I  know  the  comfort  and  inspiration  that
comes  to  a  minister  in  the  open  confession
of  God's  children,  when  that  confession
is  simple,  and  serious,  and  true.  But  I
am  not  going  to  limit  my  conception  of
the  fruits  of  my  ministry  to  products  like
these.  There  are  many  people  who  find
their  Lord  who  never  find  me.  There
are  many  children  of  despondency  and
depression  who  steal  into  my  services,
and  who  steal  out  again  with  the  feeling
that  "  the  winter  is  past,"  and  that  "  the
time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come."
But  no  news  of  their  springtime  gets  into
my  journal  or  finds  a  place  in  the  diaries
of  the  church.  Many  a  weary  business
man,  who  for  a  whole  week  has  been  the
victim  of  the  dusty  plains,  trails  into  the
church,  and  he  gets  a  vision  of  the  glory  of
the  hills  of  God,  and  his  soul  is  restored,
but  no  tidings  of  his  soul's  journey  ings
16


242  THE    PREACHER

is  given  to  me.  Gentlemen,  we  should
be  astonished  with  a  great  surprise  if  we
knew  all  the  secret  happenings  which
take  place  every  time  we  minister  of  the
Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity  and  in  truth  !
Something  always  happens — deep  and
gracious  and  beautiful,  and  the  great
Husbandman,  who  never  overlooks  or
loses  any  fruit,  will  gather  it  unto  ever
lasting  life.  So  I  counsel  you  not  to  be
burdened  by  the  menace  of  statistics,  and
do  not  permit  your  strength  to  be  sapped
by  worries  which  you  ought  to  quietly
lay  upon  the  love  of  God.  "  Trust  in  the
Lord,  and  do  good  :  so  shalt  thou  dwell
in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed."
And  the  last  counsel  which  I  will  give
you  as  merchantmen  in  the  business  of
the  kingdom  is  this  :  you  never  help
the  business  by  advertising  yourself.  Self-
advertisement  is  deadly  in  the  ministry
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Puffy,  showy  para
graphs  concerning  ourselves  and  our  work ;
egotistical  recitals  of  our  powers  and


AS    A    MAN    OF   AFFAIRS  243

attainments  ;  all  forms  of  self-obtrusion
and  self -aggression, — all  these  are  ab
solutely  fatal  to  the  really  deepest  work
committed  to  our  hands.  Our  fellow-
labourers  know  when  our  work  is  marred
by  self-conceit.  The  devil  is  delighted
when  he  can  lure  us  into  self-display.
