Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-04-03
Nashville Advocate.

The very functions which invest
the pastoral office with its dignity
and sacredness also make it diff
cult, often painful. Its relations
and duties are at once the source of
the sweetest and most exalted joys
of his life and of its greatest anxi-
cites and heaviest burdens. Pecu-
liar trials and peculiar consultations
alternate in his experience.
One of the SOreSt trials of a man
whose nature is possessed of the ten
derness, the unselfish affection, and
Observation-Disclosures happiness
that are the characteristics of the
true pastor is, that he must at times
throw himself directly across the
path of those committed to his
charge and for whom he must give
account. He must appear to some
at least as the enemy of all enjoy
ment, whose business it is to snatch
the cup of pleasure from the eager
hand ready to grasp it, and to ST.
lence the music of mirth by the
croakings of needless alarm. He
whose only aim in life is to save
souls is looked upon as a man whose
delight is rather to impose burdens.
He who would die for his people is
regarded as a foe to his people is re-
garded as "A foe to their happiness.
Many, very many, of the Lords
faithful ministers have, i'm dealing
with their Maynard fiocks, had
wrung from their hearts the pathet-
ic eXpostulatiOn of the brave but
tender-hearted apostle: "Am 1
therefore become your enemy be-
cause / tell you the truth ?" 1t
gives keenest pain to such men of
God to have the truest expressions
of faithful love misinterpreted and
pastoral fidelity reckoned as fanatic
zeal or approximations severity.
This is q trial which many faith
full pastors may expect to meet now.
The woTld has encroached upon
the. Church, and the Church has
yielded to its encroachment until
such as discern the signs of the
times are taking the alarm. Faith
full watchmen, seeing the danger,
are sounding the trumpet. The
spiritually minded and the spirit
ually wise rejoice to see these signs
of awakening and reformation. But
the sleeping workings in the
Church are Indifferent. The sensi-
tive and quicK-tempered get angry.
The prophet of smooth things suits
them better, and they are not slow
in making comparisons to the dis
advantage of the man who loves
souls more than he loves the smiles
of men. At this point there is
danger into which the faithful pas
tor may fall. He also is human.
He carries the heavenly treasure in
an earthen vessel. Opposed rudely
in the discharge of what he feels
to be his plain pastoral obligation,
criticised mercilessly, and misrepre-
scented, as it seems to him, wantOn-
ly, his pugnacity is aroused, and
what he began from a solemn con-
victiOn of duty and as a painful ne
cessity, he is in danger of continu-
ing in the spirit of partisan. 1t
is to be hoped there are few cases
of this sort, but it is well to be on
guard at this point. Satan is subtle
and human nature needs watching.
On the other hand, there must be
no fiinching i'm declaring the whole
counsel of God, or in the mainten-
ance of a reasonable and wholesome
discipline in the Church. Timidity
here is treachery. Compromise is
cruelty to the very souls for whose
sake the fatal and foolish effort is
made to find a path to heaven other
than the strait and narrow way.
The pastor must take his stand and
maintain it. lie may be sure of
two things: He will have a con-
fiict, and ne will have the victory.
The enemy intrenched within the
very walls of the city will not be
dislodged easily. The world, the
flesh, and the devil, will oppose in
triple ranks, and they will find al
lies in many deluded souls who, un-
der the spell of their sorceries, have
lost the power of distinguishing
friends from foes. But the faithful
pastor will be on the strong side.
The best men and women in the
Church are on his side. The con-
sciences of oppOsers are on his side,
or will be when they get a chance
TO be heard. The Head of the
Church will not be against him in
his efforts to preserve its purity and
defend its honor. He will find that
with the exercise Of patience and
diligence in efforts to reclaim the
erring, there will be many saved
and few cut off. He will find also
that among his truest and most
fasting friends will be those whom
bv his fidelity and firmness he has
brought away from forbidden or
doubtful ground into the path OF
Deare and safety. Perpetual en-
harrassment and untold and multi
nIving evils will be escaped by
timeIy warning and unfaltering
faithfuIness on the part Of the pas
for. He saves both himself and his
people. But no fact is more de- de-
pTnonstrabIe from the history OF the
Church than that be who would
save his ministerial comfort ana 1s,
popularity by Sinking duty VIII
snrejy be loser in the end. - ear ear,
less proclamation Of the truIn IAN, ana
wise. patient, tender, firm eniorce-