The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-06-21
WANTS TO BE A PREACHER.
Bascura, Yearnssto Initiate j JOhn'
by Going to the wilderness
and living on Wild Honey. -

by Going to the wilderness
/ and Living on Wild Honey.
| To the Editor Of the AIorristown Gazette: ] -
/ COUSIN JoHN ~ have not attend
ed 'sdivine services since j wrote
you, but I have been watching the
movements of these idolaters-the
pin-back worshippers,, and have al
most concluded that I will not 90
any morestili i can go TO a good old
| fashioned country meetin'. Cousin
John, If. I was a preacher. what do
you suppose / would do? Well, |
will tell yoa = First. if / was a
preacher. and had one of those bifa-
lutin, gnmmalastic-souled, hypocrit-
ical congregations Of fashionable pin
back worshippers to preach to. |
would either have them lay aside
thesr fantast icies and worship God
Alright, or else I would not preach to
them Il would let them know at
once that the money which they ex-
pected to pay me as 9 salary was no
object, unless they laid aside their
main masts and top gallant sails.
and worshipped the true and the liv-
ing God. / would teach them that
it was wicked in the extreme 20 dis
guise the image of God, (their own
persons), or TO worship. idols of their
own make. And if they would per-
sist in this foolish and sinful prac-
tice, and felt that it was still my
duty to preach, could do as that
good man John did; / would go out
into the wilderness, and there preach
the Gospel according to Christ, and,
if any came to hear me, / would feel
assured their motives were good. and
that my preaching would not be in
vain.
/ Cousin John, I have often thought,
and still think. that would liked to
have heard that noble man as he
lifted up his voice in the wilderness.
I would like to hear him yet, and I
would to God he were here, and that
L could slip up on him, and sit me
down on log and hear him exponnd
the word of God. John preaching
in the wilderness, and that, too,
without money .s and without
price, and "his meat was locusts
and Wild honey" My God, what a
man and preacher! Preaching alone
for the salvation of souls. Preach
ing in the wilderness. 1 sometimes
think that the people of the cities at
that time we're probably somewhat
like the people of the present day,
and that as money was not Johns
object. he went to where he thought
he could do the most good. ~ -.--E '. g
Suppose Christ should step in up
on congregation of the present. day
-pin-back worshippers, and that,
too, just at a time when they were
singing a hymn of praise and pass
ing around the hat for the scrip, what
do you suppose he would say to that
people? / imagine that his words to
those money changers whom he
found in the Temple would be as
healing balms compared with what
he would say to this generation of
vipers. And when he would look
around and see tEesfrauds and inipo-
sitions practiced upon the 'inages of
the living God. / imagine he would
hide his face for shame. ii 55z hna
Cousin John, if the All-Wise Gre
ator had wanted us with humps on
our backs, or more hair on our heads,
he could, and would, have made us
that way. He has made some ami
mails with humps on their backs, but
he does not say that these are.after
his own image. The camel and the
'dromedary have humps. and GER
tain large spider carries a very large
egg on its back at times, which very
much resembles the female portion Of
the present day humanity. God has
clothed the trees of the forest with
leaves, and the bushes and shrubs
with various kinds of flowers, and to
the birds Of the air he has given a
plumage of feathers. But to woman,
whom he made after his own image,
he gave a beautiful head of hair,
which. when properly combed and
cared for, is more beautiful than
them all. But, neither with her
shape nor her head of hair is she
content, but must rob the trees OF
the forest Of their leaves, and the
shrubs of their flowers, and the little
birds of their feathers, with which to
adorn their heads, that the trouble OF
the hair may be avoided. ao gsie
I ] tell you, Cousin John, 7 think
would like to be a preacher, till
could talk to this people just once
hat1 would want to be Just such an
one as John was, preaching without
money or without price, giving them
to understand that I was under no
obligations to them on account OF
| their much money I would give
them to understand that my God,
whom 7 preached. was no hribe.taker,
and that neither their money nor
their fantastical dressing would take
them to Heaven, but, on the contra.
ry, that they could not gain admit.
! tance there with either; and further,
/ that ifthey supposed that they we're
horn of God, that they were mistak,
! en-, for he has never yet born things
in that shape. nor with a mind sci
upon the foolish things of this world.
Cousin John. some of our preach
/ ers may think speak too plain, bul
| I think not, for bat few of our preach
ers are doing their duty. A greal
majority Of them, instead of leading
their congregations to Heaven. are
suffering their congregations to lead
them in the other directlon.
/ ! am not half we'll yet. Cousin
| John, but I feel better. and will stoI
for the present. hoping to be able c
express myself more fully at sons
| future timo. THosfAs BAscUsr.
Cry OF FASHIONS. East TEyS. os Z.