Produced by Al Haines
_THE FOURTEENTH HARTLEY LECTURE:_
The Message
and the Man:
Some Essentials of Effective Preaching
BY
J. DODD JACKSON.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON:
W. A. HAMMOND,
PRIMITIVE METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE,
HOLBORN HALL, CLERKENWELL ROAD, B.C.
1912.
TO
THE MEMORY
OF
The Rev. James Jackson
A PRIMITIVE METHODIST PREACHER
FOR FIFTY-FIVE YEARS
AND
PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE
of
1897
THIS BOOK IS
AFFECTIONATELY AND REVERENTLY
DEDICATED
BY
HIS SON.
"'A WORKMAN' NEEDING 'NOT TO BE ASHAMED,
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.'"
PREFACE.
It would be strange, indeed, if in the procession of annual volumes of
which this lecture is an unit, there did not arrive a book about
preaching. The work of the preacher holds so large a place in the
service and worship of God; it is, to all appearance, so essential to
the accomplishment of the purposes of the Redeemer; its content and
quality mean so much to the life and health of the Church; it has
played--and is destined to play--so great a part in the saving of
mankind, that, sooner or later, it was bound to come within the purview
of this lectureship.
Now that, at last, the inevitable has happened, it may be said that the
following pages have been written under the conviction that one of the
greatest needs of the present day is a _pulpit revival_--a revival
which will issue in a new endeavour to realise the highest
possibilities of the divinest of callings. Many of late years have
wandered from the fold of the Church; mighty is the multitude of those
who have never been within her fellowship. The author is more than
convinced that any attempt to claim and reclaim must, to be successful
on a large scale, commence in a renaissance of Gospel preaching. With
the preacher, more than with the ecclesiastic or the musician or the
theologian, not to mention the Biblical critic and the religio-social
worker, rests the task of solving the great problem of twentieth
century Christianity. This problem is neither a critical nor a
theological one, but simply that of the age-long campaign:--How shall
we so commend the Christ as to draw the world to His feet?
To this avowal, the writer would venture to add a brief personal
explanation. Strongly convinced, though he is, of the soundness of the
view expressed above, he did not enter willingly upon the task of this
book. His brother preachers will know what it is to be captured by a
text which comes uninvited and persistently demands to be preached
upon. How often such an arrest finds its subject unwilling, doubtful
of his powers, afraid to be obedient to the unsought command! So came
the subject of this essay to the writer thereof. For long he tried
strenuously, though vainly, to make his escape to the refuge of some
other topic wherein he might, less daringly, discharge the
responsibilities of this lectureship. He disclaims, therefore, any
presumption of which he may be accused in attempting an enterprise
which some may think is outside his province or beyond his powers.
This book embodies not a challenge, but a surrender!
One word more may be allowed. Surely, no one will need to be told that
the "Hartley Lecture" is delivered under the auspices of the Primitive
Methodist Church, or that its delivery is included in the programme of
its Annual Conference. This will explain why the reader will find,
here and there, in the chapters here assembled, certain denominational
allusions of a historic and biographical character. Primitive
Methodists will readily understand them and, we hope, discover that
they add force to argument--strength to appeal. Readers of other
denominations will not find that the meaning of the writer is obscured
by any one of these references. As for the principles sought to be
commended and emphasised, any application they may have is not limited
by denominational boundaries.
LONDON,
_June 1st_, 1912.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION
BOOK I.
THE MAN.
Chapter I. The Designation of the Preacher
" II. Things to be Realised
" III. The Need for Certainty
" IV. Individuality
" V. Concerning "Understanding"
" VI. Passion
BOOK II.
THE MESSAGE:--ITS ESSENTIAL NOTES.
Chapter I. The Note of Accusation
" II. The Note of Pity
" III. The Note of Idealism
" IV. The Note of Edification
" V. The Note of Cheer
BOOK III.
THE MESSAGE:--ITS FORM AND DELIVERANCE.
Chapter I. On Attractiveness
" II. On Transparency
" III. On Appeal
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High."--_Psalms_.
"Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country
and go down into the desert."
"And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side,
shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall
the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according
to the months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary;
and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for
medicine."--_Ezekiel_.
"But the water is nought, and the _ground barren_."--2 _Kings_.
THE MESSAGE AND THE MAN
INTRODUCTION
Among the many problems of a problem-ridden time the most important, as
it is the most difficult, is that of the apparent arrest which has
befallen the progress of Protestant Christianity in this and other
lands. For a long period now, we have heard from the various churches
an annually repeated story of decreases in membership, in
congregations, in Sunday School scholars. We have been told, also, of
a general decay of reverence for sacred things, of a growth of
frivolity, a surrender of high ideals and of old faiths to the spirit
of materialism which more and more, so it is said, dominates the age.
That Sabbath of our youth; that attachment by families to the sanctuary
which was so marked a feature of our national life; that fine old
English home life and filial piety; that deep communal consciousness of
God which, whether it produced personal profession of religion or not,
did at least create a sense of the seriousness of life and duty and so
make our people strong to labour and endure--these things, we are
informed, will soon be no more. Regarding the situation, all
thoughtful men are concerned and some are panic stricken. The account
given by the latter is to the effect that religion is losing its hold;
that the Church is being left high and dry; that the morality of
classes and masses alike shows darker signs of degeneration with the
coming of each succeeding day.
Now, we are of those who, while trying to look facts in the face,
endeavour, also, not to see double and to keep heart of hope. It is
easy to make too much of statistics, and _very_ easy, in a moment of
depression, to come to conclusions concerning the state of the Church,
and the life of the world, which a day of brighter and truer mood will
greatly modify. There is no cause for either panic or pessimism, but
there is cause for the asking of questions as to reasons for the
condition of things, for the making of suggestions for their
improvement.
And of such questions, many have been asked, questions relating to the
Church, her methods, her teaching, her attitude to the world around
her, to great social and moral issues. Of suggestions, too, there have
been many, and many of them have been seriously received and adopted as
the starting points of changes and modifications, the purpose of which
has been to stay the progress of alleged decline in this field or in
that. Beyond all admiration, has been the willingness to make
sacrifices and put forth efforts to win back the wanderer to the fold
which have been exhibited by those to whom changes are not always the
most agreeable things in the world. The unfortunate thing is that,
notwithstanding all that has been done, it cannot be claimed that the
problem has been solved.
Now, it is a recognition of this problem, and of the fact that all
efforts so far made to find a solution and devise a remedy have failed
to meet with the success which had been hoped for, that has determined
our choice of a subject for this--the fourteenth Hartley Lecture. Can
it be possible, that in some degree, the preaching of the preachers has
been to blame for the things we mourn?
From America we hear of a new profession which has been called into
existence as a result of the fierce competition of industrial and
commercial life. It is the profession of "the business doctor," and
already the idea has been justified. All is not well, perhaps, with
some great firm; rivals are getting ahead; profits are declining, and
"the business doctor" is called in to investigate and prescribe. He
goes from department to department, considering the methods pursued,
checking the expenditure on this, on that, on the other. He interviews
the partners, the managers, the men down through the various grades;
the books are open to him. He presents his diagnosis and writes his
prescription. The "business doctor" has been at work in the
churches--in _our_ Church. He has looked into many things. He has
made some suggestions. They have not all been foolish, but, as yet, he
has not quite hit upon the very thing. He has, however, not altogether
finished his work. Why should he not come into the preacher's
department, into the pulpit, into the study? Why should he not be
permitted to read some of those treasured manuscripts which have
been--shall we say the joy, or shall we say the discipline?--of so many
congregations? Why should he not be allowed to bring paper and pencil,
and, ensconced in a pew commanding full view of the rostrum, write down
the thing that is true about the part _we_ take in the work of saving
the world? Perhaps he may find that all is well. Perhaps he may find
that all is not quite well. If _this_ should be the case, how
important that we should know it. Discovery is often the starting
point of improvement.
That, in view of the situation referred to, we should, each of us for
himself, _consider his preaching_, is the suggestion we would make to
every preaching reader of the pages to follow. We leave the figure of
the "business doctor," for every illustration is of limited usefulness,
which is a good thing to learn. There is but one authority capable of
conducting this inquiry in such a way as inevitably to make discovery
of the real truth. That authority is surely the preacher's own
conscience as taught, illuminated and guided by the Holy Spirit. At
once we make a confession:--This lecture raises a question, but does
not presume to answer it. We will be satisfied to set men asking and
answering for themselves. Here is the inquiry:--_Am I, as a preacher,
in any way to blame for the decline in Church prosperity, for the lack
of conversions, for such signs and results of spiritual indifference as
are to be seen on every hand_? This question may pave the way for
others:--Is there anything amiss with the substance of my preaching,
with its methods, with its spirit? If there be weakness here or there;
if it lack the true note; if it have lost strength to grip, sharpness
to probe, power to heal; if, in short, it lacks aught of being the
means of grace it was designed to be, can it be brought, once more, on
to the right lines? Our words may be as a river refreshing the Church
of God, and flowing out through the portals of the sanctuary, bearing
fertility and healing to the world; they may, again, from loss of
virtue, fail to enrich the waiting land. There will be living trees by
the living stream. There will be barrenness where "the water is
nought"!
For preaching _has_ been effective and the story thereof is a story
full of glory. Within the single century of our own church history
what wonderful things have been done by the ministry of the Word. It
must never be forgotten by those of our fellowship that the Primitive
Methodist Church owes its existence to a revival of preaching. Our
founders were not seceders; they were preachers. They searched the
Scriptures not to find passages to hurl at theological antagonists, or
so-called ecclesiastical tyrants, but to find texts for sermons to save
sinners, build up saints and glorify the Saviour whom they loved better
than their own lives. These sermons they preached under the open
ceiling of the skies in Summer's heat, and Autumn's storms, and
Winter's snow. England had been waiting for just such preaching as
these rugged men came forth in God's name to deliver, and the common
people heard them gladly. Immediately succeeding our actual founders
came a race of preachers who carried the glad tidings East, West, North
and South, along the highways and byeways of England, gathering in the
lost and folding the gathered. Some of them, we remember, and could
mention them name by name but that the list is very long, and we would
insist upon lingering to speak of deeds as names came forth. We must
recall their triumphs, for the inspiration we will need as we pursue
the task before us now.
Another thing that must never be forgotten is that, as our Church was
founded by preaching, and has been built up by preaching, by preaching
will it be upheld and increased, or not at all. We are forward to
recognise the immense importance of other branches of service and the
great part they have played in our wondrous past. The pastor carrying
the message of salvation and consolation to the homes of the fallen and
stricken; the teacher gathering the little ones around him Sabbath by
Sabbath; the tract distributor, now, alas! too seldom seen about his
work, but of great usefulness in earlier days--these and a score of
differently named toilers have laboured in the uprearing of this city
of the Lord. But ever the preacher has been the leader of them
all--the pioneer, the quarryman, the inspirer. The pulpit has been
ever the place of direction and, still more truly, of encouragement.
The Church has increased with the increase of the Preacher. Shall we
venture to prophesy? With his decrease shall come the decrease of the
Church. No Church has ever flourished in which the power of the pulpit
has declined. Primitive Methodism cannot afford to underestimate the
importance of preaching. _Her very life is in it_!
So the subject of preaching is of first importance. This must be
recognised by the preacher, but not by him alone. It must be
recognised by the Church as well. The preacher is prone to put upon
the place and work of his pulpit much the same estimate as is put upon
them by his people. There is one Church in this land in which the
people think little of preaching. In some great sanctuaries of that
Church it is a common occurrence for the congregation to leave the
building as the liturgical portion of the service comes to an end and
the preacher takes his place. The preaching in that body, although it
has among its ministers men who are among the pulpit princes of the
age, is speaking generally, a sorrow to all who long for the coming of
the Kingdom of God. "Like priest, like people," we sometimes say. We
might say with almost equal truth, "Like people, like preacher." Are
there no signs of such a belittling of preaching in our congregations
as may have the effect of lowering the preacher's ideals of his
labours, or, at least, of damping his enthusiasm and spoiling the joy
with which his heart should always run over? Do we never hear it said
that "it does not so much matter in _our_ circuit whether we have a
preacher or not"? Have we never been told that really the man most
needed is "a visitor," or "an organiser," or "someone who can raise the
wind"? "We want a sociable man," says the steward of one station. "We
want a public man who will make his mark on the civic and political
life of the town," say the brethren of another. We recognise that the
gifts of men differ. We see that each, in his own order, may serve and
build up the Kingdom of God, but to rank the business of preaching as
second to any form of service; to care less for the pulpit than for the
class-room, the social, the entertainment, the bazaar, is a fatal
mistake. You may make the Church a successful business concern, an
interesting and delightful social circle; you may make it a pleasant
and intellectual society whither cultured people may resort for new
ideas as to an exchange. All this you may do and care little
concerning the preacher; but you can only make a strong Church rich in
spiritual grace and knowledge and usefulness and power by fostering,
with a care amounting to jealousy, the preaching of the Gospel of the
grace of God. If, therefore, out of the problem we have named, there
arises a question to be asked by the preacher concerning his preaching,
there also arises, just as certainly, a question for the Church. It is
a question as to whether preaching has always been allowed its chance
amongst us, whether we have helped the preacher to realise his best
possibilities by requiring them from him with an affectionate but
strong insistence. There may even be another question:--Whether we
have not sometimes actually discouraged the true preacher and sent him
sorrowing away, because, forsooth, it has happened that in his devotion
to the great work of his calling, he has seemed to underestimate the
importance of some activities we held to be within his duty. No man
can be master in everything; which is one of the lessons sorely needing
to be learned by us all. There have been preachers, mighty in word and
doctrine, whose hearts have been broken because of the blame thrown
upon them for failing to prove themselves equally skilful as financial
agents. Let the Church look well to this matter. Her preachers will
probably be as great, as effective, as successful as she requires and
encourages them to be!
All this, however, is by the way, though of such moment that we might
well linger to lay emphasis upon emphasis. For the present we are
concerned more with the preacher than with his congregation. The
question we desire to put into his heart has already been indicated.
The inquiry is suggested for the use, not of one order of preachers but
of all. In the denomination to which we belong only one preacher in
eighteen is what is termed a minister. The question is proposed, not
only for the exercising of this one brother, but of the other seventeen
as well. It has been intimated to us that a book on this subject
"might be of special use to our young men." Glad shall we be if this
prove to be the case! But not among the younger preachers alone do we
seek to initiate this searching self-examination. Possibly it may be
even less needful to them than to the more mature. The most dangerous
days of the preacher's career are, after all, not its earliest. In the
enthusiasm which, almost always, attends his launching forth into the
work there is an element of salvation from some of the perils through
which he may lose his strength in years when, perhaps, that enthusiasm
may have passed with the novelty which now gives glamour to his tasks.
Then there is still another class whose consideration we would solicit
for what we may have to say. We refer to those--and they are many--to
whom, as yet, preaching is but an ambition, a dream, a prayer. Some
day they hope to stand before others, as now others stand before them,
to speak forth for Christ's sake the story which has so often warmed
their hearts. It is a glorious ambition; the human breast can contain
no higher. Will such as cherish it join with us in thinking of these
things? In order to arrive at the true answer to the questions
proposed we shall need to look in various directions. As a beginning,
we must, each one of us, go faithfully over his own record, tabulating
results so far as they can be ascertained. We are quite willing to
admit that some of the finest consequences of preaching may not be
known to the preacher, but there is always material for an estimate as
to the measure of success or of failure, which has attended his
efforts. Let us, therefore, go back through the years, back along the
path of bygone Sabbaths. Confession? No! For that we do not ask.
Our discoveries may well rest between ourselves and God.
Let us make comparisons, too, however odious comparisons may be. Other
men are set within our view. There are preachers--thank God!--to whom,
even in these days, success is richly given. It may be one of God's
purposes that they shall be considered as examples proving the high
possibilities of the holy ministry when tuned to its highest notes.
Let us relentlessly bring our work into comparison with theirs. "If
_he_ succeeds, why do not I?" The results of such a measurement may be
disappointing, disquieting, humiliating, but the path to the best has
often a first mile of painful self-discoveries.
Then there were the former days of our own ministries and the ideals
which in those days we cherished and have never forgotten. Let us
bring out present selves alongside of what we were; let us put the work
of to-day alongside of the work of that far-off time; let us compare
the dream with the fulfilment thereof. Have passing years dimmed our
ardour? Have they chilled our love? Have we gathered pulpit powers,
or lost them, as the days have flown over our heads? There is
somewhere a story of a man who, on his fiftieth birthday, received a
call from his own beardless self of thirty years before, and, when he
gazed upon his strange guest, he wept for what his visitor must see.
Can it be true that in point of effectiveness and real success some of
us were better preachers in youth than we are now after years of study,
of experience, of opportunity to wax greater in every way?
There is still another test. Here are human sin, human sorrow. Here
are the perplexity of the perplexed, the fear of the fearful. Here
Rachel weeps for her children. Here the widow and the fatherless cry
aloud. Here are misery, crime, despair. The whole world is full of
hunger and thirst, of grief and wretchedness, of shame and remorse.
Let us bring our preaching into comparison with these!
Above all other means of coming to the truth, let us take our preaching
back to Him who sent us forth. Let us, in His company, walk once more
the roads of Judea; with Him let us stand on the shores of Galilee, the
slopes of Olivet, the pavements of Zion, the heights of Calvary. Let
us listen to _His_ preaching and in His presence let us think of _ours_.
So let us follow the matter to the end, painful though that end may be.
It is needful that we do indeed learn the very truth; needful for the
sake of _the Church_. She needs the Gospel for herself. She must eat
if she would live. The times are times of hardness for the flock of
God. It is necessary that a table be prepared in the wilderness. The
Church needs preaching, needs the inspiration of beholding the
preachers' victories. Nothing strengthens an army like a triumph. The
conquests of the preacher are the salvation of the Church.
For the _world's sake_ it is needful that we come at the truth. The
age may not _want_ preaching, but it _needs_ it. Possibly it also
wants it more than we suspect. It must be preaching of the right kind,
however. Preaching that lacks the qualities proper to itself is worse
than useless.
For our _own_ sake, we preachers must come at the facts as they are.
It lies before us all to give one day an account of our stewardship,
and the years are swiftly passing by. Now is the time for
investigation. Soon will come the hour when opportunity will be
succeeded by retrospect. Men have been known to make discoveries in
relation to this matter when too late; when only the possibilities of
regret remained. To look back over the past and think that men have
suffered in relation to eternal things as a result of our lack of zeal
or of faithfulness, or from some preventable defect in our dispensing
of the word, must be a sad occupation for those years when the
grasshopper has become a burden. The echo of our sermons will be in
our ears at the last. That echo will be either a song of gladness to
sing itself forever, or a lamentation to be soothed to sleep no more!
To be of some little service in the course of this personal and private
inquiry this volume is sent out. It claims only to be a reminder of
things perfectly well known, but of the sort that need repeating. Will
our brethren of their charity acquit us of the charge of presumption in
taking up the theme now timidly approached? Many, very many, who turn
these leaves will bring to their perusal far greater ability, and
knowledge, and experience than we are able to wield in their writing.
A few men learn the value of wealth from the possession of it; more
from a lack thereof. Nothing better teaches the value of money than
the association in the learner's experience of hunger with an empty
pocket. What slight qualification for the production of this book we
possess has been obtained in a similar way. Some few things we have
learned; some we have proved through our many mistakes; some, again,
through our frequent failures. They will be found set down in the
chapters yet to come.
As a general statement of the plan of our endeavour, it may be said
that we will try to speak of some essentials of effective and
successful preaching, essentials first in the preacher, then in the
substance of his message, and, finally, in the form and manner of its
presentation and delivery.
BOOK I.
THE MAN.
THEORY OF BOOK I.
To have Effective Preaching you must have the Effective Preacher.
Jesus Christ first Chose and Called His men and then communicated the
Substance of the Message He wished them to Declare to the World. To
every Preacher it is left to speak that Message in his Own Way. The
Importance of the MAN in relation to the accomplishment of the purposes
of the Message is therefore obvious, and with him we begin.
_What are the Essential Qualities of the Effective Preacher?_
CHAPTER I.
The Designation of the Preacher.
The preaching of the Gospel is more than a mere utterance of certain
historical facts with deductions therefrom; more than a declaration of
certain doctrines with their applications. It is a highly complex
intellectual, moral and spiritual act. Two men may deliver the same
sermon. There may be similarity of voice, of manner, of delivery, but
one of these men will _preach_ the sermon, the other only recite it.
The difference may be almost beyond definition, yet it will be felt.
At the bottom it will be found to be this:--That one man is a preacher
and the other is not.
So then the man himself matters? Indeed he does, and to the extent
that it is not the declaiming of what may be called a sermon that makes
a man a preacher, but the _man_ who, through self-expression, by being
what he is, makes such an utterance preaching. _First_ the preacher,
_afterwards_ the preaching.
And in the preacher the first essential to effectiveness and success is
what we have called designation, and designation is in part natural and
in part spiritual. Natural fitness and spiritual calling, gifts,
graces and a divine revelation made to his own consciousness--without
these the occupation of the preacher's office, especially in the
capacity of the separated ministry, can only be a perpetual misery and
mortification to the so-called preacher. To those who come to him for
guidance in the things of God the result of their absence may be
incalculable and eternal!
And, alas! there are to be found, in the ministry of all the churches,
men in whom natural and spiritual qualifications for their work are
absent and have always been absent. Concerning such men but a few
words, and those in reply to the reminders that we are continually
receiving of the ineptitudes and inaptitudes of preachers. These
things form a favourite topic with some people, to whom we will at once
say, that while there may be misfits in the pulpit, probably they are
there in no greater numbers than in other walks of life. We have known
such misfits at the bar; in the surgery; in the shop; at the bench.
The preacher's failure is of all failures the most public, and
consequently more discussed than are such other examples as we have
named. We have been so often told that "the fool of the family goes
into the Church" that we find a natural satisfaction in pointing out
that this particular fool is to be met with in every lane of life.
Never a war which does not reveal his presence in the army; never a
political campaign in which we do not see him being shouldered into
Imperial Parliament. Never do men talk together of their experiences
of bodily suffering, as sometimes even the least morbid of us will, but
some one is found to recall afflictions at the hands of the physician
of little wit. The "incompetent" is everywhere and if, sometimes, he
finds his way into the pulpit, those who jeer at the Church on his
account have little room for scorn.
But, true as is this reply to the oft-repeated gibe to which we have
referred, it is also true that nowhere does the square man in the round
hole do quite as great and as lasting injury as he does from the
pulpit. The _right man_ for the work--_that_ must be the ideal of the
Church, that man and no other, whatever be the consequence in the way
of offending well-to-do supporters whose dream it has been that son of
theirs shall "wag his head in a pu'pit," whatever be the disappointment
caused to the uninspired ambitions of callow youth or the conceit of
later years. The pulpit is not for sale! The honour of standing there
is not to be dispensed as a reward or allowed as a compliment. Wealth
has no rights and poverty no disabilities as to the occupancy of this
high place. Only the preacher must be suffered there!
And on this matter the Church must be jealous and alert. Sometimes the
responsibility for the presence of the wrong man in the pulpit rests
with her rather than with the man himself. It is open to question
whether the Church always regards with quite sufficient seriousness
this business of putting names "upon the plan." We have known cases in
which an individual has been persuaded against his own knowledge of his
qualities to set out upon a career which has brought to himself nothing
but failure and to the churches and congregations to which he has
ministered nothing but trial. We do well to be anxious to help men
into paths of Christian service, but it is needful to study the
adaptation of the man for the task. To send any man into the work of
preaching, either as a minister or as a lay preacher, merely to "find
him something to do," in order that he may be "encouraged in the good
way," as has been done in many and many an instance, is simply to
prepare difficulties for some one else to face. It is not sufficient
reason for aiding a man's progress to the pulpit that his ambitions run
in that direction, or that his relatives wish to see him in the
preacher's office. We have hinted at the possibility of giving
offence, and, of course, it is not pleasant to do this, especially
when, as is often the case, that offence has to be given to people whom
you love and honour for their works and character and sacrifices. In
this world, however, unpleasant things have to be faced, and frequently
the line of least resistance leads in the end to the greater trouble.
It is even more unpleasant to have to disappoint the hopes, and
discourage the desire for service, of some young aspirant whose piety
and devotion you admire; but it is better to hold a man back from the
very thing he longs for most than, by cowardly acquiescence in mistaken
purposes, to contribute to place him in a position for which he was not
born. Has this never been done? Have we never known officials vote a
formal recommendation "rather than hurt the young man's mind," or
"rather than estrange his parents who are such good supporters, you
know," trusting, meanwhile, to Providence for a happy issue out of all
their troubles? In the case of a local preacher the providential issue
may be the man's own discovery, sooner or later, of his own unfitness.
In the case of a candidate for the ministry some Connexional Committee
sitting in some distant town "may take a stand we cannot take who are
on the spot." These providences do not always come to pass. The
brother concerned does not always discover his unfitness. He is
frequently quite satisfied with himself, and remains so to the end of a
career long drawn out, with a persistent contentment which would be
amusing if its results were not so tragic. The Central Committee does
_not_ invariably "find out for itself" the facts we are afraid to
communicate, and, as a consequence, the candidate goes successfully
through, and in after years, as like as not, becomes a Conferential
problem. Often the truest kindness lies in doing the thing hardest to
do and most painful to bear, and in the doing of this thing the sacred
obligation of the church may consist. Here is a lesson that needs
learning and remembering. No man becomes a preacher in Methodism
except with the assent and calling of the Church. This must not be
forgotten when preachers are being criticised. Do you say that such
and such an one ought not to be in the pulpit? It is probably quite
true, but it is also true that some Church helped him up the stair.
He, poor man! is not the only person to blame for your unsatisfied
hunger; your unquenched thirst; your empty pews!
But, to look at this matter of designation more in detail:--We have
said that it includes natural fitness and spiritual gifts and is made
manifest in a divine revelation to the consciousness of the person
concerned. Of this natural fitness, it may go without saying, the gift
of public speech will form a part. This should surely be regarded as
indispensable, yet how often do we come across instances in which the
importance of this prime essential seems to have been altogether
overlooked? It is not maintained that every pulpiteer need be a
Demosthenes, or that a man must possess the golden mouth of a
Chrysostom before he stands up to address his fellows on the concerns
of the soul. In these days orators are not numerous, and, if no man be
permitted to preach who does not possess this infrequent gift,
preachers will be few, while some of the greatest forces of the day
will be banished from the pulpit. What is needed is that a man be able
to express himself in such a manner as to command and retain the
attention of those to whom he speaks, and that, without outraging the
just sensibilities of the hearer whom he is sent to bless, he shall be
able to tell out the thing that is in him. Congregations are not
generally unreasonable in their requirements; indeed, as a rule they
are predisposed to indulgence, which has been well for some of us.
They do not clamour for an exhibition of elocution twice every Sunday.
They do not come to church demanding to hear in every preacher the
wonder of his age. But they _do_ ask that a man be audible; that his
voice, if not melodious as a silver bell, be human; that his
pronunciation, if not faultless, be distinct, and his delivery without
painful hesitancy or torrential rush. Surely these requirements are
reasonable enough, and it is, at least, open to question whether a man
who, manifestly, can never be able to meet expectations so moderate
should consider himself, or be deemed by others, as unmistakably marked
out for a preacher of the word.
Along with the gift of utterance to be required in the man who is
designated to the pulpit will, almost invariably, be found a mind
studiously inclined. The days are gone when it was held that study for
the work of preaching the Gospel involved dishonour to the Holy Spirit
and unbelief concerning the promise of the divine enlightenment and
guidance. The words of Paul to Timothy are now accepted as a necessary
principle of pulpit preparation. "Study to shew thyself a workman
needing not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," wrote
the Apostle; but it is not every man who is gifted for study. Books,
to some, are irksome, and much study a weariness to the flesh. They
"simply cannot do it," try as ever they may. Now we will not say that
such a man can never become a preacher. We will not even say that he
can never become a _great_ preacher. There are some great students who
read few printed books--unconscious students, you might almost call
them. Again, some men arrive at great truths through intuition, and by
natural endowment of words are able to express them with an artless art
beyond the power of academies to teach. We must never forget that some
of our greatest and most successful preachers have been "failures" at
college and "hopelessly out of it" in examinations. Still, such men
are exceptions, and exceptions who, in almost every instance, have, in
various ways, given such proof of their exceptional endowments that
there has been little danger of their lack of bookishness proving a
barrier to their election for labours for which they were, from obvious
evidences, designed. Notwithstanding all that may be said of these
exceptional cases it should be wisely and carefully discussed whether
the man who always prefers the street to the study, the crowd to the
class, the newspaper to the treatise, was ever meant to spend his life
in instructing his fellows in matters that call for the deepest
thoughts of men.
It is, however, quite possible that a man may have gifts of public
speech, and possess a studious disposition, and still be without the
_preaching mind_. Such a mind will be more sensitive to spiritual
truths and influences than the average intellect. It will manifest a
talent for religion, a natural interest in things that are divine and
heavenly for their own sake and not merely because they are to form the
themes for appointed discourses. The "delight," as well as the life
work, of such a mind will be in the Law of the Lord. Its possessor
will not find himself hopelessly bored by the study of theology any
more than the born physician will find himself hopelessly bored by the
study of physiology or anatomy or pathology or materia medica. Again,
to the preaching mind spiritual vision and spiritual hearing will
commonly be attended with less effort than in the case of most men;
though even the preacher will find that there are times and _times_.
Spiritualism talks of its "mediums," some of whom are said to "see"
while others are said to "hear." The preaching mind will be in the
best sense both clair-voyant and clair-audient. Call the man a seer,
if you will, and speak of preaching as prophecy, and you will describe
as well as it can possibly be done the designated preacher and his
work. It remains to be predicated that such a man will possess, at
least, a more than ordinary endowment of tact and aptness in dealing
with men, holding keys to their consciences and their hearts. He will
have some special gift of natural power to move his fellows toward the
action they would rather not perform. He will abound in that precious
sympathy with humanity that _feels_ the truth concerning other lives
which it cannot always _know_. To express our meaning in still another
tabloid phrase:--The man meant for the pulpit will possess a genius for
spiritual things.
In these few, incomplete lines we have indicated some of the natural
gifts whose possession should be held essential to the proof of a man's
designation for the preacher's vocation. Before the Church suggests
this service to one of her sons she should be satisfied of the presence
of these qualifications; not, of course, as matured and perfected
talents--that would be to ask the impossible--but as evidenced in signs
visible to the searching eye. Before a man yields to such a
suggestion, however kindly and urgently expressed, even if it only
point to a place on the plan of some struggling rural circuit, he
should know that nature has already in some degree fashioned the
instrument for the work.
But natural endowments and indications are not--need we say?--the whole
necessity. Our fathers talked not only of "_gifts_" but also of
"_graces_" and of "_fruits_" as well. The work of religion should be
realised by the preacher as a personal experience and prove itself in a
life accordant therewith. It is perfectly true that every hearer ought
to be as good as the preacher, but, paradoxical as the remark may
appear, it is none the less true that the preacher ought to be better
than those to whom he preaches. It is an absolutely sound instinct for
the fitness of things--an instinct honourable to the preacher's
office--which asks that he who discourses concerning the elements of
piety, calling upon men to embody them in works of faith and
righteousness, should prove his own possession of those elements in the
same way. It was laid down of old time that "they must be clean that
bear the vessels of the Lord." "Who," asks the Psalmist, "shall ascend
into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place? He
that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul
unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully."
So, before the Church sends out a man to preach let her search his life
to see not only whether he is able, but, also, whether in his character
and deportment grace and truth are so displayed as to give him
authority in calling upon others to live the holier life. Let the
Church look, too, for some signs of _whole-heartedness_ in religion.
Zeal must be regarded as indispensable. We have heard a Circuit
Quarterly Meeting refuse to accept the recommendation of a young man
for the plan because he invariably failed to attend the Sunday night
prayer meeting in his own church. Would that every Quarterly Meeting
had the moral and spiritual courage to take so wise and discriminating
a course! Further, when the church _has_ asked a man to assume the
ministry of the word, let him see to it that he take the candle of the
Lord into the secret places of his heart and search diligently therein
lest, in going up, he take with him that which will spoil his labours
and bring dishonour upon the truth! He had better a thousand times
tarry for a more perfect work of God to take place in his soul than do
that!
And now comes the greatest and most vital question of all. To a man
may be given gifts many and acceptable; he may have received grace for
grace; he may have known deep and wonderful experiences of heavenly
things, and yet it may _not_ be the will of God that he shall be
numbered with the preaching host. There are other noble kinds of work
demanding all the qualifications already named, and his powers may be
given to be expended in one of these. The preacher's designation,
therefore, is never complete until the Holy Spirit has spoken in his
soul the direct command of God. This must be clear and unmistakable.
Personal desire and ambition so often lead men astray. "Beloved, try
every spirit whether it be of God." This is a word to be followed
here. If only it had always been remembered how many tragedies had
been averted!
For God _does_ directly call those whom He will for this office, and
those whom He so calls will certainly recognise His voice. This is
assumed everywhere in the Scriptures. This is proved in the experience
of the ages. How often in the Old Testament do we find the record of
such a revelation? Samuel in the Temple, in the darkness and silence
of the night, hears with the ears of childhood the word that invites
him to his destiny. To Isaiah, "in the year that King Uzziah died,"
comes in the Holy Place from "a throne high and lifted up" the
question, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" and he answers,
"Here am I, send me." In the terms of these histories is enshrined the
story of the vivid way in which the Almighty revealed His will to the
conscience of men of old time. The narratives of the New Testament
still further illustrate the manner of the divine compelling. How
urgent His call may be, is heard in such a cry as this; "Woe is me if I
preach not the Gospel!" Here was a man to whom preaching was no
personal ambition, no mere means of livelihood, who, indeed, "wrought
with his own hands that he might not be chargeable to any." To Paul
this ministry was a divine compulsion; a duty only to be escaped at the
cost of spiritual peace, of the serenity of perfect obedience. In all
generations this experience has been repeated. Read the life stories
of those who have wrought great works with the hammer of the word, and
in every such record you will certainly light upon a page upon which
will be told the story of the call that could not be disobeyed. The
older biographies of our own preachers abound in accounts of how they
were spoken to from on high. In those days there was little earthly
advantage to be gained from the work of a Primitive Methodist preacher,
itinerant or local. Persecutions were many and the labour was
hard--_very hard_. Often do we read of men struggling to escape from
the order which had come unto them, and only yielding at last, because,
for love of Him who entreated them, they could do no other. "_Sent_ by
my Lord," they cried, "on you I call!"
And this clear word which came to men of old time, which has always
come to the man whose work was to lie in the breaking of the bread of
life--this clear word must still be regarded as essential to a perfect
designation. Of course, there is but one man to whom _this_ supreme
indication will be apparent, the man to whom the voice has come; so
that with the preacher, himself, lies the final responsibility of his
presence in the pulpit--a sent, or unsent, man. Do we say that it is
to ask a hard thing to insist that no one shall preach who cannot say
confidently that he knows himself to have been moved of God to this
place and labour? Hard, perhaps, it may seem, but "strait is the gate
and narrow is the way" into this excelling service. There are many
hard things in the ordinances of the Kingdom, and, perhaps, it has not
been well that we have so often sought to broaden the path, to widen
the gate. Possibly there might be fewer preachers if all we have laid
down were insisted upon, but there might be more power; there might be
more success.
Designation made plain by gifts, graces and an inward sense of Divine
election--this then is the first essential in the _man_. The
recollection of this will prevent the office of the preacher from being
regarded simply as a profession. When a man enters the ministry "for a
living," or because, forsooth, he has social aspirations, he has taken
a downward, and not an upward, step. When he comes into the work
because all his nature, all his experiences, all the results of
religion in his heart and life urge him on, the Lord saying "Go thou
and I will be with thee," then glorious is his calling, and glorious
will be his record when the day is done!