Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 3.djvu/222

18 Anglican. The Ministers of the Anglican Church derive their imposition of hands in a lawful way from lawful Bishops, possessed of a lawful authority; and therefore their call is ordinary [not extraordinary, by miracles.]

Romanist. But whence have those Bishops derived their power?

Anglican. From, through the hands of Bishops before them, &c. &c.

My opinion is, that Episcopal Government is not to be derived merely from Apostolical practice or institution, but that it is originally founded in the Person and Office of the Messias, our blessed Lord ; who, being sent by our heavenly Father to be the Great Apostle (Heb. iii. 1), Bishop, and Pastor (1 Peter ii. 25) of his Church, and anointed to that office immediately after His baptism by John, with power and the Holy Ghost (Acts x. 37, 38) descending then upon Him in a bodily shape (Luke iii. 22), did afterwards, before His ascension into Heaven, send and empower His holy Apostles, in like manner as His Father had before sent Him (John xx. 21), to execute the same Apostolical, Episcopal, and Pastoral Office, for the ordering and governing of His Church, until His coming again; and so the same office to continue in them and their successors unto the end of the world. (Matt, xxviii. 18–20.) This I take to be so clear, from these and other like texts of Scripture, that if they shall be diligently compared together, both between themselves and with the following practice of the Churches of, as well in the Apostles' times as in the purest and primitive times nearest thereunto, there will be left little cause why any man should doubt thereof.

That the prime act of power enstated by on His Apostles, as for the governing of the Church, (and exorcising or banishing all devils out of it,) so for the effectual performing that