The Honor of Gods House, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Of the ſeates of the Elders, the ſtation of Biſhops and Prieſts that ſerve at the Altar. Sedes Seniorum.
HAving done with the Throne of the Lambe, wee ſeeke for the Thrones of his ſervants, or ſeates of ſuch Elders, as he ſelects to fit about him; in heaven all Saints ſit downe with Chriſt in glory, but their ſeverall ſeates are higher one than other according to their degrees in grace here, none attaining to the ſeate of Chriſt, which is the Throne of Gods Majeſtie farre above all principalities, &c. In the Church militant on earth, Chriſt chuſes Miniſters to ſit downe in ſeates under him for the government of his Church; but it is wrong to the Lord Ieſus to lift one man out of the ſeates of the Elders into the ſeate of the Lambe, and ſet him above all the reſt in ſuch abſolute and ſoveraigne authoritie as is onelyonly due to Chriſt himſelfe, who is not abſent from his ſeate, but in grace and holy concourſe is with his Miniſters in their ſeates to the end of the world, where two or three of them are gathered together in his name, there is he in the middeſt of them: hee may allu…e to the ſetting up ſeates for judgment in Iſrael: The greateſt number we reade of in that Nation was ſeventie or ſeventie one, the leſſer 23. the leaſt three. Duo qui judicant eorum non eſt judicium, when two Judge they have no Judgement, becauſe they want a caſting voyce, yet our Saviour ſpeaks of two agreeing, having power to judge, and to whom he gives the Keyes, Math. 18.16.17.18, 19, 20. that hee will anſwer to whatſoever they aske and ratifie their ſentences: He makes good the ſeates of his Elders in all places, and gives them authoritie to bind and looſe, remit and retaine all ſinnes. Wee will inquire further of the number, names, offices, ornaments, order of theſe Elders in Gods Houſe, and before his Throne: the number of Seates and Elders conſiſts of 24. 1 Chron. 24.4.19. The expoſition is eaſie, as Gods Houſe was ordered in the ſervice of it by 24. Orders or courſes of Prieſts, ſo now is it ſerved by the like number of Presbiters, yet their honor is greater, as having ſeates and great authoritie. Luke in the Acts tells them the Apoſtles fellowſhip: and holy Ignatius joyning with the Biſhops the Presbiters, calls them foreign Epiſt. ad Magn. A Synod appointed of God to ſerve at the ſeate of his Majeſtie, for his Throne were emptie without them; for Biſhops with their Elders we have chaires and ſeates warranted both by Gods Word, and the antient practice of the Church, ſee Pauline with his Presbiters at the dedication of the Temple of Tyre, and you ſhall be taught to learne a good leſſon againſt Papiſts and Schiſmatickes in our dayes, that ding downe with their Axes and Hammers the ſeates and ſocieties of Gods Elders; one Pope muſt Lord it over all, and have a ſeate above all Biſhops. In the Apoſtles Doctrine and Fellowſhip no ſuch thing is to be found, and when the Fathers alleadge their ſeates againſt Schiſmatickes, they never make one ſeate the rule of all: Our Schiſmatickes that paſſe from us and reject the ſeates of Biſhops, and ſet up a lay-elderſhip, and put them into chaires to judge, I marvell whence they have it, for all the Presbyters in the …i…it of Saint Iohns Theologie are Prieſts. A ſtrange ſucceſſion they will make in Gods Houſe, and bring into the Apoſtles fellowſhip, no breakers of bread, but Church Canons, no Prieſts to pray to the people, but to prate againſt them, and to take the higheſt place of a ſeate to judge. Its the Fathers wiſedome againſt Heretickes to … them onelyonly by the Word of God; againſt Schiſmatickes to condemne them wholly by the Chaires of the Church; and ſure I am againſt theſe ſeates they cannot ſtand out, and as in Nehemiah 7.64. they that wanted a Regiſter to reckon their Genealogie were put from the Prieſthood as poluted, ſo theſe that contemne the chaires of Biſhops, and care for no Epiſcopall ſucceſſion, but will ſucceede where was never ſucceſſion: As to have Miniſters from Magiſtrates, and men never ordained by others, is to caſt themſelves from all communion with the Church, which never held any that was not ſucceſſively from the Apoſtles. Gal. 1.1. Saint Paul profeſſeth himſelfe to be an Apoſtle, but neither of man nor by man, neither of man as the author, nor by man as the inſtrument, but immediatly of God and by God, as author and meanes of his vocation. A plaine diſtinction of a threefold calling, whereof two are as the extreames, and the third as a meane betweene both, firſt ſome are called of God and by God immediatly, and this is the extraordinary calling of Prophets and Apoſtles, who are the firſt founders of our Religion, and the chiefe Governors under Ieſus Chriſt, Secondly, ſome are called of men and by men, and ſuch are all humane callings in Gods Church; I deny not but many may be appointed to doe ſervice in the Church that have no divine calling, but that which is meerely of men, and ſuch are Church-wardens, Sidesmen, yea and higher callings, as Chancellors and Eccleſiaſticall Judges which are lay-men, whoſe authoritie is no more contrarie to Gods Word, than the appointment of ſeven Overſeers for the poore, or Church treaſurie, Act. 7.3. Looke you out ſeven men, &c. I finde no other election made but this in all the New Teſtament, that in the Act. 14.23. Ordination of Elders by election, is both a corruption of the text and of the truth, for none were ordained Elders in the Apoſtles dayes by election, Act. 2.3, 4. the holy Ghoſt is given without hands to the Paſtors, as alſo to the people, Act. 10.44.
Extraordinary gifts were common to Paſtors and people; but the calling of a Presbyter or Prieſt was either of God and by God immediatly, or elſe of God and by man mediately, and this for Ordination, was alwayes the impoſition of the hands of the Apoſtles or Biſhops, Act. 8.15, 6, 17. Philip Preached and Baptized and converted Samaria, but had not the power to confirme or ordaine them Paſtors, therefore is ſent unto them from Ieruſalem, Peter and Iohn to impoſe hands and give the holy Ghoſt: the Biſhops the Apoſtles left to ſucceede them; had the power of Ordination, and every Pre…byter had it not: and it was the he eſie of Aerius that denied Biſhops this p…erogative above others: That ſeate is not ſure, nor Ordination juſtifiable, that is not by a Biſhop, who is able to derive his ſucceſſion in that reſpect from the Apoſtles. Bell. de Eccl. lib. 4 cap. 8. ſaith truely, that an argument from ſucceſſion proves negatively againſt Schiſmatikes, but not affirmatively for Heretikes, Adferri praecipue, ad probandum non eſſe Eccleſiam, ubi non eſt ſucceſſio, ex quo tamen non colligitur ibi neceſſario eſſe Eccleſiam ubi est ſucceſſio, there can be no viſible Church where there is no ſucceſſion from the chaires of the Apoſtles: But the Greeke Churches prove as good ſucceſſion this way as the Latine, and therefore both being ſuſpected for Doctrine, wee muſt have recourſe to that memorable faying in Act. 2.42. They continued ſt…dfastly in the Apoſtles Doctrin & Fellowſhip & in breaking of bread and in Prayer. Theſe notes will torment all our Adverſaries; Papiſts with Doctrine, Schiſmaticks with the Apoſtles Fellowſhip, and both in breaking of bread, the one, becauſe they breake no bread in ſubſtance, the other becauſe they diſtribute meere bread. As they diſlike an Altar, ſo they diſlike to be within it, by denying communion with Biſhops, and doing many things without them. Prayers except they be private cannot pleaſe them, and Church prayers ſpecially at an Altar, they ſpit and ſpend their tongues in talking againſt them. They ſay we take Gods Name in vaine by adviſed repetitions, and remember not their owne iterations and ſudden irruptions to be incident to vanitie. I have ſtood the longer upon the number, to ſhew us the courſe of Miniſtery, and muſt make haſte in the reſt, as not able in a ſhort Treatiſe to inſiſt fully on all our heads.
Their names are Presbyters, contracted Prieſts, and we cannot abide the title of the holy Ghoſt, becauſe our times have polluted it; I will not be ſo nice as to name the child otherwiſe than it was firſt Chriſtened. Their offices are honourable, in waiting immediatly upon the Lambes Throne: their Ornaments are either a white veſture for the body, or crownes of gold for the head. They are no ordinary Prieſts, but of the chiefe ranke: Euſebius in his Panegyricke Oration diſcribes them to be cloathed like Chriſt himſelfe, Rev. 1.13. foreign. It muſt needes be a Prieſts garment Rev. 4.4. and to him that will reade Euſebius and Saint Iohn together it will prove a white Surpleſſe; or a white garment downe to the foote: He hath likewiſe this to make S. Iohn Hiſtoricall as well as myſticall to every mans meaning; the Prieſts in the Temple of Tyre, are ſaid to have upon their heads Caeleſtes gloriae coronas, crownes of heavenly glory. Order, is, that they begin the Church Service and end it, Rev. 4.9. muſt warily be read, leaſt we make the people goe before their Paſtors when they are about to give glory; then riſe the Elders from their ſeates and fall downe firſt. The Churches Service is performed by ſinging, Rev. 5.8, 9. to the end. The Elders and the Saints about the throne are furniſhed with Harpes, and Vials, inſtruments of Muſicke and Melodie, be they Voyces or other Organs of Gods praiſe, for I will preciſely determine nothing, their gold Vials are ſaid to be full of odors, and theſe odours to be prayers, a right ſervice in Gods houſe. Their ſong is a new ſong of the Lamb, … to the Lamb, with theſe joyne the holy Angells, and in divine ſtraines of the ſweeteſt muſique, ſound with a loud voyce in Gods eares & as they end with bleſſing ſo all creatures like an Echo lay hold of that laſt word, & ſay bleſſing, &c. Then conclude the Beaſts with a voyce as a thunderclappe, for ſo ſpeakes Saint Hierom of the word Amen.
The Elders end the ſervice as they began with proſtration, for as that is before confeſſion, Phil. 2.10, 11. ſo it is after all ſervice, and the whole body is prepared, before that member the tongue take in hand to utter a word. Hee were impudent that would talke ſtanding with his God, and beginne to ſpeake before hee hath ſhewed his feare by falling downe to ſo great a Majeſtie as he ſeekes to ſerve, neither were it fit a man ſhould ſtand by and take his leave, as if two equalls were met (we neither come ſo into the preſence of out parents, neither doe we ſo depart from them) and ſhame our ſelves as if wee had met none in Gods Houſe better than our ſelves. The Elders as they fall firſt, ſo they are found laſt in the like poſture, and ſo we leave them, and come to our third thing in Gods Houſe.