i\bt. 16. :.6. J'rov 1~. p & ' 9· g. Luk. 11·4· 1\ht 1 ~- 14• J T1m. 4 16. 1 T;~n ..!. 6. ~br. 16 6. &24·4· P-l::r.4.:Z4. l.tlk. 8 rs. Mat. 2J.l6. Ad:.:o.;o. ---~----- 'Do-!JI.!ders oblige tiJe people to take bad Minifters ? his Phyficion who were like to kill him, and rcfufe the counfel of an able Phyficicn, in obcditnce ro a Magillrate or BiOwp, hath as little reafon to do the like by his foul; nor fhould he fet lefs by that than by his life. And, if Pa~tl faid, we have this power for Edification and not for dcfiruCTion, we rilay fay fo of all M1g1lhatcs and Biflv'lp~. Sober Divines have lately !hewed their errour who teach men that they mun be ready tofubmit to damnation if God require ir, or to fuppofe that his Glory and our lalv;uion are fep:nable ends; bccaufe damnalion is a thing which nature necd1itaterh man not to dtfirc or intend ! And fhall we afcribe more toa Magiflrarc than to God? and fay that tVe mull cafi our fouls on a likelyhood of damnation to keep ordtr, and in obedience to man ~ No m'm can be {ilved without Jtnorrledg,e and Holimfi; An ignorant, t!ead, ungodly MiniOcr, is far lcfs likely to help us ro JCnowledge and Hoiinefi, than an Able holy man. To {~y God ca1t work.. by the unfirtefi inlirumen( is nothillb.ro the pmpofc; Till you prove that God would have us take him for his infirument, and tha(hc ulcth cqullly to work by fuch as well as by rhe fit and worthy, or that we expect wondeiS from God, and thH ordinuily withdllt tempting him! Yea, when fuch an U[urper of the MiniHry is like to damn himfelf, as well as the people. And l:ere to leniijc the minds of Ithacian Prelates towards thofe that fcek their own Edification~ in fuch a cafe as this, or that refufeunworthy Paltors of their impofing I will intrear them to ccnfi 1 r; thofc nccr themno more iliarply than they do the perfons in thc:fc following iOftance~. Yea if a fe-– paralifi goroofar, ufC him no more uncharitably, than you would do thcfc men. J. Gild.zf B,-;,. is Cl lied Sapirnr, and our eldefl writer; And yet he cailcth the multitude of the lewd Bridh Clergy whom he reprehendcth in his AcrH Corrcptio, 7'r~ytors and no PriejfJ ; and con– clude·h ftrioufly, that he that callc:th themPrir{fr, is not eximius Chrijii.mzu, any excellent Chrifiian. Yc:t rhofe ftw that were pious he cxceptcth and commendeth. Shall he account them no Pritjfs, for 1h<ir linfulncfs, and will you force Othcts, not only to call them Priefis, but to commit their fouls ro fuch mf.ns conduct? when Chrill hath faid, If tbe blind lead the blind, botb wiU faU into tbe ditch ! And Paut, 1ake herd unto thy Jtlfand"'"' the dofJrine ; for in fadamg, thou]hall bothfave thy [elf and. tbem tiJat hear thee l The fedond is our fecond (and firfl Englifh )"Hifiorian Bcda, and in him the famous J ohamttt Epij(. H.Jgujlaldmfir Ecclef. who as he reporteth "Yrought many very great miracles, as Ecdef. hijf. f. 5 • cup. 2, 3, 4, and 5· is to Le: read: This man had one Herr:baldm in his Clergy, after an Abbot; who himfelf told Bcda as followerh. That this Jobannrr Ep. cured him miraculoufiy of a perillous hurt, taken by difubcd:cnt HorfCmanfhip; And when herecovered,he asked him, whether he were: fitrt th.zt he w.11 B.zptizcd ? whoanfwered, 1hat he IQrr:w it pajf diJttbt, dnd named the Prt~byur tb.zt B3ptized bin:. .The Bilhop anfwered him ; If thou wa{l baptized by that Priejt, thou art 11ttt rightly baptiZed: For I k.._now)Jim, a;rd that when he ll'tJJ ordained Prtsbyter,bewaJ fo duU of wit, that he could 11ot leam tbe Mi~ijlry of Cauchizing and Baptizi11g. 1Pherefore I commanded him altogether to give over the pre– fumption of tbM MiHijfry, which he could not regularly fulfiU. And havirzg tbuJ {aid he him[elf took., care to Catechize me tbe fame hour ; And - bei11g cured- vitali ezi.zm· Hmi:J perfujf11 fum> I was b;.ptizrd. • I commend not this example of re~baptizing, the rather bccaufc, it fccms the. Pricfi was not depofed till :~Jru he had Blptized Herebaldu;: But if he: went fo far as 10 re-baptize and account the Baptifm a Nu.lliry: which was done by an unable infufficient Pres&ytcr, though rightly ordained, judge but as favour.. bly of mm that a•u)id fuch Presbyters in our age. · Thr third inliance Olall be that of Cyprian and all the wort_hy Bifhops in the Councils of Carthage in his time, who re-baptized chofe Bapri·£cd by Hcrcricks ! And confider with all that in thofe times many were called Hcreticlts whomwe: call buc Schifmaticks, that drew Difciples after them into feparated bodies and panics, fpcaking perverfe things, though not contrary to the very Effencials of Religion. 1 jL1fiilic nor their opinion. But if fo many holy BHhops counted the very Bo~pti_fm of fuch a nulli~y, be not too feve1e and cenforious againll thofe that go not all fo far from an infuffident or ungodly, or groJly fcandalous man, for the meet prefervation of their own fouls. To thcfc I will add the fitying ofone the handler fort of ]cfuitcs, Acnfta; and in him ofan ancienter than he: Lib. 4· c. 1. p. 354· de reb. Indie. He cxto!leth the words of Dionyfius Epijl. 8. ad Dmwph. which arc (Si igitur qu.e illuminat facerdotum ejt Janl7t~ diflinllio, proculdubio ille a {acerdotali ordine & vjrtztte omnin1 prolap{u1 tjl, qui iUuminanr non ejf, multoque fanC magU qui neqrteilf,.min,;tuJ eft. At– que mibi quidcm videtur audax nimium bttju{modi ejf, fi [acerdotalia munia fibi affumil; neque metuit, 'IU:;uc ZJCrrt;u ea qu£ fi~nt Divina pr.eur meritum perfequi ; putiJtque ea latere Deum, quorum jibi ipfo confciuJ ji1 ; & {e Demnf~Uere exijiimat, quem fo~lfo nomine appeOat Patrem; audetq~te fcelejfor blaf}he~ mi;11 fuaJ ( 11tqtte cnim precu dixerim) facriJ ari1 inferre ; ea(que (uper {tgna iUa Divina, ad Chrifti fimiliwdincm dicere. Non eft ijfe facerdor; non ejt; fed infejlur, atrox, dDlojiu, iUufor fui, & lupu1 in duminicam g~"tgcm 11vin.t peL1 c armatuJ: J HU plura aut majora de evangelici minijftrii, & culmine & pr~tcipitio (Jt!i expetlat, cuique ad refipifcendum non ijfa fi1fficiunt, infatuattem[e juxta Domin~fenteHtiam, & nufo u;Jqtt.Jmf~lt jdliri p(Jfft demonjfrat. 1 will not Engliili it,lcl\ chafe take encouragement by it, who are bent to the ocherex1ream. · 1 7· Yet it w1ll be a great offence, if any cenforious felf~concc:ited perfon, !hall on this pretence, fet up his judgement of mens parts, to the contempt ot Authority, or tO the vilifying of worthy men; and ,{pccially if he thereby make a fiir and s,~ifm in the Church, inflead of fceking ki• own cdifi· 'ation. S. Yea,
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