A27050:274
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.
When as Paul had dwelt a year and half at Corinth, when it was the practice of the Apostles to Ordain Elders in every Church, and when among the Corinthians there were so many Prophets, Instructors, Speakers of Languages, Interpreters, &c. that Paul is fain to regulate and restrain them in their Church-meetings, that they might not over-do, and hinder one another. And yet were these People without any proper Pastor? Without a Prelate? it's like they were. Yea, when Paul directeth them to deliver the incestuous man to Satan, and to exercise Church-discipline upon others that were scandalous, doth not this intimate that they had among them such as were empowered to do it? If only transiently and occasionally, they could Worship God publicly and deliver Sacraments, and Govern the Church but transiently and rarely: How did they spend the Lords days, when those transient guides were ⟨p. 47⟩absent? Did the major part of the people, who Saravia thinketh were to exercise the foresaid Discipline, also Consecrate and Administer the1 Sacrament, or publicly pray and worship God without a Pastor? Were they every Lords day to deposit their Collections, and have no Pastors, and so no Church-Assemblies? Had they so many Sects and false Teachers to trouble them, and yet no Pastors? When Clem. Rom. so shortly after writeth so much to reconcile the Pastors and People that disagreed. And when Paul tells the Romans and Corinthians what Officers God setteth in the Church, is it like there was none fixed among them?
When as Paul had dwelt a year and half at Corinth, when it was the practice of the Apostles to Ordain Elders in every Church, and when among the Corinthians there were so many Prophets, Instructers, Speakers of Languages, Interpreters, &c. that Paul is fain to regulate and restrain them in their Church-meetings, that they might not over-do, and hinder one another. And yet were these People without any proper Pastor? Without a Prelate? it's like they were. Yea, when Paul directeth them to deliver the incestuous man to Satan, and to exercise Church-discipline upon others that were scandalous, doth not this intimate that they had among them such as were impowred to do it? If only transiently and occasionally, they could Worship God publickly and deliver Sacraments, and Govern the Church but transiently and rarely: How did they spend the Lords days, when those transient guides were