expressed to be of the number of them that went in and out with Jesus; St. Clement succeeded St. Peter at Rome; St. Simeon Cleophas succeeded St. James at Jerusalem; St. Philip succeeded St. Paul at Cæsarea; and divers others of the seventy-two reckoned by Dorotheus, Eusebius, and others of the fathers, did govern the several churches after the apostles' death, which before they did not. Now it is clear, that he that receives no more power after the apostles, than he had under them, can no way be said to succeed them in their charge or churches. It follows then, since (as will more fully appear anon) presbyters did succeed the apostles, that under the apostles they had not such jurisdiction as afterwards they had. But the apostles had the same to which the presbyters succeeded, therefore greater than the presbyters had, before they did succeed. When I say presbyters succeeded the apostles, I mean, not as presbyters, but by a new ordination to the dignity of bishops; so they succeeded, and so they prove an evidence of fact, for a superiority of jurisdiction in the apostolical clergy. Now, that this superiority of jurisdiction was not temporary, but to be succeeded in, appears from reason, and from ocular demonstration, or of the thing done. 1. If superiority of jurisdiction was necessary in the ages apostolical for the regiment of the church, there is no imaginable reason why it should not be necessary in succession, since, upon the emergency of schisms and heresies, which were foretold should multiply in descending ages, government and superiority of jurisdiction, unity of supremacy, and coercion, was more necessary than at first, when extraordinary gifts might supply, what now we expect to be performed by an ordinary authority. 2. Whatsoever was the regiment of the church in the apostles' times, that must be perpetual, (not so as to have all's that which was personal and temporary, but so as to have 'no other,') for that, and that only, is of Divine institution, which Christ committed to the apostles; and if the church be not now governed as then, we can show no Divine authority for our government; which we must contend to do, and do it too, or be called usurpers. For either the apostles did ■ Ut puta, viduarum collegium, et diaconorum, et cœnobium fidelium, &c. govern the church as Christ commanded them, or not. If not, then they failed in the founding of the church, and the church is not built upon a rock. If they did, as most certainly they did, then either the same disparity of jurisdiction must be retained, or else we must be governed with an unlawful and unwarranted equality, because not by that which only is of immediate Divine institution; and then it must needs be a fine government, where there is no authority, and where no man is superior. 3. We see a disparity in the regiment of churches warranted by Christ himself, and confirmed by the Holy Ghost, in fairest intimation. I mean the seven angel-presidents of the seven Asian churches. If these seven angels were seven bishops, that is, prelates or governors of these seven churches, in which it is evident and confessed of all sides there were many presbyters,-then it is certain, that a superiority of jurisdiction was intended by Christ himself, and given by him, insomuch as he is the fountain of all power derived to the church; for Christ writes to these seven churches, and directs his epistles to the seven governors of these churches, calling them angels; which it will hardly be supposed he would have done, if the function had not been a ray of the Sun of righteousness; they had not else been angels of light, nor stars held in Christ's own right hand. This is certain, that the function of these angels, whatsoever it be, is a Divine institution. Let us then see, what is meant by these stars and angels. "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches.” 1. Then it is evident, that although the epistles were sent, with a final intention for the edification and confirmation of the whole churches or people of the diocese, with an "attendite quid Spiritus dicit ecclesiis ;" yet the personal direction was not to the whole church, for the whole church is called the candlestick, and the superscription of the epistle is not to the seven candlesticks,' but to the seven stars,' which are the angels of the seven churches, viz. the lights shining in the candlesticks. By the angel, therefore, is not, cannot be meant, the whole church." * Rev. i. 20. "AyyλOL ÉœUTÕV Í apostles of the "The angel of 2. It is plain, that by the angel is meant the governor of the church; first, because of the title of eminency, the angel xar' iox, that is, the messenger, the legate, the apostle of the church. "AYYEλo Sauтav. For these words, angel' or 'apostle,' although they signify mission or legation, yet, in Scripture, they often relate to the persons to whom they are sent; as in the examples before specified. "Their angels."—Aπóσrodos ’Enuλnosov: "The churches.”"Αγγελος τῆς Ἐφησίκης Εκκλησίας. the church of Ephesus;" and divers others. Their compellation, therefore, being a word of office,' in respect of him that sends them, and of eminence,' in relation to them to whom they are sent, shows that the angel was the ruler of each church respectively. 2. Because acts of jurisdiction are concredited to him; as not to suffer false apostles; so to the angel of the church of Ephesus, which is clearly a power of cognizance and coercion "in causis clericorum," to be 'watchful' and 'strengthen' the things that remain; as to the angel of the church in Sardis, γίνου γρηγορῶν, καὶ στήριξον τὰ Xá: "The 'first' is the office of rulers, for they 'watch' for your souls'; and the second, of apostles and apostolic men. Ἰούδας δὲ καὶ Σίλας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐπεστήριξαν : “ Judas and Silas confirmed the brethren;" for these men, although they were but of the LXXII at first, yet by this time were made apostles and chief men among the brethren." St. Paul, also, was joined in this work, διήρχετο ἐπιστηρίζων τὰς Εκκληoías: "He went up and down confirming the churches *.” And rà λà diarážoμai. St. Paul'. To confirm the churches, and to make supply of what is deficient in discipline and government, these were offices of power and jurisdiction, no less than episcopal or apostolical; and besides, the angel here spoken of had a propriety in the people of the diocese; "thou hast a few names even in Sardis;" they were the bishop's people, the angel had a right to them. And good reason that the people should be his, for their faults are attributed to him, as to the angel of Pergamus, and divers, others, and, therefore, they are deposited in his custody. He is to be their ruler and pastor, and this is called "his ministry." To the angel of the church of Thyatira, oïdá ou οἶδά Heb. x. iii. * Acts, xv. ! 1 Cor. xi. 蓄 τὰ ἔργα, καὶ τὴν διακονίαν, " I have known thy ministry” His office, therefore, was clerical, it was an angel-minister; and this, his office, must make him the guide and superior to the rest, even all the whole church, since he was charged with all. 3. By the angel is meant a singular person, for the reprehensions and the commendations respectively, imply personal delinquency, or suppose personal excellencies. Add to this, that the compellation is singular, and of determinate number, so that we may as well multiply churches as persons; for the seven churches had but seven stars, and these seven stars were the angels of the seven churches. And if by seven stars they may mean seventy times seven stars (for so they may, if they begin to multiply), then, by one star, they must mean many stars; and so they may multiply churches too, for there were as many churches as stars, and no more angels than churches; and it is as reasonable to multiply these seven churches into seven thousand, as every star into a constellation, or every angel into a legion. But besides the exigency of the thing itself, these seven angels are, by antiquity, called the seven governors or bishops of the seven churches, and their names are commemorated. Unto these seven churches, "St. John," saith Arethas", “ reckoneth ισαρίθμους ἐφόρους ̓Αγγέλους, an equal number of angel-governors ;" and Ecumenius, in his Scholia upon this place, saith the very same words, "Septem igitur angelos rectores septem ecclesiarum debemus intelligere, eò quòd angelus nuntius interpretatur," saith St. Ambrose; and again, " Angelos episcopos dicit, sicut docetur in apocalypsi Johannis"." Let the woman have a covering on her head, "because of the angels";" that is, in reverence and in subjection to the bishop of the church, for bishops are the angels, as is taught in the Revelation of St. John." Divinâ voce sub angeli nomine laudatur præpositus ecclesiæ," so St. Austin: "By the voice of God, the bishop of the church is commended under the title of an angel P." Eusebius names. some of these angels, who were then presidents and actually bishops of these churches. St. Polycarp was one to be sure," apud Smyrnam et episcopus et martyr," saith Euse-. - In 1 Apocal. • In 1 Cor. xi. bius. He was the angel of the church of Smyrna; and he had good authority for it, for he reports it out of Poly crates, who, a little after, was himself an angel of the church of Ephesus; and he also quotes St. Irenæus for it, and out of the encyclical epistle of the church of Smyrna itself; and besides these authorities, it is attested by St. Ignatius, and, Tertullian. St. Timothy was another angel, to wit, of the church of Ephesus; to be sure had been, and most likely was still surviving. Antipas is reckoned by name in the Revelation, and he had been the angel of Pergamus; but before this book was written, he was turned from an angel to a saint'. Melito, in all probability, was then the angel of the church of Sardis. "Melito quoque Sardensis ecclesiæ antistes, et Apollinaris apud Hierapolim ecclesiam regens, celeberrimi inter cæteros habebantur," saith Eusebius". These men were actually living when St. John writ his Reve lation; for Melito writ his book de Paschate, when Sergius Paulus was proconsul of Asia, and writ after the Revelation; for he writ a treatise of it, as saith Eusebius. However, at least some of these were then, and all of these about that time, were bishops of these churches; and the angels St. John speaks of, were such who had jurisdiction over their whole diocese; therefore these, or such as these, were the angels to whom the Spirit of God writ hortatory and commendatory letters, such whom Christ held in his right hand, and fixed them in the churches like lights set on a candlestick, that they might give shine to the whole house. The sum of all is this; that Christ did institute apostles and presbyters, or seventy-two disciples. To the apostles he gave a plenitude of power; for the whole commission was given to them in as great and comprehensive clauses as were imaginable; for, by virtue of it they received a power of giving the Holy Ghost in confirmation, and of giving his grace in the collation of holy orders, a power of jurisdiction and authority to govern the church and this power was not temporary,' but 'successive' and 'perpetual,' and was intended as an 'ordinary' office in the church, so that the 'successors' of the 1 Lib. iv. c. 10. Lib. iv. c. 15. De Præscript. "Lib. iv. c. 26. Epist. ad Polycarp. |