Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-06-18
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From the Missouri PRESBYTERIAN
Circuit Riding in Old Times.

r. 81 Cheut IeNAiiS LII v7u Iniico.
have heard some preachers say they would
not preach unless the church or people would pay
them, or at least pledge them support. Was
this the spirit and practice of the apostles and
first Cumberland Presbyterian preachers. Did
they practice on this principle! If they had, we
had now had no Cumberland Presbyterian church.
Having the spirit of the gospel like fire shut up
in their bones, they went boldly into the work
trusting in the Lord of Sabbath But did the peo-
| pie remunerate them! In 1927 the old Cumber-
land Synod met at Russelville, KY 1t was then
and there stated by Cumberland Presbyterian
minister from Tennessee, (perhaps a member of
the Nashville Presbytery) that the Missionaries
in their Presbytery had received fourteen cents
per day for riding and preaching. Do you call
this remunerationi Some years previous to that
Missionary reported, in my hearing, that he had
not received one cent for riding and preaching for
the last six months. All the rest had done q lit.
tie better, having received small pittance, and
one of them went round with his hat, and they ALL
of the little they had, gave a little and passed
sasAE tAA Asllasss sbA. ssssAeF. Asont t,istime
another reported that he had received one saddle
girth for his services. / knew another who, after
riding and preaching twelve months had one cut
bit in his pocket only when the time came tostart
to Presbytery. (Many readers will not know
what cut bit means. In that day the, people cut
larger pieces of silver into smaller pieces to make
change. A cut bit was the eighth part of a dol
lar, called sharpshin.) One of these was all
the money he could raise to start journey of
$50 miles. What did he do. Why he started
determined to go on or fail in the attempt He |
had appointments on the way for about seventy |
miles; he followed out to the end, and it was not |
until the last service concluded that the cloud
bursted. A friend having learned his situation, |
made brief statement of the fact to the people. |
In few minutes enough of money handed |
over to bear his expenses to Presbytery and back |
to his circuit where he laborei another whole year
for 50 %.
These instances were not rare cases but exam
pies of what was very common among Cumber-
land Presbyterians in early lines; and yet they
were not driven from the field. Do not under
stand me to say that the preacher should not be
paid, and even well paid. Surely he has as good
a right to good remuneration for that service as
any other. But do say that he should give him
self wholly to the ministry as possible, wheth-
er he receive little or much. But does it not re-
qure more now than formerly for preacher to
get along at all in his work! Be it so, there are /
a great many more members and much more means
in the church to help, and there is not so great
risk to run, if we may so speak as formerly
Many of the old Missionaries took fields where
we had neither members nor friends and labored
until they made them neither was there any Mis-
,ionary society behind to sustain them, when they
could go no longer; like Paul they would go to
work with their own hands until they could 90
again. never knew a man who adopted the SEN
iment in the first sentence in this peice who was
If much service to the church, but have known
'ome such to give the church much trouble
What we think of men who profess to be
,alled to preach, but seldom ever do it, and yet
njoy health and plenty Of the comforts of life !
VIII God call a man to preach when he knows
hat his circumstances will. be such that he can
lot do it, place himself in tuation to do it.
When God calls man to preach does he not
reed all his time and talents in the work of the
ministry!
Ministers prepared for the work should endea-
'or to seek ont and place themselves in situa-
ion to labor all the time for Col and the church.
further say it is the duty of the church to pro-
de, as far as possible, for the support of the
PREACHERS God has gwen her Our church has
oubtless suffered and still is suffering much loss,
'ecause she has neglected her duty in this matter
Therefore many her ahla Ina HI m az,
compelled for time to quit the work in the church
md with their own hands minister to their own
necessities. These thing ought not to be So
let us be a sacrificing ministry and people both.
20 it was in the Apo tolic day
An OLD CIRCCIT RIDER .