publick Teaching be a proper office may any enter it without Admission To do this were an absurdity against the very light of nature and Law of Nations which will have no man to admit himself into office but he must receive his admission from some intrusted with power and authority and in this case of publick Teaching the power and authority is intrusted with those who admit not but by Imposition of hands in Ordination Object 2 But it may be further objected That the Brethren dispersed upon the persecution raised about Stephen Acts 8.4 11.19 they are said To go about preaching the Word To this I give a twofold answer Answ and either of them full and satisfactory 1 I say they were such as had received the Holy Ghost Chap. 3 31. and so their call as well as their work was extraordinary and this witnessed by their gift of healing intimated in Chap. 11. 21. where it is said The hand of the Lord was with them to which some Copies adde says learned Diodate for to heal them Or 2 observe What is here said of these scattered Brethren extends not to publick Teaching in the Church which publick Teaching is peculiarly Ministerial but to publish declare divulge the Gospel where Christ was not yet known no Church yet gathered no Disciples yet made And this we deny not to be lawful to any man yea we acknowledge it a duty where God so gives the opportunity To declare the Gospel then to unbelievers is common to all as Christians but to make Disciples by Baptism and to instruct the discipled and baptized by publick Doctrine is proper to the Minister of the Word by vertue of his Mission and Commission from Christ the same which he gave here to his Apostles Go ye disciple all Nations Baptising them c. Again one Objection more there is which appears big Object 3 but its strengths but small 1 Cor. 14.31 viz. The Apostle seems to tell the whole Corinthian Congregation That they may all prophesie one by one I answer True indeed all may prophesie Answ yet can it not then be understood but of those that were Prophets Vers 6. as he instanceth in himself that he speaks in the Church as by knowledge so by prophesying Knowledge that is doctrine obtained by premeditation Prophesying here is doctrine delivered by sudden inspiration as appears Vers 30. Prophesying was of old Preaching moved by divine rapture now Preaching is prophesying attained by diligent study Even by attending unto reading and to meditation 1 Tim. 4.13 15. as St. Paul exhorts Timothy These Prophets St. Paul speaks of were a peculiar office in the Church so reckoned with Apostles and Evangelists Eph 4.11 and of those there were many at Corinth as we finde many at Antioch Acts 13.2 and these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too Ministring unto the Lord. Now to these Prophets saith the Apostle to preserve order in the Church Ye may all prophecy one by one And thus is the Giant slain the great Argument and Objection cleared from what some would pretend to a liberty of prophesying to all in the publick Congregation 3. To admit into the Ministry By Imposition of hands in Ordination was never in the power of any meer Presbyter Our Lord and Saviour did constitute Twelve Apostles Matth. 10.1 2. Luke 10 1. in degree and office above the Seventy Disciâ—les Which holy Apostles that they were to have their Successors is evident from the promise here of Christ Behold I am with you unto the end of the World Which promise extends to the whole Ministry of the Church the Apostles having all authority Ecclesiastical and every office Ministerial virtually and eminently in themselves Most certain and plain it is our Saviours promise could not be meant of the Apostles persons it must be then interpreted of their Function And of their Function not in its extraordinary priviledges but its ordinary Ministrations not in its extraordinary Priviledges as that their Mission was immediate from Christ their operations miraculous by the Spirit and their jurisdiction unlimitted as to place These were all temporary expiring with their persons being necessary onely to the planting not the perpetuating of the Church But the sacred Apostleship in its ordinary Ministrations as Preaching the Word Discipling by Baptism Consecrating the Eucharist Excommunicating the Scandalous Absolving the Penitent Governing by Discipline and Ordaining to the Priesthood These even all these received by Commission from Christ were to be continued by Succession in the Church as without which the welbeing of the Church in its Ministry and Government could not stand Successors then there must be to the Apostles invested with the Authority and Office of the foregoing Ministrations Now our inquiry then is who these Successors are And for this we finde in Scripture Acts 12.17 15.13 21.28 1 Tim. 1.3 3.15 2 Tim. 1.6 Tit. 1.5 Rev. 2. 3. James Bishop of Jerusalem Timothy of Ephesus Titus of Creet yea the seven Angels Presidents and Bishops of the seven Churches spoken of in the Revelations Besides these we finde in the undoubted History of the Church Mark Bishop of Alexandria Epaphroditus of Philippi Archippus of Coloss Clemens of Rome Ignatius of Antioch these and others too in the Apostles times and ordained by the Apostles hands were the received Successors in the ordinary Ministry of the Apostleship And that this was so Theodor. in Phil. 2â—25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is evident from that which is given us by Theodoret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those very persons were called Apostles whom by usage of speech the Church now calls Bishops And why was this but because they were generally owned by the Church as the Apostles Successors in the ordinary Ministrations of their Apostleship But now Time the great mint and master of words least community of names should beget a confusion in things Time I say did appropriate the name of Apostle to the immediate Apostles of Christ and the name of Bishop to their Successors whose particular Succession in their full Ministry and Office incommunicable to any meer Presbyters though of never so eminent abilities and high esteems is upon undeniable record in the Churches Histories And though I might heap up the unquestionable testimonies of the Ancients yet that one full witness and quaint expression of Tertullian may be here sufficient Who writing within one hundred years after St. John and so the Succession of Ministry not very long setled in the Church after the Apostles he tells us Tert. de Praescript c. 32. speaking of some Metropolitan Churches Exhibent quos ab Apostolis in Episcopatum constitutos Apostolici seminis traduces habent They exhibite and produce those persons constituted by the Apostles to be Bishops who by vertue of an Apostolical Seed do transmit a Succession of Ministry in the Church And thus Episcopacy becomes what Epiphanius elegantly stiles it Epiph Haeres 75. cont
Aerium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That order which is Generative of Fathers Presbyters may beget Sons by Baptism but not Fathers by Ordination and Consecration This is the Bishops peculiar as Successor to the Apostles in that full Ministry which is perpetuated in the Church That the Seventy Disciples had not this full Ministry nor Presbyters the Successors to those Disciples who have power to Preach to Baptize and Consecrate the Eucharist that they have not this full Ministry is the evidence of sacred Scripture and Church History And we will now make the evidence clear as to that main particular the power of Ordination in which we have the Doctrine of the Scriptures to approve the practise of the Church and the practise of the Church to interpret the Doctrine of the Scriptures Consult we then 1 The Sacred Scriptures And the first Ordination we meet with is that of those Seven Acts 6. commonly called Deacons and here we finde no hands but those of the Apostles The second Ordination is that of Presbyters Acts 14.23 and this we finde to be by the hands of Barnabas and Paul Which two when separated to the work of the Ministry if we may call it an Ordination it is by the hands of Simeon Lucius and Manaen Apostolick-men Acts 13.1 2 3. Prophets ministring to the Lord who as Church History tells us were Bishops of Syria The last Ordination we meet with in Scripture actually executed it is that of Timothy 1 Tim 4 14. which though by the hands of the Presbytery yet is not that Presbytery without an Apostle even the laying on of the hands of St. Paul 1 Tim. 1.6 From Scripture practise pass we on to Scripture precept and for this consult we the Epistles to Timothy and Titus in which we have the exact platform of the Churches Ministry as communicated and perpetuated from the Apostles Behold we then the Church of Ephesus and the Churches of Creet in them we finde many Presbyters and above those Presbyters in dignity and office Timothy and Titus and that Timothy and Titus were in dignity and office above those Presbyters appears plainly by that power they had of enacting Ecclesiastical Laws of passing Church censures and of ordaining by imposition of hands in which is the work and the office proper and peculiar to Timothy and Titus above those Presbyters which were in their Churches And observe those instructions given by St. Paul to Timothy and Titus in their particular persons have been and yet are continued in the Church as sacred Rules to regulate for ever the Function and Office of an Episcopal presidency 1 Tim. 5.22 Tit. 1.5 1 Tim. 5.19 Tit. 3.10 which Function and Office extends it self not onely to the ordaining of Presbyters but also to the exercising a Disciplinary power and an Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction over them as appears by many plain Texts given by the Apostle But 2 from the Scriptures Authority pass we on to take a short view of the Churches History Which History from the most sacred and inviolable Records tells us of many Bishops seated by the Apostles yea many successively continued during the lives of the Apostles And strange it were that St. John who tells us of so many Antichrists 1 Joh. 2.18 should not tell us of Episcopacy being Antichristian if he had had the Spirit of our present times to have believed it such which â—rer l. 3. c 3. sure we are he did not believe for that Irenaeus assures us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his yonger years he saw Polycarpe Bishop of Smyrna whom he knew to be so constituted by the Apostles and amongst those Apostles Tertullian Tert. de P aescript c. 32. is express that St. John himself was one After Tertullian consult we St. Basil and he calls Episcopacy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostolical prefecture and presidency August Ep. 44. yea St. Augustine he informs us That Radix Christianae societatis per sedes Apostolorum successiones Episcoporum certa per orbem propagatione diffunditur the Root of Christian communion hath branched and spread it self in a certain propagation throughout the world by the Apostolical Seats and Episcopal Successions which propagation to the spreading Church-fellowship and communion how hath it been transmitted but by Ministerial Ordination Which Ordination was so universally and assuredly owned and acknowledged to be proper to the Episcopal order that Aerius pertinaciously asserting the contrary was by St. Augustine yea by the Catholick Church says Epiphanius condemned of Heresie Further they are known examples which we have of Musaeus and Eutychianus two Grecian Presbyters who having ordained without the Bishop and themselves not being Bishops their Ordination is declared by the Council of Sardis about eleven years after Constantine the Great to be null Concil Sard. can 19. and those they had ordained are reduced to the state and condition of Laicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as such who had dissembled and forged their Ordination Again we read of Ischyras ordained by Colluthus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one who strongly yet vainly fancied himself a Bishop being indeed a meer Presbyter But as concerning Ischyras the Synod of Alexandria reduceth him to Lay-communion and determines concerning Colluthus that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever Ordinations he had made they should be all void and invalid To close then we have made good unto you by infallible proofs that imposition of hands in Ordination so plain and evident in the planting is requisit and necessary in the propagating the Church of Christ as being productive of issue and succession in the Ministry which Ministry shall continue in the Church whilest the Church continues in the world And now seeing that onely Apostles and Apostolick-men did ordain and that no meer Presbyters in all the Scriptures are exprest nor in all Church History allowed we see by what Ordination we receive our Saviours Mission here of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Go ye Disciple all Nations Baptising them c. But before we pass this point it will be some further confirmation and much more illustration of the truth that we give you some plea of Divine Reason to make good the equity of our present assertion Know then in the Apostles times and Infant-state of the Church Parishes were not divided nor Congregations with their particular Ministers fixt and setled but in one City there were many Presbyters and still as Believers increased their Meetings and Assemblies being in several places they had several persons assigned them for the service of the Ministry which how could it be well ordered without confusion but by the Authority and Presidency of some one above the rest Which Presidency the Apostles during their over-sight over the Churches they retained in themselves but upon their remove they committed to some Apostolick-men as their Successors And indeed it is most agreeable to right reason that that office should not expire whose end did continue
1. The importunate Crowd of vain Thoughts 2. The frightful Suggestions of foul Thoughts 3. Some late Relapses into Sin 4. Daily Conflicts with Sin 5. A Distrust of the Graces sincerity in general of Faith and of Repentance in particular 6. The sense of Barrenness in holy duties 7. The misapprehension of Gods withdrawing the Comforts of his gracious presence 8. The misinterpration of the Order of Gods Providence as to the Tribulations of the Godly and as to the Prosperity of the Wicked 9. The long Continuance of Temptations and Afflictions These the several Heads of those Spiritual Conflicts to which are appropriated the Words of Complaint the Grounds of Comfort and the Rules of Direction Only before we enter this Field observe these three Maxims by way of Premonition 1. That the best of Gods Saints are still exercised with Temptations 2. That these Temptations are permitted and ordered of God 3. That they are so ordered of God as to make for the good of his Chosen 1 The best of Gods Saints are still exercised with Temptations Indeed what is the estate of Gods Church on earth but an estate militant Eph. 6.12 The Faithful still exercised in a spiritual warfare against the Powers of Darkness and wiles of Satan and who shall think himself secure from Satans temptations Mat. 4.1 c. whilst the Son of God being cloth'd with our flesh is himself tempted Yea such is Satans envy to man and malice to Christ that by how much any one of the faithful is the more eminent in grace by so much is Satan the more violent against him in his fury It is a large Encomium which the Apostle gives his Thessalonians 1 Thess 1.4 5. Such as were elected of God having receiv'd the Gospel of Christ not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance such as were Followers of Christ and his Apostles in much afflictions with joy in the Holy Ghost so that they became ensamples to all that believ'd in Macedonia and in Achaia yet is the Apostle careful notwithstanding this ground of confidence to send to know their faith And why left by some means the Tempter had tempted them The Tempter ch 3.5 that is Satans proper title in an eminencie of malice and envy the chief and principal Tempter making use of the world and the flesh as his baits to deceive as his instruments to act Whatsoever then our temptations are S. Paul will tell us there hath no temptation overtaken us but what is common to men even the best of men 1 Cor. 10.13 and holiest of Saints 2 As the best of Gods Saints are still exercised with temptations so are those temptations permitted and ordered of God Job 1.12 2.6 This we see in that Conflict of holy Job's wherein Satan upon earnest sollicitation hath power given him over Jobs estate but not over his person and when upon temptation he prevails not God gives him a further power over Jobs person but not his life So that neither could Satan have touched Job in his goods or in his body had not God permitted it which God did permit and order too for the manifestation of Jobs integrity and the advancement of his own glory Again it is our Saviours premonition to S. Peter and the rest of the Apostles saying Simon Simon behold Luk. 22.31 Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat Thus the Devil he aims at the fairest makes his hottest encounters against the eminentest Saints Fortissimos quosque Diabolus eligere solet quibus oppugnet Eu hym seeing he could not shake the rock and foundation of the Church Christ Jesus he will try what he can do against the strongest pillars thereof the Apostles But see Satan though rage he may yet assault he cannot till God permit Therefore saith our Saviour Satan hath desired to have you he hath made a challenge to encounter with you But challenge he may combat he cannot till God give the word for the battel Be sober 1 Pet. 5.8 be vigilant saith S. Peter because your adversary the Devil as a roaring Lyon goeth about seeking whom he may devoure Satan is a roaring Lyon full of rage and fury yet is this Lyon kept in a grate held in a chain he cannot go further then God permits being still aw'd and order'd by the hand of his power and will of his providence And therefore saith the Apostle that he goes about seeking whom he may devoure not whom he will Such is his malice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that doubtless he hath will to devoure all but such is Gods power to restrain his fury such is Gods mercy to set bounds to his malice that he may destroy only where God doth permit And for this reason that all our temptations are permitted and ordered of God therefore hath our Saviour taught us to pray Lead us not into temptation 3 Temptations are so ordered of God as to make for the good of his chosen And therefore our Saviour calls Satans tempting the Apostles a sifting them as wheat in that as the wheat is the more pure for being sifted so the Apostles the more holy for being tempted Not that this Satan did intend but that thus God did order And as it was thus with Christs Apostles so is it still with all Gods chosen 1 Cor. 10.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. God is faithful who will not suffer those that are his to be tempted above what they are able He proportions their burden according to their strength or else gives strength proportionable to their burden so that the force of Satans temptations shall not exceed the measure of Gods grace For what good man will laden his beast with a greater burden then he is able to bear and shall a good man be thought more merciful to his beast then our good God is to his children Far be it to conceit so high a blasphemy against so gracious a Majesty But further God permiâ—ting his chosen to be tempted he not only gives strength to bear the burden but also makes a way to escape the violence of the temptation Rom. 16.20 treading Satan under their feet Yea to give the proper Emphasis of the Apostles expression He shal with the temptation make a way to come off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not by flight or treaty but with victory and triumph So that though Temptations for a while cloud the Sun of righteousness yet when dispell'd by his arising upon the soul with healings in his wings Mal. 4.2 then the light of Christs Spirit and grace appears more comfortable and glorious and thereby the assurance of divine love which under temptations was dampt and obscur'd in this conquest and victory obtain'd through Christ it is the more graciously renewed and powerfully confirm'd The three Maxims then of Premonition which we behold evident in their truth we must keep fixt
have the conformity of the Universal Church and I know not what more can be required 1. As for the Apostles practice we can have no surer testimony then St. Pauls Argument 1 Cor. 7.14 Therefore are your children holy Holy in a known and common account of the Church which could be none other then that of Church Communion admitted thereunto by Baptism For observe This of the children being holy the Apostle makes a convincing argument That the unbelieving Parent is sanctified by the believing Wherefore this of the childrens holiness must be a known holiness otherwise the Apostles argument were no argument And whereby was the childrens holiness known but in order to Church Communion Into which Communion there is no known entrance and visible admission but by Baptism 2. Pass we from the Scriptures and consult we the very next ages after the Apostles Orig. l. 5. ad Rom. c. 6. in Luc. Hom. 8. For the usage of the Church And here Origen witnesseth That Traditionem ab Apostolis suscepit etiam parvulis dare Baptismum the Church received a Tradition from the Apostles to give Baptism even to children About the next age after Origen for later he could not be the Author of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite he pleads for Infants Baptism 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionys Eccles Hier. c. 7. as being of those things which the divine Ministers the Apostles from the beginning had delivered down to the Church I might give you the testimony of those first Fathers and Doctors both of the Greek and Latin Churches Irenaeus Tertullian Nazianzen Basil and others but we will insist awhile upon two Testimonies most full and convincing the one of St. Cyprian the other of St. Augustine Cypr. Epist ad Fid. Presbyt That of St. Cyprian we have in his Epistle to Fidus the Presbyter who propounds the Question Whether Infants might be baptized before the Eighth day urging the Instance and Analogy of Circumcision Cyprian gives his own judgment and that of a Council of Sixty six Bishops for the resolution resolving That Baptism be not deferred any long time and yet not confined to any certain time and if necessity required That there be a present Administration Now St. Cyprian lived within few years more then a hundred of St. John so that he and a Council of Sixty six Bishops could not be ignorant of what was the Apostolical practise as to Infants Baptism seeing some of their Fathers and many of their Grandfathers in all probability yea without all doubt did live in the Apostles times and were baptized by some Apostolical hands Now as for the testimony of St. Augustine it is of the more credit and esteem being spoken against his profest Adversaries the Pelagians who wanted neither wit nor will to have retorted the Error if he had not delivered the truth when he sayes of them Aug. de peccâ—t mer. rem l. 1. Parvulos Baptizandos esse concedunt qui contra authoritatem Universae Ecclesiae proeuldubio per Dominum Apostolos traditam venire non possunt They grant children ought to be baptized because they cannot go against the Authority of the Universal Church without all doubt delivered by Christ and his Apostles The Non-Baptism of Infants had been a strong argument for Pelagianism as their Baptism was an invincible argument against it so that either to defend themselves or offend the Orthodox certainly the Pelagians would have denied Infants Baptism had they not well known the practise of the Universal Church was warranted by the Authority of Christ and the Ministry of his holy Apostles I might yet further enlarge and give you infinite Testimonies for Infants Baptism as to the constant practise of the Universal Church for above these One thousand six hundred years that of the Prophet being perfectly fulfilled Isa 49.22 That God having lift up his hand to the Gentiles and set up a standard to the people they have brought unto the Church her sons in their arms she having few Members of her Communion but who were admitted in their Infant-Baptism So that certainly our Saviour was so far from excluding Infants that he chiefly intended them in the commission and instructions he gives his Apostles and in them all the Ministers of his Church saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Go ye disciple all Nations baptising them c. Having given you the original and use of Baptism we proceed to the benefits and effects thereof all applicatory to Infants Know then the Sacraments are no empty and bare signs to signifie but they are sacred and moral Instruments to convey real and effectual Seals to confirm yea gracious and Evangelical pledges to assure For so we are catechised by the Church if we have not forgot our Church-Catechism in which we have this most clear most full definition of a Sacrament That it is an outward visible sign of an inward invisible grace which grace is given and which sign is ordained ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive that grace and a pledge to assure us thereof So that in Baptism then where the subject and person baptized does not ponere obicem put a bar and hinderance as the School speaks from St. Augustine as of Infants we are assured they do not In their Baptism then as the Water gives the outward sign so the Spirit gives the inward grace and when the Minister pronounceth saying I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost then is the power and vertue of the Blessed Trinity present to justifie and to sanctifie to cleanse and renew the inward man as sure as the Sacramental Water is present to sprinkle and to wash to cleanse and to purifie the outward man And now that the Sacraments are thus effectual is not by any natural causality or physical operation in themselves but by vertue of the gracious promise and voluntary institution of Christ whose Spirit still accompanies his Word to the quickning sanctifying and saving of his Church and chosen Tert. de Bapt. c. 8. Very aptly then does Tertullian call the waters Pristinam sedem Spiritus Sancti the ancient Seat of the Holy Ghost by whose quickning power they become prolifical both in nature and in grace For that the renovation of the Church was typified in the Creation of the World as in the Creation The Spirit moved upon the waters Gen. 1.2 and by a quickning power did produce the living Creatures so now in the renovation the Spirit moves upon the waters still in that by a quickning power of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are renewed by Baptism that Laver of Regeneration to become an holy and heavenly Off-spring alive unto God in Christ Jesus St. Cyril of Jerusalem calls Baptism 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Antitype of Christs sufferings the Water indeed that represents the Image of Death receiving the