During the Spring of 1785, Berridge wrote a letter to Charles Simeon who, at that time, was contemplating (what was for him) the momentous step of preaching as an itinerant, as Berridge himself had been doing for some time. This, of course, for an Anglican, was contrary to Church law, and was bound to bring criticism. In this letter, Berridge advised Simeon as to what is required in an itinerant ministry. In fact, the same could – and should – be said for a settled ministry, as regards addressing sinners with the gospel, and, as such, Berridge’s thoughts are highly relevant today. There is far too little preaching of the gospel, even from pulpits in churches whose Confessions are orthodox on the gospel. What is it to preach the gospel? Indeed, what is preaching! And although Berridge was speaking of preaching in the sense of ‘pulpit work’, since every believer is a priest and a minister, every believer is a preacher of the gospel. Consequently, what Berridge said is valuable for all preachers – all believers, therefore – today. What is involved in preaching the gospel? |