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defired Mercy and not Sacrifice. This does not mean that God did not require Sacrifice; for 'tis plain that he did require it, and all other Pofitive Duties fignified by that general Word; and the Jews at that very time were bound to obferve and obey all the Pofitive Institutions of the Mofaic Law, under no lefs penalty than that of "Curfed be he that confirmeth not all the Words of this Law to do them. Deut. 27. 26. So that the not Sacrifice here muft mean [NOT ONLY SACRIFICE] or [NOT SACRIFICE ALONE] and therefore, the plain Paraphrafe of this Text is, "I defir'd or Requir'd "NOT ONLY SACRIFICE, not only your "Obedience to my mere Pofitive Inftitutions, but "alfo your Obfervance of my Moral Law of Mercy "and Kindness. 'Twas the want of this and other Moral Virtues, together with their being guilty of cruel Murders, Robberies, and other Immoralities, that God complain'd of, almoft throughout this whole Chapter, and for which he abhor'd their very Sacrifices, tho' they were of his own Appointment, and they were then bound and oblig'd to offer them to him: This is also confirm'd by Micah. 6. and Ifa. 1. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, &c. All which be ing duly confider'd, fufficiently declares the fenfe and meaning of [I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice,] that the defign thereof is not to make void our Obligation to obey the Divine Pofitivè Inftitutions; but to convince us, that the Moral Duties of Natural Religion, rem

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forc'd by Divine Revelation, are so far from being inconfiftent with, that they muft conftantly accompany and attend our Obedience to, fuch Pofitive Inftitutions, and that our Approaches to God in his Politive Inftitutions, པཔས་ without fuch Moral Virtues, are fo far from being accepted that they are hated and abhorr'd by him.

AND therefore, all that (at moft) can be inferr'd from thofe Words of our Saviour is, that when a mere Pofitive Inftitution ftands in neceflary Competition with a Moral Duty of natural Religion, reinforc'd by Divine Revelation, then the mere Pofitive Inftitution must give way to the Moral Duty for that time and circumstance.

NOW then, to try to apply this to the Cafe before us. There's a Divine Pofitive Inftitution, requiring Baptifm to be Adminifter'd by One who has Chrift's Commiffion for fo doing. This Baptifm is appointed to be a Means of conferring fuch merciful Graces and Benefits, as our miferable Nature could never have made any claim or title to, and which all the powers of Nature could never have beftow'd on us. It happens, that a Perfon wanting thefe ineftimable Benefits moft earneftly defires to obtain them by Baptism; but a Minifter with Chrift's Commiffion, is neither now, nor likely hereafter to be had: What then must be done in this extream Neceffity? Why, fays the Objector, Cod will have Mercy and not Sacrifice. And therefore,

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fince Sacrifice now ftands in competition with Mercy,the Sacrifice muft give way to Mercy; the Divine Authority of the Adminiftrator must not now be infifted on; but the Mercies and Favours must be bestowed on the Perfon by a Lay-man's Adminiftring Baptism to him. This feems to be well faid; but upon examination 'twill be found, that no fuch thing can be justly inferr'd from this Text, because, the M.rcy there fpoken of, is a Moral Duty of Natural Religion, and to be extended to the In digent and Neceffitous by Natural Mans; but the Mercies to be receiv'd by Chriftian Baptifm are infinitely above all Natural Religion, and confequently not to be convey'd by any Natural Means. The reason why we are oblig'd to perform those Natural Acts of Mercy, even when they seem to run counter to fome mere Positive Inftitution, is because Natural Confcience dictates this Duty, and Divine Revelation has reinforc'd its Obligation; whereas we are bound to obferve a Pofitive Inftitution merely upon the account of a Divine Law promulg'd to us, without which we could never have been obliged to the Obfervation of it. But this Reason is wholly wanting in Lay-Bap tifm; for Natural Confcience dictates nothing. to us about bestowing of Supernatural Mercies by means of any kind of Baptifm whatsoever; and as for Reveal'd Religion, that is wholly filent about a Lay-man's being ever capable of conveying fach Mercies to us by Means

of Baptifm; fo that the Lay-man has this Duty incumbent on him neither by the Law of Nature, nor of Divine Revelation; and therefore, if he baptizes for Spiritual Purposes, that he may fhew mercy, he ventures to do otherwife than the Pofitive Inftitution of Baptifm requires, and at the fame time is deftitute of any the leaft Encouragement from the Text objected; because there is no Law (either Natural or Reveal'd) that obliges him fo to do.

BUT further: When God will have mercy, and not facrifice, it is not intended that one or more Effential Parts of a mere Positive Inftitution, fhould be more neceffary and obliging to us than the other Effential Parts thereof: No; all that God then requires of us is, to prefer a Moral before a mere Pofitive Duty; as is evident from what I have already faid on this Subject. But our Affertors of the Validity of Lay-Baptifm in Cafes of Neceffity, do unavoidably run themselves into this Inconfiftency, of making one or more Effential Parts of a mere Pofitive Inftitution, to be of greater Neceffity and Obligation, than another Effential Part of the fame Inftitution: For, they make Water and the Form of Baptifm to be more neceffary and obliging, than the Divine Authority of the Administrator. But this Notion I have already endeavour'd to confute in the Second Propofition, to which I refer the Reader; and defire him here to ob

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ferve, how very difagreeable this is with God's requiring Mercy, a Moral Duty, and not Sacrifice, a mere Pofitive one. For 'tis in effeet to make God fay, [inftead of, I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice, ] 1 will have Sacrifice, and not Sacrifice; fince there is not one of those Essential Parts of Baptifm, but what is merely of Pofitive Inftitution. This,of making one Effential Part of fuch an Inftitution to give way to the other Effential Parts thereof, in Cafes of Neceffity, without a particular Revelation of God's Will for fo doing, is fo Arange, fo Unfcriptural a Practice, that there is not One Exaniple of it in all the Sacred Writings of the Old and New Teftament, from the first Chapter of Genefis to the laft of the Revelations: But on the contrary, we have a flagrant Inftance of God's Punishing this Practice in the Perfon of Saul, who in his NECESSITY, that he might obtain MERCY, made one Effential Part of a Pofitive Inftitution to give way to another of its Effential Parts. For the Prieft, one Effential Part of the Pofitive Inftitution of Burnt-Offerings, being abfent, he reckon'd the BurntOffering to be more Effential than the Adminiftration of the Prieft, and therefore offer'd a Burnt-Offering himself; for which rath Action, Samuel faid to him, Thou hast done faslifbly, (i. e. wickedly) thou hast not kept (but haft broken) the Commandment of the Lord thy God, &c. Thy Kingdom fhall not continue, &c.

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