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A03398 A suruay of the pretended holy discipline. Contayning the beginninges, successe, parts, proceedings, authority, and doctrine of it: with some of the manifold, and materiall repugnances, varieties and vncertaineties, in that behalfe Bancroft, Richard, 1544-1610. 1593 (1593) STC 1352; ESTC S100667 297,820 466

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Geneua at the least that of all likelyhood as diuers housholdes by his owne rule do concurre together to make one conuenient parish So diuerse parishes in one citie suburbes and territorie thereof may be vnited and rightlye beare the name of the church Except wee shall thinke that Christ referring as they suppose his Apostles to the imitation of the Iewes church gouernment they were so negligent workemen as there being at that time 400. Synagogues in that one citie they had erected in all their times but one congregation christian church or parish answerable to one Synagoge it being lawfull for them by the square of that platforme to haue erected if they had could 400. But let this passe as a thing impertinent and to returne to the maimed pining Parishes at Geneua You will say did not Cartwright know the ecclesiasticall gouernment of that citie when he writ his bookes or shall we once conceaue that he thought to condemne that regiment which in other places hee doth so greatly extoll certainly for mine owne part although I do not greatly respect what he will saie that hee either knoweth or thinketh yet I suppose he will neuer for shame denie it but that he misliketh that forme of church regiment For first besides the premises being vrged with Caluins authoritie who thought the church of Geneua with all her sayde Parishes to make but one body of a church his answere to that point in effect is this Admit Caluin so thought I am of opinion that if Caluin had not soe thought hee would neuer haue erected vp such an Eldership And if Beza did not thinke so still I iudge hee would alter it Secondly also vppon another occasion he resembleth the order of certaine reformed churches which in this sence must be necessarily either of Scotland Flaunders or Geneua vnto the custome in S. Ieromes time when Bishops besides their one onely church had certaine other congregations belonging to their ouersight c. and in mislike thereof sayth for parte of his answere to this pointe being pressed by his aduersary against him I appeale to the institution of God and vse of the purer times after the Apostles But amongst other qualifications which he maketh least we should thinke that where such reformations are made as haue diuers parishes belonging to one Eldership there the old Diocesse and Bishops are in effect not abrogated but a little altered he sayth that one in such Eldership is aboue the rest but for a time as Caluin was chosen thereunto euery two yeares and not during his ministerie Which authority ouer many parishes but for a time although he will not plainly condemne it in the reformed churches which hee fauoreth yet speaking against the order of the church of England both he his companions doe make it a steppe whereby Sathan did aduaunce the kingdome of Antichrist Lastly as hitherto you haue found M. Cartwright with his friendes opposite in this matter vnto Geneua and Scotland differing also much from the churches in the Low countries so he seemeth to mee to crosse himselfe For in his second booke hee sayth that particular churches are nowe in steed of Synagogues and that their Synagogues were the same that our particular churches are And in his third booke he writeth thus For my part I confesse that there commeth not to my minde whereby I could precislie conclude out of the olde testament that there was an eldershippe amongst the Iewes in euery of their Synagogues If that can not then be shewed out of Moses who was so faythfull in setting downe all that was committed to his charge and that Christ commaunded no new thing but such as Moses instituted how hath hee vrged so mightely that we must haue his Elderships in euery Parish We shall see peraduenture that in shorte time M. Cartwright will giue ouer this holde and betake himselfe to the citie consistories framing new Diocesses to bee subiect vnto them as in other countries you haue heard they are Well I would wishe that before their Elderships were graunted vnto them they should agree together where they ought to place them But nowe to the seuerall partes of euery Eldership CHAP. 8. Of Bishops generally of the pretended equalitie of Pastors or new parish Bishops and how the chiefe impugners of Bishops beginne to relent IN the olde testament the high Priest besides that he was a figure of Christ had also vnder Moses Iosua the Iudges and Kinges for the better ordering and gouernment of the church authoritie and iurisdiction ecclesiasticall within that countrie of Canaan vnder whom for the same purpose were other Priests at least 24. that were called Principes Sacerdotum Princes of the Priestes all of them inferior to the high Priest but superior to the rest In the new testament our Sauiour Christ whilst hee liued on the earth had his Apostles and in degree vnder them his 70. Disciples After his ascentiō the same inequality of the ministery of the word continued in the Church by all mens confession as long at the least as the Apostles liued In the Apostles times Saint Marke was Bishop of Alexandria Saint Iames was Bishop of Ierusalem Timothy was Bishop of Ephesus and Titus was Bishop of Crete if the ancient fathers and Ecclesiastical histories be of any credite The Apostles hauing receaued the promise of the holy Ghost after a short time dispersed themselues by aduise into diuerse regions And there by painefull preaching and labouring in the Lords haruest they planted no doubt very many Churches As the number of Christians grew and had their particular assemblies and meetings in many Cities and countries within euery one of their circuites they placed pastors in euery congregation they ordained certaine Apostolicall men to bee chiefe assisters vnto them whom they placed some one in this particular countrey another in that and some others in sondry Cities to haue the rule and ouersight vnder them of the Churches there and to redresse and supply such wantes as were needefull And they themselues after a while and as they grewe in age and escaped the crueltie of tyrantes remained for the most part in some head Citty within their compasse to ouersee them all both Churches Pastors and Bishops or Superintendents and to giue their directions as occasions required and as they thought it conuenient When any either of these Apostolicall assistantes or of the Apostles themselues dyed there were euer some worthy men chosen and appointed to succeede them in those Cities and Countries where they had remained For wee may not idlely dreame that when they dyed the authoritie which was giuen vnto them ceased no more then we may that the authoritie of Aaron of his naturall sons expired and ended with them Besides it is manifest by all Ecclesiasticall hystories that many Churches were planted after theyr deathes And furthermore it coulde not be but that some Churches especially vnder those Apostles that were soonest put to
death were when they dyed in the same case that Crete was when Titus was sent thither and had therefore as much neede of a Titus as euer Crete had Furthermore who can bee accompted to be well in his wittes that will imagine that Christ should ordaine such an authoritie but for some threescore yeares especially the same causes continuing why it was first instituted that were before Nay I may boldly say that there was greater neede for the continuance of it afterward For the Apostles hauing so great power to worke myracles and by their praiers to procure from God such straunge executions of his pleasure vpon the contemptuous as did fall vpon Ananias and his wife and I doubt not but in like cases sometimes vpon some others their ruling and commaunding authoritie was not so necessarie then as it was afterwards when that power to worke myracles ceased But what should I neede to vse many wordes in a matter so apparant After the death of the apostles and of their assistants vz the Bishops placed by them as is mentioned the Ecclesiasticall hystories and the auncient fathers haue kept the register of their names that succeeded sundry of them and ruled the Churches after them as they before had ruled them Whereupon they were called from all antiquitie the Apostles and Apostolicall mens successors This inequalitie in the Ministery of the worde hath been approued and honoured by all the auncient fathers none excepted by all the generall Councelles that euer were held in Christendome and by all other men of learning that euer I heard of for many hundred yeares after the Apostles time sauing that Aerius the hereticke an ambitious person growing into great rage for that hee missed of a Bishopricke which he sued for first broached the opinion which is nowe so currant amongest his Schollers that there ought to bee no difference betweene a Bishoppe and a Priest Whereby he tooke vppon him to be equall with the Byshop that preuailed in the said suite against him chalenged to haue as great authoritie he being but a Priest as the other had being a Bishop In this latter age of the worlde when after a long darkenesse it pleased almightie God to restore vnto vs the light of his Gospell the chiefe instruments that God then vsed and adorned with most singular giftes for such a mightie worke were very farre from that conceite ●and rashe presumption which afterwardes possessed certaine persons of Aerius humour and yet doth boyle in many of theyr followers breastes It is true that many thinges are to bee found in their writings which at the first shew do make very greatly against Bishops But diuerse persons in these dayes not well considering the circumstances of those times doe greatly abuse the world in extending them further then they meant them It was farre from their intent that those thinges which they had written against Popish Bishops the ennemies of the Gospell should euer haue bene vrged against such Bishops as did willingly embrace it I will acquaint you a little with the proceedings of those times and then leaue this point to your wise consideration When the said learned men beganne to seeke the reformation of Religion in Germany it is not vnknowen vnto you into what subiection the Pope had brought all Christian Princes and states The Bishops as his vassals did then wholly depend vppon him They held their Bishoprickes by his authoritie and nothing coulde be done especially in Church matters but by the Pope and them So as when Luther and the rest beganne to disclose the enormities of Popery and desired some godly reformation of them you may easily conceiue the Pope and his Bishops being the chiefe maintainers of that corruption what little incouragement they found at their handes It is euident in their writinges howe earnestly and humbly at the first they dealth both with the Pope and with many other of the chiefest Bishops that they would be content and pleased to reforme such thinges as they found to bee amisse in the Church But all their indeuours to that purpose were in vain The Pope and his Clergy stood too much vpon their reputation If they should haue yealded they imagined the world would haue condemned them in that they had not in time of themselues preuented or redressed so notable abuses Whereupon Luther those learned men that ioyned with him were driuen to flie vnto the Ciuil magistrates to aduertise them of their dueties prouing it vnto them most plentifully out of the scriptures that in such an obstinate defection amongst the priests it appertained vnto thē euery one within their owne free states and territories to reforme religion themselues as the godly kings in the old testamēt had done in the like cases And the rather to moue them thereunto they laboured by al the means they could to make the Popish Clergy most odious vnto them They inueighed against their pride against their superfluities against their tyranny and against their corruptions After much paines taking to these and the like effectes it pleased God to moue the hearts of many of the ciuile magistrates to thinke better of their duties plainly to perceiue how the Pope and his Bishops had formerly abused them The godly kings and magistrates in the scriptures whē they reformed religion were euer most carefull that the liuinges appointed by God for the Priests might be throughly preserued If any by abuse had bin alienated they caused them to be restored againe And so I suppose the ciuile magistrates should haue done in this latter age But it hath faln out otherwise and all the other godly learned men in christendome do mislike it The perswasions to Princes that the Bishops and Abbots had too much was very plausible The free Cities notwithstanding their freedom in respect of the Emperor yet they were subiect all of them vnto Bishops were not discontented that so good an occasion was offred vnto thē to procure their greater liberty Luther and the rest of those learned men regarding nothing but that the light of the gospel might be restored were content to yeald much to beare against their minds with many vnequall conditions So as at the last by their wisdome and diligence they preuailed God moued the hearts of diuers ciuile magistrates to begin a reformation The Pope the Bishops and the chiefest of the Cleargy impugned it by all the meanes they could possibly Whereupon there being no other remedie their authoritie imployed to hinder those proceedinges was reiected and the most of their liuings which they had in any of those territories were seazed into the hands of the ciuile gouernors there vpon these many such like occasions great trobles did arise The bishops thoght thēselues greatly iniuried Diuers great princes took their parts so did the Emperor They misliked the reformatiō which was proceeded in after that sort the authoritye of Bb s. was greatly insisted vpon Insomuch as notwithstāding that the sayd learned