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A20966
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A letter of a French Protestant to a Scotishman of the Covenant VVherein one of their chiefe pretences is removed, which is their conformitie with the French churches in points of discipline and obedience.
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Du Moulin, Peter, 1601-1684.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 7345; ESTC S111088
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22,932
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58
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fearing fled by night and when after many invitations hee would not returne the people shut the doore after him not for any difference of Religion but of State Yet the people being thus alienated from their Bishop was more susceptible of that change of Religion which hapned presently after by the comming of Farell and Viret In the mean while the Duke of Savoy being now strengthned with the Bishops right began to annoy them While they were thus tottering both in Religion and State Calvin came who having got great authority in the Citie took in hand the settling of that fluctuation A matter of great difficulty For to receive their Bishop they durst not fearing to indanger their Religion their Liberties and fall into the hands of their perpetuall enemie the Duke of Savoy To make another Bishop they would not and could not their old Bishop being alive Wherefore they chose to be without a Bishop and rule the Citie by the Syndics being perswaded that their Charter gave them no lesse power But whether they had any Charter to rule the Church with a mingled Consistorie of Clergie and Laitie without any Bishop ipsi viderint let them defend their own right My end is onely to shew that in that change of Discipline Necessity bare more sway then Counsell and Policie then Divinitie Howsoever their actions must not be imputed to the French Churches Geneva being a body apart and having interests of their own peculiar to themselves But the French Churches never unbishopped any Prelate and of them also it may be said that it was Necessitie not any Theologicall decision that made them frame a Church without Bishops For Calvin who had the greatest hand in their Discipline was more enclined to the Episcopacie In his Confession made in the name of the Churches of France and presented to the Emperour Anno 1562. hee professeth it Wee would not abolish saith hee the authoritie of the Church Calvin opuscul in confess Eccles Gallic Ecclesiae authoritatem vel Pastorum aut Super intendentium quibus Ecclesiae regendae provincia mandata est sublatam nolumus Fatemur ergo Episcopos sive Pastores reverenter audiendos quatenus pro suae functionis ratione verbum Dei docent that is of Pastours and Superintendents that have the government of the Church committed unto them Wee confesse then that Bishops or Pastours must be reverently heard as farre as they teach the Word of God according to their function Here is for you a publike Declaration of the French Churches that they disallow not the authoritie of Bishops and if they had power would not take them away In that Confession of faith presented to Francis the first of France I see nothing contrarie to the English Discipline if it bee candidly interpreted For the 30th Article that all true Pastors have equall power under their Universall Bishop Jesus Christ is confessed also by the Church of England for the power which Bishops and Priests have under their Universall Bishop Jesus Christ is equall as they are Priests A preheminence and authoritie indeed they have as Bishops and that by Apostolicall and therefore Divine institution But the power which Christ in the Evangelists immediately giveth to Pastours concerneth only the preaching of the Word and administring of the Sacraments and the power of binding and loosing in foro interiori Herein they are all equall and all Vicars of Christ No Bishop in England but in this sense will subscribe willingly to this Canon of the Councell of Carthage * Conc. Carthag Can. 8. Ut sublimior quidem sedeat sed tamen se collegam Presbyterorum agnoscat That the Bishop sits in a higher degree but yet acknowledges himselfe colleague to the Priests But although the Bishop in his consecration receive no new binding and loosing power in foro interiori besides that which he received when hee was made a Priest yet it is of Apostolicall right that great part of that power diffused in the collective bodie of the Clergie should bee confined to the Bishop lest the keyes of the Church being in too many hands should clash one against another and there should be playing at fast and loose And Calvin agreeth to it I never thought it usefull saith hee to commit the power of excommunication to every Pastor Calvin Epist ad Gasparum Lizetum Nunquam utile putavi jus excommunicandi permitti singulis Pastoribus Nam res odiosa est nee exemplum probabile facilis in tyrannidem lapsus alium usum Apostoli tradiderunt For it is an odious thing and an example not to bee approved and which would soone slip into tyrannie and the Apostles have delivered another custome It is true that Calvin in that Epistle will not have Lizetus to meddle alone with Ecclesiasticall censures and he is in the right since Lizetus was no Bishop But hee declareth plainly that the office of censures must be limited to certaine men not promiscuously used by every Clergy-man of his owne head Else there would bee soone as many petty spirituall Tyrants as there are peevish Ministers in the severall Parishes Had it been in the power of every Priest to receive accusations and pronounce excommunications Saint Paul would not have limited to Timothies knowledge the receiving of accusations nor made him alone Judge of the Priests Calvin indeed aimed at no such matter as the generall pulling downe of Bishops Hee acknowledgeth that in the Primitive Church the a Calvin lib. 2. Instit cap. 4. Art 2. Presbyteri ex suo numero in singulis civitatibus unum eligebant cuispecialiter dabant titulum Episcopi ne ex aequalitate ut fieri solet dissidia nascerentur Priests out of their number would chuse one in every Citie to whom they gave the title of Bishop lest that equality as it is ordinary should breed contentions And in his Epistle to the King of * Calvin Epist ad regem Pol. pag. 140. 141. Editionis Genevensis an 1576. Poland about the reformation of that Kingdome he sets downe to the King the order of the Primitive Church for a patterne where there were Patriarchs and Primats and subordinate Bishops to tye the whole bodie together with the bond of concord And adviseth the King to establish Bishops in every Province and over them an Archbishop and Primate of that great Kingdome And if the b Calvin instit lib 4 cap. 12. Art 6. Sanè si veri essent Episcopi aliquid eis hac in parte authoritatis tribuerem non quantum sibi postulant sed quantum ad Politiam Ecclesiae ritè ordinandam requiritur Popish Bishops were true Bishops hee would allow them some authoritie not as much as they challenge but as much as hee thinkes would serve for the right ordering of Church government That hee would not allow them as much power as they claime no man can wonder at it that knoweth the exemptions which they claime from Royall
A LETTER OF A FRENCH PROTESTANT TO A SCOTISHMAN OF THE COVENANT VVherein one of their chiefe pretences is removed which is their conformitie with the French Churches in points of Discipline and Obedience LONDON Printed by R. Young and R. Badger 1640. A LETTER OF A FRENCH PROTESTANT TO A SCOTISHMAN OF THE COVENANT SIR AS there hath been for many ages a great relation between France and Scotland for matters of State the like hath been in matters of Religion betweene the Protestant Churches of both the Kingdomes ever since the reformation But I wish that our example be not mistaken and abused to our disparagement and your mine and the perpetuall disgrace of Christian Religion For whereas in one of your Petitions to his Majestie you are confident Alledged in the large Declaration of his Majestie pag. 417. that your neighbour-Churches will approve all your proceedings your neighbour-Churches of France have solemnly disapproved all your proceedings and herein given good satisfaction to his Majestie For it was ever farre from our wishes that your conformitie with the reformed Churches of France should be mis-applied as a pretence of your expulsing of your Bishops much lesse a president for you to take armes against your gracious Soveraigne Wherefore I will endeavour to remove that false colour set upon the violent counsels of the Covenant and shew to the world that for your differences with Episcopall authoritie which are now broken into a quarrell you had neither president nor incouragement from us And since it pleaseth his Majestie in the beginning of his Royal Declaration to make this one of his two ends to manifest his justice and piety to the reformed Churches abroad these reformed Churches are bound in dutie of thankfulnesse to shew how they rest satisfied of his Majesties justice and pietie For my part although I am happily engrafted into the body of the Church of England I may be admitted in this case to speake as a Frenchman borne that knoweth the tenets of that Church better then strangers that would abuse the example of the French to their owne ends And I am assured in my conscience that when I was adopted by the Church of England I was not removed into another Gospel This also I may affirme of mine owne knowledge that the French Divines and other godly men that travell into England returne home with great satisfaction seeing the soundnesse of doctrine and decencie of order so well matched together and joyne their hearty praises with the Te Deum and Magnificat of our Quires praising God chiefly because they see the puritie of the Gospel and the Royall Authority linked together with a most neere interest in their mutuall conservation The conformitie which you claime with the French is triple with their doctrine with their discipline and in the present quarrell with their actions And the French will heartily embrace a Christian conformity with you so farre as you shall not draw their necessitie into counsell nor their faults into example As for the conformitie in doctrine blessed be God that among all the reformed Churches of Europe there is neither deformity nor difformity in that point All the reformed Churches professe the same holy faith with you and of that faith the Kings Majestie is Defender of which he hath lately published many solemne protestations to the great satisfaction of all good Christians both within and without the Kingdome Here let all that love Gods glorie and the union of his Church upon earth Ezra 7.17 say Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers who hath put such a thing as this in the Kings heart Psal 61.7 The Lord prolong the Kings life O prepare mercy and truth that may preserve him It were superfluous to prove the consent of all reformed Churches with the Church of England in points of doctrine None of them but will say as much to the English Prelates as Beza to Bishop Grindall * Beza epist 8. ad Grindal Episcopum Londmensem Gallicas vestras Ecclesias in omnibus fidei capitibus consentire arbitramur Wee hold that the French Churches agree with yours in all points of faith He that set forth all the Confessions of the Reformed Churches in one volume hath not lost his praise for concealing his name Never was a more precious harmonie none more like a heaven upon earth such an evident consent needeth rather praises to God then proofes As for points of Discipline the difference of some Churches from that of England if charity were on both sides ought to set forth the consent in points of faith with more reverence and admiration As Irenaeus writing to Victor about the different Fasting of the Eastern and Western Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The difference of Fasting saith he confirmeth the union in faith For that in such a difference of climats nations manners and policies there should be such an union in faith It is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes A main point of difference pretended by the Covenanters is the superioritie of Bishops for I will not search into your other aimes which you affirme to be Antichristian and contrarie to the Word of God wherein I see not how you can claime conformitie with the French Churches The French indeed have no Bishops but they never put downe Bishops nor induced others to put downe Bishops And you know that our Saviour puts a difference between breaking of commandements Matth. 5.19 and teaching men so Now to have Bishops is a commandement and none of the least for it is an Apostolicall order Suppose then that the French breake it yet they doe not teach men so And I will endeavour to shew you that they teach men otherwise and that it is necessitie not choice that keepeth them from Episcopall order But the Scots break that commandement and teach men so and represent the Antichrist in no other habit then a Rochet and a Miter That the French Divines doe not teach men so and allow not the abolishing of Bishops it may easily bee justified For in the matter of Geneva there was more Politicall then Theologicall reasons for refusing their Bishop The Bishop of Geneva was also their Prince who had such power there as the Duke in Venice and was rather Governour then Soveraigne For the people had that right to elect foure Syndics These you have in a book called Le Citadin Genevois and give them full power It is the 22. Article of their authenticall Charter And without the counsell consent and expresse will of those Syndics and of the Citizens none was to be absolved or condemned in the Citie It is the 14. Article of their Charter Before any Bishop was admitted hee swore to observe and maintaine these liberties and so did the last Bishop Ann. 1523. Who afterwards being found to treat with the Duke of Savoy to deliver the Citie into his hands a great uproare arose in the Citie which the Bishop