८ chief Priest, that is the Bishop, to whom if there was not given a Supereminent Power over all, 'there would be as many Schifms in the Church as Priests. The fame is alfo inculcated by Cyprian whence proceed Schifms and Herefies, unlefs whilst the Bishop who is but one and is over "the Church is contemned by the proud Prefumption of fome? Neither are fingle Churches only preferved from Schifins by the prefidency of one, but as the fame Cyprian fays, the Catholick "Church is knit together by this Band of Priests united to one another. For by the Bishops 'Letters of Communion to each other an Agreement was preferved throughout the World. Indeed Grotius immediately after all this does (as he was obliged to do living in Holland) pretend to defend the Presbyterian Parity. (a) His firft Argument is that Epif- (4) Ibid. § 10. copacy is founded only upon Apoftolical Example, not on any particular Precept of Chrift. But his Presbyterian Brethren here in England fay (b) that fome Scripture Examples in Matters (6) Divine Right of Religion are obligatory to Chriftians, as Patterns of Church Goand Rules, which they are bound in Confcience to fundry Minifters follow and imitate. And thofe Acts which are pro- Printed 1646. pounded in Scripture as Patterns or Examples, that p. 12, 23. we should act the like Good, or avoid the like Ill, are an obligatory Law to us. And these Rules they bring to prove that we must always preferve that Church Government which was ufed by the firft Chriftians in the Scripture times. Then again this great Man pretends that it was not univerfally obferved that there should be but one Bishop in a City. For Epiphanius fays this Custom was first settled at Alexandria: There was not, fays he, at Alexandria two Bishops as in other Cities. By which one Inftance vernment by of London. Inftance we may fee to what pitiful Shifts great and extraordinary Men for Parts and Learning are put when they are obliged to defend a weak Caufe. Epiphanius treating of Herefies takes occafion to tell us that the Hereticks, because they would feem to be the true Church, would have their Bishops as well as the Orthodox: From whence it came to pass that in every City there were two Bifhops, one Orthodox and Catholick, another Heretical, or at least Schifmatical, only the Church of Alexandria was fo happy as to have no Heretical or Schifmatical Bishop, only one Orthodox and Catholick. Yet from this Paffage partially cited would he prove that there were many Bishops in a City originally and confequently the Power of fuch Bishops no more than that of Presbyters: Forgetting that he had just before proved from St. Cyprian that a Bishop is but one in a Church. Indeed he does prove afterwards that there were fometimes two Orthodox Bishops in a City, but he does not prove 'em both to have equal Authority. It is allowed by all that Bishops may have Affiftants of their own Order, wherefore our Bishops in England are allowed fuch by Act of Parliament, whom we call Suffragans. But this proves no Equality between Bishops and Presbyters. His laft Argument which is only to fhew that fome reformed Churches were neceffitated upon feveral Accounts to have no Bishops for a time, may be admitted in fome Measure. (c). De Imp. c.11 Efpecially when he fays that (c) He is of Beza's Mind and thinks the ancient Order ought to be reftored, when the Ruins of the Church are repaired. It was certainly this Learned Mans Intereft to Sect 12. have have defended Presbytery more heartily if he could have done it: He faid as much as the Caufe will really bear. And it was not his Inclination but the Right of the thing it felf caufed him to argue moft strongly for Epifcopacy even where his purpose was to justify another Government. He was certainly a Great and a Good Man, and our Adverfaries have no Reason to except against his Teftimony, fince it is plain he was of their fide as much as his Learning and Confcience would give him leave to be. The late Right Reverend and most learned Bishop of Worcester Dr. Stilling fleet, (d) in his (d) Ch. 2. p. 77. Treatife of the Antiquities of the British Churches, amongst many other Arguments to prove that Epifcopal Government was originally establifhed in this Church of Great Britain, even as early as Chriftianity it felf (and that he proves to have been fetled here in the Apostles Days, and probably by St. Paul himfelf) ufes this as one, viz. That there is no other Church in the Chriftian World which derived from the Apostles, which had not a Succeffon of Bishops from them too; And we cannot trace the Hiftory of other Churches farther than we can do that of their Bishops. And (e) Tertullian puts the Proof of Apoftolical (e) De Præser: Churches upon the Succeffions of Bishops from adv. Hær. c. 32, the Apostles: which were a fenflefs way of proceeding, unless it were taken for granted [even in that early Age of Christianity, within an Hundred Years of the Apoftolical Times] that where-ever the Apostles planted Churches they appointed Bishops to take care of them. The confequent of this is that there were Bishops in Britain upon the first establishment of a Church here. For, as he adds a little after, (f) altho' (f) p. 83. we (g) pag. 368. we cannot deduce a lineal Succeffion of Bishops as they could in other Churches where Writings were preferved, yet affoon as thro' the Churches Peace they come to have Intercourfe with foreign Churches (as in the Council of Arles) they appeared with a proportionable number of Bifhops with those of other Provinces; And their Succeffion was not in the leaft difputed among them, they Subfcribing to the Sentence and Canons as others did. And what Canons did then pass, did, no doubt, as much concera the British Churches to obferve, as any other Churches whofe Bishops were there prefent. And amongst thofe Canons there enacted, there were fome which related to Bishops and Priests as diftinct Orders: A fure Argument that they were in that early Age efteemed as fuch in thefe Ghurches as well as in other Parts of Christendom. I cannot here forbear to recite the Words of the Reverend Dr. Maurice upon this Occafion, who in his (g) Vindication of the Primitive Church in anfwer to Mr. Baxter's Church Hiftory thus expresses himself. If the Presbyterian Pa rity had any place in the Primitive times, as fome do imagine, it must needs have been an intolerable kind of Government, fince all on a fudden it was univerfally abolished; It must have given strange occafion of Offence, when all the Chriftian Churches of the World fhould confpire to abrogate this Polity, and to destroy all the Memory and Footsteps of it, fo that in the lamentable Diftractions which the Church fell into afterwards under Bishops, none fhould fo much as propofe this Way of Relief, by returning to their ancient Government. We may certainly defy all our Adversaries to fhew a time when there was a Church in any Part of the World that was not governed by Bishops Bishops till Farel and Frumentius drove out their Bishop from Geneva about two Hundred Years ago. Indeed (b) St. Auguftin does fpeak of (6) Lib. de H*. one Aerius a Presbyter, who taking it ill that Sect. 53. he could not be made a Bishop fell into the Arian Herefy to which he added feveral Opinions of his own, amongst which, one was that a Presbyter ought to be diftinguished from a Bishop in nothing. The fame is mentioned by (i) E-(i) Hær. 75. piphanius who was his Contemporary, and is represented by him as little better than a Mad-/ man. He was vexed to fee that his Companion and Fellow-Student Euftathius had gotten the Bishoprick of Sebaftia which he aimed at, and therefore difparaged the Order he could not obtain. He was an Heretick and an ininconfiderable one too: (I do not mean that his Herefy was inconfiderable, but only his Profelytes and Followers.) And if our Adverfaries think his Doctrines ought to be followed in one Point, perhaps fome of 'em may in another alfo. And I am afraid if the Church of England fhould ever loose this Primitive Government by Bishops it would loofe its Primitive Doctrine too, and change Christianity for Socinianifm, an Herefy if poffible worse than Arianifm, and which has at this time infected many of the Churches Enemies, who labour to overturn Epifcopacy, that they may more easily vent their Doctrines, and at least get their Principles to be tolerated. For 'tis obfervable, (k) fays Dr. Maurice, that in these last (k) Vindication. Ages there have been no Hereticks who have not P. 391. likewife been Anti-Epifcopal, And at the fame time that they become Enemies of the Truth, they declare War against the Bishops who are the Guardians of it. And there were more Hereftes started here in the Граве |