Beveridge on Article XXIII: Of Ministering in the Congregation

sometimes to some, that Christ was not to be called upon for help, but the angels.” So that it is calling upon angels that is here accursed ; and therefore Theodoret saith, 4“ The synod which met at Laodicea, which is the metropolis of Phrygia, forbad by a law, that none should pray to the angels.” So that praying to angels was so long ago forbidden as idolatry, as cursed idolatry. And what shall we then say to that doctrine that saith we must pray to saints? Certainly we can do no less than conclude it to be a fond thing, and repugnant to the word of God, and say with the ancient council at Franckford, ¢“‘ That no saints should be either worshipped or invocated or prayed to by us.”

Twas py émikadeicba Tov Xpiordy eis los. Theodoret. in Coles. c. 2. [vol.

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sam. in loc. [apud Bever. Synod. e€ Ut nulli nobis sancti colantur

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dicez, que est Phrygiz metropolis, 908. ]

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ft is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering the sacra- ments in the congregation, before he be lawfully called, and sent to ewecute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which be chosen and called to this work by men who have public authority given unto them in the congre- gation, to call and send ministers into the Lord’s vineyard.

THE church of God, as we have seen, art. XIX, is a con-~ gregation of faithful men, wherein the word of God is preached, and the sacraments be duly administered. In this article therefore we have it determined who are those who are to preach the word and administer the sacraments in the church ; not every one that hath a mind to it, not every one that fancies himself fit for it; no, only such as are lawfully ealled thereunto. Now though there be but one God men are called to this office by, yet there be two ways which he is pleased to call them in. Some he calls immediately from himself without men ; others mediately from himself by men. The first manner of calling to this sacred office the prophets and apostles had, who were all, as St. Paul saith of himself, called not of men, neither by men, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Gal. i.1. The prophets had this immediate call from God under the law, and the apostles from Christ under the gospel. And as they were called immediately by Christ,

Arr. XXIII. Of Ministering in the Congregation. 425

so were others called immediately by them. So that Christ called the apostles, *the apostles by the appointment of the same Christ called others to succeed them, they again others; and so hath there been a succession of lawful ministers ever since, which though they were not all called immediately by Christ, yet they were all called by him, yea and all others are their successors who had this immediate call from him. So that none are now lawful ministers but such as are thus called by him, and all that are thus called by him are lawful ministers; I mean all such as are called by such as succeed them in the ministry, who were called immediately from Christ himself: for these are they which certainly we are to understand by those mentioned in this article, who have public authority given unto them in the congregation or church, to call and send ministers into the Lord’s vineyard. But of this we shall speak more by the blessing of God in the XX XVIth article, where we shall treat of the consecration of bishops and ministers.

But the principal thing to be demonstrated here is, that without some such call from God it is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or minister- ing, or in general the office of a ministry. And for the proof of this, we might go no further than that remarkable passage in St. Paul, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach except they be sent? Rom. x. 14, 15. Where we may observe how the apostle links several precious truths together, every one’ of which is as much a truth as any of them; and therefore, as it is certain that a man cannot call on him in whom he hath not believed, nor believe in him of whom he hath not heard, nor hear unless there be a preacher, so certain is it, that a man cannot lawfully preach unless he be sent: for this is an honour that no man taketh

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426 Of Ministering im Art.

to himself, but he that is called of G’od, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 4. And therefore God complains of such prophets as run before they be sent, and preach his word to others before they have received power from him: J have not sent these prophets, saith he, and yet they ran: I have not spoken unto them, yet they have prophesied. Jer. xxiii. 21. And therefore he commands his people, saying, Hearken not to the words of the prophets that speak unto you, xxvii. 14, for I sent them not, ver.15. So that such as God doth not send, man is not bound to hear. Did I say, man is not bound to hear? Nay, man is bound not to hear. And if man is bound not to hear those whom God hath not sent, certainly those that he doth not send are bound not to preach.

And he that further considers the several titles that are given to the ministers of God in the holy scripture, may have good ground to subscribe to this truth: for they are called stewards, Tit. i.‘7. Now it doth not belong to every man that will to be a steward, unless he be appointed by him whose steward he is to be, Luke xii.42. Again, they are called ambassadors, 2 Cor. v.20. And who dare undertake an em- bassage to a foreign prince or people without a commission from his own king? Yea, the very words used by the Holy Ghost to express them by, do all imply office; as, bishops, ministers, deacons. Now there is no office that lies open in common to all, but a man must be particularly appointed and commissionated by him that hath power to do it, before he can be put into it, or invested with it. And hence it is also, that we find in scripture several rules laid down for the choosing of men into this office, 1 Tim. iii. 2, 3, 4. iv. 14. Tit. 1.5.9. Whereas, if any one might take upon him this office, these rules and directions would be altogether super- fluous. ‘To all which we might also consider, what confusion and disorder the church would fall into, should any one, that thought himself a man gifted for it, undertake this sacred office? And truly of this we have had too many years of sad and woful experience, when ministers turned laymen, and laymen turned ministers, till at length we were likely to have all ministers and no laymen, or rather all laymen and no ministers : and the only way to keep us from returning to

XXIIT. the Congregation. | 427

that disorder is by adhering to this truth, >that every man should look to his own business, and follow his own calling ; he that is called to the clergy, to preach like one that is called to the clergy; and he that is one of the laity, to hear like one of the laity ; every man keeping within the bounds which the great God hath placed him in, not undertaking the office of the ministry, unless he be lawfully called unto it. The Fathers do offer themselves also to be witnesses in this case, but I shall trouble but these few for the present. As for the sacraments, St. Basil saith, °“ But they being far from us, (and laymen,) have no power to baptize or […] saith Athanasius, “is the office only of those that are over the catholic church: for it belongs to you, and to you only, and to none else, to give to drink of the blood of Christ.” St. Chrysostome joins both sacraments together: ¢“ But,” saith he, “if none can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he be born again of water and the Spirit, and he that eateth not the flesh of the Lord and drinketh his blood is cast out of eternal life, but all these things cannot be performed by any one else, but only by those holy hands, I mean the priest’s, how can any one without them either shun the fire of hell, or be made par- taker of the crowns that are set before us?” So that it is the priests or ministers only, and none else, that can ad- minister either of the sacraments. And therefore ‘ Atha-

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© Of d€ amoppayévtes yevopevot, ovre tov Banrti¢e, ovTe Tov yeLpo- roveiv etxov e€ovoiay. Basil. epist. ad Amphil. [III. p. 21.]

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428 Of Ministering in the Congregation.

nasius pleads it was no sacramental cup that Ischyras con- secrated, he being not lawfully ordained; and 8 Socrates, that this Ischyras committed a crime worthy of many deaths, in presuming to do the work of a minister, not being ordained.

And as for preaching the word, Cyril of Alexandria saith, h “ God distributeth the use of the trumpets in preaching of the word only to such as are consecrated.” But to this we have above two hundred Fathers met together in the Trullan council subscribing : for they there determined, i“ That it is not lawful for a layman to dispute or to teach publicly, taking there to himself the power or dignity of preaching, but to remain in the order which the Lord hath set him in, and to open his ear to such as have received the grace of teaching, and to learn divine things from them. For in gne church God hath made divers or different members, according to the words of the apostle, &e. But if any one shall be taken weakening or transgressing this canon, le him be separated forty days.” Many more of the like testimonies from the ancients I might produce, but these are enough from whence to con- dude, that i¢ is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of the ministry, unless he be tawfully called thereunto.

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tots iepacOar Naxodot TO KexpjnaOat tais odAmvyéw. Cyril. Alex. de ado- ratione in spir. et verit. []. v. vol. I. p- 168. ]

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mie LO lr XXLV.

Notes

• . (Hard. Cone. vol. III. p. 1685. ]