Morning Star

For the Morning Star.

To the brethren and sisters who profess to take the New Testament for the man of their council.

This is a day when the number of our brethren is multiplied; and a murmuring has arose in many places because our ministers are neglected in the daily ministrations. Brethren, if you have looked out men of honest report and full of the Holy Ghost, and have appointed them over this business, and the angel of the Lord hath said unto them "arise and go toward the south," or if they have been called away by death; beware, lest the cries of the women and children come up before the Lord, and you be accused of wasting his goods. The cry of the brethren to the elders, is, "Come and preach to us," while his family cries for bread. He knows that they need food and raiment. But he looks abroad and beholds fields already white for the harvest—sinners daily passing into a solemn eternity, and the cause of Zion languishing. His compassion is moved, and he leaves his family to go and labor in the vineyard of the Lord. The brethren are glad to see the servant of the Lord, and spread their tables with rich dainties to supply his wants. Could the poor preacher believe his family were comfortable, how would his grief be assuaged. But alas! he knows to the reverse. The brethren tell him they should be glad to help him, if they were able. (Would it not be well for such, before they make this excuse, to go and visit their corn cribs, their pork barrels, and their dairy rooms; and to count the different changes of raiment which they have provided for their daughters.) Says one, "I have purchased a piece of land in addition to my farm, and I am straightened for money. The Lord bless you; come and preach to us again." If the Lord did not bestow the riches of his grace more frequently than some of the brethren do the good things of this life, the preachers' souls would become a barren waste, and we should have more barren sermons than we now have. You do not allow the preacher to tell you the wants of his family, nor ask you to help him. Should he do this, you would call him worldly-minded. "Thou art the man." Silver and gold he has not. The treasures of the gospel are committed to him; and such as he has he freely gives. "Go thou and do likewise."

That little sister who works so hard during the week to earn her living, would do well, in my humble opinion, to sell a pair of her side combs, a few yards of lace from her trimmed handkerchief, and reserve part of the Lord's time, which she now spends in ornamenting her person, to deeds of charity. Some of our rich sisters would do well to visit their clothes rooms for secret prayer, when the chilling blast prevents them from retiring to the groves; and there let conscience do its office. If such are not willing to part with their quilts and coverlets, let them visit their parlors, and think how much good their carpets might do the poor woman, who is suffering for wood by day and clothing by night in a cold house, while her husband has gone to proclaim salvation to a perishing world.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; yet the time is coming when all nations shall stand before his throne, and the wicked be separated from the righteous as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. Do those who are covetous, yet professed Christians, expect to hear the righteous Judge say to them, "Come ye blessed," &c. "I was an hungered and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; a stranger and ye took me in; naked and ye clothed me; sick and ye visited me; in prison and ye came unto me." If charity has ever been our delight, what was our motive? Was it to be seen of men? did we dread the frowns of the Almighty? or did we give for Jesus' sake?

I once attended a quarterly meeting and put up at a preacher's house with a number of brethren and sisters. We were joyfully received by the family into their neat little dwelling; their table was well furnished for their brethren, while they sat down to coarser fare. This was loud preaching to me, especially when I heard some of the sisters say they had five changes of raiment with them, though the meeting was to continue but two days; and considered, that the good preacher who was kindly entertaining us, was so embarrassed as to be obliged to let his debts lay on interest.

Must our preachers spend all their time, and they and their families suffer from hunger and cold by day and by night, and then die in debt, while we dwell in our ceiled houses with money at interest? In so doing, can we possibly meet the approbation of a just God? It cannot, cannot be. The brethren and sisters must be more liberal in their contributions to the necessities of preachers, or Zion must languish, and souls be lost. I say the truth in Christ, and lie not; your consciences also bear me witness. "Wo unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place," &c. Isa. 5:8.

I am aware of my inability to write on this important subject; yet believing that the cause of God requires it, I hope by a few broken hints to provoke some abler pen to take it up, and do it justice.

A FEMALE.