though so much be signified without it No it will not serue the turne for though Presbyter doe alwaies and onely signifie a Minister and neuer signifie an onely gouerning Elder yet there might bee gouerning Elders who were signified by other names Why but then there were no Presbyters but Ministers which was the point to be proued And what then becommeth which is the chiefe scope of this place of all those testimonies wherein the word Presbyter is mentioned which T. C. and others doe alledge supposing the most of the places in the scriptures councils and fathers where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Presbyter is mentioned to be so many proofes of your gouerning Elders call you this a weake proofe which doth not onely at once bereaue you of all those testimonies where Presbyter is mentioned and wherein your chiefe strength did lie but also proue that there were no Presbyters but Ministers This consequence therefore was not to be denied And much lesse the other For if there cannot be produced so much as any one pregnant testimonie out of the scriptures councils or fathers mentioning or meaning any lay annuall onely-gouerning Elders with what proofs will they vrge them or with what conscience can they obtrude them as the ordinance of Christ An argument taken from the scriptures alone negatiuè was wont to be a sufficient disproofe of any pretended ordinance of Christ and shall not an argument holde negatiuely from Scriptures Fathers Councels and all Notwithstanding the consequence must needs be infirme and weake for although there be no proofe of any Lay-annuall-onely gouerning elders yet may there be indeed is for all that proofe sufficient for such only gouerning Presbyters as are ecclesiâ—sticall and to be perpetuall Wherefore which way soeuer the proposition lye the consequence therof I flatly deny saith our ryming refuter But heere I intreat the Reader to trie the spirit of this Sophister For if himselfe acknowledge that my meaning is simply to denie the onely-gouerning Elders then can hee not be excused from this imputation of setting himselfe to wrangle against conscience But so much hee acknowledgeth when hee commeth to the assumption for otherwise he could not haue wrangled therewith M. D. meaing saith he is simply to denie all kinde onely-gouerning Elders therefore I denie the assumption His meaning was not to denie all but annuall and Lay-Elders therefore I flatly denie the consequence Thus you see how he is carried with a spirit of contradiction not caring to gaine say himselfe so hee may seeme to contradict mee But so farre was the consequence from being to be denyed because I mention Lay and annuall that rather it was to be graunted These words being added ad maiorem cautelam and distinctly propounded to make the consequence so much the stronger and to signifie that I spake of all Elders whatsoeuer that are not Ministers call them as you will whether Lay or annuall or onely gouerning Elders And here againe let the Reader obserue that the new sect of Disciplinarians will not haue such Elders as lately were in Scotland and still are at Geneua and the Low Countreys No they scorne such those be Lay annuall as you haue heard but these may not be so Therfore let the elder sort of Disciplinarians be accounted wise who though they were faine to yeeld that the greater part of their presbyteries should be of the Laitie yet they did foresee that the Ministers would beare the sway as indeed they ought because they were perpetuall the others annuall or but for a short time whereas these men making the Lay-Elders perpetuall and referring matters to be ruled by pluralitie of voyces absurdly subiect the Ministers to bee ruled and ouer-ruled by them who in the most Countrey-parishes are more fitte to holde the plough then to sit at the sterne of the Church And so desperate or franticke whether are they nowe growne that although they make their parish-Bishop the supreme officer in the visible Church and doe holde that euery parish hath a sufficient and independent authoritie immediately deriued from Christ for the gouernment of it selfe in all causes Ecclesiasticall Notwithstanding offer to submitte their Bishop and his Consistorie yea their whole visible Church with their whole managing of causes Ecclesiasticall to the ouersight and superintendencie of each Iustice of peace Hauing thus wrangled with the proposition hee setteth himselfe also against the assumption containing the two aforesaide Assertions The former whereof viz that the word Presbyter noting an Ecclesiasticall person in the Church of Christ euermore in the Scriptures Councells and Fathers signifieth a Minister hee denyeth For if the word onely bee added it is vtterly false For I shall make it euident saith hee that the worde Presbyter doth sometimes signifie one that is not a Minister And if it bee left out it will be false neuerthelesse For it shall appeare that sometimes the word is vsed for an Ecclesiasticall person that is no Minister So that by his owne confession all is one whether the word onely bee inserted or omitted the contradictorie being one and the same that sometimes it signifieth one that is not a Minister But though hee delay the Reader for his owne proofes which I dare assure him will not satisfie his iudicious expectation yet seeing he setteth himselfe to catch and snatch at euery word he should not haue passed by those argumeÌ„ts â—hereby I proued my Assertion and I am perswaded would not if silence had not bene his best answere For a man of his Acumen might easily out of those fewe words haue raised three syllogismes which he could not so easily answere But the labour which hee thought best to spare I will vndertake for him For 1. If the word Priest freed as it is in our Church from the popish abuse and conceiued without all relation to reall sacrifices be the proper English of presbyter as it noteth an Ecclesiasticall person then presbyter signifieth a Minister onely and as well might question bee made whether there were any Lay-priests as Lay-presbyters but the former is true therefore the latter 2. That word which in the Scriptures is confounded with Episcopus or Bishop doth signifie a Minister onely But Presbyter by their owne confession is confounded with Episcopus or Bishop Therefore presbyter doth signifie a Minister onely 3. That word which being in the Scriptures confounded with Bishop doth also note such a person as by the Apostles rule must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able to preach doth signifie a Minister of the word onely for in none but Ministers is that propertie required But Presbyter is such a word as beeing in the Scriptures confounded with Bishop doth also note a person who must by the Apostles rule be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or able to preach Therefore the word Presbyter doth signifie a Minister onely The latter part of his assumption saith he in case he vrge the words Lay and annuall
would haue Lay-Elders maintained at the Churches charge But this is one of his colours whereby he would perswade that the Eldership should rather now be admitted then in the Apostles times Because if the Apostle would charge the Churches being in persecution and therefore poore with maintaining Elders which being poore were not sometimes able to liue without some reliefe from the Church c how much more ought there now to be Seniors when the Churches be in peace and therefore not so poore and when there may be chosen such for the most part throughout the realme as are able to liue without charging the Church any whit as the practise of these daies doth manifestly declare For if it had beene his iudgement that Lay-Elders are to be maintained otherwise then for need he would haue argued thus If by the Apostles rule the Elders were to be maintained for their workes sake by the Churches being poore and in pâ—rsecution then much more are they to be maintained when the Churches be in peace and profpâ—ritie and so would haue assumed the antecedent to conclude the consequent But seeing he doth tollere consequens contradict the consequent saying that when the Churches are in peace and prosperitie such a course may and ought to be taken for that may seeme to be his meaning according to the example of all the reformed Churches that the Church shall not be charged at all with the maintenance of the Seniors that is to say by choosing men of abilitie who need no reliefe it is easie to conclude tollendo antecedens that his iudgement was that this rule of the Apostle notwithstanding Lay-Elders were not to haue maintenance for their workes sake but reliefe onely if they did need Of the same iudgement is the demonstratour of discipline for it being obiected that the parishes would be ouerburdened in prouiding for so many he answereth it is not necessarie that they should prouide for any more of them sauing those that are exercised in the ministerie of the word vnlesse any of the rest may need the liberalitie of the Church But suppose that this were T. C. iudgement or the opinion of any other among vs who hath conceiued a platonicall Idea of discipline which he neuer saw practised were this sufficient to disproue my assertion who haue the confession of the learned reformers in respect of their doctrine and of the reformed Churches in respect of their practise Or if this were a sufficient exception against the consent of those which stand for discipline that some one doth hold a singular opinion by himselfe then can their consent be scarcely alledged for any one affirmatiue point of discipline euery man almost pleasing himselfe in the noueltie of his inuention and in the singularitie of his opinion For plentifull proofe whereof I referre you to the suruey of the pretended discipline § 5. His second obiection is that although in practise reformed Churches doe not giue their Lay-Elders any maintenance yet this doth not hinder but that in their iudgement they may according to the Apostles rule esteeme them worthy of it Can we doubt saith he but our Clergie maisters thinke M. D. worthy of a Bishoppricke for his paines in pleading their cause yet we see they bestowe not so much as a suffraganeship on him Shall we therefore say they doe not thinke him to deserue it What a profane mockerie is this to expound the Apostles words as though hee would haue the people thinke they had discharged their dutie in esteeming onely their Ministers worthy of double honour when in fact they doe not yeeld them sufficient maintenance If he were in the ministerie as I know not whether he be or not and the people should answere him thus Syr though we allow you no maintenance as you desire yet let this content you that according to the Apostles rule we count you worthy of double honour would he not thinke S. Paul abused himselfe deluded yea and Christ his Lord and maister in him to be mocked Be not deceiued saith the Apostle speaking in this cause God is not mocked That which I say of Ministers is in like manner to be vnderstood of Lay-Elders if they be included in this text The words of the Apostle are generall the Presbyters that rule well let them be counted worthy of double honour Wherefore let them either acknowledge that the Lay-Elders are not meant in this place or else teach the people before they admit Lay-Elders to thinke themselues bound by the Apostles rule to yeeld them double honour that is saith T. C. a plentifull reward such as may be fully sufficieÌ„t for them and their housholds and to yeeld it willingly gratefully For that is the Apostles meaning when he requireth the Presbyters to be accounted worthy of double honour not onely that this honour of maintenance should be giuen them as appeareth by the reasons which he hath annexed but that the people should giue it not grudgingly and as it were by constraint of law as thinking the Ministers not worthy of maintenance but willingly and gratefully as esteeming them most worthy of double honour and thinking it a small matter to giue temporall things to them of whom they receive spirituall Neither is it to any purpose which he obiecteth concerning either Pauls refusing of maintenance from the Corinthians and Thessalonains or of wealthy Ministers refusing to burden the Churches by taking maintenance from them vnlesse he can proue that order being taken in those Churches for the maintenance of their Elders which they may readily receiue if they will themselues doe voluntarily and freely refuse it For if those Elders be comprised vnder Presbyters in this text there must the like order be taken for maintenance of all by the Apostles rule though the painefull Preachers are chiefely to be respected But the contrarie course is taken Neither is there not hauing of maintenance to be ascribed to their owne refusing as in the example of Paul and the wealthy Ministers but to the Churches not allowing them maintenance To the like purpose is that which he saith that I need not insult ouer those reformed Churches which with consent of the Elders themselues thinke it best to ease the people of that charge seeing the paines to be taken in the office of the Eldership is not such but that they may attend their ciuill callings and meanes of liuing as well as our Churchwardens and ciuill officers In which words first he wrongfully chargeth me with insulting ouer those Churches Secondly he confuteth himselfe who hauing before denied them to be Lay-Elders here confesseth they haue ciuill callings which they may attend vpon as well as our Churchwardens Thirdly where hee speaketh of the Elders consent in not taking maintenance it is the consent of obedience to the lawes and orders of the Church such as is in our Churchwardens who by the like consent haue no maintenance But to leaue his words
The third testimonie I find not vrged any where but in the counterpoison Where it is said that Iames willing them when they be weake to send for the Elders of the Church thereby plainely declareth that the Church ought not onely to haue a pastor and a doctor whose chiefe attendance must be on reading exhortation and doctrine but also many who ought alwaies to be readie at an instant calling of diuerse and many at once that none in that necessarie worke be neglected It followeth thereby that besides them there ought to be such other Elders as may admonish the vnruly comfort the weake minded and be patient towards all If all this were granted as it is propounded it would not follow thereupon that therefore there should be any Lay-Elders but many Ministers in euery Church for such were those in the place cited and it is the duetie of those whom Iames would haue sent for to attend vnto reading doctrine and exhortation But his meaning no doubt was this There ought to be many Elders in euery Church therefore some Lay-Elders The consequence he taketh for granted the antecedent he proueth thus There were many Elders in euery Church in S. Iames time therefore there ought to be many now For answere to his antecedent and proofe thereof we are to distinguish of the word Church For if thereby he meane the Church of a whole citie and countrey adioyning there were and are many Presbyters in euery Church but if thereby he meane euery seuerall congregation meeting or assembly of Christians there neither are nor were many Presbyters appointed to euery such Church In S. Iames time though in each Church there were diuerse assemblies of Christians meeting as they could yet were not parishes distinguished nor Presbyters seuerally and certainely allotted to them but to the Church of a whole citie and countrey adioyning there was one Bishop and many Presbyters prouided But when parishes were distinguished to each of them seuerally a Presbyter was assigned out of the Clergy or Presbyterie of the citie the residue of the Presbyters remaining with the Bishop who as before the diuision of parishes retained still the charge of the whole Diocesse as I will God willing shew in the next booke Wherefore though in S. Iames time before the diuision of parishes there were in euery Church that is Diocesse many Presbyters yet it doth not follow that therefore in euery parish there should be diuerse Presbyters But his consequence is especially to be insisted vpon for though there were in each Church many Presbyters as at Ephesus Act. 20. and at Ierusalem where Iames himselfe was Bishop Act. 15. 21. of which number Iames would haue the weake to send for some yet in that number there was not one who was not a Minister Neither can any sound reason be alleaged why we should conceiue these Presbyters of whom Iames speaketh to haue beene any other then Ministers First the title which is giuen them viz Presbyters of the Church as Act. 20.17 is peculiar to Ministers not one instance to be giuen to the contrarie Secondly the function for the performance wherof they were to visit the sicke chiefely if not onely pertaining to Ministers and that was not onely to pray ouer the partie and that as it seemeth by the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with imposition of hands but also to annoint him with the oile in the name of the Lord that by the oile as an outward though temporarie Sacrament annexed to the temporarie gift of healing granted for a time not onely to the Apostles but also to their successors in the ministerie of the word the sicke might be restored to health and by prayer ioyned with imposition of hands the sinnes of the partie might be remitted and so the cause of the sicknes be remoued Wherefore I make no question but the speach of Saint Iames is to be vnderstoode according to the perpetuall vse of the word the generall interpretation of all writers both old and new excepting not all that be parties in the cause and the generall and continuall practise of the Church expounding him as if he had said let him call for the Ministers c. The fourth testimonie is thus vrged If the Apostle setting downe the ordinary members of Christ his Church which differ in their proper action doe set downe the Elder to be ouer the people with diligence and not to be occupied in the ministerie of the word either by exhortation or doctrine but to admonish them and rule them then the onely-gouerning Elders were ordained by the Apostles but the first say they is manifest Rom. 12.6.7.8 therefore the second But the first say I is so farre from being manifest that it cannot so much as obscurely be gathered out of the text It is true the Apostle speaketh of the members of the body of Christ and of the diuerse gifts bestowed vpon them which the Apostle exhorteth euery one knowing his proportion or measure in all humilitie and modestie to imploy to the common good of the whole body But you must vnderstand First that the members of Christ are not onely officers in the state Ecclesiasticall but all Christians whatsoeuer as well in the body politicke as Ecclesiasticke whether publicke or priuate Secondly that the Apostle doth not speake of distinct offices which are not coincident to the same persons but of the diuerse gifts and graces of Gods spirit for so he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c hauing diuerse gifts according to the grace which is giuen vnto vs of which all or most may concurre in the same subiect As for example a good and faithfull Minister hath as a Minister First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gift of expounding the scriptures and of prayer Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a function to Minister and serue God in the edification of the church Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gift of Teaching 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gift of Exhortation 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gift of gouernment and as a good Christian. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grace to distribute and to communicate to to the necessities of his bretheren in simplicitie and cheerefulnes 3. That these gifts are not proper to Ecclesiasticall persons but common to others But if the Apostle had here propounded distinct offices then might 7. be distinguished and those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in-compatible in the same person But neither are there according to these branches 7. distinct offices And besides they are or may be all or diuers of them coincident to the same person As for Lay-Elders they are neither particular lie expressed nor in the generall implyed The speech is generall hee that gouerneth in diligence appartaining to all that haue authoritie not onely in the church but also in the family or common-wealth Indeed if it were presupposed which will neuer be proued by them
lawfully ordained whosoeuer now will be made Bishop it is necessarie that he should be put forth of the Church and that he haue not the Churches ordination who doth not hold the vnity of the Church Whosoeuer he be though he boast much of himselfe and challenge verie much to himselfe he is prophane he is an aliant he is out of the Church And for as much as after the first Bishop there cannot be a second whosoeuer after that one who ought to be alone is made he is not the second but none at all Thirdly the singularitie of preeminence in Bishops during their life is proued by their singularitie of succession both in and since the Apostles times noted by Irenaeus Tertullian Eusebius and other approued authors most plainly prouing that there was but one Bishop at once in the ancient and Apostolicall Churches Fourthly what the preeminence and superioritie of Bishops was ouer the Presbyters and others of the Clergie appeareth by this that in good writers they are said the Bishop his Presbyters the Bishops Deacons the Bishops clergy Thus Arius is said to haue been Alexanders presbyter Petrus and Irenaus Timotheâ—â— and Macarius to haue been Athanasius his Presbyters the vicegerents of Siluester in the councill of Nice were his Presbyters Thus Crispio is said to haue been Epiphaniuâ— his archdeacon Heraclides to haue been Chrysostomes deacon In a word all of the Clergie were said to be the Bishops clerks as in the councill of Africke Let no Bishop take anothers clerke without the consent of him whose clerk he is The which is a plain argument of the great preeminence which the Bishops of the primitiue Church had ouer the Presbyters and others of the clergie To these we will adde the testimonie of Bucer against whom the Refuter cannot except as being partiall for Bishops By the perpetuall obseruation of the Church saith he euen from the Apostles themselues we see it seemed good to the holie Ghost that among the Presbyters to whom the charge of the Church is specially committed one shold haue the singular charge of the Churches and in that charge and care gouerned al others for which cause the name of Bishop was attributed to these chiefe Gouernors of Churches Howbeit without the counsell of the other Presbyters they ought not to determine any thing c. Thus much of the Preeminence of Bishops CHAP. IIII. That Bishops were superior in power and first in the power of ordination Serm. sect 5. pag. 36. Let vs see if Bishops were not also superiour in power Hearken to Ierome The safety of the Church dependeth on the dignitie of the chiefe Priest or Bishop to whom if there be not yeelded exors ab omnibus eminens potestas a peerelesse power and eminent aboue all there will be so many Schismes in the Churches as there be Priests THis testimony is handled by him as Sir Christopher Blunts head was vsed after his apprehension first healed and then cut off For first he explanes the testimonie and then reiects it He restraineth Ieromes speech to the Church in his owne time viz. in the end of the fourth age saying That no man can without open violence stretch it further Which is as vnlearned a shift as euer was heard of As though Ierome had spoken onely of that which was in his time and not of that which in his judgement ought to be Was it Ieromes judgement that the superioritie of Bishops was needfull for the auoiding of Schismes in his time onely doth he not plainly teach that the superioritie of Bishops began in the Apostles times and that at the first they were ordained for auoiding of Shismes For the former doth he not say that Iames was Bishop of Ierusalem Timothe of Ephesus and Titus of Creet Doth he not say that euer since Saint Marks time there haue been Bishops placed in a superiour degree aboue the Presbytes Doth he not call the superioritie of BB. a tradition Apostolicall and doth he not say that it began in the whole world when diuisions began in the Church saying I am of Paul c. which was in the Apostles time c. As touching the latter he saith indeed that at the first the Churches vnder the Apostles before BB. were ordained were gouerned by the common Counsell of Presbyters But whereas afterwards one was elected who should be set ouer the rest In Schismatis remedium factum est It was prouided as a remedie against Schisme lest euery man drawing after him should rend in peeces the Church of Christ. And least we should think that afterwards to be referred to the times after the Apostles he addeth in the next words Nam Alexandriae For euen at Alexandria euer since Mark the Euangelist who died 5. or 6. yeares before Peter and Paul and almost 40. yeares before Saint Iohn the Presbyters haue alwaies chosen one and placed him in a higher degree and called him Bishop The like he hath in Titum 1. that when diuisions began in the Church it was decreed in the whole world that one should be set ouer the rest to whom omnis Ecclesiae cura pertineret Schismatum semina tollerentur the care of the whole Church or all the care of the Church should appertaine and that the seeds of Schismes might be taken away or as he speakth afterwards vt dissensionum plantaria euellerentur ad vnum omnem solicitudinem esse delaâ—â—â— that the first plants or sets of dissensions might be plucked out the whole care was committed to one It is most plaine therefore that in Ieromes judgement the superioritie of BB. was needfull for the auoiding of Schisme not onely in his own time but euen in the Apostles times when Bishops were first ordained And as he teacheth that BB. were instituted for auoiding of Schisme so his judgement in the place alleaged was that for the same cause they are necessarily to be reteined Yea he saith Salus Ecclesia The safetie of the Church dependeth on this dignitie of Bishops and that vnlesse a peerelesse and supereminent power be giuen vnto them there would be as many Schismes in the Churches as there be Priests But the refuter wants no reasons J warrant you to restraine Ieromes words to Ieromes time For To stretch it to the Apostles times saith he were to make Ierome a wilde headed 〈◊〉 indeed Thus Ierome if he agree not with the conceipts of some giddie heads shall be judged wild-headed And why so I pray you For three reasons First because Ierome in diuers places disputeth and concludeth that BB. and Presbyters are equall by the word of God Whereunto I answeare that this is all which Ierome in this cause saith that Bishops and Presbyters are the 〈◊〉 in the Scriptures His meaning is that before Bishops were ordained the names Episcopus Presbyter were confounded and the same men were called Presbyters and Bishops which I do not denie
But no wheres he saith that Bishops and Presbyters were equall for before BB. were ordained he could not say that Presbyters and Bishops were equall he saith they were the same After Bishops were ordained which he acknowledgeth to haue been done in the Apostles times and that by the Apostles for which cause he calleth their institution a tradition Apostolicall he plainly confesseth that one who was chosen from among the Presbyters and was called the Bishop of the Church to haue been placed in a higher degree But hereof we shall haue occasion hereafter to intreat more fully His second reason Ierome maketh Heraclas and Dionysius in Alexandria the first authors of aduancing one minister aboue another in power The words are Nam Alexandriae á Marco Euangelista vsque ad Heraclam Dionysium Episcopos Presbyteri semper vnum ex se electum in â—â—ccelsiori gradu collocatum Episcopum nominabant quo modo si exercitus imperatorem faciat For euen at Alexandria euer since Mark the Euangelist vntill the Bishops Heraclas and Dionysius the Presbyters haue alwaies called one being chosen out of themselues and placed him in a higher degree Bishop euen as an armie chooseth their chiefetaine Which words as so far from giuing the least inckling of the Refuters conceit that Heraclas and Dionysius should be the first authors of aduancing Bishops that they plainely declare the Bishops euer from Saint Marks time to Heraclas and Dionysius to haue been placed in a higher degree aboue the Presbyters as the generall aboue the souldiours And truely of the two T. C. conceit who collecteth the cleane contrarie to our refuter hath the better glosse for he imagineth that vntill Heralas and Dionysius they who were chosen from among the Presbyters were called Bishops but then godly men misliking the appropriating of the name to one in a Church ceased to call him so And he might haue added with no lesse colour out of the words that the Bishops till then had been placed in a higher degree aboue other ministers but then good men misliking their aduancement aboue their fellow ministers brought them a peg lower To these conjectures the words would seeme to them that vnderstand not the right meaning thereof which heretofore I haue declared to giue some colour of likelyhood were it not that the practize of the Church did openly proclaime the contrarie Wherefore of all collectors my Refuter shal beare away the bell For he that can collect out of these words Euer vntill Heraclas and Dionysius the Bishop was placed in a higher degree that Heraclas and Dionysius were the first that aduanced the Bishops needs not doubt to collect quidlibet ex quolibet what himselfe will out of any thing whatsoeuer His third reason that Ierome in the same Epistle doth teach the contrarie is most false For Ierome plainly confesseth the Bishop to be superiour in the power of ordination and in the end concludeth that what Aaron and his sonnes and the Leuites were in the temple the same let Bishops Presbyters and Deacons challenge to themselues in the Church The Refuter hauing thus salued this testimonie of Ierome in the end rejects it For if this be true that vnlesse the Bishop haue a peerelesse power there will be as many Schismes in the Church as there be Priests then by the like reason Bellarmine may argue if there be not a peerelesse power giuen to the Pope there will be as many Schismes in the Churches as there ar Bishops but this latter consequence is naught so is the former Thus Ierome on whose only authoritie among the ancient the Disciplinarians in this cause relie when he speaketh any thing for the BB. his credit is no better with them then if he had spoken for the Popes supremacie But this is his desperate malice against the holy calling of Bishops whereby he seeketh euery where to parallele the Christian superioritie of BB. with the Antichristian supremacy of the Pope But all in vaine For though it be true in Ieromes conceit that if there were no Bishops there would be as many Schismes almost as Priests yet it doth not follow thâ—t if there were no Pope there would bee as many Schismes as Bishops For first experience teacheth how to judge of this matter for vntill the yeare 607. the Pope neuer attained to his supremacie and yet the Church was more free from Schismes before that time then since whereas contrariwise when there were no Bishops for a short season in the Apostles times in most of the Churches euery one of the Presbyters as Ierome speaketh sought to draw Disciples after him which he supposeth to haue been the occasion of instituting Bishops Secondly there is great oddes betweene BB. and the greatest number of Presbyters One Bishop say the Fathers of the Africane councill may ordaine many Presbyters but one man fit to be a Bishop is hard to be found Thirdly before there was one supreme or vniuersall Bishop there was vnitie and communion betweene all the Bishops in Christendome whose course to preserue vnitie in the Churches and to auoid Schisme was to communicate the confessions of their faith one with an other by their communicatorie pacificall or formed letters And if any were in error they sought first seuerally by their letters to reclaime them and if they preuailed not they assembled in Councils either to reduce them to vnitie or to depose them Cyprian saith that the Catholike Church is one not rent into Schismes nor diuided but euery where knit togither coharentium sibi inuicem Sacerdotum glutino copulata and coupled with the glew as it were of Bishops agreeing mutually among themselues And in another place which before hath beene alledged Therefore is the bodie of Bishops copious coupled together with the glew of mutuall concord and with the bond of vnitie that if any of our companie shall be authour of an Heresie shall endeuour to rend the flocke of Christ and to make hauocke thereof the rest may helpe c. Whereas contrariwise if there were one supreme and vniuersall Bishop whose authoritie were greater then of generall Councils as the Papists teach when he doth erre who should reclame him when he is exorbitant who should reduce him into the way when he shall draw with him innumerable troopes of soules into Hell who may say vnto him Domine cur ita facis Syr why do you so And as the Church is to be carefull for auoiding Schisme and preseruation of itselfe in the vnitie of truth which may be prouided for as it was wont yea better then it was wont where are Christian and Orthodoxall magistrates by the BB. singularitie of preeminence in euery seuerall Church and mutuall concord of them in the truth so must it be as carefull to auoid conspiring consenting in vntruth But where there is one supreme and vniuersall Bishop when he erreth and goeth astray he becommeth as we see in the Papacie the head of
to a higher degree aboue the rest of the Apostles because the Apostleship being the highest degree of the Ministerie this was the greatest honour to haue a priority and precedence in that degree Yea but I denie him to haue beene B. when I say that whereas before the Apostles had ioyntly gouerned the Church of Ierusalem that charge which before they had in cōmon they being now to depart cōmitted to him in particular but their charge was of Apostles not of Bishops As though the charge of Apostles is not by the holy Ghost called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Bishopricke and as though Iames who before was an Apostle absolutely did not by this designement become the Apostle of the Iewes Neither was this a clipping of his wings as it pleaseth the Refuter to speake more then of the rest of the Apostles when by mutual consent euery mans Prouince as it were circuit and charge was assigned to him But I spake not without booke deliuering mine owne conceipts as the Refuter euery where doth but what I said I receiued from their owne and almost onely Author Ierome which he receiued also from Hegesippus Hegesippus saith he who was neare the Apostles times in the fift booke of his Commentaries speaking of Iames saith Iames the brother of our Lord sirnamed the iust receiued the Church of Ierusalem post Apostolos after the Apostles As touching the other point though the Refuter would scarsely vouchsafe to touch it as being impertinent notwithstanding it not onely confuteth the conceipt of those who hold Bishops were but for a short time and not for terme of life but also proueth plainly that Iames was B. of Ierusalem I therefore shewed that he continued at Ierusalem as the superintendent of that Church vntil his death ruling the same by the space of thirtie yeares after that manner as his successor after him ruled it eight and thirty yeares Yea but this doth not proue that he was B. Neither was it so much alledged to that end as to shew the preheminence which he had was not as Beza saith of all the ancient Bishops which hee acknowledgeth to be diuine for a short time or by course but for terme of life And yet it proueth the maine point also that he was B. and as the Geneua translators confesse superintendent of that Church For if he were not the Apostle of that Church that is to say the B. why did not he after the example of other Apostles trauaile into other parts but continued there ruling that Church by the space of thirty yeares vntill his death Forsooth hee did not stay so much to rule that Church for that might haue beene otherwise performed as to conuert the multitudes of Iewes which should resort thither Where hee saith the Church might otherwise haue beene gouerned it is nothing to the purpose vnlesse he can shew that it was otherwise gouerned There is no doubt but that Church had a Pastor assigned to them by the Apostles who would not leaue that mother Church as a flocke without a shepheard But what Pastor had it if Iames who continued there and ruled it for thirtie yeares were not the Pastor thereof There is no doubt to be made but the cause and end of his staying there thirtie yeares was the same of his successour Simons staying there thirtie eight yeares and of his successours euery one vntill their death Wherefore was it not great pitie that the Refuter did forget himselfe to spend so much time in things that were so impertinent Serm. Sect. 6. pag. 69. As touching other Churches wee are to obserue that the Apostles did not at the very first planting of them appoint BB. vnto them c. to pag. 72. li. 17. The difference in respect of the time which before I noted betwixt Ierusalem and other Churches I doe in this section explane shewing that the Apostles did not at the first planting of them appoint Bishops to them as presently after the ascension of Christ they appointed a Bishop ouer the Church of Ierusalem yeelding these reasons because as yet there was neither that choise nor yet that vse of them among a people which was to be conuerted before it needed to be gouerned and shewing what course they did take before they appointed Bishops namely that first they ordayned Presbyters to labour the conuersion of the people to feed them being conuerted and to attend them in common gouerning them after a priuate manner and as it were in foro conscientiae And this is that which Ierome saith that the Churches at the first before Bishops were appointed ouer them were gouerned by the common counsell of the Presbyters But the Episcopall power which consisteth specially in the right of ordination and in the sway of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction committed to one I said the Apostles each of them retayned in their owne hands as was manifest whiles eyther they continued neare them or meant not to be long from them All which while Bishops were not so needfull the Apostles prouiding for the necessitie of those Churches either by their presence or by their letters and messengers And this I noted to be the cause why in the writings of the Apostles Bishops are so seldome though not so seldome as some imagine mentioned and the name with Presbyter confounded But when as they were to leaue the Churches altogether either by departure from them or by death that the Churches should not be left fatherlesse they fulfilled that in Psal. 45. according to Augustines and Ieromes exposition in steed of Fathers that is the Apostles there shall be children borne vnto thee whom thou shall make Princes ouer all the earth that is Bishops succeeding the Apostles in the regiment of the Church At their departure they left substitutes and at their death appointed successours to whom they committed the gouernment of the Churches furnishing them by a singularitie of preheminence both with the right of Ordination and with the power of Iurisdiction as vvell ouer the Presbyters as the people of each Citie with the Countrey adioyning And these I saide at the first vvere called sometimes the Angels of the Churches sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praepositi Rulers Heb. 13.17 vvhich text in the auncient canons called the Apostles and in the second Epistle of Ignatius as also the name praepositi in Latine Fathers from thence is appropriated to BB. sometimes the Apostles of the Churches c. To all this the Refuter answereth by snatches as he doth to the residue of the Sermon for which cause I thinke it expedient to repeate the points deliuered in the Sermon that his dealing may the better appeare And first hee snatcheth at those wordes where I said that vntill the Apostles were to leaue the Churches altogether Bishops were not so needfull as after their departure and death which is most manifest Belike saith he they were needfull before but
Episcopall to be of Apostolicall and diuine Institution yet not as generally perpetually and immutably necessarie But the pretended discipline is held by the fauourers of it so to be enioyned by diuine right that it ought generally in all places and perpetually in all ages and also immutably to be obserued as being not chaÌ„geable by man And so farre doe they differ from the Kings iudgement that whereas the King thinketh the Church may be framed to the CoÌ„mon-wealth they say the gouernement of the Common-wealth must be fashioned to the Church But to fashion the Church to the Common-wealth is as much to say as if a man should fashion his house according to his hangings And thus much hath he gained by his third vntruth The fourth remaineth Lastly it is a doctrine contrarying the doctrine of the Church of England professed euen by the BB. themselues till of late daâ—es c. therefore vtterly false To this Antecedent I giue no credit though for proofe therof hee citeth B. Iewell and Archbishop Whitgift at randon For the doctrine of our Church appeareth best by the Articles and confession of our Church First therefore the booke of consecrating BB. Priests and Deacons which is approued Article 36. saith It is euident vnto all men diligently reading holy Scripture and Ancient Authors that from the Apostles time there haue beene these orders of Ministers in Christs Church Bishops Priests and Deacons Of which orders it is afterwards said that God by his holy spirit hath appointed them in his Church And againe the Bishop is required to correct and punish according to such authoritie as he hath by Gods word such as be vnquiet disobedient and criminous within his Diocesse Likewise the confession of the English Church collected out of the Apology thereof written by Bishop Iewel We belieue that there be diuerse degrees of Ministers in the Church whereof some be Deacons some Priests some Bishops c. And it is to be noted that our Church acknowledgeth nothing as a matter of faith which is not coÌ„tained in Gods word or grounded thereon Againe if it were true that the Bishops hauing better informed themselues concerning their functions had reformed their iugdemeÌ„ts according to the holy Scriptures and other writings of Antiquitie would it follow that their latter thoughts which commonly are the wiser according to the old saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were false and worthie to be confuted And lastly if this be a true proposition which in the refuters Enthymeme is vnderstood that what is repugnant to the doctrines formerly taught in the Church of England is euidently false though it agree with the present doctrine thereof how worthy then is the pretended discipline to be reiected which is contrarie to the perpetuall doctrine of this Church both former and latter especially the discipline of the newest stampe I meane the new-found parish discipline published by the challengers of disputation Anno 1606 maintained by this refuter which neither agreeth with our Church nor as I suppose with any other reformed Church in the world His second reason whereby hee would proue that the doctrine contained in my Sermon was needfull to be confuted is because he saw it to be daÌ„gerous And that he proueth by 2. reasons The former because howsoeuer he had said in the former reason that it is euidently false and so not dangerous now he saith the doctrine is by mee so handsomely and likely handled that it is so farre from being euidently false that euery word I speake hath such an appearance and promise of truth that in imitation of Bishop Iewel against Harding hee thinkes he may fitly vse Socrates his words against his accusers or as I thinke more fitly the words of Agrippa to Paul who had vttered no vntruth that I had almost perswaded him to be of my minde But more fitly may I alledge the very next words of Socrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Among many things which my aduersarie hath obiected against me falsely I maruell much at this one that hee willeth the Readers take heed they be not deceiued by me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as my aduersaries words may expound it one that can tell his tale so handsomely and carrie the matter so smoothly likely and confidently that although he vtter neuer a word of truth yet euery word hee speaketh hath an appearance and promise of truth For both my Sermons and writings shewe that I affect not the perswasorie words of humane wisedome and eloquence but the plaine stile of simple truth And therefore am no more then Socrates himselfe in that regard to be suspected 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnlesse my aduersaries call him an eloquent man and powerfull in speech who speaketh the truth Secondly he proueth my doctrine to be dangerous by an induction or particular enumeration of the hurts which as he imagineth were like to come to the Church of God thereby if it were not confuted The Papists saith hee would be much aduantaged seeing that Antichristian doctrine euen after the renewing and reuiuing of their ceremonies among vs so freely preached and published tending to the vpholding of their Hierarchy from the Pope to the Apparitor as well as ours his reasons being indeed the very same with theirs as in the answere to them it shall appeare The aduantage which ariseth to the Papists by this doctrine preached and the ceremonies still retained among vs may through Gods blessing be this That when they see vs not so new-fangled as our Opposites nor so carried with hatred to their persons as to depart further from them then they haue departed from the primitiue Church but are content to obserue the ancient gouernement and lawfull Ceremonies vsed in the primitiue Church though retained by them they may be induced to ioyne with vs in reforming the Church according to the doctrine and example of the ancient and primitiue Church And whereas he calleth our doctrine defending the calling of BB Antichristian and the ceremonies vsed among vs Popish it is meerely spoken out of faction after the vsuall fashion of our Opposites who call their owne doctrine and pretended discipline though lately deuised Gods owne cause the Discipline of Christ their pleading for it a giuing testimonie to this part of the word of his grace but ours though truely Catholicke and Apostolicall they tearme Antichristian and in their late writings they call the Hierarchy of our church Dagon the tower of Babell the triple headed Cerberus the restoring of BB the building vp again the walles of Iericho my self other Ministers of the Gospel pleading for the gouernement established they compare to Achabs 400. prophets and such as plead for Baal Yea but our doctrine tendeth to the vpholding of the Popish Hierarchy from the Pope to the Apparitor as well as of ours God forbid In the Popish Clergy aboue BB. and Archbishops
haste touching only vpon the points as a dogge by the riuer Nilus not daring to stay by it yet so brag he is that he would seem to haste away not for feare but rather in disdain as not vouchsafing to waste time in a matter either so impertineÌ„t as the former part of this section or so needlesse as the latter For this is his vsual guise to cast off those points of the Sermon which indeed are most materiall as impertinent or needlesse The former is impertinent because it is not prooued to belong to those seuen Angels nor within the first two hundred yeeres Which is a meere euasion vnlearned and J greatly doubt also vnconscionable Doe I not plainely note that these seuen Angels had this singularity of preeminence when as I say the holy Ghost teacheth that whereas there were many Presbyters who also were Angels in euery Church yet there was but one who was the Angell of ech Church For to his obiection of their not being diocesan Bishops I haue answered before And for the time doe I not affirme that Timothy had this singularity of preeminence at Ephesus Titus in Creet Epaphroditus in Philippi Archippus at Colosse in the Apostles times As for the rest of my witnesses they doe either testifie de iure which in their iudgement is perpetuall or if they speak de facto it is of that which was in the Apostles times Cornelius the worthy martyr who was Bishop of Rome about the yeere two hundred fifty auoucheth that there ought to be but one Bishop in a Catholike Church though the number of Presbyters and other clergy men were very great and imputeth it as a matter of great ignorance to Nouatian that he did not know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there ought to be but one Bishop in a Catholike Church wherein he knew there were forty six Presbyters c. This testimony is reiected because it was giuen fifty yeeres after the date which were but an euasion if it did testifie de facto onely But seeing Cornelius speaketh de iure of what ought to be I hope that which ought not to haue been in Cornelius his time was not lawfull before vnlesse the Refuter can shew that before Cornelius his time plurality of Bishops in one Church was counted lawfull § 5. The Councell of Nice whose testimonie I also alleaged was of this iudgement that there ought not to bee two Bishoppes in one Citie For hauing decreed that when the Catharists that is Puritans or Nouatians returned to the Catholike Church those who were of the clergy should retaine their degree as hee that was a Deacon or a Presbyter should so continue and likewise a Bishoppe for euen the Puritanes or Catharists themselues had their Bishoppes if there were not another alreadie in the Catholike Church But if there were a Bishoppe of the Catholike Church alreadie then it is manifest before hand that the Bishoppe of the Church shall haue the honour of the Bishoppe but hee that was called Bishoppe among the Catharists shall haue the honour of a Presbyter vnlesse it please the Bishop to communicate vnto him the honour of the name But if that like him not he shall finde him out either a Chorepiscopus that is a country Bishops or a Presbyters place that still he may be retained in the clergy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there may not be two Bishop in one Citie Which words in Ruffinus are the tenth Canon Ne in vna Ciuitate duo sint Episcopi Augustine also vnderstood though somewhat too late that it was forbidden by the Councell of Nice that there should be any more Bishops in a Church then one For how soeuer whiles he was ignorant thereof he was drawne to take vpon him the Bâ—shopricke of Hippo whiles Valerius was aliue yet when himselfe was old and desired that Eradius might bee his Coaâ—â—utor whom also he nominated for his successor yet he thought it vnlawfull that whiles himself liued he should be ordanied Bishop Whiles Valerius liued saith he I was ordained Bishop and I sate with him both of vs being ignorant that it was forbidden by the Councell of Nice But what was reprehended in me shall not be blamed in him Or as Possidonius speaketh Quod sibi factum esse doluit alijs fieri noluit In the next place I bring the testimonies of Ierome Chrysostome Ambrose Theodoret and Oecumenius on Phil. 1. All which I confesse liued after the two hundred yeeres but they testifie that in the Apostles times there could be no more Bishops then one And the like hath Primasius on the same place To all this hee answers that he will not greatly striue about mens deuices which noâ—withstanding he can neuer proue to bee humane and I trust the singularity of preeminence in each of these Angels in Timothy in Titus c. was no humane deuice But though he will not striue yet he alleageth that little which hee was able and that also more then himselfe doth beleeue to be true For he obiecteth that Epiphanius and Eusebius also in his ecclesiasticall story reckon both Peter and Paul for Bishops of Rome at one time Founders they both were of the Church of Rome as Irenaeus testifieth and hauing founded the Church ordained Linus Bishop but that either of them both and much lesse that both at once were Bishops of Rome the Refuter himselfe doth not beleeue To what purpose then doth he alleage that which himselfe is perswaded to be false Would he haue his Reader beleeue that to be true which himselfe beleeueth to be vntrue That which he quoteth out of Athanasius that there were diuers Bishops in some one Church though I cannot finde it may be true in time of schisme and diuision as at Antioch sometimes there were three Bishops c. His allegation out of D. Sutcliffe is very childish as though when he saith that Paul ordained in euery Towne or Citie Presbyters and Bishops his meaning were that in euery Citie he placed more Bishops then one If I should say there are Bishops placed in euery Citie or diocesse throughout England J should speake truly and yet my meaning would be that in euery diocesse there is but one Where I say that as this singularity of preeminence was ordained for the preseruation of the Church in vnitie and for the auoiding of schisme so is it for the same cause to be retained he would seem half amazed that I who do not deny other formes of gouernment to be lawfull pag. 95. and no further hold the episcopall function to be of diuine institution then as being ordained by the Apostles it proceeded from God without implying any necessary perpetuity thereof pag. 92. should now plainly auouch a necessity of retaining the gouernment of diocesan BB. for the preseruation of the Church in vnity c. But the Readâ—r that fauoreth the Refuters person and cause hath more cause to be amazed at his dealing
If any other had come betweene them and the Apostles those other should haue beene the Apostles successors and they the predecessors to the BB. Besides others of the Fathers in plaine termes testifie that the Apostles committed the Church euery where to the BB. and left them their successors which in the successions also of BB. in the Apostolicall Churches is plainely declared Simeon the sonne of Cleophas succeeding Iames Evodius Linus Timothie Tittu c. substituted by the Apostles Peter and Paul and succeeding them in the gouernment of those Churches wherein they were placed Thirdly he saith Ierome applied the Psalme to the practise of the times wherein he liued not expounding the meaning of the Prophecie which if he had done he must haue acknowledged that such BB. were by the ordinance of God Who could be so shameless as to say that Ierome expoundeth not the meaning of the Prophecie when hee commenteth thus Pro patribus tuis nati sunt tibi filij Fuerunt O Ecclesia Apostoli patres tui quia ipsi te genuerunt nunc autem quia illi recesserunt à mundo habes pro his Episcopos filios quia à te creati sunt sunt énim hi patres tui quia ab ipsis regeris Hee therefore expoundeth the meaning of the Prophecie applying it to the state of the Church immediatly after the decease of the Apostles and not onely to Ieromes times Why but then Ierome must be thought to haue helde the function of BB. to be a diuine ordinance that followeth not for he might hold them to be prophecied of as he also confesseth Es. 60. and yet esteeme them but an apostolical ordinance being neither immediately ordained of God nor yet prouided as generally perpetually to be necessarily obserued as those things which are said to be simply diuini iuris My third argument consisteth of two branches the former affirmatiue that the Councels Histories and Fathers with one consent giue testimony to the gouernment by BB the other negatiue that not any one pregnant testimony of any sound writer or example of any one orthodoxal or apostolicke Church viz. in the first three hundred yeares after Christ and his Apostles can be produced to the contrarie To the former he answereth that the Councels Histories and Fathers either beare witnesse of their owne times which is nothing to the purpose seeing the ancientest Councell was in the fourth age of the Church or else iudge of the BB. in former times by that which they saw then in practise taking all that had the same name of BB. to haue beene pertakers of the same authoritie If the Fathers did beare witnesse onely of their owne times it were sufficient for the proofe of my assertion seeing there were diuers in all the terme specified of three hundred yeares after the Apostles which giue testimonie vnto it as in the first age after the Apostles to omit them of the two latter Ignatius Hegesippus Irenaeus Clemens Tertullian doe giue plaine testimonie vnto it and two of them as hath beene shewed to wit Ignatius and Irenaeus were not onely Diocesan but also Metropolitane BB. But the Fathers histories and councils doe not onely speake of their owne times but also relate what was done in the Apostles times and immediatly vpon their decease Doe they not testifie with one consent as I partly shew in the two arguments following that there were BB. in the Apostles times appointed and ordayned by the Apostles themselues doe they not say that the Apostles committed the Churches to them and left them to be their successors in the gouernment of the Church is not this one of the chiefe things which Eusebius propoundeth to himselfe in his history to set down the succession of BB chiefely of those who next succeeded the Apostles in the Apostolicall Churches But let the Reader iudge of the Refuter and his cause by that which followeth The Fathers discerned not or knew no difference betweene the calling or authority of the BB. which were in their owne time and those which had beene before them but thought and wrote of them as being alike the chiefest of them in euery age from the Apostles being BB. themselues The refuter and his fellowes comming thirteene or foureteene yea almost fiueteene hundred yeares after some of them will needes haue a difference and rather then it shall not stand all the Fathers must be condemned as Idiots for not seeing that which these learned men doe see I greatly meruaile with what face or rather with what conscience the refuter could auouch these things The Nagatiue part of my reason he saith is directly false in both the parts of it as well for testimonies as examples But I desire the reader to haue an eye to the refuters dealing so shall he easily discerne to what poore shifts he is driuen first consider what was the assumption of my first Syllogisme which by these foure arguments I doe proue to wit that in the first three hundred yeeres after Christ and his Apostles the gouernment by BB. was generally and perpetually vsed This I proue in this third reason by the testimonies of Antiquity both affirmatiuely that all antiquity viz. Councils Fathers Histories with one consent giue testimony to it and also negatiuely that no testimony or example of antiquity no ancient Councill Father or History no example of any antient orthodoxall or Apostolicall Church can be produced to the contrary This any reasonable man would take to be my meaning Now consider his instances wherein he spendeth aboue sixe leaues and if any one of them be both true and direct to the purpose then say that I haue no iudgement First for testimonyes We haue pregnant testimonies saith he of the ancients and of many sound writers in these latter ages who affirme that BB. and ministers were all one in the Apostles times and that one minister exercised not authority ouer his fellow ministers as BB. since haue done and still doe First consider the persons of the witnesses which he is about to produce and then the things which they are to depose for whereas I neuer meant to extend the negatiue part of my reason further then the affirmatiue and therefore as I said that the Councils Histories and Fathers doe all giue testimonie to the Episcopall gouernment so I meant that no pregnant testimonie either of Councils Histories or Fathers which I comprised vnder the generall name of sound writer could be produced to the contrary he for instance alledgeth a company of new writers in this present age as if they were competent witnesses to depose in a matter of fact or to testifie what was done or not done in the Church foureteene or fifteene hundred yeeres agoe or as if when I chalenge them to shew any one testimony of antiquity to the contrary it were a sufficient instance to oppose against me a sort of new writers who for the most part also are parties in
is but an ouerseer of a Parish c. In the next place he citeth Viret as pleading for a popular state in euery church wherein if the allegation be true he is singular hauing neither the iudgement of any other sound Diuine nor practise of any reformed Church that I know of No not of Geneua it selfe to second him For though the common wealth of Geneua be reduced to a popular state yet the gouernment of the church by their consistorie is Aristocraticall And though he passeth by as well he might Caluin and Beza Bucer Peter Martyr Bullinger Brentius Musculus whom he thought good to mention onely as fauourers of the pretended discipline yet neither any of these nor any other moderate and iudicious Diuine doth condemne as our Presbyterians doe eyther the ancient gouernment by Bishops in the primitiue Church or the retayning thereof in reformed churches now as hath been shewed before But he is pleased to conclude with some of our own writers and Martyrs And first with Francis Lambard who is alledged as saying that a B. and preacher a church and a parish is all one that euery parish should haue right to choose their Pastour and which is a very vnaduised speech if it be truely alledged to depose him if he proue vnworthy but not as disallowing the gouernment of the church by orthodoxal BB. eyther now or in the Primitiue church which was the point to be proued And the like is to be said of Iohn Lambart c. As for Bradford whom hee citeth as holding that the Scripture knoweth no difference betwixt a B. and a minister meaning that the names were confounded and that nothing is to be gotten by the succession of Popish BB. as minister not but Lord it yet nothing can be alleadged out of him to proue that he disalloweth the gouernment of orthodoxal Bishops But it is strange that he should alleadge B. Hooper and B. Bale as disallowing in their iudgement the superioritie of BB. which they allowed in their practise But all that is said out of B. Hooper is eyther that BB. were not till Siluesters or Constantines time such as they are now which is true in respect of their outward estate which by the peace and prosperitie of the Church was much increased but is not to be vnderstood in respect of the substance of their calling or that excommunication should not be vsed by the B. alone which is little or nothing to the present purpose as if hee must needs disallow the Episcopall function vvho vvould not haue the Bishop to excommunicate alone B. Bale vnderstandeth by the names of blasphemie written on the heads of the beast Apoc. 13. the titles of Popish offices which he saith are vsurped and not appointed by the holy Ghost among which when he reckoneth Metropolitanes Diocesans Parsons Vicars and Doctors he cannot be vnderstood as speaking of these offices in the true church but as they are members of Antichrist For what is the office of a Parson but of a Pastour c. And that this vvas his meaning appeareth by the other allegation wherein besides the titles and offices of the Popish hierarchy among whom he reckoneth BB. Doctors Priests he addeth temporall gouernors also as Emperours Kings Princes Dukes Earles Lords Iustices Deputies Iudges Lawyers Mayors Baylifes Constables c. leauing their owne duetie offices as to minister rightly to serue their abhomination After these for want of better proofes hee alleadgeth the testimonie of the English men which were at Geneua in Queene Maries time and were the first authors of this contention for the pretended discipline among vs to whose testimonie in their owne cause that they present to vs the forme of a Church limited within the compasse of Gods word what should I answere but that they haue often said but neuer will be able to proue that their discipline is prescribed in Gods word Lastly he alleadgeth M. Foxe whose testimonie though in vaine I sought in three seuerall editions yet his iudgement is apparant by that which may easily be found Hee therefore saith according to the refuters allegation that in the Primitiue Church there was not then any one mother Church such as the church of Rome now pretendeth her selfe to be aboue other Churches but the whole vniuersall Church was the mother Church vnder which vniuersall Church in generall were comprehended all other particular Churches in speciall hee meaneth the Churches of seuerall countreyes and Prouinces as sister Churches together not one greater then another but all in like aequalitie What will hee hence conclude that therefore there were no BB. nor Archbishops Not so But that therefore as the Diocesan churches were equall so were the BB. and as the Metropolitane churches were equal so the Archbb. Heare Mr. Foxe himselfe where he debateth this question If they say there must needs be distinction of degrees in the church and in this distinction of degrees superioritie must necessarily be granted for the outward discipline of the church for directing matters for quieting of schismes for setting orders for coÌ„mencing of Conuocations Councils as need shal require c. Against this superioritie we stand not and therefore we yeeld to our superiour powers Kings and Princes our due obedience and to our lawfull gouernours vnder God of both regiments Ecclesiasticall and Temporall Also in the Ecclesiasticall state we take not away the distinction of ordinarie degrees such as by the scripture be appointed or by the Primitiue Church allowed As Patriarkes or Archbb. BB. Ministers and Deacons for of these foure we especially reade as chiefe In which foure degrees as we grant diuersitie of office so we admit in the same also diuersitie of dignitie neither denying that which is due to each degree neither yet maintaining the ambition of any singular person For as we giue to the Minister place aboue the Deacon to the B aboue the Minister to the Archbishop aboue the B. so wee see no cause of inequalitie why one Minister should be aboue another minister one Bishop in his degree aboue another B. to deale in his Diocese or one Archbb. aboue another Archbishop And this is to keepe an order duely and truely in the church c. Here then is the question betweene vs and the Papists whether the Metropolitane church of Rome with the Archbb. of the same ought to be preferred before other Metropolitane churches and Archbb through vniuersall Christendome or not And thus I haue examined his testimonies which if you shall compare with those whereunto in the Sermon I referred the reader you wil acknowledge that he had little cause either to accuse my speech of vntruth or to iustle out the Surueyours testimonies with his own as though they had not beene worthy to haue been heard in comparison of his Wheras indeed if there had been no more testimonies alleadged then of the authors of the Augustane conâ—ession and the subscribers therunto whom I especialy ment being the men
much as may be we may bring in the ancient discipline Where indeed we see mention of Seniors and of ancient discipline but that they meant nothing lesse then to bring in Lay-elders or to establish the pretended parish-discipline or to acknowledge that it was the ancient discipline of the Church I will out of the booke it selfe make manifest Wherein the whole gouernement and discipline of our Church by Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons rurall Deanes c. is established And cōcerning BB. this is there decreed that the B. is at fit seasons to giue holy orders to institute fit Ministers to Ecclesiasticall benefices to remoue vnfit to heare the testimonies of the Church and complaints of their Pastors to compound controuersies arising betwixt the Ministers and the Churches to correct by Ecclesiasticall censures vices and corrupt manners to prescribe orders for amendment of life to excommunicate those which wilfully and obstinatly resist to receiue into grace those which be penitent to visit the whole Diocesse as well in places exēpted as not euery third yeare And finally let BB. take care of all things which ex Dei prescrpto by the ordinance of God belong to them and which our Ecclesiasticall lawes haue committed to their knowledge and iudgements And that by Seniors they did not meane any Ecclesiasticall officers it is apparant for where they reckon vp all Ecclesiasticall officers prescribing their duties beginning at clearks or sextons so proceeding to Church-wardens to Deacons to Presbyters or Ministers to archpresbyters or rural deanes to archdeacōs so to Cathedral Churches to Deanes to Prebendaries to BB. prescribing the obedience which must be yeelded to them they doe not once mention Seniors or their office If therfore it be asked whō they vnderstand by Seniors in the place alleadged I answer that they vnderstand some of the principall housholders in euery parish whom in some places they call Vestry-men in some maisters of the parish in some ancients of the parish With what conscience therefore that booke was alleadged as approuing Lay-elders or acknowledging the new-found parish-discipline for the ancient discipline let the reader iudge The second he setteth downe in these words A doctrine I say cleane contrarie to the professed iudgement of all our worthy writers who in their answeres to the Papists that plead for their Hierarchie with the same reasons that M. D. doth for his doe determine that the gouernement our BB. exercise ouer other ministers is Iure humano by the positiue law of men onely the which if M. D. saith true is false so the Papists are left vnanswered Whereunto I answere first that the popish opinion is farre different from that which I hold For they hold the order and superioritie of BB. to be Iure diuino implying thereby a perpetuall necessitie thereof Insomuch that where BB are not to ordaine they thinke there can be no ministers or priests consequently no Church I hold otherewise as the refuter himselfe else-where acknowledgeth in whose words I will relate my opinion as he hath set it downe that I make the calling of BB. no further of diuine institution then as being ordained by the Apostles it proceeded from God without implying thereby any necessarie perpetuitie thereof For which he quoteth pag. 92. of my Sermon If therefore the Papists doe bring the like arguments to proue their opinion which is so vnlike to mine nothing hindereth but my arguments may be good though theirs be nought For those arguments which demonstratiuely proue the Episcopall function to be of Apostolicall institution doe not straightwaies proue it to be Diuini iuris Wherefore my opinion being so different from the popish conceit who seeth not that the iudgemēt of our Diuines which is opposed to the doctrine of the Papists is not opposite to mine for though they doe not holde the Episcopall function to be inioyned diuino iure as perpetually necessarie yet what man of sound learning doth or can deny but that the first BB. were ordained by the Apostles The third he deliuereth in these tearmes Yea a doctrine contrariant to the lawes of our land which make it one part of the Kings iurisdiction to grant to our BB. that Ecclesiasticall power they now exercise ouer vs and also to take it from them at his pleasure the which his Highnes taketh to himselfe and giueth to all Kings where he professeth that God hath left it to the libertie and freewill of Princes to alter the Church gouernement at their pleasure The iurisdiction which BB exercise is either spirituall respecting the soule as to binde or loose the soules of men or corporall respecting the outward man as to binde and loose the bodies The former is deriued to them from the Apostles the latter is committed vnto them by the King to whose crowne all commanding and compulsiue power is annexed Againe wee are to distinguish betweene the power it selfe and the exercise of it For although the power it selfe which is an habituall or potentiall right to exercise that which belongeth to the said power be deriued to them from the Apostles as a diuine ordinance notwithstanding where is a Christian Prince assisting and directing them by his lawes they may not actually exercise their power but according to his lawes Ecclesiasticall I call them his because by whomsoeuer at the first they were decreed yet so many as are in force with vs they are the Kings Ecclesiasticall lawe As for the authoritie whereof the reuerend Iudge speaketh in the place quoted in the margent it is the authoritie of the high Commission which the BB exercise not as they are BB for others who be not BB haue the same but as they are the Kings Commissioners in causes Ecclesiasticall As touching the other allegation it seemeth the refuter whiles he talketh of libertie to alter at their pleasure thinks it left to his libertie to alter the Kings words at his pleasure The King indeed doth say that it is granted to euery Christian King Prince and Common-wealth to prescribe to their subiects that outward forme of Ecclesiastical regiment which may seeme best to agree with the forme of their ciuill gouernement but so as they swarue not at all frō the grounds of faith and true religion But that it may appeare how little the iudgement of our most Orthodoxall and iudicious King doth differ from that which I deliuered in my Sermon I will craue leaue to recite his words That BB. ought to be in the Church I euer maintained as an Apostolike institution and so the ordinance of God contrarie to the Puritanes and likewise to Bellarmine who denieth that BB. haue their iurisdiction from God Now then to come to the point this argument maketh wholy against the pretended discipline and not against the gouernement of Bishops as I maintaine it The gouernement of Bishops is by our lawes allowed so is not the pretended discipline And though I holde the gouernement
c to pag. 5. own case That these 2. things are offered to our consideration saith the refuter wee denie not but if he had walked with a right foote in the path hee entred into hee should by his Text haue taught vs the meaning of these 2. points and not quite contrarie as hee goes about by these two points to teach vs the meaning of his Text. To whom I will not giue that answere which Festus did to Paul that too much learning hath made him madde for hee seemeth not to be greatly sicke of that disease but I may truely say that too much anger and wrath which is furor breuis which he vnmeasurably sheweth in this Section hath made him so to forget himselfe that hee wrangleth without witte and against sense Vnlesse any man that is in his wittes will say that it is not lawfull for a Preacher to explane his Text. For what was it that in this Section I had in hand was it not to indeuour the explication of my Text and to shew what manner of BB are here meant by the Angels of the Churches for the explicatioÌ„ wherof what could more fitly be propounded then the consideration of these 2. things viz what manner of Churches they were whereof they were the Angels or BB and what manner of preheminence they had in those Churches in regard wherof they are termed the Angels of the Churches that from my Text rightly expounded of Diocesan BB. I might deduce the doctrine of the lawfulnes of their calling and from it inferre the vse Indeed if I had bene now propounding the doctrine gathered out of the Text or vrging the vse therevpon inferred there had bene reason I should prooue them as afterwards I doe by the Text already explicated But when I am about to explicate the Text propound the points that are therein questionable to be discussed for the clearing of the Text who seeth not that the handling of these points is the very explication of the Text and the Text that which is explicated And if the Text be that which is explicated who could bee so senselesse as either to require that the points should be explaned by the Text or to finde fault that by the handling of them the Text is explaned But now hee is pleased of his grace to consider them And wheras I yeeld as a reason of my propounding the former point to bee discussed diuers new-fangled Assertions of the new-found parish discipline whereof I spake but too mildely as you may see hee chargeth mee with bitter inueighing scornefull vpbraiding ouerflowing of the gall with spitting out vnsauoury reproaches making a calumnious out-crie in the ende of the Section and much adoe he had not to apply to mee that saying of Salomon with whome it better fitteth let the Reader iudge Proud haughtie and scornefull is his name that worketh in his arrogancie wrath and in the ende out of the super-aboundance of his charitie hee is afraide for mee that I care not to loose much of my peace within that all I here speake is Night worke proceeding from great distemper of the braine c. Was my aduersaries backe or conscience rather galled was hee guiltie to himselfe of being one of the coyners of those newe opinions that hee thus flingeth and kicketh when they are so gentlie touched Who knowing that those Assertions were some of those 16. positions for the tryall whereof the vnchristian and vnmodest offer of disputation was made which are there magnified as beeing such chiefe points in controuersie betweene vs and the Papists that if in them the BB. ioyning as they pretend with the Papists haue the truth then extreme wrong is offered to the Church of Rome by our separating therefrom and all Protestant Churches are for that cause Schismaticall that if the Priests and Iesuites can satisfie them in these points they would bee reconciled to the Church of Rome Who I say knowing this could with more mildnesse haue spoken of such Schismaticall nouelties For where hee saith that almost all of them haue bene alwayes generallie maintained and practised by all soundly reformed Churches hee seemeth either not to care what hee speaketh or by soundly reformed Churches to meane none but Brownists or such like Betweene whom and these vnchristian and immodest challengers there went as wee say but a paire of sheeres These remaining after a sort in the peece the other beeing by open Schisme cut off Which againe they haue manifested in their late petition to the Kings Maiestie This being the summe of their suite that they may be tollerated Schismatickes But to let passe their new-coyned positions excepting those that concerne this cause with the Libellers bitter wranglings and vaine ianglings There are two things in answere to this Section which I may not let passe the one is his defence of the challengers the other a great aduantage taken against a word which as hee saith I dropt by the way His defence is against that calumnious outcrie as hee calleth it in the ende of the Section where I brieflie note that by what reason they denie the Bishops to bee members of the true Church because forsooth they bee not of some certaine parish by the same they may as well denie the King who hauing a more generall reference to all the Churches within his dominions as being the Gouernour of them all in Great Brittaine and Irelâ—nd is further from being a member of one onely parish then anie Bishop in this Kingdome Hee answereth that the challengers hold the King and his Houshold to bee an entire Church of it selfe But tell mee doe they hold it to bee a true Church that so the King may be thought to be a member of a true Church Or if they doe Why may they not with the like reason acknowledge a Bishop and his familie to bee an entire familie by themselues But it is no matter what they holde vnlesse they were more learned and iudicious The aduantage which is taken at my words had need to bee verie great or else the refuter and his copartners doe shewe themselues to be very weake men seeing it is fiue times repeated in print once in their late petition with great amplifications once in the Abortiue booke with this note in the margent sic tu beas amicos Thrice in this Booke with great triumphes and insultations not onely in the treatise it selfe but also euery where in the margent demanding with scorne in this place Is this your kindnesse to your friends in the second sic tu beas amicos in the third quid facias odio sic vbi amore noces The Reader must needes expect some great matter seeing these hilles thus to swell The words whereat they take aduantage were these Least they might seeme to set vp an absolute Popeling in euerie parish who should haue not onely supreame but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall they adioyne to him that
is to their Parish Bishop a Consistorie of Lay or onely gouerning Elders Out of which words they frame this proposition They which haue not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall are absolute Popelings hereto they adde an assumption of their owne All Diocesan Bishops haue not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and from thence inferre their victorious triumphing conclusion therefore all Diocesan Bishops are absolute Popelings And this they say is mine owne reason whereby I make Diocesan Bishops absolute Popelings Mine owne reason in which there is nothing mine but the proposition which also is stretched beyond not onely my meaning but euen my words this proposition I denie not may bee framed out of my words they who giue to a Bishop not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall doe seeme to set vp an absolute Popeling From which words if they had bene retained this might haue bene concluded if I did giue to our Bishops both supreme and sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall as I doe not that then I might seeme to set vp absolute Popelings But it were well with my aduersaries if to seeme and to bee were all one And yet I doe not so much as seeme to anie that is wise and indifferent to make our Bishops as they say absolute Popelings The application of this to the BB. is made in the assumption which is both false and foolish and is not mine but theirs They say it is not onely impleyed and intended but is one of the chiefe and principall points I vndertake to proue throughout my Sermon But their saying is false and friuolous How doe they prooue it For the question beeing saith our refuter whether the Churches should bee gouerned by Pastors and Elders or by Diocesan Bishops whereas they say by Pastors and Elders adioyning the Elders to the Pastors and making them both subiect to the whole congregation c. M.D. taketh all from them all and putteth the reynes into his Diocesan alone so making him by his owne rule the absolute Popeling Here I intreate the Reader to keepe in store for future vse the state of the question as it is here propounded by the refuter In the meane time let vs after his owne manner examine his argument The question being whether the Churches should be gouerned by Pastors and Elders for I will for your credites sake leaue out that Brownisticall and Anabaptisticall dotage concerning the chiefe authoritie of the people or by Diocesan BB. whosoeuer taketh all from Pastors and Elders and shall I adde the people too and putteth the reynes into the hands of the Diocesan alone he giueth him not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and so maketh him an absolute Popeling But the question being as I said M. D. taketh all authoritie from the Pastors Elders and people and putteth the reynes into the hands of the Diocesan Bishop alone Therefore M. D. giueth to the Diocesan not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and so by his owne rule maketh him an absolute Popeling Sect. 10. To let you see how the refuter climbeth a ladder of vntruthes to seat our Bishops in the Papacy I will begin with his assumption wherein are two vntruthes First that I take all authoritie from the Pastors Elders and people The Elders indeed I reiect as a new deuise in the parishioners I acknowledge some authoritie in choosing or consenting to the choyse of some Church-officers but authoritie to gouerne much lesse to ordaine depose and depriue their Pastor I know not any They are the sheepe which must heare their pastors voyce and be obedient to their spirituall guides They are the flocke which must be ruled and taught not followed and obeyed As touching the pastors of parishes I leaue to them that pastorall power which euer was granted to them since the first distinguishing of parishes and allotting of seuerall Presbyters to them that is to say both poâ—â—statem ordinis the power of order as they are Ministers potestatem iurisdictionis spiritualis seu internae a power of spirituall and inward iurisdiction to rule their flocke after a priuate manner as it were in foro conscientiae in the court of conscience as they are pastors of that flocke By which power they rule and guide their flocke not onely in their publike Ministery but also in their priuate attendance or if yee will so call it superintendence as occasion shal be offered For as touching their publicke ministery they are the leaders and guides of the people in Gods seruice they preach the word therein teaching confuting instructing reprouing correcting their hearers they administer the sacraments as the stewards of Gods house by the one admitting into Gods family those which belong to his couenant by the other nourishing the houshold of Christ in due season and both by the word and sacraments exercising so much of the power of the keyes as of right belongeth to them as well binding the notoriously scandalous and impenitent by denouncing the threatnings of God against them in the word and by repelling them for the time from the sacrament as also loosing the penitent belieuers by applying to them the gracious promises of the Gospell and adding thereto the sacraments as seales So that all power is not taken from the pastors neither is all giuen to the Bishop alone For in the gouernement of the Church others are ioyned with him some vnder him some aboue him Vnder him in the mother Church or Cathedrall the Deane and Chapter which in the ancient Church as hereafter wee shall shewe were called Archpresbyters and presbyteri ciuitatis in the other Churches of the Diocesse diuided into seuerall precincts the Archdeacons and rurall Deanes gouerning them as the Chorepiscopi were wont in the primitiue Church Not to speake of the Chancellers and Officials the former being adioyned to the Bishops the latter to the Archdeacons by reason of their skill in the Ecclesiasticall lawes Aboue him not onely the Archbishop and his courts but also the prouinciall Synodes assembling chiefly for ordaining Ecclesiasticall Canons and constitutions by which the Bishops are to rule and to be ruled In making whereof though the Ecclesiasticall authoritie especially appeareth yet neither all the Bishops alone and much lesse any one Bishop concludeth any thing but with the consent of the Presbytery And therefore this may to the former authoritie of Ministers be added that in making Ecclesiasticall lawes they haue a voyce either by themselues if they be sent to the Synode or by such as themselues shall choose Sect. 11. In the proposition likewise are two vntruthes For first it is not generally true as it is necessarily intended in the proposition for otherwise the Syllogisme is a meere Paralogisme that whosoeuer doth giue to the Bishop alone the power which is taken from the seuerall pastors with their Elders and parishes doth straightwaies
your Lay-Deacons no more then our Churchwardens and Collectors for the poore As touching the latter Syllogisme which the refuter saw not The proofe of the proposition dependeth vpon the former Syllogisme For if the Presbyters to whom Paul spake were Ministers onely as hath beene proued then the duties which hee requireth of them onely in that place he requireth peculiarly of Ministers The assumption affirming that the duties both generall and speciall 1. Tim. 5.17 are the same with those Act. 20.28 I explaine in the Sermon shewing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are the words translated to gouerne well and containe the generall dutie is the same with attending to themselues and their flocke which I did more fully deliuer in the Sermon of the dignitie and dutie of the Ministerie which the refuter himselfe doth seeme to approue shewing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is carefully to attend to themselues their flocke To themselues that they may be precedents and as the holy Ghost speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 patternes and samplers of a godly life For this in the Apostles phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be presidents of good workes To the flocke also they must attend First by ouerseeing and watching ouer them Secondly by feeding them in the ministerie of the word sacrameÌ„ts Thirdly by praying for them both publikely priuately The speciall dutie which is to labour in the word and doctrine is the same with feeding the flocke of Christ which is also noted as the speciall dutie Act. 20.28 The refuter though he saw not the reason yet he would be sure to contradict my assertion and therefore stumbling vpon the proposition he saith that neither of the duties mentioned in the Acts are restrained to Ministers onely For to attend to the flocke is all one saith he with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is more generall and the speciall dutie of feeding which he confineth to the word and doctrine is often vsed for gouerning also as Mat. 2.6 Apoc. 2.27 7.17 12.5 19. 15. Grec schol in Act. 14.23 The truth of my proposition as I said dependeth on the former Syllogisme as vpon a sure hold and the dutie signified 1. Tim. 5. by ruling well and Act. 20. by attending to themselues and their flocke being applied as in both places it is to Ministers and importing as he hath confessed the whole dutie of the ministerie in generall must be confessed to bee restrained to Ministers As for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in this plaâ—â— is truely translated to feed besides the proper sense wherin somtimes it is vsed as Luk. 17.7.1 Cor. 9.7 Iud. 12 it hath indeed 2. metaphoricall significations in the Scriptures translated from shepheards to ciuill or spirituall pastors the one as it is applied to Princes ciuill Pastors and so it signifieth chiefly to rule the other as it is attributed to Spirituall Pastors and so it signifieth chiefly to feed with spirituall food For our Sauiour coÌ„manding Peter if he loued him to feed his sheepe which text the Papists vnderstanding the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the refuter doth of ruling abuse to proue the Popes supremacie expoundeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth not to rule but to feed It is true that authority of guiding and gouerning his flocke is implyed also in the signification of the worde but it is a pastorall authoritie giuen to none but pastors and to them vnto this end that they may feed the flocke Which ende is noted by Paul Act. 20.28 to feede the flocke as also by our Sauiour himselfe Luke 12 42 where the Lords seruant is said to be set ouer his houshold to this end to giue them their foode in due season For therefore are they called pastors that is such as doe feede Caluin speaking of this word in 1. Pet. 5.2 saith the name of Presbyter containeth in it the dutie of feeding And the definition of the word is to be knowne Because the flocke of Christ Pasci non potest nisi pura doctrina quae sola spirituale est pabulum cannot bee fedde but with pure Doctrine which is the onely spirituall foode Hence it is that Pastors Doctors which some would distinguish are in the scriptures confounded As Eph 4.11 For whereas the Apostle when he would note diuerse functions vseth notes of distinction saying Christ gaue some to be Apostles some to be Euangelists c when he coÌ„meth to Pastors and Doctors he vseth a note of copulation For he doth not say some Pastors some Doctors but some pastors and Doctors vsing the latter word as the explication of the former and nothing that by Pastors hee meaneth such as be teachers Vpon which words Augustine saith thus Pastors and Doctors whome you would haue mee to distinguish I thinke are one and the same For Paul doth not say some pastors some Doctors but to pastors ioyneth doctors that pastors might vnderstand it belongeth to their office to teach of the same iudgmeÌ„t is Sedulius Muscul some others In the places which the refuter quoteth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not applied at all to Ecclesiasticall persons but either to Christ and to him either as our King then it signifieth to rule as Mat. 2.6 cited out of Mi. 5.1 Apoc. 12 5. as it is vsually paralleld with Psal. 2.9 Apoc. 19.15 compared with v. 16. or as our pastor doctor and theÌ„ it signifieth to feed and so ought to be translated as Apoc 7.17 where to our hunger thirst v. 16. his feeding leading vs to the waters of life is opposed or else it is applied to all the faithfull who in Christ are made Kings as Apo. 2.27 The Greeke scholiast in the place quoted hath no such thing But is alledged by T. C. to another purpose for the proofe of Lay-Elders as we shal heare which perhaps was the cause of this allegatioÌ„ But on the place in hand vpon those wordes Attend to your selues and the flocke he saith that Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enioyneth the teachers two things to be done and noteth also whom Luke called ver 17. Presbyters to bee called in this verse Bishops either saith hee because presbyters or ministers also must superintend the flocke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else hee calleth Bishops here such as indeed be Bishops in like manner on 1. Pet. 5.1.2 with some parallel with Act 20.28 Hee noteth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellow-Elder in that place if it bee not vsed as a word of age doth import 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the honour of a Bishop as if he had called himselfe their fellow Bishop For in the booke of the Acts also Bishops are called Presbyters and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee vnderstandeth the Clergie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee calleth
be aduantaged by this testimonie of Ambrose taketh on like a beggar on horsebacke or a coward when he hath gotten his aduersarie at a supposed aduantage See you not how he braggeth and vanteth how he crakes and crowes and all for want as of a good spirit so of a sound iudgement presuming of aduantage where he hath none as the euent will proue Concerning this testimonie of Ambrose he findeth fault as well with my maner of alleaging as of discussing it At the allegation he hath three cauills First he repeateth his friuolous cauillation concerning the consequence of an argument which he bestoweth vpon me that if in this place of Ambrose there be no mention of Lay-Elders then there is none to be found in the fathers writings Which cauill I haue so clearely refuted before that I thinke I shall neuer heare of it more The second that I alleage this place not out of Ambrose himselfe which is a base slander for I had Ambrose lying before me but out of D. Bils because forsooth I cited the first words which are not so pertinent shewing the slender occasion whereupon Ambrose vttered this sentence in english as D. B. doth And yet his blind malice would not let him see that I cited the latter sentence in latine out of the Authour which D. B. alleageth in English Quod qua negligentia obsolouerit c. Which words if I had cited as a chiefe man of your side doth you would haue charged me either to haue alleaged a place which I had neuer seene or else notoriously depriued it Ambrose speaking of this office of the â—lders although saith he not vpon so good occasion thus 〈◊〉 saith whereupon the Synagogue and after the Church had Elders without whose counsel nothing was done in the Church Which Elders I know not by what negligence they are worne out c and againe his saying is that the Elders fell away by the ambition of the doctors Which allegation the rest which were but gleaners after him taking vpon his word haue vrged as if the Seniors themselues of whom Ambrose speaketh were ceassed before his time inferring thereupon that he meaneth Lay-Elders because the learned Presbyters still remained in the Church When Ambrose doth not say that the Seniors themselues were growne out of vse for he doth not say qui qua negligentia obâ—oleuerint but that themselues remayning their counsell was neglected If it be demanded why then doth he say habuit ecclesia the Church had I answere because the verbe was to haue reference both to the Church which had beene before his time and also to the Synagouge not because the Church had not Seniors still For Ierome Augustine and Gregorie are alleaged by the disciplinarians themselues that there were Seniors in the Church long after Ambrose his time Thirdly he cauilleth at the translation of the word docterum which I rendred learned or Teachers For which reading if he had a sound iudgement he would rather haue giuen me thankes In that translation as also in the exposition I intended to giue them satisfaction who as I thought were not satisfied with the iudgement of our learned men who by the word doctorum vnderstand Bishops onely For indeed if it be read Doctors or teachers a title in these times appropriated to Bishops the allegation out of Ambrose is as easily answered as alledged Ambrose his meaning being plainely this that whereas the Bishops in former times were wont to doe nothing of importance without the counsell and aduise of certaine ancient Ministers who were his assistants this was now growne out of vse either through the negligence or pride of the Bishops But because I thought it might be obiected that the word may signifie the learned as well as Teachers and so an opposition might be conceiued as well of the learned to the vnlearned Seniors as of the Doctors that is Bishops to the Presbyters who though they were learned were not called Doctors neither did vsually preach I therefore endeuoured so to expound it as that they who should so vnderstand this place might be satisfied shewing that although the word doctorum should signifie learned and although they would gather from thence that the Seniors which were excluded from consultation were vnlearned And consequently lay men yet notwithstanding that the speech of Ambrose needeth not to be vnderstood of Lay-Elders But seeing my aduersarie in the profundnesse of his iudgement reiecteth that reading as vnlearned and without example of which notwithstanding doctorum esto iudicium let the learned iudge I wil cleaue to that interpretation which by Doctorum vnderstandeth Doctors or Teachers as the best and keepe the other in store as a secondary exposition to satisfie them who by doctorum shall vnderstand the Learned and thereof inferre seeing the learned are blamed for excluding the Seniors that therefore the Seniors who were excluded were vnlearned And although my antagonist fighting Andabatarum more and as cowards vse to doe winking smote he saw not what nor cared what so as he might deale his blowes apace condemning me in that for which he had cause to thanke me notwithstanding I will acknowledge my thankefulnes to him for handling this matter so well that in this point he hath left our cause better then he found it For whereas there being two expositions of this place according to the two significations of the word doctorum the sentence hath almost no shew of probabilitie for Lay-Elders if doctorum be translated Doctors but seemeth very fauourable to them if doctorum signifie the Learned my aduersarie I thanke him hath freed me from the difficultie of the latter if his exceptions against it be good and hath permitted me to rest securely in the former The reader therefore is not to expect from me an ample defence of that latter sense against his exceptions which make for vs. For if his exceptions be good and that sense vntrue as he saith it is certaine and plaine that it is then will there be no difficultie at all in answering this testimonie of Ambrose that translation which seemed most to fauour Lay-Elders being reiected In discussing this testimonie of Ambrose because it seemeth to make for him he is content to spend 17. pages who if it were against him would scarce vouchsafe one line by way of answere I haue knowne when aboue a dozen testimonies of ancient writers directly testifying that Timothie was Bishop of Ephesus in which number Ambrose was one the chiefe patrone of the pretended discipline among vs hath refused so much as to examine the allegations as a thing vnworthy the turning of a leafe and in another place he shaketh off Ambrose thus As for Ambrose a child may see how violently he forceth the text c. And againe the errours and corrupt expounding of scriptures which are found in his workes declare that it had beene more safe for the Church if by studie of the scriptures he had first beene a
scholler of diuinitie or euer he had beene made Doctor And of this authoritie is Ambrose when he is alleaged against the pretended discipline But if hee let fall a speech which seemeth and but seemeth to fauour their cause though so impertinent as if it had beene foisted in by others though in a booke wherein besides some suspected there is apparant corruption though the testimonie it selfe is mistaken by them and though their exposition thereof hath neither scripture to warrant nor consent of other writers to second nor good reason to proue it notwithstanding because they want better euidence they make so much of it that eight whole leaues are not sufficient to bestow vpon it Which I mention not that I would haue any thing detracted from the authoritie of this testimonie as though it made against vs but to shew partly the partiall dealing of the disciplinarians and partly the pouertie of their cause In my handling this testimonie the refuter obserueth three things First my deniall of their exposition with the reasons of my denyall Secondly a refutation of their proofes Thirdly an allegation of reasons omitted by Ambrose why the counsell and assistance of the Seniors in Ambrose his time was growne out of vse In the denyall it selfe he layeth vpon me such an imputation of immodestie as he did before of vnkindnesse For although he cannot be against it but that I may salua modestia confute the new writers for their false or wrong expounding Ambrose of Lay-Elders whom he neuer so much as dreamed of yet he cannot abide I should say they wrong Ambrose though I proue that they wrong him by misconstruing his words and giuing them a wrong sense And in this nice and idle cauill for want of better matter he spendeth almost a leafe aggrauating the accusation by numbring 12. Diuines of our time who vnderstand Ambrose as speaking of Lay-Elders and alleaging that it is more likely that I should mistake him then they Indeed if I were alone in this cause and did oppose my credit alone to their authoritie or expected as my aduersarie falsely accuseth me like another Pythagoras to be belieued vpon my bare word such arrogancie I confesse would not become me But he seeth and I hope feeleth that I say not any thing in this controuersie which I doe not proue by such reasons as he doth not know without sophisticall shifts and meere cauills how to answere If these new writers proue their exposition of Ambrose by any sound reason why be not their arguments produced if they speake without reason why is their bare authoritie obiected against both so many reasons as haue beene vsed to shew there neuer were such Elders and also against the generall consent of antiquitie which neuer acknowledged any Presbyters or Ecclesiasticall Elders but Ministers only Of my denyall he acknowledgeth two reasons which though they were lighter then they be are of more weight then bare testimonies especially of parties who are not to depose in their owne cause Howbeit I acknowledge but one reason though my speech may be resolued into two Syllogismes whereof the one is a prosyllogisme to the other and because he saith in steed of prouing I doe nothing but begge the question I will resolue the reason of my answere into this Syllogisme They which make Ambrose against his meaning to testify that which hath no warrant either in the scriptures or elder writings of antiquitie doe wrongfully expound him But those which expound Ambrose as giuing testimonie to Lay-Elders doe make him against his meaning to testifie that which hath no warrant either in Scriptures or elder writings of antiquitie Therefore those who expound Ambrose as giuing testimonie to Lay-Elders doe wrongfully expound him The proposition is manifest The assumption hath 2. parts the one that Lay-Elders haue no warrāt either in scriptures or in the elder writings of antiquitie The other that the sense which they giue to his words is against his meaning The former was prooued in my former challenge that not any one testimony can be produced out of the writings of the Apostles and Fathers mentioning or meaning any Lay-Elders The which is a sufficient allegation in a respondent holding the negatiue vntill the opponent by sufficient instance can proue the affirmatiue And therefore his cauill in saying either that I do but begge the question which himselfe should proue is false and foolish or that if it were granted it would not proue their exposition to be against his meaning for he might testifie that which hath no warrant either in scriptures or elder monumēts of antiquitie is both an ignorāt mistaking for those words as you see were not inserted to that end and a needlesse extenuating of Ambrose his testimonie as being such a one of whom it may be said that he testifieth that which hath no warrant either in scriptures or other monuments of antiquitie The rest of his words are meere babbling The latter I prooue by this Reason To whom Ambrose giueth testimonie hee complaineth that their councel and assistance in causes Ecclesiasticall was grown out of vse seemeth to charge the bishops with slothfulnes or pride therefore But it was not Ambrose his meaning to complaine that the councell or assistance of Lay-Elders was growne out of vse nor to charge the BB with slothfulnes or pride for it Therefore it was not his meaning to giue testimonie to Lay-Elders The truth of the proposition is euident by the words of of Ambrose himelfe The assumption is thus proued A Diocesan Bishop who not onely approoued but laboured to magnifie his owne calling and was as farre as any from subiecting either Bishops or Ministers to the Presbyteries of Lay-men as the Presbyterians doe would not complaine that the councell or assistance of Lay-Elders such as the Disciplinarians meane was not vsed or charge the Bishops with slothfulnes or pride for it But such a one was Ambrose Therefore hee would not complaine for want of Lay-Elders c. The proposition if it bee explaned will need no further proofe The Elderships of Lay-men such as the Disciplinarians stand for 1. were neuer in vse together with Bishops but either were deuised to supplie the gouernement of Bishops when they were depressed as in Geneua Scotland and the Low-Countreys or where orthodoxall Bishops were wanting as in France or are vrged to extrude Bishops as among vs 2. in their Presbyteries consisting for the greatest part of Lay-Elders all hauing equall right of Suffrage and all things beeing carried by pluralitie of voyces it is euident that the Ministers which in parish presbyteries are but one or two at the most and in others the farre lesse number are subiected to the Lay-Elders as being the greater number It is manifest therefore that a Diocesan Bishop who not onely approued but sought to magnifie his calling and was as farre as anie from subiecting Bishops or Ministers to the Presbyteries of Lay-men would not
quique seniores the approued Seniors be praesident Thirdly of Clement in his epistle to Iames translated by Rufinus cited by Gratian if any of the brethren haue Saints let them not be judged by secular Iudges sed apud Presbyteros Ecclesiae quicquid illud est dirimatur but before the Presbyters of the church let the cause be decided to their determination let the parties stand Fourthly of Ierome Presbyters saith hee meaning ministers whom he also calleth Preists and attributeth to them the ministery of the worde and Sacraments from the beginning were appointed Iudges of causes c. And to the same purpose the Authors of the centuries testifie that the Presbyters besides that they taught the people did also compound suites and controuersies Now that their aduise was much neglected and themselues but too much dejected by the Byshops in Ambrose his time appeareth not onely by his but also by Ieromes complaint Likewise by diuers Canons in the fourth councell of Carthage held about the yeare 401 wherein it was decreed that the Bishop without the assemblie of his clergie should not ordaine clerkes that in the ordination of a presbyter the Presbyters also which be present should with the Bishop impose their hands that the B should not determine any mans cause but in the presence of his Clergy that he might not alienate or sell the goods or possessions of the Church without the consent of his clergie that the Bishop though in the Church and in the assembly of the presbyters ought to sit in an higher place yet priuatly he should vse the presbyters as his Colleagues and sitting himselfe should not suffer a presbyter to stand that the Deacons should acknowledge themselues to be Ministers to the presbyters as well as to the Bishops that if the presbyters badde them they might sit in their presence which otherwise they might not doe All these things considered together with that which before hath bene alledged to proue that there were neuer any Lay-Elders doe necessarily euince that there is no reason to imagine if Doctorum signifie Doctors or Teachers Lay-Elders to be meant by Seniors in this place And so much of the exposition of this place according to the former sense of the word Doctorum signifying Doctors which with my aduersaries consent I doe much preferre before the other and therefore can be very well content to giue in the latter Notwithstanding because some perhaps will vnderstand the word Doctorum as being a common title both to Bishops and Presbyters signifying learned and will therefore imagine that the Elders whose counsell was neglected by them were Idiotae or Lay-men for their sakes therefore I will briefly shew that though this interpretation be admitted yet there is no necessitie that Seniors should signifie Lay-Elders for Doctorum being according to this interpretation a common title both to Bishops and Presbyters Ambrose his meaning may be conceiued to be this that the assistance and councell of ancient Ministers meant by Seniors who were wont to assist the Bishop was growne out of vse either by their owne negligeÌ„ce or the Bishops pride Whereunto after much froath of idle words he replyeth First that the Councell of Ministers was not growne out of vse in Ambrose his time and this he indeuoureth to proue by fiue testimonies First of Ierome saying that the Churches at the first were gouerned communi presbyterorum consilio by the common Councell of Presbyters Which testimonie maketh against him for Ierome speaketh of such Presbyters as Paul speaketh of who were Ministers and are there called Bishops If therefore the Church was at the first gouerned by common councell of Ministers and if Ambrose complaine that their councell in his time was neglected which at the first had beene vsed and whereby the Church had beene gouerned who seeth not that it was the neglect of the Ministers aduise wherof Ambrose complaineth 2. yea but Ierome saith we also in the Church haue senatum nostrum â—â—tum Presbyterorum our senate a company of Presbyters which testimonie is wont to be alleaged to proue that in Ieromes time there was a Presbyterie of Lay-Elders But here my aduersarie presupposing that Lay-Elders were growne out of vse in Ambrose his time whom T C supposeth to haue continued diuers hundred yeares after Ambrose bringeth it to proue that in Ieromes time who was almost as ancient as Ambrose there was a Senate of Ministers which no man doubteth of For else-where he saith the Church hath a Senate a companie of Presbyters without whose Counsell the Monkes may doe nothing And not only in Ieromes time the Church had but in all Ages since euen to this day it hath such a Senate which in latter times hath called Capitulum the chapter Howbeit both in Ambrose his time and since the aduise and assistance thereof notwithstanding the Decree of the fourth counsell of Carthage hath beene though in some things eueÌ„ to this day vsed yet in the most things and for the most part neglected His third testimony which hee saith is plaine enough of the saide Ierome cited in the canon Law is also plaine against him For hauing saide as euen now I alledged him that the presbyters from the beginning had bene appointed to heare and iudge causes as the Bishops assistants hee prooueth it because they also in the scriptures are called Bishops howsoeuer now the Bishops enuied them that dignitie c. His 4. testimonie is the 23. canon of the councell of Carthage which euen now I cited which maketh against him rather then for him For seeing good lawes arise from bad manners it is to bee imagined that according to the complaint of Ambrose and Ierome who were somewhat before this councell the presence of the Clergie and assistance of the presbyters was neglected and that this neglect gaue occasion to the making of that canon His. 5. testimonie is of D. Bilson though hee name also another learned maÌ„ only to abuse him Howbeit D. Bilson vnderstandeth Ambrose as coÌ„plaining of the Bishops of his time who whiles they would seeme to rule alone had excluded or neglected the aid couÌ„sell of their bretheren of the Clergie who were wont to aduise and assist them as well in Doctrine as in Discipline And whereas in the second place he replieth that slothfulnesse and pride must needs be referred to the same persons and not slothfulnes to presbyters and pride to BB I answeare that if Doctorum be a common title to both as it is if it signifie learned and if the slothfulnes of the presbyters rather then of the BB. be as like almost to be the cause why their assistance grew out of vse as the pride of the BB then is there no necessitie that slothfulnesse and pride should both be attributed to the Bishops but rather it is very likely that slouthfulnes is imputed to
presbyters and pride to the Bishops But both the parts of the Antecedent is true therefore the consequent But let vs heare his Reasons The first If Ambrose had meant to ascribe slouthfulnes to the Seniors hee would haue saide that their assistance grew out of vse either by their owne slothfulnes or rather by the pryde of the BB. The second he would haue said not Doctorum but Ipforum desidiâm which reason is the latine of the first and the first the english of this Such iudgment heere is shewed in distinguishing of arguments But who knoweth not that the same sentence may very manie wayes bee varied in respect of the words the same sence remaining so that this exception might be made against any exposition almost If I should say As in Christs Colledge so in some others Elections were wont to bee caryed by the voyces of the iuniors as well as the Seniors which thing is now grown out of vse by what meanes I know not vnlesse perhaps by the remissenes of the fellowes or rather arrogancie whiles they would rule alone I might not vnfitly so speake ascribing remissnes to the iunior fellowes and arrogancie to the Seniors His third and fourth reasons are impertinent vnderstanding the word Doctorum of Doctors a title in those times peculiar to Bishops not of learned which is common to both For though the speciall title of Doctors according to the former interpretation which is ◠better be opposed to of the Seniors or presbyters who were not called Doctors yet to a common title neither of the specials to which it is common are to be opposed but both to be subiected The 5. that Ambrose chargeth both slothfulnes and pride vpon the same persons called Doctors c. But this should haue bene prooued and not begged especially seeing I disprooue it in the reason following For that which he pratteleth of amplifying the fault by rising from the lesse to the greater hath not so much as a shew of a good reason to dsproue my exposition seeing of the 2. causes Ambrose seemeth to make the slothfulnesse of the learned that is the Presbyters not so principall as the pride of the learned that is to say the BB. vnles perhaps saith he by the slothfulnes of the presbyters or rather pride of the BB. Lastly saith he If we make diuers sorts of teachers he should haue said learned Ambrose his speech were defectiue and somewhat must be added as either by the slothfulnes of the teachers or rather pride of the Bishops or some of them I answere if the word Learned be vsed being a title common both to the Seniors and the Doctors there needs no addition to make the sentence perfect but a distinct application of the common title to the speciall sorts according to their seuerall faultes by which they are to be distinguished Slothfulnesse beeing the fault of the one and pride of the other as before you heard in the example of fellowes But why should I spend time in answering such slieght Objections the which notwithstanding seeme of such weight with him that hee wondereth that all these worthie reasons considered I would vnderstand Doctorum signifying learned as a common title both to the Bishops and Seniors and that saith hee as if hee were another Pythagoras vpon his bareword I say his bare word for as yet he hath not vouchsafed vs one piece of a Reason This is one of the refuters poore shifts to make himselfe wrangling worke To take an Assertion of mine and hauing seuered it from the Reasons wherewith it was guarded to cauill with mee as if without alledging a Reason I would like an other Pythagoras bee belieued vppon my bare word Whereas in truth both heere and in other places where I am the Answerer I render more reasons then were needfull were it not that I sought to satisfie in hope that men will at the length be satisfied with reason As for example this place of Ambrose is objected as giuing testimonie to Lay-Elders I answere there is no necessitie this place should so bee vnderstood Here might I haue rested and put the opponents to inforce this testimonie which by them is barely propounded But being desirous to giue satisfaction I vrge it for them thus Ambrose saith there were Seniors in the primitiue Church whose councell was now neglected therefore he giueth testimonie to Lay-Elders I denie the consequence giuing a reason because those Seniors were of the Clergie and not of the Laitie Against this answere I make them replie thus The Seniors aduise was neglected by the learned Therfore themselues were such as were not learned or of the Clergie To this I answere that if the word Doctorum signifie learned Notwithstanding this place may be vnderstood of the Seniors of the clergie onely If wee conceiue Doctorū signifying learned as a common title both to the BB Seniors and of this answeare I giue a reason by explaning this testimony of Ambrose And whereas I did foresee that it would be objected that Doctorum was to be vnderstood either of pastors of parishes alone according to the conceite of the new Disciplinarians or of BB. a lone according to the rest I therfore sought to preuent this obiection in those words for if you expound Doctorum for pastors c. Wherein a sufficient reason is concluded holding strongly against the parish B. his Elders And not contented with all this in desire to giue satisfaction I rendred the true causes besides arrogancy of BB. which I knewe was presupposed why the assistance of the ancient ministers called Seniors was growne out of vse and yet forsooth like another Pythagoras I looke that my bare word should be credited without reason Yea but saith hee that which is added in steed of a Reason hath no more reason in it but his owne blindnes saying that I cannot see how c. But is it not strange that hee who is so sharpe sighted to finde out Syllogismes where none were intended could see no reason heere Or shall we not thinke that he chose rather like a shifting sophister to take aduātage of that modest phrase thē to encoūter with the reason it selfe which may thus be cōcluded That which is a matter of great labour and paines to the vndertaker and ease to the relinquisher is not to be ascribed to slothfulnes in him that taketh it vpon him but rather in them who are eased But the taking of the whole burden and cumbersome imployment of hearing suites and managing all causes Ecclesiasticall vpon the BB is a matter of great labour and paines to them and ease to the Seniors Therefore the Bishops vnderaking the whole burden and cumbersome imployment of hearing suites and managing all causes Ecclesiasticall is not to be ascribed to slothfulnes in them but rather to the Seniors One of these premisses should haue bene denyed and the denyall made good if hee had bene able but in steed hereof he encountereth with the
refuter obiecteth that our BB haue not the like assistance of the Deane and chapter that the ancient BB had of their Presbyteries For Ambrose complaineth that euen in his time their counsell was neglected And yet in these times as the Bishop may vse their aduise if he please so in some cases their assistance is necessarily required the acts of the Bishop being void without their consent Besides sede vacante in the vacancy of the See the custodie of the Bishopricke Episcopall rights as also the election of the new Bishop is after a sort referred to them And as in times past so now the placing and displacing of the Presbyters of the citie whom we call Prebendaries appertaineth to the BB a few Churches onely among vs excepted And to conclude as Deanes and Chapters with vs are in a maner peculiar to Cathedrall Churches the seats of Bishops some collegiate Churches excepted so were the Presbyteries in the primitiue Church Insomuch that our new sect of disciplinarians might as well say there was in old time now should be a Deane chapter as a Presbyterie in euery parish If therefore they will sue for reformation according to the precedent of the primitiue Churches let them seeke and sue that the Bishops may vse the counsell and assistance of the Presbyterie of the citie which we call the Deane and Chapter and they may hope to preuaile if none of the reasons why their assistance is forborne be sufficient which now come to be examined Serm. Sect. 8. pag. 16. But howsoeuer Ambrose knew not what to say of this matter otherwise then by coniecture c to the end of the first point pag. 17. These reasons I added by way of surplusage or aduantage to giue satisfaction if it might be But nothing will satisfie them who set themselues to cauill for whereas I said I doubt not but the true causes c the refuter depraueth my speech as if the word I had beene vttered with an immodest Emphasis when as I meant no more by that speech then when we say proculdubio or dubium non est which kind of speech my aduersarie me thinkes should not so greatly mislike sithens their Lay-Elders which haue beene vrged with such heat haue no better warrant then dubium non est satis opinor constat probabile est as you shall heare when we come to their proofes They may say confidently there were Lay-Elders in the time of the Apostles yea from the time of Moses vntill Christ and that after the example of the Iewes who indeed neuer had such Presbyteries they are to be erected in euery parish and yet haue no better warrant for these things then their owne coniectures They may take vpon them to auow without reason that to haue beene done in the Apostles times whereunto neither scripture nor Father giueth testimonie and in me it is great immodestie to affirme that which but one of the Fathers seemed to doubt of though I alleage sufficient reason of my affirmation For in the first three hundred yeares after Christ when Christians neither had frequent Synodes to determine doubts nor Synodall constitutions to direct the Bishops nor the authoritie of the Christian Magistrate to rectifie what was amisse in the gouernement of the Church there was great necessitie that the Bishop should vse the aduise and counsell of other wise and learned men otherwise his will would haue seemed to stand for a law and his gouernement would haue beene subiect to ouersight in himselfe to remedilesse wrong towards the clergie and people and to the obloquy and scandall of all But when as prouinciall Synodes were frequently assembled to determine doubts to right the causes of them that were wronged to prescribe so many Caâ—ons and constitutions as to the BB assembling in Councell seemed sufficient for their direction wheÌ„ the authoritie of the christian Magistrate was helpefull to the Church then we may easily conceiue that as the Councell and assistance of the Presbyterie was not so needfull so both to the Presbyters desiring their ease and Scholasticall quietnesse and also to the Bishops desiring to rule alone it would seeme needlesse which reason I am well content it shall be put into the equall balance of the Readers iudgement against the cauills of the refuter wherewith he hath blotted more then a whole leafe It happened to the Presbyteries as after it did to the prouinciall Synodes For when by experience it was fouÌ„d to be very troublesome chargeable to the BB hurtfull to their churches tedious to suiters by reason of multitude of causes referred to Synodal audience that al the BB in euery couÌ„try should twice euery yeare for a long time be absent from their churches to be present at Synodes it was decreed both by the Emperours and BB that those causes wherewith prouinciall Synodes had vsually bene troubled should be referred to the audience and decisioÌ„ of the Archbishop or Metropolitan Euen so when it was found troublesome and tedious to the Presbyters and hurtfull to the Church that their time which might better be spent in studie of Diuinitie to furnish them for the publike Ministery should be taken vp in hearing brabbles and quarrels and also their assistance seemed not needfull to the Bishops for the causes aforesaid it is not to be maruelled that their assistance grew out of vse For whereas the refuter obiecteth and is the onely thing worth the mentioning which he obiecteth that the Presbyteries continued in Ambroses time and long after I answere that they continue to this day But as their assistance now in matters of gouernement is not much vsed so before Ambrose his time it began to be neglected And thus much concerning the testimonie of Ambrose which hauing cleared as well as that 1. Tim. 5.17 being the onely places of moment which vse to be produced in this cause I might safely conclude from all the premisses that therfore there were no Lay-Elders in the primitiue Church From whence besides the maine conclusion that therefore the primitiue Church was gouerned by Diocesan Bishops the two particular assertions concluding against our new sect of disciplinarians will necessarily follow The first that therefore there were no parishionall Presbyteries the second that therefore parish Bishops or pastors were subiect to the Diocesan Bishops Against the former he obiecteth a speech of D. Bilson affirming that euery Church in the Apostles times had many Prophets Pastors and Teachers which as the refuter saith might make a Presbyterie But the Churches D. Bilson speaketh of were not in seuerall parishes but as he saith in populous cities such as that of Ephesus Act. 20 and those prouided not for any one parish but for the whole citie and countrey adioyning that is to say the Diocesse For when my aduersarie shall produce any one pregnant testimonie that in such congregations as we call parishes there was a Presbyterie of Ministers I will also grant
you had said all the congregations of Christians both in citie and country were but one vnlesse there were more then one I promise you you haue digged well and haue hedged your ditch with a strong enclosure But why had you not the like hedge or wall rather for the citie vnlesse there were distinct Churches in the citie for then all had been cockesure This hedge for the townes and this wall for the citie would haue sufficiently fenced the antecedent But then the consequence had been ridiculous and as it is now propounded with this inclosure in the antecedent is altogether as weake as it was before For to what purpose are the townes added if the parishes be excepted And by this inclosure the antecedent it selfe is bewraied of falshood For if there were in the citie and country more distinct Churches or parishes as here is supposed and these all subordinate to one as I haue manifestly proued before then all these will make a diocesse I say therefore againe that though their antecedent were true yet the consequence were to be denied Serm. sect 5. pag. 19. But the Antecedent is not onely false but also vnreasonable and vncredible c. 20. lines to one day The reason whereby I disprooue the Antecedent is by the Refuter framed after his fashion and propounded at large It shall suffice to turne his proposition into an Enthymeme thus The number of the Christians in the greatest Cities was very great hee should haue said greater then could ordinarily meet in one assembly the times such for persecution as would not permit them ordinarily to meet in great multitudes and the places of their meeting priuate and vncapeable of any great multitude I say such multitudes Therefore in the first two hundred yeeres all the Christians in any great Citie and the townes about which he should haue added did make more then one particular congregation ordinarily assembling in one place Did not I tell you that hee would forget to adde to the Cities the Townes about them which hee did adde to his Antecedent to make the former consequence good but dares not adde it now for feare of marring all But what doth he answere to it as it is First hee cauilleth and meerely cauilleth with the consequence obiecting such things as hee is perswaded in his owne conscience neither were in the primitiue Church nor ought to haue been Themselues doe teach that parishes ought to bee so well compact and trussed together as that all of the same Church may conueniently and ordinarily meet together and also that where the multitude is greater then that all can well meete together they ought to diuide themselues into diuers congregations And now he telleth vs of great parishes either in the suburbs of London or in some parts of the land which were at their setting out nothing so populous as now they are both which sorts being so mightily increased in respect of the number of their parishioners himselfe I dare say is of opinion that they ought to bee diuided And therefore ought not but that hee meant to cauill to haue supposed the practise of the primitiue Church which hee and his consorts doe alwaies vrge as a precedent for imitation to bee sutable to those instances which though hee giueth yet hee and all his partners doe vtterly mislike as swaruing from the practise of the primitiue Churches And where he saith M. D. doth mistake the matter whiles hee thinketh that wee hold that all and euerie of the Christians in the great Cities did or could alwaies meete in the same place hee vtterly mistaketh me in so conceiuing though I am not ignorant they hold very strange things but this J conceiue you to hold that each visible Church was and still ought to bee a particular ordinary constant congregation of Christians which not onely may conueniently but also must necessarily if they bee not by sufficient causes hindered assemble together ordinarily to praier and to the ministery of the word and Sacraments And I say that in respect of the number or rather innumerable company of Christians which T. C. himselfe thinketh to haue been greater in those times then now in respect of the times wherein they liued raging with persecution and in regard of the places vncapeable of such multitudes it is vncredible yea impossible that all the Christians in the greatest cities and countries about them should make but one particular congregation ordinarily and constantly meeting in one place Neither doth that further his cause which hee professeth to be their assertion that the Christians which dwelt in and about any great Citie and were called the Church of the Citie were members of one body for not onely they but also those that dwelt in the remotest parts of the Country though distinguished into many particular congregations did not hold themselues to bee entire bodies by themselues vnlesse they were schismatickes or heretikes but all members of the same outward body and visible Church whereof the mother Church in the citie was the chiefe or head by which they were denominated and also distinguished as now they are from other Churches Hauing thus cauilled with the consequence hee proceedeth to the antecedent which is the assumption of his syllogisme denying euery particular branch thereof And first for the number hee would examine my proofes but what should hee speake of proofes when all I say is but vpon imagination Verily for ought I see my imaginations are better reasons then your strongest proofes And that here appeareth where you weaken my imagination J will not say falsifie it by propounding it after your maner But could a man professing sincerity so cast off all shame as to affirm that all I say is but vpon imagination when of that which I say there are foure proofes set downe in the Sermon first by comparison of the lesse to the greater secondly an instance of Rome thirdly the testimony of Cornelius fourthly the testimony of Tertullian The first he propundeth thus If the multitude of Christians at Ierusalem within a few weekes after Christ was very great then was it great in such cities But the former is true Therefore the latter It is your fashion to make my consequences not to exceed the proportion of your owne imagined ability in answering them My reason standeth thus If the multitude of Christians at Ierusalem was verie great within a few weekes after the ascension of Christ then in all likelihood the number of Christians in greater cities hauing the like though not alwaies so great meanes was within two hundred yeeres increased so much as to exceed the proportion of one particular assembly ordinarily meeting in one place But the former is true for at the Feast of Pentecost 3000. were conuerted in one day and shortly after their number was growne to 5000. which afterwards daily and mightily increased therefore the latter In my argument as you see comparison is made not onely betweene Ierusalem and
other greater Cities but chiefly which was omitted by the Refuter betweene the short time of a few weekes and the continuance of 200. yeeres Jf at Ierusalem within a few weekes the Christians were become many thousands how may wee thinke they were increased before the end of 200. yeeres in Rome Alexandria Ephesus Antioch and such like Cities So that I doubt not but the consequence is strong enough containing an argument from the lesse to the greater though I prooue none of those foure things which hee would haue prooued as first that all which were conuerted in Ierusalem at that time remained members of that Church Which maketh not against the consequence but rather for it seeing those which remained not in Ierusalem were by persecution dispersed to other Cities to helpe forward the plough of Christ there Secondly that all the great Cities had the like meanes to that of Ierusalem which needeth not to be proued seeing the meanes which had beene vsed and the miracles which had beene wrought at Ierusalem were also effectuall in other places and are at this day besides the like meanes of their owne Thirdlie though the meanes were alike that yet the effects were answerable which also needeth not to be prooued seeing wee know by the report of the best Writers how wonderfully and miraculously the Church was multiplied in the greatest Cities within that time Fourthly that there was neuer any apostasie in any of those Churches with which Paul in his conceit doth seeme to charge them of Asia 2. Tim. 1.15 Which exception also is friuolous seeing not only the Churches of the greatest Cities Rome Alexandria and Antioch but euen these seuen of Asia were famous in those times for the profession of the faith Thus you see how he seeketh all the corners of his wit to finde if it were possible some starting hole whereby to escape the force of this consequence But these points are not worth the standing on Only whereas now hee chargeth the second time all them of Asia with apostasie from the faith because S. Paul saith that all who are in Asia had forsaken him hee must be admonished to reforme his iudgement For first Paul speaketh not of all the Christians of Asia but onely of all those Asians of note who had beene in Rome since his imprisonment of which number saith hee are Phygellus and Hermogenes Neither doth hee speake of an apostasie from the faith but of their forsaking him in his affliction as the Disciples had shrunke from our Sauiour Christ for else when hee saith in the fourth chapter of the same epistle In my first Apologie no man stood with me but all â—id forsake me wee might in like manner collect that all were Apostares from the faith But what kinde of desertion Paul meaneth whereinto those of Asia did fall it appeareth by the contrary practise of Onesiphorus whom he commendeth in the same place who often refreshed Paul and was not ashamed of his chaine but when he was at Rome hee was so farre from shrinking from Paul that hee most diligently sought him out and found him The others of Asia of whom hee complaineth when they were in Rome shrunke from him as being ashamed or afraid of his chaine Thus Chrysostome expoundeth it that Paul when hee was apprehended was forsaken of his friends 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is likely there were many then in Rome from the parts of Asia but none saith hee stood to mee no man would know me all were estranged from me Theophylact likewise When Paul was apprehended of Nero hee was forsaken of all the faithfull in Asia who from Asia had gone to Rome with him Oâ—cumenius in like manner When Paul was apprehended of Nero his friends of Asia did forsake him for there were in Rome many of Asia which were followers of Paul or otherwise faithfull men but all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 withdrew themselues and as we say drew their neckes out of the collar after Nero had laid hold on him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those in Asia that is those of Asia It is likely saith Theodoret that some of those which in Asia had beleeued were at Rome but auoided the companie of Paul for feare of Nero. As for the assumption viz. that the multitude of Christians at Ierusalem within a few weekes was great it maketh nothing saith he for him or against vs. Which is a strange speech seeing it is one of the premisses whereupon the conclusion is inferred and which being granted their assertion cannot be true But heere againe hee telleth vs of the great parishes about London saying that they of Ierusalem did all meet together as well as they Which is spoken against reason and against sense for first it was not intended that they of Ierusalem should meet as those of London which be of one parish after their multitude was increased Secondly neither might they being vnder persecution meet in great multitudes as those of London which through Gods goodnes enioy peace and liberty Thirdly neither had they such places of meeting for great multitudes But where I said it was not intended when their multitude should bee great that they of Ierusalem should assemble together as they who are of one parish about London that needeth some explanation The parishes about London and euery where from the beginning are each of them one among many seuered from the rest with purpose that all within that precinct should make an ordinarie set congregation hauing one Presbyter and not a presbyterie much lesse a Bishop assigned to them whereas contrariwise the Church of Ierusalem whereunto Iames was appointed Bishop assisted with a presbyterie of Ministers was neuer intended to be one parish among many but to bee a mother Church which should by Gods blessing beget others to bee seuered from it in particular assemblies and yet to remaine subordinate and subiect vnto it as children to the mother It was neuer meant neither in Ierusalem nor in any other Citie that the Bishop and his presbyterie should bee set ouer no more but one particular congregation or that as more congregations should bee constituted euerie one should haue a Bishop and a presbyterie But they were prouided for the people of God that either then were in the Citie and Countrey or after should bee which as it increased was to be diuided into seuerall Congregations whereunto Presbyters seuerally were to bee assigned all being members of one bodie subiected to the Bishop and Presbyterie of the mother Church which was as it were the head of that bodie The Refuter not contented thus to haue cauilled with my argument doth also threaten as though he had wrested my weapon out of my hands to turne the poem of it such is his crueltie to the very heart of my cause But his minaces are but words and his words but winde for this is all he can say or doe If the Christians
conceiuing hope of victory like the King of Aâ— betweene these old forces which I haue made to retire vpon him and the new supplies marching towards him FINIS THE THIRD BOOK prouing the superiority of Bishops aboue other Ministers CHAP. 1. Confuting the refuters preamble to the fourth point and defending mine owne entrance thereinto Serm. sect 1. pag. 28. In the fourth place therefore we are to intreat of the superioritie of BB. ouer other Ministers for although the Presbyterians and we agree in this c. almost to the end of the pag. 29. OF the fiue points which I propounded three haue alreadie been handled the first concerning Lay Elders against both sorts of Disciplinarians aswell the elder as the younger though betweene their opinions there is this difference that the elder require such a presbyterie in each Citie or Diocesse the yonger in each Parish In the second and third concerning Dioceses and Diocesans I had to deale onely with our new sect of Disciplinarians who vrge the new-found parish-discipline In the fourth and fift which remaine I propounded to my selfe the confutation of the elder and more learned sort of disciplinarians not greatly regarding what our innouatours in these 2. points do hold or deny their proper opinions concerning the parish discipline being in the three former points sufficiently confuted The which I doe the rather note for 2. causes The one that the reader may vnderstand the refuters euasions in disauowing such assertions as I ascribe vnto the disciplinarians to be to no purpose seeing they are held by men more learned and iudicious with whom principally I had to deale The other that he may discerne the pouerty and weakenesse of their cause the chiefe and almost only strength thereof being the allegation of diuers protestant writers whom I called the learneder sort of Disciplinarians who are parties in the cause As touching the fourth point the refuter before hee come to my words maketh an idle flourish the summe whereof is this that were it not that by confuting the superioritie of Bishops he should overthrow the Supremacy of the Pope he would scarse haue vouchsafed an answeare to my discourse Here therefore he sheweth two things first that by confuting the superioritie of Bishops he shall withall refute the supremacie of the Pope 2. that otherwise an answere to me in this fourth point were needlesse In the former he seemeth ignorantly and yet maliciously to presuppose that the superioritie of Bishops and the supremacie of the Pope hang as it were vpon one pin and that he which graunteth the one must needs hold the other For the Basis or ground of his dispute is this such as is and ought to be the gouernment of the whole Church such is and ought to be the gouernment of the parts or seuerall Churches and contrariwise from hence he hath two inferences the first thus Such as is and ought to be the gouernment of the whole Church such is and ought to be the gouernment of the parts or seuerall Churches But the gouernment of the whole Church is Aristocraticall and not Monarchicall therefore the gouernment of the parts or seuerall Churches is and ought to be Aristocraticall and not Monarchicall The proposition he taketh for graunted noting it as an absurditie in me To fight for that in the particulars which in the generall I wish ouerthrowne But it would be knowne what he meaneth by the particulars or parts of the Church whose gouernment he would haue aunswerable to the vniuersal or whole Church If he mean only parishionall Churches as he needs must For there is no other visible Church indued with power of Ecclesiasticall gouernment in his conceit but a Parish Parishes no doubt may be proud of the comparison for then as some of them haue written in stately maner as Rome had her Senate Lacedaemon her Seigniorie Athens her Areopage Ierusalem her Synedrion Venice which our Refuter addeth her councell of State and lastly which exceedeth all as the vniuersall Church hath her Oecumenicall synode so the Church of euery Parish in euery street and in euery hamlet must haue an Ecclesiasticall senate But what parts soeuer he vnderstand whether Parishionall Nationall or Diocesan Churches the proposition is vntrue for of Prouinciall or Nationall Churches the Metropolitans and Bishops of dioceses are and ought to be the gouernors But howsoeuer in that respect the forme of gouernment may seeme to be Monarchicall yet in respect of the maner of gouerning the Metropolis vsing the aduise of the Nationall or Prouinciall synodes the Bishop of his Presbyterie they may be Aristocraticall Who knoweth not that the common wealth of Rome somtimes was popular and likewise that of Athens for it is an errour of the Refuter to reckon Athens with Venice as an example of Aristocracie yet the seuerall prouinces were ruled by seuerall gouernours as Propraetors and Proconsuls The gouernment of this whole Island blessed be God for vniting the two Kingdomes in the person of our Soueraigne is Monarchicall yet the gouernment of seuerall parts by Counsels and Presidents thereof may seem so far Aristocraticall The gouernment of the whole Church in Heauen and earth is Monarchicall vnder one head and Monarch which is Christ our King And for the gouernment of the whole Church vpon earth he hath no Vicar generall but the holie Ghost who appointeth gouernors vnder him which may gouerne the seuerall parts of the Church in some respect monarchically though the whole Church by the mutuall consociation of her gouernours for the common good and by the concurrence of them to an Occumenicall synode is gouerned Aristocratically for the whole Church beeing but one bodie there ought to be a Christian consociation of the gouernors thereof for the common good of the whole bodie If among the Princes of the whole world there were the like consociation the vniuersall world should be gouerned in that respect Aristocratically though the seuerall parts for the most part Monarchically So much of the proposition The assumption he prooueth by the testimonies of our writers against the Papists with whom himselfe and his copartners do not agree For first when they say that the regiment of the whole Church is Aristocraticall they meane in respect of the gouernors of the seuerall Churches who as being seuered rule their Churches seuerally there being no one visible Monarch ouer all so being congregated in an Oecumenicall Synode do make one Ecclesiasticall Senate But our new Disciplinarians doe hold that euery parish is an entire body by it selfe hauing within it selfe for the gouernment of it selfe sufficient authority vnsubordinate and independent and therfore do not acknowledge any lawful authoritie in Synodes to define determine or commaund but onely to deliberat and aduise as H. I. in his booke vrging reformation and other the Christian and modest challengers of disputation together with the humble petitioners suing for a toleration do teach Secondly Our writers hold the gouernment of the Church
Ierome denies it as well as he For that which he addeth of diuers others consenting in iudgement is a vaine flourish let him name but one other in the first six hundred yeeres I thinke I might say 1000. and I wil yeeld the cause And those latter Writers which consent with him vse his words build vpon his authority so that the whole weight of this cause lieth on Ieroms shoulders whoÌ„ if I can disburdeÌ„ thereof there can nothing at all be produced out of antiquitie against the superioritie of Bishops First then I say that they abuse Ierome who match him with Aërius for besides that Aërius was a damned hereticke being a most perfect Arian as Epiphanius saith who liued at the same time liuing in a Church of Arians standing in election for the Bishopricke against Eustathius who also was an Arrian out of a discontented humor the common sourse of Schisme and heresie broached this heresie as Epiphanius Augustine censure it Presbyterum ab Episcope nulla differentia debere discerni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denying the Superiority of Bishops both de Iure as Augustine reporteth his opinion and de facto as Epiphanius alledging that there is no difference between a Bishop and a Presbyter For there is one order saith he of both one honor and one dignitie The Bishop imposeth hands so doth the Presbyter the B. giueth the lauer of Baptisme so doth the Presbyter the B. doth administer Gods worship so doth the Presbyter the B. sitteth on the throne so also doth the Presbyter But Ierome was not so mad to vse the refuters words of Aërius who indeed as Epiphanius saith was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a franticke fellow as to deny the Superioritie of BB. de facto which oftentimes he doth auouch neither doth he deny it de Iure And therfore the refuter here hath deliuered two vntruthes the one that he saith Aërius did not deny the Superioritie of BB. de facto which most manifestly he did and did it no doubt with this mind that though he missed of the Bishopricke which ambitiously he had desired yet he would be thought as good a man as a Bishop The other that he saith Ierome denied the Superiority of BB. de Iure For it is most euident by many testimonies alledged in the Sermon that Ierome held the Superiority of Bishops to be lawfull and necessary For though somewheres he saith that Bishops are greater then Presbyters rather by the custome of the Church then by the truth of Diuine disposition yet he acknowledgeth that custome to be an Apostolicall tradition and therefore either he may be vnderstood as holding the superioritie of BB. to be not Diuini but Apostolici iuris or he may be interpreted as speaking of the names prouing by diuers testimonies of the Scripture that Presbyters are called Bishops But heereof wee may not conclude that therefore Presbyters and Bishops are all one for not onely Bishops but also Apostles are called Presbyters and the Apostleship is called Bishopricke For howsoeuer all Presbyters are in the Scriptures called Angels and Bishops yet that one among many who had singular preheminence aboue the rest is by the warrant of the holy Ghost called the Angell of the Church and by the same warrant may be called the Bishop Now whereas Aërius for denying the superiority of Bishops was by Epiphanius and Augustine iudged and heretike hereby it appeareth that this alleagation not onely proueth the superiority de facto but de iure for seeing there is no heresie which is not repugnant to Gods word it is euident that they who iudged this opinion of Aerius to be an heresie did also iudge it contrarie to Gods word Neither did Epiphanius and Augustine alone condemne Aërius for an heretike but as Epiphanius reporteth all Churches both in City and Countrey did so detest him and his followers that being abandoned of all they were forced to liue in the open fields and in wods And whereas some obiect against Epiphanius and Augustine in defence of Aerius that his opinion is not heresie because Epiphanius did not sufficiently answer one of Aërius his allegations out of Scripture where Presbyters seeme to be called Bishops and that Augustine followed Epiphanius himselfe not vnderstanding how farre the name of an heretike is to be extended these are very slender exceptions to be taken by so learned a man For be it that Epiphanius did not sufficiently answere some one of Aërius his allegations is that sufficient to excuse Aërius from being an heretike seeing that testimony may be sufficiently answered as J haue shewed and seeing euery testimony alleaged by each heretike hath not alwaies beene sufficiently answered by euery one that hath written against them The Allegation which Aërius bringeth out of Phil. 1.1 doth onely proue that the Presbyters were called Bishops at what time he which was the Bishop of Philippi namely Epaphroditus was called their Apostle And it is confessed by many of the Fathers that howsoeuer there were many in Philippi which in a generall signification were called Bishops yet there was but one nay that there could be but one which properly was called the Bishop of Philippi And as touching Augustine I maruell that learned men could derogate so much from him as that he at that time especially would write vpon the authoritie of others what himselfe vnderstood not For Augustine was no youngling or nouice at that time but hee wrote that booke in his elder age euen after hee had written his bookes of Retractations at what time hee had written 230. bookes besides his Epistles and Homilies Neither doth Augustine write any thing in his preface of that booke whereby it might bee gathered that hee was in doubt whether any of those particulars which he noteth were to be judged heresies onely he saith that what maketh an Heretike can in his judgement hardly if at all be set downe in an accurate definition Notwithstanding he distributeth his intended Treaâ—ise into two parts The first of the heresies which after Christs ascension had been contrarie to his doctrine and which he could come to the knowledge of among which the heresies of Aërius haue the 53. place in the latter hee promiseth to dispute what maketh an Heretike But though he came not to that or if he did what he wrote of that point is not come to our hands yet in the conclusion of his Treatise which is extant he saith thus What the Catholike Church holdeth against these meaning all the 88. heresies which before he had recited it is but a superfluous question seeing it is sufficient in this behalfe to know Eam contra istâ— sentire nec aliquid horum in fidem quenquam dâ—bere recipere that the iudgement of the Church is contrary to these and that no man ought to receiue any of these into his beleefe And again Omnis itaque Christianus Catholicus istâ— non debet credere
which themselues doe bring to proue them and also that by such an answere the superiority of Bishops is sufficiently auoided But to conclude this point whiles the Refuter goeth about to proue that Antioch which was the Metropolis of Syria and the chiefe Citie of all the East was but a parish Church and the Bishop of Antioch who was also as Ignatius testifieth of himselfe the Bishop of Syria and as Theodoret saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe or prâ—â—ate of all the Bishops in in the East to haue been but a Parson of a parish Church the Reader will hereby learne what conceit to haue of his learning and iudgement and what credit to giue to his new-â—angled opinions Serm. sect 11. pag. 47. Now the Presbyters were subiect to their B. both as their ruler to be guided c. to page 50. med Hauing in generall shewed the Bishops superiority in iurisdiction ouer the Presbyters euen those of the Citie in this section J proue it more particularly by the parts of gouernment which are both to rule and direct as also to censure and correct I shew therefore that the Presbyters of the Citie were subiect to the Bishoppe both as their ruler to be guided and dâ—rected by him and also as their Iudge to be censured and corrected of him Where the Refuter if he would needs be analysing and syllogising should haue framed this argument To whom the Presbyters were subiect both as to their ruler to be guided and directed by him and as to their Iudge to be censured and corrected of him he was superior to them in the power of iurisdiction and maiority of rule To the B. the Presbyters were subiect both as to their ruler to be guided and directed by him and as to their Iudge to be censured and corrected of him Therefore the B. was superiour to the Presbyters in power of iurisdiction and maiority of rule The proposition of this syllogisme is of euident vndeniable truth The assumption consisteth of two parts the former concerning the rule of direction the latter concerning the power of correction which I doe in order proue by euident testimonies whereunto he opposeth nothing but cauilling shifts and euasions By way of analysis he saith thus The former proofe of the assumption touching the Bishops maiority of rule was generall concerning diocesan and parishionall Presbyters Now follow the reasons for each of them in particular and first for the Bishoppes iurisdiction ouer the diocesan in regard of direction Where I desire him to tell vs what he meaneth by diocesan Presbyters whether such as assisted the Bishop in the diocesan gouernment If yea hee dreameth of that hee cannot proue To omit the commendation of his skill in analysing which is not great his resutation heere is as you plainely see not onely a dreame but the dreame of a dreame He saith I dreame of diocesan Presbyters when himselfe belike did dreame so Where speake I one word of diocesan Presbyters where doe I once name them Is the Refuters conscience no better then still to father vpon mee vntruths for his owne aduantage doth he not thereby bewray what a cause he maintaineth which cannot be vpheld but by forgeries Neither if J had spoken of diocesan Presbyters would I haue vsed the word in that sense For as parts of the diocesse in the country are sometimes in the Councels called dioceses so are Country Ministers called dioecesani qui per dioeceses ecclesias regunt which in the Councell of Neocaesaria are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Country Ministers and are opposed to the Presbyters of the Citie who are there called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and else where ciuitatenses Presbyteri Of whom it may bee truly said that the Colledge or company of them was the Presbytery which being not assigned to any one parish was prouided to assist the Bishoppe in the feeding and gouernment of the diocesse as I haue prooued before and in that sense might be called dioecesani But let vs see his reason saith the Refuter If the 40. Canon of the Apostles saith he I said the ancient Canon if the Councels of Arles and Ancyra Tertullian Cyprian and Ignatius affirme that BB. had maiority of rule for direction ouer Diocesan Presbyters then they had such maiority But all these affirme so therefore they had so The former part of my aforesaid Assumption that the Presbyters of the City were subiect to the B. as their ruler to be directed by him I proue first in generall because they might doe nothing of importance without his direction or consent then particularly in respect of those things which did belong to the power of their order For as touching the former if the Presbyters might doe nothing without the B. nothing without his appointment or consent then were they subiect to him as their ruler to be guided and directed by him But the former I proue by these testimonies whereto more may be added therefore the latter cannot be denied Of the Syllogisme which he framed hee denieth first the Consequence of the proposition not shaming to affirme that although the ancient Canon called the Apostles though the auncient Councels of Ancyra and Arles though Tertullian Cyprian and Ignatius doe all testifie the maiority of rule in BB yet it would not follow that they had it It will follow then that the ancientest Councels and Fathers deserue no credit which whosoeuer shall affirme doth much more without comparison deserue not onely no credit but no audience nay no sufferance he is not to bee endured But what pretence hath hee to discredite their authorities forsooth none of them excepting Tertullian and Ignatius liued in the first 200. yeares As if all truth were confined within that periode or as if some of the Fathers which succeeded as Cyprian by name deserued not as much credite as they As for Cyprian hee came 40. or 50. yeares after and the Councell of Ancyry some 50. or 60. yeares after him No doubt but great alteration in discipline and Church-gouernement was or could be pretended to haue been in the Church before Constatines time whiles it was vnder the Crosse. But let the Refuter esteeme of these authorities as hee pleaseth there is no modest or moderate Christian but will preferre the affirmation of any of these especially in a matter of fact before the negation of a thousand such as the libelling refuter After he hath thus eleuated their authority hee cauilleth with their testimonies denying also the assumption And first to the ancient Canon forbidding Presbyters Deacons to doe anything 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the appointment and consent of the Bishoppe hee frameth such an answere as euery word whereof almost doth argue extreame either vnconscionablenesse or ignorance Hee saith It doth not proue they had maiority of rule or sole soueraignty ouer them Sole soueraignity O defiled conscience which ceasest not to ascribe such
B. Geminianus And this was the vsuall stile which Presbyters did vse when they did subscribe to Councels instead of their B. whose place they supplied As to the Councell of Arles Desiderius Presbyter directus à Domino meo Ioanne Episcopo directed from my Lord Iohn the B. haue giuen my consent and subscribed and so three others there mentioned in like maner to diuers other Councels Whosoeuer will peruse the Acts of the great Councell of Chalcedon hee shall seldome read any B. mentioned without some title of great reuerence and honour as reuerendissimus sanctissimus And long before that Socrates acknowledgeth that it was the vsuall manner in his time not to speake of BB. without titles of great honour calling them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most religious most holy or such like And Chrysostome saith plainly that Heretikes haue learned of the Diuell not to giue due titles of honour to Bishops But where hee findeth fault with them for that in stead of those titles which argue their authoritie they said your reuerence your wisedome and such like what would hee haue said to the tearmes that haue beene vsually giuen to our Bishops by the Disciplinarians among vs I say among vs for Caluin Beza and others when they haue had occasion to write to our Bishops haue not refused to giue them their titles of honour To omit the rest Caluin writing to Archbishop Cranmer vseth these titles Illustrissime Domine Ornatissime clarissime Praesul c. Zanchius to Bishop Grindall Reuerendissime Antistes Beza and Sadeel to Archbishop Whitgift Reuerendissimo viro in Christo Patri Domino Archiepiscopo Cantuariensi serenissimae Reginae Consiliario totius Angliae Primati c. His second answer containeth two things the former that the title of Angels which the holy Ghost giueth to BB. for that onely J mentioned is quite besides the purpose my argument being this The holy Ghost giueth BB. a more honourable title in calling them the Angels of the Churches then if he had called them Lords Therefore wee should not thinke much that they are called Lords He answereth The Angels are glorious creatures of heauen and haue some fit resemblance of the Ministers office Lord Lordship and grace are tearmes of ciuill honour not so well befitting the Ministers of Christ Iesus I confesse they doe not so well befit them because they come short of that honour and excellencie which in the name of Angels the holy Ghost ascribeth to them For they are called not only Angels that is messengers and ambassadours of God as all ministers are in respect of their ministerie but also each of them is called the Angell of the Church whereof he is B. in respect of his gouernment and gardianship of the Church as the holy Angels of God are said to be their Angels ouer whom they are appointed Gouernours and gardians Therefore the name Lord giuen to them in respect of their gouernment and authoritie is a title of lesse honour then that which in the same respect is giuen them by our Sauiour Christ. Neither are they therefore ciuill Lords because they haue that title of Lords common to them with the Lords temporall For who knoweth not the distinction betweene the Lords spirituall and temporall so often mentioned in the Acts of Parliament And whereas in the second place hee would insinuate that our Sauiour Christ expresly forbiddeth these titles of Lordship and grace Luc. 22. where though hee readeth thus The Kings of the Gentiles reigne ouer them and they that beare rule ouer them are called gracious Lords but you shall not bee so yet he is not so ignorant of the Greeke tongue as not to know that neither gratious nor Lords are there mentioned in the originall text That was an affectionate translation of those who were too partiall in this cause That very title which our Sauiour speaketh of two of the Ptolemies Kings of Aegypt did assume vnto themselues either of them being called Ptolomeus Euergetes Ptolemy the bountifull or benefactor But indeed in the language wherein our Sauiour spake the word which is translated Benefactors is often vsed for Principes or Heroes as Psa. 118.9 It is better to trust in the Lord then to put our trust in Princes And that seemeth to haue beene Lukes meaning as not only Merceruâ— but Beza also supposeth The 70. translate the word Prou. 19.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King in Psal. 118 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Princes So Psal. 47.10.83.12.113.7 But 1. Sam. 2.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pro. 8.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is also plaine that the disciples imagining that Christ should be a worldlie Monarch expected that themselues should be earthly Princes in great authoritie about him euery one affecting a neerer place about him then his fellowes as appeareth by the two sonnes of Zebede whose ambitious suite to Christ that they might sit one on his right hand and the other on his left in his kingdome gaue occasion of this speech as Matthew noteth Whereas therefore they both erred in their imagination thinking that they should be great Princes vnder an earthly Monarch and were corrupt in their affection each one of them ambitiously seeking superioritie ouer the rest our Sauiour seeketh to reforme both telling them that neither they should bee earthly Princes as they imagined in these words But you not so neither ought they to affect ambitiously superioritie ouer others but that by how much they should exceed others in dignitie they should labor by so much the more to excell them in humility imitating his example Neither did our Sauiour Christ interdict his Apostles either superioritie of authority ouer others or titles of eminent honour The authoritie and dignitie of being his Apostles is greater then any either honour or title that is giuen to our BB. Ierome writing on Pauls stile which he assumeth to himselfe Tit. 1.1 saith Where hee calleth himselfe the Apostle of Iesu Christ it seemeth some such thing as of hee had said Prâ—fectus prâ—terio Augusti Caesaris Magister exercitus Tiberij Imperatoris For euen as the Iudges of this world that they may seeme the more noble take names from the Kings whom they serue and from the dignitie wherewith they are puffed vp euen so the Apostle challenging to himselfe great authoritie among Christians he signified before hand that he was the Apostle of Christ that by the authoritie of the name bee might bring in awe those that should reade shewing thereby that all which beleeue in Christ must be subiect to him Hauing thus answered the first obiection I did easily foresee that three other things would bee obiected the first if Bishops may be called Lords then they may behaue themselues as Lords of the Churches I answered that although they may not behaue themselues as Lords of the Churches yet being the Angels of the Churches and spirituall Fathers to
whom a paternall and pastorall authoritie is committed may worthily be honoured with the title of Lords To this he replieth that we call not Shepheards nor Fathers Lords and therefore the paternall or pastorall authoritie of Bishops doth not make them capable of such Lordly titles J answer that Magistrates yea Princes both in Scriptures and prophane Writers are called Pastors as well as Bishops and for the same cause are Lords Neither doe I doubt but that the title of Father being giuen by way of honour to him that is not a naturall Father is a word of as great honour at the least as Lord and that is the signification of the name Papa which hauing beene giuen in the Primitiue Church to all Bishops as a title of eminent honour is for that cause by the Pope of Rome appropriated to himselfe The second there is too great oddes betweene the titles of Bishops and other Ministers the one being called Masters the other Lords I answered there is no such great difference betweene Master and Lord that inferiour Minister which assume to themselues the title of Master should denie the title of Lord to Bishops Hee replieth as conceiuing my speech simply that there was no great difference betweene Master and Lord. If you respect their vse in relation as they are referred to their correlatiues there is no difference if the vse without relation among vs there is great difference but yet not so great as that Ministers which assume the one to themselues should denie the other to Bishops there being as great difference betwixt their degrees as their titles Where he saith it is not assumed but giuen by custome to them as Masters of Arts both parts are false for both it is giuen to all Ministers as they are Ministers though not Masters of Arts though not graduates and also I especially meant certaine Ministers who not enduring the title of Lord to be giuen to Bishops will neither tell you their name by speech nor set it downe in writing without the preface of Mastership The third if Bishops bee called Lords then are they Lords of the Church I answered it followeth no more that they are therefore Lords of the Church because they are called Lords then the Ministers are Masters of the Church because they are called Masters for neither of these titles is giuen to them with relation but as simple titles of honour and reuerence No saith he let their stiles speake Lord of Hath and Welles Lord of Rochester c. What Lord of the Cities nothing lesse but Lords of the Diocese They are Lords of neither but Lord BB. both of the City and Diocese And the relation is not in the word Lord but in the word Bishop though it bee not expressed alwaies but many times is vnderstood The Refuter hauing thus weakly friuolously and fondlie shifted off my arguments and testimonies rather then lie shifted off my arguments and testimonies rather then answered them there being not one line in my Sermon hitherto which I haue not defended with euidence of truth against his cauillations notwithstanding concludeth with a most insolent bragge as if he had as his fauourites giue out laid me on my backe And therefore as some wrestlers after they haue giuen one the foile will iet with their hands vnder their side challenging all others euen so he hauing in his weake conceit giuen me a strong ouerthrow because he findeth me too weake to stand in his armes hee challengeth all commers saying Let him that thinketh he can say more supplie his default I do vnfainedly confesse there be a great number in this Land blessed be God who are able to say much more in this cause then I am notwithstanding a stronger propugner thereof shall not neede against this oppugner And because I am assured in my conscience of the truth and goodnesse of the cause I promise the Refuter if this which now I haue written will not conuince him as I hope it will whiles he will deale as a Disputer and not as a Libeller I will neuer giue him ouer God giuing me life and health vntill I haue vtterly put him to silence In the meane time let the Reader looke backe to that which hath beene said on both sides let him call to minde if he can what one proofe this Refuter hath brought for the paritie of Ministers what one sound answer he hath giuen to any one argument or testimonie to my one proposition or assumption which I haue produced and then let him consider whether this glorious insultation proceeded not from an euill conscience to a worse purpose which is to retaine the simple seduced people in their former tearmes of factiousnes THE FOVRTH BOOKE Maintayning the fift point that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall and diuine Institution The I. CHAPTER Prouing the Episcopall function to be of Apostolicall institution because it was generally receiued in the first 300. yeeres after the Apostles Serm. pag. 54. It remaineth that I should demonstrate not onely the lawfulnesse of the BB. calling c. to page 55. li. 7. THE Refuter finding himselfe vnable to confute this discourse of the lawfulnesse of the BB. calling would faine perswade his Reader that it is needlesse moued and mouing thereto by as friuolous reasons as euer were heard of For though it be true that this point hath already beene proued by one argument is it therefore needlesse to confirme the same by a second Did euer any man meete with such a captious trifler as would not permit a man to proue the same truth by two arguments but the one must straight be reiected as needlesse but indeed his analysis was forced as he could not but discerne both by the distribution of the Sermon page 2. and also by the transition here vsed neither was this point handled before but the former assertion whereby the text was explicated that the Angels or Bishops of the primitiue Church were diocesan Bishops and such for the substance of their calling as ours be superiour to other ministers in degree c. This which now wee are to handle is the second assertion being a doctrine gathered out of the text so explicated I confesse the former doth proue the latter and that doth commend the methode of my Sermon and both being disposed together may make this Enthymeme The Pastors or gouernours of the primitiue Church here meant by the Angels were diocesan Bishops and such for the substance of their calling as ours be Therefore the calling of such diocesan Bishops as ours be is lawfull But I contented not my selfe with collecting the doctrine out of the text but as the manner of all preachers is when they haue collected a doctrine which is controuersall I thought it needfull to proue and to confirme the same with other arguments But other arguments saith he needed not if the three middle points were sufficiently cleared what will he assume but the three former points were sufficiently cleared
so gouerned still Whereunto I answere according to the euident light of truth that the Presbyters gouerned the Churches as vnder the Apostles and that but for a time vntill the Apostles substituted BB. or left them as their successors committing the gouernment of the seuerall Churches vnto them To the second part of his assumption I answere that the Apostles contradicted that gouernment which hee speaketh of by common counsell of Elders ruling without a B. not so much by words as by deeds when ordayning BB. in seuerall Churches they committed the whole care thereof as Ierome speaketh or at least the chiefe care and authoritie as Ignatius testifieth to them And so leauing the Refuter to rowle the stone he speaketh of I proceed to my third argument The III. CHAPTER Prouing that the Apostles themselues ordayned Bishops Serm. Sect. 5. pag. 65. But yet I proceede to a further degree which is to proue that the Apostles themselues ordayned BB. and committed the Churches to them and therefore that the Episcopall function is without question of Apostolicall institution c. to 38. yeares pag. 69. THE refuter would faine haue me seeme to proue idem per idem but that he could not but discerne that I argue from the ordination of the persons to the institution of the function against which consequence though himselfe say that without question it is good yet I confesse he might haue taken more iust exception then he hath hitherto against any which was not of his owne making so farre is it from concluding the same by the same For he might haue said though they ordayned the persons yet Christ instituted the function and that is the iudgement of many of the Fathers who holde that our Sauiour Christ in ordayning his twelue Apostles and his seauentie two Disciples both which sorts he sent to preach the Gospell he instituted the two degrees of the ministerie BB. answering to the high Priest and Presbyters answerable to the Priests Againe those Fathers who affirme the BB. to be the successors of the Apostles doe by consequence affirme that Christ when he ordayned Apostles ordayned BB. and Cyprian in plainetermes saith so much that our Lord himselfe ordayned Apostles that is to say Bishops For the Popish conceipt that the Apostles were not made Priests till Christs last supper nor BB. till after his resurrection as it is sutable with other their opinions deuised to aduance the Popes supremacy so it is repugnant to the iudgement of the ancients contrary to the truth Seeing the very Disciples who were inferiour to the Apostles were authorized before Christs last supper to preach to baptise Neither had they or needed they any new ordination whereby they might be qualified to administer the Sacrament But of this matter I will not contend for whether the function were first ordayned by Christ or instituted by the Apostles Christ is the authour thereof either immediatly according to the former opinion or mediatly according to the latter And those things are said to be of Apostolicall institution which Christ ordayned by the Apostles The antecedent of my argument viz. that the Apostles ordayned BB. and committed the Churches to them was in the Sermon explaned and proued by shewing the time when the places where the persons whom the Apostles ordayned BB. As concerning the time I said there was some difference betweene the Church of Ierusalem and the rest in respect of their first Bishop For there because shortly after Christs passion a great number were conuerted to the faith for we read of three thousand conuerted in one day and because that was the mother Church vnto which the Christians from all parts were afterwards to haue recourse the Apostles before their dispersion statim post passionem Domini straight wayes after the passion of our Lord ordayned Iames the iust Bishop of Ierusalem as Ierome testifieth Here my refuter maketh me to argue thus culling out one part of my argumentation from the rest Iames was ordayned Bishop by the Apostles therefore the Apostles ordayned Bishops And then denieth the consequence because though Iames being an Apostle had Episcopall power in respect of ordination and iurisdiction yet it would not follow that the Apostles ordayned Diocesan Bishops in other Churches But my argument is an induction standing thus The Apostles ordayned BB. at Ierusalem and in other Churches which afterwards particularly I doe enumerate therefore they ordayned BB. That they ordayned BB. at Ierusalem I proue because they ordayned Iames the Iust and Simon the sonne of Cleophas BB. of Ierusalem That they ordayned Iames B. of Ierusalem I proue in this section That they ordained Simon the sonne of Cleophas B. of Ierusalem and Bishops in other Churches I proue afterwards according to the order of time Beginning here with Ierusalem because that Church had first a Bishop Now that Iames was by the Apostles made B. of Ierusalem I proue by these testimonies first of Ierome whose words are these Iames who is called the brother of our Lord fâ—â—named the iust straight wayes after the passion of our Lord was ordayned by the Apostles the Bishop of Ierusalem This is that Ierome on whose onely authoritie almost the Disciplinarians in this cause relye alledging out of him that Bishops were not ordayned till after the Apostles times Secondly of Eusebius and of the most ancient histories of the Church whose testimonies he citeth to this purpose first therefore he saith in generall that the histories before his time did report that to Iames the brother of our Lord surnamed the iust the throne of the Bishopricke of the Church in Ierusalem was first committed Then particularly he citeth Clemens Alexandrinus testifying that Iames Peter and Iohn after the ascension of our Sauiour did choose Iames the iust Bishop of Ierusalem Afterwards Hegesippus who was nere the Apostles times as Ierome speaketh being as Eusebius saith in the very first succession of the Apostles to the like purpose Eusebius himselfe in his Chronicle translated by Ierome hath these words Iames the brother of our Lord is by the Apostles made the first Bishop of Ierusalem Againe in his history he not onely saith that Iames called the brother of our Lord was the first Bishop of Ierusâ—â—em but also testifieth vpon his knowledge that the Episcopall throne or chaire wherein Iames sate as Bishop of Ierusalem and wherein all the BB. of that See succeeded him was yet in his time to be seene being preserued as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a worthy and sacred monument And finally both in his historie and Chronicle he setteth down the succession of the Bishops of Ierusalem from Iames vnto Macarius whom he noteth to haue been the thirtie ninth Bishop of Ierusalem reckoning Iames the first and Simon the second and Iustus the third Zacheus the fourth c. Epiphanius also testifieth that Iames the Lords brother was
assumption therefore which is true of the rest of the Apostles is not true of Iames and were to be denied if the Syllogisme were thus framed BB. had certaine Churches assigned to them Iames had not a certaine Church assigned to him Therefore he was not B. This assumption I haue disproued And therefore though that argument may seeme to conclude sufficiently against Peters being B. of Rome it concludeth not against Iames his being B. of Ierusalem And besides betweene Iames and the rest this difference may be noted that whereas they hauing planted Churches when they saw their time committed the same to certaine BB. so Peter and others of the Apostles committed Antioch to Evodius Peter and Paul committed Rome to Linus Paul committed Ephesus to Timothie Creet to Titus Iohn committed Smyrna to Polycarpus and diuers other Churches in Asia to other Bishops as Eusebius reporteth yet Iames abiding all his time at Ierusalem committed that Church to no other though when he was dead the Apostles committed it to Simon whom they ordayned his successour The second reason applied to Iames. If Iames were B. then by the same reason other of the Apostles were BB. But the other Apostles were not Bishops properly Therefore not Iames. Why I should not grant this consequence I haue shewed sufficient reason in setting downe the difference betweene Iames and the rest of the Apostles Therefore that reason also howsoeuer it may take place as touching Peter in whom no such difference from the rest of the Apostles can be truly noted yet it holdeth not against Iames his being B. of Ierusalem If the Refuter or any other be not as yet perswaded of this point to satisfie him in the maine point that the Apostles appointed and ordained Bishops I will be content to suppose that Iames was not B. of Ierusalem because it might be supposed and granted without any great preiudice to the cause seeing it is manifest that the same ancient Authors who testifie that the Apostles appointed Iames B. of Ierusalem doe also witnesse that after his death the Apostles who were then remayning ordayned Simon the sonne of Cleophas to be B. there as hereafter shall be shewed After I had proued that Iames was B. of Ierusalem I endeuoured to confute the opinion of the learneder sort of Disciplinarians who doe hold as before hath been shewed that Bishops were not superiour to other Ministers in degree neither had superioritie for terme of life but for a short time And to this end obiected the same conceipts that by this instance of Iames they might plainly be refuted Hereunto the Refuter replyeth that I deuise those obiections to make my selfe worke when as indeed they be the two maine points wherein Beza differeth from vs. But saith he who euer conceiued any such thought of the Apostle Iames I am sure there is not a syllable nor a letter of him at all in the place he quoteth out of Beza the more wrong he doth him c. All this adoe ariseth from the misprinting of one letter in the margent c being put for p. For in the 23. page of that book in the end of the third chapter he hath this saying though I grant that Iames the brother of our Lord was in order first in the Church of Ierusalem yet it followeth not that he was in degree superiour either to the Apostles or else to his fellow Ministers Which saying as it seemeth I should not neede to haue confuted if all the Disciplinarians were of our Refuters minde who censureth that speech as vntrue and vnreuerent But yet that he might let his Reader see that he is able to defend any thing against me he saith if a man would speake so vntruly and vnreuerently he might easily maintayne it against the answere that M. D. bringeth They must remember saith he that he was an Apostle and his honour and degree by his Bishopricke not impaired As if the question were not of him as a B. not as an Apostle His superiority in degree proceeded from his Apostleship and yet as a B. he might be superiour in order onely This tricke of fast and loose was not worth the shewing vnlesse it could haue beene done more cleanely To returne these trickes of fast and loose to such a shifting Sophister as I haue proued the Refuter to be it is plaine that Beza speaketh simply of Iames as the chiefe in the Church of Ierusalem as wel in respect of the Apostles as the Presbyters there And therefore considereth him as an Apostle as well as a B. And if he had intended any such distinction as the Refuter imagineth hee should haue conceiued that Iames his honour and degree by his Bishopricke was impaired and that the Apostles in choosing him to be B. of Ierusalem should rather haue depressed him then done him honour But they thought it a singular honour to be the Apostle or Bishop of that Church which Christ himselfe had founded And therefore as Clement noteth the chiefe of the Apostles Peter Iames and Iohn though Christ had vouchsafed to them greater honour then the rest yet would not arrogate to themselues that honour but preferred Iames the iust the brother of our Lord thereunto and when it was void againe by his death they made choise of Simon the sonne of Cleophas for the same cause because he also was the Lords kinsman The graue censure of the Refuter is that Clements speech is vnsauourie and the respect carnall which Hegesippus and Eusebius alledge Thus is hee able as it were with a breath to blowe away these worthy Authors Hegesippus Clemens and Eusebius they are not able to stand before him But why vnsauourie when the Apostles were to be dispersed into diuers parts of the world was it not a speciall honour for one amongst them without that trauaile wandring wherto the rest were subiect to be set ouer the mother Church of Christendome which Christ himselfe had founded to be the Apostle of that people which had sundry prerogatiues aboue all other Nations and in respect of that place to haue a precedence before the other Apostles as Iames had Act. 15. Gal. 2 And why carnall were not they bound in respect of that loue and reuerence which they did owe to our Sauiour Christ to preferre his neere kinsmen according to the flesh being at the least equall with others It is certaine that Iames for his admirable piety was wonderfully honoured not onely among Christians but also among the vnbeleeuing Iewes as might easily be shewed in so much that Iosephus imputeth the destruction of Ierusalem to his death as to a principall cause But saith he if it had beene arrogancie in them why not in him That which had beene arrogancie in them to haue arrogated to themselues was no arrogancie in him to vndertake being imposed vpon him Yea but if it were so great a priuiledge why might it not haue aduanced him
vnderstood vvho expound the vvord Apostle by Teacher As Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and those vvhom the Refuter nameth For they did not by Apostle vnderstand euery common Teacher or teaching Presbyter but specialem doctorem saith Anselme instructorem praecipuum their chiefe instructor sayeth Dionysius Carthusianus These authors and more as they doe all giue testimony with my exposition so against that interpretation of the word Apostle which the refuter bringeth who would haue him called Apostle not in respect of any sacred function which he performed towards them but because he was their Messenger to the Apostle And of this iudgement he saith are Primasius Haymo Caietan and two others which be as much partyes in this cause as himselfe Beza and Piscator And Caluin acknowledgeth it to agree with the place Primasius saith that Epaphroditus had receiued gradum Apostolatus the degree of Apostleshippe among them Caluin doth indeed mention that interpretation but so as he preferreth the other sed prior sensus meliùs meo iudicio conuenit But the former sence in my iudgement agreeth better He could not thinke that both sences being so different agreed to the text Yea but he hath two reasons to proue his to be the more likely sence First as the words following in the same Verse and Chapt. 4.18 doe shew how he ministred to him so the same phrase is vsed to the like purpose 2 Cor. 8.23 where the brethren sent with Titus to receiue the Corinthians beneuolence are called Apostles that is messengers of the Churches I acknowledge that Epaphroditus brought a gratuity from the Philippians to Paul to supply his necessity being a prisoner in Rome And the brethren likewise who accompanyed Titus were to receiue the beneuolence of the Corinthians but it is vnlikely that either he or they were called the Apostles of the Churches in that regard It appeareth by diuers of Ignatius his Epistles that when the churches did send one vpon a Christian Embassage the B. commonly was entreated to take that Embassage vpon him In like manner the Philippians being to send as it were vpon Embassage to Paul Epaphroditus their B. vndertooke that voyage He being therfore both their B. and their Embassadour it is more likely that he was called their Apostle because he was their Bishop then for that hee was their Embassadour For it is vnlikely that the name of that sacred function of the Apostles of Christ who also himselfe is the Apostle of our profession should be vsed in the Scriptures to signifie the messengers of men Besides in both places the Apostle intendeth by this title highly to commend Epaphroditus and the others but this had beene but a small commendation that they were messengers of the Churches Againe if they in 2 Cor. 8. were called the Apostles of the Churches because they were their messengers then those Churches should haue sent them but it is euident that Paul himselfe sent them for as it was required of him Gal. 2 so had hee vndertaken to procure a supply for the reliefe of the brethren in Iudaea who were oppressed vvith famine And to that end hauing before dealt with the Corinthians sendeth Titus and two others to receiue their contribution His second reason is that it standeth not so well with the properties of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a messenger to entitle any man in regard of his ministeriall function their Apostle to whom as his from whom hee is sent And therefore among all the titles Paul taketh to himselfe to magnifie his office he neuer calleth himselfe their or your Apostle but an Apostle of Christ and an Apostle to them Wee may therefore say of M. D. as Iunius doth of Theodoret the clearest witnesse he alledgeth he is deceiued by the aequiuocation of the word Apostolos which sometimes in a common and generall sence is giuen to any one that is sent as a messenger and sometimes more specially ascribed to those that were imployed as the Apostles in an extraordinarie and high Embassage from Christ. Here the Refuter whiles he goeth about to discouer my ignorance as though I knew not the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as he bewrayeth his owne For it is euident that in the Scriptures the vvord is vsed with reuerence as vvell to the parties to vvhom as to the party from vvhom the Apostle is sent Thus Paul calleth himselfe the Apostle of the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and saith that Peter had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostleship of Circumcision meaning that he was the Apostle of the Iewes because to himselfe was committed the Gospel of vncircumcision as to Peter of the circumcision So Angels haue relation not only to the sender who is God but to the parties to whom they are sent and are called their Angels And euen as Angels absolutely spoken is a title of all ministers who are sent of God but vsed with reference to the Churches whereto they are sent as the Angels of the seauen Churches doe signifie the Bishops or Pastors of the same churches so Apostoli absolutely vsed is a title of all Embassadours sent from God with authority Apostolicall though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giuen to Paul and Barnabas and the twelue Apostles but vsed with reference to particular Churches doth signifie their Bishops And in that sence Epaphroditus is called the Apostle of the Philippians And howsoeuer the word may signifie any messenger with relation to any sender yet in the scriptures it is not vsed to signifie messengers sent from men neither is to be translated otherwise then Apostle For though our Sauiour doe seeme to speake indefinitly Iohn 13.16 of the Apostle and him that sendeth him yet it is euident that he meaneth himselfe who sent and the Apostles who were sent But admit saith the refuter that Epaphroditus were Bishop or Pastor of Philippi where abouts I will not striue how shall it be proued that Philippi was a Diocesan Church c. This is written as the most of the booke to bleare the eyes of the simple For I cannot thinke he which would vndertake this cause was so void of iudgement as the refuter here would shew himselfe to be if he wrote sincerely For I pray you what was the point which here I had in hand was it not to shew that the Bishops at the first in the Apostles times were called Apostles and doe I not proue it by this instance that Epaphroditus being the Bishop of the Philippians is therefore called their Apostle Admit it be so saith the refuter yet how shall it be proued that Philippi was a Diocesan Church and how weakely with that doth M. D. inferre that he was a Diocesan Bishop like to ours for the substance of his office All men see he deceiueth his reader with the like equiuocation in the word Bishop which in the Apostles times by his
beene ordayned the first B. of the Church of the Ephesians and the other the first B. of the Church of the Cretians This is something plaine But he asketh me why I seuered them from the consent of the ancient Fathers was it because I thought them to be of the Canon I answere that I did not seuer them but ioyne them in a copulatiue speech and if I had beene of opinion that they were of the Canon I would not haue said as I did it appeareth not onely by the subscriptions but also by the generall consent of the Fathers but contrariwise not onely by the generall consent of the Fathers but also by the subscriptions annexed by the Apostle himselfe But though it were not likely as he hath alledged out of T. C. that they were subscribed by the Apostle himselfe yet is it certaine that they are of great antiquity and of better credit then the Refuter and some other Disciplinarians would make them Indeed if any other learned man that were not a party in this cause had censured these subscriptions I would haue respected their censures but the cauillations of Disciplinarians against them who being parties in this cause are so plainely confuted by them are to be reiected Let vs therefore heare what the Refuter obiecteth against them How little credit those subscriptions deserue it may appeare by that vnder the Epistle to Titus which is quite contrary to the Epistle it selfe And why so I pray you the subscription saith the Epistle was written from Nicopolis and Paul himselfe willeth Titus to come vnto him to Nicopolis for I haue determined to winter there But if Paul had beene now at Nicopolis when he wrote he would haue said not there but here Therefore hee was but a simple fellow that was the Author of that subscription So saith this great Criticke But if you will consider with me that Paul being as vsually he was in peregrination Titus could not well tell where he was neither had Paul signified in the Epistle where he then was therefore wrote being at Nicopolis as any discreet man would in the like case come to mee to Nicopolis for I meane to winter there whereas if hee had written as the Refuter would haue had him if hee were at Nicopolis come hither for I meane to winter here or come to Nicopolis for I meane to winter here might not Titus haue said where Paul as being vncertaine where Paul was and whether himselfe was to goe This therefore is too seely a censure though receiued from T. B. himselfe to ouerthrow the authority of so ancient a subscription in which besides the ancient Greeke copies it is also testified in the Syriack that this Epistle was written from Nicopolis Athanasius speaking of that Epistle to Titus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee wrote this Epistle from Nicopolis for there he wintered Oecumenius testifieth the same in his argument on that Epistle to Titus Sedulius likewise this Epistle hee wrote from Nicopolis and Theophylact. argument in Epist. ad Tit the Authors of the Centuryes cent 1. l. 2. c. 10. in Tito To the subscriptions I added the testimonies of these Fathers First Eusebius reporteth out of the Ecclesiasticall Histories vvhich vvere before his time that Timothie had first the Bishopricke of the Church at Ephesus and Titus of the Churches in Creet Secondly the auncient Author of the booke de diuinis nominibus dedicating the same to Timothie Bishop of Ephesus if it be Dionysius Areopagita himselfe who liued at the same time with Timothie doth beare an vndeniable witnesse to this truth or if it be another vsing his name yet he plainely signifieth that in his time it was a thing generally receiued that Timothie was Bishop of Ephesus Thirdly Dorotheus saith that Timothie was by Paul ordayned the B. of the Ephesians he calleth Titus the B. of the Cretians Fourthly Ambrose testifieth the same Paul instructeth Timothie being already created a B. how he ought to order the Church And againe he entreateth Timothie his fellow Bishop c. Againe Timothie was a B. Hence it is that Paul directeth him how he should ordaine a B. Likewise of Titus he testifieth that the Apostle consecrated him B. Fiftly Ierome noteth that Timothie receiued the grace which Paul exhorteth him not to neglect when he was ordayned B. And wher Paul willeth him to fulfill his Ministery Ierom vnderstandeth it of his Bishopricke And in the Catalogue of Ecclesiasticall Writers which is in his first Tome it is testified that Timothie was ordayned of blessed Paul the B. of the Ephesians and that Titus was B. of Creet Sixtly Chrisostome writing on those words Phil. 1. Bishops and Deacon◠saith what meaneth this were there many Bishops of one City in no wise but so he called the Presbyters For then were the names common and a Bishop was also called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Deacon or minister For which cause writing to Timothie being a Bishop fulfill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy ministery For that he was a Bishop he saith doe not hastily impose thy hands vpon any man againe with the imposition of the hands of the Presbytery but Presbyters did not ordaine a Bishop in another place hee giueth this reason why Paul wrote to Timothie and Titus and not to Syluanus or Silas or Clemens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he had already committed the Churches to them but the others he still carryed about with him And on the fourth to the Ephesians hee giueth instance in Timothie and Titus as being Pastors assigned to certaine places Seauenthly Epiphanius saith that Paul 1 Tim. 4. writeth to a Bishop and that a Presbyter cannot be the same with a Bishop the diuine speech of the Apostle teacheth who is a Bishop and who a Presbyter when he saith to Timothie being a Bishop receiue not hastily an accusation against a Presbyter c. Eightly Primasius saith Timothie was a Bishop and Pauls Disciple That grace was the blessing which Timothie when he was made Bishop receiued by imposition of hands Ninthly Theodoret saith that Titus was the Apostle that is Bishop of the Cretians and Timothie of the Asians And out of him Oecumenius citeth these words Titus was an admirable Disciple of Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he was by Paul ordayned Bishop of Creet And in another place why did Paul hauing other Disciples as Silas and Luke and others write onely to Timothie and Titus We answere Because to these he had committed Churches but the others he had still with him Tenthly Sedulius this Timothie was B. in Ephesus as it is said in the booke of histories And on these words stirre vp the grace which was giuen thee by the imposition of hands that is iuxta ordinationem tuam in Episcopatum by thy ordination into the Bishopricke 11. Gregory the great hence it is
that Paul admonisheth his Disciple praelatum gregi being the Prelate of a flocke saying attend reading vntill I come 12. Isidor saith that Timothie was Bishop of Ephesus 13. Polycrates saith that Timothie trauailing with Paul to Ephesus was made the first B. there by him in the raigne of Nero. 14. Theophylact vnderstandeth by Pastors and Doctors Eph. 4. those to whose care the Church was committed that is to say BB. such as Timothie and Titus And for that cause he saith that Paul wrote to them two Againe Titus being ordayned Bishop is set ouer the great Island Creet 15. Oecumenius on those words I requested thee to remaine in Ephesus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here hee had ordayned him B. And againe in Tim. 5. he speaketh of ordinations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he wrote to a B. And of Titus he saith that Paul left him to ordaine BB. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing first made him a B. And of both on those words Pastors and Doctors he saith Paul meaneth such as to whose trust the Churches were committed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 BB. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as Timothie and Titus 16. Nicephorus saith that after Paul was first dismissed from Rome he wrote his former Epistle to Timothie whom he had ordayned before B. of Ephesus And another Epistle hee wrote vnto Titus whom hauing before ordayned B. of Creet he had left there To these I might adde the testimonies of diuers new writers but I will mention onely a few whose iudgements the Disciplinarians will not easily reiect First therefore Caluin in diuers places on the Epistles to Timothie doth note that he was the Pastor of the Church at Ephesus The authors of the Centuryes say it is euident that Paul appointed Timothie the Pastor to the Church of Ephesus D. Fulke saith among the Clergie for order and seemely gouernment there was alwayes one principall to whom by long vse of the Church the name of B. or superintendent hath beene applyed which roome Titus exercised in Creta Timothie in Ephesus and others in other places c. Finally Beza himselfe noteth that Timothie was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Iustine calleth him that is Antistes or President in the Presbytery at Ephesus that is to say according to Bezaes language a Bishop To the testimonies which I produced the refuter answereth three things first in effect this that though the Fathers call them BB. yet properly they were not Bishops which bare denyall of his if it be weighed with the testimonies of the ancient which I named will proue as light as vanity it selfe Secondly that the consent of the Fathers is not so generall as I would make men beleiue seeing both Ambrose and Ignatius doe make Timothie a Deacon And for proofe thereof he referreth vs to T.C. whose words are these all ancient writers are not of that iudgement for not to speak of Ambrose which calleth Timothie a Deacon where he opposeth a Deacon to a Bishop Ignatius an ancient writer saith that hee was a Deacon that where diuiding the ministeries of the Church into Bishops and Deacons c. doth openly oppose a Deacon to a Bishop little reason had T.C. to speake of Ambrose and therefore might well say not to speake of him For these are Ambrose his words with the BB. and Deacons that is with Paul and Timothie qui vtique Episcopi erant who verily were Bishops he also signified the Deacons which ministred vnto him For he writeth vnto the people For if he had written to the Bishops and Deacons he would haue written to their persons and it had beene fit that he should haue written to the Bishop of the place not to two or three as hee did to Titus and to Timothie Ignatius his words be these What be the Deacons but the imitators of the Euangelicall powers ministring vnto him that is the Bishop as the Angels doe to God a pure and blamelesse ministerie as holy Steuen to Iames the blessed and Timothie and Linus to Paul Anacletus and Clemens to Peter Distinguish the times and the answere is easie Timothie was such an Euangelist as first ministred to Paul as a Deacon afterwards was ordayned Presbyter as Ambrose saith and lastly a Bishop which is as the same Ambrose saith primus Presbyter But doth his seruing vnder Paul as a Deacon proue that afterwards he was not a Bishop nay rather his being a Deacon and afterwards a Presbyter doth proue he was not such an Euangelist as the Refuter imagineth And by as good reason he might proue that neither Linus nor Anacletus nor Clemens were Bishops of Rome because they had serued vnder Peter and Paul as Deacons Here is all that our Refuter can either by himselfe or with T. C. helpe obiect out of antiquity against Timothie his being a Bishop His third answere is that the Scripture calleth him an Euangelist 2 Tim. 4.5 and therefore he was no B. which is the same with the second obiection already answered I hope therefore I may be bold with the Readers consent to conclude that Timothie and Titus were ordayned BB. by the Apostle Paul the one of Ephesus the other of Creet Serm. sect 10. pag. 81. To these mentioned in in the Scriptures we adde others out of other the most auncient records of the Church wherof some were made BB. by Peter Paul some by Iohn the Euangelist and other the Apostles c. to pag. 87. l. 1. In this section I brought diuers most plaine and pregnant euidences to proue that the Apostles ordayned BB noting the Places where and the Persons whom they ordayned The which because the Refuter passeth ouer as it were in silence I will breifly recite that it may appeare to the Reader that the Refuter had cause to be silent because the euidence of truth did put him to silence First I shewed out of Eusebius that about the yeare fortie fiue Euodius was made Bishop of Antioch by the Apostles Peter and Paul as Ignatius who succeeded him in the Apostles times doth witnesse Secondly that Peter and Paul ordayned Linus Bishop of Rome about the yeare 56 whom Anacletus succeeded and after him Clemens testified by Irenaeus and Eusebius Thirdly that by the appointment of Peter Marke was the first B. of Alexandria whom Anianus succeeded in that Bishopricke after him Abilius and then Cerdo all in the Apostles times testified by Nicephorus Gregory Eusebius Ierome and Dorotheus Fourthly that after the death of Iames the iust Simon the sonne of Cleophas was by the Apostles which then were remayning made Bishop of Ierusalem testified by Hegesippus and Eusebius Fiftly that Iohn the Apostle ordayned Polycarpe Bishop of Smyrna testified by Irenaeus Eusebius Tertullian and Ierome Sixtly that Iohn after his returne from exile ordayned BB. in diuers places testified by Clemens
Alexandrinus and Eusebius Finally that the Apostles committed the Church which is in euery place to Bishops whom they ordayned leauing them their successours testified by Irenaeus and Tertullian who saith that as Smyrna had Polycarpe from S. Iohn and Rome Clement by the appointment of Peter so the rest of the Churches can shew quos ab Apostolis in Episcopatum constitutos Apostoliâ—i seminis traduces habent what Bishops they haue ordayned by the Apostles the deriuers of the Apostolicall seed To all this he hath nothing to answere but that which heretofore hath beene fully refuted that these Bishops were but ordinary Pastors of particular congregations c. saâ—ing that he taketh also exception against their assertion who said that Bishops be the successors of the Apostles But not onely Irenaeus and Tertullian haue auouched so much but diuers others of the Fathers as Cyprian Ierome and Augustine Cyprian saith praepositi that is Bishops Apostolis vicaria ordinatione succedunt succeed the Apostles as being ordained in their steed And Ierome saith omnes Episcopi Apostolorum successores sunt all Bishops are the successors of the Apostles And againe he saith Episcopâ—s Apostolis succedere And Theodoret calleth the gouernment of Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And likewise Basill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the presidency of Apostles who haue deliuered to Bishops as Irenaeus saith their owne place of gouernment in the seuerall Churches And this is that which both Ierome and Augustine expounding those words of the 45. Psalme pro patribus nati tibi sunt filij haue deliuered that insteed of the Apostles Bishops were ordayned gouernours of the Church in all parts of the world Which point is duely to be considered For hereby it is manifest that the Bishops haue receiued and deriued their authority from the Apostles whose successors they are not onely in respect of doctrine as all other true ministers but also in the gouernment of the seuerall Churches And when the Disciplinarians can shew the like warrant for their Presbyteryes especially of Lay-elders or our refuter and his good friends the Brownists for the cheife authority of the people we will harken to them Once it is euident that Christ committed the authority and gouernment of his Church to his Apostles who were to deriue the same to others Wherefore who haue any ordinary right they haue receiued the same from the Apostles So Timothie and Titus receiued their authority from Paul Linus from Peter and Paul Policarpus from Iohn c. And all other the first Bishops from the Apostles from whom by a perpetuall succession it hath beene deriued to the Bishops which are at this day But where is any euidence of the like deriuation from the Apostles of authority to the people of Lay-elders I know not Thus haue I made good my former proofes that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall institution The V. CHAPTER Answering the allegations out of Ierome Serm. Sect. 11. pag. 87. Against all this that hath beene said to proue that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall institution the authoritie of Ierome is obiected c. to page 89. AGainst the testimonies of men saith the refuter what is fitter to be obiected then the authority of such a man as of set purpose disputing the question determineth the contrary to that which was so commonly anouched Which speech if it be duely examined iust exception may be taken against euery branch thereof For first hee would insinuate that nothing hath beene brought to iustifie the calling of Bishops besides the testimonies of men when besides the testimonies of men I haue brought good euidence of sound reason and besides that better proofe out of the scriptures to warrant the Episcopall function then euer was or will be brought for the Presbyterian discipline Againe it were fitter and to better purpose against the testimonies of men if I had produced no other proofe to haue brought either testimonies of scripture or sound reasons or for want of them the testimonie of so many and so approued authors to counterpoise the weight of their authorities who haue beene alledged on the contrary part But scriptures failing reasons wanting testimonies of other Fathers being to seeke Ierome alone must be faine to beare the whole burden of this cause For though some latter writers may be alledged to the like purpose yet all is but Ierome Whose not onely iudgement they follow but reteyne his words Neither doth Ierome so oft dispute this question or determine the contrary as the refuter in his shallow conceipt imagineth Or if any wheres he doth determine the contrary against that which was commonly auouched both by himselfe and others his determination deliuered in heat of disputation ought not to be of so great weight as what he hath deliuered not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in heat of contention but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dogmatically or historically For Ierome was but a Presbyter and there were two things in his time which might prouoke him by way of contention to say more in the behalfe of his degree then doth exactly agree with the truth The one was that the Bishops of those times did too much depresse the Presbyters For they might not onely in their presence not preach nor baptize nor administer the Communion but also in some places they might not preach at all nor any where baptize vnlesse they fetched their Chrisme from the Bishop against which practises of the Bishops Ierome in some places of his works doth inueigh But that which troubled him most was that the Deacons in his time especially at Rome because they had more wealth as the fashion of the world is thought themselues better men then the Presbyters For the confutation of whom he seeketh to aduance the Presbyters aboue the Deacons as much as he can and may seeme to match them more then truth would permit with the Bishops For which the onely ground which he hath is this because the name Bishop and Presbyter were for a while in the Apostles times confounded Which God knoweth is a weak ground and easily out of his owne writings ouerturned But let vs examine the particulars First it is alledged out of Ierome that vntill factions did arise in the Church some saying I am of Paul I am of Apollo c. the Churches were gouerned by the common counsell of the Presbyters but when they began to draw Disciples after them namely such as themselues had baptised it was agreed in the whole world that one being chosen from among the Presbyters should be set ouer the rest to whom the whole care of the Church should belong and that the seede of schismes might be taken away Whereunto I answered first that this speech in respect of the Church of Ierusalem is vntrue which was first gouerned by the Apostles in common and after committed to Iames in particular before we read of any Presbyters
the Senatours and of a King were confounded For the soueraignty was in the Emperour and the Senatours might haue beene the same vnder their King which they had beene vnder the Emperour c. As touching the assumption he saith it should haue beene proued and I say if he were able he should haue disproued it For my part I was in this place the answerer and the parts of the assumption be such as either had beene before cleared or seemed to neede no proofe For first that the Presbyters ruled the Churches as vnder the Apostles it is manifest That the Episcopall authority consisting specially in the power of Ordination and publicke Iurisdiction was not in them but in the Apostles partly was proued before to wit that Presbyters neuer had it and partly needed no proofe viz. that the Apostles had it And surely little need had Paul to haue sent Timothie to Ephesus and Titus to Creet to exercise the power of Ordination and publicke Iurisdiction in those Churches if the Presbyters had the same before they came But still I desire some euidence whereby the deriuation of this power of Ordination and Iurisdiction from the Apostles to the Presbyters or people may be warranted Thirdly that the Presbyters were the same vnder the Apostles then which they were afterwards vnder the Bishops I take for a certaine truth For if they were the same vnder Timothie and Titus that they were vnder the Apostles then questionlesse they were the same vnder the Bishops who haue no other function nor exercise any other authority then that which Timothie and Titus had and exercised in Ephesus and Creet And these I hope are reasons sufficient to approue the former part of my answere vntill the refuter who is the opponent be able to disproue it The second part of my answere may be concluded thus If after a while namely when the Apostles were to discontinue from the Churches which they had planted the Apostles themselues ordayned BB. then the Presbyters ruling of the Churches by common counsell for a time doth not hinder but that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall institution But the former is true Therefore the latter The consequence needeth no proofe the assumption I proue by Ieromes owne testimony For if Ierome doe testifie that the Apostles ordayned BB. and withall doe note the time when the place where and the end wherefore then doth he giue plentifull testimony to this truth But Ierome doth testifie that the Apostles ordayned BB. and withall noteth the time when the place where and the end wherfore The time and place he noteth first generally the time when Bishops were ordayned was in the Apostles time the place where in all the world Which two if you ioyne together it will appeare that by Ieromes testimony the function of BB. is of Apostolicall institution For it is vtterly incredible that BB. should be ordayned in all parts of the Christian world in the Apostles times and yet not be of the Apostles ordayning That Ierome helde BB. to be ordayned in the Apostles time I proue out of the place alledged when factions began to spring in the Church saith Ierome some saying I am of Paul I am of Apollo I am of Cephas which was in the Apostles times 1 Cor. 1. and it were fond to imagine that factions did not begin till after their time This argument the Refuter would discredit because Sanders vseth the like and his owne answere he would credit with the name and countenance of certaine learned men which is one of his ordinary shifts to bleare the eyes of the simple who many times respect more who speaketh then what is said But my argument standeth thus When the factions began whereof Ierome speaketh BB. were ordayned as he saith In the Apostles times the factions began whereof Ierome speaketh Therefore in the Apostles times Bishops were ordayned as he saith The effect of the answere which hee bringeth is that Ierome speaking of Schismes which did arise after the Apostles times alludeth to that speech of the Apostle not that hee thought Bishops were ordayned in those times but that hee might shew that schisme was the cause of changing the order of Church-gouernment Which answere might haue some shew of probability if Ierome himselfe did not both in other places which I cite most plainely testifie that Bishops were ordayned in the Apostles times and also in the place alledged expressely speake of those factions which did arise in Corinth and other places in the Apostles times The factions whereof he speaketh did arise from hence that vnusquisque eos quos baptizauerat suos putabat esse non Christi saith Ierome euery one esteemed those whom he had baptized to be his owne and not Christs Now it is apparant that this is the very thing which Paul reproueth in the Corinthians that euery one sayd they were his who had baptized them and therefore thanketh God that he had baptized none of them but Crispus and Gaius and the houshold of Stephanas For by this meanes as Caluin also obserueth the factious and ambitious teachers whom he meant vnder the name of Paul and Apollos sought to draw Disciples after them Yea but Ierome in his Epistle to Evagrius sheweth that in the Apostles times Bishop and Presbyter was all one and that afterwards Bishops were first ordayned as a remedy against schisme To this I haue answered before shewing that Ierome there proueth that the names at the first were confounded and the same men were called Presbyters and Bishops vntill one out of the Presbyters in euery Church was chosen and set aboue the rest and called a Bishop Which Ierome there confesseth to haue bin done euer since St. Markes time and therefore in the time of the Apostles For the first Bishops were not chosen out of the Presbytery of the Churches whereof they were made BB. but were Apostolicall men I meane either Apostles or some of their companions and assistants all which while the Bishops were called Apostles as I shewed out of Theodoret the names Presbyter Episcopus being as yet confounded And whereas he saith that I answered euen now the course of gouernment was not changed at the first when factiâ—â—s began he doth but threapen kindnesse on mee for I said no such thing If therefore Ierome teacheth that Bishops were ordayned when factions began and also that in the Apostles time factions did begin then in Ieromes iudgement Bishops were ordayned in the Apostles times but Ierome teacheth both the one and the other as is manifest by that which hath beene said As touching the Place Ierome saith in toto orbe decretum est it was decreed in the whole world that one being chosen from among the Presbyters should be set ouer the rest to whom the whole care of euery Church should appertaine From whence I reason thus A generall decree in the whole Christian world could not be made in the Apostles times without the
may further appeare by these reasons For vvhere Paul vvriteth to the Bishops and Deacons at Philippi here saith Ierome by Bishops wee vnderstand Presbyters For in one Citie there could not be more Bishops then one Which plainely sheweth hee thought that although Presbyters had the name yet they had not the office of Bishops and that although there might be many in one Citie which had the name yet there could be but one that had the office of a Bishop Againe on 1 Tim. 3. he saith it is demanded vvhy the Apostle made no mention there of Presbyters but comprehended them in the name of Bishops because saith he the degree of Presbyters is the second and almost the same with that of Bishops My second answere vvas if Ierome must be vnderstood as speaking of the office that then wee are to distinguish of those words Diuine disposition as including onely those things which be eyther directly and immediately of Diuine institution or are Diuini iuris of Diuine right as being perpetuall and immutable but not as excluding Apostolicall ordinances For Ierome besides that he hath plentifully testified that Bishops were ordayned by the Apostles hee doth also expressely call this function Episcopall an Apostolicall tradition But this testimonie the refuter thinketh to elude because in the writings of the Fathers the precepts and obseruations of their forefathers though indeede not ordayned by the Apostles are called Apostolicall traditions Which answere may haue place in such traditions as haue no testimonie or proofe that the Apostles ordayned them but for this matter in question vve haue had plentifull and pregnant proofes and euident testimonies not onely of other authors but of Ierome himselfe plainely auouching that Bishops were ordayned by the Apostles and particularly relating the persons vvhom the places where the time vvhen the Apostles ordayned them If neither of these answeres will satisfie the refuter then must he be forced to confesse that Ierome was inconstant in this question holding one while that Bishops were of Apostolicall Institution and another vvhile that they were not And if Ierome vvere vnconstant vvhich is the worst that can be obiected against this cause and vvherewith I would be loath to charge him then let it be considered whether those testimonies which he hath in more places deliuered dogmatically and historically for the superioritie of Bishops himselfe being a Presbyter are not to ouerweigh those fewer which hee vttered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the heate of disputation as a partie in the cause maintaining the dignitie of Presbyters himselfe being a Presbyter against eyther the indignities offered them by the Bishops or the insolencie of Deacons vvho sought to ouerpeere them Thus haue I proued that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall and consequently of Diuine institution The VI. CHAPTER Prouing directly that the Episcopall function is of Diuine institution Serm. Sect. 13. pag. 92. I will in the last place directly yet briefly proue that the Episcopall function is of diuine institution c. to protection of their persons pag. 94. THe refuter hath more then once charged me that I maintaine the Episcopall function to be held iure diuino implying thereby that it is generally and perpetually necessarie Wherefore least he should be taken in the manner as a wilfull deprauer of my assertion hee leaueth out all that which I haue deliuered to explane my meaning and beginneth this section at the middle of a sentence vvhere the explication endeth Such shifts may deceiue the simple for a while sed mendacia diu non fallunt but lyes will not beguile long as Cyprian saith If he had meant to deale truely hee should haue begunne this section at the diuision pag. 91. in the end where by a distinction of that vvhich might be Ieromes meaning I take occasion to passe to the direct proofes that the Episcopall function is of Diuine institution But because I did foresee that this my assertion would be vnderstoode as if I held the function of Diocesan Bishops so to be diuini iuris as that it is generally perpetually and immutably necessarie for the being of a Church and that no other forme of gouernment may in no case be any wayes admitted therefore both in the text and in the margent I explaned the assertion which I hold shewing plainely in what sense I maintaine the calling of Diocesan Bishops to be of diuine institution All which though the refuter passed ouer in silence yet I thinke it needfull to repeate that both my sinceritie and his fraudulent dealing may appeare My words in the Sermon were these If his that is Ieromes meaning should be that the superioritie of Bishops ouer Presbyters though it be an Apostolicall tradition as himselfe calleth it yet notwithstanding is not directly of Diuine institution although there be small difference betwixt these two as I vnderstand Diuine institution because what the Apostles did in the execution of their Apostolicall function they did by direction of the holy Ghost so that they might truely say both of their ordinances it seemed good to the holy Ghost and vs and of the partyes by them ordayned attend the flocke ouer which the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers notwithstanding for more euidence I will in the last place directly yet briefely proue that the Episcopall function is of Diuine institution or that Bishops were ordained of God In the margent also fearing least my meaning would not plainely enough appeare to preuent the cauils of those which be aduersaries to the cause vvhich I maintaine I noted these words Though in respect of the first institution there is small difference betweene an Apostolicall and Diuine ordinance because what was ordained by the Apostles proceeded from GOD in vvhich sense and no other I doe hold the Episcopall function to be a Diuine ordinance I meane in respect of the first institution yet in respect of perpetuitie difference by some is made betweene those things which be Diuini and those which be Apostolici iuris the former in their vnderstanding being generally perpetually and immutably necessarie the latter not so So that the meaning of my defence plainely is that the Episcopall gouernment hath this commendation aboue other formes of Ecclesiasticall regiment that in respect of the first institution it is a Diuine ordinance but that it should be such a Diuine ordinance as should be generally perpetually immutably necessarily obserued so as no other forme of gouernment may in no case be admitted I did not take vpon mee to maintaine With what conscience therefore the refuter hath laid the maintenance of that assertion to my charge and omitted the explanation of my defence in this place the Reader may easily iudge especially if hee remember that where hee thought any aduantage could be taken out of this explanation of my defence there hee taketh notice of it as namely page 90. of his booke where hee supposing that I auouch a necessitie of
retayning the gouernment of Diocesan Bishops hee vseth these words Who would haue thought to haue heard such a speech from him that acknowledgeth another gouernment good and lawfull pag. 95. and maketh the calling of Bishops no further of diuine institution then as being ordayned by the Apostles it proceeded from God without implying thereby any necessarie perpetuitie thereof Pag. 92. Thus sincerely their cause of sinceritie as themselues call it is maintained Now that Bishops were ordayned of God I proue by this argument as the refuter hath framed it If God ordayned Timothie Archippus and the Angels of the seauen Churches Bishops then were Bishops ordained by God But God ordained them Bishops Therefore Bishops were ordained by God As touching Timothie I argued thus By whom was he ordained Bishop By Paul I confesse as the instrument but yet by the holy Ghost as the author and directer of his ordination For he was made B. by prophecie 1 Tim. 4. How is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is by Prophecie saith Chrysostome by the holy Ghost Paul stirring him vp putteth him in minde who elected and ordained him as if hee had said God hath chosen thee hee hath committed his Church vnto thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou wert made Bishop not by humane suffrage but by Prophecie that is by Diuine reuelation saith Theodoret that is spiritu sancto iubente by the commandement of the holy Ghost saith Theophilact 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecumenius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for by the appointment of the holy Ghost Bishops were made and not at randome Whereunto you may adde the testimonie of Caluin Per Prophetiam quomodo quia scilicet spiritus sanctus oraculo Timotheum destinauerat vt in ordinem pastorum cooptaretur Neque enim delectus tantuacute m fuerat hominum iudicio vt fieri solet sed praecesserat spiritus nuncupatio To this argument the refuter answereth nothing but that which I haue plainely and fully confuted before that Timothie was not a Bishop though Caluin as you see confesseth that Timothie by the oracle of the holy Ghost was chosen into the order of Pastors For if hee were a Pastor it is not to be doubted but he was a Bishop That Archippus was ordayned Bishop of God I proue thus Because Col. 4.17 Paul vsing the same exhortation to him vvhich hee gaue to Timothie the Bishop of Ephesus namely that hee should fulfill his ministerie hee addeth which thou hast receiued in the Lord and therefore by Gods ordinance and as it vvere at his hands The refuter hauing framed the argument thus Hee that receiued his Episcopall ministerie in the Lord was ordained a B. by the Lord. Archippus receiued his Episcopall ministerie in the Lord Therefore hee was ordained Bishop by the Lord He denyeth the proposition because neither is all Episcopall ministerie proper to a Diocesan Bishop else the Apostle would not haue made a B and Presbyter all one neither is that office onely in the Lord. Of which reasons the latter is meerely impertinent and friuolous For who euer said or thought that the office of a Bishop onely is in the Lord neither is the former to any purpose seeing he knoweth that by Episcopall ministerie I vnderstand the function of a Diocesan Bishop and therefore should not haue denyed the proposition but haue distinguished of the assumption saying that hee did not receiue the Episcopall ministerie meaning the function of a Diocesan Bishop For proofe whereof it sufficeth to mee that Archippus was as Ambrose noteth Bishop of Collosae which was a Citie seeing I haue manifestly proued before that the Bishops of Cities were Diocesan Bishops As touching the Angels I argue thus Those who are called by the holy Ghost the Angels of the Church and were signified by the seauen starres which were in Christs right hand had Diuine both institution and approbation The Diocesan Bishops of the seauen Churches are called by the holy Ghost the Angels of the seauen churches and were signified by the seauen starres which vvere in Christs right hand Therefore the Diocesan Bishops of the seauen Churches had diuine both institution and approbation The proposition I proued because they who are called Angels are authorized and sent of God and starres vvhose both preheminence of dignitie is noted in this life for the starres are the crowne of the Church and also prerogatiue of glorie which they shall haue in the world to come And finally they who are signified by the seauen starres in the right hand of Christ are such as Christ doth both approue and protect The assumption I went not about to proue now because it was proued at large in the former part of the Sermon And yet all that the refuter answereth to the purpose is that they were not Diocesan Bishops For that which he addeth besides is but the vttering of his spleene and emptying his gall against Bishops to whom he cannot abide such is his malice that the titles of Angels and starres which notwithstanding the holy Ghost giueth to the Bishops of the seauen Churches and which himselfe acknowledgeth to be titles common to all ministers should be applyed to Bishops It is true that these titles of Angels and stars are common to all ministers yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie their preheminence they be attributed to Bishops For as I haue said before when in a Church where are many Ministers who are all tearmed Angels the Bishop onely is called the Angel of the Church this title doth note his singular preheminence And the same is signified when as there being a great number of ministers in Asia who all were starres the seauen Bishops onely of those Churches are signified by the seauen starres vvhich Christ held in his right hand Now if these seauen Bishops were Diocesan Bishops as I haue manifestly proued them and all the Bishops of the auncient Churches to haue beene then must the refuter be content to endure both that Diocesan Bishops were called the Angels of the Churches and the starres which Christ held in his right hand and consequently also that the function of Diocesan Bishops is of Diuine institution And thus passing by his rayling as not worth the mentioning I proceede to the conclusion of my Sermon The VII CHAPTER Defending the conclusion of the Sermon and shewing that the chiefe Protestant writers did not disallow the Episcopall gouernment The third part of the Serm. Sect. 1. page 94. Thus hauing proued this doctrine arising out of the Text that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall and diuine institution it remaineth that we should from thence gather some vses to our selues both for the informing of our iudgement and reforming of our liues c. to now let vs pag. 97. THe vse which serueth for rectifying the iudgement is contained in this section and it is first propounded and afterwards maintained against two obiections The vse is this that
may perhaps be true and his cause neuer the better nor ours the worse by it it being enough for vs if there be Ecclesiasticall gouernours which are no Ministers You see then the cause of the new reformers is not the cause of other reformed Churches as I said But seeing M. D. saith hee is simplie to denie all kinde of onely gouerning Elders I as plainely denie the assumption So that both his propositions in this Syllogisme doe want their armour of proofe and waite vpon M. D. as two poore seruants vpon their master for their cloth before they can doe him any seruice Marke well the spirit of this man For hauing denyed without reason the consequence of the proposition being euen as himselfe propoundeth it vndeniable were it not that he cauilled with the words Lay annuall which in his aâ—swere to the â—ssumption he confesseth were not to be cauilled with and hauing barely denied both the former part of the assumption which I fortified by 3. reasons which hee could not answere and also the latter without any shew of reason though the proofe of the contradictory in both lye vpon him which course any man might take to answere the best argument that euer was propounded notwithstanding hee scornefully craketh as if hee had done some great act which might giue occasion to leaue fighting and fall a crowing For my part I greatly wonder aâ— him how he could either content himselfe or hope to satisfie his reader with such answeres For if it be a sufficient answere to say I flâ—tly deny the proposition I do as plainely deny 〈◊〉 assumption who cannot answere sufficiently any Syllogisme whatsoeuer But if a man hauing thus answered shall take occasion thereby to insult ouer his aduersary verily as hee deludeth egregiously his Reader that is simple so he maketh himselfe ridiculous if not odious to him that is iudicious Hauing seene how substantially he hath dealt with the substance of each proposition let vs now see how maÌ„nerly 〈◊〉 hee dealeth with the manner of laying them downe For in regard thereof he chargeth me with three no small faultes First inclination to popery 2. falshood 3. contempt and scorne The which imputations if he cannot make good by sound euidence he will shew himselfe vnmanerly in obiecting them How then proueth hee the first He saith and saith it againe that I delight to call the Ministers of the Gospell by the nâ—me of Priests which all but those that are Popish or desirous to please the Papists would rather forbeare First I denie that those which call Ministers by the name of priests are popish For those worthie instruments vnder God of that happie reformation which is among vs separation from Poperie in the booke of CoÌ„mon prayer in the booke of Orders and in other their writings doe ordinarily vse that name And when they distinguish the Clergie into three degrees they vsually reckon these three orders Bishops Priests and Deacons therein imitating the most ancient and purest writers both of the Greek Latin Church who seldome vsing the word Minister distinguish the same degrees by words of the same signification viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Episcopi Presbyteri Diaconi that is Bishops Priests Deacons Yea but the Popish shauelings haue appropriated the words to themselues and protestant writers find fault with them for calling the Ministers of the Gospell by the name of Priests to which purpose he alleadgeth D. Whitaker D. Raynolds Whereto I answere of the word Priest there are two vses whereof the one is an abuse the other is the right proper vse of the word according to the natiue signification therof The abuse is when it is ascribed to the Ministers of the Gospell as it is the English of Sacerdos which signifieth a Sacificing Priest and implieth a relation to sacrifices Thus the Papists abuse the name when they applie it to the Ministers of their Gospell with relation to their sacrifice of the Masse And thus D. Whitaker denieth both Sacerdos and Priest as it is the English of Sacerdos to agree to the Ministers of the new Testament The right vse of the word is when it is vsed as the English of Presbyter and without any relation to sacrifice For Presbyter is the name which the Apostles and all antiquitie gaue to the Ministers of the Gospell and the English of Presbyter is Priest as D. Raynolds doth confesse where also he sheweth that the Papists play the sophisters in vsing the word Priest after a double sort the one as it is deriued from Presbyter the other as it signifieth the same that Sacerdos For Priest as iâ— signifieth a man appointed to Sacrifice is Sacerdos and not Presbyter The name which the Apostles giue a Minister is Presbyter and not Sacerdos And againe though th' Apostles call the Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence our English name of Priests is deriued yet they did not call them priests as the name of priest hath relation to Sacrifice For the worde Priest hath two meanings the one of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof the one is giuen by the Apostles but doth not implie authoritie to sacrifice the other doth implie authoritie to Sacrifice but is not giuen by the Apostles It is plaine therefore that the worde Priest is rightly vsed in the signification of presbyter but abused as I said in the Sermon to signifie Sacrificing priests I confesse that the first Translators of the Bible into English in these latter times being as D. Fulke saith not Lords of mens speech but ouer-ruled by the popish vse of the word as it were by a tyrant did giue the name priest to Sacrificing priests as the papists doe and hauing so done when they were to translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Presbyteri which doe not signifie Sacrificing priests but Ministers of the Gospell they auoided the name least they might seeme with the papists to make the Ministers of the Gospell Sacrificing priests And so I doe confesse that their purpose was godly who translated presbyters not priests but Elders though I dare not say that the cause was sufficient For if they had called Sacerdotes Sacrificers as the French doe in their Translations they might safely haue giuen the Name Priest to the Ministers and left the name of Sacrificers to the popish priests The name Priest saith D. Fulke wee doe not finde fault with as it commeth of presbyter but as it is commonly vsed for a Sacrificing priest Againe as for the name priest as it is deriued of the Greeke wee doe not refuse it but rather wish that the Sacrificers of the Law had neuer bene called by it And againe more fullie wee doe not contend for the terms nor refuse the name priest when it signifieth the same whome the Apostle calleth presbyter but when by abuse and vaine cauillation of papists it is taken to signifie a Sacrificer To
For first is not this a plaine lie and a notorious falsification of my words to say I plainly auouch a necessity of retaining the gouernment of diocesan Bishops c Where doe J mention or mean that necessity he speaketh of Could those words so is it for the same cause to be retained no otherwise be expounded then as implying an absolute necessity That is to be retained which is meet or fit expedient or conuenient profitable or needfull to be reteyned Secondly let the reader remember how oft the refuter hath charged me for saying the Bishops calling to be holden d iure diuino implying a perpetuall necessity thereof and chargeth the doctrine of my sermon to be in that respect contrary to the lawes of our land which make the forme of Church gouernment to be alterable by the King and yet here acknowledgeth for aduantage that I holde no such matter Thirdly let it be obserued how vnder this pretence of amazement he shifteth of the testimony of Cyprian which sitteth so neare to him and his consorts But the reader I hope will beare in mind the words off Cyprian noting the source of all schismes to be this when the Bishop who is but one and gouerneth the Church by the proud presumptioÌ„ of some is contemned c. And in the same epistle you ought to know saith he to Pupianus that the Bishop is in the Church and the Church in the Bishop and that whosoeuer are not with the Bishop are not in the Church and that they doe flatter themselues in vaine who haue not peace with the Priests of God that is the Bishops c. To this purpose Cyprian often writeth Neque enim aliâ—â—de haereses c. Neither haue heresies or schismes any other beginning then this that Gods Priest meaning the Bishop is not obeied Neither is one Bishop for the time nor one Iudge in Christs steed acknowledged c. Againe haec sunt initia haereticorum these bee the beginnings of heretikes these the risings and indeuors of ill minded schismatikes that they please themselues and contemne their B. with swelling pride Sic de ecclesia receditur thus doe men depart from the Church c. And in another place Hence doe men rush into heresies and schismes when they speake euill of Priests and enuy their Bishops c. The Lord open their eies who are faulty in this behalfe that they may see their sinne and touch their hearts that they may repent thereof Out of Ierome who is the onely man among the Fathers on whose authority the Disciplinarians in this cause doe relie I produce three most pregnant testimonies the first affirming that vnlesse this singularitie of preeminence be yeelded to the Bishop there will be as many schismes as Priests The second that euer since Saint Marks time the Presbyters hauing elected one placed him in a higher degree and called him Bishoppe The third that when some beganne to say J am of Paul I of Apollo which was in the Apostles time it was decreed by the whole world that one being chosen from among the Presbyters should be set ouer the rest in euery Church vnto whom the care of the whole Church should appertaine Of these allegations the first giueth testimony to this superiority de iure the other two testifying de facto beare witnesse that it hath been so in and euer since the Apostles times These testimonies are featly auoided with a promise to answere them afterwards when he will say neuer a word to the present not almost to any purpose The second part of this section wherein I prooue against Beza and the better sort of the Disciplinarians that the BB. had this singularitie of preeminence neither for a short time nor by course but were elected for terme of life this Refuter reiecteth as not worth the mentioning hee hath so oft refuted it alreadie Refuted oft I would bee sory that hee should bee able with soundnesse of reason and euidence of truth to refute any one sentence in the Sermon All the refutation of this point which hitherto wee haue had was this that I charged them with vntruths that I threaten kindnesse on them that I had need to be as eloquent as Pericles if I could perswade that any of them haue said this when as I haue brought foorth most plaine and euident allegations to this purpose And although I forbeare to mention Beza tendering his credit yet what I heere confuted is auouched by him in his twenty third chapter of his booke concerning the degrees of Ministers chiefly in the 141.142.143 pages Now because this point is of great moment though the Refuter haue tripped ouer it so lightly like a dog ouer a hot hearth as if I were afraid to touch it I will therefore endeuour to giue the Reader some further satisfaction therein by adding some other proofes What antiquity thought of the singularity of Bishops may appeare first by these two testimonies out of Cyprian and Theodoret. For when Nouatian was ordained a second Bishop in Rome besides Cornelius some of the Clergy hauing ben before Confessors who also had consented to him mooued with repentance and returning from schisme vnto the Church confessed their error saying Nos errorem nostrum confitemur c. Neithâ—r are we ignorant that there ought to be one God one Christ the Lord whom we haue confessed one holy Ghost one Bishop in a Catholike Church Likewise when Constantius being intreated by the godly Matrons in Rome gaue consent that Liberius should returne but withall appointed that hee and Felix should rule the Church in common the faithfull people deriding that sentence of the Arrian Emperor with one voice cried as Theodoret reporteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one God one Christ one Bishop After these speeches of the true Christian people adorned with pietie and iustice Liberius returned and Felix departed to another Citie and shortly died Which came to passe by Gods good prouidence saith Sozomen that the seat of Peter should not be diffamed as gouerned at once by two rulers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a note of dissension and repugnant to the law ecclesiasticall 2. And that the adding of a second Bishop was iudged vnlawfull and esteemed as a note of schisme Cyprian in some other places besides those which before I cited doth testifie Writing therfore to the foresaid Confessors who had ioined with Nouatian Granat me saith he it greiueth me c. When I vnderstood that you there against ecclesiasticall order against the Euangelical law against the vnity of Catholicke institution haue thought that another Bishop was to be made that is to say which is vngodly and vnlawfull to be done that another Church should be instituted the members of Christrent asunder the minde and body of the Lords flocke which is but one to be torne with schismaticall emulation And in another place Where a Bishop is once