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Deacon; and divers Other Canoas afterwards there are, which restrain Epifcopal Ordinations to ftricter Rules, all which confirm their Original Authority, and prove that they exercis'd that Power before, with out those Restrictions; And, that all other pretended Ordinations befide were void and null, feveral Decrees of Councils afterwards abundantly prove. Thus the second Oecumenical Council, That of Conftanti nople, after it had declar'd Maximus to have been no Bishop, immediately adds, and all That by Him have been ordain'd into what iDegree foever, are avispo] in the fame con

dition as if they never had been Confe 1 crated; and there is a famous and known Inftance, which St. Athanafius gives us in his fecond Apology, of a Council at Alexandria, that decreed Ischyras a meer Laick, because he was Ordain'd by Collutḥus a meer Pref byter. And Socrates in his Hiftory fays, that what Ifchyras did afterwards, deferv'dto be punish'd with many Deaths. But how does he fet forth his Crime? not that he contemn'd and violated the Decree of the Sacred Council, but that never having been initiated into Holy Orders, he took upon him the name of a Presbyter, and exercis'd the Office of a Prieft, as his words are, and yet he that Ordain'd him, Colluthus, was a True and Canonical Presbyter. It were endless Πράγμα πολλών θανάτων άξιον.

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to reckon up all the Teftimonies of Antiquity in this fo clear a Point; the whole Stream of Church Writing and Church Pra&tife is for us, and agree with that of Epiphanius, That Presbyters indeed have Power by Baptifm to beget Children, but Bishops only by Ordination to beget Fathers to the Church. So much even St. Jerom himself, who of all the Fathers is the leaft favourable to the Order of Bishops, and the stiffeft Afferter of the Rights of Presbytery, is forc'd to confels, What is there fays he, that a Bishop does, except only Ordination; which a Presbyter may not do ? But in abatement of the abfolute Neceffity of fuch an Ordination, we are often urg'd with this captious and invidious Question; What, will ye deny that there is any Lawful Miniftry in all the Reform'd Churches abroad, who have none but Prefbyterian Ordination? To which we may return, that their Cafe, and that of our Wilful Diffenters at home, is quite different. For most of thofe abroad in the beginning of the Reformation have frequently own'd, that it was abfolute Neceffity that forc'd them at first very unwillingly to alter the Ecclefiaftical Government, and many of 'em have fince express'd an earnest defire of such a one as we enjoy. But how great their Neceffities are, and how far Neceffity may go towards making that Lawful, which

otherwise

otherwise could not be fo, is not our bufinefs to determin: Much less are we willing to difpute the Poffibility of Salvation out of a Church, that has not such a Succeffion of Paftors by Epifcopal Ordination as we moft juftly plead for. We know that neither God's Arm is fhorten'd, nor his Bowels fhut up, that neither his Power, nor his Goodness can be confin'd. We know, that his Mercy and Grace can supply all Canonical defects, wherever there is true Faith and good Works: Juft as we Piously Hope and Warrantably Teach, that he confers the Benefits of Sacraments, where they are not poffible to be had, to the hearty defirers of Them. But this ftill, I think, we may fafely pronounce, that whatever Poffibility there may elsewhere be, the Certainty which depends upon God's Promises, and the Efficacy of Ordinary Grace is chiefly, if not folely to be had there, where this Order is retain❜d. Because we there, and there only, are fure that the Sacraments are adminifter'd by those, who have receiv'd Authority from the Holy Ghoft to make them effectual. Let then our Charity be as large as is poffible to our Brethren of the Reform'd Churches abroad, but let it not make us unjuft to the most found part of the whole Reformation at home. Let us not go about to defend Domestick Schifm

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by Foreign Neceffity; Nor, with the I/raelites, flight or reject this Divine Government, that we may be like to the Nations round about us.

To conclude, if these things be True, if the Grace that is come by Jefus Chrift is not difpens'd but by his Church, if there is no Entrance into this Church, nor in it any For giveness of Sins, or Means of San&tifying Grace, but what is convey'd by their Office, to whom by the Holy Spirit is given the Ministry of Reconciliation, if this Ministry none can have but thofe only that are lawfully Sent; and if none have Power to fend but those that have receiv'd it in an unin. terrupted Succeffion, from those that had it from Chrift himself; and laftly, if none can justly lay claim to fuch a Succeffion but Bifhops duly Confecrated, if all these things are True, as I fee not how any one of them can be difprov'd, Then furely we have great Reafon, as many as are of this Communion, to Bless Almighty God for the Affurance we have that we are in the Covenant of the Gospel, which certainly none but those who are within the Pale of the Church can have. As for those who neither have, nor pretend to fuch a Succeffion from the Apoftles, whether they are within the Church or without, we judge not, (tho' indeed the Ancient

Ancient Fathers do, and that on the condemning fide) neither prefume we to set limits to the Extraordinary Uncovenanted Mercies of God; what They are or how far They may Extend, we know not: But This we are fure of, that the Privileges of being within Chrift's Holy Catholick Church, which only has a Right and Claim to the Promises, are Ineftimable, or else they had not been purchas'd for us at fo Dear a rate as the most precious Blood of the Eternal Son, and made good and convey'd to us by the Holy Spirit of God.

To whom therefore, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be afcrib'd all Glory and Praife, all Might, Majefty and Dominion both now and for evermore. Amen.

SERMON XIII.