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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	bishop_n	call_v	presbyter_n	3,889	5	10.6948	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41549	The reformed bishop, or, XIX articles tendered by Philarchaiesa, well-wisher of the present government of the Church of Scotland, as it is settled by law, in order to the further establishment thereof.	Gordon, James, Pastor of Banchory-Devenick.	1679 (1679)	Wing G1279; ESTC R10195	112,676	318

Generality of their Theologues and Canonists reduce them to Seven whereof Sacerdotium is the highest Order Which Opinion indeed makes Episcopatus to be but Gradus Sacerdotii and compriseth Cantores under the Lectores It is also the Judgment of some Moderns That after the Chor-Episcopi were exauctorated by the Primitive Church as useless and burdensome that Presbyters were termed Antistites in secundo Ordine which they collect from that Iambick of S. Gregorie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. The venerable Senate of Presbyters that preside over the People and possess the second Throne Deacons were indeed prohibited by the ancient Canons to sitdown before Presbyters without their Leave and Command But as for the Demeanour of Bishops in reference to their Presbyters it was a Canon renewed more than once Ne sedeat Episcopus stante Presbytero Yea more than so There be some not inconsiderable Antiquaries who are so far from thrusting Presbyters below the Hatches that they have elevated Deacons to the upper Deck of the Superiour Clergy imagining that only Sub-Deacons and these Orders below them are to be accounted the Inferiour Clergy which they would collect from Hierom. on Tit. and Aug. Epist. 162. But non sic fuit ab initio if we consult the 6th Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles where we may find that they are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz Mensarii Eleemosynarii See Can. 16. Concilii Sexti Generalis Can. 4. Con●cilii quarti Carthag and S. Chrysostom's Comment on the 6th of the Acts. Yet it cannot be denied but that in the latter Centuries of the Primitive Church the Order of Deacons at Rome who were but seven in number according to the Primitive Institution and that of Presbyters very numerous began not only to equal themselves but also to look big upon the Presbyters and the Arch-Deacon assumed the Title of Cardinal Deacon which Superciliousness not only gave occasion to the framing of those Canons we have already hinted at against them but also to St. Hierom a Presbyter to take the Pen in his hand that he might vindicate his own Order from the Contempt of their Inferiours which he doth at length Epist. 85. ad Evagrium For let Blondel and Salmasius pretend what they please this Renowed Father had no quarrel with the Order of Episcopaly but was not a little irritated by the sawcy and arrogant behaviour of the Deacons and that they might learn to know and keep their distance and that Presbyters might look down upon them as the Church-Nethinims he screws up the Presbyteratus as nigh to Episcopacy as possibly he can And if I were not afraid to be accounted an impertinent Digressor it were easie to demonstrate from the Writings of this Father that he acknowledged the Power of Ordination Iurisdiction and Confirmation to belong most properly to Bishops And even in his Comment on Titus on which Blondel layes the greatest stress he hath this differencing Expression In quo differt Episcopus à Presbytero exceptâ Ordinatione Now as Exceptio firmat Regulam in non exceptis so the Exception is presumed as true as the Rule And his ad evit and a Schismata c. is by the greatest Antiquaries looked upon and not without good reason as such an Accident that did emerge in the Apostles days And how can it be conceived that a man of Hierom's Temper who was indeed very Pious and Learned but withal had much Keenness in his Spirit neither did his great Adversary Ruffinus belye him in this Character ut erat in quod intenderat vehemens that he would have taken it in good part that Augustine should call himself Major Hieronymo quà Episcopus if he had not believ'd the truth thereof Credat Iudaeus Apella non ego Not to mention his writing always respectfully to Pope Damasus as his Superiour in the Church So that one of the fifteen passages usually cited out of St. Hierom's Works to prove the Superiority of Bishops over Presbyters and that is his Dial. adv Luciferian doth preponderate more with me than Spalatensis lib. 2. c. 3. who saith That Hierom's Prejudice against Bishops cannot be excused Neither can I deny but that he was much irritated by the insolent Pride of Iohn Patriarch of Hierusalem I shall only take notice of that which indeed I account a Punctilio not worth the noticing though the Enemies of this Sacred Order we are pleading for lay no little weight upon it therefore I shall speak a little unto it and that is Hierom his asserting that in the Infancy of the Christian Church there was an Identity of Names and that Episcopus and Presbyter signified one and the self same thing For Answer I never judg'd it a real Controversie which is managed about Names He must be drenched very deep in the dregs of Malice saith Tertullian who raiseth deadly Quarrels about Words or Names if there be no real Controversie about Things Therefore I shall readily grant unto them that Bishops of old were called Presbyters or Elders and shall go a greater Length too than Ambrose in his Comment on the Ephesians if it be his who tells us that Omnis Episcopus est Presbyter sed non omnis Presbyter est Episcopus For I verily believe that in the Infancy of the Gospel Presbyters were also termed Bishops or Overseers and that the Appropriation of those Names to the different Orders or Degrees of the same Order was not made till a little after Yet I joyn not Issue with these who cite the 20th Chapter of the Acts verse 28. to this purpose They who are for the Genevian Platform will have those Elders to be nothing else but Presbyters and they hug this Text as their Palladium because as they fondly imagine it affords them an Achillaeum Argumentum against Episcopacy for here say they the very Name and Office is confounded with that of Presbyter Overseer in the Original being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I must take the boldness to say that I lay more stress upon the sole Testimony of Irenaeus than on all the Commentaries which have been written on this Text since the year 1638 to 1600 or since 1536. when Calvin settled at Geneva till this present year of God For that Ancient and peaceable Father who carried Peace in his Breast as well as in his Name living withi● 180 years of the Birth of Christ He was the Disciple of Polycarp who was brought up at the feet of S. Iohn the Apostle and conversed with many Apostolick men and had an easie Tradition of the sence of this place This Irenaeus in his five Books against Heresies especially the Valentinian Gnosticks expresly te●ls us lib. 1. c. 14. that these Elders were Bishops of Asia He of Ephesus being their Metropolitan or Arch-bishop And lest any should imagine that it would have been a tedious Work and Attendance for the Apostle to call for all the Bishops of Asia we must

suppose it was not of such a Latitude as the then Third and now Fourth Part of the Terraqueal Globe at least of the known World Nor the Dimension of all Asia the Lesser called Anatolia by the Greeks as being East from them and now Natolia by the Turks Neither was it the Roman Asia in its greatest Latitude which comprehended the great Kingdom of Pergamus viz. Ionia Aeolis Lydia Caria with the two Mysia's and Phrygia's The Proconsular Asia was yet less for it comprehended only Ionia and Aeolis with the Islands of the Aegaean Sea and about the Hellespont But Asia propr●● dicta of which the Apostle and Irenaeus speak was least of all for it had no more in it but Ionia and Ae●li● as I herom t●stisies and Erasmus is of the same opinion that Asia in the Acts ●mports only that Country where Epheus stood that is Ionia Now though 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 as it is distinguished ●●om the Greater consisted of many other Provinces over and above what we have expressed 〈◊〉 Bithynia Paphlagonia 〈…〉 Pontus Armenia the Lesser Ly●aonia Pisidia Isauria Lycia● and 〈◊〉 yet all of them amount not ●igh to the Dimension of the Famous Kingdom of France And though Ionia was very Fertile and consequently Populous yet the Dimension thereof being but small it was ●asie for St. Paul staying at Miletus a little City on the Coast of I●nia● not far from Ephesus and St. Hi●rom saith truly within ten Furlongs of the Ostiary 〈◊〉 that famous River Meander to call fo● all the Bishops of that Province to come unt● him We have insisted the longer upon this ●istorico-Geographical Digression to demonstrate to the World that Presbyterians make much adoe about nothing and build their largest Hopes on a sandy Foundation But let us grant to them which I know D. Hammond and they that follow him will not yield that the Apostle in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus us●th these Names promis●uously what have they gain'd thereby Were Bishops of old called Elders So were the Apostles in Scripture sometimes termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet no man in his right Wits but will grant that they had a Superiority over Presbyters and Deacons Use is certainly the best master of Words For Nomina being ex ins●ituto that which is applyed to signifie such a Notion of the Mind may by common Consent import a contrary Conception as is well observed by that glorious and learned Martyr King Charles the first in his Dispute at Newport in the Isle of Wight where that Royal Champion like another Athanasius fighting against the World tells those Presbyterian Ministers That he is not much concerned whether they call Episcopatus Ordo or Gradus or what Name they give it provided they acknowlege the Superiority of those Church-Officers over Presbyters and Deacons This was formerly ●●●●uated by that great and good Prince in his Disputation with M. Henderson at New-castle whom he routed both Horse and Foot and s●nt home that Apostle of the Covenan● a Royal Proselyte For this great Athleta like to the invincible Hercules in all his Labours was in all the Disputes that he managed with his unparallel'd ●en more than Conquerour through Him that loved him Yea Salmatius and Blondel the two great Champions of Presbytery are constrain'd 〈…〉 least in the 〈…〉 betwixt Presbyters and 〈◊〉 And if Blondel from the year 〈◊〉 which he makes the Epocha of that 〈◊〉 Impropriation had made a 〈◊〉 to CXI he would have found S. Ignatius in his Epistles which are accounted 〈◊〉 cl●arly and frequ●ntly distinguishing betwixt Bishops Presbyters and Deacons and that in no less than 35 several 〈…〉 which we have no leisure to 〈…〉 accounted 〈◊〉 for these 〈…〉 so fully vindicated by 〈…〉 and D. Pearceson that all the Gratings of Salmasius Blondel Capellus and D. Owen will never file off the least Atom from their Solidity I hope all they of the Episcopal Order and Way will pardon this Digression I shall therefore only deprecate for the Tediousness thereof if these insignificant Lines chance to fall into the hands of others all my Design being to speak a Word for Truth and to give an evidence to the World that I am no bigot Presbyterian But we have not yet done with this Article For there is something yet quod cadit in Consequentiam Let not therefore the Governours of our Church be inaccessible to any of their Presbyters nor suffer them to dance Attendance at their Gates as if they were the poor Yeomen of their Guard Clemens Rom. in his excellent Epistle describes the Lord Jesus to this Purpose whom all Church-men ought to imitate Dominus noster I. Christus Sceptrum magnificentiae non venit in jactantia Superbiae arrogantiae quamvis potuerit sed in humilitate For I would have them to remember That it is not Nature but only the Providence of God that hath made the Difference betwixt them and it 's possible rather the Grace of their Prince than any Merit of their own which hath dignified them with such a Title And if the same be substracted their ●rest would instantly fall down to the Point base of the Shield And when Presbyters come where Bishops are let them enjoy a ferene Countenance without any supercilious Command to keep their Distance or according to the new coyn'd Phrase Know your Measures But I wish they consider and practise that sober Measure which an Heathen Poet prescribes unto all Mushroms of a Night's growth Fortunam reverenter habe quicunque repente Dives ab exili c. For good Words never hurt the Mouth nor excoriate the Tongue And when any Presbyter who is sufficiently known to have been constantly of sound Principles and Practice conform shall with all due respect Represent some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Ecclesiastical Government For I believe they think not themselves we are living in Platonis Republica sed in Faece Romuli to whic● Regret he is prompted by his Loyal●y 〈◊〉 Church and State let him not be 〈◊〉 away as presumptuous and Impertinent to tender an Admonition be it never to Brotherly and humble to one that i● forsooth so much his Superiour as if the ingenuous Presbyter had committed a Solaecism greater than that of 〈◊〉 who pr●sum'd to teach the Great 〈◊〉 the Stratagems of War But 〈…〉 them to remember That Humanum 〈◊〉 aliquando bonus 〈…〉 and hath need to be awaken'd to 〈◊〉 his Charge and 〈…〉 times suggest 〈…〉 Alexander the Great 〈…〉 to Abdolominus a poor Gardiner 〈◊〉 of the Blood Royal of Sid●n That 〈◊〉 spake bett●● 〈…〉 point of 〈◊〉 than eve● 〈◊〉 heard from any of his greatest Captains Yea Anti●●●us the Great declared solemnly That he had learned more concerning Tru●hs as to the Interest of his Government from a poor Countrey Peasant in one Night's Con●renee with him than he had done from all hs Courtiers heretofore For if such Presbyters be discountenanced and their

for he must needs be a Stranger to all Church-History who is altogether unacquainted with these ensuing Instances The first is of Maris Bishop of Chalcedon a blind Bishop yet he fought not Andabatarum more but boldly told the Emperour Iulian to his Face That he was glad the Almighty had bereav'd him of his Eyes that he might not see such a vile Apostate as he was Such was the Freedom of Spirit wherewith even an Arrian Bishop was endued in Behalf of the Christian Religion But the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of S. Basil a greater and much more Orthodox Bishop was so admirable in the Eyes of the Lieutenant of the Emperour Valens that this Heretical Servant told it as one of the greatest Wonders in the World unto his Arrian Master That there was no Threatening imaginable could deterr that Metropolitan of Cappadoc●a from the Path of Truth and Vertue St. Chrysostom his Freedom of Spirit in reprehending the Vanities of the Empress Eudoxia was so great that some supposed it had too much of the Satyr in it and that his wonderful Eloquence would have run in a smoother Channel if a little Gall Vinegar and Vitreol had not sometimes troubled the Stream But he deserved from all and in a right Sence too to be term'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a kneeless Bishop he being inflexible to all the Petitions of Ignorant and Scandalous Ecclesiasticks who lived within the Priphery of his Patriarchate Neither could all the Hopes or Fears wherewith the greatest Secular Persons in the World accosted him divert that Resolute Prelate from that which he judged just and Good and a part of his Episcopal Charge Though we might subjoyn many other Examples to this Purpose yet I shall forbear for the reason above frequently express'd Yet we cannot balk in Silence the well-known Instance of that most worthy Prelate of Millan who repell'd for the space of eight Moneths that good Emperour Theodosius the Great from the Holy Eucharist that blessed Sacrament being frequently celebrated in the Western Churches at that time and that for his temerarious and cruel Sentence in the mattter of Thessalonica But whether the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that great Bishop or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that great Emperour were most admirable I shall not determine but shall shut up this Historical Account with that Resolute Answer which this couragious Prelate gave to Valentinian the second Emperour of the West who being instigated by his Mother an Arrian to give the Principal Church at Millan to those Hereticks did meet with this unexpected Repulse from S. Ambrose in the Porch of his Cathedral Non prodam Lupis gregem mihi commissam hic occide si lubet In which Expression his holy Boldness in Conjunction with a due Submission to superiour Powers affords new matter of Admiration Now in regard that this little Cento of History hath wasted more Paper than at first I imagin'd it should do we shall therefore add no more Authorities to this Article Article XVII Mat. 23. 6 7 8. c. Act. 21. 20. Rom. 12. 10. 2 Cor. 3. 5. 2 Pet. 3. 15. WHatever Bombast Epithets others give unto them Let all Bishops when they Converse and salute one another viva voce or by writing use no other Compellation than that of Brethren which is most consonant unto the Primitive Pattern all Christians then living as Brethren and denominating one another under that notion of Fraternity which word was much used in the Infancy of the Church and from it the Pagans also took occasion to traduce our Religion But none used it more than the Ministers of the Gospel whether Bishops or Presbyters it being as Baronius that great Annalist hath well observed the most usual Compellation of all Bishops among themselves where there was a parity of Age or no great disproportion But when any of the Order who had stepped in upon a decrepit old age called by the Latines Aetas Capularis and Silicernium did converse with one of the same Order much younger than himself he usually called him Son and vice versâ the younger termed the elder Father though none of them were so young but that fourty Winters at least had snowed upon their Heads yea very few Presbyters were Ordained in these Times of Persecution whose Pulse had not beaten twice twenty years To which if some late Criticks had well adverted they would have made Use of a better Argument to repudiate the pretended Areopagite as there want not some solid reasons to do the feat than his impertinency in calling Timothy Son at the Close of his Book Of Ecclesiastical Hierarchy though say they the said Timothy was equal to him if not his Superiour in Piety Doctrine and Authority both being Bishops of famous Churches and Ephesus where Timothy Govern'd rather a Mother-Church than Athens and that it was the General Custom of the Primitive Church for Bishops to call one another Brethren But this is a meer Fallacy à dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter For in respect of Age he might have called him Son though in many other things he had been his Superiour seeing we find more than a thousand years after that time when Christian Simplicity and Humility were much rarer in the World that Ioseph Patriarch of Constantinople flatly refused the Emperour thereof whose almost desperate Affairs in that Conjuncture required as great Complyance with the Latin Church as Conscience could possibly permit to prostitute himself to the Bishop of Rome by giving him the usual Adorations of the occidental Church at that time and plainly told him that if Eugenius the 4th by whose Influence the Councel of Florence was celebrated which was first assembled at Ferrara were a man much elder than himself he would call him Father if but of equal years he would term him Brother if much younger he would style him Son without the ●east mention of his pretended Title of Holiness And this was all the Compellation and Obeysance could be obtained from that peremptory Patriarch It were also desireable That all our Bishops took Place among themselves according to their Age excepting the Metropolitan or Primate who is constant Praeses of that Sacred Colledge and who usually in the Primitive Church was eminent above the rest not only in all laudible Qualifications but also in respect of Age. For in doing so they would not only imitate the Sons of that great Patriarch Iacob but they would shew themselves humbly obsequious to many ancient Canons which appoint the Precedency of Bishops among themselves to be at least conform to the Aera of their present Dignity of which we shall give an account at the end of this Article it being a most indecent Spectacle and that which in the City of Sparta would have appear'd a very ridiculous Pageantry to see a Reverend old man treading upon the Heels of one who might have been his Grand-child and yet of that same Order with himself But whether young