(") 2 Cor. 8. 23. not mentioned in the Superfcription of the Epiftle, because he was the Perfon by whom it (m) Rom. 16. 7. Was fent. (m) Andronicus and Junius alfo are faid to be of note among the Apostles: that is, Eminent Apoftles or Bifhops. (n) And St. Paul upon another occasion speaking of Titus and fome others of his Brethren or FellowWorkers, calls them the Apoftles of the Church of Chrift. Our Tranflation indeed calls them Meffengers, but the Original is Apostles. The word Apoftle in its Primitive Senfe being no more then Meffenger: And they were fo called as being the particular Meffengers of Chrift. (0) Rev. 2. 20. And therefore as the Bishops are called Apoftles by St. Paul, fo are they called Angels by St. John: Which is another Greek word Signifying a Meffenger. For 'tis evident that the Angels of the Seven Churches were the Bishops of thofe Churches: Their Office, Power and Commiffion being plainly fuch as we now call Epifcopal, and the fame which is exercised by our prefent Bifhops. Particularly Epifcopal Power is intimated in the Rebuke given to (o) the Angel of the Church of Thyatira, who is reproved for permitting a falfe Prophetess to feduce the People to commit Iniquity. Which furely would not have been done unless this Angel had the Power and Authority of a Bifhop, to Excommunicate and caft fuch a Perfon out of the Church, or Inflict fuch Ecclefiaftical Cenfures on her as might restrain her from her Folly, or at least-wise set such a Mark upon her by fome publick Penance, as might deter others from being feduced by her. For if this Angel had wanted fuch a Power, he would have been unjustly condemned for the Wickedness and fubtil Artifices of this per nicious nicious Jezabel, fince he was no otherwife partaker in her Wickednefs than meerly in fuffering it. The fame Power is also intimated to be in (p) the Angel of the Church of Pergamus; (p) Rev. 2. 4. fince he is likewife rebuked for having in his Church them that held the Doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. For why fhould he be cenfured for this Matter, unless he had Power to caft fuch Perfons out of the Church? It would be unreasonable for him to bear the Blame of other Mens Faults, if he had no Power to correct 'em. And that they held this Epifcopal Office not for a limitted time as mere Chairmen or Superintendents of the Presbytery, but for their whole Life, is plain from what is faid to (q) the An-(9) Rev. 2. 19. gel of the Church of Smyrna, Be thou faithful unto Death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life. Which furely must be meant of being faithful in his Office, fince he is here apparently fpoken to, not as a private Man, but as an Angel or Bishop of the Church, and if his Office was not for Life then this Precept had been vain. And that this alfo was an Office defigned to continue always in the Church, and not in-. tended to expire with the first Ages of Chriftianity is moft apparent from the Attention, which all are so frequently commanded to give to what the Spirit fays unto the Churches. For, if the Spirit fpoke unto an Order of Men which was not to continue beyond that Age,' it would be impertinent fo often to call upon all Perfons to hear and attend; efpecially in ä Book defigned for the ufe of the Church in all Ages to the End of the World. Certainly thofe Words He that hath an Ear to hear, let him hear what the fpirit faith unto the Churches F 2 which (4) A&t. 20. 17. (+) Rev. 2. 14. which are seven times repeated, are designed to let all Perfons know that they are concerned in what the Spirit spoke to the Angels and with them to the Churches over which they prefided: And that from the Reproof given to thefe Angels, all Bishops may be taught carefully to watch over their Flocks, and as much as lies in them to extirpate all Herefies and Falfe Doctrines, and that all the People might know how they ought to be fubject to their Bishops, and not to Countenance thofe who make Schifms, or otherwise provoke their juft Cenfures. It cannot with any fhew of Reafon be alledged that these Angels were but fimple Presbyters or Parish Priests in their feveral Churches; for fure fuch eminent Cities as these feven could not be fupplied by a fingle Presbyter. Nay 'tis certain that in Ephefus there were diverse Presbyters whom (a) St. Paul fent for to come to him at Miletus, and confequently the Angel of the Church of Ephefus cannot fignify the Presbyter of that Church, becaufe 'tis manifeft the Angel was but one, and the Presbyters were many. Befides it plainly appears that the (b) Angel of the Church of Pergamus had Authority over the very Presbyters, fince he is blamed for fuffering the Doctrine of Balaam to be held in his Church; But if every Teacher there had been Independent and he had no governing Authority over other Presbyters, how could he prevent any ones maintaining erroneous or heretical Opinions. And that it was the Office, not the perfonal Excellency of thefe Men which gave them the Denomination of Angels will appear evident to any one who confiders the perfonal defects charged charged upon the Angels of Sardis and Laodi cea. (c) The former is faid to be dead, that (c) Rev.3. 1.16. is, to Piety and Virtue, and is therefore perfonally called upon to repent, before any thing is faid concerning the Church over which he prefided: The latter is condemned for his Lukewarmness in Religion, and therefore threatned by Chrift to be fpued out of his Mouth. (d) Rev. 1. V.1.20 That the Angels in this Place cannot be put collectively to denote the feven Churches is most certain, for (d) the Angels and the Churches are perfectly diftinguifhed from each other. Neither can they fignify a collective Body of Presbyters, or Affembly of Elders, for then they would more properly be likened to seven Constellations, than to feven Stars: And they are all along spoken to in the fingular Number as to single Perfons, except where there is an apparent Apostrophe to the Churches. This Apoftrophe is fo plain in every Place where the Plural Number is used, that none who reads those Passages can doubt of it, except it be in that to the Church of Thyatira, where indeed there does feem to be a Plurality of Perfons spoken to, before the Apostrophe to the Church. (e) But unto you, I fay, (μïv dè déyw) (c) Rev. 2. 24. and to the reft in Thyatira. But Dr. Hammond fays the Kings Manufcript reads it without the Conjunction (a) and So it runs thus, to you I fay, the rest in Thyatira. And thus the Apoftrophe is very plain here alfo. And whoever confiders the Paffage duly will judge this the most proper reading. Thefe Angels therefore can be no other than those whom the Church has fince called Bifhops, their Power and Office is evidently the fame. Bishops F 3 ३ there (f) Mr. Stephen Marshal. Mr. Edmund Calamy. Dr. Th. Young. Mr. Matthew Newcomen. Dr. W. Spurflow. therefore like thefe Angels are by their Office Stars in the Right Hand of Chrift, (and tho' fome of 'em prove like the Angels of the Churches of Sardis and Laodicea, yet are they nevertheless Stars in his Right Hand) and therefore to condemn the Epifcopal Office, is to wreft the Stars out of the Right Hand of the Son of Man: which how Wicked and Prefumptuous it would be let any one judge. may The Authors of (f) Smedtymnuus redivivus bring feveral trifling Arguments to prove that thefe Angels were not Bishops, but rather a Society of Presbyters, to all which an Anfwer be given from what I have faid already: And by their own Confeffion Beza and Dr. Reynolds, two eminent Presbyterians acknowledge thefe Angels to be fingle Perfons. But then they tell us 'tis certain that these Angels were not Diocefan Bifhops, and that it never was proved, nor (as they conceive) ever will be that they were fo: For which they give this (as they thought) demonftrative Argument, that Parishes were not divided into Diocefes in St. John's Days: I fuppofe they meant Parifbes united into Diocefes. for the other Expreffion is Nonfenfe, unless they meant Patriar chal or Provincial Parishes, which are nothing to the Purpose of this Controversy. But herein thefe five Learned and Orthodox Divines (as they are called in the Title Page of their Book) difcovered their egregious Ignorance in Church Hiftory. For had they been any thing acquainted with the State of the Primitive Church, they would have understood that Epifcopal Diocefes were established long before any Parishes were fettled, as I purpose to fhew hereafter. I fhall only obferve here, that Di ocefes 476751 |