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. XX. St. Ambrose Expounded.

LAstly, he hath found a piece of an Antient and truly to be honoured Father of the Church, St. Ambrose, which he rejoyceth in, like one that had met with some unexpected bles∣sing; see how he commends it; It carries (saith he) an Amazing Evidence, and again after the place quoted, The brightnesse and patenesse of the Witnesse is such as though it had been writ with a beam of the Sun, and dazles the Eyes of almost Envy it self. But observe this one thing, as he and that sort of Writers when they will urge Scriptures which they cannot find to make any thing for them, they put not down the words but Ciphers: So here the words seem to serve his turn, but the place where they are put overthrows it; (but it is not set down by him) I have hunt∣ed it out, and it is upon the first verse of the 1 Tim. 5. the words are these. Apud omnes ubique Gentes honorabilis est Senectus, unde & Synagoga & postea Ecclesia Seniores habuit, sine quorum Consilio nihil agebatur in Ecclesiâ, quod quâ negligentiâ obso∣leverit, nescio, nisi forte Doctorum desidiâ, aut potius superbiâ, dum soli volunt aliquid videri. Now consider, this is Writ up∣on the first verse before. The Words he comments on are these, Rebuke not an Elder, but entreat him as a Father, and the

younger men as brethren. St. Ambrose, with all Commentators (even Beza) doth acknowledge this word Elder to signifie an Elder in Age; St. Ambrose his words before these written down are, Propter honorificentiam aetatis majorem natu, cum mans••ctu∣dine ad bonum opus provocandum. And upon that he brings the words cited, Amongst all Nations old Age is honourable; and this word is as it were put of purpose to overthrow those men, he useth Senectus, not Presbyter, which word Senectus was ne∣ver used for an Officer; so then what doth St. Ambrose mean, but that in the Jewish Synagogue and in the Church, they used grave men to assist and counsell, without whose Advice no∣thing was done in the Church; I grant it; but these men were not your Elders, but grave and learned men to advise with; I will put in, it is fit to be so still; and for that reason Chancellors, men learned, used to sit in the Consistory. But he gives two cautions pag. 15. Wherefore let him know, (that is, the Reader) that the Elders mentioned by Ambrose, were such that their places and offices were almost worn out; (I agree) but such were not the prea∣ching Elders, (I agree to that likewise;) but say withall, that these men were not such Elders who had Office in the Church, but were Counsellors, as he saith.

His second Observation upon St. Ambrose, is, That the defa∣cing of the power and Rule of these Elders, came, as he conjectures, by the sloath, especially by the Pride of the Teachers, because they alone might be lifted up. The word in St. Ambrose was Docto∣rum, of Doctors, which was a phrase applyed to Bishops, who in his time were the only Preachers, as appears in the famous Story of St. Austin, who when he was a Presbyter, was fain to have a license to preach; now then, why he should say the sloath of the Bishops, I cannot tell, for sloathfull men are willing to have others joyned in Commission with them, that so others may act what through lazinesse they are unwilling to meddle with; but what he saith of pride may have some colour, that they would Act all alone, and so have all the Curchy and Appli∣cation made to them; therefore they would admit none of these Lay Counsellors with them. Here is the drift of his Speech, and what word in all this tends to the Addition of any Ecclesiastical Officer? much lesse by a Divine right which is pretended to, but only some Chancellor, as I have said, to advise with; and now

suppose, I say, clean contrary to him, that the sloath and pride of Bishops put all business upon these Lay men, so that indeed in our Times they are more Bishops than the Bishops, and all through their sloath, because they would not act in businesse, and pride, because they disdained to stoop to petty occasions, I doubt I should say true, and yet neither his Saying nor mine make one word for their Elders Jure Divino; the rest that he saith vani∣sheth of its self; thus they would make thems••lves eminent, by the disannulling the honor of others places, they could not be such as were of their own rank, or did possess any of their places, I grant it, neither were they such Elders as we speak of, nor you.

Thus now is apparent, I hope, how weak his Arguments are, and what he said of that place of St. Ambrose, that it had an ama∣zing kind of discovery with it, I may say of this whole discourse, that it hath an amazing kind of discovery; but what it discovers, is the strangenesse of these men, who opposing a known truth, and the universal practise of the Christian world from Christs time downward, dare urge these places for their Conceits, which had very little semblance for them, although they had been ex∣pounded by practise; but having none but great words and commendations of their own to that purpose, it will easily per∣swade men that they made first their Form, and then hunted for something to insinuate a belief, that they were induced by Scriptures; and thinking with my self upon what design they should introduce this kind of Ministry, I could imagine no rea∣son, but as when cunning people would change a Monarchy in∣to an Aristocracy, or Oligarchy, they have no way to divert the people from their old obedience, and introduce it to themselves, but by making them believe they should have some share in that Government which was ingrossed by one. So these men breaking from Episcopacy, would perswade the people from the old to the new yoak which they would impose, that they had a Share in Ecclesiastical Government, and that they should send out of them into the Consistory their Lay Elders, which would wonderfully provide for their Security and good, much better than before, with other Things of the like Nature of which I may speak hereafter; but indeed their hopes are frustrate in all this design, for they could never set up any thing more Tyrannical or Arbitrary than this.