The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-06-05
HIRELINC MINISTRY.
Continued from I'd page.

much of your cumbersome machinery,
they are only a few hundred years be
hind. Even the staid old Quaker
church has concluded that 1t will be
ruled no longer by judges, but must
have a king like "the other nations
round about who will go in and out
before the people and lead them to
battle. There is NJ end OF contro'
versies with which idle d. DIS. have
befogged the peoples minds.
Some think that baptism is a sure
cure for sin while others think 1t Is
only a sign that one is going to re
nounce SHINING. Some want to baptize
in infancy, while others want to wait
until a nan Is about ready to die so
as to head off all sins.
suppose there has been enough
written in this controversy to reach
from here to the moon, while there
never should have been written more
thar would cover a page of lfools-cap,
and If u preachers and doctors of
divinity had always had to work for
their living there would not have
been.
The Apostles and early ministers
never received a salary or very much
support. 1t is true the churches were
exhorted to liberality in their giving,
but the most of the money collected
was applied to the support OF widows
n orphans and the helpless poor.
The preachers were expected to
v some trade for their support, al
though they were helped on their way
by the brethren as occasion required.
Paul frequently exhorted the church
to liberality in giving and two or
three times accepted financial help
himself But he was Of too indie
pendent a nature to depend on that
for support.
connection there exists between
ritualism in the church and the
hireling, or supported" ministry.
Not until the salaried ministry began
to be common in the Church did they
begin to make a play-thing Of the
customs which we now call ordin-
ances. But in order to get at the root
of the matter, let US go back and ex-
anime their origin. We can only do
this by a thorough knowledge of the
condition of the country and people
of Bible times.
In Palestine it rains much of the
time from December to April and is
dry and parched the remainder of the
year. During the rainy season 1t is
very muddy and during the dry sea-
son 1t is very dusty. So this Is n of
the hardest countries in the world in
which to keep clean. The country is
made mostly of limestone rock, which
by constant travel wears into dust
about like air Stacked lime. This sticks
to the travellers clothes until he looks
as if he had been sprinkled with -four,
and gets between his toes and forms a
coating over his feet until he will i'm
agine they are plastered with cement.
And to add to the misery of the poor
water is very scarce and he
will often have to travel ten or twelve
miles without a drop to drink, much
less to wash his feet. The houses in
that country are not furnished with
tables and lounges, but the
people sit, eat and sleep on the floor.
Thus for the sake of cleanliness it is
necessary to leave as much dust and
mud out of doors as is possible.
The people of the East have always
been noted for their hospitality.
Even a Bedouin robber will treat any
one under his roof with the greatest
courtesy.
No one who has not travelled in that
country can appreciate what a boon it
Is for the weary and foot-sore travel
Ter to have his feet washed. From
time immemorable it has been the
to wash a guests feet. We
Ino IN fhs, faorn Aho IsAf1A snatIA~kn
Of Abraham's servant and Laban,
David and Abigail. Even angels feet
in that country got dirty for Abraham
washed the feet of those who visited
him at -Iamre.
Now let us examine the little cpl
sode of Jesus washing the Apostles
feet. When Jesus and his twelve
disciples would stop at a friends
house some one would often wash
their feet. Perhaps Lazarus or even
the busy Martha had done this for
some of the disciples. This would
please Peter and John, who little
of how much trouble they
were causing-their minds were too
much occupied by the great Offices of
secretary of wal and of state, which
they soon hoped to fill.
At the last Passover which Jesus
ate with his disciples, He saw their
were dirty, so instead of asking
one of the disciples to do the work,
He took water and a towel and washed
them himself. And then to teach them
lesson of Christian etiqutte, He told
them the next time they called on
and Martha to wash one an
others feet and not leave it for those
people to do.
This little act of Jesus has been the
cause of endless controversy among
who had nothing to do but study
mischief and preach. But none of
them have ever washed a dirty foot
for anyone else.
The Pope of Rome and two or three
protestant churches still play foot
washing and in many of the papal
courts of Europe, kings and emper-
ors, in order to show their humble
ness, will gather some poor people
together who have already been
washed and sprinkle a little water on
their feet.
Martin Luther was inclined to make
fun of this practice when he said:
people would be much more benefit
ted If a general bath were at once
ordered and the whole body washed"
The superstitious practice of mod
ern baptism ought to have been wiped
out by the same dash Of the pen, but
because it has taken deeper root, it
still continues.
But let us reason together a little.
Besides the mud and dust in that
country, there are many other things
which make the people miserable.
On account of insufficient nourishment
and filthy habits the poor classes Of