A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Chapter 10
The tenth Chapter.
THat the Apostles beside the prerogatiue of their Apostleshippe, Sander.had also the auctoritie to be particular Bishoppes, which thing their name also did signifie in the olde time.
ALthough the Apostles had all such auctoritie, as euerie Fulke.particular Bishop hath, yet had they not two offices, but one Apostleship. No more then a King although he hauehave all auctoritie that euerie Constable hath, is thereby both a King and a Constable, but a King onelyonly. Neither doth their staying or as he calleth it residence, in some particular citie, proue that the Apostles either were or might be Bishops, that is geue ouer their generally charge and take vponupon them a particular, or still reteyning their generall charge, to exercise the office of a Bishoppe any longer, then vntill the churche was perfectly gathered, where they remayned. For although the holy Ghost distinguished their vniuersall charge into seuerall partes, to auoyde confusion, as in making Peter chiefe Apostle of the circumcision, and Paule of the Gentiles, yet were they not thereby made Bishoppes. And although the consent of writers is, that Iames was Bishoppe of Ierusalem, yet following the course of the Scriptures, we must hold that Iamesby decree of the holy Ghost, was appoynted to stay there, not as a Bishoppe, but as an Apostle for the conuersion of the Iewes, which not onelyonly out of all Iurie, but out of all partes of the world, came thither ordinarily to worshippe. Of S. Peters sitting at Antioch as Bishoppe, we finde nothing in the Scriptures, and lesse of his remouing to Rome. But we finde that when Peter came to Antioche, Paule withstoode him to his face, and reproued him openly, which he might not well hauehave done, if Peter had bene supreame heade of the church, & in his owne see as M. Sander doth fantasie.
Where he alleageth the text & Episcopatum eius accipiat alter, and let an other take his Bishoprike, to proue that Iudas and so the Apostles were Bishoppes, it is too childish & fonde an argument, seeing the Greeke word, which S. Luke vseth & the Hebrue word which the Prophet vseth, signifieth generally a charge or office, and not suche a particular office of a Bishoppe, as nowe we speake of.
He citeth farther Theodorete in 3. cap. 1. ad Tim. to proue yt the name of an Apostle in the primitiue church did signifie such a Bishoppe. But howe greatly Theodoret was deceaued, appeareth by this, that he citeth for proofe Philip. 2. Epaphroditus to be the Apostle of the Philippensians, because S. Paule sayth of him Epaphroditus your Apostle, and my helper: whereas he meaneth that he was their messenger, vsing the worde foreign in the generall signification for a messenger, and not for the name of suche an officer as an Apostle or Bishoppe. He nameth also Titus and Timotheus which in the Scripture, are neuer called Apostles, likewise the Apostles and Elders at Ierusalem, which were in deede the true Apostles of Christs immediat sending, and not Bishoppes ordeyned by men. And whereas Hierome sayeth, that all Bishoppes be successors of the Apostles, he meaneth manifestly in auctoritie, within their seuerall charges, and not that the Apostles were Bishops. Likewise where Augustine sayth, that the Bishoppes were made in steede of the Apostles, it rather proueth that the Apostles, were no Bishoppes, for then if the Apostles were Bishoppes, he should say, Bishoppes were made in steede of Bishoppes.
The last reason is, that if the office of Bishoppes had not bene distinct in the Apostles, frō their Apostleship, that office woulde hauehave ceased with the Apostleshippe, for the whole being taken away no parte can remayne, except it had an other grounde to stande in, beside the Apostleshippe, as the Bishoppely power had. In deede if the Apostleshippe had ceased before Bishoppes had bene ordeyned, Bishoplike power woulde hauehave ceased with it: but seeing the Apostles ordeyned Bishops and Elders in eueryevery congregation, to continue to the worlds ende, the Bishoppes office hath not ceased, though the office of the Apostles is expired. Wherefore seeing neither by Scripture, reason, nor Doctors, this distinction of offices in the Apostles, can be proued, when Peter is called heade, Prince, chiefe, first, Capteyne of the Apostles by Cyrill, or any auncient writer, we must vnderstande, as Ambrose teacheth a primacie of confession or fayth, not of honor or degree de incar. dom cap. 4.