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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