A27050:317
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.
His next Argument is this, If there were any Parish Bishops then, they were the Chorepiscopi, But the Chorepiscopi were not such.
Ans. 1. I deny the Major: There were then many City Bishops that were but Parish Bishops, or had but one Church, as shall be further proved. 2. Yet as to a great number it is granted that their Dioceses had many Churches, at the time of Concil. Eliber. Sardic. &c. which he mentioneth. But it followeth not that therefore it was so with any in the time of Ignatius, or with many in Cyprian's time. 3. If it were all granted de facto, it will not follow, that de jure, it was well done, and that the old Form was not sinfully changed. 4. The Chorepiscopi themselves might have many Congregations under them, like our Chapels, and yet be Parish Bishops; And it's most probable that at first they had no more than one of our Country Parishes, though afterwards they had many Churches under them, as City Bishops had.
Ans. 1. I deny the Major: There were then many City Bishops that were but Parish Bishops, or had but one Church, as shall be further proved. 2. Yet as to a great number it is granted that their Diocesses had many Churches, at the time of Concil. Eliber. Sardic. &c. which he mentioneth. But it followeth not that therefore it was so with any in the time of Ignatius, or with many in Cyprian's time. 3. If it were all granted de facto, it will not follow, that de jure, it was well done, and that the old Form was not sinfully changed. 4. The Chorepiscopi themselves might have many Congregations under them, like our Chapels, and yet be Parish Bishops; And it's most probable that at first they had no more than one of our Country Parishes, though afterwards they had many Churches under them, as City Bishops had.
His next Argument is, [Churches endued with Power Ecclesiastical, sufficient for the Government of themselves, having also a Bishop and Presbytery, had the power of Ordination: But Country Parishes had not the Power of Ordination: Ergo, &c.