Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-11-24
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From the New York Observer.
USING UP A PASTORS TIME.
Eractinq Woman: Unreasonable Men Re
turning Calls: anecdotes in Point.

USING UP A PASTORS TINE,
Eractins Woman: Unreasonable Men: Re
turning Calls. anecdotes in Point.
~ BY REV. NICHOLAS MURRAY, d. D.
People generally have no idea of mental
labor They know it takes some time to make
= pair of shoes, or hat, or coat, or ia
BILE, or to plow field, or to build shed, but
they have no idea of the time or labor it
requires to prepare good sermon. As it
may be preached in forty or fifty minutes,
they suppose it may be prepared in twice
that time. When told that some sermons
have taken their authors aweek, and even
a month, to write them, they seem amazed
They think minister has but little to do
who prepares only two sermons week, and
breaches them on Sunday! And they have
no sympathy with the minister who says, 81
am not prepared" when called to preach on
asudden emergency They know all about
physical labor, but nothing about mental
Tbey know something about raising heavy
weight, but they know nothing about the con-
struction of an argument, or the refutation
of 9. popular and plausible error, or the pla-
cling of controverted truth in light which
convinces ALL In fine, the multitude have
no conception of mental labor; and hence
people are so reckless as to the squandering
of the time of their minister
There are men of peculiar mental habits
who can write sermon in very short time,
having previously we'll digested the matter
of it. Such one is the Rev. DR.. -,
one of the best and most popular preachers
of the Church. But ordinarily to write one
good sermon week, and meet faithfully his
other duties, fills up the time of apastor; to
write two, if they are worth hearing or wor-
thy of himself, fills it to an overflow. And
yet there are those who are never satisfied
unless they are frequently visited, and who
consider the minister as wasting his time
when not abroad among his people.
No minister can satisfy the desire for fam
ily visitation. Some are satisfied with Wis
it once year, bat some require one weekly.
There is less piety than vani:yin this. They
wish to be considered intimate with the min
lister, and have more of his regard and conf
dence than others. And some ministers
are seduced into these frequent visitations
by the adulation with which they are greeted,
as flies are attracted by the blaze of a can
die. They should be esteemed highly in
love for their works sake, but regard for
their work should prevent abstracting their
time from it. And minister, like physi-
clan in large practice, should be required to
visit his people only when there is call for
it.
"Why do you not come to our store and
read the paper in the morning, as did our
old miuister?" said merchant to his new
ly-settled pastor. "Beeause that was not in
serted in my call, and have other duties
in the morning." was the sensible reply
The old minister wasted his time, and wore
himself out as preacher.
81 thought you were never coming to
see US again" said a pleasant lady to her
minister, as be called one afternoon. CHOW
long since I have been here 2" he asked
"Why, not for month" she replied. "And
suppose" said he, 81 were to visit each of
my three hundred families once month,
that would make thirty.six hundred visits a
year, and would you kill me by asking me
to make as many?" "Oh no." she replied,
~ would only haveyou visit us once month,
as you know We are special friends. Once
a week or once day would not be too often
for als" And there are great mauy such
frivolous people connected with every con-
gregation, who are never satisfied with their
minister unless he is what they call 'socia-
ble," but which really means idle; and the
thirst of such, like every vitiated, appetite,
increases with the supply. e.-- ..
"Ithought you had entirely forgotten me-"
said lady afflicted with chronic disease to
her pastor as he entered her room. Chow
long since I have been here ?" he asked. 81
have been counting the days, and it is now
nearly three weeks, she replied. "One Of
the elders, and only one of the deacous, have
been here in the meantime" she continued ::
~ like them very much, but they are not my
minister" She was truly pious, and thought
of her minister very much in the way that
Dr. Lowth thought of the bishop to whom
he thus dedicated his work on Daniel: "To
the Most Reverend Father in God, William,
Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of
all England, and Metropolitan, and one of
his Majesty's Honorable Privy Council" !"
and to whom be says, "This might afford me
proper occasion to draw parallel between
his (Daniel's) and your grace's accomplish
ments." But that was no reason why she
should tax minister, elders, and deacons to
crafty he thirst for visitation. Indeed, such
thirst seems to be part of the disease of
some nervous people, who imagine that they
should be the great objects of ministers So
licitude, as they are of their OVID, and who
would squauder the time of pastor to graft
fly their selfish longings.
"Why, I have not seen you for long
while," said parishioner to his pastor, as
he called to see him, placiuga drawling en-
phasis on the word "loug," so as to run it
into two or three years. 81 have been think
ing" said the pastor, chow long it is since
you have called on me- I have been here
ten years; how often have you been to see
me ?" "Indeed," said he, "I have never
called but 7 will soon" uWben YOU think