Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-11-23

The new minister's hest friendS are al
ways TO be found among those who
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
failings. They will tell you their last
pastor had the loveliest wife and the
finest children and the hnppiest Of
homes. They will say: Eyes, our old
pastor was good man. never sat at
his feet without receiving blessing
from his sermons" And these friends
of the old minister did receive a bless.
Ing from every one Of bis sermons.
And they will receive a blessing from
every one Of the new minister's ser.
mons. Az 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
In the new minister installed than these
false friends gather around him. "Ah."
they will say, 81 am 20 glad you are to
he our pastor. We have needed you for
the last Eve years. This Ii the age Of
young men. Our old pastor was too
old. lie was worn out. He has been
dead for the last twenty years and
was not conscious Of the fact The
young people did not like him. And
then his wife was an invalid. Oh,
am glad you have not a sick wife.
Then our old pastors children wanted
all the Offices. His daughter was the
head of our Christian Endeavor soci-
ETY., and his son was usher in the chief
aisle, and his sister was the head OF
our primary department. But every
thing now is going to be different. We
have you. and all will be we'll" Yes;
things will be different, but only in
name. Young men, you who are about
to enter the Christian ministry, always
fight shy Of the church members who
would try to praise you at the expense
of the noble men of God who gave the
best of their lives to your pulpit before
you came to 1t. II they are untrue to
your predecessors, they will be un.
true to you. | always have my sus-
| picions Of the man who, to show his
love and devotion TO his second wife,
has to spend most of his honeymoon in
planting Canada thistlcs and poison
ivy upon the grave Of his first.
Would that some people who find so
much fault with their old pastors might
| receive the rebuke which n minister
gave to his daughter who was criti-
cising an absent friend The daughter
was saying her friend was odd and
peculiar Yes" answered the old
father, .'she certainly Is odd and Pc
culiar. She is SO odd and peculiar that
she was never heard to speak i'll of an
absent friend" I like that. We can
not he untrue to our absent friends and
at the same time true to those who are
| by our side. We cannot be untrue to
our pastors who are gone and true to
those who are now preaching In our
pulpits.
| But there Is yet another criterion by
which you can Judge Il minister's best
friends. They are to be numbered
among those who do not love their
church SO much that they are blinded
to the gospel duties which are calling
them outside OF the four walls Of that
church They are the Christians who
realize that as there is one family liv
ing within the four walls Of the home
80 there is church family living with
in the four walls Of the church. They
strive to fulfill their obligations not on
ly to their own family aud the church
family. but to those outside who do not
vet know Christ The church family
is very important family, but it does
not represent the whole human race
Now, as every father and mother mus
help care for the wants of their indi
gent neighDOrs. SD every church family
should and must care for the spiritua
wants Of the great heather outside
world. Therefore the church member
who simply says Let us care for OIL
own church. for our own pulpit ant
pew and Sunday school, IL not true
Christian. The true church member l!
the one who has the missionary spir
and who realizes his duty to China an(
Africa and Persia and India as wei
as to his own city and neighborhood
Yet it is at this vital missionary poin
that so many Of our would be minis
ter's best friends fail.
An Eastern Parable.
1t Is only by our spiritual scattering
that we can gather in, and it ia onl.
by laying down our lives that we cal
save them. An old eastern parable
goes thus: A merchant was about t.
go into far country. He gave to twt
friends a couple Of sacks Of whea
apiece. He said. Take care Of thes'
for me until return" Years passed
and the merchant returned. He sait
D his friends. "Where Is my wheat?
The first returned to him his two bags
IF wheat, which lie had kept for the
merchant in storehouse. The grain
was widowed and useless. The sec
Ond friend took the merchant out upon
the hillside and showed him his fields
below in the valley waving with COLDER
headed wheat ready for the sickle
sThere is your wheat. have grown II
all for you. 1t is all yours" Their
said tine master: "Give me my two
sacks Of grain back, and the rest shall
be yours" So it is in the missionary
| u,ovL of tho H1,,,rch Whom O,1r Church