“And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord… Then said he [the son of the prophet] unto him, ‘Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.’ And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.”
1 Kings 20:35-36
“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
2 Tim. 1:13
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Order of Contents
Quotes 4
Those Training may Preach 3
Office of Reader 2
On Seminaries 1
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Order of Quotes
Baillie
Rutherford
Gillespie
Westminster
London Presbyterians
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Quotes
1600’s
Robert Baillie
An Historical Vindication of the Government of the Church of Scotland… (1646), ‘The Unloading of Issachar’s Burden’, p. 22
“Your next exception against the presbytery is for their expectants, these be the sons of the prophers, who in their preparations for the ministry, at their first exercises for assay and trial are heard in the presbytery; with this practise no reasonable man can find fault; it is naturally impossible for any, without a miracle, to attain the habit of preaching but by diverse initial and preparatory actions; where can these be so fitly performed as in the classes [presbyteries]? The expectants are present in the classes for their training, not as members, for they do not voice in any matters of discipline.
The true mystery of this controversy is that the expectants [in Anglicanism] are permitted to preach before the holy hands of a bishop have conferred upon them the order of a deacon, and so [have] power to preach and baptize: The Church of Scotland did always reject this corruption as clearly contrary to Scripture.”
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Samuel Rutherford
A Peaceable & Temperate Plea... (1642), ch. 20, 10th Article, ‘Schools & Doctors’
“There are with us doctors of divinity who teach in schools and universities, men tried to be holy and learned, and then put in office (as 1 Tim. 3:10), under whose instruction are students aiming at the holy ministry, called expectants, as in the Jewish church in their colleges were young prophets, or sons of the prophets (as 1 Sam. 10:5; 2 Kings 2:7; 2 Kings 4:1; 1 Kings 20:35). These doctors and also the teachers of human literature, who train up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4), if they aim at the ministry, prophesy in our presbyterial meetings (1 Cor. 14:29).”
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Lex Rex... (1644; Edinburgh: Ogle, 1843), p. 9
“…as the church by sending a man and ordaining him to be a pastor, does not by that, as God’s instruments, infuse supernatural powers of preaching; these supernatural powers may be, and often are in him before he be in orders.”
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George Gillespie
pp. 27 (bot. rt.) – 28 (top lt.), Point 2 in ch. 5, ‘Whether these Prophets & Porphesyings in the Primitive Church…’ in A Treatise of Miscellany Questions…
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Westminster’s Directory for the Publick Worship of God
Preface
“…the [Anglican] Liturgy hath been… a matter of endless strife and contention in the Church, and a snare both to many godly and faithful ministers, who have been persecuted and silenced upon that occasion, and to others of hopeful parts, many of which have been, and more still would be, diverted from all thoughts of the ministry to other studies; especially in these latter times [the 1600’s], wherein God vouchsafeth to his people more and better means for the discovery of error and superstition, and for attaining of knowledge in the mysteries of godliness, and gifts in preaching and prayer.”
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London Presbyterian Ministers
Jus divinum ministerii evangelici. Or the Divine Right of the Gospel-Ministry (London: 1654), pt. 1, ch. 4, pp. 78-80
“Secondly, We distinguish between the teaching of parents and masters in their families (to which also the teaching of school-masters may be reduced) and ministerial preaching: We call upon parents, masters, school-masters, not only to bring their families, and scholars to public ordinances, but to make their houses the churches of Christ; To read the Scriptures in them, to catechize them, to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to teach them in their youth, in the trade of their way, as they will answer it at that great day: And unto this duty we exhort even mothers; but we deny unto them ministerial preaching.
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Fourthly, We distinguish between divinity-exercises in the schools, and university, and the preaching of the Word. For though these lectures are performed either only by such as have received ordination, and are ministers of the gospel, or such as are candidates of the ministry; either prophets, or the sons of the prophets, and so not wholly without commission, yet are they not performed to a congregation met together for the solemn worship of God; They are rather reducible to the work of school-matters instructing their scholars, and scholars rendering account to their masters, than ministerial preaching.”
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That Those Training for the Ministry May Preach
Intro
It is a common practice in American presbyterian denominations that those training for the ministry may only ‘exhort’ the congregation in the worship service from the pulpit, but they do not actually preach.
It is true that any layman may exhort, edify, comfort or rebuke fellow Christians (Heb. 3:13; Lev. 19:17; 1 Thess. 5:11-12; Col. 3:16; Heb. 10:23; Mal. 3:16; Zech. 8:21), though that this may or ought to be done in a worship service is another question. Often such ‘exhorting’ sounds like preaching, feels like preaching, seems like preaching, and could hardly be materially distinguished by anyone listening from preaching. This is unfortunate, as in the Church of Scotland in the 1600’s (as well as in the Bible and from Nature) exhorting was quite materially distinct from preaching.
It should be noted, as evidenced below from the Word of God, Westminster and the Church of Scotland, those training for the ministry do have the authority to preach if they have been called of God unto the pastoral office and have been given that sanctified gift of God. The Church is to recognize this gift; it does not give it.
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Order of Quotes
Rutherford
Gillespie
Westminster
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Quotes
Samuel Rutherford
A Peaceable & Temperate Plea... (1642)
ch. 16, p. 248
“2. To preach publicly as ordinary messengers, I say ‘ordinary’ because of our expectants of the ministry, who preach by the call of the Church for a time, as the sons of the prophets, while they be ordained pastors [in the time that they are in the process of being or becoming ordained]. To preach, I say, ‘publicly’, is a formal act of pastors who are sent, Rom. 10.”
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ch. 20, 13th Article, ‘Private Worship’
“None may preach the word with us but pastors, the sons of the prophets, and such of their sort who aim at the holy ministry. And that ecclesiastical authority must warrant them is clear by our law and practice, as it was in the Jewish Church (1 Sam.10:5; 2 Kings 2:7; 2 Kings 4:1; 1 Kings 20:35).”
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A Survey of the Survey of that Sum of Church Discipline… (London, 1658)
bk. 1, ch. 26, p. 171
“2. Expectants being pastors in fieri [in the making], sons of the prophets, by command of the prophets, vi materiae [unto the strength of the matter], for trial must prophesy;”
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bk. 2, ch. 4, pp. 210-11
“3. Neither Mr. Rutherford [contra what Thomas Hooker said of him] nor any judicious man can teach that either a gift to write books, or of eminent preaching, praying, exhorting, proceeds out of a power of office; it is a sanctified gift which the Church sees and judges to be in any before they call him to office; and any gift is by order of nature and time before the office, and so proceeds not from the office;”
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George Gillespie
pp. 18 (bot. rt.)-19 (top lt.), ‘Exception 5’ of ch. 3, ‘Whether Ordination be Essential to the Calling of a Minister?’ in A Treatise of Miscellany Questions…
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Westminster
Larger Catechism
“Q. 158. By whom is the Word of God to be preached?
The Word of God is to be preached only by such as are sufficiently gifted,[k] and also duly approved and called to that office.[l]
[k] 1 Tim. 3:2,6. Eph. 4:8,9-11. Hos. 4:6. Mal. 2:7. 2 Cor. 3:6.
[l] Jer. 14:15. Rom. 10:15. Heb. 5:4. 1 Cor. 12:28,29. 1 Tim. 3:10. 1 Tim. 4:14. 1 Tim. 5:22“
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Directory for the Publick Worship of God
Of Publick Reading of the Holy Scriptures
“Howbeit, such as intend the ministry, may occasionally both read the word, and exercise their gift in preaching in the congregation, if allowed by the presbytery thereunto.”
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On the Office of Scripture Reader
Historical
Article
Todd, Margo – pp. 67-70 in The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland (Yale University Press, 2002)
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Latin Articles
1600’s
Voet, Gisbert – Ecclesiastical Politics (Amsterdam, 1663-1676), vol. 3, pt. 2
bk. 2, tract 4, Of Assisting Helpers to the Sacred Minister & Ministers
2. Of the Visitors of the Sick, Announcers [Proponentibus], Catechists, Readers, Precentors, Custodians, Porters or Messengers 514
bk. 4, tract 2, Of Ecclesiastical Attendants [Ministrantibus]
2. Of Deacons, Sub-deacons, Acolytes, Exorcists, Readers, Porters 885
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On Seminaries
Latin
1600’s
Voet, Gisbert – 37. Appendix, ‘On the Builders of Church Buildings, the Erectors of Colleges [& Seminaries] & the Founders of Those Returning [Redituum]’ in Select Theological Disputations (Utrecht: Waesberg, 1655), vol. 2, pp. 573-79
Voetius (1589-1676)
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