Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1879-08-02

was your informant? Was he friend,
or was he an odious informer? Did
he report the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth ? or is it
falsehood sprinkled with little truth?
Second, you say:
The ground taken was that secular mat
tiers should not be dragged behind the sac
red desk
am free to say that the preachers,
as you call them, all those present at
that meeting are too much of gentle
men to make use of any such low and
vulgar language as you give in your
pager.
Third, you say:
1t was said in the preachers meeting
the other day that clerks use the early
hours to get drunk.
This can only have been reported
by an odious and malicious informer,
who was trying his very best to create
sentiment against some ministers and
their pulpits, and to get up bitter
feeling against their churches, and
thus make capital for himself Oh,
what shame for any one to report
such a falsehood, and an editor who
suffers himself to be used as a tool
to such extent as to give room to such
| language in the columns of his paper
| Christ says:
| Whosoever shall offend one of these lit
| tie ones that believe inme, it is better for
him that milestone were hanged about
his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Now, my friend, I can only hope
that at the time you penned those
words you had lost the balance of
your mind, for if not, you have COM
mitted most heinous Elm, by laying
a stumbling block in the way between
the statesmen and the ministers of
| Christ.
Fourth, we will now come to the &C.
tual business of that ministerial meet
ing.
We were called upon by commit
tee of the statesmen to call meeting
of the ministers in their behalf. What
the nature of this meeting would be
we did not exactly know until we
would come together.
The meeting was called and the
ministers made their statements as to
the nature of the case. 1t was then
found that the statesmen wished all the
ministers to preach, or speak from
their pulpits, on the next Sabbath
day, on the early closing of the stores,
and create sentiment against late
business hours.
1t is true the statesmen had the
sympathy Of all the ministers pres.
ent. But what were we to do? We
met as ministers of the gospel; as such
we are the servants of Christ and his
ambassadors. The question came up
what is our duty? This is a secu-
lar matter Where has Christ COM
missioned his ambassadors to sit in
judgment over temporal things? Or
did not Christ himself give us an ex-
ample whereby to go? Here we
found, first, that Christ has given no
such command; second, it was very
evident that all the examples our
Redeemer had ever given We're the re-
verse Of that which had been asked
by the salemen
LIST. He commissioned his disciples
to 80 and preach the gospel.
| I'd. When He himself was asked
1t is lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or
not?
Ills answer was
. Rnn1np n Ia fl,oA
CAESARS and to God the things that are
| Gods.
On another occasion young man
came to our Saviour and asked him,
saying:
Master, speak to my brother that he di-
| vide the inheritance with me
What was his answer in this case
Man, who made me judge or diyider
| over you:
| Such being the examples which our
blessed Savior has given Us we can
not help but believe that all chris
tiaCs and right thinking people will
give Us credit for what we have done ;
yea, we know that all we'll meaning
people will think all the better of US
since we have preserved the honour
and dignity Of the ministerial Office,
and have not stopped so low as to
meddle with other peoples legitimate
! business.
9Th. Now come, Mr.. Editor, let US
reason together. What right have
as minister to tell you to shut your
office at 6 p. m. and do no work in
tho evening?
What right have you to dictate to
me what | am to preach next Sunday,
or at what hour l am to hold my ger
vice? What right have I to create
a sentiment against you for working
and making an honest living? What
would you think Of me if l would
preaah about your business instead of
preaching the gospel? When you 90
TO church what do you expect to hear,
the gospel or politics? Tbs word
of God or common gossip? Would l
be doing my duty as g servant of God
20 preach in favor Of one class of men
to the injury of another class? fl
have right to request tho merchant
to close his store at $50 p. H., | have
the same right to say to the poor miner
who often gets up at 2 and 8 o'clock
in the morning to go to his work, hold