, 1877-11-19

..,,,tu md rencnt an apostolic eeneaeton, for,
~ t thr Iu.s.I,rrnt nf tho brethren. only m
n-1atncj minister snud properly 'lo That: II
w "w te INV rr:tnsnt 7 t,es Us i'n nsy
I,mu cnotgt imp.'ltnf the progEcss q our st'!pi
td,y ticy ought to hc spec'lilY scralmel Of.
~ Gi} still thir,l advantage wfll bo secured ty
iriti irnes Vi t1s New Testament. Il win save y
frUm uu,tuly exnltin1 an} particular tritil. W.
arc bound 10 present al! IN their Just relations,
s vth ;,., ns t9'nrng t e4nsS;c Il To tin 'Ts sss
~ a1 ~ cue Srh msf" =; !, t"i ir. u1i It. " sppointed @
n,,cc NJ md to transform Il into lGc. ttft trle
that in certaIn cxivcnsic. VIC arc Called upon 10
urcfcnt s.,ne truts1s with more tl'ai' ordinary
rrmnbaas nu, prominence. In the time u the
Reformation it was the tlnly Of thy rofpFmcrs TO
urrc constantly un,t rerp!atcntty tile doctrthe ~
irsti1tnton hy faith alone, hccauHc this rtchtt
{ru, ind l,ce1 lost sight of under the tarssllval
doctr!na Of salvation by works.. II our own
snuntrr, IN tbs great rcrl7ui Of ITO, II was
necessary tn mike especially PROMINENT thc t!tc,
triue Of regeneration s'y the Spirit, whlc!i lsnd
fnpt;s.pn Ss,y.H regeneration of Infants. And d.
HoIRe has tntimntcIl TINT thc tiNtrtncs which
rrrtain to c!,lrcl,-bulltng and cllrrroricr viii
b. tloec wI1leh Will s*pcc'sly att1act attention In
yrart. But as q denomination NC nccd no
stimulus IN that direction; our danger IS IL tho
onyositc nIarter. We ought to discuss all de-
ncss % md t','rouut,ncss, but we ought
moi 10 neglect to present from our
onn point ot view tl!c vital. ravtnE
doctrines ot thu Gospel. W. ought not for ore
CHRISTIANS. tn prcac!, The GOSPEL to every crea.
ture, 10 lit up lle people through Tue pnwcr oi
tac cross. Nc cannot lc l'npttsts II VIC neglect
10 10 this work, go constanty urged upon US In
"a By publishing what VIC prcaeh, We shall. IN
tho fourth plnce, be npt to Kvc to the worl!
living and practical books. For; II % W. preasE; &;
elIcc!!ycly Wy must 80 pre;cnt @ i'1 loetrnss t q
ness md boson,s." The substance Of sticfl
urrcehing distilled into books will hc likely TO
toucl, and quicken tneu. Richard Baxter wrote
eate on wh Se hts ar For
rapy years they have l,ccn covered with dust
% tic bnek ahcve. oi oil 1lfrares, mere 'itera'
" curutitics, and dry at TINT ; willie some prac
tlcal hooks, Into wlic'. llc put ths substance of
that Gospel which be so fcryently preached,
written to meet tic t1clnauds nl hs own con.
grceutIor,, nrc to-day his only literary inonu.
ncnt Ills Call 10 tho unconvcrtetl, bis Saints
Iicst Ills Reformed Pastor, arc ns powerful and
effective now ns they were when tley first went
forth ou their mission Of loyc and mercy.
There nrc few lncu Of our day who publ!sl!
the very sermons which they prGac,. c,a MS ncea M
hazardous without tlcir niodtcum Of bralt.
Sturgeon docs this. It may he that he p',b-
lisles too nluch: hut ho thereby .prrnclics 10
tHuB u tlQQEnlTlH Hll1Hl III "OuAA btHSt
wise reacl.. Aud us hs SERMONS, when lste5ed,
arc practical, SO arc they when printed. The
late la,lentcd DR.. Mason, Of massachusetts,,
snd that when l,e waa passing summer yaea.
lion In tho AdrolNlarks, he hid with tim three
volumes Of SERMONS; one OF them wa.
by Spurgcon. Ills tliecourscs 10 coll
sit.ered the least valuable Of NIL. su'
tlny came AMI he wished to read q sermon
10 Ills guides md tcnt.lncn. Tic selected osit
from the authors whom he most esteemed; h.!
lis nuhiencc, onc liy ul,e, dropped Of md lef
him alot,e hcforo the SERMON was finished. III
then tried ouu OF SpurEcon's aisc1ursos. NH
those l,ardy men Of tho mountains l!stcnct
eagerly to the last word. It wnA tho hIEtcs
compliment tn the London preacher: The c1!'.
mon people beth hear ahd read him Elu'!y
What Is said Of spurEeon ca1 be s;!fi, ~ 'ie
iarc,,. In uur own cn1.ntsy l'cccsr Il tto bcn
iustr,t!ou ot the point in hand. We tnay wis
tlmt many things In Ills scrnons werc far d!tlc'
suokcl,, ~ do they wien published. To writ
and publish rs Paul did, tho san,o things, q
least IN substance, Tint VIC preach, p i'ictho
by which VIC, Gun giyu to the world pFastaca
ELECTIVE books.
Moreover, such books arc growth, as ret
boo;s, hooks Ut great worth, nlust always b.
1llu best hooks arc not hiwnys published. Nne
an cxigcncy IN the discussion Of SOME qacsthll
arisva, We ft,uk around for sotnc 'nan to meet
We hire lin to do " fnr 80 many dollars. II
writes we'll it ,uay be; but his hook is nanufa
turetl; IL ltd not Irnw. II may lc very EtN
Glib Uf WHIP 10 atEIku WlLIlt uuk tHe!e - Nv u
II It TO pcrpctuata It and make It Il Joy foscvc
Then tile bouSs With coInc AnsouIht arc u
often tru,l the shallow md sclf-RccxlnE, Who
great desire ia tohG known authors; WHO soft,
kpw hnve como to think that II Tic thnuE1its
printed Il, book, their Grrat Importance u
tabltAlicl, md their immortality ~ nssl1rcd.
Is hardly icccssary to spcnd breath IL saying u
sucl, books arc w"rsu than worthless. b
there asu trnc men, MndGst iilctl, iIlll'ieA aW
6Hun IN ruuntrY places, who have tsiotsE
ncc,lrutely u,rl profoundly III nlany great trutl
apti prohicnls, md who hn7c llai the richest
exncrlrntes. II these i..cn would but write
subsiu, Ut their best thinking and txte
elltes, there would hs un,ong us no la:k nf 70
bucks, hooks that hayc Esuwn md af' 'asta[
W. need books on tho great carttiual d
tribes; anl commentaries. not lew, whlcl, 9
trrv from every tRint Of ccclcyiasttetsnl. ]
Bchul[, Eoul peJobuptlat, saya that the W01
Trctis Church History written frotn bapt
point OF view. Is 1t not hgs tllnc that, as u,
lists, We Should cntcr upon thr work Of q
triAlting our share to the Religious lIteFatt
Arc We, brethren, fully awakea The oncm
of thp fiospul arc. Their dcns md presses
exceedingly busy. Their publications aru IN
tpled anioug us lkp tho froEs Gt EEyl
Sfall VIC sit IO,FM tit tcBpAri Nay, Let uh
our s,ca,ll- -prcsscs beside theirs, from VIII
light and truth sllall stream fortl, 0vcr all I
lnpd. Thu truth Inns nuttnE TO lear from
ia!r fight. Fearlessly. confidently, pIeael
doctrncs OF tho New Tcstamcnt; publish the
they aro (iotl's truth; mil these two aIene
preaching nnl putlhttng, Cod himself has
tat,llshcd Tor tic dissemination OF the trn
AMI through thcm tho whole earth shall be iii
With hssglory.
ee4rtue an a.