1000000031

E L 1

~~,

T II E O L O

5·i5

not rafs ot"cr in fill!ncc th:n ' which is callcd lhe::

C\hlft

¡,ti

01"

Ecckfi ..

fEc

P rudcnct:; whufc ot-.jctl is

th..:

eXterior

ord<!r

or arrnngC::nlcnt of

d\\::

Chrif

~i.tn

church.

(JI:

principies

(t)I!lId–

c~1

on th.e H

:)ly

Scri (lturt!; an I w',iC"h

He pr0ftt'r, nt)lollly

to maill[3in

rdigion

in its pllliry

and (pl':Il..lM,

IUdcfend

"~.Iinft

all fcht(ms, ddlcnfions aud rcp:u

IlU C'1I

wh:nc\'cr.

1 'his ce:onomy is nccrff.try in rhe counC'ils, th..: (ynflds. lhe

cOllfiUorics, ano in the

(:\C'Ullics

theol()~v.

\Vc mur

not, howi!ver, confound th:s Wil h lhe

ccdclialtic

jurifpru.

dente, whieh is

the

feienee of jm'crp, cling and tl.pplyinC

lhe

bws. inf1ituted

the foverci¡:n ,

rcl..u ive

tn tilt;

perrons.

g0ods, and alf..irs of the chu rch;

wherl'j(S lhe ohjeél" of

conliHurial prud('lIce is

(he

arnnr.ement of lhe church itfelf, •

:linO (he eccldiallu.: Hate, on C rlntli"n and rational max:ms.

l 'lle one

a Con of legifl,¿tion

¡tfdf; anJ lhe othcr, on

lhe contrary, an application of lhe civil

1"\1,15.

Il.

The theologlcftl prudence ¡"dudes thererore,

lidl,

lhe \l/hale pl.m af church-goveroment, ;tnd the arrangeOlent

lhe

('cclefiaflic (l:ale

lecondly, the orclinances rehnive

exterior ceremo,nies, :\nd di vine \Vorlbip; and lallly, the

chfc.ipEnc! of the church, the errors, the

fchifm~,

the here·

ries, and

difT~(J{jons

that arife among ChriHians. The fource

of this prudence is a thorough knowleoge of the cfTenee of

.he Chriftian religioo, and (he methoJ of drawing from

j u!t confequences.

111 . This difeipline is like\Vife employcu in deeidillg,

' Vhereio confias lhe dtff\. rence between lhe c1ergy and lhe

Jaity; or

there be. in f'la, any rc,d ddF..:rence betwecn

them: if the ehureh form , di!linét

!I...

e in the general fy_

llcm of governmcM; and to whom belongs lh! righ;

01'

de·

ciding

circa lacra;

and what are 'the limits of tht! fpiritual

and temporal powers in this refpeét: whereio confifls lhe

hierarchy of the church, and what are its rights and privi.

Jeges: to whom apperlain5 Ihe nomin11ion of a prieíl, or

olher ecclcfiaflic. accordir g to the divine ordinance: to

whom

committed the right of preachir.g io puDlic. of ad–

mioiHeri og lhe facrltments,

anJ

of exercifing (he ex.:ommu·

nicative power of expelling, or again admiuing, any p'lni–

cular ehrini.;;n, or even

wholr;: country. into the pale of

the church : the bans and interd¡éh: lhe exercife of faered

or lheologic (ludies; lhe Cchaols, lhe f<."minaries,

lhe

uní·

vedilies aod academíes. the

Itdrl!

S ,

the convcnts; and

the

rtn :

all

fubj <~l;

vigorouOy attaeked .nd

o~nin¿tely

de–

fended.

IV_ T he conGnorial prudence e'(amines Iikewife lhe li.

turgic:s, the

cer~mvnics

and

rdi~iou5

CJ(hms , Ihe brHi,,_

ries , lhe lIttlals, th: canlicles,

an.:1

orher book, or de\,(l' ion

adopteJ by the chtrch ; the

furm\lI,l,II~s,

eh: liljdls of

cipline, &.c. &c,

(h..:

crceds, lhe conf:;.!li )ns

(Jllh. thc ca–

techlf.í1S, "od many othtr Ilke nlattt>n

2nd

I.lfl!y,

the

doub:s .md OJj::éls of conlrovedy. Iha t tlcctií¡()n Ihe h(1Idir.g

of fynod, 'Iod cou!lcds; th: queHion, ir dIe l'opt: b:- Abo\ e

the counc!!!, or (he councils aboye the Pope

thlt pr:\tllce

of d enchtic thlOlogy, or the public d en<..hy ; tht!

f~'p tr~'

tion and rl'uniCJn of the chulch, which the Syncrt'titls anrl

Jreni2 ns dlfp!.: te ¡ the dlvorces more or leCs allowable; ma·

trimonial. and conftHori;t,1 man ers, &c. &c,

V . AII thefe fubjel1s, and 'n infini,y of others. whieh

a!iCe from . or have an immediate conl'lellion W,th tlu:fe.

recl\lire tO ue lhoroughly confidered. rcduceJ in to a regul",

ryH~m ,

eX:'Ildioed and fi>ced

0 0

folid prinf'iples. ,m I

COII·

Jmnctl I)y j...:fl and

pCrlin~nt

cxampl(!s, f ,om AI I lills re·

fe:"

wha,

l¡

e,lItd

E,clc~,nie

l'rudclle". T his fcieo,"

not yct

he_~n

flch:c::-d ioto a fyflt:11l or forr.l':;! rliC\'i plint:,

ami

dl.tt

pnncll'all y bcc,¡uCe it has

bc~o

conHanth' confuund'–

crl wnh Ih..!

cc(;)cfiaflie law :

bu! {ha:.

...

I,,·v

~¡{rc!rs

a..::

ml1ch rroln tllis, as pulni ;.iI prud\.nec

d~jrcl s Iro~1

th.:: com·

mon law.

0f 1 'IIEO LO C I C

P RunF~Cr.

in tlr

Dlrr ERE~ T

ruxc–

TI O~S

of tlc

M1SI STM,Y,

l NDErF.NOEN T

of cafuinic,,1theoloJ!Y, "nd of the

ceca·

nomy of lhe church in genend. lhe thcologian has. more·

over, necd of greal Cagacity io lhe r arricu l.H exereifc of his

miniHry ; and milny ablt: di\·ines have reduceu lhis ¡cienee

into a fyltem. and have givcn general preeepes, :\nd partí.

cular rules , (or lhe conduél: of lhe rnini lter of lhe ah,H, in

the difl'('rent circumflances chat may ariCe in this part of his

dlU y, ' Ve Oull decline lhe pan icular cxpl'ln;uion of thde

dífF(rent Cyrtcms, as

would J!ad us into numbed cls

mi·

nuti.e. Conrad P orla

has wrote a work

the fubjetl, in –

tided

Pajlor(1/~

L"th(ri ,'

Stoltzdinus, Kortholt, Philip

Hahn, Hanm;¡,n, and many other theologi;ms, have wrote

luge volumes eoocerniog

but. aboye

all ,

the trcatiCc of

Dr.

J.hn

JIoIJJ"',

whieh is e.llod

/J'II/[.,,'II /J'I;lJijlr;

ec–

c/~Ji.c.

be conCuhed on this malter.

V/e

lhe more rca.–

dily omil the oames aoJ tides of ot hcr works of this kind,

as we have prefcriberl ie la ourCelves as a law, tO avoid,

ilS

much a! pofTlble, lhefe Cons of e!latioos, feeiog chal

the

num:'er of new books thar are continn.uly appeariog fre.

quendy fup erfede their predccefTo,s; and moreover, in this

pan

of theology, each Chriai an eommunion h,¡s its parti·

eular authors, who treal it

conformity lO the: dogmas and

principies which lhat communion adopts ,

Ir.

The humour of reduclOg evely

thi.ng

ioto fyflem, has

alCo taken place

lhis m..u er, which in filé\": appcars

have no oecarion for any peculiar diCcipline lh;¡t cou ld oot

be includcJ under fome other pan of theulogy. BUt :'8

this di!llnaion is already made. it is our bufinefS to explain

ir , for the uCt! of fuch as devore (hemfelves to the altar,

The prudcnti¡¡1 lhcology ls, for thcm anu their minillry ,

what polmeal prudence is for a Olao of lhe \Vorld in the

commerce of

lite.

is the art of au aining

lhe

end prl).·

poCed: and as eaeh conditlon in Jire has its putlcular pur·

fuin, lhe dlvines have alfo n'llur'llly thein , and th::

[lre:·

ceprs of theoJogic prudence fcrve to condutl: thern to

jt.

11 L

110t as lhe d"gm;¡s, the ceremoni(s, Ihe rites

;01'1

objt:tts tlta( the minillers of Iht: ddrl!rent Chrillian commu·

oions propoCe to Ihem(t:!ves,

are.'

no means lhe fame,

f'lch cCHnmunion . ea\!h f<él, does !l01 fullow, in lhis reCpeél,

Ihe lame rult!s anJ precepES, nor ('ven part of Ihe

CAme

prin–

cipies. AII

th.tt

we can thl.!rcforc do an,idlt Ihis di\cdity

0plI,ions , and tontrtlriety of nnxim5. is

point out, in

a few worJs . Ihe prineip:tl objeéli tlut (.ní!' or other of lhem

co.lIprehend in

tlllS

part of

[ h~· r

p¡dlorA I theolof!Y.

1V. T hc

A/utic

'f hrol"g)

f;)r ln!tJnee, trC;HS of lhe

various particular exerciles of picty ; and the rrinciplcs.

tlHl

pi opnlcs wilh Ibis

re~ard.

fer ve as gniJes to the mi ·

niHer 01 the

al{.lr~

in his rccommendal ion oí Ihe pr,,\.9ice of

jt,

as \\ ·11 as in many pans uf h:s

eedc:r.aClic

duty, FAlh ,

pil!!rimio)'.u:. :::nd lOany other m;llten of lh,e fame kincl,

h~.

Jon~

Ihe I'rovince of aCc..:tic

{hcolo~n> a~d

wlli, h we \Viii

nOI

ablolutdy rcj :d l, uecAu:c \Ve wlne lor rcaJc:rs of all

forts of eOI1llHUO\0I1S. Truth, howt:\ter, o!>liges \:s

re:·

m.\lk. th,Il Ihe afl..'l,tic IhctlloJ!Y of enry

c~mmllnion

iS.lh

u!rslJn ng, oi' l'riilc'pL's falCdy llUibu¡cJ tO lhe Gofpd, a nrt

bdc!'l!~~