VII. which happened to the Ephefians, Acts xix. SER M. 5, 6. upon whom, after they had been baptized in the Name of the Lord Jefus, the Apostle St. Paul laid his Hands: And then the Holy Ghoft came on them: Which thews again that the Apostle's laying on his Hands, as well as his Baptizing them, was neceffary to perfect and confirm the Ephefians with the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost. Now from these two Inftances it plainly appears that the Impofition of Hands for conferring or communicating the Holy Ghost was of Apoftolical Practice and Appointment both: Practifed by Peter and John and Paul; and by the two former by the Appointment of the other Apostles at Jerufalem. But because it often happened that the laying on of the Hands of the Apostles was attended with extraordinary and miraculous Gifts, which is intimated in the Verfes following my Text, Acts viii. 18, 19. but more clearly expressed in the Inftance of the Ephefians which I mentioned last, and of whom it is particularly related, that they spake with Tongues and prophefied, Acts xix. 6. as foon as Paul had laid his Hands upon them; becaufe, I fay, this laying on of Hands was originally attended with fuch mighty Effects; and because no fuch Effects attend I ་ 1 SER M attend the performing the fame Rite now; VII. therefore many are apt to infer that the Miniftration was defigned to be only a temporary one, whilst the Power of working Miracles was continued to the Church; and confequently that the one ought to have ceased long ago with the other. To remove this. Objection therefore out of the Way, I shall now proceed to my II. SECOND Head, under which I am to fhew that the extraordinary Powers, with which Confirmation was at firft attended, is no Argument that it was defigned to be only a temporary Inftitution. In order to this let me observe to you, that every Ministration, though allowed to be an ordinary and perpetual Miniftration, was at firft attended with extraordinary Effects and miraculous Powers. Even preaching once was thus attended: For Peter preached but one Sermon, Aɛts ii. 41. and he immediately converted three thou fand Souls: He preached again, and added but one Miracle, Ch. iv. 4. and no less than five thousand were added to the Church. Again, Perfons, we know, were miraculously cured in the Vifitation of the Sick, who were often faved, and raised up by the Lord, through the Prayer VII. Prayer of Faith, James v. 14, 15. The Sa-SER M. maritans in my Text had unclean Spirits caft out of them, Acts viii. 7. and were also healed of Palfies and Lameness, when Philip preached to them, and converted them to the Faith. Saul himself was cured of a judicial Blindness at his Baptifm, Ch. ix. 17, 18. And Æneas was healed by Peter of a Palfie, Ch. ix. 33, 34, 35. at the fame Time probably that he was cured of his Infidelity. And yet because no fuch Powers follow these feveral Ordinances now, will any one infer that preaching Sermons, vifiting the Sick, converting and baptizing People into the Faith, were only defigned for temporary Ordinances? If not; then, to fancy that the Invocation of the Holy Ghost with the laying on of Hands was to cease, when the extraordinary Effects of that Ordinance failed; is too groundless a Suppofition, when put in the Balance against an Inftitution that has so many Texts of Scripture to fupport it. In the Infancy of the Church these visible Effects of the Spirit's defcending upon those that believed, were neceffary to bring over others to the Faith: And therefore the Effufion of the Spirit of GoD perfectly ran over: But when whole Nations turned Chriftian, then the Occafion for Miracles ceased. And SERM. And for this Reason the Holy Ghost does not now, in Nations already converted to the Faith, impower us to work them. But the ordinary Gifts and Graces, which are useful and neceffary to compleat a Chriftian, are still as much the Fruits and Effects of this Holy Rite, as ever they were. And these are by much the most valuable Benefits: To caft out the Devil of Luft, or to throw down the Pride of Lucifer; to beat down Satan under our Feet, or to triumph over our spiritual Enemies; to cure a diseased Soul; to keep unharmed from the Affaults of a Temptation, and untainted from the Infection of an ill Example; This is much more advantageous and beneficial to us, than the Power of working the greatest Miracle. Though neither are we to believe that miraculous Effects did always attend even those upon whom the Apostles themselves imposed their Hands. St. Paul himself very plainly intimates, that all did not speak with Tongues, nor all work Miracles, 1 Cor. xii. 29, 30. though, as far as we can learn, all were confirmed by Impofition of Hands: But this is properly the Subject of the III. THIRD Head of my Discourse, under which I am to prove that Confirmation was VII. administer'd even in the miraculous Ages, not SER M. fo much for the fake of its extraordinary, as of its ordinary Effects: That it was defigned for a ftanding and perpetual Ordinance: And that accordingly it was continued through all Ages of the Church, even after the miraculous Effects of it ceafed. And for this I need no other Proof than that Paffage of the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, where he mentions the Doctrine of the laying on of Hands, Heb. vi. 2. among the Fundamentals of Religion: It is true, we must confefs, that the laying on of Hands was used in three Ordinances befides that of which I am now treating; viz. in the Ordination of Minifters, in Healing of the Sick, and in the Abfolution of Penitents: But then neither of these laying on of Hands was neceffary or common to all Christians; nor was either of them to be reckoned amongst the Principles of Faith, or to be joined with the initiatory Doctrines of our Religion, amongst which the Holy Penman here recounts it. It must therefore be neceffarily understood of that Impofition of Hands, which was ufed after Baptifm, for conferring the Holy Ghoft, in fuch Manner as my Text relates. A Truth which Calvin himself fubfcribes: For in his Note on this Place, |