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 Regular Call from Man as God hath appointed,

PRIESTS OFFICE. I HAVE GIVEN your Priests Office unto you as a Service of GIFT, and the STRANGER that cometh nigh (i.e. 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 Incense 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 OUT 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 those Texts which prove the Miffion of the Prophets, I fhall only recite fome of those 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 Witnefs 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 shall 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 before 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, defpifeth him that SENT God SENT not his Son into the

me, St. Luke x, 16..

ed, or an extraordinary Call from God, without one of which, neither Chrift, not the Holy Spirit, neither Angels nor Men, prefum'd to act authoritatively in things pertaining to God.

34.

But

And

the World to condemn the World, but that the World through him might be faved, St. John iii. 17. Jesus faith, My Meat is to do the Will of him that SENT me, St. John iv. 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 bath SENT me. The Father bath SENT me. the Father himself which hath SENT me, St. John v. 23, 24, 30, 36, 37.- The living Father hath SENT me, St. Johr vi. i. 57. The Father that SENT me, St. John viii. 16, 18.. Say ye of him (i.e. of Chrift) whom the Father hath fanctified (1. e. confecrated or fet apart for the Office of the Meffias) and SENT into the World, &c. St. John x. 36.. they may believe that thou haft 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 Jefus Chrift whom thou HAST SENT. I have finished the Work which thou GAVEST me to do. I came OUT FROM thee.. Thou haft SENT me into the World.

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

That

Thou haft SENT me, God SENT his only begot

ten Son into the World, that we might live through him.

unto

And SENT his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins, 1 St. John iv. 9, fo.. 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 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

But most especially have I wonder'd, and ftill do wonder, how Clergy-men, I mean, Presbyters who were regularly fent, by Epifcopal Ordination, according to the Will of our Lord, the Founder of his Church,

THE MISSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, the third Perfon of the eternal Trinity. The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost whom the FATHER WILL SEND in my Name, St. John xiv. 26.

ver. 13.

•If I go not away if I depart, I WILL He shall not fpeak

When the Comforter is come whom I WILL SEND unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, who proceedeth from the Father, &c. St. John xv. 26. the Comforter will not come unto you; but SEND him unto you, St. John xvi. 7.. OF HIMSELF; but whatsoever he shall bear, that shall be speak, He fhall glorifie me, for he shall RECEIVE OF and shall fhew it unto you, ver. 14. Accordingly, the Holy Ghoft was fent from Heaven on the Day of Pentecoft, as St. Peter teftified to the wondring Multitude, telling them, This Jefus being by the right Hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the Promife of the Holy Ghoft, he hath SHED FORTH this, which you now fee and hear (i. c. he hath SENT FORTH THE HOLY GHOST, Who has caufed thofe aftonifhing miraculous Wonders which you now fee and hear) Acts ii. 32, 33.And St. Paul tells the Galatians, God hath SENT FORTH the Spirit of his Son (i. c. the Holy Ghoft) into your Hearts, Galat. iv. 6. And St. Peter reckons the Holy Ghost SENT DOWN from Heaven, among those things which the Angels defire to look into, I St. Peter i. 12.

THE MISSION OF ANGELS. They are ALL Miniftring Spirits SENT FORTH to minifter, Heb. i. 14.The Angel Gabriel WAS SENT from God unto a City, &c. to a Virgin e Spoufed to a Man whofe Name was Jofeph. St. Luke i. 26.

The fame Angel appeared before unto Zacharias, and told him, I am Gabriel that ftand in the Prefence of God, and AM SENT to speak unto thee. ver. 19. Peter faid, Now I know of a Surety that the LORD HATH SENT his Angel, and hath delivered me out of the Hands of Herod, &c. Acts xii. 11.

The

Church, and the unvariable and univerfal Apoftolical Practice of it for 1500 Years, I fay, Iftill wonder, how fuch Presbyters could first preach against the Epifcopal Order, and then proceed to pull down their

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, &c. HE SENT and fignified it by his Angel unto his Servant John Revelat. i. 1. The feven Spirits of God SENT FORTH to all the Earth, Revelat. v. 6..

The Lord God SENT his An1 gel to fhew unto his Servants the things which must shortly be done, Revelat. XXII, 6:

THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. After the twelve Apoftles are nam'd, 'tis faid, Thefe Twelve Jefus SENT FORTH, and commanded them faying. Preach freely ye have RECEIVED, freely give, St. Matth. x. 5, 7, 8. As my Father bath fent me, even fo SEND I you, St. John xx. 21.. All Power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth: Go YE therefore and teach (or rather Difciple) all Nations, baptizing them

20.

teaching them and lo I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, even unto the End of the World. Amen. St. Matth. xxviii. 18, 19, And to fupply the Place of Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, the Apoftles prayed and faid, Thou, Lord, which knowest the Hearts of all Men, fhew whether of these two (i. e. of Fuftus or Matthias) thou haft CHOSEN, that he may TAKE part of this Miniftry and Apostleship, Acts i. 24, 25. And they gave forth their Lots, and the Lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apoftles, Ver. 26. God hath SET fome in the Church. FIRST, Apostles, 1 Cor. xii. 28. Our Lord faid to Ananias concerning the Apoftle St. Paul,

He is a CHOSEN Veffel unto me, to bear my Name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the Children of Ifrael, Acts ix. 15.

As they minifter'd to the Lord, and fafted, the Holy Ghost faid, SEPARATE me Barnabas and Saul (i. e Paul) for the Work whereunto I have CALLED THEM. And when they had fafted and prayed, and laid their Hands on them, they fent them away fo they being SENT FORTH by the Holy Ghost, departed, &c. Acts xiii. 2, 3, 4. Again, the Lord faid unto St. Paul, Depart,

b

their own Bishops, by whom they were ordain'd,and then in Oppofition to the Holy Apoftolical Order and Character, and the Perfons lawfully vefted with it, Sacrilegiously prefume, like Colluthus, to take

xxii. 21.

upon

Depart, for I will SEND thee far hence unto the Gentiles, Acts And therefore he ftiles himself, Paul CALLED to be an Apoftle of Jefus Chrift, through the Will of God, I Cor. 1. 1. and fays in another Place, I am ORDAINED a Preacher, and an Apoftle, a Teacher of the Gentiles, 1 Tim. ii. 7

How fhall they preach, except they be SENT? Rom. x. 15. When he (i. e. Chrift) afcended up on high,- he GAVE fome Apostles, i. e. he gave fome the Power and Authority of being his Ambaffadors, Ephef. iv. 11. -

THE MISSION OF THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES, and of the DEACONS. After these things the Lord APPOINTED other Seventy alfo, and SENT them two and two before his Face, St. Luke x. 1. The Twelve (i. e. the Apostles) called the Multitude of the Difciples unto them, and faid, Look ye out among you feven Men of honest Report, full of the Holy Ghost and Wisdom, whom WE MAY APPOINT over this Business, (i.e. of taking care for the Poor) And they chofe Stephen, &c. whom they SET BEFORE THE APOSTLES; and when THEY had prayed, THEY LAID THEIR HANDS on them, Ács vi: 3, 5, 6.. THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES SUCCESSORS. St. Paul and St. Barnabas ORDAINED them ELDERS in every Church, Acts xiv. 23. For this Caufe left I thee (i. e. Titus) in Crete, that thou fhouldeft fet in Order the things that are wanting, and ORDAIN Elders in every City, as I (i.e. St. Paul) had APPOINTED thee, Tit. i. 5. Stir up the GIFT of God which is in thee (i. e. Stir up that Epifcopal Authority, and the Gifts annexed thereto, wherewith God has endowed thee) BY THE PUTTING ON OF MY (.e. St. Paul's) HANDS, 2 Tim. i. 6. The Things that thou hast heard of me, the fame COMMIT thou to faithful Men, who shall be able to teach others alfo, 2 Tim. ii. 2. LAY HANDS fuddenly on no Man, 1 Tim. v. 22. The feven Stars are the ANGELS (i. e. the Bifhops, or fupreme fpiritual Governors) of the feven Church