Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, or, Mr. Richard Baxters narrative of the most memorable passages of his…

§ 3. 2. The Episcopal Party seemed to have reason on their side in […], that in the Primitive Church there were some Apostles, Evangelists, and others; who were general unfixed Officers of the Church, not tied to any particular Cha•ge; and had some Superiority (some of them ••over-fixed Bishops or Pastors! And though the extraordinary Parts of the Apostles Office ceased, with them, I saw no proof of the Cessation of any ordinary part of their Office, such as Church Government is confessed to be. All the doubt that I saw in this was, Whether the Apostles themselves were constituted Governors of other Pastors, or only over-ruled them by the Eminency of their Gifts and Privilege of Infallibility. For it seemed to me unmeet to affirm without proof, that Christ settled a Form of Government in his Church, to endure only for one Age, and changed it for a New one when that Age was ended.

§ 3. 2. The Episcopal Party seemed to have reason on their side in 〈…〉, that in the Primitive Church there were some Apostles, Evangelists, and others; who were general unfixed Officers of the Church, not tyed to any particular Cha•ge; and had some Superiority (some of them ••over-fixed Bishops or Pastors! And though the extraordinary Parts of the Apostles Office ceased, with them, I saw no proof of the Cessation of any ordinary part of their Office, such as Church Government is confessed to be. All the doubt that I saw in this was, Whether the Apostles themselves were constituted Governours of other Pastors, or only over-ruled them by the Eminency of their Gifts and Priviledge of Infallibility. For it seemed to me unmeet to affirm without proof, that Christ setled a Form of Government in his Church, to endure only for one Age, and changed it for a New one when that Age was ended.

And as to fixed Bishops of particular Churches that were Superiors in degree to Presbyters, though I saw nothing at all in Scripture for them, which was any whit cogent, yet I saw that the Reception of them in all the Churches was so timely (even in the days of one of the Apostles in some Churches), and so general, that I thought it a most improbable thing, that if it had been contrary to the Apostles mind, we should never read that they themselves, or any one of their Disciples that conversed with them, no nor any Christian or Heretic in the World, should once speak or write a word against it, till long after it was generally settled in the Churches. This therefore I resolved never to oppose.