Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-11-10

VI Three years past.
"Now, what do you think is the
cause Of things being dull here? Dc
you know?" he persisted in asking
| The deacon was not ready to give
his opinion; and, after little thought
frankly answered, mo I don't"
"Do you think the church are alive
to the work before them?"
"No, I don't"
"Do you think the minister fully
realizes the solemnity of his work?
mo, | dun't."
A twinkle was seen in the eve of
this troubler ia Zion, and taking cour-
age, he asked:
DO you think his sermon on Their
eyes were holden anything wonderful
ly great?".
mo, [ don't"
Making bold, after all this encour-
agement in monosyllables, he asked
"Then don't ycu think we had better
dismiss this man and HIRE another?"
The old deacon started as if shot
with an arrow, and in tone louder
than his wont, shouted, mo, l don't.
"Why, cried the amazed visitor,
"you agree with me in all | have said
don't your"
NO | don -
'Yon talk SO little. sir" replied the
guest, not little abashed "that no
one can find out what you do mean"
Il talked enough once, replied the
old man, laising to his feet, for six
praying Christians. Thirty years ago
| got my heart hum bled and my tongue
bridled, aud ever since that | have
walked softly before God | then
made vows solemn as eternity; and
don't you tempt me to break them!"
The troubler was startled at the
earnestness of the hitherto silent, i'm
movable man, and asked, What hap
pened to you thirty years ago?''
''Well, sir, I'll tell you. | was
drawn into scheme just like this of
yours, to uproot one Of Gods servants
from the field in which he had plant
ed him. In my blindness, fanced
1t little thing to remove one Of the
stars which Jesus holds in his right
hand, if thereby my ear could te
tickled by more fowery words, and
the pews fitted with those turned
away from the simplicity of the Cos
pei [ aud the men that led me-for
| admit thai | was dupe and tool
-fattered ourselves that we were con-
scientious. We thought that we were
doing Gods service when he drove
Tat holy man from his pulpit and his
work, and said we considered his work
ended in B, where [ then lived
We groaned because there was no re.
vival, while we were gossipping about
and criticising, and crushing instead
OF uphold ng by our efforts and our
prayers, the instrument at whose hand
we harshly demanded the blessings.
Well, sir, he could not drag on the
chariot OF salvation with half-a-dozen
of US haunting him for his weakness,
while we hung as dead weight to
the wheels; he had not the power Of
the spirit and could not convert men
SO we hunted him like deer till,
worn and bleeding, he fed into a CO.
vert to die. Scarcely bad be gone,
when God came among US by his
Spirit to show that he had blessed the
labor of his dear rejected servant.
Oar own hearts were broken, and our
hayward children converted, and I re-
solved at convenient season to visit
my former pastor and confess my sin
and thank him for his faithfulness to
my hayward sons, which, like long
buried seed, had now sprnng up. But
God denied me that relief, that he
might teach me lesson every child of
his ought to learn. that he who touches
one of his servants touches the apple of
his eye. [ heard my pastor was i'll
and taking my oldest son with me, set
out on twenty-five miles ride to see
him. 1t was evening when [ arrived
and his wife, with the spirit which
any woman ought to exhibit toward
one who had SO wronged her husband,
denied me admittance to his chamber,
She said, and her words were arrows
to my soul, He may be dying, and the
sight Of your face might add to his
anguish
"Had it come to this" I to my
self, that the man whose l4bors had,
through Christ, brought me into his
fold, who had consoled my spirit iD a
terrible bereavement, and who had,
till designing men had alienated US,
been to me as a brother-that this
man could not die in peace with my
face before him? God pity mep /
cried, what have I done?' [ confess
ed my sins to that meek woman, and
| implored her for Christ's sake to let
me kneel before His dying servant,
and receive his forgiveness. What
| did / care then whether the pews by
the door were rented or not? I would
| gladly have taken his whole family to
| nv homa forever 90 mn 0wn flesh and