M Boy. We will now, if you will, go on to the fa crament of Confirmation. Mof. I fhall be happy to fee the new covenant, as you think it, made clear to me. Luth. Nothing, Mr. Mofes, could raise me in the esteem of the Bifhops and Clergy of the Church of England, and might be a principal means of ranking your humble fervant amongst what I have fo many years hungered and thirfted in body and mind to obtain. If I am so lucky, fortunate, and fuccefsful to lead captivity captive, and place you, my convért, at their facred feet; the converfion of a Jew-Rabbi, I make not the leaft doubt, would place me in a Bishop's Chair. My ambition extends no farther than my relanon's Chair, Doctor Tillotfon, Bishop of Canterbury; his works have made a great noife; his fophiftry remains unrivalled; he certainly had great talents, but favouring our inveterate foes, the Calvinifts, his family being itaunch Churchpeople, never relifhed his doctrine; but let this pals. As Moles well oblerved, it is a forry bird that bekecks its neft, Boy. Hun, Silent; (finds Luther to be his fa ther.) Mof. Not Tillotion only, but all the Doctors of the Church of England that I have examined, were Calvinilts. True Church Divines have never appeared in print, by which neglect, they let, or grant the fcorner, defpifer, ridiculer, inflent, contemptuous, proud fcoffer, or Calvinift fhifmatic, to lead and devour them, as theep led to the flaughter, or as Charles their King to the fcaf fold; fold; but our eyes are at laft opened. I make the cafe my own, as my dearest friends refide, and have very great obligations to that once great and flourishing country, in commerce the mistress of the world, but through Calviniftical influence they have loft their Colonies, and, unless they guard and watch thofe mifcreants, they will be on the lofing hand. I let drop this, though it night proceed from my partiality to a state, myfelf and family owes a great part of our happinefs to. The implacable rancour of these people to the Church of England difguft me, though not of their perfuafion, defpiling, and calling them Popish baftards, as if every nation in the world was to bend to their Calviniftical tenets or poifon.love charity and a benevolent heart, but cannot coincide with ingratitude. Boy. Shall we enter on the Sacrament of Con'firmation? pl Luth. The Church of England allows but two facraments, the Lord's Supper, and Baptifm. Mof. If it is not contrary to your wifh, I fhall be glad to hear you fpeak on this fubject. اله Boy. The eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles tells us, that Philip (the Deacon) went to Samaria, and preached Chrift to the Apoftles, who, with one accord, hearing and feeing the miracles, many, who had unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, went out, and many taken with the palfy, and that were lame, were healed, and there was great joy in that city. And, when they they (the peopley had believed Philip, preaching of the kingdom of God, in the name of Jefus Chrift, they were baptized, both men and w6 T uth. It is to be noticed, in the infancy of d the Church there were Calvinifls, and fome ofto the first chriftian writers confider the lendin this chapter, Simon Magus, to be the firit of d this complexion; others Judas; they feem to le wear, with their brethren, the fame face. Boy. Now when the Apoffles heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they fenta to them Peter and John, who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghoft, for he was not as yet coment upon any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jefus. Then they laid o their hands upon them, and they received theat Holy Ghoft, Mof. What do facrament? you mean, or understand, by Luth. An outward and vifible fign, and inward was and fpiritual grace given by Chrift himself, as acu means whereby we receive the fame, and a pledge to affure us thereof. Mof. You obferve, what the boy has juft quotedant from the Acts, confirms two diftinct facraments, 4 adminiftered by different perfons, at different times. A The first Baptifm, by a Deacon, to cleanse the foul from fin. The fecond, Confirmation, in which facrament the Holy Ghon manifelled himfelf evidently. The The firft might be administered by Inferiors. The firft is administered by water. The fecond by the Bifhop laying on his hands; but in the facrament of Confirmation, the power of the Holy Ghoft is evident, clear and pofitive.. Luth. It is a truth that cannot be gainfaid but by Calvinifts, Heathens and Publicans, that in all ages of Chriftianity, chrifm, an holy unguent, or oil, was administered by the Bishop. 4 Mof. Look, perhaps you will get fome farther inlight from your Common-Prayer. Book. Luth. I am a member of the Reformation, and, according to its principles, will not proffitute my religion to any set of men, particularly fuch Calviniflical gentry that makes one fhudder to think on, but with true Proteftant liberty, avail myfelf, and form my confcience according to the Scriptures, which fully convince and fatisfy, that Confirmation is a facrament. Mof. I beg you will abide by your own Church, and open our understanding with her inftructions. Luth. To fatisfy you I will: Those who are to be confirmed, kneeling before the Bifhop, he thall lay his hand upon the head of every one feverally, faying, Defend, O Lord, this thy child with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue thine for ever: and daily increafe in thy holy fpirit, more and more, until he come unto thy everlafting kingdom, Amen. The Lord be with you. (Antwer,) And with thy fpitit. (Then fhall he blels them.) The bleffing of God Almighty, the the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, be upon you, and remain with you for ever.. Amen. And there fhall none be admitted to the holy Communion, until fuch time as he be confirmed, or be ready, and defirous to be confirmed. This is to the purpose. This great facrament is acknowledged in full force. This preferves 'comfort to the flock, and confequence to their Bishop. I fhall be happy, when feated in the Metropolitan Chair of my relation, to adminifter this facrament of fuperabounding grace." Mof. Your Common-Prayer-Book makes no mention of the chrifm, which you juft faid, have been used by chriftians of every age, and your catechifm allows but two facraments, Baptifm and the Lord's Supper, Luth. That old Ape has robbed my Church of this facrament, in like fort with the others. O Calvin, Luther's Scourge, you Moth, how dare you intrude with venom even into the Book of Common-Prayer, and vulture-like rob us of the fweet fruits of falvation, the very facraments, and, copying your brother-fly, or caterpillar, leave your trail, poifoning every page. One happiness I have; the Scriptures are the rule of faith... Boy. With your pleafure, we will go on to the Sacred Character of Priesthood. Luth. You do not fuppofe Priefihood a facrament? |