The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-12-23
Let us all Help the Minister.

and depending generally upon his
congregation for support, he finds
that congregation, atleast outside of
large cities, few in number, and not
,burdened with wealth. He may have
a wife and children, and the duty of
providing for and educating them is
Just as incumbent on him as it is Oh
any other husband and father. He
may be a man of superior education,
and refinement of taste and feeling,
and if so he is sensitively anxious
that his children should be well edu-
Gated, and that they andtheir mother
should be dressed at least respecta-
bly,. Think too of the great sacrifice,
in a purely worldly sense it is true,
such a mani has made in consecrating
his life and talents to the great work
of seeking the eternal welfare of his
fellow-men, when, if he had turned
those same talents to a selfish &C
count, he might be making a fortune
i'll any worldly profession for himself
and his family.
In the next place his mission is
solely to benefit the world, and he
does beneftit. Should notthe world
do something for him? "Whatso-
ever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report in any community are
due directly to the influence of the
church of God and Of it's ministers.
Worldly men may not be willing to
cOncede this, but we ask them Sc
riously what would be the effect
upon their own secular business if
the church and it's ministers we're
blotted from existence for the space
of five years? Suppose that for the
next five years Opelousas should
have no church, no minister, no pub
lie religious worship, no Sunday
School, no public teaching or read
ing Of the word Of God while Mon
roe, Shreveport, Alexandria, New
Iberia, Baton Rouge, and all the
other villages Of Louisiana, contin-
ued to enjoy those religious privile-
ges. In mere worldly sense the
inevitable result would be that trade
would flourish in those, villages, and
stagnate and die out in oars; they
would enjoy quiet and good order,
and we would suffer from l~awlessness
and social anarchy there the young
would be educated, mentally and
morally, and here they would grow
up in Ignorance and vice; there
would be confidence, honesty, honor,
here would he distrust, deceit, fraud.
The truth is the church is the great
CONSERVATION Of peace and morality,
and without these there can be no
prosperity. 1t is therefore a great
mistake to suppose that the minis
ter should depend solely upon his
congregation for support. More
than any other institution the church
supports themerchant, the mechanic,
the professional man, ard all secular
occupations, and these in return
should be gladto assist in supporting
the church and it's ministers.
But if it is the duty of the world
to help the church and it's ministers,
how heavily does that obligation rest
upon church members. The church
is an organized society, and like all
other societies must have the COOP
Grating support of it's members, or
perish. This is true in a pecuniary.
no less than in a religious sense. The
church is the great almoner Of the
poor and ignorant. The last link in
the chain of Christ's convincing evil
dence to the disciples of st. John
that He was indeed the Messiah was
His assurance and the poor have
the Gospelpreached to them.n From
Moses to Christ, and from Christ to
this hour, how natural is the ques-
ton "-and how shall they hear
without a preacher, and how shall
they preach except they be sent?'
The additional question is necessa-
rily implied, "And how shall they
be sent except provision be made for
their support" AS already stated,
the ministerha given up every other
occupation for the sole work of de-
his life and energies to the
of his fellow-beings. But
he is only a man. He andhis family
must live, and upon whom can he so
properly, upon whom must he so
naturally, depend, for the actual ne
,essaries oflife, as upon those who
nave named the name of Christ ?
{ Do We not know that they which