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?

SECT. IX. Another Argument.

NOW to this last, in page the 9th, I frame this Syllogism: Those Gifts which have been, and are many times in the same, are not so Contradistinct as they cannot subsist in the same Subject.

But many of these Gifts in the Text have been, and often are in the same Subject; Ergo.

My Major is clear from the Act: that which hath been, and is, is possible, and crosseth not the nature of any thing.

My Minor may be proved in the Lump: First, I doubt not to say, that the Apostles had all these; for they were Prophets,

they were Minsters, they were Doctors, Teachers, Exhorters, did give to the poor, did rule, had bowels of mercy, with all the requisites.

Take Prophesy for Preaching, many a man now hath all these in the same Lump.

Secondly, Teacher and Exhorter cannot be severed: This Gentleman stiles himself, Pastor of the Church of Hertford upon Connecticutt, in N. England, Mr. Cotton Teacher of Boston in N. England, both of them have written concerning these busi∣nesses. If a Pastor be an inconsistent Office with a Teacher, why doth Mr. Hooker teach, and so Logically endeavour to prove his Doctrine? and Mr. Cotton the Teacher, use Rhetorick to per∣swade? These things seem to me inconsistent, a Teacher, and not an Exhorter, or an Exhorter, and not a Teacher: so farre they are from being inconsistent one with the other, that they cannot exist well one without the other; and for this particular phrase, Distributer, or Giver, neither one nor other be good men, unlesse they be both; the Clergy must not be altogether upon the receiving hand, there is time and place for them to give, as well, yea rather than others, and take Care of the poor, and have bowels of Compassion towards them, and by their good Example exhort others to do as they do. I have been something too tedious here; but this will save future labour.