Here are a few more quotes from Manetsch’s book Calvin and His Company of Pastors
Regarding Spiritual Counsel and Consolation
“Words fail to explain how necessary prayer is. . . . Surely with good reason the Heavenly Father affirms that the only stronghold of safety is in calling upon his name.” Through prayer, Christians are reminded of God’s providential care for them, experience God’s power to heal and help them, and receive assurance of God’s grace to forgive their sins and bring them into eternal life. In sum, Calvin believed, “it is by prayer that we call [God] to reveal himself as wholly present to us.” 290.
Goulart’s ten principles to be followed by Christian pastors, or “consolers,” as they apply the medicine of Scripture to the needs of suffering men and women:
- The pastor should know and have true compassion for the person suffering.
- The pastor should encourage the ailing Christian to adore the judgment of God and be mindful of his mercy.
- The pastor should conduct a careful examination of the conscience of the suffering person, probing its condition, deportments, and passions, so as to apply the proper kind of spiritual consolation.
- The pastor should have at hand a variety of examples of faithful Christians who faced similar afflictions and yet trusted in the grace of God.
- The pastor should remind the afflicted Christian that other believers have remained faithful as they faced similar, or even worse, trials.
- The pastor should listen to and affirm what the suffering person says, while gently expanding upon or correcting opinions that are confused or inaccurate.
- The pastor should encourage the ailing person to draw God’s light from the darkness of his suffering. For example, if the patient complains of weak faith, the pastor should point out that even this desire for more faith provides assurance that God will fortify and increase it.
- The pastor who instructs the suffering believer should employ sharp warnings, combined with consolation and words of praise – yet avoid all flattery and dissimulation.
- The pastor who consoles suffering people should know Scripture well and be skilled in fervent prayer. Pastoral counsel should return regularly to these central truths: suffering is part of the human condition; God is faithful to his children; God promises to help believers endure temptation.
- The pastor must employ the words of Scripture judiciously so that the afflicted person can feed on them and be strengthened by them. 295
Goulart believed that God’s Word was to serve as the pastor’s most important resource in caring for Christians on their deathbeds. Scripture is like a “pharmacy” for wounded souls, he asserted. It offered a “secure harbor for agitated consciences.” 297
Summary Thoughts on Calvin and His Company of Pastors
- This study of the Company of Pastors has shown that the vocation of Christian ministry is a difficult one.
- This study highlights the importance of accountability and collegiality in pastoral work.
- This study has shown the leading role that the Scriptures played in Calvin’s Reformation, suggesting the central importance of God’s Word for Christian renewal in our own day.
- This book has demonstrated the high priority that Calvin, Beza, Goulart, and their colleagues placed on the ministry of pastoral care. 304-306.
Christian ministry needed to be Word-centered and people-centered 306.
