The Penn's Grove record., 1913-01-10

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s~afeguarded them against go
ing from house to house for
o and lodging. 1t was a warning
against the mendicant habit and
spirit. In many lands the priests Of
the prevailing religions live by beg
g1ng. and the result is enough to JUS
tlfy the warning.
But it is a subtle danger that stiII
threatens men who are doing benevo-
lent work-specially those who live
by such work. 1t is difficult to keep
the work itself so prominent and SO
Important that the worker will not
seem to be the chief gamer by it
That underlies the feeling Of many
ministers, that they can ask for
money for anything but their own sal
aries. So they allow church treasur-
ers to pay all bills. leaving themselves
TO the last. There are several bur-
n pastors in our personal knowI-
edge whose sessions or trustees ought
to be downright ashamed of them
selves for letting them serve on with
constant delays of salary.
In a group Of ministers al the re-
cent session Of a sypod all but n
declared their salary payments were
behind and several said their church
treasurer resented being asked for
payments. assuring the petitioner he
would give" him something as soon
as he had any money. The one who
a his salary paid promptly explain
ed that when he went to church he
made it plainly understood that he
was no beggar, that his salary was no
charity, that he had no financial reIa-
ton to the individual church mem
bers, but solely to the officials
through whom his salary came. and
that he would not submit to any so
l~icitation of funds which were to be-
given" to him. The others wished
they had put the matter on the same
basis, but they felt that their people
understood their salaries to be a kind
OF benevolence for them and their
families. The ministers themselves
found it difficult to get away from
that feeling. They felt like mendi-
cants.
Salary Never a Gift"
Now of course all this is absurd
The service which a faithful minister
renders is ~ really paid for. His
salary is not recompense measured
by the amount of profit he brings his
people. 1t is no gift to him. 1t is a
gift to themselves, if anything, and he
gives more than they do. Moreover.
he must read his own work in such
large terms that he will feel his
right to the living salary which he re-
ceives. No other man is doing for his
people so much as he is doing. He
is supplying a more vital need than
anyone else. 1t is no charity to him
that he receives a salary. In the
cause of civilization and humanity he
is a larger factor than the grocer or
the baker. He must not think of the
people as supporting him personally.
They support the church, and he is
part of the church.
There are church officers whose
manner in this regard is most COM
mendable. There are others whose
AL 40 o1lO6 dDlO-
These latter let a minister constantly
feel like a beggar. He comes last on
the plea that, of course, the church
must pay Its bills first and be square
with the world. But no church is
square with the world whose pastor is
unsQuare with the world for lack Of
the salary agreed to. If there must
be any deficits, they are not his to
carry. They belong to the church.
and the church ought to carry them
by its proper officials.
Not Asking for Favors.
And a word about the mendicant
spirit in benevolences. One of the
minister's chief opportunities is that
of inspiring the people to support the
Lords work in its larger phases. He
is not begging" when he calls for
money for that purpose, and he may
we'll resent the easy way in which
people speak of him as "a good beg
gar" If 1t is begging to give to the
servants OF the king a command from
the king, then it is a new use Of the
word. For whom, pray, is he beg
Not for missionaries or other
workers. surely. They ask no aims.
They r the largest givers already.
If they succeed in the large service,
it is not their success; 1t belongs to
the whole church, 1t belongs to Christ
himself. Let a minister feel, when he
calls for money for the work Of the
kingdom, that he speaks for the king.
and that refusal of his people will be
to them great loss. He wants no
favors for anybody. He wants the
rights of the king recognized. He is
no mendicant He is a royal messen-
ger.-From The Continent.