Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-01-12
wallingf0rd.


Madison University.
The Rev. DR.. Fletcher improved the
occasion by preaching to his people last
sabbash morning from,
2 Timothy, H., 2. "And the things
which thou hast heard of me, the same
commit thou to faithful men who shall be
able to teach others also"
After showing that Christ designed to
have succession of Gospel ministers TO
the end of the world, the Rev. DR.. an
nounced as his subject, "The duty OF the
church to furnish the world with an en-
lightened ministry"
He first showed the Importance of an
enlightened ministry, and secondly, the
means by which it is to be secured.
The importance of an enlightened min
istry is apparent from the fact that they
are the spiritual guides and religious
educators of the people. To teach is their
first duty, $50 ye therefore and teach all
nations."-"The same commit thou to
men who shall be able to teach others
also"
An ability to teach is an indispensable
qualification in a minister of the gospel.
This is evident, first, from the plain
teachings of Gods word, and secondly,
from the clear indications of divine pro-
violence.
Gods word, what is it
1t ia the great statute book of the King
of Zion. 1t is the sacred armory from
which the christian warrior draws the
heavenly tempered panoply of truth. 1t
is the inexhaustible treasury from which
the we'll instructed scribe brings forth
things new and old. And is this to be
entrusted to the guardianship of unin-
structed minds Has God made ignor-
ance the watohful sentinel to guard the
repository of his will and power ? Has
the God of all knowledge committed
what is certainly the perfection of all
wisdom to the dispensations of the
ignorant
We appel to the law and testimony,
"The Priests lips should keep knowledge"
Paul commended Timothy ''to study,-to
give himself to reading" The Divine
Savior enforced even upon his inspired
Apostles the Importance of possessing
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He
said every scribe which is instructed
into the kingdom of Heaven is like unto
man that is an householder which
bringeth forth out of his treasures things
new and old"
Shall the uninspired have nc need of
the same inducements If they who
were instructed by the Saviour's lips, if
they who had the Apostles for tutors had
need of such exhortations. Came they
not with constantly augmenting appro-
priatiness upon Gods servants in these
latter days? But my second argument
in favor of an educated ministry is drawn
from the, clear inducements of Divine
Providence. Whenever God has accom-
plished great moral revolutions he has
brought to his service great and gifted
minds.
Reform and progress are about the
same every where in politics, morals or
religion Great theologians are as need
| full as great generals or great statesmen.
| We have not forgotten the great lights
of the sixteenth century.
The men that waged so successful
war with the Papal pretentions and Papal
corruptions. Shall we initiate Calvin in
| Melancton too? Were they not as emf
nent for their eloquence and erudition,
as for their piety and devotion They
were not only good christians, but great
ones Great in the measure of carefully
instructed and we'll disciplined minds.
Their good hearts gave them their pur
pose, but their great minds gave them
their power.
When in our own country the church
had formed an upholy alliance with civil
power, and was shackled with system of
irreligious intolerance, our own learned
Roger Williams was raised up to assert
the rights of conscience. He may have
been no better at heart than some of his
prosecutors; but then his superior en-
| lightenment suggested to him q better
Christianity.
Again, when the church throughout all
Europe and America had settled down
into state of cold form4lity worldly
mindedness, which almost paralized her
power and eclipsed her glory, the Lord
called out an Edwards, Whitfield and a
| Wesley men of sound learning and dis
ciplined minds to arouse her from her
| slumbers.
And now for moment let me cast
your minds to that type of christianity
which is the glory of our times, | mean
the missionary enterprise. They must
have been men of pious hearts that de-
vised it; they certainly were men of
learned minds.
The agents that God employed in this
great enterprise were such men as Will
liam Cary, Henry Martyr and Thomas
Coke, men of varied and profound learn
ing.
And if we can mark the providence of
God, he has designed that all Burmah
with her thousands of souls shall be con.
yerted unto Him, and given unto the
church that hold the ordinances as they
were delivered unto her by her sovereign
head.
But when we had no man qualified to
enter into this important field, God called
out Judson who had been educated for
the work by another denomination, to
open the way and lay the foundation for
one of the most glorious missions upon
the face of the globe.
And here mark another provdential
development in this great work. Just as
| Judson was being prepared to enter this
field, the Lord put it into the heart of a
Haskell and Kendriok, to organize the
lcrst education society in America, and to
rear an institution, through whose instru-
menta'jties a Wade and Kincaid, a
Comstook, snd a Vinton, and host of
Others mi ght be qualified to enter into
the glorious work so providentially be-
gun.
Thus we see, that the indications of
Divine Providence fully accord with the
teachings of the Divine Word, in urging
upon us the Importance of training our
young men for the ministry OF reconciGa-
ton.
But secondly we enquire how we are to
discharge this duty. How may we be
instrumental in giving to the world an
enlightened ministry. First by our fer
vent and increasing prayers-"Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest that he
would send forth laborers into his har-
vest"
But we should not be satisfied with
praying for this object, but we should
strive to answer our prayers by seeking
out from among our pious young men
thoas who give evidence that they are