Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A27115
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The royal charter granted unto kings, by God himself and collected out of his Holy Word, in both Testaments / by T.B. ... ; whereunto is added by the same author, a short treatise, wherein Episcopacy is proved to be jure divino.
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Bayly, Thomas, d. 1657?
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1649
(1649)
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Wing B1514; ESTC R17476
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64,496
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181
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they admit of many being there is bâ—â— one This I speak in reference to the Country not to particular men Neither is there a sort of Christians in the world who are less servants unto Christ if it be enough to make them so to be the greatest prophaners of his day for the Sabbath day is only distinguished from other daies by a Sermon in the Church and the Alehouse being full of Mechannicks drinking and carousing from morning untill night the shops are open and buying and selling all the day long excepting halfe the window which is to distinguish the day but the door is open to let in the buyers and the other halfe of the window is open to let in the light and wonderfully strange it is and remarkable to consider how these people who shook off their allegiance to their Prince upon pretences of Reformation should be so besotted as to fall into such a strange and unheard heard of prophanenesse of him and the day whereon Christ himself is to be worshipped as in their Metropolis or chief City to have a dog â—arket kept to the utter scandall of â—â—ue Religion and Christianity it selfe â—â—is is no more then what I have seen â—â—d if it were not true it were easily reâ—â—rned upon my self as the greatest imâ—â—udence that could be imagined but O â—â—e partiality of the picture-drawer â—hen he receives large wages for a siâ—ilitude he insults over his own work â—nly because it is like when the face it â—elf is most abhominable Now for their freedome from Tyâ—anny and oppression if the Turkes or Tartars had conquered them they never would nor never did where ever they extended their dominions impose such taxes and rates as they have imposed on one another incredible even to the full value of the severall commodities which run through their natives hands but you will aske me how it is possible they should live then to which I answer you by sharking and cosening of strangers Let any forraigners come there and ask for a dinner and for such a dinner as they may well afford for eight pence a piece they will ask you five shillings a man find but the least fault with them and they will demand twelve pence a piece more for fouling of linnen and if you seem angry at that you shall mend your self with the payment of six pence a piece over and above for fouling the roome and seeke a remedy and you shall be told the Prince of Orange himself if he were there could not help it altom all is all the reason they will give you if in sadnesse you shall complaine of such abuses to indifferent Judges they will tell you that the States do lay such heavy taxes upon the Inhabitants that they are faine to fly to such shifts for their subsistance thus men pleased with the itch of Innovation are contented to scratch the bloud out of their own bodies till they feel the greatest smart rather then their Physitian should let out a little spare bloud to cure the disease and preserve them in good health but you will say that for all this they thrive and prosper abundantly so do the Argiers men but with what credit and reputation in the eye of the world I believe both alike It was not their strength or policy which brought them to this height and flourishing condition but it was our policy of State in â—â—mulation to other Princes which helâ—ed these calfes to Lions hearts teeth â—nd clawes untill the high and mighty â—utter-boxes stood in competition with the Crowne and I am afraid the siding with such Rebels hath turned Rebelâ—ion into our own bosomes as a just â—udgement from that God who is a reâ—enger of all such iniquities they may call it the Schoole of War whilst wanting a good cause it could be no otherwise then the Christians shambles I should be sorry that Holland should be the English-mans Looking-glasse a spur for his feet or a copy for his hand I hope the hand of providence will cure us like the Physitian who cur'd his patient by improving his disease from a gentle Ague to a high Feaver that he might the better help him CHAP. XV That Episcopacy is Jure Divino IN this discourse I shall not trouble my selfe nor you with Titles Names and words of Apostles Evangelists Arch-Bishops Bishops Patriarchs Presbyters Ministers Angels of Churches c. which were all from the highest to the lowest but tearmes reciprocal and were often taken in the Church of God and in the Scripture it self for one and the same for if any man though never so meane a Minister of the Gospel converted any Nation the Church ever called him the Apostle of that Country as Austin though but a Monke was every where tearmed the Apostle of England and Saint Paul being an Apostle stiles himselfe a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Paul bids Timothy being a Bishop to do the work of an Evangelist and therefore no wonder if Bishops and Presbyters be â—ften mentioned for one and the same â—ut it is a great wonder that any manâ—er of men should make this a ground â—or any argument against Episcopacy â—hese kind of arguments instead of striâ—ing fire that should light the candle â—hey do but pin napkins over our eyes â—nd turne us round untill we know â—ot where we are and then we grope â—or we know not who and lay hold â—f we know not what he that will â—ut down this over-grown up-start tree â—f errour must first clear his way to the â—oot and brush away all those bramâ—les and briers which grow about it â—e must not leave any thing standing â—hat may lay hold of the hatchet and â—eviate the stroke turning the same â—dge upon the feller that was intended â—or the tree if we should insist upon â—ames and titles we should make but a â—onfounded piece of worke and run our â—elves into a most inextricable labourinth and Mazes of errour Where we might run and go forwards and backwards and round about and nere the near Christs are Kings Kings are Gods God is Christ and Christ is Biâ—hop of our souls Bishops are Presbyters Presbyters are Ministers a Minister is an Apostle an Apostle is a Minister and so if you will quite back againe I must put off these as David threw away Sauls Armour non possum incedere cum iis I love to knock down this monstrum informe ingens in lumen ademptum with a blunt stone taken out of a clear River which with the sling of application may serve well enough to slay this erroneous Philistine though he were far greater then he is In the first place therefore let as understand what is meant by Jus Divinum if any man meanes that Episcopacy is so Jure Divino that it is unalterable and must continue at all times and in all places so that where it is left off there can be no Church he meanes to give much offence and little reason for there
child insomuch that it made the Prophet weep to fore-see all the miseries that should happen 2 Kings 8.12 insomuch that it made Hasaell himself when he was told thereof cry out is thy servant a Dogge that he should do all these things â— vers. 13. yet for all this God will have him to be King and it be but to scurge his people the Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be King over Syria vers. 13. Julian when from his Christianity he fell to flat Paganisme yet this Anointing held no Christian ever sought no Preacher ever taught to touch him or resist him in the least degree for whilst the cruell and bloudy Emperours were persecuting the poor Christians they were fitting their necks for the Yoke and teaching on another postures how they might stand fairest for the strok of Death Anâ— this was not Quia deer ant vires because they could not help it for the greatest part of Julians Army and the most part of his Empire were Christians For saith Tertullian in his appologeticall defence of the Christians of those times una nox pauculis faculis c. One night with a few firebrands will yeild us â—ufficient revenge if we durst by reason of â—ur Christian obligation and shewes how they neither wanted forces nor numbers and that neither the Moors or the Persians or any other Nation whatsoever were more mighty or more populous then they and how they filled all places Townes Cities Emperiaâ—l Pallaces Senats and Seats of Judgement and that they could do any thing in their revenge if it were any thing lawfull but this Anointing was the thing that kept the swelling down and hindred the corrupt humours from gathering to a head And therefore it is not as Stephanus Junius Franciscus Hottomanus Georgius Buchananus Ficklerus and Renecherus with the rest of the pillars of the Puritan Anarchy do answer being gravel'd at the practice of the primitive Christianâ— and those precepts of the holy Apostle that the Church then as it were swathed in the bonds of weaknesse had not strength enough to make powerfull resistance and therefore so the one taught and the other obeyed but if this doctrine were allowable then would inevitably follow these two grosse absurdities 1. That the pen of the holy Ghost which taught submission even to the worst of Kings was not directed according to the equity of the thing but the necessity of the times 2. That either the holy Ghost must turne politician and become a timeserver or else the Church must lose the meanes of its being and subsistance Whereas we know the contrary so well that when Acies Ecclesiae was so far from its bene ordinata that when al the Souldiers fled and the Life-guard routed the Lord of Hoast the Generall himself taken Prisoner yet then like the Sun looking biggest in lowest estate so the son of righteousnesse thinke ye not that I can pray unto my Father and he will send Lâ—gions of Angels and raâ—her thâ—n Gods children shall be oppressed by a company of Egiptians if it be his pleasure to deliver them he can without the drawing of one Sword turne Rivers into bloud produce an Army of Froggs to destroy them and rather then they should be necessitated for lack of means â—end swarms of Flies that may serve â—hem in the stead of so many rescuing Angelâ— and therefore it was not any â—ecessity that the Church was or could â—e in that procured in the Apostles or the first Christians either that doctrine â—r that use it was not dis-ability but duty not want of strength but a reveâ—end regard of the Lords Anointed that wrought these effects in both Let the people be never so many and mighty and the Princes of the people never so wicked and cruell mos gerendus est we must obey them not in the performance of their unjust commands but in submission to their just authority if not by our active yet by our passive obedience if not for their own sakes yet propter Dominum for the Lords sake if not for wrath yet for conscience sake Rom. 13.5 if it goeth against thy conscience say â—s the people were wont to say when they fell down before the Asse that carried the Image of the Goddesse Isis upon his back non tibi sed Reâ—igioni if thy conscience condemns thee God is greater then thy conscience and we must look what he commands as well as what she dictates the one may be mislead the other cannot mislead sacrifice may be either pleasing or displeasing to the Lord but obedience was never faulty thou maist offer the sacrifice of Fools when thou thinkest thou doest well but upon how sure grounds goes he who can say with the Prophet in all his actions If I have gone a stray O Lord thou hast caused me to erre never deviating from the expresse of his word Now God gives us expresse command that we should not touch his Anointed what condition soever they are of Nâ—lite tangere Christos meos touch not mine Anointed and where Gods rules are generall we must not put in exceptions of our own for the wickednesse of a King can no more make void Gods ordinance of our orbedience unto him then mans unbelief can frustrate Gods decree in us Rom. 3.3 Let Saul be wicked and let wicked Saul be hut once Anointedd David states the question neither concerning Saul nor his wickednesse but whether he being the Lords Annointed there 's the businesse it is lawfull to stretch forth a hand against him who can stretch his hand against the Lordâ— Anointed and be guiltless 1 Sam. 26.9 CHAP. VII Whether upon any pretences whatsoever it be lawfull to depose murder or so much as touch the Lords Anointed THere was the first time that ever it was put to the Vote â—hether a King might be put to death â—r not but it was resolved upon the â—uestion in that Parliament Ne perdas â—estroy him not it is well that Davidâ—ad a negative voice or else it had been â—ut a bad president for Kings it is wel â—hat the men with whom David had this â—arley would hearken unto reason and â—et that sway them otherwise Davidâ—ight have been forced to flie as fast â—way from his own men as he did first â—rom Saul for there wanted no Layâ—reachers then to preach the destruction â—nd slaughter of Princes under the preâ—ences of wicked government and tyranâ—y who had the trick then as well as â—ow to couch their foul meaning in â—ood words and Scripture phrase with a dixit dominus when the Lord said no such thing as Davids Zealots 1 Sam. 24 5â—This is the day wherof the Lord said unto thee I will delivâ—r thine Enemy into thine hand anâ— thou shalt doe unto him what as shalâ— seem good unto thee that is thou shall murder him that was their meaning though the word was a good word and we doâ— not read where the Lord said any such thing at all So Abishai 1 Sam.