Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1894-09-08 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

BOLD.  NO preacher could be bolder than the Lord Jesus. He never swank from preaching. the most unpalatable truths. He never preacted to please but to profit His hearers; He never sought popularily at the price of fi lelity, nor did He entertain the people instead of warning them to ft e from the wrath to come. He boldly reminded them of their rebellious, wicked and insane past ; He mercilessly, minutely and vividly ext)osed their reckless ana s iff-necked present ; and tie solemnly and searchingly toretolil their fearsome future. He wad dealing with the tiercest fan dies then on the earth: men who did not scruple to answer arguments by violence, an I pointed appeals by murder itself. In preaching to such people He curried His life in His own hands, and yez. He heroically told them tne whole trutu. Nor did He spare the godless religious teachers, and sects, and parties of His time. He tore off heir masks. He laid hare their bear's, and de denounced their pretentious and hypoci isles. No matter how high men were in church and state, no matter what their official positions were, or how sacred their calltugs, He unsparingly rebuked them. That, of course, required a fearless courage and aourate knowledge. We must never shrink from rebuking those in high places, but we must always he sure of our facts and know that our motives are all and only godly. Religious controversy is very un :esiraute, and few can take part in it to advantage ; and yet if God says 'Now then, do it,' we must expose the false teachers. Our Lord charged the teachers of His day not so much with not feeding the sheep, es with fleeing when the wolf came. 10-day many men seem to doubt if there be any wolf at all. No wolt can do so much damage as the one whose existence is never suspected I Tim Lord Jesus took care to warn off all merely camp followers. Those wno were not prepared to put on the armour of liod, and toose woo followed thoughtlessly and selfishly were duly warned. He would have them couut the cost and enter His service with their eyes open, He lays before them the possible trouoles which may overtake them, and so makes them pause before they commit themselves to Him, even in name I He counted the cost of His doing so, he knew it would involve many deserting His standard, and to that extent decrease considerable his popularity, but He did not come to wen that lie might be a popular but a profitable preacuer, and if fidelity to truth means desertion, then let desertion be His portion. He never hesitates, He never takes time to consider anything, and He is never taken by surprise. We often are, and often will be, but He never was. He was always ready to deal wite each case as it arose, and in every case acted boldly. The Lord was equally faithful with His own personal friends, Their weaknesses, their faults and their guilt were never connealed from them. He neve feared the loss of any man. They may leave Him, but truth must not leave Him. ' are tue woun.s ot a triend,' and He never hesitated to give such wounds. The preacher of to-day must also have holy Courage, but the holiness of his act must be as evident as its courage, and if that be so, then courage will never flintier but will always help us. In every case our friendship must be as evident as toe wound we inflict.