him nothing is more ancient then to extoll the outward businesse of the Ecclesiastick Ministery for holy spirituall and divine among men * Part 1 p. 116 p. 119. So that every where hee cries out these affaires do belong to heaven not to earth and that the externall things of the Church reach unto the soule and lastly to bee of such a sublime nature that it is impossible the art of Ecclesiastick jurisdiction should be exercised by the authority of the Magistrate so that as often as mention is made of the * Choragium Ampullantur dressing of Church matters they in proud and haughty words affirme that sacred things are not to bee touched Of which notwithstanding there is nothing so high and difficult which is not easie enough to him that is but indifferently exercised For these are preaching and publick Prayer the outward administration of the Sacraments the making of Laws for the outward order of the Church the greater and lesser censure whereof this is by suspending from the Lords Supper that by separation from the whole body of the Church by the uttering of certain words Lastly Election and confirmation to Ecclesiastick Offices All which affaires at this day are known to be performed by ordinary gifts oftentimes in a humane and perverse way even by such who being void of all Christian vertues are laden with nothing else but wickednesse that Apollonius may obtrude superstition after a Popish manner when hee searcheth after such abstruce mysteries of spirituality in the outward works of Ecclesiastick dressing that hee might make men think that what is performed by the Ministeriall function of the Church is of a higher nature then mans capacity can reach unto Whereas the whole dignity of these things as they are performed at this day depends from Christs generall institution and from the common Law of Order Out of these lurking places being driven after the Popish manner he flies to Ecclesiastick Vocation and chiefly to confirmation by imposing of hands which though at this day it be defiled and variously spotted shewing no effects of spirituallity in those on whom it is conferred Yet hee would faine perswade us that it is of wonderfull efficacy for conferring of spirituall right and spirituall prerogative to performe the sacred Offices of the Church that it hath such a speciall prerogative so that hee accounts him * Part 1. p. 87. p. 71. sacrilegious whosoever being destitute of the rights of Vocation and Ecclesiastick Confirmation will offer to put his hand to those internally externall affaires of the Church which hee illustrates by the example of King Uzziah struck with Leprosie Out of which principles at last springs up the speciall Church-Government which though every man may see it to bee in the world and to bee exercised by too worldly meanes and that by them who after confirmation are oftentimes more carnall than any Lay-men yet hee will have us beleeve that this Government is not o◠this world not earthly but heavenly spirituall holy independent from any worldly power in it selfe absolute and as it were of its own * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power by reason of the inseparable subjection of Church-men to Christ as his Legates Whence belongs to them this right to hee Governours Captaines Pastors Fathers under which titles it is lawfull onely for them to proceed to Governe to feed to give laws to punish and that imperiously with power and authority Part. 2. p 323. in the formalities of the Church Whence hee makes a rupture irreparable between the power or government of Magistrates and of the Church Part. 1. p. 91. 93. p. 9◠Because they are so different in the subject end and meanes that he thinks heaven and earth will be confounded if the Magistrate should offer to touch the internall things of the Church For hee will not allow the secular power to bee in but onely about the Church which medleth with the circumstantialls of the Church onely as a separable accident which the Church may easily want and did want under the Apostles and time of the first Reformation So that as hee assevers the Christian and godly Magistrate hath no more to doe with Church-affaires then the wicked hath in respect of right except in cases extraordinary when the whole Clergie wants reformation but yet on this condition too that the judgement of this matter bee left to the Church-men But if the Magistrate should meddle with any thing which hee calls formally Ecclesiastick besides these cases hee cryes out openly that sacriledge and robbery is committed that the rights of Christs Spouse are violated for which Christ shed his blood yea that the state of the Church was happier under the crosse because of her free jurisdiction which then shee used then now if the Magistrate offer to intermeddle with the Church-affaires so that indeed hee counts no better then Gibeonites the religious Magistrates who were not to serve in but about the Sanctuary and were not to meddle with or touch any holy thing but being tide to servile obedience in furnishing necessaries were bound perpetually to acknowledge their fraud and prophanenesse Out of so many naughty rootes of Popery it is no wonder if in Apollonius and some of his followers this fruite proceed not onely in speaking evill of secular Rulers as often as they seeme to Clergie-men to stumble upon the rights of the Church but contrarily they dare in secular affaires prescribe to and command the Magistrate by their Pastorall authority so that no Catechisme seemes to them more holy than that they assure one another that the secular Magistrate is simply to bee debarred from all things which they account Ecclesiasticall and that they are not to be admitted into the meanest part of their modern Ecclesiastick spirituality so faire as they performe the Office of a Magistrate the top of which spirituallity if elsewhere they seem to touch that they must bee resisted with might and maine as profane men either directly or if strength bee wanting indirectly and cunningly Per cuniculos in their private or publick declamations to the people Sure Apollonius seemes in this work to sound the Alarum and by his example to stirre up turbulent Ministers to bee bold upon the Magistrate when opportunity serves and to shake off one time or other their vile and violent yoke I doubt not but such kinde of vermine lurke else-where but dull and as it were sticking fast in their shell of which notwithstanding none doth cherish such dastardly spirits Puliatus but that if this Black coat and rude Wallachrian shall finde good successe in a short time great store of such Zelots will every where appeare I will no more prophesie but now will produce the acts of Apollonius and his fellow Walachrians set out not a few years since which will teach us that long agoe they were resolved and purposed first to prescribe a Law to the Civill Magistrate in
warned the Church of Geneva and other Churches afterward by his writings not to strive about that or any other ceremonies If the Bishop of Rome according to these Rules be examined it will easily appeare that hee is Antichrist For not onely without Scrripture doth he burthen Christians with innumerable decrees and lawes but he is so rigid in maintenance of his Lawes that hee is more severely punished for the most part who denieth obedience to his Statutes then he that transgresseth Gods expresse commands The Stilt-walker followes him close at the heeles whilst he doth so eagerly contend for the right of making Church-lawes so that he cries out Christs blood and all holy things to be prophaned if this power be granted to Lay-men or if Church-men in this be any wayes hindered For who but an Impostor will goe about to perswade men that there is such a mysticall holinesse in ordaining things indifferent as whether we may pray covered or uncovered standing kneeling or sirting with our eyes looking upward or downward what day the congregation must meet whether early or late in what place in what garments must men pray and preach whether at night after Christs example or by day the communion must be given whether the wine must bee powred out into silver or glasse whether levened or unlevened bread must be used whether onely the Preacher must give the Sacraments or the Elders also and any religious man as it was in use among the Apostles whether he only is to preach that is called by imposition of hands or others also who sometimes are better able though accounted but Lay-men whether the right of consecration that is of imposition of hands belongs onely to the Minister or to all the Elders also and other members of the Church so that confusion be avoided and innumerable other things which touch not the substance nor necessary rites of divine worship in ordaining of which whereas there is nothing so eminent but may not be determined easily by lay-men as they call them especially by civill Magistrates yet he so swels with the pretended sanctity of this unspeakable mystery that he wil have us bleeve they overthrow religion and piety who think or doe otherwise in this then he pleaseth Besides in this also hee imitates the Pope for that he is almost more rigid in arguing and venting his Ecclesiastick Lawes then those that are truly Divine This hee upbraids elswhere to the Pope as Antichristian but in this he runs from the Limepit and falls still into the Coal-pit or as wee say he leaps out of the frying-pan into the fire For they say that it is ordinary for this Treverian to beget new dreames especially such as serve for establishing the majesty of the Church and treading downe that of the State in which hee is so zealous that hee contends more about the not observation of Christs Nativity and other Festivall dayes about driving the Harmony of Organs out of the Church about the most spirituall holinesse of Deaconship and other trifles then he is about the whole passion of Christ or urging of his merits so that a whore doth not scold more against an honest woman then hee doth against both Magistrates and Ministers if they crosse him in his trifles On the contrary he offends not that abuseth Magistrates openly or privatly though he be never so infamous seditious an extortioner a cheater and the sink of all wickednesse Yet he is not so cunning in hiding his Popish leprosie but the scabs which he covers in one place he discovers in another He inveighs much against the Pope for making such lawes as bind Christian mens consciences and yet such is his giddinesse not only doth he lavishly extoll the sanctity of Legislative power but every where so prates of the necessity of his lawes that he openly matcheth them with the Lawes of Christ For he cries out that the Lawes and Statutes of the Church at this day are of such authority that if any refuse to obey them he is to be punished with the greater and lesser censure by the Church which every man my see toucheth mens consciences For what more grievous punishment can he denounce against a whoremaster an adulterer a Blasphemer and an open despiser of divine lawes but to punish him with his censuring Rod and excommunication Besides there can be no greater punishment then to be excluded from heaven but if we will credit Apolonius he is excluded from heaven whom he excommunicates I beleeve the Stilt-walker laughs here within himself as often as he affeights simple men with the terrours of his censure which hee knowes to be mockeries and used by him for no other end then to reigne over mens estates bodies and consciences But I now esteem of this thing as it is and as each holy man can judge of it Surely if the greater excommunication be the punishment of Ecclesiastick lawes if excommunication be the Key that truly shuts heaven as the Walachrians say who sees not that the conscience is touched with this when he shall find that heaven is locked against him with the Popes or Stilt-wakers Key except he will subscribe to the ordinances and devices of the Walachrians I confesse Apolonius is not so unskilfull an actor in this Papall Stage-play but he can with a fine distinction cleare himselfe of this blemish for he sayth That punishment is not inflicted for a Law or thing which is indifferent but for contumacie As if a Magistrate should say that the murtherer is not executed for cutting the innocent mans throat but because he died y upon it But I deny that this is contumacy when one resists stoutly and constantly the idle devices of Church-men whether they be obtruded by Apolonius or the Walashrians or the Pope there was never such authority in a lyer as to make a lye become a truth Therefore when the Church obtrudes a falshood or commands a thing indifferent as necessary because she deceiveth he is not contumacious who in this case resisteth the Church but the Church is contumacious herselfe which perseveres in her falshoods So this Walachrian Mom is alwayes dancing upon the Popes Scaffold inlarging the borders or fringes not onely of his preaching and censuring but also of his legislative garment so farre that he would perswade us that he offends as grievously who obeyes not the corrupted word and decrees of his Church as he that resisteth the plain Oracles of Christ He feignes that there is an unseparable subordination between himselfe and other modern preachers of his stamp and Christs and consequently such a selfe-commanding and imperious power of teaching and charging Gods people with no lesse authority then if Christ himselfe commanded so that it is commmon with these pratlers to perswade men with the Pope That they heare Christ who hear them and reject Christ who reject them That the Stilt-walker may see this rash assertion to be taken out the Popes Schoole hee shall doe well to
Ecclesiastick businesse and then afterward in secular and to leave no stone unmoved for weakning and shaking of their authority Not long since 1 Example when the King of England and his Parliament were warring the Vicinity of places and the Commerce of Religion from that disturbed State spread complaints among the people which indirectly as usually seemed to require pity and helpe Apollonius with his fellows now a long time desirous of innovation and whilest other Churches were quiet did study to interpose himselfe in these troubles that hee might bee known to the English and prevailed so much by his accustomed Arts with the Walachrians that among others he obtained the charge of comforting the Church there by Letters and offering to them verball consolation This being known the States of Zeland thinking with themselves how dangerous it might bee if the Ministers of Zeland should intermeddle with the affaires of England without their advice considering that not onely the differences waxed hot between the King and Parliament but between the Parliament-men themselves so that some affected this others that kinde of Church-Government The States Ordered that the Letter which was conceived and written by the Classick Ministers should not bee sent to England till first they had read and examined it But when which is worth the noting the Ministers were warned in the name of the States to deliver the Copy of their Letters that they might peruse them they presently and boldly refused affirming that in this matter they could not obey the State untill first they had acquainted their Principalls or Classiaries by which answer they did plainly intimate that they acknowledged in Zeland other Principalls besides the States as not long after they made it really appeare For whereas their minds now did swell with the * Orgasmâ— eager desire of ruling which not long since they had contracted out of Apollonius his writings concerning the Right of Majesty Having examined the States Mandat they resolved not to obey it but tacitly upbraiding them with hard-heartednesse and pusillanimity they involved themselves in the differences of England having written Letters in the Churches name to the Britaines and against the States will conveyed them thither which that they might not seeme to have done under-hand the same Apollonius by the * Orgasmâ— eager desire of ruling which not long since they had contracted out of Apollonius his writings concerning the Right of Majesty Having examined the States Mandat they resolved not to obey it but tacitly upbraiding them with hard-heartednesse and pusillanimity they involved themselves in the differences of England having written Letters in the Churches name to the Britaines and against the States will conveyed them thither which that they might not seeme to have done under-hand the same Apollonius by the command of the Walachrians Printed afterward a Book of Considerations to the English plainely intimating that by the right of their Hierarchie they had so much resolution and power that they might despise and reject the Orders and Councells of the Supreme Magistrate not onely in Ecclesiasticall but also in Secular Affaires which concerned the state of the Common-wealth Vpon this Triall which they made of their Ecclesiastick jurisdiction 2 Example there fell out another not unlike this The continuance of the unhappy Warre caused a great famine amongst the Irish that not onely by report but also by intimation from the Parliament it was divulged that thousands of Irish were like to be starved if they were not releeved the sooner this matter being first brought to the States Generall in the name of the Parliament and by them recommended to their Provinces by the States of Zeland Order was also taken in their publick meetings that releefe should bee raised in all the Townes and Villages within their precincts adding an expresse command that the money should bee brought to the Table of Middleburgh as to the common Exchequer that with more certainty and expedition aide might bee sent from the States Commissioners to those miserable and panting people Here Apollonius with his Complices perceiving that by this meanes the distribution of the Money should bee taken away from the Churches jurisdiction and his power they did not now tacitly whisper but openly cry out that they would not obey the States Order but the Magistrates of Middleburgh being unwilling to give way to this disobedience and rebellion of Apollonius and being also mindfull of the quarrell raised afore by him and his fellows about the collection and distribution of the money of Sweibrugh where they challenged all that right as sacred and proper onely to the Church Fearing also lest by these and such like Remora's the ready and needfull benevolence that was raised should bee retarded they no lesse piously then prudently ordered to gather from house to house neither was this a thing unusuall in that City where foure times in the yeare certain deputed Magistrates together with the Deacons use to gather mens benevolence from house to house for the releefe of the poore Here Apollonius with his Church-men made opposition plainly threatning that bee would not recommend the distressed state of the Irish for any releefe from the members of the Church as the custome was whispering that it were better there never were any Almes gathered than that so holy a work of mercy should in such an unlawfull way be profained by the Magistrate Willing also to shew his boldnesse in maintaining the sanctity of his jurisdiction the matter being agitate in the Consistory he drew it to the Walachrian Classis by whose suffrages being assisted by a large writing hee signified to the Magistrates of Middleburgh they should doe against the Scriptures the custome of the Apostles the modern right of the Church against the confessions and as it were the very Nationall Oath and consequently to the prejudice of the whole Religion If they presumed to touch with their secular and prophane hands so sacred a businesse as the collecting and distributing of Almes Affirming that this holy work was injoyned by holy men that is by the Church for holy men and therefore could not bee lawfully exercised but by holy Church-men Which childish songs though elsewhere I did sleight with laughter yet Apollonius made such account of them that hee plainely affirmed in the fourth Article of his paper which hee exhibited that the ordering and disposing of collections or almes appertain to the Church and that they depend upon no power out of the Church if this bee so then the secular Magistrate hath now no more right to appoint Collections among his subjects whereof the greatest part are the Churches within their jurisdictions For because the power of the Magistrate is not in but about the Church as Apollonius finely sings elsewhere by this supposition the Magistrate hath no power to impose any tax upon the holy people of the Church for an holy use for this were prophanation but this right belongs to the Church onely that is
it a main peece of sanctity to sow perpetuall strife and make a breach between the Magistrates and Ministers as if it were a holy duty in Ministers to demand and take from godly Magistrates all the benefits they can but still to beware of their deceipts and treacheries the Reader cannot be so stupid as not to smell out the mockes and reproaches of Apolonius through his whole work against religious Magistrates some of which I will now set downe that every one may see what kind of vermin this Apolonius is who like a Wasp or Hornet goeth about to sting not onely our famous Vedelius but Macovius also Rivet his own Masters the best Divines of Christendome the Nationall Synod and the High and Mighty States themselves yet notwithstanding this giddy head who pretends a maiden-like modesty in the end of his Preface thus writes I seriously affirme that concerning this cause I have almost brought nothing of my own but have robbed the Lucubrations and Coffers of other men and have collected whatsoevr Divines have scatteringly sayd of this subject Thus like Proteus sometimes he lookes like a Lion and sometimes like a Buck He is a shrill Trumpeter of his own vertues every where but chiefly in this place where he subjects himselfe to all learned men when as indeed he exalts himselfe above them all So that he slights almost every man in comparison of himselfe how ever I will not envie this Locust the honour which he affecteth to wit that hee hath skipped over many mens Gardens and gnawed their Flowers this I 'le say freely that he hath taken more pains to turn over negligently humane writings then diligently the holy Scriptures as I wil hereafter make it appeare I confesse indeed that he like a Hog or like Aesops Cock hath laboriously turned over the Dung-hills of Popes School-men Jesuites Apostates and Sophisters perhaps that he might find out the Jewell of Truth which if he thought in-glorious to find in the neighbouring and pure Medowes of holy Scriptures as being lesse spirituall which I suspect hee deserveth to be defiled with their stench and filth and to be laughed at by all learned and godly men It is enough for me that I have made Apolonius his dissembled modesty and shamefastnesse appear but withall his Dogs face and impudency towards all The mans mad pride might be tolerated if he could any where else shew us his skill in Grammer or Logick but he who hath either a mind or leasure which I confesse are wanting to me to turn over all his patched Peeces shall find that he harps an hundred times on one string like a ridiculous Fidler so that one would nauseat to heare him He is so little versed in Latin phrases that he deserves to be whipt by Priscian for his many solicismes for he useth frequently the word coerciva for coercitiva A great deale he hath of such barbarous stuffe which the English cannot bear c. Now for his Logick although with a wide mouth he promise great matters yet he playes but a Canvasse Merchant imitating every where that Parasite in Plautus I sell ridiculous sayings goe too come and cheapen cavils flatteries and phantasticall perjuries I purpose not to run through all his labyrinths he cannot follow the guide of his own thread I will briefly contract his foolish circumlocutions thus The Church of Christ is holy and spirituall Therefore all her affaires and chiefly her government is holy and spirituall From hence he gathers this consequence Ergo the government businesse of the Church which he calls Church-dressing belongs onely to the Saints or spirituall men that is Ministers because they by speciall priviledge of their vocation are sanctified and consecrated From hence also he drawes out another confectary thus Ergo These Church-affaires belong not to Godly civill Magistrates because they were not sanctified to this work but are altogether unfit as being but mean members of the Church worldly whose power is dispoticall or Lordly Architectonicall and corporall earthly not heavenly which can produce no spirituall effect or touch the soul These are the Coleworts which he so often in his madnesse sets down to us I will handle each of them in order But first let the Reader be fore-warned that this whole Apolonian Fable for Church-government which he begins is so like the Popish Scheme that almost they differ in nothing save oneâ—y that with the Pope this is an old Comedy and a thing in possession but among the Apolonian Walachrans there are new Actors and a thing onely in expectation Surely such is the affinity every where of their principles assertions and argumentations that whosoever will but compare the Fictions of old Papists with these new ones will easily finde that the same Romish Church was mother to them both I confesse Apolonius is not so unskilfull of cheating or juggling but for fashions sake he hisses at Popery and by this trick he cleares himselfe from Arminianisme but brands our famous Vedelius with it This is the old trick of Heretickes and of all Novalists and as it were whorish paintings wherewith they paint their deformed scabs There is nothing wherein the Papists have more deluded the world then under the name of Church-holinesse and spirituality by which superstitious pretences the Pope hath gotten to himself the government of the whole world which web this our Apolonius hath begun again and hath made up the whole wooffe of the same threads so that almost in every page he casts abroad the lofty words of Church-holinesse and modern-spirituality Ampullas Therefore I hope my pains will not be lost if briefly I delineate the acceptions of these words lest the yoyson which lurketh under these guilded Mushromes Beletis may strangle the unwary CHAP. II. Of the divers acceptions of the CHURCH THe word Church in Scripture sometime signifieth every Congregation or Assembly of men gathered together whatsoever be the manner or end of their meeting So that seditious concourse of men at Ephesus against Paul is by Luke called the Church Ecceesia Acts 29.38 38. twice in that place is this word used for that tumultuous Assembly of seditious men But more specially it notes the Assemblies of men gathered together for the publick worship of God whether this Assembly be great or small So Paul honours private meetings at home by the name of Ecclesia or Church as those private meetings in the houses of Stephana and others for private devotion Now the forme of these Churches doth not properly consist in the mysticall and internall union with Christ but onely in the externall union which these men have among themselves when they meet to worship Christ and to make profession of their faith the chiefe heads of which consist in the preaching reading expounding or any ways meditating in the word of God in administring the SacrameÌ„ts upon occasion lastly in exercising the workes of charity among themselves as Christs Disciples did living according to
Christ spiritual holy whom Christ bought with his own blood Also when he speaks of the outward Ministery of his Church he saith That she being the Spouse and body of Christ hath certain priviledges sacred rights And sometimes he is so lavish in extolling the outward affaires of the visible Church that he affirmeth Christ to have shed his blood for those priviledges and rights just like a Jugler he goeth about to perswade the Magistrate that when he offers to meddle with the businesse of this Apolonian and visible Church without her order that he commits sacriledge against the true and invisible Church which is the Body and Spouse of Christ So that with no lesse immodesty doth hee keep them off from all outward Church-businesse then if they were Bawds or Pandors offering to deflower Christs holy Spouse if they goe beyond the bounds prescribed by him So that not only doth he contradict himselfe but by a Popish trick endeavoureth to set forth his Ecclesiastick jurisdiction perswading men that his Church which is indeed vislble is to bee accounted for the Spouse of Christ and therefore the Ministery of this Spouse to belong onely to him and his Clergy as if they were the brides Spirituall Paranymphs The other errour of the ancient Papists is that the honour and holinesse of the visible Church which is so largely extended is contracted by them to government and Governours of the Church for those they call properly the representative Church to wit their Bishops and Clergie So that if you ask them who are Church-men And which is properly the Catholick Church Where this spirituall dignity shineth They will not understand the whole body of the Church and all that are called holy 1 Cor. 1.1 o. who adore the name of Christ as the Apostles speak For from this honour they debarre all Christians as Secular and Lay-men onely for their Clergy as if they were consecrated by the Character of holy vocation they reserve the honour of Ecclesiasticall spirituality he then that will seek for the Catholick Church among Papists shall find her no where but in the Clergy that is in their Priests Bishops Archbishops Cardinals and lastly in the Pope to whose government and command if any refuse to be subject though he be never so strict an observer of Christs commands yet shall not be reputed a member of Christs Church For Bellarmine in the place above cited referres the Church government under Pastors and the Pope to the essence or formality of the Church Our Walachran Stilt-walker with his fellowes are not much unlike the Jefuites he is stâ—â—erying out that he strives for the priviledges and holy rights of Christs Spouse the Church the form of which hee placeth in outward profession But because hee perceived this dignity to bee common to the whole body of the Church of which the godly Magistrate is a part lest the mysticall priviledge of Church-holinesse be communicated to worldly carnall and secular Magistrates whose charge is of earthly not of heavenly things he doth accuratly distinguish after the Popish manner between the Church Represented which he makes the body of the Church abstracted from the Governours thereof and Representative which hee makes the Governours separate from the other members of the Church For whilst he gives to each of them incommunicable properties he doth fully distinguish them For these because of their ministration and dignity of ruling he makes the Eyes Eares Hanas and if he durst with Papists he would call them Heads Princes and Kings of the Church whose office is to goe before to oversee to rule with command domineeringly to compell and with authority to punish and no wayes to be subject to be ruled to beled yea not to be subordinate to civill Magistrates in Church matters but immediatly to depend on Christ and to be inseparably subiect to him As for the body of the Church Represented like sheep and subjects even Magistrates themselves as being the basest members which he is still upbraiding them with must modestly submit themselves be content to be ruled and taught and to acknowledge the spirituall power of the Church to which they and theirs must be subject So that in truth the Ministers are the Heads and Monarchs in Church-affaires as for Magistrates and all other Church-members they are onely the taile and meer vassals Every man may see how much different this is from the government of the Apostolical Church if they will but attentively read the Acts of the Apostles For if ever the Church-government were glorious holy it was under the Apostles for they were then the most holy Governours who knew very well the rights and priviledges of their government but yet they so ruled the Church that the whole Assembly was of one heart and one soule Acts 4.32 And they were so farre from contending about the priviledge of jurisdiction or from debarring the body of the Church from medling with Ministerial businesses that they permitted every man to exercise them if so be he were fitted without the solemnity of outward calling and gave way to the whole Body of the Church that is to all Christians to debate about and determine the most sacred affaires of the Church Nor was it held absurd though this Night-bird think it so now by these great lights of the Church for the same to call and to be called to send and to be sent to teach and to be taught to be above and to be under to rule and to be ruled to help and to be helped So that this Stilt-walker hath not borrowed from the Apostles that exact right of Church-government and the prerogative of power in the Church Representing upon the Church Represented that is upon the body and members of the Church but from the Pope the Roman Antichrist For he by a fatall Energie and efficacie of deceiving did first season Christians with an immoderate superstition of the visible Church and outward worship so that they attributed more to her then was fit the care of which afterward he transferred upon the Clergy alone as being consecrated for this work and withall deduced all that reverence to Church-men and the governours thereof as though they alone had right in Church-affaires from which other Christians as being Lay-men were debarred but afterward by degrees he transferred to himselfe the whole dignity of the Clergie and so at length became the Epitome of all Ecclesiastick dignity and sanctity so that now for many yeares hee is reputed and called the head of the Church yea the very Church representative by which he plainly shewes himselfe to be Antichrist That Roman Basilisk did not suddenly but by degrees peep out of small mysteries on whose egges because of late this Treverian doth sit if pious Princes doe not in time fore-see the cunning there will in stead of one arise many Antichrists For if the sanctity of the Catholick Church be in the visible Church if the sanctity of the visible
still holy who give and receive yet I cannot see how with their sanctities they can beware of the terminus per quam for not onely may that objective sanctity be violated if Lay-men touch the almes which he much feares but many other doubts will arise to wit whether if the Preacher himselfe or Deacon be a thiefe or a knave such mischances they say fall out somtimes in Walachria shal not that sanctity then be altogether prophaned Again if that money should be sent over to Ireland or elswhere and cannot be touched or handled but by holy men whether this treasure can without sacriledge be committed to a Servant Post or Money-changer For it seldome falls out that in such sore of men is found positive or comparative much lesse superlative holinesse which if required so rigidly to the receiving and distributing of this Elâ—â—mosynary collection innumerable accidents will fall out among the Walachrians by which they will bee forced to pollute their own sanctity so that the Stilt-walker hath borrowed from the Pope that rotten Impostor all these lurking holes of sanctity who every where hath scraped together Chymeras that he might blind Lay-men as it were with the smoke of sanctity and might bring them into subjection to himselfe Apolonius had never been so contentious for this vizard of sanctimony if hee had not been willing rather to imitate Antichrist then Christ For Christ excellently understood how great the sanctity of almes was which by holy men was given to holy men yet hee was so little sollicitous that this sacred money should passe onely through a sanctified hand that he committed this busines to Judas whom he knew to be a Divel whereat it had been as easie to him to have committed this to some more holy If he will preferre Judas a Thiefe a Traytor a Divell in sanctity to the pious Magistrate the Stilt-walker for me may enjoy his owne paradox He spends much time in commending the example of the Apostolicall Church in which Almes were handled onely by Ecclesiastick persons as Deacons and no wayes by Lay-men who then were no part of the Church but her enemies this he cries out is to be held for an inviolable and perpetuall law But I have shewed already that in this Apolonius playes the foole for the Apostles did not any thing concerning the circumstances of divine worship which were changed in processe of time yea they themselves did change them otherwise let him tell me why first did Christians bring their goods and lay them at the Apostles feet and afterwards this custome was abolished Why at first had the Apostles care of the poore and charge of the Tables and afterwards eased themselves of this care Why againe as occasion served did they take this care upon them Why were Bishops of old Paul himself maintained by the collections of the church afterwards stipends were received of Lay-men as now it is Do Christians at this day violate Pauls precept 2 Cor. 6.3 whilst they goe to law one with another about worldly busisinesse which he forbad the Corinthians grievously reproving them Custome and time can change many things in the circumstances of worship for main causes without offence If we beleeve Apolonius Lay-men were not admitted into the Church under the Apostles if this be perpetuall why are they not now kept out Who seeth not a plain cause of this change Of old they were not admitted within the Church because they were enemies and wolves after wards they were admitted because they became friends keepers and nursing Fathers of the Church The like must we say of Almes the Apostles did not demand them of any without the Church the reason because they were enemies they would not take them Now because they may without controlment give and as faithfull members of the Church will give them why should their bounty be rejected But saith he this is Arminianisme and so all the offices of divine worship may to the ruine of religion be transferred upon Lay-men As though forsooth Arminius desired the ruine of religion who however he had his errors yet in this he was the friend of Religion because he was a stout enemy against the Pope For he if ever there was any in the world is the over-thrower of Christs worship and religion Now whereas the Stilt-walker doth in every thing imitate him he hath also borrowed from him this whorish impudencie imposing upon another the ruine of Religion which hee himselfe by all the meanes hee can endevoureth to overthrow But in this hee followes his old masters the Pharisees in casting odious names upon the truth as they injuriously called Christ a Nazarite a Samaritan a Carpenter Surely Religion should not be ruined if godly Magistrates at this day being furnished with faith and spirituall gifts should performe and help all the Offices of the Church in which I have shewed there is no speciall sanctity now which should cause them to forbeare if they had fit gifts and the matter it selfe required it in this case Religion should no more perish then when Saul was among the Prophets Apolonius is afraid lest his pride will bee brought down for like a new Papist he will have some mysterious sanctity to lye hid in his Church-businesse not to be medled with except by Church-men of his own stamp Which device because he sees his lay-men to despise herailes and is more foolishly mas then heretofore Moses his servant when he saw Eldad and Medad prophesie in the camp being but ordinary men which he conceived to be an absued thing and disgracefull to Moses therefore sayd Moses forbid them but Moses being possessed with a better spirit then the Stilt-walker at this day Num. 11. answered would to God all did propheste However these things are consonant to truth yet he needs not fear that godly Magistrates have either leasure or desire to thrust themselves upon Church-businesse and confufedly to performe them they have left this care for order sake to Preachers to whom for this end they have collected Stipends and a privat life but yet they must not beleve that Magistrates are not to look into Church-businesse nor to care for religion and if need be to perform religious duties and to punish negligent and gâ—ady-hearded Ministers as their hirelings The Magistrates of Middleburgh did think of nothing lesse as they say then to put off the care of the poor or to forbid the Church or the Dâ—acons to meddle with it as the Stilt-walker accuseth them in his writings but onely to crosse Apolonius in his Popish pride which was That the care of the poore belonged onely to him and his Church-men by sacred and divine right and with such rigor that he openly writes that Magistrates do oppose Gods word the divine right of the Church and their nationall oath and 〈◊〉 they give occasion to wrong divine worship and Religion if they offer to undertake the care of the poore either alone in the Churches name
Magistrates cannot rule the Church This argument also is made up of divers lies for it is false that the Civill Government is alwayes Monarchicall the Government of our Country is Aristocraticall such also is that of the Venetians Helvetians and others another lye is that the Church-Government is alwayes Aristocraticall because under Heli Samuel Macchabees and others it was Monarchicall yea in the New Testament it was not still Aristocratical but oftentimes Monarchicall For I ask when Christ lived upon the earth and ruled the Church whether the Church-government was not then Monarchicall Doubtlesse it was if ever it was Again when Paul alone was at Antioch and in Syria was not then the government of that Church Monarchicall For who was to be compared with so great an Apostle Lastly when John the Apostle was alone in the world for he lived longest had not then the Church on earth a notable Monarch Surely if such a Doctor at this day could be found in the world he should be as it were the Monarch of the Church and worthy to whom the whole Christian world should rise and give honour Whence the Pope makes no bad consequence in calling himself the head and Monarch of the whole Church and not Kings and Princes because they rise and give honour to him if it be true what he brags that hee is Peters successor and endowed with the gifts of infallibility as well as Peter But because experience teacheth that he wants all Peters gifts chiefly that of infallibility and on the contrary to be nothing els but a monster and load of all vices hence it is that he is a meere Impostor and a mocker of Christianity and Princes are miserably deluded in yeelding so much to so unworthy and wicked a man All then that the Stilt-walker babbles for Oracles are meere lies But this I will add that though Christ and his Apostles were by right Monarchs of the Church yet they still ruled the Church with that moderation that their government seemed rather Aristocraticall then monarchicall so that hence it appeares there is no necessity that he should alwayes rule monarchically who hath the right of Monarchie for he may use it aristocratically If this be true of Ecclesiasticks why should it not also hold in civill Princes that though they be Monarchs yet they may handle Church-matters in an Aristocraticall way as oftentimes Kings do And so the Kingdome of the Church shall not be monarchicall though a Monarch live in it ruling Aristocratically He ascribes much strength to this Ram which he is still shewing as if it had exceeding great Hornes whereas indeed it is a horn-lesse calfe The power formally Ecclesiastick depends immediately from Christ the Mediator the Churches husband who gave Apostles Prophets Teachers par 1. p. 37. and Pastors to his Church but not Magistrates Ephes 4. And hath placed this power in the Church Mat. 18. But Magistrates are not the Church whence he gathers that the Magistrates office is neither requisite nor belonging to the Church and consequently that it appertaineth no wayes to them to use the Churches power He parted this one Argument into divers I have gathered his fooleries together in one bundle that I may fling them downe together First wee must note that this is an old and oftentimes refuted device of his in perswading us that Ecclesiastick power hath for its author Christ the Mediator and Spouse of his Church but not the Civill Power I have shewed before and now will more at large demonstrate that this is a most notorious lye His principall Argument is par 1. p 37 that while Christ lived on the earth he did all Church functions either by himselfe or by his Apostles but did not meddle with the Magistrates office but refused it and prohibited it to his Apostles whence Anabaptist-like he concludes that Magistracie hath neither Christ for its Author not belongs to the Church all which are a meere heape of lyes For first I aske whence learned he that no Function is required for the Church till the end of the world but what Christ must discharge either by himselfe or by his Disciples living upon the earth The Scripture saith no such thing but is the meere fiction of Apollonius otherwise let him tell me when did Christ or his Apostles performe the Precentors part in the Church because Martyr doubts whether in the Apostolicall Church there was any use of publique singing which wee borrowed at best from the Jewish Church many offices ceased in the Churches upon the Apostles departure to supply which Necessity hath gathered together many things mans industry hath found out without any sin or blemish if Antichrist had not corrupted all with multitudes His other lye is that Christ and his Apostles did not here discharge the Magistrates office that Fiction I have already refelled for they used a co-active externall power equivalent to the sword Christ with a whip purged the Temple Mat. 21. John 8. he suffered the judgement concerning the Adulteresse to be referred to him with his word he cast to the ground the Souldiers that came to apprehend him and chiefly when on the day of Palms sitting upon an Asse he rid to Jerusalem in a Princely but humble pompe suffering the acclamations of the People and their garments to be spread in his way Mat. 21. as if he had been a King which is so manifest that Mathew adds Zacharies Prophesie to be fulfilled Behold thy King cometh to thee meeke c. So the Apostles inflicted in the Church corporall punishments as death blindnes c. All which evince that however they despised and avoided the pride and earthly pompe of Civill government yet the office it selfe they discharged in the Church when necessity required But saith he Christ being exalted gave to the Church gifts and offices necessary for it among which the office of the Magistrate is not mentioned whence he concludes that this is not requisite fore difying of the Church I answer among these offices mention is made of Governours 1 Cor. 12. and of Rulers Rom. 12. which Calvin and Aretius on those places shew to have been censures of life and manners supplying the Magistrates office Lastly suppose that in those places no mention is made of Magistracie did he therefore not ordain it Yea Peter did plainly institute this and chiefly Paul Rom. 13. and 1 Tim. 2. as I have at large shewed before neither needs he tell us that Christ himselfe gave these offices by himselfe but Magistracie he commended onely by the Apostles this is but a frivolous cavill for he sent the Apostles onely immediately then the Apostles instituted the other functions and after them Timothy Titus and others whence it appeares that Christ the Mediator being exalted is no lesse the author of Magistracy then of Church offices because that by a most famous Elogy of the same Apostle is ratifyed in the name and authority of Christ exalted by whose government alone
Kingdome and Christ said absolutely to the Apostles that were to bee Rulers of the Church you should not reigne but serve whence hee gathers that the whole government and power of the Church should be without command and rather with service these are the enthymems which hee after a Jesuiticall manner hath patched together I answer That I cannot read in that place the Stilt-walkers fiction to wit that the whole power or government of the Church should be without command or Architectonicall power alwaies For if he say that the whole power of the Church was in the Aposties to whom he speaks here he asks the thing in question or at least supposeth it For the chiefe part of Ecclesiasticall power and government is alwaies as I said in the Magistrate and in the supream power whence it fell out that in the Apostles time this Architectonicall power resided in Christ and his Apostles miraculously because the ordinary Magistrates were enemies 2. I deny that this Law which he gave here to the Apostles was perpetuall at least it cannot be shewed out of this place that what Christ there commanded his Apostles doth belong alwaies and to every Minister of the Church this will be cleare by an example When Christ sent Apostles he said to them take not a staffe or bag nor money nor two coats nor houses would he allow them but whatsoever house they came into they should abide there till they departed c. all this he commanded the Apostles that were to be Rulers in the Church when hee sent them to that purpose For except one will allow the institution of Monks of Beggars of nastie Anchorites which are ridiculous among Papists every one may see that these precepts are not perpetuall and common to all Preachers This literall exposition should not be welcome I think to the Stilt-walker and his Walachrian Papists to have never above one coat to be without money in their purse and to have neither a house of their owne nor hired but hop to and fro like locusts If so many Lawes so solemnly delivered to the Apostles the Church-Governours are not perpetuall and necessarie to the Church It will be a difficult thing out of the circumstances of the place to draw a just difference by which it may appear that this Law is perpetuall and common to all Ministers which if he should effect with his rusty instruments he will never make this to be true that what was prohibited to the Apostles or Bishops was prohibited to the whole Church For many absurdities will arise they may not meddle with secular affaires nor wear rich soft and Court-garments nor wander from place to place nor bee abroad sometimes in the Country about their businesse Must none of those things be done by anie in the Church They be frivolous fictions which arise hence in that the Walachrian Papist thinkes that nothing is Ecclesiastick or belonging to the Form and Government of the Church but what is concluded in the Consistory or Quire of Preachers alone the Scripture contrarily makes Kings and Magistrates the chiefe part of the Church to wit tutors and nursing fathers and as Calvin saith as it were the earth in spirituall husbandrie let me shew by a simile or two the stupiditie of this Walachrian it is all one as if one resolving to be a husband-man provideth seed horses and instruments fit for husbandry have also Plowmen Waterers and Planters in a readinesse and thinks that he is now persectly furnished for husbandry whereas he hath not Land or Fields to sow his seed in or play the husbandman upon he doubtlesse will bee laughed at as a foole and one altogether ignorant of agriculture Mat. 13. I confesse that out of Christs Parable all men are as the ground into which the seed is cast but this is not repugnant to Calvins Simile for private men are but little clods separated from one another in the ground on which the seed immediately falls but the Magistrate is considered as the generall ground which if it did not containe all the clods together they could not fructifie but would fall away and the seed wither in them So fitly doth this Simile of Calvins expresse the Magistrates office in the Church and the Stilt-walkers stupidity who is still striving to thrust the Magistrate out of the Church I will use another Simile which Paul intimates 1 Cor. 4. when he calls Preachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Rowers in the lower seat of the Church whence he considereth the Church visible as a Ship Now who will imagine a Ship in a tempestuous Sea without a Master or Mariner Christs Church then must have a Master or Steers-man It is asked who this is The Stilt-walker sayth it is he and his Preachers because they are Captaines and Governours and many other prating Speeches which I have heretofore refuted I say that they are not even because Paul calls them Rowers and that of the lowest ranke in this Ship who ever saw in the Kingsship or Gally that the naked Rowers and those of the inferiour ranke tyed to their Oares should have the command of the Ship This stands not with reason and experience and if the Stilt-walker did not perceive this absurdity the law of Christ would convince him for he as the Master of the Ship said you Rowers must not do so that is I will not have you to beare rule in my Ship Hence then it appeares that to whomsoever the government of the Ship belongs it belongs not ordinarily to the Preachers by the Princes own expresse will now there remaines nothing but that this Ship of Christ either want a Master or else some other must be sought for besides the Preachers who cannot be her Masters the Walachrian to award this blow saith that there is no Master which is the scope of his whole argument that he may drive out of the Church architectonicall power and may place it only about the Church but the absurdity of this will appeare out of this Simile it is incongruous to imagine a great Ship in the vast Sea without a Master or Pilot or to conceive such a Master who is not within the Ships decks but without them flying about like a Coot or Sea-mew These opinions of the Walachrian are chimaeras and monsters the Master then should be within the ship and if this night-bird were not purposely mad he would see that this can be no other then the Magistrate because he confesseth himself that the Magistrate is the head and father of the people But if he should again deny what hee hath granted Paul would convince him who makes the Magistrate the generall governour of every soul that is of this ship of Christs also So that here al the Stilt-walkers false opinions tumble down together towit That the Architectonicall power should be without the Church that the Magistrates supream regiment cannot be within the Church but that all the power and government of the
moderation for Paul saith you yourselves do wrong and defraud your Brethren therefore hee farther perswades them that if they would goe to Law they should remaine within the Church which was then separated from the unfaithfull Magistrates and that they would among themselves take up their quarrels He useth many reasons for this purpose especially this that no faithfull man should be so unfit to judge but that hee may easily be able to judge an Infidell or wicked man for he saith that faithfull Christians shall judge the world whence he concludes if the godly are reserved for judging of such great matters it were absurd if they were not able to judge of triviall and worldly matters Whence appeared their absurditie in choosing wicked and unfaithfull Magistrates for their Judges for they were inferiour to Christians they did all one as if they had made the basest amongst them their Judges passing by those that were worthiest to this Pauls words tend they that are of least esteem among you make them Judges which ironically he speakes not that hee approved that Judges should be chosen of the meanest persons but contrarily he dislikes that evill custome for hee saith presently I speake this to your shame is there never a wise-man among you who may judge between brother and brother By which words he doth plainly shew that he doth not like their custome in going to law before Infidels because in doing so they made the meanest men their Judges but this he saith is preposterous because this belongs rather to the wiser sort so that he upbraids them for want of wise men and in that they passed by their brethren and made Infidell Magistrates Judges of their differences whom they exceeded or should have exceeded in wisdome This is the plaine meaning of Pauls words which overthroweth the Stilt-walkers fooleries He thinks that Paul here made a perpetuall and absolute Law as if they that sate on the Benches and were Judges of secular affaires that is Magistrates were in respect of their Magistracy the meanest persons alwayes whereas on the contrary Paul considers this meanesse in respect of infidelity because they were then Infidelis that bare the office of Magistracie Whence it followes that Pauls reason ceaseth in Magistrates when they become faithfull And whereas they are such under whom now the Stilt-walker lives hee is injurious to ubpraid them with this meannesse which Paul expressely imposeth onely on Infidells Apollonius his other perversnesse is in calling Magistracie base and the Magistrates base in respect of their office when as Paul assevereth that the office of a Judge is so excellent that it should not be committed to the basest but to the wisest So that he reproves them for want of wise men among them that they were forced to appeale to Infidells who were not wiser or worthier then Christians but rather because of their infidelity baser And therefore they did ill when they made them their Judges by which meanes they accused themselves of unfitnesse and unskilfulnesse and preposterously conferred the office of judicature upon base and unworthy persons So then Paul affirmes the office of judicature and Magistracie to be most worthy and therefore to belong onely to wise men so it be not transferred upon Infidells for then it is accidentally conferred on the meanest Is not then the Walachrian injurious to account faithfull Magistrates base whom Paul thinks worthy of honour and the prerogative of wisdome I have now examined the arguments or rather scoffs and fallacies with which the Stilt-walker would perswade us that Magistrates are so carnall and vile that they neither can nor should meddle with the holy and spirituall affaires of the Church such as they are at this day And so unbridled he is in his language that he could not raile with greater audacity if he had the sole Dictatorship in the State of the united Provinces For what Nathan Eliah or Paul who were divinely inspired durst thus raile against impious Magistrates as he doth against godly ones You saith he are onely a separable accident of the Church your power is not in but about the Church you are the basest members in respect of your Magistracie you are onely carnall and worldly who are not to meddle with the affaires of heaven but of earth and if you would ascend higher to handle the holy affaires of our Church-government it is impossible for you to handle or touch them so that you cannot meddle with spirituall things and belonging to the salvation of soules by your selves but by us you are not to prescribe lawes to us in Church-matters or abrogate without the consent of Church-men the lawes prescribed by Church-men controversies and Church-censures are not to be judged by you nor can there be from hence appeales to you yea whatsoever Church-men shall in Church-matters ordaine or judge that you are by your cumulative power to approvâ— and put in execution and to submit your selves and all yours if you do otherwise you are monsters amphibious animals Church Lay-men Popes that is Lay Antichrists out-lawes part 1. p. 16 2 Thes 2. Christs enemies men of sin and sonnes of perdition You will be sacrilegious tramplers upon the Churches priviledges and Christs blood you will offer violence to Christs Spouse and such like I onely proferre the gleanings he that will have the whole crop let him repaire to his patched peeces and they will see that he is no lesse mad then if he had been hired by the Pope or Spaniard to stirre up the people against the Magistrates and united States For no man is so ignorant that seeth not the lawes which he positively sets downe to be broken by the Magistrates in their Synods and other Church-businesses and that therefore they deserve as being wicked and sacrilegious to be destroyed by the people and thrust out of their Magistracie that these things are indirectly intended by those Walachrian Sticklers every one may see who is not blinde I recommend the care of this businesse to the Magistrates as Fathers of the Countrey and I will further shew with what priviledges God doth honour them in Scripture what power they had in Church-affaires in the old and new Testament and consequently what their office is at this day That is a famous elogie above the rest Esa 49.23 60.16 which God gives to Kings and Magistrates in that they were to be the nursing Fathers of the Church which Prophesie is twice repeated in Esay by which metaphor is shewed that Magistrates should be as it were keepers and nurses to nourish and feed the Church Which if it doth belong to the Magistrate in respect of his office how should he be without the Church For who will not say it is an absurdity that the nurse who should feed the infants of the family must be placed without the house no other wayes then if a Ship-master or Pilot be placed without the ship The Stilt-walker stormes against this title and saith That it must
THE SUPREME POWER OF Christian States VINDICATED AGAINST The Insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii OR A Translation of a Book Intituled Grallae seu vere Puerilis Cothurnus Sapientiae c. OR The Stilts or most childish Chapin of Knowledge upon which William Apollonius of Trever and Minister of the Church of Middleburgh boasts among such as are ignorant in his patcht Rhapsodies which hee set forth concerning Supreame Power and Jurisdiction in matters of RELIGION Against the Book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius Intituled Of the Episcopacy of Constantine the Great Printed at London for George Whittington at the Blew Anchor in TO THE Most High and most illustrious Princes of the Reformed STATES AS ALSO To all peaceable Ministers of CHRISTS Church Grace and Peace Most illustrious Lords and godly Ministers of Christs Church HEE was not a foole who first affirmed that there was nothing more prevalent than superstition to rule the multitude for Christ most divinely foretold us that the children of darknesse were wiser then the sonnes of light so that oftentimes not onely the force of deceivers is great but also the perversenesse of the multitude is such that they will rather bee deluded than listen to the Truth Though God hath recommended his true worship to us yet Satan hath prevailed more by superstition then the Spirit of God by true Religion All Ages can beare witnesse to this truth When God imployed the divine Prophet Moses in a message to Pharaoh he armed him with the power of Miracles but Jannes and Jambres resisted him and that with such eagernesse that for a while they prevailed more with their false exorcismes than hee did with his true Miracles Solomon built and dedicated the Tâ—mple as it were to the perpetuall preservation of the true worship scarce were forty years expired whâ—n Jeroboam a private man set up his Idols in Dan and Bethel with such successe that hee withdrew ten Tribes to his Idolatry How violent was Jezabel Ahabs wife in the superstitious maintaining of Paal that not onely did she extinguish both the people and worship of God but also so terrified Elijah who could procure fire from heaven that he was forced to leave his station and in his exile to wish for death whom notwithstanding God had purposed to honour by carrying him up to heaven in a fiery chariot There is nothing more plaine then that they who wickedly in ice men to superstition are for the most part more active and successefull then those who are the builders up of true Religion This bad successe in Religion proceeds from the multitude themselves whose property it is to be led rather by opinion then by knowledge and to give their assent before they make triall although envious men dia not sow tares in the night yet the earth would produce thornes by reason of the ancient curse although there were no inventers or teachers of superstition yet the vaine multitude would devise to it selfe some superstitious worship This calamity proceeds not from the want of truth but from Gods just judgements For as Adams sinne hath made the earth more apt to produce of its own accord tares then all the industry of man can to bring forth good fruite Even so the old Serpent is more prevalent in bewitching mens mindes with superstition then the fellow labourers of the Holy Ghost in propagating the true Religion There was never any Age or Country of the world which hath not had some time experience of this Yet this was never more plainly seen then under the great Antichrist whom Paul foretold should bee armed with all deceiveablenesse 2 Thess 2. that he might intice such to beleeve lies that were carelesse to beleeve the truth Never was there any since the creation more guilty of this then the Bishop of Rome who whilst hee obtrudes upon the people a hodge-podge of superstition prevailes more with them then the Prophets and Apostles by their true Religion and Miracles For these even Peter himselfe * And the rest of the Apostles could doe no more but undergoe torments and ignominy and at last lay down their tortured lives but he on the other side being armed with superstition and pretending Peters name and chaire mounted up to such a height that being honoured with three Crownes two swords and the spoyles of all Princes he exalts himselfe above all worldly Potentates and all such as are called Gods sitting in the Temple of God and pretending the Church doth so bewitch men that hee whom they see call and cry out to bee wicked a lyar a falsifyer doe notwithstanding beleeve him to hee the patron and judge of Religion Such is the force of perswasion arising from superstition that men see not what they see and beleeve they see what they see not as if they were inchanted Hence it is not to bee wondred at that the whole company of such cheaters arme themselves with their own superstition when they have a minde to deceive which like poyson as easily invades mens mindes and taints them as a tauny colour doth those who remaine a while in the Sunne which insensibly and suddenly comes upon them before they knew it came This corruption is not to be found onely in popery but among Protestants also whose mindes being puffed up with the desire of ruling and counting the simplicity of the Apostolicall Church sordid they will rather rule then obey So that they place the sanctity of Religion not in Gods Word not in Faith nor in the profession thereof nor in any other reall worship but in the right and ministry of handling these things so that not onely in their Theses but in full Volumnes they declaime for the sanctity of government perswading the people with all the might they can that the whole dressing of Church government at this day is of such spiritualitie that the politicall Magistrate as being carnall must bee totally separated from it Hence may Ministers with ease hereafter withdraw their necks in Church-affaires from the power of the Magistrate and then indirectly insult over and prescribe Laws to the secular powers This new guise of Popery our famous Vaedelius foreseeing did publish a Book concerning The Episcopacy of Constantine the Great in which hee hath written of the right of Magistrates in Church-affaires at this day but with such circumspection that no moderate man can be moved much lesse angred thereat for hee feared as he intimated in his Preface lest the restlesse minds of contentious Church-men should be incensed and now it was supposed that he had incurred their displeasure but the book being in every mans hand and approved by the testimony of D. Macovius and Rivet it seemed to bee out of all danger of malice But the case was suddenly altered and our Vedelius was molested not by neighbours but by transmarin strangers from Zeland For one William Apollonius did not onely spit in his face but also pisse in his ashes This man being
Schollar scarse yet free from the lash of the rod. They commonly answer that these things may bee done by you but must not because you are not called thereto Biotica Whereas you are to meddle onely with the things of this life and such as may bee committed to the basest members of the Church Yea if you will beleeve Apollonius you are but separable accidents of the Church having for the end or finall cause of your Office onely the peace of your people but Religion honesty and piety onely remotely and improperly which are so many blasphemies by which they speak evill of the Rulers of the people For you are the Keepers of the Church Fathers Governours Captaines and Heads of the People God himselfe stiles You Gods Who seeth not that these Apollonian whirle-windes resist the Ordinance of God who prescribe bounds to Your knowledge and because of some petty worldly circumstances would exclude Your care about Church-matters God himselfe bids You Kisse the Sonne Isaiah foretels that You shall bee Nursing Fathers to the Church the Apostle tels us that the end and effect of your function is the preservation as well of Religion and Honesty as of publick tranquillity without any difference Beleeve not therefore Apollonius and his followers for if once they cheat you with these Canvase wares Saccaria that you may commit the whole businesse of Religion to them they will leave off to take care of the Church and will care for the things that belong to You They will leape from the Pulpit to the Throne This the Pope hath done a great while whom John Becholtius of Munster did imitate This doth Apollonius with his fellows carnestly hunt after in Middleburgh Despise the vaine buzzings of contentious men they are Aesops Wolves who desire that they alone may keep the sheepe that the dogges may bee removed from the flock Imitate rather godly Kings and Princes who by their examples have shined before You and chiefely Moses who being set over Aaron and the whole Priesthood not as a Priest or Prophet but as God or a Prince hee had no lesse care of Aarons Priesthood and of Religion then Aaron himselfe not that hee did execute that by himselfe which by divine and speciall priviledge was assigned to Aaron and his Priests but he directed the whole worship as it was instituted by God and did moderate it by that eminent power by which alone bee excelled Aaron and his Priests as their God and Prince Whose footsteps afterward Joshuah followed who was Prince over the Israelites and Moses his juccessour So likewise David Solomon and other pious Kings of whom Solomon by vertue of his regall authority alone deposed Abiathar the High Priest that hee might inflict upon him an Ecclesiasticall punishment that is that hee might not bee any longer the Lords Priest by which right hee placed Sadoc in his stead Godly Jehosaphat who was neither Priest nor Prophet appointed Ecclesiastick Judicatures as well as Civill and in them Judges and Presidents no Priest gainsaying him Yea in the third yeare of his Reigne hee sent from Town to Town not onely Priests but Civill Princes also with the Book of the Law to teach and Preach who truely although the worship of God was then decayed had been notwithstanding guilty of Sacriledge if hee had attempted either to offer Sacrifice or carry the Arke or enter into the Sanctuary or execute any of those things which God by speciall priviledge had granted to the Priests and denyed to all others Therefore sleight the Impostures of Apollonius and such as hee who alleadge to you the exemples of King Uzziah and Uzzah These are childrens rattles which hitherto wicked Antichrist hath used to affright fearfull superstitious people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These are empty tryes which experience and reason may teach you to despise For if to Pray publickly to Preach Gods Word to send Preachers to chuse Ecclesiastick Judges to remove a Priest from his Ministery to place another in his stead are matters of such speciall right as the going into the Sanctuary the burning of Incense and other things which God specially allotted to the Levites Uzzah alone had not falne down dead nor Uzziah been struck with Leprosâ—e nor the Philistimes troubled with the Hemorrods but innumerable pious Kings and Princes had been lyable to Gods wrath For although by the Law they abstained carefully from all Leviticall employments Yet if the Levites under this pretence had debarred them from every work of Divine Worship they had been laughed at as grosse Impostors They contained themselves within the prescript of the Law nor could these things bee thrust upon them as sacred and not to bee touched which God had not by an expresse Law separated The old Leviticall and templar separation is now abolished and yet this new Walachrian Levite perversely imitating the Jews challengeth in his Church-dressings that for holy and untangible which the old Levites themselves if they were alive would not debarre you from For it had been a most unworthy act to keepe off the High-Priest from medling else-where with holy things who might lawfully enter into the Holy of Holies this priviledge being granted there could bee nothing so sacred which bee might not touch How great then is the wrong which these new Priests offer to you under pretence of holinesse when they would affright You from medling with the Modern outward affaires of the Church Who have received from God a speciall power to enter every day into the now Christian Holy of Holyes There is now nothing in the Church nor in the whole world so sacred and infallible as the holy Scripture This is our Holy of Holies this is our Propitiatory Arke and Cherubim this is our Brest-plate shining with farre more brighter jewels then that of the Jews This is our Vrim and Thummim and whatsoever of old was venerable amongst the Jewes but now lost comes farre short of this which shall never perish though Heaven it selfe should fall In this concerning matter of salvation God doth answer You as well as the Priests whose answer is still certain and infallible Now whereas God himselfe by speciall warrant permits nay commands You to enter into this what madnesse is it that from the petty sacred things of this Church-furniture You should bee kept off from touching them under pretence of sanctity This is our Christian Liberty and felicity that wee are all now under Christ Kings Priests and Prophets That the generall priviledge of Christians is so large that no man is excluded from the administration of sacred things at this day if hee bee gifted I confesse it stands not with decency and Order that any man without calling should put his hand to the Modern Ministery yet the holinesse of the function is not hereby violated the Calling is at this day humane and oftentimes corrupted it serves for Order but conferres nothing to speciall sanctity Our Modern imposition of hands doth imitate the
Christ is meek so hee will have his Disciples to follow him in meeknesse but this is no hinderance to Magistrates why they may not have care of the Churches safety and tranquillity in the defence of religion for to neglect this duty were extreame perfidiousnesse and cruelty These things had that great man learned to bee most dangerous by his own example namely not to give due honour to the Magistrate with whom hee had eager contentions in Geneva at first about the circumstance of using leavened bread in the Supper so that he suffered himself and his colleagues to bee thrust cut of the City before hee would submit to them in a thing Adiaphorus or indifferent yet afterward hee plainly confessed his errour when hee advertiâ—ed the Genevians and others by his Letters that hereafter hee would not contend about such small circumstances as this was There was nothing pleased him better then to bee constant even to death in things that were truely holy and necessary as for things not necessary hee yeelded himselfe an easie Judge But Apollonius breaths quite contrary hee corrupts and neglects as bare accidents these things of Religion that are truely formall and essentiall but extolls for matters substantiall petty circumstances and sleight accidents of Church-Government which hee esteemes as the very forme of Religion I have exploded his fictions in the progresse of this booke and have laid open his disposition and intentions and my study shall be if God prolong my life to discourse hereafter more largely of the best kinde of Church-Government I desire no other reward for my paines but that you will think well of my good intentions give eare to my wholesome admonitions and afford your favour to mee as the enemy of all superstition and the friend of true Religion Farewell TO THE BENEVOLENT READER BEING lately in a Stationers shop I lighted upon a Book with this Inscription The Right of Majesty in Holy Things the argument of which came somewhat neere that excellent Treatise of our famous Vedelius which hee published concerning The Episcopacy of Constantine When I greedily read over some Pages as I stood hoping to finde some commendation of our Vedelius and of the Magistrate I found presently that the Author of this work was a mocker and dissembler Who had a smooth face but a hairy brest and a cunning Fox in his heart pretending that hee would write for the Dignity and Honour of Magistrates when as he seems chiefly to have aimed at the disgrace and obliquy of Princes and of our famous Vedelius I was much moved that such an unskilfull man should exonerate full carts and unlade the ballast of so many railing speeches against Princes and this worthy man without punishment so that like another Incendiary of Diana's Temple hee seemed to hunt for glory out of his evill actions That of the Poet came into my minde Many men commit the same fault but with divers successe The one obtaines a rope for his wickednesse the other a Crowne Neither was I ignorant of the reason why no man opposed himselfe to this mad man Bacchae baecchanâ— for who will pursue the winde who will seek for a permanent colour in the Chamelion This Author resembles the Quicksands of Leptis which Salust saith are changed with the windes so that I not without just cause resolved to let the man laugh at himself supposing that hee would become ridiculous enough by shaming himselfe Not long after falling into the company of a Wallachrian among other things I asked what kinde of man this Guillielmus Apollonii was Hee according to his naturall ingenuity brake out into an exorbitant commendation of the man saying That hee was the most learned of all the Ministers of Mâ—ddâ—ehurgh that his same was such that neither among the Wallachrians nor Zelanders was there any to bee found â—q all to him in acutenesse eloquence and memory That hee was borne at Trevere a small Sea Towne whose Father was Consull there and at last hee was chosen to bee chiefe Minister of Middleburgh There being possessed with emulation of his native Towne hee first did underhand indevour to intrap the Counsell-Table of Middleburgh then stomaching that his hopes failed him hee raged declaiming invectively in his daily Sermons against those who at that time were chiefe Governours of the Town condemning their life manners actions and speeches at last hee became so bold that asking leave to speak hee did upbraid them to their faces that they had forsaken the Church and had secretly gone about to betray Her The Magistrates of Middleburgh being no whit moved hereat for they knew that out of pride and madnesse hee spewed out this venome against Vedelius And not being contented to rely on this Engine he sent over to the English a proofe of his Learning and Studies hoping by spreading his fame every where abroad to obtain at length a glorious name which hee had long eagerly desired or if this hope failed him hee should at least satisfie his own minde whilest upbraiding all Civill Governours in generall with slavery hee should tacitly speak evill of his own Magistrates Concerning the private condition of his life This Wallachrian said that hee was a Citizen a Husband a Father a Minister much after the rate of other men That some peevish people did carpe and maunder that hee was so taken up with State-matters as that he could not attend to lesser businesse That hee did altogether neglect the poore and the sick these things he left to his meaner sort of Brethres reserving for himselfe the care of Rich men and their Tables and their Counsels about worldly businesse with the Guardianship of Puples and Schooles nor was hee unfit to make a Courtier of if ecclesiastique and Civill Offices could bee exchanged for a reasonable gain Lastly That hee was a man for all times and occasions but that hee weighed every thing in his golden weights being greedy of the world so that they mock him with Euchion in Plautus For tying a * Bellowâ— bagge to his throate in the night least perhaps hee should loose some of his breath whilst hee slept But these are the blasts of fame which no man so Seraphicall as hee can avoyd I having learned these things by chance and considering that when men are most apt to beleeve they are most apt to be deceived I thought it a thing intollerable that this Apollonius whatever hee were should without punishment spit and pisse into the face and ashes of so eminent a man and our speciall friend If hee can rellish nothing but what is salt so that hee can put no difference between sweet and bitter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being bred to eate Lobsters or Sea Locusts and accustomed to puddle water or to Sea mudde Shall it therefore bee lawfull for him to prescribe bounds for such high matters and impudently to bray like an Elephant against the labours of such great men whilst I was thus musing at
last the Majesty of our States the dignity of our University and Place and the honour of our worthy Vedelius did so farre prevaile with mee as that I should briefely vindicate him not that I think it any credit for me to lay hands upon Apollonius what honour can I have to struggle with impudency it self and to seek for sound braines in him from whose pen and lips not onely Wisdome but also Truth it selfe being affrighted is fled My intention onely was good Reader that thou mightest see those things to be most false with which Apollonius doth belye our Worthy Vedelius and his owne Spirituallity and that Apolionius is not the man whom by his vapouring speeches he braggs himselfe to bee amongst the English and Belgicks Farewell WILLIAM APOLLONIVS HIS STILTS CHAP. I. THE Poet elegantly playes upon Thraso Hee that hath the wit which is in thee will by words ascribe to himselfe that honour which another man obtaines with great paines So Apollonius Vapours not only amongst the Walachrians but amongst the Hollanders also and our Frislanders and likewise amongst the Britans so that now Leyden must not trust with Church affaires any more such as Salmasious Tryglandius Polyander Spanhemius nor must our Freezlanders trust such as Sybrandus Amesius Macovius nor Vtricht such as Voetius and Matius neither must the English trust such as Whittaker Reynolds Morton Fox and Iewell for whom they have already mourned except Apollonius the great inspectator and arbitrator of Church businesse rule the rost and like a Sun beam shine over all Truly you are one that have few fellowes whom not only the Parliament but the King also doth highly honour who trusts you with all his councels and I warrant you delights onely to eate and drink with you Our Netherlands would become mouldie our justice-seats ruinous and all the strength of Christs Spouse would pine away if Apollonius did not puffe up his own cheekes and croak every where Physignathus Truly Apollonius your enthymemes may be easily slighted and the smoak of your folies dissipated nor is their any thing in your papers so valid which may not of its own accord tumble down yet because you cease not to play the Crow by your impertinent chatting and impudently to insult Cornicari Ex hoc mustaceo laureolam I will do my best to make it knowen what a brave fellow you are so that you may securely expect for this your trifling peece a crown of Bayes at least or a triumph but be not angry I pray that Anonimus pulls you by the eares there are sometimes just causes of concealment It was some honour and incouragement for those five weake Kings to dye by the hands of warlike Joshuah Josh 5. It 's mere glorious oftentimes to strike privately at him whom we place beneath our arger therfore be not curious to know who speakes but what is spoken and to that priek up your eares First let the reader observe that the hills of Haemon are not fuller of Snow then this hodg-podge of Apollonius is of rayling against all good men so that it were both an endlesse and an unprofitable labour in me to use retaliation seeing hee is so luxuriant in this ranck kind of corne I purpose not to prosecute his fooâ—eries in all places I were as good dig through Isthmus as to number up all his dissemblings impudencies impertinancies tautologies railings improprieties and I may say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 childish solocismes neither will I interrupt the true stating of the question with such trifling chantings I will first briefly touch his facetious conceits wherein he takes no small pleasure And first for his simplicity and modesty never any Davus acted his part better when hee would have himselfe be everie where accounted Oedepus Behold his fine beginning He wrote a Book intituled The right of Majesty in holy things As if he were to yeeld some kind of power and dignity to the Magistrate in modern Church businesse whereas on the contrary he aimes at nothing eise but to upbraid Magistrates with nullity carnall inability and base slavery in Church-go-vernment and that in a tempest of railing speeches * See the Preface He confesseth presently in the beginning that being unaccustomed he hath put pen to paper I might be truly saith he accused of temerity that I will meddle with that cause which deserves a better patronage then my abilities will afford under this vizard of modesty he tells us a story as if he had undertaken this task to write against his will he saith that casually Vedelius his book was brought and read to him and that a certain learned man meaning doubtlesse himselfe for who is worthy of this honour but Haman did note and read to the Wallachran Classes many false passages and if his report be true then the Wallachran Classiaries did with as great ease applaud his trifles as one Mule bites another for they all condemned his Book as hurtfull injuryous to Christ and too inconsiderately published by the Authour and that the priviledges and sacred rites of the Church were unworthily trampled on by Vedelius therefore the Classes resolved least the poyson should spread any further that presently it should be answered so this growing evill suppressed who sees not now what it is this fable aimes at there was no stage-player fitter to act this Comedy then Apollonius who like another Sosia in Plautus was trying the weight of his fists against Vedelius therefore he addes that the Classiares whom he was bound in conscience to obey had imposed on him this taske that he should publsh this dainty patched stuffe nor doth he leave any thing that may colour this fiction of his fidility and modesty The Wallachran Classis Deputie saith he very attentively I warrant you read over both the Tomes and did fully approve them for they subscribed their names * Jodocus Larenus Isacus Horenbequius c. by whose Patronage Apollonius growing insolent in his pamphlet of considerations indeavoured to thrust such monsters on the English using the subscription of the same Patrons to which also were added here the names of Jacob D'herde president of the Classis and Maximilian Ieeling Minister of Midleburgh so that now we need not doubt but that Apollonius is begot of Jupiters Brain who may not without cause say to himself it is too great a misery to be too learned they importune me they wooe me they send for me that they may but see me truly he knows not against what a brave man he speaks who will offer to say that Davus of Trever did faigne all these things The Orator of old spake elegantly against Rullus the Caviller Who pleaded the cause Rullus who made the Law Rullus who was the moderator of the Assembly the same Rullus If Apollonius brings not out his fictions the handfull of the Wallachran Classiaries have betrayed their supine carelesnesse I le warrant you other Classis were quiet
the prescript of Christs lawes But most specially the word Church signifieth the Congregation of all that have been or shall be saved from the beginning to the end of the world which is the heavenly Jerusalem that Iohn saw Rev. 21. to which appertain many Jewes and innumerable Gentiles Concerning this Church so did many Fathers write Austine thus De Catechud de C. 20. The Citizens of heavenly Ierusalem are all sanctified men who have been are or shall be The forme of this Church consisteth in a true union with Christ by Faith being spirituall mysticall and indissoluble which the holy Ghost expresseth divers wayes chiefly when he calls her Christs mysticall body of which he is the head and every true beelever a member and as it were flesh of his flesh Oftentimes also this Church is called The Spouse and Wife of Christ to signifie the true and inseparable conjunction and most fervent love of Christ to those that truly beleeve To this last Church properly belong these famous Encomiums that she is One Catholick Holy Spirituall Clean without spot or wrinkle that she is not of this world but heavenly that Christ for her hath shed his blood and prayed for her not for the world that she cannot erre or fall away because the gates of hell cannot prevail against her The ancient Papists and Jesuites that they might advance the dignity of the Romish Church among ignorant people Bell. de Eccles Milit. l. 3. c. 21. use to confound these acceptions acknowledging no other Church but the externall and visible the form of which they place in outward profession and government but specially in this That they are united in government under one head the Bishop of Rome which indeed is a meere fiction or Chymera long since exploded by Divines Nor is it to no purpose that the Popes creatures have found out this device fet by this trick they draw men superstitiously to admire and honour their Church in that they cry out every where that she is the Body Spouse House and Kingdome of Christ which cannot faile or erre out of which there is no salvation and infinite such passages which are true onely of the Invisible Catholick and true Church but not of any externall and visible nay not of all the visible together if it were possible they could be all united For outward and visible Churches do no lesse many times differ from the true and invisible then a Swines-stigh doth from a pure Flocke of Sheep or a chaste Spouse from an impudent Whore For all times have taught us that the externall Congregations of men worshipping God under the old and new Testament are subject to many vices and errours which was not only manifest in the Churches of Corinth Rev. 2. c. 2. of the Galatians in the Apostles time but also in those Asiatick Churches to whom Iohn in the Revelation writes who were not then only ballasted with vice and errours but also shortly after fell away totally The small Congregation of the Apostles gathered by Christ was not so pure but had one amongst them who at last was known to be a Divell the child of perdition Truly if externall and visible Churches either each one or all be the Body and Spouse of Christ will not they bestow on Christ a very impure and deformed Spouse which is burdened with so many rotten members of the Divell Bellarmine that he might avoyd this absurdity feignes that those wicked men are not properly true members of the Church but are to be esteemed as nailes and haires I wonder he doth not tell us of lice also running among the haires of Christs Spouse Indeed the Jesuits Fables concerning the Church and Spouse of Christ are improper when they give her such an ugly head of haire intangled and made up of wicked men and sonnes of hell much like the disease among the Polonians called Plica For if the wicked be the haires of Christs Spouse it must follow that the haires of Christs Spouse must be burned with everlasting fire which indeed were monstrous and abominable that Christs Spouse should have a head like Mednsa's whose hairs were infolded with snakes for it is plain that in the visible Church oftentimes are found not onely Lay-men but Clergy-men also that are the very generation of Vipers if all these are in the Church of Christ as haires the Spouse of Christ should not be pure and faire but deformed and laden with an ugly head of haire consisting of the sonnes of Satan Other Jesuits say that these wicked men are in the Church Body and Spouse of Christ not as members and parts but as corrupted humours and imposthumes but the same absurditie will arise For this is known that visible Churches for the most part doe consist of hypocrites and wicked men but how absurd is this that Christ should have such a Body such a Spouse which continually hath putrid soares running which hath every day filthy imposthumes growing and sordid ulcers still increasing which will hardly be healed up into a skarre I confesse that sometimes the title of Holinesse and other notable Elogies are given to the externall congregations of Christians but this is spoken either improperly or because of Gods worship exercised among them or else out of the judgement of charity because of the elect and true beleevers found in these Congregations So we call that a â—eap of corn where some good corn is found though the most part be chaffe tares and filth But hee who will bragge that there is as much purity and worth in such a heap as in a heap of clean corn purged from chaffe and filth is an Impostor and deserveth to be laughed at This is the first faliacy which the Jesuits admit in the word Church that they might draw men into a superstitious reverence of the visible Romish Church This new Popish Walachran with his fellowes harp altogether upon the same string that they may induce men to admire their visible Church he distinguisheth indeed exactly between the Church visible and invisible and he shewes in many pages that those notable priviledges doe properly and onely belong to the invisible not to the visible Church But this he seems to have done cunningly to deceive the English as if he dissented from the Papists whereas he is indeed every where the Popes Champion fighting with his weapons for he transferres all the praises and priviledges of the invisible Church upon the visible for through all his hodge-podge against Vedelius he speaks of the right government in the visible Church of the power and offices of the visible Church as publick preaching and praying administration of the Sacraments calling to the Ministery censure and publick excommunication the giving of lawes and finally the whole furniture of the outward Ministery which every one knowes to be the externall and visible businesse of the visible Church yet he every where commends this Church calling her the House Body and Spouse of
to be called Spiritual what the Holy Spirit doth or commandeth either by himselfe or mediatly For so the workes of Creation and all naturall things should be called Spirituall and so must all mans civill and naturall actions be called There is then another condition required to make a thing spirituall namely that it tend to the worship of God and salvation of soules These are Hope Charity but chiefly Faith and its seed Gods word then the reading and preaching thereof prayers Sacraments and their use and whatsoever God hath appointed for his worship and for begetting and strengthening of Faith And here again I will shew how Apolonius rageth with hatred as Papists doe against Magistrates The old Papists have perswaded Christians long since that matters of salvation and of holy worship belong not to Princes as being lay-men because they cannot attaine to that end but that these onely belong to Church-men as being spirituall by which cunning they first exempted themselves from the Civill power and then subjected Lay-men and Princes to their Church as all know This new Walachrian Papist walkes upon the same Stilts For hee sayth plainly We think that the Civill power can never bee drawn out of its owne kind and elivated to another end to be produced by it selfe Part 1. p. 47.49.52 c. which is not wholly naturall He also every where affirmes That the end of the Magistrate is not yea cannot nor must not be the procuring of mens salvation Ye he saith it is Pelagianisme for any to affirme that the Magistrate as a Magistrate can doe any thing towards the procuring of mans salvation but that he is worldly and is to medle onely with the things of this world As for salvation it is the sole worke of Church-men as being solely spirituall In this hee doth not onely play the Papist in removing godly Magistrates so farre from this spirituall end in procuring salvation but also openly resisteth the truth which he might have learned out of Calvin Calv. 2. in 1 Tim. 2.2 who compares Magistrates to the earth and plainly sayth that the propagation of Religion depends no otherwise from them then the producing of Corn from the earth Now every one knowes that the end and proper effect of the earth is to produce corne so that he who will now perswade us that the earth brings not forth corne and that it conferres nothing to this production or that this production is no wayes the end or effect of the earth will make himselfe ridiculous to Husband-men and Children Yet that is not made Spirituall whatsoever by Consequences depends upon this end or by winding or doubtfull wayes tend to this end We see this consequentiall dependencie of spirituall things to have been under the Leviticall Priesthood The Temple was holy and spirituall from this flowed the Spirituality of the Levites which served in the Temple From their spirituality came the spirituality of their garments and of the Temples utensils and lastly the touching of all things which were made sacred because they served for the worship in the Temple which though according to Gods prescript they were thus accounted I doubt not but the succeeding Levites added many things to increase their Spirituality which wee know were not of the same esteem The old Papists in multiplying of spiritualities did not onely imitate but also in many things exceed the Levites so that among them not onely is that spirituall which immediatly and primarily tends to the end of salvation and worship but whatsoever also hath reference to this end though a-farre off is in a manner honored with the same priviledge of Spirituality by them For example The Pope with them is most spirituall Hence whatsoever hath relation to the Pope as to the end is also spiritual So his Crown Keyes Cloake Shooes Hose Conclave Servants yea almost his Concubines Mules and Asses are accounted for holy and spirituall The Masse with them is chiefly spirituall From this every thing that hath relation to it as to the end is also spirituall Such are the Place Challice Water-Box Altar Veile Pictures Gifts Priest Deacon and whatsoever hath reference to this end though never so remotely The new Walachrian Papists are yet sitting upon their egges of spirituality if their Chickens be well hatched we shall have a wonderfull brood of Spiritualities at this day these are reckoned for spirituals at least not to be touched to wit right to preach and pray publickly to administer the Sacraments to censure to call to make Church-laws the right of Synods and Dependencies and which Apolonius lately hath hatched the power of collecting and distributing of Almes of each whereof I will hereafter speak This is sure that whatsoever God hath appointed for the salvation of soules is spirituall but if it bee collected from hence that all these things are spirituall which are referred to this as to the principall end there will arise a million of Spiritualities As if one would say the Bread in the Sacrament is spirituall because ordained by Christ for a spirituall use Hence some curious Caviller should doubt whether the Wheat of which the bread is made was not also spirituall Whether the Meale the Baker the Oven the Servant and Basket in which that bread was carried to the Consistory or whether the Keeper of it or Dish in which the Bread lay on the Table be not all spiritual For this vain Arguer will proceed the same way that Apolonius doth who faith that the use of the Supper is sacred and spirituall because of Christs â—â—â—ination and end will conclude that he also is eminently spirituall above all Preachers Proponents Doctors of Divinity Elders and Deacons because hee thinkes that by speciall right he may take that bread breake and distribute it If this intention of spirituality ariseth from the vicinity of the principall end then either some new Scotus must arise for these Walachrians or else Apolonius must be endowed with the Seraphicall Spirit of Scotus that he may unfold the quotlibeticall trifles which will arise in Walachria concerning the beginning end and degrees of Spiritualities an example of which I give in the Sacramentall bread for some will ask When will that Bread in the Supper first become spirituall Whether then when it is carried into the Consistory But so the Bakets Boy should be spirituall or else he shall prophane holy things because he toucheth that Bread Or is it then first when the Preachers being solemnly assembled in the Consistory they first tast the bread and wine to try whether it is made of good Corne and of a good relish And give me leave here to report what I heare of the Walachrian Divines whose custome is to meet the day before the Sacrament in their Consistory where they tast of the Loaves which are to be used in the Supper But because that dry spirituality would cheaâ— them and so stop their preaching spirit the wine of the Supper is brought by tasting of
the Pope useth to doe but experience shewes the contrary Lastly they are all destitute of the gifts of Miracles in which chiefly Apostolicall Spirituality did shine so that in this power they exceeded all others But I doe not think that it was ever found yet that at the prayers of Apolonius the Church did shake or that lying Ananias and Sapphyra did fall down dead It is not unlikely if he had the power or spirit of Elias to bring down fire from heaven but he would doe it and burn up all his Magistrates though there were fifty of them such is his heat against them This I l'e say briefly That Christ is too rich a King of Spirituall gifts to imploy such poore and naked Embassadours as these who have no Badge or mark of his Embassie except you 'l call him the Kings Embassadour who taking upon him the name of an Embassadour but wanting Letters of Credence and have nothing to shew for his Commission wil in a tumultuous way proclaime the Kings Lawes and in the mean while transgresse the Lawes and for his owne benefit oppose and mock the King What I have sayd of Persons may be observed of Things to wit that there are divers degrees of Spirituality according to the Manner so that in this regard a thing is more holy and spirituall This may be seen in the Jewish Church-government as in a type the Ark Propitiatory Breast-plate Cherubim and other things that were kept in the Holy of Holies were most sacred and spirituall because in them God was in a manner immediatly There was lesse spirituality in the Holy of Holies which contained these things Inferiour to this was the Holy Place whither all the Priests came and yet more inferiour was the outward Court whither all the people repaired then Mount Zion on which stood the Temple and at last Jerusalem within which all these were inclosed All these had not the same sanctity but in many degrees different and he had playd the Impostor who under the Title of a general spirituality had made all holinesse equal and promiscuously removed all from the secret places Now though the Leviticall worship be abolished and external or locall Spirituality yet this remaines in Christian worship and Church-discipline that there is not the same degree of Spirituality but much different in the Manner Gods word is most spiritual which most plainly favours of the Holy Ghost its Authour as being properly ordained for saving of soules Hence it is most true that all things found in this for salvation are most spiritual To this is next true Faith which proceeding from this seed alwayes savours of Spirituality and in whom it is found him it makes spiritual Inferiour to these are Hope Charity Prayer and Confession which borrow their spirituality from it Heb. 11. For without faith it is impossible to please God and consequently to be truly spiritual They differ also in this for these are common to Hypocrites and wicked men so is not Faith Inferiour to these are the outward meanes of begetting faith and other vertues in us such are Reading and preaching of the Word and administration of Sacraments which have this prerogative of spirirituality that they are the proper meanes to conferre salvation and to constitute a Church yet these are much inferiour in dignity to Gods word and Faith For these are of themselves and alwayes spiritual but those are onely spiritual actions so farre as they are conversant about the others as their spiritual objects but chiefly if they be in a lawful and spiritual way Lastly these things are inferiour in degree which in the Church-Discipline belong onely to the wel-being or properly which remove the evil being that may arise from confusion and scandal such are at this day the Calling of Ministers Discipline and appoynting of Lawes All which we see performed and handled by wicked men Nor are they absolutely required to the internal form of the Church because in some sort she may bee without them For so long doe they retaine spirituality as they doe exactly answer the Rules of holy Scriptures especially so long as they carry plainly the markes and Badges of the Holy Ghost as was in the time of the Apostles I have briefly touched the differences and degrees of Spiritualitie that I might resist the fraud of Popery For it was very familiar with old Papists to confound all the degrees of Spiritualitie and principally to vent for chiefe spiritual things their owne businesse and actions which they performe about these properly spirituall things For they despise Gods word which is most spiritual and their onely contention is of the right of handling this Word whence they arrogate power and command to themselves So they make small account of true Faith and truly faithfull men which indeed are truly spiritual but their main strife is about the right of ruling punishing and censuring those spiritual men and in this they place all spiritualitie so that to themselves alone they claime the right of Spirituality and exclude all Christians as Lay-men and not spiritual The new Walachrian Papist with them keeps equal pace For hee doth not place properly spirituality in Gods Word in true Faith and other things truly spiritual For hee knowes that these are common to all Christians but hee seekes all the pretext of spirituality in Actions which are imployed about these things especially in such as hee thinks belong onely to him and such as he is In whom although as they are now there is much carnality but very little spirituality yet hee croakes so proudly of these actions and of the right of performing them as if the whole summe or highest pitch of spiritualitie consisted in them whose Plea is all one as if a Levit of old had compared the sanctity of the outward Court or of Mount Sion to the dignities of the Holy of Holies or Ark within it For as to these the other were ordained so also from these they received all their dignity of holinesse But let this premonition suffice concerning the acceptions of Church Spirituality and Sanctity which in the following discourse I wil handle more at large CHAP. V. How farre these things belong at this day to Church-affaires and Government HItherto I have delineated the acceptions of these words CHURCH SANCTITIE and SPIRITUALITIE under which Cloakes the old Papists heretofore have and the new Walachrian Papists now doe insnare and delude the unwary the summe of which was that clamourously they bragge of the vertues and sanctity of the Church under the Title of Catholick Church and Invisible which doubtlesse is Holy and Spirituall But when they come to the matter they turne aside to visible and particular Churches which oftentimes differ as much in holinesse and spirituality as the Kings Closet doth in cleannesse from a Swines-stigh For this abounds with hypocrites sinners and prophane wretches Again when they boast of the vertues of the visible Church they handle the matter as if they
in expressing the one sense of hearing he hath not excluded the other Besides faith comes by hearing either publick or privat reading Therefore Augustine warned the godly that they pray often and read the Scripture For when we pray sayth he we speak to God when we read God speaks again to us The most holy Ecclesiastick meanes then to beget and preserve faith in us is the reading of the Scripture and it is so much the more excellent in that it is not subject to the will or command of any man but most purely conveyes to us the liquor of divine Truth as it were out of a Fountaine of such uncorrupted sincerity that by reason of this sacred Function alone Christ commanded to heare the Scribes and Pharisees in all that they shall say But Apolonius doth not much strive about this spirituality and priviledge because there is in it nothing imperious but servile rather not would hee cry out that his sacred things were prophaned if perhaps the Magistrate should use this office of reading but would rather say that it is a testimony of civil servitude no otherwise then of old the Gibeonites y for deceiving Ioshâ—a were commanded to minister Wood and Water to the true Priests and Levits Next to reading is preaching Stapleton and the Jesuites are so proud of the priviledge of this Function that they claim a power to themselves to save souls for thus they reason No man can be saved without faith no man can have faith without hearing Gods word no man can heare without a Preacher no man can preach except he be sent to send belongs onely to the Governours of the Church Therefore they conclude That the care and power of saving depends on them By which Title they insult over all as if they were lay men if they offer to enquire more narrowly of matters of salvation as if the businesse of heaven did not belong to such This errour Apotonins breathes every where using almost the same weapons that the Jesuites doe to wit that modern preaching is the sanctified and spirituall meanes and by spirituall right Ecclesiastick belonging onely to Ministers by their right of Vocation But for others especially for worldly Magistrates it is neither lawfull nor possible I confesse that preaching is in some fort holy and usefull for the Church but hee that will compare the manner of it as it is at this day with that of the Apostles he will compare the shadow with the body for they were truly inspired by God and taught by God furnished with all the gifts of Knowledge Tongues Miracles by Divine authority as Christs Embassadours they preached and faithfully dispensed the Mysteries of God God speaking by them and therefore they abstained from all pleasing allurements of Arts and humane affections But at this day whasoever declamatory Art is in preaching it proceedes of humane and secular precepts with that pomp that now nothing in the Church is thought handsous but what savours of Quintilians Tropes or of Aristotles Metaphysicks This is no new thing for shortly after the Apostles departure the subtilties of Philosophers unknown to the Apostles were made use of to edifie the Church withall but with this successe that these Arts brought more darknesse then light into the Church for they layd the foundation of many errours and chiefly of Antichristianisme then springing up Which humane Artifices are now vented with such pride that all the Majesty of Gods word consisting in simplicity is by them obscured For although there is some use of these Arts against contradictors of the truth yet we know by experience that more contenttions differences and errours are raised then abolished by them â—â—ther did the Church ever fight with better successe then when the adversaries were confuted with pure Scripture Now if there be such failings in their vertues what shall we say of their vices We find by experience that they are destitute oftentimes of all things requisite by Paul in a Bishop and being armed with impudent Fore-heads as we see in Apolonius they rush upon this work with such pride that they make themselves spirituall holy Christs Legats and in a manner the Apostles fellows whereas they labour not alwayes to furnish the pure milk of Gods Word but rather to vent their own affections inventions and fictions and that with such eagernesse and quarrelling that they can scarce abstain from railing Though these things were mended according to the manner and example of the Apostles yet I would say that Apolonius is swelled with Antichrian pride and so are all our new Papists who place more holinesse and speciall spirituality in their preaching work then was ever held of old under the Levitical law or after under the Apostles For albeit that all were debarred from sacrificing except the Levits yet no man was hindered from preaching neither Princes nor Lay-people Moses Joshua David Solomon and other Princes did preach publickly When Josaphat Josiah and other Kings restored the worship of God they sent Priests Levits to teach and so they did likewise Lay-men When Religion was restored under Nehemiah Esdras and the Levits taught but it is added that Inshua and some of the people did publickly read and teach If this was of such speciall right as the Ecclesiastick and Leviticall Office of sacrificing entring into the Sanctuary separating and discovering of Lepers and other things which God granted to the Priests and Levits why was it so promicuously granted to the people Who will not say that the Levits and Apostles were irreligious and tramplers upon their owne holy Function in giving leave so promiscuously for men to preach that they hindered no man from it either publickly or privatly if hee was apt This may bee shewed by many examples Luke 2.46 First when CHRIST being about twelve yeares of age disputed publickly in the Temple with the Doctors For though he might justly doe this having a Divine calling thereto yet the Scribes and Pharisees knew not so much And indeed they were too proud of the priviledge of their Chaire and of preaching to suffer any much lesse a child to meddle with their y Office of preaching had they known that it was not lawfull for any to preach without the solemnities of calling but simply perceiving the gifts and aptitude in Christ to teach not being sollicitous whether he was called or not did make no scruple in permitting him to teach Such another place there is in Luke Luke 4.16 when Christ being at Naâ—â—reth took the Book and read and then preached all his hearers admiring him with attention Whence I gather that then there was no such need of writings to shew their Orders and Callings to preach but any man might preach that was apt For it is most certain that Christ had no ordinary vocation without which if it had been then so sacrilegious a thing to preach as Apolonius would now perswade us doubtlesse they had pulled Christ out of the Pulpit whom the Scribes and
Pharisees would not acknowledge for an extraordinary Prophet The like we read of Paul who on the Sabbath day at Antioch Acts 13. being unknown first heard the reading then the Rulers of the Synagogue sent to him saying Men and brethren if you have any word of exhortation to the people say on Upon which occasion he made an excellent Sermon there If then the sanctity of preaching had been sostrict sure it had not been so easie a matter for Paul to preach without controlment Apolonius in some places shewes at large that Paul was known there For out of his singular skill in Scripture he thinkes that this was Antioch of Syria where hee was well known But hee is shamefully deceived and feeds his Reader with falshoods For Luke expressly sayth that this was not Antioch of Syria but of Pisidia where hee was not yet knowne for that lyeth in Syria over against Cyprus about the Bay of Issicum by the river Orontes But this of Pisidia was over against Attalia at the foot of Mount Taurus and is distant in longitude from the other at least an hundred miles Hee is then as much deceived as if he had confounded Lyons with Leyden which errour is so plain that children may find it out and surely it is not to be suffered in a man so higly puffed up and presumptuous who like a Scribe or Pharisee durst prescribe to the English what they thought of doubtfull and abstruse things when he saw not that which was before his feet For because he knew that this would hinder his fiction if Paul being a stranger should be admitted to preach there he found no readier way then to confound that which the holy Ghost had so exactly distinguished either out of ignorance or out of â—â—lice which he might have easily seen by the circumstances if hee had not shut his eyes For they are sayd to have sat down Then That the Rulers of the Synagogue sayd to them c. For if this had been that Antioch of Syria where he was known they had not suffered him to sit so farre from the Rulets as an ordinary man among the people Therefore they onely conjecturing that Paul had the gift of preaching did not much enquire of the precise and speciall right of calling So the Fable in Aesop may be fitly applied to him of the Asse affecting principality over the other beasts hee covered himselfe with the Lyons skin at which sight the beasts were affrighted but the cunning Foâ— laughed to see how he betrayed himselfe by his long eares and voyce For he brayed like an Asse and did not roare like a Lion I thinke the learned English did no otherwise laugh when they saw this Night-bird with such authority determining of all sacred things as if he were some great Councellor of holy matters whom they found to lye in so plain and ordinary things The like we read of those of Beraea Acts 17. who not knowing of Pauls vocation and finding his doctrine consonant to Scripture did easily acknowledge him for a Teacher There is a more evident example in Apollos Act. 18.24 who being an Alexandrian was admitted to preach at Ephesus being known by no priviledge of vocation but onely famous for this That hee was cloquent and powerfull in Scripture except you will confesse that the hands of the Presbytery were layd upon one unfit and not sufficiently learned For it is known that he had no solemne vocation for the holy Ghost records that Aquila a Mechanick and Priscilla his wife after they had heard him a-part to have taught the way of the Lord more perfectly which differs much from Apolonius his speciall sanctity of preaching who not onely would have kept off Apollos from preaching but if Aquila the Mechanick and Priscilla a woman had dared to instruct him not onely would he have gruntled but with his Rod and Pastorall Sword he had thrust him out of the Church and had it been in his power out of heaven too This case also is notable Acts 11.20 that certaine Cyprians and Disciples of Cyrone being dispersed by the death of Stephen preached to the Greekes at Antiâ—ch as it were in a private zeale which appeares y from hence because the Church of Jerusalem hearing suddenly of this sent Barnabas thither that hee might enquire as of a thing unknown Neither doth it appeare that he made any enquirie concerning their speciall right of Calling but seeing the effects of their Doctrine and the grace of GOD hee rejoyced and approved their endeavours These things being thus performed by the Apostles doe agree with the ordinary institution of teaching in the Church which was that every one that was apt might have leave to teach and prophesie in the Church so it be done orderly one after another onely women were to bee debarred from this exercise for the better decorum Whence it is cleare that under these great divinely-inspired Rulers of the Church the mystery of preaching was not of such speciall right and spirituality as the Treverian Stilt-walker with the Papists would make us beleeve But by a pretty cavill he would faine escape For he distinguisheth between Charitable or Edifying preaching as hee calls it and powerfull or potestative which is with the power of the Keyes and of Gods Legats that sayth he is lawfull for all this onely for Ministers as Gods Legats This invention of his though childish yet I will discusse at large because the businesse here agitate is not of Goats-wooll but of greatest authority in the World under pretence or at least presumption of which our moderne Preachers spue out their railings and reproaches against Princes States and their owne Magistrates and the Pope hath by this subdued the whole world whom the Stilt-walker imitating doth oftentimes urge that he is Christs Embassedour to the people By which he assumes such power to himselfe that he thinkes he preacheth with the same authority that Gods Messengers did so that he who heares him heares Christ who rejects him rejects Christ With which vizard if he deceive Gods people as the Pope hath done it will bee an easie matter for him to babble out his dreames and the affections or fooleries of his distempered minde in stead of Oracles To prevent this I will drive the Night-bird out of his dark holes where hee endeavours to hide his deceits I grant first that Christs true Legat hath very great priviledges and that his Authority is such that wee must obey him no otherwise then Christ himselfe But I deny this to belong to our modern Preachers though never so godly much lesse to the Stilt-walker to be Christs Messenger For to obtain the right of Christs Embassâ—dour two things are required First that he be sent by God to discharge his Embassie in Gods Name Secondly that he be furnished with Gifts requisite for this employment Which two things God hath inseparably united in his Embassâ—dours Hence it is that Paul sayth How shall they preach except
then Gold is like Drosse For the old Censure first instituted by GOD and used by the Jewes was practised by Apostolicall Churches and that by the command of Christ and his Apostles This consisted first in verball reprehension which all were bound to exercise and that by divine right Levit. 19.17 Heb. 3.13 1 Thess 5.11 12 13 14. Secondly in Separation when they withdrew themselves from their company and avoyded the conversation of such as were not bettered by admonition and reprehension Mat. 18.15.16 1 Cor. 5.9.10 11. Which separation was made for two causes First that by this the contagion of sinne might bee avoyded Secondly that the sinner seeing himselfe despised might be ashamed and so might hence take an occasion to repent The Jewes in Christs time by vertue of this Censure alone debarred Publicans and sinners from their companies in privat whom they could not keep out of the Temple who therefore reproved Christ because he did eat and drink and keep company with Publicans and sinners whose institution Christ did not absolutely reprove but corrected shewing that it was not simply unlawfull to converse with Publicans and sinners but lawfull when any furnished with the gifts of instructing admonishing and reproving like a Physitian cures them of their evils and spirituall maladies This Doctrine Paul urgeth 2 Thess 3.6.14 where hee teacheth that we must not converse with them who live disorderly that being by this separation contemned they might be ashamed but that they should bee excommunicated out of the Church or debarred from Divine worship and meanes of salvation wee read not in Scripture but rather to admonish them to reprove them as brethren but not reject them as enemies And as he teacheth in 2 Tim. 2. v. 25. we must use them with lenity although they make resistance This is the ancient Censure grounded on Divine Precepts and the practice of Antiquity of most Divine right and most fit to remove sinne and scandall out of the Church which had it continued all Ecclesiastick tyranny had been removed out of the Church neither had so much carelesnesse and contagion of scandals fallen among Christians especially their Rulers For each Christian being sollicitous of his own and neighbours salvation by admonishing reproving and separating them when need required hee had removed from his brethren sinnes and scandall yea even from the Doctors themselves by right of this fraternity as we see how Paul reproved Peter when he walked not uprightly and how Aquila and Priscilla did instruct and admonish that famous Teacher Apollos But now here we see the Churches infelicity for the Pride of the Doctors especially among Papists hath taken away this old Censure because it gave too much power to all and singular Christians whom they began to account for Lay-men and thought it unworthy that the care of great businesse should be committed to every member of the Church But Clergie-men took all this upon themselves and made that Office peculiar to themselves which God had granted to all and singular Whence arise these mischiefes which we see this day in the Church First in that the common sort of Christians laying aside all care of the Church and holy mysteries give themselves totally over to worldly businesse leaving the Office of censuring to Ministers altogether Secondly in that the Clergy are so puffed up with this prerogative that they thinke themselves the onely Judges of censures and Manners and that they are armed with such power as if they could by divine priviledge open and shut heaven bind and loose and make of a Christian a prophane man and a Publican which perswasion as soon as it possessed mens minds it first brought Ecclesiastick tyranny into the Church and at length begot Antichristian Popes who by this power of censuring hath subjected to himselfe all Christians especially the Kings of the earth As we may see in that wicked Hildebrand of whom we spoke before who about the yeare 1080. forced Henry the fourth Emperour a man of a degenerate spirit and who had committed adultery with the Whore of Babel Platina to make a journey bare-footed through Ice and Snow to him being then at Canassa where for three dayes togother he did humbly intreat to bee admitted which he could not obtaine without the intercession of dishonest Mythildes and her Ruffians by whose mediation he was admitted at last to fall down at that wicked Popes feet and to receive pardon I confesse at this day the Popes pride is not so great because out of the Revelation wee are taught that many Kings now forsake the Whore and spoyle her But whatsoever he doth at this day in his intollerable pride he doth it under the sole Title of the Sword and of the power of Censuring whose thunder-bolt is Excommunication And though this mocker of all holy things knowes and beleeves that this his thunder is not more valid then a Fart yet he perswades the timerous superstitious people and they beleeve him that it is a thing of great spirituality and force So that one who was too superstitious seeing with what pomp excommunication was denounced at Rome cried out that doubtlesse hee was thrust out of heaven whom the Pope thus excommunicated For he is a pleasant Actor in this Play which is performed with strange running up and downe of Church-Ruffians and the Popes Parasites with great jangling of Bells with a wonderfull kindling of fires and Torches and a sudden putting of them out and although in this he doth nothing but what with as great dexterity is performed daily by Stage-players in their Tragedies yet by a fatall efficacy of error he hath so prevailed with Princes that they beleeve him to be a most holy Father whom they see and often confesse to be a most wicked knave and that his excommunication is a matter of wonderfull force and sanctity albeit they know that hee debarres them not from heaven but from their earthly goods except they resist him by force of armes The chiefe places out of which heretofore the Antichristian Gyants did beat out the Popes Ecclesiastick thunder of the greater Censure are these Matth. 16.19 Matth. 18.17 18. Iohn 20.21 23. 1 Cor. 5.4.5 and that is of chiefe account which Christ promised to Peter in giving him the Keyâ—s of the Kingdome of Heaven that is power to forgive and retaine sinnes and to bind that in Heaven which is bound on earth this is commonly thought to bee given to Peter and the Bishops of Rome by speciall priviledge with which Title the Pope is so proud that he carries the Keyes in his Armes as if he were that Door-keeper or Claviger of hell mentioned in the Revelation and so ascribes to himselfe alone as being Peters successor this power of the Keyes By the perswasion of this superstion he hath subjected the whole world to him For so he threatens that hee will shut Heaven gates against all those who will not obey him The Walachriah Stilt-Walker being instructed in the
Popes school he trumpets out every where the power of the Apostolicall Keyes with so great pride of Jurisdiction and of commanding power that the Popes Keyes and those of Apolonius seem to bee made by the same Vulcan which want nothing but a little better polishing which in time will be done For who ever will turne over the Papists writings and these of Apolonius shall see that whatsoever the Pope proudly bragges of concerning his Hierarchy in the right of Peters succession the same doth Apolonius and the new Walachrian Papists proudly challenge in right of Apostolicall succession Nor do I deny but this hath been too common among divers reformed teachers to be somewhat superstitiously affected with this right of the Keyes and of Excommunication which is not to be wondred at seeing some of the Reformers had been bred in the Romish Church whose Botchers shop was filled with such old trash of Jurisdiction it could scarce be otherwise but that the most part being born there must smell of that mother But afterwards some others treading in their foot-steps and prouder then the former did too much advance this Ecclesiastick power of the Keyes So that we must confesse it hath fallen out with many Reformers as it doth with those who goe about to purge out the Garlick which they have eate who though they doe what they can to purge and remove it yet they cease not to smell more or lesse of it This may bee seen in many chiefly in our Walachrian Stilt-walker who above all others delighting in the menstruous blood of his Romish mother and smelling so rank of it boasts so proudly every where of the power of the Keyes that you shall scarce find his equall whose fooleries that I may now refell this I say That there is nothing more certaine then that Christ in promising the Keyes to Peter and the Apostles did conferre on them no vulgar thing but what was both new rare and excellent and by which he would exalt them above humane reach as it were when he gave them this power of heavens Keyes Whence it is not likely that by these is meant so small and easie a matter as the Church at this day exerciseth For what great or rare matter is this if a Church-Ruler or Preacher say at this day the Kingdome of Heaven is open to thee if thou beleeve if thou beleevest not it is shut against thee Not onely was this the ancient preaching but almost every ordinary man in the Church can say so Yea whoever reads the Scripture or heares but a childe reading them hee exerciseth this judgement of himselfe and useth the Key For if he see any disobedient hee will judge that heaven is shut against him if hee repent not If again hee see him convert he will judge that heaven is opened and so will use this Key Neither must Church-men think that they have now more power in using this Key For we finde by experience that Clergy Assemblies Consistories Classes or Synods are no more powerfull in denouncing this judgement then any private man being intent on the thing and carefull to search out the truth so that wee find by experience that one Lay-man hath judged better and hath made better use of this Key then a whole Synod For though Apolonius prate much concerning the speciall assistance of the holy Ghost yet we finde no other effects thereof then what the Pope boldly bragges concerning his infallibillity and yet hee is the lyingest faisister that ever the world saw So then these Church-men are very oftentimes deceived who bragge so much of the power and certitude of the Keyes Let Apolonius witnesse then which no man is a more impudent bragger of this power of the Keyes except the Pope and yet by his preaching Key he hath produced so many lies that he may seem to carry not the Key of Heaven but of Hell with Apollion And that you may not think this to be a personall errour except he will also â—e in this lo the whole Walachrian Classis hath coÌ„ ented to these fictions so that hence appears the false judgement of the Church in the use of the preaching Key because not onely it is not of greater force then a private Christian mans iudgement but oftentimes of lesse validity For at this day the iudgement of Church-men is so corrupted with affections that we may beleeve many whom they condemn to hell shall surely enioy heaven and on the contrary they shall goe to hell whom they iudge worthy of heaven by their Key How ever the matter be it cannot be evidently proved that now Church-men have any greater power in using the Keyes of Heaven then any particular member of the Church whilst in their Sermons their threatnings and promises of life eternall are conditionall Whence it is not likely that Christ gave so little right as this to the Apostles under the glorious title of the Keyes of heaven and of so solemne a promise but that there was in this some high matter and peculiar to the Apostles onely which I place in this because they were the first Heralds of salvation performed now by Christ and of heaven opened by him which was never proper before nor after to any of Gods Embassadours Before the work of salvation was performed salvation was hoped for but then heaven was in a manner shut as yet After Christs Ascension it was truly opened And this priviledge the Apostles had that they were the first witnesses hereof Besides before that time heaven was shut against the Gentiles who as it were by a partition wall were debarred from entring thither so that no man nay not the greatest Prophets before this had power to open heaven promiscuously to all Gentiles the Jewes being forsaken This matter was so high and rare that even the Apostles though illuminate by Gods Spirit came to know this when it was late and not without Miracles too which being understood they without wearisomnesse by a divine wonderful rapture contemning all dangers carried the Gospel almost through all the world so that Thomas himselfe as grave Authours witnesse preached and travelled as farre as India Which indeed was notable and nothing else but the opening of heaven To this was added their infallible power of preaching that they sayd nothing but by Gods prescription For the preaching Key which Christ promised and gave to his Disciples was so excellent and divine that with it he gave unto those first Patriarchs of the Church graces by which they delivered the truth infallibly so that not onely did they shew Heaven opened but by their infallible doctrine as with a Key did open it to every one and declared it infallibly by their divine power of judging to whom it was opened or shut so that what they bound and shut on earth was truly bound and shut in heaven And contrarily This power after the Apostles ceased For what they once opened remaines open nor can it be shut again by any The Pope
conclude whereas both the Antecedents and Consequents and the whole context of Christs words doe shew that in this place hee did not institute a judiciall but a brotherly and charitable duty in the Church and that by the name of Church here hee understands all and each member of the Church It is ridiculous that the Walachrian Stilt-Walker with the Papists should be understood here who out of nothing or the ragges of old Popery which at length begot Antichrist hath gone about to erect so glorious and eminent a judiciall Ecclesiastick power to which Kings Princes and all worldly Potentates by divine and speciall right ought to submit themselves He brings elswhere other Reasons for his thunder of excommunication but I will not trouble my self to refell them lest I should mispend good houres whereas the understanding Reader may easily perceive of himself that now the power of the Keyes being taken away with that place Matth. 18. Tell the Church all his Reasons will of themselves fall to the ground There remaines only one main argument one which he spends almost 15. pages of his patched peece his Argument is this Part. 2. pag. 6. The Apostle saith hee writing to the whole Church of Corinth wills and commands that they being all assembled should deliver over to Satan the incestuous man 1 Cor. 5.4 5. Therefore the right and power of excommunicating contumacims sinners belongs to all particular Churches For as in his Assumption he is very liberall so hee supposeth that to deliver over to Satan is nothing else then after his manner to excommunicate Where first observe his fraud in making this Argument For thus he propounds it as if the Apostle had granted to that particular Church power to give over to Satan that Incestuous Corinthian simply Which being granted hee foresaw that this Argument would carry some shew of truth But this Walachrian Impostor deludes his Reader as he useth Because the Apostle doth not simply grant this power to the Church of Corinth for he wills though absent in body yet by the presence and assiance of his power and Spirit the Incestuous man to be delivered to Satan whom already he alone had adiudged to Satan as he himselfe witnesseth These things being cleared thus I will aske of the Stilt-walker What Logick hath taught him so to reason Paul gave power to one Church to excommunicate with the assistance of his Spirit and of his power Ergo Every Church can doe this by it selfe and without Pauls assistance or of his Spirit Here is no sequence and it is all one as if he would say the particular Church of Jerusalem with the assistance of the Apostles prescribed to all other Churches a Law to abstain from blood and things strangled Ergo the Consistory of Middleburgh at this day hath the same power over the other Churches Which consequence I know the Classes of Zealand will not admit yet they would easily grant this if in their Consistory in stead of Apolonius one Paul were president or any other Apostle But saith he the Apostle for this reason reproved the Corinthians that they had not removed the incestuous person And therefore it is plain that it was in their power to have removed that wicked man I answer this cannot be evinced out of that place of Paul because the words import no such matter He reproves them that they were puft up and did not rather mourn◠that he that had done this deed might be taken away Which forme of speech is all one as if he that hath been long and dangerously sick should be reproved by the Physitian for being so secure and carelesse in removing his disease For there were many things which the Corinthians might have done of themselves in removing of this great evill They might have signified this offence to Paul by letters and sought his advice and the assistance of his Spirit that that wicked man might be taken away But the Corinthians neglected all this in which respect they were not without cause sayd to be puffed up not to have mourned that he might be taken away who committed this wickednesse But saith Apolonius Paul warnes the Corinthians that they purge out the old leven And in the end of the chapter commands that they would cast out the incestuous person and judge of his ejection Ergo this was an ordinary act and in their power I answer that the Antecedent is not simply true for what the Apostle speakes of leven is not of removing the incestuous person but in these words he doth in generall onely exhort them to a good life as the Text sheweth Secondly Let us grant this that the Apostles words are meant of removing the incestuous person by what Logick again will hee evince that the busines which the Apostle enjoyns to the Corinthians was simply committed to be done by them as an ordinary act altogether in their power The Context shewes no so such thing but quite contrary He grants them power to judge but not without his own judgement hee will have them cast out this party but not without the assistance of his power and spirit because therefore the Corinthians could do many things concerning the outward circumstances of this act which Paul being absent could not doe therefore he himselfe enjoyned this action to them For they might have reproved him verbally and used many Imprecations against him they might have separated themselves from him all which things and perhaps more in exercising of this act did meet together but for the internall vigour of this act they of themselves could not produce or touch for it depended from the power of the Keyes by which Christ promised that should be ratified in heaven whatsoever the Apostles should here on earth determine concerning sinners the truth and effect of which promise because men had then found divers times by experience frō hence it was that this censuring power of the Apostles whether they exercised it alone or with the Church was alwayes and not without cause horrid and terrible not only to them who were to be cōverted but also to the refractory whose blasphemies he might have easily curbed as Paul speakes of Hymenaeus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1.20 Surely if the delivering over to Satan had been nothing else then a verball thunder out of the pulpit as at this day refractory men being thus excommunicate would have learned to blas pheme more as may be seen in Julian the Apostate and others after the Apostles departure and in divers at this day But saith the Stilt-walker it is not likely that Paul being absent could deliver over the incestuous man to Satan This is surely ridiculous in so great a Doctor who out of the History of Naaman 3 King 5. might have learned that the men of God furnished with the gift or Miracles did exercise their gifts not only neere at hand but also a farre off for Elisha cured Naaman being farre off from him why then could not Paul do the
same especially being present in spirit with them though absent in the body I saith he though absent in body but present in spirit have judged as being present c. And again You being gathered together and my spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus c. There was then besides the ordinary and brotherly Office of censuring a more grievous correction under the Apostles peculiar only to those divinely-inspired men by reason of their speciall gifts with which being then armen could when need was strike with blindnesse or death or deliver over to Satan stubborn and blasphemous sinners Now if Apolenius think himselfe by vertue of his vocation a Successor to this power we will expect that hee also will give sight to the blind feet to the lame raise the dead command the Divels and deliver mens bodies to bee tortured by them We may see by his Writings that if he could enjoy his own Genius sometimes he would revenge himselfe upon the civill Magistrate with this great Excommunication except they abstain from his Spiritualities But let him know that I doe not much feare if they be delivered over to Satan by him but let him rather feare lest if with Sceva's sonnes hee undertake this exorcisme rashly he heare the evill spirit say Iesus I know and Paul I know but Apolonius who be you So that he be forced to stye away with them having not onely lost his Stilts narrow Chapines but also stript of all his Cloathes Thus I have briefly set down what was the ordinary right of censuring in the Church appoynted by Christ and I have shewed that it was not Judicial or of speciall right but common and brotherly consisting in a verball and brotherly reproofe and in separation from privat Commerce I have shewn also that besides this common way of censuring there was under the Apostles a more heavy correction which they used not against any kind of sinner but onely against such as were infamous for stubbornesse or some heynous offence in troubling and polluting the Church of Christ which then was remarkable and truly divine as depending on the power of the Keyes and divine gifts of which there was such efficacie in those being inspired by God that whatsoever they intended against sinners was not onely ratified in heaven but on earth also had its effect This Apostolicall and terrible kind of censuring how ever it was necessary and usefull for the Church in its infancy whose beginnings Christ would not have to be maintained by the Sword yet he suffered this to dye with the Apostles untill at last it brought Kings themselves to yeeld subjection and of bloody persecuters made them the Churches Patrons preservers and nursing Fathers according as David Esay had prophesied before which being fulfilled a more rigid way of censuring was again revived in the Church by the ordinary power of Princes and Magistrates with which he armed them not onely for preservation of naturall society among men but chiefly to maintain the Church of Christ intire here on earth For though Princes lawes and punishments of themselves they pertain not to the conscience yet accidentally they build up and defend Christs Kingdome whilst they set up that outward and rigid discipline and help the Church against wicked and refractory men who could not by brotherly reproofe be taken off from the pollution of sinne and scandall So that now every man may see that the greater and lesser censures are nothing else but the filthy secundine of that impure mother of the Romish Church and spots cleaving to our Churches from that Nativity which notwithstanding this walachrian Impostor vents abroad for most holy and extells as most spirituall things But to him that will look narrowly it is cleere that all this judiciall and censuring businesse which is urged by the Walachrians and defended under a divine and most holy title is not instituted by Christ or his Apostles but by Man which being by the ancient Papists set out in divers dressings at last brought forth the Pope that great Antichrist and in short time among the Reformed will beget many Antichrists the contemners of civill Magistrates and Princes except they prevent this in time Heretofore divers of the first Reformers being holy and provident men did fore-see this who therefore did their best to extinguish this Antichristian Leaven as their Writings witnesse Therefore for their sakes who perhaps are ignorant of this I will here sub joyne what they have written concerning this matter which may seeme to make very much for our purpose The words of Gualter in a certaine Epistle of his to Carolus Ionvilleus of Geneva are these But if we must speak of excommunication that was never totally and generally condemned by us for it is commanded by our Lawes whereby they are excluded from our private societie and from the enjoying of our publike Pastours who despising publike and private admonitions doe not live according to the Rules of Christianity but that any should bee debarred from our holy Assemblies or the Lords Supper was never practised in our Church nor in many others which notwithstanding no man hitherto could justly accuse eyther for want of purity in Faith and Doctrine or for licentiousnesse of conversation For no man hitherto hath demonstrated by fit and firme arguments that that should be the Symboll of exclusion or Superstition which was ordained to be the meanes of conservation of the Churches unity for which cause the Antients called it a convention or meeting Therefore I wonder my most deare Ionvill why you should say that I bring in a new and unheard of Paradoxe besides all mens expectation in these calamitous times of the Church For why should that be called new or unheard of which hath been received in our Church now from the beginning full 50. yeares Surely Suinglius of blessed memory the first Reformer of Religion among the Helvetians hath written the same things expresly in his friendly Exposition to Luther which we at this day teach and think And though the same was most strictly joyned in friendship and love with Oecolampadius yet hee would never bring into the Church of Tigurum suspending from the Supper and afterward But what Bullinger my Master and reverend Father did think of this matter his Booke against the Anabaptists will abundantly witnesse and chiefly what he writes in c. 9. l. 6. c. What shall we neede to speak of Musculus who whilest the Churches of high Germany did flourish more then they do now taught in Ausburge and afterward in Berne with great applause He every where admonisheth Ministers to bee carefull rather to gather then to exclude any And hee so handles this matter upon the first of the Corinthians that it is cleere he is of our opinion I could adde to these the example of the Church of Constance c. and a little after in our age many learned and godly men have conferred about this matter often times and they have
conscience sake and hee warnes us to hearken and obey the Governours of the Church Hence they collect if the Magistrates lawes can bind the conscience whereby God will have us obey them then the Church laws also must bind Christian consciences for them also we are enjoyned to obey If I were to cut this knot I would say that there is great oddes between these two commands for the holy Ghost in plain tearmes commands every soule to obey the civill Magistrate for conscience sake As for Church-Rulers he commands honour and obedience to bee given to them but he doth not enjoyne every soule to this nor for conscience sake For those restrictions the maintainers of Papâ—â—â— Hierarchy doe attex or knit by their consequentiary threeds but to such consequentiary Divines it falls out as it doth to unskilfull accountants who reckoning with counters doe unskilfully transferre from one place to another the counter Whence proceeds so great a change in the summe that they are quite mistaken in the reckoning But my prime answer shall he this There is great difference between the obedience due to civill Magistrates and to Church-governours For God hath appoynted the former to be his Embassadours and Vicars upon earth and Gods in his name under which Tittle hee giveâ— them this power that not onely every soule but also for conscience is bound to obey them that is absolutely not onely as they command justly and lawfully but as they command Therefore he hath armed them with the sword that they may force men For if the civill Magistrate command things either just or Indifferent the subject is bound to obey for conscience If hee commands what is unjust the subiect is not bound to performe but to submit either by suffering the punishment or by flight but the obedience due to Church-Rulers is farre other for they are not to bee obeyed absolutely because they command but conditionally if they command lawfully For these Spirituall Rulers must be tried if they are of God or not For if they enter not in at the doore the straight way but unlawfully by a back-doore become Shepheards Captaines and Rulers they are not to be obeyed but reiected as hirelings and wolves Again if they enter in lawfully so that they sit with the Scribes in Moses his Chaire and yet wil mingle the leven of their Traditions they are to be avoyded as blind guides yea to be cast out as unsavoury salt and to be trod under foot Christ himselfe commanding as I will hereafter shew more fully so that here now we may see another Legislative Divinity quite different from that of the old and new Papists for the Pope hath long since perswaded Christians that every soule must be subject to him even of Princes as to the universal Steward of the Church and that for conscience sake they are bound to obey his Edicts absolutely for which end hee hath armed himselfe also with the temporal sword for he carries two that he may shew himselfe to be the transcendent sword-bearing power of Paul by which right he claimes to himselfe such absolute power in the Church that though sometimes he creeps in like a Fox and reignes as a Lion yet he will bee absolutely obeyed till he die like a Dogge The same is the ground of the Walachrian Jurisdiction For the Stilt-walker doth not on this lay the foundation of speciall and divine right of law-giving that hee is a lawfull Pastor and commands things lawful for so he should be subiect to every mans examination but upon this priviledge that hee is the Captain Leader Shepheard and Embassadour of Christ in which Authoritative and Regall power he so reioyceth that he openly confesseth the Magistrates themselves to bee subiect to his lawes and that it is not in their power to make Church-lawes so that hee doubts not to accuse them of tyranny if they presume of themselves to command Church-men or to question or abrogate Church-ordinances so that the Walachrian Papists chiefe drift is under pretext of legislative power to dominiere over Magistrates and to prescribe lawes not onely in Church but in civill affaires also as shall seeme best to the Walachrian supercilious spiritualities Many examples of this matter doth the Stilt-walker shew at Middleburgh whereof some I have mentioned already I will adde one more of which hee vapours much elsewhere in his patcht book Heretofore the Magistrates of Middleburgh as they say ordered that in the Church Organs should be used for regulating the tunes in singing of Psalmes This gave occasion to the Walachrian to â—reprove the Magistrate and as they say hee did shamefully in his Pulpit inveigh against this order shewing the indignity and erroneousnesse thereof to the people not without scoffs And because he was not ashamed to set down in this book the summe of his reasons which he impudently used against his own Magistrates it shall not be amisse by the way to refell them First he sayth very imperiously that this order is very repugnant to Divine Right and the Churches practice His prime argument is That Organs were used in the Iewish Temple whence he concludes that hee digges up againe Indaisme who brings Organs into Christian Churches How frivolous this reason is any indifferently learned may see For I ask if every thing used in the Jewish Temple be unlawfull in Christian worship I suppose he will not say so if he be wise For either there must be no Christianity or God must create new Elements for in the Jewish worship were not onely Organs Cymbals and Tymbrels but Gold also Silver Garments Silk Wooll Water Bread Wine and many other things He ought then to have declared more particularly what was precisely ceremoniall and not to be used when we see that every thing is not to be reiected He instanceth that Christians should at least omit these things which served for the worship of the Jewish Temple For because God destroyed that Temple he gathers by an unanswerable Argument as he calls it that what was used in the worship of that Temple was abolished and should be removed from Christian worship But here againe he feeds his Reader with toyes for if we must use nothing in Christian worship which was ordained for the Jewish worship why doth he use Churches In the worship of the Temple there were not onely Organs but the Book of the Law also and Water Bread Wine a Table an Ark Seats Pulpits Stones Linnen c. Why doth he not also desire the removal of these things The very singing of Psalmes is borrowed from the Jewish worship Epist ad Hooper sayth Martyr Why is not this also reiected by the Law-giver Apolonius He instanceth That Pipes and Organs are dead things and wind Instruments and as it were Rattles fit for such children and stiffe-necked people as the Iewes but these become not Christians I answer the Stilt-walker hath so little breath or spirit in his Assertions that he produceth nothing that hurts these pipes
or Jewish children For the question is still the same to wit if dead animal things used by the Jewes in their worship are to bee rejected by Christians in their divine service why doth hee onely remove Organs It is to be feared that if such another Night-bird grow as Apolonius that not onely Organs shall be taken away but Books also Tables Pulpits Deskes Garments and other things So that this Walachrian pratler will bee forced not onely to weary himselfe in standing but also immodestly to wander up and down naked This petty Law-giver then is too imperious against Magistrates who dares break in upon their right so rashly and Magisterially declare these things unlawfull which God hath not condemned but hath left free to Christians Besides the Harmony of Organs is usefull to hinder the confusion that many times is in singing The Magistrate indeed makes use of skilfull finging-men to regulate the tunes of the Psalmes but we find by experience that these are not sufficient to hinder the undecent confusion in singing Now if the Harmony of Organs be a decent help against this seandall who will not see that this Walachrian is a railing fellow who so injuriously rageth against Magistrates about an order not prohibited but of long continuance and profit Surely he that will but indifferently think that when there was no publick worship David did drive away the evill spirit from Saul by his musick On the contrary that Micha the Prophet stirred up the good spirit in himselfe He will confesse with me that Christian Minds may be cheered and modestly excited in divine worship as well by the musick of Organs as of voyces So then by this example we may see what wil be the end and effects of this holy and free legislative Church-power for which the Stilt-walker in Walachria doth so much contend to wit that some spirituall Night-bird out of idlenesse and his itching pride may whilst he is farting in his study conceive the creame of some new spirituality and then in his superlatively sacred Consistorial Affembly by the Cockes egge of contention to which presently the Classick Toads crawle together that by cherishing and sitting upon this egge at last the new Basilisk of Errour and dominiering may be hatched Such was the proceeding of this new Apolonian Monster daily such kind of Chickens will increase If all such kind of Vermin be not choked within their Consistoâ—all shell by a plenipotentiary presence before that by their breath and hissing they infect the aire all abroad to the destrnction of all that shall heare or see them The summe of all is this that now there is no speciall or any mysticall priviledge of sanctity in making Church-lawes and statutes from which pious Magistrates are to bee kept off For either these are ordinances of things necessary for salvation and divine worship all which are contained in Scripture and are the ancient Lawes of God not of their modern Church but who will say that it is unlawfull for godly Magistrates to make dicrees and command men to observe Christs Lawes Truly if wicked Magistrates would make such Lawes and enjoyn Curistians to keep the pure commands of Christ they should not be sacrilegious but most worthy of praise Or else the lawes which they make are of things indifferent which concerne the order and decency of the Church But because he confesseth himselfe these things to be free and no way binding the conscience whence I pray proceeds so great a holinesse in ordering things not properly holy but free Or as it often useth to be lawes are made of things faigned false and unusefull as we may see among Papists but these make the law-givers prophane not holy I might now seeme to have put a Bit in the mouth of this huge Beast of Walachrian-Popish-legislative-power but that there remaines yet a halter concerning the facred right of Dependency For the Walachrian Papist is so fruitfull in hatching new sanctities that just like a Potter he makes of the same clay first a Censeriall Platter and then a Legislative Chamber-pot that now nothing is more easie then whilst the wheele is turning there may be framed a cover fit for such a pot to wit the holinesse of Dependency for because it is the charge of Church-men to have care of her and so remove scandals from her Hence is begot among them the power of censuring then of making Lawes according to the spirituall and holy pleasure of the Walachrians Now Church-ordinances cannot be made cursorily in the Market-place Spargere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or streets for this were to shit as dogges do when they are running but there is need of preparation that this high spirituality might be uttered in Consistories Classes and Synods whence among Papists ariseth the sacred right of dependence However I confesse that there is some use of Ecclesiastik meetings yet this I l'e say that these are meere devices which the Walachrian Prates of their precise sanctity for hitherto it is not known by any example or command of Christ that it is a matter of such necessity and sanctity for making up of a Church that there should be meetings in Consistories Classes and Synods as if the Magistate must therfore be called sacrilegious if either hee hinder or joyne with them according to his authority for whilst they keep no moderation in these meetings but ascribe too much power to them they make a Pope of the Church or else run in infiâ—â—iâ—m which I thus demonstrate If a brother saith Christ wrong his brother Mat. 18. the matter must be composed between themselves if that cannot be two others must be imployed if they can do no good they must tell the Church and here Christ stays That is a great argument for Independents in that Christ goeth no higher then a partieular Church Oftentimes experience teacheth us that coÌ„troversies are thus better taken up then in Classes Synods because there they are better known in all their circumstances clearer from affections But the old new Papists wil none of this for so they should want much of their sanctities whence they pleasantly talk by way of comparisons If the Church that is the Consistory should erre then say they accoording to Christs command two or three Churches must be imployed and they wil make a Classis Here is a goodly increase for two or three brothers to be enlarged into two or three Churches This is the Popish increase who of one Peter the chiefe Pastor of the Church have made innumerable successors Popes and Peters as it were But if it should happen that the Classis should erre here the increase multiplies for then two or three Classes must be imployed which makes a Provinciall Synod and if this Synod also should erre then the Synods of divers Provinces must be assembled which make up a general Councel of that Kingdome or State But if this also erre then the Councels of divers Nations must be assembled
and so there shal be a National Councel if this suffice not then all the Nations of the world must be assembled and so wee shall have an universal or Oecumenical Councell But here Bellar mine is doubtfull Loc. de conc c. 2. for if the decision of the truth depend from the judgement and meetings of all nations of the world we shall never be certain because there will be alwayes some doubt whether some nation or other in the world hath not been omitted and not consulted with and because there is no Monarch that commands all the world he confesseth that there can be no Assembly of such a Councell so at last hee puts a period to the increase of Synodicall dependence as Apelles did who not being able to expresse the sweating of the horse back by his Pencill is said to have dashed his spunge against the picture and so to have expressed it Even so with the spunge of ignorance it was needfull to blot out the increase of dependency that hee might find an end of Synods For at last hee concludes that that is to bee accounted an Occumenicall Councell to which if not all the nations of the world come yet they might have come because none were excluded Though I confesse the Jesuits have found out a shorter and certainer way to bound in Dependency For they saw that this Synodicall Argument did increase in infinitum therefore Bellarmine that he might not leave the matter in suspence at last terminates the decision of all lawes and questions in the Pope either with or without a Councell so that indeed Antichrist is the end of Roman dependency The Walachrian Dependants doe execrate an Ecclesiastick Pope but chiefly the Civil whence necessarily the end of their dependency is either in infinitum or opinion or many Popes for if all controversies must be drawn from a brother to a brother from these to a Consistory from this to a Classis frō the Classis to a Provinciall Synod from this to a Nationall from a National to an Universall and this still greater and greater must not then this matter run in infinitum or else it will end in this opinion that he who judgeth last shall be thought to judge best whether his judgement be good or bad What else is this but to make Popes of so many Judges But it is unlikely that ever Christ ordained in his Church such a Judicature of controversies because it is absurd and setteth up that domination which Christ forbids in his Apostles Mat. 20. For by these meanes whether it be right or wrong the greater Synod will command the lesser this lesser the Classis and this the Consistory and the Consistory the brethren as it pleaseth and so by right of this Dependency the whole Church-government will be no order but Empire or tyranny for every inferiour will be forced by blind obedience to yeeld to his superiour I call that blind obedience not only when we must not enquire of the thing judged or to be judged which is the Popes practice but when such is the government of the Church that whether you find her error or not yet you must obey untill the Church-men shall say that they have judged amisse which will never be I will confidently say that this right of dependency is so absurd that the Walachrian never borrowed from Christ but from Antichriff It is commonly objected out of Mat. 18. where Christ himselfe instituted three degrees of dependencies from one brother to another from brother to brothers from brothers to the Church whence they collect by an argument à paribus that Christ also instituted the other degrees from the Church to the Classis from this to the Synod c. I answer that here a matter of priviledge is handled and that most holy but in priviledges words should be very plain neither must we give any thing to consequences or where the law doth not distinguish or adde must we adde any thing whence I gather that by Christs command men must not goe beyond these three degrees because he appoynted no more for Christ ascends no higher then from the three brothers to the Church which she weth that Christ by the word Church understands only a particular Cógregation not Classes and Synods even to the Oecumenical for it were too great a leap from three brothers to send Christians to the universall Councell if this were meant by the Church Again it is not likely that Christ under the name Church doth comprehend Classes and Synods because he there speaks onely of private quarrels to be taken up between brothers of which there is no need of meetings of Classes Synods even to the Oecumenical for then every day these Synods should be assembled because such controverfies may arise daily and if they did not arise the Walachrian Dependants would daily stir them up 2. For Dependency they alledge these words of Christ Where two or three are gathered together in my name there I will be in the midst of them But what they collect hence is of no validity For first it is known that all Consistories are not gathered together in Christs name nor Classes nor Councels but oftentimes two or three may be together reverently and in the feare of God when on the contrary a Classick or Synodicall Assembly may cast of all reverence of Christ So we see that when the two Disciples were to going Emmaus Luke 24. Christ was in the midst of them when as he hath not been present in greater Assemblies where contention hath been Therefore I say secondly that this consequence is weak because Christ promiseth that he will be present to two or three therefore he wil be much more present to ten a hundred or a thousand But thus the Walachrian after the Jesuits manner doth in a manner conclude but in this he is unsavoury as if he should argue that because Christ said there should bee peace and concord between two or three therefore there should be much more concord between ten or a hundred for as peace and order is not so easily kept in great meetings as in smaller so there is no necessity to think that truth or the decision thereof should be more exactly found in great then in small assemblies Not onely hath Nazianzen but also all times have taught that matters are not alwayes better judged in greater Church-meetings then in lesser so that necessarily either Christ performeth not his promise which is blasphemy or else the new Papists misunderstand Christs promise think foolishly when they conclude a priviledge of so great and exact smctity 1 Cor. 14.32 out of a promise not rightly understood The words of Paul seem to be plainer The spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets Whence they gather the divine right of assembling Consistories Classes and Synods For how shall it appeare better that the spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets then when the ordinary Church-prophets
to the institution of the Jewes whom they say had lesser assemblies in each citie all which depended from the general assembly at Ierusalem I confesse the old Papists have borrowed this as many things else from the Jewish Common-wealth that the holy Clergy might have among themselves a dependency and subordination so that at last all depend from the Pope as from a rotten threed But because that government was tied to the ceremoniall sanctity of Ierusalem the holy Citie and Temple which long since is destroyed I wonder the Stile-walker doth not call to mind how disgracefull a thing it is to dig up a-again Indaisme For by this irrefragable argument he did upbraid his own Magistrates with Judalsme and the rattles of carnall Jewes because they onely made use of Organs used among the Jewes to rectifie the tunes in Psalmes whereas he borrowes not onely from the Jewes but from the Papists also the whole mystery of dependency and government as a thing most sacred although this also was in the Jewish dependency as I will shew elsewhere that Magistrates were present by divine right in all Judicatures and thus hath he overthrown himselfe But the main ground of dependency is taken from the custome of the Apostles they had often Church-meetings and if Magistrates will beleeve it they had a Councell at Ierusalem which therefore by the old and new Papists is called the first Councell of Ierusalem This example is of such moment with Apolonius that he acounts him sacrilegious that will dare to hisse against it whence he concludes that it is of divine sacred and Apostolicall right for Church-men to meet in Consistories Classes and Synods and therefore that it is Simoniacal wicked and tyranâ—ical for Magistrates to deny this now to the Church-Walachrian-Papists I answer the examples of Christ and his Apostles as I have often sayd do not alwayes make a perpetual law except a command be joyned or some circumstance evince it For they did many things upon occasion which we neither can nor ought now to imitate For example rich men brought their goods and laid them down at the Apostles feet which goods the Apostles distributed of which care afterwards the Apostles freed themselves Paul went up to Jerusalem to see and to salute Peter Phil. 4.15 in imitation of which Bishops and Kings goe up to Rome to kisse the Popes feet Paul so great an Apostle was maintained by the gifts of the Philippians The same Paul at Corinth with Aquila and Priseilla returned to his Handicraft yet preaching that he might have regard to his honour and maintenance But it is strange to see how at this day the Apolâ—nian Zâ—lets doe abhorre this examâ—â—e that divers times smatterers in learning have crept from their worldly Mechanick trades into the holy Ecclesiastick spirituall Pulpit but I can find none now who will return to their Handicrafts again that he may ease the Churches neither doe I much urge this for Apolonius wil say There is no need now However the Magistrate with him is worldly and carnall by reason of which he is unable to touch spirituall Church-affaires for they are of a heavenly extraction and as it were Aristotles quintessence yet he doth well in heaping stipends upon Church-men yet the Stilt-walker with his fellowes plainly threaten that unlesse they will keep off their sacrilegious lands from their spiritualities that they will one time or other strip the Magistrate of their bountifull power nor is it hard for them to draw this right also out of their divinity if Magistrates will beleeve their devices and trickes For as hitherto the Walachrian divinity hath ratified that Magistrates have no right to be present or president in their Consistories Classes or Synods by reason of the holy Dependencie or have any power to gather or distribute the almes be cause of the holinesse of Deaconship even so they have no right to meddle with the revenues and stipends of Ministers by that Apostolicall law The mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corn must not be muzled And he who serves at the Altar must live by the Altar By which Title the Pope now a long time hath challenged to himselfe this holinesse but it is to be feared that if the Magistrates out of their negligence will yeeld to the new Walachrian Papists and chiefly to the Apolonians this part also of spirituality lest a great earthquake arising out of this exhalation miserably shake and overthrow both the Cities of Zealand and of the united Provinces and also destroy and overwhelm the Magistrate in this ruine But this by the way concerning the Major of the Argument I answer then first it is usuall with the Stilt-walker to blabbe out many things without judgement concerning the Apostolicall custome of teaching censuring and governing which at this day belong no more to the Papall modern Hierarchy then heretofore Hercules his shooes to a child For the custome of the Apostles both in dignity and manner of meeting in the Church is infinitly different from our modern Assemblies Secondly I know the ancients doe much extoll that meeting of Jerusalem therefore they call it a Councell which the new Walachrian Papist borrowes from him and I deny not but those first Church-worthies did excellent things in setling of the Church But I cannot be induced to beleeve that it was a Synod or that it had almost things requisite for a Classis if they be examined according to the pomp of modern dependency and things required for a Synod which will appeare by the circumstances added by Luke 1. Luke sayth nothing of calling this Synod concerning the right of which our Dependants do so much strive the Text intimates that they met onely occasionally some Judaizing brethren came from Ierusalem to Aatioch where they troubled the Church saying that Paul differed in doctrine from the Apostles at Ierusalem That the Church of Antioch might prevent this evill appointed that Paul and Barnabas with a few that might accompany them should go up to Ierusalem neither doe I find any where that an order was sent to those of Ierusalem that on such a day in such a place they should prepare themselves for a Synod which necessarily must have been done at this day if a day had been appoynted for this Synod would Paul and Apollo's going thither have travelled over Phaenicia and Samaria as Luke records which was in a manner to goe out of the way Their comming also is so described that it was acceptable to the Church of Iernsalem but yet unlooked for as may be conjectured Besides Luke records no where that the Legates of divers Churches and Synods came to this meeting which must have been had this been a Synod I confesse the Stilt-walker would fain perswade this to the English that the Deputies of divers Churches did meet in this Synod But in this hee shewes his falshood and how he participates of that lying spirit by which God would have Kings to be deceived
But that he may not here cosen the English and Netherlanders I fore-warn them that he in this lieth and cheateth them divers wayes He cites the 26. and 23. verses of that chap Act 15. but he who wil read all things attentively shal find that Luke sayth nothing of the Deputies of divers Churches as Apolonius feignes But chiefly observe his errour in alledging to prove this matter Acts 21.16 where it is recorded that with Paul going up to Ierusalem there joyned themselves some Disciples bringing with them one Mnason of Cyprus with whom the Church had lodged but not a word of the Deputies of divers Churches and if any thing be found like this it is too much impudencie and stupidity to confound this going up with that Acts 15. For there is many yeares difference for this was almost in the beginning of Pauls Apostleship but that in the end because shortly after Paul was taken and carrid to Rome so that Davus here hath not well divided his times which is so much the lesse to be indured in one so proudly puffed up who is so luxuriant in urging his own Embassie his authority in preaching and his inseparable subordination to Christ So that there is nothing more likely then that this Walacheian doth belch every day out of the Pulpit in Middleburgh many absurdities and lies by authority who durst obtrude to the learned English both in writing and print such manifest falshoods Now that we may further search out in this sacred Assembly the pomp of a Synod we must see if we can find in Luke any thing of Order of Sessions of letters of credence of the choyce of a Moderator of the right of decision and many other things required in a Synod which the Pope hath finely painted out of whose fetches this our Pope is not a little proud so that hee bewitches the Magistrate with the sanctity of his Dependency Surely Luke makes no mention of these toyes which pride afterwards found out but on the contrary we see that the whole people were present at this Assembly For it is said Acts 15.4 that Paul and his company were received by the Church the Apostles and Presbyters Neither were they there onely to consult but also to decide and to determine For it is sayd v. 22. It seemes good to the Apostles Presbyters with the whole Church Neither is there any signe that matters were carried by votes neither was there any dispute about the Moderatorship There were so many Apostles and pillars of the Church present yet no man impaired the others authority as if there had been need of the Emperour to be there with his Scepter of the Pope with his Crosier staff but every one spake as occasion served sometimes Peter sometimes Paul sometimes Iames others being silent for all without law or command abstained from confusion and tumults so that when one spake the other held their peace None therefore of the Apostles did assume to himselfe any Judiciall power or prerogative such as is bragged of at this day Now if we look upon the event of the Councel there is nothing that favoureth of any pomp or Synodicall pride such as is at this day they concluded not proudly as the Pope doth but thus it seemes good to the Holy Ghost and to us Nor did they impose their ordinances upon all Nations but onely upon the Churches of Antiâ—ch and Syria which had imployed their help and Councel They were so moderate in commanding that they rather perswaded then commanded for in a familiar letter they wrot to them even concerning the piety of their Legats Judas and Sylas praying rather obedience from them then requiring it which they needed not have done if they had purposed with the Pope or the Stilt-walker to command with authority Lastly the lawes which they made were of things indifferent which they did not urge so rigidly as not to leave it free for any to doe as they thought good when occasion served as afterwards we know the Galatians Corinthians and Romans did violate these lawes when theâ— was no danger of offence as Calvin elswhere fitly sheweth This then is that holy Synod this is that first councell of Jerusalem of which both old and new Papists doe so much bragge in which if Apolonius shew me all the the toyes and spirituall requisites in Synods he shall be to me great Apollo such are The calling of Synods the chiefe of Deputies the Letters of credence the power of consulting and dciding the right of Moderatorship the pluralities collections of Votes whether Synods can make Lawes Dogmaticall or Diatacticall whether these Lawes are to be ratified by Magistrates whether Magistrates are to be present at Syneds or if they are to moderate Whether they are to have a sentence definitive or deliberative whether Church-ordinances may become Church-lawes whether they bind the conscience directly or indirectly Whether they oblige by a coactive spirituall power and innumerable other things which hee hath gathered out of the Popes Danghill for Jewels and with them hath stuffed his work Truly if he can draw these things out of this Apostolicall meeting hee will deserve to be made of a poore Walachrian Shepheard an English Bishop or a German Superintendent I can scarce think that this Assembly was a Classis in respect of outward things and not much otherwise to be accounted then if the Church of Snecana or Doccoma should in a different case consult with the Francian or Leowardian Church and should send two or three of their Church and receive from that Church a writing concerning things indifferent They commonly answer that all the Apostles were present which gave to this meeting the honour of a generall Councell I confesse that the authority of this Councell was so great that it exceeded all the Councels of the whole world and if at this day there were a councel in which so many yea if there were but one divinely inspired his authority should bee of greater account with mee then of all the wise men in the world But because it is disputed whether this was such a Synod as the Dependents at this day describe they are no lesse foolish that perswade this then if they should prove the Popes proud Scarlet Robe out of Peters Fishermans garment Truly if all the meetings in which CHRIST and his Apostles were present are to be accounted Councels there were many Councels in the Apostles times But they say more that this meeting did impose lawes upon the whole Church and therefore must be held for a Councell but this is false as I shewed before For if every meeting which ordaines and decrees such things as may be usefull for many Churches bee a Councell then sure many Confistories are to be held for Councels And now I have overthrown the Foundations of Popish Dependency not that I dislike the meetings and conference of one Church with another for the preservation of peace and truth when time and place shall
so that they must ask of every one that giveth who art thou Faithfull or unfaithfull So that it is then impossible to keep this sanctity within bounds but it will break through for not onely holy faithfull men do give almes in the Church but Lay-men also yea wicked men and enemies to the Church whence one of these must follow to wit that either the sanctity of Church-almes is altogether prophaned by a mixture of unhallowed money or at least that this sanctity consisteth not of the pure flower or dust of spirituality because there is mingled with it much Bran and Huskes of infidelity I ask again if a great part of the Church-money be given by unbeleevers as oftentimes how can the holy money sanctifie the prophane For wee will yeeld this to Apolonius his strong faith that Church-money is much more powerfull in sanctifying then Lay-mens money in prophaning but that hee may not with Chymists make this power infinite hee must necessarily define how much prophane money can that holy Church-money sanctifie to wit whether six ounces or eight ounces or eleven ounces then surely the holinesse of Church-money must needs bee very high and intense if one ounce of Church-almes can sanctifie eleven ounces of civill or prophane but it will be hard for Apolonius to perswade the poore if victuals be deare that there is more sensible holinesse in one shilling of Church-money then in eleven of Lay-money Surely if the holinesse of Church-money be so fruitfull he did in vain contend with his Magistrate about receiving of almes from the Deacons in the Church and not from Lay-men with the Deacons from doore to doore For though it is to be feared lest while they gather some thing may be given by the unfaithful yet it is certain that a great part of the collection comes from the faithfull from house to house that we must hope that a few pence gathered from the holy members of the Church will easily sanctifie the profane although there had been ten times more so that the Stil-Walker may now see he was too sollicitous for his terminus à quo of his Eleemosynary sanctity the Apostles were not so exact in receiving of aimes for whether they were offered by holy Barnabas or by Ananias and Sapphira hypocrites they received the gift and imployed it to some holy use Sure this Apolonius is more superstitious then the Pope his predecessor who findes the smell of gain pleasant out of any thing whence this is one of his maximes Let no man ask whence he had it but have it he must The Stilt-walker is so delicately holy that he had rather want and suffer holy poore Christians to perish then that they should receive any thing from godly Lay-men or by them as being prophane Here then we see that there is nothing so sacred and holy with these Walachriant to which they preferre not the holinesse of their Hierarchy for if the godly Magistrate be permitted to gather and distribute almes then they suppose that their jurisdiction is gelded the chiefest sinew whereof they know consists in this that under shew of sanctity they impose a tax upon Christians as their subjects whose money so scraped together if Church-men have also right to distribute by reason of the same Eleemosynary sanctity who seeth not but these men will in a short time get the holy treasure to themselves and if they think good at any time to shake off the yoak of Lay-Magistrates not onely doe they with their railing tongues stirre up the people against their Princes as now they doe but arme â—â—red Assassinates against them This was the Popes artifice who not onely by words and superstition subjected Monarchs to himselfe but oftentimes spent lavishly among Souldiers Peters patrimony and the holy treasure to maintain his own Majesty as is known by the late example of Iulius who being now about 70. yeares of age iâ— his Souldiers coat mounted on Horse-back rid to the warre and stinging Peters Key over the bridge into the river Tybris in the hearing of many uttered these words Since Peters Key will not prevaile I will draw Pauls sword Now I will come to the other terminus of Church-sanctity of the Walachrian almes to wit ad quem that these monies being collected from holy men by reason of the communion of Saints they should be bestowed upon the faithfull onely but here hee will bee put to the same non-plus For I ask if they be alwayes holy on whom the Church-money is bestowed I beleeve here Apolonius hath often prophaned his own sanctity as often as he hath commanded to give out of the sacred Treasure to a knave or whore something which we see done dayly If it be thus then the question is whether this sanctity be lame or not forwant of the terminus adquem Again whether the sanctity of the termiâ—us à quo be more valid in sanctifying then the prophanesse of the terminus ad quem in prophaning Besides whether if the sanâ—â—tity of Church-mony by reason of the terminus à quo alone remaine entire we may not suspect that one time or other these knaves who cheating the Deacons do not only touch but devoure that holy money may noâ— be struck with Vzziahs leprosie Perhaps if the sacred money had been sent to Ireland it might have fallen into the hands of Pyrats some Wâ—lachrian Casuist may doubt what should become of those Rogues for touching and robbing the holy money should they not fall downe dead with Vzza or become leprous with Vzziah I beleeve these theeves would be as much astonished at the sight of that treasure as Dogs at a Gammon of Bacon or Wolves at the bleating of Lambs so hard will it be for Apolonius to remove all scruples which arise from the terminus ad quem except he will be of the Papists mind that all is bestowed upon Saints which is bestowed upon wicked Raskals so that the intention of Apolonius or the Deacon be to bestow upon the Saints what he distributes out of the treasure which intentionall sanctity is so large that the Cowes of Holland if this almes bee bestowed upon feeding of them may be of the number of those Saints Surely the springs of the Walachrian Eleemosynary sanctity are very muddy if it must flow from the holinesse of the Giver and Receiver out of this it is apparent that the terminus per quem of sanctity gathered from hence is ridiculous and no more probable then if one should say that what is placed between two filthy sinkes must needs be very cleare So then the Stilt-walkers device is absurd that they must beâ—very way holy who receive and distribute almes because the almes themselves are holy by reason of the faithfull givers and receivers whereas we see that the sanctity of the terminus à quo and ad quem doe often faile and for the most part become prophane through mens own default and if this should fall out in Walachria that they are
of Iustin Athenagoras Tertullian c. that nothing hath been more hurtfull to the Churches then that they were forced in times of persecution to exercise their worship privately and in vanite under ground for from thence were raised divers calumnies as that their wives were common amongst them in the darke that they had Thyestean suppers and did feast one with another upon a childs flesh whom they killed which seems to have arisen from misunderstanding the supper For cleering themselves from these crimes they found no better remedy then by publishing all the parts of their Church-businesse and therefore invited Princes themselves to be eye-witnesses of them The precise superstition of concealing and separating Church-businesse was the seed of Antichrist which by a fatall progresse at last exalted that Romish Out-law above all that are called gods 2 Thes 2. and Monarchs of the world which pride because the Walachrian doth admire and follow he thinks to walk in the same high Chapins but he is faine to fall to childrens stilts yet because he brabbles so much of his spirituality which we see is not to be found in the object that is in the Church-businesse it selfe I will go on to inquire whether there is any right of speciall sanctity in the Agents themselves that is in the Church-men For however Apollonius seeks for the lurking holes of sanctity in the object and businesse of the Church yet every where he stayes in the vocation and priviledges with which Church-Governours being adorned excell in sanctity all Christians whether private Lay men or Magistrates so that now we must inquire what prerogative of â—â—â—ctity there is in Church-Governours for performance after any singular manner these Church-functions which he believes ariseth from the dignity of moderne vocation this he presenting to all Magistrates as Minerva's target goeth about to turn them into stones that they may not see what the matter is whence it may be needfull to trie De vocatione what mysteries of holy Church spirituality lurketh in moderne vocation There is nothing that God recommends so much to men as Religion and his Worship which not onely hath he revealed to them but also prescribed and hath ordered that at all times there should be some which should preserve it and instruct men in it so that God in Paradise did not disdaine to be the first Preacher himselfe after this he raised up many at all times whom he imployed as his Ambassadors whom he adorned with so many badges of his Embassie that every one who was not wilfully blinde might see that these were truly Gods Vicaâ— Extraordinaria whose words were no lesse to be obeyed then if God himselfe had spoken from heaven Among these excelled the Prophets and Apostles whom he exalted with extraordinary gifts above humane condition and after a wonderfull manner sent them abroad to preach I confesse that some things were ordinary amongst them when they were exercised in the Schooles of Samuel Esaiah Eliah and other Prophets the children of the Prophets for this function but in Amos and others GOD had oftentimes rejected all ordinary means and whensoever he sent abroad these ordinary men for this work he furnished them with so much power of his spirit that in the gifts of infallibility and miracles they were to be admired and feared of all the world for though wicked men would or might have doubted of their divine vocation yet by their effects and manner of preaching they could easily be convinced to confesse that which â—â—â—bornly these men dissembled so that hence Paul raiseth this generall Maxime How can they preach except they be sent Not as if he meant Rom. 16. that all those were sent by God as his Legats who could preach for this had been a starting-hole for innumerable Cheaters neither was this his meaning that no man though never so fit and furnished with Gods Spirit should be permitted to preach untill he were confirmed by the outward pomp of vocation as at this day the old and new Papists foolishly practise but that Christians might thence firmly gather that there was a true and divine vocation where there was a true divine inspiration and miraculous preaching such as the Apostles wondred was in many places among the Gentiles and the Jewes did not a little storm at This was an extraordinary vocation so divine and powerfull that such as God had chosen for this function were more then men and as it were the Gods of the world yet God did not binde himselfe to such a Law that all whom he designed for his worship should be still called extraordinarily and thus gifted whence it came to passe that the Apostles did accustome Christians to the ordinary way of calling least when this extraordinary manner of calling did faile there should want good Ministers and consequently Preaching and divine Worship or least for want of order wicked men should creep into the Ministery and so confusion should grow in the Church Ordinaria Hence were begot those ordinary rules of calling by which care was taken that none but fit men were admitted into Ecclesiastick Functions and all occasions of precedency or dominion were cut off against which mischief the chief and first builders of the Church could find no better remedy then that Ministers should be called by the consent and approbation of the whole Church in which we see the Apostles wonderfull moderation and spirituall modesty for such was their dignity in the Church and exuberance of all spirituall gifts that they could easily by reason of their authority and infallible judgement appoint and send abroad Governours to whom people might have safely submitted themselves without the suffrages of the inferiour sort and such as were not divinely inspired but yet because they had the spirit of modesty they took not upon them this prerogative nor did they account that vocation ratified except it had been performed by imposition of hands votes lots fastings prayers and by the concourse and consent of all the members of the Church This is so pregnant an example of modesty popular government in that most happy age of the Church Act. 1. Act. 6. part 1. p. 159. that Apollonius and his Bucer were troubled at it That the Apostles gave too much power to the people because of the Churches infancy But they smell too much of Popery who make that the infancy of the Church which was her manhood and greatest strength And this was the more to be admired when the complement and confirmation of callings was performed by imposition of hands this custome being borrowed from the ancient Jewes For though Elders and perhaps all could promiscuously lay on hands yet it was known that then great vertues did arise from the imposition of the Apostles hands which vertues were presently seen in him on whom their hands were laid For on them Christ had powred out such a plentifull measure of his Spirit that their garments handkerchiefs yea the
speake truth knowes that hee obtained this speciall right of Sanctity by the like mysterie of Vocation and that hee hath no other wayes almost bestowed it upon others I know that somtimes things are carried more conscionably and that the abuse of a thing takes not still away the use thereof yet this I dare say that because at this day are wanting men divinely inspired to call and because the bestowing of spirituall gifts is separate at this day from Imposition of hands though it be done by Christs command and for a spirituall end yet in respect of the manner modern vocation is meerly humane because the whole manner is fallible humane and oftentimes corrupted whence the effects must be also humane and oftentimes most vitious so that we have instead of Apollo Apollonius a Sophister for a Prophet a Sycophant for a Bishop But because this vocation is with Apollonius the chiefe Originall of moderne Church-spiritualitie least we should believe there is more in the effect then in the adequate cause I conclude that the power of excercising Church-affaires at this day is not of divine but of humane right and therefore Apollonius playes the Impostor who prates so at random of the sanctity of his Church-affaires and of the speciall spirituall right of exercising them he is not unlike to them that falsifie coyne who wash brasse leaden or iron pieces with a little silver or gold to impoverish others and inrich themselves I confesse that this is the old Popish garlick sticking close to many but he who will looke over the writings of all Divines as hee brags hee hath done may perceive that the most quick-sighted Reformers have found out long since that whatsoever is so highly talked of the speciall right of sanctity is nothing else but the secondine of the Romish mother and the pollution adhering to her sons since their nativity there is none more stubborne then the Stilt-walker who above all others delights in the polluted blood of that Romish Whore and sips up againe her excrements not being content with common Elogies he prides himselfe so much in the right of this priviledge that he affirmeth every where that the Ecclesiastick power is a kind of Majesty and hath in it some thing that is Regall I confesse that the name of Christians puts us in mind of our Kingly Office which as the Catechist saith consisteth in this that we strive against sin and subdue the lusts of the flesh and this is common to all Christians but the Stilt-walker not content with this Priviledge of a Ministeriall right of vocation he makes a right of commanding and raigning in the Church and that speciall censoriall and nomotheticall so that many times he calls this power under Christ imperiall selfe-sufficient absolute and regall I confesse they are but trifles which he spreads every where yet least he should seeme to be neglected because he is not laughed at it will not bee unpleasing to rub his eares a little Par. 1. p. 8. 25 c. Mat. 13. c. He is wonderfully pleased that Christ calls the Church his Kingdome which is not of this world but heavenly and the Kingdome of heaven whence he concludes that the visible Church is a Kingdome and that the Government thereof is like that of a Kingdome and because the power of this Government is in the Church-Rulers that therefore their power is in a manner Kingly such are the Popish enthymemes concerning a spirituall and Ecclesiastick Kingdome I answer here is a fallacy in the ambiguity of the word when they meane every where by the Church the visible Church for when Christ saith that his Kingdome is not of this world but heavenly he meanes the Catholike Church the greatest part whereof is in heaven and there raignes with Christ But because for the accomplishing of this Kingdome the visible Church here on earth is appointed and her Ministery therefore Christ transfers the name of the Kingdome of heaven to the affaires of the visible Church not as if he meant that the visible Church or her Ministery should be held for a Kingdome or for the Kingdome of heaven but by a knowne Metonymie he transfers the name of the effect and end to the efficient which leads to that end no other wayes then we use to say that a man labours for food and rayment whereas he workes for money not as if money were food and rayment but because by it these things are procured he deserves to be laughed at who in silver seeketh properly for food and rayment because figuratively it is called food and rayment as ridiculous are the Papists when they seeke in the visible Church a regall and celestiall Power and dominion because it is called the Kingdome of heaven for no other reason but because it is the medium by which we attain to that blessed Kingdome in heaven This is the old Papists Logick to seek for literall conclusions out of figurative speeches which art almost every where the Walachrian Bapist borrowes from them and chiefly in this Argument for because Christ calls the visible Church and its Government a Kingdome and of heaven figuratively he concludes that the Church-Rulers have a regall power and that they are really and simply heavenly Kings although I suspect that he wrote this and many other things but in jest yet I will drive out this joculary naile with another naile that any one may see the absurdity If the visible Church be the Kingdome of heaven truly and simply as Apollonius saith then I will infer that of necessity the Church of Midleburg is also literally the Kingdome of heaven which if so then I will conclude with another consequence that that Church is literally heaven for England and France are the Kingdomes of England and France Hence further I conclude that as often as the visible Church meeteth in the temple of Middleburg there heaven is literally and by another consequence as often as the Stilt-walker preacheth in that Church he preacheth in heaven then it must follow that while he is there with his Hearers he is not properly on the earth except he will mingle heaven and earth together And againe it will follow that because he is a Ruler in that Church and hath the power of censuring he is not only a King but the King of heaven too as Rhadamanthus is of hell How blessed then is Apollonius who if he doth not reigne in the earthly Consistory of Middleburg yet he is King of Middleburgian heaven Are not then the Magistrates of Middleburg stupid who yet doubt whether the Stilt-walker be worthy of the earthly Kingdome of his Consistory whom long ago they see to be King of heaven That he may reconcile these absurdities he will be forced to confesse that this word of the Kingdome of heaven is figuratively and improperly attributed to the visible Church But if Apollonius may with Papists expound figurative words literally there will be nothing certain in Divinity but Christians
the keyes to Peter Ergo to Peter alone Christ said to Peter seed my sheep and when thou art converted confirme thy Brethren Ergo this power he gave to Peter only to feed his sheep and to strengthen all his Brethren of the whole world and which is all one to reigne over all the people and Kings of the earth whence he leaps with ease to the Pope Peters fuccessor that he may conclude these inspeakable priviledges to belong to him alone the Stilt-walker doth excellently well follow this Jesuiticall Divinity for as often as he finds in Scripture that Teachers are called Bishops Captains Fathers c. he presently concludes that this right belongs alwayes and absolutely to Ministers alone as we shall see in what followeth His third fraud is that of conditionall propositions he makes absolute and applies to himselfe those priviledges which belonged onely to the Apostles or at this day appertaine to them under a condition onely who have things requisite for these priviledges this is the play of old Papists when the Church is called the mother of Christians which title belongs onely to the Catholike and truly Apostolicall Church they understand this of all the Church or at least of their Romish When it is said of Teachers He that heareth or rejecteth you heareth or rejecteth Christ which is onely true absolutely of the Apostles and of infallible Preachers they understand this of themselves chiefly of the Pope although they confesse him to be a most impure monster This VValachrian Papist speaketh in the same dialect whatsoever in Scripture is said of the Church of preaching of vocation of censuring and of the keyes being holy and spirituall as under the Apostles this he interprets of his moderne Church and Discipline in which he is as sottish as if some Caiaphas or Ananias who were wicked High Priests in the time of Christ and of Paul had ascribed to themselves the praises and titles that were given to Aaron Eleazar and Zadoc who then lived when the holy of holies and all the sacred things of the Temple did shine with divine honour which in Christs time were polluted with many spots and vices and not only did they lose the circumstances but almost the whole substance of sanctity or if some Impostor and Money-changer should brag that his coyne were sound and currant which being brought to the touchstone the gold-weights or triall of defraying of charges will bee found to be base metall adulterated coyne and to be washed light and clipped what I have now said in generall I would have to bee observed for in every Epithete that the Papists brag of you shall find nothing but sophistry The Stilt-walker prides himselfe every where in this title 1. Titulus membrum principale that he is the eye eare hand and the Prince a Member of the Church whence he goeth about to perswade unwary men that to him and such as he belongs an Authoritative Government in the Church I answer that these titles are no where to be found spoken plainly of Preachers but are consequentially onely drawne out of Scripture which way of demonstration as we have said is not sure but inclining to error But if this were spoken plainely it were a figurative speech and metaphoricall which if wrested imprudently would beget many absurdities suppose one to be an eye eare nose and hand in the Church what wise man will thence conclude that whatsoever belongs to these Members in the body belongs to him The eye is most tender round inconstant and moveable it alone sheds tears it shews in what we delight and is the window of impudency The nose is in the middest of the face jetting out swelling breathing in and out ayre and pride and the instrument of indignation so if I should philosophically speake of the eares hand and other members many things will be raised which may belong to Apollonius but with disgrace he will say I suppose that it is the property of the eye to see and to direct of the nose to smell of the eares to heare of the hands to work whence the dignity and office of Ministers may be borrowed but who will perswade us that these similitudes do note onely vertues and not vices in Ministers but if we should grant that there be eyes in the Church to see eares to heare and that the chiefe parts are appointed for chiefe functions by what art can he perswade us that this Prerogative belongs to Preachers onely Paul truly in two places speaks excellently of the diversity use and consent of the principall and servile parts of mans body and of the Church but he that will diligently weigh all things shall finde no where that it was Pauls meaning in those places to give to Preachers and Ministers alone the honor of being alwaies principall parts as eyes nose eares c. in the body of Christ that they might thence climbe up to the top of pride and domineering but he rather urgeth the contrary that most honor is to be given to those that are lesse worthy and more weake because of necessary use nor doth he define any thing else but that to him is due in the Church the honor of chiefe member but yet without pride and command on whom God hath bestowed chiefe gifts for serving and looking to the Church in which though the Apostles did miraculously excell yet they never so bragged of their principality but that they yeelded a parity and in some things a superiority over themselves even to those members that were lesse worthy so far was that Apostolicall Government from pride that no absurdity or disgrace followed if one and the same man to day were an eye to morrow but an eare now the foot then the hand and sometimes the knee that is they applyed themselves to any office as time and need required Who will not then storm to heare a VValachrian Stilt-walker so insolently bragging of these titles as if he were subject to none in Church-businesse nay not to the Magistrate though he be the chiefe of all because he thinks the title of eye eare nose and hand belongs to him by the right of his office whereas we may see by his writings that if he be the eye he is pur-blind or else blood-shot if he be the nose he is a snotty nose if the eare he is troubled with the singing of sedition and pride or else he is thick of hearing lastly he is become mad with the intoxicating wine of Church-majesty Marejetice lymphatus so that neither hand nor foot can rightly performe their duty so that he seems to be fit enough to bee the neck or throat or if you will the Cuckow of the Romish Church The title of Bishop Seer or Overseer is honorable Episcopi Ezech. 83. the Church Teachers are also called lights in a candlestick or on a hill out of all which Papists gather that they have authoritative right to judge and know all things whence at last
will have the younger sort to be subject to the Elders but presently adds that they should all submit themselves to one another and to be humble so that I must oftentimes say the Apostles were such Shepheards who were content to be uppermost and lowermost to rule and to be ruled but Papists are such who think it blasphemy and Simony if in Church-matters they be subject to any except to Christ alone immediately The title of Housholder is almost of the same authority 6. Oâ—conemi 1 Cor. 4.1.2 Mat. 24. Part. 1. p. 354. by which the Stilt-walker every where brags and denies that he is subject to the Magistrate for he saith That Ecclesiastick and Pastorall causes are to be judged onely by Ecclesiastick Authority and that it is absurd they should be judged by Civill Power For though he confesse that in some cases Church-men may be subject to the judgement of the Magistrate yet he thinks this is onely extraordinary and when the Clergie will not be reformed and that then the matter must bee judged not by the Magistrates but by Church-men alone as being Masters of the Familie This Divinity he had from Bellarmine who saith that the Pope is the generall Master of the Church-Family Mat. 24.48 who therefore obeys none but commâ—nds all and that by right of this Oeconomie hee is subject neither to Magistrates not to a Generall Councell which the Jesuite finely gathers out of the parable of the housholder for saith Christ if that servant shall begin to drinke and to beat his fellow-servants the lord of that servant will come to which Bellarmine Heare you not who is the Popes judge He faith not he shall be judged by a Councell but his lord will come therefore he is left to be judged by Christ It 's no wonder that the Jesustes do delude Christians with such old-wives fables for they know that the Popes strength now consists not in perswasion but in coaction it 's more to be wondered at that such a â—â—ght-bird should creep out of the Walachrian Classis who being destitute of all secular power dare utter such like yea greater fooleries for the Pootifician fopperies end in Monarchie but the Walachrien in confusion and anarchie For if by the right of Ecclesiastick â—economie no Preacher is subject to the Magistrates judgement but that he depends immediately from Christ It will follow also that he is not subordinate to the Exclesinstick except their immediate dependency from Christ be broken The Stilt-walker will say that this oeconomicall right is not broken by Ecclesiastick subjection 1 Cor. 14. for then the spirit of the Prophets iâ— subject to the Prophets all which depend immediately from Christ which is not repugnant to oeconomicall liberty This faction I have elswhere touched and I will more fully hereafter refell it I ask now whether the Pastor or Housholder of a particular Church who makes such a decree which the housholders of the same or of another Church say is unjust and therefore abrogate it be delivered by authority or not If he say I then he resists the light of nature which teacheth that that hath not absolute authority which may be abrogated by another Judge If he say No then he is forced to confesse that those Housholders of God such as these Walachrians boast themselves to be have no absolute right because by the right of dependency as I said before the Consistory can judge the Brethren the Classis the Consistory and the Synod the Classes and so in infinitum Surely if Paul meanes by these words the Spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets that we should alwayes rest in the greater number of suffrages as in a truth defined by such Housholders as are at this day then Christians will be forced against science and conscience oftentimes to submit to it which is both false and unjust for how often doth this fall out which Calvin complaines of the Councell of Trent namely that a hundred horned Asses may agree by their votes in a falshood if ninety nine on the other side stand for the truth that greater number must decide I warrant you a matter of such weight Neither should they except here that they were false Bishops and that it is otherwise in those that are pious and reformed For even among such there will be found no certainty except they be all divinely inspired and infallible as under the Apostles or one at least which the Jesuites but falsly say is the Pope and so in this they end all controversies But the Walachrian Juglers because they dare not assever this they must necessarily run round so that they as Masters of the Family must and must not still be believed For however they may perswade unwarie people that their commands are authoritative and unblameable and that therefore they must be obeyed yet if by learned men they be brought to the scales or touchstone they will be forced to confesse that in many things they fall foule and deceive others which we may even see in these patched peeces of the Stilt-walker which not onely this proud Housholder of Christ vents abroad for Oracles but he hath taken for his defence the whole company of Classiaries whom the reader may see have assented to lies blasphemies and toyes It is most sure that now neither in the Church nor in the whole world are there any such Pastors or Housholders to whom she can or should be absolutely subject but the judgement of this remaines in the examination of every one according to the ballance of Gods Word alone I know that a great many Christians are in this point either out of carelesnesse or out of superstition very supine to believe their Preacher in many things with an implicit faith but this supine carelesnesse costs the losse of innumerable soules so that these authoritative and domineering Housholders are to blame who hunt after honour out of Christians blind obedience If the VValachrian Papists had considered with what restriction that elect vessell Paul had given to himselfe the title of Housholder 1 Cor. 4.1.2 the Stilt-walker had not so often to patronize his pride alledged this title for Paul also in that place useth the title of Minister or Servant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to rowe so that he makes himselfe an inferiour rower But how absurd were it for one to brag that he is a rower or boat-man appointed by the King to sit and rowe in the lower seat The Apostles that were divine Mariners in Christs ship were not ashamed to confesse this of themselves although they were Housholders by an incommunicable prerogative yet they were very farre from pride because they confessed that they would rowe and sit in the lower seat The name Father also containes honor and authority but not always command paternall right is most properly in naturall fathers for it is absolute and indissoluble bâ— similitude it is given to many
also shewed a great measure of spirituall gifts in themselves so that not without cause their authority was great in the Church yet not as Christs proper and immediate Legates but of the Apostles yet they were divine and excelled in the gifts of the Spirit Since their departure that glorious way of calling and conferring of gifts by imposition of hands ceased that scarce three hundred yeares after Christ did there any whit of this rare vocation remaine yea Antichrist breaking out in the place of gifts all sorts of corruption and vices succeeded And yet if we look upon the lights of ancient times namely Austin yea Bernard in the yeare 1300. shining as a light in Cimmerian darknesse we must confesse that this Walachrian Jugler is but ice to compare to those fires of whom I think none durst venture to proclaime himselfe Christs immediate Legate as this trifler every where doth He is like those Painters Luke 2. which picture the Virgin Mary in Princely robes and with rich hangings because she was descended of the royall blood of King David of whose riches she had nothing when Christ was born but was destitute of all riches The titles that remaine are as blasphemous as fallacious 9. Pontisicis the Apostle in that notable place to the Hebrewes willing to exalt above all humane reach Christs incommunicable and ever to be adored vocation Heb. 5.4 to his eternall Priesthood and Mediatorship for the whole race of mankinde doth chiefly illustrate it by the excellency of the manner which he declared by the typicall calling of Aaron in glory exceeding the inauguration of all the Leviticall High Priests that succeeded him which notwithstanding the manner of Christs eternall Priesthood did infinitely excell in that he received his inauguration not from any earthly man but from heaven for to none of the Angels was it said Thou art my sonne this day have I begotten thee of which the Apostle speaks plainly when he saith Heb. 1.5 no man takes unto himselfe this honour but he who is called of God as Aaron was and Christ whence it is apparent that it is temeritie for any man after Christ to take upon him the priviledge of this title yet Antichrist the old Romish Pope durst doe it priding himselfe in this as in many other things that he hath succeeded Christ as his Vicar and high Priest in the Militant Church Our Stilt-walker following the foot-steps of his Predecessor doth not indeed as yet brag that he is high Priest but desirous to make an impression of the excellency of his preaching function upon unskilfull and superstitious people he is so often commending it that he would have all men believe what the Apostle speakes of Christ alone and Aaron to be meant of himselfe and such as he for he takes this for a generall rule that no man is called to a sacred function except also this belong to him that he hath not assumed this honour but hath received it of God This indeed did appeare in Aaron typically in Christ truly But he that will search for this in the Popes naughty vocation or in that vicious and humane calling of Apollonius as I have described it will wrong Christ 10. Titâ—â—â— spousi quad sit maritus Ecclesiae and will make us believe that to be true which we see and know to be contrary Apollonius thinks it also no meane title for a Bishop to be called the Bridegroome and Husband of the Church if this be true they will suppose that the Church whose lesser and meaner part is the Magistrate must bee subject to the Minister as a wife to the husband because it is plainely said to the woman thy will shall bee subject to thy husband But these parabolicall allusions are of little weight among wise men if in Scripture sometimes the title of Husband or Bridegroome were given to Ministers but it is so farre from this that in it we find the Baptist conferring this honour on Christ alone that he is the Bridegroome because he hath the Bride reserving to himselfe the title of friend onely which modesty is farre different from the pride of moderne Papists who boldly prate that they are the Bridegroomes and therefore have the Bride I think that it is more injurious to Christs incommunicable honour for one to call himselfe a Vicar Bridegroom or Husband then the Ministeriall head of the Church Concerning the indignity of this last many books have been written against the Pope whereas notwithstanding it is evident that this involves no dishonour to Christ if he have under him a Ministeriall held but it containes obscoenity for one to be called Vicar Bridegroome or secondary Husband of Christs Church upon earth But I will not spend time about this as any great matter I will only drive this Walachrian Papist to quotlibetary fooleries by which he may with his old friends delight or vex himselfe For first I will aske if a Pastor or Preacher be the Bridegroom or Husband of the Church what kind of Husbands were the Apostles who had no particular Church but had the care of all If he say they were not Husbands or Bridegroomes which they themselves would have easily acknowledged he will make them lesse worthy then the Walachrian night-birds but if on the contrary he doe confesse it he will bring upon them the suspition of bawdrie as though they had power every where to lie with other mens wives Which monster Mahomet in his Alcoran did challenge to himselfe that according to his propheticall majesty he might have power to leap into every womans bed Againe if he saith that the Church is married to ordinary Pastors I aske whether it be not an unseemly thing for one woman to have many husbands which no Law doth allow and yet in this spirituall marriage there is nothing more common for many Churches have two three foure Pastors and perhaps the Church of Middleburg hath many more and consequently husbands which if he shall make use of as his Vicars to lie with his wife Apollonius himselfe will make her to be suspected of adultery except he be assured that she will be loyall to him as the cheif husband yet he shall carrie the hornes when he gives way to his colleagues as his underlings to make use of her But if one Church be duly married to one husbands I aske again if any thing can be more proper for marriage then indissolubility but in this holy and spirituall wedding there is nothing more absurd for no sooner doe young men leave the Schoole but out of the heat of their youth they begin to be suiters neither is there any Church so meane and poor to which they will not make suite as if shee were the fairest Bride in the World if so be shee will confer upon them a pastorall Cloak and a stipend but this is not with any intention to stay alwayes with this wife but like insects they gather company till they can
then they should though some of the wiser sort smell that these are meere Impostors of which they brâ—gge yet by this their often bragging it comes to passe that the people casting aside all care of salvation in their supine negligence commis the most precious treasure of their soules and of life eternall to blind guides whom the blind people following innumerable souls must needs fall into the pit of destruction The Stilt-walker stretcheth out every where the same way he is not content to receive honour for his well-doing and to be accounted the faithfull man he shews himself to be which Paul speaks of true housholders but though he perceive his own giddines and every one sees his childishnesse yet by the force of his vocation or as the old Papists say by the character he ascribes to himself every where a right to do and teach in the Church by authority and power which he and his followers brag of for no other end but to induce the people to blind obedience to subscribe all that he shall say and command Which if he obtain it will not only come to passe that they shall rest in his authoritative lies and deceits with which his mingle-mangle is filled but also if I be not deceived in the mans nature scarce will that Church continue 14 dayes together in one theologicall opinion For because he prides himself in this that like a bee he flies through all meadows but wanting the true sting of Judgement it must needs be with him as with the changeable Camelion on what tree or plant soever he sits he puts on the shape and colour thereof whence he must daily produce new dreams all which if his sheep and sons are bound to receive by his commanding and authoritative power surely a giddy progenie must arise of such a giddy father and a family fit to be sent to Bedlem Howsoever he may fasten upon ignorant people his fictions Naviget Antyceras yet we here in Frisia cannot believe that he shall so far blind the Magistrates and Governours of Middleburge as not to see his potestative and authoritative frauds and knaveries for the name of Middleburge-Governours is famous here and in other Provinces even in this regard in that by their Mariners they so brake the strength of the terrible name of Dunkirk-Pirats in one year that this one City did shew they might be extinguished whom we thought had been unconquerable And chiefly in that they being troubled with the malice and treachery of strangers on all sides by their happy wisdome have overcome all impediments to the liberty and benefit of the State shewing invincible courage among so many difficulties deserving to sit in the Conncel at the Hague for the common defence of their country so that the Deputies of our Province have long confessed that they seldome repented to have subscribed to the judgement of that City for though at present their advise may seem somewhat hard yet time hath made it appeare that their counsels have oftentimes proved most just and wholsome But I wonder that a City of such constant prudence doth suffer so long such a Viper as as we see by his writings to lurk in their bosome which is still labouring to cast out amongst them the poyson of dissention and to trouble them either with Ecclesiastick or Politick hissing that he might shake and overthrow the foundations of that Government The famous State of Amsterdam was brought once into such a hazard by such a Wasp as this but the Senate by their authority thrust him out of their hive and so restored peace to the Church and State The Walachrian Metropolis shews an example of rare moderation which having got among them a more troublesome Drone have hitherto used no severity but suffer him to grow dull in his own humming so that we have great hopes the Church there shall never be infested with this New Popery for she having such famous Patrons and Nursing-fathers will easily escape the plots of such turbulent fellows as these Walachrians are lest new Popery creep first out of that corner of our confederate Common-wealth where the Popes tyrannical dominion was driven out first I have hitherto done what I can to hinder it and in this last Chapter will proceed to stop the progresse of it CHAP. VII Of the Magistrates duty in Church-businesse WE have hitherto seen the Stilt-walkers eloquence in extolling their modern Ecclesiastick businesses which is done by them who in Walachria are called Church-men and Spirituall as among the Papists Clergy-men And we have shewed that there is not in all their Church-discipline any thing sacred particularly or specially as to keep off Christians by any right of sanctity from exercising them if they be furnished with gifts fit for them And that there is now no manner of inauguration by speciall Divine right for any man to exercise alone these Affairs authoritavely or potestatively as he speaks For Vocation Election and Consecration by Imposition of hands at this day are meerly humane and corrupted means in which we see by experience there is no Spirituall efficacie for they are performed by Simony fraud and wicked wayes that seldome is the fittest man chosen but commonly such as promises bribes and favour promoteth Imposition also of hands retaining the forme but not the force of the ancient institution is not found to conferre any Spirituall gifts only we find that such as have obtained the pomp of external Vocation are puffed up with Apollonian and Papistical pride as if they were filled with new and infused sanctity that is As soon as young Fellows are freed from the lash of the Schoolmasters rod having got Ordination and the priviledge of Ecclesiastick character within three dayes after they think themselves more spirituall then all the Magistrates and common Members of the Church But if they want the knowledge of Tongues Sciences and good Arts they are not found by Imposition of hands to be made more learned Yet if any before his Vocation be a Trifler Cheater Drunkard or wine-bibber it seldome falls out that afterward he leaves these vices but only hides them warily lest he lose his Ministerial stipend A fit example we see in this Walachrian Papist who long hath bragged of the right of his Church-calling and yet hath not forgot to lie cheat and blaspheme the Magistrates I know that in the Apostles time the matter was otherwise because of the plenty of spirituall gifts but now such is the Churches poverty by reason of mens corruptions and Gods just judgements that having lost that true and pure grain with which at first Christians were fed we are at this day reduced to husks of the dispensing of which this Walachrian Night-bird doth now brag much more then they did of their pure corne he deserves the title rather of a swineherd then of a shopherd and fitter for a hogs-sty then for a sheeps-coat He truly that will seriously weigh the matter shall confesse with me
to sense then certainly the Stilt-walker the Metropolitan of the Walachrian Church should be very heavenly whom yet by these his patched peeces wee see to bee very earthly so that the leprosie of the earth sticks not only close to him but is also very familiar to most Kings of this heaven that if that heavenly Kingdome were not contained within compasse by the civill earthly Kingdome those Heavenly Kings would quickly destroy one another so that I may truly say that the earthly Kingdome sustaines that heavenly Kingdome or else it would fall to the ground Another fraud of his is in the other place where Christ saith my Kingdome is not of this world Christ was asked by Pilate if he were a King he confesseth that hee was a King but not of this world that iâ— hee would not exercise his Kingdome in this world hee addes a reason if my Kingdome were such my souldiers would fight for mee whence it appeares that Christ spoke plainly because hee said that he had such a Kingdome which hee did not exercise upon the earth as openly and properly hee did not but in Heaven when hee sat down at Gods right hand The Stilt-walker thinks that by this Kingdome of Christ is to be understood the government of the visible Church which if true then Christ had answered Pilate intricately and captiously because so taking it Christs Kingdom had been properly in the world and a part of the world yea in this Kingdome hee had his souldiers and in processe of time he got more for Kings and Emperours were made the defenders of this Kingdome and Church of Christ although then I should yeeld that in some respect the title of Christs Kingdome and of Heaven belong to the visible Church yet it were absurd in this place so to take it whereas it is here absolutely denied that this Kingdome is of this world but the visible Church chiefely that which the Walachrian deviseth is in the world and of the world and is too full of worldly corruptions And there is no lesse fraud in corrupting that place of Paul which hee preposterously cites with the Pontificians no man warring to God doth intangle himselfe with secular cares the words properly sound thus no man that warreth intangles himselfe with the affaires of this life that hee may please his Generall in which words the Apostle compares to souldiers the Preachers of the Word and also what hee saith that Elders who labour in the Word which consecrate themselves to the Ministery of the Word ought not to intangle themselves in the affaires of this life to wit in merchandizing husbandry and such like so that they intangle themselves and bee so carried away with the businesse and sweetnesse of them as with Demas to forsake their station for the love of this present world This is the plaine sense of that place in Paul how perversly it is corrupted I will now shew out of this place hee concludes that it is altogether unlawfull and unseemly for a Minister of the Word to care for the affaires of this world or any way to meddle with them which not only is repugnant to Scripture but is also a meer Popish fiction Paul indeed would not have preachers intangle themselves that is altogether involve themselves in secular businesse but not to touch them at all or totally to forbeare them hee commands no where Yet the practise of Christ and of his Apostles shew the contrary for I will ask whether fishing be a secular work of this life I think no man will deny it but the Apostles for the three yeares together that they were Christs disciples did still exercise their fishing yea they went to fishing after Christs Resurrection and who knowes whether they did not fish after the Holy Ghost was sent truly Paul himselfe after hee had long exercised his Apostleship at Corinth whilst hee was a preacher with Aquila hee exercised his mechanicall trade of making tents If Paul understood his law as this Walachrian wrests it then hee was a manifest breaker of his own law therefore it is a Popish fiction which this new Papist hath borrowed from the old ones when hee interprets these words so as if it were altogether unlawfull for preachers to meddle with secular businesse this error in length of time hath made Preachers idle and dainty yea it occasioned Antichrist for rich Christians considering with themselves that the taske of preaching was a difficult businesse and required a whole man by degrees they furnished them with so many things out of their own estates that they would have them bee altogether free from the care of things necessary belonging to their food or lively-hood For which end they built Monastries and cloystures and endowed them with great revenues in which the preaching Monkes might live plesantly and commodiously being free from all cares that so they might the more freely give themselves to their studies This institution at first though worldly yet was not evill but in processe of time covetousnesse possessed the minds of the Clergy that like spirituall harpyes they still affected and craved for more untill their covetousnesse grew to that height that the Pope alone became richer then all the Kings of the earth from which vice at last proceeded pride then lasinesse and neglect of theologicall studies and lastly all kinde of luxurie so that these Monasteries became brothell-houses and swine-styes of Sodomites all which sprung up out of the mis-understanding of that place which now the Stilt-walker goeth about to wrest against the Magistrate for because he thinks hee can by these delude ignorant people by perswading them that it is unlawfull and unseemly for preachers to meddle with secular affaires hence hee concludes as in a round that therefore it is unlawful for secular men to handle Church-matters for hee faines them to bee hogges only addicted to worldly things and of this life in which they are still intangled thus not only doth he injure godly Magistrates but impudently patroniseth his Ecclesiasticks for as it is known that many godly Magistrates have been very moderate both in mannaging of secular affaires and also matters belonging to Religion very zealous so experience teacheth that not a few preachers having neglected and contemned their duty in preaching have been so intangled with worldly businesse that as at this day it must not offend Christian eares if some preachers having broke their estates with Merchandizing and taking up money upon use have cheared godly Christians by turning bankerupts which shewes that this Walachrian is an impudent vermine who under pretence of avoiding secular affaires puts so great a difference between Civill Magistrates and Church-Men seeing he is convicted by these Walachrian examples and his own conscience that there is nothing which busie Church-men more affect then the affaires of this world Like to this is another which he is alwayes prating of The civill Power is Monarchicall the Ecclesiasticall should be alwayes Aristocratical ergo Civâ—â—
now all things in heaven earth and under the earth are ordained and ruled as I have often shewed He objects that these offices and gifts were given to the Church but not Magistracy I answer that these were given indeed to the Church or in the Church as it is said 1 Cor. 12. but Ephes 4. the Apostle sayth that they were given to men using a generall word so Paul gave and instituted to the whole world the office of Magistracy but under them also to the Church because he makes him to have the charge of every soul except he will say that Churchmen want foules whence it followes that Paul hath also subjected the Church to the Civill powers so that she must be by them defended in good things and punished in evill What wise man then will deny that Christ hath instituted Magistracy and hath not given it to the Church when as he by Paul hath ordained the Magistrate for his alone Legat upon earth to whom alone he will have all soules be subject and therefore Ecclesiasticks also and that for conscience sake by whose sword and authority he will have the Church defended in good things all these are so cleare in this place of Paul and in other Scriptures that by no meanes can they be darkened I know this Divinity doth not please the Stilt-walker who is possessed with papisticall furie that the Magistrates office is not Ecclesiasticall that is necessary for the edification and conservation of the Church yet he rather placeth this office without the Church not within or in it par 1. p. 24. because that phrase is too ambiguous to him and repugnant to Divine right and therefore placeth the Magistrates office onely about the Church or Churchmen so that he speakes no other wayes of Magistrates then Heccius and other Cornuted Asses of Luther who comming to the Conference at Wormes was not presently admitted into the full Assembly where the whole Quire was of holy Church-men but was lead first apart into a private closet which these Cornuted Beasts said was well done and according to Scripture for it is written Without shall be Dogs and Witches Not much more reverently doth this Walachrian prate of godly Magistrates whom every where he fasteneth to the cares of this world as carnall men but elevates the Church and Churchmen above the world even to the Skies but these are meere chimera's the Scripture on the other side doth so extoll Magistracy as a thing perpetuall in the Church and so necessary that it cannot be parted from her and without this shee cannot subsist but must wither no otherwise then corne that wants earth as Calvin speaketh which I will shew hereafter more at large He prates every where that the Church under the Apostles and at other times wanted the civill Magistrate but these are Lyes which I have already refuted and will hereafter refute more and if this impossibility should fall out that the Church were totally destitute of civill government yet it should not cease to be an office in the Church and as it were a part necessary for the constitution thereof for as a body that hath lost a foote remaines yet without that foote but lame being destitute of a necessary part so the Church may consist without Magistracy but not long and that with much difficulty for presently there would arise Anarchy and every one would do as he listed which because Apollonius doth what he can to bring into his City under hope of a new Popery hence arise so many railing devises by which he endeavours to hisse out the Magistrates as meere worldly men that they must not meddle with Church-businesse how ever the matter be because the Church hath often wanted godly Teachers Sacraments and other things requisite for her I might also as well inferre that these belong not to the Church but are accidents circumjacent which were most absurd to the Stilt-walker Perhaps he will object if this were true then Christ had made the Churches power imperfect and lame which must depend from an outward civill power but this is repugnant with Mat. 18. tell the Church where he hath furnished her with full power I answer That all these are Jesuiticall fictions which they have devised for their Hierarchy and which he hath borrowed from them for first I deny when Christ said tell the Church that he understood by these words as if he had armed Church-men being discriminated from Lay-men with full power of exercising Government among themselves excluding the Magistrate For I said before that by the word Church is understood in Scripture any kind of meeting whether meerly Ecclesiastick or Ecclesiastick and Civill yea any tumultnary Assembly called together to determine businesse Act. 19. Act. 15. and oftentimes the whole body of the faithfull in opposition to their Rulers somtimes the body of the Church with their Rulers but never for ought I know the Rulers separate from the body Now here Apollonius must needs goe to consult with the Delphick three-footed stool that he may divine to us what Christ meant here by the Church seeing he did not define it in this place nor do we see it elsewhere explained in Scripture Apollonius doubtlesse with the Papists having a watchfull eye over his merchandise rather understands it of the Church-Rulers for this is all his care that this wonderfull Ecclesiastick power by many windings and turnings being snatched from the body of the Church and chiefly the Magistrate may be setled onely in the Governours as in the Center that is in the Consistory and because Deacons are onely positively Church-men as bellowes in a paire of Organs Elders onely comparatively as the pipes which of themselves sound not hence at last the whole power ends in Preachers superlatively Ecclesiastick as if they were Masters of the musick and so sing and play upon that Ecclesiastick Organ that every pipe shall yeeld no other sound then what pleaseth these Organists Thus the old and new Papists doe play the Philosophers upon this there tell the Church as if Christ had meant tell the Pope or the Clergie or the Preachers of the Gospell but of this never a word in Matthew yea it is contrary for Christ being so understood should have named a Judge who was neither then nor long after in the world What an absurdity had it been for Christ to have said to the godly that you may free your consciences from strife with your brother go to the Consistory or Church-Rulers which were not then nor to be in many years after Whence it is more likely that Christ by the Church meant there a Judge or Arbitrator in controversies indefinitely and as I said elsewhere without any expresse quality that is such a one as they could repaire to whether consisting of Ecclesiasticks and Civill Magistrates as the Sanhedraham was then or onely of Ecclesiasticks as afterwards under the Apostles or of Civill Magistrates as was in the Church after Magistrates became Christians
members keepers and nursing fathers of the Church Hence we see how much the Stilt-walker is deceived in thinking Magistrates to be excluded from Church-affaires in this place because of the word Church seeing in the most significations of this word Church the Magistrate is included onely one that excludes him which is not onely devised but is not plainely expressed by Christ how vaine then is this his argument wherein he so much prides himselfe Christ gave this power to the Church but the Magistrate is not the Church for if hee deludes us under the collective name of the Church represented or representing then we grant that the Magistrate is not the Church but so neither is Apollonius the Church except he will call himself the Pope and so this power belongs no more to Apollonius then to the Magistrate but if he speak of the Church as it is indefinitely used by Christ then he cannot make it appeare that Ministers alone are more comprehended under this word then Magistrates alone because both are parts of the Church and the Magistrate in respect of his judicatory power the more excellent part The other error is that out of these words tell the Church the old Papists beat out by a strange paraphrase the whole building of the huge papall Hierarchie as if they would shew that the Pope is Judge of all controversies between Kings the donor and distributer of Lands the Monarch of all Monarchs the infallible censurer and poler of all Nations the dispenser of all wickednesse in others and in himselfe all this they think Christ established in these words tell the Church The Stilt-walker instructed in the same Catechisme out of these words tell the Church doth almost draw out every thing to wit that the Magistrates must not meddle with Church-matters and that they are not within but about and without the Church that they have no power of Vocation making of Lawes or decisive censuring of Ministers but that all these belong solely to Ministers who in this are free and immediately depending on Christ and no way depending on the Magistrate so that if they should faile in their life and manners yet the Magistrate if he be a pious son must not presently rise up against the Minister his Father but he must first wink at his vices and then except in some few cases must not punish him but onely he must procure that Church-men as being specially holy punish the specially holy Minister which is as likely that these Walachrians will do as if you should make Elephants clear one another of their Leprofie These and much more doth he conclude out of these three words tell the Church but indeed this is to make a beame of a mote I rather say that Christ in this place ordained nothing else but that a brother who is willing to be reconciled to his brother which is unwilling should and may for ending the controversie implore the Churches help and in this case the Church ought to help him But what I pray is this for grounding that huge Hierarchie of the Church that she must have absolute power of consecrating excommunicating commanding and such like for if the words following if he heare not the Church let him be to thee as a Publican and Heathen ordain the right of excommunication then Christ bestowes it not there on the Church but on the brother who desires to be reconciled For he doth not say let the Church account or declare that brother for a Publican and Heathen but let him be to thee a Publican and Heathen c. that is as a brother thou may esteem him for a Publican c. if this signifieth to excommunicate then Christ gave the power of excommunication not to the Church but to every private brother that I wonder so proud a Divine should so carelesly weigh his owne lawes out of which he drawes so many priviledges One lie more there rests in this Argument to be shewed in saying that Ministers are immediately subject to Christ and depend from him whence he concludes that they are not subject to the Magistrate but this is a meer fiction for I will aske how shall we know this for I never read it in Scripture he will say that Christ is the immediate Anthor of the Church power because he gave the keyes to the Church he said tell the Church and he gave Apostles Prophets c. out of all which it is manifest that the office or as he calls it the Church power is immediately ordained by Christ I confesse this is truly said of the Church functions and it is no lesse true of the civill power which Christ the Mediator also immediatly established saying give to Caesar what is Caesars to God what is Gods especially when by Paul he hath declared Magistrates to be his Legates and hath subjected to them the Ministers for conscience sake so that now the Civill power depends as well immediately from Christ as the Ecclesiastick But how will hee hence prove that all who use this power that is Ministers and Preachers are immediately subject to Christ and depend from him This is a Popish fiction and an old cheat the falshood whereof any may quickly perceive for if all do immediately depend on Christ who discharge any office which Christ or God hath immediately ordained then all Magistrates Fathers Masters Deacons Readers and whosoever exercise any function ordained by God must depend on him immediately and therefore shall be under the command of none in respect of that function but of God or Christ Which fiction the Stilt-walker will finde in himselfe for if all Preachers be subject to none but to Christ because of their free Ecclesiastick power which they exercise how will their dependencie consist and the spirits of the Prophets be subject to the Prophets For he confesseth that the brothers are subject to the Consistory this to the Classis the Classis to the Synod and the lesser Synod to the greater and so in infinitum I know Apollonius teacheth this onely pro forma because he saith elsewhere that he is onely tied to the authority of the Synod as humane But here I hold him fast intangled in his owne gin for either it is false that Ministers in regard of their Ecclesiastick functions are subject onely to Christ immediately or else it is true that the Consistory Classis and Synods are nothing else but Christ himselfe but this last is blasphemy Ergo the first is most false it 's truly ridiculous to say that he is onely subject to Christ immediately who is subject to so many of which none is Christ So we see this Walachrian is carried every where with a Popish giddinesse Whence now I conclude if it be no wayes against the immediate and fictitious dependencie of Preachers from Christ that they are subject to so many Church-men why should this be a hindrance from being subject to the Civill Magistrate he will say I suppose that this subjection
Church belongs to the Preachers as Captaines for by this Simile all these vanish to nothing surely if he had diligently weighed these words of Christ Kings heararule but it shall not be so with you he would have found by them that the government of the Church belongs to Christ for the Disciples disputed not simply for rule but for rule in the Church whence I collect that Christ gave to Kings and Magistrates rule over the Church for what he denyed to the Apostles and Preachers that he hath granted to Magistrates for he said Kings beare rule it shall not be so with you but he denyeth to the Apostles rule over the Church ergo by the law of opposites he hath given and granted to magistrates rule over the Church I will expect how the Stilt-walker will elude this Argument taken from Christs own words it agrees surely with Calvins Paraphrase upon this place out of whose commentaries I will alleadge these few passages They are deceived then who extend this saying to all godly men promiscuously when notwithstanding out of the thing it selfe Christ teacheth that the Apostles were ridiculous who disputed for degrees of power and honour in their order because the office of preaching to which they were appointed hath no affinity with the Empires of the world c. But Christ hath set Pastors ever the Church not to command but to serve So the errour of the Anabaptists is refuted who exterminate out of the Church Kings and Magistrates because Christ denieth them to be like his Disciples whereas the comparison here is not between Christians and profane men but between their offices Besides Christ had not so much reference to the men as to the condition of his Church for it might be that he who was Lord over a towne or village upon necessity might be forced to undertake the office of teaching but it was sufficient for Christ to shew what the Apostolicall function did import and what it was not to meddle with And a little after I answer if we examine every thing Kings themselves do not rightly governe except they serve yet in this the Apostleship differs from earthly principality that Kings and Magistrates are not hindred by their service from ruling and with magnificent splendor and pomp to shew their eminency over their subjects so David and others c. And a little after Christ separates the Apostles from the order of Kings because the condition of Kings is different from that of the Apostolicall function There is yet one thing remaining concerning this argument to be touched to wit that Apollonius wrote this in jest not in earnest when he grants to the Magistrate supreme power and denieth it to Church-men he meant no such thing but in all this work he strives to make Preachers supreme and the Magistrates poore slaves for of himselfe and Preachers he saith every where That Christs Legats depend immediatly from Christ the Mediator exalted who have power to command with authority who have selfe-sufficient power under Christ and that regall Can any man have such a power except he that is supreme But that I may not seeme to dispute about words let us weiâ—â— the thing it selfe What doth agree more with supreme power then to be absolutely free and subject to none in any Common-wealth so as that he may not be punished though he do evill no not by the supreme power of that place but such doth he feigne all Preachers to be Their calling ought to be free and absolute they ought also to use freely and absolutey the preaching and censuring keyes it belongs onely to them to make and proclaime Ecclesiastick Lawes and to force the disobedient with punishment and excommunication And in all these as being formally Ecclesiastick he saith that the Ecclesiastick power of Preachers is so free that it is an way lawfull for the Magistrate who is supreme to meddle with them For if the Magistrate call that is by his paraphrase confirme if of himselfe and decisively he appoint Ecclesustick Lawes if by himself and by Ecclesiasticks he offer to punish Church-men yea if hee dare take off any Church-penalties inflicted upon any man or defend them who are thus oppressed when they appeal to them though the lawfulnesse of the penalty be questioned In all these cases he affirmes the Magistrate to be a tyrant and a trampler upon the Church-priviledges Christs spouse and which Christ bought with his blood Yea which is more par 1 p. 91 93 94. if the supreme Magistrate offer such things he saith that the Church-men have power to punish him with excommunication and that it is his duty as being a sheep of the Church to subject himself and all his to the Ministers This is the Stilt-walkers hierarchicall divinity which indeed makes of Ministers supreme Magistrates and of the supreme Magistrate a poore flave to Preachers Neither should the Magistrate permit Apollonius to delude them in saying that his power is onely in Ecclesiasticks and as he speaks formally internalls or externally internalls of the Church For this he saith every where That nothing canbe so secular par 1. p. 9. but that in some respest it belongs to the Ecalesiastick Court Whence it followes that there is nothing in the whole Empire in which the Magistrate can be free from the jurisdiction and censure of Church-men Nor is this of any moment which he saith that the Church inflicteth no punishment but spirituall and of excommunication almost which belong not to the body For all these are meer mockeries with which he would cover the turpitude of his intentions for all Ecclesiastick penalties chiefly the Walachrian have no other end but directly to wound mens reputations and so indirectly their estates and lives for liâ—â— and a good name go together who observes the seitious speeches writings and counfells which he daily hath with seditious Tertullus whom the Magistrates punished with disgrace but he useth him as his right hand may easily perceive that this Stiltwalker breaths no thing spirituall in his censure and Ecclesiastick government but all are carnall and corporall which the Magistrate should quickly feele if they would be carelesse and suffer him to obtain his will he hath the Pope for his Master in this fraud he by the same songs and as it were by the Syrens melody hath subjected to himselfe Monarchs by braging that he is the servant of servants and that gold and silver he hath none which yet he speaks falsly at this day he saith that he is altogether spirituall and that all his affaires are spirituall and therefore altogether different from the affaires of this life which belong not to the civill Court therefore hee hath made to himselfe a particular court and a particular hall in which though he doth every thing with barbarous pride yet he brags that there is nothing secular but all spirituall By which arts not onely hath he freed himself from punishment of the secular power to which by
any mention of Levites At Ierusalem he set up the chiefe Tribunall which consisted of Law-men and Clergie-men The Stilt-walker concludes that the Ecclesiastick Tribunall under Amarias the high Priest in the matters of the Lord was distinct from the secular under Sebadia his predecessour 2 Chron. 19. in the Kings businesse but this collection is not certain for presently to Sebadia are subjoyned the Levites so that we can see nothing to hinder us from thinking it to be the Sanhedrim of Magistrates and Priests in which the high Priest was to handle Ecclesiastick matters principally and Schadia secular but so that the sentence should be pronounced by the consent of both The Laitie then were never secluded from Ecclesiastick controversies but still included The ordinary power of punishing was in the Magistrate even for Ecclesiastick offences Aaron and the people sinned by idolatry Moses the Prince commands to slay three thousand Levites Achan stole the holy things Ioshua punished him Jehu slew the Priests of Baal Salomon deposed the high Priest Abiathar and so oftentimes Magistrates have punished Ecclesiasticall persons for Ecclesiastick offences or els have defended them from the unjust ordinances of Church-men The fact of Ieremie is memorable who being accused by the Priests for preaching was defended by the Princes And although the Priests endeavoured seditiously and unjustly to murder him Yet Ahiacam the Prince resisted Jer. 26. and delivered the Prophet from the unjust judgement of wicked Clergie-men who notwithstanding is commended for it and after the captivity is left in stead of a chiefe Ruler among the remainders of the Israelites whence it appeares that then there was nothing in all the Church-government in the old Testament of any speciall right or not to be touched by Magistrates from the separation of which notwithstanding the Stilt-walker borrowes his separated right as if all had been Sacerdotall functions and entrings into the holy of holies which had been ridiculous to the very old Levites It remaines that we look into the new Testament what the Magistrates did there Here the Walachrian sings the triumph and thinks that the Magistrate had no power because he saith there were none in the Apostles time whence he concludes that the Magistrate is a separable accident of the Church and that non 〈◊〉 have no accidents or right and operations I answered before that the Church was so farre from wanting Magistrates or supreme power at that time that on the contrary it resided in Christ and in his Apostles who indeed used not that earthly pomp but yet by their word they miraculously effected that which Magistrates did by their sword but to deny that this power was corporall or supreme over bodies because it was used by Ecclesiastick persons miraculously and not in any ordinary way is as much as if you would say that to kill as Phineas did is not to kill because hee being a Priest did it extraordinarily I do not think the Stilt-walker was ignorant of this but hee is angry because that power was then in the Church and among Church-rulers but is not without the Church and among Magistrates Hee had rather it should continue within the Church for all that hee intends is to hurt and disgrace any man by direct or indirect courses But if hee will have the same supreme power which was in the APOSTLES CHRISTS Legates to remaine hee should by some sure token let us see that the same gifts are in him which were in them but being destitute of such he doth all one as if he did brag of Croesus his wealth and yet is poorer then Irus not having scarce a penny to buy himself a halter It is familiar with him to imitate the Pope his Predecessor he drove Magistrates out of the Church snatching the sword from them tooke to himselfe both the Secular and Ecclesiastic sword If by this gulfe he swallow the Magistrates especially the prudent Middleburgeans that being in discord by his devices they let go the civill helme of the Church and commit it to this Church-man he will be to us a great Apollo and the wonder of the world This I hope I speake not without reason But secondly I answer it is most false that there were no Magistrates under the Apostles who by the Civill power defended and guided the Church either without or within This the Rattle-mouse dreamed to be out of all doubt because Nero and other supreame Magistrates were without and the Churches enemies What then were there no chief rulers of an inferiour rank who favoured the Church he is as much deceived as if he should say that our Chmmon-wealth of the Vnited Provinces had not in the beginning any lawfull Princes because the King of Spaine and his bloody Councell were their enemies For the lesser Governours to wit the Nobles and the Cities that is the States endowed with just power under the government of the illustrious Prince of Orange did happily begin their business of Reformation and liberty So there were then lesser Magistrates in the Church under the Apostles such as Cornel us the Centurion the Goaler Sergius Paulus the Pro-consul Erastus the Treasurer at Corinth Narcissus Nero his Chamberlain whom the holy Ghost hath recorded and doubtless many whom he hath not recorded Shall we not beleeve that these men prudently used their power estates also to defend the Church if they had not done so and had not been members of the Church they would not have bestowed their gifts for the common benefit of the body of the Church Now to place all these without the Church is to place the Sunne out of the world Surely the Church-government under the Apostles was so popular that the whole body of the Church was present promiscuously at the famous acts of calling and law-making Act. 16. Act. 15. the Walachrian then is a preposterous practice in thinking that there Magistrates were excluded from Church-business except he will say that they were of meaner condition then women and could not doe that which women could then or that they should lay aside their supream right as soone as they came into the Church All which fictions agree wel with the Popes institution who accustomed the Emperours when they came to him the head of the Church to lay downe their Crownes and Sword to kneele on the ground and to kiss his foot which comedie doubtless is very pleasant to the Walachrian new Papist but this grieves him that he hath as yet a large sea to saile over before he can arrive to that harbour I say that all these Chymeraes were unknown to the Apostles and that they permitted Magistrates as Magistrates to be present at sacred meetings and to deliberate in sacred business and consequently that there were Civill Magistrates then in the Church I adde thirdly that among Church-offices there were such who though they were not Preachers and Pastors of the Church yet had a government in it 1 Cor. 12.28 for Paul
saith that among the offices of the Church there were Governours and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Presidents or Bishops Which offices because they were separated from the generall government of the Apostles it is not to be doubted but that they consisted in the speciall power of censuring and curbing of Christians Rom. 12. against Ataxie and alse of defending the Church Whom therefore Aretius thinks were Laics who had inspection over mens manners Lib. 4. Instit c. 20. and discharged the office of Magistracie So Calvin saith that there were grave men who had charge of manners which is all one with the Civill power that under these may be commended every kind of just government Lastly I will prove by a necessary reason that there were then in the Church who judged of secular matters that is were Magistrates For we know out of 1 Cor. 6. that there were among Christians controversies about secular business Hence I necessarily collect that their Judges were either within or without the Church If they were without onely then the Corinthians did well in going to them or else they must have left them still unjudged But the former is repugnant to Pauls reprehension the latter to equity and reason Hence necessarily it followes that within the Church there were such as decided controversies or might have decided them and I pray what else were these but such as Magistrates at this day So that here I hold this Walachrian Batt by both his wings fastned with ten-peny nailes to the doores of his Church where having discovered his deformity he may spend his dayes in biting and chirping But what if it were as certaine as the Walachrian would have it that there were not Civill Magistrates under the Apostles and consequently that then there were no right and operations of non-entities how will his Logick prove that it must be so continually except he will perswade us that Magistrates should be alwayes infidels and enemies of the Church because they were such under the Apostles which assertion were impious and monstrous and contrary to experience For three hundred years after Christ Emperours as it was fore-told kissed the Son Psal 2. were made the Churches nursing Fathers and Patrons as it was apparent in Constantine and others Whence we see the Stilt-walkers madness for he disputes no other wayes then if I should say of Nebuchadnezzar so long as he was a beast he was unfit for government and therefore had no command in his Kingdome Hence I should collect that this was perpetuall and that he never had his Kingdome againe whereas we know that as soone as he was restored to his reason he was also restored to his kingdome and honour and betooke himselfe to his ancient government or if a Master of a Family should be unfit to rule his house because he is distracted in minde so that he must guide it by some other but if he recover his health who will say that he must not return to guide his family again This is the intent of these Walachrian Sophisters because impious Magistrates were sometimes mad and unfit Fathers to guide the family of Christs Church that therefore now they are still unfit although they be restored to their wits and albeit that God hath honoured them with faith piety knowledge prudence and all other gifts fit for a Father yet they must be accounted mad still and must be kept out of the Church bound fast in Bedlam that these unnaturall sons alone might rule as they please I will rather thus reason because Magistrates did not in the Apostles time rule the Church which they alwayes should have done by Gods owne institution because they were Infidels and enemies therefore now they are bound to rule her in that now they are made by faith tutors and nursing fathers of the Church This is all one as if we should say of the Israelites that they must never use husbandry and mechanicall trades because God for 40 yeares together sent them Manna from heaven and kept their utensils from wearing so that neither their clothes nor shooes were worne for experience taught the contrary And although perhaps many would have been well content to have been idle and to enjoy that benefit still yet as soone as they went over Jordan Josh 5. Manna failed them and their utensils began to weare whence they were forced to returne to their agriculture and mechanick trades I will then hence inferre since Magistrates are become Christians they are to be admitted into the whole ancient right which out of the Old Testament we have shewed what that was So that there is now nothing in the whole Church-government which is not lawfull to them by Divine right both for matter of action rule and care This is not my opinion alone but Calvin himselfe every where infinuates this in his Writings Although Christ would not have the beginnings of his Kingdome to be helped by the sword Com. in Deut. 13.5 c. yet he had not prescribed to himselfe an eternall law but at last he forced Kings to obey him c. and of persecutors made them keepers and patrons of the Church Magistrates at first exercised tyrannie against the Church because the time was not yet come that they should kisse the Sonne of God and having laid aside all violence should become nursing fathers of her whom they persecuted In his Commentarie upon 1 Tim. 2. he saith that Magistracie in the Church is as the earth by whose fertility as the corne is procreated so by the Magistrates office the Church is nourished In his Comment on Mat. 20. saith that by this command of Christ we see the Anabaptists fury in excluding Magistrates from the Church of God for it may be that he who was Lord of a towne or village might also in case of necessity performe the function of a Teacher It is then plaine that this man was of a far other opinion then the Walachrians who under pretence of hostility exercised by Nero in the Apostles time against the Church goe about to debar Magistrates for ever from medling with Church-business This was the cunning of growing Antichrist to keep off Magistrates from Church-affaires as being holy and not to be touched so that like another Aeolus he swaggers alone in the Church court Neither have there been wanting at all times some Hermaphrodites halfe men soft and effeminate Princes who with Sardanopalus laying aside all their masculine vigour have submitted themselves to Ecclesiastick whores Such was among the rest Theodosius the younger who wrote to the Synod of Ephesus That it was unlawfull for any man who was not in the catalogue of holy Bishops to meddle with Church queries But much more carelesly Basilius the Emperour who in the 8. Synod said That no Laey-man of what dignity soever ought to move questions in Church-matters this belongs to the Patriarchs Bishops and Priests who have power to bind and have the Church keyes and not to
us who are to be fed and stand in need of loosing These words as if they were golden and pleasing to the Popes pride are oftentimes cited by the Jesuites and the Stilt-walker out of them part 1. p. 265 266. as if they were very notable doth every where repeat them for this is properly his intent to strike a superstitious feare in Magistrates that they may abstain from the Church-government that he and his may the more freely domineere and use Papall Tyrannie Yet there have been now and then famous and generous Princes who by their masculine carriage have curbed these whores and made them betake themselves to their distaffes especially those of Rome by prescribing Lawes to them and forbidding them the priviledge of caling Among others Justinian the Emperour who had well deserved of the Civill Law about the yeare 500. he made divers Lawes concerning the election of Popes by which he commanded the Church of Rome that they should not think of calling a Pope except they paid a summe of money and should by way of Petition ask leave of him to choose Such an order was prescribed to Gregorie the Great by Mauritius but he being murthered with his sons by Phocas about the yeare 600. gave occasion to Boniface the third to become Antichrist who then was first called and held the head of the Church Then the Empire strugled to get out and the Popes licentiousness increased untill after the 800. yeare it was again repressed by Charles as appears by the Institutes of Ludovicus Pius Otho and others concerning this matter but chiefly about the yeare 1070. Henry the third Emperour a generous Prince caused the people and Clergie of Rome to take an oath that they would never afterward meddle with electing the Pope untill first they had obtained leave of the Emperour which law within ten yeares after Pope Hildebrand did utterly overthrow bringing his sonne Henrie the 4. unto subjection whom he compelled at Canossa to come on his knees to him as may be seen in Platina and Onuphrius There hath been alwayes strange stubbornness in the Pope and Church-men in making of Lawes and inflicting of punishments by name spirituall but indeed corporall against which many times generous Princes have strugled untill by a fatall violence the Pope at last got the masterie This Ambrose first began to put in practice who by Theodosius of a Praetor was suddenly made a Bishop whom afterward he vexed very much with divers penitentiall inventions that if the Emperour had not for the greater good of the Church endured it then it might have given occasion utterly to destroy the Church Pope Anastasius was more impudent who durst excommunicate the Emperour by whom he was justly punished This boldness increased in Nicholaus and others so that they durst resist the Emperour to his face as Onuphrius brags Generous Princes at last lost their vigour in that they would not command these Church-witches to be brought to them in chaines thrust them from their Bishopricks punish them with exile and death Lastly in that they did not rule all things in the Church-discipline according to their authority and will when they saw how they were handled against Law and Justice Besides their power lasted so long over the calling and decrees of Councels that Church-men could doe nothing without their beck and Suffrages and Princes were too blame in that they did not curb by their authority the in-bred stubbornness of contention in those spirituall men and did not interpose their judgement in the most serious affaires of the Church and of Religion slighting the infinite quarrells of Ecclesiasticks Bellarmine cites examples out of Brevic. Collat. that in Austines time there was a great question between the Orthodox and the Donatists which could not be composed by Divines but at last was ended by Marcellinus notary and Tribune to the Emperour Constantine the younger The same reports out of Socrates Socrat l. â— c. 10. that under Theodosius the younger Divines had disputed long concerning the controversies of Religion which could not be taken up by the Synods Theodosius then commanded that every one should deliver to him the forme of his Religion which being read and weighed he prayed and at length chose the Orthodox opinion rejecting the rest and commanded that alone to be observed Bellarmine doubts of the credit of Socrates for how could he know saith he what Cesar did in his closet He thinks these things fell out upon the prayers of Theodosius by chance rather then by providence for if he prayed to God saith he it was rather that he would pardon him for putting his sickle into other mens corne in that he thrusted himself rashly upon this Church business So it is plaine that the old Papists and new Walachrians speak with one mouth and play upon the same strings But I on the contrary out of this conclude that this mysterie of iniquity was not knowne to those famous and pious Princes that they must doe nothing precisely under pain of Sacriledge in ecclesiastick business For had they understood that this was so ordained in Scripture they had abstained and so many Pious Doctors of the Church with whom they lived had not so easily granted this to them But histories tell us that all contention about this arose from the Bishop of Rome who was driven to this by his pride and antichristian fate With whose arrogancie the Walachrian Stilt-walker itching now againe hath published so many absurdities falshoods and blasphemies against Pious Magistrates which I have hitherto touched that I am glad to have got out of the dirty and thornie place of his fooleries But that I am in the last place to shew the acuteness of his distinctions wherein he every where abounds which though I have scatteringly refuted yet here as in an abridgement I will briefly point at for whilst he counterfeits modesty he seems to bestow bountifully on the Magistrate power in Church business but this he doth so inconstantly and carelesly that presently he puts some obstacle or other by a petty distinction least he should seeme to have yeelded too much Such is this above the rest that he grants leave to the Magistrate to handle Church matters objectively not formally by which distinction he will easily obtain that if he hath done all Church-business he hath done none because he hath done ecclesiastick things par 1. p. 91 but not ecclesiastickly or as ecclesiastick The vanity of which device consists in this that of a circumstance and base accident he makes a forme for he will have so great force and efficacie in modern vocation chiefly among the Walachrians that it introduceth a new form into a man or as the Papists speak a new character which pierceth into the soule so that one and the same thing being handled by a Magistrate is not ecclesiastick but being done by a Church-man or one that is called it is formally ecclesiastick Which difference seems no greater to me then
distinguished by Paul as if it were not lawfull for some to preach for that is against the place Act. 20. where he calls Presbyters promiscuously Bishops and bids them all feed the flock which is properly to teach both had then liberty to preach But because some did it freely and according as their affaires would permit but others againe spent their whole life in labouring casting away all secular businesses as the Apostles Evangelists and Prophets did Hence the Apostle saith that they labour properly in the word And by reason of this duty and office they were not to be Emperors or Potestative Kings as the Papists prate but Oxen treading out the Corn and hired Labourers to whom not only honour as to others but profit also is due that is wages and maintenance out of the Publique purse Surely now in modern vocations all the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit cease with which the church did then abound in Gods just judgment So that if God were now willing to use his bounty the vices of those that are called would hinder him Now then there is almost nothing left of their vocation nor in the Walachrians intention but reward or a yearely stipend whence it appeares that Preachers have no speciall right of sanctity by their vocation but only that leaving their secular affairs which they are loath to do they spēd their whole life about divine worship not as Princes but as Mercenaries who are hived by the States from whom they expect their wages So that of their mercenarie worke they have nothing to brag above other worthy Members of the Church especially the godly Magistrates For they are as foolish as if in an Army the common souldiers who are hired to watch and ward and performe other military duties should brag against that Prince who hires them or against those Voluntiers who freely venture their lives who are therefore more happy and worthy then others because they are not hired but fight out of meere honour and may when they please lay down the dangers and burthens of warfare But this is sufficient for the vanity of the first distinction His other fiction he gathers out of Thomas and the Schoolmens old trash that he may yet the more stoutly keepe off Magistrates from touching his holy things For if this which he seared bee evinced that Magistrates or Lay-men can bee formally Church-men as surely they are when they be chosen Elders because Presbyters by the Apostles institution were all Bishops Pastors and therfore Preachers Act. 20.21 that he may put in a cavill for his speciall sacred things he affirmes that whatsoever Magistrates doe is nothing because they do only imperatively not elicitivelyly in which destinction as in most he seemes to affect obscurity of tearmes that he might cheat with such canvasse ware country people cheaters with multitude of words and nimblenesse of hands hide their trifles and oftentimes cry out Let not one Artificer confound another If the Stilt-walker should cry this a hundreth times yet he could not save his impostures from being ridiculous which now I will in few words shew If he understood his owne distinction this is his meaning that Magistrates must not meddle with modern Church-businesse by themselves that is they must not preach pray publikely administer the Sacraments call or doe the rest Immediatly which with him is to do elicitively and properly to doe for this he saith to doe were a great sacriledge in the Magistrate What then the Magistrate can do all Church-matters imperatively that is he can command Preachers who are alone specially sanctified that they handle Church-matters diligently For which purpose he can heape benefices upon them he may admonish them will veverence as Fathers and if they be quite negligent he may compell and punish them but not by himselfe for this were sacriledge to touch those annointed except it be by Ecclesiastick persons and even in the case of Rebellion and Sedition Church-men ought to be Judges This is that he meanes by acting imperatively elicitively by which pleasant devise hee thinkes he hath obtained a meanes to delight Magistrates with words and wind and whereas he seemes to ascribe much yea all to them in Church-matters yet indeed he gives them nothing 1. Then I answer this fiction is grounded on false suppositions and meer fables as appeares by what is said before concerning the speciall sanctity of Church-affaires which wee cannot find to be such as should exclude any of the faithfull or who belongs to Christ from touching or immediate handling of them for all are of common right and sanctity Again if any thing in Church government were in a speciall manner objectively holy at this day there should be now no medium to obtain this special divine right for performance of that sacred businesse for no man is born with this right as the Levites were of old no man is sent from Heaven as the Apostles and Prophets were no man is called by divine calling or confirmed by a spirituall imposition of hands conferring any extraordinary spirituall gifts as of old under the Apostles but the whole modern vocation in respect of the manner is purely humane and oftentimes abounds with many vices and fraudes so that there is nothing more sure then that such a vocation cannot make one spirituall and holy by speciall right For there should be more in the effect then was in the adaequare cause and so of a bad tree should come good fruit Modern vocation doth nothing else but only for orders sake tye one to his office of performing divine worship in such a place So that what others who have the gifts may doe as voluntary souldiers he is alwayes bound to doe as a Hireling For which cause hee is by the States and Magistrates set down in the catalogue of Hirelings And the treasurer is commanded to reward him for his service as a mercenary To perswade us that by this vocation a man is made spirituall holy and in a special maner sanctified is like children to make us believe that of chalk clay or sand loays pies or marchpain can be made For so they out of their infancie bable among themselves whom the Stilt-walker truly imitates when he would perswade swade the English and all Magistrates as if they were Babies that modern vocation is of such esscacy the contrary whereof he and others who are thus specially sanctified shew by their example So that now we see it is a meer fiction that Magistrates as such cannot elicitively by themselves properly and immediatly performe all the businesse of their Church-government For this they could do in the Old Testament why then can they not do it as well in the New in which the ceremoniall precisenesse is taken away and all faithfull men are made truely holy and sanctified to be Prophets Priests and Kings as Peter speaketh and so Calvin doth openly confesse that a Lay-Governour of a Place or Village may teach in case of necessity wee
shewed also before out of the Law and institution of Christ and his Apostles that the administration of the Sacraments was not of such speciall sanctity but that it was permitted to lay men and the Christians at Corinth did administer the supper among themselves without respect or presence of any Bishop or Preacher as appears out of Pauls narrative 1. Cor. 11. now if under the Apostles there was no such speciall sanctity of those things it is cleare that that which the Walachrians obtrude is either fictitious or borrowed from Popery 2. The other devise of this distinction is that it affirmes the Magistrate can do nothing in Church-matters properly or formally because he doth nothing by himselfe or elicitively but yet all things imperatively and by others For this he saith is to do nothing which truly is an elicitive fiction for if this be true then a Hammer Saw Plainer and other tooles doe properly make a statue or hedge because they properly touch the subject produce the effect not the workman Then David did nothing in murthering Vriah because the enemies did it by themselves and properly Ioab by so ordering it and David imperatively But the Srripture contradicts the Stilt-walker for it doth not say to the enemies or to Ioab but to Daâ—id only thou killedst Vriah There is a notable example of the building of the Temple by Salomon in which we know the King did nothing by himselfe or elicitively for hee was no Mason Carpenter or any other trades-man All these things he committed to the Master-builders and hirelings he only commanded and directed Hence the Walachrian Divinity will conclude that Salomon did nothing properly or formally but only the builders and mechanicks But the holy Ghost speakes the contrary who doth not name those in the building of the Temple but the whole worke is ascribed to Salomon who was chosen of God to that purpose so that hee is called the builder of the Temple and every where it is called the Temple of Salomon So we see that the Stilt-walker scatters abroad meere fooleries when by his specious distinction he will perswade us that the Magistrate doth nothing in Church-matters because he doth all things imperatively but nothing elcitively that is he did by his command order and cost as the Magistrate doth at this day His last destinction is altogether seraphical and so subtill that the Magistrate will never be able to breake this barre but if he seeme to do things formally and elicitively yet the Walachrian Divines will mock and hisse him out for when he beleeves that he hath done something in holy Church-government because it is a meere accident they will say that he hath not touched yea that he cannot touch the substance of Church holy things but to be conversant only in worldly circumstances and accidents which fine fiction fit indeed for Oedipus doth for ever debarre Magistrates from Ecclesiastick holinesse and will also free the Walachrian Ecclesiastick from carnall and civill circumstances except among the secular circumstances one should prove very substantiall which is the procurement of the Ministers yearely stipend which comes so neare to Ecclesiastick substances that it is of more worth then the substance of all sanctities The old Papists have long challenged this part of Spirituality to themselves that they might have spirituall lands revenues and treasurers by which art they have totally freed themselves from the lay carnality There is no doubt but that the Walachrian Papist who sees every thing saw this also that it was a base thing for such spirituall men to bee maintained by such carnall and secular money Whereas chiefely they scrape together our of the Spirituall Tenths what they bestow sparingly on the maintenance of Ministers But Magistrates as yet have not been so spirituall as to let goe the right of this circumstance for they feare that seeing they are excluded from the whole substance of Ecclesiastick Government by those superlative holy men they shall be divested of all circumstances if that principall circumstance be omitted However the matter be surely this last fiction at first sight smells of the Popes forge For they to maintaine their Idole of transubstantiation that the bread may not be eate up and vomited by dogs or gnawed by rats have found out the like fiction to witt that what soever it be they eat there is nothing diminished from the Sanctitie of the bread because they gnaw eat and spue but bare accidents and not the substance One egge is not more like an other then this new Walachrian papist is like the old one who that he may the better preserve the sacred things of his Church government from the Majestrats profane touch affirmeth also that whatsoever they can or will doe in these sanctified things yet the dignity of Church facred misteries shal be never a whit lessoned because they never touch but the accidents and circumstances being debarred from medising with the substance For my part let like lips have like lettice I think it sufficient that I have shewed all the fooleries of these distinctions with which the Stilt-walker every where plays in his sacred things He hath fully by his example proved that ignorance is very bold there is no question so absurd but he if it come into his head wil vent it for an oracle That he may keep off godly Magistrates from his holy things not onely doth hee for the most part use the example or wicked men but else where hee openly affirmes that a faithfull Magistrate hath no power in regard of his dignity and office over Ecclesiastic matters which doth not equally belong to an Infidell in regard of his Office he shall perswade wise men to believe this rash assertion when hee perswades them that Lazarus had the same power to come out of his grave whilest he lay halfe rotten which he had when after Christ had raised him he stood up alive or that a Dog hath as much right who is turned into a Woolfe to keepe the flock as he that is naturally apt to keepe the sheep and is an enemy to the Woolfe or that a blind man hath as much right to shew the way as he who is quick-sighted and hath both his eyes He doth so contemptuously mince the inestable gist of faith and conversion that hee makes it almost but a small circumstance in Magistrates whereas in Scripture it is so described as that it makes a blind man see and of a Woolfe makes a Dog that is changeth as it were the whole man He also many times cryes out that the Church was happier under the crosse then now under Godly Magistrates if they should make their power privative not cumulative that is if they should hinder Ministers from discharging their sacred affaires by themselves which he chiefly meaneth of the power of the keyes of making Lawes and of calling for hee thinkes that this chiefly belongs to the Churches happinesse that Church men may freely call whom they please
Alexander and other Monarchs dreamed of themselves that they exceeded humane pitch when they had such infinit power and had the command over so many lives and bodies of subjects so that if superstition can puffe up any with pride it may have a place among Magistrates whom not opinion or superstitions perswasion but Gods Law and manifest oracles make Gods and such as have the charge of all mens soules Yet there is no godly Magistrate so madde I know as thinkes not himselfe to be a man and subject to all humain infiâ—mities that by his supream power hee hath not obtained any suddain sanctitre or divinity but that they are the fame what they were before â—â—â—ly made more honourable and bound to a new service of the State They that have any higher conceits of themselves are mad and deserve with proud Herod to be smitten by the hand of an Angell with Lice and Vermine If then such pride is unseemly and unlawfull for Magistrates to whom both divine and human Lawes have given power to reigne and beare role with power and to have the supreame authority let the old Roman and new Wallachrian Papists be ashamed who place the whole strength of divine worship and Religion in this that spirituall dignitie may â—ecrâ—â—e to them also a superstitious respect and a power grounded on seigned priviledges by the charge which they have of sacred things and the mercinary performing of them so that in this the unhappinesse of human affaires is to be lamented In that from the best things doe most cammonly arise the worst corruptions For whom God hath expresly set over the preservation of Order worship Modesty and Pietie they 〈◊〉 given occasion of Confusion Pride Impietie and contempt of divine worship as experience of all times doe shew God of old made the â—â—vites holy by consecration by his Law and by an accumulation of many honors on them but who knows not that in processe of time of them have proceeded wicked men despisers and overthrowers of Religion Hee gave Vrim and Thommim to the High Priest and speciall priviledges as to the Keeper of the most sacred things but what more hideous mâ—nsters could there be in the world then some of them were It was the High Priest with his company Jer. 23. who would have treacherously put Jeremiah to death excent Abican the Magistrate had resisted Caiphs and the Chiefe Priests put Christ to death unjustly Acts 20. It was Anonius the High Priest whom Paul called a Whited-wall and that deservedly because he went about treaâ—herously to murther him the Scribes and Pharisees had the key of knowledge and a right to sit in Moseâ— his chaire but the world could not shew more pernitious monsters whom Christ for often cursed After the Apostles time for a whilâ— the Bishop of Fome did excellently maintain Religion as we know out of Histories but afterward by degrees Antichrist proceeded of them as wee see at this day in Popery What wonder if the same fall out now That of the reformed Wallachrians there arise a seditious crew breathing Anarchie or papisticall Hierarchy with the contempt of godly Magistrates and the open blasphemy of Potentates I purpose not to wrong the piety and esteem of all there are many godly Ministers who deserve honour whose moderation doth abundantly testifie that they are exceedingly displeased with the wranglings and quarrells of proud men about their devised sanctities they place their chiefe honour in modesty integrity of life and simplicity of doctrine but because the minde of man out of innate corruption is bent upon error except it be strengthened 〈◊〉 the extraordinary assistance of Gods Spirit which God hath seldome done and it is certaine that now for so many hundreth yeares he never did it Hence godly men have endevoured alwayes to finde out and prescribe â—emedies against this spreading disease or carruption of true Religion an evill so fatall that scarce could any Age be so provident as to keepe it from ruinating it selfe and breeding its own moth because it seemed to stand upon firme pillars and to be shut up within a strong Bulwark Our Reformers in the beginning did write Confessions and Catechismes that they might preserve the purity of Doctrine the Laws and Ordinances of Church-Government for the better ordering thereof have not been more exactly looked into as they say then in Zeland where the States by their approbation have ratified the Ecclesiastique Polity The Hollanders and Frislanders have not as yet attained so much happinesse upon a just suspition as they would have it lest this peevishâ— and extravagant kinde of men alwayes seeking one law our of another should deduce right out of right and should force the Law givers by their own Laws and Statutes to become servile by their consequentiast windings and ambiguities Yet as we see in this 〈…〉 Magistrates were never more railed against then there where Apolloniâ— himself confesseth the best Church policy is erected there were never greater rebellions any where then there where the Magistrates have out of piety and gentlenesse most favoured the Clergy so that this like an incurable sicknesse seemes to increfe by the cure Before I give off writing I will briefly according to my ability shew by what meanes this Leprosie and increasing evill may be met with least the force of Religion be weakened by contempt or by reason of too much respect given to the Clergie Instead of Religion we have superstition between these quicksands the Ship of Christs Church hath alwayes with much difficulty failed so that comming too neer either of them she hath indangered her self or made shipwrack This the care of the Magistrate may prevent in matters of Church Discipline Laws and Vocation Let this be held sure in the first place that the Modern Church Ducipline is of order not of Divine right properly or spirituall whose effects are none except on them who are bewitched with superstitious perswasions or are moved with the reverence of the Order but in others who are stubborn it is no wayes effectuall except by the Magistrates secular force it be supported for what had excommunication or discipline been except under the Apostles miraculous force and feare of punishment had curbed the refractory this now passeth to the Magistrate by an ordinary way At this day also the order censure and discipline of the Church had been nothing if refractory and disordered persons were not contained by the awe of the Magistrate and feare of the Sword It had been an unworthy thing in the Church to have excluded the Apostles in whom was the force of all government they are guilty of the same error who at this day would separate the Magistrates Authority from the Church which is indeed the foundation of all order and discipline wherefore godly Magistrates should be confident of this that it is in their power now to give vigour and life to Ecclesiastick order and discipline whence it belongs to them to prescribe Laws
other place by a change not dishonourable that so the personall or locall inconvenience may be avoyded without any great losse of honour or profit to him who is thus translated There are other remedies which may be found out by others to cure the heat of Ecclesiastick pride at this day which if you will carefully prevent by plucking up the cares of superstition and papall tyranny the corne of Religion and Order will continue pure and free from all contempt One perhaps will say what shall be done if a wicked Magistrate and an enemy of the Church should be endowed with such power in Ecclesiastick matters Will not such an exorbitant power prove destructive to the Church Which will be prevented if he be debarred from medling with holy things I answer Wee must not doe evill that good may come neither must mens mindes be filled with devices that the Church may be kept from danger Paul as I have often said was not ignorant of this evill and yet he injoynes every soule to bee subject to every Magistrate Besides we must note that religion hath been more ruined by too great Ecclesiastick then by too great Secular power so that this is alwayes an intestine and domestick destruction that when necessity requires may be secluded Let Papists and chiefly Anabaptists witnesse amongst whom the contempt of the Magistrate is the occasion of infinite and irreconcilable Schismes This had alwayes been incident to Christs Church if the supreme power had not preserved unity and purity of Religion miraculously under the Apostles and after them by the ordinary meanes so that in the fulnesse of Antichristianisme Religion was not extinguished untill the secular Sword was suppressed and Church-tyranny had seized upon all If it should please God to afflict the Church with this extreme misery that our Magistrates should prove impious and enemies to the Church Apollonius his fictitious Hierarchicall Government will prove but small helpe against it no more then childrens seed which they sow in their little Garden-plots will resist hunger if the ground be generally barren as it was in Aegypt in such a case we must pray to God saith Calvin that hee would turn the Magistrate and wee must indure the affliction and if Order and Government cannot be precisely observed yet by all meanes the purity of Religion must be maintained as we see how little contention there was among Christians for preheminence command and power when they were under the crosse who rejoyced if by any meanes they could preserve the forme of Divine worship and true Religion I confesse I have been longer then I purposed in this Discourse and have given this advice in generall not that I might carpe at the true Chrian worship or the true Order thereof but that I might bring my bâ—cket of help and counsell to quench the raging Hierarchicall fire among the Wallachrians and chiefely that I might performe the funerall Obsequies to the Ghost of your worthy Vedelius so pious and well-deserving which the Popish Wallachrian crue with their Captaine the Stilt-walker did indevour to bespit and bepisse I hope I have not done amisse if I have for his misdeeds rubbed him somewhat roughly my chiefe drift is onely to unfeather this Wallachrian Cuckow or Aesopicall Magâ—pye who hath adorned himself with divers sorts of feathers the greatest part wherof he hath borrowed from the Pope the Roman Peacock as I have shewed at large And whilst I am now drawing to an end that which Aristotle records of the wilde Bull is very pat for my purpose This beast the Paeonians call Bolinthus which had a Mane like a Horse Arist lib. de miraâ— initio but in all the rest of his body hee was like a Bull or Oxe so that his hornes were black bigge and crooked Hee defended himself with his heeles and squirting of his belly for hee used to voyd great store of dung for the space of foure paces so hot that it scalded off doggs haires if it had touched them but this was onely when the beast was angred for when it was quiet the dung had not such force thus farre hee Surely the Wallachrian Oxe that treadeth out the corne Maned like a Horse hath exceedingly struck at the Magistrates with his hornes but such as are crooked or bended inwardly and so could touch nothing he indevoured to kick with his heeles but to no purpose so that like that inraged beast he hath done nothing but shit out dung in a large measure and for many paces together which he had gathered out of the Jesuites Privies of such heat that it seemes to scald but this heat hath onely touched the haires and I doubt not if the beast be quiet but that his dung will lose its heate and force But if he goe on in his madnesse I beleeve he shall finde those who will shit and squirt his owne hot stuffe upon his owne back so that the beast will stinke and be scalded with his own excrements FINIS ERRATA Page 1. line 23. for folies read follies p. 15. l. 21. for of r. or p. 28. l. 27. for Apolianâ— Apollonian p. 31. l. 37. for spiritually r. spirituallity p. 51. l. 30. for is it r. it is p. 60. l. 28. for â— r. of p. 63. l. 9. for ceised r. seased p. 73. l. 11. for there r. this ibid. l. 35 for loosen r. loosed p. 75. l. 25. for ar r. as p. 77. l. 13. for assiaâ—â—e r. assistance p. 84. l. 14. for excommunicates r. excommunicants l. 28. for bad r. old l. 31 for old r. bad p. 85. l. 30. r. contumacy p. 86. l. 1 for held r. chapter p 89. l. 35. for it r is p 92. l. 35. r. the matter p 93. l 16 r. such as l. 21. for pawn r. power l. 35. for Pope r. Popes for flires r. flies p. 99. l. 28. r. beleeve l. 30 for arguing r. urging p. 103. l. 9. r. the p. 110. l. 14 dele in l. 36. r. it p. 111. l. 29 r going to p. 129. l. 26 r. to be p. 136. l. 17. for one r. no p. 160. l. 17. for held r. head The letter Y. for 101 r. 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 p. 161. l. 4. for husbands r husband p 162 l. 22 for his r. this l. 27. for shew r shewed p. 164. l. 17 r. Bee p. 165. l. 1. for yet r yea p. 168. l. 30. for â—re r. are p. 172. l. 19. r. this p. 181. l. 38. for is r. are p. 202. l. 1. r. sanctity p. 204. l. 29. for this r. his l. 32 dele of p. 209. l. 19. r. administer p. 218. l. 22. a is left ouâ— p. 251. l. 34. r. not p. 255. l. 2. for how r. now p. 256. l. 38. for spirituall r. fit or acquired THE KINGDOMES VVeekly Intelligencer SENT ABROAD To prevent mis-information From Tuesday May 11. to Tuesday May 18. 1647. I Had an intent in the Preface to this Intelligence to acquaint you with what is
and experience will easily convince him of falshood As for secular meanes imagine they are nothing else but rods wracks halters and swords all corporall which is false yet it will not follow thence that those means are meerly corporall and carnall for they may have much spirituallity joyned with them such accordietly the Ordination of God and Christ the Mediatour who as a spirituall King armes them with a spirituall command and in that respecâ—â— Gal 〈◊〉 saith he makes them his spirituall and holy Ambassadours Again these meanes are much changed in regard of the use for at that which preâ—ecds not from true faith is polluted and â—â—â—â—all soqâ—â— which hid dont by truly faithfull men puts on a far other manner of sanctitie and spirituality so that the sword of reformed and pious â—agistrates may have in it much more spirituality and sanctity because it is exercised in reverence and feare of God which the sword of wicked men cares not for Lastly the end and intention of the Agent doth much change the nature of the work whence we may wonder that every where the Stilt-Walker doth promiscuously consider pious and impious Magistrates in the right of handling sacred things for there is great oddes whether he use the sword to establish idolatrie and false worship as the wiâ—â—ed doth or on the countrary to premote the time worship and salvation of soules which is the intent of the pious Magistrate hee that seeth not this difference he must needs confesse that he doth as justly use the sword who defends murthesers and wicked men and â—ppresseth good men as he who punisheth 〈◊〉 and defends good men these things thus considered do shew that the secular meâ—â—es even the sword it self are not so carnall as that they haâ—e no spiritualitie mixed with them but they become spirituall in the Author subject and end if Apollonius understandâ—â—n this I will make it clear by the example of Christ and his Apostles he will not I hope deny but they used in the Church spirituall and body meanes but the sacred History teacheth that they often used corporall means and equivalently the sword Mat. 21. John 8. as when Christ whipped out of the Temple the buyers and sellerse overthrew the tables and purged the Temple When he made himself an ontward Judge of the Adulteresse whom he had not absolved if she had had just aquasers when with his Word he laid â—at on the groâ—nd the Southâ—ers that 〈◊〉 to exprochend him when Peter in a moment flew Animins and Sâ—â—ita at his foot whem they strook Simon and Eâ—yâ—â— with blinll â—â—â—e when Paul gave up Hymeneâ—s and Aleâ—â—â—â—â— to Satan so be vened in the flesh Were not these caternall and corporall meanes equivalent to the sword For what can tortures of the 〈…〉 but 〈◊〉 and hill the body so that it is most certain that Christ and his Apostles used a coercive power by corporall meanes equivalent to the sword Now I hold this Walachrian Rat in a precipice for either he ought to say that Christ and his Apostles used corporall and not spirituall meanes and consequently evill in building of the Church which is blasphemie or else that those externall and corporall meanes of the sword may be spirituall and ecclesiastick which he hath now denied there is no chinck then left to escape thorough except what the Pope affords him He useth prison sword armes poyson and all carnall meanes yet he denieth them to be carnall but spirituall because they are used by him who is most spirituall which though it be meer mockery yet being armed with main power he so aws men that they dare not whisper against him if this Walachrian Papist had equall power with the Pope though being guilty of so much wickednesse doth now execrate and feare this carnall sword of the Magistrate he would in a short time make use of prisons tortures whips and the sword to fulfill his own minde which notwithstanding he would quickly honour with the name of spirituality because he that useth them is Ecclesiastick and spiritual and that against ecclesiastick men and Christians Before I leave the first member I will adde this also that all the meanes which the Magistrate useth are not whips tortures and swords he oftentimes useth lawes admonitions reprooffs and threatnings which we doubt not but the Stilt-Walker hath felt sometimes by reason of his turbulent spirit which experience sheweth is oftentimes of such force that those whom Church-men by a hundred reprooffs could not curb and reforme the Magistrate by one check hath amended so now it is apparent that Apollonius is every way malicious and injurious against his Magistrates in calling the meanes which they use contemptuously corporall externall carnall Now let us see the ecclesiastick means he bragges every where that they are meerly spirituall but he lies egregiously for we have seene Christ and his Apostles the most divine builders of the Church to have used lawfully many corporall meanes for though it be certaine that they used spirituall meanes for building of the Church yet they did not take them so precisely that all must be spiritual nothing corporall which they may use for they used common water to baptise bread and wine in the Supper oyle to annoint and many other things which are corporall and naturall to which notwithstanding were added a spirituality and relative sanctitie from the use the Stilt-Walker elsewhere out of his Parker discourseth so spiritually of the ecclesâ—astick mulistry that he scarce leaves a hair of 〈◊〉 in it This iâ— done saith he by gifts and the Author of our spirits for the edification of our spirits and soules by spirituall aâ—â—â—es the Word and â—â—cramenâ—s and by a spirituall way of working by the 〈…〉 spirit If this Night-bird could perswadeous that all these 〈…〉 found in the modern Church-discipline at they were in the ancient Apostolical yet he should not perswade us us that there is no corporality or carnality in his ecclesiastick meanes For Paul among the spirituall means of his worship numbers the red Sea and Cloud 〈…〉 Isâ—uelits were baptized as also the Manna wâ—â—ed that flowed out of the rockâ— which he calls spirituall meat and drinkâ—â— asliany should go to perswade that that Sea Cloud Manna and Rock were altogether spirituall and had in them nothing carnall or naturall because they are called spirituall we should think he were almost a foole because not only men but greater and smaller beasts also went through that Sea did eate of the Manna and drink of the Water out of the Rock 〈◊〉 that here again he player the Cretian in the Papistâ— dialect and takes simply what is spoken respectively to wit because in Church means Discipline there is somthing spiritual vergo they are totally spirituall and in them nothing cardal The matter might have some shew oftâ—â—â— if he spake of the Church Discipline in the Apâ—stles time of which only that is to be meane which he citeth out of his
Parker But he is there faulty â—n that he vapours such great matters of his modern Câ—â—rch gâ—vernemt which he knows to be so corrupted that it may he turly said what the Prophet saith of the worship in his 〈…〉 and thy Wins is mixed with mitter if Apolleniâ—â— should be 〈◊〉 to a feast where looking to drink Theologicall 〈…〉 should receive from his Hoast wine mixed with much water or pisse would he not complaine of wrong done him and of his cheasing Hoast who thrust upon him such stoffe for good 〈◊〉 after the same 〈◊〉 doth this Night-bird cheat Christians 〈…〉 of this corrupted Church government with that 〈◊〉 the Apostâ—es for his preaching is fallible yea in many things â—ugaâ—orie lying and blasphemous the use of the Sacraments cheifly of the Supper is vendible and serviceable to humane affections oftentimes he 〈◊〉 them to the impure and denies them to the worthie his preaching key is rustie and most unfit to open or 〈…〉 heaven against them to whom God faith in is open and openeth it to them against whom God saith it is sâ—â—t 〈…〉 Key such is he affects is nothing but an incroaching indirectly upon mens fame and estares and the corturer of the conscience in simple and superstitious men as for his legislative power it is nothing else but a spring of novelties childish scruples and feminary of strife or law sutes so that what one approves the other reproves what is ratified to day is abrogated to morrow and so one sute begets another alwayes For because these Walachrian whirlewinds have no certaine starres to direct them or rules of equity and justice which they may follow in working but doe all things at their pleasure so that he shall carry it who with fraud clamours and pertinacie drawes most votes to him hence it falls out very seldome as we see also among Papists that truth and equity prevailes amongst them but rather opinion which depending on the whirligig of mens dispositions and perverse affections with which they boile it s no wonder as experience sheweth if out of this legislative dependencie nothing proceed but what is prejudiciall to the Churches peace directly to the Civill indirectly Lastly their vocation as it is at this day is not only humane but also if the Walachrian be considered as the Stilt-walker useth it it is Simonaicall and defiled with much fraud and perversenesse and to speak freely the Stilt-walker hath no reason to upbraid Magistrates with the carnality of their meanes because he is forced to confeesse that there is no lesse carnality in his Ecclesiastick meanes and indeed in the end and intention of spirituality it yeelds to the Civill which though they use corporall meanes yet there is found in them such as directly tends to Gods worship and mans salvation In the Stilt-walker and such like vermine there is never any direct intent to Gods worship or mans salvation but properly to maintenance worldly honour and a fulfilling of their humours in such as obey or disobey them He scrapes together many things out of certaine circumstances which befell not to the Ecclesiastick but to the Civill power of which if these things be true that he saith he may constitute as formal a difference between the Ecclesiastical and Civill power as he can make between a Crow and a Swan out of their blacknesse and whitenesse yea between one Hen and another for an accident can make no essentiall difference especially such a one as may be common to both subjects The Civil power saith he may be in a child womâ—â— or wicked man it may bee also hereditary all which cannot befall the Ecclesiastick power hence he concludes that there is a formall difference between both these powers I answer if thence a formall or genericall difference should arise then doubtlesse the Kingdomes of France and England should differ formally because there only men here women also reign so these two Kingdomes should generically differ from the Kingdome of Poland because this is elective and not hereditary but those are successive this fiction should have some shew if hee spoke of such accidents as are not to bee found in Ecclesiastick power but most of them are found in Ecclesiasticks those great Ecclesiastick Levits from whom he is still borrowing his sanctity were they not born Levits and being children they had right to this sanctity Samuel the children of the Prophets Jeremie Christ John and Timothy were not hindred from the Church-service because they were children or as yet very young being furnished with gifts for that service it is not the infancy of yeares but of knowledge and piety that debars men from Church-functions in which how much Apollonius is defective this his unsavoury writing shewes who being now many years a Church-man yet is indeed but an old boy who hath not lived long Seneca but hath been long By the Prophetesses Anna Mary and others it appears that God hath not altogether debarred women from Church-affairs as this trifler perswades but when hee saith that Gentiles and wicked men could perform civill offices well hee saith nothing for in the end of the world many shall say have wee not prophesied in thy name and yet Christ will say to them I know you not Apollonius knowes that there are many preachers who are impious and hypocrites whom notwithstanding hee keeps not off from Ecclesiastick functions why then should Magistrates be kept off he hath much more such stuffe which I passe by as being of no validity His chiefe and most beautifull argument which hee often delights in is this Ecclesiastick power and government is heavenly because it is called the Kingdome of Heaven it is not of this world Mat. 13. Joh. 18.13 2 Tim. 24. â—or Christ saith my Kingdome is not of this world lastly no man that warreth intangleth himselfe with the affairs of this life hence hee concludes that the civill government is altogether distant from Ecclesiasticall because that is earthly and of this world and they who serve the common-wealth intangle them selves with the affairs of this life yea as wee saw before like hogges they should wallow in them alone I answered before somewhat by the way to this fiction now I will more narrowly look into it for both the members of the antecedent is false and fallacious First I deny that visible Churches are the Kingdome of Heaven for then the Church of Middleburg should be Heaven indeed which is False as may appeare by this marke in that Christ saith men doe not marry nor give in marriage in that Kingdome but in that Apollonian heaven of Middleburg there are marriages daily I confesse that in the visible Church men are instructed and taught concerning the Kingdome of heaven that at length they may obtain it which businesse metonymically is called the Kingdome of Heaven but to conclude thence that the visible Church is properly the Kingdome of Heaven or that the things thereof are heavenly is two childish and repugnant