The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-06-22

its character, followed by a close exami
nation on the preceding lecture, might
well occupy one hour of each DAYS
duty; and one hour thus spent in the
classroom would suffice to make it the
most profitable hour of the day. One
such, lecture day would make up two
hundred Lectures In term of forty
weeks, or six hundred in the three years
OF the Seminary course; and six hundred
Lectures, Judlciously arranged and adj
dressed to the whole body of the stu
dents, without regard to class, would
carry them Thoroughly over the most i'm
portant part of the Bible; would give
them at the beginning of their ministry
more intelligent acquaintance with the
Bible as whole than most ministers
have at the end of it; would furnish them
with practical commentary on Scrip
ture lncomparably more valuable than
what most OF them would ever get out
OF books the best ever published. en-
bodying as it would the choicest thoughts
OF the ablest living teachers whom the
Church appoints over this business;
while for the practical work of preach
ing and expounding the word of God, it
would.be Of more direct and Immediate
service than all the rest of the Seminary
course, at once informing and exciting
their minds, and warming and sanctifying
their hearts. 1t would also serve them
as lifelong guard against the specious
neutrality-suspicious. of erroists, as moth
ing else could; for every important and
disputed passage of the Bible would pass
under their close and critical inspection,
IN its natural and just connections. And
this great boon, obtained at so small a
daily expenditure of time, would stimu
Late rather than retard them in pursuing
the other studies of the prescribed course.
10 the professors also it would be
scarcely less precious and privileged op
portunity than to the students; enabling
them to preach in the lecture-room to
better purpose than in any other pulpit.
pouring out the wealth of their natu-
raj and spiritual understanding their
choicest acquisitions in the field OF divine
truth, and their maturest views of Gods
e-glving word, into the open ears, the
forming minds and kindling hearts of a
body of men who will go forth and pub
lish them in all the earth.
To all this nobody objects; this feature
OF the overture every body commends
What is objected to is that we should
have non-classical as well as classical
basis, and that students ignorant of the
dead languages should, under proper
limitations and restrictions be openly
and honorably admitted to the privileges
OF our Summaries as candidates for the
ministry. But the difficulty is not so
formidable as at first sight appears. It
will not do to say that the original Ian
guages of Scripture would be despised
and neglected if their study be not
made obligatory upon all. 1t is, on the
other hand, at least conceivable that they
would be more zealously and successfully
studied under the system proposed (and
by large numbers also, the number of
students being at least doubled), than
under that which allows them no choice.
But even if it were not SO, as there is no
natural or necessary connection between
the grace Of God and the dead languages.
why should there be between these and
call to the ministry? If the Scriptures
were still locked up in the original
tongues, there would be great force in
the plea; but that plea loses its force in
view of the tact that no book has ever
been half as frequently or as accurately
translated as the Bible, to say nothing of
its endless commentaries; so that in fact
few of our ministers make any practical
use of the originals. Since then the
non-classical student is fully competent
to avail himself of the proposed study of
the English Bible, and all the other Eng
fish studies of the Seminary course and
since under the plan proposed he would
gain far better acquaintance with the
Bible than most Of our students do un-
der our present system, why may not
such, under judicious limitations and re-
strictions, be admitted first into our
Seminaries, and next into our ministry !?
In former times every gentleman sons
was expected to study Latin; but the times
have changed, and at this present time
most gentlemen and gentlemen s sons are
expected to know nothing about it. In
every town and village four-ffths of the
educated young men, men of good ma
tural abilities, and even of culture and
decided talent belong to this class and
IN this boosted age of progress (perhaps
Just because it is an age of progress. a
busy practical age) the proportion
steadily increases Of such as regard the
study of the dead languages a useless
waste of time, that can be better en-
plOyed. WhV blink This stubborn foo+2