by Christ in the new Testament and no other 5 They hold that every established Church ought as a speciall prerogative wherewith shee is endowed by Christ to have power and liberty to elect and chuse their owne Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall Officers and that is a greater wrong to have any such forced upon them against their wils then if they should force upon men wives or upon womens husbands against their will and liking 6 They hold that the Ecclesiasticall Officers and Ministers of one Church ought not to beare any Ecclesiasticall Office in another neither as they are Officers in one Congregation can they officially administer in another but ought to be tyed unto that Congregation of which they are members and by which they are elected into Office And they are not without just cause and such as may be approved by the Congregation to forsake their Callings wherein if the Congregation shall be perverse and will not hearken to reason They are then to crave the assistance and helpe of the Civill Magistrate who alone hath power and who ought by his civill sword and authority procure to all members of the Church whether Governours or others freedome from all manifest injuries and wrongs 7 They hold that the Congregation having once made choyse of their Spirituall Officers unto whom they commit the Regiment of their soules they ought not without just cause and that which is apparantly warrantable by the Word of God to discharge deprive or depose them But ought to live in all Canonicall obedience and subjection unto them agreeable to the Word of God 8 They hold that the Lawes Orders and Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction of the visible Churches of Christ if they be lawfull and warrantable by the Word of God are no wyaes repugnant to any civill State whatsoever whether Monarchicall Aristocraticall or Democraticall but to tend to the further establishing and advancing of the right and prerogatives of all and every of them And they renounce and abhorre from their soules all such Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction or Policy that is any wayes repugnant to any civill State whatsoever whether Monarchicall Aristocraticall or Democraticall but doe tend to the further establishing and advancing of the right and prerogatives of all and every of them And they renounce and abhorre from their soules all such Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction and Policy that is any way repugnant and derogatory to any of them specially to the Monarchicall State which they acknowledge to be the best kinde of Civill Government for this Kingdome 9 They hold and beleeve that the equality in Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction and Authority of Churches and Church-Ministers is no more derogatory and repugnant to the State and glory of a Monarch then the parity of equality of Schoole-masters of severall Schooles Captaines of severall Campes Shepheards of severall flockes of sheep or Masters of severall Families Yea they hold the cleane contrary that inequality of Churches and Church-Officers in Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction and Authority was that principally that advanced Antichrist unto his throne and brought the Kings and Princes of the earth unto such vassalage under him and that the Civill Authority and glory of Secular Princes and States hath ever decayed and withered the more that the Ecclesiasticall Officers of the Church have bin advanced and lifted up in Authority beyond the limites and confines that Christ in his Word hath prescribed unto them CHAP. III. Concerning the Ministers of the Church 1 THey hold that the Pastors Teachers and ruling Elders of particular Congregations are or ought to be highest Spirituall Officers in the Church over whom by any Divine Ordinance there is no Superiour Pastor but onely Jesus Christ And that they are led by the Spirit of Antichrist that arrogate or take upon themselves to be Pastors of Pastors 2 They hold that there are not by Divine Institution in the Word any ordinary Nationall Provinciall or Diocesan Pastors or Ministers under which the Pastors of particular Congregations are to be subject as inferiour Officers And that if there were any such that then the Word of God would have set them downe distinctly and more precisely then any of the rest For the higher place that one occupieth in the Church of the more necessity he is unto the Church the more carefully would Christ the Head of the Church have beene in pointing him out and distinguishing him from other Hence in the Old Testament the high Priest his Title Office Function and speciall Administration and Jurisdiction is more particularly and precisely set downe then the Office of any of the inferiour Priests and Levites Also in the New Testament the Office of a Pastor is more distinctly and more precisely set down then of a Doctor or any other inferiour Church-Officer So that a man may as well call into question the whole New Testament as doubt whether there ought to be a Pastor in every Congreation or doubt of his proper Office and Function and if by Gods Ordinance there should be an Ordinary Ecclesiasticall Officer above the Pastors of particular Congregations then Christ out of all question would with that speciall care and cost hath set it forth by Titles Prerogatives peculiar Offices Functions and Gifts That the Churches and people of God should have reason rather to doubt of any Office or Jurisdiction then of the peculiar Office or Jurisdiction of the Primates Metrapolitanes Archbishops and Prelates of the world 4 They hold that if there were a Supreame Nationall Ecclesiasticall Minister or Pastor that should be the Prince of many thousand Pastors that then also Christ as he did in the Jewish Church would have appointed a solemne Nationall or Provinciall Leiturgie or worship unto which at some times of the yeare the whole body of the People should ascend and that unto the Metropolitan City as unto a Jerusalem and that he would as he did in the Jewish Church more precisly and particularly have set downe the manner of solemnization thereof then of his Prochical worship For as much therefore as they cannot read in the New Testament of any higher or more solemne worship then of that which is to be performed in a particular Congregation they cannot be perswaded that God hath appointed any higher Ministers of his service and worship under the New Testament then the elect Ministers of particular Congregations 4 They hold that the High Priest of the Jewes was typicall and in a figure the supreame head of the whole Catholick Church which though it were visible only in the Province and Nation of Jury Yet those of other Nations and Countries as appeare by the History of Acts Even though they were Ethiopians were under this high Priest And acknowledged homage unto him So that he was not a Provinciall Metropolitane but in very deed an Occumenicall and universall Bishop of the whole world And therefore they hold this being the best ground in the word for Metropolitane and Provinciall Pastors or Bishops that the Pope of Rome who alone maketh
submission and acknowledgement if the crime be private and a publicke if the crime be publike and notorious 9 They hold that if a member of the Church be obstinate and shew no signes and tokens of repentance of that Crime that if they by evidence of Scripture have coevinced it to be a crime that then by their Ecclesiasticall authority they are to denounce him to be as yet no member of the Kingdome of Heaven nor of that Congregation and so are to leave him to God and the King And this is all the Ecclesiasticall Authority and jurisdiction that any Spirituall Officers of the Church are to use against any man for greatest crime that can be committed 10 They hold that the Officers of the Church are not to proceed unto excommunication against against any man without the consent of the whole Congregation it selfe first called for in publike Assembly 11 They hold that the Minister or any other particular Officer offending is as subject to the censures as any other of the Congregation 12 They hold that if any member of the Congregation having committed a srandalous sinne shall of selfe forsake the worship of GOD and the Spirituall Communion with the Church that the Church shall then send for the said person and if hee refuse to come they shall after much seeking and long patience openly declare that he hath no part nor portion in the holy things of God among them that then the Ecclesiasticall Officers hove no authority or jurisdiction over him but onely the Civill Magistrate and those unto whom he oweth civill subjection as Parents Masters Landlords c. CHAP. VI Concerning the Civill Magistrate 1 THey hold that the civill Magistrate as he is a civill Magistrate hath and ought to have supreame power over all the Churches within his dominions in all causes whatsoever And yet they hold that as he is a Christian he is a member of some one particular Congregation and ought to be as subject to the spirituall regiment thereof prescribed by Christ in his word as the meanest subject in the kingdome and they hold that this subjection is no more derogatory to his supremacy then the subjection of his body in his body in sicknesse to Physitians can be said to be said to be derogatory thereunto 2 They hold that these civill Magistrates are the greatest enemies to their own supremacy that in whole or in part communicate the vertute and power therof to any ecclesiasticall officers And that there cannot be imagined by the wit of man a more direct meanes to check-mate the same then to make them Lords and Princes upon earth to invist them with civill jurisdiction and authority and to conforme the State and limits of their jurisdiction to the state of Kings and bounds of Kingdomes 3 They hold that there should be no ecclesiasticall officer in the Church so high but that he ought to be subject unto and punishable by the meanest civill officer in a kingdome city or town not onely for common crimes but even for the abuse of the ecclesiasticall offices yea they hold that they ought to be more punishable then any other subject whatsoever if they shall offend against either civill or Ecclesiasticall Lawes 4 They hold that the Pope is that Antichrist and therefore that Antichrist because being but an Ecclesiasticall officer he doth in the hight of the pride of his heart make claime unto and usurp the Supremacy of the Kings and civill Rulers of the Earth And they hold that all defenders of the Popish Faith all indeverours of reconcilement with that Church all plotters for toleration of the Popish Religion all countenancers and maintainers of Seminary Priests and professed Catholicks and all denyers that the Pope is that Antichrist are secret enemies to the Kings Supremacy 5 They hold that all Arch-Bishops Bishops Deans Officials c. have their Offices and Functions onely by will and pleasure of the king and civill States of this Realme and they hould that whosoever holdeth that the King may not without sin remove these Officers out of the Church and dispose of their Temporalities and maintenance according to his owne pleasure or that these Offices are jure divinâ— and not onely or meerely jure humanâ— That all such deny a principle part of the Kings Supremacy 6 They hold that not one of these opinions can be proved to be contrary to the word of God and that if they might have leave that they are able to answer all that hath been written against any one of them FINIS
admitted to be Pastors and Teachers of a Congregation And if it be apparent that God who alwayes blessed his owne Ordinances doth often even in the eyes of Kings and Nobles make honourable the Ministers and Pastors of his Churches upon which he hath bestowed Spirituall gifts and graces though for birth education presence outward state and maintenance they be most base and contemptible so he will as well in the eyes of holy men make this Office which is many degrees inferiour to the other precious and honourable even for the Divine calling and Ordinance sake CHAP. V. Concerning the censures of the Church 1 THey hold that the spirituall keies of the Church are by Christ committed to the aforesaid spirituall Officers and Governours and unto none other which keyes they hold that they are not to be put to this use to locke up the crownes swotds or scepters of Princes and civill States or the civill rights prerogatives and immunities of civill subjects in the things of this life or to use them as picklocks to open withall mens treasuries coffers or as keys of prisons to shut up the bodies of men for they thinke that such a power and authority Ecclesiasticall is fit onely for the Antechrist of Rome and the consecrated governours of his Synagogues who having no Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit to defend his and their usurped jurisdiction over the Christian world doth unlawfully usurpe the lawfull civill sword and power of the Monarches and Princes of the earth thereby forcing men to subject themselves to his spirituall vassaladge and service and abusing thereby the spiritull keyes and jurisdiction of the Church 2 They hold that by vertue of these keyes they are not to make any curious Inquisitions into the secret or hidden vices or crimes of men extorting from them a confession of those faults that are concealed from themselves and others or to proceed to molest any man upon secret suggestions private suspition or uncertaine fame or for such crimes as are in question whether they be crimes or no But they are to proceed onely against evident and apparent crimes such as are either granted to be such of all civill honest men or of all true Christians or at least such as they are able by evidence of the word of God to convince to be sinnes to the conscience of the offender As also such as have beene either publickly committed or having been committed in secret are by some good means brought to light which the delinquent denying they are able by honest and sufficient testimony to prove against him 3 They hold that when he that hath commited a scandalous crime commeth before them and is convinced of the same they ought not after the manner of our Ecclesiasticall Courts scorne deride and taunt and revile him with odious and contumelious speeches eye him with big and sterne lookes procure Proctors to to make personall invectives against him make him dance attendance from Court day to Court day and from terme to terme frowning at him in presence and laughting at him behind his back but they are though he be never so obstinate and perverse to use him brotherly not giving the least personall reproaches or threats but laying open unto him the nature of his sinne by the light of Gods Word are onely by denouncing the judgements of God against him to terrifie him and so to move him to repentance 4 They hold that if the party offending be their civill superiour that then they are to use ever throughut the whole carriage of their censure all civill complements offices and reverence due unto him that they are not to presume to convent him before the but are themselves to goe in all civill and humble manner unto him to stand bare before him to bowe unto him to give him all civill titles belonging unto him And if hee bee a King and supreame ruler they are to kneele downe before him and in the humblest manner to censure his faults so that he may see apparently that they are not carried with the least spice of malice against his Person but onely with zeale of the health and salvation of his soule 5 They hold that the Ecclesiasticall Officers laying to the charge of any man any errour heresie or false opinion whatsoever do stand bound themselves first to prove that he holdeth such an errour or heresie and secondly to prove directly unto him that it is an errour by the word of God and that it deserveth such a censure before they doe proceed against him 6 They hold that the governours of the Church ought with all patience and quietnesse heare what every offender can possibly say for himself either for qualification defence apology or justification of any supposed crime or errour whatsoever and they ought not to proceed to censure the grossest offence that is untill the offender have said as much for himselfe in his defence as he possible is able And they hold it an evident character of a corrupt ecclesiasticall government where the parties convented may not have ful liberty to speak for themselves considering that the more liberty is granted to speak in a bad cause especially before those that are in authority and of judgement the more the iniquity of it will appeare and the more the Justice of their sentence will shine 7 They hold that the oath ex Officio whereby Popish and English Ecclesiasticall Governours either upon some secret informations or suggestions or private supitions goe about to binde mens consciences to accuse themselves and their friends of such crimes or imputations as cannot by any direct course of Law bee proved against them and wherby they are drawne to bee instruments of many heavy crosses upon themselves and their friends and that often for those actions that they are perswaded in their consciences are good and holy I say that they hold that such an Oath on the urgers part is most damnable and Tyrannous against the very law of Nature devised by Antichrist through the inspiration of the Devill That by meanes thereof the Professors and Practisers of the true Religion might either in their weaknesse by perjury damne their owne soules or bee drawne to reveale to the enemies of Christianity those secret Religious Acts and Deeds that being in the perswasion of their consciences for the advancement of the Gospell will be a meanes of heavy sentences of condemnation against themselves and their dearest friends 8 They hold that Ecclesiasticall Officers have no power to proceed in censure against any crime of any person after that he shall freely acknowledge the same and professe his hearty penitency for it And that they may not for any crime whatsoever lay any bodily or pecuniary mulct upon them or impose upon them any ceremoniall marke or note of shame such as is the white sheet or any such like or take fees for any cause whatsoever but are to accept of as a sufficient satisfaction a private