discourse then this of mine will admit Againe he saith ‡ If there be a jealousie or doubt of the Sense of the Scripture we must repaire to the Exposition of the Primitive Church and submit to that or call and submit to a Generall Councel c. Now if he shall quarrell this Scripture and those words of Christ forementioned as being either jealous or doubtfull of the sense thereof and so send me to the Primitive Church or call me to a Generall Councel for the determination of this point what shall we say For in no case can he yeeld the Scripture the honour to be sole Judge of controversies in faith And for the Primitive Church which he meanes namely that which came after Christ and his Apostles that he will say had Bishops or Prelates And for a Generall Councel that by his own verdict must consist of Prelates and so then shal be Judges in their own cause Therefore herein I must tell him plainly that first for the Primitive Church which was that of the Apostles never any one of them was a Prelate or Diocesan Bishop as we shall see more anon Secondly the next ages of the Church succeeding that of the Apostles knew no such Lord Bishops or Prelates as are now adayes with their Traines and Courts And when they began to get Prelacies old Hierome reprooved them and so did others Thirdly never any Generall Councel yet concluded that Prelates were jure divino Fourthly For a Generall Councel now to be called for the determining of this controversie which must consist onely of Prelates I deny them to be competent Iudges in this Case For by the Prelates own Confession * No man ought to be both party and Iudge in his own Cause And again the ‡ Prelate is too strict and Canonicall in tying all men to the decision of a Generall Councel and to yeeld obedience unto it yea although it determine a matter erronious in the Faith Now then if a Generall Councel of Prelates should determine that Prelates are jure divino although it be erronious yet according to the Prelates Rule all must yeeld obedience and submit thereunto And then we are gone if we commit this matter to a Generall Councel But we will passe by these and come to some other of his passages for his Prelacy He saith ‡ I beleeve Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church Aristocratically by Diverse rather then by one Vice-Roy Aâ—d those Diverse he makes to be Prelates or Hierarchs or rather Archprelates Now except he verily beleeve that Prelates are the best men in the world how can he beleeve that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by them For Aristocracie is a Government of the best men Aristoi Optimi and therefore called Optimates most honourable for their vertues But are Prelates so Doth their extreme pride ambition covetousnesse voluptuousnesse idlenesse hatred and suppressing of Gods word persecution of Gods Ministers oppression of Gods people even all that professe godlinesse and extreme both injustice and cruelty without all Law or Conscience in Censuring poore innocent soules that come before them doe these their vertues make them to be the best men for Christ to thinke the fittest by whom to governe his Church unlesse in this respect Christ might thinke it fittest that seeing he thought it fittest to keep his true Church his little stoâ—ke alwayes under manifold tryalls of afflictions and persecutions as being the exercises of all that will live godly in Christ Iesus and the way through which they must goe into the Kingdome of God therefore for this very cause he might thinke it fittest to suffer Satan to set up Anticrâ—ist in the Temple of God with his Traine of Prelates who should prove the most vengable Instruments of persecuting and oppressing Gods true children of all other men in the world And this I beleeve to be true And againe I beleeve this to be true also that Christ thought it fittest to governe his true Church Aristocratically that is by the best men because he hath so expressed himselfe in his word Why Where and who be those best men Let my Lord Prelate have patience and I will shew him a cleare ground of this my faith such as he can never shew for his blind faith Those best men that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by are the severall Ministerss rightly qualified and lawfully placed over their Severall Congregations respectively And they are called both Presbyteri and Episcopi Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or as Prelates falsely style themselves Bishops But how are these o i aristoi the best men Because Christ requires such to have the qualities of the best men What be those First such a Bishop or Overseer must be blamelesse the husband of one wife not therfore one tyed from Marriage which is for Antichrists Priests vigilant sober of good behaviour given to hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no strikâ—r not greedy of filthy lâ—â—re but patient not a brawler not covetous c. And in Titus Not selfe-willed not soon angry a lover of good menâ— sober just holy temperate holding fast the faithfull word that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainesayers Such therefore as call themselves the onely Bishops to exercise Lordship over many Ministers and Congregations and are proud heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God cruell strikers with their High-Commission-weapons soone angry and never appeased againe not lovers but persecuters of good men not such as hold fast the wholesome word but suppresse it all they can forbidding others to convince the gainesayers as those of the Arminian party and the like and cutting off the Eares of those Ministers that should dare to reprove the Prelates notorious practises and attempts in setting up a false Idolatrous and Anchristian Religion for Christs Religion and such like such I say how can the Prelate beleeve to be of those diverse whom Christ thought it fittest to governe his Church by Againe another passage of his is this * She the Church of England beleeves That our Saviour Christ hath left in his Church besides his Law-booke the Scripture visible Magistrates and Iudges that is Arch-bishops and Bishops under a gracious King to governe both for Truth and Peace according to the Scripture and her owne Canons and Constitutions as also chose of the Catholick Church which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme So the Prelate In the next passage before the Prelate makes profession of his own Faith concerning Christs thought for Prelaticall Government and here he tells us what is the Faith of the Church of England about the same new Article of his beliefeâ—â— And not unlikely it is â— that the Prelaticall Church of England is of the saine beliefe with her learned Champion and great Metropolitan But the faith both of the Prelate and his Church
good as the former and no better For what Laws of the Realme doth he account just Those that crosse any Prelaticall practises and Antichristian lawlesse courses of his Spirituall Courts Surely those are not to be ranked among the just Laws of the Realme those must needs be unjust Laws which are made to restraine the Infolencie and Lawlesse proceedings of Prelaticall Courts Which is the reason that now of late under this Archprelate Prohibitions out of the Kings bench to the High-Commission are so gueason so well Schooled are both Lawyers to move and Judges to grant any such thing Thus the Prelates practises are a sufficient Commentary of his owne words So as the Summe of this his whole passage is That his Church of England must submit her beliefe to her Arch Bishops and Bishops as visible Iudges left by Christ to governe and to determine all matters of difference in point of Faith and Religion and that according to Scripture too so farre as they crosse not her own Canons and those of the Catholicke Church wherein England and Rome are one and the Same one Church of one Faith of one Religion And all this if we may beleeve her Metropolitan the Church of England beleeves O miserable Church CHAP. IIII. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate in his Booke touching the Authority of his Hierarchie are met withall and confuted by evidence of Scripture IN his * Epistle Dedicatory he hath these words She the Church of England practises Church-Government as it hath been in use in all Ages and all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both in and ever since the Apostles times and yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline So he A bold Speech and the more bold because most false and hath nothing but his bare Ipse dixit his naked affirmation as Authority sufficient Whence I note sundry particulars First that he calleth the Hierarchie or Ecclesiasticall Government therof the Church of England A thing familiar with Prelates to make themselves the Church And such a Church as that of Rome the Pope and his Priests or Prelates are the Church as themselves affirme Whereas indeed as Iunius hath well distinguished â— they are not the Body it selfe of the Church but â—â—ennes or swellings grown up and so incorporated into the Body as overspreading it like a Leprosie it assumes the denomination of the Body And such are Prelates who in the Church of England are Strumae great swellings like the Kings Evill which are commonly next the Head or about the necke in the most principall parts of the Body Onely in this they will not be called the Kings Evill because they claime their Originall from Christ as before is noted and therfore though they be but certaine Abscessus or Apostemes and so indeed Apostatâ—s from the true Church of Christ which not onely deforme the Body but greatly in danger the life thereof yet the name of Church they challenge in peculiar to themselves But surely the true Church of Christ in England disclaimes communion with such a false Church as the Hierarchie calls it selfe Secondly he saith that his Church or Prelaticall Government hath been in all Times and Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting Here he finely excludes all the Protestant Reformed Churches as no Churches of Christ because they have weeded out those * bittet roots whereby many are defiled and rooted up those plants ‡ which our heavenly Father hath not planted to wit all Prelates with their Hierarâ—hicall Government which being rooted out of those Churches the Gospell blessed be God and so the true Church of Christ hath taken the deeper and firmer rooting and brought forth the more abundant ‡ fruits of holinâ—sse But the Prelate in thus unchurching all true Reformists is as good as his word which he openly spake at Dr. Bastwicks Censure in High-Commission saying The Protestant Churches beyond the Seas were no Churches as having no Bishops calling Calvin a plaine Rascall But so long as those Churches have the true Bishops namely Orthodox and Sound Pastors to feed their severall â—locks it is not the Arch-prelate that can so easily degrade them from being Christs true Churches as he can deprive those Ministers both of Ministry and Meanes who are obnoxious to his Church-Goâ—ernment Thirdly where he saith that his Church-Government hath been in use in all Ages and in all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both In and ever since the Apostles times although this be most false yet were it true it would not therupon follow that this his Church-Government is either Apostolicall or jure divino or from Christ For first every thing that hath been in use in the Apostles times and in the true Church of Christ is not therfore Apostolicke or such as the true Church of Christ alloweth of For we read that the Mistery of Iniquity began to worke in the Apostles times and even then there were § many Antichrists and that in the very midst of the Church in those dayes †And if Prelates shall prove to be those Antichrists which the Apostles detected and described by their qualities as will appeare anonâ— then because such Antichrists were extant and their Church-Government in use in the Apostles times will the Prelate therfore conclude such were Apostolicke and had their Originall jure divino Secondly neither can the Prelate ever prove that his Prelaticall Government as now of later and of long time it hath been is any thing like to the Church-Government exercised by those who took upon them to be the first Diocesan or Provinciall Bishops in those ages succeeding the Apostles He that shall read the Centuries Catâ—lagus Testiunâ— veritatis and other true Church Stories shall find as vast a difference between those poore ancient Bishops both in their manner of life and Church-Government and the moderne Prelotes since Antichrist mounted aloft in his Pontificalibus as the * Poet makes between the Silver Age and the Iron Age or as the ‡ Prophet shews between the brazen brest of the Image of the Babylonish Empire and the feet mixt of iron and clay And that Image may well resemble the State of the Spirituall Babylon or Hierarchy which had its rise of simple and small beginnings but by degrees Successively it grew and got strength and both height and bredth and so became at length of a blind Brooke a goodly navigable River so as the Church turned a City of Traffique and Trade in all worldly pleasures and riches as Babylon is described Revel. 18. and so the more worldly it grew the more wicked proud tyrannicall lordly and imperious and of a Militant Church turned Triumphant as the Prelate himselfe saith of Rome so as now the Church Government of the Prelates in regard of their great Courts and Consistories and doing all things without the Presbyteryâ— is as much unlike that ancient
Church-Government of those Bishops of old as our moderne Prelates themselves are unlike them in manner of life for these are persecuters of the Gospel those were persecuted and suffered Martyrdome for Christ Thus it is false that he saith that the Church-Government now in England was in usâ— in the Primitive Church For to instance in one thing In those ancient Times Excommunication was not used for every trifle nor done in a blind Court nor denounced by a dumb Priest But enough of this Fourthly whereas he saith And yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline First as for the Seperatist as he calls him I thinke the Prelate with this his Book and other his Prelaticall practises hath made more Separatists from his Prelaticall Church of England then ever any that hath sit in the Chaire of Canterbury ever since his Predecessor Augustine first sate in it Nor doe I see how any Christian living in England can with a safe Conscience have communion with that Church which professeth as the Prelate doth in her Name to be one and the Same Church with Rome of one and the Same Faith and Religion Yea were it no more but that the Church of England professeth to be a Hierarchicall or Prelaticall Church which in that very respect is no true Church of Christ it were argument and cause sufficient to Seperate from her And that because Secondly he that is a true Seperatist from her for the former respects may justly condemne her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline For first She exerciseth She professeth no other Discipline but that which Antichrist the Pope and the whole Antichristian Romish Church exerciseth and professeth and that in all points Cap a pied from top to toe And this her Discipline is Antichristian as being of Antichrist and so against Christ and exercised in the maintenance of Antichrist For instance The Prelaticall Church of England hath lately found out a Discipline to censure punish imprison fine excommunicate degrade deprive and all these together him that shall dare to deny the Pope and Prelates to be jure divino Dr. Bastwicke did thus and so the High-Commission served him as aforesaid What Discipline then in the world can be more Antichirstian or more forcible to drive Christians from having any more communion with that Church which exercising such an Antichristian Discipline how can She shift off the just condemnation of Antichristianisme which they shall cast upon her Againe Secondly the whole Discipline of the Church of England as it is the Discipline which Antichrist and his Church exerciseth and therfore Antichristian So it is that which hath no footing but is expresly forbidden in the word of God as Antichristian and Tyrannicall For the Church of Englands Discipline stands most upon the imposition of sundry Ceremonies of humane invention and Antichristian observation which She presseth upon all mens Consciences and for default of Conformity layes grievous Censures upon them as Excommunication and the like Now all such Ceremonies so imposed both Christ himselfe condemneth * In vaine they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men and the Apostle also throughout that whole Chapter of the Epistle to the Collossians doth charge Christians not to put their necks under any such yoake as whereby they are deprived of the benefit of Christs death and beguiled of their reward and spoyled of their Christian liberty and the like Againe the Prelates in imposing their Ceremonies are Antichristian because in so doing they usurpe Christs throne and therein fitting doe exercise a Tyranny over mens Consciences intolerable to be borne which if men will not yeeld unto they doe in as much as in them lyeth make them Anathemaes shut them out of the Church by Excommunication c. And lastly their Excommunication not onely in regard of the matter and cause for which it is namely because men will not renounce Christs service to take the Tyrannicall yoake of Antichrists Ceremonies upon the shoulders of their Consciences but for the very manner of it as it is used in the Church of England is a Discipline Antichristian as being against that form of Excommunication which is prescribed in the word of God and was practised in the Apostolicall Churches It was Christs rule Tell it to the Church that is to the Congregation and if the Offender will not heare the Congregation he is Excommunicate by and out of the Congregation And the Apostles rule is for such Offenders as deserve Excommunication * I verily saith he as absent in body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Whence I note that Excommunication is a Solemne businesse not to be inflicted for every trifling matter much lesse as the Pharisees did who excommunicated all those that confessed Christ nor to be done in a blind Court and by a single soled Priest nor the Offender to be released for the payment of his fees or by way of committing or the like all which are practised in the Discipline of the Church of England But Excommunication must not be but for a great offence nor done but by the whole Congregation nor released but upon the publique repentance confession and promise of reformation before the said Congregation where the offence was given and by whom the penalty is taken off Therfore the Discipline of the Church of England in this case is wholly Antichristian Lastly forasmuch as Prelates doe necessarily draw after them a Traine of Ceremonies as a Chaine of so many links wherwith they captivate ensnare and enslave the Consciences of men as their Motto is No Ceremonie no Bishop for they goe inseperably together like Tobie and his Dogge and the Church of England in her Discipline and Church-Service is wholly captivated by the Masters of such Ceremonies the Prelates and some Ceremonies are such as even doe deny the Lord that bought them as namely Altars and their Service and all the Ceremonies imposed upon the Conscience deny Christ to be the onely King of his Church all these taken together what between the Prelates and between their Ceremonies the Church of England and her Discipline is become Antichristian and therfore no marvail if for this cause good Christians that have knowledge and make Conscience doe Seperate from communion with any such Church CHAP. V. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate are taken tripping though he would run away with it That his Hierarchie is Jure Divino HE saith * For the Calling and Authority of Bishops over the inferiour Clergie that was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church And so
All these things are mine and to those that will fall downe and worship me I give them that is All that will be Prelates and so will be my Servants in oppressing Gods Word in persecuting Christs Saints and Ministers in exercising their Lordly Iurisdiction over the Consciences of Gods people captiving them with manyfold ceremonies of will-worship to â—hâ— destruction of Christs Kingdome of Mans Salvation and of that liberty from all Spirituall bondage the redemption from which cost Christ his best blood to those I will give rich Prelacies goodly houses and Palaces a Princely Traine and Retinue a Lordly Revenew and all the pleasures and contentments which the world can afford And thus we have found out the very Source of this Egyptian Nilus the prime Author and Patron of all such Prelacie as falsely pretends its Title to be de jure divino yea even from Christ himselfe It followeth in the Text ver. 24. And when the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the two brethren Observe here of these Disciples as yet carnall some are ambitious and the rest envious For all of them before Christs Resurrection were ambitious of Prelacie as we read in the place forecited So as hence we may note that such as affect and are ambitious of Prelacie they are carnall men which savour the things of the flesh worldly minded such as the Apostle speaks of that § are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things They have a wisdome indeed but †such as is not from above but is earthly sensuall and develish as Iames speaketh And whereupon speakes he it In the former verse he had sayd If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lye not against the truth And this was the wisdome of these carnall Disciples they were ambitious and envious one against another yea they did a'ganaktein stomack and maligne one another in the point of Prelacy For ambition and envy are two inseperable twinnes like those of Hypocrates they are borne together live together and dye together And as Iames in the former place addeth For where envying and strife is there is confusion kai pan phaulon pragma and every evill worke Now to apply this to our Prelates what men in the world more ambitious of Prelacie and more envious one against another In those Primitive times at the first Councel of Nice what bundles and fardles of complaints did those Prelates bring one against another and all this arose from their ambition and 〈◊〉 each seeking precedency of his Sea before another And the fire was so kindled that had not Constantine the Emperour caused all the Bills of complaints to be cast into the fire together it had been enough to have set all the world in a combustion And the Prelate of Canterbury in his said Book confesseth * that the onely difficulty was to accommodate the places and precedencies of Bishops among themselves And afterwards what a hot stirre was between Iohn of Constantinople and GREGORY of Rome for the precedencie of their Seas and for the Supreme Headship it selfe And heretofore between the Prelates of Canterbury and Yorke for the universall Metropolitanship over all England But let us further hearken to what Christ saith But Iesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them But it shall not be so among you And Luke expresseth it thus The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authoritie upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so All is to one effect Which is Christ here forbids his Disciples to exercise any such Dominion or Auhortity or Lordship either over one another or upon his Church as Heathen Princes doe use over their People And this he applies to their ambition of Prelacie which Prelacie he samples and parallells with the Dominion Authority and Lordship which Heathen Princes exercise over their people These words of Christ are so expresse and full that Bellarmine hath no other Shift to ward off the blow but to say that Christ here forbids his Disciples the exercise of all Temporall Authority and jurisdiction such as Heathen Princes used but not of spirituall Dominion and Lordship Authority and jurisdiction over the Church But it is more cleare then the Sun that Christ forbids here to his Disciples all manner of Dominion and Lordship either over one another or over the Church of God as over Gods Ministers and People First for Lordship over one another the said Arch-prelate of Canterbury confesseth Christ gave them none And secondly for Lordship over Gods heritage the Apostles themselves afterwards both disclaimed in themselves and condemned in others as we shall see hereafter And by the way by Bellarmines own confession all Temporall Lordship or Government is condemned in Prelates But now for our Prelates Quo jure doe they de facto exercise such Authority and Dominion such Lordship and Jurisdiction over Gods Ministers and People as differeth nothing at all from the State of Heathen Princes This Christ expresly forbids to his Disciples and therefore such as doe it are none of his Disciples nor yet any of their Successors But they will say They are Spirituall Lords and exercise a Spirituall Lordship over the Church But this bare Title of Spirituall is too short a cloake to cover the nakednesse of so poore a shift They call themselves Spirituall when they are the most carnall men in the world Thus did those false * Apostles deceitfull workers transforme themselves into the Apostles of Christ Thus Antichrist himselfe whom the Scripture intitles ‡ the Man of sinne and the Son of perdition will salve all by Styling himselfe Holy Father yea Holinesse it selfe But to come a little more close and home to our Prelates those Spirituall Lords wherein doth their Spirituall Dominion and Lordship differ from that of Heathen Princes For first they assume the Title of Prince to themselves as the Arch-prelate in High Commission most bravely and boldly alledged Psal. 45. 16. for which he borrows Bellarmines Glosse Princes then they must be But what Princes Spirituall Nay by their Lordships favour they are Temporall Lords For how els come they to sit in Parliament cheek by jowle with the Princes and Peers of the Realme And do they not in all points beare the Image and represent Heathen Princes in their State and Dominion Have they not their Stately Palaces as they Have they not their Attendants and Officers of their House as they Doe they not goe in Purple and Scarlet Silkes and Velvets and fine linnen and faire deliciously every day as they Have they not their Courts and Officers their Tipstaves Lictors and Prisons as they And doe they not exercise their Authority without subjection to any
and this at the end of the Chancel their highest part of the Church Secondly do they not alter Christs institution by adding to the Sacraments of their own superstitious inventions Doe they not adde an empty and 〈◊〉 signe of the Crosse to Baptisme the o mission whereof is no lesse heinous then of Baptisme it selfe And have they not added a long Forme of Liturgie to the administration of both the Sacraments Have they not altered the Table for the Lords Supper into an Altar for a sacrifice which is also as great a derogation from the sufficiencie of Christs onely sacrifice on the Crosse as it is an alteration yea and an annihilation of this Sacrament which is to be administred as a supper on a Table not as a sacrifice on an Altar And this they doe also in imposing a necessity of kneâ—eling at the receiving of the Sacrament whereby they overthrow the nature of a Supper To omit their necessity of private Baptisme and of carrying their Host to a man on his death bed would they not also of ‡ late yeares have brought againe into the Church of England the other 5 Sacraments of the Romish Church that so the Church of England and of Rome might in nothing be unlike in their practise as they are not in profession as our said Prelate saith Thus are our Prelates herein Successors of the Apostles Secondly for the Apostles practise in point of Discipline And this is either in Ordination of Ministers or Reformation and correction of manners or imposition of Ceremonies For the first Ordination of Ministers we read of Timothies ordination no lesse by the imposition of the hands of the Presbytery then of Paul himselfe Titus indeed was appointed by Paul to ordaine Elders in every City in Creet as was noted before but if he did this alone without the Presbytery 2 necessity must needs be supposed which is neither Rule nor Law in ordinary Cases And by the way whether Titus and Timâ—thy were Diocesan Bishops as the Prelates pretend we shall see in a more fit place And for Ordination this we are sure of that whoever have the charge of it Prelates have nothing at all to doe with it because as is already proved they are no lawfull Ministers of Christ much lesse Successors of the Apostles Againe whom did the Apostles and Presbytery ordaine Ministers of the word but such as were every way qualified with gifts and graces for preaching and the like as we see prescribed in 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1 They were not like to Ierobeams Priests nor any of those whom the Prelates doe make Priests which are * dumb dogs as the Prophet calls them blind watchmen that love to sâ—â—ep to take their ease greedy dogs that are never satisfied with heaping up Living upon Living they fill themselves with strong drinke and are good Fellows not good Ministers Yea such as are truly qualified either Prelates doe not ordaine them or they doe afterwards seeing how they prove painfull in their Ministry put them to silence or suspend and persecute them as before is noted And againe Thirdly The Apostles and Presbyters in their time Ordayned none for money for offering whereof ‡ Simon Magus was accursed but our Prelates Ordaine tag and rag for money so as the ordinary Fees come to 3 4 5 or 6 pounds So as in point of Ordination how doe our Prelates prove themselves to be Successors of the Apostles And lastly the Apostles and their lawfull successors Ordained none but lawfull Ministers of the Gospell but our Prelates do ordaine a new Order of Priests bringing in and setting up a new Priesthood which is Antichristian not having any foundation in the Sccripture Prelates therefore in Ordrnation are no Successors of the Apostles Secondly for matter of Censure or for Reformation and correction of Manners as for instance in the Censure of Excommunication the Apostles though as Apostles they might doe of themselves yet as Ministers they did it not but with the whole Congregation or else the Congregation with the Presbyters as we see 1 Cor. 5 3. 4. 5. Insomuch as even Prelates themselves after they first had taken footing as being the time of their Innocency as I may say observed this Order So as Cyprian who lived about 250. yeares after Christs nativity would doe nothing in this kind without the consent both of the Presbytery and people This lasted during the 10. Persecutions but Peace and Prosperity Succeding it degenerated into that height of Tyranny by degreesâ— to which we see it arrived at this day Secondly Excommunication was for weighty Causes as in the same place and 1 Tim. 1. 20. The Apostles had no Prelates Courts or Consistories where they did Privately by themselves or by a dumb Priest Excommunicatt for every trifle and especially for the least breach of a Canon and the like as we noted before but the Consistory was the whole Congregation solemnly assembled where no Censure was imposed but for great offences and those breaches of Gods Laws and of Christs Ordinance Nor were those Censures remitted but in and by the whole Congregation after publick satisfaction given by the offender to the offended Whereas our Prelates in all doe quite contrary absolving also great offenders for a fee without any signes of Repentance much lesse fruits of Reformation and satisfaction made to the Congregation offended Whereas the Apostles absolved none before the Congregation was first satisfied by and so pacified towards the offender as 2 Tim. 2. 10. Do our Prelates thus No such thing Therfore no Successor of the Apostles Thirdly for Imposition of Ceremonies in the worship of God the Apostles were so farre from laying any such yoake upon Christians necks or any such snares for their feet as they did utterly condemne all humane Rites and Ordinances whatsoever in Gods service laying also a speciall charge upon Christians not to put their necks under such yoakes unlesse thereby they would renounce Iesus Christ for their onely King and Lord over their Consciences and Soules in all matters of faith and the worship of God In one Chapter colloss. 2. the Apostle beats them all down whether they be old Iewish Ordinances now abolished under the Gospell or of mans devising and imposing First for Iewish Ceremonies he saith they are * Shadows which now upon the death of Christ are all vanished and abolished Secondly all other Rites and Ceremonies which are of mans devising he calls them ‡ Philosophy and vaine deceit traditions of men rudiments of the world not after Christ a ‡ voluntary humility as worshiping of Angels and so Idolatry an intrusion into things not seen in Scripture of a fleshly mind vainly puft up which seperate from the § head Christ they †evacuate Christs death wherein he did ‡ blot out the handwriting of all such Ordinanâ—es nayling it to his Crosse c. So as now to be subject to such is to renounce Christs death and make it of
practise after Marke the Euangelist in chusing and exalting one over them whom they called a Bishop whence our Prelates derive their Ancieut and Honourable descent sure we are they can never prove that ever either any Apostle delivered this to Marke or Marke from the Apostles to the Presbyters to make it a Tradition Apostolicke Yea this is a sure and infallible Rule in Divinity That whatever the Apostles expresly set down in their Sacred writing they never delivered the contrary by word of mouth As the Apostle writes to the Corinthians saying ‡ As God is true our word towards you was not yea and any Now as we have sufficiently proved before the Apostles as Christ their Masters forbad them forbid Prelacy to others they exercised it not themselves they disclaimed dominion over the saith of Christians they brand it for Antichristian therfore Prelaticall Iurisdiction is no Apostolick Tradition and so no wâ—y of divine Institution And thus the Truth and Title agreeing together I end as I began Lord Bishops are none of the LORDS Bishops FINIS GOOD COVNCEL FOR THE PRESENT STATE OF ENGLAND I Call that Counsel onely good which God himselfe giveth in his Word and such is this Counsel which is here given as being taken from the mouth of God speaking in his Word 'T is a dangerous thing and impious too for Men to neglect Gods Councel and follow their own This is a signe of a People given up of God As the Lord saith * My poople would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own heaâ—â—s lust and they walked in their own Counsels And what 's the issue of such Counsels David tells us and that with an imprecasion ‡ Destroy thou them ô God let them fall by their own Councels And this is meant of such Councels especially as are taken not onely without the Lord but against the Lord Of which David also saith ‡ Why doe the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine thing The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take Councel together against the Lord and against his Christ Saying Let us breake their bonds a sunder and cast away their cords from us And what followeth He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure For God hath set his King even the Lord Iesus Christ upon his holy hill of Sion This King hath all power in heaven and in earth given into his hand And he hath as a golden Scepter sweetly to governe and protect his own people so an Iron Rod to break in pieces his enemies wherupon the Kingly Prophet concludes thus Be wise now therefore ô ye Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the Eearth Serve the Lord in feare and trembling Kisse the Son least he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little And what doth more kindle Gods wrath against a State or Nation then to Slight and Scorn his Councels and with those Giants of old to consult and confederate and even make Warre against the Lord and his Christ And now ô England thou aâ—t making a great preparation for Warre But of whom hast thou taken Councel Of the Lord From his mouth Hast thou consulted his Oracle his Word If not what ever other Councel thou takest or followest it is but such whereof David thus speakes * The Lord bringeth the Councel of the Heathen to nought be maketh the devises of the people of none effect and casteth out the Counsels of Princes The Councel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations And ‡ There is no King saved by the multitude of an Host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength An Horse is a vaine thing for safety neither shall be deliver any by his great strength Solomon saith By wise Councel thou shalt make thy Warre And no Councel can be wise which is not taken of God and much lesse what is taken of enemies against God Of whom then dost thou take Councel for thy Warreâ— Heare ô England examine thy selfe I know the Councel of thy heart as Solomon saith is as ‡ deep waters into the bottome wherof a vulgar eye cannot elsily pierce But yet a man of understanding will draw it out But if thou wilâ— not discover who is thy Counsellour certainly thy intended actions will bewray and publish to the world And therefore in the Second place consider the Cause of thy Warre that it be just I do not meane made seemingly just by false colours and pretences but that it be really and truly just before God an Men Otherwise thou hast two grand Causes of feare that the issue shall not be prosperous to wit not takiug Councel first of God for thy Warre secondly not undertaking it upon a just Cause or quarrell But to come a little nearer home to the point is the Cause such as it will beare any Consultation or Communion with God So as thou mayst with a good heart and Conscience seek unto God to maintaine thy Cause And for what ever Cause thou indendest thy Warre or against whom surely the Cause being publicke and so concerning the whole Land such a seeking of God is required as is solemne publicke and universall And we are sure that as yet ô England thou hast not sought God for the good Speed of this thy great and warlike preparation And then what good issue canst thou expect for But thou wilt say how shall I seeke Counsel and helpe of God For this I will propound but one example The whole Tribe of Benjamin stood up in maintenance of a most wicked and prodigious fact as that towards the Levites Wife He sent her being dead in 12 pieces to all the Tribes of Israel who abhorring such a Fact first sent to their Brethren the Benjamites to punish the Malefactors They refused Whereupon all the Tribes assembled And first they aske Counsel of the Lord which of the Tribes shall goe up first against Benjamin He Answers Iudaâ— And though the Cause was just and God councelled them yet they were expulsed with the losse of 22 thousand men They consult God the Second time and that with weeping before the Lord untill even the Lord answers them Goe up yet this time also they were beaten and lost 18 thousand men Strange Well they inquire of the Lord the third time but in a better manner then before for all the People of Israel assemble to the House of God weeping and fasting the whole day untill even and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord and then asking the Lord shall I yet againe goe to battaile against Benjamin or shall I cease The Lord answers them the third time Goe up for to morrow I will deliver them into thy hand Whence it is to