(7o ly to repent : And v. io. that fuffered dieWoman ?ezebel to teach: For the Bifhops couldnot hinder falfeTeachers,but by Excommunicating them, and diffvading the People from hearing them : But the People could have done more, even refufed to heir them. V. 23. And all the Churches (hall know] feemeth to intimate that this was written to theChurch. V. 24. Onto you Ifay, and to the refi in Thyatira, as many as have notthis Doltrine, and havenot known the depth ofSatan, G-c. Was this fpoken to the Bifhop only ? Chap. 3. v. t. Was it the Bifhopof Sardis only that hadaname to live and was dead, and that was warned to be watchful and (lrengthenthe things which remain that are ready to die, whofe works were not perfehi before God? that mufl remember howhe had received and heard that had a fewNames in Sardis, &c. And fo of the reff. Obj. But it is faid, Chap. 1. v. 20. Thefeven Stars are the Angels ofthe feven Churches ; and the feven Candleflicks are thefeven Churches. Anf. And what can a man gather hence to fatisfie himfelf in this point? whetherthe fenfe be [As the heavenly Angels, are the Guardians ofthe Chur- ches, fo thefe Stars are thofe Angels, in whofe Perfon l fpeak to the Churches themfelves thatare fignifled by the Candlefticks :1 Or [As the Angels are the Guardians of the Churches, fe by that title, I fignifce the whole Minigry that guide them, and by the Candleflick? the Churches, and lwrite to thewhole. For as every MetTagebegins with [To the Angel,] fo it endeth with [To the Churches. Obj. The Bifhop wasto deliverit to the Churches. Anf. This is precarious. r. The Apoffle wrote it, that both Paftors andPeople might immediately read it, anddidnot introit it as an unwrit- ten tradition to one, tobe delivered to the relt. 2. All the Paffors were to deliver or teach it to the People, andnotone Bifhop only. This there- fore is no cogent Argument. The Dif- ro As for the DDifputers for Epifcopacyat the fileof Wight, with King pute ache Charles, they manage Saravia's Argument (fetcht from the Continuance ]fie of of the Ordinary part of the Apoftles Office) as he didbefore them (and right many others) fo well, that for my part I cannot confute them, but remain in doubt; and therefore have nothing to fayagainft them. But that's no- thing to our Cafe, whether every particular Organized Church fhould have a Bifhop or the full Pafforal Office in it. ohn Forbes i r. As to Yoh. Forbes his Irenic. he maintaineth but fuch an Epifcopa- cy as we offered to his Majefty in BifhopOffset's Redu&ion : He pleadeth for fuch a Bifhop as is the Moderator of a Presbytery, p. 242, 243. and as muff be fubjeet to cenfure himfelf, p. 145. and that (hall do nothing of weight without the Presbyteries confent, p. 145 and as-is (till bound to the Work of aPresbytersOffice, p. 46. And that an Orthodox Church that
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