Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1869-03-20
Paaorai s.esssr.

time 10 time, % address 10 lhe poo
ple az nv Diocese, Pastoral Letters,
ON some points ofChristian doctrine
worship, or manners" One subject
has forced itself upon me wlln pam
fully Increasing pressure OF lale'-
And | feel constrained, before selllnS
out on my Spring Visitation whlvh
Is 10 bring our Conventional year
10 a close, to send forth TO y"n a
few words of earnest eShor'a''oh
touching your duty as TO tho sup
port of the Clergy,
With very few exceptions theN
are most inadequately provided ior'
and receive for their services re-
turn scarcely equal 10 that ol
common duy,laboror, whose phySl'
cal strength is the measure OF hiS
worth. Forced bya stern necessity
to the pursuit of other ayoea'ionS'
they are either overworked and To
certain extent inoapacitaied for
tho multiplied labors which they
have to perform, or the discharge ol
the duties of their sacred calling Is
seriously hndcrcd. And ut the
best, with all they can do for them
selves and their families, they are
sorely straitencd under thcp pressure
of an ovcr-prcscnt necessity, ana
arc painfully embarrassed by the
cheerlcss prospect for tho tlme TO
come.
The effect of such exhaustive Of
forts and corroding aXnietics upon
the spirits and life of those who are
! thus situated, and are yet expected
to give all theW time and energies
to the spiritual oversight of others,
to maintain decent appearance,
and dispense certain measure of
bencyolcnce and hospitality, can
readily be imagined. Could you
know what | do, and see what often
passes under my own observation,
and hear in all their details the
moving appeals which are made to
me, who am powcrless to help, your
hearts, if you have hearts TO feel,
would surely be touched, your deep
est sympathies would be excited
and tic sacred uttcranco OF the
Apostle might strike your minds IN
light it had never done before, rs
he said; "Do ye not know that they
which minister about holy things
live of the things Of the temple,
and thoy which wait at the altar are
partakors with the altar? Even so
hath the Lord ordained, that they
which preach the Gospel should
live of the Gospel"
Our Saviour himself being Judge,
"the laborcr is worthy of his hire.
And now, let me ask you, to whom
soever this appeal shall come-let
me ask you as in Gods sight, have
the bowels of your compassion been
moved, and have you faithfully en-
deoyored to meet your responsible
ties herein? Have you ever scri-
ously considered with yourselves
their righteous claims, or the un-
avoidabIe necessities of the minis
tering servants of the Most High?
Your duty you know full well,
and | need not urge it further. The
chief difficulty is the want of con
sideration, and as a consequence,
the absence Of constraining sense
of Christian obligation, and a heart
tenderly alive to its duty. lgrieve
to have to say it, but it is nevorthe-
less true, that many of those who
have respect for obligations assumed !
and promises made in matters OF
worldly business, are at the same
time strangely Indifferent to botii IN
things pertaining to the support OF
religion, and feel FREQ, whatever
NAV have been done for them, though |
never so great the labor or sacrifice
endured, to pay or not at their con-
vcnience or pleasure. These things
ought not SO to be, and it is ashame
even to speak of them. But con
straint is laid upon me, Brethren,
for. I plead for those who cannot
well speak for themselves, even
those who are among the number,
of whom our blessed Lord and |
Master hath said: "Hethat receiveth
YOU receiveth me; and he that re-
ceiveth me, receiveth him that sent |
me-" "And whosoever shall give
drink unto one of these little ones,
a cup of cold water only, in thc
name of disciple, verify, / say un-
to you, he, shall in nowise lose his
reward"
How much refreshing have you
ministered, and what reward laid
up, which shall not be taken away?
These questions entreat you TO !
ponder seriously with yourselves,
as those who are but stewards of
the manifold gifts of God, and will !
surely have to give account at the
lasu ... .-..
1t is our boast in this country,
that we are from the yoke Of an
established Religion, that every
man is at liberty to worship God
according to the dictates ofhis own
conscience, and that Christianity is
left to the voluntary support of the
people. Is it our glory that such
support has been given? OF one
thing 1 am persuaded, that what
ever we have done, we have yet,
with comparatively few exceptions,
failed TO meet the promptings of a
generous instinct or even of com
mon justice, much less come up to
the standard Of the Gospel. For it
is not tenth, or any fixed proper
ton of worldly substance that is
now demanded of us-but, accord
ing TO a more exacting rule are we
10 be Judged. ''If any man minis
ter. let him do it as Of the dbttlfy
which God giseth"-and 'let every
man do according as he is disposed
in his heart, ret grudgingly or Of
necessity; for God loveth q cheer