A26911:349
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter of their nonconformity against Mr. J. Cheney's answer called The conforming nonconformist, and The nonconforming conformist : to which is added the second part in answer to Mr. Cheney's Five undertakings / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Benjamin Alsop, 1680
A DEFENCE OF THE NON-CONFORMIST'S Plea for Peace, AGAINST Mr. J. CH… › Chapter 28
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.
2. But do you take a Bishop here for the same as a Presbyter, or as a species of Presbyters, or as a superior to Presbyters? Which ever it is, it's nothing to the Case in hand: He that saith, We ⟨p. 97⟩renounce Diocesan Prelacy, but not Preeminence of Gifts, nor Parochial Episcopacy, doth but say plainly, I renounce not another thing by renouncing Prelacy in the known and explained Sense: But he that saith, renounce Presbyters but not Bishops, as they signify the same thing, or as Presbyters signifieth the whole Genus; or yet as Bishops are the Governors of Presbyters, speaketh gross Contradictions.
2. But do you take a Bishop here for the same as a Presbyter, or as a species of Presbyters, or as a superiour to Presbyters? Which ever it is, it's nothing to the Case in hand: He that saith, We ⟨p. 97⟩renounce Diocesan Prelacy, but not Preeminence of Gifts, nor Parochial Episcopacy, doth but say plainly, I renounce not another thing by renouncing Prelacy in the known and explained Sense: But he that saith, renounce Presbyters but not Bishops, as they signifie the same thing, or as Presbyters signifieth the whole Genus; or yet as Bishops are the Governours of Presbyters, speaketh gross Contradictions.
And when after you Argue sometimes from the worth of the Persons to the goodness of the Office, and sometime from the old Episcopacy, to the English Diocesan Prelacy; you do but lose your words as to us.
And I could wish you would have left out your medium of multitudes of Protestants that would turn Papists, if the Papists could prove as much for them of Antiquity and Universality, as the English Diocesan Prelacy can: When I consider how in the same Empire they grew up together, I would not have you be the Man that should Dispute with a Papist, who undertaketh to prove the Roman Primacy as ancient as our Species of Diocesan Prelacy described in the Covenant, and to be acknowledged then by as many. I say not that they can prove it: But I had rather you laid not so much upon it.