of feveral Presbyters fhould be held in Oppofition to their Bishops, and their Lawful Sovereign Lord theExternal or Civil Bishop of his Church, by the Command of Rebels in actual Arms against their King! Could they ever imagine, that in three famous National Churches reform'd after the Antient Pattern of Churches fettled in the Primitive Times, and profeffing the fame Holy Faith, a ftrong Party of Presbyters and People, fhould be fo wicked, as by Force to depose the whole College of Bifhops, and as much as they could, extirpate the whole Order as unlawful and needlefs, nay, as an Antichriftian Conftitution, and a Yoak which we nor our Fathers were able to bear! Yet, Sir, I am one of those surviving Men who liv'd in those Times and faw all thofe things done, and the direful Confequences of fuch Doings; the first of which was the setting up a Government of the Church by Presbyters affuming Episcopal Authority, who with their Sect were called Presbyterians.

But these did not long flourish; for as they had taught the People that Episcopal Ordinations or Miffions were not neceffary, fo others foon faid the fame of their Ordinations by Presbyters, afferting, that only Gifts, and the Call of Gifted Men by the Congregation was fufficient for the Mi

niftry;

niftry; and fo from the Sect of Presbytery fprang up that of the Independents among us, and from them again, others, who thought Gifts alone were a fufficient Call to the Ministry, and in this Abomination of Defolation, Laymen first invaded the Sa cred Office of the Miniftry among us.

When I was a Young School-Boy in a little Village near Helmfley in Torkshire, I faw a Man in Gray Clothes ftep up into the Pulpit on the Lord's Day, where after a long Prayer he preach'd to the People, as well as I can guess from what I now re member, after the Manner of the Fifth Monarchy Anabaptifts. Being afterwards removed to School at North-Allerton, I faw an Officer of Cromwell's Army go up into the Pulpit, and there after a long Prayer, he made a long Sermon, of which, as I then understood little, fo I remember nothing, but that he talk'd much of Dead Ordinances, and Gifts of the Spirit, and a Carnal Miniftry, meaning no doubt the Mi niftry of the Church. By that time Quakerifm, which began in Weftmorland, was much increas'd in that Place, where I often faw not only Men, but Women Preach both in the Fields, and in Houfes, without any other Call, but their pretended Motions of the Spirit, when (you muft, Sir, excufe my Impertinence to tell you, that)

a

a School-Fellow older than my felf by three or four Years, though of a Lower Form in the School, who had been carefully bred up in Church Principles, and like another Timothy inftructed by his Parents from his Childhood in the Scriptures, fo baffled their Speakers, by asking them who fent them to Preach, and urging the Places of Scripture against them, which speak of God the Fa ther's fending our Saviour, and His fending the Apoftles, and They others; and by requiring of them a Vifible Proof of their pretended Call by the Spirit, that they came not of a long Time after to that Place, and as I remember, not till that Boy, fo mighty in the Scriptures, was taken from

the School.

Indeed, Sir, the Neceffity of an Immediate, or Mediate Call and Miffion from God. to any Divine Ministry, is fo plainly taught in the Scriptures as appears by the * Mar

gin,

THE MISSION OF MOSES, -And the Lord faid Come now therefore, and I will SEND thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayeft bring forth my People, &c, out of Egypt. Exod. iii. 10. Now therefore go, and I will be with thy Mouth, and teach` thee what thou shalt fay. Exod. iv. 12. He SENT Mofes his Servant, Pfal. cv. 26.

THE MISSION OF THE JEWISH PRIESTS, Take thou unto thee Aaron thy Brother, and bis Sons with him, FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, that He may Minifter UNTO ME in the Prieft's Office, even Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazer, and Ithamar, Aaron's Sons. Exod. xxviii. 1. And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou and thy Sons with thee shall keep your

PRIESTS

gin,that I have often wonder'd how any fort of Chriftians, pretending to the Knowledge of them, fhould take upon them the Minifterial Office, without the Ordinary Regu lar Call from Man as God hath appointed,

3

PRIESTS OFFICE. I HAVE GIVEN your Priests Office unto you as a Service of GIFT, and the STRANGER that cometh nigh (1.c. as a Prieft) shall be put to Death, Numb. xviii. 1, 7. Uzziah the King tranfgreffed against the Lord his God, and went into the Temple of the Lord to burn Incenfe upon the Altar of Incenfe, and Azariah the Priest went in after him, and with him Fourfcore Priests of the Lord that were valiant Men: And they WITHSTOOD Uzziah the King, and faid unto him, It APPERTAINETH NOT unto thee, Uzziah, to burn Incense unto the Lord, but to the Priests the Sons of Aaron, that are CONSECRATED to burn Incenfe: Go our of the Sanctuary, for thou haft trefpaffed, &c. 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, 17, 18. For every High Priest taken FROM AMONG MEN, is Ordain'd for Men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both Gifts and Sacrifices for Sin: And no Man taketh this Honour unto himself but he that is CALLED OF GOD, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 1, 3. Not to spend too much time in enumerating thofe Texts which prove the Miffion of the Prophets, I fhall only recite fome of thofe which plainly evince,

There

He was

He

THE MISSION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, the Laft of the Jewish Prophets and immediate Fore-runner of our Saviour. was a Man SENT from God, whofe Name was John: SENT to bear Witness of that Light (i. e. of Chrift). that SENT me to Baptize, &c. St. John i. 6, 8, 33. Behold! I SEND MY MESSENGER (i. e. John the Baptift) before thy Face, which hall prepare thy Way before thee, St. Mark i. 2. and xi. 10. THE MISSION OF CHRIST, The Second Perfon of the Eternal Trinity.. St. John the Baptift fpeaking of Him, fays. - He it is, who coming after me, is preferred be fore me, St. John i. 27, 30. And our Lord fpeaking of Himfelf, fays, He that receiveth me, receiveth him (i. e. God the Father) that SENT me, St. Matth. x. 40. St. John xiii. 20. And He that defpifeth me, despiseth him that SENT me, St. Luke x. 16.. God SENT not his Son into the

ed, or an extraordinary Call from God, without one of which, neither Chrift, nor the Holy Spirit, neither Angels nor Men, prefum'd to act authoritatively in things pertaining to God.

But

the World to condemn the World, but that the World through him might be faved, St. John iii. 17. Jefus faith,. My Meat is to do the Will of him that SENT me, St. John iv. 34. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath SENT him. He that heareth my Word, and believeth on him that SENT me, hath everlasting Life.. I feek not mine own Will, but the Will of the Father which hath SENT me. The Father hath SENT me.

And

the Father himself which hath SENT me, St. John v. 23, 24, 30, 36, 37. The living Father hath SENT me, St. Johr vi. 57. The Father that SENT me, St. John viii. 16, 18. Say ye of him (i. e. of Chrift) whom the Father bath fanctified (i. e. confecrated or fet apart for the Office of the Meffias) and SENT into the World, &c. St. John x. 36.

That

they may believe that thou hast SENT me, St. John xi. 42. I have not spoken oF MY SELF, but the Father which SENT me, he GAVE ME A COMMANDMENT what I should fay, and what I should speak, St. John xii. 49.. And this is Life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Fefus Christ whom thou HAST SENT. I have finished the Work which thou GAVEST me to do. I came OUT FROM thee.Thou hast SENT me into the World.

St. John xvii. 3, 8, 18, 25..

Thou haft SENT me, God SENT his only begot

ten Son into the World, that we might live through him. And SENT his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins, 1 St. John iv. 9, 10. God SENT FORTH his Son made of a Woman, &c. Galat. iv. 4. Thus we fee that Chrift GLORIFIED NOT HIMSELF to be made an High Priest, but he that faid unto him, Thou art my Son, Heb. v. 5. Wherefore let us Confider the Apostle and High Prieft of our Profeffion Chrift Jefus, who was FAITHFUL to him that APPOINTED him, Heb. iii.

1, 2.

THE