The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things…

For which reason with full diligence, and sincere trial, those men must be chosen to the Priesthood, whom it is manifest God doth hear. And let not the Lay people flatter themselves, as if they could be free from the Contagion of the crime, when they communicate with a sinful Priest, and give their consent to the unjust and unlawful Episcopacy of their Governor, seeing by the Prophet Hos•• God's censure threateneth, and saith, Their Sacrifices are as the bread of sorrow; all that eat of it shall be defiled•• Teaching and showing that all they do sin who are defiled by the sacrifice of a profane and unjust Priest; which we find also manifested in Numbers, where Corah, Dathan and Abiram challenged to themselves against Aaron the license of sacrificing. The Lord there by Moses commandeth that the people be separated from them, lest being joining to the offenders, they be guilty of their crimes. Be separated, saith he, from the Tents of those obdurate men, and touch nothing which is theirs, lest ye perish with them in their sins. 4. Wherefore the Lay people, obeying the Lords commands, and fearing God, must separate themselves (a peccatore praeposito) from a sinful Prelate (or Pastor) and must not mix themselves at the sacrifices of a sacrilegious Priest; because they chiefly have the power either to choose Priests that are worthy, or to refuse those that are unworthy: Which very thing, we see, descendeth from Divine Authority, that the Priest, the Laypeople being present, be chosen under the Eyes of ⟨p. 315⟩All, and by the public judgment and testimony be approved worthy and meet: As in Numbers the Lord commanded Moses saying, Take Aaron thy Brother, and Eleazer his Son, and set them before all the Congregation on the Mount, and take off Aaron's stole, and put it on Eleazer his Son, and let Aaron die there. God commandeth that the Priest be made before all the Congregation; that is, he instructeth us, and showeth that the Priestly Ordinations should not be done, but under the conscience of the assisting people, that the Lay-people being present, either the crimes of bad men may be detected, or the deserts of good men predicated; that so that Ordination may be just and legitimate, which hath been examined by the judgment and suffrage of All. 5.

For which reason with full diligence, and sincere tryal, those men must be chosen to the Priesthood, whom it is manifest God doth hear. And let not the Lay people slatter themselves, as if they could be free from the Couragion of the crime, when they communicate with a sinful Priest, and give their consent to the unjust and unlawful Episcopacy of their Governour, seeing by the Prophet Hos God's censure threatneth, and saith, Their Sacrifices are as the bread of sorrow; all that eat of it shall be defiled Teaching and shewing that all they do sin who are defiled by the sacrifice of a prophene and unjust Priest; which we find also manifested in Numbers, where Corah, Dathan and Abiram challenged to themselves against Aaron the license of sacrificing. The Lord there by Moses commandeth that the people be separated from them, lest being joyning to the offenders, they be guilty of their crimes. Be separated, saith he, from the Tents of those obdurate men, and touch nothing which is theirs, lest ve perish with them in their sins. 4. Wherefore the Lay people, obeying the Lords commands, and fearing God, must separate themselves (a peccatore praeposito) from a sinful Prelate (or Pastor) and must not mix themselves at the sacrifices of a sacrilegious Priest; because they chiefly have the power either to chuse Priests that are worthy, or to refuse those that are unworthy: Which very thing, we see, descendeth from Divine Authority, that the Priest, the Laypeople being present, be chosen under the Eyes of