Five Disputations of Church Government, Section 1
HAving said this much concerning the Nature of Church-Power and Government, I come to the second thing promised, which is to enumerate the several sorts of Bishops that are to fall under our consideration, that so we may next consider, which of them are to be allowed of.
And here I suppose none will expect that I shew them all these sorts distinctly existent; it is enough that I manifest them to be in themselves truly different.
1. And first the name [Bishop] may be given to one, that is only the Overseer or Ruler of the People of one particular Church, and not of any Church-rulers themselves: That ruleth the flock, but not any Shepherds.
2. Those also may be called Bishops, who only are Ioint-Rulers with others of a particular Church, and Presidents among the Elders of that one Church for Vnity and order sake, without assuming any Government over those Elders.
3. A third sort there are that are Presidents in such an Eldership, and withal do take a Negative voice in the Government, so that nothing shall be done without them in such affairs.
4 A fourth sort are the sole Pastors of such a particular Church that have many Ministers under them as their Curates, who are properly to be Ruled by them alone; so that the Pastor is the sole Ruler of that Church, and the Curates do only teach and otherwise officiate in obedience to him: Which is the case of divers Ministers of great Parishes, that keep one Curate at their Parish Church, and others at their Chappels. Yet its one thing to be the sole Ruler of the Parish, and another to Rule the rest of the Elders.
5. A fifth sort of Bishops are those that are the fixed Presidents of a Classis of the Pastors of many particular Churches; who hold the title durante vitâ, or quàm diu bene se gesserint, though they are in use only while the Classis sitteth, and have only a power of Moderating and ordering things, as the foreman of a Jury, or a double or casting voice, as the Bayliff in Elections in most Corporations, or as the President in some Colledges; but no Negative voice, which maketh a Power equal with all the rest.
6. A sixth sort are the heads of such Classes, having a Negative voice, so that the rest can do nothing without them.
7. A seventh sort are the Presidents of Provinces or Diocesses containing many Classes, which have only a Moderating Power, but no Negative voice.
8. An eighth sort are the Bishops of particular Cities with all the Rural parts that are near it, containing many Churches; who assume the Power of Governing that Diocess to themselves alone without the Presbyters of the particular Churches, either not using them at all in matter of Government, or only consulting with them in Assemblies, but giving them no determining votes.
9. A ninth sort is a Diocesan Bishop of such a City, who doth not take upon him the Rule of the people of the Diocess (beyond his own Congregation) but only of the Pastors; supposing that the several Pastors or Presbyters have power to Rule the several Congregations, but withall that they themselves are to be ruled by him.
10. A tenth sort are such Bishops as assume the Government of these Diocesan Bishops, which are common…y called Archbishops: to which also we adjoyn Metropolitans, Primates, and Patriarchs, who assume the Power of Governing all below them: as under the seventh rank I do also for brevity comprehend Metropolitans, Primates, and Patriarchs, who assume no Governing Power over other Bishops, but only the primam sedem, and the moderating Power in Councils.
11. The eleventh sort are unfixed general Pastors, called Ambulatory, or Itinerant, that have a care of all the Churches, and are no further tyed to any particulars, then a… the necessary defect of their natural capacity (seeing they cannot be in all places at once,) or else the dispatch of that work which they there meet with, before they go further, and some such occasion doth require: and being excluded out of no part of the Church, further then by consent for the common good, they shall exclude themselves; such, I mean, as the Apostles were.
12. The twelfth and last sort is the Judas that goes under the name of St. Peters Successor, and Christs Vicar General, or the Vice-Christ, who claimeth a power of Governing the whole universal Church as its Head, having Infallible power of determi…ing Controversies, and matters of Faith, and whose Office must enter the definition of the Catholick Church, and those that separate from him are no Catholikes, or true Christians. This is he that beareth the bag, and maketh the twelfth sort.