Attempt > Volume 3

40 THE ATTEMPT.
with its humble little church, cannot be under the charge of such a one as here
described. Perhaps its pastor is of the easy going, good-natured, imenergetic kind,
such as we have pictured so truthfully by Crabbe. Unmoved by strong passions,
or by any deep yearnings after truth, such as lead many men to enter fields termed
dangerous and unorthodox by the lazy and the stupid, he led an unobtrusive every¬
day sort of a life.
" Simple he was, and loved the simple truth.
Yet had some useM cmming from his youth ;
A cunning never to dishonor lent.
And rather for defence than conquest meant;
'Twas fear of power, with some desire to rise,
But not enough to make him enemies;
He never aim'd to please ; and to offend
Was ever cautious, for he sought a friend ;
Yet for the friendship never much would pay,
Content to bow, be silent and obey.
And by a soothing sufferance find his way."
Just such a man as this it is easy to imagine as the centre of village tea-parties,
indulging in quiet gossip, scarcely deserving the harsher name of scandal. His
doctiines were of the mildest description ever delivered to village congregation, and
we have the comforting assurance that each discourse " gained in softness what it lost
in force." Such are the men who slip through life alike iincensured and unpraised.
Very severe lashes are bestowed by the pen of the great MUton on those
" hirelings " who enter the Church from motives of greed and avarice, who, regardless
of their sacred duties, seek only their personal aggrandisement. Lamenting over
the loss of Lycidas, we hear " the Pilot of the Galilean lake," as he raises up his
voice, declaring how many others he could have spared to save him, over whose
head the waters had just closed. One line cannot fail to suggest itself frequently to
the minds of those who may at times feel a longing for more solid food than is
usually offered for their digestion, in which we are told how
" The hungry sheep look up and are not fed."
However, dwelling upon what we have not is biit a profitless task, so let us turn
our consideration to the great helps which are afforded us by the thoughtful, truth-
searching men who fill many of our churches and chapels. We Scotch are said to
love long sermons. This may or may not be a national characteristic; but certainly,
as a rule, we all enjoy a good thoughtful sermon, or " discourse " as some prefer to