of which two the one it the first thing con their supe tions, and those of good importance, are notwithstanding well and fitly enough committed. From hence have grown those different degrees of magistrates or public persons, even ecclesiastical as well as civil. Amongst ecclesiastical persons, therefore, bishops being chief ones, a bishop's function must be defined by that wherein his chiefly consisteth. A bishop is a minister of God, unto whom with permanent continuance, there is given, not only power of administering the word and sacraments, which power other presbyters have; but also a farther power to ordain ecclesiastical persons, and a power of chiefty in government over presbyters as well as laymen, a power to be by way of jurisdiction a pastor even to pastors themselves. So that this office, as he is a presbyter or pastor, consisteth in those things which are common unto him with other pastors, as in ministering the word and sacraments; but those things incident unto his office, which do properly make him a bishop, cannot be common unto him with other pastors. Now even as pastors, so likewise bishops being principal pastors, are either at large or else with restraint: at large, when the subject of their regiment is indefinite, and not tied to any certain place; bishops with restraint are they, whose regiment over the church is contained within some definite, local compass, beyond which compass their jurisdiction reacheth not. Such therefore we always mean, when we speak of that regiment by bishops, which we hold a thing most lawful, divine and holy, in the church of Christ. ཀ་ In bishops III. In our present regiment by bishops two things are two things traduced; complained of: the one their great authority, and the other their great honour. Touching the authority of our bishops, their autho- the first thing which therein displeaseth their adversaries, is rity; and in the superiority which bishops have over other ministers. They which cannot brook the superiority which bishops have, demned, do notwithstanding themselves admit, that some kind of difriority over ference and inequality there may be lawfully amongst minisother minis- ters. Inequality as touching gifts and graces they grant, because this is so plain, that no mist in the world can be cast periority in before men's eyes so thick, but that they must needs discern is which the through it, that one minister of the gospel may be more learned, holier and wiser; better able to instruct, more apt to rule and guide them than another: unless thus much were confessed, those men should lose their fame and glory whom they themselves do entitle the lights and grand worthies of ters. What kind of su ministers it one part holdeth, and the other deni eth lawful. this present age. Again, a priority of order they deny not, but that there may be; yea, such a priority as maketh one man amongst many a principal actor in those things whereunto sundry of them must necessarily concur, so that the same be admitted only during the time of such actions, and no longer; that is to say, just so much superiority, and neither more nor less may be liked of, than it hath pleased them in their own kind of regiment to set down. The inequality which they complain of is, that one minister of the word and sacraments should have a permanent superiority above another, or in any sort a superiority of power mandatory, judicial, and coercive, over other ministers. By us, on the contrary side, inequality, even such inequality as unto bishops, being ministers of the word and sacraments, granteth a superiority permanent above ministers, yea a permanent superiority of power mandatory, judicial, and coercive over them, is maintained a thing allowable, lawful and good. For, superiority of power may be either above them or upon them, in regard of whom it is termed superiority. One pastor hath superiority of power above another, when either some are authorized to do things worthier than are permitted unto all; some are preferred to be principal agents, the rest agents with dependency and subordination. The former of these two kinds of superiority is such as the high-priest had above other priests of the law, in being appointed to enter once a year the holy place, which the rest of the priests might not do. The latter superiority, such as presidents have in those actions which are done by others with them, they nevertheless being principal and chief therein. One pastor hath superiority of power, not only above, but upon another, when some are subject unto others' commandment and judicial controlment by virtue of public jurisdiction. Superiority in this last kind is utterly denied to be allowable; in the rest it is only denied, that the lasting continuance and settled permanency thereof is lawful. So that if we prove at all the lawfulness of superiority in this last kind, where the same is simply denied, and of permanent superiority in the rest, where some kind of superiority is granted, but with restraint to the term and continuance of certain actions, with which the same must, as they say, expire and cease; if we can shew these two things maintainable, we bear up sufficiently that which the adverse party endeavoureth to overthrow. Our desire there From fore is, that this issue may be strictly observed, and those things accordingly judged of, which we are to allege. This we boldly therefore set down as a most infallible truth, That the church of Christ is at this day lawfully, and so hath been sithence the first beginning, governed by bishops, having permanent superiority and ruling power over other ministers of the word and sacraments. For the plainer explication whereof, let us briefly declare, first, the birth and original of the same power, whence and by what occasion it grew. Secondly, what manner of power antiquity doth witness bishops to have had more than presbyters which were no bishops. Thirdly, after what sort bishops, together with presbyters, have used to govern the churches under them, according to the like testimonial evidence of antiquity. Fourthly, how far the same episcopal power hath usually extended; unto what number of persons it hath reached; what bounds and limits of place it hath had. This done, we may afterwards descend unto those by whom the same either hath been heretofore, or is at this present hour gainsaid. whence it ed apostles. hath grown that the church is governed by bishops. IV. The first bishops in the church of Christ were his blessed apostles. For the office whereunto Matthias was chosen the sacred history doth term oкоǹν, an episcopal office; which being spoken expressly of one, agreeth no less unto them all than unto him. For which cause St. Cypriana speaking generally of them all doth call them bishops. They which were termed apostles, as being sent of Christ to publish his gospel throughout the world, and were named likewise bishops, in that the care of government was also committed unto them, did no less perform the offices of their episcopal authority by governing, than of their apostolical by teaching. The word έπισкоǹ expressing that part of their office which did consist in regiment, proveth not (I grant) their chiefty in regiment over others, because as then that name was common unto the function of their inferiors, and not peculiar unto theirs. But the history of their actions sheweth plainly enough how the thing itself, which that name appropriated importeth, that is to say, even such spiritual chiefty, as we have already defined to be properly episcopal, was in the holy apostles of Christ. Bishops therefore they were at large. But was it lawful for any of them to be a a Meminisse diaconi debent, quoniam apostolos, id est, episcopos et præpositos Dominus elegit. Cypr, 1. iii. ep. 9. 14, 15. Joh. xxii. bishop with restraint? True it is their charge was indefinite, yet so, that in case they did all, whether severally or jointly, discharge the office of proclaiming every where the gospel, and of guiding the church of Christ, none of them casting off Rom. ii. his part in their burden which was laid upon them, there 1 Cor. doth appear no impediment, but that they having received ix. 16. their common charge indefinitely, might in the execution 15, 16. thereof notwithstanding restrain themselves, or at leastwise be restrained by the after commandment of the Spirit, without contradiction or repugnancy unto that charge more indefinite and general before given them: especially if it seemed at any time requisite, and for the greater good of the church, that they should in such sort tie themselves unto some special part of the flock of Jesus Christ, guiding the same in several as bishops. For, first, notwithstanding our Saviour's commandment unto them all, to go and preach unto all na- Gal. tions; yet some restraint we see there was made, when by ii. 8. agreement between Paul and Peter, moved with those effects of their labours which the providence of God brought forth, the one betook himself unto the gentiles, the other unto the Jews, for the exercise of that office of every-where preaching. A further restraint of their apostolic labours as yet there was also made, when they divided themselves into several parts of the world; John for his charge taking Asia, and so the residue other quarters to labour in. If nevertheless it seem very hard that we should admit a restraint so particular, as after that general charge received to make any apostle notwithstanding the bishop of some one church; what think we of the bishop of Jerusalem, James, whose consecration unto that mother see of the world, because it was not meet that it should at any time be left void of some apostle, doth seem to have been the very cause of St. Paul's miraculous vocation, to make up the number of the twelve again, for the gather- Acts ing of nations abroad, even as the martyrdom of the other James, the reason why Barnabas in his stead was called. Finally, apostles, whether they did settle in any one certain a Him Eusebius doth name the governor of the churches in Asia, lib. iii. Hist. Eccles. c. 16. Tertullian calleth the same churches St. John's foster daughters, lib. iii. advers. Marcion. b Jacobus, qui appellatur Frater Domini, cognomento Justus, post passionem Domini, statim ab apostolis, Hierosolymorum episcopus ordinatus est. Hieron. de. scrip. eccles. Eodem tempore Jacobum primum sedem episcopalem ecclesiæ, quæ est Hierosolymis, obtinuisse memoriæ traditur. Euseb. Hist. Ecclesias. lib. ii. cap. 1. The same seemeth to be intimated, Acts xv. 13. xxi. 18. xii. 2. xiii. 2. Titus i. 5. Iren. lib. iii. Antioch. place, as James, or else did otherwise as the apostle Paul; episcopal authority either at large or with restraint they had and exercised. Their episcopal power they sometimes gave unto others to exercise as agents only in their stead, and as it were by commission from them. Thus Titus, and thus Timothy, at the first, though afterward endued with apostolical power of their own. For in process of time the apostles gave episcopal authority, and that to continue always with them which had it. "We are able to number up them (saith Irecap. 3. næus), who by the apostles were made bishops." In Rome he affirmeth that the apostles themselves made Linus the first bishop. Again of Polycarp he saith, likewise, that the apostles made him bishop of the church of Smyrna. Of AntiIn Ep. ad och they made Evodius bishop, as Ignatius witnesseth; exhorting that church to tread in his holy steps, and to follow his virtuous example. The apostles therefore were the first which had such authority, and all others, who have it after them in orderly sort, are their lawful successors, whether they succeed in any particular church, where before them some apostle hath been seated, as Simon succeeded James in Jerusalem; or else be otherwise endued with the same kind of bishoply power, although it be not where any apostle before hath been. For to succeed them, is after them to have that episcopal kind of power which was first given to them. "All bishops are, (saith Jerome) the apostles' successors." In like sort Cyprian doth term bishops, Præpositos, qui apostolis vicaria ordinatione succedunt. From hence it may happily seem to Theod. have grown, that they whom we now call bishops were usualin 1 Tim. ly termed at the first apostles, and so did carry their very Hieron Cypr. Ep. ad iii. names in whose rooms of spiritual authority they succeeded. Such as deny apostles to have any successors at all in the office of their apostleship, may hold that opinion without contradiction to this of ours, if they well explain themselves in declaring what truly and properly apostleship is. In some things every presbyter, in some things only bishops, in some Acts i. things neither the one nor the other, are the apostles' success1 John ors. The apostles were sent as special chosen eye-witnesses i. 3. of Jesus Christ, from whom immediately they received their whole embassage and their commission to be the principal xxi.22. Gal. i. 1. a This appeareth by those subscriptions which are set after the Epistle to Titus, and the second to Timothy, and by Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. iii. cap. 4. b Ipsius apostolatus nulla successio. Finitur enim legatio cam legato, nec ad successores ipsius transit. Stapl. doot. prin. lib. vi. cap. 7. |