Diatriba, Part 1
ΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗ.
Wherein the Iudgement of THE Reformed Churches AND Proteſtant Divines, is ſhewed,
Concerning
Ordination.
Laying on of Hands in Ordination of Miniſters: And,
Preaching by thoſe who are not Ordained Miniſters.
London, Printed for Peter Cole, and are to be ſold at his ſhop at the ſign of the Printing-Preſs in Cornhil, neer the Royal Exchange, 1647.
The Iudgement of the Reformed Churches and Proteſtant Divines, concerning Ordination, Laying on of Hands in Ordination of Miniſters, &c.
ORdination is taken commonly for an act of Miniſters or Elders, after Examination and Election: In that ſenſe,
Ordination is not Eſſential to the Calling of a Minister: For,
1. The word, To Ordain, Tit. 1.5. foreign, even when it is uſed concerning Officers, ſignifies to ſix, ſettle, eſtabliſh one who was in Office before, as appears by Pſal. 2.6. where the Septuagint uſeth the ſame word Paul doth to Titus, foreign; Now if you underſtand the Pſalm of David in the type, he was a King many years before he took in the Hill and Fort of Zion, 2 Sam. 5.5, 6. Or if you underſtand it of the Apoſtles Preaching up Chriſt, as the Apoſtles do the Pſalm, Acts 4.25, &c. Chriſt received all power at his Aſcenſion, and did but ſettle his Kingdom by their Preaching. The Apoſtles were but witneſſes of Chriſts glory, and in being ſo, did foreign. And however the word foreign may be taken ſometimes, yet Tit. 1.5. it cannot be taken for making him an Elder who was none before, for what is injoyned there, is to be done by Titus only, or by Titus joyning with other Miniſters; For the Text ſays, I have left [thee] to Ordain: But neither did the Apoſtles, much leſs might other Miniſters make a Miniſter by a ſole act of their own: As for example▪ Acts 14.23. foreign, &c. the word tranſlated, They Ordained, in the Plural number, may be referred to the people, as well as to Paul and Barnabas: For its ſuch a word as properly belongs to the people as well as their Rulers when they gave their votes, and never to the Rulers without the people. The cuſtome was amongſt the Grecians in their foreign or lawful meetings,Budaeus, H: Stephan. Theſ. that the people joyned votes with the Rulers, and the Rulers with the people, before any act was accounted Legal; yea it may be rather referred to the people then to them, for the people ſometimes voted alone, but the Rulers did never. And in this ſenſe it is taken by the Reverend Divine of Scotland; Eng. Popiſh cerem. p. 166. printed 1637.his words are, But it is objected, That Luke ſaith not of the whole Church, but of Paul and Barnabas, that they made them, by voyces, Elders in every City. Anſw. But how can one imagine that betwixt them two alone the matter went to ſuffrages? Election by moſt voyces, or the liſting up of the hand, in taken of a ſuffrage, had place only amongſt a multitude aſſembled together. Wherefore Wee ſay with Junius, That foreign, is both a common and a particular action, whereby a man chooſeth by his own ſuffrage in particular, and likewiſe with others in common one: So that in one and the ſame action, wee cannot divide thoſe things which are ſo joyned together. But if the word, They Ordained, be referred to Paul and Barnabas, and ſignifie to Create or make an Officer who was none before; yet the power whereby this Creation is wrought, is not their own only; for foreign is Creare per ſuffragia, Theſ. ling. Graec inas H: Stephan renders it, which is as much as to ſay, They did it not only virtually in the power of others, but they did it by others.
2. The end and ſcope of ordination is but to ſolemnize, inaugurate or publiſh the calling of a Miniſter, It is to a Miniſter as Coronation is to a King, which makes him not a King, but declares him and ſets him forth with glory.Aegid. Hunn. ad artic. Arturi contra aſſert. 6. Declaratio ſolemnis. Ames Caſe Conſ. lib 4. c. 25. ſect. 28. Conſtitutionis teſtification Croci. Anti Soci. Diſp. 24. ſect. 3. Miſſio ſolennis in poſſeſſionem honoris. Jun. Teſtimonium vocati publicum. Tarnov. de Miniſt. lib. 1. c. 25. Conſecratio & Manifeſtatio, Declaratio, Promulgatio, Significatio coram Eccleſia ſolennis teſtificatio. Voet. Deſpcauſa papatus, lib. 2. ſect. 2, c. 20. Theſe are the very expreſſions and ſimilitudes of Proteſtant Writers, both Lutheran and Calviniſt in this matter. Sicut non Coronatio facit Regem, ſed Electio &c. Aegid. Hunn. ad actic. Acturi contra aſſert. 6. Ames Bellar. enervat. tom. 2. p. 76. Id caſ. conſ. l. 4. c. 25. ſect. 28. Voet. Deſp. cauſa Papatus, lib. 2. ſect. 2. c. 20. p. 264. Majorem differentiam comminiſci nemo potest inter duo illa (Elect. & …di…t.) quam inter Conſtitutionem et Commiſsionem Principis unde ſpectatam, et inter eandem commiſsionem arbitrariis quibuſdam ſimbolis ſceptra, Corona, &c. inſignitam, Id pag. 267. And they are agreeable to Scripture; For Act. 13.2, 3. Paul and Barnabas are ſaid to be Separated to the work by prayer and faſting and laying on of hands; but both of them were Miniſters before, as appears Act. 12. ult.
3. Then a man is a Miniſter, when he hath a calling to the work from God and man. But both thoſe he may have without Ordination: For a man is called by God when he is approved to be of eminent gifts, and hath his heart ſtirred up by ſpiritual reſpects to uſe thoſe gifts for publique good. And he is called by man, when the people who are godly, conſulting with the Word of God, and laying aſide all carnal reſpects, chuſe him and give up themſelves unto him. This is the reaſon of Crocius in defence of the Proteſtants againſt the Socinians. Ant. Soc. diſp. 24. ſect. 3."Diſtinguimus inter neceſsitatem vocationis et ordinationis (ſays he) we diſtinguiſh between the neceſſity of having a Call and of being Ordained. Illa eſt neceſſaria ratione mandati, haec ratione ordinis & conſtitutionis Eccleſiaſticae. Illa eſt conſtitutio in officio, quae ſi legittima eſt duo habet. 1. Vt a Deo quis eligatur. 2. Vt per antecedentem populi conſenſum …ligatur A Deo eligitur cum ipſe donis exornat, &c.A calling is neceſſary, by reaſon of Gods command; Ordination is neceſſary in reſpect of order and Eccleſiaſtical Conſtitution. The calling is the Conſtitution of one in Office, which (if it be lawful) hath two things in it. 1. That one be choſen of God. 2. That he be choſen by the Antecedent conſent of the people: One choſen of God when he is adomed with gifts, &c.
Quicun que ad docendum idoneus eligitur. & vocatur ſuffragio & voce Eccleſiae, is verus eſt verbi Miniſter; Siquidem vocatio & electio legitima facit Miniſtrum. Ordinatio vero eſt illius vocationis declaratio coram caeui Eccleſiae; ſicut non coronatio facit Regem ſed electio: Coronatio vero eſt ſolennis duntaxas renunciatio & declaratio regis. Ae gid. Hunn. contra aſſert. Arturi. Vocatio propriè & eſſentialiter. conſiſtit in electione. Ames Caſe Conſc. l. 4. c. 25. ſect. 28. Ordinatio ſeu Conſecratio nihil aliud eſt quam legitima electio. Vo…t. 267.4. Whatſoever ſubſtantial act belongs to the making of a Miniſter, or is ſolemniz'd in ordinatiō, the ſame is done in Election. For firſt, to Election there goes the tryal and approbation of a mans abilities; In Election, the Church giveth up it ſelf to God to take whom he ſhall direct their hearts to,Acts 1.2, 4. and in chooſing one well qualified, they chuſe him whom God would have Choſen. In their choice they, eo ipſo, ſeparate and ſet him apart to the Miniſtery: Him they take as from Gods appointment and hand, they offer themſelves to God by him. In accepting the choice, the party choſen undertaketh to be in Gods ſtead to them,2 Cor. 5.20. & to go in their ſtead and behalf to God (for what elſe is it to be a Miniſter?) And all this is done with prayer and mutual agreement. Now as where the Church agrees in an act, God wil be preſent to confirm that act, Mat. 18.18, 19. ſo prayer is alſo a ſeparation of one to the Miniſtery, Act. 13.2, 3. Adde further, Our Tranſlators of the Bible take and render foreign To Ordain, Acts 14.23.which ſignifies properly to chooſe: And where the Scripture ſpeaks expreſsly of chooſing, they ſupply the Text with the word Ordain, as Act. 1.22. Hen. Stephan calls the act of choice (foreign) Creare Magiſtratum, Theſ. ling. Graec. novum uſum hine verbo tribuere.the making of and Officer, for it is (as he ſays) a new found ſenſe of the word, to ſignifie, laying on of hands. And if the Apoſtle Luke ſhould uſe it for laying on of hands, Eng. Pop. cere. p. 165, 16….it was never uſed ſo before his time by any writer, holy or prophane: And unleſs his purpoſe was to write that which none ſhould read, it muſt needs be that as he wrote ſo he meant,Cart. on Acts 14.23. Election by voices, ſays Cartwright.
Yea let it be further obſerved, that in Election and Ordination, the ſame word is uſed; In Election, Act. 1.23. Act. 6.6. foreign In Ordination it is foreign; the ſame word, with addition of a prepoſition, (foreign) only: And as the Tranſlators of the Bible render both words, Appoint. foreign They appointed, Act. 1.23. foreign we will appoint, Act. 6.3. So the Prepoſition foreign doth not alter the ſenſe ſpecifically from the word when it is without it,foreign pro. foreign apud Euſtrach. no not in the matter of making an Officer: For its all one foreign, and foreign, as H. Stephan obſerves.Theſ. ling. Graec. tom. 1. 1732. C. & 1767. E. In the New Teſtament foreign ſignifies to place one, and to place one with honor; whence the phraſe is foreign he ſhall ſet the Sheep on the right hand, Mat. 25.33. Its an authoritative word, as Rom. 3.31. foreign, We establiſh the Law. And the Septuagint, whom Luke is obſerved to follow moſt,Cart. in Acts 14.23. uſe foreign for as much as foreign, as 1 Chron. 9.22. foreign. Theſe did David and Solomon appoint in their ſet office. But eſpecially conſider that electing one is taking up an Office for him, Act. 1.20.22. and he that is elected is ſaid to be numbred amongſt Officers, Act. 1.26. The lot fell on Matthias, …nd he was numbred amongſt the Apoſtles. Numbred foreign communibus ſuffragiis ſeu calculis ad ſcriptus est, by common conſent or votes he was put into the number, or inrolled amongſt the Apoſtles.
Omnes illi actus qui pertinent ad vocationem vel tendunt ad electionem, ut, nominatio, praeſentatio, examinatio, vel ab electione pendent, ut, Ordinatio, inſtitutio vel immiſſio. Ames Caſe Conſ. ubi ſupra. Relationes in ſubjecto dicuntur exiſtere poſito▪ fundamento & termino. Sed legittima electio & fundamentum Miniſterii & p…rticularis Eccleſia iſta vel illa terminus. Voet. ubi ſupra. p. 265. Conſecratio eſt adjunctum Miniſterii, at que adjunctum eſt poſterius ſuo ſubjecto. Id. 18.5. Upon whomſoever Election falleth, Ordination doth, neceſſarily, and therefore the Call to the Miniſtery lies principally in Election; as he that is choſen to be a King, muſt be Crowned, therefore his election gives him the right to rule. That Ordination neceſſarily follows Election, appears Act. 6.3. where the Apoſtle bids them look out (i. e. chuſe, as its explained ver. 5.) and he would appoint.
And to this agree our Brethren of the Church of Scotland; Eng. Pop. cere. part. 3. c. 8. p. 167.ſpeaking of Ordination in general (though they inſtance it as to a particular flock) Neither the Patrons preſentation, not the Clergies nomination, examination, and recommendation, nor the Biſhops laying on of hands and giving of inſtitution; nor all theſe put together, can make up to a man his Calling to be a Paſtor, without the free Election of the flock: Again, A man hath from his Election power to be a Paſtor, ſo far as concerns Jus ad rem; And Ordination only applieth him to the actual exerciſing of his Paſtoral Office, which Ordination Ought to be given to him OnelyOnly who is elected, and that becauſe he is elected.
6. A Miniſter may want and be without Ordination in ſome caſes, therefore its not eſſential to his Galling. Thus Gregor. Thaumaturgus way, and others may be in times of perſecution. This Argument Voetius preſſeth larger, and ſheweth, even by confeſſion of the Papiſts, (That one elected or choſen, may without Ordination do all the offices of a Miniſter, as, Excommunicate, Abſolve, and concludes it is no more to the effence of a Miniſter, then bowing of the knee externally is eſſential to prayer to God, or the leading of the Bride and pomp of a wedding …ay, is to marriage, Deſp. cauſa Papal. 266, 267.
7. The inconveniences will be very great which follow upon this, That Ordination is Eſſential to the calling of a Miniſter: For of neceſſity, for the maintenance of it, it muſt be aſſerted that the Romiſh Prieſts, by whom Ordination comes to us (and therefore to Beza it was all one, to be Ordained by the Ordinary, and to be Conſecrated in Romana Eccleſia, in Acts 14.23.) are the Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt, and the Church of Rome wherein they are, the true Church and Spouſe of Chriſt: Yea, that there is a perſonal ſucceſſion of Miniſters (uninterruped by Hereſie or whatſoever elſe may nullifie a Miniſters Calling) from the Apoſtles times to this preſent; For if there be but one, who when he Ordained was no Miniſter, or not Ordained, all that were Ordained by him are no Miniſters, if Ordination be eſſential.