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Good and Valid, notwithstanding his being deftitute of the Perfonal Qualification of Holinefs of Life; and 'tis univerfally acknowledg'd, that the fame is true of all other wicked Bifhops, Priests, and Deacons whatfoever, other wife we could never be fatisfied with the Validity of Ordinations in any Age of Christianity. And therefore, tho' Holinefs of Life is a neceffary Perfonal Qualification for the Miniftry, because of great Edification to the People, &c. Yet if a truly Ordained Minifter fhould be a wicked Man, the People ought not to fufpect the Validity of his Ministrations by reafon of the Wickedness of his Life, because, 'tis Chrift that Adminifters by him as his Proxy only, and Chrift's Miniftrations are certainly Good and Valid; let his visible Re-. presentative be never fo wicked, he himself (and not the People, except they concur with, and encourage him in his Wickedness,) muft anfwer for that. This is exactly agreeable to the 26th Article of the Church of England; and therefore there is no need longer to infift upon it, but to proceed to Baptifm, another Perfonal Qualification for Holy Orders.

IT is certainly the indifpenfable Duty of Every Minister to be Baptiz'd, as well as to be perfonally Holy, becaufe 'tis a Divine Law to which all ought to pay Obedience. For which Reafon I cannot omit commending the laudable Custom of the Church of Rome, who (tho' Corrupt and fcandaloufly Wicked in other

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Matters, yet) requires her 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 Ministerial 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 Conversation. 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 strict in keep ing their Parifb-Registers of Perfons Baptiz'd by Lawfully Ordain'd Minifters, and not have fuffer'd Schifmatical Lay-Baptifms to have been Register'd among the True Baptifms, as 'tis now scandalously 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 Certificates of their Baptifm had been continu'd, 'tis very likely, that no Lay-Baptiz'd Perfon would have got fuch a Certificate from the

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Minifter

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 muft 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 must have incurr'd the Penalties of the 10th and 57th Canons of the Church of England: And this might have been an ef fectual means of preferving the Regifters entire, and confequently of keeping out of the Miniftry, thofe who receiv'd Baptifm from Lay-Preachers; no other Lay-men being at leaft now so prefumptuous, as once to pretend to Baptize. But this only by way of Digreffion.

AND now to return; Chriftian Baptifm 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 prov'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 Minister, 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 Christian Minister if he is Unbaptiz'd; for 'tis not his Baptism,

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but the Commiffion that makes him a Chriftian Minister, or one fet apart to Minister in the Divine Offices of the Chriftian Religion. His being Baptized is not his Commiffion; for, if it is, then all Baptiz'd Persons 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 Instituted Effential Part of his Com miffion; 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, because a Commiffion is but ONE THING, and the Effential Parts thereof cannot be feparated without Violence and Destruction to the whole; and therefore all Baptiz'd Perfons, if they have One Effential Part of a Commiffion, must have the whole; which brings us back to the firft Abfurdity, and confequently Baptifm it felf,being no Conftituent Ellential Part of his Commiffion, or Ordination, He who is Deftitute of Baptifm, 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 respect to any Benefits himself, yet not with respect to the Spiritual Benefits, he has Authority and Commiffion mediately to K 4 convey

convey to others: For, a Man may be a True Meffenger 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, Destitute, Orphan Children, whom he Commiferates. And tho' that Stranger be not of the Family himself, yet his Adopting thofe poor Children into that Family, ftands good; because the Master 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, becaufe 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 Ghost, 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 Ministration not his, but God's own Act, and as fuch (without any other Appendant Cause) 'tis Good and Valid. Hence our Bleffed Lord call'd both Unbaptiz'd and Unholy Men, viz.

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