'l'be HISTORY of the Pu!HTANs. VoL. IT. King To the particulars they anfwer, Charles II. C · h h h h 1660 • J. 011Cernmg. c ·urc government, " ! at .t. ey never heard any juft ~ " reafons for a dtifent from the ecclefia(hca\ hierarchy of this kingrlom, " wh~ch they believe in the main to be the true primitive epiji:opacy, Baxter, p. " whtch was more than a meer prefidency of order. Nor do they 2 43· '' find that it was ballanced by any authoritative commixtion of prefby– " ters, though it has been in all times exercifed with the afil.fl:ance and " councel of prefbyters in fubordination to bil11ops. Thev wonder " that the~ ilio~ld ex~ept againft..the g~vernme?t by one fingle per– " fon, whtch, tf apphed to the Civil magtfl:rate, IS a moft dangerous in– " finuation." As to the four particular inftances of things amifs. I, " We cannot grant the extent of any diocefe is fo great, but that a '' bijhop may well perform his dut-y, which is not a perfona\ infpeB:ion of " every man's foul, but the pa11oral charge, or taking care that the mi– ,, nifiers, and other eccleliaftical officers within their diocefe, do their "duties; and if fame diocefes l.hou\d be too large, the law allows jig– ," fragans. 2. " Concerning lay-chancellors, &c. we confefs the biiliops did de– cc pute part of their ecclefiaftical jurifdiCl:ion to chancellors, comm!!faries, " ~cia!s, &c. as men better fkilled in the civil and canon laws; but " as for matters of meer fpiritual concernment, as excommunication, ab– " fo!ution, and other cenfures of the church, we conceive they be– " long properly to the bi!hop himfelf, or his furrogate, wherein if •• any thing has been done amifs, we are willing it !hould be re,.. cc formed. 3· Whether bijhops are a diftinB: order from presbyters, or not ; or " whether they have the foie power of ordination, is not now the quef– .. tion; but we affirm, that the bil.hops of this realm have conftantly or– « dained with the afil.ftance ofpreibyters, and the impofition of their hands " together with the bil.hops, and for this purpofe the colleges of deans " and chapters are inftituted. 4· " As to archbil.hop U)her's model of church government, we de– " cline it, as not confifient with his other learned difcourfes on the origi– " nal of epifcopacy, and of metropolitans; nor with the king's fupremacy '' in caufes ecclefiaftical." -- . II. Concerning liturgy; "We efreem the liturgy of the church of England, contained in the .le book of common-prayer, and by law efrablil.hed, to be fuch an one u as is by them defired,, according to the q_ualitications whiCh ~hey mentwn~.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=