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of the Divine Wisdom and Will. Hear what Mofes fays to God's own chofen People Ifrael, The fecret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things that are reveal d belong unto us and to our Children for ever, that we may do all the Words of this Law, Deut. 29. 29. It is fufficient for us to know, that God has ordain'd none to the End, but those to whom he hath ordain'd the Means; that none are Jav'd thro Faith, but those who are created in Chrift Fefus to Good Works. Let us remember always, that we are call'd to be Saints as well as Believers, and confider that it is as poffible to be Believers without Faith, as Saints without Holiness. And withal that to be the One is as abfolutely Necessary as the Other; fince by the fame infallible Word, by which we are taught, that be that Believeth fhall be faved, by the fame also we are affur'd, that without Holiness no Man fhall See the Lord.

Now our Lord Jefus Chrift himself, and God even our Father, which has lov'd us and given us Everlasting Confolation and good Hope thro' Grace, comfort our Hearts, and encrease our Faith, and ftablifh us in every good Word and Work. To Him be Glory for Ever and Ever. Amen.

SERMON XII.

SERMON XII.

Rom. X. 5.

How fball They Preach except They be Sent?

F at any Time fince the First Preaching of the Gospel, it were allowable for a Minifter of Chrift to affert the the High Dignity of His Calling, and with the Holy Apoftle St Paul to magnify His Office; Surely it is fo, and more than fo at this Day. If in any Age it was Seasonable, in this it is Neceffary. An Age wherein we have seen, between an Atheistical Company of formal Pretenders to Philosophy and Reafon on one Hand, and a giddy, fenfeless Crew, who are call'd Wits, by the fame Propriety of Speech that the former are called Deifts on the Other, the whole Difpenfation of the Gofpel of Chrift, the Wif

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dom and Power of God to Salvation ridicul'd and defpis'd as an Abfurd and Irrational Impofition upon their Understandings, or a Trick or Cheat to enflave their Wills, an affront to their Reason, or a Defign upon their Liberty. Between the Grave Arguers against Myftery and the lewd Drollers upon Prieft Craft, the great Mafters of Reafon and the little flaves of Sense, all Efteem and Reverence due to Perfons or Things never fo Sacred or Divine, is almoft exploded and laugh'd out of the World. Which tho' none, that have any regard to the common Faith, can chufe but seriously lament, yet we can't but have fome Satisfaction to perceive that all the while that they mean fo much defpight to Our Religion, they do but the more confirm Our Faith, in fo plainly verifying the predictions of Thofe, who first preach'd that Gofpel which they Thus defpife. For that the latter Days fhall be times of Infidelity and departure from the Faith, that there fhall be Scoffers at the Gofpel, and Mockers walking after their Own Ungodly Lufts, we have the affurance of the Apoftles, St Paul, St Peter, and St Jude. Since therefore these things have been foretold by the unerring Spirit of God, we know that Offences muft come, but Wo unto Them by whom they come! Yea wo unto Them who do not use Their

utmost

utmoft Endeavour to put a ftop to their farther Encrease and Progrefs when they do come! Which being a Duty incumbent upon Us efpecially, who have the Honour to be thus defpis'd for Our Mafters fake; I fhall, by God's Grace, endeavour fomewhat towards it, by fhewing how Sacred our Authority is, For He, The Prieft, is the Meffenger of the Lord of Hofts.

And as the Prieft under the Law, was in the Prophet's Language The Messenger of the Lord of Hofts, fo in that of the Apoftles, every Lawful Preacher of the Gospel is an Ambaffador of Fefus Chrift. This was then and is now, that which only can make Authentic and Valid every Minifterial Act, both of the One and the Other, which otherwise is both Injurious to God and Ufeless to the People. Of the firft we hear God complaining by his Prophet (Jer. 23. 21.) I have not fent and yet they ran, I have not spoken to Them and yet they Prophefyd. And of the fecond the Apostle demanding, How can they Preach unleß they are Sent? Our Church therefore in her 23d Article declares, that It is not lawful for any Man to take upon him the Office of publick Preaching or Miniftring the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully Call'd and Sent to Execute the fame; A thing fo plainly contain'd and fo often inculcated in Holy Scripture, and withal fo agreeable

agreeable to found Reason and good Senfe, that tho' it may not feem very ftrange that, the frantick Enthufiaft, the Man of new Light or wild Inspiration fhould despise it, yet that the fober Socinian the great pretender to Right Reason and True Judgment should peremptorily and Dogmatically deny any need at all of it, were enough to raise any Ones wonder, that is not well enough acquainted with that fort of Men to have learnt that as there is nothing so plain in Scripture that they have not the Art of preverting, or the boldness of out facing, fo when Reason too is as much against Them, according to the Obfervation of Mr Hobbes, (as good a Chriftian) they can be as much against Reafon. I fhall therefore

I. Shew the Neceffity from Scripture and the Expediency from Reafon of Such a Miffion, in General, and confider Briefly the Socinian Arguments against it.

II. Affert our own Miffion in Particular, and Juftify the Sacred Authority by which our Holy Mother the Church of England has fent us forth into Chrift's Vineyard.

I begin with the firft. The neceffity in general for a Call and Commiffion from God in order to exercife the Minifterial Office as it is evidently set forth in Scripture.

Where

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