THE PRACTICAL DUTY OF THE PULPIT.
By W. N. G.
The innate desire of the modern pulpit for political influence is indicated by a San Francisco Rev. editor in the following expression:— “Yes, the pulpit has a duty, a practical duty, and if the supervisors go astray, it is the duty of the pulpit to call them back.” So Paul must have misunderstood the duty of the pulpit. He visited and preached, in the greatest cities of his day, cities fairly teeming with political corruption, yet in no instance do we hear of any “municipal reform” movement on his part, or on the part of any of his contemporaneous laborers. The city of Corinth was a very wicked city; Paul lived and labored there at one time for a year and a half, but he made no effort at municipal reform. Writing to the brethren afterward, he said:— “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. . . . And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” 1 Cor. 2: 2-5. Then the minister of God who will have his preaching accompanied by the Spirit and power of God, must give his attention to the one grand theme of “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” If he will preach Christ faithfully, he will have no time to devote to the regulation or reformation of the governments of this world, municipal or national, for Christ expressly said that his kingdom was not of this world. The minister of Christ goes out under express directions to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. With all of Paul’s diversified gifts, and he “was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles,” he had one purpose from which he never deviated. That purpose is expressed in these words: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The minister of Jesus Christ is an ambassador (2 Cor. 5: 20), not to civil officials as such, but to individuals as sinners. It is not to bring recreant “supervisors” or other officials back to their legitimate civil duties, but to beseech men of every grade, as individuals, to be “reconciled to God.” If this can be accomplished, the individual so changed will be a more faithful person in every capacity consistent with Christian duty. But the commission of the Gospel ambassador contains no prerogative to compel any one either in-religious duty or civil function. His message to sinful man is, “We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” He can do nothing further in Christ’s stead, for Christ himself went no further than to offer salvation to those who would accept it. We have no record of his endeavoring to compel civil officials to perform their duties. Furthermore, the apostle Paul is very emphatic in regard to the duty of the minister to continue the work of the Gospel on the principle enunciated by him. Writing to the churches of Galatia, he says: “There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” It is the Gospel of the kingdom of God which the ambassador of Christ is to preach, and not the patching up of the corrupt governments of this world, which are soon to be broken in pieces and consumed by the coming and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. This sin-cursed earth and its sin-laden governments are soon to pass away, and “we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The only legitimate correction the Gospel minister may have for the civil officer is to warn him as an individual sinner before God, to reason with him, as Paul did with Felix, of righteousness, temperance, and the judgment. With the regulation of civil office, the “pulpit”—the Gospel minister as such—has no legitimate concern. “Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” Luke 9: 60. W. N. G.