any other way and so Gods blessing cannot go with a Bishop so chosen Did not the Lord himself at the first ordain twelve whom he called Apostles and are not Bishops set up to govern in the Church generally held to be the Apostles Successors to whom singularly the Keyes were committed to bind and loose and why then should not the chusing of them from time to time be referred to the Lord No free People as all Christians are be willing to be governed by any but a Prince of their own electing whom they know well and well approve of to be preferred to this dignity and how then can it be expected that it should go well with that Church which hath no hand in the choice of their Bishop It was most anciently the Custome of Christians for the Clergy and People of the Diocess to chuse their own Bishop and then were they reverend as Fathers neither did this custom cease till Anno Dom. 1120. Poly. in Angl. c. 11. de inven l. 4. c. 10. when Princes began to take to themselves the right of appointing Bishops in every place but before this an 775. in a Synod held at Rome consisting of 133 Bishops to the Emperor Charls the Great was granted the Electing both of Pope Archbishops and Bishops Sidebert distinct 63. Adrianus sub poena Anathematis in the time of Pope Adrian wherefore it was a corruption that crept into the Church in time for Kings to appoint Bishops and not permit to the Clergy and People a free Election the Lord being earnestly sought unto in this so weighty a matter and in fine the Election referred to his Divine Majesty who only knoweth the hearts of all men which if it might be done at this day the King reserving to himself the power of Confirming a Bishop thus chosen His Majesty should free himself from being cause of any corruption in the election through the Covetousness of his Courtiers the Church of God within his Dominions should most probably be supplied with none but worthy Bishops and great unity would every where follow and all cause of Divisions in these Churches be cut off but that it may be orderly proceeded to such election the King is to be sought unto to give leave without whose leave the Peoples assembling of themselves cannot but be unlawfull as his Writs must first issue out to chuse Knights of the Shire in every County and that such leave hath anciently been given the granting of Congedeleers in times of vacancy to this day do declare although the man now to be chosen be nominated by the King and it is in effect no leave to chuse but to receive hin for Bishop whom the King chuseth Secondly for the Bishops power above the Presbyters his brethren it is as Jerom saith only in ordination of Presbyters and Deacons which cannot be done without the Bishop for to him singularly the Apostles committed this power as appeareth by St. Tit. 1. Act. 14.23 1 Tim. 4.23 Pauls writing to Timothy and Titus as he himself and Barnabas had by the imposition of hands ordained many whereas the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery is sometime spoken of nothing else can here be gathered but that when the Bishop ordaineth he ought to do it with the assistance of some of his Presbyters laying their hands on together with him and joyning in Prayer the Bishop having first examined him that is to be ordained and accepted of him but forasmuch as the Apostles had the power of binding and loosing also singularly committed unto them and not the Seventy two sent out to preach and Bishops elected to govern the Church are their Successors it is manifest that the power of Excommunicating and Absolving is peculiar to the Bishop also and to such Presbyters to whom he sends out his Processe to publish it in their particular Churches as Saint Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth to deliver to Satan the Incestuous man declaring the cause as it is necessary every Bishop should do to the Rector of every Church Again forasmuch as to Timothy Bishop of Ephesus St. Paul writeth not to receive an Accusation against any under two or three witnesses whereby is implied that he by vertue of his Apostleship and power to judge the causes of his Brethren the Presbyters about Ephesus it must needs be granted that the same power belongeth to every Bishop in his Diocess Lastly because Timothy and Titus also had power given them to order things in the Churches committed to their Government for praying and preaching and stopping the mouths of ignorant and corrupt Teachers and wicked livers whose sins break out after Ordination it must needs be granted that Bishops chosen to rule have the like power Yet when one is called to the weighty Office of Ruling in the Church of God the duty of Preaching diligently still lieth upon him and rather more than before for Timothy must not onely be instant in preaching in season and out of season but also be an example in Doctrine and Conversation Thirdly touching those whom the Bishop is to use as Assistants in exercising his power I cannot finde any Chancellor Arch-Deacon or Official once named in any ancient Writer but only of Presbyters and Deacons by whose help they did both ordain and censure and being assembled in Counsel together make Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall for which last we have a President Acts 15. in the first Councel assembling which consisted of Apostles Elders or Presbyters and Brethren and for the first in Pauls laying on of his hands upon Timothy and the Presbyters in ordaining him and for the Presbyters assistance in excommunicating see 1 Cor. 5. For although the Church only be there written to yet it is not to be conceived but that the Church consisted of Presbyters and common Christians amongst whom what was done cannot be thought to have been done but by Presbyters as the mouth and there were some Prophets 1 Cor. 14. but without Presbyters it could not be Fourthly touching punishment inflicting upon any The Bishop ought to have no power but spirituall For the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal saith the Apostle but spiritual 2 Cor. 4. it is onely such power as Christ committed to his Apostles and that was only the power of binding and loosing by excommunicating and absolving which is indeed a power beyond the power of the greatest Monarchs in the world and more to be feared for if an earthly Judge hath power to send the body of an Offender to Prison to be kept there by a Goaler and there to be used most hardly and after that to condemn him to a bodily death or to pardon him and set him at liberty again the power given by Christ to his Apostles and their Successors is to adjudge to the Prison of Hell the spirit and soul to be kept by Satan and by him vexed and terrified with terrors intollerable and after that to be carried to
Unity Restor'd TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND By JOHN MAYER D. D. Minister of the Church of Roydon in the County of Suffolk and Author of the Exposition of the Church Chatechism and the Comentary on the Old and New Testament contained in Six Volumes Matth. 5.9 Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Psalm 122.6 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love her LONDON Printed for A. Rice and are to be sold by Book-sellers 1661. Unity Restor'd TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Matth. 5.9 Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Psalm 122.6 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love her LONDON Printed for A. Rice and are to be sold by Book-sellers 1661. To the KING 's most Excellent Majesty CHARLES the Second of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith c. Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ MOst Gracious and dear Sovereign so soon as I saw Your Majesties Declaration of October 25. I could not but rejoice greatly for Your Care and holy Solicitude expressed therein and wisdome like the wisdom of Solomon about setling unity and uniformity in the Church of England and devising the means of effecting it And whereas some have in writing cast aspersions upon Your Sacred person I could not but be greatly grieved at it and to see how that notwithstanding this Your Majesties most serious profession to have inform'd your self what you could by consulting with many both grave and learned beyond Sea and of your own Land by what means most probably Vnity may be restored to the Churches under your Majesties Dominion yet may remain unsatisfied who although they are not reverse from Episcopal Government reformed yet at hearing of Suffragens and rural Deans they are much troubled as at Officers not formerly heard of either in the time of Queen Elizabeth King James Your Grandfather or of King Charles Your Father And as for the book of Common Prayer although the Prayers therein contained are most pithy and pious yet the multitude of them and often repetitions of some c. are offensive and above all the Ceremonies therein prescibed which they will never abide to see used although they be not urged upon them and so the seeds of dissention will still continue in our Churches which will in time spring up again the peace and unity desired will never be setled for to settle it must be as but on God so but one way under one Vice-gerent of God upon earth and that must be the best approved of by the word of God which being so and Your Majesties gracious inclination such that you have condescended so far as to consult with some of your own Subjects what way might be best to introduce Vnity about matters Ecclesiasticall which hath been so long wanting My Humble Sute unto your Majesty is that You would vouchsafe to cast Your favourable aspect upon this little book which I a Subject of yours as loyally affected to your Majesty as any other man have written in concurrence with Your Majesty in the earnest desire of Vnity to be restored to our divided Churches before the comming out of your Pious and Learned Declaration having no opportunity hitherto to present it to your Royall view being 78 years of age and full of grievous Diseases so as that I cannot Travell And in this little Book I hope your Majesty shall see good reason to be inclined to go the way therein pointed out to prevail for the restoring of Vnity so much desired and indeed so necessary to promote a setled and lasting peace which God grant unto us under Your Majesty Our Supream Head next unto Christ Jesus And to this end that you may live Usque ad miraculum gloriously reigning upon earth as you have been miraculously brought to this Throne of Your Fathers continuing constantly zealous for the propagation of the true Religion to the end of your days and finally be Crowned in Heaven with a never fading Crown of Glory Your Majesties most Humble and Obedient Subject and dayly Orator before the Throne of Grace IOHN MAYER How Vnity may be restored to the Church of England WE having now by God's singular blessing Unity restor'd to this our Commonwealth under one Head in whom for his gracious disposition and undoubted right to this Diadem we all agree What remains now so much to be desired as Vnity in our Churches also for want of which such bloudy dissentions hath been so long amongst us to the great disgrace of our most true reformed Religion and to the setting of these three Nations in a most fearfull Combustion Upon this consideration therefore I though the least able among many of my Brethren An. Dom. 60. Jacobus frater Domini fuit Episcopus Hierosolymitanus illo inter fecto Simeon Cleophae filius Hieronimus in Catalogo cap. 23. Marcus Praesul Alexandriae an 67. ibid. post Petrum linus Epist 2. Romae an 70. lib. 3. cap. 3. huic successit annacletus vel Cletus an 89. Crescentius Episcopus Moguntinis an 72. Euseb l. 3. c. 4. shall endeavour to shew my good will to restore this desirable Unity amongst us The main differences I suppose at this day are about Ecclesiasticall Government and the Liturgy or Book of Common Prayer For the first there will not be I perceive any great relucting against Episcopal Government because it hath so ancient and such pregnant proofe hereof is brought from holy Scripture and the practice of the Catholick Church ever since the Apostles dayes and whilst they lived and ordered the Government of the Church of Christ if we will give any credit to the most ancient and most credible History-Writers touching Church-matters But about their election to this high and weighty Office who are to govern herein and what power they ought to have above other Bishops or Presbyters their Brethren and what Assistants they ought to use in exercising their power and whether by any other means they ought to have power to punish notorious Offenders than by delivering them to Satan and not by imprisoning or any pecuniary punishment and whether a Bishop may deliver any over to Satan for any other cause but scandalous living or blaspheming and lastly whether there ought not to be a Bishop in every City and great Town that is for the more Churches therein as a City with the Villages about it and so large Diocesses to the putting both of Clergy and People to such tedious travell to have their Causes heard First touching the electing of a Bishop what better President can there be to follow than that of the first Assembly of Apostles and Believers Acts 1.23 being 120 to chuse one into the room of Judas who was chosen by praying first and propounding two known men amongst them and casting lots which was done by the Apostles and the whole congregation of Believers For let an Election be made
of this present Parliament thus to order this great business touching Episcopacy Oh how easily might each Bishop do his work in his Diocess by going to preach sometimes in one Church and sometime in another all over his Diocess to the stirring up both of Presbyters and People to Godliness and what love and reverence would it procure in all men toward them and quell Sects and Factions in the Church whereas heretofore whilst Bishops sate idly at home priding themselves in their Lordly greatness as if they were so advanced to live as the Rich man in the Gospel when his fruits were encreased in eating and drinking and making merry being for zeale to the Truth most cold but very hot for superstitious ceremonies comming as near to the Popish Church as they could they have been hated as the Pope and despised and been the occasions of great Schisms and divisions in the Church of Christ although not so much breaking out as since Episcopacy was put down in these three Kingdomes but lying before us as fire covered over with Embers And hitherto of Episcopal Govenment For touching Archishops I finde no ground at all in the holy Scriptures and the Bishop of Rome was the first that ever took upon him the title of Archbishop then of Oecumenical Bishop anno Dom. 119. as Platina saith inviting all such as suffered wrong in any place to come unto him and he would relieve them and Higinus a successor of his spends a great part of one of his Epistles in magnifying the Bishops of Rome as those that are Princes over other Bishops and so do most of the Bishops of that Sea and Marcus Antonius de Dominis who was himselfe Archbishop of Spalato in his Book entituled De Repub. Christiana sheweth that Bishops only are of Apostolical institution but not Archbishops Now to proceed to speak of the book of Common Prayer That there should be such a book The Book of Common Prayer and thereby an uniform proceeding in all Churches in this Kingdom I suppose it will be granted on all hands unless by such as are transported by zeal without knowledge and Calvin himself is for the Ministers using of one and the same form of prayer in the publick place and his reasons are very good First because the prayers and thanksgiving there offered are not the Ministers only but of the whole Congregation and therefore ought to be such prayers and praises as the people by continual hearing are well acquainted withall and ready to say a men unto whereas if the Minister be permitted to offer up prayers in publick of his owne conception he may happily offer up such Petitions sometimes as his own phantasie leadeth him to that all the people will not say amen unto and it may not peradventure be good for them to join with him therein lest by so doing they be drawn in some petitions that tend to Heresie being for its prevailing for this being considered of of old by the Councel of Bracca a Decree was thereby made against any Ministers using a Prayer in the publick place which was not first seen by the Councel and allowed Secondly Because every Preacher is not alike guided by the Spirit of God in praying but some supposing that the excellency of praying lieth in long praying will draw out their prayers in publick to halfe an houre or an hour or more at a time till all or most of their hearers have their spirits tyred and have their affections made to fag which if they do the Ministers praying is nothing to them but rather is turned into an occasion of offending God as all saying of prayers without lifting up the heart is and this long praying is so far from having any ground in Scripture as that what is written there makes against it because when Christ taught his Disciples to pray Math. 6. he prescribed a short form and condemned long praying in many words and repetitions of the same things as vain babling Math. 23. and hereby upbraided the Pharisees hypocritical praying that they devoured Widdows houses and for a colour made long prayers and the Preacher saith God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth Eccles 5.2 therefore let thy words be few And both Chrisostom Augustine are for compendious praying and not drawing a Prayer out to a great length by using many words for to this end Chrisostom speaks against those that think to be heard the rather if they make a Prayer consisting of a thousand lines And Augustine adviseth to make short prayers and often that they who join in prayer with thee may be able to keep their hearts lifted up all the time and this may serve to beat down the course which now generally takes with the people in most places that he hath the most excellent gift in prayer that stands longest in making his prayers Others there are who prefer humane eloquence in praying and therefore fill their prayers with Flowers of Rhetorick to the pleasing of the ears of the Hearers which is a way that neither Christ the Prophets or Apostles have ever gone in in praying lastly some Ministers have so poor a faculty in conceiving a Prayer that they are not able without an help to do this duty in so good a manner as it ought to be done Thus to such as will be moved by Reason it is apparent that there should be in our Churches forms of godly Prayers and Thanksgivings to be commonly used by all Ministers and sometimes of prayers proper to the present occasion if there be plague or pestilence or other infectious diseases in the land if there be danger by the sword of the enemy or by Civil Wars if there be famine or unseasonable weather too much rain or drought blasts or mildew thunder lightning or tempests or murrein amongst Cattel of many of which Solomon speaks in his Divine Prayer at the dedication of the Temple which he built Touching Prayers commonly to be used every Lords day they must begin with confession of sins and praying for pardon and mortification of sin in us and for faith to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and grace to lead holy and new lives and for a blessing upon the Word wherein the Congregation is then to be excercised in reading and hearing thereof that all may give diligent attention unto it hear it with fear and trembling and lay it up in their hearts as Mary did and live alwayes in obedince to it in all things and in praying we must remember all men the people of all Countries and Nations such as already hold the true Faith who are the Church of Christ that they may be preserved from all their enemies and established as upon a Rock against which the gates of Hell may not prevail but fall as Dagon did before the Ark and such as know not Christ that they may speedily be converted and that to this end the true light may rise up unto them and the Christians who