The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1905-11-23


and valuable cargoes have been lost
| in that winding stream. Now, my
| friends, whose advice should the min
lister most willingly follow-the young
men who know but little about Christ
and who have only been church mem
I bers for few months, the younger
men who have not risen to the high
plane where they can drop their selfish
ambitions, or the old men who know
that their lives are nearly run and
whose only object is to serve their
church during the few years that are
left? l want to tell all ministers and
all church members that any minister
or any church which gets out of the
habit of honoring and following the
advice of the old folks is heading to-
ward almost certain shipwreck. The
older members of the church intuitively
know when any proposed course is
right. and they intuitiyely know when
it is wrong. Better. rather, heed the
advice of the old Christians than any
other class of laymen.
Love of the Old For the Young.
But" says some young minister or
! Christian Endeavorer, "the difficulty
with the old folks is that they are out
of sympathy with the young folks.
What are we to do when they do not
sympathize with us?" My young
friend, you are mistaken. The old
church members are not out of sympa-
thy with the young folks when they
are acting wisely. 1t is only when they
are rash and imprudent. Furthermore,
of all admirers and helpers whom the
young minister has in his congregation
no class is more loyal to him than the
white haired elders and their wives.
AS rule when men and women grow
old they do not want to go to old peo-
pies homes and associate with old peo-
pie, but they want to associate with
the young. Especially do they love to
have a young man for their pastor.
When my father, a very young man,
was called to Syracuse, N. Y, the most
prominent man in that part of the
state was a member of his congrega-
ton. He was at that time over eighty
years of age. In legislative halls he
had sat the contemporary and the COM
peer of Clay and Webster, and he him.
self was one of the giants of the bar.
My father was at that time undevel-
oped and immature. Yet every Sunday
this big Drained, silver tongued orator
sat at his feet, as William e. Gladstone
sat at the feet of his own son in the
little church of Hawarden. One day a
friend came to him and said, well,
senator, how do you like the young
preacher" With that the old man an
swered: II am very old man. have
seen and heard much. But / believe
the young man Is truly trying to serve
his Master. Therefore l shall do all
can to help him. Besides, my friend,
the older a man grows the more he
likes young men and young mems
preaching" Oh, We young men in the
gospel pulpit, hear it! The best friends
a young minister has are the old folks.
Beware when the voices of the aged
are not needed in your church councils.
When a young minister gets out OF
touch with the older members of his
congregation he is always out of touch
with the best interests of his church
and out of touch with the real teach
ings of Jesus Christ.
But the next class of a minister's best
friends to whom 1 wish to call your at
tention are the prayer meeting people.
allude to those who, week in and week
n
and year out, every Wednesday night
as far as they are able always wend
their way,to the week night service as
regularly and as conscientiously as
they 90 to the breakfast table in the
morning and come home after their
business at night These prayer meet
ing folks do not always belong to the
I wealthy classes. Their wardrobes are
not always filed with silks and broad
cloths. Some of them during the day
may have had on the overalls of a car
penter or a mason, or they may have
held in their hands the order book of
a grocery clerk. But these prayer
meeting people, whether they be rich
or poor, are the most valuable people
of the church-that is, of course, ex-
cepting some of the older folks, who,
on account of their physical infirmities,
are unable to be out. 1t Is not by run
ming after silver and gold and social
position that the minister is to build
up his church 1t is by finding his cabi-
/ net and his church leaders among the
men and women Of spiritual power,
who improve every opportunity to &C
quaint themselves with the word OF
! God and gain the uHction Of the Spirit
at the altar of prayer
Living the Christ Life.
This was the way DR.. Charles ID
Hall, the great Episcopalian rector Of
Trinity church, Brooklyn, built up his
parishes. When he was young mar
he went forth, l believe, as mission
airy to the negroes of the Bermudas
Far away from home among these
black men and women who could nei
Their read nor write, he felt he had bu
/ little use for his books of classic lore
So he left them all behind and tool
along with him his Bible. He devoted
himself to the study of the gospels ant
the teachings of Jesus. He not only
| rood and raraad those poSDelS but ht