Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-06-08

that God gives TO the faithful minister.
there Is a joy i'm the self surrender. in
the conservation of our whole lives TO
Christ. who laid down his life for us.
Not Measured by Money.
The true artist has a deep sense of the
inspiring exhilaration when he surren-
ders his life to his art. Only the other
day young man left my Chicago
church to go to Europe and study in the
foreign art schools. | said TO him: Why
do you follow this profession? In all
probability you will only exc out of it
a bare living You will have years and
years of financial struggle ahead" Il
know IT," he answered, with a smiling
face. but though may not make
much money I shall have a higher re-
ward than money. would be willing
to live all my life in poverty If l only
could continue to know the joy of trying
to interpret the higher message of the
soul in the language of colors."
The true soldier does not think of
money. the mere question of money,
when he surrenders his life to the serv-
ice OF his country. In all probability
he will never have anything to live on
but a mere pittance of salary. Yet
he willingly dons the soldiers uniform.
He willingly promises to suffer and
starve and, IL need be, to die for his
country's good. While promising to
make this sacrifice he feels happy In
the resolve Cannot the minister I'm the
same way feel the exhilaration Of a
noble conservation? | know that the
compensations Of the gospel minister
cannot be estimated by the standard of
mere money. know there are many
men preaching week by week I'm the
pulpit who IL they had entered the law
| or a mercantile life would have an an
nual income of five, ten times the in
come that they receive as ministers.
! But does not the joy of giving your
| whole life to the service of Jesus Christ
bring some rewards higher than mon
ey? Does not the thought that you are
| trying to save men and comfort men
and bring them to the Saviour whether
you are standing by the opened casket
or by the sick bed or on the street or
In the pulpit give you transcendent
and at times almost overwhelming joys?
That these spiritual rewards are real
and satisfying Is demonstrated by the
fact that the ministers are the only
class of men who, as a rule. want their
sons to follow in their own footsteps
and their daughters to marry men Of
their own profession. If you go to an
average lawyer and ask him what he
would like his sons to be he answers,
almost anything rather than law
YER" to a physician, anything but a
doctor; to a newspaper man. anything
but an editor; to merchant, and you
will often find him struggling and saw
ing so that he can give his boys col
lege education for entrance into some
professional career But consecrated
minister invariably wants his sons to
enter the gospel ministry. If you ask
your pastor this question, what would
you like your son to bcT' he vi n all
probability answer: "Well, would not
like to persuade my boy to be a min
| lister. If he becomes a minister / dc
not want him to be a man made, but a
God made, minister. But if the Holy
Spirit should ever work upon his heart
l think the happiest day of my life
would be when l could hear him
preach in a Christian pulpit. May Coo
give me this joy" When some one
asked Henry Ward Beecher why he
entered the gospel ministry he an
swered: Il could not help it. Who ever
heard of Lyman Beechers son doing
anything else but preach?" The reason
all those boys became preachers wa:
because Lyman Beecher instilled int
their hearts what the joys of the Chris
tian ministry might be. Over half o
my seminary classmates were the SON
of ministers. The happiest day in m.
fathers life, believe, was the day b.
preached my ordination sermon AM
finished it in a voice trembling wit
, emotion and with eyes moist wit
, tears of rapturous joy. oh. young me-
: who feel today the yearnings for tn
gospel ministry, l know that, If conse
/ Grated, you will have the happies
J most joyful and the noblest profession
, al life that is now open to any Chris
> tan man.
l The Joy of Self Surrender.
But the joy of self surrender is nc
the only reward. The gospel miniStr
affords more opportunities for usefu
e ness than any other profession. Ever
D true man wants to make the most {
: his earthly life. If he has ten talent
u he wants to use them where they wi
l be most effective; if he has only OF
i talent he wants to make that one ia
ent useful. Like capitalist. he wan
s to invest his mental and spiritual ia
e ents where the investment is sure al
> where he can get the most returns fl
the principal invested. Where can
o consecrated. educated young man hay
1t more influence for good than in Il
1. Christian ministry?
= When the young man graduates fro
L the theological seminary he immet
e ately takes his place at the head