Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-11-25

not noted Tor InelP CHIlSllah S"hSSNA~
tom How common it is for the ricn
merchant to be the president OF the
board of trustees, even though he be
not a church member. How easy II Is
for the young minister to yield to the
worldly elements Of his congregation
who want fine music in the choir lort
even though that music has to be rem
dered by men and women who never
have professed Christ as their saviour !
and who are notorious for their indlf'
ference to all things sacred and dIYlne'
How liable the minister Is to lean upon
those who never lean upon Jesus and
then TO expect his people to be spiritual
people! God forbid that In any churcn
the pastor should seek for his chief ad'
visers and leaders those who think
more of the cut Of their outer garments
than they do OF their inner consecra'
tion. for those who would sooner go to
n hall or a card party or a theater than
to the house Of prayer! When the lead
era of q church are unsanctihed they
become the leaven which leaVens the
! church loaf.
But there Is still another class to
whom | wish to call your attention.
The new minister's best friends are al
ways to be found among those VINO
were the best friends Of the minister
who preceded him In that pulpit. They
are TO be found among those who are
always ready to praise their last min
ister's virtues and never allude to his
failngs. They will tell you their last
pastor had the loveliest wife and the
finest children and the happIest OF
homes. They will say: "Yes, our old
pastor was a good man. l never sat at
his feet without receiving n blessing
from his sermons" And these friends
Of the old minister did receive a bless
ing from every one Of his sermons.
And they will receive blessing from
every one Of the new minister's SER
mons. AS they were friends to the old
minister, so they will be friends OF the
new.
The New Love Versus the Old'
But there are always some people
who think they cannot prove their love
for the new minister unless they tell
him all the faults Of the old. No sooner
Is the new minister installed than these
false friends gather around him. An,
they will say, "I am so glad you are to
, be our pastor. We have needed you Tor
8 the last five years. This is the sge OF
Young men. Our old pastor was TOO
old. He was worn out. He has been
2 dead for the last twenty years and
e was not conscious Of the fact The
l young people did not like him. And
, then his wife was an Invalid. On,
e am glad you have not a sick wife
s Then our old pastors children wanted
e ali the offices. His daughter was tlt
8 head Of our Christian Endeavor soci
J. etv. and his son was usher in the chlel
d aisle. and his sister was the head ol
:. our primary department. But every
Il thing now Is going to be different. W.
$ have YOU. and all will be we'll" Yes
b things Will be different, but only IL
h name Young men, you who are aDou
l. TO enter the Christian ministry, always
fight shy Of the church members wh'
It would try to praise you at the expens'
l. of the noble men Of God who gave IN
e. best Of their lives to your pulpit befor
k Won came to it. If they are untrue t
u your predecessors, they will be un
1t true to you. | always have my sus
ID picons OF the man who, to snow hl
IS love and devotion 10 his second wife
Is has to spend most of his honeymoon Il
lie DlantInc Canada thlstlcs and poiso
ir iyv upon the grave Of his first.
Il Would that some people who find
le much fault with their old pastors Nigh
re receive the rebuke which a ministe
d. gave TO his daughter who was crit
" clsing an absent friend! The daughte
T. was saving her friend was "odd' an
70 peculiar" Yes" answered the ol
OF father. "she certainly is odd and p'
er cullar. She is so odd and peculiar tna
ell she was never heard to speak Ill OF a
lie absent friend" l like that. We cal
x NOT he untrue to our absent friends an
TO- at the same time true to those who al
es' nv orr side. We cannot be untrue
IN orr pastors who are gone and true
Ial those who are now preaching In oil
~ =, pulpits.
oi- But there is yet another criterion [
no which you can Judge a minister's De
sr friends. They are to be numoer'
IL among those who do not love inc
OIL church so much that they are blind'
III 70 the gospel duties which are callh
them outside Of the four walls OF tn
church. They are the Christians WI
ii. realize that as there is one family II
OF ing within the four walls Of the hon
DIS SO there is q church family living VIII
an in the four walls Of the church. In
on strive to fulfill their obligations not Q
as. IL TO their own family and the chur
ese family. but to those outside who do d
lel- vet know Christ. The church faml
out Is a very important family, but 1t &c
're' not represent the whole human RAJ
ooK Now as every father and mother MI
ted holm care for the wants Of their IN
lnd gent neighbors, 80 every church ram
My should and must care for the spiritl
he wants Of the great heather outsl
ig- world. Therefore the church memt
vas who simply says "Let US care for
1ca own church, for our own pulpit d
the pew and Sunday school, Is not a u
Ing Christian. The true church member
He the one who has the missionary spl
IN and who realizes his duty to China a
Ire Africa and Persia and india as "
ana as to his own city and neighborho
the Yet It is at this vital missionary po
hes, that SO many Of our would be mil
on ter's best friends fall
WI An Eastern Parable.
use It is only by our spiritual scatter
cia, % that we can gather in, and It Is O
eau = ,o,-in, dovvn our lives that we