Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-11-24
Meanness.

OF all small transactions, the meanest is,
the habit of some people getting the gospel
without paying for it. 1t is commendable in
any man to pay an outward regard to religion,
so far as to attend public worship occasionally
on the Sabbath but when he undertakes to
. steal preaching the exhibition of mean
ness is SO apparent to every mind that all hon
cradle persons feel ashamed Of him. Yet in
almost every parish there are to be- found per-
sons abundantly able who never pay cent to
support the institutions Of the gospel. We
should suppose such persons could not sit easy
even on a cushion-that they would carry
thievish kind of look in their devotions, and
would retire from public worship very much
as a man would get out of sheep-fold with
lamb on his shoulder. Mr.. Cummings, of the
Christian Mirror, relates the following remi-
niscence of parish with which he was once
Familiarity acquainted -
I" 1t was parish which retained oe choice
the good old practice of equalizing the expense
Of maintaining public worship, by each pay
ing according to his ability To effect this the
parish had its assessors, who adjusted, in the
shape Of "a tax, each members portion, accord
ing to the valuation of his estate on the Town
Assessors list. NJ But there were few per-
sons, within the territorial limits of the parish,
of the same denomination, who stood alOof-
generating themselves from all pecuniary LA
bility for the support of preaching. But they
attended meeting, though somewhat irregular
"; and were frequently annoyed on retiring
from the meeting house, with the salutatiOn,
We'll you do steal little preaching some
times Offered by man of too great weight
Of character and influence to be disregarded.
One effect was that they, or some of them vol
unteered little pittance for the parish treasu-
ry-probably to relieve their consciences, or
70 gel rla OF a conscious sense of meanness.-
AZ subsequent parish meeting, a member
moved, nat this parish receive no presents ,
-lnlehulhg mat all its members should stand
on an equailty-that one law should be for all
Cine motlon was not designed to shut any cit
zen from the house of worship) The propo-
silon wouid PrcDaply have been adopted with
unanimity' Du' ior It's anticipated unfavorable
bearing on two innocent individuals IT,
was one excellent woman whose husband ~ !
of different faith, or of no faith at All "a
never showed himself inside that house 20
worshp,, while she was regular attendant
and member Of the church, but without any
control of her husbands property. She had
however, a little purse of her own, supplied
SO tar as 1t was, by the earnings of her owl
separate industry, from which she was accus
toned to pay five dollars into the parish treas
uIy, annually-her full proportion moss sef
talnly, ana paid without asking, and from hel
own love 70 Christian ordinances Other
was Methodist brother connected with q
Metnooist society, and one of its principal
supporters but some of his family attended
worship. with this parish, and one Of thorn wa.
connected with the parish church. and be
spontaneously and magnanimously maid tan
dollars, annually, to the treasury Of the nar;sh
where a part of his household were fed with
the sincere milk Of the word, 'fSifs' s s" -