Two discourses concerning the Holy Spirit, and His work the one, Of the Spirit…

And whereas there is not in the Scripture the least Intimation of any such Time, State or Condition of the Church, as wherein the Disciples of Christ may or ought to live from under the orderly Conduct and Guidance of the Ministers, it is vain to imagine that any Defect in other Men, any Apostasy of the greatest part of any, or all Visible Churches, should cast them into an Incapacity of erecting a regular Ministry among them, and over them. For whereas the Warranty and Authority of the Ministry depends on this Institution of Christ, which is accompanied with a Command for it's Observance, Matth. 28. 18. all his Disciples being obliged to yield Obedience thereunto, their doing so in the Order and Manner also by him approved, is sufficient to constitute a lawful Ministry among them. To suppose, that because the Church of Rome, and those adhering unto it, have by their Apostasy utterly lost an Evangelical Ministry among them, ⟨p. 232⟩that therefore others unto whom the Word of God is come, and hath been effectual unto their Conversion, have not sufficient Warranty from the Word to yield Obedience unto all the Commands of Christ, (which when we have talked of Power and Authority whilst we please, is all that is lest unto us in this World) or that in so doing he will not accept them, and approve of what they have done, is an Assertion fit for Men to maintain, who have a Trade to drive in Religion unto their own especial Advantage.

And whereas there is not in the Scripture the least Intimation of any such Time, State or Condition of the Church, as wherein the Disciples of Christ may or ought to live from under the orderly Conduct and Guidance of the Ministers, it is vain to imagine that any Defect in other Men, any Apostasie of the greatest part of any, or all Visible Churches, should cast them into an Incapacity of erecting a regular Ministry among them, and over them. For whereas the Warranty and Authority of the Ministry depends on this Institution of Christ, which is accompanied with a Command for it's Observance, Matth. 28. 18. all his Disciples being obliged to yield Obedience thereunto, their doing so in the Order and Manner also by him approved, is sufficient to constitute a lawful Ministry among them. To suppose, that because the Church of Rome, and those adhering unto it, have by their Apostasie utterly lost an Evangelical Ministry among them,