A27068:78
Whether parish congregations be true Christian churches and the capable consenting incumbents, be truly…
Whether parish congregations be true Christian churches and the capable consenting incumbents, be truly their pastors, or bishops over their flocks ... : written by Richard Baxter as an explication of some passages in his former writings, especially his Treatise of episcopacy, misunderstood and misapplied by some, and answering the strongest objections of some of them, especially a book called, Mr. Baxters judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies, as by law required, and another called, A theological dialogue, or, Catholic communion once more defended, upon mens necessitating importunity / by Richard Baxter.Whether parish congregations be true Christian churches and the capable consenting incumbents, be truly their pastors, or bishops over their flocks ... : written by Richard Baxter as an explication of some passages in his former writings, especially his Treatise of episcopacy, misunderstood and misapplied by some, and answering the strongest objections of some of them, especially a book called, Mr. Baxters judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies, as by law required, and another called, A theological dialogue, or, Catholick communion once more defended, upon mens necessitating importunity / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Thomas Parkhurst, 1684
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
3. That Congregational Bishops, only over the Laity, are all Presbyters as such, and of Christs Institution.
4. Hereupon I have oft distinguished Diocesans into two sorts. 1. Those that are but the Governors of true particular Churches, that depose them not, but Rule them by the word persuasively: These are called Bishops, being really Arch-Bishops: These I never charged of the Consequents forenamed: And if the King make them Cogent Magistrates also, I will obey them. I take the judgment of the Church of England manifest in Ordination, Liturgy, Articles, &c. to be for such Diocesans only, tho I vastly dissent from many things in the Canons by which, and the Mode in which some exercise their Government.
4. Hereupon I have oft distinguished Diocesans into two sorts. 1. Those that are but the Governors of true particular Churches, that depose them not, but Rule them by the word perswasively: These are called Bishops, being really Arch-Bishops: These I never charged of the Consequents forenamed: And if the King make them Cogent Magistrates also, I will obey them. I take the judgment of the Church of England manifest in Ordination, Liturgy, Articles, &c. to be for such Diocesans only, tho I vastly dissent from many things in the Canons by which, and the Mode in which some exercise their Government.
2. The other sort is the Innovators form of Diocesan Government, which hold that there is no Church without a Bishop, and no Bishop but Diocesans, (either Bishop of Laity or Presbyters) and so that the Parish Churches are no Churches, but part of the lowest sort of true Political Churches: These I take to be Super-conformists, yea Nonconformists, and Dissenters from the Church of England, tho they may strive to get the name of the Church to themselves. Now, what I say of these Innovating Nonconformists, and their designs and attempts, our mistaking Separatists say, I speak of the Legal Church frame, and so of all the Bishops and Parish-Churches. And I see no hope of delivering the Church of God from the trouble of incogitant confident erroneous Dissenters, that are not able to distinguish.