Letter to a Friend on Valid Ordination, Title page – Preface
foreign Or a LETTER To a Friend; tending to prove,
I. That Valid Ordination ought not to be repeated.
II. That Ordination by Presbyters is Valid.
WITH AN APPENDIX, In which, ſome brief ANIMADVERSIONS Are made upon a Lately Publiſhed Diſcourſe of M. JOHN HUMFREY, concerning RE-ORDINATION.
By R.A. a Lover of Truth and Peace.
Nulla ostenditur cauſa, our ille qui ipſum Baptiſmum amittere non poteſt, jus dandi amittere poſſit, utrum que enim Sacramentum eſt; & quadam conſecratione utrum que homini datur, illud cum baptizatur, istud cum ordinatur, ideo que in catholica utrum que non licet iterare, nam ſi quando ex ipſa parte venientes etiam preapoſiti pro bon… pacis correcto ſchiſmatis errore ſuſcepti ſunt, & ſi viſum eſt opus eſſe, ut eadem officia gererent quae gerebant, non ſunt rurſus ordinandi, ſed ſicut Baptiſmus in iis, ita ordinatio manſit integra; quia in praeciſione fuerat vitium, quod unitatis pace correctum est, non in Sacramentis quae ubicun que ſunt, ipſa vera ſunt: & cum expedire hoc videatur Eccleſiae, ut praepoſiti corum venientes ad Catholicam ſocietatem honores ſuos ibi non adminiſtrent; non eis tamen ipſa Ordination is Sacramenta detrahuntur, ſed manent ſuper eos, ideo que eis in populo manus non imponitur, ne non homini, ſed ipſi Sacramento fiat injuria, Aug. Con. Epiſt Parmen.
Lib. 2. Cap. 13.
London, Printed for J. S. and are to be ſold in Weſtminster-Hall and Paul's Church-Yard, 1661.
Eruditiſſimo Viro Joanni Humfreio in agro Somerſetenſi, Concionatori fideliſſimo, R.A.S.P.D.
POſtquam hanc qualemcun que Reſponſionem non ad umbilicum modo, ſed & ad calcem perduxeram, incidit mihi in manus Libellus tuus de Re-Ordinatione, in quo nihil reperi, quod Humfreium non ſpiraret, i.e. Virum Doctum, Candidum que & Pacis Eccleſiaſticae ſtudioſiſſimum: nondum tamen a me obtinere potui, ut in ſententiam tuam pedibus eam; ſed è contra, dum Argumenta tua ad examen revoco, firmius mihimet perſuadeo Ordinationem ſine inſigni divinae Legis violatione, & graviſſimo Eccleſiae ſcandalo non poſſe iterari. Patefiet illud ex Animadverſionibus in diatriben tuam, quas ideo publici juris feci, ut tu vel veritatem a noſtra parte ſtare agnoſcas, vel ſaltem nos ſine ratione non errare fatearis. Hanc Opellam meam, ſi dignam judices cui quicquam reponas illud unum exorandus es, ut nolis Adverſarium (ſi tamen Adverſarium) tuum contumelioſe tractare. Satis acerbitatis noſtrae virus evomuimus. Sciat jam Orbis Chriſtianus nos Presbyterianos poſſe placide diſſentire, & totius cauſae definitionem ſolius Sacrae Scripturae Arbitrio permittere. Hac Ratione quae Argumenta praeponderent gravitate ſua facilius pendent aequi Lectores. Eterna illa lux Spiritu ſuo mentem tibi illuſtret, Dux iſte maximus Manum dirigat, ut quae vera & ſalutaria ſunt, & comprehendas certo, & promas fideliter; idem ille Deus me cui non ulterius permittitur in vinea laborare, dignetur aeterna in coelis requie, foreign
THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
Chriſtian Reader,
I Should needleſly ſhew my ſelf a Non Conformiſt, if I ſhould ſend thee into the book without prefacing ſomething concerning the Author, matter, and occaſion, of what is here expoſed to thy view: For the Author, thou art entreated to look upon him, as one who loves not to ſee his face in troubled waters, but would gladly ſpend his All upon thoſe fundamental practical truths, in which all ſincere Chriſtians are agreed, having ſadly obſerved all along this diſputing Age, that the best of men in handling Controverſies, have diſcovered more corruption in themſelves, then miſtake in their Adverſaries; nor haſt thou any reaſon to be offended, that he hath concealed his Name, which is publiſhed, would not have advantaged the Treatiſe, but rather have prejudiced ſome againſt the reading of it, and tempted the Reſpondent (if any one count ſo ſlight a piece worth anſwering) to make perſonal reflections, with which mens writings now a dayes are as full, as is the night of darkneſs: The matter diſcourſed of, is Re-ordination, a thing as generally condemned by the ancient Church, as Re baptization, yet now hugely juſtified, even to the cenſuring of all thoſe who cannot ſubmit to it. Men Renowned for their Piety and Learning, men that have been Ordainers of others lead the way, and thoſe who have been ordained by them follow after, never conſidering whether the nature of the Ordinance be not ſuch as makes it uniterable, nor whether they ſhall not hereby juſtifie the rigid Prelatiſts in all their hard ſpeeches againſt Presbyterian Ordination; for why ſhould they be blamed who called it a Mock-Ordination, ſeeing the men who gave and received it, are content to let it be accounted ſuch, taking the very ſame Orders that they do who were never looked upon as Miniſters? all the Anſwer that is given is, that they do not renounce their former Ordination, nay, they openly declare, that they look upon it as valid, only they take a Confirmation from the Biſhop, a Licenſe, as it were, to exerciſe that Miniſterial Authority which hath been already conferred on them: But one would think rational men ſhould not ſo eaſily ſuffer themſelves to be deceived, Is there any thing in that form and manner of making and conſecrating Priests and Deacons, that looks like a bare Confirmation? Are not all things ſo contrived and managed, that Ordainers and Ordained would be ridiculous, if they ſhould intend any thing leſs then the conferring of the eſſe Miniſteriale. I preſent unto you, Reverend Father in God, theſe perſons preſent, to be admitted Deacons. If any one here can help himſelf by a mental reſervation, and ſay, that he is preſented to be admitted Deacon, which he is already, yet when preſently after the Biſhop ſaith, Brethren, if there be any of you, who knoweth any impediment, or notable crime in any of theſe perſons preſented to be ordered Deacons, ſure he cannot think, that to be ordered Deacon, is only to be confirmed Deacon. Likewiſe, in the form by which a man is made Priest, there are many phraſes uſed, which make it not at all to look like an admiſſion, ad eundem gradum; and the very fees themſelves that are paid, declare it to be ſomething more. As for the occaſion of writing what is now publiſhed, thou mayeſt ſoon perceive it was the Letter of a Friend, deſiring the Authors judgement in the caſe: it is now publiſhed, to this end, that if any one be of a contrary mind, he may be induced to let us know his own reaſons, and his Anſwers to ours, and this will be a work of high charity, to convert us from ſuch an errour, as is like to hinder us from exerciſing our Miniſtry. But let not any man think, he ſhall be able to convert us by railing, by bitter jeers, or Sarcaſmes; the wrath of man worketh not the righteouſneſs of God. We ſhall think the cauſe is but weak, which muſt be ſupported by opprobrious language. This, good Reader, is all the trouble that is thought meet to be given thee by way of Preface. O pray for the peace of Jeruſalem!