Calvin would have anathematized all of them, had he lived in our times. He fays there were none fuch to be found in his time, who opposed the epifcopal hierarchy, but only the papal, which afpired to an univerfal fupremacy in the fee of Rome over the whole Catholic church, which is the prerogative of Chrift alone. But, fays he,

"If they would give us fuch an hierarchy, in which the Bishops fhould fo excel, as that they did not refuse to be subject to Christ, and to depend upon him as their only head, and refer all to him, then I will confefs that they are worthy of all anathemas, if any fuch fhall be found, who will not reverence it, and submit themfelves to it with the utmoft obedience."

See, he fays, fi qui erunt, if there shall be any fuch, which fupposes that he knew none fuch, and that he owned none fuch amongst his reformers; and that if ever any fuch should arise, he thought there were no anathemas which they did not deferve who fhould refuse to submit to the epifcopal hierarchy, without such an univerfal head as excludes Chrift from being the only univerfal head; for if there be another, (though fubftitute) he is not only. Thus he is called the chief Bishop, but never the only Bishop, because there are others deputed under him: but he calls no Bishop the univerfal Bishop, or head of the Catholic church, because he has appointed no fubftitute in that supreme office; as not of universal King, so neither of universal Bishop.

And Beza supposes as pofitively as Calvin had done, that there were none who did oppose the episcopal hierarchy without such an universal head now upon earth, or that opposed the order of epifcopacy, and condemns them as madmen, if any fuch could be found. For thus fays he,

"If there be any (which you fhall hardly perfuade me to believe) who reject the whole order of epifcopacy, God forbid that any man in his wits fhould affent to the madness of such men!"

And particularly as to the church of England, and her hierarchy of Archbishops and Bishops, he fays that he never meant to oppugn any thing of that, but calls it a fingular bleffing of God, and wishes that she may ever enjoy it.

So that our modern Presbyterians are difarmed of the precedent of Calvin, Beza, and all the reformers abroad, by whose sentence they are anathematized, and counted as madmen.

Here then, let us confider and beware of the fatal progrefs of error! Calvin, and the reformers with him, fet up Presbyterian

:

government, as they pretended by neceffity, but ftill kept up and profeffed the highest regard to the epifcopal character and authority but those who pretend to follow their example, have utterly abdicated the whole order of epifcopacy as anti-chriftian, and an infupportable grievance; while at the fame time they would seem to pay the greatest reverence to these reformers, and much more to the authority of the first and purest ages of Christianity, whose fathers and councils spoke all the high things before quoted in behalf of epifcopacy far beyond the language of our later apologifts for that hierarchy, or what durft now be repeated, except from fuch unquestionable authority.

In this they imitate the hardnefs of the Jews, who built the fepulchre of those prophets whom their fathers flew, while at the fame time they adhered to, and outdid the wickedness of their fathers in perfecuting the fucceffors of those prophets.

ADVERTISEMENT.

WHEREAS I have placed the apoftolical canons in the front of the councils before quoted, I thought fit (to prevent needless cavil) to give this advertisement, that I do not contend they were made by the Apostles themselves, but by the holy fathers of the church, about the end of the second and beginning of the third century, as a fummary of that discipline, which had been tranfmitted to them by uninterrupted tradition from the Apostles, whence they have justly obtained the name of The Apoftolical Canons; and, as fuch, have been received and reverenced in the fucceeding ages of Christianity.

The councils quoted after thefe canons bear their proper dates, and there can be no conteft about them.

And what is quoted of St. Ignatius and the other fathers, is from the most uncontroverted parts of their works, to obviate the objection of interpolations and additions, by the noife of which our adversaries endeavour to throw off, or enervate their whole authority, and quite to difarm us of all that light which we have from the primitive ages of the church, because it makes all against them, and that they can no otherwife ftruggle from under the weight of their authority.

1

ΑΝ

ENQUIRY

WHENCE COMETH WISDOM AND
UNDERSTANDING TO MAN?

IN WHICH IT IS ATTEMPTED TO SHEW,

I. That Religion entered the World by Revelation, and that Language was from the fame Original.

II. That without the Aid of Revelation, Man had not been a rational, or a religious Creature.

III. That nothing can oblige the Confcience, but the revealed Word of God.

IV. That a State Religion, or Law of Nature, never exifted but in the human Imagination.

BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF

TWO SERMONS,

PREACHED SOME YEARS AGO BEFORE A LEARNED AUDIENCE.

BY JOHN ELLIS, D. D.

VICAR OF ST. CATHERINE'S, DUBLIN: and AUTHOR of a Book, entitled
The Knowledge of divine Things from Revelation, not from Reafon, or Nature.

THE

PREFACE.

T has ever been accounted laudable to attempt opening new

I has ever been accented laudable to new

almoft untrodden, we may hope, the better it is known, the more it will be frequented: there is, at leaft, no obftacle in the way, to prevent a candid enquirer after truth, from entering into, and making a trial of it. Its only objects are, the honour of God, the dignity of man, and the juft excellence of reafon. Nor is any thing offered, for the promotion of these great ends, but what refts on the authority of Scripture, the frame of human nature, the capacity of our rational faculties, and the experience of all ages; to them is the appeal made, without disguise, art, or fophiftry..

And if fimplicity be a recommendation, it has a juft claim thereto; being throughout ftrait, regular, and confiftent. There are no turnings to the right hand, or to the left; no doubts, entanglements, or metaphyfical delufions, to contend with all is plain nature, so that a wayfaring man, of the lowest, if honest, apprehenfions amongst us, cannot err therein.

:

Another advantage is, that it stands not in need of making, at fome times those bold advances, at others as hafty retreats; which perpetually involve learned men in contradictions, or incohereneies, who endeavour to incorporate natural religion with that which is revealed.

We all know with what reluctance the mind is brought to give up principles it was early taught to receive as true. But if human knowledge be ftill capable of improvement, whatever is candidly offered to fuch purpose, deferves an examination, before it be rejected. With this view the following fheets are submitted to the learned world; not out of love to novelty, but from a long and ferious conviction, that no other hypothefis can give that true obligation to religion, without which it is of little worth; this therefore merits not cenfure, though it miffes approbation.

If what is faid on Language feems, at firft, remote; it is, becaufe no fubject, that deferves fo much attention, has received fo little: or it has been my misfortune not to meet with any author, who thoroughly confidered the origin or extent of it. Had Mr. Locke indeed taken it into his original plan, the neceffity of. which he afterwards faw, but too late; ideas of fenfation and reflexion would certainly have been restrained within close limits than they now are and an effay fo framed under his masterly hand, been one of the moft finished pieces among human produc

tions.

Mr. Locke, however, is not infallible: and if any diffent from him on this, or other account, they have a right to fay, as he did, in his Reasonableness of Chriftianity, "The makers of fyftems, and their followers, may invent, and use what distinctions they please, and call things by what names they think fit; but I cannot allow to them, or to any man, an authority to make a religion for me, or to alter that which God hath revealed."

The other heads, for eafe and method fake thrown into fections, would bear a much fuller explanation than the brevity of a dif course allows (being indeed abftracts from larger works, intended for a continuation to the first volume on divine knowledge, but will now, probably, never fee the light) yet may serve as hints, for minds of greater abilities to improve, and raife a fairer fuperftructure on most of them being fupported by names of allowed eminence, though no friends to the caufe before us; and all judged capable of a ftrict and proper demonstration.