Episcopacy by Divine Right Asserted, Part 2 · Section 20
§. 20.
The vindication of thoſe Fathers that are pretended to ſecond Aerius.
BUt what noyſe is this I hear from our Antepiſcopiſts, of many Fathers who favoured, and cryed up this opinion of Aerius, ſurely, if there had been any ſuch, the world would have rung of it, ere now. The thenpreſent Church would ſooner have noted it, than thoſe that lag after them, ſo many hundred paces of years. But to make this good, more than once is laid in our diſh by Parker, Paracleſ. l. 1. c. 7and the cenſure of Tilenus, the quotation of Medina, which our Reverend and learned Biſhop of Durham, Dr. Morton in his Apology cites,Apol. p 2. c. 12. Non Dubito, &c. I doubt not ſaith, Medina to affirm that St. Jerome, Sedulius, Primaſius, Theodoret, held with the Aerian hereticks that the Order of Biſhops and Presbyters is Jure divino the very ſame. It is well that he omitted St. Auguſtine, Ambroſe, Chryſoſtome, Oecumenius. Well, what of this, the learned Biſhop cites Medina, but doth he approve him? he ſcornes the motion: Medina cites thoſe Fathers, as for this opinion; The more ſhameleſſe he: Is it ever the truer, becauſe a ſworn champion of the tyranny of Rome, and a profeſſed enemy to the reformed Religion, impudently avers it? It is enough for me to leave him to the caſtigation of Bellarmine: and though I might ſpend paper in vindicating theſe ſacred names, from the aſperſion of the favour of Aerianiſme yet for that it is but incidently in our way,Intolerabilis eſt Medirae impudentia. Spalat de Rep. Eccleſ. l. 2. c. 3. I ſhall rather remit my Reader to the learned and ſatisfactory diſcourſe of the Archbiſhop of Spalato, who hath prevented that labour. All the reſt are eaſily freed; St. Jerome and St. Ambroſe in the opinion of ſome ſeem to take in water: For the former as he was naturally a waſpiſh and hote good man, ſo now being vexed with ſome croſſe proceedings (as he thought) of John Biſhop of Hieruſalem, heflew out into ſome expreſſions indeed, but yet ſuch as in other places he doth either ſalve or contradict; The paſſages are ſcanned throughly by many authors. It is true then, that he ſaith, Biſhops are greater than Presbyters rather conſuetudine eccleſiae, Hier. ad Evagrum.than Dominicae diſpoſitionis veritate; but even in that, withall he grants Epiſcopacy, to be an Apoſtolicall Inſtitution;Eadem Epiſtola ad finem. for he interprets himſelf, that this Cuſtome was derived and continued from the Apoſtles, and that the Dominica diſpoſitio of which he ſpake, was to be taken of a perſonall appointment from Chriſt our Saviour;Hier in 1 ad T…tum. Wherefore what can be more plain than that his toto orbe decretum relates to Apoſtolick Conſtitution; The very pedegree of it, is by himſelf fetcht from the time of the quarrels which St. Paul mentions in his Epiſtle to the Corinths, One ſayes I am of Paul, another I am of Apollo; I am of Cephas; which was in the heart of the Apoſtoli que times: And relating thoſe words of the Biſhop of Jeruſalems letters, [There is no difference betwixt a Biſhop and a Presbyter] he paſſeth a ſatis imperite upon it; profeſſing to his Marcella, againſt the Novelty of Montanus; With us our Biſhops hold the place of the Apoſtles, and that the drepreſſion of their Biſhops below their place was utterly perfidious; And commenting upon that paſſage of the Pſalme, Hier. in Pſ. 44.In ſtead of Fathers thou ſhalt have children; The Apoſtles ſaith he (O Church) were thy Fathers, &c. Thou haſt inſtead of them, children (which are) the Biſhops, created by thy ſelf. And (which is for all) where he is moſt vehement for the dignity of a Presbyter; yet he addes, Quid facit Epiſcopus exceptâ ordinatione, quod Presbiter non facit? What doth a Biſhop beſides Ordination, which a Presbyter doth not? That very exception exempts him from Aerianiſme; and thoſe other clear teſtimonies (beſides more which might be cited) ſhow him (though but a Presbyter) no friend to the equality of our Presbyterians.
As for St. Ambroſe, they could not have pitch'd upon a better man; a renowned Archbiſhop and Metropolitan, and of ſo holily-high a grain, as that he would not abate one inch of Archiepiſcopall port and power; no not to an Emperour; Yet this is the man that ſhall plead againſt the ſuperiority of Biſhops. And what will he ſay? Of a Biſhop and a Presbyter ſaith he, there is one order or Ordination; for either of them is a Prieſt, but the Biſhop is the firſt; ſo that every Biſhop is a Presbyter, but not every Presbyter a Biſhop, for among the Presbyters, the Biſhop is the firſt. But firſt of all, by Parkers own confeſſion, it is not St. Ambroſe that ſaith ſo, but a changling in his clothes; So not only Whitakers, ſpalato, Cocus, Rivetus, and others, but even ſome of the great Pontifician authors, as we ſhall ſee upon another occaſion more fully: Secondly Ambroſe himſelſtells another tale,Ambroſ. de dignitate ſacerd. c. 3. c. 5. in his genuine writings; There is one thing, ſaith he, that God requires of a Biſhop, another of a Presbyter, another of a Deacon. And again, As Biſhops do ordain Presbyters, and conſecrate Deacons, ſo the Arch-biſhop ordaineth the Biſhop. Do you not think this man likely to ſpeak for the new government? Thirdly, if he had ſaid as they make him, they muſt give him leave to interpret himſelf. The Biſhop is Primus ſacerdos, that is, ſaith he, Princeps Sacerdotum.