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Rutherford, Samuel – ch. 16, ‘On the Ministers of the Word’ in Examination of Arminianism tr. by AI by Monergism (1639-1642; Utrecht, 1668; 2024), pp. 627-37

1. Whether all the divine things of the apostles were to be proven to be inspired by the rule of the Word? We deny with a distinction against the Remonstrants.

2. Whether the sending of ministers by the calling and ordination of the Church is still necessary by divine institution? We affirm against the Remonstrants.

3. Whether the ministry of the gospel and the preaching of the Word are precisely necessary for salvation? We affirm with an explanation against the Remonstrants.

4. Whether it is well spoken that the distinction in presbyters between teaching and ruling [presbyters] is an innovation? We deny against the Remonstrants.

Church of Scotland – A Humble Acknowledgment of the Sins of the Ministry of Scotland (1651)

Pastors and Elders, let us grieve and break our hearts over our sins in Christ’s ministry. May this cause us to look to Christ for all of our righteousness, and may it spur us on to walk more humbly and closely with Him as we work in His Vineyard. Use this in secret prayer throughout the year.

Church members, bring reformation to our land and humbly encourage your elders with this article.

Le Blanc de Beaulieu, Louis – Theological Theses Published at Various Times in the Academy of Sedan 3rd ed. tr. by AI by Colloquia Scholastica (1675; London, 1683) Latin

6. Controversies on the Members of the Militant Church

1. Designation of ‘clergy’ and ‘laity’ 1087
2. Ranks and distinction of the Church’s ministers 1089
3. Grades and distinction of Church ministers according to our theologians 1094
4. Institution or creation of Church ministers 1098
5. Celibacy and bigamy [remarriages] of ministers of the Church 1103

Turretin, Francis – 22. ‘Is it necessary that there should be a public ministry and a calling to it in the church? We affirm against Fanatics and Enthusiasts.’ in Institutes of Elenctic Theology, tr. George M. Giger, ed. James Dennison Jr. (1679–1685; P&R, 1994), vol. 3, 18^th Topic, p. 210 ff.

van Mastricht, Peter – ch. 2, ‘The Ministers of the Church’ in Theoretical Practical Theology (2nd ed. 1698; RHB), vol. 5, pt. 1, bk. 7

1800’s

Miller, Samuel – The Importance of the Gospel Ministry: an Introductory Lecture… (1827) 68 pp.

Binnie, William – The Holy Ministry, p. 120 ff. 3 pp. in The Church

Binnie was a professor in the Free Church of Scotland.

2000’s

Macleod, William – ‘The Essence of the Ministry’ (2006) 17 paragraphs The opening address given at the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Seminary in Sept., 2006.

Macleod helpfully and practically gives eight things that it is not and two things that it is.

Book

1600’s

Perkins, William – Of the Calling of the Ministry, Two Treatises: describing the Duties & Dignities of that Calling (d. 1602; London: Welby, 1605) 127 pp. ToC

What is the Essence of a Valid Ministry?

Order of Contents

Article 1
Quotes 2

Article

1600’s

English Puritans – 2. “We have a True Ministry in England” in A Refutation of the Errors of Separatists (1604; RBO, 2025), pp. 241-75

Quotes

Order of

English Puritans
Bairdie
Turretin

1600’s

English Puritans

A Refutation of the Errors of Separatists (1604; RBO, 2025), 2. “We have a True Ministry in England”, pp. 254-55

“First, whatsoever is of the being and substance of the calling to the ministry has been common to all true and lawful ministers that ever were in the Church, as well as the substance of the sacraments and discipline and whole religion has ever been one and the same in all places and at all times. Whereas it is clear that some of the rules prescribed for the outward calling in the New Testament have not always been in use and practice throughout God’s Church, no not in such ministries as the Word has given testimony to. For proof whereof may be alleged the calling that those Levites and preachers exercised whereof there is mention made in 2 Chron. 17:7–9.

For as in diverse other parts of God’s service, the omitting and swerving from sundry of God’s holy ordinances prescribed in the Word makes not the action itself void and unlawful (as is evident by that one example, 2 Chron. 30:16–19), so the lack and swerving from some rules prescribed for the outward calling of the ministers cannot be of force sufficient to make their calling void and
unlawful.”

John Bairdie

Balm from Gilead, or the Differences about the Indulgence Stated & Impleaded in a Sober & Serious Letter to Ministers & Christians in Scotland (1674; London: Cockerill, 1681), p. 176

“But beside, suppose there were some petty defects or irregularities in their entry to the exercise of their ministry… yet ye should know it is not every lighter fault of that nature which will warrant Separation; but only such attrocious crimes as either destroys the essence of the ministry and makes it null and void (as your Reverend Mr. [Robert] Brown teaches in the Preface to his Book against Wolrogen, and excellent Mr. [Oliver] Bowels in his Pastor Evangelicus, bk. 1, ch. 4), for recte fieri is one thing, and ratum esse is another, and multa impediunt matrimonium contrahendum, quae non dirimunt contractum; or else does so vitiate their ministry as people cannot join therewith in its ministerial acts without real and native participating in the sin, in God’s account and in the construction of his holy Law:

Otherwise if there be any pollution adherent to their ministry, which neither evacuates the essence thereof, nor so intrinsically leprosies it, but ye may communicate in its acts abstractly from and without touching the spot; the sin rests on the men themselves, and ye are not concerned therein farther than to lament it, but not to be scared and debarred by it from joining in their ministerial administrations, they being to you clean, whatever they be to the men themselves.”

Francis Turretin

Institutes… (P&R), vol. 3, Question 23, p. 218

“X. …What is essential to the ministry cannot be changed without making another ministry. But the essence remaining untouched, it does not cease to be the same ministry, although a varied and manifold change as to the accidents may have taken place.

The essence of the ministry is placed in this–that all saving truth pertaining to the conservation of faith and piety be retained and taught; that the true sacraments instituted by Christ may be administered; and that the people may be held under a legitimate government.

The accidents make its state good or bad. The good is when the preaching of the Word is pure and entire without any mixture of error or superstition; when the sacraments are rightly celebrated according to the institution of Christ without addition, or detraction, or alteration; and the Christian people are governed in a holy manner according to the Word of God and not in a tyrannical manner.

The bad on the other hand is when the truth preached is mixed with errors and superstitions; the sacraments are in different way altered and corrupted; and the government is either confused or unjust and tyrannical…

But still it must not be thought that the ministry ought at once to cease and be extinguished on account of any corruption whatsoever and depraved state; as life is not at once extinguished, but can subsist in the midst of weakness and disease.”

Latin

Article

1600’s

Rutherford, Samuel – ch. 16, ‘On Ministers of the Word’ in The Examination of Arminianism ed. Matthew Nethenus (1639-1643; Utrecht, 1668), pp. 681-92

Voet, Gisbert – Ecclesiastical Politics (Amsterdam: Waesberge, 1663), vol. 3, pt. 2, bk. 2, ‘Of Ministers & the Ecclesiastical Ministry’, Tract 1, ‘Of the Necessity, Difficulty, etc. of a Minister’

8. Various Pretexts for the Scorn of the Ministry and Ministers are Shaken Off 293

Book

1600’s

Brown of Wamphray, John

‘Preface to the Reader’ in Two Books… in the Second, the Libertine-Erastian Judgment of Lambert Velthusius in his book in the [Dutch] vernacular, on Idolatry & Superstition, newly set forth, is detected and confuted; also the orthodox truth is vindicated from the exceptions of adversaries, whether Libertines, Erastians or others and is illustrated and confirmed by 32 Assertions opposite the Velthusian judgment, to which is prefixed a small preface, in which some things are briefly and summarily propounded on the Nature of the Visible & Invisible Church, and so of the Communion of the Church, tearing down the illegitimate Separation already begun in Belgium in 2 vols. (Amseterdam, 1670), vol. 1 This volume only contains the work on the interpretation of the Scriptures.

This preface, translated into English by Grange Press (2024), briefly lists out and illustrates Brown’s 32 assertions on the Church and Church government that are more extensively propounded and defended in the volume below.

A Confutation of the Ventilated Libertine-Erastian Judgment of Lambert Velthusius in his book in the vernacular [Dutch] on Idolatry and Superstition, on the Ecclesiastical Ministry, Kingdom & Discipline (1670) 716 pp. no ToC

Brown was a Scottish covenanting minister who abode for many years in the Netherlands. Velthuysen (1623-1685) was generally reformed. Other reformed theologians likewise had complained of his concessions to Erastiansim in responding to Arminianism.

“Brown of Wamphray, while in exile in Holland, published, in 1670, an important and valuable work on this subject [of Erastianism], entitled Libertino-Erastianae… which is well worthy of perusal.” – Cunningham, HT 2.582

The general outline of this volume follows the 32 assertions Brown laid out in the preface to the first volume above.

Related Pages

Preparation for Ministry