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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10190	Lord bishops, none of the Lords bishops. Or A short discourse, wherin is proved that prelaticall jurisdiction, is not of divine institution, but forbidden by Christ himselfe, as heathenish, and branded by his apostles for antichristian wherin also sundry notable passages of the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury in his late booke, intituled, A relation of a conference, &c. are by the way met withall.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1640 (1640)	STC 20467; ESTC S115311	76,101	90

none effect and they * perish with the using are good for nothing being after the Commandements and D●ctrines of men they have but a meere shew of wisdome in will-worship and humility and hypocrisie in not sparing the body and onely serve to satisfie the flesh Arguments Sufficient to any one that feares God and hopes to be saved by Iesus Christ to * Beware of being Spoyled and made a prey as the word signifieth of being ‡ heguiled of their reward by such a bondage and Slavery Thus the Apostle so damning all manner of Rites and Ceremonies imposed on the Conscience in the worship of God so as he shews it to be a very Apostacy from Christ of such as hold not the Head with what face can our Lord Prelates the great Masters of all manner of Superstitious and Idolatrous both Iewish and Heathenish Romish and Antichristian Ceremonies beare themselves to be the Successors of the Apostles while not onely they erect such Superstitions but with all rigour impose them upon mens Consciences as a most insupportable burthen and intolerable bondage and with all severity and cruelty inflict terrible punishments upon those that refuse to performe the Tasks of such Egyptian Taskmasters Or how dare they affirme that they have such their Iurisdiction from Christ while in so doing usurping such a Power over mens Consciences they thrust Iesus Christ out of his Throne But we shall have occasion to speake more of this hereafter Thus we see in the meane time what kind of Vice-Roys of Christ and Successors of his Apostles the Prelates prove themselves to be in Lording over the Consciences of Gods people by their Superstitious Ceremonies and Romish Rites But perhaps they will object the Apostles determination Act. 15. concerning the Gentiles newly converted to Christianity that they should abstaine from eating of blood and things strangled which was a Mosaicall Rite To which I answere First that the Apostles in the § same place do shew that that burthen of Legall Ceremonies was removed by the death of Christ and buried in his Grave Secondly they did this in regard of the Iews which dwelt among those Christians for the time being for peace-sake untill the † Christian Iews were better confirmed in the faith and knowledge of Christ Thirdly they did it by the speciall direction of the ‡ Holy Ghost for the reason alledged So as that example being extraordinary and for the time of the Infancie of the Gospell it is no rule for us to follow now after so long a shining forth of the Gospell And I might adde this moreover that the Apostles did not this alone but with the whole Congregation the Presbyters or Elders and Brethren being ●oyned with them Whereas our Prelates though they confesse that a * Generall Councel hath no immediate Institution from Christ to determine Controversies but that it was prudently taken up in the Church from the Apostles example Act. 15. yet for all their prudence in taking up that which belongs not unto them they shew themselves very unfaithfull while they follow not the example of the Apostles in determining alone and not with the whole Congregation and therefore Christians have the lesse reason to captivate their faith to Prelaticall Decrees either in a Generall Councel where the Pope of Rome and of Canterbury are the rulers of the rost or in a Convocation where the Pope of Canterbury is Prime Primate Metropolitan and All who without the Holy Ghost which is never given to any such Antichristian Assemblies whatever they decree in point of faith or otherwise be it never so erronious yet they enjoyne obedience thereunto by all men as our ‡ Prelate affirmeth But he will not be so easily beaten off from his Ceremonies For in his § Epistle Dedicatory he tells the King That Ceremonies are ne●essary for the setting out of Gods worship His Great Witnesse to the world that our heare stands right in that Service of God to wit the inward worship Take this away or b●ing it into contempt and what light is there left to shine before men that they may see our Devotion and glorifie our Father which is in heaven And to deale clearely with your Majesty these thoughts are they and no other which have made me labour so much as I have done for Decency and an Orderly Settlement of the externall worship of God in the Church which cannot be without some Ceremonies c. For Ceremonies are the hedge that feare the Substance of Religion c. And a great weaknesse it is not to see the strength which Ceremonies adde even to Religion itselfe c. So and much more the Prelate● Whence it appeareth that had he not Ceremonies to garnish his worship of God as he calls it the world could not see how right his heart stands nor yet see his good works because instead of good works perverting Christs word he puts his Devotion and his Devotion stands in his Ceremonies which he saith must not be too few for then they leave his Service naked and therfore to avoyd that he must have both a Surplice and Hood and Cope to cover that nakednesse So as all his light is in his Externall worship shining forth in his brave Garbe of Ceremonies as that of the Pharises in their broad Philacteries So as without this men in truth could not so easily see the pride vanity Superstition and hyprcrisie which lurketh in the Prelates ●●re and bewrayeth it selfe in his many inventions of Superstitious Ceremonies the very Ideas and Idols of his profane heart And Antiquity was the Mystery of Iniquity if that will doe them any pleasure This we generally touched before in the Third Chapter But for the Second That the Prelacie is this Mystery of Iniquity let us a little examine what is meant by this Mystery of Iniquity This Mystery of Iniquity is opposed to the Mystery of Godlinesse of which the Apostle speaks 1 Tim. 3. 16. Iniquity is opposit to Godlinesse but both Godlinesse and Iniquity are called a Mystery Yet in a different respect The Mystery of Godlinesse is so called because of its deepnesse and difficulty to be understood but by Gods * Spirit reuealing the same but the Mystery of Iniquity is so called because Iniquity is vailed under a pretence and shew of Godlinesse by which ‡ many are deceived § whose names are not written in the booke of life As Christ saith Many shall come in my Name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many And thus doe all Prelates come in Christs Name while they pretend Christs Authority and usurpe Christs throne over his People And the great Antichrist is so called because though he be against Christ yet he saith he is for Christ as being Christs Vicar even as Antichristus in the Greeke is a compound word the Preposition Anti signifying both for or instead and against And so is Antichrist in pretence for Christ but in practise

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

Church-Government of those Bishops of old as our moderne Prelates themselves are unlike them in manner of life for these are persecuters of the Gospel those were persecuted and suffered Martyrdome for Christ Thus it is false that he saith that the Church-Government now in England was in us● in the Primitive Church For to instance in one thing In those ancient Times Excommunication was not used for every trifle nor done in a blind Court nor denounced by a dumb Priest But enough of this Fourthly whereas he saith And yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline First as for the Seperatist as he calls him I thinke the Prelate with this his Book and other his Prelaticall practises hath made more Separatists from his Prelaticall Church of England then ever any that hath sit in the Chaire of Canterbury ever since his Predecessor Augustine first sate in it Nor doe I see how any Christian living in England can with a safe Conscience have communion with that Church which professeth as the Prelate doth in her Name to be one and the Same Church with Rome of one and the Same Faith and Religion Yea were it no more but that the Church of England professeth to be a Hierarchicall or Prelaticall Church which in that very respect is no true Church of Christ it were argument and cause sufficient to Seperate from her And that because Secondly he that is a true Seperatist from her for the former respects may justly condemne her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline For first She exerciseth She professeth no other Discipline but that which Antichrist the Pope and the whole Antichristian Romish Church exerciseth and professeth and that in all points Cap a pied from top to toe And this her Discipline is Antichristian as being of Antichrist and so against Christ and exercised in the maintenance of Antichrist For instance The Prelaticall Church of England hath lately found out a Discipline to censure punish imprison fine excommunicate degrade deprive and all these together him that shall dare to deny the Pope and Prelates to be jure divino Dr. Bastwicke did thus and so the High-Commission served him as aforesaid What Discipline then in the world can be more Antichirstian or more forcible to drive Christians from having any more communion with that Church which exercising such an Antichristian Discipline how can She shift off the just condemnation of Antichristianisme which they shall cast upon her Againe Secondly the whole Discipline of the Church of England as it is the Discipline which Antichrist and his Church exerciseth and therfore Antichristian So it is that which hath no footing but is expresly forbidden in the word of God as Antichristian and Tyrannicall For the Church of Englands Discipline stands most upon the imposition of sundry Ceremonies of humane invention and Antichristian observation which She presseth upon all mens Consciences and for default of Conformity layes grievous Censures upon them as Excommunication and the like Now all such Ceremonies so imposed both Christ himselfe condemneth * In vaine they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men and the Apostle also throughout that whole Chapter of the Epistle to the Collossians doth charge Christians not to put their necks under any such yoake as whereby they are deprived of the benefit of Christs death and beguiled of their reward and spoyled of their Christian liberty and the like Againe the Prelates in imposing their Ceremonies are Antichristian because in so doing they usurpe Christs throne and therein fitting doe exercise a Tyranny over mens Consciences intolerable to be borne which if men will not yeeld unto they doe in as much as in them lyeth make them Anathemaes shut them out of the Church by Excommunication c. And lastly their Excommunication not onely in regard of the matter and cause for which it is namely because men will not renounce Christs service to take the Tyrannicall yoake of Antichrists Ceremonies upon the shoulders of their Consciences but for the very manner of it as it is used in the Church of England is a Discipline Antichristian as being against that form of Excommunication which is prescribed in the word of God and was practised in the Apostolicall Churches It was Christs rule Tell it to the Church that is to the Congregation and if the Offender will not heare the Congregation he is Excommunicate by and out of the Congregation And the Apostles rule is for such Offenders as deserve Excommunication * I verily saith he as absent in body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Whence I note that Excommunication is a Solemne businesse not to be inflicted for every trifling matter much lesse as the Pharisees did who excommunicated all those that confessed Christ nor to be done in a blind Court and by a single soled Priest nor the Offender to be released for the payment of his fees or by way of committing or the like all which are practised in the Discipline of the Church of England But Excommunication must not be but for a great offence nor done but by the whole Congregation nor released but upon the publique repentance confession and promise of reformation before the said Congregation where the offence was given and by whom the penalty is taken off Therfore the Discipline of the Church of England in this case is wholly Antichristian Lastly forasmuch as Prelates doe necessarily draw after them a Traine of Ceremonies as a Chaine of so many links wherwith they captivate ensnare and enslave the Consciences of men as their Motto is No Ceremonie no Bishop for they goe inseperably together like Tobie and his Dogge and the Church of England in her Discipline and Church-Service is wholly captivated by the Masters of such Ceremonies the Prelates and some Ceremonies are such as even doe deny the Lord that bought them as namely Altars and their Service and all the Ceremonies imposed upon the Conscience deny Christ to be the onely King of his Church all these taken together what between the Prelates and between their Ceremonies the Church of England and her Discipline is become Antichristian and therfore no marvail if for this cause good Christians that have knowledge and make Conscience doe Seperate from communion with any such Church CHAP. V. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate are taken tripping though he would run away with it That his Hierarchie is Jure Divino HE saith * For the Calling and Authority of Bishops over the inferiour Clergie that was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church And so

be noted that till this Third time that they make their peace with God by burnt-offerings and peace-offerings God doth not give them an answere of peace and prosperous successe Hence then ô England take thy patterne of seeking God and asking Counsel of Him First doe not first resolve with thy selfe to fight and then goe aske of God not whether thou shalt fight or no but onely who shall goe up first For then thou mayst speed as they did Secondly thinke it not sufficient to powre forth teares of worldly sorrow for thy discomfiture and therupon resolve to renew the battaile for which also though they had an Answere of God for it yet it was without any Promise of good Successe But Thirdly a Generall Fast must be Proclaimed over the Land and a Solemne Day must be kept in offering up the burnt offerings of an humble and contrite heart and peace offerings of reconciliation with God through faith in Christ joyned with a thorow Reformation of thy notorious Sins and transgressions wherewith the whole Land is burthened and defiled Then then I say and not before alwayes provided the Cause of Warre be known to be just as that of the Israelites was against the Benjamites their Brethren mayst thou with a good Conscience and sure confidence in God make thy Warre But what Sins are those which thou must reforme In brief thou must ô England call in those wicked and ungodly Bookes Orders Edicts Declarations whereby the Doctrines of Grace have been suppressed the Sanctification of the Sabbath cryed down Ministers persecuted and put out of their places much innocent blood hath been shed especially of those 3 banished Close Prisoners and to Summe up all in one head-Sinne to cast out those who are the maine Instruments and movers of all these and other outrages in the Land to wit the Prelates who as the limbs of Antichrist and so Christs adversaries doe of late especially challenge their Lordly Jurisdiction from Christ alone * which notwithstanding he hath expresly forbidden as heathenish and tyrennicall and which his ‡ Apostles branded for Antichristian and the Mystery of Iniquity So as till these usurpers of Christs Throne be cast out with all their Baggage and Trumpery of their Cermonies and will-worship be sure ô England thou canst not look to prosper in any thy undertakings be they never so just for in maintaining thy Prelates thou maintainest open Warre against Christ and his Kingdome and hadst thou eyes to see it against thine own Kingdome too and the peace and prosperity thereof But it will be alledged that thy Reverend Prelats hate a Publick Fast as being Puritanicall and consequently any such Reformation as aforesaid as being all Puritanicall that their Order is most Christian and consonant to Civil Government and most agreeable with the Monarchy and the like And therefore that thou art bound to defend them yea though it be by making open Warre against all those that doe withstand their Hiearchy I● this be thy resolution ô England then know this for a certainty that thou canst not long stand seeing thy so maintaining of that Antichristian Tyranny is to wage open Warre against Iesus Christ the onely King of his Church And therfore if this be the cause and end of thy warlike preparations be sure thou shalt not prosper in why way how art thou so blind as not to se how thy prosperity must of necessity be thy ruine For as Christ saith * A Kingdome divided against it selfe cannot stand And so if the Iland which consists of two Kingdomes under one King be divided against it selfe and the one Kingdome destroy the other is it not as with the body when the right hand cuts off the left And shalt not thou ô England be hereby exposed to thy false friends and deadly enemies without who could not wish a better opportunity for the effecting of their long wished desire then to see this goodly Iland to imbrue her hands in her own bowels and blood And therefore if thou hast any such designe ô England who could who would counsel and instigate thee unto it but the Spirit of Iezebel of Rome possessing thy ●relotes who as those ‡ false Prophets bid thee to goe up against Ram●th Gilead and prosper But it wil be pretended they are Rebells whom thou wilt Warre against Wherein Rebells For casting our Christs enemies those Antichristian usurpers the Prelates Indeed thus thou didst deale with those 3 above said as Seditious Persons because they convinced the Prelates of their usurped title of Iurisdiction from Christ wherein they did not in the least point transgresse or yet so much as trench upon any of thy Laws but defended them against the Prelates And if in so doing any shal be accounted of thee to be Rebells certainly they which doe it not are neither good Christians nor good Subjects But if indeed thou wilt Warre against any such as Rebells let the Case first be tryed in a faire and Judiciall way a better then which cannot be then the present Parliament And because the Prelates are Parties let them be excluded out of the Court till the matter be deci●ed For no Reason that Parties should sit as Judges as the Prelates did in the Censuring of those former three though they excepted against them in open Court And if indeed by such a faire tryall any shal be found judicially to be Rebells against their King then make Warre against them and spare not and I could wish to be the foremost in the fight But if they onely stand to defend their ancient Rights and Liberties and those good Laws of the Land which as the Ligatures doe bind unite and fasten the Head and Body the King and his Subjects together and which both Prince and People are bound by mutuall Covenant and Sacred Oath to maintaine let the Parliament determine whether that be Rebellion or no Which till it be determined let me crave thy patience ô England in a few words and hearken to the Counsel that I shall give thee in Gods own Name and words And because the present Parliament is the Representative Body of the whole State of the Land let me first addresse my Speech to it now Assembled in both the Houses Now where Gods word saith * By wise Counsel thou shalt make thy Warre he immediately addeth And in a multitude of Councellers there is Safety And you most Noble Senate are a Multitude of Councellers whose wisdome and Councel is requisite at this time for the making of Warre or not and much more for the making of Warre against your Brethren and in the very bowells of the Land Which Warre if it be for the Prelates Hierarchy let me say as he did ‡ If Baal be a God let him plead for himselfe For otherwise● the making of such a Warre cannot be for safety and therfore I hope a multitude of such Counsellers will never give their consent much lesse their Counsel for such a