Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-05-05
THE PARSONS FIRST SERMON.
BY l.. v. HAYES.
CHAPTER 1.-THE SERMON.


The Sabbath bells rang out sweet and
clear as the good people of Maysville as
sembled at the village church to do divine
homage to the Author of all good 1t
was one of those lovely spring mornings
when nature seemed to revel in her love-
liest aspect so perfect was the tranquility
of earth and sky--a morning which the
people of Maysyille had awaited with
considerable anxiety, as their young
pastor, Martyr Gray, was to preach his
first sermon that day. tH - q.
There was his father, the aged Parson
Gray, who had faithfully discharged the
duties of the ministry for thirty years,
and had often hoped and prayed that he
might live to see the day when his son
should be installed pastor of Maysville
As the goodly parson entered the church
and saw his son seated in the pulpit, he
thanked God that he had lived to see his
prayers answered and his hopes realized
There was the parsons worthy consert
who had so often hoped that the genius
of her talented son would eclipse that of
his father as preacher, as she had often
told the elder parson that his sermons
lacked interest; and that he should, M
stead of extolling the goodness Of God
and the pureness of heaven, occasionally
follow the examples of his contempora-
ries, and preach of the wickedness of
Satan and the miseries of hell that there
is nothing that will better impress on the
minds of the young a true regard for the
religious devotions than that of exciting
their fear little
The good parson, however, deemed the
instruction of the Apostles worthier of
his following than that of his contempo-
raries; consequently he did not vivify his
sermons with worthy description of
Hades, but taught the laws of God as
taught by the Apostles.
There was also the pretty, fascinating
Minnie Andrews, whom the young parson
had been addressing for the last three
years; yet, in the language of the Mays
vile gossips, They weren't engaged.
There were likewise many others who
had come from the surrounding country
and towns to Maysville, all eager to hear
the young parsons first discourse.
The young parson, fully impressed
with the confidence and esteem that his
congregation reposed in him, arose, and
after he had sung an appropriate hymn
for the occasion, and announced to his
worthy hearers that the text which he
had chosen was from the sixth chapter Of
st. Luke, part of the forty-second verse,
read as follows Thou hypocrite, cast
out first the beam out of thine own eye,
and then shalt thou see clearly to pull
out the mote that is in thy brolher's eye.
"0ur pastor has selected strange
text for his debut in the pulpit, but it is
Just such an one as the men ought to con-
slider, for they are so hypocrltical,
thought the ladies, as the preacher an
nounced his text ~l .--..f
A strange text, reiterated the men
in thought, but just such an one as the
women ought to hear discoursed, for they
are so deceitful.
After announcing his text the parson
allowed several moments to elapss, that
his congregation might duly consider
the words before he commenced his dis
course Then he began by eloquently
depicting the sinfulness Of being hypo-
crite, aud of mans proneness to dis
semble his true nature with some hypo-
critical guise.
"a proneness," continued be, (which,
if INDUCED, leads the sinner step by step
farther and farther away from the path
of rectitude, until he eventually finds
himself cropping alone, friendless, vicious
and depraved, on some of the thorough
fares of vice, with no hope to cheer him
on to better course of life, no friend 70
redeem him; herapidly sinks deeper and
deeper into vice and crime, until, as his
certain retribution, he dies a terrible
death, the remembrance Of the corrupti-
bic vices which SCARED his sinful soul
being brought before his mind at the ap-
proach Of death"
So the parson continued, to the aston
ishment and admiration of his hearers,
who were alike surprised and delighted
to witness the vividness Of his genius,
until, at the conclusion Of his sermon,
when he illustrated onr disposition 10
deplore and condemn the faults Of 9TH
ers, allowing the beam to remain in our
ovR eye the while, thus preventing us
from noticing our own faults
This" said the preacher, " is one Of
the worst faults human nature is heir 10.
A. sb,s - NAV err,ra oUosrrf n NO