Between Irenæus and St. John, there exists only the single link of Polycarp. Irenæus was the scholar of Polycarp, and Polycarp was the disciple of St. John.

fuller age, who had been previously baptized; thirdly, in creating successors in power, and appointing gover nors over particular churches; when by laying on of hands, it is said they received the Holy Ghost, to qualify them for the pastoral office; which makes the parallel exact between the ceremony of Christian ordination, and that observed in appointing successors in the Jewish Sanhedrim.

The words of Maimonides are clear upon this point. "Moses our master created the seventy elders, by imposition of hands, and the Divine Majesty rested on them, and these elders imposed hands on others, and they were so created until the House of Judgment of Moses, and the House of Judgment of Joshua: that is, successors were thus appointed to the Sanhedrim, in the time of Moses and Joshua,"

The lists of bishops, which are come down to us in different churches, are generally more numerous, than we might expect. But the succession in the three first centuries was very quick, because the bishop often ended in the martyr; for when persecution arose, the first fury of it fell upon this order of holy men, who abundantly testified by their sufferings and death, that they were sincere, and satisfied in the belief of what they taught; and that they stedfastly adhered to the faith and doctrine, which they had received from the apostles, and were willing to lay down their lives, in the same hope, and upon the same principles.

Bh

Now the fact which Irenæus mentions, as existing in his own time, is the universal establishment of the episcopate. With regard to this plain fact, I do not see how he could have been mistaken. We all know without a possibility of error, that episcopacy is, at this present moment, established in England. In a similar manner Irenæus

From the apostles we derive our spiritual order; from the crown we derive our temporal power of Juris. diction, and all those rights of supremacy, which are claimed by our kings at this day, are the same that the primitive church, and bishops, owned to be a part of the regal estate; and such as Christian princes have enjoyed in all ages. But the kings of England have yet a stronger claim to the right of election, as being the founders of episcopal sees (Stat of Prov. Westm. 23, Ed. 3, &c.) and, thereby, invested with the power of nominating, according to the known usage, and canons, of the ancient church. Thus we see, where the right of kings, and the spiritual authority of bishops, meet and join, and where they divide, and are distinguished. The bishop of the see of the Isle of Man, not holding his temporalities of the crown, is no peer, but by consecration, he is as much an apostolical bishop, as any in either province. It is true the person to be ordained, is asked if he thinks himself truly called according to the order of this realm-but the first demand is, "whether he be also truly called to this ministration, according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ."

knew with absolute certainty, what form of ecclesiastical polity prevailed in his days. This form he declares to have been the episcopal. He assures us, that in every church there had been a regular succession of

The consecration form runs thus. "Forasmuch as the Holy Scripture, &c., and the new made bishop is commanded to be faithful in ordaining, sending, or laying hands upon others." He that cannot discern a divine right here, may as well mistake the bible for a common law book, because it is printed cum privilegio. Elizabeth, therefore, conscious that she possessed no power of conferring spiritual authority upon any man, undertook not the preposterous task of consecrating the new bishops herself on the contrary, as the bishop of Aire very truly states the matter, she called in, for that purpose, Hoskins, Scory, Barlow, and Coverdale, all of whom, had been canonically consecrated to the episcopate.

Barlow was bishop elect of Chicester; Scory, bishop elect of Hereford; Coverdale, late bishop of Exeter; and Hoskins, or Hodgkins, bishop suffra. gan of Bedford. These four ecclesiastics were them. selves, confessedly, in episcopal orders; they, not the Queen, consecrated Parker to the metropolitan see of Canterbury; and, when this matter had been accomplished, Parker, as primate, presided at the consecration of all the other new bishops.

The original instrument of Archbishop Parker's consecration, is, amongst his other papers, in the library of Corpus Christi College, at Cambridge, a copy of

bishops, from the time of the apostles. To enumerate the successions of all the churches, he remarks, would occupy too much space, and time; he confines himself, therefore, as a

which Burnet has inserted, in his "History of the Reformation." Of its authenticity he gives the following attestations.

"Cambridg, January 11, 1674.

We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, having seen the original, whereof this writing is a perfect copy, and considered the hand and other eircumstances thereof, are fully persuaded that it is a true and genuine record of the rites and ceremonies of Archbishop Par ker's consecration, and as ancient as the date it bears. In witness whereof, we have hereunto put our hands the day and year above written.

Hen. Paman Orat Publicus

Hen. More, D.D.

Ra. Widdrington, S.T.D. & D. Marg. P." "C.C.C.C.

We, the Master and Fellows of Corpus Christi College, in the University of Cambridg, do hereby declare and certify, that this writing being a narrative of Archbishop Parker's consecration, in Lambeth Chapel, is faithfully transcribed from the original record in our college library, and we are fully satisfied that the said record is as ancient as the date it bears, and the occasion, to which it doth refer. Nor can we doubt but the plain and evident tokens of antiquity, which it carries, will as much satisfy any ingenuous persons who shall

single specimen of the whole, to the succession of the Roman church. On this topic

1

have a sight thereof; which, therefore, we shall readily afford, to those who shall repair to the college, for that purpose.

John Spencer, D.D. Master of the Coll.
John Peckover, B.D.

Erasmus Lanc, B.D.
Ri, Sheldrake, B.D.
Saml. Beck, B.D.
Hen. Gostling, B D.
Will. Briggs, M.A.

John Richer, M.A."

Peter Walsh, a Franciscan, called Valesius, or De Valois, in an advertisement prefixed to his " History of the Irish Remonstrance," printed in 1664, expresses himself upon the validity of the English ordinations, in the strongest terms. "In that place, says this father, where I seem somewhat too severe on Mathew Parker, the first protestant archbishop of Canterbury under Queen Elizabeth, you must not persuade yourself, I do at all reflect upon his ordination, as if indeed, that had been not only uncanonical, or unlawful, but really void and null, or, (as school men speak) invalid. Were I to deliver my opinion, on this matter, or, were it to my purpose to speak thereof, I would certainly hold myself obliged, in conscience, to concur with them, who doubt not the ordination of bishops, in the Protestant Church of England, to be valid. And yet I have read all whatever hath been objected, by the Roman Catholic writers, whether against the matter,