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"the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, tho' by Laga "Perfons, or Hereticks, or Schifmaticks, they "refus'd to give fach Perfons Catholick Bap "tifm, at the Hands of thofe who were du ly authoriz'd by the Divine Commiffion: Be "cause they reckon'd any Baptifm with Water "in the Name of the Trinity, by whom foe "ver adminifter'd, to be that One Baptifm "which ought not to be repeated; But "yet, at the fame time, they esteem'd fuch "a Baptifm in fome Measure Invalid, till it "was perfected, or rather mended, by Impo "fition of the Bishop's Hands. And for this they bring the Council of Eliberis, Anno 305! Can. 38. (See Prelim. Disc. pag. r.)“ And "becaufe that Council requir'd the Lay-Bap "tiz'd Person to be prefented to the Bishop, " to be PERFECTED by Impofition of "Hands; thence they conclude, that there "was a Partial Invalidity in the Baptifm be"fore but that it was made wholly Valid by "Impofition of Hands,

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But this is only Gratis Dictum: For the Pri mitive Church when the refus'd to give a Se cond Wafbing, refufed it upon this Account, That the esteem'd the Baptifm before to be The One Valid Baptifm; and the Impofition of Hands enjoyn'd by Her, was no other than that which was ufed, either at the Confirmation of all other validly Baptized Perfons, or elfe at the restoring of Returning Penitents, and to the fame Lnds and Purpofes; not with any De

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; because, all Valid Baptisms were reckon'd by the Church, to be confummated and finish'd by Confirmation, or Impofition of the Bishop's Hands, which in those Days was immediately perform'd after Baptifm, or as foon after as poffibly could be.

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For these Gentlemen to fay, that the Ancients reckon'd any Baptifm with Water in the Name of the Trinity, by whomsoever adminifter'd, to be that One Baptifm which ought not to be repeated, is a great Miftake; for the Cyprianifts and the Eastern Churches affirm'd and practis'd otherwife; and particularly in the Baptifm of the Montanifts, who, tho' they were Wash'd in or with Water, in the Name of the Trinity, were not admitted into the Church without a Second Baptifm. And St. Bafik, St. Chryfoftome, and the Catholicks after the Nitene 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 Schifmatical Baptifms as were not repeated, and 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 muft 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, must be of another kind diftinct from that One True -Baptifm, and this will introduce Two Sorts of Baptifms in the Chriftian Church; which -is utterly contrary to their own Affertion, as well as that of the Holy Scripture, which ac knowledges no more than One Baptifm for the Remiffion of Sins; and confequently thefe imperfect Baptifms are no Baptifms at all, and fo are entirely void, and of no effect. And indeed, to allow the Contrary, is in effect to deftroy the whole Miniftry of the Chriftian Priesthood; and to open a Door of Licentiouf 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 themfelves, and refufe to give any regard or attention, any deference or refpect to our bleffed Lord and Mafter, in the Perfon of his Authoriz'd Ambaffadors and Ministers; for where will the Confufion end, if every Man may be fuppos'd capable of giving Valid Baptifm? Will

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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 Admi-
niftrations 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 whom
foever Adminifter'd, then farewel all Rule and
Order in the Church; and Chrift's setting
fome therein; Firft, Apoftles; Secondarily,
Prophets, &c. for the perfecting of the Saints,
for the Work of the Ministry; and his pro
mifing to be with them to the End of the
World, was to no purpofe. And it will not
ferve, to say, 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 Infti-
tution of the Real Sacraments, and therefore
of no effect to convey the Supernatural Graces
and Benefits annex'd to them: For, if ever
Men can be once perfwaded, that any
any unautho
riz'd Perfon can by means of the mere Opus
Operatum, of what they call Sacraments, con-
vey thofe unfpeakable 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-
lefs

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lefs will it be, to preach to them the Danger of Schifm, or caufelefs 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 Spirituál 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 Miffion is ridiculous and nonfenfical because, they have ALL as Valid a Commiffion as your own, which you your felves mult needs grant, by allowing the Validity of their fuppos'd Sacraments. Nay further, if it be al low'd that fuch their Sacraments are Valid, then, any Excommunicated Perfón (tho' never Authoriz❜d by a Divine Commiffion) if he can but gather a Congregation to himself, may fer up for a Valid Minifter, and even they who know this, may receive Kalid Sacraments at his Hands, if the want of a Divine Miffion in the Adminiftrator does not Invalidate the Sa craments: Which is a Confequence fo horrids and attended with fuch infinite Confufions, that it should make fober Chriftians even tremble to think of it. And this brings me to my laft Propofition, viz.

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