The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-03-11
Mothers and Ministers.
Selected.

Many influences, doubtless, lead men
into the ministry. Perhaps ministers
cannot themselves, in many cases, ana
lyze the causes that led them into it.
They know there were particular things
that had influence on them, but those
things were not enough to account for
the fact. Between those things, and
outside of them, there was some in
visible force that bore them on to the
pulpit. In the last analysis it was,
somehow, the breath of the Almighty
that encompassed them, taking up the
other causes, and everything favorable
and unfavorable, and led them to the
ministry. 1t was part of the eternal
plan-the outcome of the eternal law.
But if we drop down from this sublime
height, among the human secondary
cause.-the influences actually used by
our Lord to bring about the result
have no doubt that mothers will be
found to hold a very prominent place
IT the veil that covers the blind begin
nings were drawn aside, mothers
prayers, words, influence, would, in
most cases, be conspicuous. The
mother comes first, closest, warmest to
the young child's heart--on the divine
side of life, as well as on the human;
and long before the child or the mother
is aware the determining influence may
have been eXerted. Nor is this par
ticular effect-the ministry-by any
means, always intended by the mother.
She may be thinking only of putting
her child into Christ's hands, and of
helping the child to put itself into
Christ's hands, while this may in real
ity, be heading the child to the
ministry, as the fostering warmth of
spring, reaching and surrounding the
acorn in the dark earth, causes the
germ to grow, and at length produce
the slightly oak. No son can be truly
started Christward without the posi-
bility that he may come out a minister;
and few children are started Christward
that are not, in some manner, helped
is often a more direct and positive in
fuence. The longing of mothers
heart, burdening her thoughts and
only be Christian, but be used, in
some special way in building up
Christ's kingdom. Her heart may
even turn directly to the ministry, and
she may have the boldness, in her con-
scCIdllOn VI lHc Cllllu. 10 udIllt llldl LOT
him, and him for that, if God will be
pleased to accept the conservation.
Afterwards, she may work, and con-
tinue to pray in that direction, not as if
she had fOrestalled the action of Christ,
or settled the divine DEGREES, but in
such way that, if Christ be pleased to
accept him for the ministry, her boy
will be so far on the way. Doing this,
thousand unseen influences and per-
MISREPRESENTATION even to the good
mOther-will come out from her, and
gather around that young and suscepti-
BILE heart sweetly winning him and
bearing him on towards the chosen OBJ
ject. Many mothers have, in this way,
been the means of putting their sons
into the ministry. Their greatest life
work they do by proxy through their
sons. They preach the gospel through
their sons. When they die and 90 to
heaven, the lines of their influence 90
on among men. They may not be
great in position, or doings, but they
send out great force for good in the
kingdom of righteousness, peace and
love on the earth. Measured by the
effect of their lives, their success is re-
markable. There is a large field for
this kind of motherly influence and
training in our California homes, be-
fore the blighting secular influence out
side seizes the boy and destroys his
promise. Mothers need to fortify their
boys from within while under their in
fiuence, so that they will shed the as
sailing storms of worldlings and tempta-
ton when they pass out of the home,
and will carry with them through life
the purpose to make the best of them
selves. Few boys will rise above the
poise their mothers give them. If the
mothers are content to have their sons
worldly, selfish, self indulgent, there
are influences enough abroad to bring
about this result. But if they desire
them to do good in the world, and
whatever position they occupy or sue
cess they gain have it all on the side of
Christ, they must battle their young
hearts with the ceaseless ministries of
prayer, and Christian love and example.
Above all, if they desire them to labor
in that calling in which the best and
highest powers of mind and heart are
drawn out, in which the whole ener-
gies of their nature are directly occu-
pied in benetiting men in the supreme
part of their being, in which they are
brought, by the very demands of their
profession, to be in fellowship with the
noble truth, companionship on earth
and the Spirit of God, then it becomes
them to begin early and continue long
these innumerable agencies and agonies
of motherly Christian hearts, which
God has so often signally blessed to
bring about this result.-Rer. DR.. /. Il.
D,oinell, IN The Pacifc.