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their high office; or moft certainly the Church hath retained that government, whatsoever it is: because it is unreasonable to fuppofe, that the original Founder of the Church would be wanting to the prefervation of his own inftitution.

Admitting, then, that Clemens, Ignatius, Irenæus, and Cyprian, were honeft men, and no fools, their teftimony on this fubject ought to be completely fatisfactory to every reasonable man. And if to their testimony be added the concurrent uniform practice of fifteen centuries, the conclufion from fuch premifes will follow, in the words of an ancient author;* that we must take care above all things to adhere to that which has been believed in all places, at all times, and by all perfons; for this is truly and properly Catholic; and confequently, that " it never was, nor is, nor ever shall be, lawful to teach Christian people any other thing, than that which has been received," from a primitive fountain.

In a word, the ftrength of the argument, in defence of the Apoftolic Government of the Church, lies in this undoubted truth, that the Chriftian priesthood is a divine inftitution; which, as it could have no beginning but from GOD, fo neither could it be continued, but in the way appointed by GoD for

* "Magnoperê curandum eft, ut id teneamus quod ubique, quod femper, quod ab omnibus, creditum eft. Hoc eft enim verè propriequè Catholicum. Annunciare ergo Chriftianis Catholicis, præter id quod acceperunt, nunquam licuit, nunquam licet, nunquam licebit." -Vincent. Lirin, adv. Hæres. cap. 5—14.

that purpose. What that way was, the Apoftolic practice has plainly fhewn. For CHRIST was in all that the Apostles did; and "GoD was in CHRIST, reconciling the world to himself." The miniftry of this reconciliation was committed by CHRIST to his Apostles; and that miniftry was confeffedly branched out by them into three diftinct orders, diftinguished from each other by the appropriate titles of Bishop, Prefbyter, and Deacon. From whence it follows, in answer to the objections above referred to, that from what our LORD faid to his Apoftles, and from what they did in confequence of his directions, fufficient information was conveyed, to enable the governors of the primitive Church perfectly to understand the plan, and continue the form of polity which the Apostles had begun; which form, thẹ uniform hiftory of the Church for fifteen centuries has demonftrably proved to be, what that of the Church of England now is, in the true fenfe of the word, Epifcopal.

This argument, three centuries ago, would have been confidered unanfwerable: But fince men thought proper to depart from the government of the primitive Church, and to erect a new platform of Church difcipline, it has become neceffary that their reafoning fhould correfpond with their practice. Hence it has happened, in defiance of the undeniable pofition, that what was once truth on this head must be truth ftill, that Epifcopacy has in thefe

later days become a fubject of less established reputation than it heretofore was. "The Reformation (as an able Divine of our Church long fince remarked) gave fuch a turn to weak heads, that had not weight enough to poize themselves between the extremes of Popery and fanaticifm, that every thing older than yesterday was looked upon to be Popish and anti-Chriftian. The meaneft of the people af pired to the priesthood, and were readier to frame new laws for the Church, than obey the old."SHERLOCK.

The progrefs of error, however, in this cafe, as in moft others, has been gradual. Thofe foreign reformers who were the first establishers of a new form of government in the Church, pleaded neceffity for their conduct. It is not our business to examine the justice of that plea, but in candour to admit it. We therefore fay for them, what on this occafion they faid for themselves, that they confidered it to be a most unjust afperfion of their character to fay, they were anti-Epifcopalians, or that they condemned or threw off Epifcopacy as fuch; on the contrary, they lamented their unhappy circumstances, that they were not in a fituation to partake of that advantage, which England fo eminently enjoyed in this refpect; confidering their want of Epifcopacy to be more their misfortune than their fault. Such was at one time the declared language of Calvin and Beza. And long after their day, when the affembly of divines

at Westminster, under the influence of the Scotch Covenanters, applied to the learned Blondel to bring forward what could be faid in favour of the Presbyterian form, with the view of giving countenance to the plan then in agitation for overturning the ancient Apoftolical Church government in England, he concluded his apology for the opinion of Jerom with words to the following purpose: "By all that we have faid to affert the rights of Prefbytery, we do not intend to invalidate the ancient and Apoftolical conftitution of Epifcopal pre-eminence; but we believe, that wherefoever it is established conformably to the ancient Canons, it must be carefully preferved; and wherefoever, by fome heat of contention, or otherwise, it has been put down or violated, it ought to be reverently restored." This conclufion, not

* Dr. Munro, in his Enquiry into the new Opinions, &c. makes the following juft observation on this work of Blondel, entitled, Apologia pro fententiâ Hieronymi." Amftel. 1646. "When (fays he) the government and revenues of the Church were facrilegioufly invaded by atheists and enthusiasts, under Oliver Cromwell, the learned Blondel employed all his skill to make the ancients contradict themselves, and all contemporary records; and though every line that he had written, with the least colour of argument, had been frequently answered and expofed, it was still thought enough for the enemies of Epifcopacy to fay, that Blondel had written a book of 549 pages to fhew that Jerom was of their opinion, and had fufficiently proved, that this ancient monk was a Prefbyterian."-Would my reader wifh to form a particular judg ment refpecting the validity of Blondel's fentiments on the fubject of Epifcopacy, he will be qualified for the purpose by an appeal to Dr. Hammond's learned Differtations, entitled "Differtationes Quatuor, quibus Epifcopatûs Jura ex S. Scripturis et primævâ an tiquitate adftruuntur, contra fententiam D. Blondelli," &c.

being fuited to the object the affembly had in view, was, in confequence of very preffing remonftances against it, kept back; though, in juftice to truth, it ought to stand on record, as it here does,*

But when this new form of Church government, which in its origin pleaded neceffity for its introduction, and was confidered, by the introducers of it, as fupplying the place of what was then acknowledged to be a better thing, became fo rampant as to bear with no oppofition; thofe Prefbyters whom Calvin declared ought to be anathematized, who would not reverence fuch an hierarchy as the Church of England poffeffed, trampled that very hierarchy under foot, as an anti-Chriftian, iniquitous, and tyrannical ufurpation.t-When, at a fubfequent period, Epifcopacy was restored with the Monarchy of this country, the Church of England returned to her ori

* This important piece of information is given at full length in a letter from Dr. P. du Moulin to Dr. Durell, and published in the Appendix to his "View of the Government and Public Worfhip of GOD in the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas." P. 339, 340.

"Talem fi nobis hierarchium exhibeant, in quâ fic emineant Epifcopi, ut Chrifto fubeffe non recufent, et ab illo tanquam unico capite pendeant, et ad ipfum referantur; in quâ fic inter fe fraternam focietatem colant, ut non alio modo quam ejus veritate fint colligati, tum vero nullo non anathemate dignos fatear, fi qui erunt, qui non eam revereantur, fummaque obedientia obfervent."-Calvin de Neceff. Eccles. Reform.

Beza's language on this fubject was equally ftrong. Speaking of the Epifcopacy of the Church of England, he fays, "Fruatur fanè ifta fingulari DEI beneficentia, quæ utinam fit illi perpetua."Tract. de Minift. Eccl. Grad. cap. i. and xviii.

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