For the preacher’s trade one should have a call,
As has been said concerning the apostle Paul;
Who with power armed with writs to haul
Before magistrates Christians one and all,
And lodge them in jails subject to call
To be prosecuted in the name of the state
For sayings of Christ they did relate.
“Why persecutest thou me?” the Master said;
Then Saul, afterwards Paul, fell as one dead.
When he came to be had a call to preach,
So he went forth all nations to teach.
Not many of you preachers ever had a call,
Nor down as dead did any of you ever fall.
Most of you took to preaching to have something to do,
Although the picking is getting short for some of you,
If the newspaper accounts I’m reading be true.
When the lawyer’s job in the country gets short,
He adds insurance, abstracts, and things of that sort;
But when the preacher’s picking isn’t very good
He’d have ice-cream suppers whenever he could;
Or even quiltings and sewing society aid,
Eked out with dinners and sale of lemonade.
I notice now you’re going to take course
In farming to teach the brethren of the rural force;
But I’m afraid that if you begin shoot’n off your head
To some of those old rustics to help earn your bread,
You might get a set’n back worse than Old Ned,
Or even than Saul got when he fell as dead.
Farmers have ideas of their own they’ve tried;
And wouldn’t listen to the pastor or turn aside,
For his book learning he had himself supplied
While off at college that had never been tried.
You might do better holding to the plow,
While your brother farmer was milking his cow,
Feeding his stock and chopping his wood,
And in that way would do him more good.
But the best way for all is to wait for this call.
And don’t be in a hurry to be preachers at all.
If you wait a real call to actually hear,
You’ll be working soon and will not have to fear,
Without any other call than nature gives
To every animal that on earth now lives;
To be up and doing his fellow man to bless,
Which while doing you’ll keep from distress.