The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-22
SOME NEW BOOKS.
G. II. spurseon on Henry Ward neeebsr.

bfUhdfON bItnCndlNlN stis iuTlh Hls hONbns VI
a clergyman who, having soilcd his ministerial
robes, stil persists in preaching. He has evil
IDENTIFY been deeply moved by MIR. Beechers con-
duct In this respect, and holds up his case as an
awful example to the students Of the Pastors
College, to whom the warnings are addressed.
For the herald Of the Gospel" says MIR. Spur
eeon, "to be spiritually out Of order in his own
proper person Il, both to himself and To his
work most serious calamity. You all know
the Injurious effects frequently prt duced upon
water flowing along lcaden pipes; even so tho
Gospel itself, in flowing through men who are
spiritually unhealthy, may be debased until 1t
grows Injurious to their hearers. The hand
saith Gregory, that means 10 make another
clean must not itself be dirty.'"
MIR. Sturgeon shows quarter to the Beecher
sty of clergyman, either as to this world or the
next. just listen:
Terrible Ia 1t TO consider what death must
await such man! and what must he his after
conditiOnl The prophet pictures the King OF
Babylon going down to hell aud alt tho kings
and princes whom he mad DESTROYED, and whose
capitals he had laid waste, rising up from their
places in pandemonium and saluting the fallen
tyraut with the cutting sarcasm, " Art thou be-
come like unto usY' And cannot YOU suppose
a man who has been minister, but who has
lived without Christ In his heart, going down to
hell, and all the Imprisoned spirits who used ~
hear him, and all the unRodlv OF his parish rising
up aud saying to him In bitter tones, Art thou
also become we are2 Physician, ddst thou
not heal thysolf2 Art thou, who claimed to he
shining light, cast down into the darkness for
this fashion 70 he lost under the shadow OF
pulpit IS dreadful, but how much more 40 to
perish from the pulpit ITSELF
there Is AN awful unssage in John humans
treatise entitled signs from Hell which
full often rings Ia my ears: How many
souls have bind priests been the means
OF DESTROYING by their ignorancel Preaching
To the body. Many Of them, it Is t. feared, nave
whole towns to answer for. All friend, tell
thee, thou that hast taken in hand to preach TO
the people, II may be thou hast taken In hand
thou caust not tell what. III 1t not grieVe thee
to see thy whole parish come believing after
thee into hellY CRYING out, This we have TO
thank thee for thou vast afraid to tell us Of our
sins, lest we should not put meat fast enough
not content, blind guide us thou was'. TO fail
| into the ditch myself but hast also led US
| Richard Baxter, In his reformed PASTOR"
| amid much other solemn matter, writes as toll
| lows " Take heed to yourselves lest you should
offer to others. and be strangers to the eirectual
working of that gospel which You preach and
| lest, while you proclaim the necessity OF "A Sa-
Niour To the wOtld, your hearts should neglect
| him. and you should miss OF an interest In him
and his saving ben Hts. lake heed TO your
selves, lest YOU efisn while youcall upon others
To take need Of perishing, and let you fanish
| yourselves while you prepare their food Many
| men nave warned Others that they come not TO
| that place Of torment, which yet they hasted 10
| them elves; many "A preacher - row IN hell,
| that hath an hundred times called upon his
| hearers to use the utmost care and diligence to
csc pc IL. Can any reason tblc man Imagine That
| God hOuld save men Tor Offering salvation to
| Others, while they refused 1t themselves. and
| Tor telling Others those truths which they them
| selves neglected and abtiselY Many a tailor
VoeS Ia r4-s ,hat mdNcth costly clothes for 9TH
ers and many a cook scarce licks his fingers,
| when he hath dressed for others tue most cost
| ly dishes. Believe II, brethren, God never saved
| any man for being a preacher, nor because he
| was an able preacher; tut because he was a
Justified. s9nctiued man, and consequently faith
| ful la his VI stcr's work.
l mold, continues Mr.. spurreon, very stern
| opinions with regard to Chris ian men VINO have
fallen INTO gross sin; rejoice that they may be
| truly converted, and may be with mingled hOue
aud caution received into the church; but
| question, grayely question, whether man who
| has grossly sinned should be very readily re-
stored to the pulpit. As JOhn Angel James RS
| marks, " hen "a preacher OF righteousness has
| stood In the way Of sinners, he should never
| again open his III In the great congregation I'M
| I'll bis repentance Is as notorious as his sin "
| Let those who have been shOrn 10y the sous of
| Ammon tarry al Jericho till their boards be
| grown; this has often been used rs a taunt 10
beardless boys. To whom II Is evidently inappli-
| cable II Is an accurate enough metaphor foI
disnouored and chardcterless men. let their age
| be what 1t may. Alas! the beard OF reputation
| once shOTn is bard to grow again. Open immo-
| rality, in most cases, however deep the repent
ance, is fatal sign that the ministerial grac "a
| were never IN the mans character. Cesar's wife
| must be beyond suspicion, aud there must he nc
the past, OF the hope Of usefulness will be sen-
der Into the church such fallen ones are To bt
received as penitents, and into the ministry they
may be received II God puts them there; ny
doubt Is not about that, but as to whether Go,
ever did place then there; and my belief is that
we should be very slow To help back to the pal
pit men, wno having been once tried have
proved themselves to have too little grace 1,
stand tue cruel j test OF ministerial life
Mr. Beecher has rep stedly said that what
ever his conduct out OF the pulpit may be. hi
ministratious in the pulpit are sincere, and h
affects 10 believe that this is a sufficient warran
for his continuing to perform ministerial func
tions "when am in the pulpit" he says, Z"
m under ~ Of m of b
top OF my head, OF my moral and spiritual facul
ties. But when am cut % the pulpit, and un
der certain inn fences, the base Of my brain get
the mastery Of my upper faculties, and am tn
tally different man from what am I'm The pulpit
ANY one that can't understand this duality o
nature cannot understand me, and | shouldn'
blame him, for | don't understand myself
| am mystery to myself" Mr.. spurgeon TIRE at
this plea as follows:
We have all heard the story Of the man VIII
preached 50 well md nyed So bidly that vine
lac was in the pulpit every body said he ourh
never 10 come ont again, ana when he was Gu
OF II they al detljred he never ought To enter
the LORD deliver US. May We never be riests %
God at the altar, and sons OF lienHl outside III
tabernacle door; but on the contrary, may W.
as NaZidIlI "a SAYS of Basil, "thunIer in our doc
ttlne, ami tighten in our CunNtrs atom We Il
not trust those persons who have two faces, no
will men believe ia those whose verbal and urnc
teal testimonies are contradictory. A. sections
according To the pruNeTu, speak louder thai
words, an i'll iife viii ettectually drown III
voice Of the most eloquent ministry. After al
our truest builulus must be performed with ou
hands; our characters must toe more persuasiV
tnAn our speech. Too many preachers forget I
serve God when they are out uf the puiuit thei
lives are negatively inconsistent. Abbor. dta
brethren. the Thought OF being clockwork min
listers VINO are not olive 10y abiding grace within
but are wound up Toy temporary Influences; ne
, VINO ARE UulN ministers fuf the time being undo
the stress of the hour of ministeting out ce A.
To he ministers when they descend the pului
stdlis. True minis ers dro ALWAYS ministers
, Even IN your rtcreations remember that 20
are ministers. When YOU ere on the parade 70
are stun officers in the army OF Christ, aud a
such demedn yourselves. but 4 the lesser thing
, must be looked after now careful should 70
be In the great matters Of morality, honesty, an
integrity! Here the minister must not fail. III
private life must ever keep good tune with hi
ministry, or his day Will coon set with him, an
the sooner ne rettres tue better, for his conttnu
huce In his office viii only dishonor tue cause ,
God and ruin himself.
Ii Is evident that Mr. Spurgeon does not al
prove the methods or sympathizo with tn
spirit OF the adulterystained preacher q
Brooklyn.
THE OBITU1RY MUSE.
| The Mat IlanutfUlI Eunrt nf A. ~ Rhgt.I.