CI o61 Hammond in his Annotat. hath well defcribed.) Ifbare Reading were fufficient Ability, every Boy or Artificer were fufficient that can read. Bare Reading will encourage no man to take any one for his Phyfician, or Lawyer ; and foul- conduct is a matter of greater importance, and needeth as much skill and honefty. 2. It is not the validity of the Sacrament that is all that is to be looked at : .Qzod faun va- let Pepe fieri non debait. Men mutt avoid fin as well as Nullities in Sacraments : We take it to be a fin to own a man as Chriit's Minifter who is none, through utter incapacity : Yet we know that Reading is a fort of Preaching, and that all Presbyters, where one Church had many, did not publickly and constantly Preach in the antient Churches : But they were godly men capable of other Minifterial Offices to the People, to pray, counfel and direct them, which muft be regard- ed as well as Sacraments. He that can admi- nifter a Sacrament that's valid, maybe unfit for men to take for their Paftors or Guides. 3. There is a. double work of Sacraments to which they may be called ,EffeFlcaal : one is God's own - collation of oar Covenant-right to the prongedBenefits, viz. Pardon and Salvation : To this we believe that the Sacrament is effect al to meet receivers, when it is fo delivered as to be no Nullity; and fo many heretofore thought that Baptifn delivered by a Lay -man is effeetual, that is, not Null, but invefteth the perfon in his Covenant Relation ; and yet that it is unlawful for a Lly-man to adminifter it, or others tode- lire it ofhirn : The other work of the Sacra- ment is on the Peoples hearts, to which the man- ner
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=