THE PREFACE TO THE DISSENTERS. GENTLEMEN, I Cannot forbear to recommend this plain Difcourfe to your perufal. For how indifferently foever I have managed the Subje& on which I have here treated, yet, I trust, you will think the Matter it felf to be of the greatest Weight and Importance, as undoubtedly it is. Becaufe if your Teachers are not called to their Office according to the Inftitution of Chrift, and confequently bave received no Authority from him to minifter his Holy Ordinances, then have you not the Word and Sacraments rightly and du ly adminiftred amongst you, inasmuch as thofe, who pretend to preach this Word, and to minifter thefe Sacraments in your Congregations, have no lawful Commission from Christ, the fole Head and Founder of the Church, to do fuch things. And whereas the Salvation of your Souls, according to the Covenant of Grace, depends on if thefe thefe Ordinances, are not rightly and duly received by you, there is no Ground whereon you can build any fure Hopes of Salvation, according to that Covenant. And how can you rightly and duly reseive them, when you take them from fuch Hands as have no Right to adminifter them? So that indeed the Salvation of Jour Souls is most nearly concerned in this Matter. Therefore let me entreat you to confider this Subject fe riously, and that as you value your Eternal Welfare and Happiness, as you would efcape the Damnation of Hell, and obtain Everlasting Life, I beseech you impartially to examine the Doctrine I have here delivered. 1 beg of you to confider that this is no indifferent Matter, like the wearing of a Gown or a Surplice, or things of the like Nature, but a Matter effenal to the Chriftian Religion, and that withbout these three Orders of Bishops, Priests and Deacons (as that most Holy and most Ancient Father St. Ignatius, who lived with the Apoftles themselves, long since observed) there is no Church: Confequently, that by rejecting the Supreme Order of Bishops, from whom the other two Orders derive their Authority, you have Onchurch'd your felves, and are become Aliens to the Common-wealth of ILrael. Do not think it will be sufficient for you to say that this is High-flying Doctrine that Unchurches or Unchriftians fuch Multitudes, as the Body of Diffenters make: For if the Doctrine be true, to call it High flying, will not make it falfe, nor excufe you for acting contrary to it. Your bufiness therefore is to fearch the Scriptures, and fee whether these things be fo: For if they be fo there, the giving them bard Names will not make them otherwife. 1 I therefore conjure you, as you value your Immortal Souls, that you would feriously and impartially examine what Right your Teachers have to execute the Priest's Office in the Miniftration of the Word and Sacraments, or other Holy Functions amongst you: For if they are Ufurpers of the Sacred Office (as I conceive it most evident from the Scriptures, and the Univerfal Practice of the whole Chriftian Church for 1500 Years, that they are) then is the Word of God, which they preach without Power and Autbority, and the Sacraments which they minifter without Validity. No Man fhall be answerable for not hearkening to the Word of God, as delivered by them, because they have no Authority to preach it. No Man can be made a Member of Chrift by their Baptifm, because they have no Right to make a Covenant in the Name of Chrift. No Man can receive receive the Body and Blood of Chrift from their Hands, because they have no Commiffion from Chrift to Confecrate Bread and Wine to be the Representatives of his Body which was broken, and of his Blood which was shed for the Remiffion of Sins. So that in truth, by forfaking your lawful Paftors to follow such unauthoriz'd, uncommission'd Teachers, you deprive your felves both of the Means Grace, and all fure, well-grounded Hopes of Glory.. I have in the following Difcourfe proved from the Scri ptures that all Christian Priests must derive their Call to the Priesthood by a Spiritual Generation or Succeffion from Chrift and his Apoftles, as the Jewish Priests derived theirs, by a natural Generation from Aaron and his Sons: But I could not, as I have there also obferved, in the short compafs of a fingle Sermon, fhew in a particular manner haw this Succeffion had been from Time to Time, from Age to Age continued, from our Saviour's Days to this prefent, by Epifcopal Ordination only. And therefore I think convenient to acquaint you here, that I have done this in ano ther Book, published fome time ago, call'd An Account of Church Government and Governours, &c. In the Pre face to which Book I have alfo taken notice of several Excellent Difcourfes on the fame Subject, wherein the Defects of my Treatife are abundantly made up; to which may be added two other Treatifes written by a Lay-man, the one call'd Lay-Baptifm Invalid; and the other Sacerdotal Powers; from which Difcourfes, if you will give your felves the trouble to confult them, you may be convinced that the Doctrine contain'd in the following Sermon, has been the din Doctrine of the Chriftian Church, from the Apostles Days to the Time of John Calvin. And methinks in a Matter of fuch moment, which fo nearly concerns the Eternal Welfare of your Souls, you should be content to take a little pains for your Satisfaction. For tho' we may hope that God will make Allowances to the Prejudices of an unhappy Education, in Places where the Means of better Information are wanting, which I take to be the Cafe of Foreign Proteftant's, whofe Ignorance for the genera lity lity feems upon that Account to be in fome measure invinë cible; yet there is no Ground for you to expect that any Allowances can be made for thofe, who will obftinately retain their Prejudices against the Truth, when it is clearly Thew'd them, and will continue in their Ignorance, notwithStanding they might be better informed if they would themfelves, and are like the deaf Adder that stoppeth her Ears, that will not hearken to the Voice of the Charmer that charmeth never fo wifely. I do affure you, that the only Reason of my making this Addrefs to you, is, that I may be an Inftrument to fave your Souls, and, if possible, to pull fome of you out of that Fire which you are running into, by blindly following blind Guides, who deceive both themselves and you: And I hope I shall not therefore be counted your Enemy, becaufe I tell you the Truth. But I affure you, whatever you may think of me or my Doctrine, I shall always pray for your Converfion, and ufe my best Endeavours to effect it, as it shall please God to give me Opportunity. And shall be well contented to bear all the Reproaches and hard Words that can be cast upon me,either by your Teachers,or any other of your Party,provided I may be a Means of perfuading, even a very small Number of you to embrace the Truth. Jan. 17. *1711 I am Your moft hearty Well-wisher, and faithful Humble Servant THO. BRETT. |