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A45589 A detection or discovery of a notable fraud committed by R.B., a seminary priest of Rome, upon two of the articles of the Church of England in a booke imprinted in anno 1632, intituled, The judgment of the apostles and of those of the first age in all points of doctrine, questioned betweene the Catholikes and Protestants of England as they are set downe in the nine and thirty articles of their religion : with an appendix concerning Episcopacy / by a lay gentleman. Harlowe, Pedaell. 1641 (1641) Wing H780; ESTC R21855 37,934 54

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did encrease it more and more But this Episcapail office of Superintendency was long before any Advancoment of honour or Revenew was conferred by Princes on Bishopricks Yea long before the Bishops could enjoy any assurance of peace for life or member being generally Martyred and persecuted for the Gospels sake And the other Reason is because this office is Spirituall which necessarily requires a Divine hand and Power to be the Author Founder and Institutor of it and that must needs be Jesus Christ the mysticall head of the Church from whom all divine and spirituall gifts are derived unto his mysticall Body and each member thereof Without all doubt Christ had in himselfe this office and power of government Mar. 28.18.19.20 Ma●ke 16.15 John 20.20 21 22 23. and of binding and loosing For the divine Text sayes All power in heaven and earth was given to him And out of his large Stocke of power he after his Resurrection did conferre some parcell of it unto those who should after his Ascension be Governours in the Church saying unto them that As his Father sent him so also he did send them giving them Command to goe unto all Nations and to teach what he had commanded and breathing into them the Holy Ghost gave them power to bind and loose Mat. 20.25 26 -7 28. Marke 10.42.43 44 45. Luke 22.25 Vos 26 27. Which gift of power and authority was not contrary nor repugnant unto his pleasure signified unto them formerly saying The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them but yee shall not d●e so which Prohibition Verum non it a erit inter vos or Vos autem non it a dominabimini yee shall not rule or domineere so or in such manner as heathen Princes used to doe was not an absolute Prohibition from use of all manner of Superiority among the Clergie but a Prohibition aliquo modo a qualified Prohibition not to Rule as heathen Princes used to doe tyrannically after their-owne wills with Stat pro ratione Voluntas their pleasure to be their Law for their owne ends not regarding the welfare of the people Will. Archbp. of Canterb conference wub M. Fisher S. 6 pa 5 et 247. Mar. 23 8 9 10.10.13 13.14.15 which prohibition aliquo modo or suomodo doth infer an allowance of ruling in the Church aliquo modo in a temperate charitable manner otherwise what shall be said to a Text containing a stricter Prohibition than this Text do's and that is where Christ forbids his Disciples to be called Masters with a strong reason for it because they were Omnes frat es all Brethren If a convenient exposition can be fitt●d to this Text that Christ did therby for bid unto them ambition or Title ●t forbidding what himself assumed saying yee call me Masier and Lord and yee say well for so I am but was so farre from affecting of honourable Titles as he beares himselfe so lowly and humbly as that He washed their feet exhorting them to doe so likewise and the chiefest and greatest among them to be Servant tanto altior tanto submissior the more honourable in out ward condition the more humble in mind and in submissive deportment If this Text being literaliter of an absolute Tenor of Prohibition may receive a benigne interpretation much more may the Text Vos non ita dominsbimini being not an absolute but a qualified Prohibition may receive the like exposition that Christ did thereby for bid such ambitious and tyrannicall Government as was exercised by Pagan-Princes and allowed neverthelesse of ruling in the Church by Superiours upon Inferiours otherwise the Consistoriall Fresbyters therefore may neither rule or governe nor be so much as called Mastors but what need of seeking further for Proofe this our Text affords it sufficiently by our Saviours words of Maximus and minimus he that is greatest among you Luke 22.26 let him be least Qui major est in vobis fiat sicut minor maximus erit Minister not that he that in authority is made Superio should be pulled down by his Inferiours but still be Superiour in authority and also be humbled in himselfe Mar. 20.28 to minister unto Inferiours just as Christ being most Supreme came to minister as followeth there in the next verse Num. 28 This being cleered it remaines to be inquired to what part of the Clergi Christ did conferre this office of Governing giving of Orders and of Binding and loosing I say not to all the then present Clergy but to some as Superiours to exercise it upon others as Inferiours episcopaty ex jure divino For which purpose it is to be noted that Christ had a Cler●y of two sorts to wit the Apostles and Seventy Disciples the Apostles were first called made neerest unto him and in Communion with him the Seventy Disciples were called afterwards and sent out from Christ two by two to the Apostles and to the Seventy Disciples equall Commission and power was given Mar. 4.18 20 10 1 2 8. Marke 3.13 2 19. Luke 9.1 2 10 10.1 2 20. 1. To preach the Gospell 2. To administer Sacraments 3 To heale and cure diseases 4. To worke Miracles This office they all had in Parity and in Common among them but the office and power of Mission or ordination of others for the jadiciall use of the Keyes for binding loosing in the Church and of Governing in the Church to preserve the Doctrine of Faith order therein was conferred on the Apostles conjunctim et divisim joyntly severally to them Christ said As my Father sent me so I send you 10 1.4●4 43 and 3 22 and 4 1 2. Commission corjunction et divisim to the end by power of that Mission they might send others as he had sent them Into them he breathed the Spirit of truth Accipite Spititum Sanctum for the establishing of sacred Doctrines and for prevention of heresies and errors in matters of Faith and to them were the Keyes of binding and loosing of Delinquents and Penitents out of and into the Church for offences unto the Church and for the absolute confirmation of them in this sacred office the Holy Spirit did according to Christs promise visibly descend on them at Pentecost Luke 24.49 Act. 1.4 Act 2.1.2.3.4 after Christs Ascension into heaven In all or any of which particulars the Seaventy Disciples for ought I read in Scripture had not any immediate participation or share and according to the Power and Authority of this office conferred on the Apostles joyntly and severally they did whiles they were all at Hierusalem convene and assemble together Act. 1.2.6.13.20.23.24.25.26 and elected Mathias to succeed Iud is in his Bishopricke whereof he was deprived by his Treason to his Master and by his Act of Felo de se And these Twelve Apostles at another Assembly did ordaine for their ease Seaven Deacons at a time Act. 6 1
Episcopacy to shew forth It's Evidence and to prove it's Title to be Ex Iure Divino or else to be ejected out of the Church I Causidically say in Defence of it That Episcopacy ought not under favour by leg all proceedings to be compelled thereto because Episcopacy hath possession in the Church of God And so hath had many hundred yeares Some for it say sixteene hundred yeares and upwards ever since Christianity was imbraced in the World And it's Adyersaries doe either acknowledge or cannot fairely deny it to be so for the space of thirteen or foureteene hundred yeares and not in a corner of the Church but universally in Christendome And in such a Case Possidenti conceditur without Prescription Possession is a good right and title a gainst all men saving him onely that can make a good and better title first to appeare And untill the Pretender doe make his Right and Title to appeare the Possessour should not be enforced either to prove or shew forth his Right and Title Let then the Consistoriall Presbytery both shew and prove that A standing Ecclesiasticall Court consisting of Presbyters and of twice so many Laikes to be annually elected to beare Rule to Governe Hooker Eccles. Polity preface page 5. and to be Iudges in the Church were by Christ or his Apostles ordained or established and this Consistoriall Power and it onely and no other should for ever beare away this Government Ecclesiasticall which proofe ought to be made not by Texts stretcht from the genuine sence or by words of equivecall and double sence or severall significations but by cleare and manifest Record of Scripture which I beleeve is a taske unperformable I am sure it wanteth that prosperous Successe and blessing which accompanies Divine Institutions according to that divine Axiome truly delivered by Gamaliel Act. 5.38 39. Si est ex hominibus hoc opus dissolvetur Sin ex Deo est non potest dissolvi what is of humane invention may perish or come to nothing what is of divne Ordination cannot perish though at some time and in some place be resisted and persecuted and so become clouded and eclipsed yet it will be resident somewhere or other and it will in time convenient be disclouded and become conspicuous and transplendent againe apply to the present Case The Blessing hath ever gone in an eminent and conspicuous manner with Episcopacie But Presbyterie Consistoriall is at the best supposed to have had buta little entrance in some narrow part of the Church once in the first hundred yeares and againe in this last hundred yeares but hath beene at an inter-regnum at a losse and vacation for many hundred years How can wee then judge your Presbytery to be of God and our Episcopacy to be of Antichrist Presbytery non surted it this be the Evidence on the behalfe of Consistoriall Presbytery as such it is as I conceive clearely then must it become non suite and Episcopacy must keepe it's Possession still amending it selfe or else be caused to amend what is amisse in it by personall defects or by bad Customes Num. 24 Episcopacies Title Although Episcopacy thus prevaile upon this Nonsuite yet nevert helesse ex abundante I will produce such evidence as I have found and collected for it out of divine Records to prove Episeopacy to be ex Iure divino assuring my selfe that others as well those of ablest parts as those whom it more concernes are provided of other evidence and also of a way to apply the same better than I can But for making good my undertaking I offer these three particulars to be considered concerning Episcopacy Num. 25 1. An office or power Ministeriall 2. An office or power meerely Episcopall 3. Exercise of jurisdiction Title of Honour and Dignity and competency of Revenewes First the office or power Ministeriall or Sacerdotall is Authority to preach the Gospell and to distribute and give the Sacraments this power ex Iure divino it is Christs owne Ordination as is agreed on both sides without Contradiction Wherein there is indeed a Parity in the Ministery in so much as such Ministeriall-acts done by an inferiour-Minister or Priest are as valid and effectuall as if the same were done by the highest Prelate in the Church Secondly the office or power meerely and truly Episcopall is to ordeine and to admit Ministers into the Clergie To suspend or punish such of the Priest-hood as become delinquent or neglect their Cure or charge to make use of the Keyes in binding and loosing by judiciall sentence out of and into the Assemblies of the Church both Clerkis and Laicks upon just and weighty causes and generally to governe the Churches for the prevention of the creeping in and growth of Heresie and Error for support and maintenance of Unity without Schisme or Division And for to Rule Governe and Command and to be ruled governed and to obey in such sort as Church affaires may be duly and rightly performed and done in the Churches whereof they are Superintendent Thirdly Exercise of jurisdiction bic non illic sic et non sic in this and not in that Dioces or province in this and not in that manner or other than is allowed prescribed and authorized Title of Honour and Dignity to be Lords and Piers of Parliament and to be endowed with faire Estates and Revenewes annexed as adjuncts unto Bishopricks in this Kingdome to wit to be Lords and Peers of Parliament and to possesse and enjoy Lands and Tenements of value correspondent which are called Temporalities c. These are ex gratiâ Principis et Reipublica So as of the first and the last there is no controversie or doubt as I take it And therefore the first being ex Iure divino may not be abolished out of the Church it being de esse of the essence of the Church and the last being ex Iure humano and de bene esse of accommodation may be corrected restrained and limited in such Moderation as shall by Superiours be found and adjudged most meet and convenient for the welfare of the Church and Common-weale of England Num. 26 But the Controversie is I thinke onely concerning the second particular Episcopacy not de jure humano whether it be de Iure divino or humano of Christs Institution Invention and if it be divine or of mans whether it was conferred upon all the then Clergie equally or to some conjunctim or divisim as Superiour over the rest I assume in the first place that this office is not de Iure humano Reasons of mans ordination for these two Reasons The one because this office was in the Church long before Emperours and Princes became Christians so as the Temporal power could not be the Parent or Founder of this office in the Church but when the Emperour Const intine became Christian he indeed advanced Bishops both with honours and Revenewes and so other good Emperours and Christian Kings