and the Holy Ghost Now as we received the Holy Ghost by hearing of Faith preached So this Spirit of God doth guide us into all truth by and according unto the Scripture And as the Holy Ghost is as I may so say § begotten in us by the Seed of Gods word Sown in our hearts though properly we are begotten again by the Holy Ghost so this Holy Ghost is as it were nourished and preserved in us by and through the word of God even as the light of the Lamp is nourished by the Oyle or as the breath goeth with the voyce or word spoken or as the blood hath its course in the veins or the vitall Spirits have their Sâ—at in the heart or as the Animall Spirits in the braine when they are derived into all the parts of the body in the Arteries and veines so as all the members are thereby actuated and moved And as the Philosopher saith of naturall bodies * A'panta trephétas tois aâ—utois e'x o`pér e`isi All things are nourished by selfe same Substance whereof they are begotten or have their beginning or beeing So in a sort it may truly be said that as we begin Spiritually to live by the Holy Ghost through Faith by the Preaching of the word of God So this Holy Ghost in the severall graces and operations there of is preserved and as it were nourished in us by the continuall ministration of the food of the same word in our Soules Or in a word the Holy Ghost hath no operation in us either for instruction or illumination or consolation or corroboration of any Grace in our Soules but in and by or according to the word of God So as besides Gods written word there are no revelations of the Spirit to be expected in Gods true Church Secondly therefore the promise of the Holy Ghost to Christs true Church and Children succeeding the Apostles even to the end of the world is made good to all and every particular member of Christs Mysticall body whether Ministers or People so as in the matter of their faith and whatsoever appertains to their salvation they are by Christs Spirit guided into all truth being led by the rule and light of Gods word which to those that are in Christ never goes unaccompanied with the Holy Ghost For even as * so many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of Godâ— So as If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his So none are led by the Spirit of God but those that are led by the word of God And therefore as Christs Spirit dwells in all his so his ‡ Word also For these two are inseperable the Holy Ghost teaching us no other things but what we find written in the word of Christ To which purpose Christ saith When § the Spirit of Truth is come be will guide you into all truth for he shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoever he shall heare that shall he speake Now the whole Scripture is Christs word this the Holy Ghost receiving from Christ revealed to his Apostles or as Christ saith †brought to their remembrance and the Apostles commited those things to writing as the Holy Ghost directed them for our both instruction and remembrance So as if * any Speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Whatever Spirit men bragge of not indurcing the Law and Testimony of the Scripture it is without light a counterfet Spirit a lying spirit And this is that very Spirit of Antichrist and of his Prelates who to advance their own Canons and Decrees and to cry up their usurped Antichristian Authority in taking upon them to be the onely visible Iudges in matters of faith as * before we have noted of our Prelate of Cantâ— as if they had the Spirit of Infallibility and were the onely men of Gods Privy Counsell and the onely Privilegiats not to erre doe so much depresse viâ—ifie and cry down the Authority and Sufficiencie of the Scripture as if it were a ‡ dumbe dead and blind Iuâ—ge having not so much light in it as is sufficient to demonstrate it to be the word of God but what it must be beholden to the Authority and Tradition of the present Prelaticall Churchâ—or But â— ye blind Guides § To the Law and to the Testimony for while ye Speake not accordiag to this word but contrariwise blaspheme the same it is a manifest signe that there is neither light nor ‡ life in you Come we now to prosecute the remainder of the former particulars propounded the second generall whereof is the Practise of the Apostles as they were Ministers of the Gospell whose example all true Ministers imitating are said to be their true Successors And first of this Practise in regard of Doctrine to wit in their Ministy of the Word and Sacraments First for their Doctrine it was sound and sincere the very word of God which they preached with all diligence and good Conscience exhorting other Ministers also to the like diligence and faithfullnesse in preaching as 2 Timâ— 4. 1 2. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ c. Preach the word be instant in season out of season c. Thus did the Apostles But doe our Prelates thus First do they preach diligently Are their Sermons any more then 2 or 3 Festivalls in the yeare And doe they preach sound Doctrine Nay as the Apostle there saith They will not indure sound doctrine they neither preach it themselves nor permit others And instead of exhorting Ministers to be diligent in preaching and teaching the people they flatly forbid them to preach so ofâ—en as twice on the Sabbath or to expound the Catechisine for instructing the People Thus they are enemies of Gods word and so of the salvation of Gods people Are these men then Successors of the Apostles Againe for the two Sacraments the Apostles administred them duly according to ‡ Christs institution not varying one title from it they neither detracted any thing from iâ— nor added ought of their own inventions Now doth the Prelaticall Catholicke Church wherein that of England and of Rome are both one and the same and doe professe one and the same faith and Religion as our great Prelate saith noted before thus Now Romes detractions and additions we all know But what hath the Prelaticall Church of England done in this kind 1. Doe they not detract both from Christs institution and from the dignity of the Sacraments while they set dumb Priests no better then Masse-Priests to administer Doe they not detract from Baptisme while they doe as much debase it in comparison of the Lords Supper as they doe exalt this which they * call the Great Eucharist in comparison of that Do they not administer that neere the Belfrey or Church-door the lowest part of the Church as they estimate it
the Lords day which is an open proclaiming of Warre against God against Christ against his holy Laws against all holinesse against our Christian vow in Baptisme against the good Laws of the Land and Acts of Parliament and against the very bonds of all Civill and Natural Societies And thus our Prelates are the most notorious Lawlesse men onely excepting the Grand Antichrist the Pope unlesse in some things they doe outstrip him that ever were in any Age of the world Further two wayes more doe the Prelates prove themselves to be o`i a'nomei those Lawlesse men As first in hanging the Keys of Scripture at their Girdle saying that the Credit and belieâ—â— of Scripture to be the word of God doth necessarily depend upon the Authority and Tradition of the present Church as the prime inducing cause to that belâ—â—f This our great Prelate in his said Book boldly affirmethâ— and often repeateth saying withall that the Scripture hath not light enough in it selfe is not sufficient to shew and prove it selfe to be the word of God So as the whole Authority of Scriptureâ— depending upon church-Church-Tradition and Authority is necessarily made subject to Episcopall Power and so consequently the Law of God contained therein shall not be Divine unlesse it please their good Lordships to give their good word for it and to make it of so much credit by the vote of their Authority and Tradition as that men may beleeve it to be Gods Law And upon this ground it is that if the Prelates shall pronounce the 4th Commandement not to be Morall for the sanctifying of a Seventh day yea the first day of the weeke for Sabbath and that Servants and Children are not bound to yeeld obedience to their Masters and Parents on that day in Case Civil or Ecclesiasticall Authority shall dispense with them to be free that day for their Sports then all men must be of their opinion that those Commandements are none of Gods Commandements The second way whereby Prelates doe shew themselves Lawlesse men is by denying the Scripture to be Iudge in Controversus of Faith For the said Prelate peâ—emptorily saith * I absolutely make a lawfull and free Generall Councel Iudge of Controversies by and according to Scriptures Which By and according to the Scriptures come in by the By and are meere Cyphers For by these words he either meanes That By and according to the Scriptures hee absolutely makes c. which is most false for by and according to the Scripture no Generall Councel is Iudge of Coneroversies Neither by and according to the Scriptures hath the Prelate power absolutely to make a Generall Councel Iudge of Controversies or els by these words he doth but cast a â—yst before his Readers eyes to make him beleeve upon the first rebound of his words that he makes Scripture the Rule for Generall Councels to determine Controversies by Whereas he meanes no such thing For elswhere he hath sundry speeches to the contrary as ‡ The Churches Declaration can bind us to peace and externall obedience where there is not expresse letter of Scripture and sâ—nce agreed upon And againe If there be a aâ—ealâ—usie or doubt of the sense of Scripture a Generall Councel must judge the Difference onely Scripture must be the Rule Now if Scripture be doubtfull and not cleare how can it be a rule to others to judge by But if Scripture be sufficiently and aboundantly cleare in it selfe in resolving of matters of faith for salvation how come men to take upon them to be Iudges But that the Scripture it selfe should be Iudge the Prelate in no case in no place of his Booke will allow of that Onely he confesseth that the Scripture is a * Iudge but without light Sufficient visible but not living not speaking but by the Church So as the Iudge he makes upon the matter both blind and dead and dumb As the ‡ Papists make it a dead letter and Leaden or Lesbian Rule that so they may set the Church above it to be Supreme Iudge Thus our Prelates if they will allow their Primate to speake for them have made the Scripture and so Gods word of no Authority in and of it selfe when it must depend both for its Authority and Sense upon the Church and that the Prelaticall Church or that Catholicke wherein the Church Prelaticall of England and of Rome are one and the Same Are not the Prelates then next after the Pope those Lawlesse men branded here by the Apostle under the name of that Lawlesse one We come now to the Sixth note of Antichrist in the Text which isâ—that he at God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Now the ‡ Temple of God properly according to the New Testament the ancient Temple of the Iews being abolished is the Soule and Conscience of every beleever or true Christian namely a Spirttuall Temple Now all that beare but the beare name of Christians as Papists doe doe also participate of the bare Name of such as are the true Temples and so in that respect Antichrist is said to sit in or upon or over the Temple of God For sitting argues a Seat Chaire or Throne which Antichrist sets up in the Soules and Consciences of all Papists Sitting and raigning as King over them in all matters of faith So as thus he makes himselfe a Spirituall Lord or King over them And thus by Antichrists sitting is understood his raingning as the Scripture doth often use this Terme as Revel. 17. 1. 3. 15. and 18. 7. And so in other places of Scripture by sitting is understood raigning as Heb. 1. 13. 1. Rev. 1. 13. Now that the Pope doth thus set up his throne and sit and raigne in the Consciences of men who are the Subjects and vassalls of his Spirituall Kingdome himselfe cannot will not deny And he sits as God that is assumes and exercises that power and authority over the Conscience which appertaines to God to Christ alone And thus he makes shew that he is God as to whom God hath committed all his Power and authority unto As the Pope calls himselfe Vice-God Christs Vicar and the like usurping whatsoever Titles of Power Christ hath in the Scripture as we read of Leo 10 in the Councel of Lateran calling himselfe the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah and the like And Bellarmine blusheth not to say and therein to Blas-Pheme that what soever is attributed to Christ in the Scripture is communicated to his Vicar the Pope And thus is fullfilled that which Christ foretold * Many shall come in my Name saying I am or I am Christ and shall deceive many Thus for the Pope that man of Sinne that Sonne of Perdition who opposeth and exalteth himselfe abâ—ve all that is called God or that is worshiped that Lawlesse one that as God sits in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is Godâ— Now for our Prelates are they not herein
as there is a denyall of Christ in deeds But what it is to deny that Iesus is the Christ This is a point indeed very considerable To deny that Iesus is the Christ is to deny that Iesus is the Auointed King Priest and Prophet So as never any were anointed to all these 3 Offices And therefore Christ was said to be ‡ anointed above his fellows And for that cause he is called here o' Kristòs The Anointed Now then to deny that Iesus is the Christ is to deny that Iesus is the onely King the onely High Priest and the onely Prophet of his Church But to apply this doth the Pope and so our Prelates deny that Iesus is thus the Christ Yes they do First for the Pope it is manifest that he denyes Iesus to be the only King of his Church because himselfe takes upon him to be King over the Church sitting as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God as before is shewed Secondly he not onely sets up other High-Priests in heaven as whom he makes Mediators of Intercâ—ssion and so he denyes Christs High priesthood in heaven whose Office alone it is to make Intercession within the vâ—ile as was typed by the High Priest Heb. 9. but the Pope also makes himselfe the High Priest on Earth in forgiving of Sins and in Sacrificing and offering up a Breaden Christ for a propitiatory Sacrifice wherein also every Masse-Priest usurps Christs Priesthood on the Crosse And Thirdly he denyeth Iesus to be the onely Prophet to teach his Church taking upon him to be the Sole Oracle and unerring Iudge in matters of Faith These might be inlarged but I hasten And a word in things so cleare is sufficient Now for our Prelates Do not they too deny that Iesus is the Christ Doe not they deny him to be the only King of his Church by their usurping of his throne and dominion over the Consciences of Gods people in matters of faith and Religion by imposing their manifold Canons and Ceremonies as before is shewed And Secondly do they not deny that Iesus is the onely High Priest while themselves with the Pope and their false Priesthood take upon them to forgive Sins Yea and doe they not labour to come home to Rome in setting up their Altars with their Priests which must needs have a sutable Sacrifice some Host so as thereby Christ is denyed to be the onely High Priest who offered up himselfe on the Crosse once for all Thirdly and Lastly doe they not deny Iesus to be the onely Prophet of his Church while themselves usurpe the Office of being Iudges of the Sâ—ripture and of the Controversies of Faith making their Dictates to be received for Doctrines and their determinations though in things erronious in the Faith to bind all men to peace and obedience Which being so the Conclusion is that as the Pope is the grand Antichrist so Prelates are so many Antichrists For saith the Apostle Who is a lyer but he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist And thus we see how these hypocrites who are so Superstitiously and Idolatrously devout in their worshiping of the Name JESUS prove themselves notorious Antichrists in denying Iesus to be the Christ to be the only King Priest and Prophet of his Church CHAP. IX Wherein the Prelates usuall Allegations out of the Scriptures by them perverted or other by them pretended are answered AS there hath been no Heresie nor Hereticke so grosse but he could alledge some Scripture or other for the maintenance of his Heresie if his own carnall sense might be the Intepreter and Iudge So our Prelates though their pretended Title of Iurisdiction be in some cleare Scriptures so expresly condemned both by Christ and his Apostles as hath been shewed as were sufficient to confound them and put them to perpetuall silence yet they leave no Stone unturned under which they might find but some worme for a baite to deceive the Simple Fish And therfore where they find but the least shadow or appearance or resemblance which may present to their fancy and imagination some aëry Image of their Hierarchie that they set up for all men to adore Now let us see what starting holes they find out for themselves in the holy Scripture First they alledge those Postscripts in the end of Pauls Second Epistle to Timothy and of that to Titus where in the one Timothy is said to be first Bishop of Ephesus and in the other Titus first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians These say they were Diocesan Bishops ordained by the Apostle And here say they we have Scripture for it Ergo we Bishops have our Authority Iure Divinâ— To both which places I answere First That those two Postscripts are no part of Canonicall Scripture or of the holy Text For as the learned Beza hath well observed they were not found in the most ancient Greek Copies nor yet in the vulgar Latin Translation no not to this day These were additions of some Monks that were made some hundred yeares after the Apostles So as in Ieromes time they were not extant as the Translation that goes in his Name can testifie which hath no such Postscrips Secondy our former and ancienter English Translations though they have those Postscripts yet they are put in a small character different from that of the Text that all men may take notice they are no part of the Text Although our All-Innovating Prelates of late have in the newer Impressions inlarged their Phylacteries in putting those Postscripts in the same full character with that of the Text that the Simple might beleeve they are Canonicall Scripture Thirdly Timothy and Titus are no where in Scripture called Bishops Fourthly Suppose they were such Bishops as the Scriptures approve of as before is shewed doth it therefore follow that they were Diocesan Bishops Lording over the Presbyters as our Lord Prelates doe Let them shew us that But fiftly it is cleare by Scripture that Timothy and Titus were neither Dioceâ—an Bishops nor yet Bishops of a particular Congregation such as the Scripture commends unto us Not Diocesan Bishops for first as yet there was no distribution of Diocese that came in afterward And secondly they were not tyed to any Residence either Diocesan or Parochiall And neither as yet was the Church divided into Parishes Now the reason why Timothy and Titus were no such Bishops is because they were * Euangelists whose Office was to attend upon the Apostles and to be sent by them now to one Church now to another and that in remote Countries and farre distant one from another where they stayed no longer then the Apostles thought expedient having occasion to imploy them in other places as we may read Tit. 1. 5. and 3. 12. Phil. 2. 19. 23. 2 Cor. 8. 16. 18 19. and 12. 17 18. Col. 4. 7 8 1 Thess. 3. 2. 5 and in sundry other places So as Timothy and Titus and other Euangelists
All these things are mine and to those that will fall downe and worship me I give them that is All that will be Prelates and so will be my Servants in oppressing Gods Word in persecuting Christs Saints and Ministers in exercising their Lordly Iurisdiction over the Consciences of Gods people captiving them with manyfold ceremonies of will-worship to â—hâ— destruction of Christs Kingdome of Mans Salvation and of that liberty from all Spirituall bondage the redemption from which cost Christ his best blood to those I will give rich Prelacies goodly houses and Palaces a Princely Traine and Retinue a Lordly Revenew and all the pleasures and contentments which the world can afford And thus we have found out the very Source of this Egyptian Nilus the prime Author and Patron of all such Prelacie as falsely pretends its Title to be de jure divino yea even from Christ himselfe It followeth in the Text ver. 24. And when the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the two brethren Observe here of these Disciples as yet carnall some are ambitious and the rest envious For all of them before Christs Resurrection were ambitious of Prelacie as we read in the place forecited So as hence we may note that such as affect and are ambitious of Prelacie they are carnall men which savour the things of the flesh worldly minded such as the Apostle speaks of that § are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things They have a wisdome indeed but †such as is not from above but is earthly sensuall and develish as Iames speaketh And whereupon speakes he it In the former verse he had sayd If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lye not against the truth And this was the wisdome of these carnall Disciples they were ambitious and envious one against another yea they did a'ganaktein stomack and maligne one another in the point of Prelacy For ambition and envy are two inseperable twinnes like those of Hypocrates they are borne together live together and dye together And as Iames in the former place addeth For where envying and strife is there is confusion kai pan phaulon pragma and every evill worke Now to apply this to our Prelates what men in the world more ambitious of Prelacie and more envious one against another In those Primitive times at the first Councel of Nice what bundles and fardles of complaints did those Prelates bring one against another and all this arose from their ambition and 〈◊〉 each seeking precedency of his Sea before another And the fire was so kindled that had not Constantine the Emperour caused all the Bills of complaints to be cast into the fire together it had been enough to have set all the world in a combustion And the Prelate of Canterbury in his said Book confesseth * that the onely difficulty was to accommodate the places and precedencies of Bishops among themselves And afterwards what a hot stirre was between Iohn of Constantinople and GREGORY of Rome for the precedencie of their Seas and for the Supreme Headship it selfe And heretofore between the Prelates of Canterbury and Yorke for the universall Metropolitanship over all England But let us further hearken to what Christ saith But Iesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them But it shall not be so among you And Luke expresseth it thus The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authoritie upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so All is to one effect Which is Christ here forbids his Disciples to exercise any such Dominion or Auhortity or Lordship either over one another or upon his Church as Heathen Princes doe use over their People And this he applies to their ambition of Prelacie which Prelacie he samples and parallells with the Dominion Authority and Lordship which Heathen Princes exercise over their people These words of Christ are so expresse and full that Bellarmine hath no other Shift to ward off the blow but to say that Christ here forbids his Disciples the exercise of all Temporall Authority and jurisdiction such as Heathen Princes used but not of spirituall Dominion and Lordship Authority and jurisdiction over the Church But it is more cleare then the Sun that Christ forbids here to his Disciples all manner of Dominion and Lordship either over one another or over the Church of God as over Gods Ministers and People First for Lordship over one another the said Arch-prelate of Canterbury confesseth Christ gave them none And secondly for Lordship over Gods heritage the Apostles themselves afterwards both disclaimed in themselves and condemned in others as we shall see hereafter And by the way by Bellarmines own confession all Temporall Lordship or Government is condemned in Prelates But now for our Prelates Quo jure doe they de facto exercise such Authority and Dominion such Lordship and Jurisdiction over Gods Ministers and People as differeth nothing at all from the State of Heathen Princes This Christ expresly forbids to his Disciples and therefore such as doe it are none of his Disciples nor yet any of their Successors But they will say They are Spirituall Lords and exercise a Spirituall Lordship over the Church But this bare Title of Spirituall is too short a cloake to cover the nakednesse of so poore a shift They call themselves Spirituall when they are the most carnall men in the world Thus did those false * Apostles deceitfull workers transforme themselves into the Apostles of Christ Thus Antichrist himselfe whom the Scripture intitles ‡ the Man of sinne and the Son of perdition will salve all by Styling himselfe Holy Father yea Holinesse it selfe But to come a little more close and home to our Prelates those Spirituall Lords wherein doth their Spirituall Dominion and Lordship differ from that of Heathen Princes For first they assume the Title of Prince to themselves as the Arch-prelate in High Commission most bravely and boldly alledged Psal. 45. 16. for which he borrows Bellarmines Glosse Princes then they must be But what Princes Spirituall Nay by their Lordships favour they are Temporall Lords For how els come they to sit in Parliament cheek by jowle with the Princes and Peers of the Realme And do they not in all points beare the Image and represent Heathen Princes in their State and Dominion Have they not their Stately Palaces as they Have they not their Attendants and Officers of their House as they Doe they not goe in Purple and Scarlet Silkes and Velvets and fine linnen and faire deliciously every day as they Have they not their Courts and Officers their Tipstaves Lictors and Prisons as they And doe they not exercise their Authority without subjection to any
Princes those titles riches and honours that we have are but sutable to our dignity and serviceable to our Principality Then was then and now is now These things some great Pontificians and Popes themselves have alledged ‡ But Bernard who was one of their owne writing to Pope Eugenius and telling him plainly and freely of all his Pontificiall Pomp and how unlike therein he was to Christ and his Apostles saith Scilicet sic factitabat Petrus sic paulus ludebat Did Peter I pray you doe thus Did Paul play such play Si anderem dicere Daemonum magis quam ovium pascua haec If I durst speake it these are the pastrues of Devils rather then of the Sheep Honori totum datum datur Sanctitati nihil aut parum All is given to honour but little or nothing to holinesse But he puts their allegation as I sayd before Absit inquiunt tempori non convenit What should holinesse doe say they It is not sutable for our times Thus Bernard But we need goe no further then to the Painter whom the Pope set a worke in his Gallery to draw the pictures of Peter and Paul who having painted their faces blushing redde and the Pope coming in to see his worke and asking him If Peter and Paul had such redde faces because he had so painted them No quoth he but if they were here now and did behold what a glorious rich and magnificent Successor they have they would blush as redde as now you see their pictures doe And his Holinesse was very well pleased with the Painters Conceit to see himselfe a braver man then ever poore Peter and Paul were whose Successor notwithstanding he boasts himselfe to be For what els but a Sweet Fable doth the Pope make of the Gospel as himselfe said And surely we cannot thinke that Prelates who are the limbs of this great Beast are of any other Spirit then Atheisticall such as the Head himselfe is of and which he hath derived to his Members Well hitherto we have heard Christs Sentence concerning Prelacy in the Church and that negatively denyed to his Apostles as a thing heathenish and carnall and so which turnes Christs Spirituall Kingdome into a meere carnall and temporall yea profane and heathenish Kingdome But it shall not be so among you Ergo Prelates as before is noted are none of Christs Disciples and their Prelacie or Hierarchy none of his Institution or Ordinance but flatly forbidden and condemned by hm Now a word of the affirmative part of his Answere wherein the shews what manner of men his true Disciples must be Verse 27. c. But whosoever wil be great among you let him be your Minister and whosever wil be chiefe among you let him be your Servant The Summe is Christs Apostles and Disciples must be humble men and Servants to their brethren not Lords over them For these two are opposed one to the other Prelacy is for proud men humility for Christs Disciples Christs Disciples then and Prelates cannot stand together And pride is not the way to come to sit the next to Christs right hand but humility He that is most humble shal be exalted to the greatest honour As Christ saith here whosoever wil be chiefe among you let him be your Minister or Servant That 's the way to be the chiefe Lastly in the next words Christ sets himselfe for an example Even as saith he the Son of man came not be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many And the Servant is not above his Lord And as Christ humbled himselfe below all men So for that cause God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name above every Name that in the Name of Iesus every knee should bow c. that is as Christ made himselfe the Servant of all So God hath made him now the Lord of all this is that Name above every Name So as In this Name to bow is not an hypocriticall and Superstitious bowing of the knee of the body when ever the bare Name Iesus is named when the Name Christ is nothing regarded but it is an acknowledgement that Iesus Christ is the Lord and Iudge of all to the glory of God the Father as there the Apostle speakes So as he there saith * Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Iesus Thus true humility is the way to honour in Christs Kingdome he that fits lowest at Christs footstoole here shall sit highest at his right hand in heaven So as this is not such an humility as was in the Monke that alwayes went hanging down his head untill at length he came to be Prior and then being asked why now he held up his head he answered I have now found the Keys of the Covent Nor as of another that being a Frier would cover his Table with a piece of an old Fisher-net in token of his humility but coming to be Abbat he cast away his Net and being asked why he said I have now taken the Fish Neither are Christs words so to be taken as the Pope stiles himselfe Servus Servorum Dei Servant of the Servants of God under which Title he hath made himselfe Dominus Dominantium Lord of Lords Nor because Pope Gregory was the first that styled himselfe Servus Servorum Dei and his next Successor but one Boniface 3. got the Title of Vniversalis Episcopus universall Bishop therfore Christ requires such an humility as aymes at temporall promotion But he is truly humble that denyes himselfe and tramples on the worlds preferments preferring Christs rebukes before the treasures of Egypt and to suffer afflictions with the people of God rather then to injoy the pleasures of sinne for a season This is that humility which brings us to that Recompence of Reward to sit at Christs right hand And thus much of Christs words wherein he declares his mind touching Prelacy so as he never thought it fittest to governe his Church by Prelates as the said Archprelate is not ashamed to bely him and so to blaspheme him Therfore the Hierarchy is no Institution of Christ and so not jure devino of divine Authority CHAP. III. Wherein sundry passages of the Prelate in his said Booke for the mainteynance of his Hierarchy and so for the disabling of the Authority and Evidence of the Holy Scripture are met withall FOr concerning the Scripture he hath writ a large Treatise or * Section of his Relation of almost 15 Sheets of paper wherein he extremely abuses the clearenesse and Sufficiencie of Scripture as wanting light enough of it selfe to show it to be the word of God untill the Authority and Tradition of the present Church doe light it And for proofe hereof he saith that God in his Providence hath kindled in it no light for that Thus belying and blaspeming Gods Providence It shal be sufficient to name and note this onely for the present the confutation thereof requiring a larger
good as the former and no better For what Laws of the Realme doth he account just Those that crosse any Prelaticall practises and Antichristian lawlesse courses of his Spirituall Courts Surely those are not to be ranked among the just Laws of the Realme those must needs be unjust Laws which are made to restraine the Infolencie and Lawlesse proceedings of Prelaticall Courts Which is the reason that now of late under this Archprelate Prohibitions out of the Kings bench to the High-Commission are so gueason so well Schooled are both Lawyers to move and Judges to grant any such thing Thus the Prelates practises are a sufficient Commentary of his owne words So as the Summe of this his whole passage is That his Church of England must submit her beliefe to her Arch Bishops and Bishops as visible Iudges left by Christ to governe and to determine all matters of difference in point of Faith and Religion and that according to Scripture too so farre as they crosse not her own Canons and those of the Catholicke Church wherein England and Rome are one and the Same one Church of one Faith of one Religion And all this if we may beleeve her Metropolitan the Church of England beleeves O miserable Church CHAP. IIII. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate in his Booke touching the Authority of his Hierarchie are met withall and confuted by evidence of Scripture IN his * Epistle Dedicatory he hath these words She the Church of England practises Church-Government as it hath been in use in all Ages and all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both in and ever since the Apostles times and yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline So he A bold Speech and the more bold because most false and hath nothing but his bare Ipse dixit his naked affirmation as Authority sufficient Whence I note sundry particulars First that he calleth the Hierarchie or Ecclesiasticall Government therof the Church of England A thing familiar with Prelates to make themselves the Church And such a Church as that of Rome the Pope and his Priests or Prelates are the Church as themselves affirme Whereas indeed as Iunius hath well distinguished â— they are not the Body it selfe of the Church but â—â—ennes or swellings grown up and so incorporated into the Body as overspreading it like a Leprosie it assumes the denomination of the Body And such are Prelates who in the Church of England are Strumae great swellings like the Kings Evill which are commonly next the Head or about the necke in the most principall parts of the Body Onely in this they will not be called the Kings Evill because they claime their Originall from Christ as before is noted and therfore though they be but certaine Abscessus or Apostemes and so indeed Apostatâ—s from the true Church of Christ which not onely deforme the Body but greatly in danger the life thereof yet the name of Church they challenge in peculiar to themselves But surely the true Church of Christ in England disclaimes communion with such a false Church as the Hierarchie calls it selfe Secondly he saith that his Church or Prelaticall Government hath been in all Times and Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting Here he finely excludes all the Protestant Reformed Churches as no Churches of Christ because they have weeded out those * bittet roots whereby many are defiled and rooted up those plants ‡ which our heavenly Father hath not planted to wit all Prelates with their Hierarâ—hicall Government which being rooted out of those Churches the Gospell blessed be God and so the true Church of Christ hath taken the deeper and firmer rooting and brought forth the more abundant ‡ fruits of holinâ—sse But the Prelate in thus unchurching all true Reformists is as good as his word which he openly spake at Dr. Bastwicks Censure in High-Commission saying The Protestant Churches beyond the Seas were no Churches as having no Bishops calling Calvin a plaine Rascall But so long as those Churches have the true Bishops namely Orthodox and Sound Pastors to feed their severall â—locks it is not the Arch-prelate that can so easily degrade them from being Christs true Churches as he can deprive those Ministers both of Ministry and Meanes who are obnoxious to his Church-Goâ—ernment Thirdly where he saith that his Church-Government hath been in use in all Ages and in all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both In and ever since the Apostles times although this be most false yet were it true it would not therupon follow that this his Church-Government is either Apostolicall or jure divino or from Christ For first every thing that hath been in use in the Apostles times and in the true Church of Christ is not therfore Apostolicke or such as the true Church of Christ alloweth of For we read that the Mistery of Iniquity began to worke in the Apostles times and even then there were § many Antichrists and that in the very midst of the Church in those dayes †And if Prelates shall prove to be those Antichrists which the Apostles detected and described by their qualities as will appeare anonâ— then because such Antichrists were extant and their Church-Government in use in the Apostles times will the Prelate therfore conclude such were Apostolicke and had their Originall jure divino Secondly neither can the Prelate ever prove that his Prelaticall Government as now of later and of long time it hath been is any thing like to the Church-Government exercised by those who took upon them to be the first Diocesan or Provinciall Bishops in those ages succeeding the Apostles He that shall read the Centuries Catâ—lagus Testiunâ— veritatis and other true Church Stories shall find as vast a difference between those poore ancient Bishops both in their manner of life and Church-Government and the moderne Prelotes since Antichrist mounted aloft in his Pontificalibus as the * Poet makes between the Silver Age and the Iron Age or as the ‡ Prophet shews between the brazen brest of the Image of the Babylonish Empire and the feet mixt of iron and clay And that Image may well resemble the State of the Spirituall Babylon or Hierarchy which had its rise of simple and small beginnings but by degrees Successively it grew and got strength and both height and bredth and so became at length of a blind Brooke a goodly navigable River so as the Church turned a City of Traffique and Trade in all worldly pleasures and riches as Babylon is described Revel. 18. and so the more worldly it grew the more wicked proud tyrannicall lordly and imperious and of a Militant Church turned Triumphant as the Prelate himselfe saith of Rome so as now the Church Government of the Prelates in regard of their great Courts and Consistories and doing all things without the Presbyteryâ— is as much unlike that ancient
whereof is to be ascribed to the Hierarchy of Prelates over their inferiour Clergy Thirdly where he saith Though S. Jerome being no Prelate himselfe he was no greâ—t friend to Bishops Hence I note onely the conceit of the Prelate that he thinks none can speake against Prelates but such as are none themselves as if it were onely a matter of envie But as the Poet said Dic mibi si fiâ—l tis Lâ—â— qualis erisâ— Tell me if thou thy selfe wert a Lion what manner of man wouldst thou be So the Prelate imagines that if any of those that speake against the Authority of Prelates were themselves Lions that is Lord Prelates they would be of another mind they would then say We Prelates have Authority over all Inferiour Priests Jure Divino we are the Sole visible living Iudges to determine and resolve all doubts in matters of Faith and Religion we are the Sole Masters of Ceremonies to bind all men to Canonicall obedience to all our Canons and Constitutions we enjoy honours pleasures riches ease delights of the world favours in Court and what not Thus the Prelate thinks all men would be of his mind were they in his Place And I thinke so too thus farre that they who take upon them the Prelacy they no sooner sit in that Chaire but it proves a Chaire of Pestilence unto them infecting and corrupting mans very reason and judgement so farre as to make him beleeve all is gold that glistereth Onely few come to that Chaire but such as are selfe-infected with their own imbred Plagues as pride Ambition Covetousnesse and that in a high Degree So as King Iames being once asked why he had made so many Bishops in Scotland and not one honest man amongst them all he replyed saying By his Saule there was never an Honest Man wad tack a Bishopricke And Histories tell us of many holy men that utterly refused Bishopricks And there is never a true Reformed Protestant Minister but hates a Bishoprick as he doth the Throne of the Beast But Fourthly saith the Prelate This to wit Anthority of Bishops was so settled in the minds of men from the very Infancy of the Christian Church as that it had not been to that time in the 4th Age or Century contradicted by any No doubt but such a brave and bonny thing as a Prelacy would find Grace enough in the world and quickly sink down and settle in mens minds and affections But what 's this to the purpose as to prove it a Calling from Godâ— But this was saith he from the very Infancy of the Christian Church Surely the Prelacy in the very Infancy of the Christian Church either had no being at all iâ—rerum natura or was but a misshapen Embrio or infant in the Mothers belly as Esâ—â— was at the same time in his Mothers belly with Isaac yea and would have claimed the blessing of the birth-right too from Isaac because of his antiquity And did not this young Babe wrastle with 〈◊〉 in the wombe when the Apostle saith The Mystery of iniquity doth already works and this young Prelate wanted but time and opportunity to grow up to be a Nimrod even the great Antichrist as we shall see further anon So as to plead Antiquity of the Prelacy even from the very Infancy of the Christian Church is yet no good Argument to confirme their Authority to be jure divino For even Satans Kingdome had existence in the world before Christ was Promised And the Kingdome of heaven to wit of 〈◊〉 here is described to be such as no sooner was the wheat of the Gospell sowne but that wicked one had his Supersemination of Tares of manifold â—rrors such as sprung up even in the Apostles times the very Infancy of the Church But had not been till that time which the Prelate speakes of contradicted by any That I must now contradict For first as before is shewed Christ forbad it upon the first motion of it Secondly the Apostles of which we shall speake by and by mightily contradicted it and cryed it down as being that monstrous mystery of Iniquity And thirdly it was contradicted by sundry as by 〈◊〉 But you will presently say that Epiphanius ranks him even for that very opinion only that he held Prelates not to be de jure divino or that the Degree of a Bishop was no greater then that of a Priest in the Catalogue of Hereticks And so am I also content upon the same termes to be by the Prelates counted for an Hereticke But Secondly himselfe confesseth S. Ierome to have contradicted their Authority as we noted before saying that their Institution was meerly of humane Presumption Yea and thirdly Augustine that Famous light was of the same mind with Ierome So as some of the Learned in the * Councel of Trent alledged both of them in this point So that contradicted it was and had been and that by many and some of them as Christ and his Apostles of Divine and Infallible Authority So as without all Controversie Prelaticall Authority over other Ministers is no Calling of God at all which we now come more fully to shew by the Testimony of the Apostles both in their Doctrine and Practise CHAP. VI Wherein is shewed that according to the Scripture Preshyters and Bishops are all one without difference so as he which is a Presbyter is called Episcopus a Bishop and a Bishop a Presbyter THe first place of Scripture that proves this is in Acts 20. where the Apostles called together the Presbyters or Elders of the Church of Ephesus as ver. 17. which Elders or Presbyters in v. 28. he calls Episcopus saying Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the Flocke over the which the Holy Ghâ—st hath made you Episcopous that is Overseers as our English renders the word or Bishops to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood From which words it is manifest First that Presbyters and Bishops are all one and the same Order Calling and Office Secondly that in the Church of Ephesus there were many Bishops or Presbyters Thirdly that they had their Calling from the Holy Ghost Fourthly that their Office was to feed the Flock of God over the which the Holy Ghost had made them Overseers And for this Cause such are called elsewhere * Pastors and Teachers right Shepheards indeed that feed the Flocke of God Now will our Prelates say First that they are those Episcopi What more contrary to their Canons and practise For First they doe not allow that every Presbyter be called a Bishop nor to be of the same Order Calling and Office For they say that the Order Calling and Office of a Bishop or Prelate is distinct and different from that of the Presbytery Secondly the Prelates have an old Canon that there must be but one Bishop in one City or Diocese But here we see the Church of Ephesus that one City had many Bishops in
England Oh how doth he triumph in his Chaire as in his Charet Yea more specially how did he triumph over those Three his Remarkable men whom he looking out at the Court-window beheld standing on the Pillory and loosing their Eares and Blood how did he then applaud his politicke pate and potent credit in Court that he could thus anékesta without rememedy as the ‡ Story saith of the Tyrant Licinius a persecuter of the Christians overthrow the most innocent Cause and therein the most innocent Persons and without all colour of contradiction the Minister that ever was Judged in any Christian Court Thus he triumphed over them though their triumph over him and all his Antichristian lawlesse cruelty in that their most constant couragious and invincible cheerfullnes in suffering was as much more glorious and noble as his was most Ignoble and Base But thus I say the Prelate with his Prelaticall Church must be Triumphant Militant no longer but in warring against the Lambe and his poore followers So as this Prelate with his Confederates are the Successors of the High-Priests Scribes and Pharisees and of Edmund Bonner and Stephen Gardiner those bloody Butchers and Wolves which devoured and destroyed Christs Sheep in Queen Maries dayes and therein were the Church-Triumphant in England But this by the way Returne we now whence we have a little as it were digressed though not impertinent to our Purpose in hand which is to shew the true difference between the true Ministers of Christ and those of Antichrist Seventhly therefore Not as Lording it â—ver Gods Heritage but being Ensamples to the Flocke Now wherein are our Lord Prelates Ensamples to the Flocke In their humble carriage In their meeknesse of spirit In the moderation of their government In their continencie and contempt of Riches Honours Pleasures Ease and the like Nay are they not Examples to the world farre be it from Gods Flocke of extreme Pride Ambition Covetousnesse Voluptuousnesse Idlenesse Profanesse Lawlessenesse extreme Cruelty barbarous Injustice implacable Malice and intolerable Tyranny palpable Hypocrisie and such like Prelaticall vertues and graces the most proper and peculiar indowments inseperable qualities of their Hierarchie Eightly and lastly true Elders or Bishops that with a good Conscience feed Gods Flocke both with the wholsome food of sound Doctrine and with the holy Example of a good life shall when the chiefe Shepheard shall appeare receive a Crown of glory that fadeth not away Where I observe two particulars that Iesus Christ is the onely Chiefe or Arch-Shepheard O' A' rkipóimen So as here is no place either for Pope over the universall Church or Metropolitan over a whole Kingdome or for Arch-prelate over the Provinciall or yet Prelate over all the Shepheards in his Dioceseâ— for then such should be A' rkipoÃmenes the Cheif Shepheards but this Title and Office is peculiar to Christ alone and incommunicable to any other Nor did Peter himselfe arrogate to himselfe any such Title but was content with * oâ— tumpresbúteros a Fellow-Elder as if an equall to those Elders or Presbyters to whom he writ The second particular I note is that all such Presbyters or true Bishops as aforesaid may and do most certainly expect and shall most surely receive at the appearing of the Chief Shepheard an immarcescible Crown of Glory-Behold here is such a Reward as no Lord Prelate can expect or hope for For these are rightly resembled by ‡ Dives to whom being in hell torments and desiring one drop of water to coole his tongue Abraham answered Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things c. For he had gone in his purple and fine linnen and fared deliciously every day while mercilessy he suffered poore Lazarus to lye at his gate full of sores yeelding him no reliefe or comfort at all saving that his dogs came and licked his Sores Aâ—d doe not our Diveses our rich Lord Prelates and which of them is poore goe in their Purple Satten Velvet and the finest lynnen as their Lawn sleeves and Rochet and faire deliciously every day not induring once in their lives with their good wills to keep one extraordinary Fast day so zealous are they of the observation of Lent and other Embers wherin they can faire deliciously with the choycest Fish and Fruits and Wines and other Cates So as with Dives they have their good things here Only these come short of and outstrip Dives in some things For First Dives yet suffered Lazarus to be layd at his doores but these beat away the true Lazars from their doores 2. Dives suffered his dogs to shew so much compassion as to lick Lazarus his sores but our Lord Prelates doe set their dogs at the true Lazarusses to teare them in pieces 3. Lazarus brought his sores with him Dives did not cause them but our Lord Prelates doe fill Gods Lazarusses full of wounds which they carry away with them not scaping from their Gates with a whole Skin 4. Lazarus was willingly layd at Dives his gates but Gods Lazarusses never come to the Lord-Bishops Gates but with an ill will when they are hayld and pull'd 5. Dives denyed his Crummes to Lazarus because they were of his bread to feed his dogs but the Prelates doe not onely deny any one Crumme of mercy when they are offended or to doe right when the Lazarusses are injured but they doe also rob pill and poll them stripping them of all they have and so doe not relieve but make Lazars Againe on the other side Lazarus in some sort may be an Embleme of Gods true Ministers For Lazarus had all his evill things in this world So the good and faithfull Ministers of God must undergoe manifold afflictions tribulations and persecutions in the world as our Saviour * Christ forewarned his Disciples and so their true Successors to wit Godly and painfull Ministers of the Word who find their Masters words verified in themselves by manifold experince of tributations and persecutions which they mainly and chiefly suffer at the hands of Antichrist and his Antichristian Prelates as the world it selfe is able to beare witnesse In the Kingdome of England at this day who are the great persecuters yea and the onely oppressors of Gods faithfull and painfull Ministers and of all true Professors but these Lordly Prelates who will not suffer any one Minister or other to burrow within their Diocese if he doe but smell of a Puritan as they call them but do ferrit them out and hunt them to the death Where by the way it is cleare to all men that have but common sense that the Prelates which are and ever have been â—at least since Antichrist hath been aloft the most furious and fiery Persecuters of Gods good Ministers and people even for Religion sake are false Bishops falsely pretending their Iurisdiction from Christ and their Succession from the Apostles They might aswell say that they have Authority from Christ and his
also as in all the rest at least petty Gods Sitting in the Temple of God shewing themselvs to be so many Gods As for their materiall Princely Thrones in materiall Temples they have them set up in great State But this is nothing to that Throne which they have set up and wherein they sit and raigne over the Consciences and Soules of Gods people their multitude of Canons and Ceremonies being so many Laws by which they rule over them and so many bonds or Chaines whereby they hold them in Spirituall bondage And thus they sit also as God in the Timple of God shewing themselves to be God in saying they are Christs Vice-Roys and the Apostles Successors having Authority from Christ to exercise that their Iurisdiction and Power over Gods People who are the living Temples of the living God Thus we see all along how this Army of Priests as Gâ—egory and others call them the Prelates do follow their Captain and King Antichrist step by step in all his properties here described by the Apostle The last thing we propounded here to speake of is That Apostacie must goe before to strow the way to the full revealation of the Mystery of Iniquity and so of Antichrist which Apostacie was partly and primarily the Prelacie I say partly and primarily For partly the removall of the Imperiall Seat from Rome to Constanâ—inople by Constantine and partly the decaying and declyning of the Empire and partly the defection of sundry Kingdomes from the Empire made way for Antichrists greatnesse to which he grew not but by degrees and that through many Ages Yet the prime foundation of his Babylonian Tower was layd in the Apostles own times they labouring to hinder it all they could but not prevailing herein they preached and writ against it and so forewarned Gods people to beware of it And this foundation so long agoe begun to be layd was the Prelacie or rather the Spirit of Prelacie which had a time of working even while the Apostles lived and became to be as it were an Embrio or little Masse but did not receice the forme of a body till afterwards and was long a growing up untill it came to the full stature Now I say the spirit of Prelacie was the very beginning of the Apostacie which was Antichrists way-maker But how doth it appeare that this spirit of the Prelacie began to worke in the Apostles dayes And then secondly how will it appeare that this spirit of the Prelacy was and is an Apostacie For answere First that the Prelacie began to get life in the Apostle time it is manifest by sundry places of Scripture As 2. Cor. 11. 20. Ye suffer saith the Apostle to the Corinthians if a man bring you into bondage if a man devoure you if a man take of you if a man exalt himselfe if a man smite you on the face Now the Apostle meanes here of those immediately mentioned before to wit false Ministers whom he calls false Apostles deceitfull workâ—rs is transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ v. 13. 15. These as young Prelates would be Apostolicâ—ll men and they have the qualities of Prelates they Captivate Gods people as before they devoure take exalt themselves smiteâ— just Prelate-like And for brevity to omit sundry other places we find one pretty briske Prelaticall man in 3. Iob. 9. 10. his Name was Diotrephes and he did beare himselfe according to his Name as one of Iupiters nurslings his qualities are these 1. He loveth to have the preeminence 2. he receiveth not the Apostles and brethren 3. he prateth against them with malicious words 4. he neither receiveth the brethren and forbiddeth them that would 5. he casteth them out of the Church Loe here a pretty well grown Prelaticall Child a pregnant Sparke to make a Lord Prelate of For all his Properties are proper to a Prelate for a Prelate first loves the preeminence 2. though he pretend to Succeed the Apostles yet his deeds shew that he hates both their Doctrine and Example persecuting them in their true Successors 3. he receiveth not the brethren yea 4. he so hates the very name of holy brethren that he forbids all men to receive them and 5. he casteth them out of the Church he playes fy gib with his thunderbolt of Excommunication I might insist more and inlarge all these particulars but this may suffice to shew that the Spirit of the Prelacie was stirring in the wombe of the Church even while the Apostles lived Now for the Second it is no lesse true that the Spirit of the Prelacy was and is an Apostacy from Christ This first appeares by the Apostles former words of falling away first which made way for Antichrist And this began in the Prelacie for the Prelacy is the setting up of a new Church a new Kingdome turning Christs heavenly Kingdome into an earthly and the Spirituall into a carnall and the Kingdome of Grace into a Kingdome of terrene glory and the Church militant into a Church malignant and triumphant as before is noted and the true Catholicke Church which we beleeve to consist of all the Elect onely Christs living members into a new Catholicke visible Church of all nominall Christians tagge and ragge Papists and others and in a word the Church of Christ into the Church and Synogogue of Antichrist Is not here then a fearefull Apostacie and falling from Christ Time calls me off and therefore I must be very briefe I will adde therefore but one place more for the proofe of this That Prelacy is Apostacy from Christ It is in 1 Io. 2. 18. Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now are there many Antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Loe here is an Apostacie and it is of certaine Antichrists that were then sprung up even many Antichrists But how doth this concerne our Prelates Let us looke but a little lower and as before we found them wrapped in the Swadling Clouts of the Mystery of Iniquity So here we shall behold them in the very robes of Antichrist For v. 22. Who is a lyar but he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist c. Now what is it to deny Iesus to be the Christ Surely we must so take these words as we hold the Analogie of faith and so as they crosse not the Mystery of Iniquity which we shewed before to be a denying of Christ under a colour of confessing him Now then there is a twofold denyall of Christ one in words another in works So the Apostle saith of such * They porfesse that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good worke reprobate So