River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-11-24

NXNE a student, which most as
suredly he must be If, as
preacher he desires to make his
calling and election sure" There
perhaps never was time, in the his
tory Of the church, when the demands
made on the pulpit were as great as
they are today.
On account of the universal diffu-i
sions of periodicals, magazines and
books both secular and religious, this
has become pre-eminently reading
age, and the preacher must be a. read,
er IL he desires to lead, or even to-
keep up with the procession. We are
living in the veritable age Of reason
when men refuse to accept, with i'm
plicate faith, dogmatic teaching sim.
ply because it proceeds from the.
church but demand, and we think
justly so, that men be able to give
reason for the hope that Is In
them" Therefore the preacher, to-.
gain and retain the confidence and,
respect Of his pensioners, should,
and must be clear logical reasoner|
and thinker. A thinker will not DO,
The preacher must have brain and
heart as well as mouth. We hear a.
great deal today in religious circles
about the ministerial dead-line, what
to do with the old-that is, ffty-year-
cld-preachers, etc.
Preacher Must Be Student.
Now it is our humble opinion that
no minister can cross the dead-l1ne
as long as he remains careful, faith
full student, for thus by keeping in
close sympathetic touch with the
brain and heart of the generation in
which he lives ne is able to serve
that generation well by the grace of
God" and then like one of old sim
ply "fall asleep" But any preacher
who ceases to be a student as well,
has already crossed the dead-line
whether he be fifty or twenty-five.
The fortunate thing about it is that
many such are dead and do not know
it. If then, 1t is imperative that the
preacher be student, he must have
something to study and this brings US
more directly to our subject, Ine
Preachers Library" Now we are free
to confess that we do not think taat
IL is indispensably necessary for
preacher to know something OF COO,
of man and of the things that come
in the thought and life of those whom
he is called to serve. Neither is IL
necessary that he have large and
expensive library. The ep1taph OF
many a faithful, successful minister
might be truthfully written thus: 1e
was the happy possessor of few BOOKS
and many babies. And while he might
have been successful without the
babies. we are not able to affirm, but
the few books he must have. The H.
brary that is absolutely necessary for
the preacher to possess and thorough
" and faithfully study, If he wish to
show himself approved OF God
workman that needeth not to be
ashamed rightly dividing the word of
truth. ia composed of those sixty-s1x
books commonly called the Bible. To
this should invariably be added good
concordance, Bible textbook and com
mentary. These things are essential,
MANY others may be helpful and high
iy desirable.
For the nourishing of his own spir-
itual life, in addition TO the word, the
preacher should keep in constant
touch with the most godly men OF
this and preceding generations. And
5iconnCinfnd
not find in his library biographies,
histories, books of sermons and adj
dresses as we'll as a few of the many
devotional books being constantly is
sued from the press. We would also
expect to find In the progressive
preachers library some Of the leading
magazines and periodicals of the day,
but not as we found on moving into a
certain parsonage scores If not hun
dreds of good standard magazines in
the garnet stored away In original
nackages, showing that while they
had been received and, perhaps paid
for thew had not been read. A few
standard works OF fiction seem almost
INDISPENSABLE to show the preacher
things and people as others see them.
to sharpen his intellect, warm his
heart. quicken his imaginations and
aid his liver to act properly. 1t would
be almost impossible in this brief pa
per to say everything that might be
said in reference to the preachers IL
brarv and it would also be unkipd te
those who are anxious to have some
thing to say in the discussion that is
TO follow. SO we close in the Ian
guage of the immortal some body with
malice toward none and with charity