DR. J. PARKER'S PULPIT JUBILEE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10836, 20 August 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

DR. J. PARKER'S PULPIT JUBILEE.

,j The City Temple, London, was crowded to overflowing on a recent Sunday morning and evening. Preaching in the morning from Leviticus xiv. 30, and the words, " Such us he can get," Dr. Parker said that, standing there in the city of London 30 years in all, lie could say at tlie close and wan infinite glory to God that he had so loved his work as to liavo given them such as he could get, such as he had been able to get. Ho had given them not the sermons which another man would have preached, nor the prayers that another man would have offered, but such prayers and expositions' and appeals as God by His Holy Spirit had enabled him to get, and ho had worked with them and for them with a willing heart. Friends were present that morning from other communions to whom they must be more or less of a puzzle and a mystery because they did not operate upon their ecclesiastical lines, and their strange friends wondered perhaps whether their lines were ecclesiastical or whether their ccclesiasticism had any lines at all. (Laughter.) He thought he could clear up the mystery that bewildered them. The doctor continued:—"Do you mean to say,".they may ask," that you have been preaching and working in London during theso 30 years and have nothing to rely upon but tlie voluntary gifts of the people!" " Yes, I can say that.' "Do you mean to say that you have no subsidy, no endowment of any kind?" " Not one solitary fraction." " But do you not find the people very odd, whimsical, capricious, and on the whole are they to.be relied upon?" " Well, are they to be trusted. I believe in God, and I believe in God's men. Some of them may be odd; perhaps, too, they think some of us are odd. We cannot confine judgment to one side. I have heard even the summing up of judges criticised by laymen. (Laughter.) Man, taking him in the sense of his being, is very odd, but, standing here at the close of a 50 years' pulpit ministry, 1 would say give me the people, give mo the hearts of the people, the con' tidence and love of the people, and that is enough. It never fails. But it may be said if the preacher lias an independent income, lie can preach what he likes. That is exactly what I have been preaching these 50 years, under the inspiration of God, but with most conscious infirmity, deficiency, and shortcoming. If in the main your heart is right, and you sincerely desire to do Christ s work in Christ's spirit, your offering will be accepted, whether it be an offering of money, eloquence, genius, literature, advice prayer, counsel, or- sympathy. If it be this, and such as you can get, God will receive it. And now that we are beginning another 50 years, I promise that I will give you such as I can get. And may I live in the assurance that you will return me in co-operation and the zealous fidelity of companionship such as you can get. Amen. God seals the vow.