A DISCOURSE OF Licenses to Preach OCCASIONED By a Question Propounded viz. Why many Officers of the Church of England in the Episcopal Visitations urge the Incumbents to take LICENSES to Preach Replyed to by Ja. Metford Rector of Basingham in the County of Lincoln In a Letter to the Proposer Published for the Consideration of the CLERGY to whom it is of no small Importance LONDON Printed for H. Hindmarsh at the Golden-Ball over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1698. TO THE Righ Reverend Father in God JAMES by Divine Providence Lord Bishop of Lincoln My Lord WE can never be enough Thankful to his Sacred Majesty the great Patron of this Church that He was pleased to honour Us with a Bishop taken from among our Selves to fill the Chair of this Ancient See of Lincoln who is neither Ignorant of our Persons nor our Needs nor unwilling to Hear and Resolve our Doubts This small Dissertation therefore comes in all Humility and with most profound Respect to shew your Lordship the Sense of most of your Clergy about an odd Custom introduced in these later Ages of Obliging Incumbents to take Licenses to Preach And that even after they have received Ordination and Institution We believe that your Lordship intends not to elumbate the Dignity of Preisthood nor to divulse its Essential or at least Integral Parts from each other And accordingly that you will never permit any Consideration to gain that Ascendency in your Thoughts as to continue a Custom utterly unknown to the Primitive and middle times and unuseful in these And can furnish Us with nothing but Scruples in our Selves and Objections against us in our Adversaries We know that you have Kindness enough to forgive the Weakness of Management and Wisdom enough to strengthen its defects where it needs and therefore do humbly submit the whole matter to your sound Judgment in full assurance that you will add to the Blessing of our publick Peace by giving us private satisfaction in withdrawing this Custom or at least to Instruct us in the necessity of its Continuance who have no other Design but to be Dutiful whatever is determined and to be taught what we do not understand which will be abundantly obliging to All but more especially to My LORD Your Devoted Subject and most Humble Servant J. M. A Discourse of Licenses to Preach SIR THE Quaere last Night Propounded why Licenses to Preach are so frequently and vehemently urged to to be taken and Exhibited by Incumbents in our Episcopal Visitations being then Answered with some haesitation the help of a few hours Thoughts gives me the advantage of setting this matter in a clearer Light before you Which I think for want of a better Method may be done by elucidating these Seven ensuing Propositions First That Ordination to Priesthood gives Authority to the Ordained to Preach Secondly That the Church for 1400 years never required Incumbents of Benefices to take Licenses to Preach Thirdly That the Church Canons enjoyned all Incumbents to Preach under great Penalties Fourthly When Licenses were first Introduced they did not oblige Incumbents to take them Fifthly If the Canons did ever oblige Incumbents to take Licenses It was upon an accidental Consideration Sixthly That Licenses add nor diminish any thing to or from the Title to any Benefice Seventhly That the forcing Incumbents to take Licenses since the first Accidental Occasion was of no Benefit to the Church but to gain Fees These Propositions made good will infer the Truth of my Sudden Answer That these Licenses are pressed upon Incumbents upon very mean Considerations I shall therefore apply my self to clear them in Order I. First That Ordination to Priesthood gives Authority to the Ordained to Preach A Truth so well known and believed that few will List themselves in the Army of Opponents but such as Gain by it Most will wonder what Ordination means if it gives not Authority to Preach For it was used to fit the Presbyter for his whole Function of which Preaching was a very Considerable Part. When our Saviour ordained his Ministry He bid them go teach all Nations Math. 28.19 and Baptize them And in Conformity to Christs Institution the whole Catholick Church thus prepared Preachers by Ordination And so doth the Church of England in her Office of Ordination Require those that are to be ordained to Promise That they will give faithful Diligence alwaies to minister the Doctrine and Sacraments And to teach the People committed to their Charge And to drive away all Erroneous and strange Doctrines Without any previous Condition If they should be thereunto Licensed And farther the Ordainer saith at Imposition of hands Be thou a faithful Dispenser of the Word of God and of his holy Sacraments So that he is as much Authorized to Preaching as to Adminster Sacraments And therefore may be as well forced to a new License for Administring Sacraments as for the Preaching But in truth both these Functions are sealed to him under the most venerable Seal In the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost If all this be thought too little to Authorize him to Preach yet sure when the Ordaining Bishop delivers Him the Bible with these Words Take thou Authority to Preach the Word of God and to Minister the holy Sacraments in the Congregation where Thou shalt be lawfully appointed thereunto Who can doubt but that He is as much Authorized to Preach in that Place as to Administer holy Sacrament ' That is as much as all the Licenses in the World can give Him For here the Ordaining Bishop gives Him Authority to Preach and Administer under the most sacred Circumstances imaginable being in Cathedra in the presence of God and before the Assembly of Saints at the Holy Altar and Seals this Character with the most tremendous Body and Blood of Christ And what can a Scrole called a License do more than This Is a Bishop greater in his Study or Dining Room than at the Church or is his Table greater than the Altar or Himself and Secretary more venerable than the Congregation what pitty is it that Avarice or other unknown cause should run men into such Absurdities But They may say though this be true yet the Presbyter hath no Seal to Evidence this so that He can't make it appear to all People where He comes This we must Justly deny for He receives Letters of Orders under the Bishops hand and Seal by which this Authority is manifested as much as by the License So then we do with good Conscience and upon plain Evidence affirm the Presbyter hath License to Preach by his Letters of Orders and needs no more if Officers need no Money This Authority satisfied the holy Catholick Church for Fourteen Centuries amongst whose Records we find no Licenses to Preach besides their Letters of Orders We hear of St. Cyprian's Presbyter Didiensis but read no other Title to Preach besides his Letters of Orders And
when the Laurae were settled in Aegypt we yet find nothing but Ordination and the Priests Mission to dwell in a house placed very near the Church which answers well enough to our Institution II. Secondly That the Church for 1400 years never required Incumbents on Benifices to take Licenses to Preach This Proposition being negative admits of no other Proof than that no notice of any Licenses to Preach hath come to our hands after the best Search we could make about them We see Ordination did Qualify for Preaching in the Church And find that Bishops did send their Presbyters abroad to administer Religion where they thought convenient We find also a great many Requisite Forms or Letters used in many Cases as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also were sometimes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they did not only commend the Party that had Them but also contained his dismission in Peace There were also Literae Formatae called so I think from the Form of the Bishops Seal put to them as also Communicatoriae given to Christians Travelling that they might be received into the Catholick Communion where they came These and a few others we meet with in the Primitive times as the Tractoriae which directed the Messengers of Churches and gave them ready Acceptance where they were sent And so ancient that we find the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Commendatory Letters mentioned by S. Paul himself as of common use in his time 2 Cor. 3.1 Can. Antioch 7 8. Witness those words of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in the Synod of Antioch we see some others but no where these Letters of License for Preaching And if there were any such 't is to be wonder'd at that neither Bernardinus Ferarius that treated so minutely of the ancient Rights of Bishops nor Alcuinus Amalarius or any other of those Antiquaries that Charles the Great set on work to search the ancient customs of the Church nor any other of those collected by Melchior Hittorpius should hit on them We can't suspect those Authors of Ignorance in the Church Canons and customs seeing it was a known Rule Nulli Sacerdotum liceat suos Canones ignorare Grat. nulli dist 38. We may add the Probability that this Church of England knew nothing of this License to Preach in the time of Archbishop Stratford An. Dom. 1342 Lyndw. l. 3 tit 22 cap. Saeva c. nor at any time before For his Synod endeavoured to stop the Oppressions of the Clergy and to Restrain the greedy appetites of the Officers seeing the inferior Clergy groaning under their burdens ready to joyn with the Wiclefists in their complaints And therefore enumerated all the Seals and Writings then in use and ascertained the Fees for them but makes no mention of any Licenses to Preach as distinct from Letters of Orders They are thus reckoned Pro Scriptura Literarum Inquisitionum Institutionum vel Collationum Commissionum ad inducendum vel Certificatorijs ipsarum in Beneficijs ultra xij Denarios Pro Literis vero cujuslibet Sacri Ordinis ultra vj Denarios dicti Clerici per se vel per alios non recipiant quovis modò And farther to Evidence that the Synod intended to omit nothing then in use they add that the Sewers Porters Grooms nor Barbers should require nothing giving this Reason for it That the Ordinary ought to maintain his own Servants with fitting Wages Now can any man not quite deserted of Reason imagine this intent Synod forgat these Licenses to Preach Or may we not more reasonably conclude there was no Footstep of any such Practice then in use And yet we shall soon hear of it even in his time tho' not required to be taken by any Incumbents III. Thirdly That the Church Canons enjoyned all Incumbents to Preach under great Penalties which surely they would not do if they were not qualified for it without Licenses But the Canons proceed on a Supposition that Ordination and Institution gave Title enough to furnish out a Preacher for his Cure It will not be necessary to shew the many Canons of Codex Ecclesiae universatis seeing our own Church hath plenty enough But if any desire it he may consult Photius his Nomo canon tit 8. c. 2. where He may be satisfied For the Church of Englands zeal that way we may consult Stephen Langtons Decree in the Council holden at Oxford Anno 1222 how earnestly Preaching is urged on all Incumbents Praesentis Concilij definitione districte duximus injung endum ut Rectores vicarij Plebes sibi commissas pabulo verbi Dei secundum quòd fuit ijs inspiratum informare procurent ne canes muti meritò judicentur cùm latratu salubri a Caulis Dominicis Luporum spiritualium morsus non expellunt c. So likewise John Peccham in a Constitution made at Lambeth An. Dom. 1281 Cap. Ignorantia Sacerdotum c. Imposes this care on the Archdeacon to watch the Clergy concerning Preaching Quoties Archidiaconi invenerint Presbyteros Institutionem moralem populo minime praedicasse sen publicasse toties eos arguant poena Canonica castigando supplere compellant quod temere omiserunt The same Council also lays this charge on the Clergy Praecipimus ut quilibet Sacerdos Plebi praesidens quater in Anno per. vel per alium exponat populo vulgariter quatuor decem Fidei Articulos Decem mandata Decalogi Duo Praecepta Evangelij Septem opera misericordiae Septem mortalia peccata c. and gives them a Method how to do it By which we may conclude they were so far from Restraining their Clergy from Preaching that they urged it by all good means they could While we strive to embarass that work till so much money is paid for our leave to do it 'T is true indeed that if a Priest were a Stranger that came out of Ireland Wales or Scotland and for the same Reason from any other Foreign Church such a one was forbidden to celebrate any Divine Offices in this Church If he came without Commendatory or Dimissory Letters of his Ordinary And especially if there were any doubt of his Lawful Ordination Unless He came with a License from the Diocesan This Constitution was made under Walter Reynolds in the Second Council at Oxford Anno 1322 in these words Item praecipimus ne Sacerdotes ignoti de quorum Ordinatione non constat ad Divinorum celebrationem diserviendo Ecclesijs admittantur nisi de Licentia Episcopi Dioecesani Nor was it Lawful for the Diocesan to give him that License without Letters Testimonial and good Evidence that He was lawfully ordained Here we see a License mentioned to be given by the Diocesan but it was to a Foreigner 2 To one that was no Incumbent 3. To one whose Ordination was doubted 4. T was a License ad celebrationem Divinorum Lynd. de â—ler peregrinat c. 8 which the Gloss interprets to celebrate Mass the
privilegiove speciali munitus Officium ceu exercitium proedicationis ejusdem verbi Dei in se assumat Populove aut Clero quovismodò praedicet in Latino Sermone seu vulgari in Ecchsia aut Extra c. Unless He present himself to the Diocesan and undergo his Examination and being found fit he be sent to Preach to one or more certain Parishes as the Ordinary shall think fit And 't is order'd that no Rector or Vicar is to permit any to Preach unless he show his Mission or special Priviledge How he appears qualified for the service of Preaching Or if he come from the Diocesan He is to shew his Letters under Seal But this concerned those that were not authorised Jure Scripto as all Incumbents were And Friers Praedicants and Minors were authorised to Preach by special Priviledg and the Gloss thinks Augustinians and Carmelites were so too So that it did not reach them But it did reach all other Friers Strangers Lecturers Catechisers and the like That Incumbents were not intended is plain from the Exception Jure Scripto minimè authorisati for they had their Authority under Seal and by the Canons were bound to Preach And the following Clause cleers it Curatum vero perpetuum missum intelligimus a Jure ad Locum et populum Curae suae And it farther adds concerning Curates that might be changed Sacerdotes vero Parochiales seu Vicarii temporales et non perpetui in formâ supradictâ non missi in Ecclesijs illis in quibus hujusmodi officia gerunt Illa sola simpliciter praedicent quae in Constitutione Provinciali a bonae memoriae Johanne Praedecessore nostro in Capite Ignorantia Sacerdotum continentur expressè Now because men might imagine this new License to Preach was order'd to be taken on purpose to get more Fees 'T is wisely provided by the Council that it should be granted Sine aliquali Exactione pecuniae without any manner of Fee Celeriter expediunter et gratis says the Constitution And then the Council provides If any such Preach without these Letters or if any say the Church hath not power to lay on this Restraint he incurs the Sentence of the greater Excommunication and is to be treated as a Heretick or Shismatick having all his goods confiscated Yea the place where such Preaching is held if not stopt by the People is put under Interdict From this Constitution we may draw these Conclusions 1 That this was a new Law not imposed before to take Licenses to Preach 2 That Incumbents are declared to have power to Preach Jure Scripto by Law in their Cures 3 That some others had Right to Preach without taking these Licenses Privilegio Speciali as Friers Praedicants Minors Augustinians and Carmelites 4 That these Licenses were to be granted by the Diocesian Bishop and not per inferiorem Episcopo namely not by any Archdeacon Chancellor Commissary Official or the like 5 That these Licenses were to be taken by Strangers Lecturers c. but not by Incumbents nor their temporary Curates 6 That these Incumbents or temporary Curates were to Admit or Refuse such Preachers in their Cures as they should find their Licenses to be 7 That those who were bound to take Licenses to Preach were not to pay one Farthing for them This part of the Constitution well observed would end all Disputes about Parochial Diocesan and Provincial Licenses 8 It shews where this wise Council Judged Licenses to Preach necessary Namely for all that had not perpetual or temporary Cure of Souls For to them that had such Cures Ordination gave them Jus ad Rem Authority to Preach in any part of the holy Catholick Church But Institution gave them Jus in Re a Right to Preach actually to the People of their Cures And to the temporary Curates by virtue of the Incumbents Deputation As also to necessary Assistants in case of Sickness or necessary Absence The Friers Titles are not necessary here to be spoken to because this Church of England is troubled with none of them that come to challenge any Right V. Fifthly If the Canons of this Church did ever oblige Incumbents to take Licenses to Preach It was upon very extraordinary and Accidental Considerations Such as also forced the Church to compose books of Homilies for the use of Incumbents that could not Preach Upon the Reformation there were great Numbers of Incumbents brought into the Church in the time of Popery that were not able to Preach who yet turned Protestants and conformed to the Doctrine and Discipline of this Church as far as they were able whom the Piety and Charity of those times thought not fit to cast out of their Livings because they thought fit to give them some Respect for their Conformity and to save the Parishes from the burthen of their maintenance and those poor Priests from perishing through wants and because they had not Learned men enough to put into their places and because they would not willfully force by their violent treatment so many men to act against the Safety of Church and State which had Enemies enough both at home and abroad wherefore they were permitted to continue in their Living and to celebrate Divine Service but were never forbid to Preach yet when the Church found them able by their Study and Industry and often hearing Sermons to Preach They wisely took that opportunity to try their Parts and to bring them under Subscriptions to use the Protestants method by requiring them to take Licenses to Preach when they thought themselves able One may justly wonder how such ignorant Men came into the Church Con. Carth. 6. c. 19. considering how importunate the Primitive Canons are for Priests Preaching insomuch that the last Council of Carthage enjoyns it every day or at least every Lords day And if the Presbyter were sick the Deacon is order'd to read a Homily to the People And that S. Ambrose Chrysostom and Augustines Works shew that they Preacht all Fasts and Feasts as well as Sundays and often every day and many times twice a day But this change must be Attributed to the guidance of the Roman Church in which Preaching fell early into contempt for Sozomen observes the difference of that Church from all others Soz. l. 7. c. 19. in this matter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was in the Reign of Valentinian and Theodosius And least any should think Sozomen mistaken in the Practise of Rome he may find the same Affirmed by Cassiodore in his Tripartite History who lived in Rome and could not be Ignorant of their services 'T is true Valesius thinks this custome alter'd in Pope Leo who did Preach to the People but one Swallow makes no Summer He himself looks Irregular for his pains You may know that that Church holds Preaching to be no part of the Essence of Priesthood for they account Potestatem offerendi verum corpus Christi remittendi peccata the power of
of these Seven Particulars and thereby proved the unreasonableness of urging Incumbents to take Licenses to Preach There are two Things farther to be spoken to First To inquire in what Cases Licenses to Preach may be necessary Secondly To Answer the Arguments brought for the taking of Licenses by Incumbents First In what Cases Licenses to Preach may be necessary Seeing the true End of Licenses is to bring men admitted to any teaching Office in the Church to ingage and Subscribe to Conformity in Doctrine Worship and Discipline practis'd in the Church of England we judge it Reasonable that those only be required to take such Licenses as are not known to have made such Promises Subscriptions and Ingagements to the Church at Institution or any other way Such are 1 Lecturers that are not Incumbents in the Diocess where they Preach such Lectures because the Bishop may not be assured of such Subscriptions Promisses and Ingagements Can. 1603 can 36. This we believe to be the meaning of the 36 Canon in which the three Articles for Subscription are contained The words of which are No Person shall hereafter be received into the Ministry nor either by Institution or Collation admitted to any Ecclesiastical Living nor suffered to Preach to Catechize or to be a Lecturer or Reader of Divinity except he be Licensed either by the Archbishop or Bishop of the Diocess where he is to be placed under their Hands and Seals or by one of the two Vniversities under their Seal c. Except he shall First Subscribe to these three Articles following in such manner and sort as we haw here appointed From whence we gather 1 That all Officers in the Church ought to have a License to their Office 2 That this License ought to be under the Hand and Seal of some Archbishop or Bishop of the place or of the University 3. That this License is in order to enforce their Subscription to the three Articles 4 That the word License is not determined in its signification for it may be a License to enter the Ministry or a License for Institution or Collation or a License to Preach or to Catechize or to be a Lecturer or Reader in Divinity The First we call Letters of Ordination the Second Letters of Institution The Third Fourth Fifth and Sixth are properly Licenses of Preaching which we inquire after 5 The License of either University can assign no place for any man to Preach except amongst themselves as to the Kings and Margaret Professors and the Proceeding Graduates in Divinity with the setling and disposing them it seems the Universities are intrusted Any other License they can give is but a Commendation of a Professor for his ability in his Profession which is to be Reckoned amongst the best sort of Testimonials in all parts of the Christian World but can give no Authority to preach any where but amongst themselves The Lecturer therefore by this Canon is oblidged to take a License to Preach and he should be the more carefully lookt after that the Church run not twice aground on the same Quick-sands Nor should the Bishops be over forward to grant such Licenses without the Consent of the Incumbent seeing he hath an Intrest in the Cure Barrow Ib. And as Barrow observes their main business was to alienate the Hearts of the People from the Parochial Minister We the rather expound the said Canon for a License of Preaching to Lecturers Can. 37. because the very next Canon singles out those that are Licensed to Preach in the former Canon by the restrain'd fence of Licensed to Preach Read Lecture or Catechize So that we Judge the License to Preach only referrs to them and not to any Incumbent 2. Publick stipendiary Catechizers ought also to take these Licenses to Preach as being mentioned in both the Canons and indeed Catechizing is one way of Teaching as Preaching is another And 't is meet those men should be Orthodox and conformable to the Church least they should infect young vessels with ill Sents in Religion The Jews call'd the Catechized Hanish from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Imbuere because he receives a Tincture by it which may be false unless well looked after 'T is too true we have but few such now Mart. Tr. § 2 p. 86. distinct from Parochial Ministers but Martinius hath proved Catechistarum praeter Episcopos Pastores fuit peculiaris Ordo and instances in Pantaenus Clemens Origen c. in the Church of Alexandria Justin Martyr was Converted by Catechizing Just Martir Apol. Cypr. l. 3. ep 22. which he commends much to the Senate of Rome And Luther calls himself Discipulum Catechismi Optatus was a Catechist in Carthage in S. Cyprians time S. Mark is said to turn the great School of Ptolomey Philadelphus in Alexandria to a School of Catechising And Pamphilus a Christian Philosopher ordained a famous School in Caesarea for this purpose which had eminent Teachers in them we have by S. Pauls a School Catechizationis in London and in the late Learned Doctor Busby is said to have set up such an Officer in S. Margarets Westminster 't is pitty there were not many more yet without oblidging themselves by Subscriptions to teach Orthodoxly and conformably to the Faith and Discipline professed in the Church they would only serve to increase Heresy and Schism 3. We must add to these the Curates employ'd under Parsons and Vicars to supply their Cures who should they take no License to Preach or serve the Cure would give no Caution to the Church for their good behaviour in it They would be the only Freemen in it to Preach and practise as they List being obliged to nothing The Canon reaches them too in that it orders none shall be suffered to Preach without being Licensed The Church hath as much Reason to fear them as any other because They are commonly young men hot and rash and may hope by overturning the present Establishment to be the true Owners of what they are now but Trustees And are apt to Court the People for advantage And gave some instances of their helping hand in the overthrow of the Church in the fatal Revolution of the great Rebellion And if there be any others in the like state they ought to be obliged by the same methods for where there is Eadem Ratio there is to be Idem Jus. As those that have Donative c. We are now to proceed to Answer the Arguments brought for Incumbents taking of Licenses to Preach Obj. 1. Tho' Ordination give Authority to Preach yet it assigns no place to exercise that Function in nor no People to whom the Ordained may apply that Office so that a License must be taken to appoint out the place or men would run in heaps to the same place and introduce endless Confusion in as much as the Priests would not know which of them ought to Preach nor the People which of them they
were bound to hear Answ 1. We consent that Ordination assigns no place to exercise our Authority in but It refers the Practice in express words To the Congregation V. Office of Ordin of Priests where Thou shalt be Lawfully appointed thereunto Which place the Bishop knows before hand for He is not to Ordain without a Title It being an ancient Rule in the Common Law of this Realm That no Bishop may ordain Laymen to the Order of Clerks above the number suffizing to serve the Churches as that old Author hath it in the mirror of Justice And the Canons of 1603 shewing that It hath long since been provided Mir. Just c. 1. §. 3. p. 14. by many Decrees of ancient Fathers That none should be admitted either Deacon or Priest who had not first some certain place where he might use his Function They therefore Decree Canon 33. That henceforth no Person shall be admitted into sacred Orders except he shall at that time exhibite to the Bishop of whom he desireth Imposition of hands a Presentation of himself to some Ecclesiastical Preferment then void in that Diocess c. Providing that if any Bishop admit any that hath no Title there enumerated He shall keep and maintain him with all things necessary till he do prefer him to some Ecclesiastical Living 2. Institution is the Instrument by which the place of Preaching and performing all other Functions of an Incumbent is Lawfully appointed For Licenses to Preach are unknown to the Law Institution avoids all Confusion And without Institution assign the place of Exercise of the Ministerial Calling it is altogether useless 3. Licenses to Preach may name a Place but can assign none because it is not the legal Instrument to give the Title nor can we take any Induction upon such License should it be granted 〈…〉 â—ice 〈…〉 â—er◠〈…〉 〈…〉 â—y 〈…〉 â—on 〈…〉 gave us power to do these but assigned no place and without a certain place we should run into Confusion one may with as much Reason urge a new Grace to every Dish of Meat that comes up at a Dinner The Argument is fallacia Consequentis It being a plain non sequitur That Ordination assigns no place therefore we must take Licenses The true Consequence is therefore we ought to have Institution In a word he that holds this Argument good is at home in no Principles but in Popery For he must believe Preaching to be no essential part of a Priests office but that the formal Reason of a Priest is to offer Sacrifice and to Remit Sins according to the true notion of the Council of Trent But to as many as believe the Ratio Formalis of a Priest is Preaching the Gospel and celebrating Divine service and Sacraments The Argument is a plain Absurdity Yet God forbid we should think those that use it took it out of the Trent Cloak-bag Obj. 2 The Canons of 1603. do Require that Beneficed Men take Licenses to Preach For the 45 Canon mentions Beneficiati ad Concionandum admissi And the 46 Benefeciatus ad Concionandum non admissus Answ 1. Those Canons mention no License to Preach 2. Nor is it the design of them to Require Incumbents or any other to take such Licenses 3. Only they may suppose that the weak Romish converted Incumbents suffer'd to continue in Benefices or those weak Men the Reformers at first put in might be obliged to take Licenses before they Preached 4. The Canons may respect Benefices that are not Presentative but Donative of which there are many in England and such Incumbents having no Institution will need Licenses both to Preach and do all other duties of a Minister in their Benefices 5. Nor is it likely any thing hinder'd those Beneficed Men from Preaching but their own inability seeing the 46 Canon requires and instructs them to procure others to Preach for them Concionem per Corcionatorem legitimè approbatum haberi procurabit once every Month at least For he that appoints whom he pleases may do it himself if he could 6. We doubt not but a Church ought to Examine who is fit to Preach before he be allowed but this the Roman Church did not require in their Massing Priests therefore they examined them not And 't was in vain for the Reformers to examine theirs whom they know to be insufficient for it But the Bishop ever since is bound to examine this Ability before the Ordination and so there is no Room nor Occasion for Licenses to Preach as distinct from Ordination and Institution in this present State of the Church A Helmet may be useful in a Battle but it shew'd Mark Coleman mad to wear one every night in his Bed 7. In short the design of the 45 Canon was to command all men that were able to Preach one Sermon in their Cures every Sunday but because some could do it and some not the Canon distinguishes and Requires only them that were admitted to Preach and the 46 requires those that could not to procure one that could and this is the Summ of the matter Obj. But it is very Expedient that Incumbents take Licenses to Preach to prevent Error in the Church and Sedition in the State Answ Would Licenses to Preach work these mighty Feats He were to blame that would not make them Annual So great a Benefit were a cheap Purchase at 10 s. per Annum a man But alas men fancy what brings them profit is profitable also for every Thing The Mountebanks Pill cures all Diseases England hath labour'd under more Heresies Schisms and Seditions since this Antidote was Invented than ever It did before as is too evidently Demonstrated in the 7th Proposition If those Christian Ties of Subscription to the 39 Articles with a solemn Promise in the presence of God and in the Face of his Congregation to Preach no contrary Doctrine will not restrain men from Preaching Errors how should a meer License to Preach effect it And he that can Preach against or disuse the Common Prayer or inveigh against the Discipline of the Church after Subscription to the 3 Articles conteined in the 36 Canon in these words I N. N. do willingly and ex animo Subscribe to these 3 Articles above mentioned and to all things that are conteined in them There is no hope that any chains but those that are Everlasting will hold that man Much less can this dull Tool do it that implies no Tye but Authority to Preach In truth the Church could find no better Links than what men make with Their own Pen unless they should advance an Inquisition But we may well wonder why those Licenses are no N more earnestly urged than before Considering 1. The General Liberty granted by the State to Preach any thing so they impugne not the Doctrine of the Trinity 2. And the Practise of the several Sects that Preach what they please and will endure no Obligations to Restrain them from God nor
ejusdem Episcopatus Gratis distribuat which answers that of our Saviour Freely you have Received Freely Give and at length Resolves that if any thing be taken for the Substance of any thing to be done in Ordination Collation Institution or Induction It will be Simony but if it be not of the Substance of the thing to be done but mere Writing or the like they may Recive as much as that labour deserves and no more Thus the Case stood in the Reign of Hen. 5. An. 1422. when the famous Canonist Linwood Dr. in Laws returned from his Embassy to Spain and composed the Provincial Constitutions which have ever since been held in great esteem by Reason of his skill in the Common and Canon Law of this Kingdom and accordingly made Dean of the Arches and after Bishop of St. Davids And these Canons and Constitutions as far as they are not contrariant to the Laws of the Kingdom nor repugnant to the Royal Prerogative are established to be used and executed by an Act made in the 25 Hen. 8. chap. 19. Which Act though it were Repealed by Queen Mary yet was Revived again 1 Eliz. 1. and so they continue to this day To Conclude therefore it is advisable before Men grow so eager to vend Licenses to Preach to consider what our Lord Christ will think of such Priests as may Baptize but not Preach as may Communicate but not instruct their Charge seeing a Priest is properly a Minister of Christ one of the sacred Orders He instituted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Elders that Priest it well 1 Tim 5 17. are supposed to labour in word and Doctrine Else should they not be called Priests but Sacrificers as the French Translation of the Bible allways renders the Jewish Ministers Sacrificicatours and Sleidan and many others call the Popish Ministers Sacrifici And that such as Christ sent were to Teach all Nations as well as to Baptize them What God hath joyned together 't is great Confidence in Men to keep asunder unless there were more to be got by it than a perishable Fee Can these two Priests be both of one Order Christ's that could Teach and Baptize ours that could Baptize but not Teach seeing they differ in an Essential part of their Calling Secondly They should consider too what the Primitive Church would think of such Proceedings seeing they never heard of any License besides Ordination and Mission nor of any Priest but what could and ought to Preach as well as Baptize Thirdly They ought also to consider what Neighbour Churches and Nations will Judge of our Ministery when they shall hear that we Ordain and Institute Priests that have not Power to instruct their People Fourthly They might do well also to consider what the several Parishes of England may deem the Church Rulers are about to do in sending them Ministers that have no Power to Preach among them Will not they be apt to suspect such Rulers have little care of the Peoples Souls And that they are about to settle Sir Johns among them Fifthly Nor is it wholly to be slighted what the several Sects of this Kingdom may judge of the National Ministry may they not take occasion from hence to affirm our Priests to be no Ministers of Christ seeing they have not Power to Preach the Gospel by their Ordination and Institution without some farther Authority We know their Readiness to Catch at the shadow of an Argument against our Ministry to give some alleviation to their Schismatical Guilt and to support their sinking cause But hereby we seem to thrust a Cudgel into their hands to drub us and our Ministry withall It had been far better our own Mouths had been shut in this Point than to Open so many Mouths against us Lastly It may not altogether be unworthy our Consideration what our Reformers would think of these Licenses to Preach now urg'd seeing they changed the very Simbols of Ordination laying aside the Chalice and Patin and instead thereof putting the Testament or Bible into the hand of the Priest in his Ordination Requiring and enabling him to take Authority to Preach the word of God Thereby evincing that in their Judgment Preaching was an Essential part of the Priests Office and that it was a fault in the Roman Church needing Reformation That they made only Massing Priests and took too little Care of the Preaching part They might suspect by such Licenses we would deform the Reformation and Relapse into an Opinion that Hoc facite makes a Priest or at least that a License had been a better Simbol than their Bible to be delivered in Ordination You see dear Sir my Thoughts in this Affair and some of the Reasons of them And may peradventure guess from hence that Profit and importunity of Officers may blind wel-meaning Men. I believe you know my Resolution to comply with this our common Mother in every Indifferent thing But I fear if this were well sifted it would appear more Dangerous than the Sticklers for â—t are aware of But I leave the whole to your clear and candid Judgment to Act according to those Dictates it shall perscribe Remaining Yours in our common Saviour J. M. FINIS