The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-06-05
HIRELING MINISTRY.
Lay Sermon by the Author OF
"Around the World on 500"

was published, met a brother dea
con who said he was very much Inn
pressed with what 1t contained, anc
although 1t hit him pretty hard, ht
was willing to take his part. Now hs
wanted me to cry out against the
swarms of lazy, lousy tramps, and
dead-beats who will not work and who
are always trying to get something for
nothing. So | hied me away to q
mountain wnere l could look down up
on all tribes, races and conditions OF
men. AS silently mused, waiting fol
the promptings of the spirit heard
still, small voice saying, Curse moi
those poor out-casts, who are bearing
the sins of three or four generations;
they are living up to their pro
fession. But rather take up the para
BILE against the dead-beats who sit
in high places, who call idleness leis-
ure and whoredom the social evil
They christen the worst of sins by
such refined names that they lose
most of their responsiveness. Out OF
their abundance they are able to hire
great and gifted Doctors of Divinity
to make easy renderings of the Bible
to lull their consciences into repose.
Ever since God proclaimed to Adam,
"By the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread" it has been the constant
study of large portion of mankind
to invent ways to cast their burdens
on some one else. None have had
better success than the venders of re-
ligion.
Man in his natural state is an enig-
ma to himself. He is placed here in
the midst of a few joys and many
sorrows, some pleasures and many
pains, with dangers on his track and
death ever starin ghim in the face,
he pursues his course over the bill
lows of hopes, doubts and fears.
From the time the little tot first asked
his mother where she got him, to the
day the old man viewed for the last
time the setting sun, it has been his
constant query from whence he came
and whittier he is going. Thus We
need not think it strange that men
have always been easily victimized by
the priest-craft of anyone who claimed
mysteries.
From the earliest dawn of history
we find that the great majority OF
men have bowed their necks to serve
the conservators of their religion.
Four thousand years ago the priests
in Egypt held almost absolute sway
over the people, and they ruled them
with rod of iron, as the colossal
ruins of their temples still attest.
On the walls of the Tomb of Tih, are
chiseled thousands of little figures of
men at all kinds of labor, serving
their priest And from Tih down to
the medicine man of the Digger In
dians the priests of religion have
largely piled their trade of wrestling
their living by the sweat of others.
1t is not strange that the priests OF
the pagan world should practice their
craft to impoverish the people, but
that the preachers of Christianity
should out-Herod Herod in this nefar.
ious business is a great mystery.
Two preachers once met in heaven
Don't be surprised that such thing
should happen, for although they
never learned the first lesson of their
text book-"By the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread"-there were
quite a number of them who were
saved through ignorance.) Simon
said to Joseph, 81 ct us sit here by the
river and talk of our adventures or
the earth" Nothing would please me
better" said Joseph, Like the pioneers
of the west who lived in log-cabins
who, when they became rich and lived
in mansions, were always talking
about their early experiences, so we
here, never tire of relating our ad
ventures in the lower world well,
said Simon, 81 hear you used t.
preach in the back-woods of Indiana;
so let us hear from you" Whereup
on Joseph began; 81 used to ride hun
dreds of miles through the wilderness!
to attend the meetings of my circuit
One evening l stopped at log-cabir
for nights lodging. The man sait
they were poorly prepared but woult
do the best they could for me. He fec
my horse and did the chores. whil'
his wife, laboring under good deal o
embarrassment, hustled about, arrang
ed the house and then went out t
pick the chicken. The baby began t,
scream and l rocked the cradle, but
| only made matters worse, so hurried
out, and before the woman was awar,
of what | was going to do, had takel
the chicken from her and told her t,
go in and comfort the child, while
did the picking. She was more em
barrassed than before and proteste,
stoutly. Yet / assured her that
could pick the chicken all right-bu
could do nothing for the child; s.
she yielded. Then my heart began I,
burn with holy joy, and soon ha,
my work done. When l went in
the little one was quiet, the woman
was reassured and the man had cas-
off all restraint. I think neve
spent season of such holy fellowship
as | did with these humble people o
the wilderness.
"But this Is not all. When my lon
life of preaching was ended and tn
| angels were leading me to the Celestia
City, to appear before my King.
began to cast up my accounts an,
take a little invoice of those grea
sermons, but all was blackness.
could not think Of single thing
ever said of which could be proud
l began to fear that l was approach
ing the wrong place and that lik
find road to hell, even from the gate
Of heaven. But when the gates wer
opened and the light from the Thron
broke forth, my heart began to burr
within me as 1t did when | picke'
that chicken. Immediately the melod,
of the Kings voice seemed to ech
In the farthest ends Of the univers
as He said. "Inasmuch as ye ligh'
ened the burden of one OF the leas
Of these. my brethren ye did 1t unit
me- had preached and prayed wit
eloquent words all my life. and
stood in the presence OF my King wit
nnfhina 10 connmand ma hut fhA ain