Phineas F. Bresee - A Prince In Israel - Media Sabda Org

utterances have come down through the ages, which are the thoughts of God, melted and recast in
human souls, but they are not plentiful.
"We have testimony and living in these days--manifestation of hearts which are burning furnaces
unto God, sending out their utterances like red-hot fire balls, and their lives are rivers of life in this
world--but there is not much of it.
"There are churches which are pentecostal, not simply in name, but in the presence and power of
the Holy Ghost, where men and women walk in His fellowship, and are filled with His heavenly
comfort, to whom earth is a little ante-chamber to the skies, a little standing-place to stretch their
pinions for immortal flight--churches unworldly, heavenly minded, divinely-filled--but they are
evidently scarce.
"Our apprehension of religion, which gives to us our type, is low, almost, if not altogether,
unworthy of Him who emptied Himself of the infinite glory to take our place; who, though He was
rich, became poor, that we, through His poverty might be rich--of Him who wrought out our
redemption in pain, in infinite heart agony, in sacrifice for sin, in the manifestation of the divine
power; who reinstated and re-endowed our humanity with eternal glory, and to make it effectual,
came as the Eternal Spirit to make men holy, "that they might know Thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."
"We linger this morning near the gateway of this most excellent glory, to say to men--the King
invites."
Pulpit Preparation
Much might be said, and with profit, on the subject of Dr. Bresee's methods and ability as a
preacher. He told me that for several years of his ministry, he chose a text as a site for a sermon, and
with little idea of developing the portion of Scripture thus chosen. He would treat it rather as an
appropriate setting or background for his discourse, and explore the universe for material with which
to construct his homiletic edifice. As he thus built, he kept getting farther away from his scriptural
foundation. As the years went by, God showed him a better way, and he came to regard his text more
as the entrance to an inexhaustible mine of truth, or as the opening into illimitable rivers of oil, from
which it would gush forth in greater volume and power as he continued to bore his well.
During the twenty-six years that I knew him, he did not habitually search for his themes, but he
treasured the faint and gentle intimations that came to him from time to time regarding his pulpit
subjects. He took these as coming from God, and carefully noted them, for he well knew how
quickly these winged messengers from the Lord took their flight and disappeared. When a theme
came to him in this manner, he would mediate upon it, and talk about it to his wife and friends. He
would often discuss with me these inchoate sermons. He would usually begin in some such way as
this: "Brother Girvin, I am trying to prepare a sermon on such and such a text, and I would like to
have you help me. There are some difficulties, and I need your suggestions." While I knew that he
was perfectly sincere in this, I was also aware that my proper attitude toward him was that of a
learner. Nevertheless, I sometimes permitted myself to make a suggestion.