ous qualification required of such as were to be ordained Bishops, is, that they be apt to teach. But this power was not confined to the Bishops, or superior order of ministers in the Church, for the Apostle calls the Presbyters his fellowlabourers, that is, his associates in preaching the gospel; and Philip, who was only a Deacon, preached the word in Samaria. All the different orders exercised this function; the Bishops, as invested with the plenitude of power; the Priests and Deacons, by an authority derived from them.

Q. By whom is public prayer to be performed?

A. In secret, every man is his own orator; and in private families, performance of divine worship is incumbent on them to whom the care and government of the family belong; but in the public congregations of Christians, divine worship must be celebrated only by those to whom it has pleased God to commit this office. The presenting of the people's prayers to God, and interceding with him to bless them, has always been reckoned an essential part of the office of the ministry. The Apostles join the offices of preaching and prayer together: We, say they, will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. St. James directs sick persons to send for the Presbyters of the Church to pray and intercede for them, that their sins may be forgiven. And the twenty-four Elders, in the Revelation, who represent the ministers of the Christian Church, have every one of them golden vials full of incense, which is the prayers of the saints.j

Q. To whom is the power of admitting members into the Church by baptism committed?

A. Our Lord gave the power of administering baptism to his Apostles just before his ascension: Go, teach all nations, baptizing them. Yet was it never understood to be so strictly appropriated to them, but that it might lawfully be exercised by inferior ministers. For we find that Philip, the Deacon, baptized the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch. Hence, though the power of baptism belongs chiefly and primarily to the Bishops, yet it belongs also to the Presbyters, who are the Bishops' assistants in the care and government of the Church; and may lawfully be committed to Deacons; but neither Presbyters nor Deacons baptize but in subordination to the Bishop.

1 Tim. iii 2. Matt. xxviii. 19.

h Acts vi. 4.
1 Acts viü.

i James v. 14.

j Rev. v. 8.

Q. By whom is the power of consecrating the Eucharist, or Lord's Supper, to be exercised?

A. The first Eucharist was consecrated by our Lord himself, a little before his passion. At the same time he gave his Apostles commission to do as he had done; Do this, said he, in remembrance of me." Yet this office was not so strictly appropriated to the Apostles, but that it might be lawfully executed by the ministers of the second order; whence we find, that the Eucharist was consecrated in the Church of Corinth, when no minister above the order of Presbyters, who were next below the Apostles, was there.

Q. Why were not Deacons allowed to consecrate the Lord's Supper?

A. The reason why Deacons were not allowed to consecrate the Lord's Supper was, because this sacrament was always believed to succeed in the place of sacrifices; and as none beside the high priest, and inferior priests, were permitted to offer sacrifices under the Jewish law, so none but Bishops and Presbyters, who alone are priests in the Christian sense of that name, consecrated the Lord's Supper.

Q. What was the original of the power which the Church possesses of Confirmation, or imposing hands on persons baptized?

A. The Scripture gives us the following account of the exercise of the power of laying on of hands: When Philip, the Deacon and Evangelist, had converted and baptized the Samaritans, the Apostles which were at Jerusalem sent unto them Peter and John, who having prayed and laid their hands on them, they received the Holy Ghost, who was before fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." When the twelve disciples at Ephesus had been baptized by Timothy, or some other of St. Paul's assistants, Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Ghost came upon them.

Q. What results from this account of the original of this rite?

A. From this account it results: 1. That the end and design of this office was to confer the gifts of the Holy Ghost upon persons lately baptized. 2. That it was so strictly appropriated to the Apostles, that it could not ordinarily be performed even by inspired men, and workers of miracles, who were of an inferior order, (such was Philip the Dea

con). And, in the primitive Church, the Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, exercised this power.

Q. But was not the office of Confirmation appropriated to the apostolic age, and merely designed for the conveyance of miraculous gifts?

A. It cannot be proved that all who received imposition of hands in the apostolic age, were immediately endowed with miraculous gifts. It appears that these gifts were not universal in the Church. And it is therefore unreasonable to suppose that the whole body of Samaritan converts, on whom Peter and John laid their hands, received miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost. And as they all certainly did receive the Holy Ghost, it must have been his ordinary and common grace. Indeed, an ordinance that was not designed to convey grace necessary to all Christians at all times, would not be ranked by the Apostle among the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and considered as essential and fundamental. In this light it was viewed by the primitive Church, which may reasonably be supposed to have best understood the design of the institutions of Christ and his Apostles.

Q. What qualifications are necessary for those who purpose to receive this sacred ordinance ?

A. Since Confirmation is an authentic renewal of the baptismal vow, and qualifies those who receive it to be admitted guests to the table of the Lord, the candidates ought to be thoroughly instructed in the nature of those holy promises which they then renew, and of the obligation to perform them. They ought to be acquainted with the meaning of this holy rite, and to understand whose office alone it is to administer it. They ought to have a competent degree of knowledge in those Christian duties that relate to God, their neighbour, and themselves. And they must further prepare themselves for this ordinance by prayer and fasting, and a serious resolution of living answerably to their Christian obligations. And in order to these ends, it is advisable that the candidate should frequently read over the offices of Baptism and Confirmation.

Q. What are the great advantages of Confirmation?

A. Confirmation is a new engagement to a Christian life, and is a lasting admonition and check, not to dishonour or desert our Christian profession. It is a renewal, to those who receive it in sincerity, of all the privileges of their baptism,

of all the blessings of the Christian covenant. It is a tes timony of God's favour and goodness to them, when his lawful minister not only declares, that God accepts their proficiency, but also advances them to a higher degree in the Church, by placing them among the faithful, and thereby giving them a title to approach the holy table of the Lord. It conveys divine grace to encounter our spiritual enemies, and to enable us to perform our Christian obligations.

Q. What order of men are authorized to exercise the power which belongs to the Church of ordaining ministers? A. It has before been fully proved from the concurrent testimony of Scripture and the primitive Church, that none but Bishops have authority to ordain ministers in the Church; and, consequently, none but those who are ordained by them can be truly said to have a divine commission, or any authority to minister in the Christian Church. Throughout the universal Church for fifteen hundred years, no instance occurs of an ordination by Presbyters that was considered valid. And this fact, that the universal Church considered Episcopal ordination only as valid, is proved by the very same testimony by which we establish the canon of Scripture, the validity of infant baptism, and the change of the sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week.

Q. What is meant by the power which the Church possesses of making canons, or laws for the behaviour of its members in spiritual affairs?

A. It is not meant by the power of making laws or canons, that the Church has authority to change any of the divine Jaws, or impose any article of faith, or rule of moral duty, or to prescribe any condition of salvation, which is neither expressly contained in the Scriptures, nor can certainly be concluded from them; but only that she is invested with power in all such things as relate to the outward peace and order of the Church.

Q. But are not the things which relate to the outward order and peace of the Church determined by Scripture?

A. That these things are not particularly determined by Scripture, is very evident. The rules of Scripture are all general. We are commanded to assemble together to worship God; but the times and places are not expressed. We are commanded to follow such things as make for peace and edification, and to do all things decently and in order; but the particular methods whereby order must be maintained, and edification promoted, are no where set down. Timothy,

and all other Bishops with him, are commanded to lay hands suddenly on no man; but the previous trials of such as are candidates for holy orders, and the time and methods of examination into their abilities and behaviour, are left undetermined.

Q. As these things are not determined by Scripture, does it not follow that the governors of the Church have authority to determine them?

A. It is necessary that these things should be determined; for otherwise, disorder and confusion would ensue in the Church; and, therefore, Christ has certainly left the governors of his Church authority to determine them. Accordingly, if we inquire into the practice of the Apostles, and other primitive governors of the Church, we shall find, that, besides the standing rules of the Gospel, they established many regulations, as the several occasions of the Churches under their care required. In many of St. Paul's epistles, especially in those to the Corinthians, he prescribes particular rules for the decency of divine worship, the avoiding of scandal, and other things which were not determined by Christ: and he speaks of customs which he himself and other Apostles established, and the Churches observed. There is, and ever will be the same necessity of prescribing rules for the peace and good government of the Church, and the order and decency of divine service, that there was in the apostolic age; and, consequently, there is the same reason why this authority should be transmitted to the Bishops in all ages, as any other part of the apostoli cal office.

Q. How does it appear, from considering the Church as a society, that it possesses authority to censure offenders, and exclude them from its communion?

A. As, in every civil society, authority to censure offend◄ ers, and exclude them from its communion, is necessary for securing men's lives and properties, which is the chief end for which it pleased God to institute these societies; so in the Church or spiritual society, the same authority is equally necessary to attain the ends for which the Church was founded; namely, to maintain the purity of divine worship, to secure men from the pollutions of the world, and train them up in virtue and piety now, in order to make them happy for ever. These ends cannot be effected if the Church has

4 1 Cor. xi, 16.