to whom belong the glorious titles given formerly to the Jewish nation', Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, does not infer that all Christians are equally priests and ministers; but notes the spiritual freedom and liberty of Christ's church in a figurative expression, that it is separated from the world, and peculiarly beloved of God; as anciently the people of the Jews were. So, he hath made us kings and priests unto God; but Christians in general are no more literally priests, than kings. So the same question may still be asked now, with St. Paul, Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?

5thly, As for the primitive government of the Christian church, and the power of ordination, or calling and sending ministers; the apostles, whilst they lived, did for the most part manage the episcopacy, or the supreme government of the churches, themselves, presiding over those of their own foundation. Thus St. Paul had the care of, and visited the churches of his own planting, wrote epistles to them as their spiritual governor, and ordered the discipline, and that with authority which the Lord had given him. Thus also he exercised episcopal authority over the elders at Ephesus, sent for them to Miletus, and gave them his charge to perform their duties; which is a manifestation that they were under his government. But as the apostles withdrew, they committed the care and government of churches to such persons whom they appointed thereto. And this is so evident, that Irenæus, bishop of Lyons, (who was educated under Polycarp, one of St. John's disciples ",) assures us, that "he could reckon up the names of those whom the apostles had appointed

m

g Rev. i. 6. h 1 Cor. xii. 29.

f Exod. xix. 6. xv. 36. 2 Cor. xi. 28. k 1 Cor. v. 1-8. 2 Cor. ii. 6. xx. 17, &c. m Cave's Life of Irenæus.

i Acts

1 Acts

bishops in their several churches "." This hath been esteemed the true state of the first and apostolical age; of which we have an uncontrollable evidence in Timothy and Titus, and the angels or bishops of the churches in the Revelations". Some indeed have observed a community of the names bishop and presbyter in the New Testament, the same persons being styled bishops and elders, or presbyters. But then they were as yet under the care and government of the apostles; for this community of names was proper to the apostolical times, while the apostles themselves kept the greatest part of episcopal authority in their own hands: and even then, supposing bishops or elders and deacons should signify mere presbyters and deacons, there were yet three orders in the church, apostles, presbyters, and deacons; but then, as the apostles were withdrawn, and so the name of an apostle began to be laid aside, [out of reverence to the apostles,] the name of bishops was appropriated to their successors in their supremacy; and things are more ancient than the names they are called by. So that we may allow for the community of names between bishop and presbyter for a while in the church, that is, while the apostles governed the churches themselves (as under the law both the high-priest and the priests of inferior order were called by the common name of priests,) but afterwards, that which had been part of the apostolical office, became the episcopal, which hath continued to this time in the Christian church. Insomuch that Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, (who had conversed with the apostles, and was a disciple of St. John', and died within ten years after him,) mentions the three dis

n Irenæus, 1. iii. c. 3. See also 1. iv. c. 63. and 1. v. c. 20. • See the first observation on Timothy and Titus, and the second observation on the Revelations. P As they conjecture from Phil. i. 1. Titus i. 5, 7. q Lev. i. 7, 8. Life of Ignatius.

r Cave's

tinct orders; " By Damas your excellent bishop, and Bassus and Apollonius your presbyters, and Socio your deacon." To which may be added farther, that however in the New Testament bishops and presbyters might be called by the same name, yet the power and right of ordaining others was in the hands of those who were superior to presbyters*.

6thly, The Jewish circumcision, and other legal institutions, as being types and shadows, were abolished, or rather ceased of themselves, by Christ's coming, who was the substance; and therefore ought not to have been imposed as necessary". St. Paul indeed circumcised Timothy, that he might accommodate himself to the Jews at that time, the better to prevail upon them, who would not otherwise have conversed with him; and on other occasions, he complied with them to gain them; but when the Judaising Christians urged the necessity of the Mosaical institutions, in order to salvation under the Gospel, this he could by no means allow; for that would have supposed that the Messiah (who was the substance of what those ordinances were but as shadows) was not yet come'. The temple worship continued to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the apostles and evangelists complied (as far as they could consistently with preaching up Jesus) with that worship and the law of Moses, that thereby they might the more easily convert the Jews, and keep them from relapsing into Judaism again; for the Jewish Christians were wont to continue zealous of the law, even after their conversion, till by degrees they came more perfectly to understand the

Epist. ad Magnes. §. 2, 6. and Trall. §. 2. Beveridge's Codex Can. Eccles. prim. 1. ii. c. 11. Potter's Government of the Ancient Church. * Chap. xvi. 3. y Compare chap. xxi. 20, &c. 20, 21, 22. with Gal. v. 1, &c. and Eph. ii. 15. and xxi. 23, 24. a Acts xxi. 20, 21.

t Bishop and Bishop

u

Chap. xv. and 1 Cor. ix.

Z Acts ii. 46.

Gospel ministration. It was also fit that the cere monial law and worship, which was at first established by God himself, and in its season ordained for the spiritual remedy and salvation of the Jews, should not, like the idolatrous worship of the heathen, be presently condemned as impious and destructive; but go off by degrees, and be the more decently extinguished.

7thly, As it hath been said before", that the Jews were wont to receive proselytes, not only by circumcision, but also by baptizing them; so it is farther evident, that their custom was, when the parents were made proselytes and baptized, to baptize their children too: and this was so common, that they made a rule, in case a woman with child were made a proselyte, and so baptized, then that child, when born, had no farther need to be baptized afterwards; otherwise it should. Now since we find that the apostles baptized persons who believed in Christ with their families, as Lydia and her household; and the keeper of the prison, being converted, was baptized, he and all his; though it be not expressed that infants were in these families, (as most probably they were in some or other of them,) yet since they were wont to be admitted to the seal of the covenant, by being circumcised and baptized among the Jews, when their parents were proselytes; unless it had been expressly explained otherwise in the Scripture, how can we understand, but that the apostles did baptize them with their believing parents? for such infants are within the covenant, and called holy by St. Paul, on the account of their parents believing, and being members of the church. The two principal ends of the institution of baptism are answered

In the tenth remark on the holy Gospels, §. 4. foot Hor. in Matt. iii. 6. d Acts xvi. 15, 33. 11th observation on 1 Cor.

1 Cor. vii. 14.

ė

by the baptism of infants, viz. their being visibly admitted members of Christ's church, and a title being conveyed to them in this laver of regeneration, to the sanctifying graces of the Holy Spirit. So that in short, since children are declared by Christ to have a title to the kingdom of heaven, and as such were brought to him, and blessed by hims; and St. Paul declares those of believing parents to be holy, or within the covenant; since it was the method among the Jews to instruct persons of age, and make them proselytes, and then to admit their children also by baptism; and, lastly, since Christ gave a general commission to disciple him all nations, baptizing them, without excepting infants", it cannot be understood, but that the apostles did proceed in making proselytes to Christianity, in the same manner as the Jews were wont to do in making their proselytes to Judaism, viz. by informing and convincing grown persons, and baptizing them on their faith and repentance; and likewise, baptizing the children also of the faithful, as being within the covenant, and therefore to be received into the Christian church by baptism, as well as infants were wont to be received into the Jewish church by circumcision. As for the primitive church, we are assured it was of general practice from some of the earliest writersi.

8thly, Set forms of public prayer and thanksgiving are warranted by the practice of St. Paul, who used to frequent the synagogue of the Jews, as it had been the custom of Christ so to do'. Now the Jews had in their synagogues, in those times, stated forms of prayer and thanksgiving, which Christ and

m

* Mark x. h Matt. xxviii. 19.

i Forbesii Instructiones Historic. Theol. 1. x. cap. 5. num. xiv. &c. Mr. Wall's History of Infant Baptism. Mr. Bingham's Orig. Eccles. book xi. §. 5, kActs xiii. 14. and xviii. 4. 1 Matt. iv. 23. Luke iv. 16. and xii. 9. m See remark x. on the Gospels, numb. iii.

&c.