25 Sermon Illustrations on Calling

What Woodrow Wilson said about preachers is worthy of the careful consideration of every one of us: "When I hear some of the things which young men say to men by way of putting the arguments to themselves for going into the ministry, I think they are talking of another profession. Their motive is to do something. I know you do not have to be anything in particular to be a lawyer. You do not have to be anything in particular, except a kind-hearted man, perhaps, to be a physician, nor undergo any strong spiritual change in order to be a merchant. The only profession which consists in being something is the ministry of our Lord and Savior-and it does not consist of anything else. That conception of the ministry which rubs all the marks off and mixes him in the crowd so that you cannot pick him out, is a process of eliminating the ministry itself." The Proper Attitude A church was in need of a pastor. A candidate came who preached on hell. The next Sunday another candidate came whose sermon was also on hell, and his fundamental teaching was the same as that of the first one.When the members of the church were called upon to vote, they voted for the second candidate. When they were asked why, the answer was, "The first one spoke as if he were glad that people were going to hell, while the second seemed sorry for it." The Divine Commission An examining committee of ministers once met to determine the qualifications of Billy Sunday for ordination as a gospel minister. Among other questions fired at the world-famous baseball player was a request that he identify a well-known church father and name some of his writings. Billy was stumped. After fumbling around for a moment, he looked up with a twinkle in his eye and said, "I never heard of him. He was never on my team." The learned theologians deliberated together, but found it hard to make a decision. Finally, one of them moved that Billy Sunday be recommended for ordination, adding, "He has already won more souls for Christ than the whole shebang of us put together." The secret-he was sent by God. A Spiritual Lesson A preacher was watching an old man trout-fishing, briskly pulling them in one after the other. "You manage it cleverly, old friend," said the preacher. "I passed a good many fishermen below who don't seem to be catching anything." The old man lifted himself up and stuck his rod in the ground. "Well, you see, sir," he said, "there are three rules for trout fishing: first, keep yourself out of sight; the second is, keep yourself farther out of sight; and the third is, keep yourself still farther out of sight. Then you'll do it."

A brilliant young man with a magnetic personality went out to the mission field. His salary was just a pittance. A large commercial firm was so eager to obtain his services that they offered him ten times his salary, but he refused. They offered to make it even larger if he would accept. "Oh, the salary is big enough," he told them, "but the job isn't!"

As St. Cuthbert was one day playing at ball with his companions, there stood among them a fair young child, the fairest creature ever eye beheld; and he said to St. Cuthbert, "Good brother, leave these vain plays; set not thy heart upon them; mind thy book: has not God chosen thee out to be great in his Church?" But Cuthbert heeded him not; and the fair child wrung his hands, and wept, and threw himself down on the ground in great heaviness. And when Cuthbert ran to comfort him, he said, "Nay, my brother, it is for thee I weep, that preferest thy vain sports to the teaching of the servants of God;" and then he vanished suddenly, and Cuthbert knew that it was an angel that had spoken to him; and from that time forth his piety and love of learning recommended him to the notice of the good Prior of Melrose, who instructed him carefully in the Holy Scriptures. And he became celebrated for his piety, eloquence, and missionary labors.

— Mrs. Jameson

Like as if the queen, to show her puissance against a foreign power, should call forth some of her subjects who are most beholden to her to combat in her presence for her honor, they would, no doubt, strain all their strength in this service, yea, and their lives too: even so, much more ought we that are Christians to perform this duty to our God and Prince, who hath called us out by name to fight for his honor, to be a chosen and peculiar people unto himself, to stand on his posts, to show forth his virtues, and to be zealous of good works; yea, and, that we might the better perform this service, he hath furnished us with his own armor and weapons, yea, and his own holy hand is with us too, though all men see it not: therefore we must endeavor to do valiantly, and to do our best, to answer the expectation of our heavenly King and Prince. Cawdray.

Noah preached the coming flood to the old world for a hundred years; but only eight souls were saved thereby. To the cities of the plain, Lot preached; but only three souls were chosen from them. Six hundred thousand men, besides women and children, passed through the Red Sea; but only two entered the Promised Land. Gideon went to fight the Midianites with thirty-two thousand men; but only three hundred were allowed to participate in the victory. These are types of the many "called, and few chosen."

One man, perhaps, proves miserable in the study of the law, who might have flourished in that of physics or divinity. Another runs his head against the pulpit, who might have been very serviceable to his country at the plough. And a third proves a very dull and heavy philosopher, who possibly would have made a good mechanic, and have done well enough at the useful philosophy of the spade or the anvil. Dr. South.

Hazael, the son of an Eastern prince, had been educated in the valley of the wise men, and had passed there the days of his boyhood. Then his father sent him to Persia to finish his education, and to learn the ways and manners of men. Perfect liberty was granted to the youth; but Serujah, his old master, secretly watched the life and doings of the prince. When he arrived in Persia, he was led away by the pleasures of the capital and the turmoil of luxurious life; so that he forgot his destination, and thoughtlessly gave up his heart to pleasure: he remembered no longer his royal calling. When he was one day walking in the pleasure-gardens of Ispahan, Serujah passed him in the garb of a pilgrim, having a staff in his right hand. But Hazael knew Serujah, and asked him, "Whence comest thou, and whither goest thou?" Serujah answered, and said, "I know not." Then the youth marvelled, and said, "Hast thou left thy home, and dost thou travel abroad not knowing whither?" Serujah answered, "I have forgotten it: I walk to and fro; and the path which seems to me the widest and the most pleasant, that choose I."—"And whither will such bootless wanderings lead thee?" asked the astonished youth. Serujah answered, "I know not; why should I care?" Then Hazael turned to those who stood around him, and said, "This man was the teacher of my youth, and full of wisdom; but, behold! he has grown foolish, and lacks understanding. Alas! how is he changed, and become like another being!" Then Serujah threw down his wallet, and went to the youth, and said, "Thou sayest it, Hazael, my life has changed like thine. Formerly, I was thy guide, and thou didst follow me in the way which I showed thee. But now I have ceased to be thy guide; I have begun to follow thee. Behold, my wandering! wherein I lose sight of the way, and the goal is like thine: reason has departed from thee, even as it has quitted me. Who is the more foolish, thou or I? and which of us is wandering in the worse path?" Thus said Serujah. Then Hazael acknowledged his transgression, and returned to the way of wisdom, which Serujah had taught him. Krummacher.

I like a man to have an idea: it is a great property. Some people seem as if they had no ideas at all; but I like a man of one idea. What is a man of one idea? Why, he is a man in whom an idea takes possession of his skull, and of both hemispheres of his brain; of the frontal region, the back region, and the lateral region; and the idea walks up and down in his brain, from hemisphere to hemisphere, from convolution to convolution; and thus the man is literally a man of one idea. And when the one idea is, that knowledge shall be everywhere and ignorance nowhere, order everywhere and disorder nowhere, liberty everywhere and slavery nowhere; when that one idea is, that truth shall be everywhere and falsehood nowhere, love everywhere and hatred nowhere, concord everywhere and discord nowhere, Christ everywhere and Satan nowhere on the earth at all, — that is a grand idea.

— Dr. Beaumont

"Sell all thou hast, and give it to the poor, and follow me:" but sell not all thou hast, except thou come and follow me, — that is, except thou have a vocation wherein thou mayest do as much good with little means as with great; for otherwise, in feeding the streams, thou driest the fountain. Lord Bacon.

No man possesses a genius so commanding that he can attain eminence, unless a subject suited to his talents should present itself, and an opportunity occurs for this development. Pliny.

A minister now living relates the following. In early life, his father felt called to the ministry, but asked God to excuse him, and made a vow to give his eldest son to the work of the ministry. The vow was apparently accepted of God, as the father felt no longer the pressure of this special duty, and prospered in his religious life. Twenty years later, the son was converted, and felt, that, if he would be religious at all, he must be a minister. He accepted the duty gladly, prepared for it: and, after his ordination, his father said to him, for the first time informing him of the vow, "My son, you have a double duty to do. You have your own work and mine also."

The late Rev. R. Hill writes thus:—A certain farmer, well known to me, was always moral, yet ignorant of the gospel. By reading some of the sermons of the late Mr. Romaine, he was called to the knowledge of the truth. The farmer was a man of good sense and great integrity; and he now conceived his domestics should not live without family worship. In his kitchen the Bible was always as much in sight as the bacon-rack; and when he read the Bible to them, he could not but express the simple feelings of his heart. He wept, and they wept in concert. And in prayer, he found he was not wanting in "the spirit of grace and of supplications." Thus being enabled to tell his own wants before his family, they began to find out their wants also. This answered the end. The family was filled with surprise, and they surprised their neighbors, who stole in to unite in this worship. They now requested him to preach; but the modest farmer resisted the call. He had a gracious sister, who charged him not to fight against God, for that others, besides his own family, were benefited by their attendance. The farmer consented; yet he was no enthusiast, but a solid, pious, thinking man, and had a good knowledge of his Bible: and no man of good sense, though he has neither Greek, Latin, nor logic, will ever talk nonsense. Thus he commenced a preacher, and was wonderfully blessed: quite the apostle, the reformer of the neighborhood. The generous public speedily accommodated the farmer with a convenient place of worship, in the town. The farmer was solemnly ordained to the pastoral charge, and the communion among them was very seriously and largely attended

258. Industry, Energy, and Devotion to their Work.

Mr. Clark, afterwards schoolmaster at Sierra Leone, taught a Sunday school at Edinburgh. His method of giving instruction was, after the pupils had read, or repeated a portion of Scripture, to put such explanatory and practical questions to them as naturally arose out of the passage, and to conclude with a short address and prayer. Of one class, consisting of sixteen boys, fourteen of them at adult age, were brought to the saving knowledge of God, and acknowledged the early instruction he had given them as the means of their conversion. The whole of these were afterwards engaged in preaching the gospel, some of them in Great Britain, and others in foreign lands.