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A27034
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A second sheet for the ministry iustifying our calling against Quakers, seekers, and papists and all that deny us to be the ministers of Christ by Richard Baxter.
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Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing B1404; ESTC R17263
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18,288
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16
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A Second Sheet for the MINISTRY Iustifying our CALLING Against Quakers Seekers and Papists and all that deny us to be the Ministers of Christ By Richard Baxter LONDON Printed by R. White for Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster 1657. A second Sheet for the MINISTRY Justifying our Calling against Quakers Seekers and Papists and all that deny us to be the Ministers of Christ THe corruption of the Romish Church being most in the errors and vices of the Priests which made men abhor the offering of the Lord 1 Sam. 2.17 the Reproach which they brought upon themselves did much prepare men to hearken to the Reformers The observing of this and of the necessary dependance of the people on their Pastors hath caused the Papists to bend their force against the Ministers of the Reformed Churches and to use all their wit to defame their persons and callings and make them seem ignorant unworthy or no Ministers to the people On this errand they send abroad their agents This is the saving Gospel that the Seekers Quakers and their brethren preach that the Scripture is not the Gospel or word of God and that we are no true Ministers Whatever Doctrine we are preaching the Opposers work is to call us deceivers and ask How we prove our selves true Ministers My work therefore at this time for the sake of the ignorant in our Assemblies shall be to acquaint them with our answer to this demand And I shall give it you in order in certain Propositions Prop. 1. Both in the Old and New Testament there is mention of two distinct sort of Ministers of Gods appointment First such as received some new Revelation either a Law or a particular Message immediately from God so that the people could not be sure that their Doctrine was true till they were sure that the men were sent of God These were called Prophets in the Old Testament and Apostles Prophets c. in the New So Moses received the Law from God and the following Prophets their particular Messages So the Apostles received the Gospel from Christ and so did the seventy and other Disciples that conversed with him and other Prophets and Evangelists had it by immediate inspiration All these were Necessarily by Miracles or some infallible Evidence to prove their own call before the hearers could receive their Doctrine for this was their Message The Lord hath commanded me to say thus or thus to you or The word which the Lord spake to me is thus or thus This sort of Ministers the Papists and Seekers do confess But besides these there is a second sort of true Ministers whose Office is not to receive from God any new Doctrine Law or Message but to proclaim the Laws already delivered and teach men the doctrine already revealed and to Oversee and govern the Churches of Christ according to his Laws and to go before the people in the worship of God The Prophets and Apostles did both these both Reveal the doctrine which they received from Christ and teach and guide the Church by it when they had done but the latter sort of Ministers do but the later sort of the work The Papists and Seekers cheat men by jumbling all together as if there were no Ministers of Gods appointment but those of the former sort and therefore they call for miracles to prove our Ministry Here therefore I shall first prove that the second sort of Ministers are of Gods institution 2. That such need not prove their calling by miracles though yet God may work Miracles by them if he please 3. That we are true Ministers of Christ of this sort 1. Christ found such Ministers under the Law that were to teach and Rule by the Law before received and not to receive new Laws or Messages I mean the ordinary Priests and Levites as distinguished from Prophets These Priests were to keep the Law and teach it the people and the people were to seek it at their mouth and by it they were to judge mens causes and also they were to stand between the people and God in publique worship as is exprest Deut. 31.26 Josh. 23.6 Neh. 8.1 2 3 8 18. 9.3 Levit. 1. 2. 4. 5. 7. 13. 14. throughout Num. 5. 6. Deut. 17.12 Mal. 2.7 Ier. 18.18 The Prophet had visions but the Priest had the Law Ezek. 7.26 Isa 8.16 20. Hag. 2.11 12. Num. 1.50 1 Chron. 9.26 16.4 2 Chron. 19.11 20.19 30.17 22. He was called A Teaching Priest 2 Chron. 15.13 Lev. 10 10 11. Deut. 24.8 2 Chron. 17.7.9 Ezek. 44.23 2 Chron. 35.3 And Christ himself sends the cleansed to the Priest and commandeth them to hear the Pharises that sat in Moses Chair though they were no Prophets so that besides the Prophets that had their message immediately from God there were Priests that were called the Ministers of the Lord Joel 1.9.2.17 and Levites that were not to bring new Revelations but to Teach and Rule and worship according to the old For Moses of old time hath in every City them that preach him being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day Acts 15.21 The Jews rejected Christ because they knew him not nor the voyce of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath day Acts 13.27 And even unto this day when Moses is read the Vail is on their heart 2 Cor. 3.15 And they that would not believe Moses and the Prophets thus read and preached neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luke 16.29 31. 2. And as Priests and Levites were distinct from Prophets before Christ so Christ appointed besides the Apostles and Prophetical revealers of his Gospel a standing sort of Ministers to 1. Teach 2. Rule 3. And worship according to the Gospel which the former had Revealed and attested and proved to the world These were called Overseers or Bishops Presbyters or Elders Pastors and Tâ—achers and also the Deacons were joyned to assist them Acts 14.23 They ordained them Elders not Prophets or Apostles in every Church Tit. 1.5 Titus was to ordain Elders in every City Timothy hath full direction for the Ordaining of Bishops or Elders and Deacons 1 Tim. 3. That their work was not to bring new Doctrine but to Teach Rule and worship according to that Received I now prove 2 Tim. 2.2 The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also Mark that its the same and not a new Doctrine and that as heard from Paul among many witnesses and not as received immediately from God and others were thus to receive it down from Timothy And v. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth It is not to bring new Truths but rightly to divide the old And 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the form of words which thou hast heard of me not which thou
of Christ But such are the Ministers before mentioned of the Reformed Churches Ergo This will be proved at once with the next which is Argument 3. Either these Pastors of the Reformed Churches are the true Ministers of Christ or else there are none such visible in the world But there are such visibly and certainly in the world as was proved Else there is no Church no Ordinances no Christianity no Christ For he can be no King without Subjects and Laws no Master without a School and Scholars no Physitian without Patients no Husband without his Spouse no Head without a Body no Intercessor without a Church to intercede for And to Believe the holy Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints is part of our Belief and therefore the Christian faith is gone if these be gone And that either we or None are Christs true Ministers I prove thus 1. We challenge the adversary to name us the true Church and Ministry if these be none of them where be they and who are they speak out or give up your wicked cause If you know not who they be or where then how know you that there are any such True Ministers are like a Light that shineth to all the house even the lights of the world and like a City on a hill that cannot be hid Matth. 5.14 15 16. 2. But let us try the particulars 1. The Seekers have no Church or Ministry 2. The Quakers have no Ordination that we know of and are every way so unworthy and had no being in the world till a few years ago that he is either no Christian or of a crazed brain that thinks Christ hath no Church or Ministry but them 3. The Anabaptists Socinians Swenkfeldians Familists Paracelsians Weigelians and such like have no more to shew for their Ministry and Churches then we but their errors and are so few and so lately sprung up that of them also I may say that he that takes them for the only Church or Ministers is either out of the faith or much out of his wits 4. The Eastern and Southern Churches have no more to shew for their Ministry and Churches then we but are incomparably more ignorant and erroneous few of them doing more then Read their Liturgies and Homilies and so administer the Sacraments 5. All the controversie therefore lyeth between us and the Papists Either they are true Ministers and a Church or not If not then it s left to us If they are then we are so much more For we have much more unquestionable evidence of our Title 1. The Office of a Tâ—aching Guiding worshiping Presbyter which we are in is beyond all question and yielded by themselves to be of Divine Institution But the office of a Mass-Priest to make a god of a piece of bread and turn bread into flesh so that there shall be Quantity colour taste c. without bread or any subject and a mans eyes tast or feeling shall not know that its bread or wine when we see taste and feel it as also to celebrate publike worship in an unknown tongue this Office is more questionable then ours 2. It remaineth a great doubt whether the Pope be not the Antichrist but of our Ministry there 's no such doubt 3. For Knowledge Godliness and Utterance and all true Ministerial abilities as it s well known what an ignorant Rabble their common secular Mass-Priests are so those military Fryers and Jesuites that are chosen of purpose to play their game among us and credit their cause if they have any reliques of truth or modesty will confess that the generality of our Ministers are much beyond theirs for parts and Piety or at least that we cannot be denied to be true Ministers for want of necessary Abilities We should rejoyce if their Ministers Priests or Jesuites were neer of such Piety as those of the Reformed Churches Some of their Jesuites and Fryers are learned men in which also we have those that equal the best of them but for the learning ability or Piety of the common Ministers on both sides there is no comparison to be made 4. All the Question then is of the way of entrance And there 1. The Papists seek not the Peoples consent so much as we do 2. They despise the Magistrates consent in comparison of us 3. And for Ordination which is it that all the stress must be laid on we have it and neerer the Rule of God then they Are 〈◊〉 ordained with fasting prayer and imposition of hands so are we M 〈…〉 it be by one of a superiour Order Who then shall Ordain or consecrate the Pope And yet a multitude of our Ministers are ordained 〈◊〉 Bishops if that be necessary But the great Objection is that we have not an uninterrupted succession from the Apostles and so those that ordained us had no Power and therefore could not give it to us Proposition 6. The want of an uninterrupted succession and so of Power in the Ordainers doth not disable our title to the Ministry or set us in a worse condition then the Papists For if it be only the succession of possession of the Office there is no man of brains can deny but we have an uninterrupted succession down from the Apostles But if it be a succession of Right Ordination that is questioned 1. The Papists have none such themselves 2. We have more of it then they 3. It is not necessary that this be uninterrupted All these I prove 1. The Popes themselves from whom their power flows have been Hereticks denied the immortality of the soul Whoremongers Sodomites Simonists Murderers so that for many of them successively the Papists confess they were Apostatical and not Apostolical see in their own Writers the lives of silve. 2. Alexand. 3 6. John 13. 22. 23. Greg. 7. Vrban 7. and abundance more Joh. 13. was proved in Council to have ravished maids and wives at the Apostolick doors murdered many drunk to the Devil askt help at dice of Jupiter and Venus and was kill'd in the act of Adultery Read the proofs in my Book against Popery pag. 269 270 255 101. The Council at Pisa deposed two Popes at once called them Hereticks departed from the faith The Council at Constance deposed Joh. 23. as holding that there was no eternal life immortality of the soul or Resurrection The Council at Basil deposed Eugenius 4. as a Simonist and perjured wretch a Schismatick and obstinate Heretick Now these men are uncapable of the Ministry as an Infidel is for want of Essential Qualifications As Copper is no currant coyn though the stamp of the Prince against his will be put upon it Undisposed matter cannot receive the form A fit man unordained is neerer the Ministry then such a man ordained So that here was a Nullity 2. And all the following Popes were the successors of Eugenius that was deposed and thus judged by a general Council but by force brought them to submit and held