before those nine and thirty Artieles of our Church were established was accomplished So as he did not assume on himselfe that Office but was thereunto called by lawfull Authority And as for the latter of our Decrees before mentioned cited by R.B. whereby it is ordained that those who be consecrated according to the Tenor of King Edwards Booke are thereby adjudged to be lawsully consecrated if it were true as R. B. affirmes it that King Edwards Book of Consecration was dead at the very time of Archbishop Parkers consecration or if he were not consecrated in all particulars according to the Tenor and prescript of that Booke yet it does not follow that his Consecration must be utterly void and invalid as R. B. resolutely affirmes it pretending that the Standing or overthrow of our Protestants whole religion depends thereon for if so it would go very far for overthrow of the antient Church or at least it would receive a deadly wound thereby For notwithstanding the Councell of Sardica ordained Episcopus non prius ordinaretur nisi et ante Lectoris munere et officio Diaconi et Presbyteri fuerit perfunctus et ita per singulos gradus sidignus fuerit ascendat in Culmen Episcopatus potest enim per has promotiones quae habent utiq prolixum tempus probari quâ fide sit quâve modestiâ et gravitate et verecundiâ A bishop may not be ordained unlesse he hath first performed the duty of a Reader and the office of a Deacon and Presoyter and so through each degree if he shall be found worthy let him ascend the height of Episcopacy for by these promotions which verily require long time He may be tryed of what faith modesty gravity and reverence he is yet neverthelesse Eusebius (a) Deacon of Alexandria was immediately made Bishop of Laodicea and (b) Nectarius a neophyte and unbaptized Catechumene was elected Patriarch of Constantinople (b.c) and presently made Bishop in the second generall Counsell held at Constantinople (a c c) And St. Ambrose of a consul was baptized and Consecrated Bishop of Millaine d And Eusebius a Magistrate was baptized and made Archbishop of Cesarea (e) And also Saint Tharasius being a lay-man was consecrated a Bishop And (f) in like sort Petrus Moronaeus of a lay-man was made Pope of Rome And I beleeve nether R. B. nor any well advised Romanist will or dare say their Consecrations were void much lesse can R. B. irritate or make void the Consecration of Arch-bishop Parker if it were true that King Edwards Booke of Consecration was indeed atterly dead at the time of his Consecration because our Decree concerning that Book before ricited does not ordaine that if any Consecration be Celebrated not in all and every Punctilio of that Book that such Consecration is judged deemed and decreed to be utterly void and of none effect No that Article is utterly Silent therein it onely affirmatively sayes that such as are Consecrated according to the tenor of that Booke are deemed and decreed to be rightly lawfully Consecrated so as the Conclusion inferred by R. B. cannot be supported by the premisses try it syllogistically and it will be most manifest Whosoever is Consecrated Bishop according to the rites of King Edwards Booke of Consecration is rightly lawfully Consecrated so sayes our Article But Doctor Parker was not Consecrated according to the tenor of King Edwords Book of Consecration so sayes R. B. in regard it was then dead and not mâ—rerum natura as he alledgeth ergo Doctor Parker was not rightly lawfully Consecrated so is the Conclusion of R B. which is a false syllogisme being in no figure nor mood nor any way consonane to the rules of dialectical argumentation if the little skill I have in that Learning does not misguide me very much For it were necessary for maintenance of this Conclusion of R. B. That Doctor Parker was not rightly and lawfully Consecrated and thereby our whole Râ—ligion overthrowne that our Decree should have bin of this Tenor viz Such as are Consecrated Bishops in an other manner than is prescribed by K. Edwards Booke of Consecration we decree him to be unrightly and unlawfully Consecrated thereon R. B. mighthave had some colour or matter to inferre his Conclusion with this manner of argument Num. 7 Whensoever is consecrated Bishop in any other manner forme or fashion thou is prescribed by King Edwards Booke of Consecration be is not rightly orderly or lawfully comsecrated But Doctor Parker was consecrated in an other mammer forme and fashion than is preseribed by King Edwards Book of consecration Ergo Doctor Parker was not rightly orderly or lawfully consecrated And yet this would not directly maintaine this Pontifician's Conclusion unlesse it went more directly thus Whosoever is consecrated Bishop in other manner than according to King Edwards Booke his Consecration is irruat and voyd But Doctor Parker was consecrated in other manner than is prescribed by King Edwards booke Ergo Doctor Parkers Consecration is irruate and voyd But this matter being already most learnedly handled and most soundly cleered by such Heroes of our Church as I am unworthy to hold the candle unto I have been too long on this point because the thing undertaken by me here is not to consider how well and sufficiently R. B. hath disputed but how truely hee hath spoken in the matters by him brought into question wherin the issue is whether King Edwards Booke of Consecration being put to Death by Queene Maries lawes was never revived to life till the making of our Nine and thirtie Articles in Anno 1562 in the fourth yeare of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth Num. 8 For the better discovery of the truth wherof I thinke it meet here to set downe the substance of the severall Acts of Parliament concerning the matter viz. Statute 2. 3. Edw. 6. cap. 1. The Kings Majestie hath appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury and certaine of the most learned and discreet Bishops and other learned men of this Real me to draw and make one convenient and meet order rite and fashion of common and open Prayer and administration of the Sacraments to be had and used in England and Wales The which with one uniforme agreement is of them concluded in a Booke intituled The Booke of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies after the use of the Church of England wherefore it be ordained and enacted that all Ministers shall be bounden to say and use the Mattens Evensong Celebration of the Lords Supper and all their Common and open Prayer in such Order and Forme as is mentioned in the same Booke and none other nor otherwise Numb. 9 By this Stature there was onely the Forme of Common Prayer Adminisiration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies established But the Forme of Consecration of Bishops and Ordination of Priests and Deacons was not thereby settled or
established And therefore afterwards there was made The Statute of 5. and 6. of King Edward the fixt Cap. 1. The Kings most excellent Majestie hath caused the aforesaid Order of Common Service intituled The Booke of Common Prayer to be faithfully and godly perusâ—d explained and made fully perfect and hath Adjoyned it to this present Statute adding also a Forme and manner of making and Consecrating of Archbishops Bishops Priests and Deacons to be of like force authority and value as the same like aforesaid Booke intituled The Booke of Common Prayer was before and to be accepted received used esteemed in like sort and manner as by the said Act of the second yeare of the Kings Majesties raigne was ordained for uniformity of Service and administration of the Sacraments And the aforesaid Act to stand in full force to and for the establishing the Booke of Common Prayer now explained and hereunto annexed And also the said Forme of making Archbishops Bishops Priests and Deacons hereunto annexe is it was for the former Book And Bee it further enacted that if any person shall wittingly or wilfully heare or be present at any other form of Common Prayer Administration of Sacraments making of Ministers and other Rites then are mentioned in the said Booke shall suffer c. Hereby as is manifest the forme both of Common Prayer Celebration of the Sâ—â—amâ—nâ—s and also Ordination and Consecration of Bishops Priests and Deacons was made One intire Booke or volume And afterwards Queene Marie haâ—ing attained the Crowne did as R. B. sayes make an Act of Repeale in Anno primo regni sui cap. 2. Thus It is enacted and established that one Act of Parliament in 2. Edward 6. intituled an Act for the uniformity of Service and Administration of the Sacraments throughout the Realme and also one other Act made 5. Edward 6. entituled An Act for the uniformity of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments shall be from henceforth utterly Repealed and of none effect This being that Act of Parliament which R. R. sayes killed King Edwards Booke of Consecration it is to be observed that this Act of Repeale doe's expressely neither mention any thing in particular nor in precise words repeale any Law made for preseribing the forme of Consecration c. But it doe's repeale and mention onely the foresaid Lawes intituled Acts for the uniformity of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments which particular is not here urged to gainesay it but that thereby The authority for that manner of Consecration and Ordination was repealed and annihilated but it is here offered for removall of a weake objection which peradventure may be made upon the Statute of Revier hereafter mentioned made in the very beginning of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth Num. 10 But such was the high wisedome of Royall Queene Elizabeth of ever most famous memory as that notwithstanding the confident affirmation of R. B. there was not in her raigne for preventing of all scruples doubts and quarels any Consecration till Queene Maries Law therein was repealed and made vtterly voyd by Stat. 1. Eliz. cap. 2. thus Wheras at the death of our late Soveraign Lord King Edward the sixt there remained one uniforme Order of Common Service and Prayer and administration of Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies in the Church of England authorized by Act of Parliament holden in the sift and sixt yeares of our said late Soveraigne King Edward the sixt intituled an Act for the uniformioy of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments the which was repealed and taken away by Act of Parliament in the first yeare of the raigne of our late Soveraigne Lady Queene Mary to the great decay of the honour of God and discomfort to the Professors of the Truth of Christs Religion Be it enacted by Authority of this present Parliament that the Estatute of Repeale and every thing therein conteined onely concerning the said Booke and the Service Administration of the Sacraments rites and Ceremonies cont eyned or appointed in or by the said Booke shall be void and of none effect from and after the Feast of the Nativity of Saint Iohn Baptist next comming And that the said Booke with the Order of Service Administration of the Sacraments Rites and Ceremonies with the Alterations and Additions therein added and appointed by this Statute shall stand and be from and after the said Feast of the Nativity of Saint Iohn Baptist in full force and effect according to the tenor and effect of this Statute any thing in the foresaid Estature of Repeale to the contrary not withstanding Now by this Acte of Parliament the aforesaid Acte of Queene Mary being repealed as concerning this very Booke which comprised in it as well the Consecration of Bishorps and Ordination of Priests and Deacons as the Celebration of Divine Servic and administration of the Sacraments And from and after Mid-Summer then following in Anno 1559. The same Booke being in all things become againe in full vigour and force then afterwards was Doctor Parker our first Protestant Bishop which was made in Queene Elizabeths Raigne elected and consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury for ought by R.B. urged to the contrary rightly orderly lawfully according to publike knowne and allowed Square rule forme order fashion which Booke and all Consecrations ab initio regni Elizabethae Reginae were againe Confirmed by Acte of Parliament 8. Elizab. cap. 1. not for any need of it but to satisfie some causelesse scrupulofities If it be objected That in this last Act there is no expresse mention of Consecration then it is answered as before touched That Queene Maries Lawe made no expresse mention of Consecration neither But to make it Sans doubt by this Law is Queene Maries Law made utterly voyd Whereby King Edwards Lawes therein became in force And more-over by this Law of Queene Elizabeth that Booke which is but one Totum is recontinued and set in it 's full strength and vertue Hereby it appeares what little regard R. B. had either to the force of truth or to his owne Reputation and credit by affirming with bold considence that this Booke was first called from Death to life by the nine and thirty Articles only and that the Church of England had not for the space of foure yeares any publicke allowed forme of consecration of Bishops or Ordination of Priests and Deacons SECT. II. R.B. OBIECTION II. Num. 11 AGaine the first Protestant Censecration or admittance of any to be a Bishop by that Booke or Order in Queene Elizabeths Raigne was on the 17 day of December in her second yeare as they pretend from the Register of Marthew Parker But their owne both private and publike Authorities prove that both Matthew Parker their first pretended Archbishop and others were received and allowed for Arch-Bishops and Bishops about 6 moneths before their first pretended Consecration on the 17 of December For Parker Barlow Scory and Grindall were
Parisiis 1631. Petrus Paludanus Panormitarms 1527. Ruewardus Tapperus Coloniae 1577. Registrum Cantuariense in libris pergamenis in officina Registrarii principalis Archiepiscopi Cantuariensis in vico vocato Doctors Comous Lon Sleidonnis Argeotorari 1558. A DISCOVERY OF A notable Fraude and Deceit committed by R. B. a Seminarie Priest upon Two of the Articles of the Church of England SECT. I. Num. 1 THis Romish Adversary R. B. raises his Engines for undermining of our Church upon these two severall Articles of ours to wit the Three and twentieth Articles and the sixe and thirtieth Article following It is not lawfull for any man to take upon him the office of publike preaching in the Congregation before he be lawfully called and sent to execute the same and those wee ought to judge lawfully called and sent which be chosen and called to this worke by men who have publike authority given them in the Congregation to call and send Ministors in the Lords Vineyard The booke of Consecration of Archbishops and ordering of Priests and Deacons lately set forth in the time of K. Edward the sixt and confirmed the same time by authority of Parliament doth containe all things necessary to such Consecration and ordering neither had it any thing that of it selfe is superstitious or ungodly and therefore whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the Rites of that Booke since the second yeare of the aforenamed King Edward unto this time or shall be hereafter consecrated or Ordered according to the same Rites we decree all such to be rightly and lawfully consecrated and ordered Upon these Two Articles are Three such Engines devised by R. B. for overthrow of the Foundation of the visible and outward Entity of our Church of England in point of Consecration and Ordination here delivered in his owne words as are novell and consequently unconfuted The particulars whereof are as followeth R. B. OBIECTION I. Num. 2 This new Protestant Queene Elizabeth her Raigne beginning here in the yeare 1558. and 1559. in her first Parliament never had any knowne publike allowed square Rule forme maner order or fashion whatsoever for any to have publicke authority to call make send or set forth any pretended Minister untill the yeare 1562. when their Religion was foure yeares old and these Articles were made and in them the Booke of King Edward the sixt about ten or eleven yeares old when he set it forth by Parliament was first called from Death wherewith it perished in the first yeare of Queene Mary It hath beene pretended that Mathew Parker was made a Bishop on the seventeenth day of December But alas they had then no forme or Order to doe such a businesse untill foure yeares after this pretended admittance alleaged to have beene the seventeenth of December 1559. Here I have proved demonstratively that they neither have any lawfull Iurisdiction or Ordination among them But to doe a worke of Supererogation in this so much concerning the standing or overthrow of our Frotestants whole Religion quite overthrowne by this one dispute if they have no rightly orderly and lawfully consecrated Bishops Priests or Deacons I thus further demonstrate First then if the Decree of this later Article as they terme it were to be accepted and received for a just and law full Decree yet the first Protestant Bishops Priests and Deacons in Queene Elizabeths time from which all that now be in England or have beene since then cannot be said to be rightly orderly and lawfully consecrated by this very Article it selfe For that supposed Booke of King Edward the sixt being abrogated and taken away by Queene Maries Lawes and not afterwards revived by the Protestant Lawes of Queene Elizabeth untill in those Articles in the yeare of Christ 1562. as their date is Queene Elizabeth beginning her Raigne the 17 of November 1558 all their first pretended Bishops Priests and Deacons must needs be unrightly unorderly and unlawfully made though by that Booke of King Edward because there was no Protestant right order or Law to make or admit any into such places by that Booke not approved or allowed by any Protestant right order or Law all that time P. H. ANSWER Num. 4 This objection more then once repeated is nothing but a litigious and impertinent quarrell for want of matter For posito That Archbishop Parker wanted in his consecration some Punctilioes of outward Order for me or fashion according to the prescript tenor of our Lawes or Rules or that there was not any law or publike Rule of our Common-meale prescribing an outward for me of Consecration then in â—cre yet such want or Fayler did not nor could vitiate destroy or annibilate his Consecration celebrated in a sufficient Church manner in esse and substance good and valide in regard regall Lawes and Ecclesiasticall Canons are but circumstantiall and ad bene â—sse fitting and directing quatenùs ad nos the Ceremony and outward forme thereof which Order and forme if it hap at any time upon just or reasonable occasion not to be pursued the same is not destructive to such Consecration to make it invalide or fruitlesse But of all others this objection becomes not R. B. nor any Romanist First because the (a) Pontificians do exclude all civill and municipall Lawes of Princes and Republikes from Intermedling with those Ecclesiasticall Affaires wherein your Romish rote is like the bold (b) Protest of the Donatists against Insperiall authority in Church businesse Quid Imperatori cum Ecclesia What have Emperours Kings and Princes to dowith Ecclesiasticall affaires whereas seeing Kingsare both (c) Custodes utriusque Tabulae Nutritii Ecclesiae Keepers of both Tables and Nursing Fathers and Nursing Mothers of the Christian Church it belongs unto and is a Duty of Regality to constitute and ordeine lawes concerning Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy and the Regiment of the Church and per potestatem coactivam by power coactive to enforce the due execution of the duties of Religion and to cause punishments to be inflicted on the Delinquents to succour the oppressed and to cherish the good both among Priests and Laikes as well in Church as Common-weale But indeed the immediate Actes of the Episcopall Priestly and ministeriall office as Preaching Administration of Sacraments and the Actuall consecration of Bishops and ordination of Priests Ministers and Deacons belongs properly to the Pastorall charge Numb. 5 Secondly because the Romish Church is guilty of violation both of Canons and it's owne Pontificall being content to derive succession from many incanonicall and irregular Consecrations For contrary to the tenor of the first generall (d) Councell of Nice and their owne Iurists and (e) Doctors determining that Consecration of a Bishop ought to be by Three Bishops at the least the Romish Church hath not onely consecrated some Bishops by (f) one onely Bishop and two mitred Abots but hath permitted Boy (g) Priests Boy Bishops Boy Cardinals and
be Archbishop of Canterbury Num. 19 And now in the second place it remaines that Barlow and Scory be righted concerning their Episcopacy whom R. B. pretends were but elect Bishops not Consecrated nor admitted as by our owne Authors is supposed to be confessed If this allegation were true nothing I thinke were to be said on their behalfe But it is so apparantly false as that it makes me admire the little regard this R. B. had to his reputation and credit amongst men If there were no divine doome or judgement for Lyars in adventuring to put in Print what he could not but knew to be directly contrary to what he divulged to the world For the very same Record and authority of ours that enformed him that these two then stood elect Bishops the one of Chichester and the other of Hereford doth also tell him that they were late Bishops the one of Bath and Wells and the other of Chichester For the Queenes Letters Patents to them and others directed signifying the election of Doctor Parker to be Archbishop of Canterbury requiring them to Consecrate him accordingly hath these very words viz Will'mo Barlow quondam Bath and Wells Episcopo nunc Cicestrensi Electo Iohanni Scory quondam Cicestrensi Episcopo nunc Herefordensi electo To William Barlow late Bishop of Bath and Wells now elect of Chichester John Scory late Bishop of Chichester now elect of Hereford c. By which any one having his eyes in his head might as easily se quondam Episcopo late Bishop as read nunc electo now Bishop elect But who is more blind than he that will not see and as for Barlow he was so farre from standing then meerely Bishop elect without Consecration or admittance as that he had beene Consecrated about foure and twenty yeares before he layd hands on Archbishop Parker For he being advanced to be Prior of Bisham was thence translated to be Bishop of Asaph wherein he was confirmed the 25. of February 1535. Anno 27. Hen. 8. and in April 1536. it pleased King Henry to preferre him to the Bishopricke of Saint Davids where he continued till by King Edward the sixt he was in Anno 1549. Translated to the Bishopricke of Bath and Wells And in the beginning of Queene Maries raigne he was forced to leave his Country Bishopricke and all living in exile in Germanie till he was restored by Queene Elizabeth And at the time of the Consecration of Archbishop Parker by the favour of Queene Elizabeth he stood elect of Chichester wherein he was 20 December 1559. confirmed And as for Scory he was above eight yeares Consecrated Bishop ere he imposed hands on Archbishop Parker For he was 30. Augusti 1551. Anno 5. Edw. 6. Consecrated Bishop of Rochester and shortly afterwards translated to Chichester And being displaced by Queene Mary he was advanced by Queene Elizabeth And at the time of the consecration of Archbishop Parker he stood elect of Hereford And the booke of Antiquitates Britannicoe making a Series of the Bishops of that time distributes it into eight Columnes viz 1. Academiae 2. Diocesis 3. Nomen 4. Gradus 5. Ordo 6. Patriae 7 Aetas 8. Consecratio et confirmatio And it declares Barlow to be by degree Doctor in Divinity and by order a Priest regular and Scory to be by degree Batchelor of Divinity and by order a Priest regular And it doth expresse them both to be confirmed on the 20 of December 1559. but it does not declare them to be Consecrated that day nor the nomination of them by their degrees orders does intimate them to be then no-Bishops as R B. enforces it for they were long before Consecrated Bishops as before is declared But they having forsaken their Bishopricks in Queene Maries raigne for persecution remained beyond Seas till the Crowne fell on Queene Elizabeth and then being returned home they were elected to be Bishops the one of Chichester the other of Hereford and three dayes after Archbishop Parkers Consecration they were confirmed in those several Seas as aforesaid Wherefore upon these particulars let R. B. recollect himselfe with consideration how he can make it good that Barlow and Scory either de-facto were or else confessed to be at the Consecration of Bishop Parker no more but Bishops elect not Consecrated nor admitted and then ingenuously in the name of God confesse his Error professing that as Protestants and Papists acknowledge Bishops elect being formerly Consecrated may rightly Consecrate others before they be confirmed in their new Seas Num 20 And now upon the whole matter Forasmuch as it is most cleerely evident modo retrogrado ire reckoning backeward that Coverdale Hodskins Barlow and Scory were all Consecrated Bishops long before and so continued at the time of their Consecrating of Archbishop Parker And forasmuch as Archbishop Parker was Consecrated according to the law within twenty dayes after the date of the Queenes Letters Patents signifying his election though he was elected five moneths before And forasmuch also as the Protestant order rule forme square and fashion for a Episcopall Consecration according to King Edwards booke was then in full vigour vertue and force it must undeniably follows that Archbishop Parker and all our first Bishops in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne and all other our Bishops Priests and Deacons ever since were and are notwithstanding the allegations of R. B. rightly orderly and lawfully made Consecrated and ordained according to publike knowne and allowed square rule forme manner order and fashion And it is most manifest that what R. B. hath said against it upon the grounds before mentioned are vaine and frivolous And me thinkes it 's strange that in so few Leaves of that book of R. B. there should be so many untruthes every of those particulars being so many severall False-hoods manifestly contrary to it's Title The judgments of the Apostles and first age more consonant rather unto the Iudgement of Apostates and worst age A shame to the Author an old Student in Divinity more agreeable to the old Serpent or at best more fit for ignorant boyes and most unworthy to be a Present for our sacred Queene Royall Mary But indeed what can be expected of those whose Religion holds Lying and Equivocation to be piae Fraudes Godly deceits in the learned Clergie ignorance to be Mater devotionis the Mother of Devotion for the Illiterate Laiety For mine owne part this parcell of the Booke being found to be so faulty it causes me justly to mistrust the rest of it and to hold it not worthy of so much Expence of time as to read any more of it leaving it to your Index expurgatorius for due Correction or else to our Purgatory fire in Smithfield for utter destruction The like Martyrdome deserves another lying Brat begotten by as false a Parent not so learned and wise a fellow as R. B. put abroad into the world about ten yeeres agoe For