have been diocesan bishops; insomuch that, as St. Epiphanius witnesses, there were, at the first disseminations of the faith of Christ, many churches, who had in them no other clergy, but a bishop and his deacons; and the presbyters were brought in afterwards, as the harvest grew greater: but the bishops' names are known, they are recorded in the book of life,' and their praise is in the Gospel;' such were Timothy and Titus, Clemens and Linus, Marcus and Dionysius, Onesimus and Caius, Epaphroditus and St. James, our Lord's brother,—Evodius and Simeon; all which, if there be any faith in Christians that gave their lives for a testimony to the faith, and any truth in their stories; and unless we, who believe Thucydides and Plutarch, Livy and Tacitus, think that all church-story is a perpetual romance, and that all the brave men, the martyrs and the doctors of the primitive church, did conspire, as one man, to abuse all Christendom for ever; I say, unless all these impossible suppositions be admitted, all these, whom I have now reckoned, were bishops fixed in several churches, and had dioceses for their charges. The consequent of this consideration is this: If bishops were those upon whose ministry Christ founded and built his church, let us consider what great wisdom is required of them that seem to be pillars: the stewards of Christ's family must be wise; that Christ requires: and if the order be necessary to the church, wisdom cannot but be necessary to the order; for it is a shame, if they, who, by their office, are fathers in Christ, shall, by their unskilfulness, be but babes themselves, understanding not the secrets of religion, the mysteries of godliness, the perfections of the evangelical law, all the advantages and disadvantages in the spiritual life. A bishop must be exercised in godliness, a man of great experience in the secret conduct of souls, not satisfied with an ordinary skill in making homilies to the people, and speaking -common exhortations in ordinary cases; but ready to answer in all secret inquiries, and able to convince the gainsayers, and to speak wisdom amongst them that are perfect. If the first bishops laid the foundation, their successors must not only preserve whatsoever is fundamental, but build up the church in a most holy faith, taking care that no heresy Lib. iii. tit. 1. sap the foundation, and that no hay or rotten wood be built upon it; and above all things, that a most holy life be superstructed upon a holy and unreprovable faith. So the apostles laid the foundation, and built the walls of the church, and their successors must raise up the roof as high as heaven. For let us talk and dispute eternally, we shall never compose the controversies in religion, and establish truth upon unalterable foundations, as long as men handle the word of God deceitfully, that is, with designs and little artifices, and secular partialities; and they will for ever do so, as long as they are proud or covetous. It is not the difficulty of our questions, or the subtilty of our adversaries, that makes disputes interminable; but we shall never cure the itch of disputing, or establish unity, unless we apply ourselves to humility and contempt of riches. If we will be contending, let us contend like the olive and the vine, who shall produce best and most fruit; not like the aspin and the elm, which shall make most noise in a wind. And all other methods are a beginning at a wrong end. And as for the people, the way to make them conformable to the wise and holy rules of faith and government, is by reducing them to live good lives. When the children of Israel gave themselves to gluttony, and drunkenness, and filthy lusts, they quickly fell into abominable idolatries; and St. Paul says, "that men make shipwreck of their faith by putting away a good conscience *:" for the mystery of faith is best preserved ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει, in a pure conscience,' saith the same apostle': secure but that, and we shall quickly end our disputes, and have an obedient and conformable people; but else never. 2. As bishops were the first fathers of churches, and gave them being, so they preserve them in being; for without sacraments there is no church, or it will be starved, and die; and without bishops there can be no priests, and consequently no sacraments; and that must needs be a supreme order, from whence ordination itself proceeds. For it is evident and notorious, that in Scripture there is no record of ordination, but an apostolical hand was in it; one of the ävdges nyoúμevol, one of the chief, one of the superior and 'ruling' clergy; and it is as certain in the descending ages of the k 1 Tim. i. 19. 1 Tim. iii. 9. church, the bishop always had that power; it was never denied to him, and it was never imputed to presbyters and St. Jerome himself, when, out of his anger against John, bishop of Jerusalem, he endeavoured to equal the presbyter with the bishop, though in very many places he spake otherwise, yet even then also, and in that heat, he excepted ordination, acknowledging that to be the bishop's peculiar. And, therefore, they who go about to extinguish episcopacy, do as Julian did; they destroy the presbytery, and starve the flock, and take away their shepherds, and dispark their pastures, and tempt God's providence to extraordinaries, and put the people to hard shifts, and turn the channels of salvation quite another way, and leave the church to a perpetual uncertainty, whether she be alive or dead, and the people destitute of the life of their souls, and their daily bread, and their spiritual comforts, and holy blessings. the The consequent of this is: if sacraments depend upon bishops, then let us take care that we convey to the people holy and pure materials, sanctified with a holy ministry, and ministered by holy persons: for although it be true, that the efficacy of the sacraments does not depend wholly upon worthiness of him that ministers; yet it is as true, that it does not wholly rely upon the worthiness of the receiver; but both together, relying upon the goodness of God, produce all those blessings which are designed. The minister hath an influence into the effect, and does very much towards it; and if there be a failure there, it is a defect in one of the concurring causes; and, therefore, an unholy bishop is a great diminution to the people's blessing. St. Jerome presses this severely: Impiè faciunt," &c. They do wickedly who affirm, that the holy eucharist is consecrated by the words (alone) and solemn prayer of the consecrator, and not also by his life and holiness ":" And, therefore, St. Cyprian affirms, that "none but holy and upright men are to be chosen, who, offering their sacrifices worthily to God, may be heard in their prayers for the Lord's people":" but for others, "Sacrificia eorum, panis luctûs," saith the prophet Hosea: "Their sacrifices are like the bread of sorrow; whoever eats thereof,/ shall be defiled." m In Zeph. c. ii. m n Lib. i. Ep. 4. This discourse is not mine, but St. Cyprian's; and although his words are not to be understood dogmatically, but in the case of duty and caution, yet we may lay our hands upon our hearts, and consider how we shall give an account of our stewardship, if we shall offer to the people the bread of God with impure hands; it is of itself a pure nourishment; but if it passes through an unclean vessel, it loses much of its excellency. 3. The like also is to be said concerning prayer; for the episcopal order is appointed by God to be the great ministers of Christ's priesthood, that is, to stand between Christ and the people in the intercourse of prayer and blessing. "We will give ourselves continually to prayer," said the apostles; that was the one-half of their employment;—and indeed a bishop should spend very much of his time in holy prayer, and in diverting God's judgments, and procuring blessings to the people; for in all times, the chief of the religion was ever the chief minister of blessing. Thus Abraham blessed Abimelech, and Melchisedeck blessed Abraham, and Aaron blessed the people; and "Without all controversy," saith the apostle, "the less is blessed of the greater." But then we know that God heareth not sinners;' and it must be the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that shall prevail.' And, therefore, we may easily consider, that a vicious. prelate is a great calamity to that flock, which he is appointed to bless and pray for. How shall he reconcile the penitents, who is himself at enmity with God? How shall the Holy Spirit of God descend upon the symbols at his prayer, who does perpetually grieve him, and quench his holy fires, and drive him quite away? How shall he that hath not tasted of the Spirit by contemplation, stir up others to earnest desires of celestial things? Or what good shall the people receive, when the bishop lays upon their head a covetous or a cruel, an unjust or an impure hand? But, therefore, that I may use the words of St. Jerome, "Cum ab episcopo gratia in populum transfundatur, et mundi totius et ecclesiæ totius condimentum sit episcopus "," &c. Since it is intended that from the bishop grace should be diffused amongst all the people, there is not in the world a greater • Dial. adv. Lucifer. indecency than a holy office ministered by an unholy person, and no greater injury to the people, than that of the blessings which God sends to them by the ministries evangelical, they should be cheated and defrauded by a wicked steward. And, therefore, it was an excellent prayer, which to this very purpose was, by the son of Sirach, made in behalf of the high priests, the sons of Aaron: "God give you wisdom in your heart, to judge his people in righteousness, that their good things be not abolished, and that their glory may endure for ever P." 4. All the offices ecclesiastical always were, and ought to be, conducted by the episcopal order, as is evident in the universal doctrine and practice of the primitive church: Oi πρεσβύτεροι καὶ διάκονοι ἄνευ γνώμης τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν ἐπιτελείτωσαν. It is the fortieth canon of the apostles, "Let the presbyters and deacons do nothing without leave, of the bishop';" but that case is known. 66 The consequent of this consideration is no other than the admonition in my text: "We are stewards of the manifold grace of God," and dispensers of the mysteries of the kingdom; and "it is required of stewards that they be found faithful";"" that we preach the word of God in season and out of season,-that we rebuke and exhort, admonish and correct:" for these God calls "pastores secundùm cor meum," pastors according to his own heart, which feed the people with knowledge and understanding;" but they must also comfort the afflicted, and bind up the broken heart;' minister the sacraments with great diligence, and righteous measures, and abundant charity, always having in mind those passionate words of Christ to St. Peter: "If thou lovest me, feed my sheep; if thou hast any love to me, feed my lambs." And let us remember this also, that nothing can enforce the people to obey their bishops as they ought, but our doing that duty and charity to them which God requires. There is reason in these words of St. Chrysostom: "It is necessary that the church should adhere to their bishop, as the body to the head, as plants to their roots, as rivers to their springs, P Eccles. xlv. 26. r 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2, 3. Et 24 C. Concil. Antioch. |