To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
The Vse and Efficacy of the Ministry. It's opposed by open Violence, false Teachers, Divisions; the last of which occasioned the pre∣sent Vndertaking. The Case of Ordination by Presbyters stated.
THE Ministry of Reconciliation is that powerful Engine by which the strong Holds of Sa∣tan are demolished, the Gates of Hell
broken down, Sin's Captives reduced, and Trophies erected in honour of the victorious Prince of Peace. The Di∣spensation of the Gospel is the Glory of Nations, the Support of Christianity, the Shield of Truth, and the Triumph of the Cross. By this despised means Christ divides him a portion with the great,* 1.1 and shares the spoil with the strong: by the foolishness of Preaching he con∣founds the Wise, and by weak earthen Vessels he breaks the Iron-Scepter of the Prince of the Power of the Air.
For this reason it is that Gospel Mi∣nisters are so much opposed in the world, while the Prince of Darkness hath a Kingdom in it, he'l bend all his Forces against them, as Invaders of his Domi∣nions, and irreconcilable Enemies to his usurped Regiment.
Many and various are his Serpentine Devices and repeated Stratagems to render their Endeavours of winning Souls ineffectual. Sometimes he assaults them by open Violence, he pours upon them the strength of Battel, to the dis∣gracing of their Persons, the spoiling of their Goods, the infringing of their Li∣berties, and the sacrificing of their very
Lives to the insatiable Rage of unrea∣sonable Men.* 1.2 They are killed all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter, and yet in all these things are more then Conquerors through him that loved them, and hath promised his Pre∣sence with them to the end of Time: He holds the Stars in his right Hand, guides their Motions, and restores a de∣clining World by their powerful Influ∣ences.
Their restless Adversary failing in his former method transforms himself into an Angel of Light, that he may more insensibly destroy the Angels of the Churches. What he cannot effect by Power, he will attempt by Craft. He'l send forth his daring Emissaries to undermine Preaching by Preaching. Thus the Adversaries of Iudah offered to build the Temple, that they might hinder the building of it. St. Paul's E∣nemies preached Christ of envy and strife, that they might obstruct his sin∣cere Preaching. The Devil himself turns Preacher in the Pythonic Woman to scandalize the Apostle's Ministry. He emits Wolves in Sheeps cloathing to tear and devour the unwary Flock.
If he be defeated in this Attempt, he'l make trial of skill in as pernicious a way as either of the former, to wit, by ali∣enating their Affections, and imbitter∣ing their Spirits towards one another. He arms them with Weapons that are forreign to the nature of their warfare, he turns their Plow-shares into Swords, and makes Ambassadors of Peace to become Heralds of War, and the Fathers of Vnity Sons of Discord.* 1.3 Of all Divisi∣ons those amongst Ministers have the saddest tendency; of all the Divisions of Ministers, those that concern their Mi∣nisterial Call are the most destructive.
It is not strange that Romish Priests should Condemn all Reformed Ministers without distinction, that the spurious Offspring of the Scarlet Whore should conspire against the Seed of the Wo∣man, that the Ministers of Antichrist should reject the Ministers of Christ. Their unmerited Condemnation is our Convincing Justification.
But that which administers just cause of Sorrow, is to behold Protestant Mi∣nisters uncharitably Arraigning one a∣nother. Some unthinking Dissenters ignorantly condemn all that are Ordain∣ed
by Bishops as no Ministers of Christ, not considering that thereby they nul∣lifie their own Baptism, which most of them received from Episcopal Mini∣sters; if they are but meer Lay-men, their Baptism is no Baptism, and ought to be repeated in the Judgment of ma∣ny. This Principle naturally leads to Anabaptism.
On the other hand, some Dignitaries of the Church of England condemn all that are not Ordained by Bishops as no Ministers, and so they Anathematize all the Reformed Churches that have no Bishops; they affirm their Ministry and Sacraments to be meer Nullities, and that there is no Salvation to be had in their Communion; and therefore that it is safer to continue in the Roman Church: as if the empty Name of a Bishop were more necessary to Salvati∣on, then an interest in the great Bishop of our Souls, the Lord Jesus; and an Idolatrous Heretical Church under the Conduct of Antichristian Bishops, were preferrable to an Evangelical Orthodox Church without them. But these se∣vere Judges that pass a damnatory Sen∣tence upon the greatest, if not the best
part of the Reformed Churches are worthily deserted by all sober and mo∣derate Church-men.
Others of that Communion own Or∣dination by Presbyters without Bishops to be valid, but they look upon them as Schismatical, where Bishops may be had. We have no Controversie with these about the validity of Ordination by Presbyters, but about the Charge of Schism, which we conceive falls upon the Imposers of unscriptural Conditions of Ordination.
Others allow Ordinations by Presby∣ters in the Forreign Churches, who have no Bishops; but they Censure such Or∣dinations for Nullities, where Bishops may be had, as in England. Our pre∣sent Controversie is with these. For the stating of the Point in difference, we'l consider, 1. Wherein we are agreed; 2. Wherein the real difference lies.
We agree,
1. That Christ hath appointed a Mi∣nistry in his Church. A Gospel Mini∣stry is not of Humane, but of Divine
Original. It belongs to Jesus Christ to institute what sort of Officers must serve in his House.
2. We agree that the Ministry is a standing Office to continue in the Christian Church to the end of Time, Matth. 28.19, 20.
3. That no Man ought to take upon him the Sacred Office of a Minister of the Word, without a lawful Calling or Mission, Rom. 10.14, 15. Ier. 14.14. Heb. 5.4.
4. That Ordination is always to be continued in the Church, Tit. 1.5. 1 Tim. 5.21, 22.
5. That Ordination is the Solemn set∣ting apart of a Person to some Publick Church-Office.
6. That every Minister of the Word is to be Ordained by Imposition of Hands, and Prayer with Fasting, Acts 13. 3. 1 Tim. 5.22.
7. That he who is to be Ordained Minister must be duly qualified both for Life and Ministerial Abilities, according to the Rules of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1.6, 7, 8, 9.
In these things which comprehend all the Essentials of the Ministry, what∣ever
more, we are fully agreed.
The main difference is about the Per∣sons Ordaining. We say, Ordination may be perform'd by meer Presbyters. Some of our Brethren of the Episcopal Persuasion say, That no Ordinations are valid but such as are done by Dio∣cesan Bishops. The common Cry a∣gainst Protestant dissenting Ministers is, That they are no true Ministers of Christ, but Intruders and false Prophets. And why so? Not because they are not Orthodox in their Doctrine, for they have subscribed all the Doctrinal Articles of the Church of England: Nor can they charge them with Insufficiency or Scandal, for they are generally Persons of approved Abilities, exemplary Con∣versations, and great Industry in the Lord's Vineyard, who seek not their own things, but the things of Christ. They are willing to be tried by the Characters of Gospel Ministers. Where lies the defect then? why in this, they are not Ordained by Bishops. They de∣rive not their Power from such Dioce∣sans as pretend to an uninterrupted Suc∣cession down from the Apostles. They were Ordained by meer Presbyters that
have not the Ordaining Power, and none can communicate that to another which he hath not in himself.
Our Case then in short is this, Whe∣ther Ordination by meer Presbyter's, with∣out Diocesan Bishops, be valid. The Que∣stion needs but little Explanation.
By Ordination, I mean the setting of Persons apart by Imposition of Hands for the Sacred Office of the Ministry.
By Presbyters, I understand Gospel Ministers, who are called to the Over∣sight of Souls, and to whom the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are committed.
By Diocesan Bishops I intend that Spe∣cies of Church Officers which claim to themselves a Superior Power of Order and Jurisdiction above Presbyters, and to be the sole Pastors of several hundreds of Congregations, having Parish Priests under them who have no Power of Dis∣cipline in the Church.
By valid, I mean not what the Old Canons make so, but what the Scrip∣tures determine to be so. Those Sacred Oracles which are of Divine Inspirati∣on, and not Arbitrary Canons of weak Men's devising, are the Foundation of our Faith, and the infallible Standard by
which Truth and Errour must be tried.
The Question being thus explained, I affirm,
That such as are set apart with Impo∣sition of Hands for the Office of the Mi∣nistry by Gospel Ministers, without the Species of Church Officers who claim a superior Power over Presbyters, are re∣gularly Ordained, and their Ordination is valid according to the Scriptures.
This Truth I hope to demonstrate by the following Arguments.
Isa. 53. 12.
Rom. 8. 36, 37.
Eph. 4. 11, 14.