A26975:234
Of national churches their description, institution, use, preservation, danger, maladies and cure, partly applied…
Of national churches their description, institution, use, preservation, danger, maladies and cure, partly applied to England / written by Richard Baxter for promoting peace ... and for the fuller explication of the Treaty for Concord in 1660 and 1661, and of the Kings gracious declaration about ecclesiastical affairs ... and for further explication of his treatise of episcopacy ...
London: printed by T. Snowden for Thomas Parkhurst, 1691
Chapter 5: Of Pastors or the Bishops of National Churches, that they are to be of Three ranks.
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.
§ 29. Such Diocesan or General Bishops as put down all the Particular fixed Bishops and Churches, are not only no sort of Bishops of Christs Institution, but are Pernicious Enemies to Episcopacy and the Churches. As nominal Apostles would have been had they put down all the Particular Churches and Bishops which they should oversee; or a General Commander that would put down all the Colonels and Captains.
§ 29. Such Diocesane or General Bishops as put down all the Particular fixed Bishops and Churches, are not only no sort of Bishops of Christs Institution, but are Pernicious Enemies to Episcopacy and the Churches. As nominal Apostles would have been had they put down all the Particular Churches and Bishops which they should oversee; or a General Commander that would put down all the Collonels and Captains.
§ 30. To refuse to be ordained by such usurping Enemies, and to disown them, is not to refuse true Episcopacy.
§ 31. If these usurping Bishops would swear Men to obey them, and refuse to ordain any that will not Assent, Consent, Subscribe or Covenant, to sin against God by Omission or Commission, especially many great and heinous sins, he that refuseth such ordination may truly say, he could not be so ordained; the Bishop was the refuser and not he: And he hath better ordination that is ordained by Parish Bishops on lawful Terms.
§ 31. If these usurping Bishops would swear Men to obey them, and refuse to ordain any that will not Assent, Consent, Subscribe or Covenant, to sin against God by Omission or Commission, especially many great and hainous sins, he that refuseth such ordination may truly say, he could not be so ordained; the Bishop was the refuser and not he: And he hath better ordination that is ordained by Parish Bishops on lawful Terms.