Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-26
TALKING OF PEOPLE.
If It's the Right Sort Of Talk 1t Is
Always Profitable.
THE CHURCH PEOPLE OF CORINTH
And Their Opinions Of Paul, Apollos and
Peter, the Ministers.
FAITHPULNEss THE ONLY REAL TEST
WRITTEN FOR THE pIspArcH.l

found faithful" That was the instruction
which St Paul gave to the church people Of
Corinth as q guide to them in their conversa-
tion. People have always, in all places
and In all languages, talked about their
neighbors. There is no harm in that. If
the talk is untrue or unkind there is harm
in it, but the right sort Of discussion of our
nelghbors is probably as profitable con-
versation as most people can engage in.
What is more naturally and properly inter-
esting to us than the sayings and doings Of a
human being7 We have always talked
about our neighbors, and we always will.
But let us take the more care, then, to talk
right.
It seems that in Corinth, . good while
ago, the people, for lack perhaps Of more
interesting matters of conversation, had
fallen to talking about the minister. There
were three notable ministers with whom The
Corinthians were acquainted. One was
Paul himself, another was Apollos, the
third was Peter. The three were greatly
different each from the other. No one Of
them was enthusiastically approved of by
all the people. Something is probably the
matter when everybody approves Of the
parson. The chances are that he is not do
ing his duty. He would be pretty sure, if
he were the right kind OF man, to offend
somebody. ST. Peter and ST. Paul them
selves were not able to win universal popn-
larity in Corinth.
Three Aspects of Clerical Life.
The people were discussing the clergy.
Some were saying that the best minister is
he who can preach best. These preferred
Apollos, who was eloquent Others. said,
No, the best minister is he who gives the
most time and care to pastoral work, who
goes in and out among his people and makes
the largest number of parish visits. These
preferred Paul. There was atill another
party who cared most for the clergyman's
attention to forms and ceremonies. They
were chiefly concerned that all things should
bedone ''decentiy and in order" They we're
close observers of clerical manners in the
conduct uf the service. Noticed whether
the minister turned toward the east or
toward the west and were critical as to the
cut and color of his garments. They loved
reverence. These held that better than
Apollos, better than Paul, was Cephas; that
is, Peter. It is notable that these three
Corinthian ministers represented the three
aspects of the clerical life. One was q
preacher, another was pastor, and the
third was priest.
st. Paul says you are making mistakes,
good people, in your estimate Of US. There
is only one test which determines the real
value of a mans service, and that is the test
of faithfylnsss. Let a man accoun: Of US,
he says, az OF the ministers of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God. But
these two titles, minister" and steward"
are evidently synonymous with servant
You forget, says the apostle, you who are SO
critically discussing our merits, that We are
nothing but servants, come to bring mes
sage from our Master. You are not to think
about us, one way or the other; we are max
ing dreadful mistake if we are in any way
encouraging you to think about us. You
are to think about the message and the
Master We are only Christ's servants,
whom He has sent on an efrand to you.
We are only Gods stewards, bringing you
gifts from the King. Those people who
waited for st. Peter in the house Of Corne-
Illus had the right idea about it: Nov are
We all here present before God to hear all
things that are commanded thee of God"
All they wanted was the message.
John the eBaptisrs Idea.
St. John the Baptist had the true idea
about it. The people hocked out to hear him,
and they questioned him about himself.
Art thou the Christ? No.-What then, art
thou Elias7 I am not.-Or "that prophet"
and he answered No.-And when they urged
him, saying, Who art thou, then? What
sayest thou of thyself? he declined to say
about himself, but replied, I am
voice. I am the bearer of message. I
come on an errand. Who am l? that is no
matter at all. Listen to the words which
my Master told me to repeat to you.
That ministry is a afailure which persuades
81 nd fnU ha
Lords servant so much that they forget the
Lord himself That sermon is failure,
after which the people think so much about
the preacher-what a good speaker he Is,
and how wise, and how graceful-that they
do not think about the message. The min
lister is a servant and the sermon Is q mes
sage, and the only true test Of either, is the
test, as st. Paul says, of faithfulness. Is.
the servant faithful to his master3 L the
message faithfully delivered? To be able
honestly and accurately to say yes to these
questions is to say the best that anybody
can possibly say about the sermon and the
minister.
Indeed, is there anything better that can
be said in commendation OF any man? Isn't
there word here which touches all of Us,
and concerns you a much as it does me? |
We are all stewards The parable of the |
talents was spoken about rs all. We have |
all something which God has entrusted to |
our keeping. All that we have and are is, |
indeed, trust which God has committed to |
Us. And if we are faithful-what more |
can even God ask Of usY And what less |
will God ask of us, than to be fa1thfulf It
is required in stewards that man be found
faithful. What is 1t to be faithful? Evi- |
iently it is DOT enough that we be consid-
cred faithful by other people. St Paul set
no value at all
Upon the Popular Opinion
,f his faithfulness. He even went 50 far a.
20 say that he did not care what the people
If Corinth, or of anywhere else, thought
about him. Not that he did not value the
.ood opinion of his peighbors. No good
nan is willing lightly to get that aside.
Everybody wants to be well thought of, to
be appreciated, to be loved. What st. Paul
meant was that all the appreciation and COM
nendstion and approval and love in the
'aithful. So with me, he said, 'it is a
rery small thing that should be judged Of
you, or OF mans judgment"
Consider what faithiulness Is. It Is sim
ply the right relation between what we do
md what we can do. Who is able to say
exactly what we can do? Indeed, who is
here that knows fully what we do or leave
1ndone? More than that, faithfulness de-
oends upon motive. Is he faithful servant
Who does all that he can do, but does it for
MS own sake, not really for the service Of
his Master? However it may be in the
worlds service, in our kind Of ministry the
motive makes the greatest possible differ
,nce. A man may speak with the tongue
If an angel, aud may understand all mys-
cries and all knowledge, and may give all
lis goods to feed the poor. and may give