78o Is the law[r<l11cjS of tiJ~ Paftors Call bfJeutial to a Church ! withom Herdic. 2. Tolerable Ability to teach thcfe to the people, and perform the other dfen– tials of his office. 3· Sincere Go~limfs, w do all this in Love and obcdiwce to God as hit Servmt, in order to liteeternal. 2. And he is thus no true Paftor as to Gods acccpt:mcc of bim{tlf, who hath not a lawful Co1lling; that is, 1. Ordination, when it may be had; 2· The Col1/tnt or Re– uj>tioiJ. of tha't Church of whiCh he pretenderh to be Pa.ftor, \\•hich is fiill ilecdfary, and mufi be had~ il Ordination canner. · 1 f. But in the fc:cond fenfe, he is a Pafior fo far as that God will own his Adminifirations as to the PtoplcJ Good, who J. Hlth poffcffiM, 2. And jfemeth to them to haVe necrffary qualificatiout, and :~ lJwful eaU, though it prove otherwife, fo be ir, ir be not through their wilful taulr, rhu he is Culpable Aft '· 17· or they mifiakcn in him. If he be not a true.Brlievcr but an lnhdcl,or Heretick, he is no Minijter as M .r·.7· 22 • to bimfelf, that is, God will ufe him as an Vfurper that harh no title: But if he prof(fl to ht. a bclitvtr when he is not, he is a true Paflor vilibly to the p~ople; Otherwife they could never know/when they have a Pallor: Even as real faith makes a real Chrijlian, -and Proft.ffed faith maketh a vijiblt Ghri– ftian, fo is it as to the Minifiry. U he{tem to underjhmd the Arricles of faith and do not, or if he Jet m to have due ordinationwhen he hath not, if he be upon this miflakc Accepted by the people, he is a true Viflblc Pallor as to tbcm, that is, as to their Duty and Benefit, though not as to himfelf. Yea, the peoples confcnt to his emra1zce is not necdf.uy ad cffe, nor to his Relation neither, fg far as to jufiifie himtclf, but to his Adminiftrations and tohis Relation, fo far as their own Rightand bentfit is imerdfcd in it. So rhattwo rhings arenecdliry to fuch aVifible Pallor as Chall perform valid adminifintions to the Church, I· Secmingnecdfary qualifi~.JtianJ and Calling to ir. 2. PPfF'f!ion, by the peoples Re. ception or Confent to his Adminiflrations and Relation fo far as to their bQJ:dit. · And I I. Thus alfo we mufi difiingui!h of the word [Church J It ·is, I· Such an entire Chrillian fociety as harh a Miniflcr or PaOor whofe office is valid as to him{elf and them; Or it is fuch afociety only as harh a Pafior whofc:: office is valid to thembut not to himfelf: Let us not confound the quefii– on de re and de nemine. Thefe focicties differ as is faid. Both may fitly be called True Churches. As it is with a Kingdom which hath aRightful Prince, and one that bath 'o.n Vjitrp<r, [o is it here I· If it ha.ve a Rightful King accepted, it is a Kingdom in the fulldl fenfe: 2. If it have an Vfurpe; accepted as King, it is a Kingdom, but faulty. 3· If the Ufurper be only fo far accepted as that the people confent not to his entrance, no nor his Relation fo as to jufiitic his title, but wi{h him ea{\: out if thty could procure it ; bur yet confent to teccive that Protdlion and Juftict which is their own due from the pofi'dfour, and confcnt to his Relation only thus far, this is a Kingdom trulJ', but more defe~ive or maimed than the firfi. 4· But if the people do not fo much as Receive him, nor fubmit. to his Adl1liniCirations, he is but a Conqrttro1l1', and not a King, and it is (in ICfpui to him) HIJ Kingdom, (though in rtfpetl to feme other that hath title and confent without actual pof– fdfion of the Adminifirarion, it may be a Kingdom. ) • And this is the true and plain folution of this qudcion, which wane of diHinClion doth ob_fcure. <4:ef1:. 8. Whether jiucere faitiJ mld Godlimfs be necejJary to tl>e :Being of the Mmifhy? And wbeclier it be lawful to hear a JVicked man, or take the Sacrament t from him, or take him for aMinifter. THis qllefiion r<e<iv;th the very fame, foll.otion with the lall for<going, and therefore I need not fay much more to lf, I. The fir(\ part is too oft refolved mifiakingly on both extreams. Some abfolutely faying that Godlitt(fl or Faith i~ not nec(Jf~ry ,to .the Bein~ of the Min~Ciry ;_ And fome that it ~ ntceJJ~ry. ~fi~reas the 1 rue folution JS as aforda1d ; Smcere fauh and Godhnefs IS ncC(ffary to make a man a Mmtficr fo far as that God will own and jufiifie him as ftnt by himfclf, as to his own Dmy and Btnefit : For he Cinnot be Internally, and Heartily a Chrifiian Pallor that is no Chrifiian, nor a Miniflcr of God, who is not Godly, that is, Is nor truly Rcfigned to God, obcyeth him not and Loveth him not as God•. ~ut yc.t the Reali1y of thefe are not necdfary to make him aVifible Pallor, as to the Peoples Duty a.d Benefit. . · 2· Bllt the l'nfrffion of true Faith and GodlineP is necdfary fo far, as that without it the people ollght not to take him for a Yi!ible Minificr, (as the profdlion of Chrifiianity · is to a vi!ible Chritlian.) . 3• And in their choice they ought to prefer him wer~ parib~~<, whofe profetlion is moll cre– dible. Obj. That wiJicb mak,sth aMi11ij1er UGifu a1td a CaVing, which are dijlintl from Grace antl real Chrijtianity. An[w. Every Minitfcr is a Chrifiian, though every Chrifiian be not a Miniflcr or Pafior: Therefore he thu is a Yifible Paftor mufi Yi!ibly or in Piofdlion have both. Obj.
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