A26860:457
An answer to Mr. Dodwell and Dr. Sherlock, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical…An answer to Mr. Dodwell and Dr. Sherlocke, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical…
An answer to Mr. Dodwell and Dr. Sherlock, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical and monarchical, as church-tyranny and popery : and defending Dr. Isaac Barrow's treatise against it by Richard Baxter ; preparatory to a fuller treatise against such an universal sovereignty as contrary to reason, Christianity, the Protestant profession, and the Church of England, though the corrupters usurp that title.An answer to Mr. Dodwell and Dr. Sherlocke, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical and monarchical, as church-tyranny and popery : and defending Dr. Isaac Barrow's treatise against it by Richard Baxter ; preparatory to a fuller treatise against such an universal soveraignty as contrary to reason, Christianity, the Protestant profession, and the Church of England, though the corrupters usurp that title.
London: printed for Thomas Parkhurst, 1682
Chapter 5: Wherein Mr. Dodwell's deceits, and the danger of them do consist.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. It is contrary to the nature of production, that two, or twenty, or an hundred stated Congregations, should be before out; as it is that I should write a page before a line, and a line before a word, and a word before a letter.
1. It is contrary to the nature of production, that two, or twenty, or an hundred stated Congregations, should be before ont; as it is that I should write a page before a line, and a line before a word, and a word before a letter.
2. It is contrary to the Scripture-History, which telleth us that Christ called his Disciples by degrees, a few first, and more after; and that the Apostles accordingly converted men; from the number of 120, they rose to 3000 more; and after to 5000, &c. And that ordinarily the Churches in Scripture-times were such as could, and often did meet in one place, (though that be n•t necessary as I said before) hath so copious evidence, as that I will not here trouble you with it.
3. Either the Apostles Ordained Bishops before subject Presbyters, or such Presbyters before Bishops, or both at once. If both at once as two Orders, it's strange that they called both Orders promiscuously by the same names, sometimes Bishops, sometimes Presbyters, and sometimes Pastors and Teachers, without any distinguishing Epithet or notice. And it's strange that we never find any mention of the two sorts of Congregations, one the Bishops Cathedral, and the other the Parish Presbyters Congregation. If you say that they were the Bishops themselves, and first Ordained only subject-Presbyters under them, that cannot hold. For doubtless there were more than twelve or thirteen Churches (the number of Apostles in their times; nor were they fixed Bishops, but indefinite gatherers and edifiers of the Churches. And either those Elders first Ordained by the Apostles were Bishops, or else there were Churches without Bishops, for they Ordained Elders in every City, and in every Church. And either the Elders first Ordained by the Apostles had the power of Ordaining others, or not. If they had, then either they were Bishops, or else subject-Presbyters were Ordained to be Ordainers; yea to Ordain Bishops (if such were to be after ordained.) And so indeed it would be suitable to your concei, that the inferior order of Diocesans do by consent make superior Metropolitans, Provincials, Nationals, and Patriarchs to rule them; and with Hieromes report ad Evagr. that the Alexandrian Presbyters made the Bishops, as the Army doth a General. But this making of Children to beget Fathers, is so commonly denied, that I need not more dispute against it.