The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-10-09


who has to labor for it daily. Give him
the assurance that for decade it will
be provided him, and his growth and
development in proficiency in his life
work will be increased just in proper
ton as his mind and body are relieved
from the anxiety and effort that was
expended in producing the daily sus-
tenance.
In the Universalist ministry equally
with the ministry of other denomina-
tions we require men made up of all
these essential attributes. The minis
tiers of the church are her generals. If
they are to decline in efficiency the
church will be supplanted by something
better, it may be a new denomination.
| There must be educated men, alive to
the progress of science and art, and also
appreciative of their merits and their
relation to current thought in every
line. These, Science and Art, are the
Sisters of Religion. The teacher of the
student of religious law and thought
must comprehend natural law and
scientific truth.
He must be able to present these
general subjects to his parishioners from
an unprecedented standpoint. The peo-
pie at large ought to be able to look to
the minister for the facts on these
themes.
A few Sundays ago minister stated
that ''hope" had been displaced by a
word called science" by class of men
of the present time called scientists. -
Had he realized how unscientifc his
remark was, he would have blushed for
having made it. 1t truly displayed his
Ignorance. No scientist is so unscien-
tific as to use terms with such Ii
cense. This illustrates the necessity for
broad education; that, ignorantly, our
ministers do not fall into the same pit.
Correlative with the rapid increase in
wealth of the country is the growth and
development in culture and refinement
of the people and not much longer will
our irritable Compartments tolerate
hackneyed conventionalities and the
old dogmas Of the church. Our church
ought to be the one in the van of this
progressive march toward higher civil
cation and deeper religious feeling and
purer conception Of our relation and
dependence on the Deity? No honest
and thoughtful Universalist can do
other than concede that this belongs to
the Universalist church as the church of
liberal and progressive doctrines.
The young minister Of to-day must be
as much better informed than his pred
ecessor as the civilization of this day is
better than that Of yesterday. Among
other things the work must not be neg
ative in its effects. Our preachers
must do positive thinking; that which
precedes positive convictions.
They must not be satisfied to deal in
negations and refutations Of the theo-
ries of our opponents. 1 have often
felt that too many ministers, not the
majority, enter the profession because
of the position it gives him in society.
l believe that certain amount of sell
fishness is good for the health of any
man, but not this kind or genus. The
successful Universalist minister must
be man whose pulse beats responsive
ly to the pulsation of the human hearts
about him, but there must be no Sec
ondary throbs dramatically opposed to
these.
The minister should never feel, ST
am minister" That highest quality
of integrity; that lack of self-con-
seriousness ought to be present to COM
mand the respect of his parishioners.
Least Of all denominations can we sac
rifice moral tone. The minister may
be a vigorous advocate of temperance,
he may combat RIGHTEOUSNESS, gamb-
ling. intemperance and vice in all its
phases, but if the life Of the man is not
in strict accord with what he utters,
does not proue the sincerity of has words,
his actions are a dissertation of the
place he fills.
He must be convinced of the efficacy
of the truth and live in congruity with
its principles.
In conclusion can do little else than
reiterate. My minister may be called
ideal. But it is only through the ideal
conception that we rise to higher de-
gree of the real.
My ideal man who is to command the
respect of the scoffers at the church
might be embarrassed by the descrip-
tion have endeavored to give, but un-
douhtedly, vaguely at least, you appre-
bend my thought. That the requisites
for the successful minister are an eff
fort at least to attain to pure moral
lives, good intellectual development
through thorough college training,
spiritual conservation and the practical
application of such superior attain
ments through conscious labor for your
selves and others.
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'HOLD THE FORT, FOR I AM COMING"
BY BENSON j. IOSSING