"Such as I have, give I Thee;" "Christian Assurance;" "Hath Everlasting Life;" 'Builded Together;" "Christians should be more than they seem to be" (Matt. xi. 2-6); "Apprehended that I may apprehend ;" "Christ's Guest-Chambers" (Mark xiv. 14); "Saving Life by Losing lt." Let the speaker bring out the richest themes, so that men will say, "Thou hast kept the good wine until now." A wise use of THE HOMILETIC REVIEW will help one at this point, for many of us can sympathize with Dr. Emmons, who, though a very profound and original thinker, once confessed, "I can chase the game much better than I can start it." Wherever the leader finds his themes, he may handle them so as to present their relations to Him who is the truth. And he will never throw his pearls in the mire if he brings them to the family gathering of the saints, the "elect according to the foreknowl. edge of God the Father." 5. It must be added that, from time to time, the meaning of the sacrament should be explained. The explanation should be clear, simple, intelligible. Young converts are continually coming into the Church, who ask, “What mean ye by this service?" Even mature Christians need to have the significance of the ordinance repeatedly brought to their remembrance. Indeed, what minister of the Gospel, though he has himself explained the ordinance a hundred times, does not delight to hear the old story from other lips? Of course it is not profitable to present all the theories of the eucharist, nor is it desirable so to explain it that there shall seem to be no holy, mysterious, and inexpressible meaning in it beyond what man is capable of putting into words. But is it a recovenanting and a reconsecrating of the disciple? Does it symbolize the death of Christ for our sins? Does it testify our appropriation of the benefits of that death? Is it a type of the union of the disciple with his Lord? Is it a confession of the dependence of the believer for all spiritual life upon Christ? Does it declare and secure the sanctification of the faithful participant, through the spiritual reproduction in him of the death and resurrection of our Lord ? Is it a confession of Christ before men ? Does it "show the Lord's death, till He come," and is it thus a preaching of the Gospel to every creature? Does it express the unity of Christ's followers in one fellowship of love? Is it a means of grace? Then should these meanings be unfolded before the Church. Perhaps some pastors would prefer to do this in a sermon on Sunday. But these truths will bear repetition, and an informal and familiar presentation of them may sometimes be more effective than an elaborate discourse. But whenever and however they may be set forth, let us deeply impress believers with the fact that of all the seasons which they are permitted to spend with one another and with their Lord, one of the sweetest and most precious, one most to be desired and most like heaven, is the hour when they gather to partake of the body broken and the blood shed, in response to the word of their Saviour, "This do in remembrance of Me." PREACHERS EXCHANGING VIEWS. Conference, Not Criticism—Not a Review Section-Not Discussions, but Experiences and Suggestions. Some Suggestions. It is our desire to make this department of our REVIEW one that shall prove eminently helpful to all our read ers. Reaching as it does many thousands of those who are engaged in the active work of the ministry, and among them many who have had great success in the development of the forces at their command, we would have it become a channel of communication between these, that the less experienced may be helped by those of larger experience, and the general work of the Church be rendered more efficient by suggestions born of successes or warnings consequent on failures. With the idea of realizing this end, we venture to suggest the following topics for the consider ation and treatment of our readers: The Pastor and his Relations to the Sunday-School; The Pastor and the Choir Master; Should the Pastor Lead the Prayer-Meeting? Should Youthful Converts be given Public Service, and if so. What? How to Hold Young Men in Church and Sabbath-School; Should the Sunday-school Lesson be Studied at the Prayer-Meeting? Should a Church ever Contract a Debt? Church Fairsare they Desirable or Undesirable? Donation Parties-do they Foster the Selfishness of Church Members? Annual Clearances of Church Obligations; The Free Pew versus the Pew Rental System; How increase the Efficiency of Church Officials? Women Officials in Churches; Should our Churches ever be Closed? The Church-how far a Social Institution? Denominational Clubs are they Helpful or Hurtful? How Render the Second Service more Efficient? Is one Preaching Service Sufficient? Should a Minister be a Mason? Denominational Federation in Missionary Fields and in Sparsely Settled Neighborhoods; Do Mission Chapels Pay? Should Ministers Preach Prohibition? Pulpit Prayers. PASTORS are apt to run in ruts in their pulpit prayers. They need to give earnest thought and special preparation for this part of the service as much as any other. It will not do to say that because we have the promise of the Holy Spirit to indict our prayers, therefore we should not have any particular thought beforehand what we shall pray for. As well might we say that because the Spirit will specially help us when we attempt to preach, therefore we need not think out our sermons before we preach them. The Spirit works and helps in our preparations for the pulpit. He does not favor our running into the loosest commonplace either in sermon or in prayer. He does not bless shiftlessness nor slovenliness. All pastors should make special preparation for their pulpit prayers. Let them pray for power of utterance in the pulpit before going there, and let them prayerfully think of some of the main objects for which they should pray. Don't confine your prayers to your own people. Widen the scope and include various branches of Christian work abroad. Pray for missions, tract societies, temperance societies, educational institutions, and the Christian press. I have frequently read Dr. Joseph Parker's printed prayers to give me freshness and turn me out of customary drifts. Try this. C. H. WETHERBE. My Way! My way is as follows: Early in the week, while I have much time and when my mind is active and keen in thought analysis, I select the text and think out the outline of the future sermon. Then I write this outline, noting carefully the leading thoughts, the lines of argument, and the proof-texts, studying here to show myself "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." I lay this outline aside with other similar outlines, and then in my reading and thinking and observing, when I light upon any. thing that will help me, I interline it where it should properly come. When time and circumstances are favorable, this sermon, which has thus been in gestation for some time, is carefully studied and written out in extenso and preached. O. P. GALLOWAY. PRAIRIE HOME, ILL. The Young Men. In the July number of the REVIEW A. B. H. desires some suggestions on the problem, How to Hold Young Men in our Churches. For myself I would like to see a discussion of this important question in the columns of the REVIEW. Here are some points that have helped me. I. Get acquainted. A great deal depends upon this. No pastor can hold together and influence young men for good unless he makes a point to get acquainted with them; and so well acquainted that he can call them by name. If we would learn to call people by name when we meet them we would sooner find a way to their hearts. II. Recognize them wherever you meet them. If possible, take your place at the church-door after service and shake hands with them, and make them feel you are glad to see them there and have a personal interest in their welfare. Visit them in their places of business or at their homes and invite them to your home. III. Win them to Christ. Let all the above suggestions be means to this end. When you have won them to the Saviour you have gained the victory. The young people whose pastor is an earnest soul-winner will soon crowd the place of worship. IV. Put them to work. Find something for them to do as soon as they are converted and keep them at it. Let them feel that the Church has a place for them. This will win their interest for and loyalty to the Church. Have a young people's society. J. W. MAHOOD. SERGEANT BLUFFS, IA. Ex-Pastors. THERE are many pastors whose experience with ex-pastors living on the same field has been exceedingly unpleasant, and some have declared that they would never settle again where there was such an one. Of course not a few ex-pastors are a real and comforting help to the present pastors. And where this is not the case the fault should not be wholly charged to the ex-pastor, for the active pastor is, in many cases, not a little to blame. Sometimes the latter is jealous of the former, especially if the ex-pastor was his immediate predecessor. The former pastor may have many warm friends, growing out of his late pastorate, and it is natural that these should express their interest and pleasure in him in various ways. But this often tends to occasion the outcropping of jealousy in the present pastor. For this reason an ex-pastor is often placed in a very embarrassing position. He finds himself being charged with trying to "steal the affections" of the people, whereas he may be far from attempting such a thing. There are instances were both pastor and ex-pastor are blamable for the clashing which occurs, and both need great wisdom and much of Christ's spirit in order to get along together in a manner which shall be an honor to both and a blessing to the cause which they profess to love. C. H. WETHERBE. To "Communicate." THE HOMILETIC REVIEW is a great help to the preacher, and through him to the people in the pew. But the writer has in mind the duty of the hearer to make some sort of response, even if it be only an Amen, to the preacher. We know of a church where not one of the officers or leading brethren has for three or four years spoken to the pastor directly a word of commendation of his sermons. This is not because of dissatisfaction, for the pastor knows that he is appreciated. But this knowledge has to come in a roundabout way. Such neglect to say a word now and then to the effect that "I was interested in your discourse this morning," or " Your words helped me," is a matter of habit, or it may be that it arises from fear that praise may do harm. Paul says (Gal. vi. 6): "Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things." Words are "good things" in this world, where we are to help one another. The preacher needs not only the financial aid of his people. but the word that cheers from those to whom he EDITORIAL SECTION LIVING ISSUES FOR PULPIT TREATMENT. Roman Catholicism in America. If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.—John viii. 36. To say that the spirit of Romanism and that of liberty are not and cannot be harmonious or friendly, is to voice a truth that is already too well known to need the repetition. It is a truth emphasized by past history and confirmed by present experience, that the tendency of Romanism is to make men, intellectually and spiritually, slaves. Freedom of choice, whether in the matter of doctrinal interpretation, of intellectual discipline, of political action, or even as to the manner of living, is regarded as inimical to the interests of the system which claims pre-eminently to represent and conserve the glory of God. As a consequence Rome is directly and outspokenly hostile, and logically so, to our American institutions. A free school, a free press, a free ballot, a free conscience, are dangerous to her interests and demand her antagonism. Such a thing as individual right apart from her domination she cannot concede. Her will makes and gives right, as it is law. Devotion to that will is imperative, however it may conflict with other considerations of a personal, a social, a political, or even a moral character. But the love of liberty and the conviction that the right to it is universal are bound to grow in intensity as the advantages of it are seen. Whatever may be the teachings of the system under which men have been educated, if growing experience and observation prove to them that there are errors in it, and that certain of its demands are not consonant with individual interests, its hold upon them will become weaker as the days go by. This has been the case with Romanism in its experience in our own land. So marked has be come the apostasy of those who come to our shores from the Roman Catholic countries of Europe, that a memorial has recently been submitted to the pope urgently demanding his consideration of this condition of things. It represents as among the causes of this defection: 1. The lack of sufficient protection for the emigrants at the time of their departure from home, during their voyage, and on their arrival in America. 2. The inefficiency of priests and parishes of their own for the different nationalities of immigrants. 3. The pecuniary sacrifices, often exorbitant, that are exacted of the faithful. 4. The public schools. 5. The insufficiency of societies, Catholic and national associ ations of mutual aid, protection, etc., for the laboring classes. 6. The want of different representatives of the different nationalities of immigrants in the episcopate. In the table of statistics appended to the memorial it is shown that whereas the Roman Catholic population in our land ought to be in the neighborhood of 26,000,000, it is in fact but little more than 10,000,000, and that the loss aggregates, therefore, in the neighborhood of 16,000,000. Coming from within the Church itself, the statements are certainly suggestive. The latest census adds to the interest excited by these statements of the memorialists by the statistics which have just been made public. It goes to show that with all the complaints of weakness made by officials resident here Rome has still large interests among us-interests large enough to constitute a serious menace to the institutions of which she is the pronounced foe. At the same time it also shows that the friends of these institutions have sufficent strength, if they will but exercise it with wise precaution and unitedly, to guard them for all the future from the dangers that threaten them. The total number of communicants is 6,250,045, who are attached to 10,221 organizations, an average of 611. Of the 10,221 organizations, 1469, or about 14.4 per cent, worship in halls, schoolhouses, or private houses, which, exclusive of private houses, represent a seating capacity of 69,159, while the 8765 edifices owned by the Church have a seating capacity of 3,366,633, making a total of 3,435,792 for the whole Church, which is somewhat more than half the number of communicants. The total value of church property, including edifices, the ground on which they stand, furniture, bells, etc., is $118,381,516. The average value of each edifice is, therefore, about $13,500. The metropolitan see of New York, with its 472,800 communicants, has church property valued at nearly $9,000,000; that of Chicago comes second, with property worth $6,457,064, and that of Boston third, with a total of $6,379,078. Brooklyn comes forth, with a valuation of $5,751,907, and Newark fifth, with $4,297,482. These five sees have more than one fourth of the entire valuation of the Church. In the distribution of communicants the arch-diocese of New York comes From these statistics it will be seen that the great strength of Rome is to be found in our large cities. It is in them her power is especially perceptible. As is indicated by the memorial to which we have referred, she feels the imperative necessity of holding on to the immigrant populations that, in increasing proportion, are massing themselves therein, and her hold upon these will depend largely upon her ability to keep them down to their present level of ignorance. Only thus can she work out the political schemes which her actively inventive genius is ever devising, in every one of which is her own aggrandizement. This, her determined purpose and effort, must be met with an equally determined purpose and effort on the part of the friends of freedom. Let them not be deceived by the confessions of waning influence any more than by the false claims of the Year Books, but remember that the price of liberty-liberty of conscience. |