had more

PART proselytes. We do not condemn zeal, yet wish you I. light with it. Even in prudence, which you yourselves extol, this is not your right course,-to follow those birds with noise and clamour which you desire to catch.

[The ignorant mis

takes upon

founded.]

In sum, your answer or solution is full of ignorant mistakes. It confoundeth civil rolls and ecclesiastical registers. which it is It supposeth that our records are but transcriptions, one out of another; whereas every court recordeth its own acts, and keeps itself within its own bounds. It taketh notice but of one consecrater, whereas we have always three at the least, many times five or six. It quite forgetteth public notaries, which must be present at every consecration with us, to draw up what is done into acts; with us every one of these notaries, when he is admitted to that charge, doth take a solemn oath upon his knees to discharge his office faithfully, that is, not to make false certificates. Secondly, it is absurd and unseasonable, to inquire how a thing came to pass that never was. You ought first to have proved, that our records were forged, and then it had been more seasonable to have inquired modestly, how it came to pass. Thirdly, it is incredible, that persons of such prudence and eminence should make false certificates under their hands and seals, to the utter ruin of themselves and all that had a hand in it, and no advantage to any person breathing. It is incredible, that those records should be counterfeited in a corner, which were avowed publicly for authentic by the whole Parliament of England in the eighth year of Queen Elizabeth; which were published to the world in print by the person most concerned, as if he dared all the world to except against them and yet no man offered to except against them thens. Fourthly, it is impossible to give in a false certificate of a consecration, which was never performed in England (especially at Lambeth) before less than thousands of eye-witnesses; and that at Lambeth, in the face of the Court and Westminster-Hall. Surely they think we consecrate in closets, or holes, or hay-mows. They may even as well say, that the public acts of our Parliaments are counterfeited, and the public acts of our synods are counterfeited, and all our public monuments counterfeited. It is none of the honestest pleas, 'Negare factum'-to deny such [See above pp. 94-97.]

V.

public acts as these. Fifthly, this answer is pernicious to DISCOURSE mankind. It is destructive to all societies of men, that Bishops of so great eminence should conspire with public notaries to give in false certificates, in a matter of such high consequence as holy orders are, without any temptation, without any hope of advantage to themselves or others. It affordeth a large seminary for jealousies and suspicions. It exterminateth all credit and confidence out of the world, and instructeth all men to trust nothing, but what they see with their eyes. Lastly, it is contradictory to themselves. They have told us, I know not how often, and tell us again in this paragraph, that "if the Nag's Head Consecration had been false, they might have convinced it by a thousand witnesses;" here they make it an "easy" thing, for "the consecraters and other persons concerned, to conspire together to give in a false certificate, that the consecration was performed with all due ceremonies and rites, and thereby deceive the courts, or make them dissemble." If the world will be deceived so, it is but right and reason that it be deceived. To be deceived by a false certificate, that may be "convinced by a thousand witnesses," is self-deceit.

But they say, "this is more possible and more probable, than that all the clergy should conspire not to produce the same registers, when they were so hardly pressed by their adversaries."

These are but empty pretences; there was no pressing to produce registers, nor any thing objected that did deserve the production of a register. That which was objected against our orders in those days, was about the form of ordination published by Edward the Sixth, and the legality of our ordination in the time of Queen Elizabeth. The Nag's Head Consecration was never objected in those days'. Besides, registers are public enough themselves, and need no production. And yet our registers were produced; produced by the Parliament 8. Elizabeth, who cited them as authentic records; produced and published to the world in print',-that was another production.

They add, "Or that so many Catholics should have been

PART

I.

so foolish to invent or maintain the story of the Nag's Head, in such a time, when if it had been false, they might have been convinced by a thousand witnesses."

Fear them not; they were wiser than to publish such a notorious fable in those days; they might perchance whisper it in corners among themselves, but the boldest of them durst not maintain it or object it in print, for fear of shame and disgrace. It was folly to give any ear to it, but it was knavery to invent it; and to do it after such a bungling manner (whosoever was the inventer), was knavery and folly complicated together.

If the Fathers write any more upon this subject, I desire them to bring us no more hearsay testimonies of their own party; whatsoever esteem they may have themselves of their judgment and prudence and impartiality. It is not the manner of polemic writers, to urge the authority of their own doctors to an adversary, or allege the modern practice of their present Church. We have our own Church, and our own doctors, as well as they. If we would pin our faith to the sleeves of their writers, and submit to their judgments, and believe all their reports, and let all things be as they would have it, we needed not to have any more controversy with them but we might well raise a worse controversy in ourselves with our own consciences.

:

[Our form of Epi

scopal ordination sufficient,

to the!

CHAP. XI.

OF OUR FORMS OF EPISCOPAL AND PRIESTLY ORDINATION-OF ZUINGLI-
ANISM OF ARCHBISHOP LAUD-OF CEREMONIES-OUR ASSURANCE OF
OUR ORDERS.

We have done with the Nag's Head for the present: that which followeth next doth better become scholars, as having more show of truth and reality in it. They object, that "in in regard all the Catholic Rituals, not only of the West, but of the particular East, there is not one form of consecrating Bishops, that hath not the word Bishops in it, or some other words expressing the particular authority and power of a Bishop distinctly: but in our consecration, there is not one word to express the difference and power of Episcopacy; for these words, 'receive

office of

Bishops.]

485

the Holy Ghost,' are indifferent to Priesthood and Episcopacy, DISCOURSE and used in both ordinations."

I answer, that the form of Episcopal ordination, used at the same time when hands are imposed, is the same both in their form and ours; "Receive the Holy Ghost." And if these words be considered singly in a divided sense from the rest of the Office, there is nothing either in our form or theirs, which doth distinctly and reciprocally express Episcopal power and authority. But if these words be considered conjointly in a compounded sense, there is enough to express Episcopal power and authority distinctly, and as much in our form as theirs.

First, two Bishops present the Bishop elect to the Archbishop of the province, with these words, "Most Reverend Father in Christ, we present to you this godly and learned man to be consecrated Bishop." There is one expression.

Then the Archbishop causeth the king's letters patents to be produced and read, which require the Archbishop to consecrate him a Bishop. There is a second expression.

Thirdly, the new Bishop takes his oath of canonical obedience." I A. B. elected Bishop of the Church and See of C. do profess and promise all reverence and due obedience to the Archbishop and Metropolitical Church of D. and his successors. So God help me," &c. This is a third expression.

V.

12.-Acts

Next, the Archbishop exhorts the whole assembly to solemn prayer for this person thus elected and presented, before they "admit him to that office" (that is, the office of a Bishop), "whereunto they hope he is called by the Holy Ghost," after the example of Christ, "before He did choose His Apostles," and the Church of Antioch, "before they laid [Luke vi. hands upon Paul and Barnabas." This is a fourth expression. xiii. 3.] Then followeth the Litany, wherein there is this express petition for the person to be ordained Bishop ;-"We beseech Thee to give Thy blessing and grace to this our brother elected Bishop, that he may discharge that office whereunto he is called, diligently, to the edification of Thy Church." To which all the congregation answer, "Hear us, O Lord, we beseech Thee." Here is a fifth expression.

Then followeth this prayer, wherewith the Litany is concluded." Almighty God, the Giver of all good things,

I.

PART Which by Thy Holy Spirit hast constituted divers orders of Ministers in Thy Church, vouchsafe we beseech Thee to look graciously upon this Thy servant, now called to the office of a Bishop." This is a sixth expression.

Next, the Archbishop telleth him he must examine him, before he admit him to that administration whereunto he is called, and maketh a solemn prayer for him ;-that God, Who hath "( constituted some Prophets, some Apostles," &c., "to the edification of His Church, would grant to this His servant the grace.. to use the authority committed to him to edification not destruction; to distribute food in due season to the family of Christ," as becometh "a faithful and prudent steward." This "authority" can be no other than Episcopal authority; nor this "stewardship" any other thing than Episcopacy. This is a seventh expression.

Then followeth imposition of hands by the Archbishop and all the Bishops present, with these words, "Receive the Holy Ghost," &c.;

And, lastly, the tradition of the Bible into his hands, exhorting him "to behave himself towards the flock of Christ as a pastor, not devouring but feeding the flock"."

All this implieth Episcopal authority. They may except against Christ's own form of ordaining His Apostles if they will, and against the form used by their own Church; but if they be sufficient forms, our form is sufficient". This was the same form which was used in Edward the Sixth's time; and we have seen how Cardinal Pole, and Paul the Fourth, confirmed all without exception, that were ordained according to this form, so they would reunite themselves to the Roman Catholic Church.

m

[The summary here given applies both to the Ordinals of 1549 and 1552 and to that of 1662, with two exceptions (unimportant verbal differences being left out of the question): viz. 1. in the form of words used with the imposition of hands-that in the former Ordinals being, "Take the Holy Ghost, and remember that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee, by imposition of hands for God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and love, and of soberness;" that in the present, "Receive the Holy Ghost, for the office and work of a Bishop in the Church of God,

now committed unto thee by the imposition of our hands: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And remember," &c. as before; 2. in the tradition of the Pastoral Staff as well as the Bible, retained in the Ordinal of 1549, but omitted in that of 1552 and ever since. Bramhall has translated from the Latin Ordinal.]

[See Mason, bk. ii. c. 16;— and for the Roman Pontifical, Catalani, Pontif. Roman. cum Comment., tom. i. p. 197. § xviii. numm. 3, 4; and authorities there quoted.]