OCR Text |
Show , --4,-8-------.Diocefan BiJhops ~J--- -Chap.-~ : ( or·DU.cefan) Bifhop for ordmatU.n, nor left any , to like em~ent place after 'Iim1Jtll) and 1itw to performe. that wo~; Let It be con!idcred, that there is no dircffion at all1.n the Epifllcs ofP ~Hl to Ttmoth) and Titm, for the Churches eleEI:ton of any.Evange!ijl, or of any Bifhop over many Churches. . For 1 , The-Bi{l:opt Paul fpeakethofin 1inwtby, ofwhofequahfication he giveth direCtion 1 Tim. 3· 2. ~o 7· ~e calleth them all (when he commeth to give order for their mamte_nan~e) by the name ofEidm; Come fudmg Eldw; fome Lobourmg m tf'elfl'ord and Do8ri•u: And in his Epillle to Titur, the Elders _which ~aut left 'Iitt<f to ordaine in every Citie, he calleth them Bijbop~, Tit·!· 5. 7. Now ofthefe he appointcth n~my Eldm, and many Bt{hopi 1~ one Ciric or Church; not m:my Caw m· Cburdm under om Bt~ fbop,AE\:.'1 4-23· Etdm in roery Citie, AE\::20. 17, 18. Man{Eldur. and Bifbopi in the Church of Ephe{w, Ph1l.' ~. ~ I· Jl11PIJ Bifhopl as well as many D~acons, in one Church_ of Pbthppt? and tbat a poorc one too; for Pbilippi ~as~ Church mlt1acedoma,AE\:.16. I2. And all the Cburchu of Ma.ce~nia h.Jd tryaU of deep pavertie, 2 Cor. 8. 1 ' ~: In the EpHHes to 1imotby and 1itUI, there is no difference ao all -put, of any one Bijbop abtnJe hh fcOowJ, except oncly the difference of IVtlmg and Te.1chmg Eldm, 1 Tim. 5. '7· And thofe as they are not ftt over many Chltl"chu, Co neither arc any of them Jet 11bove bir ftUoms ; ondy the Prtacbm arc allowed more reverence and maintenance then the 1V1/erJ. If the Hoiy Gholl: had appointed fome fing><IJrBifbopJ above the rcfr, of any tranfcendmt and winent office, he would haveap~ointed him alfo fome_eminent and rr .. nfcendent proper worftofhis office: But what fhall that be ~ lhall it be Oidin:ztion, as Hirr'Jme faith, ( fpeaking of the EifbopJ in his tirhe; ~id facit Epi[copM except a ordin:ztione quod Pmbyter non f•cit?) Why, that is a work of fu1le; or il1all it be hearing accufotialll a;,ainjl ElderJ, and cenfurin?; them accordingly ; as I Tim. 5· 19, 20? Why, that is a work of 1V1fe alfo. Now the Apofile acknow· ledgeth no Aas of Rule, nor any Eldm(or BifhopJ)that doc &le, as worthy of greater honour then fi.ICh Elda 1 as labour in Word and Doarine, 1 Tirn. 5. I 7. leis therefore apparently contradiE\:ory co the inll:itutions given by Paul i>llatt, Epiflles to Timothy and 1itUf, , to fee up any eminent or tranfcthtl~nc :Bi!hop in the Church, in · · . refpelt SeCI:o9• <4-'1 refpeE\: of IV&, or exercife of office of more honottrand power, ~h~1 pertaineth to aU theMinifiers of the Word. So that evident It 1s, that neither Ordirutio1l, nor ]HrifiiiOiolll, (which are both of them AE\:s of .fu4/e) are to be fetched from tranfcendent Bi!hops, but pertaine indifferently to aU tbe Pmbytert. SEC To I X, Objert. BUt if no tr.vJjcendent aE\:s ofJurifdillion and ru~e ?ere-ferved unto one Bijbop alom above other Muufiers, how cometh it then to pa!fe, that in Rev. 2. 3· each ji11guJar Angel in the Churches of Aft~, is admoni!hcd,and reproved alone for all the faults chat are found in his Church, whereof he is the Angel ? Why !hould one Angel alone be charged with the guilt of all thofe faults in the Church, if it were not in his hand alone to redre!fe and punifh them? . . ; Anfiv. It is anufuall thing with Jolm (and found alfo mother Scriptures )to ufe the name of Angel !]Otfingul"'ly for one perfon, bU. rollectivcly for a comp.:•g, ad mini firing the fame work: As the ftPm ,#ngds that fou11ded th~ft'llm Trumpets; ~nd thefevwAngtlf that po!l!red out the fev~" Vt,111s, were not jcuw.fingt4lar pe1Jo~1' · but:'fevm comp3nieJ, or forts of p;!rfons, perf~rmmg ~hat fervice. And when Davtd faith, the ATJgel of the Lord pttcheth hu Tmt about them wbich ft,;re him, Pfal.H·7·He fpcaketh not of one AHgd alone, but of many of them ; For one alone cannot pitcb his T ems a bon~ . all them that feare God. And that ] oh" in the fecond and third Chapters of the Revelation, did not meane by the Angel of the Church one Jingular perfon, but the wbole compJI!)I of the Minifter s of the Church (the whole Pmbytery of perfons, more then on~) it is evident by his fpeech .unto them, as WltO many; The Devil! (faith he)!hall call:fomc ofyou into Prifon, Rev. 2. 10. Sam~ ofyau, Gr. t:p.ir. 'which implies more then, one. And againe in Rev. 2. 24. (peaking un-tothe Angel of the Church of71!)1.>tira, Butumoyou*, I l:ty, ;md • Gr.~'p.7r Y"'' unto the rdt of 1hi.Jtit.z ; which a rgueth that the Angel di!Hn- in che plur •it. guifhed from the rejl of tht Church, was more then one perfon; For pe faith muo yo11 in the plurall number. , · Objelf, But now, fay Come; Letit be fo then, if !itch ernineilt and tranfcendmt Eifbopi (that is, Diucefan Bijhops) who claime il · H peere· |