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length led to their captivity and difperfion. It was also when there was no king in our Israel, and when, in confequence of the Apoftolic government of the Church being fuperfeded among us by an overbearing faction, every man did what was right in his own eyes; that fixty different fects prevailed in this land, presenting fuch a motley religion, as left the greater part of its inhabitants without any found notions on the fubject. It stands moreover upon record, that DURY, one of the leading and moft zealous patrons of prefbytery, and MELVILL's principal inftrument in establishing that form of Church government in Scotland; as if twenty years' experience had furnished him with full conviction of the truth of JEROM'S affertion, that bishops were originally placed at the head of the Church, that the feeds of fchifm might be taken away, ("ut schifmatum femina tollerentur;") left the following teftimony on his deathbed in favour of the original Apoftolic government. When fome brethren came to vifit him, he requested them to tell the Affembly as from him, " that there was neceffity of restoring the ancient government of the Church, because of the unruliness of the young ministers, who would not be advised by the elder fort, nor kept in order. And fince both the state of the Church did require it, and the King did labour for it, he wifhed them to make no trouble therefore, but only to infist with the King, that the best minif ters, and of greateft experience, might be preferred to

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places." And there is a curious circumstance in favour of Epifcopacy, not perhaps generally known, recorded by Mr. JONES in his life of Bishop HORNE, informing us, that JOHN WESLEY, a femi-separatist from the Church of England, and the founder of a numerous sect, invested two ministers with the Epifcopal character, (at least so far as he was capable of fo doing) and in that capacity fent them over to America. The reason for this conduct, according to his own acknowledgment, was " to prevent disorders and confufions among his poor people (as he called them) in America, now all religious connexion between this country and the colonies was at an end." An anecdote, which fully proves, that unity had, in Mr. WESLEY'S opinion, been preferved among his people by their relation to the Epifcopacy of the Church of England; from which neither he nor they did ever profess themselves to be in a state of feparation. And although Mr. WESLEY had not himself profited by the opinion delivered by the celebrated Mr. Law on the eccentricity of his enthusiastic ́ un

SKINNER'S" Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of Scotland;" vol. ii. p.236.

† When JOHN and CHARLES WESLEY began their new ministry, one of them went to confult with Mr. Law, as a perfon of profound judgment in fpiritual matters; and when the case had been opened, and the intention explained, Mr. LAW made answer,“Mr. WESLEY, if you wish to reform the world, and fpread the Gospel, you must undertake the work in the fame spirit as you would take a curacy in the Peak of Derbyshire; but if you pretend to a new commission, and go forth in the fpirit and power of an Apoftle, your fcheme will end Bedlam."-JONES's Life of Bishop HORNE, p. 187.

dertaking, he was ftill wife enough to fee that the establishment of the Epifcopal Church government was the only plan, by which the irregularities of a licentious miniftry were to be prevented.

But exclufive of the conclufion to which the foregoing confiderations will, if permitted, lead the intelligent reader, there is one circumftance, admitting it to ftand on firm ground, which ought to shut up all controverfy on this fubject.

The commiffion, by virtue of which the Apostles and their fucceffors became governors of the Church, originally proceeded from the head of the Church: it confequently conveyed an inveftiture of authority from the only Fountain, from whence authority in fpiritual matters is to be derived. "As my father fent me, (faid CHRIST to his difciples, the Apostles) fo fend I you." And from the circumftance of the original delivery of the Apoftolic commiffion being accompanied with a declaration, which plainly imported the continuance of it to the end of the world; the Church has reasonably and univerfally concluded, as might be proved from the most unanfwerable evidence, that it was the Divine intention, that this fame commiffion, for the accomplishment of the fame divine object, should accompany the Church through every stage of its progrefs. In conformity with this admitted and established principle, the governors of the Church of England have uniformly proceeded in their authoritative delegation of the minifterial

office. Either then this commiffion, thus regularly handed down to us, is ftill in force, or not. If it be, all authority in the Church must continue to be derived from it. If it be not, it is incumbent on thofe who act on this prefumption, by affuming a minifterial office in the Church, independent of any authoritative appointment, to inform us, at what period this commiffion determined; because, if it be determined, the Church and its ministry are determined with it.

GOD, it is certain, can be bound only by himself; or by perfons deputed and commiffioned by him to. engage in his name. The Sacraments are the feals of that covenant, in CHRIST by which God hath thought fit to be bound. The adminiftration of them CHRIST formally committed to his Apoftles, and their fucceffors, for the benefit of his Church to the end of time. The validity of thefe feals depend ing, therefore, on the commission of the administering party, it follows, that where this commiffion, originally delivered by our Saviour, and by his authority fucceffively, continued in the Church, does not actu ally fubfift, there the facraments administered are not feals of the Divine covenant, but must be confidered in the light of human ordinances.

This circumftance of the stewardship of the Divine myfteries being vacated, whereby the regularly-eftablished administration of the Evangelical covenant comes to an end in the world, is a circumstance, that fhould weigh down all the comparative trifling con

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fiderations, which are fuffered to distract the minds of diffenting Chriftians at any period. In all churches are to be found speculative opinions, concerning which à layman, who is not obliged to fubfcribe the public confeffion of faith, need give himself very little trouble to enquire, whether they are true or falfe. But a defect in the miffion of the minifters of the gofpel invalidates the facraments, affects the purity of public worship, and can therefore be no fubject of indiffer- ' ence, as points of doubtful opinion are generally concluded to be; but a fubject of primary and effential importance to every Chriftian profeffor. It has been faid indeed, with a view, it is prefumed, to that accommodating fyftem which the Church of England is now perfuaded to adopt, on the principle of every thing being doubtful concerning which a difference of opinion exists, (whether the subject under confideration has been fairly examined, or not;) that " when numbers are against the Establishment, the scale will turn; and if we do not buttress up our Establishment with those who are feparated from it, the fabric must fall." This language we certainly understand, when made use of with reference to the representation of his nation in a British House of Parliament; but when applied to the Church of CHRIST, we as certainly do not: because, with the constitution of the Christian Church numbers can have nothing to do. And it must be to a want of information fufficient to diftinguish between the Church of Chrift as a fpiritual

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