Neal - Houston-Packer Collection BX9333 .N4 1754

188 'lbe HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANs. VoL. II. K. Charles!. in a book entitled, the grand debate between presbytery and independency. ~ At length the quefiion being put, that it is requijite no jingle congregation Grand debate that can conveniently officiate with others, jhou/d ajjume to itj !f the foie P: 18s. right o/ ordination, it was carried in the affirmative, the following independent minifiers entering their diffent. MS. penes me. 'Tho. Gcod,wilr, Phi/. NJ•e, Jer. Burroughs, Sydrach Simpfon, William Bridge, Wil!iam Greenbilf, Wi//iam Carter. It was next debated, whether ordination might precede eleB:ion to a par– ticular cure or charge; Dr. 'Temple, Mr. Herle, Vines, Palmer, Whita– ker, and Calamy, argued for the affirmative, I. from the ordination of Cf imothy, 'Titus and Apollos, without any particular charge. 2. Becaufe 'tis a different thing to ordain to an office, and to appropriate the exercife of that office to any particular place. 3· If eleCtion muft precede ordi– nation, then there muft be a new ordination upon every new eleB:ion: 4· It would then follow, that a minifier was no minifier Ol,)t of his own church or congregation. And, 5· then a minifier could not gather or plant churches, or baptize new converts, becaufe according to the inde– pendent!, theFe mufi firfi be a church before there can be a minifter. Mr. Goodwin, NJ•e, Bridge, and the reil: of the independents, replied to the foregoing reafons, that 'Timothy and <fitus were extraordinary offi– cers- that it appeared to them abfurd, to ordain an officer wrthout a pro– vince to exercife the office in-that they faw no great inconvenience in re– ordination, though they did not admit the confequence, that a perfon re– gularly ordained to one church, muil be re-ordained upon every remo– val ; but they aiferted, that a paftor of one particular church might pre~ ferve his charaB:er in all places ; and if there was extraordinary fervice to be done in planting new churches, or baptizing converts, the church~s might fend out their officers, or. create new ones for that purpofe. Tl:-.e grand difficulty with the independents lay here, that ordination without decJion to a particular charge, feemed to imply a wnveyance of rffice– power, which in their opinion, was attended with all the difficulties of a lineal fucceffion. The debates upon this article continued feveral days, and rffu <I at !all: in a corn- promife in thefe words ; it is agreeable to the 'liJOrd o/ God, and very expedient, that thqfe ~IJho are to be ordainedmin!Jiers, he dijigned tojome particular cburch, or other minifterial charge. And with regard to the ceremony of impofttion ifhands, the independents acquiefced in the practice, provided it was attended with an open declaration, that it -was not intended as a conwyanceofqffice-power.

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