Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-10-28
Published by Request.
Paying the Pastor and Praying
for Him..-SOmc Strong Facts.\

for Him-.-SOmc Strong Facts.\
From the New York Observer. \
BY REV. NICHOLAS MURRAY, D.D \
Not only should they give him COM
petent salary, but they should pay it
when due. Materials for chapter on
this subjest, as severely rejecting upon
churches as any that has ever been
written, mightreadily be collected from
any presbytery, or conference, or as
ISOLATION, or diocese in this land. The
sin of muzzling the OK that treadeth
out the corn, lies at the door of con-
gregations connected with every branch
Of the Church, and often because Of
the want of spirit in pastors to assert
their rights and claim the ful6llment.
Some congregations commence
thinking about the collection of the
salary on the day it should be paid,
and pay part of it few weeks after
ward. A part Of the salary of each
quarter is permitted to run into the
next, until the parish is hundreds Of
dollars in debt to the pastor. What
now is to be done? To sue for it
would seem hard to insist on its pay
ment would be unpopular to permit it
to increase would be adding to the evil
to cancel it, or to dissolve the pastoral
relation, is the only alternative
States cannot repudiate without losing
their character, but churches think
nothing of it. And thus parishes will
cheat their minister, who who would
not think of cheating the carpenter
that built their church, or the sexton
that takes care of it. This, in many
cases, is owing more to neglect, and
inattention, and the want of spirit In
the officers of the church, than to any
purpose to wrong the pastor, and may
therefore be remedied. A young man
settled over a church notorious for the
process of starving out the minister
when the first quarters salary was due
the treasurer came with part Of it,
promising the remainder in a short
time. s'Have I failed IN any Of my
duties 2" said the pastor. "By nc
MEANS" was the reply. ''Then, sale
he to the treasurer, ''you must moi
fail in yours. You have promised te
pay me my salary quarterly, not a par
of it f; l want all of it, and will take
none until paid all" The treasurer
retired somewhat mortified, if not vex-
ed by the interview. Hesoon returned
and paid all, The salary was after
ward paid, and punctually, to the com
fort Of the pastor and to the delight OF
the people. The starvation process
was stopped. A pastor Of a church in
New England, years ago, sent for one
of the professional revivalists with
which the Church was more infested
then than now. Before commencing
his operations, he learned that the
church was running yearly in debt to
the pastor, and was very remiss In
meeting their engagements with him,
His first address to the people was as
follows: "Yeu have sent for me here
to preach to you, and to pray that the
Lord may revive his work among you.
You have failed in your promises to
pay your PASTORS salary, and the Lord
never blesses lying people. You
must confess and forsake the sin Of
lying to your minister before l begin
my work, for I cannot ask the Lord
to revive his work in a Lying cengre-
CATION" This is one of the best things
| ever heard of that class Of ministers.
The people paid their minister, and q
grea trevival followed.
The privations suffered by ministers
because Of the neglect of their prompt
payment are very great. We have
known some to sell the best books from
their Libraries in order to meet current
expenses, when the church owed then
hundreds of dollars. We have known
some compelled to keep their children
from school because they could not pay
the teacher. We have known some to
borrow money and pay interest fo- it,
to keep themselves from starving. We
have known an excellent pastor and
preacher compelled to borrow from his
brother minister twenty-five cents to
get his letters from the post Office, be-
fore the law Of prepayment was enact
ed! Such things are shame and a
reproach to congregations bearing the
name of Christian
And so are the ways and customs
that obtain in some places Of ''paying
salary" The people pay in the pro-
duce Of their fields, and cattle, and
charge the highest prices. Or they
supplement q miserable salary by an
annual "bee," or "visit," for which
every man, woman and child-every
saint and sinner in the parish-is So
licited to give something to tn poor
minister. Why should not what is
given in this way be at once added to
the salary? Why should people thus
seek to compensate for their penurious-
ness? Why should minister submit
thus to be reduced to the level of a
parish pauper? There is not a thing
to recommend these, save the bringing
Of the people of a parish together for
acquaintance and social intercourse !;
all beyond is unworthy Of people and
preacher. Why should not pastor
stand on the same platform, as to his
support, as does the doctor, or lawyer,
or magistrate, or town clerk? And
the meanness Of some persons toward
their minister is almost beyond belief.
"How much is your oats a bushel %
said a paStOr to one of his wealthy FAR