No, no; I believe we want to look seriously into this great practical subject. It demands the solemn and dispa.s.sionate consideration of all who are engaged in the work. There are dangers on all sides. There are conflicting opinions on all sides. But I cannot conceive how any Christian man can be satisfied to shirk the responsibility of looking after souls. A man may say, "I am not an evangelist; that is not my line; I am more of a teacher, or a pastor." Well, I understand this; but will any one tell me that a teacher or pastor may not go forth in earnest longing after souls? I cannot admit it for a moment. Nay more; it does not matter in the least what a man"s gift is, or even though he should not possess any prominent gift at all, he can and ought, nevertheless, to cultivate a longing desire for the salvation of souls.
Would it be right to pa.s.s a house on fire, without giving warning, even though one were not a member of the Fire Brigade? Should we not seek to save a drowning man, even though we could not command the use of a patent life-boat? Who in his senses would maintain aught so monstrous?
So, in reference to souls, it is not so much a gift or knowledge of truth that is needed, as a deep and earnest longing for souls--a keen sense of their danger, and a desire for their rescue.
Ever, dearest A., Your deeply affectionate yoke-fellow, * * *
LETTER IV.
When I took up my pen to address you in my first letter, I had no idea that I should have occasion to extend the series to a fourth. However, the subject is one of intense interest to me; and there are just two or three points further on which I desire very briefly to touch.
And in the first place I deeply feel our lack of a prayerful spirit in carrying on the work of evangelization. I have referred to the subject of the Spirit"s work; and also to the place which G.o.d"s word ought ever to get; but it strikes me we are very deficient in reference to the matter of earnest, persevering, believing prayer. This is the true secret of power. "We," say the apostles, "will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word."
Here is the order: "Prayer, and the ministry of the Word." Prayer brings in the power of G.o.d; and this is what we want. It is not the power of eloquence, but the power of G.o.d; and this can only be had by waiting upon Him. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isa.
xl. 29-31).
It seems to me, dearest A., that we are far too mechanical, if I may so express myself, in the work. There is too much of what I may call going through a service. I greatly fear that some of us are more on our legs than on our knees; more in the railway carriage than in the closet; more on the road than in the sanctuary; more before men than before G.o.d. This will never do. It is impossible that our preaching can be marked by power and crowned with results, if we fail in waiting upon G.o.d. Look at the blessed Master Himself--that great Workman. See how often He was found in prayer. At His baptism; at His transfiguration; previous to the appointment and mission of the twelve. In short, again and again we find that blessed One in the att.i.tude of prayer. At one time He rises up a great while before day, in order to give Himself to prayer. At another time He spends the whole night in prayer, because the day was given up to work.
What an example for us! May we follow it! May we know a little better what it is to agonize in prayer. How little we know of this!--I speak for myself. It sometimes appears to me as if we were so much taken up with preaching engagements that we have no time for prayer--no time for closet work--no time to be alone with G.o.d. We get into a sort of whirl of public work; we rush from place to place, from meeting to meeting, in a prayerless, barren condition of soul. Need we wonder at the little result? How could it be otherwise when we so fail in waiting upon G.o.d?
_We_ cannot convert souls--G.o.d alone can do this; and if we go on without waiting on Him, if we allow public preaching to displace private prayer, we may rest a.s.sured our preaching will prove barren and worthless. We really must "give ourselves to prayer" if we would succeed in the "ministry of the Word."
Nor is this all. It is not merely that we are lacking in the holy and blessed practice of private prayer. This is, alas! too true, as I have said. But there is more than this. We fail in our public meetings for prayer. The great work of evangelization is not sufficiently remembered in our prayer-meetings. It is not definitely, earnestly, and constantly kept before G.o.d in our public reunions. It may occasionally be introduced in a cursory, formal manner, and then dismissed. Indeed, I feel there is a great lack of earnestness and perseverance in our prayer-meetings generally, not merely as to the work of the gospel, but as to other things as well. There is frequently great formality and feebleness. We do not seem like men in earnest. We lack the spirit of the widow in Luke xviii., who overcame the unjust judge by the bare force of her importunity. We seem to forget that G.o.d will be inquired of; and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
It is of no use for any one to say, "G.o.d can work without our earnest pleading; He will accomplish His purposes; He will gather out His own."
We know all this; but we know also that He who has appointed the end has appointed the means; and if we fail in waiting on Him, He will get others to do His work. The work will be done, no doubt, but we shall lose the dignity, the privilege, and the reward of working. Is this nothing? Is it nothing to be deprived of the sweet privilege of being co-workers with G.o.d, of having fellowship with Him in the blessed work which He is carrying on? Alas! alas! that we prize it so little. Still we do prize it; and perhaps there are few things in which we can more fully taste this privilege than in united earnest prayer. Here every saint can join. Here all can add their cordial Amen. All may not be preachers; but all can pray--all join in prayer; all can have fellowship.
And do you not find, beloved brother, that there is always a stream of deep and real blessing where _the a.s.sembly_ is drawn out in earnest prayer for the gospel, and for the salvation of souls? I have invariably seen it, and hence it is always a source of unspeakable comfort, joy, and encouragement to my heart when I see the a.s.sembly stirred up to pray, for then I am sure G.o.d is going to give copious showers of blessing.
Moreover, when this is the case, when this most excellent spirit pervades the whole a.s.sembly, you may be sure there will be no trouble as to what is called "The responsibility of the preaching." It will be all the same who does the work, provided it is done as well as it can be. If the a.s.sembly is waiting upon G.o.d, in earnest intercession for the progress of the work, it will not be a question as to the one who is to take the preaching, provided Christ is preached and souls are blessed.
Then there is another thing which has of late occupied my mind a good deal; and that is our method of dealing with young converts. Most surely there is immense need of care and caution, lest we be found accrediting what is not the genuine work of G.o.d"s Spirit at all. There is very great danger here. The enemy is ever seeking to introduce spurious materials into the a.s.sembly, in order that he may mar the testimony and bring discredit upon the truth of G.o.d.
All this is most true, and demands our serious consideration. But does it not seem to you, beloved, that we often err on the other side? Do we not often, by a stiff and peculiar style, cast a chill upon young converts? Is there not frequently something repulsive in our spirit and deportment? We expect young Christians to come up to a standard of intelligence which has taken us years to attain. Nor this only. We sometimes put them through a process of examination which only tends to hara.s.s and perplex.
Now a.s.suredly this is not right. The Spirit of G.o.d would never puzzle, perplex, or repulse a dear anxious inquirer--never, no never. It could never be according to the mind or heart of Christ to chill the spirit of the very feeblest lamb in all His blood-bought flock. He would have us seeking to lead them on gently and tenderly--to soothe, nourish, and cherish them, according to all the deep love of His heart. It is a great thing to lay ourselves out, and hold ourselves open to discern and appreciate the work of G.o.d in souls, and not to mar it by placing our own miserable crotchets as stumbling-blocks in their pathway. We need divine guidance and help in this as much as in any other department of our work. But, blessed be G.o.d, He is sufficient for this as for all beside. Let us only wait on Him: let us cling to Him, and draw upon His exhaustless treasury for each case as it arises, for exigence of every hour. He will never fail a trusting, expectant, dependent heart.
I must now close this series of letters. I think I have touched most, if not all, of the points which I had in my mind. You will, I trust, bear in mind, beloved in the Lord, that I have, in all these letters, simply jotted down my thoughts in the utmost possible freedom, and in all the intimacy of true brotherly friendship. I have not been writing a formal treatise, but pouring out my heart to a beloved friend and yoke-fellow.
This must be borne in mind by all who may read these letters.
May G.o.d bless and keep you, dearest A. May He crown your labours with His richest and best blessing! May He keep you from every evil work, and preserve you unto His own everlasting kingdom!
Ever believe me, My dearest A., Your deeply affectionate * * *
LETTER V.
It seems as though I must once more take up my pen to address you on certain matters connected with the work of evangelization, which have forced themselves upon my attention for some time past. There are three distinct branches of the work which I long to see occupying a far more definite and prominent place among us; and these are, the Tract depot, the Gospel preaching, and the Sunday-school.
It strikes me that the Lord is awakening attention to the importance of the Tract depot as a valuable agency in the work of evangelization; but I question if we, on this side of the Atlantic, are thoroughly in earnest on the subject. How is this? Have books and tracts lost their interest and value in our eyes? Or does the fault lie in the mode of conducting our Tract depots? To my mind there seems to be something lacking in reference to this matter.
I would fain see a well-conducted depot in every important town; by "well-conducted" I mean one taken up and carried on as a direct service to the Lord, in true love for souls, deep interest in the spread of the truth, and at the same time in a sound business way. I have known several depots fall to the ground through lack of business habits on the part of the conductors. They seemed very earnest, sincere persons, but quite unfit to conduct a business. In short, they were persons in whose hands any business would have fallen through. Then in many places there is the most deplorable failure as to the valuable and interesting work of conducting a depot.
And how can we best reach the people, for whom the tracts and books are prepared? I believe by having the books and tracts exposed for sale in a shop window, where that is possible, so that people may see them as they pa.s.s, and step in and purchase what they want. Many a soul has been laid hold of in this way. Many, I doubt not, have been saved and blessed by means of tracts, seen for the first time in a shop window or arranged on a counter. But where there is no such opportunity, the a.s.sembly"s meeting-room is the Tract depot"s natural home.
There is, manifestly, a real want of a Tract depot in every large town, conducted by some one of intelligence and sound business habits, who would be able to speak to persons about the tracts, and to recommend such as might prove helpful to anxious inquirers after truth. In this way, I feel persuaded, much good might be done. The Christians in the town would know where to go for tracts, not only for their own personal reading, but also for general distribution. Surely if a thing is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well; and if the Tract depot be not worth attending to, we know not what is.
The Tract depot must be taken up in direct service to Christ. And I feel a.s.sured that where it is so taken up and so carried on, in energy, zeal, and integrity, the Lord will own it and He will make it a blessing. Is there no one who will take up this valuable work for Christ"s sake and not for the sake of remuneration? Is there no one who will enter upon it in simple faith, looking to the living G.o.d?
Here lies the root of the matter, dearest A. For this branch of the work, as for every other branch, we need those who trust G.o.d and deny themselves. It seems to me that a grand point would be gained if the Tract depot were placed on its proper footing, and viewed as an integral part of the evangelistic work, to be taken up in responsibility to the Lord, and carried on in the energy of faith in the living G.o.d. Every branch of gospel work--the Depot, the Preaching, the Sunday-school--must be carried on in this way. It is all well and most valuable to have fellowship--full cordial fellowship, in all our service; but if we wait for fellowship and co-operation in the starting of work which comes within the range of personal, as well as collective, responsibility, we shall find ourselves very much behind--or the work may not be done at all.
I shall have occasion to refer more particularly to this point, when I come to treat of the Preaching and the Sunday-school. All I want now, is to establish the fact that the Tract depot is a branch, and a most important and efficient branch, of evangelistic work. If this be thoroughly grasped by our friends, a great point is gained. I must confess to you, dearest A., that my moral sense has often been grievously offended by the cold, commercial style in which the publishing and sale of books and tracts are spoken of--a style befitting perhaps a mere commercial business, but most offensive when adopted in reference to the precious work of G.o.d. I admit in the fullest way--nay, I actually contend for it--that the proper management of the depot demands good sound business habits, and upright business principles. But at the same time I am persuaded that the Tract depot will never occupy its true ground--never realize the true idea, never reach the desired end--until it is firmly fixed on its holy basis, and viewed as an integral part of that most glorious work to which we are called--even the work of active, earnest, persevering evangelization.
And this work must be taken up in the sense of responsibility to Christ, and in the energy of faith in the living G.o.d. It will not do for an a.s.sembly of Christians, or some wealthy individual, to take up an inefficient protege, and commit to such an one the management of the affair in order to afford a means of living. It is most blessed for all to have fellowship in the work; but I am thoroughly convinced that the work must be taken up in direct service to Christ, to be carried on in love for souls, and real interest in the spread of the truth.
I hope to address you again on the other two branches of my theme.
Meanwhile, I remain, dearest A., Your deeply affectionate yoke-fellow, *
LETTER VI.
I have, in some of the earlier letters of this series, dwelt upon the unspeakable importance of keeping up with zeal and constancy, a faithful preaching of the gospel--a distinct work of evangelization, carried on in the energy of love to precious souls, and with direct reference to the glory of Christ--a work bearing entirely upon the unconverted, and therefore quite distinct from the work of teaching, lecturing, or exhorting, in the bosom of the a.s.sembly; which latter is, I need not say, of equal importance in the mind of our Lord Christ.
My object in referring again to this subject is to call your attention to a point in connection with it, respecting which, it seems to me, there is a great want of clearness amongst some of our friends. I question if we are, as a rule, thoroughly clear as to the question of individual responsibility in the work of the gospel. I admit, of course, that the teacher or lecturer is called to exercise his gift, to a very great extent, on the same principle as the evangelist; that is, on his own personal responsibility to Christ; and that the a.s.sembly is not responsible for his individual services; unless indeed he teach unsound doctrine, in which case the a.s.sembly is bound to take it up.
But my business is with the work of the evangelist; and he is to carry on his work outside of the a.s.sembly. His sphere of action is the wide, wide world. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Here is the sphere and here the object of the evangelist--"_All_ the world"--"_Every_ creature." He may go forth from the bosom of the a.s.sembly, and return thither again laden with his golden sheaves; nevertheless he goes forth in the energy of personal faith in the living G.o.d, and on the ground of personal responsibility to Christ; nor is the a.s.sembly responsible for the peculiar _mode_ in which he may carry on his work. No doubt the a.s.sembly is called into action when the evangelist introduces the _fruit_ of his work in the shape of souls professing to be converted, and desiring to be received into fellowship at the Lord"s table. But this is another thing altogether, and must be kept distinct. The evangelist must be left free: this is what I contend for. He must not be tied down to certain rules or regulations, nor cramped by special conventionalities. There are many things which a large-hearted evangelist will feel perfectly free to do which might not commend themselves to the spiritual judgment and feelings of some in the a.s.sembly; but, provided he does not traverse any vital or fundamental principle, such persons have no right to interfere with him.
And be it remembered, dearest A., that when I use the expression, "spiritual judgment and feelings," I am taking the very highest possible view of the case, and treating the objector with the highest respect. I feel this is but right and proper. Every true man has a right to have his feelings and judgment--not to speak of conscience--treated with all due respect. There are, alas! everywhere, men of narrow mind, who object to everything that does not square with their own notions--men who would fain tie the evangelist down to the exact line of things and mode of acting which according to their thinking would suit the a.s.sembly of G.o.d"s people when gathered for worship at the table of the Lord.
All this is a thorough mistake. The evangelist should pursue the even tenor of his way, regardless of all such narrowness and meddling. Take, for example, the matter of singing hymns. The evangelist may feel perfectly free to use a cla.s.s of hymns or gospel songs which would be wholly unsuitable for the a.s.sembly. The fact is, he _sings_ the gospel for the same object that he _preaches_ it, namely, to reach the sinner"s heart. He is just as ready to sing "Come" as to preach it.
Such, dearest A., is the judgment which I have had on this subject for many years, though I am not quite sure if it will fully commend itself to your spiritual mind. It strikes me we are in danger of slipping into Christendom"s false notion of "establishing a cause," and "organizing a body." Hence it is that the four walls in which the a.s.sembly meets are regarded by many as a "chapel," and the evangelist who happens to preach there is looked upon as "the minister of the chapel."
All this has to be carefully guarded against: but my object in referring to it now is to clear up the point with respect to the gospel preaching.
The true evangelist is not the minister of any chapel; or the organ of any congregation; or the representative of a body; or the paid agent of any society. No; he is the amba.s.sador of Christ--the messenger of a G.o.d of love--the herald of glad tidings. His heart is filled with love to souls; his lips anointed by the Holy Ghost; his words clothed with heavenly power. Let him alone! Fetter him not by your rules and regulations! Leave him to his work and to his Master! And further, bear in mind that the Church of G.o.d can afford a platform broad enough for all sorts of workmen and every possible style of work, _provided only_ that foundation truth be not disturbed. It is a fatal mistake to seek to reduce every one and every thing to a dead level. Christianity is a living, a divine reality. Christ"s servants are sent by Him, and to Him they are responsible. "Who art thou that judgest another man"s servant?
To his own master he standeth or falleth" (Rom. xiv.).
We may depend upon it, dearest A., these things demand our serious consideration, if we do not want to have the blessed work of evangelization marred in our hands.
I have just one other point that I would refer to before closing my letter, as it has been rather a vexed question in certain places--I allude to what has been termed "the responsibility of the preaching."
How many of our friends have been and are hara.s.sed about this question!
And why? I am persuaded that it is from not understanding the true nature, character, and sphere of the work of evangelization. Hence we have had some persons contending for it that the Sunday evening preaching should be left open. "Open to what?" That is the question. In too many cases it has proved to be "open" to a character of speaking altogether unsuited to many who had come there, or who had been brought by friends, expecting to hear a full, clear, earnest gospel. On such occasions our friends have been disappointed, and the unconverted perfectly unable to understand the meaning of the service. Surely such things ought not to be; nor would they be if men would only discern the simplest thing possible, namely, the distinction between all meetings in which Christ"s servants exercise their ministry on their own personal responsibility, and all meetings which are purely reunions of the a.s.sembly, whether for the Lord"s Supper, for prayer, or for any other purpose whatsoever.
Your deeply affectionate, * * *
LETTER VII.