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fign to give an Effential and Total Validity to that Act of Baptifm which had an Effential Invalidity before: And this is what is meant by PERFECTED in the Council of Eliberis, viz: That the Baptiz'd Perfon fhould be Confirm'd by the Bishop, as all other Baptiz'd Chriftians us'd to be; becaufe, all Valid Baptifins were reckon❜d by the Church, to be confummated and finish'd by Confirmation, or Impofition of the Bishop's Hands, which in thofe Days was immediately perform'd after Baptifin, or as foon after as poffibly could be..

For thefe Gentlemen to fay, that the Ancients reckon'd any Baptifm with Water in the Name of the Trinity, by whomsoever admini fter'd, to be that One Baptifm which ought not to be repeated, is a great Miftake for the Cyprid nifts and the Eastern Churches affirm'd and practis'd otherwife; and particularly in the Baptifm of the Montanists, who, tho' they were Wath'd in or with Water, in the Name of the Trinity, were not admitted into the Church without a Second Baptifm. And St. Basil, St. Chryfoftome, and the Catholicks after the Ni vene Council, condemn the Baptifm of Laymen as Null and Void, tho' they were done with Water in the Name of the Trinity; and fo do the Apoftolic Canons, the Baptifm of Hereticks, as is plain by the Inftances in my Preliminary Difcourfe. But to tell us, that the Primitives call'd fuch Heretical and Schif matical Baptifms as were not repeated, and G 2 fuch

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fuch Lay-Baptifms as they had by Canon al low'd, partly Invalid; and that they made them totally Valid by Impofition of the Bishop's Hands, is to impofe upon us very great Inconfiftencies. For, if (as we all agree) there be but one Baptifm, it must certainly be that which has no Invalidity, being Administer'd exactly according to the Effentials of the Inftitution; and therefore thofe other Baptifms which are not fo Adminifter'd,and are therefore confeffedly imperfect and partly Invalid, muft be of another kind diftinct from that One True Baptifm, and this will introduce Two Sorts of Baptifms in the Christian Church; which is utterly contrary to their own Affértion, as well as that of the Holy Scripture, which acknowledges no more than One Baptifm for the Remiffion of Sins; and confequently thefe imperfect Baptifms are no Baptifms at all, and so are entirely void, and of no effect. And indeed, to allow the Contrary, is in effect to deftroy the whole Ministry of the Chriftian Priesthood; and to open a Door of Licentious nefs to all Intrudors into that Sacred Office, and thereby put every Man upon a Level, infomuch that at laft all may fet up for them felves, and refufe to give any regard or attention, any deference or refpect to our blessed Lord and Mafter, in the Perfon of his Authoriz'dAmbaffadors and Minifters; for where will the Confufion end, if every Man may be fuppos'd capable of giving Valid Baptifm? Will they

they not argue; What need we attend upon others for thefe Miniftrations, when we have as much Valid Power therein as themselves? If our Baptifms are Valid, fo may our Administrations of the Lord's Supper, and much more our Preaching to, and Teaching fuch People, as we can gather to our felves. If Validity may be allow'd to all thefe, by whomfoever Adminifter'd, then farewel all Rule and Order in the Church; and Christ's setting fome therein; First, Apoftles; Secondarily, Prophets, &c. for the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Miniftry; and his promifing to be with them to the End of the World, was to no purpose. And it will not serve, to fay, that fuch Men will be guilty of Sin in thofe Ufurpations, except we fay alfo, that their Authoritative Acts of Miniftring in what they call the Holy Sacraments are Sins too, and confequently, contrary to the Inftitution of the Real Sacraments, and therefore of no effect to convey the Supernatural Gracés and Benefits annex'd to them: For, if ever Men can be once perfwaded, that any unautho riz'd Perfon can by means of the mere Opus Operatum, of what they call Sacraments, con, vey thofe unspeakable Advantages which are annex'd to Real Sacraments, it will be in vain FOR YOU TRUE MINISTERS to tell. them of the Sin of Ufurping the Sacred Office, when you in effect affure them, that every Chriftian can Validly Exercise it; and as fruit

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lefs will it be, to preach to them the Danger of Schifm, or caufeless Separation from the Church, when you, by allowing the Validity of their Uncommiffioned Teachers Miniftrations of fuppos'd Sacraments, give them an Argu, ment to confound all that you fhall fay for their Conviction, by your affirming that their pretended Sacraments are as true, and effectual as your authoriz'd Administrations and that (fince they thereby receive as much Spiritual Benefit as others do by yours, because God as much concurs with fuch their Sacraments, as with thofe Minifter'd by you your charging them with Schifm in adhering to Minifters who have no Divine Mission is ridiculous and nonsensical; becaufe, they have ALL as Valid a Commiffion as your own, which you your felves muft needs grant, by allowing the Validity of their fupposid Sacraments. Nay further, if it be al low'd that fuch their Sacraments are Valid, then, any Excommunicated Perfon (tho' never Authorized by a Divine Commission) if he can but gather a Congregation to himself, may fet up for a Valid Minifter, and even they who know this, may receive Valid Sacraments at his Hands, if the mant of a Divine Miffion in the Administrator does not Invalidate the Sacraments: Which is a Confequence fo horrid and attended with fuch infinite Confusions, that it fhould make fober Chriftians even tremble to think of it: And this brings me to my laft Propofition, viz.. PRO

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THAT he who knows himself to have been invalidly Baptiz'd, by one who never had the DIVINE COMMISSION, can have no just Grounds to expect the Supernatural Graces and Benefits annex'd to the One True Chriftian Baptism, till he has done his atmost for the Obkaining of them, by endeavouring to procure That One Baptifm from the Hands of a divinely Authorized Minifteris bus to Flombeti risdi

Bui IIDE MƠN! For, however God may dif penfe with the WA NIT of this Sacrament, (Axiom 2.) to those who know nothing of it; fuch as Infants, or others who think they have receiv'd it, tho they have not, and would receive it, if they could be perfwaded that they had not Or laftly, thofe whô know that they never receiv'd it, and are heartily defirous of it, but cannot poffibly attain it; yet, as he who knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is Sin (Axiom 6.). So he who KNOWS that he ought to be Baptiz'd by a Minifter vefted with the DIVINE AUTHORITY for that Purpose, and NEG LECTS to be fo Baptiz'd, incurs the Guilt of Sin; and confequently, while he continues in that Guilt, can (by Axiom 6.) expect none of the Supernatural Benefits annex'd to the due Performance of his Neglected Duty, of Res ceiving

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