Speak Well of Your Brethren in the Ministry.
THERE should be no necessity for such advice. The nobility of soul, which a minister of the gospel is, from his profession, expected to possess, should make it superfluous. But, however unnatural it is for a minister of the gospel not to speak well of his brethren in the ministry, the fact that many do the contrary is lamentably true. This advice is important, for one of the greatest injuries a minister can bring upon himself is, when the members of his congregation say, "I never ask him about any minister but he invariably says something against him." The people will see that such a minister really delights in lowering his brethren, and for no other reason than that of building himself up upon their ruins. Such conduct is unbecoming a man preaching the gospel of the "meek and lowly Jesus," and will result in his losing the confidence of the people, by whom he will be known as a cynic and scandal-monger. The minister who is guilty of this sin, not only injures himself, in that he loses the confidence of his people, but also in that he fosters one of the vilest passions of depraved human nature. Any allusions to the talents, moral excellencies, or success of others increases his misery, until he comes to the conclusion that every other minister is over-estimated, and that he alone is underrated. Again, the minister who fails to speak well of his brethren, not only injures himself, but also the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only hold that a minister has upon a community for good, is that which his reputation for ability, honesty, and purity gives him. Let this be taken from him, let the people lose their good opinion of him, and all his efforts to do the people good will be paralyzed. An unguarded word, a shrug of the shoulder, or an ominous silence, is sometimes sufficient to roll a stumbling-block in the way of a man who had been heretofore successful. By such conduct, the minister of the gospel acts in conjunction with the mighty efforts that are made by the hosts of darkness, to impede the progress of the work of the Lord. Guard the reputation of your brethren as a priceless treasure. Oh! that the ministry throughout the length and breadth of our land possessed more of the mind of Christ, making them an "example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."—Sermonizer.