A92287:127
The reasons of the Dissenting Brethren against the third proposition, concerning presbyterial government· Humbly…
The reasons of the Dissenting Brethren against the third proposition, concerning presbyterial government· Humbly presented.
London: printed by G.M. for Ralph Smith, 1645
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Sect. 5.
First, For the materiale, the Persons that these Presbyteries are made up of, are the same; The Consistory hath gifted men set apart to the Office of the Ministry; Those that are in a Classical Presbytery are no otherwise qualified, nor indeed doth the Scripture require any thing but a Presbyteration to qualify men for any sort, if there were sorts of Presbytery.
First, For the materiale, the Persons that these Presbyteries are made up of, are the same; The Consistory hath gifted men set apart to the Office of the Ministery; Those that are in a Classicall Presbytery are no otherwise qualifyed, nor indeed doth the Scripture require any thing but a Presbyteration to qualifie men for any sort, if there were sorts of Presbytery.
That there is a greater number of Presbyters in the one then in the other, this alters not the state in respect of the matter; for if the number be competent, that is, so many as two or three may agree, Matth. 18. it sufficeth. The Honourable House of Commons, is to all Parliamentary purposes as much a House, when but two or three above forty, as when four hundred. Nor doth this always fall out that all Classical Presbyteries have a greater number then some Parochial. Scriptures have determined neither how few will constitute a Classical Presbytery, nor how many may be in a Parochial: Practice many times maketh them equal.