66

λειτουργῶν. Οἱ οὖν παρὰ τὸ καθῆκον τῆς βουλήσεως Αὐτοῦ ποιοῦντές τι, θάνατον τὸ πρόστιμον ἔχουσιν. Ορᾶτε, ἀδελφοί, ὅσῳ πλείονος κατηξιώθημεν γνώσεως, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὑποκείμεθα κινδύνῳ. Οἱ ̓Απόστολοι ἡμῖν εὐηγγελίσθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εξεπέμφθη ὁ Χριστὸς οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ̓Απόστολοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐγένοντο οὖν ἀμφότερα εὐτάκτως ἐκ θελήματος Θεοῦ. Παραγγελίας οὖν λαβόντες, καὶ πληροφορηθέντες διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ πιστωθέντες ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μετὰ πληροφορίας Πνεύματος ̔Αγίου, ἐξῆλθον εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ μέλλειν ἔρχεσθαι. Κατὰ χώρας οὖν καὶ πόλεις κηρύσσοντες, καθέστανον τὰς ἀπαρχὰς αὐτῶν, δοκιμάσαντες τῷ Πνεύματι, εἰς Ἐπισκόπους καὶ διακόνους τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐ καινῶς· ἐκ γὰρ δὴ πολλῶν χρόνων ἐγέγραπτο περὶ Επισκόπων καὶ διακόνων· οὕτως γάρ που λέγει ἡ Γραφή, “ Καταστήσω τοὺς ̓Επισκόπους αὐτῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τοὺς διακόνους αὐτῶν ἐν πίστει.” Καὶ τί θαυμαστόν, εἰ οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ πιστευθέντες παρὰ Θεοῦ ἔργον τοιοῦτο, κατέστησαν τοὺς προειρημένους ; ὅπου καὶ ὁ μακάριος πιστὸς θεράπων ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ Μωϋσῆς τὰ διατεταγμένα αὐτῷ πάντα ἐσημειώσατο ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις, ᾧ καὶ ἐπηκολούθησαν οἱ λοιποὶ προφῆται, συνεπιμαρτυροῦντες τοῖς ὑπ ̓ αὐτοῦ νενομοθετημέ νοις. Ἐκεῖνος γάρ, ζήλου ἐμπεσόντος περὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, καὶ στασιαζουσῶν τῶν φυλῶν ὁποία αὐτῶν εἴη τῷ ἐνδόξῳ ὀνόματι κεκοσμημένη, ἐκέλευσεν τοὺς δώδεκα φυλάρχους προσενεγκεῖν αὐτῷ ῥάβδους ἐπιγεγραμμένας ἑκάστης φυλῆς κατ' ὄνομα· καὶ λαβὼν αὐτὰς ἔδησεν, καὶ ἐσφράγισεν τοῖς δακτυλίοις τῶν φυλάρχων, καὶ ἀπέθετο αὐτὰς εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ κλείσας τὴν σκηνήν, ἐσφράγισεν τὰς κλεῖδας, ὡσαύτως καὶ τοὺς ῥάβδους· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, "Ανδρες ἀδελφοί, ἧς ἂν φυλῆς ἡ ῥάβδος βλαστήσῃ, ταύτην ἐκλέλεκται ὁ Θεός, εἰς τὸ ἱερατεύειν καὶ λειτουργεῖν Αὐτῷ. Πρωίας δὲ γενομένης, συνεκάλεσεν πάντα τὸν Ἰσραήλ, τὰς ἑξακοσίας χιλιάδας τῶν ἀνδρῶ[ν, καὶ ἐπε] δείξατο τοῖς φυλάρ χοις [τὰς σφραγίδας, καὶ ἤνοιξεν τὴ[ν σκηνὴν] τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ προσ[ήνεγκεν] ῥάβδους· καὶ εὑρέθη ἡ ῥ[άβδος]

Ααρὼν οὐ μόνον βεβλα [στηκυία], ἀλλὰ καὶ καρπὸν ἔχουσα. Τι δοκεῖτε, ἀγαπητοί; Οὐ πρ[οέγνω] Μωυσῆς τοῦτο μέλλειν [ἔσεσθαι]; Μάλιστα ᾔδει· ἀλλ ̓ ἵνα μὴ ἀκ[αταστα]σία γένηται ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, οὕτω[ς ἐποί]ησεν, εἰς τὸ δοξασθῆναι τ[ὸ ὄνο] μα τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ μόνου [Θεοῦ], Ωι ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Αμήν. Καὶ οἱ ̓Απόστολοι ἡμῶν ἔγνωσαν διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ἔρις ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς. Διὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν αἰτίαν πρόγνωσιν εἰληφότες τελείαν, κατέστησαν τοὺς προειρημένους, καὶ μεταξὺ ἐπινομὴν δεδώκασιν, ὅπως ἐὰν κοιμηθῶσιν, διαδέξωνται ἕτεροι δεδοκιμασμένοι ἄνδρες τὴν λειτουργίαν αὐτῶν. Τοὺς οὖν κατασταθέντας ὑπ ̓ ἐκείνων, ἢ μεταξὺ ὑφ' ἑτέρων ἐλλογί μων ἀνδρῶν, συνευδοκησάσης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πάσης, καὶ λειτουργήσαντας ἀμέμπτως τῷ ποιμνίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης, ἡσύχως καὶ ἀβαναύσως, μεμαρτυρημένους τε πολλοῖς χρόνοις ὑπὸ πάντων, τούτους οὐ δικαίως νομίζομεν ἀποβαλέσθαι τῆς λειτουργίας. Αμαρτία γὰρ οὐ μικρὰ ἡμῖν ἔσται, ἐὰν τοὺς ἀμέμπτως καὶ ὁσίως προσενέγκοντας τὰ δῶρα, τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀποβάλωμεν. Μακάριοι οἱ προοδοιπορήσαντες πρεσβύτεροι, οἵτινες ἔγκαρπον καὶ τελείαν ἔσχον τὴν ἀνάλυσιν· οὐ γὰρ εὐλαβοῦνται μή τις αὐτοὺς μεταστήσῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱδρυμένου αὐτοῖς τόπου. Ὁρῶμεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐνίους ὑμεῖς μεταγάγετε καλῶς πολιτευομέν[ους], ἐκ τῆς ἀμέμπτως αὐτοῖς τετι μημένης λειτουργίας.-(Pp. 136-156, ed. Jacobson.)

B

Bishop Jeremy Taylor, "Episcopacy Asserted," § 32 in part.

But then are all ordinations invalid which are done by mere presbyters? What think we of the Reformed Churches?

1. For my part, I know not what to think; the question hath been so often asked, with so much violence and prejudice, and we are so bound by public interest to approve

all that they do, that we have disabled ourselves to justify our own. For we were glad at first of abettors against the errors of the Roman Church; we found these men zealous in it; we thanked God for it, as we had cause; and we were willing to make them recompense by endeavouring to justify their ordinations, not thinking what would follow upon ourselves: but now it has come to that issue that our own Episcopacy is thought not necessary, because we did not condemn the ordinations of their presbytery.

2. Why is not the question rather what we think of the primitive Church, than what we think of the Reformed Churches? Did the primitive Councils and Fathers do well in condemning the ordinations made by mere presbyters? If they did well, what was a virtue in them is no sin in us: if they did ill, from what principle shall we judge of the right of ordinations? since there is no example in Scripture of any ordination made but by Apostles and Bishops; and the presbytery that imposed hands on Timothy is by all antiquity expounded either of the office or of a college of presbyters; and St. Paul expounds it to be an ordination made by his own hands, as appears by comparing the two Epistles to St. Timothy together; and may be so meant by the principles of both sides; for if the names be confounded, the presbyter may signify a Bishop; and that they of this presbytery were not Bishops, they can never prove from Scripture, when all men grant that the names are confounded. So that whence will men take their estimate for the rites of ordination? From Scripture? That gives it clearly to Apostles and Bishops, as I have proved; and that a priest did ever impose hands for ordination can never be shown from thence. From whence then? From Antiquity? That was so far from licensing ordinations made by presbyters alone, that presbyters in the primitive Church did never join with Bishops in collating holy orders of presbyter and deacon till the fourth Council of Carthage; much less do it alone, rightly

and with effect. So that as in Scripture there is nothing for presbyters ordaining, so in Antiquity there is much against it; and either in this particular we must have strange thoughts of Scripture and Antiquity, or not so fair interpretation of the ordinations of Reformed presbyteries; but for my part I had rather speak a truth in sincerity, than err with a glorious correspondence.

But will not necessity excuse them who could not have orders from orthodox Bishops? Shall we either sin against our consciences, by subscribing to heretical and false resolutions in materia fidei, or else lose the being of a Church for want of Episcopal ordinations? Indeed if the case were just thus, it was very hard with good people of the transmarine Churches; but I have here two things to consider :

First, I am very willing to believe that they would not have done any thing either of error or suspicion, but in cases of necessity. But then I consider that M. du Plessis, a man of honour and great learning, does attest, that at the first Reformation there were many Archbishops and Cardinals in Germany, England, France, and Italy, that joined in the Reformation, whom they might, but did not, employ in their ordinations; and what necessity then can be pretended in this case I would fain learn, that I might make their defence. But, which is of more and deeper consideration, for this might have been done by inconsideration and irresolution, as often happens in the beginning of great changes,-but it is their constant and resolved practice, at least in France, that if any returns to them they will re-ordain him by their presbytery, though he had before Episcopal ordination; as both their friends and their enemies bear witness.

Secondly, I consider, that necessity may excuse a personal delinquency, but I never heard that necessity did build a Church. Indeed no man is forced for his own particular to commit a sin; for if it be absolutely a case of necessity, the action ceaseth to be a sin; but indeed if God

means to build a Church in any place, He will do it by means proportionable to that end; that is, by putting them into a possibility of doing and acquiring those things which Himself hath required of necessity to the constitution of a Church. So that, supposing that ordination by a Bishop is necessary for the vocation of priests and deacons (as I have proved it is), and therefore for the founding or perpetuating of a Church, either God hath given to all Churches opportunity and possibility of such ordinations, and then necessity of the contrary is but pretence and mockery; or if He hath not given such possibility, then there is no Church there to be either built or continued, but the candlestick is presently removed. [Taylor proceeds to quote the case of Frumentius and Edesius, who came to St. Athanasius to Alexandria to obtain a Bishop for the Christians whom they had themselves converted-and then continues,-] Thus the case is evident, that the want of a Bishop will not excuse us from our endeavours of acquiring one; and where God means to found a Church, there He will supply them with those means and ministers which Himself hath made of ordinary and absolute necessity. And therefore, if it happens that those Bishops which are of ordinary ministration amongst us prove heretical, still God's Church is catholic, and though with trouble, yet orthodox Bishops may be acquired. For just so it happened, when Mauvia, queen of the Saracens, was so earnest to have Moses the hermit made the Bishop of her nation, &c., &c. Moses refused to be ordained by him that was an Arian. So did the Reformed Churches refuse ordinations by the Bishops of the Roman Communion. But what then might they have done? Even the same that Moses did in that necessity, "Compulsus est ab Episcopis quos in exilium truserat (Lucius) sacerdotium sumere ;"-those good people might have had order from the Bishops of England, or the Lutheran Churches, if at least they thought our Churches Catholic and Christian.

If an ordinary necessity will not excuse this, will not an