The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-12-08

DEMIssIoN OF THE MINISTRY.


De of the doctrines Of the Presbyterian
Church is that God, BY His Spirit, calls GER
tain persons to the ministry of the Word;
and the object of the examinations, trials
and tests, to which candidate in our Church
ia subjected By the Presbytery, before Ordi
nation, is to ascertain as far as fslhble men
can ascertain such matters, that the man has
been "ealled, These trials are founded
upon the principle that those whom God
calls to the ministry Of reconciliation" He
endows with the gifts necessary to the proper
discharge Of the important duties of this sa-
cred Office. Ordination is not, therefore,
held to confer either grace, virtue, or knowl-
edge; but is simply solemn and authOrita-
tive declaration, that having subjected the
candidate to the prescribed examinations
aud trials, the Presbytery is satisfied that he
has been called of God to preach the
gospel, aud therefore, it cOnfers upon him
the power to rule, teach aud administer the
sacraments in the church of Christ. Neither
is it any part Of the doctrine of our own
Church that when God calls man to the
ministry be covenants that he shall enjoy al
immunity from the ills aesh is heir to, aud
be elevated above the physical 'infrmities of
our fallen nature. God could. if He saw 6s,
miraculOusly preserve his ministers. As He
did the great lsw-giVer of Israel, to extreme
old age, with undimmed eye, and natural
force unabsted;' or as He did the faithful
Caleb, to more than four score years with
his strength for war both to go out and
come in, even as it was in the prime of his
manhood But this is not His mode of deal
ing with His church. He works no miracles
in behalf Of those whom He calls "to stand
as ambassadors Of Christ, to beseech sin.
nsrs to be recorsilea 20 God The minis
ter accepts the tfi,e and assumes the VOWS,
subject to the inscrutable dealings of Gods
providence with all his intelligent creatures
as well as with his church. And when in
His initiate wisdom He shl cts with disease
one whom He has called by His Spirit into
the ministry, or depriVes him of his voice,
what course is there for the man, or the
church, but humble and uDmurmuriDg sub
mission TO the decree of Him, who dOetb
according to His will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth,
whose arm none can stay, or dare say
"what does, thou, for wisdom and might are
His :" |; is true that these ehastenings
for the present are not joyous, but grieV-
Ous;" they may however work out the
"peaceable fruits of righteousness to those
who are exercised thereby" Ia Gods deal
ings with his Church he is not unfreqnently
found striking down by disease or death his
most eminent and successful ministers men
in the prime of life and the meridian of their
usefulness, and of whom, looking as from a
mere human standpoint, the Church would
be ready to exclaim, "they are the very
men we could not spare. And again, some
of those ministers whose labors have been in
striking degree blessed in turning many
from "sin and Satan TO the living aud true
God, go all their days tortured with pain,
enfeebled by sickness, and hindered by dis
ease. The Church cannot interpret these
dealings of God with his ministers: they are
irscrutable. Even the great apostle to the
Gentiles, whom the risea and glOrifed Re
deemer condescended to call from his perse
Cution of the Church of God, by an audible
voice amid light from heaven whose splen
dor out shone the meridian glory of an east
ern sun, had "a thorn implanted in hi
flesh, messenger Of Satan to buffet him.
But We do not fud him, like Jonah, attempt
ing to eyade the call of God BY fight; but W
do fad him, like the humble and devou
Christian, carrying his cross to the throne
divine grace. There he received as answer t
his prayer for relief, the comforting assur
ance, my grace is sufficient for thee 70
my strength is made perfect in weakness.
An example not only worthy of all imits
ton, but also full of encouragement.
The irrevocable nature of the minister's
Office does not arise from any mysterious Ell
dowment of qualities by the imposition of tn
hands of the Presbytery, but from the recOG
nized fact that the man has been called b
the Spirit of God to preach the gospel {
His grace to dying sinners; and as long &
the evidences of this call exist, there can
no authority in the Church to divest him
his Office simply because he is afflicted vii
the common and ordinary diseases, or il
frmities of our frsil nature. 1t follows the
that the only case in which minister ca
be divested Of his cfice is when the Presb
tery made mistake By Ordainiug one wi
had not been called. To apply the term I'd
position to a minister divested Of his oth