Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-07-29
&eadiua fur the Sabbath,
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
fOrlgfnal.]
PREACHING.

| lorIglnal.l
PREACHING.
This is an age of preachers and preaching.
There is scarcely hamlet or community but
is favored with professional religious teachers.
Notwithstanding this fact, many of the lay
people and no insignificant number OF the
preachers themselves, seem to have no Scriptu-
raj notion of what is meant by preaching.
Some men (wemost sincerely hope the num-
ber is not large) seem to have gone into the
ministry that they might enjoy the honors and
ease of a safe position. They went to the pull
pit because even in boyhood they had strong
mental aversion to physical labor. Possibly,
others have chosen to become professional
preachers because they thought it would be
more easy for them to make living by preach
ing than by plowing. Some of these preachers
become great pulpit orators, attain eminent
positions among their fellow-men, and no
doubt do some-it may be much-good. The
pe0ple-at least, some of them-also labor
under mistake about preachers. Some per-
SONS think preachers, as class, are perfect,
while others think all preachers are simply
professional men, asare lawyers and physicians.
|
are mistaken with regard to the nature, end
and design of preaching and the character of
the ministerial Office or not, it must be clear
to every one that correct Scriptural notions on
these points are of the utmost Importance.
A simple, correct and rigidly Scriptural def
milton Of preaching is teaching. 1t is not
teaching Latin or Greek, or arithmetic or
grammar, but it is teaching the truths of the
Bible A preacher is, then, one who teaches
the religion of the Bible. ANY one can un-
derstand this.
This question then arises Has every one
the right to teach the religion Of the Bible
We reply, yes. 1t is not only the privilege of
every one to teach the religion of the Bible,
but it is the bounden duty of every one. Still,
it will be admitted that there is a sense in
which it is not the duty of all men to teach
the religion Of the Bible. 1t is the duty of
some individuals to so to heather lands for
the purpose of teaching the benighted inhabit-
ants the way of salvation, but this is not the
duty Of all, else Christian lands would be de-
serted.
No one will deny that there is in the world
an organization which is, by common consent,
called the Church. This organization is hui
man or it is divine. 1t has ever been claimed
that it is divine. If this claim is not we'll
founded, the enemies of the Church would,
long since, have discovered it. They would
long ago, have learned the precise date of it's
organization, and the names of all those who
originally framed it's constitution. This they
have not done, and we may safely say never
will; hence we conclude that God, and not
man, organized the Church, and that, with
eminent propriety, it is called in the Scrip
lures the Church of the living God. It. but
reasonable to suppose that God having organ
lied the Church that he would provide for it
officers by which it is to be governed and made
to subserve the purpose of it's organization.
This he did. Under Old Testament dispensa-
ton it had it's prophets and priests, and under
New Testament dispensation it has it's apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
These are among the ascension gifts of the
Saviour and are designed for the special pur-
pose of perfecting the saints in holiness and
fitting them for glory. Eph. iv: 10-l4. The
apostolic and prophetic offices were under New
Testament dispensation, extraordinary, or de-
signed for particular time and to meet par
ticular emergency. If this is not the case,
then the Church, by it's sins, has forfeited both
these offices, or so incensed the Saviour that he
has withdrawn them; for there is in the
Church, at present, no such officers as the first
apostles and prophets were. The evangelist,
the pastor and the teacher still remain, and
their official duties are the same that they were
when at first bestowed In order that any
man may safely enter the gospel ministry he
must receive call from God. Whoever un-
dertakes to discharge the office of gospel
minister without having first received a call
from an assembled Saviour is, and can be, only
an intruder. lie may have piety, he may be
born again, he may have brilliant talents and
extensive literary and scientific attainments,
and still be only an intruder. Jesus Christians
reserved to himself the exclusive right to give
to his Church pastors Neither parents, nor
church courts, nor theological schools, can
make preachers. This is the peculiar work of
the king and head of the Church. The har-
vest may be great, multtudes may be destitute
of the means of grace and the laborers may be
few, still Jesus Christ himself alone, by his
spirit, can furnish the labOrers. All that his
Church can do tomeet such an emergency is to
pray the Lord of the harvest that lie would
send laborers into the harvest field.
A preacher, in the Scriptural sense Of the
word, is man, not woman, whom Jesus
Christ has selected by his spirit and qualified
by his providence for the special purpose of
convicting and converting sinners and build
ing up believers in faith and holiness. He is
strictly commanded to preach what is revealed
in the Bible-nothing more and nothing less.
The Bible is his text book. What it teaches
he is required to teach. What it condemns, he
must condemn, and what it enjoins as duty he
must enjoin, and what it forbids he must for
bid. Heis Christ's ambassador to a sin-ruined
world. All his powers are delegated powers
and he must strictly and implicitly follow his
instructions.
The sum and substance of preaching is Christ
and him cruciied. Every sentence in the
Bible points to Jesus Christ, and the burden
of every gospel sermon is Jesus Christ. Fine
literary sentences rhetorically pronounced may
captivate the restless multitude, but the SER
mon that has these beauties alone will never
be instrumental in awakening sinners or COM
forting believers. There is a power in plain
gospel preaching which rhetorical flourish can
never attain. 1t is quick and powerful, con-
verting the soul that lies in sin. 1t is sharp
two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit. In one word,
preaching is that means by which Jesus Christ
is pleased to save them that believe. 1t is of
divine appointment, and willreceive the divine
blessing and support. 1t will accomplish the