79 8 Horv mmzy Ordainers necejJary. Of '13ijhops difagreement in Ordination. Ejufdem r~~ · C1CI veJ IO!C• rioris: H)w then is the Pope Or· <hincd os mlde~ Qgefl:. 11. How ma1zy Ord,liners are necejJary to t/Je 1Jalidity of Ordination by Godr injlitution ! Whetker one or more! My ~ell:ion is not of the ancient Canons, or any humane Laws, or cufiomrs : For thofe are eafily known. But of Divine Rigbt: Now either God hath determined the cafe as eo the number of Ordaincrs necdfuy, or not: Ifnot, either he hath given the Church fome General rule w determine it by, or nor. If nor, then the uumber is not any put of the Divine Order or Law And then, if we fuppofe that he hath derennined the cafe as to the Ordaining office and not to th; Numbc1·, then it wil~ follow thlt one may fcrvc. The truth I think may be thus explained. I· There is Ordo(lfficiali4 primari~H, and ordo ordinif, vrl t;x:trcitii, vel foctmdariJU ; An Order of Officr primuy, an_d an Order of Exer_cife fecundary, in the Church. As to ~he firfi, the Order ofoffice, God hath determmcd, that the O~dammg officers, and no others, fha11 ordam officers, or give Orders. And having not determined whether one or more, it followcth that the orelin111ion of one fole lawful or.. d.Jinir is .no mt1"ity on that account becaufe it is but one, unlcJs fornewhat elfe nuJlific it. 2 God hath givcnGmcral Rules to theordainers for the due t~ercife of their office, though he:: h•ve not determined of any fet number. Such as are thefe : That all things be done in Judgement Truth, Love, Concord, ro the Churches Edification, Unity and peace, &c. ' 3· Ac;cording to thcfc General Laws, fometirncs the ordination of one foie ordainer, •may not only be validbut rt&ular: As whtn there arc no other to concur, or none whofe concurrenc;:e is needful to any of the aforcfaid Ends. And fornetirnes theconcurrence of Many is needful, 1. To the Re.. ceivm fatisfaC\ion : 2. To the Churches or peoples fatisfathon. 3. To the Concord of Pa!\ors and of Neighbour Churches, &c. And in fuch cafes fuch yonfent or Concourfe is the Rtgular way. ' 4· Where there arc roomy Neighbour Pafiors and Churches Co necr, as that he that is ordained in ont of them, is like oft w pafs and Preach and officiate obiter in othciS, and fo other Churches mufi have Come communiou with him, it is mectcfi that there be a concurrence in the Ordination. 5· The ordaifur is ccttainly aJupcrirJur to the perfon that cometh to be ordoined while he is a pri~ vl!c man ; And thmfore fo far his ordination is ( as is faid) an Act of Jurifdifiion in the large fcnfe, that is, of Government; But whether he be necdfarity his fuperiour after he is ordained, hath too long been a Controverfic. It is certain that the Papi!\s confefs, that the Pope is ordained fuch by no fi.lp~riour : And it is not nccrfrary that a Bilhop be ordained by one or more of any fuperiour order (or Jurifditl:ion either.) And though the Italian Papi!\s hold that afuperiour Papal Jurifdiction mull n«ds be the fccond<ry fountain of the ordaining power, though the ordainer himfelf be but of the fame Order; yet Protcfiants hold no fuchthing. And all acknowledge that as Impofition of hands on a Lay man to make him a Minillcr of Chrift or an officer, is a kind of official Gtneration ¥, fo the OtdlitHd is as a Junior in Office, is as it were a Son to the Ordainer as the Convert is faid to be pe– culi.uly to his Converter: And that a proportionable honour is fiill to be given him. But whe– ther he that ordaincth a Presbyter and not he that ordaincth or Confccrateth a Biibop, mufi needs be of a fupcriour order or office is a queHion which the Reader mu!\ not expect me here to meddle with. Qgeft. 2 3· What if one 'BijfJop ordain aMinijler, and time or mm!J or all the rejl: protejl againjl it, ami declare him no Mmijler, or degrade him? Is be to be receiwd ao atrue Mmijler or uot? SUppofing that the pcxfon want no necdfaxy pcrfonal ~alification for the office, Thexe are two things more in qucHion; 1. His Offict whether he be a Minificr. 2. His R.egularit,, Whether he c1mc Regularly to it ; and alfo his Comparativt relation, whether this man or ~tnother. is to be pre.. f.:rrcd. 1 anfwer therefore. t. If the petfon be utterly uncapable, the one Bifhop or the many whofoever takcth him for unca· pJblc, isfor theTruth fai{_t to be believed and obeyed. 2. If the rn•n beexcclkntly qualified, and his Miniflrygrefttly Nm{fary to the Church, whoever would deprive the Church of him be it the One or the Ma11y> is to be difobeyed, and the ordainers prerc,nd. Ooj. £111 rvho ]hallj"fg< l Anfrv. The Effe is before the Scirt: The thing is fir{\ 1rllt or falfe be– fore I jud!,< it to be la : And thnefore wborver judguh falfly in a cafe fo notorious and weighty, as lhJt the \,.vdflrc of the Church and fouls is ( confidcratU cM/iderandH) injured and hazarded by his enour, is_r.ot be bcli~vcd nor obeyed on pr,tcnce of order. Becaufe all Chriftians have jHdicium d!f crcti.:1;i1, a di.fccrr.ing )Udbcmcnt. S· Bu~
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