The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-02-11

would MAINTAIN large christian 1nf1u-
ence in community culture Sabbath by
Sabbath this beautiful grace of Chris
tian hospitality.
A good man travelling in the far west
in the wilderness was overtaken by
night and storm. and he put in al a
cabin. He saw firearms along the beams
of the cabin. and he felt alarmed. He
did not know but that he had fallen
into adenSdf thieves. He sat there
greatly perturbed. After awhile the
man Of the houselcame home with gun
on his shoulder and set it down in a
corner The stranger was still more
alarmed. After awhile the man of the
house whispered with his wife, and the
stranger thought his destruction was
being planned. Then the man of the
house came forward and said to the
stranger: Stranger, we are rough
and rude people out here, and we work
hard for living. We make our living
by hunting, and when we come to the
nightfall 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. Ifyou don't like such
things, If you will just step outside the
door until we get through. III be great
ly obliged oyou." 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 Co.'s
messenger. Elisha may have been a
stranger in that household, but as she
found out he had come on Divine mis-
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 a
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 n
burning, brimming 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
roundirgs of Christian sympathy!
This woman of the text was only a
| type of thousands of men and women
who come down from mansion and
from cot to do kindness to the Lords
servants. could tell you of some.
thing that you might think romance
A young man graduated from New
Brunswick theological seminary was
called to village church. He had no,
the means to furnish the parsonage
After three or four weeks of preaching
a committee of the officers of the
church waited on him and told him hi
looked tired and thought he had better
take vacation of few days. The
young pastor took it as an intimatior
that his work was done or not accept
able. He took the vacation. and at the
end of few days came back, when an
old elder said: There is the key of the
parsonage. We have been cleaning i,
up. You had better 60 up and look al
it," So the young pastor took the key
went up to the parsonage, opened TIE
door, and 10! 1t was carpeted, and there
was a hatrack all ready for the cane.
and umbrellas and the overcoats, ant
on the left hand of the hall was the par
lor, sofaed, chaired, pictured. HI
! passed on to the other side of the hall
and there was the study table in the
center of the floor with stationery up
on it, bookshelves built, long ranges Of
new volumes, far beyond the reach o.
the means of the young pastor many Of
these volumes. The young pastor went
upstairs and found all the sleeping
apartments furnished, came downstair.
and entered the pantry, and there were
the spices and the coffees and thu
sugars, and the groceries for 81,
months. He went down into the cellar
and there was the coal for the coming
winter. He went into the dining hall
and there was the table already set
the glass and the silver ware. He wen
into the kitchen, and there were all The
culinary implements and great stove
The young pastor lifted one lid of tn,
stove and he found the fuel all ready fol-
ignition. Putting back the cover of tn,
stove, he saw in another part OF it &
lucifer match, and all that young mar
had to do in starting to keep house wa,
to strike the match. You tell me that i.
apocryphal. Oh, mol that was my owl
experience. Oh, the kindness, the en-
larged sympathies sometimes cluster
ing around those who enter the Gospe
ministry. 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 wal
great in her behavior under trouble