It is the privilege of the new Jerusalem which is above, that there is no temple therein, Rev.

21.22, no ministry, no preaching, no sacraments in heaven, but God shall be all in all. An
immediate enjoyment of God in this world without ordinances is but a delusion. In the
church triumphant prophecies shall fail, 1 Cor. 13.8; but in the church militant, despise not
prophesyings, 1 Thess. 5.20.

Who May Administer Sacraments?

With so many so-called self-appointed pastors out there Gillespie talks about the ones
who may actually administer the sacraments.

Scottish Commissioner To the Assembly of Divines At Westminster.

The Socinians, and the Erastian crutch- \ maker before-mentioned, so plead against I the
necessity of ordination, that they hold it lawful and free to gifted persons not ordained, not
only to preach, but to administer the sacraments. Whether they extend this to women as
well as men, I know not. Peradventure they will borrow from the pagans, those she-priests
whom Gellius, out of Cicero, calls Antistitas, not Antistites; or happily they hold with the old
Pepuzians, that women may both preach and administer the sacraments, at least, if they
may not speak in the church (because that is forbidden, 1 Cor. xiv. 32, although some are so
bold as to restrict that prohibition to married women, whereof they think they have some
colour from the context), that yet they may both preach and administer the sacraments in
private places. And if there be no more necessary to one that preacheth or ministereth the
sacraments but only gifts and abilities, how can they avoid to allow gifted women, as well
as gifted men, to perform these holy things? But it is justly held by the reformed churches,
and ordered in the Directory of Worship agreed upon by both kingdoms, and mentioned
also in the late Confession of Faith, chap. 27, that neither baptism nor the Lords supper
may be dispensed by any but by a minister of the word, lawfully ordained. Nay (say the
soundest protestant writers), not upon pretence of whatsoever necessity, be it among
Jews, Turks, pagans, or to children dying, or the like.

The arguments I lean to are these :

1. God hath appointed the ministers of the word, lawfully called and ordained, and no
other, to be the stewards and dispensers of the mysteries of Christ: 1 Cor. iv. 1, Let a man
so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required of stewards that a man be found faithful; which the Apostle doth
not only apply to himself and Apollos, ver. 6, (where, by the way, it may be remembered
that Apollos was neither an apostle, nor evangelist, but a powerful minister of the gospel,)
and to Sosthenes (as appeareth by comparing the text now cited with 1 Cor. i. 1), but he
also applieth the same to every lawful bishop, or ordinary minister, Tit. i. 7, for a bishop
must be blameless as the steward of God, and this steward is ordained, ver. 5. So Luke xii.
42, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his
household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? It is not Christs will that any
one of the household who is faithful, wise, and discreet, may take upon him the stewards
office, to dispense meat to the rest; but there is a steward constituted and appointed for
that purpose; there are stewards appointed in the church, which is the house of the living
God, and those to continue till the coming of Christ, ibid. ver. 43, 46, and there is nothing
which more properly belongeth to the ecclesiastical stewards than the dispensation of the
sacraments.

2. Ministers lawfully called and ordained, and none other, hath Christ appointed to be
pastors or shepherds, to feed the flock of God, Jer. iii. 15; Eph. iv. 11; Acts xx. 28; 1 Pet. v. 2.
Much of this feeding consisteth in the dispensation of the sacraments; and He who hath
appointed this food to be received by some, hath also appointed it to be given and
administered by others. Surely He who is so much displeased with pastors who feed
themselves and not the flock, will not be well pleased with the flock which will be their own
feeders only,

and will not be fed by the pastor. Grotius had an extravagant notion of communicating
where there are no sacramental elements, or where there are no pastors to administer; yet
although he went too far, those against whom I now argue do far outreach him ; for where
there are both elements, and pastors to administer, they hold there may be a sacrament
without any pastor; yea, this Socinian and anabaptistical way takes away the very
distinction of pastor and flock in the church, as if any of the sheep were to feed the
shepherd as well as he them.

3. Ezekiels vision concerning the new temple is generally acknowledged to be an

evangelical prophecy, which I have also elsewhere demonstrated by infallible reasons ; but I
conceive the sectaries of this time who cry down the ministry and ordination, do not nor
will not deny it. Sure I am such a material temple as is described in that vision never yet
was. Now, among other things, it is there prophesied concerning the ministers of the
gospel, Ezek. xliv. 16, They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near unto
my table to minister unto me; and they shall keep my charge ; whereof we can make no
gospel sense, except it belong to the charge of ministers, lawfully called and entered into
that work, to administer the sacraments, and namely, that of the Lords supper at his table.
These ministers are also in that chapter plainly distinguished from the people, or children of
Israel, ver. 15, 19, 22, 23, 28.

4. The sacraments are seals of the righteousness of faith, or covenant of grace, as divines
commonly speak, borrowing the phrase from Rom. iv. 11. This truly hath been justly
accounted so necessary, that both the Houses of Parliament, after consultation had with
the Assembly of Divines, did, by the ordinance dated Oct. 20, 1645, appoint that whoever
doth not know that the sacraments are seals of the covenant of grace, shall not be
admitted to the Lords supper, but shall be suspended from it as an ignorant person. Now, if
it were an intolerable usurpation among men, if a private person should take the broad seal
of the kingdom, and append it to such signatures as he thinks good, yea (put the case) to
these signatures only whereunto it is to be, and ought to be put by those who are entrusted
with the keeping of it; how much more were it a provoking sin and usurpation against Jesus
Christ (who is jealous of his glory, and tender of his ordinances), to make hold with his
seals, without being called and appointed thereunto.

5. Christ gives a commission to the apostles to teach, and baptise, and extends the same
commission to all teaching ministers to the end of the world, Matt, xviii. 19, 20; from which
place it is plain, 1. That Jesus Christ would have the distinction of teachers and taught,
baptisers and baptised, to have place in the church alway, even unto the end. 2. That the
commission to teach and baptise was not given to all who believe in Jesus Christ, but to
some only. 3. That these some who received this commission are not only the apostles but
ordinary ministers, as is manifested by the explaining of the commission, and promise to
the end of the world.

6. Christ hath distinguished between magistracy and ministry, between civil and sacred
vocations, Matt. xxii. 21 ; xvi. 19, &c.; xviii. 18, &c.; xxviii. 19 ; John xx. 23 ; Rom. xiii. 1, 7 ; 1
Tim. ii. 2 ; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14, compared with Rom. xii. 68; 1 Cor. xii. 28; Eph. iv. 11 ; 1 Thess.
v. 12 ; Heb. xiii. 7, 17- So that, as ministers may not assume civil dignities and
administrations, nor exercise secular power, Luke xii. 14, &c.; xxii. 25, 26 ; John xviii. 36 ; 2
Cor. x. 4 ; 2 Tim. ii. 4, it is no less contrary to the ordinance of Christ that magistrates (or any
other civil persons) stretch themselves beyond their line, and get, with Pompey, into the
holy of holies, or, with Uzziah, to the burning of incense ; in both which examples such
intrusion was exemplarily punished. As it may be said to a secularised minister, Who made
thee a judge, or a civil magistrate? so it may be said to a ministerialised civil person, Who
made thee a dispenser of the word and sacraments?

7. We have clear and convincing examples in the New Testament, that the sacraments were
administered by public ministers, called and appointed thereunto, as baptism by John (John
i. 33, He hath sent me to baptise), and frequently by the apostles, in the story of the Acts.
The Lords supper, administered by Christ himself (whose example in things imitable we are
bidden follow, who also himself then commanded TOVTO irotelre, this do); and by the
Apostle Paul, Acts xx. 7, 11. So the breaking of bread is joined with the apostles
doctrine and fellowship, Acts ii. 42; ministers being also called the stewards and
dispensers of the mysteries of God, whereof before. So that a lawful minister may in faith
administer, and the receivers receive from him in faith, the sacraments, having Scripture
warrants for so doing; but there is neither any commission from Christ to such as are no
church officers to administer the sacraments, nor can there any clear example be found in
the New Testament, of administering either the one sacrament or the other by any person
who can be proved not to have been a minister lawfully called and ordained. Therefore
such persons cannot in faith administer, nor others in faith receive from them, either
baptism or the Lords supper.

8. That one text, Eph. iv. 1113, is enough to put to silence these gainsayers, And he gave
some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying the body of
Christ, till we all come, &c. Is not the administration of the sacraments a perfecting of the
saints, of the work of the ministry, of the edifying of the body of Christ? Are we not told
that this shall continue till the whole number of the elect be fulfilled? And whom hath
Christ given here to his church for this work? Hath he given any other but pastors and
teachers (setting aside the extraordinary officers), and who are the pastors and teachers
appointed hereunto? All, or whosoever will? Nay, not all, but some, saith the text.

http://www.confessionalcollective.com/confessions/westminster-confession-of-
faith/hodge/a-a-hodge-westminster-confession-chapter-27/