NDI.X. Numb; If Mr, 7ohnfon's,F6fth Letter tö Baxter. S I R, e. ` R E'Queflián, as 1 remember, was fated between us thus t Whether an infallible i' Knowledge that our O'rdainers bafuefull Authority to ordain,, be nee J ry to Make w have trae Peace of Confcience in the Exercife of our Miniltry.. To which Queflion,,befere Itïve any Anfwer, I fhall ferft willingly yield thof two Propofitions. r. That an infal= libly lawfûl Ordination a necefary to make he infallibly lawful Mini(lers. z. That an in- fallible Proof that we have been lawfulÿ,ordained a necefary to make us infallibly knew that we have been lawfullyOrdained. But I deny thatan infallible Knowledge that ouc.baEc been lawfully Ordained is necefary to make us lawful Mantflers. Ór that -an infallible. Knowledge that aye (lave been lawfully órelained,+snecefäry togeve za truePeace inthe exercife. ofour Miniftry. Theformèr ,NégatiVer fó'clear fromthe extrinfcal Nature ofKnowledge, to the Efenees of the thins known,' and the Pefleriority ofthe Nature of Scientiæ a re Sctbl_. }is,'that it it altogether fsïpeìflhoala ro fay any thing in order to the Proof of it. But other being indeed the` thin you doubtof. I fhall "offer yeti what to upon my own Ilnder - flandmg, and what ii ei that perfuades,'me to take the negative part, And coy Keafon thim I do therefore think-that an infallible Knowledgethat his Ordained had full Autbgri- ty is not necefary to give aMan true Peace in the Exercife of hh Zotiniftry o Becauj. trge Peace, according' to Gil el Equity is not founded Upon eteailnef, but upon utmefl dilgence rind - fintereEndeavours Andparticularly in paintof Knowledge or in the Que/lion [Whey ií our Duty to know] True Peace is not founded upon exalt or infallible Knowledge but,epen, ,an utinoff Diligence, or fncereEndeavour to know. And therefore if caa can but tripfay, that we do ufe our utmélkDiligenceto know,' ;behave the Foundation of erue peace, though, we be in the mean time in much Ignorance ahessi the'tbing 4úe enguì{{e_after.' And to the, fueftion in hand, fwe cantrulyfay, tl.calr rs bave u:fld.arsi:nitnaEndeavours to knew whether our Ordainer bad' full' Power tb Ordain vwe may bavé true Peace in the Exercie ofour Miniftry though in the mean tinge we''cannot infallibly provi, and by confeyuence can- uto infallibly know that theyhad any fucb'Autkoriey." Troje Peace, according toGaelmea-. . Are; very wellagreein with' inculpableIgnorance. ; And the Truth is, if it were not thus ox other'things, 1 de not fee haw any Man could withPeace of Confcience enjoy thole thing, which WCcall their inheritances. For it mine'. tier be Infallibly proncíd, her they,by confequencé infallibly know, _that they have jug. Right and Title to then,. If they be not lawfully begotten, they have no full. claim to'ebeir Inhe- ritances. Now if they do not, or indeed cannot infallibly know that they have been lawful- ly begotten, they cannot know infallibly that they have a jr/I claim to their Inheritances, But they"can never, come to an infallible Knowledge that they have been lawfully begotten, anSl bf' connequenee Upon jtscb Principles as thefe, CO never, withPeace of Confcience, enjoy . that whib all Menbfudlly call their due Ianheritances. Änd9 conceive upu the fame Grenndr, The Levites and3ewif6 Priefihoodcouldnever, with' #ry-'3?eace ofConfcience, have exercifed their Sacred Offices, in regard they couldnever come to, an'infallible certainty that they did defeendfrom Aaron, upon whichaccount only they bad theirfall claim to thof holy Employments. Tea, and all the Princes in theWorld who elerbr,'e by difent their Titles to their Crowns, would upon fuck a Principleis this, ft either very `loofa, or with little cafe in their imperial Chairs, being never able upon infalli- ble Proof to make good that they were the true legitimate Heirs to their Predeceffirs. Which Confiderationca po(terioris, (tae the Argumentklledged Both a priori) over-rulemyYudg- vient to determine that an infallibleKnowledge that our Ordainers bad full Authority to Ordain, is not necefary to give us true Peace in the Éxercife of our Miniflry, which was the only thing intended at the prelim Wombat?), Decemb. 26. By Your Fellow-labourer, 1653, and Enquirerafter Ttuth, 1VV1 Yohnfon. Numb.
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