Episcopacy by Divine Right Asserted, Part 2 · Section 13 – Section 14
§. 13
The ſtate and Hiſtory of the next age.
AS touching the ſtate of this truth in the age next ſucceeding, how eaſie were it to accumulate hiſtories to make it good?Citat a D. Bilſen. perpet. regim. Eccl. c…p. 13. as that of Methodius, in Marianus Scotus, who tells us, That the Apoſtle Peter directed Eucharius one of the 70, with Valerius and Maternus, to preach the Goſpel in Germany and France; And that Eucharius planting a Church in Treners, held the Biſhoprick of that City 23 yeers,Traverie… Eccleſ. culmina, &c. and then left the Epiſcopacy of that Church to Valerius, who after 15 yeers ſitting there, left it to Maternus, he to Auſpicius, &c.
Ageſip. apud Euſeb. 4. c. 22.And that of Egeſippus, in Euſebius, who travelling to Rome under Amicetus, conferred with Primus Biſhop of Corinth, and divers other Biſhops as he went, and found them in every ſucceſſion, and in every City conſtantly obſerving the truth &c. And the Church of Corinth held on in the right way unto the time of Primus Biſhop there. With theſe whom can I more fitly match than holy Irenaeus, the famous Biſhop of Lyons, neer bordering upon this age, whoſe teſtimony may be a clear Commentary upon the former paſſages, Habemus enumerare eos, qui ab Apoſtolis &c. we can,Iren. l. 3. adverſ. haereſ. c. 3. ſaith he, reckon up thoſe, who by the Apoſtles were made Biſhops in the Churches, and their ſucceſſors, even unto our times &c. The bleſſed Apoſtles, viz. Peter and Paul, founding and furniſhing the Church (of Rome) delivered the Epiſcopacy of the Government of that Church to Linus; Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in thoſe Epiſtles he wrote to Timothy; Anacletus ſucceeded him: In the third place Clemens, after him took that Biſhoprick, who both ſaw the Apoſtles themſelves, and had Conference with them &c. After this Clement, ſucceeded Evariſtus; after Evariſtus, Alexander, and after him, Sixtus was made the ſixth Biſhop from the Apoſtles; and after him Teleſphorus, who moſt gloriouſly ſuffered Martyrdome; after him Higinus, then Pius, and after him Amicetus; and after that Soter had ſucceeded Amicetus, now in the twelfth place from the Apoſtles, Eleutherius poſſeſſeth the Biſhoprick; And ſoon after he addeth (a paſſage which I cannot pretermit) And Polycarpus, ſaith he, was not only taught by the Apoſtles, and converſed with many of them who ſaw our Lord Chriſt, but alſo was by the Apoſtles made Biſhop in Aſia, in that Church which is at Smyrna, whom we our ſelves ſaw in our yonger age, for he laſted long, and being very old, he moſt nobly and gloriouſly ſuffering Martyrdome, paſſed out of this life! Lo here was but one ages difference. Polycapus ſaw, and converſed with the Apoſtles, Irenaeus ſaw Polycarpus; by their hands was he ordained Biſhop, conſtantly lived and dyed a Martyr in that holy function. Tertullian was not much below Irenaeus in age, not at all below him in the clearneſſe of his ſuffrage,Edant origines Eccleſiarum ſuarum, evolant ordinem Epiſcoporum ſuorum ita par ſucceſſiones ab initio decurrentem, ut primus ille Epiſcopus aliquem ex Apoſtolis aut Apoſtolicis viris habuerit authorem & anteceſſorem, &c. Tertull. de praeſcription. adverſ. haer. Edant origines &c. Let them, ſaith he, ſet forth the Originals of their Churches, Let them reckon upon the Order of their Biſhops, ſo running down by their ſucceſſions from the beginning, as that their firſt Biſhop had one of the Apoſtles, or Apoſtolicall men for his author and predeceſſor. Thus do the Apoſtolicall Churches bring in their accounts, as the Church of Smyrna h… ving Polycarpus placed there by St. John; the Church of Rome ſhoweth Clement ordained by St. Peter, and ſo the reſt of the Churches ſhow, what ſprouts they have of the Apoſtolike ſeed. Even thoſe which were firſt placed in their Epiſcopacie by the Apoſtles. What can be ſpoken more fully for the Apoſtolike inſtitution of Epiſcopacy? This is more than enough to ſhew the ſtate of the firſt ages of the Church, under and after the Apoſtles; And therein the ſuperiority and Juriſdiction of Biſhops, received from their ſacred hands. Now, if we think good to deſcend with the times, which way ſoever we ſhall caſt our eyes upon Eccleſiaſticall hiſtories, upon Fathers, upon Councels, I ſpeak it knowingly, we ſhall meet with no other relation. Should I undertake to gather in ſome proofs which are every where ſcattered in their undeniable records, one Tome would not be enough; and you might well aske the meaning of ſuch waſte I ſhall content my ſelf to glean out ſome few Eares out of a large and plentifull field.
§. 14.
The confeſſed Superiority of Biſhops, from ſeverall arguments out of Antiquity.
ANd here in the firſt place it is well worthy to weigh much with us, that all antiquity makes Biſhops the ſucceſſors of the Apoſtles. The teſtimonies of Irenaeus, Vide Bilſ. loco citato.Tertullian, Cyprian, Baſil, Theodoret, Hierome, Ambroſe, Auguſtine, Sidonius, and others, are ſo familiarly quoted by all Writers, that I ſhall not need to urge them. In the next, thoſe titles of ſuperiority and Juriſdiction, which are giuen by all antiquity to Biſhops above Presbyters,Ambroſ in Epheſ 4 idea Optatus l 1. contra Parmē. Hieron. in Ep. 60.17. Hierarch Ecleſ. c. 5. foreign. Epiphan. in haereſ. 75. Conc. Carthag. c. 68. Conc. Sardic. c. 10. Sidon. Apoll. l 9 Ep. 4. may well ſettle our aſſurance in it. They are foreign, rulers in Ignatius; Principes ſacerdotum in Ambroſe; the ſame with foreign in Dionyſius; An order generative of other Fathers, as Epiphanius. They have an (foreign) given them by the Councell of Carthage, Excelſiorem gradum by Jerome, foreign, by the Councell of Conſtantinople; eminence of overſight by the Councell of Sardica: Incomparably eminent Apoſtleſhip by Sidonius Apollinaris; Excellent dignity and authority by the Councell of Conſtantinople in Trullo. foreign, Concil. Antioch. c. 25. It were eaſie to be tedious in this kinde: If now the Biſhops of this Iſland challenge no more than is given to thoſe Church-governours of the Primitive times, certainly either they muſt be condemned, or not juſtified. In the third place it will eaſily be made to appear, that in all the paſſages of Fathers and Councels, the Presbyters are called, the Biſhops Presbyters. Indeed how ſhould it be otherwiſe?Winton. Epiſt. ad Molin. For (as our learned Biſhop of Wincheſter) of old, the Presbyters were (as it were) of the family of the Biſhop, and lived upon thoſe diſtributions, which were laid down as at the feet of the Apoſtles firſt; ſo, now at theirs, untill the diviſion of ſeverall Pariſhes infoeffed them in a ſetled maintenance from their peculiar charges. Thus, as Doctor Downham inſtances, Arrius is ſaid to have been Alexander's Presbyter; Petrus and Iraenaeus, Timotheus and Macarius to have been Athanaſius his Presbyters; by the ſame token that Timotheus (a grave and reverend perſonage) as the hiſtory reports (wittily and juſtly took off a foul aſperſion from his innocent and honoured Dioceſan) The Deputies of Silveſter in the Councell of Nice, were his Presbyters: Thus Crispio is named Epiphanius his Arch-deacon; Heraclides to have been Chryſoſtome's Deacon; It were eaſie to fill up pages out of Euſebius alone with ſuch inſtances.