Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-07-17
&eadiug fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BIZ
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
tOrlginal ]
MINISTERIAL DUTIES.

No one who has read the Bible with even
the least degree Of care can have failed to see
that God has established church upon earth.
This church is very old. Ii has existed for
near six thousand years, and although changes
have taken place in the outward modes of
worship and ceremonies, the church itself has
remained the same The promise made to
Eve in the garden of Paradise has been re-
peated over and over thousands of times with
additions, but never changed. The Old Tes-
lament Church and the New Testament
Church are the same.
The church under the Old Testament dis
pensations had certain officers Prominent
among these were the prophets and priests.
The official duties of the latter consisted main-
ly in offering up sacrifices for the people to
God Both the priest and the sacrifices offer
ed up were typical of Jesus Christ. So was
the altar upon which they offered up the sacri
fees. Christ Jesus was priest, sacrifice and
altar. Since that which was typifed by the
Old Testament priest and Old Testament
sacrifice and altar has already come, there is
no such Office as priest in the New Testament
church. Neither is there sacrifice nor altar.
The duties Of the Old Testament prophet
were tSso-fold. It was his official duty to in
struct the people, and God was pleased to com
municate his will to his ancient people by the
prophets. These holy men spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost To prophesy means
either to teach what is already revealed or to
predict what will take place in the future. In
Old Testament times there were great num-
Der of prophets or persons called of God for
the purpose of making known what would
come to pass. This being the case we find
that a very large amount of the Old Testa-
ment Scriptures consists of prophecies. All
of these prophecies in some way refer to
Christ the Messiah. In the New Testament
there is but one book of prophecies Book
Of Revelation. All the untitled prophecies of
the Old Testament are repeated in this
book. The giving of the book of Revelation
completed the canon of Scripture, hence no
more revelation will he made. This being the
case, there is, in the New Testament church,
no person whose official duty it is to predctfu-
ture events. There lis in the New Testament
church an officer who may be called prophet
because it is his duty to teach. Frequently,
but incorrectly, this officer is called Il minis
ter, but his proper name is preacher or herald
Since name can make very little differ
ence, we may, if it is so desired, call the
prophet of the New Testament church min
lister and inquire what are his duties. The
duties of preacher of the gospel are very clear
ly expressed in his commission "Go ye and
teach all nations, bartizing them in the name
of the Father, and Of the Son, and of the Ho-
ly Ghost; teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever have commanded you" Matt
% 10. This is the commission. No language
can be palmer. The Saviour commands his
ambassadors to 60 to all nations, Jews and
Gentiles, for the purpose of making disciples
of them. This is the object Of his embassy.
His mission is to teach all those things that
Christ has in his word commanded. He is
not left at liberty to choose any subject he
may see fit and deliver upon that subject a
series Of lectures. No. he must preach the
things that the Saviour bids him preach. We
might say that the preacher of the gospel is
required to preach what he finds taught III the
Bible, and nothing else In other words, to
teach the Bible is to preach the gospel. Hence
every church ought to be school-hou'e in
which is taught the doctrines of religion as
revealed in the Bible.
1t is also the duty of the minister Of the
gospel to lead the congregation in their public
devotions. In no other way can the public
worship of God be maintained but by having
in each congregation some one whose duty it
is to lead in the public services. Without. a
minister, God would soon cease to be wor-
SHIPPED. God has SO ordered that preacher
is an absolute necessity to the growth Of any
Christian CONGREGATION.