The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1884-12-31

iuse TO bear, and relapse would new
tably ensue. See the present shameful
embarrassment of the Committee of Edu-
cation, occasioned by the meagre addi-
ton of 81 candidates to our list, in an
swer to the prayers of the Church. The
truth is that no system of training can
permanently fill the depleted ranks of
the ministry, which exacts as necessity
an outlay for education, in excess of not
the ability, but willingness andTeadineSs
OF the Church to pay. No spiritual
awakening has ever yet produced in the
Church disposition to give equal to its
ability, and any scheme of training which
is grounded upon the alleged duty and
not the actual benefcence of the Church,
will be failure unless the great major
ity of our candidates should come from
among those who are pecuniarily indie
pendent of the Church, which would be
misfortune, perhaps, if it ever should
be fact. But (c) This spiritual awak-
ening has never been an universal and
abiding blessing with the Church, but
local, occasional, and evanescent, and can
never therefore at best be more than
partial and temporary remedy for the
evil complained Of How unwise it is for
us to base a great system of ministerial
education intended for all time, upon a
spasmodic and abnormal, rather than the
habitual spiritual condition of the
Church? Verify we had as well have
mortgage upon a fog, as upon this rare
and transient state, for the necessary
supply of means and men for the minis
try. The system thus based may be as
magnificent as the rainbow spanning a
summer sky, but like it its foundation is
the air, and superstructure the cloud.
But
3. We need no change in our stan
dard, say some, to open the way to the
ministry for men, otherwise qualified,
who have not pursued the ordinary
course of study preparatory thereto"
because we have the constitutional pro-
vision for extraordinary cases" COM
pletely co.. ering such an emergency, in
asmuch as this provision extends to and
qualities ordination, as we'll as JicenSure,
and the Presbytery has a discretion in
Judging whether the candidate belongs
to this category. To all this we answer ::
D This provision is based upon the as
sumption that the question of ministe-
rial qualifications is one of Christian ex-
pedlency-a doctrine subversive of the
crown rights of Christ, and explicitly re-
pudiated by the declaration of our Form
of Government that Christ "has ordained
in the Church Has system of doctrine,
government, discipline, and worship" all
OF which are either expressly set down in
Scripture, or by good and necessary con-
sequence may be deduced therefrom, and
that "the jurisdiction of the Church
courts is only ministerial and declara-
tive" and "only the circumstantial de-
tails of the government, discipline, wor-
ship, and extension of the Church, which
must be agreeable to the doctrines relat-
ing thereto, contained in the Scriptures,
are left to the Christian prudence and
wisdom of church officers and courts =
(2) This provision recognizes the IN
ScrIpturoI distinction of ordinary and
traordinary" in the ministry that is,
different qualifications in different per-
sons as condition of ordination. Thus
while approving the scheme and expe-
diency of a ministry graded in respect to
scholarship, the ordinary" and "extra-
ordinary case" are SO distinctly marked
and bounded, that while the two are re-
cognized as officially equal, the latter is
Extensively branded as personally in
ferior and as long as the world stands
and men are subject to like passions as
we are, but few will consent, at the ex-
pense Of their selt-respect, to enter the
ministry under any exceptional clause
which proclaims their ilit racy, and
placards them as preachers by the grace
of Presbytery. Let us remember that
we have to do with flesh and blood, par
TALLY sanctifed and terrestrial beings.
| (3) 1t is said that this provision is pur-
posely indefinite, and useful because in
defnable. It's vagaries and elasticity
give the Presbytery an unbounded dis
erection, so that any candidate may be
admitted as an extraordinary case
1t is no compliment to the wisdom OF
the fathers to suppose that they were the
authors of an ever vanishing ignis fotu18
and it would certainly be marvellous if
the Presbytery were under no restraint
in respect to the qualifications for the
ministry. Is it so? Why the very par
agraph itself restraints this discretion by
requiring the Presbytery to make re.
cord upon its minutes" of each extra
ordinary case, with the reasons there
for that its action may be reviewed by
higher court; thus making it certain
that any abuse Of its discretion by the
Presbytery will be corrected before the
licensed candidate Is ordained and bence