Milford chronicle., 1906-03-16

passed over the land. The vineyards
were gone. The harvests were gone.
The orchards were gone. God was starv-
| ing Ahab and Jezebel. But while he was
starving the king and queen the poor
widow and her only son were also suf-
fering in the Zarephath hut. The sins
of the fathers are visited upon the chill
dren even unto the third and the fourth
generations. The good and the innocent
suffer for the evil deeds of the corrupt
and the befouled. o man, be not an
Ahab! o woman, do not become q
Jezebell Avoid the sin which will
bring a curse and blight on the hearts
Of the innocent ones by your side as
well as on your own lives.
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Lesson of the Famine.
This eastern famine teaches us an
other lesson. God always honors the
men and the women who honor his
messengers. He honored this poor
starving widow of Zarephath. Why?
She was ready to care for and house
his ambassador, Elijah the Tishbite.
He honored Rahab the harlot. She Sc
creted the spies that Joshua sent to
Jericho. He hOnored Abraham. Abra-
ham welcomed to his table the three
angels who came to his tent on the
plains of Mamre. He hOnOred Naa-
man. Naaman was ready to obey the
commands Of Elisha. He hOnOred Da-
vid. David wept before Nathan. He
hOnOred Hezekiah. Hezekiah hOnOred
Isaiah All through the Bible you can
find this mighty and far reaching law
enunclated and illustrated whereby
Cod blesses those who honor his repre-
sentatiyes and denoulces those who
despise or turn their backs upon his
ambassadors.
The teachings of the Old and New
Testament in this respect are one. In
the Psalms we read, Touch not mine
anointed and do my prophets no harm"
Then, as an Endorsement, we find the
following In Matthew in reference to
Christ's missionaries, spoken by Jesus
himself: "And whOsOever shall not re-
celve you. nor hear your words, when
We depart out Of that house you shall
shake off the dust of your feet. Veri-
", l say unto you, it shall be more ter
rlble for the land of Sodom and Go
morrah in the day of judgment than
for that city" But though God bids US
honor his representatives, as tie Zare-
phath woman hOnOred and cared for
Elijah, yet today there seems to be a
tendency abroad to criticise and de-
nounee Gods ministers and to patron
izingly ridicule them a great deal
more than you would any other class
of men. The result is that scores and
hundreds Of young men who ought to
be preaching in the pulpit have been
turned aside because of the way some
treat their ministers.
What They Wanted.
In the first place. many churches are
simply starving their preachers to
death while they themselves demand
all the excellencles Of earth and heav-
en- in their pastors. Rev. DR.. Haven
some time ago told about letter which
a Virginia parish sent to Professor |
Rice, requesting a minister. "The peo-
ple," this letter declared, want a
man Of first class endOwments." They
wanted a literary preacher, for some
of the young people We're literary.
They wanted a minister who would |
visit a good deal, for their former pas
tor had neglected to do as much Of |
that rs they could have wished. They |
wanted a man Of winsOme and fasci- |
mating social personality, for the peo-
pie thought a good deal Of that. They |
wanted a good organizer as well as a
fine orator. After they had gone on
the kind Of a perfect min
lster they wished, they ended the letter
In this wise: I'VE have been paying our
last minister $3.50 a year, but if you
could send us just the kind of a man
we want we think we can raise his sal
airy $50 more and give to him S4OO a
year" With that, DR.. Rice sat down
and wrote the following ironical letter
to this exacting congregation:
Dear Frlends-Your letter received and
contents carefully noted l know Just the
minister you need. If you can get him.
Make out a call to DR.. Timothy Dwight,
late president Of Yale college. who is now
in heaven. He Is the only being / know
who can meet all your requirements. And
as Or. Dwight has been living so long In
heaven on spiritual food perhaps he may
not need any material food and could
therefore easily exist on your salary Of
Si00 per year.
Then study how some ministers are
III treated lH other ways in some coun-
tries. God aever spiritually blesses a /
country, a church or an Individual
that Is not willing to honor. respect
and care Tor his ambassadors. as the
zarephath widow cared for Elijah the
Tishblte. Yet TO hear some men talk
YOU would think they were comforting
ln honor upon a preacher or kind