The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-03-01

work is that we are not obedient t,
the heavenly vision. We do not say
with Paul, God forbid that | SHOULD
glory, save in the cross of Jesus
Christ" We are trying to teach mer
lessons for this life, but we do no
emphasize and keep re-emphasizng the
essential doctrine that through the
blood of Jesus and in no other way
4 can we be truly cleansed of our sins
| We have had this revelation come tt
us, but we have been pushing it more
and more into the background of oul
| lives.
a young minister once said to Mr.
Moody: what makes the difference
between your success and mine? Ell.
Their you are right and l am wrong, OIL
am right and you are wrong
"Well," said Mr.. Moody, 81 do not
know what is the difference unless
you tell me, for l have never heard
you preach" The minister replied:
you make a great deal out of the death
of Christ, and l do not make anything
out of it. do not think it has anything
to do with the gospel. l preach about
the life and not about the death of
Jesus" "Well," said Mr.. Moody,
"what do you do with this: He hath
borne our sins upon the tree? What
do you do with this: He was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities, and with his stripes
were we healedY What do you do
1TNTitln1f CbnI1inCr Of hlnn1
there is no remission|" "Oh," an
swered the minister, 81 do not preach
on those passagesv' "What do you
preach?" "Well," he answered, my
sermons are moral essays" Then Mr..
Moody replied, My friend, if you take
the blood out of the Bible it is all
myth to me-" But" answered the
man, 81 think that the doctrine is I'M
true" Then" said Mr.. Moody, 81 adj
wise you to get out Of the ministry
very quick. l would not preach a
sham If the Bible is untrue, let us
stop preaching and come out at once
and attack it. But if these things are
true. and Jesussleft heaven and 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
minister Of Jesus Christ. All men who
are converted to Jesus Christ are not
expected to enter theological seminal
ries. There is a fitness in all things
Many a good cobbler has been spoiled
to make a very poor preacher. Many
men who wear the black cloth of the
clergy would make a far better sue
cess in building a brick wall than they
do in eXpounding the word Of God from
a pulpit. l have a great deal of sym
patty with that shrewd father who,
when his son came to him and said:
Father, l had a divine revelation last
night. God wants me to be a minister
of Jesus Christ, for everywhere about
me 1 kept seeing the two letters blaz-
ing at me-'P. c., P. c., P. C.'-'Preach
Christi" "Oh, no." said the father.
"Those two letters, 'P. o. which you
saw do not mean Preach Christ They
meant for you Pillow corn God meant
you to be farmer. He never cut you
out to be a minister"
There is no profession, as | well
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
God, 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 man who would have made an
excellent lawyer or physician or stock
broker becomes an inefficient minister.
and, as a humorous professor once said,
"rushes against the pulpit and stuns
himself for life" But there never could
have been any doubt of Pauls voca-
ton. He had all the gifts and qualities
that are needed to make a 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
Massillon was the greatest preacher
France ever produced. The proud King
Louis XIV. paid him the greatest COM
pliment that can be given to any mes
senger of Jesus Christ. He said, 81
have heard many talented preachers in
my chapel before and was much pleas
ed with them, but every time | hear
7 IicVnlnocnH with
self" Great was the pulpit eloquence
of Massillon. But greater, far great
er, was the logical power of the gospel
message he brought to the French
court After his sermons had been pub
lished Voltaire, the great skeptic, used
to always keep one of the volumes up
on his study desk, declaring that they
We're the words of 1.-The preacher who
best understood the world, who had
the eloquence of the academician. the
briliance of the wit and the logic or
the philosopher" So with PauPs writ
ings. He was not only an orator and
an organizer and an ecclesiastical
but a powerful and con-
vincing writer His epistles will be
read by intelligent men, for all time.
These powers he held as a trust for
God, and he seems to say: 81 must
preach. l must be a preacher of Jesus
Christ on account of my special gifts.
Woe is unto me if preach not the Cos
pei"
There Are Not Many Pauls.
well" you say, eff Paul had all
these characteristics | do not wonder
that he should want to preach the
gospel. No wonder that every moment