44 TRUE NATURE OF A GOSPEL CHURCH.
byters in one church only, or in many distinct churches, — whether it must be such as not only hinders them utterly from the discharge of any of the duties of the pastoral office towards the most of them whom they esteem their flocks, and necessitates them unto a rule by unscriptural church officers, laws, and power, — they suppose doth not belong unto their cause, whereas, indeed, the weight and moment of it doth lie in and dejaend on these things. Innumerable other un- certainties, differences, and variances there are about this singular episcopacy, which we are not at present concerned to inquire into, nor shall I insist on any of those which have been already mentioned. But yet, because it is necessary unto the clearing of the evangeli- cal pastoral office, which is now under consideration, unto what iiath been pleaded before about the non-institution of any churches be- yond particular congregations, which is utterly exclusive of all pre- tences of the present episcopacy, I shall briefly, as in a diversion, add the arguments which undeniably prove that in the whole New Testa- ment bishops and presbyters, or elders, are every way the same per- sons, in the same office, have the same function, without distinction in order or degree; which also, as unto the Scripture, the most learned advocates of prelacy begin to grant : —
1. The apostle describing what ought to be the qualifications of presbyters or elders, gives this reason of it, Because a bishop must be so: Tit. i. 5-9, " Ordain elders in every city, if any be blameless," etc., " for a bishop must be blameless." He that would prove of what sort a presbyter, that is to be ordained so, ought to be, [and] gives this reason for it, that "such a bishop ought to be," intends the same person and office by presbyter and bishop, or there is no congruity of speech or consequence of reason in what he asserts. To suppose that the apostle doth not intend the same persons and the same office by " presbyters" and " bishops," in the same place, is to destroy his argument and render the context of his discourse unintelligible- He that will say, " If you make a justice of peace or a constable, he must be magnanimous, liberal, full of clemency and courage, for so a king ought to be," will not be thought to argue very wisely; yet such is the argument here, if by " elders" and " bishops" distinct orders and offices are intended.
2. There were many bishojJS in one city, in one particular church: Phil. i. 1, " To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." That the church then at Philippi was one particular church or congregation was proved before. But to have many bishops in the same church, whereas the nature of the episco- pacy pleaded for consists in the superiority of one over the presbyters of many churches, is absolutely inconsistent. Such bishops whereof there may be many in the same church, of the same order, equal in power and dignity with respect unto office, will easily be granted ;
THE OFFICEES OF THE CHURCH. 45
but then tliey are presbyters as well as bishops. There will, I fear, be no end of this contest, because of the prejudices and interests of some; but that the identity of bishops and presbyters should be more plainly expressed can neither be expected nor desired.
3. The apostle, being at Miletus, sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church to come unto him ; that is, the elders of the church at Ephesus, as hath been elsewhere undeniably demonstrated, Acts xx. 17, 18: unto these elders he says, "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops, to feed the church of God," verse 28. If " elders" and " bishops" be not the same persons, having the same office, the same function, and the same duties, and the same names, it is impossible, so far as I under- stand, how it should be expressed : for these elders are they whom the Holy Ghost made bishops, they were many of them in the same church, their duty it was to attend unto the flock and to feed the church, which comprise all the duties, the whole function of elders and bishops; which must therefore be the same. This plain testi- mony can no way be evaded by pretences and conjectures, unwritten and uncertain ; the only answer unto it is, "It was indeed so then, but it was otherwise afterward;" which some now betake themselves unto. But these elders were either elders only, and not bishops; or bishops only, and not elders; or the same persons were elders and bishops, as is plainly affirmed in the words. The last is that which we plead. If the first be asserted, then was there no bishop then at Ephesus, for these elders had the whole oversight of the flock ; if the second, then were there no elders at all, which is no good exposition of those words, that " Paul called unto him the elders of the church."
4. The apostle Peter writes unto the "■elders" of the churches that they should " feed the flock," svisx-ovomTii;, " taking the oversight," or exercising the office and function of bishops over it; and that not as " lords," but as " ensamples" of humility, obedience, and holiness, to the whole flock, 1 Pet. v. 1-3. Those on whom it is incumbent to feed the flock and to superintend it, as those who in the first place are accountable unto Jesus Christ, are bishops, and such as have no other bishop over them, unto whom this charge should be principally committed ; but such, according unto this apostle, are the elders of the church: therefore these elders and bishops are the same. And such were the riyou/Mvoi, the guides of the church at Jeru- salem, whom the members of it were bound to obe}', as those that did watch for and were to give an account of their souls, Heb. xiii. 17.