Excerpt from Of the Church, Five Books, Vol. 3: Containing the Fifth Book to the End of the Forty-Seventh ChapterAlso, by the imposition of their hands. In which things, when they had finished their course, they left none to succeed them yet out of their more large, ample, and immediate commissions, they authorized others to preach the gospel, administer sacraments, to bind and loose, and to perform other like pastoral duties, sanctifying and ordaining them to this work, by the imposition of hands. These they honoured with the glorious title of presbyters, that is, fatherly guides of God's Church and people; and knowing the weight of the burden they laid on their shoulders, added unto them as assistants other of an inferior degree and rank, whom they named deacons, or ministers. Amongst these fatherly guides of God's Church and people, for the preventing of dissension, the avoiding of confusion, and the more orderly manag ing of the important affairs of Almighty God, they established a most excellent, divine, and heavenly order, giving unto one amongst the presbyters of each Church an eminent and fatherly power, so that the rest might do nothing without him whom for distinction's sake, and to express the honour of his degree and place, afore and above other, we name a bishop. And farther, by a most wise disposition provided, that amongst bishops all should not challenge all things unto themselves, but that there should be in several provinces several bishops, who should be first and chief amongst the brethren.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.

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