The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-03-21

Apollos, and the great commission, and
appealing to the Master, declare that no
such incongruous and pitiable concep-
ton ever entered thy SOUL" how would
I'D. w. S." feel? He would begin to
say something about aptness to teach, and
the man of God must be thoroughly
furnished" and experience of the Church,
and reason and common sense guided by
Scripture. But his opposer says, No,
no, none of that; l want Thus saith
the Lord Who made you ruler or a
Judge OF what is competent knowledge
OF theology, Church government and his
tory, and the sacraments? 1 want you
to give me chapter and verse for these
parts of trial. Did Peter, or Stephen, or
Paul, or Apollos read such things before
Presbytery2 1t is LETT to you, I'D. w.
s., to advise that Church which was
purchased by His blood to raise an i'm
passible barrier between her eager sons
and perishing world"
2. ID. W. S. tells US that the "out.
come of our present system of ministe-
rial education is reputation for learn
ing which we do not possess, and proves
his assertion by the oft repeated charge
that many ministers are incapable of ex-
aiming our candidates in the languages
L have never yet been able to see the
force of this argument With few excep-
tons, in the United States at least, we
may safely say that no professional man
is now familiar with all the details of
study by which he reached his present
attainments. The calls of active duty
orllu xutthl l. r
exercises in the languages and other
studies by which he grew up to manhood
In his profession. Yet the mental train
ing derived from the declension of nouns
and the conjugation of verbs, and from
some degree of familiarity with classical
authors in science and literature, has in
vlgorated his faculties, refined his taste,
prepared his mind for the investigation
of current topics, and formed his style in
speaking and writing. And it is some
thing, yea it is a great deal, for the
scholar, though little rusty, to be able
to recur, as occasion requires, to these
sources of intellectual inspiration. 1t is
something for him to know, as he will
know If he has ever studied the Ian
guages thoroughly, whether candidate
reads correctly, though the examiner may
not possess the knowledge which he had,
when boy at school, of paradigms
syntax, etc.
I'D. w. S" would not probably be
willing now to examine, in the exact
order of their text books, class of stu
dents who had just passed through the
curriculum of the law school at Licking
ton he would plead want of recent ex-
erH q to- N the profession, though he
ssr Yet it is evi.
acquaintance therein
nat e.yeh legal and judicial cast to his
methods of thought and expression, both
as presbyter and preacher and with
the article before me as an example, |
may add, little tendency to special
pleading.
[ would rather say, that the "out-
come" of our high standard of ministerial
education is body of clergymen supe-
rior In learning, and not inferior in piety,
to those of any other denomination; a
membership noted for intelligence, liber-
atty, and consistency; a Church which
at this day exerts wider and deeper in
Huence In favor of sound learning, sound
doctrine, and pure Christianity than any
other in the land and which, being far
in advance Of all others in ministerial
education, far exceeds all in the number
and standing OF its literary and theology
cal institutions, and in standard theo-
logical literature which forms a part of
the Libraries of the most intelligent of
our brethren in other Churches. To
which may be added, that our Church,
while fewer in numbers than several
others, has to degree which it is i'm
possible to estimate, provoked to good
works, in this especial department. our
brethren of other Churches, who are now
advocating the system which some among
US are disposed to repudiate, and setting
forth in innumerable speeches and pub
locations, the disadvantages resulting
from low grade of ministerial qualif-
cation. (See proceedings of Baptist Con-
giess at Lynchburg, as we'll as proceed
ings Of the last Virginia Conference; let
ter of Rev. John A Broadus, D. D., con-
corning students at Wake Forest College,
etc., etc.
All this we would say to the praise OF
God, and without Boosting. And when
we discover humiliating drawbacks that
spoil the picture, the fault is not in our
system, but in the langor of our zeal,
the absence of the Spirit Of God from our
churches, our want of prayer for laborers
to FIJI the places Of those who are falling,
o,v, - H. l.. r Il L