Baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghoft, Do This. in Remembrance of Me, Whofefoever Sins ye remit they are remitted, and whofefoever Sins ye retain they are retained. These are no Mortal founds, Nec Vox Hominem Sonat ! No, they are his, whofe moft inward Af fairs they his chofen Ambaffadors were to manage, even the Lord Chrift's; by Virtue of which the Evangelical Miniftry tranflates out of Darkness into God's marvellous Light, raiseth Men from the Earth, and brings God from Heaven; by Bleffing Vifible Elements makes 'em become Invincible Grace, difpofes of that Body which was given for the Life of the World, and that Blood which was poured out to redeem Souls; whatever it binds on Earth is bound in Heaven, and whatever it looses on Earth is loos'd in Heaven; when it sheds Maledi. Яtion on the Heads of the Wicked they Perish, and when it revokes the fame they revive! What dullness is it not to admire, what prophaneness not to revere fo great an Authority! What stupidity to think, that any but God can give it! It is He, and none but He! as St. John the Baptift, who was himfelf a Man fent from God to the fame purpofe, fpeaks, A Man can take unto Himfelf nothing, except it be given him from Heaven, (Joh. 3. 27.) We have for the least and

meanest

meanest Duties perform'd by Virtue of Minifterial Power,That to Dignify, Grace, and Authorize them, which no other Offices on Earth can challenge; fo that whether we Preach, Pray, Baptize, Celebrate the Eucharift, Condemn, Abfolve, or whatever we do as Disposers of God's Myfteries, Our Words, Judgments, Acts; and Deeds are not Ours, but the Holy Ghoft's! Glory be to God, who has given fuch Power to Men! For to Men, weak, fimple, finful Men was, and is, this high Power conferr'd, which even Angels themselves, tho' in other things Miniftring Spirits to the Church, cannot exercise. Thus we find, that when devout Cornelius's Prayers and Alms were come up to Heaven, and brought down an Angel from thence, all he could do towards admitting him into the Church was, to command him to fend to Joppa for Peter: By His Preaching he was Inftructed, Converted, Receiv'd the Holy Ghoft, and was Baptiz'd. Who then shall undertake to exercise fuch a Power without a fpecial Commission, which even an Angel from Heaven was not fufficient for? And who can but with the highest Gratitude and unspeakable Joy acknowledge God's Infinite Goodnels and Condefcenfion, who in pity to the weaknefs of our Nature has order'd, that all the Sovereign Medicines of Grace fhould be

apply'd

apply'd to us by the intermediate Office of Men! Men of like Infirmities and Paffions with Ourselves, who have this Treasure in Earthen Veffels,as St. Paul Speaks, that ftill the Excellency of the Power may be of God and not of Us!

Befides, as it was neceffary in refpect of the great Ends and Heavenly Purposes, that have been Mention'd,that this Power fhould be Originally from God, so very fit and congruous also was it, that it fhould be mediately by Men, to the end that it might be Openly and Vifibly conferr'd. For no inwardCall, tho' never fo importunate, no Pretence to a Private Miffion from the Spirit, no Measure of real Knowledge, or Wisdom, or Gifts, or Sanctity can excufe, much lefs authorize the affuming of this Character, without being legally call'd and outwardly fent from thofe who have been in like manner Legally, and Openly, and Solemnly impower'd to Call and Send. For if this were allow'd, what a door would it open to all the Enthusiasm, and Folly, and Madness, and Blafphemy in the World! and what is more Horrible, all thefe would be Father'd upon the Holy Spirit by whoever was Wicked, or Impu dent, or Diftra&ted enough to give Out he was sent by him. Therefore Chrift himfelf took not on him the Office of a Preacher, till he was Outwardly commiffionated to it.

We

We were told before by the Apostle, That he Glorify'd not himself to be a High-Prieft, but be that faid unto him, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten thee. This was in Heaven the Eternal Defignation of him to the Priesthood in the fecret Councel of God. But the Publick Commiffion, which he receiv'd in Time, was the Voice from Heaven, This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; and till publickly own'd by the Audible Voice of the Almighty Father, and the Vi fible Defcent of the Holy Spirit, the Son himself enter'd not upon his Minifterial Office, But from that Time Jefus began to Preach, Mat.4. 17. And St. Luke tells us he was then about Thirty Years of Age; and fure none can doubt of His being Qualify'd long before, both for Sanctity and Wildom, who from his very Birth was the Holy Child Jefus, and at Twelve Years old difputed with the Do&tors in the Temple, fo that all that heard. him were aftonish'd at his Understanding and Answers, Luke 2. 46. And as Chrift did not take this honour to himself, till Outwardly call'd, as was Aaron, fo did he not leave it to the inward Call of any of his Difciples, to make themselves Apoftles. But he first Openly call'd and chofe by Name Twelve, whom he ordain'd to that high Office, and after chofe Seventy others into an inferior Degree, their Commiffion to Preach and to Baptize

i

Baptize was the fame, which the Apostles themselves had. And 'tis notorious, that the Apostles after his Afcenfion, as the Encrease of the Church requir'd, chose others; and after Fafting and Prayer and folemn Impofition of hands, fent 'em forth to exercife the feveral Powers they had receiv'd; and by fuch an outward Ordination, Regularly and Lineally continu'd, has the fameCommiffion, which they receiv'd from Chrift, defcended to Us, and our Lord's Promife been exactly Verify'd, that he would be with them, which could no otherwife poffibly be, but by their lawful Succeffors, to the End of the World. And if these things be so, Is it not a deplorable thing to confider the flight Regard that is had among fome to this Miffion, which both Scripture, Antiquity and Reafon tell us is fo neceffary to the very Being of a Church? Is it not a matter of juft Indignation to find Men in defiance of this carnal Ordinance, as they call it, venting their own abfurd Whimfies, and execrable Blafphemies, under the pretence of new Light and immediate Impulses of the Spirit? And is it not a matter of as juft Pity to see a poor Company of deluded, or rather bewitched Wretches following eagerly and dancing after this falfe Light, till they drop at laft into the bottomless Pit! And among others, that pretend to be fomewhat more