Preventing and Healing Our Divisions — Ernest C. Reisinger

Preventing and Healing Our Divisions

Soldiers in the gospel battle, I first want to greet you from America and express my deep gratitude and joy for being able to spend these few days with you in what I call genuine Christian fellowship.

I'm a debtor to the banner, I'm not only a trustee, but I'm a debtor to the banner. Some over 20 years ago I got my first banner book and I was a rank zealous Arminian. Somebody asked me if I believe in the second blessing, I said yes I've had it, I was an Arminian and now I'm a Calvinist.

The banner book, I have personally been blessed and I have seen thousands of others blessed by banner books. So when I say genuine Christian fellowship these days, I mean every word of it. If I had a text for what I'm going to try to do, it would be the great apostles' question to the church that was infected with schisms, divisions, moral and doctrinal problems, that church at Corinth.

And that question would be, is Christ divided? He asked that question in the early part of the book. Or maybe his words to them later where he said, I hear there are divisions among you. Or possibly our Lord's words, woe to that man by whom offenses come.

I'm going to make no effort to make this a sermon or a paper. If I was to title from my heart what I hope to try to do, it would be, I would call it a heartfelt exhortation. We would all agree, I believe, that the great peacemaker, in offering himself a sacrifice for the sins of his people, intended not only to reconcile them to God, but to unite them as a body among themselves, even those who were at enmity with each other.

Gentile and Jews, he died to unite. The oneness that he died is represented and exhibited in his supper. The same design is the principal part of that intercession which Mr. Marshall read, John 17. Yes, he pressed and prayed for their salvation and sanctification in that prayer, but it was for the reason that they may be one.

Verse 21, that they all may be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. Upon this very same ground, the great apostle said in Romans, for as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we being many, we are not our one body in Christ, and every one member one of another.

We confess it in our creed when we confess our faith and say we believe in one holy Catholic Church. Behind Paul's question, is Christ divided, is obviously, you learn from the context, a concern for oneness, a concern about the divisions that were among them.

The Church’s Biblical Unity and Present Dividedness

The whole matter of unity, unity of the Church, is a real issue today, and I might add, highly sensitive, highly sensitive. It was a live and sensitive issue in the days of the Reformation. It was a live and sensitive issue in the days of the Puritan.

Believe it or not, as much as we have this wonderful fellowship together, if we were going to start a church, it would become a live and sensitive issue right here. Years ago, I was at my first Puritan conference, I think it was 1966, and I witnessed two giants that I consider giants in faith, giant theological leaders, giant Christian leaders, have a sharp difference over the subject of the Church.

That debate of those two great men ended the Puritan conference at Westminster Chapel, or at least it changed the name and the leadership. We blush before the world at the contemporary scene, the United States and Canada and Australia and UK, of the many denominational splits.

We blush, and we, with our tongue in our cheek, only with our tongue in our cheek can we speak of the unity of the Church and the oneness of Christ. There can be no dispute among us as to the teaching of Scripture in respect to unity.

The Church is one by nature, it's one by definition. If we examine the metaphorical designations and the figurative language in the New Testament, it is utterly impossible to think or to speak of the Church in kind of plural language.

For example, we cannot think of Christ's brides. We don't think of Christ's bodies or Christ's vines or his flock. Rather we say Christ has a bride, Christ has a body, Christ has a flock. Oh, I'm not talking just now about the local church, I'm talking about unity.

Is Christ divided? We can say without controversy that the unity of the Church is a biblical mandate, it's a biblical truth. Yes, we can say it's a biblical emphasis, and I personally don't consider it a secondary consideration.

Equally true, there can be no question among us as to the Church's present dividedness. How many denominations? Could anyone count them? Multitudes and multitudes and multitudes. How many different kinds of Methodists?

And you're not cursed with as bad in this country as we are. How many different kinds of Presbyterians? Do you believe in talking with somebody this week? He set out nine different Presbyterian denominations in the United States.

Nine different Presbyterian denominations. And then there's some that call themselves, there's some churches that call themselves independent Presbyterians, I don't understand that. That seems like a contradiction in terms to me, but we do have them.

We do have them. Many different kinds of Pentecostal churches, and Baptists, ah. That's enough said, enough said. At this conference, we all rejoin in the fellowship that we have together these days. And not only have any, we won't have any serious religious quarrels, but there's a oneness here among us, at least at all the Banner conferences I've ever attended, that there's a oneness that we don't even enjoy in our own communions and denominations.

And fact is, there's a oneness that we do not enjoy, some of us, in our local churches. But as I mentioned before, brother, if we were going to start a church with the same group, we would have no end of divisions.

It's amazing what divides churches. In our country, we have separate, different Mennonite denominations. We have what we call, and this is a designation, they're designated by this black bumper Mennonites.

Now, do you know what that, do you know why they get that designation? They paint, they believe that this chrome is worldly. And so they paint the chrome on the cars and they buy them black. That is a literal fact.

I was preaching at a Mennonite church for a week, a couple of falls ago, and the fellow told me, and I thought he was joking at first, he said, we have Mennonites that's divided over suspenders. That's a fact.

I think you call them braces here, don't you? Well, there are actually Mennonites who believe that there's only one brace, which goes here and over this way, and the others have two. That is a bit humorous.

That is a bit humorous, but I tell you, it's a bit sad too. It's very sad. Years ago, that group of Presbyterians that split, I believe properly from Princeton, formed the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

They weren't existing very long until there was a separation. You know what it was over? Two little things. Well, they may not be so small, eschatology and Christian liberty. That was the basis of the separation.

With the same wonderful confessions, the confession of confessions, the same standards separate. And it would take a book of 600 pages to list the causes that Baptist split over. And some just absolutely ridiculous, ludicrous, and unbelievable.

Visible Unity and the Limits of Ecumenical Solutions

Well, we think of solutions. Well, we cannot seek a solution in a liberal ecumenical movement that has no regard for truth. Our Catholic brother made that clear. That has no regard for truth. Or can we cop out on some special eschatological view that puts this piece somewhere else?

Nor take a position that this desired unity is only with the invisible Church. Now, there's a measure of truth in that. But I want to assure you that if you will carefully and seriously read John 17, you will be forced to say that the unity that is meant and the unity that Christ paid for, the unity that he longs to see prevail among his people is a visible unity.

And I quote our Lord, Make thy people one so that the world may see that their unity and believe that thou hast sent me. Behind Christ's prayer to the Father for unity of his people is an evangelistic purpose, that the world may know that thou hast sent me.

This is unity that can be perceived and can be seen by the world in which we live. It's important to assist that no denomination or congregation is the Church of Jesus Christ. A denomination at most is a form of the Church, a manifestation of the Church.

And it's wrong for any Christian group to appropriate to itself, with presumption or pretension, the title Church of Jesus Christ. Well, I spent these early remarks, wish I had a little water. I don't usually need any water, but when I'm nervous, I do.

Somebody asked me some time ago, do I get nervous when I preach? And I said, well, I said, as long as I realize that I'm dealing with eternal verities, matters of life and death and sometimes matters of heaven and hell, you ought to be a little nervous about what you're trying to do.

Causes and Consequences of Church Divisions

I spent these early remarks largely about the big picture concerning the Church. But as you all know, I'm sure that many of these great divisions and schisms began in local churches, sometimes with two individuals.

And I want to take some time to talk about some of the major causes that I have observed over 40 years working in the Church, not always as a pastor. I was licensed in 1958, but I wasn't ordained until I was 50 years old.

I've had part in those years of starting about six churches and under God reforming two. And in these experiences, I've made some observations and a few mistakes. One of my motives is that I might help some young ministers here who may be in difficult church situations, or who may later be in difficult church situations, or they may be in a reforming situation.

Because of the great rise of the Doctors of Grace, Calvinism in the United States, many young men are facing reforming situations. And I suppose that that would be true here. And we try to fight divisions because divisions breed scandals, both in practice and doctrine.

And there's a difference between heresy and schism and division, and I'm not going to try to make that division today. How do offenses and schisms and divisions come about? Well, I probably couldn't list all the names, all the reasons, but many come about by different understanding of biblical truth or biblical text.

Many divisions. I suppose that would be most of them. And then the different application of truth equally held. For instance, the Confessions, who equally hold the same truth. It's their application of it.

Others, difference in emphasis over one truth above another. That is, when one man stresses the light that he has, or another man who doesn't have that particular light, and especially in matters that are not fundamental or secondary matters, that causes a great many divisions.

But I suppose the chief causes would come under the area of church government and polity, and worship, corporate worship. These two are the most common sources. The application of the regulative principle.

I didn't say the regulative principle, I said the application of it. You know, there are applications, and there are applications. Causes no small amount of problems. Discipline, power of authority, Christian liberty.

And, of course, sometimes, unfortunately, just personality problems. The results, I hope what you see is, when you think of the results, they're painful, they're sad, they're damaging, and sometimes damning.

I don't know what old Puritan I read, he said, the temptations and controversy are more dangerous than the temptations of wine and women. Divisions cause jealousy and suspicion. They bring forth the carnality as nothing else.

It creates, usually the divisions create greater problems than the problem itself. Almost every division that I've been associated with or know, it may have been a small thing, and then when they start to take sides, the things that happen afterwards are a million times worse than the issue itself.

I have a mailing list of about 900 preachers or a thousand, and that, of course, fosters some correspondence. And some of the things that I want, they're predominantly young men, and some of the things that I want to say today come from experience and talking with them, and the letters they write, and the questions they ask, and the phone calls.

And I'm thinking about the serious one. I'm not going to speak about the problems with the oddballs, and there's a few of those, too. I'm not going to talk about those who apparently have no business in the ministry, and I believe there are not a few.

I'm thinking of men who have a desire to be true to the Bible, a desire to be true to the Word of God, without unnecessary divisions or compromise. Many times these men in this group are struggling between compromise and accommodation, and that's a fine line, not always even humanly able to discern.

In fact, there are maybe situations where it's properly to accommodate on some circumstances in one place, where in another place the same thing would be a compromise. And I think I have New Testament support for that.

Biblical Accommodation: Paul, Circumcision, and Christian Liberty

In the New Testament we see the Apostle Paul did accommodate to spiritual immaturity of others. Paul himself was quite clear on the subject of circumcision, the circumcision issue. He knew and he taught that the ritual of circumcision was not a prerequisite to salvation, and he vehemently opposed and taught to the contrary.

But, behold, Paul says in other cases, this is how much he was opposed to that, when circumcision was used wrong. He said in Galatians 5 .2, Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

There, to circumcise would have been a blatant compromise. These Christians to whom this epistle was written had already yielded in some measure to the teaching of the Judaizers. He therefore reminded them of the danger of not resting on Christ alone.

It was not only wrong when it was performed out of such a design to respect their acceptance with God. Thus we see the Apostle had no qualms on another occasion in circumcising Timothy. In Acts 16 it says Paul took and circumcised him, and the Bible even gives his reason, because of the Jews, because of the Jews which were in those quarters.

And as these Jews knew, all the Jews at that particular, knew that Timothy's father was a Greek. And they therefore concluded that Timothy had not been circumcised. And Paul desires not to unnecessarily prejudice the Jews against Timothy.

Ministry anticipated their objections and circumcised him. He accommodated their ignorance for proper purposes and with a proper motive. Acts 21 is a parallel incident. In verses 18 to 26 we see the Apostle accommodating some Jewish Christians upon advice and consent of James and the elders of the church at Jerusalem.

By subjecting himself along with four other men to ritual purification. James and the elders advised Paul that he had been falsely accused by some of them as having no regard for the law of Moses. That was the accusation brought against him.

Do thou therefore this, this is what they said to him, do thou therefore this that they say unto thee. We have four men, four men which have a vow on them. Them take and purify thyself with them. And here's the purpose.

That all may know that those things whereof they are informed concerning thee are nothing. But that thou thyself also walkest orderly and keepest the law. Now Paul was putting into practice the principle, the principle that he penned in 1 Corinthians 9 .20.

Unto the Jews I became a Jew that I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law is under the law that I might gain them that are under the law. It's interesting Charles Hodges comment on this passage and I think I'll give it to you.

He says, this is Hodges. Hodges says to the Jew he became a Jew. That is he acted as they acted and he conformed to their usage, observed the law, vowing at the same time that he did it as a matter of accommodation, end quote.

There is such a thing, a doctrine of biblical accommodation. And that's it. Paul consented to accommodate these Jewish Christians in Acts 21. He knew that his credibility and reputation were at stake.

Now somebody says, well he has it all made up, let God take care of that. Well he did it, he was practical. He had common sense. I like what our brother said about common sense. Can you teach a man common sense?

His wife asked him a good question. And he refrained himself from further statement was, and if he didn't have it he hoped his wife had it. Common sense. Well, the next, I want to talk about another most common concern, common antidote and common problem young men have, particularly some old men have it too, but we can't do much with us anymore.

We're best doing. Some men are too quick, they're too quick to leave their present place of service because of some problem in the church. I usually tell them to read 1 Corinthians when they talk to me about some little problem, and they're picking out somebody or a little division or something.

Remaining in Troubled Churches

I say, read 1 Corinthians. Among the Corinthians, many had gone astray. In fact, almost the whole body was infested. There was not just one kind of sin, but many. They were not just corrupt of morals or corruption of morals, but of doctrines, and not on any doctrine, but the key doctrine of the Christian faith, the resurrection.

Think of it. The church, not a hundred years old. Chapter 1, divisions and quarrels about the preference of their preachers. Apollos, Paul, or Peter, all good men. Chapter 2, they were fighting over the preference of the preachers.

Chapter 1, it says there was quarrels and divisions. Chapter 5, sexual immorality, incest, and no repentance. Chapter 6, lawsuits against one another, defrauding one another, wronging one another. Chapter 7, sexual problems between man and wife.

Paul had to teach them that sex was for moral appropriation. Chapter 9, paying the minister, and Paul's apostleship. Chapter 10, Christian liberty. They were problems in his church. Chapter 11, problems with women and their hats and their hairdos.

Chapter 12 to 14, spiritual gifts and lack of love. Chapter 15, doctrinal error of the worst sort. Have you ever heard anybody say to you, Oh, if I could have just been in that early apostolic church.

I say, I think I'll just go back to Florida. I say among these Christians, the current, no small number had gone astray. We can say that the whole body was infested. What does that holy discerning apostle do?

He's the instrument of the heavenly spirit. By whose testimony the church stands or falls. What did he do? Well, he didn't separate himself from them and start St. Paul's Incorporated for Christ. Does he kill them with the ultimate thunderbolt of anathema?

No, no. He does nothing of the kind. Hear him. Unto the church of God, which is a current, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He didn't anathematize them. He certainly dealt with their sins. He didn't depart from them. I wish all people, before they make these great changes, would read John Calvin's Institute's book four, chapter one.

I was helped much from that. And the things that I have to say today, I suppose it was one of my chief helps, that and John Newton, which I'll quote later. Among these problems, the church abides. They were problems, but the church abides.

Why? Because of the ministry of the word and the sacraments still remain unrefudiated, said Calvin. Who then would dare snatch the title church from those who cannot be charged with even one-tenth such errors and misdeeds?

What, I ask, would those who rage with such curlishness, that's an interesting word, that's Calvin's word, what, what, I ask, would those who rage with such curlishness against present-day churches, what would they have done with the church at Galatia?

All most deserters of the gospel. Among them, this same apostle still recognizes churches. Chapter one, verse two and three. And to the brethren which are with me, unto the churches at Galatia, grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Don't solve the vision by running too soon. Young preacher, I hope you'll remember that. Let me add this. These people that talk to me, they think there's some ideal place to serve God. I'll be 67 this year, and I have not found any ideal place except the place where God has you put down right now.

I wonder how many young Calvinist preachers, I wonder how many young Calvinist preachers right here would be able to share a ministry with an Armenian, with him preaching in the morning and you preaching at night one week, and you preaching in the morning the next week, and vice versa.

How many young men here could share a ministry like that? Well, Dr. Martin Lloyd Stone did it for over four years at Westminster Chapel with G. Cameron Morgan. I would say there was some accommodation.

You can call it what you want. I'm calling it accommodation. I'm weary hearing these young preachers call me on the phone, write me letters, call me long distance, send me their resumes. I've got a stack of resumes.

Oh, Mr. Wright figure, there's a very difficult area where I'm working in, where I'm trying to labor. It's predominantly Roman Catholic, and they're very religious, and it seems hopeless. Do you know any churches without a pastor?

My brethren, Jerusalem was a hard place for the apostles to launch the gospel, and they had plenty of religion. Everyone's aunt and uncle and mother and grandmother had religion, and plenty of it. They were Jews, but they needed the truth, because neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

And perhaps God launched the gospel first in Jerusalem so that no one would ever entertain the idea that there was a place too difficult for the power of the gospel that ought to encourage it. Oh, yes, I know that most churches are in trouble, bad state spiritually.

I know that. The doctrinal ignorance is appalling and discouraging. Indifference to real Christian living and holiness is painful. Inadequate leadership. I've never met many true elders. I've met a few, thank God.

Thank God for the few I've met. I've met a few true deacons, but they're sparse when we're thinking the broad sense. There's much to discourage us, but let me give you some things that I believe is an antidote to discouragement.

Antidotes to Ministerial Discouragement

And it's been emphasized, thank God, in this conference, powerfully, powerfully emphasized in this conference already, and that is real communion with God. Oh, fight to maintain a devotional life. And I wish I could look you honestly in the eye with Judgment Day honesty and tell you there's a time when that's not a battle, to fight for a devotional life, but I'd be a liar.

I don't know that time. If somebody else does, bless God, I don't know about it. It's a fight to maintain a devotional life. So let's all pray for the work. No, no, no, brother. Prayer is the work. It's been emphasized, thank God, in this conference.

Well, first, the real communion with God is a good antidote. And let me tell you another one. And I'm sure that everybody here, this will take in everyone. I'm not going to miss anyone now. You have a lot of friends on your shelf.

You have a lot of friends on your shelf. And many a times at my lowest discouragement, I'd pick up one of those books, and I don't read theological stuff when I'm discouraged. I try to get some warm biography or something, I'm pacing my floor and say, Oh, God, send back Jonathan Edwards to America.

But a voice seems to come to me, and I don't mean a literal voice, but it seems to come to me, if anybody's going to serve this generation, it'll have to be little peanuts like you. You've got a lot of friends on your shelf, but you've got to read them, you've got to take them down.

And that's a good antidote to discouragement in bad times, because just what Ian Murray did for us last night, didn't that encourage him? Seeing what those men did, and some of the quotes from those men, and some of the trials that they were through, while ours look insignificant then.

But you've got to be a book reader, not a book collector. I know a lot of preachers, they're book collectors. They should be in the antique business. All right, the second, first antidote, real communion with God, second, use the friends that you have on your shelf.

Thirdly, and I'm going to spend some time, the Lord must want you people to hear something about preaching. I didn't prepare this after I got here. It has a real view. This is the third antidote to problems.

It has a real, biblical view of the place and power of preaching. And it is right here that I feel some young men are in trouble. And they start counseling specials. The Holy Spirit is a good counselor.

And the spoke is his sword. Have a biblical view of the place and the power of preaching. Some of these young men don't learn to preach. I wonder if anybody ever learned to preach in seminary. I don't know, it may be.

I mean, I know they got help. I know they got help, and I'm not against that. And yet, preaching, preaching and teaching is the principal means for correcting divisions, schisms, and everything else. That's the principal means.

Six Qualities of Faithful Preaching

I'm going to catechize you today. I want to talk to you about a catechism question from a larger catechism. I'm a larger catechism man. I'm not a shorter catechism. I like that. But they cut out about 100 questions.

And especially that section on the law. It's vital. The right use of the law to the unconverted. The right use of the law to the converted. The right use of the law to all men. That's not in the shorter catechism.

But I'm going to catechize you today from the larger catechism. And it's question 159. And I'll tell you before I say anything about it. If you young priests are so master of the answer to this question, you'll probably be better, you'll get more help.

Homiletically and in preaching than you did in seminary. What's the question? How is the word of God to be preached by those that are called there unto? And I want to tell you a careful study of this will change a lot of preaching.

And it will be used to heal a lot of divisions. And the answer is this. They that are called to labor in the ministry of the word are to preach sound doctrine. And there's six things. I'm going to read them.

I'm going to give you the answer. And then I'm going to elaborate on them a little. They are to preach sound doctrine. Diligently, in season and out of season. Plainly, not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and power.

Faithfully, making known the whole counsel of God. Wisely, applying themselves to the necessity and the capacity of the hearers. Zealously, with fervent love to God and the souls of his people. Sincerely, aiming at the glory of God and their conversion, edification and salvation.

That's the answer. I want to talk about those six things a little. Because it's an antidote. If preaching is what I hope you believe it is, and the power of preaching is certainly the best antidote for divisions and schisms and so on.

Let's consider these six things a minute. Diligently. The scripture in speaking of Apollos, who it says was an eloquent speaker, says, this man was instructed, he was eloquent before this, this man was eloquent, but it says in Acts 18, this man was instructed in the way of the Lord, being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord.

Diligently. That's why they got the answer. The word of God is to be preached diligently. We have in 1 Timothy. Preach the word. Be prepared in season and out of season. Correct, rebuke and exhort with awe and instruction.

To paraphrase that, it says, Preach the word. Be urgent in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort. Be unfailing. That's diligence. Be unfailing in patience in teaching. Second thing, plainly.

Not in enticing words of man's wisdom. Plainly. You know, some young preachers think that they have to refute all the higher critics, and they're trying to solve problems that people don't have. That's like trying to scratch where it doesn't itch.

And they go to the grave and they have to, and they spend all their time on this sort of thing. I think Ian touched on it last night when, preach the word. And that's the way to fight these things. Well, just plainly.

And I think we see the pattern of a faithful minister. He is our pattern. St. Paul is our pattern. That's what it tells us in Timothy. And he said, And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and power.

Plainly. There's a lot of things come under plainly. I'm going to dwell on that a little bit. Now, Hebrew and Greek and Latin all have their place. I wish I was a master at all. They all have their place.

Very well. In their place. And they're very well. But their place is not where Pilate put them, or at the head of Jesus, but rather at his feet. And the pew is not so much interested how you impress them with your Greek, they're more, they don't care so much about your tools, but they're interested in how you use them.

That's plainly. That's why it comes under plainly. Plainly. Surely under plainly would come direct preaching. You know, this preacher's wicked we is the enemy of direct and plain preaching. I remember we had a young preacher at our church, probably the dearest friend I have on this earth today, this is over 25 years ago, had a good education, good seminary training, but he couldn't preach his way out of a paper bag.

He couldn't preach his way out of a wet paper bag. Now, his content was all, you could tell he studied, he was devoted, he was a real person. There was nothing phony about him. He used just pulpit we.

And so I started to take notes. I listened to more sermons probably than anybody here because I sat in the pew for 20 years before I started to preach. That means three times a week I'd listen to a sermon, plus all the Bible conference.

You add that up over 15 years and see how many sermons I listened to. See, you're a busy preacher, so that's why a preacher doesn't have an opportunity to listen to all those sermons. So I started to take notes about him because I loved him.

I loved him then just like I do now. And so when he'd say, we don't give, then he'd go on and say, we don't pray, we don't witness. I'm taking notes now. We do not have any compassion. We are not converted.

We have no fear of God. Now, those are all quotes, see. So one Monday, I took two sermons, one of Whitfield and one of Spurgeon, put my arm around him and wanted to talk to him about this. And I started to ask him, if he gave to the church.

He said, yes. Not as much as I should probably. I said, do you pray? He said, yes. Not as much as I should probably. Do you witness? Yes. Went on. Do you have compassion? Yes. Not as much. I said, are you converted?

He said, yes. I said, do you have any fear of God? Yes. Well, I said, in the pulpit there's no place to confess your sins. There's no place to confess your sins. And then I told him what I wanted to talk to him about.

And we read these sermons. I want to read something from J .C. Ryle. He's been quoted a lot at this conference, and I want to read something to him. He has a sermon in our book, The Upper Room, if you don't have it, there's some good material in it.

The title doesn't make it appeal like it would be valuable for preachers, but it has some valuable things in it. He has one chapter that's worth a book for preachers, and that is The Simplicity of Preaching.

And under that, one of the heads under Simplicity of Preaching is direct preaching. You've got to be a direct preacher. You see, if you use all those weeds, you take all the barbed wire out of preaching.

There's no more barbed wire. The fellow in the pew says, well, the preacher doesn't pray, the preacher doesn't give, the preacher doesn't witness. I'm not going to witness either. It takes all the barbed wire out.

You've got to have a little barbed wire in preaching, right? Well, Ryle said this. He said, if you wish to preach simple, use a direct style. Now, I don't think you've got this in your homiletical class, what I'm going to give you today from Ryle.

What does this mean, says Ryle? Well, I mean the practice and custom of saying I and you. When a man takes up this style of preaching, he is often told that he's conceited and egotistical. The result is that many preachers are never direct and always think it very humbling and modest and becoming to say we.

But I remember Bishop Belner saying that we is a word for kings and corporations should use, and they alone. But the parish clergy should always talk of I and you. I endorse that saying, says Ryle, with all my heart.

I declare, says Ryle, I never could understand that famous pulpit we, what it means. Does the preacher mean all, does the preacher mean that all through his sermon he keeps saying we? Does he mean himself and the bishop, or himself and the church, or himself and the congregation, or himself and the early fathers, or himself and the reformers, or himself and all the wise men in the world?