Episcopacy by Divine Right Asserted, Part 2 · Section 2
§. 2.
Church government begun by our Saviour in a manifeſt imparity.
WE begin with our undertaken iſſues, and ſhall ſhow that this imparitie of government, and Epi…copall Iuriſdiction was founded by Chriſt, and erected by his Apoſtles, both by their practiſe and recommendation. Who ſees not then a manifeſt imparitie in our Saviours owne choice, in the firſt gathering of his Chur…h; wherein his Apoſtles were above his other Diſciples; the twelve above the 70: above them in priviledges, and eſpecially in the immediateneſſe of their calling, above them in their Maſters reſpects, above them in gifts, and in the power of their diſpenſation, above them in Commiſsion, above them in miraculous operations: Even thoſe 70 were Miniſters of the Goſpel, but thoſe twelve were (even as it were) the Patriarks of the Church, noted ſtill by an article of Eminence (foreign) The twelve, others were labourers in the work, theſe were maſter-builders, as St. Paul to his Corinthes; others might heal by their touch, theſe by their very ſhadow: Others had the holy Ghoſt, theſe gave it: Philip was an Evangeliſt, he preached, he wrought miracles, he converted and baptized the Samaritans, yet till Peter and Iohn came down and prayed, and laid their hands on them,Act. 8.14.15. they recived not the holy Ghoſt. And how plain is it that ſuch honorable regard was given to the Twelve, that when one room fell voyd by the Treaſon of Iudas, Hier. de ſcript. Eccleſ.it muſt, by the direction of the Spirit of God, be made up by an election out of the 70. Had it not been an higher preferment to have been an Apoſtle, wherefore was that ſcrutiny and choyce? What do I urge this point? He never read Scripture that can doubt of it: wherefore did the choſen veſſell ſtand ſo highly upon the challenge of his Apoſtleſhip, if he had not known it to be a ſingular honour? And how punctually doth he marſhall up, as ſome divine Herald, the due rankes of Eccleſiaſticall offices; Firſt Apoſtles,1 Cor 12.28. Secondly Prophets, Thirdly Teachers, then thoſe that do miracles, after that the gifts of healing, helps in governing, diverſity of Tongues; but perhaps you will not be ſo illiberall, as to deny the Apoſtles a precedency of honour in the Church: how can you, and bee a Chriſtian? But you ſticke at their Iuriſdiction: Here was nothing but equality; true, an equality among themſelves, pari conſortu praediti, et honoris et poteſtatis, as Cyprian truly: but a ſuperiority of power in them all, and in each of them, over the reſt of the members of Chriſts Church: Verily I ſay unto you, ſaith our Saviour,Matth. 19.2…. ye that have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of man ſhall ſit in the throne of his glory, ye ſhall alſo ſit upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Iſarel; (foreign) in the Regeneration. That is, as Cameron very well interprets it,Camer. in locum. in the Renovation of the Church: for under the ſtate of the Goſpel, the Church was as new born, and made anew, according to that of St. Paul, All things are become new; alluding to the Prophet Iſaiah, who to this ſence, Behold (ſaith he) I create new heavens and a new earth,Eſa 65.17. and the former ſhall not bee remembred nor come into minde. And Beza himſelf, though he make a difference in the pointing, and thereby in the Conſtruction, yet grants, that according to his ſecond ſenſe, the preaching of the Goſpell by Chriſt and his meſſengers, is meant by this regeneration Quia tum veluti de integro conditus eſt mundus, becauſe then the world was, as it were, made anew: So as then was the time, when the Sonne of man began to bee exalted to the Throne of his glory, both in earth and in Heaven: And then ſhould the Twelve that had forſaken all for him, enjoy all in him: Then ſhould they ſit on twelve Thrones, and judge the twelve Tribes of Iſrael. What are the twelve Tribes of Iſrael, but the whole Church of God? For, whereof did the firſt Chriſtian Church conſiſt, but of converted Iewes? And wh…ther did our Saviour bend all his alluſions but to them?Num. 1.16. They had their twelve Princes of the Tribes of their Fathers, heads of the thouſands of Iſrael.Nu. 11.16.17. They had their ſeventy Elders to bear the burden of the people.
The Son of God affects to imitate his former Polity, and therefore chooſes his twelve Apoſtles, and 70 Diſciples o tgather and ſway his Evangelicall Church: The twelve Tribes then are the Church: The twelve Apoſtles muſt be their Iudges and governours: Their ſiitting ſhowes author…tie: Their ſitting on Thrones, eminence of power: their ſitting on twelve Thrones, equalitie of their Rule: their ſitting to judge, power and exerciſe of Iuriſdiction: their ſitting to judge the twelve Tribes of Iſrael, the univerſalitie of their power and juriſdiction: And what Iudgement could this be but Eccleſiaſticall and Spiritual (for civill rule they challenged not) and what Thrones but Apoſtolicall, and by their derivation, Epiſcopall? Who knowes not how ordinary that ſtile is, (foreign?) we finde it even in Aerius himſelf:Epiphan. haere. 75. And if the Apoſtles ſeat was his Throne, and the Biſhops ſucceeded the Apoſtles in thoſe ſeats, who can deny them this power of Spirituall judicature and juriſdiction? To the ſame purpoſe is that of S. Auguſtine, Aug. de Civit. dei 1. 20.who upon the words of S. Iohn, I ſaw ſeats, and ſome ſitting on them, & judgement was given, hath thus Non hoc putandum de ultimo judicio &c. We may not think this ſpoken of the laſt judgement, but the ſeats of the Prelats or preſidents by whom the Church is governed, and the governors themſelves are to be underſtood, & the judgment that is given cannot be any better way taken, than for that which is ſaid, Whatſoeuer ye binde on earth, ſhalbe bound in heauen.