CONTENTS.
The Divine Call to the Ministry
Proofs of the necessity of a Divine call; Modes in which this call is manifested: 1. The internal call; 2. The call of the church; 3. The call of Providence.
Settlement in the Ministry
1. Choice of a field; 2. Obligations assumed in becoming a pastor; 3. Ordination.
Public Worship
Objects to be sought: Unity of thought; Sustained interest; Religious impression.
1. Pulpit Decorum. 2. The Service of Song: Sympathy of pastor with choir; Selection of hymns; Devotional singing. 3. Reading of the Scriptures: (1.) The selection; (2.) The reading; (3.) Comments. 4. Public Prayer: (1.) The form; (2.) The matter; (3.) The order; (4.) The manner. 5. Preaching. (1.) Sermons: Doctrinal; Experimental; Practical. (2.) Exposition: Advantages; Methods.
Social Devotional Meetings
1. Prayer-meetings; 2. The covenant-meeting; 3. The inquiry-meeting; 4. Meeting for examination of candidates for the church; 5. Meeting for the officers of the church; 6. Church meetings for business.
Administration of Ordinances
Preparatory instruction; Administration—1. Of Baptism; 2. Of the Lord’s Supper.
The Pastor and the Sunday-school
Interest in Sunday-school essential to pastoral success; Methods of pastoral work in the school.
Pastoral Visitation
The duty of visitation: 1. Its limits; 2. The method; 3. Its advantages; 4. The visitation of the sick.
Revivals of Religion
Nature, sphere, and necessity of revivals; Methods of promoting them; Evils to be avoided.
Cultivation of Social Life in the Congregation
Necessity of pastoral direction of social life; Suggestions as to methods.
The Pastor as an Organizer
Importance of organizing power; Necessity of the study of the people; Methods of organization; Development of intellectual gifts and stimulus to higher education; Development of gifts for the ministry.
Funeral Services
Necessity of simplicity and brevity; Eulogies of the dead to be avoided; Subject-matter of funeral address; Services at the grave; Attentions to the bereaved.
Cultivation of the Missionary Spirit
Importance of the missionary spirit; Methods of promoting it: 1. Regular missionary contribution; 2. Stated missionary sermons; 3. The monthly concert.
The Pulpit and the Press
The press made to subserve the pulpit.—1. By a religious newspaper in every family; 2. By the circulation of books and tracts; 3. By the education of the judgment and sentiment of the people.
Relations to Other Denominations
1. Cultivation of friendly intercourse; 2. Mutual recognition of sincerity of character and intention; 3. Occasional exchange of pulpits; Union meetings.
Change of Field
1. Evils of change; 2. Inadequate causes of change; 3. Valid reasons for change.
Ministers not in the Pastoral Office
First, Evangelists: 1. Foreign missionaries; 2. Home missionaries; 3. Revivalists.
Second: Teachers.
Third: Licentiates.
Pastoral Study
1. The Method; 2. The Subjects: (1.) General Culture; (2.) Biblical and Theological Culture; (3.) Sermon Preparation.
Pastoral Responsibility
What it includes; Limitations of it.
The Pastor’s Outer Life
1. Business Relations; 2. Political Relations; 3. Social Character; 4. Personal Habits.
The Pastor’s Inner Life
Power with God the condition of power with men; The promise of the Holy Spirit; Means of maintaining an inner life “endued with power from on high:” 1. The habitual practice of secret prayer; 2. The habitual self-application and self-appropriation of Divine truth; 3. Habitual self-surrender and consecration to Christ and His work; 4. An habitual looking above for the reward.