Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1921-03-31
Fifty Years in the Ministry
No. x.

~.
The first buggy 1 ever owned was
39 years ago | was pastor at Smith
vile. Judge Magness gave me check
for SIS toward buying me a buggy for
l was making my trips on horseback.
70 dollars lacked little paying for
buggy at that time. At this time
l was also pastor of Fall Creek and
there was an old brother Arbuckle in
that church who always paid his pas
i tor So the first Sunday in January,
4 saying, THE scriptures say owe no
man anything. l owe you nothing."
I l received my check from Judge Mag
/ ness Christmas week and the next
Sunday was my day at Fall Greek so
| was sure of an additional SIS if /
could see old brother Arbuclde. Well,
Saturday morning saddled my horse
and started and to my sorrow a snow
also started. 1t showed all day and
night Sunday morning the weather
was terrible. Nobody at church. /
had an engagement with Edwin Berry
fer dinner | had to go by Bro. Ar
buckles to get there An idea struck
me how l might still get my five dol
lars from the old man. concluded
| would make out had heard he was
sick and make call for a minute or
so. l did so and found him eating
dinner, well and hearty l expressed
some surprise at him being up and at
the table. He ordered plate for me
but / told him that / was of the opin-
ion he was sick and / had stopped to
express sympathy and that l had an
engagement at Bro. Berry's and then
wishing him happy new year babe
him and his wife goodbye. l walked
; out and down the steps into the snow
with a broken heart as | had failed on
; my mission. Some thirty steps from
the door / heard his steps coming to
: the door and he said, John T., being
: as you have come by after your five
dollars | guess / had better give it to
YOU" | was shouting happy, yet felt
; like sheep killing dog. Lawyers,
traders, real-estate dealers are not the
only schemers after money when it has
just got to come. Many preachers,
; believe, are out for loaves and fishes,
, especially many of our modern evan
gelists However, the ministry has
never been paid as it should have been
; but | am glad there is a wonderful
! improvement along that line. Just
; here | will mention how / missed a
five dollar bill later on at the hands
of Bro, Arbuckle. / was pastor of his
y
; FIVE dollars the first meeting in jan
uary. Misfortune overlook him for a
couple of years in loosing financially,
but later he came to his own but was
confined to his room with a cancer
. which ended his life. One day l made
pastoral call fer had moved into
that community He was sitting lean
ing against the jam by a good fire. He
, said, "Well, John T., spouse and | have
\ been a little hindered financially but
we are all right along that line now
and we have decided to give you
another five dollars" On account of
his illness he had not been in church
for two years. l pulled my chair up
near his side while he took out his
pocket book and laid five dollar bill
on his knee. He replaced the roll and
took the bill from his knee and
handed it to me. / reached out to
take it saying, Brother Arbuckle,
feel delicacy in taking this as you
haven't been in church in two years. :"
He said, What did you say?" | said,
81 feel delicacy in taking this as
you have been sick and not able to go
tc church for the past two years" He
laid the bill on his knee and took out
the original roll and added back the
IS and poked the roll back in his peck
ct His wife spoke up and said: "Mr.
Arbuckle, give it to him. You didn't
give to him" The old man replied,
tThe fool said he didn't want j"
Well, l lost that five dollar bill as
slick as a button. He never did give
me a cent afterwards. / thought
about it when | was preaching his
funeral later on l had my fingers in
two inches of the bill when l turned
loose a little so-called ministerial sym
pathy generally out from the teeth
when 2 fellow needs money. While
lost that five dollar bill by being
little premature in my politeness /
learned very important lesson. and
that was to wait till you get hold of
your money before you tell a story
!. that YOU feel a delicacy in taking it.
don't know many preachers who
have very often felt a delicacy in tax
. ing money offered them. ! know
haven't. Not many preachers have
anything and their lives have been
given to help the world. If / can
Freach the end with enough to live on
q l viii be happy Life doesn't depend
on what we have but what we are.
Our world is in the bad because of the
Unsuitable desire to accumulate riches
: and run wild in pleasures Well, /
went on from Bro. Berry's to Lebanon
. on Monday and purchased a side-bar
buggy and went home to Commerce
a happy preacher for ] was among the
7 first to own buggy How times have
changed And with its march what
: a host Of loved ones have CROSSED over
and we to the margin have come and
- III hrr% 10 40