The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-03-14

growth among the members. If he is not
well-trained he will fail in this most i'm
portant work, and his church will be-
come, like so many other churches, life
less to all Christian work, and useful only
to swell the roll of the church.
1t is generally confessed, believe, that
the Presbyterian Church has as earnest
and devoted body of workers as any
Church in the land. I believe that it's
members, as whole, are more consistent,
more liberal, and better grounded in the
word OF God, than the membership of any
other Church; and this has been brought
about, under God, by the thorough and
complete training of its ministry. If we
do away with this safeguard we will open
the way to men who are not qualified to
teach, because they have never been suf-
ficiently taught themselves, nor grounded
in the faith. And after a while we will
have within US body of men whose
views will in many respects differ from
our received standards, and who will
wish, and may succeed, in undermining
many of those precious doctrines which
our fathers have held, and which, blessed
be God, we hold to-day. Even now,
there are those who tell us that our Con-
fession of Faith is too bold and plain, and
that it ought to be changed and put into
less Objectionable form. If this is the
feeling so earl in the day, what will it
be when we have opened our ranks and
received many who were not suitably
prepared or equipped to come? Seven
or eight years is short enough for young
man to prepare himself to preach the
gospel. The older he gets the more will
ing he will be to confess that when he
entered the ministry, notwithstanding his
seven or eight years training, he was
woefully deficient. In that time, if he is
a suitable man, he will be able to gain
sufficient knowledge of the Hebrew and
Greek languages, and of other studies re-
CURED. do not think that young
man, commencing study for the min
istry, ought to have the time shortened,
or any of the studies abridged. The time
is none too long, or the studies too many
to qualify him for this great work.
am willing, however, to acknowledge
that there are some exceptional cases
which should receive different treat
ment, and would be glad to see door
opened by which such cases could enter.
There are in many of our churches per-
haps, middle aged men, or men with
families, who are known to all as persons
of approved piety and aptness to teach;
they may be elders or deacons already
and If the way was open, would be glad
to preach the gospel, but circumstances
prevent. Now would be glad if Pres
bytery had the power to thoroughly in
vestigate such cases. If they were wor-
thy, and it was the mind of Presbytery
that God had called them to the work,
to send these men to the seminary for
one, or two, or more years, as their cases
demanded, requiring of them the study
OF theology, Church history, and govern
ments and releasing them from the ne
cessity of studying Greek, Latin, or He
brew.
would be glad to see such a change
brought about in our standards as would
meet such cases, and I have Just such a
case before me. There is man in one
OF my congregations who is earnestly de-
sirous of entering the Presbyterian min
istry. He is a minister in the Southern
Methodist Church, in good standing, but
does not feel at home where he is, and
"Oulu Oo BldO W GuGST our ministry,
because he prefers the doctrines of the
Presbyterian Church, and because we
have an educated ministry. He knows
neither Greek, Latin, or Hebrew, but is
fair preacher, and is apt to teach. He
would be willing to enter college and 90
through the whole course, but he is a
poor man, and has wife and three small
children. He cannot support his family
while he is studying for the ministry, nor
can the church support them. We can
do nothing. Now if this man could spend
a year or SO at the seminary, he would
make useful, and 1 believe, effective
preacher; and knowing the people, hav-
ing been born and reared among them,
would, believe, accomplish much good
| would like to see a change that
would open door into our ministry for
such cases as this; but no shortening of
the prescribed studies for those who have
the time and ability to undertake them.
The Church had better wait many years
than bring in a body of men badly pre-
pared for the work. The longer I work
in the ministry am more thoroughly
convinced that mere additions do not
always indicate growth. Our Methodist
and Baptist brethren make often large
additions and report great progress, but
l doubt if the spiritual growth and edi-
fication is in the same proportion. Ny
own experience has not confirmed it,
Let us hold what we have. Let us pray