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DISSENTERS.

Dearly Beloved,

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T hearty Defire and Prayer to God for you is, that you be faved: For which Reason, I have Dedicated Sermons to you, which I thought might be proper to convince you of the Error of your Ways, of which, the firft Edition of this was one. And the Book feller thinking convenient to put out a fecond Edition, though I saw no Occafion to make any Alterations in the Difcourfe itself, for the Sermon is Word for Word, the fame it was in the first Impression, unless perhaps an Erratum of the Prefs be corrected,) yet I was willing to make a new Address to you on this Occafion, to defire you to confider, that the Matter of this Sermon is of the highest Confequence, the Doctrine of Baptifm, that Sacrament by which we must be initiated into Chrift's Church: That Sacrament without which we are uncapable of receiving the Privileges and Promifes of the Gofpel. For our Saviour has told us with the moft folemn Affeveration he was wont to use, that without this Sacrament we cannot be admitted into his Kingdom; faying, Joh. iii. 5. Verily Verily, I fay unto thee, except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. It therefore behoves every one feriously to confider and examine whether he have been born again of Water in Baptifm, to which the new Birth by the Spirit, is here plainly annexed: That fo if any one find that either he or his Chil dren have not been fo born again, he may take care to procure for bimfelf and them, what is fo necellary for their Salvation.

Thofe who are called Baptists, infift very much upon the Word Man in this Text, and will reftrain the Signification of it to PerJons of Riper Tears, and thence infer that Children may be admitted into the Kingdom of God without Baptifm. But I defire them to confider that the Word Man in this Place fignifies every

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buman Creature, Man, Woman or Child, for the Original is, av μn Tis except a Perfon: So that however dubious the Expreffion may be thought in our Translation, it is plain enough in that Language in which the Gofpel was written, and cannot there be wrefted to any fuch doubtful Conftruction. Befides, if they will restrain the Word Man to the strictest Senfe, they must exclude Women as well as Children. But the Word Man is pror perly enough put in this Place, as a Word that in common Acceptation, and even in the Scripture Language fignifies all Mankind. And when we read, Heb. ix. 27. It is appointed unto Men once to die They may by the fame Argument fay, that Children are not appointed to die, though Men are.

The former Part of this Sermon is chiefly defign'd, to fhew the Error of the Antipedobaptifts, and if poffible to convince them of their Miftakes about the Admiffion of Children into Chrift's Church by the Holy Sacrament of Baptifm. In which I have the Opinion of all other Diffenters (except the Quakers and fome Socinians who have utterly rejected all Baptifm) concurrent with me. But the latter Part of my Sermon affects all the Diffenters in general, as Perfons that cannot have true Baptifm, because they have none amongst them duly authorized to minifter that Sacrament; yet I am perfuaded, that you all agree with me in what I have largely infifted on, viz. The Invalidity of Lay-Baptifm.. For this was, and is still the Doctrine of the Reformed abroad, with whom you pretend to bold Communion: And was the Doctrine of Cartwright and the old Puritans of Queen Elizabeth's Days, from whom you are defcended: And of the Assembly of Divine's from whom you received your Confeffion of Faith. But your Error lies in this, That you fancy those who have taken upon them to be your Teachers, are real authorized Minifters of Chrift, when in Truth they are but meer Lay-Men.

You cannot but know, for the Scriptures plainly teach it, that no Man can lawfully take upon him the Minifterial Office fo as to act in Chrift's Name and by his Authority without a Miffion from him, that no Man taketh this Honour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So aifo Chrift glorified not himself to be made an High-Prieft, but he that faid unto him, Thou art my Son, Heb. V. 4, 5. Thus you fee as God called Aaron by Name to this Office, so alfo he called Chrift, and till

Chrift was fo called, he glorified not himself to be made an High-Prieft, he did not preach the Word, institute and administer Sacraments till he was particularly called by God after his Baptifm, who then publickly authorized him by a Voice from Heaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, hear him, Matth. iii. 17. Luk. ix. 35. And from that time Jefus began to preach, Matth. iv. 17. And then he was about Thirty Years of Age, Luk. iii. 23. yet be ftaid till he was of that Age before he entered on his Miniftry, because he was not called to it before. But when God had fo called Aaron by Name, he did not call his Defcendants by Name alfo: But entail'd the Priesthood upon his Defcendants by a natural Generation, and by Virtue of that natural Generation they were alfo Priests as Aaron was, and God owned them as fuch fo long as the Jewish Church continued. And as the Jewish Priefthood defcended to Aaron's Sons by natural Generation; So the Christian Priesthood defcended from Chrift to bis Apostles and from them, their Succeffors by a Spiritual Generation; the Apostles were begotten by the Word of Chrift and made the Heirs of his Priesthood by the Commission which he gave them, when he sent them as he was sent by the Father, Joh. xx. 21. And in like manner they sent others, as we learn from the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles, as I have fhewed in the following Difcourfe, pag. 21, 22, 23. And in my Sermon of the Honour of the Chriftian Priesthood, pag. 20. &c. And more largely in my Book, called, An Account of Church Government and Governours, chap. iv, v. to which I refer you.

But now I must tell you, that this Successive Spiritual Generati. on has failed among your Teachers, and amongst all those that have caft off Epifcopacy, because this Succeffion was fettled in the Epifcopal Line only, as I have shewed in thofe Books, and has been alfo more abundantly proved by others. The French Protestants have plainly acknowledged this Failure amongst themselves in their Confeffion of Faith, Art. xxxi. where they fay, We believe that it is not lawful for any Man of his own Authority to take upon himself the Government of the Church, but that every one ought to be admitted thereto by a lawful Election, if it may poflibly be done, and that the Lord do fo permit it. Which Exception we have expzlly added, because that fometime (as it hath fallen out in our Days)

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the State of the Church being interrupted, God hath railed up fome Perlons in an Extraordinary Banner for to repair the Ruins of the decayed Church. But let it be what it will, we believe that all Paftors, Elders and Deacons fhould have a Testimony of their being called unto their respective Offices. Now by Election in this Place, they plainly mean Ordination, or an Admission to the Ministerial Office by the Paftors of the Church: For Election or choofing, is by their Difcipline to be made by the Paftors, who alfo are to admit the Elect by Impofition of Hands, as appears from their first Chapter of Difcipline, Can. iv, viii. See Quick's Synodicon, pag. 13, 17, 18.

Now pray examine this Matter a little, thefe Gentlemen tell us, that this Rule is always to be followed, that all Paftos, Elders and Deacons fhould have a Teftimony of their being called unto their respective Offices. Now we find no other Teftimony of a Call for Minifters either in the new Tefta ment, or the fubfequent Practice of the Church, but Ordination ; Thus Chrift was called and ordained by God, the Apostles by Chrift, and the Apoftles ordained their Succeffors the Bishops, who bave ordained one another fucceffively from that time to this. This they allow to be the ordinary Call, viz. That Men fhould be elected or chofen, admitted or ordained to the Miniftry, by fuch Paftors as have received Power fo to admit them. But then they acknowledge, that their own first Pastors had not this Call, but were raifed up in an extraordinary Manner; yet they tell us not what this extraordinary Manner was. Now we find no extraordinary Call in the New Testament, but the Call of Christ bimSelf by a Voice from Heaven. The Apostles were fent by him, and their Succeffors by them in an ordinary Way: And Chrift and bis Apoftles being the first that were fent, teftified their Mission by Miracles. But these first Pastors amongst the French Proteftants bad not this extraordinary Call, which is the only extraordinary Call warranted by the New Teftament, nor was the Call they pretended to attested by any Miracles. Therefore it is evident, that they had no Call at all: For they themselves confefs they had no ordinary Call, and for an extraordinary Call, if it be not attefted by Signs from Heaven, I am sure no Body is bound to be lieve it. If therefore their firft Paftors were but meer Lay-Men,

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as it is certain from this Confeffion of the French Proteftants they were, then could they not ordain or send others, and thofe who derive their Succession from them can be but meer Lay-Men, as their Predeceffors were. And the fame may be faid of the Dutch and Scotch Presbyterians, whofe Paftors generally Speak ing had the fame Original.

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This is certainly a Point of very great Confequence, it behoves you feriously to confider and to examine this Matter, and to enquire whether your Teachers do not derive their pretended Qrdinations from Men, who according to the French Proteftants own Confeffion, had not so much as a pretended Ordination. How many of them have been ordained in Holland or Scotland, or by Men, who derive their Ordinations from thence? For thefe Ordinations are all derived from France and Geneva, whofe Original, as we have it from their own Teftimony, was meerly Lay; Geneva being included within the Reformed of France, as you will fee in Quick's Synodicon. All therefore who derive their Ordinations from thence, are certainly but Lay-Men, though it could be proved, (as certainly it cannot) that meer Presbyters could Ordain: For thefe by their own Confeffion, were not fo much as Presbyters.

But fome of your Teachers perhaps will tell you, that they derive not their Mission from France and Geneva, but from Presbyters of the Church of England, ordained by our English Bifhops, and therefore have the fame Succeffion from the Apostles that we bave. Baxter, Calamy, and other eminent Presbyterians of the last Age, were ordained by Bishops of the Church of England, very true, and therefore they were lawfully ordained Perfons. But then these Men were but Presbyters; and it is very certain, that Presbyters of the Church of England, never had Authority to Ordain other Presbyters (though it could be proved, as it never can, for the contrary is demonstrable, that Presbyters in the Primitive Church might have ordained) and therefore if thefe Presbyters did pretend to ordain others, the Orders fo pretendedly given were no Orders, and those on whom they were pretendedly conferred, continued meer Lay-Men, and therefore fo must all be that have been derived from them. But I am perfuaded, that there are not now many amongst you, that have fo much as this Original: For the Independents, and Antipædobaptifts being now the prevailing Sects, you will, if you will take the Pains to examine, find that

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