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Testimonies for the Church Volume 4
that they may accomplish the greatest possible amount of good and
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not detract from the force of the truth by their own deficiencies.
Ministers and teachers should discipline themselves to clear and
distinct articulation, giving the full sound to every word. Those who
talk rapidly, from the throat, jumbling the words together and raising
their voices to an unnaturally high pitch, soon become hoarse, and
the words spoken lose half the force which they would have if spoken
slowly, distinctly, and not so loud. The sympathies of the hearers are
awakened for the speaker, for they know that he is doing violence to
himself and they fear that he will break down at any moment. It is no
evidence that a man has zeal for God because he works himself up
into a frenzy of excitement and gesticulation. “Bodily exercise,” says
the apostle, “profiteth little.”
The Saviour of the world would have His colaborers represent
Him; and the more closely a man walks with God, the more faultless
will be his manner of address, his deportment, his attitude, and his
gestures. Coarse and uncouth manners were never seen in our Pattern,
Christ Jesus. He was a representative of heaven, and His followers
must be like Him.
Some reason that the Lord will by His Spirit qualify a man to speak
as He would have him; but the Lord does not propose to do the work
which He has given man to do. He has given us reasoning powers and
opportunities to educate the mind and manners. And after we have
done all we can for ourselves, making the best use of the advantages
within our reach, then we may look to God with earnest prayer to do
by His Spirit that which we cannot do for ourselves, and we shall ever
find in our Saviour power and efficiency.
Qualifications for the Ministry
A great injury is often done our young men by permitting them
to commence to preach when they have not sufficient knowledge of
the Scriptures to present our faith in an intelligent manner. Some who
enter the field are mere novices in the Scriptures. In other things also
they are incompetent and inefficient. They cannot read the Scriptures
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without hesitating, miscalling words, and jumbling them together in
such a manner that the word of God is abused. Those who are not
qualified to present the truth in a proper manner need not be perplexed