The Pastors' College
The preparation of the present work was suggested by the
author's connection with the Pastors' College, and the Library of
that Institution has in a high degree assisted in its execution,
therefore the reader must permit the College to be noticed in these
pages in the same manner as in the former volume of this series. To
make it known, and to win for it willing friends is confessedly one
object, of these publications, which may indeed be viewed as merely
the giving forth to a wider area the instruction carried on within
the College walls.
The Institution is intended to aid useful preachers in obtaining
a better education. It takes no man to make him a minister, but
requires that its pupils should, as a rule, have exercised their
gifts for at least two years and have won souls to Jesus. These we
receive, however poor or backward they may be, and our endeavours
are all turned towards the one aim that they should be instructed
in the things of God, furnished for their work, and practised in
the gift of utterance. Much prayer is made by the Church that this
end may be accomplished, nor has the prayer been in vain, for some
330 men are now declaring the gospel of Jesus who were trained in
this manner. Besides the students for the regular ministry, several
hundreds of street preachers, city missionaries, teachers, and
workers of all kinds have passed through our evening classes, and a
band of 250 such men are now with us, pursuing their callings by
day and studying in the evening. We ask for much prayer from all
our brethren, that the supply of the Spirit may sanctify the
teaching, and anoint every worker for the service of the Lord.
As it would be quite unwarrantable for us to interfere with the
arrangements of other bodies of Christians, who have their own
methods of training their ministers, and as it is obvious that we
could not find spheres for men in denominations with which we have
no ecclesiastical connection, we confine our college to Baptists;
and in order not to be harassed with endless controversies, we
invite those only who hold those views of divine truth which are
popularly known as Calvinistic,--not that we care for names and
phrases, but as we wish to be understood, we use a term which
conveys our meaning as nearly as any descriptive word can do.
Believing the grand doctrines of grace to be the natural
accompaniments of the fundamental evangelical truth of redemption
by the blood of Jesus, we hold and teach them not only in our
ministry to the masses, but in the more select instruction of the
class room. Latitudinarianism with its infidelity, and
unsectarianism with its intolerance, are neither of them friends of
ours: we delight in the man who believes, and therefore speaks. Our
Lord has given us no permission to be liberal with what is none of
ours. We are to give an account of every truth with which we are
put in trust.
Our means for conducting this work are with the most High God,
possessor of heaven and earth. We have no list of subscribers or
roll of endowments. Our trust is in Him whom we desire to serve. He
has supported the work for many years, by moving his stewards to
send us help, and we are sure that he will continue to do so as
long as he desires us to pursue this labour of love. We need, at
least, 100 pounds every week of the year. Since our service is
gratuitous in every sense, we the more freely appeal to those who
agree with us in believing that to aid an earnest young minister to
equip himself for his life work is a worthy effort. No money yields
so large a return, no work is so important, just now none is so
absolutely needful.
Nightingale Lane,
Clapham, Surrey.
C. H. Spurgeon