Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-11-13
The Faithful Pastor.

lHC L aiuuuI dOtUi.
He mGstpreach the gospslin family circles or many fam
lies viii never heart
4 1t is a great mistake (says writer in the Yer
mont GhrOncle) that good pastor will not be like
ly to be an able preacher. True, his sermons may
not be learned essays as is true of much that is cali
ed 'able preaching" but if judged by the gospel
standard Ct able preaching they viii be 50. This
accounts for their signal success. God besses such
| men.
! A faithful pastor has power over his people
that can never be gained by preaching only no mat
ter how able it may be. lie is known in every fam
lily, and beloved The poor, the sick, the children
Of sorrow the widow and fatherless know his tread
and voice. Both are music TO hearts that know
little of cheer besides. lie knows the name of eve
ry boy and girl in the range of his labors II there
is an anxious sinner be finds it out ami fn,ls many
he would never have known, if he had not gene to
them. Those who cannot go TO church he comforts
and attends the aged down to their graves. Many
that otherwise would never have entered his fne
meeting house, or have regarded the minister as too
proud to come and see them in their humble cot
tages, or farm homes, have their preadiees remoy-
Ell. and become bis warmest friends, and are brot
to Christ But for that visit he might have preach
ed all the able sermons he could have written and
they would have been none the better for them
The fact is. the gospel must be carried, in the
living voice Of the minister, to many house, or the
families will never have it. Muititudes in all our
towns win never be reached from the pulpit In
sight of our church. they viii no more come to the
fba heat tkau az r-.n
certainly perish if the cup of salvation is not car
ried to them. Even then, many of both will dash
it from them, but not all.
A man who is now a worthy member of the CON
gregational church Of - has frequently said to
his pastor, "If you had not come TO my house, and
eonversed with me there you might have preached
till was dead, but should never have gone to
hear you. / supposed you was proud man till You
came TO see me. hated ministers and church mem
bers, for they never took any notice Of me. When
you took 50 much pains to come to my house and
was so familiar thought you cared for me, and
every word you spoke went to my heart. You are
the first minister that was ever in my house. and
the first one ever wea: TO bear preach knew
was poor ruined man. and thought ne one cared
anything about me or my family; and so made up
my mind that | must live and die as | was. But
when you came and spoke so kindly. felt as if |
had one friend on earth. I had no idea that
wretch like me could ever become Christian
Years ago had abandoned myself TO despair, and
was going, with all my family, to hell, and knew
it. Ny home was hell every day. But when
YOU encouraged me, that so vile man as l might
come to Christ, felt resolution moving in my
breast to try. For three weeks my sins crushed me
down. could neither eat nor sleep, and thought
must die in the struggle. At last gave all up and
cast myself on Christ undone and He spoke peace
to nv soul From that moment, the power of my
habits was broken, and have been ina new world.
All this l owe under God, to your visit. Oh! if
YOU never had looked me up, what wOuld have be-
come of me? Thanks to God for such minister"
This man lived far back in the mountains four
miles from the village. Two large churches, for
nearly half a century, had existed in the town;
able ministers had settled there; and yet this man.
horn in the town. the father Of ten children, at this
time nearly sixty years of age, had never heard
Sermon had never read word in the Bible, had
heard of the book, but knew nothing about IL; had
meyer heard of the Lords prayer; had neither sden
nor read religions book; his children had never
been led to the Sabbath school, and hardly knew OF
such thing as the Sabbath; he had been miser,l-
bic drunkard from his youth,--poOr, profane, de-
Graded. dishonest and despised This man and bis
wife became praying people. erected the family al
tar. learned like Children the words of God, taught
their little ones-to kneel with them TO say their
praverq and fear Cod. Tie Immediately clothed
himself and family; took slip in the church, and
fills il every Sabbath himself and wife joined the
church, and are among the most growing and es-
teemed members