Principles and Practices of the Regular Baptists

Chapter XI: The Call To The Ministry

We have ever held that God calls men to the work of the ministry. I desire in this to give some reasons why; also to define what we mean by "a call," together with something in regard to his duties and support. I would also be glad to give profitable advice to those who are exercised in mind in regard to this matter. We can hardly ascribe too much importance to this subject. If the true minister of the gospel is divinely impressed to this work, it follows that it is not every man's duty to preach, and also that intellect or talent alone do not prepare men for the ministry. I shall urge that every true minister is divinely appointed to that office.

1st. The importance of the work he is to do is such that it would not be consistent to say that it is left to the mere decision of men whether it is to be done or not. It is the "flock of God" he is to "feed." Is its food left uncertain ? If not, it must be done, not left optional with men whether it is fed or not; but God will have it fed. There is nothing dearer to God than his church; he calls it his "bride," "spouse," "love," and such endearing names as indicate the strongest possible attachment. The church to him is "as the apple of his eye." He "commends his love to us" by giving his Son "to die for us." The minister's duty is to feed this object that is so dear to God. Can we harmonize this with the thought that it is left to the will of men whether it is to be fed or not ? When we think of the vast amount of comfort the church receives from the true minister, how the burdens of life are lightened, and how sad and wretched the church would be without it, can we think that God has made no certain provision for it ? Has he given his son to death by divine appointment for the church ? Has her salvation and interest both in this world and in the world to come employed the eternal mind of God, and employed that mind in eternity, and yet has he made no provision by which the gospel of all this must be preached ? Does God behold his people as pilgrims and strangers here; as "lambs among wolves," having no continuing city here; exposed to the temptations of the world, flesh and Satan, and yet in no way made certain their comfort, encouragement and instruction by the gospel ? The coming of the dew and the rain are blessings we can not easily overestimate, but the preached word is worth as much to us; and is this natural blessing, divinely sent without money or price, and that which feeds the soul - yea, that which administers water to the thirsty children of God, left entirely with men ? Does God provide for the grass, and leave his own children unprovided for ? Are not his saints while here on earth of more value than grass, or "sparrows," or beasts, and if so, will he not at least as certainly provide for their food ? Is there not an importance in this work that makes it a NECESSITY ? Meditate on this sentence, "Feed the church of God," open to her the provisions made for her in Christ, his righteousness, wisdom, sanctification and redemption, his everlasting love to her and the many fruits and evidences of that love; describe the birth and life, and death and resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus to her. Lay before her the various promises that reach to heaven for her; comfort her with the blessed prospect of life and immortality beyond the grave. Oh, what a comforting promise that points the mind beyond this world for lasting rest. Reader, there is too much importance in this work to be left to the mere inclination of the human mind; more reasonable that rain and dew be left for men to control; more reasonable that the succession of seasons, seed time and harvest, and day and night be left with men. A work so full of importance, so fraught with interest to the saints on earth, must be performed and men will engage in it who will have a whole heart in the matter, who will not wait for lucrative places nor seek to popularize the gospel.

2nd. The nature of the work, according to the Bible, is such that men will not voluntarily engage in it. The whole work is utterly incompatible with human nature. The Savior sent the apostles, "as lambs among wolves." Perhaps there is nothing more unnatural than for lambs knowingly to go into the midst of wolves, and yet in this way the first preachers were sent. The Savior never held out one inducement to the nature of the apostles, but told them to "beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake," etc. - Matt. 10:17-18. Nothing would have been better suited to deter the apostles from his service than this address. He promised them the bitterest opposition of the world, and never promised them the favors of this world. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." Certainly those who would follow in this service are not influenced by any natural impulse. He nowhere promised them worldly ease, or honor, or riches. He constantly promised affliction, and persecution, and hatred of the world. Had he offered worldly inducements he would have had ease-and-gain-seekers in abundance; but stripes, and imprisonments, and hatred in this world were the principal things promised. Love to him was the great moving cause that led his apostles through trials of every kind, and finally through death. It was love that moved him to die on the cross, and the same principle in his apostles led them to suffer everything for his sake. They found his promise of worldly opposition fulfilled; one by one they were taken and sent to death by their enemies.

Paul's life in the ministry was a scene of worldly suffering and privation; he suffered "the loss of all things" for the sake of preaching Christ; his honor, wealth and ease were all sacrificed, and finally and lastly, his life. We have no promise that the world will ever love the church better than it loved Christ. "The friendship of this world is enmity with God; whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." What is there in such a service to induce a man to go into it of a natural kind ? It is natural for us to seek ease, or honor, or wealth, but none of these are promised in this service; but the reverse is constantly foretold. John says: "Ye are not of the world, for I have chosen  you out of the world; therefore the world hateth you." Which of the prophets, from Abel to Zachariah, enjoyed the approbation of the masses ? Most of them were persecuted, if not put to death. "They were stoned, they were sawed asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented." "They wandered in deserts and mountains, and caves and dens of the earth." This Paul gives as a condensed history of the saints anciently, or Old Testament saints, and the New Testament saints suffered the same things; even Jesus, "the green tree," and the same things were promised to his followers, "the dry tree," with a positive promise that "ye shall suffer affliction," "the world will hate you." And so the long line of martyrs from Jesus, the bloody history of the church found. The world continued to hate the gospel and its defenders, and as often as men have learned how to preach so as to escape the cross, they have ceased to be the servants of Christ and become the "enemies of God." The masses of men hate the doctrine of the gospel, and he that preaches the gospel may confidently expect the hatred of the world. If one finds the masses admire him as a preacher he has just reason to tremble. When the Savior taught the doctrine of election, Luke 4:25-27, the people were filled with wrath and thrust him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill that they might cast him down headlong. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be, hence the preaching of the cross is foolishness and a stumbling block to the unregenerate. The minister is everywhere forbidden to engage in this service for filthy lucre's sake. Peter exhorts the elders to feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre's sake, but of a ready mind." The service of God never has lawfully been made the means of building up wealth, or acquiring worldly honor, or ease, and these are the things men seek after in this world, and, as the opposite of these is promised to the minister, I think it safe to say that it is wholly unnatural for men to engage in it; hence the pulpit will ever be supplied with men who can say, "necessity is laid upon me."

In the third place I argue that the Bible plainly teaches that God calls men to that work. This argument, to be good, must be supported by scripture. If those who preached the gospel were called by the spirit, we shall conclude that they who now preach are called to that work. I shall not say that A or B is now called. I shall only show that the Savior did call men to that work while he was here; that he promised to be with his servants even to the end of the world. The reasoning that would admit that men were called all the way through the New Testament and deny their being called now, would also change every other doctrine and service. In settling the mode of baptism, we look to see what mode was practiced by the apostles, and since Christ has made none, and none else have a right to change it, therefore, we say that the mode then, is the only scriptural baptism now, and so with the subject in hand. If in the beginning those who preached were personally called to that work, they are yet, unless it can be shown that the Savior has made a change in the management of this matter, and who dare say he has ever made a change ? Do we not need men divinely chosen to preach to us much as they in the beginning ? Is not the gospel as precious and the saints as needy ? What change is there in the gospel, or the Savior, or our need, that justifies the conclusion that there is any change in this particular ? We need the same cross-bearing humble men to contend for truth and stand against error; men who are willing to sacrifice worldly honor, and ease, and wealth for Christ's sake; who will not stop and follow other pursuits because they pay better, or hunt for churches giving largest salaries, whose faithful lives prove that it is their delight to publish the gospel of Christ.

The American Christian Review of Aug. 9, 1881, editorial notes: "why don't our colleges, where hundreds of pastors are made annually to order and sent out to the highest bidders, furnish the churches with a sprinkle of preachers, proclaiming heralds of the cross, evangelist. * * Manufactured pastors may preach or they may not, a desire very much regulated by the pay or no pay," "but a born preacher will preach, must preach," etc. True preachers are not manufactured to order, nor by human skill, nor peddled out to the highest bidder, nor is their desire to preach regulated by the pay or no pay, but their words are daily "woe is me if I preach not."

In the beginning Christ selected the apostles; they did not seek the position, he sought them and assigned to them the work. He afterwards made choice of seventy, and later of two. - Acts 13:1-3. His method then was to personally choose men to the work. He also taught us, Matt. 9:38, to "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." This is evidence that he still intended, after he had left the world, "to send laborers" and supply the churches as before. We are not to apply to schools as human help to supply our pulpits, but look to God in prayer, ask him to send to our relief men who can break the bread of life and preach the gospel of Christ to us, "not for filthy lucre's sake, but of a ready mind." Paul addressed the elders of Ephesus as those whom "the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers." - Acts 20:28. The office they held had been conferred on them by the Holy Ghost. "The Holy Ghost, said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." - Acts 13:2. Thus the church was informed by the Spirit that he had called them to that work, and where there is a man in a church called and fitted to preach the gospel, the Spirit still makes it known to the church. God personally visited the prophets of old and prepared them for his service. They did not feel themselves able to fill the places assigned them, but God promised them help. They complained of weakness and unfitness, and unworthiness, but all these objections were answered by God, and they were made to go, trusting the Lord. Moses complained of incompetency, David of unworthiness, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the lesser prophets were sensible of their unworthiness and incompetency, but God encouraged them by suitable promises. It is written: "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." "He that goeth forth and weepeth, shall doubtless return rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." - Psalms 126:5-6.

May we not, dear reader, say that still there are men who feel that necessity is lain upon them; who can not be content without engaging in this work; who leave business and families without any contract for promised reward from men; who leave their families with sorrowful feelings, as the cows went lowing that were hitched to the ark; many of them men of fine intellects, who are naturally capable of filling the highest stations among men and building up fortunes in worldly pursuits, who seem to prefer to live lives of hardship and toil, anxiety and privation; who seem to be willing to sacrifice every worldly interest they have for Christ's sake and the gospel's sake. This is the spirit by which Moses preferred the afflictions of God's people to the honor of Egypt's crown, and by which David preferred to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. The prophets were led by the same Spirit to declare truth rather than "smooth words," though it brought them into disrepute and brought upon them the opposition of their fellow creatures. Human nature is the same yet. The carnal mind is the same yet, "enmity against God" and his people. The world till yet "knoweth us not because it knew him not." Yet, the true minister, in the face of all this, goes to his work realizing that unless the Lord is with him in his labors to enable him to speak in power and in the Holy Ghost, his labors will be unavailing.

Now, reader, have I not made my last argument good, that the scriptures teach the doctrine? I might, also, argue that the office itself is one that men can not learn to fill as they can learn to be physicians, or, lawyers. It is a work in which the heart is engaged - a work of love; he is allied in feeling with the church, and to him it is a labor of love. Paul understood his sufficiency to be of God, and that God made him an able minister of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. Men may learn to be "letter preachers," but not of the Spirit. It is, Eph. 4 and 1st Cor. 12, regarded as a gift, and so we regard it. In determining whether a man is a true preacher, we don't inquire, "is he smart?" or "is he a good talker?" but "does he feed the people of God?" "Can I get a crumb from his performance?" Do I feel, as he talks, that it is manna to my soul? Can he describe the trials, and conflicts, joys, doubts, fears, etc., through which I pass? Can he describe the exercises of a poor sinner in passing from law to gospel?"

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