hands suddenly upon any one Hee had power therefore of the imposition of hands and to ordain Presbyters For the charge is particularly directed to him and not to them even as wee shall see it afterwards in the Church of Crete where the power of ordination is as peculiar to Titus as here to Timothy and in neither places committed to the Presbyters This therefore made one say that Their hands without His will not serve His without Theirs might An Apostle did so to him meaning to Timothy and he a Bishop might doe it to others For the Apostle doth not say here Lend thy hand to be laid on with others but appropriates it as his owne act saying even to him in particular Lay hands suddenly upon no man neither partake of other mens sias Bee there then what Presbyters there will although the Bishop and so is the practice of our Church may joyne their hands to his owne yet that they alone without him can make a man a lawfull Minister is utterly denied for a meere Presbyter or many Presbyters of themselves did never ordain others into the holy Ministery And Epiphanius gives the reason of it For how can it be saith he that a Priest should create qui potestatem imponendi manus non habet who hath no power of the imposition of hands Hierome himselfe could say Excepta ordinatione who being no fast friend to Bishops may be the better heard without suspition Quid enim facit Episcopus excepta ordinatione quod Presbyter non facit For what doth a Bishop except ordination which a Presbyter also doth not they be his owne words in an Epistle written to Evagrius And in the dayes of Athanasius when that worthy Hosius was also famous there was one Colluthus a certain Priest of Alexandria who tooke upon him to ordaine Presbyters but the Church in a generall Councell convented him and pronounced against his ordination that it was no other then a meere Nullity Quo pacto igitur Presbyter Ischyras aut quo tandem authore constitutus nunquid scilicet a Collutho saith Athanasius in his second Apologie Ischyras was no Priest because ordained by Colluthus He is therefore not onely opposed whilst hee had the holy cup in his hand but even devested afterwards of his pretended orders and with all the rest which Colluthus undertooke to maâ—e put amongst the Laicks ranked in their order and under their name admitted to the holy Supper But some perhaps will say that Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13.3 received imposition of hands by the Presbyters of Antioch and therefore meere Presbyters may ordaine No sure never a jot the more for this Imposition of hands was for more causes then one both Paul and Barnabas were in the Ministery before this and therefore by that which was now done they received not their consecration into holy orders It may rather be said that Paul had his ordination from Ananias a certaine Disciple of Damascus because he before this came and laid his hands upon him as we read in Act. 9.17 But neither was this to ordaine him into holy orders in regard that his calling was immediate and therefore saith he to those of Galatia that he was an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Iesus Christ God the Father Gal. 1.1 And to the Corinthians That he was not inferior to the very chiefe Apostles as he hath likewise told us in the 2. Cor. 12.13 What then It is true that God gave extraordinary gifts in those dayes even to the healing of the sicke and curing of the diseased in which regard S. Paul being blinde through the bright lustre of the vision is cured when Ananias comes laies his hands upon him and is also filled with the holy Ghost which seems to be for the strengthening of him after his conversion and for his settlement in Religion and the saith of Christ for we see that it was done by the speciall appointment of God and not so much before hee went abroad to preach as before hee was received into the Church by holy Baptisme yea the whole businesse was extraordinary even in respect of the instrument who had an immediate direction and an extraorinary gift to doe in this all that he did be it for what it will And as for them at Antioch they were not onely teachers but Prophets by whom the Holy Ghost declared likewise that they must separate Barnabas and Saul from the rest of the Ministers or Disciples there and not now make them Ministers that they were before yet because they must bee gone from them and goe further abroad among the Gentiles they solemnly commend them to the grace of God for they fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them and let them goe the expresse words of the text so that this may be rather termed a Manumission then an Ordination And all this while the way is plaine But there is yet a place in the first Epistle to Timothy chap. 4. verse 14. which is also urged to prove that Presbyters may ordaine the words being taken by some as if Timothy received his consecration into holy Orders by the hands of Presbyters But if Saint Paul may be suffered to be his owne interpreter he afterward shewes us that this was otherwise for I put thee in remembrance saith he that thou stirre up the gift of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands 2 Tim. 1.6 His then were the hands that ordained Timothy and according thereunto is the charge that hee also gave to the said Timothy when he bade him Lay hands suddenly upon no man there being no one word to invest every ordinary Presbyter with the like power What is it then The text objected saith not Neglect not the gift that is in thee c. by the imposition of the hands of the Presbyters nor by the imposition of the hands of a Presbytery but by the imposition of the hands of Presbytery that is by the laying upon thee the hands of Ordination termed the hands of Presbytery or Priesthood because that 's the office into which the party consecrated is then ordained more then which cannot bee fairely gathered thence especially seeing the Apostle doth so clearly put the matter out of doubt by saying that his were the hands that ordained Timothy as in that before I have already shewed And indeed if Timothy were ordained by a Presbytery then by more then one but Saint Paul in that other place hath said that his hands and no other were imposed on him Nor is this but granted even by Calvin himselfe to be the right sense of the place as in the fourth booke of his Institutions at the third Chapter is manifest But leaving Timothy looke next at Titus the large Island of Crete is expresly committed to his peculiar charge in which were many Cities and he expresly said to be set over them all no mention being made of any other For For this cause left I
more eminent then his other Disciples for if the Seventy and the Twelve had been in all things equall Christ had surely mentioned more Thrones then twelve when he said You that have followed me in the Regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit in the Throne of his glory shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Mat. 19.28 It is true indeed that even those 70. were Ministers of the Gospel but those Twelve were as it were the Patriarches of the Church and noted still by an Article of eminence as one worthily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Twelve for thus in Scripture we finde them mentioned These therefore were Stars without doubt of the greatest magnitude and in that regard as when the vision concerned the seven Churches of Asia in particular it deciphers out the Angels thereof by Seven Starres to note out the Governours or Bishops there as shall bee afterwards shewed So when it concernes the Church in generall the glorious woman is brought forth with a Crowne of twelve Stars upon her head in honour of the twelve Apostles Rev. 12.1 It is recorded likewise in the first Chapter of the Acts that when a place was void among the Twelve by reason of the transgression of the traytor Judas another is elected by the casting of a Lot to succeed him in his charge which is in expresse words said tobe a Bishopricke as at the 20 verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is And his Bishopricke let another take Now the one of those who were nominated or presented hereunto that the choyce might be made was Ioseph called Barsabas whose Sirname was Iustus and hee as Dorothcus in his Synopsis mentions was one of the seventy Disciples Besides this is also true that other of the Ministery had the holy Ghost but these were so eminent as that they gave it The proofe is plain in Philip the Evangelist who as the said Auther saith was one likewise of the Seventie for though hee preached wrought miracles according to the extraordinary gifts of those times converted and baptized the Samaritanes yet neverthelesse till Peter and Iohn came down and prayed and laid their hands on them they received not the holy Ghost as is expresly written in the 8. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles at the 14 15 16 and 17 verses But proceed we further the Apostles are still carefull to doe the work for which they are sent they plant therefore Mother-Churches in Mother-Cities they ordaine them Presbyters and so long as they themselves take the chiefe care of those Churches they have no other Bishops to govern them no otherwise then in common for even the whole company were invested with a kind of oversight in the Apostles absence whilst things were in fieri though afterwards when they were in facto such as these were rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as is plaine enough and needs no question but in the mean while for this cause it was that the name as yet was promiscuously given to the whole Bench of Presbyters where the Apostles still were head and had set up none in particular above the rest An example whereof is in that of S. Paul to the Philippians chap. 1. vers 1. and in some place also where a particular Bishop was appointed the name for a while is still in common as wee see in the 1 Tim. 3.1 and in Titus chap. 1. v. 7. But it is not the name that we strive for the thing is that which makes the difference for though the name of Bishop was not suddenly appropriated to one more then another yet the thing it selfe was insomuch that the Bishoprick where the Apostles had ordained Presbyters was still to them in chiefe untill they began to set up were out or otherwise to with-draw upon occasion of planting in some other parts of the world which when they did both the name and office were then more neerly connected and distinct the office fully and the name as fully too even quickly after And without question this not well observed makes some talke strangely and bestirre them madly for a Parity urging upon us Scripture to none or little purpose The first that was setled was Iames Bishop of Ierusalem one of the Apostles under whom his Presbyters was the Church of Ierusalem his Deacon was S. Steven as Ignatius Epist ad Trall mentions This was his peculiar charge and for this Church they first provided before their departure from it And when sometimes after this they have occasion to come up thither James is mentioned as one setled there Gal. 1.18 His name is put in the first place because that was his peculiar charge Gal. 2.9 which at verse 12. is more manifest when S. Peter by the direction of S. Iames withdrawes himself from eating with the Gentiles We read also of S. Paul how at his last journey to Ierusalem hee went to James where hee and his Presbyters were assembled and takes advice from him because of his setled abode in that place how hee ought to behave himselfe towards those of the Circumcision which beleeved Act. 21.19 Afterwards although not presently Timothy and Titus are made Bishops the one of Ephesus the other of Crete And first for Timothy he is commanded to charge the preachers of Ephesus that they teach no other doctrine then was prescribed 1. Tim. 1.3 Now if Timothy were but an equall Presbyter with the rest who would not think how equally apt the rest would be to bid him keep within his own compasse and not to meddle with them Nor doe we but read againe at the third Chapter vers 10. that he must examine the Deacons and let them minister if they be found blamelesse And in the next Chapter at the 12. verse he is charged both to command and teach And in the Chapter after this at the 17. verse hee must see that the painfull Presbyters bee respectively used and liberally maintained And at the 19. verse he hath power to censure ill deserving Presbyters but upon faire grounds for hee may not receive an accusation against a Presbyter under two or three witnesses and will any man thinke that this could bee done without the power of a Iurisdiction Then at the next verse when he findes a Presbyter convicted by such testimony as aforesaid he may he must rebuke him before all that others also may feare This made that Father Epiphanius haeres 75. say not onely that the Divine speech of the Apostle teacheth who is a Bishop and who is a Presbyter in saying to Timothy Rebuke not an Elder but also How could a Bishop rebuke a Presbyter if he had no power over a Presbyter Then at the next verse hee is strictly charged to observe these things without preferring one before another and to doe nothing partially A plain proofe againe of his power and authority over the rest And finally in the verse after this he is forbidden to lay
thee in Crete that thou shouldest put in order the things that are wanting and ordaine Presbyters in every City as I appointed thee Tit. 1.5 Titus was therefore a Bishop at the least and hath the power of Ordination as in this first testimony is more then manifest Besides it is to Titus that the authority is given to stop the mouths of false teachers and to convince them sharply that they may be sound in the faith verse 11.13 And again upon him is the charge laid to reject an heretick after he had beene once or twice admonished as in the third Chapter at the tenth verse So then though the Diocesse was large and the Clergy numerous yet he is in power above them all Idem Ministerium sed diversa potestas But come we next to the Seven Churches of Asia which are ruled by their Seven Angels although at the same time they had in them their other Pastors All as one speaketh were Angels in respect of their Ministery one was the Angell in respect of his fixed superiority For the Apostles that planted Churches in Cities left them to one Bishop and the rule is according to Gods word that there be one Angell to watch over the City and Country belonging to it and so we see it here in these Seven Churches where each Angell answers for the whole City as one Temple committed to him And therefore as is worthily avouched the Pope that will be over all Cities and Diotrephes that will be under none that is he who rejects equals and he that receives no superiours are equally proud of an unjust preheminence The evasion which some have sought is very poore to one that is say they to more To one Angel that is collectively to more Angels then one But to what purpose is it to insist any where upon propriety of speech if a man may as he pleaseth take such a lawlesse liberty of construction for without doubt no more are the Seven Angels to be taken collectively then are the seven Churches of both which Christ himselfe hath said The seven Starres are the Angels of the seven Churches and the seven Candlestickes that thou sawest are the seven Churches Rev. 1.20 And then afterwards these seven Churches are likewise named both at the 11. verse of that first Chapter as also in the two next Chapters that follow and shewed to be these viz. Ephesus Smyrna Pergamus Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea In a word the approvements charges and chalenges here made are personall and easie to be distinguished from the speeches directed to others of the same Church as in example may be seen in that which is said both to the Angel and to them of Smyrna where first the graces of that Angel are acknowledged and then to those of his Church is said that the Divell should cast some of them into prison and that they should bee tried and endure tribulation ten dayes wherein they are in generall premonished of the persecution that should befall them And then addressing to the Angel of the Church in particular the speech is to him in the singular saying Bee thou faithfull unto the death And so indeed he was for Polycarpus was then the Angel of Smyrna and died Bishop there being crowned with the royall wreath of Martyrdome about the yeare of our Lord 170. which was 86. yeares after he began to be Bishop and to serve God in that charge the head of this beginning reaching up to the yeare of Christ 84. which was ten yeares before S. Iohn received his Revelation hee is poore in reading that shall deny it and rich in wrangling that will not grant it making thereby Ireneus and Eusebius of no better credit then the histories of Tom Thumb and Garagantua Nor is it but greatly worth the marking with what an admirable constancie that blessed Martyr continued faithfull as Eusebius largely tels the story by which without doubt he set a cleare Comment upon the Text in sticking so closely to his heavenly admonition I will instance in no more although the like may be seen in some of the rest especially in that which was said to the Angel of the Church of Thyatyra who notwithstanding those good parts services and graces which were commended in him is not a little taxed in this viz. that he suffered the woman Iezabel For mark how the words run Thou sufferest the woman Iezabel who calleth herselfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants c. Now as one worthily were he but an ordinary Presbyter unarmed with power how could hee help it Or why should hee bee charged with what hee could not redresse A A little Brasse or Copper well rub'd and furbished may glitter like gold but here are more then shewes and probabilities of imparity amongst Christs Ministers cleare testimonies of supereminent and jurisdictive power as from first to last in these few lines hath been truly made apparant Episcopacie is therefore of no other then Divine Institution and was first begun by our blessed Saviour in his twelve Apostles it hath been continued ever since by the governing of the Church with Bishops who are in this the Apostles successors and to bee continued till the end of the world He that shall deny it had need to looke better about him for setting aside some prerogatives and priviledges peculiar onely to them who were the first Apostles their calling could not bee extraordinary for if it were then how could Christ be with them untill the end of the world But lo saith he I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Matth. 28.26 And now after all this I could further back the whole with testimonies of the Ancient but the Scriptures are cleare enough without them And yet to give truth the greater luster I shall collect some few besides what of this nature hath been already and briefly set them downe S. Hierom shall be first who expounding these words in the 44. Psalm namely that In the stead of Fathers thou shalt have Children breakes forth into these words Fuerint O Ecclesia Apostoli patres tui quia ipsi te genuerunt Nunc autem quia illi recesserunt à mundo habes pro his Episcopos silios that is O Church the Apostles were thy Fathers because they begate thee But now because they have left the world thou hast in their stead Bishops and they are sonnes The same doth also S. Austin note upon the foresaid Psalme Quidest saith he pro patribus tuis nati sunt tibi filii Patres missisunt Apostoli pro Apostolis filii nati sunt tibi constituti sunt Episcopi S. Hierom againe Catol Script Eccles Epist ad Evagr. Com. in Matth. in Proem in Praefat. in Marc. though no fast friend hath left recorded that Bishops in Alexandria began whilst many of the Apostles were aliye as S. Peter and S. Paul S. James and S. Marke which last I mean S. Marke is by the confession of the said