Matters, yet) requires lier Candidates for Holy Orders to prove their Baptifm, before they can be admitted into the Ministry: And I fhould heartily rejoice to fee the Governors of the Church of England require the fame of her Candidates for the Minifterial Function, who, 'tis to be fear'd, ever fince the Refor mation,have never been enjoyn'd to bring Certificates of their Baptifm, as well as of their Good Behaviour and Chriftian Converfation. This Omiffion, I charitably believe, proceeded only from an Opinion, that none would prefume to enter into Holy Orders before they were Baptiz'd, and that therefore 'twas needless to require a Proof of their Baptifm: But however, if this Custom had been preferv'd, 'tis reasonable to believe, that the English Clergy would (fome of them) have been more ftrict in keep ing their Parib-Registers of Perfons Baptiz'd by Lawfully Ordain'd Ministers, and not have fuffer'd Schifmatical Lay-Baptifms to have been Register'd among the True Baptifms, as 'tis now fcandaloufly practic'd in fome Places, to the great Grief of many, and I hope almost all English Clergymen, who have conftantly oppos'd this unwarrantable Practice, and will (to their Praise be it spoken) never fuffer fuch Regifters to be made in their Parish Books. I fay, if this good Cuftom of requiring Certifi cates of their Baptifm had been continu'd, 'tis very likely, that no Lay-Baptiz'd Person would have got fuch a Certificate from the Minifter

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Minister of any Parish; because a Minister's giving fuch a Certificate, would have been a publishing of his own fault, in making a Regifter that is contrary to the Laws and Customs of the Church; for he must have mention'd the Lay-man's Name, who was faid to have Baptiz'd the Perfon,and thereby have declar'd, that he himself took part with Schifmaticks, and confequently muft have incurr'd the Penalties of the 10th and 57th Canons of the Church of England: And this might have been an effectual means of preferving the Registers en tire, and confequently of keeping out of the Miniftry, thofe who receiv'd Baptifm from Lay-Preachers; no other Lay-men being at leaft now fo prefumptuous, as once to pretend tó Baptize, But this only by way of Digreffion.

AND now to return; Chriftian Baptism is certainly a Perfonal Qualification for Holy Orders; and that it is no more than a Perfonal One, I infer from hence, because all Chriftians are EQUALLY bound to be Baptiz'd, Minifters as well as People; and it cannot be proy'd,that it is more the Duty of the one than of the other to be Baptiz'd: If it be faid, Yes it is, because there muft of neceffity be a Chriftian Minifter, before there can be a Baptiz'd Lay-man; this is not deny'd: It is certainly true there must be fo; but it does not therefore follow that he is not a Chriftian Minifter if he is Unbaptiz'd; for 'tis not his Baptifm,

but the Commiffion that makes him a Chri ftian Minister, or one fet apart to Minifter in the Divine Offices of the Chriftian Religion. His being Baptized is not his Commiffion; for, if it is, then all Baptiz'd Perfons are, as fuch, Commiffion'd Officers of the Church; and fo there is no need of any other Ordination, which is abfurd,and contrary to the Principles upon which this Objection is rais'd. Again, His being Baptiz'd, is no Inftituted Effential Part of his Commiffion; for, if it be, then all Baptiz'd Perfons, as fuch, have One Inftituted Effential Part of a Commiffion, tho' not a whole Commiffion which is also abfurd, becaufe a Commiffion is but ONE THING, and the Effential Parts thereof cannot be feparated without Violence and Déftruction to the whole; and therefore all Baptiz'd Perfons, if they have One Effential Part of a Commiffion, muft have the whole; which brings us back to the first Abfurdity, and confequently Baptifm it felf,being no Conftituent Effential Part of his Commiffion, or Ordination, He who is Deftitute of Baptism, is not by reafon of that WANT ALONE, Deftitute of Holy Orders. If it be objected, that while he is Unbaptiz'd, he is out of the Church; And how can he, who is not of the Church, admit another by Baptifm into the Church? I Anfwer, Tho' he is out of the Church with refpect to any Benefits himself, yet not with refpect to the Spiritual Benefits, he has Authority and Commiffion mediately to K 4 convey

convey to others: For, a Man may be a True Messenger to carry that Good to another, which he himself neither does, nor ever will enjoy. A Master of a Family may fend a Neighbour, or a Stranger, who is not of his Family, and give him full Power and Authority to adopt and enter into his Family, fome Poor, Deftitute, Orphan Children, whom he Commiferates. And tho' that Stranger be not of the Family himself, yet his Adopting thofe his Adopting those poor Children into that Family, ftands good; because the Mafter of the Family fent and impower'd him to do it. And this I take to be very parallel to the Cafe in hand: And therefore he who is not of the Church, because Unbaptiz'd, may as truly admit a Perfon into the Church by Baptifm, as he who (tho' Baptiz'd) thro' his Wickedness, is deftitute of the Holy Ghoft, can convey the Gift of the Holy Ghoft by his Miniftration of Sacraments to others: For, as 'tis not the Perfonal Holiness of the Adminiftrator, that conveys Holiness to me in the Miniftration of any Sacrament; fo neither does his having receiv'd that Sacrament, fignify any thing to me for the Validity thereof, when he Adminifters it to me by virtue of a Divine Com miffion explicitly given to him. This COMMISSION ALONE, is that which makes the Mi niftration not his, but God's own Act, and as fuch (without any other Appendant Cause) 'tis Good and Valid. Hence our Blessed Lord call'd both Unbaptiz'd and Unholy Men, viz.

his Apostles, who cannot be prov'd to have been Baptiz'd in the Name of the Trinity before his Refurrection; and one of them, Judas If cariot, a Thief, a Devil in his Difpofition, to the Administration of Holy Things, as if he would thereby teach us, to look with Faith on HIS AUTHORITY ONLY, without confiding in any of the best Accomplishments of thofe on whom he has conferr'd it. And if we do but look back to the Condition of the Jewish Church, during their forty Years fojourning in the Wilderness, we shall find that none of them were Circumcis'd in all that fpace of time; and tho' the Uncircumcis'd was by God's own Appointment to be cut off from among his People; yet the Miniftry of those Priefts and Levites, who were born in the term of those Forty Years, was not Null'd and made Void for their want of Circumcifion; which doubtlefs was as much neceffary to qualify them for Holy Orders, as Baptifm is now to qualify our Chriftian Priefts.

UPON the Whole; As neither the Baptifm, nor Perfonal Holiness of the Minifter, can mediately Baptize or make us Holy, but THE DIVINE AUTHORITY refiding in him; fo neither can the Baptifm or Perfonal Holiness of the Bishop confer Holy Orders, but THE DIVINE AUTHORITY from Chrift and his Apoftles, vifibly convey'd to and refiding in him: 'Tis by virtue of THIS ALONE that Holy Orders are given; and if either the Bi

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