Of Liturgies Power of the Keys, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
Poſition 8.
THat one Miniſter cannot performe any Miniſteriall act in another Congregation.
Reply. The Preaching of the Word and publique Prayer in the Congregation, meet together ſolemnely to worſhip God, &c. are properly Miniſteriall, &c.
Anſw. Concerning our true ſenſe and meaning in our anſwer to this Poſition wee have ſpoken in the ſecond conſideration of the ſecond and third Poſitions, to which wee referre the Reader, onelyonly here wee muſt ingenuouſly confeſſe that our expreſſion, That a Miniſter exerciſing in another Church, doth it not by vertue of any calling, but onelyonly by his gifts, is not ſo cleare, but may occaſion ſtumbling, yet the the next words following doe fully expreſſe our mindes, viz. that he doth not put forth ſuch a Miniſteriall act of authority and power in diſpenſing of Gods Ordinances, as a Miniſter doth performe to that Church, whereunto hee is called to be a Miniſter, for ſo hee doth not performe any Miniſteriall act with that authority: hee doth to his owne which further cleares up our expreſſion in the ſecond conſideration, viz. that he is a Paſtor of none but his proper flocke, although ſome acts of his Office may extend beyond his owne flocke, as we have ſhewed before; and therefore in this ſenſe we may ſtill conclude, that if the queſtion be put to any Miniſter (ſo exerciſing in another church) which was once put to our Saviour, By what authority doſt thou theſe things? let him ſtudy how to give an anſwer, for wee have not yet learned it from this Reply. We confeſſe there are ſome godly learned ſervants of Chriſt, who poſſibly may bee otherwiſe minded, and thinke that a Miniſter preaching in another Congregation, doth it onelyonly as a gifted man; as the Refuter of Doctor Downam (with others in former times of Reformation) beleeved alſo. But we deſire that if any difference appeare herein, it may bee no prejudice to the ſame cauſe for ſubſtance wee maintaine, if by ſundry lines wee all meet at laſt in the ſame point.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Shepard, Of Liturgies Power of the Keys (1653)