way or other feel ere long that they have owned a very unprofitable cause and such as they shall wish they had let alone and that it made not for their honour to be so much enemies to the welfare of the Church as the enemies of the abolition of that Prelacy will appear to be Cons. II. The matter of that clause in the National Covenant which concerneth the abolition of this Prelacy before mentioned was so far from deserving the Reproaches and Accusations that are bestowed on it by some that it was just and necessary to the well being of the Church In this also I purposely mean the Civil controversie about the authority of imposing taking or prosecuting the Covenant and speak only of the Matter of it to avoid the losing of the truth by digressions and new controversies They that by reproaching this clause in the Covenant do own the Prelacy which the Covenant disowneth might shew more love to the Church and their own souls by pleading for sickness and nakedness and famine and by passionate reproaches of all that are against these then by such owning and pleading for a far greater evil Cons. III. Those of the English Ministry that are against the old Episcopacy and are glad that the Church is rid of it are not therefore guilty of Schism nor of sinfull disobedience to their spiritual superiours If any of them did swear obedience to the Prelates a tyrannicall imposition that God never required nor the Primitive Church never used that 's nothing to our present case which is not about the keeping of oaths but the obeying or rejecting the Prelacy in it self considered It is not schismatical to depart from an â—â—â—rpation that God disowneth and the Church is endangered and so much wronged by and to seek to pull up the Roots of Schism which have bred and fed it in the Churches so long Cons. IV. Those that still justifie the ejected Prelacy and desire the restauration of it as they needlesly choose the guilt of the Churches desolations so are they not to be taken for men that go about to heal our breaches but rather for such as would widen and continue them by restoring the main cause Cons. V. If we had had such an Episcopacy as Bishop Hall and Bishop Vsher did propound as satisfactory and such men to manage it Episcopacy and Peace might have dwelt together in England to this day It is not the the Name of a Bishop that hath been the matter of our trouble but the exorbitant Species introducing unavoidably the many mischiefs which we have seen and felt Cons. VI. Ordination by the ejected Prelacy in specie is not of necessity to the being or well-being of a Presbyter or Deacon If the Species of Prelacy it self be proved contrary to the word of God and the welfare of the Church then the Ordination that is by this Species of Prelacy cannot be necessary or as such desirable Cons. VII A Parochial or Congregational Pastor having assistant Presbyters and Deacons either existent or in expectance was the Bishop that was in the dayes of Ignatius Iustin Tertullian and that Dr. Hammond describeth as meant in many Scriptures and existent in those dayes I speak not now to the question about Archbishops Cons. VIII The Ordination that is now performed by these Parochial Bishops especially in an assembly guided by their Moderator is beyond all just exception Valid as being by such Bishops as the Apostles planted in the Churches and neerer the way of the Primitive Church then the Ordination by the ejected Species of Prelates is Cons. IX As the Presbyters of the Church of Alexandria did themselves make one their Bishop whom they chose from among themselves and set him in a higher degree as if Deacons make an Archdeacon or Souldiers choose one and make him their Commander saith Hierom ad Evagr. so may the Presbyters of a Parochial Church now And as the later Canons require that a Bishop be ordained or consecrated by three Bishops so may three of these Primitive Parochial Bishops ordain or consecrate now another of their degree And according to the Canons themselves no man can justly say that this is invalid for want of the Consecration by Archbishops or of such as we here oppose Cons. X. Those that perswade the People that the Ordinanation of those in England and other Churches is null that is not by such as the English Prelates were and that perswade the people to take them for no Presbyters or Pastors that are not ordained by such Prelates and do make an actual separation from our Churches and Ministers and perswade others to the like upon this ground and because the Ministers have disowned the English Prelacy and withal confess that Church of Rome to be a true Church and their ordination and Priesthood to be just or true are uncharitable and dangerously Schismatical though under pretence of decrying Schism and many wayes injurious to the Church and to the souls of men and to themselves This will not please but that I not only speak it but further manifest it is become Necessary to the right Information of others FINIS The Second DISPUTATION VINDICATING The Protestant Churches and MINISTERS that have not Prelatical Ordination from the Reproaches of those Dividers that would nullifie them WRITTEN Upon the sad complaints of many Godly Ministers in several parts of the Nation whose Hearers are turning Separatists By Rich. Baxter LONDON Printed by Robert White for Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster 1658. The Preface Christian Reader IF thou be but for the interest of Christianity more than of a party and a Cordial friend to the Churches Peace though thou be never so much resolved for Episcopacy I doubt not but thou and I shall be one if not in each Opinin yet in our Religion and in Brotherly affection and in the very bent of our labours and our lives And I doubt not but thou wilt approve of the scope and substance of this following Disputation what imperfections soever may appear in the Manner of it For surely there is that of God within thee that will hardly suffer thee to believe that while Rome is taken for a true Church the Reformed that have no Prelates must be none that their Pastors are meer Lay-men their Ordination being Null and consequently their administrations in Sacraments c. Null and of no Validity The Love that is in thee to all believers and especially to the Societies of the Saints and the honour and interest of Christ will keep thee from this or strive against it as nature doth against poyson or destructive diseases If thou art not a meer Opinionist in Religion but one that hast been illuminated by the spirit of Christ and felt his love shed abroad in thy heart and hast ever had experience of spiritual communion with Christ and his Church in his holy Ordinances I dare then venture my cause upon thy judgement Go
as his judgement that the Scotch Ministers then to be Consecrated Bishops were not to be reordained because the Ordination of Presbyters was valid Sect. 5. These Novel Prelatical persons then that so far dissent frrom the whole stream of the Ancient Bishops and their adherents have little reason to expect that we should regard their judgement above the judgement of the English Clergy and the judgement of all the Reformed Churches If they can give us such Reasons as should conquer our modestie and perswade us to condemn the judgement of the Plelates and Clergy of England all other Churches of the Protestants and adhere to a few new men of yesterday that dare scarcely open the face of their own opinions we shall bow to their Reasons when we discern them But they must not expect that their Authority shall so far prevail Sect. 6. And indeed I think the most of this cause is carried on in the dark What Books have they written to prove our Ordination Null and by what Scripture Reasons do they prove it The task lieth on them to prove this Nullity if they would be Regarded in their reproaches of the Churches of Christ. And they are not of such excessive Modesty and backwardness to divulge their accusations but sure we might by this time have expected more then one volume from them to have proved us No Ministers and Churchess if they could have done it And till they do it their whsperings are not to be credited Sect. 7. Argument 2. If that sort of Prelacy that was exercised in England was not necessary it self yea if it were sinfull and tended to the subversion or exceeding hurt of the Churches then is there no Necessity of Ordination by such a Prelacy But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the consequent The Antecedent hath been proved at large in the foregoing Disputation Such a Prelacy as consisteth in the undertaking of an impossible task even for one man tâ— be the only Governour of all the souls in many hundred Parishes exercising it also by Lay men and in the needful parts not exercising it all all a Prelacy not chosen by the Presbyters whom they Govern yea suspending or degrading â—he Presbyters of all those Churches as to the governing part of theâ—â— office and guilty of the rest of the evils before mentioned is not only it self unnecessary but sinful and a disease of the Church which all good men should do the best they can to cure And therefore the effects of this disease can be no more Necessary to our Ministry then the burâ—ing of a feaver or swelling of a Tympany is necessary to the body Sect. 8. No Bishops are Necessary but such as were in Scriture times But there were none such as the late English Bishops in Scripture times Therefore the English Bishopâ— are not necessary He that denyeth the Major must go further in denying the sufficiency of Scripture then I find the Papists ordinarily to do For they will be loth to affirm that any office is of Necessity to the Being of the Church or of Presbyters that is not to be found in Scripture or that was not then in Being Therefore so far we are secure Sect. 9. And for the Minor I prove it thus If the English Bishops were â—either such as the unfixed General Ministers nor such as the fixed Bishops of particular Churches then were they not such as were in Scripture times But they were neither such as the unfixed General Ministers nor such as the fixed Bishops of particular Churches therefore c. Sect. 10. Besâ—des these two sorts of Ministers there are no more in the New Testament And these aâ—e diversified but by the exercise of their office so far as they were ordinary Ministers to continue The unfixed Ministers whether Apostles Evangelâ—sts or Prophets were â—uch as had no special charge of any one Church as their Diocess but were to do their best for the Church in general and follow the direction and call of the Holy Ghost for the exercising of their Ministry But it s known to all that our Engsish Bishops were not such They were no ambulatory itinerant Preachers they went not about to plant Churches and confirm and direct such as they had planted but were fixed to a City and had every one their Diocess which was their proper charge but Oh how they discharged their undertaking Sect. 11. Object The Apostles might agree among them selves to divide their Provinces and did accordingly James being Bishop of Jerusalem Peter of Rome c. Answ. No doubt but common reason would teach them when they were sent to preach the Gospel to all the world to disperse themselves and not be preaching all in a place to the disadvantage of their work But 1. It s one thing to travail several ways and so divide themselves as itinerants and another thing to divide the Churches among them as their several Diocesses to whâ—ch they should be fixed Which they never did for ought is proved 2. And its one thiâ—g prudently to disperse themselves for their labour anâ— another thing to claim a special power over a Circuit or Diocess as their charge excluding a like charge and power of others So far as any man Apostle or other was the Father of souls by their conversion they owned him a special honour and love which the Apostles themselves did sometimes claim But this was nothing to a peculiar Diocess or Province For in the same City a Ierusalem some might be converted by one Apostle and some by another And if a Presbyter convert them I think the adversaries will not therefore make them his Dâ—ocess not give him there an Episcopal Power much less above Apostles in that place Nor was this the Rule that Diocesses could be bounded by as now they are taken Sect. 12. Nor do we find in Scripture the least intimation that the Apostles were fixed Diocesan Bishops but much to the contrary 1. In that it was not consistent with the General charge and work that Christ had laid upon them to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature How would this stand with fixing in a peculiar Diocess Sect. 13. And 2. We find them answering their Commission in their practice going abroad and preaching and planting Churches and sometimes visiâ—ing them in their passage but not sâ—tling on them as their Diocesses but going further if they had opportunity to do the like for other places Yea they planted Bishops in the several Cities and Churches which they had gathered to Christ. Though Paul staid three years at Ephesus and other adjacent parts of Asia yet did not all that abode prove it his peculiar Diocess And yes its hard to find again so long an abode of Paul or any Apostle in one place Elders that were Bishops we find at Ephesus Acts 20. and some say Timothy was their Bishop and some say Iohn the Apostle was their Bishop but its clear that it was
none such as is granted therefore c. And what proof is there of Archbishops then Sect. 23. Their first proof is from the Apostles But they will never prove that they were fixed Bishops or Archbishops I have proved the contrary before But such an itinerant Episcopacy as the Apostles had laying by their extraordinaries for my part I think should be continued to the world and to the Church of which after Another of their proofs is from Timothy and Titus â— who thy say were Archbishops But there is full evidence that Timothy and Titus were not fixed Bishops or Archbishops but Itinerant Evangelists that did as the Apostles did even plant and settle Churches and then go further and do the like See and consider but the proofs of this in Prins unbishoping of Timothy and Titus Such Planters and Itinerants were pro tempore the Bishops of every Church where they came yet so as another might the next week be Bishop of the same Church and another the next week after him yea three or four or more at once as they should come into the place And therefore many Churches as well as Ephesus and Creet its like might have begun their Catalogue with Timothy and Titus and many a one besides Rome might have begun their Catalogue with Peter and Paul Sect. 24. Another of their proofs is of the Angels of the seven Churches which they say were Archbishops But how do they prove it Because those Churches or some of them were planted in chief Cities and therefore the Bishops were Metropolitans But how prove they the consequence By their strong imagination and affirmation The Orders of the Empire had not then such connection and proportion and correspondency with the Orders of the Church Let them give us any Valid proof that the Bishop of a Metropolis had then in Scripture times the Bishops of other Cities under him as the Governor of them and we shall thank them for such unexpected light But presumption must not go for proofs They were much later times that afforded occasion for such contentions as that of Basil and Anthymius Whether the bounds of their Episcopal Jurisdiction should change as the Emperours changed the State of the Provinces Let them prove that these Asian Angels had the Bishops of other Churches and the Churches themselves under their jurisdiction and then they have done something Sect. 25. But if there were any preheminence of Metropolilitans neer these times it cannot be proved to be any more then an honorary Primacy to be Episcopus primae sedis but not a Governour of the rest How else could Cyprian truly say even so long after as is before alledged that none of them was a Bishop of Bishops nor imposed on others but all were left free to their own consciences as being accountable only to God Sect. 26. Yea the Reverend Author above mentioned shews Dâ—ssertat de Episcop 4. cap. 10. Sect. 9 10 alibi that there were in those times more Bishops then one in a City though not in una Ecclesia aut Coeâ—u And the like hath Grotius oft So that a City had oft then more Churches then one and those Churches had their several Bishops and neither of these Bishops was the Governour of the other or his Congregation much less of the remoter Churches and Bishops of other Cities And this they think to have been the case of Peter and Paul at Rome yea and of their immediate successors there And so in other places Lege Dissert 5 c 1. Sect. 27. When the great Gregory Thaumaturgus was made Bishop of Neocaesarea he had but seventeen Christians in his City and when he had increased them by extraordinary successes yet we find not that he had so much as a Presbyter under him And if he had it s not likely that Musonius his first and chief entertainer would have been made but his Deacon and be the only man to accompany him and comfort him in his retirement in the persecution and that no Presbyter should be mentioned which shews that Bishops then were such as they were in Scripture-times at least in most places and had not many Churches with their Presbyters subject to them as Dâ—ocâ—san Bishops have And when Comana a small place not far off him received the faith Gregory Ordained Alexander the Colliar their Bishop over another single Congregâ—tion and did not keep them under his own Pastoral charge and Government Vid. Greg. Nysâ—n in vita Thaumat Sect. 28. But because that our Dâ—ocesan Bishops are such as the Archbishops that first assumed the Government of many Churches and because we shall hardly drive many from their presumption that Timothy and Titus were Archbishops besides the Apostles I shall now let that supposition stand and make it my next Argument that Argument 3. Ordination by Archbishops is not necessary to the Being of Ministers or Churches Our English Bishops were indeed Archbishops therefore Ordination by them is not Necessary It is not the Name but the office that is pleaded Necessary Sect. 29. And for the Major I think it will not be denyed All that I have to do with Protestants and Papists do grant the Validity of Ordination by Bishops And for the Minor it is easily proved The Bishops that are the Governours of many Churches and their Bishops are Archbishops The Bishops of England were the Governours of many Churches with their Bishops therefore they were Archbishops The Major will be granted And for the Minor I prove it by parts 1. That they were by undertaking the Governours of many Churches 2. And of many Bâ—shops Sect. 30. He that is the Governour over many Congregations of Christians associated for the publick Worship of God and holy communion and Edification under their Proper Pastors is the Governour of many Churches But such were our English Bishops therefore c. That such Societies as are here defined are true Churches is a truth so clear that no enemy of the Churches is is able to gainsay with any shew of Scripture or reason they being such Churches as are described in the Scriptures And 2. That our Ministers were true Pastors if any will deny as the Papists and Separatists do I shall have occasion to say more to them anon Sect. 31. Argument 4. If Ordination by such as the English Bishops be of Necessity to the Ministry and Churches then was there no true Ministry and Churches in the Scripture times nor in many years after But the consequent is false therefore so is the Antecedent The reason of the Consequence is because there were no such Bishops in those times and this is already proved they being neither the Itinerant Apostolical sort of Bishops nor the fixed Pastors of particular Churches besides which there were no other Sect. 32. Argument 5. If Ordination by such as the English Prelates be Necessary to the Being of the Ministry and Churches then none of the Protestants that have not such Prelates which is almost all are
for Holland he questioned if there was a Church among them or not or words fully to that Purpose Against which abuse of the Dr. the Bishop was fain to vindicate himself See page 124 125. Of his Posthumous Judgement Sect. 15. Moreover 5. We know not of almost any Bishops in England by whom men may be Ordained Four or five Reverend Learned men of that degree are commonly said to survive among us whom we much honour and value for their worth But as these are so distant and their residence to the most unknown so the rest if there be any are known to very few at all that I can hear of It s famed that many Bishops there are but we know it not to be true nor know not who they be and therefore it cannot well be expected that their Ordination should be sought If they reveal not themselves and their Authority and do not so much as once command or claim obedience from the generality of Ministers how can they expect to be obeyed If they plead the danger of persecution I answer 1. What Persecution do they suffer that are known above others of their way 2. If that will excuse them when we never heard of any that suffered the loss of a penny for being known to be a Bishop since the Wars were ended then it seems they take the Being of the Ministry and Churches to be but of small moment that are not worthy their hazzard in a manifestation of their power And if this excuse them from appearing it must needs in reason excuse others from knowing them obeying them and submitting to them Sect. 16. And when they shall declare themselves to be our Bishops they must in all reason expect that the proof of it as well as the naked affirmation be desired by us For we must not take every man for a Bishop that saith he is so They must shew us according to the Canons that the Clergy of the Diocess lawfully Elected them and Bishops Consecrated them which are transactions that we are strangers to If they take the secret Election of six or seven or very few in a Diocess to be currant because the rest are supposed to be uncapable by Schism 1. Then they shew themselves so exceedingly unjust as to be unmeet for Government if they will upon their secret presumptions and unproved suppositions cut off or censure so many parts of the Clergy without ever accusing them or calling them to speak for themselves or heâ—ring their Defence 2. And if upon such presumptuous Censures you make your selves Bishops besides the Canons you cannot expect obedience from those that you thus separate from and censure unheard Sect. 17. It s known that the English Bishops as Grotius himself affirmeth were chosen by the King according to the custom here the Chapter being shadows in the business And if the King may make Bishops he may make Presbyters and then Ordination is unnecessary But if you say that the Consecrators make them Bishops and not the Kings Election then Rome had many Bishops at once when ever three or four Popes were consecrated at once which marrs all succession thence dirived and then if some Bishops consecrate one and some another both are true Bishops of one Diocess and many Pastors may be thus Ordained to one Church Sect. 18. And it concerneth us before we become their subjects to have some credible Evidence that they are so Orthodox as to be capable of the place And the rather because that some that are suspected to be Bishops how truly I know not have given cause of some suspicion Either by writing against Original sin or by owning Grotius's Religion which what it was I have shewed elsewhere or by unchurching the Protestant Churches and Nullifying their Ministry that have not their kind of Ordination while they take the Roman Ordination to be Valid and their Church and Ministry to be true with other such like Sect. 19. And 6. If we should now when better may be had subject our selves to the Ordination and Government of the abolished Prelacy we should choose a more corrupt way of administration and prefer it to a more warrantable way That this way is corrupt is proved in the former Disputation That a way more warrantable may be had I shall prove anon Though submission to a faulty way in some cases of Necessity is excusable yet when we have our choice the case is altered Sect. 20. And a tender Conscience hath very great reason to fear lest by such voluntrary subjection they should incur moreover this double guilt 1. Of all the hurt that this corrupt sort of Episcopacy did before the abolition 2. And of all the hurt that it might do again if it were introduced which is neither small nor uncertain He that hath seen the fruits that it brought forth but for a few years before the abolition and weighs the arguments brought against it methinks should fear to be the restorer of it Sect. 21. If any man as Mr. Thorndike and others do shall write for a more regular sort of Episcopacy it s one thing to find a tolerable Bishop in his Book and another thing to find him existent in England For we know not of any New sort of Regulated Episcopacy planted and therefore must suppose that it is the Old sort that is in being Let them bring their Moderate forms into existence and then its like that many may be more inclined to submit to their Ordination but their moderate principles having not yet made us any Moderate Episcopacy I see not how we should be ever the more obliged for them to submit to the Old but rather are the more justified in disowning it when their own reformed modell is against it CHAP. VII The Ordination used now in England and in other Protestant Churches is Valid and agreeable to Scripture and the Practice of the Ancient Church Sect. 1. HAving already proved that the late English Bishops Ordination is not of necessity it is satisfactory without any more ado to them that would nullifie our Ministry and Churches that have not their Ordination But because we may meet with other adversaries and because in a case of so much weight we should walk in the clearest light that we can attain for the satisfaction of our own Consciences I shall further prove the Validity of our Ordination and the truth of our Call and Minstry and Churches Sect. 2. Argument 1. The Ordination is Valid which is performed by such Bishops as were instituted and existent in Scriture times But our Ordination used in England and other refoâ—med Churches is performed by such Bishops as were institutâ—d and existent in Scâ—â—pture times the refore such Ordination is Valid Thâ— Major will not be denyed being â—â—derstood with a supposition of other requisites that are not now in controversie For those that we have to deal with do grant that such Bishops as are mentioned Acts 20. 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. Phil. 1.1 and
choose a certain person to be her Husband and the Minister or Magistrate solemnize their Marriage without any mention of such Governing Power the Power doth nevertheless belong to the man because God hath specified by his Law the Power of that Relation and the man is Lawfully put in the Relation that by the Law of God hath such a Power so is it in the case in hand Sect. 107. But yet 2. I add that the Prelates and the Laws of England gave to Presbyters a Power of Ordination For in all their Ordinations the Presbyters were to lay on hands with the Prelate and did in all Ordinations that I have seen And if they actually imposed hands and so Ordained it was an actual profession to all that they were supposed to have the power of Ordination which they exercised Sect. 108. Obj. But they had no Power given them to do it without a Prelate Answ. 1. By Christ they had 2. You may as well say that Bishops have no Power to Ordain because they were not ordinarily at least to do it without the Presbyters Sect. 109. Obj. Saith the foresaid Learned Author Dissert Praemonit sect 10.11 Vnum illud lubens interrogarem an Hieronymus dum hic esset Presbyteratu secundario fungeretur partiariâ tantum indutus potestate praesente sed spreto insuper habito Episcopo Diaconum aut Presbyterum ordinare aut Presbytero uni aut alteri adjunctus recte potuerit si affirmetur dicatur sodes qua demum ratione ab eo dictum sit Episcopum sola ordinatione ergo ordinatione à Presbytero disterminatum esse sin negetur quomodo igitur Presbytero Anglicano cui nullam quae non Hieronymo potestatem c. Answ. 1. This is none of our case in England we Ordain not praesente sed spreto Episcopo but most Countreyes know of no Bishop that they have but Presbyters 2. Hierom might have Ordained with his fellow-presbyters according to the Laws of Christ but not according to the Ecclesiastical Canons that then obtained or bore sway 3. Hierom plainly tells you that it is by Ecclesiastical appointment for the prevention of schisme that Bishops were set up so far as to have this power more then Presbyters in the point of Ordination 4. The English Presbyters are Parochial Bishops and have an Office of Christs making and not of the Prelates and are not under those Ecclesiastical Canons that restrained Hierom from the exercise of this power And therefore whereas it is added by this Learned Author Quid huic dilemmati reponi aut opponi possit fateor equidem me non adeo Lynceum esse ut perspiciam he may see that he could scarce have set us an easier task then to answer his dilemma Sect. 110. The second and their principal objection is that We have no precept or example in the Church for Presbyters Ordaining without Prelates therefore it is not to be done Answ. 1. I told you before how Bishop Vsher told me he answered this Objection to King Charlâ— viz. from the example of the Church of Alexandria where Presbyters made Bishops which is more Sect. 111. But 2. I answer you haue no example in Scripture or long after that ever Prelates of the English sort did ordain nor any precept for it nor was such a Prelacy then known as is proved and therefore their Ordination hath less warrant then that by Pretbyters Sect. 112. And 3. I have told you before of Scripture warrant for Ordination by a Presbyterie and also by the Teachers and other Officers of a single Church as was the Church of Antioch Prove that there was any Bishop Sect. 113. Lastly it is confessed by the Dissenters that such Presbyters or Bishops as are mentioned Act. 20. Phil. 1.1 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1 c. had power of Ordination But according to the judgement of most of the Fathers that ever I saw or heard of that interpret those texts it is Presbyters that are meant in all or some of those texts It is granted us also by the Dissenters that the chief or sole Pastors of single Churches in Scripture-times did ordain and had the power of Ordination But the Presbyters of England and other Protestant Churches are the chief or sole Pastors of single Churches therefore c. Sect. 114. Object 3. But the English Presbyters have broak their Oaths of Canoical obedience and therefore at least are schismatical Answ. 1. Many never took any such oath to my knowledge For my part I did not 2. The particular persons that are guilty must be accused and neither must they be judged before they speak for themselves nor yet must others be condemned for their sakes In these parts there is not one Presbyter I think of ten who differs from the Prelates about Ordination that ever took that oath And therefore it is few that can be called Schismaticks on that account Yea 3. And those few that did take that Oath have few of them that I know of done any thing against the Prelates Sect. 115. Object 4. The English Presbyters have pull'd down the Prelates and rebelled against them and therefore at least are guilty of Schism Answ. 1. The guilty must be named and heard their case is nothing to the rest It is not one often I think perhaps of twenty that can be proved guilty 2. It was not the Scripture Bishops that they Covenanted against or opposed but only the irregular English Prelacy before described And the endeavour of reforming this corrupted Preâ—acy and reducing it to the Primitive frame is in it self no schism Sect. 116. Object 5. Ignatius commandeth them to obey the Bishops and do nothing without them Answ. 1. Ignatius also commandeth them to obey the Presbyters as the Apostles of Christ and to do nothing without them 2. The Bishops that Ignatius mentioneth were such as our Parish Bishops or Presbyters are that have a Presbyterie to assist them They were the chief Pastors of a single Church as is before proved out of Ignatius and not the Pastors of hundreds of Churches Sect. 117. I shall trouble the Reader with no more of their objections seeing by what is said already he may be furnished to answer them all but I shall now leave it to his impartial sober consideration whether I have not proved the truth of our Ministry and of the Reformed Churches and the Validity of our administrations and of our Ordination it self CHAP. VIII The greatness of their sin that are now labouring to perswade the People of the Nullity of our Ministry Churches and administrations Sect. 1. HAving laid so fair a ground for my application I think it my duty to take the freedom to tell those Reverend persons that oppose us in this point the Reasons why I dare not joyn with them and the guilt that I am perswaded they heap upon their own souls Wherein I protest it is not mine intent to make them odious or cast disgrace upon them for I do with
FIVE DISPUTATIONS OF Church-Government AND WORSHIP I. Whether it be Necessary or Profitable to the right Order or Peace of the Churches of England that we Restore the extruded Episcopacy Neg. II. Assert Those who Nullifie our present Ministry and Churches which have not the Prelatical Ordination and teach the People to do the like do incur the guilt of grievous Sin III. An Episcopacy desirable for the Reformation Preservation and Peace of the Churches IV. Whether a stinted Liturgie or Form of Worship be a desireable means for the Peace of these Churches V. Whether Humane Ceremonies be Necessary or Profitable to the Church By Richard Baxter LONDON Printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster and are to be sold by him there and by Thomas Iohnson at the Golden Key in St. Pauls Church-yard 1659. At 4. s. 6. d. bound To his Highness RICHARD Lord Protector OF THE Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland SIR THese Papers are ambitious of accompanying those against Popery into your Highness presence for the tender of their service and that upon the same account The Controversies here decided are those that have had a hand in most of the great transactions that of late years have here past and that still have a hand in the differences that hinder our desired peace I observe that the Nation generally rejoyceth in your peaceable entrance upon the Government And are affected with indignation if they hear but any rumors that troublesom persons would disturb their hopes And many are perswaded that you have been strangely kept from participating in any of our late bloody contentions that God might make you an Healer of our breaches and imploy you in that Templeâ—work which David himself might not be honoured with though it was in his mind because he had shed blood abundantly and made great wars 1 Chron. 22.7 8. I perceive also that some settlement of Church-affairs will be expected from you by the most And therefore it concerneth all our welfare that you be well acquainted with the state of those differences about which all will expect your judgement For my own part I think not that matters are half so far out of order in the Churches as most discontented men imagine But yet I know there is much to be mended wherein both God and most good men expect you should contribute a considerable part Some think there is no settlement in the Church till they are in the saddle and all their Brethren are become their servants and do them obeysance And alas we have those that take it for no settlement till they have the sword in their own hands or have engaged you to use it at their discretion and may again fill the Prisons or other Lands with their Brethren that are far better then themselves Those I mean that in their writings so glory that their predecessors hang'd the Puritans and lament that of late they were but silenced as being a less effectuall means Some would have no other settlement then we have or else would have Licentiousness settled by a Law and have unlimited Liberty in Religion Doubtless these are conscious what it is that they have need of If Heathens Infidels and Papists be but excepted out of the Toleration it displeaseth them And we can easily conjecture why If we grant them all the Liberty of their consciences that is of their mis-belief because alas we cannot cure it it satisfieth them not unless they may have also Liberty of tongue and Practise When I have heard and read the Reasonings of some of them against the Immortality of the soul and the Christian Religion it self I have wondered why they should take it for such a point of Liberty to have leave to draw others to their opinion when they seem to think that mens Happiness or Misery is no more concerned in it These are the men that tell the world that Magistrates have nothing to do with Religion but only with our Peace and Bodily welfare contrary to the fullest Testimony of the Scriptures Which is but to perswade men to esteem you as the dirt of the earth and to value the Ministry above the Magistracy as much as the Soul is better then the Body and as Heaven is better then this dunghill-world And for this odious doctrine they have no stronger reason then because that Heathen Princes are uncapable of deciding matters about Religion As if mens wilfull and wicked indisposition would change the office and disoblige both them and those that are guilty of no such unfitness from the obligations laid upon them by the Lord They may as wisely say that a sober Physitian is obliged to no more then a drunken one can perform or that a seeing man may do no more then the blind can do Or that a Learned Prince may not meddle with Learning because an unlearned Prince is unfit for it But any man that hath read Bellarmine Parsons Gretser or such like Jesuites may know the Fathers of this doctrine Nothing more familiar with them then that Princes have nothing to do but for our Bodies and the Common Peace but forsooth it is the Pope that must Rule all about our Souls The Libertines know whose cause they plead But verily men that regard the Interest of Christ and their salvation would set light by Princes if they believed them to be such terrestriall animals as Papists and Libertines would make them Some also there be that would have a settlement upon too rigorous terms though they would not have it executed with cruelty Most men would fain have their own opinions prevail and too many place too much of their Religion in censuring as Heterodox all that differ from them and think it an evidence of their Godliness that they are Uncharitable and seeing many minds and waies they think that punishment must heal them all Not that they would be driven to their Brethren but all their Brethren must be driven unto them In the midst of all these cross expectations if you will consult with and obey the Lord I dare boldly tell you it is past all doubt that you must avoid extreams and keep as tenderly the golden mean in this point as in any that concerns you If you give Liberty to All that is called Religion you will soon be judged of no Religion and loved accordingly If you so far close with any Party of them that walk in the faith of Christ and the fear of God as to deal rigorously with the rest you will be hated by them as a Persecutor And if men be oppressed in that which they value above their lives it will tempt them to neglect their lives for their relief If you joyn with no Church in the Lords Supper and other holy Communion lest you seem to espouse the party that you joyn with you will by most be judged to be carnally wise self-seeking and irreligious or one that is yet to seek for your Religion If you restrain all that
sort of Bishops it is that they mean And most of them are unable to give me a rational answer to either of the Questions But some that are wiser though they know no more sorts of Bishops but one yet they can say that by a Bishop they mean an Ecclesiastick Governour of Presbyters and the people And if so then why do they vilifie Bishops under the name of Presbyters I have here shewed you that if this be all then every Parish hath a Bishop where there is a Pastor that hath Chappels and Curates under him Or any two Ministers that will subject themselves to a third do make a Bishop You delude your selves and others while you plead only in general for Bishops We are all for Bâ—shops as well as you All the Question is What sort of Bishops they must be Whether only Episcopi gregis or also Episcopi Episcoporum gregis and if so Whether they must be Bishops of single Churches as our Parishes are or a multitude of Churches as Diocessâ—s are And if the last were granted Whether these be not properly Archbishops In all other parts of the Controversie I find that the followers of each party go much in the dark and take much upon trust from the Teachers whom they value and little understand the true state of our differences So that it is more by that common providence commonly called Good luck that some of them are Protestants or Christians then from any saving grace within them Had Papists or Mahometans but as much interest in them as the Bishops it is like they would have been as much for them As for those of you that know your own Opinions and the Reasons of them you must needs knâ—w that the Divines called Episcopal in England are of two sorts that very much differ from one another And therefore supposing you to be the followers of these differing Divines I shall accordingly furtheâ— speak to you as you are I. The Bishops of England and their followers from the first Reformation begun by King Edward the sixt and revived by Queen Elizabeth were sâ—und in Doctrine adhering to the Augustinian Method expressed now in the Articles and Homilies They differed not in any considerable points from those whom they called Puritans But it was in the form of Government and Liturgy and Ceremonies that the difference lay II. But of late years a new strain of Bishops were introduced differing much from the old yet pretending to adhere to the Articles and Homilies and to be Fathers of the same Church of England as the rest I know of none before B p Mountague of their way and but few that followed him till many years after And at the demolishing of the Prelacy they were existent of both sorts Would you know the difference If you have read the writings of B p Jewel Pilkington Alley Parry Babbington Baily Abbot Carlton Morton Usher Hall Davenant with such like on one side and the writings of the New Episcopal Divines that are now most followed on the other side I need not tell you the difference And if you will not be at the labour to know it by their writings its like that you will not believe it if I tell you For if you will take all on trust I must suspect that you will put your trust in them to whom you are addicted The New party of Episcopal Divines are also subdivided some of them are if their Defence of Grotius and Grotius his own Profession may be believed of Grotius his Religion that is Papists Others of them though they draw as neer the Grotians as Protestants may do yet own not Popery it self So that we have three notable parties of Episcopal Divines among us 1. The old Orthodox Protestant Bishops and their followers 2. The New Reconciling Protestant party 3. The New Reconciling Papists or Grotians A brief taste of the difference I will give you 1. The Old Episcopal party as I said in Doctrine agreed with the Non-conformist and held that Doctrine that now we find in the Articles and Homilies and in the Synod of Dort where B p Carlton B p Hall B p Davenant and three more Divines of this Nation were and had a great hand in the framing of those Canons and by consenting did as much to make them obligatory to us in England as commonly is done in General Councils by the Delegates of most Nations But the New Episcopal Divines both Protestants and Papists do renounce the Synod of Dort and the Doctrine of our Articles and Homilies so far as it is conform thereto in the points of Predestination Redemption Free-will Effectual Grace Perseverance and Assurance of Salvation following that Doctrine which is commonly maintained by the Iesuites and Arminians in these points 2. The Old Episcopal Divines did renounce the Pope as Antichrist and thought it the duty of the Transmarine Churches to renounce him and avoid communion with his Church as leprous and unfit for their communion But the New Episcopal Divines do not only hold that the Pope is not Antichrist but one part of them the Protestants hold that he may be obeyed by the Transmarine Western Churches as the Patriarch of the West and be taken by us all to be the Principium unitatis to the Catholick Church and the Roman Determinations still may stand except those of the last four hundred years and those if they obtrude them not on others So B p Bramhall and many more And M r Dow and others tell us that the Canon Law is still in force in England except some parts of it which the Laws af the Land have cast out And the Grotians teach that the Church of Rome is the Mistris of other Churches and the Pope to stand as the Head of the Vniversal Church and to Govern it according to the Canons and Decrees of Councils and they receive the Trent-Creed and Council and all other Councils which the Pope receives excepting only against some School-points and abuse of manners among the Papists which their Canons and Decrees condemn 3. The old Episcopal Divines did take Episcopacy to be better then Presbyterian Equality but not necâ—ssary to the Being of a Church but to the Better being where it may be had But the New Prelatical Divines of both sorts unchurch those Churches that are not Prelatical 4. The Old Episcopal Divines thought that Ordination by Presbyters without Prelates was valid and not to be done again though irregular But the New ones take it to be No Ordination nor those so ordained to be any Ministers but Lay-men 5. And accordingly the Old Episcopal Divines did hold the Forrein Protestant Churches of France Savoy Holland Geneva Helvetia c. that had no Prelates as true Churches and their Pastors as true Ministers of Christ and highly valued and honoured them as Brethren But the New sort do disown them all as no true Churches though they acknowledge the Church of Rome to be a true Church and their Ordination
jest I have heard before the King many a Sermon against Puritans which I judged impious but yet had this excuse that much of the auditory partly understood that it was not Piety as such that was directly reviled And so perhaps it might be in the Vniversities and some few intelligent auditories but so it was not among the common people through the Land A Puritan with them was of the same signification as a serious Christian is with me And if you bring the Land to an hatred of such as are called Christians and then say that by Christians you meant none but mad men seditious bloody c. you shall answer in earnest for spitting in the face of Christ in jest and that before him that will not take your jears or jingles or adding reproach unto reproach for a sufficient excuse I know also that the casting out of the Ministers of your way iâ— much that offendeth you concerning which I shall only say that I meet with none or very few that profess not their willingness that all men of your mind that truly fear God and are able and diligent should be kept in And if you be angry for the casting out of the ignorant insufficient negligent or scandalous there 's no remedy But be ashamed to reproach us for casting out such from the service of Christ as Julian the Apostate would have cast out from the Priesthood of his Idols and let us crave your leave to expect as much Devotion in the servants of Christ as he expected in his enemies Vid. Iulian. Oper. pag. 549 550 551 c. fragment Facessant itaque procul à nobis illeberales joci ac petulans omne colloquium In his occupanda sunt studia cum privatim tum publice Diis saâ—pe supplicandum est maxime quidem ter de die sin minus saltem diluculo ac sub vesperam Neque enim Sacerdotem decet diem ullum ac noctem sine sacrificio transigere Est autem ut initium diei diluculum ita noctis vespera Itaque rationi consentaneum est ut amborum intervallorum velut primitiae quaedam Diis consecrentur Equidem sic statuo sacerdotem oportere noctes atque dies puruâ— se ab omnibus integrum servantem p. 555. Non enim mediocriter adversus Deos delinquimus cum sacras vestes ostentamus omnium oculis tanquam miruâ— aliquid objicimus Ex quo id accidit ut cum multi ad nos impuri homines accedant sacra illa Deorum symbola contaminentur At vero nos sacerdotali uti veste nisi ut sacerdotibus dignum est vitam instituamus id ipsum noxas omnes criminum ac Deorum maxime contemptum in sese continet Ad obscaena illa theatrorum spectacula nullus omnino sacerdos accedat neque cum histrione ullo vel auriga vel saltatore sit amicitia conjunctus ad eorumve foras accedat Placeat eos ex omnibus constitui qui in Civitatibus optimi sunt imprimis quidem Dei deinde vero hominum amantissimos quosque sive pauperes sint sive divites p. 557. Duobus hisce praeditus sit ornamentis Religione erga Deum in homines benignitate Et Epist. 49. p. 203. Sed velim omnes nostros sacerdotes omnino qui Galatiam incolunt vel minis impellas vel ratione persuadeas ut sint honesti vel sacerdotali ministerio abdices si non una cum uxoribus liberis famulis Diis colendis sedulo animos attendant Deinde sacerdotem quemque hortare ne accedat ad spectacula neve in taberna bibat neu ' artem aliquam aut opificium turpe in â—ameve exerceat Et qui tibi in his rebus morem gerunt eis honorem tribuito qui autem resistunt expellito Leg. fragm Epist. 62. We crave your leave to use the Presbyters as strictly as Julian did these Priests and to expect as much piety and sobriety in them and that you will not condemn all those for Puritanism that will not be worse then this Apostate Pagan And for Discipline could we have any from your Episcopacy worth the naming we should be the more reconcilable to it But it hath not been nor it cannot be Common drunkards that were for twenty or thirty years together drunk usually once or twice a week and abundance as prophane in other kinds were the stated members of this Parish Church where now I live in the Bishops dayes and were safer from any trouble then the Puritans among them that would not imitate them Let me here mind you of two of the following Arguments which perswade us that your Prelacy is not of God because it is destructive of Discipline 1. When Episcopacy was first known in the Church every Presbyterie or Consessus Presbyterorum had a Bishop and every Presbyter had right to be a member of some such Presbyterie And seriously would you have all the Presbyters in a Diocess to be a Presbyterie where your Bishop must preside for the ordinary Government of the Diocess as one Church Are you strangers in England Or do you not know what abundance we have that in one Parish are every week scandalous by drunkenness cursing swearing railing or such like And can all the Pastors travail so far to the Presbyterie so frequently without neglecting their Pastoral work Or can all these people be perswaded without the Magistrates sword to travail so far to answer for their impiety Will they not tell us we have somewhat else to do Are we not like to make them wait seven years and seven before the most of them can have a tolerable tryal when so many hundred Parishes of which some one may have hundreds of obstinate scandalous persons must all go so far and have but one Iudicature 2. I beseech you give me leave but from Scripture and from Dr. Hammonds Paraphrase to lay before you the work of a Bishop and then tell me whether one man or ten or an hundred can do this work for one of our ordinary Diocess any more then one man can build a City 1. A Bishop must be the publick Teacher of all the flock which he is to Oversee And can one man undertake this for many score or hundred Churches 2. A Bishop must personally oversee and take care of all the flock as Ignatius speaks enquiring of each one by Name and can a Bishop know and personally instruct so many hundred Parishes These two parts of his Office I prove together Act. 20.20 I taught you publickly and from house to house 28. Take heed therefore to your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood 31. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears See Dr. Hammond on the Text who tells you that it is spoke to Bishops 1 Pet.
5.1 2 3. The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but as ensamples to the flock See Dr. Hammond expounding it as spoken to Bishops q. d. The Bishops of your several Churches I exhort take care of your several Churches and govern them not as secular Rulers by force NB but as Pastors do their sheep by calling and going before them that so they may follow of their own accord Heb. 13.7 Remember them that have the Rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God Dr. Hammond Paraphr Set before your eyes the Bishops and Governors that have been in your Church and preached the Gospel to you O all you Inhabitants of Yorkshire Lincolnshire Norfolk Suffolk Essex Middlesex Kent Worcestershire c. how many of your Parishes did ever hear a Bishop preach the Gospel to them Vers. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account D. H. Obey those that are set to Rule you in your several Churches the Bishops whose whole care is spent among you as being to give account of your proficiency in the Gospel O dreadful account for him that must give it for so many thousands whose faces he never saw and whose names he never heard much less did ever speak a word to them 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that Rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine see Dr. H. expounding it of Bishops 1 Thes. 5.12 And we beseech you Brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake Dr. H. Pay all due respects to the Bishops of your several Churches Tell us ye Parishes of England what labours have Bishops bestowed among you or how many of you have they admonished and which of them are you hence obliged to honour for their works sake and is it them or is it the Presbyters I mention none of this as blaming Bishops for negligence but as blaming them that will plead for and undertake an impossible task and after all with an hardened forehead will defend it with violence and separation from dissenters when so many ages have told the world to their faces that the undertaken task was never done 3. It is the work of Bishops to confirm the Baptized and is now made peculiar to them D. H. on Heb. 13. a. To teach exhort confirm and impose hands were all the Bishops office in that place And if so then the examining all the persons in a Diocess till they have just satisfaction that they are fit to be confirmed and the actuall Confirmation of them all will be a considerable task of it self 4. It is the Bishops work to exercise Discipline in the Church by admonishing the unruly and disorderly and hearing the case when the Church is told of those that have continued impenitent and openly to rebuke them and to cast them out by Excommunication if they remain impenitent and unreformed Dr. H. on Tit. 3.10 It is thy office and duty toward such an one first to admonish him once or twice and if that will not work upon him or reduce him then to set a mark upon him to inflict the censures on him and to appoint all men to break off familiar converse with him And O what abundance of work is this in the several parts even in one Parish much more in a Diocess see Dr. H. on Mat. 18.17 18. 5. It is the Bishops work to take the principal care of the poor and their stock or the contributions for them which contributions were made at every Assembly See Dr. H. on 1 Cor. 12.28 e. The supream trust and charge was reserved to the Apostles and Bishops of the Church So in the 41. Canon of the Apostles A Bishop must have the care of the monies so that by his Power all be dispensed to the poor by the Presbyters and Deacons and we command that he have in his Power the goods of the Church So Iustin Martyr Apol. 2. That which is gathered is deposited with the Prefect or Bishop and he helps relieves the Orphans and Widdows and becomes the Curator or Guardian to all absolutely NB that are in want So Ignatius to Polycarp After the Lord thou shalt be the Curator of the Widdows And Polycarp himself speaking of the Elders or Bishops They visit and take care of all that are sick not neglecting the Widdow the Orphan or the poor So Dr. H. read him further Remember this all you that are for our English Prelacy See that the Bishop be at once in every Parish in his Diocess to receive the contributions Or see that you put all into his hands and custody see that he take care of all the poor and widdows and orphans in all your Country and that all their monies be disbursed by him or his special appointment and be the common Overseer of the poor for his Diocess And when you and he have tryed this one seven years come then and tell us whether he will be any longer a Prelate or you will any longer be for Prelacy In the mean time judge in your Consciences by these passages of Antiquity cited by D. H. whether the antient Bishops had one Congregation or many score or hundred to be their Pastoral charge 6. Also it is a part of the Bishops work to visit the sick and pray with them and for them Iam. 5.14 Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him see Dr. H. that by Elders is meant the Bishops e. Because there is no Evidence whereby these inferiour Presbyters may appear to have been brought into the Churâ—h so early and because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the plural doth no way conclude that there were more of these Elders then one in each particular Church any more then that the sick man was bound to call for more then one and because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders of the Church was both in the Scripture stile and in the first writers the title of Bishops and lastly because the visiting of the sick is anciently mentioned as one branch of the Office of Bishops therefore it may very reasonably be resolved that the Bishops of the Church one in each particular Church but many in the Universal are here meant so far Dr. H. Remember all you that are all for Prelacy to send for the Bishop when you are sick every person in the Diocess according to this express command And if he would do his work by a Deputy remember that in all that Diocess which was the Bishops charge in the Scripture-times
belong to the Office of a Presbyter when yet he might not exercise it The Bishops in the Ordination of Presbyters enabled them to preach the Gospel And yet they were after that forbidden to preach till they had a License and it was put into the Visitation Articles to present those Ministers that preached without License If they will deny us the exercise of the Power that they first confess belongeth to our Office we are not answerable for their self-contradictions 2. By Discipline I suppose they mean but our Instruction and our publishing their Orders for Penance Excommunication or Absolution 3. They were the Judges of the sense of the Laws as far as the executâ—on required And the Vniversal Practice of England with their writings shewed us to our cost their judgement What good would it do us if the Law had been on our side while the Concurrent Iudgement and Practice of the Governors denyed it and went against it 4. He that had kept a man from the Sacrament according to the plain words of the Rubrick was to have been accountable for it at their Courts and so likely if he had been a man of serious piety and not a persecutor of Puritans to have been undone by it and was like to make so little of it as to the Ends of Discipline all men being compelled by the Presentments to receive the Sacrament that I never knew one to my best remembrance in 25 years time that I lived under the Bishops that was kept from the Sacrament except a Puritan that scrupled to take it kneeling And what was this to true Church-Government Sect. 17. Object But either they did it according to the established Law or not If they did the fault was in the Law and not in them If they did transgress the Law then the fault was in mens abuse and the Law and Order cannot be blamed Answ. A sad case to poor ignorant miserable souls that they must be left in obstinacy and deprived of Gods means of Reformation without Remedy because either the Law or Iudges must be excused The Iudges are the mouth of the Law to us that is Law in the issue to us which they unanimously call Law If the fault were in the Law it was time it should be altered if it was in the Bishops universally it was time they should be altered Let us but have a Remedy and enjoy Gods Ordinances which he that is the Churches Head and King hath appointed for our benefit and we have done Sect. 18. Object But may not Bishops when they Ordain Delegate what measure of Ministerial Power they please and if you never received more why should you use it Answ. A poor relief to the forsaken Church Deprive her of Government and then tell us that we had no power Is the Power desirable to us if the Ordinance were not desirable to the Church 2. What Power have Bishops and whence did they receive it to change the Office of Christs institution or his Apostles If so they may turn the three Orders which the Papists themselves say the Pope cannot alter into as many more Then they may create an Office for Baptizing only and another for the Lords Supper only and another for praying only and so of the rest which is worse then making Lay-elders or then taking away the Cup in the Sacrament Hath Christ by his Spirit instituted Church-offices and are they now at the Bishops power to transform them 3. If they had power to distribute the work in the exercise part to one and part to another yet they have no power to deprive the particular Churches of the whole or any part but one or more must do it and the Office must be the same and the power exercised to the edification and not the confusion and corruption of the Church Sect. 19. Object But the Keys were given only to the Apostles and not to the seventy Disciples nor to Presbyters Answ. 1. If the seventy were only Disciples and not Church-officers the Ancients and the English Bishops have been much mistaken that have so much urged it that Presbyters succeed them as Bishops do the Apostles But if they be Officers then they have the Keys 2. The Episcopal Divines even the Papists commonly confess that part of the Keys are given to the Presbyters and Christ gave them together 3. Were they given only to Apostles for themselves or to convey to others If to themselves only then no one hath them now If to convey to others then either to Apostles only as their Successors but there 's none such or to Patriarchs or Primates or Metropolitans or Archbishops only but none of this will please the Bishops or to Bishops only which I grant taking Bishops in the Scripture sense And I desire to see it proved that it was not a presumptuous Innovation in them whosoever they were that after the days of the Apostles Ordained a new sort of Presbyters in the Church that should have no power of the Keys 4. They that must use the Keys must have Power to use them But Parish Bishops must use them as the nature and necessity of the work doth prove Therefore Parish Bishops must have the Power If only one man in a Diocess of an hundred or two hundred Churches shall have the power of the Keys we may know after all the talk of Discipline what Discipline to expect Sect. 20. Object Why blame you Lay-chancellors Registers Proctors c. when you set up Lay-elders we are as well able to call Chancellors Ecclesiastical as you can call Lay-elders so Answ. I never pleaded for Lay-elders If other men erre will it justifie your error But I must tell you an unordained man in a single Parish having power only to assist the Pastor in Government is far unlike a Lay-Court to Govern all the Churches of a Diocess Sect. 21. Object Do not your Arguments against Bishops for excluding Discipline make as much for the casting out of Ministers of whom you complain in your Reformed Pastor for neglect of Discipline Ans. 1. The Nature of Prelacy as set up in England â—here only one man had the Government of so many Churches unavoidably excludeth it if the best men were Bishops till it be otherwise formed But the nature of a Parochial Episcopacy is fitted to promote it 2. Those Presbyters that I blamed for neglecting the higher acts of Discipline do yet keep away more prophane persons from the Lords Supper in some one Church then ever I knew kept away in all places under the Prelates 3. If Ministers sinfully neglect Discipline yet as Preachers and Guides in publick worship c. they are of unspeakable need and value to the Church But few Bishops of England preached ordinarily And 4. We are desirous that Bishops shall continue as Preachers but not as Diocesan excluders of Parochial Church-Discipline Sect. 22. Object By pretending to agree with them that say there were no Presbyters in Scripture times you would put down
Institution not by inspired Apostles but by Ordinary Bishops then 1. They make all Presbyters to be jure Episcopali and Bishops only and their Superiours to be jure Divino as the Italians in the Council of Trent would have had all Bishops to depend upon the Pope But in this they go far beyond them for the Italian Papists themselves thought Presbyterie jure Divino 2. Either they may be changed by Bishops who set them up or not If they may be taken down again by man then the Church may be ruined by man and so the Bishops will imitate the Pope Either they will Reign or Christ shall not Reign if they can hinder it Either they will lead the Church in their way or Christ shall have no Church If man cannot take them down then 1. It seems man did not Institute them for why may they not alter their own institutions 2. And then it seems the Church hath universal standing unchangeable Institutions Offices and binding Laws of the Bishops making And if so are not the Bishops equal to the Apostles in Law making and Church Ordering and are not their Laws to us as the word of God and that word insufficient and every Bishop would be to his Diocess and all to the whole Church what the Pope would be to the whole 3. Moreover how do they prove that ever the Apostles gave power to the Bishops to institute the order of Presbyterie I know of no text of Scripture by which they can prove it And for Tradition we will not take every mans word that saith he hath tradition for his conceits but we require the proof The Papists that are the pretended keepers of Tradition do bring forth none as meerly unwritten but for their ordines inferiores and many of them for Bishops as distinct from the Presbyters but not for Presbyters themselves And Scripture they can plead none For if they mention such texts where Paul bids Titus ordain Elders in every City c. they deny this to be meant of Elders as now but of Prelates whom Titus as the Primate or Metropolitane was to ordain And if it be meant of Elders then they are found in Scripture and of Divine Apostolical Institution 4. If they were Instituted by Bishops after the Scripture was written was it by one Bishop or by many If by one then how came that one to have Authority to impose a new Institution on the universal Church If by many either out of Council or in if out of Council it was by an accidental falling into one mind and way and then they are but as single men to the Church and therefore still we ask how do they bind us If by many in Council 1. Then let them tell us what Council it was that Instituted Presbyterie when and where gathered and where we may find their Canons that we may know our order and what Auâ—hors mention that Council 2. And what authority had that Council to bind all the Christian world to all ages If they say it bound but their own Churches and that age then it seems the Bishops of England might for all that have nulled the Order of Presbyters there But O miserable England and miserable world if Presbyters had done no more for it then Prelates have done I conclude therefore that the English Prelacy either degraded the Presbyters or else suspended to ally an essential part of their office for themselves called them Rectors and in ordaining them said Receive the Holy Ghâ—st Whose sins thou dost remit they are remitted whose sins thou dost retain they are retained And therefore they delivered to them the Power of the Keyes of opening and shutting the Kingdom of Heaven which themselves make to be the opening and shutting of the Church and the Governing of the Church by Excommunication and Absolution And therefore they are not fit men to ask the Presbyters By what authority they Rule the Church by binding and loosing when themselves did expresly as much as in them lay confer the Power on them And we do no more then what they bid us do in our Ordination Yea they thereby make it the very work of our office For the same mouth at the same time that bid us tâ—ke authority to preach the word of God did also tell us that whose sins we remit or retain they are remitted or retained and therefore if one be an Essential or true integral part at least of our office the other is so too From all which it is evident that if there were nothing against the English Prelacy but only this that they thus suspend or degrade all the Presbyters in England as to one half of their offâ—ce it is enough to prove that they should not be restored under any pretence whatsoever of Order or Unity Argum. 5. THat Episcopacy which giveth the Government of the Chuâ—ch and management of the Keys of Excommunication and Absolution into the hands of a few Layâ—men while they take them from the Presbyters is nâ—t to be restored under any pretence of Vnity or Peace But such was the English Prelacy therefore c. The Major is plain because it is not Lay-men that are to be Church Governours as to Ecclesiastical Government This is beyond Question with all save the Congregational and they would not have two or three Lay men chosen but the whole Congregation to manage this business The Minor is known by common experience that it was the Chancelor in hâ—s Court with his assiâ—â—ants and the Register and such other meer Lay-men that managed this work If it be said that they did it as the Bishops Agents and Substitutes and therefore it was he that did it by them I answer 1. The Law put it in the Chancellors and the Bishopâ— could not hinder it 2. If the Bishops may delegate others to do their work then it seems Preaching and Ruling Excommunicaâ—ing and Abâ—olving may as well be done by Lay-men as Clergy men Then they may commission them also to administer the Sacraments And so the Ministry is not necessary for any of these works but only a Bishop to depute Lay-men to do them which is false and confusive Argum. 6. THat Episcopacy whâ—ch necessarily overwhelmeth the souls of the Bishops with the most hainous guilt of neglecting the many thousand souls whose charge they undertake is not to be restored for Order or Peace For men are not to be oveâ—whelmed with such hainous sin on such pretences But such is the English Prelacy and that not accidentally through the badness of the men only but unavoidably through the greatness of their charge and the Natural Impossibility of their undertaken work How grievous a thing it is to have the blood of so many thousands charged on â—hem may soon appear And that man that undertakes himself the Government of two or three or five hundred thousand souls that he never seeth or knoweth nor can possibly so Govern but must needs leave it undone except the shadow
no peculiar Diocess of Paul Sect. 14. And 3. We still find that there were more then one of these general itinerant Ministers in a Place or at least that no one excluded others from having equal power with him in his Province where ever he came Barnabas Silas Titus Timotheus Epaphroditus and many more were fellow-labourers with Paul in the same Diocess or Province and not as fixed Bishops or Presbyters under him but as General Ministers as well as he We never read that he said to any of the false Apostles that sought his contempt This is my Diocess what have â—ou to do to play the Bishop in another mans Diocess Much less did he ever plead suâ—h a Power against Peter Barnabas or any Apostolical Minister Nor that Iames pleaded any such prerogative at Ierusalem Sect. 15. And therefore though we reverence Eusebius and other Ancients that tell us of some Apostles Diocesses we take them not as infallible reporters and have reason in these points partly to deny them credit from the word of God The Churches that were planted by any Apostle or where an Apostle was longest resident were like enough to reckon the series of their Pastors from him For the founder of a Church is a Pastor of it though not a fixed Pastor taking it as his peculiar charge but delivering it into the hands of such And in this sence we have great reason to understand the Catalogues of the Antients and their affirmations that Apostles were Bishops of the Churches For Pastors they were but so that they had no peculiar Diocess but still went on in planting and gathering and confirming Churches Whereas the Bishops that were setled by them and are said to succeed them had their single Churches which were their peculiar charge They had but one such charge or Church when the Apostles that lead in the Catalogues had many yet none so as to be limited to them And why have we not the Diocess of Paul and Iohn and Mathew and Thomas and the rest of the twelve mentioned as well of Peter and Iames Or if Paul had any it seems he was compartner with Peter in the same City contrary to the Canons that requireth that there be but one Bishop in a City Sect. 16. It s clear then that the English Bishops were not such Apostolical unfixed Bishops as the Itinerants of the first age were And yet if they were I shall shew in the next Argument that it s nothing to their advantage because Archbishops are nothing to our question And that they were not such as the fixed Bishops of Scripture times I am next to prove Sect. 17. The fixed Bishops in the Scripture times had but a single Congregation or particular Church for their Pastoral Charge But our English Bishops had many if not many hundred such Churches for their charge therefore our English Bishope were not of the same sort with those in Scripture The Major I have proved in the former Disputation The Minor needs no proof as being known to all that know England Sect. 18. And 2. The fixed Bishops in the Scripture times had no Presbyters at least of other particular Churches under them They Governed not any Presbyters that had other associated Congregations for publick Worship But the English Bishops had the Presbyters of other Churches under them perhaps of hundreds therefore they are not such as the Scripture Bishops were There is much difference between a Governour of People and a Governour of Pastors Episcopus gregis Episcopus Episcoporum is not all one None of us saith Cyprian in Concil Carthagin calleth himself or takes himself to be Episcopum Episcoporum No fixed Bishops in Scripture times were the Pastors of Pastors as least of other Churches Sect. 19. This I suppose I may take as granted de facto from the Reverend Divine whom I have cited in the foregoing Disputation that saith Annotat. in Art 11. that Although this Title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders have been also extended to a second order in the Church and now iâ— only in use for them under the name of Presbyters yet in the Scripture-times it belonged principally if not alone to Bishops there being no Evidence that any of that second Order were then instituted though soon after before the writing 〈◊〉 â—gnatius Epistles there were such instituted in all Churches So that he granteth that de facto there were then no Presbyters but Bishops and that they were not instituted and therefore Bishops had no such Presbyters to Govern nor any Churches but a single Congregation For one Bishop could guide but one Congation at once in publick worship and there could be no Worshipping Congregations in the sence that now we speak of without some Presbyter to guide them in performance of the worship Sect. 20. So saith the same Learned man Dissertat 4. de Episcop page 208 209. in quibus plures absque dubio Episcopi â—uere nullique adhuc quos hodie dicimus Presbyteri And therefore he also concludeth that the Churches weâ—e then Governed by Bishops assisted by Deacons without Presbyters instancing in the case of the Church of Ierusalem Act. 6. and alledging the words of Clem. Roman 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. How Grotius was confident that Clemens was against their Episcopacy shewed before To the same purpose he citeth the words of Clemens Alexandrinus in Euseb. of Iohn the Apostle concluding Ex â—is ratio constat quare sine Presâ—yterorum mentione intervenientâ— Episcopis Diaconi immediate adjiciantur quia scilicet in singulis Macedoniae civitatibus quam vis Episcopus esset nondum Presbyteri constituti sunt Diaconis tantum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ubique Episcopis adjunctis Dissertat 4 cap. 10. Sect. 19 20 21. So also cap. 11. Sect. 2. alibi passim Sect. 21. Object But though de facto there were no Bishopâ—â—uling Presbyters then nor ruling any more then a single Worshâ—pâ—ing Church yet it was the Intention of the Apostles that they should afterwards enlarge their Diocess and take the care of many Churches and that they should ordain that soâ—t of subject Presbyters that were not instituted in Scripture-times Answ. Do you prove the secret Intention of the Apostles to be for such a Mutation and then we shall be satisfied in that But till then it is enough to us that we have the same Government that de facto was set up by the Apostles and exercised in Scripture times And that it s granted us that the office was not then instituted which we deny For it is the office of such subject Presbyters having no Power of Ordination that we deny Sect. 22. Object But though in Scripture times there were no Bishops over many Churches and Presbyters yet there were Archbishops that were over many Answ. Because this objection contains their strength I shall answer it the more fully And 1. If there were no subject Presbyters in those times then Archbishops could rule none But there were
under them have power of Ordination But very many English Pastors at this day have Presbyters under them therefore they have Power of Oâ—dination By Presbyters I mean not men of another office but gradually inferiour in the saâ—e office The Major is proved ad hominem from the Concessions of the Dissenters For though I rarely meet in their disputations for Bishops with any Definition of a Bishop yet This is it that they most commonly give us as the Essential difference of a Bishop that he is one that is over Presbyters Yea this agâ—eeth with their higher sort of Bishops that they say were in the Church in Ignatius daies when subject Presbyters were instituted and therefore those Pastors may ordain that are of that higher sort of Bishops Sect. 14. The Minor is notorious Many of our Pastors in Market Towns and other large Parishes have a curate with them in the same Congregation and one or two or more Curates at several Chappels of ease that are in the Parish And these are under them 1. De facto being chosen and brought in by them Ruled by them and paid by them and removed by them 2. De jure the Bishops and Laws of the Land allowed this Sect. 15. Argument 5. The stated or fixed President of a Presbyterie may Ordain with his fellow Presbyters But many of our Parish Pastors are the fixed Presidents of Presbyteries therefore they may ordain The Major I take for granted by all that stand to the Ordinary descriptions of a Bishop For the stated President of a Presbyterie is not only a Bishop in the judgement of Forbes Bishop Hall Bishop Vsher and such other but is indeed the Primitive Bishop in their judgement and such a Bishop in whom they would rest satisfied and do propose such for the Churches Peace Sect. 16. And the Minor is notorious For 1. In the most of our ordered Churches there is a Presbyterie of Ruling Ecclesiastick Elders 2. In many there are divers preaching Presbyters which may satisfie them that are against meer ruling Elders as I shewed before And if these be not inferiour to the chief Pastor in Ecclesiastical Degree yet they are his Compresbyters and he is in all Parishes that I know where Curates or Assistants are their stated President or Moderator so that we have in all such Congregations according to the doctrine of the Bishops themselves not only such Bishops as were in the Apostles days when there was no subject Presbyters but also such Bishops as were in Ignatius daies when the fixed President or Bishop had many Presbyters to whom he was the President or Moderator Sect. 17. Yea if you will make his Negative voice Essential to a Bishop which Moderate Episcopal men deny yet commonly this agreeth to such Parish Bishops as have Curates under them For in the Presbyterie they have ordinarily a Negative Voice Sect. 18. Yea where there are no such Presbyteries with a President it is yet enough to prove him a Bishop that he hath Deacons under him or but one Deacon saith Dr. H H. Annotat in Act. 11. b. When the Gospel was first preached by the Apostles and but few converted they ordained in every City and Region no more but a Bishop and one or more Deacons to attend him there being at the present so small store out of which to take more and so small need of Ordaining more Sect. 19. Argument 6. The Moderator or President of many Pastors of particular Churches assembled may Ordain and his Ordination is Valid But such a Moderator or President is ordinarily or frequently One in our Ordinations therefore they are Valid The Major is granted by many of the Dissenters and all their principles I think do infer it For such a one is a Bishop not only of the Apostolical institution Nor only such as was in Ignatius days but such an Archbishop as next afterward sprung up When it is not only one Church and its Presbyters that are under him but the Presbyters or Bishops of many Churches that he is Moderator or President of methinks those that are for the highest Prelacy should not deny the Validity of his Ordination Sect. 20. But two things will be here objected The one is that he was not consecrated to this Presidency or Moderatorship by Bishops To which I answer 1. That Consecration is not of Necessity to such a Bishop according to the principles of Episcopal Divines it being no new Office or Order that they are exalted to but a new Degree Ordination which was received when they were made Presbyters may suffice and is not to be iterated 2. The Election of the Presbyters served as Hiâ—rom testifyeth in the Church of Alexandria therefore it may serve now of which more anon 3. He is chosen by true Bishops as is shewed Sect. 21. The other Objection is that our Presidents are but pro tempore and therefore are not Bishops To which I answer 1. That in some Places they are for a long time and in some for an uncertain time Dr. Twiss was Moderator of the Synod at Westminster for many years together even durante vita and Mr. Hâ—rle after him was long Moderator The London Province hath a President for many moneths even from one Assembly to another 2. I never yet met with an Episcopal Divine that maintained that it was essential to a Bishop to be such duâ—rante vita I am sure it is not commonly asserted If a man be made the Bishop of such or such a Diocess for one and twenty years or for seven years it will be said to be irregular but I know none of them that have averred it to be so great an Error as nullifieth his Power and administrations And if it may stand with the Being of Episcopacy to be limited to seven years then also to be limited to seven moneths or seven weeks or days Especially when as usually with us they fix no time at the first Election but leave it to the liberty of the next Assembly to continue or to end his power Let them prove that affirm it that duration for life is essentiall to a Bishop Sect. 22. Argument 7. Where all these forementioned qualifications of the Ordainer do concur viz. 1. That he be the Pastor of a particular Church and the chief Pastor of it and the Pastor of a City Church and have Deacons and Presbyters under him and be the fixed President of a Presbyterie and the Moderator or President of a larger Presbyterie of the Pastors of many Churches there according to the principles even of the râ—gider sort of Dissenters the Ordination is valid But all these forementioned qualifications do frequently concur to some of our present Ordainers in England therefore even according to the more rigid Dissenters their Ordination is Valid The premises are so plain that they need no confirmation Sect. 23. Argument 8. Ordination by a Presbyterie is Valid But in England and other Reformed Churches we have Ordination by a Presbyterie therefore
our Ordination is Valid The Major is proved from 1. Tim. 4.14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given theâ— by Prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Pres-Presbyterie Also from Act. 13.1 2 3. They were the Prophets and Teachers of the Church of Antioch that imposed hands on Barnabas and Saul whether it were for their first Ordination to the Office or only for a particular Mission I now dispute not The Church of Antioch had not many Prelates if any but they had many Prophets and Teachers and these and none but these are mentioned as the Ordainers As for them that say these were the Bishops of many Churches of Syria when the Text saith they all belonged to this Church of Antioch they may by such presumptuous contradictions of Scripture say much but prove little Sect. 24. As for them that grant us that there were no subject Presbyters instituted in Scripture-times and so expound the Presbyterie here to be only Apostles and Bishops of the higher order I have shewed already that they yield us the Cause though I must add that we can own no new sorâ— of Presbyterie not instituted by Christ or his Apostles But for them that think that Prelates with subject Presbyters were existent in those times they commonly expound this Text of Ordination by such subject Presbyters with others of a Superior rank or degree together Now as to our use it is sufficient that hence we prove that a Presbyterie may ordain and that undeniably a Presbyterie consisted of Presbyters and so that Presbyters may ordain This is commonly granted us from this Text. That which is said against us by them that grant it is that Presbyters did Ordain but not alone but with the Bishops Sect. 25. But 1. if this were proved it s nothing against us for if Presbyters with Bishops have power to Oâ—dain then it is not a work that is without the reach of their Office but that which belongeth to them and therefore if they could prove it irregular for them to Ordain without a Bishop yet would they not prove it Null Otherwise they might prove it Null if a Bishop Ordain without a Presbyterie because according to this Objection they must concur 2. But indeed they prove not that any above Presbyters did concur in Timothies Ordination whatever probability they may shew for it And till they prove it we must hold so much as is proved and granted Sect. 26. As for 2 Tim. 1.6 it is no certain proof of it It may be Imposition of hands in Confirmation or for the first giving of the Holy Ghost after Baptism ordinarily used by the Apostles that is there spoken of which also seemeth probable by the Apostles annexing it to Timothies Faith in which he succeeded his Mother and Grandmother and to the following effects of the Spirit of Power and of Love and of a sound mind which are the fruits of Confirming Grace admonishing hâ—m that he be not ashamed of the Testimony of our Lord which is also the fruit of Confirmation However the pâ—obâ—bility go they can give us no certainty that Paul or any Apostle had an hand in the Ordination here spoken of when the Text saith that it was with the laying on of the hands of the Presbâ—terie we must judge of the office by the name and therefore 1. we are sure that there were Presbyters 2. And if there were also any of an higher rank the Phrase encourageth us to believe that it was as Presbyters that they imposed hands in Ordination Sect. 27. Argument 9. If Bishops and Presbyters as commonly distinguished do differ only Gradu non Ordine in Degree and not in Order that is as being not of a distinct office but of a more honourable Degree in the same office then is the Ordination of Presbyters valid though without a Bishop of that higher Degree But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the Consequent The Antecedent is maintained by abundance of the Papists themselves much more by Protestants The reason of the Consequence is because ad ordinem pertinet ordinarâ— Being of the same office they may do the same work This Aâ—gument Bishop Vsher gave me to prove that the Ordination of meer Presbyters without a Prelate is valid when I askt him his Judgement of it Sect. 28. Argument 10. If the Prelates and the Laws they went by did allow and require meer Presbyters to Ordain then must they grant us that they have the Power of Ordination But the Antecedent is true as is well known in the Laws and common Practice of the Prelates in Ordaining divers Presbyters laid on hands together with the Bishop and it was not the Bishop but his Chaplain commonly that examined and approved usually the Bishop came forth and laid his hands on men that he never saw before or spoke to but took them as he found them presented to him by his Chaplain so that Presbyters Ordained as well as he and therefore had power to Ordain Sect. 29. If it be Objected that they had no power to Ordain without a Bishop I answer 1. Nor a Bishop quoad exercitium without them according to our Laws and Customs at least â—â—â—ually 2. Ordaining with a Bishop proveth them to be Ordainers and that it is a work that belongeth to the order or office of a Presbyter or else he might not do it at all any more then Deacons or Chancellors c. may And if it be but the work of a Presbyters office it is not a Nullity if Presbyters do it without a Prelate if you could prove it an irregularity Sect. 30. Argument 11. If the Ordination of the English â—relates be valid then much more is the Ordination of Presbyters as in England and other Reformed Churches is in use But the Ordination of English Prelates is valid I am sure in the judgement of them that we dispute against therefore so is the Ordination of English Presbyters much more Sect. 31. The reason of the Consequence is because the English Prelates are more unlike the Bishops that were fixed by Apostolical Institution or Ordination then the English Presbyters are as I have shewed at large in the former Disputation the Scripture Bishops were the single Pastors of single Churches personally guiding them in the worship of God and governing them in presence and teaching them by their own mouths visiting their sick administring Sacraments c. And such are the English Presbyters But such are not the late English Prelates that were the Governors of an hundred Churches and did not personally teach them guide them in worship govern them in presence and deliver them the Sacraments but were absent from them all save one Congregation These were unliker to the Scripture fixed Bishops described by Dr. H. H. then our Presbyters are therefore if they may derive from them a Power of Ordination or from the â—aw that instituted them then Presbyters may do so much more Sect. 32. Argument 12.
more have Ministers Ordained by Presbyters a lawfull call to their Ministry But the Prelates say that they had a lawfull Call to their Prelacy therefore c. The reason of the Consequence which only will be denyed is 1. Because the Presbyters are Ordained to an Office that is of Christs Institution but the Prelates are Consecrated to an Office that is not of Christs Institution but against it and against the light of Nature in taking on them the impossible Government of an hundred or many hundred Churches as was shewed in the former Disputation 2. Because the Prelates hold an uninterrupted Succession of Legitimate Ordination necessary to the Being of their Prelacie I mean such as now we dispute against hold this but so do not the Presbyters The said dissenting Prelates are still upon their Nâ—mo dat quod non habet which therefore we may urge upon them And 1. They cannot prove an uninterrupted Succession themselves on whom it is incumbent according to their principles if they will prove their Call 2. We can prove that they are the successors of such as claimed all their Power from the Roman Vicechrist and professed to receive it from him and hold it of him as the Catholick Head and so that their Ordination comes from a seat that hath had many interruptions and so had no power of Ordination by their Rule For when the succession was so oft and long interrupted Nemo dat quod non habet and therefore all that followed must be usurpers and no Popes and those that received their Offices from them must be no Officers But the Presbyters that Ordain will give a better proof of their Call then this Sect. 61. Argument 19. Where the Office is of Gods Institution and the persons are endued with Ministerial abilitities and are Orderly and duly designed and separated to the Office of the sacred Ministry there are true Ministers and Valid administrations But all these are found in the Reformed Churches that have Ordination without Prelates therefore c. The Major is undenyable as containing a sufficient enumeration of all things necessary to the Being of the Ministry Sect. 62. The Minor is proved by parts 1. That the Offiâ—e of a Presbyter is of divine institution is confessed by most And I suppose those that deny it to be of Scripture insâ—iâ—ution will yet have it to be Divine But if they deny that yet it sufficeth us that it is the same officer that they call a Bishop and we a Presbyter that is the chief Pastor of a particular Church Sect. 63. 2. And that the persons are duly or competenly qualified for the Ministry nothing but Ignorance Faction and Malicâ— that ever I heard of do deny Supposing the humane frailties that make us all insufficient gradually for these things The Ignorant that know not what the Ministerial qualifications are do judge as carnal interest leadeth them The Factious rail at all that be not of their mind Grotius thought the opinions of the Calvinists made them unfit materials for the Catholick Edifice that by his Pacification he was about to frame So do most other Sects reject those as unworthy that suit not with their minds And malice whether â—nâ—mated by Heresie Prophaness or Carnal interest will easily find faults and unweariedly slander and reproach But besides such I meet with none that dare deny the competent abilities of these Ministers Sect. 64. And 3. That the persons are Orderly and duly separated to the work of the Ministry is thus proved Where there is a separation to the Ministry by mutual Consent of the person and the flock and by the Magistrates authority and by the Approbation and Investiture of the fittest Ecclesiastical officers that are to be had there is an orderly and due separation to the Ministry But all this is to be found in the Ordination used in England and other Reformed Churches without Prelates therefore c. This proves not only the Validity of their Ordination but the full Regularity Sect. 65. God himself as hath been shewed doth by his Law appoint the Office of the Ministry imposing the duty upon the person that shall be called and giving him his power by that Law And then there is nothing to be done but to detertermine of the person that is to receive this power and solemnly to put him in Possession by Investiture Now the principal part of the former work is done also by God himself by his Qualifying the person with his eminent Gifts and giving him opportunities and advantages for the Work So that the people and Odainers have no more to do but to find out the man that God hath thus qualified and to elect approve and invest him and usually he is easily found out as a candle in the night So that the two great acts by which God maketh Ministers is his Instituting Law that makes the office and his Spiritual and Naturall Endowments given to the person which the Church is but to find out and call into use and exercise And therefore we may still truly say that the Holy Ghost maketh Pastors or Overseers of the Church as well as formerly he did Act. 20.28 because he giveth them their Gifts though not such Miraculous Gifts as some then had By his common Gifts of Knowledge and Utterance and his special Gifts of Grace it is the spirit that still makes Ministers and still Christ giveth Pastors to the Church Sect. 66. It is therefore to be noted that Eph. 4.6 7 8 11 the way of Christs giving officers to his Church is said to be by giving Gifts to men and the diversity of Offices is founded in the diversity of the Measure of Grace or these Gifts To every one of us is given Grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore he saith Ascending on high he led captivity 〈◊〉 and gave Gifts to men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And he gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Tâ—â—chers So that giving Gifts and giving Apostles Prophets c. are here made the same work of God Not that 〈…〉 and Approbation of these gifts is hereby made unnecessary but 〈◊〉 this is Gods principal act by which â—e giveth Pastors and Teachers to the Church and by which the Officers aâ—e distinguished For the Church is to discern and submit to those that are thus gifted and to follow the Spirit and not either contraâ—ict or lead him When God hath thus gifted men the main wâ—rk is done for making them Ministers iâ— withall he give tâ—em opportunities and advantages for the work and it is the Churches Duty â—o Own and Approve these Gifts of God and to do their parts to introduce the person And if the Ordainers refuse this in case of Necessity the gifted person is bound to improve his Gifts without them I say in case of Necessity using the best Order that is left Sect. 67. This being premised I come to the Argument § 64. And the
as some of our Parishes and such other Churches are but for the may be and not for the must be And therefore if they be peaceable this will make no breach § 12. 2. That Parochial Churches and Associations have fixed Presidents is nothing contrary to any of their Principles as far as I am able to discern them § 13. 3. That Pastors may be lawfully appointed to visit and help the Country and the neighbour Churches and exhort them to their duty and give the Magistrate information of their state is a thing that none can justly blame any more then preaching a Lecture among them Nor do I know any party that is against it of these four § 14. And 4. That there may be more General Ministers to gather and take care of many Churches I think none of them will deny Sure the â—tinerant Ministers in Wales will not Nor yet that these may have their Provinces distinguished If I could imagine which of all these sorts would be denied I would more fully prove it yea and prove it consistent with the Principles of each party but till then its vain § 15. The only point that I remember like to be questioned is the consenting to forbear Ordination in several Presbyteries till the President be one except in case of Necâ—ssity And nothing is here questionable that I observe but only Whether it be consistent with the Principles of the Congregational party seing they would have all Ordination to be by the Elders of their own Church and where there are none that it be done by the people without Elders To which I answer 1. That we here grant them that a Congregational Presbyterie with their President may ordain an Elder for that Congregation 2. The Moderate Congregational men do grant us that the Elders or Pastors of other Churches may lawfully be called to assist them in Ordination though they think it be not necessary It is not therefore against their Principles to do so For sure they may do a Lawful thing especially when the Churches Peace doth lie so much upon it as here it doth § 16. I conclude therefore that here are healing Principles brought to your hands if you have but healing inclinations to receive them Here is a sufficient remedy for our Divisions upon the account of Church-government if you have but hearts to entertain them and apply them But if some on one side will adhere to all their former excesses and abuses and continue impenitent unchurching the best of the Protestant Churches that are not Prelatical while they unchurch not the Church of Rome And if others on the other side will stifly refuse to yield in things that cannot be denied to be lawfull yea and convenient for the Churches and set more by all their own conceits then by the Peace of Brethren and consequently the prosperity of the Church we must leave the care of all to God and content our selves that we have done our duty CHAP. VII Some instances to prove that moderate men will agree upon the foregoing terms § 1. LEST any think that it is a hopeless work that I have motioned and the parties will not agree upon these terms I shall shall next prove to you that the godly and moderate of each party are agreed already at least the Episcopal and Presbyterians and I think the rest and that its in Practice more then Principles that we disagree § 2. I. I will begin with the Episcopal Divines of whom there ate two parties differing much more from one another then the one of them doth from the Presbyterians The ancient Bishops and the moderate of late did maintain the Validity of Ordination by Presbyters and own the Reformed Churches that had other supposing their Episcopacy usefull to the perfection or well being of a Church but not necessary to the being of it And this sort of men who also agree with us in doctrine we could quickly be reconciled with But of late years there are many Episcopal Divines sprung up that embracing the Doctrine called Arminianism do withal deny the Being of the Ministry and Churches that want Prelatical ordination and with these there is no hope of concord because they will have it on no other terms then renouncing our Churches and Ministry and being again ordained by them and thus coming wholly over to them These separate from us and pretend that our Churches have no true Worship wonderous audacity and our Ministers are no true Ministers and call the Church into private houses as D. Hide expresly in his Christ and his Church in the beginning of the Preface and many others Of whom I spoke before § 3. That the ancient English Bishops that hold to the doctrine of the Church of England and are peaceable men are easily agreed with us I first prove from the example of Reverend Bishop Hall In his Peace-maker he hath these words Pag. 46 47 48 49. The Divisions of the Church are either General betwixt our Church and the other Reformed or special with those within the bosome of our own Church both which require several considerations For the former blessed be God there is no difference in any essential matter betwixt the Church of England and her Sisters of the Reformation We accord in every point of Christian Doctrine without least the variation N B. Their publike Confessions and ours are sufficient convictions to the world of our full and absolute agreement the only difference is in the form of outward administration Wherein also we are so far agreed as that we all profess this form not to be essential to the being of a Church N. B. though much importing the well or better being of it according to our several apprehensions thereof and that we do all retain a reverent and loving opinion of each other in our own several wayes not seeing any reason why so poor a diversity should work any alienation of affection in us one towards another But withall nothing hinders but that we may come yet closer to one another if both may resolve to meet in that Primitive Government whereby it is meet we should both be regulated universally agreed on by all antiquity wherein all things were ordered and transacted by the Consent of the Presbyterie moderated by one constant President thereof the Primacy and perpetual practice whereof no man can doubt of that hath but seen the writings of Clemens and Ignatius and hath gone along with the History of those primitive times We may well rest in the judgement of Mr. John Camero the Learnedst Divine be it spoke without envy that the Church of Scotland hath afforded in this last age Nullus est dubitandi locus c. There is no doubt at all saith he but that Timothy was chosen by the Colledge of the Presbyters to be the President of them and that not without some authority over the rest but yet such as have the due bounds and limits And that this was a leading case and
powers contradicted And certainly all such disuse began with a few and proceeded further we are allowed then to disuse such things § 12. It would grieve a man that loves the Church to hear the name of the Church abused by many dark though confident disputers when they are pleading for their Ceremonies and Holy dayes and laying about them with the names of Schismaticks against all that will not do as they do O say they These men will separate from the Catholick Church and how then can they be the Children of the Church And 1. Which is it that is called by them the Catholick Church Little do I know nor am able to conjecture Did the Catholick Church make the English Common-Prayer Book what were the then Bishops in England that consented in that work the whole Church of Christ on earth God forbid Or did ever any General Council authorize it I think not And if they would tell us what General Council commanded Christmas Day or Kneeling at the Sacrament c they would do us a pleasure but I think they will not § 13. And 2. What if these things had all been commanded by a General Council May not a man disuse them without separating from the Church I think as good as you are you do some things your selves that God himself hath forbidden you to do and yet will be loth to be therefore taken for men that separate either from the Church or God And when you read the Books of Heathen Philosophers when you adore not toward the East or when you pray receive the Sacrament Kneeling on the Lords Dayes would you be taken to separate from the Catholick Church for crossing its ancient customs or Canons But these perverse and factious reasonings we must hear to the dishonour of Christianity and Reason it self and that from men that scorn the supposed meanness of others yea and see poor souls seduced into separation by such empty words And this is one of the present judgements on this land CHAP. X. Prop. 10. If it be not our Lawfull Governours that command us but usurpers we are not formally bound to obey them though the things be lawfull which they command § 1. WE may be bound by some other Obligation perhaps to do the thing which they command us but we are not formally though sometime Materially bound to obey them For it is not formally obedience unless it be done eo nomine because commanded or for the Authority of the Commander If the Pope or any usurper should command me to pray or to give alms I will do it but not because he commandeth me but because God commandeth me and therefore I will not obey him but God But if a Parent or Magistrate or Pastor command it me I will do it both because it is commanded me by God and them and so I will obey both God and them If an usurper command me to do a thing in it self indifferent I will not do it because he commandeth it but yet if accidentally it become my duty by conducing to anothers good or avoiding their offence or hurt or any other accident I will use it for these ends though not for his command § 2. The Pope 1. As the Vice-christ or universall Head is an usurper and therefore hath no authority to command me or any man in that relation the smallest Ceremony 2. The Pope as Patriarch of the West is an humane creature and not of Divine institution and was indeed a sinfull institution from the first of his creation but if it had been otherwise yet since is that Patriarchship become unwarrantable since he hath forfeited it and the world hath found the mischiefs of it So that no man is therefore bound to use one lawfull Ceremony because the Pope as Patriarch of the West commandeth it 3. If this were not so yet Brittain and Ireland were from the beginning none of his Patriarchate nor did at Nice consent to it and therefore have the less appearance of any obligation § 3. The Authority of General Councils cannot be pretended as obliging men in Conscience to the English Ceremonies 1. Because indeed General Councils are not a superiour Power for proper Government of the Church having authority to command particular Bishops or Synods as their subjects but they are only necessary for Union and Communion of Churches and mutual assistance thereby and so their Canons bind but by virtue of the General commands that require us to maintain the Unity and Communion of the Churches § 4. And 2. If it were otherwise there is few if any of these Ceremonies that are commanded by any true General Council They that can prove any such thing let them do it but till we see it we will not be forward to believe it Yea 3. Some of them General Councils have made Canons against as I before shewed in the Case of Kneeling at the Sacrament on the Lords dayes And therefore the neglecters of our Ceremonies sin not against a General Council § 5. The Common plea is that we are bound to use these Ceremonies in obedience to the Church of England and that we are not true sons of this Church if we refuse it But what is it that is called by them The Church of England In a Political sense I know no such thing as a Church of England or of any Nation on earth that is There is no one Society united in any one Ecclesiastical Soveraign that can truly be called the Church of England or of any other Nation The whole Catholick Church is One as united in Christ the Head And every particular Chuâ—ch associated for personal Communion in Gods Worshâ—p is one being a part of the Catholick Church and united in and individuated by their relation to their several Pastors But a National Church under one chief Ecclesiastick Government I find no mention of in Scripture but contrarily the Churches of Judaea Galatia c. or any other Countrey where there were many are alway mentioned in the Plural number and never called one Church § 6. Yet will we quarrel with no men about meer names or words If by a National Church â— be meant any of these following we acknowledge that there is such a thing 1. If all the particular Churches in a Nation do Associate for Communion and mutuall assistance and so use to meet by their officers in one National Assembly I confess the Association usefull if not necessary and the Assemblies to be maintained and for unity sake obeyed in things lawfull And though Scripture call not such National Associations by the name of a Church in the singular number yet we shall leave men to their Liberty in such names If all the Schoolmasters in England should hold General Assemblies to agree what Books to read in their Schools c. if any man would therefore call all the Schools in England in the singular number by the name of the School of England I would not differ with him for a
word 2. Or 〈◊〉 the Churches are all called One that are under one Christian Magistrate I will confess the thing to be true that is pretended to be the reason of the name All the Churches do owe obedience to the Magistrate But he is no Essential part or Ecclesiastical Head of the Church and therefore it is very improperly denominated from him or called One on that account No more then all the Schools are one because he is their Soveraign It is the Common-wealth that is specified and individuated by the Magistrate as the Soveraign Power and not the Churches But yet it is but an improper word to call all the Churches one Church on that account which we contend not about § 7. But it is the Thing that we stick more at then the name A General Head doth properly specifie and individuate the Body Prove either 1. That the Archbishop of Canterbury or any other 2. Or an Assembly of Bishops or Presbyters is properly an Ecclesiastical Head having Authority from Jesus Christ to be the chief Ruler of all the Churches in the Land and then I will confess that we have properly and strictly a National Church But no such thing can be proved § 8 As for an Assembly I have already shewed which Bishop Vsher asserted to me that they are not superior Governors nor instituted graâ—ia Regiminis but gratia unitatis having no more Rule over particular Bishops then a Convention of Schoolmasters over a particular Schoolmaster If they say that Kings and Parliaments give Power to Convocations I answer that can be but such as they have themselves which we shall speak of anon and is nothing to this place § 9. And as for a Primate or Archbishop of Canterbury e. g. 1. It will be a hard task to prove Archbishops as such to be of Divine Institution 2. And it will be harder even Impossible to prove Archbishops of the English species as such to be of Divine institution 3. And certainly Christ hath nowhere told us that every Nation shall have such a Head nor every Province nor every County nor told us whether there shall be one over ten Nations or ten over one Their limits are not to be found in Scripture supposing there were such an office there known 4. Nor is it anywhere determined that such a City shall have the preheminence and Canterbury v. g. be Ruler of all the rest All these are of meer humane institution And therefore that which the imposers of Ceremonies call the Church of England is a meer humane thing which therefore can bind us no further then the Magistrate can authorize them to do § 10. But the stronger pretence will be that the particular Bishops of England were severally officers of Christ authorized to Govern their several flocks and therefore a Convâ—cation of these Bishops binds us in conscience gratia unitatis The People they oblige as their Rulers and the several Presbyters also as their Rulers and the several Bishops gratia unitatis for avoiding of schism § 11. Answ. This also is an insufficient evidence to prove our Consciences obliged to their Ceremonies eo nomine because of their Canons or commands For though we acknowledge a sort of Episcopacy to be warrantable yet that this sort that made the Canons in question is not warrantable I have proved at large in the former Disputation on that question Such Pastors of a Diocess as our Bishops were have no word of God to shew for their office further then as they are Presbyters but we have shewed already that their office is unlawfull And therefore though their actions as Presbyters may be valid yet their actions are Null which were done by pretence of this unlawfull sort of office they being no other way enabled thereto On this ground therefore we are not bound § 12. If it could be pretended that at least as Presbyters the Convocation represented the Presbyters of England and therefore thus their Canons binds us to the use of ceremonies Common prayer c. I should answer that 1. Even Synods of Presbyters or the Lawfullest sort of Bishops oblige but gratia unitatis 2. That the late Synod at Westminster was as truly a Representative of the Presbyters of England as the Convcaotion where such consent if any were given was retracted 3. By actuall dislike signified by disuse the Presbyters of England for the most part have retracted their Consent 4. Yea most that are now Ministers never gave such Consent 5. Even â—ll particular Pastors and Churches are free and may on just reason deny consent to such impositions § 13. There remains nothing then that with any shew of strength can be pretended as continuing our obligation to Ceremonies from Authority but that of the Civil Power that commanded them But to that I say 1. So much as was lawfull we confess that we were bound to use while we had the command of the Civil power But nothing unlawfull could be made our duty by them 2. the Civil Power hath repealed those laws that bound us to these ceremonies The Parliament repealed them the late King consented at least for the ease of tender Consciences as he spoke that men should have liberty to forbear them And the present Rulers are against them whom we see even the ceremoniouâ— obey in other matters § 14. Let those then that would subjugate our Consciences to their ceremonies make good their foundation even the Authority by which they suppose us to be obliged or they do nothing If all their impositions were proved things indifferent and lawfull that 's nothing to prove that we must use them till they prove that lawfull authority commandeth them The Civil Powers do not command them And the Ecclesiasticks that command them prove not their authority over us In the matters of God we will yield to any man that bids us do that which God hath bidden us do already But if they will exercise their power by commanding us more then God commands us and that unnecessarily we must crave a sight of their commission § 15. And if men that have no Authority over us shall pretend Authority from God and go about to exercise it by Ceremonious impositions we have the more reason to scruple obeying them even in things indifferent lest we be guilty of establishing their usurpation and pretended office in the Church and so draw on more evils then we foresee or can remove CHAP. XI Prop. 11. The Commands of Lawfull Governors about Lawfull Ceremonies must be understood and obeyed with such exceptions as do secure the End and not to the subverting of it § 1. THE proof of this is obvious These humane Ceremonies are appointed but as means to a further end But that which would cross and overthrow the end doth cease to be a Means and cannot be used sub ratione medii § 2. Order and Decency are the pretended ends of the Imposed Ceremonies and the right worshiping of God and the good of mens
Books I needed sometime 800. to give away Because I was scarce rich enough to buy so many I agreed with the Bookseller my Neighbour to allow 18. d. a Ream which is not a penny a quire out of his own gain towards the buying of Bibles and some of the practical Books which he printed for the poor Covenanting with him that he should sell my Controversal Writings as cheap and my Practical Writings somewhat cheaper then books are ordinarily sold. To this hour I never received for my self one penny of mony from them for any of my Writings to the best of my remembrance but if it fell out that my part came to more than I gave my friends I exchanged them for other Books My accounts and memory tell me not of 5. li. that ever was returned for me on these accounts which was on literaâ—y occasions so that my many hundreds a year is come to never a penny in all but as abovesaid in some exchange of Books And the price I set on my Books which I exchanged for theirs at the dearest rates is as followeth Treat of Conversion 2. s. Treat of Crucifying the World 2. s. Disput. of â—ustificat 2. s. 4. d. The Call to the Unconverted 8. d. Disput. of saving Faith 5. d. Of the Grotian Religion 6. d. Directions for sound Conversion 1. s. 8. d. Disput. of Right to Sacraments Edit secund 2. s. 4. d. These are all my bargains and my gains And I chose the honestest Booksellers that I could meet with according to my small measure of wit and acquaintance who told me they still made good their Promises And now censorious Slanderer tell me what thou wouldst have had me to have done more If I had got Food and Rayment out of my own hard labors had it been unlawful or dishonourable when Booksellers get so many hundred pounds by one Book that never studied nor spent their time and cost for it as I have done And yet dost thou reproach me that receive not a groat But because I will not oblige my self to the same course for the future and that thou mayst know at what rates I serve thee let me tell thee that in these labors early and late my body is wasted my precious time laid out and somewhat of my Estate and somewhat of the labor of my friends I cannot have twenty quire of my writing well transcribed under fifty pounds And who shall pay for this or maintain me in thy service I have troubled a Neighbour-Minister in the tedious work of transcribing my Characters for some books for which neither he nor I had ever one penny These personal matters are unsavory to me and I take it for a great injury that thou puttest upon me a necessity of mentioning them But I have yielded this once to thy unrighteous importunity that thou mayest hereafter learn what to believe and utter and make more conscience of thy censures and reports And that thou mayst have the utmost relief that I can procure thee for the time to come I shall agree with my Booksellers to sell all that I publish at three farthings a sheet and to print the price of every book at the bottom of the Title page Farewell Richard Baxter October 11. 1658. * Of the difference between Election and Ordination and that neither gives the Ius or Power but Christ only See Groâ—ius de Imperio Sum. Potest c. 10. p. 269 270. * I comprehend in the word Directive all that is after expressed in the following Propositions †Quae ante Imperatores Christianos in Synodis conscripta sunt ad ordinem aut ornatum facientia Leges non vocantur sed Canones habenâ—que aut solam Concilii vim ut in his quae singulos magis spectaâ—â— quam universos aut obligant per modum pacti volentes nolentes etiam pauciores ex necessitate determinationis ac proinde ex lege naturali non ex humano aliquo Imperio Grotius de Imperio pag. 209 210. Lege cap. 9. per totum * That Synods are not absolutely necessary and he thinks not of Scripture Institution but Natural direction see Grot. dâ— Imperio Cap 7. per totum Apâ—stoli vere erant Presbyteri atque ita sâ—ipsos vocant Nulli tamen loco ascripta â—â—rum functio Evangelistae quoque Presbyteri â—â—ant sed nulli loco alligati Sic multo post à Demetrio Alexandriae Episcopo Panâ—aenus ab Athanasio Frumentius ordinati missique ut Evangeâ—ium per Indiâ—m praedicarent qâ—od â—odie quo 〈◊〉 vidâ—mus Atque utinâ—m diligâ—ntius fieret ☞ â—rotius de Imperio p. 271. And of the Can. Concil Calced 6. against ordaining Presbyters sine titulo he saith Quum ut recte notat Balsamon Ipse Canon indicio est aliter fieri solitum Etiam post Calced Synod Iustinianus Periodentarum meminit quorum in Laodicenâ aliisque veteribus Synodis est mentio Ibid. * Authority is 1. Rational and of meer Interest upon Consenters 2. Imperial over Dissenters also * If one were not meant of Confirmation or giving the Holy Ghost and the other of Ordination which I rather incline to think Essentiale fuiâ— quod ex Dei ordinatione perpetua necesse fuit est erit ut Presbyterio quispiam loco dignitate primus actioni gubernandae praesit cum â—o qâ—od ipsi divinitus attributum est jure Beza de Minist Evang. Grad cap. 23. * I know Bishop Usher in his papers to the King doth say that by the Order of the Church of England all Presbyters are charged in the form of Ordering of Priests to administer the Discipline of Christ But the Bishops understood that only of their publishing their Censures For no such Administration was known among us or allowed Nor would they suffer men to suspend them from the Sacrament as the Rubrick in the Common Prayer Book requiâ—eth * It s an easie matter to preach or write a strict Lesson but they that would practically when they have done open a gap to licentiousness and overthrow all Discipline almost will hardly perswade men that they mean as they teach or are themselves such as they describe or really would promote a holy life especially when Scorners â—t a godly life were favoured more then the practisers of it See my Preface to Mr. Pierce of Grotius Religion Were Prelacy now tolerated only as Presbyterie and the Congregational way are doth any man think it would cast or keep out Heresieâ— Functiones in Ecclesiâ perpetuae sunt duae Presbyterorum Diaconorum Presbyteros voco cum omni Ecclesia veteri eos qui Eccâ—esiam pasâ—unt vâ—rbi praedicatione Sacramentis Clavibus quae Iure Divino sunt individua he meaneth inseparable so that its inseparable from a Presbyter to have the Power of the Keyes Grot. de Imperio pag. 267. c. 1â— Pastorum ergo est Ordinare Pastores neque id officium eis competit qua hujus auâ— illius Ecclesiae Pastores
sunt sed quâ— ministri Ecclesiae Catholicae Grotius ibid. p. 273. Pastores tales ubi nâ—llâ— sunt Episcopi etsi cum 〈◊〉 Presbyteris id commâ—â—â— habent quod aliis non praesunt habeâ—t tamen illud Episcopale quod nâ—mini Pastori subsâ—nâ— at 〈◊〉 adâ—o dubium est Episcopisnâ—â— an meris Presbyteris 〈…〉 Idem pag. 320. Communi Presbyterorum Concilio gubernabantur saith Hier. See Grotius ubi sup p. 354 355 356 357. proving that Prelacy is not of Divine precept and that of old many Cites had many Churches and Bishops in each and that Presbyters except ordination as Hier. and Chrysost. may do all that a Bishop and he addeth Quid obstat quo minus id ita â—nterpâ—â—temur ut Presbyteri neminem potuâ—rint ordinare contempto Episcopo And pag. 359. He shews that where Bishops are not Presbyters do rightly ordain See the beginning of Bishop Ushers Reduction of Episcopal Government I have it and can pâ—oduce it under the Kings own hand and seal wherein he forbids that any Church man or Priest in holy orders should be a Câ—â—ncellor And this was the occasion of all the corruptions c. They must for their own advantage and profit have instruments accordingly So the Râ—gisters Proctors Apparatoâ—s were pâ—ssiâ—um genus hominum G. Goodman Bishop of Gloâ— in the Preface to his Two Mysteries c. Object Answ. Object 2. Answ. Dr. H. Dissert 4. p. 208. §. 9. Prius non usquâ—quaque verum esse quod pâ—o concesso sumitur in una civitate non fuisse plurâ—s Episcopos Quamvis enim in 〈◊〉 Ecclesiá aut Câ—â—tu plures simul Episcopi nunquam fuerint nihil tamen obstare quin in eádem civitate dâ—o aliquando disterminaâ—â— Coeâ—us fuerint duobus Apostolis ad fidem adducti di versiâ—â—orsaâ— dialectis aliquando ritibus disjuncti quibus duo itidem Episcopi scorsim divisis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praesidereâ—t Et p. 211. §. 21. Ex his ratio constat quare sine Presbyterorum mentione interveniente Episcopis Diaconi immediate adjiciantur quia scilicet in singulis Macedoniâ—e civitatibus quamvis Episcopus esset noâ—dum Presbyteri constituti sunt Diaconis tantum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ubique Episcopis adjunctis Mark well the stating of the question by Dr. H. Dissert Epist. §. 30 31. The controversie is not Quibus dâ—mum â—ominibus cogniti fuerint Ecclesiarum Rectores sed an ad unum in singulari Ecclesia an ad plures potestas ista devenerit Nos ad unum singularem Praefectâ—m quem ex famosiore Ecclesiae usu Episcopum vulgò dicimus potestatem istam in singulari Coetu ex Christi Apostolorum institutione nunquam non pertinuisse affirmamus You see here that it is but in singulari Ecclesia in siâ—gulari Coetu that he affirmeth an Episcopacy of Christs and the Apostles institution And such Bishops most Churches in England have already Reason 1. Conquâ—ritur jam olim Socrates Episcopatus quosdam suis temporibus extra sacerdotii sines â—gressos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse delapsos Conqueritur apud Pelusiotam Hierax lenitatis mâ—nsuetudinis dignitatem in Tyrannidem tranâ—â—sse conqueritur de Episcoporum ambitione Nazianzenus propterea si non Episcopatum câ—rte civiâ—atum 〈◊〉 perpetuum in retinenda Episâ—opali dignitate mutatum velleâ— He addeth yet more such and concludeth that Ecclesiastical Ambition never made such progress from the Apoâ—tles daies to those as it hath done since to ours almost â—ncurably Grotius de imperio pag. 360 361. Reason 2. Reason 3. A particular Church what Reason 4. Reason 5. Reason 6. Râ—ason 7. Reason 8. Reason 9. Reason 10. Reason 11. Reason 12. Reason 13. See Grotius de â—mperio p. 351. Proving that the Christian Church-Government was not fitted to that of the Temple but that of the Synagogues and endeavouring to prove Bishops he doth it thence that they are such as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let them then hold to such a Congregational Episcopacy Heb. 13.17 proveth that Churches should be no bigger then that the Ruler may watch for all their souls as one that must give account of all On which text Dr. Ier. Taylor in his late Book of Repentance Pref. saith I am sure we cannot give account of souls of which we have no Notice And so presseth to personal conduct Let them then be Bishops of no bigger a Diocess then they can take such personal notice and conduct of lest they judge themselves See the same thing proved at large by Grotius de Imperio page 355 356 357 Yet I think as Bloudell that he mistook Epiphanius de Alex. Eccl. * Pag. 54 he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. Per regiones igitur Uâ—bes praedicantes constituerunt primitias eorum approbantes in Spiritu Episcopos Diacoâ—os â—orum qui Credituri erant I know that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is supposed by some to respect only the place of their preaching and not of their settling Bishops But the words according to the more obvious plain sence do seem to extend it to both and make no such difference at all * Very many passages in Cyprian do intimate that then the Diocesses were small perhaps having yet but unum Altare As when he saith that à primordio Episcopatus mei statuerim nihil sine concilio vestro sine consensu plebis meae privata sententia gerere c. And Prohibeantur offerre acturi apud nos apud confeâ—â—ores ipsos apud plebem universam causam suam And Haec singulorum tractanda sit limanda plenius ratio non tantum cum collegis meis sed cum plebe ipsá universá And Vix plebi persuadeo immo extorqueo ut tales patiantur â—dmitti justior factus est fraternitatis dolor ex eo quod unus atque alius obnitente plâ—be 〈…〉 mea tamen facilita e suscepti pejores extiterunt How the Universa plebâ— of many Congregations or a Diocess like ours should be consulted and hear and do any thing to admission or exclusion from Communion and be advised with by Cyprian in all such affairs is not easie to conceive See his Epist. 3.6.10.13 14 26 31 27 28 33 40 c. Peruse all the citations of Bloudwell de jure Plebis in Regim Eccles. and see whether they intimate not the smalness of their Diocesses Though I believe they prove no such thing as proper Government in the people Yet peruse all the Authors cited by him there to prove that 〈◊〉 Eccleâ—iae Mâ—th 18. refers to the Congregation of Pastors and people together and it will much confirm the point in hand I shall not recite any of them because you may there find them in the end of Grotius de Imperio Sum. Potest * And it seems the Churches were not so large as some imagine even at the sixth General Council at 〈◊〉 in Constaâ—tiâ—op when Canon 78. it was ordâ—â—ed that
between you and your Brethren for so they are is too much known to friends and foes at home and abroad and too much daily manifested by each side Shall it still continue or would you have it healed If it must continue tell us how long and tell us why Would you have it go with us to Eternity and will you not be reconciled nor dwell with us in Heaven It is not in your Power to shut us out And will you not be there if we be there Or do you think there will be any Discord where Love is Perfected and we are One in God If you can be content to be saved with us and believe that all of both Opinions that truly love and fear the Lord shall live there in dearest Love for ever how can you chuse when you forethink of this but Love them now that you must for ever Love and long to be reconciled to them with whom you must there so harmoniously accord You know that Earth is our preparation for Heaven and such as men would be there they must begin to be here As they must be Holy here that ever will there see the Lord in Holiness so must they here be Loving and Peaceable that ever will live in that perfect heavenly Love and Peace And why is it that the distance must be so great Are we not all the Children of one Father Have we not all the same God the same Redeemer the same Spirit in us if we are Christians indeed Rom. 8.9 Are we not in the same Baptismal Covenant with God Have we not the same holy Scripture for our Rule and are we not in the same universal Church and of the same Religion some of you say No to the grief of your friends and the shame of your own understandings and uncharitableness I beseech you bear it if I touch the sore For my work is Healing and therefore though it Must be touch't it shall be as gently as the case will bear If I may judge by such as I have had any opportunity to know I must say that the distance on your part is continued in some by confused apprehensions of the case and not distinguishing things that differ In some by discontents of mind and too deep a sense of worldly losses and the things that you take as injuries from others In some by the advantage of a co-interest and consociation with those Divines that are of your way and so by a Willingness to think them in the right and those in the wrong that you take for adversaries In some by a stiffness and stoutâ—ess of disposition that cals it Constancy to hold your own and Manliness not to stoop to others and takes it as dishonourable to seek for Peace even in Religion with your supposed adversaries or to yield to it at least without much importunity With too many miserable souls it is meer ungodliness and enmity to that way of Piety that in many that you differ from appears And in the best of you it is a Remissness of Charity and want of Zeal for the Churches Peace and the Love and Vnity of Brethren To confute the reasonings of all these sorts would draw out this Preface to too great a length The first sort my experience hath caused me to observe Oft have I faln into company with men that pour forth bitter odious words against Presbyterie and I ask them what that Presbyterie is that they speak of with so much abomination Is it the Name or the Thing which they so abhor If the Name is it not a term of Scripture used by the Holy Ghost 1 Tim. 4.14 Are not the Pastors of the Church most frequently called the Presbyters or Elders Tit. 1.5 Act. 14.23 15.2 4 6 22 23. 1 Tim. 5.17 Act. 20.17 James 5.14 1 Pet. 5.1 c. It must needs then be the Thing and not the Name which they abominate And what is that Thing most of them cannot tell me Some presently talk of the disuse of the Common Prayer as if that were a part of Presbyterie and Government and the form of worship were all one Some presently run to Scotland and talk of forcing men to Confession of sin and of their secular enforcement of their Excommunications But 1. If this be odious why was it used by the Bishops Is it good in them and bad in others 2. And why plead you for Discipline and against Toleration if you so loath the things you plead for 3. But will you not when it s known so openly distinguish the Ministerial Power from the secular It s known by their Laws and constant Practice that all the Power that was exercised by Violence on Body or Estate by the Assemblies was derived from the Magistrate whose Commissioners also sate among them And the Bishops in England were seconded by the Sword as much as they It s known that the Presbyterians commonly maintain in their Writings that Pastors have no Coercive or Secular Power but only the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to exercise on the Conscience committed to them by Christ. 4. And the writings and practice of those in England openly manifest it and its them with whom you have most to do Some tell me that Presbyterie is the Government of the Church without Bishops And is it only the Negation of your Prelacy that is the odious thing Is there nothing Positive odious in Presbyterie Thus our Belief is condemned by the Papists even because we Believe not so much as they when in the Positives of our Faith there is nothing that they can blame Some make it the odious thing that they have Lay-Elders But 1. The Presbyterians account them not Lay but Ecclesiasticks 2. And what is the Odious harm that these men do among them They are present and Consent to the admonishing and censuring of offendors And what great harm doth that to the Church Is it because they do not Preach No sure in that your Readers are much like them What work can you Name that these Elders are appointed to that by your Confession is not to be done It is not the Work then that you blame but that these men do it 3. But what is this to all that are in this point of your mind and think that unordained Elders wanting Power to preach or administer the Sacraments are not Officers in the Church of Gods appointment As far as I can understand the greater part if not three for one of the English Ministers that you stand at a distance from are of this mind and so far against Lay-Elders as well as you of whom I confess my self to be One. and that M r Vines was One I have shewed you in the End Surely then all we are none of the odious Presbyterians in your eyes Why then is there such a distance And are Lay-Elders as bad as Lay-Chancellors So also when some have been hotly condemning us as being against Bishops I ask them what a Bishop is and what
Because we now obey them not I have answered this already to which I add 1. It s a fine world when men will separate themselves from the Churches of Christ to avoid schism and they that are against separation and offer Communion to the Separatists must be taken to be the Schismaticks themselves It is schism that we detest and would draw you from or else what need we say so much for Concord and Communion 2. I have told you already that it is not one Minister of a Multitude in our Communion that did cast off the Prelates half of them did nothing to it and the other half were Ordained since 3. Nor can you truly say that now they refuse obedience to Bishops where there are none to obey or none that command them 4. Again I tell you it is not Episcopacy but only the sinful species of Prelacy which the Parliament and Assembly and Covenanters did cast off And what if you think this species best must all think so or else be Schismaticks And why not all Schismaticks then that are against the Papacy which is thought by others the best form I have here given you some Arguments to prove your Prelacy which was cast off to be against the will of Christ and the welfare of the Churches And I shall not believe that its schism to be against sin and the Churches ruine And I cannot but admire to read in your writings that Discipline and Piety are pretended by you as the things which you promote and we destroy when I am most certain that the destruction of Piety and Discipline are the very things by which you have so much offended your Brethren and we would heartily come as near you as we can so that Piety and Discipline may not be destroyed Had we not known that the able faithful Preachers whom you called Puritans conformable and not conformable that laboured in the word and doctrine were fitter to promote piety then the ignorant drunken worldly Readers and lazy Preachers that once a day would preach against doing too much to be saved and had we not known that Piety was better promoted by Learning the will of God and praying and meditating on the Lords Day then by dancing and by cherishing men truly fearing God then by scorning imprisoning persecuting and expelling them we would never have been so much against your doings as we have been But mens salvation is not so contemptible a thing as to be given away to humour the proud that cannot live in Communion with any unless they may drive them to destruction We will not sell mens souls to you at such rates nor buy your Communion nor stop the reproachful mouths of any by such horrid cruelties We talk not now to you of matters that are known by hear-say only we see which way promoteth Piety and which destroyeth it we see that most of the ungodly in the land are the forwardest for your wayes You may have almost all the Drunkards Blasphemers and Ignorant haters of godliness in the Country to vote for you and if they durst again to fight for you at any time I cannot be so humble as to say I am blind and see not what indeed I see because another tells me that his eyesight is better then mine and that he seeth things to be other then I see them to be I doubt not but there are some Pious persons among you I censure you no further then experience constraineth me But I know that the common sense of most that are serious in practical Christianity is against your formal wayes of worship and against the course that you have taken in this land and the spirit of prophaneness complyeth with you and doteth on you in all places that ever I was acquainted in Bear with plain truth it is in a cause of everlasting consequence There is somewhat in a gracious soul like health in the body that disposeth it to relish wholesom food and perceive more difference between it and meer air or toyish kickshaws then it can easily express In abundance of your most applauded Preachers the things of God were spoken with so little life and seriousness as if they had not been believed by the speaker or came not from the heart yea Godliness and Diligence for Heaven was the thing that they ordinarily preached against under the name of preciseness and being righteous overmuch And the Puritans were the men that Pulpits rendered most odious to the people and your Preachers exercised their wit and zeal against while almost all their hearers through the Land did take a Puritan to be one that was seriously Religious Many a place have I lived in where there was not a man that ever spoke a word against Bishops or Ceremonies but a few there were alas a few that would sometime read a Chapter in the Bible and pray with their Families and speak of the life to come and the way to it and for this they were commonly called Puritans If a man had but mildly askt a swearer why he swore or a drunkard why he would be drunk or had once named Scripture or the life to come unless prophanely the first word he should hear was O you are one of the holy Brethren you would not drink or swear but you will do worse in secret It was never a good world since there was so much talk of Scripture and Religion but the King and the Bishops will take an order with you and all the Puritans and Precisians in the Land I profess upon my common sad experience that this was the common language of the people that were ignorant and prophane in all parts of England that ever I came in which were not a few and these were the men that they called Puritans and on such accounts And what could the Prelates and Preachers of the Land have done more to mens damnation then to preach them into an hatred of Puritanism when it was known by all that lived among them that Piety was Puritanism in their account and no man was so free from it as he that would scorn at the very name of Holiness and drink and swear as if he had defyed God This is true and England knows it and if you will after this think that you have wiped your mouths clean by saying as M r Pierce that by Puritans he means none but men of blood sedition violence despisers of dominion painted sepulchres Protestants frightened out of their wits c. the righteous God that loveth righteousness and hath said Be ye holy for I am holy will make you know to your penitent or tormenting sorrow that the thing which commonly was reputed Puritanism in England was no such thing as you describe And that it s none of your wisdom to â—ick against the pricks and play with the apple of Gods eye and bring men to hate the members of Christ and then tell them you meant the members of the Devil and to thrust men into Hell in
there was no Presbyter existent but himself as is here confessed So in the following words the same Learned Dr. further proveth from Antiquity that one part of the Bishops office is set down that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that visit all the sick Let us have such Bishops as can and will do this and our Controversie will soon be at an end about Episcopacy Were it not that I have spoken of these things afterwards and fear being tedious I should have shewed that 7. Baptizing 8. Congregating the Assemblies 9. Administring the Lords Supper 10. Guiding the Assembly in the whole publick worship 11. Blessing the people at the dismission and 12. Absolving the penitent and more then all these were the works of the ancient Episcopal function And now I leave it to the Conscience of any man that hath a grain of Conscience left him whether one man be able were he never so willing to do any one of all these duties much less to do all of them for many hundred Parishes Can a Bishop teach them all and Catechise â—nd confer with all and counsail and comfort and admonish all and Govern all and try all cases of every scandalous impenitent person of so many thousand and Censure and Absolve and Confirm and Try them for Confirmation and receive all the Churches stock and be the Overseer of all the poor and take care of all the Orphans and Widdows and visit counsail and pray with all the sick and guide every Congregation in publick worship and give the Sacrament to all and pronounce the Blessing in every Assembly c. and this for a whole County or more O wonderful that ever this should become a Controversie among men that vilifie others as unlearned and unwise in comparison of them I must lay by respect to man so far as plainly to profess that I take these for such errors as must need proceed from want of Piety and Conscience and practice of the duties that are pleaded for If these men did not talk of Governing a Church as those talk of Governing a Navy an Army or a Commonwealth that never set their hand to the work it is not possible sure that they should thus err O how many Bishops never tryed what it is to Govern the Church or faithfully perform any one of all these works I solemnly profess that with the help of three more fellow Presbyters and three or four Deacons besides the greater help of abundance of Godly people here in their places I am not able to do all this as it should be done for this one Parish And yâ—t the greatest part of our trouble is taken off by the refusal of the multitude of the ungodly to come under Discipline or be members of our Pastoral charge Sirs these are not scholastick speculations The everlasting Ioy or Torment of our people lyeth upon the successful performance of these works as we that are Christians verily believe And therefore to Dispute whether One man should do all this for a Diocess is all one as to Dispute whether it shall all be undone or no and that is whether we shall give up our Countries to the Devâ—l or no And shall the Prelatical Controversie come to this You have no way to avoid it but by Delegating your power to others and casting your work upon them But you confess that this was never done in Scripture-times there being then no Subject Pesbyters to whom it might be committed And by what authority then can you do it Can Episcopacy be transferred by Deputation to another This is long ago confuted by many writers Popish and Protestant Do the work by another and you shall have your wages by another And what is your Office but your Authority and Obligation to do your work He therefore that you commit this to is a Bishop So that this is but to make us Deputy Bishops And if so let us call them Bishops I have read many of your writers of late that say we have no Government and saith one of them the Presbyterian Government was never yet set up in any one Parish in England These are strange things to be reported to English men Perswade the world next that no man in England hath a nose on his face Is it not known that the Presbyterian Government hath been exercised in London in Lancashire and in many Counties these many years And what Government is it that you think we want The people are guided in the matters of God by their several Pastors The Pastors live in Concord by Associations in many Countries Both Pastors and People are Governed by the Magistrate And what need we more Look into this County where I live and you shall find a faithful humble laborious Ministry Associated and walking in as great unity as ever I read of since the Apostles daies No difference no quarrels but sweet and amicable Correspondency and Communion that I can hear of Was there such a Ministry or such love and concord or such a godly people under them in the Prelates reign There was not I lived where I do and therefore I am able to say there was not Through the great mercy of God where we had ten drunken Readers then we have not one now and where we had one able godly Preacher then we have many now and in my own charge where there was one that then made any shew of the fear of God I hope there is twenty now And the Families that were wont to scorn at holiness and live in open impiety are now devoted to the worship and obedience of the â—ord This is our loss and misery in these times which you so lament 3. But perhaps you will refuse Communion with us because of our differences from you in doctrine about the Controversies called Arminian But the fierceness of many of you hereabouts doth serve but to discover your ignorance and uncharitableness The Papists that differ among themselves about these points can yet hold Communion in one Church and cannot you with us Will you be fiercer against us then the Iesuites against the Dominicans Nay we go not neer so far as they We cleave to Augustine and the Synod of Dort who own not Physical Predetermination and meddle not with Reprobation antecedent to foresight of sin and who confess a sufficiency in Christs satisfaction for all And yet must we have those impotent clamors with which the writings of Mr. Pierce and other such abound Why then do you pretend to follow the Church of England which Mr. Hickman hath shewed you plainly that you desert Many of the highest meer Arminians are charitable peaceable men that hate separation from their Dissenting Brethren Curcellaus is one of the most eminent men living of that way And how charitable and peaceable an Epistle hath he writ before D. Blondels book de Papissa Joanna And I hear that Mr. Hoard the Author of the Book called Gods Love to mankind lives in peaceable Communion
were Churches And the Text saith that they ordained them Elders in every Church or Church by Church and therefore Cenchrea being a Church must have such Elders ordained to it according to the Apostles Rule And that it was a Parish with one Presbyter subject to Corinth is all unproved and therefore to no purpose 5. Yet I prove that the English Prelacy on their own grounds is not Iure Divino in that it is against the word of God according to their own interpretation of which next Argum. 10. THat Episcopacy which is contrary to the wâ—rd of God or Apostolical Institution according to their own interpretation is not to be restored But such is the late English Episcopacy therefore c. I prove the Minor for the Major needeth none according to their own interpretation of Tit. 1.5 and other Texts Every City should have a Bishop and if it may be a Presbytery And so many Councils have determined only when they grew greater they except Cities that were too small but so did not Paul But the late Episcopacy of England is contrary to this for one Bishop only is over many Cities If therefore they will needs have Episcopacy they should at least have had a Bishop in every City and though we do not approve of confining them to Cities yet this would be much better then as they were for then 1. They would be nearer their charges and within reach of them 2. And they would have smaller charges which they might be more capable of overseeing for there would be ten or twenty Bishops â—or one that be now If they say that except Bath and Wells Coventry and Licâ—fiâ—ld or some few they have but one City I answer it s not so For every Corporation or Burrough-Town is truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore should have a Bishop Let them therefore either prove that a Market-Town a Burrough a Corporation is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else let every one of these Towns and Burroughs have a Bishop to govern that Town with the Neighbouring Villages by the consent and help of the Presbyters of these Vilâ—ages according to their own grounds And if it were so they would be no more then Classical Bishops at most Perhaps they 'le say that while we pretend to take down Bishops we do but set up more and would have many for one while we would have every Corporation or Parish to have a Bishop To which I answer its true but then it is not the same sort of Bishops which we would exclude and which we would multiply we would exclude those Bishops that would undertake two or three hundred mens work themselves and will rule a whole Diocess alone or by a Lay Chancellor when every conscionable man that hath faithfully tryed it doth feel the oversight of one Congregation to be so great a burden that it makes him groan and groan again We would exclude those Bishops that would exclude all others in a whole Diocess that they may do the work alone and so leave it undone while they plead that it belongs to them to do it If they will come into the Lords Harvest and exclude from the work of Government the Labourers of a whole County or two we have reason to contradict them But this is not to bring in more such Bishops as they that will shut out others but to keep in the necessary labouring Bishops whom they would shut out Nor do we shut out them themselves as Labourers or Rulers but as the excluders of the Labourers or Rulers If we have a Church to build that requireth necessarily two hundred workmen and some Pillars in it to Erect of many hundred tun weight if one of the workmen would say that it belongs to him to do it all himself or at least when the materials are brought to the place prepared to rear and order and place every stone and pillar in the building I would no oâ—herwise exclude the vain pretender then by introducing necessary help that the work may be done and I should think him a silly Civiller â—hat would tell me that while I exclude him I do â—ut multiply such as he when his every fault consisted in an hinderance of that necessary multiplication I know that some will say that we feign more work then is to be done and we would have the sentence of Excommunication pass upon every light offence I answer that its a thing that we abhor we would have none Excommunicated but for obstinacy in hainous sin when they will not hear the Church after more private admonition But there 's much more of the work of Government to be done on men that are not Excommunicable to bring them to Repentance and open confession for manâ—feâ—â—aâ—ion of that Repentance to the satisfaction of the Church but what need we plead how great the work is which every man may see before his eyes and experience putteth beyond dispute Furthermore that the English Episcopacy is dissonant from all Scripture Episcopacy I prove thus The Scripture knoweth but two sorts of Episcopacy the one General unfixed as to any Church or Country or Nation which was not called Episcopacy in the first times the other â—ixed Overseers of determinate Churches appropriated to their special charge these were called Bishops in those times whereas the former were some called Apostles from their immediate mission and exâ—raordinarâ— Priviledges or Evangelists or Fellow labourers and heâ—pers of the Apostles or by the like titles signifying their unlimited indeterminate charge But our English Bishops are neither of these therefore not any of Scripture appointment but different from them 1. They are not of the Apostolical Order of General Ministers for 1. Their principal work was Preaching to convert and congregate and then order Churches but our Bishops seldom preached for the most part 2. They were not tyed to any particular Church more then other save only as prudence directed them pâ—o tempore re nat for the succeâ—s of their work for the Church Unâ—veâ—sâ—l nor were they excluded or restrained from any part of the world as being another mans Diocess save only as prudence might direct them for the common good to distribute themselves pro tempore This is apparenâ— 1. by Christs Commission who sendeth them into all the world only by certain advantages and particular calls sitting Peâ—er more for the Circumcision and Paul for the Uncircumcision when yet both Petâ—r and Paul and all the rest did preach and look to both Circumcision and Uncircumcision 2. By the History of their peregrinations and labours which shew that they were not so fixed whatever some writers may ungroundedly affirm Eusâ—bius discrediting by fabulous mixtures the lighter sort of his Testimonies and censured by some rejection by Gelasius and others and some with him do tell us of some such things as some Apostles being fixed Bishops but with no such proofs as should satisfie a man that weighs the contrary
were instituted in Scripture times Now as a pretended Presbyters administrations are Valid to the innocent receiver of the Sacrament so a pretended Bishops administration in Ordination is as Valid to the innocent caeteris paribus Sect. 43. Argument 15. They that have the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven have the power of Ordination But Parochiall Pastors called Presbyters have the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven therefore they have the power of Ordination Sect. 44. The Minor is granted commonly by Papists and Protestants as to some of the Keyes but it is by many denyed as to other They say that every Pastor hath the Key of doctrine and of Order but not the Key of Jurisdiction But 1. Christ gave the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven together and never divided them Therefore they are not to be divided He did not give one Key to one and another to another but all to the same men And what God hath joyned together let no man put asunder 2. The Apostles in delivering these Keyes to others are never found to have separated them For Subject Presbyters were not instituted in Scripture-times Therefore all that were then Ordained Presbyters had all the Keyes together and so that of Iurisdiction as it is called with the rest 3. That Presbyters had the Key of Order will prove that they may Ordain as is aforesaid 4. But that English Presbyters had the Key of Iurisdiction is proved 1. In that they were with the Bishops to Ordain by Imposition of hands 2. In that they were by the Book of Ordination charged to administer Discipline though this was disused and the Prelates frustrated their power Sect. 45. I shall recite the words of Reverend Vsher for the proof of this Reduction of Episcopacy c. By Order of the Church of England all Presbyters are charged in the Book of Ordination to administer the Doctrine of Sacraments and the Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded and as this Realm hath received the same and that they might the better understand what the Lord hath commanded therein the exhortation of St. Paul to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus is appointed to to be read unto them at the time of their Ordination Take heed unto your selves and to all the flock among whom the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to Rule the Congregation of God which he hath purchased with his blood Of the many Elders who thus in common ruled the Church of Ephesus there was one President whom our Saviour in his Epistle unto this Church in a peculiar manner stileth the Angel of the Church of Ephesus And Ignatius in another Epistle written about twelve years after unto the same Church calleth the Bishop thereof Betwixt the Bishop and the Presbyterie of that Church what an harmonious consent there was in thâ— ordering of the Church Government the same Ignaâ—iâ—â— doth fully there declare by the Presbyterie with St Paul understanding the Community of the rest of the Presbyters or Elders who then had a hand not only in the delivery of the Dâ—ctrine and Sacraments but also in the Administration of the Discipline of Christ For further proof of which we have that known Testimony of Tertullian in his General Apology for Christians â—n the Church are used exhortations chastisements and divine censure for judgement is given with great advice as among those who are certain they are in the sight of God and it is the chiefest foreshewing of the Iudgement which is to come if any man have so offended that he be banished from the Community of Prayer and of the Assembly and of all holy fellowship The Presidents that bear rule therein are certain approved Elders who have obtained this honour not by Reward but by good report who were no other as he himself intimates elsewhere but those from whose hands they used to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist For with the Bishop who was the chief President and therefore stiled by the same Tertullian in another place summus Sacerdos for distinction sake the rest of the dispensers of the Word and Sacraments joyned in the common Government of the Church and therefore where in matters of Ecclesiastical judicature Cornelius Bishop of Rome used the recieved form of gathering together the Presbyterie of what persons that did consist Cyprian sufficiently declareth when he wisheth him to read his Letters to the flourishing Clergy which there did preside or rule with him The presence of the Clergy being thought so requisite in matters of Episcopal audience that in the fourth Council of Carthage it was concluded That the Bishop might hear no mans cause without the presence of the Clergy and that otherwise the Bishops sentence should be void unless it were confirmed by the presence of the Clergy which we find also to be inserted into the Canons of Egbert who was Archbishop of York in the Saxon times and afterwards into the body of the Canon-Law it self True it is that in our Church this kind of Presbyterial Government hath been long disused yet seeing it still professeth that every Pastor hath a right to rule the Church from whence the name of Rector also was given at first unto him and to administer the Discipline of Christ as well as to dispence the Doctrine and Sacraments and the restraint of the exercise of that right proceedeth only from the custom now received in this Realm no man can doubt but by another Law of the Land this hinderance may be well removed Sect. 46. And indeed the stream of Antiquity and the Authors that are principally rested on for Episcopacy are full against them that deny the Government of the people to the Presbyters And it is the principal mischief of the English Prelacy thus to degrade or quoad exercitium to suspend at least all the Presbyters from their office Not as it is a denying them any part of their honour that 's not to be much regarded but as it is a discharging them of their work and burden and consequently leaving the Churches ungoverned And for the Government of Presbyters themselves in Cyprians dayes the Bishop did not could not Ordain or censure any Presbyter without his Clergy and Councils have decreed that so it should be Yea and the plebs universa also was consulted with by Cyprian Sect. 47. And now I come to the Major of my Arrgument which I prove thus Either Ordination is an act of the exercise of the power of the Keyes or of some other power But of no other power therefore of the Keyes If it be the exercise of any other power it is either of a secular power or an Ecclesiastick but neither of these therefore of no other Not of another Ecclesiastick power for there is no Ecclesiastical power at least which Ordination can be pretended to belong to but the power of the Keyes not of a secular power for that belongeth not to Ministers nor is it here pretended Sect. 48. And I think it
Major is undenyable because there are all things enumerated that are Necessary to the determination of the person qualified that is to receive the power from Christ Sect. 68. And the Minor I prove by parts 1. That our Ministry have usually the peoples consent is a known case that needs no proof 2. So is it that they have the Magistrates allowance and his Authority appointing Approvers for their Introduction and allowing Ordination and commanding Ministerial Works Sect. 69. And doubtless the Magistrate himself hath so much Authority in Ecclesiastical affairs that if he command a qualified person to preach the Gospel and command the people to receive him I see not how either of them can be allowed to disobey him Though yet the party ought also to have recourse to Pastors for Ordination and people for consent where it may be done And Grotius commendeth the saying of Musculus that would have no Minister question his Call that being qualified hath the Christian Magistrates Commission And though this assertion need some limitations yet it is apparent that Magistrates power is great about the Offices of the Church For Solomon put out Abiathar from the Priesthood and put Zadeck in his place 1 Kings 2.27 35. David and the Captains of the host separated to Gods service those of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Ieduthun who should Prophesie with Harps c. 1 Chron 16.4 And so did Solomon 2 Chron. 8.14 15. They were for the service of the house of God according to the Kings Order 1 Chron. 25.1 6. And methinks those men should acknowledge this that were wont to stile the King In all causes and over all persons the supream Head and Governour Sect. 70. But 3. We have moreover in the Ordination of the Reformed Churches The approbation and solemn Investiture of the fittest Ecclesiastical Officers that are to be had And no more is requisite to an orderly Admission There being nothing for man to do but to determine of the qualified person and present him to God to receive the power and obligation from his Law it is easie to discern that where all these concur the Peoples Election or Consent the Magistrates Authority the determination of fit Ecclesiastical Officers and the qualification and consent of the person himself there needs no more to the designation of the man Nor hath God tyed the essence of the Church or Ministry to a certain formality or to the interest or will of Prelates nor can any more ad ordinem be required but that a qualified person do enter by the best and most Orderly way that is open to him in those times and places where he is And that we have the fittest Approvers and Ordainers I prove Sect. 71. If the most of the Protestant Churches have no other Ecclesiastical Officers to Ordain but Presbyters then is it the most fit and orderly way to enter into the Ministry in those Churches by their Ordination and those Presbyters are the fittest that are there to Ordain But the Antecedent is a known truth If any in denyal of the Consequence say that the Churches should rather be without Ministers then have Ordination by such they are confuted by what is said before Sect. 72. And if you say that they should have Bishops and it is their own fault that they have not I answer Suppose that were a granted truth it can reach but to some that have the Rule It is not the fault of every Congregation or expectant of the Ministry It is not in their power to alter Laws and forms of Government and therefore they are bound to enter by the fittest way that is open to them Sect. 73. Moreover even in England the Presbyteries are fitter for Ordination then the present Bishops as to the Nation in general therefore the Ordination by Presbyteries is done by the fittest Ecclesiastical officers and is the most regular and desireable Ordination Sect. 74. I prove the Antecedent by comparing the Ordination of the Presbyteries and the present Prelates 1. I have before shewed that the English Prelacy is more unlike the Primitive Episcopacy then our Parochial Presbytery or Episcopacy is and therefore hath less reason to appropriate to themselves the Power of Ordaining 2. The Ordaining Presbyters are Many and known persons and the Prelates few and to the most and except three or four to almost all that I am acquainted wiâ—h unknown 3. The Presbyters Ordain Openly where all may be satisfied of the impartiality and Order of their proceedings But the Prelates Ordain in Private where the same satisfaction is not given to the Church 4. Hereupon it is easie for any vagrant to counterfeit the Prelates secret Orders and say he was Ordained by them when it is no such matter and who can disprove him But the publick Ordination of Presbyters is not so easily pretended by such as have it not and the pretence is easily discovered 5. The Prelates for ought I hear are very few and therefore few can have access to them for Ordination But Presbyteries are in most countreyes 6. The Prelates as far as I can learn Ordain Ministers without the peoples consent over whom they are placed and without giving them any notice of it before hand that they may put in their exceptions if they dissent But the Presbyters ordinarily require the consent of the people or at least will hear the reasons of their dissent 7. The Presbyteries Ordain with the Magistrates allowance and the Prelates without and against them Those therefore that are Ordained by Prelates usually stand on that foundation alone and want the consent of People and Magistrates when those that are Ordained by Presbyteries have all 8. Ordination by Prelates is now pleaded for on Schismatical grounds and in submitting to it with many of them we must seem to consent to their Principles that all other Ordination is Null and the Churches are no true Churches that are without it But Presbyteries Ordain not on such dividing terms 9. We hear not of neer so much care in the Prelates Ordinations in these or former times as the Presbyteries I could give some instances even of late of the great difference which I will not offend them with expressing 10. Most of them that we hear of Ordain out of their own Diocesses which is against the ancient Canons of the Church 11. Some of them by their Doctrines and their Nullifying all the Reformed Churches and Ministry that have no Prelates do shew us that if they had their will they would yet make more lamentable destructive work in the Church then the hottest persecutors of their late predecessors did For it is plain that they would have all the Ministers disowned or cast out that are not for the Prelacy And what a case then would this land and others be in Of which more anon So that we have reason to fear that these are destroyers and not faithful Pastors I speak not of all but only of the guilty For
not have men make the prosperity of the Church a pretence for altering the Ordinances or Institutions of Christ and making such changes as their conceits or ambitious minds incline them to We shall never have a Rule nor fixed certainty if we may change thâ—ngs our selves on such pretences Pretend not then to Antiquity as you do § 11. And 2. I have in the former Disputation proved by many Reasons that it was not the mind of the Apostles themselves that the Parochial or Congregational Churches which they planted should be changed into another sort of Churches Nor is there any reason for it but against it in the prosperity of the Church and piety of Magistrates For 1. Pious Magistrates should help to keep and not to break Apostolical institutions 2. And pious Magistrates should further the good of the Church and not hurt it to advance ambitious mâ—n § 12. For 3. Ministers are for the Churches and therefore no change must be made on such pretences that is against the good of the Churches If every Parish or Congregation then were meet to have a Bishop and Presbyterie of their own why shall the Church be now so abused as that a whole County shall have but one Bishop and his Presbyterie If every Hospital or Town had a Physitian with his Apothecaries and Mates in your Fathers dayes would you be their benefactors by procuring that all the County shall have but one Physitian with his Apothecaries Or if every School had a Schoolmaster in your Forefathers dayes will you say there shall be but one in your dayes in a whole County Do you thus think to honour Physitians and Schoolmasters to the ruine of the people and the Schools So do you in your advancement of Bishops Upon my certain experience I dare affirm it that every Parish of four or five thousand souls yea of a thousand souls hath need of such a Presbyterie for their Oversight And is not he that hath a County on his hands like to do less for this Town or Parish then if he had no more then this If your Bees swarm you will not keep them all still in an hive nor think of enlarging the hive to that end but you will help the swarm to an hive of their own If your Children marry you will rather settle them in Families of their own then retain all them and all their Children in the Family with your selves So if a Bishop of one Church should Convert all the Countrey he should rather settle them in several Churches proportionable to their numbers and distances then to call them all his own Church § 13. Object 3. But by this means the Church wouâ—d be pâ—stered with Bishops What a number of Bishops would you have if every Parish-Priest were a Bishop We read not of such numbers as this would procure in the antient times § 14. Answ. 1. I find where Christ commandeth us to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth Labourers that is more Labourers into the harvest because of the greatness of the harvest But I find not where â—e once requireth us to pray or wish that there may not be too many for fear of pestering the Church or diminishing the honour of the Clergy Mens purses I warrant you will hinder the over-abounding of them aâ—d Gods providence doth not enrich too many with abilities and willingness for the work Do you undertake that they shall not be too bad and I dare undertake they will not be too many § 15. And 2. Is it not the felicity and glory of the Church which you object as an inconvenience or reproach O blessed time and place that hath but enow that are able and faithfull But I never knew nor heard nor read of the age that had too many that were good and faithfull in the work Would you not have a chief Schoolmaster in every School or Town for fear the Land should be pestered or overwhelmed with School-masters Why how can there be too many when people will imploy no more then they need O miserable Church that hath such Bishops that are afraid Gods vineyard should be furnished with labourers lest their greatness and honour should be diminished Do you not see how many thousand souls lie still in ignorance presumption and security for all the number of labourers that we have And see you not that six parts of the world are Infidels and much for want of Teachers to instruct them And yet are you afraid that there will be too many What could the enemy of the Church say worse § 16. Object We do not mean too many Teachers but too many Bishops that is too many Governours of the Church Answ. 1. God knoweth no Governours Ministeriall but teachers It seems you would have somewhat that you call Government and leave the labour of Teaching to others As if you knew not that it is they that are especially worthy of the double honour that labour in the word and doctrine 1 Tim. 5.17 Or as if you knew not that even the Government of Pastors is mostly by teaching 2. Government and Teaching go together and are both necessary to the Church And the diminishing the number of Governours and of Teachers is all one As a Physitian doth Govern all his Patients in order to their cure and a Schoolmaster all his schollars in order to their learning so doth a Pastor all his flock in order to their sanctification and salvation And for the Government of the Ministers themselves the number shall be increased as little as may be Parish Bishops will Govern but a few and therefore they can wrong but few by their mis-government § 17. Object 4. But by this means we shall have unworthy raw and ignorant men made Bishops What kind of Bishops shaell we have if every Parish Priest must be a Bishop Some of them are boyes and some of them empty silly souls to make Bishops of § 18. Answ. I shall lay open the nakedness of this Objection also so that it shall be no shelter to domineering in the Church 1. Awake the sparks of humility that are in you and tell us openly whether you think your selves more able worthy men to Govern a County or a hundred Parishes then such as we are to Govern one Though I have been many and many a time tempted with Ionas to run away from the charge that is cast upon me as a burden too heavy for me to bear and I know my self to be lamentably insufficient for it yet I must profess that I am so proud as to think my self as able to be the Pastor or Bishop of this Parish as most Bishops in England yea or any one of them to be the Pastor and Governour of a County or an hundred or two hundred Parishes Were you humble or did you dwell at home or take an account of your own abilities when you reproach others as unable to be the Bishops of a Parish and think your selves able to be the
and we have to dispute of It is Ecclesiastical Government by Ministers and not secular by Magistrates that is our controversie It is of the Power left by Christ to Pastors and not to Princes § 25. Object But at least those should be excommunicated that deny obedience to their Bishops that is a Power that is left in the Bishops themselves whether the Magistrate consent or not Answ. 1. Excommunication is a sentence that should fall on none but for such gross and hainous sin if not also obstinacy and impenitency in them as is mentioned in Scripture Using it in cases of controversie and tolerable differences is but a tearing and dividing the Church 2. We take it not for our duty to excommunicate you because you are for Diocesan Prelacy therefore you should not take it for yours to excommunicate others because they are against it For 3. If your species of Episcopacy be such as I have proved it you have more need to repent and amend and ask forgiveness of God and men then to excommunicate them that are not of your opinion and for your sin 4. But if you take this to be your duty who hath hindered you from it these twelve years You had liberty for ought I know to have discharged your consciences and to have excommunicated us all 5. But you might so easily see what was like to come of it that it is no wonder that you forbore If such a Ministry and such a people as are now your adherents whose description I forbear should execute your sentence and cast us and our adherents out of their communion what contempt would it bring upon you in England The Ale-houses would be shut up for the most part against uâ— But that and the rest would be easily born I think this is not your way § 26. Object 7. But what need you form us a new sort of Episcopacy were we not well enough before Why did you pull down that which was well planted and now pretend to commend a better to us We were well if you had let us alone § 27. Answ. 1. But We were not well because you would not let us alone The Ministers that were silenced and imprisoned and banished and the thousands of people that were fain to follow them and all those that were undone by your prosecutions in England were not well But this is a small matter The ignorant Congregations that had ignorant and drunken guides where Piety was scorned as Puritanism and impiety made a thing of nothing and where Satan was so commonly served the many hundred Congregations in England that never knew what true Discipline meant nor never saw in all their lives a drunkard oppressor railer blasphemer either cast out or penitently confess his sin before the Church all these were not well though you were well 2. Whether we were well before I have shewed in my first Disputation and thither I refer you 3. And whether we have brought in a new Episcopacy or only cast out a new one and desire to bring in the Old we are content to put it to an equal tryall We all concurr in offering you this motion Let the oldest stand and the newest be cast out § 28. Object 8. Iudge now by the effects The Episcopacy which you blame did keep up Order and Vnity in the Church It kept under those weeds of heresie and error that since sprung up We had then no Quakers nor Seekers nor such other Sects as now abound This swarm of Errors shews which Government is best § 29. Answ. This is a gross fallacy à non causa pro causa to which I return you my answer in these seven considerations 1. You tell us of the good that you think you did but you tell us not of the hurt I hope I love Divisions or Heresies as little as ever a Bishop in England and yet I must profess that I had rather an hundred times have things continue as they are with all our swarms of heresies then to be restored to their ancient pass Our loss iâ— as great as Iosephs in being removed from the Prison to Pharaohs ungodly family I mean in spirituals of seculars anon I know not of an Anabaptist Separatist Quaker or any other Sectary in the Town that I live in for all this noise unless you will take a few Infidels for Sectaries or a few ignorant Papists or those of your own way But on the other side I hope there are many hundreds that truly fear God that formerly were drowned in ignorance and ungodliness The families that were wont to curse and swear and rail at Godliness do now worship God and set up holy instructions and cast out sin and this is our change And in some measure I have reason to believe that it is so in other places also § 30. 2. The Errors of the times are many of them your own and therefore you exclaim against your selves It is of your own selves that men arise that write against Original sin and for Liberty of Prophecying which is more then Liberty of Believing and for a kind of Limbus Patrum and Infantum and for humane Satisfactions for sin to God and for the Primacy of the Pope and that all our Protestant Churches are no Churches or Ministers no Ministers that have not Prelatical Ordination yea and a Succession of it with many the like to say nothing of other Pelagian weeds It doth not therefore become you to reproach us with our swarms of Errors while you introduce them § 31. 3. There were Heresies and Sects even in the dayes of Prelacy Had you not then the Familists the Grundleâ—onians such as Hacket and Coppinger and Arthington and the Anabaptists and Separatists and Antinomians and Papists and such like besides the contentions between the Arminians and Antiarminians and the contentions raised by Episcopacy it self and the Ceremonies that it upheld Who were they that rose up against the Bishops and pulled them down if there were Unity under them as you pretend § 32. 4. The truth is it was the Magistrate and not Episcopacy that kept that Unity and Peace among us which we had and that kept under Heresies so much as they were kept under Take not therefore the Magistrates honour to your selves Who would have attended your Courts or submitted to your censures had it not been for fear of the Secular power I think but few You know the Hereticks themselves obeyed you not for Conscience sake Nor would they have regarded your Excommunication if the Magistrate would have let them alone If it was the spiritual sword in your hands that kept out Heresies why did you not keep them out since as well as then You have the same power from Christ now as ever you had And I hope the fears of persecution will not hinder you from your duty especially when you can name so few that have suffered for exercising Church-discipline by Episcopal power at least this was no hinderance a
few years ago For my part I heartily wish you free from persecution if you are not But again I tell you that which I suppose you know that as free a Toleration of Prelacy in England as there is of Presbyterie were the likelyest way to bring you into perpetual contempt For we cannot but know that besides a few Civil engaged Gentlemen Ministers and others your main body would consist of those that for their notorious impiety scandal or ignorance are thought unmeet for Church-communion by others and that when you came to exercise Discipline on them they would hate you and fly from you as much as ever they did from Puritans and if you did indulge them and not reform them or cast them out your Church would be the Contempt of the sober part of the world and your own sober members would quickly relinquish it for shame For the Church of England if you would needs be so called would be taken for the sink of all the other Churches in England This is a clear and certain truth that is easily discerned without a Prophetick spirit and the dishonour of all this would reflect upon your Prelacy § 33. 5. And further I answer your Objection that it is not the insufficiency of other Church-government in comparison of Prelacy that was the inlet of our Heresies and Divisions but it was the Licentiousness of a time of war when all evil spirits are turned loose and the subtilty of the Papists that have taken advantage to spawn among us the Quakers and Levellers and Behemists and other Paracelsians and the Seekers to confound and dishonour us if they could and to promote their cause And in times of war especially when such changes in the Civil state ensue and so many adversaries are watching to sow tares such things are common § 34. 6. And you cannot say that it comes from the insufficiency of other Government in comparison of yours because you see no other Government setled instead of yours so far as to be seconded by the sword or secular power no nor so far as to have a word of command or perswasion to the people to obey it except an Ordinance that in most places was hindered from execution nor is there any one Government so much as owned alone by the Magistrate Besides that the Civil power it self restraineth not those that you speak of as to the most of them § 35. 7. Lastly if you would compare your Prelacy with other Government compare them where the case is equal Hath not Presbyterie in Scotland and in France with much less help and countenance from the Magistrate kept out Heresies and divisions as much at least as ever Prelacy did It is certain that it hath § 36. And yet I must add that the multitude of Sects and Heresies that sprung up in the first and second and third Ages was no such dishonour to the form of Government then used in the Church as should encourage any man to dislike or change it If it was Prelacy that was used then swarms of Sects and Heresies may come in notwithstanding Prelacy even in better hands then yours But if it were not Prelacy that was then the Government Heresies are no more a shame to that Government now § 37. I know many Readers will think that this writing that purposely comes for Peace should not be guilty of repeating and remembring the faults of others nor speak to them so plainly as is liker to exasperate then pacifie But to these I say 1. Their Objections which they insist on cannot be answered but by this opening of the truth And 2. The truth is those men that own all the abuses and persecutions of the late Prelates and are impenitent as to their guilt and wish and would have the same again are no fit materials for a concordant frame If their business be destroying they will never well joyn with us in building and in healing Repentance is the best Ingredient in our Salve We consent to the same conditions that we propose and will thank them if they will help us to Repentance especially of such sins as are destructive to the Churches peace § 38. And the Godly Moderate Episcopal men do concur with us in the blaming of the abuses of their party Saith that good and peaceable Bishop Hall in his modest offer to the Assembly pag. 3. I should be a flatterer of the times past if I should take upon me to justifie or approve of all the carriages of some that have been entrusted with the Keyes of Ecclesiastical Government or to blanch over the corruptions of Consistorial Officers in both these there was fault enough to ground both a Complaint and Reformation and may that man never prosper that desires not an happy reformation of whatsoever hath been or is amiss in the Church of God § 39. Object 9. But it is not only the abuses of Episcopacy but the thing it self that hath been Covenanted against in England and opposed nor is it only the English Prelacy but all Episcopacy and therefore your motion for another species is like to find but small acceptance § 40. Answ. It is not true that all Episcopacy hath been Covenanted against or taken down in England Nor is it true of any of the sorts of Episcopacy which I have here mentioned It was only that which was then existent that was taken down and only the English frame of Arch-bishops Bishops Deans and the rest as here they Governed that was Covenanted against Of which I shall speak more anon in answer to the Objections of others § 41. Object 10. You haue covetously seized on the Revenues of the Bishops and made your selves fat with their Possessions and this was the prize that you aimed at in taking them down Answ. The world seeth the falshood of this slander in the open light and therefore for your credit sake you were best recant it England knoweth that the Bishops lands were sold and given to the Souldiers and not to the Presbyters It maintained the Army and not the Ministry And that the Dean and Chapters lands is gone the same way or the like to pay the debts of the State And that Presbyters have none of them all save that here and there one that had about ten or twenty or thirty pound a year have somewhat in Augmentation that the Churches may not be left to Readers and blind Guides as they were in the Prelates dayes I that have a fuller maintenance then most in all the Country where I live do receive but about eighty pound and sometimes ninety pound per annum and did I need to pull down Prelacy for this § 42. I Come now to the Objections of the other side who will be offended with me for consenting for peace to so much as I here do And 1. Some will say that we are engaged against all Prelacy by Covenant and therefore cannot yield to so much as you do without the guilt of perjury § 43.
changed our Religion nor our Church What if he read his prayers and I say mine without book or what if he pray in white and I in black or what if he kneel in receiving the Eucharist and I sit or stand or what if he use the Cross in baptisme and I baptize no better then the Apostles did without it do these or such like make us to be of two Religions Do I change my Religion if I read with a pair of spectacles or if I look towards the South or West rather then the East c. We see what these men would make the Christian Religion to be Were the Apostles no Christians because they had no kneeling at the Eucharist nor Cross in Baptism nor Surplice nor at least our Common Prayer-book c Dare you say they were no Christians or yet that Christian Religion was one thing then and another thing now And for our Churches we do not only meet in the same places but we have the same doctrine the same worship in every part though he talk of our no true worship as if Praying Praising God c. were no true worship the things changed were by the imposers and defenders see Dr. Burgess Rejoynder professed to be no parts at all of worship but meer accidents we have the same people save here and there a few that separate by yours and others seducement and some vile ones that we cast out we have abundance of the same Ministers that we had And yet must we have no worship Ministry Communion of Saints or Salvation because we have only a Parochial and not a Diocesan Episcopacy Forsooth we have lost our Religion and are all lost men because our Bishops have but single Parish-churches to oversee which they find a load as heavy as they can bear and we have not one Bishop to take the Government of an hundred or two hundred Churches At Rome he is a damned man that believeth not in the Pope and is out of the Catholike Church because he is out of the subjection of the Pope and with these men we are lost men if we never so much believe in Christ because we believe not in an Archbishop and are out of the Catholike Church and Communion of Saints because we will not be ruled by such Rulers as these And what 's all this to such Counties as this where I live and most else in England that I hear of that know of no Bishop they have and they rejected none nor doth any come and command them any Obedience Must we be unchristened unchurcht and damned for not obeying when we have none to obey or none that calls for our obedience But I shall let these men pass and leave them in their separation desiring that they had Catholike spirits and principles This much I have said to let men see that there is no possibility of our union with this sort that are resolved on a separation and that it is not these Novelists and Dividers but the antient Episcopal party of England that we can easily agree with § 7. The next that I shall instance in that was agreed with these Principles of ours is the late Reverend and Learned Bishâ—p Vsher of whose Concord with us I have two proofs The one was his own profession to my self The other is his own writings especially his Propositions given in to King Charls now printed called The Reduction of Episcopacy to the form of Synodical Government received in the ancient Church which consisteth of four Propositions having first proved that all Presbyters have the power of Discipline and Church-government the first alloweth the single Rector of the Parish to take notice of the scandalous reprove admonish and debar them from the Lords Table The second is that in every Rurall Dâ—anry all the Pastors within the Precinct may by the Chorepiscopus or Suffragan be every month Assembled in a Synod and according to the Major part of their voices he conclude all matters that shall be brought into debate before them as Excommunication c. The third is for a Diocesan Synod once or Twice a year where by the consent of the Major part of the Rectors all things might be concluded by the Bishop or Superintendent call him whether you will or in his absence by one of the suffragans whom he deputes to be Moderator The fourth is for Provincial and National Synods in like sort § 8. And when I had perused these papers in M. S. I told him that yet one thing was left out that the Episcopal party would many of them stick at more then he and that is a Negative voice in Ordination in the President to which and the rest I proposed this for accommodation in brief 1. Let every particular or Parish Church have a Bishop and Presbyters to assist him where possibly they can be had 2. Let all these Associate and their several Associations have a stated President 3. Let all men be at liberty for the name whether they will call him a Bishop President Moderator Superintendent or the like 4. And for the Negative voice in Ordination let all Ministers of the Assâ—ciation agree that de facto they will not Ordain without him but in Cases of Necessity but let every man be left free to his own Principles on which he shall ground this practice and not be bound to consent that de jure a Negative vote is due to the President These terms did I propose to the Bishop for Accommodation and intreated him to tell me plainly his judgement whether they are satisfactory and sufficient for the Episcopal party to yield to for Peace and Communion and his answer was this They are sufficient and modâ—rate men will accept them but others will not as I have tryed for many of them are offended with me for propounding such terms And thus this Reverend Bishop and I were agreed for Peace in a quarter of an hour the truth of whâ—ch I solemnly profess and so would all the Ministers and Christians in England if they were not either wiser or foolisher honester or dishonester then he and I. And this I leave on Record to Posterity as a testimony against the dividers and contenders of this age That it was not long of men of the temper and principles of this Reverend Archbishop and my self that the Episcopal party and their dissenting Brethren in England were not speedily and heartily agreed for we actually did it To no honour of mine but to the honour of this peaceable man and the shame of the unpeaceable hinderers or refusers of our Reconciliation let this testimony live that Posterity may know whom to blame for our Calamities they all extoll Peace when they reject it and destroy it § 9 For a third witness of the Reconcileableness of the Moderate Episcopal party on these terms I may well produce Dr. Holdsworth who subscribed these same Propositions of Bishop Vsher to the King and therefore was a Consenter to the same way of
in other passages of Scripture had the power of Ordination and that it belonged not only to the Apostles and Evangelists and such as they call Archbishops but that the fixed Bishops of particular Churches had it Sect. 3. The Minor I prove thus that our Ordination is by Scripture Bishops The Scripture Bishops were the Pastors of Particular Churches having no Presbyters subject to them Most of our Ordainers are such Pastors therefore most of our Ordainers are Scripture Bishops Sect 4. The Major is asserted at large by the foresaid 〈◊〉 Dr. H. H. Annot. in Art 11. b. p. 407. Where he shews 〈◊〉 though this title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders have been also 〈◊〉 second Order in the Church is now only in use for them under 〈◊〉 name of Presbyters yet in the Scripture times it belonged princâ—pally if not only to Bishops there being no evidence that any of 〈◊〉 second order were then instituted So that the Scripture Bishops were the Pastors of single Churches having no Presbyters under them for there were no inferiour Presbyters that had not the Power of Ordination instituted in those times This therefore may be taken as a granted truth Sect. 5. And that our Ordainers are such is commonly known 1. They are Pastors it is but few of the Prelates that denyed this They are Rectors of the People and have the Pastoral charge of souls 2. They are Pastors of Particular Churches 3. They have for the most part at least no subject or inferiour Presbyters under them therefore they are Scripture Bishops Sect. 6. Object The difference lyeth in another point The Scripture Bishops had the Power of Ordination Your Pastors have not the Power of Ordination thereefore they are not the same Answ. That is the thing in Question I am proving that they have the power of Ordination thus In Scripture times all single Pastors of single Churches had the Power of Ordination there being no other instituted But our Ordainers are the single Pastors of single Churches and of Christs institution therefore they have the Power of Ordination If the Pastors now are denyed to be such as were instituted in Scripture times 1. Let them shew who did institute them and by what authority 2. The sole Pastors of particular Churches were instituâ—ed in Scripture times But such are ours in question therefore c. Sect. 7. There is no sort of Pastors lawfull in the Church but what were instituted in Scripture times But the sort of Pastors now in question are lawfull in the Church therefore they were instituted in Scripture times The Minor will be granted us of all those that were Ordained by Prelates They would not Ordain men to an office which they thought unlawful The Major is proved thus No sort of Pastors are lawful in the Church but such of whom we may have sufficient evidence that they were instituted by Christ or his Apostles But we can have sufficient evidence of none but such as were instituted in Scripture times that they were instituted by Christ or his Apostles therefore no other sort is lawfull The Major is proved in that none but Christ and such as he committed it to have power to institute new Holy Offices for Worship in the Church But Christ hath committed this to none but Apostles if to them therefore c. Whether Apostles themselves did make any such new Office I will not now dispute but if they did 1. It was by that special Authority which no man since the planting of the Churches by them can lay claim to or prove that they have 2. And it was by that extraordinary guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost which none can manifest to have been since that time communicated Sect. 8. Moreover if there were a Power of instituting new Offices in the Church since Scripture times it was either in a Pope in Councils or in single Pastors But it was in none of these not in a Pope for there was no such Creature of long time after much less with this authority Not in a Council For 1. None such was used 2. None such is proved 3. Else they should have it still Not in every Bishop as will be easily granted Sect. 9. If such a Power of instituting New Church-Offices were after Scripture times in the Church then it is ceased since or continueth still Not ceased since For 1. The Powers or officers then lâ—â—t continue still therefore their authority continueth still 2. There is no proof that any such temporary power was given to any since Scripture times Nor doth any such continue still Otherwise men might still make us more New Offices and so we should not know when we have done nor should we need to look into Scripture for Christs will but to the will of men Sect. 10. Argument 2. No men since Scripture times had power to change the Institutions of Christ and the Apostles by taking down the sort of Pastors by them established and setting up another sort in their stead But if there be lawful Pastors of particular Churches that have not power of Ordination then men had power to make such a change For the sort of Pastors then instituted were such as had but one Church and were themselves personally to guide that Church in actual Worship and had the power of Ordination and there was no subject Presbyters nor no single Pastors that had not the Power of Ordination All single Pastors of particular Churches had that Poâ—er then But all or almost all such single Pastors of particular Churches are by the Dissenters supposed to be without that Power now Therefore it is by them supposed that Christs form of Church Government and sort of Officers are changed and consequently that men had power to change them for they suppose it lawfully done Sect. 11. Argument 3. The Pastors of City Churches may ordain especially the sole or chief Pastors Many of our present Ordainers are the Pastors of City Churches and the sole or chief Pastors in some Places therefore they may Ordain The Major is proved from the doctrine of the Dissenters which is that every City Church should have a Bâ—shop and that every Bishop is the chief and sometimes only Pastor of a City Church If they say that yet every Pastor though the sole Pastor of a City Church is not a Bishop I answer that then they will infer the same power of changing Scripture Institutions which I mentioned and disproved before Let them prove such a Power if they can Sect. 12. The Minor is undenyable and seen de facto that many of our Ordainers are such Pastors of City Churches and that of two sorts some of such Cities as have both the Name and Nature of Cities And some of such Cities as have truly the nature but in our English custom of speech have not the name such as are all Corporations in the several Market Towns of England Sect. 13. Argument 4. Those Pastors that have Presbyters