WORTH THINKING OF

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 17, 1881

WORTH THINKING OF.

IN the Examiner and Chronicle is found a report of a meeting of the Baptist Ministerial Union, from which is taken the following extract. It is well worth the consideration of all Christians, for its valuable suggestions:—

“Brother Halteman read a paper on the ‘Qualification necessary in a candidate for an ordination.’ The paper discussed the subject lucidly and logically. It was such a production as should be placed before the denomination. The qualifications submitted were: 1. Personal piety. 2. He is to be moved into the ministry by God himself—i. e., that the Holy Spirit so sets before a man his duty to preach, that he could not conscientiously do otherwise. 3. That his brethren in the church are also convinced of his duty and adaptation to the ministry. 4. The approval of God as manifested in his ministry, by its power and success in religious labors previous to his ordination. There are natural endowments the reader declared to be necessary to the candidate for ordination. These were: 1. A mind capable of improvement and development. 2, The power and gift of a forceful utterance. 3. Common sense. 4. Prudence, in the sense of foresight in management. 5. He must be sound in the faith or in doctrines. 6. He should be educated for his work. A spirited discussion followed the essay, and the brethren seemed to agree that the qualifications mentioned were worthy to be emphasized in our State.”