Letters on the Work of Evangelization
Table of Contents
Work of Evangelization: First Letter to a Friend
April, 1809.
Dearest A—,
I have been much interested, and. I trust, profited, of late, by tracing, through the Gospels and the Acts, the various notices of the work of evangelization; and it has occurred to me that it may not be amiss to present to you, as one much occupied in the blessed work, a few of the thoughts that have suggested themselves to my mind. I shall feel myself much more free, in this way, than if I were writing a formal treatise.
And, first of all, I have been greatly struck with the simplicity with which the work of evangelizing was carried on in primitive times; so very unlike a great deal of what obtains amongst us. It seems to me that we moderns are quite too much hampered by conventional rules—too much fettered by the habits of Christendom. We arc sadly deficient in what I may call spiritual elasticity. We are apt to think that in order to evangelize, there must be a special gift; and even where there is this special gift, there must be a great deal of machinery and human arrangement. When we speak of doing the work of an evangelist, we, for the most part, have before our minds great public halls, and crowded audiences, for which there is a demand for considerable gift and power of speaking.
Now you and I thoroughly believe that in order to preach the gospel publicly, there must be a special gift from the Head of the Church; and, moreover, we believe, according to Eph. 4:11, that Christ has given, and does still give, " evangelists." This is clear, if we are to be guided by scripture. But I find in the Gospels, and in the Acts of the Apostles, that a quantity of most blessed evangelistic work was done by persons who were not specially gifted at all, but who had an earnest love for souls and a deep sense of the preciousness of Christ and His salvation. And what is more, I find in those who were specially gifted, called, and appointed by Christ to preach the gospel, a simplicity, freedom, and naturalness in their mode of working, which I greatly covet for myself and for all my brethren.
Let us look a little into Scripture. Take that lovely scene in John 1:36-45. John pours out his heart in testimony to Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God!" His soul was absorbed with the glorious object. What was the result? "Two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus." What then? " One of the two which heard John speak and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother." And what does he do? "He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus." Again, "The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.....Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.....come and see."
Here, then, dearest A-, is the style of thing for which I earnestly long; tins individual work, this laying hold of the first man that comes hi our way, this finding one's own brother, and bringing him to Jesus. I do feel we are deficient in this. It is all right enough to gather congregations, and address them, as God gives ability and opportunity. Neither you nor I would pen a single line to detract from the value of such a line of work. By all means, hire rooms, halls, and theaters; put out bills inviting people to come; leave no lawful means untried to spread the gospel. Seek to get at souls as best you can. Far be it from me to cast a damp upon any who are seeking to carry on the work in this public way.
But docs it not strike you that we want more of the individual work? more of the private, earnest, personal dealing with souls? Do you not think that if we had more " Philips," we should have more " Nathanaels?" If we had more " Andrews," we should have more " Simons?" I cannot but believe it. There is amazing power hi an earnest personal appeal. Do you not often find that it is after the more formal public preaching is finished, and the close personal work begins, that souls are reached? How is it, then, that there is so little of this latter? Does it not often happen, at our public preachings, that when the formal address is delivered, a hymn sung, and a word of prayer offered, all disperse without any attempt at individual work? I speak not, now, mark you, of the preacher—who cannot possibly reach every case—but of the scores of Christians who have been listening to him. They have seen strangers enter the room, they have sat beside them, they have, it may be, noticed their interest, seen the tear stealing down the cheek; and yet they have let them pass away without a single loving effort to reach them or to follow up the good work.
No doubt it may be said, " It is much better to allow the Spirit of God to follow up His own work. We may do more harm than good. And, besides, people do not like to be spoken to; they will look upon it as an impertinent intrusion, and they will be driven away from the place altogether." There is considerable weight in all this. I fully appreciate it; and I am sure you do likewise, dearest A-. I fear great blunders are committed by injudicious persons intruding upon the sacred privacy of the soul's deep and holy exercises. It needs tact and judgment; in short, it needs direct spiritual guidance to be able to deal with souls; to know whom to speak to, and what to say.
But, allowing all this, as we do, in the fullest possible manner, I think you will agree with me that there is, as a rule, something lacking in connection with our public preachings. Is there not a want of that deep, personal, loving interest in souls which will express itself in a thousand ways that act powerfully on the heart? I confess I have often been pained by what has come under my own notice in our preaching-rooms. Strangers come in, and are left to find a seat wherever they can. No one seems to think of them. Christians are there, and they will hardly move to make room for them. No one offers them a Bible or hymn book. And when the preaching is over, they are allowed to go as they came; not a loving word of inquiry as to whether they enjoyed the truth preached; not even a kindly look which might win confidence and invite conversation. On the contrary, there is a chilling reserve amounting almost to repulsiveness.
All this is very sorrowful; and perhaps my dear A-
will tell me I am drawing too highly colored a picture. Alas! the picture is only too true. And what makes it all the more deplorable is, that one knows as a fact that many persons frequent our preaching-rooms, and lecture halls, in the deepest exercise, and they are only longing to open their hearts to some one who could offer them a little spiritual counsel; but through timidity, reserve, or nervousness, they shrink from making any advance, and have but to retire to their homes and to their bedchambers, lonely and sad, there to weep in solitude, because no man cares for their precious souls. Now I feel persuaded that much of this might be remedied if those Christians who attend the gospel preachings were more on the look out for souls: if they would attend, not so much for their own profit, as in order to be co-workers with God, in seeking to bring souls to Jesus. No doubt, it is very refreshing to Christians to hear the gospel fully and faithfully preached. But it would not be the less refreshing because they were intensely interested in the conversion of souls, and in earnest prayer to God in the matter. And besides, it could, in no wise, interfere with their personal enjoyment and profit to cultivate and manifest a lively and loving interest in those who surround thorn, and to seek, at the close of the meeting, to help any who may need and desire to be helped. It has a surprising effect upon the preacher, upon the preaching, upon the whole meeting, when the Christians who attend are really entering into, and discharging, their high and holy responsibilities to Christ and to souls. It imparts a certain tone and creates a certain atmosphere which must be felt in order to be understood; but, when once felt, it cannot easily be dispensed with.
But, alas! how often is it otherwise! How cold, how dull, how dispiriting is it at times to see the whole congregation clear out the moment the preaching is over! No loving, lingering groups, gathering round young converts or anxious enquirers. Old experienced Christians have been present, but, instead of pausing with the fond hope that God would graciously use them to speak a word in season to him that is weary, they hasten away as though it were a matter of life and death that they should be homo at a certain hour.
Do not suppose, dearest A—, that I wish to lay down rules for my brethren. Far be the thought. I am merely, in the freest possible manner, pouring out the thoughts of my heart to one with whom I have been linked in the work of the gospel for many years. I feel convinced there is a something lacking. It is my firm persuasion that no Christian is in a right condition if he is not seeking, in some way, to bring souls to Christ. And, on the same principle, no assembly of Christians is in a right condition if it be not a thoroughly evangelistic assembly. We should all be on the look out for souls; and then, we may rest assured, we should see soul-stirring results. But if we are satisfied to go on from week to week, month to month, and year to year, without a single leaf stirring, without a single conversion, our state must be truly lamentable.
But I think I hear you saying, " Where is all the scripture we were to have had? where the many quotations from the Gospels and the Acts?" Well, I have gone on jotting down the thoughts, which have, for some considerable time, occupied my mind; and now, space forbids my going further at present. But if you so desire, I shall write you a second letter on the subject. Meanwhile, may the Lord, by His Spirit, make us more earnest in seeking the salvation of immortal souls, by every legitimate agency. May our hearts be filled with genuine love for precious souls, and then we shall be sure to find ways and means of getting at them!
Ever, believe me, dearest A—,
Your deeply affectionate yokefellow,
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Work of Evangelization: Second Letter to a Friend
May, 1869.
Dearest A—,
There is one point, in connection with our subject, winch has much occupied my mind, and that is the immense importance of cultivating an earnest faith in the presence and action of the Holy Ghost. We want to remember, at all times, that we can do nothing, and that God the Holy Ghost can do all. It holds good in the great work of evangelization, as in all beside, that it is, " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The abiding sense of this would keep us humble, and yet full of joyful confidence. Humble, because we can do nothing; full of joyful confidence, because God can do all. Moreover, it would have the effect of keeping us very sober and quiet in our work—not cold and indifferent, but calm and serious, which is a great matter just now. I was much struck with a remark lately made by an aged workman, in a letter to one who had just entered the field. " Excitement," says this writer, "is not power, but weakness. Earnestness and energy are of God."
This is most true and most valuable. But I like the two sentences taken together. If we were to take either apart, I think you and I would prefer the latter; and for this reason: there are many, I fear, who would regard as " excitement" what you and I might really consider to be " earnestness and energy." Now, I do confess, I love a deep-toned earnestness in the work. I do not see how a man can be otherwise than deeply and thoroughly in earnest who realizes, in any measure, the awfulness of eternity, and the state of all those who die in their sins. How is it possible for any one to think of an immortal soul standing on the very brink of hell, and in danger, at any moment, of being dashed over, and not be serious and earnest?
But this is not excitement. What I understand by excitement is the working up of mere nature, and the putting forth of such efforts of nature as are designed to work on the natural feelings—all high pressure—all that is merely sensational. This is all worthless. It is evanescent. And not only so, but it super induces weakness. We never find aught of this in the ministry of our blessed Lord, or His apostles: and yet what earnestness! what untiring energy! what tenderness! We see an earnestness which wore the appearance of being beside oneself; an energy which hardly afforded a moment for rest or refreshment; and a tenderness which could weep over impenitent sinners. All this we see; but no excitement. In a word, all was the fruit of the Eternal Spirit, and all was to the glory of God. Moreover, there was ever that calmness and solemnity which becomes the presence of God, and yet that deep earnestness which proved that man's serious condition was fully realized.
Now, dearest brother, this is precisely what we want, and what we ought diligently to cultivate. It is a signal mercy to be kept from all merely natural excitement; and. at the same time, to be duly impressed with the magnitude and solemnity of the work. Thus the mind will be kept properly balanced, and we shall be preserved from the tendency to be occupied with our work, merely because it is ours. We shall rejoice that Christ is magnified, and souls are saved, whoever be the instrument used.
I have been thinking a good deal lately of that memorable time, now exactly ten years ago, when the Spirit of God wrought so marvelously in the province of Ulster. I think I gathered up some valuable instruction from what then came under my notice. That was a time never to be forgotten by those who were privileged to be eyewitnesses of the magnificent wave of blessing which rolled over the land. But I now refer to it in connection with the subject of the Spirit's action. I have no doubt whatever that the Holy Ghost was grieved and hindered in the year 1859, by man's interference. You remember, dearest Α., how that work began. You remember the little school-house by the roadside, where two or three men met, week after week, to pour out their hearts in prayer to God, that He would be pleased to break in upon the death and darkness which reigned around; and that He would revive His work, and send out His light and His truth in converting power. You know how those prayers were heard and answered. You and I were privileged to move through those soul-stirring scenes in the province of Ulster; and I doubt not the memory of them is fresh with you, as it is with me, this day.
Well, what was the special character of that work, in its earlier stages? Was it not, most manifestly, a work of God's Spirit? Did not He take up and use instruments the most unfit and unfurnished, according to human thinking, for the accomplishment of His gracious purpose? Do we not remember the style and character of the agents who were chiefly used in the conversion of souls? Were they not, for the most part, "unlearned and ignorant men?'' And, further, can we not distinctly recall the fact that there was a most decided setting aside of all human arrangement and official routine? Working men came from the field, the factory, and the workshop, to address crowded audiences; and we have seen hundreds hanging, in breathless interest, upon the lips of men who could not speak five words of good grammar. In short, the mighty tide of spiritual life and power rolled in upon us, and swept away, for the time being, a quantity of human machinery, and ignored all question of man's authority in the things of God and the service of Christ.
Now we can well remember, that just in so far as the Holy Ghost was owned and honored, did the glorious work progress; and, on the other hand, in proportion as man intruded himself, in bustling self-importance, upon the domain of the Eternal Spirit, was the work hindered and quashed. I saw the truth of this illustrated in numberless cases. There was a vigorous effort made to cause the living water to flow in official and denominational channels, and this the Holy Ghost would not sanction. Moreover, there was a strong desire manifested, in many quarters, to make sectarian capital out of the blessed movement; and this the Holy Ghost resented.
Nor was this all. The work and the workmen were lionized in all directions. Cases of conversion which were judged to be " striking" were blazed abroad and paraded in the public prints. Travelers and tourists, from all parts, visited these persons, took notes of their words and ways, and wafted the report of them to the ends of the earth. Many poor creatures, who had up to that time lived in obscurity, unknown and unnoticed, found themselves, all of a sudden, objects of interest to the wealthy, the noble, and the public at large. The pulpit and the press proclaimed their sayings and doings; and, as might be expected, they completely lost their balance. Knaves and hypocrites abounded on all hands. It became a grand point to have some strange and extravagant experience to tell; some remarkable dream or vision to relate. And even where this ill-advised line of action did not issue in producing knavery and hypocrisy, the young converts became heady and high minded, and looked with a measure of contempt upon old established Christians, or those who did not happen to be converted after their peculiar fashion—" stricken," as it was termed.
In addition to this, some very remarkable characters—men of desperate notoriety, who seemed to be converted, were conveyed from place to place, and placarded about the various streets, and crowds gathered to see them and hear them recount their history, which history was very frequently a disgusting detail of immoralities and excesses which ought never to have been named. Several of these remarkable men afterward broke down, and returned with increased ardor, to their former practices.
These things, dearest Α., I witnessed in various places. I believe the Holy Ghost was grieved and hindered, and the work marred thereby. I am thoroughly convinced of this; and hence it is that I think we should earnestly seek to honor the blessed Spirit, to lean upon Him, in all our work; to follow where He leads, not run before Him. His work will stand. " Whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever." " The works that are done upon the earth, he is the doer of them." The remembrance of this will ever keep the mind well balanced. There is great danger of young workmen getting so excited about their work, their preaching, their gifts, as to lose sight of the blessed Master Himself. Moreover, they are apt to make preaching the end instead of the means. This works badly in every way. It injures themselves and it mars their work. The moment I make preaching my end, I am out of the current of the mind of God, whose end is to glorify Christ; and I am out of the current of the heart of Christ, whose end is the salvation of souls, and the full blessing of His Church. But where the Holy Ghost gets His proper place, where He is duly owned and trusted, there all will be right. There will be no exaltation of man; no bustling self-importance; no parading of the fruits of our work; no excitement. All will be calm, quiet, real, and unpretending. There will be the simple, earnest, believing, patient waiting upon God. Self will be in the shade; Christ will be exalted.
I often recall a sentence of yours, dearest A. I remember your once saying to me, " Heaven will be the best and safest place to hear the results of our work." This is a wholesome word for all workmen. I shudder when I see the names of Christ's servants paraded in the public journals, with flattering allusion to their work and its fruits. Surely those who pen such articles ought to reflect upon what they are doing; they should consider that they may be ministering to the very thing which they ought to desire to see mortified and subdued. I am most fully persuaded that the quiet, shady, retired path is the best and safest for the christian workman. It will not make Him less earnest, but the contrary. It will not cramp his energy, but increase and intensify it. God forbid that you or I should pen a line or utter a sentence which might, in the most remote way, tend to discourage or hinder a single worker in all the vineyard of Christ. No, no, dearest Α., this is not the moment for aught of this kind. We want to see the Lord's laborers thoroughly in earnest; but we believe, most assuredly, that true earnestness will ever result from the most absolute dependence upon God the Holy Ghost.
But only see how I have run on! And yet I have not referred to those passages of scripture of which I spoke in my last. Well, dearly beloved in the Lord, I am addressing one who is happily familiar with the Gospels and the Acts, and who therefore knows that the great Workman Himself, and all those who sought to tread in His blessed footsteps, owned and honored the Eternal Spirit as the One by whom all their works were to be wrought.
I must now close, for the present, my much loved brother and fellow-laborer; and I do so with a full heart, commending you, in spirit, and soul, and body, to Him who has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and called us to the honored post of workers in His gospel field. May He bless you and yours, most abundantly, and increase your usefulness a thousand fold!
As ever, and forever,
Your deeply affectionate work-fellow,
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Work of Evangelization: Third Letter to a Friend
June, 1869.
Dearest A—,
There is another point which stands intimately connected with the subject of my last letter, and that is the place the word of God occupies in the work of evangelization. In my letter of last month, as you will remember, I referred to the work of the Holy Ghost, and the immense importance of giving Him His proper place. How clearly the precious word of God as connected with the action of the Holy Spirit, I need not say. Both are inseparably linked in those memorable words of our Lord to Nicodemus—words so little understood—so sadly misapplied: " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3
Now you and I, dearest Α., fully believe that, in the above passage, the word is presented under the figure of " water." Thank God, we are not disposed to give any credit to the ritualistic absurdity of baptismal regeneration. We are, I believe, most thoroughly convinced that no one ever did, ever will, or ever could, get life by water baptism. That all who believe in Christ ought to be baptized, we fully admit; but this is a totally different thing from the fatal error that substitutes an ordinance for the atoning death of Christ, the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost, and the life-giving virtues of the word of God. I shall not waste your time or my own in combating this error; but at once assume that you agree with me in thinking that when our Lord speaks of being " born of water and of the Spirit," He refers to the word and the Holy Ghost.
Thus, then, the word is the grand instrument to be used in the work of evangelization. Many passages of holy scripture establish this point with such clearness and decision, as to leave no room whatever for dispute. In the first chapter of James, verse 18, we read, " Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." Again, in 1 Pet. 1:23, we read, " Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever"—I must quote the whole passage because of its immense importance in connection with our subject—" For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
This last clause is of unspeakable value to the evangelist. It binds him, in the most distinct manner, to the word of God, as the instrument—the only instrument—the all-sufficient instrument, to be used in his glorious work. He is to give the word to the people; and the more simply he gives it the better. The pure water should be allowed to flow from the heart of God to the heart of the sinner, without receiving a tinge from the channel through which it flows. The evangelist is to preach the word; and he is to preach it in simple dependence upon the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the true secret of success in preaching.
But, dearest Α., while I urge this great cardinal point in the work of preaching—and I believe it cannot be too strongly urged—I am very far indeed from thinking that the evangelist should give his hearers a quantity of truth. So far from this, I consider it a very great mistake. He ought to leave this to the teacher, lecturer, or pastor. I often fear that very much of our preaching shoots over the heads of the people, owing to the fact of our seeking rather to unfold truth than to reach souls. We rest satisfied, it may be, with having delivered a very clear and forcible lecture, a very interesting and instructive exposition of scripture, something very valuable for the people of God; but the unconverted hearer has sat unmoved, unreached, unimpressed. There has been nothing for him. The lecturer has been more occupied with Ms lecture than with the sinner—more taken up with his subject than with the soul.
Now I am thoroughly convinced that this is a serious mistake, and one into which we are all—at least I am—very apt to fall. I deplore it deeply, and I earnestly desire to correct it. I question if this very mistake may not be viewed as the true secret of our lack of success. But, dearest Α., I should not, perhaps, say " our lack" but my lack. I do not think—so far as I know aught of your ministry, that you are exactly chargeable with the defect to which I am, just now, referring. Of this, however, you will be the best judge yourself; but of one thing I am certain, namely, that the most successful evangelist is the one who keeps his eye fixed on the sinner, who has his heart bent on the salvation of souls, yea, the one with whom the love for precious souls amounts almost to a passion. It is not the man who unfolds the most truth, but the man who longs most after souls, that will have the most seals to his ministry.
I assert all this, mark you, in the full and clear recognition of the fact with which I commenced this letter, namely, that the word is the grand instrument in the work of conversion. This fact must never be lost sight of, never weakened. It matters not what agency may be used to make the furrow, or in what form the word may clothe itself, or by what vehicle it may be conveyed; it is only by " the word of truth" that souls are begotten.
All this is divinely true, and we would ever bear it in mind. But do we not often find that persons who undertake to preach the gospel—particularly if they continue long in one place—are very apt to leave the domain of the evangelist—most blessed domain!—and travel into that of the teacher and lecturer? This is what I deprecate and deeply deplore. I know I have erred in this way myself, and I mourn over the error. I do believe, dearest A.—I write in all loving freedom to you—the Lord has, of late, deepened immensely in my soul the sense of the vast importance of earnest gospel preaching. I do not—God forbid I should—think the less of the work of the teacher or pastor. I believe that wherever there is a heart that loves Christ, it will delight to feed—tend the precious lambs and sheep of the flock of Christ, that flock which he purchased with His own blood.
But the sheep must be gathered before they can be fed; and how are they to be gathered but by the earnest preaching of the gospel? It is the grand business of the evangelist to go forth upon the dark mountains of sins and error, to sound the gospel trumpet and gather the sheep; and I feel convinced that he will best accomplish this work! not by elaborate exposition of truth—not by lectures however clear, valuable, and instructive—not by lovely unfoldings of prophetic, dispensational, or doctrinal truth—most precious and important in the right place; but by fervid, pointed, earnest dealing with immortal souls—the warning voice—the solemn appeal—the faithful reasoning of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come—the awakening presentation of death and judgment—the dread realities of eternity, the lake of fire, and the worm that never dies.
In short, beloved, it strikes me we want awakening preachers. I fully admit that there is such a thing as teaching the gospel, as well as preaching it. For example, I find Paul teaching the gospel in Rom. 1—viii.; just as I find him preaching the gospel in Acts 13 or xvii. This is of the very last importance, at all times, inasmuch as there are almost sure to be a number of what we call " exercised souls" at our public preachings, and these need an emancipating gospel—the full, clear, elevated, resurrection gospel.
But admitting all this, I still believe that what is needed for successful evangelization is, not so much a great quantity of truth, as an intense love for souls. Look at that eminent evangelist George Whitfield. What think you was the secret of his success? No doubt, you have looked into his printed sermons. Have you found any great breadth of truth in them? I question it. Indeed I must say I have been struck with the contrary. But oh! dearest Α., there was that hi Whitfield which you and I may well covet and long to cultivate. There was a burning love for souls—a thirst for their salvation—a mighty grappling with the conscience—a bold, earnest, face-to-face dealing with men about their past ways, their present state, their future destiny. These were the things that God owned and blessed; and He will own and bless them still. I am persuaded—I write as under the very eye of God—that if our hearts are bent upon the salvation of souls, God will use us in that divine and glorious work. But, on the other hand, if we abandon ourselves to the withering influences of a cold, heartless, godless fatalism—if we content ourselves with a formal and official statement of the gospel—a very cheerless sort of thing—if, to use a vulgar phrase, our preaching is on the principle of " take it or leave it," need we wonder if we do not see conversions? The wonder would be if there were any to see.
No, no; I believe we want to look seriously into this great practical subject. It demands the solemn and dispassionate consideration of all who are engaged in the work. There are dangers on all sides. There are conflicting opinions on all sides. But I cannot conceive how any christian man can be satisfied to shirk the responsibility of looking after souls. A man may say, " I am not an evangelist; that is not my line; I am more of a teacher, or a pastor." Well, I understand this; but will any one tell me that a teacher or pastor may not go forth, in earnest longing, after souls? I cannot admit it for a moment. Nay more; it does not matter, in the least, what a man's gift is, or even though he should not possess any prominent gift at all, he can and ought, nevertheless, to cultivate a longing desire for the salvation of souls. Would it be right to pass a house on fire, without giving warning, even though one were not a member of the Fire Brigade? Should we not seek to save a drowning man, even though we could not command the use of a patent lifeboat? Who in his senses would maintain aught so monstrous? So, in reference to souls, it is not so much gift or knowledge of truth that is needed, as a deep and earnest longing for souls—a keen sense of their danger, and a desire for their rescue.
Ever, dearest Α.,
Your deeply affectionate yoke-fellow,
Work of Evangelization: Fourth Letter to a Friend
July, 1869.
Dearest A—,
When I took up my pen to address you, in the month of April last, I had no idea that I should have occasion to extend the series to a fourth letter. However, the subject is one of intense interest to me; and there are just two 01· three points further on which I desire very briefly to touch in this my closing letter.
And, in the first place, I deeply feel our lack of a prayerful spirit in carrying on the work of evangelization. I have referred to the subject of the Spirit's work; and also to the place which God's word ought ever to get; but it strikes me we are very deficient in reference to the matter of earnest, persevering, believing prayer. This is the true secret of power. " We," says the apostle, " will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
Here is the order: " Prayer and the ministry of the word." Prayer brings in the power of God, and this is what we want. It is not the power of eloquence, but the power of God, and this can only be had by waiting upon Him. " He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Isa. 40:29-31.
It seems to me, dearest Α., that we are far too mechanical, if I may so express myself, in the work. There is too much of what I may call going through a service. I greatly fear that some of us are more on our legs than on our knees: more in the railway carriage than hi the closet; more on the road than in the sanctuary; more before men than before God. This will never do. It is impossible that our preaching can be marked by power and crowned with results, if we fail in waiting upon God. Look at the blessed Master Himself—that great Workman. See how often He was found in prayer. At His baptism; at His transfiguration; previous to the appointment and mission of the twelve. In short, again and again, we find that blessed One in the attitude of prayer. At one time, He rises up a great while before day, in order to give Himself to prayer. At another time He spends the entire night hi prayer, because the day was given up to work.
What an example for us! May we follow it! May we know a little better what it is to agonize in prayer. How little we know of this! I speak for myself. It sometimes appears to me as if we were so much taken up with preaching engagements that we have no time for prayer—no time for closet work—no time to be alone with God. We get into a sort of whirl of public work, we rush from place to place, from meeting to meeting, in a prayerless, barren condition of soul. Need we wonder at the little result? How could it be otherwise when we so fail in waiting upon God? We cannot convert souls. God alone can do this; and if we go on without waiting on Him, if we allow public preaching to displace private prayer, we may rest assured our preaching will prove barren and worthless. We really must " give ourselves to prayer" if we would succeed in the " ministry of the word."
Nor is this all. It is not merely that we are lacking in the holy and blessed practice of private prayer. This is alas! too true, as I have said. But there is more than this. We fail hi our public meetings for prayer. The great work of evangelization is not sufficiently remembered at our prayer meetings. It is not definitely, earnestly, and constantly kept before God in our public reunions. It may occasionally be introduced in a cursory, formal manner, and then dismissed. Indeed I feel there is a great lack of earnestness and perseverance in our prayer meetings generally, not merely as to the work of the gospel, hut as to other things as well. There is frequently great formality and feebleness. We do not seem like men in earnest. We lack the spirit of the widow in Luke 18, who overcame the unjust judge by the hare force of her importunity. We seem to forget that God will be inquired of; and that lie is a re warder of them that diligently seek Him.
It is of no use for any one to say, " God can work without our earnest pleading; He will accomplish His purposes; He will gather out His own." We know all this; but we know also that He who has appointed the end has appointed the means; and if we fail in waiting on Him, He will get others to do His work. The work will he done, no doubt, but we shall lose the dignity, the privilege, and the reward of working. Is tins nothing? Is it nothing to be deprived of the sweet privilege of being co-workers with God, of having fellowship with Him in the blessed work which He is carrying on? Alas! alas! that we prize it so little. Still we do prize it; and perhaps there are few things in which we can more fully taste this privilege than in united earnest prayer. Here every saint can join. Here all can add their cordial Amen. All may not be preachers; but all can pray—all join in prayer—all can have fellowship.
And do you not find, beloved brother, that there is always a stream of deep and real blessing where the assembly is drawn out in earnest prayer for the gospel, and for the salvation of souls? I have invariably seen it, and hence it is always a source of unspeakable comfort, joy, and encouragement to my heart when I see the assembly stirred up to pray, for then I am sure God is going to give copious showers of blessing.
Moreover, when this is the case—when this most excellent spirit pervades the whole assembly, you may be sure there will be no trouble as to what is called " The responsibility of the preaching." It will be all the same who does the work, provided it is done as well as it can be. If the assembly is waiting upon God, in earnest intercession, for the progress of the work, it will not be a question as to the one who is to take the preaching, provided Christ is preached and souls are blessed.
Then, dearest Α., there is another thing which has, of late, occupied my mind a good deal, and that is our method of dealing with young converts. Most surely there is immense need of care and caution, lest we be found accrediting what is not the genuine work of God's Spirit at all. There is very great danger here. The enemy is ever seeking to introduce spurious materials into the assembly, in order that he may mar the testimony and bring discredit upon the truth of God.
All this is most true, and demands our serious consideration. But does it not seem to you, beloved, that we often err on the other side? Do we not often, by a stiff and peculiar style, cast a chill upon young converts? Is there not frequently something repulsive in our spirit and deportment? We expect young Christians to come up to a standard of intelligence which has taken us years to attain. Nor this only. We sometimes put them through a process of examination which only tends to harass and perplex.
Now, assuredly, this is not right. The Spirit of God would never puzzle, perplex, or repulse a dear anxious enquirer—never—no never. It could never be according to the mind or heart of Christ to chill the spirit of the very feeblest lamb in all His blood-bought flock. He would have us seeking to lead them on gently and tenderly—to soothe, nourish, and cherish them, according to all the deep love of His heart. It is a great thing to lay ourselves out, and hold ourselves open to discern and appreciate the work of God in souls, and not to mar it by placing our own miserable crotchets as stumbling-blocks in their pathway. We need divine guidance and help in this as much as in any other department of our work. But, blessed be God, He is sufficient for this as for all beside. Let us only wait on Him—let us cling to Him, and draw upon His exhaustless treasury for each case as it arises—for exigence of every hour. He will never fail a trusting, expectant, dependent heart.
I must now close this series of letters. I think I have touched most, if not all, of the points which I had in my mind. You will, I trust, bear in mind, beloved hi the Lord, that I have, in all these letters, simply jotted down my thoughts in the utmost possible freedom, and hi all the intimacy of true brotherly friendship. I have not been writing a formal treatise, but pouring out my heart to a beloved friend and yoke-fellow. This must be borne in mind by all who may read these letters.
May God bless you and keep you, dearest A.! May He crown your labors with His richest and best blessings! May He keep you from every evil work, and preserve you unto His own everlasting kingdom!
Ever, believe me,
My dearest A.,
Your deeply affectionate
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" Quick and powerful is the word,
' Sharper than a two-edged sword;'
Wielded by the Spirit's hand,
Nothing can its force withstand.
How its power was felt of old,
They who felt its power have told;
Many were the wonders wrought,
Multitudes to Jesus brought.
Mighty God! whose word it is
Hear our prayer and grant us this -
What thy power has done before,
By thy Spirit do once more."
Work of Evangelization: Fifth Letter to a Friend
October, 1869.
Dearest A—-,
It seems as though I must, once more, take up my pen to address you on certain matters, connected with the work of evangelization, which have forced themselves upon my attention for some time past. There are three distinct branches of the work which I long to see occupying a far more definite and prominent place amongst us; and these are the Tract depot; the Gospel preaching; and the Sunday School.
It strikes me that the Lord is awakening attention to the importance of the Tract depot as a valuable agency in the great work of evangelization; but I question if we, on this side of the Atlantic, are as thoroughly in earnest on the subject as our Mends in America and Australia. How is this? Have books and tracts lost their interest and value in our eyes? Have they become a mere drug amongst us? Or does the fault he in the mode of conducting our Tract depots? To my mind there seems to be something lacking in reference to this matter and it is high time we should inquire what that something is. I would fain see a well-conducted depot in every important town in the three kingdoms; and by a well conducted depot I mean one taken up and carried on as a direct service to the Lord; in true love for souls; deep interest in the spread of the truth; and, at the same time, in a sound business way. I have known several depots fall to the ground through lack of business habits on the part of the conductors. They seemed very earnest, sincere persons, but quite unfit to conduct a business. In short, they were persons in whose hands any business would have fallen through. For example, I have visited some places in which the Tract depot was managed or rather mismanaged by invalids. In one place, I found the service in the hands of a poor old bedridden woman. She was a most dear person, and it was quite delightful to spend an hour by her bedside; but how could she possibly manage a depot? I believe she had been confined to her bed for three years. One might pass her door for years and never know that there was such a thing as a tract or a book to be had. There was no shop, no sort of advertisement, no exposure of the tracts in the window.
Nor is this a solitary instance; were it so, I should pass it over in silence. In many places there is the most deplorable failure as to the valuable and interesting work of conducting the depot. You may go to a large town and inquire for the place where tracts arc to be had, and you will be directed to some obscure street, and a still more obscure room, where, in the midst of dust and confusion, a few ill-assorted and ill-kept tracts may be seen huddled together in a manner which I must call utterly disgraceful.
Now, I should like to know who can be expected to purchase tracts under such circumstances? Most assuredly the generality of people will not do so. Some few may be found with sufficient interest and energy to surmount all sorts of difficulties, and ferret out the tracts wherever they may be found. But then the people whom we really want to reach are just those who have not this interest and energy. And how can we best reach them? I believe by having the books and tracts exposed for sale in a shop window so that people may see them as they pass, and step in and purchase what they want. Many a soul has been laid hold of in this way. Many, I doubt not, have been saved and blessed by means of tracts seen, for the first time, in a shop window or arranged on a counter. "Would such persons have sought out the obscure room above referred to? Would they have knocked at the door of that poor old bed-ridden woman to ask for tracts? The idea is perfectly absurd.
Hence, therefore, it is plain, to every well-adjusted mind, that there is a real want of a tract shop, in every large town, conducted by some one of intelligence and sound business habits, who would be able to speak to persons about the tracts and to recommend such as might prove helpful to anxious enquirers after truth. In this way, I feel persuaded, much good might be done. The Christians in the town would know where to go for tracts, not only for then own personal reading, but also for general distribution. Surely if a thing is worth doing at all it is worth doing well; and if the Tract depot be not worth attending to, we know not what is.
But it will, perhaps, be said in reply, " The sale of tracts would not yield a living to any one. The demand is so small in country towns that it would never be worth any one's while to embark in the business, unless indeed in London, Glasgow, Manchester, or some very large city or town. And even in those towns, unless a man can combine the printing and publishing business with the sale of books and tracts, it would never pay."
Now, I fully admit that a man must live and he must support his family. But, at the same time, the Tract depot must be taken up in direct service to Christ; and I feel assured that where it is so taken up, and so carried on in energy, zeal, and integrity, God will supply, in His own liberal way, all His servant's need. But, on the other hand, where the work of selling and circulating tracts is less than secondary—where you find the tracts thrust into a corner, shut up in a drawer, or hidden under the counter—where other branches of trade are sedulously cultivated, but the tracts barely tolerated! need we wonder if the sale of tracts fads to remunerate? God says, " Them that honor me I will honor." But is it honoring Him when His business is flung into the shade, and our own business placed in the foreground? Clearly not. And does not this objection on the score of remuneration savor of those to whom Malachi addresses his burning words, who would "not open a door or kindle a fire for naught?" Is there no one who will take up this valuable work for Christ's sake and not for the sake of remuneration? Is there no one who will enter upon it in simple faith, looking to the living God?
Here lies the root of the matter, dearest A -. We want men for this branch of the work, as for every other branch, who, like Gideon's three hundred, are prepared to trust God and to deny themselves. It seems to me that a grand point would be gamed if the business of the Tract depot were placed on its proper footing, and viewed as an integral part of the evangelistic work, to be taken up on the principle of individual responsibility, and carried on in the energy of personal faith in the living God. I question if this is seen with sufficient clearness. Every branch of gospel work—the Depot, the Preaching, the Sunday School, must be carried on in this way. It is all well and most valuable to have fellowship—full cordial fellowship, in all our service: but if we wait for fellowship and co-operation in the starting of work which comes within the range of personal responsibility, we shall find ourselves very much behind.
I shall have occasion to refer, more particularly, to this point, when I come to treat of the Preaching and the Sunday School. All I want now, is to establish the fact that the Tract depot is a branch, and a most important and efficient branch, of evangelistic work. If this be thoroughly grasped by our friends, a great point is gained. I must confess to you, dearest A -, that my moral sense has often been grievously offended by the cold commercial style in which the publishing and sale of books and tracts are spoken of—a style quite befitting the drapery or hosiery hue; but most offensive when adopted in reference to the precious work of God. I admit m the fullest way—nay, I actually contend for it—that the proper management of the depot demands good sound business habits, and upright business principles. But, at the same time, I am persuaded that the tract shop mil never occupy its true ground—never realize the true idea, never reach the desired end—until it is firmly fixed on its holy basis and viewed as an integral part of that most glorious work to which we are called—even the work of active, earnest, persevering evangelization. And this work must be taken up wholly on the ground of personal responsibility to Christ and in the energy of personal faith in the living God. It will not do for an assembly of Christians, or some wealthy individual, to take up an inefficient protégé, and commit to such an one the management of the affair in order to afford a means of living. It is most blessed for all to have fellowship in the work; but I am thoroughly convinced that the work must be taken up in simple faith. It must be viewed as direct service to Christ, to be carried on in love for souls, and in real interest in the spread of truth; and where such is the case, we may rest assured, God will take care of His dear servants.
I hope to address you again on the other two branches of my theme.
Meanwhile, allow me to subscribe myself, dearest A -,
Your deeply affectionate yokefellow,
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Work of Evangelization: Sixth Letter to a Friend
November, 1869.
Dearest A-,I have, in some of the earlier letters of this series, dwelt upon the unspeakable importance of keeping up, with zeal and constancy, a faithful preaching of the gospel—a distinct work of evangelization, carried on hi the energy of love to precious souls, and with direct reference to the glory of Christ—a work bearing entirely upon the unconverted, and therefore quite distinct from the work of teaching, lecturing, or exhorting, hi the bosom of the assembly, which latter is, I need not say, of equal importance in the mind of our Lord Christ.
My object in referring again to this subject is to call your attention to a point in connection with it respecting which, it seems to me, there is a great want of clearness amongst some of our friends. I question if we are, as a rule, thoroughly clear as to the question of individual responsibility in the work of the gospel. I admit, of course, that the teacher or lecturer is called to exercise his gift, to a very great extent, on the same principle, as the evangelist, that is, on his own personal responsibility to Christ; and that the assembly is in no wise identified with, or responsible for, his individual services, unless indeed he teach unsound doctrine, in which case the assembly is bound to take it up.
But my business is with the work of the evangelist; and I maintain that he is to carry on his work entirely outside of the assembly. His sphere of action is the wide, wide world. " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Here is the sphere and here the object of the evangelist—"All the world"—"Every creature." He may go forth from the bosom of the assembly, and return thither again laden with his golden sheaves; nevertheless, he goes forth in the energy of personal faith in the living God, and on the ground of personal responsibility to Christ, nor is the assembly identified with, or responsible for, the peculiar mode in which he may carry on his work. No doubt, the assembly is called into action when the evangelist introduces the fruit of his work in the shape of souls professing to be converted, and desiring to be received into fellowship at the Lord's table. But this is another thing altogether, and must be kept distinct. The evangelist must be left free: this is what I contend for. He must not be tied down to certain rules or regulations, or cramped by special conventionalities. There are many things which a large-hearted evangelist will feel perfectly free to do which might not commend themselves to the spiritual judgment and feelings of some in the assembly; but provided he does not traverse any vital or fundamental principle, such persons have no right to interfere with him.
And be it remembered, dearest A -, that when I use the expression, " spiritual judgment and feelings," I am taking the very highest possible view of the case, and treating the objector with the highest respect. I feel this is but right and proper. Every true man has a right to have his feelings and judgment—not to speak of conscience—treated with all due respect. There are, alas! everywhere, men of narrow mind, who object to everything that does not square with their own notions—men who would fain tie the evangelist down to the exact line of things and mode of acting which, according to their thinking, would suit the assembly of God's people when gathered for worship at the table of the Lord.
All this is a thorough mistake. The evangelist must not listen to it or be influenced by it. He should pursue the even tenor of his way, regardless of all such narrowness and meddling. He may feel perfectly free to adopt a style of speaking and a mode of working which would be entirely out of place in the assembly. Take, for example, the matter of singing hymns. The evangelist may feel perfectly free to use a class of hymns or gospel songs which would be wholly unsuitable for the assembly. The fact is, he sings the gospel for the same object that he preaches it, namely, to reach the sinner's heart. He is just as ready to sing "come" as to preach it.
But, it will be said, " Is there not a danger of leading people into a false position by calling upon them to sing hymns?" No doubt; there is danger in this as in everything else. But then the intelligent evangelist does not call upon the unconverted to sing—nay, on the contrary, he warns them against it; and very often it happens that solid work is done by God's Spirit in the conscience, in connection with these words of warning uttered during the singing; for—blessed be His Name!—the Eternal Spirit is wider in His range than we are; His thoughts are not as ours, nor His ways either.
Such, dearest A -, is the judgment which I have had on this subject for many years, though I am not quite sure if it will fully commend itself to your spiritual mind. It strikes me we are in danger of slipping into Christendom's false notion of " establishing a cause," and " organizing a body." Hence it is that the four walls in the which the assembly meets are regarded by many as " a chapel," and the evangelist who happens to preach there is looked upon as " the minister of the chapel."
All this has to be carefully guarded against; but my object in referring to it now is to clear up the point with respect to the gospel preaching. The true evangelist is not the minister of any chapel—or the organ of any congregation—or the representative of any body—or the paid agent of any society. No; he is the ambassador of Christ—the messenger of a God of love—the herald of glad tidings. His heart is filled with love to souls—his lips anointed by the Holy Ghost—his words clothed with heavenly power. Let Him alone! Fetter him not by your rules and regulations! Leave Him to his work and to his Master! And further, bear in mind that the Church of God can afford a platform broad enough for all sorts of workmen and every possible style of work, provided only that foundation truth be not touched. It is a fatal mistake to seek to reduce every one and everything to a dead level. Christianity is a living, a divine reality. Christ's servants are sent by Him, and to Him they are responsible. " Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth." Rom. 14
We may depend upon it, dearest A -, these things demand our serious consideration, if we do not want to have the blessed work of evangelization marred in our hands.
I have just one other point that I would refer to before closing my letter, as it has been rather a vexed question in certain places—I allude to what has been termed " the responsibility of the preaching." How many of our friends have been and are harassed about tins question. And why? I am persuaded that it is from not understanding the true nature, character, and sphere of the work of evangelization. Hence we have had some persons contending for it that the Sunday evening preaching should be left open. " Open to what?" That is the question. In too many cases it has proved to be "open" to a character of speaking altogether unsuited to many who had come there, or who had been brought by friends, expecting to hear a full, clear, earnest gospel. On such occasions, our friends have been disappointed, and the unconverted perfectly unable to understand the meaning of the service. Surely such things ought not to be; nor would they be if men would only discern the simplest thing possible, namely, the distinction between all meetings in which Christ's servants exercise their ministry on their own personal responsibility, and all meetings which are purely reunions of the assembly, whether for the Lord's supper, for prayer, or for any other purpose whatsoever.
Your deeply affectionate
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Work of Evangelization: Seventh Letter to a Friend
December, 1869.
Dearest A—-,
Through want of space, I was obliged to close my last letter without even touching upon the subject of the Sunday School; and, although it involves my extending this series of letters into another year, I must devote a page or two to a branch of work which has occupied a very large place in my heart for thirty years. I should deem my series incomplete were this subject left untouched.
Some may question how far the Sunday School can be viewed as an integral part of the work of evangelization. I can only say it is mainly in this light I regard it. I look upon it as one great and most interesting branch of gospel work. The superintendent of the Sunday School, and the teacher of the Sunday School class are workers in the wide gospel field, just as distinctly as the evangelist or preacher of the gospel.
I am fully aware that a Sunday School differs materially from an ordinary gospel preaching. It is not convened in the same way, or conducted in the same manner. There is, if I may so express myself, a union of the parent, the teacher, and the evangelist in the person of the Sunday School worker. For the time being, he takes the place of the parent—he seeks to do the duty of a teacher; but he aims at the object of the evangelist—that priceless object, the salvation of the souls of the precious little ones committed to his charge. As to the mode in which he gains his and—as to the details of his work—as to the varied agencies which he may bring to bear, he alone is responsible.
I am aware that exception is taken to the Sunday School on the ground that its tendency is to interfere with parental or domestic training. Now, I must confess, dearest A -, that I cannot see any force whatever in this objection. The true object of the Sunday School is not to supersede parental training, but to help it where it exists, or to supply its lack where it does not exist. There are, as you and I well know, hundreds of thousands of dear children who have no parental training at all. Thousands have no parents, and thousands more have parents who are far worse than none. Look at the multitudes that throng the lanes, alleys, and courtyards of our large cities and towns, who seem hardly a degree above mere animal existence—yea, many of them like little incarnate demons. Look at the myriads who pour forth from our mills and factories, sent thither before they know their alphabet, that they may earn money for their parents, who, alas! too often spend their children's earnings as well as their own in the gin shop.
"Who can think upon all these precious souls without wishing a hearty God speed to all true Sunday School workers, and earnestly longing for more thorough earnestness and energy in that most blessed work?
I say, "true Sunday School workers," because I fear that many engage in the work who are not true, not real, not fit. Many, I fear, take it up as a little bit of fashionable religious work suited to the younger members of religious communities. Many, too, view it as a kind of set off to a week of self-indulgence, folly, and worldliness. All such persons are an actual hindrance rather than a help to the sacred service.
Then again, there are many who sincerely love Christ, and long to serve Him in the Sunday School, but who are not really fitted for the work. They are deficient in tact, energy, order, and rule. They lack that power to adapt themselves to the children, and to engage their young hearts, which is so essential to the Sunday School worker. It is a great mistake to suppose that every one who stands idle in the market place is fit to turn into this particular branch of christian labor. On the contrary, it needs a person thoroughly fitted of God for it; and if it be asked, " How are we ever to be supplied with suited agents for this branch of evangelistic service?" I reply, Just in the same way as you are to be supplied in any other department—by earnest, persevering, believing prayer. I am most thoroughly persuaded that if Christians were more stirred up by God's Spirit, to feel the importance of the Sunday School—if they could only seize the idea that it is, like the tract depot and the preaching, part and parcel of that most glorious work to which we are called, in these closing days of Christendom's history—if they were more permeated by the idea of the evangelistic nature and object of Sunday School work, they would be more instant and earnest in prayer, both in the closet and in the public assembly, that the Lord would raise up in our midst a band of earnest, devoted, whole-hearted, Sunday School workers.
This is the lack, dearest A -, and may God, in His abounding mercy, supply it! He is able, and surely He is willing. But then He will be waited on, and inquired of; and "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." I think we have much cause for thankfulness and praise for what has been done in the way of Sunday Schools, during the last few years. I well remember the time when many of our friends seemed to overlook this' branch of work altogether. Even now, many treat it with indifference, thus weakening the hands and discouraging the hearts of those engaged in it.
But I shall not dwell upon this, inasmuch as my theme is the Sunday School, and not those who neglect or oppose it. I bless God for what I see in the way of encouragement. I have often been exceedingly refreshed and delighted by seeing some of our very oldest friends rising from the table of their Lord, and proceeding to arrange the benches on which the dear little ones were soon to be ranged to hear the sweet story of a Savior's love. And what could be more lovely, more touching, or more morally suited, than for those who had just been remembering the Savior's dying love to seek, even by the arrangement of the benches, to carry out His living words, " Suffer the little children to come unto me?"
There is very much I should like to add as to the mode of working the Sunday School; but perhaps it is just as well that each worker should be wholly cast upon the living God for counsel and help as to details. We must ever remember that the Sunday School, like the tract depot, and the preaching, is entirely a work of individual responsibility. This is a grand point, and where it is fully understood, and where there is real earnestness of heart, and singleness of eye, I believe there will be no great difficulty as to the particular mode of working. A large heart, and a fixed purpose to carry on the great work, and fulfill the glorious mission committed to us, will effectually deliver us from the withering influence of crotchets and prejudices—those miserable obstructions to all that is lovely and of good report.
May God pour out His blessing on all Sunday Schools, upon the pupils, the teachers, and the superintendents! May He also bless all who are engaged, in any way, in the instruction of the young! May He cheer and refresh their spirits by giving them to reap many golden sheaves in their own special corner of the one great and glorious gospel field!
Ever believe me, dearest A -,
Your deeply affectionate
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