T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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in condemning this misuse of the Scrip tures has remarked that “ Texts have been selected from worthy and unworthy motives; they have been applied and misapplied, and made the vehicles for personal and po litical allusions; with wilful ingenuity and unscriptural spirit, twisted into puns, and treated with as little scruple as though they had. been the words of heathen poets; they have been manipu lated by abbreviated quotations, and tortured with false emphasis, in order to present oddities and incongruities by no means in accordance with the orig inal terms.” Dr. Phillips Brooks has spoken words of wisdom on this subject: “ In the name of taste and reverence alike, let there be no twists and puns, no deal ing with the word of God as it would be insulting to deal with the word of any friend. The Bible has suffered in the hands of many Christian preachers what the block of wood which the sav age chooses for his idol suffers from its worshiper. The same selection which consecrates it as more sacred than other blocks of wood condemns it also to have all his ugly fancies and fan tastic conceits painted and carved up on it. It is the most sacred, most hid eous block of wood in the village. So the sacredness of the Bible has subjected it to a usage that no other book has re ceived. Such a fantastic and irreverent way of manifesting our reverence has lasted too long. It is time that it were stopped. I beg you to do what you can to stop it. At least make your own use of the Bible reverent and true." — L. T. Townsend. Let ’Em Have It Straight The story is told of a supply preach er who was filling a new pulpit, and was cautioned before the morning service by the head deacon, that he should be careful not to say a word in his ser mon against dancing, for some of the young folks danced; nor against drink-
3. The Redeemed. Rev. 7:9. GOD KNOWS THEIR NUMBER 4. The Thoughts of God for His own. Psa. 40:5; Psa. 139:17-18. GOD NEVER FORGETS HIS PEOPLE 5. The great unsearchable things of God. Job 5:9. THEY ARE COUNTLESS 6. The Sands of the Sea. Hos. 1:10. INNUMERABLE 7. The Host of Heaven. Jer. 33:22. GOD’S SERVANTS — J. Meek. Your people will learn to trust you and will confide in you as you value their confidence. When your people be lieve in you, you have an asset indeed. Not until then are you in a position to render the highest and fullest service to them. Your people will need to share many secrets with you. Guard these jealously! The pastor who would be tray a confidence given in the privacy of the home, is unworthy of the name. Teach your people to trust you that |you may help them. — Baylor. Selecting Texts Because a passage is found in the Bible is not always a good reason why it may be used as the text for a sermon. Certain passages are so obviously in appropriate that there is scarcely need of mentioning them. There are others that are considered of such doubtful propriety that they are ruled against by the wisest pulpit authorities. Now, what we have to say on this point is this, that the preacher who thinks he is witty in the selection and application of such texts is devoid of wit in net knowing that-he irrevocably sinks himself in the estimation of all people who hold in high esteem the Word of God. An eminent writer on sacred rhetoric PULPIT PO INTERS On Betraying Confidences
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