Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-04-23
WISDOM OF WINNING SOULS.
BY Rev Hyron ". Haynes. d. D.

''The fruit of the righteous is 4 tree of
life!and he that winneth souls is wise"
Proverbs 11:30.
| am confident that the gospel is the
power OF God unto salvation as it ever
has been. and if fewer souls are being
saved than in FORMER days it must be in
a lack of or an unwise application. The
souls need is just as great. Gods love
and mercy are just as boundless. We
admit difficulty. a dearth. spiritual de-
serts, a deadly chill, paralysis, coma, an
aesthesia. At the same time there are
inexpressible yearnings in the hearts of
Gods ministry for spiritual awaken
ing. What is the difficulty and what the
remedy?
May it not be possible that the pastors
themselves have been diverted from their
most important work? Have we not ike
wise been in a disturbed state of mind
unfavorable to large results in soul win
ming? The last quarter of a century has
heen one in which the battle of theolog
ical polemics has ragged iercely. No
thoughtful pastor has been an idle spec
tator. Some. fancying they saw grave
defects in the old views, and receiving
visions of larger truth. have challenged
the traditions of the elders. spurhtd the
faith of the fathers and denied the au
thority of the scriptures. Others have
felt called upon to defend the ancient
faith, to bulwark the Bible, and with
troubled faces and throbbing hearts have
entered the pulpit TO contend for the
faith rather than to dispense the gospel.
Neither the bold challenger of Gods
ord Il
ready for evangelistic work. 1t needs Il
quiet assurance, faith which is neither
disturbed nor assailed, single and sim
gular purpose, a profound peace to DO
well the work of an evangelist.
During the march of creation thou
sands of beautiful crystals have been
formed. though no crystal was formed
while the great molten sea was surging
beneath the mighty forces of nature, but
when the liquid mass ceased to throb and
universal calm spread over the chaotic
world then by the laws of affinity and
deposition the emerald, the ruby, the sup
phire, the topaz were formed, in their
matrices, where they have slept for ages
brilliant records of earths first peace
full morning, eternal poems of the voice
less rocks. Seasons of theological con
tention are not productive of the fairest
gems of Christianity. If, however. the
storm which has ragged about our Bible
has cleared the atmosphere. if we have
clearer visions of God and the Christ,
If we have more correct views of the
norm, the essence of the Holy Scriptures.
If We have more accurately conceived the
relations between God and man, per-
haps we may be at the gray dawn Of a
peaceful day when all that is best in
Christianity shall take beautiful form
and we shall win many priceless souls to
our Lord.
1t may be that we have become too
deeply merged in the world. i should be
slow to suggest that Gods ministers were
not consecrated TO his work. Each heart
knows its own conservation or lack of it.
We should not be conformed to the
world, but | can see where there is great
danger of such conformity. When the
pastor is, in fact. if not in name the
comptroller of the treasury. when he is
the head of the executive committee. the
building committee. the pew committee
and dozen others; when he has to give
a lift to every enterprise of a temporal
and semi-worldly nature it is no wonder
that the tenderness and sweetness of his
life is somewhat obscured Add to this
the fact that the leading members into
whose presence and homes he most nat
urally comes. are interested in all sorts of
things save the prayer meeting and per-
sist in talking business social or political
matters rather than religious. it is no
wonder that the pastor yields somewhat
to the pressure and becomes a bit world
ly. He is a rare man TO Withstand al
this.
He loses power. not because he is COW
ardly and dare not speak the truth, not
because he is worldly and wants to fleece
the sheep instead. of feeding them. hut
because he has unconsciously absorbed
the elements about him. and his delicate
spiritual fiber has been benumbed by the
atmosphere he has breathed 1t is a case
Of like people like priest. and the priest
has gradually fallen into the very condi-
ton which We so deeply deplore. The
winner of souls must be in the world.
but not of it, Exha,a forever the fra
GRANGE of heaven. but no; inhale the moi
son of carth-always healing wounded
hearts yet himself never younded-for-
ever carrying mems burdens and permit
ting weak mortals to lean on him vet
himself leaning on none but ''the ever
lasting arms" ever probing the secret
chambers of hearts, throwing in the light
which shall chase doubt away, vet never
admitting doubt to his own soul; ming
ling with the sinful and depraved. vet
himself free from its contagion and as
pure as the Alpine SHOWS. Who suffi-
,in Gov. fhauo thiptrSS How shall 49,,
tai man breathe, handle. minister to that
which is poisonous and not be contami-
mated? Only by the power Of him who
keeps the tiny drop of liquid enclosed in
n crystal and yet in nowise a part of it.
He viii keep us in the world breathing
blessings upon it, yet not a part of its
stain and death.