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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	bishop_n	church_n	ephesus_n	1,251	5	11.4920	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20683	A defence of church gouernment Dedicated to the high Court of Parliament. Wherein, the church gouernment established in England, is directly proued to be consonant to the word of God, and that subiects ought of dutie to conforme themselues to the state ecclesiasticall. Together with, a defence of the crosse in baptisme; as it is vsed in our Church, being not repugnant to the word: and by a consequent, the brethren which are silenced, ought to subscribe vnto it, rather then to burie their talents in the ground. By Iohn Doue, Doctour of Diuinity.	Dove, John, 1560 or 61-1618.	1606 (1606)	STC 7081; ESTC S110107	58,733	80

schisme must not be Rom. 14. 1. Cor. 10. laide vpon the state which is well aduised but vpon their weaknesse which will not be perswaded when they are perswaded which are men wedded to their owne opinions or that I may speake more mildely of them which either cannot or will not reforme their iudgements But for the better satisfaction of our Christian brethren we will not refuse to yeeld reasons of our gouernment albeit it hath beene so long by law established and for the iustification of our state we will by Gods assistance proue it in the chapters following to stand with the lawes of the holy Bible As namely that the state of Archbishops and Bishops which hath continued among vs euer since wee first receiued the Gospel had their institution from God himselfe whereas parish Churches are mans inuention and the gouernment of the Presbitery is not onely repugnant to the lawes of the holy Scriptures but also preiudiciall to the state of a Kingdome A defence of Church gouernment established in England Of Eldership ALl would be in title as high as Aaron all would bee gouernours rather then priuate Ministers but because the keyes of the Church are not committed vnto all which be of the ministerie therfore some of our brethren being discontented with the present state make it now a question whether the Church of right ought to be ordered by elders as it is in Geneua or by Diocesan Lord Bishoppes as it is in England I cannot denie but the gouernment of the Church is committed to Elders in the new Testament where the Apostle saith The elders which rule well are worthy of double honour 1. Tim. 5. 17. especially they which labour in the word and doctrine But the disputation is between vs and our brethren which stand for the eldership whether these elders were lay men of trades worldly vocations as they be now in Geneua or preachers ecclesiasticall persons whether this Eldership was an annuall or a perpetuall office whether they ought their yeare being ended to relinquish that office and so to returne to their trades and occupations as they doe in Geneua or else to continue the whole terme of their liues They alleage for the establishing of their laye Presbyterie that because Saint Paul vseth these wordes especially they which labour in the word therefore two sortes of Elders are there included some learned and preaching Ministers some vnlearned and therefore vnpreaching and silent gouernors Therefore to come to the true construction of this text and due vnderstanding of the words which may be consonant and agreeable both to the analogy of faith and of that place the doctrine of the Apostle includeth two things a thesis or generall conclusion and afterward a particular exposition of that thesis or generall conclusion by a kinde of epanorthosis or reuocation of himselfe by a restraint and limitation of that generall doctrine shewing how farre it is to be vnderstood as namely that if they labour in the word and doctrine they are worthy of double honour but if they labour not in the word hee vouchsafeth them no double honour So that out of these wordes can be collected no such distinction as they doe imagine of preaching elders and gouerning elders which are no preachers but of gouerning elders both of them preachers one sort which laboureth in the word the other which preacheth also but laboureth not in preaching For it is one thing to be a preacher and another thing to labour in preaching And what it is to labour in preaching he expoundeth in an other place where hee saith I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ which shall iudge the quicke and the dead 2 Tim. 4. at his appearing and in his Kingdome preach the word bee instant in season and out of season The Greeke word is copiontes which is as much as to indure the heate and burthen of the day to take extraordinary paines in the ministery But that the writings of the Apostles acknowledge neither annuall nor lay elders my reasons are these Because eldership is a lawfull ministery therefore it is of God but a man which is called of God vnto the ministerie may not after the expiration of one yeare or at his own pleasure be discharged of that calling or by any warrant from men play the Iordan to start backe againe For that were with Demas to forsake Saint Pauls fellowshippe and to Psal 114. 2. Tim. 4. 1. Cor. 3. Luke 9. 62 imbrace this present world This ministrie is the Lords husbandry that is the Lords plough and hauing once laid their hands to this plough if they looke backe they make themselues vnfit for the kingdome of God God calleth no man whom he furnisheth not with some talents more or fewer and these talents may not rust But Matt. 25. Act. 8. such lay elders haue no talents at all committed vnto them And therefore I say vnto them as Saint Peter did to Simon Magus They haue no part nor fellowshippe in this businesse The Church must be ordered accorcing to the precepts and examples of holy writ but wee haue neither example for instance that euer there was nor precept out of Gods booke for warrant that euer there may be any such lay eldership But to the contrary we abound in examples and 1. Pet. 5. Iohn 2. Epist 1. Act. 20. haue expresse commandements Saint Peter a preacher calleth himselfe an elder and chargeth other elders to feede the flocke Saint Iohn a preacher calleth himselfe an elder in his epistle to the elect Lady Saint Paul chargeth the elders of Ephesus to feede the Church of God which he purchased Tit. 1. with his blood And to Titus he giueth charge that he appoint ouer euery Citie Elders and hee sheweth that by such elders he meaneth Bishops which must be able to exhort with wholesome doctrine and to conuince them which say against it Deacons which be of an inferiour calling in the Church must not be lay men but able to preach much more then Elders which haue an higher office and as they be their selues consecrated by imposition of hands so haue their authority to lay their handes vpon Deacons and consecrate them But concerning Deacons the Apostles speake in this manner Choose you out 7. men of honest report full of the holy Act. 6. Ghost and wisedome whom we may appoint to this businesse and we will giue our selues continually to prayer and the ministration of the word In these words full of wisedome they meane not worldly but heauenly wisedome which is the knowledge of the Scriptures but whosoeuer hath such fulnesse of knowledge and vnderstanding of the Bible is very able to preach And where the Apostles say we wil giue our selues continually to praier ministration of the word it doth not follow that therefore the deacons being appointed to their office of Deaonship did wholy neglect preaching and the ministration of the word no more

And no ciuil magistrate in Councels assemblies for Church causes can be chief moderatour Iudge or gouernour And no ciuil magistrate hath such authoritie as that without his consent it should not be lawful for Ecclesiasticall persons to make any Church orders or ceremonies For as much therfore as God hath established kingdomes but a presbytery and a kingdome cannot both stand together because one standing the other falleth They are enemies not onely to Gods ordinance but also to the state of Kings which goe about to establish this Eldership in a kingdome Of Diocesan Bishops MAister Iacob in his Booke of reformation obiecteth against the state of Bishops and Cathedrall Churches that of right there are no Diocesan but onely parochiall Bishops that the authoritie iurisdiction and rites of a Bishop are no other then belongeth to all parsons of parish Churches and consequently that euery parson is a Bishop That there is no visible Church ministeriall besides the parish Churches and that they as depending vpon no other nor subiect to any other nor parts or members of any other haue absolute authoritie and power as wel of gouernment as of teaching within themselues and so consequently there are no cathederal Churches And as one absurditie being granted a thousand will followe so vpon these proemises which without proofe he taketh for granted he inferreth these fiue conclusions to the slander of our state as absord as the proemises were That the case standing thus 1. Our Bishops be no Christians for saith he euery Christian is a pastour or one of the people of the people they denye themselues to be and pastours they are not 2. Being not lawfull Diocesan Bishops much lesse may they be Lord Bishops 3. Hauing no lawfull authoritie nor calling their selues they cannot conferre Ecclesiasticall orders and lay handes vpon others and so consequently our ministers by them ordered haue no lawefull ministerie 4. That by their meanes wee are defrauded of a mayne point of our ordinarie meanes of saluation which is the true Ecclesiesticall discipline 5. That in our state Christ is robbed and spoiled of some parts of his kingly and propheticall office his kingly office being to appoint vs and his prophetical office being to teach vs solely of himselfe the true Ecclesiasticall gouernmēt which our Bishops take from him and ascribe vnto men altering that discipline and gouernment which he alone as king hath appointed and as a Prophet hath taught in his holy word which cōclusions because they are inferred vpō false groūds the grounds being shaken the conclusions will fall of themselues Therefore let vs come to the examination of these grounds to shewe how weake and vnsufficient a foundation they be to build vpon He impugneth the Church state of Bishops first by shew of argument secondly by his own idle conceits vaine coniectures and imaginations He maketh shew of two arguments the first is this that the state of Bishops is a breach of the 2. commandement and by a consequent idolatrie For in this cōmandement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image thou shalt not bow down to it nor worship it saith he are forbidden all meanes being humane inuentiōs wherby men would giue honour to the true God But one of these meanes of diuine worship being an humane inuention he saith to be the state of Bishops our Diocesan prouincial Churches vsing gouernment with the ministeries offices proper to them For answer to which argument I denie the MINOR proposition which consisteth of 2. parts meanes of diuine worship humane inuention And because he bringeth no proofe of his MINOR being the subiect of his disputation which all opponents ought to doe I will disproue it and each part of it And first Diocesan prouinciall Churches vsing gouernment and their ministeries which are of Archbishops Bishops were neuer intended by the founders of them nor vsed by the officers ministers of them nor held by the defendours maintainers of them nor conceiued by men of vnderstanding to be any meanes of diuine worship but of gouernment God can be and is worshipped without these and was worshipped as sincerely as now hee is when they were not but the Ecclesissticall state vnder a kingdome cannot be peaceably gouerned without these God is worshipped alike in Geneua and in England though this gouernment and these offices are not in Geneua which are in England And God is worshipped as sincerely and as fully and amplely in our parish Churches as in our cathederal churches and by ordinarie pastors as by Bishops so that their ministeries and high callings doe not afforde them any greater or other meanes to worship God then they had when they were first admitted to be priuate ministers But their places and high callings do strengthen and arme them with authoritie for the better gouerning of the churches which are committed to them wheras being but priuate ministers they had no such charge of gouernment These things therefore are not morall or doctrinall therefore belong not vnto worship but politicall and therefore belong vnto gouernment And according to the course of the holy Bible that which is politicall that which is morall being of sundrie natures are to be distinguished the one from the other God in his word established 3. lawes among his people one politicall which did bind the Iewes to the obseruation of it but it was not imposed vpon other nations that they should be bound to receiue it further then that it might stand with the peace and good of the state The other ceremoniall which was to abide in force till the cōming of our Sauiour and by his death to be abolished so that now ceremonies vnder the Gospell doe cease excepting those only which serue not for worship but decensie comlinesse and good order and so the primitiue Church did in the dayes of the Apostles and the Church of Geneua now doth deuise ceremonies witnes their owne Booke of Lawes and that all 1. Cor. 11. Churches may doe the like witnes Caluin Beza Vrsinus their owne Doctors The third morall which containeth rules of Gods worship which was from the beginning and must continue as a patterne of holines to the ende and bindeth all to the obseruation of it But this is no part of that lawe and all these three Lawes differ in nature one from the other Secondly that such Churches and Church offices are not humane inuentions I proue by euident demonstration For the first Church ministeriall that euer was had ordination from God which was the Church of the Iewes vnder Aaron and his successours and that Church was both Diocesan and prouinciall and also nationall hauing all rites and iurisdiction which a Diocesan or prouinciall or nationall church euer had or coulde haue Also vnder the Gospell Saint Paul by warrant from the holy Ghost appointed Timothy a prouinciall Bishop of Ephesus hauing many Bishops vnder him and Titus a nationall Bishop ouer all the kingdome of

Crete hauing many Churches and Bishops vnder him witnesse Tit. 1. 5. 1 Tim. 1. 3 Eeseb hist l. 3. c. 4. not onely the Scriptures but also Eusebius his wordes being these Timotheus sanè primus Ephesinae paraechiae sicut Titus Cretensium Ecclesiarum Episcopatum sortitus scribitur Timothy was the first Bishop of the whole praecinct of Ephesus in as ample manner as Titus of all the Churches of Creete Thus haue I freed our Church Gouernment vnder Diocesan and Prouinciall Bishops from that slanderous imputation of idolatry seeing their institution is of God and no way opposite to his commandement In his second argument he defineth that onely to be a visible Church which is indued with outward spirituall gouernment And so concludeth that there can be no Diocesan or Prouinciall or Nationall Church nor by a consequent any such Bishop but onely parish Churches and by the like consequent parish Bishops The reason of this sequell he produceth onely this Because if there might be such Diocesan or Prouinciall or Nationall Churches ministeriall or indued with Church gouernment then also would it follow that there might be a Catholike or vniuersall Church visible ministeriall and so by a consequent the Papists might lawfully inforce a Catholike gouernment and so establish the Papacie againe To the sequell of which sequell I answer it is no good consequence that it being granted one may be a Bishop ouer one Diocesse Prouince or Nation therefore one may bee a Bishoppe ouer the world For first one Bishoppe cannot gouerne the whole worlde consisting of manie Kingdomes Oligarchies and Democraticall states and subiect to seuerall Princes and temporall gouernours as he can one Diocesse Prouince or Nation subiect to one secular Prince And secondly we haue no example of any vniuersall Bishoppe that euer was since the beginning of the world not the Pope himselfe which chalengeth that title For the east part of the world which is the Greeke Church was neuer yet subiect vnto him neither could be induced to vse the same rites ceremonies leitourgie which he vseth But of prouinciall and nationall Bishops wee haue examples out of the Scriptures the high Priestes among the Iewes were so ordained of God that office not only ceremoniall but also politicall which office so farre as it was politicall might as well continew and be executed in the same Temple by Saint Iames the first Archbishop of Ierusalem vnder the Gospel as it was by the high Priests vnder the Law that which was ceremoniall being abolished euen as the obseruation of the Sabaoth beeing partly ceremoniall partly morall the ceremony being out of date that which is morall doth abide Our Sauiour in the Gospel reformed the Temple but he did not plucke it downe to shew that it Ioh. 2. 15. might continue still being lawfully vsed Hauing answered his arguments we will come to his suppositions and bare coniectures which without shew of argument he bringeth in defence of his assertion Hee distinguisheth Bishops into sixe sorts two lawfull a parishionall Bishop or ordinary Pastour and a Diocesan titular Bishop who hath a bare title aboue others but no Episcopall iurisdiction at all these two sortes it pleaseth him to allow A Diocesan ruling Bishop which hath more power than Parsons of parish Churches yet not sole power to rule in his Diocesse a Diocesan Lord Bishop ' which ruleth by his sole authoritie a Patriarke and a Pope which foure sorts he condemneth as repugnant to the lawes of the Scriptures To speake therefore of the first which is but a Parson of a parish what example can he alledge to proue that euer there was or place of Scripture to proue that there ought to be such a Bishop His bare opinion without proofe can be no satisfaction to perswade others howsoeuer in his owne conceit he may please himselfe He alledgeth that all Bishops mentioned in the new Testament and in the Ecclesiasticall writers which were within 200. yeares after our Sauiour Christ were such Bishops But that is his owne assertion without proofe neither doth hee instance in any author which doth affirme the same To disproue him besides that neither parish Churches nor parishes were erected or instituted vntill 260. yeares after our Sauiour Christ in the Platina dvitis pontiofi●um Charion Monarch 4. daies of Dionysius Bishoppe of Rome and that they had their institution not from God but from the Pope whereas wee haue examples of Diocesan Churches out of Gods word as before I haue proued that all the Bishoppes mentioned in Ecclesiasticall writers within 200. yeares after our Sauiour Christ were not parish Bishops wee haue for instance Iulian the tenth Bishop of Alexandria in the yeare of our Lord 181. which was Bishop of many Churches For Eusebius Euseb hist l. ● c. 9. writeth Alexandrinarum Ecclesiarum Episcopatum accepit he tooke vpon him the Bishopricke of the Churches of Alexandria And againe Eusebius writeth of a Bishop which was set ouer many Bishops long before that time in the daies of Saint Iohn the Euangelist and by the appointment of St. Iohn himselfe His words are these Post mortuo tyranno quùm Easeb hist l. 3. c. ●0 ex insu●â Pathmo Ephesum reuersus esset abijt etiam rogatus ad vicina gentium loca vt partim constitueret Episcopos partim totas Ecclesias componeret partim clerum ex his quos spiritus sanctus indica●a● sorte deligeret Quùm ergò ad ciuitatem quandam haud procul dissitam cuiui etiam nomen nonnulli dicunt venisset verso ad cum vultu qui supèr cunctos Episcopos erat constitutus adolescentem corpore valido facie eleganti animoque feruenti conspicatus hunc inquit tibi summo studio testibus Christo Ecclesiâ commendo When the Tyran meaning Domitian was dead hee returned out of Pathmos to Ephesus at the request of others he visited the places bordering there vpon that he might ordaine Bishops constitute Churches and elect clergy men by lots whom the holy Goost had assigned And comming to a Citie not farre of which by many other writers is expressy named hee cast his eye vpon that Bishop which was set ouer all the rest and committed to his tuition a young Gentleman proper in body and faire in face youthfull in courage saying I doe earnestly commend vnto you this young man witnesses Christ and his Church Such pregnant examples all making against him and none for him that ye may know what motiue hath induced him to write that all Bishoppes within 200. yeares mentioned in Eusebius were but parish Bishops surely he suffered himselfe willingly to be deceiued by the fallacye called fallacia figurae dictionis For Eusebius saith he sheweth that the Churches of most famous Cities were but parishes onely as the parish of Ierusalem the parish of Ephesus of Alexandria Assert 2. Euseb hist l. 3 c. 11. l. 3. c. 28. l. 2. c. 13. l. 4. c. 11. c. 22. Hierapolis c.

But all the cunning resteth in the proofe therof to shew that Eusebius did call them parishes Eusebius indeed writeth that Celedion and Agrippa were Bishops in Alexandrinâ paraechia and so that Dionysius in paraechia Corinthiorum Episcopatum tenuit But can Maister Iacob be so simple as to take that weake aduantage of the word and so to interpret that Latine word paraechia parish in the English tongue and to restraine that word in Eusebius to as small limits and confines as a parish is with vs that all the Christians in it might meete together in one place to heare Diuine seruice as with vs for the most part they doe though in some places they cannot doe so Can hee thinke this a good argument that the praecincts of their Bishoprickes were called by this generall name paraechiae bounds or borders containing and including some set compasse of ground and place and this generall name paraechia may also include the small circuit of a parish as well as a larger iurisdiction therefore they were but parish Bishops that the precincts of their Bishoprickes were no larger then the praecincts of a parish and that their Episcopall authoritie was no more then the iurisdiction of euery priuate Pastour In like sort may I as well conclude that paraechia doth also signifie a larger iurisdiction so as it haue confines and a certaine limitation as a Diocesse a Prouince a whole Kingdome therefore that they were Diocesan Prouinciall and Nationall Bishops It is well knowne that Alexandria conteined many Churches as appeareth by Eusebius whom I haue alreadie cited where he saith that Inlian the tenth had Alexandrinarum Ecclesiarum Episcopatum Euseb lib. 5. hist c. 9. the Bishopricke of the Churches of Alexandria And againe where we writeth Primus post Marcum Apostolvm Euangelistam Eeseb hist l 4. ca. 24. Anianus paraechiae Alexandrinae administrationem suscepit Anianus immediately succeeded Marke the Apostle and Euangelist in the gouernment of the paraechia of Alexandria That this parechia was such a limitation as contained in it many Churches it is manifest by the confession of Eusebius where he hath these words that Saint Marke did primuus Ecclesias Alexandriae constituere first institute the Churches of Hist l. 2. c. 16. Alexandria So then if because of the word paraechia Ananias Bishop of Alexandria should be held onely for a parish Bishop by the like absurditie Saint Marke which was an Euangelist and did first conuert the Citizens of Alexandria and instituted many Churches there should not haue authority ouer his owne Churches which his selfe instituted but onely pastorall authority ouer one of them because hee was Alexandrinae Ecclesiae administrator gouernour of the Church of Alexandria as Eusebius writeth And that being an Euangelist and of higher authority which founded many churches should not be Bishoppe ouer as many as Iulian his successour which was no Euangelist nor founded none and therefore was of lesse dignitie and authority because the argument must follow being deriued from the word in the singular number hee did Alexandrinam Ecclesiam administrare gouerne the Church of Alexandria And what is the true grammaticall signification of this Greeke word paroicia of whom paraechia the Latine is deriued no better witnesse then Scapula himselfe which in his Lexicon writeth That it signifieth any iurisdiction which is limitted or any Church bee it great or small or manie Churches His wordes are these paroicia incolam esse item accolarum conuentus accolatus sacraqúe vicinia prò Ecclesiâ vsurpari dicitur Can 18. Concilij Ancyrani And to speake of the Bishoppe without a Bishopricke whom hee calleth Titular Diocesan I would gladly haue for instance when and where there was anie such Bishoppe For proofe thereof hee alleageth nothing else but his owne doubtfull coniecture saying Perhaps Iulian the tenth Bishop of Alexandria was the first of that sort And againe It seemeth to me that this was Ieroms meaning that the first ruling Bishop was Diony sius the thirteenth Bishop of Alexandria And againe At Heracles it is probable there was a period of one sort of Bishops and with Diony sius began another That priority of order of one Bishop ouer a parish seemeth to haue cōtinued from Marcus to Iulianus And againe Nothing letteth vs but that we may thinke c. To which I answer his bare naked coniectures and idle surmises grounded vpon no reason nor authoritie or proofe but onely vpon perhaps it seemeth it is probable nothing letteth but that we may thinke are no warrant to the state to disturbe the peace and discipline of our Church so long established and to ouerthrow the gouernment of Bishops which hath continued among vs since Christian religion was first planted and the land conuerted to the faith And therefore to him may fitly be applied the saying of St. Paul They would be Doctours of the law and vnderstand not what they 1. Tim. 1. 7 speake neither whereof they affirme It is more safe to beleeue with the Church that Iulian the 10. was not the first Bishop which had many Churches vnder him in title and name but that all his nine predecessours Marcus Anianus Albialus Cerdon Pius lustus and the rest had the same praeheminence which hee had and especially Saint Marke being an Euangelist and the first conuerter of that people and founder of those Churches And that in other places Bishoppes were set ouer many Churches before his time because I haue instanced out of Eusebius alreadie in a Bishop in Saint Iohns daies which was suprà cunctes Episcopos constitutus set ouer all the Bishops in that place And it is far safer to beleeue the wordes of Eusebius Alexandrinarum Ecclesiarum Episcopatum accepit suprà omnes Episcopos constitutus est hee was Bishoppe of the Churches of Alexandria and hee was set ouer all the Bishoppes to bee vnderstoode of both title and iurisdiction according to the interpretation vse and practise of all Churches and not of bare title without iurisdiction rather then to subscribe to Maister Iacob his opinion which hath nothing to ground vpon but his owne opinion which hath no better proofe then teste me ipso witnesse my owne selfe And not to passe ouer with silence those foure sorts of Bishoppes whom hee condemneth as vnlawfull Maiority saith he of ruling Bishoppes in the Diocesse seemeth to haue begun with Dionysius the next successour after Heraclas To which I answere as before Quaedam videntur non sunt many things seeme to be otherwise then they are among which this his supposition is one Againe Quoedam videntur paucioribus indoctioribus quaedam pluribus san oribus that may seeme so to the fewest and vnlearnedest but to the most and soundest of iudgement it seemeth otherwise that this maiority of ruling in the Diocesse began in Alexandria not with Dionysius which was the fourteenth but with S. Marke which was the first Bishop of that place and with

the Apostles in other places and so continued by succession from them vntill these daies vnlesse when their succession was interrupted by warres or schisme or persecution But to come to a Diocesan Lord Bishop ruling by his sole power which is indeed the chiefe matter now in question Such a Bishop saith hee seemeth not to haue beene established in Ambrose Ierom and Augustines time It may be it seemeth not so to Maister Iacob but it seemed so to Zozomene that Saint Ambrose himselfe did rule like a Lord Bishoppe Sozom. l. 7. ca. 24. by his sole authority when meeting the Emperour Theodosius as hee went to Church without any consent or consultation had with other Priests on a suddaine took him by the gowne in the sight of the people interdicted him both from the holy communion the Church for the offence he had committed and the Emperour obeyed his authority His wordes are these Imperator quum Mediolanum venisset ad Ecclesiam processit vt oraret Sed quùm ad ostium iam pernenisset occurrit et Ambrosius eius ciuitatis Episcopus apprehensâ illius purpû-â in prae●entiâ populi siste gradum inquit homini enim ob peccata prophano manus innoxio sanguine comaculatas habēti fa● non est antequā poenitentiā egerit vel sacrum ingredi solium vel ad diuinorū mysteriorum communionem admitti Imperator libertatem sacerdotis admiratu● cogitationibus conscientiam accusantibus regressus est poenitentia compunctus The Emperour when he came to Millanie went towards the church to pray whē he was but at the doore Ambrose the Bishop of that citie ran to him caught him by his purple robe in the presence of the people cōmanded him to stay there shewing that it was not permitted him hauing defiled his hands with innocent blood to goe into the Church nor to be partaker of the Sacrament before he had shewed himselfe penitent The Emperour meruailed at the great spirit of the Bishop his conscience pricked him vpon his remorse hee went backe and repented And afterward more plainly he saith Ambrosius Imperatorem insimulans vt consentaneum est ab Ecclesiâ arcuit à communione seclusit Ambrose laying to the Emperour his charge his crime which he committed as it did behooue him thrust him out of the Church secluded him from the communion In this Story that action is ascribed solely vnto the Bishop no mention is made of any other whose consent was required Though soone after we doubt not saith Maister Iacob it tooke place in the Church Therefore by his owne confession the office of Lord Bishop ruling by his sole authoritie is of great antiquitie and therefore to be preferred before the Eldership which is but a nouelty and neuer preuailed vntill our age and that but in some few Churches And that I may speake something for the iustification of Bishoppes ruling by their sole authority Timothy and Titus were such Bishops Maister Iacob replieth two manner of waies First he saith the Apostles did not ordeine Ministers nor censure offenders by their sole authority much lesse then Timothy and Titus which were inferiour to the Apostles For answer to his reply which consisteth of nothing but manifest vntruthes I do instance in S. Peter which by his sole authority censured Ananias Suphira when they lied to the holy Ghost smiting them with present death St. Paul which alone censured Elymas the sorcerer whē he smote him Acts. 5. Act. 13. 11 with blindnes for seeking to peruert the deputy frō the faith And both these censures were then in the place of excommunicatiō Vide Bucerum dè clauibus 1. Cor. 16. 22. anathema marannatha Politiae Iudaicae c. 2. which is now the ordinarie censure of the church And besides that Saint Paule by his sole authoritie excommunicated in general all that loued not the Lord Iesus euen vnder the time of nature Henoch as Cornelius Ber●ram writeth in his booke Printed at Geneua and allowed of by that church did alone anathema illud solenne suoe aetatis hominibus proponere quod extat Iudae ver 14 15. pronounce that solemne sentence of excommunication against the men of his time of which mention is made in S. Iude ver 14. 15. Behold the Lord commeth with thousands of his Saints to giue iudgement c. And so did Saint Ambrose by their examples And as for making Ministers our Bishops doe not conferre orders alone but assisted with other ministers which ioyne with them in prayer imposition of hands Yet still the chiefest authoritie resteth in Bishops as S. Paule writeth to Titus For this cause I left thee in Creete that thou shouldest ordaine Elders in euery citie And to Timothy Tit 1 5. lay hands sodainly on no man by which words it appeareth that ordination imposition of hands belong to the Bishops 1. Tit 5. 22. principally and to the inferiour Ministers but as assistants to the Bishop But that it belonged to the same men to censure offenders rule by their sole authoritie the places of Scripture doe make it so plaine that ir may not be denied Rebuke 1. Tim ● v. 1. 9. 11. 17. 19. 21. not an Elder but exhort him as a Father Let not a widdow be taken into the number vnder 60 yeares old Refuse the yonger widdowes The elders that rule wel let thē be had in doble honor Obserue these things without preferring one before another doe nothing partially Receiue no accusatiō against an elder but vnder 2. or 3 witnesses Secondly he saith that if these things were granted that Timothy Titus ruled by their sole anthoritie it would not follow that therefore our Bishops might do the like his reason is this For saith he they are not to be reckoned in the catalogue of Bishops neither were they properly called Bishops because they were not affixed to certaine places but often remoued to other churches as the Apostles did Which reason I refute by manifest text for as much as Timothy was affixed to Ephesus as his proper charge and so Titus to Creete as to his peculiar place witnesseth the Apostle I besougbt thee to abide still in Ephesus For this cause haue I left 1. Tim. 1. 3. Tit. 1. 5. thee in Creete that thou shouldest continue there to redresse the things that remaine But what then though they afterward remoued and were called to other places so are our Bishops also and priuate pastours oftentimes called from one congregation to another I cannot deny but the cannon Lawe hath determined that Bishops shal not remoue from one Bishopricke to another without some vrgent cause as when they are required by another Church their gifts beeing thought fitter for a greater charge and the lawe is grounded vpon the decrees of the first generall councell of Nice which so concludeth Episcopus Presbyter aut diaconus non aebet transferri ab vnâ ciuitate ad a●iam quia id est contrà regulas