to the people by the hand of Moses. (Exod. 19 : 17-25 ; Deut. 5: 1-5.) And, furthermore, it was made the duty of every man seeing a violation of the law to reprove the sinner. (Lev. 19 : 17.) Thus all had the authority to teach and reprove j but since, as in our own day, the majority were absorbed in the cares of business, and became indiffer- ent and irreligious, the few comparatively fulfilled this re- quirement by reproving sin and exhorting to godliness ; and these preachers are termed "prophets" in both the Old and New Testaments. The term prophet, as generally used, signifies public expounder, and the public teachers of idola- try were also so called ; for instance, " the prophets of Baal," etc. See i Cor. 14 : r-6 ; 2 Pet. 2:1; Matt. 7 : 15 ; 14' 5 j Neh. 6:7;! Kings 18 : 40 ; Titus 1:12.
Prophesying, in the ordinary sense of teaching, afterward became popular with a certain class, and degenerated into Phariseeism teaching, instead of God's commandments, the traditions of the ancients, thereby opposing the truth and becoming false prophets, or false teachers. Matt. 15 : 2-9.
Out of the large class called prophets, Jehovah at various times made choice of some whom he specially commissioned to deliver messages, relating sometimes to things then at hand, at other times to future events. It is to the writings of this class, who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, that we are now giving attention. They might with propriety be designated
DIVINELY COMMISSIONED PROPHETS OR SEERS.
When it is remembered that these prophets were mainly laymen, drawing no support from the tithes of the priestly tribe, and when, added to this, is the &3 that they were frequently not only the reprovers of kings and judges, but also of priests (though they reproved not the office, but the personal sins of the men who filled it), it becomes evident
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