The church of God is a Catholic church, consisting of all the true worshippers of God every where: no denomination of Christians ever was Catholic, i. e. universal. The expression, Roman Catholic, is a solecism-is nonsense-is absurd! It is as much as to say, A PARTICULAR UNIVERSAL, that A PART IS THE WHOLE, that A CITY IS THE WORLD!!

The true Catholic church is the same in all ages, as well as in all places. It is made up of Patriarchs and Prophets, Martyrs and Confessors, and true believers: "I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:" Matt. viii. 11. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, aud tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb:" Rev. vii. 9, 10.

CONCLUSION.

The argument of this Essay is now finished; and the high church scheme of an order of Bishops, by divine right, distinct from, and superior to Presbyters; possessing prerogatives incompatible with Presbyters; having the rights and authority of Apostles; which order of Bishops is to be traced by a PERSONAL succession, through an unbroken line from Peter to the present Bishops of England; and whose ordinations are so essential to the validity of a true gospel ministry, that without them all preaching and ordinances are " VAIN," and without the "promise of Christ:" this scheme has been examined in its fundamental positions, and has been shewn to be a BASELESS FABRIC, calculated only to destroy the peace of the church, and to promote pride, bigotry, exclusiveness, intolerance and persecution; in one word, TO DESTROY PROTESTANTISM, AND TO PROMOTE POPERY. It has been proved, on the other hand, with all the evidence of a Catholic or universal doctrine of the Christian church, that Bishops and Presbyters are, by divine right, ONE and the SAME. Presbyters have been shewn by the Scriptures, the only and sufficient authority in such matters, to have, by DIVINE RIGHT, EQUAL power and authority with any Bishops to perform ALL the acts of the Christian ministry; instancing, especially, that of ORDAINING ministers. Presbyters are equally as much successors of the Apostles as Bishops are. The only essential succession is the succession of FAITH. All churches are apostolical or not, in proportion as they approach to, or recede from, the doctrine of the Apostles. An unbroken line of personal descent of spiritual power to ordain in the English Bishops, is a fable. No man ever did, or ever can prove it. In addition to all this, we have shewn, that when examined by the Scriptures, and the doctrine of the Reformers, the POPISH ordinations of the English Bishops, before and at the Reformation, were, from the monstrous wickedness, heresy, and

simony of the persons concerned, NULL and VOID to all intents and purposes. The validity of the ordination of the ministers of the church of England, as well as that of the ministers of all other churches, must be judged, therefore, according to the Scriptural rule of the succession of doctrine; the qualifications of the men in personal piety, ability to teach, ministerial grace, the call of God, and their appointment to the work in a manner suitable to the Scriptures.

A few brief observations, as COROLLARIES, may be added. Ministers are God's gifts, and God's stewards in the church: The Scriptures regularly speak in this style:-The Lord sends the labourers into his vineyard, Matt. ix. 28. The Lord appoints ministers as the stewards of his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season, Matt. xii. 42. Jesus, as the Chief Shepherd, brings in by himself, as the door, all true Shepherds. When he ascended up on high, HE gave to the church pastors, &c. Ephes. iv. 11, 12. They are to rule by HIS word and will. Their office, we have shewn, is a limited office: they are servants, not masters, nor lords over the heritage. None but such as these can be true ministers of the gospel. GOD QUALIFIES THEM, MOVES THEM, AND SENDS THEM. Where no church is formed, they gather one. Where churches are formed, he moves and directs his church, if attentive to his will, to receive all he sends.

Every minister of the gospel must be a real Christian, not a wicked man; a man of some natural ability, not a fool; endowed with knowledge of the gospel, not a novice; able to teach and to convince gainsayers. Besides all this, he must have a special gift of the Holy Ghost for the work, Rom. xii. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 4-7; Ephes. iv. 7, &c. Every such man has a divine commission in GENERAL to preach the gospel: but he has no AUTHORITY in

any PARTICULAR church, as a pastor or governor over that church. To constitute him a regular pastor in a particular church, he must be solemnly received as such by the regular authority of that church. The mode of constituting a minister in a particular church may vary according to circumstances. If it be in a state of persecution, or reformation, the full reception of his ministry establishes him as the minister of that church: if it be in a settled state, he must be constituted or instituted a minister according to the usages of that church. Scripture, and

all antiquity, and the generality of the reformed churches, shew this should be done by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, i. e. of those ministers appointed by their wisdom, gravity, and experience to such office in the church. Only it should be kept in mind, that this form, though authorized by such high examples, is never commanded. It is becoming and proper, but not essential. It is pretty clear that the early ordinations were sometimes performed by the lifting up of the hands of those who ordained. So the word GOTOVEw, used in the ordaining of Elders or Presbyters in all the churches by Paul and Barnabas, properly means, Acts xiv. 23. Any act, indeed, by the authority of the church, setting men apart to this office, is ordination. This public authorized act, is all that belongs to the essence of ordination; all beside is accident or circumstance. ALL MINISTERS are EQUAL, by DIVINE RIGHT, in every thing that belongs to the being or well being of the church. The church may arrange for one or more to perform, for the sake of order, any particular duty, so that no attempt is made to claim for such acts or arrangements more than human authority. The moment this is done, such a claim makes war on the rights of other ministers, and on the peace of the church.

The EFFICACY of a gospel ministry depends, as to God, upon the authority and power of the word of God, and upon the operations of the SPIRIT of God; and, as to man, upon the faith and obedience of the hearers. The mere preaching and administering of sacraments, as the ACT of the MINISTER, has in itself no saving efficacy. The opus operatum, or the doctrine of papists and high churchmen, that the mere outward performance of the offices and ordinances of religion necessarily produces inward religion, is PRIESTCRAFT, and destroys many of the SOULS of the people. The blind lead the blind, and both fall into the ditch. This abuse of the ministry of the gospel is no argument

b I am aware that attempts have been made to refute this by saying that the word XELGOTOVEW means to institute a person in some office. Very true. So balloting or voting frequently does the same. But this is only part of the truth. Expressions of this kind frequently declare the manner of doing this, as well as the thing itself; so voting by a shew of hands, expresses the manner, as well as the thing. The Greeks, from whom the word is taken, frequently institued individuals in office by a shew of hands. The text in Acts 14 and 23, uses the very word applied to the institution of an individual in office among the Greeks, by a shew of hands. Among them therefore it signified to ordain or appoint to office by a shew of hands. The sacred writer says that Paul and Barnabas thus instituted, i.e. ordained Presbyters in every Church; they ordained them, therefore, by lifting up their hands in solemn attestation that they so instituted them as Ministers of the word. Such seems to be the legitimate conclusion both from the language, and from the customs of the Greeks.

against its use and importance. The gospel ministry is God's ordinance. It is a highly important ordinance; and, when properly performed, is highly useful. Is it not vastly important to know, that God has sent to us ambassadors of peace; though the authority, and power, and efficacy of this embassy, are really all divine ? Is it not highly useful to find, that, as to those who believe and obey that embassy, GOD WILL RECEIVE them by it into pardon and peace; to holiness and heaven? "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believe, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase:" 1 Cor. iii. 5-7.

The CHURCH OF GOD is the Temple, the House of God:

This church is to be considered as universal or particular; the church universal includes all upon earth who are united to Christ by living faith; and all who are united to Christ by living faith, belong to this church. It includes all particular churches that hold the Faith of Christ.

C

Thus spake the English Reformers in their definition of the holy catholic or universal church:-" It comprehends all assemblies of men over the whole world that receive the Faith of Christ; who ought to hold an UNITY of LOVE and BROTHERLY AGREEMENT together, by which they become members of the CATHOLIC church." A particular church is a church distinguished outwardly by some peculiar views in doctrine or modes of worship, government, or discipline, from other churches. Each particular church has equal rights and privileges with any other church. None have a right to interfere with the just liberties of other churches. Civil or national establishments may have peculiar emoluments, but they can have no divine authority to restrain the peaceable exercise of spiritual duties in other churches. When they do, they become ANTICHRISTIAN.

CHURCH GOVERNMENT:

By this is meant the system of ecclesiastical arrangement and discipline of some particular church. This church government must be distinguished into what is general, and what is particular; the principle, and the application in detail of that principle. The New Testament lays down GENERAL principles, but gives NO

c Burnet's History of the Reformation, Book 3, Anno 1540.