Not an hireling

The horseleech has her daughters that still are crying, Give:

You must pay us for preaching, or else we cannot live.

You must give us ten dollars for every sabbath day—

It is no more than reason that we should have our PAY.

We have to write our sermons, and read them off to you—

We cannot work for nothing as the Old Baptists do.

It takes us time to study, and that you know full well—

We must be paid for learning attained at Waterville.

And now if you will give us five hundred by the year,

We'll try to read our sermons, and from work keep clear.

But if you will not pay us, we'll read no more to you;

But we will take a mission and see what we can do.

This looks not like a minister that Jesus Christ has made:

He never preached the gospel, and made of it a trade.

But when I see a preacher that will not preach or pray,

Unto the church of Jesus unless it be for pay.

It looks just like the lawyer, as I have heard them say,

Who pleads well for his client if he is sure of pay.

Now if I go to college and there do learn my trade,

In order to get money, what difference can be had,

Between me and the lawyer, I surely none can see.

And now if there is any, pray point it out to me.

But we want no such preachers to come along this way,

To peddle out the gospel, and gather up their pay.

The gospel of salvation we know was freely given,

Not to be bought with money, but freely sent from heaven.

Verses which were composed by Elder James Stewart; From a letter sent by Betsey Quint to THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES, October 17, 1842.