Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-11-24

AAAA AUE EFEAtAtE = AAe&
E a student. which most as
suredly be must be H. As
a preacher be desires 70 make his
calling and election sure There
perhaps never was a tine. in the his
tory Of the church. when the demands
made on the pulpit we're as great Is
they are today
Ou account Of the universal diTu-
sions Of periodicals.. magazines and
books both secular and religious. this
has become pre-eminently a reading
aze. and the preacher must be a read.
er II he desires to lead. or even 20
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 Il proceeds from the
church but demand. and we think
Justly so. that men be able to give
a 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 a clear logical reasoner
and thinker. A thinker will not dc.
The preacher must have brain n
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. 1fty-year-
old-preachers. etc
Preacher Must Be Student.
Now It Is our humble opinion that
no minister can cross the dead-line
"a long as he remains a careful. faith
ful student. for thus by keeping in
close sympathetic touch with the
brain and heart OF the generation In
which he lives he IS able 20 serve
that generation Wen by the grace OF
Cod and then like n 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 II Is that
many such are dead and do not know
it. II then. 1t Is imperative that the
preacher be a student. he must have
something to study and this brings US
more directly to our subject. The
Preachers Library" Now we are free
Z confess that Ne do not think that
IL Is ~indispensably necessary for a
preacher to know something OF God.
Of man and OF the things that come
In the thought and life OF those whom
he "a called to serve. Neither Is Il
necessary that he have a large and
expensive library. The epitaph OF
many a faithful. successful minister
might be truthfuIly written thus: He
was the happy p-ossessor 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 II
brary that is absolutely necessary for
the preacher to possess and thorough
" and faithfully study. II he wish to
show himself approved Of God a
workman that needeth not 10 be
ashamed rightly dividing the word Of
truth. is composed OF these sixty-six
books commonly called he Bible. To
this should invariably be added a good
concordance. Bible textbook and com
uentary. These things are essential.
many others may be helpful and high
iy desirable
For the nourishing OF his own spir-
ltual life. in addition TO the word. the
preacher should keep in constant
touch with the most godly men Of
this and preceding generations. And
ve should feel disappointed II We did
not ind in his library biographies.
histories. books Of sermons and ad-
dresses as well as a few Of the many
devotional books being constantly Is
sued from the press We would also
expect TO End 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 II o hun
dreds Of good standard magazines in
the garrett stored away in original
packages. showing that while they
had been received and. perhaps paid
for. they 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. II would
be almost impossible In this brief pa
per to say everything that might Be
said in reference 10 the preachers Il
brary and il would also be unkind 70
those who are anxious to have some
thing to say In the discussion that is
to follow. So We close in the Ian.
guase Of the immortal some body with
malice toward none nj with charity
for all-Sabbath Reading