CHAPTER III.

THE MINISTRY CHRIST'S POSITIVE INSTITUTION.

THE theme which will form the subject of the present chapter, though almost a self-evident truth, and admitted by the great majority of Christians, is yet a very important principle, and one which, if universally received, would effectually uproot a popular, and, as we suppose, growing error of the day. This important truth is, that the Christian Ministry is a positive institution of Jesus Christ-that the Commission by which his ministers act officially in his name, was derived immediately and directly from Him, and is handed down in and by that ministry which He himself established.

It is obvious that the truth of this principle must be made to depend mainly upon the authority of the inspired volume. It is a question of fact, whether Jesus Christ did or did not establish a

ministry in his Church. Mere theory, speculation, analogy between human and Divine institutions, have nothing to do with the question of fact. These other points may be useful in tracing the nature of the Christian Ministry, in seeing where

human and Divine institutions begin to agree with, and to diverge from each other, but they do not reach the main question, whether as a matter of fact Jesus Christ did establish a ministry in his Church?

Before proceeding to offer the proofs on this important point, we wish briefly to notice another theory which is prevailing extensively in the country. It is, strictly speaking, the Congregational or Independent system, though we observe that it has found its way into considerable sections of the Presbyterians; it is endorsed and defended by some of their writers, though it is most radically opposed to their whole system of doctrine and discipline, as contained in their standards; and should it be suffered to prevail, must eventually, yet inevitably, revolutionize their whole system of ecclesiastical organization and government. It has been one main cause at work in rending that body into its present divided state.

That theory is as follows: That the Christian ministry is not a positive institution of Jesus Christ, but that it originates immediately and directly from the people in whom primarily this power is supposed to be lodged. In other words, startling as the position appears, the question is, Whether the people or Jesus Christ are the source of ecclesiastical and ministerial power?

Still another feature of this theory has respect to the nature of the ministry itself. It is maintained

that the Christian ministry is not an order of men, in distinction from the people; and hence, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a Christian ministry in distinction from the people at large. Such is the theory which is now held by large numbers of the Congregationalists and Presbyteri. ans at the present day.

That we have correctly stated this theory, we quote from the "Congregational Catechism," the modern text-book, and the embodiment of the system. Thus:

QUES. 13. "Where does all ecclesiastical power and authority reside?" ANS. "Primarily in the individual communities or local Churches." Cong. Cat., p. 12.

QUES. 14. "Whence does a local Church derive all its power?" ANS. "From the good pleasure of God, authorizing and requiring Christians to form themselves into Churches, and to regulate all their proceedings according to their discretion, in conformity with the laws of God." Ibid., p. 13.

QUES. 16. "What is it that imparts official power to the officers of a Church?" ANS. "Their election or appointment by the Church, according to its by-laws, and their formal induction into office agreeably to the same laws." Ibid., p. 13.

QUES. 54. "Did ordination convey to the person official powers which he could not otherwise possess?" ANS. "No. The ordination was rather a recognition of him as one already clothed with official powers by virtue of his previous election or appointment to office." Ibid., p. 47.

QUES. 56. "Who had the power of ordaining

officers in the primitive Church?"

ANS. "Those, doubtless, who had the power of electing or appointing such officers, provided they were competent to conduct the solemn exercises in a proper manner;" that is, the people. Ibid., p. 48.

QUES. 57. "Did the officers of the primitive Church, by virtue of their ordination, become a distinct order of men from the people, &c.?" ANS. "No! They did not become a distinct order of men.” &c. Ibid., pp. 48, 49.

The above quotations, in language evidently carefully chosen and well guarded, leave us no room to doubt what the modern theory is, in respect to the origin and nature of the Christian ministry. And whatever may be thought of the weakness of its Scriptural argument, it certainly has the full force of the "ad captandum" to recommend it. It accords perfectly with the growing habit of popular appeal, to tell "the people" that they are the source of all power; and that not only all civil, but ecclesiastical authority, comes directly from them.* And thus, the private Christian would be made to feel that every argument to prove that the ministry in the Christian Church was an institution of Christ is an attempt to wrest from him a natural and unalienable right.

This modern sophistry, however, has one radical mistake. It forgets one essential and important truth. It overlooks the grand, the vital distinction,

* See Dr. Potts' Letter viii., in his recent Controversy, for the use of this argument.

between the "kingdom of Christ" and the "kingdoms of this world." Over these latter kingdoms Jesus Christ never claimed authority as their king. On the contrary, He recognized their authority-He paid tribute to them: Mark xii. 17; and commanded to render all their due. But to them He never gave officers or ministers. To them He never ap

To them He

pointed Sacraments or ordinances. never sent the Holy Ghost. Hence they who reason from civil to ecclesiastical institutions overlook one radical distinction between them, which deprives their reasoning of all its force.

This theory, which we have presented above, is not the system of the Church as we receive it. It is not the system taught in the Word of God. It is not the system found in the standards of some of these denominations themselves.* We wish now to ask the attention of the reader to the proof that the Christian ministry is an institution of Jesus Christ, and hence not of man.

I. The great object or design of the ministry must take for granted as a first principle, that that ministry is of Christ's special appointment.

The ministry is a ministry of reconciliation. It supposes that there are parties at variance. In

* The recent controversy between a distinguished Presbyterian divine and an able Presbyter of the Church, has developed one fact with distinctness, that those Standards and Confessions which, at their ordination, the most solemn event of their life, they profess truly to believe, and steadfastly to defend, are yet in fact often held so loosely as virtually to be set aside.