Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-08-18
Readiug fpr the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
Original ]
PREACHING.

Original
PREACHING.
From the commission which our Saviour
gave the first preachers Of the New Testament
dispensation, we learn, very accurately, the
nature of the work which they we're to per-
form. That commission, as recorded by Mat
thew, is in the following words: "Go ye,
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever | have COM
manded you" Matt. %: 19, 20.
The therefore," in this commission intro
duces an inference drawn from the declar-
alton made by the Saviour in the 18th
verse The declaration is that "all power is
given unto him in heaven and in earth"
This being the case, Jesus Christ asserts his
right as we'll as his power, to commission in
divduals to promulgate the doctrines of his
kingdom.
On account of his mediatorial relationship
to the Father, the government of this world
and probably of all worlds, has been, in a
sense that we cannot fully understand, COM
mitted to the Goldman, Jesus Christ. As
divine person, his kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and as the incarnate Son of God
reigninC in and over his people, defending them
in time and blessing them in eternity, his
kindom will have no end but the Scrip
lures constantly speak of the kingdom of
Christ in threefold sense. In the first two
it is everlasting, and in the other it is tempo
rary. For the purpose of carrying on to
perfection his mediatorial and microscopy
work, Jesus Christ has been invested with
dominion over all things, both in heaven and
earth. When the end comes, he will deliver
this kingdom up to bis father.
That this mediatoral work, in its appica-
ton to sinners may be accomplished, Jesus,
after his resurrection and prior to his ascen-
sion, commissions men of his own selection
to Ego into all the world and preach the gos-
pei to every creature"
The following questions may be appropri.
ately discussed
First. What is the gospel ? This question
is very easily answered. 1t is simply the doc
trnes Of the Scriptures. Nothing more and
nothing less This is manifest from the Ian.
guage of the commission itself. The Apos.
ties were commanded to "teach all nations )"
but the subject matter of their teaching was
not left to their own choice. Hence, it is
added, teaching them Gall nations) to observe
all things whatsoever have commanded you. r"
Clearly, this includes both precept and prac-
tice. .s:
In the order of nature and in point Of time,
precept or doctrine is first, and then follows
practice. Since faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God, there can be no
evangelical faith without knowledge. We
must know before we can believe The gos-
pei is called good news, because it makes
known to sinners way Of recovery from the
dominion and consequences Of sin.
The next question that may be asked is,
"Who are the proper persons to preach the
gospel?" 1t may be remarked that, under
New Testament dispensation, there is sense
in which it is the duty of all who embrace
the gospel to teach or preach it; just as under
Old Testament dispensation there was sense
in which it was the duty of all Gods people
to prophecy; but it is by no means the duty
of all men to engage in preaching the gospel
in the sense contemplated in the commission
given by Christ to his apostles. 1t would be
as great sin for every man, under New Tes.
lament dispensation, to set himself up as a
preacher, as it would have been under Old
Testament dispensation for every man to have
undertaken to oficiate as a priest.
1t is manifest that without piety, no
man is fit to preach the gospel; but it is far
from being the duty of every pious man to
engage in this work. Whoever undertakes
to teach, must have a correct and thorough
knowledge of what he engages to teach. But
man may know and not be able to commu-
nicate his knowledge to others. Hence, the
preacher must be teacher. Still, we are
not to conclude that every man who is pious,
we'll instructed in the Scriptures and capable
of communicating what he knows to others,
is called to preach the gospel. When our
Saviour ascended up on high, he gave gifts
to men. These are, with propriety, called
his ascension gifts, and carefully specified
Some of them are "apoetles, prophets, evan
gelists, pastors and teachers" Eph. 4:8
The meaning seems to be that when our
Saviour ascended up on high, he bestowed
upon some individuals special gifts and graces
which fitted them for the discharge of the
duties which belong to apostles, prophets
evangelists, pastors and teachers. These in.
dividuals were fitted for the duties of par
ticular office, and were, by the providence of
God, and especially by the Holy Spirit. called
to the position which the King and Head of
the Church designed them.
Apostles and prophets are generally re-
garded as having been extraordinary and
temporary officers. In other words, they
were officers chosen for an extraordinary and
temporary work, and so soon as this work
was accomplished, the officer ceased to exist.
1t was necessary, in order to be an apostle,
that the individual had seen Jesus after his
resurrection. To testify to this fact, was an
important part of the work of an apostle.
There can be no doubt but in the New
Testament Church, there we're, for some time
how long we cannot say-individuals who
we're endowed with the ability to predict fu-
ture events See Acts, 81: II. Agabus
manifestly was endowed with gift which
Paul the apostle did not receive. We venture
the opinion that the gift of prophecy, men.
toned among the ascension gifts of our Sa.
vicur, is included that inspiration which
filled certain individuls as Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John and others, to complete the
Scriptures; or in other words to write the
New Testament.
As already intimated, the Offices of apostle
and prophet have long ceased to exist in the
Church. Evangelists, pastors and teachers
still continue, and will continue to the end of
n Il ckl. EII