Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/473

 CHAP. X�.] Dmus. 7 eventy elders, together with whom he judged the people; so should bishops and presbyters govern the church in common.* (5.) They say, "Christ ordained twelve apostles anct seventy disci- ples; therefore, the bishops succeed the apostles, the priests come in the place of the disciples." We answer: 1. Though there was a dif- ference between the npostles and the seventy disciples, this is no argument for the princely pre-eminence in the Church of Rome. 2. Ignatius, in his epistle to the Trallians, says, "Be ye subject to the college of the presbyters, as to the apostles of the Lord." Though in the same he compares the bishops to Christ, the elders to the apostles; yet it is sufficient to our purpose that presbyters are also like the almS- ties. 3. We read but of two grades among the disciples of Christ, that is, of aposdes and seventy disciples. In like manner the primitive church had only two sacred orders, that of priests, and that of deacons. 4. Ignatius, though the tl,ird bishop of Antioch, does not claim to de- rive his eclesiastical pedigree from the apostles, for writing to the Antiochians, he says, "I do not command these things as an apostle." (6.) The authority of the ancient fathem is quoted to support the princely jurisdiction of Roman prelates. On this we now remark, that though the ancient fathers constanfiy make mention of bishops, by them they mean either pastors of a congregation, or of a district of country, who had a number of fellow labourera of whom he was chief, or first among his equals in order and jurisdiction: or they mean by bishops, persons who, in process of time, had several presbyters and deacons under them in charge of distinct congregations, but these bishops were chosen and ordained by the presbyters, and they could do nothing without the consent or approbation o1' the presbytery or body of elders. But such bishops as these were very different persons from the princely monarchs in the Church of Rome, who bear the name of bishop, but who possess very few traits in common with the primitive bishops. (7.) The authority of the Uouncil of Trent is alleged. But the council itself was dh, ided on this point, and their decrees leave the subject in an undefined state. Indeed, the decisions of this body will be entitled to very little credit by those who believe that ignorant and impious. factious men of violent party feelings and of uncontrolled and gratified passions, are very bad judges of the true doctrines and morals of the gospel. And ff Roman Catholic authors are to be credited, such men were the fathers of the Council of Trent. (8.) The argument from/n'ez/pt/op is also sometimes referred to as of weight in this matter. They say that as they received it from the ap(mtles, so they now possess the same incorrupted. The misfortune attending this argument is, that history and facts are against it. And though the name of bdsAop is retained, the o.2we has lost so many of its primary elements of cgnstitution, and so many additio have been made to its functions and powers, that when we compare the humble, soll-denymg bishops of the apostolic and succeeding aes* with the princely lords of' the Church of Rome, we cn find but few traits of character common to them and the bishops of primitive Christianity. Such �prescription then is as ill-founded in the mouth of Roman 1

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