only book of instructions for each of them; if it wants to call forth
latent energy, as a Washington from his homestead, or a Lincoln from his
farm, it must cease to lay stress on orthodoxy and get to work where the
world really needs it. A surgeon may be ever so correct in his knowledge
of operative surgery, but he must find a practise or he is useless. It
is not so much for holding services, as for rendering services, that the
world is looking to the Church today.
HUMAN NEED THE TRUE OBJECTIVE
Today the Church should not only have a message for the strong and well.
In Christ's day it had a message for the sick and suffering also. I
admit that the medical profession has neglected too much the influence
that mind has over matter. It therefore frequently endeavors to treat a
human being as if he was nothing but a conglomeration of material
cells. But the Church, it seems to me, is making an infinitely more
serious mistake in entirely abandoning the valuable aid it can give the
physician when he has found that no organic cause accounts for the
symptoms of his patient. What is known in America as the Emmanuel
Movement has my entire sympathy. It is an honest effort of sane men to
bring to the aid of physical sufferers demonstratively valuable
spiritual influences.
THE MINISTER ONLY A SERVANT
The priest or minister is the navigating lieutenant of the Church ship.
He is the tactician of the army. He is the specialist whose experience
is invaluable. He is not called to be one whit holier than I am, but
being on a lofty pedestal he will possibly be more closely watched. His,
indeed, is a pitiable condition if he has not the spirit of his Master.
His creed may seem infallible, his faith most orthodox, but for my part
I would rather not be so sure of what I did believe, and pray with "the
man after God's own heart," "Teach me to _do_ the thing which pleases
thee." This is a sure step on the road to the answer of, "Lord, I
believe, help thou mine unbelief." I am convinced there would be no lack
of worthy candidates for the ministry if only the churches would lay
more stress on the infinite privilege of human service it opens up.
There are more medical students than are needed.
THE FUTILITY OF THE INTELLECTUAL TEST
Is it then a necessity, or an advisable thing, that before a man can
become a worker with the Church he must pass an intellectual test? Is it
imperative for him to find exactly what he does not believ
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