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398 THE
Contributed j
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Rev Henry H. Sweets, Secretary.
The demand for heralds of the Good
News of salvation has always exceeded
the supply. Even the most superficial
student of the programme of the Kingdom
of God and the conditions in any age
will admit the truthfulness of this statement.
The little company that met the sympathetic
gaze of the Master and stirred
the tenderest depths of His heart,"because
they were distressed and scattered
as sheep not having a shepherd," was
but a representation in miniature of the
millions of earth who, ignorant of the
Saviour's love and of His purpose and
power to bless and enrich their lives, are
standing out in the night of darkness and
of spiritual death, without God and without
hope in this life or in the life which
is to come
As we look at these vast multitudes
through the Master's eyes of sympathy,
and remember that He said, "Give ye
them to eat is it not strange that men
have been so slow and late in carrying
to them the Bread of Life?
The responsibility for these immortal
souls rests upon every member oi tne
Kingdom, and there is some definite and
and distinct task assigned by the King
to every one. He has appointed every
one of His followers as a witness of His
grace and power. He put upon all some
responsibility for the adequate supply
of the demand for workers when He commanded:
"Pray ye the Lord of the harvest
that He will send forth laborers
into His harvest."
While Christians whose walk and conversation
commend the Gospel, and
christian workers of every kind are indispensable,
there is a pecular need for a
large increase in the number of able
consecrated ministers. "How can they
hear without a preacher?" How can the
church hope to fulfil her duty to the world
unless she has a larger number of capable
leaders who gjve all of their time
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of the Saviour's command?
Other churches are meeting the prevailing
need in different ways. The
Methodist Church lays her hands upon
young men of approved piety and sends
them to weak mission points. When
they have built up a work and have about
exhausted their store of knowledge they
are sent to open up other fields, and a
man, better prepared, is put over the de^fnlrvnlno
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supplies hundreds of mission points and
weak churches through her "lay readers."
The Presbyterian Church has unused
wealth, possibly in excess of any church,
in her 10,500 ruling elders?trained men
of ability who could lead the services in
the absence of the minister and help to
' shepherd the flock."
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOI
But of the immediate need of a large
increase in the number of able, trained
ministers in our Church, there can be 110
doubt. Right now there are on the rolls
of our General Assembly more than one
thousand vacant churches. Last year,
twenty-five churches, for a long time vacant,
were dissolved, and the year before
thirty-three churches languishing for lack
of care, ceased to be.
Two hundred self-denying, capable men
could be put to work at once with salaries
provided?Where can they be secured?
From all of our theological seminaries
there will be graduated this
spring, 28 young men, but by a strange
coincidence 8 of our ministers have been
forced to retire, and the papers have reported
28 deaths in our ministry since
April 1, 1909. Many of these servants of
God who have lately finished their course
really counted for more than units?they
were great powers in the counsel and
work of the Church It is true we receive
men into our ministry from other
churches, but already this year we have
dismissed 17 of our ministers to others.
For our distressing need there is but
one never failing source of relief?the
Throne of Grace. Pastors and teachers,
have you prayed and presented, through
the Spirit's power, the claims of God upon
the lives of the boys and young men under
your care? Parents, have you prayed
and trained your sons for high and
heavenly walks in life? Young men, have
von nravpH. anH havo vmi hoarrf tim
ter say, "Seekest thou great things for
thyself? seek them not." Boys have
you prayed, and said, '-Lord what wilt thou
have me to do?" man of business, have
you prayed, and helped to prepare some of
the young men of our Church for the
work of the ministry?
The majority of our candidates come
from homes of small of small income. The
course of study?four years in college and
three years in the theological seminary?
is very costly. We have been called upon
to aid 275 candidates this year to the
amount of $100 each?118 in the seminaries,
155 in colleges and 2 in medical
colleges, preparing to go as medical missionaries
to the foreign field. Ninetyseven
of our candidates are now at worfc
in order that they they may earn money
with which to complete their education
We must have more liberal contributions
to the cause of Ministerial Education or
some of those who are now at their study
must abandon their preparation for a
season and go to work?some of them are
already men of mature years; would 11
be wise to permit further delay?
The General Assembly calls upon the
Church to contribute to this fundamental
work in April. This is the first offering
requested in the new year. Begin right,
and cheer our hearts. Send all offerings
to Mr. John Stites, Treasurer, 110 Fifth
RtrpM T-niiiflvillo ^ v onH '
? ? ?* -? oiaic ciean;
whether It is for Education for the Ministry
or for Ministerial Relief for the infirm
ministers and needy widows and orphans.
Ixmisville, Ky.
jTH. March 30, 1910.
PRESBYTERIAN IMMERSION AGAIN.
My attention has been called to an
editorial in The Presbyterian of the
South of March 2nd, on Presbyterian Im
mersion.
In reference to a Presbyterian minister
who baptizes by immersion, the writer
says: "In our judgment he has made
a mistake." In that statement and the
rest of the editorial the writer admits
of no exception and makes no qualifying
statement. Under all conditions and.
circumstances he has made a mistake.
1 am perfectly willing to admit that a
Presbyterian minister is liable to make a
mistake by immersing and, no doubt,
many have done so. But "in our judg
meat" the Presbyterian minister who refuses
to immerse under all conditions
and circumstances has made a very serious
mistake.
In the editorial, emphasis is laid upon
"the counsel of the Church." Of course,
a minister will give due weight to the
counsel of his Church. But no counsel
can cover every individual case or contemplate
all the various conditions and
complications. There are times when a
pastor faces some serious and complicated
questions. If there were any positive
law on the subject there would be
no question to decide. But in the absence
of command or prohibition he has
to consider every argument on each side
?the counsel of his Church included?
and use his own judgment and conscience
in coming to a decision without throwing
the responsibility upon his Church.
And 1 wish to suggest to the writer
and the readers of the editorial that
more serious things are involved than ,
"gratifying the wish of one or two persons."
The Presbyterian minister who
immerses does not give his sanction to
that view of the mode of baptism. The
minister should explain to the candidate
and his congregation the doctrine of
the Presbyterian Church on this subject,
viz., that we do not believe immersion
to be a scriptural mode of baptism, but
that we do believe it to be a valid mode.
' If it be done in this way, no principle is
conceded which is not already conceded
in our standards, which is not conceded
L every time a member of the Baptist
Church is received into the Presbyterian
Church by statement, confession or let1
ter. And the immersed member under
oi.anus me situation. He insists that for
him immersion is the only mode. But
1 he acknowledges that his Presbyterian
pastor and brethren have been baptized.
The one fact that he seeks baptism at
the hands of the Presbyterian minister
! and unites with the Presbyterian Church
I and communes with his brethren there,
' IS proof enough of that. This may not
be a very logical position for him to
1 take. The fact that he prefers immersion
indicates that he is not a very logical
man. But we do not make an approved
examination on logic a condition
of Church membership. I do not know
what has been the custom of the writer
of the editorial and his session In regard
to receiving members from the Baptist