The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1866-03-08
A TIMELY INQUIRY.
HOW DOES MY PASTOR GET ALONG THESE
HARD TINES?


HARD TINES?
That is a thoughtful question, and to send it
around the churches might be useful just now
The answer might not smooth the pillow of
some-would in fact surprise and grieve them
much. But then it might do them good, Ger
tainly so, should it serve to awaken them, and
through them others Also to apply the right
remedy to a great wrong.
1t is truly comforting to hear in many places
how thoughtful our good people are in this
matter Straitened in their own means, they are
yet unwilling to see their pastor, the guide, the
faithful shepherd of their households who
feeds their souls with the bread of life, lacking
in his own house what is needful for the body.
In other cases the neglect to do what they easily
could-the heartlessness in failing to show SYM
patty, and the Encouragement to which some
of our most faithful brethren are subjected is
distressing.
Hoe does yo,r pastor ice? Suppose you
ask that question at the door Of your church
treasury We know some treasures in which
the chink of few gold or silver dollars would
sound like strange noise, and even the pres
ence of moderate roll of greea-JackS would
be hailed as an "angel' visit Why is this?
Isl answered. because the times are so hard
and money so searee?' Very true, they are;
and the strange conclusion from it all is that
to pay what you owe the Church for the sup
port of your pastor is an extra BUSINESS and
hardly to be expected among reasonable peo-
pie!
In the meantime how is your pastor to live?
Suppose others who are straitened should all
act your part, to what 4 condition would your
church be speedily brought? Now if in truth
it is impossible for you to do any thing to sup
port him, there is an end of the matter; go
and tell him so, and let him at least have the
comfort of knowing what he has to depend
upon. But there are in fact few, if any con-
gregations within our knowledge, where this
plea can be fairly offered There are hardly
any twenty famiies-there are hardly any ten,
where, even in these hard times, they could
not take upon them Jointly the support of one
other family No, cdreleSSaeSS, or an Walrdlng-
ness to practice self-denial-these two words
tell pretty much the whole tale Have not too
many of our pastors just at this time at least
one congregation in their eye, which might well
claim to sit as the original for the picture pre-
sented in the following story we remember to
to have heard. Perhaps it might not be amiss
for some of them to repeat the experiment.
A pastor had, for long period, made inef-
fectual appeals to his congregation to induce
them to pay him portions of his salary, which,
from time to time, had been withheld. At
length his last cent had gone, and though the
amount due him had reached $500, the pros
pect of receiving any part of it to meet pres
ent necessities, was forlorn one Much dis
heartened, we'll nigh discouraged he resolved
to tender his resignation when the Presbytery
should next convene. In the meantime he
adopted the following expedient. 1t was use
less to carry empty purses. So he folded and
enclosed them, and sent them to the President
of the Board of Trustees, accompanied with
the following note of bequest: Entrusted to
the trustees of the Presbyterian church in
-, until the pastor has further use for
them" The appeal thus made was efectual,
Like the mantle of Caesar those famished
purses told tale that moved to pity hearts
which seemed unfeeling before The pastor
soon received his due and the people, of
course, breathed easier, and slept better