Get Out of the Trenches A Clarion Call from a Noted English Preacher, Dr. H. Tydeman Chilvers, of London
jHE following from Dr; H. Tyde man ChilVers, pastor of the Metropolitan T a b e r n a c l e (Spurgeon’s church) Lon- a rally call to th e Lord’s own Dr. Chilvers takes th e lead in
have been made by th e blood of Cal vary, th a t men may by faith in Christ Jesus be eternally saved. The masses must be made to know in most solemn language th a t they are sinners in the sight of God and th a t unless they re pent, judgm ent is th e ir doom.. Love, blood and power must be upon our ban ner, and th a t banner must be unfurled in .th e power of th e Holy Spirit. But the move must be evangelistic. The Pastors for a tim e must- be evangelists in th e ir own churches; cliques in church life must be broken up; th e re must be some wise personal work, everyone seek ing to be a blessing to another. P rayer4 meetings will have to bring th e g reat b attering ram against the kingdom of darkness. I am not advocating organ izing and advertising g re a t missions, when a m issioner is expected to come and get everyone on his feet and when th a t is accomplished advertise a g rea t revival; bu t each church in its own sphere must rise and do some bush beating. Such a movement may upset some folk; if it does they must go th e ir way and not be allowed to stand in the way of God’s work.
don,' is people.
England in meeting th e pulpit apostasy, and does not h esitate to sound the trum p et w ith no uncertain sound. We must consolidate our forces to en ter th e fray. I am not pleading for any ecclesiastical unity or some great organized body, bu t , ra th e r . th a t we should concentrate all our gifts and talen ts and' means to a g reat endeavor to win men and women to our Lord Jesu s Christ. Let th e Church pu t aside (fo r awhile a t least) th e things th a t do not m atter. All the auxiliaries of church work must be brought into line w ith th e one purpose. Let us take an exam ple from th e modus operandi during the war, when th e whole country was called to rally for one grea't end. This will mean a strong determ ination and conse crated will on th e p a rt of a ll’God’s tru e m inisters. When we have th u s consoli dated our forces, in some measure gauged thé opposing streng th , then we must' dash forward w ith unity of pu r pose, action, method and means. Strong in faith under thé bloodstained banner o r the Cross, we must get ou t of our trenches and strik e in th e m idst of the enem ies’ camp and'» rou t them out and chase them to the death. There must be no dream or though t of defeat, but again and again like Moses, we must demand th e release of the people of the Lord. “Let my people go.” W hat must be th e form of th e aggres sive move? It must be evangelical: The word of the Cross must be our message. In plain, simple language th e people must hear th a t reconciliation and peace
I th ink also th ere should be included in this move a special scholarly on slaught. A number of men and women of renowned sanctified scholarship, lead ers of thought, should by press and pen and speech conduct a g reat campaign among students and a t all centers of learning of a Christian evidential char acter and also for preaching th e gospel in th e very best language. There are hundreds of young students longing for an orthodox move among them , th a t is thorough, real and scholarly, conducted by learned men and women who are filled w ith th e Holy Ghost. DOCTRINAL STATEMENT IN DEED TO
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