Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."" Q. What is meant by the expression "faithful men," as used in our Prayer Book? A. Bishop White says,* * CC "The expression means the professors of the Christian faith; not implying that all are what their profession requires; since our Lord has announced that there would be tares among the wheat, and in other ways has described a difference of character within his Church." SECTION IX. Of Episcopacy. "It is evident unto all men, diligently reading Holy Scripture and ancient authors, that from the Apostles' time there have been these Orders of Ministers in *Catec. in Ep. Mag. p. 145, (1820.) Christ's Church-Bishops, Priests, and Deacons."— From the Preface to the Ordinal. "Wherefore let us not fear to be herein bold and peremptory, that if any thing in the Church's government, surely the first institution of Bishops was from Heaven, was even of GoD: the Holy Ghost was the author of it."-Hooker, Ecc. Pol. b. vii. 5. Q. What does the Christian ministry imply? A. Bishop White says, "The whole scheme of the Christian ministry, as framed by the Apostles, and handed down to us in succession, implies the intervention of an ecclesiastical order, designated for the purpose." Q. How was ordination conveyed in Apostolic times? A. Bishop White says, "With the exception of those appointed by our Lord in person, not an instance can be produced of ordination in any other way than by imposition of the hands of those duly authorized under a commission given by him to that effect." Q. What does the P. E. Churchman say of the Ministry? A. Bishop White says,* "These orders (of the Ministry) say we, three in number, were of apostolic institution, and existed universally in the Church, as now among us, until within a few ages of these later times." Q. Is the ministerial succession a divine institution? A. Bishop White says, "It appears that a succession in the Ministry was provided by the same high authority which first declared the Gospel itself." Q. What three positions must be estab *Con. Ser. 1801, p. 22. + Con. Ser. 1808, p. 8. Vide also p. 17. lished concerning the Ministry of the Christian Church? A. Bishop White says,* "First, it is of divine institution: Secondly, in every local Church, it is of right independent on all foreign authority or jurisdiction: and, Thirdly, as instituted by Jesus Christ and his Apostles, it includes the three orders of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons." Q. Should the Clergy hesitate to claim for their office a heavenly origin? A. Bishop White says,t "Let there be no hesitation in any Clergyman to, claim to his office the title of heavenly origin, which will the more impress him with the sense of the account he is to render of his stewardship." * Lectures, p. 158. Q. Is Episcopacy a constituent part of our Church? * A. Bishop White says, "But you think the Episcopal Church might have continued to have the three orders, although giving up the succession; and that this would have led to her union with other Churches; that is, she might have given up what she conceives to be a constituent part of her institutions, and coeval with her holy religion: in the mere doing of which I see little ground of union with others; but much ground of disunion with herself." Q. What does Bishop White say of Milton's hatred of Episcopacy? A. Bishop White says, "The immortal Milton, whose rage against Episcopacy was too great to permit the ex * Bishop White's Essay, signed "An Episcopalian," No. III. † Lectures, p. 437. |