of basest men In good earnest I would thank any man that can shew me one good Antiquity to countenance such Delegation of an entrusted Office to Deputies specially to such Deputies as themselves doe not cannot trust Doth any man dare or can any man think it fit to Delegate the Tuition or Education of a tender Prince committed to his Charge or Care by his Royall Father I beseech you Is not the flock of Christ stiled by the Spirit of Christ An Holy Priesthood a Royall People Shall it then bee fit or lawfull For any man to transmit this Trust to any whomsoever especially to such a crue of faithlesse Hirelings God forbid SECT II. CHAP. III. I shall passe their Sole Iurisdiction also being the Common Theame of all that write of this Question specially when I finde some of themselves disclaime that Epithet of Sole and if they can bee content to leave This out I have lesse to speak against them Wee come to Ordination or to speak as they use though some of them love not to heare of it Sole-Ordination This is the main Master-piece of all Episcopacy All things else in the Church they yeeld equally committed to Presbyters onely Imposition of Hands they say is solely retayned to the Bishop so Downham Bilson and of late One of their owne that offers to yeeld the Cause for one example of Lawfull Ordination by Presbyters without a Bishop One Example what dare he say France Belgium no parts of Germany hath Lawfull Ordination though by sole Presbyters without Bishops Downham is somewhat more moderate and yeelds such Orders Lawfull but in case of Necessity or at least some great Exigency in which hee hath the Charity to include the Reformed Churches abroad though as hee saith They are of age and might speake for themselves But they urge us to shew Antiquity allowing any such Ordination without a Bishop It hath beene shewed and yet never answered that I know that some Councels have intimated enough Presbyters were wont of old to Ordaine without Bishops As that of Ancyra Can. 1â— It shall not bee lawfull for Choriepiscopi or Presbyters to Ordain without consent of the Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so the words are in Balsamon though some of themselves translate the words very strangely Which cleerly intimates That before this Canon Presbyters and Choriepiscopi who had not still Ordination from three Bishops though some had so did usually Ordaine without the Bishops leave much more without his presence and that too in Other parishes besides their Owne Else it is strange the Councell should now forbid it if It had never beene done before Nay the Canon doth not now absolutely forbid it which is much to bee marked but onely commands the Bishop's leave should bee asked to all such Ordinations But if This Imposition of hands were a Sole property of Bishops as now some make it the Bishop could not give leave or depute others to doe it For This even among themselves is a received Axiome Episcopus potest delegare ea quae sunt Iurisdictionis non ea quae sunt Ordinis Hitherto also may be refer'd all those Canons that require Presbyters to Lay on their hands with the Bishop in Ordination As Can. 3. Concil Carth. about the yeare 418. and that of Aken 400. yeares after Yea and this was the practice of the Church in St. Cyprians time as appeares by his 6. and 58. Epist. So Ierome in his Epistle to Rome and St. Ambrose among his Epistles Book 10. Yea and This is our Law also which requires â—â—oadjutors to Bishops in Ordination Consonant doubtlesse to the most Antient practice of the Primitive Church even in the â—postles Times as appeares by that of Paul to Timothy on whom were laid the Hands of the Presbytery not of the Presbyterate or one Presbyter as learned Mr. Thorndick not onely yeelds but proves who yet is no enimy to Bishops Neither could I ever finde one good Antiquity against Ordination by Presbyters or for Sole Ordination by Bishops I finde indeed Collythus and some others Un-priested by Councels because Ordained by Presbyters alone but That Act of the Presbyters was done in faction against the Bishop and their fellow Brethren Yea and in most cases if not in all Those Orders so annul'd by Councels were confer'd by One Priest alone and so were indeed as unlawfull as if by one Bishop alone I might adde that some Great men of good Note have strongly maintained all those Councels erred which so Unpreisted Those that had beene Ordained by a Presbyter or Presbyters without a Bishop Amongst These are some of Note in the Popish Church It being a Common Instance among the School-men disputing Whether Orders once confer'd could be annul'd and they all conclude the contrary Yea and many of These also strongly prove that Priests may as well Ordain as Bishops and their Reason seemes very good for say they Seeing a Preist can Consecrate and by Consecration Transubstantiate which is more Why can hee not also Administer the Sacrament of Orders which is lesse Yea and some of them dare affirme Neither Bishop nor Pope can licence Priests to give Ordination except The Power of Ordination bee de jure in Presbyters For They all yeeld the Pope himselfe cannot licence One that is not a Preist to Consecrate the Hoste because none but Preists have That Power of Consecration And a Licence doth not confer Orders without Imposition of hands as They all grant Fâ—r my owne part I ever thought That of Bucer most Rationall Deus non simpliciter singularibus Personis sed Ecclesiae Ordinandi potestatem tradidit For so indeed it seemes the Work of the whole Church who are to Elect to testifie also and seale their Election by Laying on their hands And the Presbytery are but the Churches servants in This Act. I could heartily wish It were reduced to This againe which I fully conceive to be most agreeable to Right Reason Scripture and All Good untainted Antiquity Yet till This be again restored I much desire the Prelates would leave off some of the Ceremonies which I hear they use in it though not by Law I think lest they drive all good men from taking Orders SECT II. CHAP. IV. I Shall now passe from this kinde of Church Antiquity and passe to the best Antiquity the infallible Truth of God in Holy Scripture In it I shall shew there is little for much against Bishops whether we consider the Name or Office of a Bishop as now it is setled The Name I finde but foure times in all the New Testament In Two of which the Name is so indifferently used that it maketh nothing towards an issue of This Question Those are 1 Tim. 3. vers 1 2 3. and 1 Pet. 2.25 And what can be gained from hence truly I see not In the other places it maketh against them as I shall shew more at large by and by But the Word Elder a true Bishop is used
When Paul writes to the Church of the Thessalonians 1 Thes. 5. v. 27. commanding That Epistle to be read to all the holy Brethren the Church of the Thessalonians should have Jurisdiction over other Churches which truely I doe not thinke to be a strong Argumentation Secondly the Word is taken collectively for the Assembly and charge of Ministers and not for One as appeareth evidently Revel 2. v. 24. He saith speaking to the Angel To you and to the rest in Thyatira he puts the Angel in the plurall number which hee would not have done had he written to a single Bishop Thirdly these Epistles are written to the whole Church for the threats and promises are read to them and the Epiphonema of every Epistle is this he that hath an eare let him heare what is spoken to the Churches But yet if this superscription could give any advantage to the Angel it would but extend to his owne congregation The Laodicean Angel hath no influence upon the Philadelphian or the Smyrnite and if that be not proved nothing is gained in the point of Episcopacy except it could be proved that these Angels had in their care many congregations under these particular Churches which never hath nor ever will appeare I hope it is manifest to all men that they cannot establish Episcopacy by Scripture Secondly there is much in Scripture against them For the word Elder and Bishop is all one Tit. 1. ver 7. For this cause left I thee in Creet that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting and ordaine Elders in every City as I had appinted thee for a Bishop must be blamelesse as the Steward of God First he sheweth Titus what manner of man an Elder must be viz Blamelesse and now proveth it because a Bishop must be blamelesse As if I should write to Thomas to live soberly because a Man must be sober it necessarily followeth that Thomas is a man So that Phil. 1. he writes to the Bishops and Deacons at Philippi Is it probable that a little Towne in Macedonia should have many Bishops when one Bishop must have many Cities in his Dioces Those Who translated the Bible foresaw This And therefore Acts 20. They have translated the word Episcopus an Over-seer Yet in other places they translate it Bishop And the Jesuites say Piae fraudes sunt licitae The carriage of the Apostles in severall places is remarkable when they come to a City as Acts 20. They send for the Elders of the Church never thinking of a Bishop he is so inconsiderable a man These places I hope make cleerely against them So now I will endeavour to shew what the Scripture holdeth forth for Church Government SECT II. CHAP. V. IN this search you will agree that the Government is fixed there where you shall see setled the plenary and absolute power of Election of Officers Decision of controversies and Excommunication of those that transgresse This you will find ministerially in the Officers But initiativè virtualiter conclusivè in the People The Officers are called Overseers Rulers and Elders c. Some of these are to preach and administer the Sacraments others to watch over mens manners others to serve Tables and looke to the poore All these are chosen by the People but whensoever by their industry any delinquency is discovered the whole matter is brought to the Church and there the people and Elders doe passe their definitive sentence Examine but where election of Officers decision of controversies excommunication of members are recorded and you shall have them all in the Church not representative but in the whole Church consisting of Officers and other members As first for election Acts 1.15 Peter speaketh to the People and telleth them they must choose one in Iudas his place and ver 23. It is said They appointed Two It is true the lot divided which of them two should be the man a course in the like case not unlawfull to us at this day But the reducing of it to Two was the act of the Church though Peter was amongst them So afterwards Timothy received his Evangelicall gift by the Imposition of Presbyteriall hands which Presbyters were in this worke the servants of one present Congregation Secondly Decision of Controversies either in cases of Conscience or in point of manners In cases of Conscience when Paul and Barnabas had no small difference about Circumcision they sent to Jerusalem where the Apostles Elders and Brethren meeting together joyntly returned that answer which you finde Acts 15 23.24.2◠Some would presse this place this act of the Apostles further and give to every Synod a Commanding Power because it is said Act. 15.28 It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay no further burden upon you Therefore they say a Synod hath a commanding and burdening Power But I cannot consent to that for then the major part of the Churches in Europe Africa Prester Iohns Country might meet and command all the Churches of Christ which God forbid in what they pleased and that jure divino for God when hee giveth a rule to his Church hee speaketh to the whole Church of Christ and not to any particular Congregation I only presse it thus farre That the People were joyned even with the Apostles in that Great Synod The Commanding power of the Synod lay in this that the Apostles speak the minde of the Holy Ghost But such authority is not left in us and therefore no such Obligation upon others Truly if there were such a power left us I should with much scurple resist any act of such Government whereof I could make a good construction For many times the power Commanding is more dangerous than the thing Commanded but there is no such power Neither as I said before doe I presse it with such a designe In cases of Civill converse Mat. 18.17 Wee must make our addresses to the Church and hee that will not heare the Church must be as a Publican In that place the greatest dispute will be What is meant by the Church for some will say Here is meant the Church representativè either in more as the Presbytery or in one as the Bishop and not the Church at large But I would labour to evince the contrary Weigh either the Context or the generall signification of the word Church and I hope the true sense will be manifest For Let us see how Church is taken in the Scripture It is used sometimes figurativè and sometimes properly Figurativè as when a particular house is called a Church As the Church in his house Rom. 16.5 Secondly When by Synecdoche the head is put for the whole as Christ is called the Church 1 Cor. 12.12 Thirdly Collectivè When all the Churches of Christ are called the Church 1 Cor. 10.32 It is used perhaps under some other figures but it will bee long to quote them all Secondly It is used Properly in two phrases First When the Congregation is
twenty severall times in the New Testament And you shall find the Apostles honouring This Name so much that one of them stiles himselfe an Elder but none calls himselfe a Bishop Indeed Iudas is so called Who as it were Prophetically behaved himselfe so that his Arch-Bishoprick was given to another I doubt not but the Spirit fore-saw this Word would bee quickly mounted high enough so that it brands Iudas first with This stile Of much more â—ajesty is the Word Presbyter which signifies Senior Under the Law Youth was bound to pay Tribute to Gray haires and Senatus of old was so stiled à Senioribus Whereas Episcopus signifies nothing but an Overseer And such indeed Bishops have beene for many yeares Perhaps the Name of Bishop is sometimes though rarely used that the wilfully blinde might stumble But the Name Presbyter very frequent that Those who love Truth and Light might still see such a Glympse that might Enlighten them in the midst of Egyptian darknesse from which I doubt not but God will deliver all Christendom in due time I can finde as little also for the Office of a Bishop as for his Name in Scripture yea much lesse I can finde our Saviour rebuking his Disciples striving for precedency saying Hee that will bee first shall bee last I can finde St. Peter saying Lord it not over the flock of Christ And St. Iohn branding Diotrephes with seeking the Preheminence But where shall wee finde the usurped Office of our Bishops in all the Scripture Can they finde it by a multiplying glasse where ever they see the Name of Bishop though but in a Postscript of St. Pauls Epistles Whither I see many of them fly for their owne Name I must confesse I have found some Praescripts of Davids Psalmes and other Texts to bee now part of Scripture but never yet found any Postscript of such Authority I dare not therefore give it unto These Which first were never that I could learn received by the Church for Authentick Scripture nor ever fully joyned to the Scripture but by some distinctive note till our Bishops times Yea some Antient Copies have them not at all as one very old Greek Copy in Oxford Library if I be not mis-informed Againe These Postscripts have many Improbabilities and some repugnancies as many Learned men observe As That of the first to Timothy From Laodicea the cheifest City of Phrygia Pacatiana Which sure was never so subscribed by St. Paul who would not have spoken of a First Epistle when as yet there was no Second nor appearance of any Againe the Epithet Pacatiana came from Pacatianus a Roman Deputy 300. yeares after St. Paul wrote The Epistle to Titus is thus subscribed or rather superscribed To Titus ordained the first Bishop of Creet from Nicapolis of Macedonia but it should have beene added Whither St. Paul meant to come after the Epistle but was not there at his writing as appeares very probably from the third of the same Epistle verse 12. But what meanes that Phrase Bishop of the Church in Creet was there but one Church in all Creet This sounds not like the Scripture stile which alwayes expresseth Nationall Congregations by Churches in the Plurall But it may very well be Titus was Bishop or Pastor but of one Church in Creet so that wee shall not need to contend about This. Our Adversaries themselves yeeld there cannot bee much urged from these Subscriptions Baronius Serrarius and the Rhemists will ingenuously confesse so much and Bishop Whitgift also against Mr. Cartwright â—he Postscripts failing where will they shew either Name or Office of a Bishop as now it is used I know their strong Fort Tit. 1.5 For this cause I left thee in Creet that thou shouldest set in Order the things that are Wanting and Ordain Elders in every City c. Here they think the Power of a Bishop is set forth at large But what if so Will they bee content to bee limited to This Power if so wee shall the sooner agree I think no man ever thought Good Titus had a Commission heere to draw the Civill Sword or so much as to strike with his Church Keyes Let us a little examine This Commission Which seemâ— but a Briefe of a large Patent which Saint Paul had given him before If we first examine the Date of This Commission wee shall finde it before any Church Government was setled and so an Extraordinary Case not fit perhaps not lawfull to be produced as a constant president Extraordinary Cases of Necessity breake through the Ceremoniall yea Morall Law too The Shew Bread may refresh fainting David Cain and Abel may marry their owne sisters to propagate the World Samuel may be a Priest though not of Aarons House as was shewed before And why then may not an Extraordinary way be taken in the first setling of Church Government where there is yet none setled Any man might now in the conversion of the Americans or Chinois give direction how to admit Members elect Pastors exercise the keyes c. This Titus did and no more But secondly in what manner his Commission was I know not and nothing can be proved from hence till that be agreed upon It is as probable he did it but instructivè exhortativè and not imperativè Timothy received his gift by imposition of Presbyteriall hands If an extraordinary gift was conveyed in an ordinary way Why might not an ordinary calling and affaires of an ordinary nature be managed by an extraordinary man be carried forth in an extraordinary way The contrary is not proved and so This must till then be Ineffectuall to them But thirdly and lastly I beseech you consider by what power he did it by the power of an Evangelist There are two sorts of them 1. Who write 2. Who proclaime the Gospell in an extraordinary way as coadjuters and messengers to the Apostles in this great worke Of this last sort certainly he was A Bishop he was not for our adversaries doe all agree that it is the duty of a Bishop curae sue incumbere to watch over his charge now this he did not for if Creet was his Charge which in no way neither by Scripture nor Antiquity is proved he did not attend it for we finde him continually journeying up and downe he leaveth Creet and commeth to Ephesus from thence he is sent to Corâ—nth after that into Macedonia from Macedonia he is returned to the Corinthians Neither is it to be found in History that he ever returned to Creet Thus if I mistake not the Text is lesse advantageous than the Postscript Some thinke to finde Episcopacy established in that example of Saint Iohn writing to the Angels of the seven Churches But this is Argumentum longè petitum Because Paul endorseth the Letter of a Corporation or an Assembly to the most eminent man in the Congregation Therefore He shall have sole Jurisdiction therefore the Maior shall have sole power without the Aldermen est par ratio
Iohn did appoint Bishops they have gained nothing for I shall allow that Christ also hath instituted Bishops and that Bishops are Iure divino yea I will allow that they are to feed Christs flock to rule Christs inheritance in Christs sense but I shall never allow of these Bishops which are now the subject of our dispute There are Three sorts of Bishops as Beza saith There are of Gods Institution and they are those who have a power over their proper flock with the rest of the Church and no other There are also of Mans Institution and this ever overfloweth into the Neighbour parish And lastly there is a Demonicall Bishop and this is hee who challengeth the Sword as well as the Keyes This last may well be stiled Demonicall for sure God never erected This order nor Man in his right senses Where it will then fixe is cleere enough Even on him Whose darke Mysteries most of these men have been very well acquainted with The long Robe and the Sword doe not well agree To see a Lawyer tyed to his Sword till hee put off his Gowne is not so comely but to see a paire of Lawne sleeves to stifle a Scepter if it were but on a stage I would cry out Spectatum admissi risum teneatis SECT II. CHAP. II. THus having run through that little Treatise yet with some wonder that a person of his profession piety and known learning should doe That which might in any sense seeme to impose on those whom hee loveth I proceed to some other things which I finde produced from Antiquity by the greatest Patrons of that kinde of Episcopacy which wee now oppose Yet by the way I must note here also That either none seeme to state the Question between us right or else all seem to dissert it Our Question as I have often said is not of the name of Bishop or his power in Ecclesiasticalls only but also and mainly of his Civill power and Temporalls Which all the Patrons of Episcopacy seeme to shun as a dangerous Rock and hovering aloofe off goe about to prove by Antiquity that Bishops had this Name and some power even in the Primitive Church which though I thinke none can force me to beleeve yet I dispute not But demand Whether any Bishops had such power in Ecclesiasticis Civilibus as ours now have in England Yet because they insist so much on Antiquity for Ecclesiasticall Episcopacy I will be content to follow them there also beleeving wee shall finde no one foot-step in true Antiquity of such a Bishop as wee now have established in England though wee should strip him of all Civill power and consider him only in Ecclesiasticis Shall I begin with his Election which indeed is somewhat higher than they use perhaps dare to begin I can produce many Antiquities to prove the Election of all Church Officers was in the People yea and that for divers ages after the Apostles who indeed at first appointed These themselves and good reason why when there were no People to choose their Officers till converted by the Apostles who afterward left This Power to the Whole Church rightly constituted And This continued in the Church for divers ages as appeares by Constantines Epistle to the Church of Nice Athanasius also ad Orthâ—doxos and St. Cyprians sixth Epistle with many instances mâ—re which might bee and daily are produced It is true that after the Apostles and purer times of the Church were gone the Clergy began to lord it over the people and to bereave them of their due priviledge yea oft times agreed among themselves to choose One Superintendant as we may call him whom they called Father and Bishop and in This perhaps they did not amisse if This Bishops power rested only on the Clergy and never reached to the people who else sure by all reason should have had a vote in choosing any Officer much more such a great Commander But let all the Patrons of Episcopacy produce mee one found Antiquity for such Election as is now in use with us Let them from undoubted Antiquity for three hundred yeares after Christ nay much more for I easily see their evasion let them I say shew me but one instance of our Conge d' eslire It is the Thing I speak of not the Word Let them shew me except in the dark times of Popery power given to ten or twelve Men except all the Clergy explicitely consented to choose such a Bishop And yet This is not halfe that which lies in our Elections whcih indeed are not at all made by so much as the Chapiter of any Cathedrall but received only by Those who dare not refuse it but of this I spake before in the first Section I am content to passe their Election which I perceive none of them care much to examine and come to the Execution of their Office In which I might instance in two or three maine points as sole Ordination sole Jurisdiction Delegation c. I meet with none that take upon them to defend this last which as a Great States-man observed many yeares since was a Thing at first view most monstrous and unreasonable For will any man living think it reasonable my Lord Keeper should ad placitum delegate whom hee will to keep the Seale and judge in Chancery without consent of his Majesty and the State that entrusteth him with this Great Office Yet These Men hold it fit to entrust a Vicar-Generall Chancellors Officials Surrogates and yet under Officers to keep the Seale yea weâ—d the Scepter of Christ and all the Church which yet they say is entrusted with them But with whom have they left the sheep in the Wildernes Were there nothing else but This I cannot but hold our Episcopacy an intolerable Tyranny sâ—eing a Bishops Dog I am not much amisse lording it over the People Ministers Gentry Nobility All while his Master is perhaps Revelling Dicing or doing Worse for worse they doe Nor is this any way to be helped ' while to one Lord Bishop is granted so vast a Territory Which yet he commandeth as absolutely under that most significant term of Diocesan Primate or Metropolitan as any Temporall Prince can doe by the name of Earl Duke King Emperor or any other I oft remember the dry Oxe-hide that was brought to represent Alexanders great Dominions But I see them so farre from standing on the middle to keep down all that indeed they oft touch is not at all but are acting the Lord Temporall I might say more remote enough from their own Diocesse Which yet of it selfe is oft so large that no one man living could sufficiently Visit and Over-see it except he could get the Pope to Transubstantiate him also and so get a Vbiquitarian Body To supply which hee is oft forc'd to puffe up his wide sleeves and look very big And yet much yea most of all his Office must bee done by Delegates who are oft yea usually the lowest dregs