How to Get There | AdventAI

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Feb 18, 1886

"How to Get There."

Two or three generations ago there were pious men in every Scotch village, noted for their frequent use of Scripture language and metaphor. A tall man was spoken of as a "Saul among the people," and a disagreeable man, as "a Mordecai at the gate;" a bad woman was a "Jezebel," and a miser, an "Achan;" a profane man was one who spoke "part in the speech of Ashdod, and part in the Jews' language." A keen politician, a pious church member, during the voting for a member of Parliament, anxious to know the state of the poll and the prospects of his candidate, asked: "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Many of those men of quaint phrases were farm laborers or cobblers, who, though they had read few books, knew their Bible, and the knowledge made them excellent judges of sermons.

The Rev. John Macnab preached at a communion season on "Heaven." It was a long sermon; but the people thought it as beautiful as a series of dissolving views. It had, however, one defect,—the length of the descriptive part left no time for the "application." Old George Brown met the preacher at a friend's house, and astonished him by the resume he gave of the sermon.

"It was a grand sermon as far as it went," he said, after he had finished his report. "I never enjoyed a description of Heaven better. Ye told us a'thing aboot Heaven except hoo to get there; and, Maister Macnab, you'll excuse me, my young friend, for sayin' that should na hae been left oot; for ye'll admit yersel' if that's awantin', a's awantin'. Ye'll mind the king's son's feast? The servants didna only tell that a'thing was ready, but they compelled them to come in."

The young preacher was too intelligent not to see the aptness of the criticism, and when George had retired, he said to his friend,—

"I have been criticised by learned professors and doctors of divinity, by fellow-students and relatives; but that good old man has given me more insight into what preaching should be than all the others put together. I hope as long as I live I shall never again, when delivering God's message to my fellow-men, forget to tell them 'how to get there.'"—The Presbyterian.