St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-05-10
What Appeal Ought the Ministry as
Profession to Present to the
Young Man of Today.

1
course was open to them. A large
number of them have simply followed
the line OF least resistance. There ar
young men, however, who have mad
real choice deliberate and answering, {
choice based upon reasoned judgment O
personal adaptation, opportunity anc
reward. They know what they are
after and why they are after it. In such
cases there are motives that are
clearly defined and these motives are OIL
various sorts. Men may be moved by a
desire for ease. luxury glory, or by love
of power; or the artistic impulse may
furnish the melting motive, or sense Of
duty, or, better yet, apassion for service
In all these cases men are working tor
satisfactions. Without compensation
of some sort men do not labor. The
satisfaction may be physical, mental, or
spiritual; high or low; good or bad; but
the hope dissatisfaction is always present
in the mind OF the worker and the salts
faction is the compensation, and it makes
the motive.
| should like to speak of motive that
seems TO me of the very highest order,
and to suggest how l think it may be
made mighty in influencing young men
to enter the profession Of the gospel
ministry. The question OF human salts
factonsis fundamental and vital one.
To answer it rightly and clearly is to
come to true views of God, and man, and
human destiny. Some things that men
strive for with all their might satisfy
only for today; tomorrow they are
insipid; and when the last twilight begins
to gather, they become positive morsel
of gall. What are the abiding satisfac-
lions? | should like it if could answer
that question. And it seems to me, in
my own cropping for an answer, that
they are two, which go together. One
is the satisfaction of man, as seer; the
other of man, as doer; the satisfaction
that comes with clear vision OF divine
ideal, on the one hand, and on the other,
the satisfaction that results from a
realization OF that ideal in forms that
belong to human life. One is the joy of
invention or discovery, and the other
is the Joy OF creation. 1t is the double
satisfaction that comes to the painter
when first the vision of his masterpiece
flashes in all its beauty upon his inner
eye, and, secondly. when, after slow
process in dealing with dull canvas and
dead pigment, he makes the picture to
live before his fellows. 1t is the salts
faction that comes to the true teacher,
when first he glimpses truth for himself,
and then clothes it in forms of dignity
and beauty as literature to inspire other
men; the satisfaction OF the prophet who
cleaves away layer after layer of casuis-
try to lay bare the eternal principles OF
m orality, and then convinces and con-
v lets men thereby; the satisfaction of the
hero who uncovers within himself the
sources of infinite power, and in the
the strength of that divine impulse goes
forth to dare, to do, and to conquer. In
all these the satisfaction is two.fold
the glow that comes with the vision o.
an inner ideal, true and beautiful, and
the exaltation that follows some fair
meat ure of success in embodying that
inner ideal in material forms of loneliness
and power. Beside these satisfactions
all Others fade. Money, ease, luxury, are
not to to be mentioned. These are tran.
STORY; those are eternal. May we not
say, then, that real satisfaction in life is
commensurate with the degree to which
a man has succeeded in realizing the
divine ideal; that is, in making the real
in the world around him to correspond
to the ideal within HMM the working
out and depression of his own great ideal
Now this deeper abiding satisfaction
may be gained in every honorable pro.
tession. The ministry differs from Other
professions, it seems to me, only in offer
ing somewhat larger ideal. The writer
of the Apocalypse saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
Christ, looking forward with prophetic
eye, saw the coming kingdom of God or
earth. This is "the vision splendid" fol
the minister of the gospel; the ideal that
may light his inner eye,-the kingdom o
God, spiritualized society of men dwell
ing together in love and happiness. Anc
all around him in some community where
he is called to work are the materials, -
imperfect men and women,-out O
which to fashion that kingdom. "Thy
kingdom come on earth, as it is il
heaven" In proportion as that prayer
is answered in the community where he
works, will come to the minister the
abiding satisfaction. Before such a
vision as that, and before even such a
| partial achievement as only is attainablt
| hold that the work of the artist
dwindles in comparison. The true
minister is the great artist. And hi:
masterpiece on which he is working is tc
be the ideal community "a small sector
of the kingdom of God realized right il
his parish. 1t is not an easy task that i
before him. But the great compensa
lions do not go with easy tasks. In6nit
patience and painstaking effort are re
quired, and the picture may not be finish
ed this side of eternity, but OCCASIONAL
little bits can be painted in, whic
prophesy the final beauty of the whole
and all the time the artist is dealing
not with ifeless paint and oil, but wit
living souls, sensitive, needy, responsive
wonderful in capacity. 1t is a though
to fascinate. And right here, it seems t
me, is the appeal that can be made wit
great power to the young man who ha
his life all before him to dispose of 70
good or i'll to himself and his fellows
the appeal OF vision of men and societ
redeemed, and the appeal of a call,
challenge,-to the man who sees an
who is willing to work and wait,--a ca
to come forth and set his will swtetene
and strengthened by Christ.like syn
pathy, hope and faith, to the task c
realizing that vision. In the doing of thi
: task there isgreat art. Itcalls for the mos
careful study of life and conditions, bu