摩 根 ( G. Campbell Morgan
1863 - 1945 )
上一代英國釋經派出色的傳道人摩根，開始傳道的地方是在英國，但是，他在美國也贏得了同等的尊敬。他因沒有受過良好的學校教育，在他事業的起始時，就為循理會所拒：因此，他轉入公理宗，藉著他的講道及他的著作，他使每個教派都蒙福了。
從某一方面說，他的偉大，已使他無法屬於任何教派。一九零四年，他成為倫敦西敏寺教堂的牧師，那時西敏寺年久失修，成了公理會的大包袱，他上任不久，這座有二千五百座位的大教堂，以及兩個樓座都坐滿了人。據說，從清潔工人在地上撿到的鈕扣數目，就可看出人湧入教堂要搶先入座的熱烈情況。雖然，這種說法可能過分，但有的時候，教堂已經坐滿，他就在預定一小時以前開講了…。
冬天，每隔一週的星期二，他代鄰區的一位牧師講道，平均聽眾數目是一千七百人至二千人。星期三下午也與主日學教員一起研究星期日要講授的聖經課。西敏寺教堂的講台也經過改建，裝上了大黑板，以備他教授聖經課時用。黑板上有聽眾看不到的暗線，使他在黑板上畫線時能畫得直。摩根曾說：[我不是單為自己做的，而是要作一個教師；去幫助那些因為他們日常工作不能像傳道人用那樣多時間去研讀聖經的人。他用圖解、大綱、追求簡單、清楚與簡短，他說，傳道人是〝解釋者〞，要使聽的人可以明白。
摩根從未以單一教會為足。他在一週之中在英格蘭各地旅行講道，他用早晚的時間讀書，他的傳記中說：〝這遊行講道並未叫他站在講台上，面對聽眾時缺乏準備。這項準備常用其它方式做成，因為他早起晚睡。那些擠到教堂，為聖經的奇妙所感動，第一次，或以新方式，看見聖經信息之力量的人，對於摩根在半夜燈下的準備工作，則毫無所知。這位在講台上如此充滿活力的人，他們沒有看見他在清晨五時就在燈下在打開的聖經前作筆記了。他們也沒有看見他坐在馳過原野的火車車廂裏，他的心思默想著許多經文，探索、分析其中的真理，並尋求解釋。
在那個神學正進行大爭論的時代，他在西敏寺教堂的工作，對那些維護聖經基本信仰的人，正是一個堅強的堡壘。從一九一九至一九三二年，他旅行美國，在慕迪北野夏季聖經大會中扮演了一個主要的角色。在那幾年中，他只在家中停留過八個月。從一九二九至一九三二年，他擔任費城長老教會大教堂的牧師，但他仍然每週旅行到紐約及波士頓去講解聖經；一九三二年，他接受了急迫的召請。再次回到英國倫敦西敏寺教堂，會堂與會眾又再次需要重建，他看來是唯一能作成這大工的人。
對他說，講道，或說教導人聖經，講解闡釋聖經，永遠是一項快樂。是甚麼使他成為一個屬靈的偉人的呢?
他的日記一再記載：〝讀經整個上午〞，並且，他總是很晚才上床。年輕的傳道人問他成功的秘訣時，摩根博士回答說：〝努力工作，殷勤努力工作、工作。〞早晨六點鐘一過，他就到書房，好安靜地研讀聖經。人不可在上午打擾他，他是在研讀聖經。神對人講的話需要人專心去領受，而摩根博士就有這 份專心。
為他寫傳記的作家描寫他關心他聽眾的情形時說：〝這強有力的信息；這些專心的聽眾，講者與聽者之間完全合一的氣氛，乃是熱切專心，獻於〝我只有一件事〞傳道的結果。對摩根說，他無比的責任，以及他心上經常的擔子，乃是餵養主的羊群，他主日學中最小的羔羊，在他看來，與最成熟的學生同樣重要。
他在為聖經每卷書預備大綱時，在他提筆之前，他計畫先讀五十遍。他講到他一次坐下來讀完出埃及記全卷，這樣有四十遍之後，他才開始寫下一些釋經的注解。這些綱要及註釋，就構成了今天英文版的〝 The
Analyzed Bible〞。
據說，他可隨時用聖經任何一章講一篇道，但是，他每次講道，卻總要用一小時作特別準備。他對聖經的一般準備是不斷的，濃厚的。〝我可以說，〞他說：〝我經常在火車上讀聖經。〞但是，地並非隱士，他十分喜愛與人接觸。他在慕迪的聖經大會中；下午的時間全用在社交及康樂活動；他總是成為人群中的核心，這時他並不與人討論深奧的道理，只是講一些有趣的故事，與人共度歡樂的時間。
西敏寺教堂的講台既專獻為解釋聖經，摩根為兒童所設立的主日學也是以聖經為中心就不足為怪了。這可讓我們看出，對摩根博土說，對所有年齡階段的人，研究聖經都是同樣的重要。
在他的計畫中，有四年的聖經初級課程，學生在這項課程中熟讀聖經中的故事，摩根博土發現，聖經中有一百五十個故事，適合五至八歲的孩子。九至十二歲少年階段，他說，特別對連環的故事有興趣。因此，他以聖經的傳記材料，為少年人編了一百五十三課聖經課。在那最艱難的十三至十六歲的年月階段，青春期的青少年正培植出人際關係的感覺。因此，研究聖經歷史可以引起他們的興趣。十六歲之後，青年人就可接受聖經中一些必須遲延的重要的教訓--以色列的律法、詩歌、大小先知的信息、耶穌的教訓，及使徒們的著作。
摩根如何使研讀聖經成為他一生專長的呢？在十六歲之前，他從未懷疑過聖經的權威。他身為浸禮會傳道人的兒子，他從未想過，任何誠實、受人尊敬的人，會懷疑聖經是神的話。
以後，他接受師資教育時，他聽到達爾文．赫胥黎、施賓塞等人，這些人的哲學在宗教界投下了陰影。〝到了一個時侯，我對甚麼都沒有確 信，〞他說，他 三年之久失去了信心，他在〝世俗的殿堂裏〞辯論新書中所講的題目，他的媳婦耶爾描寫他如何解決困難的情形說：
〝最後，危機臨到，他向自己承認，對聖經是否賦有神對人說話的權威，他完全失去了確信。他立即取消了一切講道約會。那時，他將他所有的書籍，攻擊聖經及為聖經辯護的書，全都放在屋角的櫃子裏。現在我聽到鎖的聲響，他說，他出去，到街上書店??，買了一本新聖經，帶著聖經回到家中，他對自己說：〝我已不再確信，這本聖經像父親所說那樣具有權威，是神的話，但是，有一件事我卻有把握，它若是神的話，我若是有開明的心思，不帶偏見的去讀它，它必會使我心靈獲得保證。聖經找到了我，〞他說：〝那時，一八八三年，我開始研讀聖經，自此，他人生的後五十年，沒有一年他不出版一兩本著作。他著作了七十本書，其中一些書是所有傳道人為了充實自己所必讀的書。讀它們就會得益處。其中的許多內容，進入道其他傳道人的講詞中。施韋．伯稱〝基督的危機〞一書，是摩根最偉大的著作。他的兩卷〝聖經中的活信息〞是釋經者的另一顆珠寶。〝路加福音〞、〝使徒行傳〞、〝偉大的醫生〞 都是神學中寶貴的著作。
摩根之成為偉大的傳道人，乃是因為他以神的話作課本。研究他的工作、他的嗜好、他的感情，他的偉大是由於他的這項習慣所造成的。
George Campbell Morgan (1863-1945)
Introduction
The early 19th century produced a
great wealth of Bible teachers and evangelists that are credited with
initiating a new turn in the Lord's
recovery of his testimony on the earth. Brothers such as John Nelson
Darby, William Kelly, George Muller,
D.L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, Andrew Murray, and A.B. Simpson
pioneered a fresh move of the Lord
that we benefit from until today. However, we should not forget the
many great teachers that have
carried this move of the Lord into the 20th century by building on what
the Lord had done in the 19th
century. Teachers such as D.M. Panton, Jesse Penn Lewis, G.H. Lang,
Evan Roberts, A.W. Tozer, Cyrus
Scofield, Billy Sunday, T. Austin Sparks, and M.E. Barber stood on
the shoulders of those in the early
part of the century and brought the Lord's work to a higher level. It is
in this context that G. Campbell Morgan
takes his place in church history. Although he is not credited
with the opening up of great
Biblical truths as the early Brethren were, he nevertheless expounded the
Bible with fresh light and with an
utterance in a class of its own. One can only imagine how inspiring it
must have been to sit and listen to
Morgan's expounding of the crises of Christ: how God designed the
temptation of Jesus to
"drag" Satan into the light to expose his personality and methods
once for all; or
how Jesus became the only man in
human history to be "forsaken" by God. He drew thousands to love
the Bible through his speaking at
Westminster Chapel and his Biblical insights recorded in his books
are popular among the Lord’s seekers
even today. His most popular works are "The Crises of the
Christ," and the several
volumes of "The Westminster Pulpit."
Spiritual men of the later 18th
century have been described as being detached from social issues as
well as society at large. A. W.
Tozer retreated to his study immediately after his sermons because he
did not care to have people with
"diseased personalities" coming up to him to shake his hand. T Austin
Sparks was a private person who
usually kept to himself. Panton, Penn Lewis, Lang, etc., although
articulate Bible teachers, did not
leave behind a significant group of followers affected by their ministry
as did earlier church leaders such
as Darby, Taylor, and Simpson. G. Campbell Morgan invigorated the
dying Westminster Chapel with his
eloquent exposition of the Bible. However, soon after both of his
resignations, the congregation
quickly dwindled again. Could this have to do with his approach to his
pastorship? His Biblical expositions
gave profound insight into the revelation of the divine economy, but
did not often allude to the
subjective experience of the believer. One has to wonder if the liberal social
gospel of the 20th century that was
geared only to reach out to meet human needs was a reaction to
the spiritual men at the turn of the
century who appeared detached from the common man. However,
this should not take away from the
powerful influence he has had on Bible students of every
persuasion.
G. Campbell Morgan’s writings have
profound insight, are unique in utterance and are unparalleled in
expression. He rarely quoted other
Bible teachers, neither did he rely on light others received. Yet his
Biblical expositions are so
thought-provoking and inspiring that one cannot help but be left in awe of
what this brother received from the
Word. The Lord Jesus gave Morgan a special revelation to bring
God’s people into fellowship with
Himself by being nourished and enlightened through the enjoyment of
the Bible. We must appreciate and
learn from our brother, G. Campbell Morgan, how he brought into the
Lord’s recovery the way to dig out
the unsearchable riches of Christ found in His Holy Word.
Biographical Sketch
Early Years
G. Campbell Morgan was the son of a
Baptist minister. His home was one of such genuine piety that in
later years he wrote: "While my
father could not compel me to be a Christian, I had no choice because
of what he did for me and what I saw
in him." He received an excellent education at Gratton house, "The
Douglas School for Young
Gentlemen," but never earned any academic degree. When Campbell was 10
years old, D.L. Moody came to
England for the first time, and the effect of his ministry, combined with
the dedication of his parents, made
such an impression on the life of young Morgan, that at the age of
13, he preached his first sermon.
Two years later, he was preaching regularly in country chapels during
his Sundays and holidays. Although
he had no formal training for the ministry, his tireless devotion to
the study of the Bible helped him to
become a prominent Bible teacher of his day. In 1886, at the age of
23, he left the teaching profession,
for which he had been trained, and began devoting his full time to the
ministry of the Word of God. He was
ordained to the Congregational ministry in 1890, having been
rejected by the Wesleyan Methodists
two years before.
Association with D.L. Moody
Morgan worked with Moody and Sankey
in their evangelistic tour of Great Britain in 1883. His reputation
as preacher and Bible expositor soon
encompassed England and spread to the United States. In 1896,
D.L. Moody invited him to give a
lecture to the students at the Moody Bible Institute. This was the first
of his 54 crossings of the Atlantic
to minister the Word. After the death of Moody in 1899, Morgan
assumed the position of director of
the Northfield Bible Conference. The many thousands of converts
from the ministry of Moody needed a
teacher of the Bible to strengthen and deepen their faith. G.
Campbell Morgan became that teacher.
Pastorate at Westminster Chapel,
London
In 1840 the area where Westminster
Chapel now stands was relatively undeveloped. It was an unhealthy
poverty stricken slum - perhaps the
worst in England. Since that time the area has improved
considerably and historic
attractions such as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey bring
millions of tourists to the area
each year. Prior to the arrival of Dr R T Kendall in 1976, Westminster
Chapel had three particularly famous
pastors: the Rev’d Samuel Martin (142-1878), G Campbell Morgan
(1904-1917 & 1933-1943) and Dr D
Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1939-1968).
The Congregationalists wanted a
stronger Christian witness in the area. The impetus came from the
Regent Street Chapel and the means
from the Metropolis Chapel Building Association who built a
Chapel in Buckingham Gate on the
site of the third Westminster Hospital. The building, seating 1,500
and with 22 members opened on 6 May
1841.
Such was the diligence and success
of the first pastor, Samuel Martin, that by 1860 the church building
could not accommodate the expanding
membership. On July 6, 1865 the present building, seating
2,500, was opened (on the same
site)
During the early years of this
century Westminster Chapel became known as the white elephant of
Congregationalism. Many gifted men
were approached about the pulpit vacancy but none appeared
interested. Serious consideration
was given to selling the site and using the proceeds to build smaller
churches away from the center of
London.
Under God’s providence, when the
situation was most critical, George Campbell Morgan accepted the
challenge and the call to
Westminster Chapel. He began his ministry on the last Sunday of October
1904. Morgan was a gifted preacher
and teacher; he was a schoolmaster before ordination, with a tall
imposing presence and perfect
speaking voice. He was a Congregationalist by persuasion and was
well-known in England. He brought
his friend , Albert Swift, as a co-pastor.
Morgan had well-planned organization,
Bible-centered preaching and teaching, meaningful weekday and
Sunday activities and services, and
excellent cooperation of people. He was in charge of the preaching
and teaching while Swift supervised
the Sunday School and youth work. A sisterhood visited the poor
and sick. Mr. Alfred Hewitt was a
full-time evangelist. A Friday night Bible school was instituted (Friday
was chosen because few other
churches had Friday evening meetings) and it became the forerunner of
the present-day Westminster Chapel
School of Theology. The first edition of the Westminster Record
appeared in January 1905, founded by
Morgan and edited by him and Swift. Tithing for missionary work
began then and has continued ever
since. His preaching and his weekly Friday night Bible classes
attracted thousands. Morgan proved
himself to be an administrator of rare ability—reorganizing,
renovating, and skillfully raising
funds. The deteriorating structure of the Westminster Chapel was
repaired and soon Westminster became
a spiritual dynamo in the teeming metropolis.
Soon after arrival at Westminster
Morgan established the Mundesley Bible Conference, a "British
Northfield" which drew to its
annual conferences eminent ministers and Christian workers from the
various denominations and from
several countries. Mundesley became a vital part of Westminster
Chapel.
Albert Swift left the Chapel in
1907. Dr Morgan continued bravely without his beloved friend. The First
World War (1914-18) increased
Morgan's considerable work load and after a debilitating illness at the
beginning of 1916, to the dismay of
the membership, Morgan announced his resignation from the
Chapel. When his health revived, he
moved to America - but he was destined to return.
In 1928 Dr Hubert Simpson assumed
the pastorate but he was a sick man, still suffering from the
effects of the First World War. Dr
Simpson's writings reveal a sensitive man who had been under great
stress as a chaplain to a Guards
Brigade in France and later as chaplain to a war hospital.
Finding the Westminster Chapel so
difficult, he approached Campbell Morgan who happened to be
attending a conference in England,
with a view to his sharing the Westminster pastorate. In 1933 the
new partnership began but Dr.
Simpson was soon forced to retire completely. With the retirement of the
pastor so ended Morgan's formal
association with the Chapel but he continued to minister and a few
years later was formally inducted as
the minister once again.
Morgan was well aware of the hazards
of a second pastorate with the same fellowship and
acknowledged this at the church
meeting. The character of his second term differed from his first. There
was less emphasis on social
activities. This reflected, in part, the improving conditions in the area but
undoubtedly the main influence was
the changing attitudes within Evangelical circles. Howard H.
Rowden of the London Bible College
opens his essay on Morgan's old friend, Albert Swift, with this
telling observation: "It is one
of the minor curiosities of recent church history that evangelical
Protestants, who provided some of
the leading activists of the 19th Century, had, by the middle of the
20th Century, gained the reputation
of being socially aloof and even opposed to Christian involvement in
almost any kind of social or
political action" (Albert Swift: A Social Gospeller at Westminster
Chapel?)
The church buildings were renovated
and enlarging congregations returned. The wonderful voice, the
logical exposition, sustained the
large congregation, but the physical strain became more noticeable as
the years went by. It was spiritual
inspiration when he asked Dr D Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a young minister
from South Wales, to come to help
him.
Ministry in the United States
During his first pastorate at
Westminster, Morgan made many, almost annual trips to America. In 1916
he resigned from Westminster Chapel
to do itinerant preaching. Between 1919 and 1932 traveled widely
in evangelistic and preaching tours
in the United States. Many thousands of people heard him preach in
nearly every state and Canada. For a
year (1927-1928) he served on the faculty of the Bible Institute of
Los Angeles, and for a year
(1930-1931) he was a Bible lecturer at Gordon College of Theology and
Missions in Boston. Between 1929 and
1932 he was pastor of the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His
appeal was phenomenal. Often when he spoke, the crowds were so
large that police control was
necessary.
Life Work
His paramount contribution to the
Christian faith lay in teaching the Bible and showing people how to
study it for themselves. Superbly
gifted, he dedicated his insight and eloquence to a single objective:
communicating God's truth with
scholarly integrity, rhetorical lucidity, and arresting relevance. Morgan
published over 60 books and
booklets, many of which are still available today.
(The above is a compilation of
excerpts from several Internet sites, Chronology of ministers by Miss
Dorothy Thompson, a forward by
Vernon G. Grounds, and The Wycliffe Biographical Dictionary of the
Church, by Elgin S. Moyer)