Government, which can be demonstrated to be at least of Apostolical institution; by means of which she is in possession of a regular, successive and authorised Ministry, Sacraments of unquestioned validity, and a covenanted right to all the protection, assistance, favour, and influence annexed to the Christian Religion by the great Founder of it, when he declared hiìnself invested with all the power in heaven and earth, when he sent his Apostles into the world with commission to gather and constitute a Church out of it, with which he promised to be present to the end of things, and against which he engaged the gates of hell should never prevail. This light on an hill, this honour of his country, the modern Infidel has too weak eyes to see, or too vitiated to behold with patience; it thwarts his designs, and then incurs his hottest displeasure. He begins with reviling, and makes a shew of reading and confuting, and what is wanting in argument, is made up in declamation on assuming Priests and Ecclesiastical Tyrants. He, who hates all Christian Ministry, declares solemnly for a parity of Ministers; and he who denies inspiration and scorns the Bible, with great gravity quotes the Gospel for his purpose, and triumphs in the

long

long since confuted arguments of a Blondel and his kindred writers. But to let

you know, he will not rest here, and to shew his learning, he has found out from some glossary that the word in onor✪, in our language Bishop, denoted an officer among the Pagans, and we are threatened with terrible consequences from this acute discovery: such, I suppose, as these-If the naine be of heathen extraction, why not the thing? If high priests and altars were the instruments of Idolatry, how can they consist with and have a place in Christianity? The division of religious societies into provinces and dioceses was in conformity with that of the civil government among the Romans, a human invention, a secular constitution, the result of ambition in the Clergy and weakness in the superstitious laity; and, therefore Exarchs, Pa triarchs, Archbishops and Bishops, with other dignities and offices, founded only in the con stitution of the empire, dissolved with it, and consequently have no other existence in any country, but what the Magistrates of it are pleased to give them. In the end we may possibly be told with a sneer, that the Captain of our salvation (a heathen name too) with all his inferior officers may be as easily cashiered, as a captain

a captain of foot with all who command under him.

From what has been already started, and what may further be expected on this head, it may not be judged improper, to set this matter in a short, but clear light, that those may see the merits of this cause, who are unable or unwilling to search it out in the more elaborate and voluminous works of controversial writers. If so interesting an affair can be cleared in two or three sheets, I imagine it will be pleasing and useful to those, to whom the discourse may prove satisfactory, and not tedious even to those, who may not be convinced by it. The arts of lengthening out and industriously obscuring controverted points, together with the causes of them, are well known; and the honest art of contracting them to a few sheets of paper would be equally well known, and as usually practised, if men could be persuaded to lay aside preju dice, heats, and private views in the discussion of them, and were as eager to find out the real truth in any particular, question, as to make a figure and obtain the victory of the last word in a dispute. I have therefore added this short view of the Ecclesiastical Constitution, as it has appeared to me in the Holy Scriptures, and as I

have

have been able to gather it from the earliest and latest writers on that subject, without concealing or passing over the objections, which have been made to it. Without further preface, I shall address myself to make good the three following propositions :

The First, That CHRIST appointed different Orders in his Ministry, and designed, that of those whom he sent, some should be above others.

The Second, That the Apostles were in the highest of these Orders appointed by CHRIST, and received from him commission' to erect and govern Churches, and settle a successive Ministry

in them.

The Third, That the Apostles did so build and model the Churches they founded, that the Clergy and People of certain districts were under the direction of single persons, of an order and rank superior to all others, and appointed and were succeeded by Bishops.

The first proposition is, That CHRIST appointed different Orders in his Ministry, and designed, that of those, whom he sent, some should be above others.

To teach us this, it may be, our Saviour gave his disciples different commissions at different times: he did not endow them all at once

with all power, but raised them from one degree of it to another. The first institution of the Christian Clergy we meet with Luke ix. where, calling together those, whom he had before chosen to attend his person, Mark iii. 14, CHRIST gave them power to cast out devils and heal diseases, and sent them to preach the kingdom of God. Here we have one Clerical order: for to constitute such an one, nothing else is required, but that some should have a commission from Heaven to execute some public religious office. In Luke x, we read of other Seventy sent by our Lord, adorned with the same powers, and almost in the same words with the Twelve in the preceding chapter, whom therefore we place in the same degree of orders with them, These Seventy being no farther promoted by our Lord, nor dignified with any new commission, the Twelve were advanced still higher, and sent out with fresh and new powers and authority, which first our Lord promised to one of them, Mat. xvi, 19, and then conferred on them all, John xx. 21, and following verses: when he sent them, as his Father had sent him; when he breathed on them, and gave them the HOLY GHOST; and lastly, when in the most soleinn manner he granted them the privilege of remitting

and