478 ostD?.s. [Boo? lI. tion with them, when this ceremony is not used at all in conferring the minor orders ? 3. Indeed, according to Scripture the proper qualifications of the person to be ordained is the chief point. So the deacons, whose ori- ginal office was to serve tables, were required to be men of good report, full of' faith and the Holy Ghost. St. Paul, too, declares, respecting elders or bishops, that they MX;S? & /?/ame/?ss, apt to Indeed, no one is elig/ble to ordination without ministerial quaiifications; nor can any one be ordained w/thout these. A bishop mu.vt be blame- less, &c., says St. Paul. They maintain that their bishops are the only persons to ordain_ mi- nisters, and that those ordained by presbyters, or by Protestant bishops, receive an invalid ordination. 1. Should we even admit that ordination by bishops alone is valid, there would be some diftlculty for them to show that their bishops are the true bishops of' Christ. Cannot Protestant bishops claim nmm than equal ministeri3.1 qualifications, and therefore are in possession of clainm superior to popish bishops, whose doctrines are not so sound, and whose attainments are far from being equal to those of their Pro- testant equals ? 2. But it cannot be admitted that there are no ministers but by the ordination of bishops. For every church hath Power in itself to ordain ministers in such order and manner as are consistent with the word of God. Such is the common judgment of the reformed churches,* ' that every church is not tied to the same manner of ordination of ministers, so that it be agreeable to the word of God. According to this rule, every church may make use of that form and order which is most agreeable to their state. Our arguments for this are the fol- lowing :-- (1.) Certain prophets and teachers laid hands on Paul and Barnabas at Antioch, when they were sent on a peculiar embassy to preach the gospel; there being no other officers in the church at Antioch of higher grade than prophets and teachers, though these were inferior to apos- tles. So, in other churches, those who are lawfully appo'mted to or- dain are the proper persons to discharge that duty in behalf of the church, whether they are called presbyters or bishops, or some other such name. (2.) If it were not so, the following inconsistencies would follow, viz.: 1. That all the reformed churches should have no true minis- ters, being without episcopal ordination. 2. That either they must be denied to be true charches, or else a true church may be without the right power of ordination, which is absurd. (3.) The form or manner of ordination was not uniform in the days of the apostles. These were appointed by Christ without any impos/- tion of hands. Matthiss was chosen by lot. Timothy was ordained by the presbytery. There were also several other varieties; but these examples are sufficient. to prove the point. (4.)That every church is left to its own liberty in this, their own canons bear testimony'. So also Augustine declares, that there is uo
- be their oeutimentg collected I) 7 Wilier, p. ?
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