Preaching Versus Practice

Our minister preached last Sunday

A powerful discourse

He was even so much in earnest

That towards the last he was hoarse

How he charged us to love on another

I never can forget

But of course he only meant we should love

The people of our own set

 

He couldn’t have meant for instance

Such fellows as old Tom Relph

Of course he didn’t, you know that he

Never notices Tom himself

There’s no denying that when Tom prays

Heaven seems to come very near

But then he’s so old fashioned

And he does dress so queer.

 

He charged us to visit the widows

But he meant the wealthy ones

I know he must, for he never calls

On poor old widow Jones

She’s an earnest Christian, I do believe

And a member of his church

But I’ve noticed when visiting day comes round

She get left in the lurch

 

Of course he couldn’t go there you know

It would be too much to request

We see her often enough at church

Considering the way she’s dressed

There’s Mrs. Harley, a widow

The minister visits her

And over her fatherless children

Extends the tenderest care.

 

Then Mrs. Graves and Mrs. Lee

They live right side by side

Only a narrow gateway

Their dooryards divide

And both of them are striving

To walk in the narrow road

And both of them need his counsels

To help them on to God.

 

He often visits Mrs. Graves

But never Mrs. Lee

And I for one don’t blame him

She’s as poor as poverty

He’s here as shepherd of his flock

Our spiritual guide

If we follow his example

We cannot go far wide.

 

If he meant for us to visit much

He’d go and see them too

And if it ain’t required of him

It ain’t of me and you

To see he don’t go near ‘em

Nor his wife, she don’t go either

And I’m determined I for one

Won’t go a near them neither.

 

But do you know that Mrs. Harley

Can always be dressed in style

You don’t come in contact with poverty then

In want and suffering toil

I know she’s a wealthy woman

And winks at sin and vice

But the minister is but human

And likes to see people look nice.