. .34-4The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS; VoL. n. K. Charled. " ted and. derived to particular perfons as their fubftitutes or fucceifors ~ '' therein, (as for crdainingpreibyters and deacons, giving rules concern– AClsxiv. 23. " ing chriftian difcipline, and cxercifing cenfures over preibyters and ACls vt. 6: " others) and has ever fince, till thefe !aft times, been exercifcd by ~ c~r. xvl, " bi!hops in all the churches of Chrifl:; and therefore I cannot in con• •·cor. xiv. " fcience confent to aboli!h the faid government. 1 Cor. v. 3· " Notwithftanding this my perfuafion, I will be glad to be informed, 3 John IX, . " if our Saviour and his apofl:les did fo leave the church at libertv, ~s they 10. I 1 Tim. v.' " might totally alter or change the church government at their pleafure, 22. " which if you can make appear to me, then I will confefs that one of Titus i. 5· " my great fcmples is clean taken away, and then there only remains, ~~~;~~: ~: " That being by my coronation oath obliged to maintain epifcopal go• .Ig. " vernment, as I found it fettled to my hands, whether I may confent TJtus iii. 10." to.the aboli!hing thereof until the fame !hall be -evidenced to me to be " contrary to the word of God." Abjlraa of The parliament divines, in an{wer to the fi.rft part of his majefty's pa– tl~e pari. di- per admit, that the apo!l;les did exercife the extraordinary powers, his v:rw•·e,~ly.6 majefiy mentions; but deny, that they conferred them upon any partip. 24 'cular perfon·s as their fubftitutes or fuca(Jors, and inlift, that in fcripture there are oml•y two orders of offic:<,:rs (viz.) bijhops and deacons, Pbil. i. I. <J'o the JaiNts at Philippi that ·are in Chrijt Jefus, with the bijhops and deacons; and that the name, qfjice, and work of abijhop and a presbyter is the fame, as in 'Titus i. 5• and 7· For this caufe left I thee in Crete-that thou Jbou/4/f ordain presbpers in every city; for a bijhop mufl be blamelefl. AC1:s xx. 27, 28. Paul called the presbyters together, and charged them *'£,.,..xo11ou;. to take heed to theflock over which the Holy Ghofl had made them BISHOPS*· 1 Pet. v. I, 2. 'The PRESBYTERS among )'OU I exhort, who a!Jo am am a PRESBYTER, feed the /lock if God among )'OU, perjormi11g thi!' t'£,.•ctxo?Toiiv- qfjice if BrsHOPS t. As the apofl:les were extraordinary offic~:rs, fo wer.e '~'H· <J'imothy and 'Titus (viz.) evangelifts, but neither of them are called bt– jhops in fcripture, much lefs were they fixed to Ephejits or Crete, but travelled up and down to lettle churches in feveral.countries. They ob· ferve further, ~hat in the fame order of officers thete was not any one fu– perior ta another; no aponle above an apoftle, no preibyter above apref– byter, nor one deacon above another. They add, that the angels of the churches in the revelations are never called bijbops, nor is the word ufed in any of St. John's writings, who calls himfelf a preibyter; from whence they argue the identity of thefe offices in fcripture, and the equality of the officers. They admit, that not long after the apofl:les times, bilhops ~re reported to have fame fuperiority above prefbyters, but thiswas not adivme, hut an ecclfjiiljlical inilitu.tion, as is evident from the tefrimon'}' of the mofl:
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