The New York herald., 1879-08-10
THE SPORTING PARsON.


THE SPORTING PARsoN.
THE REV. MR.. MURRAY, OF BOSTON, IN A
TIGHT PLACE"-HIs CAREER AS FARMER,
MANUFACTURES, SPORTSMAN, PREACHER
GREAT GENIUS AND POOR JUDGMENT.
When the Lord Jesus Christ wanted ministers for
the new faith which He had come to preach He took
them away from secular work. He also gave up any
worldly business in which He Himself was engaged
when He entered upon HIS work Nevertheless once
and again Peter and John and James went fishing
their old occupation. Paul. when he needed funds
made tents, his old business, and preached the Cos
pei too. 1t has never been the custom of the Chris
tan Church. however. for eighteen centuries to
allow its religious teachers to engage in
ular pursuits. Their wants have been and with
exceptions still are amply supplied, that they
may give themselves to reading. meditation, prayer
and the ministry of the Word according to Paul's
injunction to Timothy. And men who enter the
ministry of the Christian Church because they feel
that God lays that calling as burden on them will
not be likely to turn aside to engage in secular
Germs. Now and again, however. we find ministers
who enter the pulpit professionally they would
law Office or medical college. With them it is
business, pleasant one in many respects, not
great deal of hard work connected with it; couple
Of sermons week to be written or thought out.
reAd or a prayer meeting attended and occa-
sonal funeral. These things over. the time
belongs to the minister's for any other
purpose they may elect. Some of them
go into stock raising, farming, bookselling, manu
facturing insurance and what not. Once in while
they take to field sports, Brooklyn Presbyterian
did few years ago, and gave up the ministry alto
gether therefor But most of them hold on to the
ministry because it gives them the enree into good
society. where farmers horse Jockeys they
might not be able to go. But this double dealing
has in the latest instance-the Rev. W. II. H. Muir
ray. of Adirondack notoriety. the man OF mammoth
churches fast horses and yachts, blackboard wagons
newspapers and heavy debts
SPECULATION, SPOKESMAN, PREACHER.
For several years Mr.. Murray has enjoyed unen-
viable notoriety as speculator, sportsman and
preacher. The sportsman has ut last succeeded in
getting the preacher into difficulty. His various
speculations required money, and his big church
churches could not give him enough to crafty his
tastes for horsehesh and farm stock Money
borrowed to meet his obligations, and everything
that he owned mortgaged to his creditors. and
now one ofter another has levied on his goods and
their Just dues they will be happy The Experience
of Mr.. Murray shows that man may be born
genius aud yet become fool; that he may begin
minister and turn out knave or in modern phrase,
..unfortunate." But whatever excuse there may be
for Of business contracting debts which they
not able to pay there can be none for the minis
whose business it is If he be faithful to his call
ing. to show such men the better way of pay as
you 60" and owe nothing to any man, but love one
another. Whatever is bamable in Mr. Murray's
record precedes his financial failure with which, in
indeed 1t has necessary connection. His mistake
consisted in thinking il possible to cultivate farm,
engage in stock raising and the manufac ture of
wagons--any one OF these being sufficient to occupy
the entire time and enlist the abilities of the
average American-and at the time attempt
ing to attend to the pulpit ministrations and
discharge the pastoral duties of q large church.
The thing cannot be done. And he showed his un-
fitness for the work of the ministry by continuing
its duties and retaining its responsibilities when he
had much other work more congenisl on his
hands II the failure of Mr.. Murray's business
schemes shall lead him henceforth consecrate his
unquestioned abilities to the Christian ministry and
that exclusively the lesson, its cost has
been will not have been learned wholly in vain,
while the gain to the Christian pulpit will
not be insignificant. He is man of
an unusual degree. He has intellectual ability;
he has the gift of fecitous rhetoric and he has the
very magnetism of quiet yet commanding eloquence
But IL should be added that his judgment. both
mental aud moral might be greatly improved--if
indeed that is not almost wholly the gift Of nature
rather than the addition Of grace. He appears
equally indifferent to praise censure and sympa-
thy for him would be thrown away. When news
came to Louis XVI that the Bastile stormed,
that the mob had possession Of Paris and that
he must flee. the unsuspecting monarch was
hunting the forests of st. Cloud. This is matched
by the eccentric and easy-going Parson Murray.
he is off his vacation-the creditors curious
to learn just where! What the upshot of the
matter will be cannot be predicted at present. If
IL teaches Mr. Murray that he cannot prohtably COM
bne the sportsman with the preacher. and leads him
TO choose definitely one calling or the other, the
lesson will do him good and remove . reproach
upon the Christian ministry.