Of the Calling, Power, a~1d Succe.fion of Minifters. 71;" pant: ex nomiue ot?UitJ qu~rt : fervos & anciUM ne dtJPiciM] (as Bi!hop Vjhcrs old Latine Tranfl. hath Vid. Ju(ti'lf. it ) [Let Congregation! be often held : Enquire aftrr aU by namt : Vrfpi[e not Servants and Maidt. J ~'J'· Apol. '· The Bifhop too_k notice of every.Servant and Maid by name ; and he had opportunity to fee whe~ A~oi. ~~~~.' ther they were 1n the CongregatiOn. . 9 • You mufl ufe him as your Leader or Cha!'lpion again!\ alll1ereticks, Infidels and fubtle adver· farics of the uuth, with whom you are unable to contend your [elves, that your Bifhop may dear up and defend the c~ufe of Chrift and rig~teoufne[s, and by i~rcfiftible evidence, ~op t~e mouths of all 1hope :dl this gain-faycrs. It 15 for your own ben~fit, and not for tbtzrJ, that you are ~equucd tn all thcfe wor~s wi!l tell ~ou of their office to ufe ~hem and readlly obey them. And what hurt can tt do you to obey them m "hat a ~11hop any of rhefc ? . • ., inJeed 13, §· 9 • Direct.;. Vnlerj!and how it i< that Chrij! datiJ Jt<tlmixe and fend [vrth bit Minij!ers, left Vireli. 3• JYolveJ and deceivers fhould either obtrude tbemfelves upon yo~t M y:mr l:~wful PJjlorJ, or fooufd alienate Y'" from thofe that God bJth Jet ever you, by pnz;ling )''" in fubtle qt<rj!ianing or difputing again}! their eaU. Not only Pauls warnings, Atl. zo. )O· and 2 'I'im. 3· 6. but lamentable experience, rclleth us what an eager defire there is ifl. ProHd and Self-co1tceittd men, m obtrude themfelvcs as Teachers ancl Pafiors on the Churches, to creep into houfeJ and lead people captive, and draw away Difciples after them and {a\j (and perhaps think) that at her! arC: J.ectiverJ, and none are the true Teachers indeed but they. And the firfi part of the art and work of wolves, is to fcpnate you from your PajforJ, and catch up the O:raglers that are rhus fepuated: The malice, and flmders and.lies, and railing of hirelings and deceivers and all the powers of Hell, arc principllly poured out on the f'aiJhful :Pajfurs and [eadmof the flocks : The prin,ipal work of the Jcfuits again(! you, is to make you believe tl>at ' your Patlors are no true Pafiors, but uncalled priv.ne perfons, and rneer ufurpers : and the rea(on ~tot. de ~mfi .. mu£\ be, becaufe they have not an Ordination of Bi!hops fllcceffivcly from thc.Apofiles without inter- ~~~~flo;di~ 1 uprion. I confefS if our interruptions had ~een half as lamentable as theirs (by their Schifms, and n~re ~~{lores. variety of Popes at once ; and Popes accufed, or.condemned by General Councils, for Hereticks; :t-.:eq; 1~ offi.. and their variety of wayes of tled:ing Popes, a~d their incapa~hies by' Simony, llfurpation, &c. ) I ~~-~~:~~£h:: (hould think at leaf\ that our AnctftorJ had cau(e to have qucfi10ncd the callmg of forne that were jus aut il!ius then 0ver them. But 1 will help yott in a .few words to difcern the jugling of thefc deceivers, by eccleliz P~· 01ewing you the truth concerning the way of Chrifis giving his commillion tO the MiniHers that are llores (unt, . truly called~ and the ncedlefncfs of the pr?of ?f. an ~nlnterrupted fuc<;effion of regular ordination, ~~~~~~~1 ;fi;tto your reception of your P.lflorsand rheu Mmtflrattons. . . CatholiC<l!o 9· IO• The ininij1eri11l commiffim is contained in, and conveyed by the Law of Cbrift, which is the Charter of the Church, and every true ~i!hop or Pafl:or bath his Powtr fro'lJ Chrijt, and not at all See in Grotira from the efficient conveyance of any mortal man : Even as Kings have their power not from man, but dt Imptt./!6:· fromGvd him(t:lf, but w!th this ~iJference, that in r.he Churcb Chrifi hath immediatly determined of ~~t~~!~e~a;; rhe [pecier of Church offices, but m the Civil G1vermnen1. 1 only of the Genu1 ( abfolutdy and imme- dif!inaion of diatly.) You cannot have a plainer ~llufiration, than by confidering how Mayors and Bailiffs and 1. Ipfa fa~ut- . <:onflables are annually made in Corporations :TheKiog by hi~ Charter faith that[every ye~r at acertain f:~~a~~~~~n~ ttme the f reemen or BurgejfeJftJaU meet, and ehoofe one to be tbezr Mayor, and the Steward dr 1own Clerlt,. claves adffii– jh~JU givt him l1iJ oath, a~d thiH o.r he jh~JU be invijfcd i11 his place, and this jhaUbe hiJ power a;td Jl'orlt nillr~ndi,(~uod and nootbtr: J So theKmg by hiS Law appointcth that Contlables and Church-wardens fhall be chofen M.llfdatum in every Paritb. ~owlet our two quefiions be here dedded ; r. Who it is that giverh thefc Officers vocat-. ,. . their Po~et? 2· Whether an uninterrupted fucceffion of fuch officers through ;.l~ generations fince l~t;j~;~~~c:~~:~ the cna8mg of that Law be ncceffary to the validity of the prefent offic:ers authort[y? To the tirfl ti5ad cc: 1 ·t;\m It is certain that it is tlu Ki11g by his Lar. or Charter that giveth the offictrs their power; and thar th~ p=rrltn2m,-viz. Corporations and ParijT1eJ do n~t give it t~ern by eleUing, or inv{Jfing them; yea though the King hath Ortlitrario.; . mad~ fuch eltliion and Invrj.ht~re to bem a fort hi1 ~nftrumrnt in the conveying ir, ic is bur, as the ~~j~~~~cfo:1'; openmg of the door, to 1et them m, fine quo non; but 1t dorh not make the J,iflrument! to be at all ad certum the GivtrJ of the Power, .nor were they the ~eceiv~ng, or cantainhzg mediattc:ut{tl ofit. The King never cce·um ~to-. g:tvt them the Power whtch the officers recetve, etthcr to V{e, or to Give : but only makes the Ele[JerJ 'um,."'1 '-· his lnfiruments to determineof the pr!rfon that fhall receive the Power immediately from the Law Eltt'f~0d · or ~ha.Iter; and the InviflcrJ he maketh bis InjlrumentJ offolemnizing the Tradition and admiffion: ~;r~a1~rlf~:a ~h1ch1f the La)N or C:harter make abfolutely Necdfary a4 ~Jfe officii, it wW be fo: bur if it make in.c~rto .loco ~t necdfary only a :i meluu t.ffe, or but for order and rtgul&radmittance when no ncccffity hindererh mmt!lenun\ 1t, the nrctnity. w~ll ben~ ~ore.. And to rh: fecond .quc11io.n~ It is ~lain that the Law which is the ~~1~~ce:er~~Fundamemum ;uru rcmammg fi1ll the fa~c, 1f a P.u1ili omtt for dtvers years to choofe any Con- tidio ac ~bO:able or Chmch-warden, yet the n<.Xt tJtne they do chnofe one according to Law, the Law doth lid authvri· autho.rize him, ncverthclefs, though there was an interruption or vacancy fo long : And {6 in Cor- t.1te, vi'-: porauons, ( unlcfs the Law or Charter fay the contrary ) : fo is it in the prefcm cafe. 1• It is the co•{it~nattl. efiabliihed La~ of Cbrijf, whic.h dcfcribcth the offi~e, dtterm~neth ~f the degree and kj;zd of power, ~:n;:~~u .. and Granteth or Conveyeth 1t, when the perfun IS derermmcd ot by the Eletlors and Ordainers neris mHiru~ ~hou£,h by Ordin.Jtion the Delivery and Admiffion is regularly to be folemnized ; whic:h actions are 0[ tioncm :i ~eo )Ufi (o ~uch nec~ffity as that Law hath made them, and no more. 2· And if there were never fo ;;~~;~~idp~:long an mter.rupuon or vacancy, he that afterw_ard entereth lawfully, fo as to want nothing which the fl:oribus)Con.. ~aw o~ ChnH hath made necdfary to the Bemg of the office, doth receive his power neve 1 rhdcfs 6rmarionem 1mmedtatly from the Law of Chrill. And BeUarmine himfelf faith that it is not necdfary to the f~~~~~=~~~ tdl:uc:: So th.tt th: COubt is cntyabout e~e·~ion. (Which yet mull be diAi=renced. from confem.) people,
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