The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-11-26
Must Pastors Be ordainedf

There is no question that ordination
is necessary to the proper holding of
the Office of pastor The whole cues.
ton is: What constitutes an ordination
to preach, teach and be a pastor
amongst the people of God?
This question has received wide va
riety of answers. The Roman, Angli-
ran and Greek Churches, claiming
Apostolic Succession, declare that the
authorization to preach must come
through their apostle bishops. For this
reason Protestant ministers have NOT
been allowed to enter the pulpits OF
these ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the Episco
palians year ago granted this conces.
zion. Their charge has been that Prot
estant ministers are unordained. OF
course if their proposition be correct,
am just as much unordained as all other
Protestant ministers-and no more So
Only since the organization of the
Evangelical Alliance 1S46) have the
different sects of Christendom &C
knowledged each other and each 9th
er's ordinations Some of them recog
nize the word ordination in its true
light, as meaning simply authorizat ton
and others of less spiritual discern
ment see merely an outward ceremony
Each denomination does its own or
daining, and makes such ceremonies as
1t deems proper If, therefore, the con
gregation of Christian believers il
Brooklyn and the other congregation
In London choose to ordain or appoint
me their Pastor, it is wholly matter
of their own what ceremonies, if any
shall accompany that ordination or ap
pointment. Who can dispute this? Nc
Protestant denomination, surely; fol-
their own ordinations are on this basis
"Not of Men, Nor by Man."
The entire subject of ordination OF
ministers of the Gospel seems to have
fallen into confusion during the shut
filings of the Dark Ages; and few seem
to have gotten fully back to the Bible
teachings on this subject as on Other
subjects. st. Paul is particular in EN-
phasizing the fact that he did not re-
ceive his commission as preacher and
Apostle of Christ from his brother
Apostles. He distinctly declares him
self an Apostle by Divine authorize
ton. This is the general Scriptural
principle underlying Divine Ordination
to the ministry of Christ
Before we proceed with an exposi
ton of the Bible teaching ON Divine
Ordination, it win not be improper fol
US to note the practical operation of the
different human organizations-of men
and by men merely.
Have all bishops of the Catholic
Church, the Anglican Church, and the
Greek Church been models of propri-
ETY., patterns to the flock? Have all
given evidence of Divine authorization
to teach and to preach the True Cos
pei? Their staunchest votaries must
admit that many Of them have been
unworthy; and that from these very
ones have proceeded doctrines and
practises contrary to the Word of God.
OF what value, then, are their ordina-
tons by men and of man? None what
everl On the contrary, the claim that
they were Divinely authorized, and
guided and inspired to be teachers of
the Church, helped forward the errors
which they promulgated. BY reason
of their claimed authority to teach,
the people believed them too implicitly
and did not sufficiently crIticlse their
utterances and practises in the light of
the Holy Scriptures.
How is it today in the various Prot
estant denominations of Christendom?
Are all those who receive sectarian or
dination, of men and by man, benefited
thereby? Has such ordination kept
them free from weaknesses of the flesh
to which others were exposed? Has it
not, on the other hand, exposed them
m1 - -.