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faid, is "fumma Injuria." The Methodists, in Doctrine, are chiefly erroneous, on account of the lengths they run in it; and the exclufive im portance which, in fome cafes, they give it. There are two or three great Chriftian truths, replete with comfort to the mind of man; upon these they dwell continually. Thefe they magnify in fuch a degree as to make many other truths fet forth in the Gofpel, appear but of fmall comparative confequence. Errors of this kind it is a difficult thing to refute; and it is a very hard talk to convince a man who has fallen into them that he is mistaken. The Methodift tells you he is of the true Church; and turns to the Thirty-nine Articles, and thence to the Bible, for proof of his affertion. If you can admit half a dozen infulated Texts to decide, and allow a portion or two of two or three of the articles to contain the whole of the cafe, the Methodist may boast of having offered you demonftration; and may affert that it has loft its force upon your mind; that you come fhort of Righteousness," refuse the Gofpel, and caft the Articles behind

you.

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The short way with the Methodists feems to be, to urge the queftion of Difcipline, and to prefs upon them the finfulness of Schifm. How can they call themselves members of the true Church, whilft they attend the miniftry of felf-conftituted Teachers? How can they be deemed Epifcopalians fitting under" (as they term it) Prefbyterian Paftors; or even Paftors who have received but Lay-ordination; if that may be ftyled ordination which is but a nullity? Under fuch circumftances the Methodis wander in utter Schifm. They depart farther and farther from the Church; and all their claim of Churchmembership is but a claim made by ignorance, ftimulated by audacity. "Neither Chrift, nor the Holy Spirit, (fays Dr. Hickes, in an admirable Letter, prefixed to an Effay entitled "Lay Baptifin invalid,") neither Angels, nor Men, have prefumed to act authoritively in things pertaining to God, without the regular call from man as God hath appointed, or an extraordinary call from God."The fame great Divine fupplies, in proof of his affertion, almost the whole of what relates to the calling and the fending of Minifters in the Holy Scripture. His felection of Texts is fo complete; his arrangement is fo perfpicuous; and the aggregate forms fuch an impregnable body of evidence on behalf of the difcipline of the Church, that I think you will perform an acceptable work by reprinting it. Dr. Hickes treats of the Miffion of Mofes the Miffion of the Jewish Priefts-the Miffion of St. John the Baptift-the Miffion of Chrift-the Miflion of the Holy Spirit—the Miffion of Angels-the Miffion of the Apoftles-of the Seventy Difciplesand of the Succeflors of the Apostles.

1.

THE MISSION OF MOSES.And the Lord faid-Come now therefore, and I will SEND thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayeft bring forth my people, &c. out of Egypt. Exod. 3, 10. Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou fhalt fay. Exod. 4. 12. He SENT Mofes his fervant. Pfal. 105. 26.

2. THE MISSION OF THE JEWISH PRIESTS.-Take thou unto thee Aaron thy Brother, and his Sons with him, FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, that he may minifter UNTO ME in the Priest's Office, even Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazer, and Ithamar, Aaron's Sons. Exod. And the Lord fpake unto Aaron,--Thou and thy Sons with thee fhall keep your PRIEST'S OFFICE. -I HAVE GIVEN your Prieft's Office unto you as a service of GIFT, and the STRANGER that cometh nigh (i, e.

28. 1.

as

Numb. 18. 1. 7.

as a Prieft) fhall be put to death. Uzziah the King tranfgreffed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incenfe upon the altar of incenfe, and Azariah the Priest went in after him, and with him fourfcore Priefts of the Lord that were valiant men: And they WITHSTOOD Uzziah the king, and faid unto him, it APPERTAINETH NOT unto thee Uzziah to burn incenfe unto the Lord, but to the Priefts the Sons of Aaron, that are cONSECRATED to burn incenfe: Go OUT of the Sanctuary for thou haft trefpaffed, &c. 2 Chron. 26. 16. 17. 18. For every High Prieft taken FROM AMONG MEN, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and facrifices for fin: and no man taketh this honour unto himself but he that is CALLED OF GOD as was Aaron. Heb, 5. 1. 3. Not to spend too much time in enumerating thofe Texts which prove the Miflion of the Prophets, I thall only recite fome of those which plainly evince:

3. THE MISSION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. The laft of the Jewifh Prophets, and immediate fore-runner of our Saviour. There was a MAN SENT from God, whose name was John. He was SENT to bear witnefs of that Light (i. e. of Christ,) He that SENT me to Baptize, &c. St. John 1. 6, 8, 33. Behold! I SEND MY MESSENGER (i. e. John the Baptift) before thy face, which thall prepare thy way before thee. St. Mark 1. 2. & 11. 10.

4. THE MISSION OF CHRIST, the fecond perfon of the Eternal Trinity. St. John the Baptift fpeaking of him fays-He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me. St. John 1. 27. 30. And our Lord fpeaking of himself fays, He that receiveth me receiveth him (i. e. God the Father) that SENT me, St. Matt. 10. 40. St. John 13. 20. And he that despiseth me defpifeth him that SENT me, St. Luke 10. 16. God SENT not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be faved, St. John 3. 17. Jefus faith, my meat is to do the will of him that SENT me, St. John 4. 34. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath SENT him. He that heareth my word and believeth on him that SENT me hath everlasting life.-I seek not mine own will but the will of the Father which hath SENT me.-The Father hath SENT me.-And the Father himself which hath SENT me, St. John 5. 23, 24, 30, 36, 37. The living Father hath SENT me, St. John 6. 57. The Father that fent me, St. John 8. 16. 18. Say ye of him (i. e. of Chrift) whom the Father hath fanctified (i. e. confecrated or fet apart for the office of the Meilias) and SENT into the world, &c. St. John 10.36. That they may believe that thou haft SENT me, St. John 11. 42. I have not fpoken OF MYSELF, but the Father which SENT me, he GAVE ME A COMMANDMENT what I fhould fay, and what I fhould speak, St. John 12. 49. And this is Life Eternal,, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou HAST SENT.I have finished the work which thou GAVEST me to do. I came our FROM thee. Thou haft SENT me into the world. me, St. John 17. 3, 8, 18. 25. the world, that we might live through him. the propitiation for our fins, St. John 4, 9, 10. his Son made of a woman, &c. Galat. 4. 4.

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Thou haft SENT

God SENT his only begotten Son into
And SENT his Son to be
God SENT FORTH
Thus we fee that Chrift

GLORIFIED NOT HIMSELF to be made an High Prieft, but He that faid unto

him, Thou art my Son, Heb. 5, 5.

Wherefore let us Confider the

the Apoftle and High Priest of our profeffion Chrift Jefus, who was FAITHFUL to him that APPOINTED him, Heb. 3. 1, 2.

4. THE MISSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, the Third Perfon of the Eternal Trinity. The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the FATHER WILL SEND in my name, St. John 14. 26. When the Comforter is come, whom I WILL SEND unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, who proceedeth from the Father, &c. St. John 15. 26. IfI go not away the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart I WILL SEND him unto you, St. John 16. 7. He fhall not fpeak OF HIMSELF, but whatfoever he fhall hear that fhall he fpeak, ver. 13. He fhall glorify me, for he fhall RECEIVE OF MINE and fhall fhew it unto you, ver. 14. Accordingly, the Holy Ghoft was fent from Heaven on the Day of Pentecoft, as St. Peter teftified to the wondering multitude, telling them,

This Jefus being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghoft, he hath SHED Forth this, which you now fee and hear (i. e. he hath SENT FORTH THE HOLY GHOST who has caufed thofe aftonithing miraculous wonders which you now fee and hear.) Acts 2. 32, 33. And St. Paul tells the Galatians, God hath SENT FORTH the Spirit of his Son (i. e. the Holy Ghoft) into your hearts, Galat. 4. 6. And St. Peter reckons the Holy Ghoft SENT DOWN from Heaven, among those things which the Angels defire to look into, 1 St. Pet. 1. 12.

.5. THE MISSION OF ANGELS. They are ALL Miniftering Spirits SENT FORTH to minifter, Heb. 1. 14. The Angel Gabriel WAS SENT from God unto a city, &c. to a Virgin espoused to a man whofe name was Jofeph, -St. Luke 1. 26. -The fame Angel appeared before unto Zacharias and told him, I am Gabriel that ftand in the prefence of God, and AM SENT to fpeak unto thee. ver. 19. Peter faid, Now I

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know of a furety that the LORD HATH SENT his Angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, &c. Acts 12. 11. The Revelation of Jefus Chrift which God gave unto him, &c. HE SENT and fignified it by his Angel unto his Servant John, Revelat. 1. 1. The Seven Spirits of God SENT FORTH into all the Earth, Revelat. 5. 6. The Lord God SENT his Angel to thew unto his Servants the things which muft fhortly be done, Revelat. 22. 6.

6. THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. After the Twelve Apoftles are named, 'tis faid, thefe Twelve Jefus SENT FORTH and commanded them faying Preach freely ye have RECEIVED freely give, St. Matth. 10. 5, 7, 8. As my Father hath fent me even fo SEND 1 you, St. John 20. 21. All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth. Go YE therefore and teach (or rather disciple) all nations, baptizing them teaching them and lo I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS even unto the end of the world. Amen. St. Mat. 28. 18, 19, 20. And to fupply the place of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, the Apostles prayed and faid, thou Lord which knoweft the hearts of all men, fhew whether of these two (i. e. of Juftus or Matthias) thou haft CHOSEN, that he may TAKE part of this miniftry and apoftlefhip, Acts 1. 24, 25. And they gave for their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the Eleven Apoftles, ver. 26. God hath SET fome in the Church, FIRST Apoftles, 1 Cor. 12. 28. Our Lord faid to Ananias concerning the Apoftle St. Paul, He is a CHOSEN veffel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the Children of Ifrael, Acts 9. 15. As they

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ministered

ministered to the Lord and fafted, the Holy Ghoft faid, SEPARATE mę Barnabas and Saul (i. e. Paul) for the work whereunto I have CALLED THEM. And when they had fafted and prayed, and laid their hands on them they sent them away; fo they being SENT FORTH by the Holy Ghost departed, &c. Acts 13, 2, 3, 4. Again, the Lord faid unto St. Paul, Depart, for I will SEND thee far hence unto the Gentiles, Acts 22. 21. And therefore he ftiles himself Paul CALLED to be an Apostle of Jesus Chrift, through the will of God, 1 Cor. 1. 1. and fays in another place, I am ORDAINED a Preacher and an Apostle - a Teacher of the Gentiles, 1 Tim. 2. 7. How fhall they preach except they BE SENT, Rom. 10. 15. When He (i. e. Chrift) afcended up on High, He GAVE fome Apoftles, i. e. he gave fome the power and authority of being his Ambaffadors, Ephef. 4. 11.

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7. THE MISSION OF THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES, and of the DEACONS. After these things the Lord APPOINTED other Seventy also, and SENT them two and two before his face, St. Luke 10. 1. The Twelve

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(i. e. the Apostles) called the multitude of the Disciples unto them and faid, Look ye out among you feven men of honeft report full of the Holy Ghoft and wisdom, whom WE MAY APPOINT over this bufiness, (i. e. of taking care for the poor) And they chofe Stephen, &c. whom they SET BEFORE THE APOSTLES; and when THEY had prayed THEY LAID THEIR HANDS on them, Acts 6. 3, 5, 6.

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8. THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES SUCCESSORS. St. Paul and St. Barnabas ORDAINED them ELDERS in every Church, Acts 14. 23. For this caufe left I thee (i. e. Titus) in Crete that thou fhouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ORDAIN Elders in every City, as I (i. e. St. Paul) had APPOINTED thee, Tit. 1. 5. Stir up, the GIFT of God which is in thee (i. e. Stir up that Epifcopal authority, and the gifts anexed thereto, wherewith God hath endowed thee) BY THE PUTTING ON OF MY (i. e. St. Paul's) HANDS, 2 Tim. 1. 6. The things that thou haft heard of me - the fame COMMIT thou to faithful men, who fhall be able to teach others alfo, 2 Tim. 2. 2. LAY HANDS fuddenly on no man, 1 Tim. 5. 22. The Seven Stars are the ANGELS (i. e. the Bishops, or fupreme Spiritual Governors) of the Seven Churches, Rev. - Of which St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna was one. Now that thefe Succeffors of the Apoftles, to whom the power of ordaining others into the miniftry was committed, were not mere Prefbyters is evident from hence, that they had the overfight of the Church of God, 1 Pet. 5. 2. A power to receive an ACCUSATION against (and therefore were each of them A JUDGE of) an Elder or Minifter of a confequently inferior Order, 1 Tim. 5. 19. It was alfo their province to rebuke with ALL AUTHORITY, fo as to let no man despise them, Tit. 2. 15. to reject, i. e. excommunicate, a man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition, Tit. 3. 10. Without PREFERRING one before another, doing nothing by PARTIALITY, 1 Tim. 5. 21. Hence the particular Angel, or Bishop of the Church in Pergamos, was juftly reproved for tolerating them that held the doctrine of Balaam, and the Nicolaitans in that Church, Rev. 2. 14, 15, 16. So alfo was the particular Angel or Bishop of Thyatira, for SUFFERING the falfe Prophetefs Jezabel, Rev. 2. 20. And they could never have been thus juftly cenfured, if they had not been vefted with powers and authority above mentioned, and these powers do vaftly exceed all that can be duly claimed by any mere Prefbyter, or body of Presbyters whatfoeyer

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TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE, GENTLEMEN,

TAKE leave to return my thanks through the medium of your Magazine to C. for his unmerited compliment: our fentiments on the subject of cate chizing entirely coincide. The repetition of a portion of Lewis's Catechifm certainly is good, inafmuch as it gives the children an habit of acquainting themselves with Scripture; but with all due fubmiffion to the better judg ment of my lawful paftors, the mode adopted at Stepney seems most likely to be beneficial. Lental examinations too feldom return; in the lapfe of a year many removals, and other circumstances may take place it is befides fcarcely poffible for infants memories to retain what they have heard for fo long a time; on the other hand, repeating from a book may be without fuitable reflection: a monthly lecture would obviate both these objections. Perhaps delivering the lecture memoriter, would imprefs on the minds of his youthful audience a greater veneration for the abilities of their paftor, than a written difcourfe. This laudable practice was at Stepney very judiciously prefaced by a Sermon on the duties of Sponfors. I hope and trust thofe in the higher class of life would not difdain fending their children and scholars to receive their portion of the fincere milk of the word, as whatever fublunary diftinctions there may be, yet both high and low are created by the fame Almighty Father, redeemed by the fame Jefus Chrift, and fanctified by the fame Spirit. If any thould object that thus mingling rich and poor would be too likely the means of inciting an idea of equality; to this I anfwer, not more than their affembling together on the Sabbath; and furely fuch a thought never entered the brain of any one who poffeffed the finalleft portion of religion, or even of common fenfe.

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London, Oct 2, 1802.

Gentlemen, your obliged Servant,

THEODOSIUS.

ON THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN's" ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN

THEOLOGY."

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN,

I HAVE very lately perufed the Bishop of Lincoln's "ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY," the first Volume of which has been not long fince published in "a cheap form," for the purpofe, as its Author informs us in his Preface, of "diffufing more widely a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and a belief of their divine authority:" and as no employment can be better adapted to a Chriftian Bishop, fo no one could execute the defign in a more fatisfactory manner than is here done. The Bishop, having, doubtlefs, in his thoughts, the neceffity of well-grounding our youth in the knowledge of the Sacred Writings, is pleafed to add, "if it should lead those who are entrusted with the education of Youth to make this most important of all fudies a regular branch of inftruction to their Pupils, my object will be fully answered."

The "Elements of Chriftian Theology," in its original form, 2 vols. 8vo. was perufed with the greatest avidity by every true friend to the Established Religion, who was able to procure a fight of it. The contents of those Volumes were found fo truly interefting and useful, that most of the welldifpofed perfons who perused them, defired to poffefs a copy of them;

but

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