Learning of whiâ—h sort it were easie to name some hundreds were all exposed by the Presbyterians at least as far as in them lay to the utmost extremities of want and beggery without the least Mercy or Moderation Had they been Heapers up of Riches as Presbyterians and Iews are observed generally to be you might have squeez'd them as spunges without much harm And if the men of your party upon the present shifting the scene of things shall be forc'd to feel what they inflicted as some have presaged whilst they were reading your two Dedicatory Epistles wherein you are subscribed a Faithful Subject and wherein you complain of the * Epist. Ded. before Kâ—y for Cath. p 10. Democratical Polititians who were busie about the change of Government they will feel it so much the less by how much the greater the Treasures are which their Avarice and Rapine have raked up for them against their Winter A Vindication of Bâ—shops and D. Hammond's Paraphrase Sect. 36. Your principal Argument against our Bishops by law established in England which you urge from Scripture and Dr. Hammond's Paraphrase from p. 22â—to p. 27. I do the rather think fit for my consideration because I think it not fit at all that so learned a person as Doctor Hammond should ever take it into his own It s pity a Person of his employments should descend to a taske of so little moment And whilst he is doing those things which cannot be done but by himself let me have leave to do that for which your Argument's inability hath made me abâ—e You know the summe of it is this that Preaching Confirming Discipline Care of the poor Visiting the Sick Baptizing Congregating the Assemblies Administring the Sacrament of the Lords Supper guiding the Assemblies Blessing the people Absolving the Penitent and more then these p. 27. are the works of the Antient Episcopall Function But no one man can now performe all these to so many hundreds of Parishes as are in one Dioecess Ergo our Dioecesan Bishop is not the same with the Antient Bishop This being the summe of your chiefest Argument may be enlarged by my consent in the Major Proposition to the utmost pitch of advantage to which your own heart can wish the difficulty improved to wit by urging that the Bishops were at first invested by the Apostles with all manner of Ecclesiasticall both Power and Office And so the Bishop in every Dioecesse being lineally the successor of that numerical Bishop who was ordained by the Apostles is by consequence invested with all this power From whence there flow's another Sequel as unavoidable as the former that not the least part of this Sacred power can be possibly received but from the Bishop 3. All which being granted as very true and my thanks being returned for your service to the truth whilst you resist it for Presbyterian Ordinations are hence evinced to be null I shew you the vanity of your Minor by putting you in mind of a plain distinction per se aut per alium mediatè vel immediatè your meer forgetfullness of which for ignorant of it you could not be made you imagin there was a force where you will speedily acknowledge there can be none For what a Bishop is not able to do by himself he may very well do by the help of others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is nothing more obvious then that when Moses is * Exod. 18.18 22 26. overtask'd he should take in others in partem Curae and yet lose nothing of his Preeminence And even for this very reason had the Bishops all power as well as power to communicate it either in whole or in part that what they could not perform alone they might by Proxy whether by Presbyters Deacons Subdeacons Arch-Deacons Chancellors Officials I will add Church-Wardens and Overseers of the Poor what is done by their Delegates is done by them 4. Now that this was the case in the earliest times of the Church our learned and Reverend Dr. Hammond hath irresistibly * Consulatur Summi viri Disseâ—t 4. p. 210 211. evinced And had you first been well acquainted with his four Latin dissertations you had not stumbled at the light of his English Paraphrase †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Rom. Clemens Romanus would have told you that in the Regions and Cityes where the Apostles had preached and gathered Churches they constituted Bishops to Rule those Churches and likewise Deacons to be subservient to those Bishops Why no Presbyters as yet Epiphanius would have inform'd you out of the oldest Records For whilst there was not saith he so great a * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Epiph. Haer. l. 3. t. 1. multitude of believers as to need the ordaining of any Presbyters between the two above said orders Bishops and Deacons they contented themselves with the Bishop onely who together with his Deacon whom he could not conveniently be without did then abundantly suffice for so small a Diocesse But when believers did so increase in the single Diocesse of a Bishop as that there needed more Pastors and fit men were to be had then they admitted into the Priesthood I do not say into the Prelacy that other sort of church-Church-Officers whom we now call Presbyters And I conceive that such Presbyters were ordained in Asia by St. Iohn because Ignatius in Trajan's time throughout his Epistles to those Churches of Asia doth distinctly make mention of all three orders If then the Primitive Bishops did thus communicate of his power to Inferiour Pastors and still reserve unto himself the super-intendency over all what should hinder their Successors from doing according to their example And why should any man presume to take any power unto himself but he whom the Bishop hath first ordained unto the office of a Deacon a kind of secundary Presbyter and after that to a Cure of soules which belongs to a Presbyter plenarius and after that too to the Episcopal Office of Ordination 5. Having shew'd you the full agreement betwixt the Ancient and modern Bishoâ—s I hope you see your Inadvertency and acknowledge the vanity of your Argumentation For 1. In the Infancy of the Church * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Epiph. l. 3. t. 1. none were worthy to be made Bishops in diverse places and in such the Apostles did all themselves at least the place remained vacant †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. Ibid. 2. Where need requir'd and worthy persons were to be had in such the Apostles ordained Bishops But 3. Whilst the Churches were so thin as that the Bishops with their Deacons could well discharge the whole work Epiphanius tell 's us expresly and that from the eldest of the Church Histories there was not yet a constitution of single Presbyters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And of this we have the first instance in Iames the Bishop of Ierusalem to whom
Sect. 10. A strange way of arguing in the behalf of Cruelty It s consequence subversive of all humane society Sect. 11. Concerning Vsurpers and Restitution Sect. 12. What sequestrations are misliked and what not Sect. 13. Of growing Luâ—ty on Sequestrations and self-denial in usurpation CHAP. VII Of the Dort-Synod and the Remonstrants Sect. 1. A confessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sect. 2. The Synodists unexcusable by standing out after yielding Sect. 3. Of grace which is really not verbally sufficient Sect. 4. Austin confessedly against the Synod of Dort Sect. 5. The extent of grace Sect. 6. The Synod of Dort parallel'd with the Iesuites even by its own Advocates Sect. 7. The Deniall of originall pravity falsely charged on the Remonstrants Sect. 8. How much there is in the will of man Sect. 9. To convert a sinner no breach of charity Sect. 10. Who it is that abuseth the choisest of Gods servants Sect. 11. Made appeare by an example The Contents of the APPENDIX Concerning severall Subjects both in The Key for Catholicks and in the Book of Disputations of Church-Government and Worship SECT I. The chief occasion of the Appendix Sect. 2. Mr. Baxters charge of Popery attended with self-contradictions Sect. 3. Made the more hainous in four respects Sect. 4. He is shew'd his Danger as well as guilt Sect. 5. Himself proved to be a Papist by fourteen Arguments according to his own Logick Grotius vindicated and cleared from all appearance of Popery from Sect. 6. to Sect. 26. The testimony of Poelenburg opposed to that of Sarravius Mr. Baxters confounding a Primacy of order with a supremacy of power And the New Canons of Rome with the antient Canons of General Councils His many and grievous mistakes in translating Grotius his Latin whether from wilfulness or weakness is referred unto the Reader Grotius his design had no influence on our English changes No Church-preferment was offer'd to him Franciscus à Sanctâ Clarâ had a contrary design Dr. Bezier cleared from an implicit Calumny The Popes Primacy allow'd by all sorts of Protestants as well as Grotius Bishop Andrews Bishop Bramhall Dr. Hammond c. A conjecture passed upon the letters which Mr. Baxter saith were sent to him of the real presence in the Lords Supper Material and formal Idolatry Two sorts of Pâ—pists The granted Primacy a Bulwarke against Popery Pacificks are not a cause of discord The Priâ—acy of the Pope how it removeth the whole mistake Sect. 29. By whom our Breaches were firâ—t made and are ever since widened The wrong sore rubb'd by Mr. Baxter and Presbyterians gall'd upon the Prelatists backs The Prelatists beaten for being abused yet are earnest desirers of Reconcilement The Church of England justified by the Confessions of her Desertors The Presbyterian separatists apparently unexcusable They are obnoxious to men of all sides for their sin of schisme Especially to the Episcopal whose sufferings have made them the more conformable to the Primitive Christians Sect. 30. Lay-Elders condemn'd by such as had sworn to assert them Sect. 31. A Calumny cast upon our Preachers to the sole disgrace of the Calumniator Once a day Preaching and Catechizing a great deal better then Prateing twice The Accuser most criminall The Presbyterian Readers are many more then the Episcopal And their Preaching much worse if we may credit their own confessions An agreement in point of Raileing between the Quakers and Presbyterians Sect. 32. A fair Confession how far a Protestant may go and be still a Protestant Sect. 33. Of Bishops and Presbytery Bishop Hall's censure of the disturbers of setled Government in the Church The Lord Primate's censure of Presbyterian Ordinations as invalid and Schismatiâ—al Dr. Holdsworth's sufferings a Declaration of his judgement Sect. 34. The Presbyterian excuses are Aggravations of their offences Sect. 35. Bishop Prideaux confessed a Moderate man though the sharpest Censor of our English Presbyterians He doth Characterize them by Ravenous Wolves By ambitious low shrubs conspiring against the goodly Oake By a petulant Ape on the house top By the greedy Dog and the Sacrilegious Bird in the common Fable By Baltasar and Achan By the title Smectymnuan importing a monster with many heads By the Bramble consuming the Cedar of Lebanon Bishop Prideaux us'd worse then any scandalous Minister Sect. 36. A vindication of Bishops and Doctor Hammond's Paraphrase Sect. 37. A Refutation of the prime Argument for Presbyterian Ordinations Mr. Baxter proved to be an Heathen by his own Art of Syllogizing Sect. 38. Presbyterians are not Bishops by having Deacons under them Sect. 39. Immoderate virulence towards those of the Episcopal way Mr. Thorndike's judgement of Presbyterian Ordinations Sect. 40. A parallel case between the Pharisees of old and our modern Puritans Sect. 41. What hath been meant by the word Puritan by Learned men The Lord Chancellor Egertoâ—'s judgement of Puritans Bishop Bramhall's judgement of the same Bishop Hall of Pharisaism and Christianity Sect. 42. The Presbyterian Directory exceedingly abominable The Kings reasons against the Directory And his reasons for the Common Prayer Sect. 43. Concerning Coppinger and Hacket and the communication of their Design to the Presbyterian Ministers Sect. 44. Dr. Steward's Sermon at Paris And Dr. Heylin's Antipuritanism To the Reverend Mr RICHARD BAXTER Reverend Sir Sect. 1. AFter so many of my indeavours to disappoint the open enemies of Truth and Reason thereby to rescue poor Christians from the worst kind of thraldom in which too many have been held by the Mythologie of the Turks whose desperate Doctrine of God's Decrees doth seem to me more terrible then all their Armies by how much the bondage of a man's Spirit is more to be fear'd then that of his Flesh for the effecting of which Rescue I verily thought you had laboured with me till what you rais'd with one hand you also ruin'd wâ—h the other which made me think many times of Penelope's Web I pleas'd my self with an opinion that my Disputes were all ended and that a liberty would be allowed me to pass the remnant of my dayes in my proper Element I take the words of old Hesiod as if they were spoke unto my self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For although perhaps I may not say I have as great an averseness to all Contention as that of the Fish unto the Fire yet am I not able to indure it but when I steadfastly believe it to be a Duty And being perswaded that it is mine I dare not shrink from a discharge how much soever it may cost me in self-denials That alone is the time of my being imployed in my proper Element when I am studying the Doctrine and Life of Christ as both are ordinable to practice when I am preaching the glad tidings of the Gospel of Peace as one to whom is committed the Word of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.19 when I am teaching the Ignorant admonisâ—ing the Guilty procuring settlement to the Doubtful and binding up the broken-hearted when I am anxiously pressing
justè and Ecclesiastica Ecclesiasticè It is a very good Rule in the Civil Law Quae à judice non legitimo aut non legitimo modo facta sunt ea praesumptionem habeâ—t contrase And such were our late Sequestrations that although they were made by his beloved long * Note I speak with the vulgar meaning oâ—ely the two Houses as Mr. Hickman calls them p. 45. or rather the Remnant of the two Houses of which Judge Ienkins hath well inform'd us Parlament yet M. Hickman himself undertakes not in all things to acquit them p. 46. And Mr. B. did avow in his very last Book that 't was a way he was not satisfied with p. 52. Nay a very great part of their proceedings you your self doe disown even in this very Section Nay towards the end of your Book you professe your detestation of them p. 111. And if you may detest what you haue got so much by much more may I who have lost no lesse Not to speak of their losses who have been very dear to me and for whose losses I was afflicted when I thank God for it I was not afflicted for mine own knowing how and for what and from what sort of men my sufferings came Sequestrations are scandalous and sinfull things when they proceed and are inflicted either a non-Iudice or in non-Reum or modo non debito or in fâ—â—em non rectum The particular consideration of which four things applied to all the Sequestrations which have happened within these eighteen years would administer matter for a very just volume had I time sufficient for such a work Yet should I have spoken more largely then now I shall to give you that information which you particularly desire were I not told of an able Gentleman who hath sent a Treatise unto the Presse upon this one subject and addressed it in particular to all your wants Sect. 3. Whereas you say You are dâ—sirous to be better inform'd in this thing Sufficient Information for such as wâ—nt and desire it to avoid much guilt which else you may and doe incurre if you be mistaken sect 26. I have two or three things to return unto you First that as I am glad of your good desire so I shall also be sorry if you are never the better for my Assistance Next for sufficient Information I had thought it enough that you knew the tenth Precept Non Concupisces Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house much less take it into possession with all the good land that lies about it nor any thing that is thy neigebour's much lesse All that is thy Neighbour's Of the Fundamental Lawes of this land and the established Canons of the Church I thought you had a sufficient knowledge If not you may when you please Read but the Works of Judge Ienkins whom God preserve from all Evil and reward at last with a Crown of Righteousnesse Read Magna Charta and the Petition of Right And compare with both * You may see a Copy of this in Biblioth Reg. part 1. â—ect 4. num 10. p. 324. The Proclamation against the oppression of the Clergy by the Insurrection of factious and Schismaticall persons into their Cures c. And compare with all Three The Declaration of the Lord General and his Counsel of Officers shewing the Grounds and Reasons for the Dissolution of the long Parlament 1653. You will find in the three former That the Church amonst others hath these Priviledges that regularly no Ecclesiasticall Possessions can be extended separated or sequestred but by the Ordinary That Distresses may not be taken of Lands wherewith Churches have been anciently endowed and that Churches presentative cannot be filled and the lawfull Incumbent thereof removed but by the Ordinary nor the Cure of the Incumbents served by Curates Lecturers or others but by their own Appointment or in their defect by the Appointment of the Ordinary Nor are any subjects of the Laity by the Common Laws of this Realm capable to take or receive Tithes which are the Portion of the Clergy unlesse by Demise from Them or such as are appropâ—iate or made Lay-fee c. In the 28 year of King Edward the third it was declared and enacted by Authority of Parlament which is also ratified in the Petition of Right That no man of whatsoever estate or condition be put out of his Land or Tenements nor taken nor imprisoned nor disherited nor put to death without being brought to answer by due Process of Law So by the Statute called The Great Charter of the Liberties of Engl. it is declared and enacted That no Free-man may be taken or imprisoned or be disseized of his Free-hold or Liberties or his free Customes or be out-lawed or exiled or in any manner destroyed but by the lawfull judgement of his Peers or by the Law of the Land c. Note that these are such Laws as are still in force by all confessions they who have broken them the most cannot pretend they have been repealed You cannot object your Scotish Covenant for you have written (a) Plain Sâ—r. proof of Infants Ch. mem p. 123. which compare with 120 121 122. with p. 274. and with your Aâ—en to Aphor. p. 107. against That And if you had not your case were worse The Remnant of the two Houses you cannot urge for the very same reasons and many more Nay since the writing of these words those very Houses which did obtrude you upon another man's Living or Free-hold do now implicitely stand charged with the Sin of Sacriledge as well by your self as by Mr. Vines as may be seen by his (b) Five Disp. of Ch. Gov. Worsh. p. 350.349 Letter which you have printed and by your words thereupon in the page going before it From hence consider very sadly whether they who transgressed so much in one thing doe not deserve your suspicion in many others And now I will hope you are sufficiently informed if you are not you shall be before I leave you Guilty men must keep their secrets or not be angry that they are known But by the way let me tell you that you were never in my Thoughts when I expressed my Dislike of Sequestrations I never knew you had any untill you told me Nor had I knowne it to this houre had you but kept your owne counsell So little Reason had you to use me with so much Bitternesse and Virulence in divers Books But worser dealing then from your selfe though not in print I have hâ—d from a Minister in this very County of whose Sequestration I was as ignorant as yet I am of his Face I knoâ— him by nothing but his Injuries and his ist Namâ— which I sâ—all therefore in Charity forbeare to publish I shot but at Rovers and because by accident he was hit he was as angry with the Arrow as if it had been its own Archer and vainly concluded that he was aim'd at when the very
he goes on p. 179. the Church of England is not invisible It is still preserved in Bishops and Presbyters rightly ordained and multitudes rightly baptized none of which have fallen off from their profession 7. To your preposterous Demands then Especially to the Eâ—iscopal whose sufferings have made them the more coâ—formable to the primitive Christians why we separate from you and refuse to go to your Communion the first and shortest Answer is this that we are passively separated because you actively are separatists We by remaining as we were are parted from you and you by your violent departure have made our Difference unavoidable We are divided by necessity and you by choice we from you our Dividers but you from us and between your selves You like Demas having forsaken us and having embraced this present world it is our lot as it was Paul's to be unâ—voidably forsaken It is God's own Method to turn away from his Deserters When the Times are changed by some and others are changed by the Times you must at least excuse if not commend us that we * Prov. 24. â—1 meddle not with those who are given to change For you to go from us and then to chide us for being parted is the greatest injustice to be imagin'd because it requires us to verifie the two Extremes of a contradiction A second Answer I shall give you in better words than mine own even the same which Dr. Hammond once gave the Papists Sâ—e Dr. Hammond of Schism p. 180 181. The Night-meetings of primitive Christians in Dens and Caves are as pertinent to the justifying of our Condition as they can be of any and 't is certain that the forsaking of the Assemblies Heb. 10.25 is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our wiâ—ful fault v. 26. but onely our unhappy Lot who are forced either not to frequent the Assemblies or else to incourage and incur the scandal of seeming to approve the practises of those that have departed from the Church That we do not decline Order or publick communion and consequently are not to be charged for not enjoying those Benefits of it which we vehemently thirst after is evident by the extensive Nature of our persecution the same Tempeâ—t having with us thrown out all Order and Form Bishops and Liturgy together And to that Curstnesse of theirs not to any Obstinateness or Vnreconcileableness of ours which alone were the guilt of non-Communion is all that unhappiness of the constant Sons of the present English Church to be imputed Lâ—y-elders condemned by such as had sworn to assert them Sect. 30. I am glad to find you thinking that unordained Elders wanting power to preach or administer the Sacraments are not Officers in the Church of God's Appointment and that as far as you can understand the greater part if not three parts for one of the English Ministers that we stand at a distance from are of this mind and so far against Lay-Elders as well as we of whom you confess your self one and Mr. Vines another p. 4. But I am not glad to find you excusing what you condemn 'T is true ye all swore when ye took the Covenant to preserve the Discipline and Government in the Church of Scotland and to reforme the Church of England in Discipline and Government according to the example of the best Reformed Churches of which the Scotish was implied to be the chief yea to bring the Churches in the three Kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and Uniformity in Church-government c. Lay-elders in Scotland were pretended to be by Divine right The Platforme of Geneva was highly magnified that I say not blasphemously for the Pattern shew'd in the Mount The Scepter of Christ and Evangelium Regni Dei were noted expressions of their Device But since you have printed your own opinion that therâ— were no such Lay-elders of God's appointment you should rather have recanted your having sworn the Scotish Covenant than have tryed by all means to make the best of so bad a matter Whilst you believe a fourth part of the Presbyterians are directly against the other three in thinking Lay-elders of God's appointment you give us to hope that your Kingdom will never stand And indeed if you will read but the first 5. Chapters of Bishop Bancrofts Survey of the pretended Holy Discipline you will find that no Sect hath been more divided against it self See what is said by Dr. Gauden in his excellenâ— * p. 17. Dendrologia concerning the Pertness and Impertinenâ—y the Arrogancy and Emptiness the Iuvenility and Incompetency the Rusticity and Insolency of some Ruling and Teaching Elders too the disagreement that was found betwixt High-shoes and the Scepter of Church-government especially mark what he †p. 18. saith of the Decoy and Fallacy the Sophistry and Shooing-horn of bringing in Lay-elders by Divine Right and perhaps when you have done you will hardly excuse your own Excuses much less the manner in which you make them for to excuse the Lay-eâ—ders as men not preaching Sect. 31. You say A Calumny cast upon our Preachers to the sole disgrace of the Calumniator In that our Readers are much like them p. 4. And again you speak of our Ignorant Drunken Worldly Readers and Lazy Preachers that once a day would preach against doing too much to be saved p. 16. But 1. that any have so preaâ—hed of the regular Clergy is your ungrounded Intimation for which you are answerable to God They have commonly been accused of having preached for the doing too much to be saved Their earnest pressing for the Necessity of Universal Obedience to the Law of Christ which carries along with it all manner of good works hath very frequently procured them the name of Papists Socinians Pelagians Moralists any thing in the world to express the dislike of your Presbyterians The Antinomians are the chief men who preach against doing too much to be saved and as the Fautors of that Heresie you your self have accused both Mr. Pemble and Dr. Twisse who were not Prelatists but Presbyterians And such were they who applauded The Marrow of modern Divinity which you have sharâ—ly written against for the like dangerous positions Nay you your self are more liable to undergo your own censure than any Prelatist I ever heard of for teaching the people how greaf a wickedness may well coâ—sist with their being Godly Of this I have given so many Examples that I shall adde but one more You put the Question Wâ—ether if men live many years in swearing or the like sin See Disp. of right to Sacram 3. p. 330. it is not a certain sign of ungodliness To which you answer in these words A godly man may long be guilty of them as 't is known some well-reputed for Godliness are in Scotland Reputation doth much with many even that are godly to make sin seem great or small With us now a swearer is reputed so great a sinner that he is
were added seven * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 6.1 2 3 4 Deacons without the least mention of any Presbyters Yet 4. Many meer Presbyters were ordained not with a priviledge to ordain but to diâ—â—ense the Word and Sacraments as soon as the number of Believers had made it needfull And I pray Sir forget not to take due notice that what is spoken by Epiphanius is against the Heretick Aerius the very first Presbyterian that ever infested the Christian Church 6. After the levity and unfruitfullness consider the danger and unlawfulness of thiâ— your arguing It being just as much against all the Monarchs as against any one Bishop throughout the world For ' tiâ— the duty of every King and of every other supreme Magistrate let his Dominions be never so large to reward to punish and to protect to deale out Justice to every subject whether corrective or distributive as their merits or offences shall seem to challenge Now comes a Disputant like your self who first displayes the severall parts of the Magistrate's Office next he proposeth to consideration how many hundreds of Parishes and how many Myriads of Men may probably be found in his Dominions and then conceiving it impossible that any one Mortal should know them all much less be able to perform his several offices to each he presently sends the chief Magistrate his writ of ease and then forsooth in every Parish one or other of his subjects who thinks himself able to be a Ruler must take upon him to play Rex within that Territory or Precinct Never remembring or regarding the famous Division of the Apostle much less his Precept with which the division is introduced Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Supreme or unto * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well 1 Pet. 2.13 14 15. From which words I intreate you to make this pertinent observation that as a single supreme Magistrate may well be qualified and fitted for the largest Taskes of the widest Kingdom by all those Emissaries and Envoyes who are deputed to act by his Commission so with a greater force of reason is every Bishop in his own Diocess very sufficiently enabled for every part of his office to every person by the assistance of those Presbyters and other officers under them who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by him sent out into their several charges 7. You see how unhappy you have been even in that way of Arguing in which you seem to have taken the greatest pleasure there being less force in it against the Bishop of a Diocess than against that person to whom you dedicated your Book and acknowledged your self a faithfull subject May you be faithfull to those Superiours who are not onely permitted but appointed and Authorized to Rule over you in the Lord. You see the people of this Land will no more be ridden by your Presbyteries For though you found amongst them some patient Beasts for a while who lov'd the novelty of their Riders if nothing else yet rideing them as you did with switch and spur as soon as you got into the saddle you provoked your tamest creatures to reprove the * 2 Pet. 2.16 madness of the Prophets Saying implicitly to your selves as you did frequently to them and with every whit as much reason remember them which have the rule over you Heb. 13.7 That is to say saith our learned Paraphrast set before your eyes the Bishops and Governours that have been in your Church c. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves v. 17. that is be subject unto the Bishops as St. * See the Note of Dr. Haâ— on Heb. 13.7 A resutation of the prime Argument for Presbyterian Ordinations Chrysostom and the said Paraphrast do well explain it Sect. 37. As this may serve for a specimen of your voluminous medlings against our Bishops in which you say little against them which your enemies may not say with greater reason against you and with as much pretense of reason against the Ministry it self and with much more reason against their maintenance by Tithes so it sufficeth for a specimen of what you plead in the defence of your Schismaticall Ordinations to use the word of the Lord Primate that I acquaint you with the absurdity of your first and chief Argument In your second Dispute of Episcopacy ch 7. p. 199. l. 8 9 10 c. You strive to prove your Ordination is by Scripture-Bishops Meaning your titular Ordination without Dioecesan Bishops whose Episcopal Office you sacrilegiously invaded And you think you prove it by this sad Syllogism The Scripture-Bishops were the Pastors of particular Churches having no Presbyters subject to them Most of our Ordainers are such Pastors Therefore most of our Ordainers are Scripture-Bishops The major of this Syllogism you prove from Dr. Hammond and the minor from Mr. Pierce At least you are confident that you prove it though I shall prove you prove nothing except your forgetfulness of Logick and somewhat else to your prejudice of which anon 2. First for your Syllogisme by the disposition of the medium it appeare's to be in the second Figure and yet which is wonderfull it consist's of three affirmative Propositions which the second Figure cannot indure any more than the First can admit of three Negatives And so again you are obnoxious to the publick assertion of D. Kendal that a little more of the university would have done you no harm 3. Next to know what you have done by disputing thus in figure without all mood observe the Conclusiveness of your Syllogism by an other just like it in all respects Suppose in the person of Diogenes you were to prove that a Cock with his Feathers strips from him alive is a Man as well as Plato though not as able to teach School you may thus argue for him as you have done for your self A man is a living Creature with two feet and without Feathers A Cock deplumed like that of Diogenes is such a living Creaturo Therefore a Cock deplumed like that of Diogenes is a man But then you have taught an ill Sophistry against your self For the plainest person in all your Parish may prove you to be an arrant He athen by the very same Logick which you have err'd by An arrant Heathen is an Animal indued with reason Mr. Baxter is an Animal indued with reason Therefore Mr. Baxter is an arrant Heathen The major at least must be as true as that which you take from Dr. Hammond The minor infinitly truer than that which you take from Mr. Pierce And you know the conclusion is undeniable For if the premises are true Falshood cannot flow from them by any regular
with which you have any the least Agreement Reduce your proof then a second time into a syllogisme truly made and your case will be alter'd but nothing mended Your fall into the Fire will indeed be regular but you will get no more by it than if you continue in the frying-pan For your truly form'd Syllogism will be but thus whosoever hath none but a Deacon or Deacons to attend him is a Primitive Bishop A Presbyter hath â—one but a Deacon or Deacons to attend him Therefore a Presbyter is a Primitive Bishop Here the matter is as untoward as the Form was before The Major proposition being admirably false For though a man may be a Bishop who hath no more to attend him when no more are to be had and that because no more are needfull which is the thing that Dr. Hammond hath often taught you yet his having no more doth not prove him to be a Bishop which was the thing to be proved from Dr. Hammond When Ignatius reckons the Three Orders Bishops Priests and Deacons 't is as impossible for him to meane that Priests are Bishops as that Deacons are Priests For though every Bishop is a Priest it can no more follow that every Priest is a Bishop than it can possibly follow that every Animal is a man because it is true that every man is an Animal A Primitive Bishop and a meer Presbyter may have a Conversion per Accidens and another conversion by Contraposition but a simple conversion they cannot have To say they can without proof is but the begging of the Question which being sure to be denyed you I shall advise you to beg no more I will conclude this subject with a remarkable passage of Mr. Thorndike And I will do it so much the rather because the weightiness and the price of that excellent Volume may probably keep it from the perusal of vulgar Readers who onely meddle with the cheapest Bookes Mr. Thorndik's judgement of Presbyt Ordinations c. In his Epilogue to the Tragoed Of the Ch. of Engl. Concl. p. 408. The Presbyterians sometimes pleade their Ordination in the Church of England for the authority by which they ordaine others against the Church of England to do that which they received authority from the Church of England to do provided that according to the order of it A thing so ridiculously senseless that common reason refuseth it Can any state any society do an act by virtue whereof there shall be right and authority to destroy it Can the Ordination of the Church of England proceeding upon supposition of a solemn promise before God and his Church to execute the ministry a man receiveth according to the order of it inable him to do that which he was never ordained to do Shall he by failing of his promise by the act of that power which supposed his promise receive authority to destroy it Then let a man obtaine the Kingdom of Heaven by transgressing that Christianity by the undertaking whereof he obtained right to it They are therefore meer Congregations voluntarily constituted by the will of those all whosâ— acts even in the sphere of their ministry once received are become voide by their failing of that promise in consideration whereof they were promoted to it Voide I say not of the crime of Sacriledge towards God which the usurpation of Core constituteth but of the effect of Grace towards his people For the like voluntary combining of them into Presbyteries and Synodes createth but the same equivocation of words when they are called Churches to signifie that which it visible by their usurpation in point of fact not that which is invisible by their authority in point of right For want of this authority whatsoever is done by virtue of that usurpation being voide before God I will not examine whether the form wherein they execute the Offices of the Church which they think fit to exercise agree with the ground and intent of the Church or not Onely I charge a peculiar nullity in their consecrating the Eucharist by neglecting the Prayer for making the elements the dody and blood of Christ without which the Church never thought it could consecrate the Eucharist Whether having departed from the Church Presbyteries and Congregations scorne to learne any part of their duty from the Church least that might seem to weaken the ground of their departure or whether they intend that the elements remaine meer signes to strengthen mens faith that they are of the number of the elect which they are before they be consecrated as much as afterwards the want of consâ—cration rendering it no Sacrament that is ministred the ministring of it upon a ground destructive to Christianity renders it much more Immoderatâ— viâ—ulence towards those of the Episcopal way Sect. 39. I now returne to your long Preface from whence I stept into your book that the things of one Nature might be consider'd together in one Head That for which I am next to complain of you unto your self is your immoderate bitternesse to the Episcopal way and to the men of all qualities who dare to own it Many Gushes of it there are of which I will here transcribe a few * Praef. to Disp. of Church-Gov p. 17. We see that most of the ungodly in the land are the forwardest for your waies You may have almost all the Drunkards Blasphemers and Ignorant haters of godliness in the Country to vote for you and if they durst againe to fight for you at any time The spirit of prophaneness complyeth with you Ibid. and doteth on you in all places that ever I was acquainted in * Grot. Rel. p. 113. should one of you now pretend to be the Bishop of a Diocess you would have a small Clergy and none of the best and the people in most Parishes that are most ignorant drunken prophane unruly with some civil persons of your mind c. * P. 114. The cause of their love to Episcopacy is because it was a shadow if not a shelter to the Prophane heretofore and did not trouble them with discipline and because they troubled and kept under the Puritanes whom they hated But if you did not exercise Discipline on them your Churches would be but the very sinks of all other Churches about you to receive the filth that they all cast out and so they would be so great a reproach to Episcopacy that would make it vile in the eyes of sober men So that a Prelatical Church would in the common account be near kin to an Alehouse or Tavern to say no worse * â— 11â— So that for my part were I your enemy I would wish you a toleration but being really a friend to the Church and you I shall make a better motion c. Whilst you rail at this rate not onely without but against all reason nor onely beside but against your own knowledge as if it were your design to be voted for an ill