Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-09
PAY YOUR PREACHER.
Advice Given and Joke Told by DIR. A. f.
Dickinson

At the recent installation Of Rev Joseph
S. Felix a. pastor Of the First Baptlst
church in Lvnchburg, Rev. DR.. a. T.. DICK
inson. editor of the Rcli9iO1,S HTdld, mace
the following characteristic address:
Il viii begin by saying that have the
easy place on this programme. There Is no
need Tor me to tell you how to treat your'
pastor Iou know h0io better that can
tell YOU, aud there is nothing let me but
10 saw amen to all that has been said ia all
these recognition services. And ] can say
il with a full heart, and do say it-Au'7l'
qio,ry, AaUeqgGh, bless the LOrdi If there
were any need for me TO speak TO TINS
church, / will tell YOU some Of the thlngs
would say. would begin just where Dr.
Frost closed his eloquent address. ne
closed with urging upon the new pastor me
Importance OF prayer. You, brethren, nee
t. prav for the pastor quite as much az he
needs TO pray for you. If the Apostle Paul
needed the prayers of the Christians OF MS
day, how much more does brother Felix
need your prayers Your prayerful sympa-
tiny viii 90 far towards deciding the cues
ton of success or failure III his ministry
here in Lynchburg. Pray for him every
day and often many times day. PRAY Tor
him for your own sake, az well as Tor ms
cake. Every word he speaks Will come with
added power t. your hearts II you pray Tor
hun.
PAYING AND PRAYING
are very closely allied, and Of course yon
Will nav your preacher well as pray for
him. Paw him promptly and pay him gene
rOuelv. A preacher alwaysteols better ana
breaches better when he has some money
In his pocket. A preacher can make money
DO immense good. AZ he goes around
among his people he finds many place
whore he can put few dollars where II
will do vast good. Here ana there IN the
homes Of the poor he can leave a dollar az
well % a prayer. Then, too, the agents for
good causes come 10 him AZ they do not
TO YOU, and in many ways It Will be a
good thing for him to respond fayOrahly
10 many Of these almost numhcrleSs appll-
cations for money; but how can he DO
this unless YOU pay him generously? In
order that this may be done, tr9y menbr
If ne church ought TO pay his part end heI
part TO the pastors salary; even II Onels SO
poor that he is 0Hhe poor .fpd and support
cd by the church, be ought 10 pay some
thing TO the pastors salary. You ought TO
pay whether you like the pastor or not:
Tho church contracts with tho pastor and
YOU as member are q party 10 the con-
tract. and YOU have no nght 10 refuse "a
pay your part whatever may be your per
sonal relations - the pastor. ~ Will not
ID for one or two 10 bear this burden.
Why. # brother Ford or brother Hurt were
10 OGdr 10 pay the salary Of the pastor II
would be ruinous to accept the offer. IN a
little time thCre would be no church to
preach 10, for IL would be doad church
BOOM YOUR PASTOR.
Another thing. Do not fail to tax ~
nom. pQeor. ! came up from Richmond
with a man who was booming a place IL
Southwest Virginia. lie told me that
when his company GOT possession Of that
section Of land it was not worth i've dol
lars nm acre, hut that now IT brings more
than FIVE hundred dollars IN acre, a.. he
saws it has all been done by talEng J. up.
J hey have not put a pound OF IRON orc or
q shovel of coal into the hill, they have
simply emphasized the good points OF the
land and Chat has doomed the price: and
so 1t is with pastor. You can boom him
or Won can run hun down and ont. Some
people do one way and some others do the
other way. lOu ,rjH 10 the right lr1y.
This new pastor is not going to please
everybody: if go, he viii he. the first pas
tor that ever did IT. lie VIII not say yes
End no to every question YOU put TO nm.
lie is goinc to say what be thinks and he
VIII stick to il until YOU convince hlmthat
he is wrong. There is nothing that more
becomes pastor than a JGcr50ne. lie
must take his position on one question and
another. and often he must hold to IL with
out even giving his reasons. he must some
times consent to DO misunderstood and
misreprc ented to secure the create {
good. Asa general thing he should, like
lis Master. answer not aword TO his critics,
but sometimes, like that Master, he may
rightly turn on his adversary with PLAIN
and whitening rcbuke.
DIR. DICKINSoN's JoKY.
81 have heard OF an instance in which
pastor was greatly worried by q dea-
con who was cruelty attacking him. great
w to the injury Of the church. The pas
tor took this deacon aside and asked him :
'Doyou know what the d.. ID. at the end
Of nv name stands forf' For Doctor Of
DIVINITY, ! suppose replied the deacon,
very meeklv. No, sir, answered the pastor,
my ID. ID. stands for dean To deGcoas, and
if YOU do not stop this war upon me | VIII
have YOU put OUT 1t is said that that
deacon gave no further trouble. You have
the best Of deacOns here and there IS no
danger Of local application Of this story.
/ give il merely as illustrating how well II
is Tor pastors 10 magnify their Office, and
at times to try heroic remedies upon the
EicierS.
May God bless you, dear brethren, and
help each Of YOU to DO your whole duty TO
the good man who this day comes to help
you do the Lords work N Lynchburg."