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wife their claiming the Power of Baptizing, by Virtue of the fuppos'd Divine Right of their Miffion, would be a meer foolery, and indeed a Contradiction.

SO that, the Lawful Minifter's claiming the Authority of Baptizing, because his Miffion is truly of Divine Right; and the unlawful Minifter's claiming the fame Authority, because he esteems his Miffion alfo to be of Divine Right, do both confpire by their Practice to Confirm this Truth, That the Divine Authority of the Adminiftrator of Baptism is an Effential Part of that Holy Inftitution; and this is not a little Corroborated,

Sixthly and Laftly, From the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of England.

For in her 23d Article of Religion, the affirms, That "it is not Lawful for any Man to "take upon him the Office of Miniftring the "Sacraments, &c. before he be Lawfully call'd "and fent to execute the fame. Now what can this Article mean by [it is not Lawful?] Certainly nothing else but that it is Sinful, or Contrary to the Divine Law in the Holy Scripture, for she is not treating of Civil, but Spiritual Things. But against what Law in the Sacred Scriptures is this a Sin? Surely againit that Law which treats of thefe Sacraments, and this Law is principally in the Inftitution of them; fo that the plain meaning of this Article must be, that it is contrary to the very InAtitution of the Sacraments for any Man to take F 2 upon

upon him "the Office of Adminiftring them, "before he be Lawfully call'd and fent to exe"cute the fame.

AND in her 26th Article fhe teaches, "that the Adminiftrators of the Sacraments "do not Minister in their own Name, but in Chrift's, and by his Commiffion and Authority. AND left every One who has acquir'd (tho' not justly) the Reputation of being fuch a Lawful Minifter, fhould fancy himself to have Chrift's Commiffion, because the People made choice of him, and fome others of higher Rank among them, took upon them to Ordain him, Separate from, and Indepen dent of the Bishop;

In the Preface to her Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Confecrating of Bifhops, Priests, and Deacons, she tells us thus ; "It is evident unto all Men diligently reading "Holy Scripture, and Ancient Authors, that "from the Apostles time there have been these "Orders of Minifters in Chrift's Church, "Bishops, Priefs and Deacons; which Offices of were evermore had in fuch Reverend Efti"mation, that no Man might prefume to exe cute any of them, except he by Pub"lick Prayer,with Impofition of Hands, were approv'd, and admitted thereunto by Lanful Authority. [ And what the means by this Lawful Authority, is plain by the Words immediately following.] "And therefore, &c. "No Man fhall be accounted, or taken to be

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a Lawful Bishop, Prieft or Deacon, in the " Church of England, or fuffer'd to execute any of the faid Functions,except he be call'd, "c. thereunto, according to the Form here"after following, OR HATH HAD FOR"MERLY EPISCOPAL CONSECRATI“ON, OR ORDINATION; whereby she confines the lawful Authority, fo evidently to Epifcopacy; that a Man must be wilfully blind who dares to deny it.

ALL which put together, fufficiently prove that by the Doctrine of this Church, the Divine Authority of the Adminiftrator of Chriftian Sacraments, is an Effential Part of their Inftitution; and confequently, that the Divine Authority of the Adminiftrator of Baptifm (which is one of those Sacraments) must be alfo an Effential Part of that Holy Inftitution.

SO likewife by her Practice fhe confirms this Truth; for in her Office of Ordering of Priefts, the Bishop fays to the Prieft: "Re"ceive the Holy Ghost for the Office and

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Work of a Prieft in the Church of God now "committed unto thee by the Impofition of our "Hands. Whofe Sins thou doft forgive, "they are forgiven; and whofe Sins thou ❝doft retain, they are retained. And be "thou a faithful Difpenfer of the Word of "God, and of his Holy Sacraments, in the "Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, Amen, And delivering

to the Prieft kneeling, the Bible into his Hand, the Bishop adds, "Take thou AUTHO "RITY to preach the Word of God, and to Mi"nifter the Holy Sacraments. By all which 'tis plain, that the reckons the Adminiftration of the Sacraments to be Effential to the Office of the Prieft, and that he must have Commif fion even from the Holy Trinity, by the Me diation of the Bishop, convey'd to him, to qualify and authorize him to adminifter the fame. And in Conformity to this her Rule of Practice, when any Perfon, tho? formerly a Teacher, and one who has affum'd to himfelf before, the Power of baptizing and adminiftring the Lord's Supper, notwithstanding his having continu'd even in the tolerated Practice of thefe Ufurpations for many Years together, nay, tho' chofen thereto by the Confent of the People, who fubmitted to, and acknowledg'd all fuch his Ministrations to be Valid and Good, when fuch a Man, I fay, forfakes his Hereftes or Schifms, and returns, or defires to be united, to her Communion, and to be reckon❜d in the Number, and to have License to act as one of her lawful Minifters, fhe will not allow him fuch a License, he must be receiv'd only to Lay Communion, if he was never before divinely authoriz'd by Impofition of Epifcopal Hands, and now refufes to accept fuch Catho lick Ordination: She thereby declares that he Wants the Divine Commiffion to act in fuch Ho ly Miniftrations, and that he will not acqui

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efce with his former Ufurpations; he must dif claim and renounce them now, if in her Communion he would be allow'd to Officiate in the Word and Sacraments, as the reft of her Mi. nifters do. But why all this, if his Power and Authority had been fufficient before, for the Purposes of the Holy Sacraments? If his Commiffion was good then, 'tis fo now, and 'tis needlefs to Re-ordain him; but if it was Invalid, he acts confiftent with her felf in refufing to admit him among her Minifters, TO WHOM ALONE fhe gives Authority for these great Purposes. And really it ought not to be diffembl'd, that if fuch a Man's Adminiftrations of the Sacraments were before agreeable to, and not Breaches of their Inftitution, his Miniftry before was alfo valid; and therefore 'twould be even unjust to require him to take up a new Commiffion, and from ANOTHER SORT of Authority than what he had receiv'd it from at firft; because the Defign of handing down Chrift's Commiffion to Minifters, in all Ages, is, that there may be conftantly fuch Perfons to adminifter the Holy Sacraments, as he in the first Inftitution of those Sacraments did authorize and require: But forafmuch as the Church of England requires fuch Perfons, as above-mentioned, to receive the Divine Authority, which fhe reckons they wanted before, to qualify them for the Adminiftration of Sacraments, 'tis plain that this her Practice difcourages us to hope, that F 4 withs

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