ART. V. THE CLERGY AND THE WORLD. THERE is a singular perverseness in men, which will not allow them to regard the Clergy in any wise as they do their lay brethren. Most people treat their Minister as one far off from them; and, when associating with him, put off their every day manner, for one constrained, and quite as bashful as respectful. If this were merely in honor to his sacred calling, it might be well enough; but it is not so. It is rather the constraint of those who are in strange company; and has much of the sharp curiosity which is apt to beset men among unaccustomed objects. The true position of a Clergyman among the Laity can be marked by no precise rules, as his intercourse with them must, in some measure, be guided by the congeniality or strangeness which he may find in their company. He will seek his friends as other men do. But, in the wide region of common courtesy and free intercourse, the people themselves often set at nought all efforts he may make to become at his ease with them. And there are many vulgar notions respecting the Clergy-vulgar in every sense-which create much evil, and which should be removed. These notions, however, are in some degree due to the Clergy themselves That every one invested with this sacred Office should be preeminently a gentleman, few will question. The conduct of a true gentleman is but an embodiment of genuine Christian charity; and no one should surpass in it those whose lives are, or ought to be, guided steadily by its rules. But daily experience teaches us that the address of Clergymen is often frigid and distant to an unpleasant degree, when among strangers or those who are not on terms of intimacy with them. And this manner is assumed as the proper one, for a man whose duty it is to be not of the world, although he may be in it. While not designedly done with a Pharisaical spirit, it has marvelously the same appearance, and is therefore undeservedly credited with such a fault. The result of this appears in those sermons which deal with sins as abstractions, and, week after week, rebuke covetousness, pride, and other monstrous vices, in the most zealous manner, and draw from the whole congregation expressions of admira tion for their truth and earnestness, but leave the individual sin ཞ་ ner untouched. All men are ready to decry any sin, and all recognize its enormity; but the deceitfulness of the heart keeps them from seeing their own features in its ugly countenance, unless plainly pointed out. But how can the preacher depict what he has never seen? The restraint of his presence not only keeps down the manifestations of evil dispositions, but banishes conversation on the topics which engross most worldly minds; and instead of the honestly expressed views and opinions of those whom he meets, he hears but the common phrases of civility, more precise and common-place than usual. He sees no misconduct, therefore, except among those who are thoroughly degraded. It is true he hears of a good deal. He hears the outpourings of talebearers and scandal mongers, who perform their duties by earnestly bewailing the sins of their neighbors, and in the process make them worthy of bewailing. And he cannot either utterly silence or disregard these reports. When he preaches, as he ought, with a view to reach the consciences of those who, as he supposes, are guilty of some especial besetting sin, he is therefore often entirely mistaken; and seeing no change, he puts down as willful hardness of heart, what is nothing of the kind. Unless he has a perilous gift of oratory, which calls forth admiration and applause, he is grieved, as months roll on, to see so few touched by his probing, and repentant at his chiding. He bewails his own weakness, and mourns over the barren soil he is set to till. And barren indeed the soil remains, till some new laborer, with the advantages of novelty, for a time accomplishes a little, and then fails like his predecessor. Both accomplish what they do by random shots, and such will be sure to hit some wrongdoer in a sensitive place. But such is not the most profitable manner of preaching the Gospel. No man can overcome evil, without knowing its manifestations. As they vary with every new trick of deception, he should be able to trace them through their windings, and detect them in all their disguises. This he can only do by seeing them. The ways of men are not learned through books alone, any more than the mechanic arts, or any other skillful work. Daily intercourse and constant observation are the only methods for learning man as he is, with all his imperfections and contradictions. The Clergyman, like any other person, must get knowledge at that school where it is taught. But this is deemed very unsafe practice by many, who, with over precision, regard all contact with the world as contaminating. And it must be confessed that this opinion is a very prevalent one. But what sort of sanctity is that which is de stroyed by the first touch of an erring fellow mortal? We are told that to be in the world yet not of it is the duty of the Christian. But what does this mean? Surely not that he should hold no intercourse with the world. Not that he should never be in the world at all. It is doubtless sinful to indulge in forbidden pleasures, but all pleasures are not sinful. It is likewise sinful to follow many pursuits from which pleasure is entirely absent. But to meet on terms of courtesy all with whom he may be thrown in contact, and to show them the beauty of Christian charity, as well as the honesty of Christian principle, can never contaminate any one. "He that has light within his own clear breast This mistaken nicety is doing much, especially in our new settlements, to cast odium on the Ministers of the Church; and neither eloquence nor learning can do away with its evil effect. The rough freedom of manners and opinions prevailing is entirely antagonistic to any such weakness. Nowhere is an upright Clergyman more honored or respected for his firmness and consistency; but there are no keener critics of human nature than the settlers in a new country, and none more ready to detect mistaken notions of it. If the preacher betrays any greenness on this subject, and spends his time in belaboring sins that are not the peculiar failings of pioneers, he can hope for no great influence over his hearers or the community. They honor him for what he has, but do not recognize in him the guide and teacher they need. Plain and sound sense goes further with them than any flowers of rhetoric. They expect a leader to excel them in all that belongs to his calling, and also to be able to do his part in moulding the features of society. An old community, past the transition state, can get along with less difficulty. But, in a place where all are moving on, every leader must be able to hold his own, and keep in advance of the main body. And if it be the object of the Ministry to call sinners to repentance, how are they to be called? Not, surely, by keeping aloof from them. The founders of our Faith went out daily among the people in the first beginnings of their Ministry. They preached to the unbelieving Jews, but they followed up their preaching by reasonings and less formal teachings. They did not keep aloof from the Gentiles, but among them, and in daily intercourse with them, they reached their stubborn hearts. And they preached to the needs of their hearers. St. Paul, on the Areopagus, did not address the Greeks as he did the Jews in Palestine. To the Jews he became as a Jew, and to the Greeks as a Greek ;-all things to all men. But, because he adapted himself to the tastes of the Greek, he did not assume the Greek vices. He gave them an example of what a Greek should be when purged of those vices, and embracing a purer faith. He did not regard the best gifts of genius as unworthy a Christian because possessed by a heathen; but rather sought to turn them, by applying them to better uses, to the honor and glory of God. And the wise pastor, who goes among a people full of earnestness, and crowding with cheerful and bold hearts in the rough road of material advancement, instead of turning sadly from them as hard föllowers of Mammon, should step manfully into the press, and with stout effort shoulder them, if need be, into the narrow way. Let him show himself a man that he may gain men. In looking abroad among the Clergy who have succeeded in building up strong parishes, and those who have failed, we cannot but notice how closely their career resembles that of men in secular pursuits. The merchant who brings goods unsuited to the market, fails, though their quality be perfect, and their prices all that could be desired. The lawyer, who cannot make the principles of the law fit the advancing wants of the age, and who walks per antiquas vias legis, over brush and corduroy, when others take the rail, is condemned to the delusion that the modern Courts are all astray, while he only is right. And the minister who bestows prize-essay learning and metaphysical crotchets upon hearers who are in the habit of walking across lots to their point, instead of traveling orderly on the windings of the King's highway, is apt to have his labor for his pains. One of the most successful parish Clergymen we know anywhere, who has raised up into prosperity and energy some of the most unpromising Churches to be found, would be very far from obtaining commendation for pulpit eloquence. But, with a mild and benevolent disposition, joined to an unfailing fund of shrewd common sense, and quiet perseverance, he makes men respect him for his virtue and plain wisdom, and gives them confidence in his undertakings for the Church, because he shows sound judgment in other matters. If a man dazzles them with a sparkling discourse, admirable for everything but its fitness to their case, they are apt, when he proposes to build or enlarge a Church edifice, and exhibits his plans and calculations, to hesitate at giving him their full confidence. But if when he is out of the pulpit, they find cause to respect his character and capacity, so that they would honor him though he were not ther pastor, they will not only follow him in his plans, but they will find appreciation for very ordinary sermons. A man respected for his solid qualities is safe enough anywhere. Instances of the best ministerial success under difficulties could be readily pointed to, (were it not for provoking invidious comparisons,) and in each case there will be found some quality demanding the respect of all sorts of people, and improved by daily contact with them. A genial and affable temper, a plain straightforward honesty of speech and dealing, public spirit and enterprise-in short, some quality which will make its possessor a useful member of society-will never injure him for teaching religion. If he can exhibit to his flock, an example of how Christian graces may guide and purify worldly wisdom, his precepts will be far more honored. It has always been remarked, that the Jesuit missionaries have usually had good success in establishing missions; and, if their missions have not been permanent, the fault is to be found in the system, and not in the qualifications of those who carry it out. It would be well if the good parts of their scheme were adopted by us; for in our own method we are sadly deficient. If we compare the course through which a young man enters parochial or missionary duty in our Church, with that which they go through with, the advantage in training, is clearly with them. What would be thought of our Naval System, if a lad, after going through a Naval School, were to be placed at once in command of a ship of the line, before making a cruise? Yet this is, practically, what we do every day in the Church. A boy goes to College at the age of fourteen or fifteen, and at eighteen or nineteen graduates. If he has been intended for the Ministry, he may probably pass his College course in some institution, where sound learning and sound morals are cultivated, away from intercourse with the world;-and well for him if such has been his good fortune. He comes forth crowned with the laurel for his proficiency in the liberal Arts, among which a knowledge of mankind is not usually counted. Fresh from his studies, which have only qualified him for going to work, he enters a Theological Seminary, wherein is taught all proper doctrine, and likewise much discipline for the pulpit, but very little else. What is taught is good; but what is omitted is not all wisely omitted. At the end of his course he is ordained a deacon, licensed to preach, and sent as a Missionary to the West. He preaches sound and godly sermons, but not always practical; devotes himself honestly and earnestly to ffice, as he understands them; and wonders |