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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A25670 An anti-remonstrance to the late humble remonstrance to the high court of Parliament 1641 (1641) Wing A3512; ESTC R13045 7,536 18

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are deputing where in most of the members of it there is no free choise of election but Bishops Deanes and Arch-deacons have right to sit by their place and office where those of the lower House are like so manie stockes that have no motion but as they are carried by the members of the sphere of the higher house Who ever shall reade Matthaeus Paris and Matthaeus Westmonasteriensis and view the disfigured face of the Church of England under Henry the second Iohn Henry the third Kings of England will acknowledge that the Pope had more power and jurisdiction in England in the persons of his Bishops and Abbots then in any other Kingdome and will not wonder if Bishops have hitherto kept possession though they hold no more of the Pope nor will he easily be perswaded that that governement is of Divine or Apostolicall institution which hath ever beene contrary to the constitutions of the ancient Church and to Imperiall lawes and repugnant to the proceedings of all Courts of Iustice and common equity and sence These ten grounds or reasons which are rockie for upholding this assertion that Episcopall English government is Antichristian are sandie under the superstructure of the Authour of the Remonstrance for who doubts but an Ecclesiasticall Governement that is such cannot bee pleaded to be unalterable and not to bee removed though it were never so ancient since there is no prescription against Christ and the Apostles institution and that the number of yeares cannot make a lye to bee a truth yea rather many things are worse by age and an old man hath no more the beeing of man then a young man and a common-wealth no more then a Church is nothing the better for to be of an ancienter standing But as it is vaine and out of the question to prove Episcopacie to bee of Divine right and to have continued so many hundred yeares and to call unjust and weake the clamours of those that cry downe Episcopacie likewise it is no lesse lost labour to goe about to perswade the Honorable House with such earnestnesse not to give way to the change of Episcopacy which hath its pedegree from the Apostles for I know none of them that cry downe such an Episcopacie or giveth his conscent to pull it up few or none of them beleeving that the Episcopall governement as it is established in England is derived from the Apostles who ever affirmes that Priests are by Divine right will not consequently evince Divine right in the function of the Romish Priests The like may I say of Episcopall governement of these times in reference to that in the times of the Primitive Church As the Remonstrancers superstructure is like to be tottering if it be grounded upon that supposition that English Episcopall governement is Apostolicall so will it bee like to fall having no better ground then he layes downe viz. That Episcopacy or the eminent superiority of Bishops above their fellow Presbyters in the power of ordination and jurisdiction is of Divine institution and that that spirituall power hath beene by Apostolicall authoritie delegated unto Timothy and Titus and to the Angells of the Church of Asia Touching Timothy it is a wonder that Saint Paul writing to the Ephesians doth not so much as once make mention of him far is he to enjoyne him to keepe residence in his Diocesse where it is like hee made no great residence being upon every occasion sent from place to place by the appointment of Saint Paul and it appeareth by Ireneus Nicephorus and Eusebius that John the Apostle immediately after the councell of the Apostles Act the 15 did governe the Church of Ephesus untill the dayes of Trajan the Emperour I might also wonder that S. Paul who had a cooperatour in most things he did or wrote would ordaine Elders in Ephesus when they had at hand their Diocesan Bishop appointed for that work neither by the Angels of the seven Asian Churches are meant seven severall Diocesan Bishops for the things spoken to a single Angel are said to him under that title in the name of all the flocke within the precinct of one particular Church or congregation Thus the Angels Genes 32. v. 1. who met Jacob are in the 46. chap. verse 16. included in one Angel And it is the exposition of Calvin Psal 43. v. 7. that by a single Angel pitching his campe for the defence of the faithfull more then one yea all the good Angels are understood I say more that it is verie likelie that by the Angel of one Church not onely the Elders of that one Church are understood but also the whole Church it selfe else it will follow that for the sinne of one Bishop or a few Ministers if they had not repented the whole congregation had deserved to be bereaved of the light of the Gospel and the words some of you in the 2. chap. verse 10. whether they insinuate the whole Church or the Pastors of the Church doe shew they cannot be understood of one single Angel or Minister In the next place the Author of the Remonstrance saith in derision of the French discipline that Lay-Elders till this age had never any footing in the Christian Church I will not stand reasoning what great neede there is of Laymen to bee sharers with the Pastors in the administration of the Churches discipline onely to make good that such Lay Presbyters are grounded upon Scripture it is cleare out of the words of the Acts chap. 15. verse 22. It pleaseth the Apostles the Elders with the whole Church By the whole Church either the whole company of Elders or the chiefe of the people if not the whole Christian congregation present at Jerusalem is understood The former cannot be else by an uncouth tautologie in one little verse the Elders were said to have met with Elders It followes then that by the whole Church others be meant besides Bishops and Elders It matters not much whether they bee called lay-Lay-Presbyters or not as long as the thing intended is granted viz. that the Laicke congregation may meddle in Churches affaires and give councell and assistance to the Pastors and bee as well as they arbiters and censurers of errors and disorders For further proofe thereof in the 14 of the Acts verse 23. though the English version hath When they had ordained Elders the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beares as much as that Elders were ordained by the advise of the congregation Again in the 6. of the Acts the whole multitude of Disciples is said to have chosen the seven Deacons of whom Saint Steven was one That by the multitude of the Disciples others are meant then the company of the Elders it is manifest by the ninth of the Acts verse 39. where Tabitha a woman is called an ancient Disciple And by the eleventh chap. verse 26. where it is said that the Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch The appellations of Disciples and Christians being promiscuously
used besides we see in the election of the Apostle Matthias not onely the Apostles but the whole congregation which was of 120. had vote and voice Good Lord shall one of few Bishops in our dayes vindicate more to themselves then the Apostles themselves did though the least of the Apostles were better gifted and endowed with more power then all the Bishops of the Christian World put together Now adayes the greatest part of the Church is counted no Church and it remaineth that mens soules should be pinned up within three or foure mens Lawne-sleeves But which is most strange those that quarrell so much about Lay-Elders see not or will not see that what they except against the reformed Churches out of England is even practised in England in the offices of Chancellors Commissaries Officials Registers Apparitors such like Grashoppers with that onely difference that these make a sale of holy things and rend in two the seamelesse coate of Christ they often drawing it one way and the Bishops another way But the Lay-Presbyters so much jeered at by the Remonstrancer both live in good amitie with the Pastors and discharge their places gratis I say more it was never heard in France or in the Low Countries that Lay-Elders did vindicate so much to themselves of the power of the Ecclesiasticall keys as the Bishops Chancellors have of late usurped in pronouncing sentence of excommunication and absolution without the knowledge and against the intent of the Bishop It is also a great wounding of the Kings authority to debarre Lay-men from medling in Churches affaires for who is it that doth not know that our dreadfull King is a Layman and that the Christian Magistrate cannot be kept from having a hand in the administration of the Church without implicitely wounding through their side the head of the Christian Magistrate To support more strongly the governement of the Church in England by Bishops hee bringeth the assent and testimonie of Spanhemius a learned Profession in Geneva I expected the testimonie of many more Divines To which I answer that Spanhemius and many more as Moulin Rivet Chamier had likewise in reverend esteeme Episcopacy in the Church of God and therefore had no reason to condemne Episcopacie or to fall out with the pious learned men that were invested with it such are those yet living Morton Davenant Hall Williams Potter and the incomparable Primate of Ireland who do not stretch their power to the extent of their high Jurisdiction as it is established in England which I make no question is avowed by all the orthodoxe Pastors out of England to be a branch of that kingdome of Antichrist that had taken so deepe root in England This man make Spanhemius more insensible then a stone had hee approved the uncharitablenesse and the bitter venim and foule aspersions that were cast upon the reformed French Churches and particularly upon Geneva by those Bishops and others who lately sate at the sterne of the Churches government The Archbishop Laude hath more then once called Calvin a rascall and the Geneuian lay Presbiters a new fangled devise of Calvin leaving to speake how he vilifies with base termes other Reverend French Divines in his Epistle to the King before the opuscula posthuma of Bishop Andrewes hee gives that report of Peter Moulin that hee is Theol gus non indoctus acutus satis A Diuine not vnlearned and reasonable acute Neither doth he spare his owne as Cranmer and Latimer calling them the Zelotes of Queene Maries daies Bishop Mountague in his Apparatus and else where calles the Geneuians by no other name then Jnnovators and traduceth them and their followers such as Scaliger Paraeus and Caluisius as a packe of Shismatickes and bramelesse rascalls The like dealing have they with Bishop Wren Pierce Manwaring Heylin Pocklington Cousin and the like what charitable encertainement judge ye may Genevâs Church finde among such men since one of the best Bishops of England is reported to have given that judgement of their discipline that it is fit onely for tradesmen and beggers In that the charitie of Spanhemius and others reformed Divines beyond the seas is to be commended that they have not reviled againe those that reviled them and following the example of God saying to Abraham hee would not destroy the whole citie for tens sake they have for the inchoate reformation sake in the Church of England and for the respect they beare to a little number of well deserving Bishops and others passed over the invectives and insolences of that great streame of corrupt men that went currant under the name of the English Church as they have heartily pittied their rage so have they forgiven them their uncharitablenesse Other men that have not been so much interessed in our Churches have not dissembled what they thought of our English Episcopall governement The words of Padre Paulo Sarpio venetian in his Epistle to James Leschasserius Counsellor at Paris in the yeare 1609. are wonderfull remarkable and the more because they are a prediction of what came to passe in England J am afraid in the behalfe of the English of that great power of Bishops though under a King J have it in suspicion when they shall meete with a King of that goodnesse as they will thinke it easie to work upon him or shall have an Archbishop of an high spirit the Royall authoritie shall be wounded and Bishops will aspire to an absolute domination Me thinkes I see a horse sadled in England and J guesse that the old rider shall get on his backe But all these things depend on the Divine Providence Next our Remonstrancer exhorteth with more modestie then reason the high Court not to publish the offences and scandalls of the inferiour Cleargie leaving off verie discreetly to speake off the monstruous enormities of which the superiour Cleargy is guilty Good Lord sir you will give leave to a man that hath beene unjustly gagg'd long at the first libertie given to cry out and complaine of the wrong he hath received or if some sinnes of their nature are crying would you have them kept under ashes that they may afterwards breake with fiercer violence or how can the maladie be cured till it be laid open and searcht to the bottome That the body of this Church is very crasie and sicke wee that are the members smart for it To beginne at the head our Remonstrancer saith it is no marvell if among 12 Apostles there bee one Judas but rather may wee expostulate to our great hearts greife that of 12 rulers of the Church there is hardly one that is right and sound And no wonder if an Antichristian Discipline as I proved afore brings up men whose inside doctrine and life is sutable to the outside The greatest part of Deanes Archdeacons and all those that are comprised under the c. of the oath are gone out of the way The fountaines of learning are poysoned with heresies and infected with Popery of late no other Doctrine but Popish Arminian was licensed to see light no bodie durst call the Pope Antichrist or the Romish Church the false Church and the writings of the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury of Bishop Mountagu the Sermons of Manwaring the bookes of Heylin Pocklington Cosin and the like are flat Popery And no wonder therefore if they maintaine stiffely that the English Church is not separated from the Roman that they both agree in the fundamentall points of Religion The power of Preaching hath beene of late reduced to outward gestures and bowings towards the East or Altar and the mysterie of inquirie which is the good worke in hand of Heylin had got already to a great progresse These being the great maladies of the Church farre be it from that high and just Court not to heare or to smother the grievances of the Churche and by a cruell kindnesse rather let a man be drowned then to take him by the haires for feare of hurting him FINIS