Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-02-16
Ministerial Anxieties.


The Last Lecture in the Lyman BescheI
COurse-A Large Attendance.
Marquand chapel might with appropriate
ness have had suspended upon its doors
placards of standing room only yesterday
afternoon when Rev. N. J. Burton, D. D.,
| of Hartford, delivered his closing lecture tc
| the theological students. There was moi
room in the chapel for those who wished tC
listen. After brief introduction DR.. Bur
| ton told of an anxiety he had at first about
the question: Is there a God? He said thai
| he was in constant fear that he would lose
the result of his Christian training Hit
| watchfulness. He would try to say some
things that might help those who were labor
| ing under similar troubles
Congregational churches allow. their minis
| tiers wide liberty. 1 have preached about all
I wanted to at the bottom of my heart No
doubt you must get into your preaching the
substance of religion. You must make it
plain that you are after the welfare of your
people whatever you do. never knew but
one man to be rejected by ecclesiastical coun
ellis. Occasionally 1 have seen indIvid ual
| votes recorded against men. I have heard
| of adverse majorities, as in your city not
long ago. The majority in the negative is
small. It is not often that good and sub.
stantially sound man in our order is abused
You will find defenders against any real
wrong. They will be men who have been
taught by experiences of various Sorts
Back of individual defenders stand the great
masses of the church. The church sails on
safely. Some think it has infirmaties enough
to ruin it. Within few years IL has come
about that a majority of our churches are
supplied by pastors who have not been
put in place by councils. There is no
danger that you will be cramped in any de-
nomination. If you are a Presbyterian the
grip on you may be little more strangling
and dangerous. The schemes of aeaction
that have been organized of late will not
be permitted to injure our liberties. This
shatter of the various coptrivsnces of pru-
denca and conservatism will not tend to
license, Taxing Us all together we are q
hard ship to sink. [ discovered too that a
thoroughly profound and religious expert
enca may be had By Q man good deal exact in
has philosophical and religious thinking Under
all restraints human souls have had great
liberty and growth and vigor in all directions
because those various hypothesis have mag
nifed our redeemer and his work. We have
GREAT freedom In our philosophy of the
atonement 1t Is not settled. But We can
live if it is not The same Is true of
MANY
ooyer the difference between the substance
of doctrine and philosophical formula in
which it happens to be put it will be a great
point gained. Another discovery was that
found wbueVer I was uncertain es 20 the
philosophy of e doctrine might keep still
about it. Still everywhere and all the time.
A young man is very apt not to know that
very often silence is his privilege. Let the
preacher be frank and outspoken. But let
him keep within the list of his
positive beliefs His general tone
must be declarativs rather than hesitat-
ing. He has not been through all his expe-
riences. He can't wait pntil he is seventy
years old before he begins to preach. Con-
Rregations like young men; like them when
they are downy, chipping and callow. They
like them too well, We old ministers
think But this young man has learned
some things. Let him preach the truths he
has grasped. They will be the chief truths,
the working forces of the gospel A man of
faith, not an agnostic, moving forever in the
vsstnesses of his own dubiousness can
preach with powerful efecta. Keep
still Have sense. That has been
said before, but Ii seems fresh.
also discovered in regard to creeds that
1 could sign good many. A creed is
storu-born child, Just as Napoleon was born
origin. They must be signed with certain
mental additions They sometimes have a
double sense, Gods sense and mans sense,
and you can sign which you please. Any
anxious doctrinal questioning which yo1
may now have win be eased by the simple
lapse of time, provided you go straight
on preaching what you believe and know.
when preching salvation the minister win
forget many biblical questions which he viii
find after time have become pretty clear.
He has had personal experience OF God
and that anxious doubt that he once had as
to whether there is personal God is remov-
ed and Gods existence becomes an axiom.
But experience does not solve all things aud
SO a minister will find that some things will
still trouble him. As to preaching, preach
ing doctrine to save people is the Baconian
way of finding out that it is true and that it
is doctrine. The salvation of theology is
in trying to preach Il.
DIR. Burton concluded b. a few hearty
words Of courage and hope to the young men
just about entering the ministry.
The Lyman Beecher lecturer this gear has
given great sstisfaction and the students ex-
press themselves Is every much pleased with
DIR. Burton's theology and his manner of
expounding it.