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Faces In The Congregation
The woman with the thin face was captivated by the sermon. Her attention was fixed and her eyes widened with each new section introduced. She’d never heard the End Times preached so plainly. The speaker flitted expertly from Daniel to Revelation and back again. She heard how the great bear of communism would stumble and collapse, how Islam was rising to persecute the church and what personal qualities would allow early identification of the Beast and the Man of Sin. It was heady stuff and she lapped it up. Next week it would be ‘Creation’, next month, ‘The Role of Women in the Church’. She could hardly wait. The young man with short hair sits bolt upright with almost military poise. For him the best…
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Ministry Blessed
My dear Friend,—Yours came to hand, and I was glad to hear from you. I wish to feel thankful that the Lord makes my poor ministry a blessing to your soul; but I really cannot feel thankful for any mercy except the Lord bless me with a grateful heart. In self and of self, I am one of the most wretched beings, and often wonder what I am living for. And yet, strange to tell, the Lord now and then shines into my dark mind, and gives me a glimpse of his glory. And when such poor polluted worms are enabled to arise and shine in the glory of the Lord, and appear in his beauty, it is confounding to reason, and fills the soul…
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To An Aspirant For The Ministry
Dear Friend,—Yours I received, but have been so engaged that I have not been able to write till now. You will excuse me from entering into particulars, as I feel persuaded that if your feelings are of God (and I hope they are), all the men in the world cannot give you real satisfaction. The work of the ministry is a work of such importance that a soul deeply and truly impressed with its solemn importance must have satisfaction from, God alone, before he dare consider himself called of God to that momentous work; and to rush into it without divine authority is awful presumption. I hope the Lord of the house will influence you to be much in prayer, and daily lay the case…
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Comfort Ye My People
It is the preachers’ calling and purpose to comfort and encourage the Lord’s people. Spiritual comfort can be enjoyed only when the Saviour of sinners is lifted up before them in all the fulness of His glorious accomplishments. Courage to stand for truth in this dark and sinful world flows from the settled knowledge of peace and reconciliation with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Those who preach duty, obligation and self-examination must of necessity draw their hearers’ eyes from the Lord Jesus in order to focus upon themselves. Such practices can never bring comfort to the downcast pilgrim, or strength to Christ’s feeble folk. Brethren, if we are able, in our worship together, to approach the Great Triune God and there catch a…
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The Pastor To His Flock
The following is a copy of the first letter in my possession by my father to the Church: To the Church of God, meeting for the Worship of our glorious Trinity in the Chapel, George's Road, Manchester. Beloved of the adorable Jehovah, and of me, his poor Servant and your Servant, for His sake,—Through the matchless kindness of the Lord, I arrived safely here on Saturday afternoon, and preached on Lord's day to the largest congregation I ever preached to before in my life; and I believe the Lord was there. One of the deacons tells me they let 2,300 sittings; and the chapel was quite crowded, aisles and everywhere, so you may guess what the numbers present were. God willing, I have to preach…
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To Mr. Tiptaft
My dear Brother in the Lord,—Yours came to hand last evening, with the kind present from your friend. Give thanks to him, both for myself and the poor. I do assure him it will be a timely help for the poor. We had just been giving a little flannel and a few blankets to some of our poor, and though we have given to 50, there are others that still stand in great need. I think there are about 90 upon our regular poor-list; so you will see we cannot do a great deal for each; and I was just contriving how I could give them a little beef at Christmas; for there are many of them that cannot get a morsel for months together.…
