( 83 ) narily, to Adminifter the Sacraments, and toExcommunicate and Abfolve infora intern pcenitentialis, either it wouldmake the Man a Presbyter, or it would be a Nullity. And if it be not fo with the Bifhops Office,4what is the Reafoñ ? Is it not becaufeit is notof DivineSpecification and NIL- . tution, but Humane, and therefore mutable,or Inch as Men mayparcel out, and commit toLay-men by pieces as they pleafe ? So much to Dr. Ham- mand's Appropriation of the Power of the Keys in that Treatife. As tohis Annotations, I !hall have occafion to recite them hereafter The 4nno among thofe that give up the DiocefanCade (asoppofed by us)and there. t"tiont. fore !hall herepats them by. His Differtattonsagainft Blondel, havea Premonition about Ordination, which though molt confident, I [hall manifeft, when I come to thepoint ofOrdination, tobe molt weak; and indeed have done it beforehis death in my Difput. of Ordin. His firft Preliminary Difl'ertationof Antichrift, ofthe Myftery of Ini- quity and ofDiotrephes, I will not be fo needlefly tedious as to meddle withany further thento fay that I will believe Dr. Hammond here, and in his Annot. on 2 Thef. z. when I am fallen into fo deep adeep, asto dream, i. That the famous Coming of Chrift, and our gathering together to him, (which is a great Article of the Chriftian Faith) isbut Titlehis De- Itrúftionof 7erufalem; and that the reward promifed to all that love his appearing, is meant to all that love the faid Deftruction ofYereefalem; z. And that this Deftruftionwas not tobe called nigh, or at hand, which fell outfo fewYears after. ;. And that the Gentile, of remote Countries were fo fhaken inmind and moved about a Ctieftionof a few Years di- fianceof the Deftruftion of the yews, more than about Chrift's coming to the Common Judgment. 4. And that the Gnoflicks were indeed fuch terri. ble Perfecutors of the Church, (who were dLfperfedSubjetts) when their Doctrine was but that they might dilfemble to efcape Perfecution them- felves; andgreater Perfecutions were near? and not the Gnoflickg, nor 7esw, but Nero beheaded Paul; and the yews themfelves were banilhed Rome? g. And that Simon Magus was indeed fo famous aFellow,as to be ta- ken for the fupreamGod, when Church Writers fpeak fo uncertainly of his conflicts with Peter as of a doubtful ftory, and the evidence is fo obfcure, and the Roman Hittories fay fo little of him? He might as well have thought the Apoftle would havemadeall that ado about lames Nay_ lor, if hehad been then alive. 6. And that there were not many other He- reticks as well as the Gnaflickr that troubled the Churches, if Epiphania, knew howto name them and defcribe them rightly, or Írenem before him, or ,john in Reu. z. and 3. before them. 7. And that Simon Magus and his Herefie was a Myftery of Iniquitynot revealedwhen Pan/ wrote the fecond Epiftle to the Theffalonians. 8. And that many hadnot then followed him and fallen away to Herefie. 6. Or that by the Apoflafie that matt firft come, is meant the Apoftles feparation from the ?ems, and Mofes's Law ; As if M z he
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