Roman Catholics understood it—the declaration that it was not in this way that the Author of Christianity designed to continue the line of office-bearers in his church—the doctrine that the apostles, or their immediate followers, had not the power to impart the gifts or the authority which they had received—the doctrine, in short, that miracles had ceased—these, together with the doctrine we have just mentioned, that the whole believing community was to be regarded as the successors of the apostles—these positions left not to the Reformers a single peg whereon to hang a valid or intelligible distinction between church and state. The consequence was that these two instantly coalesced into one. From being a duality upon the Roman principle of a limited succession to the apostleship, they became a unit upon the Protestant principle of a universal succession to the apostleship. The Protestants gave a wide universality to this succession, a universality co-extensive with the population of the Christian world. And in doing so they broke down all and every distinction between church and state: they also put an end to all distinction between civil and spiritual jurisdiction, as appertaining to distinct orders of the community. That followed of course. If we are all equally successors of the apostles, and if we are all equally citizens of the state, how can any one class be set aside as having an especial ecclesiastical status, a peculiar title to legislate on sacred affairs, and another class be set aside as having an especial civil status, a peculiar title to legislate on profane affairs? These “invidious distinctions” Protestantism has thoroughly and for ever abolished.
But the office-bearers of religion? These men have no ecclesiastical standing in the Protestant constitution different from that of other citizens. They hold a human appointment, which other men do not hold. But that is inevitable. All men cannot be ministers any more than all men can be soldiers or advocates. To suppose that the affairs which these men are appointed to administer can give them any exclusive, or indeed any superior title to set themselves up as church-legislators—to suppose this is either to suppose that the duties they have to discharge can react constitutionally upon their position—a fallacy we have already pointed out ; or it is to suppose that they have received a peculiar ordination from God, and not merely a peculiar one from man—and that this gives them a paramount title to spiritual jurisdiction.
