The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-01
The Ministry OF the DIscipl pleshIg,.

The Ministry of the Disciplesh1D.
There is vast deal of Christian work
to be done in the world. Every new
success opens wider field of opportuni-
ty. At home and abroad, in domestic,
social, civil and religious life, there are a
myriad ofewrongs to be righted, of ig-
noranccs to be instructed, of oh iquities
to be straitcned, a mass OF crudcncss and
darkness to be swept away, and world
of light and order to be organized out Of
chaos.
The trouble is to find workers. The
current faith is that the church is organ
lied to convert the world, and SET the
wrong right, which is true enough after
fashion, but in the judgment of multi
tudcs, the responsibility of the church
r'sts upon the ministry. They arc not only
to originate and plan, but they arc to do
ths work of bring ng the Gospel into
Transforming relations with the want,
and love, and sin OF the world. The
average parish goes about its own bust
ness, and holds tho pulpit response
BILE for success or failure in religious
work. All of which is great mistake.
The world will never be converted by
the preachers. Lcviathan is not so taken.
This false expectation which quiets tho
conscicnces Of thousands of idlcrs, roots
in a misunderstanding OF the fundamen-
tai idea of Christianity. Judaism, with
its set order of priesthood, went to the
wall when our Lord came. The priest
hood of all believers is the central law Of
the new kingdom. The day when rcli-
glon was matter of ritual has gone by.
The Holy of Holes now is in the market
place, the shop, the home. The pricstly
robes are workingmcn's garments.
The amounting for the ministry is the
intelligence to perceive, and the capacity
to improve opportunities of usefulness.
The best worship is offered, not on the
bended knee, but with the swift feet, and
the busy hand. Not the solitude Of con-
sccrated hours and the sacredness Of set
places, but the all-day and everyday en-
deavor to further truth and righteousness,
is the sacrifice acceptable to Him who
came 'tnot to be ministcrcd unto but to
minister.
And so the disciple need not go abroad
to find and do his work; it comes to
him where he stands. Neither is he to
count himself to have failed because i'm
mediate and large results are not noted.
The individual is only ono atom ia the
great aggregate of the common force.
The power and Office of the single drop
in the ocean is not easy to ascertain, but
all the same it has on office and power.
The impact and influence of the single
disciple upon life may seem intinitesi-
mally small, but it is none the less real.
1t is vastly important that men should
feel the value of individual failhfulness,
and see to it that their thresd in the
great fabric lacks nothing in substance
and color.
'All at it, and always at it y that is
the condition on which the kingdom Of
God is to come. The age needs a new
birth Of the sense Of individual response
bility. The old ghost of ccclcsiasti-
cism still haunts the church. Too much
reliance is placed upon organization.
Every man and woman to the front, is
the watchword for the hour. Let all the
discipleship recognize their priesthood,
and discharge the duties of the office,
and the worlds worship will speedily be
the foremost and blessed fact OF the
worlds history. Golden Rule.