The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 34
CHAP. 34. That in the time of Jeſus Chriſt and his Apoſtles, and in the ages next to the Apoſtles, many have preached the Word of God in the Church, without ſucceſsion and without ordinary Calling.
ALthough in the age that we live in, it is expedient that none be admitted to the holy Miniſtery, but ſuch as are duly called, and (as much as it is poſſible) eſtabliſht by the ordinary forms and wayes; yet the Chriſtian Church in her beginnings did not tye her ſelf to that rule. The Chriſtians of that time embraced with ſo much fervour the truth of the Doctrine, that they enquired not with what forms thoſe that taught them the truth had been received into that Office. Doing the clean contrary to that which is done in the Roman Church, where the people is kept from the examination of the Doctrine by hiding from them the holy Scripture, and celebrating Divine Service in a languge which they underſtand not. They are inſtructed only to look to Chairs and Succeſſion, and to pick a quarrel with our Vocation; following the example of the Phariſees, who eluded Chriſts reprehenſions of their falſe Doctrine,Mat. 21.23. asking him, By what authority doſt thou theſe things, and who gave thee this authority? and asking the Apoſtles when they preacht Chriſt,Act. 4.7. By what power, and by what Name have ye done this?
That in old time many preacht the Goſpel without charge or ordinary calling, it is evident by many examples. Our Lord Jeſus, Luke 4. teacheth in the Synagogue of Nazareth, and expoundeth the Prophet Iſaiah, although he was neither Scribe nor Doctor, nor Levite, but of the Tribe of Judah; brought up, not under the Diſcipline of the Phariſees, but in a Carpenters ſhop.
Act. 13. Paul who was neither Levite nor Scribe, is deſired by the chief of the Synagogue of Antioch, of Piſidia, if he had ſome word of exhortation to ſpeak it. He had been indeed a Phariſee before his converſion; but the Phariſaiſm was not a charge, but a profeſſion of auſterity, and works of overplus.
Act. 8.4. The faithful of the Church of Jeruſalem, ſcattered by perſecution, went everywhere preaching the Word. The ſame is done by ſome Cypriots and Cyrenians that were fled to Antioch, Act. 11.
Act. 18.25. Apollos teacheth in the Synagogue, and ſpeaks freely, although he was yet but meanly inſtructed in the way of the Lord, knowing only the Baptiſm of John. A certain proof that he had no ordinary charge; for with ſo little inſtruction he ſhould never have been admitted to the charge of Paſtor or Evangeliſt.
It is manifeſt by the 14. chapter of the firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians, that all ſuch as had ſome gift of God to propheſie and expound Scripture, or to ſpeak ſtrange tongues, were allowed to ſpeak in the Church. If (ſaith the Apoſtle, v. 24.) all propheſie, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all. And a little after, When ye come together, every one of you hath a Pſalm, hath a Revelation, hath an Interpretation, Let all things be done to edifying.
Origen Hom. 11. upon the 18. chapter of Numbers. (a)Sicut in aliqua (verbi gratia) civitate ubi nondum Chriſtiani nati ſunt, ſi accedat aliquis & docere in ipiat, laboret, inſtruat, adducat ad fidem, & ipſe poſtmodum iis quos docuit Princeps & Epiſcopus fiat, &c.If (ſaith he) in any City where no Chriſtian is yet born, ſome one come and begin to teach, and labour, and inſtruct, and bring to the Faith; and after that become Prince and Biſhop of thoſe whom he hath inſtructed, &c.
Ambroſe upon Epheſ. 4.(b)ut ergo creſceret plebs & multiplicaretur, omnibus inter initia conceſſum eſt & Evangelizare & baptizare, & Scripturas in Eccleſia. explanare. That then the people might increaſe and multiply, it was permitted to all in the beginning, to preach the Goſpel and baptize, and expound the Scriptures in the Church: But he addeth that this was ſetled by an order ſince.
Theodoret, Ruffinus, and Sozomenus, relate that two young men, Aedeſius & Frumentius, being come to the Indies for another end, planted there the Chriſtian Religion. It is true, that Frumentius returning into Egypt, was perſwaded by Athanaſius to return into the Indies, and by him created Biſhop of the Indies. But it muſt, be remembred, that he had already begun that work before he received the ordinary calling; and that if he could not have returned into Egypt, being kept in the Indies, either by the difficulties of the wayes, or by ſickneſs, or if the Indians would not have let him go; no doubt but that he would not have forſaken the work of God for want of a formality, and would not have left teaching, though he had no ſucceſſion, and no ordinary calling. But I think that the Indians by him converted to Chriſtianity would have met, and calling upon Gods name, would have created him their Paſtor.
The ſame muſt be ſaid of Maturianus and Saturnianus ſlaves, which were the firſt that brought the Goſpel among the Moors, where they were captive; who after they had ſown the ſeeds of Chriſtianity about the Countrey, ſent for Prieſts out of the Roman Territories, as Victor Ʋticenſis recites in the firſt Book of the Hiſtory of the Vandals.
Yea out of the caſe of neceſſity the Antient Chriſtians permitted Lay-men to expound the holy Scriptures, although there were ordinary Paſtors in the ſame place. Of which we have a very expreſs teſtimony in the 20. chapter of the 6. Book of the Hiſtory of Euſebius, who relates that at the requeſt of the Biſhop of Ceſarea, Origen being not a Prieſt, yet began to expound the holy Scriptures in the Church. At which one Demetrius complaining, as of a thing being contrary to cuſtom, and unheard of before, Alexander Biſhop of Jeruſalem, and Theoctiſtus Biſhop of Ceſarea, taxe him of ignorance, and tell him,foreign. Thou ſaieſt openly an untruth; for where perſons fit and capable are found, which may edifie their brethren, the holy Biſhops deſire them to inſtruct the people in the Word; as at Laranda Euelpis was deſired by Neon, and at Iconium Paulinus was deſired by Celſus, &c.
If any Chriſtian caſt by ſhipwrack, or by other accidents into a Pagan Iſland, fifteen hundred leagues from Chriſtian Churches, and having no uſe of Navigation, ſhould learn the language of the country, and then inſtruct the Barbarians with good ſucceſs in the Chriſtian Religion, there being no poſſibility to get Paſtors from other places; who doubts, but that the converted people, might with the invocation of Gods Name, chuſe among themſelves the fitteſt man for the Miniſtry of the Goſpel? Should that man ſuffer Chriſtian Religion to periſh in the Country for want of ſucceſſion and ordinary calling? For in extraordinary difficulties it is often impoſſible to uſe ordinary remedies. Beſides, in a Country where there is an ordinary calling, it happens many times, that they that hold the chairs and have the ſucceſſion, either are ſilent like dumb dogs, or preach untruth. In which caſe can one find it ſtrange, that God raiſe ſome of the lay people to convince their falſe doctrine, or rowſe their daſtardneſs; as when the guards of the Capitol were aſleep, the geeſe cried out and gave the alarum? Is it not a hardned ſtupidity, when an ignorant man will not come out of the gulf of error, before that he that would inſtruct him, hath ſhewed him his ſucceſſion? Such a man chuſeth rather to be led into hell by a ſucceſſive order, and by perſons loaden with titles and filling the chairs, then into Paradiſe by men that produce not their Commiſſion.