"You have doubtless seen many enter the work of the ministry with but poor success,—men of talents, of erudition, fine orators, who never witness the conversion of souls; whose labors appear to make the sinner harder, and more averse to the Gospel, and to divide and separate the precious flock of Christ. The reason is plain; such ministers are not enough like Christ, are not in the spirit of the Gospel they profess to preach. Good men are sure of success, be their talents few or many; Christ is with them, and the word will prove a savor of life unto life. If you are and continue to be a good man,—have salt in yourself,—go to your work with prayer, perform your duties faithfully, come down from your pulpit on all occasions with a conscience void of offence towards God and man; your labors will be a blessing to the world, your peace will be like a river, and your reward will be great in heaven. Therefore, dear brother, suffer me to exhort you on this solemn occasion, while you stand upon the threshold of your great work, to study and labor, every day of your life, to possess and enjoy genuine piety in the sight of God. This will give life and energy to all your labors, and will be a source of never-failing consolation in every hour of trouble.
"2. The great object of your labors should be to make others pious. Every sermon should be one persuasive oration for men to be good. To win the applause of your hearers, to instruct them in the theory of the Christian religion, is not enough. Thousands of such superficial Christians will, no doubt, sink down to hell. Gospel truth must be set home in faithfulness to the sinner's heart He must be made to feel that unless he is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. The minister should never feel satisfied with the condition of his hearers unless he is confident that they are 'in Christ'—'are new creatures'—that with them 'old things are passed away and all things are become new.' In order to be successful in producing spiritual reform, all your addresses and labors must assume the tone and character of friendship, and of kind entreaty. You can never frighten rational intelligences into the love of God; you cannot drive men into the kingdom of heaven; you cannot storm and force sinners home to the bosom of the Saviour. But, Sir, you can reason with them, you can persuade, entreat, and pray them in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. You must exhibit the glorious majesty and bountiful dealings of the great God, the atonement, the sufferings, the love and compassion of the glorious Redeemer, the intelligence, doctrine, promises and claims of the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. These truths, proclaimed in the right manner, and under the direction of the right spirit, will surely produce the desired effect. Remember that when you have influenced one sinner to forsake the error of his ways and to embrace and conform to the Saviour, you have accomplished more than when you have made any number of wrangling proselytes to party. To win men to Christ, and to make them good, is the great object to which your energies should be devoted.
"3. It is your duty to cultivate holiness, union, and zeal in the church of God. A careless way of living, a vain, a licentious, a cruel and haughty spirit should never be encouraged by a minister of Christ. Every disciple of Jesus should be plainly taught that without holiness no man can see the Lord.
"Again, look abroad in Christendom and behold the divided and subdivided flock of Christ. See the infidel vulture feasting upon the havoc which wicked and unskilful ministers have made in Zion. While you behold this gloomy picture, and listen to the holy injunction of the great Head of the church for his people to be one; raise the warning voice, lift the banner of truth, and with the authority of Heaven, plead for union and peace among all that love and serve God.
"Also labor to encourage zeal for the truth, and liberty of the Gospel among the saints. The Catholics are zealous, infidels are zealous, proud sectarians are compassing sea and land to make proselytes; and saints who have no creed but the Bible, and no master but Christ, should be zealous to advance and promulgate the truth. Influence should be exerted, talent should be employed, and a part of our earthly treasures should be cheerfully dedicated to the holy cause. These things you should teach and urge upon the consideration of all who love the truth.
"4. I charge you to love the cause, and to consider no sacrifice too great for its advancement. The nature of your calling is such that you cannot with propriety enter into the speculations of the world. The prospect, therefore, of worldly honor and worldly treasure, must be laid aside for the humble cross of the meek and lowly Jesus. You should glory in nothing save the cross, by which you are crucified to the world and the world unto you. Your work as evangelist will separate you from many of the friends of your youth, and deprive you of a thousand domestic joys which are the portion of your brethren in a private circle. Also your work is hard and laborious, which has caused thousands of the best constitutions to sink under it. I have been devoted to the ministry only twenty-four years, and have seen many of my first associates, young and in the prime of life, sink under their labors into premature graves. I have seen the strong and robust youth, whose eye was bright, whose nerve was strong, whose cheek was like the rose, when he entered the work; but after a few years, he falters, he fails, he dies, a holy martyr to the truth. I trust, Sir, you have seriously counted the cost, and received Christ at the loss of all things. How will unfaithful ministers appear in the great day, who have sought the applause of men, studied their own ease, and made no sacrifice for the cause of God? If we suffer with him on earth, we shall be glorified with him in heaven.
"5. Shun the delusion and wickedness of sectarism. This is an age of party, of sectarian rage and bitterness. It is a time of universal strife, excitement and war. The civil and religious world are in a state of unnatural and unreasonable commotion. Almost every subject is driven to an alarming extreme, and the basest measures are sometimes employed to advance sectarian objects. What blindness and delusion mark the progress of sectarism! What cruelty and wickedness follow in her train! The commands and institutions of Jesus are trampled under foot, and brotherly love and Christian forbearance are banished far from the soul of the bigot. This, doubtless, is the time spoken of in the Scriptures, when the heavens and the earth are to be shaken. Now is the time for the man of God to be cool and candid. Never descend from your high and holy calling to the low pursuits of grovelling sectarism; never forsake the great message of love and salvation you are destined to proclaim, to mingle in the petty wrangles of party. Never turn aside from the path of justice and charity to vend the cruel slanders of the times, or to censure and condemn a brother who differs from you in opinion. Let justice, kindness and charity mark all your proceedings, and you will be a good minister of Christ, and a light in the world. Be a Christian, a liberal, genuine Christian; and never suffer any sectarian act of cruelty to tarnish your fame, nor wound your conscience.
"6. Be patient in the sufferings, and humble in the success that may attend your ministry. One of the greatest arts of human happiness is to keep the mind, under all circumstances, in one even, regular position, neither too much elated by flattering prospects, nor too much depressed by misfortunes. It requires as much strength and exertion to sustain ourselves against the temptations and allurements of prosperity, as it does to bear up under the heavy pressure of adversity. We see but few men who are raised to important stations in life, who have sufficient wisdom and strength to act the part of plain, natural, sensible men. See a person raised from poverty to wealth by some unexpected smile of fortune; how frequently he becomes a proud, haughty, intemperate novice. Some men raised to important stations in State, are filled with vanity and egotism; useless, hateful sycophants. As lamentable as the fact is, in the church likewise this trait of human weakness is sometimes discovered. But a man who is filled with pride and importance on being inducted into office in the Church of God, has no just views of himself or his calling, and is altogether unfit for the station he fills. Such vain and deceived persons will be lords over God's heritage, are miserable examples to the flock of Christ; their labors will be a constant source of corruption and temptation to the saints, and the sooner congregations are purged from such tyrants, such wells without water, the better.
"My brother, when prosperity smiles all around, when your labors are crowned with a rich harvest, when your praise and popularity are the theme of every tongue, and affectionate greetings and cheering smiles of applause are seen in every countenance; then, oh! then be humble; like Mary, weep at the feet of Jesus, and press the holy cross closer and closer to your trembling heart, and bless the Lamb of God, that his blood was ever applied to such a sinner. On the other hand, when afflictions gather thick in your path, when base envy shall prompt the tongue of slander to assail you, when the storms of persecution shall gather in threatening aspect on every side, and pale poverty stare you in the face; then is the time to collect all your energies, all your strength, and all your fortitude. Then, while you repose with unshaken confidence on the immutable promises of Jehovah, be sure to put forth your efforts still for the promotion of holy truth; be the same man in spirit and in life now, that you wore in your favored days of success. Never suffer your heart to indulge despair under any circumstances, and ever wear a becoming cheerfulness upon your countenance. But, Sir, I must close, by expressing my happiness in my short acquaintance with you—my confidence in your ability and integrity, and my fervent wish for your prosperity, happiness and success. And when the Great Shepherd shall come to gather all his faithful watchmen, and his precious elect from the four winds of heaven, may you be numbered among the sanctified, and meet the precious souls for whom you have labored on earth, at God's right hand! Amen."
His sermons, not being written, cannot be offered to the world. They only live in the effects they produced, and in the memories of the people; and his written plots were so brief, that their presentation would be but the mockery of a just idea of the discourses given. I will, therefore, not transcribe them; these plots, however, range over every variety of subject. He once said to a few young ministers, that he disliked the plan of announcing to a congregation, at the commencement, the order of a subject, for the reason that it gave them the opportunity of anticipating too readily what he would say. "Let the order of the subject unfold to them as newly as possible," was his usual motto in preaching. He also said:—"Be sure to preach so plain that the most ignorant person in the house will understand you; then even the learned will be pleased." A very conscientious man who believed in the annihilation of the wicked—which he called the second death—once came to him for advice in relation to its having a prominent place in his ministry. "I will tell you," said Mr. Badger, "what to preach. Preach life. Preach life, my brother; the people want life, not death."