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by leading minds. The Bible, and the Bible alone, should be the standard of reference-" To the law and to the testimony." At the same time, he should give due regard to the opinions of wise men, and weigh them with care. He should give the utmost consideration to utterances of the Church through all ages, and to those systematized and formulated doctrines which have guided the Church in the hours of trouble and danger, and which good men have claimed with confidence that they were the truth from God. They should not be set aside.

There are some young ministers with whom it seems to be proof sufficient that certain doctrines are wrong, because they were held by the church in other ages. They fancy that all that is old must, therefore, be done away with. They believe they are fitted for reformers; they are born to renovate society, and to usher in a glorious age. Their ambition is to reject all the old-established beliefs, and to strike out in new and unexplored paths. Such young men forget that in theology there can be no new doctrines, for the foundation of all doctrine is in the Bible alone. There may be new trains of thought, more fitting expressions, more pertinent illustrations, and even certain unforeseen duties may be found in the sacred page; but the radical doctrines are unchangeable. They are like the blessed Saviour "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." The different views in reference to doctrines have been so thoroughly discussed by the various schools of thought that no new or middle ground is likely to be found. Still I would not repress investigation; I would only urge moderation.

I have nothing to say as to the system of doctrines which you accept; but I would urge you to be men of conviction. Give yourselves no rest until you find the truth as revealed to you; and then believe it, and believe it with all your hearts. Unless you form convictions as to what the Scripture teaches, you are not fitted for leaders. Your trumpet should give no uncertain sound. It is not your place to stand in the pulpit and express doubts. If you have any, let them be hid away before you speak, for you are to bear a message from the Lord. Christ, your great model, spake "as one having authority, and not as

the Scribes." He never uttered a doubt in His teaching. It was positive in its character. The disciples "spake the Word of God with all boldness." You owe this to your congregations, who look to you for instruction and guidance. You owe it to yourselves, for without it your power will be frittered away. Men of force say: "We believe, and therefore speak." Whoever reads the Epistles with care will notice their strong positive utterances. Where there is doubt, there is dimness and hesitation; sharp lines of distinction are lacking, and clear presentation is never given.

Among the doctrines which should be presented most clearly and strongly, and on which the young minister should ever be thoroughly prepared, I name the Divinity of Christ. I pass by any remarks on the being and attributes of God. These are so clear and so fully believed to-day by people generally as to be treated as almost universally accepted. Occasionally sermons may be preached on such topics; but I believe the trouble in such cases is not with the head so much as with the heart. If it be true that "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness," I believe. it is also true that out of the heart proceed all evil thoughts, among which infidelity and atheism may be occasionally found. The doctrine of the divinity of Christ is, I believe, the "articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiæ " (Luther) rather than that of justification. The latter has its foundation in the former, and in Luther's time was scarcely called in question. The history of the church in all ages shows that the men who have been most prominent in reforming the world drew their power and inspiration from this doctrine. No church has ever conquered the heathenism of the world, or carried its triumphs into the dark places of the earth, or has been distinguished for saving the fallen and the outcast, but by the exaltation of the cross of the divine Saviour. It was on this conviction of His divinity that Christ promised His Church should stand. When He asked His disciples, "Whom say ye that I am ?" and Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God," He replied: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." He had taught His disciples to call Him Master, and He said

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to them: "Ye call Me Master and Lord; and ye say well, for so I am." So the Church ever stands in the same attitude, and looks up to Christ as its divine Lord and Master.

I do not say you must preach this controversially; but preach it prominently. Assume it and declare it as it is taught in the Holy Scriptures. I do not advise you to hold it upon grounds of utility. There are mysteries in the Divine mode of existence beyond the reach of our conceptions. How it may be with others I cannot say; but on this subject analogies, illustrations, and reasoning have never afforded me full satisfaction. I could meet objections with them; I could silence cavillers; but I rest solely on the Word of God as the foundation of my faith.

The depravity of the human heart, the inherited tendency to do wrong, is so fully shown both by observation and experience, that it would seem as though there ought to be no difference of opinion. As to the fact, I think all men everywhere, whatever their opinions in regard to themselves, feel satisfied that in other men the human heart is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." There may be diversities in speculation as to how that depravity comes, to what extent it reaches, and how it may be overcome; but unless man is so depraved he needs no Saviour, while if that depravity inheres in his nature he needs a Divine Saviour. To man thus in need the doctrine should be preached of an atoning Saviour, who died in his stead, who paid the debt of his sins, and made it possible for God to be just and yet "the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

These are to me the cardinal doctrines of the Gospel—a Divine Saviour making atonement for sinful man, and thereby restoring him to divine favour. On these doctrines and their collaterals every young minister should gather such Scripture proofs, arguments, and illustrations as shall make his Gospel glad tidings to the sons of men. I am aware that among many there is an aversion to doctrinal preaching and a reluctance to obey the direction of Paul to Timothy: "Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine." And again: "Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine; for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall

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Use of Published Sermons.

they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." The disposition to avoid doctrinal preaching almost inevitably leads to injurious results. By emphasizing doctrines, however, I do not mean that they should be set forth in a controversial manner; but they should be given their proper place and importance. Prominent among these teachings must be the influence of the Holy Spirit. Through its influence alone all good begins in man; it is the agent of our regeneration, justification, and sanctification, and without it there could be no hope and no life for our world. The doctrines of the immortality of the soul, of the resurrection of the dead, and of future rewards and punishments should also be distinctly set forth and given such prominence as we are taught in the Holy Scriptures.

The study of church history is of great benefit to the student. I only wish there was a church history which distinctly and clearly set forth the true life of the church in all ages, and was not so fully occupied with the discussion of questions of orthodoxy or heresy, or the sayings or doings of a few of the principal leaders.

Published sermons also may be highly serviceable, that the young minister may gain an idea of the manner and matter which distinguished those ministers who have been most successful. He should read them, not to copy or imitate; but to find suggestions and inspirations which may add to the breadth of his views and to the facility with which he may perform his work. I would recommend, however, that his reading be confined to the great masters. The materials collected in this way should be thoroughly digested, and they should be transmuted and translated into one's own current of thought. Thus the resulting performance will be individual in its character, but will also be enriched with added thoughts of beauty and grandeur. This will not be plagiarism, for it is not the simple use of another man's thoughts. We coin no new words, or but seldom. The greatest inventors create no new materials, but find new relations for those already existing.

Various plans are pursued in collecting and preserving

materials.

The use of scrap-books and common-place books cannot be too earnestly recommended. In reading, it is well to have a pencil and note-book in hand, not only for the sake of entering quotations or marks for reference, but, what is still more valuable, to preserve the thoughts which are suggested to your own mind rather than stated by the author.

As an element of preparation, the pen should be frequently used. I am not speaking now of the question of written or extempore sermons; but of that facility in writing, which, to a minister who composes much, is absolutely essential. You should write much, and strive to write.well; yet first write much. In Nature, what an immense number of leaves are produced only to fall away. Ten times as many buds and flowers appear as are fully developed into fruit. So with the young writer; write first, first, trim afterward. Pour out your thoughts as they occur, even should the order not be the most harmonious or the connection the most perfect. The more rapidly you write, the more naturally. The great difficulty with many is that their ideal is so high, their standard so perfect, that they fear to write at all; and when they commence they are discouraged. While correcting one sentence they lose the glow which would have given warmth and life to the next. Write frequently on theological topics, and occasionally write sermons, whether you deliver them or not, for the purpose of securing proper symmetry, continuity, and relation of the various parts.

The studies of the minister should not be confined exclusively to theological reading. He should strive to make himself master, as far as may be, of the general questions pertaining to science and the higher branches of learning. Mental philosophy, especially, should be with him an almost constant study. He should also love to roam throughout Nature. Everywhere there are marks of his Father's hand. The minute, as well as the vast, displays the wisdom and power of the great Creator, and furnishes him lessons of value and illustrations which shall both illustrate and profit. But in all these studies the minister should keep Christ in view as the great central figure, and always bear in mind the work which he is to perform-the erection of a great