The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-04-12
How Phillips Brooks Helped a Dis
cOuraged Soul.
BY the One Befriended.

! By the One Befriended.
Allusion has been made in many ar
ticles, called forth by the death O
Bishop Brooks, to his immense CORE
spondence, reached far beyond the cir
Gle of his acquaintance, and infiu
encing many who had never seen hi
face. Nothing can give a clearer ex
preston of the conscientiousnes
which went into all Bishop Brook
work than persual of some Of thes,
letters. TO him imam was a create
name than president or king" un(
whenever he was writing to poo
mother who had commended her Sol
to his care as shield from the temp
tations of city life, or whether one o
the famous men of the world was TO bt
his reader, he always gave his best O.
thought, feeling, aud expression.
The truth of the above words was
once brought home to me by personal
Experience, which I tell, not for its
own sake, but that others may share
in the inspiration which it brought
me. While in college by friend ]
was introduced, intellectually and
spiritually, to Phillips Brooks, and
from that time onward he has been an
uplifting force in my life. When ]
read the Yale lectures on preaching fol
the first time l made up my mind that
if ever lost heart in the work Of the
ministry I would reread that book
The time came when, in the diff.
culties and discouragements of West.
ern parish, I did partly lose heart, and
one Sunday evening, after day OF
Encouragement, when the feeling,
which had come To me often, that |
had not the spiritual fitness for my
work came back with new force upon
me, picked up volume Of Brooks's
sermons and reread "The Candle OF
the Lord" 1t seemed to be voice for
me. The lightning from God was
just what lacked, l felt. How could
I get it?
On the impulse of the momentum
impulse of which was more than hall
ashamed afterward-I took my pen
and wrote letter to Mr.. Brooks, tell.
ing him just the state of my case, and
asking him what could to win what
1 wanted. hardly expected he would
answer the letter. / was perfect
stranger to him. I had no reputation
that could have reached him. I was
outside the limits of bis denomination.
But in due time the aDswer came, and
without void or comment, for it Is its
own com mmentary append it here
MY Dear Brother: If you were
here, 1 should delight to talk with you
about what you have written in your
letter. If you ever come anywhere
near me, you must give me the chance.
| 1t is much to even want the fire of the
minister's life and to know its value
Whatever comes you must never lei
that desire go and you must be sure
that what you desire il no strange OF
unnatural thing. 1t is the natural ut.
terance of the human heart when ii
believes in God. The wonder is, not
that other men should have 1t, but
that you should not. Think so Of it,
but that you should not. Think so OF
it, and there will seem to he almost q
certainty that it must break on you.
"Of course, there is only one source
from which the enthusiasm of the
Gospel ministry can come, and that is
a deep and ever deeper Christian life
OF our own. Live deeper. Let Goo
do more for you. Be sure that you
have not begun to reach the limits OF
what He can do. Give Him larger
liberty to help you; and then the
thought that any man should go un-
helped by Him will seem dreadful to
you, and you must speak so that men
will hear.
"Of course, you do not expect from
me, no from any man, rules or pre-,
scriptions. 1t is not something for
you to clio. 1t is something which you
must be: which will give you the pow
er, or, what is the only truth, will let
Gods power freely play through you.
I pray that God will help you, and ]
beg you to hope and to be full of cheer
full courage. May I call myself your
sincere friend? Phillips Brooks"
The Congregationalist.