public prayers, and preaching, and praised God; they frequently celebrated the Lord's Supper, or breaking bread; they maintained union, continuing stedfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship; and were exceeding charitable in relieving the poor.

4thly, As there was a distinct order of men under the Mosaic dispensation to execute the office of the priesthood, (Moses, having his immediate commission from God himself, was commanded to consecrate Aaron and his sons for the priest's office,) so there was from the beginning a distinct order of persons under the Gospel ministration; for the apostles fixed a settled ministry, ordaining elders in every church. And as the apostles ordained certain persons to the pastoral office, so they gave them power of ordaining others; whereby due care was taken, from the beginning of Christianity, for a supply of persons in the ministry for the future, by ordination, or laying on of hands, and prayer, as the necessity of the church should require. And this solemn ordination was performed, notwithstanding the immediate appointment of the Holy Ghost; whereby it appears, 1st, That an outward visible calling and ordination of ministers is necessary; and, 2dly, That the bishops and pastors of the church, however restrained or limited in respect of the manner of exercising their ministerial function by human governors, do yet derive their authority, not from the people, or the civil magistrate, but from Christ and his apostles. This will appear more fully, if we further consider the first beginning or incorporating of the Christian church, which was by a divine commission to the apostles, authorizing them to teach

• See especially chap. ii. 41, to the end, compared with chap. viii. 12. and xx. 7. Exod. xxviii. 1. e Acts xiv. 33. Comf 2 Tim. ii. 2. Tit. i. 5.

pare Acts xi. 30. and James v. 14. Acts xiii. 2, 3.

and convince men, and then to admit them into the Christian society or church by baptism, and to settle them as an ecclesiastical body or society"; which society the apostles call the body of Christ, as being united to him the Head, by whose authority it was at first established: so again, Ye are God's household, ye are God's building, &c. incorporated and built up by the apostles, who received their authority and power therein from Christ.

In the next place, as the Christian church first began, so without the continuance of the same divine authority by which it first began, it cannot continue to be a Christian church according to Christ's original institution; nor can the members of it continue to be entitled to those divine privileges, which upon its first incorporation were annexed to it, as to be in covenant with God, and thereby have a title to the graces of the Spirit, and hopes of eternal life; no more than a corporation, at first established by the king's charter, can continue to be the same corporation, and enjoy the same privileges, without the continuance of the same royal authority by which it was incorporated at the first. And therefore the apostles' divine authority in gathering, incorporating, and settling the church, could not expire with their persons, because those divine offices, by which the Christian society or church subsists, cannot be duly and regularly performed, without a divine authority in the ministers officiating therein; as in preaching, and reconciling men to God, admitting them into his church, and making them solemn promises in his name, and sealing to them the new covenant with God, through Christ in the sacraments, &c. Hence they are styled ambassadors for Christ; the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God'. And Christ gave some pastors and

h Matt. xxviii. 17, &c. i Eph. ii. 20. 1 Cor. iv. 1.

* 2 Cor. v. 20.

teachers for the work of the ministry". So that it cannot be lawful for any to take upon themselves this office, unless they be first lawfully called thereto : for how can any be Christ's ambassadors, and transact in his name, unless they receive authority from him, and are sent by him? Again, since the office of the priesthood is as sacred as ever, no reason can be assigned why a divine commission is not still as necessary as at the beginning; and therefore for any others who are not sent", to invade the priesthood, and thrust themselves upon the performance of ininisterial divine offices, is as much contrary to the design of the Gospel, as it was for a layman to offer sacrifice under the law. The deacons in the primitive church were indeed to take care of the poor, as hath been said; but that was not their whole employment; they did also preach the Gospel, as did Stephen, and Philip"; for which purpose they were to be persons full of the Holy Ghost, and wisdom, and were ordained to that office, as well as others of the ministerial function; and the distinction of clergy and laity is as old as the first age of Christianity".

It hath been objected against one of the offices, viz. preaching, that there is no necessity for it now, when all people own the profession of Christianity among us, although it was needful when the Christian doctrine was not well known or understood in the world; but then it is to be observed, that

m

n Rom. x. 15. ¶ Chap. vi. 3.

Chap. vi. 8, &c. r Ver. 6. s Clem.

Eph. iv. 11, 12. P Chap. viii. 12. Rom. Epist. ad Corinth. c. 40, 41. Ignatius passim. Cypr. Epist. 30. Obj. 1 Pet. v. 3. All Christians are called God's heritage, or clergy, Twv xλngwv. Ans. This is no more than what is said of the people of Israel, Deut. iv. 20. that they were God's inheritance, or peculiar people, that is, in opposition to the heathen; and yet God had his peculiar xλngos, his priests among his people.

Christ did not only appoint preachers for the conversion of infidels, but also pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, and for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Therefore, as long as the church is in its imperfect state, as long as it may want unity or knowledge, or improvement, this office of teachers is to continue; which is profitable in its degree, for the same ends for which the holy Scripture is useful, viz. for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". Some are fallen into errors, others into troubles; some forget God and their souls, and others run on in sin: so that there will always be occasion to instruct and reclaim, to support, awaken, and encourage.

And for the people, it appears from what has been said that they had no common right or practice in preaching or administering the sacraments with the ministers in the times of the apostles. Some texts of Scripture have been misapplied in this respect; for instance, St. Paul in those words", not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, &c. does not suppose the laity as much bound to exhort, or speak in the public assemblies, as to assemble; so long as, here we see, there were pastors sent, and commissioned, and appointed to preach and exhort ministerially; but the people should exhort and encourage each other by mutual acts of charitable piety, and by way of brotherly communication; and in particular, encouraging each other to persevere in the faith, and in the assembling themselves together, not drawing back from Chris

Eph. iv. 11, &c. u 2 Tim. iii. 16. *v Heb. x. 25.

tianity, and returning to the worship of the synagogue, for fear of persecution from the unbelieving Jews; which was the design of the Apostle in that place. Nor does the Apostle's forbidding the women to teach", infer the right of men in common to do so; for the context plainly shews the Apostle meant not the ordinary ministerial speaking, but extraordinary, by some impulse of the spirit of prophecy, as was usual in those times, although even in this case he suffered not the women to speak in the congregation. So that this can only infer the right of the men to shew their miraculous gifts in public, but not to exercise any ministerial office, except appointed thereunto.

As for those, who, being scattered abroad, went every where preaching the word', and those many of the brethren, who were bold to speak the word without fear; since a settled ministry was peculiarly appointed, it must be either understood of those brethren, whose province it was to preach, or they were extraordinarily inspired, and so had their mission from the Holy Ghost, as prophets or evangelists, to proclaim the Gospel among infidels : for the Holy Ghost frequently fell on the first converts. Thus, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake the word with boldness. And, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. From hence appears the great mistake of those, who, from extraordinary prophets and teachers in the beginning of Christianity, (which long since have ceased,) pretend a pattern for the exercising of the ministerial offices by any of the common people. Lastly, What St. Peter says concerning the privileges of Christians, From ver. 29. y Acts viii. 4. and • Πνευματικοί. b Acts iv. 31. d See the seventh general remark aforegoing • 1 Pet. ii. 9.

w1 Cor. xiv. 34.

xi. 19.

c Acts xix. 6. on the Acts.

z Phil. i. 14.