11
numbers of Christians; and we may safely maintain, that they no more interfere with the validity of the ordination received by our Bishops from those who lived before the Reformation, than errors of faith and conduct in a priest interfere with the grace of the Sacraments received at his hands.
3. It may be said, that we throw blame on Luther, and some of the foreign Reformers, who did act without the authority of their Bishops. But we reply, that it has been always agreeable to the principles of the Church, that, if a Bishop taught and upheld what was contrary to the orthodox faith, the Clergy and people were not bound to submit, but were obliged to maintain the true religion; and if excommunicated by such Bishops, they were never accounted to be cut off from the Church. Luther and his associates upheld the true doctrine of the Church; and though it is not necessary to defend every act of fallible men like them, yet we are fully justified in maintaining, that their conduct generally in defending the truth against the Romish party, even in opposition to their spiritual rulers, was worthy of great praise. At the same time it is impossible not to lament, that they did not take the first opportunity to place themselves under orthodox Bishops of the Apostolical Succession. Nothing, as far as we can judge, was more likely to have preserved them from that great decline of religion, which has taken place on the Continent.
These Tracts may be had at Turrill's, No. 250, Regent Street, London.—Any one is at liberty to reprint them.
W. KING, PRINTER, ST. CLEMENT'S, OXFORD.
