Five disputations of church-government and worship

Sect. 22. From what is aforesaid also it appeareth, that the work of the Ministry is founded first in the Law of nature it self, which upon supposition of mans misery and his recovery by Christ, and the Promise and means appointed for application, requireth every man that hath Ability and Opportunity, to do his best in the Order appointed him by God, to save mens souls by proclaiming the Gospel, and using Gods appointed means, for the great and blessed Ends that are before us.

Sect. 23. Hence it also appeareth that Gods first command (partly in Nature and partly in the Gospel) is that [The work shall be done, the Gospel shall be preached, Churches gathered and governed, Sacraments administered:] and that the Precept de ordine is but secondary and subservient to this. And if at any time, alterations should make Ordination impossible, it will not follow that the duty Ordered ceaseth to be duty, or the precept to oblige.

Sect. 23. Hence it also appeareth that Gods first command (partly in Nature and partly in the Gospel) is that [The work shall be done, the Gospel shall be preached, Churches gathered and governed, Sacraments administred:] and that the Precept de ordine is but secundary and subservien• to this. And if at any time, alterations should make Ordination impossible, it will not follow that the duty Ordered ceaseth to be duty, or the precept to oblige.

Sect. 24. The Scriptures name not the man that shall be a Pastor, yet when it hath described him it commandeth the Described person duly to seek admittance, and commandeth the People, ordainers and Magistrates to [Choose and Appoint these men to the Ministerial work.] Now these Precepts contain in each of them two distinct determinations of Christ. The first is [that such men be Ministers.] The second is [that they offer themselves to the office, and that they be Accepted and Ordained.] For the first is implied in the latter. If the Sovereign Power make a Law, that there shall be Physicians licensed by a College of Physicians to Practice in this Common-wealth] and describe the persons that shall be licensed; This plainly first concludeth that such persons shall be Physicians, and but secondarily de ordine that thus they shall be licensed: so that if the College should License a company of utterly insufficient men, and murderers that seek mens death, or should refuse to License the persons qualified according to Law, they may themselves be punished, and the qualified persons may act as Authorized by that Law, which indeth quoad materiam, and is by the College (and not not by them) frustrate quoad ordiem. So is it in this case in hand.