(54) fift upon, I Mall very briéfly difcover the falfenefs of this Pretence, and pats on unto what is principally intended in this Difcourfe. z. The Church is before all its ordinary Officers ; and therefore its continuation cannot depend on their fuccefsive Ordination. It is fo as efentially confidered, though its be- ing Organical is Simultaneous with their Ordination. Extra- ordinary Officers were before the Church, for their Work was to call, gather, and ere& it out of the World. But no ordinary Officers can be, or ever were ordained but to a, Church in Being. Some fay they are ordained unto the uni- verfal vifible Church of Profeflors; fome unto the particu- lar Church wherein their Work doth lye; but all grant that the Church-State whereunto they are ordained, is antece- dent unto their Ordination. The Lord Chrift could, and did ordain Apelles andTvangelifls , when there was yet no Gofpel Church , for they were to be the Instruments of its Calling and Ere&ion. But the Apostles neither did, nor could ordain any ordinary Officers , until there was a Church or Churches , with refpe& whereunto they fhould be or- dained. It is therefore highly abfurd to afcribe the continu- ation of the Church unto the fuccefsive Ordination of Of- ficers, if any fuch thing there were; feeing this fuccefsive Ordination of Officers depends folely on the continuationof the Church. If that were not fecured on other Foundations, this fuccefsive Ordination would quickly tumble into duff. (Yea this fuccefsive Ordination, were there any fuch thing appointed, mutt be an Acs of the Church it felf, and fo cannot be the means of communicating Church Power un- to others. A fuccefsive Ordination in force fenfe may be granted , namely, that when thófe who were ordained Of- ficers in any Church do dye that others be ordained in their flezds , but this is by an Ad of Power in the Church it felt, as we shall manifest, afterwards.) z, Not
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