A27050:1001
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort…
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiors, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiours, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1681
Part 2 › Chapter 5: The same proved by the full Testimony of Antiquity.
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.
So in Epist. ad Trull. he saith [Et Episcopus typum Dei Patris omnium gerit; Presbyteri vero sunt consessus quidam, & conjunctus Apostolorum coetus; sine his Ecclesia Electa non est: Nulla sine his Sanctorum Congregatio; nulla Sanctorum Collectio. Et postea, Quid vero aliud Sacerdotium est (vel Presbyterium) quam sacer coetus, Conciliarii & assessores Episcopi? Quid Diaconi, &c.] So that it is hard more plainly to express a thing in words, than this Author expresseth, that not only de facto every stated worshipping communicating Congregation had their Bishop, Presbyters and Deacons, but that de jure it ought to be so: And that there was no lawful Church Assembly for Worship, without the Bishop and his Presbyters ordinarily; and one Altar and one Bishop were the Notes of one Church.
And Epist. ad Polycarp. [Saepe Congregationes fiant: ex nomine omnes quaere: servos & ancillas ne despicias (ut Trans. Lat. Ush.) i. e. Keep often Congregations: Enquire (or look after) all (or every one) by name: despise not the Servants and the Maids.] And how many Congregations at once that Church then had, or how great it was, when the Bishop himself was to look after every one by name, even the Men-servants and the Maids, I leave to their judgments who are willing to understand the truth.
Since the writing of this (about thirteen years) I have seen Isaac Vossius his Florentine Ignatius, Edit. 2. and also had some speech with Bishop Gunning, confidently denying that by [Greek or Hebrew] is meant one material Altar or place of Communicating: I will therefore review the Texts of Ignatius according to Isaac Vossius, and answer this Bishops confident assertion.
Since the writing of this (about thirteen years) I have seen Isaac Vossius his Florentine Ignatius, Edit. 2. and also had some speech with Bishop Gunning, confidently denying that by 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 is meant one material Altar or place of Communicating: I will therefore review the Texts of Ignatius according to Isaac Vossius, and answer this Bishops confident assertion.