Part 9 (1/2)
Do you know the fable of the crab and his children? The crab was sore distressed to see his little ones run crookedly on the sand of the sea sh.o.r.e, so he said, ”My sons, walk straight!” ”Yes,” answered the little crabs, ”lead thou the way, father, and we will follow thy footsteps.”
Is it a wonder to you, a wonder and a distress, that your sons do not turn out well, that they go to the public-house too much, and that they are idle workmen, that they swear and use foul language? If you wish them to grow up differently, it is of no use saying to them, ”My sons, walk straight!” you must lead the way, that they may follow.
Is it a wonder and grief to a mother that her girls become giddy, frivolous, and unsteady, and perhaps cause her shame? Do you want them to be quiet, to stay at home, and be neat, modest, unselfish girls?
then do not be giddy and a gadabout yourself. ”Lead thou the way, mother, and they will follow.”
Do you, parents, find that your children ramble about the lanes with idle companions instead of coming to Church on Sundays, that they do not love the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d, that they do not fear G.o.d, and reverence His sanctuary? Do you want them to be G.o.d-fearing, pious, consistent Christians? Then do you lead the way and they will follow.
Do you want your boys and girls to hold a check on their tongues, and not to be always wrangling and snapping at one another, scolding, and finding fault, and quarrelling? Then do you lead the way, that they may follow. Lead the way by keeping a check on your tongues, by being gentle and forbearing--you, husband and wife, one with another, not given to railing, but, contrariwise, to blessing.
II. You may have observed how often in Holy Scripture the expression recurs, ”The G.o.d of your Father,” or ”The G.o.d of your Fathers,” ”The G.o.d of my Father,” or ”of my Fathers.” This is a remarkable expression. Is G.o.d short of Names that He should be thus designated?
Might He not be better termed Almighty, Everlasting, Jehovah? The expression is of such frequent recurrence that it must have a meaning--and this is what it means. There is such a thing as an hereditary religion. As a man regards G.o.d, so will his children regard Him. If a man is reverent and devout, and shows that he honours G.o.d, and regards Him as a just and righteous G.o.d, hating iniquity, and rewarding all those who keep His commandments, then his children will grow up regarding G.o.d as just and righteous; but if a man thinks of G.o.d as indifferent to righteousness, as so ready in His kindness to forgive everything, and let men do what they like, that He will pardon them for any and everything they do, then his sons will grow up looking on G.o.d as the great Author of moral disorder among men. If a man regards G.o.d as expecting wors.h.i.+p and honour, then the sons will grow up with the same idea of G.o.d, and will wors.h.i.+p and honour Him, and if a man has no G.o.d at all, then his sons will also have no G.o.d at all.
III. In Exodus G.o.d threatens that He will ”visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generations.” In like manner He blesses a whole posterity for the righteousness of their parents. You see now how and why this is. It is because when a father and mother are wicked, their children grow up wicked also, and their children's children, till the whole family dies out through its vicious habits, or there rises out of it some redeeming element of good.
In the same way good parents have good children, and these good children marry, and have also good offspring, and so the goodness of one pious and righteous pair goes on descending and spreading like a fertilizing river, bearing blessings to all who are near it. What an encouragement this is to you parents to lead G.o.d-fearing lives! What a warning to those of you who are careless! The belief of the ruler brought belief to his whole house. The salvation of Zacchaeus brought salvation to his whole house also. Righteousness may bring a blessing to your children, and children's children, for many generations.
LIX.
_THE PREACHER AND HIS HEARERS._
22nd Sunday after Trinity.
S. Matthew xviii. 23.
”The kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.”
INTRODUCTION.--I have been a good deal abroad, over the Continent of Europe, and whenever I am in a little country inn, I make a point of going into the room where the men are smoking and drinking wine or beer, and hearing their opinions on the politics of the day, and of their country. Now, my experience tells me that in country taverns in France, and Germany, and Belgium, and Switzerland, and Austria, the main topic of discussion is--the Parsons. I have not been much about in this way in England, but I have an idea that it is pretty nearly the same here. What I have heard often said is this, ”Nothing easier than to preach!” ”Ah! they are always preaching at us, it is a pity that they do not preach to themselves.” ”Ah! if they would only practice what they preach, we would listen more readily.”
SUBJECT.--To-day I am going to preach to the preacher, to myself, at least in the first part of my sermon, and you may sit and listen.
After that, I will have a word with you. In to-day's Gospel we hear that the king will take account of his servants, that is, G.o.d will take account of all those who are His servants, first with those who are His special Ministers, the Clergy, and preachers of His Word, and secondly, of those who are the hearers.
I. Now, let me see what G.o.d expects of a preacher, and what I ought to be and to do. S. Paul says: ”We preach Christ crucified.” That is the first thing I am bound to do. I must remember to do that. Then, S.
Luke says that Jesus was ”mighty in word and deed,” and as Christ has sent us even as He was sent by the Father, so must we preachers be mighty, as far as we can, both in word and deed, we must speak boldly and vigorously, and we must act in the same way, we must practice what we preach. That is a great deal expected of us. If we were only to preach up to the level of our own lives, it would be easier. But the preaching goes first; we must preach the highest virtue, and then try to live up to that. S. John the Baptist was set before us as an example of a preacher, and ”he was a burning and a s.h.i.+ning light.” We preachers must give you doctrine which not only s.h.i.+nes but also burns, we must not only enlighten your minds by teaching, but also burn your consciences. We must instruct the intellect, and warm and fire the heart. That is requiring a great deal of us. ”He maketh his ministers a burning fire,” says David, and S. Paul quotes his words approvingly.
It is a pleasant thing to enlighten, but to burn is not so pleasant.
Yet that is what we preachers are bound to do, we must not speak to you smooth things, but those things which will sting you and make you arise and cry out. Not only what you like, but a great deal that you do not like. That is what is demanded of a preacher.
Then again he must not ”use the Word of G.o.d deceitfully,” twisting it to enforce what is not G.o.d's truth, but his own fancy. We read that at the trial of Christ there were found two false witnesses who declared that Christ had said, ”Destroy this temple, and in three days will I build it up.” Now when we look at S. John's Gospel we find that He did say this. How, then, were they false witnesses? They were false witnesses because they gave His words a meaning He never intended them to have. He spoke of the temple of His body; they made His words apply to the temple of Jerusalem.
Moses desired that his preaching might be as the dew. ”My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the gra.s.s” (Deut.
x.x.xii. 2.) Very pleasant it would be to speak so that one's words came down like the dew, or even as the small rain on the tender gra.s.s. You would like that, and so would I. You would hold up your heads like the flowers, and drink the dewy doctrine in. But stay! ”As the showers upon the gra.s.s” as well, says Moses. It will not do for the preacher to speak only gently; his words must come pattering about your heads like a driving April shower, when you will shrink from the rain and hide to get out of the way. The preacher must pour out on you a good strong shower of hard words.
But that is not all. He must use the Word of the Lord as a sword.
”The Word of G.o.d is quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and of spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” How will the hearers like that? The preacher must not ask that, he must use the Word as it is given him, whether his hearers like it or whether they do not.