Part 21

We want the protracted meeting then, to deliver an unbroken series of gospel discourses to the people—that we may be enabled to call off their attention from the ordinary cares of life, and more especially from their sins, and place our glorious Lord and Redeemer before their minds—induce them to consider him, in all his gracious condescension, his life filled up with acts of kindness, goodness and humanity, his prayers, agonies and tears, his wonderful death, his descent to the grave, his victorious conquest over death and his triumphant and glorious ascension into heaven and coronation, as the King of kings and Lord of lords—that he is now exalted to the heavens—to the throne of the universe, to grant repentance and remission of sins, and that there is no other name given under heaven, nor among men whereby ye can be saved.

When a full exhibition of Christ—of the gospel, is made to men, in a series of discourses, and their hearts are moved, their souls filled with love and gratitude to him whom they discover to be their only Benefactor, their Lord, their Savior and only Redeemer, then we meet them with his own infallible directions, as they fell from his own lips and the lips of his holy apostles, and we never find it fail to give peace to the soul, and if carried out to give the utmost assurance in after life and death of acceptance with God and an eternal reward. Go on, then, brethren, with the protracted meetings, and preach the word of the everlasting God to sinners as long as a man can be found who will bear it, and then be careful to take care of the young converts and keep them in the work of the Lord.

SCENE IN A HOTEL.

October 7th, we started for Lebanon, where we had an appointment at night. The rains not having extended east, the road was fine and we glided along beautifully and reached Germantown about twelve o’clock. Not being acquainted with any person in the place, we drove up to the only public house we saw, and called for dinner and horse fed. On entering the bar room, the landlord skipped around the counter, and running his keen eye over the immense assortment of intoxicating liquors which lined one end of the room, politely inquired what we would drink. We answered, “a cup of cold water sir, if you please, when dinner is ready.” His countenance fell, but he recovered himself and invited us to take a seat. Presently in came a dirty, rough looking fellow, with his greasy pants patched from top to bottom, and placed himself at the counter, with his feet about as far apart upon the floor as his legs were long, and rolled up his red eyes as he looked out from his bloated face, while the landlord called out, “What will you have sir?” He answered, “Hand down old Rough and Ready,” when a huge bottle of the fiery stuff was instantly set down. He poured a common sized glass tumbler two-thirds full, swallowed it, smacked his lips and took his seat. During this time he uttered some dozen or two of the most horrid oaths he could think of. One after another came in till some twenty had entered the room in a similar style, among whom there was not one, not excepting the landlord, who was not a profane swearer. Now the dinner bell rang, and in a perfect rush we gathered round the table well spread with the bounties of life. The stream of oaths continued from almost every mouth. Presently my right hand man commenced entertaining the company by giving an account of his travels among the _Hoosiers_, how ignorant they were, and that he had some notion of turning out preacher among them, as he was certain he could have made lots of money in that way! Poor silly creature thought we; you must get sense enough to eat your dinner in a civil manner, when you are in the company of a stranger, before you can even be an impostor.

Should we call at such a house to stay over night, we should surely leave, after finding what kind of company we had fallen into. To be annoyed by the awful stench of tobacco smoke, spit and snuff, with the wretched scent of a company of men who are never sober, is what we will not endure if there is any other chance.

“FAITH COMES BY HEARING.”

How remarkable the difference between the apostles’ method of producing faith, and that pursued by some modern preachers. The latter class frequently theorize on faith, and the method through which it comes, but the former, understanding his mission more perfectly, first, set forth the things to be believed, and secondly, the witnesses by which God intended to prove them to the world. An august phalanx they are too! consisting of all the prophets and apostles. “They all bear witness of him.” Suppose we could see them standing in a long rank, and among the most distinguished we could see Enoch, Elijah and the venerable Abraham. We could place our eyes upon the great commander of the hosts of the Israel of God, and the mighty law-giver, who feared and trembled, in the midst of thunderings and smoke at Mount Sinai, viz. Moses.—We look again and behold Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. Passing the lesser prophets, we behold the commanding face and hear the voice of John the Baptist. Still gazing we behold Peter, James and Paul and last of all the eye rests upon the venerable John. We then pause, and reflect upon the tears, the poverty, nakedness, hunger, thirst, stripes, imprisonments and deaths through which these men passed and inquire what was all this suffering for? The fact re-echoes back upon us in the awful and sublime sentence: “For the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Did they thus suffer on this account? They did. Could they have been anything else but faithful men? Surely not. They must have been the most sincere and solemn men the world ever produced: Well could they have been mistaken. Impossible. The things concerning which they bore witness they SAW and HEARD. “We were with him in Jerusalem, in the land of the Jews, and _saw him_ after he rose from the dead.” We say then emphatically that they could not have been insincere nor mistaken, and what they said must have been infallibly true.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Awakened sinners feel that they must do something, but they see, or think they see, some “lion in the street”—some difficulty in the path which they have marked out to Christ, which prevents them from finding the Savior in the pardon of their sins. The chief reason, perhaps, why every inquirer does not rejoice in a felt sense of God’s pardoning love, is, that they seek in their own way. They endeavor to arise and “go to Jesus,” in their own strength. No sinner ever did find Christ, seeking thus. He must first arrive at the point where he can feel his own helplessness, before Christ will help him. When he does realize this helplessness, then God will meet him and give him the new heart.

Would you know, then, what you must do to be saved? The essence of the whole matter, we think, is this:

1. You must resolve that you will put off the interest of your soul no longer, but that you will go earnestly about the matter, and seek and persist in seeking, until your sins are pardoned. 2. You must see your own helplessness and feel it. 3. Having arrived at this point, humbly submit to Christ. With the prodigal, let the feelings of the heart be, “I will arise and go to my Father”—He can help me—I can not help myself—if he save, well—if not, “I can but perish if I go.”

And, did ever a sinner perish with such feelings? No, thanks to Christ, not one! Try it, dear sinner, try it.

We clip the above from the _Presbyterian Advocate_, as a specimen of “the blind leading the blind.” Why is it that when men attempt to answer Scripture questions, they can not give Scripture answers? When the Philippian Jailer propounded substantially the above question, the holy apostle answered him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.” Acts xvi. 30-32. When this pagan officer asked what he should do, he was not blindly told that he _could do nothing_—that the first lesson to learn in salvation was that he _could not do anything_, but he was told what to do, and forthwith did it and was saved.

When Saul asked the important question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” he was by no means told that he could not do anything. But he was told to “Arise, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee, all things that are appointed _for thee to do_.” Acts xxii. 9-10; see verse 16. Would God appoint things for men to do, and say, “Why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord,” if he knew they could not do anything?

When three thousand cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” there was no blind guide to say, “You can do nothing,” but there were present apostles, under the influence of the infallible Spirit of all wisdom, who said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” Acts ii. 38.

EVANGELISTS—PASTORS.

The evangelist is not an officer in a church, or for a church, but his work is at large, to build up the churches, strengthen them and turn sinners to the Lord. He should introduce the gospel into new places, establish churches, and in due time set them in order. He is not an ecclesiastic, an official dignitary, who has much to say about his _office_ and _authority_, but a _gospel man_, a man of influence, and can command respect and do a good work.

A shepherd, or, which is the same, _pastor_, is not an officer at all, but a figurative term applied to him who takes care of the flock. The flock means the church, and the shepherd is the correlative of flock, and is applied to an overseer, or one who oversees or looks over the flock as a shepherd. “Pastoral work” is, then, the work of a shepherd, or overseer, who can not be a novice or a young convert.

The work of the evangelist is now needed as much as ever, and the evangelist is by no means done away. So the shepherds to take care of the flock are now needed as much as ever, and the teachers are in demand as much as ever. These are not now raised up and qualified by miracle, but by ordinary means; nor is the work gone that they are severally to do. The evangelizing is now needed as much as ever; so is taking care of the churches and teaching the disciples all things that Jesus commanded. True, as our brother has said, there is no office in the church except overseer and deacon. The office of an evangelist is not a church office.

We have a glorious army of young men now called into the field, capable of one of the noblest works ever done by men. They have it in their hearts to do that work; but if they are perverted they will be ruined and will never accomplish the work to which they have given themselves. They must not, on the one hand, be discouraged and disheartened, but encouraged and their way opened; and, on the other hand, they must not be arrogant, conceited and vain, but humble, gentle, and kind; examples of piety, purity and moral excellence. They must not think to leap into authority by virtue of being preachers, but, by faithful labor and noble deeds, win their way and gain an influence among the people of God. If, now and then, one of them is puffed up, filled with conceit and arrogance, the same is true of other classes of men, and it is no argument against them as a class, but against the individual.

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS IN PREACHING.

Nothing short of the highest morality and the most perfect subordination can ever secure complete success. Most indispensable is high reputation in all its public functionaries. A religious body whose public organs do not sustain purity of morals, chastity of address, and dignity of character, with most elevated natural and acquired attainments, can never do much towards the purification and elevation of the debased and degraded children of men. So important is this that some rule seems to be necessary to enable us to distinguish those who labor to show themselves off to a good advantage, from those who seek the honor of the blessed Master. It is one thing to preach in such a way as to make the people think of and confess their sins, but it is quite another thing for the mere actor to show himself off, in such a way as to induce the hearers to say, _he is the greatest man we ever heard_! A fine speaker may present such a beautiful theory on faith, as to delight a popular audience, without producing faith in a single soul, while the most immethodical speaker, whose heart is greatly impressed with the facts to be believed, will throw out the great realities of revelation with such earnestness and zeal as to make believers wherever he goes. Just so fine theories on repentance may be delivered in the shape of sermons, and listened to with applause, without inducing any one to think of repenting, while some old-fashioned preacher reasoning upon righteousness and a judgment to come, in the most immethodical manner, will cause sinners to tremble all around. The reason of this is not that one class has method while the other has not, but one class presents the mighty truth of God, while the other simply presents a fine theory concerning the truth. The result is that in one case the truth itself is believed and admired, while in the other case the fine theory is the only thing seen, and the preacher who delivered it the only object adored.

TEDIOUSNESS IN PUBLIC DEVOTIONS.

We wish to allude to some errors into which some elders have fallen, for their advantage. We have an opportunity of being better acquainted with some difficulties in churches than the elders themselves can. When we visit some congregations, the elders complain that they will not turn out to meeting. The brethren say the reason more will not turn out is, that the elders are in the habit of preaching long and uninteresting sermons, which they have heard over and over again, until they know every comma and semi-colon. And now the congregation has dwindled down to insignificance, and the few who are faithful enough to attend are annoyed with a lengthy harangue on the subject of the non-attendance of the members. There is certainly a great impropriety in this course. But few men are able to interest an audience with a lengthy discourse on every first day of the week. Those men who have been most successful in holding large audiences, where they preach very frequently in the same place, are usually very brief in their addresses, and very fearful of wearying the patience of their hearers. Some men of very fine talent have lost their audiences, on no account but their tediousness; and if it thus fares with men of talent, what may we expect from men of slender abilities? It is very wearisome to those, who can hardly be induced to attend the place of meeting at any time, to hear a brother of limited information, and a poor speaker, for the space of an hour or an hour and a half. Time seems doubly long to them.

The uneasiness seen in this class, causes all the rest to be uneasy, and every one wishes the sermon to close. Some begin to leave, others begin to button up their coats, get their hats and whips ready, look at their watches, and appear almost on the rise, while some through respect try to appear contented. Let the fault lie where it may in such cases, it is as certain as any thing can be, that the preaching is doing no good. If the same brethren would make their addresses very short, and be as interesting as possible, they would not have to complain half so often about the delinquency of their brethren in attending meeting, and secure the reputation of much better preachers.

There is another kind of tediousness, almost as insufferable as long sermons. The selecting and singing of long hymns, in a cold and formal manner, after a tedious sermon, can have no good effect. Lengthy ceremonies in administering the communion, are always in opposition to its good influence, and very wearisome to the restless. But last, though by no means least, it is not to be endured for elders to detain the audience, while they may consult together five or ten minutes, about appointments and other matters of this kind, and then be very tedious in announcing them. All matters of this kind ought to be despatched with readiness.

RESURRECTION—ADAMIC SIN.

We doubt not that precisely what was lost in Adam will be restored in Christ, or, that whatever the injury that resulted from the agency of Adam was, it will be removed by Christ. Whatever was included in the word “die” will be counteracted by what was included in the words “made alive.” The penalty inflicted on account of the Adamic sin will all be removed from the whole race, in Christ, the second Adam, or the Lord from heaven. No man will be lost in the world to come on account of the Adamic sin. There is not an intimation in the Bible of any man being punished in the world to come on account of _original sin_. The punishment in the world to come is threatened in view of _our own_, or what schoolmen call “_actual_ sin.” The penalty sentenced on account of Adam’s sin has fallen, as a _consequence_, on the whole race. By Christ, in the resurrection, this _consequence_ will be removed, and pardon, through the blood of Christ, will release _all who come to the Savior_, from _their own_ sins, or their _actual_ sins, and thus save them from punishment in the world to come.

PAYING PREACHERS A STIPULATED SUM.

If a man, or a certain body of men, wish to control the labors of a farmer or mechanic, and apply them as they may see proper, it is but the voice of reason and Scripture that they give him a reasonable compensation to support him while performing his labor. In precisely the same way, if any man, church or co-operation, wish to control and appropriate the labors of the preacher of the Word, they should give him a reasonable compensation. But when the question is under advisement, of employing a man at a certain point, and for a certain amount, the question is not whether he _will preach_, but whether he will preach _at that point_ and for _that amount_. He is bound in his covenant with the Lord _to preach_, but the Lord has left him to select his own field of labor. He selects his field, performs his labor, and looks to the Lord for his support. But all this does not say, that his brethren should not promise him a certain amount, and with the utmost punctuality fulfill their promise.

“I do not think it is right to promise a certain amount,” says one, “we can not tell what we shall be able to give.” Did you hire that man to work on your farm without promising him a “certain amount?” Did you buy that farm that you are in debt for without promising _a certain amount_? We judge not, and not a small amount at that. Why, then, should men, constantly in the habit of promising _certain amounts_ for everything else, be so cautious about promising the poor preacher of the word of God—the man to whom society is more indebted than any other man, for all that is pure and good, a _certain amount_ to subsist upon while he sojourns in this life?

“I thought you said the preacher should trust to the Lord for his support,” says one? Certainly he should, just as you trust to the Lord for his preaching. You trust to the Lord to enable him to perform his preaching according to arrangements, and he trusts in the Lord that you will be enabled to support him as promised, the same as your hired man trusts in the Lord for what you promised him, or as you trust in the Lord for the products of your farm. Yet the preacher knows not the ability the Lord may give him, nor what amount of money he may need. It may be more or less, but it is not his reward for his labor, but merely his support—or, if you prefer it, his _board_ while he labors for the Lord. But he does not intend to spend the whole reward of his labor in this life, but is laying up a good foundation against the time to come. They are prodigals who run through all their earnings as fast as earned. The Lord does not intend his servants to do this. He gives them a subsistence as they pass along, or money for their expenses, but the main bulk of their wages is laid up in heaven, and can not be estimated by dollars and cents. May God put it into the hearts of the children of God to look to the temporal wants of the young men who have entered this great work.

SELF-LAUDATION.

To see the mere worldling, whether the politician, the lawyer, physician, or whatsoever, an egotist—full of self-laudation—giving himself the glory for everything good, and acquitting himself from everything evil, is contemptible enough in all conscience. Nothing can sink a man faster in the estimation of sensible men. But in the kingdom of Christ, where all is purely of the grace of God—where none has anything that he did not receive, and where all are held responsible in proportion to the ability that God gives, and where each one has to get down upon his knees, before his holy and perfect Master, and confess his weakness, imperfection, shortcomings, and nothingness in the sight of God, how transcendently ridiculous to see egotism, self-laudation and an effort to glorify the creature in the place of the Creator! And how perfectly incompatible, too, such a spirit with the meek and lowly spirit of Christ and the apostles!

PREACH CHRIST, NOT OURSELVES.

Paul says, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Christ.” Again, he says, “I determined to make known nothing among you, but Christ and him crucified.” I come not to you with excellency of speech, and the wisdom of men’s words, but with the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power. He further asserts that the gospel which he preached, he did not receive from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Many such expressions are found in the writings of the holy apostles going to show the precaution constantly used by them, lest the glory of Christ should be attributed to them. The very first sentence that escaped the lips of Peter in Solomon’s portico, was to the same effect. “Why look ye so steadfastly upon _us_, as if by _our own_ power or holiness, this man had been made whole?” He proceeds: “The _name of Jesus Christ_, through faith in _his name_, hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all?”

The good Cornelius tried Peter, at the same point, on his first approach into his presence. He fell down before the apostle and was about to worship him. Peter told him to stand up—that he himself was also _a man_, and demanded of him why he had sent for him. After hearing the account given by Cornelius, of his prayer, his having seen an angel, and what the angel said to him, the apostle began upon the great burthen that he carried upon his soul. In a few words he declared that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. This was the great subject the apostles carried upon their hearts. Respecting themselves, they knew not what would befall them, save the testimony of the Holy Spirit, that bonds and imprisonment awaited them; nor did they count their lives dear unto themselves, but they counted all things but loss, if they could but win Christ.

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST A PROSELYTING INSTITUTION.