Five disputations of church-government and worship

Sect. 18. And 2. The fixed Bishops in the Scripture times had no Presbyters, at least, of other particular Churches under them, (They Governed not any Presbyters that had other associated Congregations for public Worship.) But the English Bishops had the Presbyters of other Churches under them (perhaps of hundreds:) therefore they are not such as the Scripture Bishops were. There is much difference between a Governor of People and a Governor of Pastors; Episcopus gregis, & Episcopus Episcoporum, is not all one. None of us saith, Cyprian in Concil. Carthagin. calleth himself, or takes himself to be Episcopum Episcoporum. No fixed Bishops in Scripture times were the Pastors of Pastors, as least, of other Churches.

Sect. 18. And 2. The fixed Bishops in the Scripture times had no Presbyters, at least, of other particular Churches under them, (They Governed not any Presbyters that had other associated Congregations for publick Worship.) But the English Bishops had the Presbyters of other Churches under them (perhaps of hundreds:) therefore they are not such as the Scripture Bishops were. There is much difference between a Governour of People and a Governour of Pastors; Episcopus gregis, & Episcopus Episcoporum, is not all one. None of us saith, Cyprian in Concil. Carthagin. calleth himself, or takes himself to be Episcopum Episcoporum. No fixed Bishops in Scripture times were the Pastors of Pastors, as least, of other Churches.

Sect. 19. This I suppose I may take as granted de facto from the Reverend Divine whom I have cited in the foregoing Disputation, that saith (Annotat. in Art. 11.) that [Although this Title of [Greek or Hebrew] Elders, have been also extended to a second order in the Church; and now i• only in use for them, under the name of Presbyters; yet in the Scripture-times it belonged principally, if not alone to Bishops; there being no Evidence that any of that second Order were then instituted; though soon after, before the writing […] Ignatius Epistles, there were such instituted in all Churches] So that he granteth that de facto there were then no Presbyters but Bishops, and that they were not instituted: and therefore Bishops had no such Presbyters to Govern; nor any Churches but a single Congregation: For one Bishop could guide but one Congregation at once in public worship; and there could be no Worshipping Congregations (in the sense that now we speak of) without some Presbyter to guide them in performance of the worship.