Boy. We will now, if you will, go on to the facrament of Confirmation.

Mof. I fhall be happy to fee the new covenant, as you think it, made clear to me.

Luth. Nothing, Mr. Mofes, could raise me in the efteem of the Bishops and Clergy of the Church of England, and might be a principal means of ranking your humble fervant amongst what I have fo many years hungered and thirfted in body and mind to obtain. If I am so lucky, fortunate, and fuccefsful to lead captivity captive, and place you, my convert, at their facred feet; the converfion of a Jew-Rabbi, I make not the leaft doubt, would place me in a Bishop's Chair. My ambition extends no farther than my relation's Chair, Do&or Tillotson, Bishop of Canterbury; his works have made a great noise; his sophiftry remains unrivalled; he certainly had great talents, but favouring our inveterate foes, the Calvinifts, his family being ftaunch Churchpeople, never relifhed his doctrine; but let this pafs. As Mofes well obferved, it is a forry bird that bekecks its neft.

Boy. Hum, Silent; (finds Luther to be his father.)

Mof. Not Tillotson only, but all the Doctors of the Church of England that I have examined, were Calvinifts. True Church Divines have never appeared in print, by which neglect, they let, or grant the fcorner, defpifer, ridiculer, inf lent, contemptuous, proud fcoffer, or Calvinilt fhifmatic, to lead and devour them, as fheep led to the flaughter, or as Charles their King to the fcaf

fold;

fold; but our eyes are at laft opened. I make the cafe my own, as my dearest friends refide, and have very great obligations to that once great and flourishing country, in commerce the mistress of the world, but through Calviniflical influence they have loft their Colonies, and, unless they guard and watch thofe mifcreants, they will be on the lofing hand. I let drop this, though it might proceed from my partiality to a flate, myfelf and family owes a great part of our happinefs to.

The implacable rancour of thefe people to the Church of England difguft me, though not of their perfuafion, defpifing, and calling them Popish baftards, as if every nation in the world was to bend to their Calvinistical tenets or poison. I love charity and a benevolent heart, but cannot coincide with ingratitude.

Boy. Shall we enter on the Sacrament of Confirmation?

Luth. The Church of England allows but two facraments, the Lord's Supper, and Baptism.

Mof. If it is not contrary to your with, I fhall be glad to hear you fpeak on this fubject.

Boy. The eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apoftles tells us, that Philip (the Deacon) went to Samaria, and preached Chrift to the Apostles, who, with one accord, hearing and feeing the miracles, many, who had unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, went out, and many taken with the palfy, and that were lame, were healed, and there was great joy in that city. And when they

G2

they (the people) had believed Philip, preaching of the kingdom of God, in the name of Jefus Christ, they were baptized, both men and wo

men.

uth. It is to be noticed, in the infancy of the Church there were Calvinifls, and fome of the first chriftian writers confider the end in this chapter, Simon Magus, to be the first of this complexion; others Judas; they seem to wear, with their brethren, the fame face.

Boy. Now when the Apoftles heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they fent to them Peter and John, who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for he was not as yet come upon any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jéfus. Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghoft.

Mof. What do you mean, or understand by facrament?

Luth. An outward and visible fign, and inward and fpiritual grace given by Chrift himself, as a means whereby we receive the fame, and a pledge to affure us thereof.

Mof. You obferve, what the boy has juft quoted from the Acts, confirms two diftinct facraments, administered by different perfons, at different times.

The first Baptifm, by a Deacon, to cleanse the foul from fin.

The fecond, Confirmation, in which facrament the Holy Ghost manifefled himfelf evidently.

The

The first might be adminiftered by inferiors. The fecond by none but Bishops.

The firft is adminiftered by water.

The fecond by the Bifhop laying on his hands; but in the facrament of Confirmation, the power of the Holy Ghoft is evident, clear and pofitive. Luth. It is a truth that cannot be gainfaid but by Calvinifts, Heathens and Publicans, that in all ages of Chriftianity, chrifm, an holy unguent, or oil, was adminiftered by the Bishop.

Mof. Look, perhaps you will get fome farther inlight from your Common-Prayer Book.

Luth. I am a member of the Reformation, and, according to its principles, will not proftitute my religion to any fet of men, particularly fuch Calviniftical gentry that makes one fhudder to think on, but with true Proteftant liberty, avail myfelf, and form my confcience according to the Scriptures, which fully convince and fatisfy, that Confirmation is a facrament.

Mof. I beg you will abide by your own Church, and open our understanding with her inftruc

tions.

Luth. To fatisfy you I will: Those who are to be confirmed, kneeling before the Bishop, he fhall lay his hand upon the head of every one feverally, faying, Defend, O Lord, this thy child with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue thine for ever: and daily, increase in thy holy fpirit, more and more, until he come unto thy everlafting kingdom, Amen. The Lord be with you. (Aniwer,) And with thy fpirit. (Then shall he bleis them.) The bleffing of God Almighty,

the

the Father, the upon you, and Amen.

Son, and the Holy Ghost, be remain with you for ever.

And there fhall none be admitted to the holy Communion, until fuch time as he be confirmed, or be ready, and defirous to be confirmed.

This is to the purpose. This great facrament is acknowledged in full force. This preferves comfort to the flock, and confequence to their Bishop. I fhall be happy, when feated in the Metropolitan Chair of my relation, to adminifter this facrament of fuperabounding grace.

Mof. Your Common-Prayer-Book makes no mention of the chrifm, which you just said, have been used by chriftians of every age, and your catechifm allows but two facraments, Baptifm and the Lord's Supper,

Luth. That old Ape has robbed my Church of this facrament, in like fort with the others. O Calvin, Luther's Scourge, you Moth, how dare you intrude with venom even into the Book of Common-Prayer, and vulture-like rob us of the fweet fruits of falvation, the very facraments, and, copying your brother-fly, or caterpillar, leave your trail, poifoning every page. One happineís I have; the Scriptures are the rule of faith.

Boy. With your pleasure, we will go on to the Sacred Character of Priesthood.

Luth. You do not fuppofe Priefihood a facra

ment?

Mof.