AN INQUIRY INTO THE ORIGIN of EPISCOPACY, IN A DISCOURSE PREACHED IN JUNE, 1790.
By a DIGNITARY of the CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
PRINTED BY SIMMONS AND CO. CANTERBURY. 1791.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The Author would feel himself much honoured, and obliged by any Remarks (addressed to his Printer) from those learned Churchmen, to whose consideration these sheets (at present not intended for the public eye) are respectfully submitted.
HEBREWS 13th . CHAP. 17th . VERSE.
OBEY THEM THAT HAVE THE RULE OVER YOU, AND SUBMIT YOURSELVES; FOR THEY WATCH FOR YOUR SOULS, AS THEY THAT MUST GIVE AN ACCOUNT.
IN examining a Religion, which pretends to come from God, one of the
first
things which forceth itself upon our attention, is the
Influence
of its
Doctrines
and
Precepts
upon human
Felicity.
If the natural tendency of
these,
be to
regulate
the passions, and to
promote
the general Happiness of Mankind; a strong presumption ariseth, that its pretensions to a divine origin,
may
be well founded. But if a Religion obviously tendeth to
lessen
human happiness, or to
disturb the peace of Society
; we may, without further examination, conclude with
certainty,
that it cometh
not
from that great, and beneficent Being, who (far from delighting in the misery of his creatures) would have
all
to be pious, and virtuous,
only,
that
all
may be finally, and completely happy, in those realms where Death hath no dominion.
Viewed in
this
light, Christianity is
eminently
distinguished above every other religious Institution, which hath hitherto prevailed in the world. It teacheth in perfection, the duties of
Man
to
Man
; it affordeth
divine
aids to
human
weakness; and encourageth the practice of what it sheweth to be good, by motives the most engaging, and the most exalted.
Christian Religion exhorteth us to be mindful of
whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, or of good report
—to forgive our enemies, to love our neighbours as ourselves, to do good, as we have opportunity, to every individual of the human race, and, as much as lieth in us, to live peaceably with all men.
In Society
only
are these duties
practicable
; and, without Government and Subordination,
Society could not subsist.
Therefore the divine Author, and Finisher of our Faith,
in order to give efficacy to his other commands,
enforced obedience to the civil Magistrate
by an injunction of the Gospel,
requiring his followers to
render unto
Caesar
the things that were
Caesar's,
as well as
unto
God
the things that were
God's.
The
same
course of salutary instruction, was faithfully pursued by the Apostles, and others, the first Preachers of Christianity; who earnestly exhorted their Converts to
render to
all
their dues; tribute to whom tribute was due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour; to submit themselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake; whether to the King as supreme, or to Magistrates, as unto them, who are sent by him for the Punishment of evil-doers, and for the Praise of them that do well.
To
these
Precepts of
Civil Obedience
no objection of importance hath ever been made. They are (on the contrary) applauded both by the believer, and by the unbeliever,—by him who reverenceth the Gospel, as the power of God unto Salvation,—and by him who considereth it as a cunningly devised fable, calculated
merely
to erect a Dominion over the consciences of men.
But the Precept of my
Text,
hath frequently been viewed in a light
less favourable.
It,
certainly supposeth
an Authority different from that of the
civil
Magistrate,
whose
Duty is to watch,
not
for the
Souls, but
for the
Lives
and
Properties
of his subjects; and to
that
Authority St. Paul, here, enjoineth an
Obedience,
which the
children of this world
are
little willing to pay.
It would be idle to reason in support of
spiritual Authority
with such as doubt, or deny the divine origin of the Gospel; for THESE MEN must be convinced that they HAVE SOULS, before they can be persuaded to enquire WHO are appointed to
watch
for them; to WHOM, on
that
account, their obedience is due; or WHAT is the
Nature
and
Extent
of the obedience required.
THEY are not, however, ALL infidels, who
deny
the reality of spiritual Powers;—for many sincere believers in Christianity contend that, under the Gospel-dispensation, there is nothing which bears the smallest resemblance to an exclusive Priesthood; that the Authority which is supposed in my Text, either ceased with the Apostles; or that (if it still continueth in the Church) it can be conferred on one class of Christians,
only,
by the
Election
of others; and that,
therefore,
we are bound to obey it,
no farther,
than is necessary to preserve
Decency
and
Order
in the conduct of public worship.
That, our blessed Lord gave to none of his immediate followers Authority or Jurisdiction, of
such a nature
as, to interfere with the Rights of the Rulers of the Earth, is, indeed, an undoubted Truth,—for
all such Authority
was disclaimed by
Himself
;
My kingdom,
said He to Pilate,
is not of this world
—And, upon being asked by a certain person to decide a
question of Property
between him and his brother, his Reply was,
Man—
who
made
me
a Judge, or a Divider over you?
But when it is considered that, Christ came into the world to
turn men from Darkness unto Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God;
that,
He gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from
all
Iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people
zealous
of good works
—and that of
these works very many
are such as unregenerate humanity cannot perform; and that the
Doctrines
which he revealed, are such as
human Reason
could
never
have discovered; it will be seen how
necessary
it was that, when he ascended into Heaven, he should substitute some
Authority,
on Earth, to
illustrate the Revelation
which he had
given,
and to
enforce obedience
to the
Laws
which he had
enacted.
There is nothing more strictly required of Christians, than that they should live together in
Unity
; professing the
same
Faith, joining in the
same
Worship, and practising the
same
Virtues on the
same
Principles. Now, as Men have
different
Passions, Prejudices, and Pursuits,
such Unity
would be impossible, were they
not
linked together in
one
Society; under the Government of Persons authorised to
watch over the Faith,
to
prescribe the Forms of public Worship,
and to
inculcate the necessity,
and
explain the Nature
and
Extent
of the
several Virtues.
In the Scriptures of the New Testament, the Society of Christians is (on account of its unity and organization) compared to the human body;
for as we have
many
members in
one
body, and all members have not the
same office
; so
we,
being many, are
one Body
in Christ, and every one
members one of another.
(
Rom. XII. 4. 5
)▪ This Society of Believers, in our common Deliverer, is called the CHURCH, 'the
Kingdom of God
',—and 'the
Kingdom of Heaven
'; and ITS affairs (like the affairs of every other Kingdom) are administered by
proper
officers in subordination to
the one Lord
; who
when he ascended on high, and led captivity captive, gave
some
Apostles, and
some
Prophets, and
some
Evangelists, and
some
Pastors, and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; that, henceforth we should be
no more
children tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every
wind of Doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into
Him
in all things, which is the Head, even Christ, from
whom
the whole Body fitly joined together, and compacted by
that
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of
every
part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
(
Ephes. IV. 11. 12. 14. 15. 16.
)
Now,—of
this
Society (as of a philosophical Sect) it is
not
left to
every
man's choice, as a thing indifferent, whether or
not
he will become a Member. ALL who embrace the Faith of the Redeemer of the world, are required to be
baptized,
under the pain of forfeiting the
benefits of Redemption.
(St. Mark, XVI. 16.—St. John, III. 5.) But
one great purpose
proposed by the institution of Baptism, was the Initiation of Persons into the Church of Christ;
For
by one Spirit
(saith St. Paul,
1 Cor. XII. 13. 27. 28. 29.
)
are we all baptized
into one Body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free.
Of
Baptism,
(whatever be the Importance) it is evident that to receive it is,
not
(like moral Justice, or the Veneration of the Supreme Being) a Duty resulting from the
Nature of the Relations of Man
; and that
all
its efficacy (which in Scripture is said to be
nothing less than the Remission of Sins,
Acts II. 38. and XXII. 16.) is derived from
positive Institution,
and can accompany the external Rite,
only,
when
that
Rite is administered in the
manner prescribed,
and by the
persons authorised
to administer it.
That
all Christians,
in common, are
not
vested with this authority, is plain from the Commission, which (after his Resurrection) the blessed Jesus gave to his Apostles. We are assured that the number of his followers was then
five hundred at least
; but it was ONLY to the ELEVEN DISCIPLES that
He came and spake saying, All power is given unto me in Heaven, and Earth; Go YE therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(
St. Matthew, XXVIII. 16. 17. 18. 19.
) Now there is no reason to suppose that there were not
many
of the five hundred well qualified to instruct either a Jew, or a Gentile, in the doctrines of the the Gospel; and it is certain, that
any one
of them could have washed his Converts with water in the Name of the Holy Trinity, as well as St. Peter, or St. John: but then, such an
unauthorized washing
would not have been
Christian Baptism,
or of equal Validity with
it,
any more than the
Opinion
of a
Lawyer at the Bar,
is the
Judgement of a Court of Justice,
or of equal obligation: It is the
Commission of the Sovereign
which gives force to the
Judgement of the Court
; as it is the COMMISSION OF CHRIST which gives VALIDITY TO BAPTISM.
The
same
Things hold true of the Lord's Supper; which, if it be
not
administered by Persons having
Authority
for such celebration, cannot be deemed a Sacrament of Christ's Institution. These two Rites are the external Badges of our Profession—by the
one
we are incorporated into that Society, of which God our Saviour is the Head and Sovereign—of the
other,
with all its Advantages, we have a Right to partake, whilst we continue Members of
that
Society; but if, by an open and scandalous disregard to the
Precepts
of the Gospel, we should prove ourselves Despisers of its
Privileges
: the same Persons who are authorized to
admit us into
Christ's Church, are likewise vested with Authority to
cast us out
of it; for to
them
were given
The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,
with an assurance that
whatsoever they should
bind
on Earth, should be
bound
in Heaven; and whatsoever they should
loose
on Earth, should be
loosed
in Heaven.
St. Matthew, XVI. 19. and XVIII. 18.
And I will give you the Keys of the Gate of this Court, or Kingdom, the Church, of which every one of you is to be the Steward, (as the Keys of the Court were given to Eliakim, Isa. XXII. 22. in token of his being a Steward of the House, to admit, and exclude whom he pleased) that is, both
Power,
and
Ensign of Power,
Apoc. III. 7. to exercise censures. and by
them
to exclude men in case of their impenitence, either by laying some restraint on them in the Church, or to turn them out of the gates of
this
city, and upon repentance, to receive them into the Church again; and what you do
here,
as you ought to do, shall be valid in
Heaven.
Hammond's Paraphrase.
Now, as
Baptism
is to be
administered,
so long as there shall be Persons to be enlisted under the Banner of Christ; and, as the
Lord's Supper
is to be
celebrated
so long as it shall be the Duty of Soldiers to adhere to to the Standard of their Leader, and their Head; and as it is to be feared that there never will come a time, when
all
the servants of Christ shall walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called;
—It follows
undeniably
that this
Power of the Keys,
See this matter treated in a very masterly manner by Archbishop Potter, in his discourse of Church Government;—a book which I beg leave to recommend
earnestly
to every Member of the Church of England; and especially to the younger part of my brethren the Clergy.
which was
originally
vested in the Apostles, must continue in the Church
through all Ages,
even unto the
End of the World.
But we have seen that it was
not,
at first, entrusted to
all
the Disciples
in common,
as
one
of the Privileges inseparable from their Profession; and, as
no Body
of men can possibly
transfer
an Authority, of which they themselves were never
possessed
; it is certain, that even
now
it cannot, by the Election of
one
Class of Christians, be
delegated
to
another,
but must, by some mode of Succession, be
derived
from the
Apostles,
who were sent by
Christ,
as
He
was sent by his
Father.
To argue from the Origin of
civil
to that of
ecclesiastical
Government, although, perhaps, not
very uncommon,
is yet
extremely fallacious.
Of the various Nations of the world (as particular
Forms
of Government may be devised
on Earth,
though
Government itself
is from
above
) many of the Sovereigns may, indeed, derive their Authority from the Suffrages of their Subjects; because, in a State of Nature, every man has an inherent and undoubted Right to defend his Life, Liberty, and Property; and what he possesses in his
own person,
he may, for the Good of Society, transfer to
another
: but
no man is
by nature, or
can make himself,
a Member of the Christian Church; and, therefore, Authority, to govern that Society,
can
be derived
only
from
Him
by
whom it was founded,
and who
died that he might gather together
in one
all the Children of God.
Against such reasoning
as this,
it hath been sometimes urged that it appeareth inconsistent with the Wisdom and Goodness of God, to make Institutions which, (like Baptism and the Lord's Supper) are
generally
necessary to the Salvation of
all
Christians, depend upon the
Authority
and
Commission
of a
particular Order
; Because, by such an Economy, an
intolerable Domination
would be established over the Souls of Men; and the purpose, for which the Son of God died, might, in
some degree,
be defeated, by the Caprice of an
ignorant
and
arbitrary Priesthood
:—But,
this objection,
is either of
no
weight, or it militates with
equal force
against
all
Religion, natural as well as revealed
Although, in conformity with the usual mode of expression, I have distinguished between
natural
and
revealed
Religion, I do not imagine that there ever
was,
or
could have been,
a consistent scheme of Religion excogitated by the
mere strength of human Genius:
the Authors who detail to us Systems of, what is called, the
Religion of Nature,
borrow sometimes (without adverting to it) their Principles from the Holy Scriptures, and then, not unfrequently, turn against Revelation
those arms
with which
it
hath furnished them.—In vigour of Intellect
Plato
and
Cicero
were, surely,
not inferior
to
Mr. Woolaston
; and yet, it is certain, that in their writings are not to be found
so many Truths,
and
so few mistakes,
relating to the Supreme Being, as He has exhibited in
one small Volume
—Whence, then, had the Author of
the Religion of Nature delineated
this superiority over the greatest Men of Antiquity?—Undoubtedly, from his knowledge of those Truths, which are recorded in the Old and New Testaments, and of which the Philosophers of Athens and Rome, knew
nothing,
except what had come down to them from the primeval times, through the precarious conveyance of oral tradition.—When a proposition is
once
known to be true, it requires no extraordinary strength of mind to understand the
Grounds
of its Truth. He must be a very weak man, who could not be made to understand the demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem; and yet I hope there is not one of my Readers, who does not think himself indebted to the Sage, who made the discovery.—The Case is similar with respect to Religion. Its doctrines and precepts are
now known,
and of these doctrines
many
are of such a nature, that a well-cultivated mind comprehends without difficulty
the reasons upon which they rest
; concerning
others
we may well be contented with the plain though narrow view of them, which is laid before us in the sacred writings,—for prying into those Mysteries, like gazing on the Sun,
begins in Pain, and ends in Blindness.
—The fitness of the Precepts of Revelation for such a Creature is easily discerned; but it does not, therefore, follow that the System could have been excogitated by human Reason, any more than that every man of ordinary capacity is equal to Pythagoras.
; and even against the Wisdom of Providence in the Government of the World.
In every thing relating both to their
temporal,
and their
spiritual
Interests, Mankind are
all
subjected to
mutual Dependence.
The
Rich
depend upon the
Poor,
and the
Poor
upon the
Rich.
An Infant, neglected from the Birth, would
barely cry and cease to live
;
nor is it very easily to be conceived how, in the more rigid Climates, a fullgrown man could,
without assistance,
provide even the Necessaries of mere animal Life. Of RELIGION, it is certain that in such a situation,
nothing
could be known: For there is not the
smallest
Reason to imagine that
any
Individual of the human race—an Aristotle,—a Bacon,—or a Newton,—had he been left alone, from his Infancy,
without
culture, and
without
education, could ever, by the
native Vigour of his own mind,
have discovered the Existence of a God; or that such speculations, as might be supposed to lead to that Discovery, would have employed
any
Portion of his Time, or his Thoughts.
Even,
in Society,
it would be impossible for
any Man,
without the Assistance of others, to understand, in the
present Age,
the
very first Principles of Christianity
; for the Scriptures, in which
alone,
those Principles can be found, are written in Languages which are
now,
no where
vernacular.
In the Fidelity of Translators, therefore, every illiterate Disciple of Jesus,
must confide
for the
Truth
of those Doctrines, which constitute the
Foundation of all his Hopes
; and, as
no
man ever pretended that the
Christian Sacraments
are more
necessary
to Salvation than the
Christian Faith,
where is the
impropriety,
or
inconsistency
of those Persons receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, by the ministration of
others,
who, by such
ministration
must, of
necessity,
receive the Truths of the Gospel?
Having thus shewn that there
is
in the Church, a STANDING ORDER OF MEN, to whom, in the Affairs of Religion, the great Body of Christians
ought,
or are
bound to pay obedience
; it remains to be enquired WHO they are that, among the
various Pretenders,
have the
best
Claim to this SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY.
One Party
maintains that, originally, the Officers of the Church were ALL, Presbyters of ONE ORDER, and vested with equal Powers; Whilst
others
(and the Church of England especially) hold that Christ and his Apostles appointed DIVERS ORDERS of Ministers in the Church; that of THESE ORDERS the HIGHST ALONE, was vested with Authority to ORDAIN OTHERS; and that,
therefore,
Obedience (as to those
who watch for our Souls
) can be due ONLY to such as are EPISCOPALLY ORDAINED.
This is the
famous Question,
concerning the apostolic Model of Church-Government, which has (almost from the beginning of the Reformation) been agitated between
us,
and the
Dissenters of the Presbyterian Sect.
The Plea urged in Behalf of the Presbyterians is, that the Titles,
Bishop
and
Presbyter,
being in the New Testament indifferently given to the
same
Persons, cannot be the Titles of
distinct
ecclesiastical Officers; which appears, it is said,
still more evident
from the Ordination of Timothy, who (although the
first
Bishop of Ephesus) was vested with his episcopal Character by the Imposition of the
Hands of the Presbytery.
That
one
and the
same Man
is, in the New Testament, sometimes called a
Bishop,
and sometimes a
Presbyter,
cannot perhaps be denied; but although every apostolic
Bishop
was, therefore, undoubtedly a
Presbyter
;—it does
not
follow that every
Presbyter
was likewise a
Bishop.
In the Old Testament Aaron, and his Sons are (without any Discrimination of Order) frequently styled
Priests
;—as in the New Testament both St. Peter, and St. John call themselves
Presbyters.
(1 Pet. V. 1.—2 John, 1.— 3 John 1.) And St. Paul upon
one
occasion, denominates himself a Deacon. (Coloss. 1. 24. 25. See the original) Yet, I believe,
no
man ever supposed that those Apostles were
such ecclesiastical Officers,
as
modern presbyterian Ministers, or Deacons
: And it is universally known that in the
Jewish
Priesthood, there were
different
Orders; and that
Aaron
was of an Order
superior
to his
Sons.
This
being the Case; the
Presbyters,
by the laying on of
whose Hands
Timothy was made a Bishop,
may
have been of the same Order with St, Peter, and St. John; and,
if so, his
Consecration was undoubtedly
Episcopal.
We are (at
all Events
)
certain
that it was not (in the modern sense of the word)
Presbyterian
; for the Gift, which in the first Epistle is said to have been given to him by Prophecy,
with the laying on of the Hands of the
Presbytery
;
is in the second said to have been in him
by the putting on of the Hands of
St. Paul.
Persons, who are inclined to rest in the
scund of words,
and
names
; and to suppose that the Members of the Presbytery, whose Hands were lain upon Timothy, were of the
same
Rank and Order with
modern
Presbyters, would perhaps do well to
consider the Import
of the Prep sitions
and
. In the first Epistle, St. Paul exhorts his Son in the Truth not to neglect the
Gift that was given to him by Prophecy
.
In the second he says,
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the Gift of God which is in thee
—but every Lexicon informs us that
with the Genitive case, answers to the latin preposition per, and denotes the instrumental cause; whereas
with the same case answers nearly to unà, or unà cum, and denotes only
consent
and
concurrence.
The Inference is obvious—that ST. PAUL WAS THE ONLY ORDAINER.
But by the confession of all Parties, St. Paul was a Bishop in the
highest sense
in which that word is taken; and the Powers of the Episcopate
not
being
parcelled
out among
various Partners,
of whom
each
possesses only a
share,
the Imposition of
his
Hands was sufficient for
every
purpose which could have been effected by the Hands of the
whole College of Apostles.
It appears, therefore, that (from the
promiscuous use
of the Titles
Bishop,
and
Presbyter
)
nothing
can with certainty be concluded on
either
Side of this celebrated Question. But if, instead of resting in
single words,
(which are always more or less ambiguous) we attend to some important
Facts
recorded in the New Testament; I think, we shall discover in
them
sufficient Evidence, that the Government of the
primitive
Church was
prelatical,
and
not
administered by a
College of Elders,
an our Adversaries are wont to affirm.
During our Saviour's Stay upon Earth, we know that He had under Him
two distinct Orders
of Ministers; the
Twelve
and the
Seventy:
and after his Ascension (immediately before which he had enlarged the Powers of the Eleven) we read of
Apostles. Presbyters,
and
Deacons.
That the
Presbyters
were superior to the
Deacons,
and the
Apostles
superior to
both
is universally acknowledged; but it hath been said that in Scripture we find
no
Intimation that the
Apostolic
Order was designed for continuance.—A Quaker says the same thing of Water-Baptism; and, I know not by what
Text of Scripture,
or by what
Mode of Argument, Those
who, upon
this
Plea, reject the Apostolic Order of Christian Ministers, could overthrow the
Principles
upon which the Disciples of George Fox reject the Use of
that
Rite, instituted for the Initiation of Mankind into the Christian Church.
They
were the
Eleven, alone,
to whom our Saviour said
Go
ye,
therefore, and teach
all
Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost—teaching them to observe
all
things whatsoever I have commanded you.
(Matthew XXVIII. 16. 19. 20.) And, therefore, although we frequently find Presbyters and Deacons administering the Sacrament of Baptism; we must conclude that (as a Judge administers Justice by Authority derived from his Sovereign, so) those
inferior
Officers of the Church administered Baptism by
Authority
derived from the
Apostles
: Indeed, had they pretended to act by
any other Authority,
it is not
easy
to conceive how
their Baptism
could have been the
Baptism of Christ
; for it was
not
with the external washing, by
whomsoever
performed, but with the
Eleven
and
their Successors
that Christ promised to
be
always, even unto the End of the World.
That the Eleven did
not
consider this Promise, or the Commission with which it was given, as terminating with
their Lives,
is evident from their admitting
others
into their
own Order
; for which they had competent Authority, as having been
sent
by
Christ,
as he was
sent
by his
Father
(St. John. XX. 21.)
When St. Paul (to magnify his office, and to procure to it from the Galatians
that
Reverence which, it appears, they had withdrawn from
him,
and paid to
others,
whose Doctrine was probably more palatable) styleth himself
an Apostle not
of Men,
neither
by Man,
but
by Jesus Christ,
and
God the Father
;
He must have known some who derived their Apostolic Mission from
Men,
otherwise he could have claimed
no particular Respect
from what was in his own Apostleship
no particular Distinction.
At that very early Period, therefore, there
must
have been in the Church,
Secondary Apostles,
(if I may
so
denominate them) upon whom by Imposition of Hands
This Ceremony of Imposition of Hands in Ordination (at which some Moderns take great ossence) is confirmed from the Practice of the Apostles, and Apostolical Men thus ordaining Deacons, Acts VI. 6.—Pastors or Teachers of the the words, Acts XIII. 3.—and Elders, whether Bishops or Presbyters in every City, Acts XIV. 23. This Practice they certainly derived from the Jews, who created Governors of criminal causes, or ruling Elders, and Masters, Doctors, and Rabins, to be Teachers of the Law,
i. e.
to labour in the word and doctrine, by
Imposition of Hands
; as Moses did to Joshua, Numb. XXVII. 23. Deut. XXXIV. 9. and as Maimonides saith he did, when he assumed the Seventy to assist him. St. Cyprian in the third Century speaks of Imposition of Hands, as
that
which was to be observed and held from divine Tradition, and apostolical observation in the collation to the episcopal Office: and the apostolical constitutions give us this as an ordinance of St. John the Apostle, who, doubtless, (when upon his return from Patmos to Ephesus, he regulated the Churches, and constituted Bishops) did it according to the Rites of the Jews, and Practice of the other Apostles.—Whence we conclude that the laying on of Hands is no
dental
but a
necessary Rite
of the due Ordination of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons. (WHITBY on 1 Timothy IV. 14) Thus St. Paul received an
outward commission
to preach the Gospel, and was ordained
by the imposition of hands.
(Acts XIII. 1. 2 3. 4.) And, although he was before chosen by Christ to his office, and thence entitles himself at large
the Apostle of Jesus Christ
; yet being separated by the command of the Holy Ghost, but at the same time by
laying on of hands,
he then styles himself (in consideration of the work to which he was
especially separated
and
ordained
)
the Apostle of the Gentiles.
, or by some other signisicant ceremony, the Eleven had conferred that Authority, which was given to them by their divine Master: Such were Matthias and Barnabas; such likewise, were Timothy, Titus, and many others whose names are mentioned in the New Testament.
That Matthias and Barnabas were of the
Apostolic Order
has, I believe, never been denied; and that Timothy, and Titus were
superior
to
modern Presbyters
is equally evident: Timothy was by St. Paul, empowered to preside over the Presbyters of Ephesus; to receive accusations against them; to exhort, to charge, and even to rebuke them; and Titus was by the same Apostle, left in Crete, for the express purpose of setting things in order, and
ordaining
Presbyters in every city. Now to
exhort,
to
charge,
and (with Authority) to
rebuke
one's
equal,
is surely
incongruous
; and altogether
inconsistent
with that
Parity
of
Order
and
Office,
for which our Adversaries
so
strenuosly plead.
Even the Commission given to
Titus
seems, by much,
too extensive
for a
presbyterian Minister
; who after having ordained in
one
city, could not have proceeded to ordain in
another,
without the Consent and Assistance of his Brother and Fellow-Labourer. In a word, no man, I think, who, without prejudice, reads the
Epistles of St Paul,
and
the Apocalypse of St. John,
can
seriously
believe that Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, Sosthenes, Silas, and the seven Angels
It is known to every one, that in the Old Testament the Title of Angel is sometimes given to the Jewish High Priest, and particularly by the Prophet Malachi, who calls him
Messenger (
) of the Lord of Hosts.
And that the Angels of the Churches mentioned by St. John, were Christian High Priests, or Bishops presiding over
more than one Congregation,
is affirmed by all the ancient writers; and hardly will be denied by any man, who shall take the Trouble to compare
Scripture with Scripture▪
we are told, Acts XIX. 10. and 20) that
in the space of two years, all they, who dwelt in Asia, heard from St. Paul the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks; and that the word of God grew mightily and prevailed.
But with what Truth or Propriety could this have been said, if at the Time of St. John's writing the Apocalypse, all the Christans of the proconsular Asia were comprized in
seven
Congregations, which could assemble each with its proper Pastor
in one place
to perform the duties of public worship?
of the seven Churches in Asia, were
mere Presbyters
; or that the Church was,
in those days,
governed by a
College of Elders.
If from the inspired Penmen of the New Testament, we proceed to examine the succeeding writers of the Christian Church, we shall find such multiplied, and concurring evidence of the divine Institution of EPISCOPACY, as it is impossible to
resist,
without
denying
the Truth of all
ancient History,
and even
shaking
the Pillars of
Revelation itself
: For
in the noble Army of Martyrs
the Witnesses of the Episcopal Government of the Church, are
earlier,
and
more numerous
by far, than
those
who testify that the Gospel of St. Matthew was written by
that
Apostle, or that the Book of the Apocalypse is canonical Scripture.
But it may be said, that although the Government of the Church, as settled by the Apostles, should be granted to have been
prelatical,
there is nothing in the New Testament, or in the Nature of the Thing to make us imagine a
different
Constitution
absolutely unlawful.
The Form of civil Government established by
God himself
over the Children of Israel, was certainly,
Monarchical
; and the
same
Constitution obtained at first in
every Nation under Heaven,
of which History giveth any account: Yet
no man,
in the
present
Age, supposeth a republican, or an aristocratical Government inconsistent with the Order of Providence; and why, then, should it be deemed
contrary
to the
Spirit of Christianity
to vary the
external Polity
of the Church, in conformity to the
Manners,
or
Prejudices,
or
civil Constitutions
of the different Nations in which it is placed?
This Reasoning would be
conclusive
; were not the
Polity
of the Church, the
Authority
of her Ministers, and the
Validity
of the Christian Sacraments
inseparably united.
To Persons, who consider the Religion of our adorable Redeemer, as a
mere
republication of, what is called,
the Religion of Nature
; nothing to be sure can appear
more trifling,
or
more justly ridiculous
than Disputes about the
external Government of the Church.
In the opinion of
such Men,
it must be a matter of
perfect Indifference,
whether she be governed by
Bishops,
by
Presbyters,
or by the
People at large
; for the
only thing
in which
they
can be interested, is the
Truth
of the Doctrines taught, which rests
not
upon the
Authority
of the
Teacher,
but upon
Deductions
of
Reason,
and the
Declarations
of
Scripture,
if indeed to the Scripture
these Persons
allow
any Deference to be due.
Those, however, who consider Christianity as an
instituted Religion
; who believe that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
and to
restore
to them that
forfeited
Inheritance, which by
no human means
they could ever have
regained
; Persons, who consider
Baptism,
and the
Lord's Supper
as of
vast Importance
in the great Scheme of universal Redemption; and who are convinced that those ordinances derive their Importance,
wholly
from
positive Institution,
cannot think it a matter of Indifference, whether the Hand from which they receive them, be the Hand of an Administrator, who
derives his Authority from
Christ
; or of one, who
derives it from the People.
—VALIDITY or INVALIDITY is then the grand Question; and until the Argument is wound up to this Pitch, little good can be done.
Now, it being certain that, from the Days of the Apostles to those of Calvin,
no man
was authorized to minister in holy things, but by Ordination from the Hands of a
Bishop
;
Should it be granted, in Defiance of all Antiquity and, as I think, in contradiction to the clearest Evidence of Scripture; that in the Church, there were at first
but two
permanent Orders of Ministers, of which the highest were called Bishops or Presbyters
indifferently,
and the other Deacons; I see no advantage which, from such a concession, could redound to the Presbyterian cause. According to this Supposition, the Apostolical Presbyters must have been invested, as it is contended they were, with all the powers of modern Bishops—with the power of preaching, of administering the Sacraments, and of
sending
Labourers into Christ's Vineyard: But it is notorious that,
at the Reformation,
and in
every prior period of the Church
of which History makes mention, there were
three Orders of Ministers,
of which the
Second
was authorized to preach the Gospel, and to administer the Sacraments, but
not
to
send
Labourers into Christ's Vineyard, which was the Prerogative of the
highest
alone: That
second
Order, being, therefore, upon this supposition,
unknown
in the Apostolic Age, must have been introduced into the Church, by
no competent Authority.
But it is from
it
that the Presbyterians derive their
Mission,
which, therefore, upon their
own
Principles, MUST BE TOTALLY VOID. Hence it follows that should the Episcopal Church be granted to have deviated from the Apostolic Model, which (if any Credit be due to the obvious
Sense
of
Scripture,
and the unanimous
Verdict
of
Antiquity
)
she has not done
; still
she
is corrupted
only
in
one
part, whereas the
Presbyterian Sect
rests
wholly upon a human foundation.
—See this Argument stated more fully, and maintained against much ingenious Sophistry, in DR. WELLS'S Controversial Letters with the Dissenters.
and it being
equally certain
that the
Presbyterians
derive their Orders from
no such Source
; it is surely
not without Reason,
that we doubt whether the ordinances dispensed in
their
Assemblies, be the ordinances of the
Church of Christ
; or that we consider the Frequenters of
such
Assemblies (especially here in England) as guilty of Disobedience to those, to whom by every Law
divine
as well as
human,
they are in Conscience bound to
submit themselves, as to Rulers who have Authority to watch for their Souls.
Unimportant
as this Controversy has often been represented, it appears to me of
much greater Moment,
than many of those, which make a mighty noise among the cold and philosophical Christians of the present Day.
In all Churches, with which I am acquainted, are to be found speculative Opinions; (UNDER WHICH DENOMINATION I do not by any means include the Doctrines of our Lord's essential Divinity, and the expiatory nature of his Sacrifice upon the Cross) concerning which I may affirm that (although they have been often canvassed with much bitterness of contention, and have sometimes produced all the
Evils
of Schism) a Layman, who is not obliged to subscribe the public confession of Faith, needs give himself very little trouble to examine whether they be
true
or
false
: But a DEFECT, in the of MISSION the Ministers of the Gospel,
invalidates
the
Sacraments, affects
the
Purity
of all
Public Worship
; and
is
therefore a
matter
which deserves
to be investigated,
by every man who is sincerely a Christian
That it is
particularly
worthy of Investigation,
at present,
when the Church of England is assaulted on every side, sometimes by
clamorous Invective,
and sometimes by
insidious Stratagem,
none of the children of
that
Church can
possibly doubt. Her Faith,
which we have
every Reason
to believe to be the
Faith which was once delivered to the Saints,
is
undermined
by
Sophistry,
and
vilified
by
Ridicule.
Against
her Constitution,
a thousand artful Cavils have been raised, as if it were unfriendly to
civil
and
religious Liberty
; and we have repeatedly been given to understand by men, who
agree in nothing
but opposition to
us,
that it would be expedient for the Legislature to abolish her HIERARCHY, and to establish, in its stead, the
ecclesiastical Government
which prevails among the
Presbyterians, or Independents,
or any other
novel Sect
which
Fancy,
fertile of innovations, might
readily
suggest.
The
Faith
hath found
many
and
able
Defenders who, with
the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God,
have
completely routed
that confederate Host, which (with the spirit of
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek
of old) hath lately appeared in Arms against the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour, and the Redemption of the World. But the
Constitution
of the Church (whether it be thought that the Subject is of little Importance, whilst her Faith is at Stake; or for some other Reason—such as the dread of the popular Cry of High Church,
On this part of my Subject I beg leave to refer the Reader to the excellent Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of St. David's, in the course of the Summer 1790, by their illustrious Diocesan.
or Priestcraft) hath not,
for many years,
attracted from those faithful Soldiers of Christ, the
Attention
to which, in my opinion, it is
justly entitled.
It seemed therefore, that I could not employ myself with greater Propriety, than by shewing as fully as the Time, usually allotted to these Exercises, could permit, That OUR ECCLESIASTICAL CONSTITUTION hath its FOUNDATION in the HOLY SCRIPTURES, and in the UNIVERSAL PRACTICE of the PRIMITIVE CHURCH; and that, although our Bishops derive many civil immunities, much of their worldly Dignity, and perhaps their whole Revenues from the munificence of the State,—the AUTHORITY to which, in my Text, OBEDIENCE is required, flows to them from ANOTHER SOURCE.
The Supreme Powers in this Kingdom have, in general, approved themselves the nursing Fathers of our religious Establishment; and we may appeal to the History of England, for
Proof,
that the Members of
that
Establishment have, in return, been remarkable for their
Loyalty
and
Attachment
to the
Constitution of their Country:
whilst the
Sectaries,
when they prevailed against the
Church,
prevailed likewise against the
State,
and trampled,
at once,
upon the
Mitre,
and the
Crown.
This constitutional Loyalty let it be our Care always to maintain, and to inculcate upon those among whom we
labour in the word and doctrine.
From
us
it is due, not merely by
Ties of Allegiance,
but as a
Debt of Gratitude
to that Government, by which we are protected; and to a Sovereign, who shines conspicuous among the Rulers of the Earth, for his Piety, and for every personal and royal Virtue, and who is (by
Inclination,
as well as by
Title
) a
Defender of the Faith.
But, whilst we acknowledge, with all thankfulness, that we are indebted for
our Establishment
to the Laws of
Man,
let us never forget that the AUTHORITY, by which we minister in holy Things, cometh to us with the EPISCOPAL ORDER from CHRIST and his APOSTLES; and that it is our bounden Duty to support THAT AUTHORITY, and THAT ORDER against the attacks of
these
who, like
wild Boars out of the wood, wasted our vineyard
in the last Century; who in their Zeal for a
purer,
and
more thorough Reformation
broke down the carved work (of the Church) with Axes and Hammers;
and who have lately given
pretty clear Intimations of their Readiness
(if they be not restrained within the Limits of Toleration)
to work the same work again.
To a Toleration
As surely as
Persecution
is the
Mark of the Beast
; so is
Toleration
the
Seal of the Living God.
This then is our present boast, and it is also our great protection. Our national Church, under a Toleration and a Test, bids fair to promote the progress of true Religion, useful Learning, and legal Liberty to the latest Times.—But from what is said in this discourse of the
Law of Toleration,
let me not be understood, as if I could suppose, or would insinuate, that
this Law
has altered the
Nature
of
Schism,
which is a
Separation
from a Church (not because it is established, but because it is) scriptural in its Doctrine,—and apostolical in its government;—an episcopal Society (not Sect) of Christians requiring assent only to the doctrines of the Gospel, as taught in the three venerable Creeds used in our Liturgy.—The
Act of Toleration
has not, by taking away all civil
punishment
from the
offender,
altered the
nature
of the
offence,
and rendered it an
harmless thing,
or an
empty name.
By no means.
Schism,
or a causeless Separation from the Episcopal Church of Christ, remains
what it was,
—a crime deserving condign censure. But of this Separation, whether with or without cause, there is no absolutely adequate Judge, but that Power, who can distinguish between a well and an ill informed Conscience. Very justly therefore do we remit
this Question
to a higher Tribunal. But this Lenity rather aggravates than mitigates the guilt of Schism, wherever it shall be found hereafter to exist.
Schism,
let it then be remembered, is no less a crime
now,
than it was
when
Civil Authority blindly interfered, to vindicate the honour of Religion from this unhappy Scandal.
of their Worship, Christians of every Denomination have an indisputable Right,
not only
by the
Laws of England,
but by the
great original Law
of the
Creator,
who hath constituted men's minds in
such
a manner as that, on questions complicated and involved, Uniformity of Opinion is sometimes hardly to be expected; and who has at the same time made it the Duty of
every Man
(after having been at the utmost pains to procure the best
information
) to regulate his Conduct by his own Conviction of Truth and Rectitude.
But if an established Religion be
necessary
to the Tranquility of a State (which hath been repeatedly proved by arguments that have not,
yet,
been overthrown); and if that Religion, which
is
established, hath, likewise, the BEST Evidence of being TRUE, which, if I mistake not, is, happily, the Case in England; it is,
surely,
the
Duty
of those, who are the
Clergy
of the Establishment, to point out its
various Excellencies
; and it is as plainly the Duty of
those,
who are its
legal Guardians,
to prevent its
avowed Enemies
from intruding into Stations, whence they might be able to assail it with weapons
very different
from
the
Sword of the Spirit.
In all our Contests, however, with such as oppose themselves, let
Scripture, History,
and
Reason
be our
only Arms
; for by these alone, can our Fortress be
honourably
defended; and it stands in need of
no other Defence.
Let us never, in our eagerness to support the Cause of Truth, injure the
equally important Cause
of
universal, tender, heaven directed Charity
towards all the Descendants of Adam. Let us remember, that the most
vigorous
mind, is, perhaps, not
completely fortified
against the Power of Prejudice; and that, if others differ from
us,
every Man in the Course of his Life, hath differed from
himself.
Let us, therefore, extend to Sectaries, and Dissenters of every Denomination, those Indulgences which, (when they were triumphant, and the Church was in the Dust)
we did not enjoy
; and whilst Duty requires us to
expose
their
Errors,
and to
repel
their
Encroachments
; Let our Conduct convince such of them as are
open to Conviction,
that we can
love the Men,
whose
Principles we disapprove.
FINIS.