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book_n	doctrine_n	scripture_n	word_n	3,246	5	4.1696	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64760	The dovvnfall of the pretended divine authoritie of the hierarchy into the Sea of Rome from some arguments and motives, to the finall extirpation of that unlawful government of the prelacy : as having no foundation in the Scriptures, but onely in that filthy dung-hill of by V.N.V.	V. N. V.	1641 (1641)	Wing V14; ESTC R1331	28,994	45

cutting of cares and noses and brands Ergo unlawfull V. Those officers whose names offices and practises are deriyed from Antichrist and serve principally to uphold and propagate his Kingdome ought not to governe the Church the Spouse of Christ who will not have her ruled by such as live by the vices of men and hyre of whores commutations of pennance selling of sins and giving libertie to all licentiousnesse But Archbishops Diocesan Bishops Deanes Archdeacons Chancellours Officialls c. their names offices and practises are such as in one word appeares in that they have their foundation in that filthy dunghill of the Canon law and thence their practises Ex mero officio are onely warranted to uphold and propagate the Kingdome of Antichrist and bring in Popery againe Neither can any thing be produced for a Diocesan Bishop and Church but from the same ground will arise an Universall Church and Bishop they stand upon one Antichristian foundation which makes the Prelates and their officers love the Papists so well Ergo they ought not to governe the Church the Spouse of Christ VI. Those officers in the Church whose offices and government from the foundation and very nature of their offices doe waste and overthrow the principall functions of the Church and offices of Christ are not of Christ but of Antichrist But such are the offices of Archbishops Diocesan Bishops c. and the rest of that rable Ergo not of Christ but of Antichrist The Major I suppose no sound Protestant will deny The Minor proposition is that must abide all the battery from the lofty Prelacy their forts and mounts of molehill-authoritie but in the skirmish we shall finde them all in a confusion flourishing their colours and drawing forth and mounting their Canons and playing and discharging upon their own Canon Law as if they seemed to batter their owne foundation like cunning Fencers that make a flourish on the stage and seeme to knocke downe one another but 't is a point of art to maintaine the trade but as soone as the fury is over we shall finde them with their Canons drawne into their old fortification and upon the next advantage in the field againe and at their old work and battery at the foundations of the Church with greater fury it being the very nature of their office so to doe yea if God prevent not now by the diligent hand of this honourable Parliament to mount their Canons and Canon Law to such a height as to batter at the Royall Authoritie Parliamentary priviledges and Subjects liberties to make havock of all and bring in and erect a papall forreigne Jurisdiction in this Land againe There be two maine Branches of our Minor proposition Two branches of the Minor that the offices and government of the Hierarchy 1. from the foundation of 2. from the very nature of their offices and government doe waste and overthrow the functions of the Church and offices of Christ we will demonstrate 1. First branch That it is founded in the Canon Law what their offices are and how to be exercised in such practices as uphold and propagate the Kingdome of Antichrist read Angelus de Clansio and other Canonists where you may see their warrant for their offices and practices in their government to which upon all occasions they have their recourse in any difficultie and fetch their dark light in stead of the Scriptures So as when a new Prelate a new Archdeacon or a new Chancellour comes into his new office like a fresh man the inferiour officers that be old practicioners in that Law must instruct him in any matter of difficulty falling out in his government after that Law by which all must be ordered and that it is true that the Canon Law is the foundation of their offices and government See a book compiled out of the Canon Law and entituled Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum Printed 1571 and now of late reprinted and allowed by Authoritie and in he Preface of the said book it is confessed that the Canon Law of Popish government was still retained in England to that day and so is to this Now what this Canon Law is appeares by the Law it selfe to be nothing else but the Lawes and Decrees of the Popes of Rome and their authoritie point blanck opposite to the Lawes of God in generall and the Lawes of Christ for governing his Church in speciall and to our Kings prerogative royall and lawes of the Land And 't is a wonder how this Canon Law branded and abolished by so many Statutes and Acts of Parliament should be suffered to be exercised in this Land without as Lawyers say the incutring of a Praemunire being a Law of forreigne and Papall Jurisdiction abolished by the Stat. of 4. Edw. 6. cap. 11. 1 Eliz. cap. 5. 5. Eliz. cap. 1.23 and others And how this usurped government is growne to an insufferable height overtopping all authoritie religion and liberties I leave to the learned in the Lawes and grave judgements of this honourable Parliament We come then to the second branch of our proposition that it is from the very nature of their offices Second branch that they waste and overthrow the sunctions of the Church and offices of Christ meerly from that their foundation and warrant in the Canon Law of their practices in all they doe in their offices as before Now the nature of every thing is best tryed and seene in the things which issue from it as the proper works and actions of every function springing from the roote and foundation as giving Lawes for warrant and commission so vigour and life for execution and from thence we shall see as in a Prospect through their practices so warranted into the nature of their offices and whether they waste the Church and overthrow the offices of Christ or no. The principail sunctions of the Church are 1. Foure maine functions of the Church the word 2. prayer 3. Sacraments 4. discipline all which like the mother that old withered wrinckled faced whore of Rome they have most foully adulterated and filthily polluted 1. For the word 't is the very nature of their offices 1 The World flowing in through their so warranted practices to mix and mingle it with mens inventions and shut their eyes against the Scriptures brightnesse tell one of these Prelates of warrant from the word and he will give you such a learned answer as would make his horse breake his halter if he knew how unmercifull his Master were to his beast as to question what warrant he hath from the word to give him a peck of Oats An argument from Scripture sets them all in a rage such an antipathy there is between the word and the very nature of their offices 2. They corrupt the word with false doctrines from their Canons Books of Articles and Homilies writings and preachings wherewith the Pulpits sound alowd throughout the Land 3. Their offices are to cause the

slaughter of these his enemies who will not have him to rule over them Luk. 19.17 The Minor is their part to prove See Argument 4. And if they have any Letters Patents for their offices let them open their black boxes and produce them or els as polluted be put from the Priesthood as those Nehem. 7.64 that could not reckon up their Genealogie from Livi 2. In all the book of God from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalyps we find not one word of warrant for the name or office of an Archbishop Diocesan Bishop Deane Archdeacon Chancellour or any of their orders but are meerly derived from Antichrist crept into the Church by carnall policy and flattery and abuse of Princes favours and have no foundation but in the Canon Law of the Pope as before Arg. 5. and 6. that 's all the divine authoritie they have and no wonder if it be divine enough for them to stand upon being the same with Antichrist for Diocesan Bishops were the first step whereby the Papacy mounted to its height and are the pillars of its support even to this day But when the Prelates father their authoritie some upon God the Father some upon God the Sonne and others upon the holy Ghost they declare themselves to be of that stamp Christ reproves and accuses of blasphemy and to be of the Synagogue of Sathan who say they are Jewes and are not but doe lye Apoc. 3.9 Who say they are Apostles and are not but are found lyers Apoc. 2.2 So then when they boast of divine authoritie they are right like themselves for that is another mark of Antichrist the adding of lyes to all their abhominations for which they shall be cast out of the holy Citie Apoc. 22.15 3. The whole streame of truth flowing out of the Scriptures as the fountain runs so strongly against them that down they goe to the Sea of Rome that dead Sea to fetch their pedigree from that ancient family of long Enmitie to Christ the Ancient of dayes and fountaine of all Antiquitie before whom nothing was and without whom nothing was made or done Joh. 1.2 3. That this is so see clearly Mr Paul Baine his diocesan tryall the very Prelates rats-bane and will burst them ere long it savours so sweetly of the Scriptures fragrant fulnesse and excellency by the breathings of Gods Spirit which is the Prelates deadly poyson that none of them durst ever take it in hand to answer it now about twenty years published and there who will may read the doome of their divine authoritie 4. If they flie to Antiquitie we ans 1. We acknowledge no antiquitie but what is according to the Scriptures the Judge of all Controversie it s a sure rule of the learned against the Papists that Whatsoever is not according to the Word but by or besides the Word is against the Word 2. We answer with Cyprian the flowre and sweetest bloome of all antiquitie a Martyr and a Bishop but no Lord or Diocesan Bishop Epist ad Pomp. Epist. 74. Antiquitie without truth is antiquitie of errour and antiquitie without truth is nothing worth saith our learned Whitakers Controverse de Eccles quaest 5. But to leave them more without excuse we wil prosecute yet one tryall more of them which we learne from our great Master the Lord Jesus for the discovery of false Prophets who come in sheepes cloathing but inwardly are avening Wolves By their fruits yee shal know them Mat. 7.15 16 20. False Prophets in Scripture alwayes set forth such as have no lawfull but a pretended office so the Diocesan Bishops c. are the false Prophets wee have to doe withall the name of Prophets so the name of Bishops is the sheeps cloathing they come in to doe the works of Sathan and Antichrist the very name of Bishop which in it selfe is good is like Jacobs voice with Esaus hands there 's much power of Sathan used under the shelter of words and names as of great force to deceive Mountebanck-like and therefore saith Luther Luther de falso nom ordine Episcoporum Tom. 2. p. 330. they shew or set out themselves as if they were Pastours of the Church as if they were Bishops when they are meere shadowes sacrificing persons dumb statues and painted truncks under the loftie high title of Bishops destroying the whole world and therefore having been too long deceived with words and names wee now will follow Christs rule By their fruits to know them The office of Prelacy is the lame Jade we spoke of even now and hath been long tryed by the Word but now is growne so hot ridden as will not abide that kinde of handling therefore the last tryall of them is this By their fruits to know them and so by their footsteps we shall see which way they are running Now the fruits of the office wee have shewed in the foregoing Argument to be the overthrowing of the offices of Christ and propagating the Kingdome of Antichrist Ex mero officio as the proper fruits of their functions and naturally flowing through the office out of that filthy lake of Romes authoritie as before and therefore the fruits must needs be according to the soyle bitter fruits to the Church of God And here wee will take a further tryall of them and how they grow and increase in fruitfulnesse Such plants as are of the Fathers planting the Son purgeth that they may bring forth more fruit Ioh. 15.2 Fruits unto holinesse Ephes 4.24 But we see when these men once enter into a Bishops Sea or other their offices they soone wither and cast their fruit how many of learning and good abilities before they entred into these corrupt offices have quickly after fallen under the withering curse of the Fig-tree Never fruit grew more upon thee And how can it be otherwise there 's such a plaguy infection lyes in the office arising out of the filthy dunghill foundation which rots and blasts all the fruits of their learning and morall parts and renders them wholly like the soyle they live in and corrupt ayre of the Episcopall Seas they breath in here 's the infection the poyson that kills them sooner or later t is in the office not so much in the person but as the office infects him therefore no safetie to their persons till they be put out of the infected places to lodge in fresh ayre A Caveat Their counsell then is not good who would onely remove and change the persons and put other learned men in the places O it is the greatest cruelty you can doe to these mens soules you had better place them to live in a Pest-house or cast their bodies alive into the Mari Mortuo than into a Bishops Sea if they be good men they should so save their soules whereas this way you hazard their soules and bodies both Let none then be so cruell to their friends to put them upon this preferment on so desperate a condition