The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-06-23
GENERAL NEWS NOTES.
(By R. A. Whitfield, Florence, Miss

comb, two of Stems Creek school pupils
of the past session, are now at Oxford,
Miss, availing themselves of the sum-
mer course of study at the University.
We hope these two Florence young men
will succeed, and stand high in the af
fairs of this world.
There are preachers and preachers, and
pastors and pastors. Some of these receive
and accept calls to serve churches, which
duties they perform in very perfunctory
business manner. The calling to serve
on the part of the church, and the accep-
lance of service on part of said pastor,
so-called, is purely business trans
action, no more, no less. He will have
a congregation, to attend the delivery
of his dried out sermon; so-called,s be-
cause it is a bargain, no more, no less
He, the preacher; must be precise in his
grammar, and if capable, his rhetorical
fight must be delicious TO the ear. 1t
makes no difference whether he eulogizes
Socrates or exalts Christ in his soarings,
so it sounds nice in elegance of diction
The poor and the uTlettered are not de-
sired in this flock. They must take their
stations with the unlettered, and get what
of religion they can among such. But
there is not room for them in this high
flown church.
And then there is the pastor of the
commoner sort He is called and the
call accepted. But he is one of the sort
that has am open eye for business and
the salary. He is the "hail felow-well-
met" kind that pleases the individual
fancy for man who can get up SER
mons ard deliver them gibly, talk hu-
emily, and please the mind and capture
the good feelings and the affection eff
his members He pleaseS the church
felix's, who in their blindness know no
better, by taking in members fore and
aft at every protracted meeting, whether
truly converted or net. And what pleases
the flock more is: They are not har-
messed to work religiously. The pastor,
so-called, will do all that himself Just so
they pray their stereotyped prayers when
called upon and come to church regularly
which such will do and make big
congregation to help swell the personal
popularity of the preacher, so-calIed.
Spirituality takes a lower place in this
game. There is no centering the church
around Christ, as it should be- But I'M
fortunately the church is conferred about
the pastor. And thus, in such church,
so-called, it goes on. Good feelings pre-
served in the humans, but spirituality of
worship and service to God are fast
sinking away. The mustard tree is
growing strong limbs, the fowls of the
air-the unconverted-are lodging there
on and breaking them down and the.
hOI llxv hecor,o1no hafo,,IaI
DR.. Graves once said And finally as
in the case of the first mentioned as we'll,
the talent is taken away.
Then there is another pastor who tries
to preach Christ and Him crucifed ex-
clusively. He has his heart set upon his
Masters work to do his Masters will,
and not his own, as best he knows how.
This kind of pastor finds uphill work
with his church, trying to spiritually build
the flock up and put them OF a higher
and yet higher plane of endeavor and
influence. But the mighty original pray
ers of the faithful-not the stereotyped
kind of prayers, brings down the spiritual
power from above and the seemingly i'm
possible with man is shown to be possible
with God. Let such pastor be the
undershepherd Of flock that has been
poorly pastured on spiritual food, and
begin his duties as he sees them, guided
from Heaven, and then the warfare sets
in. Let him teach sincerity the truths
Of the gospel let him prove to his flock
that they have Christian duties to be-
performed and show that those duties
performed cheerfully and prayerfully, evil
dence the fact that the workers are
genuinely converted to God and not to
pastor. But in spite of all this good
work of the pastor he will find a goodly
number taking offense and backing away
and eventually staying away so as to
avoid hearing what stirs their evil con-
scie2ces, and they finally walk no more
with Christ or his true disciples-St John
600: From that time many of His dis
ciples went back and walked no more
with Him." (67). Then Jesus said unto the
twelve: 'EVill We also go away" Though
such pastor preacher, come the words
of eternal life from the Christ.
Mr.. C. w. Gruber, of Louisville, KY,
has been visiting Post Master Hale and
family for few days this week
Mrs. w. B. Baines and Misses Kath-
crime Smith, N1ittie Hale ard Katie Their
reIl, were shopping in Jackson Saturday.
Mr.. B. A Hale, of Jackson, spent Sun
day with home folks here.
A small party consisting of ]. E. Single
tary, wife and two children, c. w Cru
Der, Mrs P H. Hale, Misses Kath-
crime Smith, Mite, Leslie and Edna
Hale, and Earl Hale, picnicked on the
bank of Pearl river last Tuesday. There
was fishing and hunting, splendid din
ner, boat riding, kodaking, swinging, and
other fine and enjoyable pranks.
Pastor Purcell, of the Methodist church,
gave Z. fine Sermon on Sunday night tcfII
the first Sunday, and it, smacks of fine
thoughts, and we solicited "a Synopsis. eof
II for the Brandon News this week. j i
The theme or the sermon is Hearingi
and Doing the word of God. The text:
Matt. 7:2I-27.