A SPEECH OF Mr Iohn White Counsellor at Law made in the Commons House of Parliament CONCERNING EPISCOPACY London Printed for Thomas Nicholes and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in Popes-head alley 1641. A Speech of Master John White Counsellour concerning Episcopacy EPiscopacy as it stands in this kingdom comprehends in it in line a recta these foure degrees the Deacon the Presbyter the Bishop and the Archbishop Every Archbishop wades through every of these ordinarily Of the first and last we have no vestigium in the holy scriptures This Deacon may Preach and Baptize help the Presbyter to administer the Lords Supper Book of ordering of Deacons but may not consecrate the Elements in the Lords Supper contrary to the Scriptures by which Preach and Baptize is a full Commission for the exercise of all the ministeriall function Mat. 28.19 The Deacon mentioned in holy Scripture is the same in Office with our Church-warden to looke to the Church goods and the poore Acts 6.1 Tim. 3. The Presbyter is of all hands acknowledged to be Jure Divino The Bishop is considerable in respect of his trayn and secondly in respect of himself His trayn are these first the Dean and Chapter called Prebends quia praeberent auxilium Episcopo and were originally ordained for his Counsell to advise him in difficulties in Religion and to advise him in and consent unto his dispositions of his possessions Cok. r. 3. Dean and Chapter of Norwiches case Secondly the Archdeacon is the oculuâ— Episcopi to discover and punish offences spirituall and Ecclesiasticall within his limits manus Episcopi to present unto him such as are to be made Deacons and Presbyters and to induct such as he admits and institutes into Benefices Thirdly his Chancellors Vicars Generall Commissaries Officials Surrogates Registers Promotors and others belonging co his Cathedrals These be all meerly humane and may be taken away without offence to God or conscience if there appeare just cause for it The Bishop in respect of himselfe is considerable in his Barony and temporalties and his spiritualties The first is meerly Exgratia Regis and in this kingdome began 4. Case of tenures 35. a. of William the Conquerour And by vertue hereof they have had place in the house of Peers in Parliament 7. H. 8.1846 Kel it is resolved by all the Judges of England that the King may hold his Parliament by himselfe his temporall Lords and Commons without any Bishop for a Bishop hath not any place in Parliament by reason of his spiritualties but meerly by reason of his Baronry and accordingly acts of Parliament have been made 2 Rich. 3. cap. 5. and at divers Other 〈◊〉 They have usurped the name of Spirituall Lords but of late and were first called so 16 Rich. 2. c. 1. in our Statutes By his spiritualties I mean those wherein he is more then a Presbyter and therein I consider his authority over Presbyters by the Oath of Canonicall Obedience by which he may command them to collect tenths granted in Convocation c. 20 Hen. 6.13 p. 25. Secondly his Office which in partly judiciall and partly ministeriall Judiciall by which he is Judge in his Courts of all matters Ecclesiasticall and spirituall within his Diocesse Cok. Rep. 8. Trollops C. Secondly he is Judge of the fitnesse of such as are presentell unto him to be instituted into Benefices Cok. rep 5. Spocâ—â—â— cap. Ministeriall and thereby he is to Sacred places Dedicate to Divine Service 9. H. 6.17 pag. 8. Secondly he is to provide for the officiating of Cures in the avoydance of Churches on neglect of the Patrons presenting thereunto Thirdly he is to certifie loyall Matrimony generall bastardy and excommunication Fourthly to execute Judgements given in quare impedit upon the writ Ad admittendum Clericum and other c. Fiftly to attend upon tryals of life to report the sufficiency or insufficiency of such as demand Clergy Sixtly to ordaine Deacons and Presbyters All these I conceive to be Jure humane given to these Bishops and may upon cause be taken away from them Bishops have been in the Primitive Church Ob. and are Apostolicall and from the beginning To this I answer first Sol. that in the pure primitive times of the Church the History whereof is recorded in the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles in which the first and best patterns of Church government is expressed there is no mention of other Bishops then the Presbyters as appeares First the holy Scriptures declare the duties and office of Presbyters and Bishops to be one the same The Bishop is to teach and rule his Church or Congregation 1 Tim. 3.2.5 and the Presbyter is to teach and feed his flock and to oversee care for and rule them 1 Pet. 5.2.3 Secondly the Presbyters are in holy Scriptures said to be the Bishops of the holy Ghost Acts 20.28 Paul charges the Presbyters or Ephesus to take heed to the flock whereof the Holy Ghost had made them Bishops And other Bishops the Holy Ghost never made Thirdly Ephesians 4.11 God is said to have given to his Church for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edifying of the body of Christ Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers here is an expres enumeration of the officers God hath given whereof the first three are extraordinary and ceased and the last only remains and is to remain untill we all come to perfection as it is ver 13. and this perpetuall Officer is called Pastor in relation to his flock whom he is to govern in Spiritualibus and Teacher in respect of his duty to feed them with the word of truth and is the very same with the Presbyter as appeares above Argumentum à divisione est fortissimum The Bishop as he is any more then a Presbyter is none of these no Officer given by God and therefore ought not to be in the Church Christ the King of his Church was faithfull in his House not only as a servant as Moses was but as the Son in an excellency and eminency Heb. 3.5 and to his kingly Office it pertains to appoint the Officers he will use for the government of his Church in spiritualibus and it agrees not with his faithfulnesse to neglect or omit the appointment of them and leave his House his Church without such Officers He is only wise and therefore best knows what Officers are usefull for his Church and infinitly loving of his Church and therefore hath not lest her without any Officer fit for her Thus in the end of Pauls Epistle unto him Ob. is said to be the first Bishop of Crete and Timothy in the end of the Epistles unto him to be the first Bishop of Ephesus Those additions are spurious Sol. Perk. upon Gal. 6. infiâ—e For Tim. See 1 Cor. 4.17 16.10 Acts 17.13.15 19.22 20.4.5 1 Thes 3.1.6 Heb. 23.25 Colos 1.1
Phil. 1.1 2.19 For Titus See 2 Cor. 7.12 8.6.16.23 and 12 18. Gal 2.1 â— Tim. 4.20 Tim. 1. â— and 5.12 and no part or the holy Scriptures and as Bezia observes are not in many greek ancient topics to be found and this is so evident as it is granted by most Divines 2. And as they be no part of the Scrriptures of God so they be apparently contrary unto them for by them it appears that they namely Titus Timothy were Evangelists extraordinary officers associats and fellow-helpers of the Apostles in their generall and Universall function attendant upon them and sent by them as occasion required from one Church to another never Keeping any fixed residence any where and it they had been Bishops of any place Paul would never have suffered much lesse forced them to be non-residents Saint John Revel 12.3 Ob. 2 writing to the 7 Churches of Asia directs his speech to the Angel of each Church and in each of those Churches there were then severall Congregations and Presbyters therefore the Angel was the Bishop over them To this I answer that as Angel is a name common to all Presbyters who are Christs Messengers and Ambassadors So it appears to be used here by the very context cap. 2. v. 10. Where speaking to the Angel of the Church of Sâ—cyrna the holy Ghost saith Feare none of the things thou shalt suffer the Devill shall cast some of you into prison but be thou faithfull c. Angel being nomen multitudinis is taken in these chapters collectively for all the Presbyters some of whom the adversaries should imprison and not for any one above or before the rest The same appears in the like manner ver 13.23 Seeing then the Episcopacy may be taken away in all wherein it exceeds the Presbyters office and that the office of the Presbyter is cleerly jure divino I conceive we are first to restore the Presbyter to his due and to him it belongs to teach and feed his flock and to oversee care for and rule them in spiritualibus Act. 20.17 1 Tim. 3.2.5.1 Pet. 5.2.3 So saith the holy Scripture And so saith our Law also He is to minister the Doctrine and the Sacraments and the discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded and as this Realme hath received the same according to the commandements of God See the book of Ordering of Priests in the 3. question And he is called in our Law Rector Ecclesoa and the words of his institution be Toâ—octorem Ecclesiae instituimus curamque regimen animarum parochianorum tibi in Domino committimus The Bishops have taken by usurpation from the Presbyter divers rights first contrary to his Ordination and institutition they will not suffer him to preach in his own Cure without a license Secondly they restrain him from preaching some doctrines as of predestination and others that over throw Arminian tenets when his faithfulnesse in his Office requires he should keep nothing back This is read to the Presbyter upon his Ordination and his charge then given him is remarkable See the booke of ordering Priests but to shew them all the counsell of God Acts 10.27 Thirdly they will not suffer him to intermeddle in the discipline These usurpations I conceive are to be taken away and the Presbyter to be left free from them Secondly for the Episcopacy I conceive that first their Baronies and the intermedling of the Clergy in Civill Councels affaires and imployments ought to be taken from them First I conceive such Bar. and intermedling is against the Law of God Christ refused to intermeddle in dividing inheritances though more able and fit for it then any Bishop Luke 12.13 and saith his Kingdome is not of the world John 18.36 and the Disciple is not above his Master Mat. 10.24 and Acts 6. The Apostles refuse to intermeddle in the Deacon or Churchwardens office though of all earthly imployments the neerest to the Church and the reason they give is remarkable for this purpose because they were to attend to Prayer and Administration of the word and therefore not meet for them to attend such secular matters and 2 Tim. 2.4 The Apostles laies down a rule in this case that nemo militans Deo se implicat negotiis â—ujus seculi and upon this ground even the Popes Canon-laws are against these things as inconsistent with the ministeriall function And the due execution of the commission Goe preach and baptize is of it selfe burthen and work enough for any man whatsoever his gifts and parts be and made Paul though of a more excellent and able spirit cry out under the sense of the waight of it Who is sufficient for these things 2 Cor. Secondly it is against the fundamentall Laws of this Land whereby they that are within holy Orders Non esi consonum quod ille qui salubri statui anirusrum piis operibus continue deservit ad insistendum in secularibus negotiis compellatur vide the writ that they may the better attend upon and discharge their duties are not to be intangled with temporall businesse and therefore if any such be chosen to any temporall office the Law hath ordained a writ to discharge them thereof Reg. 187.6 The King may command the service of men in orders and then it is to be given him by naturall allegiance This rule admits two exceptions and both are in this case first except the service from that person be against the Law of God as here it is and then it is better obey God then man in praesentia majoris cessat potestas minoris Secondly if the service concern the Common-wealth and the person of whom it is required be not sufficient for it nor brought up unto it the command is against Law and the service not to be done if the King grant the Office of the Clarke of the Crown to one not brought up to it it is void and the service not to be intermedled withall by him 9 Ed. 4.56 Winters case Secondly that part of the Bishops spirituall office by which he claimeth superiority over Presbyters ought to be taken as I conceive from them as being against the will of God The Apostles questioning among themselves which should be the Superior are sharply reproved by our Saviour for it and he tels them plainly it shall not be so among them Mark 10.42 Luke 22.25 and Diotrophes 3 Job 9. is branded for it that he sought preheminence in the Church The mystery of iniquity in the Popish Hierarchy in the Presbyters exalting themselves began to work in the purest primitive time as we see in Diotrophes and Peters caveat 2 Thes 2.4.7 1 Pet. 5.3 and never left till it came to the Pope the highest degree and top thereof By which it seems to me evident that to leave the pattern of Church government set down in the word of God to follow the examples of after ages upon a false cry of primitive times is to
forsake the pure fountain and wallow in the muddy and corrupted streams of antichristian ambition Thirdly that part of the spirituall officer of the Bishop whereby he is to instruct the people committed to his charge with the holy Scriptures as upon the 2 question put unto him at his Consecration he undertakes to doe ought as I conceive to be reduced to a possibility for him to performe it It is impossible for him to doe it to a whole Diocesse therefore he should be limited to some particular Congregation unto which he might perform this trust which requires sufficiency attendance and diligence Fourthly Ordination in the scriptures is ever expressed to be by them in the Church that had authority and were officers in the Church as Apostles Evangelists and after by the Presbytery 1 Tim. 4.14 2 Tim. 1.6 And a shadow of this remains in our Law Acts 14.23 Titus 1.5 6 7. for the Bishop only is not to lay hands upon the party to be ordained but the Presbyters there attending are to joyn with the Bishop therein Books of ordering Priests This I conceive is not fit to be in the hands of any one ordinary officer in the Church the descerning of the gifts abilities and faithfulnesse of persons to be ordained Presbyters requiring great judgement care and circumspection Plus vident oculi quam oculus The like I say of deprivation Fiftly Excommunication by the Scriptures ought to be only in case of enormous offences and obstinacy in them and onely in the Congregation whereof the party to be Excommunicate is a member 1 Cor. 5.4 Tell the Church cannot be meant of one man Mat. 18.17 Diotrophes is branded for taking upon him alone to cast any out of the Church This also abused as well as usurped by the Bishop is to be reformed Sixtly Instituation and induction are usurped by the Bishops upon the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdome by which the Patron after his Clerk was ordained did without any more invest him into the Church See Selden of tithes 86. And a relick of this we retain still in Churches that be donatives Seventhly The jurisdiction of tithes causes matrimoniall and causes testamentary in the times of the Increasing power of the Pope when the Bishops thereby grew more formidable were taken from the Civill Magistrate to whom originally they belonged upon pretence that the tithes were Jure divino the Churches patrimony and Mariage a Sacrament and that the disposing the goods of the dead most properly belonged to him for the good of the soule in Purgatory to redeem it thence to whom the cure of the Soule appertained in his life time vide 2 R. 3. Testaments 4.11 H. 7.12 B. Plowdeu 279. B. Foxes c. Cok. rep 9.37 B. Heustoes case Dames rep 97. B. Lalors c. Selden of tithes 4â—5 Eighthly The matters which are meerly and only spirituall which are properly of Ecclesiasticall cognizance were anciently by the Lawyers of this Kingdome heard and determined in the County and hundred Courts by the Sheriffe and the Bishop and by William the Conquerour these matters were taken thence and appropriated to the Bishop alone 2 R. 2. Rotul Parliament num 12. Selden of tithes 412. Book of Martyrs 154. And by the Law of God as I conceive they ought to be heard determined by them that have rule in the particular congregations and Churches Mat. 18.17 1 Cor. 5. which if it were so among us would be a wonderfull case and save great charges to the subject And where the difficulty of case or greatnesse of the persons whom it may concern or where the Governors in particular Congregation demean not themselves as they ought it ought to be referred to a Synod of Presbyters of many as shall be thought meet as Acts. 15 a question of difficulty arising in the particular Church of Antioch and the dissention growing great about the same they sent to Hierusalem and there the Apostles and Presbyters convened debated concluded and decreed the matter and imposed the observation thereof upon Antioch and other Churches ver 1.2.6.28 The Apostles would not meddle in the question without the Presbyters and other Bishops there were none there nor in the Churches And faelicius expediuntur negotia commissa pluribus in the multitude of Counsellors there is safety Proverb 11.14 And the change of our Laws in case this House shall see cause for it will not be so great or difficult as is conceived by some For ordination admonition suspension and deprivation of Presbyters and the judgement of the fitnesse of persons to be invested into Benefices Ecclesiasticall and the care of providing for the serving of Cures during the vacancy and avoydance of Churches and taking of the subscription of Ministers to the Articles of Religion 13 Eliz. cap. 12. 14 Eliz. cap. 5. and the visiting of Hospitals whose Founders have appointed no visitors which are now in the Bishop may be settled in a convention of Presbyters to be appointed for every hundred from whom appeale may be had upon every gravamen to a greater Assembly of them and those Presbyters or any one of them may be inabled to give the Oathes of Supremacy and alleageance where the Bishop is authorised to give the same And Excommunication may be ordered to be certified by the Parson 5 Eliz. c. 1. 7 Jac. cap. 6. Vicar or Stipendary of that Church where the party is excommunicate And all Churches presentative may be filled by investure of the Patrons and all questions concerning them be determined by the same rules of law as Donatives are And loyall Matrimony be tryed by a Jury where the woman is party to the suit as now it is where she is not party so E. 3.15 p. 5.11 H. 4.4 B. 30. and as it is now where the issue is Nient sa femme 12. E. 3. Brife 481.50 E. 3.15 B. 7. H. 6.12 June 35. H. 6.9 P. 10. Coke 8. E. 4.12 a Laton And Bastardy generall Bastardy beyond Sea within the Statute 25 E. 3. De natis ultra mare may be made tryable by Jury as now speciall Bastardy is 11 Ass 20.38 ass 24.39 E. 3.31.6 7. Ed. 6. Dier 79. P. 52. So tithes may be reduced to the Common Law and be sued for there as it was ever in the case of the King or his Debtor 38. ass 20. Cok. r. 5.16 a Cawdreis case and as it is by the Statute of 2 and 3 E. 6. cap. 13. And for the Bishops attendance on tryals of life it is needlesse he being no Judge in it but the Court who may appoint any other or doe it themselves And for Sacring of Churches and other dead things it is fit to be neglected and left off being a Popish vaine superstition and without colour of countenance from the word of God the Leviticall consecrations being typicall and shadows of the good things we enjoy under the Gospel Heb. 9.19 c. The Bishop being thus reformed and reduced to a condition and
state agreeable to the word of God the only right rule of reformation The Deans Chapters Vicars Generall Chancellors 25 Exod. 9 40. 1 Chron. 28.11.19 Ezek. 4â— 10 2 Cor. 4 6. and the rest of his Traine qua tales being telluris inutile pondus are to be removed and taken away also as superfluous and uselesse We have intrusted the Episcopacy these fourescore and two years with the cure of Soules a trust of the highest concernment if we consider the price of Souls Our Saviour is at a stand in it What shall a man give in recompence for his Soule Mat. 16.26 the price of it is best seen in the price given for it God and man must become a curse to redeem it How have they discharged this trust Survay the Churches throughout the Kingdome and you shall finde neer eight parts of tenne of them filled with Idoll idle or scandalous Ministers whom the Bishops might have by law refused if discovered unto them before-hand and ought to have removed being discovered unto them afterwards And it hath aboundantly appeared this Parliament upon examinations taken in this House of Commons and the Committees thereof that when Ministers extreamly scandalous have been discovered to the Bishops and their Officers and in the High-commission Court they have received no further censure then admonition or to be put to purgation and so sent home to destroy more Soules as if they had not done sufficiently in that way before But if any godly learned and painfull Preacher hath been discovered by them they have sought out all occasions against such to thrust them out of the Church and lay their Congregations waste and desolate and every trifle though indifferent in their own account bath been made use of and sufficed them for this yea they have made occasions and traps to overthrow such worthies without Law and against Law And herein they have inherited the vertues of Diotrephes their first Predecessor who would not receive the brethren and forbad them that would and cast both out of the Church 3 John 10. And though some of the Bishops have been and are good men yet look into their Diocesse and the Churches in their gift and judge whether they be good Bishops or no you shall finds them as faulty concerning this great trust as any of the rest And whether it be not from hence evident or at least greatly to be suspected that some curse cleaves to the very Office of Bishops when good men cannot manage it to any better purpose then the bad let any man judge This Spirituall Monarchy hath two incidents inseparable unto it first that it is alwayes incroaching and usurping upon other powers and swallowing them up as the series of all ages aboundantly manifests Secondly that it is ever inclining and returning to Popery and the Religion of Antichirst as hath most cleerly appeared even in our daies as well as before since the restoring of Religion I shall for this time instance onely in three places of the Rubrick corrupted by Bishops In the Rubrick confirmed by act of Parliament in the beginning of it It is directed that prayer shall be in such place of the Church or Chancell and the Minister shall so turne him as the people may best heare In the Rubrick as it is now Printed prayer shall be used in the accustomed place c. except it shall be otherwise determined by the Ordinary Whereby they have introduced the Popish practice of reading Prayers as the upper end of the Chancell at their Altar where few in the Church can see them and fewer heare them and turning their faces to the East and their backs to the people in reading in the Desk and colour all with the determination of the Ordinary Secondly in the Letany there are these words in the book of Common payer confirmed by the Statutes of 5. and 6. Ed. 6. and of 1 Eliz. From the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and all his detestable enormities good Lord deliver us and that the Bishops in the latter books have caused to be left out wholly Thirdly in the Rubrick concerning the administration of the Lords Supper as it stands now altered an excellent declaration of the reason why kneeling at this Sacrament was left in the reformation and a renunciation of Transubstantiation Consubstantiation adoration of the bread and wine as abhominable Idolatries are wholly obliterate and left out that the use of that gesture there might be rendred the more suspicious and superstitious and a more clear way might be made to induce the Popish superstitious innovations that have been since obtruded upon us concerning the Table Altar supeÌ„reminent presence of God almighty there cringings Altar-worship and the like And I conceive alterations were made by the Bishops as appeares unto me by the Proclamation they procured to be set forth 5. Martii 1. Jac concerning the booke of Common prayer And how can things prosper better in the hands of the Episcopacy when Gods blessing alone giveth out prosperity and the Lord disposeth his blessing in his owne way only and not in any other And this being no plant planted by God in his Church how can it be expected it should yeeld us any better fruits then we have received from it Againe if I be not much deceived the Episcopacy in whatsoever it exceeds the Presbyters office in which sense only I speak of it is a branch of the Hierarchy of Rome and of the Antichrist and of that consider what is prophesied Revel 14.14 They shall not have any rest day nor night that receive any print of the name of the Beast and examine the former and present times whether the same hath not been verified among us and in all such places where that Hierarchy hath been entertained whether the must troubles and miseries of the Churches and in great part also of the Common-wealth have not sprung from the said Episcopacy and the fruites thereof Therefore let us proceed to the perfecting of the Reformation of our Church and to the gathering out of it every stone that offends even whatsoever is not according to God and the standard of his word and reduce every thing in the government to the rule and walke in it in Gods way which is the sure way to have his presence with us and blessing upon us and ours for ever It hath ever been a point of higher honour from God and of greater acceptance and esteem with him to advance the reformation of his Church and Worship â— Cro. 17. â—4 〈◊〉 1 Kings 15.14 2 Kings 12.3 1 Cron. 28 1â— Zac. 4.7 and was ever will be a reproach from him and blot upon such as have left any thing not agreeable to his word unreformed and not taken away Up then let us be doing and the Lord will goe before us and make plain all mountains that may occurre in our way and give a blessed issue and successe