.

the Injuftice Nathan complain'd of, fhould furely die. The King did not reckon, that the Application was to be made to himself, no matter for that, the Truth was ftill the fame: And when Nathan faid unto him, "Thou art the Man," he ftill acknowledg'd the Truth he had affented to before, he submitted to the Juftice of the Sentence himself had pronounc'd, and fincerely repented of, without endeavouring to excufe or extenuate, the Decation which himself had given for Nathan's Parable; and God grant that the French, and the Dutch, and other Reform'd abroad, &c. may go and do likewife, fo as really to put in Practice what is agreeable to, and confiftent with their own avowed Principles, in the matter before us!

As for what Mr. Bingham fays of the Church of England, and Senfe of her Meinbers, from his 122d, to his 137th Page, it is needless to repeat in Anfwer thereto what has been already faid in Treatifes already published, and in which our Reverend Hiftorian's Remarks are obviated and anfwer'd: And therefore the Reader is referr'd to them, that I may now proceed to fum up the whole Evidence of the Antients in the next Chapter, and fo conclude.

*Diffenters and other unauthoriz'd Baptifms Null and Void by the Articles, Canons and Rubricks of the Church of England. The Bishop of Oxford's Charge Confider'd.

CHAP.

CHAP. VIII.

259

The whole Evidence of Antiquity fum'd up; proving, That the far greater Majority of Ancient Testimony, is against all pretended Baptifms perform'd by Perfons, who never were authoriz'd by Bishops to baptize, and confequently that fuch Baptifms are not valid by any Ecclefiaftical Law, Tradition or Custom of the ancient Catholick Church: The Conclufion containing a true State of the Question about fuppos'd Cafes of Neceffity, where Epifcopally Authoriz'd Baptizers are not to be had.

WE have already feen in Chap. 3. That the

ancient Catholick Church never attempted to Authorize or Commiffion Lay-men to baptize, in any Cafe whatsoever; and that all the Endeavours of this fort have been made only by fome few particular Perfons, who can upon no account what foever be faid to make up, The ancient Catholick Church, and whofe Attempts, if they were right, are alfo of no Importance to favour the Practice of those who have not even fo much as any Pretence to this fuppos'd Authority, and Commiffion, from Bishops to baptize, as certainly our Laicks [the Diffenting Teachers] have not.

It remains now that I fum up the whole Evidence relating to Baptifins perform'd by a real [or Suppos'd] Epifcopal Commiffion, and concerning other pretended Baptifms by Persons who never had fuch a Commiffion at all, that the Reader may, S 2

112

in a narrow Compafs, fee the whole Evidence of the Antients for and against these never-Commission'd Baptifins, and pafs Judgment accordingly: And that he may do it the more eafily, I note the Whole in the following Table, in which the Antients, &c. who are thought to have been for Baptifms by Perfons never Commiffion'd by Bifhops, are noted on the Left-fide; and thofe, whofe Evidence is for Baptifins perform'd by Epifcopal Authority only, are on the Right, with the Pages in this Book, where their feveral Teftimonies, and the Arguments thereupon, are to be found, thus:

The Antients, &c. whofe Teftimonies are thought to make for the Validity of Baptifm by Perfons never Commiffion'd by Bishops.

The Antients, &c. whofe Teftimonies make for Baptifm perform'd by Epifcopal Authority only, and who NullÚnauthoriz'd Baptifms.

Jefus Chrift, in his Inftitution of Baptifm, gave his Commiffion only to his Apoftles, the firft Bishops, and to fuch as they and their Succeffors fhould Authorize, Page 5. This Commiffion to continue to the End of the World, and necef Sary to preferve the Church according to

the

of Baptizing, but he

who receives fome way or other, a Commiffion from them, according to Mr. Bingbam's faid Author, p.8. The Original Power of Baptizing lodg'd folely and entirely in Bifhops, and derivatively convey'd from them to others, ordinarily and extraordinarily, according to Mr. Bingham,

p.11.

Baptifm by fuch Perfons

was reputed as the Bis

thop's Act,

ibid.

Lay-men always debarr'd

from Baptizing in all

cording to Mr. Bing

ozdinary Cafes, ac

bam,

P, 30.