Hints and helps in pastoral theology by William S Plumer (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 27 (Doing good with the pen).
Today's subject is writing.
Plumer gives us tips on writing:
(i) letters;
(ii) periodical press articles;
(iii) tracts and small books;
(iv) occasional sermons or arguments;
(v) books.
As someone who reads a lot of old books, I appreciated the reminder to value recent books as well: 'How far should ministers publish occasional sermons or arguments on religion, when they believe that they will not undergo a second edition ? In reply, it may be said that there are two classes of authors. The first writes for generations to come. The other writes but for the present generation. The latter class is the larger. The former is the more distinguished. But it is not possible for any mortal to say which class confers the greater blessings on mankind. Nor can it commonly be told to which class a given man belongs until his thoughts are published, and often not till one or two generations have passed away. Milton's Paradise Lost and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress were despised by the mass of their countrymen for a long time after they were written. Even Lord Bacon appealed to posterity as the righteous arbiter of his literary merits. We should always be careful not to discourage publications designed to meet particular exigencies. We should not undervalue that class of writings designed at once to check rising errors, to give a new impulse to benevolence, or to put the masses to thinking and searching for truth. Every age ought to produce a large body of publications for its own use. Let no man despise a good writer as ephemeral, if his work is but useful in his own day. Yet it is a mercy, a great favor, to be allowed to write even a small work for other ages and countries besides our own. Let us all earnestly covet the best gifts.'
All good books are worth reading, regardless of their age.
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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