himfelf through him fpeaketh unto azd befeechethi you. Receive the word which he according to the fcripture fhall preach unto you, "not as the word of "man, but (as it is in truth) the word of God. Let "the feet of those that preach the gospel of peach, " and bring glad tidings of good things, be beautiful "and pleasant unto you, Obey them that have the "rule over you, and, fubmit yourselves; for they "watch for your fouls, as they that must give ac

count, that they may do it with joy, and not with

"grief, for that is unprofitable for you. If you do "these things it fhall come to pafs, that the peace of "God fhall enter into your houfes, and that you, "who receive this man in the name of a prophet, "fhall receive a prophet's reward, and through "his preaching, believing in Christ, shall through "Chrift inherit life eternal,

Since no man is of himself fit for any of thefe things, let us call upon God with thanksgiving:

ERCIFUL Father, we thank thee, that it

M pleafeth thee, by the miniftry of men, to ga

ther a church to thyfelf unto life eternal, from amongst the loft children of men: we blefs thee for fo graciously providing the church in this place with a faithful minifter, we beseech thee to quality him daily more and more by the holy Spirit, for the mi

niftry to which thou haft ordained and called i enlighten his understanding to comprad vy 25ly word, and give him utterance, that he may ly open his mouth, to make known and dipe myfteries of the gospel. Endae him wi and valour, to rule the people aright over which is fet, and to preferve them in chriftian peace, be end that thy church under his adminiftration and y his good example, may increafe in number as a virtue. Grant him courage to bear the ficanes and troubles which he may meet with in his nime try, that being strengthened by the comfort of thy Spirit, he may remain stedfast to the end, and se received with all faithful fervants into the joy of his mafter. Give thy grace alfo to this people and church, that they may becomingly deport themselves towards this their minifter; that they may acknowledge him to be fent of thee; that they may receive his doctrines with all reverence and fubmit themselves · to his exhortations. To the end that they may by his word believing in Chrift, be made partakers of eternal life. Hear us, O Father, thro thy beloved Son, who hath thus taught us to pray,

Our Father, &c.

The end of the form for ordaining the minifters

of GOD's WORD,

· The Form for ordaining Elders and Deacens, when ordained at the fame time.

But if they are ordained feparately, this form. fhall be used as occafion requires.

B

ELOVED Christians, you know that we have feveral times published unto you the names of our brethren here prefent, who are chosen to the office of elders and deacons in this church, to the end that we might know whether any perfon had aught to alledge why they should not be ordained in their refpective offices: and whereas no one hath appeared before us, who hath alledged any thing lawful against them, we fhall therefore at prefent, in the name of the Lord, proceed to their ordination,

But first, you who are to be ordained, and all those who are here prefent, shall attend to a short declaration from the word of God concerning the inftitution and the office of elders and deacons : of the elders is to be obferved, that the word elder or eldest (which is taken out of the old teftament, and fignifieth a perfon who is placed in an honourable office of government over others) is applied to two forts of perfons who minister in the church of Jesus Christ: for the apoftle faith, the elders that rule well, fhall be counted worthy of double honour, efpecially they who labour in the word and doctrine." Hence is evident that there were two forts of elders in the Apoftolic church, the former whereof did labour in

:

the word and doctrine, and the latter did not. The first were the minifters of the word and paftors, who preached the gofpel and adininiftered the facraments; but the others who did not labour in the word, and ftill did ferve in the church, bore a particolar office, namely, they had the overfight of the church, and ruled the fame with the minifters of the word for Paul, Rom. chap. xii. having fpoke of the miniftry of the word, and alfo of the office of diftribution or deaconfhip, fpeaketh afterwards particularly of this office, faying: " He that ruleth let him do it with diligence :" likewife in another place he counts government among the gifts and offices, which God hath inftituted in the church; 1 Cor. xi. Thus we fee that thefe forts of minifters are added to the others who preach the gospel, to aid and affift them, as in the old teftament the common Levites were to the priests in the fervice of the tabernacle, in those things which they could not perform alone: notwithstanding the offices always remained diftin& one from the other. Moreover it is proper that fuch men fhould be joined to the minifters of the word in the government of the church, to the end, that thereby all tyranny and lording may be kept out of the church of God, which can fooner creep in when the government is plafed in the hands of one alone, or a very few. And thus the minifters of the word, together with the elders, form a body or affembly,. being as a council of the church, reprefenting the

whole church; to which Chrift alludes when he faith, Tell the church-which can in no wife be underflood of all and every member of the church in particular, but very properly of thofe who govern the church, out of which they are chofen.

Therefore in the first place the office of the elders is, together with the minifters of the word, to take the oversight of the church which is committed to them, and diligently to look, whether every one properly deports himself in his confeffion and converfation; to admonish those who behave themselves diforderly, and to prevent as much as poffible, that the facraments be not profaned: alfo to act (according to the Chriftian difcipline) against the impenitent, and to receive the penitent again into the bofom of the church; as doth not only appear from the abovementioned faying of Chrift, but also from many other places of holy writ, as I Cor. chap. v. and 2 Cor. chap. ii. that thefe things are not only entrusted to one or two perfons, but to many who are ordained thereto.

Secondly. Since the apoftle enjoineth, that all things fhall be done. decently and in order," amongst christians, and that no other persons ought to ferve in the church of Chrift but those who are lawfully called, according to the Christian ordinance, therefore it is alfo the duty of the elders to pay regard to it, and in all occurrences, which are relative to the welfare and good order of the church, to be