CHAP. VI.

That the Ancient Churches, who allow'd of Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms, did not reckon thofe Baptifms to have been Unauthoriz'd, Uncommiffion'd Anti-Epifcopal LayBaptifins.

§ 1. I

Am oblig'd thus far to Concern my felf with the Ancient Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms, because our Reverend Hiftorian endeavours to reprefent them, as of the fame Nature with Unauthoriz'd Lay-Baptifms: The Terms he makes ufe of, and his Affertions about them being fuch, as will eafily induce fome fort of Readers, who have not been Converfant in thefe Matters, to believe, that when the Ancient Churches allow'd of the Validity of Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms, they did it upon the fame Principle which fome now hold, for the pretended Validity of falfe Baptifins, perform'd by Perfons who never were Epifcopally Commiffion'd to Baptize: Thus, for Example, Mr. Bingham fays of the Ancient Heretical and Schifinatical Baptifms, That they were Un"authoriz'd; " That "Hereticks, and Schifmaticks, "and Degraded Clergy-men, had not any Legal Au thority from the Church to Baptize;"That "They acted not only without her Authority, "but against her authozity, in all their Miniftrations, Page 51. although their Baptifms were "receiv'd as Calid, under fuch an Irregular, and “ Unlawful Administration,” pag. 52.-" What they

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194 "did was done (properly speaking) by an Unautho 213'0, Criminal, Anti-Epifcopal furpation, &c." pag. 54. Such Terms as thefe naturally lead an uncautious Reader into this Notion, that thofe Ancient Heretical, and Schifmatical Baptifins, were of the fame Nature with our AntiEpifcopal, Unauthogz'd Lay-Baptifms; for by fuch Colours as thefe, they have an appearance [yet 'tis but an appearance] of being utterly deftitute of any Commiffion at all, as much as our Lay-Baptifms are, that are perform'd by Perfons who never were at all Authoriz❜d or Commiflion'd for that Purpose.

6 II To give the Reader therefore a fair Infight into this Matter, it is to be observ'd, that there were two Sorts of Difcipline in the ancient Churches about Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms.

First, That of the Cyprianick Churches, who made Ecclefiaftical Laws, that if the Clergy fell into Herefy or Schifin, their Ordinations, and other Minifirations, fhould be null and void; and that confequently the Baptifms given by them, during their Herefy or Schifm, fhould be look'd upon as no Chriftian Baptifm: And therefore Perfons fo baptiz'd by them, fhould, upon their Repentance and Reconciliation to the Church, be receiv'd by Baptifm as Heathens were.

Agrippinus, Bishop of Carthage, in a Synod of the Provinces of Africa and Numidia, establish'd this Difcipline.

* Cypr. Epift. ad Quintum. 71.-p. 140. Paris.

So

So did alfo the Councils of Carthage, under St. Cyprian, make Ecclefiaftical Laws, whereby they reduc'd to Lay-men, thofe Heretical and Schifmatical Clergy-men, who either feparated from the Church after their Ordination, or were ordain'd among Hereticks and Schifmaticks; and they null'd all their Baptifms, as being deftitute of Authority and Commiffion.

St. Cyprian's Colleague likewise, Firmilian + Bishop of Cafarea, appeals to the Council of Iconium, held long before, for the Obligation and Neceflity of this. Dionyfius, Bishop of Alexandria," alledges the Decrees of the Councils of Iconium and Synada for Confirmation" of this Cuftom; as Mr. Bingham informs us, pag. 56. And the fame Dionyfius fpeaks of thefe Councils || as held long before his Days, and calls 'em the Bishops populous (or numerous) Alem

blies.

Thus we fee that the Invalidity of Heretical and Schifmatical Ordinations and Baptifms, held by the Cyprianick Churches, was not matter of private Opi. nion only; but Ecclefiaftical Canon Law, and Determination of Synods, whereby the Bishops of thofe Churches bound their Subjects fo ftrictly to the Union of the Church, as that their Clergy should not break her Union by Herefy or Schifm, under any lefs Penalty, than that of lofing their Holy Orders: The Commiffion they receiv'd before in the Church, was made null and void by thofe Laws of the Church to which they ow'd Subjection; and if any of them were ordain'd by Heretical and Schifmatical Bishops, thofe Ecclefiaftical Laws condemn'd fuch Ordina

* Epift. 72. ad Stephanum de Concilio, p. 141. Park. Concil. Carthag de Baptiz. Hæret. p. 352. Paris.

+ Inter Cypr. Epift. 74. p. 159, 160. Paris. Dionyf. Epift. apud Eufeb. Lib. vii. c. 7. O 2

tions

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PART II tions to be invalid, and fo all their Miniftrations, by the fame Laws, were made to be of no legal Force or Validity in thofe Churches. And as for the Laity of thofe Cyprianick Churches, thefe Laws were of great Influence to keep them alfo in the Unity of the Church; becaufe, by the Terror of thofe Sanctions, they plainly faw, that (tho' their Bishops did not pretend to null and void Baptifm once receiv'd in the Church) yet they invalidated all Ordinations and Miniftrations done out of the Church, as well as the Orders of their feparating Clergy And fo the Lay-members of thofe Churches had no hopes, either of their Childrens receiving Valid Baptifm in Heretical and Schifmatical Congregations, or of receiving themselves any Valid Sacrament of the Lord's Supper: And therefore, during the Obligation of this ftrict Difcipline, they had no great Temptation to leave the Unity of the Church, to joyn themselves to fuch dangerous Societies, as lay under this fevere Cenfure of their Spiritual Sovereigns the Bifhops, who, by their Power of Binding given them by Chrift, had bound them by fuch Difciplinary Laws, decreed and enacted in numerous Synods and Councils. So that in Confideration of thefe Synodical Decrees, the Baptifins of the Heretical and Schifmatical Subjects of thofe Churches were term'd Unauthozz’ó, Uncommission'd, and Anti-Epifcopal: And why may not the Bishops of Chrift's Church make fuch wholfome Laws, if they fee it fit, for the Government of their own Churches, when they do not impofe them (as St. Cyprian did not) upon other Churches,

* Neque enim quifquam noftrum Epifcopum fe effe Epifcoporum conftituit, aut tyrannico terrore ad obfequendi necef

fitatem

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Churches, whofe Spiritual Governours think it not fit to be fo fevere in the Difcipline of their Churches; as 'tis plain the Churches did not, who acted otherwife than the Cyprianick Churches in this matter. For,

III. Secondly, The other fort of Difcipline which was practis'd by the Churches who would not come up to the Cyprianick Severity, was, That they did not null and make void the Commiffions of either. Ift, Thofe Heretical and Schifmatical Clergy-men, who had been ordain'd in the Church: Or, 2dly, of those who had been ordain'd only by Heretical and Schifmatical Bishops: They receiv'd their Orders as good and valid, and their Baptifins in the Name of the Trinity, and other Miniftrations, to be fo too: So that, when they or any baptiz'd by them return'd to the Unity of the Church, they were receiv'd [as all other Penitents us'd to be] by Impofition of Hands; the Clergy, as Clergymen, and the Laicks, as Lay-Chriftians already baptiz'd, without requiring any other Ordination or Baptifm, than what they had receiv'd before.

Mr. Bingham is fo well apriz'd of the Truth of this, that he himself acknowledges, pag. 88. upon the Question, Whether Hereticks and Schifmaticks be Clergy-men or Lay-men, Priefts or not Priefts, Bifhops or not Bishops? and fays, "When in the Difcipline of the Church, it was thought proper to deprive them of the Power and Honour of their Places, yet even in that Cafe, the Church did

fiatem Collegas fuos adigit, quando habeat omnis Epifcopus pro licentia & libertatis & Poteftatis fuæ arbitrium proprium, tamque judicari ab alio non poffit, quam nec ipfe poteft judicare, c. Concil. Carthag. de Baptizandis Hæreticis, P 353. Paris.