The Remains of John Corbet, Section 5
§ 5. Of the Delegation of Spiritual Power.
THE delegation of power is a derivation thereof from its ordinary ſubject, to another who is not the ordinary ſubject thereof, and who hath right to exerciſe it merely as authorized by the ordinary ſubject thereof; as when a Biſhop delegates his epiſcopal power to him, who is no Biſhop, and who exerciſes the ſame merely by vertue of his delegation.
The office of a Biſhop, Paſtor or Elder, is a truſt, and that of the greateſt conſequence in the world, and a truſt may not be delegated by the receiver to another perſon without the expreſs conſent of the giver. No ſubordinate officer can make a legal deputy unleſs he be authorized thereunto by law, or in his commiſſion or Charter from the ſupream power: And Chriſt hath not expreſt his conſent to the transferring of this truſt, nor given authority to his Miniſters to make ſuch Delegation.
That Princes and Soveraign Powers b…ing Gods Truſtees, do transfer the work of their truſt to Delegates and ſubordinate officers, is no ground for Chriſts Miniſters to do the like: For firſt, Chriſts Miniſters are only authorized Ambaſſadors, Heralds, and not Spiritual Soveraigns under him, as the ſupream Magiſtrates are Civil Soveraigns under God. 2. It is in the nature of civil ſoveraignty to make delegates and ſubordinate officers of civil power, and the due Government of the Civil State makes it neceſſary; but there is no ſuch thing in the nature of the paſtoral office, and no neceſſity for it in Eccleſiaſtical Government. 3. The ſpecification of magiſtracy or civil power is left to men, but the ſpiritual power is ſpecified by Chriſt, and by him appropriated to officers of his own inſtitution. 4. Chriſt to provide for his flock hath taken another courſe than to authorize Biſhops and Paſtors to do their work by Delegates, namely, to command the ordaining of more Biſhops or Elders as need requires.
The delegation of Epiſcopal Power is a repugnancy in it ſelf. For it is the power of the keys, or of ſtewarſhip in Chriſts houſe, of binding and looſing, of remitting and retaining ſins in Chriſts name, by ſpecial authority from him. And can any that is not Chriſts officer ſo authorized, exert ſuch power?
Beſides, if one part of the biſhops proper work, viz. The exerciſe of Eccleſiaſtical Government, may be delegated to one that is no biſhop, why may not any other part of his work be ſo delegated, as the ordaining of miniſters? And if it be replied, ad ordinem pertinet ordinare, by as good reaſon it may be ſaid, that it as incommunicably belongs to the order or office of Chriſts inſtitution to exerciſe Chriſts Diſcipline, as to ordain Miniſters.
Indeed a Vicar being of the ſame ſacred office or order, may ſo exert the ſaid power in the place of another, as that his act is valid. But it may well be queſtioned, whether any biſhop may make one or more vicarious biſhops to execute his charge, for every biſhop hath received a truſt from Chriſt to be fulfilled in his own perſon, Col. 1.7. And I do not find that Chriſt hath granted a faculty to any biſhop to fulfil his Miniſtry by a Vicar of his own order.
But I do not queſtion, but a biſhop may have an aſſiſtant or aſſiſtants of his own order, either occaſionally in caſe of preſent diſability or juſtifiable avocation; or ſtatedly when the flock that is under his perſonal overſight requires more work than one man can do. And then the ſaid aſſiſtants are not his Vicars, but collegues, performing each of them their own part in the work and ſervice of their Lord Chriſt.