as is plain by his faying to the One, Lay hands fuddenly on No Man; and to the Other, For this Caufe left I thee in Crete, that thou Shouldeft fet in order the things that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every City, as I appointed thee. And all this the Apostles did by the Power of the Holy Ghoft given them by Chrift, by which, as they were enabled to perform perfonally their Apoftolical Functions, fo they were impower'd also to ordain others to the fame, whofe Office therefore, as Theirs was, is alfo from the Holy Ghost. Which St Paul Himself shews, speaking to the Elders of Ephefus, to whom, tho they were certainly ordain'd by fome of the Apostles, probably by Himfelf, yet his charge is, Take ye heed therefore unto your felves and to all the Flock, over which the Holy Ghoft has made you Overseers, to feed the Church of God, (Acts 20. 28.) And thus, as under the Law there was a fucceffive Priesthood continu'd by a Carnal Propagation, and by a Natural Descent they were to proceed Out of Aaron's loyns, who were to Succeed in his Office; So now, after that Chrift Our High Prieft is made a Prieft for ever after the Order of Melchifedec (who was without Father, without Mother, without Defcent) That Carnal Propagation juftly ceafing, thro' the Virtue of the Holy Spirit convey'd by Apoftolical Ordination, there is a never ceafing, T 3

un

uninterrupted Minifterial fucceffion Spiritually propagated to the end of the World.

Thus have we briefly out of Holy Scripture fhewn the Source and Fountain of all that Authority, which the Minifters of the Go-. fpel are endu'd with, which is no other than the Commiffion of Chrift himself, and the Power of his fpirit given to his Apostles, and thro' them and their Succeffors, as thro fo many living Channels, deriv'd down in a direct Courfe to the Church in this prefent Age. And if we confider the whole Compass, and Extent, and the several important Changes of fo High an Office, we fhall fee the Reasonableness as well as the Truth of all this, we shall perceive not only that it is fo, but that it is abfolutely Neceffary that it should be fo. Indeed the want of a due Confideration, or worthy Efteem of all those several and diftinct Acts, so Excellent and Divine, about which their Miniftry is converfant, is the great or rather only cause, why any have doubted or argued against the Neceffity of a Divine Miffion, as will plainly appear to any One, that examins, what either the Enthufiafts or Socinians (or Limborch out of them) oppose against it. Now it is confeffedly the Duty of a Minifter of Christ, as on the Part of the People, to offer up their Prayers to God; fo on God's Part, to Sign and Seal the par

don

don of their Sins to them, and Bless them in his Name. And as no Man can (for another Man like himself, without being legally comiffion'd by him,) feal Covenants in his Name; much lefs can any One take upon him to put the Seals, which are the Sacraments instituted by Chrift, to the New Covenant, without his exprefs Warrant and Commiffion. Such a Proceeding between Man and Man is Forgery, between Subject and Prince is Treafon; but between Man and God is Sacrilege, is Blafphemy, is an Impiety beyond what Thought can reach, or Words exprefs. The whole Employment of a Minifter of the Gospel is not Only to Preach the Gospel, tho' that indeed in Scripture is fometimes by a Synecdoche taken for the whole Office of the Miniftry. For that was a Glorious and Audacious Work, when the Commiffion for it was firft given, and is fo ftill, and ever fhall be to the end of the World; but even then, when Certainly it was more neceffary than it can be now, after near Seventeen hundred Years Poffeffion that the Chriftian Faith has had over the whole Earth, even then it was but a part of the Commiffion, and preparatory alfo to the other parts of it. Let us put together what at feveral times, and on feveral occafions, Our Saviour has given in Command to his Apoftles, Feed My Sheep, Teach all Nations, Baptize

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 Sanat! No, they are his, whofe moft inward Affairs they his chofen Ambaffadors were to manage, even the Lord Chrift's; by Virtue of which the Evangelical Miniftry translates out of Darkness into God's marvellous Light, raifeth 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 fheds Malediction 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 ftupidity 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 purpose, speaks, A Man can take unto Himfelf nothing, except it be given him from Heaven, (Joh. 3. 27.) We have for the least and

meanest

meaneft Dutys, perform'd by Virtue of Minifterial Power, That to Dignify, Grace, and Authorife 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 Difpofers 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 exercife. 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 send 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 exercife fuch a Power without à fpecial Commiffion, 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 Goodness and Condefcenfion, who in pity to the weaknefs of our Nature has order'd, that all the Sovereign Medicines of Grace should be

apply'd