These they embraced with Joy, as gi ven unto them from Heaven, and then deliberated about their Confecration. And to that End fent Three of their Minifters to a part of the Waldenfes, who being banifhed out of France, came to refide in the Confines of Auftria and Moravia. To these they related their fad State, and having asked their Counsel, Stephanus, one of their Bifhops, calling to him another Bifhop, and fome Minifters, he made known to them the Purity of their Doctrine, the grievous Perfecutions they had fuffered in France and Italy, and † the lawful unintert rupted Succeffion of their Bifhops from the firft Plantation of Chriftianity to that time. To them therefore the Bohemian Minifters, Elected by Lot, were fent to be Confecrated Bifhops, after which they refolyed to unite with the Waldenfes, who were fuddenly scattered by a new Perfecution, in which, Stephen their Bishop suffered Martyrdom, being inhumanly burnt at Vi. enna.Job. Amos Comenius was the laft Bifhop of this Bohemian Succeffion, who

* Ibid. §. 70.

Cumque dicti Waldenfes legitimos fe habere Epifcopos legiti mamque & non interruptam ab Apoftolis ufque fucceffionem affirmarent, crearunt tres è noftrorum Miniftris Epifcopos, &c. In præfat. Anse Rationem difciplinæ in Unitate Fratrum Bohemorum.

Joh. Amos Comenii Dedicatorium Alloquium. p. 8, 9, 10.

lived to fee the

utter Ruin of the Bohe

mian and Moravian Churches, occafioned by their Impatience + under the Cross, in taking up Arms against their lawful Sovereign, and fetting up another against him.

But having mentioned Collathus above, as an Ufurper upon the Epifcopal Office in prefuming to Ordain Presbyters, give me leave to tell the Story, becaufe, as Lawyers fpeak, it is a Book-cafe, which fhews the Invalidity of Presbyterian Ordination. This Colluthus, a Presbyter of Alexandria, took upon him, in Opposition to his Bishop, to Ordain certain Presbyters, and among the reft one called Ifchyras, who accufed Macarius, a Presbyter of Athanafius, for breaking the Chalice while he was Adminiftring at the Holy Altar; and this fcandalous Story was one of those which the Arians invented, and brought against Athanafius, and were all examined, and found to be Lies by a great * Council, which met at Alexandria in the Year of our Lord, 340.

Hoc egerunt ut eas exquifitis divexationibus ad impatientiam, é dehinc ad Arma, proritarent.

tEo res deducta eft, ut intra Bohemiam, & Moraviam nullum amplius Evangelicis Templum, nulla Schola, nullum priva tum Religionis Exercitium. &c.

Η ποτήριον μυρικόν.

*Athanafii. Apol. 2.

As to this particular Story, the Coun cil upon Enquiry declared, * First, that in the Place where the Holy Cup was said to be broken by Macarius, there was no Church; Secondly, nor Presbyter there to Adminifter; nor Thirdly, was the Day in which the Fact was faid, a Day of Communion, nor Laft of all was Ifchyras a Prieft, being only Ordained by Colluthus, who died a Presbyter, and whofe Impofition of Hands was of no Authority, or Validity, and that, all who were Ordained by him, were Laymen, and communicated in the Affemblies as fuch. To this Teftimony of the Church, let me add another of a Spanish Bishop; who having fore Eyes at an Ordination of Presbyters, only laid his Hands upon them, fuffering a Presbyter to read the Words of Ordination. This coming to be debated in the * Second Council of Sevil, was, upon mature Deliberation, thus determin'd. First, That the Presbyter, had he been alive, fhould have been cenfur'd for his Prefumption. And Secondly, That the Presbyters and Deacons

5

* Αλλ ̓ ὅτι μηδὲν ἦ ὅλως ἐκεῖ πῶς γάρ; ὅτω μήτε τύπος κυριακῆς μήσε τις ἐκεῖ Εκκλησίας ἀλλὰ μήτε ὁ καιρὸς μυςήριων

พ.

† ̓Αλλ' ὅτι ΚΟΛΛΟΥΘΟΣ πρεσβύτερος ὢν ἐτελευτήσε, καὶ πᾶσα Χεὶρ αυτᾶ γέγονεν ἄχυρος, &c.

Concil. Hifp. 11. Cap. 5.

fo

fo Ordained, fhould be depofed from their Sacred Orders, which they had wrongfully receiv'd. This fhews, that this Council were of Opinion that Presbyters could have no Essential Part in Ordination; and therefore that they are liable to Cenfure merely for Reading the Words of Ordination, which formally conftitute a Presbyter or Deacon, tho' with the Allowance of his Bishop; who is not supposed to have Power to Authorize him to do that, which he only had Authority to do himself.

Upon what you have written, about the Form of Baptifm, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, &c. Sir, Give me Leave to recommend to your Perufal what is written by a very Learned Divine, and an Old Sufferer for the Church of England; Mr. Chriftopher Elderfield, in his Book of Regeneration and Baptifm, from Pag. 183, to Pag. 207.

I cannot but declare my Confent to what you have written; viz. That suppofing it were (as it is not) poffible, for the Church to be deprived at once of all her Bi fhops; it would be our Duty, as well as Safety, in that Deftitution, to wait and pray, and hope for a new Revelation of the Will of God, rather than to take upon our felves to make Bishops, for which we have no Authority. And I concur with you also in your

your Conclufion, That no Doctrine what foever can be proved falfe, [or, as I beg leave to add, ought to be rejected] becaufe Numbers of Men may be involved in the fad ConSequences that arife from it. To which let me alfo add, More especially when they are involved in them, not without their own Knowledge, or by their own wilful Ignorance or Mistake, or, which is ftill worse, by Worldly Interefts and Evil Paffions. This, Sir, will appear plainly, if we confider the Received Principles of Chriftianity; which are either Speculative, or Practical; that is, either Doctrines, or Commands. By the Speculative Principles, I mean all the Received Doctrines of Faith, which we are bound to believe in order to Salvation; and by the Practical, thofe which oblige us to fome Practical Duty; which are again of Three Sorts, Moral, Ritual, and Political. And there are none of these Principles which fome Men among us, in this Age of Destructive Latitude, will not give up, or ftrive to bend and relax, for Fear or Favour; when great Numbers of Men, especially of Men in Power, are concerned in the Confequences of them. To inftance in one of the Speculative Principles: You cannot but know that fome do not like our Preaching up the Doctrine of Chrift's being God, or God

of