III. Thirdly, this topic AWAKENS REFLECTION.

“Well,” says one, “I am afraid it would not work.” That is it, my Brethren; that is just the hitch in the whole matter; it would not work. “We have got a machinery,” said a Brother to me once, “we have got a machinery in our Church which will go on just as well, whatever the characters of the members may be.” “Then,” I said to him, “depend upon it, yours is not that which God has ordained.” For it seems to me that the most Scriptural system of Church government is that which requires the most prayer, the most faith, and the most piety to keep it going! The Church of God was never meant to be an automaton. If it were, the wheels would all act of themselves. The Church was meant to be a livingthing, a living person, and as the person cannot be supported if life is absent, or if food is kept back, or if breath is suspended— so should it be with the Church! There should be certain solemn necessities without which she ceases to be a Church— certain things which she must have, and without which she cannot do her work. I am glad that this difficulty is suggested at all, for it seems to me that if there were not this difficulty, it would not be God’s plan. “Well,” says one, “if you believe the Church is to do all this work, then the Churches cannot yet be what they should.” I am glad you draw that inference, my Brother, I am glad you do. “Why,” says one, “our Churches could not support a missionary, some of them hardly support their minister!” Just so, Brethren, but that is just because they are in a wrong state. There is hardly a Church anywhere, but if the Spirit of God were poured upon it, might not do ten times as much for Christ as it is now doing! The fact is there may be some few Churches that are walking in the right road, but they are very few indeed. And the objection which you bring ought to be an objection against the state of the Church, and not against the plan itself—for it is possible for the Churches to maintain missionaries and minister—if they want to do it!

“Well,” says one, “but a Church must be very watchful to find out young men for the ministry.” Just so, I am glad you say that, for a Church ought to be very watchful. “But the minister must have a good deal to do,” you say. Just so, and he ought to have a great deal to do! What is the use of a lazy minister? He is no good either to the world, to the Church, or to himself; he is a dishonor to the noblest profession that can be bestowed upon the sons of men! Let him have plenty to do; it will keep him out of mischief, and it would do him good. Too much to do may be an evil, but too little to do is a curse! Let him have much to do. “But,” says another, “the minister ought to be a holy man, because if the young persons who associate with him learn ill manners, what then?” Just so, I am glad you say that. And so he should be a holy man. Amongst the Swiss, the Vaudois, and the Waldenses, every minister trains one young man. Those pastors or shepherds always have a younger Brother to travel with them wherever they go. He watches the elder pastor, observes his ways, listens to his holy prayers. He is inspired with his spirit, learns to tread the craggy mountains with him, learns to defy the enemy through the courage which he sees in his elder Brother. He learns lessons of wisdom which are not to be learned from books, lessons of practical pastoral training which are not to be gathered from the best professors of the best colleges in the world! And thus the Swiss have always maintained a succession of men, perhaps not brilliant, but always useful—perhaps not popular, but always sound, and valiant in their defense of the Truths of God! And should it not be so with the Church? If to carry it out, it needs a laborious ministry, so much the better; if it needs a holy and wise ministry, so much the better; no other man should be a minister at all! If it needs a watchful Church, and a prayerful Church, and a Church which consecrates liberally of its substance to the Lord, I say so much the better—for so ought every Church be!

The only question is, are we in the right state, now, to accomplish all the Lord’s purposes? If we are not, let us make it a matter of prayer that we may be brought into this state—for we are never healthy unless we are prepared to do whatever God calls us to do! We will be losing in our own spiritual enjoyment if we fail to have strength to carry out all the work which the Lord imposes upon us. The Lord never gives us more to do than we can do. We had the work of building this place, and many thought we could not do it—at last we thought we could—and by God’s Grace we did it. If we had 50 more such places to build, and the Lord laid it to our heart to build them, we could do it if we were in a right state. Our only lack of power is lack of Grace. Give the Church, Grace, and she does not need a new banker! Give her Grace, she does not need then to have new ministers! Give her more Grace, she will not need the world’s pitiful gold to endow her and make her rich. Give her Grace, and you have given her all she needs! In that one word, you shall have successful ministers, you shall have laborious agencies, you shall have benevolence pouring out its floods, and piety consecrating all its activities for Christ!

IV. Now I shall come to my last point. The last point is BY WAY OF SUGGESTION.

What can we do practically to carry out this plan? Brothers and Sisters, before I answer that question, let me say there are some things we must take care of or else we cannot carry it out at all. We must watch lest the Church be adulterated by additions which are not an increase to her strength. We must be very careful that no thought of strife, no symptom of envy, no feeling of jealousy creep in. Up to now you have been as one man—undivided and indivisible. This is absolutely necessary in the Church for the carrying out of any of her purposes! Divided we should utterly fail! I remember a somewhat ludicrous incident which occurred to a Church in which there were great quarreling and bickerings. The minister and the deacons, and his people, were all at arm’s length and daggers drawn. It was determined at last, that the matter should come to a settlement, and it was by mutual consent given up to the judgment of a good Christian farmer, who lived in the neighborhood. He was to hear the case, and write an answer to be read at the next Church Meeting. Our friend, the farmer, sat down to write his letter—at the same time he had a letter from a steward or tenant asking advice about his farm—and by a mistake, or rather by a blessed Providence as God would have it, he put the wrong letters into the envelopes, so that the letter which was intended for the Church went to the steward, and that which was intended for the steward went to the Church! At the Church Meeting, when they were all assembled, this letter was read to the Church; it ran thus—“Dear Friend, mind you see to the hedges well. Keep them up as best you can, and take special care of the old black bull.” Now that was a most extraordinary letter to write to a Church! It had been sent by mistake, but the minister thinking it was a bona fide piece of advice, said he could not understand it. Some Brother got up and said it was plain enough—it was meant that they must be very watchful as to whom they should receive into the Church. They must keep their hedges up, and see there were no gaps. “And,” he said, “by the ‘old black bull’ I have no doubt he means that spirit of Satan that would get in and trouble, and divide us.” So understanding it in that sense, they made up their differences, repaired their hedges, and were careful of “the old black bull.” Every Church must do the same, for before we can do anything for Christ, we must first be right at home! We must have peace within our borders. We must be filled with the finest wheat, or else He will not send forth His Word and make it to run very swiftly. This, I hope, will be well seen to.

What, then, are we to do? If the Church is to do all this, Brothers and Sisters, what are you and I to do? As for me, I must take heed unto myself. I am to be the leader of this people, constantly ministering to them in the Word of Life. I must take care that my dedication of myself, and all I have, to my Lord be so perfectly complete that I would not have an objection to them knowing what I do with all I have. I must so live that they can see right through me that I desire to serve my Master and serve Him alone. Then one and all of you must say, “What must I do?” Let each man finding his own proper niche, each seaman on board the vessel finding which rope he can best handle, or what part of the tackling he best understands, take his place. Then come rocking tempests, let the ship reel; she is safe, for she is in the hands of God, and in the hands of faithful men, who know how to manage her right well.

The battle is to be fought, Brethren. It is to be fought by Christ’s army, not by hirelings. What are you and I to do? I must stand at the front of the line, and wave my sword, and say, “Come on, comrades!” And you, with steady step advancing, with firm bold front maintaining every inch of the ground you take, and at last—rushing in one tremendous phalanx straightway to the thick of the fight—you must carry everything before you, and win the crown for King Jesus! England expects every man to do his duty, but the Church of God expects it more, and must and shall have it! By Him who shall judge the quick and the dead; by Him who bought you with His blood, I adjure you, Christian men and women, see to it that you stand, each of you in your place. Do, each of you, your own appointed work! And so shall Christ’s Kingdom come, and His will be done on earth even as it is in Heaven.

I think I hear a little murmuring going round the gallery, and especially stopping at some few of the pews. I will not indicate the Brethren. They are saying, “I do not belong to the Church—what am I to do?” My Brethren, the first thing you ought to do is to join the Church! You say you love the Lord Jesus Christ. Very well. If you neglect one duty, that does not excuse you from another! You are dying in a state of sin, as a Christian, if you omit the duty of joining yourself with the people of God! May I ask you, when the Church goes to the fight, will you tarry at home? “No,” you say, “I will follow with you. I will do my work. I will go as one of the camp-followers.” Yes, but somehow or other, those camp-followers are in a very unsatisfactory state because they are not under the discipline of the officers! And though some of them can fight well, a sort of guerilla warfare, yet we would be much stronger if we could have them in the ranks! Brethren, don’t you think sometimes that the world may imagine that you mean to hold hard till you see which will win? Had you not better cast in your lot with us while the battle rages? Besides, what does the Master say?—“He that confesses Me before men, him will I confess.” And what does He say to those who do notconfess? “He that denies Me before men, him shall be denied of My Father which is in Heaven.” You do not wish for that, surely! Enlist, then! Put on your Lord’s regimentals. True, you can fight His battle without them, but I think you will be more in the path of obedience, and the path of safety, if you put on the garments of Christ, and the garments of His salvation. Come! Whoever is on the Lord’s side, let him join with the Lord’s hosts! If you are not, stand back and do not dare to come! But if you are, the standard is lifted, the trumpets sound! Come, comrades! Who is for Christ? Soldiers, who is for the Lord God Omnipotent? Unfurl the standard afresh today! Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord is our banner, and who will stand back? Let us enroll ourselves beneath Him and say, “O Lord, go forth with our armies, and grant success, for the battle is great and without You we shall utterly fail, but with You we shall surely get the victory!”

I have preached, as you will perceive, then, to the Church only. I have said nothing to the unconverted. We cannot do 20 things at a time. But I would say this word before I sit down. Remember, my dear Hearers, if you are not numbered with the friends of Christ, you are numbered with His enemies! Will you remember that? I do not mean, if you are not numbered with the visible Church—I mean this—if you do not love and serve Christ. He who is not with Him, is against Him—he who gathers not with Him, scatters abroad. You say you take neither side—it is impossible—you must be on one side or the other! Clear the field! There is no room here except for the two armies. Whoever is not with Christ is with Satan, and shall surely be trod down when the enemies of God are trod like straw for the dunghill! Sinner, be aware of this—that Godis against you—and the hosts of God are against you! The Lord give you repentance! The Lord give you faith! And come to the Captain of Salvation and ask Him to have mercy on you! Run down the old flag! Thank God it is not nailed to the mast! Let the black flag come down, and let the blood-red flag run up! Spirit of God, compel them to change masters! May they no more serve the black prince, Satan; but may they, by Your Grace, serve under His banner whose service is perfect freedom, and whose reward is everlasting life!

May the Lord bless each one of you, for Christ’s sake!

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