The Greatest Fight in the World! 7

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Much work needs to be done by a Christian church within its own bounds, and for the neighborhood, and for the poor and the fallen, and for the heathen world, and so forth; and if it is well attended to, minds, and hearts, and hands, and tongues will be occupied, and amusements anddiversions will not be asked for. Let idleness come in, and that spirit which rules lazy people, and there will arise a desire to be amused. What amusements they are, too! If religion is not a farce with some congregations, at any rate they turn out better to see a farce—than to unite in prayer.

I cannot understand it. The man who is all aglow with love to Jesus—finds little need for amusement. He has no time for trifling. He is in dead earnest to save souls, and establish the truth, and enlarge the kingdom of his Lord. There has always been some pressing claim for the cause of God upon me; and, that settled, there has been another, and another, and another, and the scramble has been to find opportunity to do the work that must be done, and hence I have not had the time for gadding abroad after frivolities. Oh, to get a working church!

The German churches, when our dear friend, Mr. Oncken, was alive, always carried out the rule of asking every member, "What are you going to do for Christ?" and they put the answer down in a book. The one thing that was required of every member—was that he should continue doing something for the Savior. If he ceased to do anything—it was a matter for church discipline, for he was an idle professor, and could not be allowed to remain in the church like a drone in a hive of working bees. He must do or go. Oh, for a vineyard without a barren fig-tree to cumber the ground! At present the most of our sacred warfare is carried on by a small body of intensely living, earnest people, and the rest are either in hospital, or are mere camp followers. We are thankful for that consecrated few; but we pine to see the altar fire consuming all that is professedly laid upon the altar.

Brethren, we want churches also that produce saints; men of mighty faith and prevalent prayer; men of holy living, and of consecrated giving; men filled with the Holy Spirit. We must have these saints as rich clusters, or surely we are not branches of the true vine. I would desire to see in every church a Mary sitting at Jesus' feet, a Martha serving Jesus, a Peter and a John; but the best name for a church is "All Saints." All believers should be saints, and all may be saints. We have no connection with the "Latter-day Saints"—but we love everyday saints. Oh, for more of them! If God shall so help us that the whole company of the faithful shall, each one of them individually, come to the fullness of the stature of a man in Christ Jesus, then we shall see greater things than these. Glorious times will come when believers have glorious characters. "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

We want also churches that know the truth, and are well taught in the things of God. What do some Christian people know? They come and hear, and, in the plenitude of your wisdom, you instruct them; but how little they receive to lay by in store for edification! Brethren, the fault lies partly with us—and partly with themselves. If we taught better—they would learn better. See how little many professors know; not enough to give them discernment between living truth—and deadly error. Old-fashioned believers could give you chapter and verse for what they believed; but how few of such remain! Our venerable grandsires were at home when conversing upon "the covenants." I love men who love the covenant of grace, and base their divinity upon it: the doctrine of the covenants is the key of theology. "Those who feared the Lord spoke often one to another." Malachi 3:16. They used to speak of everlasting life, and all that comes of it. They had a good argument for this belief, and an excellent reason for that other doctrine. And to try to shake them, was a hopeless task—you might as well have hoped to shake the pillars of the universe; for they were steadfast, and could not be carried about with every wind of doctrine. They knew what they knew, and they held fast that which they had learned.

What is to become of our country, with the present deluge of Romanism pouring upon us through the ritualistic party, unless our churches abound in firm believers who can discern between the regeneration of the Holy Spirit and its ceremonial substitute? What is to become of our churches in this day of skepticism, when every fixed truth is pointed at with the finger of doubt, unless our people have the truths of the gospel written in their hearts? Oh, for a church of out-and-out believers, impervious to the soul-destroying doubt which pours upon us in showers!

Yet all this would not reach our ideal. We want a church of a missionary character, which will go forth to gather out a people unto God from all parts of the world. A church is a soul-saving company—or it is nothing. If the salt exercises no preserving influence on that which surrounds it, what is the use of it? Yet some shrink from effort in their immediate neighborhood, because of the poverty and vice of the people. I remember a minister who is now deceased, a very good man he was, too, in many respects; but he utterly amazed me by a reply which he made to a question of mine. I remarked that he had an awful neighborhood around his chapel, and, I said, "Are you able to do much for them?" He answered, "No, I feel almost glad that we keep clear of them; for, you see, if any of them were converted, it would be a fearful burden upon us." I knew him to be the soul of caution and prudence—but this took me aback, and I sought an explanation.

"Well," he said, "we would have to keep them: they are mostly thieves and harlots, and if converted they would have no means of livelihood, and we are a poor people, and could not support them"! He was a devout man, and one with whom it was to one's profit to converse; and yet that was how he had gradually come to look at the case. His people with difficulty sustained the expenses of worship, and thus chill poverty repressed a gracious zeal, and froze the genial current of his soul. There was a great deal of common sense in what he said—but yet it was an awful thing to be able to say it. We want a people who will not forever sing—

"We are a garden walled around,
Chosen and made peculiar ground;
A little spot enclosed by grace,
Out of the world's wild wilderness."

It is good verse for occasional singing—but not when it comes to mean, "We are very few—and we wish to remain." No, no, brethren! we are a little detachment of the King's soldiers detained in a foreign country upon garrison duty; yet we mean not only to hold the fort—but to add territory to our Lord's dominion. We are not to be driven out; but, on the contrary, we are going to drive out the Canaanites; for this land belongs to us, it is given to us of the Lord, and we will subdue it. May we be fired with the spirit of discoverers and conquerors, and never rest while there yet remains a class to be rescued, a region to be evangelized!

We are rowing like lifeboat men upon a stormy sea, and we are hurrying to yonder wreck, where men are perishing. If we may not draw that old wreck to shore, we will at least, by the power of God, rescue the perishing, save life, and bear the redeemed to the shores of salvation! Our mission, like our Lord's, is to gather out the chosen of God from among men, that they may live to the glory of God. Every saved man should be, under God, asavior; and the church is not in a right state until she has reached that conception of herself. The elect church is saved—that she may save; cleansed—that she may cleanse; blessed—that she may bless. All the world is the field, and all the members of the church should work therein for the great Gardener. Waste lands are to be reclaimed, and forests broken up by the plough, until the solitary place begins to blossom as the rose. We must not be content with holding our own—we must invade the territories of the prince of darkness.

My brethren, what is our relation to this church? What is our position in it? We are servants. May we always know our place, and keep it! The highest place in the church—will always come to the man who willingly chooses the lowest; while he who aspires to be great among his brethren—will sink to be least of all. Certain men might have been something, if they had not thought themselves so. A consciously great man is an evidently little one. A lord over God's heritage, is a base usurper. He who in his heart and soul is always ready to serve the very least of the family; who expects to be put upon; and willingly sacrifices reputation and friendship for Christ's sake—he shall fulfill a heaven-sent ministry. We are not sent to be ministered unto—but to minister. Let us sing unto our Well-Beloved:

"There's not a lamb in all your flock,
I would disdain to feed;
There's not a foe before whose face
I'd fear your cause to plead."

We preachers must also be examples to the flock. He who cannot be safely imitated, ought not to be tolerated in a pulpit! Did I hear of a minister who was always disputing for pre-eminence? Or of another who was covetous? Or of a third whose conversation was not always chaste? Or of a fourth who did not rise, as a rule, until eleven o'clock in the morning? I would hope that this last rumor was altogether false. An idle minister—what will become of him? A pastor who neglects his office? Does he expect to go to heaven? I was about to say, "If he does go there at all—may it be soon!" A lazy minister is a creature despised by men, and abhorred by God.

"You pay your minister such a small amount!" I said, to a farmer, "Why, the poor man cannot live on it!" His answer was, "Look here, sir! I will tell you the truth—we give him a good deal more than he earns!" It is a sad pity when that can be said; it is an injury to all those who follow our sacred calling. We are to be examples to our flock in all things. We are to excel: in all diligence, in all gentleness, in all humility, and in all holiness.

When Caesar went on his wars, one thing always helped his soldiers to bear hardships: they knew that Caesar fared as they fared. He marched if they marched, he thirsted if they thirsted, and he was always in the heart of the battle if they were fighting. We must do more than others if we are officers in Christ's army. We must not cry, "Go on"—but, "Come on." Our people may justly expect of us, at the very least, that we should be among the most self-denying, the most laborious, and the most earnest in the church, and much more. We cannot expect to see holy churches—if we who are bound to be their examples, are unsanctified. If there is, in any of our brethren, consecration and sanctification, evident to all men, God has blessed them, and God will bless them more and more. If these be lacking in us, we need not search far to find the cause of our non-success.

I have many things to say to you—but you cannot bear them now, because the time is long and you are weary. I desire, however, if you can gather up your patience and your strength, to dwell for a little upon the most important part of my triple theme. Here allow me to pray for his help, whose name and person I would magnify. Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, and rest upon us now!

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