A defence of Mr. John Cotton from the imputation of selfe contradiction, charged on him by Mr. Dan. Cavvdrey written by himselfe not long before his death ; whereunto is prefixed, an answer to a late treatise of the said Mr. Cavvdrey about the nature of schisme, by John Owen ...

Touching the third Contradiction.

The third Contradiction is decyphe∣red thus.

3. The key of Or∣der is Common to all the members of the Church: keyes pag. 8. Then say we, to Women and Chil∣dren.

3 It is not every place, or Order in the Church, that giveth Power to Receive Ordinances, much lesse to Dispense them, as Children and Women, Way cleared part. 2. pag. 19.

Ans. 1. It hath been Answered a∣bove, that such Generall Propositions hold true, notwithstanding some knowne particular exceptions. It is appointed to all men once to Dye: which is an un∣doubted Truth, though Enoch and Elias never Dyed.

Ans. 2. The Children of Church-members are in Order to Baptisme, but excluded from the Lord's Table. 1 Cor. 11. 28.

Women have some parts of the key of

Order, whereby they have power to walke Orderly themselves, and in a pri∣vate way to help others to walk Order∣ly also, Act. 18. 26. Tit. 2. 3, 4, 5.

Only they have not Power to Admit members, choose Officers, censure Of∣fenders. But if they have any part of the power of the keyes, the Proposition is true, yea and it were true also, though they had been kept from all Interest in the Exercise of the keyes.