The French Reformed Churches on rules for preaching the word of God

[Reformed Covenanter]

The charge and duty of Ministers is chiefly to preach the Gospel, and to announce and teach the Word of God to their people. They are therefore to be exhorted to forbear, and abstain from all manner of teaching that is either strange, or unfit, and not convenient or meet for edification, and to apply and conform themselves to the simplicity and ordinary stile of the Spirit of God, being most careful to bring and insert nothing into their preachings or Sermons that may cause the least prejudice to the honour & authority of the holy Scripture; never preaching without taking for the Subject of their whole discourse a Text out of the holy Scripture, which they are to follow usually and punctually, exposing thereof as much as they shall be able, abstaining from all unnecessary amplifications, from all long, extravagant and not occasioned digressions, from a heap and number of common places and passages of the Scripture that are not needful, and from a vain recital or narration of divers, several fruit less expositions: not often, but very temperately and advisedly alleging the writings of the ancient Doctors; and less yet of prophane Authors and Histories: not handling their doctrine in a Scholastical manner, nor with mingling and mincing in of languages: In a word, they are to shun all that may serve for, or give the least suspicion or shew of ostentation. All which things that they may the better be observed, all Consistories, Colloquies, or Assemblies, and Synods, are to be very careful.

For the reference, see:

The French Reformed Churches on rules for preaching the word of God

The charge and duty of Ministers is chiefly to preach the Gospel, and to announce and teach the Word of God to their people. They are therefore to be exhorted to forbear, and abstain from all manne…

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