A well-known and distinguished preacher of the last generation, addressing a body of American students, on one occasion, towards the end of his career, made the remark, “If I had to live my life over again, I would make my ministry a more comforting ministry.” The need of comfort is as great as ever, perhaps greater, and some attempt has been made in the following pages to meet that need. The articles were not all written at one time; indeed, they cover a period of nearly thirty years, so it will be seen that the writer’s attention has been directed, again and again, to the same subject. These contributions to an ever-present problem reflect to some extent his own experience. They are far from being mere essays.
Perhaps the justification for such a book is found in the following words of another:
“The people who are worn and burdened by sorrow, by temptation, by sin and by fear are everywhere. I venture to say they constitute the majority of mankind. At one time or another we all find ourselves enrolled in their ranks, and the real test of a religion, of its value and worth, is this: Can it do anything for the weary? Can it minister to the diseased mind? Can it bind up the broken in heart?”
It is hoped that the following pages, as far as Christianity is concerned, may help in some measure to answer these questions in the affirmative. And to this the writer out of his own personal experience — in company, he is sure, with a vast multitude that no man can number — desires to add his — and their — Amen.
Will the reader excuse any occasional repetition he may discover, due to the long period covered by the articles? They reflect, too, in many instances, the tragic period of World War I. Not a few were written during that time of unexampled suffering and sacrifice.