A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the…A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the…

There are sundry duties belonging to ministers, which notwithstanding ⟨p. 64⟩¹for the most part, may be restrained to two, wherein all other duties are comprehended. The one is preaching of Christ his Gospel: the other is ministering the Sacraments. For it is the ministers duty, to assemble the holy congregation, & in it to expound the word of God, and to apply all his doctrine, to the commodity of his church, that those things, which are taught, may profit the hearers, and edify the faithful. It belongeth to ministers, to teach the unlearned, to exhort them, and to prick forward those that give over, or walk slowly in the way of the Lord. It is also their parts, to comfort and confirm those, that are weak hearted, to arm them against the sundry temptations of Satan, to rebuke sinners, to call into the right way those, that go a stray, to lift up those that fall, to convince gainsayers, to drive Wolfs from the lords sheepfold, to reprove sin and sinners, with wisdom and gravity, not to wink at, or to conceal wickedness, to minister the Sacraments, to commend ⟨image 110⟩the right use of them, and to prepare all men with wholesome doctrine, to the worthy receiving thereof, to keep the faithful in holy unity, to forbid Schisms and Heresies, to instruct the rude, to declare to the congregation the necessity of the poor, to visit the sick, and those that be troubled with sundry temptations, to inform and keep them in the way of life: Furthermore, to provide for public prayer, in the time of necessity, and for fasting, that is to say, holy abstinence: and with all diligence to look to all things, that belongeth to the tranquility, peace, and safeguard of the Church. That the minister may accomplish, all those things the better and with more ease, it is required chiefly that be fear God, pray earnestly, give his mind to the reading of the scripture: In all things be always watchful, & show a good example, to all other of pureness of life. And seeing that there ought to be discipline in the ²Church, and our ancestors used excommunication, and the people of God ⟨p. 65⟩³