Ver,i8. the 17th Chapter of St. J O H N. 273 with fome others, make it the Peoples Right 3 `Paps, and others, give it to the Bi- fhops; others, to Preíbyters and Elders of the Church. To examine every Claim at large, would take up a great deal of time, let us compound the Difference as v. ell as we can. In fhort, there are three Pretenders to the Power of the External Call, the People, the Elders, the 'Magitlrate; and we may divide it among them, and give every one their (hare, and then the Call will be compleat. I fay, there are but three Pretenders, for we need not to fpeak of the Bithops Plea, for Bithops, and Prefby= ters, or Elders, in the Scripture, are all one. The Apo(tle writes to the Bifliops and Deacons at Philippi, Phil. a. 1. The Apoftle taketh notice of no other Officer in that Church : And Chryfoflom's Glofs is of weight, What is the Reafon, the Apo(ile faith to Bithops, were there more than one of one City ? The Reafon is, faith he, becaufe Bi (hops, and Elders or Presbyters are the fame. So, when the Apolile bids Tite,, Tit. 1. 5, 6. Ordain Elders in every City, if any be blamelefi, &c. He adds, Yerf 7, For a Bifhop muff be blamelefi, as the Steward of God. To lay afide this then, we Ciall fpeak to the Claim of the People, the Elders, and the Magiftrate, and give every one its due : For in the External Call there are three parts, Eledion, Ordination, and Con- firmation. Eledion, that belongeth to the People; Ordination, which ftandeth in Examination of Life and Dolrine, together with Authoritative Mi(iion,'that is the Right of the Prefbytery ; and Confirmation,- that belongs to the Magiftrate. 1. Eledion is the Peoples Right. This appeareth, becaufe their Content and Suf- frage is required in all Offices, even in the choice of an Apoltle, Acts 1. 15, 26. the aao nominate Matthias in the room of yachts, and God decided it by Lot 3 and in the choice of a Deacon, Ada 6. 3. Look ye out among you fovea Men of honefi Report, full of the Holy Ghofl, &c. and of an Elder, AtXa 14.23. fnd whin they had ordained them, xetwroniorcrsts, Elders in every Church, and had prayed with Falling, they commended them to the Lord. I know I tread upon Thorns, but yet this feemeth to have been the confiant pra &ice of the Church in after Ages. Leo the great, in an Epifile of his, is for Pota Civium, the Vote of the People in the Eledion of Minifters. And Cyprian more clearly before him, Lib.r. Epiff.4. Videmesde authoritate Divinâ defcendere sit Sacer- dos, plebe prefente, fnb omnium oculte deligatur, & dignos atg; idoneus publico judicio ac teffimonio comprobetur. The Minifter fhould be propounded to the People, and ap- proved by their Vote and Suffrage. And jufibefore, 'Plebs illo maximè habel pote- fatem vel eligendi dignos Sacerdotes, vel indignos recufandi. The People have a Power to chufe thofe that are Worthy, and refufe thofe that are Unworthy. Certainly all allow force content to the People, a full ufe of the Judgment of Difcretion to try the Spirits, it John 4.4. And to diftinguifh the Voice of a Stranger from the Voice of a Shep- herd, John 10. 5. It feemeth to be molt agreeable to Scripture, that the People fhould by Suffrage propound the Perfon, and then he is to be authoritatively determined by the Presbytery. Aids 6.3. Look, out from among you feven Men of honeff Report, &c. whom we may appoint over this Bufnefs. The Apoftles did not take to themfelves an abfolute Power, but referred the nomination to thé People, tho frill they referve the Determination and Ordination to themfelves. Eledion is the Peoples Right, becaufe he is chofen for their good; but Ordination is the Elders Right, becaufe that is done in the Name of Chrift, and therefore mutt be done by his Deputies and Proxies, as an evidence that the Matter is confirmed by Chrift, and that he accepts him for his Ser- vant in the Work of the Miniftry. Chrift himfelf, as Head of the Church, had his Ordination from God, and his Eledion from the Church. God hath appointed him to be Head of the Church : Ephef r. 22. And bath put all things under his Feet, and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church : And the Church ratifies it by her content ; Hof. 1. r I. Then Aall the Children of Judah, and the Children of Ifrael, be ga- thered together, and appoint themfelves one Head, &c. And it is notable, that in Paul's Vifion, the Call is managed by a Man of Macedonia, that reprefénted the People of that Place : Ads 16. y. 1 Vton appeared to Paul in the Night : There flood a Man of Mace- donia, and prayed him, faying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Not go thou, but come over and help us. 2. Ordination, which confifts in the Trial of Gifts, and Authoritative Commif ion, that is the Right of the Elders. That appeareth, becaufe to the is the Power of the Keys given for the Peoples good : And, .4la t3. 2. The Holy Goff faith, Separate to me Paul and Barnabas unto the Work' whereunto 1 have called them. Who were thofe that were to Separate ? They were Prophets and teachers of Antioch, as appearéth Verf 1. And elfewhere the Scripture fpeaketh of the laying on of the Hands of the Presbytery, M m mm I Tim.
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