1889 watchtower
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But as for a clerical class, God does not recognize it as his elect teachers ; nor has he chosen many of his teachers from its ranks. The mere claim of any man to be a teacher is no proof that he is one by divine appointment.
That false teachers would arise in the church, who would pervert the truth, was foretold. The church, therefore, is not to' blindly accept what-ever any teacher may set forth, but should prove the teaching of those WhO they have reason to believe to be God's messengers, by the one infallible standard-the Word of God. "If they speak not according to this word, it. is because there is no light in them." (Isa, 8 :20.) Thus while the church needs teachers, and cannot understand God's Word without them, yet the church individually-each by himself and for himself, and himself only-must fill the important office of judge, to decide, according to the infallible standard, God's Word, whether the teaching'''be true or false, and whether the claimed teacher is a true teacher by divine appointment. Thus seen, not many special teachers are necessary ("helps" "pastors," ('t('., are more numerous-l Cor. 12 :28)-and th~y only when old truths may need to be lifted out of the dust of error and human tradition; or when some new unfoldings of God's plan require presentation to the church as "meat in due season." And then, such teacher must offer proofs that he is a teacher, and that his teaching is true, by harmonizing the Scriptures. God has in the past raised up teachers who, though be-fogged by prejudice~ and errors, .nevertheless ~rou~ht forth parts of truth; for instance, Wychffe, Huss, Zwmgh, Luther, Bunyan, Calvin, Wesley, and others; and God will conti~ue to so raise up the needed teachers. As Paul declares, God himself provides these teachers; they are his gifts to the church.-1 Cor. 12 :28. Any superior wisdom and ability granted such, is as much for the sake and for the good of the other members of Christ's church as for themselves. And whichever of God's children comes to see some important truth generally disregarded by thy church and finds himself possessed of ability to make it clear to others, should do so, should teach it, to whosoever has an ear to hear. If a new truth, it belongs to the entire household, and he who keeps it from them, for any cause, de-frauds the family of God, misuses a great favor, and deprives himself of a ministry (service). But notice, that these teachers are not the only priests of the royal priesthood; rather, they are merely GOd's agents ,or mouthpieces by which he speaks to the general priesthood, his consecrated church; and the entire church or priesthood is blessed of God through such teachers. Notice that the self-constituted clergy are not teachers, and do nOt and cannot appoint teachers; nor can they iN any degree qualify them. Our Lord Jesus keeps that part in power, and the so-called clergy have nothing to do with it fortunately, else there never would be any teachers; for the "clergy" both Papal and Protestant, strive constantly to prevent aNy change from those conditions of thought an~ ruts of misbelief, in which each sect has settled down. By their course of action they say, Bring us ~o new unfoldings of truth?, how-ever beautiful; and do not disturb the heaps of rubbish and human tradition we call our creeds, by digging down through them and bringing forth the Old Theology of the Lord and the apostles, to contradict us and to disturb our schemes and plans and methods. Let us alone! If you go poking into our old musty creeds, which our people so devoutly and ignorantly reverence and respect, you will stir up a stench such as even we could not endure; then, too, it will make us appear both small and foolish, and as not half-earning our salaries and not half-deserving the reverence we now enjoy. let us alone! is the cry of the clergy, as a whole, even if a few may be found to dissent from it and to seek for and speak out the truth at any cost. And this cry of the "clergy" is joined in by a large sectarian following.
