Good Advice to Young Ministers.
An eminent aged preacher speaks the following solemn words to young men just entering the ministry:— “Young gentlemen, the world is passing fast. It seems but yesterday when I thought I was a young man; to-day I am an old man. It seems but yesterday when I thought I had endless time before me: my work is almost done. You are beginning, and life is all before you, with its taxations, with its annoyances, with its cares. The most important thing you have before you in life is not that you should have an eminent place, or a great name, or large revenues, or even success, in the ordinary sense of the term. The chiefest thing that lies before you, which you can conceive of, is that you should ripen into the disposition of the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way that when you come to men it shall be as if Christ came to them, bringing his power, his nature, his influence, his feeling, his life. You are all running to the Lord, and saying “Lord, grant that I may sit on thy right hand or on thy left;” and Christ is saying to you, “My son, can you drink of the cup that I drink of? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized withal?” You want to be radiant ministers, eloquent ministers, ministers of great influence and success. Do you want to sit on the Lord’s right hand or on his left? Then give him your heart, so that in humility, in gentleness, in unfailing sweetness, in patience under all circumstances, you shall be like him. In order to be successful and influential ministers, are you willing to bear about with you the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ, in order that his love may be made manifest in your heart? This it is to preach Christ as the wisdom of God and the power of God unto the salvation of men,” D. M. CANRIGHT.