A27050:245
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
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.
60. The deposing of all the first rank or Order of Bishops, which were before over each particular Church, the making of a new Office of half Presbyters, the making of Churches of a new species, as being under a new sort of Officers, the making Archbishops, who should have many Churches and Bishops under them, to become the Bishops of the lowest rank, having none under them; but above all these, the making of the Pastoral work, especially discipline become utterly impossible, by putting that into one mans hand, that cannot be done but by many (or many hundred,) these and such like are the things that we can neither swear to nor approve.
61. We hold that though the Magistrate may shape his part of the Church Government variously, according to the Interest of the common good, yet that the Spiritual or Pastoral part should not have been moulded into the shape of the Civil Imperial Government; And that so doing did give the Papacy that countenance which is the ground of its usurpation.
61. We hold that though the Magistrate may shape his part of the Church Government variously, according to the Interest of the common good, yet that the Spiritual or Pastoral part should not have been molded into the shape of the Civil Imperial Government; And that so doing did give the Papacy that countenance which is the ground of its usurpation.
62. For we hold that the essential constitution of the Pastoral Office, and its work, and the essential constitution of the Church Universal, and of Individual (or particular) Churches, are all of Divine unalterable Institution; And that all Laws of Christ for such Constitution, and for Administration, are unalterable by man: Though we hold that Circumstantials and Accidentals are alterable, as being not settled by any Divine determination. (As e. g. how many Ministers shall be in each Church, which of ⟨p. 40⟩