The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-04-17
MINISTERIAL CONSIDERATION.
Preached By appointment to S. c. Pres
6yteJy at Ab6eriNe.
BY REV. d. L. FRIERSON.

wolves u SleolSi w piSoSii " lt>
of the gospel. I might well shrink from
such task, were it not for the though
that do not represent myself as l stah'
here. T am out of mind-lost III th'
magnitude of commission and lnstruc
tions which leaves far out of sight al
that might gain or lose. The Amoas
ador absorbs the man, and in this ca
pacity must know 10 man after tn
fiesh-fear no man, court no man
must speak to my brethren in the fea
of God, and in the light Of their solemn
accountability.
Let me iayite your attention to word
spoken by an Ambassador of Christ il
reference to his solemn carDestncss IL
the work of his own salvation and tn
salvation of all around him: "Breth
,ren,r said he, II count not myself t.
have apprehendcd: But this one thing
i do; forgetting those things which arr
behind, and reaching forth unto th'
things which are before; | press towart
the mark for the prize of the high Call
ing of God in Christ Jesus.
Paurs personal salvation and Paul:
ministerial success were co-incldent.-
He aimed at one thing, anu no reader o
his life or his writings would for mo-
ment. hesitate to say what that one
thing was. The salvation of men was
his life-boat; if it went down, he woul'
90 down with it. TO row that boat tt
shore was his life task. | may not un-
dertake now to say how closely the sal,
vation of each Christian is identified
with his instrumentality in saving 9th
-ers: bat I do say that the salvation OF
gospel minister is bound up in his work
1t is his road to heaven, since nothing
could speak so loudly or clearly against
his personaI interest in the kingdom o
heaven as a heartless and perfunctorA
performance Of his peculiar work. Anc
this is to say mueh right on the thres
hold Of the solemn theme which Is t'
engage our attention,
/ aim to speak to you, brethren, or
the duty of consecratiOn to your calling
And what arguments shall l fetch to the
task? How shall we take hold OF the
great subject, the gospel ministry, in Its
bearings on time and on eternity
What theme! What mighty proper
tions What consequences TO man, &c
the world, and in eternity! What Ell
:acts on the government and glory OF
Sod! Human Salrution is your work
and with it all that affects man now and
hereafter.
will begin with the sentiment OF
Paul aad draw my first argument foI
solemn earnestness from, 1st, the posi-
ton of the Gospel minister: Under Je'
sus, the great first captain of our saliva,
ton, he is the leader of Gods host, ap'
pointed to conduct Gods people out OF
Egyptian bondage, to cover their retreat
before the pursuing foe, to light up theii
faintiHg hopes to the heavenly help
when thas foe shouts upon them from
the one side ard the angry sea roarS
against them Oh the other, to lead them
through the walls Of q desolation that
threatens to engulph them, and to &C
before them through all the pcrils o!
thetr pilgrimage, and on the very brink
of,the Jordan stoop over their departing
spirits snd gaze earnestly into dim cter'
nifty to see them safely into the arms OF
the angels. From the very moment
that God calls him to his post, he is to
stand in front Of the ehurch's march,
lead her columns, plan her attacks,
cove he- retreats, defend her tortyfca-
tioas. When shame and discontinue
attend iser warfare he must bear tnat
shame aad, like Joshua, prostrate him
self before God and say in agony: O.
Lord, what shall l say when Israel
turneth their backs before their enemies?
For the Caallanites shall hear of it,
When her sanctuarieg are defilcd with
;.lolatries, and an angry God comes
d3w-n and bids him get out of the way
:aat he may destroy them, he must go
and stand beneath the uplifted arm OF
Jehovah and say: blot me, even me,
out Of thy book which thou hast writ
ten Gods people must be his people,
Gods cause his cause, the trlumphs 0l
that cause his, its disc0mtiturcs his, and
in all the imminent deadly breeches
through which the church must pass,
he ;lust throw himself before her and
with the strategy of the general and the
holf hcroism of the man OF God, realize
heI victory or perish i'll her overthrow.
Th4 Gospel minister, the church's su-
per largo, sinks or swims with her, lives
or dies forever. Oh! what a post, what
S work! I'M which God eliminates a man
III himself and employs his head, his
heart, his hands, his eloquence, his
emotions, his zeal, his forttude, his
self-denial, his sutierings, his hopes, his
1earS, all his cOuCtulidtcu DON NeiS w SitN Z
his fellow men.
But he occupies like position in rela-
ton to the world. The world is like q
leaking ship and the minister of reli'
gion is stationed at the pump. When
that pump ceases the vessel begins to
sink. The social, political, eternal
weH-being of man hang upon gospel
truth and the minister of religion is ap-
pointed to put that lever beneath him
and lift him from ruin to glory. The
world is ready to sipk every day beneath
the wrath ofrGod and the minister OF
the worlds sentinel; when that senti-
mel sleeps, it is his own death-warrant
and the rushing in Of the enemy to
and what peril it is for preacher OF
for duty and arranged the world with
it,, Duty, moral duty, religious duty,
and all human interests. When duty
is5neglected the world begins to reel
Ruin rushes in where duty goes out-al
things rush to speedy destruction. The
neglected house speedily decays, the
neglected field speedily grows up in
thorns, the neglected mind is over ruI
with errors. But the minister of reli
gon is appointed to stand at his pos
and hold men to their duty foremost il
staying up the world, foremost in arrest
ing the judgments that are ready t.
burst in fiery torrents upon it, forcmos
in breasting the tide Of wickedness tina
would soon overwhelm it: standing ~
the man of Cod ShoJ1ld stand one Stel
above; the worlds SORROWS and tn
worlds joys, and with his right hant
pointing to the throne of God, and witt
his left, to the eternal abyss.
%. But l wanted to argue the grea
responsibility and therefore the neces
sity for the great earnestness of the Cos
pei minister from the state Of the work.
now. 'tThe. world is rushing forward