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to their care, to enforce obedience to their laws, and to maintain the unity of faith in the bond of peace: Hereupon we hold that God's clergy are a state, which hath been, and will be, as long as there is a church upon earth, necessarily by the plain word of God himself, a state whereunto the rest of God's people must be subject as touching things that appertain to their soul's health (g)."

Such is the corruption of human nature, that the experience of all ages teaches us, even without referring to the written word of God, that religion cannot subsist in the world without public rites, public worship, and public teaching; nor can these offices be performed with any degree of propriety or effect, but by persons duly appointed and set apart for that purpose. "If any man may assume authority to preach and perform holy functions, it is certain religion must fall into disorder, and under contempt. Hot-headed men, of warm fancies and voluble tongues, with very little knowledge and discretion, would be apt to thrust themselves on to the teaching and governing others, if they themselves were under no government. This would soon make the public service of God to be loathed, and break and dissolve the whole body (h)."-" If ministers be self-ordained, modest merit will never be called forth;

(g) Hooker's Eccl. Pol. (h) Burnet upon this Art.

forth; presumptuous vanity will be ever ready to obtrude itself; noisy ignorance will overpower diffident wisdom: and what will hinder vicious men from rising into power, especially if any considerable emoluments are annexed to the ministry? Nay, what can hinder doctrines opposite to each other from being taught, to the utter extirpation of all religious principle? What can hinder different men from officiating in such different ways, as to produce disturbance and confusion, and put to flight all religious affection? And how can it be brought about, that certain appearances, modes of dress and behaviour, shall be so associated with piety and virtue, as instantly to produce good feelings in the mind? Besides, the learning requisite to make a man a good minister of religion, requires that the ministry should be made a separate profession (i)."

Since then we learn from the New Testament, that Christ appointed the twelve Apostles, and the seventy Disciples, to preach his Religion; that the Apostles appointed Deacons, and afterwards Elders, in the church at Jerusalem; that St. Paul appointed Elders in all the churches he founded, and directed Timothy and Titus to do the same within their respective jurisdictions;

(i) Hey upon this Art.

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since ecclesiastical history informs us that there has been an uninterrupted succession of ministers. regularly ordained to their sacred office from the days of the Apostles to the present times; and lastly, since reason teaches us that uniformity of faith cannot be preserved, the dignity of the clerical character maintained, or the public duties of religion performed with due solemnity and effect, but by persons set apart by proper authority for that purpose; we conclude that

IT IS NOT LAWFUL FOR ANY MAN TO TAKE UPON HIM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC TEACHING, OR MINISTERING THE SACRAMENTS IN THE CONGREGATION, BEFORE HE BE LAWFULLY CALLED, AND SENT TO EXECUTE THE SAME.

An established ministry resting upon such incontrovertible grounds, we are next to inquire from whom the ministers are to derive their appointment. Bishop Burnet thinks that the framers of this article had in view the state of some of the reformed churches upon the Continent, and therefore "they left this matter open and at large for such accidents as have happened, and such as might still happen." The words of the article are, AND THOSE WE OUGHT ΤΟ JUDGE LAWFULLY CALLED AND SENT,

WHICH BE CHOSEN AND CALLED TO THIS WORK BY MEN WHO HAVE PUBLIC AUTHORITY GIVEN UNTO THEM IN THE CONGREGATION TO CALL AND SEND MINISTERS INTO THE LORD'S VINE

YARD. No particular mode of ordination is here declared to be a necessary object of faith, nor are any persons specified by whom ministers are to be ordained to their sacred function; it is only asserted, in general terms, that they are to receive their appointment from the authority prescribed by the church to which they belong; and as this proposition is not contrary to any precept of Scripture, which will appear more fully hereafter, its truth will be allowed by all who admit the necessity of an established ministry.

From the passages of the New Testament which were just now quoted, it appears not only that the Apostles appointed ministers for the discharge of the public offices of religion, but that there were different orders of these ministers--bishops, priests, and deacons, are all mentioned. That priests and deacons were distinct orders is universally agreed; and most learned men are of opinion that bishops were, from the days of the Apostles, different from priests, though some contend that bishops and priests were merely the different names of persons

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holding the same office. This is a point which can be decided only by the testimony of antient ecclesiastical writers: and by referring to them. we shall find the clearest proof that bishops were instituted by the Apostles, and continued afterwards as a distinct order from that of priests. Irenæus, a father of the second century, says, "We are able to number up those who by the Apostles were made bishops in the several churches, and their successors to this time." And again he says, Polycarp was

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not only instructed by the Apostles, and acquainted with many of those who saw our Lord, but was also by the Apostles made bishop of the church of Smyrna in Asia, whom I also saw when I was young (k)." Tertul lian, a writer of the same century, argues thus against certain heretics, who pretended that their doctrine was derived from the contemporaries of the Apostles: "Let them therefore shew the origin of their churches; let them exhibit the order of their bishops, so succeeding each other from the beginning, that the first bishop had for his author and predecessor some one of the Apostles, or of those apostolical men who persevered with the Apostles; for

(k) Lib. 3. cap. 3.

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