Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-03-16

1 lue OrcDdruS were gone LOO was Story-
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
1 suffer for the evil deeds vf the corrupt
and the befouled. o man, be not an
Ahabi o woman, do not become a
Jezebell Avoid the sin which will
bring a curse and blight on the hearts
of the innocent ones by your side as
well rs on your own lives.
Lesson OF the Famine.
This eastern famine teaches US an
other lesson. God always horors 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
GREETED 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-
yid. David wept before Nathan He
hensred Hezekishss Hezealah -henored
Isaiah. All threagh thu Bible you can
Ind this mighty asa far REACHING law
enuncisted ard Illustrated wiefeSy
God blesses those who honor his repre-
sentativess and deDoUnces those Who
despise or turn stheiT backs upon his
ambassado .,..,-.s.s. -,
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 whatsoever shall not re-
ceive you, nor hear your words, when
We depart out of that house you shall
shake off the dust of your feet. Veri-
| ly, say unto you, Ii shall be more ter
rible for the land of Sodom and Co
morrah ia the day of judgment than
for that city" But though God bids us
honor his representatives, as the Zare-
| phath woman honored and cared for
Elijah. yet today there seems to be a
tendency abroad to criticise and de-
nounce Gods ministers and to patron
i izingly ridicule them n 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
congregations 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 excellencies OF earth and heav-
en- in their pastors. Rev. DR.. Haven
some time ago told about letter which
n Virginia parish sent to Professor
Rice, requesting minister. 1.-THE peo-
pie" this letter declared, want a
man of first class endowments." They
wanted n literary preacher, for some
Of the young people were literary.
They wanted minister who would
visit good deal. for their former pas
tor had neglected to do as much of
that as they could have wished. They
wanted man OF winsome and fasci-
mating social personality. for the peo-
pie thought good deal of that They
wanted good organizer as well as q
fine orator. After they had gone on
describing the kind of perfect min.
lister they wished, they ended the letter
In this wise: 1--WE have been paying our
last minister $3.50 year, but If you
could send us just the kind Of man
we want we think we can raise his sal
airy $50 more and give TO him $500 q
year" With that, DIR. Rice sat down
and wrote the following ironical letter
TO this exacting congregation:
Dear Fricnds-Your letter received and
contents carefully noted. I know Just thu
minister you need. IL you can get him
Mako out n 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 DR.. Dwight has been living SO long IN
sheaven on spiritual food perhaps ne may
not need any material food and could
therefore easily exist on your salary OF
500 per yea<.
Then stucy how some ministers are
III treated In other ways In some coun
tries. God never spiritually blesses q
country, church or an Individual
that is not willing to honor, respec,
and care for his ambassadors, rs the
Zarephath widow. cared for Elijah the
Tishbite. Yet to hear some men tali
you would think they were conferrins
an honor upon acpreacher or aslxind,
ness on pastor merely because theJ
come to church at ali. Joseph Fnrke1
once denYupceds the ssupercillous way
some men have OF looking down upon
and desplsing the ministry. "a per
son once asked me TO lend him So
said he, ION the ground that he had
long attended my ministry. Possibly
the man richly deserved a sovereign
for having done so. At the same time
1t Is popular mistake to suppose that
the minister Is the party receiving the
favor. He gives his hearers his best
thinking, his best powers of all kinds,
and 1t is. therefore, a pity to show
him thankfulness by borrowing money
of him." And. my friends, go further
than that; 1 assert that never found
any men or women a practical bit of
use in church work or in any spiritual
line unless they not only honored the
ministry, but respected ministers when
they stood in the pulpit expoundlng
the word of God. Zone of the funda-
mental reasons why old Scotland be-
came the. spiritual power it was and
Is" said John Mcneil, rs because old
Scotland respected the ministry" May
God help us to honor Gods representa-
tives or messengers or ambassadors or
clergymen, as the Zarephath widow
hOnored Elijah the Tishbite
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