Before Homiletics, Part 2: William Perkins on the Calling of the Ministry

Apr 18

Apr 18 Before Homiletics, Part 2: William Perkins on the Calling of the Ministry

See first Part 1 of the Before Homiletics series.

Part 2: The Consolation

“Then flew one of the Seraphim,” etc. Five circumstances and the ground and matter of his consolation (forgiveness of his sins) are found in these two verses (vv. 6, 7).

Point 1: The Circumstances of His Consolation

Circumstance 1, the time, “then,” only after his fear and astonishment, illustrating God’s dealings with His saints. Humiliation is the preparative for grace.

Use 1. Esteem the afflictions God lays upon us in this world, rather than being impatient. God may be preparing you for a mighty work of His grace in you, or some great work of mercy you can do in the church. Therefore, hold your tongue (Psa 39.9).

Use 2. Are you distressed over your sins and God’s wrath? You are in the high way to grace and favor. God only justifies penitents, exalts the humbled, comforts the distressed, has mercy on those who feel they must have it and know it is His mercy they so desperately need. Ministers are to comfort distressed consciences, and to assure them that if they have Isaiah’s spirit of alarm, they are best prepared to receive the blessing of forgiveness, as he did.

Use 3. To obtain any excellent grace from God, let us labor to feel the lack of it in ourselves. God usually bestows no gifts on any but those who acknowledge to Him their want of them (Luke 1.53; Psa 107.9). If you are rich in your conceited estimation, God has nothing for you. But if you are consciously hungry, He is ready to fill you with good things.

Circumstance 2, the minister by whom it was done, “an angel.” First, there are several orders of angels, though Scripture tells us little of this. Second, holy angels are God’s glorious guard. Third, they are also the guards of God’s children (Psa 34; Heb 1). Fourth, angels are especially sent for the help of God’s ministers, as an angel helped Isaiah in this vision. Their assistance is no less present for godly ministers of the New Testament. 1) What comfort this affords to ministers! Their calling may have more crosses but it also has more comforts. They are disgraced by evil men but honored by angels. They are servants of all men but the angels serve them. 2) They are always present with us in holy and lawful actions, especially in the public service of God that we perform. They witness the pains and diligence and faithfulness of a good minister. These considerations strengthen our courage in danger. There are more with us than against us, as Elisha said. The stories are legion of ministers who escaped many dangers, even martyrdom, in going about their ministries.

Question 1. Why do angels serve good ministers more than other people? God mainly cares for ministers because their work is above all other callings, having to do with the good of people’s souls. Angels are most willing to serve ministers because they are fellow-laborers with them and angels rejoice at the conversion of sinners (Luke 15.10) which is the minister’s official aim.

Question 2. Should ministers therefore worship angels and keep holy days to them and pray to them as papists do and teach? No, for this would wrongly put God’s servants upon God’s throne. Rather, we must honor angels three ways: 1) by honoring other ministers, 2) by being good and faithful ministers, and 3) by adorning our calling with a holy life. Thus we fulfill our duty to honor angels. To make them rejoice, let us 4) seek to convert sinners rather than seeking anything from pride or greed.

Circumstance 3, the manner how he did it, speedily, “he flew.” This denotes not physical wings but the willingness of the angel to comfort the prophet and do God’s will. First, angels are excellent servants of God. Second, angels love God’s children, especially good ministers. This motivates ministers to be good ministers, to obey God promptly, and to serve God eagerly and cheerfully.

Circumstance 4, the instrument or outward sign of it, “a coal from the altar.” This is a wonder. First, God magnifies means, generally using them, and thus, we should make use of appointed means in our duties instead of expecting God to work without them. Second, God’s mighty power appears in the weakness of the means He uses, as a coal might have been expected to defile and burn his mouth. God uses the Word, water, bread and wine, to work great things in our souls, such that the gracious effects must be attributed to God and not the means He uses. Also, ministers need a fiery tongue full of power and force to beat down sin, bold to reprove sinners.

This coal was “taken from the altar,” kindled with the fire of God from heaven. So must the minister’s tongue be lighted by God with a godly and heavenly zeal. There is an evil fiery tongue set on fire by hell (Jas 3.6), this is an unholy zeal that God will not bless. A good minister must not have a spirit of discord, pride, contentions, or private quarrels, especially in the pulpit.

Circumstance 5, the outward action or application of it, “he touched his lips.” This suggests God’s ministers must apply their doctrine wisely to their particular audience and their needs. An ignorant and self-righteous people need to hear the law to bring them low before God. Others, sufficiently cast low, have more need to be raised up with the sweet comforts of the gospel. Do not rebuke absent magistrates, fail to catechize the common people in the congregation, or raise controversies fitter for seminary classrooms, for all these are missing the mark of proper application. Apply the fitting medicines of which the hearers have the most need.

Point 2: The Ground of His Consolation, “lo thine iniquity shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be purged,” i.e., the forgiveness of his sins.

Observation 1. God magnifies the means by using them to such a great end, sanctifying people through baptism and feeding their souls through bread and wine. Yet forgiveness is not absolutely tied to these means. But the main point is to comfort the prophet by the announcement of forgiveness of the sins which were the cause of his fear. As fear comes by sin, so comfort comes from forgiveness. Faithful ministers must learn this true way of comforting troubled consciences, to tell them that God forgives penitent sinners through Christ Jesus. They err who think all melancholy stems from a lack of medicine and outward comforts. Above all other helps, forgiven people need to know that their sins really are forgiven, and this will comfort them.

Observation 2. Repentance from sin is necessary to be well qualified for the ministry. How can an unforgiven minister dutifully and powerfully pronounce the pardon of others’ sins?

Observation 3. The Lord sends comforted ministers to our work and we do it with this comfort.

Pare 3: The Commission

Point 1: The Question, “whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” He said this for our benefit.

Doctrine 1. First, it is a hard thing to find an able and godly minister. There may be many desiring or occupying the office, but there are relatively few who well understand their calling and truly and faithfully endeavor to fulfill it by preaching God’s Word with all boldness and diligence, and shining in good works before their people. Such men are “one of a thousand” (Job 33.23).

The Use. Does not our church suffer this lack of good ministers? First, trainers of men for ministry must look to be good examples ourselves and increase the number of godly ministers. Second, all ministers must learn that unfaithful ones are a common blight on the church and that the church will always be in need of faithful ministers. The Roman Catholic Church has myriad clerics of various kinds and most are grossly ignorant and manifestly ungodly. Jesuits are scholars but they are fitter to be plotters and meddlers in state matters than ministers of God’s Word.

Doctrine 2. No man is to undertake the function of a minister unless God calls and sends him. Anabaptists think a private ambition, supposedly from the Holy Spirit, amounts to a call, but they cannot prove that their call is not from the devil or at least from their own vanity and pride. God calls ordinarily by His church. Her voice is His voice. When the church says to you, “You shall be sent,” even then does the Lord call you to this holy function.

Doctrine 3. “Who shall go for us?” is not a sufficiently clear proof of the three Persons of the Trinity, which is demonstrable from other biblical passages. Nor is “holy, holy, holy” adequate. But “us” does intimate there is a certain plurality of Persons in that deity (cf. Gen 1.26).

Doctrine 4. God sends a minister to preach, and he goes for God. A minister is the servant of God. Even the devil admits this in Acts 16.16, 17. Specifically, they are His messengers or ambassadors.

The Use. First, ministers are not their own masters, to please themselves. Second, let them serve God and expect their reward from God. Let them be content to keep serving without reward on earth if need be. Ambassadors might receive gifts from their hearers but their pay only from the kings they represent. The minister’s King is God. Third, God is powerful to punish anyone who dares to condemn or injure in any way His ambassadors. Countless examples from Scripture and church history might be given. Remember Ahab, Jezebel, and Julian (Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate [331-363 AD] opposed Christianity, was slain in battle, and proved to be of little consequence after he died.). Fourth, ministers must not be men-pleasers. They must regard their Master’s glory supremely and be ashamed to do anything to dishonor Him. Fifth, ministers must not preach their own ideas but the message they received from God. If they do their duties faithfully, this doctrine is comfortable to them. They would not have it any other way.

Point 2: The Answer, “here am I, send me”

Doctrine 1. First, note the sudden great change in the prophet, from great fear to great boldness. We learn that forgiveness is necessary to a quiet mind and peaceful conscience, and that the cure for a fear and shrinking of God-called men preparing for the ministry can be addressed by earnest dealings with God in private, seeking Him and confessing their sins, and then hearing God say, “Thy sins are forgiven thee.” This also steels us against the reproach and dangers we are likely to face in the ministry. We are emboldened knowing that God sends us.

Doctrine 2. Observe how Isaiah volunteers himself to God. Some who make a career of the university (seminary) think others should go but excuse themselves. When God and His church give them a call, they ought to go themselves. Likewise let students note that Isaiah did not say “Wait, Lord, until I am ready,” but, “Here I am.” Be careful not to linger too long in the preparation when you really are qualified to go and serve as a minister, yielding your service to the church. An apple may be left on the tree too long or pulled too soon, and so may students of divinity. Both ways are unprofitable.

Doctrine 3. Isaiah did not say, “Here I am, I will go on my own,” but, “send me.” Beware of running without being sent. “Feeling a motion of the Spirit to go and preach” is not enough. Be content to wait patiently, doing what good you can, until God sends you.

Point 3: The Commission, “The Lord said, Go and speak to this people”

The Doctrine. “Go and speak.” This said, Isaiah went. So did the apostles (Matt 28.19) and Paul (Acts 9.6). The pride and presumption of those who speak without being sent is outrageous. They are bolder than the extraordinary prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament. Why is this so important? First, all prophets and ministers are God’s deputies so they have their authority from Him. Second, their words and deeds have no value without a commission, no blessing except from the Lord. Third, they have no safety unless they are God’s ambassadors, sent by Him. You ask, “How can I know if He is sending me?” Not by a voice from heaven, nor by visions, but ordinarily by the Scriptures, by a man’s own conscience, and by the voice of His church, all combined. God shows you out of His Word the dignity and necessity of this calling. You must not offer yourself to it without a good conscience of your willingness for the right reasons. The church can judge your worthiness and ability. If all these agree, you can go confidently as sent by God. It is as sure as if He did speak from heaven to you. This Scripture-conscience-church approach is the calling we are to look for nowadays.

The Use. Those who go into the ministry without a divine call are presumptuous and will be without God’s blessing and protection. Likewise it is wrong to dismiss the church’s careful assessment either way. In closing, note well that a true minister of God possesses divine authority to fulfill his official calling. So let the world fear to do any wrong to that calling or the men with it. At least let this be a comfort and encouragement to all true ministers. If God bids you go, He will go with you. If He sends you, He will not forsake You. He will assist you, bless you, open your mouth, enlarge your heart, harden your forehead, and give power to your words to convert His children and to confound His enemies. He will defend and protect you, so that one hair of your head shall not fall to the ground without His providence. He will provide for you, sufficiently reward you, honor you in the hearts of His people, and magnify you before His enemies. He will pay you your wage, even the eternal weight of comfort here and glory in heaven. Here He bade you, “Go;” there He will bid you, “Come,” not only with that general call of all God’s elect (Matt 25.34), but with a particular call to those who are faithful in this service, “Come thou good and faithful servant, enter into thy master’s joy” (Matt 25.21). “They that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars forever and ever” (Dan 12.3).

Afterthoughts

As an ordained minister of the Word myself since 1989, I have found Perkins’ treatises deeply convicting and immensely encouraging. I can honestly testify of the elements of a pastoral call as Perkins describes them in my personal experience. A strong assurance of this divine call has buoyed me through some turbulent times of ministerial service in His church.

I have known God’s supporting grace to continue despite harsh criticism from a few. I think to myself, “But the Lord saved me and gave me this unquenchable desire to do the work of the ministry. He prepared me for it and called me by the unanimous consent of His people deciding the matter long ago. The hands of the eldership were laid upon me in reverent prayer, and thus I was consecrated to this office by the Head of the church, even by our Lord Jesus Christ. I have not disgraced that calling nor has Christ’s church rescinded the call. I continue to serve Him with the same faith and zeal as ever in a particular, ordered, baptized congregation of saints. Who, then, are you, who presumes to be wiser than God and His people? Do you not realize that God has effectively said to me, ‘Go, and speak to this people’? I cannot go back now.”

With this deep conviction I have enjoyed from the Lord for decades, I continue to preach and pastor with a sense of divine authority, support, and approval, by His grace alone, to His glory alone.

Yet who can read Perkins’ incisive characterization of the office and functions of a Christian minister and not say with Paul, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor 2.16). What minister can say, “I am altogether faithful, always doing what I ought and never doing what I ought not”? None of us are sufficient in ourselves; none of us are completely innocent.

The great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Himself, is the exalted standard for us. How far short of His glory we all fall! The reality of our persistent sins and shortcomings in the ministry ought to humble us deeply and keep us ever in prayer for God’s forgiveness and indispensable help in His service.

William Perkins doubtless felt the same way. Though he was evidently not only a godly minister but an exceptionally good and gifted one, his writings exude an admirable sense of unworthiness in himself and dependence upon the Lord. Let us strive for perfection without succumbing to despair. The Lord’s grace is sufficient for good ministers serving earnestly, warts and all.

I would freely acknowledge the poverty of my attempts to abridge and paraphrase Perkins’ great work. I plead with my reader, if you are unimpressed, to withhold judgment of Perkins until you read his entire original text of these two treatises for yourself.

I have been like a grade school student trying to reproduce a Rembrandt on the easel in front of the class. The original is incomparably better. I noticed that even Sinclair Ferguson’s worthy attempt does not excuse reading Perkins himself.

If my efforts publicize and popularize the writings of the “father of the Puritans,” as he has been called, I will be gratified, and Christ’s church will have a great benefit. Soli Deo gloria. Ω