Is the !J{grnifh 'Baptifm and Ordination null? Q!e!l:. l· Whether zve nmfl take tJ,e !J{ginijh (lergy for true Minijl:ers of (/,rift? .J{nd tvhet/;er their 'Baptijm, imd Ordinationbe nullities ? J Joyn thefe two di£\inll Qld\ions together tor brevity. . {. As 1ru~ fignifierh Regularly t:alled, G1 they arc CO\'llmonly Irregtt!:~r ,and not Tr1te Minilkn. But as 1rue fignilierhReal oppo[c:d ro a 1suL'ity, fo it is now to be further confidered. 2 • The doubt lycth eithn of the (ufficicHcy of his Call, or of fomcwhat that is fuppofed to ddlroy it by contradiction or redundancy, I· Whethtr he want any thing of abfolutc neceiliry to rhe oilice, who is called in the Church of Rome, or 2· Whether there be any thing in his office or entr.mce, which nullitieth or invalidarerh that which tlfc would be fufficient? f~r the firll doubt, it is not agreed on among P.tpifis or Prordlants what is of necel1ity to the Being of the office. Some think real Godlincfj in the perfon is nece1f.uy ; but moft: think not : fomethink that Vifiblr, that is, fccming profiffid GodJiJJeji, nvs dijprovtd by morcal fin is necdfuy; and fome think net: fome think the peoples .Election is necdf.ny, and that ordimtion is but ad bene effi ; and fomc thinkordil:ation nec{irary ad cffi, and Elctiia11 ad bnrr tffi, or nor at all: And fome think Bothnecdf.uy ad c.ffe, and (Qme Nlirlur : Some think the Ji.l~ttion ot the people is ~ece~ary, and fome think only~ their Confint is necdfuy, though :iftet ElfC:hon,by. others ; Somethmk 1t mufi be the Confent.of all the flock or necr all; And (ome only of the Ml)Or part; And (ome of the Better pm, rhough the Minor. Some think theOrdination of a Dioccfane Bifhopnecctfuyad cffe, and fome not. Sotne think tht J"ruth of the Ordah:erJ COllin:.,, or pvwer, m be necdfary to tht v.alidiry of his Ordination, and fame not •fom.ethink the number of two or three or more Ordainers to be nccdfary",and forne not: Come think it necdfary to the validity of tht Minillry that it come down from the Apotties by an un– intCtJ\lpted fuccdlion of truly Ordained BJhops, and forne think not : fome few rhi.nk that the Ma– giftratucommand or licence is necdfai:y, and only it, a~d mofi deny both. J ufm[on,. alias, 'ferret, the Papifi, in his Difputacion againft me, m<~.intaineth that Con[ecration is not nccdT.uy ad effe, nor any one way of Elctli.m, by t.hefe or thofe, but only rhc: Churches reception upon fuch an Elc6tion as· may give them notice, and which may.be different, according to different times, places and other circumttanccs. . Jn the midO of thefe confufions what is to be held? I have opened the Cafe as fully and plainly as l can, in my 2 DiJPut. of Cb. Gov. about Ordination, to which I mufi refer the Reader : Only hEre brid1y touching upon the furn. 77 5 I· There arc fomc pcrfo,u l qualificationr nccdfary to the being of the office (of which anon ) and F.ph.. 4. 6) ~; fome cmly to the: n:cU·bt:ilfg. S, 9) 10, 1' 2. The t.fficiwt convcj'i~tg cau[e of Power or rili.::e, i~ GodJ wiU jigHified in his own efiabli(hcd Law; fl.~_at.:S. n,»– in which he dc.rcrminu h that fiecb perfon.J .fo called jhaU recrive fr(Jm him fuch l'ower and be obliged to l~·. ~~.s;8' {u.cf.Hfficc-adminijlraJions. · . Aft. 14 . :~. 3· Any Pwvidtnce of God which infJlihl}' or fatisfadorily notificth to the Church, who thcfe r Pcr. 5. 2•. pcr(oM ~ re, that rcc~ivc fuch Power horn God, doth oblige them to fubmit to thtm as fo irnpowred. -• 4· Gods ordinaJy dlablifhed way of Regular ddignation of the perfon, is by the Churches con– fem ar.d the Senior PJtlors ordination. 5· By thd(: AdioHs lht y arc: not the proper DoH(;fJ or dficients of the Power, or offi!=e given, but the Co;ifi:nt of the pwple ar~d the Ordination d9 d(termine of the Recipient) and fo are Regularly caufo fine qtta no" ot his R(C{ ption. And the Ordiliation is rn·oreovcr a{olemn Inveftiture, in the office, as whln a (en·ant is knt by ddivcring a Key to deliver pdfdfion of an Houfe, by his Mafiers confcnt, to him that had before the owners Gr;;m; And fo it ceremonioufly entereth him into vifible poffdfion; Like the fohmnizing tJ Muriage, or the lifiing of a Souldier,&c. 6. The ptr.p!cs Conftm ( bclore or after) is not only by Inftitution, but naturally neuffarJ', that a mm become a P<ofior to thofc perIOns (for no man can Learn, obey, &c. without content) : But it is not ol ncclllity to the Being of the Miniftry in General, or in the fir{\ infiant: A man without it may be auh(,n1ld ;sa Mi11ijfcr to go Preach che Gofpel forConverlion, and B.1pti1e and gather cr.urchcs, thoughnot to be their O:<~.ted Pafior. 7· When dcat~J, d~jl:mcr, ccrmpti~u, hcr[fie or malignity of Pafto:r wi~hin reach, m_ahth it irnp(>f .. fihl..: to have Orduuuon, Gods cho\Ce of the pcrfon may be notified wtthout it ; as by, 1. EmiHenl !i0alificalionJ, 2• The peoples real necrffitir:;, 3• And the removal of Impedimensi, and a concur– rence .of inviting o_ppo1tunidcs ~nd advamages; 4• .And {Qmetimes the peoples dcfire. 5· And fom.ct nms t_he Maglllratcs commdTion or conitn_r ; wh1~h though not a?fol~tely necdfary in them– fei\'CS ; yet may fnvc to d£jign theper[on and mvcft htm, when the ordmary way failcth; whiCh is ::11 that is left to Man to do, to the conveyance of the: powt:r. . : ThecafC being thus Hatcd,astowhatisneceffary to give the power oroffice we may next en-. quire whether any Papiil:sPdefi have fuch Power, by fuch means. , -:'-nd, J, We .have fuOlcient rcafon to judgc"that rna!ly of tl~em have. all the perfnnal qualifications wh1ch '" dfenually neceffny. 2. Many among thrm have the confrm of a lober Chrijlian people Ggggg · (of
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