Birmingham age-herald., 1894-11-11
THE MODEL BISHOP.
Sam Jones' Letter Deals with His
 Requisite Qualifications.
A Man of Profound Piety, Large Adminis- trative Ability, Broad Culture, He Must Be in Love with the
 Cause He Serves.
looPYRIGHT, 1894. 1

While writing on models believe will devote this article to bishops, models and otherwise. Methodists, Episcopalians and Catholics may be in- terested in the characteristics of the model bishop.
 shall deal with these men of God in high authority in a critical, but trust not hypercritical, way.
 These offices in the church, unlike all other offices unless it is United States supreme court justices kings, czars and so on, have life tenure.
 The man who is given high position in church or state and has a life tenure in office ought of necessity to be hum- ble, or else he will become a load for church or state to carry; and whatever may be said of a monarchical govern ment with their kings, cmperors and czars, whatever may be said of the wisdom of giving life tenure in of fee to our supreme court judges of the United States, I, with others, am be- ginning to doubt seriously the wisdom of such an office in the church of God.
 Power is accumulated. Both church and state tend towards paternalism, the power to use patronage which is but an infringement upon the labors of others and so on and so on. Unless we have model to fill the place we may make mistakes from which we can not recover.
 Therefore l say, first: The model bishop must be a man of profound piety, man who loves God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself, who had rather be right than be king, who rejoices in truth, who is the living embodiment of truth.
 Again, the model bishop must have welln noundedF manhood, no angles or
 e. He must not be a crank.
 There Is no position in church or state where the correlation of all Gods forces in perfect symmetry is so de- manded as in the life of the bishops in - the church of God.
 Again, a model bishop must be a man of large administrative ability, com- manding extraordinary judgment and foresight, quick by nature to detect @ touch, born presiding officer, par liamentarian of the highest type, one who can rule a body of men with the noiseless regularity of the old home clock.
 Again, the model bishop must be man of broad culture, knowing all re- ligions, Bible scholar because he has been Bible student, thoroughly con- versant with church history, acquaint- ed with all precedents, familiar with all creeds and dogmas, philosopher as well as orator
 Another essential element. in model bishops life is humility. If he has small mind his office soon makes him vain man, and "pride cometh before fall"
 The Master taught that he who would be Christ among you must be servant of all, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. A naughty, vain, autocratic man has no mere busi- ness occupying the position of bishop than hog to occupy seat in the rocking chair of your parlor.
 Again, the model bishop must be as free from prejudice as an angel. In an impartial administration of law and pat ronage he must have no friends or foes no friends to set up and no foes to knock down. A bishop who would do thing otherwise than for the glory of God Is disgrace to the office and 8 menace to the church.
 Again, the model bishop must be preacher of no mean ability, command ing the attention and respect of any audience in the world-a man who will be listened to and who gives weight to the words he utters.
 The bishops who have lived have given the world high estimate of how bishops could preach. doubt if the standard has been maintained.
 A model bishop will live free of the petulance and sins ip the life of others. Living above worldliness and sin him. self he frowns upon it when practiced by others, and his whole life is con- stant rebuke to those in his church who practice the things contrary to the word and teachings of God. A model bishop is a courteous man, polite, genteel, treating ell men as if they were his equals or superiors. An autocrat has no real place in the col lege of bishops. God never called an autocrat to be bishop in my candid judgment. He may be a good czar or O frst-class emperor, but he is poor representative of Him who is pattern for us all.
 A model bishop must be profoundly
 ave with the cause he serves, think
 praying and preaching along the
 the conquest of the world for
 referring to suffer himself rather