he knoweth how little of it will be done And who will use his wit learning and zeal to plead his cause and his parts and office thus to serve his designs and gratifie him who considereth what it is to be a Bishop a Christian or a man CHAP. XVI That the English Diocesane Government doth change this office of a Presbyter of Gods institution into another quantum in se of humane invention I Come now to prove the Minor proposition of my Argument That the Diocesane Government deposeth the Office of Presbyters which God hath instituted as much as in them lieth By which limitation I mean that if we would judge of the Power and Obligation of Presbyters as the Prelatical constitution de facto doth describe it and not as God describeth it contrarily we must take it for another thing For the proof of this it must 1. be considered what is Essential to the office and 2. How somewhat Essential is taken from them I. And 1. we grant as before that no Action whatsoever as performed at the present or for some excepted season is Essential to the Pastoral office A man ceaseth not to be a Preacher or Pastor as soon as the Sermon is done and he is out of the Church When a man is asleep or in a journey he endeth not his office Nor yet when he is interrupted by business sickness or persecution Yea if he were so sick as to be sure never to exercise his office more he keepeth the Title with respect to what he hath already done 2. Yet Exercise as Intended and as the Relative end or Terminus of the Obligation and Authority is Essential to the Office For when it is a Relation which we question and that consisteth in Obligation and Authority there is no doubt but it is ad aliquid and is specified by the Action or Exercise to which men are Obliged and Authorized As a Judge a Souldier a Physician are And it being a Calling which we speak of and that durante vita capacitate it must be such Action as is intended to be Ordinary and Constant He that Consenteth not to do the work of a Minister and that for more than a trial or a present occasion and is not Obliged and Authorized to that work at least statedly as his intended ordinary course of life is no Minister of Christ which Paul well expresseth by that phrase Rom. 1. 1. Separated to the Gospel of God 3. As God in creating man made him in his own Image so did Christ in making Church Pastors Therefore he saith As my Father sent me so send I you And he that receiveth you receiveth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and him that sent me Luke 10. 16. And they are Embassadours to beseech men in his name and stead to be reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. And Christ himself is called the Angel of the Covenant and the Apostle and high Priest of our Profession and the Great Prophet and the Bishop of our Souls and the good Shepherd and the great Shepherd or Pastor of the flock and the Minister of the Circumcision And he was a Preacher of the same word of life as we are And he administred the same Sacrament of Communion as we do Now as the Office of Christ had these three Essential parts viz. to be the Teacher the High Priest and the Ruler of the Church so hath not only the Apostles but every true Pastor in his place as is proved this threefold subserviency to Christ 1. They will confess themselves that He is no true Pastor who hath not Authority and Obligation which set together are called a Commission to be a Teacher of the Church For though some men may be so weak as that they can Teach but by Reading Catechizing Conference or very short defective immethodical Sermons And though where a Church hath Many the Ablest may be the usual publick Preachers and the rest be but his assistants Yet I never found any proof of Elders that were not Teachers by office as well as Rulers and had not Commission to Teach the flock according to their abilities and might not Preach as the need of the Church required it however the weaker may give place to the abler in the exercise of his office Because his office is an Obligation and Authority to exercise his Gifts as they are for the Churches greatest edification 2. And it will be confessed that he is no Minister or Pastor who is not Commissioned by Christ to be the Churches Guide in publick Worship in Prayer praise and Sacrament of Communion However where there are many all cannot officiate at once 3. Therefore all the doubt remaineth whether the power of the Keys for Church Covernment such as belongeth to Pastors be not as Essential as the rest I say the Commission the Authority and the Obligation though violence may much hinder the exercise And this I have proved before and must not stay to repeat it Only 1. God doth not distinguish when he giveth them the Keys and office Therefore we must not distinguish 2. The very signification of the words Keys Pastor Presbyter Overseer Steward c. do not only import this Guiding Ruling power but notably signifie it as most think more notably than the Worshipping part of their office 3. Dr. Hammond and all of his mind confess that in Scripture these words are applyed to no one person or office that had not the Governing as well as the Teaching and Worshipping power 4. The truth is the Teaching and Ruling and Worshipping power are inseparably twisted together Ruling is done not by the sword here but in a Teaching way by the Word As a Physician may 1. read a Lecture of health to his Patients 2. and give every one particular directions for his own cure and this last is called Governing them So when the same Pastor who Teacheth all generally by Sermons doth make his applications to mens persons and cases particularly it is Governing the Church as when a man is impenitent he doth Excommunicate him only by teaching him and the Church that such persons as are so impenitent are under the wrath of God and uncapable of Church Communion and therefore requiring the Church as from Christ to avoid that person and declaring him to be under the wrath of God till he repent and requiring him to forbear Communion with the Church And so in other acts of Government And as in Worshipping the Pastor delivereth the Sacrament of Communion so it must belong to him to Give it or Deny it 5. And indeed the ancient Churches had usually more Pastors than Assemblies by which means every Presbyter could not daily preach and officiate But yet they were so constant Assistants in the Government as hath occasioned so many to think that it was mere Ruling Elders who joyned with the Bishops in those times And Paul himself saying 1 Tim. 5. 17. The Elders that rule well are worthy of double
and entered Italy after that Ambrose had stopt him a while Theophilus Alexandr sendeth an Agent Presbyter with two Letters and a rich present one to Maximus and one to Theodosius ordering him to stay the issue of the Fight and give the Present with his Letter to him that proved the Conqueror But a Servant stole the Letters from the Priest and opened the whole business and caused the Priest to fly and hide himself 50. These contentions of the Bishops and corruption of manners so distasted the more Religious sort of the people that it occasioned the multiplying of separating Heresies and greatly encreased and confirmed others especially the Donatists and Novations because men thought them to be of better lives than the Orthodox 51. Yea by their very abuse of good and holy men they drove even the Orthodox often to separated Societies as thinking so bad Prelates unfit to be communicated with As in Constantinople their abuse ejection and banishment of Chrysostome caused great numbers of his faithful people to forsake the Church and meet only in separated Conventicles And though they differed in no point of Doctrine Worship or Discipline from the rest all that they could do by tyranny and threats would never bring them again to the Church but they were called Joannites and assembled by themselves till Atticus by wise and honest means first began the reconciliatiâ—â— by the publick inserting of Chrysostome's name among their honoured Bishops in the daily Liturgy of the Church and Proclus after wisely perfected it by fetching the bones of Chrysostome with honour from the place of his banishment into the Church But Theodoret Hist Eccl. l. 5. c. 36. ascribeth it to that good Emperour Theodosius Junior It 's like a good Bishop and he consented For saith Socrates c. 40. Proclus behaved himself fairly towards all men perswading himself that it was far easier for him by fair means to allure men to the Church than by force to compel them to the Faith 52. The multitudes of Schismes and horrid enormities in the Church of Rome the grand corruption of Religion by them the shameful divisions between the Greek and Western Churches began so long ago and continued to this day with much more such evidence do tell the World that is willing to see what all this tended to as it's perfection 53. And having thus shewed how the Bishops of the Flock came to be Bishops of Bishops and how they grew from the Pastoral Office to a pompous denomination mostly secular and how the Bishops of single Churches did grow to be the Bishops of multitudes of Churches turned into one Diocesan Church of another species we shall leave it to those that are wise and impartial to judge whether a true Reformation must retrieve them and what Age and state of the Church must be our pattern to which we should endeavour to return and in what point it is that it is meet or possible for Christians unanimously to fix between the Apostolical institution and the height of Popery And what satisfying proof any man can give that in a line of 1500 Years that it is the right point that he hath chosen CHAP. IV. The Judgement of those Nonconformists now silenced who 1660. addressed themselves to King Charles the Second for Concord in the matter of Church-Government what they then offered and what those of the Authors mind now hold as to the Right of what is before Historically related AS I have delivered our Judgment about the History of Prelacy so shall I next freely and truly express my own Judgment and those that have concurred with me about the right of Church-Government it self supposing those 100 Propos ad Lud. Molinaeum which I have published about the Nature of Church-power and the extent of the Magistrates power in Church-matters For Truth hath great advantage when it appeareth 1. compact and entire 2. and in the open light Since the writing of this our judgment is more fully published in the Nonconformists first and second Plea for Peace Prop. 1. Since the Fall of Man as God hath given a Saviour to the World by whom he hath made a new Covenant with or for Mankind so hath he delivered all things into the Redeemer's hands and given him all power in Heaven and Earth making him the Administrator General and Head over all things to the Church 2. Some things are under Christ as Utensils viz Inanimates and Braites some are under him as meer enemies subdued as Devils some are under him as generally Redeemed and subjects de jure or quoad obligationem to be Ruled and used upon terms of Mercy And so are all Mankind in general till the day of life and grace is past some are under him as Visible Consenters and Professed subjects so are the Baptized and visible professors of Christianity And some are under him as sincere Heart-Covenanters Justified and Sanctified and to be Glorified by him 3. As Nature it self is now delivered up to Christ and the Law of Nature is now part of his Law and the Instrument of his Government both for the common good and order of the Redeemed World and also as sanctified to the special good and order of his Church Even so is the Office of Magistracy now under him and derived from him and dependant on him in both these forementioned respects Notwithstanding all the vain arguments which Mr. Brown a Scotch Divine Cont. Velthusium hath written to the contrary which need no confutation to an intelligent Reader 4. But the Office of the Sacred Ministry is much of Grace and Institution and less of Natural original than Magistracy For though it be of Natural obligation that one man teach another and that there be some fitter persons than the multitude to instruct the people and guide them in Gods Worship Yet that in specie there should be Preachers of the Gospel and Administrators of this instituted worship and Church-discipline this is it self of Christs Institution as the Doctrine worship and discipline which are their Office-work are of his Institution 5. And though a great part of a Christian Magistrates work be also Instituted viz. to promote Christs Instituted Doctrine Worship and Discipline yet so much also of his work is natural as that he may be called a Magistrate though he be not a Christian Magistrate while he executeth Gods Laws of Nature for the common good But he is at least less fitly called a Minister or Priest of God who shall only teach the Law of Nature and guide an Assembly in meer Natural Worship omitting all that is by Institution Or if any think otherwise it being but de nomine at least this is certain that the Christian or Evangelical Ministry is by Institution 6. Therefore though so far as the Mosaical Magistracy was founded in Nature or in any Revelation expounding the Law of Nature we may under the Gospel fetch proofs thence for the Christian Magistrates Authority and Obligation Yet can we fetch
called Of which sort were abundance of Christians towards each others Bishops in former ages and such are the Papists now towards you So that neither Papist nor Protestant that I ever knew silenced by you doth forbear upon Conscience of this your pretended authority at all And what a silencing power is that which scarce any man would be ever silenced by You cannot choose but know this to be true 2. And really should Magistrates themselves be so servile to you as to silence all Ministers by the Sword whom a Prelate judgeth to be silent while he knoweth not whether it be deservedly or not God forbid that Protestants like the Popes sheald make Kings to be their Executioners or hangmen A meer Executioner indeed is not bound to know or examine whether the sentence was just or not though in most cases to forbear if it be notoriously unjust but what a King or Magistrate doth he must do as a publick Judge and therefore must hear the cause himself and try whether he be really guilty or not and not only whether a Bishop judged him so Else Magistrates will either be involved in the bloody sin of persecution as oÌ„ft as a Prelate will but command them and so must be damned and help to damn others when Prelates please Or else it is no sin for a Magistrate to silence all the holyest Ministers of Christ to the damnation of thousands of ignorant untaught Souls so be it the Prelates do but bid him and he keep himself unacquainted with the cause And next they must obey the Counsel at Laterane sub Inoc. 3. And exterminate all subjects out of their Dominions though it be all that are there and must burn Holy-Christians to ashes because the Pope or Prelates bid them 3. I need not make also a particular application of this case to the people When they know nothing but wise and sound and holy in the Doctrine or life of their Pastors and God bids them know such as labour among them and are over them in the Lord and highly esteem them in Love for their work sake they will hardly be so debauched as to violate this command of God as oft as a Diocesan will but say I know some Heresie or Crime by your Teacher which you do not and therefore he must Preach no more and you must no more use his ministry Were I one of these people I would be bold to ask the Diocesan Sir what is the Heresie or Crime that he is guilty of If he refuse to tell me I would slight him as a Tyrant General Counsels told the people of the Heresies for which they did despose their Pastors If he told me what it was I would try it by Gods word If I were unable I would seek help If the Diocesan silenced my Teacher and ten neighbour Bishops wiser than he did tell me that it was for Truth and Duty and that the Heresie was the Bishops I would hear my Teacher and believe the other Bishops before him without taking them to be of a higher order The objections against this and what is before said shall be answered in the next Chapter You see when it is but opened how the Diocesans power vanisheth into the air CHAP. XIII That there is no need of such as our Diocesans for the Unity or the Government of the particular Ministers nor for the silencing of the unworthy IT stuck much in the minds of the Ancient Doctors and Christians that Episcopacy was necessary to avoid Schism and discord among the Ministers and the people and that it was introduced for that reason And I am so averse to singularity in Religion that I will not be he that shall gainsay it A double yea a treble Episcopacy though I cannot prove instituted of Christ yet will I not contradict because one sort I cannot disprove and the other two I take to be but a prudential humane determination of the Circomstances of one and the same sacred Ministerial office-worke 1. That which I cannot disprove as to a Divine Institution is a General Ministry over many Churches like the Scors Visiters at their Reformation who as Successors to the Apostles and Evangelists in the durable parts of their office were by a conjunction of Scripture evidence and Divine authority of office to perswade Pasâ—ors and people to their several duties and to have a chief hand in ordaining and removing Ministers 2. That which I will not contradict antiquity in is a Bishop in every particular Church to be as the chief Presbyter like the chief Justice on the bench or one of the Quorum as our Parish Ministers now are in respect to all their Curates of the Chappels under them 3. And I would not deny but at all Ministerial Synods one man may be Moderator either pro tempore or for continuance as there is cause These two last are but Prudential circumstances as Doctor Stiling fleet hath proved And in all these I like the Discipline of the Waldenses Bâ—â—emian and Polonian Churches But no Government of the Presbyters no concord no keeping out of Heresie requireth such as our Diocesans 1. Who put down all the Bishops of the particular Churches under them 2. And pretending Spiritual Power Govern by the force of the Magistrates Sword 3. And obtrude themselves on the people and Pastors without their consent and against their wills being by multitudes taken for the enemies of the Church 4. And visibly before the world introducing so many bad Ministers and silencing so many faithful ones as in this age they have done Without them we have all these means of concord following 1. We have a clear description of the duty of Ministers and people in Gods word 2. We have Ministers to Preach up all these duties by Office 3. The people are taught by Scripture what Ministers to choose 4. We find it natural to the people to before Learned and godly Ministers though many of them be bad themselves And though it be not so with them all yet the sober part do usually perswade the rest So that in London and else where those Parishes where the people choose had usually far worthier Pastors than the rest especially than those in the Bishops presentation 5. The people are obliged by God to marke those Ministers that cause division and contention and avoid them 6. The Ministers are bound to give notice to the people of false teachers and Schismaticks and to command them to avoid them And themselves to renounce Communion with them after the first and second admonition 7. These Ministers may have correspondence by Synods to keep up concord by agreement among themselves So we have over all a Christian King and Magistracy who are the rightful Governours of the Clergy as well as of all other subjects and may constrain the negligent to their duty and restrain the Heretical Schismatical and wicked from their sin And may not all this do much to keep up Concord 2. What our Diocesans really
that other a Tutor And so if a Physician commit his work statedly to another or a Pilot or the Master of a Family he maketh the other a Physician a Pilot a Master And so if a Bishop or Presbyter commit his work statedly to another he maketh that other a Bishop or Presbyter And then that Bishop or Presbyter so made is himself obliged as well as empowred and the work that he doth is his own work and not his that delivered him his Commission So that this doing these twelve parts of a Bishops work per alium is a meer mockery unless they speak unfitly and mean the making of all those to be Bishops as they are or else by perfidious usurpation casting their trust and work on others For if they could prove that God himself had instituted the Species of Sub-presbyters it would be to do their own work and not another mans My next proof of the limitation of Churches in Scripture times is that Deacons and Bishops were distinct Officers appointed to the same Churches The Church which the Deacon was related to was the very same and of the same extent with the Church which the Bishop was related to as is plain in all Texts where they are described Act. 6. 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 7. c. But it is most clear that no Deacon then had the charge of many hundred Churches or more than one such as I have described Therefore neither had the Bishop of that Church They that have now extended the Office of the Deacons further and have alienated them from their first works of attending at the Sacred Tables and taking care of the Poor cannot deny but that this was at least a great part of their work in the Scripture times and some Ages after at least when Jerome ad Evagr. described the Offices of the Presbyters and Deacons And was any man then made a Deacon to a Diocess or to many hundred Churches or to more than one Did he attend the Tables of many Churches each Lords day at the same time If you say that there were many Deacons and some were in one Church and some in another it is true that is They were in several Assemblies which were every one a true Church and they were oft many in one Assembly But there was no one that was related to Many stated Church Assemblies nor to a Church of a lesser size or magnitude than the Bishop was 5. And that there was no Church then without a Bishop one or more is evident from Act. 14. 23. They ordained them Elders in every Church compared with other Texts that call them Bishops And Doctor Hammond sheweth that these Elders were Bishops And indeed it was not a Church in a proper political sense that had no Bishops formally or eminently No more than there can be a Kingdom without a King a School without a School-master or a family without a Master Object They are called Churches Act. 14. 23. before they had ordained Elders Answ 1. It is not certain from the Text for the name might be given from their state in fieri or which they were now entring into 2. If it were so it is certain that the appellation was equivocal as it is usual to distinguish the Kingdom from the King the School from the School-master the Family from the Master but not in the strict political sense of the words for that comprehendeth both 3. The truth is they were true political Churches before For they had temporary unfixed Bishops even the Apostles and Evangelists that converted them and officiated among them Otherwise they could have held no Sacred Assemblies for holy Communion and the Lords Supper as having none to administer it The fixing of peculiar Bishops did not make them first Churches but made them setled Churches in such an order as God would establish 6. Lastly The setling of Churches with Bishops in every City Tit. 1. 5. doth shew of what magnitude the Churches were in the Scripture times For 1. It is known that small Towns in Judea were called Cities 2. And that Creete which was called Hecatompolis as having an hundred Cities must needs then have small ones and near together 3. And it is a confessed thing that the number of Converts was not then so great as to make City Churches so numerous near as our Parishes are And if the consideration of all this together will not convince any that the Churches that had Bishops in Scripture times consisted not of many stated Assemblies as afore described but of one only and were not bigger than our Parishes let such enjoy their error still CHAP. IV. The same proved by the Concession of the most Learned Defenders of Diocesane Prelacy THough the Scripture Evidence be most satisfactory in it self yet in controversie it much easeth the mind that doubteth to find the Cause fully and expresly granted by those that most learnedly defend those consequents which it overthrows And if I do not bring plain Concessions here I will not deprecate the Readers indignation 1. Among all Christians the Papists are the highest Prelatists And among all Papists the Jesuits and among all the Jesuits Petavius who hath written against Salmasius c. on this Subject Petavius Dissert Ecclesiast de Episcop dignit jurisd p. 22. concludeth his first Chapter in which he had cited the chiefest of the Fathers Hactenus igitur ex antiquorum authoritate conficitur primis temporibus Presbyterorum Episcoporum non tantum appellationes sed etiam ordines in easdem concurrisse personas iidem ut essent utrique i. e. Hitherto it is proved by the Authority of the Ancients that in the first times not only the Names but the Orders of Presbyters and Bishops did concurr into the same persons so that both were the same men And if so I shall shew the consequents anon And pag. 23. He thus beginneth his third Chapter as opening the only necessary way to avoid the Scripture Arguments against Episcopacy Si quis amnia illa scripturae loca diligenter expendat id necessario consequens ex illis esse statuet eos ipsos qui ibi Presbyteri vocantur plus aliquid quam simplices fuisse presbyteros cujusmodi hodieque sunt nec dubitabit quin Episcopi fuerint iidem non vocabulo tantum sed re etiam potestate i. e. If any one will diligently weigh all those places of Scripture he will conclude that this is the necessary consequent of them that those that are there called Presbyters were somewhat more than simple Presbyters and such as now they are and he will not doubt but the same men were Bishops not only in name but in deed and in power Pag. 24. Existimo Presbyteros vel omnes vel eorum plerosque sic ordinatos esse ut Episcopi pariter ac presbyteri gradum obtinerent I think that either all or most of the Presbyters were so ordained as that they obtained both the degree of Bishop and
coetus Conciliarii assessores Episcopi Quid Diaconi c. So that it is hard more plainly to express a thing in words than this Author expresseth that not only de facto every stated worshipping communicating Congregation had their Bishop Presbyters and Deacons but that de jure it ought to be so And that there was no lawful Church Assembly for Worship without the Bishop and his Presbyters ordinarily and one Altar and one Bishop were the Notes of one Church And Epist ad Polycarp Saepe Congregationes fiant ex nomine omnes quaere servos ancillas ne despicias ut Trans Lat. Ush i. e. Keep often Congregations Enquire or look after all or every one by name despise not the Servants and the Maids And how many Congregations at once that Church then had or how great it was when the Bishop himself was to look after every one by name even the Men-servants and the Maids I leave to their judgments who are willing to understand the truth Since the writing of this about thirteen years I have seen Isaac Vossius his Florentine Ignatius Edit 2. and also had some speech with Bishop Gunning confidently denying that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant one material Altar or place of Communicating I will therefore review the Texts of Ignatius according to Isaac Vossius and answer this Bishops confident assertion 1. Epist ad Smyrn p. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Omnes Episcopum sequimini ut Jesus Christus Patrem Presbyterium ut Apostolos Diaconos autem revereamini ut Dei mandatum Nullus sine Episcopo aliquid operetur eorum quae conveniunt in Ecclesiam Illa firma Gratiarum actio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reputetur quae sub ipso est vel quam utique ipse concesserit ubi utique apparet Episcopus illic multitudo sit quemadmodum utique ubi est Jesus Christus illic Catholica Ecclesia Non licitum est sine Episcopo neque baptizare neque agapen facere Here it is evident 1. That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Multitude is meant the assembling multitude and not distant people many miles off 2. That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apparet is meant the personal visible appearing presence of the Bishop And so that every Church-Assembly had a present Bishop ordinarily 3. That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant the Churches joyful laudatory Communion of which the Lords Supper was a chief part And so that the Eucharist was usually celebrated with and by the Bishop and never but by his particular allowance to the Presbyters not only a general allowance to do it commonly as Parish Priests do without him but to do it in his Assembly either in case of his absence or need or as assisting him 4. That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant the matters and persons of the particular Assembly And so that every such Assembly had a present Supervisor or Bishop 5. That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant a local going whither he goeth and an imitation of him as present and so that they had his visible presence 6. That the prohibition of baptizing and holding their Love-feasting Meetings without him signified not only without his general licence at a distance but as no Servants must do great matters in the house without the Master so it implieth here his ordinary presence and particular approbation of the single persons fitness for Baptism and his conduct of their Love-feasts and his allowance in case of necessary absence 7. That the same Assemblies had a Bishop Presbyters and Deacons For the same multitude is to follow the same Bishop Presbyters and Deacons And how could one Parish follow all the Presbyters of all other Parish Churches of a Diocess whom they never knew And it is certain that it was the same Church that the Presbytery and Deacons here mentioned had But Deacons were appropriated only to single Churches and the people of one Parish-Assembly were not to follow or obey the Deacons of all other distant Parish Churches 8. And after he saith Saluto Deo dignum Episcopum Deo decens Presbyterium conservos meos Diaconos singillatim communiter omnes Which plainly signifieth that it was the same City Church in Smyrna that had a Bishop Presbytery and Deacons For the scattered Presbyters of many distant Parishes cannot be meant by the Presbytery which is supposed present with the Bishop and Deacons II. The next in the Florentine Copy is the Epistle to Polycarpe where he saith to the Bishop Let not the Widows be neglected Next after the Lord be thou the Curator of them Let nothing be done without thy Sentence and do thou nothing without God and what thou dost let it be well stable Let Congregations be often made seek all by name despise not Servants and Maids speak to my Sisters to love the Lord and be subject in flesh and spirit to their Husbands and to the men to love their Wives And the Men that marry and the Women that are married must make their union with the sentence of the Bishop c. Here it is evident 1. That it was a Church of which Widows were a part that is here meant But Widows then were special parts of particular Parish-Churches and not common to a Diocess of many such 2. It was such a Church where the Bishop himself was to take care of all the Widows and see that they were not neglected And that could not be done to a Diocess of many score or hundred Parishes 3. It was a Church where the Bishop as present could see to all that was done 4. It was a Church that was oft to assemble or be congregate which a Diocess never doth For it is frequent Congregations of the same persons that is here commanded or desired 5. It was a Church so assembled that the Bishop could by name take an account who was absent by his own eye Yea even of the Servant-men and Maids 6. And such as the Bishop could himself marry all that were married in it or at least be their particular Counsellor therein And exhort all Husbands and Wives to their duties 7. He after saith I am of one soul with them that are subject to the Bishop Presbyters and Deacons Signifying that these three were the present Officers of one and the same particular Church III. The next is the Epistle to the Ephesians where 1. Pag. 17. he willeth them to love their Bishop and all of them to imitate him which supposeth that they knew him and so doth not one in an hundred in most of our Diocesses nor ever see his face 2. Pag. 19. He tells them that They agree in the Sentence of the Bishop and so doth the worthy Presbytery agree with him as the strings of a Harp and therefore in their consent and consounding love Jesus Christ is sung and they are all made a Chore that being consonant in consent receiving in unity divine melody
The Chorepiscopi which were at first placed in Country Churches where were many Christians do shew what extent the Churches were then of That these were really Bishops at first whatever the aforesaid Parenthesis in Leo or Damasus say most Writers for Episcopacy Papists and Protestants do now grant and therefore I may spare the labour of proving it And whereas it is said that they were but the Bishop's Deputies I answer even as Bishops are the Arch-Bishops Deputies that is they were under them but were really Bishops themselves For if a Bishop may depute one that is no Bishop to be his Deputy either a Presbyter also may depute one that is no Presbyter to administer the Sacraments or not If yea then Lay-men shall come in and all be levelled For a Deacon also may depute his Office If not then either a Bishop cannot do it or else the Presbyter's Office is much holier than the Bishop's And that these Chorepiscopi Country-Bishops were not such Rarities as to invalidate my Proof but very common besides what is before said is evident by the Subscriptions of many Councils where great store of Chorepiscopi are found And besides the names in our common Collections of the Councils how it was in the Egyptian and Neighbour Churches at least if not how it was at Nice you may see in the Arabick Subscriptions published by Selden in his Comment on Eutych Orig. Alex. pag. 93 94 95 c. Num. 29 31 55 64 68 119 122 128 131 179 193 215 237 241 278. There are seventeen named And the Canons made to curb and suppress them shew that they were ordinary before as Concil Laodic Can. 57. But they should rather have increased them that Bishops might have multiplied as Churches or Christians increased which was decreed here in England in the cap. 9. of the Council at Hertford per Theodor. Cantuar. referente Beda lib. 4. Hist Eccles cap. 5. II. The very name Ecclesia which was first used before Parochiâ— or Dioecesis and still continued to this day doth shew what the form of a Church then was especially if you withal consider that the name was communicated to the Temples or sacred Meeting-Places which are also ordinarily called Ecclesiae which no Man doubteth was in a secondary sense as derived from the People who were the Ecclesia in the primary sense And so even in our Tongue the word Church is used for both to this day as iâ— is in many other Languages Now it is certain that a part especially a small part a hundredth or a thousandth part of the Church is not the Church unless equivocally Why then should the Temple be so called from the Church when no Church at all but a Particle only of a Church doth meet there For that the word Church in our Question is not taken for any Community or Company of Christians but for a governed Society consisting of the governing and governed part I have before shewed But 1. A Church in its first and proper Notion being Coetus Evecatus An Assembly or Convention or Congregation as distinguished from the Universal Church which is so called because it is called out of the World to Christ the Head and with him shall make one glorious Society how are those twenty or an hundred Miles off any more a part of the Assembly where I live than those at the Antipodes may be If you fly to one Governor I answer 1. So the Pope claimeth a Government at the Antipodes 2. A Governor of many Assemblies may make them one Society as to Government but not one Assembly 2. And certainly when Temples were first named Churches it was not because those met there that were no Churches but only Members of Churches Nor is this Parish Church called a Church because some meet here that belong to the Church at Boston Lincoln or Grantham But to this day we cannot disuse our selves from saying the Church of Barnet the Church of St. Albans of Hatâ—ield c. yea in the same City we denominate the several Temples still several Churches Hesychius explaineth Ecclesia by no other words than these three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which all signifie the Meetings of the People and not Men that never see each other only because one Man ruleth them Mr. Mede in his Exercitat of Temples proveth largely that the places of Meeting are ordinarily by the Ancients called Churches even in several Centuries Euseb lib. 8. cap. 1. saith in every City they built spacious and ample Churches And Theophil Antiochen Autol. saith Sic Deus dedit mundo qui peccatorum tempestatibus naufragiis jactatur Synagogas quas Ecclesias sanctas nominamus in quibus veritatis doctrina fervet ad quas confugiunt veritatis studiosi quotquot salvari Deique judicium iram evitare volunt So Tertullian de Idololat cap. 7. pag. 171. Tota die ad hanc partem zelus fidei ingenuum Christianum ab Idolis in Ecclesiam venire de adversaria Officina in domum Dei venire c. The very Name there of a Church and the naming of a single Temple thence doth signifie our supposition III. To this I may add the Name and Primitive Sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it signifieth a Vicinity and Parochus Vicinus a Cohabitant or Neighbour as well as inquilinus and is used in all the ancient Church-Writers as noting both a Sojourner as Christians are in the World and a Neighbour so constantly in this later sense not excluding the former Else Men of several parts of the World might have been said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because inquilini had it not also and specially signified Vicinity To avoid tediousness of Citations I refer the unsatisfied Reader but to Gers Bucer against Downam and the Basil Lexicon of Henr. Pet. in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And though the custom of calling a Church by the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continued when the Church was altered in magnitude to a large Diocess yet that is so far from proving that this was the first and old signification as that the word rather plainly leadeth us up to the thing and sense which first it signified And therefore to this day Etymology teacheth us more wit than in English to call a Diocess a Parish but only a Vicinity of Christians And when the a Vicinity is the English of the Word why should Strangers that we shall never see or have to do with any more than those in the uttermost part of the Land be called our Parishioners or Neighbours IV. Another clear Evidence of the truth in question is the Paucity of Churches or consecrated Meeting-Places for many hundred Years after Christ both before they were called Temples and after Not that occasional Meeting-places were few Houses Fields c. but appropriated consecrated places called Churches where there were Altars or ordinary Church-Communion in the Lord's Supper Or rather it is doubtful whether the name of
unworthy to have Communion with any orderly well governed Congregation of believers because of their loose and scandalous manner of living which because they could not redresse they did pretend at least they were bound thus to shun and avoid as hateful to God and to good men Wherefore ye did not carefully seperate between the precious and the vile but consulting with flesh and blood what ye were to do in this case thought in humane Policy to break the power of one party by strengthening the hands of the other or not binding and restraining them with the Cords of Ecclesiasticall discipline Thus while you opposed Profaneness against Schism or did let that loose at this or secretly favoured and upheld it in hope to suppresse the later by the former the one grew too strong by the violence of opposition for your selves and both for the Church in order to peace and holiness As for your labour in the work of the Ministry how little it hath been for many years together it is even a shame to mention some of you wholly exempting your selves from this necessary burden of their calling for ease and pleasure Others supposing it a task and employment too low and inferiour for them The rest for the most part slightly or seldome bearing it with their shoulders and laying it aside presently as that which concerned other men and not themselves any longer than they listed And thus far had been pardonable with men had care been taken to see this work duely performed by the Clergy But alas there were not wanting of you who did not only wink at the wilful neglect of their inferirour bretheren in this point of Ministerial duty But did countenance and favour such as were most peccant therein judging them most averse from faction who were least conscious Of Preaching to the peole and fairest friends to the present Government who were loose enough God knoweth in their office and conversation Whence it came to pass that very many who were for you in the time of Tryal were ignorant and dissolute men dishonourable to your party and indeed to the Christian Religion which they did continually profane by their words and workes So unsuitable is humane policy with Evangelical simplicity and unsuccesful when it is used to support the regiment thereof And instead of sending forth meet Labourers into the Lords harvest fit Pastors into his flock you sent those that were idle Shephards loving to slumber given to sleep altogether like your selves careless of the Lords Heritage either unwilling if able or if willing unable or neither willing nor able rightly to divide the word of truth giving them their portion in due season As for those to whom God had given both ability and will to preach the word ye permitted them not the free use and exercise of their gifts but forbade them to teach the people as oft as they saw it convenient or necessary for their Edification And though you did at first commend to them the way of Catechizing the younger sort yet afterwards I know not upon what grounds or for what reason you so far limited and restrained the Minister in this pious and profitable practice that ye did in a manner take away the key of knowledge or make it useless for them so that they could not enter in thereby And pag. 69. of this I am assured that nothing was reformed afterward in your ordinations it being as free and indifferent for all who came as ever p. 70. 71. 72. The like excuse some frame for the gross corruptions of your prerogative Courts for commutations unjust partial and unreasonable Censures of Excommunication for unlawful to say no more suspension of the meaner sort from ordinances of Jesus Christ for non payment or rather disability of paying pecuniary mulcts and fees imposed on them and without Equity exacted of them by your prophane and greedy officers They pretend the power of the Chancellour to be distinct and separate from that of the Bishop in many points of spiritual Jurisdiction and so exempt from it and uncontroulable by it however proving illegal and exorbitant in the proceedings there of And surely it may seem strange to any considerate person that ye who did so much strain your authority for the introuducing of new Ceremonies into the Church of Christ savouring of superstition and begetting jealousies in mens minds of Popish innovations intended by you without prudence or Conscience and used it so rigorously for the enforcing of the old upon many ill affected to the observation of them absolutely requiring conformity to the Church Liturgy in every point of all men notwithstanding rebus sic stantibus profligata disciplina some former thereof were not appliable to divers persons would not extend it to the utmost measure for the rectifying those great abuses which had by insensible degrees crept in and corrupted the true Primitive discipline But Court employments State flattery and sinful Complyances with great persons were the main lets which hindred you from the due discharge of your office both in preaching the word and exercising the Rod of Christ according to his mind and will while ye thought in carnal reason such means as these most effectual for the acquiring and retaining of your greatness and despised those which the prudent simplicity of the Gospel did offer and commend unto you Wherefore it is no wonder if vice did reign there where flattery did abound and that in the chief Ministers and Messengers of truth if injustice and oppression did bear sway If men were secure in their sins where peace was proclaimed where a prophane Company heard nothing for the most part decried in the Pulpit but Faction from which perhaps alone they were free And what could be expected from the common people but blind ignorance love of pleasures more than God when ye their chief Leaders caused them to err not only through your negligence but also by your example And I would to God some of you had not proved false and deceitful to your brethren whom ye perverted from the way of truth and peace by your own departing from it continuing fast friends to the world ye were carnal your selves and walked as men shewing them the way to heaven with hearts and eyes fixed upon earth For who more immoderate in their care for the things of this life than you Who more eager in the pursuit of riches and honor more tenacious in withholding good from the owners thereof than your selves Who were more set upon the usual course of enriching above measure and raising your families on high If a dignity or office fell within the Compass of your Diocess who was presently judged of you more worthy to possess and manage it than a Son or a Nephew or a Kin'man or an Allie though they were many times altogether uncapable of the honor and trust to which ye preferred them in the house of God either they wanted ability of