Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-09-18
COSSETS.


Woaklines who Are Unreasonable In Their
% Demands for Attention, and Who .Think
More Highly Of Themselves Than They
Ought to Think"
Every New England farmer knows
what q cosset I" Is. 1t is some pct
creature, lamb or calf, which, without
10 mother has lcen takenin hand TO be
raised by artificial means. Tho result
is that 1t becomes subject to an amount
OF fondling and cosseting which takes
away from it any natural character for
stnrdiness which it might otherwise have
had. Now there area goodly number Of
Christians who answer to this idea.
They are cosset;. They seem to be un.
able 10 live without an amount of fond
ling and pet'ing which proclaims them
to be weaklings and keeps them so. We
arc constantly running across them, and
they give Us no Little care and anxiety,
and upon the whole lead us to the con-
cluslon that they are not worth the
trouble. If they can not live and get
on without the cosseting they demand,
they might as wei d.t al once. There
arc several varieties OF them.
First They are a class who move
into a new ncighborhood, and for a
while "go around" and ''hear different
preachers and try different churches.
You SEQ them and welcome them, it
may be. or, perhaps you only see them
in your congregation. Presently you
miss them. They may have passed out
OF your mind; and, in the midst of null
titude of pastoral cares and work, you
forget them. Presently you hear of or
from them, and are told that they left
oil coming to your church because you
did not pay any attention 10 them. 1t
is true that they never made themselves
known to you. They did not call upon
you, or oven wait at the conclusion OF
some Sabbath or week evening service,
and tell you who they were, OF that they
were thinking of uniting with your
church. On the contrary, they waited
a few Sabbaths to seeif they were to be
noticed and made much of, and, finding
that they were not (and mainly because
of their own neglectin in letting any ono
know that they belong to the household
of faith, they took their, departure for
sone othcr church. setting forth that
yours was cold and forHsl one, which
"paid no attention to oSstrangerss' Now
the question arises in OR minds wheth-
or they ever Thought OF coming to church
or among people for the purpose OF
worship or work.. Upon the whole,
we must conclude that ,,a they
came only to be letted and made
much of. They are thinking of them
selves; and not of the Lord and His
work. If they may be petted and made
much of they, will come among you; but
II theyican not be put on the list OF
"cossets' they will 90 elsewhere. The
fact is they are weaklings. and think
more highly OF themselves than thoy
ought TO think. Our CONVICTION is that
downright, out taand-out Christians. es-
pecially II they aru strangers, viii at
once make themselves known when
they come into a Strange city and
~ falidwsbin & iyo,.p nnd o,,5 ~ ;ae WY
There arc such; ard they never find
any trouble in making acquaintance or
ornnnds Of fsliowshi~ h %, 81 rnason nI, h,s on u
stronger ~ ~ " snmnosn SUI ,sat - M assS, aaS is . !
whole .hrr J"pESo ipn,i 'nas n.e ''aoeol alu
M thciI Iu'rn n'gt,n W =. phco lecve ill1o mn
So W." %as Uu ,oins anu run .h ai.el , nun wnen y.
mala h;%;Nolfi i,,,S,,. no| ."o vas. Pnns ANS W
nhSst r;nit !, a,,, wm ~ su9ns Nay'
t;on ~. sando PhI;. ~, y. epnseoia-
Cbrist:,n ~ SnaI oD,,boa, bo,g Gas any
Hrinot;on IN % ,ho mn,,, S " no srh; aO.lt1 p"l
Cnd n Sonondont ~ .t' WIZ, wo,N or worship .,
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@ avon naadosa, y ~ ..sii,oiy ~ Aept y
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