Council of Trent, (the last general one,) it was settled, "that due worship be given to images *."The Papists on the Continent leave out the second commandment in their tables; and, to complete the number, divide the tenth into two.

On the worship of Reliques, it may be observed, that God's care that the body of Moses should be buried where no man knew, seems to have been intended as a precaution against the Israelites falling into any superstitious practice about it. And the commendation of Hezekiah, when the brazen serpent was broken by him, because he saw the people superstitiously reverencing it, is a sufficient condemnation of the practice here denounced.

The Invocation of Saints is unscriptural. "There is one God, and one Mediator, between God and man, the man Jesus Christ;" "through Him we have access to the Father." Even the worship of angels is forbidden by St. Paul: "Let no man beguile you in a voluntary humility and worshipping

* Burnet here gives a long discussion on the history of image worship, shewing it was contrary to primitive practice; and also on the inferior homage which some Catholics say they give to images; on which latter point it may be sufficient to refer to the note on the second commandment, in the preceding page.

of angels *;" much more, therefore, the worship of human beings.

It is contrary to primitive practices and doctrines also; Augustine says, "Let not the worship of dead men (alluding to the invocation of martyrs,) be any part of our religion."

SECT. V.-ART. XXIII.

OF MINISTERING IN THE CONGREGATION.

It is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering the Sacraments, in the congregation, before he be lawfully called and sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent which be chosen and called to this work, by men who have public authority given unto them, in the congregation, to call and send Ministers into the Lord's vineyard.

This article consists of two parts; the former asserts the unlawfulness of exercising the office of a minister without a regular appointment; the latter describes the proper authority to give the appointment. It appears in all religions of antiquity, whether Pagan or not, that certain persons have been set apart for the sacred office. In the Mosaic dispensation, a particular tribe, that of Levi, was set apart with certain ceremonies †. From the New Testament, we find that Christ appointed twelve Apos

* Col. ii. 18.

+ Exod. xxviii. xli. xxix. 1-4, &c.

tles; and afterwards seventy Disciples; and that "as His Father sent Him, so He sent them;" evidently implying that He empowered them to appoint and send others. In consequence, we find further that the Apostles appointed Deacons *; and afterwards Elders +; whom they appointed, by ordination and imposition of hands;-that Paul ordained Elders in all the Churches, (which implies a regular formal appointment,) and directed Timothy and Titus to do the same, in their respective jurisdictions; cautioning them "to lay hands suddenly on no man."— The qualifications of those who were to be made

Bishops or Deacons" by Timothy, are set forth ‡. And similar directions are given to Titus, whom St. Paul had left in Crete, "to set things in order, and to ordain Elders §." Since history informs us of an uninterrupted succession from that time; and since we cannot but know that the dignity of the office, and the solemn duties of the religion, cannot be supported without a proper authority being committed to its ministers; we maintain the first part of the article, that it is unlawful for any man to take the office upon himself.

The next point is, how persons may be lawfully

* Acts vi. 3.

1 Tim. iii.

+ Acts xiv. 23.

§ Titus i. 5.

called. The framers of this article, having probably in view the state of the reformed Churches on the Continent, seem to have left this matter somewhat open and at large, to be regulated by existing circumstances. However this lawful authority may be defined to be, "that rule which the body of the Pastors, or Bishops, and Clergy of a Church shall settle, when met together, with due respect to the powers that God shall set over them ;"-the civil and clerical powers both thus concurring.

With respect to the different orders in the Church, it may be observed, that from the passages already quoted, such distinct orders as those of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, existed; for they are all mentioned. Now that Bishops were distinct from other ministers, is evident from the writings of the primitive fathers. When, indeed, all the other Apostles had left Jerusalem, James the Less was stationed there as a superintendant or Bishop. Ignatius (contemporary with the Apostles) says, "Be subject to the Bishop, as to Jesus Christ; to the Presbyters as Christ's Apostles; to the Deacons as to the ministers of Jesus Christ," &c. Here then are the three distinct orders *; and it is to be observed, that Igna

* Various extracts from these fathers fully establishing Episcopacy, as a practice of primitive times, are given by Bishop Tomline,

tius suffered martyrdom only 77 years after Christ's death, in 107. There are numerous other passages in the ancient fathers, corroborating this, as in Clement, Origen, Irenæus, &c. Bishops indeed were not necessary in the infant state of Christianity, but were appointed gradually to suit existing circumstances. The year 64 seems to be the probable time when Bishops were first appointed; in 58, St. Paul calls the Elders of the Church of Ephesus, Bishops or Overseers; but in 64, we find that Paul placed Timothy in the situation of a Bishop, to prevent unsound doctrine, to ordain and govern Presbyters; and he gives him a detailed account of the office of a Bishop *. In the same year Titus was similarly appointed, with the further. power of rejecting heretics t. Thus we find that the Apostles received authority from Christ; transmitted it (whilst under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,) to others; and gave them power to appoint ministers; so that up to the present day, there has been a regular succession and transfer of authority. In

whose arguments are here abridged. Bishop Burnet says but little on the subject of Episcopacy, though he shews by a regular induction of particulars, that several orders and functions were established in the Church, which were to be of perpetual duration.

1 Tim. i. 3; v. 1. xix. 22.

Titus iii. 10.