The Interest of England in the Matter of Religion, Essays 1 · Section 23
Section XXIII.
That Prelacy, as it stood in England, is not essential to a Church-State, we call to witness the far greater number of Protestant Episcopal Divines, yea the whole current of them, till the times next fore-going our Civil wars. Archbishop Bancroft, no way indulgent to Presbytery, withstood the re-ordaining of those Scottish Presbyters elect Bishops upon this reason, That they might not seem to question the Ministry of the Reformed Churches. For which cause, who can forbear to censure the palpable absurdity of some latter Prelatists, that unchurch all the forreign Reformed Churches, and nullifie their Ministery and Ordinances? They have taken up a most destructive killing opinion, which … the unspeakable advantage of the Romish Church) lets out the Vitals of the Protestant Cause and Religion. And shall any that are hearty Protestants be fond of such Opinionists? Moreover, it is no less evident that the Prelacy, as it stood in England, is without the warrant of Divine right, and that not only in regard of Lordly titles and exercise of temporal Dominion, but also in regard of sole Jurisdiction and deputation of power. Is there any text in the Scripture where the name and work of a Bishop is appropriated to a superior Order or degree in the Ministery? Do not all the texts of Scripture that mention the name and work of a Bishop attribute both to all ordained Ministers? Can there be a clearer evidence that a Bishop and Presbyter is the same spirituall Officer? Besides, to maintain the Divine right of Prelacy, it sufficeth not to shew from Scripture any kinde of difference between a Bishop and a Presbyter, unless it can be likewise proved that the Bishop is the alone subject or receptacle of Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, that he alone hath rule and government over all the Presbyters within his limits, yea, and over all the Churches, leaving no power to the Presbyters but to execute his Injunctions. But there is nothing more express, then that the Holy Ghost hath made all Presbyters to be Bishops or Overseers, and hath commanded them to rule the Church, and to exercise Episcopacy, or to take the oversight thereof. And that this is the sence of the Church of England is manifest by appointing the exhortation of Saint Paul to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus, and the character and qualification of Bishops written by the same Apostle unto Timothy, to be read unto Presbyters at the time of their Ordination. Hereupon a late famous Defender of Prelacy was driven to leave the beaten path of Episcopal Divines, and to take a new way, but to the ruine of the Cause maintained by him. He saith [That although the Title of foreign Elders, hath been extended to a second Order in the Church, and is now in use onelyonly for them under the name of Presbyters, yet in the Scripture times it belonged principally, if not only, to Bishops, there being no evidence that any of that second Order were then instituted, though soon after, before the Writings of Ignatius, such were instituted in all Churches.] Here it is fully granted that the Scripture Presbyters were Bishops, and that the second Order of meer Presbyters, which were no Bishops, was not then instituted; whereupon it follows, that a meer Presbyter, who is no Bishop, is not of divine institution, but a meer humane Creature, if the holy Scriptures be the perfect Rule of all Divine Institutions. Neither is the abatement of Prelacy unto moderate Episcopacy or Presidency any departure from the practice of the ancient Church, but a true reviving of the same, which was an election made by the Presbyters of one of their own number to preside amongst them, and that upon no pretence of Divine Right, but for remedy of Schism, as Jerome witnesseth. And with this Bishop or President the whole Presbytery joyned in the common Government of the Church. Bishop Usher plainly shews how easily the ancient form of Government may be revived again, and with what little shew of alteration, namely, by erecting a Suffragan Bishop in every rural Deanery, into which every Diocess is subdivided, who may every monethmonth assemble a Synod of all the incumbent Pastors within the Precinct, and according to the major part of voices, conclude all matters that should be brought into debate before them, yet with a liberty to appeal (if need require) to the Diocesan, Provincial, National Synods. That the number of Bishops should be very much augmented doth evidently appear to all that know and consider the weight of Episcopal Superintendency; and the learned Bishop now mentioned gives a hint, that their number might be very well conformed to the number of rural Deaneries. Surely so many hundred populous Parishes now under the Government of one Bishop might be well divided into many Diocesses ample enough. And such a course would make not only for the edifying of the Church by the more effectual inspection of many Bishops for one, but also for the advancement of Learning by the multiplication of preferments. Wherefore nothing of the Churches being or well-being, nothing of Divine Institution or primitive practise doth withstand the reduction of Prelacy to moderate Episcopacy, or the ancient Synodical government, to which the Presbyterians may conform without repugnancy to their principles.