A discourse concerning evangelical love, church-peace and unity with the occasions and reasons of…

2. From the first planting of Christian Religion, those who preached the Gospel unto the conversion of the Souls of men; were principally entrusted with this Power, and it was their duty to gather them who were so converted, into that Church-Order and Fellowship wherein they might partake of the Sacred Mysteries, or solemn Ordinances of the Christian Worship. And this course of proceeding continued uninterrupted, with some little variation in the manner of the exercise of this Power and Duty, until Corruption had spread it self over the face of the whole professing Church in the world: But still a shadow and resemblance of it was retained, and in the Papal Church it self to this day, particular Confessors are esteemed competent Judges of the meetness of their Penitents for an admission unto the Sacraments of their Church. And who shall now ⟨p. 233⟩be esteemed more meet for the discharge of this duty, than those who succeed in the Office and Work of Preaching the Word, whereby men are prepared for Church-Society? And as it is a thing utterly unheard of in Antiquity, that those who dispensed the Word unto the Illumination and Conversion of men, should not have the power of their disposal as to their being added to the Church, or suspended for a time, as there was occasion; so it is as uncouth, that those who now sustain the same Place and Office unto the several Congregations attending on their Ministry, should be deprived of it.

2. From the first planting of Christian Religion, those who preached the Gospel unto the conversion of the Souls of men; were principally intrusted with this Power, and it was their duty to gather them who were so converted, into that Church-Order and Fellowship wherein they might partake of the Sacred Mysteries, or solemn Ordinances of the Christian Worship. And this course of proceeding continued uninterrupted, with some little variation in the manner of the exercise of this Power and Duty, until Corruption had spread it self over the face of the whole professing Church in the world: But still a shadow and resemblance of it was retained, and in the Papal Church it self to this day, particular Confessors are esteemed competent Judges of the meetness of their Penitents for an admission unto the Sacraments of their Church. And who shall now ⟨p. 233⟩be esteemed more meet for the discharge of this duty, than those who succeed in the Office and Work of Preaching the Word, whereby men are prepared for Church-Society? And as it is a thing utterly unheard of in Antiquity, that those who dispensed the Word unto the Illumination and Conversion of men, should not have the power of their disposal as to their being added to the Church, or suspended for a time, as there was occasion; so it is as uncouth, that those who now sustain the same Place and Office unto the several Congregations attending on their Ministry, should be deprived of it.