Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-02-28


Wesley had it, and Finncy had It. and
Thomas Chalmers had it, and John
Bunyan had 1t, and John Newton had
it. They have had it the same az
many Of us have had it. The greatest
trouble with many Of us in Christian
work Is that we are not obedient to
the heavenly vision. We do not saw
with Paul, "God forbid that should
glory. save in the cross of Jesus
Christ" We are trying to teach men
lessons for this life, but we do not
emphasize and keep accomplishing the
essential doctrine that through the
blood Of Jesus and in no other wav
can we be truly cleanscd of our sins.
We have had this revelation come re
us. but we have been pushing it more
and more into the background of on
lives.
A young minister once said TO Mr.
Moody: what makes the difference
between your success and mine? Eli
Their you are right and am wrong. or
| am right and You are wrong"
"Well," said MI. Moody. II do not
know what is the difference unless
you tell me. for I have never heard
you preach" The minister repled
You make great deal out of the death
of Christ. and | do not make ANYTHING
out of it, do not think it has anything
to do with the gospel. preach about
the life and not about the death OF
Jesus" well" said Mr. Moody,
what do you do with this: lie hath
borne our sins upon the treeT What
do you do with this: lie was wounded
for or trapsgressions. he was bruised
for our iniquitcs, and with his stripes
were we healcl| What do YOU do
with this: Without shedding of blood
there is no rcmissonT" ooh" an
swercd the minister, 81 do not preac
on those passaEcs.' What do YOU
preach: well" he answered. INV
sermons are moral essays Then Mr.
Moody replied My friend, if you take
the blood out of tho Bible it is all n
myth to me-" But" answered the
man. 81 think that the doctrine is un
true" Then" said Mr.. Moody. II ad.
wise You to get out Of the ministry
very quick. | would not preach q
sham If the Bible is untrue. let us
stop preaching and come out ut once
and attack it. But if these things are
true. and Jesus left heaven ana came
into the world TO save sinners. then let
us lay hold Of it and preach it in sea-
son and out OF season" SO say all
true ministers Of Jesus Christ.
Fitness In All Things.
But there was another fact besides
that revelation on the Damascus road
which was driving Paul forward as Il
minister OF Jesus Christ All men who
are converted to Jesus Christ are not
expected to enter theological semina-
ries. There IS a fitness in all things.
Many good cohbler has been spoiled
TO make a very poor preacher. Many
men who wear the black cloth Of the
clergy would make Il far better sue
cess in building brick wall than they
do in expounding the word of God from
a pulpit. | have a great deal of sym
patty with that shrewd father who,
when his son came to him and said:
Father l had divine revelation last
night. God wants me 10 be a minister
OF Jesus Christ, for everywhere about
me l kept seeing the two letters blaz-
ing ut me-'P. G., 7. C.. T. C.'-'Preach
Christ" "Oh. no." said the father.
"IhOse two letters, T.. c. which you
saw do not mean Preach Christ They
meant for you 'Pow corn God meant
you to be farmer. He never cut you
out to be a minister"
There is no profession. as | we'll
know, about which SO many mistakes
are made as about the ministry. Young
men, full of zeal, full of the desire to
save souls, full of ambition TO serve
Cod all of which aspirations are laud-
able. rush into the ministry without
considering whether they have the tai
ents needed for success in that sphere.
Many a man who would have made an
broker becomes an inefficient minister,
and as a humorous professor once said.
brushes against the pulpit and stuns
himself for life" But there never could
have been any doubt of Paul's voca-
ton. He had all the gifts and qualities
that are needed TO make man sue
cessful in winning souls.
Paul was more than silver tongued.
What he said was just as marvellous
as the way he said it. Jean Baptiste
Massllon was the greatest preacher
France ever produced. The proud King
Louis XIV. paid him the greatest COM
piment that can he given to any mes
seuger of Jesus Christ lie said, Il
have heard many talented preac cheers in
my chapel before and was much pleas
ed with them but every time | hear
you | feel much displcased with my
self" Great was the pulpit eloquence
of a Massilon. But greater. far great
or, was the logical power of the gospel
he brought to the French
court. After his sermons had been pub
lished Voltaire, the great skeptic. used
10 always keep one of the volumes up
on his study desk, declaring that they
were the words of "the preacher who
best understood the world. who had
the eloQuence of the academcian. the
brilliance of the wit aud the logic of
the philosopher" So with Paul's writ
ings. He was not only an orator and
an organizer and an ecclesiastical
but a powerful and con-
vincing writer. His epistles will he
I, L.