bus multis

Fauftus Socinus magnifies his uncle Lalius, his wrefting of those Divinum plain words for our Saviours divinity, or before Abraham was quid fapiens a I am, to maintain thereby his fole exiftency (as other mens) deo ipla patefrom, and not before the time of his incarnation; And of it fallum precifaith. It favours of fime divinity, was obtained (which inftead of chrifto impetra beleeving, we admire how he durft write it) from Christ him- tum. vix quicand quam divinius felf by many prayers and divinely parkleth with such bright dazling beams, as poped his Antagonist would have difcerned, and videri queat adored them. This very ignis farum fo amazeth Smalcius, as be perabam te faffurum Sec. would bend the whole Church upon her knees together with him, to De unic.fil.dei blefs God for revealing it to Lelius Socinus.

exiftent.adv. Erafm. Joba. Omnes una fecum deo gratias agant, profLelio Socino cui dens primo revelavit. Smalc ad par.Sophis. pag. 5. ex Gassii grammat.såår. track. 3. mump. 47. Francofurti. 1653. Finally, whence is this peftilent Sect encouraged to lay the

Ax to the root of the whole miniftry, but either because the Primitive Ministers were temporary, and extraordinary, or the present Ministry hath loft the file of its fucceffion in Antichriftian Apoftacy. And profeffedly, and in the face of the world to maintain, That no ministerial work, as the work of a diftin& Offi eer is now continuing, what is fo called, being only a work of charity due from every man unto his neighbour. Suffice this for the fourth. Reason.

and

vio.

Ex Calo

had an ordi

nary Miffion.

Fifthly, Fifthly, Scripture Apostles and Evangelifts had an ordinary Scripture Amiffion; concerning the former Apoftles, enough hath been poftles, and faid in the foregoing part of this Exception; The Evangelifis Evangelifts mentioned in Scripture are but two, Philip and Timothy; both of them had an ordinay miffion. Timothies miffion; 1 Tim. 4. 14. &c. 2 Tim. 1. 6. undeniably proves. Philips miflion, fo far as concerns his Diaconate, is as plain by A&t. 6. 1,2,3. We will not here dispute his call to do the works recorded, Act. 8. referving it to our own definition of the Evangelift; and shall only add in this place: That the works he did, namely Preaching and Baptizing, neceffarily required a call, and ordination to do them, because unfent persons are prohibited to meddle with them, Mat. 28. 19, 20. Rom. 10. 14. and 17. Socinus, the arch enemy of Minifterial Miffion, Illi enim under the name of Gratianus, Profper faith, Philip was fent by the qui in Samari Apofiles, with him agree Zanchius, Aretius, Polanus, and Buca- a crediderunt nus in their aforecited definitions of the Evangelift. And this fide vera crewas also St. Cyprians judgment long ago, he faith, Those who diderant, d 'ecclefia, que una eft, nam & Philippo diacono, quem ijdem Apoftoli miserant baptizati erant• Cyprian. epift. ad Jubaianum.

4

u 3

erant intus in

beleeved

I

nary

themselves

difown it.

beri Luthe

ni Chrifti A

beleeved in Samaria, beleeved with true faith, and were within the Church which is one, because they were baptized by Philip the deacon, whom the Apostles fent among them; We will add no more to this fifth Reason.

Sixthly, who might Sixthly. Those who might beft pretend an extraordinary beft pretend an extraordi- call in thefe dayes, and have it voluntarily given unto them by call in ot hers, do themfelves difown it. Aretius as we have heard thefe dayes do before, calls Luther an Apoftle, fo doth Calvin, He faith without diffimulation, we esteem Luther to be a famous Apostle of Chrift. Non diffi- We hope we need not tell the Reader that Calvin, and Aretius mulanter te- in both thofe places underftand an Apoftle to be an extraordiftamur nos ha-nary Officer, let him that doubteth confult the places. But Luther himfelf alwaies ftood,to an ordinary call; never appealrum pro infig- ed from it, and exprefly disclaims all other: This is exactly poftolo. Cal. demonftrated by his learned defender Gerhard, in his Theoloadv. Allert. gical common places, where he records the feveral dates of all Pighium lib. Luthers Academical, and Ecclefiaftical preferments. The London Divines fay as much of Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, Bucer, and Gerard loc. de Peter Martyr. They conclude with Zanchyes teftimony in this minifterio Se&. 144. 145.146. matter, who inrols himself in the fame Catologue with ZuingliGeneva.1539. us and the reft; And there we conclude this fixth ReaJus divin. fon. 120. 121, 122. Seventhly, The fame London Presbyters fadly reflecting upon the aforementioned Socinian,& enthufiaftick tenets,together with Seventhly, many other inconveniencies, arifing from this diftinction bePresbyters de- twixt temporary and continuing, ordinary and extraordinary dinary call Be Officers; hot only modeftly enter their diffent from the mainJus divin. tainers of the extraordinary call of our firft reformers, but repar. 1. p. 71. folutely lay down this axiom; they fay, there is a neceffity in the

I.

I part, pag.

123

ny an extraor

with

Church of Chrift, of a conftant, perpetual, and ordinary Miffion;

This is a precious truth, and that the Reader may improve it

as he ought, we beg him to confider that perpetual being predicated of any fubject, comprehends all time from its com mencement to its conclufion; fo that if there be a neceffity of a perpetual ordinary Miffion in the Church of Chrift, it is un doubtedly exclufive of extraordinary Officers in the Primitive, mine if in the prefent Church-ftate, for of neceflity fhe muft perpeBoumo? ni laetually have an ordinary Miffion, there is no time paft, prefent, or to come, when the hath been, is, or can be without it: And let the Affemblies vague and uncertain early ordination of Presbyters come up never fo nigh to the first conftitution of the Church, they will be excluded from a perpetual relation to

5

her,

i?

Humble

doctrinal

her,because there was fome precedent time when she was without them. Nor are the London Divines alone in this opinion, for they borrow it from their brethren in the Affembly, who fay, Ordination is alwries to be continued in the Church; and prove it by Tit. 1.5. 1 Tim.5. 21, 22. I receive their propofiti- advice conon, but mult tell them their proof is ftrong against Presbyteri cerning the al ordination, and deftroyes their propofition unless Timothy part of ordiand Titus have fucceffors to continue their practiced way of or- nation bound dination; for neither of them (if we may beleeve the fame A up with their fembly) were Presbyters, nor did ordain as Presbyters, but as directory. extraordinary Officers, or Evangelifts; fo that their proof and propofition compared exhibit this Paradox, that ordination, because ceafing in fome, and beginning a new in others, is alwaies to be continued unto the Church. A notion fo crackt, and maimed, as nothing can fplice it, or hold it together, but one, or other of these two things, to be demonftrated by plain and convincing Scriptures, either,

Firft, That Chrift betrufted ordination to several hands, or orders of Officers. Or,

ac potus, tam

Secondly, That Presbyters are ordained fingly, and feparate from the higher order. But return we to the point before us, the perpetuity of the miniftry in the ordinary way of ordination, is provable out of all Presbyterial divines, who write either of the Church, or of the miniftry. But we will confine our fearch to a few inftances, out of Calvin and Zanchy, that it may appear we do not oppose our own, or other mens wills against their fore-examined,and refuted opinion about the temporarinefs of Officers: We have heard Calvin upon Ephef. 4. 13. fay, Neque e The Miniftry is not temporary, as the training of youth, but perpetu- nim vel folis al fo long as we continue in this world. Elfewhere he adds, the lumen, & calight, or heat of the fun is not more neceffary to the nourishment, and lor, vel cibus, fuftenance of this prefent life, then the Apoftolical, and Paftoral Office funt præfenti is neceffary for the confervation of the Church upon earth. Now what vita fovenda, hath been faid by me, or can be urged by any other, for the & fuftinende. overthrow of this diftinction betwixt ordinary, and extraordi- neceffaria, quam eft nary Officers, which will not receive encouragement from this and conServanda in fentence of Calvins, for if light and heat, meat and drink, be terris ecclefia not more neceffary for the prefent life, then the continuance Apoftolicum, of the Apoftolical, and Paftoral Office is for the Churches con- & Paftorale fervation upon earth: It must inevitably follow, that the unus. Cal. inftitut. lib. maintenance of any temporary Office (for none can lay fofair a 4. ca. 3. Sea. claim to it, as the Apoftolate) is even in Calvins Judgment, most a unneceffary

unneceffary, dangerous, and deftructive. Zanchy faith. As it Sicut eccle- is necessary that there be a perpetual Church in this world, because fia dei perpe Chrift bath promised that the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it; in hoc mundo, fo likewife is a perpetual ministry necessary.

tua fit oportet

propter promif

fionem dei, Chrifti, docentis, porte inferi non prævalebunt adverfus eam: fic etiam in ea femper fit, & mane at minifterium. Zanch. in 4. prac. pag. 655.

This he not only faith, but confirmeth by many reafons, Ratio eft qui- viz. The ministry must preferve the Church, because it gathers a ficut per mi- ber; The notes of the Church, viz. pure preaching of the Word, and nifterium rcclefia colligi- lawful administration of the facraments cannot be, or be difcerned but tur, fic etiam in the miniftry, neither doth Chrift permit, nor will be fuffer the per idem Jer- Churob to want a lawful miniftry. And although we bojeen, or vatur, proin fhall fee the principal parts of the ministry, fometimes in fome places, de notas eccle- and after fome fort to be corrupted, yet doth not Chrift permit the Chriftus enim whole miniftry to be alwaies, or every where, or totally corrupted, non permittit, because then the fame may be affirmed of the Church, for one cannot nec permittet, be separated from the other, neither the Church from the ministry, ut fua ecclefia nor the ministry from the Church. This fhall conclude our felegitimo careat minifterio, venth, and laft Exception against temporary, erratical, and quod igitur a- unfixed Officers.

fia, &c.

liquando,

alicubi, & aliquo modo vitiatas vidimus, & videmu precipuas minifterii partes, non ta men femper, nec ubique, nec penitus totum minifterium corrumpi permittit Chriftus, unum enim ab altero, feparari non poteft, nec ecclefia a minifterio, nec minifterium ab ecclefia. Zanch. Ibid.

Three

part of this difcourfe.

I have walked, especially in this feventh Exception upon an grand obje&i- Icy path, and as God, and my confcience bears me witness, have ons against the precedent endeavoured to tread warily, and to the best of my obfervation, not to wander out of the road of truth. But I dare not give entertainment to flattering hopes, that I fhall meet with none who watch for my haltings, and to take advantage of my trippings to caft me down. I write to the mixed multitude of all forts of Readers, and muft as well obviate the calumny of the froward, as the equity of the moderate minded. There are who will charge this difcourfe with three hainous crimes, any of which proved, condemns it for dangerous and unfeasonable therefore they must all of them be confeffed, or avoided, ere we can proceed to the remaining Exceptions, and following part of this difpute. They are that,

1. Obj. that I feek credit by difcrediting of emi

;

1. Obj. I feek a name by vilifying of eminent men, and to raise my own upon their ruined credits, namely, Calvin, nent perfons. Beza, &c.

2. Obi.

2. Obj. Ifcandalize all reformed Churches!vodio 01.0 3. Obj. I give the Roman Synagogue occafion to blagiheme the living God, and his people.

2.Obj.that I

fcandalize all reformed

To the firft Objection I anfwere reed svad vedT Churches. First, The equity of my oppefing offome of the opimo is of 3. Obj.that thofe noted men, hath been loved, by facing them Igive the Ro

man Syna

to blaspheme. The first objection an

fwered.

First, I do

teft is not mat

with other fentences of their own, or moft devoted partizans, gogue occafion as we doubt not that the unprejudiced Reader will refolve that the repugnancy, and contradiction is primarily in Calvin, a gainst Calvin, Beza against Bez,the London divines, or our Affem bly, against both, rather then in me, against any of them. Secondly. The thing in controverfie is not matter of no- not difcredit tion, or opinion, wherein much may be attributed defervedly them, but they to humane parts and abilities.But matter of fact, of a divine, and difcreditone another by pofitive inftitution clearly witneffed by Scriptures, and obvious their contra. to ordinary, yea welungh all capacities; fuch as neither their, di&ions. mine, or any other mans credit, or difcredit, Cakmake more or lefs, or other then it is. I fayde facto the hiftordained 2 The both Apostles, and Presbyters for fifcceften appointed/matter in conthem to continue perpetually with his chichi Calvin, &c ter of opinion fay he did not, or that tract of time, or other contingency, hath bnt of divine annulled or worn out them, or one of them; Letither, and my inftitntion. reafons be put upon a Scripture ballance each against other, and the weightieft carry itboed babotros 03 29 to syslanous-o has boile know they have fomething more to lay for themselves; then hath been yet infifted upon; namely that the terms, Bifhops and Presbyters, are æquivocal, and fignify the fame thing in feve ral texts, that St. Jerome 390, years after Chrift, feems in one, or two places to favour their opinion, and that a numerous ftray of Monks, Friers, and Schoolmen, have preffed through the gap whereat he entered. All which fhall have a large difquifition, and we hope a fatisfactory refutation in the tract concerning Apoftles, to which they moft properly belong. But leaft any Their argu Reader think we wave them, as fearing their force, let him take ment from the we'w this brief anfwer to them in this place. We treat him note to Bishop and equivocalness infift too peremptorily upon the equivocalnels of Bishop, and Presbyter, in Presbyter in fome Scriptures, as reducing the Gospel feeding, feveral texts Golpel-feeding, and governing Miniftry to one Order, till he can reconcile that briefly confinotion to Chrifts diftinct Ordination, and inftitution of the fwered, and dered, antwelve Apostles, and feventy Difciples, to the plain conftitution of referred to the Miniftry of the Primitive Church by Apostles and Elders, and the tract of to the powers, which the Apostles acted themfelves, and derived Apoftles.

X

unto