Papists.

Paul teacheth by this fentence, that the ufe of the Miniftry is not (as the training of youth) temporary, but perpetual, fo long as we continue in this world. Who would read more upon this fubject, let him confult Calvin,Inftitut. lib.4. cap.3. Se&t. 4.Whitack, Controv. To. 4. Controv.4. quæft. 1. pag.529. Sect. fecundum noftrum argu mentum. fus Divin. 1, part. pag. 39, 40, 114, 115. &c.

The Pontifician Suffrage is yet behinde, which none delivers Hi gradus, & more fully or plainly then A Lapide the Jetuite: He faith, Thefe bic Hierarchi- Degrees, and this Hierarchick Church Order, that fime fhall be Acus ecclefia ordo, ut alii fint poftles, fome Prophets, fome Evangelifts, fome Paftors and Teachers, Apoftoli, a fhall remain and continue till all Unbelievers are called to Chrifts lii Propheta, Faith and Church. See alfo Fo Bellar. de Ecclef. militante, lib.z. alii Evange- cap. 13. Sect. praterea Ephef. 4. & lib. 4. cap. 8. fed ut vis buftores, & Do-jus argumenti.

lifta, alii Pa-.

Etores, manebit, durabitque donec infideles omnes ad unam Chrifti fidem & ecclefiam vacentur. A Lap. ad Ephef. 4. 13,

new Ministers

nation,

Reasons

con

Fifthly, This Fifthly, When any new erected Office, or order of Ministers text being op- would force into the Church, this Text is made the porter pofed to the re to keep him out, unless it can fhew its hand, or bring its ticket ception of all for admiflion. Thus Treviza lets fly at the fwarms of Monks unless they are and Fryars in the feventh Century, with, He had read where God therein nam'd, bad fent Apoftles and Priests into the world, but never any Monks or cannot without begging Fryars. Thus he. The Independents tread upon the express nomi- toes of Presbyterianifm, encroaching upon the English Church, tain any which with, Do you any where read that God bath fet in bis Church, first are temporary. Presbyteries, fecundarily Claffes, then Confiftories? Calvin keeps Baleys de Ser. at this guard against the Pope: He faith, Indeed Chrift appointed Anglic Cent.7, fome Apostles, fome Paftors, Jome Evangelifts, fome Teachers, why again Pref doth be not fay, He conftituted one as his Vicar over all the rest, for byterial Go that this place especially required it, neither ought it to have been oKernmenap 38 mattedy if its been tree Thus he. Now are thefe good arguConftituiks quit ments inft Manby, Englars, Presbytery Claffes, Popes, that they dem alios Ape Los, lies Pa- are hot to be received into the Church, becaule they are not flores, alios E, nominated in this Text No argument can be drawn from vangelism thence to prove them temporary whom it doth nominate (unLigs Doctores, befs it plainly expres their temporatinals because the fanie an974 gummies would take place against and exclude Minks, Frjans, prefeciffe que Presenting Claffes, Confiftories, Bes, abthought they had been vices fuere hained, ifcheis Exqludes please nosfag they are temporary, and retyd enim das though admired in the primitive, not the continued in our cus potato time)().im birer ah la dould edit drier cli nec debuit at mithi, verum effer Cl... se 16-dilen pidinola (3) mo

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There

Thefe are our Exceptions agaiut their Scripture-proof of Exceptions atemporary Minifters, but we have not spoken all that we have to gainst the word tempofay in that argument, for the term Temporary may not pass rary, two ways without a long and ferious animadverfion: For I am refolved interpreted. that I may with good reafon affirm, that the mifunderstanding or neglect of clearing up the true import of that word, hath above all other things rendered the Controverfie about the Orders of Church Officers, intricate and perplexed. Learned Duo funt vocaSaravia could long fince fay, Two words not arightly interpreted bula que non re&te accepta are a caufe of errour, to wit, Temporary and Extraordinary. A fallunt,fcilicet way to expound them he affignes in that place, which although temporarium I will not utterly impugne, yet because I judge it infufficient to & extraordiloofe all knots in this Debate, I fhall pafs it over in filence, and "arium. Saravia de diverf. fpend a little more time and pains upon it, then (as I have yet grad. Minift. obferved) he or any others have done before me. The word temporary may be fenfed two wayes: I. Of a certain time limited and paft, or of the Apostles time, 1. Of time liexclusive of all others. mited, or past. 2. Of any time, Planetary or Erratical, this, that, or any o-2. Of erratical ther time, (all time admitting interruption, and opposed to perpetuity) when a temporary officer (fuppofe the Evangelift) hath been, is, or fhall be extant in the Church.

lib.1. cap.16. London, 1611.

time.

lifts were tem

One or other of these two interpretations the term must bear That Evangein the former definitions, let the Definers,or any for them, elect porary in the which they pleafe, we doubt not, by their feveral examinati- firft fenfe, afons, o evidence the contrariety of both unto truth. Firft do they accept it of a time limited, or paft, or the Apoftles time, exclufive of all time fince effluxed?

And

We defire to fee their Reasons. Are we answered by Zanchy
They were either

1. Made Officers by Revelation. Or,

2. They were ordained by the Apostles.

We will reply to both thefe in Order.

?

firmed by
Zanchy.

His reasons for

it.

1. They were made Officers by revelation. 2. They were ordained by the Apostles.

To the firft we answer by a diftinction, and fay, Revelation His firft reafon may be diftinguifhed into Primary or Secundary.

confuted.

First Primary Revelations, they fo far as they concern Church- Revelation diftinguished in Officers, were the first intimation of Gods will, for the confti- to tution of thofe Officers: now if Zanchy mean that the Evange- 1. Primary. lift was thus chofen by Revelation, we expect to know where we 2. Secundary. fhall fearch for that Revelation, fince the Revelations we have, 1. Primary, or can finde concerning the conftitution of Officers, declare no Officer tempo fuch thing, but their fettlement to the world's end, Mat. 28. 19, rary.

bas

M 3

7

20.

that made no

20. And till we all come in unity. Ephef. 4. 11, 12, 13. Terms as oppofite to temporarinels, as time is to eternity. Doth Zanchy therefore accept Revelation of,

Secondly, Se- Secondly, Secondary Revelations, or Revelations confequent condary they if any fuch be unto, and fucceeding the first Revelations.

defigned officers, either Firft to a new office.

The danger of that notion.

This is

We answer, these Revelations defigned their Eligees, either to a new, or to an old Office ;If to a new Office. Then, Firft,defcended Chrift did not conftitute his Church, and institute all her Officers for the difpenfation of her holy things; and fome befides Apoftles, &c. are given for the perfecting of the Saints, &c. But defcended Chrift did conftitute his Church, and inftitute all her Officers for the difpenfation of her holy things: Neither had any other any power to do it, because he is our fole, and only Lawgiver, and because he who defcended, and he who afcended is the fame. Secondly, Several manifeftations of the Divine will,, and executions of the Legislative power will be contradictory, and juftle one against another: The Church will fall under diftin&t forms, and conftitutions. The Platform of arguments raised against the firft, will equally batter the fecond Revelation. Divine Revela tion will cease to be the foundation of the Churches ftanding Ordinances, or Ministry what we have,or are like to have of Church-order,or Office will be maintained to be the refults of her own prudence, and of the fucceffive exigencies of her affairs, and government. And when oever the is wifer, or factious pretenders to reformation presume they are wifer, then their Predeceffors, they may, pleading new Revelations alter her prefent form and conftitution, and frame her a new, as they think fitting. These will be fome of the fad effects of new Revelations, fuperteding the obligation and force of old Revelations, and conftituting of diftinct Officers in the Church, for the difpenfation of her holy things; neither will we add any more till we see how thefe can handsomely be avoided; deth Zanchy therefore accept his fecondary Revelation.

Secondly to Secondly, of a particular Revelation, defigning new men an old office. to an old Office; we fay fuch fecondary Revelations concern not the nature or limitation of the Office, because they were true, and ve- defined, and bounded by the firft Revelation, but they do concern the unusual, and divine exhibition of a perfon, or perfons to the Church to admit him, or them unto Office. This is moft true, though it make little for Zanchies purpose, but much to the vindication and clearing up, of a moft precious and

rified in two inftances.

M

and undoubted truth, and is confirmed by many, and plain Scripture inftances. We fhall confine our fearch unto two, both which are famous in the new Teftament for having Revelations previous to their Church-imployments, but let modern Enthufiafts note it, thefe Revelations canie to others not themfelves, the office was conftituted and fettled in the Church, long before thofe Revelations; both perfons had hands folemnly laid upon them, and their work seriously commended unto them by the impofers, ere they ingaged upon it.

First of
St. Paul.

The first of them is St. Paul: The holy Ghost reveals to Ananias, the notable change wrought upon Sauls heart, how he was perfwaded to preach, where he was refolved before to perfecute the Gospel. This Ananias muft communicate unto him, lay his hands upon him, and commend his work unto him, ere he fet upon it. Act. 9. 17. ad fin. 20. This being done, fometimes afterwards a Revelation comes to the Prophets and Teachers at Antioch, willing them to difmifs St. Paul, and Bar nabas from their particular relation unto that Church, and to confecrate them, and fend them forth upon an Apoftolate among the Gentils; This they do by fafting, prayer, impofition of hands; Act. 13. 1, 2, 3. I am not ignorant how divided interpreters are in their opinions, concerning these two several impofitions of hands upon St.Paul: Some esteem them to be feveral ordinations, others think otherwife: The new England Divines imbrace the firft opinion, but for a purpose utterly undream't of by any other of its other favourers, namely there Jus divin. ordination, or reiteration of the impofition of hands upon the heads of par. p. 145. thofe Minifters, who quitting one, become a new related unto another people. Their brethren at London juftly decry their novel and heterodox notion, but (though no fools) while they pass the rock of one abfurdity they fhip-wrack upon another, peremptorily faying: Ananias did not impofe hands upon St. Paul in ordination; wherein they have both the oppofition of Scripture, Dico Anaand of their own moft noted Expofitors, although as they ventu: niam impofurously affirm, the text feems only to hold forth the recovery of St. Pauls ifle manum eye-fight, not his ordination. But this is borrowed from Bellar- Paulo ad hoc mine, and is one of the things which feem, and are not, and ut vifum recithey were hood-winkt, or lookt off the Text when they wrote facram.confir. peret. Bell. de it; for Ananias is exprefly fent unto St. Paul, as well that he lib. 2. ca. might be filled with the holy Ghoft, as receive his fight. A&t. Vid. eti9.17. And Ananias went his way, and entring into the house,and am eum eoputting his bands upon him, faid, brother Saul the Lord Jesus hec quoque which folutio.

dem libro ca.2.

which appeared to thee in the way as thou cameft, hath fent me to thee, that thou mightest receive thy fight, and be filled with the boly Ghost. In other Texts the receipt of the holy Ghost is conftantly interpreted of the collation of official gifts, and what other fenfe can it bear in this Text, fince forthwith upon Ananias his departure, St. Paul having refreshed himself after his long pains and fafting, he went forth and preached Chrift in the Synagogue. A&t. 9. 20. And ftraight way he preached Chrift in the Synagogue, that he is the Son of God; belides, ere the fecond Impolition of hands, by Lucius, Simeon, and Manaen,St. Paul is registred among the Prophets, or Teachers of the Church at Antioch. A&t. 13. 1. Now there was in the Church which was at Antioch, certain Prophets and Teachers, as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and In bune f Saul. Thefe Scriptures prove that St. Paul was a Church-offiin Paulum cer, ere A&t. 13. And Calvin, and Pifcator fay he was ordaimanus impo- ned by Ananias, whofe opinion we hope the London Divines fuit, partim ut will not be angry, if we prefer them before theirs. Calvin illum deo con-. faith, for this end Ananias impofed bands upon St. Paul, partly tim ut illi im- to confecrate him unto God, and partly to convey spiritual gifts unto petret fpiritus him. Pifcator faith, Ananias is fent to furnish bim with spiritual dona. Calv. gifts neceffary for the Apoftolate.?

nem Ananias

Jecraret par

in loc.

Ananias mittitur, ut eum inftruat donis fpiritus Janeti, ad Apoftolatum neceffariis. Pif cat. Anal. in

loc.

See pag.

But it may be queftioned by what right, or authority Ananias could ordain St. Paul.

I antwer, Ordination of Minifters by Impofition of hands was an official act, performable by fome, but not common to every Church-officer; 'Twas not common to every Church* officer, fince Philip who preached unto,and baptized the Samaritanes, could not impofe hands upon them, but that work was referved to the miniftration of the Apoftles St. Peter, and St. John, when they came down from Jerufalem. Now if Philip could have done this work without them, neither ought he to have omitted it, nor was it convenient for them to execute it; if they were as St. Paul was careful (and who may doubt it,fince they were guided by one, and the fame fpirit) not to trespass within canother mans line. This is one, but not the only Scripture inftance, proving the diftinction of order in the Primitive Church; for Timothy is fettled at Ephesus, to ordain Elders by Impofition of hands,and to exercife the Ecclefiaftical cenfures, when yet there were Elders officiating in that Church before his coming. I grant we have no Text pro