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B02463 A modest apology occasioned by the importunity of the Bishop of Derrie, who presseth for an answer to a query, stated by himself, in his second admonition: concerning joyning in the publick worship established by law. In answer to the query, the pondering of some weighty exceptions is first desired: and then such a resolution is given to the query, as the word of God, and thereby the safety of our consciences will allow. / By a minister of the gospel, at the desire of some Presbyterian dissenters. Craghead, Robert.; King, William, 1650-1729. 1696 (1696) Wing C6794; ESTC R171586 54,814 122

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●eing he was to Ordain Elders in the plural num●er in every City and by the Scripture these El●ers are Bishops then mo Bishops then one was ● be in every City which is contrare to the Epis●opal Constitution 4. If it be said that Titus ●as Archbishop or Metropolitan Answ This ●cketh nothing but Proof which no where can ●e had For the primitive Gospel-Church knew ●o such thing as either a Diocesan Bishop Arch●ishop or Metropolitan long after the Death of ●imothy and Titus there being no certain Rule ●or modeling of Diocesses until the Reign of Con●antine the Great at which time the Church did ●ollow the Civil Government as to Diocesses this ●ishop Stilling-fleet maketh out in his Irenic page ●76 377. 5. There is nothing to be found in ●e Scriptures to countenance this Assertion that ●itus was Archbishop of Crete all that can be said is ●at he was sent to Crete upon a piece of special ser●ice for the Church which made him no more Bi●op there then when he staid some time in other ●laces Aquinas run into the same Mistake as ●o Dalmatia for because Titus went to Dalmatia ●herefore he calls him the Bishop of Dalmatia 6. ●f it be said that the least that Bishops can Gain from Titus being left to Ordain Elders is that ●shops have sole Power of Ordination seing T● alone ordained Answ This is but to beg● Question for we deny that Titus was a Bish● let that first be proved And 2. That he orda●ed as a Bishop And 3. That he ordained alo● For his ordaining of Elders makes him no Bisho● no more then the Apostle Pauls ordaining ma● him a Bishop they ordained as Extraordina● Officers in the Church making way for Bisho● or Pastors and though Titus was invested wi● extraordinary Power above any Bishop or Pasto● yet that it self will not prove that he ordained s● paratim without Presbyters Because he was Ordain Elders in the same manner that was the ●stablished Way of the Church in conjunction wi● Presbyters as the Apostle Paul did lay his han● on Timothy conjunctim with the Presbytry th● is joyntly with a Presbytry Object 2. The Epistles to the seven Church of Asia are directed to the Bishops of these Chu●ches because each of them is directed to one si●gle Person called the Angel of the Church Answ That these Epistles are directed to t● Bishops of these Churches in the Scripture se● we easily acknowledge but then no advanta● to the Episcopal Cause is gained For if these A●gels be Bishops and Bishops the same with Pr●byters then ye are just where you were not li● ●d one step higher than a preaching Presbyter or ●ospel-Pastor 2. Whereas the Angel is spoken unto in the sin●lar number you have no advantage by this either ●r you shall find one and the same Angel spoken ● in the plural number As to the Angel of the ●hurch of Smyrna Rev. 2. 10 The Devil shal cast ●me of you into Prison the Speech is directed un● the Angel yet the plural number is used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to ●ew that it 's not one single Person only that is de●ted by the Name of Angel so also to the Angel ●f the Church of Thyatira but unto you I say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ere the Angel is expresly spoken unto in the plu●l number So that any Argument from the ●ame Angel utterly faileth you For though an ●gel be named in the singular number yet that by ●e Name Angel is understood a collective Body ● Ministers is evident otherwise let any Man ●nder a Reason why the Angel is spoken to in the ●ural number as mo than one And hereby we ●ve solid ground to think that the Angel is spo●n to in the plural number purposly to obviat or ●rrect the Misapprehensions of any who would ●ink that a Bishop over Presbyters is understood ● the Word Angel Object 3 But the Government of the Church ● Bishops having Authority Jurisdiction over ●esbyters is so Antient that we cannot judge it ● any lower Derivation then from the Apostles albeit we have it not by express Scripture Answ 1. If you have such a Government the Church by due consequence from any Scriptu● of the New Testament We are ready to ye● Subjection albeit ye cannot Prove it by expr● Scriptures ye shall not be so hard put to it ● for you only to Affirm and Assert it Apostoli● without any Proof cannot convince Mens Judg●ments and satisfie their Conscience in a matter so great Importance Your selves being Judge if you have Proof for it make it appear Bish● Laud and some other Bishops with him said o● publickly if Prelacy were not the Apostolick G●vernment they would forth with throw away th● Rotchets But they kept them as long as th● could and the Proof went no further upon whi● Mr. Pryne did challenge them for breach of P●mise VVhy do ye not stop all our Mouths ●proving your Assertion and so satisfie a great B●dy of Protestants at Home and Abroad Who gi● Reasons from Scripture contrare to your Asser●on And to say it must be Apostolick because its Antiquity is little less then to say we will ha● it from them whither they will or not their D●ctrine and Practice refuse and yet it must be ●torted from them 2. We have made it appear already that the ●postles did prescribe another Form of Governmen● be managed by the Ministers of the Gospel in ● ●ty of Ministerial Power and how to impose u●on our own Reason and Belief that by some in●isible Prescription they have contradicted all ●is were hard measure should we or can we ●ject what they have Recorded by Inspiration of ●e Holy Ghost and betake our selves to some fan●ed Tradition Could this be a safe Way for our ●onsciences Or could we Answer to GOD for ● Your selves being Judges 3. If the Antiquity of Prelacy be at last its only ●ea and strongest Defence Cyprian will soon An●er for us that Antiquity without Verity is but mouldy ●rror and as Sir Francis Bacon termed it a Cypher ●ithout a Figure 2. If this Plea should hold Good then there ● a Door opened for the most Antient Errors ●herewith the Church was infested even in the A●ostles times and such as soon after endangered ●e renting of her Bowels 3. And however Antient Prelacy be found yet may and doth suffice us that it hath no Institution ● the Gospel-Church by Christ or his Apostles ●nd therefore can claim no better than Humane Appointment for which Appointment no Commis●n was granted to the Church Object All that is Alledged by you against E●iscopacy is but your own late Sentiments For ●e Antient Fathers who understood the State of ●e Primitive Church better than you do generally bear Testimony that Bishops have been in all Ag● of the Gospel-Church Answ We are of the same mind with Aug●stin who being urged with the Authority of ●prian answered That what he spoke according to ● Scriptures he would
was the Will of GOD that such an Officer as a ●shop over Presbyters should be in the House ● GOD that they might obey him in the LOR● 3. The Apostle in the following Words give● Warning that after his Departure grievous Wolv● shall enter in among them not sparing the Flock a● verse 30. of their own selves shall Men arise spea●ing perverse things to draw away Disciples after the● Yet for all this Danger he giveth no Direction set up a Bishop over other Ministers for pres●ving the Flock nor any Intimation that it w● the Will of GOD to provide such a Remedy a●terwards But requireth the Pastors to Watch a● commendeth them to GOD and the Word of h● Grace which was able to Build them up whe● by we may see they are remitted to the word for D●rection in what concerneth his Church and n● to invent without the Word a Remedy of the● own devising 4. From the same Scripture ● are also instructed that the instituted Pastors ● the Church are to feed and take heed unto all ● Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath ma● them Overseers And therefore Gospel-Ministe● are to have no greater Charge than such as th● may perform all the Duties belonging to a Pasto● to all the Flock And if any Minister assum● greater Charge than he can perform these Du● unto then it is not that Charge that the Holy Gh● hath committed to him If it be said that the Bishop feedeth the Flock ● his Substituts such as he is pleased to appoint Answ But quo jure by what Right or Autho●ty can he substitute another to do that which he ●th assumed for his own Work and personal Per●rmance it was a doubt that the learned Sir Fran● Bacon said he could never be resolved of how a Man that had a Trust committed to him for his per●nal Faithfulness could delegate that Trust to another ●d if a Bishop say he never engaged to Feed so ●any then it may be justly replyed he was never ●astor to so many Why then should he presume ●e Title and Name of their Pastor When he ●●weth it simply impossible for him to Teach ●d Feed them or the twentieth part of them ac●rding to the Duty of a Pastor It 's also to be observed that as by this and ma● other Texts the Ministers of the Gospel have ●ual Pastoral Authority de jure so we find in the ●riptures that de facto they are placed in Possessi● of this Ministerial-Power and exercise it with ●vine Approbation For Presbyters ordain Mi●sters as 1 Tim. 4. 14. and are therein approved ● the Apostle Timothy being charged not to ne●ct the Gift he had thereby received 2. A Com●nity of Presbyters exert their Power in Church ●scipline and are required by the Apostle so to ● 1 Cor. 5. 4. and 5. verses This Sentence was ●icted by many not by one assuming the sole Power of Jurisdiction to himself which is c●sonant to our Saviours Doctrine Matth. 18. 1● who requireth the offended Brother to tell ● Church not a single Person if Christ had co●mitted the Power of Discipline to One than ● Complaint of the offended Brother should h● been to that One for to whom should he Co●plain but to such as had Power to do him Justi● and remove the Offence But we see Christ's ●pointment is not to make Application to One ● to the Church Therefore it 's no Institution Christ that authoritative Church-Power be lo●ed in one Person So also we find that Presbyters are Constitu● Members of that famous Juridical Synod at Je●salem Acts 15. the Apostles and Elders came to ●ther to consider the Matter in which Assem● there is not one found to Over-rule the Rest ● assuming a negative Voice Though some pres● had more just Authority in the Church than ● now on Earth can pretend to yet all had f● liberty to speak their Judgement and all car● by Suffrages and that which was concluded pl●ed the Apostles and Elders and is published in ● Name of the Apostles and Elders whereby it's parent that in the Apostles time Presbyters ● in the actual exercise of Church-Government ●therwise the Decrees of the Synod had never ● published in their Name We shall not at pr● multiply Arguments but let these three be duely ●nsidered 1. That the Office of a Prelate can●t be found in the Roll of Church-Officers 2. ●rists Discharging his Ministers to be one of ●em Greater than another And 3. The Di●e Institution of parity among Ministers Object Timothy and Titus are called Bishops in ● Bibles therefore Bishops are by Divine Insti●tion Answ All Gospel Pastors are Bishops accor●g to the Word of GOD and therefore tho' ●ey were Bishops which cannot be granted ●t the Episcopal Cause gaineth nothing because ●shops above Presbyters are never found in our ●bles 2. These Postscripts to the 2d Epistle to Ti●thy and the Epistle to Titus are not Canonick ●ripture but added several Ages after the Canon Scripture was closed and after the Church be●n to degenerat which is irrefragably evinced Mr Pryn in his Unbishoping of Timothy and ●us and is acknowledged both by Papists and ●ers that the most antient Copies have no such ●stscripts and therefore our Bibles have these ●stscripts still at some distance from the rest of ●se Epistles But the Difference is not altoge●er so observable now as formerly when these ●stscripts were purposely Printed in very smal ●aracters to make the Difference discernable by all who read them 3 Timothy is expresly ●led an Evangelist 2 Tim. 4. 5. and therefore co● not be a Bishop neither in Scripture sence a● Pastor to a particular Flock whom he might p●sonally oversee nor in the Prelatical sence as a ●ocesan Bishop because an Evangelist was no●●mited to any particular bounds as hath been cle●ed already And to say that Timothy was Bish● of Ephesus is against reason for Timothy was p●sent with the Apostle Paul when he commit● the Charge of the Flock to the Presbyters in co●mon but no mention of Timothy as their Bishop● whom the Charge had chiefly belonged if he h● been the only Bishop of Ephesus As for Titus he was employed in the like G●pel-Service from one place to another as Tim● was But it 's said Tit. 15. That he was left in Cret● ordain Elders in every City therefore he had Epis●pal Jurisdiction Answ 1. Timothy and Titus were both ex●ordinary Officers in the Church as appears ● their constant Travels from place to place th● Work being to erect Churches and plant Bish● or Presbyters in these Churches but not to Bishops of them themselves their Power be● greater than ordinary Bishops or Pastors as is ● served by Chrysostom on Eph. 4 that their Work ● to plant Churches and Bishops or Elders to be thei●●dinary Pastors 2. Seing Titus was to ordain El●ers in every City of Crete then where was his own ●iocess For it cannot be supposed that he did ●rdain himself Bishop of one of these Cities 3.
to ● cramental Obligation already and no Man hath A●thority to impose another Obligation in t● same Complex sacramental Action These are some of the Reasons that it's hop● will justifie our not Complying with the Sign the Cross in Baptism and may satisfie those of ●nother Perswasion that we do not indulge peevi● Scruples against it but are over-awed with t● Word of GOD not daring to add to it or off any Worship which He hath not commanded Our 5th Exception is your peremptory requi●ing the Re-Ordination of our Ministers otherwi● by your Laws they shall be no Ministers amo● you nor to any others so far as your Power c● reach And this we judge a rejecting of us altog●ther and a manifest Injury to the Church of GO● for first our Ministers of the Presbyterian Persw●sion are Elected and Ordained according to t● Rules of Scripture the People Electing a Presb●try Ordaining It were good if you were able ● say as much for your selves 2. As our Ministers Ordination is Scriptura● it is the same Ordination approved and practis● by the Reformed Churches Abroad allowing ● Bishops Superior to Presbyters as appears ●ainly by their Confessions of Faith of which ●u may now take a taste The French Confession Art 30. We Believe that the True Church ought to be Gover●d by that Regiment or Discipline which Our Lord ●sus Christ hath Established viz. That there be in it ●astors Elders aend Deacons We Believe that all true ●astors in whatsoever Place they be placed have the ●me and equal Authority among themselves given un● them under Jesus Christ the only Head The Confession of Belgia Art 31. In whatsoever Place of the World the Ministers of ●e Word of GOD do keep they have all of them the ●me and equal Power and Authority being all of ●em equally the Ministers of Christ the only univer●l Head and Bishop of the Church The latter Confession of Helvetia The Power that is given to the Ministers of the ●hurch is the same and alike in all in the beginning ●e Bishops or Elders did with a common Consent and ●abour Govern the Church no Man lifted up him●lf above another These and the like Confessions of other Reformed Churches are the publick Standard a● Authentique Testimony of their Judgement A● therefore the privat Sentiments of a few late F●reign Divines writing in Favour of another G●vernment of the Church whether by Mis-inf●mation or declining from their own profess● Principles are not to be valued Though so● are now at great Pains to scrape together if not procure Epistles from Forreigners approving Episcopal Government and so to impose on t● credulous a belief that the Churches Abroad a● of the same Mind But the publick Records these Churches are a permanent Testimony agai● them so that it 's evident the Government of the Churches being by Ministers in parity of pow● there can be no Episcopal ordination among the● 3. If Ordination performed by Ministers in p●rity of Power be not valide but Null and Voi● for the want of Prelacy then their Ministeri● Administrations are also null void as perfor●ed by non habentibus Potestatem and if so then th● great Body of Protestants have neither lawf● Pastors to Feed them nor due Administration Sacraments nor are so much as professed Chris●ans wanting Baptism the publick Badge of Ch●stianity For if Ministers be not lawfully Auth●rized and Ordained they cannot warrantably Ba●tize in the Name of the Father Son and Ho● Ghost it being a Profanation of that Ordinan● f●r any others to Administer it Let us then make Supposition that a baptized Member of the Re●rmed Churches Abroad should seriously en●uire at any of you whether he were Lawfully ●aptized or not for you give him Occasion to ●oubt whether such a Minister had Authority to ●aptize him what would be your Answer if you ●y he was not lawfully baptized because the Mi●ister wanted Episcopal-Ordination then you ●ake your selves Schismaticks of the highest ●orm Unchurching so many True Churches of ●hrist And if you say he was lawfully Baptized ●en the Minister who baptized him was lawfully ●rdained and if he was lawfully Ordained by Mi●isters in parity of Power Abroad why then are ●ot Ministers lawfully Ordained at Home being Ordained in the same manner without Episcopal Ordination And if lawfully Ordained why is Re●rdination required If you will please patiently to ●eflect on your own Way as to the Point of Re●rdination it will be hard to make one part of it ●onsist with another for if ye own the Gospel-Ad●inistrations of Ministers Ordained without a Bishop you are thereby engaged to own their Or●ination as valide And that you do acquiesce in ●heir Gospel Administrations as valid is manifest for instance if one baptized by a Presbyter who ●ever had Episcopal-Ordination shall come to ●e a Member of your Communion you require no Re-baptising and if ye have other Pre-requi● for Confirmation ye will confirm and admit ● to the Lords Supper and if afterward he s●ripen farther and be qualified for Church-●ders you will make a Minister of him this a● many other Instances are sufficient to Prove y● convinced and satisfied that the Gospel-Admi●strations of such Ministers are Valide before GO● and Man Let the Reader then Judge how congruous it is for you to require their Re-or●nation after upon the matter you have ackno●ledged the validity of their Ordination already 4. We humbly offer it to Consideration t● a Bishop over Presbyters not being by Divine stitution hath no greater Power in Ordinati● than any other Gospel-Minister because all t● Power he hath by Commission is as a Presbyter Scriptural Bishop and as such all such have qual Ministerial Power granted by the Gosp● Charter as hath been abundantly evinced alr●dy and therefore Ordination is as valide with● a Bishop as with him if a Presbytry Ordai● Which is the Scripture Patern And many Inst●ces might be given of the Ordination of Mi●sters without a Bishop Gelas in act Concil Nic● Asserteth that Presbyters Ordain though the Bisho● not present and Ambrose on the Ephes saith the sa● and your own Bishop Stilling fleet in his Iren. p● 380. 381. affordeth you plenty of such Instan● where Ordination of Ministers was performed ●ithout a Bishop And though the Kingdom of ●otland did early receive the Christian Faith yet ●e find by Johanes Major de gestis Scot. lib. 2. ●p 2. That there was no Episcopal Ordination in that ●urch before An. 430. and that they were instructed ●e Episcopis So Fordon Scot. Chron. lib. 3. cap. 8. ●nte Palladij adventum habebant Scoti fidei Doctores Sacramentorum Ministratores Presbyteros solum●odo vel Monachos ritum sequentes Eclesiae primitivae ●eir Teachers and such as administred the Sacra●ents were only Presbyters or Monks following ●e Custom of the primitive Church Having now discovered some of the strongest ●ross-bars that are laid in our Way obstructing ●r Communion in Worship with the established ●hurch We shal come