A treatise of the nature of a minister in all its offices to which is annexed an answer to Doctor Forbes concerning the necessity of bishops to ordain, which is an answer to a question, proposed in these late unhappy times, to the author, What is a minister?

His First Argument answered.

ONE Relate gives being and the Essential Constituting Cause to the other.

But P••stors and Peo••le, Shepherd and Flocks are Relates. He introduceth not his Conclusion, nor is it possible for him, out of these premisses; for the natural result out of these Propo∣sitions can be only, That therefore Pastor and People give the Essentials one to another, in which is not one full Term of his Conclusion. But I will examine his Major, One Relate gives being, &c. Relationis esse est ad aliud, non ab alio; and there∣fore relation, the whole Predicament is termed by the Transla∣tors of Aristotle, Ad aliquid, not ab aliquo, the whole being is a relation to another, not from another: it is true they cannot exist severed, without either is neither is in a Relative Notion; yet so we may say an Accident, it cannot be without its substance, yet that Accident doth not give the Essentials to the substance. So here you see were high amazing words to amuse the Reader with, but no force to his purpose: It may happen indeed, That one relate may Cause the other, for Cause and Effect are Relates; the Father causeth the Son, but the Son doth not give Essential being to a Father, no not as a Father, but that Act which made him a Father did it. I write this to let a Reader see, that when Propositions are delivered even by such a one as Mr. Hooker, who may have Authority with the Reader, and it may be thought will deliver nothing as an Axiom, which is not such, yet men are as partial to their Opinions as their Children, and will ex∣pound every Thing that comes in their way to the Advantage of them, yea, it will seem so to them; and therefore even these Propositions are not to be swallowed without Examination. But yet suppose this were granted, that one Relate (as he phrases it) did give the Essentials to another, would this prove, That the Election of the people by the rule of Christ did it? Certain∣ly no: for the Pastor and people are the two relates, not the Pa∣stor and Election of the people; People, and the Election of the peo∣ple

are two Things; This latter an Act of the former. He sayes Mr Rutherford seems to be much moved with this Argument; I have not seen his books, but by that I have heard of him; it would be strange he should; but I leave them together, and see what he urgeth for Confirmation of this Argument which may con∣cern my businesse; Pag. 68. He saith, the Proposition is support∣ed by the Fundamental Principles of Reason, so that he must raze out the received rules of Logick that must reject it; High language! But why so, I ask? He answers immediately, Relata sunt quorum unum constat mutua alterius Affectione; This is non-sense; for should I ask, if Vnum, which of the two? he could not answer, the reason is, because as relates there is the same reason of one as of the other; But I think he means utrumque; but Consider then, what is this to his purpose? Suppose they did Consist in a mutual Affection one of another, could one properly be said to give the Essentials to the other? The Father indeed gives the Essentials to his Son, and Father and Son do mutually as Father and Son depend upon a reciprocal Affection, as he calls it, one upon the other, but the Son cannot be said properly to give the Essentials to the Father, no not as Father, because all he hath he hath from his Father; as Suppose again a Master and Servant are relates, neither of these give the Essentials one to another; But properly that Covenant which engaged them in their mu∣tual Duties, that Covenant gave them the Essentials of that re∣lation, not one another; and therefore this Discourse, though he think it very Evident, yet begets no Acceptance in me, al∣though declared with the name of a fundamental principle: That which he deduceth, that relata are simul natura is most true, but not deduced, yea it is against that principle he deduceth it from, for that which Constitutes anothers being is prius natura to that which is Constituted, but these are simul, and therefore cannot give Essentials one to another. His Assumption, that Pastor and Flock are relates, no man (saith he) that hath sip'd in Logick, can deny; I grant it: Then (saith he) the Conclusion follows, but he sets not down what; I am sure his doth not, That this Election gives the Essentials to an Officer,

In the Conclusion he saith, Hence again it follows, that Ordi∣nation, which comes after, (he means Election,) is not for the Constitution of the Officer, but the Approbation of him so Constitu∣ted

in his Office, for relata are unum uni, saith the rule; there is no Connexion in this neither; and for unum uni, that must be understood in that particular relation, a Father may have many sonnes, and so One to Many, but there are distinct paternities, and the Logicians say, that although absolute Accidents Numero tantùm distincta, cannot exist in the same Subject at the same Time, yet relative may. So one flock may have many pastors, the Catholick Church a Thousand visible ones, invisible only Christ. The Church of Rome would desire no more, but that you grant, one ••lock must have but one Pastor; they will quickly prove the Catholick Church one Flock, and then will follow, the Pope to be the Universal Pastor; for none else pre∣tends to it; but indeed they themselves grant many Pastors to the same slock, for their Teachers are Pastors, and their Lay-Elders have Pastoral Authority of Governing. But now pun∣ctually after a long Discourse: A Paster and Flock are relates, there may be many Pastors to one Flock; where the Flock is great there must be; the Flock of Christ is the Vniversal Church, in which he hath placed many Pastors, and there is no Christian man who is a Member of Christs Flock, wheresoever he is, in the World, and finds any Pastor, but he may receive and re∣quire the Duty of a Pastor from him, and he ought to give it him. Again, there is no Pastor wheresoever he is in the world, if he find any of his Masters Flock in any place who have need of him, but he ought, out of duty, if he can to supply his lack. And thus are the mutual bond•• and relations betwixt Christs Pastors and his Flock supplyed; as soon as he is made a Pastor, the Church of Christ is his Flock; and which way he can advance the good of it, he ought, and i•• bound in Duty to do it.