Newspaper Page Text
VOL. X.
Comiramitations.
To tlie Elders.
The Eiders which are among you I exhort, who
ara also an Eider, and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed : feed the flock of God wjyoh is
among you, taki-ng the oversight lkere<sf, not lPy
Constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
of a ready mind. 1 Peter v. I—2.1 —2. p
The Apostle not only addresses thesaintsin
general, but in the above, he addresses hifffceff
rectly to the Elders, and exhorts them to certain
duties, and one very important duty w M to feed
the church of God. Dow very important, indeed,
Is this duty to feed the church of God, (not the
Church of antichrist,) but of God. In this text,
as well as many others, we believe the term “El
der,” is applicable to the ministers and preachers
of the cross of Christ, who have been not only
born into the kingdom of God, but also called of
the Foly Ghost, and impressed with the duty of
preaching the gospel; and as there is such a close
Oonneciioff'MSfciLe ehuioU Stu T-ministry-, for -the
Apostle first says the Elders which are among you,
And then says to the Eiders, “ Feed the flock which
is among you and so close is the connection
that God does not call his ministers to the work of
preaching without giving the church an impression
for him too. We think that wenit is the case
that God impresses the mind of one of his ser
vants with the weight and duty of preaching —
that he gives the church some weight of that
brother’s gift, and turns their feelings towards him,
And while he can’t think what is the cause of his
burden and distress, the church is already of
the opinion what is the matter, and to his great
astonishment as well as mortification some of the
brethren will tell him that he ought to try to
preach, and will encourage him so that he is not
put to the necessity of asking leave of the church,
but the church is ready to hear him before he
wants to be heard ; neither does he love to move
his membership from church to church to get
Ordained and get the care of a church, but God
will give him a nursing mother where he is
born.
Though it will ho a digression from our subject,
you will please excuse me while I give a passing
notice to those thatthrust themselves into the min
istry, and then I will return again to my subject.
Like Ahimaaz of old, they will ask for privilege
So carry the tidings. They are wonderful fellows,
DEVOTED TO THE SERVICE OF THE OLD SCHOOL BAPTISTS.
V. ■
“OSS MBS, ©fill ffAIMi ASS ©fill BAPS'ISSS.”
COVINGTON, NEWTON CO., GA., FEB- 15, 1860.
and quite swift footed. They are apt to feel their
impressions alone —the church is not weighted
with their gift, and perhaps the reader has known
some of them who have went from church to
church where they thought it most likely they
would he called to ordination; and after they
succeed, (if they should), have they ever been use
ful in feeding,*be flock? Have churches ever
prospered Ministry ? Have they not
directty set the hrethten at variance on*, with an
other They will directly begin to oppose some
leading point of the doctrine of the church, and
will confuse and prejudice the minds of £he breth
ren and sisters—they will begin to speak evil of
the way of truth, and of those that preach it, as
well as those that publish it from type—they will
to immortalize themselves. You will soon find
them challenging their brethren. They will speak
great swelling words of vanity. They are as
clouds driven with fierce winds. They are very
fierce, indeed. They rise quickly, and pass over
with a storm, and leave destruction behind them.
Tlfey are wells without water. The Apostle does
Dot say that they are not wells, but that they are
wells. So it does not take water to constitute a
well; yet water is in wells ; but these are wells
They are ve ; ( y deep in their views
of doctrine; but me crnircn./s neittun'(h<.i\iur'lrr,-
tered, and cannot thrive under their ministry. —
They are wandering stars. Now, the mariner tin
the sea has his compass. It points him to the po
lar star; bnt if that star should wander, could
he ever port his vessel ? Neither can the church
be established if she is under the influence of these
wandering stars. They will fight the doctrine of
Predestination to-day, and to-morrow they will
half-way preach it, both in the North and South.
AU are on the extreme but them ; and yet they
can be any where, and would like to unite all the
different elements together, but as they are wan
dering, they can’t stay in one community long at
a time. They must be moving from country to
country, or from one community of churches to
another, where they can gender more strife and
division. But as I suppose these gentlemen will
not thank me for my notice of them, I will return
to my subject again, and to the Elders of the
church as before stated.
The church will he his nursing • mother, and
we are of the opinion that his first impression
will be to feed the church —not so much to con
vert sinners, but to feed the flock. Now, to feed
the church is to break to them the gospel bread,
and to preach Jesus the way, the truth, and the
life; and that no man cometh unto the Father
hut by him, (i. e. he brings them there,) and to
dec'are his doings among the people, and not the
doings of man. 1 have thought that this was one
way we could tell the gospel minister—that is, he
will preach much about what Jesus has done,
and is doing, and will continue to do for us. In
doing this he will necessarily deal in the doctrine
of election, for this is the work of God. He will
also present the sovereign and unchangeable will of
God— His fore-appointments —His Absolute Pre
destination. He will break the bone and bring out
the marrow and feed the flock. He will tread out
the gospel grain, and load your soul with plenty.
While on the other hand, the minister of anti
christ will preach much about the doings of man
—what man can and he is able to do—much
about his free-will; and that much depends on the
will of.man. In vain may you set under their
preaching and wait for a morsel, for you will not
get it. But the Elders in thus feeding the flock on
substantial food, will cause them to be healthy and
strong. It will unite them together, for we do be
lieve that a sound, consistent ministry will beget
its likeness in the churches. Did not Paul think
so when he said to Timothy, “Take heed to thy
self, and to the doctrine: continue in them, and
in so doing thou shalt save thyself and them that
hear thee.” when false teachers come,
ooi/ie,) th-e tsuurohas wiU b<3 betUJ.-
able to stand against them ; and when those men
will arise, speaking perverse things to draw awav
disciples after them, and the elder or watchman
sees them bringing division and confusion among
the churches, he should not be neutral, and say
that he will have nothing to do with it. He
should warn the flock, he should fight for them,
he should bark at those wolves, and bite them—
they should not he suffered to enter in, for they
will not spare the flock. But again, the flock is
not only to be fed, but the oversight ii to be taken:
this the elders are exhorted to take, he should see
that order and discipline was administered in the
house of God, (not that he is to give any rules or
orders of his own) hut to see that those which
Christ has given are administered. This he is to do,
not only by precept, but also by example; show
ing himself a pattern and an example for the flock,
that they may be led thereby. He should, not
be a brawler, that is, quarreling with illness,
cross, fractious, poutisb, selfish, or bigoted. But
to the contrary, no striker, not giveu to much
wine, not greedy for filthy lucre, not covetous,
but first showing himself a pattern of good works,
and then admonish and encourage his flock, and
where there will *be unruly and striving ones to
see that gospel usage was carried out, and justiof
administered. ISAAC R. TEAT,
NO. 4