"tized in the Name of the Trinity, altho' it ແ were by a wicked Prieft.

"Gregory III. Orders that they shall be Baptized again in the Name of the Trinity, "who have been Baptized by Heathens. And "alfo that thofe fhall be Re-baptized, who "have been Baptized by a Priest that hath "Sacrificed to Jupiter, or eaten Meat offer'd "to Idols. Thus far I think, may fuffice to have Collected what has been faid about Rebaptization.

And I fhould not have given my self, or the Reader, the Trouble of this Account of Men's various Judgments and Opinions in this Cafe; were it not that I expected to hear from fome, that I had wholly neglected to search into Antiquity, concerning the Sense of the Primitive Fathers about it. To Obviate which Objection, and because I have been told, that "it becomes me to rest satisfied in the Deter"minations of the Chriftian Church about "this matter, I thought it not amiss to enquire into them thus far; to the intent, that I might fee whether I could procure any WELL-GROUNDED Satisfaction from their Authority; and indeed I must acknowledge, that if this had been a Thing Indifferent in its own Nature, and not DETERMINED by the Word of God, but left to the Wisdom and Prudence of the Church to Decree as fhe Thould think convenient and neceffary, I ought to have acquiefc'd with her Determinations;

If she had in General Council made any about Unauthoriz'dand Anti-Epifcopal Baptifm's, which in Truth fhe has not; nor any Provincial Council neither, as it plain by the foregoing Collection.

The Church of Rome has indeed affum'd to herself a pretended Power of declaring all Baptifms in or with Water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by whomfoever administer'd, whether by a Woman or Layman, Heretick or Orthodox, Communicant or Schifmatick, of what fort foever, to be Good and Valid: But this Her Determination ought to be brought to the Teft, and weigh'd in the Ballance of the Sanctuary.

Baptifm, and all things Effential thereto, are Fundamentals of Chriftianity; 'tis (in the Apoftles Stile) a Principle of the Doctrine of Chrift; 'tis a Pofitive Inftitution made by God Himself, and the Holy Scriptures as interpreted by the Doctrine and Practice of the Primitive Catholick Church, are CLEAR ENOUGH for the Determination of all the Neceffaries thereof, as well as of all other Fundamental Points of our Religion; and therefore the Decrees of fome Particular Fathers and Councils have no more weight with me in this matter (of Lay-Baptifm) than what they receive from their Conformity to those Divine Oracles, which are the only Original Rule of our Faith and Practice in Fundamentals, as all found Proteftants have affirm'd.

If any fhall ask me, who must be Judge between you and the Councils? I answer, The fame that must be Judge between the Contradictious Canons of Different Councils; the fame that must be Judge between me, and a Council that Commands me to Worship Saints and Angels, c. Now who this is upon Earth, I cannot tell; a Living Infallible Judge we have none; and therefore I muft look for a Rule or Guide, i. e. the Holy Scripture; and if the Councils and I Differ about this Rule, I must have recourse to the BEST and PUREST Ages of Christianity, and fee what the Apoftolick Fathers, and the Councils next after them, understood by that Rule. After all, I must be allow'd a Judgment of Difcretion for my felf; in Conjunction with thefe, and a JUST DEFERENCE to the Canons of that particular Church whereof I am, or ought to be a Member; and by all thefe Methods, I am brought to conclude for my felf, that Lay-Baptifm, BY ONE IN OPPOSITION to the Church, can never be Good and Valid.

'Tis by this Rule that I reckon the Councils of Carthage, Iconium and Synnada, together with the Cultoms of the Afiatick and African Churches, confirming St. Cyprian's Doctrine, have as much (if not more) Authority to fway my Judgement in the Matter of Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms; as the Council of Arles, and the After-Determinations of other Coun

mer;

eils and Fathers; for, thefe latter can pretend to no more Divine Authority than the forand it may be, upon a Juft Examination, will be found to have much lefs; tho' I have no need to dwell upon this, because my Province is only confin'd to Lay- i. e. unauthoriz'd Baptifm-fuch as is perform'd by Perfons who never were authoriz'd for that purpofe; who act in direct Oppofition to that Order of Men who are impower'd by Chrift to authorize others to Baptize; against Such Baptizers, I have produc'd Several Testimonies from the Pureft Times; and the Adver fary can bring forth, in their behalf, not One Council, either General or Provincial, till the Corrupt Ones of the Church of Rome.

I am very well fatisfied that there is but ONE TRUE CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, which ought not to be repeated upon thofe who have receiv'd it: I find my felf under an Impoffibility to believe, that this ONE BAPTISM is any other, than what Chrift himself Inftituted Just before his Afcenfion into Hea ven; I reckon an Effential Part of this Inftitution (and I humbly hope in the Sequel of this Difcourfe to prove it) to be the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the ADMINISTRATOR as well as the Water, and the Form of Administration.

I cannot be fatisfied, that the Perfon who is faid to have Baptiz'd me, ever had this Authority; nay, I am fully convinc'd of the con

trary;

trary; and also, that he was actually in oppofition to it; and tho' his meaning were never fo good, yet I cannot think God concurr'd with fuch an Ufurpation, when it was done withcut Any Neceffity at all, in a Chriftian Country, where truly Authoriz'd Minifters might have been had with as much, if not greater eafe and speed than he : For which Reafons I find no folid Foundation for believing, that I have received this ONE. BAPTISM, especially fince I my self should with great Reafon have refus'd his Adminiftration, as it would have been my Duty, if I had been put to my own free Choice; which, it's certain, I could not then, being but an Infant. I doubt not but fome will fay, "That I need not concern my felf fo much about " that which I had no hand in, and wherein I દ was wholly Paffive; if there was any Fault in fuch my Baptifm, 'twas none of mine, but theirs "who had the Care of me: To whom I return this fhort Anfwer, That the Parent's, or Godfather's and Godmother's Act and Deed is interpretatively the Child's, and he must make it really his own when he comes to Years, by taking it upon himfelf; so that if THEN he owns their Sinful A& (knowing it to be fuch) he makes himself PARTAKER with them in the Sin.

But to return once more to the Dispute in St. Cyprian's time, and the Decrees then and fince made about it; I cannot Diffemble my Thoughts, that the Arguments and Deter

minations