114

ARCHBISHOP WHATELEY'S VIEWS.

In conclusion, therefore, on this part of our subject, it may safely and unhesitatingly be said, that the Successional Assumption of the Papists and Puseyites is a religious imposture— a piece of consummate ecclesiastical craft-a cheat, and species of clumsy jugglery, practised upon the unlearned, the unthinking, the super

from giving to the reader the opinions of that talented and liberal-minded prelate, Dr. Whateley, the present Archbishop of Dublin. The following quotations are from his justly admired work, entitled-" The Kingdom of Christ Delineated in Two Essays. On our Lord's own Account of his Person, and the Nature of his Kingdom; and, On the Constitution, Powers, and Ministry of a Christian Church, as Appointed by Himself." This excellent prelate says—

"It has been thought, or at least maintained, that the only way of affording complete satisfaction and repose to the scrupulous, and of repressing schism, is to uphold, under the title of Church Principles,' the doctrine, that no one is a member of Christ's Church, and an heir of the covenanted gospel promises, who is not under a ministry ordained by bishops, descended in an unbroken chain from the Apostles. Now, what is the degree of satisfactory assurance, that is thus afforded to the scrupulous consciences of any members of an Episcopal Church? If a man consider it as highly probable, that the particular minister at whose hands he receives the sacred ordinances is really apostolically descended, this is the very utmost point, to which he can with any semblance of reason attain. And the more he reflects, and enquires, the more

A CLERICAL PRIESTHOOD, UNSCRIPTURAL. 115 stitious, and credulous; in fine, it is a passing hoax, for a while successfully practised upon the church and the world. The supposed existence of an exclusive, official, human priesthood, under the present gospel dispensation, is virtually a rejection of the mediatorial and priestly office of Christ, and a return to Judaism; the

cause for hesitation he will find. There is not a minister in all Christendom, who is able to trace up, with any approach to certainty, his own spiritual pedigree. The sacramental virtue (for such it is that is implied, whether the term be used or not in the principle I have been speaking of) depended on the imposition of hands, with a due observance of apostolical usages, by a bishop, himself duly consecrated, after having been in like manner baptized into the Church, and ordained deacon or priest; this sacramental virtue, if a single link of the chain be faulty, must on the above principles be utterly nullified ever after, in respect of all the links that hang on that one. For if a bishop has not been duly consecrated, or had not previously been rightly ordained, his ordinations are null, and so are the ministrations of those ordained by him, and their ordinations of others (supposing any of the persons ordained by him, to attain to the episcopal office) and so on without end. The poisonous taint of informality, if it once creep in undetected, will spread the infection of nullity to an indefinite and irremediable extent. And who can undertake to pronounce that during that long period usually designated as the dark ages, no such taint was ever introduced? Irregularities could not have been wholly excluded without a perpetual miracle;

116

AN EXCLUSIVE CLAIM.

doctrine of baptismal regeneration, as taught by such priests, is a barefaced falsehood; and all pretensions to priestly absolutions are blasphemy. Yet the men who hold these heterodox notions, arrogate to themselves the exclusive right to teach their fellow men, saying with lying words, as did the deceptive teachers in Jeremiah's day,

and that no such miraculous interference existed, we have even historical proof. Amidst the numerous corruptions of doctrine and of practice, and gross superstitions that crept in during those ages, we find recorded descriptions, not only of the profound ignorance and profligacy of life of many of the clergy, but also of the grossest irregularities in respect of discipline and form. We read of bishops consecrated when mere children!-of men officiating who barely knew their letters-of prelates expelled, and others put into their places, by violence—of illiterate and profligate laymen, and habitual drunkards, admitted to holy orders-and, in short, of the prevalence of every kind of disorder, and reckless disregard of the decency which the Apostle enjoins. It is inconceivable that any one, even moderately acquainted with history, can feel a certainty, or any approach to certainty, that midst all this confusion and corruption, every requisite form was in every instance strictly adhered to by men, many of them openly profane and secular, unrestrained by public opinion, through the gross ignorance of the population amongst which they lived, and that no one not duly consecrated, or ordained, was admitted to sacred ordinances.... let any one proceed, then, on the hypothesis that there are, suppose but one hundred links connecting any par

Now

PRIESTLY ARROGANCE.

117

"The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these," or in their own language, "The Church! the Church! the Church!" is now the intolerant and enthusiastic cry of those who possess hardly one feature of the Church of Christ, as described in Holy Scripture, and as exhibited in the apostolical age.

ticular minister with the Apostles, and let him even suppose, that not above half of this number pass through such periods as admit of any possible irregularity, and then placing at the lowest estimate the probability of defectiveness in respect of such of the remaining fifty, taken separately, let him consider what amount of probability will result from the multiplying of the whole together. The ultimate consequence must be, that any one who sincerely believes his claim to the benefits of the gospel covenant depends on his own minister's claim to the supposed sacramental virtue of true ordination, and this, again, on perfect apostolical succession as above described, must be involved, in proportion as he reads, and enquires, and reflects, and reasons on this subject, in the most distressing doubt and uncertainty. It is no wonder, therefore, that the advocates of this theory studiously disparage reasoning; deprecate all exercise of the mind in reflection; decry appeals to evidence; and lament that even the power of reading should be imparted to the people. It is not without cause they dread and lament 6 an age of too much light,' and wish to involve religion in a solemn and awful gloom.' It is not without cause, that having removed the christian's confidence from a Rock [the Sacred Scriptures], to base it on sand [their

118

SACRAMENTAL EFFICACY.

As correlative with, and flowing from the pompous assumptions already glanced at, we proceed now to mention another monstrous notion, which is very widely circulated, viz.,

Thirdly. That there is inherent and saving virtue in what are deemed (by a certain party in the Church of England) rightly administered sacraments. By rightly" administered ordi

own theories], they forbid all prying curiosity to examine their foundation." Thus scripturally writes the Archbishop of Dublin; and if Dr. Hook, Dr. Pusey, or any of their class, attempt to answer Dr. Whateley, in order to overturn his observations, they must accomplish the following difficult task:-1. They must indisputably show, by scriptural quotations, that there was intended to be a successional character in the Apostolate. 2. Then they must clear up all historic doubts, and exhibit clearly, accurately, and chronologically, the actual line of succession, in one entire, unbroken link and connexion, without flaw, chasm, or papistical rust to injure it, from Peter down to the present day; and then, 3, A rightful and genuine transmission of this mystic power must be most satisfactorily demonstrated, before very many true protestants, and bible christians, can be brought to own the justice of, or in the least degree submit to, this exclusive, intolerant, and tyrannical claim of office-power, as assumed by one solitary section of the One Universal Church of Jesus Christ. Till all this is proved by them, they will be regarded by myriads as troublers in Israel, and deceivers of the people, asserting boastful claims, which they cannot satisfactorily establish.