Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-05-23
For the Adyortiser,

partment"
For the Advertiser.
To the Editor of the Religious Department Of the
Edgefeld Advertiser:
My DEAR SIR:-ln your editorial Of the 9th in
slant you have briefly discussed the very important
question What is an Apostle?n Your ansoer
TO that question, enables you to draw the conclusion
that is as simple for any one to claim successor
ship to the original Tpelue, as it would be for one
who had never worn crown or swayed a sceptre,
to set himself up as successor Of Henry VIII.
am fully persuaded that your motive is lauda.
BILE in this investigation, and that you will there
fore, allow subscriber, who regards the Apostolic
succession as essential to the preservation Of the
truth, to bring your definition to the test Of that
only correct record of Christ's doctrine the Holy
Scriptures. If your premises arc incorrect, your
conclusions must be also.
Now, according to the terms Of yOur definition Of
an Apostle, lie is one who, lst, has seen the Lord,
ID, heard his voice, 81 can 'rork miracles.
On turning to the New Testament find, lst,
that devout women, and above FIVE hundred breth-
rem at once saw the Lord after he was risen; and
although ST. Paul appeals to them living witnesses
of the resurrection, yet surely they were not all
Apostles. find again, Cd, that several women
heard his voice after his Resurrection. yet they were
not numbered among the Twelve. And yet again,
Sd, read that the Deacons, Stephen and Philip,
and other brethren filled Jerusalem and Samara
with the fame of their stupendous miracles, and
that the scattered Presbytes spoken Of by james,
could raise the sick BY amounting them with oil; yet
plainly these were not all Apostles One thing is
therefore certain, either that the Elders and Dea-
cons and Laymcn, and women, were all Apostles,
and that thus there muttudinous succession,
or else that to have seen the Lord have heard his
voice, and to possess the power Of working mira
cles, were never the marks by which to distinguish
an Apostle from Deacon, or even from Layman
or woman.
According to the editorial in question, an Apostle
is one who is in possession Of some attribute orpow-
er or authority, which no other members Of Chrst's
Church possess.
From the instances cited above, am persuaded
it must be evident on reflection, not 10 consist in
either of the facts Of having seen or heard the
Lord, or being able 10 work miracles. These were
incidental to the age and possessed in common BY
his fellows You remember the Saviour's own
promise II, sc things shall follow them that be-
Iieue In my name shall they cast out devils; they
shall speak with new tongues they shall take up
srrpents; and If they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them; they shall uy hands on the
sick and they shall recovcr."-Mark xvi, II, 49,
AS logically therefore, might you reason that a
Deacon is not Deacon, because he does not work
the works of ST. Stephens; or that al Elder is not
an Elder, because he does not anoint and raise the
sick, as did the Elders Of st. james or that be-
levers are not believers, because they do not show
the signs promised to follow them that believe;"
or the Apostles are not Apostles. because they do
no, the works of ST. Peter ST. Paul. or have not
their extraordinary qualifications. 1t follows then
that there may be Apostles still in the Church, Us
well as believers, and that they are as necessary
part of the body as believers: "for the body is not
one member, but many."-l Cor. XII, IA.
Now consider this, the Apostles had all the quail
ities or "gftsr Of believers they had those OF Dea-
cons, they had those Of Elders, but to distinguish
them above these different classes in the Church,
they must have had some other quality or power
which those did not have. Now what was that 2
In your editorial you did not siatet to be the having
seen and heard the Lord and possessing the mira
clio working power. / have just shown that these
did not distinguish them, for many others, nay, all
the other classes, possessed them also. What was
it then Why maniftstly the poUer OF making
and governing the ministers Of the Church.
beg YOUR attention to this. The gathering of the
christian church was accomplished BY preaching to
make conversions, and by babt;sm to introduce men
into the Church. This preaching and this baptism
was performed BY class Of men set apart for the
purpose Thus the church was brought into being
by functions committed by our Lord exclusively to
an authorized ministry. 1t was to be continued by
the same MEANS viz: the conversion and babsm
of mankind. Persons may be converted by other
means than preaching, and without any human
agency, except, perhaps that of the individual HIM
self. But without baptism, no one can become a
member of the visible church. Accordingly, the
first act of our Lord in the actual gathering Of his
church, was tho appointment of ministry. They
were appointed when the church had no existence.
From their hands, and through their agency, it
came into being, for Christ himself baptised not,
but only his discipes-St. John ", 2. The Eu-
charist the discipline, and all those things by which
the members Of the church are to be edited after
they are admitted, were committed to the ministry.
By this ministry these blessings were to be perpetu-
ated in the Church until Christs second advent
Now observe, it is equally as important to perpe'u-
ate this ministry Their ranks were to be constant
ly filled up and enlarged, and they must be ruled
and governed This was the Office Of the Apostles,
this then Is the power which they had and which