The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-01-20

would maintain large Christian infu-
ence in community culture Sabbath by
Sabbath this beautiful grace of Chris
tian hospitality.
good man travelling IN the far west
in the wilderness was oyerlaken by
night and storm. and he put in at a
cabin. lie saw firearms along the beams
OF the cabin. and he felt alarmed. lie
did not know but that he had fallen
INTO den of thieves lie sat there
greatly ppriurbcd. After awhile the
man OF the house came home with gun
on his shoulder and set IL down in "A
corner The stranger was still more
alarmed. After awhile the man of The
nouse whispered with his wife, and the
stranger thought his destruction was
being planned Then the man of the
house came forward and said to tho
stranger: stranger, we are rough
and rude people out here. aud we work
hard Tor living, We make our living
by hunting, and when we come to the
nlghtiall we are tired and we are apt to
go to bed early. and before retiring we
are always in the habit of reading "A
chapter from the Word of God and
making prayer. If you don't like such
things, if YOU will just step outside the
door until we get through. I'll be great
~ Obliged TO you" OF course the stran-
ger tarried in the room, and the old
hunter took hold of the horns of the
altar and brought down the blessing of
God upon his household and upon the
stranger within their gates. Rude but
glorious Christian hospitality!
Again. this woman OF my text was
great in her kindness toward Cots
messenger. Elisha may have been
stranger in that household, but as she
found out he had come on a Divine MS
sion he was cordially welcomed We
have great many books in our day
about the hardships of ministers and
the trials of Christian ministers. /
wish somebody would write book
about the joys OF the Christian minis
ter, about the sympathies all around
him, about the kindness. about the
genial considerations Of him. Does sor-
row come to our home. and is there
shadow on the cradle, there are hun
dreds Of hands to help, and many who
weary not through the night watching
and hundreds of prayers going up that
God would restore the sick Is there IL
burning, trimming cup of calamity
placed on the pastors table? Are there
not many TO help him drink of that cup
and who will not be comforted because
he is stricken? Oh. for somebody to
write book about the rewards of the
Christian ministry-about his sur
rouudirgs of Christian sympathy!
This woman of the text was only
type of thousands of men and women
who come down from mansion and
from cot to do kindness 10 the Lord 5
servants. could tell YOU of some
thing that you might thirk a romance.
young man graduated from New
Brunswick theological Sc minary was
called to village church. lie had not
the means to furnish the parsonage.
After three or four weeks Of preaching
committee of the officers of the
church waited OH him and told him he
looked tired and thought he had better
take vacation of few days. The
young pastor took it a. an intimatlor
that his work was done or not accept
able. lie took the vacation. and at the
end of few days came back. when an
old elder said: There j. the key of the
parsonage. We have been cleaning il
up. You had better go up and look at
II. SO the young pastor took the key.
went up to the parsonage. opened the
door and 10. il was curpcted. and there
was hatrack all ready for the canes
and umbrellas and the Oycrcoats. and
ON The left hand of the hall was the par.
iOr' sotacd. chaired. pictured. lie
passed on to the other side Of the hall.
aud there was the study table in the
center of the floor with stationery up.
on it, bookshclvcs built, long ranges of
new volumes, far beyond the reach Of
the means Of the young pastor many of
these volumes. The young pastor went
upstairs and found all the sleeping
apartments furnished, came downstairs
and entered the pantry, and there were
the spices and the collees and the
sugars, and the groceries for six
months, He went down into the cellar.
and there was the coal for the coming
winter. He went into the dining hall
aud there was the table already set
the glass and the silver ware. lie went
into the kitchen, and there were all the
culinary implements and great stove.
The young pastor lifted one lid of the
stove and he found the fuel all ready for
ignition. Putting back the cover of the
stove, he saw in another part of it
lucifer match, and all that young man
had to do in starting to keep house was
TO strike the match. You tell me that Is
apocryphal. Oh, mol that was my own
experience. Oh, the kindness, the en-
larged sympathies sometimes cluster
ing around those who enter the Gospel
ministry. l suppose the man of Shunem
had TO pay the bills, but it was the
large-hearted Christian woman of
Shunem that looked after the Lords
messenger.
Again, this woman Of the text was