Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A45153
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The question of re-ordination, whether, and how a minister ordained by the Presbytery, may take ordination also by the Bishop? by John Humfrey ...
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Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing H3704; ESTC R8105
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33,209
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104
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in Scripture and a stress is laid upon it but I read not so of one Ordination Where there is no law to the contrary where I pray lyes the transgression It is true there may be found in some ancient Canons something against this perhaps where they had not the like reason Si quis Episcopus aut Presbyter aut Diaconus secundam ab aliquo Ordinationem susceperit deponitor tam ipse quà m qui ipsum ordinavit say the Apocryphal Canons of the Apostles Can. 67. Where this very distinction thus made of the Clergy does witness them this one of them at least to be of after-times and so forged as Rivet notes it I know also the Trent Doctors out of the Schoolmen do tell me with an Anathema that there is an indelible character imprinted by three of their Sacraments whereof this is one for which cause they cannot be iterated but I know not that any of them can tell what this character is or where or how it is impressed or shew it me in the Bible or in the Fathers or that the Protestants do make any thing at all of it Synops pur Theol. Disp 43. Thes 36. Let my fear O Lord be taught me by thy Precepts and neither by mans meer notions nor Tradition Quod Baptismus non sit iterandus sayes Chemnitius in his Examen de Charactere de re magná agitur Pactum gratiae in illo Deus nobiscune iniit Illud verò sayes he blaming the Trent determination quod Baptismi proprium est ut scilicet non iteretur ad suos Ordines transtulerunt You may see easily through this little cranny the true light of this Great Mans free thoughts Will you be pleased therefore to hear an honest learned and impartial Doctor speaking his mind out full for him Dr. Baldwin Professor of Wittenberg De casibus conscientiae putting this very case Whether a man ordained by the Papists may be ordained again by us and maintaining that there is no necessity of it does yet clearly deliver here his thoughts in this matter Quod si quis existimat se tranquilliùs suo in nostris Ecclesiis Officio perfungi posse si etiam nostris ritibus ad Sacrosanctum Ministerium utatur nihil obstat quin Ordinationem à nostris accipere possit non enim eadem est ratio Ordinationis quae Baptismi qui iterari non potest Hoc enim Sacramentum est Ecclesiae illa autem externus tantum ritus Lib. 4. c. 6. cas 6. SECT III. I Have done now with my Essay as to the Question I come to the Scruples and Objections that have run into my Soul like water I shall endeavour through Divine Assistance to lave them out as well as I can by Confession or Solution For the first it hath been this The Apostle limiting the use of our Christian liberty in indifferent things to the rule of charity instances in meats offered to Idols The weak Brethren thought in their consciences it unlawful to eat of such meats the stronger Christian hereupon is bound to forbear because they seeing him who had knowledge sit at meat their consciences would be emboldned to eat likewise who having not that knowledge should sin Apply the case here Many of my Brethren do think it unlawful it is likely to be ordained again Now they seeing me though the meanest among them yet whom they think may have some knowledge to be re-ordained Shall they not be emboldned to do so likewise which if they do whilst they believe or doubt it to be unlawful they perish But when you sin against the Brethren and wound their weak consciences you sin against Christ I confess I do the rather propose this for the seeking satisfaction if it can be given me in regard of the vast range the Case hath and takes in more especially all Ceremony I cannot wear a Surplice nor read Common Prayer at this interim or stand up at the Creed Nay I cannot wear my hair long and a hundred more certainly indifferent things but some do think these in their consciences unlawful and so while I embolden them by my pattern to do the same I occasion their ruine and incur the hazard of such Texts Rom. 14 15 21. 1 Cor. 10.28 1 Cor. 8.11 12. Mat. 18.6 7. I must profess if this Proposition will arise from any one or from all these Texts that a man who is satisfied of a thing as indifferent and lawful must yet forbear upon the account that by his example others may be emboldned to the same who having not that knowledge do judge it unlawful and so sin if they do it then is the way of poor Christians the Lord knows very straight Nevertheless besides the learned Hammonds interpretation of that Chapter 1 Cor. 8. bearing away quite the edge of that place I am though through grace something enlightned to judge that a man may sometimes do much good in leading an example to the doubtful when a thing is becoming necessary as he may do much amiss in things more certainly lawful that are better spared As for the Schools definition of Scandal I say an indifferent commanded becomes rectum which was minùs rectum before and Scandalum with them is Dictum vel factum minus rectum praebens alteri occasionem ruinae I will take up with that here of Mr. Calvin treating about indifferent things in this case and mentioning Pauls circumcising Timothy and yet not Titus as to the point Nihil jam sayes he hâc regulâ expeditius quà m Utendum libertate nostrâ si in proximi nostri aedificationem cedat sin ita proximo non expediat eâ tunc abstinendum Inst lib. 3. c. 19. § 12. SECT IV. THE grand Objection in the second place and chief that I can think of and which I am perswaded if I can satisfie thoroughly I have done my work I will lay down as cleer as possibly I can frame it for it hath come in often and laid long with the dint of it in my thoughts Ordination is that which according to Divines does give a man the office of the Ministery they mean they say as to the Essence of the outward Call Jus Divin Evan. ch 11. This is the end they account hereof Now when a man is a Minister already there is not this end If there be not it's end it is to no purpose an ordinance or Gods name taken in vain which is against the Third Commandement To this I answer as cleerly I hope directly and fully and shall enlarge upon it after There are more ends then one in Ordination as in Baptism and other Institutions It is not necessary to the taking or using an ordinance that a man be capable of all it's ends I might adde if need were nor the grand end so long as there is some right and sufficient end of the same Ordination it is said does not install a man in his office but gives a man his commission and authority that is
rather how good is help like to be unto burden and work And then forasmuch as the timber of Episcopacy is cut out of Scripture though the structure it self and whole rearing of it up be of man and that varyed according to places and times I see no reason but the Presbyterian himself may yield to it with good satisfaction Will you hear the Learned Fathers own arbitration Sicut Presbyteri sciunt se ex Ecclesiae consuetudine ei qui sibi praepositus fuerit esse subjectos ita Episcopi noverint se magis consuetudine quam dispositionis Deminicae veritate Presbyteris esse majores in communi debere Ecclesiam regere imitantes Mosen qui cùm haberet in potestate solus praeesse populo Israel Septuaginta elegit cum quibus populum judicaret SECT VI. I Have not digressed as I may seem in the preceding Paper yet shall I return more directly on the point to that which remains that is the fourth and last Objection I did not think at first of writing half thus much but loe here how my ink like the waters rise upon me that there are some few Scruples not yet passed over And after this especially my fourth Paper What is there more in the ransack of my soul that all the superstition which is there can rake up farther against this thing Truly I find there is something yet methinks sticks about that gift mentioned with laying on of hands in Timothy with a passage put them together I have met with lately out of St. Gregory Sicut baptizatus semel iterum baptizari non debet ita qui consecratus est semel in eodem iterum ordine non debet consecrari Here is argumentum à Simili Let my misgiving thoughts for a while work upon it Baptism is a Sacrament of initiation into Christianity So haply Ordination into the Ministry In Baptism there is the spiritual grace and outward rite In Ordination there is an outward rite and likely this spiritual gift To every function there is a gift apt for the discharge of it annexed to it and given when God please with it Why is not Imposition of hands a sign and seal of this gift in the Ministry as washing with water of grace in baptism Ceremonia hac est primùm sayes Calvin ex Scripturis sumpta deinde quam non esse inanem nec supervacuam sed fidele spiritualis gratiae symbolum testatur Paulus Inst l. 4. c. 19. § 28. And what if Ordination hereupon be a very perfect Sacrament as Baptism is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayes Chrysostom of Baptism on Heb. 6.6 Adverte quà m illud tremendum sit quantum valeant Pontificum impositae manus sayes Theophylact of Ordination on 1 Tim 4.14 In the Council of Nice the 19th Canon where I read of Re-ordination it is in such a case only that required also rebaptization and in Concilio Capuano ui rebaptizationes ita re-ordinationes sunt prohibitae Baron an 389. n. 74. quoted by Mason de Min. Ang. p. 170. In short a man cannot be born twice or twice regenerate no more can he be twice baptized and consequently neither twice ordained Here is the Herculean pillars and I guess the non ultrà of my doubts For answer whereunto I shall premise one thing that the Conscience is solely Gods Prerogative and as it cannot so we ought not to suffer it to be bound by the authority of man I mean so far as to make any matter in it self sin where it is left free by his Word Let that of St. Jerome to this purpose be heeded Quod de Scripturis authoritatem non habet eadem facilitate contemnitur quâ probatur This premised the Solution here does lye in the rejecting such apprehensions as these which are too high strained and not consonant to the received Doctrine of the Protestants who admit only two Sacraments upon grand reason and that there cannot therefore be a parity of Ordination with Baptism as I have framed To unravel the same then let me take a little scope There are three things say our Divines must go to a Sacrament Symbolum externum divina institutio and promissio gratiae For the first it is manifest in Ordination For the second an authentick Divine hath these words Licèt nullum extet certum praeceptum which yet in 1 Tim. 5.22 is implyed says Walaeus de manuum impositione quia tamen fuisse in perpetuo usu Apostolis videmus illa tam accurata eorum observatio praecepti vice nobis esse debet Cal. Inst l. 4. c. 3. § 16. For the last promissio gratiae we must know there is a double grace The grace of the Covenant as I may say and Ministerial grace that is endowment for our office to profit others When Divines tell us of a promise of grace which must go with the Precept to make a Sacrament we are to take Grace still in the first sense the grace of the Gospel and so No Ceremony Rite or Institution Apostolical or otherwise which is not to be received of Christians pro sigillo justitiae fidei Rom. 4.11 or pro signo gratiae justificantis that is which does not signifie consign and confer to us remission of sins and salvation upon our believeing can be no Sacrament in the strict and right notion of it with us For the gift then given to Timothy which hath come in play before upon supposition his office was thereby meant for so the Scripture Rom. 12.6 7. calls Ministery Teaching gifts and waved in the sense that it must now come in again to be considered here namely as it may be taken for grace gratìs data or a faculty to discharge his office and so lies still upon our hands Let us note that it is said manifestly to be given by Prophesie By Prophesie no doubt compared with 1 Tim. 1.18 is meant divine revelation If by this gift then were meant his office as the more judicious still hold it denotes that Paul was directed by revelation as we read the like Act. 13.1 2. to ordain Timothy a Minister Spiritus Sanctus oraculo Timotheum destinaverat ut in ordinem Pastorum co-optaretur sayes Calvin in locum If by the Gift is meant Grace Ministerial Grace or a special talent for his office then must it import that Paul was informed by the Spirit of Prophesie whether in himself or others that such a gift talent or doubling his talents would be bestowed on Timothy from God upon this Ceremony whereupon he layes his hands on him And then it does appear that this Text or Texts cannot no more then that where Christ breathes on his Disciples afford us a solid ground to conclude any promise of grace or gift such gift to be annexed to this rite for any others beside him I say if Paul does expect this gift to be given to Timothy upon this action from revelation then cannot we ground upon this any connexion of this gift to the rite without the like