A difficult Church Member
Dr. George Lawson of Selkirk was a noted preacher in his day, and the successor of John Brown of Haddington in the professorship of the Secession Church. Lawson was called to Selkirk as a young man by an almost unanimous call. But the one member of the church there who had opposed the call was violently opposed to the young preacher and took every possible opportunity to annoy him.
Lawson, as a good pastor, visited his people often and he refused to pass by the captious member. One day Lawson was visting the man and trying to show him Christian love, entering into conversation with him in a very frank manner. The church member was, however, still suspicious and difficult, looking for every possible opportunity to catch Lawson out somehow. At last the man declared offensively that the minister had lied to him.
"How?" Lawson asked, quite certain that he had not lied.
"You have. For you said earlier, when I asked you to stay and have tea with us, you said you would not, yet you have done so. Is not that a lie?"
"You must read the story of the angels in Sodom who, when Lot pressed them to enter into his house and lodge with him during the night, refused and said, 'Nay, but we will abide in the street all night;' and instead of doing so, when Lot pressed them much, 'they turned in unto him and entered into his house: and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.' Now, do you suppose that these angels told a lie? No, they only changed their mind; and so I too have just changed my mind, and have remained to partake of your fare."
The unpleasant church member, who had been certain that he had caught the young minister, was silenced.
Lawson, as a good pastor, visited his people often and he refused to pass by the captious member. One day Lawson was visting the man and trying to show him Christian love, entering into conversation with him in a very frank manner. The church member was, however, still suspicious and difficult, looking for every possible opportunity to catch Lawson out somehow. At last the man declared offensively that the minister had lied to him.
"How?" Lawson asked, quite certain that he had not lied.
"You have. For you said earlier, when I asked you to stay and have tea with us, you said you would not, yet you have done so. Is not that a lie?"
"You must read the story of the angels in Sodom who, when Lot pressed them to enter into his house and lodge with him during the night, refused and said, 'Nay, but we will abide in the street all night;' and instead of doing so, when Lot pressed them much, 'they turned in unto him and entered into his house: and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.' Now, do you suppose that these angels told a lie? No, they only changed their mind; and so I too have just changed my mind, and have remained to partake of your fare."
The unpleasant church member, who had been certain that he had caught the young minister, was silenced.
posted by Highland Host at 10:35 am
4 Comments:
Is that the same George Lawson who wrote the commentary on Ruth?
Yes, the exact same George Lawson, as ever was.
Thanks for confirming this. I am thinking of buying his commmentary... would you recommend it?
I would. Although I haven't read that particular work of his, I have read others, and I find him to be uniformly Biblical and Evangelical (in the proper sense of the word)
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