St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-10-12

minded men, more enthusiastic men IN
our theological seminaries and in the
professora tes-men like Addison Alex
ander, who could during the week
teach young men the theory Of preach
ing and then on Sunday go into the pull
pit and with the thunder and light
ming of Christian eloquence show them
how. What would you think of a fac
ulty of unsuccessful merchants to
train young merchants or faculty Of
unsuccessful lawyers to train young
(, lawyers? It is often the case that
theological seminaries cut man and
clip him and square him and mold him
and bore him and twist him until all
the individual is gone out of him and
he is only poor copy of man who
was elected to a professorate because
he could not preach. We want less
deadwood in the theological semi
naries and more flaming evangels.
At meeting Of the general assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian church of the
United States a clergyman accus-
toned on the Sabbath to preach to
an audience of 200 or 800 people, in an
audience room that could hold 1900,
was appointed to preach sermon on
how to reach the masses. I am told
the incongruity was too much for the
risibilities of many Of the clergy in
the audience. Now, . young man
coming out from such bedwarfing i'm
huences, how can he enter into the
wants and the woes and the sympa-
shies of the people who want on the
Lords day practical Gospel that
will help them all the week and help
them forever?
Young ministers are told they must
preach Christ and Him crucified. Yes,
but not as an abstraction. Many q
minister has preached Christ and
Him crucified in such way that he
preached an audience of 500 down to
200, and from 200 to 100, and from 100
to so, and from 80 to 20, and on down
until there was little left save the
sexton. who was paid to stay until
the service was over and lock up.
There is q grea. de.l oe cant about |
Christ and Him crucified. 1t is not !
Christ and Him crucified as an alb
straction, but as an Omnipotent SYM
pathy applied to all the wants and
woes of our immortal nature-a
Christ who will help us in every do
nestle, social, financial, political, ma
tional struggle Christ for the par
1or, Christ for the nursery, Christ
for the kitchen, Christ for the barn,
q Christ for the Street, Christ for
the store, q Chris. for the banking
house, Christ for the factory, q
Christ for the congressional assem-
bly,, Christ for the courtroom,
Christ for every trial and every emer-
gency and ever perturbation.
It is often the case, that the diff
ficulty begins clear back in the home
circle with misapprehension as to
which child ought to be consecrated
to the ministry. John is keen, bright
boy. He is good at q bargain. When
he trades at school, he always gets
the best of it. Make him merchant.
He will soon gather fortune and 60
right up to take his place among the
princes. George has
great cerebral development. Phreno-
logically, language is large. Make
him lawyer. He will argue his way
10 the front, and he will take his
place among the Mansfelds and the
Storys. Henry has a large girth at
The chest and is military in his step
md bearing. Send him to West Point. j
We shall see him yet brigadier gen. .
.ral. William is fond of sketching !
ships, and he knows as much about
! vessel as an old sailor. Make him q 1
The vessel that he builds ;
will successfully wrestle with the ,
Caribbean whirlwind. Aleck is not !
cry well. He has never had very ,
rood digestion. Since that last ma !
arial attack his spleen is enlarged. !
lie has morbid way of looking at
Kings. He will sit for hours look
ng at one figure in the carpet. His )
are so mild, SO soft, SO gen.
lie, SO affectionate, so Heavenly, and
e cries easily. Make him minister. !
ow, my friends, that is a great mis- 9
axe. If you want to consecrate one
+ your sons to the Gospel ministry, T
axe the one widest awake, the T
the most brilliant, the I
most irresistible, the most potent. A r
). ork o ,ens before pro- $
ession whose one object is to lift n
he nations toward God and prepare +
hem for Heaven. c
All, my friends, churches will be
argely attended just in proportion y
s we ministers can meet their t
ANTS, meet their sufferings, meet t
heir bereavements and meet their n
ympathies. If there be church t
18th small help, small audience, medi- b
m help, medium audience; large
clip, large audience. If there be . t
amily IN city and three depots Of a
read and one depot has 100 loaves i
nd another 500 loaves and another d
epot 10000 loaves, the depot that :.
as 100 loaves will have applicants, il
ne depot that has 500 loaves will s,
ave far more applicants, the depot u
nat has 10000 loaves will have n