A47585:176
Laying on of hands upon baptized believers, as such, proved an ordinance of Christ…
Laying on of hands upon baptized believers, as such, proved an ordinance of Christ in answer to Mr. Danvers's former book entitled, A treatise of laying on of hands : with a brief answer to a late book called, A treatise concerning laying on of hands, written by a nameless author / by B.K. ...Laying on of hands upon baptized believers, as such, proved an ordinance of Christ in answer to Mr. Danvers's former book intituled, A treatise of laying on of hands : with a brief answer to a late book called, A treatise concerning laying on of hands, written by a nameless author / by B.K. ...
London : Printed, are to be sold by Benj. Harris ..., 1698
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Laying on of Hands UPON BAPTIZED BELIEVERS, As such, Proved both fr… › Chapter 5
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. Mind that the Apostle is speaking only here of the first Principles of the Doctrine of Christ; are they not so called? i. e. Doctrinae Christianae Initia, seu Rudimenta; the Beginnings or Rudiments of Christian Doctrine: Or, as Beza, Prima Christianismi Principia; the first Principles of Christianity. Now Laying on of hands on Officers, is not a beginning Principle, nor of the Alphabet of the Christian Religion, I think they ⟨p. 60⟩will not affirm it so to be. May not a Church, or People, profess and practise the first or beginning Principles of Religion, and proceed very far in the way of Christianity, and yet have no Officers orderly ordained amongst them?
But 2. These Principles appertain to the Foundation of God's House, being such on which the House is built; they are all equal in kind, nature, and quality, and one not to be without the other, God having joined them together as all of one rank, for the bearing up this Spiritual Fabric, see vers. 1. But laying on of hands on Officers, is an Ordinance of another rank and nature; a Church must be first gathered, or constituted, and Persons make a considerable progress in the Profession of Religion, before they can orderly be chosen, or ordained to the Office of Elders or Deacons: In short, Officers are not for the being, but well-being of the Church; and therefore such a Laying on of hands cannot be intended here. We read of Churches who had no Officers amongst them, Tit. 1.5, 6. If a Minister were to preach unto a People what are the Fundamentals of a Gospel-Church, viz. what Persons ought to do, that so in an orderly way they may be congregated together in the fellowship of the Gospel, or be made regular Members of the visible Church, would he tell them Laying on of hands on Officers is one Principle? Surely no; he would not affirm this to be one of the Rudiments of Christian Practice (that which first of all a Christian should be instructed in and come under, that he may have a being in God's House) nor a Foundation-principle of Church-Constitution; ⟨p. 61⟩