1 Sam. 13. 11, 12, 13, 14. Here his Endeavour to obtain Mercy, by means of but Part of a mere Pofitive Duty, is, notwithstanding the Urgency of his Neceffitous Circumftances, branded with the Name of a foolish wicked Action: And because 'twas not attended with the other Effential Part, viz. the Miniftration of the Priest, was fo far from being efteem'd a Valid Offering to God, that it prov'd (inftead of a Means of Mercy) a Judgment and a Curfe to the Offerer and his Pofterity.

THUS we fee, that tho' God will have us fometimes extend our Mercy rather than offer Sacrifice; yet when MERCY is to be obtain'd FROM HIM by means of Sacrifice; i. e. fuch mere Pofitive Duties as he has requir'd, he will not grant us the Mercy we fue for, by means of but Part of fuch Sacrifice. No; we must either beg it of him by our Obfervance of the whole Inftitution; or elfe, when we CANNOT have the whole, fit down contented till we can, fince he has declar'd his Abhorrence of fuch Partial Sacrifices, and thereby taught us that they are no Sacrifices at all. 'Tis worth while to obferve here, what Samuel tells Saul, (after he had reprov'd him for Breaking

bout Burning's Commandment a

For now (fays he) would the Lord have established thy Kingdom upon Irael for ever, 1 Sam. 13. 13. As much as if he had faid, "If thou hadst not attempted

to

66 to

;

gain the Divine Favour by fo unwarrantable an Action; if thou hadst been patient in thy "Neceffity, and not endeavour'd to render God "propitious to thee by fuch an unlawful Method "He is a God of Mercy, and would not have "imputed Sin to thee for want of a Burnt-Offering, when it could not be had according to "his Inftitution; but on the contrary, would "have esteem'd thy not Medling therein, to be an Act of Obedience to his Command, and conSequently tho' there had been no Burnt Offering "made to him) would have been gracious and "merciful to the and thy Children after thee; "and as a Reward of thy Faith and Obedience, "would have establish'd the Kingdom to thee and

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thy Sons for ever." This, I fay, is plainly the Scope and Meaning of Samuel's Words to Saul: Whereby we are alfo encourag'd not to diftruft the Divine Goodness, but conftantly and patiently to wait and pray for it, without prefuming to endeavour to obtain it by partial 1 Sacrifice, when we are under fuch fad Circumftances, as not to be able to feek for it by whole Burnt Off rings; when we cannot have ENTIRE BAPTISM, according to the Inftitution; when there is no Prieft to Adminifter it to us; then 'tis a greater Act of Faith and Obedience to refufe, than to accept of fuppofed Baptifm from a Lay-Hand. Nay, for one who knows the Nature and Extent of the Inftitution of Chriftian Baptifm, to ac cept of, or acquiefce in Lay-Baptifm in Cafes

of

of fuppos'd Neceffity, 'tis a great Prefumption: Because, 'tis expecting God's Mercy to be convey'd by fuch Hands, as he has not appointed for that Purpofe, and to whofe Miniftration he never requir'd our Obedience: 'Tis the Superftition of making that abfolutely necessary to Salvation, which God has not made fo. As if when we WANT thofe Means which he has appointed, he could not extend his Favours and Graces without them: As if there were a greater Degree of Holinefs in Water and a Form of Words, than in the Inftitution of the Chriftian Priesthood: As if none could be faved without the former, but every body without the latter: As if Water could be a Means of Graces given, without the Mediation of one who does truly perfonate God the Giver. In fhort, 'tis Superftition, nay, and Prefumption too, to expect Mercy by means of but P ART of a Sacrifice, when God appointed that the WHOLE fhould be the Means of obtaining that Mercy. And 'tis fo exactly parallel to Saul's Cafe, and fo infinitely different from the Defign of the Text objected, that we may very fairly conclude, that Lay-Baptifm cannot be Valid, even in Cafes of Neceffity. It cannot be fufficient, "to fup"ply the Spiritual Wants of thofe who are Un"baptiz'd; because there's no Comparison between the Natural Means of Adminiftring to the ordinary Wants of the Neceffitous and Indigent,and the Supernataral Appointed Means

10

of

of fupplying the Spiritual Wants of the Unbaptiz'd: For thefe latter are of fo extraordi nary a Nature, than no less than Mercies Supernatural are fufficient for fo great a Purpose and therefore no other Method must be used to obtain fuch Mercies, than what he who is to bestow them has appointed. Obedience (in this Cafe) is better than Sacrifice, especi ally than fuch a falfe Burnt-Offering as Saul (in the Inftance above-mention'd) prefum'd to offer to God. And may we all take warning by his Punishment, not to confine God to our Will-Worship; not to meddle in his Pofitive Institutes, and expect that he should concur with our foolish and prefumptuous Interpofing,in fuch Ministrations as he has confin'd to the Authority and Administration of his and his Chrift's Appointed Priefts and Miniiters only.

Obj. XIII. The Expofition of the 39 Articles of the Church, which goes under the Name of Gilbert Bishop of Sarum, has this Remarkable Paffage upon the 23d Article; Page 259, and 260. Viz. "It is to be confider'd, "that the High-Priest among the Jews, was the

ແ

Chief Perfon in that Difpenfation; not only "the Chief in Rule, but he that was by the Di "vine Appointment to Officiate in the Chief Act "of their Religion, the yearly Expiation for the "Sins of the whole Nation, by which Atonement

was made for the Sins of that People. HERE IT MAY BE VERY REASO

"NABLY

"NABLY SUGGESTED, That fince none " befides the High-Priest might make this Atone"ment; then no Atonement was made, if any "other befides the High-Prieft fhould fo Officiate. "To this it is to be added, That God had by an "EXPRESS LAW fixed the High-Priesthood "in the ELDEST of Aaron's Family; and that "therefore, tho' that being a Theocracy, any "Prophet empower'd of God might have tranf "ferr'd this Office from one Perfon or Branch of "that Family to another; yet without fach an "Authority, no other Perfon might make any fuch Change. But after all this, (not to mention the MACCABEES, and all their Suc ceffors of the Afmonean Family) as Hérod "had begun to change the High-Prieft at Plea"fure, fo the Romans not only continued to do this, but in a most mercenary manner, they Set "this Sacred Function to Sale. Here were as great Nullities in the High-Priefts that were " in our Saviour's Time, as can be well imagin'd "to be. For the Jews keeping their Genealogies "fo exactly as they did, it could not but be well "known in whom the Right to this Office refted "and they all knew that he who had it, purchas'd " it; yet these were in fact High-Priests: And "fince the People could have NO OTHER, the "Atonement was still perform'd by their MiniAtry. Our Saviour owned Cajaphas, the Sacrilegious and Ufurping High-Priest,(Joh. xviii. 22, 23.) and as Juch he prophefied (Joh. xi. "51.): This fbews, That where the Neceffity

was