Five disputations of church-government and worship

Sect. 52. Object. By this doctrine you will induce disorder into the Church, if all that are able must be Ministers when they are denied Ordination: For then they will be the Judges of their own Abilities, and every brain-sick proud Opinionist, will think that there is a Necessity of his Preaching; and so we shall have confusion, and Ordination will be made contemptible by Pretences of Necessity!

Sect. 52. Object. By this doctrine you will induce disorder into the Church, if all that are able must be Ministers when they are denyed Ordination: For then they will be the Iudges of their own Abilities, and every brain-sick proud Opinionist, will think that there is a Necessity of his Preaching; and so we shall have confusion, and Ordination will be made contemptible by Pretences of Necessity!

Sect. 53. Answ. 1. God will not have the Necessities of mens souls neglected, nor allow us to let men go quietly to damnation, nor have his Churches ruined, for fear of occasioning the disorders of other men. Its better that men be disorderly saved, then orderly damned: and that the Church be disorderly preserved, then orderly destroyed! God will not allow us to suffer every Thief and Murderer to rob or kill our neighbours, for fear lest by defending them, we occasion men to neglect the Magistrate: Nor will he allow us to let men ⟨p. 166⟩perish in their sickness, if we can help them, for fear of encouraging the ignorant to turn Physicians. 2. There is no part of Gods service that can be used, without occasion of sin to the perverse: Christ himself is the fall as well as the rising of many; and is a stumbling stone and Rock of offence: and yet not for that to be denied.¹ There is no just and reasonable cause of mens abuse in the doctrine which I here express. 3. True Necessity will excuse and Justify the unordained before God, for exercising their Abilities to his service. But pretended counterfeit necessity will not Justify any; And the final judgement is at hand, when all things shall be set strait, and true Necessity and counterfeit shall be discerned. 4. Until that day, things will be in some disorder in this world, because there is sin the world, which is the disorder. But our Remedies are these, 1. To teach men their duties truly, and not to lead them into one evil to prevent another, much less to a mischief destructive to mens souls, to prevent disorder. 2. The Magistrate hath the sword of justice in his hand, to restrain false pretenders of Necessity; and in order thereto, it is he, and not the pretender that shall be judge. And 3. The Churches have the Power of casting the pretenders (if the case deserve it) out of their communion; and in order thereto, it is not he but they that will be Judges. And other remedies we have none till the last day.