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APPENDIX
Numb.Il.
'
Faithful Difcharge in it.
Neither would any underfanding Man think
himfelf
`
obliged
to
obey
his
Warrants,
if
he
lhould have
the Confidence
to iffueout
any
be-
'
fore
theft compleating
Acts be done,
notwithftanding
all
the former Prepared-
`
ons towards it.
`
In
like
manner to the thing inHand
about Ecclefiaftical Officers: A
Man,
I
`
doubt
not,
may
have
competent Qualificationsfor the Work
of
the
Miniltry, he
`
may have
a willing Mind to the Employment, hemay
have
an Habitation
fit
for
the Overfight
of
filch
a Congregation, he may
be
invited by
them
to
undertake
the
Care and
Overfight of them
;
and"
yet, for
all
this,
till Jefus
Quiff,
the
Su-
'
preme Governor
of
his
Church,
fhall
by
his
Vicarios
Epifcopos,
put
his
Name into
`
the
Commilfton
and take
reciprocal Security from him
for his faithful Difcharge
in
it, he neither
can,
nor
ever
was
efteemed
a
Minifter duly
authorized.
And
`
therefore, though God
as
in the
Cafe
of
a Civil Magiftrate, may
very
fitly
and
`
'properly
be faid
to do
all
as
you urge, I think out
ofSpalarenfis
:
So
he may
be
fold
`
in the
Cafe
of
Ecclefiaftiacal Officers
to
be faid
properly and
fitly
to
do
all;
yet
he
`doth
not
all
the Work without the Mediation
of
his
Vicegerents, and
1
cannot
` fee
but
that part of the
Work which he hath
left
for them to do,
is
as
neceffary
for
`
the compleating and
perfecting
ofthe Work,
as
that which
he doth without
their
Mediation ;
and
by
confequence,
if that
part
of
the
Work
be
left
undone.
`
the
whole Work
is
as
impeded
and incomplete,
as
if
this
had been
done, but
t the other Parts
left
undone.
Here
is
in
this,'
I
confers,
form thing
taken
pro con-
`
feJfo,
that
Jefus
Chrift bath
fore
Vice-gerents here
on Earth, and that he bath
`
left
fome
part of
this
Work
in their Hands for them
to
do:
Which being a
Mat-
`
ter of
Fad,
thall be
proved when Iknow
it
is
denied.
`
III.
But
Thirdly,
My Third
Argument
is
this
:
I
do therefore plead for
an
un-
'
interrupted
Succeflion, becaufe
it
appears to me
that moti of
the Invaders and
In-
`
truders
upon the Minifterial
Office,
are very,much ftrengthened and
juttified
in
`
their
Schifm
and
Ufurpation,
if
Succeffon
be
not
material.
For
I
will
not deny
`
but many
of
them
are
Men competently
qualified,
and
all
of
them willing to
un-
dertake
the Work,
live
conveniently, or
will live
conveniently to difcharge
the
work,
are chofen by
a Number
of
Chrillians
who
call
them
out to it
:
Now
if
all
'
this make
them Minitiers authorized, why
do
we clamour againft them
?
why
do
`
we not
give them
the Right Hand of
Fellowfhip and Brotherhood
in the Work
'
ofthe
Lord
?
If
you fay,
they
take this Courfe for
their Call, when there
is
no
`
neceflity ;
if
you lay, this
is a
Courfe only
to
be ufed
in extream Necelfìty
;
when
`either
the Parties think that there
are
no
Church
Officers
in being, or thofe
that
are in being
be
lb
corrupt and wicked,
as
either they will
not
give them
Orders,
or
they
dare
not
take
Orders from them.
I
anfwer,
That
this
extreme neceffry
is
'
their
Cafe
:
They
think there
be
no
fuch things
as
Chrills Church
Officers
now
in
being
;
or
if
they
be,
they
are filch
as
either
will
not
give
them Orders, or filch
`
as
they dare
take
no Orders from
:
And therefore they are
(till excufable
upon
`
fuch
an Hypothefis
as
you
propound. Whereas, do
but grant
a
Succeflion
unin-
`
terrupted
neceffary,
it
will
uncontroulably follow, that they are therefore no Mi-
`
niters of
Chrift,
becaufe
they have not been let part by
fuch
who at length
` rook
their Authority
from
Chrift's own
Hands.
Ryon
fay
that
there
is
a
nece(lity
of
a
Difpenfation
in
cafe
of
a
generalApoftacy,
`although
the difpenfrig with Ordination
in
filch
Extremity
doch
furnifh Sectaries
with
a
Foundation to build their
Schifms
upon.
I
anfwer,
r.
That
we fuppofe
that which
yet never
fell
out, nor
ever
is
likely
to
fall
cut. There was never
yet
filch
a general Apoftacy but Chrift kept fome
Church
Officers
in being,
who
`
might from
Age
to
Age
continue the Propagation
of
the MinifterialOffice
to his
`
Church. Nay, it
is
admirably worth our Confideration,
that when God ftirred
`
up
the drouzy World to depart
from
Rome's
Superftitions
and Idolatries, he then
bowed'
the Hearts
of
fome
of
the Church
-
Officers to go along
with them, who
might be_inlframentel, for the conveighing
of
the Minifterial
Office
to the
next
`
Generation: and took
away the Subject
of
this over anxious
Enquiry, what melt
we do
if
all
apoftatize? what God
did
then we may
probably hope he will al-
'
ways do
in
the like
Exigency.
But
if
you
tIiould
be
importunate, and demand
frill
what mutt
be
done in
filch a
general Apoltacy.
I
anfwer, I
cannot
tell
either
what
Impiety or Abfurdity would
follow,
if
I
fhould affirm,
that in
filch an
ex-
'
traordinäry Difpenfation
of
Providence,
the
faithful
might
(afely
wait for
fome
'
extraordinary Revelation
of
God's Mind
what
they
Ihoulddo in fuch an unknown,
`
unprefidented
Cafe.
And"
if
this be
to turn
Seeker,
I
confefs
I
fomething incline
to