fhop or Ordain'd Perfon, or both, have any Perfonal Incapacity, viz. of Wickedness,or want of Baptism, the Fault is their own, and they muft anfwer for it: But as for the Ordination, that must remain Good and Valid, by reason of the External Divine Commiffion de facto given to the Bishop. For, if every Perfonal Defect of what is requir'd, either in the Admi niftrator or Recipient, could Invalidate the Adminiftration, either of Baptifm or Holy Orders, we should never have an End of Rebaptizations and Reordinations: Nay, we could never have any Certainty,either of Valid Baptifms or Ordinations, because we should always find but too many Occafions, to call in queftion the Sufficiency of the Preparations, and Perfonal Qualifications of both Minifters and People, who are all equally expos'd to the fame Human Frailties, and liable to be try'd with the fame innumerable Temptations.

AND therefore I humbly conceive, our beft way is (I don't fay ONLY but) CHIEFLY to regard, and infift on the Visible Divine Authority and Commiffion, handed down from Chrift and his Apoftles, by that ORDER of Men, who have always had power to convey it to others; this, with the Right Matter and Form of Administration, are what we ought to esteem to be the only Effentials of Baptifm and Ordination, on the Part of the Admini ftration of them; and as for the rest, every one in particular must do his part to the ut

A

moft

moft of his Power, to fecure those Perfonal Qualifications, which God has requir'd of both Minifter and People, under no lefs Penalty than that of Eternal Damnation, upon the wilful neglect of them.

THUS far I have prefum'd to declare my Thoughts, concerning the Uncertainty and (as far as I can fee) the Falfeness of the Foun dation, upon which this whole Objection is rais'd, humbly fubmitting all I have faid in oppofition to it, to the better Reafons and Ar guments of my Superiors, the truly Ordain'd Minifters of Jefus Chrift, whether Bishops, Priefts, or Deacons; fincerely declaring, that if any thing has drop'd from me, that is con trary to the Truth of Chriftianity, I do hereby Recant it, and will do fo in a more parti cular manner, as foon as I can discover my Error.

AND now, whether what I have faid against Ordinations, and Holy Ministrations being Null'd for want of Baptifm, be true of no; if the Invalidity of Lay-Baptifm be a Truth, let every one take care to keep himfelf from, or extricate himself out of, the mifchievous Confequences of it. And if the Nulling of Holy Orders and Miniftrations, be a real Confequence of this Truth, then there's no other Remedy, but that they who are involv'd in it, fhould extricate themselves out of it, by Epifcopal Baptifm and Reordination. It is not enough to fay, that "This will involve

"the

"the Church into the utmost Confufion; for, want of Baptifm and a Valid Ministry is the moft pernicious Confufion, and infinitely greater than what can proceed from fuch Perfons receiving Valid Baptifm and Holy Orders; and therefor, if the Premifes are true, the Risk must be run; for Truths of fo great Importance must not be ftifled, and made to give way to fuppos'd Confufions; because, whatfoever mischief may arife, can never be the Refult of Divine Truth (which is always Good and Beneficial) but of Mens Sins and Impieties, in ufurping thofe Sacred Offices, which they never receiv'd any Commiffion to Act in. So that, they who value the Order and Peace of the Church, ought not to dif allow of the Invalidity of Lay-Baptifm, upon the Account of this Confequence, but rather to enquire feriously, whether Divine Revelation gives us any Foundation to believe, that fuch Baptifms are Good and Valid; and if they are not, whether the Nulling of Holy Orders be a real Confequence thereof; and if it be, they fhould affert and maintain it to the utmost of their power, nay even to Martyrdom It felf, if the defending fuch a Truth did pose them to it, rather than fuffer to be deftitute both of a Chriftian Priesthood and Chriftian Baptifm.

themex

Obj. XI. BUT others fay, that to avoid the fatal Confequences of adhering too rigo rously to this Doctrine of Lay-Baptifms being

Invalid,

Invalid, the Authority of the " Powers Hierar "chical are very Divine, and the fame which "Chrift had, not to the violation of his Laws, but

to DISPENSE with them to EDIFICATI"ON, for which they may be impower'd to Relax "ftated Rules in cafes that appear neceffary or "expedient. And that therefore, tho' Hereti"cal, Schifmatical, and Mimical Baptifms are "done without, nay, and against the confent of the "Hierarchy,and therefore are not entire, or valid "in themfelves, yet they are made fo on the Poft "Fact, by the Spiritual Powers, fo far, as that "the External Rite fhall not be Reiterated; but "as to any Spiritual Graces they are not to be had "thereby, till thofe defective and Irregular Acts

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are Supply'd, Righted and Confirmed, by the "Chrifm of the Bishop, or Impofition of his Hands, Juch Right by which he fball fix the Perfon Baptiz'd into a State af Canonical Union with "the Church. So alfo, the Validity of Lay"Baptifm, as well to its Internal, as External "Privileges, ftands on the Authority of the "Church's Power to grant fuch License to Lay66 men in Extremities. All which being confider'd, Lay-Baptifms ought now to be ac knowledg'd Valid, efpecially to fuch as have been confirm'd by the Bishop.

Anfw. THIS Objection is for the moft part in the very Words of a Learned and Reverend Oppofer, of One of the most Poysonous Books, that, it may be, was ever fuffer'd to be Pub lish'd in the Christian World, falfly Intituld,

the

the RIGHTS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ASSERTED. The worthy Author, who has done the Church good Service, in answering that pernicious Book, I dare fay, never defigned, that any thing in his moft Excellent Book fhould be conftru'd to favour our Lay-Baptifins, which are evidently in Op pofition to the Divine Right of Epifcopacy, and for which the Hierarchical Powers of the Church of England have provided NO ACT OF CONFIRMATION. So that, in these Nations, our Lay-Baptizers, and their Profe lytes, can reap no Benefit by any thing af ferted in this Objection.

I HAVE already, under the Corollary of the Third Propofition, declar'd my Reafons against the Difpenfing Power pleaded in this Objection; to which I fhall further add, That I acknowledge the Divine Powers of the Hierar chy; but with this Restriction; That fince the Settling of the Canon of the Holy Scriptures, they are for ever limited IN THINGS FUN DAMENTAL to that Rule, from which they have no Authority to deviate, and confequently not to difpenfe with any of the Effentials of Baptifm, which (without all doubt) is a Fun damental of Christianity: Such a Difpenfation must be a Violation of Chrift's Law; and how that should be to Edification, is inconceivable fince Christ, our Great Lawgiver, has provi ded Fundamentals fufficient for the Edification of his Church, in all Circumstances whatso