fame Order, and generally that which we now call the Order of Priests. Those whom we now call Bishops being in the first Age of the Church, most commonly called Apostles or Angels, as fhall be fhewed hereafter. But it is not the Name, but the thing it felf which we contend for. And that which we affirm is, that the Scripture in feveral places plainly fpeaks of fome Perfons appointed by the Apostles to govern the Flock of Chrift, to Bap tize, to Teach and Instruct 'em in the Doctrines of Chriftian Religion whom they called Presbyters or Elders, and fometimes Bishops, and that others, were appointed to Rule, Govern and Superintend thofe Elders. In proving therefore thefe Orders of Priests, Presbyters or Elders, and Bishops diftinct from Priests and appointed to Rule and Govern 'em, I fhall not fo much infift upon the Distinction of Names as Offices, which I look upon to have been at least apparently distinct from each other ever fince the Apostles Days, and constituted fo by them. And that immediately after their Days, the Names alfo were fo plainly diftin guished, and fo particularly appropriated to thofe diftinct Offices, that no Man who reads the History of the Primitive Church, in any Author that has written of those times, can doubt of their being diftinct Orders. rid, ad Can. Ap. (a) In the Jewish Church were three Orders of) Vid. Beveconfecrated Perfons appointed by God himself, 2. The High-Prieft, the Priests and the Levites. So likewife in the Chriftian Church as it was conftituted by Christ himself in his own Lifetime, there was Jefus Christ, call'd (b) our (b) Heb.4. 1. High-Prieft, then the Twelve Apostles, and laftly the Seventy Difciples, who were certainly E 2 tainly inferiour to the Apostles, tho' they were neither Ordained nor Governed by them. For it is manifeft that many Christian Inftitutions were derived by our Saviour and his Apostles from the Jewish Ufages. Thus the two Sacraments of Baptifm and the Lord's Sup per were taken from the Jewish Baptifm, and the Poftconium after the Paffover: And Ordination by Impofition of Hands is derived from their Ordination in the Synagogue, and our way of Excommunication is exprefly taken from theirs. Our Cathedral Churches anfwer to their Temple of Jerufalem, and our Parish Churches to the Synagogues: And for this Reason it is that we find among the Ancients fo much concerning one Altar, and the fetting up Altar against Altar, when a Schifmatical Bishop endeavoured to withdraw the People from the Communion of their true Bishop, alluding therein to the Jewish Temple which was but one, tho' the Synagogues were many. And therefore our Diffenters are mistaken in their Argument, when from this one Altar they would inferr thata Bishop could have but one Congregation of Chriftians under his Care; for One Altar, that is one Cathedral Church was and is as confiftent with many Communion Tables or Parish Churches as one Temple was with many Synagogues. And as many Chriftian Inftitutions were derived from the Jews, fo no queftion are the feveral Orders of the (P. 119. Edit. Clergy; and (a) St. Clemens Romanus in his first Epiftle to the Corinthians under the Title of High-Prieft, Priests and Levites, does manifeftly delign the Bishop his Priests and Deacons. And it is not to be doubted but our Saviour and his Apoftles and the Primitive Church, which heartily Colomelii. heartily defired the Converfion of the Jews, did therefore retain as many Jewish Customs, as were confiftent with Chriftian Liberty and confecrated them to the fervice of Chriftianity, making fome of them Chriftian Sacraments, which were only pious Cuftoms before. The first Bishop then in the Chriftian Church was our blessed Lord himself, called therefore by (b) St. Peter the Shepherd and Bishop of our () 1 Pet. 2 25.) Souls: His twelve Apoftles were his Presbyters, and his feventy Difciples as it were his Deacons. Whilft our Saviour lived on Earth he ruled and governed his Church Perfonally, and tho' the Apostles could preach and baptize and pronounce Remission of Sins, which is the Priests Office now, yet could they not perform the Functions of the Epifcopal Office to give others a Commiffion to preach the Gospel. But when Christ was risen and ready to afcend into Heaven, then he enlarged the Apoftolical Power: And gave them Authority to collect and fettle Churches, and to give Commiffions to others as he himself had done. (c) As my Father (c) Joh. 20. 21, bath fent me, fays he, even fo fend I you. And when he had faid this, he breathed on them, faying, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft. Signifying to them by this Emblem of breathing on them, that they should (d) be baptized with the Holy Ghost (a) Act. 1.5, 8. in a fhort time, and that they fhould receive Power, after that the Holy Ghoft was come up on them. And therefore (e) when they had () Act. 2. 1.&c. received the Holy Ghoft on the Day of Pentecoft, they began to collect and fettle the Church, and to govern it by thofe Rules they had received from Chrift. It is certain that the Apoftles by this Commiffion received an Additional Power to what they had before the # 1 Holy Holy Ghoft's defcending on them; Our Savi our had fent them out to Preach and Baptize in his own Life-time, but now he fends them even as he himfelf was fent by the Father. 'Tis most certain that they could not be fent by him to be Mediators and Redeemers as he was: (f) 1 Tim. 2. 5. For (f) there is but one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Chrift Jefus. Therefore this new Commission can be understood only of the fame Authority of exercifing Ecclefiaftical Difcipline which Chrift himself had received of the Father, and of ordaining others to the fame Office. By Virtue of their first Ordination whilft Chrift continued with them in the Flesh they preached the Gofpel, but by this laft, fupplying the Place of their Master, they themselves alfo created others with the fame Epifcopal Authority which themselves had received. For 'tis plain, that this Commission was not meerly perfonal to the Apostles, but defigned to continue in the Church fo long as it fhould be Militant here on Earth, becaufe our Saviour, at the granting of it, (g) promifed to be with them always even unto the End of the World. (g) Mat. 28 20. The Apostles therefore were the first Bishops of the Chriftian Church, and established and governed it under our Saviour the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, who gave them their Commiffion for this purpose. But tho' the Authority given them by our Lord was in common to them all, fo that they were every one of them Bishops and Governors of the whole Catholick Church, and might exercise their Epifcopal Power in any part of it, yet they foon found it neceffary to limit the univerfality of their Power as to the executive part, that one might not interfere with another, and this no when Aŭs 12. 2. Gal. 1.18. |