The HISTORY of the PuRITANS. 347 Chap. X. which the apofiles performed them; a fucceilion may be to the fama K. Charles I· work, but not to the fame ~ommiflion; ~nd fince.your majefty c~nnot ~ produce any record from fct1pture warranting the cliVI!ion of the office of teacbing and governing into two hands, we muft look upon it as an invention of men to get the power into their hands. Thefc divines go on with a long proof that 'Timotby and Titus were evangeli!ls; that is, not fixed to one place, but travelling with the apof– tles from one country to another to plant churches, and accordingly have drawn out an ac<;ount of their travels from the aEls of the apojlles, and St. Paul's epiflles. They obferve the weaknefs of his majelly's reafons, why bia10ps arc not mentioned as a diftinCl order in fcripture, and add a third of their own (viz.) becaufe really tbey ~vcre not. As for the apof– tles referving in their own hands the power if governing, they admit. that they could no more part with it th an with their aponleCnip. Had they fet up bifhops in all churches they had no more parted with their power ofgo"Jeming, than in fetting up pi'efbyters; prefbyters being called rulers, governors, and bi/hops;. nor could the apoftles reafonably be {up– pofed to commit the government of the church of EphejiJS to the prefby· ters, when he was taking his !aft farewel of them, and yet referve the power of governing (in ordinary) to himfelf. His majefty's other rea– fan (they fay) is inconclufive, and in a fort begging the queftion. They add, that it is very unaccountable, that if there had been two forts of bifhops, one over presbyters, and the other over the flock, that there fhould be no mention, no mark of difference, no diftinCl: method of or– dination, by which they might be diftinguiihed, throughout the whole new tejtament. As to the ages after the apoftles, there admit there were presbyter bijbops but not of divine inftitution; that the catalogues of fucceffion are un– doubtedly defective, but if they were not, it remains frill to be proved, that the bifbops in the catalogue were vefted with the jurifdiElion which the modern bifhops claim. Thefe divines profefs to bonour the pious intentions of his maje!ly's ~nceflors, and admit, that orn<!mental acceffions to the perfon make no fubftantial change in the office, but that the primitive epifcopacy, and the prefent hierarchy, are dfentially d;fferent. They acknowledge a fubordioation of the exercife of jurifdiction to the civil power, and the laws ~f the land; and conclude with thanks to his majefty's condefcen– !ion, 111 allowing them to examine his learned r"eply, clothed in fuch ex– cellence of ftile, and pray, that a pen in the hand of fuch abilities may ever be employed on a fubjeC.t worthy of it. Nov. 1. Some days after his maje!l:y off~rtld his !aft paper, wherein " he ac1 ~4~· ~~ !<.nowledges the great pains .of thefe divines te> inform his judgment, ::;;/ la.ft Y y 2 " and lb. p. 324. ·
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