Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	church_n	ordination_n	3,829	5	10.8464	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05113	Mr Henry Barrowes platform Which may serve, as a preparative to purge away prelatisme: with some other parts of poperie. Made ready to be sent from Miles Mickle-bound to much-beloved-England. Togither with some other memorable things. And, a familiar dialogue, in and with the which, all the severall matters conteyned in this booke, are set forth and interlaced. After the untimely death of the penman of the foresaid platforme. & his fellow prisoner; who being constant witnesses in points apperteyning to the true worship of God, and right government of his Church, sealed up their testimony with their bloud: and paciently suffred the stopping of their breath, for their love to the Lord. Anno 1593.	Barrow, Henry, 1550?-1593.	1611 (1611)	STC 1525; ESTC S122418	73,650	164

mainteyned by them haue no better fundation then had the other And these that yet remaine are of a trueth brethren of the same broode and byrdes of the same fether had the same Syre and were all hatched after the same fashiō with the former that are driven avvay Desiderius You may therein be mistaken For those Abbats and the like vvere indeed first invented institu●ed ordeyned in the Romane church by authoritie of it of the head therof the Pope and if you wil I can further yet truely say by the permission of God and povver of the Divil vvas that done But our Bishops vvere made and ordeyned in our English Church of Protestants Miles Be it so yet that makes the sinne never the lesse but rather vvil cause the punishment from God to be the grea●er in asmuch as they knovve more and yet doe the same evil vvith others that knovv lesse And the nearer that men come unto God the greater in his sight are the sinnes that they commit Therfore the Priests in Israel offered greater sacrifices for their sinnes then ordinary Israelites that fel into the same Therfore also judgement first beginneth at the house of God c. Now as all Churches in the vvorld are bound to receive such Ministeries onely as God hath appointed and none other so vvhosoever doe institute appointe ●●nd or receive any office of Ministerie that God hath not instituted appointed sent doe grea●ly sinne And if a true Church shall doe it they sinne more haynously then a false church that doeth the same Therefore your plea is nothing vvorth save against your self our church of England if it be as you hold it a true Church And vvhen Lord Abbats c. vvere cast out of it yet Lord Archbishops and Bishops c. vvere still reteyned that had their being at the same time their original vvith those that vvere rejected But such Bishops inferi●ur ministers as they haue made since vvas by immitat●ō of the Papists vvho had them in their church constantly before wee had any at all and although they made some change of persons for those places yet vvas there no change of the offices themselves but they remained the same in Q. Elizabeths dayes that they were before in Q. Maries dayes And there were divers of the same persons that were Bishops and Priestes in Q. Maries dayes that kept the same offices in Q. Elizabeths dayes by the former calling that they had in Pop●ry and held stil the same Bishopricks Parsonag●s livings that vvere alotted them for maintenāce in the very same ministerie before And they onely recanted of some popish heresies in doctrin● and opinion vvith renunciation of the supremaci● of the Bishop of Rome And some of them die not that as I haue seen under the hands of 14. witnesses vvhich vvas addressed to the Arch Bishop by vvay of complaint against their popish Parson Mil●● Bennes of Sevenock who vvas left upō them frō the time of Q. Marie Neither vvere such if they recāted esteemed vvorse then such as were made by themselves but rather reckned for the better And he that is made a Bishop or priest at Rhemes o● Rome coming to England with such recantation as aforesayd is admitted to administer without any newe ordination Wheras the Ministerie of Pastors made in the reformed Churches must passe under a new ordinatiō before they may administer there Which sheweth rightout what office and ordination it is that they like and love best Desiderius I pray you let me ask you what difference you put between the Israelites sinne in worshipping the calves or God by the calves as they pretended and the papists sin in worshipping their images or as they would haue it God by their images Miles I see in that small difference for Israel was then a false church though it had been of the true And the heape of papists are likewise a false church though the Church of Rome before time was true And whether men make the images of calves or of other creatures for any worship to God they are all inventions of men the workes of their ●endes and meere idols which haue no warrant in Gods word but are an open and direct breach of the second Commandement And in some ignorāt papists that pray unto the image it selfe as a thing of divine inspiration it is a transgressiō of the first But now to returne to the sound of your Bell which you brought as an instance against converting of false church livings to civil uses How contrarie was that sound to somthing which others ha●e written of that very point in our owne tongue according to trueth Mr. Fr. Iohns in Ans. to M.H. Iacob hath words worthy of note p. 199. saying We acknowledge with thanks to God and her Majestie that cut of her highnes Dominions there be already abolished many of the abominations of the Romish Baby 16. And wee pray God that for as much as many of them be yet remayning c. that if it be the wil of God her High ●es may be the instrument to suppresse and abolish these ●lso and to establish the whole trueth of God according to this word And further that shee may take to her own Civil uses the Lordships and possessions of the Prelates and other Clergy as God hath fore told and appointed should be done with them Rev. 17.15 1 17.18 And as King Henry the eight her Majesties Fath●● of famous memory did with the Abbats Monks Fryess Nunnes and with their possessions and revenewes Which happy worke by what Princes soever it be done as certainly will come to passe for the Lord of Hostes hath spoken it it will greatly redound to the glory of God the honour of themselves the free passage of the Gospell the peace of the Church benefit of the whole Common wealth Againe a faithful witnes of the trueth to ● George Ioy upon Dan. in the yeare 1545. writ downe ingeniously his own other mens judgment concerning the livings and maintenance the Prelates and other Clergy Vpon the 5. of D●●niel this question is made use● Then it is there thus answered The vessels prophan● by Belsazar were consecrated by the Word of God Wher●●fore he sinned in prophaning them But the goods lew● of our Temples Abb●yes and Bishopricks are not consecr●●ted to such uses by Gods Word but by their owne invent●●ovetous charmings wherefore Emperours Kings an● Princes may take them away and put them to better vses 〈◊〉 to the maintenance of schooles vniversities c. Thu● wrote and witnessed those blessed servants of Go● heretofore Vpon which I would inferre that if th● Magistrates may imploy such livings to maintenāc● of schooles vniversities then also for founding upholding of Hospitalls almes-houses the like for helpe of poore widowes fatherless strangers for the impotent sick and helpless of all sorts fo● making and repairing of bridges hye wayes c. And also if it please the head of

mysterie of iniquit● sprūg up by degrees til it came to that height and our Englih Prelates doe helpe to hold 〈◊〉 up still But God that condemneth it wil bring it downe But I hope that some others bette● furnished with bookes abilitie leisure the●● I either am or can possibly be in this pilgrimage from my native country will by this occasion both conferre the prophesies in the holy scriptures and gather togeither a Catalogue of writers as a cloude of witnesses for further manifestatiō of the truth against these remnants of the Antichristian race although very much is done that way already For touching the Ministerie of Arch and Lordbishops aforementioned with other ministeries under them That their offices were never appointed by Christ but is a new ministerie devised by man both in their office entrance administration and maintenance and ought not therefore to be continued the scriptures haue shewed such light as haue filled our land full of proofe 〈◊〉 severall workes aswel of the people called Brow●ists as of the forwarder sort of Ministers And it is certaine that all such offices are of evill note of very bad esteem in all well reformed Churches in the world Also the holy Martyrs and writers old and new haue condemned them Mr Chadderton of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge hath truely taught and confidently affirmed in his Sermon on Rom. 12. That the Church speaking of the Church of England abhorreth and loatheth the things which are abounding in her as namely Ach Bishops Lord Bishops Deanes Arch Deacons Chancellors Commissaries Officials and all such as are rather mēbers and parts of the whore and strumpet of Rome then of the pure virgine and spouse of the immaculate lambe Therfore saith hee shee will have these if they will needs bee of her body to shewe that they be created of God and united unto her by Christ her head If they will needs be of the heavenly Ierusalem let them shew that they came downe from heaven and who gave them from thence For the Apostles never knew them Sion hath not heard of them Ierusalem which is above will not acknowledge them The watchmen no doubt being a sleepe they haue crept into the citie of the Lord. But now they are espied now the church complaineth of them both because they haue no title nor interest in it as publike mēbers As also because of the length of their unlawfull swords they keepe out the lawfull members of the body Wee therefore which are the Lords remembrau ●ers must never s●ffer him to rest till he hath expelled out of I●rusalem wherin they haue no right to exercise 〈◊〉 unlawful authoritie Thus farre goeth hee ●e●e verbatim And it were endlesse to set downe wh●● others haue writtē in this kinde agreing therewith Wicl●ffs Tenth Article Mr Fox who wrote th●● Actes Monuments of the Church maketh to b● this That there be 12. Disciples of Antichrist Popes Cardinals Patriarks Archbishops Bishops Arch●● deacons Officials Deanes Monkes Chanons Fryers Pardoners And Mr Bales descendeth to the lower degrees of popish ministers even to Sir Iohn the parish priest which togither with the former he calleth the names of blasphemie written upon the head of the beast Mr Barnes in the 6. Art for which he was condemned said I will never beleeve nor can ever beleeve that one man may by the lawe of God be Bishop of 2. or 3. Cities yea of a whole Countrie for that is contrary to the doctrine of Paul who writing vnto Titus commandeth that he should ordeyne a Bishop in every town Hooper on the 8. Cōmandement sheweth that one man may nor haue two livings then he addeth But this is clawe me and I will clawe this If the Bishop permit not their Priestes to haue two Benefices ●● might likewise happen the Priests would say that the Bishop should be Bishop but of one citie and indeed so it should be and till Magistrates bring them to that pointe it shall be as possible to heare a Bishop wade godly and simply through the scripture in all case of religion as to drive a Camel through the eye of a needle c. The foresayd Christians called Brownists whom I finde very sound in these things have in their Apologie pag. 50. prooved by 8. good Reasons That the Hierarchy Ministerie of Popes Archbishops Lordbishops Suffragans Deanes Archdeacons are Antichristian And then by 12. sufficient Reasons moe doe proove that the Hierarchy and Ministerie aforesayd may not be set over the Church of Christ nor reteyned therein For which I refer you to the said Apology which you may procure amongst the people of that profession at London or else where It were tedious to tell the names of all the writers against the foresayd Hierarchy and Ministerie of Archbishops and the rest of that rable but endlesse to set downe all that is written concerning them and their princelynes I will here onely insert a few moe testimonies of the ministers themselves who being of one church with the chiefe ministers their own masters may better be credited against them then mere opposites which are not of them but separated from them And first for Henoch Clapham who in ans to the Bishops Arguments sayth in the 2. section of the 2. part of his Survey of the Church Their cock sure Argument as they take it is this Christ promised to be with his Apostles vnto the end of the world at the giving of the commission Mat. 28. 19.20 And Timothee is charged to keepe the commandement pure vnto the coming of Christ But none of those persons should live unto the end Therefore he spake to some other in their persons who must be as were the Apostles and E●angelists Lords over Pastors Churches And who should these be but such Lord Bishops as themselves who haue and occupy jurisdiction power over all the Churches and ministers of England If this be true that our Bishops be Apostles for if the successors should have had an other name the scripture would haue registred it If I say they be Apostles then England hath not dignified them truely in saying The Lord Bishop of such a place who rather should haue sayd My Lord Apostle of London My Lord Apostle of Lincolne Even as it was sayd Peter the Apostle of the circumcision and Paul the Apostle of the gentiles Then likewise England should for that great blessing haue been more bound to praise God she having more Lord Apostles of her owne then was in the whole world unto Christ who sent forth so fewe as twelve Paul with Barnabas They being for the most part men of occupations but these being men of state and stately Lords But before we admit them for Apostles let us compare them with Christs The first were elected and ordeyned to their office eyther by Christ the head or togither by some particular Church But these eyther by A Prince or by the Cannons of that sea confirmed by an Archbishop Secondly they

not availe any thing to shew his judgement concerning them seeing they were put to death and being loath to speake his mind further her Highnes charged him upon his allegiance to speake Whereupon he answered that he vvas perswaded if they had lived they would haue been two as worthy instruments for the Church of God as hath been raised up in this age c Her Maiestie sighed and sayd no more But after that riding to a Parke by the place where they were executed called to mind their suffring of death and being willing to take further information concerning them demanded of the Right Honourable E. of Cumb. that was present when they suffred what end they made He answered A very godly end and prayed for your Maiesti● the State c. Moreover Mr Philips a preacher famous having both heard and seen Mr. Barrowe his holy speeches and preparation for death sayd Barrowe Barrowe my soule be with thine For thus haue I been credibly informed Desiderius You have saved me a labour for I had thought to haue asked some questions hereabouts but I am satisfied aforehand Yet I pray you tel me the reasō why they printed not this platform heretofore and that espetially against the Kings Maiesties first Parliament in England For that was the time then was the hope Miles Had his Majestie any Arch or Lord Bishop in all his kingdome of Scotland were not all pu● downe And who would not then haue thought but the like worthy work should haue been done in England after his Highnes coming thither to haue brought those kingdomes and countries into Christian uniformitie This was their hope who sought no praise to themselves but desired that his Majestie should as the instrumentall meanes haue done it of himselfe without any mans soliciting that the whole praise should be primarily unto God the cause of all causes and secundarily unto his Highnes for preferring the will of the HIGHEST in so weightie a point as the abolishing of Bishops converting of their livings unto charitable vses in the common wealth But seeing things fall out contrary to expectation It is in my opinion great pittie that such a work should any longer lye unprinted Wherefore through their neglect I wil cause it to come forth being perswaded it shall tend much to the honour of God and relief of many which is both pietie and pittie And if it prove any losse to proud Prelates the possessors of those overlarge-livings it is but their due demerite and they may all learn therby God giving them such grace to make much spirituall profite for their soules health and comfort wherof they haue farre more need then of that abundance of bodily benefites And in hope to effect the ends premised I intreate all men who shall happen to have any of these coppies to make good use of them both for their own instruction and benefite as also for the common good and that especially against all succeeding Parliaments till the mark aymed at be rightly hit and the goale fully wonne Desid But how know you they stayed the printing of the Plot against the Prelates upon any such desire hope or consideration as you mentioned Miles I had speech with Mr. Francis Iohnson one of the Pastors of that people who came with other his assistants to make thei● humble sute to the King were readie to enterteyne conference with the Prelates that his Majestie might the more perfectly haue understood the innocēcy of their cause and the evilnes of their adversaries And that same party told me if they should print the foresaid Platforme he thought it would give offence and bee very ill taken inasmuch as it was thought that the King and Councell would doe something of themselves for the abolishing of Bishops c. And so they patiently wayted to see what would be done And wheras God so disposed that Arch Bishop Whitgift at the beginning of the first Parliament after his Majesties coming suddenly died the sayd Mr Iohnson thus spake unto me and others That God had shewed unto the King what he would haue him to doe with the rest of the Bishops in taking away the chiefest of them at such a tyme. And as it was wel observed of him so I doe most earnestly desire that all whom it concerneth will well call it unto minde and duely consider of it for such good use as the GOD of heaven would have to be made by men on earth For seing that he who is the God above all Gods Angels and men did in his wisdome and providence put downe at such a tyme him that was Bishop above al Bishops in the Land and at once turned him out of the Councell Court and Parliament as also frō the Church Ministerie and world it selfe happily it may insinuate that Bishops are unfit for and unworthy of all and every of those places till they be cast in an other moulde and made all new And if there be no use of the highest and chiefest of them and at the chiefest time as God did seem to shewe unto his Majestie and to the body of the land then assembled Then may we think there is as little or lesse use of the inferiour Bishops at any time Desiderius I grant it worthy to be wel considered and seriously thought upon But whiles it is in minde I pray you tell me who penned the second Petition that you shewed me For you named the authour of the first but not of the latter M. Micklebound That was by one yet living who knowes nothing of my purpose in all this busines nor what I am nor how I came by the copie neyther will I make knowne his name without his knowledge and consent Therfore speake no more of that matter Desiderius Yet you may tell me whether ever they were put up according to the direction or no● Miles I would if I could but I think rather that they were not And otherwise the sinne of the Land was the greater that did them no good upon so weighty so earnest and so christian a suite but left them under the tyranny of such bitter Bishops of whom they are caused so much to complaine If they were not delivered there is the more need to have them published that such whose hearts God shall any way touch thereby may make a holy use thereof to his glory the good of their own soules the staying of Gods wrathful judgments from their nation and for benefite to Gods people for tyme to come So shall it fare better with the latter wltnesses of Christ then it did with the former that stood forth in the forefront of the battel against the Beast Which warre they waged with the losse of their lives but happy they in the life to come For blessed are the dead that die in the Lord even so saith the Spirite For they rest from their labours and their works follow them Desiderius Were ever any of them put to death Miles Yea and that I caused to

qualified with gifts fitting for the same But must also be lawfully called thereunto Even as every civil Magistrate Iudge must not onely be qualified with guifts fitt for the Magistracie and Iudgeship which he exerciseth but must also be lawfully called thereunto and rightly put into the possession thereof But where you say many of the Ministers of England haue great gifts and therupon conclude them to be true Ministers you therein condemne the dumbe ministerie that doe but read their stervice onely and haue no gifts for praying nor preaching Desiderius It is no matter Let them goe undefended For I hold them false Ministers and meddle not with them M. Mick Yet they haue the same Ministerie with those that haue the greatest guiftes So that if the one be false the other is so likewise Again if men haue neuer so good gifts and be called unto a false ministerie they are notwithstanding their giftes false ministers But now to returne to our former point and apply this to the purpose Mariage is the ordinance of God but a false ministery is the ordinance of the Divil And sayth the Apostle I would not that ye should haue fellowship with the Divils 1. Cor. 10.20 These can haue no more communion togither then Light with Darknes Christ with Beleal or the Beleever with the Infidel All which is condemned 2 Cor. 6. Moreover If you would haue no mariages right and lawfull unlesse they be solemnized by a true Minister then you must eyther make the popish min●sterie in Q. Maries dayes to be true Ministers or else all that were then so maried to be unlawfull mariages and the children that were begotten of such parents to be illigitimate that is to say bastards But were it not a fowle extremitie to affirme eyther of these Doubtlesse a Mariner that should he so absurd in sayling would soon run his ship upon the sands or break it asunder against the rocks Againe If mariages be onely lawful that are made up in a Church by a Minister then wheresoever there is not a Church and Ministerie there can be no lawful mariage But the Apostle teacheth otherwise and saith that mariage is honourable among all Heb. 13. And therfore not onely where there is a Church and Ministerie but also where there is none So that mariage is Gods ordinance lawful to be performed even among the Pagans Furthermore If mariage be onely right lawful when and where it is done in a Church by the Minister then are all mariages to be condemned that haue been made up in Christian Countreyes civilly before the Magistrates But that they may not be For the word of God gives approbation to such mariages in the mariage of Boaz Ruth wherof we read Ruth 4.9.10.11.12 And on the contrary shew you if you can any one place in all the holy scripture that approveth of mariage to be eyther a sacrament as the blinde Papists would haue it or a Church action for the minister to performe as you and our Protestants doe plead By which plea practise you notably nourish the old popish errour that Mariage is a Sacrament Desiderius I will reason no further in this matter For I perceive that both scripture and reason is against me And when I finde it so down goes the bucklers For I love not to be a proctor in a bad cause M. Mickelh It goes wel where there is so good a conscence But it is not so in the Spirituall Courts which are as worthy to goe downe as your bucklers And had you held out longer you had heard more But here is this briefe writing concerning the point which in likelihood was written by some of that people of the right Christian prosession though I neither know how where nor when I came by it But a special end of it might be in the providence of God for your good Let him that readeth consider THat which the word of God doth approve incōmend unto us to be good and lawfull that ought all to reverence and obey Yea though the lawes decrees customes of men were to the contrary Much more where any thing is done which both the law of God law of man doth allow to be lawfull none can disallow or speak evill of it except they be such as eyther in bad conscience or great ignorance doe open their mouthes both against heaven and earth Which fearefull sin the Lord keepe all his servants from Now to apply this to a question objected concerning mariage I holde and affirme as followeth Viz. That where a man and a woman that may mary together by the word of God doe take one an other for husband and wife by words of the present tyme before lawfull witnesses using prayer to God to blesse them therein that I say is lawful mariage and allowed both by the word of God and law of man 1. The Word of God By the word of God as may be seene in these scriptures Gen. 2.22.23.24 Ruth 2.9.10.11.12 Math. Prov. 2.17 Rom. 7.3 Gen. 29.21.22.23 compared with 1 Tim. 4.5 Then also by the law of man and that both by the cōmon law of this land and by the civil law also and even the canon law it selfe 2. The law of this land For the common law of this land see the Statute of 32. Henr. 8. chap. 38. revived in the 1. of Q. Eliz. directly and of purpose alloweth and ratifieth all mariages done according to the word of God The words of the Statute are these Wheras heretofore the Bishop of Rome hath alwayes intangled and troubled the mindes of people against the regal power of this Realm of England and also much unquieted the subjects of the same by his usurped power in them as by making that unlawfull which by Gods word is lawfull both in mariages and other things c. And wheras also other prohibitiōs then Gods law admitteth much more debate and suite of law with wrongfull vexation of the innocent party hath bene procured and many just mariages brought in doubt and danger of undooing and also many times undone and lawfull heires disinherited wherof there had never else but for that usurpation been moved any question since freedome in thē was given us by the law which ought to be most sure certaine c. Be it therefore enacted that no re●ervation or prohibition Gods law excepted shall trouble or impeach any mariages without the Leviticall degrees that no person of what estate degree or condition soever hee or shee be shal be admitted within any of the spirituall Courts within this Realme to any proces plea or allegation contrary to this foresayd Act. Againe in Anno 25. Henr. 8. ch 22. the Satute hath these words as followeth The Parliaments Convocations and Vniversities agreed that even in matters of mariage no man of what estate degree or condition soever hath any power to dispence with Gods lawes 3. Book of cōmon prayer Whereto also the Book of Common prayer