be may err by perfonal Error, in his own private Judgment, as a Man, and as a particular Doctor, in his own Opinion, yet, as he is Pope, the Succeffor of Peter, the Vicar of Christ on Earth, the Shepherd of the Univerfal Church, in publick Judgment, in Deliberation and definitive Sentence, he never erreth, nor never erred. So here with our Adverfary, the fame Man may be a wicked Perfon, as to his private Station, but it feems, a good Minifter as to his publick • Function.

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3. THIS Distinction contradicteth the express Words of Scripture, I will, faith the Lord, be fanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the People I will be glorified. Levit. x. 3. Her Priests have violated my Law, and profaned my Holy Things. Ezek. xxii. 26. Her. Priests have polluted the Sanctuary, they have done Violence to the Law. Zeph. iii. 4. Ve (Priefts) offer polluted Bread upon my Altar. Mal. i. 7. I have no Pleasure in you, faith the • Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an Offering at your Hand, Ver. 10. Their publick Functi⚫ons were no Cover for their Wickednefs, but their perfonal Defilements polluted the Sanctu. ary, and profaned the Holy Things. For every Work of their Hands, and that which they offered was unclean. Hag. ii. 14. Their Wickedness made their Solemn Feafts to be as Dung. Mal. ii. 3. Such an univerfal Stain iffued from their perfonal Filth, even to their publick Adminiftrations, that, He that killed an Ox, was as if he flew a Man: He that facrificed a Lamb, • as if he cut off a Dog's Neck: He that offered an Oblation, as if he offered Swine's Blood: And he • that burned Incenfe, as if he bleed an Idol. Ifai. lxvi. 3.

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4. THIS

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. 4. TIs Diftinction makes Grace to be no effential Qualification of a Minifter of Chrift; exprefly contrary to that of the Apostle, A Bishop must be blameless, vigilant, fober, of good • Behaviour, &c. 1 Tim. iii. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. A Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of • God, not felf willed, not foon angry, not given to • Wine, no Striker, not given to filthy Lucre. But a Lover of Hofpitality, a Lover of good Men, • Sober, Just, Holy, Temperate, Tit. i. 7. 8. An Example of the Believers, in Word, in Converfation, in Charity, in Spirit, in Faith, in Purity. 1 Tim. iv. 12. Giving no Offence in any Thing, that the Ministry be not blamed. 2 Cor. vi. 6 3. An ungodly Man, continuing in Ungodlinefs, cannot be a Minifter of Chrift. What• ever he may pretend, he is not commiffionated, nor authorized by Chrift, to minifter in his Name, if not fanctified by his Spirit. Unto the Wicked, God faith, what hast thou to do to declare my Statutes, or that thou fhouldst take my Covenant in thy Mouth? Seeing thou hatest In• ftruction and cafteft my Words behind thee. Pfal. 1.16, 17. I know you not whence you are, de• part from me, all ye Workers of Iniquity. Luke A wicked Man may read or fay a Form of Prayer, either of his own or fome others Compofure, and the like he may do with Refpect to formal Preaching. But to pray and preach, as a Minister of Chrift, 'tis utterly impoffible for him; because neither can any Man fo do, as fuch, without the Spirit of Chrift dwelling in him, and affifting of him, which a • wicked Minifter hath not. And

• xiii. 27.

1. As to Prayer, a Man cannot pray acceptably to God, without the Spirit of Christ. Therefore it is de ib'd thus by the Apostle

Paul

Paul, Praying always with all Prayer and SupIplication in the Spirit. Eph. vi. 18. And by the Apostle Jude, Praying in the Holy Spirit. ver. 18. The Neceffity of the Spirit's Help and Affiftance in Prayer appears from hence, in that we being weak and unable to pray of our felves, in a Way acceptable to the Lord, therefore the Spirit helpeth our Infirmities; and because we are ignorant, and know not what we fhould pray for as we ought, therefore the Spirit it felf maketh Interceffion for us. Rom. viii. 26. The Lord in his Mercy having provided, for our Weakness and Ignorance, the Help and • Interceffion of his Holy Spirit.

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2. As to Preaching, namely, Evangelical Preaching, it is fo peculiarly owing to the Spirit of Chrift, that no Man can preach as his • Minifter without it. Therefore when Chrift 'fent forth his Difciples to the Loft Sheep of the • House of Ifrael, he gave them an Affurance of the Spirits Help in their Miniftry, It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which • Speaketh in you, Mat. x. 20. And upon the

Enlargement of their Commiffion, he promised them his continual Prefence for the qualifying ⚫ and enabling of them to the Ministry whereunto he appointed them, Go ye therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them (s) into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to obferve all Things, whatfoever I have commanded you: And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the End of the World. Mat. . xxviii. 19, 20. And as they preached as they • were moved and directed by the Holy Ghost'; H 4

So

(ε) εἰς τὸ ὄνομα»

So do all the Minifters of Chrift by the fame Spirit; The Manifeftation 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 fome in the Apostles Times, as alfo in after Ages, that preach'd by Human Invention, and not of • Divine Inspiration, this neceffary Caution given by the Apoftle Peter, might filence all fuch bold Intruders, If any Man fpeak, let him fpeak as the Orucles of God: If any Man minifter, 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 Praife and Dominion for ever and ever, Amen. 1 Pet. iv. II. In which Words the Apostle fheweth, who are to be accounted and own'd for the Minifters of Chrift, not they who preach according to (t) the Wit of Men, (u) at fecond Hand, according to their beft Skill; but they who speak immediately . from the Divine Oracle, and minifter as of the Ability which God giveth. Their Speech and Preaching being not with the enticing Words of Man's Wisdom: But in Demonftration of the Spirit and of Power. That our Faith fhould not ftand in the Wisdom of Men, but in the Power of God. 1 Cor. ii. 4. 5.

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BUT 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. • make

(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 fecond Hand,according to our belt Skill. Seventh Letter of the Conference with his Clergy; }. 14.

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

dwelling in him] He is no ChriAnd if neither, to officiate in

THE Argument is grounded upon a mistaken Suppofition. It fuppofeth, that wicked Minifters do officiate in their publick Functions, as the Appointments of Chrift. But this is a Suppofition of an Impoffibility. For a wicked Minifter, as I have fhewn before, cannot be a • Minister of Chrift. For, if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, [that is, be is none of his. Rom. viii. 9. ftian, nor Chriftian Minifter. then how is it poffible for him the Appointments of Chrift. For Chrift's Appointments are of a fpiritual Nature, and fpiritually to be performed; and how can a Man that is not fpiritual, do Acts of Spiritual Worship, as Prayer and Preaching, the right and acceptable Performance whereof depends < entirely upon the immediate Motion and Affiftance of the Holy Spirit? But we are told, • We may use their [Evil Men's] Ministry both in bearing the Word, and in the receiving the Sacraments: Neither is the Effect of Christ's Ordinance • taken away by their Wickedness. Anfw. As for ⚫ the Sacraments, fo called, without any Scrip<ture Authority, 'tis not denied, but evil Men may read the appointed Offices in the Liturgy, apply outward Water, diftribute outward Bread and Wine, and ufe all the accustomed Ceremonies proper to each Administration, as is prescrib'd in the Rubricks. But that either the Sacraments, fo called, or the Offices appointed in the Liturgy for the Administration of them, or any other Form whatsoever, are Chrift's Ordinances, neceffarily obliging, fo that the total voluntary Omiffion is finful under

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