Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	presbyter_n	3,386	5	10.4987	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50332	A defence of diocesan episcopacy in answer to a book of Mr. David Clarkson, lately published, entituled, Primitive episcopacy / by Henry Maurice ...	Maurice, Henry, 1648-1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing M1360; ESTC R8458	258,586	496

possession of his own people To this he adds a marvellous remark that the word (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which some will have him to understand a Diocese is frequently said to be in the City And of this expression he cites many examples as if this implied that out of the City there was no Diocese But let that instance of Alexandria answer for all the rest since it is produced to this purpose For besides the City Athanasius affirms the Bishop had Mareotes a Region containing many Country Parishes and that there never had been so much as a Chorepiscopus to govern those Churches but that they were under the immediate Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Alexandria We are farther told (g) Prim. ep p. 123. that the Apostles designed there should be such Bishops as they instituted in Country Towns and not in Cities only If he means by such Bishops Presbyters only then indeed not only every Church but every Congregation required such but the Bishops of the Apostles Ordination had the care of many Congregations And it is plain in Scripture that such general Officers they did appoint and they themselves were of that kind Some Prelatists he observes will have Bishop and City to be adequate but he will have it that Church and Bishop should be so for it is not the City as such requires a Bishop but because it had a Church in it It is true but the narrowness of the Independent spirit confounds a Church with a Congregation For as in the civil community of a City there were several subordinate Assemblies yet but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly so called which was endued with the authority of the whole Body So it might be in the Churches planted by the Apostles Where therefore there was one competent Church there was a Bishop but this might consist of several Congregations The Church of Jerusalem may be still mentioned to this purpose after all Mr. Clerkson's attempts to diminish it The number of Converts there was too great for one Congregation (h) Acts 11.22 yet they all made but one Church and so it was where ever Christians increased in the same proportion And therefore I hope to be excused if in this case I take the practice of the Apostles and of the Church in succeeding ages to be safer Interpreters of their design than the novel conjectures of men addicted to singularity The instance of Majuma the Port of Gaza is directly against the purpose for which it is brought for it had no Bishop till it was a City And one thing in this citation of Mr. Clerkson concerning it deserves to be noted For where Sozomen says that the bounds of each Diocese were appointed and what Altars should belong to each our Author thought fit to change the number and to write distinct Altar as agreeing better with his notion though this way does not agree well with common honesty and good faith The weak objection which he makes for Episcopal men and the suitable answer he returns to it are not worth notice For here he speaks only to himself and I do not wonder he should argue so weakly for us when his arguments against us are so harmless So the Mother of Sisera and her wise Ladies did doubt and reply and fancy Triumphs when the day was lost The difference between the modern and ancient models is apparent as Mr. Clerkson thinks in England and Ireland The ancient model of Episcopacy in England is something hard to find For the Saxons being Pagans when they subdued this Country and driving the old Inhabitants into the remote corners of it all the bounds of civil and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction within this Kingdom were lost But the model he speaks of is that of Gregory the Great who had no more design to plant Congregational Episcopacy in England than he had to make it Independent He intended twelve Bishops for the Province of York as Mr. Clerkson observes but that might have been done and the Dioceses be large enough For that Province then reached from Humbre to the Frith of Edinburgh and about the year 681. had five Bishops however Mr. Clerkson affirms that for many ages it had no more than three and every one of them had Dioceses of very great extent Those in the South were not all so great but yet comprehended many Congregations and some of them as Canterbury London and Rochester do remain still under the same limits that were at first appointed them by Augustin the Archbishop How they stood before the coming of the Saxons is now beyond all memory and there is little hope left of making any new discovery in this matter which hath been treated by so many great men and diligent inquirers into the Antiquities of their Country Marcianus Heracleota (i) Peripl p. 92. reckons fifty nine Cities in Britain which I suppose he took out of Ptolomy (l) Ptol. l. 2. Many of these are placed in Scotland and about forty remain for England and Wales If they observed the general rule of the Church the number of their Bishops might be equal to that of their Cities and so their Dioceses would be much too wide for Mr. Clerkson's purpose But it seems this number was reduced afterwards For Bede (m) Bed H. E. l. 1. c. 1. mentions but twenty eight when he would set out the most flourishing condition of this Country in the Roman times As for the Canon of the Synod of Herudford for augmenting the number of Bishops which Mr. Clerkson insists on there was good reason for it For at that time there were no more than seven Bishops in all the Saxon part of Britain which then reaching to the Frith of Edinburg was as large as all England and Wales joyned together are now The ancient model in Ireland is as little known for the Legends of St. Patrick are but sorry evidence of the ancient state of the Irish Church and that Fable has been already examined In Phaenicia indeed the Latins did reduce the Bishopricks to a lesser number in the twelfth Century because the condition of that Country was much altered and most of the ancient Episcopal Cities destroyed or the people Mahometans But that it was the humour of that age instead of multiplying to reduce Bishopricks is only a fancy of Mr. Clerkson For I have shewed the practice of Italy at that time to be quite contrary where instead of reducing they raised a great number of new Bishopricks and have been increasing of them ever since Nor does it serve to any purpose to produce the Patriarchat of Antioch so different in the time of the Latins from what it had been anciently since the condition of those Countries had been much altered and the Christians were reduced to a very small number under the long and heavy Tyranny of the Mahometans Mr. Clerkson bestows a whole Chapter to confirm his notion of the smallness of ancient Bishopricks by repeating those observations he

The Controversies about Church-Government turn upon questions of Right and not of Fact But matters of Fact are pertinently alledg'd to prove a Right where the Fact does involve a Judgment of Right but where it is purely accidental it has no consequence on either side Two great Casuists upon a certain time fell into Dispute about the Lawfulness of taking Tobacco the Dispute was carried on with great Learning and Niceness one made it out clearly that none of the Primitive Christians ever used it and that for many Centuries there was not one Christian Smoker in the World The other desired to know the Principle upon which they condemn'd it and was told very seriously that there were no Church censures against it nor could there well be any for the Plant had not yet been brought to these Parts of the World So the Controversy remain'd undecided by this negative instance of the Primitive Church because their forbearance was not the effect of Judgment or Choice but from an absolute ignorance of the matter Now for deciding of Controversies and bringing things to a happy composure I was resolv'd to signalize my Complyance and submit to a Paradox not for the sake of any Testimony brought by the Author but to avoid Importunity and upon the account of Peace But seeing all our Controversies about Church-Government remain in the same state after all my yeelding I conceive that I am at liberty to revoke my Concession and to Contest the matter of Fact and to shew that the Testimonies alleg'd by Mr. Clerkson do not make sufficient proof of the point under debate that a Bishop in the three first Centuries was no more than Pastour to a single Congregation For the Scripture-times there will be little difficulty since as much is acknowledged by the most Learned and Judicious Assertors of Prelacy as need be desired (a) Prim. Ep. p. 2. Arch-Bishop Whitgift is brought in to witness that the Gospel was not generally receiv'd any where when it was first Preach'd That when Matthias was chosen the whole Church was gathered in one place and so it was when the Deacons were chosen this may be true and yet not reach to the whole extent of Scripture-times but only to those instances of Popular Election which were alledg'd by Cartwright the latest of which seems to be within a Year of our Saviour's Ascension and if for the first Year of the Apostles Preaching the Church might not Increase beyond a single Congregation it will be of no great consequence either for or against Diocesan Episcopacy yet it is plain from Scripture that the matter of Fact was otherwise For in the Election of Matthias the Assembly consisted of about a hundred and twenty (b) Acts 1. whereas our Saviour before his Ascension appear'd in an Assembly of five hundred Brethren (c) 1 Cor. 15. so that not a fourth part of the Church was present at that Election When the Deacons were elected the whole Church of Jerusalem could not be present in that Assembly for the number of the Converts was then too great especially considering the Christians had not the convenience of very capacious places to meet in A great part of the Church was not concern'd to be present on that occasion for the Women had no part in Election nor perhaps Servants nor Children tho' of Age while they liv'd in their Fathers House But that the whole Church could not be present I shall then shew more fully when I consider the ways by which our Author endeavours to diminish the first-Fruits of the Gospel and to lessen the Church of Jerusalem Bishop Downham is alledg'd to as little purpose For all he affirms is that at the very first Conversion of Cities the whole number of People converted was able to make but a small Congregation For who can tell how far he intended the very first Conversions should extend The closing of the Scriptures of the New Testament was above sixty Years after the first Conversions of many great Cities and therefore tho' at the first Conversions the number of Christians might be but small yet a Church may improve something in threescore Years and grow up from one small to many great Congregations No instance says our Author can be brought against this but the three thousand Converted at Jerusalem (a) Acts 2.41 to which some would add five thousand more Some would add Let it not displease any zealous Brother of the Congregational way that St. Luke has recorded the number of those Converts his words are so plain and his sense so necessary that they cannot be avoided by any shift (b) Acts 4.4 many of those who heard the word i. e. then Preach'd not in a set Assembly but occasionally in the Temple believ'd and the number of the men was about five thousand But can there no instance be brought against the Independent fancy besides these two Our Author it seems was willing to overlook such passages as testify the great Increase of Christians in Jerusalem after this happy beginning (c) Acts 5.13 14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Luke relates that after the fearful end of Ananias and his Wife Believers were the more added to the Church multitudes both of Men and Women The Ethiopick Version deserves to be considered in this place for instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Author of that Version seems to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if the Jewish Magistrates durst not then restrain the Preaching the Apostles because the People magnified them for their Miracles and then great additions were made to the Church But St. Luke proceeds to give yet greater Instances of the Increase of the Church of Jerusalem (a) Acts 6.1 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Before the choice of the Deacons the number of the Disciples was multiplied and immediately after the Institution of these Officers the word of God increas'd and the number of the Disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the Priests or as the Syriack reads of the Jews were obedient or submitted to the Faith It may be said that no certain Number is express'd in these places and therefore they conclude nothing It is true the Numbers of these later Converts are not set down but must they therefore be lost to the Church and Bishop of Jerusalem These Expressions of multitudes of Men and Women of Increasing greatly or mightily of great Company or Croud are of very great content and capable of receiving many Myriads and if we compare them with these general terms of which we know the definite sum it must be allow'd by all rules of speaking that those indefinite expressions must exceed the other For instance when an accession of five thousand was made to the Church it is said that many of those who heard the word believ'd If the Relator had not express'd the Number but left it to the discretion of independent Calculators I am afraid this Indefinite