The Southern herald., 1915-01-29
WINNING FOR GOD
Personal Character Counts for
Much in the Teacher Of
His Word.

Now, supposing an earnest spirit,
seeking after the Father, comes to US
as his professed ministers in order
to discover the truth of what we
preach, he might very naturally say,
"You tell me about a medicine that is
an infallible cure for this ineradicable
faint of sin, and describe the terrible
consequences of the disease to me II
/ be not cured, and the blessed results
of joyous spiritual health and peace;
but can you show me any person who
has actually been restored from dis
ease to health by this divine medi-
cine? Is all this preaching a mere
idle theory Of life? Or If not, where
is the life itself? Art thou thyself
saved? If not-'Physician, heal thy
SELF; for until then thou canst not
cure me-"
Suppose that this same person
comes into close contact with the
mind Of the preacher and that the
more he sees and knows 1t the more
he discerns in the man such thoughts
regarding God, knowledge Of him, such
a love to him, as convince him that
here at least is a reality and not
pretense; suppose that the more he
discerns his whole inner life, the
things which give him pain and Joy,
the things which he desires and loves,
with his whole feelings toward his
fellow men-feelings expressed in a
life Of action, which, in spite Of in.
firmities and shortcomings belonging
to all human beings, the questioner
cannot but recognize a kind of life
he never saw before.
Power Of Personal Character.
Supposing that no such evidence Of
the truth Of Christianity could be dis
covered in the preacher of Christian
ity; nay, If his character contradicted
his preaching; If while he preached
love to God and man, he manifested
neither, but Indifference, to say the
least Of 1t, to both; if, while he
preached the necessity and the excel.
ence of the Christian life, he himself
revealed its very opposite-what ef-
'ect would this have upon an earnest
spirit, but that Christianity was a
mere ideal system unsuited to the
world, philosophy of life that might
'e believed in, but not a life itself
hat might be possessed? This want
" personal character however imper.
ect, yet real, may account for the
want Of success in the mission of the
hurch, to convince the world whether
t home or abroad.
This, too, may also account for the
ecret Of success by many a minister
4 whom the world knows nothing:
For greatest minds are those of
HON the noisy world hears least"
hey may not be great in the ordl-
ary sense Of the word-great as
great as orators, or great
the possession of any remarkable ]
lifts; but they are nevertheless great |
the kingdom e heaven; great be- {
ause little children-great in meek ]
ess, in patience, in humility, in love {
God and man.
Only Secret of Power.
What is the secret of their power?
hat but an eternal reality! The t
'ality of godly, godlike life OBJ l
ined from God; and sustained by +
od, and seen in the eye, and felt U
the hand, heard in the words-a G
5ht Of life which shines beside many a
dying bed, in many a home of sor- O
W as well as in the pulpit. This is d
kind of life whose biography will be /
ritten with the tears of the grateful a
phan and widow and of many a
we'd soul. 6
Such a ministry as this can no more t
Il than the love Of God which gives t,
birth. We may not be men of tai c
t, and for that we are not RESPONSE F
>; but we may be good men, be. G
use little children toward God, and D
that we are responsible.