The daily gazette., 1874-09-17


relations between pastor and parish
oners has been contributed to the Chi
cago Inter- Ocean, under the signature
of can Old Pasto-" The Inter Ocean
editorially vouches for the fact that
he is an old pastor of the Methodist
Church -
The saddening and scandalous i'm
putations which have deluged the land
for weeks past, involving as they do
one of Gods ministers, who has held
high position ard was deemed by all
worthy of the most exhaulted respect,
not to say reverence, have turned at
tention to the relation which Protes-
tant ministers sustain to the women
who are members of their cOng"ega-
tions. The pastoral relation is freigh-
ted with immense possibilities for
good. The educated man who brings
his best thought and deepest Christian
culture into that Office to help men
and women In their effort to attain a
Christian character may and does exert
an induence for good, whose results
are of incalcrlable value to society.
But there is form of ministerial la
Dor necessarily insisted upon by
church boards and official overaeers of
Christian societi.s, which, in the light
of constantly recurring ISLANDERS and
occ isional actual lap5es from virtue,
seems to be of doubtful utility if not
real injury both to the church and its
ministry. allude to pa1toral vista
tions. The requirement that the minis
ter, rninvited, shall visit every family
regularly as part of his official duty
involves these facts Il. He must
spend n large part of his time in max
ing these visits. Q. He must nccessar-
lily o-teu ' It at hours when he will
find none p"esent but the female rci-
tion of the family. 8. He visits as u
particular and intimate friend. A. To
him the ordinary barriers of mere for
NAL politeness are laid aside, and he
is met with cordial and confident init
macy. Now, all this is light in itself
considered, and not n ce@ ar. y prolific
of evil. Yet ministers are men.
They arc for the most part good men
and discharge this duty with con-
science void Of offence toward God nd
man. Thousands discharge this duty
conscientiously without falling into sin
yet we hazard nothing in soying that
not tel in the tho so nd but are terri
bly, tempted at time, nd thatIby good,
con ceient, ,ous, pure minded Christian
women, who treat their pastor as
though he could not TN III W I'll natur-
al desire and were ALREADY beyond the
possibility of s'1. The minister, by
the very necessity of his portion and
calling, cultivate" the faculty OF loving
i ~ ,~1aosI,ln nyfnnt and hId
relation to his church is one OF the deep
est sympathy and tendelEes'. It's ever
difficult for those who have r9ccivcd
soul apt for love to hold tlat pr ious
gift within chastc limits. Such sou'
will find it necessary to struggle WIN
supreme energy, and will sometimes be
tempted to regret the gilt ofsucn pow
er of love, or to wish for more hDerty
I in its use. From chaste affections, ten
der sympathy and genuine admiration
it is but step to that weakness which
is ruin. Ministers rarely consort with
abandoned women; they do not intend
leyident'y a mere qualification of an un
reasoning lust; they fall through rca
Though wicked love. Too often We
lare shocked with the recital of the fac
that some lady, eminent both in tho
church and in society for sweet anc
pure character, and for her attrative
ness to all intellectual persons, has be
come the victim with an illicit amour
with her pastor, aud in nearly every
case the facts show that "a close friend
ship developed under opportunity for
ced upon the minister by sense of du
ty into tenderness, and then these fire
auent opportunities led to those name
, less little actions that are SO innocen
} and vet so dangerou pressure o
the hand, the eye that suddenly melt
as it meets the admiring gaze, the tone
, | SO gentle and thrilling. These all tel
. that the loving tenderness OF these tw'
:, Ihearts has passed from the realm OF tn
spiritual into that realm where soul ant
sense commingle their baleful but be
witching lures. Even at this point, ]
: the minister is strong or the woma
wise. the intercourse is broken off with
II out eriminality, and there is deep an
lsincere regret and repentance ON til
lpart of the pastor and loss of respet
on the part of the woman both for he
= self and her minister, Now l insi'
THAT there is no end to be occomplisl
ed by PASTORAL invitation of sufficie1
limpOrtance to put any man in sue
= dangerous social relations as lhave d
Iscribed.
d The pastor should preach the Gospe
= land to do this he needs nearly all Il
. time-all of it indeed-in which he CT
= do mental work. His thoughts he CT
n communicate in his sermons; the pray
q and conference meetings are the prop
If places for the influence Of the minist
g to reach the members of his church
z aid of their individual religious lii
"a The church sociable affords sufficient o
n portnnity to cultivate social relation
d and if there is work for the pastor to
N in the family let HIM be invited. II .
a, occasion be important enough to demal
4. his presence, tho husband and wife, t
a. parents and children, should all me
70 the pastor, and thus protect his repn'
tion and their own. A long experlen
in church matters has convinced US IN
70 the demand for personal pastoral visit
Or tion comes mostly from a feeling that.
et its absence, the pastor treats the peoI
4. with disrespect, and not from any sen
Of real religious need Of this form