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contrary to the Scriptures. When our Lord said to Peter, "On this rock will I build my church," the Papists say, that he meant he would build his church upon Peter and his successors, i. e. upon the Bishops of Rome, and the other Bishops and Priests under them. Build what, upon Peter and his successors? Why, if Bishops and Priests are the church, he would build Bishops and Priests, upon Bishops and Priests; he would build Peter upon Peter! he would build a thing upon itself! This is hardly equalled by the poor Southsea Islanders building the world upon a Turtle, and the Turtle upon nothing!-Our Lord's meaning was, that his Church, his faithful people, should be founded upon the truth of his being the Messiah, the Son of the living God.-Again, when the Apostle addressed the Presbyters or Bishops of Ephesus, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts xx. 28, he clearly makes the "CHURCH of God" to mean "the flock," as distinguished FROM the Shepherds, i.e. the PEOPLE as distinguished FROM the Ministers. It is true, indeed, that Ministers are a part of the church, generally: but to say that they are the church; and, UPON THIS, to found a most awfully important claim, the claim of infallibility and lordship over the FAITH of ALL the people of God, is a daring, false, and impious position! SUCH IS THE Foundation of POPERY-But they say the right of private judgment runs into sects and heresies; and they make a mighty parade about this. Perhaps many of them do not understand what they say. This is their best excuse. Now if they mean to say that the Protestant churches have, as to the succession of faith, as taught by the Apostles, gone into SECTS and HERESIES, let them shew a single Protestant Society that does not hold and teach what the Apostles held and taught. As they boast of the Fathers, let them produce a SINGLE CREED from any of the Fathers, for the first 300 years, that is not believed by every true Protestant church.-SoCINIANS are NOT ProtestANTS, they are INFIDELS; they reject the Scriptures as an INFALLIBLE rule of Faith. Now if they cannot do this, where is the honesty of talking about sects and heresies arising from private judgment? But we turn the tables upon the PAPISTS: they have added many Articles to the Creed which the Apostles never taught: they have corrupted the truth of God, and perverted the Gospel. They have brought heresies and idolatry into the church by wholesale. No Popish Priest under heaven can prove the POPISH Creed of Pope Pius IV. (the UNIVERSAL CREED of the POPISH CHURCH) from the SCRIPTURES, nor from the FATHERS of the FIRST 300 years. They have lost the succession of Faith. That church is in a state of heresy and idolatry. It is an APOSTATE CHURCH!

The Priesthood of Papists and high churchmen may be an imitation of Judaism or Paganism, or it may be a compound of both; but it is not, as a Priesthood, the Christian Ministry; and no man in it is a gospel Minister

at all, any further than he is such according to the above principles of Protestantism. The Priesthood of Papists and high churchmen, professedly and essentially depends upon an uninterrupted succession of Bishops, to be traced in an unbroken series from Peter to the present day; and upon the authority of Episcopal consecrations, or ordinations AS EPISCOPAL. Now no such uninterrupted succession exists. Episcopal consecration or ordination, AS SUCH, that is, as distinct from the power of their order as Presbyters, is a mere ceremony; it has no scriptural validity whatever. Both Popery and high churchism erect in the Priesthood a system of spiritual tyranny over the whole church of God. The succession here is, as Gregory Nazianzen describes it, "the succession of sickness to health; light succeeding to darkness; a storm to a calm, and spiritual derangement to the spirit of health, and of love, and of a sound mind." Or, as Bishop Jewel states it, "it is like Caiaphas succeeding to Aaron: Manasses succeeding to David; or Antichrist sitting in Peter's Chair.”

The Protestant Churches are ONE in their rule of faith. Chillingworth's immortal words shall be here inserted. "Know then, Sir, that when I say, The RELIGION OF PROTESTANTS is in prudence to be preferred before yours; as, on the one side I do not understand by your Religion the doctrine of Bellarmine or Baronius, or any other private man amongst you, nor the doctrine of the Sorbon, or of the Jesuites, or of the Dominicans, or of any other particular Company among you, but that wherein you all agree, or profess to agree, the Doctrine of the COUNCIL OF TRENT: so accordingly on the other side, by the Religion of Protestants, I do not understand the Doctrine of Luther, or Calvin, or Melanchthon; nor the confession of Augusta, or Geneva, nor the Catechism of Heidelberg, nor the Articles of the Church of England, no nor the Harmony of Protestant Confessions; but that wherein they all agree, and which they all subscribe with a greater Harmony, as a perfect rule of their faith and actions, that is the BIBLE. The BIBLE, I say, the BIBLE ONLY is the Religion of Protestants! Whatsoever else they believe, besides it, and the plain, irrefragable, indubitable consequences of it, well may they hold it as a matter of Opinion: but as matter of Faith and Religion, neither can they with coherence to their own grounds believe it themselves, nor require the belief of it of others, without most high and most Schismatical presumption. I, for my part, after a long and (as I verily believe and hope) impartial search of the true way to eternal happiness, do profess plainly, that I cannot find any rest for the sole of my foot, but upon THIS ROCK only. I see plainly, and with mine own eyes, that there are Popes against Popes, Councils against Councils, some Fathers against others, the same Fathers against themselves, a Consent of Fathers of one age against a Consent of Fathers of another age, the Church of one age against the Church of another age, Traditive interpretations of Scripture are pretended, but there are few or none to be found: No Tradition but only of

Scripture, can derive itself from the Fountain, but may be plainly proved, either to have been brought in, in such an age after Christ; or that in such an age it was not in. In a word, there is no sufficient certainty but of Scripture ONLY, for any considering man to build upon. This, therefore, and this only, I have reason to believe: This I will profess, according to this I will live, and for this, if there be occasion, I will not only willingly, but even gladly lose my life, though I should be sorry that Christians should take it from me. Propose me any thing out of this Book, and require whether I believe it or no, and, seem it never so incomprehensible to human reason, I will subscribe it with hand and heart, as knowing no Demonstration can be stronger than this, God hath said so, therefore it is true. In other things, I will take no man's liberty of judgment from him; neither shall any man take mine from me. I will think no man the worse man, nor the worse Christian: I will love no man the less for differing in opinion from me. And what measure I mete to others I expect from them again. I am fully assured that God does not, and therefore that men ought not, to require any more of any man than this, To believe the Scriptures to be God's word, to endeavour to find the true sense of it, and to live according to it.” (v)

The true Protestant Churches, then, have the true Succession, the Succession of the Faith of the Apostles, the doctrine of Truth as taught by the Apostles. This is in the Bible, and in the Bible alone. All held besides this as Articles of Faith, or as divinely binding in obedience, is a CORRUPTION OF CHRISTIANITY.

Let the Protestant Churches remember their high privileges; let them bless God for them, and endeavour to the utmost to keep their trust pure and undefiled. Let the PEOPLE HONOUR THEIR MINISTERS AS AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST. The great aim of Papists and Semipapists, is to lead the people to DESPISE THEIR MINISTERS, WHY do they do this? Why? that they may make a PREY of the people. Do they offer to feed them as Pastors? it will be with the HUSKS of TRADITION. Do they claim to govern them? It will be as LORDS over God's heritage. Do they offer them liberty? It is that they may lead them into bondage. God has made the Protestant Churches free; may they stand fast in their liberty, and never be entangled again with the yoke of bondage!

(v) The Religion of Protestants, c. 7, § 56.

CONCLUSION.

The argument of this Essay is now finished; and the high church scheme of an ORDER of BISHOPS, by DIVINE RIGHT, distinct from, and superior to PRESBYTERS; possessing prerogatives incompatible with Presbyters; having the rights and authority of Apostles; which order of Bishops is to be traced by a Personal SUCCESSION, through an unbroken line from Peter to the present Bishops of England; and whose ordinations are so essential to the validity of a true gospel ministry, that without them all preaching and ordinances are "VAIN" and without the "promise of Christ :" this scheme has been examined, in its fundamental positions, and has been shewn to be a BASELESS FABRIC, calculated only to destroy the peace of the church, and to promote pride, bigotry, exclusiveness, intolerance, and persecution;-in one word, TO DESTROY PROTESTANTISM, and TO PROMOTE POPERY. It has been proved, on the other hand, with all the evidence of a Catholic or universal doctrine of the Christian Church, that Bishops and Presbyters are, by divine right, ONE and the SAME. PRESBYTERS have been shewn by the Scriptures, the only and sufficient authority in such matters, to have, by DIVINE RIGHT, EQUAL power and authority with any Bishops to perform ALL the acts of the Christian Ministry; instancing, especially, that of ORDAINING other Ministers. This is agreeable to the doctrine of all the Christian Churches in the world. Presbyters are equally as much successors of the Apostles, as Bishops are. The only essential succession is the SUCCESSION of FAITH. All Churches are

Apostolical or not, in proportion as they approach to, or recede from, the Doctrine of the Apostles. An unbroken line of personal descent of spiritual power to ordain in the English Bishops, is a Fable. No man ever did, or ever can prove it. In addition to all this, we have shewn, that when examined by the Scriptures, and the doctrine of the Reformers, the Popish Ordinations of the English Bishops, before and at the Reformation, were, from the monstrous wickedness, heresy, and Simony of the persons concerned, NULL and VOID to all intents and puposes. The validity of the Ministers, therefore, of the Church of England, as well as that of the Ministers of all other churches, must be judged according to the Scriptural Rule of the Succession of Doctrine; the qualifications of the men in personal piety, ability to teach, ministerial grace, the call of God, and their appointment to the work in a manner suitable to the Scriptures.

A few brief observations as COROLLARIES may be added.

Ministers are GOD'S GIFTS, and God's Stewards in the Church:

The Scriptures regularly speak in this style. The Lord sends the Labourers into his vineyard. Matt. ix, 28. The Lord appoints Ministers as the Stewards of his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season. Matt. xii, 42. Jesus, as the Chief Shepherd, brings in by himself as the door, all true Shepherds. When he ascended upon high HE gave to the church PASTORS, &c. Ephes. iv, 11, 12. They are to RULE by HIS words and will. Their office, we have shewn, is a limited office: they are Servants, not Masters nor Lords over the Heritage. NONE but such as these can be true Ministers of the Gospel. GOD QUALIFIES THEM, MOVES THEM, AND SENDS THEM. Where no church is formed, they gather one. Where churches are formed, he moves and directs his church, if attentive to his will, to receive all he sends.

Every Minister of the Gospel must be a real Christian, not a wicked man; a man of some natural ability, not a fool; endowed with knowledge of the gospel, not a novice; able to teach and to convince gainsayers. Besides all this, he must have a special gift of the Holy Ghost for the work, (Rom. xii, 6. 1 Cor. xii, 4-7. Ephes. iv, 7, &c.) Every such man has a DIVINE COMMISSION in general to preach the Gospel: but he has NO AUTHORITY in any particular church, as a Pastor or Governor over that church. To constitute him a regular Pastor in a particular church, he must be solemnly received as such by the regular authority of that church. The mode of constituting a Minister in a particular church may vary according to circumstances. If it be in a state of persecution, or Reformation, the full reception of his Ministry, establishes him as the Minister of that church. If it be in a settled state, he must be constituted or instituted a Minister according to the usages of that church. Scripture, and all antiquity, and the generality of the Reformed Churches, shew this should be done by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery, i. e. of those Ministers appointed by their wisdom, gravity, and experience to such office in the church. Only it should be kept in mind, that this form, though authorised by such high examples, is never commanded. It is becoming and proper, but not essential. It is pretty clear that the early ordinations were sometimes performed by the* lifting up of the hands of those who ordained. So the word XIgOTOVEw, used in the ordaining of Elders or Presbyters in all the churches by Paul and Barnabas, properly means: Acts xiv, 23. Any act, indeed, by

same.

* I am aware that attempts have been made to refute this by saying that the word XLCOTOVEW, means to institute a person in some office. Very true. So balloting or voting frequently does the But this is only part of the truth. Expressions of this kind frequently declare the manner of doing this, as well as the thing itself; so voting by a show of hands, expresses the manner, as well as the thing. The Greeks, from whom the word is taken, frequently instituted individuals in office by a show of hands. The text in Acts 14 and 23, uses the very word applied to the institution of an individual in office among the Greeks, by a show of hands. Among them therefore it signified to ordain or appoint to office by a shew of hands. The sacred writer says that Paul and Barnabas thus instituted, ordained Presbyters in every Church; they ordained them, therefore, by lifting up their hands in solemn attestation that they so instituted them as Ministers of the Word. Such seems to be the legitimate conclusion both from the language, and from the customs of the Greeks.

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