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A47742
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A discourse shewing who they are that are now qualify'd to administer baptism and the Lord's-Supper wherein the cause of episcopacy is briefly treated / by the author of A discourse proving the divine institution of water-baptism.
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Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing L1130; ESTC R25145
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50,009
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107
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Episcopis atque Calcatis Pax à Presbyteris verbis fallacibus Prodicetur ibid. Antichristi jam propinquantis adventum Imitantur Ep. LXXX Successo Rescripsisse valerianum ad Senatum ut Episcopi Presbyteri Diacones in continenti animadvertantur Firmillanus Cypriano Ep. LXXV p. 225. Potestas ergo Peccatorum remittendorum Apostolis data est Episcopis qui eis Ordinatione vicaria successerunt Ep. XVI p. 36. Cyprianus Presbyteris Diaconibus Quod enim periculum metuere non debemus de offensa Domini quando aliqui de Presbyteris nec Evangelu nec Deci sue memores sed ne que futurum Domini Judicium neque sibi praepositum Episcopum cogitantes quod nunquam omnino sub Antecessorthus factum est cum Contumelia Contemptu Praepositi totum sibi vendicent Contumeliam Episcopatus nostri dissimulare ferre possum sed dissimulandi nunc locus non est Optatus Milevitanus Bishop of Mileve or Mela in Numidia in Africa A. D. 365. A.D. 365 In his 2d Book against Parmenian The Church has her several Members Bishops Presbyters Deacons and the Company of the Faithful You found in the Church Deacons Presbyters Bishops you have made them Lay-men acknowledge that you have Subverted Souls St. Ambrose Bishop of Milan A. D. 370. upon Eph. iv 11. Speaking of the several Orders of the Church And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and Evangelists c. Says that by the Apostles there were meant the Bishops by Prophets the Expounders of the Scriptures and by the Evangelists the Deacons But says that they all met in the Bishop for that he was the Chief Priest that is says he the Prince of the Priests and both Prophet and Evangelist to supply all the Offices of the Church for the Ministry of the Faithful And upon 1 Cor. xii 28. says that Christ Constituted the Apostles Head in the Church and that these are the Bishops And upon v. 29. are all Apostles i.e. all are not Apostles This is true says he because in the Church ther is but one Bishop And because all things are from one God the Father therefore hath He appointed that one Bishop shou'd Preside over Each Church In his Book of the Dignity of the Priesthood c. 3. he says That ther is nothing in this World to be found more Excellent than the Priests nothing more Sublime than the Bishops And speaking of what was Incumbent upon the several Orders of the Church he does plainly distinguish them For says he in the same place God does require one thing from a Bishop another from a Presbyter another from a Deacon and another from a Lay-man Optatus Milevitanus Bishop of Mileve or Mela in Numidia in Africa A. D. 365. l. 2. Contra Parmenianum Certa Membra sua habet Ecclesia Episcopos Presbyteros Diaconos turbam Fidelium Invenistis Diaconos Presbyteros Episcopos fecisiis Laâ—cos agnoscite vos animas evertisse Quosdam dedit Apostolos A.D. 37â— quosdam Prophetas c. Apostoli Episcopi sunt Prophetae Explanatores sunt Scripturum sicut Agabus Evangelist Diaconi sunt sicut fuit Philippus Nam in Episcopo omnes ordines sunt quia Princeps Sacerdos est hoc est Princeps est Sacerdotum Propheta Evangelista Caetera adimplenda officâ—â— Ecclesiae in Ministerio Eidelium Caput in Ecclesia Apostolos posuit Ipsi sunt Episcopi Verum est quia in Ecclesia unus Episcopus est Quia ab uno Deo Patre sunt omnia singulos Episcopos singulis Ecclesiis Prae-esse Decrevit De Dignat Sacerdot c. 3. ut ostenderemus nihil esse in hoc seculo Excellentius Sacerdotibus nihil Sublimius Episcopis reperiri Aliud est enim quod ab Episcopo requirit Deus aliud quod à Presbytero aliud quod à Deacono aliud quod à Laico St. Jerom A. D. 380. A. D. 380. In his Comment upon the Ep. to Titus When it began to be said I am of Paul I of Apollos c. and every one thought that those whom he Baptized belong'd to himself and not to Christ it was Decreed thro' The whole Earth that one Chosen from among the Presbyters shou'd be set over the rest that the Seeds of Schism might be taken away In his Epist to Evagrius From Mark the Evangelist to Heraclas and Dionysius the Bishops the Presbyters of Egypt have always chosen out one from among themselves whom having plac'd in an higher Degree than the rest they called their Bishop He that is Advanc'd is Advanc'd from less to greater The Greatness of Riches or the Humility of Poverty does not make a Bishop greater or less seeing all of them are the Successors of the Apostles That we may know the Apostolical Oeconomy to be taken from the Pattern of the Old Testament the same that Aaron and his Sons and the Levites were in the Temple the Bishops Presbyters and Deacons are in the Church of Christ To Nepotianus Be subject to your Bishop or Chief-Priest and receive him as the Father of your Soul Against the Luciferians The safety of the Ch. depends upon the Dignity of the High-Priest to whom unless a sort of absolute and eminent Power be given above all ther will be as many Schisms in the Church as ther are Priests Thence it is that without the Command of the Bishop neither a Presbyter nor a Deacon have Power to Baptize And the Bishop is to impose his Hands upon those who are Baptized by Presbyters or Deacons for the Invocation of the Holy Spirit And Comforting Heliodorus a Bishop upon the Death of Nepotian his Presbyter and his Nephew he Commends Nepotian in that he Reverenc'd his Bishop He Honour'd Heliodorus in publick as his Bishop at home as his Father But among his Presbyters and Co-equals he was the first in his Vocation c. Upon the 60th of Isa He calls the future Bishops Princes of the Church Of the Ecclesiastical Writers Concerning James James after the Passion of our Lord was immediatly by the Apostles ordained Bishop of Jerusalem The like he tells of the first Bishops of other Places Epist 54. against Montanus With us the Bishops hold the Place of the Apostles St. Jerom A. D. 380. A. D. 380. In his Comment upon the Ep. to Titus Postquam unusquisque eos quos Baptizabat suos putabat esse non Christi IN TOTO ORBE Decretum est ut unus de Presbyteris Electus superponeretur Caeteris ut Schismatum semina tollerentur A Marco Evangelista ad Heraclum usqâ—ad Dionysium Episcopos Presbyrari Aegypti semper unum ex se Electum in Clesiori Gradu collocatum Episcopum Nominabant Qui provehitur à Minori ad Majus provehitur Potentia Divitiarum Paupertatis Humilitas sublimiorum vel inferiorem Episcopum non facit Ceterum Omnes Apostolorum Successores sunt Ut sciamus Traditiones Apostolicas sumptas de veteri Testamento Quod Aaron Filii ejus
Christian Faith Clemens Romanus in his First Epist to the Corinthians Paragr 5. Says that St. Paul went Preaching the Gospel to the farthest bounds of the West 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which Term Britain was then Understood And Theodoret expresly Names the Britains among the Nations Converted by the Apostles To. 4. serm 9. p. 610. And Eusebius in his Evangelical Demonstration l. 3. c. 7. p. 113. Names likewise the Britains as then Converted But whether St. Paul or as some Conjecture Joseph of Arimathea or any other Apostolical Person was the first who Preached Christ in England it matters not as to our Present Purpose who Enquire only concerning Episcopacy And it is Certain by all our Histories that as far up as they give us any Account of Christianity in this Island they tell us likewise of Bishops and the Succession of this Church of England has been Deduc'd in the Succession of Bishops and not of Presbyters And particularly in the Diocess of London which was the first Archi-Episcopal See before Augustin the Monk came hither after which it was Establish'd in Canterbury And the Saxon Writers have Transmitted the Succession of their Bishops in Canterbury Rochester London c. And in Countries so Remote and Barbarous as Island it self we find the same care taken Ara or Aras an Islandish Priest Surnam'd Hinfrode the Leurned who flourish'd in the Eleventh Century and was 25 Years Old when Christianity was brought thither in his Book of that Country written in Islandish has Transmitted to Posterity not only the Succession but the Genealogies of the Bishops of Skalholt and Hola the two Episcopal Sees of Island as they Succeeded one another in his Time I mention this of Island to show that Episcopacy has Extended it self Equally with Christianity which was carry'd by it into the Remotest Corners of the Earth upon which account the Bishops of Skalholt and Hola and their Succession are as Remarkable Proofs of Episcopacy tho' not so Famous as the Bishops of Canterbury and London IV. If the Presbyterians will say because they have nothing left to say that all London for Example was but one Parish and that the Presbyter of every other Parish was as much a Bishop as the Bishop of London because the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishop and Presbyter are sometimes us'd in the same â—eâ—… They may as well prove that Christ was but a Deacon because He is so call'd Rom. xv 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we rightly â—raâ—â— are a Minister And Bishop signifies an Overseer and Presbyter an Ancient Man or Elder Man whence our Term of Aldermâ—n And this is as good a Foundation to Prove that the Apostles were Aldermen in the City acceptation of the Word or that our Aldermen are all Bishops and Apostles as to Prove that Presbyters and Bishops are all one from the Childish Gingle of the Words It wou'd be the same thing if one shou'd undertake to Confront all Antiquity and Prove against all the Histories that the Emperors of Rome were no more than Generals of Armies and that every Roman General was Emperor of Rome because he cou'd find the word Imperator sometimes apply'd to the General of an Army Or as if a Common-wealth-man shou'd get up and say that our former Kings were no more than our Dukes are now because the Stile of Grace which is now given to Dukes was then given to Kings And suppose that any one were put under the Pennance of Answering to such Ridiculous Arguments what Method wou'd he take but to shew that the Emperors of Rome and former Kings of England had Generals of Armies and Dukes under them and Exercis'd Authority over them Therefore when we find it given in Charge to Timothy the first Bishop of Ephesus how he was to Proceed against his Presbyters when they Transgressed to Sit in Judgment upon them Examine Witnesses against them and pass Censures upon them it is a most Impertinent Logoâ—…chy to argue from the Etymology of the Words that notwithstanding of all this a Bishop and a Presbyter are the same thing Therefore that one Text 1 Tim. v. 19. is sufficient to silence this Pitiful Clamour of the Presbyterians our English reads it against an Elder which is the Literal Translation of the word Presbyter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against a Presbyter receive not an Accusation but before two or three Witnesses and them that sin Rebuke before all that others also may fear Now upon the Presbyterian Hypothesis we must say that Timothy had no Authority or Jurisdiction over that Presbyter against whom he had Power to Receive Accusations Examine Witnesses and pass Censures upon him And that such a Presbyter had the same Authority over Timothy which is so Extravagant and against Common Sense that I will not stay longer to Confute it and think this enough to have said concerning the Presbyterian Argument from the Etymology of the words Bishop and Presbyter And this likewise Confutes their other Pretence which I have mention'd that the Ancient Bishopricks were only Single and Independent Congregations or Parishes This is a Topick they have taken up but of late being Beaten from all their other Holds and Launched by Mr. David Clarkson in a Book which he Entitules Primitive Episcopacy which has given occasion to an Excellent Answer by Dr. Hen. Maurice call'd A Defence of Diocesan Episcopacy Printed 1691. which I suppose has ended that Controversie and hindred the World from being more troubl'd upon that Head And their other little Shift and as Groundless that the Primitive Bishops were no other than their Moderators advanced more lately by Gilb. Rule late Moderator of the General Assembly in Scotland has been as Learnedly and with great Clearness of Reason Confuted by the Worthy J. S. in his Principles of the Cyprianick Age Printed 1695. But as I said that Text 1 Tim. v. 19. has made all these Pretences wholly useless to the Presbyterians For supposing their most Notorious false supposition as if the Bishopricks of Jerusalem Rome Alexandria or London consisted but of one single Congregation and that such Bishops had no Presbyters under them but that all Presbyters were Equally Bishops I say supposing this then it must follow from what we Read of Timothy that one Bishop or Presbyter had Jurisdicton over other Bishops or Presbyters which will Destroy the Presbyterian Claim of Parity as much as their Confession to the Truth and plain Matter of Fact that Bishops had Presbyters under their Jurisdiction and that they were Distinct Orders Notwithstanding that a Bishop may be call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Deacon or Minister of Christ and likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Elder or Grave Man which is a Term of Magistracy and Dignity and not ty'd to Age. And a Presbyter may likewise in a sound Sense be call'd a Bishop that is an Overseer or Shepherd which he truly is over his Particular Flock without denying at all