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Vol. 2.
PREACHERS
For some unaccountable cause
it has come into my mind to write
an article on the subject of
“Preachers,” or more particularly
to write about what I believe to be
favorable and unfavorable indica
tions or signs in a young man for
the ministry. I have tried for
weeks to put the impression from
me without writing, but cannot.
So I shall try to do so by writing,
which is my apology for writing.
I desire to be in line with views
held by Baptists in general, al
though I shall cross some individ
ual views, yet I shall say my say.
I shall consider what I hold as
unfavorable signs first.
The minister is a gift not only
in the church but to the church,
and is a good gift, for God is the
giver wh ) knows how to give, and
does give good gifts to his children.
The ministry is one of these gifts.
The ministry is good to the church
the church is good to the ministry
and God is good to both. A man
can not make himself a preacher,
the church can not, but God can
and does, and he alone,
It requires an especial grace to
enable a man to preach the gospel.
All members in the church are,
or should have been, born again
and have eternal life within them,
but all are not preachers, nor can
they all preach, because out of '
this membership, God makes man- 1
itest his predestinated purpose by <
putting in the hearts of some
UWWUU ——- =—
impulse to tell what they see and
know about salvation. This is
termed a “call” to the ministry.
Paul had this notion about it when
he said, “Unto me, who am less
than the least of all saints :s this
grace given that I should preach. ’
He could not preach without it
and with it he could not help
preaching, and he had this gift in
addition to the gift of eternal life
which all saints have in common.
Because a man wants to preach
is no sign he is called by the Lord.
There have been in the church
from time to time those who want
to preach so bad as to cause trouble
and distress id the churches, as
some of us well know. In fact
that is about the usual and only
result in such cases, and this of
itself should boa proof that the
gift is not of God.
It is a bad sign in any young
man to want tc preach so bad that
he must tell the people about it,
yet there have been some of this
kind in the churches. They will
talk about it to any and every one,
chafe under restraint, disregard
the mind oi the church, advice of
the old ministers, acting as though
they knew more than all of them.
This Is no evidence that such are
called of the Lord, and such rarely
ever preach the gospel.
It is a bad sign to hear a man
question the right of a church to
advance or restrain him, So bad
a sign that I do not believe u
person who is called of the Lord
will ever do it. While, as I said,
the Lord and him only can and
does make preachers, yet it seems
from the scripture that Paul re
cognized the fact that the church
had to do, and did do something
for them or to them before they
were fully set apart to the xull
work of the gospel ministry. This
is a standing custom in the church
today and is called “liberation
find ordinatioh.” Now while a
man can preach without this, and
fi man should not be ordained un
lesd he can preach, ordination is
®lje Jlugnmo Suntiar.
“THOU HAST GIVEN A BANNER TO THEM THAT FEAR THEE, THAT IT MAY BE DISPLAYED BECAUSE OF THE TRUTH.--Ps.lms 60: 4.
the seal or sanction of the church,
letting him into the ordinances of
( the church giving him a recom
, mendation and standing among
• other churches, making him
legally a minister of the gospel.
The first of these steps is “libera
tion,” that is, the church by an
official act gives a man liberty to
try his gift, that they may the
better judge in the matter. Some
times we hear the right of the
church questioned to do this, but
the protest usually comes from
some one who wants to preach and
can’t. I was talking to a man
last fall, and urging upon\him to
wait until he was liberated by his
church before he traveled about
over the country preaching, when
he said, “There is no scripture for
liberating a man ” I told him to
go home and read Heb. xiii. 23,
which I suppose he did for he has
never mentioned the matter to me
since. Hebrews viii. 23 is this,
“Know ye that our Brother
Timothy is set at liberty, with
whom if he como shortly, I will
see you.”
Now it is urged by seme that
Timothy had been in prison and
wag released, etc, and this was
what Paul nitant by the words “set
at liberty.” But as we have no inti
mation whatever in the word that
Timothy was ever in prison and
W 3 have much proof he was a
preacher, and a youngs preacher,
who had come up and out in the
church in Paul’s day and had
“hands laid on him,” it seems that
say Pauf meant to inform
Hebrews that Timothy had been
given license or liberty by his
church to exercise his gift m
public and that he was going to
bring him up to Jerusalem that
the church might hear him, as
others have to say he meant a
prison.
Again, the Hebrew church was
the most orderly of the New Testa
ment churches, especially about
the ministry, they would not hear
a man unless they were sure he
was in order, as Paul. well knew
by experience, for did not Barna
bas have to take him when he
began preaching, and convince the
church that he was in order before
they would have anything to do
with him? And the reason he said
what he did about Timothy in
viii. 23, was that he knew that
they knew what order was and
that they would stand upon order
regardless of any man.
Now if it was good order for
Timothy to be given liberty by
the church then, it is good order
for a man to be 'liberated now,
and it Paul would not take along
a man until he had been given
liberty I think it is gross disorder
for preachers and churches to
encourage a man to preach, when
his church has not given him
liberty, it is to say the teast treat
ing a sister church very disiespect
fully. I never knew a man who
undertook to run an Old Baptist
church but what he ran his head
in the ground and broke his neck ;
what I mean by this, is, that I
never knew one who wanted to
preach and must preach and would
preach whether the church wanted
him too or uot, that ever amount
; ed to anything useful in the
running an Old Baptist church
. contrary to her will, it will bring
i trouble every time.
i “A man’s gift will make room
i for him.” A man don’t have to
i make for his gift, so my
I brother if you have a gift, just rest
• easy, for as certain as the sun
J shines, that gift will make room
DEVOTED TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
VALDOSTA, GA.,NOVEMBERI, 1895 b
, for you, the gift is far away larger
F than you are, yet I have seen some
• who aeted as though they bad to
; make room for their gift. Such,
rever can get room enough. But
those who are called, and really
have a gift, feel that they more
room than they want, more than
they ought to have and a thousand
times more than they are, or ever
v ill be able to fill.
I am often asked the question
“what is the best evidence that a
man is called to preach?’, I think
she best evidence that a man is
called to preach is that be can
pheach, the next best is that ho
don’t want to preach and the third
I est evidence is that his wife don’t
want him to preach. As to the
fact that he can preach, the
church is the best judge and she
seldom is mistaken.
As to his not wanting to preach
every minister I know of who is
a.iy use to the Baptists fought
against it with all his power and
tried to work it off in every way
be could.
When I bear Brother Lippincott
telling about his trip to California,
I khow he ran off their to get rid
of preaching. When I hear Bro
Will Shoemaker tell about his
trip to Kansas, I know it was ta
ken to get away from preaching,
aid many others I might men
tion, and many who may read
these lines whose faces I have nev
er seen and whose names I don’t
know, will remember how you
went away, troubled nearly to*
►'ll ua '
sc hungry to see the old church 1
and a nameless fear and dread got
in their hearts until they just had
tc come right back and do the
very thing they ran away to keep
from doing. Surely God has a
wonderful way of making us do
his will.
Now I want to say a few words
about the “favorable” signs as I 1
promised. Ever since I have been <
among the Baptist I have heard
them say that “when the Lord
calls a man to preach, the church
will know it just as soon as he
does,” and I believe it. They
mean by that, that when God puts
it into the heart of a man to
pi each,be also puts it into the
hearts of the members of that
church, the knowledge of that
, fact, the desire to hear him and
the love to nurse and care for him.
■ Now.l believe that with all my
heart. And whenever God puts
■ it into the heart of a man to
preach he also puts a small por-
■ lion of that, that is highly esteem
ed by the church in nis heart, that
; is “Humility,” and it makes him
t feel little, weak and backward,
• tr< mble and fear as he looks up to
, the church, has great respect for
I her and what she does, just wil
l lit gto take a back seat and keep
. still; wants to be “let alone,” is
. content where he is; or with the
, loom he has, has all the liberty he
■ wants, not easily offended,is kind,
i uncomplaining, all of which goes
; so make things go smoothly and
; quietly in the church.
> I have seen a family of children
I suddenly discover they were in
I possession of real alive baby bro-
■ thcr or sister, and have been amus
j ed to see their antics, how they
i wculd gather around it, love it,
j pes it and fondle it with all the
tenderness of their wonderiul
i childish love, and vie with each
) other in caring for it.
r Well, I have thought this is a
I good illustration of the effect pro
i a need in a church when they dis
i cover they have a gift -in their
r midst. The church is a mother
i and the members love to nur
> ture and cherish that” gift, How
, they will hold him up in their
, hands and sit forward on the edge
of the seats when he is up speak
ing, how/their hearts will glow
and tears flow, if he has liberty.
They will pray for him when alone
talk about him when together. If
he stumbles and stammers, they 1
wont throw him away or cast him '
off, if he makes a failure they are 1
the more persuaded than ever he 1
will preach. I
Brethren in the ministry, we 1
can understand how it is now, but *
how strange it all seemed to us '
then, the ivery thing that we would J
pursuade ourselves would settle ,
Li 11.1 .1 t
the matter with them and mak*
them give it up, and not ask us tc
preach anymore, only convinced
them the more they were right
and when* we would (after a fail
ure) go off ashamed, with head
down, feeling sure they were at
last convinced we coulden’t preach,
yet when next meeting day came
around they would all be there
again, eager to hear what we had
to say. J used to think and do
sometimes yet, if it hadn’t been so
persistent I would never have
preached, but I suppose it was to
be just that way.
But wh|t’s the use of my talk
ing all know about these
things better than lean tell it. I
feel betteg already for writing this
will not feel worse
■Ht. Also we all
were not rip I
WaeranKb.. Sept. 16,1895.
f Messenger Os Peace
GUTS.
One great evidence that a man
is called of God to preach, is that
he preaches to the comfort of
God’s children, and the churches
can see more fitness in him than
he can see in himself. Moses felt
inadequate tor the great task of
preaching, so did Jonah and Jer
remiah, and every true servant oi
God. A man may feel very poor
and be very backward about
speaking, but if the church sees a
useful gilt in him, she should en
courage him to go to the extent of
his gift. Many precious gifts do
not have the proper encourage
ment for it is sucn a great task
for them to speak, they are very
timid.
We had rather encourage ten poor
little gifts to go forward than to
have to pull one back. We have
never kiown a man that hadan ex
alted opinion of himself as being a
preacher, and always anxious to
preach and thought hard of the
brethren if he did not get to
preach, that ever was a blessing
to the lord’s people as a minis
ter. There are afflictions in the
Gospel of Christ. Every true
servant-of Ohrisf has sore afflic
tions and goes through deep wa
ters of tribulation. We love to
see gifts kept in their proper
places. There are gifts to prayer
and exhortation and they should
be encouraged.
AH Christians need nursing
more or less. Churches should en
courage all poor little timid ones
and hold back the others. May
the Lord send forth faithful labor
ers in the harvest, for the harvest
is great and the true laborers are
few—H.
ELECTION.
When I joined the Regular Bap
tist church, I thought when I
heard a person say that he believ
ed in the doctrine of election, that
was evidence enough that he
was a sound Baptist. But after
gxving the matter some investiga
tion, I learn that there are differ
ent opinions on this point of
doctrine. There are three posi
tions advocated by religious peo
ple, that I desire to mention, for
the consideration of all who may
read this. The first position is
that God made a choice, and that
before the world began: but he
chose believers only; and not Un
believers, and the choice was made
becailHft nf fnrPSAPn virlnaa in i lno I
p xurcbeeu virtues in ine
' object chosen; so the choice was
” conditional. • Now if this position
is true, then the creature procures
’ his election by an action of his
cwn, and it is foreseen virtue that
moves God in the action of the
choice. We car. not accept that
’ position, for reasons I will give
1 First, it denies the sovereignty of
■ God, and makes him a God of in
fluence. Second, it has the action
J of the creature before the action
’ of God, moving God to act, which
' makes God a subordinate being
’ only acting as he is moved to act
by the creature; and for these iu
. evitable conclusions I deny the
i premise. It is not in harmony 1
with the character of God, as it
i is given in the Scriptures of divine
- truth, and is nothing. but Armin- <
snip m ~ a t; position is
. —. ? . 1
from all eternity, J™ that the
devil has a distinct family, and
j there is no relation existing be
tween God’s family and the devil’s
family: and these are both a fam
i ily of spirits, which in time dwell
: in the Adam family, and every
person of the Adam family in
j which the child of God dwells,
is influenced by the God man; and
and persons of Adam’s, family
• in which the child of the devil
dwells, is influenced by the child
of the devil: and that makes a
difference in the flesh, and that
God made a choice of his own
familv and none of the devil’s
family; and therefore all that go
. to heaven go there because they
are God’s children, and those that
' go to hell go there because they
are the devils children. Now, I
have some very serious objections
to that position. If God made a
choice of his family, was it a con
’ ditional choice or unconditional? I
• maintain, if the position is true,
the choice was conditional, and
why? Because, if the children ex
isted from all eternity, he made
, choice of them because they were
, his children, or he made the choice
, before eternity, which would be
. before he existed, for nothing is
older than eternity. Now, again
if this famiiy existed from all eter
nity, was there any relationship
between this family and Adam’s
which was brought into existence
in time? Surely not. Now, if no
relationship existed between them
how could the transgression of
Adam bring death and condemna
tion upon God’s holy family? And
if they are never under condemna
tion, would they need a Redeemer
I Mediator, and intercessor and Sa
vior? Surely not. Therefore the
, teaching of inspiration that de
scribes Christ as the Savior of sin
ners is false, and I would rather
believe the teaching of Christ, than
: to except the doctrine of eternal
i vital unionism. Therefore,! be-
lieve in the doctrine of election
of sinners, of Adam’s family, apd
that “God made, of one blood all
‘ the nations of men to dwell on all
the face of the earth.” And in
their created state they were not
- adapted to hell or heaven, but
the place in which they were place*
ed. Sin and transgression brought
death and condemnation upon the
human family, and not God’s pur*
pose, decree or election. There*
fore, I believe in the Sublapsarian
view,which contemplates the apos
tasy as past, and the elect as being
in a guilty state. So election
does not imply reprobation, or
rejection ; but choosing, selecting
and predeterming, to bring out
from where sin had placed them,
a deffinite number of sinners of
Adam s family, and simply leav
ing the rest of mankind where
sin places them, wh’ch makes their
condition no worse, than if. the
whole human family werj banished
from God and his glory. Which
God could haye done, and remain
ed just While some have thought
that God could not make a choice
of one person, and not choose an
other; without there was a differ
ence in the object chosen, without
being unjust^—that he could not
select one without rejecting all the
est. Now dear reader, did not
God select Noah and his family, >
and save them, while the rest of
mankind were drowned? Did the
selection of Noah and his family
iave any thing to do in tho des
truction of those not in the ark
or cause their destruction ot in
any way? Surely not. When God
from his father’s family, did
renrobate, or reject Nahor, and
Haran? The answer is, no. What
did he do? He left them where
they were. Why did God bestow
those favors upon Noah and
Abram? We answer in the language
of inspiration, “I will have mer
cy on whom I will have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor
of him that runneth, but of God
whosheweth mercy.” Then again ,
the twelve apostles were selected
or chosen to be apostles. Did
the selection of the twelve apostles
to the apostleship, reprobate or
reject the rest of mankind? Cer
tainly not; but left them out only,
which did them no harm whatev
er. Those that are reprobated, are
reprobated for wicked works.
Those that are saved in the para
dise of God, are saved because
they are the objects of God’s eter
nal love, on which he bestows elect
ing, distinguishing, and unmerited
grace, not because of foreseen virt
ues, not because they are holy and
have existed from eternity, but of
his own free and soverign will,
influenced by the creature. He
made choice of a definite number
of sinners of Adam’s race, which
shall be made holy, and without
blame before him in love. When I
investigate the Scripture of divine
truth, I find this doctrine taught
to my satisfaction, a few passa
ges of which I desire to call the
reader’s attention to: “Blessed is
the man whom thou chooses t and
causest to approach unto thee,that
he may be satisfied with the good
ness of thy house, even of the holy
temple.” Ps. Ixv, 4. This is a
plain declaration, that the choice
is first, and the approaching sec
ond. Not that the man becomes
the chosen after he approaches,
after he comes to God, after he be
lieves and works righteousness,
(Continued on 4th page.)
, J
No. 20