Year: 1877

"Can't you send us a minister-a
tip-top, lively fellow, who will serve
our pulpit for dozen years or sol Z"
just this is what a prominent member
of a church writes us from neighbor-
ing city. No, we can't do anything
of the kind, and even if we could we
should hesitate a good deal before
doing it. In the first place, the call
for a dozen years pastorate means q
good deal. 1t asks a man to mort
gage q good portion of the better part
of his life. 1t asks him to come and
be their pastor, with very positive
intimation that at the end of Il decade
they will want him to look about for
another place. 1t means that perma-
nency has no place in their idea Of 4
pastorate and it means also that Il
popular style of pulpit preaching
which it would seem that they could
endure about a dozen years-is the
aim and end, chiefly so at least, Of the
call. No, we can't send the minister; !;
we cannot even recommend any min
lister to settle there.


But, after all, this church presents
no isolated case. 1t stands upon this
question where thousands Of other
churches stand. 1t wants just what
other churches want--a man Of about
forty years of age to preach for ten
or fifteen years, and then it wants him
to go, and it will take up with another
man fulfilling like conditions. The
church is growing old, but it must
have its pastor always young. The
results of increasing years-the tried
experience, the mature judgment, the
ripe opinion, the careful deliberation,
the mellowed ripencss Of advancing
years, the rich spiritual fruits of a flf-
teen or twenty OF thirty years pastor
oto oil tl.eaa I,a~a. e.. ----+I,:-ey, 4La
church will have none of them. As
we have already said, the case is by
no means an isolated or even peculiar
one. And yet it is all wrong. 1t as
sumes wrong conditions at the start.
1t presupposes that brain-work is
everything, and not only this, but that
minister is not, from the nature of
things, qualified for serving his people
acceptably more than ten or dozen
years. And why not, pray? Do
you value your parents, your children,
your friends, less as they grow old?
Do you prize less the services Of your
lawyer, or rely less upon the skill of
your physician, OF do you honor the
decisions of judge less because Of Il
long experience? On the contrary,
among your friends are there any
whom you cherish quite so fondly as
the old familiar faces? And why
should not a minister, who holds to
YOU the relation of Christ's ambassa-
dor, of your spiritual counsellor, ad-
wiser and personal friend-why should
he not remain with you, not for a
specified decade, but so long as he
can minister to you acceptably, and
even to the close of life! Of course
there are circumstances which often
render a sundering Of the pastoral re-
lation both advisable and necessary
That is one thing. But to call min
lister with distinct understanding
that ten years Of his ministry ars as
much as you can possibly endure is
very different matter, and indicates q
condition of things not at all favorable
to the minister, the congregation ol
the cause of religion.


And here we could wish that more
of personal feeling Of affection and
esteem were cultivated between pastor
and people. Confer and advise will
voi;r minister, and when you can do SO
say the kindly wGc.,d and 10 Tic TIC kindly
service, and above all don't regard
him-as he is so often regarded-as
your hired man,-hired to preach two
sermons Sunday, q lecture on We'd
nesday, and bury you when you die
That is miserably low view Of the
calling and office of the ministry, but
it is one which by far too many church
es hold, and which those entertaining
need to get out Of. Nor need it bC
any matter for surprise if such churcl
declines: the wonder is that wit h sucl
low view of the Christian ministry
the pastor is able to do any service fo
the Master at all. There should be {
very different feeling between pasto
and people than that Of employer an(
employee. And this brings to notice
another matter which bears up
on this subject-the fact that in thC
reaction from priestly authority, whicl
has been constantly lptensifying sinc'
the Reformation, the pendulum ha
swung to the other extreme, till th,
laity have come to practically deny
the minister all selnblapee of AUTHORITY
even to ignoring his Ambassado- fship
It is in this way that many ch'lrche