Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-06-11

a bare living. You will have years and
years of financial struggle ahead" II
know it," he answered, with smiling
face, "but though l may not make
ward than money. | would be willing
to live all my life in poverty if 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 surrendcrs his life to the serv-
ice of his country. In all probability
he will never have anything to live on
but mere pittance of a salary. Yet
he willingly dons the soldiers uniform.
He willingly promises to suffer and
starve and if need be, to die for his
country's good. While promising to
make this sacrifice he feels happy in
the resolve. Cannot the minister in the
snmc way feel the cxhlaration of n
noble conservation? | know that the
compensatons of the gospel minister
cannot be estimated by the standard of
mere money. / know there are many
men preaching week by week in the
pulpit who if they had entered the law
or mercantile life would have an an
nual income of five. ten times the in
come that they receive as minister's
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
almost anything rather than a law
YER" to a physician, anything but
doctor: to newspaper man, anything
but an editor; to a merchant, and you
will often find him struggling and saw
ing so that he can give his boys a col
lege education for entrance into some
professional career But q 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 beg he will in all
probability answer: "Well, | would not
like to persuade my boy to be min
lister. If he becomes n minister | do
not want him to be a man made, but
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 | could hear him
preach in Christian pulpit May God
give me this joy" When some one
asked Henry Ward Bcecher why he
entered the gospel ministry he an
swered: Il could not help it, Who ever
heard of Lyman Beecher's son doing
anything else but preach?" The reason
all those boys became preachers was
because Lyman Bcecher inStilled into
their hearts what the joys of the Chris
tan ministry might be. Over half OF
my seminary classmates were the sons
of ministers. The happiest day in my
fathers life, | believe, was the day he
preached my ordination sermon and
finished it in voice trembling with
emotion and with eyes moist with
tears of rapturous JOY. Oh, young men
who feel today the warnings for the
gospel ministry l know that, if conse-
Grated, you will have the happiest,
most joyful and the noblest profession
al life that is now open to any Chris
tan man.
The Joy of Self Surrender.
But the joy of self surrender is not
the only reward. The gospel ministry
affords more opportunities for useful
ness than any other profession, Every
true man wants to make the most OF
his earthly life. If he has ten talents
he wants to use them where they will
pe Hlosl tHtcllNe, IL ne mas Only one
talent he wants to make that one tai
ent useful. Like a capitalist, he wants
to invest his mental and spiritual tai
ents where the Investment is sure and
whore he can got the most returns for
the principal invested. Where can n
consecrated, educated young man have
more influence for good than in the
Christian ministry?
When the young man graduates from
the theological seminary ne immedi-
ately takes his place at the head Of
country or city church. What does
that mean? Simply this; The young
man Immediately becomes the leader
Of a consecrated band of Christian