CALVIN, the leader of this section of the reformers, declared those to be worthy of every anathema, who would not reverence and submit to episcopacy, when it was to be met with in its legitimate form. And BEZA, another of the same class, expressed his deliberate opinion, that England had retained her episcopal ministry by the peculiar blessing of God, and his wish that she might long enjoy it. BUCER, also one of the leading Reformers, (himself a non-episcopalian like Calvin and Beza,) says, "By the perpetual observance of all the churches, even from the apostles' time, we see that it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, that among presbyters, to whom the procuration of the Church was chiefly committed, there shoull be one that should have the charge of divers churches, and the whole ministry committed to him; and by reason of that charge he was above the rest, and therefore the name of bishop was peculiarly attributed to those chief rulers *."

These churches did not afterwards obtain episcopal authority, for unfortunately wherever episcopacy was rejected, there was there less moderation observed in carrying on the work of reformation generally, so that it assumed the character of reconstruction instead of reformation. The violence of popular feeling seems then to have been let loose against the Church of Rome, without any sufficient power to guide, to guide, or check to restrain it, so that together with the errors of

* "We require you to find out but one Church upon the face of the whole earth, that hath been ordered by your discipline, or hath not been ordered by ours, that is to say, by episcopal regiment sithence the time that the blessed apostles were here conversant."-HOOKER, Preface to Eccl. Pol.

+ "The Reformation gave such a turn to weak heads, that had not weight enough to poise themselves between the extremes of popery and fanaticism, that everything older than yesterday was looked upon to be popish and antichristian. The meanest of the people aspired to the priesthood, and were readier to frame new

popery, much of what was true was rejected also, which caused so wide a breach between the Reformed Churches, that a union soon became hopeless. In England, the great body of the clergy, with a majority of the laity also, renounced popery together, the sovereign and the bishops taking the lead; so that in this case popular clamour and indiscriminate zeal were not brought to bear upon the old religion. The great work was carried on under the sanction of authority, and under the guidance of able, learned, and pious men, then occupying the episcopal bench, who were qualified to examine carefully the different points, distinguishing between truth and falsehood, who, while they rejected the latter, preserved the former unhurt, and who themselves afterwards, as martyrs at the stake, gave good testimony to the sincerity with which they acted. The consequence was, that while other communions, in fact, founded a new Church, and established, of their own authority, a fresh ministry, the English reformers thought it enough to reform the abuses which had crept into the Church of Christ, as already founded on earth, and were content to receive that ministry, which Christ himself had once appointed.

Reason plainly requires subordination among the clergy; experience likewise attesteth it, and the chief inpugners of episcopacy confess it by their practice, who for prevention of disorders have been fain of their own heads to devise ecclesiastical subordination of classes, provinces, and nations, and to appoint moderators, or temporary bishops in their assemblies, so that reason hath forced the dissenters from the Church to imitate it. We have an instance recorded of God's displeasure on an attempt at overthrowing this system

laws for the Church, than to obey the old."-SHERLOCK, as quoted by Daubeny.

of ministerial subordination in the doom which fell upon Korah and his apostates in rebellion. Their effort was not to secure an equality in things political, but in things ecclesiastical: he strove not to ascend to a higher office in the state, or to drag down civil authorities to his own level; his ambition was to destroy the distinction which subsisted between priests and Levites, and to create a perfect equality among ministers. On the fearful sepulchre which was opened was inscribed the mind of God, that subordination in things spiritual was the system he would have followed by his people; and the apostle Jude (ver. 11) by denouncing woes on those "presumptuous" Christians, who "perished in the gainsaying of Core," shows that a sin essentially like that of Korah did then and may exist in the Christian Church, and is calculated to call down from heaven some form of Korah's punishment.

An inward call to the ministry, or personal holiness in the individual, is not sufficient alone to authorize his assuming the office. If, indeed, by an inward call be meant a pious disposition, earnestly bent on setting forth God's glory, and setting forward the salvation of his people, first by undergoing the requisite previous preparation, and then by submitting to the regular mode of appointment; such an inward call is an important preliminary to the reception of the ministerial commission, and accordingly, in our service, the candidate is asked, "If he trusts he is inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon him this office and ministration, to serve God for the promoting his glory, and the edifying of his people?" But such call is not a sufficient qualification; for if an individual were allowed to be guided by his own feelings or judgment alone in assuming the ministerial office, self-delusion would, in numberless cases, be the

result. And our Lord himself, who had every qualification derivable from spiritual testimony, as well as from personal holiness, as if for the very purpose of setting his disciples an example of caution and forbearance, before he entered upon his ministry, waited for an outward designation to it.

The Church requires of a candidate for ordination that he be of fit age; namely, twenty-three for the order of deacon, twenty-four for that of priest, and thirty for that of bishop; and must be known to the bishop, either personally, or by sufficient testimony, to be of virtuous conversation, and without crime, and on examination and trial be found learned in the Latin tongue, and sufficiently instructed in holy Scripture. The testimony required is the subscription of three or four grave ministers, together with that of other credible persons who have known his life and behaviour for the space of three years next before." (Canon 33.) Human respects and solicitations of acquaintance, and other mere social regards, are great temptations with people of kind disposition, to easy compliance in signing these, when their judgment does not coincide with their good nature. Upon this head a most reverend prelate charged his clergy, "not to impose upon him by signing testimonials which they did not know to be true, as they would answer it to him at the dreadful day of judgment," which being duly considered, will, it is to be hoped, prevent them from ever being the occasion of dishonour to God, and mischief to souls, by giving their signatures, out of custom or compliment, to mere strangers, or to oblige a friend that they know does not deserve it.

The candidate must be skilled in the Latin tongue, since the most considerable works of the first Christian authors are written in that language. It is St. Paul's injunction that a minister "be apt” or, as the

R

word imports, "able" "to teach," nor can any man

be fit to teach others who hath not himself been well instructed, first, in secular learning, and secondly, in holy Scripture. The apostles, wanting time and opportunity to get learning in the ordinary way, were miraculously inspired both with the knowledge of all tongues and of all divine truths, to show that Christ himself judged these were necessary qualifications for his ministers. But as the manna ceased when God's people came to a land where corn would grow by industry, so heaven hath now withdrawn this immediate inspiration, and left us to acquire knowledge by study and other proper means.

The Ordination Services of our Church are exactly conformable to the directions given in Holy Scripture, and more agreeable to the practice of the primitive Church than any offices of this kind in the world: being neither so naked as the mode of Geneva, nor so luxuriant in ceremony as that of the Romish Church, for we have added to the general rules of Scripture all and only the primitive rites, agreeing with the reformed in that which we have taken from Scripture, and with the Roman forms in all that accords with genuine antiquity. Upon the whole, they are so instructing, so pious, and so very proper to the occasion, that it is earnestly to be recommended to all that are to enter into holy orders, 1st, to read that form over which belongs to the order he is about to receive, that he may prepare himself for it, by understanding his duty and considering his vows before he makes them. 2nd, Because we must perform our vows, and practise our duty all our lives long; it is requisite for every clergyman, once a year at least, to read the same office over, to keep him mindful of his engagements.

The Greek word whence our English word "Deacon" is derived, occurs sometimes in Scripture in a larger