indeed the hiding of the Church no wonder if it be a hidden thing to us he saith in this place Omnes docebant omnes baptizabant he saith They observed not the time nor fasted before Baptism nor had Peter any Deacons at Cornelius house to Baptize as if the Deacons office was onely to Baptize he not minding that some of the seven may be with him and Baptize in all which he corruptly quarrels with the Apostles practice as if they had found a better form to serve God by then that of the Gospel which the Bishops of the times preceeding did correct and like the carnal Gentiles seeking to be wise became fools and like the foolish woman in the Proverbs pull'd down the House of God with both their hands and worse then she set up a Cage for unclean birds of their own predicted by Zech. 5.8 9. But of this in its place Ignatius Ep. to Policarpus He writing to Policarpus mentions the Presbytery and saith Vnà laborate inter vos unà certate unà currite c. ut dispensatores assessores ministri Dei. In the word Dispencers the admission of members to Ordinances is signified in Assessors their Government in general intended in Ministers their teaching 8. The Church was governed by these three conjunctly in Ecclesiastical things Ignatius to Trallis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is necessary whatever ye do ye go about nothing that is of Ecclesiastical publike concernment without the Bishop but also that ye submit to the Presbytery as to the Apostles of Jesus Christ In these is the Church true Presbytery onely and alone in these the Synod and Colledge of Ministery is existent and in none other Other Authority is Antichristian and tends to oppression of the Saints Tertull. in the forecited place de Exhortatione Castitatis Honor per ordinis consessum sanctificatus adeò ubi non est ecclesiastici ordinis consessus Offers Tinguis Sacerdos c. before he saith these have Ecclesiae aucthoritas the Church authority This is Consessus Ecclesiaestici ordinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and any other Ecclesiastical convent then this Juridical is not according to the Primitive Church and Gospel-frame this was the true Presbytery and all other then these are spurious and false To this well agreeth that of Mat. 18.19 that if two of you agree on earth c. The Church while it was according to the Gospel institution governed by these three it was called The pillar and ground of Truth but when that fell and Ministers of other Societies ruled then came the corruption of the Church the Lord not approving of them as is well observed in the Preface of the Bibles written To the Reader printed in King James's days yet for all that the learned knew That certain worthy men have been brought to untimely death for no other fault but for seeking to reduce their countrey-men to good order and discipline and that in some Common-weals it was made a capital crime once to motion the making of a new Law for the abrogating of an old though the same were most pernicious and that certain which would be accounted pillars of the State and paterns of vertue and prudence could not be brought for a long time to give way to good letters and refined speech but bare themselves as averse from them as from Rocks and boxes of Poyson And he was no babe viz. Greg. Theol. but a great Cler. that gave forth and in writing to posterity in passion peradventure That he had not seen any profit to come by any Synod or Meeting of the Clergy but rather the contrary By saying it was in passion was a good plaister for such a dangerous sore He shews what the Councels before him he living about 380. did and indeed God ordained That not many together but seven men of several ages signified by the seven Angels are onely to restore the faln Church Hieron 1 Cap. ad Titum saith When Presbyters governed Ecclesiae cura aequaliter inter plures dividebatur To this may be applyed that of Egisippus cited by Eusebius Vnà cum Apostolis suscepit Ecclesiam administrandam frater Domini Jacobus qui justus ab omnibus cognominatus This was understood of Peter and John Gal. 2.9 and not of all the Apostles Paul and Barnabas ministred to the Gentiles James the less was slain before he took this Government by Herod So that it is without question here is onely meant the three Apostles who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Peter calls himself 1 Pet. 6.1 according to the form of Government in the other Gospel Churches they being not differing one from another in form of Government Jerusalem being the patern or mother Church This Book is said to contain Apostolical Traditions but is lost and a counterfeit left in its place Nicephor Eccl. Hist l. 3. c. 26. 9. As the Ministers so the People were distinguished Anthanasius cites Theognostus in his Tract de verbis Evang. Matthei cap. 2. ver 31. quicunque dixerit c. Qui semel atque iterum terminos praetergressus ost minus feret supplicii qui vero tertio contempserit nullam veniam consequi potest Here by the bounds of the Church I understand the threefold Societies of the Saints under the third whereof if any contemned there was no pardon Athanasius primum secundum terminos appellat Catechesin hoc est initiationem de patre filio tertium vero qui est in consummatione mysteriorum sermone qui traditur in communicatione spiritus This shews the Government was much hid in Athanasius time he saith Catechizing was initiation which was not but in Baptism under the Doctors Ministery was initiation and not under the Catechists Ministery And then he saith In Catechizing were to be understood the two first bounds which was but one part of Ministery and that not of the Church neither without doubt Theognostus alludes to that of the Apostle Heb. 6.4 5 6. He is more clear in that which followeth Verum ex his nequaquam aliquis dicere poterit quod doctrina spiritus excellentior sit doctrina filii sed filius sese dimittat ad imbecillitatem imperfectorum spiritus autem signaculum est eorum qui perfecti sunt proinde non irremissibilis incondonabilis est blasphemia in spiritum quòd spiritus major est filio sed quod imperfectis detur venia iis vero qui gustaverunt coeleste donum quique perfecti sunt nulla relinquatur ad veniam excusatio aut paenae excusatio 1. Here are three bounds expressed of the Church 2. In these the Saints are divided according to their gifts in one the imperfect the other the perfect 3. In Athansius time these bounds were destroyed 4. He alludes these three Mansions to the Trinity making that the ground of them as the other before Dionisius distinguisheth them by these names Rudes illuminati perfecti Simil. Herm. 9. Omnos enim infantes honorati
Christ in the Gospel or the Churches in the Primitive patern but must resemble the estate of Churches as they were set up under Antichrist or that Form which made way for him and contributed to the inthronizing of him Justin Apol. 2. Eucharistae nemo admittitur nisi qui credit veram esse nostram doctrinam ablutus regenerationis lavacro in remissionem peccatorum sic vivens ut Christus docuit The fourth general is of the Ministery that appertains unto the Church onely Their number are said to be three onely Tertull. de Exhort Castitatis Differentiam inter ordinem plebem constituit ecclesia auctoritas honor per ordinis confessum sanctificatus à Deo ubi non est ecclesiastici ordinis consessus Offers Tingis Sacerdos es tibi solus sed ubi tres ecclesia est The words for the Ministery are obsolete but he that is not a stranger to his Writings will not admire at it especially in his Apolog. Dionisius Eccles Hierar cap 5. par prima Nunc jam Sacerdotalis perfunctio suo est loco exponenda in purgantem atque illuminantem Consummantemque ordinem distributa which he calls cap. 6. Minister Sacerdos Pontifex Now saith he the Sacerdotal Calling is to be expounded in its place and is distributed into the Purging Order which is the Teachers the illuminating the Pastors and the Perfecting Order which is the Evangelists And after idem ibid. he clears it thus Rudes hactenus purgat Mediaque purgatos ratione Sacratioris eruditionis illuminat ultima quae priores concludet complet quod ineruditos Suarum instructionum scientia perfecit Which plainly proves the Ministery then exercised in the Church to be threefold and distinguished by the operations of them purging illuminating perfecting and by the Order they are placed in the Church as the first Ministery the middle Ministery the last Ministery In the Ep. Decretal of Lucius it is said That a Bishop should have two Priests and three Deacons following him which was intended for the constituting of a Church according to the Gospel and not for pompous pride as Papists understand for Popes Ignatius Ep. to the Church of Trallis Quid vero Presbyterium nisi collegium Sacrum consiliarii consessores Episcopi quid item Diaconi nisi imitatores Angelicarum virtutem ei ministrantes ministerium purum immaculatum ut Sanctus Stephanus beato Jacobo Timotheus ac Linus Paulo Anacletus atque Clemens Petro qui igitur inobediens fuerit his Atheus impius omninò fuerit Christum improbans I the sooner quote this Epistle because not questioned and this matter because it s used by Ignatius demonstratively in which he proves their Presbytery consisting of a Bishop and two Presbyters to agree with that of Paul Timothy and Linus Peter Anacletus and Clemens and so to be according to the Apostolical institution This Epistle spoken of by Nicephor lib. 3. cap. 29. Hyreneus Eusebius The reason why Irenaeus speaks so little of these things in his Five Books Advers Haeres I suppose is because he wrote a Book De Disciplina mentioned by Hieron de vita Iraenei which with the true History of Egisip and that Book of Josep Antioch called Speculum perfectae militiae ecclesiae Primitivae are all lost and the beginning of the first Lib. of Strom. of Clemens Alexandrinus which was the Key of his Books of Stromes doubtless Hyraen Lib. 4. cap. 43. Quapropter eis qui in ecclesia sunt Presbyteris obaudire oportet his qui successionem habent ab Apostolis sicut ostendimus qui cum Episcopatus successione Charisma veritatis certum secundum placitum patris acceperunt In which he shews That in every Church there ought to be Presbyters who are to have their succession from the Apostles This may be seen in Origen Euseb Hist Lib. 6. cap. 2. Videns Demetrius Episcopus quod ad ipsum praecipuè doctrinae gratiâ praedicationis verbi multitudines plurimae convolarent Calezizandi ei id est docendi magisterium in ecclesia tribuit which I take to be Catechizing Lib. 6. cap 5. Nam cum apud Palaestinam praecipui eminentes inter Episcopos viri id est Hierosolimorum Alexander Theotistus Cesareae videntes divinum opus verbo Dei ordinassent eum Presbyterum ac eum Sacerdotio jam namque dignum probarent Sacerdos is usually applyed to the Pastors Ministery which he was thought worthy of but received it not which proves this Presbytership he now received was nothing else but the Doctors office as appears more clearly in the words following Origines apud Alexandriam Doctor ecclesiae valdè clarus habebatur Lib. 6. cap. 17. Post Philetum autem apud Antiochiam Zebenus ecclesiam suscepit quo in tempore Origines rogatus est ab ecclesiis that is the distinct Societies at Antioch apud Antiochiam ut illò usque pro convincendis haereticis qui inibi liberius convaluerant perveniret quò cum pergeret iter necessariò ageret per Palestinam Presbyter apud Caesaream ab illius provinciae Episcopis ordinatur 1. By his first Presbytership he ministred at Alexandria 2. By his second at Antioch 3. He was under Zebenus the Bishop at Antioch he never assumed that degree of Ministery in the Church 4. He was Catechist before by the ordination of Demetrius 5. In this is observeable That the People of Antioch had the call of their Ministers and none assumed that Authority over them in those days Justin Martyr speaks nothing of the Discipline of the Church but in his second Apology made to Antonius Pius at the end of it in which he speaks of the Praesul and Praepositus Lector and Deacons but the Papists have so corrupted it as that there is no use to be made of it there is foisted in it the carrying about of the Sacraments to the sick the Minister not the Deacon to collect the Alms of the Church c. Ignatius Ep. 3. ad Magnesianos Caeterum quoniam merui videre vos per Damam Deo dignum Episcopum vestrum Presbyteros Deo dignos Bassum Apollonium convivam meum Sotionem Diaconum Here the Pretbyters are clearly by name expressed who are onely two if there had been more he would not have left them out and have named Sotion the Deacon And in all his Epistles when he writes of Presbytery you are to understand the same number alway no true Church having one more then another Egisippus Vnà cum Apostolis suscepit ecclesiam administrandam frater Domini Jacobus qui Justus ab omnibus cognominatus Which Apostles were Peter and John Gal. 2.9 Hence Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 12. writing of that Acts 15. Ascendissent Paulus Barnabas Hierosolimam ad alteros Apostolos propter hanc quaestionem universa ecclesia convenisset in unum Here he speaks of the Apostles and Church but not Elders which shews the Apostles and Elders were the
gradu collocatum Episcopum nominabant Heraclas was Origens Scholler in whose time the old form observed by the Church from Mark to that day was broken and who was more like to break it then Origen who was of that Church and a man not unknown to any that have read him of unsound and uncertain judgement yet learned and witty who did acknowledge in taking Ordination from Dimetrius at the first for Catechizing that the power of Ordination did reside in every true constituted Church And who knoweth where God permitted him to Emasculinate himselfe as a judgement on him for destroying that order by which God raised up seed in the Church he being best to take the litterall no man since but hath taken mystically as other things being all forced it may be Origen did this for some controversie had between Dimetrius of Alexandria and himselfe and to honor Theotistus and Alexander who had shewed exceeding favour to him in his banishment at Ceserea who it is like were willing to take this honor to themselves robbing the Church of it's choicest Jewell Hieron In the first times Bishops differed nothing from Presbyters and are now above them rather by the custome of the Church then by the truth of the Lords disposing and ought to rule the Church in common which shewes that the Bishops practice in Jeroms time differed from that of the Apostles and that the true primitive practice was fallen in his time In Cornelius time Euseb l. 6. cap. 43. at Rome numbers under one Bishop 46. Priests 7. Deacons 7. Subdeacons 42. Acoluths 52. Exorcists and a numberlesse company of Readers and Sextons if these are not Popish corruptions the Church in 50. years was strangely altered Cyprian mentions in his Epistles the same names of Officers whose names are not written in the Gospell-Kalender In his time also there were Bishops of Provinces and although he held the name of Colleagues and Compresbyeters yet the number were altered and so the order among them as appeares in many Epistles is to be doubted Bilson in his 14. cap. of Perp. Church-Government tells us how Bishops came to extend their Jurisdiction so vastly far about them in the Countrey By no meanes saith he could any Countrey-Parishes in the Primitive Church have any Presbyters but from some City and that not without the liking of the Bishop which forced all Countrey Townes and Villages to matriculate and incorporate themselves into the Church of some City by whose Bishop their Presbyters living were governed and dying were supplyed 1. It 's confessed they must incorporate or should have no Presbyter 2. The people and Presbyter are forced to be under his Jurisdiction or they should have no Presbyter nor will let Episcopall Authority go from him 3. It must be with the liking of the Bishop conditions are first agreed on between Presbyter and Bishop and Bishop and People So that whereas the Episcopall power should reside in every true and right constituted Church the Bishops would keep it from them the Presbyter shall not be ordained nor people be taught if before-hand they promise not submission to the City-Bishops Jurisdiction and this granted by a Bishops confession which shews the subtil course taken to raise Antichrist The 4. Century Eusebius Caesariensis 320. Lactantius wrote to the Gentiles but nothing of the Church-Discipline at all Athanasius 370. Hylarius 370. Bazilius Chrysost 370. Hieronimus Ambrosius 370. Augustinus 370. The Church was to go into the wildernesse and be hid to the world in the Yeare 406. It was to remain hid 1260. yeers That the number of Antichrist may be 1666. 1. Eusebius l. 5. cap. 9. saith of the time of Pantenus about 210. Erant enim adhuc in illis Temporibus Evangelistae nonnulli qui ad imitationem sanctorum Apostolorum in diversis orbis partibus oberrantes per gratiam Dei animi sui virtutem 1. It is to cleare these of these times could not be extraordinarily called nor I think were they extraordinarily gifted untill these times the Church kept it's true forme and it 's like the senior Presbyter was of many called the Evangelist however altered in their writings 2. It seemes that after these times the name and the office of Evangelist ceased in the Church 1. In the Councell of Nice his office was destroyed and an Antichristian Officer put in his place Canon 10. Et nè in una civitate sunt duo Episcopi which proves before this Canon or Councell there were in some Cities two Bishops there being in them two compleat Churches A high step made to help Antichrist into his throne Councell of Antioch took downe the Country Evangelist or Bishop as Nice the City Conceditur Chorepiscopis ut ordinent Lectores Subdiaconos Exorcistas de superioribus ordinibus decernitur ut nec Presbyterium nec diaconum ordinare audeant praeter civitatis Episcopum cui ipse cum possessione subjectus est 1. Had not Country Bishops ordained all degrees of orders in the Church they by a Councell would not have granted the lesser and have denied the greater 2. Whereas he may do it by leave of the City Bishop though not without shewes the act was lawfull according to God or how could it be done by the allowance of men 3. If it were lawfull according to God then the tyranny of Antichrist was great in these times Zozomen l. 7. cap. 19. Etenim per Scithiam cum civitates multae unum duntaxat hae omnes Episcopum habent apud alias vero Nationes reperias ubi in pagis Episcopi ordinantur sicut apud Arabes Cyprios apud Novatianos Montanistas 1. This is more then is written of any after his time this was quickly altered when Antichrist came to his throne in the world 2. These that held the Church forme went under the name of Novatians Montanists Sectaries The ground they had to distinquish the Country from the City Bishop was that the Country Bishop was resembled in the 70. the City Bishop in the Apostles But as it is well observed of Mr. Rutherford p. 476. of a Presby Church at Antioch Look what frame of Churches the Apostles did institute in Cities that same they behoved to institute in villages also for places cannot change the institution of Christ And before p. 470. on Acts. 8.5.6 When Peter and John came to Samaria to help Philip it cannot be that they all went to one house and to one single assembly to preach the Word And Page before 460. on 1. Cor. 14.15 I baptized none but Cryspus and Gaius c. If many were baptized other Pastors not Paul baptized them and so they were baptized in other Assemblies then in those in which Paul baptized Acts. 18.8 Many Corinthians were baptized I passe by these and come to my task though these are the truths I intend Chrysost on Eph. 4.11 Tertio Evangelistas non circumeuntes sed Evangelizantes ut erant Priscilla Acyla Pastores Doctores quibus viz.
universus populus concreditus erat Quid ergo juniores erant Pastores ac Doctores admodum erant enim circumeuntibus Evangelizantibus inferiores qui habitando quieti circa unum duntaâ—at locum occupabantur ut Timotheus ac Titus verùm alias ex hoc loco subjectio praelatura colligi non potest and after Nè quid huic expositionis meae contradicas potest fieri ut Evangelistas eos hic intelligta qui Evangelium conscripserunt If Chrysostome were thus ignorant of the Office of Evangelists no wonder if we are one while he is for walking Evangelists then for those abide in one place and to these he adheres or else prelature cannot be proved thence and then he comes to those wrote the Gospells how can it be thought possible so great a darknesse should come on the world in so short a time on those who had the learning of the age And it is like the Ancient copies of the primitive Writers were either lost hid or corrupted before his time making way for the departure of the Church now about to take its leave of the world Bazil in an Epistle to Ambrose cals on him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Montacu of Tythes understands this complaint of his to be only about the dividing of Cappadocia into two Metropolitans which had been one at Caesarea 1. I conceive Bazil understands the first tract of the Fathers in which only was a reformation that was right and not that went immediately before 2. Nor could that be understood well for the old marks for it were not 200. years before that there were no provinciall Bishops in all the world And after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. which shewes he sought this in some spirituall way and for a spirituall end quite contrary to that objected before And in his Epistle to Athanasius I conceive he implieth the same when he calls on him to joyne with him in restoring the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which he alludes to the allusion of John the Baptist to the Gospell Government Mat. 3.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to me it seems that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more fully manifests the Gospell truth and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more full to which no government then did so fitly agree as the Gospell government Applic. Seeing he calls on Athanasius and Ambrose to reforme by the first times it proves there is no true reformation to be made of the Church by the practice of the then times least we would seek to prove one corruption by another 2. That the true Church-discipline was neare gone from the world or going as he instanceth onely Antioch whose practice he commends which doubtlesse was deficient in many things in those times Ambrose Eph. 4. Coepit alio ordine providentiâ gubernari Ecclesia and points out the time to be ubi omnia loca circumplexa est Ecclesia it was after doubtlesse the 200. yeare O Ambrose did they think of the curse denounced of the Apostle against men or Angells should attempt this or had they divine revelations to do it or Apostolicall Authority delegated that they dare to do such a thing After he gives us the reason Scripta Apostoli ideo non per omnia conveniunt ordinationi quae nunc in Ecclesia est quia hac inter primordia sunt conscripta As if the government written in the Gospell and exercised by the Apostles was onely for the Apostles time or Church-Infancy and would not serve all estates thereof in which we see the plea now used is an old one An instance he gives of this in Timothy made a Presbyter by Paul and called a Bishop ut recedente eo sequens ei succederet that is the Evangelist dying the senior Presbyter the Pastor succeeded him he being next in place and office The reason of this change is this Sed quia coeperunt sequentes Presbyteri indigni inveniri ad primatos tenendos mutata est ratio prospiciente consilio ut non ordo sed meritum crearet Episcopum multorum judicio constitutum nè indignus temerè usurparet et esset multis scandalum 1. If any such there had been the Lord had provided a remedy against it by giving the Church a power among themselves to prevent it which here the Bishops to the destruction of that priviledge usurp to themselves 2. It is done by a Councell that it may have the more fair pretence and that hereby unworthy men may not come ad primatos tenendos That the senior Presbyter succeeded the Evangelist if fit is illustrated in that of Aaron and Eleazer his eldest son Numb 20.25 26. But see what the Bishops did with this usurped authority when wrested from the Church quickly after Sozom. lib. 7. cap. 8. tells a story of a Bishop chosen by Bishops for Constantinople He was chosen by Diodorus meanes and commended to the Councell his name was Nectarius That which they chose him for is because he had a white head a sacerdotall Countenance and the like this fitted him ad primatos tenendos 1. He was not a man baptized it is said Diodorus seeing him so grave a man thought he had been baptized 2. He is exhorted to give him to reading which shewes he had little abilities in him to teach 1. Ap. Could this be said of a senior Presbyter he must be better qualified then so 2. Let man never give leave to man to change the everlasting Ordinances of God for never so faire pretences for the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men In the same manner Ambrose was elected before baptized against the Word Ambrose on the same 4. Eph. saith of the Teachers Doctores sunt hi qui lectionibus imbuendi infantes solebant imbuere sicut mos Iudaeorum est quorum traditio ad nos transitum fecit quâ— per negligentiam obsolevit He sheweth though the custome were taken from the Jewes yet it belonged to the Gentiles to have it exercised in their Churches also The Doctor being to initiate their children in grace as the Jewish theirs in nature which through negligence is out of use of whose Ordination he thus writes Prophetia est qua eligitur quasi Doctor futurus idoneus manus verò impositiones verba sunt mystica quibus confirmatur ad opus electus auctoritatem teste conscientia sua ut audeat vice Domini sacrificium Deo offerre 1 Timoth. 4.14 1 Timoth. 5. Apud omnes utique gentes honorabilis est senectus unde Synagoga postea Ecclesia seniores habuit quorum sine Consilio nihil agebatur in Ecclesia quòd qua negligentia obsoluerit nescio nisi fortè Doctorum desidiâ aut magis superbiâ dum soli volunt aliquid videri Hereby Seniores M. B lson will not admit the helping Governor or ruling Elder to be understood but that advice which Bishops used to take of Presbyters was now not taken in Church-Government 1. He alludes in this place as I suppose to that