The Portland daily press., 1870-02-12
BY REV. THEo. L. cUYLER.


BY REV. THEo. L. CUYLER.
l am that much-used and long suffering ar
ticle, minister's door-bell. As have avery
distinct voice, and often address the people
WITHIN door, let me say gentle word or two
70 the multitude of outsiders" have a few
III III % 10 slve' and word to the wise ought TO
oe sulnclent. TINE trouble is that the wise
are not as numerous as the otherwisel
My first hint is, don't call on nv master in
the morning, unless it be on a matter of most
vital Importance, or in regard to somebodv's
spiritual welfare. The morning is a students
golden hour. My master is student of Gods
Word, and whoever robs him of his MORNING
robs his congregation Of the bread and the
water of lie. Ii you must come during his
precious season of brain water, pray be short
and, when you are done, then las DR.. Cox
once phrased it, rectineate" for the door
But how do you know but your five minutes
interruption has frightened away q whole
flock of admirable thoughts which were inst
about alighting ON his PAGE? You may have
well-nigh spoiled days work.
just let me tell you into what scrapes got
the good man yesterday. 1t was tuesday,
which is always a minister's best day for
study. He rests on Monday, and thus laws
the keel of his sermon on Tuesday morning
Tor he don't believe in burning out his bi aims
and heart over lamp on Saturday night.
None but fools or sluggards make sermons
on Saturday nghts.) Well yesterday NOM
ing L had the st. Vitus's dance. First came
book agent He said he must see the min
ister, because he "nau-s WORK 70 sen that 30
minister's library should be without" He
pushed his way in and pestered my master
Tor half an hour, until the poor man bought
the book, for the same reason that the girl
married her importunate suitor-"just to get
rid of him." Had L been the dominic |
would have given him my boot instead OF
taking his book. After him cane a big burly
brother from Nebraska, who said lie was
bound to raise the money to pay off the
chulch debt, and two hundred dollars more
TO top off their preachers salary" l wanted
to hint to him that he had better call on the
secretary of the church erection board about
the one, and ON the treasurer of the board OF
home missions about the other. In he went;
and as the door opened / heard him shout
out in genuine Western style: swell, Doctor {!
how are ye? l am bound TO call on all the
ministers in town, and Thought I'd begin
with you" The Nebraska brother sat in
executive session" with my long-sufering
lord, and then came out with the frank apol-
ogy, Il am sorry to take so much of your
time" SO was the miGlster.
Now that honest strano er had a perfect
but he ought to have gone right to the officer
OF the church societies, whose business it is to
hear and to answer such applications. Every
well-resulated city chnrch t1kes up large
collection for the treasury of its church cree
ton and home missionary boards; and to that
treasury the applicant should go. and not
badger the overworked pastor to make out q
list of his parishioners TO be called ON for ex-
ira donations.
After the exodus of the genial "son of the
SOIL" there came up a slender. sharp visaoed
lady, with pair of gold "specs" over her hun
CRY eyes, and "ridicuieH on her am. She
gave me tweak, and then she boted in. 1t
is hard to refuse woman; and has been so
ever since Adam said yes to Eve when
he ought to have said no. So the minis
ter blandly said, what can | do for you,
MADAME" She told him that. like her
Master, she was going about doing good
She was the first duectress of the "Hos-
pital ior Total Incurabes." After giving
several touching cases of hopeless efforts for
helpless victims, she finally asked him If he
could not prepare and deliver a gratuitous
lecture for the benefit of the said hos Tital!
She said said that she had tried Mr.. Beeecher,
and Mr.. Cough, and Mr.. Chaplin, and DR..
A, and Mr.. B; and now she would
try him. The poor man was tried with a
vengeance. He rose presently and said:
MADAM, l am holding meetings every night.
never lecture. Please accept these five dol
lars for your institution. Good morning.
AS he bowed her out, l saw that his lace was
flushed; but just then a man came up with a
bundle OF papers, anu said that he only want
ed the Doctor to look over these testimonials,
and to give him a letter of recommendation
to the collector of the portp' This was too
much. 1t Ras- now ID a,elnelsy and not a line
on the sermon. My master [ l am afraid) did
not order bis speech very delicately when he
said: Good friend this is not the custom
housew and closed the Goor. The morning
was gone. And with it the sermon. Next
Sunday I'll warrant you that somebody will
come out of church and mutter: swell, the
Doctor wasn't quite up to the mark this
morning"
Now pray don't think my master is a churl
He is a kind torbearing hard-toilng servant
OF Christ. He only asks that, while he is do
ing his peoples work, and preparing their dis
course, he may not be plundered of bis pre-
cious time. His congregation have their
rights also; al d he will not consent to cheat
them out OF their Gospel flood. While he is
absorbed in his studies pray do not intrude
with Irrelevant matters; and, il you do ,come,
be short! Give him his morning hours. He
is seeking Gods truth to save immortal souls.
Is not that of more importance than listen
ing 10 the tedious talk OF importunate in
truders?
But there is one class of visitors whom my
master always welcomes, even in his busiest.
moments of study. He loves to see every
man, woman, or child, rich or poor, who
comes to him for spiritual counsel, ior prayer
for hep, or to help him do his Saviour's work.
The other day, when the widow B. came
to tell him OF her sons conversion. he follow
ed her to the door, and, with tears in his
eyes, he said: "God bless you, Mother B.!
You have helped me make my sermon this
morning" have seen him close his books
TO 90 off with poor child to the .'Home for
the Friendless." He is always ready to talk
with people about their souls, or to DO any
thing which belongs to him as workman
consecrated to his Masters work. For the
sick, the shining, the dying, the bereaved he
has an open ear aud an open heart. But he
is too busy TO be bored with what does not
belong to him.
Remember that the owner of this house
has not long TO live. He has no time for tri-
tles. This door is always open to the sad, the
sorrowiDg, the seekers after Jesus. We min
isters' door-bells are often pulled by trem-
bling hands. But to the new-come youth.
who is a stranger in this great city, to the
needy, to the applicant for religious instruc-
ton, to the seeker for spiritual aid, this little
door-bell always whispers "Come and vel
come"-N. Y. Independent.