A27050:1320
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 7: More Proofs of the aforesaid Limits of Churches.
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.
Here you see, 1. That there were more Temples than Congregations, or Parishes, being erected as Monuments in honour of the Martyrs. 2. That there were no Congregations or Parishes, but within the City. 3. That this device of holy bread came upon the division of Parishes; and therefore as one was new then, so the other could not be old.
XVIII. Another evidence is the state of Cathedral Churches, which as many1 Episcopal Antiquaries say, were first the sole Churches of the Bishops Charge or Diocese; and that Parish Churches were since built one after another, as Chapels be in Parishes, by those that could not come so far: And that the present Government of the Cathedral by the Dean and Chapters, under the Bishop, is the evident relict of the old Episcopal Government, and truly telleth us what it was: To pass by many others, I will now recite but the words of Holinshed our Historian, a Clergy-man, Chron. Vol. 1. p. 135. Col. 1. [Those Churches are called Cathedral, because the Bishops dwell ⟨p. 74⟩near them. At first there was but ONE CHURCH in every JURISDICTION, whereinto no man entered to pray, but with some oblation towards the maintenance of the Pastor—And for this occasion they were built very huge and great: for otherwise they were not capable of such multitudes as came daily to them, to hear the word and receive the sacraments: But as the number of Christians increased, so first Monasteries, then finally Parish Churches were builded, in every jurisdiction▪ from which I take our Deanery Churches to have their original, now called Mother Churches, and their Incumbents Archpriests; And the rest being added since the Conquest, either by the Lords of every Town, or zealous men loth to travail far, and willing to have some ease, building them near hand unto these Deanery Churches, all the Clergy in old time of the same Deanery were appointed to repair at sundry seasons, there to receive wholesome ordinances, and to consult of the necessary affairs of the whole jurisdiction, if necessity so required: And some image thereof is yet to be seen in the North parts. But as the number of Churches increased, so the repair of the faithful to the Cathedral, did diminish, whereby they are now become, especially in their nether parts, rather Markets and shops for merchandise, than solemn places of prayer, whereunto they were first erected.] I need to say no more of this.