The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 6

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6 The Lutheran Pioneer.

Slow Pay—Poor Pay—No Pay.

Slow pay—poor pay—no pay—what is it?
In many cases it is the minister's salary. We
know this is a very delicate subject to write
upon, and if we were a pastor we might lay
down our pen for fear that our congregation
“might think we were not satisfied with our
salary. But we have no congregation that
could think anything of the kind, and so we
may just as well say something on this subject.
We were reminded of it lately when reading in
one of our exchanges that an Eastern editor was
asked the following question: ‘‘Mr. Editor, since
editors ‘know everything,’ please tell us why so
many Christian people don’t pay their pastors
as promptly, as they pay debts contracted with
other men.’” Yes, why such slow pay?

But slow pay is perhaps better than poor pay.
A Southern paper says that in one of the
States ‘‘the ministry is not properly supported.
There is scarcely a pastor in the State who is
getting a fair living. Living is becoming more
and more dear, while in many instances salaries
are steadily falling off. There is consequently
a feeling of uneasiness among the ministers
that is hurtful to the cause of religion. The
charges are as able to live well, to dress, to buy
and sell as they ever were—able in every thing
except the Church.”” There must be something
foul in such congregations.

But in some cases the minister’s salary is—
no pay. That is a queer salary, is it not? We
heard of such a salary some years ago down in
Virginia. An excellent old Christian lady, a
pastor's widow, told us that in the first years
of her married life her husband had charge of
a large country congregation. ‘The congre-
gation,’’ the lady said, ‘thad promised a salary,
but after we had been there a short time we
found out that the salary was—no pay. The
people thought we could get our living from
the little farm that belonged to the parsonage.
We suffered a great deal in those years, but
my husband bore it all with great patience.
I many a time wished I could give those people
a piece of my mind.” ‘Not a piece of your
mind,” we said, “but the plain word of God.
The people perhaps knew no better, and they
ought to have been instructed from God’s Word
in regard to the duty of every Christian con-
gregation.””

A pastor should devote his time entirely to
the duties of his calling. He should not ‘‘en-
tangle himself with the affairs of this life’’
(2 Tim. 2, 4.), but he should “‘give attendance
to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Tim.
4, 18.) Therefore “hath the Lord ordained
that they which preach the Gospel should live
of the Gospel.’’ (1 Cor. 9,14.) ‘‘If we have
sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great
thing if we shall reap your carnal things?”
says the Apostle. (1 Cor. 9, 7.) From these
and other passages of God’s Word we learn that
it is the plain‘duty of all the members of the
congregation to give something towards the
minister's salary according to their means.

And to this St. Paul adds in the 7th verse: ‘Be
not deceived; God is not mocked.’
manner Christ says to His apostles in Luke
and drinking such things as they give; for
the laborer is worthy of his hire’.’’

need and want.

and rejoice when their pastors suffer, and with-

such faithfulness as they ought, it is a plain

Saviour Christ teacheth the same thing in the
such things as they have, for the laborer is

not know that they which minister about holy
things live of the things of the temple? and
they which wait at the altar are partakers with

of the Gospel,’ 1 Cor. 9, 13. 14.’

must be slow pay—poor pay—no pay?

Take, eat, this is my Body.—Drink ye all

only as a memorial of His death.

Dr. Luther therefore says: ‘‘There is no

doubt that it is our duty to support the pastors
and ministers of the Church, and if we give
nothing towards their support, God’s Word
will condemn us, and we will bring shame upon
ourselves.

It is God's will that ‘he that is
taught in the Word communicate unto him
that teacheth in all good things.’ Gal. 6, 6.

In like
10, 7.: ‘And in the same house remain, eating
Again Luther says: ‘‘It is impossible that
true Christians should let their pastors live in
But since some even laugh
hold from them their living, or give it not with
token they are worse than the heathen.”

And again Luther says: ‘The people must
be admonished of their duty, that they may
know that they ought to yield unto their pas-
tors both reverence and a necessary living. Our

tenth chapter of Luke: ‘Eating and drinking

worthy of his hire.’ And Paul saith, ‘Do ye

the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained
that they which preach the Gospel ‘should live

Is it not wrong to think the minister's salary

(For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioneer.’’)

of it, this is my Blood.
Matth. 26, 26. 28.

DEAR READER:—Perhaps you.are in a strait

as to the proper meaning of these words, your
soul being darkened by the error of sectarians
who say that our Saviour did not mean His

body and blood, but instituted the Holy Supper
To make
this seem clear they direct you to John 6, 68.:
“Tt is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh
profiteth nothing.’”’ Now, that in these words
our Saviour did not mean His flesh but ours can
be clearly seen from the context; but I will
also direct you to Rom. 8, 1.: ‘There is there-
fore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit’; and to Gal. 5, 16.:
“This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” ‘There is
nothing in our sinful flesh that profiteth any-
thing, nothing that would merit salvation; no,
we must wholly rely on the merits of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Verily, His flesh
and blood profiteth us much. ~ x.

—s- +e
-

seize it then.

Under his Wings.

Under his wings shalt thou trust.—Ps. 91, 4.
That means to-day, not some other time!

Under his wings, the shadowing wings of the
Most High, you, poor little helpless one, are
to trust to-day.

When the little eaglets, that have not yet a

feather to fly with, are under the great wings
of the parent eagle, how safe they are! Who
would dare touch them? If a bold climber
put his hand into the nest then, those powerful
wings would beat him in a minute from his
hold, and he would fall down on the rocks and
be dashed to pieces.
“under his wings,’ “nothing shall by any
means hurt you’’ there.

So safe shall you be

When the wild snow-storms rage round the

eyrie, and the mountain cold is felt, that is
death to an unprotected sleeper, how warm the
little eaglets are kept! Not an arrow of the
keen blast reaches them, poor little featherless
things, not a snowflake touches them. So warm
shall you be kept ‘under his wings,’’ when any
cold and dark day of trouble comes, or even any
sudden little blast of unkindness or loneliness.

“Under his wings shalt thou trust!’? Not

“shalt thou see!”’ If one of the eaglets wanted
to see for itself what was going on, and thought
it could take care of itself for a little while, and
hopped from under the shadow of the wings, it

would be neither safe nor warm, The sharp
wind would chill it, and the cruel hand might
So you are to trust, rest quietly
and peacefully, ‘‘under his wings;”’ stay there,
not be peeping out and wondering whether
God really is taking care of you! You may be
always safe and happy there. Safe, for ‘in
the shadow of Thy wings will I make my
refuge.” Happy, for ‘‘in the shadow of Thy
wings will I rejoice.”’

Remember, too, that it’is a command as well
as a promise; it is what you are to do to-day,
all day long: ‘Under his wings shalt thou
trust!”

“T am trusting thee, Lord-Jesus,
Trusting only thee!

Trusting thee for full salvation,
Great and free.

“T am trusting thee to guide me,
Thou alone shalt lead!

Every day and hour supplying

All my need.”
F. R, Havergal.

—s~- oo oe

“Goop works do not make a Christian; but
one must bea Christian to do good works. ‘The
tree bringeth forth the fruit, not the fruit the
tree. None is made a Christian by works, but
by Christ; and being in Christ, he brings forth
fruit for Him.’’—JZnither.

—— ~<a oe ee

A trRvE Christian living in the world is like
a ship sailing on the ocean. It is not the ship
being in the water which will sink it, but the
water getting into the ship. So the world with
its love of pleasure getting into the hearts of
Christians has ruined its millions.

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