no such matter contayned The third he proueth by Husses fact because in the kingdome of Boheme many by him and his fauourers and abetters haue beene thrust into Parish Churches which they a good while ruled without the institution of the See Apostolicke and also of the ordinary of the City of Prage Whether Hus did this or no it is questionable but if there had beene Orthodoxall Bishops by whose authority faithfull Ministers might haue beene instituted without question he would neuer haue attempted any such enterprise But hee held the Popish Clergy to be Antichristian and therefore did as he did Otherwise for the function it selfe of Bishops he saith plainely more then once that the rest of the Apostles had equall honour and power with Peter and that when they deceased the Bishops did succeede in their place And that all Bishops of Christs Church following Christ in manners are the true Vicars of the Apostles And out of Ierome that all Bishops are the Apostles successours And approueth that saying of Bede as no man doubteth but the twelue Apostles did premonstrate the forme of Bishops So the seauenty two did beare the figure of the Presbyters and second order of Priests And thus much of Iohn Hus to whom the refuter ioyneth Ierome of Prage who iustifieth the doctrine of Wickliffe and Hus against the pompe and state of the Clergie Which if he had done he had spoken neuer a word in disallowance of the Episcopall function But that word state is foisted in by the refuter who alledgeth almost nothing truely His words were these whatsoeuer things M. Iohn Hus and Wickliffe had holden or written specially against the abuse and pompe of the Clergy he would affirme euen vnto the death And againe that all such articles as Iohn Wickliffe and Iohn Hus had written and put forth against the enormities pomp and disorder of the Prelates he would firmely hold and defend And persisting still in the praise of Iohn Hus hee added moreouer that hee neuer maintayned any doctrine against the state of the Church but onely spake against the abuses of the Clergy against the pride pompe and excesse of the Prelates For it was a greife to that good man saith he to see the Patrimonies of Churches mispent and cast away vpon harlots great feastings and keeping of horses and dogges vpon gorgeous apparrell and such other things vnbeseeming Christian religion And againe I take God to my witnesse that I doe beleiue and hold all the articles of the faith as the holy Catholicke Church doth hold and beleiue the same but for this cause shall I now be condemned for that I will not consent with you vnto the condemnation of those most holy and blessed men aforesaid vvhom you haue most wickedly condemned for certaine articles detesting and abhorring your wicked and abhominable life Whereby it is apparant that both hee and they did not speake against the function or calling of Bishops but against the personall abuses and enormities of the Popish Bishops which none but a viperous broode would apply to the persons of our Bishops and much lesse against their sacred function After them ariseth Martin Luther saith the refuter whose sayings hee quoteth in his booke against Popish Bishops of priuate Masse and against the Papacie c. But for the first of these Luther himselfe hath giuen vs this caueat Let no man thinke that what is spoken against these tyrants is spoken against the Ecclesiasticall state and true Bishops or good Pastors Let no man thinke that what is said or done against these sluggish beasts and slowe bellies is said or done against the heads of the Christian Church And howsoeuer in the heate of his zeale against these Antichristian Bishops hee vttered some things vvhich seeme preiudiciall to the calling yet you haue heard it testified before by sufficient vvitnesses that in his iudgement hee allowed the gouernment of Bishoppes Whereunto adde the testimony of Camerarius that Melancthon non modò ad stipulatore sed etiam authore ipso Luthero not onely by the consent but aduise of Luther perswaded that if Bishops would grant free vse of the true doctrine the ordinary power and administration ouer their seuerall Dioceses should be restored vnto them The like may be said of Zuinglius For he that professeth as Zuinglius doth in the booke before cited that Iames was B. of Ierusalem Philippe of Caesarea Timothie of Ephesus cannot lightly speake against the Episcopall function it selfe If he speake against the Popish Clergy for arrogating the name Church to themselues what is that to the purpose or if he affirme that euery seuerall congregation according to the phrase of the Scriptures is a Church who denieth it or if hee inueigh against the sole and supreme power of Bishops whom doth this touch but the Pope Oecolampadius might be of opinion that the Church was gouerned by onely gouerning-Elders and perswade the Senate of Basill who had no Bishop that such may be chosen to assist their Pastor and yet notwithstanding not disallowe the gouernment of Bishops Caluin Zanchius and other learned men haue said and done as much who notwithstanding approued the Episcopall function And as Melancthon was of Ieromes iudgement that Bishop and Presbyter at the first was all one so with Ierome he doth allowe the superiority of Bishops and where the Episcopall gouernment was ouerthrowne he sought to restore it as you haue heard before and did restore it as may appeare by these testimonies You will not beleeue saith he writing to Luther how greatly they of Noricum and some others doe hate me propter restitutam Episcopis iurisdictionem for restoring the iurisdiction to Bishops Againe some are wonderfully angry with me because I seeme to restore the dominion of Bishops Camerarius also reporteth how inhumanely some accused Philip for maintaining of Bishops c. Where hee alleadgeth Master Tindall affirming that in the Apostles times an Elder and a Bishop were all one c he doth but play with names which no man denyeth to haue been confounded so he saith all that were called Elders or Priests if they so wel were called BB. also though they haue diuided the names now Yea but in his booke of the obedience of a Christian man he saith that a B. is the ouerseer but of a parish and is to preach the word of God vnto a parish and for the same to chalenge an honest liuing of the parish This allegation the refuter hath notably wrenched For Tindals words be these by the authoritie of the Gospell they that preach the word of God in euery parish and performe other necessary ministeries haue right to chalenge an honest liuing For Tindall speaketh of such a B. as was but a Presbyter and saith that hee which preached the word in euery Parish should haue an honest liuing the refuter citeth him as saying that a B.
conclusion labouring as we say clauum clauo pellere and vndertaking to make me see if I will not shut mine eyes the contradictory of that conclusion to be true which notwithstanding cannot be false the premisses being true And first he denyeth that Ambrose spake by guesse as I say but certaienly and vpon knowledge when Ambrose his expresse words bee these Quod qua negligentia obsoleuerit nescio nisi forte c which by what negligence it is growne out of vse I know not vnlesse perhaps by the slouthfulnes c. 2. He saith it might be a matter of slothfulnes in the BB to suffer the seniors to neglect their duties But not to their own so great trouble will M D. say we might belieue him if wee saw not pride driue men to vndertake more then they either need to be charged with or are able to weeld Then is it not their slothfulnes belike that caused them to take the whole burden vpon themselues but their pride which made them winke at the seniors slothfulnes as giuing way to their owne ambition Thirdly he saith the Bishops might prouide for their owne ease by putting off the burthen to their Chancellors Commissaries Officialls c therefore it might be imputed to them as a matter of sloth or idlenesse pride to and so the word Doctorum rightly expounded for Pastors of Parishes alone and not to Diocesan Bishops As thogh their Parish-Bishops were more likely to haue had Chauncellours c then Diocesan BB But I answere 1. the question is not what they might haue done but what they did Now it is euident that in Ambrose his time and a good while after till the Presbyteries were in a manner whollie neglected the Bishops had not ordinary vicars or chancellors or ordinary Commissaries which were not of the Clergie But what they did without the aduise of their Seniors they performed ordinarily in their owne persons or else extraordinarily delegated the same to some of speciall trust In some cases it is euident that both then and long after they vsed the assistance of their Presbyterie as in the iudgement of Heresie or for deposing of a clergie man c. Siricius the B. of Rome in an Epistle to Ambrose denouncing Iouinian Auxentius c. for heretickes sheweth that for their triall his whole presbyterie had beene assembled and saith that by the common consent of his whole clergie they were condemned for heretickes The 4. councell of Carthage as you heard ordained that the Bishop should heare mens causes in the presence of his clergie The 2. councel of Towers decreed that a Bishop might not depose an Archpresbyter without the counsell of all his compresbyters But whom negligence casteth out let him with the counsell of the presbyters be remoued The councell of Carthage appointed that in the cause of a Presbyter sixe and of a Deacon three Bishops should be joyned with their own Bishop because as the coūcell of Ciuill determined one Bishop may to Priests and ministers that is Presbyters Deacons giue their honour but one alone may not take it from them but in the cause of inferiour Clergie men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bishop alone of the place shall heare and determine it viz. in the presence of his Clergie according to the aforesaid Canon of the fourth Councell of Carthage But as in some cases they vsed the counsell of the Presbyteri so in others they did for the most part vndergoe the whole burthen themselues For the proofe whereof the examples of Ambrose and Augustine may suffice For Ambrose was so occupied in hearing and determining mens causes that he had so little time left him for his corporall repast or spirituall studies that Augustine could neuer finde him at leisure to breake his minde vnto him And Augustine was so encombred with hearing of causes that scarcely he could haue the forenoone for his studies the afternoone being wholly taken vp with other mens busines neither could he when the Councels of Numidia and Carthage had imposed a taske vpon him and when his people had promised to forbeare him for fiue dayes obtaine so much breathing time from their affaires But when hee was olde and was desirous to spend the rest of his time in writing and in the studie of the scriptures he nominated Eradius to be his successor in most earnest manner requiring and charging the people that they would suffer him to put off the burden of those imployments to him Possidonius giueth him this testimonie that he heard mens causes diligently sometimes to the hower of repast sometimes fasting the whole day but alwaies himselfe had the cognisance of them and determined them The Emperour Iustinian prouided by law that in Ecclesiasticall causes ciuill iudges should haue nothing to doe sed sanctissimus Episcopus secundum sacras regulas causae finem imponat but let the holy Bishop according to the Sacred Canons determine the cause As for ordinarie Vicars Chancellors or Commissaries which were Lay-men in those times the Bishops had none for not so much as the steward of the Church might be a Lay-man whereupon Gregorie writing to Ianuarius a Bishop chargeth him to take heed that Ecclesiasticall matters be not committed to secular men but to some approued of the Clergie And the second Councell of Ciuil penned as it seemeth by Isidor who was president thereof pronounceth it an vnseemely thing Laicum esse vicarium Episcopi seculares in ecclesia iudicare that a Lay-mā should be the Bishops Vicar that secular men should iudge in the Church for in one and the same officer there must not be different profession Which hauing confirmed out of Deuteronomie it inferreth wherefore it behoueth vs to obey Gods booke and the preceps of the holy Fathers ordaining that they who shal be associated to Bishops in Church-gouernement may not differ neither in profession nor habit Notwithstanding that they extraordinarily committed to others or delegated causes to be heard appeareth by the aforesaid example of Augustine But more clearely by the practise of Siluanus a godly Bishop of Troas not long after Ambrose his time who perceiuing that they of the Clergie made gaine of the contentions of them who came to be iudged he would not at any time appoint a iudge of the Clergie but himselfe receiuing the petitions of Suiters would make choise of some faithful man or other of the laitie whom he knew to be a louer of iustice and to him he would commit the hearing of the cause and for this cause Socrates saith he was greatly renowmed Out of which examples we may note that causes were wont to be brought to the Bishop that he heard them himselfe if he had leisure otherwise that he committed the hearing of the cause to some of his Clergie but yet so as if he saw cause he might make choise of some other whom he durst better trust Secondly I
of God as well as those which concerned the ceremoniall law Neither do I therefore reiect the exposition of Beza and some others who by the causes of God vnderstand Ecclesiasticall causes and by the causes of the king ciuill causes because it is preiudiciall to my defence but because it is repugnant to the truth for though their interpretation were admitted it would no more proue that there were two distinct Synâ—dria then that which I doe embrace For though Zebadiah the prince of Iuda was the chiefe in the causes of the King as Amariah the high priest was the chiefe in the causes of God yet were they Colleagues and coassessors in the same counsell as Iosephus also doth witnesse For speaking of this act of Iosaphat he saith that he being returned to Ierusalem appointed iudges there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Priests and Leuits and of the chiefe or principall men of the people requiring them to exercise iust iudgement but especially that they should be diligent in determining those difficult causes that should be brought to them from inferiour iudgement seats but the chiefe or presidents of them as colleagues and coassessors be appointed Amasiah the Priest and Zabadiah of the tribe of Iuda and relating the law Deu. 17.8 he saith if the iudges in the cities be not able to determine any cause it is entirely to be sent to the holy citie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and let the high Priest and the Prophet that is the scribe or Doctor of the law saith Sigonius and the senate assembling together pronounce what seemeth right Besides it is manifest that the counsell at Ierusalem after the captiuitie which consisted of priests and Leuits besides the Seniors of the people and whereof the high priest was president as Bertram confesseth hauing authoritie to assemble it c. Act. 5.21 Matt. 26.57.59 was the high councell of state called the Sanedrin or Synedrion or coÌ„sistorium Gazith which dealt in causes not onely Ecclesiasticall but also ciuil and in causes criminall and capitall Neither happened this by the ambition of the priests but by the ordinance of God in respect of the first institution Deut. 17. and instauration by Iosaphat 2. Chron. 19. and by his approbation as Caluin witnesseth in respect of the erection of it after the captiuity For as the Lord promised by Esay to restore their iudges and counsellers after the captiuitie as before so Ezekiell prophecieth that the Priests after the captiuitie should not onely teach the people and iudge betweene holy and prophane betweene cleane and vncleane but also that they should stand vp to iudge controuersies iudging according to Gods iudgement Iosephus also testifieth that the Priests were ordained by Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ouerseers of all iudges of controuersies and punishers of such as are by the law condemned And so much for the present shall suffice concerning the counsell at Ierusalem vntill I come to answere Caluins opinion As touching Ecclesiasticall Presbyters in other cities Beza hath nothing but his owne coniectures For the courts of iudgement which both Moses instituted and Iosaphat renewed though they had Leuites among them were to deale not onely in Ecclesiasticall but also in ciuill and criminall causes The reasons which he bringeth for distinct Ecclesiasticall senates are three First because the Archisynagogi had as it is probable Seniors of the people ioyned with them Secondly because the name of Church in this place of Mathew is giuen to them which could not be vnlesse they did consist of the laitie as wel as the clergie Thirdly because as the ciuill consistories assembled in the gates so the Ecclesiasticall in the Synagogues To the first I answere that a probabilitie if this were such as indeed it is not is no proofe to the 2. that the name Ecclesia is not giuen to the Archisynagogi but to the Rulers of Christs Church assembling in his name with whom he promised his presence and to whom he committed the power of the keyes to whom also the name Ecclesia which may be giuen to any company of Christians be it but of two or three meeting in the name of Christ doth fitly agree Thirdly he telleth vs of Ecclesiasticall consistories ordained by Moses and renewed by Iosaphat sitting in Synagogues when there is not once mention in the old testament either of Ecclesiasticall consistories or yet of Synagogues And in the new such iudges are mentioned in Synagogues as punished by stripes Bertram also witnesseth that in the Synagogues of the cities iudgements were exercised by ordinarie iudges the greater and weightier causes as also the appeales of the lesse being referred to the counsell â—t Ierusalem And againe that the people came to the Synagogues to prayer to heare the law and the Prophets and to heare the iudgement of Moses law as well ciuill as Ecclesiasticall And so much of Beza Caluiâ— by Ecclesia vnderstandeth the Synedrion or Sanedrin of the Iewes instituted by them after their returne from Babylon which he conceiueth to haue beene an Ecclesiasticall senate to which belonged the censure of doctrine maners hauing the power oâ— excoÌ„munication c. What this Synedrion was Caluin himselfe shall tell vs It is certaine saith he that the Iewes when they were returned from the Babylonian banishment because they might not make a King did imitate this example of appointing 70. Elders Num. 11 in ordaining the Synedrion Onely so much honour was granted to the memorie of Dauid and the Kings that out of their stocke they would choose 70. gouernours in whom should be the chiefe power And this course continued vntill Herod c. The Sanedrin indeed was the high counsell of state which was to iudge of causes not only Ecclesiasticall but also ciuill and criminal yea capitall hauing the authoritie of the sword and power of life and death Whereby they adiudged malefactors conuicted of capital crimes to one of these foure kinds of death stoning burning killing with the sword and strangling hauing also authoritie to ordaine Sanedrioth that is the consistories of iudges in other cities to whom alone it appertained to iudge the cause of a tribe of a false Prophet of the high Priest c. And howsoeuer their power was much restrained after Iewrie became a prouince subiect to the Romanes notwithstanding the Romanes hauing granted the Iewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libertie to liue according to their owne lawes permitted them to exercise authoritie both in iudging not onely Ecclesiasticall but also ciuill and criminall causes and also in punishing by stripes and imprisonment and sometimes by death Moreouer by the law of God he that disobeyed the sentence of this counsell was not as our Sauiour Christ heere saith to be held as an heathen or Publican but he was to die the death Finally there was but one Synedrion for the whole estate of the Iewes by the appointment of God and that in the
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
that hee doubteth not to say that the grace which was giuen by the imposition of hands of the Presbytery was giuen by the imposition of his hands Which sheweth that if any Presbyters did ioyne with Paul it was no otherwise then as they vse to doe with BB. by the Canon of the fourth Councell of Carthage and by the discipline and order of our Church And this answereth the first thing which the Refuter inferreth vpon this exposition that if Presbytery signifie a companie of seniors as it must for J tell you his word must stand for law then it will follow that the power of ordination was not in one mans hand alone For though that alone bee of his owne adding yet it is plaine that Paul and antient BB. had this power as much alone as our Bishoppes Where I say this place maketh nothing either for their parish Presbyteries or lay Presbyteries whatsoeuer hee saith It skilleth not now what Presbytery this was Belike then it skilleth not what becommeth of the maine pillar of your Discipline so you can make any poore shift to maintaine the point which presently is in hand But if this be the onely place of scripture which mentioneth a Christian Presbytery on which also the Disciplinarians do principally build the authority of their pretended Presbyteries it maketh not a little me thinks for the iustifying of our cause that it maketh not at all for their Presbyteries which by the confession of Caluin haue no right to impose hands Neither can it bee denied but that it is sacrilegious vsurpation and horrible intrusion vpon the right of the Ministery if lay men shalt take vpon them to ordaine by imposition of hands Besides it skilleth something that the Greeke Fathers vnderstand by Presbytery a company of Bishops which as it proueth the Prerogatiue of BB. in the ordaining of BB. so doth it not impeach their superioritie in ordaining Ministers And where hee maketh 〈◊〉 say they were no Presbyters hee mistaketh the matter vnlesse hee vnderstand meere or onely-Presbyters For BB and Apostolicall men yea the Apostles themselues were Presbyters and so call themselues but they were not bare or onely-Presbyters as those bee which are not Bishops But if they were not Presbyters saith he then was the Apostle to blame to call them so If the word bee vnderstood collectiuè hee calleth the company of them which imposed hands on Timothy the Presbytery And forasmuch as not onely inferior Ministers but Bishops and Apostles are called Presbyters it being a common name to all Ministers of the word and sacraments it should not seeme strange that a company or senate of Bishops or Apostolicall men should be called a Presbytery Now that they were not meere Presbyters the Fathers proue Because Presbyters might not ordaine a Bishop neque enim fas erat saith Ambrose nec licebat vt inferior ordinaret maiorem Neither was Timothy any saith he Bluntly and peremptorilie spoken But the Fathers that before I mentioned take it for granted and it is the generall consent of all the antient Fathers as wee shall heare the authoritie of some one whereof in a matter of fact ought to ouerweigh the whole nation of Disciplinarians contradicting the same In fine distrusting this burrough hee flieth to his old starting hole out of which hee hath beene so often ferretted that the Fathers spake onely of their owne times which is nothing to the ordaining of Ministers in the Apostles times almost foure hundred yeeres before them The absurdity of which euasion the Reader may easily discerne if hee will but call to minde what were the Greeke Fathers wordes before cited and vpon what occasion they were vttered Hee speaketh here saith Chrysostome and Occumenius not of Presbyters but of Bishoppes For Presbyters did not ordaine Bishoppes Is it not most plaine that they speake of the Apostles time And were it not absurd to vnderstand them thus Paul by the Presbytery which ordained Timothy vnderstandeth Bishoppes and not Presbyters because howsoeuer in those times Presbyters might ordaine yet in our times they cannot But let me aske the Refuter this question Seeing it is agreed vpon by all that Paul here speaketh of Timothy his ordination to what function hee thinketh he was ordained If to be a Presbyter or Pastor as Caluin saith or to be a Bishoppe as all the Fathers acknowledge then was hee not onely ordained to an ordinary function in the Church but also assigned to a particular Church whereof hee was made Pastor as Caluin speaketh or Bishoppe as the Fathers affirme But that his last ordination whereof the Apostle speaketh was not to the degree of a Presbyter but of a Bishoppe appeareth by the whole Epistle wherein his singularity of preeminence ouer Presbyters and superiority in power both for ordination and iurisdiction is presupposed If he say that he was ordained to be an Euangelist to omit the singularity the nouelty of the conceit it would be knowne what Presbytery this was that imposed hands on Timothy Had the Presbytery of any parish such as our Disciplinarians dreame of consisting for the most part of laymen or the Presbytery of any particular Church though consisting wholly of Ministers authority by imposition of hands to ordaine an extraordinary function and that to be exercised in other parts of the world where themselues had nothing to doe Serm. sect 8. page 39. Yea but the Councell of Carthage say they committeth authority of imposing hands to Presbyters c. to the end of page 44 Here the Refuter meaning to make short worke hauing little to say hath made a long section which he might better haue diuided into three For three diuers things are heere performed The first an answere to the obiection our of the fourth Councell of Carthage The second a new supply of proofes for the superiority of BB. in the power of ordination Thirdly a preuention of popish cauils in fauor of some reformed Churches where the Presbyterian discipline is established As touching the first the Refuter saith that canon may serue to shew that the Fathers of this Councell thought it not fit no not to leaue ordination to the Bishop alone But because he perceiueth by that which I answered that that Canon though greatly vrged by the Disciplinarians maketh nothing against the superiority of BB. in ordaining and that it agreeth with the discipline of our Church and consequently conuicteth him of vntrue dealing seeing he â—udgeth that BB. by that canon haue not sole authority of ordaining and yet will make his Reader beleeue that I defend their sole power of ordaining which by the discipline of our Church is no more sole in our BB. then it was by that canon in the BB. of Africke for thesâ— causes I say he refuseth to vrge this canon though hee pretend hee will neither trouble the Reader nor himselfe about the examining of it because forsooth it commeth not neere the time in
true or false And I hope in God that which now I haue written in defence of that which they heard will not onely satisfie those which are not wilfully addicted to your nouelties but also conuict the conscience of the gainesayers whom I desire in the feare of God to take heede how they resist a truth whereof their conscience is conuicted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is hard to kicke against the pricks To that which hee obiecteth concerning the mentioning of prouinciall Bishops whome I did not name before I answere that although I did not expressely and by name argue for prouinciall Bishops yet diuers of my proofes were directly of them and by a consequence from the greater to the lesse applied to Bishops as also by this reason because eeuery prouinciall Bishop is a diocesan Bishop though not contrariwise To his other cauill of not direct concluding I haue answered already 4. or 5. times But before I ended this 4. point I thought it needfull to preuent an obiection which is vsually made that whatsoeuer the office of the ancient Bishops was yet they were not called Lords as ours bee Whereunto I answered that men were not to be offended at that title for these two causes 1. Because it is a title in the holy scriptures giuen both to naturall and spirituall Fathers as I proued out of Genesis 3◠35.1 Kings 18.7.13 2. Because the title of Angels which the Holy Ghost in this place giueth to them is a title of greater honour then the other by how much the heauenly gouernours of men vnder God are more excellent then the earthly To the former besides some insulting speeches which hee will bee ashamed of when hee shall finde himselfe put to silence hee answereth that the word Lord was a terme common too all superiours as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke and Dominus in Latine which I confesse to be true in the vocatiue case the words being vsed as our English Sir But otherwise where the word is to be translated Lord it is both in Hebrew and Greeke a word of like honour with our English Lord. And therefore it was a great ouersight in those which translating 1. Pet. 3. where Peter saith that Sara called Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord read that she called him Sir For her words whereunto Peter had relation were these Vadoni zaken and my Lord is olde It were something foolish to say and my Sir Yea but saith he the word Lord with vs is appropriated to men of Nobility and speciall place in ciuill gouernment To omitte that it is not so appropriated to them but that euen meane gentlemen are so called in respect of the manours which they hold it appeareth by that which hath bene said that Bishops not onely now haue but in the Primitiue Church had as speciall and as honourable a place in the gouernment of the Church as the ciuill magistrates he speaketh of haue in the common wealth Their calling also beeing more honourable I see no reason why they should be enuyed an equall title of honour To the latter reason he answereth 2. things First that the titles of honour now giuen to Bishops were also inferiour to the title of Angels which the holy Ghost giueth them and yet then they had them not nor till Poperie he meaneth the Papacie was grown to his full height His simple Reader would thinke that hee speaketh vpon certaine knowledge and cannot but beleeue him and so be deceiued by his confident speeches but he speaketh at all aduentures as his affection not as his knowledge lead him The Papacie came not to the ful height vntil the time of Hildebrād which was aboue a thousand yeares after Christ when the Pope had gotten the temporall supremacie and so both the swords The beginning of that which our writers call the Papacie was when the Pope first obtained the spirituall supremacie which was about the yeare sixe hundred and seauen If therefore I shall prooue that Bishops had as honourable titles in the first sixe hundred yeares as they haue now with vs I shall euince that not onely before the height but before the arising of the Papacie they were called Lords and by other titles no lesse honourable then Lord. But I will not desire so large a scope the most of my proofes shall be contained within three or foure hundred yeares after the death of Christ. Alexander therefore the Bishop of Alexandria writing to Alexander Bishop of Constantinople giueth him this stile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To my most honourable brother Not long after Arius writeth thus to Eusebius of Nicomedia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to my most desired Lord. The same Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to my Lord Paulinus Bishop of Treuers vsing also the same title more then once in the same Epistle of Eusebius of Caesaria calling him my Lord Eusebius For though these two whom I last cited were not sound in the faith yet their writing sheweth what was the custome of the Church before the Councill of Nice Not long after the same Councill Athanasius succeeded the foresaid Alexander in his behalfe the Bishops which came out of Aegypt write to the Bishops assembled in Councill at Tyrus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to our most honourable Lords The Synode held at Ierusalem writing also in his behalfe to the Presbyters Deacons people in Aegypt Lybia Alexandria moue thē to be thankful vnto God who hath now say they restored vnto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your pastor and Lord. About the same time certain BB. direct their letters to Iulius B. of Rome the great Patron of Athanasius vnder this stile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the most blessed Lord c. Gregory Nazianzene writing to Gregory Nyssen concerning a false report which had beene spread that the BB. had put him by the bishopricke saith let no man speake vntruths of mee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor of my Lords the BB. The councell held at Illyricum writing to the Churches and Bishops of Asia and Phrygia c. hath these words we haue sent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Lord and fellow minister Elpidius to take notice of your doctrine whether it bee as we haue heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our Lord and fellow Minister Eustathius George the Bishop of Laodicea writeth to certain BB. thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the most honourable Lords The fathers of the second generall Councell direct their letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the most honourable Lords Damasus Ambrose c. And in the same epistle speaking of BB. call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most reuerend and most honorable brethren The said Ambrose holding with other BB. a Synode and writing a synodicall epistle to Syricius then B. of Rome among other BB. Aper a Presbyter subscribed thereunto for his B. vsing these words Exiussudomini Episcopi Geminiani at the commandement of my L.