ming to do the like without the Divine Come miffion; because, he is equally deftitute of a Spiritual Power, and in fact is as little in Holy Orders as fhe.

VIII. The laft Objection that I fhall mention is, what fome Great Men have made use of, to Establish the Validity of Lay-Baptifm; and that is, That tho' it was a Sin for the Two Hundred and Fifty Princes to offer Incense; yet by even that Sinful Offering, the Cenfers, wherewith they offer'd, were hallow'd; and God himself declared them to be fo, Numb. 16. In like manner, tho' it be a Sin for Lay-men to Baptize, yet the Perfon fo Baptiz'd is thereby Hallow'd and Sanctify'd; and confequently fuch a Baptism is Valid.

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Anf. This Objection has no manner of Force for the purpose defign'd, because 'tis not in the least parallel to Chriftian Baptism; for the Cenfers (mere fenfelefs things) were capable of no Supernatural Spiritual Graces and Privileges to be enjoyed by them, by virtue of that Offering; but the Objects of Baptifm, Senfible, Rational, and Immortal Souls, are to be poffefs'd of, and to be made happy by, fuch unfpeakable Benefits and Advantages as are annex'd to Baptifm. The Cenfers were wholly Paffive; but the Baptiz'd Perfon is not fo, for even in Infancy he is Active by his Sponfors; and when he comes to Years, muft be fo in his own Perfon. The Cenfers, tho' they were hallow'd, yet they were not hal

low'd

low'd to the fame purpose, as the Cenfers wherewith Aaron offer'd Incense; for God did not order thofe Two Hundred and Fifty Cenfers to be continu'd, for the fame ufe to which thofe Sinners put them, but requir'd them to be made broad Plates for a Covering of the Altar: To be a Memorial unto the Children of Ifrael, that no Stranger which is not of the Seed of Aaron come near to offer Incense before the Lord, (Numb. 16. 39, 40.) So that, if these Cenfers are à Parallel Inftance for Perfons Baptiz'd by uncommiffion'd Pretenders, then, the use that God order'd them to be put to, should teach us to make a like ufe of fuch SinfullyBaptiz'd Perfons, viz. To make them Memorials to all Chriftians, that none who are not Commiffion'd by Chrift, fhould dare to come near to Baptize in the Christian Church: But how fhall fuch Sinfully baptiz'd Persons become fuch Memorials fo effectually, as by renouncing their falfe, and receiving true Chriftian Baptifm from Chrift's Authoriz'd Minifters, and thereby fruftrate as much as they can, the prefumptuous Ufurpations, of those who have no Divine Miffion for fo great a Ministration? This is the most proper Inference that can be drawn from these Cenfers, with refpect to fuch as are unlawfully Baptiz'd: Tho' after all, they have nothing in them that can with any Coherence, be juftly adapted to the Inftitution of Chriftian Baptifm, or any one Effential Part thereof: The

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Two Hundred and Fifty Princes, indeed, it compar'd to the Unauthoriz'd Administrators of Baptifm, may be fomething to the purpose and fo may the Incenfe, if compar'd to the Water in Baptifm: Becaufe, as this, when rightly Adminifter'd, is the means of Spiritual Benefits; fo Incenfe, when rightly offer'd, i. e. by a Divinely Commiffion'd Perfon, was a means likewife of procuring the Favour of God, by making an Atonement, for the Sins of the People. But as for the Cenfers, they were only the Veffels wherein this Incenfe, the Outward Means of the Atonement, was contain❜d; fo that they have not the leaft re ference, either to the Person Adminiftring, or the Water of Baptifm, or to the Perfon Bap tized; and therefore, if the Objector will have them to be Parallel to any thing at all in this matter, they must be so to the Veffel, which contains the Baptifm-Water: And he may make as much use as he pleases of that Parallelism, which is nothing at all to our prefent purpose. Marit

UPON the Whole; the Grand Design of thefe Princes was (in oppofition to the Eftablifh'd Priesthood) to offer Incenfe before the Lord, contrary to a Divine Pofitive Inftitution, which confin'd that Action to Aaron and his Sons only. This Offering being thus unlawful, for want of the Divine Authority of the Perfons Adminiftring, was fo far from being accepted, that it was a crying Abomination and inftead

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of procuring a Bleffing, either for themselves or their Abettors, drew down upon them swift Deftruction; the Princes being immediately confum'd by a Fire from the Lord, and Fourteen Thousand Seven Hundred of their Partizans deftroy'd by a Plague. Even fo, if any thing about Baptifm may be hence inferr'd, we may juftly fear, that the Adminiftration of fuppos'd Baptifm by Non-commiffion'd Perfons, in Oppofition to the Divinely eftablift'd Priefthood of the Chriftian Church, inftead of being a Means of conveying Spiritual Graces and Benefits, to those who knowingly receive, or acquiefce in it, will rather exclude both fuch Giver and Receiver, (tho' they escape God's Judgments here) from the infinite Privileges of his Children hereafter, without a fincere and fpeedy Repentance.

Some other Objections I have endeavour'd to obviate in the Progrefs of this Effay, and therefore fhall only further declare, that I fincerely believe the Subject of this Difcourfe to be a Subftantial Truth; nay, even a first Principle of Chriftianity, and that without the couragious Afferting and Vindication thereof, the whole Chriftian Priesthood and the Divine Authority of it, must be call'd in queftion (as we fee it has lately been in Publick Print) and confequently in time so far deny'd, as to encourage every bold intruder to ufurp that Sacred Office and Miniftry, even in oppofition to that Divine Commiffion, which

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which has been conftantly handed down from Chrift and his Apoftles, to this very Day.

I hope therefore that None who are vested with this Divine Authority, will fight against it by appearing publickly in oppofition to the Subject of this Ellay: As for my manner of arguing to defend it, there may be fome unde fign'd Faults therein, which I humbly fubmit to their juft Correction, and prudent Cenfure; hoping they will execute both, with fo much Wisdom and Conduct, as (to make me fee my own Errors, and at the fame time) not to prejudice, but add Strength and Cogency to the Caufe I have pleaded, which ought by no means to fuffer for my Weakness in its Defence.

AS for the mere Pretenders to this Divine Authority, I have nothing to fay to them or their Followers, but only to defire 'em to take care not to deceive themselves, but seriously to enquire whether there is any Legality in that pretended Commiffion, by which they Act; which till they can folidly prove, I fhall always esteem to be utterly Invalid for the Adminiftration of Chriftian Sacraments. I hall not trouble my felf to enter the Lifts with them, tho' they quarrel never so much with what I have faid; they have Work enough already cut out to their Hands, in thofe excellent Books which I have mention'd in my Answer to the Third Objection; and to their Arguments I refer them for the DI VINE RIGHT OF EPISCOPACY, that