Moody
Stuart telling me long ago that he had found his young communicants'
classes to be the most fruitful opportunities of all his ministry; as,
also, next to them, times of baptism in families. And every minister who
tries to be a minister at all after Dr. Moody Stuart's pattern, will tell
you something of the same thing. They get at the opening history of
their young people's hearts before their first communion. They make
shorthand entries and secret memoranda at such a season like this: 'A. a
rebuke to me. He had for long been astonished at me that I did not speak
to him about his soul. B. traced his conversion to the singing of 'The
sands of time are sinking' in this church last summer. C. was spoken to
by a room-mate. D. was to be married, and she died. Of E. I have great
hope. F., were she anywhere but at home, I would have great hopes of
her,'--and so on. But, then, when a minister takes boldness to turn over
the pages of his young communicants' roll for half a lifetime--ah me, ah
me! What was I doing to let that so promising communicant go so far
astray, and I never to go after him? And that other. And that other.
And that other. Till we can read no more. O God of mercy, when Thou
inquirest after blood, let me be hidden in the cleft of that Rock so
deeply cleft for unwatchful ministers!

4. And then, as Dr. Joseph Parker says, who says everything so plainly
and so powerfully: 'There is pastoral preaching as well as pastoral
visitation. There is pastoral preaching; rich revelation of divine
truth; high, elevating treatment of the Christian mysteries; and he is
the pastor to me who does not come to my house to drink and smoke and
gossip and show his littleness, but who, out of a rich experience, meets
me with God's word at every turn of my life, and speaks the something to
me that I just at that moment want.' Let us not have less pastoral
visitation in the time to come, but let us have more and more of such
pastoral preaching.

5. But, my brethren, it is time for you, as John said to the elect lady
and her children, to look to yourselves. The salvation of your soul is
precious, and its salvation is such a task, such a battle, such a danger,
and such a risk, that it will take all that your most watchful minister
can do, and all that you can do yourself, and all that God can do for
you, and yet your soul will scarcely be saved after all. You do not know
what salvation is nor what it costs. Yo