ving the admiffion of Ananias into the Apoftolical order, but doing their work, his capacity muft follow of courfe, for had he not been lawfully impowred to do it, God would not have commanded him upon it. And if he had not received this power in the ordinary way, as St. Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, and Titus received it, viz. by minifterial Ordination, but by especial, or particular Revelation, God would, or might have made St. Paul an Officer the fame way, not ordered Ananias to do it, much less by the rite of Impofition of hands, which was the ordinary way of admitting Officers unto Office. Befides had Ananias an extraordinary capacity to do this ordinary work of Impofition of hands, it renders him an Apoftle of an higher form, and of a more divine defignation then St. Paul, who receives the holy Ghoft by Impofition of hands.

Lib. 2.

But moreover, and befides what hath been alledged,to prove that Ananias impofed hands upon St. Paul in virtue of a mini ad Att. 9. 10. Ex a Lap. fterial order; I fhall expofe to the Readers view the opinion of feveral Expofitors: Oecumenius faith, He was only a Deacon; and yet adds, that he was of the number of the feventy two Difciples. Wherein (with reverence to his afhes) is contained a notorious contradiction; for the feventy two Difciples were Presbyters, otherwife the Church before, at, and welnigh ever fince Oecumenius his time, have erred in the derivation of the original of the Presbyterial order, from our Saviours conftitution of those Disciples. St. Augustine faith, He was a Presby ter, with whom in fome measure agrees Calvin, who fancying that Ananias his prefent Impofition of hands upon St. Paul, had quest. Evang. a fpecial relation to St. Pauls confirmation in the Faith, he quaft. 47. ex God. Alap. urgeth it against the appropriation of confirmation, to Epifcopal administration. But St. Auguftins opinion cannot be true; For Ananias as a Presbyter could not ordain St. Paul to the of fice of preaching, fince there is no ground for fuch,a practise in Scripture, but many inftances tothe contrary (which was alfo ftitutio ca. the current,and conftant practife of St. Augustins time and age 19. Se&, 16. wherein he lived. And fince Calvin faith, That Ananias confecrated St. Paul unto God, and obtained for him fpiritual gifts: Which Pifcator affirms to be fuch as were neceffary for the Apoftolate; whereby in a further contradiction to Scripture, a Presbyter is impowred to ordain an Apoftle. And Calvins notion is equally as improbable, and falfe as St. Auguftines, fince the text exprefly faith, that Ananias was fent to impofe hands upon St. Pault hat he might receive the holy Ghoft. i, e. receive mini

N

fterial

Lib. 4. in

fterial abilities. And that forthwith after Ananias his departure, St. Paul preached Chrift in the Synagogue. i. e. publickly, and officially exercised thofe gifts; which is fomething more then is conferred by confirmation, unless all confirmed perfons may forthwith discharge diftin&t minifterial works. However both these opinions thus farr concur with ours, even to allow that what Ananias did, was in virtue of a minifterial order; And I trust the candid and judicious Reader will as well allow us a liberty to affign him a probable and proper order, as them to limit him to an order, which is neither proper, nor probable.

Suffice this, for the firft Revelation, and ordination of St. Paul.

Proceed we to the fecond; or Lucius,Simeon, and Manaen, their impofing hands upon the fame perfon by the direction Lucius, Simeon, &c. or- of the holy Ghoft.

dained St. Paul.

But while we are ftepping forward, a queftion thwarts us, and demands a reafon of this reiteration of the impofition of hands upon St. Paul.

I anfwer, the two Chapters A&t. 9. and A&t. 13. treat of feveral, and distinct ordinations of St. Paul unto divers offices.

Doth my Reader demand of what orders thofe offices

were.

I anfwer, Chrift inftituted only two teaching orders, or the Presbyterate and Apoftolate, which orders muft interpret the feveral acts of Ananias, and of Lucius, and his Collegues; for immediately after either of them St. Paul did the work of a Preacher. Ananias therefore ordained St. Paul a Presbyter, Lucius &c. ordained him an Apoftle. Ananias his act is confeffed to be an ordination, as we have before heard, but if it admitted St. Paul to the Apoftolate, the reiteration of the a& by Lucius, &c. either juftifies the New-Englanders notion, or was a nullity. For St. Paul could not be ordained into another Church, or impowred to do other works, then what were committed to him by his firft ordination, if that admitted him to the Apoftolate.

Arias Montanus, Cajetane, and Suarez fay, the latter. impofition of hands or that by Lucius, Simeon, &c. was precatory,not ordinative, but contrariwise it was ordination to the Apoftolate.

Firft, all the new Teftament recordeth not a more formal ordination, the Text both defcribing the ordainers Com Fim, is miffion, and the manner of its Execution. The Commiffion; recital comA&t. 13. 2. As they miniftred unto the Lord, and fafted, the holy prehends all the parts of a Ghost Jaid, Jeparate me Paul, and Barnabas, unto the work where moft formal unto I have called them. The manner of its Execution; ver. 3. ordination. And when they had fafted, and prayed, and laid hands upon them,

they fent them away.

till after this

a&

Secondly, St. Luke never ftyles St. Paul, or Barnabas Apoftles, or notes their performance of Apoftolical acts,till after this SecondlySt. fecond ordination. But immediately after it, he doth both, A&t. Luke never 14. 14. Which when the Apostles Barnabas and Paul beard of, they act calls St. rent their cloths,and ran in among the people,crying out.ver.23.And Paul an Apowhen they had ordained them in every Church, and had pray- ftle, &c. ed with fasting they commended them unto the Lord on whom they had beleeved.

Jy

Thirdly the Churches conftant cuftom

were not be

Thirdly, The Apoftolate, or higher Church-order (beleeve we either precedent, or fubfequent Church-cuftom) used not to be derived to any after its firft inftitution, who had not before given proof of their ability, and fidelity in the lower or hath been to der, or in the Presbyterate. Thus Antiquity with one mouth, ordain none judgeth Mathias to have been a Presbyter, or one of the fe- Bifhops who venty Difciples, ere he was elected an Apoftle. Thus St. Mark fore Presby and Timothy, miniftred to Barnabas and St. Paul, ere they ters. were elected to a partner-fhip. This cuftom hath been generally observed in the Church ever fince: Only fome of latter dayes, have been created Bishops in Germany, &c. erè they were Presbyters, and without ever intending to be fo, the greatness of the Revenue, and Jurisdiction, betraying the office into the hands of fecular ambition: But however fuch is the convicted confcioufness of these removers of the an tient bounds, that they exclude thofe Bishops from the per formance of proper Epifcopal actions; and in propriety of fpeech they may be faid to have a fecular Bifhoprick, not to be Chriftian Bifhops.

Fourthly, The moft godly, learned, and antient fathers, allow St. Paul, and Barnabas to be ordained Apoftles, by Lucius, the Antient Fourthly, Simeon, and Manaen. Thus St. Chryfoftom, the interlinear gloffe fathers allow and St. Leo in his Epiftles, reflecting no doubt, upon whofe o St. Paul, Apinions learned A Lapide, who alfo quotes Turrianus as of his poftolical ordination by opinion faith. It is plainly probable, that St. Paul,and Barnabas, Lucius, &c. had been already before this time ordained Presbyters, and now were ordained Bishops.

N 2

Fifthly,

EX A fap aut

43.3

Fifthly, Mo

here tranf

Fifthly, Modern Proteftant Divines of greateft note and audera Divines thority are not behinde in fuffraging to this Truth. Our Afboth Presbyte- fembly in the perfon of the Holy Ghoft, fay, Separate me Paul and rial and Epif- Barnabas that they may have like authority with the other Apothis Truth. ftles which if they had received before, there was no need of *Ad A&.13.3. this folemn injunction for a feparation. The London-Divines the Affembly fay, That even the very Apostle Paul, though chofen immediately by. cribe Diodate Chrift unto the great office of preaching unto the Gentiles, in a miraupon the place culous way, yet notwithstanding it was the pleasure of the boly Ghost, where may be that he must be feparated, and fet apart by men for this great work. feen for the Calvin, notwithstanding his former opinion of S. Paul's ordinamoft part the tion by Ananias, is equally as peremptory for his ordination, by Lucius, and he faith, In this text God profeffedly defignes Paul and Barnabas to an Apoftolate among the Gentiles. He adds, The holy Ghost mentions prophets, least any should fuppofe Paul and Barnabas were fent forth by a Church which wanted true Ministers of Christ. And again: Without all controverfie, the holy Ghoft obfèrves

fame words,or

altogether words to the

fame purpose. Jus Divin.

1. part. p.159.

4.

los, gentium

A&. 13. 1,2,3, Ex- the circumstances of their fafting and prayer, that we may give the profeffo Pau- greater credit to Paul's calling. And furthermore, God commands lum, & Bar-that Church to fend forth Paul and Barnabas, by their fuffrages, unnabam Apofto- to the place whereunto be bad called them. This fuffrage he calls the defignat. "Et Churches promulgation by publick Edict, and folemn fubfcribing and paulo poft: ne- fealing to Gods command. This is much, but he adds more, and quis eam ec with it we fhall conclude his Teftimony: He faith, Lucius, Siclefiam veris Chrifti mini-meon and Manaen did not onely difmiß Paul and Barnabas, but orftris deftitutam dained them by a folemn ceremony,to be the Apostles of the gentiles. effe,ubi Paulus,

Barnabas, ad gentes concedere jubentur, prophetæ nominantur. Extra controverfiam eft, expreffas fuiffe iftas circumftantias, quo plus fidei apud nos habeat Pauli vocatio.-Jubet Deus ecclefia fuffragiis emitti Paulum, & Barnabam quo ipfe defignavit. Promulgari publico edito, folenni ecclefia fubfcriptione obfignari jubet. Non tantum dimittunt, fed folenni ritu inftituunt eos, gentium Apoftolos. Calv. ad A&.13.1,2,3.

Omnino opus

gentium voca

1

Aretius faith, The work here committed to Paul and Barnabas was id fuit Apofto- altogether an Apoftolate unto the gentiles: He adds, The calling of the latus ad gen- gentiles then feemed a thing new, and infolent to believers, therefore tes, Aret. ad Paul's miffion to the gentiles ought to have certain teftimony in the A&. 13. 1,2,3. Church. Neither is this a Presbyterian notion; for Doctor tio fidelibus Hammond allows it, and in his paraphrafe upon the text faith, runc videba- And as they were upon a day of fasting, performing their tur res nove, office of prayer unto God, the holy Spirit of God by fome aflation infolens.Ita Paulus de fua or revelation, commanded them to ordain or confecrate Barnabas and miffione ad gentes debuit certa in ecclefia habere teftimonia. Id. Ibid.

Paul

Paul to the Apostleship to which God had already defigned them: and Heylins Hift.of accordingly they obferved a folemn day of fafting and prayer,and fo by Epifcop.par.1. impofition of hands ordained them, and fent them away about the ca. 4. sect.1. work defigned them by God. Thus he. Thus Doctor Heylin, he Paulum nefcis faith, S. Paul's calling unto the Apostleship was not until the holy atque ecclefia Ghoft had faid unto the prophets Lucius, Simeon and Manaen, mini- missum effe? String then in Antioch, Separate me Barnabas and Paul unto the work Whitak. To. whereunto I have called them. And thus Doctor Whitacker inter- 2. de authorirogating Stapleton, faith, Knowest thou not that Paul was fent both tat. S. Scriby God and the Church? (he hath reference in this demand to Stapleton, lib. A&.13.) And answering Duraus upon the fame matter, he faith, 3. Sec. 3. But if you inquireft why hands where laid upon him,the Greek Scho- Si vero quæris liaft will refolve thee that it was to enable them to preach with authority. impofite illis manus funt eam te Gracus Scholiaftes docebit, se pur esas ungurlev hoc eft poffent cum authoritate predicare, Whitak. To. I. con. Duræum.Sec.66.

ptura contra

quamobrem

Sixthly; Since variety delights fome Readers, and fince what Jubente fpiritu I have written may be cenfured for novelty by fome captious fan&o poft jeju nium & oratiReaders, if it be not confirmed by all forts of teftimonies. I fhall adventure to confirm this truth by the depofition of fome onem, permanus impofitioPapal Divines, who are of uo fmall note and authority. They nem poteftaare the Colledge of Rhemes, who in their Annotations upon the tem accipiffe words, Separate me, mentioned A&t.13.2. fay, Though Paul predicandi ubique evange were taught by God himself, and fpecially defigned by Chrift to be an lii, teftatur iApostle, and here chofen by the holy Ghoft, together with Barnabas, dem Lucu, Eo yet they were to be ordered, confecrated and admitted by men; which namque facro wholly condemneth these new, rebellious, and difordered fpirits, that ritu initiatos challenge and ufurp the office of preaching, and other facred actions Apoftolatu nemo eft qui dufrom heaven, without the Churches admiffion. With thefe Divines bitat.Spondan. agree Baronius and A Lapide. Baronius faith, Paul and Barna- epit. Ann.Barbas (witneẞ S. Luke) did by impofition of hands after prayer and ron. ad Ann. fasting receive power to preach the Gospel every where: for of their Chrifti 44. initiation to the Apoftolate by that facred rite there is none who doubt- Quarto quia eth. A Lapide who as before was noted, reciteth and refuteth Chriftus ordithe opinions of Suarez and Cajetan against S. Paul's ordination navit Apoftolo in this place, doth give four pregnant Reasons to prove the con- epifcopos,hi atrary. His fourth Reafon is, Because Cbrift ordained his Apostles lios, ergo to Bishops, they, other perfons; therefore S. Paul was ordained by them. ordinatus eft, For this Hierarchick Order inftituted by Chrift doth require, That hoc enim poftu whereas he ordained Peter and the Apostles, all others should be or- lat, ordo Hiedained by them or their fucceffors. Do any object and fay, He faith rarchicus a Chrifto infti. the Apostles, not Lucius, &c. ordained S. Paul and Barnabas : tutus, ut cum.c ipfe Petrum Apoftolos, ordinavit, cæteri omnes ab eis vel eorum fuccefforibus ordinentur, A Lap. ad Act. 13.3

May

Se&. 32.

P