The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession…

That a man may be so Qualified, as to be capable of being Called to the Office of a Minister by a Gospel Church, and yet not truly pious, we fear not to assert, but still we believe that no man can discharge any Office of Trust acceptable to God, without saving Grace. We here presume (and shall have occasion to prove it anon) That there's a mediate Call necessary to introduce a man into the work of the Ministry; since the Apostles times; and they who are to call them, must have some rule of discerning to regulate their Call by, which must be something ⟨p. 42⟩discernible; that their piety cannot be discerned as such, he will anon put us upon proving: If therefore this were necessary to the Essence of the Officer, we could neve• know who is, or who is not a Minister. Bu• de facto, Christ Himself, condemns the Scribe and Pharisees for Hypocrites, and yet acknowledgeth their Office, Mat. 23.2, 3. Chris• Himself made Judas, not only a Minister, bu• an Apostle; we shall shortly see what he hat• to say against this. As for his Asserting tha• by divine Revelation a Quaker can infallibl• know a mans spiritual estate, it is precarious, presumptuous and false: for tho' Go• knows all mens hearts, yet that He gives […] infallible Rules to know them by, ordinarily or immediately cannot be evidenced: the Apostles themselves never pretended to it, bu• were often mistaken: Judas was not suspected by his fellow-Apostles; Simon Magus past for a while, till he discovered himself; Demas went long unsuspected, & wa• in high credit with Paul: We acknowledge that men may discover themselves by suc• things as are inconsistent with saving Grace and by this way we have too much Cause t• be persuaded by Scripture Rules, that G. K is an Apostate and an unsanctified man but all mens sins do not (like his) go before