do 4s much in the Ministration of Sacraments as you can who are the only Authoriz'd Officers for that Purpose? If we cannot do as much as you, we can do nothing at all; for there is no Degree of Validity in such Ministrations ; If as Lay Christians, we can do as much, then you can have no Superiority over us in these Mat. ters; and to your whole Order and the Necessity thereof must cease and become Void, except we Lay-men shall think fit to continue it, by submittiug to your Ministrations, not through any necessity of Obe. dience to a Divine Law, but by an Act of our own unnecessary Generosity, and Arbitrary Free-will! Consider these Things, I earnestly beseech ye ! Let no Man Despise ye! bat after the Example of the Great St. Paul, magnify your Office, since 'tis not properly jours, but Christ's, who has Intrusted you with it, to Personate him during his Absence from us ! 'Tis true, that in doing this, you must wrestle with Flesh and Blood ; in keeping that which is committed to your Charge, you'll find it sometimes necessary to Struggle with Spiritual Wickedness in high Places, and to oppose whole Armies of the Aliens, but what then? 'Tis the Great Work you have all undertaken ; This Spiritual Battle is the Lord's ; you are more E

B

minently

minently Listed in this his Service than we Lay-men are ; and if in this, and all other Respects, you continue to be faithful unto Death, you'll undoubtedly at last receive a Crown of Life; by so much the more Great and Glorious, as you shall have rendred your felves here more Bright and Conspicuous than others, throʻ your well-grounded Zeal for the Honour of our Common Lord and Master; which that you may all do, and so obtain, is the ardent Prayer of,

London, May 2.

1712.

Tour Unworthy,

Tho' moft Affectionate

Friend and Servant,

R. L.

THE

CONTENTS

T

وہ رک

HE Author of the Judgment, &c. pretends
not to prove the Baptism of Diffenters Good

and Valid,

p. I

Tet his real Design is to represent it as Valid Bap-

tism,

3, 4

The Great Question of Lay-Baptism Stated, 4

His Negative Position,

$
The Rubrick in King Edward the V Ith's Common

Prayer Books, makes nothing for our Diffenter's

Baptism,

Our Church's 23, 26, 27, and 37, Articles of Re-

ligion, and her Catechifm, do fo Limit the Mi-

nistration of Baptism, as to Null all unautho-

riz'd Ministrations thereof,

7 to 17

So do her 30th Canon, and Preface to her Offices of

Ordination,

And her Rubricks for Private Baptism, 18, 32, 33,

to 40

Her Censure on the Lapful Minister, by ber 69ib

Canon implies the same,

The Adversary's Objection, that the Church does not

17, 18

21

bout it,

26, to 28

29

This applied to Baptism and our Church's Laws as The Hampton-Court Conference, nothing to the Ad

versary's Purpose, but the contrary, 29, to 33 The Baptizing Three thousand in a Day, Aas 2.

accounted for, and makes nothing for our Dilen

ters Baptisms, The Author of the Judgment's Concessions, 33 A Rubrick of our Church that requires Baptism;

when all things before were not done as they ought to be,

34 to 36 Our Author's attempt to prove," that the Minister

" is not of the Essence of the Sacrament, Answer'd at large,

36,10 45 His imaginary Argument from the Church of Rome's

seeming to confine Baptism to the Minister, by her Office of Baptisms, and yet her allowing Lay-Baptifm, prov'd to be false, when apply'd to our Church,

45 An Answer to his Insinuations concerning the Church's

Silence, and the Bishops confirming Persons wash'd

by Anti-Episcopal Dissenters And to his last imaginary Proof from the Silence of our Controverfiał Writers, &c.

53 His Instance of an unlawful Coinery in favour of DifSenters Baptism, Confuted,

55 His notion that their Baptism is Valid, and get

their other Ministrations not so, Consider'd, 58 His whale Appendix, and Dr. Cosins's Letter, nos thing to the Purpose,

60 Nor any select number of Bishops Declaration in fa

vour of his Opinion, without a Lawful Convocation,

63,64 Of Rebaptization,

65 The Conclusion,

66

48

T

HE Author of the Book Intituled,

The Judgment of the Church of Eng. land in the Case of Lay-Baptism, and of Dif fenters Baptism, in his Preface Page iv. tells the World, that he does not think himself

« at present, concern’d in the main Pat“ ter Disputed, Viz. Whether Lay-Bap

tilm be Invalid, or whether all the Pres" byterian Ministers are meer Lay-men,

but « önly to know what the Dpinion of the * Church of England was in the Mat

ter.”

B 2