Episcopacy by Divine Right Asserted, Part 2 · Section 18
§. 18.
The practice of the whole Chriſtian Church, in all times and places, is for this government of Biſhops.
HOwever it pleaſeth our Anti-praeſuliſts to ſleight the practice and judgement of all Churches ſave the Primitive Church, which they alſo, without all ground, and againſt all reaſon ſhut up within the ſtrait bonds of 250 yeers; out of a juſt guiltineſſe of their known oppoſition; yet it ſhall be no ſmall confirmation to us, nor no leſſe conviction to them, that the voice as of the Primitive, ſo of the whole ſubſequent Church of God upon earth to this very age, is with us and for us: Quod ſemper et ubi que : Alwaies and every where; was the old and ſure rule of Vincentius Lirinenſis; and who thinks this can fail him, as well worthy to erre. It were a long task to inſtance in all times, and to particularize in all Churches: Let this be the triall, Turn over all hiſtories, ſearch the records of all times and places, if ever it can be ſhown that any Orthodox Church in the whole Chriſtian world, ſince the times of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, was governed otherwiſe than by a Biſhop, ſuperiour to his Clergy (unleſſe perhaps during the time of ſome perſecution, or ſhort inter-regnum) let me forfeit my part of the cauſe. Our oppoſites dare not ſtand upon this iſſue; and therefore when we preſſe and follow them upon this point, they runne back fifteen hundred years, and ſhelter themſelves under the Primitive times, which are moſt remote. And why will they be thus cowardly? They know all the reſt are with us, and againſt them; yea they yeild it; and yet would fain think themſelves never the worſe. Antichriſt, Antichriſt hath ſeized upon all the following times, and corrupted their government: what a meer gullery is this? Do not they themſelves confine Antichriſt to Rome? And hath not Biſhop Downham diligently noted his foreign in Boniface; his foreign in Hildebrand, his foreign in the latter times? Sur…ly had theſe men beſtowed that time in peruſing Biſhop Downhams diſcourſe concerning Antichriſt,Diatrib. de Antichriſt, …. …on Leſſ… . which they have ſpent in confuting his worthie Sermon, they had needed no other either reformation or diſproof. For can any indifferent man be ſo extreamly mad, as to think all the Chriſtian world (theſe men only by good luck excepted) is, or ever was turn'd Antichriſt? or that that Antichriſt hath ſet his foot every where, in all aſſemblies of Chriſtians? and that he ſtill keeps his footing in all Gods Church upon earth? To ſay nothing elſe concerning the notorious falſity hereof, what a derogation were this to the infinite wiſedome, providence and goodneſſe of the Almighty, that he ſhould ſo ſlacken his care of his Church, as that he ſhould from the very beginning, give it up wholly up to the managing of Antichriſt, for the ſpace of more than fifteen hundred years, without any check or contradiction to his government, no not within the firſt Century. Yea, but his Myſtery began to work betime; True, but that was the myſtery or iniquity, not the myſtery of good order and holy government; And if the latter times ſhould be thus depraved; yet can any man be ſo abſurd as to think that thoſe holy Biſhops of the Primitive times, which were all made of meekneſſe and humility, and patience, being ever perſecuted, and cheerfully pouring out their blood for Chriſt,Loco ſupra citato. would in their very offices bolſter up the pride of Anti-chriſt? Or if they would, yet can we think that the Apoſtles themſelves, who ſaw and erected this ſuperiority (as Chamier himſelf confeſſeth) would be acceſſary to this advancement of Anti-chriſt? Certainly he had need of a ſtrong and as wicked a Credulity of a weak and as wilde a wit, that can believe all this. So the (Semper) is plainly ours, and ſo is the (ubi que ) too; All times are not more for us, than all places. Take a view of the whole Chriſtian world: The ſtate of Europe is ſo well known, that it needs no report; Look abroad, ye ſhall finde that for the Greek Church,Chriſtianography of the Greek Ch. the Patriarchate of Conſtantinople, which in the Emperour Leo's time, had 81 Metropolitans, and about 38 Arch-biſhopricks under his Juriſdiction, hath under him ſtill 74 Metropolitans; who have divers Biſhops under them; As Theſſalonica, ten Biſhops under him; Corinth four; Athens ſix, &c. For the Ruſsian Church, which ſince the Mahumetan tyranny hath ſubjected it ſelf a Patriarch of their own, neer home, of Moſco, he hath under him two Metropolitans, four Arch-biſhops, ſix Biſhops.
For the Patriarchate of Jeruſalem, to which have belonged the three Paleſtines, and two other Provinces; Tirius reckons alſo five Metropolitans, and ten Biſhops.
For the Patriarchate of Antioch, which hath been accounted one of the moſt numerous for Chriſtians, it had, as the ſame author reckons, fifteen Provinces allotted to it, and in them, Metropolitans, Arch-biſhops, and Biſhops, no fewer than 142.
For the Armenian Chriſtians, they acknowledge obedience to the government of two Patriarks of their own; the one of Armenia, the greater, who kept his reſidence of old at Sebaſtia; the other of Armenia the leſſe, whoſe reſidence was formerly at Mytilene, the Mother City of that Province, now neer Tarſus in Cilicia: Mr. Sands reports their Biſhops to be 300, but Baronius, 1000.
For the Jacobite Chriſtians, they have a Patriarch of their own, whoſe Patriarchall Church is neer to the City of Merdin in Meſopotamia; and he hath under his government many Churches diſperſed in the Cities of Meſopotamia, Babylonia, Syria.
For the Maronites, whoſe main habitation is in Mount Lebanus, containing in circuit 700 miles; they have a Patriarch of their own, who hath eight or nine Biſhops under his Juriſdiction.
For the miſ-named Neſtorian Chriſtians, they are ſubject to their Patriarch of Muſal, or Seleucia, beſides others which they have had; Under one whereof is ſaid to have been 22 Biſhopricks, and more than ſix hundred Territories.
For the Indian Chriſtians, named from St. Thomas, they have their Archbiſhop lately ſubjected to the Patriarch of Muſall.
For the African Chriſtians, we finde that in one Province alone, under one Metropolitane, they have had 164 Biſhops; They are under the government of the Patriarch of Alexandria, to whoſe Juriſdiction belong both the Chriſtians of Aegypt, and thoſe about the Bay of Arabia; Upon whoſe late ſolemn Conſecration, how many Biſhops attended, and what ſolemnity were uſed, were too long to rehearſe.
For the Abaſsine Chriſtians, they are ſubject to their Abuna, a Patriarch of their own; Some report of an 127 Arch-biſhops: And Alvares, that in one Church of the holy Trinity, upon a ſolemn occaſion, he ſaw two hundred of their Mitred Clergie together. Thus have I for the readers ſatisfaction, contracted into a ſhort view, ſome paſſages of laborious Chriſtianography of Mr. Paget, gathered by him out of many Authors, whereby it well appears how the Chriſtian Church is governed abroad, and (which is very remarkable) well near all of theſe (in a manner) utterly divided from the correſpondence with Rome, and profeſſedly oppoſite to moſt of her errors, and chiefly to her ambitious and tyrannous uſurpation; but all gladly ever ſubmitting themſelves to that Epiſcopall government, which ſome few very ill-adviſed, but very well ſelf-conceited new-commers, here in a corner of our Europe, have for their own ends preſumed to contradict.