Chrysostom. Six Books on the Priesthood. Popular Patristics Series, no. 1.
Hilary, De Trinit., bk. 8: Summa omnium virtutum episcopalium est scientia et doctrina.
Furthermore when members of the clergy themselves capitulate and no longer do what can be called public preaching, teaching, or absolving but rather just make a public display of private emotions and experiences or invest most of their effort in private counseling, what does one need ordained clergy for? What matters is not the public exercise of the office but what “personal skills” or what kind of a (private) person the leader is (Gerhard O. Forde. “The Ordained Ministry” in Todd Nichol & Marc Kolden (ed.) Called and Ordained: Lutheran Perspectives on the Office of the Ministry. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990, p.126).
Aegidius Hunnius, Sermon 1588 (Table of Duties, first sermon: The Holy Preaching Office): Therefore, they are simply to be taken for hirelings, those who, when the wolf enters and does harm with false and im- pure doctrine, neither resist him nor drive him out, but instead wish to be seen as peace-loving men. They are to be considered hirelings when, in the face of error, they knowingly keep quiet on account of men and thus allow the error to enter in spades, through which irreparable harm is done to the congregation of God. With their unseasonable, imaginary, feigned love for peace, they demonstrate that they have no concern for God’s Word or for the truth thereof, or for the eternal salvation of their flock, since they know that heresies and sects are counted in Galatians 5 among the damning sins, and nevertheless they knowingly put up with them in order to retain the favor of men. They are dumb dogs that cannot bark and are worthless for keeping watch. The wolf does whatever he pleases in the sheep pen of Christ. There— fore, if you wish to be a teacher of Christ Jesus or to become one in the future, then do not neglect this part of your office, namely, that you must rebuke and admonish.
Gerhard, 1610 Loci Theologici, locus 2, ch.1, § 4: “Etenim non tantum verbi sui depositum sanctissimum Deus nobis concredidit, sed etiam ministerium ecclesiasticum inter nos instituit, cuius officium est praecipuum scripturas interpretari: Istud est ministerium Spiritus 2 Cor. III. 8. per quod in omnem veritatem nos ducere cupit, Joh. XVI 13. Spiritum ergo non debemus extinguere, 1 Thess. V. 19.” For indeed God has not entrusted to us only the holy deposit of His Word, but also instituted the ecclesiastical ministry among us, whose chief duty is to interpret the scriptures. This is the “ministry of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:8) through which “he desires to lead us into all truth” (John 16:13). Therefore we should not “snuff out the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19).
*Should anyone request my counsel in this way, then I would give this advice: … that you should celebrate one or two Masses in the two parish churches on Sundays or holy days, depending on whether there are few or many communicants. Should it be regarded as needful or good, you might do the same in the hospital too. …you might celebrate Mass during the week on whichever days it would be needful, that is, if any communicants would be present and would ask for and request the Sacrament. This way we should compel no one to receive the Sacrament, and yet everyone would be adequately served in an orderly manner. If the Ministers of the Church would fall to griping at this point, maintaining that they were being placed under duress or complaining that they are unfitted to face such demands, then I would demonstrate to them that no merely human compulsion is at work here, but on the contrary they are being compelled by God Himself through His Call. For because they have the Office, they are already, in virtue of their Call and Office, obliged and compelled to administer the Sacrament whenever people request it of them, so that their excuses amount to nothing; just as they are under obligation to preach, comfort, absolve, help the poor, and visit the sick as often as people need or ask for these services. *[Source:Weimar Ausgabe, Briefwechsel, 4:533-34; quoted in John Raymond Stephenson, “The Holy Eucharist: At the Center or Periphery of the Church’s Life in Luther’s Thinking?", A Lively Legacy: Essays in Honor of Robert Preus, edited by Kurt E. Marquart, Stephenson, and Bjarne W. Teigen (Fort Wayne, Ind.: Concordia Theological Seminary, 1985), pp. 161-62.]
Luther on Titus 1.9 (AE 29.30-31): He must hold firm. This is the most important of all. The virtues are beautiful. A bishop is appointed in the midst of the nation (cf. Phil. 2:15), but especially in the midst of heretics. If someone becomes a pastor, especially in a prominent place, and presents the Word, he will have them. Therefore he admonishes that a bishop be ready for both, that he have a trowel in one hand [and a weapon in the other], as in Nehemiah (Neh. 4:17). There are not many such; many teach, but few fight. A certain tenacity is signified here, that is, that he not put the Bible aside, but that he give attention to reading, as the Epistle to Timothy says, adding: “Practice these duties” (1 Tim. 4:13, 15). The reason he ought to be provided for by the church is that he ought to tend to reading and stay with it not only for others, but that he ought to meditate constantly for himself, that is, ought to immerse himself completely in Scripture. Such study will enable him to fight back. It is impossible for someone who reads Scripture studiously to meddle in worldly matters, but he should have the strength to be the kind of man Paul has described here. If he does not diligently study Holy Scripture, which he knows, the result will be a kind of rust, and a neglect of and contempt for the Word will arise. Even though you know Holy Scripture, nevertheless it must be read over and over again, because this Word has the power to stimulate you at all times.
Luther on Eccl. 9:11 (AE 15:151): If you are a preacher or minister of the Word of God, stay with the reading of Scripture and the office of preaching; do not get caught up into something else until the Lord Himself catches you up. For whatever the Lord has not said or commanded will be worthless.
Luther on Matt. 5:2 (AE 21:9): But [the preacher] should also open his mouth vigorously and confidently, to preach the truth that has been entrusted to him. He should not be silent or mumble, but testify without being frightened or bashful. He should speak out candidly without regarding or sparing anyone, let it strike whomever or whatever it will. It is a great hindrance to a preacher if he looks around and worries about what people like or do not like to hear, or what might make him unpopular or bring harm or danger upon him. As he stands high on a mountain in a public place and looks around freely, so he should also speak freely and fear no one, though he sees many kinds of people and faces. He should not hold a leaf in front of his mouth. He should look at neither the pleasure nor the anger of lords and squires, neither money nor riches, neither popularity nor power, neither disgrace nor poverty nor harm. He should think of nothing except that he is speaking what his office demands—his very reason for standing there.
Luther on Matt. 6 (AE 79:105): If I am a preacher, then my worry should not be where I will get what I am to preach, for if I do not have it, then I cannot give it. Christ has said, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your opponents cannot contradict or withstand” [Luke 21:15]. Rather, since I have this, I should be concerned about how others can get it from me and how I can best present it to them; teach the ignorant; admonish and restrain those who know it; correctly comfort distressed consciences; awaken careless, sleepy hearts and make them awake; and so on. St. Paul did this and also commanded his disciples Timothy and Titus to do this [e.g., 1 Tim. 4:6–16; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2:2; 4:2; Titus 3:8–11]. This is to be my concern, namely, how others can get it from me. However, I am to study and pray to God. Study is my work, which He wants me to do, and when it pleases Him, He will give me success. It can certainly happen that I study for a long time, and yet am not given success so quickly, until it pleases Him, and then He gives it abundantly and in excess, even in one hour. Thus each one should stay in his estate, attend only to the activity committed to him, and let our Lord God worry about how He will give it. When He gives it, then He also worries about how to give it to others.
Luther on Gen. 3:19 (AE 1:211-12): Therefore we must utterly reject the opinion of those who maintain that only manual labor may be called work. Christ’s statement is clear; He commands that those who teach should have the benefit of the labor of others. “When you enter a house,” says He (Luke 10:5–7), “first say: ‘Peace be to this house,’ eating and drinking what they have; for the laborer is worthy of his hire.” Here the Lord takes the bread from the table of those who hear the Word of God and gives it to the teachers. Likewise, Paul also says (1 Cor. 9:14): “He who teaches the Gospel should also live by the Gospel.” And in support of this statement he also quotes the command of the Law (Deut. 25:4): “You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn.” Moreover, why was the command about paying tithes given to the husbandman who works and tends his field if the ministers of the Word ought to gain their living by their own labor?
These and similar passages show clearly that the sweat of the face is of many kinds: the first is that of the farmers or householders; the second is that of the officers of the state; and the third is that of the teachers in the church. Among these classes the best-situated are the farmers, as the poet also says: “Exceedingly happy if they realized their blessings!” Although they are plagued with hard labor, that labor is seasoned with matchless pleasure, as daily the new and wonderful sight of the creatures impresses itself upon their eyes. In both state and church, on the other hand, there are daily dangers and countless burdens, if you desire to perform your duty faithfully. We are not speaking here of idle people who do not acknowledge the punishments of sin but are only bent on satisfying their lust. Let these voluptuaries be left to their evil spirit! We are speaking of those who earnestly perform their duty. In one single day these people work and sweat more than a farmer does in an entire month, if you consider the vastness of their work and its various dangers.
Larry Peters: When somebody once asked me what I did as a pastor, I pointed to the work of a housewife. I do the same things over and over and over again. Like the wife and mom who does load after load of laundry, who cleans the same space over and over again, who picks up the same messes, who prepares the same food, who goes to the same grocery store, etc... Repetitive tasks -- not because we do not know how to do anything else but because this is how the Kingdom of God comes and grows. Word. Sacrament. Preaching. Teaching. Prayer. Works of mercy. We need no gnostic spontaneity to run after but to believe that God is going what He has promised to do if we are faithful in doing what He has given us to do. It sounds so dull and boring but that is how it is.
from Loehe's Three Books on the Church:
From its knowledge of human nature it knows that men will sooner open
their hearts to the truth when it is gladly but sparingly imparted than
when they hear its voice speaking constantly. Therefore it understands
how to give people enough of its means but not too much. It does not
consider it an insult, nor is it eager to interpret it as an insult,
when someone says, “This pastor thinks it is enough if he preaches,
catechizes, administers the sacraments, hears confessions, and comforts
the sick!” It knows that even the most faithful pastors do not do
enough of this. It has little use for multiplying pastoral duties but
treasures those which are commanded in the Scriptures and have been
recognized since ancient times. To many people it is something novel
that a man should not be a jack of many trades but a master of the few
precious means, yet this is what the church has always thought. In a
word, it accomplishes much through a few means. …
It is enough, and more than enough, if a man just carries out the
ancient duties of a pastor. Superfluous and even a hindrance is the
officiousness of modern pastors. Here the slogan should be, “Not many,
but much.” The poverty of our fathers is richer than the wealth of
their opponents. It is through alternating periods of withdrawal and
public appearance, stillness and publicity, through persistent use of
Word and sacrament, through giving of a quiet but full measure, through
modesty and steadfastness that the Lutheran church attains its goals.
Petersen: I once heard a very kind and sincere district president insist, with great emotion, that he was a “pastor” and not a bishop or a president. He insisted that he knew this beyond all doubt because that very day he had sat in a nursing home and held a man’s hand while smelling stale urine. Here is the problem: holding a man’s hand is not pastoral care. It was kind and good, and it could certainly be done by a pastor, but pastoral care, strictly defined, is Word and Sacrament. Pastoral work is not synonymous with acts of kindness. Pastoral work is preaching, teaching, rebuking, exhorting, absolving, baptizing, and communing. The district president was moved by compassion, no doubt, and he did a good work. The confusion is that he had the idea that that good was pastoral work, but it wasn’t: it was simply Christian kindness. I do not mean to suggest in any way that any Christian is “above” such work, even as no mother is “above” the physical defense of her children and even the sacrifice of herself on their behalf, but hand holding is the sort of work that defines deaconesses not pastors.