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And from the Fathers, § 41, 42, 43, 44, 45.

p..104

And from the Difcipline of the Primitive Church, § 46.

p. 119

The Popish Schoolmen and Canonifts the first after Aerius that maintained Bishops and Presbyters to be the fame Order,

ibid.

From them Luther learned his Notion of the Identity of Bishop and Presbyter, and tho' but a Presbyter himself, took upon him to confecrate Bishops. And his Followers have acted upon the fame Principle to this Day, 47·

P. 123

p. 129

About the fame time Zuinglius, and after him Calvin, maintained the fame Notion. And extended it fo far as to make Ordination it felf unneceffary, § 48. The Opinion of the Divines of the Church of England before the Restoration of King Charles II. concerning the Neceffity of Epifcopacy, confidered. The firft' Temporal Princes that embraced the Reformation facrilegious, $49.

P. 144

But lefs facrilegious in England than in other Countries, whereby Epifcopacy has been preferved amongst us, § 50.

p. 146 Objections made by Calvinifts and Papifts against the Epifcopal Succeffion in the Church of England, $51.

ibid.

First Objection of the Calvinifts, that we derive our Orders from the Church of Rome, answered § 52.

p. 147 Second

Second Objection of the Calvinifts, that the Roman Succeffion is not clear and indifputable, answered, § 53, 54.

p. 150

First Objection of the Romanifts against our Form of Ordination anfwered, § 55. p. 155

Second Objection, that our firft reformed Bishops under Queen Elizabeth were confecrated by Lay-men, anfwered. And Archbishop Parker, with the other Bishops in the beginning of that Reign, proved to have been regularly and canonically confecrated by true Bishops, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66.

A bort Conclufion of this Subject, § 67.

p. 162

p. 183

THE

THE

Divine Right

O F

EPISCOPACY, &c.

HE Second Point which has been char

Τ'

ged as favouring of Popery, and which therefore thought fit to speak of in

my Vindication, is the Divine Right of Epifcopacy, and the Neceffity of an Epifcopal Commillion to the valid Adminiftration of the Sacraments. This was alfo a Principle of Doctrine unanimously held by the whole Church at the Time of the Council of Nice, it was then efteemed a fundamental Principle, without which no Church could fubfift, and therefore if ever the feveral Sects of Chriftians fhall be hereafter united, this Principle must be admitted. And indeed the Church of England does very plainly hold and maintain this Principle. For (a) the declares that it is not

(a) Art. 23.

B

lauful

lawful for any Man to take upon him the Office of publick preaching or miniftring the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called and fent to execute the fame. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and fent, which be chofen and called to this Work by Men who have publick Authority given unto them in the Congregation to call and fend Minifters into the Lord's Vineyard. From hence it is evident that the Church of England efteems a Commiffion to be abfolutely neceffary to the valid Miniftration of the Word and Sacraments: declaring that every one has not a Right to take this Office upon him till he is called and fent. Also that it is not every Body that can fend, but only fuch as have publick Authority given unto them in the Congregation or Church. I fay, Congregation or Church, because at that Time when these Articles were framed, the Words Congregation and Church were perfectly fynonymous,and fignified the fame thing, tho' now we have commonly another Notion of them, and fuppofe the Word Church to be of a larger Signification than the Word Congregation; in the former we include not only one particular Affembly of Men met together in one Place for Divine Worship, but many fuch Affemblies likewife, thus we fay the English Church, the Greek Church, the Roman Church, and the Catholick Church; but the latter we confine to a particular Affembly, thus we would fay the Congregation at St. Pauls, the Congregation at Westminster-Abbey, the Congregation in this or that Parifh Church; but we would not say the English Congregation, the Greek Congregation, or the Roman Congregation, when we fpeak of any of thofe Churches at large, nor would we fay the Catholick Congregation when we fpeak of the Catholick Church. But thefe Two Words had not thefe different Senfes or Significations at the Time when thefe Thirty Nine Arti

cles

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cles were drawn up and confirmed: The Words Church and Congregation were then perfectly convertible, and had the fame Signification in every refpect, as we may in part learn from the next Article, where what is called the Congregation in the Title of the Article, is called the Church in the Body of the Article: But this is more fully feen in the Translation of the Bible then used. There our Saviour fays (b) Thou art Peter, and on this Rock I will build my CONGREGATION. It is plain that by the Word Congregation is here underftood the Catholick or Univerfal Church which Christ founded, and not any one particular Affembly of Men met together in one Place. Again (c) it is faid, The Lord added to the CONGREGATION fuch as fhould be faved. And (d) Saul made Havock of the CONGREGATION. (e) Herod the King stretched forth his Hands to vex certain of the CONGREGATION. (f) And hath made him (that is Chrift) above all things, the Head of the CONGREGATION, which is his Body. Now in all these Places the Word Congregation muft fignify as much as the Word Church in its largest Extent. For the Lord did not add to one fingle Affembly of Men met in one Place, but to the whole Society of Chriftians: Saul did not perfecute, nor Herod vex one particular Meeting of Believers, but the whole Body wherefoever difperfed, and Saul particularly carried his Perfecution from Jerufalem to Damafcus, that is, from one Province to another, and it is certain the Chriftians of feveral Provinces muft have diftin& Affemblies for Religious Worfhip, and could not meet together in one Place. So alfo Chrift is not the Head of one particular Affembly met in the

(b) Matth. xvi. 18. (c) A&s ii. 47. (e) A&ts xii, i. (ƒ) Eph. i. 22, 236 Ba

(d) A&s viii. 3.

fame

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