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

ordination of men and by man?
The answer is found in the num-
bers who have left various de-
nominations and ordinations to go
into other denominations and ordi-
nations 1t is answered also in the
fact that today the great majority of
ordained ministers in all denOmina-
lions entirely repudiate the Bible as a
Divine Revelation. Their ordination
did not protect them from our modern
infdelity, called Higher Criticism. I'm
der its influence they have ceased to
be teachers of Bible Christianity, and
have become merely essayists, leaders
in political and social reform and in
humanitarian work Manifestly their
ordination of men and by man did not
hold them to the faith once delivered
to the saints" Jude 81 1t did not as
sist them to appreciate the Bible as
being sufficient that the man of God
might be thoroughly furnished unto
every good word and work.
Let us consider the matter again,
from another standpoint. Did any of
these human ordinations of men and
by man impart the Holy Spirit or give
mental illumination by which any of
these humanity ordained ministers were
qualified for preaching and teaching
the Lords people? The answer is, No!
AS deep spirituality and as deep in
sight into the teachings of the Scrip
lures are to be found outside of the
pulpit as inside The ordination, evil
IDENTIFY, brought no enlightenment, no
gift of the Holy Spirit-the thing
above all needed by those who would
teach others and expound the Gospel.
Has Served Bad Purpose.
The ordination of ministers. Of men
and by man. has been injurious in that
it has perpetnated the misconception
that the Church is divided into two
classes-clergy and laity. The ordained
have been injured by being pulled up to
suppose themselves of higher caste
than their brethren. The unordained
have been Injured in that human Grdi-
nation has helped to Eefog their minds
In respect to the real ordination. Thus
the 'laity" have been hindered from
entering upon the very service which
God intended should he their CHEZ aim
and object. In the early Church, the
Elders were considered merely elder
brothers of the Church--not elders in
years necessarily. but advanced ones
In spiritual things, able to help the
brethren properly to understand the
Word of God and to attend to all the
duties and privileges inculcated by the
Gospel for their preparation for a share
in Messiah's Kingdom. The ordination
Of reverend men to be rulers, and In
some cases dictators of a Church, has
taken away from the Elders the very
services that the Apostle tells them
were to be theirs. Instead. it appoints
them the empty honor of passing the
| collection plate and the communion
service. st. Paul. in his address to
the Elders of the congregation at
Ephesus. said. Take heed therefore
| unto yourselves, and to all the Flock
over which the Holy Spirit hath made
you overseers [Greek, episkOpOs liter
ally, bishopsl. to feed the Church of
Cod" (Acts XXX. 2S) All of those
Elders were under-shepherds. pastors,
bishops, overseers All of them had
the commission to feed the Flock. All
Of them had opportunity for teaching,
instructing the Church.
Divine Ordination to Preach.
All will admit that If preachers are
representatives or God, II they speak In
His name, they must have some ordi-
nation from Him. Whoever has not Di-
vine authority is usurping a holy Office
and placing himself in antagonism to
God. AS St Paul suggests, mo man
taketh this honor unto himself, but he
that is called of God, as was Aaron"
Hebrews V, A. The Apostles argu-
ment is that the Aaronic priesthood
was typical of the higher Priesthood OF
Jesus-the Melchisedec Priesthood.
Aaron and his sons belonged to the
tribe specially called to the Divine
service; and they were specially called
out of that tribe to be the priests. The
antitype is Jesus, the High Priest or
Head Priest, over the under Priesthood
AL the true members of the Church
of Christ. This st. Peter shows saying,
not to the clerics but to all the Church,
''Ye are Royal Priesthood, a holy ma
ton, peculiar people, that We should
show forth the praises of Him who
hath called you out of darkness into
His marvellous light Peter ii, 9.
As Aaron received an amounting, quail
flying him for the typical priesthood, so
Jesus received an amounting of the
Holy Spirit, qualifying Him to be the
Head or Chief Priest over all the
Church, the undeF-priesthood. The be-
getting of the Holy Spirit came upon
Jesus at His baptism. That amounting
gave Him authority to preach and
teach in the Fathers name. There His
ministry began, as He tells US Himself
in His serE-on in the Nazareth syna-
gogue, where He read the opening
their fulfilment had been reached in
His own person: 1.-THE Spirit of the
Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord
hath anointed Me to preach good It'd
ings unto the meek"-Luke ", 1921.
The Church Amounted to Preach.
While Jesus was with His disciples,
He sent them forth to preach in His
name, not in the Fathers name; for
the Father had not yet acknowledged
them by giving them the amounting of
the Holy Spirit, as we read:-"The
Holy Spirit WIS not yet given; because
Jesus was not yet glorifed." John vii,
49, But when Jesus, having finished
His ministry and sacrifice, was leaving
His disciples He directed them not to
preach, but to tarry at Jerusalem ''un-
til We be endued with power from on
High. Luke xiv, 40.
The promised power from on High
came at Pentecost. Immediately they
began to preach and to teach; for they
had received the Divine amounting, as
Jesus had received 1t at the time of
His baptism. This Divine amounting
constituted their ordination, their au-
thority from the Father as members
of the Body of Christ, the Royal Priest
hood, to be His mouthpieces. This Di-
vine amounting came not merely upon
the twelve Apostles; but it has all
through this Gospel Age constituted
the blessed recognition of the Father
and Of the Son to all who receive it.
In the typical picture, Aaron had the
holy amounting oil poured upon his
head. and it ran down to the skirts Of
his garment. All the members of His
Body thus came under the amounting
So Jesus, the Head of the Church, re-
ceived the amounting at the beginning
of His ministry; and from Him at
PpntQcOSt nv the Divinn annnintmanf