Pastoral Claims Stated 5

IV. A minister has a claim upon his people for their sincere and fervent AFFECTION. "Esteem them very highly in love."

1. This love should be APPARENT—for however strong it may be, yet if it be confined to the heart, it can be of little value to its object. But who can conceal an ardent attachment, when opportunities are continually occurring, which not only allow—but even invite expressions of it? A minister should no more be in doubt of the attachment of his people than he is of that of his wife and children. The coldness and distance of some of our flock are poor evidences of regard. Not that we covet an attachment which expresses itself in silly epithets, fawning sycophancy, or disgusting flattery. It is difficult sometimes to repress the contempt we feel for those who offer such nauseating incense. The affection which we desire, is not that weak and childish fondness of which a wise man would be ashamed—but a more dignified kind, which an angel would not blush to receive.

2. Your love for your minister should be TOLERANT—for charity covers a multitude of faults. By tolerance, I do not mean that spurious liberality which is not only attached to an object, notwithstanding his faults—but actually on account of them. I trust we shall never live to see the day when character will be thought by our churches to be of little importance in their pastors, though certain strong symptoms of this are apparent in a few of them. Let a man only pander to their erroneous predilections, their perverted imaginations, their antinomian taste; let him be their blessing companion in private, and be a little tolerant towards their inconsistencies, and some will be disposed to be peculiarly indulgent in return, towards even his wide departures from ministerial consistency.* Levity, malice, folly, and even suspected intemperance, will be connived at, if he has only ingratiated himself into those affections which are too blind to see anything wrong in a darling object. I ask no tolerance for a man, who, though receiving a competent salary, lives in extravagance and self-indulgence beyond his income, and involves himself in debt and disgrace. I ask no tolerance for a man, who, though he may not be a drunkard, is a tippler. I ask no tolerance for a man, who, though he be neither fornicator nor adulterer, indulges in indecent liberties with females.

I ask no tolerance for a man who is malicious and implacable, and who, by the bitterness of his animosities, is perpetually involving himself and his friends in feuds and quarrels. I ask no tolerance for a man who receives money from his people for public objects, and refuses to account for it. I ask no tolerance for the liar or calumniator; and I rejoice that our ministers are not such; so that I have no need to ask tolerance for these things. God forbid I should ask for the tolerance of sin in the ministerial character! "An elder must be blameless, of good report from them that are without, not given to wine, not fond of filthy lucre, an example to believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." His character, like that of Caesar's wife, must be above suspicion; and did he preach with the tongue of an angel, yet without something of an angel's holiness, his eloquence should be in our ears but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

The charity then, which I ask, is not for an unholy man—but for an imperfect one; for those infirmities which attach even to the best of men in this world. I ask for the love which thinks no evil, which is not easily provoked, which suffers long and is kind; which covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things—which is disposed to diminish, rather than to magnify imperfections; and to conceal, rather than to expose them. I do ask for every minister, from the people of his charge, for that charity which is slow to take offence, especially on doubtful grounds. We are commanded, I know, to give no offence, and in the meaning of the apostle, I trust we shall give none; but to live so as in no sense to give offence to anyone, is a very difficult—if not an impossible task. With so many to please, and those possessing such various and changing inclinations, it is too much to expect that we shall be able to avoid displeasing some.

It is really surprising and painful to think what insignificant circumstances will sometimes, quite unintentionally, on the part of a minister, give offence to some of his hearers. Calling a little oftener on some than on others; or, forgetting to call according to his promise; not visiting the sick, when no one had informed him of their illness; preaching a little longer or a little shorter than usual; a supposition that he was personal, when he had no individual on earth in his mind as the special object of address; passing a house without stepping in, or not stopping to converse with an individual in the street, when speeding on an errand of mercy, or on some important business; speaking with less frankness or cheerfulness, and with an appearance of coldness, when, perhaps, the mind was burdened with grief, or travailing with some great purpose—these, and less than these, are the frivolous circumstances on account of which some petulant minds are displeased with their minister. I can only say, that to such trifles, none but triflers can attend—and it is impossible that the most charitable or watchful mind can avoid giving offence to those who are thus predisposed to take it. But, where is their affection? Where is their tolerance?

* I by no means give it as my opinion that churches are to be unforgiving towards a minister, who has been "overtaken in a fault;" much less that his brethren should forever withdraw from him, after he has given the most unequivocal and satisfactory proofs of repentance, as well as grief, Some falls, however, are so disgraceful, as to be sufficient to exclude a man forever from the pulpit, whatever may be his compunction or reformation; and in no case of immorality should a minister be restored to the confidence of the churches, or his brethren, without such evidence of penitence as would restore a private member to the communion. And in all cases of ministerial defection, it does appear to me that character should be regained where it has been lost, and that the same church which causes him to suspend his labors, should restore him again to his pulpit; they who have been the witnesses of his sin, should be the judges of his repentance. Among them, however humiliating it may be, he should walk humbly, and bring forth the fruits of repentance, and if restored to their confidence, there exists no reason why in many cases he may not be restored to their pulpit.

3. Your affection to your minister should be PRACTICAL. It should lead you studiously to avoid everything that would give him, not only lasting distress—but even momentary uneasiness; and as anxiously to do everything to promote his comfort. It should be matter of actual study, of frequent and deliberate counsel, in what way you can promote his happiness in the situation to which you have invited him. In the prosecution of this object, you must be a holy and consistent people, following "whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report." "You must adorn the doctrine of God your Savior," by all conversation and godliness.

"You must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world." You must "come out and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and not be conformed to this world." Do what you will in other things, fill his purse with wealth, his house with presents, and his ear with words of tenderest affection, still, after all, if he sees you decline in the spirit and practice of religion, if he witnesses you walking inconsistently, forgetting your obligation to the practice of the most refined morality, he will be, and necessarily must be, a miserable man. Your sins will inflict wounds on his heart which nothing can heal, and throw a gloom on his path which nothing can irradiate. You must be holy, or he cannot be happy; your irregularities will embitter his cup of consolation, however full or sweet it might otherwise be.

To promote his comfort, you must be at peace among yourselves. He cannot be happy among a divided and discordant people—such a state of things is an impediment in the way both of his usefulness and of his comfort. What a wretched condition is that pastor in, who sees the influential members of his church, jealous of each other, alienated and unable to act together; the different families of his flock living not only in estrangement—but in ill will; while each party is filling his ear with complaints against the other—the deacons jealous of the interference of the people, the people suspicious of the conduct or the motives of the deacons; the whole body in that loose connection, that preparedness for division, which place the coherence of the church in peril on the discussion of the most trivial question. A minister in such a situation must have anything but comfort. "Fulfill my joy," said the apostle to the Philippians, "that you be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory—but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves." Even an apostle could not be happy while the churches were not at peace, although he resided at a distance from them—how much less can a pastor be comfortable who stands in the very breach. "Seek after the things that make for peace, and things whereby you may edify one another." "Look diligently, lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."

"Be clothed with humility," for "by pride comes contention." Seek to be more holy; for "from whence comes wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence—even of your lusts?" "Be subject one to another;" the young to the aged, the novice to the experienced Christian, the ill-informed to the wise. Avoid all private feuds. Seek after more love to Christ. Get more of that charity which Paul has so beautifully described, and this will keep you at peace among yourselves. Disturbances and divisions in our churches reflect discredit upon our principles as dissenters, and upon our religion as Christians; they are a great injury to personal piety, throw a stumbling block in the way of the young, and not only grieve a pastor's mind—but form an impediment to the success of his labors.

Practical affection to your minister will lead you to provide liberally for his SUPPORT; for that is a 'peculiar' kind of love which leaves its object to suffer poverty. I greatly disesteem a greedy, grasping minister, who though not scantily supplied by his people, is ever complaining of his poverty, and perpetually teasing them for an increase of salary! And I as greatly detest the conduct of that church, the members of which drive a really deserving and necessitous pastor to knock and to knock in vain at the door of their cold and callous hearts for assistance! I bless God that instances are rare among us in which ministers are thus obliged to beg for support, or in which their flocks imagine that all they give for their pastor's salary is to be set down on the list of their alms deeds.

The Divine Head of the church has, by an explicit law, intervened for the comfortable support of all his ministers. He has enjoined no fixed sum, because, as everything in his kingdom is to be performed under the influence of love, and all is left in that way which is best calculated to be a test of love, the provision for his servants is trusted to the operation of this general principle; and we may be quite sure, that where there is a proper regard nourished by the people for their minister, they will not leave him to poverty. It is not desirable, except in cases of absolute necessity, that a pastor should be encumbered with the cares of secular business, not even by the profession of a schoolmaster; for the nature of his duties, as well as scriptural injunction, requires that he should give himself wholly to his office; but still, inasmuch as even the apostolic office itself was not disgraced by the secular labors of those who filled it, so neither can the ministry now be degraded by such employments—where expediency or necessity requires them.

Paul's exhortation to others evidently enjoins a separation of ministers from secular pursuits—but his example allows of exceptions from his own general rule. And certainly, a preacher of righteousness is far less disgraced by being seen a part of his time even in a retail shop—than he who, to support the dignity of his office, disdains to soil his clerical hands with honest work, though perhaps many a hope-sick creditor in his congregation is continually replying to all his admonitions from the pulpit, "Pay me what you owe."

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