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it was always used among the Jews. in giving blessings, designing men to the priesthood, and in the consecration of solemn sacrifices, all which were a representation of the divine appointment of the Son of God, who was to be to the world in the end both sacrifice and Priest. The laying on of hands, come into use in a very early time, and the ceremony was divinely sanctioned as a type; which represented to impart power and grace. It is said, (Deut. xxxiv. 9,) that “Joshua the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him." Now it is to be observed that Moses stood in the character of God to Aaron, (Exod. iv. 16,) and so he was to Joshua; Aaron and Joshua both represented the Saviour, whom God hath ANOINTED, APPOINTED and ORDAINED to be the judge of quick and dead.

There are several instances where the laying on of hands, is mentioned in the scriptures, but all done according to the tradition of the law; the same as the apostles observed vows, purifications, circumcision, anointing with oil, &c. with other things which we have mentioned. All these instances, when properly considered, will not amount to any example for us to lay on hands. Says DR. ISAAC, "When our Lord chose twelve, that he might send them forth to preach, he is said to have ordained them; but the word ordained imparts no more then to constitute, appoint, elect, and there is not the slightest in

timation that he used any ceremonious consecration."*

After the ascension of Christ, only two persons, Matthias and Paul, were raised to the office of the apostleship; and neither of them received any human ordination to preach the gospel. The appointment of Matthias is remarkable.-Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty, and made a speech on the necessity of electing one to fill the place of Judas, who had fallen by transgression; " and they appointed two, Joseph, called Barnabas, who was sirnamed Justus, and Matthias." It appears that the election was in the disciples and when they could not determine which of the two was the most suitable, the apostles did not pretend to take the matter to themselves, but all parties agreed to refer the election to God. They therefore prayed and " gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias ;" and all we read more about this business is that he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Here the whole affair of constituting an apostle was managed by God and the people, without the eleven (who were present) persuming either to appoint or consecrate them afterwards.

The apostle Paul did not think any human ordination necessary to qualify him to preach the gospel. "I certify you brethren" said

See Adam Clarke's note, Mark, iii. 14.

he, "that the gospel which was preached of me was not after man. When it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood; neither went Iupto Jerusalem, to them which were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia, and returned again into Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days, but other of the apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's brother." From this account it is clear that the apostle did not account human ordination necessary, therefore went immediately to the work whereunto God had called him, and was employed full three years in preaching the gospel, and planting churches before he ever saw any of the apostles. I have not the most distant idea, neither is there the least evidence that the disciples which were scattered abroad upon the persecution of Stephen, were all ordained by the laying on of hands; the ceremony was among other types and was to be left with baptism and other things under the more perfect dispensation. Sce Heb. vi. 1, 2.

There is not the slightest evidence in the whole of the New Testament records, that the apostles ordained coadjutors or successors to themselves in the apostolic office; and even if they had, a successor cannot be traced from

the apostles to the present time, unless it be admitted that the church of Rome was a true church-and that admitted, the succession cannot then be proved, for it is well known that the Papists cannot prove their own succession. And even if the papists had no difficulty in proving their descent, what a prostitution to the cause of Christ would it be to trace any ecclesiastical succession through that church, seeing the succession must be through heretics, schismatics,infidels, idolators, simonites, drunkards, adulterers, sodomites and murderers.

Pope Gregory VI.could neither read nor write. Schulphus was made archbishop of Rheims. when he was between four and five years of age. Otho, called a council at Rome in the year 963, to examine the conduct of Pope John VII. who had ordained bishops for money; he also had ordained a boy of ten years old bishop of Tudortine. Pope John was guilty of sacrilege, murder and rapes; he killed Benedict by putting out his eyes, and John a cardinal, by cutting off one of his members; he set houses on fire, the clergy and laity declared that he drank a health of wine to the devil, and at his plays at dice craved the help of Jupiter, Venus, and demons. The council put down John and set Leo. John called a council of bishops up who declared him to be the most godly, and most holy pope, and cursed Leo and all his adherents the next year an incensed hus

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band caught said John, where he had not ought to have been, and beat out his brains. Baronies and Binius, two celebrated historians of the Romish church make John the true pope to his death, and trace the succession through him, in opposition to Leo.

We might mention the conduct of pope Clement VI. who made Daendalus the king, lay flat down before his table and gnaw bones like a dog.-Pope Alexander, who proudly and contemptuously trod Frederick, the emperor, under his feet, and applied, at the same time the 18th verse of the 91st Psalm to himself.-Hilderbrand, also caused Henry the emperor, with his wife and young child to stand in the gate of the city in a cold winter's day, bare footed and bare legged, only clothed with linsey woolsey, eating nothing from morning till night, and that for the space of three days. We may mention Pope Julius II. who threw St. Peter's keys into the river Tiber-Urban VI. who caused five cardinals to be put into sacks and drowned-of Pope Sargius III. that persecuted the dead body of Formosus, his predecessor-of Pope John XIV. who, when his enemy was delivered into his hands, stripped him naked, and with his beard shaven off in derision hanged him. up by the hair a whole day.

So it is, the ecclesiastical succession cannot be traced but through men as cruel as satan himself through children, heretics, schismatics, infidels, idolators, simonists, drunkards,

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