When Ministers are Murderers

When Ministers are Murderers

by Patte Smith on Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8:54am ·

Ministers are murderers,
who either starve, or poison, or infect souls.

[1] That starve souls.

‘Feed the flock of God which is among you.’ 1 Pet 5: 2. These feed themselves and starve the flock..
There are many in the ministry so ignorant that they had need to be taught the ‘first principles of the oracles of God.’ Heb 5: 12.

[2] That poison souls.

Heterodox ministers (those who advance unbiblical doctrines or refuse to teach and preach clear biblical doctrine), poison people with error...The breath of heretical ministers poisons souls. ..The Antinomian, who denies the use of the moral law to a believer, as if it were antiquated and out of date — poison men’s souls. Error is as damnable as vice.
‘There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them.’ 2 Pet 2: 1.

[3] That infect souls by their scandalous lives.  

‘Let the priests which come near to the Lord sanctify themselves.’ Exod 19: 22. Ministers who by their places are nearer to God, should be holier than others. The higher the elements are, the purer they are; air is purer than water; fire is purer than air. The higher men are in office, the holier they should be. John the Baptist was a shining lamp. But there are many who infect their people with their bad life; they preach one thing, and live another. They make a show of goodness, but live a life of riot. Like Eli’s sons, they are in white linen, but have scarlet sins. Some say, that Prester John, the lord of Africa, caused to be carried before him a golden cup full of dirt; a fit emblem of such ministers as have a golden office, but are dirty and polluted in their lives.  

They are murderers, and the blood of souls will cry against them at the last day.

~ excerpted from Thomas Watson's brilliant biblical treatise on the Sixth Commandment
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/watson/commandments.iv.vi.html