The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-03-10
Things a Minister Can't Always

Things a Minister Can't Always
: bas 1lo aao Do. -o- ea. q
He can't always preach eloquent
sermons.@ There are few elOquenJ
writer's, and still fewer eiodupni
speakers. 1t is, on the whole, >
great blessing to the church that IL
is so; for divine truth appears best
10 a simple gsrb, and the most use
ful pastors have been those, gener
sIly, whose names have pevef a.
tanned to anything like notoriety.
But with the power TO be eloquent,
or using the term in the popular ac-
| teeptation. his sense of duty would
,blige him to sacrifice popularIt,
to use efulness. Comparing himself
with himself-Athat Is intellectually
the minister is not abe to De
alike interesting in his sermons
Some sermons must be doctrinai,
md by certain class OF hearers
they will be called dry; Others must
ne expository, and by another class
THOSE who go to church more TO-
amusement than for Instruction
hese win be considered tedious
Again, he cannot always feel
equally interested In the delivery ii
Hls sermon. There are subtle caus
at work to deaden feeling, an,
what he has prepared with greal
,tudy may he delivered in a heart
ess manner. Is this under his
own control? Every minister will
say nay. Hence sermons that cost
but little study, delivered under ex-
cItement, viii often be more All
imred and talked OF than thost
hich cost vastly more effort, bu,
which, unhappily, have been pro
iounoed with less feeling. Then
his congregation is thin when he
expected to see il full, or those ar,
.bsent for whose edification espe.
cially the discourse was prepared
and are not these circumstanc, S cal
culated to jepress the mind? How,
then, can it be expected that minis
ters should always preach eloquent
sermohsI h
Another thing which ministers
can't do is to visit as much as the
people expect, This will always be
a standing charge against them.
Until they can get a power of ubi
quity we see not how this expecta-
ion can be met If six months, OI
even three, sometimes elapse, they
are saluted with the exclamation:
why, what a stranger you are; VT
thought you had forgotten u.s."
Now, we maintain that II a minis
ter, especially in large city con
grcgation, attends to all the sick. |
the bereaved and the serious inquI-
rers with great punctuality and |
the rest of the congre- |
cation should accepta visit when
ever it can be conveniently made. |
.H.l ------~e~r--~----
AS q general thing, one gifted
with a sense of humor, of wit, and
even, almost, OF waggery, Is a |
harem -scarem, rIckety, sort OF fel-
low, with few, il any. habits of or.
,ler and study. ''But," says Hon
l.
my seat in the Forty Fifth Congress
until now, have had a desk All
Joining that of Mr.. Sunset Cox. He
Is a most wonderful man. Through
ali his witty speeches there runs "a
thred of the soQndest logic. There
la point and pith in all his speeches.
He can take the driest subject and
make il immensely entertaining
Besides, he is one OF the closest STU
dents, one of the most painstaking |
q d nethodical meE / ever knew
1t il really surprising the amount OF
work he accompanies, Hence he
is ready speaker, always primed
Tor whatever may come up. In the
hustle and uproar OF debate, he is
most times busy preparing for
something ahead; some subject
which may be called up within ten
days or two weeks. He is a very
rpmarkable mani