The Minister’s Wife
In former years the wives of ministers endured want and perse-
cution. When their husbands suffered imprisonment, and sometimes
death, those noble, self-sacrificing women suffered with them, and
their reward will be equal to that bestowed on the husband. Mrs.
Boardman and the Mrs. Judsons suffered for the truth,—suffered with
their companions. They sacrificed home and friends in every sense of
the word, to aid their companions in the work of enlightening those
who sat in darkness; to reveal to them the hidden mysteries of the word
of God. Their lives were in constant peril. To save souls was their
great object, and for this they could suffer cheerfully....
If a minister’s wife accompanies her husband in his travels, she
should not go for her own special enjoyment, to visit and to be waited
upon, but to labor with him. She should have a united interest with
him to do good. She should be willing to accompany her husband, if
home cares do not hinder, and she should aid him in his efforts to save
souls. With meekness and humility, yet with a noble self-reliance, she
should have a leading influence upon minds around her, and should
act her part and bear her cross and burden in meeting, and around the
family altar, and in conversation at the fireside. The people expect
this, and they have a right to expect it. If these expectations are not
realized, the husband’s influence is more than half destroyed.
The wife of a minister can do much if she will. If she possesses the
spirit of self-sacrifice, and has a love for souls, she can with him do
almost an equal amount of good. A sister-laborer in the cause of truth
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can understand and reach some cases, especially among the sisters,
that the minister cannot.
A responsibility rests upon the minister’s wife which she should
not and cannot lightly throw off. God will require the talent lent her,
with usury. She should work earnestly, faithfully, and unitedly with
her husband to save souls. She should never urge her wishes and
desires, or express a lack of interest in her husband’s labor, or dwell
upon homesick, discontented feelings. All these natural feelings must
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