Devoted to the Service of the Temple

This little book packs a lot of punch. It is a volume of edited writings from a man who personally knew the cost of preaching the gospel. Hercules Collins was a 17th century British Particular Baptist pastor who labored during the days when Baptists could be jailed for preaching, something he experienced firsthand.

One of the editors of this book is a friend of mine, Tennessee pastor Steve Weaver. He is studying Hercules Collins as part of his research towards a Th.M. at SBTS, and his mentor is the co-editor of this work, Michael Haykin. Anytime you want to find excellent church history books, just go over to Amazon.com, type in Dr. Haykin’s name, and you will have plenty from which to choose.

Why study Hercules Collins? Weaver answers by saying, “Hercules Collins is very interesting to me since he was what I desire to be: a pastor-theologian who was strongly committed to the task of preaching God’s Word faithfully to His people. His theology was worked out in the crucible of pastoral ministry during a twenty-six year pastorate (1676-1702) at London’s oldest Baptist church.”

Haykin and Weaver edited Collins for the modern reader, laying his thoughts on pastoral ministry and preaching at our feet for consideration. While the book is not long in pages, the words are loaded with direct and plain speaking.

Collins says this in regards to what preachers should think of their own preaching:

“If thou has much of God’s presence in preaching, be not overconfident that the sermon shall do most good. And if you art in a dull frame in preaching, so long as you preach God’s Word, do not despair of a good effect. For some have experienced some sermons blest which they thought were lost and have heard nothing to their comfort of that sermon they expected most from. And this is done that no flesh might glory in God’s presence.”

Later, he speaks on the issue of lazy preachers:

“If it be the duty of gospel ministers to study to divide the Word of God aright, then we fairly and naturally infer, that it is their sin that preach and neglect study. You may easily perceive from the pulpit whether the man hath wrought hard at his study the week before, or not. We may say of sermons as some do of pieces of work amongst men: We say of some work, there is no labor, there is no pains in it, it is a very slight thing. But it may be said of others on the contrary, this is a good piece of work this is well wrought, here is labor in this, this is substantial work. As there are too few painful laborers, so I fear there are too many loiterers concerned in this glorious employment; the Holy Ghost speaks of some watchmen sleeping, “loving to slumber.

Pastors, pick up a copy of this volume and hear the voice of a Baptist preacher from 400 years ago who will challenge and inspire you to greater faithfulness in your own ministry.