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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, August 6, 1867

FromReview and Herald, Vol. XXX, No. 8

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DUTY TOWARD MINISTERS.

By JOS. CLARKE.

Much has been said and written relative to the duty of ministers toward the church, but little has been said directly pertaining to the duties of the church toward the ministry. Perhaps common sense in many cases is sufficient to inform the conscientious mind, on this point; but there may be occasional instances where it may be profitable to give this subject a little attention.
The writer of this feels free to speak out on this side of the question, as he is aware that a minister would feel free to take the other side. It would be a delicate matter for a minister to suggest to the church, or any member of it, that there might be any improvement in their deportment toward himself. He would feel free to speak of the duties due from the minister to the church, but those little courtesies which befit a layman toward the minister, he would leave for themselves to infer. So the writer of this, as a layman, feels free to speak out as to the claims the minister has upon the church, but the duties the minister owes to his flock, he leaves for the minister to delineate.
As a people we have great cause for gratitude to God for the gift of prophecy, which has accompanied the third message from its rise; and that by this means the church has been freed, in a great degree, from false teachers, who have been detected and brought to light from time to time, and cut off from the church.
Also, it is a great relief to the church that even the faithful shepherds are themselves under the watchcare of the Great Shepherd, and that from time to time they are called to hear his voice, especially to them, showing them where they have need of increased watchfulness; and so faithfully is this done, that one would suppose that the most officious, most critical lay member, would cease to censure them.
In a school, how careful is the good scholar to sustain his teacher in that which is good; and will he weaken his teacher by talking out among his schoolmates, the weaker points in the character of his instructor?
In the family, how careful is the dutiful child to sustain the dignity of the parent; will such a child endeavor to impress his brother or sister with the idea that his parent fails in this or that?
But if a minister errs, and is set right by such a gift as is now in the church of S. D. Adventists, is it not cruel for the layman to come in with a whip and scourge, for him whom the Lord has sufficiently chastised already? We should not despise the chastening of the Lord, neither does he ask help in matters of this nature. Certainly we may not flatter our ministers, nor need we adopt the opposite extreme.
There is a fitness and a propriety in right-doing, and our deportment toward our superiors is a pretty clear indication of general deportment toward all; and good sense will quickly distinguish between the sycophant who fawns upon his superiors and despises his equals, and the man who is just and kind to all.
JOS. CLARKE.