A27050:318
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.
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.
Ans. 1. Government is Inferior or Superior: They might have sufficient Inferior power of Government, though they had none of the Superior power, such as belongeth to Archbishops, to whom Appeals were made: As a Corporation that hath a Mayor and Assistants hath sufficient Inferior power, but not Regal, nor such as Judges, Lord Lieutenants, &c. have. And if it were proved, (as some hold) that only General, or unfixed Ministers, like the Apostles, and Evangelists, or Archbishops that were over many Churches, had the power of Ordination, and not the Inferior Bishops of single Churches, it would not follow that these Inferior Bishops had not the power of Governing their own Churches with assisting Presbyters: And if he will prove for us, that every fixed Bishop hath the power of Ordination, who hath but the Inferior power of Governing his single Church, by Admonitions, Excommunications, and Absolutions, he will but do our work for us.