the old Catholicks whose Title they usurp condemned a Impious and Detestable Lastly Though there are many Motives to make these Petitions there are only two expressed in this Collect but both are very cogent First The benefit of the People who have such a Bishop set over them as frequently Preaches and wisely Dispenses the Discipline intrusted to him he is an inestimable blessing to his Diocess his Clergy and Laity both are happy in so industrious prudent and faithful a Steward who gives all their Portion in due season and thereby promotes and secures the Salvation of many But 2ly This is not all for his Gracious Lord and Master Jesus Christ the Judge of all hath promised an Everlasting Kingdom of Joy to reward such Servants for all their Care and Pains (t) St. Matth. xxiv 45. So that earnestly desiring the Bishops Eternal Happiness we do earnestly pray he may have Grace to manage thus and methinks the very mention of it should enflame the pious Candidate with holy desires and firm resolutions to be diligent and faithful in the discharge of these Duties since 't is certain he shall be infinitely overpaid for all his trouble by the never-ceasing Joys of Heaven where no Stars shall shine so bright (u) Dan. xii 3. none so highly shall be rewarded (w) Matth. x. 41. as Prophets Righteous Guides of Souls and such as are the Happy Instruments of Turning many to God CHAP. IX Of the Solemn Words §. 1. REceive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Bishop c. and remember that thou stir up the Grace of God c. The Order of Priesthood is so near the Episcopal that the Words at the Admission to both are very much alike only because their Duty differs in some Points therefore the one hath the Spirit communicated for the Office and Work of a Presbyter the other for the Office and Work of a Bishop and since the power of Binding and loosing was given to the Candidate when he was ordained Priest that is not repeated now since every Bishop must pass through that Order first But instead of that Form here is added that reasonable admonition of St. Paul to Timothy To stir up the Grace of God that is now given them by the Imposition of Hands to which the reason of the Charge is annexed viz. because God hath not given us the Spirit of Fear but of Power and Love and Soberness The Consecrated Bishop ought firmly to believe he doth now receive the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Spirit so far as is necessary for his Office as we have proved before (x) Disc on the Ordin of a Priest Ch. viii §. 2. and we see here St. Paul takes it for granted that Imposition of Hands did convey it to Timothy for he hath said God gave him the Spirit and his Grace by this Rite and his Successors in the Dignity have the same need and the same method is used now But least this Privilege should make them proud and negligent they are first put in mind that the gifts of the Spirit are like the Celestial Fire in the Jewish Temple which came from Heaven yet was to be kept alive by human industry and continual puting on of fresh fuel (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophil in 2 Tim. 1.6 7. Even these Gifts and Graces will be extinguished if those that have received them do not continually endeavour to quicken them by daily and devout Prayer diligent and constant Reading and Study and by being ever imployed in all sorts of good Works God doth not give them his Spirit to exempt them wholly from working but to engage them to co-operate with him and therefore it is St. Paul's Argument for our working out our own Salvation with fear and trembling because God worketh in us both to will and to do (z) Philip. ii 12 13. Yea he calls the omitting to do our parts receiving the Grace of God in vain (a) 2 Corinth vi 1. and our Saviour shews that Servant was condemned who only kept his Talent safe but did not improve it (b) St. Math. xxv 24 c. Such being like idle Saylors who lie in the Port but neither fit up their Vessel spread their Sails nor use their Oars when a fair Wind blows (c) Isidor Peleusiot lib. 2. Ep. 2. p. 126. Wherefore First they must beware of sloth and presumption and be perpetually stirring up the Gifts they have received But 2ly Least they should on the other hand doubt and despair of ever being able to surmount the difficulties of this weighty Employment they are told what kind of Spirit it is which they have received First Negatively not the Spirit of fear or of Bondage (d) Rom. viii 15. the dastardly Spirit of Slaves who serve their Lords for dread of Stripes and tremble at a like danger from other Hands No they have received a nobler Spirit and like Free-men go on courageously and serve from a principle of love and gratitude Hence 2ly Affirmatively they are told their Spirit is first the Spirit of Power which is mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds and the casting down every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowledge of God (e) 2 Cor. x. 4 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sunt loca arte munita 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae natura muniuntur Vid. Veget. de re milit l. 4. c. 1. Filesac select lib. 1. cap. 7. A zealous Bishop endued with this Spirit of Power may boldly attack all the artificial fortresses of Argument wherein cunning Hereticks enskonce their false Opinions and shall pull down all the lofty brags whereby obstinate Sinners hope to secure their evil practices God will enable him to convince the former and convert the latter bringing the one by a right Faith and the other by a holy Life into subjection to Jesus Christ his Courage ought to be undaunted because his assistant is Almighty Secondly He hath received the Spirit of Love and Charity which will inspire him with a tender pity for the Souls of the Erroneous and debauched He considers their woeful delusion their encreasing guilt and imminent danger of Damnation and therefore he pursues them with Intreaties Arguments and Importunity as St. John did his relapsed young Man (f) Vid. Histor apud Euseb lib. 2. cap. 17. p. 68. not ceasing till if possible he hath brought them to a better mind Thirdly It is the Spirit of Sobriety and Prudence (g) 2 Tim. i. 7. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to distinguish it from the wild and giddy Spirit of Enthusiasts who have Heat without Light and Zeal without Knowledge (h) Rom. x. 2. The Spirit of God endues our Bishops with Wisdom to choose the fittest seasons properest Methods and the most seasonable ways of Application and enables him steddily to go on till at last by God's Blessing he hath gained his Point There are but
Caesarea in Cappadocia he kneeled all the time which the whole Congregation interpreted as an Omen he would become a Priest afterwards because that was the Posture of a Candidate for Orders not of a Catechumen (p) Greg. Naz. Orat. 19. de Patre suo Vide item Baron Anno 325. n. 30. p. 284. Now a Rite so well known then could be of little less than Apostolical original The Author of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy mentions it and notes that a Deacon kneeled but upon one Knee a Priest on both before the Altar while the Bishop laid his Hand on his Head (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionys Eccl. Hier. c. 5. which is also enjoyned in the Greek Rubrick (r) Eucholog Graec. pag. 256. pag. 297. But we according to the Custom of the Western Church require Deacons as well as Priests to kneel humbly upon both knees (s) Pontifical Roman p. 32. and the Lutheran Form requires them to kneel before the Altar as soon as the Questions are proposed to them (t) Ad ordinandos procumbentes coram Altari Creditisne Fidem c. Form Luth. Lips 1624. The reasons for which ancient usage are principally two First In respect to the Bishop who in this Sacred Action represents our Lord Jesus himself and executes a Power delegated to him from his and our Great Master and this Posture of Adoration is principally due to him only it is paid to the Embassador for the King of Heavens sake Secondly We must observe that though the Bishop pronounces the Words yet Christ gives the Grace and confers the Gifts which therefore the Candidate must receive with the profoundest humility and no Posture so fit as that of Prayer for he must all the time humbly and earnestly beg of Jesus to confirm the Words of his Servant the Bishop and that he would give all those good Qualities to him which are requisite for a just and conscientious discharge of this Office We put up our Petitions to Mortal Princes upon our Knees and whoever is advanced to Secular Dignity receives his Investiture from the Royal Hands kneeling how much more reasonable is it we should kneel to the King of Heaven when He is about to endue us with his Grace and invest us with an Office in his Courts §. 3. The Solemn Words Take thou Authority to execute the Office of a Deacon in the Church of God committed to thee in the Name c. There are generally certain Forms used in the admissions to all Offices Civil and Military and so it ought to be in these that are Ecclesiastical But because there are no Forms prescribed in Scripture every Church hath taken the liberty to compose its own Formularies It would suffice saith Pope Innocent if the Ordainer only said be thou a Priest or a Deacon but now Forms are made by the Church they must be used (u) Innocent de Sacram. non iterandis That of the Roman Church indeed is a very odd Form (w) Accipe Spiritum Sanctum ad robur ad resistendum Diabolo c. Pont. Rom. p. 36. and belongs no more to a Deacon than to any other Christian for they pretend to give him the Holy Spirit to enable him to resist the Devil and his Temptations The Form of the Greek Church is much better where because of that ancient error of those who did attribute the efficacy of Sacramentals to the vertue of him that Ministers them as the Ancients note (x) 1 Cor. iii. 4. Vide D. Chrys Hom 50. in Matth. Aug. Tract 6. in Jonah The Bishop humbly ascribes the whole Act to God and says The Divine Grace which always heals that which is weak and fills up that which is defective promotes N. to be a Deacon (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 N. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chol p. 250. And to the same effect they speak in the Ordaining of a Priest As to our Form it is owing to our Reformation and is as it ought to be a clear explication of the Ceremony of Laying on of Hands which signifies as was noted collation of Power and delegating Authority and therefore the Bishop says Take thou Authority c. It seems by St. Ambrose there were in his time some mystical words used at Imposition of Hands which were believed to convey authority (z) Manus vero impositiones verba sunt mystica quibus confirmatur ad hoc opus electus accipiens Authoritatem Ambr. in 1 Tim. 4. And here the Bishop in whom the Supream Power is lodged grants Authority to the Candidate to execute the Office of a Deacon which is his Commission and lawful Call giving him a right to perform all the Duties annexed to that Order Yet according to the example of the Eastern Church the Bishop declares he doth not this purely of himself but by a Power granted him from God and therefore he adds In the Name of the Father of the Son c. to intimate that the Holy and ever Blessed Trinity doth confer this Order on him We are commanded by St. Paul to do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus (a) Coloss iii. 17. Quicquid agis in nomine Dei agas R. D. Kimch in Psal 1. ver 2. from whence the Christians generally begin all their Solemn Instruments with this Form In Nomine Domini and sometimes the whole Trinity is expressed especially in Religious Ministrations such as Absolution Marriage and Holy Orders where each Person of the Trinity concurs the Father by his Providence guides the Choice the Son by his Supream Authority over the Church grants the Power the Holy Ghost by his Gifts and Graces qualifies and fits the Person now chosen One of the Greek Ritualists makes this a calling the whole Trinity to witness this Present Act (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sym. Thessai de Sacr. but I take the former to be the true sence because to do a thing in the Name of God c. is to do it as his Representative and by his Authority and so the Person is promoted to be a Deacon Ministerially by the Bishop but Originally and Principally by God himself from whom he receives this Honour humbly kneeling on his Knees and he should remember that to him he must one day give an account how he hath performed his Duty which cannot but strike his Mind with reverence and holy fear while these Solemn Words are repeated §. 4. Rubr. Delivering the New Testament Take thou Authority to read the Gospel in the Church of God and to Preach c. This is the second significant Rite used in our Ordination concerning which we shall observe That the Deacons in the Christian Church are made after the pattern of those Ministers among the Jews whose Office was to keep the Book of the Law and upon occasion to read it publickly in their Synagogues in whose stead our Saviour himself did once Minister (c) Luke vi 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
of malice and mutual provocation introducing Unity Peace and Concord with all the blessed consequences of Love Charity and Beneficence This would make Towns and Cities Families and Neighborhoods easie and happy and every Man would share in this blessed Tranquility There are in all places instruments of Sathan to sow and enflame discord and either out of ill nature or for gain (o) Qui lites creant qui si nihil est litium lites serunt Plaut in Penul 3. 2. p. 874. to disturb the repose of Mankind and who so fit as the Servants of the God of Peace to countermine those Agents of the Prince of Darkness They can best set forth the gracious promises made to Peace and Unity the dreadful threatnings against variance and strife hatred and malice they are most proper to shew their people the Sin and mischief of living in Enmity which makes them and their prayers odious to God and will hinder his remitting their offences against him banish the holy Spirit of love from their Souls and qualifie them for no other Society but that of Hell And they who have such a Pastor ought to receive his advice and admonitions with all humility and gratitude and chearfully to leave their quarrels to his mediation and arbitrement But if they shall on either side be found implacable the party who is willing to be reconciled may be admitted to the Holy Sacrament (p) Quid faciemus in quorum potestate voluntas tantum pacis est non effectus Heir Ep. 62. because the innocent must not suffer for the guilty while the other as our Rubrick directs is to be suspended from it and his obstinacy notified to the Bishop that by his Authority he may either be brought to a reconciliation or prosecuted for his malice 'T is evident the Laity in the Primitive times voluntarily desired Bishops and Priests to decide their differences and it is remarked by the writer of St. Augustine's life That at the request of his people he spent the forenoon often and sometimes the whole day fasting while he was hearing their causes but would not leave off till he had decided them (q) Interpellatus ergo causas audiebat diligentèr pie usque ad horam refectionis aliquando autem totâ die jejunus semper tamen dirimebat Possidon in vit Aug. I doubt not but the Clergy are now as willing to undertake this charitable office especially in such controversies where there is no Title or nice point of Law to be determined as those of ancient times and certainly it would be our peoples great advantage to accept of yea to encourage their Mediation §. 6. Quest VIII Will you reverently obey your Ordinary c. This being the same in our Offices both of Deacon and Priest had not been repeated here but only to observe that the Roman Church only requires this promise of Canonical obedience from Priests (r) Vid. Pontif. Rom. in Ord. Presb. p. 54. and that is all the engagements they enter into but only to say a few Masses and pray for the Bishop and these two last particulars are late Additions (s) Vid. Pontif. Innoc. 8. edit An. 1485. For they were not in the Pontifical of Pope Innocent the 8th Printed about 100 years ago Now the engaging their Priests only to obey their Superiors and not to perform the Duties of their Office enjoyned by Christ as we do Looks as if they were more concerned for the Polity of their Church than for the Salvation of Souls and considering the tendency of our distinct Questions to make our Priests careful of their whole Duty I doubt not but every impartial Man will judge our Office excels theirs in this as well as in most other things CHAP. V. Of the Bishops and Peoples Prayers THe Priests having solemnly promised to perform all these necessary and weighty parts of their Pastoral Office by God's help First the Bishop openly prays for them in these words §. 1. Almighty God who hath given you this Will to do all these things Grant also unto you strength c. The Lutheran Forms after the Questions and Answers cited before have a Prayer very like this in substance (t) Dominus igitur noster Jesus Christus summus Pastor Episcopus animarum nostrarum vos in hac fide in Christiano proposito clementer confirmet conservet Form Lips An. 1624. And this being pronounced by the Bishop who is Christ's immediate Officer must be looked on as a Benediction and not barely Petitionary Though we see the Ordainer gives all the glory to God ascribing to him that good will which they have declared in freely undertaking these Duties without whom we are not sufficient so much as to think one good thought (u) 2 Cor. 3.5 much less to make so many holy Resolutions Now upon this ground that the pious inclination and religious purpose came from God the Bishop proceeds rightly to beg of the Divine Author of their good will to grant them strength and power to perform all that they have promised which is no more but the accomplishing of that Work which he hath begun They did own in the first answer that God's Spirit they believed moved them to take on them this Sacred Calling and he disposed them freely to engage that they will do all the Duties thereof Now though resolving to do well be the beginning yet putting these Resolves in execution is the finishing of every good Work and Performance is the only perfection of a Promise The Bishop finds therefore God hath begun and he hopes he will accomplish this Work yea he may say with St. Paul to his Philippians He makes this request with joy being confident of this very thing that he who hath begun will certainly go on to perfect this good Work (w) Philip. i. 6. Which place as we find in the life of St. Bernard (x) Vit. D. Bernardi p. 1967. being read in the Church the same day that the holy Father and his Companions had vowed to live a very strict life they were much encouraged and went away rejoycing Our Lord hath declared it is his method to give to him that hath already (y) St. Matth. xiii 12. and Chap. xxv 9. He that thankfully receives and carefully improves a good thought into a holy purpose shall be enabled to do what he hath resolved Wherefore the Persons now to be Ordained having found the grace of God Making them willing to promise may say with St. Augustine (z) Ab illo in me perfici fideliter spero à quo inchoatum esse humiliter gaudeo nec in eo quod non donavit incredulus nec in eo quod jam donavit ingratus Aug. ad Maced ep 52. T. 2. fol. 48. They hope firmly that the same God will perfect in them that which they rejoyce humbly to find he hath begun And they cannot doubt of that which he hath not yet given them without being
will call them to so strict an account And it should also make the People reverence and love them exceedingly for their Works sake Wherefore we now proceed to pray for both Pastors and People First For the Bishops to whose Dignity a weighty Burden is annexed as was noted before (b) Nomen sonat plus oneris quam honoris non ut praesit sed ut prosit eligitur Durand rational verb. Episc that is First diligently to Preach God's Word Secondly Duly to administer the godly discipline thereof agreeable to the Metaphor of a Shepherd who is first to Feed and then to Govern his Flock to both which David alludes (c) Psal xxiii 2 4. As to the Former Duty of a Bishop's Preaching though he have no Superior to require it of him he should voluntarily Preach on all occasions Thus we find St. Cyprian preached in the times of persecution (d) Cypr. ep 52. §. 2. p. 114. and daily treated upon the Gospel (e) Quotidianis Evangeliorum tractatibus Id. de bon pudic initio St. Ambrose declares that his custom was continually to admonish his People that is in his Sermons (f) Vulgus jugiter monere consuevi Ambr. de dig Sacerd. c. 1. and from the Works of St. Chrysostom St. Augustin and St. Cyril it is manifest that those Primitive Bishops preached almost every day as St. Hierom also remarks of Proculus a French Bishop (g) Pontifex qui quotidianis tractatibus iter tuum dirigit Hieron ad Rustic ep 4. p 49. But of this I shall treat hereafter (h) See Chap. viii §. 1. and shew that even in our days many pious Bishops do preach very often both in their Cathedrals and in Cures where there is but mean provision for this Office whereby they both set a good Example to the inferior Clergy and since their Dignity gives great weight to their Exhortations and Reproofs it is likely they may hereby promote the Salvation of many People this Petition therefore that Bishops may diligently preach God's Word is still very fit to be made 'T is true Secondly There is another part of their Office wherein the Priests are not joyned in Commission with them so that the main Burden thereof lies on their Shoulders and the male administration of it must wholly lie at their Doors which is the due Exercise of Church Discipline which may justly be stiled godly both from the Original of it being taken out of God's Word and the End of it which is to promote Virtue and Godliness And this is a more necessary part of the Bishop's Office than Preaching which he should principally intend There are some Causes too difficult and some Offenders too great or too obstinate for the inferior Clergy and there the Bishop must interpose by first Admonishing and then Censuring such as notoriously offend in Faith or Manners a good Pastor must not only Feed the Sound but Heal the Sick and Wounded Sheep Seek them that are Lost Bring home such as are gone Astray Separate those that may Infect others and finally Cast out them that are Incurable Now to do this Duly that is as oft as there is occasion and by a right manner of proceeding requires much skill and pains and will take up much time and need continual application but the benefit and comfort arising from the faithful discharge of this difficult Province will abundantly requite the labour of it here yet it shall be rewarded eternally hereafter when the great Shepherd shall appear In the next place we also pray for the People that the Bishop's diligence and care may have a due effect upon them even that they may obediently follow their Exhortations and Advice from the Pulpit and patiently submit to their Monitions and Censures while they exercise the Acts of Jurisdiction 'T is Solomon's Observation that a wise Reprover should have an obedient Ear and then only he is successful (i) Prov. xxv 12. And we have many pious Bishops blessed be God who are diligent in Preaching and as far as their present circumstances will permit are ready to exercise the Godly Discipline of the Church yet alas they have not the desired success through the Pride and Negligence of the People wherefore we beg of God to dispose them to Obey and Submit which are both their indispensable Duties required expresly by God himself who charges them To Obey those Spiritual Pastors who have the Rule over them and submit themselves (k) Heb. xiii 17. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scil eorum mandatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poenis juste impositis B. Sanderson in loc and there is a cogent reason taken from their own benefit because saith he they watch for your Souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you (l) Non dixit non expedit illis sed vobis ipsa tristitia prodest illis sed non expedit vobis nihil autem nobis volumus expedire quod non expedit vobis Aug Ver. Dom. Ser. 16. A good Bishop is set by Christ as a Watchman over his Peoples Souls and if when his Master calls him to an account as he will do he chearfully reports they were willing humble and obedient that will procure God's mercy to them On the contrary if he be forced to complain of their stubbornness with grief he shall be rewarded for his pains and they alas must be condemned for their hindring the success of his Labours which is their loss and not his 'T is great pity a good Bishop should not meet with an ingenuous and tractable People for then both he and they as this Collect notes shall receive the Crown of Everlasting Life He shall be Crowned for his Diligence and they for Observing his Preaching and Submitting to his Discipline Which therefore we beg for Christ Jesus sake Amen CHAP. III. Of the Epistles §. 1. OUT of Holy Scripture the Rule for our Spiritual Guides to walk by there are several Portions taken proper for the several Orders of the Clergy The first for the Consecration of a Bishop is out of the first Epistle to Timothy Chap. iii. ver 1 c. an Epistle so adapted to this Occasion that in all the Old Lectionaries and Ordinals of the Western Church (p) Vid. Pamel de Liturg. Tom. 2. p. 61. Lectionar ap Baluz append ad Capitular Tom. 2. p. 1350. 1373. Item ap Morin de Ord. Lat. Par. 2. p. 321. where Epistles and Gospels are only in use this Portion is always the first and where there are seven or eight for variety this is never omitted because it contains those Divine Directions which the Holy Spirit by St. Paul gave to Timothy concerning the Qualifications of a Bishop and describes all the Virtues they of that Sacred Order ought to be endued with as well as the Vices they must be clear from and the Method will
from the Apostles time Whereby we make a distinction between these three truly Sacred Orders which were instituted by Christ and his Apostles and alone are retained by our Reformers as necessary for all Ages and those inferior Orders of Subdeacons Acolyths Exorcists Readers c. invented by men in later times and therefore laid aside in this Reformed Church 'T is true these were names of Offices used in some places very early but those who had these Titles had no solemn Ordination at first and were looked on rather as Candidates for than Persons in Holy Orders And therefore Alphonsus a Castro (b) Alf. a Castro adv haeres l. xi tit Ordo with very many other eminent Doctors of the Roman Church cited by the learned Chamier allow not these lesser Orders to be Sacraments nor truly Sacred as not being instituted by Christ (c) Cham. Panstrat l. iv c. 22. p. 212. But as to these three greater Orders our Preface modestly dates their use from the Apostles time for it might have been carried much higher since it is also evident that in the Jewish Oeconomy the first Church setled by a written Divine Law above 3000 years ago three Orders were appointed the High-Priest the Priests and the Levites answering to our Bishops Presbyters and Deacons and being the very Pattern to the Apostles in the institution of these three Christian Orders as divers of the Fathers have observed (d) Et ut sciamus Traditiones Apostolicas sumptas de Veteri Testamento Quod Aaron filii ejus atque Levitae in Templo fuerunt hoc sibi Episcopi Presbyteri atque Diaconi vendicent in Ecclesia Hieron ad Euagr. Ep. 85. T. 2. p. 511. Vide item Clem. Epist ad Corinth pag. 92. I may also add that our Saviour who loved not unnecessary alteration kept as nigh to this Form in his own time as the circumstances would bear for he sustained the place of High-Priest and Bishop by both which names he is called (e) Heb. iv 14. 1 Pet. ii 25. being the supream Ruler of his Church and under him the Apostles were then only as Priests having below them the LXX Disciples like to the Levites and Deacons (f) Luc. x. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc Out of whom after the Apostles succeeded their Master in the Government of the Church many were chosen into higher Orders and seven of them were fixed as Deacons in Jerusalem the Mother of all Churches (g) Vid. Chron. Alexand Bibl. Patr. T. 12. p. 60. Epiph. Panar T. 1. haer 20. After our Lord's ascension also Scripture mentions the like number of stated Orders First The Apostles who then held the place of Bishops though they could not be fixed to any one City Secondly The Evangelists who were sent to plant or to water newly converted Churches and these represented the Presbyters to which we may add the Deacons ordained not only in Judea but also among the Gentile Proselytes (h) Phil. i. 1. 1 Tim. iii. 8. as appears from the Title of some Epistles and the Rules given to Timothy about them The only Objection as to the Scripture-Period is about the seemingly promiscuous use of the words Bishop and Presbyter or Elder For which Objection it suffices to note 1st That in those Churches where any of the Apostles lived or commonly resided as Jerusalem and Corinth there St. James and St. Paul for a while kept the Government in their own hands and so long there was no occasion for any more than two Orders under the Apostles in those places viz. Presbyters and Deacons 2ly That in those Cities where few were converted there was no occasion for Presbyters at first and it seems reasonable to think there were no more fixed there than a Bishop and his Deacons which some make to be the case at Philippi that Epistle being directed only to the Bishops and Deacons though others will have Bishops there to signify Presbyters and think Epaphroditus his Title left out in the direction because he carried the Epistle (i) Cum Presbyteris Diaconis Syriac vers Ita Theoph. in loc and they observe St. Polycarp only mentions two Orders at Philippi Presbyters and Deacons (k) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ep. ad Philip. p. 18. but for their argument from the plural number Bishops it is sufficiently answered by observing Philippi was a Metropolis and had many Cities under it in that Province and so had many Bishops However we do not deny that in some Churches before a due settlement could be made there might be but two Orders besides the Apostles who as St. Clement says Preaching in Countries and Cities ordained the First-fruits of them proving them by the Spirit Bishops and Deacons of such as should believe (l) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ep. ad Corinth p. 96. But Epiphanius against Aerius the heretical Founder of the Presbyterian party gives a convincing reason for this viz. because while the Preaching was new all things could not be setled by the Apostles at once and where none were found worthy to be Priests they were content only with a Bishop who could not be without his Deacons for ministrations but the Church was not yet compleated in its Offices since nothing is perfect at first but in process of time all that it s needs required was fixed (m) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paulo post 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiph. Panar contr Aer lib. 3. T. 1. haer 75. Whence we may infer that in perfect Churches there were then three Orders and I hope our Adversaries will not offer imperfect ones for our imitation especially since it is clear even in the Apostles days that they then being in the place of Bishops had power over Deacons and gave a mission to Presbyters (n) Act. vi 6. and xv 22. That Evangelists could not confirm the converted Samaritans without the Apostles (o) Act. viii 14 15 16 17. That the Bishops constituted by them were to charge the Pastors not to preach any strange Doctrine (p) 1 Tim. i. 3. and to see laborious Preachers well rewarded (q) 1 Tim. v. 17. to censure offending Elders (r) 1 Tim. v. 1. yea to examine and approve of Deacons (s) 1 Tim. iii. 8. and to admit both these by Imposition of Hands (t) Chap. v. 22. which place the Fathers generally explain of Ordination (u) Vid. Theoph. in loc Bern. de consid lib. 4. c. 4. p. 887. And the like superiority Titus had in Creet (w) Tit. i. 5. and Chap. iii. 10. From all which it appears there was an Order of Bishops above the Presbyters who must have jurisdiction over them or else they could not reprove and censure them as Epiphanius notes (x) Epiphan ut supra haer 75. contr Aer who also had then the only Power of Ordaining both the Presbyters and the Deacons and of confirming baptized
sought this high Dignity And the Emperors afterwards from Augustus his time not daring to trust so large an Authority in any other hand always were solemnly admitted High-Priests till Gratian's time (t) Sueton. vit August c. 31. p. 167. not Causab ibid. item Al. ab Alex. gen dier l. 2. c. 8. who refused it out of Conscience as a Pagan Office By all which it is most apparent that all Nations who owned any God or had any sort of Religion unanimously agreed to use his Priests and immediate Servants with all possible honour and respect But since the Preface speaks only of the Ministers of the Christian Church it is more to our purpose to enquire what esteem is due to them and what honours have been conferred on them and doubtless as their Office is more excellent and their Administrations more sublime than those of any other Religion so their dignity is not and their esteem should not be less Wherefore we will enquire what light we have from Scripture and what evidence from Antiquity in this matter When our Lord sent forth his newly ordained Apostles to preach he declares that such as despised them despised both him and his heavenly Father and that he would take all the respect and favour shewed to them as if it were to himself (u) Matt. x. 40 41. Luc. x. 16. Piissimus Dominus communem sibi cum servis suis honorem simul contumeliam facit Salv. de gub l. 8. and St Paul strictly charges that none presume to despise his lately constituted Bishops (w) 1 Tim. iv 12. Titus ii 15. and Orders that the Presbyters who were diligent in preaching should have double honour (x) 1 Tim. v. 17. he enjoyns the People over whom they are set to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake (y) 1 Thess v. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when he sent Epaphroditus the Bishop of Philippi to his See he commands the Christians to have a great honour for him and such as he was (z) Philip. ii 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for there is an high Authority lodged in the Episcopal Order who are not only to teach but to command (a) 1 Tim. iv 11. and rebuke with all Authority (b) Titus ii 15. And the People were not only to obey their commands but to submit also to their punishments (c) Hebr. xiii 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc Which clear places of Holy Writ do confer on them a power to Govern and a right to be Honoured by their Flock Hence the Apostles though very humble did not even in their persecuted estate refuse all expressions of honour for Cornelius fell down at St. Peter's feet so did the Jaylor before Paul and Silas and the Governor of Melita honoured St. Paul with many honours (d) Acts x. 25. xvi 29. xxviii 10. But besides these precepts and practices the very Names and Titles given to those in these Sacred Orders in the Scripture do imply that the Holy Ghost designed them to a very Honourable Employment The name Apostle imports a Messenger sent with Authority to act in his Masters name and therefore the Emperor's Praefects are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (e) 1 Pet. ii 14. and the Judges in France of old were stiled Missi Dominici (f) Capitular reg Franc. Tom. 1. p. 198. alibi Yea the Chief Officer under the Jewish Patriarch was called his Apostle (g) Cod. Theod. tit de Judaeis l. 16. Tit. 8. LL. 14. and 't is plain our Lord intended his Apostles should have Chief Authority in his Church because he promised them twelve Thrones and power to judge all Christians that is the true Israelites (h) Matt. xix 28. Their Successors who were fixed in the Churches they had planted are called Bishops which is a name importing Oversight and Rule for Eleazar who was Son to the High-Priest and a Chief over the Rulers of the Levites is called a Bishop by the Greek Interpreters and elsewhere a Prince of the Rulers (i) Numb iv 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui cap. iii. 32. dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the sense of a Governor that word is elsewhere used by them in the Old Testament (k) Nehem. xi 9 14. Isai lx 17. In the New Testament the place of an Apostle is called a Bishoprick (l) Act. i. 20. and our Saviour is stiled the Bishop of our Souls (m) 1 Pet. ii 25. At Athens this name was given to the Judges (n) Aristid orat de concur ad As civ At Rome the High-Priest was sometimes named the Bishop of the holy Virgins (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. vit Numae which perhaps might occasion Hesychius to explain it by the word King (p) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesych p. 364. So that every where it hath been reputed a Name importing Dignity and Rule So doth the Title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which St. Paul gives to Bishops (q) Heb. xiii 7. signifie commonly chief Governors (r) Matt. ii 6. Act. vii 10. as doth also that other of Presidents which is applied to Bishops by very ancient Christian Writers (s) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Maâ—t Apol. 2. p. 97. Dionys Cor. ap Euseb l. 6. c. 23. I shall only add that they also have the name of Angels as some Fathers expound that of the Apostle of Womens wearing a Covering because of the Angels (t) Sacerdotes Ministros altaris intellige Prim. in loc ita Ambros Euch. in 1 Cor. xi 10. and as all of them generally interpret that of the Revelations where the Angels are the Bishops of the seven Churches of Asia (u) Revel ii 1. Epiph. l. 1. T. 2. Panarii alii passim a Title sometimes given to the Jewish High-Priest as we noted before The name Presbyter which some will have originally belonging to the first but afterward commonly given to the second Order of the Clergy denotes also Authority and Rule and seems to confirm the old usage of the eldest Sons governing all the Family (w) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diod. Sic. l. 2. a custom retained in Arabia till Strabo's time (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strab. Geog. l. 16. p. 530. The Ancients in Homer are put for the most Honourable as Eustathius notes (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not. Eustat ad Hom. Iliad 2. And it is not only in the Old Testament that a Presbyter or Elder signifies a Ruler and one in Authority (z) Numb xi 16. xxii 7. Josh xxiv 31. alibi But in all Languages some word of like signification is used for men in some Office or Honourable Post as Senators in Latin Seigneur in French Signore in Italian Sennor in Spanish and our Saxon Ealdorman are all Titles of Honour (a) Vide Seld. Syned l. 1.
but his Wages (s) Avidus ad mercedem piger ad laborem Aug. de Sanctis Ser. 4. if God move us his Service is our first aim and our principal desire we shall serve him chearfully whether we have a greater or a lesser compensation 'T is too mean a design for one who is to wait at God's Altar and praise him there with Angels Archangels and all the Host of Heaven to look on this only as a Trade to get Bread or a creditable way of living (t) 1 Sam. ii 36. Ne facias legem coronam aut securim Adag Hebr. which the Rabbins call making Gods Law a Crown or a Hatchet Our motives must be Nobler Higher and more Spiritual if they come from above Now since we can only know this the Question is and ought to be put to us For this inward Call thus explained Is the first and one of the principal qualifications for him that is to be employed about Heavenly things and therefore it is inserted not only into ours but other reformed Offices for Ordination where 't is enquired if they believe that God by the Church calls them to this Ministry and if they did not seek it for worldly Riches or Glory (u) Liturg. Eccles Belg. Qu. 1. in Ordin p. 260. The Scotch Psalter by Mr. Knox. Form of Ordination Qu. 2. p. 18. There are no Footsteps of this in the Roman Office which no doubt is a culpable omission yet we are told by a late Author that some Zealous Bishops of that Communion in France not long since refused to ordain such concerning whose internal Vocation they were not satisfied (w) Dr. Burnat's Preface to the Regalia p. 28. but I believe few of their fellow Bishops followed their Example because it is not required by Law as it is in our Church Our Candidates know this Question will be asked them wherefore let them examine their Hearts strictly and answer it in the sincerity of their Souls not doubting but that Good Spirit who excited them to this Work will assist and bless all their performances Quest II. Do you think that you are truly called according to the Will of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Due Order of this Realm c. So long as Miraculous Gifts continued the Persons endued with them in a larger measure than others were easily known to be called by God and some of them as St. Paul were not called of Men nor by Men (x) Galat. i. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in loc But this was peculiar to the Apostles or to that Age only as St. Chrysostom hath observed for now since Miracles and such Divine Evidences and Indications are ceased it is necessary that this inward Call should be tried and approved of by Men. Nothing is so easie to counterfeit as a Message from the Gods (y) herculè audivi esse optumum mendacium quicquid Dii dicunt id rectum est dicere Plaut Mostell Act. 3. Sc. 1. p. 528. saith the Slave in Plautus and experience tells us nothing is more readily believed among the vulgar than such a Pretence managed by a bold undertaker so that this inward Call hath been in all Ages pretended to by all the Imposters in Religion Among the Jews there were false Prophets who gave out that God called them but he declared they ran before they were sent and Prophesied out of their own Heart or as the Original imports made themselves Prophets (z) Jer. xxiii 21. Ezek. xiii 3. Heb. Voc. eos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. Vers Qui suam sequuntur phantasiam In Christian times this set up Montanus and many other enthusiastical Hereticks And though Mahomet had no power of Miracles no gift of Prophecy no learning nor good Life to prove his Mession yet he boldly said God was his witness that he had sent him (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euthym. Zigabin Panoplia edit per Sylburg p. 46. In the ignorant and superstitious Ages the Roman Church gave very great encouragement to Men and Women that were illiterate to Preach upon pretended Commissions from Christ or Visions and Dreams which they boasted of (b) S. Vincentius somniadit se à Christo missum ad Praedicandum Vid. Lipom. in vit mihi p. 263. ita Hildegardis vid. Opera ejus in Bib. Patrum Tom. 15. edit Col. 1622. But afterwards finding the mischief of these holy Cheats they were forced to enquire into those false Claims (c) Acta Cor. Cardin. Alliaco ap Baluz Miscel T. 2. p. 284 294. And 't is the weak credulity of most of our Sectaries which exposes them to admit bold Pretenders to the Spirit to be their Teachers without any preceding Tryal and hence Papists in disguise ignorant scandalous and heretical Men have got into their Conventicles and been admired by the abused Croud as Persons sent from Heaven and full of the Holy Ghost To prevent which Common but Dangerous Cheat the Primitive Church punished those who presumed to exercise any Ecclesiastical Office while they were Lay-men with Excommunication and they forbid the inferiour Clerks to officiate untill they were in one of the higher Orders (d) Concil 6. Constant in Trullo Can. 58. Can. 64. Balsamon ibid. Bev. T. 1. p. 225 p. 233. And there were from the first setling of Churches every where publick Forms drawn up for examining such as desired to be Ordained and then solemnly to Admit them which no doubt was agreeable to the Will of our Lord Jesus Christ who inspired his Apostles to give Rules to their Successors the Bishops for trying all that were to be promoted to Holy Orders as was shewed before whence we may infer that our Saviour and his Apostles did not think any Man's Word was to be taken as to his inward Call till his claim had been enquired into and approved by the Governors of his Church and till they also gave him an external Call therefore to fix an Order in every Church for the solemn trial and admission of Ministers is according to the Will of Christ in general And since the Order duly setled in this Realm is so agreeable to Primitive Practice and to God's Word we may safely say that such as are admitted according to this Due Order are admitted according to the Will of Jesus Christ the particulars I shall demonstrate in every part of these Discourses so that I need only remark here That our Candidates may answer this Question when they have read this Tract and understand this Office well more certainly and upon better grounds than those of any Church in the World For though the two Essential Parts of Ordination Prayer and Imposition of Hands are retained in both the Eastern and Western Offices which are of Apostolical institution yet there are so many Ceremonies added some of which are apparently Superstitious and Idolatrous and some so dubious that whosoever doth consider can scarce say with a clear and
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphan Minister stat recitat de Lege Lib. Massech Suc. So that the place was honourable though inferiour to that of the Ruler of the Synagogue In like manner the Deacons proper Office was to read the Holy Scripture in the Christian Assemblies as divers of the Ancients have particularly noted (d) Evangelium Christi quasi Diaconus lectitabor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. constit l. 2. c. 57. and Sozomen recites it as a Custom peculiar to Alexandria that only the Arch-Deacon read the Gospel there whereas the ordinary Deacons read it elsewhere (e) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozom Hist l. 7. cap. 19. At Carthage where they had a peculiar order of Lectors the Bible was delivered not to the Deacons but to the Reader with these words Take this Book and be thou a Reader of God's word and if thou art faithful and useful in this Office thou shalt have a part with them who have ministred the word of God (f) Concil 4. Carthag can 8. Bin. Tom. 1. pag. 588. But we having laid aside this Office properly deliver it to the Deacon wherein we are conformable to the ancient Churches In the Syrian Formularies it is peculiar that the Bishop delivers to every one of the Deacons a Book of the Epistles and to the Priests a Book of the Gospels g (h) Ordinat Syror. ap Morin p. 451. p. 458. The words spoken at the delivery of the Holy Book have been varied in the Western Church For in one of their ancient Ordinals supposed to be 800 years old and taken out of a Saxon or English Book The Bishop said unto the Deacon Take this volume of the Gospel read and understand it and do thou both deliver it to others and fulfil it in thy Works (h) Accipe istud volumen Evangelij lege intellige aliis trade tu opere ad imple Form ver ap Morin de Ord. Lat. p. 286. But in the modern Roman Church the Bishop absurdly says Take thou power to read the Gospel in the Church of God as well for the living as for the dead in the name of God Amen (i) Accipe potestatem legendi Evangelium in Ecclesia Dei tam pro vivis quam pro defunctis in nomine Domini Amen Pontif Rom. p. 17. But that we may be assured this Botch was added in the blind Ages Morinus (k) Post haec verba Ecclesia Dei in inferiori margine Scriptura recenti atramento planè alio Tam pro vivis quam pro defunctiis c. Morin de ord Latin p. 337. hath discovered these words as well for the living as the dead were put into the Margin of an Ordinal of near 600 years old in a modern hand and later Ink So that this corruption hath been designed since their false Doctrine of Purgatory was set up however 't is impossible to reconcile the words either to Truth or good Sence The Gospel may profit the living who can hear it but the dead cannot exercise that Sense and so can have no benefit by anothers reading thereof The Spirit therefore calls upon living Men and saith We must hear God's Voice to day (l) Hebr. iii. 17. And the Orthodox Fathers teach us there is no more hopes of finding any comfort in the next World for them who are not cleansed from their Sins in this (m) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Gen. Hom. 5. T. 1. p. 26. Vid. Aug. de temp Ser. 66. fol. 159. If Men die without Faith and Repentance neither Prayers nor Reading can work these Graces in them Unless they fansie as some Charmers of old did That there is a Magical power in the words of Holy Scripture that can operate upon disembodied Spirits which is a wickedness severely condemned especially in Clergy-men by an ancient Council (n) Concil Laod. can 36. Balsam Zon ibid. Bev. Tom. 1. p. 469. Not. T. 2. p. 196. and is one sort of conjuration which by abusing God's word borders upon Blasphemy (o) Vid. Camerar Oper. subseciv Tom. 3. cap. 30. pag. 104. So that this Addition makes the Roman Form more like the creation of a Necromancer than a Christian Deacon and therefore our Reformers justly cast out this late corruption and restored the Form to its ancient Purity Giving our Deacon a Power and Right to Read the Scripture which being the Word and Will of God and the Means of our Salvation should be Read plainly and deliberately with affectionate Devotion and fervent Charity to the living because this is their only day of Grace and unless it work upon them now while it is called to day they shall never see or hear these Holy Books more till they be opened to their Condemnation at the last Judgment As to the Deacons duty in Reading and Preaching also by License from the Bishop I have spoken before and shall only add this caution That it is not safe for young Preachers to meddle with nice Points and high Speculations in their Sermons plain truths and practical matters being easier and safer for them to Preach and far more profitable for their People to hear or in the words of Seneca (p) Senec. de benef l. 7. cap. 1. There are no things hard to be found out but only such as afford no other advantage to the finder but that he hath found them whatever will make us better and happier lies open and is near at hand CHAP. V. Of the Consequence after Ordination §. 1. OF the Gospel In our usual Service the Epistle and Gospel stand together but in this Office they are separated and the Ordination it self intervenes and did so of old for in an Ordinal writ above 800 years ago we have this Rubrick That the greater Orders shall be conferred before the Gospel the lesser after the Communion (q) Majores gradus ante Evangelium minores vero post Communionem dantur Vid. Morin de ordin Latin par 2. p. 270. Now the Deacon is the first of the greater Orders and the Reason of setting the Gospel immediately after his Ordination was that the new ordained Person might immediately exercise his Authority and give proof of his fitness for this part of his Office in solemnly reading the Gospel for by our Church as well as the Roman it is ordered That one of them appointed by the Bishop shall read the Gospel (r) See our Rubrick here Aliquis de noviter ordinatis dalmaticâ indutus Evangelium dicit Pontif. Rom. p. 39. The Portions chosen for this occasion have been divers One of the ancient Gallican Forms had Luk. ix from ver 57 to ver 62 (s) Liturg. Gallican ap Mabillon l. 2. p. 170. which is not so proper by much as this Gospel out of St. Luke xii from to ver 35. to ver 38. appointed by our Reformers under King Edw. the sixth (t) Vid. Sparrow's Coll. p.
no words can be fitter than those spoken on the same occasion by our Saviour who had been sent by his Father after the Holy Ghost descended on him to Preach the Gospel which he had hitherto done by himself but being now to leave the Earth hereby he delegates this Work to his Apostles and sends them with the like Qualifications and Authority as he was sent by his Father Now as Elisha being to succeed Elijah in his Office was to have a share of his Spirit (z) 2 Kings ii 9. even so Christ gave to the Apostles his Successors the Holy Ghost that is the ordinary assistance thereof so far as was necessary in order to reconcile Sinners to God by preaching the Gospel For we must distinguish this first Mission for the ordinary Office of Pastors which was always to continue in the Church from that extraordinary Mission and Miraculous giving of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost after his Ascension That made them Apostles and gave them an extraordinary Authority necessary for the first planting of the Gospel which Office was to cease But these Gifts of the Spirit which our Lord gave them when he breathed on them were such as were necessary for them and all their Successors to the end of the World for so long in this manner our Lord hath promised to be with such as are called to be Ministers So that these Words Receive the Holy Ghost c. are properly used by us on the ordinary Mission of Pastors and so it is declared to be only so far as is necessary for the Office and Work of a Priest not to work Miracles or speak with other Tongues but in order to execute the several parts of the Pastoral Office viz. 1st For the remitting and retaining Sins 2ly For the dispensing of the Word and Sacraments As to the first we must observe that the Fathers generally explain this communication of the Spirit to be a granting to the Pastor the power of absolving such as are penitent and of denying absolution to the impenitent (a) Qui Spiritum Sanctum accepit solvendi peccata potestatem ligandi accepit D. Ambros de Poenit. l. 1. c. 2. Spirit Sancti gratiam acceperunt qua peccata dimitterent c. Hieron Hebid ep 150. T. 3. p. 233. Dicit Accipite subjicit Si cui c. hoc est Spiritus dimittit non vos Aug. Hom. 23. p. 103. and so our Lord himself expounds it for he adds to his giving them the Holy Ghost Whose Sins ye remit they are remitted c. Now this power of Absolution is one of the ordinary parts of the Sacerdotal Office as I have shewed before (b) See Compan to the Temple Part 1. §. 4. p. 43 c. And therefore when Christ made his Disciples Pastors he gave them the Holy Ghost to this purpose and a power to communicate it for the fame end to such as they did ordain to succeed them (c) Acts ix 17. 1 Tim. iv 14. 2 Tim. i. 6. because without this Power they could not rightly perform their Ministry We see that repentance and remission of Sins were always the main subjects of our Saviours and his Apostles Preaching (d) Mat. iv 17. Luk. xxiv 46. Act. ii 38. x. 43. xxvi 18. Now when hereby some were brought to unfeigned Repentance and others remained obstinate it was absolutely necessary the Pastors should have Authority to declare that the Penitents should be absolved by God to pray to him to pardon them yea and to comfort them further by pronouncing their Remission in God's Name and on the contrary to declare the Obdurate bound by the guilt of their Sins and liable to God's wrath yea to pronounce them Excommunicate out of the Church wherein Remission of Sins alone is to be had These Keys St. Ambrose saith Every Priest as well as Peter doth receive (e) Claves illas Regni Caelorum quas in B. Petro cuncti suscepimus Sacerdotes Ambr. de dig Sacerd. c. 1. and upon this Principle the whole Conduct of keeping Men under censures for longer or shorter time according to the degree of their penitence was committed to Priests by advice of their Bishops (f) Con. Ancyran Can. 2. 5. Bev. T. 1. p. 376 379. Item Theodor. poenit c. 43. p. 35. ibid. observ p. 113. by all the Primitive Canons and under the same Regulation they enjoy this Power at this day Now if any think it too bold for a Bishop to use the words of Christ I reply he pronounces them as God's Embassador as the Form it self declares In the Name of the Father Son c. he acts only Ministerially God gives the Spirit by the imposition of his hands with the Presbytery (g) Deus dat Spiritum Sanctum non enim humanum hoc opus Sed qui invocatur à Sacerdote à Deo traditur in quo Dei munus ministerium Sacerdotis Ambr. de Sp. S. l. 1. c. 7. p. 223. it is God's Gift conveyed by his Deligate which is the way that he chooses to bestow it for he could have given St. Paul the Spirit immediately when he called him to be a Minister but thought fit to send Ananias to him as the Text expresses it that he might he filled with the Holy Ghost (h) Acts ix 17. We have already shewed that the various Offices in the Church are distributed by this Blessed Spirit and why should we not believe with St. Leo that he who imposes the duty will assist us in the Administration of it (i) Qui mihi est oneris Author ipse fiet Administrationis adjutor dabit virtutem qui contulit dignitatem Dict. P. Leonis mag We cannot execute this Office to which the Spirit of God hath called us unless we do receive the Holy Ghost so that we ought not to doubt but God will by this Rite and these Words give his Holy Spirit when so many joyn to ask it upon so great and necessary an occasion (k) St. Luke xi 13. especially if the Parties put no bar to it by their unworthiness or unpreparedness to receive it Finally Some will have this Form to be no more than Optative and say that Receive the Holy Ghost implies only Mayest thou Receive c. But I think there is no need to strain the words because the plain import of them is very proper for God's Representative in this case as hath been already proved But whether we interpret them Positively or as a Wish let the Pastor firmly believe that so much of the Holy Ghost and his Gifts are now imparted to him as are necessary for the discharge of that Office to which the Spirit hath called him so much as will qualifie him to judge so rightly concerning remitting and retaining Sins that God may ratifie his Sentence in Heaven forgiving those he declares Penitent and condemning such as he pronounces Impenitent and this will make
him careful in his managing of Sinners and bring a great and deserved veneration upon all his Solemn Acts of Ecclesiastical Discipline as well as incredible benefit to his Peoples Souls §. 3. 2ly The other part of these Solemn Words are a strict charge to him that is Ordained to be a Faithful Dispenser of God's Holy Word and Sacraments I have shewed before they are Stewards of these Mysteries (l) See §. 3. supr that is in the French idiom Dispensers And hence St. Paul calls his Preaching and other Ministerial Acts a Dispensation committed to him (m) 1 Cor. ix 17. Ephes iii. 2. Coloss i. 25. ubi Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now as to the Word of God the faithful dispensing of it is to give every Soul its proper Portion so our Pastor must offer easie Truths plain Similitudes and Examples to inform the Ignorant to prepare higher Notions and stricter Rules for the Stronger and more knowing he must have ready Promises to comfort mourning Penitents Threatnings to warn bold Sinners Counsel to settle the doubtful Minds Exhortation to quicken negligent Loyterers and Reproofs to check forward Offenders All these are in God's Word and every one of these kinds are proper Food at some times for the Souls that are under his Charge his Prudence must allot every one their Portion according to their temper and necessity and he must act faithfully as well as wisely he must be impartial and fear no Man for his greatness nor despise any for his proverty he must not spare a Friend for Favour no nor expose an Enemy out of Evil Will because their Souls are at stake and there is a Curse upon those who do this work of the Lord deceitfully (n) Jer. xlviii 10. But this relates chiefly to the Pastors private applications besides which it is their duty to Preach once at least in Publick on Sundays and Holy-days by the ancient and modern Canons also (o) See xlv Can. Eccl. Angl. Ut omnibus Festis diebus Dominicis unusquisque Sacerdos Evangelium Christi praedicet Populo Egb. Can. 3. Spelm. T. 1. p. 259. id Can. 52. Edgar p. 454. Can. 23. Aelfric ibid. p. 578. Capit. Carol. M. l. 1. c. 166. and this Office they must be Faithful in as far as a Publick Place will allow They must conceal no necessary nor publish any unnecessary Truths they must reprove in general the most prevailing Vices of their People and exhort them especially to such Duties as they are most negligent in and if they know as he ought the state of their Peoples Souls they may so contrive this general Discourse that like a well-drawn Picture it shall seem to look directly at every one in the company so that every one may easily know and apply his own portion to himself The same fidelity must be shewed also in dispensing both Sacraments by taking care that Infants do not by their neglect die unbaptized nor forget their Vow after they have been baptized by preparing their people for receiving the Communion worthily frequently dispensing it publickly to those in Health and privately to the Sick encouraging such as are fit for it to come often and warning all notorious Sinners especially those in malice to repent before they presume to come to this Holy Table And they that thus behave themselves in God's House (o) Matth. xxv 21. Euge bone serve c. shall from their great Master hear that joyful Eulogy well done ye good and faithful Servants enter ye into the Joy of your Lord. Having spoken of the delivery of the Gospel to a Deacon before (p) Dis on Ord. of a Deacon chap. 4. §. 4. I am only to add that the difference is the Priest hath the whole Bible delivered to him with words containing a Solemn Grant of full Power and Authority to Preach out of it and Administer the Sacraments according to it in the Congregation whereto he shall be appointed And whereas of old both in the African and Western Churches as well as the Eastern this rite was only used at the Consecration of a Bishop in later times it was used to a Priest who as Isidore observes has also the Dispensation of the Divine Mysteries committed to him and he is collegue to the Bishop in presiding over the Church in consecrating the Sacrament and Preaching to the people (q) Presbyteris sicut Episcopis dispensatio mysteriorum Dei committitur praesunt enim Ecclesiis Christi in confectione divina corporis Sanguinis Consortes sunt cum Episcopis in officio praedicandi Isid Hispal de offic c. 7. but with this difference the Priest acts subordinately and is confined ordinarily to one Parish but a Bishop is the Supreme in Ecclesiastical matters through his whole Diocess There are more Ceremonies and solemn words in some other Churches especially the Roman where of late they deliver a Patin with Wafers and a Chalice with Wine and Water (r) Accipe potestatem offerre sacrificium Deo missamque celebrare tam pro vivis quam pro defunctis Morin de Lat. ord p. 319. giving them power to offer a Sacrifice to God and celebrate Mass for the Quick and Dead But we may observe Morinus could not find this Form in any Ritual above 700 years old So likewise the blessing the several vestments and forms of delivering them the anointing the Priests hands in the Latin Church (s) Vid. Pontif. Roma◠p. 47 49. The kiss given to the newly ordained Presbyter by the Bishop and all the Priests present in the Greek Church (t) Euchol p. 294. notis p. 298. are justly laid aside by our Reformers as being either innovations or too trifling for so grave an Office as this CHAP. IX The last Collect. §. 1. THere is nothing remaining of a material difference between the former Office and this but one proper concluding Collect which seems peculiar to our Church and how suteable it is for the occasion the ensuing Analysis and Discourse will shew The Analysis of the last Collect. This Collect containeth two kinds of Petitions 1. For the Ministers 1st In general for God's Blessing Most merciful Father we beseech thee to send c. 2ly In particular that they may be 1st Holy in their lives That they may be cloathed with Righteousness c 2ly Successful in all their Labours And that thy word spoken by their Mouths may have such success c. 2ly For the People 1. That they may Reverently hear the Word of God Grant also that we may have Grace to hear c. 2ly That in all other Acts they may aim at 1. God's Honour That in all our words and Deeds we may seek c. 2. The inlarging of his Kingdom And the increase of thy kingdom through c. Amen A Discourse upon this Collect. §. 2. Most merciful Father we beseech thee to send upon these thy Servants thy Heavenly Blessing c. The ancient Forms
the greater after the method of the Civil Government and this in or soon after the Apostles times (k) Hammond de Episc jur Disser 4. c. 5. p. 189. Petr. de Marca de concord lib. 6. cap. 1. §. 5. p. 175. Dr. Cave Dis of Anc. ch Gov. chap. 2. p. 90. for then the Bishops of the Proconsular Asia were subject to Timothy Bishop of Ephesus which then was the Metropolis of that Province Which chief Bishop was originally stiled the first Bishop as his Title is in the Apostolical Canons where the inferior Bishops are ordered to own him as their Head and to do nothing of moment without his consent (l) Apostol Can. 34. Bever Tom. 1. p. 22. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Africa this principal Bishop was called the Primate (m) Du Fresn Glossar verb. Primates but elsewhere from his living in the Mother City he was named the Metropolitan (n) Synod Antiochen Can. 9. Bev. T. 1. p. 438. And from his Authority over other Bishops he was called the Arch-Bishop a Title given to Peter Bishop of Alexandria in Dioclesian's time (o) Epiphan Panar haer 68. fol. 318. and also to Alexander Bishop of the same See (p) Athanas Apol. 2. pag. 791. as also to Meletius Bishop of Thebais the head City of a Province in Egypt (q) Epiphan haer 69. fol. 324. Yea for some time this Name was given to the great Patriarchs for Cyril of Alexandria and Coelestine of Rome are frequently stiled Arch-Bishops in the Ephesine Council (r) Concil Ephesin par 2. Bin. Tom. 1. par 2. pag. 168 177. c. and Pope Foelix the third gives that Title to Acacius Bishop of Constantinople (s) Foelic 3. Ep. ad Zon. Aug. Bin. T. 2. par 1. p. 453. There were divers Privileges belonging to theâ—â— Arch-Bishops but the Principal was that no Bishop in their Province could be ordained without their presence or consent (t) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nicen. can 4. Bev. T. 1. p. 63. Vid. can 6. ib. p. 66. A right declared in the first General Council and then thought so inherent in the Metropolitan that the Consecration was to be void without him and hence Synesius calls his Arch-Bishop The Lord of the Ordination (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synes Ep. 105. p 249. To which Primitive Canon our Church so strictly adheres that it is required the Arch-Bishop shall by himself or his Lawful Proxy always consecrate every Bishop As to the Oath of Canonical Obedience which the Bishop ordained takes to the Arch-Bishop no doubt it sprung from this Primitive Superiority in the Metropolitan but is of a later date At first it was thought sufficient in words to admonish the inferiour Bishops to observe those Canons which declared their subjection to the Metropolitan but afterwards a promise was required Which Anastasius Arch-Bishop of Thessalonica at the Consecration of Atticus a subordinate Bishop carried higher and made him subscribe a Paper for which Pope Leo reproves that Metropolitan as guilty of an unnecessary innovation (w) Non enim necessarium fuerat ut obligaretur scripto Leo I. epist ad Anastas 84. p. 447. circ An. Dom. 440. Yet in the following Ages this Promise was turned into an Oath extended also to Priests who as well as Bishops were made to swear That they were worthy would not break the Canons and would obey their Ordainers and the Church in which they were ordained Which Oath was declared dangerous and ensnaring and abolished by a French Council (x) Jurare cegunt quod digni sunt contra Canones non sint facturi obedientes sint Episcopo qui eos ordinat Ecclesiae in qua ordinantur Concil Cabilon Can. 13. An. 813. Bin. T. 3. Par. 1. p. 193. However the Bishops promise of due obedience was then in use as appears by the Vatican Form of Consecration in that Age extant in Morinus where the Arch-Bishop only asks Will you be obedient to my See (y) Morin de Ordin Lat. Form Vatican in Consecr Episc p. 276. But in the middle of the next Century this Promise was much enlarged in the Particulars and turned into a solemn Profession made in the Name of God (z.) Vid. Morin ibid. in alt Form circ An. 950. p. 305. amounting to an Oath (a) Pontifices jurant ante Consecrationem omnem morum honestatem debitam obedientiam se exhibituros suis Ordinatoribus Ivo Carnot ep 73. circ An. 1100. and within 150 year after a formal Oath was again brought into use wherein the Parties Consecrated swore to live well and obey their Ordainers (a) Pontifices jurant ante Consecrationem omnem morum honestatem debitam obedientiam se exhibituros suis Ordinatoribus Ivo Carnot ep 73. circ An. 1100. But whereas of old this Oath was only taken by each Suffragan to his own Metropolitan Pascal the Second soon after required all Arch-Bishops to take an Oath of Fidelity as he called it to the Pope but the Arch-Bishop of Panormus in Sicily refused it as a New Imposition which the King and Nobles there wondred at and disliked (b) Decretal l. 1. Tit. 6. de Elect. c. 4. p. 122. Decr. Significasti and that Pope there owns no Council had decreed any such thing but he required it of his own Authority I know some would have this Oath to the Pope as old as Pelagius the Second but his Decretal speaks of a Metropolitan's declaring his Faith to be Orthodox (e) Quicunque Metropolitanus intra tres Consecrationis suae menses ad exponendam fidem suam non miserit c. Pelag. 2. ap Grat. Decret Par. 2. Dist 100. cap. Quoniam p. 182. An. 580. a custom of which I shall speak shortly which the Roman Parasites have corrupted (d) Dandae fidei causa ita legit Remund Rufus Defens in Molin p. 20. as if he were to give his Faith or swear fealty to the Pope a Custom so modern that in the elder Fomularies of Morinus though some of them be 400 year later than Pelagius the Second there appears nothing of it And doubtless it was hatched in the Hildebrandine Age above 1000 years after Christ being more like an Oath of Allegiance to a Temporal Prince than of Canonical Obedience to an Ecelesiastical Prelate and probably it was first administred only to such Bishops and Arch-Bishops as were within St. Peter's Patrimony and subject to the Pope as a Temporal Prince and so by degrees imposed upon all the Bishops especially the Metropolitans of the Popish part of Christendom The Oath it self as it was at first may be seen in the Body of the Canon Law (e) Decretal Greg. 9. Lib. 2. Tit. 24. de Juâ—ejur c. 4. p. 8â—7 falsly ascribed to Gregory the Third But even that lofty Form did not satisfie the Ambition of later Popes who instead of swearing to desend the Rules of the holy Fathers
Canone Carthag c. secundum Apostoli dictum Morin de Lat. Ordin p. 275. And then all the Questions like ours tended only to try his Faith and his Life But after the Papal Monarchy was set up about the year 900. two Questions more were added about receiving and keeping the Traditions of the Fathers and the Decrees of the Apostolical See and about Fidelity to St. Peter and his Vicar (s) Vis traditiones Patrum ac Decretales S. Ap. sedis c. Vis B. Petro ejusque Vicario c. Morin ibid. p. 320. And the Modern Roman Pontifical hath made this Second Question still larger putting in the Pope's Name and binding them to pay Fidelity Subjection and Obedience in all things to him and his Successors (t) Vis B. Petro ejusque Vicario Dom. nostro Dom. N. Papae suisque Successoribus Romanis Pontif Fidem Subjectionem Obedientiam per omnia exhibere Pontif. Roman p. 62. which shews that of late they are more concern'd for Bishops subjection to the Pope than for their being Orthodox in their Faith or Religious in their Lives But all this being meer Innovation was justly expunged by our Reformers and we have reduced this Preface to what it was in the Primitive Ages yea to what it was in the Church of Rome while it was pure and uncorrupted And in this as well as in many other things we have left them only in those things wherein they had first left their own Orthodox and Pious Predecessors and so departed from themselves and from the right way §. 2. Of the Second Question Are you persuaded that the Holy Scriptures contain c. This Question is the same with that which is put to a Priest and had not been necessary to be considered here but only to give an account that this is instead of that large Declaration of Faith which every Bishop was obliged to make before his Consecration in the Ancient Church of which we will now observe that St. Paul makes it a necessary Qualification for a Bishop to hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught and to preach sound Doctrine (u) Titus i. 9. And doubtless care should be taken that he be very Orthodox who is not only to instruct a whole Diocese but to teach and inspect the inferior Teachers which part of the Episcopal Office was of great importance in the Primitive times while such swarms of Hereticks infested the Church of God and hence there was a very strict enquiry then made as appears by the Canons of Carthage cited before whether the Candidates for this Superior Order understood and believed the true Churches Sence of all the Articles of the Creed especially about the Trinity and the Incarnation Passion and Resurrection of Christ then most disputed about To which were added divers Queries concerning their renouncing the Heresies then infesting the African Church especially those of the Manichees the Novatians the Donatists and Pelagians as may be seen at large in the aforesaid Council (w) Concil 4. Carth. Can. 1. Bin. ut supr And the old Roman Formularies taken out of the Vatican keep almost the same words as we noted out of Morinus before only requiring the Bishop elect to give his assent explicitely to every Article and except the additions contrived to support the Papal Supremacy the Modern Pontifical varies but little from the old Form As for the Greek Church 't is certain it hath been very anciently used there for a Bishop to make a full confession of his Faith to the Metropolitan who Ordained him from that passage in Synesius who hearing he was nominated to be a Bishop in order to excuse himself pretended he held divers Heterodox Opinions which he could not dissemble when he came to be ordained but resolved he would then declare them before God and Man and desires his Friend to tell the Arch-Bishop who was to consecrate him all this before hand (x) Synes Epist 105. p. 249. And to this day the Greek Bishops besides repeating the Nicene Creed make a large Confession of their Faith concerning the Incarnation of our Saviour the Unity of his Natures in one Person the Trinity c. and they do also specially name and condemn the Heresies of Arius Macedonius Nestorius and others who had disturbed the Eastern Church (y) Euchol Graec. Ord. Episcopi p. 306 c. Which large Forms we now omit both because most of the ancient Heresies are now vanished and also because we have other securities that our Bishops are Orthodox but especially by the several Subscriptions they have made in the lower Orders whereby they declare their assent to the three Creeds and to all the Articles of the Church of England Which method of Subscribing I could prove to be as old as the time of the Nicene Council And St. Hierom saith such as refused it were put out of the Church in his days (z) Aut scribendum eis fuerit aut exeundum de Ecclesia Hieron ad Pammach Epist 65. T. 2. p. 283. And this same Method is yet continued in the Reformed Churches of Helvetia where no man can be admitted to serve a Cure unless he do first subscribe their Confession of Faith and promise to obey all the Rules made in their Synods (a) Vide Bullengeri ap Melch. Adam p. 493. And it is to be considered that Subscriptions remain on Record as a perpetual Evidence against the Party if he shall prove an Apostate afterward whereas a Verbal Profession may be forgot or mis-told by such as hear it but once And therefore it was required in the Primitive Ages that all inferior Bishops should send a Confession of Faith in Writing to their Metropolitans and they to their Patriarchs immediately after their Consecration And the Popes themselves as I have shewed elsewhere for divers Centuries writ to the Emperors after they were advanced to the See of Rome to prove themselves Orthodox But finally this question of their believing all things contained in Scripture and promising to Preach nothing contrary to it is sufficient to secure the Church that they are no ways Heretical but sound and Orthodox in all Points §. 3. Quest IV. Are you ready with all faithful diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange Doctrine c. We have heard how strictly St. Paul charged the Bishops of Asia to watch against those grievous Wolves the Hereticks that were likely to break into their Folds (b) Acts xx 29. and 31. And requires Titus the Bishop of Crete after two admonitions if they prevailed not to Excommunicate an Heretical Teacher (c) Titus iii. 10. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Expulsus sit è numero gregis Bez making it a necessary qualification of a Bishop to be able by sound Doctrine to convince the Gainsayers (d) Titus i. 9. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such as speak against the Truths revealed in Scripture and
received by the Church for which end they promise upon the third Question to exercise themselves in Study and Prayer to gain a complete understanding of the Holy Scripture And if a Bishop be throughly inlightned with this Divine knowledge the bright beams thereof will banish all Erroneous Opinions and make them disperse as the Mists before the Rays of the resplendent Sun The inferior Clergy may confute false Doctrines but Bishops being supposed to have more Skill and Experience as well as more Age and Authority they must drive them away They are set in the Watch-towers to discover Heresies and like wise and valiant Generals one of which is worth a whole Army (e) 2 Sam. xviii 3. Solent plus reponere in duce quam exercitu Tacit. de Morib Germ. p. 663. must not only Fight against them themselves but must advise manage and encourage all the Under-officers and Soldiers Hence the ancient Canons lay great stress upon the Bishops care in this matter And order That if any Bishop let the Hereticks alone in any part of his Diocess and another Bishop shall convert them that Town shall be given to the latter Bishop (f) Concil Carthag can 122. ap Ber. T. 1. p. 655. And the former Bishop is to be admonished of this neglect so as if he persist in this negligence six Months after such Admonition he shall be Excommunicated (g) Ibid. Can. 124. apud eund pag. 658. Wherefore when Riparius complained to St. Hierom that Vigilantius spread his Heresie in that Diocess where he was a Priest the Holy Father wonders that the Bishop should not restrain such fury (h) Miror sanctum Episcopum in cujus Parochia esse Presbyter dicitur acquiescere furori ejus c. Hieron ad Ripar Ep 53. T. 2. p. 152. And besides this promise our Bishops are obliged frequently to confer with Recusants and to do their utmost to reclaim them As our Canons enjoyn (i) Canon 66. of the Church of England And here I could give many instances of divers of our learned and zealous Bishops who have not only secured their own People from Heresie and Schism but converted divers Recusants of all sorts And if all our right reverend Fathers remembring this solemn promise would apply themselves to this necessary Duty with a Zeal suitable to the occasion their Dignity and Station would give great weight to their Arguments and their Example would also quicken the inferior Clergy to do their parts in the places that are under their several charges And multitudes of poor Souls bought with the most precious Blood of Christ now wandring in the dangerous and destructive Paths of Popery and Fanaticism would every were be happily reclaimed and brought over to the Church To which pious and charitable design I shall humbly and briefly offer two or three motives First That the present Toleration as to Protestant Dissenters having suspended the Bishops exercise of their Authority in this Matter there is no way left to reduce this sort of Recusants but by Arguments and Persuasion and as to Papists those always were and are the fairest ways of convincing them nor if we had power ought we to imitate that unchristian Rigour which we condemn them for using to foreign Protestants (k) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dict. Marciani Aug in Concil Chaled Bin. T. 2. p. 361. so contrary to the practice of the Primitive Church (l) Socrat. Hist l. 7. c. 3. pag. 733. as well as to the Spirit of the Gospel (m) Luke ix 55. Secondly Let the goodness of our Cause be considered Our Doctrines are so plainly contained in Holy Scripture our Offices and Rites so proper Pious and Primitive and have been so clearly justified against all opposers by many eminent Writers of this Church That if we can but win its deluded Adversaries to hear us Reason or Read our Books there is little doubt of success and their Priests and Teachers know this which makes them hinder them as much as in them lies from hearing or reading what we say or write Lastly Let the vigilance and strangely busie zeal of Seducers be duly considered who like their ancestors the Pharisees compass Sea and Land to make one Proselyte and ply those they find doubting wavering or discontented night and day by Discourses Books and fair Promises and shall not we take as much pains to save Mens Souls as they do to destroy them to propagate Gods Holy and Eternal Truth as they to disseminate their pernicious Errors I shall add no more because I hope a word is sufficient to our worthy Bishops who generally use their utmost endeavours in this kind And merit praise rather than need Exhortation §. 4. Qu. VI. Will you maintain and set forward as much as shall lie in you quietness love and peace among all Men c. There is no more expected from a Priest but only to promote Peace and Charity and that is also the Duty of a Bishop as the former part of this Question shews but since the Canons of our own and the ancient Church as well as the Laws of this Land have put the Ecclesiastical Discipline into none but the Bishops hands who also have by God's word a just right to Administer the same Therefore it is required that they shall further promise To correct and punish the unquiet disobedient and criminous according to that Authority which they have both by God's Word and the Ordinance of this Realm I need not repeat that which I have proved in a peculiar tract viz. The Bishops having this Authority vested in them both by Scripture and the Laws Ecclesiastical and Civil (n) See my Discourse of Excommunication printed at London 1685. But I shall rather briefly shew here the manifold benefits that will arise from their due Execution of this power as to regulating the manners of those within the Church who only can be a scandal or an honour to it There are many faults among these for the purest Principles and Holyest Rules will not always secure the innocence of such as profess to believe and follow them But if the Rulers of the Church upon the discovery of them zealously and prudently labour to punish the offence and reform the Offender they not only save the honour of the Church but probably the Soul of the Criminal also which should be the great end of Church censures being a Power that is given for Edification and not for Destruction as the Apostle declares (o) See ch 8. §. 2. 2 Corinth xiii 10. Now since Bishops cannot amend the Evils they do not know Therefore the ancient Canons require That they shall personally visit their whole Diocess once every year (p) Unusquisque Episcopus Parochiam suam omni anno semel circumeat Concil Calcuth Can. 3. An. 857. Spelm. T. 1. p. 193. and the present usage is for them to do this annually by their Arch-Deacons and once in three years by themselves
every one of this Order according to his ability And there are but few Bishopricks which by the bounty of Christian Kings and Prelates Nobles and others of the Faithful are not still endowed with Lands and Revenues sufficient to enable them to relieve many of the indigent Wherefore it is but reasonable they should be required to promise at their Consecration to be Hospitable to Strangers and Courteous as well as Liberal to the Poor And our Form is almost the very same which hath been used on this occasion for 800. years in the Western Church as the old Formularies and the Modern both shew (q) Pauperibus peregrinis omnibus indigentibus vis esse propter nomen Domini affabilis misericors Morin de Lat. ordin p. 320. Pontif. Rom. p. 62. And the ancient Canons do strictly enjoyn that every Bishop shall keep an Hospital for the sick and infirm (r) Concil Carth. 4. can 14. Bin. T. 1. p. 589. and shall entertain People bountifully at his House and Table (s) Concil Matisc 2. can 2. can 14. especially the Strangers and the Poor who are to be their daily Guests (t) Concil Turon 3. can 6. And in one word to be Hospitable and Liberal to all that need even to the uttermost of their Ability (u) Concil Meld can 28. Concil Aquisgr 1. can 141. To which one of our English Councils adds That the Bishop shall keep a Clergy-man for his Almoner (w) Concil Oxon. Anno 1222. Spelm. T. 2. p. 182. All which Ecclesiastical Laws shew the constant Opinion of the Church that this Duty was most especially incumbent on those of this sacred Order I could here enlarge by describing the great Examples of the Primitive Bishops but will content my self with two or three St. Ambrose his House entertained all the indigent Strangers at Milan and when Augustine came thither a young Student from Africa he received him like a Father and like a Bishop loved him in his Travel (x) Aug. Confess lib. 5. c. 13. and when St. Augustin himself was made a Bishop of a very small City he always kept up Hospitality at his Table (y) Hospitalitatem semper exhibuit Possidon in vit c. 22. yea he entertained all comers and goers and looked on it not only as unchristian but inhuman to do otherwise (z) Aug. de vit commun cleric Ser. 1. Tom. 10. Yea St. Gregory Bishop of Rome being informed that a covetous and sordid Person was nominated for the Bishoprick of Ancona writ to the Visitor to put him by if that Report were true (a) D. Gregor Mag. libr. 12. Epist 6. From whence Gratian infers That it is a just ground to stop a Bishops Consecration if he be known before hand not to be given to Hospitality (b) Hospitalitas usque adeo Episcopis est necessaria ut si ab eâ inveniantur alieni jure prohibeantur Ordinari Grat. dist 85. Which Instances and Rules I can the more freely Record because our Right Reverend Bishops since the Reformation have been and still are very eminent for and exemplary in their Charity and Hospitality entertaining great numbers at their Tables and feeding many Poor at their Gates giving while they live great Sums to redeem Captives release or relieve Prisoners maintain poor Scholars desolate Widows and Orphans especially those of the Clergy and at their Death leaving when they were able great sums of Money with Houses and Lands to Colleges Schools Hospitals and other pious uses in so much that some of our liberalest foundations for Piety and Charity now remaining in England are of their Erection and Endowment or however they have been great Benefactors to them I need only point at some such Bishops in the Margin (c) Vita Math. Parkeri per Godwin p. 220. Bishop Andrews fun Serm. p. 19. The fun Serm. of Dr. Cosens Bishop of Durham the Life of Arch-Bishop Williams Par. 2. p. 31. Bishop Warner's fun Serm. But it were to be wished we had a complete History of the Lives and great Charities of our Protestant Bishops many of whose immense liberalities of this kind ought to be kept in everlasting remembrance the collecting and publishing whereof would highly tend to the Honour of God the Credit of the Church and of this Venerable Order as also to the Encouragement of their Successors and many others to imitate their good Examples CHAP. VIII Of the Collect before the Consecration §. 1. ALmighty God and most merciful Father c. The large Preface to this Prayer is the same almost verbatim with that which follows the Veni Creator and precedes the Ordination of a Priest where it is explained already (d) Disc on the Ord. of a Priest §. 7. That which is peculiar to this Form is only two Petitions for the Bishop now to be admitted viz. That God may grant him grace 1st To Preach the Gospel willingly and 2ly to use his Authority wisely And 3ly here are the motives to the Consecrators and Consecrated exciting them to make these requests 1. The benefit of God's family committed unto this Stewards care And 2ly The Salvation of the Steward 's own Soul We have toucht upon most of the particulars before and shall only remark here First That as to a Bishops Preaching 't is expressed by his being always ready to spread abroad the Gospel which is the glad tidings of Mans reconciliation with God A Message of that mighty importance that the highest Ministers of Religion are honoured by having the Privilege to deliver it and an Angel was the first Preacher thereof in verbis de praesenti (e) S. Luke ii 10 11. The Gospel signifies Good tidings and so it is to a poor Sinner that hath been truly humbled for his Sins and seen how justly he hath deserved God's wrath to such an one the feet of him that brings this joyful news that God will pardon him and be reconciled to him are so beautiful that he is ready to kiss and adore them The consideration whereof should make Bishops the principal Ministers of this reconciliation always ready to publish a thing so necessary and so acceptable And this is no more than what St. Paul requires (f) 1 Tim. iii. 2. Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That a Bishop should be apt to teach the word imports Ability and Inclination both For Preaching was esteemed so principal a part of a Bishop's duty in the first Ages that the Apostolical Canons order such as neglect it shall be Excommunicated (g) Apostol can 58. ubi Balsamon not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bev. T. 1. pag. 38. because it was then so appropriate to this Office that none but Bishops did use to Preach a Custom continued in Africa till St. Augustine's time (h) Possidon in vit D. Augustin c. 5. And long after that the sixth General Council enjoyn'd The Bishop should Preach every day or however upon Sundays to instruct
few and those too of the worst sort of offenders who can resist such addresses The Philosopher thinks there are certain sparks of goodness in all Mens Breasts which being assisted with a gentle Breath would soon shew themselves kindled with a little Admonition (i) Omnium honestarum rerum semina animi gerunt quae admonitione excitantur non aliter quam scintilla levi flatu adjuta ignem suum explicat Sen. Ep. 94. p. 348. But we know all professed Christians have the general assistance of the holy Spirit to incline them to receive truth when it is made manifest to them and approve of Virtue fairly represented So that if our Bishops will stir up their own Gifts their bright Flames will kindle their Neighbours Sparks and bring them who sat in Darkness to see the light of Truth and walk in the lucid paths of Righteousness CHAP. X. Of the Delivery of the Bible §. 1. UNto that which we observed before concerning delivering some of the Books of Scripture to all that enter into any Order Ecclesiastical we are here only to add that of old it was only the Gospels which were laid on the Head and Shoulders and that of Bishops alone (k) Episcopus cum ordinatur duo Episcopi ponant teneant Evangeliorum codicem super caput cervitem ejus Concil 4. Carthag Bin. T. 1. p. 588. and there it was held for some time either by the ordaining Bishops l as in the modern Greek Church (m) Euchol in ordin Episcop p. 310. p. 302. or by the Deacons which assisted at the Consecration (m) Const Apost l. 8. c. 4. as was the ancienter usage and as they still do in the Nestorian and Eutychian Forms (n) Morin de Syror. ordin p. 466. 487. Of which custom St. Chrysostom notes this as the Reason why they lay it on their Heads To teach them that the Gospel is the true Crown of Glory which they have now put on and that though a Bishop be above all others yet he must be under these Laws (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Orat. 62. Tom. 6. p. 645. And the Prayer now said in the Greek Church hints the resting the Book on their Shoulders implies That they are thought worthy to take on them the Yoke of Christ (p) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euchol ut supr p. 302. The other Syrian Christians called Maronites put the Book into their Hands as we do also (q) Vid. Morin de Syror. Ordin p. 429. Those of Rome seem to have designed the retaining both Rites for first the Gospel is open and laid on the Candidate's Head and Shoulders (r) Pontifical Rom. pag. 67. and afterwards shut and put into his Hand (s) Ibid. pag. 79. with this form of words Take the Gospel go and Preach it to the People committed to thee for God is able to make his Grace abound in thee who liveth and reigneth now and ever Amen Our Church delivers the whole Bible and that but once and into the Bishops hand only into which he must take it always afterwards as often as he Reads or Expounds it And to mind him that is consecrated how essential a part of his duty this is the Ordainer gives him a strict charge with it almost in the very words of St. Paul to Timothy (t) 1 Tim. iv 13. and 15. which being indited by the Spirit of God for this very occasion must be confessed to be the best for explaining this Primitive Rite and the words are so plain and proper that they need no more than a Paraphrase A Paraphrase on the Exhortation §. 2. 1 Timoth. iv 13 c. 'T is certain St. Paul delivered the Scriptures which were then written to Timothy his new made Bishop and probably he did it at his Ordination for he calls it the Pledge committed to him (u) 2 Tim. i. 14. and 1 Tim. vi 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he most strictly charges him to keep as Men do the Securities for their Inheritance or their Seals and Grants as the word imports (w) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesych p. 729. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem pag. 328. And what the Apostle saith to him of the use of it is very proper now to be said to you who are called to the same Office First in private give heed unto what thou observest in reading the Holy Scripture that thou maist perfectly understand it thy self In the next place furnish thy self out of it with fit passages to be used in publick and serve to exhortation when thy Flock grow remiss or to instruction and Doctrine when thou wouldest teach the Ignorant Herein are all the fundamental Principles of Faith and all the necessary Rules of good Life therefore continually think upon the things contained in this Book of God now delivered to thee above all thy other Studies be sure to be diligent in them For this is a Bishop's main business (x) 1 Tim. iv 15. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. who must be so very ready in the knowledge of sacred writ that the encrease of his skill to manage all parts of his Office daily coming thereby may not only be evident to himself for the satisfaction of his own Conscience but also be manifest unto all Men especially to those under his charge who enjoy the benefit of their Pastors improvement The peoples duty is less than thine they are only to secure their own Souls but thy charge is greater as thy dignity is higher (y) In maximâ fortunâ minima licentia est Sallust in Catilin for thou must not only take heed to thy self that thou believest rightly and livest holily but also watch over thy Flock (z) Nihil aliud est imperium ut sapientes definiunt nisi cura salutis alienae Am. Marcellin l. 39. and have a strict regard to thy Preaching and to that Doctrine by which thou teachest Faith and good Life to others that it be pure and sound And though this double care be difficult it shall be doubly rewarded (a) Secundum molestiam Merces Mos Maimon Pref. ad Pirk. Ab. therefore be careful in teaching Gods Commandments and be diligent in doing them that thy words may profit others and thy own piety profit thee for in so doing thou shalt both save thy self and be eternally rewarded and in all probability them that hear thee shall by thy endeavours be saved also however thou shalt have a double portion in glory As to the rest of thy conduct remember thou art set over those whom our Lord hath purchased with his dearest Blood Therefore I charge thee be to the Flock of Christ what he hath made thee and expects thou shouldest be even a Shepherd to take a tender care of them not a Wolf to which ravenous and devouring Creature heretical Pastors and covetous or cruel Rulers are often likened (b)
and therefore we beg a large proportion of Gifts and Graces because this is an extraordinary occasion From these general Petitions we pass to survey the several parts of his Duty as they are laid down in the Epistle to Timothy who being made Bishop of Ephesus was first as to his Preaching charged to be instant or earnest that is diligent and zealous (q) 2 Timoth. iv 2. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vulg. inst To Preach coldly makes no impression and makes the People think the Preacher is not affected with those important Truths he delivers to them (r) Si vis me flere dolendum est primum ipse tibi And this earnestness he must shew in all parts of his Sermon whether he reprove Sin or beseech them to practice Virtue he must warmly describe the odious nature and dreadful consequences of all sorts of wickedness so as to make the guilty tremble as St. Paul did that impious Roman Governor Foelix when he discoursed of Judgment to come So also he must most affectionately recommend all Holy Duties and Religious Actions describing the Wisdom of undertaking them the easiness of performing them by God's help the peace and comfort which flow from having done them here and the infinitely glorious and eternal rewards prepared for them hereafter and all this with such moving Oratory and pressing intreaties that he may win his people to love God and delight in that which is good And when there is occasion in private to admonish and rebuke an Offender we pray he may do it without fury and passion like a true Spiritual Father (s) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophil in 2 Tim. 4.2 with long suffering and all patience pitying the infirmities of Human Nature and considering the policy of the tempter and taking time by Doctrine to instruct them concerning the heinousness of their Fault and also the necessity and advantage of a speedy and sincere Repentance Secondly As to the Bishop's life we turn St. Paul's charge to Timothy into a Prayer viz. That he may be to such as believe a wholesome example for his people to imitate in all points (t) 1 Tim. iv 12. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesych p. 924. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc that he may serve them as a complete Copy to write after First in Words by discoursing always wisely gravely and profitably to them Secondly in his Deeds that his Conversation may be Courteous Innocent and Useful to all his Neighbours So as to procure him Honour and esteem from all both Clergy and Laity Thirdly as to his internal disposition that he may abound in Love and Charity giving liberally forgiving freely wishing and endeavouring most sincerely to do good to all Men (u) Graec. hîc habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae ordinem turbant absunt haec verba à Vers Aeth M.S.S.A. item à Syr. Latin Polygl p. 826. Nec apud veteres plerosque Patres leguntur Beza Fourthly As to his Principles We pray he may be exactly sound in his Judgment and Orthodox in the Faith So that his Doctrine may be a Standard to try the Opinions of others and a true guide to all that shall consult him Lastly as to his Body that he may be exemplary for keeping it in all Chastity and Purity abstaining not only from all Actions which defile but from all wantonness in either Looks or Behaviour which are not allowable in any but are most intolerably scandalous in one of so high and holy a Character who is also under peculiar Obligations to censure and punish others for Offences of this kind and must be always fit to serve God with a clean Heart Lastly We consider the happy issue of St. Paul's perseverance in this faithful discharge of his Office and the comfortable prospect he had of a glorious reward prepared for him for his constancy and so conclude our Petitions by praying that this present Bishop may after the Example of that great Apostle faithfully fulfill and finish his course in this manner and then we are assured that at the great day of Judgment commonly called the latter or last day that Crown of Glory (w) 2 Tim. iv 7 8. shall be bestowed on this Pious Bishop which is far above the merit of the greatest Righteousness yet it is promised to and laid up for all Christs faithful Servants especially for his Embassadors who have represented him on Earth and shall share with him in the Joys of his Heavenly Kingdom He that is our Venerable Bishops Master is to be the Judge of him and all Men and 't is certain he will reward his immediate and deserving Servants not only so far as they Righteously deserve for their Labour but as far as they can hope for from his infinite goodness And least it should be doubted whether Christ's Power be equal to his unquestionable kindness we conclude this Collect with commemorating that he Liveth and Reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost one God and shall do so for ever and ever World without End Amen A TABLE OF THE PARTICULARS Contained in these Discourses THE Preface Chap. I. § 1. Page 1. Of the Three Orders § 2. p. 3. Of the Honour of the Clergy § 3. p. 16. Of the Examination § 4. p. 42. Of the Solemn Admission and the Bishops Right § 5. p. 45. Of the Excellency of our Form § 6. p. 55. Of the Canonical Age § 7. p. 60. Of the Testimonials § 8. p. 64. Of the Learning of those that are to be Ordained and their Knowledge in Scripture § 9. p. 67. Of the times and place for Ordination § 10. p. 76. The Office for Deacons Part I. OF the Form in general Chap. I. § 1. p. 81. The Analysis thereof § 2. p. 84. Of the remote preparatives Chap. II. Of the Sermon § 1. p. 85. Of the Arch-Deacon presenting the Bishops receiving and the Habit and Posture of those presented § 2. p. 87. Of the Words at Presenting § 3. p. 96. Of the Appeal to the People § 4. p. 99. Of Popular Elections § 5. p. 103. Of Impediments alledged § 6. p. 116. Of the Congregations Praying for those that are to be Ordained § 7. p. 119. Of the more direct Preparatives Chap. III. Of the place of this Office § 1. p. 124. Of the proper Collect in General § 2. p. 125. A Discourse upon it § 3 4 5. p. 128. Of the Epistles in General § 6. p. 138. Of the first Portion 1 Tim. iii. 8. § 7. p. 141. Of the second Portion Acts vi 2. § 8. p. 147. Of the Oath of Supremacy § 9. p. 153. Of the Questions to a Deacon in General § 10. p. 164. Of the Analysis of them § 11. p. 167. A Discourse on the several Questions to a Deacon § 12. p. 168. And therein of the inward Call Qu. 1. ib. Of the outward Call Qu. ii p. 173. Of the belief of
appear in this Analysis The Analysis of 1 Ep. Timoth. iii. ver 1 7. This Epistle sets forth 1st The usefulness of the Episcopal Office in General Ver. 1. 2ly The Qualities required in such as are admitted to it 1. Those that are External 1. His Reputation Ver. 2. 2. His state of Life Ver. 2. 2. The internal Virtues that must adorn his Mind 1. Watchfulness Ver. 2. 2. Sobriety Ver. 2. 3. Affability and Courtesie Ver. 2. 4. Liberality and Bounty Ver. 2. 5. Diligence and Industry Ver. 2. 3. The Vices from which his Conversation must be Free 1. Intemperance especially in Drink Ver. 3. 2. Furious Anger and Fighting Ver. 3. 3. Sordidness Ver. 3. 4. Fretting and Impatience Ver. 3. 5. Evil Speaking and Railing Ver. 3. 6. Covetousness Ver. 3. 4. Those which respect his former Character as to 1. His Ordering his Family Ver. 4 and 5. 2. The Time of his Conversion Ver. 6. 3. His Carriage before that Ver. 7. A Paraphrase upon this Epistle §. 2. 1 Ep. to Timoth. iii ver 1. Having chosen thee O Timothy to preside over Ephesus the Metropolis of that part of lesser Asia these are the Rules I send thee to direct thee in chusing and admitting Bishops to govern in those Churches that are subordinate to thee And first as to the Office in general some may wish it for the Dignity of it but this is a true saying it is indeed an honourable place but attended with so much difficulty that if a Man desire the Office of a Bishop and knows what he wishes for he desireth not so much a Station of Honour and Profit which are accidentally and in some times only annexed to it as a good work (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zonar in Concil Ephes ap Bev. T. 1. p. 110. Opus non dignitatem laborem non delicias Hieron ad Ocean Ep. 83. T. 2. p. 500. Non est dignum ut inde exigas honorem unde refugis laborem Bern. Epist 87. An employment that is very laborious yet very useful and necessary for the Service of God and the Church the good Order of Christian Societies and the Salvation of Mens Souls He is to be an Overseer of the Flock which Christ hath purchased with is Blood and must give an account to him of his charge and therefore the first thing you that are to choose and he that is to be chosen are to think of is how far he who seeks this place is qualified to discharge so difficult and painful an Office that is of so great importance to our Religion Ver. 2. Concerning which take these directions A Bishop First then must have so led his life as to be blameless and of an unspotted Reputation for since others that are Criminal are to be accused and censured by him 't is necessary that none of them can recriminate or justly accuse him Secondly As to his Estate of life he may be a marryed Man but not one that hath used the scandalous liberties which some take of Polygamy or Marrying after Divorce which the Christian Law calls Adultery (r) Placuit ut secundum Evangelij Apostoli disciplinam neque dimissus ab uxore neque dimissa à marito alteri conjungentur Sed ita maneant aut sibi reconciliantur Concil Milevit can 17. Bin. Tom. 1. p. 705. No he must be the Husband of one Wife only Otherwise he will fall under the suspicion of being immoderate in his Lust which is a blemish not to be endured in so sacred a Character Thirdly As to the Virtues that he must be indued with the inward Qualifications that respect himself are that he be very Vigilant and watchful over the Souls committed to his charge that no harm happen to them (s) Constantius Pogonatus in Concil 6. vocat S. Episcopos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bin. Tom. 3. part 1. p. 217. And that he may be always fit for God's Service he must always be Sober and have the use of his Reason And as to the Qualities which respect other Men towards them he must be affable courteous and of good behaviour which is very winning and apt to gain him respect from all And so it will also if he be given to hospitality and delight out of his own and the Churches Treasure with which he is trusted to keep a good Table to feed Mens Bodies especially the Strangers and indigent But since his principal concern is about Mens Souls let him however be apt to Teach and Preach the Gospel which is the food that nourisheth unto Eternal life and those engaging Qualities before named are chiefly designed to make way for his Doctrine since Mens affection for the Speaker add weight and efficacy to the Discourse Ver. 3. Having declared the Virtues wherewith a Bishop must be indued we proceed to reckon up the Vices he must be free from (t) Virtutibus vitia opposuit didicimus quales esse debeant discamus quales non esse debeant sacerdotes Hieron Ep. 83. p. 501. He ought indeed to be clear of all sorts of Crimes but especially he must be one that is not given to Wine or any sort of Strong-drink in excess which was severely prohibited not only to Aaron and his Sons under the Law by God himself (u) Levit. x. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hecat de templ Jud. But to the very Gentile Priests also by Heathen Lawgivers (w) Porphyr de abstin l. 4. §. 6. p. 150. c. and therefore this intemperance is much more to be avoided by the highest Order of Christian Ministers who are employed in the most sublime Mysteries of the best Religion and ought to have their Minds always clear (x) Ut sensus officium exhibens Deo semper vigeat tenuis sit Hieron ad Ocean Ep. 83. p. 501. Nor must he ever be so far transported at Offenders as to beat them or give them Bodily correction he is an Officer of the mild Jesus he may reprove Sinners but must be no striker (y) Vid. Can. Apostol 27. Bev. T. 1. pag. 17. Just 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Novel 123. cap. 11. p. 171. of them that being the invading the Province of the Civil Powers to whom alone corporal Punishments belong He must not however bear with offenders who offer Bribes nor use any Sordid ways to get Money that it may appear he is not greedy of filthy lucre which would be very scandalous in a Person of so high a Character especially when they shall be well provided for otherways (z) Hoc neque in Syr. ne◠in Vulg. nec in 5 Mss Graec. nec legitur in Hieron Ep. 83. videtur comprehendi in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza in loc Addo nec in Chrysost nec in vers Arab. aut Aethiop ordinem turbat T. C. If any Man injure him by evil Deeds a Bishop must not be passionate and furious but patient and mild after
the Example of his great Master and that he may overcome evil with good (a) Rom. xii 21. So also for the same Reasons if any provoke him by evil words he must not render Railing for Railing (b) 1 Peter ii 23. like a Brawler for that is below his Dignity a practice of rude and vile people and an imitating that evil which he is angry at in another a committing the Sin he condemns (c) Ridiculum est odio nocentis perdere innocentiam Senec. And since he is the Steward of the Churches Treasures and common Father of the Poor he must be very liberal not covetous of much Wealth for that will not only take off his thoughts from Spiritual things but incline him to defraud and oppress the needy for whom it is his duty to provide Ver. 4. Moreover his former Conversation must be enquired after for that will give a prospect of his future Carriage And first it should be observed what order he kept in his own Family before he became a Candidate for this venerable Office if he be one that ruleth well all those that belong to his own House so that none of them remain in error or infidelity (d) Ut Episcopi non ordinentur priusquam omnes qui sunt in domo eorum Christianos Catholicos fecerint Concil Carthag 3. Can. 18. Bin. T. 1. p. 575. but that all his Domesticks be well instructed in the true Religion accustomed to daily Prayers and regular in their Manners (e) Ut quod populo praecepturus est prius à domesticis exigat Hier. ut supr Ep. 83. It must be enquired if he have done the duty of a Husband and a Master well and especially if by having his Children in subjection so as they obey his Commands Reverence his Person and submit to his Correction he hath given good proof that he is fit to be made a Father of the Church his ruling his Children with all gravity being the best Evidence that he is like to govern his People wisely Ver. 5. For 't is plain that a Family is the original of Societies (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot Oecon l. 1. c. 1. T. 3. pag. 669. the foundation of higher and larger Governments and particularly the emblem of a Church which is to be ruled Paternally (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc And therefore if a Man knows not how or takes no care to rule his own House well which is the lesser and easier Province (h) Prov. xxv 21. how shall he be thought fit or capable to take care of the Church of God or of all the Christian in a whose Diocess which is a far more difficult work Ver. 6. And as he should have given some experiments of his Prudence so he should also of his Faith before he be a Bishop and therefore he should have been a long time a believer not a novice (i) Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod prohibetur item Can. Apost 80. Bev. T. 1. pag 38. Can. Nicam 2. ibid. pag. 45. because when inspiration ceases he cannot of a sudden be so throughly instructed in the Mysteries of the Christian Religion as to be able to teach others (k) Eruditorum sibi assumunt supercilium prius imperitorum magistri quam doctorum discipuli Hieron Ep. 8. T. 1. p. 76. So that such hasty Promotions should be avoided least his People despise him for want of knowledge and experience And least he himself being lifted up with pride and self-conceit of his own Wisdom the common effect of a sudden advancement should do some extravagant and irregular things and so he will fall into the Condemnation of the Devil whose Sin was Pride and his Judgment to be excluded Heaven (l) Judicium autem ruina Diaboli nulli dubium quin arrogantia sit Hieron Ep. 83. p. 502. Or as the word (m) Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vers in libro Edvard 6. Least he fall into the Judgment of the evil speaker Sparrow's Collect. ut supra may signifie so will he be obnoxious to the Calumnies of the Evil-speaker who delights to accuse a Prelate and takes all occasions to aggravate and expose his weaknesses Ver. 7. Nor must a Bishop only be such an one as cannot be accused justly by the Orthodox Christians But moreover he must have so carried himself especially if he were a Convert as to have gained a good report so far as concerns his Life of them that are without the Church that is Infidels Hereticks and Schismaticks who tho' they will not speak well of his Doctrine must not be able to prove any old Crimes upon him n (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophil in loc Talis ergo sit Pontifex Christi ut qui Religioni detrahant ejus vitae detrahere non audent Hieron ut supr Ep. 83. Least he fall into reproach by their Stories of him and so become a scandal to the Gospel (o) Into rebuke and the Snare of the evil speaker Vers Ed. 6. ut supra though he be never so innocent at present or which is worse least he relapse into his old Sins and so be drawn into the snare of the Devil and consequently into everlasting Condemnation And this may suffice for thy Direction O Timothy in chusing those of the highest Order Of the other Portion for the Epistle viz. Acts xx ver 17. to ver 35. §. 3. The Lutheran Office for Ordination often cited before hath part of this Portion read on that occasion viz. from ver 28 to ver 31. But I have not observed the use of this whole elegant Oration of St. Paul any where but in our Church which had it not in the first Ordinal of King Edw. 6. 'T is added since with great Reason and so exact Propriety that at first hearing all Men must discern nothing can be more sutable at the Consecration of a Bishop than this Pious and Pathetical address of our Eloquent and Divinely inspired Apostle when he took his last leave of the Bishops of lesser Asia wherein there is so lively and lovely a character of a faithful Pastor as no Pencil but his and none but so guided could draw So that the Candidates for this Order ought when they hear it to suppose St. Paul himself is speaking to them directing them by his Rules and his Example both how to live to suffer and to preach And exhorting yea charging them by the most cogent Arguments and most moving intreaties to do their duty exactly in so great a trust So that if they lay it to Heart and duly consider it this Portion of Scripture cannot fail to inspire them with holy resolutions to follow such incomparable advice and so great a precedent The Analysis of the Second Portion of Scripture This place being S. Paul's Oration at Miletus hath two parts 1st The Persons to whom is was spoken