A53704:245
An enquiry into the original, nature, institution, power, order and communion of evangelical churches.…
An enquiry into the original, nature, institution, power, order and communion of evangelical churches. The first part with an answer to the discourse of the unreasonableness of separation written by Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, Dean of Pauls, and in defence of the vindication of non-conformists from the guilt of schism / by John Owen.An enquiry into the original, nature, institution, power, order and communion of evangelical churches. The first part with an answer to the discourse of the unreasonableness of separation written by Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, Dean of Pauls, and in defence of the vindication of non-conformists from the guilt of schisme / by John Owen.
London: printed by J. Richardson for Nath. Ponder, 1681
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Chapter 3: The Continuation of a Church-State and of Churches unto the end of the world; what are…
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.
But whereas this whole Argument about Personal successive Ordination, hath been fully handled. and the Pretences of it disproved by the chiefest Protestant Writers against the Papists; and because I design not an Opposition unto what others think and do, but the Declaration and Confirmation of the Truth in what we have proposed to insist ⟨p. 54⟩upon, I shall very briefly discover the falseness of this Pretence, and pass on unto what is principally intended in this Discourse.
But whereas this whole Argument about Personal successive Ordination, hath been fully handled. and the Pretences of it disproved by the chiefest Prot•stant Writers against the Papists; and because I design not an Opposition unto what others think and do, but the Declaration and Confirmation of the Truth in what we have proposed to insist ⟨p. 54⟩upon, I shall very briefly discover the falseness of this Pretence, and pass on unto what is principally intended in this Discourse.
1. The Church is before all its ordinary Officers; and therefore its continuation cannot depend on their successive Ordination. It is so as essentially considered, though its being Organical is Simultaneous with their Ordination. Extraordinary Officers were before the Church, for their Work was to call, gather, and erect it out of the World. But no ordinary Officers can be, or ever were ordained but to a Church in Being. Some say they are ordained unto the universal visible Church of Professors; some unto the particular Church wherein their Work doth lye; but all grant that the Church-State whereunto they are ordained, is antecedent unto their Ordination. The Lord Christ could, and did ordain Apostles and Evangelists, when there was yet no Gospel Church, for they were to be the Instruments of its Calling and Erection. But the Apostles neither did, nor could ordain any ordinary Officers, until there was a Church or Churches, with respect whereunto they should be ordained. It is therefore highly absurd to ascribe the continuation of the Church unto the successive Ordination of Officers, if any such thing there were; seeing this successive Ordination of Officers depends solely on the continuation of the Church. If that were not secured on other Foundations, this successive Ordination would quickly tumble into dust. (Yea this successive Ordination, were there any such thing appointed, must be an Act of the Church it self, and so cannot be the means of communicating Church Power unto others. A successive Ordination in some sense may be granted, namely, that when those who were ordained Officers in any Church do dye that others be ordained in their steads, but this is by an Act of Power in the Church it self, as we shall manifest afterwards.)