;

" the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; tho by Laga Perfons, or Hereticks, or Schifmaticks; they

refus'd to give such Perfons Catholick Bapa “ tifmi, at the Hands of those who were du

ly anthoriz'd by the Divine Commiffion : Bes “ cause they reckon'd any Baptism with Water “ in the Name of the Trinity, by whomfoera “ ver administer'd, to be that One Baptism " which ought not to be repeated ;s But “ yet, at the same time, they efteert'd fuch

a Baptism in fome Measure Incalid, till it

was perfected, or rather mended, by Impos « sition of the Bishop's Hands. And for this they bring the Council of Eliberis. Anno 305! Can. 38. (See Prelim. Difc. pag. 11.) '"* And « because that Council requir'd the Lay Bap u rizid Person to be presented to the Bishop, “to be PERFECTED by Imposition of “ was a Partial Invalidity in the Baptifm be

fore , but that it was made wholly Valid by o Imposition of Hands.

But this is only Gratis Diétum: For the Pri mitive Church when the refus d to give a se cond Washing, refused it upon this account, That me elteem'd the Baptism before to be the One Valid Baptism; and the Imposition of Hands enjoyn'd by Her, was no obber than that which was used, either at the Confirmation of all other validly Baptized Persons or elfe at the restoring of Returning Penitents, and to the fame Ends and Purpofes; not with any De

3

lign to give an Essential and Total Validity to that Act of Baptism which had an Essential Invalidity before: And this is what is meant by PERFECTED in the Council of Eliberis, viz. That the Baptiz'd Person should be Confirm'd by the Bishop, as all.other Baptiz?d. Christians usd to be ; because, all Valid Baptisms were reckond by the Church, to be consummated and finish'd by Confirmation, or Imposition of the Bishop's Hands, which in those Days was immediately perform'd after Baptism, or as foon after as poffibly could be.

For thiese Gentlemen to say, that the Ancients reckond any Baptism with Water in the Name of the Trinity, by whomsoever admini. ferd, to be that One Baptism which ought not to be repeated, is a great Mittake; for the Cyprianifts and the Eastern Churches affirm'd and practis'd otherwise ; and particularly in the Baptism of the Montani fts, who, tho’ they were Wash'd in or with Water, in the Name of the Trinity, were not admitted into the Church without a Second Baptism ...And St. Basil, St. Chryfoftomne, and the Catholicks after the Nitene Council, condemn the Baptism of Laymen a's Null and Void, tho' they were done with Water in the Name of the Trinity ; and to do the Apoftolic Canons, the Baptism of Hereticks, as is plain by the Instances in my Preliminary Discourse onaBut to tell us, that thie Primitives callid fuchi Heretical and Schifmatical Baptisms as were not repeated, and

fuch

7

G 2

fuch Lay-Baptisms as they had by Canon al -low'd, partly Invalid; and that they made them totally Valid by: Imposition of the Bishop's Hands, is to impose upon us very great Inconlistencies, For, if (as we all agree) there be but one Baptism, it must certainly be that which has no invalidity, being Administer'd exactly according to the Essentials of the Inftitution; and therefore those other Baptisms which are not so Administer'd,and aretherefore confessedly imperfect and partly Invalid, must be of another kind distinct from that One True -Baptifm, and this will introduce Two Sorts of Baptifms in the Christian Church; which -is utterly contrary to their own Assertion, as (well as that of the Holy Scripture, which acknowledges no more than One Baptism for the Remission of Sins ; and consequently these imperfect Baptifms are no Baptisms at all, and so are entirely void, and of no effect. And indeed, to allow the Contrary, is in effect to „destroy the whole Ministry of the Christian Priesthood ; and to open a Door of Licentiouf ness to all Intrudors into that Sacred Office, and thereby put every Man upon a Level, infomuch that at last all may set up for them felves, and refuse to give any regard or atten tion, any deference or respect to our blessed Lord and Master, in the Person of his Authoriz'd Ambassadors and Ministers; for where will the Confusion end, if every Man may be fuppos’d.capable of giving Valid Baptism? Will

they

they not argue ; What need we attend upon
others for these Ministrations, when we have
as much Valid Power therein as themselves?
If our Baptisms are Valid, so may our Admi-
nistrations of the Lord's Supper, and much
more our Preaching to, and Teaching fuch
People, as we can gather to our selves. If
Validity may be allow'd to all these, by whom
soever Administer'd, then farewel all Rule and
Order in the Church ; and Christ's setting
fome therein; First, Apostles ; Secondarily,
Prophets, &c. for the perfecting of the Saints,
for the work of the Ministry; and his pros
miling to be with them to the End of the
World, was to no purpofe. And it will not
ferve, to say, that such Men will be guilty of
Sin in those Usurpations, except we say also,
that their Authoritative Acts of Ministring in
what they call the Holy Sacraments are Sins
too, and consequently, contrary to the Insti-
tution of the Real Sacraments, and therefore
of no effect to convey the Supernatural Graces
and Benefits annex'd to them: For, if ever
Men can be once perswaded,
riz'd Person can by means of the mere Opus
Operatum, of what they call Sacraments, con-,
vey those unspeakable Advantages which are
annex'd to Real Sacraments, it will be in vain,
FOR YOU TRUE MINISTERS to tell
them of the Sin of Ufurping the Sacred Office;
when you in effect aflure them, that every:
Christian can Vàlidly Exercise it; and as fruit-
G 3

lers

that any

any unauthor

less will it be, to preach to them the Danger of Schifm, or causeless Separation from the Church, when you, by allowing the Validity of their Uncommiffioned Teachers Ministrations of suppos'd Sacraments, give them an Argu: ment to confound all that you shall fay for their Conviction, by your affirming that theit pretended Sacraments are as true, and effectual as your authoriz'd Administrations; and that, (since they thereby receive as much-Spiritual Benefit as others do by yours, because. God as much concurs with such their Sacraments, as with thofe Minifter?d by you ) your charging them with Schifim in adhering to Ministers who have no Divine Million is ridiculous and nonfenfical because, they have ALL as Vidlid, a Cammiffiona as your own, which you your felves mult needs grant, by allowing the validity of their fuppos?d Sacraments. Nay further, if it be allow'd that such their Sacraments are Valid, then, any Excommunicated Person (tho never Authoriz'd by a Divine Commission) if he can but gather a Congregation to himself, may fer up for a Valid Minister, and even they who know this, may receive Valid Sacraments at his Hands, if the want of a Divine Mission in the Administrator does not Invalidate the sou cramentis : Which is a Confequence fo borrido and attended with such infinite Confusions, that it should make fóber Christians event tremble to think of it. And this brings me to my laft Proposition, vizio

PRO