LECTURE IX

MEANS TO BE USED WITH SINNERS



Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen . -

Isaiah. 43:10.



I the text it is affirmed of the children of God, that they are His 

witnesses. In several preceding Lectures I have been dwelling on the

subject of prayer, or on that department of means for the promotion of a

revival, which is intended to move God to pour out His Spirit. I am now

to commence the other department, dealing with the means to be used for

the conviction and conversion of sinners.



It is true, in general, that persons are affected by the subject of religion in

proportion to their conviction of its truth. Inattention to religion is the

great reason why so little is felt concerning it. No being can look at the

great truths of religion, as truths, and not feel deeply concerning them. The

devil cannot. He believes and trembles. Angels in heaven feel, in view of

these things. God feels! An intellectual conviction of truth is always

accompanied with feeling of some kind.



One grand design of God in leaving Christians in the world after their

conversion is that they may be witnesses for God. It is that they may call

the attention of the thoughtless multitude to the subject, and make them

see the difference in the character and destiny of those who believe the

Gospel and those who reject it. This inattention is the grand difficulty in

the way of promoting religion. And what the Spirit of God does is to

awaken the attention of men to the subject of their sin and the plan of

salvation. Miracles have sometimes been employed to arrest the attention

of sinners, and in this way miracles may become instrumental in

conversion - although conversion is not itself a miracle, nor do miracles

themselves ever convert anybody. They may be the means of awakening.



Miracles are not always effectual even in that. And if continued or made

common, they would soon lose their power. What is wanted in the world

is something that can be a sort of omnipresent miracle, able not only to

arrest attention but to fix it, and keep the mind in warm contact with the

truth, till it yields.



Hence we see why God has scattered His children everywhere, in families

and among the nations. He never would suffer them to be altogether in one

place, however agreeable it might be to their feelings. He wishes them

scattered. When the Church at Jerusalem herded together, neglecting to go

forth as Christ had commanded, to spread the Gospel all over the world,

God let loose a persecution upon them and scattered them abroad, and

then they "went everywhere preaching the Word" (Acts 8:4).



In examining the text, I purpose to inquire:



I. On what particular points Christians are to testify for God.



II. The manner in which they are to testify.



I. ON WHAT POINTS ARE CHRISTIANS TO TESTIFY?



Generally, they are to testify to the truth of the Bible. They are

competent witnesses to this, for they have experience of its truth. The

experimental Christian has no more need of external evidence to prove the

truth of the Bible to his mind, than he has to prove his own existence. The

whole plan of salvation is so fully spread out and settled in his conviction,

that to undertake to reason him out of his belief in the Bible would be a

thing as impracticable as to reason him out of the belief in his own

existence. Men have tried to awaken a doubt of the existence of the

material world, but they cannot succeed. No man can doubt the existence

of the material world. To doubt it is against his own consciousness. You

may use arguments that he cannot answer, and may puzzle and perplex

him, and shut his mouth; he may be no logician or philosopher, and may

not be able to detect your fallacies. But, what he knows, he knows.



So it is in religion. The Christian is conscious that the Bible is true. The

veriest child in religion knows by his experience the truth of the Bible. He

may hear objections from infidels, that he never thought of, and that he

cannot answer, and he may be confounded; but he cannot be driven from

his ground. He will say: "I cannot answer you, but I know the Bible is

true." It is as if a man should look in a mirror, and say: "That is my face."



The question is put to him: "How do you know it is your face?" "Why,"

he replies, "by its looks." So when a Christian sees himself drawn and

pictured forth in the Bible, he sees the likeness to be so exact, that he

knows it is true.



More particularly, Christians are to testify to:



1. The immortality of the soul. This is clearly revealed in the Bible.



2. The vanity and unsatisfying nature of all earthly good.



3. The satisfying nature and glorious sufficiency of religion.



4. The guilt and danger of sinners. On this point they can speak from

experience as well as from the Word of God. They have seen their own

sins, and they understand more of the nature of sin, and the guilt and

danger of sinners.



5. The reality of hell, as a place of eternal punishment for the wicked.



6. The love of Christ for sinners.



7. The necessity of a holy life, if we think of ever getting to heaven.



8. The necessity of self denial, and of living above the world.



9. The necessity of meekness, heavenly mindedness, humility, and

integrity.



10. The necessity of an entire renovation of character and life, for all who

would enter heaven.



These are the subjects on which they are to be witnesses for God. And

they are bound to testify in such a way as to constrain men to believe the

truth.



II. HOW ARE THEY TO TESTIFY?



By precept and example. On every proper occasion by their lips, but

mainly by their lives. Christians have no right to be silent with their lips;

they should "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine"



(2 Timothy 4:2). But their main influence as witnesses is by their example.



They are required to be witnesses in this way, because example teaches

with so much greater force than precept. This is universally known.



"Actions speak louder than words." But where both precept and example

are brought to bear, the greatest amount of influence is brought to bear

upon the mind. As to the manner in which they are to testify; the way in

which they should bear witness to the truth of the points specified; in

general - they should live in their daily walk and conversation, as if they

believed the Bible.



1. As if they believed the soul to be immortal, and as if they believed that

death was not the termination of their existence, but the entrance into an

unchanging state. They ought to live so as to make this impression upon

all around them. It is easy to see that precept without example will do no

good. All the arguments in the world will not convince mankind that you

really believe this, unless you live as if you believe it. Your reasoning may

be unanswerable, but if you do not live accordingly, your practice will

defeat your arguments. They will say you are an ingenious sophist, or an

acute reasoner, and perhaps admit that they cannot answer you; but then

they will say: it is evident that your reasoning is all false, and that you

know it is all false, because your life contradicts your theory. Or they will

say that, if it is true, you do not believe it, at any rate. And so all the

influence of your testimony goes to the other side.



2. Against the vanity and unsatisfying nature of the things of this world.



The failure to testify in this is the great stumbling block in the way of

mankind. Here the testimony of God's children is needed more than

anywhere else. Men are so struck with the objects of sense, and so

constantly occupied with them, that they are very apt to shut out eternity

from their minds. A small object that is held close to the eye, may shut out

the distant ocean. So the things of the world, that are near, appear so

magnified in their minds, that they overlook everything else. One

important design in keeping Christians in the world is, to teach people on

this point, practically. But suppose professors of religion teach the vanity

of earthly things by precept, and contradict it in practice? Suppose the

women are just as fond of dress, and just as particular in observing all the

fashions, and the men as eager to have fine houses and equipages, as the

people of the world; who does not see that it would be quite ridiculous for

them to testify with their lips, that this world is all vanity, and its joys

unsatisfying and empty? People feel the absurdity, and this shuts up the

lips of Christians. They are ashamed to speak to their neighbors, while

they cumber themselves with these gewgaws, because their daily conduct

testifies, to everybody, the very reverse. How it would look for certain

Church members, men or women, to go about among the common people,

and talk to them about the vanity of the world! Who would believe what

they said?



3. To the satisfying nature of religion. Christians are bound to show, by

their conduct, that they are actually satisfied with the enjoyments of

religion, without the pomps and vanities of the world; that the joys of

religion and communion with God keep them above the world. They are to

manifest that this world is not their home. Their profession is, that heaven

is a reality and that they expect to dwell there for ever. But suppose they

contradict this by their conduct, and live in such a way as to prove that

they cannot be happy unless they have a full share of the fashion and

show of the world; and that as for going to heaven, they would much

rather remain on earth than die and go there! What does the world think,

when it sees a professor of religion just as much afraid to die as an infidel?



Such Christians perjure themselves - they swear to a lie, since their

testimony amounts to this, that there is nothing in religion for which a

person can afford to live above the world.



4. Regarding the guilt and danger of sinners. Christians are bound to warn

sinners of their awful condition, and exhort them to flee from the wrath to

come, and lay hold on everlasting life. But who does not know that the

manner of doing this is everything? Sinners are often struck under

conviction by the very manner of doing a thing. There was a man once

very much opposed to a certain preacher. On being asked to specify some

reason, he replied: "I cannot bear to hear him, for he says the word

'HELL' in such a way that it rings in my ears for a long time afterwards."



He was displeased with the very thing that constituted the power of

speaking that word. The manner may be such as to convey an idea directly

opposite to the meaning of the words. A man may tell you that your

house is on fire in such a way as to make directly the opposite impression,

and you will take it for granted that it is not your house that is on fire. The

watchman might cry out: "Fire! fire!" in such a way that everybody would

think he was either drunk or talking in his sleep.



Go to a sinner, and talk with him about his guilt and danger; and if in your

manner you make an impression that does not correspond, you in effect

bear testimony the other way, and tell him he is in no danger. If the sinner

believes at all that he is in danger of hell, it is wholly on other grounds than

your saying so. If you live in such a way as to show that you do not feel

compassion for sinners around you; if you show no tenderness, by your

eyes, your features, your voice; if your manner is not solemn and earnest,

how can they believe you are sincere?



Woman, suppose you tell your unconverted husband, in an easy, laughing

way: "My dear, I believe you are going to hell"; will he believe you? If

your life is gay and trifling, you show that you either do not believe there

is a hell, or that you wish to have him go there, and are trying to keep off

every serious impression from his mind. Have you children that are

unconverted? Suppose you never say anything to them about religion, or

when you talk to them it is in a cold, hard, dry way, conveying the

impression that you have no feeling in the matter; do you suppose they

believe you? They do not see the same coldness in you in regard to other

things. They are in the habit of seeing all the mother in your eye, and in

the tones of your voice, your emphasis, and the like, and feeling the

warmth of a mother's heart as it flows out from your lips on all that

concerns them. If, then, when you talk to them on the subject of religion,

you are cold and trifling, can they suppose that you believe it? If your

deportment holds up before your child this careless, heartless, prayer less

spirit, and then you talk to him about the importance of religion, the child

will go away and laugh, to think you should try to persuade him there is a

hell.



5. To the love of Christ. You are to bear witness to the reality of the love

of Christ, by the regard you show for His precepts, His honor, His

kingdom. You should act as if you believed that He died for the sins of the

whole world, and as if you blamed sinners for rejecting His great salvation.



This is the only legitimate way in which you can impress sinners with the

love of Christ. Christians, instead of this, often live so as to make the

impression on sinners that Christ is so compassionate that they have very

little to fear from Him. I have been amazed to see how a certain class of

professors want ministers to be always preaching about the love of Christ.



If a minister urges Christians to be holy, and to labor for Christ, they call

it "legal" preaching. They say they want to hear the Gospel. Well,

suppose you present the love of Christ. How will they bear testimony in

their lives? How will they show that they believe it? Why, by conformity

to the world they will testify, point-blank, that they do not believe a word

of it, and that they care nothing at all for the love of Christ, only to have it

for a cloak, that they can talk about it, and so cover up their sins. They

have no sympathy with His compassion, and no belief in it as a reality,

and no concern for the feelings of Christ, which fill His mind when He sees

the condition of sinners.



6. To the necessity of holiness in order to enter heaven. It will not do to

depend on talking about this. They must live holy. The idea has so long

prevailed that we "cannot be perfect here," that many professors do not

so much as seriously aim at a sinless life. They cannot honestly say that

they even so much as really meant to live without sin. They drift along

before the tide, in a loose, sinful, unhappy, and abominable manner, at

which, doubtless, the devil laughs, because it is, of all others, the surest

way to hell.



7. To the necessity of self-denial, humility, and heavenly-mindedness.



Christians ought to show, by their own example, what the religious walk is

which is expected of men. That is the most powerful preaching, after all,

and the most likely to have influence on the impenitent, which shows

them the great difference between themselves and Christians. Many

people seem to think they can make men fall in with religion best by

bringing religion down to their standard. As if the nearer you bring religion

to the world, the more likely the world will be to embrace it. Now all this

is as wide as the poles are asunder from the true philosophy about making

Christians. But it is always the policy of carnal professors. And they

think they are displaying wonderful sagacity, and prudence, by taking so

much pains not to scare people at the mighty strictness and holiness of the

Gospel. They argue that if you exhibit religion to mankind as requiring

such a great change in their manner of life, such innovations upon their

habits, such a separation from their old associates, why, you will drive

them all away. This seems plausible at first sight. But it is not true. Let

professors live in this lax and easy way, and sinners say: "Why, I do not

see but I am about right, or at least so near right that it is impossible God

should send me to hell only for the difference between me and these

professors. It is true, they do a little more than I do; they go to the

Communion table, and pray in their families, and a few suchlike little

things, but these details cannot make any such great difference as between

heaven and hell." No, the true way is, to exhibit religion and the world in

strong contrast, or you 34 can never make sinners feel the necessity of a

change. Until the necessity of this fundamental change is embodied and

held forth in strong light, by example, how can you make men believe they

are going to be sent to hell if they are not wholly transformed in heart and

life?



This is not only true in philosophy, but it has been proved by the history

of the world. Now, I was reading a letter from a missionary in the East,

who writes to this effect: that "a missionary must be able to rank with the

English nobility, and so recommend his religion to the respect of the

natives." He must get away up above them, so as to show a superiority,

and thus impress them with respect! Is this the way to convert the world?



You can no more convert the world in this way than by blowing a ram's

horn. What did the Jesuits do? They went about among the people in the

daily practice of self-denial, teaching, and preaching, and praying, and

laboring; mingling with every caste and grade, and bringing down their

instructions to the capacity of every individual. In that way their religion

spread over the vast empire of Japan. I am not saying anything in regard to

the religion they taught. I speak only of their following the true policy of

missions, by showing, by their lives, a wide contrast with a worldly spirit.



If Christians attempt to accommodate religion to the worldliness of men,

they render the salvation of the world impossible. How can you make

people believe that self-denial and separation from the world are

necessary, unless you practice them?



8. Again, they are to testify by meekness, humility, and

heavenly-mindedness. The people of God should always show a temper

like the Son of God, who, when He was reviled, reviled not again. If a

professor of religion is irritable, ready to resent an injury, to fly in a

passion, and to take the same measures as the world does to get redress,

by going to law and the like - how is he to make people believe there is

any reality in a change of heart! He cannot recommend religion while he

has such a spirit.



If you are in the habit of resenting injurious conduct; if you do not bear it

meekly, and put the best construction upon it, you contradict the Gospel.



Some people always show a bad spirit, ever ready to put the worst

construction upon what is done, and to take fire at any little thing. This

shows a great want of that charity which "beareth all things, believeth all

things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7). But if a

man always shows meekness under injuries, it will confound gainsaying.



Nothing makes so solemn an impression upon sinners, and bears down

with such tremendous weight on their consciences, as to see a Christian,

truly Christ-like, bearing affronts and injuries with the meekness of a lamb.



It cuts like a two-edged sword.



I will mention a case to illustrate this. A young man abused a minister to

his face, and reviled him in an unprecedented manner. The minister

possessed his soul in patience, and spoke mildly in reply, telling him the

truth pointedly, but yet in a very kind manner. This only made him the

more angry, and at length he went away in a rage, declaring that he was

"not going to stay and bear this vituperation," as if it were the minister,

instead of himself, that had been scolding. The sinner went away, but with

the arrows of the Almighty in his heart; and in less than half an hour he

followed the minister to his lodgings in intolerable agony, wept, begged

forgiveness, and broke down before God, and yielded up his heart to

Christ. This calm and mild manner was more overwhelming to him than a

thousand arguments. Now, if that minister had been thrown off his guard,

and answered harshly, no doubt he would have ruined the soul of that

young man. How many of you have defeated every future effort you may

make with your impenitent friends or neighbors, in some such way as

this? On some occasion you have shown yourself so irascible that you

have sealed up your own lips, and laid a stumbling block over which that

sinner will stumble into hell. If you have done it in any instance, do not

sleep till you have done all you can to retrieve the mischief.



9. Finally, they are to testify to the necessity for entire honesty in a

Christian. Oh, what a field opens here for remark! It extends to all the

departments of life. Christians need to show the strictest regard to

integrity in every department of business, and in all their intercourse with

their fellow men. If every Christian would pay a scrupulous regard to

honesty, and always be conscientious to do exactly right, it would make a

powerful impression, on the minds of people, of the reality of religious

principle.



A lady was once buying some eggs in a store, and the clerk made a

miscount and gave her one more than the number. She saw it at the time,

but said nothing, and after she got home it troubled her. Feeling that she

had acted wrongly, she went back to the young man and confessed it, and

paid the difference. The impression of her conscientious integrity went to

his heart like a sword. It was a great sin in her in concealing the miscount,

because the temptation was so small; for if she would cheat him out of an

egg, it showed that she would cheat him out of his whole store, if she

could do it without being found out. But her prompt and humble

confession showed an honest conscience.



I am happy to say, there are some men who conduct their business on this

principle of integrity. The wicked hate them for it, railing against them,

and vociferating in barrooms that they will never buy goods of

such-and-such individuals; that such a hypocrite shall never touch a dollar

of their money, and all that; and then they will go right away and buy of

them, because they know they will be honestly dealt with. Suppose that

all Christians could be equally trusted: what would be the consequence?



Christians would run away with the business of the city. The Christians

would soon do the business of the world. The great argument which some

professed Christians urge, that if they do not do business upon the

common principle, of stating one price and taking another, they cannot

compete with men of the world, is all false - false in philosophy, false in

history. Only make it your invariable rule to do right, and do business

upon principle, and you control the market. The ungodly will be obliged to

conform to your standard. It is perfectly in the power of Christians to

regulate the commerce of the world, if they will only themselves maintain

perfect integrity.



Again, if Christians will do the same in politics they will sway the

destinies of nations, without involving themselves at all in the base and

corrupting strife of parties. Only let Christians generally determine to vote

for no man who is not an honest man, and a man of pure morals; only let it

be known that Christians are united in this, whatever may be their

difference in political sentiments, and no man would be put up for election

who was not such a character. In three years it would be talked about in

taverns, and published in newspapers, when any man set up as a candidate

for office: "What a good man he is - how moral - how pious!" and the

like. And any political party would no more set up a known

Sabbath-breaker, or a gambler, or a profane swearer, or a rum-seller, as

their candidate for office, than they would set up the devil himself for

President of the United States. The carnal policy of many professors, who

undertake to correct politics by such means as wicked men employ, and

who are determined to vote with a party, let the candidate be ever so

profligate, is all wrong - wrong in principle, contrary to philosophy and

common sense, and ruinous to the best interests of mankind. The

dishonesty of the Church is cursing the world. I am not going to preach a

political sermon; but I want to show you that if you mean to impress men

favorably to your religion by your lives, you must be honest, strictly

honest, in business, politics, and everything you do. What do you

suppose those ungodly politicians, who know themselves to be playing a

dishonest game in carrying an election, think of your religion, when they

see you uniting with them? They know you are a hypocrite!



REMARKS.



1. It is unreasonable for professors of religion to wonder at the

thoughtlessness of sinners. Everything considered, the carelessness of

sinners is not wonderful. We are affected by testimony, and only by that

testimony which is received by our minds. Sinners are so taken up with

business, pleasure, and the things of the world, that they will not examine

the Bible to find what religion is. Their feelings are excited only on worldly

subjects, because these only are brought into warm contact with their

minds. The things of the world make, therefore, a strong impression. But

there is so little to make an impression on their minds in respect to

eternity, and to bring religion home to them, that they do not feel on the

subject. If they examined the subject, they would feel. But they do not

examine it, nor think upon it, nor care for it. And they never will, unless

God's witnesses rise up and testify. But inasmuch as the great body of

Christians so live, as, by their conduct, to testify on the other side, how

can we expect that sinners will feel rightly upon the subject? Nearly all the

testimony and all the influence that comes to their minds tends to make

them feel the other way. God has left His cause here before the human

race, and left His witnesses to testify in His behalf; and, behold, they turn

round and testify the other way! Is it any wonder that sinners are

careless?



2. We see why it is that preaching does so little good; and how it is that so

many sinners get Gospel-hardened. Sinners that live under the Gospel are

often supposed to be Gospel-hardened; but only let the Church wake up

and act consistently, and they will feel. If the Church were to live one

week as if they believed the Bible, sinners would melt down before them.



Suppose I were a lawyer, and should go into court and spread out my

client's case. The issue is joined; I make my statements, tell what I expect

to prove, and then call my witnesses. The first witness takes his oath, and

then rises up and contradicts me to my face. What good will all my

pleading do? I might address the jury for a month, and be as eloquent as

Cicero; but so long as my witnesses contradict me, all my pleading will do

no good. Just so it is with a minister who is preaching in the midst of a

cold, stupid, and God-dishonoring Church. In vain does he hold up to view

the great truths of religion, when every member of the Church is ready to

witness that he lies. Why, in such a Church, the very manner of the people

in going out of the aisles contradicts the sermon. They press out as

cheerful and as easy, bowing to one another, and whispering together, as if

nothing were the matter. If the devil should come in and see the state of

things, he would think he could not better the business for his interest.



Yet there are ministers who will go on in this way for years, preaching to a

people who, by their lives, contradict every word that is said. And these

ministers think it their duty to do so. Duty! For a minister to preach to a

Church that is undoing all his work, contradicting all his testimony, and

that will not alter! No. Let him shake off the dust from his feet for a

testimony, and go to the heathen, or to new settlements. The man is

wasting his energies, and wearing out his life, and just rocking the cradle

for a sleepy Church, which is testifying to sinners that there is no danger.



Their whole lives are a practical assertion that the Bible is not true. Shall

ministers continue to wear themselves out so? Probably not less than

ninety-nine-hundredths of the preaching in this country is lost, because it

is contradicted by the Church. Not one truth in a hundred, that is

preached, takes effect, because the lives of the professors declare that it is

not so.



3. It is evident that the standard of Christian living must be raised, or the

world will never be converted. If we had, scattered all over the world, a

minister to every five hundred souls, and every child in a Sabbath school,

and every young person in a Bible class, you might have all the machinery

you want; but, if the Church members should contradict the truth by their

lives, no revival would be produced.



They never will have a revival in any place while the whole Church in

effect testifies against the minister. Often it is the case that where there is

the most preaching, there is the least religion, because the Church

contradicts the preaching. I never knew means fail of a revival where

Christians live consistently. One of the first things is to raise the standard

of religion, so as to embody the truth of the Gospel in the sight of all men.



Unless ministers can get their people to wake up, and act as if religion

were true, and back their testimony by their lives, in vain will be the

attempt to promote a revival. 



Many Churches are depending on their minister to do everything. When he

preaches, they will say: "What a great sermon that was! He is an excellent

minister. Such preaching must do good. We shall have a revival soon, no

doubt." And all the while they are contradicting the preaching by their

lives. I tell you, if they are depending on preaching alone to carry on the

work, they must fail. Let an apostle rise from the dead, or an angel come

down from heaven and preach, without the Church to witness for God,

and it would have no effect. The novelty might produce a certain kind of

interest for a time, but as soon as the novelty was gone, the preaching

would have no saving effect, while contradicted by the witnesses.



4. Every Christian makes an impression by his conduct, and witnesses

either for one side or the other. His looks, dress, whole demeanor, make a

constant impression on one side or the other. He cannot help testifying for

or against religion. He is either gathering with Christ, or scattering abroad.



At every step you tread on chords that will vibrate to all eternity. Every

time you move, you touch keys whose sound will reecho all over the hills

and dales of heaven, and through all the dark caverns and vaults of hell.



Every movement of your lives, you are exerting a tremendous influence

that will tell on the immortal interests of souls all around you. Are you

asleep, while all your conduct is exerting such an influence?



Are you going to walk in the street? Take care how you dress. What is

that on your head? What does that gaudy ribbon, and those ornaments

upon your dress, say to every one who meets you? They make the

impression that you wish to be thought pretty. Take care! You might just

as well write on your clothes; "No truth in religion!" They say: "Give me

dress; Give me fashion; Give me flattery, and I am happy!" The world

understands this testimony as you walk the streets. You are living

"epistles, known and read of all men" (2 Corinthians 3:2). If you show

pride, levity, bad temper, it is like tearing open the wounds of the Savior.



How Christ might weep to see professors of religion going about hanging

up His cause to contempt at the corners of streets. Only let the "women

adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety;

not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which

becometh women professing godliness) with good works" (1 Timothy 2:9,

10); only let them act consistently, and their conduct will tell on the world

- heaven will rejoice and hell groan at their influence. But oh! let them

display vanity; try to be pretty; bow down to the goddess of fashion; fill

their ears with ornaments, and their fingers with rings: let them put

feathers in their hats and clasps upon their arms; lace themselves up till

they can hardly breathe; let them put on their "round tires like the moon,"

"walking and mincing as they go" (Isaiah 3:18, 16), and their influence is

reversed: heaven puts on the robes of mourning, and hell may hold a

jubilee!



5. It is easy to see why revivals do not prevail in a great city. How can

they? Just look at God's witnesses, and see what they are testifying to!



They seem to be agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord, and to lie

to the Holy Ghost! They make their vows to God, to consecrate

themselves wholly to Him, then they go bowing down at the shrine of

fashion - and next they wonder why there are no revivals! It would be

more than a miracle to have a revival under such circumstances. How can a

revival prevail here? Do you suppose I have such a vain imagination of my

own ability, as to think I can promote a revival by my preaching, merely,

while you live on as you do? Do you not know that so far as your

influence goes, many of you are right in the way of a revival? Your spirit

and deportment produce an influence on the world against religion. How

shall the world believe religion, when the witnesses are not agreed among

themselves? You contradict yourselves; you contradict one another; you

contradict your minister; and the sum of the whole testimony is, there is

no need of being pious.



Do you believe the things I have been preaching are true, or are they the

ravings of a disturbed mind? If they are true, do you recognize the fact that

they have reference to you? You say, perhaps: "I wish some of the rich

Churches could hear it!" But I am not preaching to them; I am preaching to

you. My responsibility is to you, and my fruits must come from you.



Now, are you contradicting it? What is the testimony on the leaf of the

record that is now sealed for the Judgment, concerning this day? Have you

manifested a sympathy with the Son of God, when His heart is bleeding in

view of the desolations of Zion? Have your children, your clerks, your

servants seen it to be so? Have they seen a solemnity on your

countenance, and tears in your eyes, in view of perishing souls?



Finally, I remark that God and all moral beings have great reason to

complain of this false testimony. There is ground to complain that God's

witnesses turn and testify point-blank against Him. They declare by their

conduct that there is no truth in the Gospel. Heaven might weep and hell

rejoice to see this. Oh, how guilty! Here you are, going to the Judgment,

red all over with blood. Sinners are to meet you there; those who have seen

how you live, many of them already dead, and many others whom you

will never see again upon earth. What an influence you have exerted!



Perhaps hundreds of souls will meet you in the Judgment Day and curse

you (if they are allowed to speak) for leading them to hell, by practically

denying the truth of the Gospel. What will become of this city, and of the

world, when the Church is united in practically testifying that God is a

liar? They testify by their lives, that if they make a profession and live a

moral life, that is religion enough. Oh, what a doctrine of devils is that! It

is enough to ruin the whole human race!



LECTURE X

TO WIN SOULS REQUIRES WISDOM



He that winneth souls is wise. - Proverbs 11:30.



T HE most common definition of wisdom is, that it is the choice of the best

end and the selection of the most appropriate means for the

accomplishment of that end. "He that winneth souls," God says, "is

wise." The object of this Lecture is to direct Christians in the use of means

for accomplishing their infinitely desirable end, the salvation of souls. I

shall confine my attention to the private efforts of individuals for the

conversion and salvation of men. On another occasion, perhaps, I shall use

the same text in speaking of what is wise in the public preaching of the

Gospel, and the labors of ministers. In giving some directions to aid

private Christians in this work, I propose to show Christians:



I. How they should deal with careless sinners.



II. How they should deal with awakened sinners.



III. How they should deal with convicted sinners.



I. DEALING WITH CARELESS SINNERS.



1. In regard to the time. It is important that you should select a proper

time to try to make a serious impression on the mind of a careless sinner.



For if you fail of selecting the most proper time, very probably you will

be defeated. True, you may say that it is your duty at all times to warn

sinners, and try to awaken them to think of their souls. And so it is; yet if

you do not pay due regard to the time and opportunity, your hope of

success may be very doubtful.



(a) It is desirable, if possible, to address a person who is careless, when he

is disengaged from other employments. In proportion as his attention is

taken up with something else, it will be difficult to awaken him to religion.



People who are careless and indifferent to religion are often offended,

rather than benefitted by being called off from important and lawful

business. For instance, a minister perhaps goes to visit the family of a

merchant, or mechanic, or farmer, and finds the man absorbed in his

business; perhaps he calls him off from his work when it is urgent, and the

man is uneasy and irritable, and feels as if it were an intrusion. In such a

case, there is little room to expect any good. Notwithstanding it is true

that religion is infinitely more important than all his worldly business, and

he ought to postpone everything to the salvation of his soul, yet he does

not feel it; for if he did, he would no longer be a careless sinner; and

therefore he regards it as unjustifiable, and gets offended. You must take

him as you find him, a careless, impenitent sinner, and deal with him

accordingly. He is absorbed in other things, and very apt to be offended, if

you select such a time to call his attention to religion.



(b) It is important to take a person, if possible, at a time when he is not

strongly excited with any other subject. Otherwise he will be in an unfit

frame to be addressed on the subject of religion. In proportion to the

strength of that excitement would be the probability that you would do no

good. You may possibly reach him. Persons have had their minds arrested

and turned to religion in the midst of a powerful excitement on other

subjects. But it is not likely.



Be sure that the person is perfectly sober. It used to be more common

than it is now for people to drink spirits every day, and become more or

less intoxicated. Precisely in proportion as they are so, they are rendered

unfit to be approached on the subject of religion. If they have been

drinking beer, or cider, or wine, so that you can smell their breath, you

may know there is but little chance of producing any lasting effect on

them. I have had professors of religion bring to me persons whom they

supposed were under conviction (people in liquor are very fond of talking

upon religion); but as soon as I came near enough to smell the breath of

such persons, I have asked: "Why do you bring this drunken man to me?"



"Why," they have replied, "He is not drunk, he has only been drinking a

little." Well, that little has made him a little drunk! The cases are

exceedingly rare where a person has been truly convicted, who had any

intoxicating liquor in him.



(d) If possible, where you wish to converse with a man on the subject of

salvation, take him when he is in a good temper. If you find him out of

humor, very probably he will get angry and abuse you. Better let him

alone for that time, or you will be likely to quench the Spirit. It is possible

you may be able to talk in such a way as to cool his temper, but it is not

likely. The truth is, men hate God; and though their hatred be dormant, it

is easily excited; and if you bring God fully before their minds when they

are already excited with anger, it will be so much the easier to arouse their

enmity to open violence.



(e) If possible, always take an opportunity to converse with careless

sinners when they are alone. Most men are too proud to be conversed

with freely respecting themselves in the presence of others, even their own

family. A man in such circumstances will brace up all his powers to defend

himself, while, if he were alone, he would melt down under the truth. He

will resist the truth, or try to laugh it off, for fear that, if he should

manifest any feeling, somebody will go and report that he is thinking

seriously about religion.



In visiting families, instead of calling all the family together at the same

time to be talked to, the better way is to see them all, one at a time. There

was a case of this kind. Several young ladies, of a proud, gay, and

fashionable character, lived together in a fashionable family. Two men

were strongly desirous to get the subject of religion before them, but were

at a loss how to accomplish it, for fear the ladies would combine to resist

every serious impression. At length they took this course: they called and

sent up their card to one of the young ladies by name. She came down, and

they conversed with her on the subject of her salvation, and, as she was

alone, she not only treated them politely, but seemed to receive the truth

with seriousness. A day or two after they called, in like manner, on

another; and then on another; and so on, till they had conversed with every

one separately. In a little time the ladies were all, I believe, hopefully

converted. 36 The impression made on one was followed up with the

others; so that one was not left to exert a bad influence over the rest.



There was a pious woman who kept a boardinghouse for young gentlemen;

she had twenty-one or two of them in her house, and at length she became



very anxious for their salvation. She made it a subject of prayer, but saw

no seriousness among them. At length she saw that there must be

something done besides praying, and yet she did not know what to do.



One morning, after breakfast, as the rest were retiring, she asked one of

them to stop a few minutes. She took him aside, and conversed with him

tenderly on the subject of religion, and prayed with him. She followed up

the impression made, and pretty soon he was hopefully converted. Then

she spoke to another, and so on, taking one at a time, and letting none of

the rest know what was going on, so as not to alarm them, till all these

young men were converted to God. Now, if she had brought the subject

before the whole of them together, very likely they would have turned it

all into ridicule; or perhaps they would have been offended and left the

house, and then she could have had no further influence over them. But

taking one alone, and treating him respectfully and kindly, he had no such

motive for resistance as arises out of the presence of others.



(f) Try to seize an opportunity to converse with a careless sinner, when

the events of Providence seem to favor your design. If any particular event

should occur, calculated to make a serious impression, be sure to improve

the occasion faithfully.



(g) Seize the earliest opportunity to converse with those around you who

are careless. Do not put it off from day to day, thinking a better

opportunity will come. You must seek an opportunity, and if none offers,

make one. Appoint a time or place, and get an interview with your friend

or neighbor, where you can speak to him freely. Send him a note; go to him

on purpose; make it look like a matter of business - as if you were in

earnest in endeavoring to promote his soul's salvation. Then he will feel

that it is a matter of importance, at least in your eyes. Follow it up till you

succeed, or become convinced that, for the time, nothing more can be done.



(h) If you have any feeling for a particular individual, take an opportunity

to converse with that individual while this feeling continues. If it is a truly

benevolent feeling, you have reason to believe the Spirit of God is moving

you to desire the salvation of his soul, and that God is ready to bless your

efforts for his conversion. In such a case, make it the subject of special and

importunate prayer, and seek an early opportunity to pour out all your

heart to him, and bring him to Christ.



2. In regard to the manner of doing all this:



(a) When you approach a careless individual, be sure to treat him kindly.



Let him see that you address him, not because you seek a quarrel with

him, but because you love his soul, and desire his best good in time and

eternity. If you are harsh and overbearing in your manner, you will

probably offend him, and drive him farther off from the way of life.



(b) Be solemn. Avoid all lightness of manner or language. Levity will

produce anything but a right impression. You ought to feel that you are

engaged in a very solemn work, which is going to affect the character of

your friend or neighbor, and probably determine his destiny for eternity.



Who could trifle and use levity in such circumstances, if his heart were

sincere?



Be respectful. Some seem to suppose it necessary to be abrupt, and

rude, and coarse, in their intercourse with the careless and impenitent. No

mistake can be greater. The apostle Peter has given us a better rule on the

subject, where he says: "Be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for

evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing" (1 Peter 3:8, 9). A

rude and coarse style of address is only calculated to create an unfavorable

opinion both of yourself and of your religion.



(d) Be sure to be very plain. Do not suffer yourself to cover up any

circumstance of the person's character, and his relations to God. Lay it all

open, not for the purpose of offending or wounding him, but because it is

necessary. Before you can cure a wound, you must probe it to the bottom.



Keep back none of the truth, but let it come out plainly before him.



(e) Be sure to address his conscience. Unless you address the conscience

pointedly, you get no hold of the mind at all.



(f) Bring the great and fundamental truths to bear upon the person's mind.



Sinners are very apt to run off upon some pretext, or some subordinate

point, especially one of sectarianism. For instance, if the man is a

Presbyterian, he will try to turn the conversation on the points of

difference between Presbyterians and Methodists. Or he will fall foul of

"old school" divinity. Do not talk with him on any such point. Tell him

the present business is to save his soul, and not to settle controverted

questions in theology. Hold him to the great fundamental points, by which

he must be saved or lost.



(g) Be very patient. If he has a real difficulty in his mind, be very patient

till you find out what it is, and then clear it up. If what he alleges is a mere

cavil, make him see that it is a cavil. Do not try to answer it by argument,

but show him that he is not sincere in advancing it. It is not worth while to

spend your time in arguing against a cavil; make him feel that he is

committing sin to plead it, and thus enlist his conscience on your side.



(h) Be careful to guard your own spirit. There are many people who have

not good temper enough to converse with those who are much opposed to

religion. And such a person wants no better triumph than to see you

angry. He will go away exulting because he has "made one of these saints

mad."



(I) If the sinner is inclined to entrench himself against God, be careful not

to take his part in anything. If he says he cannot do his duty, do not take

sides with him, or say anything to countenance his falsehood; do not tell

him he cannot, or help him to maintain himself in the controversy against

his Maker. Sometimes a careless sinner will commence finding fault with

Christians; do not take his part, do not side with him against Christians.



Just tell him he has not their sins to answer for: he had better see to his

own concerns. If you agree with him, he feels that he has you on his side.



Show him that it is a wicked and censorious spirit that prompts him to

make these remarks, and not a regard for the honor of the religion or the

laws of Jesus Christ.



(j) Bring up the individual's particular sins. Talking in general terms

against sin will produce no results. You must make a man feel that you

mean him. A minister who cannot make his hearers feel that he means

them, cannot expect to accomplish much. Some people are very careful to

avoid mentioning the particular sins of which they know the individual to

be guilty, for fear of hurting his feelings. This is wrong. If you know his

history, bring up his particular sins; kindly, but plainly; not to give

offense, but to awaken conscience, and give full force to the truth.



(k) It is generally best to be short, and not spin out what we have to say.



Get the attention as soon as you can to the very point; say a few things

and press them home, and bring the matter to an issue. If possible, get

them to repent and give themselves to Christ at the time. This is the

proper issue. Carefully avoid making an impression that you do not wish

them to repent NOW.



(l) If possible, when you converse with sinners, be sure to pray with

them. If you converse with them, and leave them without praying, you

leave your work undone.



II. THE MANNER OF DEALING WITH AWAKENED SINNERS.



Be careful to distinguish between an awakened sinner, and one who is

under conviction. When you find a person who feels a little on the subject

of religion, do not take it for granted that he is convicted of sin, and thus

omit to use means to show him his sin. Persons are often awakened by

some providential circumstance; as sickness, thunderstorm, pestilence,

death in the family, disappointment, or the like; or directly by the Spirit of

God; so that their ears are open, and they are ready to hear on the subject

of religion with attention and seriousness, and some feeling. If you find a

person awakened, no matter by what means, lose no time to pour in light

upon his mind. Do not be afraid, but show him the breadth of the Divine

law, and the exceeding strictness of its precepts. Make him see how it

condemns his thoughts and life. Search out his heart, find what is there,

and bring it up before his mind, as far as you can. If possible, melt him

down on the spot. When once you have got a sinner's attention, very

often his conviction and conversion are the work of a few moments. You

can sometimes do more in five minutes, than in years - or a whole

lifetime - while he is careless or indifferent.



I have been amazed at the conduct of those cruel parents, and other heads

of families, who will let an awakened sinner be in their families for days

and weeks, and not say a word to him on the subject. They say: "If the

Spirit of God has begun a work in him, He will certainly carry it on!"



Perhaps the person is anxious to converse, and puts himself in the way of

Christians, as often as possible, expecting they will converse with him,

and they do not say a word. Amazing! Such a person ought to be looked

out immediately, as soon as he is awakened, and a blaze of light be poured

into his mind without delay. Wherever you have reason to believe that a

person within your reach is awakened, do not sleep till you have poured in

the light upon his mind, and have tried to bring him to immediate

repentance. Then is the time to press the subject with effect.



In revivals, I have often seen Christians who were constantly on the

look-out to see if any persons appeared to be awakened; as soon as they

saw any one begin to manifest feeling under preaching they would mark

him, and (as soon as the meeting was over) invite him to a room, and

converse and pray with him - if possible not leaving him till he was

converted.



A remarkable case of this kind occurred in a town at the West. A merchant

came to the place from a distance, to buy goods. It was a time of powerful

revival, but he was determined to keep out of its influence; and so he

would not go to any meeting at all. At length he found everybody so much

engaged in religion that it met him at every turn; and he got vexed, and

vowed that he would go home. There was so much religion there, he said,

that he could do no business, and would not stay. Accordingly he booked

his seat for the coach, which was to leave at four o'clock the next morning.



As he spoke of going away, a gentleman belonging to the house, who was

one of the young-converts, asked him if he would not go to a meeting once

before he left town. He finally consented, and went to the meeting. The

sermon took hold of his mind, but not with sufficient power to bring him

into the Kingdom. He returned to his lodgings, and called the landlord to

bring his bill. The landlord, who had himself recently experienced religion,

saw that he was agitated. He accordingly spoke to him on the subject of

religion, and the man burst into tears. The landlord immediately called in

three or four young converts, and they prayed, and exhorted him; and at

four o'clock in the morning, when the coach called, he went on his way

rejoicing in God! When he got home he called his family together,

confessed to them his past sins, avowed his determination to live

differently, and prayed with them for the first time. It was so unexpected

that it was soon noised abroad; people began to inquire, and a revival

broke out in the place. Now, suppose these Christians had done as some

do, been careless, and let the man go off, slightly impressed? It is not

probable he ever could have been saved. Such opportunities are often lost

for ever, when once the favorable moment is passed.



III. THE MANNER OF DEALING WITH CONVICTED SINNERS.



By a convicted sinner, I mean one who feels himself condemned by the

law of God, as a guilty sinner. He has so much instruction as to

understand something of the extent of God's law, and he sees and feels his

guilty state, and knows what his remedy is. To deal with these often

requires great wisdom.



1. When a person is convicted, but not converted, and remains in an

anxious state, there is generally some specific reason for it. In such cases it

does no good to exhort him to repent, or to explain the law to him. He

knows all that; he understands these general points; but still he does not

repent. There must be some particular difficulty to overcome. You may

preach, and pray, and exhort, till doomsday, and not gain anything.



You must, then, set yourself to inquire what is that particular difficulty. A

physician, when he is called to a patient, and finds him sick with a

particular disease, first administers the general remedies that are applicable

to that disease. If they produce no effect, and the disease still continues,

he must examine the case, and learn the constitution of the individual, and

his habits, diet, manner of living, etc., and see what the matter is that the

medicine does not take effect. So it is with the case of a sinner convicted

but not converted. If your ordinary instructions and exhortations fail, there

must be a difficulty. The particular difficulty is often known to the

individual himself, though he keeps it concealed. Sometimes, however, it is

something that has escaped even his own observation.



(a) Sometimes the individual has some idol, something which he loves

more than God, which prevents him from giving himself up. You must

search out and see what it is that he will not give up. Perhaps it is wealth;

perhaps some earthly friend; perhaps gay dress or gay company, or some

favorite amusement. At any rate, there is something on which his heart is

so set that he will not yield to God.



(b) Perhaps he has done an injury to some individual that calls for redress,

and he is unwilling to confess it, or to make a just recompense. Now, until

he will confess and forsake this sin, he can find no mercy. If he has injured

the person in property or character, or has abused him, he must make it

up. Tell him frankly that there is no hope for him till he is willing to

confess it, and to do what is right.



Sometimes there is some particular sin which he will not forsake. He

pretends it is only a small one; or tries to persuade himself it is no sin at

all. No matter how small it is, he can never get into the Kingdom of God

till he gives it up. Sometimes an individual has seen it to be a sin to use

tobacco, and he can never find true peace till he gives it up. Perhaps he is

looking upon it as a small sin. But God knows nothing about small sins in

such a case. What is the sin? It is injuring your health, and setting a bad

example; and you are taking God's money (which you are bound to

employ in His service) and spending it for tobacco. What would a

merchant say if he found one of his clerks in the habit of going to the

money drawer, and taking money enough to keep him in cigars? Would he

call it a small offense? No; he would say the clerk deserved to be sent to

the State prison. I mention this particular sin, because I have found it to be

one of the things to which men who are convicted will hold on, although

they know it to be wrong, and then wonder why they do not find peace.



(d) See if there is some work of restitution which he is bound to do.



Perhaps he has defrauded somebody in trade, or taken some unfair

advantage, contrary to the golden rule of doing as you would be done by,

and is unwilling to make satisfaction. This is a very common sin among

merchants and men of business. I have known many melancholy instances,

where men have grieved away the Spirit of God, or else have been driven

well-nigh to absolute despair, because they were unwilling to give

satisfaction where they have done such things. Now it is plain that such

persons never can have forgiveness until they make restitution.



(e) They may have entrenched themselves somewhere, and fortified their

minds in regard to some particular point, which they are determined not to

yield. For instance, they may have taken strong ground that they will not

do a particular thing. I knew a man who was determined not to go into a

certain grove to pray. Several other persons during the revival had gone

into the grove, and there, by prayer and meditation, given themselves to

God. His own clerk had been converted there. The lawyer himself was

awakened, but he was determined that he would not go into that grove. He

had powerful convictions, and went on for weeks in this way, with no

relief. He tried to make God believe that it was not pride that kept him

from Christ; and so, when he was going home from meeting he would kneel

down in the street and pray. And not only that, but he would look round

for a mud-puddle in the street, in which he might kneel, to show that he

was not proud. He once prayed all night in his parlor - but he would not

go into the grove. His distress was so great, and he was so wroth with

God, that he was strongly tempted to make away with himself, and

actually threw away his knife for fear he should cut his throat. At length

he concluded he would go into the grove and pray; and as soon as he got

there he was converted, and poured out his full heart to God. 



So, individuals are sometimes entrenched in a determination that they will

not go to a particular meeting (perhaps the inquiry meeting, or some

prayer-meeting); or they will not have a certain person to pray with them;

or they will not take a particular seat, such as the "anxious seat." They

say they can be converted just as well without yielding this point, for

religion does not consist in going to a particular meeting, or taking a

particular attitude in prayer, or a particular seat. This is true; but by

taking this ground they make it the material point. And so long as they are

entrenched there, and determined to bring God to their terms, they never

can be converted. Sinners will often yield anything else, and do anything

else, and do anything in the world, but yield the point upon which they

have taken a stand against God. They cannot be humbled, until they yield

this point, whatever it is. And if, without yielding, they get a hope, it

will be a false hope.



(f) Perhaps he has a prejudice against some one (a member of the Church,

perhaps), on account of some faithful dealing with his soul; and he hangs

on this, and will never be converted till he gives it up. Whatever it be, you

should search it out, and tell him the truth, plainly and faithfully.



(g) He may feel ill-will towards some one, or be angry, and cherish strong

feelings of resentment, which prevent him from obtaining mercy from

God. "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:

that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.



But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven

forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25, 26).



(h) Perhaps he entertains some errors in doctrine, or some wrong notions

respecting the thing to be done, or the way of doing it, which may be

keeping him out of the Kingdom. Perhaps he is waiting for God to do

something to him before he submits - in fact, is waiting for God to do for

him what God has required the sinner to do himself.



He may be waiting for more conviction. People often do not know what

conviction is, and think they are not under conviction when in fact they

are under powerful conviction. They often think nothing is conviction

unless they have great fears of hell. But the fact is, individuals often have

strong convictions, who have very little fear of hell. Show them what is

the truth, and let them see that they have no need to wait.



Perhaps he may be waiting for certain feelings, which he has heard

somebody else had before obtaining mercy. This is very common in

revivals where some one of the first converts has told of remarkable

experiences. Others who are awakened are very apt to think they must

wait for just such feelings. I knew a young man thus awakened; his

companion had been converted in a remarkable way, and this one was

waiting for just such feelings. He said he was "using the means, and

praying for them," but he finally found that he was a Christian, although

he had not been through the course of feeling which he expected.



Sinners often lay out a plan of what they expect to feel, and how they

expect to be converted, and in fact lay out the work for God, determined

that they will go in that path or not at all. Tell them this is all wrong; they

must not lay out any such path beforehand, but let God lead them as He

sees to be the best. God always leads the blind by a way they know not.



There never was a sinner brought into the Kingdom through such a course

of feeling as he expected. Very often they are amazed to find that they are

in, and have had no such exercises as they expected.



It is very common for persons to be waiting to be made subjects of prayer,

or for some other particular means to be used, or to see if they cannot

make themselves better. They are so wicked, they say, that they cannot

come to Christ. They want to try, by humiliation, and suffering, and

prayer, to fit themselves to come. You will have to hunt them out of all

these refuges. It is astonishing into how many corners they will often run

before they will go to Christ. I have known persons almost deranged for

the want of a little correct instruction.



Sometimes such people think their sins are too great to be forgiven, or that

they have grieved the Spirit of God away, when that Spirit is all the while

convicting them. They pretend that their sins are greater than Christ's

mercy, thus actually insulting the Lord Jesus.



Sometimes sinners get the idea that they are given up of God, and that

now they cannot be saved. It is often very difficult to beat persons off

from this ground. Many of the most distressing cases I have met with have

been of this character.



In a place where I was laboring in a revival, one day before the meeting

commenced, I heard a low, moaning, distressing, unearthly noise. I looked

and saw several women gathered round the person who made it. They said

she was a woman in despair. She had been a long time in that state. Her

husband was a drunkard. He had brought her to the meeting-place, and had

gone himself to the tavern. I conversed with her, saw her state, and

realized that it was very difficult to reach her case. As I was going to

commence the meeting she said she must go out, for she could not bear to

hear praying or singing. I told her she must not go, and asked the ladies to

detain her, if necessary, by force. I felt that, if the devil had hold of her,

God was stronger than the devil, and could deliver her. The meeting began,

and she made some noise at first. But presently she looked up. The

subject was chosen with special reference to her case, and as it proceeded

her attention was gained, her eyes were fixed - I never shall forget how

she looked - her eyes and mouth open, her head up - and how she

almost rose from her seat as the truth poured in upon her mind. Finally, as

the truth knocked away every foundation on which her despair had rested,

she shrieked out, put her head down, and sat perfectly still till the meeting

was over. I went to her, and found her perfectly calm and happy in God. I

saw her long afterwards, and she still remained in that state of rest. Thus

Providence led her where she never expected to be, and compelled her to

hear instruction adapted to her case. You may often do incalculable good

by finding out precisely where the difficulty lies, and then bringing the

truth to bear on that point.



Sometimes persons will strenuously maintain that they have committed

the unpardonable sin. When they get that idea into their minds, they will

turn everything you say against themselves. In some such cases, it is a

good way to take them on their own ground, and reason with them in this

way: "Suppose you have committed the unpardonable sin, what then? It

is reasonable that you should submit to God, and be sorry for your sins,

and break off from them, and do all the good you can, even if God will not

forgive you. Even if you go to hell, you ought to do this." Press this

thought until you find they understand and consent to it.



It is common for persons in such cases to keep their eyes on themselves;

they will shut themselves up, and keep looking at their own darkness,

instead of looking away to Christ. Now, if you can take their minds off

from themselves, and get them to think of Christ, you may draw them

away from brooding over their own present feelings, and get them to lay

hold on the hope set before them in the Gospel.



2. Be careful, in conversing with convicted sinners, not to make any

compromise with them on any point where they have a difficulty. If you

do, they will be sure to take advantage of it, and thus get a false hope.



Convicted sinners often get into a difficulty, in regard to giving up some

darling sin, or yielding some point where conscience and the Holy Ghost

are at war with them. And if they come across an individual who will yield

the point, they feel better, and are happy, and think they are converted.



The young man who came to Christ was of this character. He had one

difficulty, and Jesus Christ knew just what it was. He knew he loved his

money; and instead of compromising the matter and thus trying to comfort

him, he just put His finger on the very place and told him: "Go and sell

that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come and follow Me" (Matthew

19:21). What was the effect? Why, the young man "went away

sorrowful." Very likely, if Christ had told him to do anything else, he

would have felt relieved, and would have got a hope; would have professed

himself a disciple, joined the Church, and gone to hell.



People are often amazingly anxious to make a compromise. They will ask

such questions as this: Whether you do not think a person may be a

Christian, and yet do such-and-such things? Or: If he may be a Christian

and not do such-and-such things? Now, do not yield an inch to any such

questions. The questions themselves may often show you the very point

that is laboring in their minds. They will show you that it is pride, or love

of the world, or something of the kind, which is preventing them from

becoming Christians.



Be careful to make thorough work on this point - the love of the world. I

believe there have been more false hopes built on wrong instructions here,

than in any other way. I once heard a Doctor of Divinity trying to

persuade his hearers to give up the world; but he told them: "If you will

only give it up, God will give it right back to you. He is willing that you

should enjoy the world." 38 Miserable! God never gives back the world to a

Christian, in the same sense that He requires a convicted sinner to give it

up. He requires us to give up the ownership of everything to Him, so that

we shall never again for a moment consider it as our own. A man must not

think he has a right to judge for himself how much of his property he shall

lay out for God. One man thinks he may spend seven thousand dollars a

year to support his family; he has a right to do it, because he has the

means of his own. Another thinks he may lay up fifty or a hundred

thousand dollars. One man said, the other day, that he had promised he

never would give any of his property to educate young men for the

ministry; so, when he is applied to, he just answers: "I have said I never

will give to any such object, and I never will." Man! did Jesus Christ ever

tell you to act so with His money? Has he laid down any such rule?



Remember, it is His money you are talking about, and if He wants it to

educate ministers, you withhold it at your peril. Such a man has yet to

learn the first principle of religion, that he is not his own, and that the

money which he "possesses" is Jesus Christ's.



Here is the great reason why the Church is so full of false hopes. Men

have been left to suppose they could be Christians while holding on to

their money. And this has served as a clog to every enterprise. It is an

undoubted fact, that the Church has funds enough to supply the world

with Bibles, and tracts, and missionaries, immediately. But the truth is,

that professors of religion do not believe that "the earth is the Lord's, and

the fulness thereof." Every man supposes he has a right to decide what

appropriation he shall make of his own money. And they have no idea

that Jesus Christ shall dictate to them on the subject.



Be sure to deal thoroughly on this point. The Church is now filled up with

hypocrites, because people were never made to see that unless they made

an entire consecration of all to Christ - all their time, all their talents,

all their influence - they would never get to heaven. Many think they can be

Christians, and yet dream along through life, and use all their time and

property for themselves, only giving a little now and then, just to save

appearances, and when they can do it with perfect convenience. But it is a

sad mistake, and they will find it so, if they do not employ their energies

for God. And when they die, instead of finding heaven at the end of the

path they are pursuing, they will find hell there.



In dealing with a convicted sinner, be sure to drive him away from every

refuge, and not leave him an inch of ground to stand on so long as he

resists God. This need not take a long time to do. When the Spirit of God

is at work striving with a sinner, it is easy to drive him from his refuges.



You will find the truth will be like a hammer, crushing wherever it strikes.



Make clean work with it, so that he shall give up all for God.



Make the sinner see clearly the nature and extent of the Divine law, and

press the main question of entire submission to God. Bear down on that

point as soon as you have made him clearly understand what you aim at,

and do not turn off upon anything else.



Be careful, in illustrating the subject, not to mislead the mind so as to leave

the impression that a selfish submission will answer, or a selfish

acceptance of the Atonement, or a selfish giving up to Christ and receiving

Him, as if a man were making a good bargain, giving up his sins, and

receiving salvation in exchange. This is mere barter, and not submission to

God. Leave no ground in your explanations or illustrations, for such a view

of the matter. Man's selfish heart will eagerly seize such a view of religion,

if it be presented, and very likely close in with it, and thus get a false

hope.



REMARKS.



1. Make it an object of constant study, and of daily reflection and prayer,

to learn how to deal with sinners so as to promote their conversion. It is

the great business on earth of every Christian, to save souls. People often

complain that they do not know how to take hold of this matter. Why, the

reason is plain enough; they have never studied it. They have never taken

the proper pains to qualify themselves for the work. If people made it no

more a matter of attention and thought to qualify themselves for their

worldly business, than they do to save souls, how do you think they

would succeed? Now, if you are thus neglecting the main business of life,

what are you living for? If you do not make it a matter of study, how you

may most successfully act in building up the Kingdom of Christ, you are

acting a very wicked and absurd part as a Christian.



2. Many professors of religion do more harm than good, when they

attempt to talk to impenitent sinners. They have so little knowledge and

skill, that their remarks rather divert attention than increase it.



3. Be careful to find the point where the Spirit of God is pressing a sinner,

and press the same point in all your remarks. If you divert his attention

from that, you will be in great danger of destroying his convictions. Take

pains to learn the state of his mind, what he is thinking of, how he feels,

and what he feels most deeply upon, and then press that chief point

thoroughly. Do not divert his mind by talking about anything else. Do not

fear to press that point for fear of driving him to distraction. Some people

fear to press a point to which the mind is tremblingly alive, lest they

should injure the mind, notwithstanding that the Spirit of God is evidently

debating that very point with the sinner. This is an attempt to be wiser

than God. You should clear up the point, throw the light of truth all

around it, and bring the soul to yield, and then the mind will be at rest.



4. Great evils have arisen, and many false hopes have been created, by not

discriminating between an awakened, and a convicted, sinner. For the want

of this, persons who are only awakened are immediately pressed to submit

- "you must repent," "submit to God" - when they are in fact neither

convinced of their guilt, nor instructed so far as even to know what

submission means. This is one way in which revivals have been greatly

injured - by indiscriminate exhortations to repent, unaccompanied by

proper instruction.



5. Anxious sinners are to be regarded as being in a very solemn and critical

state. They have, in fact, come to a turning-point. It is a time when their

destiny is likely to be settled for ever. Christians ought to feel deeply for

them. In many respects their circumstances are more solemn than those of

the Judgment. Here their destiny is settled. The Judgment Day reveals it.



And the particular time when It is done is when the Spirit is striving with

them. Christians should remember their awful responsibility at such times.



The physician, if he knows anything of his duty, sometimes feels himself

under a very solemn responsibility. His patient is in a critical state, where

a little error will destroy life, and hangs quivering between life and death. If

such responsibility should be felt in relation to the body, what awful

responsibility should be felt in relation to the soul, when it is seen to hang

trembling on a point, and its destiny is now to be decided. One false

impression, one indiscreet remark, one sentence misunderstood, a slight

diversion of mind, may wear him the wrong way, and his soul be lost.



Never was an angel employed in a more solemn work, than that of dealing

with sinners who are under conviction. How solemnly and carefully then

should Christians walk, how wisely and skillfully work, if they do not

wish to be the means of the loss of a soul!



Finally, if there is a sinner in this house, let me say to him: "Abandon all

your excuses. You have been told tonight that they are all in vain. This

very hour may seal your eternal destiny. Will you submit to God tonight

- NOW?"



LECTURE XI

A WISE MINISTER WILL BE SUCCESSFUL



He that winneth souls is wise. - Proverbs 11:30.



I lectured last, from the same text, on the methods of dealing with

sinners by "private" Christians. My object at this time is to take up the

more public means of grace, with particular reference to the duties of

Ministers.



As I observed in my last Lecture, wisdom is the choice and pursuit of the

best end by the most appropriate means. The great end for which the

Christian ministry is appointed, is to glorify God in the salvation of souls.



In speaking on this subject I propose to show:



I. That a right discharge of the duties of a minister requires great wisdom.



II. That the amount of success in the discharge of his duties (other things

being equal) decides the amount of wisdom employed by him in the

exercise of his office.



I. THE RIGHT DISCHARGE OF MINISTERIAL DUTY.



A right discharge of the duties of a minister requires great wisdom: I. On

account of the opposition it encounters. The very end for which the

ministry is appointed is one against which is arrayed the most powerful

opposition of sinners themselves. If men were willing to receive the

Gospel, and there were nothing needed to be done but to tell the story of

Redemption, a child might convey the news. But men are opposed to the

Gospel. They are opposed to their own salvation, in this way. Their

opposition is often violent and determined. I once saw a maniac who had

formed designs against his own life, and he would exercise the utmost

sagacity and cunning to effect his purpose. He would be so artful as to

make his keepers believe he had no such design, that he had given it all up;

he would appear mild and sober, but the instant the keeper was off his

guard he would lay hands on himself. So, sinners often exercise great

cunning in evading all the efforts that are made to save them. In order to

meet this dreadful cunning, and overcome it, so as to save men, ministers

need a great amount of wisdom.



2. The particular means appointed to be employed in the work, show the

necessity of great wisdom in ministers. If men were converted by an act of

physical omnipotence, creating some new taste, or something like that, and

if sanctification were nothing but the same physical omnipotence rooting

out the remaining roots of sin from the soul, it would not require so much

sagacity and skill to win souls. Nor would there then be any meaning in

the text. But the truth is that regeneration and sanctification are to be

effected by moral means - by argument, and not by force. There never

was, and never will be, any one saved by anything but truth as the means.



Truth is the outward means, the outward motive presented first by man

and then by The Holy Spirit. Take into view the opposition of the sinner

himself, and you see that nothing, after all, short of the wisdom of God

and the moral power of the Holy Spirit, can break down this opposition,

and bring him to submit Still, the means are to be used by men - means

adapted to the end, and skillfully used. God has provided that the work of

conversion and sanctification shall in all cases be done by means of that

kind of truth, applied in that connection and relation, which is fitted to

produce such a result.



3. He has the powers of earth and hell to overcome, and that calls for

wisdom. The devil is constantly at work, trying to prevent the success of

ministers, laboring to divert attention from the subject of religion, and to

get the sinner away from God and lead him down to hell. The whole

framework of society, almost, is hostile to religion. Nearly all the

influences which surround a man, from his cradle to his grave, are

calculated to defeat the design of the ministry. Does not a minister, then,

need great wisdom to conflict with the powers of darkness and the whole

influence of the world, in addition to the sinner's own opposition?



4. The same is seen from the infinite importance of the end itself. The end

of the ministry is the salvation of the soul. When we consider the

importance of the end, and the difficulties of the work, who will not say

with the apostle: "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians

2:16.)



5. He must understand how to wake up the professing Christians, and

thus prevent them from hindering the conversion of sinners. This is often

the most difficult part of a minister's work, and requires more wisdom and

patience than anything else. Indeed, to do this successfully, is a most rare

qualification in the Christian ministry. It is a point where almost all

ministers fail. They know not how to wake up the Church, and raise the

tone of piety to a high standard, and thus clear the way for the work of

conversion. Many ministers can preach to sinners very well, but gain little

success, while the counteracting influence of the Church resists it all, and

they have not skill enough to remove the difficulty. There is only here and

there a minister in the country who knows how to probe the Church when

it is in a cold, backslidden state, so as effectually to awaken the members

and keep them awake. The members of the Church sin against such light,

that when they become cold it is very difficult to rouse them up. They

have a form of piety which wards off the truth, while at the same time it is

just that kind of piety which has no power or efficiency. Such professors

are the most difficult individuals to arouse from their slumbers. I do not

mean that they are always more wicked than the impenitent. They are

often employed about the machinery of religion, and pass for very good

Christians, but they are of no use in a revival.



I know ministers are sometimes amazed to hear it said that Churches are

not awake. No wonder such ministers do not know how to wake a

sleeping Church. There was a young licentiate heard Brother Foote the

other day, in this city, pouring out truth, and trying to waken up the

Churches; and he knew so little about it that he thought Mr. Foote was

abusing the Churches. So perfectly blind was he that he really thought the

Churches in New York were all awake on the subject of religion. So, some

years ago, there was a great controversy and opposition raised, because so

much was said about the Churches being asleep. It was all truth, yet many

ministers knew nothing about it, and were astonished to hear such things

said. When it has come to this, that ministers do not know when the

Church is asleep, no wonder we have revivals! I was invited once to

preach at a certain place. I asked the minister what was the state of the



Church. "Oh," said he, "to a man they are awake." I was delighted at the

idea of laboring in such a Church, for it was a sight I had never yet

witnessed, to see every single member awake in a revival. But when I got

there I found them sleepy and cold, and I doubt whether one of them was

awake.



Here is the great difficulty in keeping up revivals, to keep the Church

thoroughly awake and engaged. It is one thing for members to get up in

their sleep and bluster about and run over each other; and a widely

different thing for them to have their eyes open, and their senses about

them, and be wide awake, so as to know how to work for Christ.



6. He must know how to see the Church to work, when it is awake. If a

minister attempts to go to work singly, calculating to do it all himself, it is

like attempting to roll a great stone up a hill, alone. The Church can do

much to help forward a revival. Churches have sometimes had powerful

revivals without any minister. But when a minister has a Church that is

awake, and knows how to set his people to work, and how to sit at the

helm, and guide them, he may feel strong, and oftentimes may find that

they do more than he does himself in the conversion of sinners.



7. In order to be successful, a minister needs great wisdom to know how to

keep the Church to the work. Often the Church seems just like an

assembly of children. You set children to work, and they appear to be all

occupied, but as soon as your back is turned, they will stop and go to

play. The great difficulty in continuing a revival, lies here. And to meet it

requires great wisdom. To know how to break them down again, when

their hearts get lifted up because they have had such a great revival; to

wake them up afresh when their zeal begins to flag; to keep their hearts

full of zeal for the work; these are some of the most difficult things in the

world. Yet if a minister would be successful in winning souls, he must

know when they first begin to get proud, or to lose the spirit of prayer;

when to probe them, and how to search them; in fact, how to keep the

Church in the field, gathering the harvest of the Lord.



8. He must understand the Gospel. But you will ask: "Do not all ministers

understand the Gospel?" I answer that they certainly do not all understand

it alike, for they do not all preach alike.



9. He must know how to divide it, so as to bring forward the particular

truths, in that order, and at such times, as will be calculated to produce a

given result. A minister should understand the philosophy of the human

mind, so as to know how to plan and arrange his labors wisely. Truth,

when brought to bear upon the mind, is in itself calculated to produce

corresponding feelings. The minister must know what feelings he wishes

to produce, and how to bring to bear such truth as is calculated to produce

those feelings. He must know how to present truth which is calculated to

humble Christians, or to make them feel for sinners; or to awaken sinners,

or to convert them.



Often, when sinners are awakened, the ground is lost for want of wisdom

in following up the blow. Perhaps a rousing sermon is preached Christians

are moved, and sinners begin to feel, and yet, the next Sabbath, something

will be brought forward that has no connection with the state of feeling in

the congregation, and that is not calculated to lead the mind on to the

exercise of repentance, faith, or love. It shows how important it is that a

minister should understand how to produce a given impression, at what

time it may and should be done, and by what truth, and how to follow it

up till the sinner is broken down and brought in.



A great many good sermons that are preached, are lost for the want of a

little wisdom on this point. They are good sermons, and calculated, if well

timed, to do great good; but they have so little connection with the actual

state of feeling in the congregation, that it would be more than a miracle if

they should produce a revival. A minister may preach in this random way

till he has preached himself to death, and never produce any great results.



He may convert here and there a scattered soul; but he will not move the

mass of the congregation unless he knows how to follow up his

impressions - so to execute a general plan of operations as to carry on

the work when it is begun. He must not only be able to blow the trumpet

so loud as to start the sinner up from his lethargy, but when he is

awakened, he must lead him by the shortest way to Jesus Christ; and not,

as soon as sinners are roused by a sermon, immediately begin to preach

about some remote subject that has no tendency to carry on the work.



10. To reach different classes of sinners successfully requires great

wisdom on the part of a minister. For instance, a sermon on a particular

subject may impress a particular class of persons among his hearers.



Perhaps they will begin to look serious, or to talk about it, or to cavil

about it. Now, if the minister is wise, he will know how to observe those

indications, and to follow right on, with sermons adapted to this class,

until he leads them into the Kingdom of God. Then, let him go back and

take another class, find out where they are hid, break down their refuges,

and follow them up, till he leads them also, into the Kingdom. He should

thus beat about every bush where sinners hide themselves, as the voice of

God followed Adam in the garden: ADAM, WHERE ART THOU? till

one class of hearers after another is brought in, and so the whole

community converted. Now, a minister must be very wise to do this. It

never will be done till a minister sets himself to hunt out and bring in every

class of sinners in his congregation - the old and young, male and female,

rich and poor. 



11. A minister needs great wisdom to get sinners away from their present

refuge of lies, without forming new hiding-places for them. I once sat

under the ministry of a man who had contracted a great alarm about

heresies, and was constantly employed in confuting them. And he used to

bring up heresies that his people had never heard of. He got his ideas

chiefly from books, and mingled very little among the people to know

what they thought. And the result of his labors often was, that the people

would be taken with the heresy, more than with the argument against it.



The novelty of the error attracted their attention so much that they forgot

the answer. And in that way he gave many of his people new objections

against religion, such as they had never thought of before. If a man does

not mingle enough with mankind to know how people think nowadays, he

cannot expect to be wise to meet their objections and difficulties.



I have heard a great deal of preaching against Universalists, that did more

harm than good, because the preachers did not understand how

Universalists of the present day reason. When ministers undertake to

oppose a present heresy, they ought to know what it actually is, at

present. It is of no use to misrepresent a man's doctrines to his face, and

then try to reason him out of them. He will say of you: "That man cannot

argue with me on fair grounds; he has to misrepresent my doctrines in

order to confute me." Great harm is done in this way. Ministers do not

intend to misrepresent their opponents; but the effect of it is, that the

poor miserable creatures who hold these errors go to hell because ministers

do not take care to inform themselves what are their real errors. I mention

this to show how much wisdom a minister must have to meet the cases

that occur.



12. Ministers ought to know what measures are best calculated to aid in

accomplishing the great end of their office, the salvation of souls. Some

measures are plainly necessary. By measures, I mean the things which

should be done to secure the attention of the people, and bring them to

listen to the truth. Erecting buildings for worship, visiting from house to

house, etc., are "measures," the object of which is to get the attention of

people to the Gospel. Much wisdom is requisite to devise and carry

forward all the various measures that are adapted to favor the success of

the Gospel.



What do politicians do? They get up meetings, circulate handbills and

pamphlets, blaze away in the newspapers, send ships about the streets on

wheels with flags and sailors, send conveyances all over the town, with

handbills, to bring people up to the polls - all to gain attention to their

cause, and elect their candidate. All these are their "measures," and for

their end they are wisely calculated. The object is to get up an excitement,

and bring the people out. They know that unless there can be an

excitement it is in vain to push their end. I do not mean to say that their

measures are pious, or right, but only that they are wise, in the sense that

they are the appropriate application of means to the end.



The object of the ministry is to get all the people to feel that the devil has

no right to rule this world, but that they ought all to give themselves to

God, and "vote in" the Lord Jesus Christ as the Governor of the universe.



Now, what shall be done? What measures shall we take? Says one: "Be

sure and have nothing that is new." Strange! The object of our measure is

to gain attention, and you must have something new. As sure as the effect

of a measure becomes stereotyped, it ceases to give attention, and then

you must try something new. You need not make innovations in

everything. But whenever the state of things is such that anything more is

needed, it must be something new, otherwise it will fail. A minister should

never introduce innovations that are not called for. If he does, they will

embarrass him. He cannot alter the Gospel; that remains the same. But

new measures are necessary, from time to time, to awaken attention, and

bring the Gospel to bear upon the public mind. And a minister ought to

know how to introduce new things, so as to create the least possible

resistance or reaction. Mankind are fond of form in religion. They love to

have their religious duties stereotyped, so as to leave them at ease; and

they are therefore inclined to resist any new movement designed to rouse

them up to action and feeling. Hence it is all-important to introduce new

things wisely, so as not to give needless occasion for resistance.



13. Not a little wisdom is sometimes needed by a minister to know when

to put a stop to new measures. When a measure has novelty enough to

secure attention to the truth, ordinarily no other new measure should be

introduced. You have secured the great object of novelty. Anything more

will be in danger of diverting the public mind away from the great object,

and fixing it on the measures themselves. And then, if you introduce

novelties when they are not called for, you will go over so large a field

that, by and by, when you really want something new, you will have

nothing else to introduce, without doing something that will give too great

a shock to the public mind. The Bible has laid down no specific course of

measures for the promotion of revivals of religion, but has left it to

ministers to adopt such as are wisely calculated to secure the end. And the

more sparing we are of our new things, the longer we can use them, to

keep public attention awake to the great subject of religion. By a wise

course this may undoubtedly be done for a long series of years, until our

present measures will, by and by, have sufficient novelty in them again to

attract and fix public attention. And so we shall never want for something

new.



14. A minister, to win souls, must know how to deal with careless, with

awakened, and with anxious sinners, so as to lead them right to Christ in

the shortest and most direct way. It is amazing to see how many ministers

there are who do not know how to deal with sinners, or what to say to

them in their various states of mind. A good woman in Albany told me,

that when she was under concern she went to her minister, and asked him

to tell her what she must do to get relief. He said that God had not given

him much experience on the subject, and advised her to go to a certain

deacon, who perhaps could tell her what to do. The truth was, he did not

know what to say to a sinner under conviction, although there was nothing

peculiar in her case. Now, if you think this minister a rare case, you are

quite deceived. There are many ministers who do not know what to say to

sinners.



A minister once appointed an anxious meeting, which he duly attended,

but instead of going round to speak to the individuals, he began to ask

them the catechism question: "Wherein doth Christ execute the office of a

priest?" About as much in point to a great many of their minds as

anything else. 



I know a minister who held an anxious meeting, and went to attend it with

a written discourse, which he had prepared for the occasion. This was just

as wise as it would be if a physician, going out to visit his patients, should

sit down at leisure and write all the prescriptions beforehand. A minister

needs to know the state of mind of individuals, before he can know what

truth it will be proper and useful to administer. I say these things, not

because I love to do it, but because truth and the object before me, require

them to be said. And such instances as I have mentioned are by no means

rare.



A minister should know how to apply truth to all the situations in which

he may find dying sinners going down to hell. He should know how to

preach, how to pray, how to conduct prayer meetings, and how to use all

the means for bringing the truth of God to bear upon the kingdom of

darkness. Does not this require wisdom? And who is sufficient for these

things?



II. SUCCESS PROPORTIONATE TO WISDOM.



The amount of a minister's success in winning souls (other things being

equal) invariably decides the amount of wisdom he has exercised in the

discharge of his office.



1. This is plainly asserted in the text. "He that winneth souls is wise."



That is, if a man wins souls, he does skillfully adapt means to the end,

which is, to exercise wisdom. He is the more wise, by how much the

greater is the number of sinners that he saves. A blockhead may, indeed,

now and then, stumble on such truth, or such a manner of exhibiting it, as

to save a soul. It would be a wonder indeed if any minister did not

sometimes have something, in his sermons that would meet the case of

some individual. But the amount of wisdom is to be decided, other things

being equal, by the number of cases in which he is successful in converting

sinners.



Take the case of a physician. The greatest quack may now and then

stumble upon a remarkable cure, and so get his name up with the ignorant.



But sober and judicious people judge of the skill of a physician by the

uniformity of his success in overcoming disease, the variety of diseases he

can manage, and the number of cases in which he is successful in saving his

patients. The most skillful saves the most. This is common sense. It is the

truth. And it is just as true in regard to success in saving souls, and true in

just the same sense.



2. This principle is not only asserted in the text, but it is a matter of fact,

a historical truth, that "He that winneth souls is wise." He has actually

employed means adapted to the end, in such a way as to secure the end.



3. Success in saving souls is evidence that a man understands the Gospel,

and understands human nature; that he knows how to adapt means to his

end; that he has common sense, and that kind of tact, that practical

discernment, to know how to get at people. And if his success is

extensive, it shows that he knows how to deal, in a great variety of

circumstances, with a great variety of characters, who are all the enemies

of God, and to bring them to Christ. To do this requires great wisdom.



And the minister who does it shows that he is wise.



4. Success in winning souls shows that a minister not only knows how to

labor wisely for that end, but also that he knows where his dependence is.



Fears are often expressed respecting those ministers who are aiming most

directly and earnestly at the conversion of sinners. People say: "Why, this

man is going to work in his own strength; one would imagine he thinks he

can convert souls himself." How often has the event showed that the man

knew very well what he was about, and knew where his strength was, too.



He went to work to convert sinners so earnestly, just as if he could do it

all himself; but that was the very way he should do. He ought to reason

with sinners and plead with them, as faithfully and as fully as if he did not

expect any interposition of the Spirit of God. But whenever a man does

this successfully, it shows that, after all, he knows he must depend for

success upon the Spirit of God alone.



There are many who feel an objection against this subject, arising out of

the view they have taken of the ministry of Jesus Christ. They ask us:

"What will you say of the ministry of Jesus Christ - was not He wise?"



I answer: "Yes, infinitely wise." But in regard to His alleged "want of

success" in the conversion of sinners, you will observe the following

things:



(a) That His ministry was vastly more successful than is generally

supposed. We read in one of the sacred writers, that after His resurrection

and before His ascension, "He was seen of above five hundred brethren at

once" (1 Corinthians 15:6). If so many as five hundred brethren were

found assembled together at ou�
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�����0�����ཧ��0��p�����������0�������������§�§souls to Christ, without great

learning; and he has the best education for a minister, who can win the

most souls to Christ.



6. There is evidently a great defect in the present mode of educating

ministers. This is a SOLEMN FACT, to which the attention of the whole

Church should be distinctly called, that the great mass of young ministers

who are educated accomplish very little.



When young men come out of the seminaries, are they fit to go into a

revival? Look at a place where there has been a revival in progress, and a

minister is wanted. Let them send to a theological seminary for a minister.



Will he enter into the work, and sustain it, and carry it on? Seldom. Like

David with Saul's armor, he comes in with such a load of theological

trumpery, that he knows not what to do. Leave him there for two weeks,

and the revival is at an end. The Churches know and feel that the greater

part of these young men do not know how to do anything that needs to be

done for a revival, and the complaint is made that the young ministers are

so far behind the Church. You may send all over the United States, to

theological seminaries, and find but few young ministers fitted to carry

forward the work. What a state of things!



There is a great defect in educating ministers. Education ought to be such,

as to prepare young men for the peculiar work to which they are destined.



But instead of this, they are educated for anything else. The grand mistake

is this: that the mind is directed too much to irrelevant matters; it is carried

over too wide a field, so that attention is diverted from the main thing and

the young men get cold in religion. When, therefore, they get through their

course, instead of being fitted for their work, they are unfitted for it.



Under a pretense of disciplining the mind, attention is in fact scattered, so

that when the young men come to their work, they are awkward, and

know not how to take hold, or how to act, to win souls. This is not

universally the case, but too often it is so.



It is common for people to talk loudly and largely about "an educated

ministry." God forbid that I should say a word against an educated

ministry! But what do we mean by an education for the ministry? Do we

mean that they should be so educated, as to be fitted for the work? If they

are so educated, the more education the better. Let education be of the

right kind, teaching a young man the things he needs to know, and not the

very things he does not need to know. Let them be educated for the work.



Do not let education be such, that when young men come out, after

spending six, eight, or ten years in study, they are not worth half as much

as they were before they went. I have known young men come out after

what they call "a thorough course," who could not manage a prayer

meeting, so as to make it profitable or interesting. An elder of a Church in

a neighboring city, informed me of a case in point. A young man, before he

went to the seminary, had labored as a layman with them, conducting their

prayer meetings, and been exceedingly useful among them. After he had

been to the seminary, they sent for him and desired his help; but, oh, how

changed! He was so completely transformed, that he made no impression;

the members soon began to complain that they would "die" under his

influences; and he left, because he was not prepared for the work.



It is common for those ministers who have been to the seminaries, and are

now useful, to affirm that their course of studies there did them little or no

good, and that they had to unlearn what they had there learned, before

they could effect much. I do not say this censoriously, but it is a solemn

fact, and in love I must say it.



Suppose you were going to make a man a surgeon in the navy. Instead of

sending him to the medical school to learn surgery, would you send him to

the nautical school, to learn navigation? In this way, you might qualify him

to navigate a ship, but he is no surgeon. Ministers should be educated to

know what the Bible is, and what the human mind is, and how to bring the

one to bear on the other. They should be brought into contact with mind,

and made familiar with all the aspects of society. They should have the

Bible in one hand, and the map of the human mind in the other, and know

how to use the truth for the salvation of men.



7. A want of common sense often defeats the ends of the Christian

ministry. There are many good men in the ministry, who have learning,

and talents of a certain sort, but they have no common sense to win souls.



8. We see one great defect in our theological schools. Young men are

confined to books, and shut out from intercourse with the common

people, or contact with the common mind. Hence they are not familiar

with the mode in which common people think. This accounts for the fact

that some plain men, who have been brought up to business, and are

acquainted with human nature, are ten times better qualified to win souls

than those who are educated on the present principle, and are in fact ten

times as well acquainted with the proper business of the ministry. These

are called "uneducated men." This is a grand mistake. They are not learned

in science, but they are learned in the very things which they need to know

as ministers. They are not ignorant ministers, for they know exactly how

to reach the mind with truth. They are better furnished for their work,

than if they had all the machinery of the schools.



I wish to be understood. I do not say, that I would not have a young man

go to school. Nor would I discourage him from going over the field of

science. The more the better, if together with it he learns also the things

that the minister needs to know, in order to win souls - if he understands

his Bible, and understands human nature, and knows how to bring the

truth to bear, and how to guide and manage minds, and to lead them away

from sin and lead them to God.



9. The success of any measure designed to promote a revival of religion,

demonstrates its wisdom; with the following exceptions:



(a) A measure may be introduced for effect, to produce excitement, and be

such that when it is looked back upon afterwards, it will seem nonsensical,

and appear to have been a mere trick. In that case, it will react, and its

introduction will have done more harm than good.



(b) Measures may be introduced, and the revival be very powerful, and the

success be attributed to the measures, when in fact, it was other things

which made the revival powerful, and these very measures may have been

a hindrance. The prayers of Christians, and the preaching, and other

things, may have been so well calculated to carry on the work, that it has

succeeded in spite of these measures.



But when the blessing evidently follows the introduction of the measure

itself, the proof is unanswerable, that the measure is wise. It is profane to

say that such a measure will do more harm than good. God knows about

that. His object is, to do the greatest amount of good possible. And of

course He will not add His blessing to a measure that will do more harm

than good. He may sometimes withhold His blessing from a measure that

is calculated to do some good, because it will be at the expense of a greater

good. But he never will bless a pernicious proceeding. There is no such

thing as deceiving God in the matter. He knows whether a given measure

is, on the whole, wise or not. He may bless a course of labors

notwithstanding some unwise or injurious measures. But if He blesses the

measure itself, it is rebuking God to pronounce it unwise. He who

undertakes to do this, let him look to the matter.



10. It is evident that much fault has been found with measures which have

been pre-eminently and continually blessed of God for the promotion of

revivals. If a measure is continually or usually blessed, let the man who

thinks he is wiser than God, call it in question. TAKE CARE how you

find fault with God!



11. Christians should pray for ministers. Brethren, if you felt how much

ministers need wisdom to perform the duties of their great office with

success, and how insufficient they are of themselves, you would pray for

them a great deal more than you do; that is, if you cared anything for the

success of their labors. People often find fault with ministers, when they

do not pray for them. Brethren, this is tempting God; for you ought not to

expect any better ministers, unless you pray for them. And you ought not

to expect a blessing on the labors of your minister, or to have your families

converted by his preaching, when you do not pray for him. And so for

others, for the waste places, and the heathen: instead of praying all the

time, only that God would send out more laborers, you have need also to

pray that God would make ministers wise to win souls, and that those He

sends out may be properly educated, so that they shall be scribes well

instructed in the kingdom of God.



12. Those laymen in the Church who know how to win souls are to be

counted wise. They should not be called "ignorant laymen"; and those

Church members who do not know how to convert sinners, and who

cannot win souls, should not be called wise - as Christians. They are not

wise Christians; only "he that winneth souls is wise." They may be

learned in politics, in all sciences, or they may be skilled in the

management of business, or other things, and they may look down on

those who win souls, as nothing but plain, simple-hearted and ignorant

men. If any of you are inclined to do this, and to undervalue those who

win souls, as being not so wise and cunning as you are, you deceive

yourselves. They may not know some things which you know; but they

know those things which a Christian is most concerned to know, and

which you do not.



It may be illustrated by the case of a minister who goes to sea. He may be

learned in science, but he knows not how to sail a ship. And he begins to

ask the sailors about this thing and that, and what this rope is for, and the

like. "Why," say the sailors, "these are not ropes, we have only one rope

in a ship; these are the rigging; the man talks like a fool." And so this

learned man becomes a laughing-stock, perhaps, to the sailors, because he

does not know how to sail a ship. But if he were to tell them one half of

what he knows about science, perhaps they would think him a conjurer, to

know so much. So, learned students may understand their Latin very well,

and may laugh at the humble Christian, and call him ignorant, although he

may know how to win more souls than five hundred of them.



I was once distressed and grieved at hearing a minister bearing down upon

a young preacher, who had been converted under remarkable

circumstances, and who was licensed to preach without having pursued a

regular course of study. This minister, who was never, or at least very

rarely, known to convert a soul, bore down upon the young man in a very

lordly, censorious manner, depreciating him because he had not had the

advantage of a liberal education - when, in fact, he was instrumental in

converting more souls than any five hundred ministers like the one who

criticized him.



I would say nothing to undervalue, or lead any to undervalue, a thorough

education for ministers. But I do not call that a thorough education, which

they receive in our colleges and seminaries. It does not fit them for their

work. I appeal to all experience, whether our young men in seminaries are

thoroughly educated for the purpose of winning souls. Do THEY DO IT?



Everybody knows they do not. Look at the reports of the Home

Missionary Society. If I recollect right, in 1830, the number of conversions

in connection with the labors of the missionaries of that society did not

exceed five to each missionary. I believe the number has increased since,

but is still exceedingly small to what it would have been had they been

fitted, by a right course of training, for their work. I do not say this to

reproach them, for, from my heart, I pity them; and I pity the Church for

being under the necessity of supporting ministers so trained, or of having

none at all. They are the best men the Missionary Society can obtain.



I suppose I shall be reproached for saying this. But it is too true and too

painful to be concealed. Those fathers who have the training of our young

ministers are good men, but they are ancient men, men of another age and

stamp from what is needed in these days, when the Church and world are

rising to new thought and action. Those dear fathers will not, I suppose,

see with me in this; and will perhaps think hardly of me for saying it; but

it is the cause of Christ. Some of them are getting back toward second

childhood, and ought to resign, and give place to younger men, who are not

rendered physically incapable, by age, of keeping pace with the onward

movements of the Church. And here I would say, that to my own mind it

appears evident, that unless our theological professors preach a good deal,

mingle much with the Church, and sympathize with her in all her

movements, it is morally, if not naturally, impossible, that they should

succeed in training young men to the spirit of the age. It is a shame and a

sin, that theological professors, who preach but seldom, who are

withdrawn from the active duties of the ministry, should sit in their

studies and write their Letters, advisory or dictatorial, to ministers and

Churches who are in the field, and who are in circumstances to judge what

needs to be done. The men who spend all, or at least a portion, of their

time in the active duties of the ministry, are the only men who are able to

judge of what is expedient or inexpedient, prudent or imprudent, as to

measures, from time to time. It is as dangerous and ridiculous for our

theological professors, who are withdrawn from the field of conflict, to be

allowed to dictate, in regard to the measures and movements of the

Church, as it would be for a general to sit in his bedchamber and attempt

to order a battle. 



Two ministers were one day conversing about another minister, whose

labors were greatly blessed - in the conversion of some thousands of

souls. One of them said: "That man ought not to preach any more; he

should stop and go to - (a theological seminary which he named), and

proceed through a regular course of study." He said the man had "a good

mind, and if he were thoroughly educated, he might be very useful." The

other replied: "Do you think he would be more useful for going to that

seminary? I challenge you to show by facts that any are more useful who

have been there. No, sir, the fact is, that since this man has been in the

ministry, he has been instrumental in converting more souls than all the

young men who have come from that seminary in the time."



Finally: I wish to ask, who among you can lay any claim to the possession

of this Divine wisdom? Who among you, laymen? Who among you,

ministers? Can any of you? Can I? Are we at work, wisely, to win souls?



Or are we trying to make ourselves believe that success is no criterion of

wisdom? It is a criterion. It is a safe criterion for every minister to try

himself by. The amount of his success, other things being equal, measures

the amount of wisdom he has exercised in the discharge of his office.



How few of you have ever had wisdom enough to convert so much as a

single sinner? Do not say: "I cannot convert sinners. How can I convert

sinners? God alone can convert sinners." Look at the text: "He that

winneth souls is wise," and do not think you can escape the sentence. It is

true that God converts sinners. But there is a sense, too, in which

ministers convert them. And you have something to do; something which,

if you do it wisely, will ensure the conversion of sinners in proportion to

the wisdom employed. If you never have done this, it is high time to think

about yourselves, and see whether you have wisdom enough to save even

your own souls.



Men! Women! You are bound to be wise in winning souls. Perhaps

already souls have perished, because you have not put forth the wisdom

which you might, in saving them. The city is going to hell. Yes, the world

is going to hell, and must go on, till the Church finds out what to do, to

win souls. Politicians are wise. The children of this world are wise; they

know what to do to accomplish their ends, while we are prosing about, not

knowing what to do, or where to take hold of the work, and sinners are

going to hell.



LECTURE XII

HOW TO PREACH THE GOSPEL



He that winneth souls is wise. - Proverbs. 11:30.



One of the last remarks in my last Lecture was this, that the text ascribes

conversion to men. Winning souls is converting men. I now design to show

that:



I. Several passages of Scripture ascribe conversion to men; and that:



II. This is consistent with other passages which ascribe conversion to

God.



III. I also purpose to discuss several further particulars which are deemed

important, in regard to the preaching of the Gospel, and which show

that great practical wisdom is necessary to win souls to Christ.



I. THE BIBLE SCRIBES CONVERSION TO MEN.



There are many passages which represent the conversion of sinners as the

work of men. In Daniel 12:3 it is said: "They that be wise shall shine as

the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness

as the stars for ever and ever." Here the work is ascribed to men. So also in

1 Corinthians 4:15: "Though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ,

yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you

through the Gospel." Here the apostle explicitly tells the Corinthians that

he made them Christians, with the Gospel, or truth, which he preached.



Again, in James 5:19, 20, we are taught the same thing. "Brethren, if any

of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he

which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul

from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."



I might quote many other passages, equally explicit. But these are

sufficient abundantly to establish the fact, that the Bible does actually

ascribe conversion to men.



II. THE BIBLE ASCRIBES CONVERSION TO GOD.



Here let me remark that to my mind it often appears very strange that men

should ever suppose there was an in consistency here, or that they should

ever have overlooked the plain common sense of the matter. How easy it

is to see that there is a sense in which God converts them, and another

sense in which men convert them.



The Scriptures ascribe conversion to four different agencies - to men, to

God, to the truth, and to the sinner himself. The passages which ascribe it

to the truth are the largest class. That men should ever have overlooked

this distinction, and should have regarded conversion as a work performed

exclusively by God, is surprising. So it is that any difficulty should ever

have been felt on the subject, or that people should ever have professed

themselves unable to reconcile these several classes of passages.



The Bible speaks on this subject, precisely as we speak on common

subjects. There is a man who has been very ill. How natural it is for him to

say of his physician: "That man saved my life." Does he mean to say that

the physician saved his life without reference to God? Certainly not,

unless he is an infidel. God made the physician, and He made the medicine

too. And it never can be shown but that the agency of God is just as truly

concerned in making the medicine take effect to save life, as it is in making

the truth take effect to save a soul. To affirm the contrary is downright

atheism. It is true, then, that the physician saved him; and it is also true

that God saved him.. It is equally true that the medicine saved his life, and

also that he saved his own life by taking the medicine; for the medicine

would have done no good if he had not taken it.



In the conversion of a sinner, it is true that God gives the truth efficiency

to turn the sinner to God. He is an active, voluntary, powerful agent, in

changing the mind. But the one who brings the truth to the sinner's notice

is also an agent. We are apt to speak of ministers and other men as only

instruments in converting sinners. This is not exactly correct. Man is

something more than an instrument. Truth is the mere unconscious

instrument. But man is more: he is a voluntary, responsible agent in the

business. In a sermon, I have illustrated this idea by the case of an

individual standing on the banks of Niagara.



"Suppose yourself to be standing on the banks of the Falls of Niagara. As

you stand upon the verge of the precipice, you behold a man, lost in deep

reverie, approaching its verge, unconscious of his danger. He approaches

nearer and nearer, until he actually lifts his foot to take the final step that

shall plunge him in destruction. At this moment, you lift your warning

voice above the roar of the foaming waters, and cry out: 'Stop!' The voice

pierces his ear, and breaks the charm that binds him; he turns instantly

upon his heel; all pale and aghast he retires, quivering, from the verge of

death. He reels and almost swoons with horror; turns, and walks slowly to

the hotel; you follow him; the manifest agitation in his countenance calls

numbers around him; and on your approach he points to you, and says:

'That man saved my life.' Here he ascribes the work to you; and certainly

there is a sense in which you had saved him. But, on being further

questioned, he says: "'Stop!" How that word rings in my ears. Oh, that

was to me the word of life!' Here he ascribes it to the word that aroused

him, and caused him to turn.



"But on conversing still further, he says: 'Had I not turned at that instant,

I should have been a dead man.' Here he speaks of it (and truly) as his

own act. But you directly hear him say: 'Oh, the mercy of God! If God

had not interposed, I should have been lost!' Now, the only defect in this

illustration is this: In the case supposed, the only interference on the part

of God was a providential one; and the only sense in which the saving of

the man's life is ascribed to Him, is in a providential sense. But in the

conversion of a sinner there is something more than the providence of God

employed; for here, not only does the providence of God so order it, that

the preacher cries: 'Stop!' but the Spirit of God urges the truth home upon

him with such tremendous power as to induce him to turn."



Not only does the minister cry: "Stop!" but through the living voice of the

preacher, the Spirit cries: "Stop!" The preacher cries: "Turn ye, why will

ye die?" The Spirit sends the expostulation home with such power that

the sinner turns. Now, in speaking of this change, it is perfectly proper to

say, that the Spirit turned him; just as you would say of a man who had

persuaded another to change his mind on the subject of politics, that he

had converted him, and brought him over. It is also proper to say that the

truth converted him; as, in a case when the political sentiments of a man

were changed by a certain argument, we should say that argument brought

him over. So, also, with perfect propriety, may we ascribe the change to

the preacher, or to him who had presented the motives; just as he would

say of a lawyer who had prevailed in his argument with a jury: "He has

won his case; he has converted the jury." It is also with the same

propriety ascribed to the individual himself whose heart is changed; we

should say that he has changed his mind, he has come over, he has

repented. Now it is strictly true, and true in the most absolute and highest

sense; the act is his own act, the turning is his own turning, while God by

the truth has induced him to turn; still it is strictly true that he has turned,

and has done it himself. Thus you see the sense in which it is the work of

God; and also the sense in which it is the sinner's own work.



The Spirit of God, by the truth, influences the sinner to c