Extraordinary Offices, Cessationism, and Rome

[Alex Suarez]

Does Roman Catholic doctrine on the gifts and offices within the church uphold a type of cessationism? Or do they uphold complete continuity of the gifts and offices?

BACKGROUND: As I was reading Calvin's Institutes this evening on Ephesians 4.11 (against the Papists), it occurred to me to read a Roman Catholic commentator (i.e. Haydock) on the verse. What I noticed is that Haydock uses Eph. 4.11 to defend the idea of a perpetual & successive office of apostle - (i.e. the Roman See)- of which Peter is the head.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

Rome alleges all sorts of continuing miracles, etc., as specific encouragements to faith--faith in the Church, that is.

Calvin mocked the claims of Rome to prove themselves by their multitudinous "miracles." Calvin said, wisely, that we (the church Reformed) had superior miracles: the works of Christ and the Apostles as testified in the sufficient Word.

The great "miracle" Rome claimed and still claims, is to bring Christ down out of heaven and instill him substantively in a wafer.

Rome conceives of the Church (that is, of herself) as the continuation of the Incarnation. If Jesus could do miracles, then of course Rome through her loyal servants do miracles. And as those miracles of Christ were designed to bring about faith in him, so Rome's miracles are intended to bring about faith in her, which is (though blasphemous the claim) the Body of Christ Incarnate.