good as the former and no better For what Laws of the Realme doth he account just Those that crosse any Prelaticall practises and Antichristian lawlesse courses of his Spirituall Courts Surely those are not to be ranked among the just Laws of the Realme those must needs be unjust Laws which are made to restraine the Infolencie and Lawlesse proceedings of Prelaticall Courts Which is the reason that now of late under this Archprelate Prohibitions out of the Kings bench to the High-Commission are so gueason so well Schooled are both Lawyers to move and Judges to grant any such thing Thus the Prelates practises are a sufficient Commentary of his owne words So as the Summe of this his whole passage is That his Church of England must submit her beliefe to her Arch Bishops and Bishops as visible Iudges left by Christ to governe and to determine all matters of difference in point of Faith and Religion and that according to Scripture too so farre as they crosse not her own Canons and those of the Catholicke Church wherein England and Rome are one and the Same one Church of one Faith of one Religion And all this if we may beleeve her Metropolitan the Church of England beleeves O miserable Church CHAP. IIII. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate in his Booke touching the Authority of his Hierarchie are met withall and confuted by evidence of Scripture IN his * Epistle Dedicatory he hath these words She the Church of England practises Church-Government as it hath been in use in all Ages and all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both in and ever since the Apostles times and yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline So he A bold Speech and the more bold because most false and hath nothing but his bare Ipse dixit his naked affirmation as Authority sufficient Whence I note sundry particulars First that he calleth the Hierarchie or Ecclesiasticall Government therof the Church of England A thing familiar with Prelates to make themselves the Church And such a Church as that of Rome the Pope and his Priests or Prelates are the Church as themselves affirme Whereas indeed as Iunius hath well distinguished â— they are not the Body it selfe of the Church but â—â—ennes or swellings grown up and so incorporated into the Body as overspreading it like a Leprosie it assumes the denomination of the Body And such are Prelates who in the Church of England are Strumae great swellings like the Kings Evill which are commonly next the Head or about the necke in the most principall parts of the Body Onely in this they will not be called the Kings Evill because they claime their Originall from Christ as before is noted and therfore though they be but certaine Abscessus or Apostemes and so indeed Apostatâ—s from the true Church of Christ which not onely deforme the Body but greatly in danger the life thereof yet the name of Church they challenge in peculiar to themselves But surely the true Church of Christ in England disclaimes communion with such a false Church as the Hierarchie calls it selfe Secondly he saith that his Church or Prelaticall Government hath been in all Times and Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting Here he finely excludes all the Protestant Reformed Churches as no Churches of Christ because they have weeded out those * bittet roots whereby many are defiled and rooted up those plants ‡ which our heavenly Father hath not planted to wit all Prelates with their Hierarâ—hicall Government which being rooted out of those Churches the Gospell blessed be God and so the true Church of Christ hath taken the deeper and firmer rooting and brought forth the more abundant ‡ fruits of holinâ—sse But the Prelate in thus unchurching all true Reformists is as good as his word which he openly spake at Dr. Bastwicks Censure in High-Commission saying The Protestant Churches beyond the Seas were no Churches as having no Bishops calling Calvin a plaine Rascall But so long as those Churches have the true Bishops namely Orthodox and Sound Pastors to feed their severall â—locks it is not the Arch-prelate that can so easily degrade them from being Christs true Churches as he can deprive those Ministers both of Ministry and Meanes who are obnoxious to his Church-Goâ—ernment Thirdly where he saith that his Church-Government hath been in use in all Ages and in all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both In and ever since the Apostles times although this be most false yet were it true it would not therupon follow that this his Church-Government is either Apostolicall or jure divino or from Christ For first every thing that hath been in use in the Apostles times and in the true Church of Christ is not therfore Apostolicke or such as the true Church of Christ alloweth of For we read that the Mistery of Iniquity began to worke in the Apostles times and even then there were § many Antichrists and that in the very midst of the Church in those dayes †And if Prelates shall prove to be those Antichrists which the Apostles detected and described by their qualities as will appeare anonâ— then because such Antichrists were extant and their Church-Government in use in the Apostles times will the Prelate therfore conclude such were Apostolicke and had their Originall jure divino Secondly neither can the Prelate ever prove that his Prelaticall Government as now of later and of long time it hath been is any thing like to the Church-Government exercised by those who took upon them to be the first Diocesan or Provinciall Bishops in those ages succeeding the Apostles He that shall read the Centuries Catâ—lagus Testiunâ— veritatis and other true Church Stories shall find as vast a difference between those poore ancient Bishops both in their manner of life and Church-Government and the moderne Prelotes since Antichrist mounted aloft in his Pontificalibus as the * Poet makes between the Silver Age and the Iron Age or as the ‡ Prophet shews between the brazen brest of the Image of the Babylonish Empire and the feet mixt of iron and clay And that Image may well resemble the State of the Spirituall Babylon or Hierarchy which had its rise of simple and small beginnings but by degrees Successively it grew and got strength and both height and bredth and so became at length of a blind Brooke a goodly navigable River so as the Church turned a City of Traffique and Trade in all worldly pleasures and riches as Babylon is described Revel. 18. and so the more worldly it grew the more wicked proud tyrannicall lordly and imperious and of a Militant Church turned Triumphant as the Prelate himselfe saith of Rome so as now the Church Government of the Prelates in regard of their great Courts and Consistories and doing all things without the Presbyteryâ— is as much unlike that ancient
Church-Government of those Bishops of old as our moderne Prelates themselves are unlike them in manner of life for these are persecuters of the Gospel those were persecuted and suffered Martyrdome for Christ Thus it is false that he saith that the Church-Government now in England was in usâ— in the Primitive Church For to instance in one thing In those ancient Times Excommunication was not used for every trifle nor done in a blind Court nor denounced by a dumb Priest But enough of this Fourthly whereas he saith And yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline First as for the Seperatist as he calls him I thinke the Prelate with this his Book and other his Prelaticall practises hath made more Separatists from his Prelaticall Church of England then ever any that hath sit in the Chaire of Canterbury ever since his Predecessor Augustine first sate in it Nor doe I see how any Christian living in England can with a safe Conscience have communion with that Church which professeth as the Prelate doth in her Name to be one and the Same Church with Rome of one and the Same Faith and Religion Yea were it no more but that the Church of England professeth to be a Hierarchicall or Prelaticall Church which in that very respect is no true Church of Christ it were argument and cause sufficient to Seperate from her And that because Secondly he that is a true Seperatist from her for the former respects may justly condemne her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline For first She exerciseth She professeth no other Discipline but that which Antichrist the Pope and the whole Antichristian Romish Church exerciseth and professeth and that in all points Cap a pied from top to toe And this her Discipline is Antichristian as being of Antichrist and so against Christ and exercised in the maintenance of Antichrist For instance The Prelaticall Church of England hath lately found out a Discipline to censure punish imprison fine excommunicate degrade deprive and all these together him that shall dare to deny the Pope and Prelates to be jure divino Dr. Bastwicke did thus and so the High-Commission served him as aforesaid What Discipline then in the world can be more Antichirstian or more forcible to drive Christians from having any more communion with that Church which exercising such an Antichristian Discipline how can She shift off the just condemnation of Antichristianisme which they shall cast upon her Againe Secondly the whole Discipline of the Church of England as it is the Discipline which Antichrist and his Church exerciseth and therfore Antichristian So it is that which hath no footing but is expresly forbidden in the word of God as Antichristian and Tyrannicall For the Church of Englands Discipline stands most upon the imposition of sundry Ceremonies of humane invention and Antichristian observation which She presseth upon all mens Consciences and for default of Conformity layes grievous Censures upon them as Excommunication and the like Now all such Ceremonies so imposed both Christ himselfe condemneth * In vaine they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men and the Apostle also throughout that whole Chapter of the Epistle to the Collossians doth charge Christians not to put their necks under any such yoake as whereby they are deprived of the benefit of Christs death and beguiled of their reward and spoyled of their Christian liberty and the like Againe the Prelates in imposing their Ceremonies are Antichristian because in so doing they usurpe Christs throne and therein fitting doe exercise a Tyranny over mens Consciences intolerable to be borne which if men will not yeeld unto they doe in as much as in them lyeth make them Anathemaes shut them out of the Church by Excommunication c. And lastly their Excommunication not onely in regard of the matter and cause for which it is namely because men will not renounce Christs service to take the Tyrannicall yoake of Antichrists Ceremonies upon the shoulders of their Consciences but for the very manner of it as it is used in the Church of England is a Discipline Antichristian as being against that form of Excommunication which is prescribed in the word of God and was practised in the Apostolicall Churches It was Christs rule Tell it to the Church that is to the Congregation and if the Offender will not heare the Congregation he is Excommunicate by and out of the Congregation And the Apostles rule is for such Offenders as deserve Excommunication * I verily saith he as absent in body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Whence I note that Excommunication is a Solemne businesse not to be inflicted for every trifling matter much lesse as the Pharisees did who excommunicated all those that confessed Christ nor to be done in a blind Court and by a single soled Priest nor the Offender to be released for the payment of his fees or by way of committing or the like all which are practised in the Discipline of the Church of England But Excommunication must not be but for a great offence nor done but by the whole Congregation nor released but upon the publique repentance confession and promise of reformation before the said Congregation where the offence was given and by whom the penalty is taken off Therfore the Discipline of the Church of England in this case is wholly Antichristian Lastly forasmuch as Prelates doe necessarily draw after them a Traine of Ceremonies as a Chaine of so many links wherwith they captivate ensnare and enslave the Consciences of men as their Motto is No Ceremonie no Bishop for they goe inseperably together like Tobie and his Dogge and the Church of England in her Discipline and Church-Service is wholly captivated by the Masters of such Ceremonies the Prelates and some Ceremonies are such as even doe deny the Lord that bought them as namely Altars and their Service and all the Ceremonies imposed upon the Conscience deny Christ to be the onely King of his Church all these taken together what between the Prelates and between their Ceremonies the Church of England and her Discipline is become Antichristian and therfore no marvail if for this cause good Christians that have knowledge and make Conscience doe Seperate from communion with any such Church CHAP. V. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate are taken tripping though he would run away with it That his Hierarchie is Jure Divino HE saith * For the Calling and Authority of Bishops over the inferiour Clergie that was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church And so
practise after Marke the Euangelist in chusing and exalting one over them whom they called a Bishop whence our Prelates derive their Ancieut and Honourable descent sure we are they can never prove that ever either any Apostle delivered this to Marke or Marke from the Apostles to the Presbyters to make it a Tradition Apostolicke Yea this is a sure and infallible Rule in Divinity That whatever the Apostles expresly set down in their Sacred writing they never delivered the contrary by word of mouth As the Apostle writes to the Corinthians saying ‡ As God is true our word towards you was not yea and any Now as we have sufficiently proved before the Apostles as Christ their Masters forbad them forbid Prelacy to others they exercised it not themselves they disclaimed dominion over the saith of Christians they brand it for Antichristian therfore Prelaticall Iurisdiction is no Apostolick Tradition and so no wâ—y of divine Institution And thus the Truth and Title agreeing together I end as I began Lord Bishops are none of the LORDS Bishops FINIS GOOD COVNCEL FOR THE PRESENT STATE OF ENGLAND I Call that Counsel onely good which God himselfe giveth in his Word and such is this Counsel which is here given as being taken from the mouth of God speaking in his Word 'T is a dangerous thing and impious too for Men to neglect Gods Councel and follow their own This is a signe of a People given up of God As the Lord saith * My poople would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own heaâ—â—s lust and they walked in their own Counsels And what 's the issue of such Counsels David tells us and that with an imprecasion ‡ Destroy thou them ô God let them fall by their own Councels And this is meant of such Councels especially as are taken not onely without the Lord but against the Lord Of which David also saith ‡ Why doe the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine thing The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take Councel together against the Lord and against his Christ Saying Let us breake their bonds a sunder and cast away their cords from us And what followeth He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure For God hath set his King even the Lord Iesus Christ upon his holy hill of Sion This King hath all power in heaven and in earth given into his hand And he hath as a golden Scepter sweetly to governe and protect his own people so an Iron Rod to break in pieces his enemies wherupon the Kingly Prophet concludes thus Be wise now therefore ô ye Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the Eearth Serve the Lord in feare and trembling Kisse the Son least he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little And what doth more kindle Gods wrath against a State or Nation then to Slight and Scorn his Councels and with those Giants of old to consult and confederate and even make Warre against the Lord and his Christ And now ô England thou aâ—t making a great preparation for Warre But of whom hast thou taken Councel Of the Lord From his mouth Hast thou consulted his Oracle his Word If not what ever other Councel thou takest or followest it is but such whereof David thus speakes * The Lord bringeth the Councel of the Heathen to nought be maketh the devises of the people of none effect and casteth out the Counsels of Princes The Councel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations And ‡ There is no King saved by the multitude of an Host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength An Horse is a vaine thing for safety neither shall be deliver any by his great strength Solomon saith By wise Councel thou shalt make thy Warre And no Councel can be wise which is not taken of God and much lesse what is taken of enemies against God Of whom then dost thou take Councel for thy Warreâ— Heare ô England examine thy selfe I know the Councel of thy heart as Solomon saith is as ‡ deep waters into the bottome wherof a vulgar eye cannot elsily pierce But yet a man of understanding will draw it out But if thou wilâ— not discover who is thy Counsellour certainly thy intended actions will bewray and publish to the world And therefore in the Second place consider the Cause of thy Warre that it be just I do not meane made seemingly just by false colours and pretences but that it be really and truly just before God an Men Otherwise thou hast two grand Causes of feare that the issue shall not be prosperous to wit not takiug Councel first of God for thy Warre secondly not undertaking it upon a just Cause or quarrell But to come a little nearer home to the point is the Cause such as it will beare any Consultation or Communion with God So as thou mayst with a good heart and Conscience seek unto God to maintaine thy Cause And for what ever Cause thou indendest thy Warre or against whom surely the Cause being publicke and so concerning the whole Land such a seeking of God is required as is solemne publicke and universall And we are sure that as yet ô England thou hast not sought God for the good Speed of this thy great and warlike preparation And then what good issue canst thou expect for But thou wilt say how shall I seeke Counsel and helpe of God For this I will propound but one example The whole Tribe of Benjamin stood up in maintenance of a most wicked and prodigious fact as that towards the Levites Wife He sent her being dead in 12 pieces to all the Tribes of Israel who abhorring such a Fact first sent to their Brethren the Benjamites to punish the Malefactors They refused Whereupon all the Tribes assembled And first they aske Counsel of the Lord which of the Tribes shall goe up first against Benjamin He Answers Iudaâ— And though the Cause was just and God councelled them yet they were expulsed with the losse of 22 thousand men They consult God the Second time and that with weeping before the Lord untill even the Lord answers them Goe up yet this time also they were beaten and lost 18 thousand men Strange Well they inquire of the Lord the third time but in a better manner then before for all the People of Israel assemble to the House of God weeping and fasting the whole day untill even and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord and then asking the Lord shall I yet againe goe to battaile against Benjamin or shall I cease The Lord answers them the third time Goe up for to morrow I will deliver them into thy hand Whence it is to
LORD BISHOPS NONE OF THE LORDS BISHOPS OR A SHORT DISCOVRSE WHERIN IS PROVED THAT PRELATICALL JURISDICTION IS NOT OF DIVINE Institution but forbidden by Christ himselfe as Heathenish and branded by his Apostles for Antichristian wherin also sundry notable passages of the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury in his late Booke Intituled A Relation of a Conference c. are by the way met withall MATH 20. 25 26. Iesus said to his Disciples ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise Authority upon them But it shall not be so among you But whosoever wil be Great among you let him be your Servant 1 Joh. 2. 18 19. Even as there are many Antichrists They went out from us but they were not of us BERN. Praelati Pilati non Pastores sed Impostores Printed in the Moneth of November 1640. TO THE HIGH AND HONOVRABLE COURT OF PARLIAMENT THE NOBILITIE AND GENTRIE NOVV Assembled in both the Houses Grace Mercy and Peace be multiplyed MOST Noble Senare and right worthy Pattiots who both feare your GOD and honour your King He who truly honours you and dayly prayes for a blessed successe of this your Meeting humbly presents you here with a Cause which well weighed in your maturest judgements may prove one of those greatest Parliament Businesses which your most pious and prudent thoughts and Consultations are taken up withall When you have perused this short Discourse concerning Prelaticall Authority whence it is and if it shall appeare by cleare evidence of Scripture justly compared with their Prelaticall properties and practises that they are the Seed of Antichrist the Mystery of Iniquity a more then Heathenish Tyranny over Soules bodies and estates a meere enmity but under the veile of Hypoerisie against Christ against his Word against his Ministers against his People and the Salvation of their Soulee yea against the peace and prosperity of Civil States by their Factious and Seditious practises and the like Your Wisdome your Piety your Zeale for GOD your Love to Christ your Loyalty to your King your tender compassion towards your poore Country your Christian care of your own Soules and of your Posterities will all of them call and cry for a serious Consultation and a speedy resolution what is to be done herein as you shall apprehend the Prosperity or Calamity of this whole Church and State and the happy or miserable issues of Parlliaments to depend upon it A word to the wise What I would further say I will turne into continuall Supplication to the Great President of Councels JESUS CHRIST that he will send his Spirit of Wisdome and Vnderstanding the Spirit of Councel and Might the Spirit of Knowledge and the Feare of the Lord that Antichrists throne being quite cast out and Christs alone set up the King may be established in perpetuall Peace and Prosperity to himselfe and Royall Posterity 'till the coming of Him who shall put an end to Times and Kingdomes and with whom all that truly serve him here shall raigne for evermore Your Honours and Worships faithfull Orator till death LORD BISHOPS NONE OF THE LORDS BISHOPS CHAPTER 1. Of the State of the Question Whether Bishops be de jure divino of divine Authority OF Bishops or Episkopoi Episcopi so called so commended in Scripture we doubt not but they are de jure divino But what are those Bishops Not Diocesan Lord Bishops so commonly called For of such we no where read of in Scripture as we shall fully prove anon But those whom the Scripture calleth Episcopos are Presbyters or Ministers of the Word lawfully Called and set over their severall Congregations respectively Such onely are Bishops jure divino But as for such as are Katagrestikoes abusively styled Bishops to wit Diocesan or Lord Bishops there is not so much as any one footstep of them in the Scripture And therfore as these have not the true Nature and Calling of a Scripture-Bishop So neither ought they to usurpe the Name and Title of Bishop But as they are of humane invention and institution onely yea of humane presumption as old Father Hierome saith and not of divine Institution So let them be known by such Titles onely as man hath given them as namely Prelates c. Prelati or Prelates are so called because they are preferred or rather preferre them selves before and above others that are GODS Ministers And thus they participate of the Prelacie of the Great Antichrist who is that * supereiromenos as the Apostle styles him he that exalts himselfe above all that is called God He is also called in the same place o a'ntikeÃmenos that Adversary called by Iohn o AntÃkristos that Antichrist to wit that Adversary against Christ And agreeable hereunto is that other Title of Prelates namely Antistes in the Latine which they interpret a witnesse but it may rather be derived from the Greek Anti is not a Latine Preposition but Greeke and signifies against So as Antistes is one that stands against and it may answere to Antistasiastès one of the adverse Faction or on the contrary side as all Prelates are Antistasiastai adversaries against Christ or Antichrists which you will as will further appeare But we will content our selves with the Title of Prelate in this our whole insuing discourse as being none of the Scripture-Bishops Now concerning Prelates the learned Papists themselves are not cannot be resolved that they are jure divino of divine institution immediately but onely at the most mediately deriving their Prelacie from the Pope as all his Canonized Saints doe their Saint-ship saying that the Pope hath his Supremacie jure divino both as Christs Vicar and Peters Successor but all Prelates derive their Prelacie from no further a Fountaine then the Pope as from the well-head or the Head of the Hierarchicall body which gives them their lively motion as the Head to the naturall members This very point of Prelaticall Jurisdiction was canvased and controverted in the Councel of Trent and held by some learned there to be but jure Pontificio by Pontifician Authority resident in the Pope whom therefore they call Patrem Patrum the Father of Fathers as being the Father of the whole Paternity of Prelates And our Prelates of England may remember that till Hen. 8. cast the Pope out of England the Prelates held all their Jurisdiction from the Pope and their Authority was but translated from the Pope to the King So as passing from one man to another it was meerly humane still And the great Primate the now Champion of the Church of England as he beares himselfe in his â—aâ—e Book his Relation of the Conference confesseth thus much That among these to wit ‡ Bishops in their severall Dioces as there he names them there was effectuall subjection respectively grounded upon Canon and Positive Law in their severall Quarters Where by effectuall subjection he meanes subjection of the Prelates in every Province to the
All these things are mine and to those that will fall downe and worship me I give them that is All that will be Prelates and so will be my Servants in oppressing Gods Word in persecuting Christs Saints and Ministers in exercising their Lordly Iurisdiction over the Consciences of Gods people captiving them with manyfold ceremonies of will-worship to â—hâ— destruction of Christs Kingdome of Mans Salvation and of that liberty from all Spirituall bondage the redemption from which cost Christ his best blood to those I will give rich Prelacies goodly houses and Palaces a Princely Traine and Retinue a Lordly Revenew and all the pleasures and contentments which the world can afford And thus we have found out the very Source of this Egyptian Nilus the prime Author and Patron of all such Prelacie as falsely pretends its Title to be de jure divino yea even from Christ himselfe It followeth in the Text ver. 24. And when the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the two brethren Observe here of these Disciples as yet carnall some are ambitious and the rest envious For all of them before Christs Resurrection were ambitious of Prelacie as we read in the place forecited So as hence we may note that such as affect and are ambitious of Prelacie they are carnall men which savour the things of the flesh worldly minded such as the Apostle speaks of that § are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things They have a wisdome indeed but †such as is not from above but is earthly sensuall and develish as Iames speaketh And whereupon speakes he it In the former verse he had sayd If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lye not against the truth And this was the wisdome of these carnall Disciples they were ambitious and envious one against another yea they did a'ganaktein stomack and maligne one another in the point of Prelacy For ambition and envy are two inseperable twinnes like those of Hypocrates they are borne together live together and dye together And as Iames in the former place addeth For where envying and strife is there is confusion kai pan phaulon pragma and every evill worke Now to apply this to our Prelates what men in the world more ambitious of Prelacie and more envious one against another In those Primitive times at the first Councel of Nice what bundles and fardles of complaints did those Prelates bring one against another and all this arose from their ambition and 〈◊〉 each seeking precedency of his Sea before another And the fire was so kindled that had not Constantine the Emperour caused all the Bills of complaints to be cast into the fire together it had been enough to have set all the world in a combustion And the Prelate of Canterbury in his said Book confesseth * that the onely difficulty was to accommodate the places and precedencies of Bishops among themselves And afterwards what a hot stirre was between Iohn of Constantinople and GREGORY of Rome for the precedencie of their Seas and for the Supreme Headship it selfe And heretofore between the Prelates of Canterbury and Yorke for the universall Metropolitanship over all England But let us further hearken to what Christ saith But Iesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them But it shall not be so among you And Luke expresseth it thus The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authoritie upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so All is to one effect Which is Christ here forbids his Disciples to exercise any such Dominion or Auhortity or Lordship either over one another or upon his Church as Heathen Princes doe use over their People And this he applies to their ambition of Prelacie which Prelacie he samples and parallells with the Dominion Authority and Lordship which Heathen Princes exercise over their people These words of Christ are so expresse and full that Bellarmine hath no other Shift to ward off the blow but to say that Christ here forbids his Disciples the exercise of all Temporall Authority and jurisdiction such as Heathen Princes used but not of spirituall Dominion and Lordship Authority and jurisdiction over the Church But it is more cleare then the Sun that Christ forbids here to his Disciples all manner of Dominion and Lordship either over one another or over the Church of God as over Gods Ministers and People First for Lordship over one another the said Arch-prelate of Canterbury confesseth Christ gave them none And secondly for Lordship over Gods heritage the Apostles themselves afterwards both disclaimed in themselves and condemned in others as we shall see hereafter And by the way by Bellarmines own confession all Temporall Lordship or Government is condemned in Prelates But now for our Prelates Quo jure doe they de facto exercise such Authority and Dominion such Lordship and Jurisdiction over Gods Ministers and People as differeth nothing at all from the State of Heathen Princes This Christ expresly forbids to his Disciples and therefore such as doe it are none of his Disciples nor yet any of their Successors But they will say They are Spirituall Lords and exercise a Spirituall Lordship over the Church But this bare Title of Spirituall is too short a cloake to cover the nakednesse of so poore a shift They call themselves Spirituall when they are the most carnall men in the world Thus did those false * Apostles deceitfull workers transforme themselves into the Apostles of Christ Thus Antichrist himselfe whom the Scripture intitles ‡ the Man of sinne and the Son of perdition will salve all by Styling himselfe Holy Father yea Holinesse it selfe But to come a little more close and home to our Prelates those Spirituall Lords wherein doth their Spirituall Dominion and Lordship differ from that of Heathen Princes For first they assume the Title of Prince to themselves as the Arch-prelate in High Commission most bravely and boldly alledged Psal. 45. 16. for which he borrows Bellarmines Glosse Princes then they must be But what Princes Spirituall Nay by their Lordships favour they are Temporall Lords For how els come they to sit in Parliament cheek by jowle with the Princes and Peers of the Realme And do they not in all points beare the Image and represent Heathen Princes in their State and Dominion Have they not their Stately Palaces as they Have they not their Attendants and Officers of their House as they Doe they not goe in Purple and Scarlet Silkes and Velvets and fine linnen and faire deliciously every day as they Have they not their Courts and Officers their Tipstaves Lictors and Prisons as they And doe they not exercise their Authority without subjection to any
or Bishops as most sutable for those Apostolick Times and Persons Content they are to take the Name of Bishop upon them but for the qualities there required they are not Prelaticall enough such as will â—uit with a Lord-Bishop For those were poore Bishops or Overseers and Feeders of one Flocke in this or that City but these are Lord-bishops over a whole Diâ—â—â—se as before is noted To these places we might adde others as Phil. 1. 1. With the Bishops and Deacons Where the Apostle nameing no more Orders but of Bishops and Deaconsâ— the same which he nameth and describeth in the forecited places 1 Tim. 3. and Tit. 1. makes it cleare unto us that by those Pishops in Philippi he meanes the same in kind that were in Ephesus and Creete to wit so many Presbyters as were also called Bishops or Overseers And naming Bishops which were at Philippi it argues there were many Bishops of that one Church as we noted before of the Church of Ephesus And in other places also they are called Elders For 1 Tim. 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule will be counted worthy of double honour maliâ—ta oâ— kopiontes especially thâ—se that take greatest paines in the Word and Doctrine Now those Elders Chap. 3. he calls Bishops Implying they are both oâ—e as also that there were many of those Bishops in the Church of Ephesus where Timethy then was And those Presbyters or Bishops some were more industrious in the word and Doctrine did kopian labour more hard therein as the word signifieth then ordinary and therefore such the Apostle would have to be counted worthy of double honour Now is it thus with our Lord-Bishops First do they kopian â—oyle hard at Gods Plough to use Laâ—imers Comparison do they desire no more honour but such as is proportionable to their paines in Preaching Gods word Tussi their honour is according to the honour of the City whereof they are Lord-Bishops as the Prelate himselfe ‡ tells us The Honours of the Church should follow the Honours of the State or according to the greatnesse of their revenâ—â—s or according to their great favour and place in Kings Courts and not according to their yeares or vertues or good deserts which are neither required in them nor respected of them Thus still all along quantum abludunt how much distance is there and what infinit disparity between our Lord Bishops and Scripture-bishops And lastly these Bishops so called by Paul are called also by Peter Praesbyteri Presbyters or Elders where he saith ‡ The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder and a witnesse of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker of the glory that shal be reveald Feed the Flocke of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof Episcopountes not by constraâ—nt but willingly not for filthy luore but of a ready mind neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being Ensamples to the Flocke And when the chiefe Shepheard shall appeare ye shall receive a Crown that fadeth not away Where First he notes the Ministers and Pastors by the Title of Presbyters or Elders as also he stiles himselfe He saith not My Lords or Right Reverend Fathers or the like Secondly he useth no imperious language unto them but saith parakalo I exhort or beseech you Not as the Prelates to their Priests These are to will and require you upon paiâ—â—e of Episcopall Censure c. Thirdly the thing he exhorts them unto is to â—eed the flocke of God committed to their Charge But our Lord-Prelates command their inferiour Ministers to feed their flocke as sparingly as may be as at the most to preach but once upon the Lords day or once a moneth will serve and for Catechising in the afternoone altogether to forbeare expounding and for the sound food of the Doctrins of Gods free Grace which is the very Summe of the Gospâ—l never to preach of them at all as being too Puritanicall and the like Fourthly He exhorts them to feed each his own Flocke Feed the Flocke of God which dependeth on you He saith not Flocks as if one Presbyter or Bishop were set over many Flocks or Congregations as our Lord Bishops are as is noted before Fiftly he exhorts them to oversee their Flockâ— not for filthy lucre but of a free and ready mind But our Lord Prelates and their Curate Priests are of another mind as being hirelings and noe true Shepheards so as it is with them No penny no Pater noster they looke more to their tithes then to their taske and more after the sleece then for the good of the flocke Sixtly Not as Lords over Gods Heritage yea Mud oâ—s katakurieâ—ontes nor as Lording it ever Gods Heritage The same word is used in Mat. 20. 25. Mark 10. 42. Where such Heathen-like Lording is by Christ himselfe forbidden his Disciples as * before is sheâ—ed But the Pontificians and so our Lordly Prelates say that this word katakurieuein signifieth onely a tyrannicall Lordship which they doe not use I answere that in Luke kurieuâ—in to Lord it at all is forbidden And being put for katakurieuin it noteth that all manner of Lordship over the Flocke of God is forbidden to Christs true Ministers Nor can the Prelates whether Pontifician or Protestant in Name so easily cleare their Lordly Dominion over Gods people from Tyranny For even our great Prelate himselfe sticks not to charge the Church of Rome with ‡ Tyranny And can he discharge himselfe of it Wherein comes the Primate of the Church of England short of the Papall Tyranny but in this that the Pope tyrannizeth over the universall Church of the great world and the Metropolitan or Metropolitician of all Enâ—land tyrannizeth over that whole Church which the Pope called the other world The difference I say is onely in the Magiâ— Minus which alter not the nature of the thing For for the Popes Inquisition the Prelate hath his High-Commission by the Law whereof though he cannot bring his Heretick Puritans to the Stake attended with fire and fagot as the Popes Inquisition doth yet he can make their life more miserable then death it selfe by his pecpetuall close Imprisonments and the like Nor wants he either Canons and Ceremonies as snares to catch nor Pursuivants as Beagles to hunt out the poore Sheep and to hale them to his Shambles for refusing to be fed with such hemlocke instead of Gods wholesome word Yea where his High-Commission cannot reach to suck the blood and crucifie the bodies of Christs Servants as upon the Pillory he can easily remove the Cause into another Court where himselfe sitting a grand and Powerfull Swaying Judge will satisfie his blood-thirsty longing And as in * another place of his Booke he twitteth the Church of Rome for being a Tryumphant Church Saying Now She must be a Triumphant Church here Militant no longer So no lesse Triumphant hath the Prelate made his present Prelaticall Church of
the Lords day which is an open proclaiming of Warre against God against Christ against his holy Laws against all holinesse against our Christian vow in Baptisme against the good Laws of the Land and Acts of Parliament and against the very bonds of all Civill and Natural Societies And thus our Prelates are the most notorious Lawlesse men onely excepting the Grand Antichrist the Pope unlesse in some things they doe outstrip him that ever were in any Age of the world Further two wayes more doe the Prelates prove themselves to be o`i a'nomei those Lawlesse men As first in hanging the Keys of Scripture at their Girdle saying that the Credit and belieâ—â— of Scripture to be the word of God doth necessarily depend upon the Authority and Tradition of the present Church as the prime inducing cause to that belâ—â—f This our great Prelate in his said Book boldly affirmethâ— and often repeateth saying withall that the Scripture hath not light enough in it selfe is not sufficient to shew and prove it selfe to be the word of God So as the whole Authority of Scriptureâ— depending upon Church-Tradition and Authority is necessarily made subject to Episcopall Power and so consequently the Law of God contained therein shall not be Divine unlesse it please their good Lordships to give their good word for it and to make it of so much credit by the vote of their Authority and Tradition as that men may beleeve it to be Gods Law And upon this ground it is that if the Prelates shall pronounce the 4th Commandement not to be Morall for the sanctifying of a Seventh day yea the first day of the weeke for Sabbath and that Servants and Children are not bound to yeeld obedience to their Masters and Parents on that day in Case Civil or Ecclesiasticall Authority shall dispense with them to be free that day for their Sports then all men must be of their opinion that those Commandements are none of Gods Commandements The second way whereby Prelates doe shew themselves Lawlesse men is by denying the Scripture to be Iudge in Controversus of Faith For the said Prelate peâ—emptorily saith * I absolutely make a lawfull and free Generall Councel Iudge of Controversies by and according to Scriptures Which By and according to the Scriptures come in by the By and are meere Cyphers For by these words he either meanes That By and according to the Scriptures hee absolutely makes c. which is most false for by and according to the Scripture no Generall Councel is Iudge of Coneroversies Neither by and according to the Scriptures hath the Prelate power absolutely to make a Generall Councel Iudge of Controversies or els by these words he doth but cast a â—yst before his Readers eyes to make him beleeve upon the first rebound of his words that he makes Scripture the Rule for Generall Councels to determine Controversies by Whereas he meanes no such thing For elswhere he hath sundry speeches to the contrary as ‡ The Churches Declaration can bind us to peace and externall obedience where there is not expresse letter of Scripture and sâ—nce agreed upon And againe If there be a aâ—ealâ—usie or doubt of the sense of Scripture a Generall Councel must judge the Difference onely Scripture must be the Rule Now if Scripture be doubtfull and not cleare how can it be a rule to others to judge by But if Scripture be sufficiently and aboundantly cleare in it selfe in resolving of matters of faith for salvation how come men to take upon them to be Iudges But that the Scripture it selfe should be Iudge the Prelate in no case in no place of his Booke will allow of that Onely he confesseth that the Scripture is a * Iudge but without light Sufficient visible but not living not speaking but by the Church So as the Iudge he makes upon the matter both blind and dead and dumb As the ‡ Papists make it a dead letter and Leaden or Lesbian Rule that so they may set the Church above it to be Supreme Iudge Thus our Prelates if they will allow their Primate to speake for them have made the Scripture and so Gods word of no Authority in and of it selfe when it must depend both for its Authority and Sense upon the Church and that the Prelaticall Church or that Catholicke wherein the Church Prelaticall of England and of Rome are one and the Same Are not the Prelates then next after the Pope those Lawlesse men branded here by the Apostle under the name of that Lawlesse one We come now to the Sixth note of Antichrist in the Text which isâ—that he at God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Now the ‡ Temple of God properly according to the New Testament the ancient Temple of the Iews being abolished is the Soule and Conscience of every beleever or true Christian namely a Spirttuall Temple Now all that beare but the beare name of Christians as Papists doe doe also participate of the bare Name of such as are the true Temples and so in that respect Antichrist is said to sit in or upon or over the Temple of God For sitting argues a Seat Chaire or Throne which Antichrist sets up in the Soules and Consciences of all Papists Sitting and raigning as King over them in all matters of faith So as thus he makes himselfe a Spirituall Lord or King over them And thus by Antichrists sitting is understood his raingning as the Scripture doth often use this Terme as Revel. 17. 1. 3. 15. and 18. 7. And so in other places of Scripture by sitting is understood raigning as Heb. 1. 13. 1. Rev. 1. 13. Now that the Pope doth thus set up his throne and sit and raigne in the Consciences of men who are the Subjects and vassalls of his Spirituall Kingdome himselfe cannot will not deny And he sits as God that is assumes and exercises that power and authority over the Conscience which appertaines to God to Christ alone And thus he makes shew that he is God as to whom God hath committed all his Power and authority unto As the Pope calls himselfe Vice-God Christs Vicar and the like usurping whatsoever Titles of Power Christ hath in the Scripture as we read of Leo 10 in the Councel of Lateran calling himselfe the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah and the like And Bellarmine blusheth not to say and therein to Blas-Pheme that what soever is attributed to Christ in the Scripture is communicated to his Vicar the Pope And thus is fullfilled that which Christ foretold * Many shall come in my Name saying I am or I am Christ and shall deceive many Thus for the Pope that man of Sinne that Sonne of Perdition who opposeth and exalteth himselfe abâ—ve all that is called God or that is worshiped that Lawlesse one that as God sits in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is Godâ— Now for our Prelates are they not herein
First Protest against the Hierarchy as an Antichristian Tyranny over the Soules Bodies and Estates of all the Kings Subjects and therefore ought to be rooted out and not suffered in any Christian Church or Common Weale Secondly and consequently Protest against all Altars Images and such like Popish Idolatrous Reliques utterly unlawfull to be erected in any true Christian Church Thirdly Protest against all humane Rites and Ceremonies whatsoever imposed upon mens Consciences in the worship of God as being all of them Antichristian bringing into bondage mens Soules which Christ hath redeemed with his precious blood who is the onely Lord of the Conscience and the onely Law-giver to his Church for all matters of Faith and of the worship of God Fourthly Protest against all such generall Taxes layd upon the Subjects as whereby both their ancient Liberties and the fundamentall Laws of the Kingdome are overthrowne and so vindicate the Honour both of the King and of this noble Kingdome that it may not be recorded to Posterity for a State of Tyranny and Slavery Fiftly and consequently Protest against all those wicked Iudges which have in such wise declared their opinions for intollerable Taxes expresly contrary to the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdome as thereby they have given occasion for the betraying of all and the bringing of the whole Land under perpetuall Slavery Sixtly Protest against that Prelaticall Declaration set forth in the Kings Name before the 39 Articles wherein those Articles of the Dostrines of Grace are made voyd and so all preaching of them suppressed Seventhly Protest against that Booke for Sports on the Lords dayes as whereby both the fourth Commandement and the fifth are most desperately overthrown as also against all those Bookes that have been set forth for the maintaining of such profanation as whereby God is greatly dishonoured and his wrath provoked even to the Spewing out of such a Nation out of his mouth Eightly Protest against all that Prelaticall Tyranny in oppressing the preaching of Gods Word on the Lords dayes in the after-noone and other dayes in the week and their Antichristian persecuting and putting out of all godly and painfull Ministers such as will not conform to their lawlesse Ordinances Ninthly Protest against that most terrible and odious shedding of the innocont blood of those 3 forementioned now perpetuall Exiles and Closse Prisoners even their very Wives most lawlesly detained from them with aâ—â— their other severe punishments one of them being a Minister who in discharge of his duty first preached in his own Church and then published his Sermons in Print against the Prelates notorious practises and Popish Innovations for which he underwent punishments so great so many as no Ageâ— no Christian State can parallell so as their blood doth incessantly cry against this whole Land as guilty thereof though shed onely by the Prelates instigation as aforesaid untill it be purged Tenthly Protest against that accursed Booke Relation of a Conference c. published in Print and Dedicated to the King by the now Prelate of Canterbury wherein he belyes and so blasphemes God Christ the Holy Ghost the holy Scriptures the Church of England in saying it is one and the Same with that of Rome of the same Faith and Religion with that Whore of Babylon and many such like impious assertions the whole Booke professedly tending to reconcile England and Rome and so to bring the whole Land backe againe to Popery Eleventhly If this great and Warlike preparation be by the Prelates Diabolicall Instigation as by no other it can be except by the Pope and his Iesuiter and his Nuncio's Negotiation have also a hand in it to goe against the Scots and if the cause shal be found to be no other but that they have abandoned and Remaunded to Rome all their Prelates as the grand Enemies of Christ and his Kingdome and of the peaceable and prosperous estate of the Realme and consequently of the Kings Crown and Dignity and that they stand for the maintenance of their just Laws and Liberties the continuance whereof is the Kings honour and the establishment of his throne If I say no other cause can justly be alledged and yet they shal be invaded as Rebells Protest against all ayd and assistance of such an Invasion as being against the Law of God of Nature and of Nations and as being a Warre directly against Jesus Christ in the maintenance of Antichrist and his Antichristian Hierarchy and so such as must needs recoyle and that in divine fury upon England it selfe which having burned her neighbours house exposeth her owne to the flames Yea for England to Invade Scotland for no other cause in truth then before mentioned namely for their maintaining of the true Faith and Religion of Christ and their just Lawes and Liberties which all true Christians and Civil States ought to lay down their very lives for as the light of Nature taught the very Heathen Pugnare pro Aris ac focis and that Grecian could say A'iresomai teleutan mallon è a'neleutheros sun I choose rather to dye a Free-man then to live a Slave And the Monarchicall estate governed by good Laws was ever preferred and opposed to Tyranny were to renounce and give up her own ancient Liberties and to betray and persecute and destroy the true Faith and Religion of Christ and so set up and professe the Infidelity and Idolatry of Antichrist and so with him and his cursed Crue to goe into perdition The Primitive Christians under Julian the Apostata served him in the Warres against his Enemies but when he Commanded them to goe against Christians who refused to worship or offer Incense to his Idols they cast down their Weapons acknowledging the Emperour of heaven And when Saul * commanded his Servants to fall upon the Lords Priests none of them would doe it And I read of a Secretary to an Empresse who being commanded by her to draw an Edict againg the Christians he still found delayes but at length she growing instant upon him for it so as he could no longer delay it he tooke off his Military girdle the Ensigne of his service and cast it at her feet and so discharged himselfe from her Court Thus if you make and leave these Christian zealous and just Protestations among the Recods of Parliament in case it shal be by the malice and inchantments of the Prelates unhappily dissolved before you can produce them into a full Act and establish them for a Law though otherwise ye cannot effect a reall Reformation of all the mischiefes and maladies which the Prelates in speciall have filled the Land withall yet forasmuch as you have thus publickly both for your own persons and as the Body representative of the whole State of the Land solemnly protested against all these things there is no question to be made but that God in his mercy and favour will accept of your will for the deed it selfe and will still preserve both you and your