Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

any one

"Proofs of the Church of England's own-
"ing them to be Chriftians: For the Court
"Chriftian has nothing to do with
"but Chriftians, and it would be a great
Abfurdity to Excommunicate a Perfon,
"that had no right to Church Communion;
"and he who is not Baptiz'd, has certainly

no right to Church Communion." This he feems to recommend as the best proof that he has endeavour'd to bring; for he Advances it almoft to a Demonstration, and Glories in it more than he do's in the other three in his Book ;-from whence we may easily Judge of the whole Strength that he has exerted to Support this feeble Caufe;-For, if he pleafes to hear another as Experienc'd a Man in Doctors Commons as his Friend: I do hereby from him. inform this Author, that his Proof, is as full for the Church of England's owning the Quakers to be Baptiz'd Chriftians;-For, the fame "Court Chriftian" will Excommunicate a Quaker when Profecuted there for Adultery, &c. as much as if he were a Presbyterian or Independant, &c. and if this A&t of that Court is the Churches acknowledgment of the Presbyterians Chriflianity, 'tis fo of the Quakers too; and hence if this way of Arguing holds, Quakers and Presbyterians must be efteemed to be equally Baptiz'd

tiz'd Christians;-Let our Author make the Experiment, and he'll find the Fact true, that Doctors Commons will Excommunicate the Quaker, and then by his own pretended Argument, he will find himself Confounded in this Matter, by feeing the Quaker's No Baptifm, advanc'd to an Equality with thofe Spurious Baptifms which he is endeavouring to defend.

I Conclude this Preface with an Earnest request to thofe Reverend Doctors I have mention'd, and to those few others of our Church who are of their Mind; that they would not expofe their Sacred Office to Contempt, by crying up what directly Undermines it: That they would not be fo Publick in their eadeavours to fright the World with Confequences, fince Truths of Great Importance are not to be blafted by fuch Methods; and they know, that Confequences how Dreadful foever cannot Change the Nature of Truth; for if they could, the Herefies of the Novatians, Dona tifts, Arians, &c. ought not to have been withstood and Anathematiz'd by the Church; but ought to have been Receiv'd by her, as Wholefome and Sound Doctrines, for fear of Involving vaft Multitudes, into the Sad Confequences that must follow from their being Condemned by the Church, as He

retical

retical, and therefore Damnable Doctrines. The Reverend and Learned Clergy were many of them as much againft the Frightful Doctrine of Lay-Baptifm's being Invalid, as thefe Gentlemen are; but they did not Sit down with the Confequences, which this Truth did not make, but Men themfelves by their ill Practifes: They set themfelves Seriously upon the Merits of the Caufe, as knowing, that the Premifes if falfe, would not bear the Teft; their Learning and Judgment foon Discover'd the Truth, and the World has heard and feen the Effects of it, particularly in the Reverend and Learn'd Dr. Brett's Sermon against our Diffenters and other Unauthoriz'd Baptifms, Printed for Mr. Wyat in St. Paul's Churchyard; and if thofe Reverend Gentlemen above mention'd would but take away from before the Eyes of their Mind, that Dark Cloud which Obftructs their Sight; I mean the falfe way of Judging Truths propos'd, by the Confequences which Men have involv'd themselves into, by their own Unlawful and Wicked Practifes; If, I fay, they would but remove this Black Obftruction, I have fo real an Opinion both of their Learning and their Sincerity, that I do not doubt they'd foon fee this neceffary Truth, and be as much in Love with its

Beauty,

Beauty, as many of the reft of their Reverend and Learned Brethren of the Clergy are. I must beg leave of that whole Reverend Body to ask; whether 'tis not juft and reafonable, for us Lay-Men to believe, and for them alfo to infift upon it, that their Sacred Order in its feveral degrees, was Inftituted by the Sovereign Legiflator of his Church Chrift Jefus, to be a Standing Monument of his Authority, and a Vifible Reprefentation of his Mediatorial Office? That the feveral Miniftrations he has appropriated to their Order, are of fuch a kind, that they have an Unalterable reference to, and are Reprefentative of, what he has done on Earth, and is ftill doing in the highest Heavens, in behalf of Sinners? That his appropriating those Reprefentative Miniftrations to the Office of his vifible Representatives; is, a making of thofe Miniftrations, his own Acts; and that there is no other Foundation for their Walidity, but their being interpretatively perform'd by him, who is the only Proper and Sufficient Mediator between God and Man? And that the Suppofing any Validity in Unauthorized Miniftrations, especially when Attempted even in Oppofition to our Saviour's visible Authority plac'd by him in his Reprefentatives, is a Confequential Suppofition that

there

there is no need of any fuch his vifible Repre fentatives, and that it is an equalizing of our own Inventions with his Inftitutions? That this is as much a flying in the Face of his Authority, and in effect, a Denyal of his Supremacy over his Church, as a Rebellion against a Worldly Prince's Represen tatives, viz. his Inferior Governours and Magiftrates vefted with his Authority, is no less than Rebellion, and Treafon againft. the Prince himself? And in fhort, that 'tis as much as if a Man fhould fay, thofe Unauthoriz❜d Acts of Miniftration would have been as Good and Valid without, as they are by Vertue of our Saviour's Inftitution of them? And that this is making Things that are deftitute even of Natural Worth and Value, to be equal to thofe, which are of Infinite Eftimation, being means of Conveying Supernatural Benefits and Advantages to us, by Vertue of Chrift's Inftitution of,and Concurrence with them? I beseech them earneftly to confider these. Things; and how their Office, and therein Chrift's Inftitution, can be at all efteem'd and obferv'd, if Validity can, without any Divine Law for it, be afcrib'd to the Unauthoriz❜d Acts of us Lay-men. What fignify the appropriating Laws of Chrift and. his Church, if we Unauthoriz'd Perfons can

[merged small][ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »