In all Protestant churches, it is still more evident, that Ordination is not held a necessary prerequisite of preaching: for in Sweden, in Germany, in Holland, and, I believe, in every reformed Church in Europe, it is not only permitted, but required, that before any one is ordained, (before he is admitted even into Deacon's orders, wherever the distinction between Priests and Deacons is retained) he should publickly preach a year or more, ad probandum facultatem. And for this practice, they believe they have the authority of an express command of God: "Let these first be proved: then let them use the office of a Deacon being found blameless," 1 Tim. iii. 10.

13. "In England, however, there is nothing of this kind; no layman is permitted to speak in public." No! Can you be ignorant, that in a hundred churches they do it continually? In how many (particularly in the West of England) does the parish-clerk read one of the lessons? (In some he reads the whole service of the church, perhaps every Lord's day.) And do not other laymen constantly do the same thing, yea, in our very cathedrals? Which being under the more immediate inspection of the Bishops, should be patterns to all other churches.

Perhaps it will be said, "But this is not preaching." Yes, but it is, essentially such. For what is it to preach, but prædicare Verbum Dei? To publish the word of God? And this laymen do all over England; particularly under the eye of every Bishop in the nation.

Nay, is it not done in the Universities themselves? Who ordained that singing man at Christ-Church? Who is likewise utterly unqualified for the work, murdering every lesson he reads? Not even endeavouring to read it as the word of God, but rather as an old song! Such a layman as this, meddling at all with the word of God, I grant is a scandal to the English nation.

To go a step farther.-Do not the fundamental constitu tions of the University of Oxford, the statutes, even as revised by Archbishop Laud, require every Bachelor of Arts, nine in ten of whom are laymen, to read three public

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lectures in Moral Philosophy, on whatever subject he chooses? My subject, I well remember, was, the Love of God. Now, what was this but preaching?

Nay, may not a man be a Doctor of Divinity even in Oxford, though he never was ordained at all? The instance of Dr. Attwell, (late) Rector of Exeter College, is fresh in every one's memory. These are a few of the considerations that may readily occur to any thinking man on this head. But I do not rest the cause on these. I believe it may be defended a shorter way.

14. It pleased God by two or three ministers of the Church of England, to call many sinners to repentance; who, in several parts, were undeniably turned from a course of sin, to a course of holiness. The ministers of the places where this was done, ought to have received those ministers with open arms; and to have taken them who had just begun to serve God, into their peculiar care; watching over them in tender love, lest they should fall back into the snare of the devil. Instead of this, the greater part spoke of those ministers, as if the devil, not God, had sent them. Some repelled them from the Lord's table: others stirred up the people against them, representing them even in their public discourses, as Fellows not fit to live: Papists, Heretics, Traitors; Conspirators against their King and Country.

And how did they watch over the sinners lately reformed ? Even as a leopard watcheth over his prey. They drove some of them also from the Lord's table; to which, till now, they had no desire to approach. They preached all manner of evil concerning them, openly cursing them in the Name of the Lord. They turned many out of their work; persuaded others to do so too, and harrassed them all manner of ways. The event was, That some were wearied out, and so turned back to their vomit again. And then these good pastors gloried over them, and endeavoured to shake others by their example.

15. When the ministers by whom God had helped them before, came again to those places, great part of their work was to begin again, if it could be begun

again: but the relapsers were often so hardened in sin, that no impression could be made upon them.. What could they do in a case of so extreme necessity? Where so many souls lay at stake? No clergyman would assist at all. The expedient that remained was, to find some one among themselves, who was upright of heart, and of sound judgment in the things of God: and to desire him to meet the rest as often as he could, in order to confirm them, as he was able, in the ways of God: either by reading to them, or by prayer, or by exhortation. God immediately gave a blessing hereto. In several places, by means of these plain men, not only those who had already begun to run well, were hindered from drawing back to perdition; but other sinners also, from time to time, were converted from the error of their ways.

This plain account of the whole proceeding, I take to be the best defence of it. I know no scripture which forbids making use of such help, in a case of such necessity. And I praise God who has given even this help to those poor sheep, when " their own shepherds pitied them not."

16. "But does not the Scripture say, 'No man taketh this honour to himself, but he that was called of God, as was Aaron?" Nor do these. The honour here mentioned is the Priesthood. But they no more take upon them to be priests than to be kings. They take not upon them to administer the sacraments, an honour peculiar to the priests of God. Only according to their power, they exhort their brethren, to continue in the grace of God.

"But for these laymen to exhort at all, is a violation of all order." What is this order of which you speak? Will it serve instead of the knowledge and love of God? Will this order rescue those from the snare of the devil, who are now taken captive at his will? Will it keep them who are escaped a little way, from turning back into Egypt? If not, how should I answer it to God, if rather than violate I know not what order, I should sacrifice thousands of souls thereto? I dare not do it. It is at the peril of my own soul. > Indeed if by Order were meant, True Christian Discipline,

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whereby all the living members of Christ are knit together in one, and all that are putrid and dead, immediately cut off from the body: this order I reverence; for it is of God. But where is it to be found? In what diocese? In what town or parish, within England or Wales? Are you Rector of a parish? Then let us go no farther. Does this Order obtain there? Nothing less. Your parishioners are a rope of sand. As few, (if any) of them are alive to God; so they have no connection with each other, unless such as might be among Turks or Heathens. Neither have you any power to cut off from that body, were it alive, the dead and putrid members. Perhaps you have no desire: but all are jumbled together without any care or concern of yours. It is plain then that what order is to be found, is not among you, who so loudly contend for it, but among that very people whom you continually blame, for their violation and contempt of it. The flock you condemn is united together in one body, by one spirit: so that " if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, if one be honoured, all rejoice with it." Nor does any dead member long remain; but as soon as the hope of recovering it is past, it is cut off.

Now suppose we were willing to relinquish our charge, and to give up this flock into your hands; would you observe the same order, as we do now, with them and the other souls under your care? You dare not: because you have respect of persons. You fear the faces of men. You cannot; because you have not "overcome the world." You are not above the desire of earthly things. And it is impossible you should ever have any true order, or exercise any Christian Discipline, till you are wholly " crucified to the world," till you desire nothing more but God.

17. Consider this matter, I intreat you a little farther. Here are seven thousand persons (perhaps somewhat more) of whom I take care, watching over their souls as he that must give account. In order hereto it lies upon me (so I judge) at the peril of my own salvation, to know not only their names, but their outward and inward states, their difficulties

and dangers. Otherwise how can I know either how to guide them aright, or to commend them to God in prayer? Now if I am willing to make these over to you, will you watch over them in the same manner? Will you take the same care (or as much more as you please) of each soul as I have hitherto done? Not such Curam Animarum as you have taken these ten years in your own parish. Poor empty name! has not your parish been in fact, as much a sinecure to you as your prebend? Oh what account have you to give to the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls!

18. There is one more excuse for denying this work of God, taken from the Instruments employed therein : that is, "That they are wicked men." And a thousand stories have been handed about to prove it. But you may observe, their wickedness was not heard of, till after they went about doing good. Their reputation for honesty was till then unblemished. But it was impossible it should continue so, when they were publickly employed in "testifying of the world, that its deeds were evil." It could not be but the Scriptures should be fulfilled. "The servant is not above his Master. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household ?"

Yet I cannot but remind considerate men, in how remarkable a manner the wisdom of God has for many years guarded against this pretence, with respect to my brother and me in particular. Scarcely any two men in Great Britain, of our rank, have been so held out, as it were to all the world: especially of those who from their childhood had always loved and studiously sought retirement. And I had procured what I had sought; I was quite safe, as I supposed, in a little country town, when I was required to return to Oxford, without delay, to take the charge of some young gentlemen, by Dr. Morley, the only man then in England to whom I could deny nothing. From that time both my brother and 1 (utterly against our wills) came to be more and more. observed and known, till we were more spoken of, than, perhaps, two so inconsiderable persons ever were before in the nation. To make us more