Five disputations of church-government and worship

Sect. 27. Argument 7. If such uninterrupted succession be not Necessary to be Known, then is it not Necessary to the Being of the Ministry or Validity of Ordinances administered; But such a succession is not Necessary to be known: therefore—The Consequence of the Major is plain, because ⟨p. 175⟩the Being or Nullity of Office and administrations, had never been treated off by God to men, nor had it been revealed, or a thing regardable, but that we may know it: Nor doth it otherwise attain its ends. And that it is not necessary to be known, I further prove.

Sect. 27. Argument 7. If such uninterrupted succession be not Necessary to be Known, then is it not Necessary to the Being of the Ministry or Validity of Ordinances administred; But such a succession is not Necessary to be known: therefore—The Consequence of the Major is plain, because ⟨p. 175⟩the Being or Nullity of Office and administrations, had never been treated off by God to men, nor had it been revealed, or a thing regardable, but that we may know it: Nor doth it otherwise attain its ends. And that it is not necessary to be known, I further prove.

Sect. 28. If this succession must be known, then either to the Pastor, or to the Church, or both: but none of these: therefore — 1. If it must be known only to the Pastor, then it is not Necessary as to the Church. And yet it is not Necessary to be known to the Pastor himself neither. For (as is showed) its impossible for him to know it, so much as by a Moral Certainty. His Predecessors and their Ordinations were strange to him. 2. Not to the Church. For it is not possible for them to know it: Nor likely that they should know as much as the true Ordination of their present Pastor according to the Prelatical way, when it is done so far out of their sight.

Sect. 28. If this succession must be known, then either to the Pastor, or to the Church, or both: but none of these: therefore — 1. If it must be known only to the Pastor, then it is not Necessary as to the Church. And yet it is not Necessary to be known to the Pastor himself neither. For (as is shewed) its impossible for him to know it, so much as by a Moral Certainty. His Predecessors and their Ordinations were strange to him. 2. Not to the Church. For it is not possible for them to know it: Nor likely that they should know as much as the true Ordination of their present Pastor according to the Prelatical way, when it is done so far out of their sight.