established under the government of bishops, priefts, and deacons, be not deemed fufficient to establish the point, I do not fee how it is poffible to form any decifive judgment upon the subject.

The description which ST. IGNATIUS, in his epiftle to the Magnefians, gave of a church, is exprefs and decided. "Your bishop prefiding in the place of GOD, your prefbyters in the place of the council of the Apostles, and your deacons entrusted with the miniftry of JESUS CHRIST." Such was the idea. annexed to the word church, as a vifible fociety, in thofe early days. There is, moreover, fome reafon to think, from ST. IGNATIUS's manner of writing, if we give credit to his character, that he was favoured with revelations on this fubject. In his letter to the Ephefians, he tells them that he had the intention of writing a fecond letter, for the purpose of inftruding them in certain points, μαλιστα εαν ο Κύριος μοι αποκαλυψη, efpecially if the LoRD fhould reveal any thing to me. In his epiftles to the Philadelphians he writes thus: "When I exhorted you to adhere to your bishops, priests, and deacons, fome of you fufpected that I had been informed of diffentions among you; but he is my witness, for whom I am now in bonds, that I have known nothing on

this fubject from human information; but the fpirit has preached to me in the following words, Let nothing be done without the bishop,'-μaptus de

μοι εν ω δεδεμαι οτι απο σαρκος ανθρωπινης ४४५ εγναν Το δε πνευμα εκήρυσσεν λέγων ταδε. Κωρις τε Επισκοπε μηδεν ποιείτε. In another part of his writings, he calls the appointment of bishops to be according to the will and direction of JESUS CHRIST, Inox Xgis8 yvaunu aival.

IGNATIUS, according to the account given of him by ST. CHRYSOSTOM, was familiarly converfant with the Apostles, and drank freely from their fpiritual fountain; was brought up together with them, and partook with them in all doctrines and myfteries; and was at length thought worthy of fo great a dignity as that of being a governor of the church; which he obtained in confequence of the hands of the bleffed Apoftles having been laid on his facred head.* When IGNATIUS wrote thefe epiftles, he' was in bonds, and on his journey from Antioch to Rome; in expectation of being shortly called to feal the truth with his blood. The teftimony of such a man, under fuch circumstances, muft, it fhould be

* CHRYSOST. Iyræt. Eynull

fuppofed, have great weight with every confiderate, unprejudiced, and impartial person.

On fuch teftimony, in conjunction with what has been drawn from the writings of ST. PAUL and CLEMENT, have I ventured to speak confidently on the original conftitution of the Chriftian church; fetting it down as a most infallible truth, in the words of the celebrated HOOKER, "That the church of CHRIST is at this day lawfully, and fo hath been from the first beginning, governed by bishops, having permanent fuperiority and ruling power over other minifters of the word and facraments." Book vii. p. 376.

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The authority of the learned Bishop SANDERSON appearing to have weight with you, will, I truft, be my apology for troubling you with another quotation, before I close this part of my fubject. My opinion (fays that learned writer) is, that epifcopal government is not to be derived merely from Apoftolical practice or institution, but that it is founded in the perfon and office of the MESSIAS, our bleffed LORD and Master JESUS CHRIST, who being fent by his Father to be the great Apostle, (Heb. iii. 1) Bishop, and Paftor (1 PETER XI. 25) of his church, and anointed to that office, immediately after his baptifm by JOHN, with which power and the Holy Ghoft (Acts x. 37, 38)

defcending then upon him in a bodily fhape (LUKE iii. 22) did afterwards, before his ascension into heaven, fend and empower his Apoftles, (giving them the Holy Ghost likewife as his Father had given him) in like manner as his Father had before fent him (JOHN 20, 21) to execute the fame apoftolical, epif copal, paftoral office; for the ordering and governing of his church, until his coming again; and fo the fame office to continue in them, and their fucceffors, unto the end of the world." (MATT. xxii. 18, 20.) This I take to be fo clear from these, and other like texts in fcripture, that if they fhall be diligently compared together, both between themselves and the following practice of all the churches of CHRIST, as well in the Apostle's time, as in the pureft and pri mitive times nearest thereto, there will be left little caufe why any man fhould doubt thereof."

That there long has been a difference of opinion upon this fubject, is a fact well known; and that this will continue to be the cafe to the end of time, is a circumftance to be lamented. But, had CALVIN been a bishop when he separated from the communion of the church of Rome, this difference of opinion, with respect to the particular form of church government, would, I am inclined to think, never have

taken place. For that CALVIN'S objection was not to epifcopacy, as the inftitution of CHRIST, but to the corruption of it in the perfon of the Pope, we under ftand from the fentence denounced by him and BEZA upon those who separated from the reformed epifcopacy in this country; namely, that they were worthy of every anathema, “Nullo non anathemate dignos.” Had CALVIN entered into communion with that reformed branch of the church whose epifcopacy he approved, it had been happy for the peace of the church in general, and that of this kingdom in particular. But CALVIN, though a man of distinguished and highly refpectable character, was not without his infirmities. One of them I fear was, the pride of being looked up to as the founder of a new form of church government. To juftify himself in that novel proceeding, authority of fome kind or other must be brought from fcripture and the primitive writers. But CALVIN (though it rarely happens that a man of information is at a lofs for arguments to support a cause which he has warmly efpoufed) was too well acquainted with fcripture and church history, to feel himself at all times fatisfied on this fubject. His difciples have been more decided and unequivocal upon it. As the Prefbyterians removed from their