The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-19
TIE IDEAL GOSPEL TEACHER
The Initial Sermon of the New Pastor
of Meridian-Street Church.
The Necessity for Direct Agency to Help
Mankind to Find God-Requirements
for Successful Minister.



Or. j. Il. Gilbert's First Sermon to His New
Congregation.
Rev j. E. Gilbert, ID. D., who comes the
successor of DR.. Alabaster in the Meridian
NJ. E. Church pulpit preached his initial ser
mon yesterday morning his subject being 1.-The
Ideal Minister" the text John i, 6: There was
a man sent from God whose name was John. "
DR.. Gilbert made favorable impression upon
his audience, and there is no doubt his ministry
here will be crowned with success. His voice is
clear, full and pleasant, his gestures few, but
graceful, the action being suited to the word
His delivery is equable, seldom hurried, even IN
his most fervent passages. His hair and bear1
are both black and becoming streaked with gray.
He is about for,y-fve years old. After citing
his text, he spoke as follows:
The text refers to the forerunner of Jesus,
John the Baptist 1t is epitome of his his
tory 1t discloses the secret of his mission, and
the spring of his activity. 1t explains his holy
fervor and his heroic death. 1t gives him his
rightful place among the sanity souls whose
names appear on the sacred page. 1t is his
eulogium, pronounced under inspiration, deliv-
cred to all the generations that should follow
him.
The theme of this mornings discourse. the
first in this pastorate, is suggested by the text
and legitmaely deduced from 1T, The Ideal
Minister" What qualities should be found In
him9 What functions belong to him? What
duties are required of himl The ideal minister
not the minister's ideal minister, not the
churchs ideal, certainly not the wicked worlds
ideal: these are usually imperfect, and hence
misieadne-but Gods ideal. Before every
workman there should be some standard of ex-
cellence, not too high, not too low, better too
high than too low, and better STILL
if just What a man will do in
hn 1A{N x.n1
largely by what be attempts to do Failure re-
suits from mistaken purpose plan. All right
effort is struggle toward a worthy ideal all
true is its partial complete realization
The time has come when all-clergymen and
laymen-should east aside mere human opinion
such weighty subject, and learn the divine
pattern and measure of true gospel minister.
And here it is in the text
First-he is man. There was a man." The
angels are ministers ''Are they not all minis
tering spirits, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation~ They are the
special guardians of the righteous 1.-The angel
of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear Him. and dellvereth them" They come
into very intimate relations with childhood, for
their angels do always behold the face of my
Father which is in heaven" Doubtless everv
sinner has angelic agencies brought to bear upon
him for his salvation, for Jesus declared, There
is Joy in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth" The value of such
services must be very great John Wesley says:
They may assist in search for truth,
removing many doubts and difficulties and
throwing light on what before was dark and OBJ
scure. They may warn us of evil in disguise,
and place what is good in a clear, strong light.
They may gently move our wills TO embrace
what is good and to fee from what is evil. They
NAV quicken our dull affections. increase our
holy hope or our filial fear and assist us more
ardrntly to love God" Many believe these words
OF Mr.. Wesley, and are greatly comforted by the
reflection that agents of the Divine will, all I'M
seen, attend them in all the events of this life.
and wait about their couch in the last moments
to bear them home
And yet whatever may be the nature, extent
and worth of the services rendered by these pure
spirits, whose abode is in heaven, there is
another kind of ministry to be rendered by man.
The assertion might we'll startle mana
creature of day. living In a tenement which is
destined to speedy dissolution! A man, alter
nateiy rejoicing and sorrowing. hoping and fear
ing. short-sghted, burdened. SINFUL A man, who
has quite enough to do to adjust his own soals
welfare against the day of final account!
dom is displayed in the appointment. For a
man can be seen and touched and known by his
fellows. He win their confidence and sym
pathy and repay both with his own. He has
personal interest in the great problems of life
duty, death and neutrality-suspicious. that concern
the race He feels the wants that are
common to humanity, and can speak out of his
own experience to the universal heart In lifes
various relations he can bear part of the work
day duty and so illustrate, what no words can
adequately describe, the methodan the beauty of
true living The human ministry can enter
where the angelic ministry cannot, and meet
necessities which, otherwise, might never be
supplied.
A man minister to man! A man in fellow
ship and partnership with angels! Is honor con-
ferred in this2 Yes. doubtless. But it is not
the honor that comes from wealth, and is repre-
scented by titles. 1t is the honor Of service than
WI her e no atar M
say whatsoever will be great among you. let
him be your minister. And, to confirm his
teaching did he not add in the same connection,
Even the Son of Man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister" man
appointed to minister to man. Is not this divine
announcement-that human pride and glory
ought to cease, and that each should exalt him
self by serving his fellows
man minister! Then let no one look for
perfection in any of his work. The angels, with
clearer vision and fuller knowledge, render their
duties with precision Of all they attempt moth
ing miscarries. But man. limited in power. at
tains partial truth only by painful ind protracted
study. his plans are laid In ignorance and ex-
ecuted in weakness. His best efforts bear marks
of folly. In reviewing his work he himself be
holds a series of mistakes. Let no one expect
otherwise of any human instrumentality. But a
great truth IS suggested here, which all need tn
learn The falbe man minlsterng to the falli-
bic man is perpetual demand for humility on
one side and for sympathy on the other If these
qualities are absent what can the minister dol
In the character of the great apostle Paul. these
two qualities were prominent-his distrust
of self and his longing for the support of other
hearts who Is sufficient for these thingsl
he exclaims in one place. Writing to
the Corinthians. he said II was with you
in great weakness" His manly heart cried out
to the Thessalonians, Pray for u.s." pathetic
plea that springs forth spontaneously from the
lips of every true minister who considers how
great is the work to which he is called, and that
he brings to il only the powers of a man.
Secondly-The minister is "a man from God y
What this world most needs, what it desires
above all else what 1t has sought during all the
weary centuries gone by, what it is seeking to-
day never before, is knowledge of God
''Tell us something about God" is the earnest
cry that comes up from the millions of all lands
There is something in human nature that. like
the needle to the pole. points ever Godward or
like the tendril of the yine reaches after the