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So do all the Ministers of Christ by the same • Spirit; The Manifestation whereof being given ' to every Man to profit withal, 1 Cor. xii. 7. is • doubtless given to them, for the Discharge of ⚫ their Ministry. And because there were some • in the Apostles Times, as also in after Ages, ' that preach'd by Human Invention, and not of • Divine Inspiration, this necessary Caution giv• en by the Apostle Peter, might filence all fuch • bold Intruders, If any Man speak, let him speak • as the Orucles of God: If any Man minister, let • him do it as of the Ability which God giveth, that • God in all Things may be glorified through Jefus • Chrift ; to whom be Praise and Dominion for ever ، and ever, Amen. 1 Pet. iv. 11. In which • Words the Apostle sheweth, who are to be ac، counted and own'd for the Ministers of Chrift, ⚫ not they who preach according to (t) the Wit • of Men, (u) at second Hand, according to their • best Skill; but they who speak immediately

from the Divine Oracle, and minister as of the • Ability which God giveth. Their Speech and ، Preaching being not with the enticing Words of Man's Wisdom: But in Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power. That our Faith should not • stand in the Wisdom of Men, but in the Power of God. 1 Cor. ii. 4. 5.

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• Bur against this, in Behalf of wicked Minifters, it may be, as it hath been urged, that < their publick Functions are the Appointments of • Chrift in which they officiate, they can neither

(t) Touching our Sermons, that which giveth them their very Being, faith Hooker, is the Wit of Man. Ecel. Polity, 1. v. §. xxii. p. 163. (u) We have a Power to preach the Golpel, faith Bishop Compton, but at second Hand,according to our beft Skill. Seventh Letter of the Conference with his Clergy, 8. 14.

< make them the better, nor the worse, by any Thing that they join to them."

• THE Argument is grounded upon a mistaken • Supposition. It supposeth, that wicked Mini• sters do officiate in their publick Functions, as • the Appointments of Christ. But this isa Sup• position of an Impossibility. For a wicked • Minister, as I have shewn before, cannot be a • Minister of Chrift. For, if any Man have not › the Spirit of Christ, [that is, dwelling in him] He is no ChriAnd if neither, to officiate in For Christ's

he is none of his. Rom. viii. 9.

• stian, nor Christian Minister.
• then how is it possible for him
• the Appointments of Christ.

Appointments are of a spiritual Nature, and spiritually to be performed; and how can a Man that is not spiritual, do Acts of Spiritual • Worship, as Prayer and Preaching, the right • and acceptable Performance whereof depends

entirely upon the immediate Motion and Affi* stance of the Holy Spirit? But we are told, • We may use their [Evil Men's] Ministry both in ' hearing the Word, and in the receiving the Sacra

ments: Neither is the Effect of Christ's Ordinance * taken away by their Wickedness.' Answ. As for the Sacraments, so called, without any Scrip< ture Authority, 'tis not denied, but evil Men may read the appointed Offices in the Liturgy, apply outward Water, distribute outward • Bread and Wine, and use all the accustomed • Ceremonies proper to each Administration, as ` is prescrib'd in the Rubricks. But that either • the Sacraments, so called, or the Offices ap* pointed in the Liturgy for the Administration • of them, or any other Form whatsoever, are • Christ's Ordinances, necessarily obliging, fo < that the total voluntary Omission is finful under

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• the Gospel Dispensation, is denied, and will be, ' until better Proof be produced, than ever yet • hath been by any, that have pleaded for them. • Therefore whatever the Effect may be, which

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they assign to a pretended Institution and Pro• mise, as the conjunct Cause thereof, they are ' in the Dark about it, and the utmost they bring it to, is the Opus operatum, or Work • done, as the Papists hold. For if the faid Sa⚫ craments be administred, though by wicked • Ministers, 'tis said, the Effect is not taken away ' by their Wickedness. And therefore they con• clude their Ministry may be used. See Art. 26.

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• AND as to the hearing of the Word, if they mean hearing it preached, though according to their Principles, wicked Men may be heard, yet Chrift hath cautioned against it, Beware, • faith he, of false Prophets, which came to you in • Sheep's Cloathing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves. Mat. vii. 15. and told us how we • shall know them, namely, by their Fruits, viz. • Their evil Fruits, comparing false Prophets,

or wicked. Ministers, to Thorns and Thistles, • whereof Men gather not Grapes or Figs. ver. 16. • As evil Fruit is a certain Sign of corrupt Trees, • so is Wickedness of false Prophets or evil Mi' nisters, and therefore not to be heard. Go not

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after them, nor follow them, faith Christ, Luke • xvii. 23. So the Apostle Paul, Beware of • Dogs, faith he, Beware of evil Workers, beware • of the Concision. Phil. iii. 2. Evil Workers, • Men of wicked Lives, Enemies of the Cross of • Christ, ver. 18. Mark them, and, avoid them. • Rom. xvi. 17. And there is a twofold Reason • for not hearing of them: First, Because the • Lord never fent them. Jer. xxiii. 21. And • Secondly, Because their Ministry is unprofita

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⚫ble to the People, ver. 32. No Blessing doth accompany their Ministry, whom the Lord • doth not commission and authorize in his Work.

LET us now consider the Texts, which, we think, our Opponent misapplies on this Head,

Pag. 91. As my Father sent me, fo fend I you, John xx. 21. And lo, I am with you alway, even to the End of the World. Mat. xxviii. 20.

THAT these Texts relate not to a standing Succession of Ministers outwardly called, and ordained by Men, will appear, if it be confidered,

1. THAT, Christ says, As my Father fent me, fo fend I you: But how did his Father send him? By putting bis Spirit upon him. Mat. xii. 18. I will put my Spirit upon him, and be shall shew Judgment to the Gentiles. And accordingly he sent his Difciples, By putting his Spirit upon them, John xx. 22. He breathed on them, and faith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

2. THAT Text, Matt. xxviii. 20. And lo, 1 am with you alway even unto the End of the World, might have been translated (x) to the End of your Age or Life. But admitting the usual Rendring, and that it has Relation to all future Ministry, Chrift himselfhad throughly explicated the manner of his Prefence with them to the End of the World, in these Words, John xiv. 16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of Truth. Which plainly shews, that all true evangelical Ministers are sent by Christ as his Father sent him, namely, By putting bis Spirit upon him. But neither of these Texts carry the least Intimation of an outward Ordination by Men.

3. AND he gave some Apostles, and some Prophets, and fome Pastors and Teachers, Eph. iv. 11. Our Opponent's Diftinction, that by Apostles and Evangelifts are here meant fuch as were immediately called, and by Pastors and Teachers, such as were mediately and outwardly called, is purely his own, which the Text gives him no Colour for, but contrariwise, in the next Verse, assigns to all of them one and the fame End, Work and Service, viz. For the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Ministry, for the Edifying of the Body of Christ. And that their Call or Qualification was after one and the same Manner is evident from v. 7. Unto every one of us is given Grace according to the Measure of the Gift of Christ.

4. THE Rules which Paul gave in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus, how Bishops or Elders and Deacons should be qualified, which our Opponent fays, Were to be standing Rules for all fuc

ceeding Ages, evidently relate to inward and spiritual Qualifications, without which they could be neither Bishops, Elders or Deacons; They were necessary Qualifications. 1 Tim. iii. 2. A Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of God, and v. 8. fober, just, holy, temperate. Now there is nothing, in either of these Epistles, to shew that those inward and spiritual Qualifications were not fufficient to constitute a Bishop, Elder or Deacon, without an outward call from Man: Much less is there any thing to shew, that such an outward

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