upon the pulpit like Satan himself! By 
 this means he was to collect his thoughts ; but one would not give 
 much for thoughts thus collected. Have any of our friends seen 
 these manuscripts and fallen in love with the directions? It 
 would seem so. 
 
 Now, the jerking, sawing, pumping, and pounding miglit all be 
 endurable and even appropriate if they were blended; but the per- 
 petual iteration of any one becomes wearisome and unmeaning. 
 The figures of Mandarins in a tea-shop, continually nodding their 
 heads, and the ladies in wax which revolve w^th uniform motions 
 in the hair-dresser's window, are not fit models for men who have 
 before them the earnest work of winning men to grace and virtue. 
 You ought to be so true, so real, so deeply in earnest, that mere 
 mechanical movements will be impossible to you, and everything 
 about you will betoken life, energy, concentrated faculty, and 
 intense zeal. 
 
 Another method of the grotesque may be correctly called the 
 laborious. Certain brethren will never fail in their ministry from 
 want of physical exertion : when they mount the rostrum they 
 mean hard work, and before long they puff and blow at it as if 
 they were labourers working by the piece. They enter upon a sermon 
 with the resolve to storm their way through it, and carry all before 
 them: the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence with them in 
 another sense besides that which is intended in Scripture. " How is 
 your new minister getting onf said an enquiring friend to a rustic 
 hearer. " Oh," said the man, " he's sure to get on, for he drives at 
 sin as if he were knocking down an ox." An excellent thing to 
 do in spirit, but not to be' performed literally. When I have occa- 
 sionally heard of a wild brother taking off his collar and cravat, 
 upon a very hot day, and even of his going so far as to divest Inmself 
 of his coat, I have thought that he was only putting himself into a 
 condition which the physical-force orator might desire, for he 
 evidently regards a sermon as a battle or a wrestling match. An 
 Irish thunderer of my acquaintance broke a chair during a decla- 
 mation against Popery, and I trembled for the table also. A 
 distinguished actor, who became a convert and a preacher 
 late in hf e, would repeatedly strike the table or floor with his staff 
 when he grew warm in a speech. He has made me wish to close 
 my ears when the smart raps of his cane have succeeded each 
 other with great rapidity and growing force. What was the 
 
122 POSTUEE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 peculiar use of the noise I could not tell, for we were all awake, 
 and his voice was sufficiently powerful. One did not mind it, how- 
 ever, from the grand old man, for it suited the " fine frenzy " of 
 his whole-hearted enthusiasm, but the noise was not so desirable 
 as to be largely called for from any of us. 
 
 Laborious action is frequently a relic of the preacher's trade in 
 former days : as an old hunter cannot quite forget the hounds, so 
 the good man cannot shake off the habits of the shop. One brother 
 "wdio has been a wheelwright always preaches as if he were making 
 wheels. If you understand the art of wheel wrigh ting, you can 
 see most of the processes illustrated during one of his liveliest dis- 
 courses. You can detect the engineer in another friend, the cooper 
 in a third, and the grocer with his scales in a fourth. A brother 
 who has been a butcher is pretty sure to show us how to knock 
 down a bullock when he gets at all argumentative. As I have 
 watched the discourse proceed from strength to strength, and the 
 preacher has warmed to his work, I have thought to myself, "Here 
 comes the pole-axe, there goes the fat ox, down falls the prize bul- 
 lock." Now, these reminiscences of former occupations are never 
 very blameworthy, and are at all times less obnoxious than the 
 altogether inexcusable awkwardnesses of gentlemen who from their 
 youth up have dwelt in the halls of learning. These will sometimes 
 labour quite as much, but with far less likeness to useful occupa- 
 tions ; they beat the air and work hard at doing nothing. Gentle- 
 men from the universities are frequently more hideous in their 
 action than commonplace people; perhaps their education may 
 have deprived them of confidence, and made them all the more 
 fidgety and awkward. 
 
 It has occurred to me that some speakers fancy that they are 
 beating carpets, or chopping sticks, or mincing sausage-meat, or 
 patting butter, or poking their fingers into people's eyes. Oh, 
 could they see themselves as others see them, they might cease 
 thus to perform before the pviblic, and save their bodily exercise 
 for other occasions. After all, I prefer the vigorous, laborious dis- 
 plays to the more easy and even stately airs of certain self-possessed 
 talkers. One rubs his hands too-ether with abounding self- 
 
 CD O 
 
 satisfaction, 
 
 " Wasliing his hands with invisible soap 
 In imperceptible water," 
 
 and meanwhile utters the veriest platitudes with the air of a man 
 Avho is outdoing Robert Hall or Chalmers. Another pauses and looks 
 round with a dio;nified air, as if he had communicated inestimable 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 123 
 
 infonnation to a higlily fav^oured body of individuals who might 
 reasonably be expected to rise in a state of intense excitement 
 and express their overwhelming sense of obligation. Nothing 
 has been said beyond the merest schoolboy talk ; but the air 
 of dignity, the attitude of authority, the very tone of the man, 
 all show how thoroughly satisfied he is. This is not laborious 
 preaching, but it occurs to me to mention it because it is the very 
 reverse, and is so much more to be condemned. A few simpletons 
 are, no doubt, imposed upon, and fancy that a man must be saying 
 something great when he delivers himself in a pompous manner ; 
 but sensible persons are at first amused and afterwards disgusted 
 with the big manner, " a la grand seigneurr One of the great 
 advantages of our College training is the certainty that an inflated 
 mannerism is sure to be abated by the amiable eagerness with 
 which all ovir students delight in rescuing a brother from this 
 peril. ]\Iany wind-bags have collapsed in this room beneath your 
 tender handling, never, I hope, to be puffed out to their former 
 dimensions. There are some in the ministry of all the churches 
 wdio would be marvellously benefited by a little of the very candid 
 if not savage criticisms which have been endured by budding 
 orators at your hands. I would that every minister who has 
 missed such an instructive martyrdom could find a friend suffi- 
 ciently honest to point out to him any oddities of manner into 
 which he may insensibly have fallen. 
 
 But here we must not overlook another laborious orator who is 
 in our mind's eye. We will name him the perpetual motion 
 preacher, who is all action, and lifts his finger, or waves his hand, 
 or strikes his palm at every word. He is never at rest for a 
 moment. So eager is he to be emphatic that he effectually defeats 
 his object, for where every word is emphasized by a gesture nothing 
 whatever is emphatic. This brother takes off men's minds from 
 his words to his movements : the eye actually carries the thoughts 
 away from the ear, and so a second time the preacher's end is 
 missed. This continual motion greatly agitates some hearers, and 
 gives them the fidgets, and no wonder, for who can endure to see 
 such incessant patting, and pointing, and waving? In action, as 
 well as everything else, " let your moderation be known unto all 
 men." 
 
 Thus I have mentioned three species of the grotesque — the 
 stiff, the mechanical, and the laborious — and I have also glanced 
 at the lazily dignified. I will close the list by mentioning two 
 others. There is the martial, which also sufficiently borders on the 
 
124 
 
 POSTUKE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 grotesque to be placed in this category. Some preachers appear to 
 be fighting the good fight of faith every time they stand before a 
 congregation. They put themselves into a fencing attitude, and 
 either stand on guard against an imaginary foe, or else assault the 
 unseen adversary with stern determination. They could not look 
 more fierce if they were at the head of a regiment of cavalry, nor 
 seem more satisfied at the end of each division of discourse if they 
 had fought a series of Waterloos. They turn their heads on one 
 side with a triumphant air, as if about to say — " I have routed 
 that enemy, and we shall hear no more of /am." 
 
 The last singularity of action which I shall place under this 
 head is the ill-timed. In this case the hands do not keep time with 
 the lips. The good brother is a little behindhand with his action, 
 and therefore the whole operation is out of order. You cannot at 
 first make the man out at all : he appears to chop and thump with- 
 out rhyme or reason, but at last you perceive that his present 
 action is quite appropriate to what he said a few seconds before. 
 The effect is strange to the last degree. It puzzles those who do 
 not possess the key to it, and Avhen fully understood it loses none 
 of its oddness. 
 
 Besides these oddities, there is a class of action which must, to 
 
 use the mildest term, be 
 described as altogether icgli/. 
 For these a platform is 
 "generally necessary," for a 
 man cannot make himself so 
 thoroughly ridiculous when 
 concealed in a pulpit. To 
 grasp a rail, and to drop 
 down lower and lower till 
 you almost touch the ground 
 is supremely absurd. It may 
 be a proper position as a 
 prelude to an agile gym- 
 nastic feat, but as an accom- 
 paniment to eloquence it is 
 monstrous; yet have I seen it more than once. I have found it 
 difficult to convey to my artist the extraordinary position, but the 
 woodblock may help to show what is meant, and also to render 
 the attitude obsolete. One or two brethren have disported them- 
 selves upon my platform in this queer mannei', and they are quite 
 welcome to do the same again, if upon seeing themselves thus 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE. ETC. 
 
 125 
 
 roughly sketched they consider the posture to be commanding and 
 impressive. It would be far better for such remarkable performers 
 if it were reported of them as of that great Wesleyan, Richard 
 Watson : " He stood perfectly erect, and nearly all the action that 
 he used was a slight motion of the right hand, with occasionally 
 a significant shake of the head." 
 
 The habit of shrua^o-inop the shoulders has been allowed to 
 tyrannise over some preachers. A number of men are round- 
 shouldered by nature, and many more seem determined to appear 
 so, for when they have anything weighty to deliver they back 
 themselves up by elevating their backs. An excellent preacher 
 at Bristol, lately deceased, would hunch first one shoulder and 
 then another as his great thoughts struggled fortli, and when they 
 obtained utterance he looked like a hunchback till tlie effort was 
 
 over. What a pity that such 
 a habit had become inveterate! 
 How desirable to avoid its forma- 
 tion ! Quinctilian says: "Some 
 people raise up their shoulders in 
 speaking, but this is a fault in 
 gesture. Demosthenes, in order 
 to cure himself of it, used to 
 stand in a narrow pulpit, and 
 practise speaking with a spear 
 hano-ins over his shoulder, in such 
 a manner that if in the heat 
 of delivery he failed to avoid this 
 fault, he would be corrected by 
 hurting himself against the point." 
 This is a sharp remedy, but the 
 gain would be worth an occasional 
 wound if men who distort the 
 human form could thus be cured 
 of the fault. 
 
 At a public meeting upon one occasion a gentleman who ap- 
 peared to be very much at home and to speak with a great deal 
 of familiar superiority, placed his hands behind him under his 
 coat tails, and thus produced a very singular figure, especially 
 to those who took a side view from the platform. As the 
 speaker became more animated, he moved his tails with greater 
 frequency, reminding the observer of a water-wagtail. It 
 must be seen to be appreciated, but one exhibition will be 
 
126 
 
 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 enough to convince any sensible man that however graceful a 
 dress coat may be, it by no means ministers to the solem- 
 nity of the occasion to see the tails of that garment projecting 
 from the orator's rear. You may also have seen at meetings the 
 gentleman who places his hands on his hips, and either looks as if 
 he defied all the world, or as if he endured considerable pain. 
 This position savours of Billingsgate and its fish-women far more 
 
 than of sacred eloquence. The 
 arms ' ' a kimbo," I think they call 
 it, and the very sound of the 
 word suggests the ridiculous ra- 
 ther than the sublime. We may 
 drop into it for the moment rightly 
 enough, but to deliver a speech 
 in that posture is preposterous. 
 It is even worse to stand with 
 your hands in your trousers like 
 the people one sees at French 
 railway stations, who probably 
 thrust their hands into their 
 pockets because there is nothing 
 else there, and nature abhors a 
 vacuum. For a finger in the 
 waistcoat pocket for a moment 
 no one will be blamed, but to 
 thrust the hands into the trou- 
 sers is outrageous. An utter contempt for audience and subject 
 must have been felt before a man could come to this. Gentlemen, 
 because you are gentlemen, you will never need to be warned of 
 this practice, for you will not descend to it. Once in a while before 
 a superfinely genteel and affected audience a man may be tempted 
 to shock their foolish gentility by a freedom and easiness which is 
 meant to be the protest of a brusque manliness ; but to see a man 
 ])reach the gospel with his hands in his pockets does not remind 
 you of either a prophet or an apostle. There are brethren who do 
 this ever and anon who can afford to do it from their general 
 force of character : these are the very men who should do nothing 
 of the kind, because their example is powerful, and they are some- 
 what responsible for the weaklings who copy them. 
 
 Another unseemly style is nearly allied to the last, though it is 
 not quite so objectionable. It may be seen at public dinners of the 
 common order, where white Avaistcoats need a little extra display, 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 127 
 
 and at gatherings of artizans where an employer has given his men 
 
 a treat, and is responding to the toast of " the firm." Occasionally 
 
 it is exhibited at religious meetings, where the speaker is a man of 
 
 local importance, 
 
 and feels that he 
 
 is monarch of all 
 
 he surveys. In this 
 
 case the thumbs 
 
 are inserted in the 
 
 arm-holes of the 
 
 waistcoat, and the 
 
 speaker throws 
 
 back his coat and 
 
 reveals the lower 
 
 part of the vest. 
 
 I have called this 
 
 the penguin style, 
 
 and 1 am unable 
 
 to find a better 
 
 comparison. For a footman or a coachman at a soiree, or for a 
 
 member of the United Order of Queer Fellows, this attitude may 
 
 be suitable and dignified, and a venerable sire at a family gathering 
 
 may talk to his boys and girls in that position ; but for a public 
 
 speaker, and much more for a minister, as a general habit, it is 
 
 as much out of character as a posture can be. 
 
 First cousin to this fashion is that of holding on to the coat near 
 the collar, as if the speaker considered it necessary to hold himself 
 Avell in hand. Some grasp firmly, and then run the hands up and 
 down as if they meant to double the coat in a neAV place, or to 
 lengthen the collar. They a])pear to hang upon their coat-fronts 
 like a man clutching at two ropes : one wonders the garment does 
 not split at the back of the neck. This practice adds nothing to 
 the force or perspicuity of a speaker's style, and its probable sig- 
 nification is, " I am quite at ease, and greatly enjoy hearing my 
 own voice." 
 
 As it would be well to stamp out as many uglinesses as possible, 
 I shall mention even those which are somewhat rare. I remem- 
 ber an able ministar who was accustomed to look into the palm of 
 liis left hand while with his right he appeared to pick out his ideas 
 therefrom. Divisions, illustrations, and telling points all seemed 
 to be growing in his palm like so many flowers; and these he seemed 
 carefully to take up by the roots one by one and exhibit to the 
 
123 
 
 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 people. It mattered little, for his thought was of a high order of 
 excellence, but yet the action was by no means graceful. 
 
 A preacher of no mean order was wont to lift his fist to his brow 
 and to tap his forehead gently, as if he must needs knock at the 
 mind's door to wake up his thoughts : this also was more peculiar 
 than forcible. 
 
 To point into the left hand with the first finger of the right as 
 if borincT small holes into it, or to use the aforesaid pointed finger 
 as if you were stabbing the air, is another freak of action which 
 has its amusing side. 
 
 Passing the hand over the brow when the thought is deep, and 
 the exact word is not easy to find, is a very natural motion, but 
 scratching the head is by no means equally advisable, though per- 
 haps quite as natural. I have seen this last piece of action carried 
 to considerable lengths, but I was never enamoured of it. 
 
 I cannot avoid mentioning an accidental grotesqueness which is ex- 
 ceedingly common. Some brethren 
 always lay down the law with an 
 outspread hand, which they con- 
 tinue to move up and down with 
 the rhythm of every sentence. 
 Now this action is excellent in its 
 way if not carried on too mo- 
 notonously, but unfortunately it is 
 liable to accidents. If the earn- 
 est orator continues to lift his 
 
 hand upward and downward he 
 is in great danger of frequently 
 presenting the aspect which my 
 artist has depicted. The action 
 verges upon the symbolic, but 
 unhappily the symbol has been 
 somewhat vulgarized, and has 
 been described as " putting the 
 thumb of scorn to the nose of con- 
 tempt." Some men unwittingly perpetrate this a score times 
 during a discourse. 
 
 You have laughed at these portraits which I have drawn for 
 your edification — take care that no one has to laugh at you 
 because you fall into these or similar absurdities of action. 
 
 I must confess, however, that I do not think so badly of any 
 of these, or all of them put together, as I do of tlw superfine 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 120 
 
 style, which is utterly despicable and abominable. It is worse 
 than the commonly vulgar, for it is the very essence of vulgarity, 
 flavoured with affectations and airs of gentility. Rowland Hill 
 sketched the thing which I condemn in his portrait of Mr. 
 Taplash ; of course it was a more correct representation as to detail 
 fifty years ago than it is now, but in the main features it is still 
 sufficiently accurate : '' The orator, when he first made his appear- 
 ance, would be primmed and dressed up in the most finished style ; 
 not a hair would be found out of place on his empty pate, on which 
 the barber had been exercising his occupation all the Sunday 
 morning, and powdered till as white as the driven snow. Thus 
 elegantly decorated, and smelling like a civet-cat, through an 
 abundance of perfumery, he would scent the air as he passed. 
 Then, with a most conceited skip, he would step into the pulpit, 
 as though stepping out of a band-box ; and here he had not only 
 to display his elegant production, but his elegant self also : his 
 delicate white hand, exhibiting his diamond ring, while his richly- 
 scented white handkerchief was unfurled, and managed with 
 remarkable dexterity and art. His smelling-bottle was next 
 occasionally presented to his nose, giving different opportunities 
 to display his sparkling ring. Thus having adjusted the im- 
 portant business of the handkerchief and the smelling-bottle, he 
 had next to take out his glass, that he might reconnoitre the fair 
 part of his auditory, with whom he might have been gallanting 
 and entertaining them with his cheap talk the day before : and 
 these, as soon as he could catch their eye, he would favour with a 
 simpering look, and a graceful nod." 
 
 This is a pungent prose version of Cowper's review of certain 
 " messengers of grace" who "relapsed into themselves" when the 
 sermon was ended : very little selves they must have been. 
 
 "Forth comes the pocket mirror. First we stroke 
 An eyebrow ; next compose a straggling lock ; 
 Then with an air, most gracefully performed, 
 Fall back into our seat, extend an arm ' 
 
 And lay it at its ease with gentle care, 
 With handkerchief in hand depending low. 
 The better hand more busy gives the nose 
 Its bergamot, or aids the indebted eye, 
 With opera glass, to watch the moving scene, 
 And recognize the slow retiring fair. — 
 Now this is fulsome, and oifends me more 
 Than in a churchman slovenly neglect 
 And rustic coarseness would." 
 
 10 
 
130 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 " Rustic coarseness " is quite refreshing after one has been 
 wearied with inane primness. Well did Cicero exhort orators to 
 adopt their gestures rather from the camp or the wrestling ring 
 than from the dancei*s with their effeminate niceties. Manliness 
 must never be sacrificed to elegance. Our working classes will 
 never be brought even to consider the truth of Christianity by 
 teachers who are starched and fine. The British artizan admires 
 manliness, and prefers to lend his ear to one who speaks in a 
 hearty and natural style : indeed, working men of all nations are 
 more likely to be struck by a brave negligence than by a foppish 
 attention to personal appearances. The story told by the Abbe 
 Mullois is, we suspect, only one of a numerous class.* " A con- 
 verted Parisian operative, a man of a wilful but frank disposition, 
 full of energy and spirit, who had often spoken with great success 
 at the clubs composed of men of his own class, was asked by 
 the preacher who had led him to God, to inform him by what 
 instrumentality he, who had once been so far estranged from reli- 
 gion, had eventually been restored to the faith. "Your doing 
 so," said his interrogator, " may be useful to me in my efforts to 
 reclaim others." 
 
 " I would rather not," replied he, " for I must candidly tell 
 you that you do not figure very conspicuously in the case." 
 
 '' No matter," said the other, " it will not be the first time that 
 I have heard the same remark." 
 
 " Well, if you must hear it, I can tell you in a few words how 
 it took place. A good woman had pestered me to read your 
 little book — pardon the expression, I used to speak in that style 
 in those days. On reading a few pages, I was so impressed that 
 I felt a strong desire to see you. 
 
 " I was told that you preached in a certain church, and I went 
 to hear you. Your sermon had some further effect upon me ; but, 
 to speak frankly, very little ; comparatively, indeed, none at all. 
 What did much more for me was your open, and simple, and good- 
 natured manner, and, above all, your ill-combed hair ; for I have 
 always detested those priests whose heads remind one of a hairdi^esser^s 
 assistant ; and I said to myself, ' That man forgets himself on 
 our behalf, we ought, therefore, to do something for his sake.' 
 Thereupon I determined to pay you a visit, and you bagged me. 
 Such was the beginning and end of the affair." 
 
 There are silly young ladies who are in raptures Avith a dear 
 
 * M. L'Abbe Isidore Mullois, in his work, " The Clergy and the Pulpit in their 
 Relations to the People." 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 131 
 
 young man whose main thought is his precious person ; these, it 
 is to be hoped, are becoming fewer every day : but as for sensible 
 men, and especially the sturdy workmen of our great cities, they 
 utterly abhor foppery in a minister. Wherever you see affectation 
 you find at once a barrier between that man and the common- 
 sense multitude. Few ears are delighted with the voices of 
 peacocks. 
 
 It is a pity that we cannot persuade all ministers to be men, for 
 it is hard to see how otherwise they will be truly men of God. 
 It is equally to be deplored that we cannot induce preachers to 
 speak and gesticulate like other sensible persons, for it is impossible 
 that they should grasp the masses till they do. All foreign 
 matters of attitude, tone, or dress are barricades between us and 
 the people : we must talk like men if we would win men. The 
 late revival of milhnery in the Anglican Church is for this reason, 
 as well as for far graver ones, a step in the wrong direction. A 
 hundred years ago the dressiness of the clergy was about as con- 
 spicuous as it is now, but it had no doctrinal meaning, and was 
 mere foppery, if Lloyd is to be believed in his *' Metrical Plea for 
 Curates." 
 
 He abuses rectors very heartily, and among the rest describes 
 a canonical beau : — 
 
 " Behold Nugoso ! wriggling, shuffling on, 
 A mere church-puppet, an automaton 
 In orders : note its tripping, mincing pace, 
 Keligion creams and mantles in its face ! 
 It's all religion from the top to toe ! 
 But milliners and barbers made it so. 
 It wears religion in the modish way, 
 It brushes, starches, combs it every day : 
 Its orthodoxy lies in outward things. 
 In beavers, cassocks, gowns, bands, gloves, and rings : 
 It shows its learning by its doctor's hood, 
 And proves its goodness, — 'cause its clothes are good." 
 
 This fondness for comely array led to a stiff propriety in the pulpit : 
 they called it " dignity," and prided themselves upon it. Propriety 
 and decorum were their chief concern, and these were mingled 
 with pomposity or foolish simpering according to the creature's 
 pecuharities, until honest men grew weary of their hollow per- 
 formances and turned away from such stilted ministrations. The 
 preachers were too much concerned to be proper to have any con- 
 cern to be useful. The gestures which would have made their 
 words a little more intelligible they would not condescend to use, 
 
132 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 for what cared they for the vulgar? If persons of taste were 
 satisfied, they had all the reward they desired, and meanwhile the 
 multitudes were perishing for lack of knowledge. God save us 
 from fine deportment and genteel propriety if these are to keep 
 the masses in alienation from the public worship of God. 
 
 In our own day this sickening affectation is, we hope, far 
 more rare, but it still survives. We had the honour of knowing 
 a minister who could not preach without his black kid gloves, and 
 when he upon one occasion found himself in a certain pulpit with- 
 out them, he came down into the vestry for them. Unfortunately 
 one of the deacons had carried into his pew, not his own hat, as he 
 intended, but the preacher's, and while this discovery was being 
 made, the divine was in terrible trepidation, exclaiming, " I never 
 do preach without gloves. I cannot do it. I cannot go into the 
 pulpit till you find them." I wish he never had found them, for 
 he was more fitted to stand behind a draper's counter than to 
 occupy the sacred desk. Slovenliness of any sort is to be avoided 
 in a minister, but manliness more often falls into this fault than 
 into the other effeminate vice ; therefore shun most heartily this 
 worst error. Cowper says, 
 
 " In my soul I loathe all affectation," 
 
 and so does every sensible man. All tricks and stage effects are un- 
 bearable when the message of the Lord is to be delivered. Better 
 a ragged dress and rugged speech, with artless, honest manner, than 
 clerical foppery. Better far to violate every canon of gracefulness 
 than to be a mere performer, a consummate actor, a player upon 
 a religious stage. The caricaturist of twenty years ago favoured 
 me with the name of Brimstone, and placed side by side with me a 
 simpering elocutionist whom he named Treacle. I was thoroughly 
 satisfied with my lot, but I could not have said as much if I had 
 been represented by the companion portrait. Molasses and other 
 sugary matters are sickening to me. Jack-a-dandy in the pulpit 
 makes me feel as Jehu did when he saw Jezebel's decorated 
 head and painted face, and cried in indignation, "Fling her 
 down." 
 
 It would greatly trouble me if any of my remarks upon grotesque 
 action should lead even one of you to commence posturing and 
 performing ; this would be to fly from bad to worse. We men- 
 tioned that Dr. Hamilton took lessons from a master, in order to 
 escape from his infirmity, but the result was manifestly not very 
 encouraging, and I gravely fear that more faults are created than 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 133 
 
 cured by professional teachers : perhaps the same result may follow 
 from my own amateur attempt, but I would at least prevent that 
 misfortune as far as possible by earnest warnings. Do not think 
 of how you will gesticulate when you preach, but learn the art of 
 doing the right thing without giving it any thought at all. 
 
 Our last rule is one which sums up all the others ; he natural in 
 your action. Shun the very appearance of studied gesture. Art 
 is cold, only natm*e is warm ; let grace keep you clear of all 
 seeming, and in every action, and in every place, be truthful, 
 even if you should be considered rough and uncultivated. Your 
 mannerism must always be your own, it must never be a polished 
 lie, and what is the aping of gentility, the simulation of passion, 
 
 BRIMSTONE 
 
 the feigning of emotion, or the mimicry of another man's mode of 
 delivery but a practical lie. 
 
 " Therefore, avaunt all attitude and stare, 
 And start theatric, practised at the glass !" 
 
 Our object is to remove the excrescences of uncouth nature, not to 
 produce artificiality and affectation ; we would prune the tree and 
 by no means clip it into a set form. We would have our students 
 think of action while they are with us at college, that they may 
 never have need to think of it in after days. The matter is too 
 inconsiderable to be made a part of your weekly study when you 
 get into the actual battle of ministerial life ; you must attend to 
 
134 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 the subject now, and have done with it. You are not sent of God 
 to court smiles but to win souls ; your teacher is not the dancing- 
 master, but the Holy Spirit, and your pulpit manner is only worth 
 a moment's thought because it may hinder your success by causing 
 people to make remarks about the preacher when you want all 
 their thoughts for the subject. If the best action had this effect 
 I would urge you to forswear it, and if the worst gestures would 
 prevent such a result I would advise you to practise them. All 
 that I aim at is to advocate quiet, graceful, natural movements, 
 because they are the least likely to be observed. The whole 
 business of delivery should be one ; everything should harmonize ; 
 the thought, the spirit, the language, the tone, and the action 
 should be all of a piece, and the whole should be, not for the 
 winning of honour to ourselves, but for the glory of God and 
 the good of men ; if it be so there is no fear of your violating the 
 rule as to being natural, for it will not occur to you to be other- 
 wise. Yet have I one fear, and it is this: you may fall into a 
 foolish imitation of some admired minister, and this will to some 
 extent put you off from the right track. Each man's action should 
 suit himself and grow out of his own personality. The style of 
 Dr. Goliath, who is six feet high, will not fit the stature and 
 person of our friend Short who is a Zaccheus among preachers ; 
 neither will the respectable mannerism of an aged and honoured 
 divine at all befit the youthful Apollos who is barely out of his 
 teens. I have heard that for a season quite a number of young 
 Congregational ministers imitated the pastor of the Weigh House, 
 and so there were little Binneys everywhere copying the great 
 Thomas in everything except his thoughtful preaching. A ru- 
 mour is current that there are one or two young Spurgeons about, 
 but if so I hope that the reference is to my own sons, who have a 
 right to the name by birth. If any of you become mere copyists 
 of me I shall regard you as thorns in the flesh, and rank you 
 among those whom Paul says " we suffer gladly." Yet it has been 
 wisely said that every beginner must of necessity be for a time a 
 copyist ; the artist follows his master while as yet he has barely 
 acquired the elements of the art, and perhaps for life he remains 
 a painter of the school to which he at first attached himself ; but 
 as he becomes proficient he develops his own individuality, grows 
 into a painter with a style of his own, and is all the better and 
 none the worse for having been in his earliest days content to 
 sit at a master's feet. It is of necessity the same in oratory, and 
 therefore it may be too much to say never copy anyone, but it 
 
POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC 
 
 135 
 
 may be better to exhort you to imitate the best action you can 
 find, in order that your own style during its formation may be 
 rightly moulded. Correct the influence of any one man by what 
 you see of excellence in others ; but still create a manner of your 
 own. Slavish imitation is the practice of an ape, but to follow 
 another where he leads aright, and there only, is the wisdom of a 
 prudent man. Still never let a natural originality be missed by 
 your imitating the best models of antiquity, or the most esteemed 
 among the moderns. 
 
 In conclusion, do not allow my criticisms upon various gro- 
 tesque postures and movements to haunt you in the pulpit ; better 
 perpetrate them all than be in fear, for this would make you 
 cramped and awkward. Dash at it whether you blunder or no. 
 A few mistakes in this matter will not be half so bad as being 
 nervous. It may be that what would be eccentric in another 
 may be most proper in you ; therefore take no man's dictum as 
 applicable to every case, or to 
 your own. See how John 
 Knox is pictured in the well- 
 known engraving. Is his 
 posture graceful? Perhaps 
 not. Yet is it not exactly 
 what it should be ? Can you 
 find any fault with it ? Is it 
 not Knox-like, and full of 
 power ? It would not suit one 
 man in fifty ; in most preachers 
 it would seem strained, but in 
 the great Reformer it is cha- 
 racteristic, and accords with 
 his life-work. You must re- 
 member the person, the times 
 and his surroundings, and 
 then the mannerism is seen 
 to be well becoming a hero- 
 preacher sent to do an Elijah's work, and to utter his rebukes in 
 the presence of a Popish court which hated the reforms which he 
 demanded. Be yourself as he was himself ; even if you should be 
 ungainly and awkward, be yourself. Your own clothes, though 
 they be homespun, will fit you better than another man's, though 
 made of the best broadcloth ; you may follow your tutor's style of 
 dress if you like, but do not borrow his coat, be content to wear 
 
136 POSTURE, ACTION, GESTURE, ETC. 
 
 one of your own. Above all, be so full of matter, so fervent, and 
 so gracious that the people will little care how you hand out the 
 word ; for if they perceive that it is fresh from heaven, and find 
 it sweet and abundant, they will pay little regard to the basket in 
 which you bring it to them. Let them, if they please, say that 
 your bodily presence is weak, but pray that they may confess that 
 your testimony is weighty and powerful. Commend yourself to 
 every man's conscience in the sight of God, and then the mere 
 mint and anise of posture will seldom be taken into account. 
 
 While preparing this lecture it occurred to me to copy a plate 
 which I found in Austin's Chironomia, in the hope that it may 
 afford some direction to young speakers. As my lecture mainly 
 shows lioio not to do it, this may be a little help in the positive 
 direction. Of course I do not recommend that so much action 
 should be used in reciting this one piece, or any other; but I 
 would suggest that each posture should be considered apart. Most 
 of the attitudes are natural, striking, and instructive. I do not 
 admire them all, for they are here and there a little forced, but as 
 a whole I know of no better lesson in so short a compass, and 
 being in verse the words will be the more easily remembered. 
 
 Considerable expense has been incurred in producino- these 
 plates and the wood-engravings of the previous lectures, and 
 therefore the present volume of lectures is a few pages shorter 
 than its predecessor ; but anxiety to do the thing thoroughly for the 
 good of my younger brethren has led me to insert what I earnestlv 
 hope will be of some slight service to them. Often a mere hint is 
 sufficient. Wise men from one example learn all, and I trust 
 that the following illustrations may suffice to give to many be- 
 ginners the clue to proper and expressive attitude and gesture. 
 
137 
 
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 S as 
 
139 
 
 5- 5 
 
 
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 kS; ^3 
 
 
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 <5 
 
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 «:^ 
 
141 
 
 
 ^ J^ 
 
 Q^ 
 
 
14^ 
 
 
 Si^ 
 
LECTURE VIII. 
 ■^amt^litcss : its UTromg tinir UTamtnmita. 
 
 If I were asked — What in a Christian minister is the most 
 essential quality for securing success in winning souls for Christ? I 
 should reply, "earnestness": and if I were asked a second or a 
 third time, I should not vary the answer, for personal observation 
 drives me to the conclusion that, as a rule, real success is propor- 
 tionate to the preacher's earnestness. Both great men and little 
 men succeed if they are thoroughly alive unto God, and fail if they 
 are not so. We know men of eminence wlio have gained a high 
 reputation, who attract large audiences, and obtain much admira- 
 tion, who nevertheless are very low in the scale as soul-winnei's : for 
 all they do in that direction they might as well have been lecturers 
 on anatomy, or political orators. At the same time we have seen 
 their compeers in ability so useful in the business of conversion that 
 evidently their acquirements and gifts have been no hindrance to 
 them, but the reverse ; for by the intense and devout use of their 
 powers, and by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they have turned 
 many to righteousness. We have seen brethren of very scanty 
 abilities who have been terrible drags upon a church, and have 
 proved as inefficient in their spheres as blind men in an observa- 
 tory; but, on the other hand, men of equally small attainments are 
 well known to us as mighty hunters before the Lord, by whose holy 
 energy many hearts have been captured for the Saviour. I de- 
 light in M'Cheyne's remark, " It is not so much great talents that 
 God blesses, as great likeness to Christ." In many instances minis- i 
 tei'ial success is traceable almost entirely to an intense zeal, a con- 
 suming passion for souls, and an eager enthusiasm in the cause of 
 God, and we believe that in every case, other things being equal, 
 men prosper in the divine service in proportion as their hearts are 
 blazing with holy love. " The God that answereth by fire, let 
 him be God "; and the man who has the tongue of fire, let him be 
 God's minister. 
 
 11 
 
146 EARNESTNESS: ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 Brethren, you and I must, as preachers, he always earnest in 
 reference to our pulpit work. Here we must labour to attain the 
 very highest degree of excellence. Often have I said to my brethren 
 that the pulpit is the Thermopylae of Christendom : there the fight 
 will be lost or won. To us ministers the maintenance of our power 
 in the pulpit should be our great concern, we must occupy that 
 spiritual watch-tower with our hearts and minds awake and in 
 full vigour. It will not avail us to be laborious pastors if we 
 are not earnest preachers. We shall be forgiven a great many 
 sins in the matter of pastoral visitation if the people's souls 
 are really fed on the Sabbath-day ; but fed they must be, and 
 nothing else will make up for it. The failures of most ministers 
 who drift down the stream may be traced to inefficiency in the 
 pulpit. The chief business of a captain is to know how to handle 
 his vessel, nothing can compensate for deficiency there, and so our 
 pulpits must be our main care, or all will go awry. Dogs often 
 fight because the supply of bones is scanty, and congregations 
 frequently quarrel because they do not get sufficient spiritual 
 meat to keep them happy and peaceful. The ostensible ground of 
 dissatisfaction may be something else, but nine times out of ten 
 deficiency in their rations is at the bottom of the mutinies which 
 occur in our churches. Men, like all other animals, know when 
 they are fed, and they usually feel good tempered after a meal ; 
 and so when our hearers come to the house of God, and obtain 
 " food convenient for them," they forget a great many grievances 
 in the joy of the festival, but if we send them away hungry 
 they will be in as irritable a mood as a bear robbed of her 
 whelps. 
 
 Now, in order that we may be acceptable, ice must he earnest 
 when actually enrjaged in preaching. Cecil has well said that the 
 spirit and manner of a preacher often effect more than his matter. 
 To go into the pulpit with the listless air of those gentlemen who 
 loll about, and lean upon the cushion as if they had at last reached 
 a quiet resting place, is, I think, most censurable. To rise before 
 the people to deal out commonplaces which have cost you nothing, 
 as if anything would do for a sermon, is not merely derogatory 
 to the dignity of our office, but is offensive in the sight of God. 
 AVe must be earnest in the pulpit for our own sakes, for we shall 
 not long be able to maintain our position as leaders in th© 
 church of God if we are dull. Moreover, for the sake of our 
 church members, and converted people, we must be energetic, 
 for if we are not zealous, neither will they be. It is not in the 
 
EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 147 
 
 order of nature that rivers should run uphill, and it does not often 
 liappen that zeal rises from the pew to the pulpit. It is natural 
 that it should flow down from us to our hearers ; the pulpit must 
 therefore stand at a high level of ardour, if we are, under God, to 
 make and to keep oui* people fervent. Those who attend our 
 ministry have a great deal to do during the week. Many of them 
 have family trials, and heavy personal burdens to carry, and they 
 frequently come into the assembly cold and listless, with thoughts 
 wandering hither and thither ; it is ours to take those thoughts 
 and thrust them into the furnace of our own earnestness, melt them 
 by holy contemplation and by intense appeal, and pour them out into 
 the mould of the truth. A blacksmith can do nothing Avhen his 
 fire is out, and in this respect he is the type of a minister. If all 
 the lights in the outside world are quenched, the lamp which burns 
 in the sanctuary ought still to remain undimmed ; for that fire no 
 carfew must ever be rung. We must regard the people as the 
 wood and the sacrifice, well wetted a second and a third time by the 
 cares of the week, upon which, like the prophet, we must pray 
 down the fire from heaven. A dull minister creates a dull 
 audience. You cannot expect the office-bearers and the members 
 of the church to travel by steam if their own chosen pastor still 
 drives the old broadwheeled wafjo-on. We ouo;ht each one to be like 
 that reformer who is described as " Vividus vultus, vividi occuU, 
 vividce tnamifi, denique omnia vivida,'^ which I would rather freely 
 render — " a countenance beaming with life, eyes and hands full of 
 life, in fine, a vivid preacher, altogether alive," 
 
 " Thy soul must overflow, if thou 
 
 Another's soul would reach, 
 It needs the overflow of heart 
 To give the lips full speech." 
 
 The world also will suffer as well as the church if we are not 
 fervent. We cannot expect a gospel devoid of earnestness to 
 liave any mighty effect upon the unconverted around us. One 
 of the excuses most soporific to the conscience of an ungodly 
 generation is that of half-heartedness in the preacher. If the 
 sinner finds the preacher nodding while he talks of judgment to 
 come, he concludes that the judgment is a thing which the 
 preacher is dreaming about, and he resolves to regard it all as 
 mere fiction. The whole outside Avorld receives serious danger 
 from the cold-hearted preacher, for it draws the same conclusion as 
 the individual sinner : it perseveres in its own listlessness, it gives 
 its strength to its own transient objects, and thinks itself wise for 
 
148 EARNESTNESS: ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 SO doiBg. How can it be otherwise ? If the prophet leaves his heart 
 behind him when he professes to speak in the name of God, what 
 can he expect but that the ungodly around him will persuade 
 themselves that tliere is nothing in his message, and that his 
 commission is a farce. 
 
 Hear how Whitcfield preached, and never dare to be lethargic 
 again. Winter says of him that " sometimes he exceedingly wept, 
 and was frequently so overcome, that for a few seconds you would 
 suspect he never would recover ; &nd when he did, nature required 
 some little time to compose herself. I hardly ever knew him go 
 through a sermon without weeping more or less. His voice was 
 often interrupted by his affections ; and I have heard him say in 
 the pulpit, ' JTou blame me for weeping ; but how can I help it, 
 when you will not weep for yourselves, although your own im- 
 mortal souls are on the verge of destruction, and, for aught I know, 
 you are hearing your last sermon, and may never more have an 
 opportunity to have Christ offered to you V " 
 
 JSarnestness in the pulpit imist he real. It is not to be mimicked. 
 We liave seen it counterfeited, but every person with a grain of 
 sense could detect ^the imposition. To stamp the foot, to smite 
 the desk, to perspire, to shout, to bawl, to quote the pathetic por- 
 tions of other people's sermons, or to pour out voluntary tears 
 from a watery eye will nQver make up for true agony of soul 
 and real tenderness of spirit. The best piece of acting is but 
 acting ; those who only look at appearances may be pleased 
 by it, but lovers of reality will be disgustecL What presumption ! — 
 what hypocrisy it is by skilful management of the voice to mimic 
 the passion which is the genuine work of the Holy Ghost. Let 
 mere actors beware, lest they be found sinning against the Holy 
 Spirit by their thejitrical performances. We must be earnest 
 in the pulpit because we are earnest everywhere ; we must blaze 
 in our discourses because we are continually on fire. Zeal 
 which is stored up to be let off only on grand occasions is a gas 
 which will one day destroy its proprietor. Nothing but truth may 
 appear in the house of the Lord ; all affectation is strange fire, 
 and excites the indignation of the God of truth. Be earnest, and 
 you will seem to be earnest. A burning heart will soon find for 
 itself a flaming tongue. To sham earnestness is one of the most 
 contemptible of dodges for courting popularity ; let us abhor the 
 very thought. Go and be listless in the pulpit if you are so in your 
 heart. Be slow in speech, drawling in tone, and monotonous in 
 voice, if so you can best express your soul; even that would be 
 
earnestness: its marring and maintenance. 149 
 
 infinitely better tlian to make your ministry a masquerade and 
 yourself an actor. 
 
 But our zeal while in the act of jyreaching must be followed up Inj 
 intense solicitude as to the after results ; for If it be not so we shall 
 have cause to question our sincerity. God will not send a harvest 
 of souls to those who never watch or water the fields which they 
 have sown. When the sernnon is over we have only let down the 
 net which afterwards we are to draw to shore by prayer aTid watch- 
 fulness. Here, I think, I cannot do better than allow a far abler 
 advocate to plead with you, and quote the w^ords of Dr. Watts : — 
 *' Be very solicitous about the success of your labours in the pulpit. 
 Water the seed sown, not only with public, but secret prayer. 
 Plead with God importunately that he would not suffer you to 
 labour in vain. Be not like that foolish bird the ostrich, wdiich feys 
 her eggs in the dust, and leaves them there regardless whether they 
 come to life or not. (Job xxxix. 14-17). God hath not given her 
 understanding, but let not this folly be your character or prac- 
 tice ; labour, and watch, and pray, that your sermons and the fruit 
 of your studies may become words of Divine life to souls. 
 
 It is an observation of pious Mr. Baxter (which I have read some- 
 where in his Avorks), that he has never known any considerable 
 success from the brightest and noblest talents, nor from the most 
 excellent kind of preaching, nor even when the preachers themselves 
 have been truly religious, if they have not had a' solicitous concern 
 for the success of their ministrations. Let the a\A^ul and important 
 thought of souls being saved by our preaching, or Itef t to perish and 
 to be condemned to hell through our negligence, — 'I say, let this 
 awful and tremendous thought dwell ever upon our spirits. We 
 are made watchmen to the house of Israel, as Ezekiel was ; and, 
 if we give no w-arning of approaching danger, the souls of multi- 
 tudes may perish through our neglect ; but the blood of souls will 
 be terribly required at our hands (Ezekiel iii. 17, &c.)." 
 
 Such considerations should make us instant in season and out of 
 season, and cause us at all times to be clad with zeal as with a 
 cloak. We ought to be all alive, and always alive. A pillar of 
 light and fire should be the preacher's fit emblem. Our ministry 
 must be emphatic, or it will never affect these thoughtless times ; 
 and to this end our hearts must be habitually fervent, and our 
 M'hole nature must be fired with an all-consuming passion for the 
 glory of God and the good of men. 
 
 Kov/, my brethren, it is sadly true that holy earnestness when 
 
150 EARNESTNESS: ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 we once obtain it may be easily damped ; and as a matter of fact 
 it is more frequently cliilled in the loneliness of a village pas- 
 torate than amid the society of warm-hearted Christian brethren. 
 Adam, the author of " Private Thoughts," once observed that " a 
 poor country parson, fighting against the devil in his parish, has 
 nobler ideas than Alexander the Great ever had;" and I will add, 
 that he needs more than Alexander's ardour to enable him to con- 
 tinue victorious in his holy warfare. Sleepy Hollow and Dormer's 
 Land will be too much for us unless we pray for daily quickening. 
 
 Yet town life has its dangers too, and zeal is apt to burn low 
 through numerous engagements, like a fire which is scattered 
 abroad instead of being raked together into a heap. Those inces- 
 sant knocks at our door, and perpetual visits from idle persons, are 
 so many buckets of cold water thrown upon our devout zeal. We 
 must by some means secure uninterrupted meditation, or we shall 
 lose power. Londcm is a peculiarly trying sphere on this account. 
 
 Zeal also is more quickly checked after long years of con- 
 tinuance in the same service than when novelty gives a charm 
 to our work. Mr. Wesley says, in his fifteenth volume of 
 '* Journals and Letters," " I know that, were I myself to preach 
 one whole year in one place, I should preach both myself and most 
 of my congregation asleep." What then must it be to abide in the 
 same pulpit for many years ! In such a case it is not the pace that 
 kills, but the length of the race. Our God is evermore the same, 
 enduring for ever, and he alone can enable us to endure even to 
 the end. He, who at the end of twenty years' ministry among the 
 same people is more aUve than ever, is a great debtor to the 
 quickening Spirit. 
 
 Earnestness may be, and too often is, diminished by neglect of 
 study. If we have not exercised ourselves in the word of God, 
 we shall not preach with the fervour and grace of the man who has 
 fed upon the truth he delivers, and is therefore strong and ardent. 
 An Englishman's earnestness in battle depends, according to some 
 authorities, upon his being well fed : he has no stomach for the 
 fight if he is starved. If we are well nourished by sound gospel 
 food we shall be vigorous and fervent. An old blunt commander 
 at Cadiz is described by Selden as thus addressing his soldiers : — 
 '' What a shame will it be, you Englishmen, who feed upon good 
 beef and beer, to let these rascally Spaniards beat you that eat 
 nothing but oranges and lemons ! " His philosophy and mine 
 agree : he expected courage and valour from those who were well 
 nourished. Brethren, never neglect your spiritual meals, or you will 
 
earnestness: its marring and maintenance. 151 
 
 Jack stamina and your spirits will sink. Live on the substantial 
 doctrines of grace, and you will outlive and out-work those who 
 delight in the pastry and syllabubs of " modern thought." 
 
 Zeal may, on the other hand, be damped by our studies. There 
 is, no doubt, such a thing as feeding the brain at the expense of 
 the heart, and many a man in his aspirations to be literary has 
 rather qualified himself to write reviews than to preach sermons. 
 A quaint evangelist was wont to say that Christ hung crucified 
 beneath Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. It ought not to be so, but it 
 has often happened that the student in college has gathered fuel, 
 but lost the fire which is to kindle it. It will be to our ever- 
 lasting disgrace if we bury our fliame beneath the faggots which 
 are intended to sustain it. If we degenerate into bookworms it 
 will be to the old serpent's delight, and to our own misery. 
 
 True earnestness may be greatly lessened by levity in conver- 
 sation, and especially by jesting with brother ministers, in whose 
 company we often take greater liberties than we would like to 
 do in the society of other Christians. There arc excellent 
 reasons for our feeling at home with our brethren, but if this 
 freedom be carried too far we shall soon feel that we have suffered 
 damage through vanity of speech. Cheerfulness is one thing, and 
 frivolity is another ; he is a wise man who by a serious happiness 
 of conversation steers between the dark rocks of moroseness, and 
 the quicksands of levity. 
 
 We shall often find ourselves in danger of being deteriorated in 
 zeal by the cold Christian people with whom we come in contact. 
 What terrible wet blankets some professors are ! Their remarks 
 after a sermon are enough to stagger you. You think that surely 
 you have moved the very stones to feeling, but you painfully learn 
 "that these people are utterly unaffected. You have been burning 
 and they are freezing ; you have been pleading as for life or death 
 and they have been calculating how many seconds the sermon 
 occupied, and gi'udging you the odd five minutes beyond the usual 
 hour, which your earnestness compelled you to occupy in pleading 
 with men's souls. If these frost-bitten men should happen to be 
 the officers of the chm'ch, from whom you naturally expect the 
 warmest sympathy, the result is chilling to the last degree, and all 
 the more so if you are young and inexperienced : it is as though 
 an angel were confined in an iceberg. " Thou shalt not yoke the 
 ox and the ass together " was a merciful precept : but when a 
 laborious, ox-like minister comes to be yoked to a deacon who 
 ' is not another ox^ it becomes hard work to plough. Some crabbed 
 
152 EARNESTNESS: ITS MAERIXG AND» MAINTENANCE. 
 
 professors have a great deal to answer for in this matter. One of 
 them not so very long ago went up to an earnest young evange- 
 list who had been doing his best, and said, " Young man, do you 
 call that preaching ? " He thought himself faithful, but he was 
 cruel and uncourteous, and though the good brother survived the 
 blow it was none the less brutal. Such offences against the Lord's 
 little ones are, I hope, very rare, but they are very grievous, and 
 tend to turn aside our hopeful youth. 
 
 Frequently the audience itself, as a whole, will damp your zeal. 
 You can see by their very look and manner that the people are 
 not appreciating your warm-hearted endeavours, and you feel dis- 
 couraged. Those empty benches also are a serious trial, and if 
 the place be large, and the congregation small, ihe influence is 
 seriously depressing : it is not every man who can bear to be 
 " a voice crying in the wilderness." Disorder in the congrega- 
 tion also sadly afflicts sensitive speakers. The walking up the 
 aisle of a woman with a pair of pattens, the squeak of a pair 
 of new boots, the frequent fall of umbrellas and walking-sticks, 
 the crying of infants, and especially the consistent lateness 
 of half the assembly ; — all these tend to irritate the mind, take it 
 off from its object, and diminish its ardour. We hardly like 
 to confess that our hearts are so readily affected by such trifles, 
 but it is so, and not at all to be wondered at. As pots of the 
 most precious ointment are more often spoilt by dead flies than by 
 dead camels, so insignificant matters will destroy earnestness more 
 readily than greater annoyances. Under a great discouragement a 
 man pulls himself together, and then throws himself upon his God, 
 and receives divine strength : but under lesser depressions he may 
 possibly worry, and the trifle will irritate and fester till serious 
 consequences follow. 
 
 Pardon my saying that the condition of your body must be 
 attended to, especially in the matter of eating, for any measure of 
 excess may injure your digestion and make yovi stupid when you 
 should be fervent. From the memoir of Duncan Matheson I cull 
 an anecdote which is much to the point : " In a certain place 
 where evangelistic meetings were being held, the lay preachers, 
 among whom was Mr. Matheson, were sumptuously entertained at 
 the house of a Christian gentleman. After dinner they went to 
 the meeting, not without some difference of opinion as to the best 
 method of conducting the services of the evening. ' The Spirit is 
 grieved ; he is not here at all, I feel it,' said one of the younger, 
 with a whine which somewhat contrasted with his previous 
 
EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 15o 
 
 unbounded enjoyment of the luxuries of the table. * Nonsense,' 
 replied Matheson, who hated all whining and morbid spirituality ; 
 'Nothing of the sort. You have just eaten too much dinner, and 
 you feel heavy.' " Duncan Matheson was right, and a little more 
 of his common sense would be a great gain to some who are ultra 
 spiritual, and attribute all their moods of feeling to some super- 
 natural cause when the real reason lies far nearer to hand. Has 
 it not often happened that dyspepsia has been mistaken for back- 
 slidinsr, and a bad digestion has been set down as a hard heart ? I 
 say no more : a word to the Avise is enough. 
 
 Many physical and mental causes may operate to create apparent 
 lethargy where there is at heart intense earnestness. Upon some 
 of us a disturbed night, a change in the weather, or an unkind 
 remark, will produce the most lamentable effect. But those who 
 complain of want of zeal are often the most zealous persons in 
 the world, and a confession of want of life is itself an argu- 
 ment that life exists, and is not without vigour. Do not spare 
 yourselves and become self-satisfied ; but, on the other hand, 
 do not slander yourselves and sink into despondency. Your own 
 opinion of your state is not worth much : ask the Lord to search 
 you. 
 
 Long continued labour without visible success is another frequent 
 damp upon zeal, though if rightly viewed it ought to be an incentive 
 to sevenfold diligence. Quaint Thomas Fuller observes that 
 " herein God hath humbled many painstaking pastors, in making 
 them to be clouds to rain, not over Arabia the happy, but over 
 Arabia the desert and stony." If non-success humbles us it is 
 well, but if it discourages us, and especially if it leads us to think 
 bitterly of more prosperous brethren, we ought to look about us 
 with £i;rave concern. It is possible that Ave have been faithful and 
 have adopted Avise methods, and are in our right place, and yet 
 Ave have not struck the mark ; Ave shall probably be heavily bowed 
 doAvn and feel scarcely able to continue the work ; but if we pluck 
 up courage and increase our earnestness Ave shall one day reap a 
 rich hai'vest, which will more than repay us for all our waiting. 
 "The husbandman loaiteth for the precious fruits of the earth"; 
 and Avith a holy patience begotten of zeal Ave must w^ait on, and 
 never doubt that the time to favour Zion Avill yet come. 
 
 Nor must it ever be forgotten that the flesh is w^eak and 
 naturally inclined to slumber. We need a constant renewal of 
 the divine impulse wdiich first started us in the way of service. 
 We are not as arroAA' ^, which find their way to the target by the 
 
154 EARNESTNESS : ITS MAERING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 sole agency of tlie force -with which they started from the bow ; 
 nor as birds, which bear within themselves their own motive 
 power : we mnst be borne onward, like ships at sea, by the con- 
 stant power of the heavenly wind, or we shall make no headway. 
 Preachers sent from God are not musical boxes which, being once 
 wound up, will play through their set tunes, but they are trumpets 
 which are utterly mute until the living breath causes them to 
 give forth a certain sound. We read of some who are dumb 
 dogs, given to slumber, and such would be the character of us all 
 if the grace of God did not prevent. We have need to watch 
 against a careless, indifferent spirit, and if we do not so we shall 
 soon be as lukewarm as Laodicea itself. 
 
 Kemembering then, dear brethren, that we must be in earnest, 
 and that we cannot counterfeit earnestness, or find a substitute for 
 it, and that it is very easy for us to lose it, let us consider for 
 a while the ways and means for retaining all our fervour and 
 gaining more. If it is to continue, our earnestness must he 
 kindled at an immortal flame, and I know of but one — the flame 
 of the love of Christ, which many waters cannot quench. A 
 spark from that celestial sun will be as undying as the source 
 from whence it came. If we can get it, yea, if we have it, we shall 
 still be full of enthusiasm, however long we may live, however 
 greatly we may be tried, and however much for man> reasons we 
 may be discouraged. To continue fervent for life we must possess 
 the fervour of heavenly life to begin with. Have we this fire % We 
 must have the truth burnt into our souls, or it will not burn upon 
 our lips. Do we understand this % The doctrines of grace must 
 be part and parcel of ourselves, interwoven with the warp and woof 
 of our being, and this can only be effected by the same hand which 
 originally made the fabric. We shall never lose our love to Christ 
 and our love to sovds if the Lord has given them to us. The Holy 
 Spirit makes zeal for God to be a permanent principle of life rather 
 than a passion, — does the Holy Spirit rest upon us, or is our 
 present fervour a mere human feeling? We ought upon this point 
 to be seriously inquisitorial with our hearts, pressing home the 
 question. Have we the holy fire which springs from a true call to 
 the ministry? If not, why are we here? If a man can live with- 
 out preaching, let him live without preaching. If a man can be 
 content without being a soul-winner — I had almost said he had 
 better not attempt the Avork, but I had rather say — let him seek 
 to have the stone taken out of his heart, that he may feel for 
 perishing men. Till then, as a minister, .he may do positive 
 
EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 155 
 
 mischief by occupying the place of one who might have succeeded 
 in the blessed work in which he must be a failure. 
 
 The fire of our earnestness must hum upon the hearth of faith in 
 the truths which we preach, and faith in their power to bless man- 
 kind when the Spirit applies them to the heart. He who declares 
 what may or what may not be true, and what he considers upon the 
 whole to be as good as any other form of teaching, will of necessity 
 make a veiy feeble preacher. How can he be zealous about that 
 which he is not sure of? If he knows nothing of the inward 
 power of the truth within his own heart, if he has never tasted 
 and handled of the good word of life, how can he be enthusiastic ? 
 But if the Holy Ghost has taught us in secret places, and made our 
 soul to understand within itself the doctrine which we are to proclaim, 
 then shall we speak evermore with the tongue of fire. Brother, 
 do not begin to teach others till the Lord has taught you. It must 
 be dreary work to parrot forth dogmas which have no interest for 
 your heart, and carry no conviction to your understanding. I 
 would prefer to pick oakum or turn a crank for my breakfast^ like 
 the paupers in the casual ward, rather than be the slave of a con- 
 gregation and bring them spiritual meat of which I never taste 
 myself. And then how dreadful the end of such a course must be ! 
 How fearful the account to be rendered at the last by one who 
 publicly taught what he did not heartily believe, and perpetrated 
 this detestable hypocrisy in the name of God I 
 
 Brethren, if the fire is brought from the right place to the 
 right place, we have a good beginning ; and the main elements of 
 a glorious ending. Kindled by a live coal, borne to our lips from 
 off the altar by the winged cherub, the fire has begun to feed upon 
 our inmost spirit, and there it will burn though Satan himself 
 should labour to stamp it out. 
 
 Yet the best flame in the world needs renewing. I know not 
 whether immortal spirits, like the angels, drink on the wing, and 
 feed on some superior manna prepared in heaven for them ; but 
 the probability is that no created being, though immortal, is 
 quite free from the necessity to receive from without sustenance 
 for its strength. Certainly the flame of zeal in the renewed heart, 
 however divine, must be continually fed with fresh fuel. Even the 
 lamps of the sanctuary needed oil. Feed the flame, my brother, feed 
 it frequently ; feed it with holy thought and contemplation, espe- 
 cially with thought about your work, your motives in pursuing it, 
 the design of it, the helps that are waiting for you, and the grand 
 results of it if the Lord be with you. Dwell much upon the love 
 
156 earnestness: its marring and maintenance. 
 
 of God to sinners, and the death of Christ on tlieir belialf, and the 
 work of the Spirit upon men's hearts. Think of what must he 
 wrought in men's hearts ere they can be saved. Remember, you 
 are not sent to whiten tombs, but to open them, and this is a work 
 which no man can perform unless, hke the Lord Jesus at the 
 grave of Lazarus, he groans in spirit ; and even then he is powerless 
 apart from the Holy Ghost. Meditate with deep solemnity upon 
 the fate of the lost sinner, and, like Abraham, when you get up 
 early to go to the place where you commune with God, cast an 
 eye towards Sodom and see the smoke thereof going up like the 
 smoke of a furnace. Shun all views of future punishment which 
 would make it appear less terrible, and so take off the edge of your 
 anxiety to save immortals from the quenchless flame. If men are 
 indeed only a nobler kind of ape, and expire as the beasts, you may 
 well enough let them die unpitied ; but if their creation in the image 
 of God involves immortality, and there is any fear that through 
 their unbelief they will bring upon themselves endless woe, arouse 
 yourselves to the agonies of the occasion, and be ashamed at the 
 bare suspicion of unconcern. Think much also of the bliss of the 
 sinner saved, and like holy Baxter derive rich arguments for earnest- 
 ness from " the saints' everlasting rest." Go to the heavenly hills 
 and gather fuel there ; pile on the glorious logs of the wood of 
 Lebanon, and the fire will burn freely and yield a sweet perfume 
 as each piece of choice cedar glows in the flame. There will be 
 no fear of your being lethargic if you are continually familiar with 
 eternal realities. 
 
 Above all, feed the flame with intimate fellowship with Christ. 
 No man was ever cold in heart who lived with Jesus on such terms 
 as John and Mary did of old, for he makes men's hearts burn 
 within them. I never met with a half-hearted preacher who was 
 much in communion with the Lord Jesus. The zeal of God's 
 house ate up our Lord, and when we come into contact with him it 
 begins to consume us also, and we feel that we cannot but speak the 
 things which we have seen and heard in his company, nor can we 
 help speaking of them with the fervour which comes out of actual 
 acquaintance with them. Those of us who have been preaching 
 for these five-and-tvventy years sometimes feel that the same work, 
 the same subject, the same people, and the same pulpit, are together 
 apt to beget a feeling of monotony, and monotony may soon lead 
 on to weariness. But then we call to mind another sameness, which 
 becomes our complete deliverance; there is the same Saviour, 
 and we may go to him in the same way as we did at the first, since 
 
EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 157 
 
 he is *' Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." 
 In his presence we drink in the new wine and renew our youth. 
 He is the fountain, for ever flowing with the cool, refreshing 
 water of hf e, and in fellowship with him we find our souls quickened 
 into perpetual energy. Beneath his smile our long-accustomed 
 work is always delightful, and wears a brighter charm than 
 novelty could have conferred. We gather new manna for our 
 people every morning, and as we go to distribute it we feel an 
 anointing of fresh oil distilling upon us. " They that wait upon 
 the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with 
 Avings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall 
 walk, and not faint." Newly come from the presence of him that 
 walketh among the golden candlesticks we are ready to write or 
 speak unto the churches in the power which he alone can give. 
 Soldiers of Christ, you can only be worthy of your Captain by 
 abiding in fellowship with him, and listening to his voice as Joshua 
 did when he stood by Jordan, and enquired — " What saith my 
 Lord unto his servant?'' 
 
 Fan the flame as loell as feed it. Fan it with much supplication. 
 We cannot be too urgent with one another upon this point : 
 no language can be too vehement with which to implore ministers 
 to pray. There is for our brethren and ourselves an absolute 
 necessity for prayer. Necessity! — I hardly like to talk of that, let 
 me rather speak of the deliciousness of prayer — the wondrous 
 sweetness and divine felicity which come to the soul that lives 
 in the atmosphex'e of prayer, John Fox said, " The time we spend 
 with God in secret is the sweetest time, and the best improved. 
 Therefore, if thou lovest thy life, be in love with prayer." The 
 devout Mr. Hervey resolved on the bed of sickness — " If God shall 
 spare my life, I will read less and pray more." John Cooke, of 
 Maidenhead, wrote — " The business, the pleasure, the honour, 
 and advantage of prayer press on my spirit with increasing force 
 every day." A deceased pastor when drawing near his end, ex- 
 claimed, " I wish I had prayed more ; " that wish many of us 
 might utter. There should be special seasons for devotion, and it 
 is well to maintain them with regularity ; but the spirit of prayer 
 is even better than the habit of prayer : to pray without ceasing is 
 better than praying at intervals. It will be a happy circum- 
 stance if we can frequently bow the knee with devout brethren, 
 and I think it ought to be a rule with us ministers never to 
 separate without a word of prayer. Much more intercession would 
 rise to heaven if we made a point of this, especially those of us 
 
158 EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 who have been fellow-students. If it be possible, let prayer and 
 praise sanctify each meeting of friend with friend. It is a re- 
 freshing practice to have a minute or two of supplication in the 
 vestry before preaching if you can call in three or four warm- 
 hearted deacons or other brethren. It always nerves me for the 
 fight. But, for all that, to fan your earnestness to a vehement 
 flame you should seek the spirit of continual prayer, so as to 
 pray in the Holy Ghost, everywhere and always ; in the study, 
 in the vestry, and in the pulpit. It is well to be pleading ever- 
 more with God, when sitting down in the pulpit, when rising 
 to give out the hymn, when reading the chapter, and while 
 delivering the sermon ; holding up one hand to God empty, 
 in order to receive, and wnth the other hand dispensing to the 
 people what the Lord bestows. Be in preaching like a conduit 
 pipe between the everlasting and infinite supplies of heaven and 
 the all but boundless needs of men, and to do this you must reach 
 heaven, and keep up the communication without a break. Pray 
 for the people while you jjreach to them ; speak wnth God for them 
 while you are speaking with them for God. Only so can you 
 expect to be continually in earnest. A man does not often rise 
 from his knees unearnest ; or, if he does, he had better return to 
 prayer till the sacred flame descends upon his soul. Adam Clarke 
 once said, " Study yourself to death, and then pray yourself 
 alive again": it was a wise sentence. Do not attempt the first 
 without the second ; neither dream that the second can be honestly 
 accomplished without the first. Work and pray, as well as watch 
 and pray; but j^ray always. 
 
 8tir the fire also by frequent attempts at fresh service. Shake 
 yourself out of routine by breaking away from the familiar fields 
 of service and reclaiming virgin soil. I suggest to you, as a 
 subordinate but very useful means of keeping the heart fresh, 
 the frequent addition of new work to your usual engagements. 
 I would say to brethren who are soon going away from the 
 College, to settle in spheres where they will come into contact 
 with but few superior minds, and perhaps will be almost alone in 
 the higher walks of spirituality, — look well to yourselves that you 
 do not become flat, stale, and unprofitable, and keep yoiirselves 
 sweet by maintaining an enterprising spirit. You Avill have a 
 good share of work to do, and few to help you in it, and the 
 years will grind along heavily ; watch against this, and use all 
 means to prevent your becoming dull and sleepy, and among them 
 use that which experience leads me to press upon you. I find it 
 
EAKNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 159 
 
 good for myself to have some new work always on hand. The old 
 and usual enterprises must be kept uj), but somewhat must be added 
 to them. It should be with us as with the squatters upon our 
 commons, the fence of our garden must roll outward a foot or two, 
 and enclose a little more of the common every year. Never say " it 
 is enough," nor accept the policy of ^' rest and be thankful." Do 
 all you possibly can, and then do a little more. I do not know by 
 what process the gentleman who advertises that he can make 
 short people taller attempts the task, but I should imagine that 
 if any result could be produced in the direction of adding a 
 cubit to one's stature it would be by every morning reaching up 
 as high as you possibly can on tiptoe, and, having done that, trying 
 day by day to reach a little higher. This is certainly the way to 
 grow mentally and spiritually, — " reaching forth to that which is 
 before." If the old should become just a little stale, add fresh 
 endeavours to it, and the whole mass will be leavened anew. Try 
 it and you will soon discover the virtue of breaking up fresh ground, 
 invading new provinces of the enemy, and scaling fresh heights to 
 set the banner of the Lord thereon. This is, of course, a second- 
 ary expedient to those of which we have already spoken, but still 
 it is a very useful one, and may greatly benefit you. In a country 
 town, say of two thousand inhabitants, you will, after a time, feel, 
 *' Well, now, I have done about all I can in this place." What 
 then ? There is a hamlet some four miles off, set about opening 
 a room there. If one hamlet is occupied, make an excursion to 
 another, and spy out the land, and set the relief of its spiritual 
 destitution before you as an ambition. AVhen the first place is 
 supplied, think of a second. It is your duty, it will also be your 
 safeguard. Everybody knows what interest there is in fresh work. 
 A gardener will become weary of his toil unless he is allowed to 
 introduce new fiowers into the hothouse, or to cut the beds upon 
 the lawn in a novel shape ; all monotonous work is unnatural and 
 wearying to the mind, therefore it is wisdom to give variety to your 
 labour. 
 
 Far more weighty is the advice, keep close to God, and keep close 
 to your fellow men whom you are seeking to bless. Abide under the 
 shadow of the Almighty, dwell where Jesus manifests himself, 
 and live in the power of the Holy Ghost. Your very life lies in 
 this. Whitefield mentions a lad who was so vividly conscious of 
 the presence of God that he would generally walk the roads with 
 his hat off. How I wish we were always in such a mood. It 
 would be no trouble to maintain earnestness then. 
 
160 EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 Take care, also, to be on most familiar terms with those whose 
 I souls are committed to your care. Stand in the stream and fish. 
 Many preachers are utterly ignorant as to how the bulk of the 
 people are living ; they are at home among books, but qviite at sea 
 among men. What would you think of a botanist who seldom saw 
 real flowers, or an astronomer who never spent a night with the 
 stars? Would they be worthy of the name of men of science? 
 Neither can a minister of the gospel be anything but a mere 
 empiric unless he mingles with men, and studies character for him- 
 self. " Studies from the life," — gentlemen, we must have plenty 
 of these if we are to paint to the life in our sermons. Read men as 
 well as books, and love men rather than opinions, or }ou will be 
 inanimate preachers. 
 
 Get into close quarters with those who are in an anxious state. 
 Watch their difficulties, their throes and pangs of conscience. 
 It will help to make you earnest when you see their eagerness 
 to find peace. On the other hand, when you see how little earnest 
 the bulk of men remain, it may help to make you more zealous 
 for their arousing. Rejoice with those who are finding the Sa- 
 viour : this is a grand means of revival for your own soul. When 
 you are enabled to bring a mourner to Jesus you will feel quite 
 young again. It will be as oil to your bones to hear a weeping 
 penitent exclaim, " I see it all now ! I believe, and my burden is 
 gone : I am saved." Sometimes the rapture of newborn souls will 
 electrify you into apostolic intensity. Who could not preach after 
 liaving seen souls converted? Be on the spot when grace at last 
 captures the lost sheep, that by sharing in the Great Shepherd's 
 rejoicings you may renew your youth. Be in at the death with 
 sinners, and you will be repaid for the weary chase after them 
 Avhich it may be you have followed for months and years. Grasp 
 them with firm hold of love, and say, " Yes, by the grace of God, 
 I have really won these souls ;" and your enthusiasm will flame 
 forth. 
 
 If you have to labour in a large town I should recommend 
 you to familiarize yourself, wherever your place of worship may 
 be, with the poverty, ignorance, and drunkenness of the place. 
 Go if you can with a City missionary into the poorest quarter, and 
 you will see that which will astonish you, and the actual sight of 
 the disease will make you eager to reveal the remedy. There is 
 enough of evil to be seen even in the best streets of our gi'eat cities, 
 but there is an unutterable depth of horror in the condition of the 
 slums. As a doctor walks the hospitals, so ought you to traverse the 
 
EARNESTNESS: ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 161 
 
 lanes and courts to behold the mischief wliioh sin has wroucrht. It 
 is enough to make a man weep tears of blood to gaze upon the deso- 
 lation which sin has made in the earth. One day with a devoted 
 missionary would be a fine termination to your College course, and 
 a fit preparation for work in your own sphere. See the masses 
 living in their sins, defiled with drinking and Sabbath-breaking, 
 rioting and blaspheming; and see them dying sodden and har- 
 dened, or terrified and despairing : surely this will rekindle ex- 
 piring zeal if anything can do it. The world is full of grinding 
 poverty, and crushing sorrow ; shame and death are the portion of 
 thousands, and it needs a great gospel to meet the dire necessities 
 of men's souls. Verily it is so. Do you doubt it ? Go and see 
 for yourselves. Thus will you learn to preach a great salvation, 
 and magnify the great Saviour, not with your mouth only, but 
 with your heart; and thus will you be married to your work 
 beyond all possibility of deserting it. 
 
 Death-beds are grand schools for us. They are intended to 
 act as tonics to brace us to our work. I have come down from 
 the bed-chambers of the dying, and thought that everybody wa^ 
 mad, and myself most of all. I have grudged the earnestness 
 which men devoted to earthly things, and half said to myself, — Win- 
 was that man driving along so hastily ? Why was that woman 
 walking out in such finery? Since they were all to die so soon, 
 I thought nothing worth their doing but preparing to meet their 
 God. To be often where men die will help us to teach them 
 both to die and to live. INI'Cheyne was Avont to visit his sick or 
 dying hearers on the Saturday afternoon, for, as he told Dr. James 
 Hamilton, ^' Before preaching he liked to look over the vero-e." 
 
 I pray you, moreover, measure your work in the light of God. 
 Are you God's servant or not ? If you are, how can your heart 
 be cold ? Are you sent by a dying Saviour to proclaim his love 
 and win the reward of his wounds, or are you not ? If vou are, 
 how can you flag? Is the Spirit of God upon you? Has the 
 Lord anointed you to preach glad tidings to the poor ? If he has 
 not, do not pretend to it. If he has, go in this thy might, and the 
 Lord shall be thy strength. Yours is not a trade, or a profession. 
 Assuredly if you measure it by the tradesman's measure it is the 
 poorest business on the face of the earth. Consider it as a pro- 
 fession : who would not prefer any other, so far as golden gains or 
 worldly honours are concerned? But if it be a divine callino-, 
 and you a miracle-worker, dwelling in the supernatural, a. id 
 Avorking not for time but for eternity, then you belong to a nobler 
 
 12 
 
1 62 EARNESTNESS : ITS MARRING AND MAINTENANCE. 
 
 guild, and to a higher fraternity than any that spring of earth 
 and deal with time. Look at it aright, and you will own that it 
 is a grand thing to be as poor as your Lord, if, like him, you 
 may make many rich ; you will feel that it is a glorious thing 
 to be as unknown and despised as were your Lord's first followers, 
 because you are making him known, whom to know is life eternal. 
 You will be satisfied to be anything or to be nothing, and the 
 thought of self will not enter your mind, or only cross it to be 
 scouted as a meanness not to be tolerated by a consecrated man. 
 There is the point. Measure your work as it should be measured, 
 and I am not afraid that your earnestness will be diminished. 
 Gaze upon it by the light of the judgment day, and in view of the 
 eternal rewards of faithfulness. Oh, brethren, the present joy of 
 having saved a soul is overwhelmingly delightful ; you have felt 
 it, I trust, and know it now. To save a soul from going down to 
 perdition brings to us a little heaven below, but what must it be 
 at the day of judgment to meet spirits redeemed by Christ, who 
 learned the news of their redemption from our lips ! We look 
 forward to a blissful heaven in communion with our Master, but 
 we shall also know the added joy of meeting those loved ones whom 
 we led to Jesus by our ministry. Let us endure every cross, and 
 despise all shame, for the joy which Jesus sets before us of winning 
 men for him. 
 
 One more thought may help to keep up our earnestness. Con- 
 sider the great evil which will certainly come upon us and upon 
 our hearers if we be negligent in oiu' work. " They shall perish " 
 — is not that a dreadful sentence ? It is to me quite as awful as 
 that which follows it, — " but their blood will I require at the 
 watchman's hand." How shall we describe the doom of an un- 
 faithful minister? And every unearnest minister is unfaithful. I 
 would infinitely prefer to be consigned to Tophet as a murderer of 
 men's bodies than as a destroyer of men's souls ; neither do I 
 know of any condition in wdiich a man can perish so fatally, so 
 infinitely, as in that of the man who preaches a gospel which he 
 does not believe, and assumes the oflice of pastor over a people 
 whose good he does not intensely desire. Let us pray to be found 
 faithful always, and ever. God grant that the Holy Spirit may 
 make and keep us so. 
 
LECTURE IX. 
 
 Having often said in this room that a minister ought to have 
 one blind eye and one deaf ear, I have excited the curiosity of 
 several brethren, who have requested an explanation ; for it 
 appears to them, as it does also to me, that the keener eyes and 
 ears we have the better. Well, gentlemen, since the text is some- 
 what mysterious, you shall have the exegesis of it. 
 
 A part of my meaning is expressed in plain language by 
 Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes (vii. 21): "Also take no heed 
 unto all words that are spoken ; lest thou hear thy servant curse 
 thee." The margin says, " Give not thy heart to all words that 
 are spoken ;" — do not take them to heart or let them weigh with 
 you, do not notice them, or act as if you heard them. You 
 cannot stop people's tongues, and therefore the best thing is 
 to stop your own ears and never mind what is spoken. There is 
 a world of idle chit-chat abroad, and he who takes note of it will 
 have enough to do. He will find that even those who live with 
 him are not always singing his praises, and that when he has 
 displeased his most faithful servants they have, in the heat of the 
 moment, spoken fierce words which it would be better for him 
 not to have heard. Who has not, under temporary irritation, 
 said that of another which he has afterwards regretted "? It is 
 the part of the generous to treat passionate words as if they had 
 never been uttered. When a man is in an angry mood it is 
 wise to walk away from him, and leave off strife before it be 
 meddled with ; and if we are compelled to hear hasty language, we 
 must endeavour to obliterate it from the memory, and say with 
 David, "But I, as a deaf man, heard not. I was as a man that 
 heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs." Tacitus des- 
 cribes a wise man as saying to one that railed at him, " You 
 are lord of your tongue, but I am also master of my ears " — you 
 may say what you please, but I will only hear what I choose. 
 
164 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 We cannot shut our ears as we do our eyes, for we have no ear 
 hds, and yet, as we read of him that " stoppeth his ears from hear- 
 ing of blood," it is, no doubt, possible to seal the portal of the ear 
 so that nothing contraband shall enter. We would say of the 
 general gossip of the village, and of the unadvised words of angry 
 friends — do not hear them, or if you must hear them, do not lay 
 them to heart, for you also have talked idly and angrily in your 
 day, and would even now be in an awkward position if you were 
 called to account for every word that you have spoken, even about 
 your dearest friend. Thus Solomon argued as he closed the passage 
 which Ave have quoted, — "For oftentimes also thine own heart 
 knoweth that thou thyself hkewise hast cursed others." 
 
 In enlarging upon my text, let me say first, — when you com- 
 mence your ministry make np your mind to begin with a clean sheet ; 
 be deaf and Mind to the longstanding differences wJiich may survive in 
 the church. As soon as you enter upon your pastorate you may be 
 waited upon by persons who are anxious to secure your adhesion 
 to their side in a family quarrel or church dispute ; be deaf and 
 blind to these people, and assure them that bygones must be by- 
 gones with you, and that as you have not inherited your predecessor's 
 cupboard you do not mean to eat his cold meat. If any flagrant 
 , injustice has been done, be diligent to set it right, but if it be a 
 mere feud, bid the quarrelsome party cease from it, and tell him 
 once for all that you will have nothing to do with it. The 
 answer of Gallic will almost suit you: "If it were a matter 
 of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I 
 should bear with you : but if it be a question of words and names, 
 and vain janglings, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such 
 matters." When I came to New Park-street Chapel as a young 
 man from the country, and was chosen pastor, I was speedily in- 
 terviewed by a good man who had left the church, having, as he 
 said, been "treated shamefully." He mentioned the names of half- 
 a-dozen persons, all prominent members of the church, who had 
 behaved in a very unchristian manner to him, he, poor innocent 
 sufferer, having been a model of patience and holiness. I learned 
 his character at once from what he said about others (a mode of 
 judging which has never misled me), and I made up my mind how 
 to act. I told him that the church had been in a sadly unsettled 
 state, and that the only way out of the snarl was for eveiy one to 
 forget tlie past and begin again. He said that the lapse of years 
 did not alter facts, and I replied that it would alter a man's view 
 of them if in that time he had become a wiser and a better man. 
 
THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAE EAR. 165 
 
 IIowe\^er, I added, that all the past had gone away with my 
 predecessors, that he must follow them to their new spheres, and 
 settle matters with them, for I would not touch the affair with 
 a pair of tongs. He waxed somewhat warm, but I allowed him 
 to radiate until he was cool again, and we shook hands and parted. 
 He was a good man, but constructed upon an uncomfortable prin- 
 ciple, so that he came across the path of others in a very awkward 
 manner at times, and if I had gone into his narrative and examined 
 his case, there would have been no end to the strife. I am 
 quite certain that, for my own success, and for the prosperity of 
 the church, I took the wisest course by applying my blind eye 
 to all disputes which dated previously to my advent. It is the 
 extreme of unwisdom for a young man fresh from college, or from 
 another charge, to suffer himself to be earwigged by a clique, and 
 to be bribed by kindness and flattery to become a partisan, and so 
 to ruin himself with one-half of his people. Know nothing of 
 parties and cliques, but be the pastor of all the flock, and care for 
 all alike. Blessed are the peacemakers, and one sure way of peace- 
 making is to let the fire of contention alone. Neither fan it, nor 
 stir it,"nor add fuel to it, but let it go out of itself. Begin your 
 ministry with one blind eye and one deaf ear. 
 
 / should recommend the use of the same faculty, or want of 
 faculty, ivith regard to finance in the matter of your own salary. 
 There are some occasions, especially in raising a new church, when 
 you may have no deacon who is qualified to manage that depart- 
 ment, and, therefore, you may feel called upon to undertake it 
 yourselves. In such a case you are not to be censured, you ought 
 even to be commended. Many a time also the work would come 
 to an end altogether if the preacher did not act as his own deacon, 
 and find supplies both temporal and spiritual by his own exertions. 
 To these exceptional cases I have nothing to say but that I admire 
 the struggling worker and deeply sympathize with him, for he is 
 overweighted, and is apt to be a less successful soldier for his Lord 
 because he is entangled with the affairs of this life. In churches 
 which are well established, and afford a decent maintenance, the 
 minister will do well to supervise all things, but interfere with 
 nothing. If deacons cannot be trusted they ought not to be 
 deacon's at all, but if they are worthy of their office they are worthy 
 of our confidence. I know that instances occur in which they are 
 sadly incompetent and yet must be borne with, and in such a 
 state of things the pastor must open the eye which otherwise 
 would have remained blind. Rather than the management of 
 
166 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 church funds should become a scandal we must resolutely inter- 
 fere, but if there is no urgent call for us to do so we had better 
 believe in the division of labour, and let deacons do their own work. 
 We have the same right as other officers to deal with financial 
 matters if we please, but it will be our wisdom as much as possible 
 to let them alone, if others will manage them for us. When the 
 purse is bare, the wife sickly, and the children numerous, the 
 preacher must speak if the church does not properly provide for 
 him ; but to be constantly bringing before the people requests for 
 an increase of income is not wise. When a minister is poorly remu- 
 nerated, and he feels that he is worth more, and that the church 
 could give him more, he ought kindly, boldly, and firmly to com- 
 municate with the deacons first, and if they do not take it up he 
 should then mention it to the brethren in a sensible, business-like 
 way, not as craving a charity, but as putting it to their sense of 
 honour, that " the labourer is worthy of his hire." Let him say 
 outright what he thinks, for there is nothing to be ashamed of, but 
 there would be much more cause for shame if he dishonoured him- 
 self and the cause of God by plunging into debt : let him there- 
 fore speak to tlie point in a proper spirit to the proper persons, 
 and there end the matter, and not resort to secret complaining. 
 Faith in God should tone down our concern about temporalities, 
 and enable us to practise what we preach, namely — "Take no 
 thouglit, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink ; or, 
 Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? for your heavenly Father 
 knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Some who have 
 pretended to live by faith have had a very shrewd way of drawing 
 out donations by turns of the indirect corkscrew, but you will 
 either ask plainly, like men, or you will leave it to the Christian 
 feeling of your people, and turn to the items and modes of church 
 finance a blind eye and a deaf ear. 
 
 The blind eye and the deaf ear will come in exceedingly loell in 
 connection loith the gossips of the place. Every church, and, for the 
 matter of that, every village and family, is plagued with certain 
 Mrs. Grundys, who drink tea and talk vitriol. They are never quiet, 
 but buzz around to the great annoyance of those who are devout 
 and ])ractical. No one needs to look far for perpetual motion, he 
 has only to watch their tongues. At tea-meetings, Dorcas 
 meetings, and other gatherings, they practise vivisection upon the 
 characters of their neighbours, and of course they are eager to try 
 their knives upon the minister, the minister's wife, the minister's 
 children, the minister's wife's bonnet, the dress of the minister 8 
 
THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 107 
 
 daughter, and how many new ribbons she has worn for the last six 
 months, and so on ad infinitum. There are also certain persons 
 who are never so happy as when they are " grieved to the heart" to 
 have to tell the minister that Mr. A. is a snake in the grass, 
 that he is quite mistaken in thinking so well of Messrs. B and C, 
 and that they have heard quite " promiscously " that Mr. D. and 
 his wife are badly matched. Then follows a long string about 
 Mrs. E., who says that she and Mrs. F. overheard Mrs. G. say to 
 Mrs. H. that Mrs. J. should say that Mr. K. and Miss L. Avere 
 going to move from the chapel and hear Mr. M., and all because 
 of what old N. said to young O. about that Miss P. Never listen 
 to such people. Do as Nelson did when he put his blind eye to the 
 telescope and declared that he did not see the signal, and therefore 
 would go on with the battle. Let the creatures buzz, and do not 
 even hear them, unless indeed they buzz so much concerning one 
 person that the matter threatens to be serious ; then it will be well 
 to bring them to book and talk in sober earnestness to them. 
 Assure them that you are obliged to have facts definitely before 
 you, that your memory is not very tenacious, that you have many 
 things to think of, that you are always afraid of making any 
 mistake in such matters, and that if they would be good enough 
 to write down what they have to say the case would be more fully 
 before you, and you could give more time to its consideration. 
 Mrs. Grundy will not do that ; she has a great objection to making 
 clear and definite statements ; she prefers talking at random. 
 
 I heartily wish that by any process we could put down gossip, 
 but I suppose that it will never be done so long as the human race 
 continues wdiat it is, for James tells us that " every kind of beasts, 
 and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, 
 and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man 
 tame ; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." What can't 
 be cured must be endured, and the best way of enduring it is not 
 to listen to it. Over one of our old castles a former owner has 
 inscribed these lines — 
 
 They say. 
 
 What do they say? 
 
 Let them say. 
 Thin-skinned persons should learn this motto by heart. The talk 
 of the village is never worthy of notice, and you should never 
 take any interest in it except to mourn over tha malice and heart- 
 lessness of which it is too often the indicator. 
 
 Mayow in his "Plain Preaching" very forcibly says, "If yon 
 
168 THE BLIXD EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 Avere to see a woman killincp a farmer's ducks and geese, for tlie 
 sake of having one of the feathers, you would see a person acting 
 as Ave do when Ave speak evil of anyone, for the sake of the 
 pleasure Ave feel in evil speaking. For the pleasure Ave feel is 
 not Avorth a single feather, and the pain Ave give is often greater 
 than a man feels at the loss of his property." Insert a remark of 
 this kind now and then in a sermon, Avhen tliere is no special 
 gossip abroad, and it may be of some benefit to the more sensible : 
 I quite despair of the rest. 
 
 Above all, never join in tale-bearing yourself, and beg your wife 
 to abstain from it also. Some men are too talkative by half, and 
 remind me of the young man Avho was sent to Socrates to learn 
 oratory. On being introduced to the philosopher he talked so 
 incessantly that Socrates asked for double fees. " Why charge me 
 double? " said the young fellow. " Because," said the orator, " I 
 must teach you two sciences : the one hoAv to hold your tongue and 
 the other how to speak." The first science is the more difficult, 
 but ai^n at proficiency in it, or you will suffer greatly, and create 
 trouble Avithout end. 
 
 Avoid with your Avhole soul that spirit of suspicion which sours 
 some men's lives, and to all tilings from which you might harshly 
 draw an unMnd inference turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. Suspicion 
 makes a man a torment to himself and a spy toAvards others. 
 Once begin to suspect, and causes for distrust will multiply 
 around you, and your very suspiciousness Avill create the major 
 ]);u-t of them. Many a friend has been transformed into an enemy 
 by being suspected. Do not, therefore, look about you with the 
 eyes of mistrust, nor listen as an eaves-dropper Avith the quick ear 
 of fear. To go about the congregation ferreting out disaffection, 
 like a gamekeeper after rabbits, is a mean employment, and is 
 generally rcAvarded most sorrowfully. Lord Bacon wisely advises 
 " the provident stay of enquiry of that Avliich we Avould be loth to 
 find." When nothing is to be discovered Avhich will help us to 
 love others Ave had better cease from the enquiry, for Ave may drag- 
 to light that Avhich may be the commencement of years of con- 
 tention. I am not, of course, referring to cases requiring disci- 
 ])line Avhich must be thoroughly investigated and boldly dealt with, 
 but I have upon my mind mere personal matters Avhere the main 
 suiferer is yourself ; here it is always best not to know, nor to wish 
 to know, Avhat is being said about you, either by friends or foes. 
 Those who praise us are probably as much mistaken as those AA'ho 
 abuse us, and the one may be regarded as a set off to the other, if 
 
THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 160 
 
 indeed it be worth while taking any acconnt at all of man's judg- 
 ment. If we have the approbation of our God, certified by a 
 placid conscience, we can afford to be indifferent to the opinions of 
 our fellow men, whether they commend or condemn. If we 
 cannot reach this point Ave are babes and not men. 
 
 Some are childishly anxious to know their friend's opinion of them, 
 and if it contain the smallest element of dissent or censure, they 
 regard him as an enemy forthwith. Surely we are not popes, and 
 do not wish our hearers to regard us as infallible! We have 
 known men become quite enraged at a perfectly fair and reason- 
 able remark, and regard an honest friend as an opponent who 
 delighted to find fault; this misrepresentation on the one side has 
 soon produced heat on the other, and strife has ensued. How much 
 better is gentle forbearance ! You must be able to bear criticism, 
 or you are not fit to be at the head of a congregation ; and you 
 must let the critic go without reckoning him among your deadly 
 foes, or you will prove yourself a mere weakling. It is wisest 
 always to show double kindness where you have been severely 
 handled by one who thought it his duty to do so, for he is 
 probably an honest man and worth winning. He who in your 
 early days hardly thinks you fit for the pastorate may yet become 
 your firmest defender if he sees that you grow in grace, and ad- 
 vance in qualification for the work ; do not, therefore, regard hira 
 as a foe for truthfully expressing his doubts ; does not your own 
 heart confess that his fears were not altogether groundless? Turn 
 your deaf ear to what you judge to be his harsh criticism, and 
 endeavour to preach better. 
 
 Persons from love of change, from pique, from advance 
 in their tastes, and other causes, may become uneasy under 
 our ministry, and it is well for us to know nothing about it. 
 Perceiving the danger, we must not betray our discovery, but 
 bestir ourselves to improve our sermons, hoping that the good 
 people will be better fed and forget their dissatisfaction. If they 
 are truly gracious persons, the incipient evil will pass away, and no 
 real discontent will arise, or if it does you must not provoke it by 
 
 suspecting it. .. . 
 
 Where I have known that there existed a measure of disattection 
 to myself, I have not recognised it, unless it has been forced upon 
 me but have, on the contrary, acted towards the opposing person 
 with all the more courtesy and friendliness, and I have never 
 heard any more of the matter. If I had treated the good man as 
 an opponent, he would have done his best to take the part assigned 
 
170 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 liim, and carry it out to his own credit; but I felt that he was a 
 Christian man, and had a right to dislike me if he thought fit, and 
 that if he did so I ought not to think unkindly of him ; and 
 therefore I treated him as one who was a friend to my Lord, if 
 not to me, gave him some work to do which implied confidence in 
 him, made him feel at home, and by degrees won him to be an 
 attached friend as well as a fellow-worker. The best of people 
 are sometimes out at elbows and say unkind things ; we should 
 be glad if our friends could quite forget what we said when we 
 were peevish and irritable, and it will be Christlike to act towards 
 others in this matter as we would wish them to do towards us. 
 Never make a brother remember that he once uttered a hard speech 
 in reference to yourself. If you see him in a happier mood, do 
 not mention the former painful occasion : if he be a man of right 
 spirit he will in future be iinwilling to vex a pastor who has 
 treated him so generously, and if he be a mere boor it is a pity 
 to hold any argument with him, and therefore the past had better 
 go by default. 
 
 It would be better to be deceived a hundred times than to live 
 a life of suspicion. It is intolerable. The miser who traverses 
 his chamber at midnight and hears a burglar in every falling leaf 
 is not more wretched than the minister who believes that plots are 
 hatching against him, and that reports to his disadvantage are 
 being spread. I remember a brother who believed that he was 
 being poisoned, and was persuaded that even the seat he sat upon 
 and the clothes he wore had by some subtle chemistry become 
 saturated with death ; his life was a perpetual scare, and such is 
 the existence of a minister when he mistrusts all around him. 
 Nor is suspicion merely a source of disquietude, it is a moral evil, 
 and injures the character of the man who harbours it. Suspicion 
 in kings creates tyranny, in husbands jealousy, and in ministers 
 bitterness ; such bitterness as in spirit dissolves all the ties of the 
 pastoral relation, eating like a corrosive acid into the very soul 
 of the office and making it a curse rather than a blessing. When 
 once this terrible evil has curdled all the milk of human kindnes;) 
 in a man's bosom, he becomes more fit for the detective poHce force 
 than for the ministry ; like a spider, he begins to cast out his lines, 
 and fashions a web of tremulous threads, all of which lead up to 
 himself and warn him of the least touch of even the tiniest midge. 
 There he sits in the centre, a mass of sensation, all nerves and raw 
 wounds, excitable and excited, a self-immolated martyr drawing 
 the blazing faggots about him, and apparently anxious to be 
 
THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 171 
 
 burned. The most faithful friend is unsafe under such con- 
 ditions. The most careful avoidance of offence will not secure 
 immunity from mistrust, but will probably be construed into 
 cunning and cowardice. Society is almost as much in danger from 
 a suspecting man as from a mad dog, for he snaps on all sides 
 without reason, and scatters rio;ht and left the foam of his mad- 
 ness. It is vain to reason Avith the victim of this folly, for with 
 perverse ingenuity he turns every argument the wrong way, and 
 makes your plea for confidence another reason for mistrust. It 
 is sad that he cannot see the iniquity of his groundless censure 
 of others, especially of those who have been his best friends and 
 the firmest upholders of the cause of Christ. 
 
 " I would not Avrong 
 Virtue so tried by the least shade of doubt : 
 Undue suspicion is more abject baseness 
 Even than the guilt suspected." 
 
 -No one ought to be made an offender for a word ; but, when suspi- 
 cion rules, even silence becomes a crime. Brethren, shun this vice 
 by renouncing the love of self. Judge it to be a small matter what 
 men think or say of you, and care only for their treatment of your 
 Lord. If you are naturally sensitive do not indulge the weak- 
 ness, nor allow others to play upon it. Would it not be a great 
 degradation of your office if you were to keep an army of spies 
 in your pay to collect information as to all that your people 
 said of you ? And yet it amounts to this if you allow certain 
 busybodies to bring you all the gossip of the place. Drive the 
 creatures away. Abhor those mischief-making, tattling hand- 
 maidens of strife. Those who will fetch will carry, and no doubt 
 the gossips go from your house and report every observation which 
 falls from your lips, with plenty of garnishing of their own. Re- 
 member that, as the receiver is as bad as the thief, so the hearer of 
 scandal is a sharer in the guilt of it. If there were no listening ears 
 there would be no talebearing tongues. While you are a buyer of 
 ill wares the demand will create the supply, and the factories of 
 falsehood will be working full time. No one wishes to become a 
 creator of lies, and yet he who hears slanders with pleasure and 
 believes them with readiness will hatch many a brood into active life. 
 Solomon says ^'a whisperer separateth chief friends." (Prov. 
 xvi. 28.) Insinuations are thrown out, and jealousies aroused, 
 till "mutual coolness ensues, and neither can understand why; 
 each wonders what can possibly.be the cause. Thus the firmest, 
 the longest, the warmest, and most confiding attachments, the 
 
172 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 sources of life's sweetest joys, are broken up perhaps for ever."* 
 This is work worthy of the arch-fiend himself, but it couhl never 
 be done if men lived out of the atmosphere of suspicion. As it is, 
 the world is full of sorrow through this cause, a sorrow as sharp as 
 it is siperflnous. This is grievous indeed ! Campbell eloquently 
 remarks, " The ruins of old friendships are a more melancholy 
 spectacle to me than those of desolated palaces. They exhibit 
 the heart which was once lighted up with joy all damp and 
 deserted, and haunted by those birds of ill omen that nestle in 
 ruins." O suspicion, what desolations thou hast made in the earth ! 
 
 Learn to disbelieve those who have no faith in their brethren. 
 Suspect those who would lead you to suspect others. A resolute 
 unbelief in all the scandalmongers will do much to repress their 
 mischievous energies. Matthew Pool in his Cripplegate Lecture 
 says, " Common fame hath lost its reputation long since, and I do 
 not know anything which it hath done in our day to regain it ; 
 therefore it ought not to be credited. How few reports there are 
 of any kind which, when they come to be examined, we do not find 
 to be false ! For my part, I reckon, if I believe one report in 
 twenty, I make a very liberal allowance. Especially distrust re- 
 proaches and evil reports, because these spread fastest, as being 
 grateful to most persons, who suppose their own reputation to be 
 never so well grounded as when it is built upon the ruins of 
 other men's." Because the persons who would render you mis- 
 trustful of your friends are a sorry set, and because suspicion is 
 in itself a wretched and tormenting vice, resolve to turn towards 
 the whole business your blind eye and your deaf ear. 
 
 Need I say a word or two about the wisdom of never hearing 
 what was not meant for you. The eaves-dropper is a mean person, 
 very little if anything better than the common informer ; and he 
 who says he overheard may be considered to have heard over and 
 above what he should have done. 
 
 Jeremy Taylor wisely and justly observes, " Never listen at 
 the door or window, for besides that it contains in it a danger 
 and a snare, it is also invading my neighbour's privacy, and a lay- 
 ing that open, which he therefore encloses that it might not be 
 open." It is a well worn proverb that listeners seldom hear any 
 good of themselves. Listening is a sort of larceny, but the goods 
 stolen are never a pleasure to the thief. Information obtained by 
 clandestine means must, in all but extreme cases, be more injury 
 
 * Dr. Wardlaw on Proverbs. 
 
THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAK. l^O 
 
 than benefit to a cause. The magistrate may judge it expedient 
 to obtain evidence by such means, but I cannot imagine a case m 
 which a minister should do so. Ours is a mission of grace and 
 peace ; we are not prosecutors who search out condemnatory evi- 
 dence, but friends whose love would cover a multitude of offences. 
 The peeping eyes of Canaan, the son of Ham, shall never be m 
 our employ; we prefer the pious delicacy of Shem and Ja])het, 
 who went backward and covered the shame which the child of evil 
 had published with glee. 
 
 To opinions and remarks about yourself turn also as a general 
 rule the blind eye and the deaf ear. PubUc men must expect public 
 criticism, and as the public cannot be regarded as infallible, public 
 men may expect to be criticized in a way which is neither fair nor 
 pleasant. To all honest and just remarks we are bound to give 
 due measure of heed, but to the bitter verdict of prejudice, the 
 frivolous faultfinding of men of fashion, the stupid utterances of 
 the ignorant, and the fierce denunciations of opponents, we may 
 verv^safely turn a deaf ear. We cannot expect those to approve 
 of us whom we condemn by our testimony against their favourite 
 sins ■ their commendation would show that we had missed our 
 mark. We naturally look to be approved by our own people, the 
 members of our churches, and the adherents of our congregations, 
 and when they make observations which show that they are not very 
 great admirers, we may be tempted to discouiagement if net to 
 anger : herein lies a snare. When I was about to leave my village 
 charoe for London, one of the old men prayed that I might be 
 " delVvered from the bleating of the sheep." For the life of me I 
 could not imagine what he meant, but the riddle is plain now, and 
 I have learned to offer the prayer myself. Too much considera- 
 tion of what is said by our people, whether it be in praise or in 
 depreciation, is not good for us. If we dwell on high with " that 
 great Shepherd of the sheep " we shall care little for all the con- 
 fused bleatings around us, but if we become " carnal, and walk as 
 men," we shall have little rest if we listen to this, that, and the 
 other which every poor sheep may bleat about us. Perhav)S it is 
 quite true that you were uncommonly dull last Sabbath morning, 
 but there was no need that Mrs. Clack should come and tell you 
 that Deacon Jones thought so. It is more than probable that 
 having been out in the country all the previous week, your preach- 
 ing was very like milk and water, but there can be no necessity for 
 your going round among the people to discover whether they 
 noticed it or not. Is it not enough that your conscience is uneasy 
 
174 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 upon the point? Endeavour to improve for the future, but do 
 not want to hear all that every Jack, Tom, and Mary may have to 
 say about it. On the other hand, you were on the high horse in 
 your last sermon, and finished with quite a flourish of trumpets, 
 and you feel considerable anxiety to know what impression you 
 produced. Repress your curiosity: it will do you no good to 
 enquire. If the people should happen to agree with your verdict, 
 it will only feed your pitiful vanity, and if they think otherwise 
 your fishing for their praise will injure yDu in their esteem. In 
 any case it is all about yourself, and this is a poor theme to be 
 anxious about; play the man, and do not demean yourself by 
 seeking compliments like little children when dressed in new 
 clothes, who say, " See my pretty frock." Have you not by this 
 time discovered that flattery is as injurious as it is pleasant? It 
 softens the mind and makes you more sensitive to slander. In 
 proportion as praise pleases you censure will pain you. Besides, it 
 is a crime to be taken off from your great object of glorifying the 
 Lord Jesus by petty considerations as to your little self, and, if 
 there were no other reason, this ought to weigh much with you. 
 Pride is a deadly sin, and will grow without your borrowing the 
 parish water-cart to quicken it. Forget expressions which feed 
 your vanity, and if you find youi'self relishing the unwhole- 
 some morsels confess the sin with deep humiliation. Payson 
 showed that he was strong in the Lord when he wrote to his 
 mother, " You must not, certainly, my dear mother, say one word 
 which even looks like an intimation that you think me advancing in 
 grace. I cannot bear it. All the people here, whether friends or 
 enemies, conspire to ruin me. Satan and my own heart, of course, 
 wdll lend a hand ; and if you join too, I fear all the cold water which 
 Christ can throw upon my pride will not prevent its breaking out 
 into a destructive flame. As certainly as anybody flatters and 
 caresses me my heavenly Father has to whip me : and an un- 
 speakable mercy it is that he condescends to do it. I can, it is 
 true, easily muster a hundred reasons why I should not be proud, 
 but pride will not mind reason, nor anything else but a good 
 drubbing. Even at this moment I feel it tingling in my fingers' 
 ends, and seeking to guide my pen." Knowing something myself 
 of those secret whippings which our good Father administers to 
 his servants when he sees them unduly exalted, I heartily add my 
 own solemn warnings against your pampering the flesh by listening 
 to the praises of the kindest friends you have. They are in- 
 judicious, and you must beware of them. 
 
THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 175 
 
 A sensible friend who will unsparingly criticize you from week 
 to week will be a far greater blessing to you than a thousand un- 
 discriminating admirers if you have sense enough to bear his 
 treatment, and grace enough to be thankful for it. When 1 was 
 preaching at the Surrey Gardens, an unknown censor of great 
 ability used to send me a weekly list of my mispronunciations and 
 other slips of speech. He never signed his name, and that was my 
 only cause of complaint against him, for he left me in a debt 
 which I could not acknowledge. I take this opportunity of con- 
 fessing my obligations to him, for with genial temper, and an 
 evident desire to benefit me, he marked down most relentlessly 
 everything which he supposed me to have said incorrectly. Con- 
 cerning some of these corrections he was in error himself, but for 
 the most part he was right, and his remarks enabled me to 
 perceive and avoid many mistakes. I looked for his weekly 
 memoranda with much interest, and I trust I am all the better for 
 them. If I had repeated a sentence two or three Sundays before, 
 he would say, *' See same expression in such a sermon," mentioning 
 number and page. He remarked on one occasion that I too often 
 
 quoted the line 
 
 " Nothing in my hands I bring," 
 
 and, he added, " we are sufficiently inf onned of the vacuity of your 
 hands." He demanded my authority for calling a man covechus ; 
 and so on. Possibly some young men might have been dis- 
 couraged, if not irritated, by such severe criticisms, but they 
 would have been very foolish, for in resenting such correction they 
 would have been throwing away a valuable aid to progress No 
 money can purchase outspoken honest judgment, and when we 
 can get it for nothing let us utilize it to the fullest extent. The 
 worst of it is that of those who offer their judgments few are 
 qualified to form them, and we shall be pestered with foohsh, im- 
 pertinent remarks, unless we turn to them all the blind eye and 
 the deaf ear. 
 
 In the case of false reports against yourself, for the most part use the 
 deaf ear. Unfortunately liars are not yet extinct, and, like Richard 
 Baxter and John Bunyan, you may be accused of crimes which your 
 soul abhors. Be not staggered thereby, for this ti'ial has befallen 
 the very best of men, and even your Lord did not escape the en- 
 venomed tongue of falsehood. In almost all cases it is the wisest 
 course to let such things die a natural death. A great lie, if 
 unnoticed, is like a big fish out of water, it dashes and plunges and 
 beats itself to death in a short time. To answer it is to supply it 
 
176 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 ■with its element, and help it to a longer life. Falsehoods usually 
 carry their own refutation somewhere about them, and sting 
 themselves to death. Some lies especially have a peculiar smell, 
 which betrays their rottenness to every honest nose. If you are 
 disturbed by them the object of their invention is partly answered, 
 but your silent endurance disappoints malice and gives you a 
 partial victory, which God in his care of you will soon turn into 
 a complete deliverance. Your blameless life will be your best 
 defence, and those who have seen it will not allow you to be con- 
 demned so readily as your slanderers expect. Only abstain from 
 fighting your own battles, and in nine cases out of ten your 
 accusers will gain nothing by their malevolence but chagrin for 
 themselves and contempt from others. To pi'osecute the slanderer 
 is very seldom wise. I remember a beloved servant of Christ 
 who in his youth was very sensitive, and. being falsely accused, pro- 
 ceeded against the person at law. An apology Avas offered, it 
 withdrew every iota of the charge, and was most ample, but the good 
 man insisted upon its being printed in the newspapers, and the 
 result convinced him of his own unwisdom. Multitudes, who 
 would otherwise have never heard of the libel, asked what it 
 meant, and made comments thereon, generally concluding with 
 the sage remark that he must have done something imprudent 
 to provoke such an accusation. He was heard to say that so long 
 as he lived he would never resort to such a method again, for he 
 felt that the public apology had done him more harm that the 
 slander itself. Standing as we do in a position which makes us 
 choice targets for the devd and his allies, our best course is to 
 defend our innocence by our silence and leave our reputation 
 with Gcd. Yet there are exceptions to this genei-al rule. When 
 distinct, definite, public charges are made against a man he is 
 bound to answer them, and answer them in the clearest and 
 most open manner. To decline all investigation is in such a case 
 practically to plead guilty, and whatever may be the mode of 
 putting it, the general public ordinarily regard a refusal to 
 reply as a proof of guilt. Under mere worry and annoyance it 
 is by far the best to be altogether passive, but when the matter 
 assumes more serious proportions, and our accuser defies us to a 
 defence, we are bound to meet his charges with honest statements 
 of fact. In every instance counsel should be sought of the Lord 
 as to how to deal with slanderous tongues, and in the issue inno- 
 cence will be vindicated and falsehood convicted. 
 
 Some ministers have been broken in spirit, driven from their 
 
THE BLIND EY^E AND THE DEAF EAR. 177 
 
 position, and even injui'ed in character by taking notice of village 
 scandal. I know a fine yonng man, for whom I predicted a career 
 of usefulness, who fell into great trouble because he at first 
 allowed it to be a trouble and then worked hard to make it so. 
 He came to me and complained that he had a great grievance ; 
 and so it was a grievance, but from beginning to end it was all 
 about what some half-dozen women had said about his procedure 
 after the death of his wife. It was originally too small a thing 
 to deal with, — a Mrs. Q. had said that she should not wonder if 
 the minister married the servant then living in his house; another 
 represented her as saying that he ought to marry her, and then a 
 third, with a malicious ingenuity, found a deeper meaning in the 
 words, and construed them into a charge. Worst of all, the dear 
 sensitive preacher must needs trace the matter out and accuse a 
 score or two of people of spreading libels against him, and even 
 threaten some of them with legal proceedings. If he could have 
 prayed over it in secret, or even have whistled over it, no harm 
 would have come of the tittle-tattle ; but this dear brother could 
 not treat the slander wisely, for he had not what I earnestly 
 recommend to you, namely, a blind eye and a deaf ear. 
 
 Once more, my brethren, the blind eye and the deaf ear will be 
 useful to you in relation to other churches and their pastors. I am 
 always delighted when a brother in meddling with other people's 
 business burns his fingers. Why did he not attend to his own 
 concerns and not episcopize in another's diocese ? I am frequently 
 requested by members of churches to meddle in their home dis- 
 putes ; but unless they come to me with authority, officially 
 appointing me to be umpire, I decline. Alexander Cruden gave 
 himself the name of " the Corrector," and I have never envied him 
 the title. It would need a peculiar inspiration to enable a man to 
 settle all the controversies of our churches, and as a rule those 
 who are least qualified are the most eager to attempt it. For the 
 most part interference, however well intentioned, is a failure. 
 Internal dissensions in our churches are very like quarrels between 
 man and wife : when the case comes to such a pass that they 
 must fight it out, the interposing party will be the victim of their 
 common fury. No one but Mr. Verdant Green will interfere in 
 a domestic battle, for the man of course resents it, and the lady, 
 though suffering from many a blow, will say, " You leave my 
 husband alone ; he has a right to beat me if he likes." However 
 great the mutual animosity of conjugal combatants, it seems to 
 be forgotten in resentment against intruders ; and so, amongst the 
 
 lo 
 
178 THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR. 
 
 very independent denomination of Baptists, the person outside 
 the church who interferes in any manner is sure to get the 
 worst of it. Do not consider yourself to he the bishop of all 
 the neighbouring churches, but be satisfied with looking after 
 Lystra, or Derbe, or Thessalonica, or whichever church may have 
 been allotted to your care, and leave Philippi and Ephesus in 
 the hands of their own pastors. Do not encourage disaffected 
 persons in finding fault with their minister, or in bringing you 
 news of evils in other congregations. When you meet your 
 brother ministers do not be in a hurry to advise them ; they know 
 their duty quite as well as you know yours, and your judgment 
 Tipon their course of action is probably founded upon partial infor- 
 mation supplied from prejudiced sources. Do not grieve your 
 neighbours by your meddlesomeness. We have all enough to do 
 at home, and it is prudent to keep out of all disputes which do not 
 belong to us. We are recommended by one of the world's proverbs 
 to wash our dirty linen at home, and I will add another line to it, and 
 advise that we do not call on our neighbours while their linen is in 
 the suds. This is due to our friends, and will best promote peace. 
 " He that passeth by and meddleth with strife belonging not to 
 
 him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears "; he is very apt 
 
 to be bitten, and few will pity him. Bridges wisely observes that 
 " Our blessed Master has read us a lesson of godly wisdom. 
 He healed the contentions in his own family, but when called to 
 meddle with strife belonging not to him, he gave answer — 
 * Who made me a judge or a divider over you V " Self- 
 constituted judges win but little respect ; if they were more fit 
 to censure they would be less inclined to do so. Many a trifling 
 difference within a church has been fanned into a great flame by 
 ministers outside who had no idea of the mischief they were 
 causing: they gave verdicts u]ion ex parte statements, and so 
 egged on opposing persons who felt safe when they could say 
 that the neighbouring ministers quite agreed with them. My 
 counsel is that we join the " Knownothings," and never say a 
 word upon a matter till we have heard both sides ; and, more- 
 over, that we do our best to avoid hearing either one side or 
 the other if the matter does not concern us. 
 
 Is not this a suflScient explanation of my declaration that I have 
 one blind eye and one deaf ear, and that they are the best eye and 
 ear I have? 
 
LECTURE X. 
 
 The grand object of tlie Christian ministry is the glory of God. 
 Whether souls are converted or not, if Jesus Christ be faithfully 
 preached, the minister has not laboured in vain, for he is a sweet 
 savour unto God as well in them that perish as in them that are 
 saved. Yet, as a rule, God has sent us to preach in order that 
 through the gospel of Jesus Christ the sons of men may be 
 reconciled to him. Here and there a preacher of righteousness, 
 like Noah, may labour on and bring none beyond his own family 
 circle into the ark of salvation ; and another, like Jeremiah, may 
 weep in vain over an impenitent nation ; but, for the most part, 
 the work of preaching is intended to save the hearers. It is 
 ours to sow even in stony places, where no fruit rewards our 
 toil ; but still Ave are bound to look for a harvest, and mourn if 
 it does not appear in due time. 
 
 The glory of God being our chief object, we aim at it by seeking 
 the edification of saints and the salvation of sinners. It is a noble 
 work to mstruct the people of God, and to build them up in their 
 most holy faith : we may by no means neglect this duty. To this 
 end we must give clear statements of gospel doctrine, of vital 
 experience, and of Christian duty, and never shrink from declaring 
 the whole counsel of God. In too many cases sublime truths 
 are held in abeyance under the pretence that they are not 
 ])ractical; whereas the very fact that they are revealed proves 
 that the Lord thinks them to be of value, and woe unto us if we 
 pretend to be wiser than he. We may say of any and every doctrine 
 of Scripture — 
 
 " To give it then a tongue is wise in man." 
 
 If any one note is dropped from the divine harmony of truth 
 the music may be sadly marred. Your people may fall into grave 
 
180 ON CO]SrAT:RSION AS OUR AI3I. 
 
 spiritual diseases throngli the lack of a certain form of spiritual 
 nutriment, which can only be supplied by the doctrines which you 
 withhold. In the food which we eat there are ingredients which 
 do not at first appear to be necessary to life; but experience 
 shows that they are requisite to health and strength. Phosphorus 
 will not make flesh, but it is wanted for bone ; many earths and 
 salts come under the same description — they are necessai'y in due 
 proportion to the human economy. Even thus certain truths 
 which appear to be little adapted for spiritual nutriment are, never- 
 theless, very beneficial in furnishing believers with backbone and 
 muscle, and in repairing the varied organs of Christian manhood. 
 We must preach " the whole truth," that the man of God may be 
 thorougldy furnished unto all good works. 
 
 0,ur great object of glorifying God is, however, to be mainly 
 achieved by the winning of souls. We must see souls born unto 
 God. If we do not, our cry should be that of Rachel "Give 
 me children, or I die." If we do not win souls, we should mourn 
 as the husbandman who sees no harvest, as the fisherman who re- 
 turns to his cottage with an empty net, or as the huntsman who 
 has in vain roamed over hill and dale. Ours should be Isaiah's 
 language uttered with many a sigh and groan — " Who hath be- 
 lieved our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" 
 The ambassadors of peace should not cease to weep bitterly until 
 sinners weep for their sins. 
 
 If we intensely desire to see our hearers believe on the Lord 
 .Jesus, how shall we act in order to be used of God for producing 
 such a result I This is the theme of the present lecture. 
 
 Since conversion is a divine work, we must take care that we 
 depend entirely upon the Spirit of God, and look to him for power 
 over men's minds. Often as this remark is repeated, I fear we 
 too little feel its force ; for if we were more truly sensible of our 
 need of the Spirit of God, should we not study more in depen- 
 dence upon his teaching? Should we not pray more importu- 
 nately to be anointed with his sacred unction ? Should we not in 
 preaching give more scope for his operation ? Do Ave not fail in 
 many of our efforts, because we practically, though not doctrinally, 
 ignore the Holy Ghost? His place as God is on the throne, and 
 in all our enterprises he must be first, midst, and end : we are 
 instruments in his hand, and nothing more. 
 
 This being fully admitted, what else should be done if we hope 
 to see conversions ? A ssuredly we should he careful to preach 
 most prominently those truths which are likely to lead to this end. 
 
ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 181 
 
 Wliat truths are those ? I answer, we should first and foremost 
 preach Christ, and kirn crucified. Where Jesus is exalted souls 
 are attracted ; — " I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." 
 The preaching of the cross is to them that are saved the wisdom 
 of God and the power of God. The Christian minister should 
 preach all the truths which cluster around the person and work 
 of the Lord Jesus, and hence he must declare very earnestly and 
 pointedl}' the evil of sin, which created the need of a Saviour. 
 Let him show that sin is a breach of the law, that it necessitates 
 punishment, and that the wrath of God is revealed against it. 
 Let him never treat sin as though it were a trifle, or a mis- 
 fortune, but let him set it forth as exceeding sinful. Let him 
 go into particulars, not superficially glancing at evil in the 
 gross, but mentioning various sins in detail, especially those most 
 current at the time : such as that all-devouring hydra of drunken- 
 ness, which devastates our land; lying, which in the form of 
 slander abounds on all sides ; and licentiousness, which must be 
 mentioned with holy delicacy, and yet needs to be denounced 
 unsparingly. We must especially reprove those evils into which 
 our hearers have fallen, or are likely to fall. Explain the ten 
 commandments and obey the divine injunction: " show my 
 people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." 
 Open up the spirituality of the law as our Lord did, and show 
 how it is broken by evil thoughts, intents, and imaginations. 
 By this means many sinners will be pricked in their hearts. Old 
 Robbie Flockhart used to say, " It is of no use trying to sew with 
 the silken thread of the gospel unless we pierce a way for it with 
 the sharp needle of the law." The law goes first, like the needle, 
 and draws the gospel thread after it: therefore preach con- 
 cerning sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. Let such 
 language as that of the fifty-first Psalm be often explained : show 
 that God requireth truth in the inward parts, and that purging 
 with sacrificial blood is absolutely needful. Aim at the heart. 
 Probe the wound and touch the very quick of the soul. Spare 
 not the sterner themes, for men must be wounded before they can 
 be healed, and slain before they can be made alive. No man will 
 ever put on the robe of Christ's righteousness till he is stripped of 
 his fig leaves, nor will he wash in the fount of mercy till he per- 
 ceives his filthiness. Therefore, my brethren, we must not cease to 
 declare the law, its demands, its threatenings, and the sinner's 
 multiplied breaches of it. 
 
 Teach the dejyraviti/ of human nature. Show men that sin is not an 
 
182 ON CON\TERSION AS OUR AIM. 
 
 accident, but the genuine outcome of their corrupt hearts. Pi'eacli 
 the doctrine of the natural depravity of man. It is an unfashion- 
 able truth ; for nowadays ministers are to be foimd who are very 
 fine upon " the dignity of human nature." The " lapsed state of 
 man " — that is the phrase — is sometimes alluded to, but the cor- 
 ruption of our nature, and kindred themes are carefully avoided : 
 Ethiopians are informed that they may whiten their skins, and 
 it is hoped that leopards will remove their spots. Brethren, you 
 will not fall into this delusion, or, if }'ou do, you may expect few 
 conversions. To prophecy smooth things, and to extenuate the 
 evil of our lost estate, is not the w^av to lead men to Jesus. 
 
 Brethren, the necessifr/ for the, Ilohi Ghost's divine operations will 
 follow as a matter of course upon the former teaching, for dire 
 necessity demands divine interposition. Men must be told that 
 they are dead, and that only the Holy Spirit can quicken them ; 
 that the Spirit works according to his own good pleasure, and that 
 no man can claim his visitations or deserve his aid. This is thought 
 to be very discouraging teaching, and so it is, but men need to be 
 discouraged when they are seeking salvation in a wrong manner. 
 To put them out of conceit of their own abilities is a great help 
 toward bringing them to look out of self to another, even the 
 Lord Jesus- The doctrine of election and other great truths 
 which declare salvation to be all of grace, and to be, not the right 
 of the creature, but the gift of the Sovereign Lord, are all calcu- 
 lated to hide pride from man, and so to prepare him to receive the 
 mercy of God. 
 
 We must also set befoi'e our hearers the justice of God and 
 tJte certainty that every transgression icill be punished. Often 
 
 must we 
 
 " Before them p!ace in dread array, 
 The pomp of that tremendous day 
 AVhen Christ with clouds shall come." 
 
 Sound in their ears the doctrine of the second advent, not as a 
 curiosity of prophecy, but as a solemn practical fact. It is idle to 
 set forth our Lord in all the tinkling bravery of an earthly 
 kingdom, after the manner of brethren who believe in a revived 
 Judaism; we need to preach the Lord as coming to judge the 
 world in righteousness, to summon the nations to his bar, and to 
 separate them as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats. 
 Paul preached of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, 
 and made Felix ti'emble : these themes are equally powerful now. 
 AVe rob the gospel of its power if we leave out its threatenings of 
 
ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 183 
 
 punishment. It is to be feared that the novel opinions upon 
 annihilation and restoration which have afflicted the Church in 
 these last days have caused many ministers to be sIoav to speak 
 concerning the last judgment and its issues, and consequently the 
 terrors of the Lord have had small influence ui)on either preachers 
 or hearers. If this be so it cannot be too much regretted, for one 
 great means of conversion is thus left unused. 
 
 Beloved brethren, we must be most of all clear upon the great 
 soul-saving doctrine of the atonement; we must preach a real bona fide 
 substitutionary sacrifice, and proclaim pardon as its result. Cloudy 
 views as to atoning blood are mischievous to the last degree ; souls 
 are held in unnecessary bondage, and saints are robbed of the calm 
 confidence of faith, because they are not definitely told that " God 
 Imth made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might 
 l)c made the righteousness of God in Him." We must preach sub- 
 stitution straightforwardly aiid unmistakeably, for if any doctrine 
 be plainly taught in Scripture it is this, — " The chastisement of 
 our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." " He, 
 His own self, bare our sins in His own body on the tree." This 
 truth gives rest to the conscience by showing how God can be just, 
 and the justifier of him that believeth. This is the great net of 
 gospel fishermen : the fish are drawn or driven in the right direc- 
 tion by other truths, but this is the net itself. 
 
 If men are to be saved, we must in plainest terms preach justi- 
 fication hy faitli, as the method by which the atonement becomes 
 effectual in the soul's experience. If we are saved by the substi- 
 tutionary work of Christ, no merit of ours is wanted, and all men 
 liave to do is by a simple faith to accept what Christ has already 
 done. It is delightful to dwell on the grand truth that " This man, 
 after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the 
 right hand of God." O glorious sight — the Christ sitting down 
 in the place of honour because his work is done. Well may the 
 soul rest in a work so evidently complete. 
 
 Justification by faith must never be obscured, and yet all are 
 not clear upon it. I once heard a sermon upon " They that sow 
 in tears shall reap in joy," of which the English was, " Be good, 
 very good, and though you will have to suffer in consequence, 
 God will reward you in the end." The preacher, no doubt, 
 lielieved in justification by faith, but he very distinctly preached 
 the opposite doctrine. Many do this when addressing children, 
 and I notice that they generally speak to the little ones about 
 loving Jesus, and not upon believing in him. This must leave a 
 
184 ox CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 
 
 miscliievous impression upon yovitliful minds and take tliem off 
 from the true Avay of peace. 
 
 Preach earnestly the love of God in Christ Jesus, and magnify 
 the abounding mercy of the Lord ; but always })reach it in con- 
 nection with his justice. Do not extol the single attribute of love 
 in the method too generally followed, but regard love in the high 
 theological sense, in which, like a golden circle, it holds within 
 itself all the divine attributes : for God were not love if he 
 were not just, and did not hate every unholy thing. Never exalt 
 one attribute at the expense of another. Let boundless mercy be 
 seen in calm consistency with stern justice and unlimited sove- 
 reignty. The true character of God is fitted to awe, impress, and 
 humble the sinner : be careful not to misrepresent your Lord. 
 
 All these truths and others which complete the evangelical 
 system are calculated to lead men to faith; therefore make them 
 the staple of your teaching. 
 
 Secondly, if we are intensely anxious to have souls saved we 
 must not only preach the truths which are likely to lead up to this 
 end, but we must use modes of luxndling those truths lohich are 
 lihely to conduce thereto. Do you enquire, what are they ? First, 
 you must do a great deal by way of instruction. Sinners are not 
 saved in darkness but from it ; " that the soul be without know- 
 ledge, it is not good." Men must be taught concerning themselves, 
 their sin, and their fall ; their Saviour, redemption, regeneration, 
 and so on. Many aw^akened souls would gladly accept God's way 
 of salvation if they did but know it ; they are akin to those of Avhom 
 the apostle said, "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance 
 ye did it." If you will instruct them God will save them : is it 
 not written, "the entrance of thy word giveth light " '? If the Holy 
 Spirit blesses your teaching, they will see how wTong they have 
 been, and they will be led to repentance and faith. I do not 
 believe in that preaching which lies mainly in shouting, " Believe ! 
 believe ! believe !" In common justice you are bound to tell the 
 poor people what they are to believe. There must be instruction, 
 otherwise the exhortation to believe is manifestly ridiculous, and 
 must in practice be abortive. I fear that some of our oi'thodox 
 brethren have been prejudiced against the free invitations of the 
 gospel by hearing the raw, undigested harangues of revivalist 
 speakers whose heads are loosely put together. The best way to 
 preach sinners to Christ is to preach Christ to sinners. Exhorta- 
 tions, entreaties, and beseechings, if not accompanied with sound 
 instruction, are like firing off powder without shot. You may 
 
ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 185 
 
 shout, and weep, and plead, but you cannot lead men to believe 
 what they have not heard, nor to receive a truth which has never 
 been set before them. " Because the preacher was wise, he still 
 taught the people knowledge." 
 
 While giving instruction it is wise to appeal to the understanding. 
 True religion is as logical as if it were not emotional. I am not an 
 admirer of the peculiar views of Mr. Finney, but I have no doubt 
 that he was useful to many ; and his power lay in his use of clear 
 arguments. Many who knew his fame were greatly disappointed 
 at first hearing him, because he used few beauties of speech and 
 was as calm and dry as a book of Euclid ; but he was exactly 
 adapted to a cei'tain order of minds, and they were convinced and 
 convicted by his forcible reasoning. Should not persons of an 
 argumentative cast of mind be provided for? We are to be all 
 things to all men, and to tliese men we must become argumen- 
 tative and push them into a corner with plain deductions and 
 necessary inferences. Of carnal reasoning we would have none, 
 but of fair, honest pondering, considering, judging, and arguing 
 the more the better. 
 
 The class requiring logical argument is small compared with the 
 number of those who need to be pleaded with, by way of emotional 
 persuasion. They require not so much reasoning as heart-argument I 
 — which is logic set on fire. You must argue with them as a 
 mother pleads with her boy that he will not grieve her, or as a fond 
 sister entreats a brother to return to their father's home and seek 
 reconciliation : argument must be quickened into persuasion by the 
 living warmth of love. Cold logic has its force, but when made red 
 hot with affection the power of tender argument is inconceivable. 
 The power which one mind can gain over others is enormous, 
 but it is often best developed when the leading mind has ceased 
 to have power over itself. When passionate zeal has carried the 
 man himself away his speech becomes an irresistible torrent, sweep- 
 ing all before It. A man known to be godly and devout, and felt 
 to be large-hearted and self-sacrificing, has a power In his very 
 person, and his advice and recommendation carry weight because 
 of his character; but when he comes to plead and to persuade, 
 even to tears, his Influence Is wonderful, and God the Holy Spirit 
 yokes It into his service. Brethren, we must plead. Entreaties and 
 beseechings must blend with our instructions. Any and every appeal 
 which will reach the conscience and move men to fly to Jesus we 
 must perpetually employ, if by any means we may save some. I 
 have sometimes heard ministers blamed for speaking of themselves 
 
186 ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 
 
 when they are pleading, but the censure need not be much 
 regarded while we have such a precedent as the example of 
 Paul. To a congregation who love you it is quite allowable 
 to mention your grief that many of tliem are unsaved, and 
 your vehement desire, and incessant prayer for their conversion, 
 lou are doing right when you mention yoiu' own experience of the 
 goodness of God in Christ Jesus, and plead with men to come 
 and taste the same. We must not be abstractions or mere officials 
 to our people, but we must plead with them as real flesh and 
 blood, if we would see them converted. When you can quote 
 yourself as a living instance of what grace has done, the plea is 
 too powerful to be withheld through fear of being charged with 
 egotism. 
 
 Sometimes, too, we must change our tone. Instead of instruct- 
 mg, reasoning, and persuading, we must come to threatening, 
 and declare the wratli of God upon impenitent souls. We must 
 lift the curtain and let them see the future. Show them their 
 danger, and warn them to escape from the wrath to come. This 
 done, we must return to invitation, and set before the awakened 
 mind the rich provisions of infinite grace which are freely pre- 
 sented to the sons of men. In our Master's name we must give 
 the invitation, crying, " Whosoever will, let him take the water of 
 I life freely." Do not be deterred from this, my brethren, by those 
 I ultra-Calvinistic theologians who say, " You may instruct and warn 
 the ungodly, but you must not invite or entreat them." And why 
 not ? " Because they are dead sinners, and it is therefore absurd to 
 invite them, since they cannot come." Wherefore then may we 
 Avarn or instruct them ? The argument is so strong, if it be strong 
 at all, that it sweeps away all modes of appeal to sinners, and they 
 alone are logical who, after they have preached to the saints, sit 
 down and say, " The election hath obtained it, and the rest were 
 blinded." On what ground are we to address the ungodly at all? 
 If we are only to bid them do such things as they are capable 
 of doing without the Spirit of God, we are reduced to mere 
 moralists. If it be absurd to bid the dead sinner believe and live, 
 it is equally vain to bid him consider his state, and reflect upon 
 his future doom. Indeed, it would be idle altogether were it not 
 that true preaching is an act of faith, and is owned by the Holy 
 Spu-it as the means of working spiritual miracles. If we were by 
 ourselves, and did not expect divine interpositions, we should be 
 wise to keep witliin the bounds of reason, and persuade men to do 
 only what we see in them the ability to do. We should then bid 
 
ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 187 
 
 the livirxg live, urge the seeing to see, and persuade the vvilHng to 
 will. The task would be so easy that it miglit even seem to be 
 superfluous ; certainly no special call of the Holy Ghost would be 
 needed for so very simple an undertaking. Bvit, brethren, where 
 is the mighty power and the victory of faith if our ministry 
 is this and nothing more"? Who among the sons of men would 
 think it a great vocation to be sent into a synagogue to say to a 
 perfectly vigorous man, " liise up and walk," or to the possessor 
 of sound limbs, " Stretch out thine hand." He is a poor Ezekiel 
 whose greatest achievement is to cry, " Ye living souls, live." 
 
 Let the two methods be set side by side as to practical result, 
 and it will be seen that those who never exhort sinners are seldom 
 winners of souls to any great extent, but they maintain their 
 churches by converts from other systems. I have even heard them 
 say, " Oh, yes, the Methodists and Revivalists are beating the 
 hedges, but we shall catch many of the birds." If I harboured 
 such a mean thought I should be ashamed to express it. A system 
 which cannot touch the outside world, but must leave arousing and 
 converting work to others, whom it judges to be unsound, writes 
 its own condemnation. 
 
 Again, brethren, if we wish to see souls saved, we must be wise 
 as to the times when we address the unconverted. Very little 
 common sense is spent over this matter. Under certain ministries 
 there is a set time for speaking to sinners, and this comes as 
 regularly as the hour of noon. A few crumbs of the feast 
 are thrown to the dogs under the table at the close of the dis- 
 course, and they treat your crumbs as you treat them, namely, 
 with courteous indifference. Why should the warning word be 
 always at the hinder end of the discourse when hearers are most 
 likely to be Aveary? Why give men notice to buckle on their 
 harness so as to be prepared to repel our attack? When their 
 interest is excited, and they are least upon the defensive, then let 
 fly a shaft at the careless, and it will frequently be more effectual 
 than a whole flight of arrows shot against them at a time wdien 
 they are thoroughly encased in armour of proof. Surprise is a 
 great element in gaining attention and fixing a remark upon the 
 memory, and times for addressing the careless should be chosen 
 with an eye to that fact. It may be very well as a I'ule to seek 
 the edification of the saints in the morning discourse, but it would 
 be wise to vary it, and let tl^ unconverted sometimes have the chief 
 labour of your preparation and the best service of the day. 
 
190 ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 
 
 But our agony for souls must be real aud not feigned, and 
 therefore our hearts must be wrought into true sympathy with 
 God. Low piety means little spiritual power. Extremely 
 pointed addresses may be delivered by men whose hearts are out 
 of order with the Lord, but their result must be small. There 
 is a something in the very tone of the man "who has been with 
 Jesus which has more power to touch the heart than the most 
 perfect oratory: remember this and maintain an unbroken walk 
 with God. You will need much night-work in secret if you are to 
 gather many of your Lord's lost sheep. Only by prayer and 
 fasting can you gain power to cast out the worst of devils. Let 
 men say what they will about sovereignty, God connects special 
 success with special states of heart, and if these are lacking he 
 will not do many mighty works. 
 
 In addition to earnest preacliing it loill he toise to use other means. 
 If you wish to see results from your sermons you must be accessible 
 to enquirers. A meeting after every service may not be desirable, 
 but frequent opportunities for coming into direct contact with 
 your people should be sought after, and by some means created. 
 It is shocking to think that there are ministers who have no 
 method whatever for meeting the anxious, and if they do see 
 here and there one, it is because of the courage of the seeker, and 
 not because of the earnestness of the pastor. From the very first 
 you should appoint frequent and regular seasons for seeing all 
 who are seeking after Christ, and you should continually invite 
 such to come and speak with you. In addition to this, hold 
 numerous enquirers' meetings, at which the addresses shall be all 
 intended to assist the troubled and guide the perplexed, and 
 with these intermingle fervent prayers for the individuals present, 
 and short testimonies from recent converts and others. As an 
 open confession of Christ is continually mentioned in connec- 
 tion with saving faith, it is your wisdom to make it easy for 
 believers who are as yet following Jesus by night to come forward 
 and avow their allegiance to him. There must be no persuading 
 to make a profession, but there should be every opportunity for so 
 doing, and no stumbling-block placed in the way of hopeful minds. 
 As for those who are not so far advanced as to warrant any 
 thought of baptism, you may be of the utmost benefit to them by 
 personal intercourse, and therefore you should seek it. Doubts 
 may be cleared away, errors rectified, and terrors dispelled by a 
 few moments' conversation ; I have known instances in which a 
 life-long misery has been ended by a simple explanation which 
 
ON CONVERSION AS OUR AIM. 191 
 
 might have been given years before. IScek out the wandering 
 sheep one by one, and when you find all your thoughts needed for 
 a single individual, do not grudge your labour, for your Lord in 
 his parable represents the good shepherd as bringing home his lost 
 sheep, not in a flock, but one at a time upon his shoulders, and 
 rejoicing so to do. 
 
 With all that you can do your desires will not be fulfilled, for 
 soul-winning is a pursuit which grows upon a man; the more he is 
 rewarded with conversions the more eager he becomes to see 
 greater numbers born unto God. Hence you will soon discover 
 that you need help if many are to he brought in. The net soon 
 becomes too heavy for one pair of hands to drag to shore when it 
 is filled with fishes ; and your fellow -helpers must be beckoned 
 to your assistance. Great things are done by the Holy Spirit 
 when a whole church is aroused to sacred energy : then there 
 are hundreds of testimonies instead of one, and these strengthen 
 each other; then advocates for Christ succeed each other and 
 work into each other's hands, while supplication ascends to heaven 
 with the force of united importunity ; thus sinners are encom- 
 j)assed with a cordon of earnest entreaties, and heaven itself 
 is called into the field. It would seem hard in some congrega- 
 tions for a sinner to be saved, for whatever good he may receive 
 from the pulpit is frozen out of him by the arctic atmosphei'e 
 with which he is surrounded: and on the other hand some churches 
 make it hard for men to remain unconverted, for with holy zeal 
 they persecute the careless into anxiety. It should be our ambi- 
 tion, in the power of the Holy Ghost, to w^ork the entire church 
 into a fine missionary condition, to make it like a Leyden jar 
 charged to the full with divine electricity, so that whatever 
 comes into contact with it shall feel its power. What can one 
 man do alone ? What can he not do with an army of enthusiasts 
 around him % Contemplate at the outset the possibility of having 
 a church of soul-winners. Do not succumb to the usual idea that 
 we can only gather a few useful workers, and that the rest of the 
 community must inevitably be a dead weight : it may possibly so 
 happen, but do not set out with that notion or it will be verified. 
 The usual need not be the universal ; better things are possible 
 than anything yet attained ; set your aim high and spare no effort 
 to reach it. Labour to gather a church alive for Jesus, every 
 member energetic to the full, and the whole in incessant activity 
 for the salvation of men. To this end there must be the best of 
 preaching to feed the host into strength, continual prayer to 
 
192 ON CO:«s VERSION AS OUR AIM. 
 
 bring down the power from on high, and the most heroic example 
 on your own part to fire their zeal : then under the divine blessing 
 a common-sense management of the entire force cannot fail to 
 jiroduce the most desirable issues. Who among you can grasp 
 this idea and embody it in actual fact ? 
 
 To call in another brother every now and then to take the lead 
 in evangelistic services will be found very wise and useful ; for 
 there are some fish that nev^er will be taken in your net, but will 
 surely fall to the lot of another fisherman. Fresh voices pene- 
 trate where the accustomed sound has lost effect, and they tend 
 also to beget a deeper interest in those already attentive. Sound 
 and prudent evangelists may lend help even to the most efficient 
 pastor, and gather in fruit which he has failed to reach ; at any 
 rate it makes a break in the continuity of ordinary services, and 
 renders them less likely to become monotonous. Never suffer 
 jealousy to hinder you in this. Suppose another lamp should 
 outshine yours, what will it matter so long as it brings light to 
 those whose welfare you are seeking ? Say with Moses, " Would 
 God all the Lord's servants were prophets." He who is free from 
 selfish jealousy will find that no occasion will suggest it ; his 
 people may be well aware that their pastor is excelled by others 
 in talent, but they will be ready to assert that he is surpassed 
 bv none in love to their souls. It is not needful for a loving son 
 to believe that his father is the most learned man in the parish ; 
 he loves him for his own sake, and not because he is superior to 
 others. Call in every now and then a warm-hearted neighbour, 
 utilize the talent in the church itself, and procure the services 
 of some eminent soul-winner, and this may, in God's hands, break 
 up the hard soil for you, and bring you brighter days. 
 
 In fine, beloved brethren, by any means, by all means, labour to 
 glorifv God by conversions, and rest not till your heart's desire is 
 fulfilled. 
 
 Passmore and Alabaster, Steam Printers, '61, Little Briiaiu, E.(J. 
 

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