Martin's chapel, at Hackney, on Sunday afternoon. Although it was
nothing more than an afternoon service, you must remember that it is
the first invitation to a metropolitan pulpit which you have
received. It would be as well if you were to call on Mr. Martin at
your earliest convenience, and also on Mr. Chandler, in Leather Lane,
whom you mentioned to me, and who, I believe, is a prominent deacon.
The choice of your subject was judicious, although it is not so easy
to fix the character of a discourse for the afternoon as for the
morning or evening. 'I will give him a white stone' is a text I have
used myself with great profit. A young minister, I need hardly say,
my dear Thomas, ought to confine himself to what is generally
accepted, and not to particularise. For this reason he should avoid
not only all disputed topics, but, as far as possible, all reference
to particular offences. I always myself doubted the wisdom, for
example, of sermons against covetousness, or worldliness, or
hypocrisy. Let us follow our Lord and Master, and warn our hearers
against sin, and leave the application to the Holy Spirit. I only
mention this matter now because I have found two or three young
students err in this direction, and the error, I am sure, militates
against their usefulness.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340