26 11l' m E N D I X Numb. II. faith the Law. Some being café in molt remote parts of the World, where no Minifters are, andmany where noBifhops are, nor can be had in any competent time, and uncertain?, whether at all. And the Poffibilityof filch a thing is evident in Nature, though it never had been till this Day. z. Cefante ffneseffatObligatio; fed bicceffetvdcefftre potefltint: Ergo, TheMinor only is to be proved. The End why I ate obliged to feekOrdination rather froman Ecclefiaflical Officer, than from a Magiftrate, or to take the other forementioned. Courfes, it is becaufe God hath appointed him, Ordini, grant, as one'that ought to be the fitteft to do ir, leaft by Mens voluntary Intrufion, or the Conttitution of others lefs ableto judge, the Church fhould be wronged. Now in cafe the regular Ordainers do prove uafufficient or wicked, thefe Ends fail, as in the Church of Rome, where none (hall be admitted that will not fwear to do wickedly, and tofalte Ways. And in the great Arrian Defedtion, when fcarce Six or Seven Bifkops wete to be found that did not turn Arrianr, among whom, the Bilhop of Rome was one that revolted ; and they wouldordain none but thofe that would be of their Way, and fo would engage Men againft Chrift. God did not give them Power to de- ffroy the Church, but to preferveOrder and propagate it. They can do nothing (by any Power from God) againft the Truth, but for the Truth : When Ergo, They will not ordain to the Prefervation, but to the-apparent Defirudtion of the Church, weare not obliged to receive their Ordination : And that thefailing of regular Minilterial OrdinationBoth not deRroy the Ordination or Law of God de Specie confervandâd, and that it was never the Will of God, that there Ihould be no Miniltry at all longer than they might be fo regularly Ordained, appears thus ; r. The Office of Miniftry is of Itanding Neceffity to the very Being of a Poli- tical Church, whereas the EcclefiatlicalAuthoritative Ordination is but neceffary to the well-being and orderingof it. Ergo, the failing of the later caufeth not a failing of the former. The Reafon ofthe Confequence mayappear in that God bath oft fuffered his Church in all Ages, to fall into Diforders and Diflempers, when yet he hath preferved theBeing. z. God hath not infeparably tyed a necef. fary certain End, to one only.mueable, uncertain means. But the Office of the Miniftry is the neceffary, certain End of Regular Ecclefiaffical Ordination (viz. by one in Jult Power) and this isa mutable, uncertain means: Ergo, God hath not tyed the Office of the Miniftry to this alone. TheNeceffity of the Miniltry and the certainContinuance of it to the Church, I fuppofe, will be granted ; even to every Church, while it remains a Church Political. The UncertaintyandMuta- bility of that means is before proved. ;. God bath not put it into the Power of Bithops (or otherOrdainers) to deRroy his Church for ever; but if the Miniftry were infeparably annexedto their authoritative Ordination, it would be fo : Ergo, It is in the Power of their Wills, whether they will ordain any other Bithops to fucceedthem ; which if they Ihouldnot do, the Succeffion is interrupted, and the Office mufffor ever fail : If you fay, it is not to be fuppofed that all will deny to Ordain others. I anfwer r. What Promife or Certainty of the contrary ? 2. It is not poffrble their own Judgments may be turned againft Bithops, and fo renounce that Calling ; or may theynot turn moltof themHeretical, and fo will ordain none that will not be fo too. As it was a tually when the wholeWorld turned Arrian; except fix or (even Bithops, there were none left, and a tenth Parr, nay the Hun- dredth part of the Church could not have recourfe to fix or feven perfecuted Bilhops, hidden in Wilderneffesor Corners, or Fugitives that Menknew not where to find. And that it was thenunlawful to have fubmitted to theArrianr Ordination, on their Terms, I fuppofe will not be denied. And the few that do not turn He- reticks, may yet clogg their Ordinations with filch unlawful I.mpofitions and En- gagements, as that no Man fearing God may jufly fubmit to them, which is, at buff, theCafe of all the RomifhChurch (as is faid). So that if all Men elfe obey God, they mutt not be Ordained by thefe Men; and confequently thefe Men have Power todeRroy the Church, which if it were affirmed but of the Churches inone Nation, is not true : No, norof one Congregation; for the Senfe of the Precept for Ordination is this,] That the Churches may be edified and well guided, and my Worfhip rightly performed, do you ordain Elders, etc.] 4. God bathmade it in- dilpenfably neceffary to hisPeople to the World's End, toaffemble in folemnCon- gregations, and then to perform his publick Worlhip, viz. In Prayer, Praifes, Sa- craments, Preaching and Hearing, &c. Bur without the Miniftry this cannot be performed : Ergs, he bath made it indifpenfably neceffary that they have a Mini- firy : and confequently the failing of Authoritative, Ecclefiafical Ordination doth not deRroy theMiniltry. Both by necellit), of Precept, and of Means, is Publick Worthip
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