Page 2 - word to PDF

CHAPTER 1

Importance of a Living Ministry

"How much more would a few good and fervent men effect in the ministry than a
multitude of lukewarm ones!" said Oecolampadius, the Swiss Reformer — a man who had
been taught by experience, and who has recorded that experience for the benefit of other
churches and other days.

The mere multiplying of men calling themselves ministers of Christ will avail little. They
may be but "cumberers of the ground." They may be like

Achan, troubling the camp; or perhaps Jonah, raising the tempest. Even when sound in the
faith, through unbelief, lukewarmness and slothful formality, they may do irreparable
injury to the cause of Christ, freezing and withering up all spiritual life around them. The
lukewarm ministry of one who is theoretically orthodox is often more extensively and
fatally ruinous to souls than that of one grossly inconsistent or flagrantly heretical.
"What man on earth is so pernicious a drone as an idle minister?" said Cecil. And
Fletcher remarked well that "lukewarm pastors made careless Christians." Can the
multiplication of such ministers, to whatever amount, be counted a blessing to a people? The
fathers of the Scottish Church , acting upon this principle, preferred keeping a parish vacant
to appointing over it an unsuitable pastor. And when the church of Christ, in all her
denominations, returns to primitive example, and walking in apostolical footsteps seeks
to be conformed more closely to inspired models, allowing nothing that pertains to earth to
come between her and her living Head, then will she give more careful heed to see that the
men to whom she entrusts the care of souls, however learned and able, should be yet more
distinguished by their spirituality, zeal, faith and love.

In comparing Baxter and Orton, the biographer of the former remarks that "Baxter would
have set the world on fire while Orton was lighting a match." How true! Yet not true alone of
Baxter or of Orton. These two individuals are representatives of two classes in the church of
Christ in every age and of every denomination. The latter class are far the more numerous:
the Ortons you may count by hundreds, the Baxters by tens; yet who would not prefer a
solitary specimen of the one to a thousand of the other? "When he spoke of weighty soul
concerns," says one of his contemporaries of Baxter, "you might find his very spirit drenched
therein." No wonder that he was blessed with such amazing success! Men felt that in listening
to him they were in contact with one who was dealing with realities of infinite moment.