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furnishing him with Authority (not abfolute or arbitrary, but regulated and bounded by Laws, and moderated by joining to him a convenient number of Affiftants) to the intent that all the Churches under him may be provided of good and able Paftors: And that both of Paftors and People, conformity to Laws, and performance of their Dutys may be required under Penalties not left to Difcretion, but by Law appointed.

"Petrus Molinaus in his Book de Munere Pate ftorali, purpofely written to defend the Pres"byterian Government, acknowledges, That e presently after the Apostles Time, or even in "their Time, as Ecclefiaftical History witneffeth, "it was ordained, That in every City one of the

Presbytery fhould be called a Bishop, who should "have Prebeminence over his Collegues to avoid "Confufion, which frequently arifetb from Equality, "and that truly this Form of Government all "Churches every where received.

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"Theodore Beza, in his Tract de Triplici E"pifcopatus genere, having diftinguished Epifcopacy into three kinds, Divine, Humane and "Satanical; and attributing to the fecond " (which he calls Humane, but we conceive "and maintain to be Apoftolical) not only a

Priority of Order, but a Superiority of "Power and Authority over Presbyters, boun"ded yet by Laws and Canons provided a"gainst Tyranny, He clearly confeffes, that of "this kind of Epifcopacy is to be understood, What"foever we read concerning the Authority of "Bishops in Ignatius and other more ancient " Writers.

"Certainly from these two great Defenders "of Presbytery, we should never have had this "free Acknowledgment (fo prejudicial to

their own Pretence, and fo advantageous to "their Adversaries purpose) had not the evi"dence of clear and undeniable Truth enfor"ced them to it. Then feeing Epifcopal Go"vernment is confeffedly fo Ancient and fo "Catholick, it cannot with Reason be denied "to be Apoftolick.

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"For fo great a Change, as between Prefbyterial Government and Epifcopal, could not poffibly have prevailed all the World over in a little Time. Had Epifcopal Govern"ment been an Aberration from (or a Corruption of) the Government left in the "Churches by the Apostles, it had been very "ftrange that it fhould have been received in ແ any One Church fo fuddainly, or that it "fhould have prevailed in All for many Ages "after.

"For what univerfal Caufe can be affigned ແ or feigned of this universal Apoftacy? Can "it enter into our Hearts to think that all "the Presbyters and other Chriftians then be"ing the Apostles Scholars, fhould be gene“ rally ignorant of the Will of Chrift touch"ing the Neceffity of a Presbyterial Government? " Or dare we think them fo wicked all the "World over, as against Knowlege and Con"fcience to confpire against it? Imagine the "Spirit of Diotrephes had entred into fome or "a great many of the Presbyters, and pof"felled them with an ambitious Defire of a "forbidden Superiority, was it poffible they "fhould attempt or atchieve it at once, with"out any opposition or Contradiction? And "besides that the Contagion of the Ambition, "should spread it felf and prevail without ftop or controul; nay, without any Noise G 4

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"or Notice taken of it, thro' all the Churches "in the World; All the Watchmen in the "mean time being fo faft Afleep, and all the "Dogs fo Dumb, that not fo much as one "fhould open his Mouth against it.

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"When I fhall fee all the Democracies and "Ariftocracies in the World lie down and "Sleep, and awake into Monarchies; then "will I begin to believe that Presbyterial Go"vernment, having continued in the Church "during the Apoftles Times, fhould prefent"ly after (against the Apoftles Doctrine and "the Will of Christ) be whirled about like a "Scene in a Mafque, and be transformed into "Epifcopacy. In the nean time, while these "things remain incredible, and to Humane "Reafon impoffible, I hope I fhall have leave "to conclude thus.

De Imperio,

teftatum circa facra c. 11.9.5.

"Epifcopal Government is acknowledged to "have been univerfally received in the Church "prefently after the Apostles Times.

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"Between the Apoftles Times, and that "prefently after, there was not time enough for, nor poffibility of fo great an Altera❝tion.

"And therefore, there was no fuch. Alteration as is pretended. And therefore Epif "copacy being confeffed to be fo Ancient and "Catholick, must be granted to be alfo Apofto"lick. Quod erat Demonftrandum..

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* Grotius alfo who can by no means be fupSommarum o pofed Partial to Epifcopal Government, af ferts, that, "Epifcopacy had its Beginning in "the Apoftolical times. This is teftified by "the Catalogues of Bishops left us by Irenaus, "Eufebius, Socrates, Theodoret, and others, who all begin from the Apoftolical Age.

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But to detract from the Faith of fuch Wri( ters and fo agreeable to one another in their Affertions in an Hiftorical Matter is the part only of an irreverend and obftinate Mind. It is as much as if you should deny that to be true which all the Roman Hiftories deliver, that the Confular Authority begun upon the driving out the Tarquins. But again let us hear Jerome, The Presbyters of Alexandria, fays he, from Mark the Evangelift, always chofe one whom they placed in a higher Degree among themselves, and called him Bishop. ' Mark died the eighth Year of Nero,. to whom (St. John the Apoftle yet living,) fucceeded C Anianus, to Anianus Abilius, to Abilius Cerdo, the fame Apostle yet furviving Simon (after the Death of fames) became Bishop of Jerufalem, and after the death of Peter and Paul, Linus, Anacletus and Clemens, were Bishops of Rome fucceffively: And Evodius, and after him Ignatius, held the See of Antioch. Such Antiquity furely is not to be despised to which fuch Men give their Teftimonies, as Ignatius, the Contemporary of the Apostles, Juftin Martyr and Irenaus, whofe own Words I need not tranfcribe. Now indeed, fays CyC prian, Bishops are conftituted in all Provinces, and in all Cities. This Bishop is of approved Divine Right, or as Bucer fays, It seemed good to the Holy Ghoft 'that one among the С Presbyters should have a fingular Care of all. The Divine Apocalyps affords an irrefra'gable Argument to this Affertion: Chrift himfelf commands to be written to the feven Angels of the Afiatick Churches. They who by the feven Angels understand the seven • Churches do manifeftly contradict the facred • Writ.

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Writ. It is ftrange how far the love of • Contradiction can draw Men, fo as they dare confound what the Holy Ghoft has fo plainly 'diftinguished. We deny not but the Name Angel in a general Senfe may be in fome Meafure adapted to every Paftour: But here is a manifeft Direction to one in every Church. Was there therefore but one Paftour in a City? No furely. For in St. Paul's time there were many Presbyters in Ephefus ap• pointed to feed the Church of God. Why then were Letters fent to one in each Church if no one had a more peculiar and more emis nent Function? Under the Name of Angel, fays Auguftine, the Prelate of the Church is praifed, Ferome calls them Angels prefiding in

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Then he gives us the Teftimonies of Bullinger, Marlorat, Beza and Reynolds who all acknowledge thefe Angels to be Bishops. And proceeds to fhew alfo that Timothy and Titus and diverse others were Bishops properly fo called and conftituted by the Apostles themselves. And he fays pofitively, that those which think Epifcopacy repugnant to God's Will, muft condemn the whole Primitive Church of 'Folly and Impiety. He tells us alfo that vaft Advantages have accrued to the Church by Epifcopacy, as the Hiftories of all times manifeft. And here again, fays he, I will bring him for my Witnefs, who of all the Ancients leaft favoured the Bishops, that is • Jerome: Thro' all the World, fays he, it was de• creed that for the avoiding Schifms and Contentions, one should be chofen out of the Presbyters and fet over the reft. And elfewhere: Safety of the Church confifts in the Dignity of the

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