Article November 9, 1899 Issue

Abiding Leadership

George Tomkins

In the original English edition of Rotherham's translation of 2 John, 9,—which occurs in our Lesson-Sermon for October 8,—it reads, "Every one that is leading forward, and not abiding in the teaching of the Christ, has not God." In the latest edition, the rendering, which more literally expresses the original Greek, reads, "Every one that taketh a lead and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God." The first shows the possibility—by the use of the present tense—that some now in possession of the seeming reins of leadership are not abiding in the Christ-Truth; while the latter shows that some are mesmerized by their self-will and mad ambition, and will try to snatch the reins of leadership and drive like fury away from Truth's well-defined track, even if they dash all who accompany them into outer darkness, for, being uninspired by Spirit, they are without the hope wrought of "a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men," just because they "have not God."

Spurgeon's success begat the envy of an older minister, who mistook his ambitious dream for what he told the "prince of preachers" was an "inspiration by God, to come and preach to the thousands in his Metropolitan Tabernacle." Mr. Spurgeon replied, "All right, dear brother, so you shall, just so soon as He inspires me that you should."

The parents of Thomas Carlyle designed him for the ministry of the Church of Scotland, and bade him to go to his room to "pray about it." Weary with his two hours on his knees, he so welcomed the dinner bell, that he preferred to await the answer to his prayers, until he had gratified his sense of hunger." His comparison of his, possibly, mean meals as a simple minister of the Gospel, to his then sense of "faring sumptuously every day," led him to turn his back on the work designed by his parents and risk reaping the reward of such as "abide not in Truth."

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