794 Of Ordination: W!Jat, and by whom ? another lhou!d choofc their own Paftors: But there is no Reafon ( nor Scrip!Ure ) lhat thj.J Congre~ gation choofc: a Minifier to convert the World. 11 I. I conclud~ therefore that the Call of a Minifi<r in General doth confifi, 1. Difp,fitivrly in the dm ~ualijicatto111and <nablcmcnt of the pcrfon: 2· And the Necc!Jity of the ptople, with oppor– tunity, is a providential part of the Call. 3· And 1he ordaimrs arc the Ordtrly Electors and determiners of thqll:rfon that fl1al1 receive the power from Chritl. · I• For this is part of thepower of the Keyes or Church·Government ; 2. And Paul giveth rhis di~ a. Tim·l· 6,7. rc8::ion for cxcrcifing of this power to Timothy, which 01ewcth the ordinary way of Calling, 2 Tim. T1t. "5, 6 • 2· 2· And tht thingu:vhich thott baflluardof me among many wiuujJu, the[~me commit thou to faitl:ful men, who .foaU be able to teacb otiJer1 alfo. Act. I3· 1, 2,3. "there Jt'tre m the Churcb at Antioch certain ProphttJ, ----A1 they minijfrcd to tbe Lord, the Holy Ghoft [aid, fopa'1ate me Bunabas and Saul for the worJt wbereH1tlo I have c.zUcd them; And when thry bad fafttd and P'"yed,.and laid their bnd1 •n thtm, they font them away. And tb•y being font f orth by the Holy Gbojl, d%/arted. In this (whether it be to b: called an Ordination, or rather a MijJion ) there i~ fomewl\it Otdinary (that 11 be by men m office) and fomcwhat extraordmary ( that 1t be by a fp<C!a] mfp~ration of the Holy Ghotl. ) A€r. t3. :a. Rom. loT, 1 Tim.4.lf· And timothy received his Gifts and Office by the Impofition of the hands of Paul and of the Fmbytcry. 1 Tim. 4· 14. 2 Tim. 1. 6. 1 Tim. 5· a. Lay handr fuddenly on noman. Thcf~ inlbnccs make rhc cafe the tlcarcr, I · Bccau[e it is certain that all that Governing power which is given by Chritl to the Church under the name of the Keycs, is given to the Paftm: 2 • Be– caufc there are no other competitors, to lay a reafonable claim to it. Qyef!:. '9· Wherei11 co11jijteth the Power and Nature of Ordination ? And to 1vhom doth it belong ? And u it an AEl ofJurifdiflion f And io Impojition of bands ne• ce./Jary i11 it ? I. THis is rcfolved on the by before. •· Ordination performeth two things; •· The dtfignation, election or dmrmination of the perfon who !hall reteive the Office : 2. The Miniflerial In– vtjliture of him in that office: which is a Ceremonial delivery of Polfeffion ; As a fervant dorh deJi– vupolfdlion of a houfe by delivering him the Kry, who bath before received the power or Right from the Oamtr. 2. The office delivered by this Elellion and Invefliture, is the facred MinilleriaJ office in General to be after cxcrcifcd according to particular CalJs"'and opportunities ; As Chrifi called the Apofiles, and the Spirit called the ordinary general Teachers of thofc times ; fuch as Barnabas, Si/,u, SilvanuJ, Timothy) Ep,pbroditus, ApoUo, &c. ·And as is before cited, 2 Tim. 2· 2· As a man is made in General a Licen{(d Phyficion 1 Lawyer, &e. 3· This Ordiuation is Ordi11H gratiii, ncctjfary to order: and therefore fo far n(ceifuy as Order is necdTa.ry : which is OrdiJtarily, when the greate-r interefi of the fubfiantial duty, or of the 1'hi11g Or– dmd is npt ag•in!l ir. As Chritl determined the cafe of Sabbath keeping, and not eating the Shew– bi(ad. As the Sabbath rvas made for man, and"not man for the Sab~t~th, and the tnd is to be preferred b.cfore fhc fcparable means: fo ordi11ation was infiituted for order, and order for the thing ordered and for the work of the Gofpel, and the good of fouls, and not the Gofpel and mens fouls tor that Order: Therefore when, 1. The death, l• Difiance, 3• Or malignity of rhe Ordainers dcprivcth a man of Ordination, thtfc three fubfiitut<S may notilie to him the WiU of God, that he is by him a perfon called to th•t office: I· Fitmpfor thewor/v, inVnderftanding, WiUingnifi and Ability; 2· The Ne· ccffityof fuulr, 3• Opportunity. I I. The power of ordaining belongeth not, ,, To Magifirates, 2. Or to private men, either fingle or as the body of a Church; but 3· To the Senior Fafiors of the Church ( wherhcr Bi!hops or Frcf– byt<rs of a di!lind: order, the Reader mufi not exped: that I here determine): f'.or, l• The Power is by ChrHl given ro them, as is before proved; and in Tit. r. 5· 2. Noneelfe arc ordinarily able to difcern aright the Abilities of a man for the facred Minifiry. The people may difcern a profitable moving Preacher, but whtther he undertland the Scripture, or the fubllancc of Religion, or be found in the faith aHd not Heretical, and delude them nor with a form of welt utt_ered words, they are not ordinarily able to judge. • _ 3· None clfc a.rc fit ro atten_d this work, but Pafiors who are feparated to the facred offict". It re– quiret)l more time to get !itnefs for it, and then to perform it faithfully, than either Magifirates or. people cJ.n ordinarii¥ bellow. ' · 4· The power is no where given by Chrifi to Magifirates or people. 5· It both been rxercifed by Pajlorr or Church-officerSonly both in, and ever fince the Apofiles day«, ina!i the Chu!Chts of th.e World. And we have no rcafon to think that the Church hath betn ga– thered
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