THE
APOSTOLIC MINISTRY:
A
DISCOURSE
DELIVERED IN ROCHESTER, N. Y., BEFORE THE NEW YORK
BAPTIST UNION FOR MINISTERIAL EDUCATION,
JULY, 12, 1853.
BY FRANCIS WAYLAND,
PRESIDENT OF BROWN UNIVERSITY.
ROCHESTER:
SAGE & BROTHER.
1853.




Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1858, by
FRANCIS WAYLAND,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Northern District of
New York.
PRESS OF LEE, MANNI  & CO.




DISCOURSE.
Mark 16: 15. Go ye into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature.
THESE words, uttered by the Son of God, a
few moments before his ascension, contain the
last precept which he ever delivered to his disciples. They constitute the commission under
which we labor to extend the reign of the
Messiah; and they furnish the assurance on
which we rely, that the kingdoms of this world
shall become the kingdoms of our God and of
his Christ.  A proper understanding of the
text must therefore convey important instruction on the nature and duties of the christian
ministry.
The precept in the text is, "Go ye into all




4        THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
the world, and preach the Gospel to every
creature."
I. What is this Gospel which we are here
commanded to preach? The Gospel is good
news.  What good news are we here commissioned to proclaim?
In order to answer thisT question, let us
glance at the moral condition of those to whom
the gospel is sent.
In the beginning, God created man in his
own image, with a moral constitution perfectly
adapted to a holy life, and placed before him
every motive which should impel a moral agent
to a course of spotless virtue.'The law under
which we were created was holy and just and
good. The probation assigned to us was, however, wholly subjected to the principle of law.
Its conditions were two: first, the man that
doeth these things shall live by them; and
secondly, cursed is every man that continueth
not in all things written in the book of the law
to do them. Through the abounding grace of
God, eternal life was promised as the reward




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        5
of obedience, and on the other hand, disobedience to the law, or, rebellion against the moral
government of the universe, was punishable
with eternal death, banishment from the presence of God, misery everlasting. Under our
first probation no provision was made for
pardon, and therefore no hope was offered to
the guilty. Every thing was to be gained by
perfect obedience, every thing was to be lost
by a single transgression.
Such were the moral conditions under which
we were originally created.  But our first
parents sinned, and " by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners." Without
inquiring here into the manner in which his
posterity are affected by the fall of Adam, it
is sufficient to state the fact, that, from the
date of the first transgression there has not
been " a just man on earth who has not sinned."
The moral blight fell upon all born of woman.
The whole race became rebels against God.
"They did not like to retain Him in their
knowledge," and preferred to live in open de



6        THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
fiance of his authority.  "The thoughts of
their heart became evil, only evil continually."
Sin became the irrevocable habit of man,Though impelled by the constitution of his
nature to worship something, he chose to worship birds and four footed beasts and creeping
things, nay, the work of his own hands, rather
than "God over all who is blessed forevermore."  " The earth was filled with violence"
and steeped in pollution. In every single individual of our race, unrenewed by the spirit of
God, evil tendency assumed the form of fixed
and unalterable habit, and thus every man was
making himself meet for eternal banishment
from all that is holy; while, at the same time,
he was "treasuring up unto himself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God."
The conditions of the probation under which
we were created having thus been universally
violated, nothing remained but for the law to
take its course. By the deeds of the law could
no man be justified, for we had broken the law




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        7
during our whole existence. We were thus
all under condemnation. The law contained
no provision for pardon. Sentence had been
passed upon us, and we were awaiting the day
of its execution. Earth had become a mere
suburb of hell, into which death was commissioned to sweep the myraids of our race, from
the first sinner Adam to the last of his sinsmitten posterity.
But though' all was lost, the compassions of
God were not exhausted, and he did not leave
us to perish without hope. The terms of our
first probation having been violated, eternal
life, on the principles under which we were
originally created, was impossible. It pleased
our Father in Heaven to offer us a second
probation on infinitely more favorable conditions, so that, although we had "sinned and
come short of the glory of God," we might be
"freely justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." But before
this new probation could be offered to us, it
was necessary that the law which we had




8        THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
broken should be magnified and made honorable.  It must be perfectly and triumphantly
obeyed by a being in our nature, and yet one
who by his own nature was not under the
law of humanity. No other Being than the
Son of God himself was competent to assume
the work of our redemption, and our "help
was laid upon one that was mighty."  "God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotton Son, that whosoever believeth on Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."
" In the fullness of time God sent forth his Son,
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption of sons." The Messiah fulfilled every requirement of the law in our
stead, and, " as by the disobedience of one the
many were made sinners, so, by the obedience
of one the many were made righteous." He
suffered whatever was necessary to redeem us
from the curse of the law. He died for our
offences, and offered himself without spot to
God in our stead. His offering was accepted,




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       9
and, to assure us of its acceptance, he was
raised from the dead.  Having finished the
work that had been given him to do, he ascended to " the glory which he had with the
Father before the world was."   Having
"humbled himself, and became obedient to
death, the death of the cross, God hath highly
exalted him and given him a name above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven and of things
on earth, and of things under the earth, that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
By this interposition of the Son of God on
our behalf, the destiny of man was changed,
A new probation on more favorable conditions
was granted us.  By the conditions of the
former probation we were doomed to despair
in consequence of a single transgression. Now,
through the righteousness of Christ, though
guilty of innumerable sins, we may be accepted througl the beloved. "God is well pleased
for his righteousness sake, for he hath magni1*




10       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
fled the law and made it honorable." On the
most merciful conditions, repentence for sin
and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, every child
of Adam may be pardoned, justified, sanctified
and raised to a higher glory than that which
he had lost by his own wilful transgression.
Henceforth the gate of heaven stands as wide
open for all born of woman as the gate of hell.
The change in our condition is such as the
imagination of man could never have conceived. It is a change from darkness to light,
from death to life, from pollution to purity,
from a dwelling forever in hell with the spirits
of the damned, to an "inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven for those who are kept by the power
of God, through faith unto salvation."
Every one must at once perceive that this
is the great event in the history of our world.
Compared with it, what are the revolutions of
nations, what the deliverance of peoples from
bondage, what the progress of man from ignorance to knowledge, and from barbarism to




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       11
civilization! Nay, could we combine in one
event all the most stupendous social changes
which the world has ever seen, they would all
be lighter than the dust of the balancein comparison with the mystery of Christ and him
crucified. This is the good news spoken of
in the text.
II. Let us in the next place inquire what is
meant by preaching this gospel.
The word preach, in the new testament, has
a meaning different from that which at present
commonly attaches to it. We understand by
it the delivery of an oration, or discourse, on
a particular theme, connected more or less
closely with religion. It may be the discussion of a doctrine, an exegetical essay, a dissertation on social virtues or vices, as well as a
persuasive unfolding of the teaching of the
Holy Ghost. No such general idea was intended by the word as it is used by the writers
of the New Testament. The words translated
preach in our version are two. The one signifies simply to herald, to announce, to pro



12       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
claim, to publish; the other, with this general
idea, combines the notion of good tidings; and
means, to publish, or be the messenger of, good
news. -From what I have already said of the
nature of the gospel message, it is evident that
no other idea would so well have corresponded
with the facts of the case. A great and unexpected change had been wrought in the condition of humanity. Our whole race had been,
by a most astonishing act of grace, redeemed
from inconceivable misery. They, however,
remained ignorant both of their danger and of
their deliverance. The knowledge of this act
of infinite love had been communicated to a
few men who had availed themselves of the
gracious conditions of the new covenant, and
had consecrated their whole being henceforth to
their Redeemer. The rest of the world was
wrapt in Egyptian darkness. Mankind still
continued under the curse of the law, and
were passing by millions to receive in everlasting despair the just demerit of their transgressions. The command was, go abroad every




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       13
where, proclaim to every creature the news of
redemption; tell them of the love of God in
Christ Jesus. All things are now ready, bid
them come and welcome to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
When the Israelites were bitten by the fiery
flying serpents, and the bite was inevitably
fatal, Moses was directed to set up a brazen
serpent, with the assurance.that whosoever
that had been bitten, looked upon it, should be
healed.  You can imagine how the first man
who felt its saving efficacy, flew to communicate the news to his brethren, and urge them
to avail themselves of the remedy which had
delivered him from death. Every man who
was healed became immediately a herald of
the glad tidings to others.  Every one who
was saved became a publisher of the salvation,
or, in other words, a preacher, until in a few
minutes the news spread throughout the encampment; and in this sense every tribe was
evangelized.
Allow me to illustrate the meaning of this




14       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
term, as used by our Lord, by an occurrence
of which I was an eye-witness. It so chanced,
that, at the close of the last war. with Great
Britain, I was temporarily a resident of the
city of New York. The prospects of the nation were shrouded in gloom. We had been
for two or three years at war with the mightiest nation on earth, and, as she had now concluded a peace with the continent of Europe,
we were obliged to cope with her single-handed. Our harbors were blockaded. Communication coast-wise, between our ports, was cut
off. Our ships were rotting in every creek
and cove where they could find a place of securitv. Our immense annual products were
moulding in our ware-houses. The sources of
profitable labor were dried up. Our currency
was reduced to irredeemable paper. The extreme portions of our country were becoming
hostile to each other, and differences of political opinion were embittering the peace of every
household. The credit of the government was
exhausted. No one could predict when the




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       15
contest would terminate, or discover the means
by which it could much longer be protracted.
t: It happened that on a Saturday afternoon in
February, a ship was discovered. in the offing,
which was supposed to be a cartel, bringing
home our commissioners at Ghent, from their
unsuccessful mission. The sun had set gloomily, before any intelligence from the vessel had
reached the city. Expectation became painfully intense, as the hours of darkness drew
on. At length a boat reached the wharf, announcing the fact that a treaty of peace had
been signed, and was waiting for nothing but
the action of our government to become a
law. The men on whose ears these words first
fell, rushed in breathless haste into the city, to
repeat them to their friends, shouting, as they
ran through the streets, peace! peace! peace!
Every one who heard the sound repeated it.
From house to house, from street to street, the
news spread with electric rapidity. The whole
city was in commotion. Men bearing lighted
torches were flying to and fro, shouting like




16       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
madmen, peace! peace! peace! When the
rapture had partially subsided, one idea occupied every mind. But few men slept that
night. In groups they were gathered in the
streets and by the fire-side, beguiling the hours
of midnight by reminding each other that the
agony of war was over, and that a worn out
and distracted country was about to enter
again upon its wonted career of prosperity.Thus, every one becoming a herald, the news
soon reached every man, woman and child in
the city, and, in this sense, the city was evangelized. All this you see was reasonable and
proper. But when Jehovah'has offered to our
world a treaty of peace, when men doomed to
hell may be raised to seats at the right hand of
God, why is not a similar zeal displayed in proclaiming the good news? Why are men perishing all around us, and no one has ever personally offered to them salvation through a
crucified Redeemer.
This then is, I think, the generic idea of
preaching conveyed in the New  Testament.




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       17
It is the proclamation to every creature, of the
love of God to men through Christ Jesus.This is the main idea. To this our Lord adds,
according to the other evangelist, "teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you."  The duty then enjoined
in our Lord's last command is two-fold: First,
to invite men to avail themselves of the offer
of salvation; and, secondly, to teach them to
obey the commands of Christ, so that they
may become meet for the kingdom of heaven.
In so far as we do these, we preach the gospel.
When we do anything else, it may, or it may
not, be very good; but, in the sense here considered, it is not preaching the gospel.
Hence we see that we may deliver discourses on subjects associated with religion, without preaching the gospel. A discourse is not
preaching because it is delivered by a minister,
or spoken from the pulpit, or appended to a
text. Nothing is, I think, properly preaching,
except the explaining the teachings, or enforcing the commands of Christ and his apostles.




18       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
To hold forth our own inferences, or the inferences of other men, drawn from the gospel; to
construct intellectual discourses which affect
not the conscience; to show the importance of
religion to the temporal well-being of men, or
the tendency of the religion of Christ to uphold republican institutions, and a hundred
topics of a similar character, may or may not
be well; but to do either or all of them certainly falls short of the idea of the apostle,
when he " determined to know nothing among
men but Jesus Christ and him crucified."
And moreover, the command of Christ supposes our appeal to be made directly to the
consciences of men; relying for success wholly on the promised aid of the Holy Ghost.Our Savior gives us no directions concerning
any indirect or preparatory labor. The preparation of the heart is a work which the Lord
has reserved for himself. VWe are not to go
about making men think well of religion in
general, with the intention of afterwards directing them to Christ, and urging them to




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       19
obey God. The Son of God has left us no
directions for civilizing the heathen, and then
christianizing them. We are not commanded
to teach schools in order to undermine paganism, and then, on its ruins, to build up Christianity. If this is our duty, the command must
be found in another gospel; it is not found in
the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are, at once
and always, to set before all men their sin and
danger, and point them to " the Lamb of God
who taketh away the sin of the world." And
here I would ask, are we not liable to err in
these respects? For instance, when we profess
to preach the gospel, is it right to take as a
text the words of inspiration, and then discourse on something which inspiration nevei
taught? It is not enough that what we say is
true; so is geometry, or chemistry, or metaphysics; but is it the truth which Christ came
from heaven to reveal? Again, is not our object frequently far too low in preaching? Do
we not sometimes preach with the direct design merely of creating in men a respect for




20       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
religion; and of inducing them to aid us in
promoting the objects of religious benevolence,
instead of striving to make them, by means of
this very sermon, new creatures in Christ Jesus? Do we not labor, as it is called, to build
up a good society; that is, to collect around
us the rich and the well-conditioned, instead of
laboring to save their souls from perdition?The Almighty God sends us.to make known
his offer of salvation to sinful men; and we,
instead of delivering his message, content ourselves with teaching them to pay a decent respect to us, and to our services. In the mean
time, we allow their immortal souls to go unwarned to eternal perdition. On whose conscience will the blood of these souls rest?
Such, then, is the preaching of the gospel;
it is the proclamation of the love of God to
men in Christ Jesus. It may be in public or
in private, to one or to many, from the pulpit
or at the fire-side. Whenever we set before
men the message of mercy, and urge them to
obey the commands of Christ, then we preach




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.      21
the gospel in obedience to the precept in the
text.
III. But who is thus to preach the gospel?
What would be the answer to this question,
if we listened to the voice of common humanity? When the brazen serpent was lifted up,
who was to carry the good news throughout
the camp?  When the glad tidings of peace
arrived in the city, who was to proclaim it to
his fellow-citizens? When the news of peace
with God, through the blood of the covenant,
is proclaimed to us, who of us shall make it
known to those perishing in sin? The answer
in each case is, every one. Were no command given, the common principles of our
nature would teach us that nothing but the
grossest selfishness would claim to be exempted
from the joyful duty of extending to others the
blessing which we have received ourselves.
But, besides this, we have, in the text, the
command of Christ.  "Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature;" and, "lo! I am with you always, even




22       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
unto the end of the world." The command
is as universal as discipleship, and it is to continue obligatory till the Son of man shall come.
Does any one say that this command was
given only to the apostles? It may or may
not have been so; but were they alone included
in the obligation which it imposes? The address at the last supper was given to them
alone, as were many other of the instructions
of our Lord; but were they the only persons
to whom the words spoken apply? Is it affirmed that they and those whom they should
appoint are alone to preach the word? I answer that Jesus Christ never said so, and we
have no right to add to this any more than to
any other of his commandments.
But let us see how the apostles themselves
understood the precept. Their own narrative
shall inform us. "At that time there was a
great persecution against the church that was
at Jerusalem, and they were scattered abroad
throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."  "Therefore, they




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.     23
that were scattered abroad went everywhere
preaching the word."-Acts viii: 1,4. "Then
they that were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as
far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none but Jews only. And
some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch,
spake also to the Grecians, preaching the Lord
Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with
them, and a great number believed and turned
to the Lord." These men were not apostles,
nor even original disciples of Christ, for they
were men of Cyprus and Cyrene. Yet they
went everywhere preaching the word, and in
so doing they pleased the Master, for the Holy
Spirit accompanied their labors with the blessing from on high. The ascended Savior thus
approved of their conduct, and testified that
their understanding of his last command was
correct.
If we need any farther confirmation of the
interpretation which we have given of the pre



24       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
cept in the text, we find it in other portions of
our Lord's teaching. " The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal until the
whole was leavened."  The words here indicate the manner in which the kingdom of
Christ is to extend itself. Leaven assimilates
the whole mass to itself by the contact of particle with particle-each particle, as soon as it
is leavened, communicating its own virtue to
all the particles surrounding it. So every disciple of Christ is bound, by proclaiming Christ
to those near to him, to extend the kingdom of
the Redeemer; and every one who becomes a
disciple is bound to make it his chief business
to disciple others.
Again, our Lord declares that every one
who believes in him shall be the means of imparting salvation to others. " In the last day,
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto me
and drink. He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       25
rivers of living water." This he spake of the
Spirit which, not the apostles, but they that
believe on him should receive. Thus, as our
Lord is the living fountain from which every
believer drinks; so every one who has drunk
of this fountain becomes, in this secondary
sense, a fountain to all who are about him.
So, in the message to the churches, delivered
by the ascended Savior to the Apostle John,
we find these remarkable words: "I am the
root and offspring of David, and the bright and
morning star. And the Spirit and the Bride
say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come,
and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
You see then, brethren, the nature and duty
of the church of Christ. It consists of the
whole company of penitent sinners, united to
Christ by faith, animated by the indwelling of
his Holy Spirit, every one partaking with Christ
in that love of souls which moved' him to offer
up himself, and every one laboring after his
example for the salvation of the world. This
2




26       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
is the object for which the believer lives, as it
was the object for which Christ lived. This
consecration of himself to Christ for this purpose, is a matter of personal obligation. It
cannot be done by deputy. It must be done
by the man himself. He can no more delegate
it to another, than he can delegate faith, or repentance, or prayer, or holy living. Every
disciple must be a discipler. Every individual
is leaven, and he must assimilate to himself all
that comes into contact with him.  As he
himself drinks of the fountain, he must become
a fountain to his fellow men; otherwise, he
has not drunk of the fountain himself. If he
bear not fruit, he is cut off as a branch, and is
withered.
This is the first and primary duty of a disciple, and to it his whole life must be conformed.
He may enter upon no calling, he may occupy
no station, he may indulge in no amusement
inconsistent with this elementary duty of discipleship. A revival of religion represents a
church in its normal condition, the condition




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.         27
which Christ always intended it to maintain.
Then every believer makes it his great concern
to call men to repentance, not as a matter of
form, but with earnest and moving persuasion.
Every convert is inviting his former companions to turn unto the Lord. But, if this manner of life is appropriate to a revival, it is
appropriate to all times; for men are everywhere and at all times sinners hastening to the
judgment seat, and they must all perish unless
they be redeemed by the blood of Christ.
It would be easy to show that it is by involving this obligation in the very elementary idea
of discipleship, that Christ has provided for the
universal triumph of his church. On this depends the vitality of personal religion. We
can never in earnest call men to repentance,
unless we are living holy and penitent lives
ourselves. Hence, also, arises the separation
of the church from the world, and hence the
antagonism which Christ declares must always
exist between them.  "Because ye are not of
the world, but I have chosen you out of the




28          THE APOSTOLIC  MINISTRY.
world, therefore the world hateth you." It is
under these circumstances that the church has
always gained its most signal victories, and
when  these  principles  of duty  exercise  an
abiding influence over the life of every disciple, the kingdoms of this world will soon become the kingdoms of our Lord  and of his
Christ.*
* There is matter for thought in the following remarks
of Neander:
" History teaches us to estimate aright the deep significance of this Christian truth, [' the mediation of Christ']
here developed from the words of the Apostle. The entire
dependence of all Christians alike upon this one advocacy,
to the exclusion of every other, being based upon this
truth; we accordingly see that whenever it became obscured in the Christian consciousness, that dependence
was again, as in the ante-Christian period, transferred to a
human priesthood and to a multiplicity of mediations, and
again the distinction between priests and laity, between
spiritual and secular, found admission. And thus will it
ever be, when this reference of the religious consciousness
in all believers, to the one mediation through Christ, is
cast into the back ground; is obscured or misunderstood."
-Neander on John, translated by Mrs. Conant, p. 57.: The word' anointing' suggests to us the ordinances of
the old dispensation, from which it was borrowed. Kings,
priests, prophets, received their consecration to the office




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.              29
F Such, then, is the privilege, and such the
duty of every disciple of Christ.   It enters
into the elementary idea of discipleship. With
this every other subsequent idea must be in
harmony.  No ecclesiastical system which we
form can either liberate a disciple from this
obligation, or take away his privilege of thus
laboring for Christ. Whatever offices are creappointed them by God, through an anointing,-the symbol of the power imparted to them by God through his
Spirit for the fulfilment of their calling. By the outward
and visible was signified that which, in its fulness and
completion, was to be wrought inwardly upon the spirit.Now that which was expressed outwardly under the old
dispensation, and by a single act, is in the New Testament
converted wholly into the inward and spiritual, and working from within embraces the entire life. Thatwhich under
the old dispensation was restricted to individuals, entrusted
in some manner with the guidance of God's people,-individuals who were thereby separated from the body of the
people,-now under the new dispensation belongs to the
people of God universally. The limitations of the Old
Testament are burst asunder by the spirit of the New.First of all, its founder himself,-the sovereign in God's
kingdom, the Savior,-is called the Anointed, the Christ,
as having been consecrated to his work through the fulness
of the indwelling Spirit of God; as possessing in himself
the fulness, the sum of all those divine powers, which were




30         THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
ated in the church, are created for the purpose
of enabling the disciple the better to discharge
this duty. They are made for the church, the
church is not made for them; and it becomes
us ever to be watchful, lest by any error the
church of Christ be deprived of this, the mainspring of all its efficiency.
only imparted singly as special gifts to the prophets of the
Old Testament. So, by virtue of their fellowship with
him, are all who are redeemed by him made partakers of
the Holy Spirit which he imparts. From the fulness of the
divine nature, the divine power dwelling in him, he imparts
to all. This is the inward anointing, the inward consecration whereby they are inwardly set apart from the world,
as those who belong to God through Christ. All are admitted without distinction to the same fellowship with him,
and receive from him the same inward consecration to their
divine mission through the Holy Spirit. Henceforth there
exists no more among the people of God any such distinction, as under the 011 Testament between kings, priests,
prophets and people; but all collectively are in like manner
consecrated to God, have an equal part in that inward consecration, in the illuminating and sanctifying influence of
the Holy Spirit. It is one royal priestly generation, whose
nobility and high office is alike the heritage of all; all are
prophets, through that common illumination of the Holy
Spirit. Such are the weighty thoughts contained in that
single word, that honorable designation of believers."Ibid, pp. 126-8.




TIE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        31
I have thus far spoken of the gifts which
are common to every man of a sane mind.But almost every man has some peculiar gift,
that is, some naturally bestowed means of usefulness. This also he is bound in the same
manner to consecrate to the service of the
Master.  A brief allusion to some of them
will sufficiently illustrate my meaning. One
man may be endowed with uncommon conversational ability, so that in the ordinary intercourse of society, he readily leads the minds
of men in any direction he chooses.  The disciple of Christ is not at liberty to use this talent
for the purpose of attaining to social pre-eminence, or for the gratification of personal vanity; he must use it as a means of winning
souls to Christ. Beautiful illustrations of this
form of consecration of talent were seen in
the lives of the late William Wilberforce and
Joseph John Gurney. Another disciple may
be endowed with skill in the conduct of mercantile affairs, so that, with ease, he can accumulate a fortune, when other men would




32       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
merely obtain a subsistence. This talent he
has no right to employ for the purpose of hoarding up wealth for himself, or for his children,
or of procuring the means of luxurious extravagance, or fashionable display. " The lust of
the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of
life are not of the Father, but of the world."
He must consecrate this gift to God, and remember that he will be called to account for
this, as for every other talent. And while such
a man should abound in almsgiving, let him be
his own almoner, laboring with his own hands,
and not the hands of others, in the work of
benevolence. Another may have been gifted
with skill in managing affairs, in arranging and
carrying forward plans for the labor of others,
and in guiding masses of men to right conclusions in all matters of public concernment.This talent should be given to the cause of
religion and benevolence. Such men, instead
of leaving the charge of all our benevolent
institutions to the ministry, should assume it
themselves.  They can do it better than we,




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        33
and the gift was granted to them for this very
purpose. It belongs to Christ, and to him must
it be cheerfully rendered.
These gifts to which I have referred, are
bestowed upon Christians for the general service of the church of Christ.  There are but
few men who are not endowed with some one
of them, which it is their duty faithfully to
improve. I must, however, turn to those gifts
which have special reference to the ministry
of the word.
It frequently happens, that a brother engaged
in secular business is endowed with a talent
for public speaking. On matters of general
interest, he is heard by his fellow-citizens with
pleasure and profit. This talent is more largely
bestowed than we commonly suppose; and it
would be more frequently observed, if we desired to cultivate and develop it. Now, a disciple who is able successfully to address men
on secular subjects, is surely competent to address them on the subject in which he takes an
immeasurably greater interest.  This talent
2*




31       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
should specially be offered up in sacrifice to
Christ. The voice of such brethren should be
heard in the conference room, and in the prayer
meeting. They have no right to lay up this
talent, more than any other, in a napkin. And
still more is it incumbent on the churches, to
foster and improve gifts of this kind. Thus
we arrive at the order of lay preachers, formerly a most efficient aid in the work of spreading the gospel. I believe that there are but
few churches among us, in the ordinary enjoyment of religion, who have not much of this
talent undiscovered and unemployed.  Let
them search out and improve it. Every church
would thus be able to maintain out-stations,
where small congregations might be gathered,
which would shortly grow up into churches,
able themselves to become lights to the surrounding neighborhood. I know of but few
means by which the efficiency of our denomination could be so much increased as by a return to our former practice in this respect.
But, besides this, it seems plainly to be the




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        35
will of Christ that some of his disciples should
addict themselves exclusively to the ministry
of the gospel.  Such men are called elders,
presbyters, bishops, ministers of the word, or
stewards of the mysteries of God. If it be
asked, under what circumstances may a believer undertake this service?-I answer, the
New Testament, as it seems to me, always refers to it as a calling to which a man is moved
by the Holy Ghost. No one may therefore
enter the ministry, except from the motive of
solemn, conscientious duty. If he choose it
as a profession, for the sake of worldly advantage, or that he may enjoy a life of leisure, or
be enabled the better to pursue some favorite
studies, he has mistaken his calling. No man
will ever succeed in any undertaking, who
pursues it as a means to the attainment of
something else; least of all, when he makes a
convenience of the service of God in the ministry of reconciliation.
If it be asked how a man may know that he
is called of God to this work, I answer, the




36       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
evidence seems to me to be two-fold. In the first
place, he must be conscious of a love for the work
itself, not for what in other respects he may
gain by it; and also, there must be impressed
on his soul an abiding conviction, that, unless
he devote himself to this service, he can in no
wise answer a good conscience towards God.
With the Apostle, he must be conscious that a
necessity is laid upon him, yea, that a woe
rests upon him, if he preach not the gospel.He who is impressed by no such convictions,
had, I think, better pursue some other avocation.
This is the first indication of the man's duty.
In the next place, he must exhibit such evidences of his call to this work as shall secure
for him the approbation of his brethren. Of
his own feelings he must be the judge; of his
qualifications they must be the judges. When
both he and they, after prayerful deliberation,
unite in the same opinion, then he may conclude that he is called of God to the ministerial
office. Neither of these evidences alone is




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.         37
sufficient; the union of them is alone satisfactory.
The New  Testament, I think, recognizes
two forms of ministerial labor; that of evangelists, and that of pastors. Evangelists are
specially preachers, or missionaries.  Men
called to this office are endowed with peculiar
gifts for awakening the careless, arousing the
secure, directing the attention of men to the
subject of religion, and thus planting churches
where Christ has not been named.  The particular value of such an oider of ministers, in
such a country as our own, is, I think, apparent.
Many of the fathers of the ministry in all this
region, the men who laid the foundations of
your present prosperity, were, for much of their
time, evangelists; and worthily did they fulfil
the ministry which they had received of the
Lord Jesus.
Besides evangelists, the New  Testament
authorizes the appointment of pastors, that is
of ministers of the gospel placed over particular churches. The calling of such a man is




38       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
not to the cure of souls generally; but, first of
all, of the souls of that particular people. He believes that Christ has placed him over a separate
church; from that church he receives his support; and, for both reasons, he is bound to devote to them his whole service. It is his duty
"to warn every man and teach every man,
that he may present every man perfect in Christ
Jesus: whereunto he is to labor according to
the working that worketh in him mightily."It is his duty to make known clearly and explicitly, and with tears, the danger and guilt
of the impenitent, to arouse the conscience, to
point the inquiring soul to the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world, to unfold the riches of divine love to the believing,
to guard the disciples against conformity to
the world, to stimulate them by every holy
motive to higher attainments in piety and
closer conformity to Christ, to reclaim the backslider, to counsel the tempted, to caution the
unwary, to comfort the sick, to speak peace to
the dying believer, to suggest to his brethren




TIHE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.      39
means of usefulness, to watch over the discipline of the church, in all things showing himself a pattern of good works, and ever doing
the same work which he urges upon them.He is to labor publicly, holding up the cross of
Christ before his people on the Sabbath, and
on all occasions when he can collect them to
hear his message. Wherever he calls them to
assemble he should meet with them. He will
accomplish but little by urging them to leave
their secular business for a meeting for prayer,
while he is too much occupied in miscellaneous
business to attend it himself. But, besides this,
he must follow them to their homes, and press
upon them individually the claims of the Most
High. With Paul, he must "teach publicly,
and from house to house, testifying repentance
towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus
Christ," if he would "finish his course with
joy," and at the close of his life take his people
to witness "that he is pure from the blood of
all men."  My brethren, is not this a work
great enough for any man? Can any duty




40        THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
vie with it in importance? Doth it not then
become us " to give ourselves wholly to it, that
our profiting may appear unto all?"  Can we
have any excuse before God, if we fritter away
our lives in miscellaneous business, and give to
the work of God the mere shreds and clippings
of our time?
You see, then, the means which the Savior
has provided for the universal triumph of his
kingdom upon earth. He requires every disciple, as soon as he becomes a partaker of divine grace, to become a herald of salvation to his fellow-men. He is a fountain, from
which is to flow a river of living water. The
doing of this, is the test of his discipleship. If
he is a branch that beareth not fruit, his end is,
to be cut off. He is " the salt of the earth, and
if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall
it be salted." It is thenceforth good for nothing,
but to be cast out and trodden under foot of
men. Secondly, every disciple is bound to
employ for Christ every peculiar gift with
which he may have been endowed.  Thirdly,




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        41
every man possessed of the gifts for the ministry, mentioned in the New  Testament, is
bound to consecrate them to Christ, either in
connection with his secular pursuits or by devoting his whole time to this particular service.
If this be so, you see that in the church of
Christ there is no ministerial caste; no class
elevated in rank above their brethren, on
whom devolves the discharge of the more dignified cr more honorable portions of christian
labor, while the rest of the disciples are to do
nothing but raise the funds necessary for their
support.  The minister does the same work
that is to be done by every other member of
the body of Christ; but, since he does it exclusively, he may be expected to do it more to
edification. Is it his business to labor for the
conversion of sinners and the sanctification of
the body of Christ, so is it theirs.  In every
thing which they do as disciples, he is to be
their example. I know that we now restrict
to the ministry the administration of the ordinances, and to this rule I think there can be




42       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
no objection. But we all know that for this
restriction we have no example in the New
Testament.  In other respects it is difficult
to discover, in principle, the difference between
the labors of a minister and those of any other
disciple, in conversation, or in a sabbath school,
or a bible class, or in a conference room. All
are laboring to produce the same result, the
conversion of men, and by the same means,
the inculcation of the teachings of Christ and
his apostles. The ministry is made for the
church, and not the church for the ministry.
We are not Boodhist priests, or Mahomedan
dervishes, or members of a papal or any other
hierarchy, or a class above or aside from our
brethren, but simply ambassadors of Christ,
your servants for Jesus sake. The chiefest of
the Apostles desired no higher rank, and with
it we are abundantly satisfied.
You see then my brethren, what is the New
Testament idea of a church of Christ; it is a
company of believers, each one united to
Christ and pervaded by his spirit, and each




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.      43
one devoting every talent, whether ordinary
or peculiar, to the work of evangelizing the
world. When a company of disciples is collected together in a particular community,
they are the leaven by which Christ intends
that whole community to be leavened. By
virtue of their discipleship they are called upon
to accomplish this work, and it is their duty,
in his strength, to attempt it. He did not light
that candle to place it under a bushel. Every
individual is to become at once a herald of salvation. Those endowed with aptness to teach
are to be sent to destitute and forgotten places
in the vicinity, to the highway sand hedges, to
compel men to come to the gospel supper.
The ministry are to devote to this work their
whole time, as ensamples and leaders of the
flock; surveying the whole field and suggesting to each brother his appropriate sphere of
labor. Let the disciples of Christ thus obey
the master in the most depraved city among
us, and, by the grace of God, its whole population would soon be subdued unto Christ. The




44       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
moral atmosphere would be purified by the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, "the work of
righteousness would be peace, and the effect of
righteousness quietness and assurance forever."
And when the disciples of Christ of every
name thus obey his last command, making, as
he did, the conversion of the world the great
object for which they live, the last act in the
great drama of man's redemption will have
opened. Private believers will feel their obligation to carry the gospel to the destitute as strongly as ministers. They will then be seen by thousands, like Paul, ministering to themselves with
their own hands, while they carry the gospel
to regions beyond. Then will ensue that final
struggle between the powers of light and the
powers of darkness, for dominion over this
world. Then will " the heathen be given to
Christ for his inheritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth for his possession." Then
will the accuser of the brethren be cast out.
Then from every people and tongue and nation of a regenerated world will ascend the




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.      45
anthem of salvation to him that sitteth upon
the throne, and to the Lamb forever.
If now we need any confirmation of the
truth of these views, I think we shall find it in
observing the manner in which the church of
Christ was first planted, under the eye of the
Master. It was simply this: One individual,
when called of Christ, brought other individuals to him. " John stood, and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked,
he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And the
two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. One of the two was Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother. He findeth his own
brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have
found the Messiah. And he brought him to
Jesus. The day following Jesus findeth Philip,
and saith unto him, Follow me. Philip findeth
Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found
him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph. Nathaniel saith unto him, Can any
good thing come out of Nazareth?  Philip




46       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
saith unto him, Come and see."  Thus, by
contact of soul with soul, did the church of
Christ increase. And I may add, if any one
will read the gospel with this view, he will be
surprised to observe how much of the recorded
teaching of Christ consists of conversation
addressed to individuals, in the ordinary intercourse of life.
Again, observe that no sooner had our Lord
collected a little band of disciples, than he employed a large portion of them as missionaries
to announce the approach of his kingdom.From his small company of followers, he chose
first twelve, and then seventy, whom he sent
abroad on this errand. If every church among
us furnished heralds of the gospel in like proportion, there would be no lack of ministers.
Observe, again, the circumstances under
which, after the ascension of our Lord, the
church of Christ commenced its victorious
march over the then known world. Against
it were arrayed not only the interests and lusts
and pride of man, but the power of every




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       47
government, and all the influences emanating
from a luxurious, refined and intelligent civilization. On what did Christ rely, as his human
instruments, to prostrate this vast fabric of
tasteful, venerable and cultivated idolatry?He made no attempt to undermine and overthrow  paganism  in general.  He published
no discourses intended to prepare the public
mind for the coming revolution.  He sent
abroad no schoolmasters, to instil the principles
of secular truth into the minds of the young.
On the contrary, he met the whole power of
the adversary face to face, and brought divine
truth into immediate collision with long cherished and much loved moral error. He charged
every disciple to proclaim the gospel at once
to every creature.  He selected those who
were to be the first preachers of the word, the
first ministers of his church, from the lower
and middle walks of life-men destitute of all
the advantages of special intellectual culture,
whom their enemies reproached as unlettered
and ignorant. As cultivated talent was re



48       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
quired, it was provided in the person of the
Apostle to the Gentiles. As the church commenced, so, to the close of the inspired record,
it continued. "Ye see your calling, brethren,"
said the Apostle, "how that not many wise
men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble are called, but God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the
things that are mighty, and base things of the
world, and things that are despised, hath God
chosen, yea, things that are not, to bring to
naught things that are, that no flesh should
glory in his presence." Under the conviction
of these truths, Paul labored in the ministry.
Though a well educated man, who had profited
above many that were his equals, yet when he
proclaimed the gospel in refined and luxurious
Corinth, although the preaching of the cross
was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the
Greeks foolishness, he resolved to know nothing
among men but Jesus Christ and him crucified. He did from choice, precisely as his uneducated brethren did from necessity. It is




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       49
surprising to observe the entire simplicity of
those efforts, by which, in an incredibly short
period, the gospel was planted throughout the
whole Roman Empire. We can discover no
means employed to accomplish this result, but
the proclaiming to all men repentance towards
God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, imposing on every regenerated man the duty, in
turn, of proclaiming the good news to his
brethren, always relying, and relying wholly, on
the power of the Holy Ghost.
But, it may be said, these times were unlike
any that the world has since witnessed. But
let us ask, does change in social condition render it necessary to adopt any new principles
in conducting our efforts for the conversion of
mankind? Survey our missionary field, and
observe the places where the preaching of the
gospel has been attended with the most remarkable success. We number among the Karens,
for instance, more converts than in all our other
missions together. And how was the gospel
preached to them?  They live in scattered
3




50       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
hamlets along the water courses, in the jungle,
whose miasmata are fatal to a foreigner, except
for a few months in the year. During this
brief interval the missionary traveled among
them, preaching Christ to one, or two, or ten, or
twenty, as he could collect hearers. The Holy
Spirit was poured out, and sinners were converted.  Small churches were formed, and,
from the necessity of the case, left for the remainder of the year to themselves. With the
spirit of primitive Christianity, these rude men
pointed their neighbors to the Savior. Ministerial gifts manifested themselves among them
as they were needed, and a large number became ministers of the word.  The work of
God was thus carried forward with remarkable power. The brother whose labors among
them have been eminently blessed, worn down
by incessant toil, was obliged to leave his station for a year or two, for the recovery of his
health. On his return, fearful that his flock
had been scattered during his absence, he inquired with trembling solicitude concerning




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       51
their condition. You may judge of his surprise, when he learned that about fifteen hundred persons were then awaiting baptism.This blessed result had been accomplished by
men hardly elevated at all above their brethren,
for they had no knowledge whatever, beyond
that contained in the New Testament, and the
few books and tracts which, within a few vears,
had been translated into their language. The
contact of soul with soul was thus leavening
the lump. Pastors, as they were needed, have
been raised up among them; and these are
now, in a large measure, supported by the voluntary effort of the brethren. Thus is the religion of Christ displaying through this whole region its power of self-extension, by the preaching of the gospel attended by the power of the
Holy Ghost.
If the question be asked, could this work
have been carried on without the aid of men
of more cultivated minds and larger knowledge
than the Karens?-I answer, certainly not.But I ask again, could this work have been




52       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
carried on without the labors of these rude and
unlettered men, who went everywhere preaching the word? The answer is the same, certainly not. Our conclusion, then, is that God
requires, and that he employs in his vineyard,
all classes of laborers; and the union of all is
necessary to the accomplishment of his work.
In general, I think it will be found that, other
things being equal, the preacher of the gospel
will be most successful, whose habits of thought
are but little elevated above those of his hearers. President Edwards was, I think, without
dispute, the ablest theologian of his time.  His
ministry, for many years, was eminently successful in Northampton and its vicinity; but I
have never heard that it was attended with
any remarkable results during his missionary
life among the Stockbridge Indians.
But it may perhaps be said, that in this case
the people to whom the gospel was preached,
were ignorant pagans; and that we cannot, from
such an example, learn the best manner of extending the church of Christ among men of




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.         53
intellectual culture. Let us then turn to Germany, and inquire for the circumstances under
which the gospel has wrought so powerfully
there.  Among no people on earth has education been more widely diffused, and nowhere
has teaching been conducted with more admirable skill. It is the land of Luther and of the
reformation, the preceptress of Europe in science and philology.  What, then, have been
the facts here?
In the year 1835, a Baptist Church of believers was constituted in Hamburgh, consisting of seven members, imbued in a remarkable
degree with the spirit of Apostolic Christianity.
Of this church, Rev. Mr. Oncken was ordained
pastor.  That church of seven members has
already multiplied itself into 42 churches, sustaining 356 stations, numbering 4,215 communicants,* baptized, on profession of their faith,
into the name of the Lord Jesus. Each church
* Exclusive of those who have been removed by death
and emigration. Many of them are now residing in our
Western States.




54       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
is supplied with a pastor. Churches and stations are established in Northern Germany,
eastward from Hamburgh to the borders of
Russia; quite extensively through Southern
Germany, and to some extent in Sweden and
Denmark. On no other churches in Christendom does the smile of heaven so signally rest.
They are, emphatically, a field which the Lord
has blessed.
And how have these results been accomplished? By following the example left us by
Christ and his apostles, " the little one has become a thousand, and a small nation a strong
people."  Every disciple acknowledged the
obligation laid upon him by the last command
of our Lord. The Holy Ghost bestowed upon
the churches ministerial gifts adapted to the
work before them. These gifts were cherished,
and called into exercise. Preaching was commenced wherever the Lord opened a door.
Stations were established, and the men were
found to occupy them. These stations grew
into churches, by which other stations were




TIHE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       55
sustained. Thus churches were multiplied in
every direction; the Holy Spirit was everywhere poured out, and much people was added
to the Lord.  Some of these churches now
contain two or three hundred members. Almost
all of them sustain stations, some of them as
many as twenty or thirty; and, though it may
seem incredible to some of us, all this glorious
work has been accomplished, in classical Germany, without the aid of a single classically
educated laborer. Would it not be possible for
us to learn a lesson from our brethren in Germany?
But it will perhaps be said, this is an example from a foreign country; would the same
means for extending the reign of Christ avail
us equally here at home?  Cast your eyes
backward then, and look upon our own condition some fifty or sixty years since. The men
are now living, who remember the Baptist denomination when it was the least of the thousands of Israel. We are now among the most
numerous, perhaps the most numerous commu



56       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
nion in the United States. By what means
has our increase been so astonishing? How
has it come to pass, that believers in such multitudes have, through our instrumentality, been
added to the Lord. I think the answer at
once suggests itself, if we call to mind the
character of the Baptists of the preceding generation. Though plain men, generally of ordinary education, they were men of prayer, full
of the Holy Ghost, each one holding himself
in a special manner responsible for making
known to those that were around him the truth
as it is in Jesus. They were men of conference
and prayer meetings, and revivals of religion;
who, in barns, in school-rooms, and in private
houses, wherever they could collect an audience, preached repentance towards God, and
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Every talent
which a church discovered among its members,
was called into the service of Christ. There
was scarcely a church amongst us which had
not its lay preachers, or, as they were termed
licentiates. Of these, many fiom time to time




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       57
entered the regular ministry, and thus pastors
were supplied in proportion to our need. Our
settled ministers labored not only in their own
churches, but made frequent missionary tours
in the more destitute regions in their vicinity,
thus doing the work of evangelists. While we
were thus, with singular earnestness, devoting
all the means in our power to the service of
Christ, the Lord added to us daily of such as
should be saved. And nowhere could I appeal
to the result of these labors with greater pleasure, than in the very spot on which I stand.
The numerous and flourishing churches that
fill the whole of Western New York, this University, with all its strength in the present, and
its boundless hopes for the future, all owe their
existence to the self-denials, the preaching, the
prayers of these plain, pious, venerable and
never to be forgotten men. " They have labored, and you have entered into their labors."
Of late years our progress has been much less
rapid. Our views in many of these respects
have changed. May not this change in our




58       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
views be connected with the change in our
prosperity?
These instances seem to me to throw some
light upon the teachings of the New Testament on this subject. I fear that we are in
danger in this matter of forsaking the instructions of Christ and his apostles, and following
the traditions of men, not observing the tendencies to which they lead. The Reformers
brought with them many of the errors of the
church of Rome. May we not have derived,
through them, some erroneous notions respecting the church and the Christian ministry?
Can any one fail to perceive, that the views of
our Hamburgh brethren on this subject are
more in accordance with the New Testament,
than those of Luther, or Calvin, or Melancthon,
or John Knox?
The doctrines here presented seem to me to
have an important bearing on the subject of
Christian and ministerial education.
The principles which should govern us in
this matter, seem to be something like the following: 




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        59
I have said that every disciple of Christ is
under imperative obligations to become a herald of salvation to his fellow men, and to beseech them, in Christ's stead, to be reconciled
to God. This can only be done by the action
of mind upon mind. It is a case in which the
mind of one man seeks to exert an influence
over the mind of another. To accomplish this
result, it is obvious that disciplined is more
powerful than undisciplined mind. We are
taught by Christ, that we are under obligations
not only to use, but to improve every talent
committed to us, that we may have the more
to consecrate to his service. The slothful servant was condemned because he returned his
talent just in the condition in which he had received it. This is the universal condition on
which we are allowed to hold every gift entrusted to us. But, if this be the universal
rule, how emphatic is its application to intellectual gifts, the most valuable of all the talents
with which we are entrusted.  Hence, every
disciple of Christ is under the most imperative




60       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
obligations to enlarge his knowledge, to cultivate his faculties, to discipline his mental energies; that he may have the more to devote to
the service of the Master.  A  wilfully ignorant Christian is a contradiction.  He is a
barren fig tree. He is the indolent servant
who returned his talent, which he had kept
wrapt up in a napkin.  When the Master shall
ask what he has gained by trading, what will
he reply?  Brethren, the law  of the Lord is
exceding broad, and it would be well for us if
we more frequently contemplated the universality of its application.
When I say this, I beg not to be misunderstood. I do not mean to teach you that Christ
requires you all to qualify yourselves for what
are sometimes called the learned professions,
or to pursue any particular course of mental
culture. I mean that every man, whatever be
his calling, should avail himself of every means
of mental cultivation which Providence has
placed within his reach; and that he should
strive, with all earnestness, to place such means




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        61
within the reach of his children.  Let our
youth, universally, be provided with every opportunity for generous intellectual discipline.
I can see no reason why a farmer, or a mechanic, or a merchant, or a manufacturer,
should not read as good books, and be as wellinformed and intelligent a man, as a lawyer, or
a minister, or a physician. I have thought, that
our institutions of higher education should be
organized upon this principle; providing education not for one class, but for all classes, thus
enabling all classes to avail themselves of their
advantages.  To labor for these results seems
to me to be our duty as parents, and as citizens, but above all as disciples of Christ. If
we are bound to consecrate our all to Him, we
are just as much bound to render that all as
valuable as possible, that so we may have the
richer gift to lay upon his altar. Looking upon
the subject from a Christian point of view, this
seems to me to be the principle underlying
every other, which should govern all our efforts
to educate ourselves, and to provide the means




62       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
of education for our children. Were this principle universally recognized, is it possible to
estimate its effects upon the progress and stability of individual piety, and the enlargement
of the kingdom of Christ?
But, secondly, God sometimes bestows upon
individuals particular talents, which may be
made the means of special usefulness.  One
has a remarkable capacity for managing affairs,
another for mechanical invention, another for
philological research, and another for the pursuit of abstract science. In such a case, it
would seem that such talent is to be cultivated
with special care. It is a means of usefulness
which has not been created in vain, and is not
to be recklessly thrown away.  On the same
principle, if a man has been endowed with a
talent for public speaking, though employed in
a secular calling, he must embrace every opportunity in his power to render this talent
serviceable to Christ. Besides availing himself
of every means of general culture, he should
devote particular attention to the improvement




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       63
of this special gift. He should give himself to
the study of the word of God, and should labor
as much as may be in his power, to render his
instructions profitable to his fellow men.
But, now, suppose it manifest that God has
called a man to devote his whole time to the
ministry of the word; it is obvious that the
obligation to improve his talent to the utmost,
is specially imperative. It is by means of his
intellectual faculties that he attempts to influence the minds of his fellow men. This is the
service to which they are exclusively devoted.
He is laboring in the cause which employed
all the faculties of the Son of God while on
earth. For the use and the improvement of
his intellectual powers, he must render a specially solemn account. The means of improvement, which God has placed in the power of
those whom he calls to the ministry, may be
very dissimilar; inasmuch as they may vary
with age, domestic relations, pecuniary ability,
and degree of talent for acquisition. God assigns them conditions as he pleases; all that he




64       THE APOSTOLIC MINIST RY.
requires is, that all that he has given should be
faithfully improved, and consecrated to his service. From the views which we entertain respecting the ministry, it is evident that a large
portion of our candidates for the sacred office
must have attained to some maturity of age.
It must certainly be difficult to ascertain
whether or not a person in mere youth possesses the qualifications which the Apostle Paul
teaches us must be required in a candidate.
If it be then our purpose to provide the
means of improvement for those among us
who are called to the ministry, it has seemed
to me that' we should bear in mind these elementary ideas of our denomination on this
subject. If we are willing to follow, and not
lead, the Spirit of God-that is, if we educate no man for the ministry until we are satisfied, not that he may be, but that he has been
called of God to the work of preaching the
gospel-we shall always have among our candidates a large number of those who have
passed the period of youth, and for whom the




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.         65
studies of youth would be unsuitable, if not
useless. Yet these are the very men to whom
appropriate culture would be specially valuable.
Others, in various degrees, have been more favored with preparatory education, and the
means for more extended discipline.  The
means and advantages of our candidates must,
therefore, be exceedingly dissimilar. If, then
we would labor to give to the ministry the
means of improvement, we must provide those
means for them  all. A system of ministerial
education, adapted to the condition of but one
in twenty of our candidates, commences with
the avowed intention of doing but one-twentieth part of its work, and of helping those
only who have the least need of its assistance.
We should therefore provide for all our brethren whom God has called to this service, the
best instruction in our power; adapted, as far
as possible, not to any theoretical view, but to
the'actual condition of the mass of our candidates, leaving each individual, in the exercise
of a sound and pious discretion, to determine




66         THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
the extent to which he is able to avail himself
of our services. While means should be fully
provided for pursuing an extended course of
education, we must never lose sight of the large
number of our brethren to whom an extended
course would be impossible.
But in what way soever a candidate pursues
his studies, whether by himself, or under the
instruction of an elder brother in the ministry,
or in a seminary devoted to this purpose, the
question remains to be considered, to what
points shall his efforts be directed. In attempting to answer this question, it is important to
determine, in the first place, what object he
has in view. His object is to prepare himself
to be, not a teacher, or a professor, or an agent,
or a philological scholar, or a popular writer,
but an evangelist or a pastor.*   His calling is
* It is not by any means asserted that these various gifts
are not useful, or are not to be cultivated. What I say is,
that they are not particularly connected with the ministry,
and therefore should be cultivated elsewhere. Least of all
should a course of education for the Christian ministry be
modified for the sake of preparing men for other and different pursuits.




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       67
to persuade men to be reconciled to God, and
to build up those who are reconciled in their
most holy faith. His studies, then, must all
bear directly upon this object, for which " it has
pleased God to put him into the ministry."
The means which he is to use in accomplishing this object, are simple. He is to make
known the will of God as it has been revealed
in the New Testament, and to urge men to
obey it.
It is obvious then, first of all, that the minister of the gospel must be, as thoroughly as
possible, acquainted with the teachings of Jesus
Christ and his apostles. These contain the
precise truth inspired by the Holy Ghost, which
he is to communicate to others. He is authorized to make known to men as the commandment of God the whole of this revelation, and
nothing whatever beyond it. It is precisely
this truth, and nothing else, that the Spirit of
God has promised to accompany with his almighty power. Now, I think that a man may
be materially assisted to understand the New




68       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
Testament by improved mental discipline. He
needs to acquire the habit of continuous and
abstract thought, the power of concentrating
his mind upon a subject, and keeping it steady
to its work.  He must think through the
thoughts of the Bible, that he may be able to
present them clearly to others. But let me say
that this is far from being a merely intellectual
process. Simply intellectual power can never
attain to it.  There is needed, besides this, a
devout and holy temper of mind, without which
mere mental strength can do but little. These
things are " hidden from the wise and prudent,
and revealed unto babes." Of all this you are
fully aware from your own experience. When
you have been desirous of ascertaining the
meaning of any particular passage of the
scriptures, in order to impress it more deeply
on your fellow men, in what manner have you
been most successful, by turning over the works
of men, or by the earnest thinking of a soul
lying in lowly prostration before the Spirit of
infinite wisdom?  I do not stand here to dis



THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       69
parage either human learning, or logical acuteness, but I say that these, without the aid of a
holy temper of mind, will enable us but imperfectly to understand the mind of the Spirit.
What we need is, to know, not the thoughts'of
man, but the thoughts of God, and these will
be best understood by the soul illumined by the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Here I may however remark, in passing,
that the revelation given to us consists of ideas,
and not of words.  These ideas may be expressed in our own language, or in the languages in which they were written. If a man
have the opportunity of reading the Bible in
its original languages, let him by all means
learn to do it, and do it thoroughly. Let him
embrace every other opportunity of generous
intellectual culture. No man may innocently
reject any means by which he may add to the
accuracy of his knowledge of the word of God.
But if such opportunity as he may desire have
not been given him, let him not despair, or
think himself set aside as a vessel in whom the




70       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
Master has no pleasure.  Let him  study the
scripture more earnestly, and pray more devoutly, using every means which God has
placed in his power; and the Spirit will assuredly lead him into all necessary truth.
But suppose this truth to have been arrived
at; it is then to be presented to the human
heart, so asto produce the effect of persuasion.
Here is required a knowledge of the human
heart, its moral condition, its opposition to God,
its subjection to earthly affections, and of all
the phases which it assumes when its chambers of imagery are illuminated by the light of
divine truth. In order to acquire this knowledge, the man must become acquainted, first
of all, with his own moral nature, and the modes
of its operation. When he tells what he has
himself experienced, he may be assured that
in general he speaks the language of humanity.
Here also he needs to be in the habit of personal conversation with his fellow men on the
subject of religion. Hence it is that no man
is ever an effective preacher. who does not visit




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       71
his people for the sake of urging upon them
personally the claims of religion. Have you
never observed how pungent the preaching of
a minister becomes who has spent a tew weeks
in the midst of a revival of religion, where his
whole time is occupied in intercourse with
awakened souls, and how such a minister carries everywhere with him the spirit of a revival? It is thus that we learn to apply the
truths of the gospel to the minds of men.
But a minister is to teach publicly, and from
house to house.
Under the first of these divisions of his duty
must be placed the composition of a sermon.
He whose weekly business it is to address men
publicly, should, if possible, understand the
nature and objects of a discourse, and should
learn to construct a discourse correctly. He
should acquire the ability to think out a train
of thought, which embodies one idea revealed
by the spirit of truth, and to lead the minds
of men in the direction which he intends.Thorough, faithful and honest dealing with a




72       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
candidate, may here be of eminent advantage
to his future ministry.
But suppose this train of thought to be thus
prepared, shall it be written or unwritten?
Each has its advantages, but I am constrained
to believe that the value of written discourses
has been in this country greatly overrated.
Speaking an unwritten train of thought is by
far the noblest and most effective exercise of
mind, provided the labor of preparation in both
cases be the same. I cannot but think that
we have been the losers, by cultivating too exclusively the habit of written discourses.
But the discourse having been prepared, it
has yet to be delivered. The cultivation of a
clear and impressive delivery, free from awkwardness, vulgarity and oddity, and deeply imbued with the tones expressive of natural feeling, is of the greatest importance to a public
speaker. It has surprised me that in seminaries, of which the object is to educate preachers, so little time should be devoted to the art
of delivery.  From want of attention to this




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       73
subject, good and able men frequently attain
to very moderate success, and are shoved
aside by men, in other respects, very greatly
their inferiors.
But the gospel is to be preached not only
publicly, but from house to house. In preparing
for this part of his duty a young minister may
receive much valuable instruction from  an
elder brother who has himself been a diligent
pastor. The sick are to be visited, the mourner consoled, the thoughtless aroused, the secure
alarmed, the convicted urged to decision, the
penitent pointed to Christ, the wandering reclaimed, the feeble encouraged; and all this
by personal appeal to individuals, and he who
has done it successfully, may give much valuable counsel to him who is just entering upon
the work. Until a minister has learned not
only to perform but to love this part of his
labor, he cannot hope to be a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed. I do not know of
a more common or a more just ground of complaint against the ministry, than that of the
4




74       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
neglect of parochial visitation.  It seems
strange that a man whose sole calling it is to
urge men to repentance, should refuse to perlorm this duty, in this particular form, especially when his people themselves invite him to
perform it. They desire that he should converse with them individually on the subject of
their souls' salvation, and shall he consider
such conversation a drudgery and leave his
people unwarned? If any one desires to see
this subject treated of with great force and eloquence, I ask leave to commend him to the
perusal of " Baxter's Reformed Pastor."
Such seems to me, after some reflection, to
be the points to which the attention of a candidate for the ministry should be directed. To
these I know many others are commonly added, and the number of additions is continually
increasing. We, however, seem frequently to
forget that the time is rapidly approaching
every young man, when, if he would be any
thing but a retailer of other men's opinions, he
must be a teacher unto himself; and that, the




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        75
soonerihe can be induced to put himself under
his own instruction, the sooner will he attain
to the stature of a full grown man.
It is possible, my brethren, that in the views
I have thus frankly suggested, there may seem
to you somewhat of strangeness; but let me respectfully request that you will examine them,
not in the light of the opinions and practice of
men, but in-the light of the teachings of Christ
and his Apostles. Believe them and put them
in practice in just so far as they conform to
the revealed will of God, and no farther. This
I may reasonably claim of every disciple of
Christ, and I have no desire to claim anything
more.
At the present moment, a right understanding of the duties of the private disciples of
Christ, and of the ministers, and of the relations which they sustain to the Master and to
each other, seems to me of incalculable importance. Since the era of the reformation,
Protestantism has made no aggressions upon
Popery, and the same geographical lines have




76       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
for centuries separated the parties from each
other. But now it is evident that a contest
for the mastery of the world between the
powers of light and of darkness is imminent
and inevitable.  The nations in which the
Bible is freely circulated, and the gospel publicly preached, are ranging themselves on the
one side; and the nations from which the Bible
is prohibited, and where the preaching of Christ
crucified is forbidden, are ranging themselves
on the other. Within the life-time of men
who now hear me, the question will probably
be decided, whether the kingdom oF Christ is
now to proceed to universal victory, or ages
of intellectual and moral darkness are again to
overspread the earth.  It is for such a crisis as
this that the disciples of Christ are now called
upon to prepare.
But more than this. It is obvious that this
question is really to be decided in our own
country. So long as the light of true Christianity shines brightly here, the rest of the
world cannot be enveloped in darkness. Hence




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.          77
it is that the intention is publicly avowed ot
overturning our systems of universal education, and thus bringing us under the power of
a foreign hierarchy. In aid of this design, immigrants by hundreds of thousands are annually arriving on our shores, who are at once
admitted to all the privileges of citizenship,
while they are conscientiously bound to obedience to a foreign ecclesiastical potentate.
At the same time the press is scattering broadcast over our land the seeds of frivolity and
licentiousness. Unbounded prosperity is providing for every class of our people the means
of sensual gratification. The rise of prices,
consequent upon the increase of the precious
metals, is stimulating to yet greater excess the
desire of acquisition already sufficiently rife
amongst us.  But critical as is our position,
there would be nothing to alarm us, if the disciples of Christ, holy and self-denying, were,
with one accord, ranging themselves under the
banner of their Master, and using every means
in their power to prepare for the coming onset;
4*




78       TIHE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
and the ministry, in the van of the Lord's
hosts, filled with the power of the Holy Ghost,
were by precept and example training their
brethren for the approaching conflict.
But what is the condition of our churches
of all denominations at this critical moment?
The disciples of Christ seem to be fast losing
the distinctive marks of their profession. Selfdenial for the cause of the Redeemer will soon
become the exception, rather than the rule. In
large districts of our country, the admissions
to the churches are not as numerous as the removals by death. In the mean time, the number
of candidates for the ministry is diminishing, in
all denominations, not only relatively, but absolutely. Nay, it is diminishing more rapidly than
the figures indicate, for of the reputed number
of candidates a considerable portion never enter
the ministry; and of those who enter it, a
greater and greater number leave it for other
pursuits. And what is the remedy proposed
in this unusual crisis? It has been recommended, in order to meet this emergency, to




THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.        79
reduce the cost of ministerial education, to extend the term of ministerial study, and to increase the pecuniary emoluments of the ministry. In other words, we are told to address
stronger motives to the self-interests of men,
that so we may induce them to enter upon a
calling essentially self-denying.  When the
whole power of the adversary is thundering at
the gates, and the crisis requires every man to
stand to his arms, we content ourselves with
offering large bounty to officers, and allow
every citizen to retire from the conflict. Was
ever a victory gained by strategy such as this?
In our own denomination, it is said that we
have 4,000 churches destitute of preachers of
the gospel. What is to be done to meet this
deficiency? Does all we are doing furnish us
with the shadow of a hope that this demand
can be supplied? Nay, multiply our present
efforts to any practicable extent, and compared
with the work to be done, the discrepancy between the means and the end is such as to
awaken the feeling of the ludicrous. Is it not




80       THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
time, then, to examine the whole subject from
its foundations?  May not some light be derived from considering attentively the doctrine
and examples of Christ and his apostles?
Is it not evident that if we are attempting
to do the work of God, we must do it in obedience to his commandments, and in conformity with the principles which he has established?
Ministerial gifts have been bestowed upon the
church by Christ ever since he ascended on
high, and led captivity captive. He has commanded us to pray the Lord of the harvest to
bestow these gifts upon men, and thus send
forth laborers into the harvest. These gifts,
in whatsoever manner bestowed, we are to receive and cherish and improve. By no rules
of our own are we to restrict their number, or
diminish their usefulness. We are to accept
thankfully all the means which Christ has bestowed upon us for the advancement of his
cause. And we are to cultivate a ministry
after the example of the apostles, men relying
upon prayer and the Holy Ghost, and in self



THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.       81
denial, crucifixion to the world, its maxims, its
amusements and its frivolities, setting an example to the flock, while they devote themselves daily to the work of saving souls. To
every one whom Christ has thus called let us
give every intellectual advantage, which the
circumstances of his individual case render
suitable: Having done this, we have done all
in our power for the improvement of the ministry, and we may reasonably expect on our
labors the blessing of God.
But when all this has been done, but little
will have been accomplished. If you, brethren, would improve the ministry, you must
begin by improving yourselves.  Ministerial
gifts are not bestowed upon a slumbering, lukewarm and worldly church. And suppose they
were bestowed, of what value would they be
either to you or to others, if you are surrendered up to the lusts of the flesh, the lust of
the eye, and the pride of life? The ministry
can only labor successfully as you labor with
them. If you then really desire to witness the




82       TIIE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
triumph of the cause of the Redeemer, you
must begin to live a holy, self-denying life.
You men of wealth must cease from accumulation, and devote not only your income but
yourselves to the work of the Lord. You men
in active business must be content to accumulate less rapidly, that you may have more of
your time to consecrate to the salvation of
men. Ye who, professing obedience to Christ,
are yet living in subjection to the maxims of
the world, eagerly chasing its frivolities, and
teaching the lesson to your children, must commence a life of godly simplicity and Christian
self-denial. Every disciple, by his mode of
life, must show that he is not of the world,
even as Christ was not of the world, When
ministers and people thus begin to labor in
earnest for Christ, we shall witness results such
as the ages have not yet seen.
The nineteenth century since the advent of
Christ, is now half completed, and the world
still lieth in wickedness. It is high time that
the heathen were given to Christ for his inher



THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.         83
itance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for his possession. Never, from the beginning,
have the disciples of Christ enjoyed such advantages for the universal dissemination of the
gospel as at present. Let us then go up and
possess the land, for we are well able to overcome it. Nothing is now wanting to subdue
the world unto Christ, but an universal, earnest, self-sacrificing effort of his disciples, in firm
reliance upon the Spirit from on high. Thus
far we have failed in just so far as we have
trusted to our own wisdom instead of the wisdom of the Master. We mourn over the vices
of the land.  We invoke the majesty of the
law, and laws are not executed. We unite in
associations, and our associations are rent
asunder. We join hands, now with one, and
then with another struggling party, and we are
sold in the political shambles like brute beasts.
Let us then abjure all such vain alliances, and
commence the work of reforming the world
by obeying the precepts of Jesus. If we can
convert men to Christ, the work of reformation




84        THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY.
will be done.  By no other means will the
flood of iniquity be stayed.
Do you not believe that if all the disciples of
Christ in any of our cities or villages thus labored for Christ, they would soon arrest the
progress of iniquity, and make it a garden of
the Lord?  Suppose that we in the same spirit
undertook, in solemn earnestness, the conversion of the world; would it not soon be given
unto Christ for his possession? Brethren, on
whom does the responsibility for the present
state of our cities, of our country, and of the
world rest?  Awake, then, and shake yourselves from your lethargy! Put ye in the sickle
and reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.