Episcopacy by Divine Right Asserted, Part 2 · Section 1
§. 1.
The termes and ſtate of the Queſtion, ſetled and agreed upon.
THeſe are the grounds; which, if they prove (as they cannot but do) firm and unmoveable, we can make no fear of the ſuperſtructure: Let us therefore now addreſſe our ſelves to the particular points here confidenly undertaken by us, and made good all thoſe ſeverall iſſues of defence, which our holy cauſe is moſt willingly caſt upon.
But before we deſcend to the ſcanning of the matter; reaſon and order require, that according to the old and ſure rules of Logicians, the terms be cleared and agreed upon; otherwiſe we ſhall perhaps fight with ſhadows, and beat the ayr.
It hath pleaſed the providence of GOD, ſo to order it, that as the Word it ſelf, the Church; ſo the names of the Offices belonging to it, in their ſeverall comprehenſions, ſhould be full of Senſes, and variety of uſe and acception; and that in ſuch manner, that each of them runs one into other, and oftentimes interchanges their Appellations. A Prophet, we know, is a foreteller of future things; an Evangeliſt, in the naturall ſence of the word, is he that preaches the glad tidings of the Goſpel; an Apoſtle, one of Chriſts twelve great Meſſengers to the world; a Biſhop, foreign, an Overſeer of the Church; a Presbyter, ſome grave, ancient Churchman; a Deacon, a ſervant, or Miniſter in the Church: yet all theſe in Scripture are ſo promiſcuouſly uſed, that a Preacher is more then once termed a Prophet;1 Cor. 14. Act 1.20 2 Ep. Iohn & 1 Peter 5.1. 1 Tim. 4.6. an Evangeliſt, an Apoſtle; an Apoſtle, a Biſhop; an Apoſtle, a Presbyter; a Presbyter, an Apoſtle, as Romans 6.7. a Presbyter, a Biſhop: and laſtly, an Evangeliſt and Biſhop, a Deacon or Miniſter; for all theſe met in Timothy, alone, who, being Biſhop of Epheſus, is with one breath charged to do the work of an Evangeliſt, and to fulfill his foreign, or Miniſtery: It could not be otherwiſe likely, but from this community of names there would follow ſome confuſion of apprehenſions; for ſince names were intended for diſtinction of things, where names are the ſame, how can the notions be diſtinguiſhed? But howſoever it pleaſed the Spirit of God, in the firſt hatching of the Evangelicall Church, to make uſe of theſe indiſtinct expreſsions, yet, all this while the Offices were ſeverall, known by their ſeverall Characters and employments, So, as the function, and work of an Apoſtle was one, viz. To plant the Church, and to ordain the Governours of it; of a Biſhop, an other, to wit, To manage the Government of his deſigned Circuit, and to ordain Presbyters and Deacons; of a Presbyter, another, namely, To aſsiſt the Biſhop, and to watch over his ſeverall charge; of a Deacon, another, (beſides his ſacred ſervices) to order the ſtock of the Church, and to take care of the poor: yet all theſe agreed in one Common Service, which was the propagation of the Goſpel, and the ſounding of Gods Church; and ſoon after, the very terms were contra-diſtinguiſhed, both by the ſubſtance of their charge, and by the property of their Titles; inſomuch as bleſſed Ignatius, that holy Martyr, who lived many yeers within the times of the Apoſtles, in every of his Epiſtles (as we ſhall ſee in the ſequel) makes expreſſe mention of three diſtinct orders of Government, Biſhops, Presbyters, Deacons.
Now we take Epiſcopacie, as it is thus punctually differenced, in an eminence from the two inferior orders of Presbyter and Deacon; ſo as to define it, Epiſcopacie is no other than an holy order of Church-Governours, appointed for the Adminiſtration of the Church. Or, more fully thus; Epiſcopacie is an eminent order of ſacred function, appointed by the Holy Ghoſt, in the Evangelicall Church, for the governing and overſeeing thereof; and for that purpoſe, beſides the Adminiſtration of the Word and Sacraments, indued with power of impoſition of hands, and perpetuity of Iuriſdiction. Wherein we finde, that we ſhall meet with two ſorts of Adverſaries; The one are furiouſly and impetuouſly fierce, crying down Epiſcopacy for an unlawfull, and Antichriſtian ſtate, not to be ſuffered in a truely Evangelicall Church, having no words in their mouthes, but the ſame which the cruell Edomites uſed concerning Ieruſalem, Downe with it, down with it, even to the ground: And ſuch are the frantick Separatiſts, and Semi-ſeparatiſts of our time, and Nation, who are only ſwayed with meer paſsion, and wilfully blinded with unjuſt prejudice. Theſe are Reformers of the new Cut, which if Calvin or Beza were alive, to ſee, they would ſpit at, and wonder whence ſuch an off-ſpring ſhould come. Men that defend and teach there is no higher Eccleſiaſticall government in the world, than that of a Pariſh: that a Parochiall Miniſter (though but of the blindeſt village in a Country) is utterly independant, and abſolute, a perfect Biſhop within himſelfe, and hath no ſuperiour in the Church upon earth, and doth no leſſe inveigh even againſt the overruling power of Claſſes, Synods, &c. than of Biſhops: you are not perhaps of this ſtraine, for we conceive that our Northern neighbors deſire and affect to conforme unto the Genevian or French diſcipline,Honoratiſſ. Do. Glanico Cancellario Scotiae reſpon. ad ſex quaeſtiones. for which we find Beza's directions (although both your act of a brenunciation, and ſome ſpeeches, let fall in the aſſembly of Glaſco, and of the plea of Covenanters (fetching Epiſcopacy within the compaſſe of things abjured) might ſeem to intimate ſome danger of inclination this way) our charity bids us hope the beſt, which is, that you hate the frenzeys of theſe our wilde Countrey-men abroad, for whom no anſwer is indeed fit, but darke lodgings, and Ellebore. The other is more milde and gentle, and leſſe unreaſonable; not diſallowing Epiſcopacy in it ſelfe, but holding it to be lawfull, uſefull, ancient; yet ſuch as was by meer humane device, upon wiſe and politick Conſiderations, brought into the Church, and ſo continued, and therefore upon the like grounds alterable; with both theſe we muſt have to do. But ſince it is wind ill loſt to talke reaſon to a mad-man, it ſhall be more than ſufficient, to confute the former of them, in giving ſatisfaction to the latter: for if wee ſhall make it appeare, that Epiſcopacy is not onelyonly lawfull and ancient, but of no leſſe than divine inſtitution, thoſe raving and black mouthes are fully ſtopped, and thoſe more eaſie and moderate oppoſites at once convinced. But before we offer to deal blows on either ſide, it is fit we ſhould know how far we are friends and upon what points this quarrell ſtands.
It is yielded by the wiſer fautors of Diſcipline, that there is a certain Polity neceſſary for the retention of the Churches peace; That this Polity requires that there muſt be ſeverall Congregations or flocks of Chriſtians, and that every flock ſhould have his own Shepherd; That ſince thoſe guides of Gods people are ſubject to error in Doctrine and exorbitance in manners, which may need correction and reformation; and many doubtfull caſes may fall out, which will need deciſion, it is requiſite there ſhould be ſome further aid, given by the counſell and aſsiſtance of other Paſtors; That thoſe Paſtors, met together in Claſſes and Synodes, are fit arbiters in differences, and cenſurers of errors and diſorders. That in Synodes thus aſſembled there muſt be due order kept; That order cannot be kept, where there is an abſolute equality of all perſons convened: That it is therefore neceſſary that there ſhould be an head, Preſident, or Governour of the aſſembly, who ſhall marſhall all the affairs of thoſe meetings, propound the Caſes, gather the voyces, pronounce the Sentences and judgements; but in the mean while, he (having but lent his tongue for the time to the uſe of the Aſſembly) when the buſineſſe is ended, returnes to his own place without any perſonall inequality. A lively image whereof we have in our lower houſe of Convocation; the Clerks whereof are choſen by the Clergy of the ſeverall Dioceſſes: They all having equall power of voyces, aſſemble together, chooſe their Prolocutor; He cals the houſe, receives petitions, or complaints, propoſes the buſineſſes, asks and gathers the ſuffrages, diſmiſſes the Seſsions, and the action once ended takes his former ſtation, forgetting his late ſuperiority. This is the thing challenged by the Patrons of Diſcipline, who do not willingly heare of an upper houſe, conſiſting of the Peeres of the Church, whoſe grave authority gives life to the motions of that lower body. They can be content there ſhould be a prime Presbyter, and that this Presbyter ſhall be called Biſhop, and that Biſhop ſhall moderate (for the time) the publike affairs of the Church; but without all innate and fixed ſuperiority; without all (though never ſo moderate) Iuriſdiction. Calvin in this caſe ſhall ſpeak for all, who writing of the ſtate of the Clergie in the Primitive times, hath thus,Calv. Inſtit. l. 4. c. 4. Quibus ergo docendi munus &c. Thoſe therefore which had the charge of teaching injoined unto them, they named Presbyters: Theſe Presbyters out of their number in every city choſe one to whom they eſpecially gave the title of Biſhop; leſt from equality (as it commonly fals out) diſcords ſhould ariſe. Neither was the Biſhop ſo ſuperiour to the reſt in honour and dignity, as that he had any rule over his Colleagues, but the ſame office and part which the Conſul had in the Senate, to report of buſineſſe to be done, to ask the votes; adviſing, admoniſhing, exhorting to go before the reſt, to rule the whole action by his authority, and to execute that, which by the common Councell was decreed. The ſame office did the Biſhop ſuſtain in the aſſembly of the Presbyters. Thus he; and to the ſame purpoſe Beza in his Treatiſe of the degrees of the miniſtery; Moulin, Chamier, others. So as we eaſily ſee how our Biſhop differs from Calvins, namely in a ſetled imparity, and a perpetuity of juriſdiction. Give me therefore ſuch a Paſtor, as ſhall be ordained a perpetuall Moderator in Church affairs, in a fixed imparity, exerciſing Spirituall Iuriſdiction, out of his owne peculiarly demandated Authority, this is the Biſhop whom we contend for, and whom they oppoſe; I do well ſee therefore how we may make a ſhorter cut of this controverſie, than hath formerly been made by others, whoſe large diſcourſes (upon the importune Angariation of others) hath been learnedly ſpent upon the names and titles of a Biſhop, and Presbyter, upon the extent of their firſt charge, whether Parochiall, or Dioceſan: And upon the difference and priority of thoſe Limitations; ſince the only thing that diſpleaſeth in Epiſcopacy is their majority above Presbyters (which is pretended ſhould be only a priority of Order, not a ſuperiority of degree) and their power of juriſdiction over Presbyters (for yield theſe by a due ordination, to a prime paſtor for a conſtant continuance, you make him a Biſhop, denie theſe to a Biſhop, you make him no other than a plain Presbyter) our only labour therefore muſt be to make good theſe two points; and to evince, that imparity in the Governours of the Church, and the power of Epiſcopall Iuriſdiction, is not of any leſſe than Apoſtolicall and divine Inſtitution: to which Task we now addreſſe our ſelves, foreign. &c.