Bulletin of COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DECATUR, GEORGIA Vol. XLIV February, 1952 No. 4 RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED Entered as second-class matter at the post office at Decatur, Ga., under Act of August 24, 1912 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY AT DECATUR, GEORGIA AN APPEAL TO THE SUPPORTING SYNODS PREACH THE WORD A Commencement Address by Rev. E. G. Lilly, D. D. First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, S. C. THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AN APPEAL TO THE SUPPORTING SYNODS As of January 1, 1952, Columbia Seminary had raised approximately $25,000 in the second phase of its De- velopment Program. This means that $100,000 more must be secured during the twelve months of the present year in order that the institution may claim an anony- mous gift of $100,000 which has been promised if the total of $125,000 is in hand by January 1, 1953. The task of raising this will not be easy at best, but real encouragement is found in the fact that every dollar which is contributed now will be worth two dollars to the seminary and to our Church. The Campaign Committee takes this opportunity to address an urgent appeal to the pastors and churches of the five supporting synods. The season for the Every Member Canvass is at hand. We believe that in most of our churches it should be possible for a special contri- bution to this campaign to be written into the benevolent budget and subscribed during the canvass without hard- ship to the local congregation or injury to any other cause. We earnestly request that this be done wherever it is practicable. We also hope that in some cases it may be possible for gifts to be made out of undesignated funds which will be on hand at the end of the present church year. It will help the campaign committee greatly if churches which include this cause in their budgets for a contribution will notify the seminary of that fact either by a letter, or by use of the commitment form which the institution will provide upon request. It is of utmost importance that we attain full success in this campaign, so that the new library and the addition to the seminary's administration building may be com- pleted, free of debt. We believe that few gifts made either by churches or by individuals at this time could consti- tute so fine an investment for the total program of our Church, both at home and abroad. PREACH THE WORD (This address was delivered at the Commencement Exercises of Columbia Theological Seminary on May 28, 1951. Its author is Dr. Edward G. Lilly, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, S. C, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Seminary. Although it is especially appropriate as advice for min- isters, we believe that it will be of interest and value to laymen also.) There are three words that I wish I had learned to practice very early in my ministry. Interpretation The first word is to preach the Word by true Interpre- tation. You have already learned something of the diffi- culty of correct interpretation. You have learned that the historical background must be investigated, the lan- guage must be known, the customs of that day must be studied, and the context must be carefully observed if the full understanding is to be obtained. The necessity of correct interpretation rests upon you for you are a leader. You will either be speaking the truth of God or else falsehood. You will be guided in your interpretation by the Scriptures as you compare Scripture with Scripture. The Holy Spirit who is the Author is also the great Interpre- ter. Let us remember to be guided by our Westminster standards and by the work of consecrated scholars. As you interpret the Word you will be increasingly impressed by the uniqueness of the Christian Gospel, There is no other message that can be compared with it. There will come times when you will feel that the Holy Spirit is saying "Fear not" when you contemplate the greatness of the Gospel. We are challenged to a full faith and to an open hearted acceptance of the truth. God says to us that we must not be afraid to stretch our faith. When the angels spoke to the shepherds bringing the message of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour, they said "Fear not." When the angel spoke of the glorious resurrection of our Lord it was the same challenge to stretch the faith as he said "Fear not." A word of caution here may not be amiss. Let us seek a balance in interpretation which will help us to avoid fanaticism, or false doctrines, and will prevent the taking up of isms and the riding of special hobbies. Thorough interpretation of the Word will give a posi- tive presentation of the full truth. William Jennings Bryan used to call attention to the fact that in the Great Commission, Christ commanded His disciples to teach all things whatsoever He had commanded them. '&^ Thorough interpretation will give a definite content of truth to your message and a greater reserve power. It will give a great abundance of preaching material and topics. We will not be drawing water from man-made cisterns but from the wells that never fail. Dr. W. R. Dobyns said that his greatest difficulty was to know which sermon to preach for his study of the Bible would furnish him with so much material that he would have three or more messages for each time he could preach. Thorough interpretation will strengthen your own faith and it will increase the authority of your message as you say "Thus saith the Lord." Also there will come a lasting benefit to your people when they turn back to the pas- sages you have explained to them. When you have ex- plained to them the great theme of "faithfulness to God in the midst of ail circumstances" which runs through the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of Matthew, these chapters will take on new significance and meaning for them as they reread them under various conditions later on. The great message of faith in God even in the most difficult times was set forth by our Saviour in John four- teen. Yet on one occasion as I read these words, I sensed that those who were listening as I read them in a home which had been touched by sorrow did not know them. To them they were strange words with little meaning. What a difference there was not long after that as I attended a funeral which was conducted by another minister. As I stood there in the home, I saw the lips of a woman moving as the minister read the twenty-third Psalm. It had become a source of comfort and peace to her long ago. Thorough interpretation will do something else. It will show your people some of the great treasures which they possess in the Bible. For hundreds of years, the Indians lived in the vicinity of what is now Birmingham, Ala. But they did not realize the presence of, nor develop the great natural resources of iron ore, coal and limestone which are now being mined there and have made it a great industrial center. We need to spend much time in the "House of the In- terpreter." We must not forget the convincing, convicting and converting power of the truth in Christ as the Holy Spirit applies it to human hearts. A fearless clear presentation of the truth will stir up opposition and strong resistance at times. Christ was opposed by the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and others, yet he never modified or changed His message. He condemned them for their literalism, their formalism, their covetousness, and their slavish acceptance of tradition. Every true minister should strive to be a correct and faithful interpreter of the Word of God. Illustration The second word is the word "Illustration." The Scot- tish minister who was described by one of the members of his church as being invisible during the week and in- comprehensible on Sunday may not have realized how closely these two characteristics are linked together. The first place you think of illustrating is in the ser- mon. It is very desirable there to let the light in and show clearly the full truth. Dr. Robert E. Speer used to tell of how his father, who was a lawyer, while mentally preparing his presentation of a case for the jury, would walk up and down the room, going over various phases of the case. When his wife asked him if he had not seen it clearly, he would reply in effect: "0 yes, I see it very clearly, but I want the jury to see it just as clearly as I do." It is very desirable to illustrate the sermon, it is very essential to illustrate the truth by your life. I speak about your individual life, your life in the home, in the com- munity, in the church and in the church courts. You will meet criticism, indifference, doubt, difficulties, and disagreements. Will you have the wisdom, the pa- tience and the grace to make pearls out of these? Will you be able to show by your life how to out-live, out-love and out-die those who do not possess the truth? You will be getting on-the-job training as you work in the midst of your people. Will you be willing for them to copy you? Paul wrote to Timothy "Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the be- lievers in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity. . . . Take heed unto thyself and unto the doc- trine." Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me do: and the God of peace shall be with you. One of the great condemnations of the Pharisees by Christ was "for they say, and do not." Christ is the incarnate Truth. As you walk with Christ you will find that you are walking between Christ and your people largely. They will learn to see Him through you. In one of the Charleston homes there hangs a Currier and Ives picture which has three pictures in one. If you look at it from one side you see a picture of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston; if you look at it from the other side you see Jefferson Davis; if you look straight at the picture from the front you see that great leader, Gen. Robert E. Lee. May you lead your people until with increasing clearness they learn to see the face of their Master and Saviour. Application The first word was Interpretation ; the second word was Illustration; the third word is Application. How neces- sary it is to have the accurate application of the truth to all phases of life. The Word of God came out of life's experiences. God, the Creator; God, the Preserver; God, the Redeemer; God, the Leader, these are not just fine- spun theories, they are facts which the experience of God in life has revealed and certified. Truly, the twenty-third Psalm is the expression of experience, and the faith emerging from it. The Bible fits all of life. The Will of God should be applied to every phase of life. You will need to do clear thinking, and clear speaking, and you will need a strong faith in the ultimate victory of the truth. Your spirit must be one of patience and understanding, of assurance and firmness, of faith, of hope and of love. Others will be asking you, and you will be constantly asking yourself, "What is God's message of the gospel as applied to life today?" Do not minimize the challenge to apply the great facts and doctrines of the Christian faith to all the phases and questions of life today. This is not easy, but to fail to do so will be a failure to preach and teach the truth of God in all its strength and glory. The skipper of a yacht must remember that his boat is influenced and carried about by the current or the tide, and by the wind, as well as by the power of its engine. He must know where the hidden rocks or the sand banks are, and where the main channel is. He must watch out for other ships. No wonder he must always keep his hand on the wheel and be constantly alert. What a challenge comes to us today to be faithful in this great work of applying the gospel to all of life! May each one of us be able some day to hear the Saviour say: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."