ordain'd and placed in the Church for the spiritual Government of Mens Souls in order to Gods service here and Mans eternal Rest and Salvation hereafter And these gifts Saint Paul in the first to the Corinthians 12.28 reckons up to be eight in number First Apostles Secondarily Prophets Thirdly Teachers After Miracles then gifts of healing helps Governments diversities of Tongues Whereof five were needful only at first and so to continue but for a time But those that were to abide for ever are reduced to Three Teachers Helps Governments Priests or Presbyters to teach Deacons to help Bishops both to teach help and govern These all the Church had from the beginning and our Church blessed be God still hath them These the Synod of Carthage calls the Three degrees of the Clergy and we find frequent mention of them in all the Monuments and Records of the Church whether Provincial Synods or general Councels Publick Liturgies or private Writers Historians or Fathers Canons made for their several Offices and Administrations bounding and limiting each from other in their proper works and operations That of Presbyters and Deacons hath been less questioned but that of Bishops more disputed in late times yet who can question or doubt of their being placed in the Church by the Apostles themselves that hath with any impartial Eye read and considered either the Scripture or the ancient expositers of Scripture Timothy at Ephesus and Titus at Creet have their Episcopal Office and duty plainly described and order'd in Scripture by St. Paul The Seven Stars in Christs hand Rev. 1.20 are the Seven Angels of the Seven Churches saith Christ himself And he that considers what these Churches were of how numerous Christians of what large circuit containing several Cities and Countries can hardly doubt of what the Ancients have said That the Angels of these Churches were not only Bishops but Metropolitan Arch-Bishops Sure we are that Church Writers and Historians set down the very particular names of these Seven Angels or Bishops and not only so but their Successors for several Ages The first general Counsel of Nice from which the Nicene Creed hath its name consisted of Three Hundred and Eighteen Bishops as many as Abraham had in his Army against the Kings in the story of Genesis as St. Ambrose wittily alludes And the first general Synod calls the Government by Bishops arch-Arch-Bishops or Metropolitans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the antient guise So ancient it was that the ancient writers we have and some we have of the next Age after the Apostles mention it as universally spread over the Church and from no other at first derived than from the Apostles Nor could it indeed have been so early or so generally diffused from any less authority than theirs These are they whom St. Paul calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giving them power of ordination and of Government Rulers and Presidents Ignatius every where distinguisheth them from Presbyters and Deacons as being above them and calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Governours So doth St. Cyprian Origen Eusebius Epiphanius and who not attributing to them not only the chief place but the highest authority and power of Government Hierom himself though but a Presbyter and a zealous defender of Presbyters dignity derives the difference of degrees no lower than from the times of the Apostles for so are his words When they began to say I am of Paul I of Appollo I of Cephas then were Bishops every where placed to prevent Schism And that we may know that these Apostolical traditions are taken from the Old Testament what Aaron and his Sons and the Levites were in the Jewish Temple that Bishops Presbyters and Deacons were in the Christian Church And therefore if we will not make so learned and so religious a Person plainly contrary to himself he must be so understood in his other sayings as not to deny what he plainly affirms That Episcopal Government came from the Apostles But this hath been so fully discussed of late years in this Nation and particularly by a Person of great worth and learning at a Visitation in Cambridge to which I refer you that I shall no longer insist upon it only remind you that differences there are of Administrations that is of Offices in the Church as well as diversities of gifts and all these different Administrations high and low as well Bishops as Priests and Deacons are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the proper term of the lowest of the three the Deacons which we translate Administrations but might as well be rendred Ministeries or Services But why are they so called Surely to teach the highest of them both diligence and humility in their Office Every honour hath its burthen answerable to it and the higher the Office of Government if it be truly and conscienciously discharged the pain-fuller is its work and service 'T is an old saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Master in a great house is the greatest Servant while all they serve him in their several places he is fain to serve them all study and watch to provide for all to govern all In no house is this so true as that of the Church For whose cares studies dangers watchfulness are so great so various so perpetual as theirs if they do their duty And whose Condemnation is so great if they do it not Bishops are Generals in this Spiritual Army and yet faith St. Paul fellow Souldiers accountable to our Common Lord Christ Jesus not only for their own Souls but for others too nor is the meanest Common Souldier by the hundreth part obliged to so many cares and pains exposed to so many dangers and troubles as these Generals Rulers they are in Gods House but their ruling is for Gods service and Mans Salvation And what a load of cares and pains doth this ruling lay upon them Fathers they are in place and dignity but Brethren in love and humility they must be Stars and Angels they are called but how do the Stars run their course day and night for the service of this inferior World How do the Angels condescend to be ministring Spirits to the poorest of Gods Family Read but what our Saviour saith Matt. 20.27 Whosoever will be chief amongst you must be your Servant even as the Son of Man came to Minister and to give his life a ransom for many Read what Saint Paul saith 2 Cor. 11.23 to the 30. and you will surely confess that the highest Offices in Gods Church are the most painful dangerous services Ministeries truly so called so truly that the Ancient Bishops entering that Office might truly say nolo Episcopari But the more painful their service is the greater ought to be their honour both of inward respect and outward maintenance All that are under these Ministeries or Administrations ought to take heed of despising them for this reason because they are Ministeries but rather honour them because they are over you in the Lord. The higher
no true Rest to be expected But our pretenders to the Spirit who call the Scriptures a dead letter boast of new inspirations and endanger greatly the bringing in confusion amongst Men and disturbances into States and Kingdoms the Governours whereof having no other authority than what is either founded or agreeable to the word or will of God it will still be in the power of each pretender to deliver Oracles out of his own breast as the immediate dictates of Gods Spirit quite contrary to the safety and interest of that Government which any where is or may be established And so the peace of Kingdoms must be as uncertain and changeable as the phansies of Men and the Laws as alterable as Testaments are while the Testator lives every illuminate breast pretending to come like Moses from God in Sinai with new Tables of divine Commandements which must abolish and exclude the old but it is our great comfort blessed be God that the publick Doctrine established in the Church of England is at this day such that it is not chargeable with any one thing contrary to any part of that duty which a Christian owes either to God or Man Let these pretenders consider what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man to profit withal As if he should have said let no Man pretend to the Spirit for any other end or purpose save for what it was given and that was not to procure himself glory not to separate from his Brethren not to pride and puff up himself by despising and scorning others but to advance the glory of God and promote his own and others salvation If what thou hast or pretends to have be given the honour is the givers and the receiver must give an account how he hath used what he hath received Now in order to the procuring this eternal Rest there are indeed in the Church several gifts in several men different Offices and divers operations which look at first as if they proceeded from several principles and tended to division but as all this variety tends to unity so all indeed proceeds from unity Unity in Trinity one and the same God truly distinguisht into three Persons but always united into the same God-head But what Rest may those Men expect who dig at the foundation of our Religion and stick not to deny that blessed Trinity into whose worship and in whose name we are Baptized The name of the Father the Son and Holy Ghost To which three Sacred Persons we so often say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost These are the Three which said to each other when they made Man Gen. 1. Let us make Man after our Image in our likeness These are they which manifested themselves at our Lords Baptisme joyning again to renue that Image in which we were made The Father in the voice the Son owned by that voice the Spirit in the Dove abiding on him These are that Holy Holy Holy to whom the Seraphims in Isaiah under the old Testament gave all glory These are they to whom the Angels and Saints in Heaven sing that Anthem of praise in the Revelations This is the sum of Christian Religion and that which brings Rest and peace eternal to all that well understand and receive it And therefore the Council of Nice ordained that the Literae formatae or Commendatory Letters which were the solemn warrants of entertainment and hospitality between Christians should be subscrib'd by these Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denoting the Trinity and their faith who carried those Letters There are three saith St. John that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one and the same God blessed for ever One Essence according to what our Lord hath said I and the Father are one Thus to believe highly concerns us all because of all errors none so pernicious none so intolerable as those which concern the first fountain whence all things flow and the last end to which all things tend Derive all from the blessed Trinity ascribe and refer the glory of all to the blessed Trinity and then we shall come to enjoy him in blessed rest and happiness whom we thus believe adore and honour St. Paul tells us 1 Cor. 12.8 That there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit differencies of administrations but the same Lord diversities of operations but it is the same God that worketh all in all This should stand as a great argument of Unity and Charity amongst our selves Humility and Thankfulness to God who hath made us partakers in several measures and degrees of these gifts these administrations these operations that though our gifts and places and works are very different and unequal yet they come all from the same Spirit Lord and God who wisely governs and orders all things by his Council here below The Apostle tells us v. 8. To one is given the word of wisdom a special ability of understanding To another the word of knowledge to interpret the mystical senses and veiled meanings of holy Scripture To another Faith or a firm belief to work all miracles To another the gift of healing a peculiar power to cure diseases without the help of Physick To another the working of Miracles such as was the delivering Hymineus and Philetus to be afflicted by Satan the striking Elymas blind and Ananias and Saphira dead To another diverse kinds of Tongues the gift of speaking several and strange Languages which he was never taught And all this worketh that one and the same Spirit who divides his several gifts to several Men according to his good pleasure Other Scriptures tell us the same as that of St. Matt. 25.15 The Master of the house gave to one Servant five Talents to another two to another one to every one according to his several ability He gives such and so much as he sees every Man is fit to make use of to Gods glory and the Common good Thus God will shew himself both a free donor and a wise disposer of all things For if one Man should have all abilities and others few or none of any worth the World might seem to be guided either by blind fortune or fatal necessity but now that Men have their several Offices and their several abilities by which they are each fitted for anothers service and all for the beauty and benefit of the whole frame the hand of divine providence appears in the disposing of them God would have Men take notice of their gifts and of their defects that by the one they may learn humility and by the other thankfulness For if any one had all parts he would be too proud of his perfections and begin to think he needed not the supply of Gods farther favours who had so much of his own already Again if any Man were destitute of all Gods gifts and mercies he would want
powers Kings themselves are twice called by this very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Ministers of God Rom. 13. The Angels are called Ministring Spirits yet are still Principalities and Powers Thrones and Dominions Nay our Lord himself whilst he was yet on Earth in the form of a Servant is called by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God This must teach those in this high place humility and diligence but others it must teach obedience and thankfulness to esteem them highly for their works sake to obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves because they watch for your Souls as they that must give an account He that desires the Office of a Bishop desires a good work saith St. Paul Good indeed and a work indeed To govern and guide so many flocks and their Pastors with zeal to God and Charity to Man with unwearied patience and humility without corruption or partiality through favour or fear of high or low small or great poor or rich to govern and teach wisely and diligently to look so carefully to ordination that all the truth and none but the truth be constantly preached and the service of God be constantly performed with all reverence free from prophaness with all purity free from superstition That the Sacraments and discipline of the Church be administred in their power and beauty all this is a work indeed as full of labour and care as of honour Even the lower Administrations those of Presbyters and Deacons have not they their work too They have sure in their several places enough to spend their time and Spirits wholly in if they do their duty The Presbyter hath a great share of all The Bishops work is in a great part committed to him and would the People make that use of Gods Ministers which their Eternal Rest and Salvation requires it would quickly be found that preaching were not half of the Ministers work and care And yet Preaching is no small work To instruct clearly in all the Mysteries of Faith to exhort earnestly and affectionately to all the duties of life and practice to convince so many numerous errors as daily arise to rebuke and reprove so many sins and sinful Persons without fear of the great or the many to comfort the feeble minded to humble the haughty to stir up the slothful and temper the furious to uphold the falling and relieve the wavering and reduce the wandering to stop the mouths of so many and subtil gainsayers from the Atheist to the Schismatick from the Prophane to the Superstitious to clear those Obscurities to answer those difficulties remove those scandals which so many Men in weakness or wilfulness are subject to and to second all this with a life unblameable this certainly is a work of great variety study and pains and yet a work so necessary it is that better for us we had no gifts nor Ministry at all than not to perform it and the more it behoves the rest of the World not to hinder not to discourage not sacrilegiously to rob not to perplex us in this our work but to strive to make it as comfortable to us and as fruitful to your selves as you can seeing the end of these Ministeries these services these works the end of all our labour is to bring you to endless Rest All our abilities all our gifts are from the same Spirit all our works are wrought by the same Lord who worketh all in all that is well wrought both in him that writes and him that reads both in him that speaks and him that hears in him that is governed and in him that governs if this be so let us banish all pride If our gifts and places and works be never so high never so many Envy if our gifts and places seem never so few and low for what are the highest amongst us but the instruments and servants of this supreme donor and mover receiving all from him accountable for all to him And how can the lowest and meanest murmur or object any thing against it since they that have the lowest and meanest have it a gift and could not challenge it as due but have it by the wise disposal of that Lord whose wisdom knoweth what is fittest for each and whose goodness bestows that which is most fit and the meaner or less gifts and places any one hath the more easily is both his work and his account Away then with haughty Pride or mutinous Envy Let not one say with repining regret I am slow in apprehension weak in memory shallow in judgment whilst others are quick tenacious and solid I have neither wealth to buy voluminous Authors nor arts nor parts as others have to dive into those difficulties and obscurities and gain a clear solution of them as others have Nor let others say in haughty contempt of their inferiors or meaner Brethren how mean are such and such compared with me in graces and places I can lead my amazed Auditors whither I will with my eloquent Tongue whilst others freez in their Pulpits and tire their Auditors into wearisomness and drowsiness But let the one and the other say These are gifts freely bestowed where it pleaseth the giver and who shall say unto him what doest thou with thy own He owes nothing to any who can demand any thing of him as his due He is the supreme Wisdom who shall direct him in his Counsel where and how to dispose and bestow his gifts The supreme Lord who shall command him where and how to dispose and order his Administrations He is the only Almighty God who shall accuse his work of weakness or defect Let the lowest and meanest remember to say Though God hath denied me this or that which others have yet hath he given me something which others want He hath not given me an high place but he hath given me that retirement and safety of which those that are in high places are bereaved He hath denied me promotion but given me that health which they that are preferred before me would willingly purchase On the other side let those that have highest gifts and places say to themselves Why should we boast of our Lords bounty and not rather tremble to think of ascribing that to our selves which is his free gift and dispensation least he take it away when he sees it abused or if he continue it condemn us the heavier for being unthankful Since it is thus ordered by the wise disposer of all things let one and the other remember that all are the Spirits Almsmen in their gifts The Lord's Ministers in their Offices Gods Workmen in their works and thus when every one shall be contented with his Talent each one shall find peace and quiet and Rest within him here and be qualified for eternal Rest hereafter The World hath many pretenders to this Rest and those so contrary one to another that their very pretences to