Answer to John De Albines, Answer to discourse · Chapter 12
The XII. Chapter.
AS touching the reſt,aWhat neede then this long diſpute, to diſproue our calling, for want of it. you hauehave accuſtomed in your miniſtrie, to vſe the impoſition, or laying on of handes, and you ſaie, that it is an ancient and honeſt Ceremonie,*Exod. 29. in this you ſaie the trueth. For as wee reade, of great antiquitie this ceremonie hath beene vſed, as well in the olde lawe, as in the lawe of grace. And vntounto that did redounde the impoſition of hands, laied vponupon the*Leuit. 4. Wether that was brought to the immolation of the ſacrifice of*bNum. 8. & 17 Moiſes lawe: to declare, that thoſe that are ordeined vntounto the ſeruice of God, and vntounto the miniſtrie of the church,bNum. 17. There is nothing concerning impoſition of handes. ought to retaine the like ceremonie: and ſo the Iſraelites did laie their handes vponupon the Leuites, & Moiſes likewiſe did lay his hands vponupon Ioſua, whē he was made a captaine of the Iſraelites, who did repreſent the church of Chriſt. The Apoſtles hauehave vſed the like, as we find, where we reade, that*Act. 8.19. & 13 S. Peter & S. Iohn did laie their handes vponupon the Chriſtian people of Samaria, and S. Paul vponupon the Epheſians, and likewiſe the Apoſtles vponupon the ſeuen Deacons, & vpō S. Paul and Barnabas. *cTimot. 2.S. Paul doeth admoniſh Timothie, not to deſpiſe the grace that he had receiued by the impoſition of hāds,*The places of Paul to Timothy are clarkely quoted, but yet according to your maner, that is, not one of them right. & that he ſhould ſet forth the gift of God, that he had receiued with the impoſition of the handes of S. Paul vponupon him. Hee doeth likewiſe commaund him, not to vſe this impoſition of handes without diſcretion, to the end that he doe not communicate with the ſinne of another. Caluin according to theſe authorities in his inſtitution booke (Ar. 8. cap. 50.) of faith, doeth cō mande the like to be vſed in his church. It doth appeare (ſaieth he) that the Apoſtles hauehave vſed no other ceremony in the vocation to the miniſtery, but this impoſition of hādes. Now I thinke, that they tooke this cuſtome of the Iewes, who did preſent vntounto God by impoſition of handes that, that they would bleſſe & cōſecrat. After this ſort Iacob (Gen. 48.) whē he would bleſſe Ephraim & Manaſſes, he laied his handes vponupon their heades. Our ſauiour did the like vponupon the litle children, when he did praie. Mat. 19. And as I thinke, it was all to one end or deined in the law: & therefore, the Apoſtles, by the impoſition of handes, did ſignifie, that they did offer vntounto God him, that they did receiue into the miniſtrie, although they did vſe it likewiſe with thoſe, vntounto whom they did diſtribute the viſible gifts of the holie Ghoſt. How ſo euer it be, they hauehave vſed this ſolemnitie as manie times, as they did ordeine any bodie to the miniſtrie of the church, as we ſee by example, as well touching the paſtours and doctours, as the Deacons. Now, although there be no ſpeciall commandement, as touching the impoſition of hands: yet notwithſtāding, ſeeing that we reade, that the Apoſtles did vſe it continually, that which they did vſe ſo diligently, ought to be vntounto vsus as a precept. And ſurely, it is a profitable thing, to ſet forth to the people the dignitie of the Miniſterie by ſuch a Ceremonie, & to make him knowe, that is thus or deined miniſter, that he apperteineth no more to himſelf, but that he is dedicated to the ſeruice of God & of his church. &c.dTo what purpoſe is all this long diſcourſe of impoſition of hands, ſeeing we doe vſe it. And it is notoriouſly knowen, that all theſe had impoſition of handes, and had an outward ordinarie calling according to the times & places when and wherein they liued. Thus, ſeeing that Caluin doeth confeſſe the impoſition of hands to be ſo neceſſary for the miniſtrie of the church, & that it is approued, aſwell by the lawe of nature, as by the lawe of Moiſes or of the Goſpell: Anſwere vsus then, who was he, that laied his hands vponupon Caluin, to ſafe cōduict the charge of his cō ſcience? You will anſwere me, Zuinglius, or Oecolāpadius, or the others of his time. And if by chance one would be ſo curious, as to purſue this demande, mounting a litle higher: I meane, to know of whom theſe aboue named hauehave receiued their bleſsing & impoſition of handes, I thinke you will not name the Apoſtles, if you will not hauehave euerie mā to laugh at your folly: for there is none ſo ſimple, but doth know, that they died aboue. 1500. yeares agone. And ſeing that your Patriarch hath made vsus ſo goodlie an oratum, as touching this impoſitiō of hands, affirming it to be neceſſarie, both by the lawe of Nature, the law of Moyſes, and the lawe of Grace, how doeth it come to paſſe, that Zuinglius hath not vſed it, to confirme his miniſterie.
The XII. Chapter
SEeing you know and confeſſe yt we allow & reteine in our vocatiō this ceremony of impoſitiō of hāds, what needed you to hauehave made ſo much adoe therabout? But hauing iuſtified ye vſe therof by Caluins teſtimony, and otherwiſe, you demand of whom Caluin Zuinglius & Oecolāpadius had this impoſitiō of hāds? I anſwer, yt not only theſe, but many other, whō god firſt ſtirred vp in theſe later daies to detect Antichriſt, & ſo to bring him to conſūption, of whom ye reſt yt hauehave followed in that courſe hauehave deſcended, & had theirs, had ye ſame vocatiō & ſucceſſiō, wherof you your ſelues brag. For moſt of thē were prieſts (as you cal thē) ordred by your ſelues, & doctours of diuinity allowed in their times by the vniuerſities, wherin they were brought vp. But ye ſame vocation, wc you abuſed, our mē hauehave laboured to vſe well & to ye vaine ſucceſſiō of perſons, wherwt you decked yourſelues, they hauehave added the ſucceſſiō of true doctrine, wt you had corrupted. So yt what good ſoeuer was in your vocatiō, ours had it alſo, & beſides, ſince they hauehave had confirmatiō of their miniſtry amongſt thēſelues, and by the conſent & approbation of ye people amongſt whō they hauehave miniſtred.