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A59284 The interest of Scotland in three essays ... Seton, William, Sir, d. 1744. 1700 (1700) Wing S2650; ESTC R15555 38,798 124

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be found in either of them it is very surprising that ever since the Reformation in this Island there have been two Parties which have set up for different Schemes of Church-Government the one called Presbyterian and the other Episcopal and that either of them hath been so zealous for establishing its Government that nothing will please either of them if its Government be not of Divine Institution by which the one Party can damn the other But upon what grounds either of them can call it's Church Government Jure Divino if it is not institute in every point by God as the Jewish Government was I cannot comprehend For First That Church Government which is from God must be revealed by him to his People some way or other but no Scheme of Church Government hath as yet been revealed Therefore all Church Government must be of Humane Institution That no Scheme of Church Government is yet revealed is evident because there 's none in all the New Testament unless we are perswaded that when we read the words Bishop Deacon Diaconess we have found the very individual Scheme of Government that was in use amongst the Apostles For my part I understand no more of their Church Government by reading these words than one can understand of the Civil Government of Scotland if he heard only of a President of Council or of some Officers of State Secondly If the Apostles had constitute a Church Government after which we were obliged to model one as if it were immediatly from God surely we must understand it in all its parts otherwise we cannot follow it in all its Form but the Practice of the Apostles in constituting their Church Government is but little known to us therefore it 's impossible for us to follow their Practice in forming a Church Government Nor do we follow at present the Practice of the Apostles in as far as we know it otherwise there should be no Bishop by virtue of a Conge d'es lire nor should the Presbyterian Government want Diaconesses and other Officers which were in Use in the Primitive Churches because by the same Authority we either add or diminish from the Practice of the Apostles in Church Government if it be an Article of Faith by the same Authority we can change their Practice altogether Lastly I cannot believe that any particular Form of Church Government is prescribed to all particular Churches otherwise we may reasonably suppose that the Apostles who have been at the pains to writ down all that is necessary to be believed would not have omitted to leave it to Posterity Seeing then that we have no Scheme of Church-Government in the Scripture where must we go next to prove either the Episcopal or Presbyterian Government to be of Divine Institution I suppose it must be from the practice of the Fathers of the first Centuries but if they were Men like unto our selves capable of Error and Folly I hope their practice will be of no more Authority than they had reason on their side That the Fathers of the first Centuries were Men fallible like unto our selves may be proved by these two considerations First They have erred in points of the greatest Consequence Justin Mar tyr the most ancient of all the Fathers next to Clemens Romanus was of Opinion that the Saints should Reign a Thousand Years in Jerusalem before the Resurrection should be accomplished Which was the Opinion of the Chiliasts condemned by all the Orthodox Ireneus mantained Iren. contra Hoer that our Saviour was above Fourty Years when he suffered Death contrary to what we are taught by the Evangelists Clemens Alexandrinus believed lib. 1. Strom. that the Angels fell in Love with the first Women and that this Love transported them so far as to make them indiscreetly to discover unto them many secrets which they ought to have concealed The reason I suppose made honest Clemens entertain such a Notion was that the Women in his days were more reserved in discourse than they are at present Tertulian against all Reason lib. 1. Adver Marc. makes God subject to the same passions that we are subject to And Cyprian who was Turtllian's admirer hath mantained many of his ridiculous Opinions Secondly they have been at great Variance amongst themselves and mantained different Opinions of great moment Justin Martyr and Ireoeneus promised us the pleasures of a new Jerusalem upon Earth for a Thousand Years whilst Dionisius Alexandrinus and St. Hierome laught't at them for fools But grant that we should follow the practice of the Fathers In Church-Government let us see what we can learn from their Writings To perswade us that there were many Bishops in one Church we have both the Authority of the Holy Scriptures and of Clemens Romanus Epist 1. ad Cor. Yet Ignatius Tertullian and Cyprian affirm that there was and ought to be but one Bishop in a Church at a time Now whether to believe these Fathers or the Holy Scriptures or to reconcile them both by telling that the words Bishop and Presbyter were used promiscuously is left to the Discretion of every disputing Divine A whole Church did meet together to manage their own Affairs when the Schism of Felicissimus was to be debated it was to be done according to the Will of the People and by the consent of the Laity as Cyprian witnesseth in his 10 Epist but either this was the Custom of all the particular Christian Churches or only that of Carthage if it was the Universal Custom we don't know and that it was the practice of the Carthaginian Church doth not bind all other Churches to follow it If Presbyters had not the same Inhaerent Right to perform all the Ecclesiastical Offices which the Bishops had I don't understand why Cyprian being Exiled Writes Epist 5. to his Clergy exhorting and begging of them to discharge their own and his Office too that so nothing might be wanting either to Discipline or Diligence Nevertheless according to the present practice where Episcopacy is in fashion no body can ordain but a Bishop Presbyters were not Estential to the Constitution of a Church for Tertullian in his Exhort ad Castitatcm sayeth that where there are no Presbyters the Bishop alone Administers the two Sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism Yet how there can be a Bishop without Presbyters if the word Bishop be taken in the sense it is used now a dayes must be the same thing as if a Man could be called the Father of a Familie who had none When Cyprian maketh an Apology to his Presbytery or Commune Concilium as he termeth it for ordaining Aurelins a Lector without their consent we don't know whether it be out of Civility to them or out of his duty the words are Epst 38. In ordinationibus clericis solemus vos ante consulere mores ac merita singulorum communi consilio ponderare c. where the Word solemus may be taken as if in duty he ought to do so