New-York tribune., 1903-05-24
DIR. RAINSFORD,S FAILURE.
1t Has WofuI. but 1t Did Him
Good.

AS look back upon my own ministry. ! know
the reason why succeeded because. far
God gave Hight. I willing to give up
everything that stood In my way in order 70 b
free" says the Rev. DIR. Rainsford. writing cc
his work in 'aThe Outlook" There is no downing
a man who will get down his knees and say
from his heart. Almighty God. I am willing 10
fail II failure means the advancement OF the king
dom Of God" I should like to give a specific in
stance Of illustration of failure I can look back
now and see that Gods hand was in il, but then
It was nothing but bitterness
'I had been conducting series of missions in
different parts OF the country and had been
preaching some pretty good sermOns-t is very easy
70 turn out some good when you preach
ten fifteen over and over. repeating them as
YOU visit each church a call came TO NE to speas
on missions at the Church Congress IN Boston
This was In 1871 I was so ignorant Of ecCies.ast-
cal matters that I did not know what a church
congress was-I had idea that a few elergyrlefa
met together 10 discuss clerical matters had %
speak at this Church Congress, think, on Wednes-
day or Thursday. I had been holding mission ser
vices at .he Church of the Holy Trinity. One
hIndred-and- -hftf-st and Fifth-ave-- New
York. the very morning l had To leave fos
Boston / arrived in that city at $50 II reIneHl-
Der rightly and 1 had to speak at $50 went 70
the Music Hail. about s. and saw an audience OF
quite two thousand people-the place Jan1ned. ana
two hundred and fifty cIersymen and bishops on
the platform Cold shudders ran down my back
However knew my subject. thought did. and
/ was going to speak without notes-sonethlng
have never done since
My turn came after Father Benson OF Oxforu
The whole place looked black 70 NE; got up
stanmered and sputtered for five six minutes
nv time was twenty-five minutes-and sat down
/ am not exaggeratins in this: did not say one
clear sentence that would parse in that time sat
down In darkness, and the meeting went on. At
last people began to so. the men began 20 leave
the platform; did not know soul sat there
utterly cast down-a lonely youth indeed All zE
once a large hand laid my shoulder. and =
big kind voice said Mr.. Rainsford Will you
preach for in Trinity Church next Sunday
morning.
THAT was my first meeting with Phillips Brooks.
Was Il any wonder loved him? I did not know
until afterward that Brooks had heard OF my
preaching. that he knew that certain vesIry OF
an important church looking for rector. and
that he had engineered my speaking at the Church
Congress in Boston. Naturally. after the display
I made. the vestry did not want anything or me.
and Brooks out OF his big heart felt that this
green boy had lost his head and failed. and de-
termined to give him another chance at Trinity
the next Sunday morning 1 preached there and
did nearly as badly; Brooks sat listening 10 me- and
he was a very terrifying man to preach before
but after that saw good deal OF Philips Brooks
That failure was one Of the best thiHss a1s ths.
noTsJ 10 take charge OF a church in Boston Had
got H. / should have had an early and cheap sue
= do not think it easy thing to be clergy
1t is an easy thing 70 Graw a @ salary ysrS srS
among men to do anything more than simply
march In the ranks that Is pretty hard thing 70
do think IL is only fair 20 say that from ~. -
when I first came TO New-Yorks to 1855. when l leII
Toronto. though l preached in almost every S7 StSj
IN the Union. never received call TO a SllSlS
Church except Presbyterian church. and y 1
ware 10 leave 81. Georges to-day. very muc1
doubt whether | should have sal 20 many
Churches certainly not TO many influential ones
The people AT 81. Georges would not have calleo
me oniy they were hard up the church was
@oIns down and they had to take my conditions
after other men had refused the cali and nIIaIs nx
beeys that IL / were 70 close my relations HoL Hs
orably with 81 Georges now. there are very lev lev
churches in the United States that would nave uI0
+ was once presented to the bishop Tor triat anu -,
do NOT think anything saved me from cVnaihs -
trial but the fact that almost tmmedtateiy L,
ward / broke blood vessel in my head ~"S
preaching and for some time near GeetIl- :
had worked very hard. and suppose my oFst,IV IcyvIV
OF the clergy knew it. and the asitAtI9h S'''
died down The case never cane 20 ~ tsi n,ueb bat
think theological students average nlsu ~,
ter to-day than they did twenty years, 49, s.',Id
standard rs unquestionabIy higher. ~ We ,bs
only convince men that when they Pis on on ,sar
xarb OF clergyman they do not dnlinisn ~
trder the the average would Dc stih Lafa
The laity are largely responsible Tor ms 80 then1
when Il come into a gathesing OF men. 70 nass
drop their voices because 1 am a Ger aa1 atop
would far rather have them sNeais aU~ ~"
swearing when I am there.