Chapter Vi. Neglect Of Retirement.
CHAPTER VI. NEGLECT OF RETIREMENT.
In the midst of the incessant, pressing, and active avocations of the Christian Ministry, how seasonable is the considerate advice of our gracious Master—“Come apart by yourselves into a desert place, and rest awhile? 615 The spirit of prayer cannot breathe freely in the atmosphere of constant and exciting employment. Not that we would seek retirement, like the contemplative monk, for the purposes of abstraction; but to recruit our spiritual energies for renewed exercises of self-denial and perseverance. St. Paul’s journey to Arabia immediately subsequent to his conversion (of which no mention is made in the inspired record of his Ministerial travels) was probably not to exercise his Ministry, but to ‘receive further revelations.’ 616 Secret prayer and meditation were doubtless the channels of Divine revelation to his soul; while the more accurate and undisturbed study of his own heart, and the calculations of the fearful cost before him, must have been a most profitable occupation for this interval of comparative privacy.617 The spirit of Brainerd’s advice to a young candidate for the Ministry was in
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his own holy character—‘The way’ (he said) ‘to enjoy the Divine presence, and be fitted for distinguishing service for God, is to live a life of great devotion and constant self-dedication to him: observing the motives and dispositions of our own hearts, from which we may learn the corruptions that lodge there, and our constant need of help from God to perform the least duty: and, oh! dear sir, let me beseech you to frequently attend to the precious duties of private fasting and prayer.’ 618 The few among you who are necessarily public men, deserve the sympathy and prayers of the church. If their habits of life were not very clearly appointed for them, their particular temptations (as we trust) sensibly felt, and their watchfulness and simplicity of faith habitually exercised; their own souls must suffer loss, whatever advantage might accrue to the church through their disinterested labours. Probably a strict adherence to Eliot’s quaint but excellent rule to his young students is of great service to them—‘I pray you look to it, that you be early birds:’ meaning, we conclude, not merely early risers, but early Christian students, and above all, early worshippers.
The cultivation of habits of retirement is of the highest importance. Popular engagements must not interfere with our own personal interests, or Ministerial store. An experienced father with a well furnished mind, and intellectual habits, can afford to make sacrifices of time for the public cause, which would cost a young Minister the hazard of his permanent usefulness. He must at all events secure for himself time for Biblical attainments; otherwise his course of instruction will be inefficient for the grand purposes of his office. Dr. Paley wisely recommended retirement to the younger Clergy, ‘as the foundation of almost all good habits.’ ‘Learn’ (he said) ‘to live alone. Half your faults originate from the lack of this faculty. It is impatience of solitude which carries you continually from your parishes, your home, your duty—it makes you foremost in every party of pleasure and place of diversion, dissipates your thoughts, distracts your studies, leads you into expense, keeps you in distress, or puts you out of humour with your profession.’ 619 Indeed, the happiness of the Minister’s life, and the effectiveness of his work, depend on a judicious combination of retired habits with public or social exercises.
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But retirement is far more important for the Minister’s communion with his God. We fear that Luther’s custom to give his three best hours of the day to this work, and Bradford studying on his knees, are more often alluded to than followed. Yet the diligent pastor will feel the importance, both to himself and to his people, of living in his study as well as in his parish; not only for the necessary digestion of the subject-matter of his Ministrations, but most chiefly for the cultivation of a nearer and more habitual access to God.620 How delightful it is to us, and how edifying to our people, to bring forth that Scripture as food to their souls, which the Spirit of God has opened to our own hearts! 621 Truths that are thus obtained and wrought out in prayer have a particular unction. “Waiting on the Lord “will never be an encouragement to indolence. In the habit of it, the weakest Ministrations will be efficient—in the neglect of it, the most powerful will be paralyzed. Indeed, the ‘spirit of our Ministry’ (as Massillon admirably observes) ‘is a spirit of prayer. Prayer is the ornament of the priesthood, the leading feature of our character. Without prayer, a Minister is of no use to the church, nor of any advantage to mankind. He sows; and God gives no increase. He preaches; and his words are only like “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” He recites the praises of God; while “his heart is far from Him.” It is prayer alone, then, that gives the whole strength and efficacy to our different administrations; from the time a man ceases to pray, that man ceases to be a public Minister, if I may use that expression. It is prayer which supplies him with consolation in all his labours; he would celebrate the ordinances of religion in the same way as the hireling performs his work—he would consider them as a heavy task, or a severe imposition—if prayer does not assuage its troubles, or console him for lack of success.’ 622 If Solomon felt his need of heavenly wisdom
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to discriminate among his “great people” and to devise and execute the best-conducted measures for their prosperity, do not we “go out and come in” before our people with far deeper responsibilities, and yet with the ignorance of “a little child” to “discern between good and bad?” The most eminent Minister will be most ready to cry out—“therefore give your servant an understanding heart.” 623 For how little avail are the most splendid talents, the mightiest eloquence, and the most devoted diligence, unless the unction is brought down from heaven by frequent and fervent supplication!
Prayer, therefore, is one half of our Ministry;624 and it gives to the other half all its power and success. It is the appointed medium of receiving spiritual communications for the instruction of our people. Those who walk most closely with God are most spiritually intelligent in “the secret of his covenant.” 625 Many can set their seal to Luther’s testimony, that he often obtained more knowledge in a short time by prayer, than by many hours of study. It will also strengthen our habitual devotedness to our work, as well as our natural capacities for it. Living near to the fountain-head, we shall be in the constant receipt of fresh supplies of light, support, and consolation—to assist us in our duties, to enable us for our difficulties, and to assure us of our present acceptance, and a suitable measure of ultimate success. The same heavenly resource will furnish us with matter for experiential intercourse with our people—giving us a clear insight into the workings of nature and grace, of sin and holiness; and enduing us with a spiritual ability to counterwork the wiles of Satan and the deceitfulness of sin in their incessant and fatal influence. Thus we shall also be enabled to adapt our Ministrations under the influence of Divine wisdom, to the several cases of our flock—speaking with power to the unawakened—with compassion to the hardened—binding up “the bruised reed “—and “strengthening,” by solemn admonitions and expostulations, “the things that remain” among us, “that were ready to die.” 626 Nor is it the least advantage flowing from this habit, that it fits us to advocate the cause of our people before God, as well as to sympathize with their difficulties, and to lay ourselves out in their service. Probably the laborious fervency of Epaphras’ secret exercises 627 were as fruitful
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as his public work; and who knows, but we shall find that our most successful efforts for our people were the hours—not when we were speaking to them from God, but when we were speaking for them to God? 628 In this view it is most important to associate our own interests with those of our people. The help we may thus be able to afford them in their difficulties, trials, and weakness, is intimately connected with the spiritual temperament of our own minds, acquired and maintained through the same organ of heavenly communication which we recommend for their daily use and encouragement. The success of this operation is so certain, that an eminent divine has laid it down as a general rule—‘that when we would have any great things accomplished, the best policy is to work by an engine which the world sees nothing of.’ 629 Our blessed Master’s example is much to be observed here. As man, he had most responsible concerns to transact with God. Nothing important was done without prayer. His entrance on his Ministry was with prayer.630 His ordination of his first Ministers was preceded by a whole night of prayer.631 After a day spent in works of instruction and mercy (such as would have included a week of our ordinary labour), time was redeemed from sleep for this sacred employment.632
The most effectual hindrances, therefore, to our work are those which impede our personal communion with the Lord. When the great enemy thus successfully intercepts our spiritual supplies, the work of God in our hearts, and connected with it, the work of God in our hands, languishes from the lack of its accustomed and necessary support. We have great need to watch, lest our public activity is thought to atone for neglect of private intercourse with God; and thus our profession would become a snare to ourselves and divested of all spiritual savour to our flock. Henry Martyn had occasion to lament that ‘lack of private devotional reading and shortness of prayer, through incessant sermon-making, had produced much estrangement between God and his own soul.’ And in
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the review of the first year of his Ministry, “he judged that he had dedicated too much time to public Ministrations, and too little to private communion with God.” 633 Mr. Scott gives a most wholesome caution on this point—‘The principle that made the Apostle determine not to “serve tables,” though a good work in itself, should render Ministers in this day very careful not to give their services, even to the most useful Societies, and to attending their meetings, so as to prevent “giving themselves continually to the word of God and prayer.” A danger at present seems to arise on this side.’ 634 The Writer would therefore wish to draw his own mind and his brethren habitually to this recollection that nothing will enrich or console us in the neglect of intimate communion with God. We must “walk with God” at any rate, or our souls will die. Even Christian communion will form an empty substitute for this hallowed intercourse. The command is—“Enter into your closet, and shut your door.” 635 Shut out not only vanity and the world, but even for a time “the communion of Saints.” The soul may lose its spiritual vigour in any company but that of God—in the best as well as in the worst—in the Church, as well as in the world—in the active engagements of the Ministry, as well as in secular employments.
It was said of Fletcher, that ‘his deepest and most sensible communications with God were enjoyed in those hours, when the door of his closet was shut against human creatures, as well as human cares. His closet was his favourite retirement, to which he constantly retreated, whenever his public labours allowed him a season of leisure. His public labours (astonishing as they were) bore but little proportion to those internal exercises of prayer and supplication to which he was wholly given in private. The former were frequently discontinued of necessity; but the latter were almost uninterruptedly maintained from hour to hour. He lived in the spirit of prayer.’ 636 Was this not the secret of the extraordinary power that rested upon his ministrations? The out-pouring of the Spirit of supplication would revive our work, and enlarge our success. We know who has said—“Ask me of things to come concerning my sons’; and concerning the work of my hands command you me.” 637
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