Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-11-14

The eonscioness of Divine
call thru knowledge that his occupa-
ton is Divinely chosen, makes thu
stable support for the preachers
perseverance.
When temptations and trials come
to the Christian, and when doubts
arise he may let his mind run back
to his conversion. To him that is
an event that is clear, it is the time
of his commitment to God.
So the consciousness of a Di-
vine call is an event in the life Of
the minister, It was the time Of his
full surrender to God for a specific
work It was chosen work, but
man did not make the choice it was
God who did the choosing.
The minister's call is his appoint
meat as our ambassador Of Jesus
Christ. Called to persuade men to
be "reconciled to God" He is more
than a preacher He breaches the
Gospel but he must be in sympathy
with the peculiar need of his people.
He is unique character, he stands
alone. He must rush from the
bier of the dead to the festivities of
the wedding from thence to the bed
side Of the suffering. He must be
well adjusted and know when to
laugh and when to weep. He must
be careful not to overdo or under
do either.
AS preacher ne warns, rebukes,
and exhorts. He declares to all a
Gospel, prescription which is gen
eral in its benefits and guaranteed
to cure all the maladies of the soul.
He is a messenger of good tidings
He declares the salvation Of God to
men. He breaches the Gospel. He
regards it his duty to apply the prin
ciples of religion to everyday life,
and lift his people to the standard
Of New Testament experience.
AS a student he spends hours with
apostles of secular and religious
thought. He counsels the great
men of the church and absorbs the
fragrance of their minds and spirits
He sits at the feet of the fathers
and gives ear to their wisdom. He
reads and "hides in his heart" the
book of books He studies the coun-
ellis Of the prophets, and sits with
the apostle of our religion around
the Master, the sage of the church.
He is a man of prayer. He talks to
God and with God. He has not
forgotten the advise to "enter
into thy closet and shut thy door
and pray to thy father in secret,
and thy father which se'eth in secret
shall reward thee openly"
The word is unified. He come.
forth with heart aglow, with a
shining countenance and burning
soul AS the Master from his
mountain top interview with God
FASTENED down to the plain and seeks
| for those whom the Lord loveth, for
the lost, and bewildered, so the
Christian minister comes forth from
his place of prayer to break the
bread of life to earth's starving
multitude
He is hero. He has become a
champion of righteousness. The good
know where he stands and in him
truth has loyal support The
Devil also knows his position and
fears and shuns this soldier armed
with the sword Of the spirit. He is
Gods representative in the commu-
nifty where he resides, when moral
ISSUES arise many will listen for
the verdict of the preacher. His
verdict is not always popular but il
should be right and nearly always
I is. God expects it to he right and
SO does society.
Nothing is more disappointing to
society than to find the preacher or
i the wrong side of a moral issue.
For the preachers silence is Otter
! a crime He has right to declare
himself, God expects him to speak
He is God's man and his silence may
be at the peril of righteous cause
at the peril of Souls, and if Goo
says "cry aloud" and he remains 81
lent his silence may be at his peril
The minister is human. and a,
such he is susceptible to the inf1u.
ence of association. He needs hui
man association. If he neglects il
he becomes idealistic and his teach
ing will not have practical effect
He may spend too much time in his
study until he becomes a book misel
and he will not impart to Others
what he has absorbed. He may bt
too sociable until his society has
lost its elevating power
He is a lover of men and of God