The Press., 1890-12-04

hoods prime, and as the comfort and stay of old age. He must faithfully and fear lessly hold up Christ in the crownine fea- lures of the atonement before every condi- tion of the community as the only accepted roadway to life eternal. Like the Sons of Thunder, he must faithfully herald the gospel of his Master, even though it arouses the enmity of one-half of his hear CTS. What is minister good for if be cannot preach the gospel with that posi-
 tive force that makes men feel that they are sinners in the sight of God? The only preaching that amounts to anything is that which stirs an individual up to the
 very centers of his being.
 have not come to Somers to apologize for this grand old gospel that has been the
 "power of God unto salvation" to so many. I shall not trim it down and work it over so that the pathway of the great enemy of souls may be made easier. I am here to preach the gospel as I understand it, and as the Holy Spirit may direct me. You
 have not called me to this pulpit to com- promise the truth, but to preach it, even though it may rebuke the cours e of your lives. I come here with no sensationalism with no new theology, but with the old
 redemptive story of the ages, llumined
 with all the light of modern research and discovery. I trust that am neither narrow minded blgot nor an absolute fos- my preaching as broad, as high, and as deep as the gospel itself, that is both fath- omless and limitless. You have expressed confidence in my fidelity to the cause in calling me to this work, and with Gods help l will not abuse your confidence,
 neither will knowingly compromise the
 Truth, nor be traitor to the cause.
 The next relation of pastor to his peo- pie that I wish to consider is that of spiritual guide And here he comes into
 very sweet and tender communion with
 them. There are here in Somers large
 number who have reached and passed far
 beyond the allotted three score-and-ten years. With some the sun is far down the
 western sky, and they are beginning to re. alize the glories of the twilight, wbich will soon transfer them into the starlight be- yond. When the Atlantic steamer hears
 the port it takes pilot on board to guide l 1t to place of safe anchorage. As far as
 the human agent is concerned the minister | is such guide. To all who are willing to
 take such poor pilot on board will try
 to guide the old ship, that is becoming
 unseaworthy, into the haven of eternal
 rest. But there are those among my flock
 who are in the prime of their strength
 those who are in the midst of the great
 battle, and who must bear its brunt-those
 upon whom it's burdens chiefly fall you,
 too, have your discouragements, and will
 need the comforts of this blessed gospel
 Let me be a faithful pastor to you, and
 you will have more strength and more
 grace from this guidance. But desire
 especially to be the wise and faithful pas
 tor of all these young people, so many of
 whom greet me in all of our gatherings. I
 feel the great responsibility, as we'll as
 urgent necessity, of training these young
 hearts in the way of truth. I feel it be-
 cause know how great the liability is of
 going astray. The number of demons
 that assailed the youth in Scripture was legion, and the number has not decreased.
 I would like to be your shepherd, pointing
 out the pitfalls, the temptations, the
 snares, and the obscurities of life that you
 may shun by accepting Christ as your
 guide. It is certainly very gratifying 10
 me to see the close attention that is paid
 to the preaching, and know that there is
 a profound seriousness among the young people here. But it is my earnest prayer
 that every one of you may take that stand
 that shall add to the spiritual power of
 this church. feel that the success of my
 ministry here will depend very much upon
 how the young people flock around me. ) With the accession of new blood and new
 energy that this church needs so much,
 and which the young people have the pow CT to supply, there would arise an infiu- ence that would shake the parish to its
 foundations.
 What is needed here, brethren, and
 speak it in love and kindness-is to have
 the old fallow ground completely broken
 up, so that the spiritual life may take new ) and stronger root. And we need the in. ) fiuence of these young people to do it. If ) these young people, so many of whom : have given their hearts to God, will only ) come into the fold, and show willingness to be led in the Christian life, see no reason why this church in Somers should
 be second to any in the county. believe
 that those who desire that my labors here shall be success will respond to this invi, l tation. I want to be the friend, the guide ) the companion of those whose tastes and } desires and views in life are so nearly akin
 to my own.
 } Another duty that pastor owes his peo. pie is to become c center of jog ana cheertuls.ess, so that the old, the middle : aged, and the young will like to meet him ) on all occasions. Alas, in too many cases it is just the reverse of this. The minis. : ter does not seem to hold his people by ] any sort of magnetic attraction. Unless he , possesses positive personality he is sadly lacking in cohesive qualities. To have { strong influence for good, the pastol - should always be man whom the people r love to meet on all occasions. The high 9 est tribute that was ever paid to clergy t man was by poor bedridden woman, wht t said of her pastor, that "his coming intt J. the house was like throwing open tho 7 shutters and letting the sunshine in. @ How often has it been directly the opposit, @ of this? How many minister has cast { gloom over the entire household by hi e calling? There are many people wh, l, would meet a wild beast about as soon a a they would minister. And the reason il J. because of the traditional bearing of tn # clergy as class. For this state of thing d which fortunately Is rapidly passing @ away-the clergy themselves are chief,
 responsible. Formerly, their dress dis 'f tinguished them from the people at large r Their air was exceedingly grave and digni
 fled, and often times stiff and unnatural r so as to create the impression that we min F. isters are something up here, while yo j. people are something down there. Al is this was wrong as though God "had nc 'f made of one blood all nations of men," an J. all professions of men,. My first experi t. ence in the ministry in this respect wa st decidedly unpleasant. While student il