Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-05-02

that in that quarter only can they find
strong, Jealous, and persevering sup
porters for things. good and lIoeu1uL
But they may run there too often ana
too much. They may deprive their spe-
cial schemes of the only support upon
which they can depend by displacing the
appeals of the gospel calling men to
repentance, in order to make room for
appeals on behalf Of their pet enter
prises calling for money or votes.
Besides all this, these things become
snare to a certain type of preacher,
who lacking faith in the power of spir-
itual forces to renew men and save the
world eagerly seizes upon visible and
popular movements to achieve. what he
is not quite sure the gospel is able to
accomplish, 1t is both pitiful and pain
full to observe how these clerical special
pleaders peryert texts of Scripture in
their efforts to find some divine word
upon which to base their discourses in
the interest of the multifarious schemes
which have succeeded in enlisting their
advocacy. From the incident of the
man healed at the Pool of Bethesda
they draw proofs strong as holy writ
that the church ought to proceed, forth
with to lay aside all else and press
the cause of city sanitation. From
Ehud's being a left-handed man they
make appeals for surgical institutes TO
straighten crooked limbs and cure other
physical deformities. From the account
of the birth of the Saviour in the
manger they wax eloquent, not in pro-
claiming the incarnation with all its
glorious implications and heavenly in
spiratfons, but in pleading for the es-
tablishment of lying-in hospitals for
the benefit of the poor. The sermons
of this sort which have been preached
by the special pleaders would make
number of large. volumes which might
be entitled "Curiosities in Texts and
Pretexts with Accompanying Discourses
to Fit" rae fq.
1t should be said that there are in
the pulpit men who enjoy being used
by the friends of various enterprises
of a more or less moral or humane
character because it brings them the
favour of the Influential people who
have these enterprises in hand and the
publicity of such connections. They
dearly love to see their names assoc
ciated in print with these prominent
and philanthropic schemes. To secure
such association before the public they
are quite willing to forego the preach
ing of the gospel for season and espe-
cially when they have persuaded them
selves that their appeals for special in
terests are the most necessary and es-
sential phases Of the gospel.
These reflections may be brought to
close by very suggestive and sensi-
BILE passage from the writer on Ezekiel
in the +Expositof's Bible" series This
learned and celebrated expositor says.
THE salvation of men and women is
the supreme end which the minister of
Christ is to set before him, and that
TO which all other instruction is subor-
dinated And unless a man realizes
that the truth he utters is of tremen-
dous Importance on the destiny of those
to whom he speaks, he can hardly hope
to approve himself as an ambassador
for Christ. There are doubtless temp-
tations, not in themselves ignoble, to
use the pulpit for other purposes than
this. The desire for public influence
may be one of them, or the desire to
utter ones mind on burning questions
of the day. To say that these are
temptations is not to say that matters
of public interest are to be vigorously
excluded from treatment in the pulpit.
There are many questions of this kind
on which the will of God is as clear
and imperative as it can possibly be
on any point of private conduct; and
even in matters as to- which there is
legitimate difference of opinion among
principles of Righteousness. which may
need to be fearlessly enunciated at the
risk of obloquy and MISUNDERSTANDING.
Nevertheless, it remains true that the
great end of the gospel ministry is to
reconcile men to, God and to cultivate
in individual lives the fruits of the
Spirit, so as at last to present every
man perfect in Christ Jesus And the
preacher who may be most safely en-
trusted with handling all other ques-
lions is he who is most intent on the
formation of Christian character and
most deeply conscious of the effect of
his teaching upon the eternal destiny
of those to whom he ministers. What
is called preaching to the age may
certainly become a very poor and empty
thing If it is, forgotten that the age
is made up of individuals each of whom
has a soul to lose or save"
Let us not change our ministers, from
ambassadors for God into attorneys for
special interests.