Reinolds's scheme in this matter being sufficiently instructed by the Primitive records and practice what kind of power and dignity belonged to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Praesident among them the very same that we now pretend to be the Bishops due And if Christ's letter were addrest to the Angel as to such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Praesident 't is all that we desire to erect our fabrick of Spiscopacy on this one place if there were not as there are others able to support the weight of it 9. And so we see what reasons have been brought to make good their second head of Answers of which we had promise that they were solid and every way sufficient answers and yet in the issue there is nothing so much as offered toward it save onely the testimony of Master Beza the Divines at the Isle of Wight which is by interpretation themselve◠and Doctor Reynolds who yet is not perfectly of their party neither Section XVI Of the Churches of Asia being Metropolitical Of the paueity of believers HAving thus done they say It is objected by some men that the seven Cities in which these seven Asian Churches had their seat were all of them Metropolitical and so had relation to the rest of the Towns and Cities of Asia as unto daughters rising under them and that therefore these Churches were Metropolitical Churches and their Angels Metropolitical Bishops 2. How this comes to be styled an objection I cannot well guesse or what it is against which it is thought to be objected The truth of it as farre as any Episcopal person I know is interessed in it is this It is not onely evident of the Angels of the seven Asian Churches that they were Bishops which is sufficient for us against the Assemblers but there is over and above that all reason to deem them Starres of a first magnitude i. e. Bishops of Mother-Cities Metropolitanes and that very pertinent to be urged in this matter of the Asian Angels not to secure the proofes of Episcopacy taken from thence but to render a reason why in all Asia but seven Churches and their Bishops are named there To this purpose the discourse is inlarged above what it needed to have been Dissert 4. 5. to set downe the nature of Metropolitanes the exemplars of them among the Jewes the expresses of the Institution in the Apostles writings and the signal evidences of it in the Primitive Church and the Antient Canons in the Councel of Nice and Antioch and Ephesus all owning them as Primitive and Apostolical Institutions and all this exemplified in Jerusalem in Antioch in Rome in Alexandria in Gortyna of Creet and at length in all the seven Churches of Asia 3. What is there thus set down if it have not perfect truth in it I shall be very glad to see the weake parts of that discourse discovered and therefore though I never proposed or meant it as an Objection of ours against the Presbyterians having no need of such auxiliaries and the whole matter being sufficiently proved without and this onely added ex abundanti yet I shall most willingly attend their motions and see what answers they will adapt to this Objection as they call it 4. And 1. they answer that it will hardly be proved that these seven Cities were all of them Metropolitical Cities in S. John's dayes And the scituation of most them lying neerer together on the Sea side makes it very improbable 5. To this I reply that for five of them Ephesus Smyrna Sardis Pergamus and Laodicaea Pliny that lived and wrote in the beginning of Vespatian's reigne is a competent witnesse that they were Cities wherein the Roman Proconsuls sixt their Courts or Seats of Judicature and administred justice there to all the Cities about them and that is the interpretation of a chiefe City or Metropolis in the secular account and agreeably Vlpian mentions Ephesus as the chief of these Metropoles And for the other two Philadelphia and Thyatira the latter of these by Ptolomee the former by the Councel of Constantinople sub Menâ is punctually affirmed to be a Metropolis To these are added other evidences and reasons and the Lord Arch-Bishop of Armagh hath written besides his Original of Metropolitanes a very learned Dissertation of the Lydian Asia on purpose to cleare this matter 6. And when a thing is so largely proved already and when a satisfactory proofe of it in any one of the seven Cities is abundantly sufficient to the asserting of Metropolitanes for then the Angel of that one was a Metropolitan 't is then certainly a very incompetent confutation barely to say that it will hardly be proved that these seven Cities were all of them Metropolitical Cities in Saint John's dayes for if it be proved it matters now how hardly and if any one were so in S. John's dayes it matters not if possibly some other were not that one was a Metropolitical Angel which is all we need insist on 7. And for the Argument to make it improbable drawn from the situation of the Cities that is as infirme for this as all other controversies of matters of fact must be waged by authorities of those which were likely to know the truth and to testifie aright and to those we have all reason to adhere and not to be moved by arguments that seeme probable to those that live 1600. yeares after and are not perhaps so perfect Masters of the Geographie of the place as duly to be able to judge even what is in that respect most probable 8. Nay for the distances of these Cities though I have not now Mr. Brightman by me yet my notes out of him tell me that in his scale of furlongs Pergamus was distant from Smyrna 540. furlongs i. e. about 68. English miles and Ephesus from Smyrna 320. i. e. about 40. miles and Thyatira from Pergamus 80. English miles which is a distance very reconcileable with their being Metropoles 9. But they are content to suppose this was true and then have answers ready another way 1. That it is no good argument from the greatnesse of the Cities to inferre the greatnesse of the Churches for though the Cities were great yet the Churches were but small and the number of believers very few in comparison of the rest of the people 10. To this I reply 1. by concession that in all places and times the greatnesse of the Church cannot absolutely be concluded from the greatnesse of the City because it is possible that a great City may have utterly resisted the faith and a lesser City received it or againe a greater City that hath received the Faith in some of the Members may yet have fewer believers in it than another City which is not so great This therefore is not our way of concluding from the bare greatnesse of the Cities to infer the great number of believers in them 11. Our way of concluding is this Paul had spent three yeares Act.
Orbe or with the divisions or distributions of this Nation within it selfe into Cities and Provinces c. or goe about to innovate any thing in that matter Is it not certaine that it was no part of the Christian faith to be such a judge or divider but on the other side that all should remaine as it did in that respect before the coming of Christianity And therefore supposing 1. That this Nation were governed by a King of its own is it not certain that this nationall Church should follow the boundaries of the Nation and so be modeld according to the government of the formerly Heathen Britannick state And supposing againe what hath already been proved by the testimony of Clemens and by comparing Act. 14. 23. with Tit. 1. 5. that a Bishop were constituted in every Church in each City will there be any reason of doubting but that those Cities being subordinate one to another according to the customes of the Nation the Churches in those Cities and the Bishops in those Churches shall be so also This I hope will not be deemed an impious compliance with heathenisme or conformity with the World nay though the Emperour of Rome by his conquests here were the author of these distributions 4. But then secondly it is already cleared in the Dissertations that this Ecclesiastick division of Cities into Mothers and Daughters Metropoles and inferiour Cities was by the Apostle copied out from the Jewes as when God commands by Moses that Judges and Officers should be ordained in every City Deut. 16. 18. and that in matters of weight and doubt they should resort to Jerusalem to the Judge and Sanhedrim there according to which it appeares that Jerusalem was the Metropolis of those other Cities and so is evident Act. 9. by the story of Saul carrying Letters of Commission from the Sanhedrim there to the consistories in Damascus and by many other evidences So likewise Numb 3. when three Families of the Levits the sonnes of Aaron were separated for the service of the Tabernacle and an head or Prince or President of every of these called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 24. 30. 35. Eleazar Aaron's Sonne is constituted over all these and styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the head of the heads of the Levites This is clearly a patterne of the Metropolitanes in the Christian Church which may therefore owne it's derivation from thence and not from the Heathen models of Government which yet it was not reasonably to disturbe being found so concordant to and commodious for it 5. And that what was done in this kind was done by the Apostles themselves and Apostolicall persons the first founders of Churches and not onely by the after policy as is suggested of Christian Emperours and Bishops might have appeared abundantly by these few testimonies of they had been worthy to be taken notice of First of the councell of Nice An. Domini 325. not many yeares after the conversion of Constantine the first Christian Emperour Can. 6. which takes care for the preserving the priviledges of the Metropolitanes by name that the Bishop of Alexandria should have power over the Churches in Aegypt Lybia and Pentapolis that in Antioch and the rest of the Provinces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the priveleges should be preserved to the Churches begins with this rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let the antient customes continue in force which certainly referres to that which was long before the Christian Emperours and without any reason of doubting to the first constitutions of those Churches by St. Marke and St. Peter and then the Canon goes on to exact this by way of conformity with other places with Rome it selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this is the custome of force with the Bishop of Rome and upon these grounds the Canon requires 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 universally that if any man be made a Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the judgement of the Metropolitan he ought not to be Bishop 6. So in the 9. Canon of the Councell of Antioch in the yeare 341. which begins thus that the Bishop which presides in the Metropolis ought to know the Bishops in every Province and to take care of the whole Province 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because all that have businesse resort from all sides to the Metropolis which is the very thing we now contend to be the reason of conforming the Ecclesiastick to the civill models and then proceeds to forbid other Bishops acting any thing of such a nature without him this is backt with these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the antient Canon of our Fathers which hath been in force referring againe to the immemoriall custome of all Churches since the first plantation and not the after-policie of Christian Emperours and Bishops as is here suggested 7. Lastly in the last canon of the Great councell of Ephesus in the yeare 431. which is the defining a speciall matter of Metropoliticall right where the occasion of the controversie is rehearsed how the Bishop of Antioch invaded the priviledges of the Cypriots contrary to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the antient custome and the decree is made that the Bishops of Cyprus shall retaine them inviolate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Canons of the Holy Fathers and the antient custome The Canon extends it selfe to all other Dioceses and Provinces that no Bishop shall meddle with another Province 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was not upward and from the beginning under his i. e. his praedecessors power where it is most evident that the Metropolitical power and primacy Ecclesiasticall is derived from the beginning of the plantation of each Church and consequently that this was a part of Apostolicall policy and not onely an after policy of Christian Emperours c. 8. And upon these grounds of probation I shall be competently secured that this is proved which they doe not believe ever can be and have no other argument to prove their negative but their not believing the affirmative Section XVII Of the objection against Metropoles from the seven Starres in seven Churches OF the same temper is their third answer that they are fully assured that it can never be made out that any of these Asian Angels were Archbishops or Bishops over other Bishops or Bishops over divers settled Churches The seven Starres are said in Scripture to be fixed in their seven Candle-stickes or Churches not one Starre over divers Candle-stickes or Churches 2. What they are already fully assured of that it can never be made out I shall have little confidence to perswade them was formerly done to their hands Otherwise I should hope that by what had long since been said and hath now been more largely deduced in Reply to their last answer they might find cause to alter their judgements and retract their so definitive sentence of full assurance 3. As for the onely appearance of reason which is here superadded viz.
hee governed the Metropolitan City of Ephesus that prime Metropolis of all Asia to the Bishop whereof saith Chrysostome was intrusted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole Nation of Asia These testimonies may suffice for the substance of the affirmation that St. John governed the Church of Ephesus and under it all Asia which is the notion wee now have of a Bishop Metropolitane and Primate 4. As for the word Bishop how can it be inconvenient to bestow that upon him when hee discharged the Office nay when Christ himselfe that great exemplar and originall of this power is expresly called the Bishop of our Soules as well as the Apostle when the Office from which Judas fell and to which Matthias is assumed is by St. Luke out of the Septuagint called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishoprick Act. 1. 20. When accordingly from the Scripture usage the Fathers of the Church have continued the style Apostolos i. e. Episcopos Praepositos Dominus elegit the Lord chose Apostles i. e. Bishops and Governours of the Church saith Cyprian and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peter and Paul were the first or chiefe in Rome the same persons Apostles and Bishops saith Epiphanius and Apostoli Episcopi sunt firmante illud Petro Apostolâ— the Apostles were Bishops as is confirmed by Peter in these words His Bishoprick let another take saith Hilarius Sardus and againe Areall Apostles â—Tis true saith hee quia in Ecelesiâ unus Episcopus because in each Church there is one Bishop And Nemo ignorat Episcopos servatorem Ecclesiâ—s instituisse Ipse enim priusquam ascenderet imponens manum Apostolis ordinavit eos Episcopos No man is ignorant that our Saviour instituted Bishops in the Church for before he ascended to Heaven hee laid his hands on the Disciples and ordained them Bishops saith the Writer of the questions on the Old and New Testament and Sanctus Matthâ—us Episcopatum sortitus est St. Matthew was Bishop saith Gildas And to shut up all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is manifest that the Apostles were Bishops St John in Asia St. Andrew in Achaia St. Thomas in India saith Gabriel Philadelph And agreeably when St. John of whom we now speake calls himselfe in the front of two Epistles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Elder the Greek scholiast resolves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word Elder he calls himselfe Bishop And so there is no newes in thus affirming 5. But then secondly when they take this for an evident demonstration that these Authors did not use the word Bishop in a Prelaticall sense this is very farre distant from a demonstration having not arrived to the lowest degree of probability or credibility For what is a Bishop in the Prelaticall sense but a single person governing in chiefe in a City or wider circuit And such certainly was St. Peter at Rome S. John at Ephesus c. As long as they continued to execute that power of the Keyes the donation of which instituted them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Steward 's in Gods House Governours of the Church in this or that City or Region and ordained other Bishops there Thirdly therefore when 't is added that it is certaine that the Apostles cannot be properly called Bishops I reply that it is most certaine they may not onely because these so many antient Writers through severall ages have called them so and may not with any justice from us be accused of impropriety but because the donation of the Keyes did as properly make them Bishops as the Commission to goe preach to all Nations being added to it made them Apostles To which purpose let these few things be considered 1. That it is here by the Assemblies acknowledged that the Apostles did eminently conteine the Episcopall Office which though it be a little hastily expressed and should be I suppose that the Apostolicall Office did eminently containe the Episcopall yet there is no doubt but this is the meaning of it that the Apostles had all the Episcopall power in their hands and over and above something more and if they had Episcopall power then sure in respect of that they may as properly be called Bishops as in respect of their Apostolicall Commission which they had also they may be properly called Apostles Thus we know that they that have first the power of Deacons bestowed on them and after of Presbyters are questionlesse Deacons still though they be also Presbyters and they which from the Office of Presbyters are advanced to Bishops are certainly Presbyters still though they be also Bishops and doe not lose the former power by being advanced to the latter are not lessened by this increase of their dignity 7. Secondly that when an Apostle is differenced from a Bishop it is either by his extraordinary power granted him for the planting of the Church or by the Vniversality of his Diocese the all the World to which his Commission extended whereas the ordinary Bishop's power and Diocese are more limited But then these differences are of no force in this matter they onely conclude that the Apostle is more than a Bishop in those two respects not that in other sufficient respects he is not a Bishop 8. Thirdly when the Apostles had each of them not onely all together in a consistory that unlimited power in respect of the extent to all the World given to them by Christ wee know that after his ascent they parted and distributed this Province among them assigned every one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his proper place or lot to which he should betake himselfe for the planting of the faith of Christ And then there will be no doubt but that hee who according to his line in St. Paul's phrase had planted the faith in such a City or Province and sat downe and confirmed and farther instituted which is the meaning of labouring in the Doctrine as well as in the word and govern'd them and exercised all Episcopall acts among them might in so doing be stiled a Bishop in that City or province and that as truely and as properlâ— as he that could doe all the latter and not the former building on another mans foundation goâ—erning and instructing where another had planted the faith might be said to be 9. Nay fourthly we know that although by Canons of the Church there is provision made upon prudentiall considerations that no man shall be made a Bishop sine titulo without a title or particular See to which hee is assigned yet before those Canons forbad it such Bishops there were and those never doubted to be properly Bishops though they were not affixt to any Diocese And then nothing can hinder but that the Apostle who had each the whole World for his Title though hee were never affixed to any particular Diocese or Province might be most properly styled a Bishop for all that But this is ex abundanti more than is needfull to our present praetentions
following pages the Reader must againe be told that what they had done most unreasonably before is here practised againe at large severall places brought out of the former corrupt editions of Ignatius of which no one word is to be found in the new editions out of the most antient Copies Greek and Latine from which alone it is evident that we produce all our testimonies for Episcopacy and so have produced very few of those which they are thus pleased to finde fault with The places which they urge are eight I shall not need to set them down but give the leader a much shorter and yet as satisfactory an account of them Two are cited from the Epistle to the Trallians and neither of them are in any part to be found in our Editions Two are cited from the Epistle to the Magnesians and the first is not at all in our Editions nor the second any farther than thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As Christ being one with his Father did nothing without him either by himselfe or by his Apostles so neither do ye act any thing without the Bishop and the Presbyters nor endeavour that any thing should appeare reasonable to you which is private or of your owne devising A speech in every sillable of it very well becomming that Holy Martyr written by him at a time when the truth being by the Apostles deposited with the Bishops all private devises of their owne were most justly to be suspected The fift is in the Epistle to Polycarpe and is in our Copies thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It becomes the men that marry and the women that are married to consummate their union with the consent of the Bishop And I wonder what age of the Church there hath been from that time to this which hath not been of the same opinion For what is by Bishops committed to Presbyters that is not done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the mind of the Bishop as elsewhere in those Epistles appeares of Baptisme and the Lords Supper neither of which saith he are to be meddled with without the consent of the Bishop and many testimonies out of Antiquity are elsewhere produced in perfect conformity therewith And consequently if in the Christian Church marriage hath alwayes been consummated by the Priest or Presbyter then cannot this speech of Ignatius have any blame in it And that thus it hath been through all ages there is little matter of question and no word here produced by the Objectors to the contrary * Tertullian will be a good competent tostimonie for the next Centurie speaking of the felicity of the Christian Marriage quod Ecclesia conciliat confirmat oblatio obsignat benedictio Angeli renuntiant c. Which the Church makes the Sacrament of the Lords Supper confirmes the benediction of the Priest Seales and the Angels pronounce valid And in * another place Penes nos occultae coâ—junctiones i. e. non prius apud Ecclesiam professa juxta moechiam fornicationem judicari periclitantur Marriages that are not done publickly before the Church are in danger with us to goe for adultery and fornication The same is every where to be found in the Decretal Epistles of Euaristus about Ignatius's time which makes it a tradition from the Apostles and their successors of Soter not above 50. yeares after of Callistus neer fifty yeares after him of Silvester an 100 yeares after him of Siricius 70. yeares after Silvester of Hormisdas 130. yeares after Siricius And though some of these be by D. Blondel thought to be of later dates than the titles of them would pretend yet the authority of most of them is unquestioned as to this matter And the antient piece lately publisht by Sirmund concerning the Heresie of the Predestinati written saith he 1200. yeares since speakes of it as a knowne custome and Canon of the Church over all the world For saith that antient author If marriage be unlawfull Emendate ergo Ecclesia regulâ—m damnate qui in toto orbe sunt sacerdotes Nuptiarum initia benedicentes consecrantes in Dei mysteriis sociantes Amend then the rule the of Church and condemne the Priests which are in all the world who blesse the beginnings of Marriage consecrate and joyne the parties together with the Holy Sacrament And the fourth Councel of Carthage before the yeare 400. hath these words Sponsus sponsa cum benedicendi sunt à sacerdote When the Bridegroom and the Bride are to be blest by the Priest Can. 13. And for latter ages the matter is out of Question And so it will be much more reasonable from this passage in Ignatius being found so perfectly concordant with other passages of the times so neer him to resolve the rule of the Church concerning sacerdotal benediction in marriage to be received from the Apostles and their successors than from finding this speech in one of Ignatius's Epistles to cast away the whole volume As for that which is added at the end of this testimony from the Epistle to Polycarpe My soule for theirs that obey the Bishop Presbyters and Deacons there can be no fault in that supposing as hath been said that the Bishops at that time the Presbyters Deacons living regularly and in union with them had the true safe way among them wherein any man might walke confidently all danger being from the Heresies that crept in and brake men off from that unity of the faith The sixth place from the Epistle to the Philadelphians of the Princes and Emperors obeying the Bishop is certainly inserted by forgery in the former for not one word of it or like it is to be found in our editions So likewise for both parts of the seventh place out of the Epistâ—e to the Smyrnaeans they are not to be found in our Editions The last onely is to be met with there but that in a much more moderate straine than the former in words and sense very agreeable to wholsome doctrine and the exigencies of those times wherein there was no visible way to keep out the tares of false teachers but by requiring all to be kept to the managery of the true husbandman And accordingly I have cited this very speech out of Ignatius for the asserting of Prelacie and if there were no such the Epistles might passe well enough with these as with all other men they would have needed no vindication having no adversary The words are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All of you follow the Bishop as Christ Jesus did his Father i. e. as elsewhere appears by the like expression with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 added to it be at perfect unity of doctrine c. with the Bishop as Christ was with God the Father and the Presbytery as the Apostles and reverence the Deacons as those that are appointed by God viz. mediately by the Apostles Where it may be observable that the obiectors which find such fault with this speech of Ignatius in