* * * * *

THEN AND NOW.

BY MISS L.A.  PARMELEE.

THEN.

Nearly twenty years ago a little company of Christians at Byron, Ga., decided to form a Congregational Church.  Their place of worship was a bush arbor or “bush harbor” as it was usually called.  Feeling the need of more frequent ministrations than the pastor of Macon could furnish, they asked to have one of their own number licensed as a leader.  A Council of churches was called at Andersonville, and the candidate presented himself for examination.

He was a working man in middle life; his personal appearance bespoke him better fitted for the blacksmith’s forge than the pulpit.  His literary qualifications reached their limit when he could slowly read from his pocket Testament that “God so loved the world,” and “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.”  In theology, he was prepared to discuss, with race shrewdness and quaint corn-field illustrations, the doctrines of election and future punishment.  His Congregationalism comprised three points,—­“To live by the Bible, to have only one wife, and to not drink whiskey”—­good points for that time, and popularly supposed to represent the new denomination.

His spirit was excellent, as, with genuine humility, he expressed his wish to serve the church only until it could command the ministrations of some one of better education and more general fitness for the position.  His personal experience of religion was satisfactory, as were also the testimonials to his character, and so the Council licensed him to preach, Pastor Rogers, of Macon, giving him an earnest charge to be faithful in the service of Christ.

NOW.

The circumstance had faded from my mind, but suddenly was remembered two days ago, when sitting in the congregation that had gathered in the chapel of Livingstone Hall, Fisk University, to listen to the examination of ten young men who presented themselves to the Central South Association for license to preach.  These candidates were physically and mentally alert, active, strong.  With a single exception they were under thirty years of age.

Besides the ordinary helps of Concordance and Bible Dictionary, more than half of these young men in studying the Scriptures, can pick up from their study tables, Testaments in German, French, Latin and Greek, to gather the light these translations may throw upon any passage.

Their theology was clear, and showed acquaintance with the best thought upon the whole range of subjects.  Their Congregationalism embraced two points, independence and fellowship.  The right of private judgment based upon intelligent study of the Word of God, apparently covered the ground of their church polity.  They hold modern ideas regarding Christian work along the lines of missions, temperance, Sabbath-schools, White Cross Leagues, Christian Endeavor Societies, Y.M.C.A. and similar organizations.  All have had experience in some of these branches of work.  The Association licensed nine of them for one year, and ordained the tenth to the regular work of a minister of the Gospel.  Full of hope, courage and zeal, they give promise of usefulness.