The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-12

step he walked before them, slow with their slowness, quickening his march by theirs, the true representation of this continent, an entirely public man,
 father of his country, the pulse Of twenty millions throbbing in his heart the thought of their minds articulate
 in his tongue" Humanity then, according to our
 understanding of 1t, is something quite beyond any of the terms which are identified with it. It is in every way to the advantage of the pulpit that ministers are now understood to be hu-
 man. When it was understood to be | qualification for the ministry that one | was not man of like passions with | others or when the ministry itself was
 considered as offering special exemp-
 tions from temptation, it must have
 been a terrible ordeal. I cannot con | ceive how a man could stand in the | presence of his fellow men and speak right out the words which should fall
 into the midst of temptation and strug- 1 gle, and at the same time feel that his
 words might stir the question in any
 mans heart, what do you know about
 it all? Where are your temptations?
 Let us be thankful for the recognition
 of the human in the profession of the
 ministry. And of course it goes with
 out saying that ministers are supposed
 to be humane class, notwithstanding l the occasional bloodthirstiness of the
 pulpit in times of national excitement
 But the humanity of the pulpit, it's
 power to cover in thought and feeling
 the life before it, to stand for the com-
 mon nature, to be so far able to repre-
 sent men that it can turn them to it's 1 own uses, that is something which | waits full recognition, because it is something which needs to become more | evidently the fact. was careful to
 say when I began to speak about this
 matter that the ability of the preacher
 to make other men help him, to make
 his audience preach for him, might not
 be the greatest condition of modern
 preaching which one has to satisfy;
 but the more we dwell upon what this
 ability implies, the more we shall be
 disposed I think to advance the claim.
 Nothing can be more fundamental to
 the preacher than his humanity.
 There lies the priestly quality of his
 life. And just as the wants and de-
 sires and aspirations of men go sweep
 ing through his humanity when he in-
 tercedes for them with God, so through
 that same channel Gods message re-
 turns to them. Preaching at it's best Is
 prayer turned round. "So then, we are
 ambassadors for Christ, as though God
 did beseech you by us, we pray you in
 Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to
 God'
 It may seem to you, however, that I , put myself on clearer and firmer ) ground when I say that if one is to sat-
 isfy the conditions of modern preach
 ing he must be able to show that he
 has sufficiency of truth in actual
 command Of course this means the : authority of the pulpit. I desire to l say with the greatest possible empha- sis that modern preaching waits the l word of authority. There is a good l deal of preaching which is not modern, which uses the authoritative language
 and tone. On occasions, as it passes , into controversy, 1t deals in anathe-
 mas. But these are manifestly futile.
 An assertion of authority which
 wakens the protest of the devout req son or reverent scholarship of an age 3 fails, because it lacks one of the chief t elements of authority. Authority can } not rest upon the impossible, or the t unreasonable, or upon what may be to s most minds the merely external 2 When therefore men of recognized l spiritual power choose to plant them s l selves upon the liberalism of scripture
 they are accepted by the majority of f their hearers for what they are in al cel fnr yuI,
 Their life may preach to all, and it
 may be a glorious message but the
 interpretations, the criticisms and the s arguments in which they trust for con
 viction, meet none of the conditions ot 6 authority.
 ] But because a good deal of the au- e thority which the pulpit assumes is h misplaced, it by no means follows that t we have enough of it. On the contrary d I reaffirm the statement that the mind S of the age is ready and anxious to t come under the authority of truth . What proportion of men do you think : wish to reason God out of existence ol = out of His world How many are long o ing to disbelieve in immortality How : many of those even who break the e commandments wish to abolish them 7. How many would prefer to have Chris. l. tianity proven myth rather than ar - historic fact. Let us not wrong the s temper of our age, however much we r. may share in it's mental perplexities : I believe that nothing would receive st s true a welcome from the mind of this |. age as some great vindication of reli 1t gious faith--the equivalent in our time r. of Buffers analogy, or Edmunds on tho n will It is no disproof of this opinior f to say that we stumble over the creed:
 and confessions. We forget that tn, n ages which produced these symbol. l. had the advantages of us in that these " symbols were their own productions n The age which produces the next grea @ confession will take delight in it ant l. repeat it in sincerity, it may be in tri IT umph
 If But meanwhile we must remind our W selves, in justice to the fact, that faitf n has not been left amongst us withou IS it's witnesses. If pressed too hard ou e age may reply to any age of the creed n Show me thy faith without thy works tt and I will show these my faith by my l. works" The same faith which wrot' 1T the confessions is busy on mission r. fields, in hospitals and in schools. It il d no more to the discredit of faith to b,