1.B 03. Personal Character of the Preacher

Personal Character of the Preacher. Your work, therefore, as a Christian minister, let me say, as the first point I want to make this after noon, in addition to what I said yesterday, requires that you should, first of all, see to the elevation of character of the man that preaches. He it is who ought to blossom. You cannot become a good minister simply by being expert in theology. You cannot without it, either; theology must be practically or technically learned. But you cannot be a true preacher with this equipment alone. A dictionary is not literature, though there is no literature without the contents of the dictionary in it.

You have got yourself to bring up to the ideal of the New Testament. A part of your preparation for the Christian ministry consists in such a ripening of your disposition that you yourselves shall be exemplars of what you preach. And by an exemplar I do not mean simply that you must be a man who does not cheat his neighbour, or who unites in him self all the scrupulosities of the neighbourhood; but a minister ought to be entirely, inside and out, a pattern man; not a pattern man in abstention, but a man of grace, generosity, magnanimity, peaceableness, sweetness, though of high spirit and self-defensory power when required; a man who is broad, and wide, and full of precious contents. You must come up to a much higher level than common manhood if you mean to be a preacher. You are not to be a needle to carry a thin thread, and sew up old rags all your life long. That is not the thing to which you are called. You are called to be men of such nobleness and largeness and gentleness, so Pauline, and so Christlike, that in all your intercourse with the little children, and with the young people of your charge, you shall produce a feeling that they would rather be with the minister than any gentleman in the state always fresh, always various, always intent on the well-being of others, well understanding them and their pleasures and sympathies, promoting enjoyment, promoting instruction, promoting all that is noble in its noblest form and purest Christlikeness that is what it is your business to be.

Now, with that disposition and tendency well established in yourselves, and with sympathy established between yourselves and your parishioners, my young friends, you will never lack for sermons. If your sermons are the reproductions simply of systematic theology, you will lack for them, thank God!

You may have sermons on theology, on technical theology; do not suppose that I am undervaluing them, I am only undervaluing the idolatry of them. By theology I understand simply the philosophy of religion accurate thinking, systematic, articulated thinking; and that I believe in its place. But this I say, that there is no theology in the world that is anything more than an instrument. It is a mere tool to work with, an artillery to fight with. Sermons are mere tools; and the business that you have in hand is not making sermons, or preaching sermons, it is saving men. Let this come up before you so frequently that it shall never be forgotten, that none of these things should gain ascendancy over this prime controlling element of your lives that you are to save men. And the first thing you have to do is to present to them what you want them to be. That is, if you are to preach to them faith, the best definition you can give of faith is to exercise it. If you wish to teach them the nature of sympathy, take them by the hand. Talk with the young men, and let them get acquainted with you; and they will soon find out what sympathy means. If you would explain what true benevolence is, be yourselves before them that which you want them to understand and imitate.

What does the apostle tell us? “Ye are our epistles, known and read of all men,” said Paul; and he could say it, and so could the whole primitive Church, and so can we yet to-day. If it were a good thing to do, I could pick out to-day the examples from my church, and say, “ This is what I mean by zeal tempered with prudence; that is what I mean by the sweet forbearance of love; if you would see what disinterested kindness is, see there; “ and the rest would all say, “ Amen.” That is certainly the law of the pew, and what is the law of the pew ought to be the law of the pulpit.

Christian ministers are to be, not men that pray four times a day, and wear black clothes and white cravats and walk with the consciousness that the whole universe is looking upon them. A minister is a live man. He is a large-hearted man. If any where else he is deficient, he cannot be deficient in heart.

Some one asked me yesterday, What was to be, regarded as a proper call to the ministry? I reply, The possession of those qualities which make a good minister, good sense, good nature, good health, and downright moral earnestness. It is signally true, however, in this matter, “ that many are called, but few are chosen.” We need more manhood and less professionalism. Scholarship is good for little that does not enrich manhood. It is the man that is in you that preaches. When God calls he begins early, and calls through your parents. “ Before thou earnest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Be sure that it is you that is called. It is evident that in many cases some one else was meant when certain persons heard a call. When God calls very loud at the time you are born, standing at the door of life, and says, “ Quarter of a man, come forth! “ that man is not for the ministry. “ Half a man, come forth! “no; that will not do for a preacher. “ Whole man, come! “ that is you. The man must be a man, and a full man, that is going to be a true Christian minister, and especially in those things which are furthest removed from selfishness and the nearest in alliance with true divine love.