The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-10-08

aQ0 NOW, suCu OO6A
not and must not longer be the case
We may do as we please about the
metals, and I believe the time ls draw
ing near when they both will be tnun
der riven, so far as finance is concerned
but parity of Elders is divinely enJoln.,
ed upon us, and must be MAINTAINED ~
all hazards. As matters now sIanu -
the make up of our superior 0oU
Elders are vested with the form u
authority, but denied the power 'ne No
of. Every presbyterial act OF Suo -,
dership proper is subject TO an en- 0'u0
uoto and he ia liable to stumble upon a
o1oricaI ..Thus far shalt thou come, n
mn farther" at every step.
The ministry and Etdership are either
two distinct ranks of authority, or they
are one and the same. Ii they are dis
tinct. then the minister cannot enter
| Eldership or Presbytery by door of the
ministry, and, Uice UersG, the Elder
can't enter the ministry by way Of the
Eldership,. That the minister does
Presby terry er offciO, is an old trodden
custom, and the only way given among
men by which he may enter. That the
Elder may enter the ministry by way
of the E.dership, is partially conceded
in Elder services, and cOnsp!cuOusly
admitted in the without let or hin
drance policy accorded Evangelist Fife
in his remarkable tour among the
churches, and if Rev. Fife can lawfully
preach the gospel of Christ, he can ad-
| minister the Sacrameuts also, for in
First Corinthians, first chapter, the
| Apostle Paul evidently ranks baptism
as a matter of secondary Importance
to that of preaching the gospel. What,
then, l pray, is lacking to the full
fsdge of minister Flies ministerial
Qualifications While our trumpets OF
church order and practice emit such
uncertain sounds relative to the minis
try and eldership, seemeth it strange
that the people don't prepare them
selv S more to battle? LeG Us endeavor
1t this meeting to unravel things
enough to assign to each his dues.
Scripture, in its specified qualifica-
lions, ~recognizo IS the minister and Elder
as being on a a with each other, and
q scriptural formula Of ordination for
each based on qualifications, must tally
with the other. If the ministry be
recognized as a compound Office, EN-
bracing the two functions of teaching
and ruling. the eldership must be recog
nized as a compound Office also, EN-
bracing the selfsame factors for Paul
in his memorable charge to the Elders
of Eohesus, eDjoined upan them. among
othor things, that they feed the Church
of God, over which the Holy Ghost
had made them ~overseers, and one
of the specially designated scripturaI
qualifications of an Elder is ''aptness
to teach" Such being the case I an
strongly inclined to believe that ordi
nation to Eidership is plenary to the
full work of the ministry, and, if so,
we should put our hands upon GU,
mouths, and with our mouths in the
dust before God, supersede our prayer
for more ministers. by utilizing the
thought already in the market place,
and standing thus far all the day idle,
so far as officially trumpeting the gcs
pei is concerned, and thus bestir our
selves in the all IMPORTANT matter OF
reaching the masses and classes the
wide world over
I have in mind about one dozen in.
vidious distinctions in our book OF
church order between the minister ard
Elder, and all of them prejudicial &c
the eldership, 40 matter whether the
office be regarded as the same or differ
ent in rank. For instance. by assump
ton of authority the ministerial pastor
is constituted eT O6iciO moderator OF
session instead of simply allowing him
that privilege OF not, as a sense of pro
priety and will of the session might
dictate, as was most likely the case in
the early Church. Again, the minister
Is above par with his associate Elders
IN not being a member of either church
or session, and amenable to the au-
thority thereof, as the elder ia. This
savors a little of foreign rule, in his
ruling capacity. Again, by means OF
extravagant legislation, the minister is
endowed with ec 0ticiO lifetime mem
bership of Presbytery, and nerved with
t~rancise ability TO offset the representa-.
tive voice of a whole bench of Elders et
nome: Glass legislation also appears
, nVIulousiy in b makeup of uuorume
nom session to General Assembly. and
: l7sV' Ou' not least, our standards are ir
!, gross violation of St James Injunction