this that the Spirit of God can make use of to the comfort and edification of the people? especially considering that the priest intends not to minister the Spirit of Christ unto them, but only His real body, as they are bound to believe the wafer to be. But if it was possible, as it neither is nor can be, to convert the bread into the body of Christ, and give it to the people, what good could that do them, if abstracted from the Spirit? For, as our Lord Himself saith, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing." John 6. 63. But, after all this, I do not see how the promise of the Spirit can belong to the Sacrament, as they manage it. For the promise is made not to any one part of it as distinct from the other, but to the whole, as it was instituted by Christ. And where the institution is not rightly observed, neither can the promise annexed to it be performed. But it is plain that our Saviour instituted the cup as well as the bread; and it is as plain that the Church of Rome administers the bread only, and not the cup. And therefore they, by depriving the people of one half of the Communion, do thereby deprive them of the comfort and benefit of the whole.

And therefore were there no other, as there are many arguments to deter sober and considering men from the communion of that Church, this, one would think, is of itself sufficient to do it; even because those great means of grace, the Word and Sacrament itself, are so administered by it as to be made of no use at all to the people.

And as for Schism, they certainly hazard their salvation at a strange rate, who separate themselves from such a Church as ours is, wherein the Apostolical succession, the root of all Christian communion, hath been so entirely preserved, and the Word and Sacraments are so effectually administered; and all to go into such assemblies and meetings, as can have no pretence to the great promise in my text. For it is manifest that this promise was made only to the Apostles and their successors to the end of the world. Whereas in the private meetings, where their teachers have no Apostolical or Episcopal imposition of hands, they have no ground to pretend to succeed the Apostles, nor, by consequence, any right to the Spirit which our Lord here promiseth; without which, although they preach their hearts

SERM. out, I do not see what spiritual advantage can accrue to 1. their hearers by it. And therefore, whatsoever they may

think of it, for my own part, I would not be without this. promise of our Saviour for all the world, as knowing, that not only myself, but the whole Catholic Church, is highly concerned in it; it being by virtue of this promise that the Church is continually acted, guided, and assisted by the Spirit of God, and so the ordinary means of grace are made effectual to salvation, which otherwise would be of no force or efficacy at all. And therefore to speak modestly, they must needs run a very great hazard who cut themselves off from ours, and, by consequence, from the Catholic Church, and so render themselves uncapable of receiving any benefit from this promise, or from the means of grace which they do or may enjoy.

Upon these, therefore, and such like considerations, which this text will readily suggest to your serious and more retired thoughts, I humbly advise and beseech you all in the Name of Christ your Saviour, and as you do tender your salvation by Him, that you would not hearken unto those who go about to seduce you from our Church, but that you would continue firm and faithful to it. For so long as you do so, I dare undertake for you that you are in the ready way to Heaven. But if you once forsake that, whither you will next go, I know not; no, nor you neither.

But when I speak of your continuing firm and faithful to our Church, I do not mean that you should only talk high for her, much less inveigh against her adversaries, or damn all those who are not of her communion; for this is contrary to the Divine and Apostolical spirit that is in her, which is a spirit of meekness, and soberness, and charity. But my meaning is, that you firmly believe whatsoever she, from the Word of God, propounds as an article of faith, and faithfully perform whatsoever she, from the same Word, requires as a necessary duty to God or man; and, by consequence, so live in the communion of our Church, as to live up to the rules and constitutions of it.

And oh! that all we who are here present, and all that profess to be of our Church, wheresoever they are, would for the future do so! What an holy, what an happy people

should we then be! How pious towards God, how loyal to our sovereign, how just and charitable towards all men! This would be the way to convince our adversaries of their errors and mistakes, when they see how far we excel them in virtue and good works; and this would be the way too, to secure our Church against all the attempts that men or devils can make upon her. For then our Lord Himself would delight to dwell amongst us, and be always present with us, not only by His Spirit, but likewise by His power too. And if He be with us, we need not fear what flesh can [Ps. 56. 4.] do against us; so that we may lay it down as a most certain truth that our Church can never be destroyed but by itself. For if we do not first fail of performing our duty unto Him, be sure Christ will never fail of performing His promise unto us. But how proud, how malicious soever our adversaries are, and whatsoever designs they may carry on against us, He that sitteth in the Heavens will laugh them to scorn, [Ps. 2. 4.] our Lord will have them in derision: He will abate their pride, assuage their malice, or else confound their devices, so as to make them fall themselves into the same pit that they dig for others. And notwithstanding all their endeavours to the contrary, He will settle our Church upon such foundations that the gates of hell itself shall never be able [Matt. 16. 18.] to prevail against it. Neither will He only continue His Church to us, but likewise His Spirit to our Church, so as always to perform this promise in my text, "Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Amen.

O blessed Jesu! thou eternal Son of God; to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be everlasting honour, praise, and glory, from this time forth and for evermore.

SERMON II.

THE INSTITUTION OF MINISTERS.

SERM.

II.

ACTS i. 26.

And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias.
And he was numbered with the eleven Apostles.

THIS portion of Scripture, appointed for the Epistle this day, suits as well with the work that is to be now done, as it doth with the day for which it is appointed. It is appointed for the Feast of St. Matthias, whose memory we this day celebrate; of whom we have read, that he was taken into the number of Apostles in the Church of Christ. And there are several persons here present to be ordained now into the sacred ministry of the same Church whereof he was ordained an Apostle. And therefore I shall not insist upon the words themselves, but I shall take occasion from hence to discourse of Ordination in general, under which that of St. Matthias in particular will come in of

course.

Now, by Ordination in general, I mean the setting apart some certain persons to direct, govern, assist, and influence others in the public worship of Almighty God, and to administer such means unto them as He hath appointed for their eternal salvation. Concerning which we shall consider two things:

I. The necessity of it. And,

II. The way and manner of performing it.

As to the first, we need not say much, it being a thing that mankind in general seems to be agreed in. For as there is no nation in the world, but where they profess some kind of religion or other, so there is no religion professed in the world, but where they have some persons or other set

apart for the celebration of the several rites and ceremonies in it; without which, indeed, it is impossible that any religion should subsist. For if no places were set apart for the worship of God, men would soon worship Him nowhere; if no times, they would never worship Him: so if no persons were set apart for it, none would ever do it at all, at least, not so as they ought.

And if it be so in natural, how much more in revealed religion, of which this seems to be one of the integral or essential parts; without which it is not that religion which God hath revealed. For whensoever He, the great Creator and Governor of the world, hath revealed His will and pleasure to His creatures, how He would have them worship and serve Him that made them; He hath still at the same time constituted certain officers amongst them to assist them in it which officers being, as it were, His own domestics, or immediate servants or ministers, waiting continually upon Himself and His service, He always hath reserved to Himself the constitution or ordination of them; not suffering any one that had a mind to it to meddle with any thing belonging to the said offices, without His leave and order first obtained. And if any presume to do it, He doth not only make what they do void and of no effect, but He punisheth them severely for it; as we find by many instances in Holy Scripture.

Hence the Apostle saith, "No man taketh this honour Heb. 5. 4. unto himself but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." That is, no man can be really a priest, a minister of God, as Aaron was, but such as are called and constituted by God Himself, as he was. And they that do undertake the said ministry without such a call, whatsoever they may fancy or pretend, they are not God's ministers: and therefore all they do is in vain, and to no purpose, as the Apostle saith elsewhere; "How shall they preach, except they be sent?" Rom. 10. They may speak the same words, deliver the same truths, press the same duties as they do who are really God's ministers, but this is not preaching, properly so called: they do not publish and proclaim the will of God with any power or authority over their hearers, for they have received none from God, as not being called and sent by Him.

15.