ZION'S ADVOCATE - January, 1856

The Lord has assured us that he will never leave himself without witnesses on earth, and that he will send his people pastors that shall feed them with knowledge and with understanding, and when such gifts are made manifest to Israel it is a source of great joy and consolation to the saints. But as it was in ancient times, so it is now, that some will seek to get into that office that are not called of God, and therefore the important consideration with the churches is to distinguish between those sent of God, and such as have run of their own accord, and to encourage the former, while they keep back the latter. Indeed, they can, in many instances, be distinguished by the necessity that exists for encouraging or resisting their pretensions to the ministry, in connection with the important question whether they edify the body of Christ or not. All the gifts conferred by Chris tend to edification, and the church is the best judge in any case of the character of the gift that may arise within her borders. The utmost care and prudence should be observed by us in applying these tests to those who aspire to the ministry, and desire the office of a bishop, but where they fall manifestly short of the standard, and instead of the churches being edified they are mortified, and the cause of Christ injured and disgraced instead of being promoted. The churches and also individual members should feel it to be their duty to advise and counsel them; and if they still persist in their course, the churches should, unquestionably, deal with them according to the laws of Christ.

Some of God’s ministers seem to make rapid growth, and attain early to eminence and distinction in the ministry, while others plod along for years before they reach a prominent standard in the churches and hence the necessity for the exercise of patience in trying the spirits. We should not be hasty and rash in our decisions in reference to unpromising gifts, but when it becomes notorious that they pull down instead of build up, and mortify and afflict the minds of brethren, instead of affording them consolation and comfort, we should, both for their sakes and the cause of Christ, cease to encourage them in their unprofitable work.- It may not be that they have preached any dangerous error, or heresy, but an unintelligible jargon, that is neither law nor gospel strictly, and unsavory and without the unction of Christ.

Christ has committed the rod of discipline to the churches, and they should attend to these matters, and not impose the burden upon their pastors, who already, if they are faithful in their Master’s cause, have as much as they can well bear, but more especially should the pastors be relieved as much as possible in eases involving the character and qualifications of ministers, because their motives, when they act in such cases are always more or less misconstrued and misrepresented. Instances have occurred when pastors have been charged with jealousy and envy, when they could not conscientiously encourage young aspirants to the ministry who furnished them no evidence that they were called of God to the work.

But such charges are invariably without foundation, we should judge, so far as gospel ministers are concerned, for there is nothing more consoling and encouraging to a faithful pastor than to see the work of the Lord prosper under his ministry, especially in raising up ministers in the churches of his charge; and if he should err in any way, it would be in giving too much latitude and encouragement to any gifts that might arise within the bounds of his ministry-in being too eager for their promotion instead of keeping them back.

It seems to be reasonable to conclude that brethren who have been exercised upon the subject of preaching and who may have occasionally labored in that way, if they are actuated from proper motives, would desist at once from any attempt to preach when they find that their testimony and message is not received by the Lord’s people. If they do not feed the sheep and lambs of Christ-the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood, they have no evidence themselves, nor do they furnish any to others, that the Lord has put them into the ministry, and therefore if it is their chief aim and desire to glorify God and advance his cause upon earth, they will not pursue a course that produces precisely the contrary result.

Many of the ministers in our connection have grown old, and, according to the course of human events, must be soon gathered to their fathers, and it would be a great consolation to them, as well as to all of us, to see their places supplied by ministers of the New Testament, faithful watchmen upon the walls of Zion, but the churches axe infinitely better off when entirely destitute of the ministry, than to be under those that have not been qualified and sent of God. All past history of the church demonstrates this and that a carnal or anti-christian preacher can do more mischief in one year than a minister of the gospel can repair in many years. Hence the importance of guarding this particular interest of Zion. Let the churches guard well the door in the reception of members generally, but let them in an especial manner look after their preachers, not only in the incipient steps and setting apart to the work, but throughout their pilgrimage. For if they are ministers of Christ, they are the greatest blessings that our covenant God has conferred upon his people while sojourners here below; and if they are ministers of Satan they are the greatest curse inflicted upon our degenerate race. May the Lord enable us all to discern between truth and error, between him that serves God and those that serve him not.