A27050:791
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.
2. That if Bishops were the Institutors of Presbyters, as distinct from them by a Power of parcelling out their office to others than Bishops, yet have power to make more sorts of sacred Ministers, by subdivision of their power. They may make one office only to Preach, and another only to baptize, and another only to pray, and another only to administer the Lords Supper, and another to Excommunicate, and why not another to ordain; and so ordination shall not be proper to a Bishop. And so a Chancellor that hath the parcel of excommunicating and absolving, is as true a Clergy man, and of as high original as a Presbyter.
2. That if Bishops were the Institutors of Presbyters, as distinct from them by a Power of parcelling out their office to others than Bishops, yet have power to make more sorts of sacred Ministers, by subdivision of their power. They may make one office only to Preach, and another only to baptize, and another only to pray, and another only to administer the Lords Supper, and another to Excommunicate, and why not another to ordaine; and so ordination shall not be proper to a Bishop. And so a Chancellor that hath the parcel of excommunicating and absolveing, is as true a Clergy man, and of as high original as a Presbyter.
3. But that which Dr. Hammond betaketh himself to at last (in his Answer to the London Ministers) is as miserable a shift as ever a poor cause was reduced to (that had never stood if it had not been more beholden ⟨p. 158⟩to the Sword than to such foundations) he durst not say that the Presbyters office is not of Divine institution: And yet it was not instituted in Scripture times: But it was instituted in Saint Johns time by him a lone after the writing of his Gospel (which according to Jerome was about a year or two before he dyed) and the Revelation (which according to Jrenaeus li. 5.) was about four or five years before he dyed. And so all the Bishops power of ordaining subject Presbyters dependeth, 1. On one Apostles Institution, 2. Not proved at all by Scripture, 3. But only by Church-History, which hath not a syllable of such a thing, as that Saint John did institute the Presbyters office . And this is feigned to be done by Saint John many years after Peter and Paul, are said to be Bishops of Rome and James of Jerusalem, and Peter of Antioch, and Mark of Alexandria. Yea about thirty two years after Mark was put to death according to Eusebius