On the apostolical succession / Parochial lectures, second series

by William J. Irons

III.

It is not unusual with those who are more anxious to make difficulties than to understand the Catholic truth, to speak of the “vagueness of the rule of S. Vincent,” and the arduousness of the task imposed by the Doctors of the Via Media on all their scholars. That it is easy enough to construct a theoretical difficulty of this sort, no one will question. But it behoves every Christian to consider well, whether any “dilemmas of Churchmen” can be stated which might not (without any very great ingenuity) be turned into ‘Dilemmas of Christians.’ Doubtless it is a trial, (and God intended it to be so, 1 Cor. xi. 19.) to see so many diversities and divisions in the Church; yet candid judges will hardly decide, that English Churchmen have more difficulties of this kind than other men; or that we should be likely to escape similar “dilemmas” by forsaking the Church for any other community. And in spite of the ingenuity of men, common sense will generally understand the practical use and application of S. Vincent’s rule, “Quod semper,” &c. An instance of the ordinary manner of its practical employment, may be seen, to a certain extent, in Lecture II. p. [51], and will suggest at once to the minds of many, the way in which the English Churchman can and does proceed. Difficult as the theory of the Via Media, and the popular recognition of truth by S. Vincent’s test may in theory be made to seem; yet it is, I imagine, practically and as a matter of experience acted on, to a much wider extent, both in our own Church and the Roman, than is commonly noticed, or thought of. In illustration, the twenty-first chapter of St. Luke might be advantageously consulted. Our Lord there assumes (what in fact is daily seen) that heresies should arise. And He tells His people not to follow the “Lo here is Christ!” and “Lo there!” Of course it might always be easy to say—which is the Church?—and, which is the heresy?—The “Lo here!” But that is a difficulty which our Lord did not entertain. It has very little existence in fact and experience. Every man, generally speaking, knows whether he is in “the Church.” Though, of course, there is such a thing as a “strong delusion;” (2 Thess. ii. 11.) The whole of our Lord’s address in this chapter is one which the Catholic Church feels the power of. It is full of “difficulty,” and “uncertainty, and vagueness,” to Sectarians only, who have no test whereby they can be sure that they are not the very persons aimed at by our Lord, as following false and new teachers. It seems to me, that the Sectarian cannot act upon Christ’s directions in this chapter. Nay they must have, to him, all the vagueness and uncertainty which he charges on the Catholic rule. “Keep to the ancient Apostolic way; mind not novelties; ‘Go not after them.’ Keep to the ‘Quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus,’ in opposition to every ‘Lo here is Christ!’”

IV.

The holy Apostle St. Paul, good children, in the tenth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, writeth on this fashion: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. But how shall they call on Him on Whom they believe not? How shall they believe on Him of Whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach except they be Sent?” By the which words St. Paul doth evidently declare unto us two lessons.

The first is, that it is necessary to our salvation to have Preachers and Ministers of God’s most holy word, to instruct us in the true faith and knowledge.

The second is, that Preachers must not run to this high honour before they be called thereto, but they must be ordained and appointed to this office, and sent to us by God. For it is not possible to be saved, or to please God, without faith; and no man can truly believe in God by his own wit, (for of ourselves we know not what we should believe) but we must needs hear God’s word taught us by other.

Again, the Teachers, except they be called and Sent, cannot fruitfully teach. For the seed of God’s word doth never bring forth fruit, unless the Lord of the harvest do give increase, and by His Holy Spirit do work with the sower. But God doth not work with the preacher whom He hath not sent, as St. Paul saith . . . Wherefore, good children, to the intent you may steadfastly believe all things which God by His ministers doth teach and promise unto you, and so be saved by your faith, learn diligently I pray you, by what words our Lord Jesus Christ gave this commission and commandment to His ministers, and rehearse them here, word for word, that so you may print them in your memories, and recite them the better when you come home. The words of Christ be these:

“Our Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, Receive the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; and whose sins you reserve, they are reserved.”

. . . Now, good children, that you may the better understand these words of our Saviour Christ, you shall know that our Lord Jesus Christ, when He began to preach, He did call and choose His twelve Apostles; and afterward, besides those twelve, He sent forth threescore and ten disciples, and gave them authority to preach the Gospel. And after Christ’s ascension, the Apostles gave authority to other godly and holy men to minister God’s word, and chiefly in those places where there were Christian men already, which lacked preachers, and the Apostles themselves could no longer abide with them: for the Apostles did walk abroad into divers parts of the world, and did study to plant the Gospel in many places. Wherefore where they found godly men, and meet to preach God’s word, they laid they hands upon them, and gave them the Holy Ghost, as they themselves received of Christ the same Holy Ghost to execute this office.

And they that were so ordained, were indeed, and also were called the ministers of God as the Apostles themselves were, as Paul saith unto Timothy. And so the ministration of God’s word (which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself did first institute) was derived from the Apostles, unto other after them, by imposition of hands and giving the Holy Ghost, from the Apostles’ time to our days. And this was the consecration, orders, and unction of the Apostles, whereby they, at the beginning, made Bishops and Priests; and this shall continue in the Church, even to the world’s end.