Baxter - BV669 B3 1681

(30 ) ed tflote ignorant zeal, than true difcretion, and did let in a peftilence into the Church ; and that inftead of that he fhould have only left Arbi- trations to mans free choke, and hare let up a Chriftian or Righteous Magiftracy, to whom both Bithops and all other Chriftians should fub- ttkit. 57. We hold that when Chriftians fo multiplyed , as that they grew uncapableof Perfonal Communion, at one Altar, it was the duty of them and the Bithops, to have ordered them into new Churches, which fhould every one havehad its proper Bilhop, or plenary Paftoral Office among them and not to have kept them all full in the name of one particular Church ( infimi ordinis) when they were uncapable of the nature and end. 58. Wehold that it was Imfnliydone, tomake a newOffice or Order of fubjef1 Presbyters, that had not the Governing power of their per- titular Churches, neither alone, nor conjunft ; but had only the power to Teach andWorffiip, the Government being referved only to the Bithop ofanother (called a Mother) Church. 59. But we believe that this came not in till many hundred Years af- ter Chrift, and that but by flow degrees, and that after fubordinate Churches and Altars were invented, and fet up, yet the Paftors under the nameof Presbyters, hadmuchofthe Governing power (ofthe Keys) though with and under the Bishopof the Mother Church. 6o. The depofingof all the firft rank or Orderof Bishops, which were before over eachparticular Church, the making of a new Office of half Presbyters, the making of Churches of a new fpecies, as being under a new fort of Officers, the making Archbishops, who should have many Churches and Bishops under them, to become the Bithops of the ioweft rank, havingnone under them; but above all thefe, the making of the Paftoral work, efpecially difcipline become utterly impoflì.ble, by put- ting that into one mans hand, that cannot be done but by many (or ma- ny hundred,) there and filch like are the things that we can neither fwear to nor approve. 61. We hold that though the Magistrate may fliape his part of the Church Government varioufly, according to the Intereft of the common good, yet that the Spiritual or Paftoral part fhould not have been mol- ded into the fhape of the CivilImperial Government ; And that fo doing did give the Papacy that countenance which is the ground of its ufur- pation. 62. For we hold that the effentiaf conffitution of the Pafioral Office, and - its work., and the effential conftitution of the Church Z)niverfal, and of In dividual (or particular) Churches, are all of Divine unalterable lnftituti on And Shat all Laws of Chrift for filch Conftitution, and for Admi.ni- itration, are unalterablebyman :. Though we hold that Circumftancials and Accidentals are alterable, as beingnot fetled by any Divine determi- nation. (As e.g. how many Ministers (hall be in each Church, which et them

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