Christian ministry by Charles Bridges (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example)
Chapter Six advises against the neglect of retirement, namely for prayer.
Chapter Seven warns against the influence of spiritual pride.
And Chapter Eight laments the absence or defect of personal religion in the minister. This may be as great the need to actually be converted, but may be simply the need to continue applying the word to oneself.
I liked the reminder that the minister is first and foremost a Christian: '...we are apt to merge our personal in our professional character, and in the Minister to forget the Christian. But time must be found for the spiritual feeding upon Scriptural truths, as well as for a critical investigation of their meaning, or for a Ministerial application of their message. For if we should study the Bible more as Ministers than as Christians - more to find matter for the instruction of our people, than food for the nourishment of our own souls; we neglect to place ourselves at the feet of our Divine Teacher; our communion with him is cut off; and we become mere formalists in our sacred profession.'
A good example is then given from Martyn (Henry Martyn I'm guessing): 'Mr Martyn seems to have been tenderly conscious of this temptation - "Every time" (he remarked) "that I open the Scriptures, my thoughts are about a sermon or exposition; so that even in private I seem to be reading in public."'
This is indeed dangerous. I have on a number of occasions caught myself praying using the first person plural ('we') when I am by myself.
Next week's reading
Conclude Part 3 by reading Chapters 9 and 10.
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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