Pastors are to teach God's Word with clarity, not in vagueness and ambiguity, and it is loving by the minister to reprove sins specifically, for ministers are the surgeons of men's souls. Ministers must hold uncompromisingly to the confession of God's sound Word (2 Timothy 1:13). In holding fast to the faithful Word, ministers must apply God's Word specifically to each person, to the unconverted calling them to repent (Acts 2:38-39), to the back slider calling him back to faithful obedience (Jude 1:23), to those who are fearful calling them to stand firm and strong in the Lord (Hebrews 10:22-39), and the list could go on at great length.
However, it is a great sin of pastors to speak vaguely, to speak in uncertainty, and to remain silent about and support those who corrupt God's Word and church with their heretical and false teachings (Jeremiah 23). Ministers who do not rebuke the sins of their congregations, national sins, and false teachers are murderers of those souls, the church, and the nation because they sweet talked and tickled the ears of them into greater wickedness and damnation in hell (2 Timothy 3:1-9). These ministers should be censured from the ministry by those church sessions, presbyteries, and synods/General Assemblies that hold to God's pure Word and sound doctrine (Titus 1:9-13). Below is an act by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1648 dealing with those ministers who remained silent or supported the sinful corruptors in that time.
Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland: Sess. 26, August 3, 1648, Antemerdiem.—Act for Censuring Ministers for their Silence, and not Speaking to the Corruptions of the Time.
The General Assembly, taking to their serious consideration the great scandals which have lately increased, partly through some ministers, their reserving and not declaring of themselves against the prevalent sins of the times, partly through the spite, malignity, and insolency of others, against such ministers as have faithfully and freely reproved the sins of the times without respect of persons; do, therefore, for preventing and removing such scandals hereafter, appoint and ordain, that every minister do, by the word of wisdom, apply his doctrine faithfully against the public sins and corruptions of these times, and particularly against the sins and scandals in that congregation wherein he lives, according to the act of the General Assembly, 1596, revived by the Assembly at Glasgow, 1638; appointing that such as shall be found not applying their doctrine to corruptions, which is the pastoral gift—cold, and wanting (lacking) of spiritual zeal—flatterers, and dissembling of public sins, and especially of great personages in their congregations—that all such persons be censured according to the degree of their faults, and continuing therein be deprived; and, according to the Act of the General Assembly, 1646, Sess. 10, that, beside all other scandals, silence, or ambiguous speaking in the public cause, much more detracting and disaffected speeches, be seasonably censured. As, therefore, the errors and exorbitancies of sectaries in England are not to be passed in silence, but plain warning to be given of the danger of so near a contagion, that people may beware of it, and such as neglect this duty to be censured by their Presbyteries; so it is thought fit and appointed by the Assembly, conform to the foresaid acts, that the main current of applications in sermons may run along against the evils that prevail at home, and namely, against the contempt of the Word—against all profanes—against the present defection from the League and Covenant—against the unlawful Engagement in war—against the unlawful Band and Declaration of the date of the 10th of June, ordained to be subscribed by all the subjects, and other unjust decrees established by law—against the plots and practises of Malignants—and against the principles and tenets of Erastianism, which spread among divers in this kingdom: for the better confutation whereof, it is hereby recommended to the ministry to study that point of controversy well, that they may be the more able to stop the mouths of gainsayers. 'Tis also hereby recommended to the several Presbyteries and Provincial Synods, that they make special enquiry and trial concerning all the ministry in their bounds; and if any be found too sparing, general, or ambiguous, in the foresaid applications and reproofs, that they be sharply rebuked, dealt with, and warned to amend, under the pain of suspension from their ministry; and if, after such warning given, they amend not, that such be suspended by Presbyteries, and in case of their negligence, by the Synods, till the next General Assembly; but if there be any who do neglect and omit such applications and reproofs, and continue in such negligence after admonition and dealing with them, they are to be cited, and, after due trial of the offence, to be deposed—for be ing pleasers of men rather then servants of Christ—for giving themselves to a detestable indifferency or neutrality in the cause of God, and for defrauding the souls of people; yea, for being highly guilty of the blood of souls, in not giving them warning. Much more are such ministers to be censured with deposition from their ministry, who preach for the lawfulness, or pray for the success of the present unlawful Engagement—or that go along with the army themselves—or who subscribe any bands, or take any oaths not approved by the Generally Assembly or their Commissioners—or by their counsel, countenance, or approbation, make themselves accessory to the taking of such bands and oaths by others. It is to be understood, that if any minister preach in defence of, or pray for success to the sectaries in England, he is likewise to be censured by deposition; and this we add, as a general rule to be observed on both hands, but not as if we had found any of the ministry of this kingdom to be favorers of the sectaries in England.
And in case any minister, for his freedom in preaching, and faithful discharge of his conscience, shall be, in the face of the congregation or elsewhere, upbraided, railed at, mocked, or threatened—or if any injury or violence be done to his person—or any stop and disturbance made to him in the exercise of his ministerial- calling, the Presbytery of the bounds shall forthwith enter in process with the offender, and whoever he be, charge him to satisfy the discipline of the Church by public repentance; which if any do not, or refuse to do, that then the Presbytery proceed to excommunication against him; in all which, Presbyteries and Synods are to give an account of their diligence, and the Assembly appoints this Act to be intimate in the several congregations of this Church.
Bibliography
"Acts: 1648," in Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1638-1842, ed. Church Law Society (Edinburgh: Edinburgh Printing & Publishing Co, 1843), 166-200. British History Online, accessed March 17, 2022, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/church-scotland-records/acts/1638-1842/pp166-200.
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