4o The kllitution and Government Officers, bath been fet up, which hath defaced the Order of the Churches. 2. If you could prove the Apoflolical Line to continue without Interruption to this Day, yet you could not prove that Ordination of Elders muff be by the Impofition of the Hands of fuch as on whom Hands had been impaled before : For firfl you cannot.prove that the Apofiles were . ordained by Impofition of Hands themfelves. Ordained they were, but not a Word of Impoiitiop of Hands. Was Paul ordained by Impofition of Hands when he was made an Apoftle ? or was there any more in his Ordination than a Voice from Heaven (together with a Light appearing above. the Brightnefs of the Sup) faying, I have appeared to thee for this very Purpofe, to make thee a Minifter to the Gentiles, and lo now Ifend thee ? Aas xxvi. 16, 17. Nor can you prove that ever one Elder or Paftor of any one particular Church was ordained by Impofition of Hands, no nor that ever the Apoftleß ordained either Apoftles. or Evangelists by Im- pofition of Hands. But our Proteflant Ordination byimpofition ofHands can fetch its Original no further down than Queen Elizabeth's Days. She having chofen fome Protestant Bishops, fent her Mandamus to fame of the Popifh Bifhops to ordain them : they refuting, the fent again to one of the Popifh Bifhops, and force cf her new- eleEted Bifhops to ordain the reff ; that Popifb Bithop refufing, in the third Place by the Queen's Order they ordained each other, as you may fee in the Hif- tory of the Church of England, written by Dr. Burnet. ()Yea. 4. But force may fay, That the Apoftles did or- dain bylmpotion of Hands; Paul and Barnabas were fo or- dained. Ash xiii. 2> Whiff they were praying and mini lring to the Lord, the SpiritPaid, Separate me Saul and Barnabas to the Work where unto I have called them. find when .they had frayed, they laid their Hands on them ; fo they were feat forth by the Holy Ghoft. I anfwer, I grant that the Apofiles prayed and laid their Hands on them ; but I deny that they were ordained by this, and I have two Reafons for it. z . Whatever Office- power, there was in thofe that laid Hands on Paul and Barnabas at this Time, the fame Office power
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