of God as well as those which concerned the ceremoniall law Neither do I therefore reiect the exposition of Beza and some others who by the causes of God vnderstand Ecclesiasticall causes and by the causes of the king ciuill causes because it is preiudiciall to my defence but because it is repugnant to the truth for though their interpretation were admitted it would no more proue that there were two distinct Synâ—dria then that which I doe embrace For though Zebadiah the prince of Iuda was the chiefe in the causes of the King as Amariah the high priest was the chiefe in the causes of God yet were they Colleagues and coassessors in the same counsell as Iosephus also doth witnesse For speaking of this act of Iosaphat he saith that he being returned to Ierusalem appointed iudges there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Priests and Leuits and of the chiefe or principall men of the people requiring them to exercise iust iudgement but especially that they should be diligent in determining those difficult causes that should be brought to them from inferiour iudgement seats but the chiefe or presidents of them as colleagues and coassessors be appointed Amasiah the Priest and Zabadiah of the tribe of Iuda and relating the law Deu. 17.8 he saith if the iudges in the cities be not able to determine any cause it is entirely to be sent to the holy citie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and let the high Priest and the Prophet that is the scribe or Doctor of the law saith Sigonius and the senate assembling together pronounce what seemeth right Besides it is manifest that the counsell at Ierusalem after the captiuitie which consisted of priests and Leuits besides the Seniors of the people and whereof the high priest was president as Bertram confesseth hauing authoritie to assemble it c. Act. 5.21 Matt. 26.57.59 was the high councell of state called the Sanedrin or Synedrion or coÌ„sistorium Gazith which dealt in causes not onely Ecclesiasticall but also ciuil and in causes criminall and capitall Neither happened this by the ambition of the priests but by the ordinance of God in respect of the first institution Deut. 17. and instauration by Iosaphat 2. Chron. 19. and by his approbation as Caluin witnesseth in respect of the erection of it after the captiuity For as the Lord promised by Esay to restore their iudges and counsellers after the captiuitie as before so Ezekiell prophecieth that the Priests after the captiuitie should not onely teach the people and iudge betweene holy and prophane betweene cleane and vncleane but also that they should stand vp to iudge controuersies iudging according to Gods iudgement Iosephus also testifieth that the Priests were ordained by Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ouerseers of all iudges of controuersies and punishers of such as are by the law condemned And so much for the present shall suffice concerning the counsell at Ierusalem vntill I come to answere Caluins opinion As touching Ecclesiasticall Presbyters in other cities Beza hath nothing but his owne coniectures For the courts of iudgement which both Moses instituted and Iosaphat renewed though they had Leuites among them were to deale not onely in Ecclesiasticall but also in ciuill and criminall causes The reasons which he bringeth for distinct Ecclesiasticall senates are three First because the Archisynagogi had as it is probable Seniors of the people ioyned with them Secondly because the name of Church in this place of Mathew is giuen to them which could not be vnlesse they did consist of the laitie as wel as the clergie Thirdly because as the ciuill consistories assembled in the gates so the Ecclesiasticall in the Synagogues To the first I answere that a probabilitie if this were such as indeed it is not is no proofe to the 2. that the name Ecclesia is not giuen to the Archisynagogi but to the Rulers of Christs Church assembling in his name with whom he promised his presence and to whom he committed the power of the keyes to whom also the name Ecclesia which may be giuen to any company of Christians be it but of two or three meeting in the name of Christ doth fitly agree Thirdly he telleth vs of Ecclesiasticall consistories ordained by Moses and renewed by Iosaphat sitting in Synagogues when there is not once mention in the old testament either of Ecclesiasticall consistories or yet of Synagogues And in the new such iudges are mentioned in Synagogues as punished by stripes Bertram also witnesseth that in the Synagogues of the cities iudgements were exercised by ordinarie iudges the greater and weightier causes as also the appeales of the lesse being referred to the counsell â—t Ierusalem And againe that the people came to the Synagogues to prayer to heare the law and the Prophets and to heare the iudgement of Moses law as well ciuill as Ecclesiasticall And so much of Beza Caluiâ— by Ecclesia vnderstandeth the Synedrion or Sanedrin of the Iewes instituted by them after their returne from Babylon which he conceiueth to haue beene an Ecclesiasticall senate to which belonged the censure of doctrine maners hauing the power oâ— excoÌ„munication c. What this Synedrion was Caluin himselfe shall tell vs It is certaine saith he that the Iewes when they were returned from the Babylonian banishment because they might not make a King did imitate this example of appointing 70. Elders Num. 11 in ordaining the Synedrion Onely so much honour was granted to the memorie of Dauid and the Kings that out of their stocke they would choose 70. gouernours in whom should be the chiefe power And this course continued vntill Herod c. The Sanedrin indeed was the high counsell of state which was to iudge of causes not only Ecclesiasticall but also ciuill and criminal yea capitall hauing the authoritie of the sword and power of life and death Whereby they adiudged malefactors conuicted of capital crimes to one of these foure kinds of death stoning burning killing with the sword and strangling hauing also authoritie to ordaine Sanedrioth that is the consistories of iudges in other cities to whom alone it appertained to iudge the cause of a tribe of a false Prophet of the high Priest c. And howsoeuer their power was much restrained after Iewrie became a prouince subiect to the Romanes notwithstanding the Romanes hauing granted the Iewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libertie to liue according to their owne lawes permitted them to exercise authoritie both in iudging not onely Ecclesiasticall but also ciuill and criminall causes and also in punishing by stripes and imprisonment and sometimes by death Moreouer by the law of God he that disobeyed the sentence of this counsell was not as our Sauiour Christ heere saith to be held as an heathen or Publican but he was to die the death Finally there was but one Synedrion for the whole estate of the Iewes by the appointment of God and that in the
in his throne In which throne of Iames reserued as Eusebius saith till his time the BB. of Ierusalem hauing the honour of Patriarches did succeed As touching Alexandria it is euident by that which before hath been shewed that Eusebius speaking of the Bishop there calleth him sometime the Bishop of the Church or paroecia sometimes of the Churches or paroeciae belonging to Alexandria and all in one and the same sense which plainely sheweth that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee doth not meane that which we call a parish Which wil then better appeare when I shall proue that from Saint Marks time there were more Churches or parishes there and yet but one Church and one Bishop But suppose it were granted him that each of the Churches for a time did not exceed for their number the proportion of an ordinary congregation yet this would not proue them to haue been parishes as hath been shewed Thus and thus weakely to vse his owne words the Disputer hauing prooued his cause notwithstanding concludeth with a stout brag Now let any man iudge whether M.D. hath better proued that the Churches in those times were dioceses or I that they were parishes So say I let any man now iudge who is of iudgement and if there be any comparison betweene the plaine euidence which I haue brought and his slender proofes let me be taken for a man of no iudgement Yea but saith hee the worst is still behinde for his cause indeed but to mine aduantage For if there were not onely diocesan but also prouinciall Churches and that within the first two hundred yeeres then is it absurd to imagine that there were no Churches but parishional Neither did or doth the being of prouinciall Churches hinder dioceses or diocesan BB. These be the shallow conceipts of this disputer and his fellow challengers of disputation First that euery visible Church hath a sufficient and independent authority immediately deriued from Christ for the gouerâ—â—ent of it selfe in al causes ecclesiasticall Secondly that euery parish is or ought to be such a Church From the former of these this disputer seemeth to inferre that if diocesan Churches and BB. be subordinate to the prouinciall Churches and BB that then the prouinciall be the onely Churches And by the same reason when the prouinces were subiect to the Patriarches none but patriarchall Chuches as that of Rome Constantinople Alexandria Antioch and Ierusalem were to be esteemed Churches But let vs heare the disputer Admit the Churches were then diocesan what is that to vs who haue none such in these daies if G.P. say true And how is this proued because he saith the BB. of either prouince in England are Suffraganes or rather Curates to the two Arch-bishoppes in their seuerall prouinces euen their deputies exercising ecclesiastical iurisdiction from and vnder them It shall not be amisse therefore for M.D. to confute him the next time he writeth In the meane time you should haue answered for your selues and not put off the confutation of his reioynder to others But though you cannot confute him yet you can abuse him as by reuiling and scornefull termes in other places of your booke so here by notorious falsifying of his words For where doth he say that our Bishops bee but Suffraganes or Curates to the two Arch-bishoppes as you without shame or conscience doe belie him saith hee or meaneth he any more but this that during the time of the Archiepiscopal visitation wherby the iurisdiction of the Ordinary is suspended that ecclesiasticall iurisdiction which he practiseth he doth exercise from and vnder the Archbishop as his deputy And what is this to our purpose Yea but If we may iudge saith our Disputer by the outward practise we haue onely two Churches and they are prouinciall the one of Canterbury the other of Yorke vnsubordinate either to other or to any other ecclesiasticall power and so entire Churches such as hee would haue euery parish to be Heere by the way let the Reader iudge with what conscience the Refuter hath so oft obiected against our Bishoppes that they be petite popes hauing sole and supreme authority seeing now himselfe confesseth that according to the order and discipline of our Church they are subiect to the Metropolitanes But to the point none of these things which hee obiecteth doe hinder the being of dioceses or diocesan Bishoppes no not though they had been by G.P. called the Archbishoppes Suffraganes For whereas the Bishoppes haue been by authors which haue written within these nine hundred yeeres called Suffraganes to the Archbishoppes they meane thereby comprouinciall Bishoppes who in the election of the Metropolitanes and in the prouinciall synods held by the Metropolitanes did giue their suffrages with them not that they bee such as commonly we call Suffraganes but are as absolute Bishoppes as haue been since the first appointment of Metropolitanes and they were actually acknowledged as they were at the first intended so soone as the diuers cities of one prouince had their Bishops In all which as there was consociation among themselues as being all of one body so also subordination to the Bishop of the Metropolis or mother Citie as being their head Thus was it prouided in the canons which for their antiquity are called the Apostles canons that the Bishops of euery nation must acknowledge him that in the first or primate among them and esteeme him as the head and that they should doe nothing exceeding the bounds of their owne iurisdiction without his consent And that euery one may doe those things alone which belong to his owne Church and the Countries which bee vnder it Neither may hee meaning the Primate doe any thing without the consent of all The same is repeated and explaned as yee heard before in the Councell of Antioch calling the Primate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bishoppe which gouerneth in the mother Citie appointing him to haue the care of the whole prouince because there is concourse of men who haue businesse from all parts of the country to the mother Citie And although they forbad Bishoppes to attempt any thing beyond their compasse without his consent according to the antient canon yet they say Euery Bishoppe hath power or authority of his owne diocesse to administer or gouerne the same according to his conscience and to haue prouident care of the whole Country subiect to his Citie and to ordaine Presbyters and Deacons and to dispose of all things with iudgement It is apparant then that the being of prouinciall Churches doth not hinder the diocesan nor the authority of Metropolitanes take away the iurisdiction of diocesan Bishops Neither is any Church in the world more agreeable to the forme and gouernment of the most antient and Apostolicall Churches then this of England For at the first Metropolitanes were not subordinate to any superiour Bishoppes but were as Balsaâ—â— saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heads by themselues of their prouinces being Bishoppes of
But no wheres he saith that Bishops and Presbyters were equall for before BB. were ordained he could not say that Presbyters and Bishops were equall he saith they were the same After Bishops were ordained which he acknowledgeth to haue been done in the Apostles times and that by the Apostles for which cause he calleth their institution a tradition Apostolicall he plainly confesseth that one who was chosen from among the Presbyters and was called the Bishop of the Church to haue been placed in a higher degree But hereof we shall haue occasion hereafter to intreat more fully His second reason Ierome maketh Heraclas and Dionysius in Alexandria the first authors of aduancing one minister aboue another in power The words are Nam Alexandriae á Marco Euangelista vsque ad Heraclam Dionysium Episcopos Presbyteri semper vnum ex se electum in â—â—ccelsiori gradu collocatum Episcopum nominabant quo modo si exercitus imperatorem faciat For euen at Alexandria euer since Mark the Euangelist vntill the Bishops Heraclas and Dionysius the Presbyters haue alwaies called one being chosen out of themselues and placed him in a higher degree Bishop euen as an armie chooseth their chiefetaine Which words as so far from giuing the least inckling of the Refuters conceit that Heraclas and Dionysius should be the first authors of aduancing Bishops that they plainely declare the Bishops euer from Saint Marks time to Heraclas and Dionysius to haue been placed in a higher degree aboue the Presbyters as the generall aboue the souldiours And truely of the two T. C. conceit who collecteth the cleane contrarie to our refuter hath the better glosse for he imagineth that vntill Heralas and Dionysius they who were chosen from among the Presbyters were called Bishops but then godly men misliking the appropriating of the name to one in a Church ceased to call him so And he might haue added with no lesse colour out of the words that the Bishops till then had been placed in a higher degree aboue other ministers but then good men misliking their aduancement aboue their fellow ministers brought them a peg lower To these conjectures the words would seeme to them that vnderstand not the right meaning thereof which heretofore I haue declared to giue some colour of likelyhood were it not that the practize of the Church did openly proclaime the contrarie Wherefore of all collectors my Refuter shal beare away the bell For he that can collect out of these words Euer vntill Heraclas and Dionysius the Bishop was placed in a higher degree that Heraclas and Dionysius were the first that aduanced the Bishops needs not doubt to collect quidlibet ex quolibet what himselfe will out of any thing whatsoeuer His third reason that Ierome in the same Epistle doth teach the contrarie is most false For Ierome plainly confesseth the Bishop to be superiour in the power of ordination and in the end concludeth that what Aaron and his sonnes and the Leuites were in the temple the same let Bishops Presbyters and Deacons challenge to themselues in the Church The Refuter hauing thus salued this testimonie of Ierome in the end rejects it For if this be true that vnlesse the Bishop haue a peerelesse power there will be as many Schismes in the Church as there be Priests then by the like reason Bellarmine may argue if there be not a peerelesse power giuen to the Pope there will be as many Schismes in the Churches as there ar Bishops but this latter consequence is naught so is the former Thus Ierome on whose only authoritie among the ancient the Disciplinarians in this cause relie when he speaketh any thing for the BB. his credit is no better with them then if he had spoken for the Popes supremacie But this is his desperate malice against the holy calling of Bishops whereby he seeketh euery where to parallele the Christian superioritie of BB. with the Antichristian supremacy of the Pope But all in vaine For though it be true in Ieromes conceit that if there were no Bishops there would be as many Schismes almost as Priests yet it doth not follow thâ—t if there were no Pope there would bee as many Schismes as Bishops For first experience teacheth how to judge of this matter for vntill the yeare 607. the Pope neuer attained to his supremacie and yet the Church was more free from Schismes before that time then since whereas contrariwise when there were no Bishops for a short season in the Apostles times in most of the Churches euery one of the Presbyters as Ierome speaketh sought to draw Disciples after him which he supposeth to haue been the occasion of instituting Bishops Secondly there is great oddes betweene BB. and the greatest number of Presbyters One Bishop say the Fathers of the Africane councill may ordaine many Presbyters but one man fit to be a Bishop is hard to be found Thirdly before there was one supreme or vniuersall Bishop there was vnitie and communion betweene all the Bishops in Christendome whose course to preserue vnitie in the Churches and to auoid Schisme was to communicate the confessions of their faith one with an other by their communicatorie pacificall or formed letters And if any were in error they sought first seuerally by their letters to reclaime them and if they preuailed not they assembled in Councils either to reduce them to vnitie or to depose them Cyprian saith that the Catholike Church is one not rent into Schismes nor diuided but euery where knit togither coharentium sibi inuicem Sacerdotum glutino copulata and coupled with the glew as it were of Bishops agreeing mutually among themselues And in another place which before hath beene alledged Therefore is the bodie of Bishops copious coupled together with the glew of mutuall concord and with the bond of vnitie that if any of our companie shall be authour of an Heresie shall endeuour to rend the flocke of Christ and to make hauocke thereof the rest may helpe c. Whereas contrariwise if there were one supreme and vniuersall Bishop whose authoritie were greater then of generall Councils as the Papists teach when he doth erre who should reclame him when he is exorbitant who should reduce him into the way when he shall draw with him innumerable troopes of soules into Hell who may say vnto him Domine cur ita facis Syr why do you so And as the Church is to be carefull for auoiding Schisme and preseruation of itselfe in the vnitie of truth which may be prouided for as it was wont yea better then it was wont where are Christian and Orthodoxall magistrates by the BB. singularitie of preeminence in euery seuerall Church and mutuall concord of them in the truth so must it be as carefull to auoid conspiring consenting in vntruth But where there is one supreme and vniuersall Bishop when he erreth and goeth astray he becommeth as we see in the Papacie the head of
cheife burden must lye vpon Mat. 18. dic Ecclesiae which hath bin before examined Beza making mention of one Morellius who pleaded in like manner for the popular gouernment giueth him this stile Democraticus quidam fanaticus shewing that these who plead that cause are lead with a phantasticall fanaticall spirit For is it not a phrensy to vrge the peoples supremacy in Church-gouernment is there any shew in scripture or in reason that the sheepe should rule their Shepheard or the flocke their Pastor But for the confutation of them I referre them to other Disciplinarians from whom they had their first grounds seing by this fancy they seeke to ouerturne as well those Churches where the Geneua discipline is established as ours The third dreame is that the lawes of Church-gouernment prescribed in the Epistles to Timothie and Titus were prouided for the democraticall state of the Church So that when Paul saith lay not thou hands on no man hastily you must vnderstand the speech directed not to Timothie to vvhom the Epistle was written but to the people that they should not suffer their Lay-elders when their minister is dead to be hasty in laying hands on a new And vvhen hee saith doe not thou receiue an accusation c. it must be vnderstood of the people and Presbyterie After two or three admonitions doe thou auoid an hereticke or excommunicate him that is thou people What of Creet belike the whole Iland of Creet was a Parish too The next fancy is that the popular state of the seuerall Churches did first degenerate into an Aristocraty and after into a Monarchie But it is as cleare as the light that the seuerall Churches were at the first gouerned by the Apostles or Apostolicall men seuerally and that either perpetually as by Iames Marke c. or but for a time as by Peter Paul c. and that when the Apostles left the Churches they committed them to other Apostolicall men such as Timothie Titus Evodius Simon the sonne of Cleophas Linus Clemens c. communicating vnto them the same authority both for the worke of the ministery and for the power of ordination and iurisdiction which themselues had in those seuerall Churches and what authoritie each of them had their successors in the seuerall Churches had the same Neither haue our BB. at this day greater authority in menaging Church causes then Timothie and Titus and other the first Bishops had Who was to ordaine ministers in Creet and to gouerne that Church did not Paul commit these things to Titus without mentioning either of Presbytery or people are not all his precepts for ordination and Church-gouernment directed onely to Titus for Creet to Timothie for Ephesus and doth not this euidently shew that howsoeuer they might vse either the presence and consent of the people or the Counsell and aduise of the Presbyters in causes of greatest moment as Princes also doe in common-wealthes yet the sway of the Ecclesiasticall gouernment was in them It is therefore most plaine that in the Epistles to Timothie and Titus it is presupposed that they had Episcopall authority and that the rules and directions giuen to them are precedents for Bishops and patternes vnto them for the exercise of their Episcopall function And this I proue againe in my Sermon by another argument which the refuter hath framed thus Those things which were written to informe not Timothie and Titus alone as extraordinarie persons but them and their successors to the end of the world were written to informe Diocesan Bishops But those Epistles were written to informe not Timothie and Titus alone as extraordinarie persons but them and their successors to the end of the world Therefore they were written to informe Diocesan BB. The assumption for with that the refuter beginneth I proued by testimony and by reason And first by the testimony of Paul straightly charging Timothie that the commandements and directions which he gaue him should be kept inuiolable vntill the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ therfore by such as should haue the like authority to the end Hereof Caluin saith thus nomine mandati significat quae hactenus de officio Timothie disseruit Vnder the name of the commandement he signifieth those things whereof hitherto he had discoursed concerning the office of Timothie And againe omnino ceriè ad ministerium Timothie refero I doe wholy referre it to the ministerie of Timothie For Paul wrot to this end to giue direction to Timothie how he should behaue himselfe in the Church which is the house of the liuing God Which directions he chargeth him Chap. 6. to obserue inuiolable vntill the comming of Christ which could not be performed in the person of Timothie who was not to continue to the end but in a succession of them who should haue the like authority vntill the end T. C. and other Disciplinarians hauing fancied that the Apostles had giuen direction in that Epistle for onely-gouerning Elders hereupon conclude that they are to be continued vntill the comming of Christ So that they can conclude vpon that charge the continuance of an office not once mentioned in that Epistle but they cannot or will not see how the continuance of that office which Timothie did beare for the execution whereof all these directions are giuen is concluded vpon the same ground The second testimonie was of Ambrose writing on those vvords of Paul saying that Paul is so circumspect not because he doubted of Timothie his care but in regard of his successors that they after the example of Timothie might continue the well ordering of the Church The reason whereby I proued that Paul giueth direction not to Timothie and Titus onely as to extraordinary persons but to them and their successors vntill the end of the world was because the authority which was committed to them for the execution whereof the Apostle giueth his directions is perpetually necessary without the which the Church neither can be gouerned as without iurisdiction neither yet continued as without ordination therefore not peculiar to extraordinary persons but by an ordinary deriuation to be continued in those who are the successors of Timothie and Titus The effect of the refuters answere is that he could be content to graunt this assumption were it not that he is resolued to deny the conclusion which followeth thereupon For first hee granteth Pauls purpose to instruct those that should succeed Timothie and Titus in the authoritie which they had but not in their office And that this authoritie was not nor was to be in the hands of any one particular man but the right of it was in the whole congregation the execution in the Presbytery So that the power of ordination and iurisdiction might be continued without Bishops c. It is sufficient for the truth of the assumption which the refuter granteth that what Paul did write to Timothie Titus he wrote not to
is to their Parish Bishop a Consistorie of Lay or onely gouerning Elders Out of which words they frame this proposition They which haue not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall are absolute Popelings hereto they adde an assumption of their owne All Diocesan Bishops haue not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and from thence inferre their victorious triumphing conclusion therefore all Diocesan Bishops are absolute Popelings And this they say is mine owne reason whereby I make Diocesan Bishops absolute Popelings Mine owne reason in which there is nothing mine but the proposition which also is stretched beyond not onely my meaning but euen my words this proposition I denie not may bee framed out of my words they who giue to a Bishop not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall doe seeme to set vp an absolute Popeling From which words if they had bene retained this might haue bene concluded if I did giue to our Bishops both supreme and sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall as I doe not that then I might seeme to set vp absolute Popelings But it were well with my aduersaries if to seeme and to bee were all one And yet I doe not so much as seeme to anie that is wise and indifferent to make our Bishops as they say absolute Popelings The application of this to the BB. is made in the assumption which is both false and foolish and is not mine but theirs They say it is not onely impleyed and intended but is one of the chiefe and principall points I vndertake to proue throughout my Sermon But their saying is false and friuolous How doe they prooue it For the question beeing saith our refuter whether the Churches should bee gouerned by Pastors and Elders or by Diocesan Bishops whereas they say by Pastors and Elders adioyning the Elders to the Pastors and making them both subiect to the whole congregation c. M.D. taketh all from them all and putteth the reynes into his Diocesan alone so making him by his owne rule the absolute Popeling Here I intreate the Reader to keepe in store for future vse the state of the question as it is here propounded by the refuter In the meane time let vs after his owne manner examine his argument The question being whether the Churches should be gouerned by Pastors and Elders for I will for your credites sake leaue out that Brownisticall and Anabaptisticall dotage concerning the chiefe authoritie of the people or by Diocesan BB. whosoeuer taketh all from Pastors and Elders and shall I adde the people too and putteth the reynes into the hands of the Diocesan alone he giueth him not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and so maketh him an absolute Popeling But the question being as I said M. D. taketh all authoritie from the Pastors Elders and people and putteth the reynes into the hands of the Diocesan Bishop alone Therefore M. D. giueth to the Diocesan not onely supreme but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and so by his owne rule maketh him an absolute Popeling Sect. 10. To let you see how the refuter climbeth a ladder of vntruthes to seat our Bishops in the Papacy I will begin with his assumption wherein are two vntruthes First that I take all authoritie from the Pastors Elders and people The Elders indeed I reiect as a new deuise in the parishioners I acknowledge some authoritie in choosing or consenting to the choyse of some Church-officers but authoritie to gouerne much lesse to ordaine depose and depriue their Pastor I know not any They are the sheepe which must heare their pastors voyce and be obedient to their spirituall guides They are the flocke which must be ruled and taught not followed and obeyed As touching the pastors of parishes I leaue to them that pastorall power which euer was granted to them since the first distinguishing of parishes and allotting of seuerall Presbyters to them that is to say both poâ—â—statem ordinis the power of order as they are Ministers potestatem iurisdictionis spiritualis seu internae a power of spirituall and inward iurisdiction to rule their flocke after a priuate manner as it were in foro conscientiae in the court of conscience as they are pastors of that flocke By which power they rule and guide their flocke not onely in their publike Ministery but also in their priuate attendance or if yee will so call it superintendence as occasion shal be offered For as touching their publicke ministery they are the leaders and guides of the people in Gods seruice they preach the word therein teaching confuting instructing reprouing correcting their hearers they administer the sacraments as the stewards of Gods house by the one admitting into Gods family those which belong to his couenant by the other nourishing the houshold of Christ in due season and both by the word and sacraments exercising so much of the power of the keyes as of right belongeth to them as well binding the notoriously scandalous and impenitent by denouncing the threatnings of God against them in the word and by repelling them for the time from the sacrament as also loosing the penitent belieuers by applying to them the gracious promises of the Gospell and adding thereto the sacraments as seales So that all power is not taken from the pastors neither is all giuen to the Bishop alone For in the gouernement of the Church others are ioyned with him some vnder him some aboue him Vnder him in the mother Church or Cathedrall the Deane and Chapter which in the ancient Church as hereafter wee shall shewe were called Archpresbyters and presbyteri ciuitatis in the other Churches of the Diocesse diuided into seuerall precincts the Archdeacons and rurall Deanes gouerning them as the Chorepiscopi were wont in the primitiue Church Not to speake of the Chancellers and Officials the former being adioyned to the Bishops the latter to the Archdeacons by reason of their skill in the Ecclesiasticall lawes Aboue him not onely the Archbishop and his courts but also the prouinciall Synodes assembling chiefly for ordaining Ecclesiasticall Canons and constitutions by which the Bishops are to rule and to be ruled In making whereof though the Ecclesiasticall authoritie especially appeareth yet neither all the Bishops alone and much lesse any one Bishop concludeth any thing but with the consent of the Presbytery And therefore this may to the former authoritie of Ministers be added that in making Ecclesiasticall lawes they haue a voyce either by themselues if they be sent to the Synode or by such as themselues shall choose Sect. 11. In the proposition likewise are two vntruthes For first it is not generally true as it is necessarily intended in the proposition for otherwise the Syllogisme is a meere Paralogisme that whosoeuer doth giue to the Bishop alone the power which is taken from the seuerall pastors with their Elders and parishes doth straightwaies
giue the sole authoritie Ecclesiasticall to the Bishop Indeed if we were so madde as to thinke that there were no Ecclesiasticall gouernement but parishionall there were something in his speech But when besides and aboue the gouernement not onely parishionall but also Diocesan we acknowledge a superiour authoritie in the Archbishop and his courts in the prouinciall synodes especially that authoritie of making Church-lawes whereby both Dioceses and parishes are to be ruled it is apparent that although I did take all authoritie from parish-bishops and their Elders yet it would not follow that I giue the whole authoritie Ecclesiasticall to the Diocesan alone But that which hee saith of my ascribing the supreme authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall to the Diocesan Bishops that is the supreme and the loudest lye and maketh the assumption of his chiefe Syllogisme most euidently false Doe I or any of vs say that the Diocesan Bishop hath the supreme authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall doth not our Church subiect the Bishop to the Archbishop and prouinciall Synodes doth not appeale lye from the sentence of the Bishop to the Archbishop and likewise from him to the Kings Delegates doth not himselfe acknowledge pag. 69. the Bishops so to be subiected to the two Archbishops as that if we may iudge by the outward appearance and practise we may in his opinion seeme to haue but two Churches and those prouinciall the one of Canterbury and the other of Yorke doe wee not all with one consent acknowledge the Kings Maiestie to haue the supreme authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall and whereas the greatest authoritie of Churchmen is exercised in Synodes and the greatest authoritie of Synodes is the making of Church-lawes yet the ratification of them we submit to the King according to the Practise of the ancient Churches liuing vnder Orthodoxall Kings in so much that they and all our Church-lawes are called the Kings Ecclesiasticall lawe Now then if neither I take all authoritie from the pastors nor giue all to the Bishops nor ascribe vnto them◠sole nor supreme authoritie what haue the libellers gained by all their triumphing outcryes but the manifestation of their owne manifold vntruthes Yea but the title of absolute Popelings agreeth better to our Diocesan BB. then to their parish BB. Neither did I say that they are such but that if they did not ioyne vnto them a consistory of Elders they would seeme to set vp not onely a Popeling but an absolute Popeling in euery parish a petite pope indeed their pastor is in regard of that supremacy they ascribe vnto him making him the supreme Ecclesiasticall officer in euery Church which wee deny to our Bishops and were it not that hee hath a consistory ioyned to him as the Pope hath of Cardinals hee would bee more then a pope And againe whereas our Bishops are to be guided by lawes which by their superiors are imposed vpon them their pastors with their Elders and people hauing as the Pope saith he hath a supreme immediate and independent authoritie sufficient for the gouernement of their Churches in all causes Ecclesiastical and therefore for making of Ecclesiasticall lawes they are to be gouerned by their owne lawes For the chiefe thing in Ecclesiasticall gouernement is the authoritie to prescribe lawes Ecclesiasticall If therefore each parish hath as they say it hath sufficient authoritie within it selfe for the gouernement of it selfe in all causes Ecclesiasticall immediately deriued from Christ then questionlesse they haue authoritie to prescribe lawes Ecclesiasticall And as the Pope doth not acknowledge the superioritie of a synode to impose lawes vpon him no more doe they They will giue synodes leaue to deliberate of that which may be best and to perswade thereto but they will not be ruled by them As for the Kings supremacie in causes Ecclesiastical how it may stand with their maine assertion wherein they ascribe to euery parish an independent authoritie immediately deriued from Christ sufficient for the gouernement of it selfe in all causes Ecclesiasticall I will not dispute Serm. Sect. 3. pag. 5. Concerning the secōd viz. what was the preheminence of these BB. in the Churches in respect whereof they are called the Angels of the Churches others more wise and learned then the former granting they were BB. of whole cities the countries adioyning that is to say of Dioceses notwithstanding the sway of the gouernement they ascribe to the Presbyteries of those Churches consisting partly of Ministers and partly of annual or Lay-presbyters making these Angels or Bishops nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or presidents of those Presbyteries and such presidents as were not superior to other Ministers in degree c. to pag. 6. in their turnes Of the two points seruing to shew by way of explication of the text what manner of Bishops were meant by the Angels the latter I propounded in this section to be examined A reason whereof I alledge a controuersie betwixt vs and another sort of disciplinarians who are as I said more wise and learned then the former who though they grant that which the former denied yet doe greatly differ from vs concerning the preheminence which the Angels or ancient Bishops had in the Churches So that in this section are 2. things first the proposition of the second point concerning the preheminence of BB. in respect whereof they were called the Angels of the Churches secondly a reason thereof To the proposition he answereth that they had this name Angels in regard of their generall calling of the ministerie not because of any soueraignetie or supremacie ouer other their fellow Ministers as he saith I imply here and plainely but vntruely affirme afterwards In which fewe words are 2. vntruthes Whereof the former is an errour that they are to tearmed in respect of their generall calling of the ministery For though to be called Angels generally agreeth to all Ministers yet for one and but one among many Ministers in one and the same Church to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called the Angell of that Church is not a common title belonging to all Ministers in regard of their generall calling but a peculiar stile belonging to one who had singular preheminence aboue the rest that is to say a Bishop So saith D. Raynolds in the Church of Ephesus though it had sundry Elders and pastors to guide it yet among those sundry was there one chiefe whō our Sauiour calleth the Angell of the Church and writeth that to him which by him the rest should know And this is he whom afterward in the primitiue Church the fathers called Bishop As touching the latter where he saith that I doe here imply that the Bishops haue a soueraignety or supremacy ouer other Ministers and afterwards doe affirme it plainely that plainely is a plaine lie Soueraignetie and supremacy ouer other Ministers none but Papists giue to their Bishop and they to none but to the Bishop of Rome Superioritie indeed belongeth to
though so much be signified without it No it will not serue the turne for though Presbyter doe alwaies and onely signifie a Minister and neuer signifie an onely gouerning Elder yet there might bee gouerning Elders who were signified by other names Why but then there were no Presbyters but Ministers which was the point to be proued And what then becommeth which is the chiefe scope of this place of all those testimonies wherein the word Presbyter is mentioned which T. C. and others doe alledge supposing the most of the places in the scriptures councils and fathers where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Presbyter is mentioned to be so many proofes of your gouerning Elders call you this a weake proofe which doth not onely at once bereaue you of all those testimonies where Presbyter is mentioned and wherein your chiefe strength did lie but also proue that there were no Presbyters but Ministers This consequence therefore was not to be denied And much lesse the other For if there cannot be produced so much as any one pregnant testimonie out of the scriptures councils or fathers mentioning or meaning any lay annuall onely-gouerning Elders with what proofs will they vrge them or with what conscience can they obtrude them as the ordinance of Christ An argument taken from the scriptures alone negatiuè was wont to be a sufficient disproofe of any pretended ordinance of Christ and shall not an argument holde negatiuely from Scriptures Fathers Councels and all Notwithstanding the consequence must needs be infirme and weake for although there be no proofe of any Lay-annuall-onely gouerning elders yet may there be indeed is for all that proofe sufficient for such only gouerning Presbyters as are ecclesiâ—sticall and to be perpetuall Wherefore which way soeuer the proposition lye the consequence therof I flatly deny saith our ryming refuter But heere I intreat the Reader to trie the spirit of this Sophister For if himselfe acknowledge that my meaning is simply to denie the onely-gouerning Elders then can hee not be excused from this imputation of setting himselfe to wrangle against conscience But so much hee acknowledgeth when hee commeth to the assumption for otherwise he could not haue wrangled therewith M. D. meaing saith he is simply to denie all kinde onely-gouerning Elders therefore I denie the assumption His meaning was not to denie all but annuall and Lay-Elders therefore I flatly denie the consequence Thus you see how he is carried with a spirit of contradiction not caring to gaine say himselfe so hee may seeme to contradict mee But so farre was the consequence from being to be denyed because I mention Lay and annuall that rather it was to be graunted These words being added ad maiorem cautelam and distinctly propounded to make the consequence so much the stronger and to signifie that I spake of all Elders whatsoeuer that are not Ministers call them as you will whether Lay or annuall or onely gouerning Elders And here againe let the Reader obserue that the new sect of Disciplinarians will not haue such Elders as lately were in Scotland and still are at Geneua and the Low Countreys No they scorne such those be Lay annuall as you haue heard but these may not be so Therfore let the elder sort of Disciplinarians be accounted wise who though they were faine to yeeld that the greater part of their presbyteries should be of the Laitie yet they did foresee that the Ministers would beare the sway as indeed they ought because they were perpetuall the others annuall or but for a short time whereas these men making the Lay-Elders perpetuall and referring matters to be ruled by pluralitie of voyces absurdly subiect the Ministers to bee ruled and ouer-ruled by them who in the most Countrey-parishes are more fitte to holde the plough then to sit at the sterne of the Church And so desperate or franticke whether are they nowe growne that although they make their parish-Bishop the supreme officer in the visible Church and doe holde that euery parish hath a sufficient and independent authoritie immediately deriued from Christ for the gouernment of it selfe in all causes Ecclesiasticall Notwithstanding offer to submitte their Bishop and his Consistorie yea their whole visible Church with their whole managing of causes Ecclesiasticall to the ouersight and superintendencie of each Iustice of peace Hauing thus wrangled with the proposition hee setteth himselfe also against the assumption containing the two aforesaide Assertions The former whereof viz that the word Presbyter noting an Ecclesiasticall person in the Church of Christ euermore in the Scriptures Councells and Fathers signifieth a Minister hee denyeth For if the word onely bee added it is vtterly false For I shall make it euident saith hee that the worde Presbyter doth sometimes signifie one that is not a Minister And if it bee left out it will be false neuerthelesse For it shall appeare that sometimes the word is vsed for an Ecclesiasticall person that is no Minister So that by his owne confession all is one whether the word onely bee inserted or omitted the contradictorie being one and the same that sometimes it signifieth one that is not a Minister But though hee delay the Reader for his owne proofes which I dare assure him will not satisfie his iudicious expectation yet seeing he setteth himselfe to catch and snatch at euery word he should not haue passed by those argumeÌ„ts â—hereby I proued my Assertion and I am perswaded would not if silence had not bene his best answere For a man of his Acumen might easily out of those fewe words haue raised three syllogismes which he could not so easily answere But the labour which hee thought best to spare I will vndertake for him For 1. If the word Priest freed as it is in our Church from the popish abuse and conceiued without all relation to reall sacrifices be the proper English of presbyter as it noteth an Ecclesiasticall person then presbyter signifieth a Minister onely and as well might question bee made whether there were any Lay-priests as Lay-presbyters but the former is true therefore the latter 2. That word which in the Scriptures is confounded with Episcopus or Bishop doth signifie a Minister onely But Presbyter by their owne confession is confounded with Episcopus or Bishop Therefore presbyter doth signifie a Minister onely 3. That word which being in the Scriptures confounded with Bishop doth also note such a person as by the Apostles rule must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able to preach doth signifie a Minister of the word onely for in none but Ministers is that propertie required But Presbyter is such a word as beeing in the Scriptures confounded with Bishop doth also note a person who must by the Apostles rule be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or able to preach Therefore the word Presbyter doth signifie a Minister onely The latter part of his assumption saith he in case he vrge the words Lay and annuall
scholler of diuinitie or euer he had beene made Doctor And of this authoritie is Ambrose when he is alleaged against the pretended discipline But if hee let fall a speech which seemeth and but seemeth to fauour their cause though so impertinent as if it had beene foisted in by others though in a booke wherein besides some suspected there is apparant corruption though the testimonie it selfe is mistaken by them and though their exposition thereof hath neither scripture to warrant nor consent of other writers to second nor good reason to proue it notwithstanding because they want better euidence they make so much of it that eight whole leaues are not sufficient to bestow vpon it Which I mention not that I would haue any thing detracted from the authoritie of this testimonie as though it made against vs but to shew partly the partiall dealing of the disciplinarians and partly the pouertie of their cause In my handling this testimonie the refuter obserueth three things First my deniall of their exposition with the reasons of my denyall Secondly a refutation of their proofes Thirdly an allegation of reasons omitted by Ambrose why the counsell and assistance of the Seniors in Ambrose his time was growne out of vse In the denyall it selfe he layeth vpon me such an imputation of immodestie as he did before of vnkindnesse For although he cannot be against it but that I may salua modestia confute the new writers for their false or wrong expounding Ambrose of Lay-Elders whom he neuer so much as dreamed of yet he cannot abide I should say they wrong Ambrose though I proue that they wrong him by misconstruing his words and giuing them a wrong sense And in this nice and idle cauill for want of better matter he spendeth almost a leafe aggrauating the accusation by numbring 12. Diuines of our time who vnderstand Ambrose as speaking of Lay-Elders and alleaging that it is more likely that I should mistake him then they Indeed if I were alone in this cause and did oppose my credit alone to their authoritie or expected as my aduersarie falsely accuseth me like another Pythagoras to be belieued vpon my bare word such arrogancie I confesse would not become me But he seeth and I hope feeleth that I say not any thing in this controuersie which I doe not proue by such reasons as he doth not know without sophisticall shifts and meere cauills how to answere If these new writers proue their exposition of Ambrose by any sound reason why be not their arguments produced if they speake without reason why is their bare authoritie obiected against both so many reasons as haue beene vsed to shew there neuer were such Elders and also against the generall consent of antiquitie which neuer acknowledged any Presbyters or Ecclesiasticall Elders but Ministers only Of my denyall he acknowledgeth two reasons which though they were lighter then they be are of more weight then bare testimonies especially of parties who are not to depose in their owne cause Howbeit I acknowledge but one reason though my speech may be resolued into two Syllogismes whereof the one is a prosyllogisme to the other and because he saith in steed of prouing I doe nothing but begge the question I will resolue the reason of my answere into this Syllogisme They which make Ambrose against his meaning to testify that which hath no warrant either in the scriptures or elder writings of antiquitie doe wrongfully expound him But those which expound Ambrose as giuing testimonie to Lay-Elders doe make him against his meaning to testifie that which hath no warrant either in Scriptures or elder writings of antiquitie Therefore those who expound Ambrose as giuing testimonie to Lay-Elders doe wrongfully expound him The proposition is manifest The assumption hath 2. parts the one that Lay-Elders haue no warrāt either in scriptures or in the elder writings of antiquitie The other that the sense which they giue to his words is against his meaning The former was prooued in my former challenge that not any one testimony can be produced out of the writings of the Apostles and Fathers mentioning or meaning any Lay-Elders The which is a sufficient allegation in a respondent holding the negatiue vntill the opponent by sufficient instance can proue the affirmatiue And therefore his cauill in saying either that I do but begge the question which himselfe should proue is false and foolish or that if it were granted it would not proue their exposition to be against his meaning for he might testifie that which hath no warrant either in scriptures or elder monumēts of antiquitie is both an ignorāt mistaking for those words as you see were not inserted to that end and a needlesse extenuating of Ambrose his testimonie as being such a one of whom it may be said that he testifieth that which hath no warrant either in scriptures or other monuments of antiquitie The rest of his words are meere babbling The latter I prooue by this Reason To whom Ambrose giueth testimonie hee complaineth that their councel and assistance in causes Ecclesiasticall was grown out of vse seemeth to charge the bishops with slothfulnes or pride therefore But it was not Ambrose his meaning to complaine that the councell or assistance of Lay-Elders was growne out of vse nor to charge the BB with slothfulnes or pride for it Therefore it was not his meaning to giue testimonie to Lay-Elders The truth of the proposition is euident by the words of of Ambrose himelfe The assumption is thus proued A Diocesan Bishop who not onely approoued but laboured to magnifie his owne calling and was as farre as any from subiecting either Bishops or Ministers to the Presbyteries of Lay-men as the Presbyterians doe would not complaine that the councell or assistance of Lay-Elders such as the Disciplinarians meane was not vsed or charge the Bishops with slothfulnes or pride for it But such a one was Ambrose Therefore hee would not complaine for want of Lay-Elders c. The proposition if it bee explaned will need no further proofe The Elderships of Lay-men such as the Disciplinarians stand for 1. were neuer in vse together with Bishops but either were deuised to supplie the gouernement of Bishops when they were depressed as in Geneua Scotland and the Low-Countreys or where orthodoxall Bishops were wanting as in France or are vrged to extrude Bishops as among vs 2. in their Presbyteries consisting for the greatest part of Lay-Elders all hauing equall right of Suffrage and all things beeing carried by pluralitie of voyces it is euident that the Ministers which in parish presbyteries are but one or two at the most and in others the farre lesse number are subiected to the Lay-Elders as being the greater number It is manifest therefore that a Diocesan Bishop who not onely approued but sought to magnifie his calling and was as farre as anie from subiecting Bishops or Ministers to the Presbyteries of Lay-men would not
say to the prelate of the Church whom he vnderstood by Church bind him with bands or cords c. Theophylact explaineth the words thus If before two or three witnesses hee being reprooued shall not bee ashamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Oecolampadius translateth thus Ne graueris tunc in Ecclesiae suggestu invulgare peccatum sticke not then to publish his fault in the pulpit of the Church or iudgement seate But the acceÌ„t sheweth that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are to vnderstaÌ„d An tistites or presides the Prelates of the Church And those words what you shall bind c he expoundeth thus If thou who art wronged shall hold the offender as a Publican or Ethnicke euen such a one he shal be in heauen but if thou loose him that is forgiue him he shal be pardoned in heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for not onely what the Priests loose are loosed but also what we who are wronged doe bind or loose the same shal be bound or loosed where by Priests he meaneth those whom before he called the Prelates of the Church Erasmus maketh this Paraphrase If the offender be so vntractable that he will be moued neither with shame nor feare of iudgement bring the matter to the congregation that either he maybe reformed by the content of the multitude or by authoritie of them which be rulers ouâ— the multitude But if he be so farre past cure that he will not be corrected neither by secret and brotherly monition neither by the knowledge and consent of two or three neither by the shame of his fault vttered and disclosed neither by the authoritie of the â—hiefe rulers leaue him to his disease My aduersarie therefore to salue his credit had need to bring those from whom he had these testimonies at the second or third hand to depose that Chrysostome Theophylact and Erasmus doe say that Christ speaketh of Lay-Elders Otherwise he will hardly escape the censure of imposture and seeking to seduce the people with glorious shewes To the rest of his witnesses I answere that what new writers being parties in the cause doe testifie without warrant of scripture euidence of reason or testimonie of antiquitie it deserueth no credit The second testimonie Act. 14.23 that Paul and Barnabas ordained Presbyters in euery Church therefore Lay-Elders How is this consequence proued because the greeke Scholiast and a few new writers say so But here the disputer for his credite sake must plead that he for his part neuer saw the Greeke Scholiast but receiued this allegation from T. C. else he must be accused either of grosse ignorance or notorious falsification I see not saith T. C. why it may not be referred to Elders meaning Lay-Elders as well as too Bishops meaning Ministers seeing S. Paul there setteth forth how they set a full order in the Church And of that iudgement is the greeke Scholiast which affirmeth that those which followed S. Paul and Barnabas were worthy to be Bishops and that they created of them Elders and Deacons Vnderstanding Oecumenius as if by Bishops he meant ordinarie Ministers and Elders and Deacons their Lay-Elders and Lay-Deacons which were a notable deprauing of Oecumenius his meaning if he were so to be translated But his words being these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who haue but small skill in greeke doe know that the article of the plurall number with the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth most vsually signifie no more then the proper name alone so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is all in one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so is vsed by Oecumenius in the very next sentence following as you shall heare Besides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie they were worthy but they had the dignitie or honour or if they had beene worthy to haue beene Bishops Paul and Barnabas had small reason in that want of sufficient Ministers to make them lay either Elders or Deacons So that Oecumenius his words are thus to be translated it is to be noted that Paul and Barnabas had the dignitie of Bishops for that they ordained by imposition of hands not onely Deacons but also Presbyters Note also saith hee that in Miletum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Barnabas and Paul were by imposition of hands ordained but I found another coppie which for Miletum hath Antioch and that is more probable His meaning is that at Antioch Paul and Barnabas were ordained Bishops Act. 13.2 And that Oecumenius by Presbyters vnderstood Ministers or Teachers it is apparant by his words going before for demanding why the Apostles made not Presbyters in Cyprus and Samaria but in these places mentioned Act. 14. he answereth those were neare to Ierusalem and the apostles and in Antioch the word preuailed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in these places they needed much exhortation chiefly those of the gentiles needed much teaching The third testimonie Iam. 5.14 Is any man sicke among you let him call for the Presbyters of the Church and let them pray ouer him annointing him with oile in the name of the Lord. Therefore there were Lay-Elders in S. Iames time This consequence is proued because Caluin and foure other new writers say so The fourth Rom. 12.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that ruleth in diligence this Ruler must needs be the Lay-Elder For besides certaine new writers Ambrose saith so But Ambrose vnderstandeth the words generally of any Ruler expounding him that ruleth to be eum qui curam vt praesit fratribus suscipit him that vndertaketh the care to rule his brethren The fifth 1. Cor. 12.28 God hath appointed in the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gouernements these gouernements must needs be of Lay-Elders for besides some new writers Ambrose Ierome Theodoret doe testifie so much Ambrose his words be these sunt gubernatores gui spiritualib retinaculis hominibus documento sunt there are also gouernours who with spirituall reines doe nurture men Ierome qui sciunt singulos prout apti sunt gubernare who know to gouerne euery one according as they are apt Theodoret hereby he signified the administrations or gouernements of the Church These be all the places of scripture which this great striker durst make shew of Whereof not any one can be said with any shew of probabilitie to speake one word for Lay-Elders If Lay-Elders were first proued by other arguments or presupposed the best argument that could out of these places be raised were from the Genus to the species affirmatiue as if they should say the scriptures speake of gouernours therefore of Lay-Elders of Presbyters therefore of onely gouerning Presbyters But seeing they neuer were nor euer will be proued by other arguments the reason taken from these places is from the Genus to a fancied and platonicall Idea or poeticall species and that affirmatiuè If I should say it is a bird therefore a Swanne it
place which God did choose in other cities whereof the one was ciuill the other ecclesiasticall consisting of the priests Leuits scribes or teachers also the seniors of the people But the reader shal easily vnderstand this latter to be a meere fiction if he consider that the Synedrion at Ierusalem which was the highest court chief councel of state hauing power of life death authority to deale in causes both ciuill ecclesiasticall coÌ„sisted of the high priest other priests and Leuites together with the Princes Seniors of the people being besides the High-priest 70. or 71. in number Of which that in Deut 17.8.9 is to bee vnderstood These were called Sanedrin and did sit in Gazith In which number those which were priests were called Seniores SacerdotuÌ„ and those which were Princes were called Seniores populi as Sigondus saith And likewise that the Sanedrioth or consistories in other cities consisted as well of the learned Leuits as of the seniors of the people Iosephus saith that to euery coÌ„sistory in the cities belonged 2. Leuites The reason heereof was because the lawes wherby that church coÌ„mon-wealth were gouerned were the lawes of God wherein the Priests Leuites Scribes were most skilfull and therefore best able to determine what was right according to the law And therfore another sort which should consist of Priests Leuits and elders of the people which should respoÌ„dere de iure as Beza imagineth this shuld was altogether needles But his proofs are as weake as his imagination was strong His only proofe for the 1. institution of the Ecclesiasticall senat is Leuit 10.10 where they were ordained saith he to shew the difference betweene holy profane betweene cleane vncleane to teach the law of God But no such thing can with any shew of probabilitie be gathered out of the text where the Lord speaking to Aaron coÌ„mandeth him his sonnes the priests by a perpetual law that they should not drink wine nor strong drink wheÌ„ they were to enter into the sanctuary whereby they might be hindered from exercising their function discreetly soberlie either in iudging betweene holie profane between cleane and vncleane or in teaching the people which duties were to be performed in the sanctuary by the priests as well seuerally as ioyntly no ecclesiasticall senate at all here instituted or if there were it should according to Bertrams conceit consist wholy of the Priests to whom alone this speech is directed As for Elders of the people they were not to intermeddle with these things The high Priest indeed if it pleased him might consult with other Priests and vse their assistance as Azariah did vse the aide of 80. 2. Chron. 26. But that there was a setled Presbyterie or senate Ecclesiasticall ordained by God we doe not read and that it should consist in part of Lay-men there is not the least semblance of likelihood His proofes that there were two diuerse Synedria instituted are these First because the number of the one is defined to be 70 the other left vncertaine Secondly because the second was not ordained at the same time with the former I answere there is neither number set downe nor time of that which neuer was His proofe for the instauration of two distinct Synedria is out of 2. Chron. 19. where he saith Iosaphat ordained two Synedria or counsells the one Ecclesiasticall for the causes of God ouer which the high Priest was chiefe the other ciuill for the causes of the King ouer which Zabadiah a Prince of Iuda was chiefe But it is euident by the text that it was one and the same high counsell of state which afterwards was called Sanedrin or Synedrion Hierosolymitaâ—uÌ„ coÌ„sisting of the Leuites and Priests and of the heads of the chiefe families in Israel ordained for the iudgements of God and controuersies of men which was to heare and determine all manner of causes that were brought vnto them from the iudgements or consistories of the inferior cities were to iudge betweene blood and blood that is slaughter and slaughter betweene the law and the precept betweene statutes and iudgements hauing among them in the causes of God Amarias the high Priest and in the causes of the King Zebadiah a Prince of Iuda as chiefe and that the Maisters or gouernours the Leuits were with them to instruct them in the law For whereas he would proue that Iosaphat ordained two distinct counsels at Ierusalem by these reasons because the dutie of the one was to deale in the causes of God the other of the King the one should determine de iure the other de facto the one had for the president the high Priest the other a Prince of Iuda none of these reasons doe proue that Iosaphat ordained any thing but that which before had beene appointed by God namely that the difficult controuersies which the iudges in the cities could not determine betweene blood and blood plea and plea plague and plague should be brought to the Synedâ—ion or counsell of the place which God shoulâ— choose the which is there noted to consist of the Priests Leuites and â—udge that is iudges saith Caluin as appeareth by the holy historie where it is declared that Iosaphat besides the Pâ—iâ—sts and Leuites chose the Princes of the families of Israel for the godly King would decline nâ—uer a whit from the rule of Gods law To this counsell the difficult causes afore said as weâ—l ciuill as Ecclesiasticall as well de facto as de iure were to be brought from other ciuill courts as appeareth both in Deut. 17.8 and also 2 Chron. 19.20 Besides it is ridiculous to imagine that the ciuill senate should determine onely de facto and that questions de iure should be brought to the Ecclesiasticall the rather because that counsell which was appointed by God Deut. 17. and renewed by Iosaphat did consist of the Priests and Leuits and Elders of the people and was to determine and to decide all questions of doubt and difficultie or if they were to seeke to an Ecclesiasticall senate it is absurd to imagine that Lay-Elders should be ioyned to the Priests and Leuits to answere de iure As for the causes of God which verse 8 are termed the iudgement and cause of the Lord and are particularized verse 10. and Deut. 17.8 betweene blood and blood betweene law and precept c. we are to vnderstand them to be not onely Ecclesiasticall but also ciuill so farre as either they were to be decided bâ— the lawes of God or concerned the obseruation or transgression of Gods law whereby that land was gouâ—rned in iudging whereof they also exercised Gods iudgement The causes of the King were such as belonged to the Kings house or his eschequer And it is fond to imagine that those causes which were to be decided by the iudicial and morâ—ll lawes of God were not the causes
the better gifts chiefly to follow after loue and to couet after spiritual gifts but amōg them to desire rather to prophecie that is to preach then to speak with tongues And whereas the holie Ghost doth marshall in order the gifts of God according to their worthines saying First second third if by helpes he should meane Deacons and by gouernments Elders then must we hold Deacons to be preferred before Elders which will not be granted If anie man doubt whether helps and gouernments are to be accounted gifts Chrysostome may resolue him who as of the former he saith that is in especial maner the gift of God so also of the latter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be fitte to gouerne and to administer spirituall things and he addeth that our duties are called Gods gifts to teach vs that our abilitie in performance of our dutie is the gift of God So Oecumenius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also he calleth a gift though it require our labour also and industrie Nazianzen also reckoneth them among the graces of the spirit For the spirit saith he is one but the graces are not equall nor yet the receptacles of the spirit For to one by the spirite is giuen the word of Wisedome and contemplation to another the word of knowledge or reuelation to another firme vndoubted faith to another the inoperations of powers high wonders to another the gifts of healing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 helpes that is Presidencies or Patronages Gouernements that is Poedagogies of the flesh kindes of tongues interpretations of tongues I am not ignorant that some before our time haue vnderstood diuerse of these members to haue bene Ecclesiasticall functions But yet their exposition wholly agreeth with the gouernment of our Church not with the pretended discipline For by Apostles they vnderstand not only the 12. Apostles but their successors also in the gouernment of the Church that is to say the Byshops and by helps they vnderstand them who help the Bishops in the gouernment of the church as the Deanes and Archdeacons and by gouernements the gouernors or rectors of seuerall parishes These with 1. Tim 5.17 are the testimonies of Scripture which vsually be aleaged by the patrons of the presbyterie not one of them almost either omitting any of them or adding any other So that this Disputer might trulie cōclude that this is the strength and indeed all the strength they haue out of the Scriptures Which how strongly or strangely rather they haue concluded for the Lay-Elders it doth sufficiently appeare to them that haue not either a strong preiudice or a weake iudgement Assuredly if the Fathers be no stronger for them then the Scriptures then is the cause of the Lay-Elders very weake and languishing CHAP. XI Answering the Allegations out of the Fathers for Lay-Elders OF the Fathers he also braggeth as he did before of the Scriptures But in the vpshot all the force of his argumēts either out of Scriptures or Fathers relyeth vpon the authority of certaine new writers who are the most almost all of them parties in the cause Which is a kinde of arguing deuised to retaine the vnlearned in their former opinion that because so many late Diuines vnderstand the Scriptures and Fathers according to their receiued opinions they may be confirmed therein But is not this a strange kind of reasoning Ignatius Tertullian Cyprian Ambrose which are all the Fathers hee nameth but nameth as though with their names hee hoped to ouercome vs giue testimonie to Lay-Elders therefore Lay-Elders were in vse in the primitiue church when we quietly grant this consequence only desire them to proue the antecedent Is it not strange I say that this disputer should not produce the testimonies themselues endeuour by necessary euidence to demonstrate that they are to be vnderstood as speaking of Lay-Elders but to bring in a sort of new writers the most wherof are parties to depose that these ancient Fathers say as they would haue them Did they heare them say so or did they read their writings If they read their testimonies are they the same which we haue in print or some speciall manuscripts which yet are not come to light if such why are they not produced If their testimonies be vpon publike record in print why should not we examine the records thēselues trust to our owne eyes and iudgmēts rather thē to the opinions of them who are partiall in the cause Or if these new writers had reasons to perswade vs that these Fathers doe speake for Lay-Elders why are not their reasons produced By your leaue I will produce their testimonies for you And because it pittyeth me the to see well-meaning people abused I had almost said guld with glorious shewes I will let them see that not any one testimonie which you doe vse to produce out of the Fathers doth conclude for Lay-Elders And first as touching Ignatius whom hee first nameth because his testimonies were belike too hot to be handled yet hee putteth him off fairely saying that hereafter he will shew how he is to be vnderstood when he commeth to answere my quotations out of him But I quote him not in the question of Elders but among my proofs for Bishops And if hee haue no stronger proofes out of Ignatius for elders then the selfe-same that I alledge for Bishops may you not think that he is very strōg for them The truth is he perceiued they were too weake to bee vrged by him as an opponent and therefore chose to speake to them as an answerer hoping to perswade the simple reader that Lay-Elders are sufficiently proued by Ignatius his testimonie if they be not disproued thereby as hereafter you shall heare T. C. and after him the author of the counterpoison the demonstrator of discipline almost who not cite this sentence of Ignatius There is no Church which can stand without her Eldership or counsell Vnto which H.I. addeth 2. more out of his epistles to them of Tarsus Smyrna In the 1. of these Epistles Ignatius saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be subiect to the Bishop as to the Lord a little after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Presbyters as to the Apostles of Iesus Christ our hope Of the Deacons in the next words he sath that they be ministers of the mysteries of Christ Iesus and not of meate and drinke A reason of the former speech he rendreth in these words the Byshop is the type of the Father of all the Presbyters are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Consistory of God and a band or Colledge of the Apostles of Christ. Then followeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without these that is BB. Presbyters Deacons no elect Church is no holy congregation no assemblie of Saints This testimony proueth that as each Church had a Bishop and Deacons so also Presbyters and a presbyterie But what manner of presbyters they were it appeareth 1. by
that hee doubteth not to say that the grace which was giuen by the imposition of hands of the Presbytery was giuen by the imposition of his hands Which sheweth that if any Presbyters did ioyne with Paul it was no otherwise then as they vse to doe with BB. by the Canon of the fourth Councell of Carthage and by the discipline and order of our Church And this answereth the first thing which the Refuter inferreth vpon this exposition that if Presbytery signifie a companie of seniors as it must for J tell you his word must stand for law then it will follow that the power of ordination was not in one mans hand alone For though that alone bee of his owne adding yet it is plaine that Paul and antient BB. had this power as much alone as our Bishoppes Where I say this place maketh nothing either for their parish Presbyteries or lay Presbyteries whatsoeuer hee saith It skilleth not now what Presbytery this was Belike then it skilleth not what becommeth of the maine pillar of your Discipline so you can make any poore shift to maintaine the point which presently is in hand But if this be the onely place of scripture which mentioneth a Christian Presbytery on which also the Disciplinarians do principally build the authority of their pretended Presbyteries it maketh not a little me thinks for the iustifying of our cause that it maketh not at all for their Presbyteries which by the confession of Caluin haue no right to impose hands Neither can it bee denied but that it is sacrilegious vsurpation and horrible intrusion vpon the right of the Ministery if lay men shalt take vpon them to ordaine by imposition of hands Besides it skilleth something that the Greeke Fathers vnderstand by Presbytery a company of Bishops which as it proueth the Prerogatiue of BB. in the ordaining of BB. so doth it not impeach their superioritie in ordaining Ministers And where hee maketh 〈◊〉 say they were no Presbyters hee mistaketh the matter vnlesse hee vnderstand meere or onely-Presbyters For BB and Apostolicall men yea the Apostles themselues were Presbyters and so call themselues but they were not bare or onely-Presbyters as those bee which are not Bishops But if they were not Presbyters saith he then was the Apostle to blame to call them so If the word bee vnderstood collectiuè hee calleth the company of them which imposed hands on Timothy the Presbytery And forasmuch as not onely inferior Ministers but Bishops and Apostles are called Presbyters it being a common name to all Ministers of the word and sacraments it should not seeme strange that a company or senate of Bishops or Apostolicall men should be called a Presbytery Now that they were not meere Presbyters the Fathers proue Because Presbyters might not ordaine a Bishop neque enim fas erat saith Ambrose nec licebat vt inferior ordinaret maiorem Neither was Timothy any saith he Bluntly and peremptorilie spoken But the Fathers that before I mentioned take it for granted and it is the generall consent of all the antient Fathers as wee shall heare the authoritie of some one whereof in a matter of fact ought to ouerweigh the whole nation of Disciplinarians contradicting the same In fine distrusting this burrough hee flieth to his old starting hole out of which hee hath beene so often ferretted that the Fathers spake onely of their owne times which is nothing to the ordaining of Ministers in the Apostles times almost foure hundred yeeres before them The absurdity of which euasion the Reader may easily discerne if hee will but call to minde what were the Greeke Fathers wordes before cited and vpon what occasion they were vttered Hee speaketh here saith Chrysostome and Occumenius not of Presbyters but of Bishoppes For Presbyters did not ordaine Bishoppes Is it not most plaine that they speake of the Apostles time And were it not absurd to vnderstand them thus Paul by the Presbytery which ordained Timothy vnderstandeth Bishoppes and not Presbyters because howsoeuer in those times Presbyters might ordaine yet in our times they cannot But let me aske the Refuter this question Seeing it is agreed vpon by all that Paul here speaketh of Timothy his ordination to what function hee thinketh he was ordained If to be a Presbyter or Pastor as Caluin saith or to be a Bishoppe as all the Fathers acknowledge then was hee not onely ordained to an ordinary function in the Church but also assigned to a particular Church whereof hee was made Pastor as Caluin speaketh or Bishoppe as the Fathers affirme But that his last ordination whereof the Apostle speaketh was not to the degree of a Presbyter but of a Bishoppe appeareth by the whole Epistle wherein his singularity of preeminence ouer Presbyters and superiority in power both for ordination and iurisdiction is presupposed If he say that he was ordained to be an Euangelist to omit the singularity the nouelty of the conceit it would be knowne what Presbytery this was that imposed hands on Timothy Had the Presbytery of any parish such as our Disciplinarians dreame of consisting for the most part of laymen or the Presbytery of any particular Church though consisting wholly of Ministers authority by imposition of hands to ordaine an extraordinary function and that to be exercised in other parts of the world where themselues had nothing to doe Serm. sect 8. page 39. Yea but the Councell of Carthage say they committeth authority of imposing hands to Presbyters c. to the end of page 44 Here the Refuter meaning to make short worke hauing little to say hath made a long section which he might better haue diuided into three For three diuers things are heere performed The first an answere to the obiection our of the fourth Councell of Carthage The second a new supply of proofes for the superiority of BB. in the power of ordination Thirdly a preuention of popish cauils in fauor of some reformed Churches where the Presbyterian discipline is established As touching the first the Refuter saith that canon may serue to shew that the Fathers of this Councell thought it not fit no not to leaue ordination to the Bishop alone But because he perceiueth by that which I answered that that Canon though greatly vrged by the Disciplinarians maketh nothing against the superiority of BB. in ordaining and that it agreeth with the discipline of our Church and consequently conuicteth him of vntrue dealing seeing he â—udgeth that BB. by that canon haue not sole authority of ordaining and yet will make his Reader beleeue that I defend their sole power of ordaining which by the discipline of our Church is no more sole in our BB. then it was by that canon in the BB. of Africke for thesâ— causes I say he refuseth to vrge this canon though hee pretend hee will neither trouble the Reader nor himselfe about the examining of it because forsooth it commeth not neere the time in
the behalfe of those which had fallen promising when God should grant peace vnto them that he might returne to them the behauiour and repentance of them which had fallen should be examined in their presence and hauing signified his great dislike of the Presbiters act who not reseruing vnto him the honour of his Priesthood and chaire had without his allowance communicated with them which had fallen In the end he desireth that they which had fallen would patiently heare his counsell expect his returne that when through Gods mercy we shall come vnto you many of my fellow BB. being assembled together may according to the discipline of the Lord in the presence of the confessors examine the letters and desires of the blessed Martyrs he writeth in like manner to the Clergy that is to the Presbiters and Deacons willing them for as much as still his returne was delayed that in the case of necessity they should not expect his presence but for such as should be in danger of death to lay their hands vpon them and reconcile them especially such as had beene commended by the Martyrs as for the rest he would haue them stay till hee being restored to the Church and they all being assembled together might determine what was to be done But being importuned againe by letters from the Confessors who had desired him and by him the rest of the BB. to grant peace as themselues did to them which had fallen he writeth againe to the Presbiters and Deacons that letter which by the refuter is cited saying concerning those which had fallen and by the Confessours haue desired to be reconciled vntill it be certainely knowne what course they haue taken since their fault committed seeing it is a matter which belongeth to the Councill and iudgement of vs all I dare not preiudicate and challenge to my selfe a thing which is common and therefore appointeth that course to be taken which I mentioned out of the last Epistle and to the same purpose writeth to diuers BB. and by name to Calidonius shewing him what order he had taken in this matter and willing him to signifie the same to other BB. that the like course might be taken by them If these letters all concerning the same businesses be conferred together you may obserue first that Cyprian was a Metropolitane B. hauing authoritie to assemble and to direct his comprouinciall BB. as may appeare also by the Synodes held and Synodicall Epistles written by him Secondly that he speaketh not of Church businesse in generall but of this particular which was of so great importance that he saith it was the cause not of one Church or of one Prouince but of the whole world Thirdly that he would not deale alone in this busines but he would call a Synode of his fellow BB. besides his Clergie and in the presence of the people haue the cause of them which had fallen examined Fourthly that although he would not deale alone in this busines being a cause of so great moment but would haue it referred to the examination censure of his fellow BB. besides the concurrence of the people and his owne Clergy in this iudgement notwithstanding the chiefe stroak in this busines was in him as appeareth both by their petitions and his directions And therefore the whole cariage of this businesse doth prooue the Episcopall authoritie of the B. and Cyprians superioritie not onely ouer his owne Presbiters but also ouer his fellow Bishops so farre is it from impleading the same and further I say that Cyprian because his comming to the Bishopricke was much resisted by Felicissimus and his complices and the time wherein he liued troublesome and dangerous therefore though he might as Ierome speaketh of all Bishops rule alone as Moses yet as Moses he voluntarily vsed the assistance of others hauing as himselfe saith from the beginning of his Bishoprick determined to doe nothing by his own priuate sentence without the counsell of the Clergy and consent of the people whereby it appeareth that his vsing of the Clergies counsell and consent of the people was not of necessity but voluntary and therefore when he saw cause and did finde himselfe not to need either the counsell of the Clergy or consent of the people he would sometimes doe matters of importance as namely the ordination of Clerks alone as himselfe signifieth in an Epistle to the Presbiters Deacons and the whole people In ordaining of Clerkes I doe vse before hand to consult with you and by common counsell to weigh the manners and deserts of all but humane testimonies are not to be expected when we haue diuine suffrages and therefore signifieth that he had without them ordained Aurelius and others to be Clerks But suppose that of necessitie Cyprian was to vse the aduise or expect the presence and conscience of his Clergy in dispaching matters of importance would this be an instance against the Episcopall gouernment in those times did the fourth Councill of Cathage set foorth these two Canons the one that a B. without the Councill of his Clergie should not ordaine Clerkes requiring also that the assent or conniuence and testimony of the people should be had the other that a B. should heare no mans cause but in the presence of his Clerkes and that the sentence of the B. should be void which was not confirmed by the presence of his Clergie and yet no man doubteth but that when that Councell was held which was about foure hundred yeeres after Christ the sway of Ecclesiasticall authoritie both for ordination and iurisdiction was in the Bishop But I haue vouchafed too long an answere to so weake an allegation In the next place he mentioneth Ambrose his testimony which was as he saith debated at large in the first point It was debated indeed but nothing to this present purpose Ambrose saith that the B. was wont to vse the aduise of his Presbiters though in his time it was growne out of vse and the matter debated betweene vs was whether those Seniors were Ministers as I proued or Lay-elders as the refuter pretended but whether they were the one or the other the authoritie and gouernment of the B. was no more impayred by vsing their counsell then the authority of a Prince by vsing the aduise of his Counsellours vntill such time and in such cases as by the Canons and Canonicall law their consent was required as necessarie These two allegations if they had beene reduced into sillogismes would haue made very loose inferences and so would the testimonies of Ierom who euery where almost saith the refuter speaketh for vs. This is vauntingly spoken and yet the truth is that as no where 's indeed he speaketh for them so none of the Fathers is more plentifull of pregnant testimonies then he is for BB. as partly hath beene shewed already and more shall be declared hereafter Of the testimonies which the refuter citeth three
Ignatius who liued at the same time who in his Epistle to the Ephesians mentioneth their B. Onesimus The latter argument prouing that these seauen Angels were BB. is because from them all a succession of BB. was continued in those seauen Churches to the Councill of Nice and afterwards for to omit that the auncient BB. of these Churches are sometimes occasionally mentioned as Polycrates of Ephesus Thraseas of Smyrna Melito of Sardes c. it is euident that the Bishops of these Churches subscribed to diuerse of the ancient Councils as to the councill of Nice Menophantes B. of Ephesus Eutychius of Smyrna Artemidorus of Sardes Thomasion of Philadelphia Serras of Thyatira Nunechius of Laodicea to the Council of Chalcedon Stephanus of Ephesus Aethericus of Smyrna Eutropius of Pergamus Helladius of Thyatira Florentius of Sardes Megalus of Philadelphia Nunechius of Laodicea To this argument the Refuter answereth nothing in particular With these two arguments the refuter ioyneth that which I propounded Pag. 63. concerning the succession of Bishops in some Churches within the Apostles times being indcede the second argument whereby I proued the assumption that in the Apostles times were BB. To all these he answereth first ioyntly and then cauilleth with some of them seuerally His ioynt answere to them all I reserue vntill I come to that second argument The Epistle of Smyrna which himselfe heretofore alledged as authenticall being now alledged by me so hard is my hap is growne suspitious and why I pray you for the Refuter trauailed of a point of learning which he desired to be deliuered of Forsooth because it vseth the word Catholicke which is not to be found in any of the Epistles of Polycarpus or Ignatius nor seemeth to haue beene in vse vntill the end of the second age Clemens Alexandrinus I thinke is the ancientest in whom it can be found How many Epistles of Polycarpus this Refuter hath read I know not for my part I haue seene no more but his Epistle to the Philippians Indeede Suidas who noteth him to haue beene the Disciple of S. Iohn and the successor of Bucolus who was the first B. of Smyrna saith he wrote an Epistle to Dionysius the Areopagite and to other Churches which Epistles if the Refuter haue he should doe well to communicate them if not how can he tell that the word Catholicke was not vsed in them But to the point was not the Creed of the Apostles as ancient as this Epistle which writeth of the martyrdome of Polycarpe who was put to death in the seauenth of Aurelius Antonius about the yeare one hundred sixtie and nine and yet that mentioneth the Catholicke Church Againe vvas not this a high point of learning to suspect this Epistle to be counterfait because it vseth a word which hee confesseth is vsed by Clemens Alexandrinus who liued at the same time though wrote not perhaps more then twentie yeares after Where I proued that Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians or at least that testimonie which I cited concerning Onesimus their Bishop not to be counterfait because Eusâ—bius mentioneth that Epistle and those words he saith this argument is none of the sufficientest but I alwaies thought if Ignatius his Epistles were counterfaited that this happened to them since Eusebius time It sufficeth me that the testimonie which I alledged vvas not in Eusebius his time who liued vvithin two hundred yeares after Ignatius suspected as counterfait For if Eusebius and those in his time knew no cause to suspect that Epistle I know no reason besides his owne suspiciousnesse vvhy the Refuter should suspect it The second argument whereby I proue the former assumption is this that it is with great consent testified by Authors of best credit in the Church of God that in the Apostles times reckoning vntill the death of S. Iohn that is to the yeere of our Lord one hundred and one there were not onely BB. but also a succession of BB. in diuerse Churches as at Rome Linus Anacletus Clemens Euaristus at Ierusalem Iames the iust and Simeon the sonne of Cleophas at Antioch Evodius and Ignatius at Alexandria S. Marke Anianus Abilius Cerdo hereto he saith that he hath formerly shewen that if not all yet the most of these witnesses doe affirme that those BB. were ordinary ministers without any such supreame power he ought to say if he would leaue his calumniating superiority in the power of ordination and iurisdiction But this is one of his vsuall bragges vttered with what conscience I know not for what one of these hath he or what one among all the ancient Writers can he bring to make good his assertion Now the answere which he maketh to these arguments ioyntly is that the seauen Angels and these Bishops whereof there were as I said successions in the Apostles times were Bishops indeed no meruaile for so were the lay Elders but not Diocesan for what though long after the Apostles times they were so doth it follow thereupon that therefore they were so in their times If euer there had beene within the compasse of a Diocesse more Bishops then one at once since the Apostles times or if it could be truly alledged that the circuit of the Bishops charge was enlarged from a Parish to a Diocesse then were there some colour for this exception but these conceipts I haue disproued heretofore and therefore doubt not most confidently to conclude that if the successors of these seauen Bishops or of the others whom I named as hauing beene Bishops in the Apostles times were in the end of three hundred yeares Diocesan Bishops then were their first antecessors such Neither is his example of the Duke of Venice to the purpose vnlesse hee could proue that the latter Bishops within the first three hundred yeares had vsurped or vsed as they were Diocesans a greater and larger authoritie then had belonged to their Predecessors The latter part of the assumption remaineth to be proued where I said that the Bishops were not contradicted by the Apostles but approued by them Hee obiecteth that this proofe is needlesse seeing the Bishops were such as he fansieth but till he can disproue the former part of my Sermon and of this Treatise hee must giue the Reader leaue to thinke they were such as they haue beene manifestly proued to be but this needlesse accusation being commonly vsed by the Refuter against such passages of my Sermon as are most materiall maketh me conceiue there is somewhat in this point that hee could wish had beene spared or at least whereabout he meaneth to spare his answere That this passage was not needlesse but very materiall appeareth hereby For if I had onely said that BB. had beene in the Apostles times and therefore were of their institution it might haue beene obiected that there were abuses crept into the Churches in the Apostles time whereof notwithstanding the Apostles were not Authors wherefore in this place
much as may be we may bring in the ancient discipline Where indeed we see mention of Seniors and of ancient discipline but that they meant nothing lesse then to bring in Lay-elders or to establish the pretended parish-discipline or to acknowledge that it was the ancient discipline of the Church I will out of the booke it selfe make manifest Wherein the whole gouernement and discipline of our Church by Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons rurall Deanes c. is established And cōcerning BB. this is there decreed that the B. is at fit seasons to giue holy orders to institute fit Ministers to Ecclesiasticall benefices to remoue vnfit to heare the testimonies of the Church and complaints of their Pastors to compound controuersies arising betwixt the Ministers and the Churches to correct by Ecclesiasticall censures vices and corrupt manners to prescribe orders for amendment of life to excommunicate those which wilfully and obstinatly resist to receiue into grace those which be penitent to visit the whole Diocesse as well in places exēpted as not euery third yeare And finally let BB. take care of all things which ex Dei prescrpto by the ordinance of God belong to them and which our Ecclesiasticall lawes haue committed to their knowledge and iudgements And that by Seniors they did not meane any Ecclesiasticall officers it is apparant for where they reckon vp all Ecclesiasticall officers prescribing their duties beginning at clearks or sextons so proceeding to Church-wardens to Deacons to Presbyters or Ministers to archpresbyters or rural deanes to archdeacōs so to Cathedral Churches to Deanes to Prebendaries to BB. prescribing the obedience which must be yeelded to them they doe not once mention Seniors or their office If therfore it be asked whō they vnderstand by Seniors in the place alleadged I answer that they vnderstand some of the principall housholders in euery parish whom in some places they call Vestry-men in some maisters of the parish in some ancients of the parish With what conscience therefore that booke was alleadged as approuing Lay-elders or acknowledging the new-found parish-discipline for the ancient discipline let the reader iudge The second he setteth downe in these words A doctrine I say cleane contrarie to the professed iudgement of all our worthy writers who in their answeres to the Papists that plead for their Hierarchie with the same reasons that M. D. doth for his doe determine that the gouernement our BB. exercise ouer other ministers is Iure humano by the positiue law of men onely the which if M. D. saith true is false so the Papists are left vnanswered Whereunto I answere first that the popish opinion is farre different from that which I hold For they hold the order and superioritie of BB. to be Iure diuino implying thereby a perpetuall necessitie thereof Insomuch that where BB are not to ordaine they thinke there can be no ministers or priests consequently no Church I hold otherewise as the refuter himselfe else-where acknowledgeth in whose words I will relate my opinion as he hath set it downe that I make the calling of BB. no further of diuine institution then as being ordained by the Apostles it proceeded from God without implying thereby any necessarie perpetuitie thereof For which he quoteth pag. 92. of my Sermon If therefore the Papists doe bring the like arguments to proue their opinion which is so vnlike to mine nothing hindereth but my arguments may be good though theirs be nought For those arguments which demonstratiuely proue the Episcopall function to be of Apostolicall institution doe not straightwaies proue it to be Diuini iuris Wherefore my opinion being so different from the popish conceit who seeth not that the iudgemēt of our Diuines which is opposed to the doctrine of the Papists is not opposite to mine for though they doe not holde the Episcopall function to be inioyned diuino iure as perpetually necessarie yet what man of sound learning doth or can deny but that the first BB. were ordained by the Apostles The third he deliuereth in these tearmes Yea a doctrine contrariant to the lawes of our land which make it one part of the Kings iurisdiction to grant to our BB. that Ecclesiasticall power they now exercise ouer vs and also to take it from them at his pleasure the which his Highnes taketh to himselfe and giueth to all Kings where he professeth that God hath left it to the libertie and freewill of Princes to alter the Church gouernement at their pleasure The iurisdiction which BB exercise is either spirituall respecting the soule as to binde or loose the soules of men or corporall respecting the outward man as to binde and loose the bodies The former is deriued to them from the Apostles the latter is committed vnto them by the King to whose crowne all commanding and compulsiue power is annexed Againe wee are to distinguish betweene the power it selfe and the exercise of it For although the power it selfe which is an habituall or potentiall right to exercise that which belongeth to the said power be deriued to them from the Apostles as a diuine ordinance notwithstanding where is a Christian Prince assisting and directing them by his lawes they may not actually exercise their power but according to his lawes Ecclesiasticall I call them his because by whomsoeuer at the first they were decreed yet so many as are in force with vs they are the Kings Ecclesiasticall lawe As for the authoritie whereof the reuerend Iudge speaketh in the place quoted in the margent it is the authoritie of the high Commission which the BB exercise not as they are BB for others who be not BB haue the same but as they are the Kings Commissioners in causes Ecclesiasticall As touching the other allegation it seemeth the refuter whiles he talketh of libertie to alter at their pleasure thinks it left to his libertie to alter the Kings words at his pleasure The King indeed doth say that it is granted to euery Christian King Prince and Common-wealth to prescribe to their subiects that outward forme of Ecclesiastical regiment which may seeme best to agree with the forme of their ciuill gouernement but so as they swarue not at all frō the grounds of faith and true religion But that it may appeare how little the iudgement of our most Orthodoxall and iudicious King doth differ from that which I deliuered in my Sermon I will craue leaue to recite his words That BB. ought to be in the Church I euer maintained as an Apostolike institution and so the ordinance of God contrarie to the Puritanes and likewise to Bellarmine who denieth that BB. haue their iurisdiction from God Now then to come to the point this argument maketh wholy against the pretended discipline and not against the gouernement of Bishops as I maintaine it The gouernement of Bishops is by our lawes allowed so is not the pretended discipline And though I holde the gouernement
he wil acquaint you with his maner of performance which in general he confesseth to haue bene done in much weakenesse and many wants neither do I denie it But he might to his ouersight proceeding from ignorance weakenesse haue added his wilfull falsificatioÌ„s deprauatioÌ„s his forged calumniations his Sophisticall shifts and euasions to elude the light of truth conuicting his conscience But though he would seeme to acknowledge much weakenesse and many wants it was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of an affected modestie for his conceit is which hee shameth not to vtter that hee hath brought euidence sufficient I warrant you to make it manifest hee doubteth not of it that the doctrine in my Sermon is nothing lesse then true profitable and necessarie that my Preface is full of wittie calumniations to make them and their cause odious and that my Sermon notwithstanding my great boasting hath in it no one sound syllable of argument to proue my cause and disproue theirs What euidence he bringeth I shall not need here to relate this defence of my Sermon will make it manifest That I vsed either calumniations to make them and their cause odious or any great boasting which he talketh of I vtterly denie Who it is that vseth either calumniations the examination of his booke will bewray or boasting the very forefront of his booke this present place and many others besides doe testifie But I much disdaine that he should say that there was not a syllable of any sound proofe in my SermoÌ„ as before he had said that in my sermoÌ„ I vttered scarse any one word of truth The proofes which I haue vsed are such I take God to witnesse as satisfie mine owne conscience And I trust I may without any great boasting assume vnto my selfe as good skill to iudge of an argument as this refuter or some others of his side Of his blasphemie against the truth which I deliuered I pray God giue him grace to repent And what was it that he hath thus censured A Sermon vttered in the presence of God in the roome of Christ before a most honourable auditorie by a Minister of the Gospell shall I say as sound and faithfull as himselfe no I disdaine the comparison for by his fruites in his booke whereby alone I can iudge of him he hath to my seeming plainely bewrayed an vnsound iudgement an euill conscience and an vnsanctified heart I trust I may say by a Minister of the Gospell as sound and orthodoxall as his betters as conscionable in all Sermons writings and as carefull to deliuer nothing but the truth of God Me thinkes he should rather haue trembled to thinke of confuting a Sermon of such a one as he iudging according to the iudgement of charitie cannot denie to be a faithfull Minister and Orthodoxall diuine then haue dared thus to censure it as hauing scarce one word of truth and not one syllable of a sound proofe Is this the reuerent estimation that you would worke in the peoples minds of the word preached or must they thinke that none make conscience of preaching the truth but your selues But if it shall appeare to any indifferent and iudicious Reader comparing this my defence with his refutation of my Sermon that hee hath not beene able to disproue any one of my proofes nor to coÌ„uince me of any one vntruth throughout the whole body of my Sermon as in my conscience I am perswaded he hath not then doe those two censures of his the one that thereis scarce a true word the other that there is not one syllable of a sound proofe in all the Sermon containe so many vntruthes as there are sentences or proofes in the whole Sermon More particularly he telleth you both what he did not and what he hath done He hath made no large discourses to teach ouer anew the discipline of Christ so hee doubteth not to call their owne deuises onely he hath said what the Author of the abortiue booke and himselfe with their Coadiutors were able to say either for it or against the gouernement by Bishops The thing which he hath done is that he hath fulfilled my desire in applying distinctly his answeres to my arguments But my desire was not that he should balke those which he could not answere or depraue and weak on those which he did by fitting them to his owne strength Neither desired I alone that their answeres might be applied to euery argument in order but also that their proofes might be produced But forasmuch as hee had none such as I told them theirs had need to be that is to say very pregnant and demonstratiue whereby they might hope to perswade both the abolishing of that forme of gouernement which euen from the Apostles times hath beene perpetually obserued in the Church and setting vp of another which was neuer heard of till now of late therfore in the chiefe points of controuersie he hath beene for prooe need very sparing to vse any other proofe besides the testimonies of newe Diuines who are incompetent witnesses in a question of story concerning things done or not done 14. or 1500. yeares before their time themselues also for the most part being parties in the cause Now follow his directions to the Reader And first that he should wâ—igh my arguments with his answeres and compare the one with the other belieuing neither further then euidence truely produced leadeth him the which direction I earnestly desire the Reader in the feare of God to follow not to regard his calumniation whereby he seeketh to worke in him a preiudicate opinion against me most falselie charging me that as another Pythagoras I seeke to be belieued vpon mine owne word without authoritie and good reason For whether of vs seeketh more to be belieued without proofes I dare appeale to his iudgement when he hath perused what is alledged on both sides Howbeit I must needs say he giueth the Reader a good proofe in this place of his dexteritie in alleadging testimonies when to proue that in disputation credit is not to be giuen to him that speaketh without good proofe hee citeth Ierome and Tertullian disswading men from giuing credit to fame an vncertaine rumors His second direction is vnreasonable and the reasons thereof such as both contradict what he said euen now and are contradicted by that which he affirmeth afterwards If thou findest saith he no sufficiencie in his reasons to inforce thee to acknowledge his doctrine for true iustly thinke with thy selfe it is not else where to be had This is an vnreasonable motion that the weight of the whole cause should lye vpon one short Sermon vttered by so meane a man as my selfe What reasons can he bring to perswade the Reader to accept this motion forsooth all men knowe me to be a Scholler Not vnlike for so haue I beene euer since I was fiue yeares old But what manner of Scholler our Refuter will tell
acknowledged him to be a man of a good spirit I would haue answered him sometimes with better respect But seeing I knowe him no otherwise but by his fruites as he is the Author of this worke wherein he hath shewed himselfe to be in points materiall a very cauilling Sophister and in matters personall a malicious libeller let him take such answeres as doe not like him not as directed to his person which I knowe not but to the person or vizard vnder which he masketh of a wrangling Sophister and a spitefull libeller to whom the sharpest answeres which I haue made are but too milde THE FIRST BOOKE TREATING CHIEFELY of Lay-Elders CHAP. I. Answering the Refuters Preamble THE refuter before he would encounter the Sermon it selfe thought good to spend some of his splene vpon the Author of the Sermon the matter and the text proudly insulting ouer the Author scornefully gibing at the matter and captiously carping at the choyse of the text His insultation is ioyned with scorne and with slander therein behauing himselfe like another insulting Goliah gibing Tobiah slandering Sanballat He insulteth I say Goliah-like despising the Author of the Sermon comming against him in simple maner like Dauid with fiue smooth stones taken out of the fountaine of Gods word streames of antiquitie as not able to stand in his hands being as he saith litle worth yea miserable poore indeed He scoffeth Tobiah-like at my building as ruinous and tottering so readie to tipe and fall as if belike but one of the foxes that trouble the vine doe come vpon it the goodly mansion built for our reuerend Bishops as a tower of defence for their Lordships to rest in which proud and disdainefull scoâ—fe hee repeateth againe pag. 8. will fall to the ground For answere whereof I desire the Reader to compare the latter end of his preface with this begining of his confutation For there bearing the Reader in hand that he hath sufficiently confuted my Sermon hee vseth my praise as a steppe to raise himselfe and to aduantage his cause giuing me greater commendation then either I doe desire or deserue but here beginning his confutation he would perswade the Reader he shall easily performe it his aduersarie being little worth yea miserable poorâ— indeed his building ruinous and tottering ready to tipe and fall Which imputations if they be not true proue him to be a lyer if true a worthlesse and witlesse fellowe worthlesse who passing by all the worthies of our side and their most accurate and learned treatises as himselfe tearmeth them maketh choyce either of such an aduersarie to contend with as is little worth yea miserable poore indeed or of such a building to assaile as is ruinous and tottering ready of it selfe to tipe and fall Witlesse in making choyse of such an aduersarie in vanquishing of whom being so weake and miserable poore as he can gaine no credit to himselfe or his cause so can hee bring no great disaduantage to the aduerse partie The fault being in all reason to be ascribed to the weakenes of the Champion not to the badnesse of the cause But if so weake and worthlesse a defendant did in a Sermon prouided in 9. or 10. daies at the most so foretâ—fie the cause of the Bishops that the greatest worthies of the aduersarie partie assailing it withall their force haue not beene able in twice so many monethes to make the least breach therein then must it be confessed that howsoeuer his aduersarie may be inferiour to him in other things yet he is superiour in the cause But softâ— let not him that putteth on his armour boast as he that puts it off When I consider the weakenesse of your strength and badnesse of your cause I wonder at your confidence You might doe well to followe the counsell of â—rchâ—damus to his foole-hardy sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either adde to your strength or abate from your confidence And whereas Sanballat-like he saith I make great boast in my Sermon of much riches c. I answere with Nehemiah it is not done according to these words there is no such matter in my Sermon but it is a fiction of your owne heart Such vanting suiteth better with my aduersarie who as in the forefront of his booke most arrogantly applyeth the words of wisedome and truth to these his owne writings which for the most part are either false or friuolous Giue care saith he for I will speake of excellent things and the opening of my lippes shall teach things that be right for my mouth shall speake the truth and my lippes abhorre wickednes so now in the very entrance hee playeth Pyrgopolinices himselfe taking on as if with a little paper-shotte he could ouerthrowe all my building and blowe poore me away as it were with a breath Sect. 2. The matter also he scoffeth at applying vnto it the speech of one of the sons of the Prophets whoÌ„ he calleth a poore laborer to make him as it seemeth the liker to me saying of his axe when the head fell into the water Alas Maister it is but borrowed Neither doubteth he with what forhead I knowe not for he goeth vnder a vizard to affirme that my whole building from the foundation to the roofe is but old stuffe taken out of D. Bilsons booke of the perpetuall gouernement of the Church Which base calumniation framed as it may seeme according to his owne practise he doth odiously repeate ad nauseam vsque euen so often harping on this string as I haue occasion to handle though neuer so differently the same points with that most learned and reuerend diuine To which obiection I answere that if it were true it would proue the refuter to be but a childish and yet an odious wrangler Childish for it is the fashion of wrangling boyes in their Sophemes and disputations when they cannot tell how to answere an argument to tell the opponent he had it in such a booke And it is the part of an odious wrangler to seeke the disgrace of my person by that which doth no whit aduantage his cause For what aduantage is this to his cause to obiect that my proofes are the same with D. Bilsons seeing his proofes be such as neuer were and neuer wil be answered But if the obiection be false as euery man that compareth the treatises may easily discerne then besides the testimonie of odious wrangling he shall gaine to himselfe the commendation of a slanderous libeller For besides my consent in iudgement with that most reuerend learned man which I most willingly and gladly professse there is not any thing almost besides concurrence in diuerse allegations which should breed any iust occasion of this surmile And as for them I doe professe that the most of them are of mine owne reading and those which before I had either not read or not obserued I did not content my selfe to alleadge them as it were
c to pag. 5. own case That these 2. things are offered to our consideration saith the refuter wee denie not but if he had walked with a right foote in the path hee entred into hee should by his Text haue taught vs the meaning of these 2. points and not quite contrarie as hee goes about by these two points to teach vs the meaning of his Text. To whom I will not giue that answere which Festus did to Paul that too much learning hath made him madde for hee seemeth not to be greatly sicke of that disease but I may truely say that too much anger and wrath which is furor breuis which he vnmeasurably sheweth in this Section hath made him so to forget himselfe that hee wrangleth without witte and against sense Vnlesse any man that is in his wittes will say that it is not lawfull for a Preacher to explane his Text. For what was it that in this Section I had in hand was it not to indeuour the explication of my Text and to shew what manner of BB are here meant by the Angels of the Churches for the explicatioÌ„ wherof what could more fitly be propounded then the consideration of these 2. things viz what manner of Churches they were whereof they were the Angels or BB and what manner of preheminence they had in those Churches in regard wherof they are termed the Angels of the Churches that from my Text rightly expounded of Diocesan BB. I might deduce the doctrine of the lawfulnes of their calling and from it inferre the vse Indeed if I had bene now propounding the doctrine gathered out of the Text or vrging the vse therevpon inferred there had bene reason I should prooue them as afterwards I doe by the Text already explicated But when I am about to explicate the Text propound the points that are therein questionable to be discussed for the clearing of the Text who seeth not that the handling of these points is the very explication of the Text and the Text that which is explicated And if the Text be that which is explicated who could bee so senselesse as either to require that the points should be explaned by the Text or to finde fault that by the handling of them the Text is explaned But now hee is pleased of his grace to consider them And wheras I yeeld as a reason of my propounding the former point to bee discussed diuers new-fangled Assertions of the new-found parish discipline whereof I spake but too mildely as you may see hee chargeth mee with bitter inueighing scornefull vpbraiding ouerflowing of the gall with spitting out vnsauoury reproaches making a calumnious out-crie in the ende of the Section and much adoe he had not to apply to mee that saying of Salomon with whome it better fitteth let the Reader iudge Proud haughtie and scornefull is his name that worketh in his arrogancie wrath and in the ende out of the super-aboundance of his charitie hee is afraide for mee that I care not to loose much of my peace within that all I here speake is Night worke proceeding from great distemper of the braine c. Was my aduersaries backe or conscience rather galled was hee guiltie to himselfe of being one of the coyners of those newe opinions that hee thus flingeth and kicketh when they are so gentlie touched Who knowing that those Assertions were some of those 16. positions for the tryall whereof the vnchristian and vnmodest offer of disputation was made which are there magnified as beeing such chiefe points in controuersie betweene vs and the Papists that if in them the BB. ioyning as they pretend with the Papists haue the truth then extreme wrong is offered to the Church of Rome by our separating therefrom and all Protestant Churches are for that cause Schismaticall that if the Priests and Iesuites can satisfie them in these points they would bee reconciled to the Church of Rome Who I say knowing this could with more mildnesse haue spoken of such Schismaticall nouelties For where hee saith that almost all of them haue bene alwayes generallie maintained and practised by all soundly reformed Churches hee seemeth either not to care what hee speaketh or by soundly reformed Churches to meane none but Brownists or such like Betweene whom and these vnchristian and immodest challengers there went as wee say but a paire of sheeres These remaining after a sort in the peece the other beeing by open Schisme cut off Which againe they haue manifested in their late petition to the Kings Maiestie This being the summe of their suite that they may be tollerated Schismatickes But to let passe their new-coyned positions excepting those that concerne this cause with the Libellers bitter wranglings and vaine ianglings There are two things in answere to this Section which I may not let passe the one is his defence of the challengers the other a great aduantage taken against a word which as hee saith I dropt by the way His defence is against that calumnious outcrie as hee calleth it in the ende of the Section where I brieflie note that by what reason they denie the Bishops to bee members of the true Church because forsooth they bee not of some certaine parish by the same they may as well denie the King who hauing a more generall reference to all the Churches within his dominions as being the Gouernour of them all in Great Brittaine and Irelâ—nd is further from being a member of one onely parish then anie Bishop in this Kingdome Hee answereth that the challengers hold the King and his Houshold to bee an entire Church of it selfe But tell mee doe they hold it to bee a true Church that so the King may be thought to be a member of a true Church Or if they doe Why may they not with the like reason acknowledge a Bishop and his familie to bee an entire familie by themselues But it is no matter what they holde vnlesse they were more learned and iudicious The aduantage which is taken at my words had need to bee verie great or else the refuter and his copartners doe shewe themselues to be very weake men seeing it is fiue times repeated in print once in their late petition with great amplifications once in the Abortiue booke with this note in the margent sic tu beas amicos Thrice in this Booke with great triumphes and insultations not onely in the treatise it selfe but also euery where in the margent demanding with scorne in this place Is this your kindnesse to your friends in the second sic tu beas amicos in the third quid facias odio sic vbi amore noces The Reader must needes expect some great matter seeing these hilles thus to swell The words whereat they take aduantage were these Least they might seeme to set vp an absolute Popeling in euerie parish who should haue not onely supreame but also sole authoritie in causes Ecclesiasticall they adioyne to him that
escape so thinke we No I warrant you though hee can obiect nothing against the matter yet he must needs cauill at the words for he will play small game rather then sâ—t out two faults hee findeth with the words charging me that I speake vnfitly and vnkindly vnfitly when I say the Apostle doth here note two duties of Ministers the one generall the other speciall What logicke or reason is there in this kind of speech saith he What opposition betwixt these two duties so much is he set vpon opposition and diuision that hee thinkes there is no reason in that speech where is no opposition And what is the logicke that this logicaster doth teach me forsooth I should haue said that the Apostle first speaketh of the Ministers dutie in generall and afterwards in speciall Thus in disprouing the manner of my speech he doth vnwittingly approue it such is his iudgement For if the Apostle first speaketh of the dutie in generall and afterwards in speciall then doth hee speake of two duties the one generall the other speciall For when you speake of a dutie in generall doe you not meane a generall dutie and when you mention a dutie in speciall doe you not meane a speciall dutie Yes your selfe doe speake so pag. 25. where you say the duties are in the former clause generall in the latter speciall Neither doth that need to offend you that I call them two when you speake of them in the same place in the plurall number For if the one be not the other as you will grant then there is no question but they are two But if want of opposition was the fault of my speech what opposition I beseech you is in yours or what logicke was in this to require opposition betwixt the whole and the part or if you conceiued of Dutie as the Genus and of this speech as a distribution thereof what logicke was it not to discerne an opposition in a distribution of duties into generall and speciall for generall and speciall I hope be opposite All this notwithstanding my logicke maister chideth me for want of logicke If a man saith he should say there are two duties of a Logician the one generall to reason well the other speciall to iudge well would he not be thought to speake of logicke without logicke Yes verily if in so speaking hee should intend a perfect distribution of logicall duties Which notwithstanding your cauills might thus be performed The duties of a Logician are either generall as that which is comprehended in the definition of Logicke to reason well or speciall as those which be contained in the distribution of Logicke to inuent well and to iudge well But if in imitation of the Apostles speech you should say Logicians that reason well that is all good Logicians are to be honoured especially those which are iudicious or which doe excell in iudgement I might note out of this speech not two sorts of Logicians but two duties or faculties of all Logicians in respect whereof they are to be honoured the one generall to reason well the other speciall to iudge well disposed not in a distribution but in a comparatiue senteÌ„ce which some Logicians call axioma relatae qnantitatis wherin the duties of a Logician are thus compared that whereas Logicians are to be honoured for the performance of their take libertie to disgrace reuile slaunder and libell against our betters we may not be touched in the least degree neither will wee sticke obliquè to reuile him that shall but say wee imagine that wherein wee foulely if not perniciously erre For your misinterpreting of this one place is the verie foundation of your Presbyterian discipline and the vrâ—ging of that discipline the very cause of that pernicious diuision which is amongst vs. And thus much of the proposition The assumption was this that this place may very well for so much is sufficient for mee being the respondent to say but I doe also adde and in mine opinion is to bee vnderstood of two duties of Ministers the one generall the other speciall In respect whereof double â—onour 〈◊〉 due vnto them This difference onely being put that whereas double honour is due to all Ministers for the performance of their dutie in generall yet especially for their paines in the Ministery of the Word they being chiefly to be counted worthy of double honour who excell that way This assumption containing the exposition of this place hee oppugneth with all his force cauilling that it is but a bare shift and such as will not serue my turne and this hee vndertaketh to proue by three reasons which will prooue nothing but his owne want of iudgement For as touching the first Is not this extreame want of iudgemeÌ„t to alledge the manifold expositions of this place as a matter of great disaduantage to vs when as indeed it notably disaduantageth his cause especially to triumph and insult ouer vs for this cause Saying Loe here how their tongues and pennes in the exposition of this place are diuided as in the building of the Tower of Babell and how they hauing no sure holde to trust vnto flie from one to another as Zidkiaâ—h went from chamber to chamber to hide him Now whether this multitude of expositions bee an aduantage to his cause or disaduantage the Reader may hereby iudge For seeing the learned men of our side doe reason thus as I noted before if diuerse and sundry expositions of 〈◊〉 text 〈◊〉 be giuen not including your Lay-Elders euery one whereof is 〈◊〉 probable thâ—n yoâ—rs then is it not necessary nor yet likely that your Lay-Elders be heere meant Who seeth not but by how which the more expositions can bee giuen in this kiâ—â—e by so much the lesse necessitie there is to admit your exposition of Lay-Elders But our men doe thus reason D. Bilson pag 130. The fourth reason saith hee that holdeth mee from receiuing this construction implying Lay-Elders is that I finde diuerse and sundry interpretations more agreeable to the Text and more answerable to S. Paules meaning then this His reason standeth thus If diuerse and sundry interpretations are found more agreeable c. then that for Lay-Elders then haue wee no reason to yeelde that Lay-Elders are meant in this place But diuerse and sundry such interpretations may be giuen which he proueth by producing foure of them Likewise D. King as your selfe doe cite him arguing to the same purpose saith How many interpretations may bee brought to diuert and disappoint Lay-gouernours and then alledgeth diuerse Of all which interpretations which by Presbyters vnderstand Ministers it may truely be affirmed that they are more agreeable to the meaning of the Apostle then yours Seeing they expound the word Presbyter according to the perpetuall vse of it in the writings both of the Apostles and Fathers wheras of your vse of the word after all your paines and laying your heads and helps together you are not able to produce any
CleruÌ„ which is translated inheritance the sacred companie Euen as we now also do call it that is to say the Clergie Which exposition if we follow then those presbyters to whoÌ„ Peter writeth prescribing vnto them how they should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is saith Caluin Episcopatu fungi exercise the office of a Bishop and noting their authority ouer the Clergie were such as we call bishops But of that by the way Now if the presbyters Act 20. were ministers and teachers as I haue proued and as all writers almost euen those that are parties in the cause do teach then by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are to vnderstand the dutie of feeding which belongeth to pastors and teachers and wil neuer be proued to belong to Lay-Elders The refuter hauing with such successe as you see endeuored to maintaine that the presbyters Act. 20. were as wel Lay-Elders as ministers and that the duties both generall of attending to themselues the whole flocke and also special of feeding the Church were required as common to Ministers with Lay-elders which assertions I haue confuted with euidence of truth in this exposition or opposition rather he doth so please himselfe as that hee doubteth not to retort my Syllogisme vpon me after this manner If the presbyters spoken of Acts 20 28 be not onely ministers but gouerning Elders also and the same with those 1. Tim 5.17 then the presbyters spoken of 1. Tim. 5.17 are not onely Ministers but gouerning Elders also But the presbyters spoken of Acts 20 28 are not onely ministers but gouerning elders also the same with those 1. Tim 5 17 Therefore the presbyters spoken of 1. Tim. 5.17 are not onely Ministers but gouerning Elders also Heere this great Logick-maister that taketh vpon him to teach and to comptroll mee in matters of Logicke bewrayeth himselfe to bee a Logicaster or smatterer in Logicke For an entire and a better Syllogisme concluding the same question as I noted before in his Analyzing of mine is here tumbled into the proposition the proposition and assumption therof not only idlely but with disaduantage to himself if he had meant to haue proued it repeated But because he hath bene at some paines with me this way to shew his own ignoraÌ„ce I will teach him to make his sillogis thus The Presbyters to whom Paul did speake Acts 20.28 were not ministers onely but Lay or gouerning Elders also The Presbyters of whom hee speaketh I. Tim. 5.17 were the Presbyters to whom he spake Acts. 20 28. Therefore the presbyters of whome hee speaketh Tim. 5.17 were not onely ministers but Lay or onely gouerning Elders also This propositioÌ„ which is but part of his own assumption wheÌ„ he shal be able to make good by any sound proofe I will subscribe to his Lay-Elders For whereas hee for want of better proofe saith that hee hath already iustified it by the ouerthrow of mine it is a most vaine bragge as I hope it doth sufficiently appeare to the reader For what one reason or shew of reason hath hee brought or can bring to proue that the Presbyters mentioned Acts. 20. were Lay or onely gouerning Elders CHAP. VI. Maintaining the third reason that Lay-Elders are not mentioned nor meant 1. Tim. 5.17 Serm. Sect. 5. pag. 11. And that hee speaketh not there of Lay or onely gouerning-Elders it may further be prooued by plaine euidence out of the text For seeing by honour in that place the Apostle vnderstandeth honourable maintenance which by their owne confession is not due to Lay-Elders it is therefore certaine that this place acknowledgeth none such Thus therfore I argue To all those Elders who are mentioned or meant in this place the honour of maintenance is due for their worke sake To the Lay-Elders the honour of maintenance is not due for their worke sake Therefore the Lay-Elders are not mentioned nor meant in this place c to pag. 13. THe refuter hauing neither learning enough to beare the weight of this argumeÌ„t nor wit enough to forbeare it in answearing therto he vttereth more gall then would well become an honest man The virus and poison of his libelling speeches I leaue to himselfe The virâ—s and force of his arguments and answeres I will take vpon me plainely to confute and both here and euery where else by the helpe of God to put him to silence First as his manner is though he dares not deny the proposition of my syllogisme to be most true and vndoubted yet he must needs cauill with it And because hee hath nothing to say against it hee hopeth with it to wound some of our side who among other interpretatioÌ„s of this place haue thought the former part of this Text might more probably be vnderstood of not preaching Ministers or Deacons c then of Lay-Elders And although I would bee loth to become a Proctor for vnlearned Ministers especially when learned may be had yet thus much I will say that if the Disciplinarians doe rightly ground vpon this place a distinction of Presbyters into two sorts that there be some preaching Presbyters some not then this text doth without coÌ„parison fauour the not preaching ministers more theÌ„ the Lay-elders Because it is a most certaine truth which I haue manifestly proued and which the refuter will neuer be able to disproue that by Presbyters ministers only are meant As for DeacoÌ„s I meane not your Lay Deacons D. B. hath better reasons to comprise them vnder Presbyters then your W. T. had vnder the name of Deacons to vnderstand your Lay-Elders though T.C. himselfe did subscribe to his opinion And wheras you challenge those reuerend men for seeking by warraÌ„t of this place to surcharge the Church with maintenance of vnpreaching Ministers and Deacons I answere they do not hold that in euery parish such ought to be maintained as you would haue your Presbyterie erected in euery parish but where better more sufficient Ministers cannot be had which was the case of many parishes in England at the beginning of Q. Elizabeths raigne c. But all his spite is against the assumption though hee spend his spite neither in disproouing it with force of argument nor in answering my proofes with any substaÌ„ce of reason but in sophistical cauilling odious wrangling For wheÌ„ he hath said what he was able I cannot tell whether he doth denie the assumption or graunt it onely hee cauilleth with my proofes of it My assumption was this To Lay-Elders the honour of maintenance is not due for their worke sake Hereunto I require a direct answere If hee say that the honour of maintenance yea double honor that is as not only Theodoreâ— but T. C. also expound 〈◊〉 plentifull maintenance is due vnto them he should haue brought sufficient proofes both to confute the iudgement of those learned Diuines who reformed as directors other Churches and condemne the practise of all reformed Churches which hauing those Presbyters doe not
the Monarchicall gouernement when Saul was set ouer them For vntill Saul God himselfe was the Monarch of the Iewes retaining iura Maiestatis the right of soueraignty in his owne hands chiefly in prescribing them lawes and in appointing their chiefe magistrates and gouernours especially the iudges whom he set ouer them to be as kings for a time But when the people would needs haue a king after the manner of other nations the Lord saith to Samuel they haue not reiected thee but me haue they reiected that I should not reignâ— ouer them And so farre is Samuel from commending the gouernement of the earâ—hly King in comparison of the Celestiall that describing vnto them the fashion of their future king he telleth them that whereas before God did rule them by his will and by his owne lawes onely they should now be ruled after the kings will and pleasure which would not proue very pleasant to them as he sheweth by many particulars § Sect. 8. As touching the third branch he saith the consequence thereof is of the same feather with the former If Ambrose could not endure that Bishops or Ministers should be subiected to Lay-persons then would he not complaine that Lay-Presbyters were out of vse It followeth not saith he there may be Presbyters wherein are Lay-Elders and yet the Bishops and Ministers not be subiected to them But say I where the farre greater part of the Presbyteries consisteth of Lay-men as alwaies it hath done according to the practise of Geneua and alwaies would doe according to the new Parish-discipline it cannot be auoided but that the fewer number of Ministers would be subiected to the farre greater number of Lay-Elders especially if they according to the wise conceit of our new disciplinarians may be perpetuall But whether these three branches seuerally doe inferre a necessary consequence or no it is not materiall seeing they were ioyntly propounded and seeing from them vnited a necessary consequence dependeth Wherfore the seuering of them to weaken the consequence and to breede matter of cauil was a sophisticall if not a leaud trick The leaudnes whereof will the better appeare if we consider his dealing with the assumption for he that hauing seuered the branches of the proposition exacted from euery one seuerally a necessary consequence in the assumption he will haue them all taken together For before he taketh the assumption in pieces meaning to cauill with euery part seuerally he vseth this Caution Prouided alwaies and be it remembred of the Reader that if any one of the three parts thereof proue false though the other two be neuer so true the whole assumption is in law of true reason vtterly void and of none effect But if in the proposition I be vrged to make good the consequence from each part seuerally the assuming of any one part will conclude the question As thus If I must be forced to maintaine this consequence If Ambrose were a Diocesan Bishop then would hee noâ— complaine of the want of Lay-Elders it wil be sufficient to assume thus but he was a Diocesan Bishop to coÌ„clude that therefore he would not complaine of the want of Lay-Elders It is true that it is required in my assumption as I propound it that euery branch must be true but the reasoÌ„ hereof is because they were ioyned in the proposition to make good the consequence For if they be seuerally propounded in the proposition they may also seuerally be assumed in the assumption Whiles therefore he chargeth me with a bad consequence himselfe is to be charged with a badde conscience But come we to the assumption with the first branch whereof the refuter playeth thus Ambrose saith M. D. was a Diocesâ—n Bishop Was he so indeed Had he not onely supreme but 〈◊〉 authoritie as our BB haue ouer I know not how many hundreds of Ministers in causes Ecclesiasticall Was he an absolute Pop linâ— indeed What a shame is this that he who eueÌ„ now charged so mâ—ny learned men to haue done Ambrose wrong should now be found the man â—uilty of that trespas Ambrose was no more like a Diocesan Bishop then he that is tyed by vertue of his calling to preach the word administer the sacrameÌ„ts in his owne Church c. Can a man of a sincere conscience professing as themselues terme it the cause of sinceritie be so malepartly confident in denying that whereof he is vtterly ignorant or rather can a man that taketh vpon him the defence of this controuersie as a chiefe champion of the pretended discipline and one I doubt not of the chiefe challengers of the Bishops to dispute with them in these causes be ignorant that Ambrose was a Diocesan Bishop doth he know that he was a Diocesan at the least and can he thus denie it and keepe his conscience sincere well though the taske be all one as if I should be required to proue that the Bishop of London or rather the Archbishop of Yorke is a Diocesan Bishop yet seeing my learned aduersarie denieth it and pretendeth some reason of his denyall I will first proue that Ambrose was at the least a Diocesan B and for the greatnes of his authoritie and largenes of his iurisdiction comparable with ours and in the second place I will answere his reasons First therfore you are to be aduertised that Mediolanum Millaine whereof Ambrose was Bishop not onely is a Metropolis or seate of a Metropolitan but was both in and before Ambrose his time Strabo saith it was a Metropolis wherein the gouernour of the prouince of Liguria and Aemilia kept his residence Athanasius speaking of Dionysius the Bishop of Millaine saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it also is a mother citie of Italy It is also euident and a thing confessed by Beza that the distribution of the Church into Dioceses prouinces was framed according to the diuision of the Dioceses and Prouinces vnder the Romane Empire Ambrose himself was a man of consular dignitie in Rome and being appointed gouernour of Liguria and Aemilia came to Millaine Where keeping his residence it fell out that Auxentius the Bishop being dead and the Emperour Valentinian hauing assembled as the manner was for the choise of a Metropolitan the Bishops of that uerendorum Episcoporum consueta lege Episcopus Ephesiorum est constitutus The honour and sublimitie Episcopall cannot be matched with any comparison if you compare it with the excellencie of Princes and ciuill Magistrates you shall compare gold with lead As for the people the Episcopall function hath not onely obtained to be preferred before them but also is enioyned by Euangelicall precepts with fatherly authoritie to gouerne them for they as the sheepe of Christ are committed to BB. as to rulers who together with Peter receiued that authoritie to gouerne them c. Againe these things I haue spoken saith he to shew that nothing in this world is more excellent then Bishops For his
presbyters and pride to the Bishops But both the parts of the Antecedent is true therefore the consequent But let vs heare his Reasons The first If Ambrose had meant to ascribe slouthfulnes to the Seniors hee would haue saide that their assistance grew out of vse either by their owne slothfulnes or rather by the pryde of the BB. The second he would haue said not Doctorum but Ipforum desidiâm which reason is the latine of the first and the first the english of this Such iudgment heere is shewed in distinguishing of arguments But who knoweth not that the same sentence may very manie wayes bee varied in respect of the words the same sence remaining so that this exception might be made against any exposition almost If I should say As in Christs Colledge so in some others Elections were wont to bee caryed by the voyces of the iuniors as well as the Seniors which thing is now grown out of vse by what meanes I know not vnlesse perhaps by the remissenes of the fellowes or rather arrogancie whiles they would rule alone I might not vnfitly so speake ascribing remissnes to the iunior fellowes and arrogancie to the Seniors His third and fourth reasons are impertinent vnderstanding the word Doctorum of Doctors a title in those times peculiar to Bishops not of learned which is common to both For though the speciall title of Doctors according to the former interpretation which is ◠better be opposed to of the Seniors or presbyters who were not called Doctors yet to a common title neither of the specials to which it is common are to be opposed but both to be subiected The 5. that Ambrose chargeth both slothfulnes and pride vpon the same persons called Doctors c. But this should haue bene prooued and not begged especially seeing I disprooue it in the reason following For that which he pratteleth of amplifying the fault by rising from the lesse to the greater hath not so much as a shew of a good reason to dsproue my exposition seeing of the 2. causes Ambrose seemeth to make the slothfulnesse of the learned that is the Presbyters not so principall as the pride of the learned that is to say the BB. vnles perhaps saith he by the slothfulnes of the presbyters or rather pride of the BB. Lastly saith he If we make diuers sorts of teachers he should haue said learned Ambrose his speech were defectiue and somewhat must be added as either by the slothfulnes of the teachers or rather pride of the Bishops or some of them I answere if the word Learned be vsed being a title common both to the Seniors and the Doctors there needs no addition to make the sentence perfect but a distinct application of the common title to the speciall sorts according to their seuerall faultes by which they are to be distinguished Slothfulnesse beeing the fault of the one and pride of the other as before you heard in the example of fellowes But why should I spend time in answering such slieght Objections the which notwithstanding seeme of such weight with him that hee wondereth that all these worthie reasons considered I would vnderstand Doctorum signifying learned as a common title both to the Bishops and Seniors and that saith hee as if hee were another Pythagoras vpon his bareword I say his bare word for as yet he hath not vouchsafed vs one piece of a Reason This is one of the refuters poore shifts to make himselfe wrangling worke To take an Assertion of mine and hauing seuered it from the Reasons wherewith it was guarded to cauill with mee as if without alledging a Reason I would like an other Pythagoras bee belieued vppon my bare word Whereas in truth both heere and in other places where I am the Answerer I render more reasons then were needfull were it not that I sought to satisfie in hope that men will at the length be satisfied with reason As for example this place of Ambrose is objected as giuing testimonie to Lay-Elders I answere there is no necessitie this place should so bee vnderstood Here might I haue rested and put the opponents to inforce this testimonie which by them is barely propounded But being desirous to giue satisfaction I vrge it for them thus Ambrose saith there were Seniors in the primitiue Church whose councell was now neglected therefore he giueth testimonie to Lay-Elders I denie the consequence giuing a reason because those Seniors were of the Clergie and not of the Laitie Against this answere I make them replie thus The Seniors aduise was neglected by the learned Therfore themselues were such as were not learned or of the Clergie To this I answere that if the word Doctorum signifie learned Notwithstanding this place may be vnderstood of the Seniors of the clergie onely If wee conceiue Doctorū signifying learned as a common title both to the BB Seniors and of this answeare I giue a reason by explaning this testimony of Ambrose And whereas I did foresee that it would be objected that Doctorum was to be vnderstood either of pastors of parishes alone according to the conceite of the new Disciplinarians or of BB. a lone according to the rest I therfore sought to preuent this obiection in those words for if you expound Doctorum for pastors c. Wherein a sufficient reason is concluded holding strongly against the parish B. his Elders And not contented with all this in desire to giue satisfaction I rendred the true causes besides arrogancy of BB. which I knewe was presupposed why the assistance of the ancient ministers called Seniors was growne out of vse and yet forsooth like another Pythagoras I looke that my bare word should be credited without reason Yea but saith hee that which is added in steed of a Reason hath no more reason in it but his owne blindnes saying that I cannot see how c. But is it not strange that hee who is so sharpe sighted to finde out Syllogismes where none were intended could see no reason heere Or shall we not thinke that he chose rather like a shifting sophister to take aduātage of that modest phrase thē to encoūter with the reason it selfe which may thus be cōcluded That which is a matter of great labour and paines to the vndertaker and ease to the relinquisher is not to be ascribed to slothfulnes in him that taketh it vpon him but rather in them who are eased But the taking of the whole burden and cumbersome imployment of hearing suites and managing all causes Ecclesiasticall vpon the BB is a matter of great labour and paines to them and ease to the Seniors Therefore the Bishops vnderaking the whole burden and cumbersome imployment of hearing suites and managing all causes Ecclesiasticall is not to be ascribed to slothfulnes in them but rather to the Seniors One of these premisses should haue bene denyed and the denyall made good if hee had bene able but in steed hereof he encountereth with the
Ierome denies it as well as he For that which he addeth of diuers others consenting in iudgement is a vaine flourish let him name but one other in the first six hundred yeeres I thinke I might say 1000. and I wil yeeld the cause And those latter Writers which consent with him vse his words build vpon his authority so that the whole weight of this cause lieth on Ieroms shoulders whoÌ„ if I can disburdeÌ„ thereof there can nothing at all be produced out of antiquitie against the superioritie of Bishops First then I say that they abuse Ierome who match him with Aërius for besides that Aërius was a damned hereticke being a most perfect Arian as Epiphanius saith who liued at the same time liuing in a Church of Arians standing in election for the Bishopricke against Eustathius who also was an Arrian out of a discontented humor the common sourse of Schisme and heresie broached this heresie as Epiphanius Augustine censure it Presbyterum ab Episcope nulla differentia debere discerni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denying the Superiority of Bishops both de Iure as Augustine reporteth his opinion and de facto as Epiphanius alledging that there is no difference between a Bishop and a Presbyter For there is one order saith he of both one honor and one dignitie The Bishop imposeth hands so doth the Presbyter the B. giueth the lauer of Baptisme so doth the Presbyter the B. doth administer Gods worship so doth the Presbyter the B. sitteth on the throne so also doth the Presbyter But Ierome was not so mad to vse the refuters words of Aërius who indeed as Epiphanius saith was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a franticke fellow as to deny the Superioritie of BB. de facto which oftentimes he doth auouch neither doth he deny it de Iure And therfore the refuter here hath deliuered two vntruthes the one that he saith Aërius did not deny the Superioritie of BB. de facto which most manifestly he did and did it no doubt with this mind that though he missed of the Bishopricke which ambitiously he had desired yet he would be thought as good a man as a Bishop The other that he saith Ierome denied the Superiority of BB. de Iure For it is most euident by many testimonies alledged in the Sermon that Ierome held the Superiority of Bishops to be lawfull and necessary For though somewheres he saith that Bishops are greater then Presbyters rather by the custome of the Church then by the truth of Diuine disposition yet he acknowledgeth that custome to be an Apostolicall tradition and therefore either he may be vnderstood as holding the superioritie of BB. to be not Diuini but Apostolici iuris or he may be interpreted as speaking of the names prouing by diuers testimonies of the Scripture that Presbyters are called Bishops But heereof wee may not conclude that therefore Presbyters and Bishops are all one for not onely Bishops but also Apostles are called Presbyters and the Apostleship is called Bishopricke For howsoeuer all Presbyters are in the Scriptures called Angels and Bishops yet that one among many who had singular preheminence aboue the rest is by the warrant of the holy Ghost called the Angell of the Church and by the same warrant may be called the Bishop Now whereas Aërius for denying the superiority of Bishops was by Epiphanius and Augustine iudged and heretike hereby it appeareth that this alleagation not onely proueth the superiority de facto but de iure for seeing there is no heresie which is not repugnant to Gods word it is euident that they who iudged this opinion of Aerius to be an heresie did also iudge it contrarie to Gods word Neither did Epiphanius and Augustine alone condemne Aërius for an heretike but as Epiphanius reporteth all Churches both in City and Countrey did so detest him and his followers that being abandoned of all they were forced to liue in the open fields and in wods And whereas some obiect against Epiphanius and Augustine in defence of Aerius that his opinion is not heresie because Epiphanius did not sufficiently answer one of Aërius his allegations out of Scripture where Presbyters seeme to be called Bishops and that Augustine followed Epiphanius himselfe not vnderstanding how farre the name of an heretike is to be extended these are very slender exceptions to be taken by so learned a man For be it that Epiphanius did not sufficiently answere some one of Aërius his allegations is that sufficient to excuse Aërius from being an heretike seeing that testimony may be sufficiently answered as J haue shewed and seeing euery testimony alleaged by each heretike hath not alwaies beene sufficiently answered by euery one that hath written against them The Allegation which Aërius bringeth out of Phil. 1.1 doth onely proue that the Presbyters were called Bishops at what time he which was the Bishop of Philippi namely Epaphroditus was called their Apostle And it is confessed by many of the Fathers that howsoeuer there were many in Philippi which in a generall signification were called Bishops yet there was but one nay that there could be but one which properly was called the Bishop of Philippi And as touching Augustine I maruell that learned men could derogate so much from him as that he at that time especially would write vpon the authoritie of others what himselfe vnderstood not For Augustine was no youngling or nouice at that time but hee wrote that booke in his elder age euen after hee had written his bookes of Retractations at what time hee had written 230. bookes besides his Epistles and Homilies Neither doth Augustine write any thing in his preface of that booke whereby it might bee gathered that hee was in doubt whether any of those particulars which he noteth were to be judged heresies onely he saith that what maketh an Heretike can in his judgement hardly if at all be set downe in an accurate definition Notwithstanding he distributeth his intended Treaâ—ise into two parts The first of the heresies which after Christs ascension had been contrarie to his doctrine and which he could come to the knowledge of among which the heresies of Aërius haue the 53. place in the latter hee promiseth to dispute what maketh an Heretike But though he came not to that or if he did what he wrote of that point is not come to our hands yet in the conclusion of his Treatise which is extant he saith thus What the Catholike Church holdeth against these meaning all the 88. heresies which before he had recited it is but a superfluous question seeing it is sufficient in this behalfe to know Eam contra istâ— sentire nec aliquid horum in fidem quenquam dâ—bere recipere that the iudgement of the Church is contrary to these and that no man ought to receiue any of these into his beleefe And again Omnis itaque Christianus Catholicus istâ— non debet credere
Reader then by Aâ—ticus preferred to the Deacon-ship afterwards when he was Presbyter he was by the same Atticâ—â— made Bishop of Cyzicum Opâ—aâ—us as I alleaged in the Sermon assigneth to Deacons the third ministerie to Presbyters the second to BB whom he calleth principes omnuiâ—Ì„ the first Burchardus citeth this saying of Augustine being a Bishop You Presbyters know ye that your degree is the second and next to ours for euen as Bishops haue the place of the Apostles in the Church euen so the Presbyters of the other disciples the former haue the degree of Aaron the high Priest the latter of his sonnes In which words the third point also is testified Whereunto Ierome himself in more places then one giueth testimony affirming that in the Church the Bishops Presbyters and Deacons are answerable to the high Priest Priests and Leuits Now to reject these testimonies as being vnder age as though they did historically relate only what was in their own times and not dogmatically set downe the orders and degrees of the ministerie perpetually obserued in the Church of Christ is a verie vnlearned shift If any one of these as namely Ierome shal but seeme to fauor any of their assertions though in their sense he contradict himself and gainsay all others both Councils fathers against such a testimonie no exception either of minoritie of age or singularitie of opinion will be admitted but that authoritie must ouerweigh all that himself and others say to the contrarie It is a world to see how Ierome in this case is magnified and preferred before all antiquitie Who can tell better then Ierome who better acquainted with the historie of the Church then Ierome c. But when most pregnant plain testimonies are produced out of Ierome prouing the superioritie of Bishops agreeable with al antiquity then Ierome is a youngling and vnder age But where I said in the judgement of antiquitie Bishops Presbyters Deacons are answereable to the high Priest Priests and Leuits he saith This gay reason Cardinall Turrâ—cremata Bellarmine out of him bring to proue that there must be one Pope ouer the whole church as there was one high Priest among the Iewes and it proueth that as substantially as it doth this The which is wickedly spoken and desperately as many things of late haue been vttered by that faction as that the Papists arguments for the Popes Supremacie were as good as ours for the superioritie of Bishops But of these blasphemous speeches whereby they match the ordinance of Christ by his Apostles with the height of Antichrists pride I hope this Refuter his consorts will one day haue the grace to repent I confesse it is ordinary with the Papists to alledge out of the Fathers for the Popes supremacy what they testified for the superioritie of Bishops But will any be so desperate as to say the same testimonies abused and detorted by Papists do as substantially prooue that for which they are alleaged besides the true meaning of the fathers as that for which they are truely and faithfully alleaged Good reason therefore had Caluin and the rest to refute that argument because as Caluin saith There is not the like reason betweene one small people and the whole world The whole Church hath no head or vniuersall Bishop but Christ But each seuerall Church may haue their head and seuerall Bishop answerable to the high Priest of the Iewes as diuers of the Fathers haue taught Therfore Ignatius requireth the Smyrneans to honor the Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the high Priest and it is an vsual thing with the Fathers not only to apply those things which were spoken of the high Priest to Bishops but also to call the Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poâ—tificem Sacerdotem summum c. and Bishoprick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There remaine yet the testimonies of Ignatius to be discussed which I produced in this 2. argumeÌ„t The authoritie wherof the refuter first calleth in question Wherin he may seeme to preiudice his own cause for T.C.W.T.D.F.H.I. and others of that alphabet haue oft times dragged some testimonies out of him yea this refuter himselfe oft times doth cite him and once I remember he threatned to prooue his lay Presbyters out of Ignatius when he should come to answere my allegations out of him which how it will be performed the reader is now to expect In the meane time little reason had he so much to cleuate the authority of those godly and learned epistles for his own confession that they are recorded in Eusebius is a good proofe they are not counterfeits But he is pleased to heare him speak And whereas Ignatius teacheth that the lay 〈◊〉 must be subiect to the DeacoÌ„s they to the Presbyters the Presbyters to the Bishop the refuter denieth the Presbyterie and Deaconship to haue been degrees of the ministery but vnderstandeth such Deacons as were only imployed in looking to the poore and such Presbyters as were only gouerning elders The vanity of which conceipt J haue sufficiently declared before if anything will suffice And I am ashamed for the refuter that he should be either so ignorant as not to know or so vnconscionable as not to acknowledge that these three Bishops Presbyters and Deacons haue alwaies since the Apostles times been esteemed three degrees of Ministers by the vniuersall and perpetual consent of all Christendome vntill our age Notwithstanding his arguments such as they are must be answered And first for Deacons he saith they were no Ministers of the word but imployed only in looking to the poore and that he proueth by the confession of D. Bilson What maner of men the Deacons were of whom Ignatius speaketh Ignatius himselfe sufficiently declareth in his Epistles to the Trallians where he calleth the Deacons the ministers of the mysteries of Christ and to the Smyrneans Deacons of Christ vnto the word of God to the Philadelphians ministring to the Bishop in the word to the Antiochians the sacred Deacons Neither doth D. Bilson deny it Only he maketh question of the 7. which were elected Act. 6. whether they were such as properly were called Deacons and are the third degree of the ministry or such as were chosen onely to be ouerseers of the poore to which purpose he citeth the generall Councill held in Trullo correcting the Canon of the Council held at Neocaesaria which appointeth that in euery Church there should be 7. Deacons in imitation of the act of the Apostles in ordaining 7. But say they we comparing the sense of the Fathers with the speech of the Apostles do finde that they spake not of men seruing at the mysteries such as properly be called Deacons but at tables alledging Chrysostome who enquiring what the office of these 7. was plainely denieth that they were Deacons whereupon they denounce as D. Bilson hath alledged that the foresaid 7. Deacons
of the sacred Ministery such as Presbyters and Deacons are with vs. And so much of my second argument The third is taken from the testimony of the great Councell of Chalcedon and may thus briefly be framed It is sacriledge to reduce a Bishop to the degree of a Presbyter Therefore BB. were superior to Presbyters in degree not onely de facto but also de iure But what is this saith he to the Apostles times and the age following Indeed if the Councell had testified the superiority of Bishops de facto onely there had been some colour for this exception especially if he could haue proued an alteration in the state of Bishops and the aduancement of them to a higher degree to haue begun after the first two hundred yeeres But seeing no such matter can truly be alleaged and seeing also that famous Councell giueth testimony to the superiority of Bishops not only de facto but also de iure and that in such sort as it deemeth it sacrilege to reduce a Bishop to the degree of a Presbyter it cannot therefore bee denied but that this is a most pregnant testimony if it bee rightly alleged Let vs therefore coÌ„sider the occasion of those words which in the copie whereon Th. Balsamo doth comment and in some manuscript Greeke copies is the twenty nine canon of that Councell When Eustathius Bishop of Berytum for so I find him termed diuers times in the Acts of that Councell in Euagrâ—m in Photius and Balsamo and not of Tyre as in Tilius his Greeke edition it is corruptly printed when Eustathius J say had withdrawne diuers Bishopricks from the Metropolitan Church of Tyrus deposing the Bishops whom Photius the Bishop of Tyrus had ordained and bringing them downe to the degree of Presbyters complaint was made to the great Councell of Chalcedon and the matter therein in propounded by the Princes in these words Concerning the Bishops ordained by Photius and degraded by Eustathius and after they had been Bishops commanded to be Presbyters what is the senteÌ„ce of this holy Synod Whereto Paschasinus and Lucentiuâ— Bishops and Bonifaciuâ— Presbyter vicegerents of the Church of Rome answered To reduce a Bishop to the degree of a Presbyter it is sacrilege if any iust cause depose them from their Bishopricke neither ought they to retaine the place of Presbyters But if without any crime they haue beene remoued from their honour they shall returne againe to their episcopall dignity Anaâ—olius the Archbishop of Constantinople said These Bishops who are said to haue descended from the episcopall dignity vnto the order of Presbyters if for iust cause they are condemned neither are they worthy of the honour of Presbyters But if without any reasonable cause they haue been deiected to a lesse degree they are worthy if they be blamelesse to recouer againe the dignity and priesthood of their Bishopricke If you thinke that these were but the priuate opinions of these men heare the censure of the whole Councell All the reuerend Bishoppes cried Righteous is the iudgement of the Fathers wee all say the same things the Fathers haue decreed iustly let the sentence of the Archbishops hold My fourth argument is drawne from the testimony of Ierome whose authority in this cause ought to be of greatest weight because he is the onely man almost among the fathers whom the Disciplinarians can alledge against the superiority of Bishops Ierome therefore saith that at Alexandria from Marke the Euangelist vnto Heraclas and Dionysius Bishops euermore the presbyters hauing chosen one from among themselues and placed him in exceâ—siori gradu in an higher degree called him Bishop euen as an armie chooseth a Generall This testimony the Refuter eleuateth in two respects The first because Ierome is vnder age Which is a very simple euasion For Ierome doth not onely testify what was in his time but also giueth plaine euidence that in the first two hundred yeeres euen from S. Marke vntill Heraclas Bishops were placed in a superior degree aboue Presbyters Secondly because Bëllarmine alleageth the sâ—me testimony to the same purpose whose allegation is answered by Châ—mier whose answer if I like not he bids me try what I can say in defence of Bellarmine against it To omit how odiously this is set downe I doe professe that I may with better credit agree with Bellarmine wherein he consenteth with all antiquity then the Refuter and his consorts can agree with Aërius wherein he dissenting from all antiquity was by Epiphanius Philaster Augustine and all the Catholike Church in his time condemned for an heretike But let vs heare his answers First that Ierome proueth by the practise of the Church of Alexandria that which before he had demonstrated out of the Scriptures to wit that a Presbyter and a Bishop differ not Neither doth he call Marke a Bishop but an Euangelist This answere might become our refuter better then Chamier For first it is vntrue that Ierome in these words proueth that a Bishop and a Presbyter differ not For doth hee not plainly say that the Bishop was placed in a higher degree and doth hee not compare him in respect of the Presbyters which chose him to the Chieftaine or Generall chosen of the Army Secondly he faileth in setting downe Ieromes purpose which was not to prooue there was no difference betwixt Bishoppes and Presbyters but to prooue that Presbyters were superior to Deacons That he proueth by many arguments First because the name Episcopus Bishop in the Scriptures is giuen to Presbyters Secondly because the Apostles and Bishops are in the Scriptures called Presbyters to which purpose he alleageth 1. Tim. 4.13 1. Pet. 5.1 2. Iohn 1. and 3. Iohn 1. And thirdly whereas it might be obiected the Bishops were set ouer Presbyters he confesseth it was done for auoiding of schisme but yet so as by the Presbyters the Bishop was chosen out of the Presbyters euer since S. Marks time vntill Heraclaâ— and Dâ—â—â—ysius as a Generall by the Army or the Arch-deacon by the Deacons out of their owne company Whereby he would also insinuate that a Presbyter is so much better then a Deacon as a Bishop is superior to an Arch deacon Thirdly where he saith that Ierome doth not call Marke a Bishop but an Euangelist and saith else where that he planted that Church It is plaine that in another place he confesseth Marke to haue been the first Bishop of Alexandria If Marke therefore were superiour in degree to the Presbyters at Alexandra as no man wil deny then must the same be confessed of Anianus and the rest of his successors as Ierome plainely testifieth Secondly he answeareth That the order by which the Presbyters chose a Bishop from among themselues continued to Heraclas and Dionysius time whom he therefore calleth Bishops to the end he might signifie that in their daies after one hundred and forty yeers were expired from Marks comming to
ecclesiasticall gouernement to haue beene dioceses as hath beene shewed I say then which also I prooued afterwards by the testimonies of Cyprian and Ierome whereto the authoritie of Basil may bee added that the vnitie of each Church meaning a diocesse dependeth of the vnitie of the Bishoppe and the setting vp of a second vnlesse it were by way of coadiutorshippe hath euer been esteemed the making of a schisme in the Church But of this more anon § 2. But let vs heare if it bee worth the hearing what more particularly hee obiecteth against these three points And first he trifleth to no purpose when he asketh If there bee not as much vnity in a parish vnder one Pastor as in a diocesse vnder a Bishoppe For though ech parish if it were according to the new conceit an entire body within it selfe vnsubordinate to any other may perhappes haue vnitie within it selfe yet in the Church of the diocesse or prouince that may happen which Ierome affirmeth is like to happen where is no Bishoppe that there shall bee as many schismes as parishes And surely what man of iudgement and moderation can without horrour thinke of those manifold schismes and diuisions which would ensue if euery parish should haue according to the newe conceit sufficient authoritie within it selfe vnsubordinate and independent for the gouernment of it selfe in all causes ecclesiasticall Yea but saith he If there bee not as great vnitie of the Church in a parish vnder one Pastor as in a diocesse vnder one Bishoppe then the more Churches are vnder one gouernement the greater is the vnitie But the consequent is false therefore the antecedent The consequence of the proposition is true being not extended without the limits of the question The more particular Churches in any one visible Church are subordinate to one Bishoppe the greater is the vnitie But by one visible Church I meane the Christian people of one diocesse or of one prouince or at the most of one Nation For the Christian people liuing vnder diuers lawes as they be diuers Nations so are they diuers visible Churches though the faithfull in them all are members of one and the same Catholike Church Let vs heare how he prooueth the assumption If the more Churches are vnder one gouernment the greater vnitie then welfare the Pope who if this be true maketh vnitie of all Churches in the world As who should say all the Churches in the world are vnder the Popes gouernment so that whiles hee denieth the superiority of Bishoppes hee seemeth else there is no sense in his speech to hold the Popes supremacie If any man shall say that as the vnity of ech Church dependeth on the singular preeminence of the Bishoppe so the vnity of the whole Catholicke Church by the same reason shall depend of the Popes supremacy which seemeth to haue beene the Refuters meaning who desireth as much as may bee that the superioritie of Bishoppes and supremacy of the Pope may seeme to bee of one tenure I answere that the vnitie of the whole Church standeth in this that it is one body vnder one head Christ. And as in a diocesse to set vp a second head is to set vp an Antibishoppe and to make a schisme from the true Bishoppe so in the whole Church to acknowledge a second head is to set vp Antichrist and to make an apostasie from Christ. Neither was it euer the meaning of our Sauiour that as euery particular Church should be vnder one Pastor so the whole Church should be vnder one visible head or earthly Monarch For then would not he haue furnished his twelue Apostles with equall power and authority as I haue said before As touching the second he confesseth all that I said namely that from the power of ordination the perpetuity of the Church dependeth and yet cauilleth with mee as if either I had said there could bee no ordination at all without a Bishoppe or that the Bishop had the sole power thereof Thus being resolued to wrangle if he finde not matter to cauill at he will faine it I did not say there could be no ordination without a Bishoppe but that euer since the Apostles times to our age it hath been the receiued opinion in the Church of God that the right of ordination of Presbyters and Deacons is such a peculiar prerogatiue of BB. as that ordinarily and regularly there could be no lawfull ordination but by a Bishop otherwise I doe confesse in the sermon that extraordinarily and in case of necessity Presbyters may ordaine in the want of a Bishop Concerning the third he saith it is enough to preserue good order in Churches if iurisdiction be in the ministers and Presbyters Hee meaneth in the seuerall parishes which may after a fashion be gouerned where the supreame ecclesiasticall officer◠I meane the parish minister assisted with such a senate as ech parish is like to afford hath the reines of gouernment in all causes ecclesiasticall committed to them But I pray you how shall there be any good order in the gouernment of the Churches of a diocesse or prouince when euery parish is so according to the new conceipt an entire body of it selfe indeed a member by Schisme rent from the the rest as it hath neither consociation with nor subordination to others For they are not gouerned by consociation who deny the definitiue power of synods as our new Disciplinarians do neither do they acknowledge any subordination for their Pastor forsooth is the supreme ecclesiasticall officer and the power of ech parish is independent immediatly deriued from Christ. Now how is it possible there should be good order in the gouernment of so many parishes in a Kingdome where is no subordination no superiours nor inferiours but all equall But this is enough for our Disciplinarians if they might be subiect to no superiors but that each of them might be the supreme ecclesiasticall officer in euery Church Serm. sect 4. pag. 32. As touching the first whereas there were many Presbyters in one Citie c. to pag. 36. l. a fine 8. Jn this section I proue that the Bishops of the primitiue Church were superior to other Ministers in singularity of preeminence for terme of life Which is a point very materiall prouing both against the new Disciplinarians that the BB. were diocesan there being but one for ech diocesse as hath been touched before and against the elder that the BB. were not such as their Presidents of the Presbytery or Moderators of assemblies among them whose preeminence is but a priority of order and but for a short time and against both disprouing the parity of Ministers which is the other maine piller of the pretended discipline Here therefore it behoued the Refuter if his cause were such as indeed he could maintaine with soundnes of learning and euidence of truth both to haue disproued this superiority of BB. and to haue proued his parity of Ministers But he passeth by in
For first is not this a plaine lie and a notorious falsification of my words to say I plainly auouch a necessity of retaining the gouernment of diocesan Bishops c Where doe J mention or mean that necessity he speaketh of Could those words so is it for the same cause to be retained no otherwise be expounded then as implying an absolute necessity That is to be retained which is meet or fit expedient or conuenient profitable or needfull to be reteyned Secondly let the reader remember how oft the refuter hath charged me for saying the Bishops calling to be holden d iure diuino implying a perpetuall necessity thereof and chargeth the doctrine of my sermon to be in that respect contrary to the lawes of our land which make the forme of Church gouernment to be alterable by the King and yet here acknowledgeth for aduantage that I holde no such matter Thirdly let it be obserued how vnder this pretence of amazement he shifteth of the testimony of Cyprian which sitteth so neare to him and his consorts But the reader I hope will beare in mind the words off Cyprian noting the source of all schismes to be this when the Bishop who is but one and gouerneth the Church by the proud presumptioÌ„ of some is contemned c. And in the same epistle you ought to know saith he to Pupianus that the Bishop is in the Church and the Church in the Bishop and that whosoeuer are not with the Bishop are not in the Church and that they doe flatter themselues in vaine who haue not peace with the Priests of God that is the Bishops c. To this purpose Cyprian often writeth Neque enim aliâ—â—de haereses c. Neither haue heresies or schismes any other beginning then this that Gods Priest meaning the Bishop is not obeied Neither is one Bishop for the time nor one Iudge in Christs steed acknowledged c. Againe haec sunt initia haereticorum these bee the beginnings of heretikes these the risings and indeuors of ill minded schismatikes that they please themselues and contemne their B. with swelling pride Sic de ecclesia receditur thus doe men depart from the Church c. And in another place Hence doe men rush into heresies and schismes when they speake euill of Priests and enuy their Bishops c. The Lord open their eies who are faulty in this behalfe that they may see their sinne and touch their hearts that they may repent thereof Out of Ierome who is the onely man among the Fathers on whose authority the Disciplinarians in this cause doe relie I produce three most pregnant testimonies the first affirming that vnlesse this singularitie of preeminence be yeelded to the Bishop there will be as many schismes as Priests The second that euer since Saint Marks time the Presbyters hauing elected one placed him in a higher degree and called him Bishoppe The third that when some beganne to say J am of Paul I of Apollo which was in the Apostles time it was decreed by the whole world that one being chosen from among the Presbyters should be set ouer the rest in euery Church vnto whom the care of the whole Church should appertaine Of these allegations the first giueth testimony to this superiority de iure the other two testifying de facto beare witnesse that it hath been so in and euer since the Apostles times These testimonies are featly auoided with a promise to answere them afterwards when he will say neuer a word to the present not almost to any purpose The second part of this section wherein I prooue against Beza and the better sort of the Disciplinarians that the BB. had this singularitie of preeminence neither for a short time nor by course but were elected for terme of life this Refuter reiecteth as not worth the mentioning hee hath so oft refuted it alreadie Refuted oft I would bee sory that hee should bee able with soundnesse of reason and euidence of truth to refute any one sentence in the Sermon All the refutation of this point which hitherto wee haue had was this that I charged them with vntruths that I threaten kindnesse on them that I had need to be as eloquent as Pericles if I could perswade that any of them haue said this when as I haue brought foorth most plaine and euident allegations to this purpose And although I forbeare to mention Beza tendering his credit yet what I heere confuted is auouched by him in his twenty third chapter of his booke concerning the degrees of Ministers chiefly in the 141.142.143 pages Now because this point is of great moment though the Refuter haue tripped ouer it so lightly like a dog ouer a hot hearth as if I were afraid to touch it I will therefore endeuour to giue the Reader some further satisfaction therein by adding some other proofes What antiquity thought of the singularity of Bishops may appeare first by these two testimonies out of Cyprian and Theodoret. For when Nouatian was ordained a second Bishop in Rome besides Cornelius some of the Clergy hauing ben before Confessors who also had consented to him mooued with repentance and returning from schisme vnto the Church confessed their error saying Nos errorem nostrum confitemur c. Neithâ—r are we ignorant that there ought to be one God one Christ the Lord whom we haue confessed one holy Ghost one Bishop in a Catholike Church Likewise when Constantius being intreated by the godly Matrons in Rome gaue consent that Liberius should returne but withall appointed that hee and Felix should rule the Church in common the faithfull people deriding that sentence of the Arrian Emperor with one voice cried as Theodoret reporteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one God one Christ one Bishop After these speeches of the true Christian people adorned with pietie and iustice Liberius returned and Felix departed to another Citie and shortly died Which came to passe by Gods good prouidence saith Sozomen that the seat of Peter should not be diffamed as gouerned at once by two rulers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a note of dissension and repugnant to the law ecclesiasticall 2. And that the adding of a second Bishop was iudged vnlawfull and esteemed as a note of schisme Cyprian in some other places besides those which before I cited doth testifie Writing therfore to the foresaid Confessors who had ioined with Nouatian Granat me saith he it greiueth me c. When I vnderstood that you there against ecclesiasticall order against the Euangelical law against the vnity of Catholicke institution haue thought that another Bishop was to be made that is to say which is vngodly and vnlawfull to be done that another Church should be instituted the members of Christrent asunder the minde and body of the Lords flocke which is but one to be torne with schismaticall emulation And in another place Where a Bishop is once
authoritie ouer them or reprooued for suffering them And if they were not Presbyters because they called themselues Apostles be like they were better men Js it not then against sense to deny that Presbyters were subiect to the ceÌ„sure of the Bishop because he imagineth these who were subiect to their censure were better men Whatsoeuer they were whether Presbyters or in a higher degree whether of the Bishops presbytery or not whether of his diocese originally or come from other places it is plaine that they were Teachers and that being in their diocese the Bishops had authoritie either to suffer them to preach or to inhibit them to retaine them in the Communion of their Church or to expell them My other reason that BB. had correctiue power ouer the Presbyters is because Timothe and Titus had such power ouer the Presbyters of Ephesus and Creet as I proue by most euident testimonies out of Pauls epistles written to them and Epiphanius his inference on these words to Timothe Against a Presbyter receiue not thou an accusation but vnder two or three witnesses c. Therefore saith he Presbyters are subiect to the B. as to their Iudge To my inference out of S. Paul he answereth that Timothe and Titus were not BB. and that I shall neuer prooue they were I desire therefore the Reader to suspend his iudgement vntill hee come to the proofes on both sides and if he shall not find my proofes for their being BB. to be better then his to the contrarie let him beleeue me in nothing In the meane time let him know that if the generall consent of the ancient Fathers deserue any credit for a matter of fact then must it be granted that Timothe and Titus were Bishops Against Epiphanius hee obiecteth that hee tooke for granted that which Aerius constantly denied But this is one of his presumptuous and malapeit conceits for when Epiphanius prooueth against Aerius that Bishops were superiour to other Presbyters because Timothe was taking it for granted that Timothe was a Bishoppe what moderate or reasonable man would think otherwise but that this assertion that Timothe was a Bishoppe was such a receiued truth as hee knew Aërius himselfe would not deny it Serm. sect 12. pag. 50. But consider also the Presbyters as seuered in place from the Bishop and affixed to their seuerall Cures c. to offenders pag. 52. My first Argument to proue the iurisdiction of Bishops ouer Presbyters assigned to their seuerall cures is that when any place in the country was voide the Bishoppe assigned a Presbyter to them out of his Presbytery which as hath beene said before Caluin confesseth and is an euident argument as to proue the iurisdiction of the Bishop ouer the country parishes and Presbyters thereof so to demonstrate that the Bishops were Diocesan This reason because hee could not answere he would as his maner is perswade the Reader that it is needlesse Secondly I alledge that these Presbyters might doe nothing but by authority from the Bishoppe from whome they had their iurisdiction and therefore were subiect to him as their ruler Thirdly that they were subiect to his iudgement and censures These two points with their proofes hee passeth ouer as if hee made hast to the reason following which he supposeth to be the weakest For this is his maner to passe by in breuity or in silence the best proofes and if he meet with any thing which seemeth to him weaker then the rest there he resteth like aâ—lie in a raw place But by his leaue I will insist a little on these two points And first for the former point in generall the ancient Councell of Laodicea hauing ordained that Country Bishops might do nothing without the consent of the B. in the City in like maner commaundeth the Presbyters to doe nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the consent of the B. The same hath Damasus who hauing spoken of Country Bishops in like manner saith this must be held concerning Presbyters vt sine iussu proprij Episcopi nihilagant that they do nothing without the commaundement of their owne B. To omit those actions that belonged to the power of order which I haue already proued they could not performe without licence and authority from the Bishop consider how in respect of their persons those of the Clergy were subiect to the Bishop to be disposed by him First hee had authority to promote theÌ„ from one degree to another as he saw cause insomuch that if they refused to bee promoted by him they were to loose that degree from which they would not be remoued Secondly they might not remoue from one Diocese to another without his consent If they did he had authority to call them backe Or if any other Bishop should ordaine any of his Clerks without his coÌ„sent or letters dimissory and in that Church preferre him to a higher degree his own B. might reuerse that ordination bring him again to his own Church Con. Nic. c. 16. Arel 2. c. 13. Sard. c 15. Constant. in Trullo c. 17. Venet. c. 10 Epaun. c. 5. Thirdly they might not so much as trauel from one City to another without the B. licence his commendatory letters This was decreed by the councell of Laodicea and diuers others as Con. Agath c. 38. Epaunens c. 6. Aurelian 3. c. 15. Venet. c. 5. Turon c. 11.12 Hereby the Reader will easily discerne that the whole Clergy of euery Diocese was subiect to the B. as to their Ruler And that he was their iudge it is euident Cyprian testifieth that heresies and schismes arise hence that the Bishop is not obeied nec vâ—us in Ecclesia ad tempus sacerdos ad tempus index vice Christi cogitatur neither is one B. in the Church and one iudge for the time in the stead of Christ acknowledged First in their controuersies for when Clerks are at variance the B shal bring them to concord either by reason or by his power If there be a controuersie betweene Clerks saith the Councel of Chalcedon they shal not forsake their owne B. but first their cause shall be tried before him And if in their sutes they thought themselues wronged in their Bishoppes court then were they either to seâ—ke to the next BB if the matter could not be differred to the next Synode or else they might appeale to the Metropolitane or Prouinciall Synode But that the B. should be ouerruled controlled or censured by his owne Presbytery it was neuer heard of vnlesse it were by way of insurrection or rebellion Secondly in causes criminall that the Presbyters and others of the Clergy were subiect to the BB. censures it is euery where almost in the ancient Canons and Councels either expressed or presupposed If any Presbyter or Deacon saith the ancient Canon be excommunicated by the B. he may not be receiued by another
whom a paternall and pastorall authoritie is committed may worthily be honoured with the title of Lords To this he replieth that we call not Shepheards nor Fathers Lords and therefore the paternall or pastorall authoritie of Bishops doth not make them capable of such Lordly titles J answer that Magistrates yea Princes both in Scriptures and prophane Writers are called Pastors as well as Bishops and for the same cause are Lords Neither doe I doubt but that the title of Father being giuen by way of honour to him that is not a naturall Father is a word of as great honour at the least as Lord and that is the signification of the name Papa which hauing beene giuen in the Primitiue Church to all Bishops as a title of eminent honour is for that cause by the Pope of Rome appropriated to himselfe The second there is too great oddes betweene the titles of Bishops and other Ministers the one being called Masters the other Lords I answered there is no such great difference betweene Master and Lord that inferiour Minister which assume to themselues the title of Master should denie the title of Lord to Bishops Hee replieth as conceiuing my speech simply that there was no great difference betweene Master and Lord. If you respect their vse in relation as they are referred to their correlatiues there is no difference if the vse without relation among vs there is great difference but yet not so great as that Ministers which assume the one to themselues should denie the other to Bishops there being as great difference betwixt their degrees as their titles Where he saith it is not assumed but giuen by custome to them as Masters of Arts both parts are false for both it is giuen to all Ministers as they are Ministers though not Masters of Arts though not graduates and also I especially meant certaine Ministers who not enduring the title of Lord to be giuen to Bishops will neither tell you their name by speech nor set it downe in writing without the preface of Mastership The third if Bishops bee called Lords then are they Lords of the Church I answered it followeth no more that they are therefore Lords of the Church because they are called Lords then the Ministers are Masters of the Church because they are called Masters for neither of these titles is giuen to them with relation but as simple titles of honour and reuerence No saith he let their stiles speake Lord of Hath and Welles Lord of Rochester c. What Lord of the Cities nothing lesse but Lords of the Diocese They are Lords of neither but Lord BB. both of the City and Diocese And the relation is not in the word Lord but in the word Bishop though it bee not expressed alwaies but many times is vnderstood The Refuter hauing thus weakly friuolously and fondlie shifted off my arguments and testimonies rather then lie shifted off my arguments and testimonies rather then answered them there being not one line in my Sermon hitherto which I haue not defended with euidence of truth against his cauillations notwithstanding concludeth with a most insolent bragge as if he had as his fauourites giue out laid me on my backe And therefore as some wrestlers after they haue giuen one the foile will iet with their hands vnder their side challenging all others euen so he hauing in his weake conceit giuen me a strong ouerthrow because he findeth me too weake to stand in his armes hee challengeth all commers saying Let him that thinketh he can say more supplie his default I do vnfainedly confesse there be a great number in this Land blessed be God who are able to say much more in this cause then I am notwithstanding a stronger propugner thereof shall not neede against this oppugner And because I am assured in my conscience of the truth and goodnesse of the cause I promise the Refuter if this which now I haue written will not conuince him as I hope it will whiles he will deale as a Disputer and not as a Libeller I will neuer giue him ouer God giuing me life and health vntill I haue vtterly put him to silence In the meane time let the Reader looke backe to that which hath beene said on both sides let him call to minde if he can what one proofe this Refuter hath brought for the paritie of Ministers what one sound answer he hath giuen to any one argument or testimonie to my one proposition or assumption which I haue produced and then let him consider whether this glorious insultation proceeded not from an euill conscience to a worse purpose which is to retaine the simple seduced people in their former tearmes of factiousnes THE FOVRTH BOOKE Maintayning the fift point that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall and diuine Institution The I. CHAPTER Prouing the Episcopall function to be of Apostolicall institution because it was generally receiued in the first 300. yeeres after the Apostles Serm. pag. 54. It remaineth that I should demonstrate not onely the lawfulnesse of the BB. calling c. to page 55. li. 7. THE Refuter finding himselfe vnable to confute this discourse of the lawfulnesse of the BB. calling would faine perswade his Reader that it is needlesse moued and mouing thereto by as friuolous reasons as euer were heard of For though it be true that this point hath already beene proued by one argument is it therefore needlesse to confirme the same by a second Did euer any man meete with such a captious trifler as would not permit a man to proue the same truth by two arguments but the one must straight be reiected as needlesse but indeed his analysis was forced as he could not but discerne both by the distribution of the Sermon page 2. and also by the transition here vsed neither was this point handled before but the former assertion whereby the text was explicated that the Angels or Bishops of the primitiue Church were diocesan Bishops and such for the substance of their calling as ours be superiour to other ministers in degree c. This which now wee are to handle is the second assertion being a doctrine gathered out of the text so explicated I confesse the former doth proue the latter and that doth commend the methode of my Sermon and both being disposed together may make this Enthymeme The Pastors or gouernours of the primitiue Church here meant by the Angels were diocesan Bishops and such for the substance of their calling as ours be Therefore the calling of such diocesan Bishops as ours be is lawfull But I contented not my selfe with collecting the doctrine out of the text but as the manner of all preachers is when they haue collected a doctrine which is controuersall I thought it needfull to proue and to confirme the same with other arguments But other arguments saith he needed not if the three middle points were sufficiently cleared what will he assume but the three former points were sufficiently cleared
vntill that time when hee comming to Corinth saw Primus the B. with whom he conuersed there a good while reioycing together in the true faith But when I came to Rome saith he I continued with Anicetus whose Deacon Eleutherius was but Soter succeeded Anicetus and after him Eleutherius was B. Now saith he in euery succession and in euery city all things stood as the law preacheth and as the Prophets and as our Lord. And afterwards speaking of the heresies which did spring in his time after that Iames saith he surnamed the Iust had suffered Martyrdome Simon the sonne of Cleophas is made B. whom all men preferred for this cause because he was the Lords cousin wherefore they called the Church a Virgin for as yet she had not been corrupted with vaine doctrines but Thebulis because he was not made B. began to corrupt it being the broacher of one of the seauen heresies which were in the people So much of the first argument The second is taken from the testimonie of Ierome in two places the former in Titus 1. where he saith thus before that by the instinct of the deuill factions began in the Church and it was said among the people I am of Paul I 〈◊〉 of Apollos I am of Cephus the Churches were gouerned by the common counsell of the presbyters but when euery one accounted those for his whom he had baptised it was decreed in the whole world that one being chosen from the presbiters should be set ouer the rest in euery Church vnto whom the care of that whole Church or diocese should appertaine and that the seeds of schismes might be taken away For full answer to this testimony he referreth vs to another place and when he commeth thither I doubt he will not say much to the purpose In the meanetime he answereth first to the testimony itselfe and then to my inference out of it to the testimony he answereth that Ierome maketh the beginning of this constitution of BB. not in the Apostles times nor in the times immediatly succeeding the Apostles Not the former because otherwhere he saith that BB. were superiour to presbiters rather by the custome of the Church then any ordinance of God Whereto I answer that custome himselfe calleth an Apostolicall tradition and else where most plainely and fully testifieth in many places some whereof are noted in the Sermon both that BB. were in the Apostles times and also were ordayned by the Apostles themselues Not the latter because it is as I had told him against the modest charitie of a Christian to imagine that all the Church would conspire at once to thrust out the gouernment established by the Apostles and insteed thereof to bring in another of their owne But say I it is most manifest that BB. were placed in all Churches in the next age to the Apostles and therefore he must either grant that the Apostolicall Churches receiued this gouernment from the Apostles or else confesse according to his vsuall modesty in setting light by the testimony of all antiquitie that all Churches conspired to alter the gouernment which the Apostles had established But of his modestie I would know when he thinketh this gouernment by BB. began and whether he must not be forced of necessity either to lay that foule imputation vpon all the ancient Churches on all the godly Fathers and blessed Martyrs or to yeeld that they had receiued this forme of gouernment from the Apostles My inference also he denyeth When as not withstanding the allegation giueth full testimonie to the generality saying it was decreed in the whole world and of the perpetuity there can be no question if the beginning were not latter then I intended But it is plaine that by Ieroms meaning it began in the Apostles times at the first indeed he saith before BB. were ordained the same men were called Presbiteri Episcopi and vntill factions beganne the Churches were gouerned viz. in the absence of the Apostles by the common counsell of the Presbiters which may be true of the most Churches excepting that of Ierusalem by Ieromes owne confession But when factions began as those did in the Apostles times whereof he speaketh the Apostles ordayned and in the whole Christian world it was obserued that for auoiding of schisme one should be chosen from among the presbiters who should be set ouer the rest and to whom the whole care of the Church that is the diocese should appertaine As for the reasons whereby he proueth the consequence feeble they are exceeding weake First because Ierom speaketh not of the times immediately succeeding the Apostles It is very true for he speaketh of that which was done in the Apostles times as hath bene said secondly saith he because he saith it was decreed in the whole world which could not well be without a generall Councill vnlesse it soaked in by little and little till at the last it ouer-flowed all places The decree which he speaketh of could be no other but of the Apostles for as hath been said what was generally obserued in the Churches in the first three hundred yeares before there was a generall Councill to decree it proceeded vndoubtedly from the Apostles Now it is more then euident that long before the first generall councill there were not onely Diocesan BB. but Metropolitanes also yea Patriarches that which he talketh of soking in by little and little agreeth not with the generall decree whereof Ierome speaketh whereby what is instituted is ordayned at once Neither can hee assigne any time after the Apostles when BB. had either lesse charges or lesse authority then in the end of the first three or foure hundred yeares Their Diocesses oft times as hath beene shewed were lessened in processe of time but seldome or neuer enlarged Neither is it to be doubted but that their authority among Christians was greater before there were Christian Magistrates then afterwards For before they called and held their Councels by their owne authority they heard and iudged all causes among Christians they punished all kindes of faults by Ecclesiasticall censures The other testimony of Ierome is out of his commentarie on Psal. 45. which I haue mentioned before That the Church in steed of her Fathers which were the Apostles had sonnes which were the BB. who should be appointed gouernours in all parts of the world He saith first this testimonie is an allegorie vpon the 45. Psalme and not a historie of the times Which is a friuolous euasion For it is an exposition of the Prophecie by the historie or euent and so not onely he but Augustine also expoundeth the place Secondly he alledgeth that Ierome doth not say that the Church had BB. as soone as the Apostles were gone which also is friuolous For he signifieth that the BB. did succeede the Apostles in the gouernment of the Church which else where he plainly professeth saying that BB. are the successors of the Apostles
such Archbb. as are aboue Metropolitanes were not ordayned by Christ and his Apostles as D. Bilson who also is alledged as hauing beene of the Refuters minde because he citeth Ierome in Tit. 1.1 ad Euagr. Some that there were two sorts of Elders as Iunius Some vnderstanding Ieromes words of the time when factions began not of the Apostles times but afterward as Iunius These are all his witnesses besides some with whose names onely without their testimonies he thought best to make a simple flourish Now if any one of these allegations were reduced into the forme of a Syllogisme concluding the contradictorie to my assertion viz. that some auncient Councils Histories or Fathers doe testifie that in the three hundred yeares after Christ and his Apostles the gouernement by BB. was not generally and perpetually vsed it would appeare to euery one how ridiculously our refuter argueth As for example Danaeus Musculus Iunius c. doe testifie that in the three hundred yeares after Christ and his Apostles the gouernment by BB. was not generally receiued Therefore some ancient Councils Histories or Fathers doe testifie so much Yea but you speake of sound Writers in generall will he say and so I conclude Therefore some sound Writers doe testifie so much But it is plaine say I that I meane the ancient But to his argument such as it is I answere first that if these Writers had testified that which is contayned in the antecedent yet had not they beene competent witnesses in a matter of fact fourteene or fifteene hundred yeares before their time the greatest part of them being also parties in the cause But indeede not all no nor any one of his witnesses doth testifie that in the three hundred yeares after the Apostles the gouernment of Bishops was not generally receiued but all his allegations accommodated to that conclusion are most ridiculous As for example in in the Apostles times Bishops and Presbyters were the same Therefore in the three hundred yeares after the Apostles the gouernment by Bishops was not receiued Bishops were ordayned not by Gods law c. Therefore they were not in the first three hundred yeares and so of the rest But some body will say though these testimonies be impertinent to the present purpose and I must needes confesse that your Refuter did grossely abuse his vnlearned Readers in making such a flourish with them notwithstanding some of the allegations contayne assertions contrarie to some points in your Sermon Of whom in steed of answere if I should aske this question whom hee conceiueth to be aduersaries to vs in this cause he would answere those that stand for the pretended discipline And who be those Caluin Beza Danaeus lunius Sadeel and the most of those whom the Refuter hath alledged If they be aduersaries in this cause is it to be wondred that they haue deliuered contrary assertions and if they be parties in the cause are their testimonies to be admitted Verily he might better haue alledged M. Cartwright and M. Trauers then some of those whom hee did cite being more parties in the cause then they as not onely hauing written in defence of their discipline but liuing where it is practised but that hee knew the simple Reader vvho cannot be ignorant that T. C. and W. T. are parties vvas ignorant that these outlandish Writers vvere aduersaries vnto vs in the cause to vvhose assertions seeing it is folly to oppose the authorities of learned men vvho are on our side vvhom the Refuter vvould reiect as parties I oppose the testimonies of antiquity and the reasons contayned in this booke desiring the Reader in the feare of God to giue credit without partiality to that side on which there is better euidence of truth And thus hauing turned ouer and as I suppose ouerturned more then fiue leaues vvhich hee blotted vvith these testimonies I come to his examples of vvhich hee hauing not any one betweene the Apostles times and ours therefore giueth instance in the Churches of our time and in the time of the Apostles But marke I pray you vvhat vvas my assertion vvhich hee vvould seeme to contradict Was it not this that no example of any Orthodoxall or Apostolicall Church can be produced to proue that in the three hundred yeares after Christ and his Apostles the gouernment by Bishops vvas not generally receiued No saith hee vvhat say you then to the Churches of Heluetia France lowe Countries c. in our time and to the Church of Corinth Cenchrea Ephesus and Antioch in the Apostles times Marry this I say that the Refuter is a very trifler vvho pretending to giue instance of some Church vvithin three hundred yeares after the Apostles times contrarie to my assertion thinkes to satisfie his Reader eyther vvith examples of some Churches in our age or of those in the Apostles times vvhereof this present question is not I confesse that the Churches in the Apostles times at the first had not Bishoppes excepting that of Ierusalem Notwithstanding before the death of Saint Iohn the Churches had not onely Bishops but diuers of them a succession of Bishops and such were two of those which he nameth to wit Antioch and Ephesus for at Antioch there were Bishops successiuely in the Apostles times Evodius and Ignatius And at Ephesus before the Angel to whom that Epistle is directed Apoc. 2.1 Timothie About the yeare one hundred seauenty and foure Dionysius was B. of Corinth and before him was Primus who was of the same time with Anicetus Anno one hundred fifty sixe before whom there was a succession from the Apostles time as Hegesippus recordeth As for Cenchrea that neuer had a peculiar Bishop of her owne but was subiect as other Townes and Parishes of Achaâ—a to the Bishop of Corinth As touching the Churches after the Apostles times the Refuter hath nothing to obiect but what before he hath alleadged out of Iustin Martyr and Tertullian in whom there is not a word against Bishops Iustin Martyr speaketh but of one gouernour in each Church whom he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the B. saith Beza speaking so plainely for the singularity of preheminence of one B. in each Church that T. C. who would perswade that in the seueral Churches there were more Bishops then one saith that euen in Iustines time there began to peepe out something which went from the simplicity of the Gospell as that the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was common to the Elders with the Ministers of the word was it seemeth appropriated vnto one And whereas this place of Iustine was alleadged to proue the Bishops superiority ouer the Presbyters for euen Beza confesseth hee was the President of the Presbyterie who afterwards was called a Bishop hee answereth if it should be granted that Iustines President had superioritie ouer the Ministers yet how fondly is it concluded that it is Lawfull because it was And as I
so gouerned still Whereunto I answere according to the euident light of truth that the Presbyters gouerned the Churches as vnder the Apostles and that but for a time vntill the Apostles substituted BB. or left them as their successors committing the gouernment of the seuerall Churches vnto them To the second part of his assumption I answere that the Apostles contradicted that gouernment which hee speaketh of by common counsell of Elders ruling without a B. not so much by words as by deeds when ordayning BB. in seuerall Churches they committed the whole care thereof as Ierome speaketh or at least the chiefe care and authoritie as Ignatius testifieth to them And so leauing the Refuter to rowle the stone he speaketh of I proceed to my third argument The III. CHAPTER Prouing that the Apostles themselues ordayned Bishops Serm. Sect. 5. pag. 65. But yet I proceede to a further degree which is to proue that the Apostles themselues ordayned BB. and committed the Churches to them and therefore that the Episcopall function is without question of Apostolicall institution c. to 38. yeares pag. 69. THE refuter would faine haue me seeme to proue idem per idem but that he could not but discerne that I argue from the ordination of the persons to the institution of the function against which consequence though himselfe say that without question it is good yet I confesse he might haue taken more iust exception then he hath hitherto against any which was not of his owne making so farre is it from concluding the same by the same For he might haue said though they ordayned the persons yet Christ instituted the function and that is the iudgement of many of the Fathers who holde that our Sauiour Christ in ordayning his twelue Apostles and his seauentie two Disciples both which sorts he sent to preach the Gospell he instituted the two degrees of the ministerie BB. answering to the high Priest and Presbyters answerable to the Priests Againe those Fathers who affirme the BB. to be the successors of the Apostles doe by consequence affirme that Christ when he ordayned Apostles ordayned BB. and Cyprian in plainetermes saith so much that our Lord himselfe ordayned Apostles that is to say Bishops For the Popish conceipt that the Apostles were not made Priests till Christs last supper nor BB. till after his resurrection as it is sutable with other their opinions deuised to aduance the Popes supremacy so it is repugnant to the iudgement of the ancients contrary to the truth Seeing the very Disciples who were inferiour to the Apostles were authorized before Christs last supper to preach to baptise Neither had they or needed they any new ordination whereby they might be qualified to administer the Sacrament But of this matter I will not contend for whether the function were first ordayned by Christ or instituted by the Apostles Christ is the authour thereof either immediatly according to the former opinion or mediatly according to the latter And those things are said to be of Apostolicall institution which Christ ordayned by the Apostles The antecedent of my argument viz. that the Apostles ordayned BB. and committed the Churches to them was in the Sermon explaned and proued by shewing the time when the places where the persons whom the Apostles ordayned BB. As concerning the time I said there was some difference betweene the Church of Ierusalem and the rest in respect of their first Bishop For there because shortly after Christs passion a great number were conuerted to the faith for we read of three thousand conuerted in one day and because that was the mother Church vnto which the Christians from all parts were afterwards to haue recourse the Apostles before their dispersion statim post passionem Domini straight wayes after the passion of our Lord ordayned Iames the iust Bishop of Ierusalem as Ierome testifieth Here my refuter maketh me to argue thus culling out one part of my argumentation from the rest Iames was ordayned Bishop by the Apostles therefore the Apostles ordayned Bishops And then denieth the consequence because though Iames being an Apostle had Episcopall power in respect of ordination and iurisdiction yet it would not follow that the Apostles ordayned Diocesan Bishops in other Churches But my argument is an induction standing thus The Apostles ordayned BB. at Ierusalem and in other Churches which afterwards particularly I doe enumerate therefore they ordayned BB. That they ordayned BB. at Ierusalem I proue because they ordayned Iames the Iust and Simon the sonne of Cleophas BB. of Ierusalem That they ordayned Iames B. of Ierusalem I proue in this section That they ordained Simon the sonne of Cleophas B. of Ierusalem and Bishops in other Churches I proue afterwards according to the order of time Beginning here with Ierusalem because that Church had first a Bishop Now that Iames was by the Apostles made B. of Ierusalem I proue by these testimonies first of Ierome whose words are these Iames who is called the brother of our Lord fâ—â—named the iust straight wayes after the passion of our Lord was ordayned by the Apostles the Bishop of Ierusalem This is that Ierome on whose onely authoritie almost the Disciplinarians in this cause relye alledging out of him that Bishops were not ordayned till after the Apostles times Secondly of Eusebius and of the most ancient histories of the Church whose testimonies he citeth to this purpose first therefore he saith in generall that the histories before his time did report that to Iames the brother of our Lord surnamed the iust the throne of the Bishopricke of the Church in Ierusalem was first committed Then particularly he citeth Clemens Alexandrinus testifying that Iames Peter and Iohn after the ascension of our Sauiour did choose Iames the iust Bishop of Ierusalem Afterwards Hegesippus who was nere the Apostles times as Ierome speaketh being as Eusebius saith in the very first succession of the Apostles to the like purpose Eusebius himselfe in his Chronicle translated by Ierome hath these words Iames the brother of our Lord is by the Apostles made the first Bishop of Ierusalem Againe in his history he not onely saith that Iames called the brother of our Lord was the first Bishop of Ierusâ—â—em but also testifieth vpon his knowledge that the Episcopall throne or chaire wherein Iames sate as Bishop of Ierusalem and wherein all the BB. of that See succeeded him was yet in his time to be seene being preserued as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a worthy and sacred monument And finally both in his historie and Chronicle he setteth down the succession of the Bishops of Ierusalem from Iames vnto Macarius whom he noteth to haue been the thirtie ninth Bishop of Ierusalem reckoning Iames the first and Simon the second and Iustus the third Zacheus the fourth c. Epiphanius also testifieth that Iames the Lords brother was
doctrine 1 Tim. 1.3 2 Tim. 2.16 Tit. 1.10.11 and 3.9 and iudges of their persons and conuersation 1 Tim. 5.19.20.21 Tit. 3.10 to which proofes he answereth nothing Wherevnto might be added the authority of Gregorie Nazianzene of Chrysostome of Oecumenius and Gregory testifying that these Epistles doe teach Bishops how to behaue themselues in the Church of God Now because the Refuters supposition is the same in efâ—ect with his assumption I will examine first what he obiecteth against the assumption vnder the name of that supposition and so proceed to his answere which he directed against the assumption The summe of that which he obiecteth against the supposition is this that though Timothie and Titus were by Paules direction to doe those things which Bishops arrogate to themselues yet they were to doe them by an higher power and therefore not as Bishops Whereto I answere that they were to be done by a power vvhich vvas to continue in the Church vntill the end and therefore not by a higher power then Episcopal And secondly that the power Episcopal whereby Bishops doe these things which Timothie and Titus had in commission is so much of the Apostolicall power as was to continue in the Church vnto the end The assumption it selfe hee denyeth saying these Epistles are not precedents of the Episcopall function c. The reason of his deniall is this What though Bishops haue now gotten that power into their hands yet were not those instructions giuen to Timothie and Titus as Bishops the Apostles dreaming of no such soueraigntie but particularly to Timothie and Titus as Euangelists and in generall to the Presbyters to whom the charge of those affaires belongeth To the Euangelists to administer in all the Churches of those Regions whither the Apostles sent or where they left them to the Presbyters to administer in their seuerall congregations or Churches Hee said euen now that Timothie and Titus did those things which BB. doe by a higher power now he saith he Apostle dreamed not of any such soueraignty as the BB. haue Where he saith these instructions were not giuen to BB. but particularly to these Euangelists to performe them in all Churches and Regions where he should place them and generally to Presbyters c. both parts are false For these directions Paul gaue to Timothie and Titus to be obserued of them as they were particularly assigned gouernours of the Churches of Ephesus and Creet and are such as are to be obserued to the end Neither are these instructions giuen in generall to Presbyters neither doth the charge of these affaires belong to them And that these things belong to the BB. I haue sufficiently proued before To make the matter plaine he bringeth in an example which is worth the hearing Suppose saith he a Democraty where the common-wealth is gouerned by the people it must needs be that in such a place there are lawes for the choosing and ordering of Officers What if this gouernment fall into the hands of the Nobilitie which continue the same lawes still in the same cases What if some mightier then the rest at the last make himselfe sole Gouernour still obseruing those fundamentall lawes which were at the first established is it to be saide that those lawes are the verie patternes and precedents of the Aristocraticall or Monarchicall gouernement whereby the first maker of those lawes would enforme in the one the Nobilitie in the other the Monarchie and in them all other how to exercise that function The administration of Church matters touching ordination and iurisdiction was first in the seuerall Churches or congregations which by their Presbyteries had the menaging of all Church businesse in processe of time it came to be restrayned to the Clergie onely the B. and his Presbyterie of Ministers onely at last as things grew worse and worse the B. like a Monarch got the reynes into his owne hands Now though the lawes of Ordination and Iurisdiction remaine the same and the practise also in some sort yet are they not patternes and presidents either of the second or third kinde of gouernment neither were they giuen to instruct the Bishop alone or the Bishop and his Clergie together Which comparison I desire may be well considered especially by the vnlearneder sort for hereby they shall discerne what manner of guides they haue desired to follow For not to contend with him about his politicke proposition not well agreeing with the rules of policy wherein we are taught that the appointment of chiefe Officers being reckoned inter iura maiestatis doth alwayes belong to them who haue the soueraigntie in the whole comparison but especially in the reddition we may behold the trim Idea of discipline which the fancie of our Refuter and his fellow-challengers hath forged For he conceiueth as if he were a Brownist or an Anabaptist that the ancient state of the Church was Democraticall that the right of Ordination and Iurisdiction was in the whole congregation of euery Parish which by their Presbyteries consisting for the greatest part of the laity had the menaging of all Church-businesse that the lawes and Canons for Church-gouernment set downe in the Epistles to Timothie and Titus were first prouided for this popular state of the Church Howbeit by the vsurpation of the B. and his Clergie the popular state was turned into an Aristocraty the B. and his Presbyterie of Ministers onely menaging the Church affaires Lastly in processe of time this Aristocraty was turned into a Monarchie the B. like a Monarch hauing got the reynes into his owne hands Now the lawes concerning Ordination and iurisdiction are still in force yet were they not patternes neither for the Monarchicall gouernment of the B. alone nor for the Aristocraticall gouernment of the Bishop and his Presbytery of ministers but for the popular and golden state of euery Parish which within it selfe had authoritie immediately deriued from Christ sufficient for the gouernment of it selfe in all causes Ecclesiasticall This forme is propounded also in the modest and Christian offer of disputation Haue not our forwarder sort of people bin well aduised thinke you to doate vpon such leaders as these who broach such a sort of dreames and dotages for which they haue not so much as the shew of any sound proofe Our refuter hath often times obiected against me though most vniustly that Pythagoras-like I looke to be creditted vpon my bare word but what proofes I pray you doth hee bring for these schismaticall nouelties First it is here presupposed that euery Church indued with power of Ecclesiasticall gouernment was a Parish all Church officers Parishionall Which dotage I haue before refuted Secondly that the forme of Church-gouernment was Democraticall or popular the cheife authority being in the people Which hath authority to be exercised partly by themselues partly by their Presbytery to elect ordayne depriue depose their Pastor or B. for the proofe whereof the
Alexandrinus and Eusebius Finally that the Apostles committed the Church which is in euery place to Bishops whom they ordayned leauing them their successours testified by Irenaeus and Tertullian who saith that as Smyrna had Polycarpe from S. Iohn and Rome Clement by the appointment of Peter so the rest of the Churches can shew quos ab Apostolis in Episcopatum constitutos Apostoliâ—i seminis traduces habent what Bishops they haue ordayned by the Apostles the deriuers of the Apostolicall seed To all this he hath nothing to answere but that which heretofore hath beene fully refuted that these Bishops were but ordinary Pastors of particular congregations c. saâ—ing that he taketh also exception against their assertion who said that Bishops be the successors of the Apostles But not onely Irenaeus and Tertullian haue auouched so much but diuers others of the Fathers as Cyprian Ierome and Augustine Cyprian saith praepositi that is Bishops Apostolis vicaria ordinatione succedunt succeed the Apostles as being ordained in their steed And Ierome saith omnes Episcopi Apostolorum successores sunt all Bishops are the successors of the Apostles And againe he saith Episcopâ—s Apostolis succedere And Theodoret calleth the gouernment of Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And likewise Basill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the presidency of Apostles who haue deliuered to Bishops as Irenaeus saith their owne place of gouernment in the seuerall Churches And this is that which both Ierome and Augustine expounding those words of the 45. Psalme pro patribus nati tibi sunt filij haue deliuered that insteed of the Apostles Bishops were ordayned gouernours of the Church in all parts of the world Which point is duely to be considered For hereby it is manifest that the Bishops haue receiued and deriued their authority from the Apostles whose successors they are not onely in respect of doctrine as all other true ministers but also in the gouernment of the seuerall Churches And when the Disciplinarians can shew the like warrant for their Presbyteryes especially of Lay-elders or our refuter and his good friends the Brownists for the cheife authority of the people we will harken to them Once it is euident that Christ committed the authority and gouernment of his Church to his Apostles who were to deriue the same to others Wherefore who haue any ordinary right they haue receiued the same from the Apostles So Timothie and Titus receiued their authority from Paul Linus from Peter and Paul Policarpus from Iohn c. And all other the first Bishops from the Apostles from whom by a perpetuall succession it hath beene deriued to the Bishops which are at this day But where is any euidence of the like deriuation from the Apostles of authority to the people of Lay-elders I know not Thus haue I made good my former proofes that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall institution The V. CHAPTER Answering the allegations out of Ierome Serm. Sect. 11. pag. 87. Against all this that hath beene said to proue that the Episcopall function is of Apostolicall institution the authoritie of Ierome is obiected c. to page 89. AGainst the testimonies of men saith the refuter what is fitter to be obiected then the authority of such a man as of set purpose disputing the question determineth the contrary to that which was so commonly anouched Which speech if it be duely examined iust exception may be taken against euery branch thereof For first hee would insinuate that nothing hath beene brought to iustifie the calling of Bishops besides the testimonies of men when besides the testimonies of men I haue brought good euidence of sound reason and besides that better proofe out of the scriptures to warrant the Episcopall function then euer was or will be brought for the Presbyterian discipline Againe it were fitter and to better purpose against the testimonies of men if I had produced no other proofe to haue brought either testimonies of scripture or sound reasons or for want of them the testimonie of so many and so approued authors to counterpoise the weight of their authorities who haue beene alledged on the contrary part But scriptures failing reasons wanting testimonies of other Fathers being to seeke Ierome alone must be faine to beare the whole burden of this cause For though some latter writers may be alledged to the like purpose yet all is but Ierome Whose not onely iudgement they follow but reteyne his words Neither doth Ierome so oft dispute this question or determine the contrary as the refuter in his shallow conceipt imagineth Or if any wheres he doth determine the contrary against that which was commonly auouched both by himselfe and others his determination deliuered in heat of disputation ought not to be of so great weight as what he hath deliuered not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in heat of contention but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dogmatically or historically For Ierome was but a Presbyter and there were two things in his time which might prouoke him by way of contention to say more in the behalfe of his degree then doth exactly agree with the truth The one was that the Bishops of those times did too much depresse the Presbyters For they might not onely in their presence not preach nor baptize nor administer the Communion but also in some places they might not preach at all nor any where baptize vnlesse they fetched their Chrisme from the Bishop against which practises of the Bishops Ierome in some places of his works doth inueigh But that which troubled him most was that the Deacons in his time especially at Rome because they had more wealth as the fashion of the world is thought themselues better men then the Presbyters For the confutation of whom he seeketh to aduance the Presbyters aboue the Deacons as much as he can and may seeme to match them more then truth would permit with the Bishops For which the onely ground which he hath is this because the name Bishop and Presbyter were for a while in the Apostles times confounded Which God knoweth is a weak ground and easily out of his owne writings ouerturned But let vs examine the particulars First it is alledged out of Ierome that vntill factions did arise in the Church some saying I am of Paul I am of Apollo c. the Churches were gouerned by the common counsell of the Presbyters but when they began to draw Disciples after them namely such as themselues had baptised it was agreed in the whole world that one being chosen from among the Presbyters should be set ouer the rest to whom the whole care of the Church should belong and that the seede of schismes might be taken away Whereunto I answered first that this speech in respect of the Church of Ierusalem is vntrue which was first gouerned by the Apostles in common and after committed to Iames in particular before we read of any Presbyters
one testimonie no not one Wherefore looke how manie such probable expositions may be giuen vnderstanding this place of Ministers onely they are so manie proofes that there is no necessitie of admitting your interpretation But let vs now examine your reasons whereby you would prooue my exposition to be but a bare shift and such as will not serue my turne The first If others opposing to Lay-Elders haue brought 8. or 9. expositions which are but shifts to auoid them all of them being diuerse among themselues and from that which M. D. bringeth then this 10. of his is but a shift also but the former is true therefore the latter If the reader desire to haue examples of such lame legs as the refuter talketh of here hee may haue a couple For as touching the proposition seeing among different expositions one onely is the true and proper meaning of the place may not this exception be taken against any exposition be it neuer so true being but one amongst manie For suppose the other 9. were but shifts how will it follow that therefore the tenth is so Must all expositions bee false or vnfit because the most are such If those 9. expositions be shifts as you say and if yours be false as I haue proued this is so farre from preiudging the truth of mine which is the eleuenth as that it is a strong presumption to confirme it For seeing it is to be presumed that some one true exposition of this Text is knowne and seeing all other knowne expositions of this place are either supposed by you or proued by mee to be false it remaineth therefore that this eleuenth is true The consequence therefore of the proposition is starke lame The assumption also is false For those diuers expositions are not shifts as this shifting Sophister cauilleth but being all I meane so many as by Presbyters vnderstand Ministers more probable then that which stādeth for Lay-Elders for that doth not so much as touch the subiect wherof the Apostle speaketh they are so many proofes to auoid the necessitie of their Lay-Elders which by thē are as necessary vrged and obtruded vpō vs. And this was his first reason which he brought to make it appeare that my exposition is but a bare shift His second brought to the same purpose either proueth it thus or not at all If M. D. vtterly reiect 8. of the aforesaid expositions and resteth vpon one of those 4. which D. Bilson propounded then his exposition is a bare shift But M. D. reiecteth 8. of the former expositions and resteth vpon one of those 4 which D. B. propoundeth Therefore his exposition is a bare shift In the proposition there is not so much as a shewe of a good consequence vnlesse it be presupposed which I haue disproued that D. B. expositions are but bare shifts His assumption which in plaine termes he setteth downe containeth two vntruthes For first if you vnderstand my words as they may be vnderstood of them that conceiue mee to be the answerer in this place and as my selfe euen now propounded them then doth it not follow that I vtterly reiect all other expositions because in adding this to the former I seeme to preferre it before the rest Againe that I rest in one of those 4. expositions which he recited out of D. B. is not onely false but if you respect his intent sclanderous also as all other his references are as to any that will compare them may easily appeare For not any of D. B. 4. expositions vnderstādeth the former branch as containing the generall dutie of a Minister Howbeit some of the examples which hee produceth together with his explication of some of them doe well agree with my exposition as you shall heare in my answere to his third reason which being his shoot-ancor if it faile him his Lay-Elders are like to suffer shipwracke Heare his words Thirdly that it may appeare that M. D. is besides the true meaning of the Apostle in the sense hee resteth on let vs weigh the Apostles words well and wee shall finde them clearely and euidently to speake of persons and at the most but indirectly of duties The Elders that rule well especially they can any man be so blind as not to see that these Elders and they must needes signifie persons who must be counted worthie of double honour No saith M.D. but this account riseth from the consideration of their duties Euen so we denie it not but may it not be so and yet 2. sorts of Elders heere noted Yes verily The elders that faithfully discharge their dutie in gouerning the Church are worthie of double honour especially those who labour in the Word and Doctrine Is there any thing in this Scripture thus vnderstood to shutte out 2. kindes of Elders Are not the duties in the former clause generall in the latter speciall Yes saith he but for all that they bee indeed two duties of the Minister onely Of which discourse the best that I can make is this If the comparison betwixt the persons euidently noted in this Text doth seeme to fauour the distinction of Elders into 2. sorts and the comparison betweene the duties indirectly noted doth not hinder the said distinction that then is there nothing in this Text to exclude two sorts of Elders But the antecedent is true in both the parts thereof Therefore the consequent The former part of the antecedent is proued thus The persons here mentioned are in the comparison noted to be of two sorts Elders are the persons here mentioned Therefore Elders are in this comparison noted to bee of 2. sorts The latter thus The distinction of duties into generall and speciall doth not exclude two sorts of Elders For the generall agreeth to both sorts The distinction of duties heere mentioned is into generall and speciall Therefore the distinction heree mentiond doth not exclude two sorts of Elders By the refuters maine conclusion it is euident that hee hath gotten the wrong end of the staffe For whereas this place to Timothie is the chiefe and as I iudge the onely place to speake of in the Scriptures which all of them without exception obiect and most confidently vrge as necessarily including and concluding their Lay-Elders in answering whereof this part of my Sermon is spent my aduersary by his Sophysticall shifts in making mee the opponent and himselfe the respondent would make the Reader belieue that he hath acquitted himselfe well if this place bee not against Lay-Elders But the Reader must remember that it lieth vpon my aduersarie and those of his side out of this place invincibly and ineuitably to inforce Lay-Elders or to confesse that they cannot be proued out of the Scriptures Neither will it suffice him to say they may be here meant vnlesse he can necessarily proue and demonstrate that they are and must necessarily be meant in this place Otherwise I may graunt his maine conclusion without anie preiudice to our cause when the
chiefe thing which he proueth is that the principall and almost onely place obiected by themselues for Lay-Elders doth not make against them But if the onely place which can to any purpose bee alledged for them doe exclude them which in the last reason I doe endeuour to proue being as yet not proceeded so farre but onely to maintaine that they be not heere included then is the cause of the Lay-Elders most desperate The which that it may appeare I will not refuse seeing my aduersarie hath found this starting hole to examine his proofes And first I denie the connexion or consequence of his proposition For though neither of the things by him named did exclude Lay-Elders yet there are two words in the Text which doe plainely shew they are not included The one is the word Presbyters which alwayes signifieth the Ministers and neuer signifieth the supposed Lay-Elders For if this Text include them then are they included in this word Presbyteri the Text speaking of none but such But that word being a word of order proper to Ministers or Priests doth not include them nor can any one example or testimonie produced to that purpose Therefore Lay-Elders are not included in this Text. The other is double honour or maintenance appointed to all the Presbyters of whome Paul speaketh from which Lay Elders are excluded as I shall shew in my third reason As touching his second Syllogisme I answere first to the proposition that the persons here mentioned are not noted to be of two sorts but that the comparison is betweene two duties belonging to one sort or order of men or if you will betweene men of the same order in respect of their duties the words being as plaine in the lāguage of the Apostles and of all the Fathers both Greeke and Latine as if it had bene said in our language Let the Ministers or Priests c And this I hold for a most certaine and vndeniable truth The comparison betweene the dueties I explane thus that as to Presbyters or Ministers double honour is due for their dutie in generall So especially for that which is the principall the comaprison being betweene the generall or whole duety a particular or part of the duty which is preferred as being the principall The comparison betweene the persons in regard of those duties and depending vpon the former standeth thus that as all they that performe the generall are to be honoured so especially they who in speciall sort performe the principall Thus much then the words import that as all Presbyters who demeane themselues well in their places are to bee accounted worthy of double honour so especially those that labour painefully in the Word and Doctrine Let vs consider the like examples All Counsellours that demeane themselues well in their functiōs are highly to be honored especially those that are good Patriotes or Comon-wealthsmen From whence it were absurde to inferre that there is a sort of good counsellours that bee not good Patriotes But in this speech I note in respect of the duties of counsellours that this is the principall and in respect of the persons that they are chiefly to be honored who are in speciall manner such Likewise to vse the refuters owne example All Logicians that reason well that is all good Logicians are to bee honoured or well esteemed of especially those that are iudicious or that haue a speciall facultie of iudging well It may not hence be gathered that there are any good Logicians that are not iudicious or that cannot iudge well But I note that as among the faculties of a Logician good iudgement is the principall so they which be iudicious are most to be esteemed So all good Seruants are worthie to bee rewarded especially those that are faithfull c In like manner when the Apostle saith All Presbyters or Ministers that demeane themselues well that is all good Ministers are to be accounted worthie double honour especiallie those which labour in the Word and Doctrine Wee may not collect from hence that there is a sort of Presbyters worthie of double honour which doe not labour in the word But the meaning of the comparison is that as among the duties of Presbyters or Ministers Preaching is the principall so they chiefly are to bee accounted worthie of double honour who labour or if you will who in speciall manner doe labour therein And this speciall manner is noted in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to labour painefully and vnto wearinesse Which paines is to be esteemed as well by diligence in the studie of the Word as either by the frequent or laborious deliuery of the Doctrine The comparison therefore is so farre from being made of all Elders as they imagine that it is not of all Ministers but onely of those which be good And the greatest distinction of persons that can hence bee gathered is this that among good Ministers there are some who are more especially to be counted worthy of double honour for their paines in Preaching Now because the refuter referreth you to D. Bilsons preface and I promised euen now to acquaint you with some of his examples and explication thereof you shall well perceiue that my exposition though it be none of the foure which he propoundeth is not vnlike to haue the approbation of that most learned reuerend man Doth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee that is chiefly the note of comparison distinguish as well things as persons and not so well diuerse respects as diuerse subiects◠for example if we should say Magistrates that gouerne well are worthie of double honour specially they that heare the complaints of the poore Were hee not very fansifull that would hence conclude there are therefore two sorts of Magistrates one that gouerne well another that heareth the complaints of the poore Nothing is more common then by this kind of speech to note as well two diuerse qualities in one man as two sundry sorts of men yea thereby to preferre a part before the generall comprising that part As teachers are to be liked for their learning specially for their knowledge in the scriptures Good men are to be loued for their vertues especially if they be liberall To the assumption affirming that Elders are the persons here mentioned I answere that no Elders are here mentioned but Ministers and that Presbyteri in this place are vnfitly translated Elders for though that be the english of it as it is a word of age yet it is not the english of it according to the vse of our language as it is a word of order noting as it doth in this place an Ecclesiasticall function but Ministers or Priests whō we do not vse in our common speech to call Elders But hereof I haue alreadie spoken There remaineth his third Syllogisme concluding as before that their two sorts of Elders are not excluded in the distinction of the duties into generall
be aduantaged by this testimonie of Ambrose taketh on like a beggar on horsebacke or a coward when he hath gotten his aduersarie at a supposed aduantage See you not how he braggeth and vanteth how he crakes and crowes and all for want as of a good spirit so of a sound iudgement presuming of aduantage where he hath none as the euent will proue Concerning this testimonie of Ambrose he findeth fault as well with my maner of alleaging as of discussing it At the allegation he hath three cauills First he repeateth his friuolous cauillation concerning the consequence of an argument which he bestoweth vpon me that if in this place of Ambrose there be no mention of Lay-Elders then there is none to be found in the fathers writings Which cauill I haue so clearely refuted before that I thinke I shall neuer heare of it more The second that I alleage this place not out of Ambrose himselfe which is a base slander for I had Ambrose lying before me but out of D. Bils because forsooth I cited the first words which are not so pertinent shewing the slender occasion whereupon Ambrose vttered this sentence in english as D. B. doth And yet his blind malice would not let him see that I cited the latter sentence in latine out of the Authour which D. B. alleageth in English Quod qua negligentia obsolouerit c. Which words if I had cited as a chiefe man of your side doth you would haue charged me either to haue alleaged a place which I had neuer seene or else notoriously depriued it Ambrose speaking of this office of the â—lders although saith he not vpon so good occasion thus 〈◊〉 saith whereupon the Synagogue and after the Church had Elders without whose counsel nothing was done in the Church Which Elders I know not by what negligence they are worne out c and againe his saying is that the Elders fell away by the ambition of the doctors Which allegation the rest which were but gleaners after him taking vpon his word haue vrged as if the Seniors themselues of whom Ambrose speaketh were ceassed before his time inferring thereupon that he meaneth Lay-Elders because the learned Presbyters still remained in the Church When Ambrose doth not say that the Seniors themselues were growne out of vse for he doth not say qui qua negligentia obâ—oleuerint but that themselues remayning their counsell was neglected If it be demanded why then doth he say habuit ecclesia the Church had I answere because the verbe was to haue reference both to the Church which had beene before his time and also to the Synagouge not because the Church had not Seniors still For Ierome Augustine and Gregorie are alleaged by the disciplinarians themselues that there were Seniors in the Church long after Ambrose his time Thirdly he cauilleth at the translation of the word docterum which I rendred learned or Teachers For which reading if he had a sound iudgement he would rather haue giuen me thankes In that translation as also in the exposition I intended to giue them satisfaction who as I thought were not satisfied with the iudgement of our learned men who by the word doctorum vnderstand Bishops onely For indeed if it be read Doctors or teachers a title in these times appropriated to Bishops the allegation out of Ambrose is as easily answered as alledged Ambrose his meaning being plainely this that whereas the Bishops in former times were wont to doe nothing of importance without the counsell and aduise of certaine ancient Ministers who were his assistants this was now growne out of vse either through the negligence or pride of the Bishops But because I thought it might be obiected that the word may signifie the learned as well as Teachers and so an opposition might be conceiued as well of the learned to the vnlearned Seniors as of the Doctors that is Bishops to the Presbyters who though they were learned were not called Doctors neither did vsually preach I therefore endeuoured so to expound it as that they who should so vnderstand this place might be satisfied shewing that although the word doctorum should signifie learned and although they would gather from thence that the Seniors which were excluded from consultation were vnlearned And consequently lay men yet notwithstanding that the speech of Ambrose needeth not to be vnderstood of Lay-Elders But seeing my aduersarie in the profundnesse of his iudgement reiecteth that reading as vnlearned and without example of which notwithstanding doctorum esto iudicium let the learned iudge I wil cleaue to that interpretation which by Doctorum vnderstandeth Doctors or Teachers as the best and keepe the other in store as a secondary exposition to satisfie them who by doctorum shall vnderstand the Learned and thereof inferre seeing the learned are blamed for excluding the Seniors that therefore the Seniors who were excluded were vnlearned And although my antagonist fighting Andabatarum more and as cowards vse to doe winking smote he saw not what nor cared what so as he might deale his blowes apace condemning me in that for which he had cause to thanke me notwithstanding I will acknowledge my thankefulnes to him for handling this matter so well that in this point he hath left our cause better then he found it For whereas there being two expositions of this place according to the two significations of the word doctorum the sentence hath almost no shew of probabilitie for Lay-Elders if doctorum be translated Doctors but seemeth very fauourable to them if doctorum signifie the Learned my aduersarie I thanke him hath freed me from the difficultie of the latter if his exceptions against it be good and hath permitted me to rest securely in the former The reader therefore is not to expect from me an ample defence of that latter sense against his exceptions which make for vs. For if his exceptions be good and that sense vntrue as he saith it is certaine and plaine that it is then will there be no difficultie at all in answering this testimonie of Ambrose that translation which seemed most to fauour Lay-Elders being reiected In discussing this testimonie of Ambrose because it seemeth to make for him he is content to spend 17. pages who if it were against him would scarce vouchsafe one line by way of answere I haue knowne when aboue a dozen testimonies of ancient writers directly testifying that Timothie was Bishop of Ephesus in which number Ambrose was one the chiefe patrone of the pretended discipline among vs hath refused so much as to examine the allegations as a thing vnworthy the turning of a leafe and in another place he shaketh off Ambrose thus As for Ambrose a child may see how violently he forceth the text c. And againe the errours and corrupt expounding of scriptures which are found in his workes declare that it had beene more safe for the Church if by studie of the scriptures he had first beene a
conclusion labouring as we say clauum clauo pellere and vndertaking to make me see if I will not shut mine eyes the contradictory of that conclusion to be true which notwithstanding cannot be false the premisses being true And first he denyeth that Ambrose spake by guesse as I say but certaienly and vpon knowledge when Ambrose his expresse words bee these Quod qua negligentia obsoleuerit nescio nisi forte c which by what negligence it is growne out of vse I know not vnlesse perhaps by the slouthfulnes c. 2. He saith it might be a matter of slothfulnes in the BB to suffer the seniors to neglect their duties But not to their own so great trouble will M D. say we might belieue him if wee saw not pride driue men to vndertake more then they either need to be charged with or are able to weeld Then is it not their slothfulnes belike that caused them to take the whole burden vpon themselues but their pride which made them winke at the seniors slothfulnes as giuing way to their owne ambition Thirdly he saith the Bishops might prouide for their owne ease by putting off the burthen to their Chancellors Commissaries Officialls c therefore it might be imputed to them as a matter of sloth or idlenesse pride to and so the word Doctorum rightly expounded for Pastors of Parishes alone and not to Diocesan Bishops As thogh their Parish-Bishops were more likely to haue had Chauncellours c then Diocesan BB But I answere 1. the question is not what they might haue done but what they did Now it is euident that in Ambrose his time and a good while after till the Presbyteries were in a manner whollie neglected the Bishops had not ordinary vicars or chancellors or ordinary Commissaries which were not of the Clergie But what they did without the aduise of their Seniors they performed ordinarily in their owne persons or else extraordinarily delegated the same to some of speciall trust In some cases it is euident that both then and long after they vsed the assistance of their Presbyterie as in the iudgement of Heresie or for deposing of a clergie man c. Siricius the B. of Rome in an Epistle to Ambrose denouncing Iouinian Auxentius c. for heretickes sheweth that for their triall his whole presbyterie had beene assembled and saith that by the common consent of his whole clergie they were condemned for heretickes The 4. councell of Carthage as you heard ordained that the Bishop should heare mens causes in the presence of his clergie The 2. councel of Towers decreed that a Bishop might not depose an Archpresbyter without the counsell of all his compresbyters But whom negligence casteth out let him with the counsell of the presbyters be remoued The councell of Carthage appointed that in the cause of a Presbyter sixe and of a Deacon three Bishops should be joyned with their own Bishop because as the coūcell of Ciuill determined one Bishop may to Priests and ministers that is Presbyters Deacons giue their honour but one alone may not take it from them but in the cause of inferiour Clergie men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bishop alone of the place shall heare and determine it viz. in the presence of his Clergie according to the aforesaid Canon of the fourth Councell of Carthage But as in some cases they vsed the counsell of the Presbyteri so in others they did for the most part vndergoe the whole burthen themselues For the proofe whereof the examples of Ambrose and Augustine may suffice For Ambrose was so occupied in hearing and determining mens causes that he had so little time left him for his corporall repast or spirituall studies that Augustine could neuer finde him at leisure to breake his minde vnto him And Augustine was so encombred with hearing of causes that scarcely he could haue the forenoone for his studies the afternoone being wholly taken vp with other mens busines neither could he when the Councels of Numidia and Carthage had imposed a taske vpon him and when his people had promised to forbeare him for fiue dayes obtaine so much breathing time from their affaires But when hee was olde and was desirous to spend the rest of his time in writing and in the studie of the scriptures he nominated Eradius to be his successor in most earnest manner requiring and charging the people that they would suffer him to put off the burden of those imployments to him Possidonius giueth him this testimonie that he heard mens causes diligently sometimes to the hower of repast sometimes fasting the whole day but alwaies himselfe had the cognisance of them and determined them The Emperour Iustinian prouided by law that in Ecclesiasticall causes ciuill iudges should haue nothing to doe sed sanctissimus Episcopus secundum sacras regulas causae finem imponat but let the holy Bishop according to the Sacred Canons determine the cause As for ordinarie Vicars Chancellors or Commissaries which were Lay-men in those times the Bishops had none for not so much as the steward of the Church might be a Lay-man whereupon Gregorie writing to Ianuarius a Bishop chargeth him to take heed that Ecclesiasticall matters be not committed to secular men but to some approued of the Clergie And the second Councell of Ciuil penned as it seemeth by Isidor who was president thereof pronounceth it an vnseemely thing Laicum esse vicarium Episcopi seculares in ecclesia iudicare that a Lay-mā should be the Bishops Vicar that secular men should iudge in the Church for in one and the same officer there must not be different profession Which hauing confirmed out of Deuteronomie it inferreth wherefore it behoueth vs to obey Gods booke and the preceps of the holy Fathers ordaining that they who shal be associated to Bishops in Church-gouernement may not differ neither in profession nor habit Notwithstanding that they extraordinarily committed to others or delegated causes to be heard appeareth by the aforesaid example of Augustine But more clearely by the practise of Siluanus a godly Bishop of Troas not long after Ambrose his time who perceiuing that they of the Clergie made gaine of the contentions of them who came to be iudged he would not at any time appoint a iudge of the Clergie but himselfe receiuing the petitions of Suiters would make choise of some faithful man or other of the laitie whom he knew to be a louer of iustice and to him he would commit the hearing of the cause and for this cause Socrates saith he was greatly renowmed Out of which examples we may note that causes were wont to be brought to the Bishop that he heard them himselfe if he had leisure otherwise that he committed the hearing of the cause to some of his Clergie but yet so as if he saw cause he might make choise of some other whom he durst better trust Secondly I
answere that the reason which I vsed concludeth most strongly against the refuters exposition who by Doctorum will needs vnderstand parish Bishops Who if they should take the whole burden vpon them of Church-gouernement and deciding causes Ecclesiasticall without the aide or assistance of the Elders could not therefore be accused of idlenes for I hope the refuter will not say that they also had Chancellers or Comissaries vnder them to whom they might put off those cumbersome imployments It remaineth now that I should proceed to the causes which I rendred why the Councell of the Seniors in Ambrose his time was so much neglected by Bishops But that my aduersary after his accustomed maner will needs take occasion to shew his owne ignorance by taking vp a speech which as he saith I let drop by the way concerning Deanes and Chapters of our Cathedrall Churches as being a resemblance or remainder of the Presbyteries which were in the Primitiue Church For such is his reading that he doubteth not to deny that in Ambrose his times there were any Cathedrall Churches or that our Deanes and Chapters are so much as resemblances of the Presbyteries of those times For Cathedrall Churches you are to vnderstand that although in euery Diocesse there were many parish churches both in country and citie yet there was one chiefe church in the citie which was the Bishops Cathedra or seat wherein the Bishop most vsually performed the duties of the Episcopall and pastorall function whereunto a peculiar Clergie belonged consisting of Presbyters Deacons and other inferiour orders and whereto Episcopium the Bishops house was neare adioyning This church in those times was called sometimes Cathedra sc. Episcopi as Concil Carthag where it was decreed that no Bishop relicta cathedra leauing his Cathedrall Church should remoue his seate or See to any church in his Diocesse the Greeke hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And likewise BB are forbidden to neglect any of those places which beloÌ„g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Matrix Matrix Cathedra as Conc. Carth. 3. c. 46. Episcopus qui matricom tenet Conc. Carth. graec c. 24 siue Affric c. 90. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If in the mother Churches that is to say the Cathedrall the Bishop shal be negligent c sometimes Ciuitatensis ecclesia sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in the Councell of Neocaessaria Such a Church was that in Millaine whereunto Ambrose his house adioyned for that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that house of salutation where Ambrose sate when Theodosius came to him to be absolued was not as T. C. imagined Ambrose his owne house before he was Bishop for it was intra septa Ecclesiae within the bounds of the Church Paulinus testifieth that Ambrose gaue away all when he was made Bishop and left himselfe nothing which here he might call his owne In that Church Ambrose vsually preached to that Church the Emperour himselfe resorted In the chancell whereof when Theodosius the Emperour would haue remained to receiue the communion Ambrose sent him word by his Archdeacon that that place was peculiar to the clergie which belonged to this Church consisting of the Arch-Presbyter and the other Presbyters of the Archdeacon and other Deacons and other inferior orders of the Clergie For albeit the name Decanus was not perhaps as yet in vse yet the office was and the Deane signified by other names For sometimes he was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe or ruler of the Presbyters euen as Ambrose his Archdeacon in the place euen now cited is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such a one was Chrysostome in Antioch a long time Eulogius at Edessa sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Peter was the Protopresbyter in the Church at Alexandria And Arsacius who succeeded Chrysostome in the Bishopricke of Constantinople the Protopresbyter there In latine most vsually Archipresbyter as histor tripat lib. 10. c. 10. and in the fourth Councell of Carthage where it was decreed that the Bishop should take care of widowes Orphans strangers not by himselfe but by his Archpresbyter or by his Archdeacon Ierome shewing that in each societie there is some one ruler saith singuli Ecclesiarum Episcopi singuli Archipresbyteri singuli Archdiaconi the Churches haue each of them one Bishop one Archpresbyter on Archdeacon In processe of time they were called decani Archipresbyteri a pluribus decani nuncupantur Archpresbyters of the most are called Deanes Neither were there onely Archpresbyters and Deanes of Cathedrall Churches which were called Archipresbyteri vrbani ciuitatenses of whom all these former testimonies are to be vnderstood but also rurall Deanes called sometimes Archipresbyteri decani as in the Councell of Towers and sometimes decani firsti Archipresbyteri parochiarum in the Councell of Agatha The chapter was wont to be called Presbyterium Placuit Presbyterium contrahi we thought good the Presbyterie should be gathered together saith Cornelius to Cyprian And Syricius the Bishop of Râ—me in an Epistle to Ambrose facto Presbyterio the Presbyterie being assembled somtimes seâ—atus caetus Presbyterorum the senate or assembly of Presbyters The Presbyters or Seniors themselues were called sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ciuitatenses Presbyteri the Presbyters of the citie seniores by Tertullian and Ambrose in the place alleaged The ancient Councell of Ancyra hauing pronounced it vnlawfull for the Chorepiscopi or countrey Bishops to ordaine Presbyters or Deacons addeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither yet is it lawfull for the Presbyters of the citie whereby it may in part appeare what was the estimation of the Presbyters of the citie in comparison of the countrie Bishops But as the Archipresbyteri in latter times were called decani so these Presbyters of the citie were in processe of time called Canonici prebendarij and the company of them which had beene called Presbyterium was termed capitulum in english Chapter Caluin saith Presbyteri vrbani versi sunt in canonicos the Presbyters of the citie are turned into Canons or prebendaries And it is to be noted saith Duarenus that in euery citie there was a certaine College of these Presbyters which the Bishop gouerned such as is at this day canonicorum collegium the college of Canons who seeme to haue succeeded into their place and this companie of Presbyters Ierome calleth the senate of the church By all which it is more then euident that as in the ancient times they had Cathedrall churches as well as we and those endowed with great reuenewes as it is easie to proue so the Deanes and chapters of our Cathedrall Churches are the remainder of their Presbyteries our Deanes being those who were called Archpresbyters our Prebendaries those which were called Presbyteri vrbani our chapters those which they called Presbyteries Neither doth that hinder which our