Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-11-13


necessary liberty and boldness Of speech. Min
listers are sometimes restrained by the fear that
from the utterance of doctrine, duties and re-
proofs offence may be taken, and harm come in
retaliation upon themselves or their parshioners
When the minister is called to parish he
Is more or less subject to the will OF his parishon
ers. lie is not called in terms to give the doc
trines and exhortations needed or to administer
the discipline deserved, but generally in the hope
that he will draw" and secure prosperity to
the parish. Knowing the different views
and desires of his parshioners, the minister must
have the courage to speak and do as he thinks,
will, on the whole, be wisest and best The diff
cuties are only various phenomena OF nature
shown up through the surface Of religious life
everywhere. They are indeed trivial matters,
as seen in comparison with the principles of god
illness, and the influence of grace; but the sting OF
a wasp has been known to kill even a strong man.
Now the life OF the church is not dependent on
these or the like phenomena, but on the grace Of
God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. This 1t is
that prevails in general with perhaps two-thirds
of any congregation From the one-third, who
are in some ways peculiar, come the various fault
findings II two-thirds are contented Jealous,
punctua worshppers, and reliable, it is as large as
the proportion of good students in any college, or
of good members in any lodge or Of good soldiers
in any regiment. The question arises, why can
not all be as good as the best? True, there
would then be no best ones nor need there be II
all would consider that Christ died for all, and
that all should, with wisest and best purpose OF
heart, serve him. On the whole, it re-
quires boldness in ministers to speak as they
ought to speak, remembering, above all, whose
servants they are, and what are the needs tastes
opinions, passions and purposes of those among
whom they Ego preaching the gospel" Every
minister of our church, at his ordination meets
this question after ample time spent in prepara-
ton for it" VIII you be ready with all faithful
diligence to Danish and drive away from the
church all erroneous and strange doctrines con-
trary to Gods Word, and to use both public and
private monitions and celebrations as well to the
sick as the whole within your cure, as need shall
require and occasion shall be given?' The an
swer is, 81 will, the Lord being my helper" 1t
requires some courage to do this. Though the
minister may fear that, as st. Paul says some
will not endure sound doctrine yet he is bound
to preach it. There can be no lasting
interest but in the truth Prejudces and misn-
ward is great And as grace helps the receiver
so consistently 1t aids him in worship, and in all
the duties of a united and prosperous parish
AT TRINITY CHURCH
Rev. Charles Parkhurst spoke from Romans xii
2l-" BE not overcome Of evil, but overcome evil
with good" Very simple, plain words these,
without mystery or confusion in their significa-
ton. Very practical are they too, having to do
with that which il familiar to every soul. There
is no one fact, in the whole province of experience,
that is pressed home upon the individual with
such force as the existence of evil. Often it
stands as some fearful spectre in our path, bar
ring further progress. No question then so pract-
cable and pertinent as How shall we best sue
coed in the endeavor to overcome evil ? Here we
stand on common ground AS all concur in the
desirlbity of Il life Of purity. Let us candidly
seek for some light upon this all-important sub
iect. Note first two preliminary truths which
underlie this question. The soul is the resident
seat OF these two active forces good and evil.
We know this from consciousness.
These forces, in their normal operations, make
up in great degree the activities OF the soul. II
one of these Is compelled TO withdraw the other
must double its diligence or the soul is left rest
less and unsatisfed The heart must be exercised
The soul is II host of eager restless possibilities,
and must have occupation and occupants, and he
who does not make this fact the basal ground Of
Christian or reformatory endeavor will largely
fail in his werk
Many seem to think that the world may be re-
formed by exposing its wickedness and condemn
ing it. This is often necessary to arouse the
people to more vigilant endeavor but the individ-
ual will never be reformed by simply telling him
how bad he has become. The true method Is the
positive method, and that the apostle gives us In
the words, " But overcome evil with good" So
anxious am that you apprehend this proposition
clearly that make way for its statement by others
Says Phillips Brooks, than whom there is no
superior among New England divines, and none
| that comprehend better the need of humanity
There are two ways of dealing with every vice
that troubles ns, in either ourselves or Others.
One is to set 10 work directly to destroy the vice
- that is the negative way. The other Is TO bring
| IN as overwhelmingly as possible the opposite rir-
tues, and so TO croiod, and stlfe and dro,on out
| he rice-that Is the positive way Also the
statement of the same truth from DR. Chalmers In
that unanswerable production ON the Expulsye
| power of new affection" 1t is not then by
merely wedding out wickedness, but by a new
/ cultivation OF goodness with an infusion of divine
energy from Christ, that we are able to overcome
| the evil
Application, first, TO workers In various re-
forms of the day. An eminent Congregational
divine recently said that much of this reform
work was only the ''enginery ofthedevil" Should
not 90 thus far, bnt have often questioned the
utility of much OF it. Every honest heart must
say " God-speed" 10 that type Of gospel temper
ance work naugunted by Moody and Murphy, in
which they mperatvely insist upon seeking help
OF God in order to overcome. But many OF these
quickly made leaders have utterly ignored the
necessity Of divine aid in the work of reform.
The church and ministry have been severely dealt
with because they would not lay by their God
! given work Ia follow in the trail. and tn lO the
bidding of these spasmodic operators. We must
make wise discrimination in the method of opera
ton, and scan, with the closest scrutiny, those
who ask our patronage aud approval
There is n most Impressive lesson in these
thoughts for parents. Must provide these eager,
restless hearts innocent occupation at home, or
they will seek it elsewhere must help strengthen
and develop the good or the evil will reach the