II. The power of appointing an assembly of this kind resides in the church herself. If she is under the sway of [fidelis] a Christian magistrate, who makes an open profession of religion, or who publicly tolerates it; then we transfer this power to such a magistrate; without whose convocation, those persons that protested to the church concerning the nullity of the Council of Trent have maintained that a council is illegitimate. But if the magistrate is neither a believer, nor publicly tolerates religion, but is an enemy and a persecutor, then those who preside in the church will discharge that office.

III. An occasion will be afforded for convening an assembly of this kind, either by some evil men who [noxam inferunt] are an annoyance to the church, whether they be in the church or out of it ;—or even the perpetual constitution of the church so long as she continues on earth. For as she is liable to error, corruption, and defection from the truth of doctrine, from the purity of divine worship, from moral probity and from Christian concord, to heresies, idolatry, corruption of manners, and schisms; it is useful for assemblies of this kind to be instituted. Yet may they be instituted, not only to correct any corruption if it manifestly appears that it has entered, but likewise to inquire whether something of the kind has not entered; because the enemy sows tares while the men sleep to whom is entrusted the safe custody of the Lord's field.

IV. We say that this is an assembly of men; for, "Let a woman keep silence in the church, unless she has an extraordinary and divine call:" And we say, these men ought to be distinguished by the following marks. FIRST. That they be powerful in the Scriptures, and have their senses exercised in them. SECONDLY. That they be pious, grave, prudent, moderate, and lovers of divine truth and of the peace of the church. THIRDLY. That they be free, and bound down to no person, church, or confession written by men, but only to God and Christ and to his word.

V. They are men, whether of the ecclesiastical or of the political class. In the first place, the supreme magistrate himself, and those persons who discharge any public office in the Church and the Republic. Then, also private individuals; even those persons not being excluded who maintain some other [doctrine] than that which is the current opinion, provided they be furnished with the endowments which I have described. [Thesis IV.] And we are of opinion that such persons may deliver not only a deliberative but likewise a decisive sentence.

VI. The object about which the council will be engaged is,

the things appertaining to religion and to the good of the church as such. These are comprised under two chief heads,—the Primary, comprehending the doctrine itself of faith, hope, and charity, and the Secondary, the order and polity of the church.

VII. The rule, according to which deliberation must be instituted, and decision must be formed, is that single and sole one,— the word of God, who holds absolute dominion in the church. But in things which belong to the good order and evražiav the discipline of the church, it is allowable for the members attentively to consider the present state of the Commonwealth and of the Church, and to exercise deliberation and form decisions according to the circumstances of places, times and persons; provided one thing be guarded against,-to determine nothing contrary to the word of God.

VIII. But, because all things in assemblies of this kind ought to be done in order, it is requisite that some one preside over the whole council. If the Chief Magistrate be present, this office belongs to him: But he can devolve this charge on some other person, whether an ecclesiastic or a layman; nay, he may commit this matter to the council itself, provided he take care that all and each of the members be restrained within the bounds of their duty, lest their judgments be concluded in a tumultuous manner. But it is useful that some Bishop be appointed, who may perform the offices of prayer and thanksgiving, may propose the business to be transacted, and may enquire and collect [sententias] the opinions and votes; indeed, so far he, as an ecclesiastic, is the more suitable for fulfilling these duties.

IX. A place must be appointed for assemblies of this kind, that they may be most commodious to all those who shall come to the Synod; unless it be the pleasure of the Chief Magistrate to choose that place which will be the most convenient to himself. It ought to be a place secure from ambuscade or hostile surprise; and a safe-conduct is necessary for all persons, that they may arrive and depart again, without personal detriment, as far as is allowable by the law of God itself, against which the authority of no council, however great, is of the least avail.

X. The authority of councils is not absolute, but dependent on the authority of God: For this reason, no one is simply bound to assent to those things which have been decreed in a council, unless those persons be present as members who cannot err, and who have the undoubted marks and testimonies of the Holy Spirit to this fact. But every one may, nay he is bound, to examine by the word of God those things which have been concluded in

the council; and if he finds them to be agreeable to the Divine word, then he may approve of them; but if they are not, then he may express his disapprobation. Yet he must be cautious not easily to reject that which has been determined by the unanimous consent of so many pious and learned men; but he ought diligently to consider, whether it has the Scriptures pronouncing in favour of it with sufficient clearness; and when this is the case, he may yield his assent in the Lord to their unanimous agreement.

XI. The necessity of councils is not simple, because the church can be instructed respecting necessary things without them. Yet their utility is very great, if, being instituted in the name of the Lord, they examine all things according to his word, and appoint that which, by common consent, according to that rule, the members have thought proper to pronounce as their decision. For, as many eyes see more than one eye, and as the Lord is accustomed to listen to the prayers [multorum] of a number who agree together among themselves on earth; it is more probable, that the truth will be discovered and confirmed from the Scriptures by some council consisting of many learned and pious men, than by the exertions of a single individual transacting the same business privately by himself.

XII. From these premises we also say, that the authority of any council is greater than that of any man who is present at such council, even than that of the Roman Pontiff; to whom we ascribe no other right in any council, than that which we give to any Bishop, even at the time when he performed with fidelity the duties of a true Bishop: So far are we disinclined to believe, that no council can be convened and held without his command, presidency and direction.

XIII. No council can prescribe to its successors, that they may not again deliberate about that which has been transacted and determined in preceding councils; because the matter of religion does not come [in præjudicatum] under the denomination of a thing that is prejudged. Neither can any council bind itself, by an oath, to the observance of any other word than that of God: Much less can it make positive laws, to which it may bind either itself, or any man, by an oath.

XIV. It is also allowable for a later ecumenical or general council to call in doubt that which had been decreed by a preceding general council; because it is possible even for general councils to err. Nor yet does it follow from these premises, that the Catholic church errs; that is, that all the faithful universally

err.

DISPUTATION LIX.

ON THE ECCLESIASTICAL MINISTRATIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND ON THE VOCATION TO THEM.

I. BY THE word "ministry," we designate a public auxiliary office or duty, subservient to a superior, who, in this instance, is God and Christ as He is the Lord and Head of the church. It receives the appellation of " ecclesiastical" from its object, which is the church; and we distinguish it from a political ministry, which exercises itself in the civil affairs of the Commonwealth.

II. But it is the public duty which God has committed to certain men, to collect a church, [curandi] to attend to it when collected, and to bring it to Christ its Head, and through Him to God, that [the members of ] it may attain a life of happiness, to the glory of God and Christ.

III. But as a church consists of men who live [animalem] a natural life, and are called to live [in illâ] while in the body a spiritual life, which is superior and ought to be as the end of the other; there is a two-fold office to be performed in the church according to the exigencies both of the natural and of the spiritual life: The FIRST is that which is properly, per se, and immediately occupied about the spiritual life, its commencement, progress and confirmation: The SECOND is that by which the natural life is sustained, and therefore it belongs, only by accident and mediately, to the church. The FIRST is always necessary per se. SECOND is not necessary [in the church] except by hypothesis; because there are those who need a maintenance from others, and they do not obtain this through some order established in the community; in which case, it ought always to endure; [citra illum] but where any such order is established, it is unnecessary. On the former of these we are now treating; about the latter we have no further remarks to make.

The

IV. The office accommodated to the spiritual life, consists of these three acts: The FIRST is, the [institutio] teaching of the truth which is according to godliness. The SECOND is, intercession before God. The THIRD is, regimen or government accommodated to this institution or teaching.

V. 1. Institution or teaching consists in the proposing, explanation and confirmation of the truth, which contains the things that are to be believed, hoped for, and performed; in the refutation of falsehood; in exhortation, reprehension, consolation, and threatening: All of which is accomplished by the word both of

the law and of the Gospel. To this function we add the administration of the sacraments, which serve for the same purpose.

VI. 2. Intercession consists in prayers and thanksgivings offered to God for the church and each of its members, through Christ our only Advocate and Intercessor.

VII. 3. The Government of the church is used for this end,that, in the whole church, all things may be done decently, in order, and to edification; and that each of its members may be kept in their duty, the loiterers may be incited, the weak confirmed, those who have wandered out of the way brought back, the contumacious punished, and the penitents received.

VIII. These offices are not always imposed in the same mode, nor administered by the same [rationibus] methods. For, at the commencement of the rising Christian church, they were imposed on some men immediately by God and Christ, and they were administered by those on whom they had been imposed, without binding them to certain churches: Hence also the apostles were called "ministers," as being the ambassadors of Christ to every creature throughout the world: To these were added the Evangelists, as fellow-labourers. Afterwards [the same offices were imposed] mediately on those who were called Pastors and Teachers, Bishops and Priests, and who were placed over certain churches. The former of these [the Apostles and Evangelists] continued only for a season, and had no successors. The latter [Pastors, &c.] will remain in perpetual succession to the end of the world; though we do not deny, that, when a church is first to be collected for any one, a man may traverse the whole [terram] earth in teaching.

IX. These offices are so ordered, that one person can discharge all of them at the same time; though, if the utility of the church and the diversity of gifts so require, they can be variously distributed among different men.

X. The vocation to such ecclesiastical offices is either immediate or mediate. Immediate vocation we will not now discuss: But that which is mediate is a divine act, administered by God and Christ through the church, by which He consecrates to himself a man separated from [usu] the occupations of the natural life and from those which are common, and removes him to the duties of the pastoral office, for the salvation of men and his own glory. In this vocation, we ought to consider the vocation itself, its efficient, and its object.

XI. 1. The act of vocation consists of previous examination, election, and confirmation. (1.) Examination is a diligent inquiry and trial, whether the person about whom it is occupied be well