Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-26
Rev. DF. John Hall.

Rev. Dr. John Hall. Yale Theological SchOOl.-.-The New
 York Divine and a Course of Lee
 tures.
 The Rev. John Hall, D. D., yesterday after noon Iectured before the Yale Theological School at Marquand chapel. This was the first of course of lectures to be given by this eminent New York divine. There was a large attendance. A synopsis is as follows:
 It is indeed, gentlemen, 8 real pleasure to come among you hers, as I am permitted now rthe sixth year. Ihave little that is new to add to what have already said, but yet there are many who have not heard me before, so that repetition need not be so serious consider ation. Gentlemen, it is not necessary for me to say that I assume to have no special fitness for speaking to you upon this subject, but precisely as one of the brethren might speak, without protesting to have any superior adaptedness, or right, I am to address you.
 propose to treat the topic in the following order: In the present lecture shall consider the ministry and piety as they stand related to each other in my next lecture the peculiar strain upon the spiritual life in the ministry :; in my third lecture, the means of sustaining the spiritual life.
 We may begin with definitions, and first, what is a minister?
 We who are ministers are teachers. It is essential to true teacher that he be in sym pathy with his work. I recollect that when was young man was engaged in modest way in teaching, and I always found that my dly's work in the school room was most suc- cessful when had looked over the lessons the night before. It is not enough that the teach CT should have general knowledge or vague recollection of the subjects he is to teach he must have fresh and constantly renewed ac- quaintance with them. Now, it is to be borne in mind that a very large part of our teaching has relation to the spiritual life, which, there fore, must never be allowed to decline or lan- guish in our souls if we would labor effective ly to benefit the souls of others.
 But also we are ambassadors It is essential to an ambassador that he be in sympathy with the interests intrusted to his care
 He must have an instinctive comprehension and adaptation in his work, but to the minis ter this is impossible unless his spiritual life be full and intense.
 Again, the minister is to be an example Hencs the importance of high and adequate sense of our duties, but more than this even the minister should lead plain, simple, manly life.
 Being right and true in the presence of God, we shall be true and sincere before our fellow men; but we cannot do this unless we lead godly, holy lives.
 In opposition to the Roman Catholic theo- ry of the function and character of the priest one deriving his authority from the Apos ties, we believe that the minister performs a delegated work which must be accompanied by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit
 The electric wire must be isolated from the earth; so the minister must isolate himself from everything that is hostile to the spiritual life
 These views are sufficient to show why we should combine piety with the ministry.
 2d. Division-Spirituality It is sufficient to indicate the lines of thought What is this piety demanded of the minister? It is essen tially the same as that of private Christian all the elements of Christian truth are the same and have the same bearing upon each.
 The seat of the spirit is not in memory. One may be engaged as you are in tracing religious truths and be successful in this work, and yet be utterly devoid of spirituality. So, likewise, it is not in the imagination, ,-one may be able to spiritualize-to detect delicate and subtle relations between earthly and spir- itual things, whose life is not s'hid with Christ in God" but the seat of the spirit is in the heart.
 
 true spiritual life is wrought there by the power of the Holy Ghost. Yet while it lis his product-his ofspring-we are not to con- slider ourselves passive or to forget our indi- vidual responsibility. Then, if we are to have true spiritual life we must have light not common light, but that which God gives by his spirit Send thou thy Holy Spirit is the prayer of the earnest Christian heart
 But sight also is necessary. The tearing away of prejudices, the breaking down of false pride, etc.
 God opens the eyes and we see; these two things are needful.
 But there is third requisite, experience. do not uss the word in the MethodisticaI sense.
 Since have come to live in this country I have made acquaintance with not few vege- tables and fruits, and have heard many learned explanations about them. But you must take them and taste thenl and then you know what no explanations could enable you to know.
 Whatever the philosophers and the agnos- ties (who claim to know nothing) may say, there is sense in which one knows the di- vine life in his soul, and you can reason noth- ing against that experience.
 Does it follow that there is change wrought in the nature of mans faculties NoI The bar of iron brought into contact with the magnet retains it's form and all it's properties, but bias has been given to 1t that
 
 of the Christian. The Holy Spirit does not make a weak man strong, it does not change his powers, but they are consecrated. This is 8 very important thing for the theological student to know. We are not to squirm and twist ourselves into this or that fashion. Our | whole strength and energy and power and l capacity are to be laid out in doing Gods 1 will.
 What are to be the features of this life?
 The doctrine of the trinity runs through all | experimental godliness. A man who is thus quickened from above | will carry away sense of God-cf what God | This truth of Gods presence Is what Is to | give power to your ministry.
 The spiritual man judgeth all things" he | has quick perception. a fine spiritual instinct as to what is right and good. He is like the sensitive plant in our conservatories that shrinks when approached, but if exposed to the rough blasts without 1t loses this sensi- tiveness. So the Christian may become in different to sin when no longer protected by the divine presence.
 The doctrine of the trinity is mixed up with all the details of spiritual life. God, the in visible, the eternal, is too remote and difficult of apprehension, but God incarnate in Christ is living person whom we can love and trust. We are moulded into likeness to those we love and come at length to love the same things which he does, and hate what he hates. We need to be like Christ, and we become so through the influence of his presence, and thus again certain capacity to judge of aims and motives and to help us up to the highest l things.
 We believe in the Holy Spirit, and that not .s mere influence but abiding pres snce, to be the life of our lives the soul of ,ur souls, though because Christ is historic person we think more about him than the ,ther two persons in the trinity. Attempt to breach without the witness of the Spirit and 'ou will soon feel that every one in the audi