Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-17
WORLDLY WISDOM FOR MINISTERS.

| WORLDLY WISDOM FOR MINISTERS.
| For the priests lips should keep knowledge,
and they should seek the law at his mouth
| for he Is the messenger of the Lord of hosts
Malachi nj.
| The churches of all denominations ought
to lay greater store by the intelligence, capaci-
ty and education of those whom they choose
to minister to the wants of the flock. A
priest or an expounder of the law should be
man competent to understand what he
reads and what he hears, and of conveying
that understanding in an Ineligible manner
| to those whom he addresses. He should be
man of large experience, have a good
knowledge of human nature, be versed not
only in theologic lore, but of the ways
| of the world. A man who has not seen
every phase of life is not fit to act as moral
guide to the community any more than a
man would be competent as guide for the
ascent of the Matterhorn who had spent all
his life in the sunny cline of France. Such
man knows nothing of the temptations to
which ordinary mortals who thread the
walks of everyday life is subjected. He
knows but little of the causes of vice and far
less of it's cure; but little of the snares that
are set to entrap men, and still less of the
means that should be adopted to render these
snares harmless.
A majority of the preachers of the gospel
of to day know but little more of life. than
what they see in the polite society in which
they move. They imbibe an idea at an early
period of their ministerial life, and adhere
TO it with fidelity till the final summons
ZONES to them call to give an account
of their stewardship. Some of them con-
cieye that man can only be justified by
faith, and preach that doctrine Sabbath after
Sabbath to the exclusion of the graver CON
Germs OF life. Some preach the efficacy of
good works, and insist that whoever shall
live in accordance with the precepts of the
golden rule need fear no unpleasantness
here or hereafter. These pay more regard
to reason than the other class. Still others
insist that all that is necessary is for men to
conform to certain dogmas or forms in order
to ensure salvation. Each sec. has its hob
bies, and stick to them with a persistency
worthy of a better ca Use.
A broader conception of the duties de-
volving on ministers of the gospel should be
inculcated in all who attempt to teach their
fellow men. They should learn men as
they are in everyday life, instead of how
they appear in their Sunday clothes, and
then they would be better qualified to minis
ter to their moral ailments. They should
know the world as it is in all its phases in
stead of only on the rose bestrewn paths
which they ordinarily tread, and then they
might be inclined to exercise greater charity
towards those who sometimes stray by the
wsyside. Their moral vision should be less
contracted than at present, though it should
not induce them to greater leniency towards
those who sin with their eyes open and use
religion as cloak to conceal their own de-
pravity.
While being as wise as serpents, the clergy
ought to be as harmless as doves. They
should remain unspotted from the world,
and be able to counsel, reprove and ad-
monish without meeting the rebuff "Physi-
clan, heal myself" They should also be
better versed in general knowledge, so that
they can cope with the arguments of unbe-
levers. A higher standard is necessary in
many respects-a broader idea of that in
which true ministry consists.