A63200:334
A trial of the new-church way in New-England and in old ... by that…A tryall of the nevv-church vvay in New-England and in old ... by that…
A trial of the new-church way in New-England and in old ... by that learned and godly minister of Christ, John Ball of Whitmore ; penned a little before his death and sent over to the New England ministers, anno 1637, as a reply to an answer of theirs in justification of the said positions ... ; now published ... by William Rathband and Simeon Ash.A tryall of the nevv-church vvay in New-England and in old ... by that learned and godly minister of Christ, John Ball of Whitmore ; penned a little before his death and sent over to the New England ministers, anno 1637, as a reply to an answer of theirs in justification of the said positions ... ; now published ... by William Rathband and Simeon Ash.
London: printed by T. Paine and M. Simmons for Thomas Underhill, 1644
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.
Answer.
IF you take ministerial act improperly as sometimes it is taken by some, only when the Minister of one Church doth exercise his gifts of praying and preaching in another Church, being by themselves so desired. Then we answer, in this sense a Minister of one Church may do a ministerial act in another, which he doth not perform by virtue of any calling, but only by his gifts; and thus upon any occasion we mutually perform those acts one in another's Churches: But if you mean by ministerial act, such an act of authority and power in dispensing of Gods ordinance as a Minister doth perform to the Church, whereunto he is called to be a Minister; then we deny that he can so perform any ministerial act to any other Church but his own, because his office extends no further then his call. For that solemn charge, Act. 20. 28. is not to feed all flocks, but that one flock only, over which the holy Ghost hath made them over-seers. If the question were propounded to any Minister so exercising in an others Church, which was once to our Saviour by the chief Priests and Elders: By what power doest thou these things, and who gave thee this authority? let that Minister whosoever he be, study how to make an answer.
IF you take ministeriall act improperly as sometimes it is taken by some, onely when the Minister of one Church doth exercise his gifts of praying and preaching in another Church, being by themselves so desired. Then we answer, in this sense a Minister of one Church may do a ministeriall act in another, which he doth not perform by vertue of any calling, but onely by his gifts; and thus upon any occasion we mutually perform those acts one in anothers Churches: But if you meane by ministeriall act, such an act of authoritie and power in dispensing of Gods ordinance as a Minister doth perform to the Church, whereunto he is called to be a Minister; then we deny that he can so perform any ministeriall act to any other Church but his own, because his office extends no further then his call. For that solemne charge,