A bold preaching of the gospel is needed, because of what the gospel is in itself. It is nothing short of this: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace, goodwill towards men.” Now, such a message cannot be, and should not be, delivered with doubt and hesitation. The preacher who stands up to preach the gospel timidly and apologetically, we often feel almost it were better he did not preach it at all.
2. Bold preaching of the gospel is needed, because of the tendency of the times. From all quarters the cry comes, “Speak to us smooth things, and prophesy deceit.”
3. Boldness is needed, because of the opposition that is offered. In proportion to the zeal and earnestness with which the gospel is proclaimed, we may conclude that the virulence of the opposition will increase. The whole world wilt soon be divided into two camps. It will be manifested in which of the two God is. (J. B. Forrest.)
Boldness of faithful preachers
I. Faithful ministers feel that they ought to preach the gospel boldly.
1. This will appear, if we consider that they really believe the gospel is true.
2. Their knowledge, as well as belief of the gospel, carries conviction to their minds that they ought to preach it boldly.
3. Faithful ministers feel the sacred obligation of their sacred office, to preach the gospel boldly.
II. Why they desire Christians to pray for them that they may preach the gospel boldly as they feel in conscience bound to preach it.
1. Here the first reason that occurs is, because they are sensible of their own insufficiency to surmount the difficulties that they expect to find in their way of preaching the gospel with Christian freedom and confidence.
2. They desire Christians to pray for them because they feel their own insufficiency to preach the gospel successfully. Though they should preach the truth plainly and boldly as they ought to preach it, yet they cannot command success. They can only speak to the ear; they cannot speak to the conscience or to the heart.
(1) Though the success of the apostles was partly owing to their preaching boldly, yet their preaching boldly must be ascribed partly to the Christians who perpetually prayed for them, that a Divine blessing might accompany their bold and faithful exertions.
(2) This subject teaches Christians that they may do a great deal to assist their ministers in their laborious and arduous work.
(3) Since faithful ministers need as well as desire the prayers of their fellow Christians, it is their privilege as well as duty to pray for them.
(4) Since faithful ministers desire and request the professors of religion to pray for them, they must be extremely ungrateful and inconsistent if, instead of complying with such a reasonable desire and request, they complain of them for preaching boldly as they ought to preach. (N. Emmons, D. D.)
Ministerial boldness
A minister, without boldness, is like a smooth file, a knife without an edge, a sentinel that is afraid to let off his gun. If men will be bold in sin, ministers must be bold to reprove. (W. Gurnall, M. A.)
Zeal in preaching Christ
When liberty was offered to John Bunyan, then in prison, on condition of abstaining from preaching, he constantly replied, “If you let me out today I shall preach again tomorrow.”
Zeal in rebuke
While Augustine acted as a presbyter at Hippo, under Valerius, his bishop, he was appointed by him to preach to the people, in order to reclaim them from riotous feasting on solemn days. He opened the Scriptures, and read to them the most vehement rebukes. He besought them, by the ignominy and sorrow which they brought upon themselves, and by the blood of Christ, not to destroy themselves, to pity him who spake to them with so much affection, and to show some regard to their venerable old bishop, who, out of tenderness to them, had charged him to instruct them in the truth. “I did not make them weep,” says he, “by first weeping over them, but while I was preaching their tears prevented mine. Then I own I could not restrain myself. After we had wept together I began to entertain great hope of their amendment.” He now varied from the discourse he had prepared, because the present softness of their minds seemed to require something different. In fine, he had the satisfaction to find the evil redressed from that very day. (Milner.)
Bold preaching
On one occasion the Rev. Frederick Robertson had been asked to preach at a church where the congregation was chiefly composed of those whom Pope describes as passing from “a youth of frolics” to “an old age of cards.” His text was, “Love not the world, nor the things of the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The sermon was most impressive and eloquent, and bold in its denunciation. Returning home, he asked a gentleman if he thought he was right in preaching it. The gentleman replied, “It was very truthful, but, considering the character of the clergyman whose pulpit you occupied by courtesy, and the character of the congregation, not a discreet sermon. It might have been as truthful without apparently setting both minister and people at defiance.” “You are quite right,” he answered; but the truth was this: I took two sermons with me into the pulpit, uncertain which to preach; but just as I had fixed upon the other, something seemed to say to me, ‘Robertson, you are a craven, you dare not speak here what you believe’; and I immediately pulled out the sermon that you heard, and preached it as you heard it.”
Ambassador
John Basilowitz, the Czar of Russia, perceiving Sir Jeremy Bowes, the ambassador of Queen Elizabeth, with his hat on in his presence, thus rebuked him: “Have you not heard, sir, of the person I have punished for such an insult?” He had, in fact, punished him very savagely, by causing his hat to be nailed to his head. Sir Jeremy answered, “Yes, sir; but I am the Queen of England’s ambassador, who never yet stood bareheaded to any prince whatever. Her I represent, and on her justice I depend to do me right if I am insulted.” “A brave fellow this,” replied the Czar, to his nobles, “a brave fellow this, who dares thus to act and talk for his sovereign’s honour. Which of you would do so for me?”(G. Ramsay.)
A courageous missionary
Someof the Indian chiefs having become the open enemies of the gospel, Mr. Elliot, sometimes called the Apostle of the American Indians, when in the wilderness, without the company of any other Englishman, was at various times treated in a threatening and barbarous manner by some of those men; yet his Almighty Protector inspired him with such resolution that he said, “I am about the work of the Great God, and my God is with me; so that I fear neither you nor all the Sachims (or chiefs) in the country. I will go on, and do you touch me if you dare.” They heard him, and shrank away. (Baxendale’s Anecdotes.)
