ther cultured people may resort for new
ideas as to an exchange. All this you may do and care little
concerning the preacher; but you can only make a strong Church rich in
spiritual grace and knowledge and usefulness and power by fostering,
with a care amounting to jealousy, the preaching of the Gospel of the
grace of God. If, therefore, out of the problem we have named, there
arises a question to be asked by the preacher concerning his preaching,
there also arises, just as certainly, a question for the Church. It is
a question as to whether preaching has always been allowed its chance
amongst us, whether we have helped the preacher to realise his best
possibilities by requiring them from him with an affectionate but
strong insistence. There may even be another question:--Whether we
have not sometimes actually discouraged the true preacher and sent him
sorrowing away, because, forsooth, it has happened that in his devotion
to the great work of his calling, he has seemed to underestimate the
importance of some activities we held to be within his duty. No man
can be master in everything; which is one of the lessons sorely needing
to be learned by us all. There have been preachers, mighty in word and
doctrine, whose hearts have been broken because of the blame thrown
upon them for failing to prove themselves equally skilful as financial
agents. Let the Church look well to this matter. Her preachers will
probably be as great, as effective, as successful as she requires and
encourages them to be!

All this, however, is by the way, though of such moment that we might
well linger to lay emphasis upon emphasis. For the present we are
concerned more with the preacher than with his congregation. The
question we desire to put into his heart has already been indicated.
The inquiry is suggested for the use, not of one order of preachers but
of all. In the denomination to which we belong only one preacher in
eighteen is what is termed a minister. The question is proposed, not
only for the exercising of this one brother, but of the other seventeen
as well. It has been intimated to us that a book on this subject
"might be of special use to our young men." Glad shall we be if this
prove to be the case! But not among the younger preachers alone do we
seek to initiate this searching self-examination. Possibly it may be
even less needful to them than to the more mature. The most dangerous
days of the preacher's career are,