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A78468 Certaine considerations wherein the prelates doe acknowledge that they stand by the meer mercy of the King and Parliament; not having any foundation in Scripture. And that the King and Parliament may dispose of them, at their pleasure. 1642 (1642) Wing C1698; Thomason E131_17; ESTC R11567 6,280 8

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and his law never allowed nor approved of them But to hold this opinion as it will uphold the Popes supremacy because the generall reasons which uphold a Provinciall Bishop will uphold a Pope so will it once againe not only impeach the Kings supremacy but also be repugnant to the lawes and customes of the Realme By which supremacy lawes and customes only the provinciall diocesan Bishops have beene hitherto upheld For seeing the lawes and customes of the Realme doe make the Kings nomination presentation and confirmation the very essence and being of a Provinciall and Diocesan Bishop with us So that these offices ought to be held only from the authority gift and grant of the King how ought not the Kings nomination presentation authority and gift yea and the law it self in this case wholly cease if the order degree ministery and jurisdiction of a Provinciall and Diocesan Bishop be founded in holy Scripture Vnlesse we shall affirme that that was in the Apostles times which was not or that that it is to be found in holy Scripture which is not namely that there were in the Apostles times and that there be in the holy Scriptures no Bishops but Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops to bee found And that by the law of God and the Gospell every King and Potentate hath supreme power to suffer none but Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops to be in the Churches So that by subscription to allow that Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops be Scripturely Bishops and that their jurisdiction and power is a Scripturely jurisdiction and power is to deny that their jurisdiction and power dependeth upon the Kings jurisdiction and power or that by the Kings gift and authority they be made Bishops But now doth subscription you will say to the book of Ordination approve the orders and degrees of Provinciall Diocesan Bishops to be by divine right rather then by humane ordinance How Why thus It is evident saith the preface of that book to all men diligently reading holy Scripture and ancient Authors that from the Apostles times there have been these orders of Ministers in Christs Church Bishops Priests and Deacons Yea and by the whole order of prayer and of Scripture read used in the forme of consecrating of an Archbishop or Bishop it is apparent that the order of an Archbishop or Bishop consecrated by that book is reputed and taken to be of Divine institution And therefore seeing the names of those orders of Ministers must necessarily be taken and understood of such orders of Ministers as be set forth and described in the body of that booke it must needs be intended that the Ministers by their subscription should approve the order of Ministers mentioned in that booke to be of Divine institution and consequently that provinciall and diotesan Ministers or Bishops have not their essence and being from the nomination gift and authority of the King Besides if we should understand by the word Bishop him that hath the Ministry of the word and Sacraments as the Pastor and teacher and by the word Priest the Presbyter that is the Governing elder and by the word Deacon the provider for the poore then for the Ministers to subscribe to the booke of ordination would no way justifie those officers or degrees of Ministers which are described in that booke but would indeed utterly subvert and overthrow them Because the orders and degrees of a provinciall and diocesan Bishop of a Priest and Deacon mentioned in that booke be of a farre differing nature from those orders and degrees of Ministers which are mentioned in the Scriptures because they only agree in name and not in nature Wherefore seeing there be other orders and degrees of Bishops then Provincial Diocesan Bishops found in the holy Scriptures seeing also Kings and Princes being Vicarij Dei be commanded to authorise all things for the truth and nothing against the truth it seemeth necessary that his Majesty should not only restraine the Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops from urging subscription to this booke of ordination being so derogatory in their sence and construction to his supremacy as nothing can be more but also to keep the Bishops themselves within the tether and compasse of the word of God For if the word of God doe approve amongst the Ministers of the Word and Sacraments a primacy of order only denieth unto them any primacy of jurisdiction and power in ecclesiasticall government as the learned Protestants have proved against the Papists touching Peters supremacy then will it follow that ours also ought to be reduced to the same compasse both for the Kings Majesties safety and the Churches good Least Princes giving them more then God alloweth them they should themselves loose that right and authority which they ought to retaine in their owne Royall persons Now that it may not be objected that we begge the question of Scripturely Bishops not having any primacy of jurisdiction power in ecclesiasticall government to let passe all particular reasons of the Protestants against the Papists in this point it shall suffice in this place to produce for witnesses six and fourty Iurors against whom no chalenge or exception can be taken Namely the said Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury Edward Archbishop of Yorke Iohn Bishop of London Cuthbert Dun●lmen Steven Winton Robert Cariolen Io. Exon John Lincoln Rowland Coven and Lichfield Thomas Elien Nicholas Sarum John Banger Edward Herefordien Hugh Wigornen Iohn Roffen Richard Cicistren William Norwicen William Meneven Robert Assaven Robert Landaven Richard Wolman Archdeacon of Sudbur William Knight Archdeacon of Richmond John Bell Archdeccon of Gloster Edmond Boner Archdeacon of Lecester William Skipp Archdeacon of Dorset Nicholas Heath Archdeacon of Stafford Cuthbert Marshall Archdeac●n of Nottingham and Richard Curren Archdeacon of Oxford Together with William Cliff Galfrid Downes Robert Oking Radulf Bradford Richard Smith Simon Matthew Iohn Fryn William Lukemaster William May Nicholas Wotton Richard Cox Iohn Edmonds Thomas Robertson Iohn Baker Thomas Baret Iohn Hase and John Tyson Sacrae Theologiae juris Ecclesiastici Civilis Professores All which Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons and Prelates having with one voyce and accord shewed unto King Henry the eight that divers good Fathers Bishops of Rome did greatly reprove and abhorre as a thing clean contrary to the Gospel the Decrees of the Church that any Bishop of Rome or elsewhere should presume usurpe or take upon him the title and name of the universall Bishop or of the head of all Priests or of the highest Priest or any such like title proceed further and in the end conclude and give up their verdicts thus For confirmation whereof Fol. 59.60 it is out of all doubt that there is no mention made neither in Scripture neither in the writings of any authenticall Doctor or Author of the Church being within the time of the Apostles That Christ did ever make or institute any distinction or difference to be in the preeminence or
power order or jurisdiction betweene the Apostles themselves or between the Bishops themselves but that they were all equall in power order authoritie and jurisdiction and that there is now and sith the time of the Apostles any such diversity or difference among the Bishops it was devised by the ancient Fathers c. For the said Fathers considering the great and infinite multitude of Christian men and taking examples of the old Testament thought it expedient to make an order of degrees to be amongst Bishops and spirituall Governours of the Church and so ordained some to bee Patriarkes some to bee Primates some to bee Metropolitanes some to bee Archbishops some to be Bishops c. Which differences the said holy Fathers thought necessary to enact and establish by their Decrees and Constitutions nor for that any such differences were prescribed and established in the Gospell or mentioned in any Canonicall writings of the Apostles or testified by any Ecclesiasticall Writer within the Apostles time And thus farre their verdict But let us grant that orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons bee contained in the holy Scriptures yet if those orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons which are established in the booke bee not the same orders of Bishops Priests Deacons which are authorised by the Scriptures then through the aequivocation of these words Orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons there being a falacie how should this forme and manner of subscription be lawfull viz. that the book containeth nothing contrary to the word of God and that it lawfully may be used For onely such orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons ought to be acknowledged subscribed unto and used as by the holy Scriptures are warranted And therefore such as are contained in the booke if so be they be divers from those which are approved in the holy scriptures how should they without sinne be subscribed unto and used Vnlesse wee shall affirme that Ministers of the Gospell of God may rightfully approve of such orders of Ministers as the Lord and Lawgiver of the Gospell never allowed ne approved And thus much have we spoken touching not subscription touching the not exact use of the order and forme of the booke of Common prayer and touching the not precise practise and wearing of the rites ceremonies and ornaments of the Church Wherein if we have spoken otherwise then as for our speaking we have warrant from the Kings laws our earnest desire is that it may be shewed unto us wherein we have erred For if there bee any thing whereof we be ignorant we shall be willing to be taught the same and having learned it to yeeld to the practise thereof In the mean time seeing not to weare a Surplice in the ministration of divine service not to make a crosse in Baptisme not to subscribe c. in it selfe it not a sinne against any commandement of God nor a thing scandalous unto the people and seeing also that Parsons who refuse to weare and use the same be in every respect men of good note condition fame quality and behaviour yea and such as against whom no misdemeanor for doctrine or life which might aggravate their offence can justly be objected we may lawfully as we thinke conclude in their behalfe that de aequitate misericordia juris they ought to be respected and tolerated rather then for their refusall meerly standing upon their consciences whether erroneous or not erroneous it skilleth not de rigore juris if there be any such rigour to be suspended excommunicated or deprived yea and in so generall and doubtfull a case of conscience upon so slender a ground of perjury and contempt upon persons every way so peaceable and well qualified and wherein no scandall hath ensued we suppose it cannot be shewed among all the decrees and sentences recorded among all the Popish Canonists that ever any Popish ordinaries in any age have used the like judiciall rigour against any their Popish Priests It is to be noted that the forraigne Canon law is none otherwise in any part of this treatise intended to be the Kings Ecclesiasticall law then onely upon a false supposition of the Archbishops and Bishops Because the same law is yet used and practised in their Consistory notwithstanding it hath been long since abolished by Act of Parliament