Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-07-01
correspondence.
For the Newsdealer.
. Few Remarks on The Ground OF
Public Crime.
let me single out, from many, hrse:-Eis'
The Household, ts Church and the FRO
fcnrfnn
rIlr onuRcn-coNcLupED.

as the cause OF crimes, unequaileo ln nun"
Der and atrocity, by any agency hitherto
known to history aud though, at the
demand of truth, | did it. I, nevertheless
did it with sorrow.
e | now deem it well, though it be a par
tiaI departure from my theme, to delay the
reader a short time to consider Il few
things that bear, more or less, on that
greatest of func;ious-preaeh,ng "the Cos.
PIT Of God"
N) Churches have no literal sacrifices
10 offer, and, therefore, an altar IN them,
is a misnomer. So, equally. is the epithet
''priest." as applied to the protestant
minister, of the gospel. Let Romanism
bear the shame of erecting an altar on
which to offer her wafer God! Ours be
the work of preaching that sacrifice Of
fered once for all.
(2) No person should enter into the
christian ministry who does not feel d.
vinely led to it. This is not by miracle,
but is evinced by a strong desire 10 raise
our poor degraded race to a nobIcr man.
hood. The sure way to this is by awake
ming, in the heart, lore to God and to man
as Gods offspring or this love the heart
is to be the seat, aud the effect is TO be "a
we'll ordered life aud a godly conduct"
(3j This ministry is a worA, as distin-
gulshed from a profession. Jesus scij,
O. have finished the work Thou gavest
me to do" As this was said before his
death, the aork evidently included, if it
did not wholly consist in the reaching Of
Righteousness. What that labor was to
linn in his sphere, the ministry, he author
lied, is to be to rs in ours. 1t was hence
that he said--"a as my Father sent me so
send | you." All sacred history, that
6efore, as well as that after Christ, shows
preaching 10 be the chief work in " turn
ing men from dumb ID OILS to serve the liv-
ING God" For such work he is not pre-.
pared who enters it to secure ga piece of
6reaG."
a. The support may receive a passing
notice. The city churches, on this matter,
are setting a pernicious example, as, by
lavish salaries, they can keep in their pull
pits a class of men well inclined, BY man
ners and by style to keep up to the front,
among the wealthy worldlings, Thus do
they tend to make uneasy ambitious young
men leaving the schools, SO that, 10 the
poor, rural churches, they are moro or less
disinclined to turn. Besides bringing the
sacred institution Of the christian ministry
into the category OF the professions, their
parade w~eakens, in the minds Of rejecting
men, all sense Of its divineness. How
much it is to be desired that. from Jesus
and the apostles, candidates would draw
their examples. Or, if they fix, on their
own times, let them well consider the aims
and motives Of the dear departed minis
ters-BRAINARD and McCHrlNE. Those
beloved men, though dead, yet speak, to ev.
cry christian minister, "ln tones as sweet
as angels use,'' saying, " work while it is
day, for the night comes 10 which no man
can work" AS | Cor. 0 lis was IN.
tended to influence ministers and churches,
through all ages, | cannot forbear to init.
mate to the churches and pastors who may
read this paper, the careful study of the
passage. Sure it Is that the good, faithful
minister, who gives his life 10 the work of
the gospel, should have a livelihood from
the gospel. Aud, IS 1t out o. place to say
that IN these days Of plenty, that livcli-
hood should come up to the ability of the
churches. Nay, what church, worthy of
the name, will be satisfied to limit this
livelihood to the present, when it is
remembered that, unlike the papal priest,
the protestant minister usually has a IAN.
lily, and that, alike by natural and divine
law, he is bound to provide for them.
True, indeed, TO the glory of God be it
spoken, )ihe righteous have rarely been for.
saken and a%srarely have their children been
known to beg bread. Still, what church.
es can do consistently, to secure, to their
ministers q competence in old age, it is
their duty to do. On their first mission.
Jesus, by an extraordinary process, provi.
ded for his preachers and they lacked moth
ing but his next and permanent method
was that, by a course, purely self-provid.
ent, they should be selfdeDendant (sec
Luke %; 35, 36,).
Most christian orders are now SO alive
TO the subject OF o competence for their
ministers, respectively that several socie.
ties are working efficiently to this end
Though this subject may seem mercenary,
yet il is not, but Just.
l5) To the general moral wants of SO.
oiety it is the intention Of Christ that min.
~ NA HHN N -
listers should devote themselves. No legal