872 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX.
But you proceed: " Christ, in tlieir way, is immediate head not only of subministration and influence, but of exterior derivation also and government, to his church." Ans. He is so, — the supreme and only head of the church catholic, in the one way and other, though the means of conveying influences of grace and of exterior rule be various. " Then," say you, " is he such a head to all believers, or no?" To all; the whole body in general, and every individual member thereof in particular. " If he be so to all," you say, " then no man is to be governed in affairs of religion by any other man." But why so, I pray? Can no man govern, in any sense or place, but he must be a supreme head? The king is immediate head unto all his subjects; he is king not only to the whole kingdom, but to every individual person in his kingdom ; — doth it thence follow that they may not be governed by officers subordinate, delegated under him to rule them by his authority according to his laws? or that if they may be so, he is not the only immediate king and supreme head unto them all? The apostle tells us expressly that the " head of every man is Christ," 1 Cor. xi. 8; and that a head of rule, as the husband is the head of the wife, Eph. v. 23 ; as well as he is a head of influence unto the whole body, and every member of it in particular, 1 Cor. xii. 12, Col. ii. 19. And it is a senseless thing to imagine that this should in the least impeach his appointment of men to rule under him in his church according to his law ; who are thereupon not heads, but in respect of him servcmts, and in respect to the particular churches wherein they serve him rulers or guides, yea, their servants for his sake, — not lords over the flocks, but ministers of their faith. By thesfe are the flocks of Christ governed, as by shepherds appointed b}^ him, the great " shepherd and bishop of their souls," according to the iiiles by him prescribed for the rule of the one and obedience of the other. But if by " Governed by another man," you mean absolutely, su- Ijremely, at his will and pleasure, then we deny that any disciple of Christ is in the things of God so to be governed by any man ; and affirm that to assert it is to cast down Jesus Christ from his throne. But you say, " If he be not immediate head unto all, but ministers head the people, and Christ heads the ministers, this in effect is nothing but to make every minister a bishop. Why do you not plainly say what it is more than manifest you would have? All this while you heed no more the laws of the land than constitu- tions of the gospel." Ans. I have told you how Christ is the imme- diate head unto all, and yet hoAv he hath appointed others to preside in his churches under him ; and that this should infer an equality in all that are by him appointed to that work is most senseless to ima- gine. Nor did I in the least intimate any such thing, but only that therefore there was no need of any one supreme head of the whole
CHRIST THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. o73
catholic cliiirch, nor any place or room left for such a one, without the deposition of Christ himself. Because the king is the only su- preme head of all his people, doth it therefore follow that if he ap- point constables to rule in every parish, with that allotment of power which, by his laws, he gives unto them, and justices of peace to rule over them in a whole county, that therefore every constable in effect is a justice of peace, or that there is a sameness in their office ? Christ is the head of every man that is in the church, be he bishop, or minister, or private man ; and when the ministers are said to head the people, or the bishops to head them, the expression is improper, — an inferior, ministerial, subordinate rule being expressed by the name of that which is supreme and absolute ; or, they head them not abso- lutely, but in some respect only, as everj^ one of them dischargeth the authority over and towards them wherewith he is intrusted. This assertion of Christ's sole, al)solute headship, and denial of any monarchical state in the church catholic but what ajiseth from thence, doth not, as every child may see, concern the difference that is about the superiority of bishops to ministers or presbyters: for, notwith- standing this, there are degrees in the ministry of the church, and several ordei's of men are engaged therein ; and whatever there are, there might have been more, had it seemed good to our Lord Christ to appoint them. And whatever order of men may be supposed to be instituted by him in his church, he must be supposed to be the head of them all, and they are all to serve him in the duties and offices that they have to discharge towards the church and one another. This headship of Christ is the thing that you are to oppose, and its exclusiveness to the substitution of an absolute head over the whole catholic church in his place, because of his bodily absence from the earth. But this you cast out of sight, and instead thereof fall upon the equality of bishops and ministers, which no way ensues thereon, both bishops and presbyters agreeing well enough in the truth we assert and plead for. " This," you say, " is contrary to the gospel, and the law of the land." What is, I pray? that " Christ is the only absolute head of the catholic church?" " No; but 'that bishops and ministers are in effect all one.' " But what is that to your purpose? will it advantage your cause what way ever that problem be deter- mined? Was any occasion offered you to discourse upon that ques- tion? Nay, you perceive well enough yourself that this is nothing at all to your design, and therefore in your following discourse you double and sophisticate, making it evident that either you understand not yourself what you say, or that you would not have others under- stand you, or that you confound all things with a design to deceive: for when you come to speak of the gospel, you attempt to prove the appointment of one supreme pastor to the whole catholic cluu'ch, and,