The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-09-29

your family, in books and life insur-
ance; buy books; do not buy mining
stock. Let young minister preach
the word Of God, keep his heart full OF
the love of God, mingle plenty of hui
mainly with bis Christ; that man will
live life worth living.
The pulpit is throne of power; it is
the greatest power in this land today
Talk about the pulpit and the press
they are not to be compared. The pull
pit a throne of power. The $50 900 dis
courses preached every week furnish a
course of education to the America n
people, discourses on the greatest
themes that have ever touched mortal
man, truths that always have engaged
and always will engage the thoughts of
the greatest men. The very attempt to
grasp the meaning of such truths is, in
itself, an intellectual quickening for the
people.
Now | want to talk to you very brief
ly about some of the darker things in a
ministers life; there is a dark side to
1t. One OF the darkest and most pain
full things in minister's life is that
jealousy that will be found in the hearts
of men of less ability in the same pro-
fessiOn. Somehow we are thrown into
comparison with each other; whether
We will or not, people will compare us
with predecessors and others all about
us, and man is very liable, if he is up
the bill little way in advance of his
brothers, to have them throw clubs
after him as he is going up. They will
do it in kind Of a good way, but they
will do it. There is too much of this in
the world, L am sorry, sorry to say.
Another thing that is troublesome TO a
preacher is lack of appreciation from
the people whom he serves. There is
thoughtlessness in the world, that is
akin TO sin. 1t is about as bad to forget
your friend as it is to do him an in
territorial wrong. | do not think you
can forget the person you really love;
the mother will not forget her child
There Is heedlessness upon the part
of the people, that is a bitter drop in a
minister's cup. There is lack of CO.
operation on the part of the laymen
We have some splendid laymen in the
church, magnificent men, and noble
women, who love the Lord and love
the church, and as | look back over nv
charges, | think of some truly splendid
IL.
have gone to their graves; if | stood by
their grave | would stand with uncoy-
cred head. | could name them. | re-
member how they used to meet in
quarterly meeting, in the class meeting
and lOvefeast. Many Of them had but
little money to give, but they gave clean
and noble lives; each gave what he
could, that the church might be estab-
llshed; while there are others In the
church as officers who are no good there
whatever. Ii L were a general in the
army and had officers under me who
gave such service, as some of the Of
flcers of the church give to their preach
er, | would courtmartial them and have
half of them shot. In the true army
every man has to be at his place, and
that at the tap of the drum; every man
must do his duty. But we could not
have a courtmartial ami shoot the dis
loyal officers of the church, because
there would be too great a depletion in
the staff
Another thing that helps to make the
ministers lite little dark is the fact
that sometimes our best efforts appear
to be fru.tless. They are not fruitless,
but they appear to be. We see through
glass darkly, the little ray that we do
see. The prophet says, MY word
shall not return unto me fruitless; it
shall prosper in the thing to which |
sent it." Our good work cannot be
fruitless, but it sometimes seems so to
US. Oh, | wonder how Moses felt;
never felt as he did, he said to God one
day, as be talked with the Lord on the
top of the mountain, blot my name
out of thy book, but save Israel" |
wonder how Paul felt when he said, Il
could wish myself cursed for my kins-
men," but | can see the great truth,
and sometimes | have almost touched
1t with my tinger-ends, but not quite
wonder how John Knox felt when he
prayed on one of Scotia's venerable
hill, Lord, give me Scotland, or | die :"
lie had something of the spirit of Paul
and something of the spirit of Moses in
him.
The minister, in this age of the world
does not pretend to be Il priest; indeed
| think 1t Is sin to call any human
being, III this age of intelligence and
hight, priest. There We're priests on
the earth once, and thew served their
calling while the church was being pre-
pared for the advent of the Savior; and
then one day, when the Savior hung
on the cross and cried 1T is finished, )"
and these words rung around the earth,
and the veil of the temple was divided
and the priests came out, God made all
manifest; the priests work was done
The ministers simply 90 forth to pro-
claim the glad tidings and not to per
form priestly functions
When the armies of Hannibal hung
like the temple of heaven upon the de-
clivlties of the Alps, he was not certain
of success. But the church of God is
IN the world to win; of that | have no
doubt, and there is no question, and
bye and bye, after all these weary CEN
turtles have passed, we shall hear the
glad shout that the Kingdoms of this
world have become the kingdoms of
our God and of Christ.
Brother Dunn died in middle life;
Will not dare to say that he died too
early; no man can say. John Somer-
vile died young, yet who would dare to
say that be died too Young? Oh, we
should not count time by the figures on
the dial: count time by the heart throbs,
by the development of the soul and the
attainments of life. | do not know who
died early and who did not. 1t seems
to us that he should have lived longer:
think he should. Rut Il nervous
breakdown came to him. DO you know
what 1t Is to be nervous? DO you I'M
derstand it? Did YOU ever say to
narvous person, He is only nervous?
| have, personally, been SO torn, that
have had to put my watch, when it is
ticking under the mattress, out of nv
room. There is no greater hell than to
want TO sleep and not be able TO. That
peculiar something, that we call a nerv-
Gus system, is an evil that no doctor can
cure, something that your friend will
only provoke and increase, when they
are trying to help you. He has told
me OF his terrible nights of suffering; |
kne just what il meant; knew it all.
And yet, will not dare to say that, al
though he died on the youthful side of
40, he died to soon. l do not think one
can die until his work is done. He has
gone to the land where mercy tempers
justice, and he will meet his own re-
ward, ''tor the love of God is broader
than the measure of mans mind, and
the heart of the Eternal is most Won
deriully kind"
Then farewell. my friend of other