Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

May any Paftoral po1ver bedeputed to aLay man or exercifed per alio5 ? <onfcnt and receive them, and 3· By Inveiling them by a Ddivcry of po!fdlion by lmpofition of hands. Now for all this, there needs no hum•nc fpecies of Birhops or Churches to be made. 6. Bcfides this there is need of fome overjight of thcfc Pafiors and Minificrs and fixed Biil10ps whm rhey are made; and of fomc Gener_al care: ot Pallor~ and people, if they decline to Herefi~.:s, errours, vices, or lukewarrnnefs: But for thts, I· When Magtftrates have done their part, 2. And neighbour ~1inHlers to one another, 3· And the confociatcd Bifhops to the particular ones: 4• And untixed Mi· uifiers have done their part in the places where occafionally they come, If moreover any ~General Pa. fiors or Arch-birhops a~e nccdfary, to rebuke, dire&, and perfwade the Birhops or their flocks, 6y mc!fengers, Epifiles or m prefencc, no doubt but God hath appOinted fuch as the fuccdfours -of the Apontes, Evangelifis and other Ge~eral Minillers of thofe firll timos. But if no fuch thing be appointed by Chriil, we may be fure tt IS "?' necelfar.y nor bell. _ . . If it were but confidered that the Rulmg power m the Chutch IS fo mfcparab!c from the feacb;ng power that it is cxercifed by Teaching and only by Gods word, (either generaUy, orperfimaVy applycd; and that upon none but thofe that willingly ~n.d by confent re~c:ive it, it would q_uiet the world about thefe matters. And 0 that once Magillrates wouta take the:- Sword wholly to themfdvcs, and kave Church power to work only by iu proper llrength and virtue, and- then all things would fall into joynt again; Though thclthacians,would be difpleafed. - . 1"· ~e~. jS. wJ,etber any part of ~J,e, Rroper fl'.ajlrtrRl or Epifcopal po!l'er.~~y. te giyen or dep~ted to aLay man~or ta one of anpither ,t>ffire, or W?,PY?W .!f!.O!'..IN"fJ be performed byfuel,? . . . ~ . .. _ , ~. _:: _::{ . · ' • . l. _ _j, . .1•1 't 0 • t • 1·f, . ,_ ·"·i (): 'A•fw. I. such Extrinfical, or Circum!lantial, or Accidentat.clio~ as are ~re-,II\entjo!'e~,m_:oy be done by deputies or otli.ers ( Ascallirig lhe Cnur<h together, fu~n(ng o~e.Qqer•, rec:ording altions, &c.) : . ' 1 , • C•' , · ~ 1 :;. , .• • • ... 2· The proper Epifcopal or Pa!loral work or office cannot be ~el'utcd, m ~hole or parr, a'!)' ~ther way rhan by Communication, whic;;h is, by Ordination, or makin~, ~nother '? ~':~f the.~~~~ o~. For ifit may be doneby aLay man, or 'one that is not of the ftJme order ancl Office, th~n 1.~ 1s ~q_s~t6 be called anyproptr part of the Paflonl or Epi.f<opal offi<e : If ~ Lay man, may Bapti,ze, or admininer the Sacrament of Chri!ls Body and Blood, or may ordain, or excomml<nicate ( ecclefiafiically ) or Ab– folve, meerly becaufe a Bilhop authorizeth or Eiddeth him, tlien r. What need Chrifi h.ve rmde a11 office work of it, and perfons be Devoted and Confecratcd to i! ? 2· And why may not the peoples elettion and theKings Commiffion fcrve to enable a Lay m~n to do it? For if Gommandin~ only be proper fo the Bilbop ot Pallor, and t:<tcutinr; be common to Lay men, it's certain th!t the King mayGommand •ll Birhops and Paj!m to do their office work ; And therefore he may command a Lay man to do that which a Bijhop may command him to do. 3· And is it not a contradiction to fay that a man is a Lay man, or ofanother Order, who is Autha.. rized by a Bi010p, to do aBijhap; mork.. or office ? When as the office-it (elf is nothing (as is eft faid) but anObligation and Authority todo the wor~ If therefore aBifhop authorize and oblige any other man to do the :Proper work of a Bithop or ~afiot ( to orda.iQ, to baptize, to give t~e Sacrament ofthe Euchuifi, toExcommunicat~,.!o abfolv\:, &e. ) ~e -thereby- maketh that man a Bilhop or a Pallor, whatever he call him. ' . . _ . ~ Obj. But tlotb not a Bijhop prtach per alios 10 aU hil Diocejl'l and give them tlu Sacraments pet alios, &c? . An{t9• Let not thephrafe be made the Controverfie infiead of the Matltr. Thofe other perfons arc either Min;j/ers ofChrifi, or Lay mm. If Lay men, their actions are unlawful. If Min;j/trs, they are Commiilioncd' officers of CbrijHhemfelves, and it is the work of their own office which they do, and it is they that !hall have the rewardor pnnijhment. But if preaching to all thefe Churches or giv.– ing to all thefe perfons in a thoufand Parirhes the Sacramenu, &c. were the Bifuops or Archbilhops work, that is, which they are obliged lo do, then they would fin in not doing it. But if they arc the Governours only of thofe that are obliged 1o do it, and are not obliged to do it tbtmfelves, then Govern.. ing the doers of it, is only their i"ork; And therefore it is but equivocally faid that the worf;.il theirs, which others andnot they are obliged to do ; and that they dotheir wor~ per ali01, when they do but GO'Dern thofe others in doing their own worl(: ... Of this read the Lord Baeo~I Con.fidcrations, and Groti111 dt linper. f•inr'!_•P•teft. Cir~• Sacr~ who foundly rcfolvc the cafe, agatn!l do1ng the l'aj!_o_ral !""!11. pe~ a!Ju"!•

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