Personal Succession

A great building, house, or castle can be considered first with regard to it as a whole, and second with respect to its different parts. So too the whole church of Christ can rightly be considered: first, as a whole or in general, taking in all the congregations in the whole world that hold in common the most holy faith, and the practice which, according to God's holy Word, must follow from it; second, in any particular part of it, that is, this or that church which agrees with it, as for example the church at Amsterdam, Harlem, Dort, and so on.

In the same way there is also (or certainly can be) a twofold personal succession: (1) a general one, (2) a particular one. By the general is meant that succession which has existed, in general, throughout the whole world, through a succession of true teachers, whether few or many, according to the opportunity of the times, who have rightly taught the truth and spread it according to their ability. Concerning this (with respect to their doctrine, especially in regard to holy baptism, and so on) we have shown which the true succession is, which, together with the observance of all the other commandments of Jesus Christ, is recognized by us, according to the promise the Lord gave to the true teachers, Matthew 28, verse 20.

By the particular succession is meant the succession of teachers from person to person, in a particular church, at a separate place, and sitting on a throne prepared for this purpose, as for example at Constantinople, of which the Greeks boast, but chiefly at Rome, about which the Latins, that is, the papists, make a great fuss. But concerning this there is no promise, law, or commandment to be found in the whole Gospel, and we therefore pass on.*