Church hath instituted Ministers, who should preach his Gospel, and administer the Sacraments. Yet it is not to be permitted to every one, although he be a spiritual priest, to usurp a public Ministry in the Church, without a lawful calling. For Paul saith, "Let all things be done honestly and decently among you :" 1 Cor. xiv. 40. and again, "Lay hands suddenly on no man.” 1 Tim. v. 22. Wherefore we do not account it an unprofitable thing, to prove, as it were by certain steps, the faith of them that are to be admitted to the public Ministry of the Gospel. And it seemeth not a little to further concord and unity, to keep a due order among the Ministers of the Church.

But the holy Scripture doth not teach us, that Christ hath instituted in his Church such Priests, as should be mediators between God and men, and pacify the wrath of God towards men by their sacrifices, and apply the merit of Christ to the quick and the dead, without the preaching of the Gospel, and administration of the Sacraments. For if we will speak of the great and true Mediator, "there is but one Mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ, the Son of God." 1 Tim. ii. 5. If we will speak of the mediator of prayer,* every godly man is made a mediator, each for other, through Jesus Christ; because their duty doth require that they should commend one another's welfare to God in their prayers: the which duty also then every one doth perform, when they say the Lord's prayer in faith. If we speak of the sacrifices which do purge our sins, and appease the wrath of God, then is there one only sacrifice, which doth purge us, and reconcile God unto us; to wit, the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was once made on the Cross. And as Christ doth die no more, death hath no more dominion over him, so this sacrifice of his shall never be made again; but "by his one oblation" (as it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews) "he hath made perfect for ever those that be sanctified." Heb. x. 14. If we speak of the remembrance of this one sacrifice, and of the applying of the merit thereof; then the public Ministers of the Church, which do teach the Gospel publicly, and administer the Sacraments according to the institution of Christ, do not only make a true and right remembrance of this purging sacrifice, but do also apply, by their dispensation, the merit of this sacrifice to all those that do receive the Gospel and the Sacraments by faith.

Therefore we cannot see what use there is of those kind of

* See the observation_upon the Confession of Saxony, in the First Section.

men in the Church, which are ordained for this purpose, that they may have authority to sacrifice for the quick and the dead. Paul, when as in his Epistles to the Corinthians (1 Cor. xii. 28.) and Ephesians (Ephes. iv. 11.) he. rehearseth those offices and Ministries which are necessary to the edifying and preserving of the Church, he reckoneth Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, and such like: but in this rehearsal he maketh no mention at all of private Priests, of which sort the world is now full. Neither is it like that he would have omitted this kind of Priests, if either Christ had appointed it, or if it had been profitable and necessary for the Church. And Paul writeth that " a Bishop ought to be apt to teach." 1 Tim. iii. 2. And Jerome teacheth that 'a Priest and a Bishop are all one.' Therefore it is evident, that, except an Elder be ordained in the Church to the Ministry of teaching, he cannot rightly take unto him, neither the name of an Elder,* nor the name of a Bishop.

IX. FROM THE CONFESSION OF SUEVELAND.

Article 13. Of the Office, Dignity, and Power of Ecclesiastical

Persons.

Touching the Ministry, and the dignity of the Ecclesiastical Order, we do thus teach: first, that there is no power in the Church, but that which tendeth to edifying; 2 Cor. x. 8. secondly, that we must not think otherwise of any man in this state, than Paul would have men to esteem either of himself, or of Peter, and Apollos, and others, as of the servants of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God, in whom this is chiefly required, that they be faithful." 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2. For these be they which have the keys of the kingdom of God, and the power to bind and loose, and to remit or retain sins: yet that power is so limited, that they be nevertheless the Ministers of Christ; to whom alone the right and authority to open heaven, and forgive sins, doth properly pertain. "For neither he that planteth, nor he that watereth, is any thing, but God that giveth the increase." 1 Cor. iii. 7. "Neither is any man of himself fit to think any of those things as of himself; but if any man be found fit thereunto, he

To wit, when question is of such Elders, as did attend upon the preaching of the word. For there was also another sort of Elders, whom the Apostle calleth Governments. 1 Cor. xii. 28.

hath it all of God;" 2 Cor. iii. 5. who giveth to whom it pleaseth him, to be the Ministers and Preachers of the New Testament; to wit, so far forth as he giveth them a mind faithfully to preach the meaning and understanding of the Gospel, and useth them hereunto, that men may be brought by a true faith to his new covenant of grace. Furthermore these be they, which do minister unto us not the dead letter, (that is, such a doctrine of truth, as pierceth no further than to human reason,) but the Spirit, which quickeneth, and doth so pierce into our spirit and soul, that it doth thoroughly persuade our heart of the truth. These are the true fellow-labourers of the Lord; 1 Cor. iii. 9. opening indeed heaven, and forgiving sins to those, to whom they declare the doctrine of faith, by means of the grace and Spirit of God. Whereupon Christ, sending out his Apostles to exercise this duty, he breathed upon them, saying, "Take ye the holy Ghost:" and furthermore he addeth, "Whose sins ye remit," &c. John xx. 22, 23.

Hence it is manifest, that the true and fit Ministers of the Church (such as be Bishops, Elders, anointed and consecrated) can do nothing but in respect of this, that they be sent of God. "For how shall they preach (saith Paul) except they be sent?" Rom. x. 15. that is, except they receive of God both a mind and power to preach the holy Gospel aright, and with fruit, and to feed the flock of Christ? and also, except they receive the Holy Ghost, who may work together with them, and persuade men's hearts? Other virtues wherewith these men must be endued, are rehearsed in 1 Tim. iii. Tit. i. Therefore they which are in this sort sent, anointed, consecrated, and qualified, they have an earnest care for the flock of Christ, and do labour faithfully in the word and doctrine, that they may feed the people more fruitfully: and these are acknowledged and accounted of our preachers for such Bishops, as the Scripture every where speaketh of; and every Christian ought to obey their commandments. But they which give themselves to other things, they place themselves in other men's seats, and do worthily take unto themselves other names. Yet notwithstanding, the life of any man is not so much to be blamed, as that therefore a Christian should refuse to hear him, if peradventure he teach something out of the chair of Moses or Christ (that is, either out of the Law of God, or out of the holy Gospel) that may serve for edification. They which bring a diverse or a strange voice, whatsoever they be, they are in no account or estimation with

the sheep of Christ. John x. 5. Yet they which have a secular power and sovereignty, they have it of God himself, howsoever they be called: therefore he would resist the ordinance of God, whosoever should oppose himself to that temporal government.*

These things do our Preachers teach, touching the authority of Ecclesiastical persons: so that they have great injury offered to them, in that they are blamed, as though they sought to bring the authority of Ecclesiastical Prelates to nothing; whereas they never forbad them that worldly government and authority which they have. But they have often wished, that they would come nearer to the Ecclesiastical commandments, and that either they themselves would instruct and faithfully feed the consciences of Christians out of the holy Gospel, or that, at the least wise, they would admit others hereunto, and ordain such as were more fit for this purpose. This is it, I say, that our Preachers have oftentimes requested of the Prelates themselves; so far have they been from opposing themselves at any time to their spiritual authority.

But whereas we either could not bear any longer the doctrine of certain Preachers, but, being driven thereunto by necessity, have placed others in their room; or else we have retained those also, which have renounced that Ecclesiastical superiority: we did it not for any other cause, but for that these did plainly and faithfully declare the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ, the other did mingle therewith man's inventions. For so often as the question is concerning the holy Gospel, and the doctrine of truth, Christians must wholly turn themselves to the Bishop of their souls, the Lord Jesus Christ, and not admit the voice of any stranger by any means. Wherein notwithstanding neither we, nor they do offer violence to any man: for Paul saith, "All things are yours, whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, whether they be things present, or things to come, even all are yours, and ye Christ's, and Christ God's." 1 Cor. iii. 21-23. Therefore, seeing that Peter and Paul are ours, and we are not theirs, but Christ's; and that, after the same manner that Christ himself is his Father's, to wit, that in all things, which we are, or may be, we might live to him alone: and seeing furthermore that to this end we have power to use all things, (yea, even men themselves, of what sort soever they be,) as though they were our

* See before, the third observation upon the Confession of Augsburg: also after, in the Seventeenth Section, the third observation upon the same.

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THE TWELFTH SECTION. OF SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.

own, and ought not to suffer that any man, or any thing, should hinder us therein: no Ecclesiastical person may justly complain of us, or object to us, that we are not sufficiently obedient to them, or that we do derogate any thing from their authority; seeing that the thing itself doth witness, that we have attempted and done all those things according to the will of God, which we have undertaken against the will of Ecclesiastical persons. These therefore be those things which we teach, touching the office, dignity, and power of the Ministers of the Church, whom they call Spiritual: the which that we should credit, we are moved thereunto by those places of Scripture, which for the most part we have rehearsed before.*

THE TWELFTH SECTION.

OF TRUE AND FALSE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.
I. FROM THE LATTER CONFESSION OF HELVETIA.

Chapter 19. Of the Sacraments of the Church of Christ.

God, even from the beginning, added unto the preaching of the word his Sacraments, or Sacramental signs, in his Church. And this doth the holy Scripture plainly testify. Sacraments be mystical symbols, or holy rites, or sacred actions, ordained of God himself, consisting of his word, of outward signs, and of things signified: whereby he keepeth in continual memory, and eftsoons recalleth to mind, in his Church, his great benefits bestowed upon man; and whereby he sealeth up his promises, and outwardly representeth, and, as it were, offereth unto our sight, those things which inwardly he performeth unto us, and therewithal strengtheneth and increaseth our faith through the working of God's Spirit in our hearts; lastly, whereby he doth separate us from all other people and religions, and consecrateth and bindeth us wholly unto himself, and giveth us to understand what he requireth of us.

It may be right to state, that, in consequence of much confusion arising, in the old editions of the Translation, from an inattention to the terms used in the original, such corrections have been introduced into the present edition, that the words Presbyter and Senior are now uniformly rendered by Elder, and the word Sacerdos by Priest, throughout the whole Section.-EDITOR.