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A27408 A true tryall of the ministers and ministry of England as also a true discovery of their root and foundation, and of the called English Church ... / written forth by Gervase Benson ... Benson, Gervase, d. 1679. 1656 (1656) Wing B1904; ESTC R20721 10,090 15

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which was in the Apostles and Ministers of Christ as sundry of them have confessed and published in print whose Foundation and Root is now discovered and made manifest whom ye call your Ministers Parsons Vicars and Curats and the foundation of your Churches as you call them and your Parishes and your Fonts and your Basons and your Sacraments for which there is no Scripture and your Infants Baptisme and your Tythes Prediall and Parsonall and your Oblations Obventions and Easter Reckonings and Mortuaries and your Crysoms and your Churching of Women and your first-fruits and your Patrons and your Presentations and your Orders and your Approbations and Augmentations and all your worship as you call it which is not in Spirit and in truth to be of man and from man and was invented by fallen man and their Titles and Dignities they received of man and from man and one from another and their Original Head and Root and Foundation was the Archbishops and Bishops amongst which the Bishop of Rome called the Pope was Chief and Supream head untill the Raign of Henry the Eight late King of England as by the Lawes and Statutes of this Nation doth and may appear And these called Archbishops and Bishops and such as received Orders from them to be Priests Ministers and Deacons and Clerks as they called them were called the body Spiritual and were and are called the English Church as by the Statute of 24. Hen. 8. Cap. 12. doth and may appear And as that Statute declareth The Kings and Nobles of this Realm endowed the said Church both with honour and possessions to keep them from corruption and sinister affection And the Pope and the See of Rome had the Tryal amongst other things of the right of Tythes Oblations and Obventions And by that Statute it is ordained and declared That all spirituall Prelates Pastors Ministers and Curates within the Realm of England may use Minister execute and do all Sacraments and Sacramentalls and Divine Service unto the Subjects of the same And by the Statute of the 26. Hen. 8. Chap. 1. King Henry the Eight and his Successors is declared the only Supream Head in earth of the Church of England And by the Statute of the 25. Hen. 8. chap. 20. The Annals or first fruits which were payed by the Archbishops and Bishops of England to the Bishop of Rome are taken from the Bishop of Rome called the Pope And by the Statute of the 26. Hen. 8. chap 3. The first fruits and profits of every Archbishoprick and Bishoprick Parsonage Vicaridge c. are given to Henry the Eight and his Successours and over and besides a yearly tenth of all spiritual livings as they are called And by the Statute of the 25. of Hen. 8. chap. 20. It is ordained and established That the King and his Successours may grant to the Prior and Covent or the Dean and chapter of the Cathedral Churches or Monasteries a Licence under the great Seal as of old time hath been accustomed to proceed to the Election of an Archbishop or Bishop at every avoidance of any Archbishoprick or Bishoprick within the Realm of England with a Letter Missive containing the name of the person which they shall Elect and choose c. And by the Statute of the 25. Hen. 8. chap 21. The Archbishops of Canterbury have Power and Authority given at their discretions to grant Dispensations Licences c. unto the King his Heires and Successours for causes not being contrary to the holy Scriptures as before had been accustomed and used to be obtained by the Kings of England from the See of Rome And by a Statute made 13. Eliz. chap. 12. It is ordained that every person under the degree of a Bishop which doth or shall pretend to be a Priest or a Minister of Gods holy Word and Sacraments c. shall in the presence of the Bishop declare his assent and subscribe to all the Articles of Religion which concern the confession of the true Christian faith and the doctrine of the Sacraments comprized in a Book imprinted Entituled Articles whereupon it was agreed by the Archbishops and Bishops and the whole Clergie in the Convocation holden at London in the year 1562. And that none should be made Minister or admitted to preach or administer the Sacraments in England under the age of 24 years or unlesse he be approved by the Bishop of the Diocesse being a Deacon at the least c. And all admissions to Benefices c. and all Licences or Tolerations made to the contrary to be meerly void in Law as if they never were So that it is manifest That the foundation of the late Archbishops and Bishops here in England was Man viz. The Kings and Queens of England with the Priors and Covent of Monasteries and the Deanes and Chapiters of the Cathedrals And that the Ministers Parsons Preachers Vicars and Curats as they call them were members and branches arising from that Root and Body To wit The Archbishops and Bishops which Archbishops and Bishops by a late Ordinance of Parliament were and are abolished and taken away And by another Ordinance or Act of Parliament the Kingly Power and Government was and is taken away and rendred uselesse in this Nation and the same declared to be a free Common-Wealth And by another Ordinance of Parliament the late Deans and Chapiters c. are also abolished and taken away So that it is manifest by the Lawes Statutes and Ordinances aforesaid That the called Priests Ministers Rectors Parsons Preachers Vicars and Curats were Members and Branches of the late Archbishops and Bishops of this Nation and had their rising and sprung from that Root and Body and of that Root and Body were members and branches And that the Archbishops and Bishops themselves were made and had their rise from the late Kings and Queens of England with the Priors and Covents and Dean and Chapiters aforesaid which said Kings and Queens Priors Covents Monasteries Deans and Chapiters Archbishops and Bishops Root and Branch and their Power and Authorities being disannulled rendred and declared uselesse abolished and taken away as aforesaid It doth clearly appear and is manifest That all the Priests so called and Ministers in England with the ca●led Rectors Parsons Preachers Vicars Clerks and Curats being Branches and Members of that Root and Body viz. the late Archbishops and Bishops as branches and members of that Body and Root are taken away disannulled and abolished and the Root of their Root the Kings and Queens of England c. And thus having clearly proved and made manifest their foundation to be of man and from man and them and their foundation and the Root of their Root by man razed taken away made Null and rendred uselesse I leave them in the Pit without foundation either of God or man where they and their memory shall rot who have brought nothing to perfection and all that go about to set up write again and uphold that which God
hath cast down and disannulled and blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances the commandement by which the Priests took Tythes and changed the Priesthood that was changeable that had a commandement to take Tythes of the people during the first Priesthood as you may read Hebrews the 7. And do witnesse Christ Iesus the unchangeable Priesthood the end of all Types Figures and changeable things and the Priesthood that had a commandement to take Tythes changed and the Law by which they took Tythes disanulled because of the weakness and unprofitablenesse thereof for the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope made perfect whereby wee draw near to God Heb. 7. 18 19. And do own and witnesse the Ministery and Ministers of the Gospel which is not of man neither by man whose foundation standeth sure abideth for ever changeth not neither can be shaken who are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being their chief and head Ephes. 2. 20. who by him are gifted for the gathering together of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edification of the Body of Christ till they all meet together in the unity of the Faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man and unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4. 12 13. And all who are Ministers of Christ have received a perfect Ministery which freely they have received and freely they declare without being burthensome to any And do witnesse and own the Church whereof Christ Iesus is the head which is his body which is holy and the assembly of the righteous from which all the ungodly are excluded Psal. 1. 5. And the Ordinances of Christ Iesus of which none that are unholy can partake And do own and witnesse the worship of God which is in Spirit and truth and the Law of God which is holy just and good which never changes by no diversity of place or time And do witnesse That all Lawes Statutes Ordinances Prescriptions or Customes brought in against this Law written in the heart which is the Law of the Eternall unchangeable God though called by many the Law of Reason or of Nature to be things void and against Iustice and being but the Lawes of men they are inferiour to the Law of God which is Superiour and therefore to it must they give place And being that Tythes by the Lawes and Statutes of this Nation are given to God and holy Church And being as before is proved That by God and the Church which is holy Tythes are denyed and that the called Church of England the body spirituall called the Spirituality who receive Tythes are unholy not being free from corruption and sinister affection but stand in need of honours and possessions to keep them from corruption and sinister affection for which end they were given them as by the Statute of the 24. Hen. 8 chap. 12. it appeareth Therefore by the Lawes and Statutes of England the cal●ed Priests Ministers Preachers Rectors Parsons Vicars Clerks and Curats who are unholy have no right to Tythes and an Evill custome or usuage is to be abolished and taken away saith Cook upon Little●on And that custome or usuage which requires me to give wages to him that never did nor doth any work for me or mine is against reason which is said to be the ground of all Lawes And being as afore is said That all Lawes Statutes Cnstomes or Prescriptions against the Law written in the heart called the Law of Reason or the Law of Nature are void and if any be brought in against it they be no Prescriptions Statutes nor Customes but things void and against Just●ce as you may read in Doctor and Student Chap. 2. Therefore all Lawes Statutes Customes Usuages or Prescriptions which would set up and uphold that which God hath disannulled and made void and his Law beares witnesse against and would have me to contribute towards the upholding of a Ministery which is changeable and makes nothing perfect who are not one amongst themselves neither the same this generation that was the last before but alters and changes with times and men as the called Ministers and Priests of England and their Predecessors have done as is manifest that in the time of Henry the éight the late King of England their predecessors denied the Pope for their head and owned Henry the eight for their head and in the time of Edward the sixt their Predecessors denied the M●sse Book and received the book of Common Prayer at his command And again in Queen Mary her time they denied the Common Prayer Book and received the Masse And in the time of Queen Elizabeth they denied the Masse Book and again received the Book of Common prayer And in the time of the late Parliament they denied the Common Prayer Book and received the Directory rather then they would deny their Honours and possessions and what they now own is manifest to all the Children of Light to me they are of no force nor of me can take hold being thereunto dead and therefore from them freed being to another married even the man Christ Iesus who is raised from the dead that I should now bring forth fruits to God and from henceforth serve Him in newnesse of life and not in the oldnesse of the Letter and in so doing by God and that of God in every m●ns conscience I am ●ustified who art thou oh man that condemnest Gods enemy thou art who contrary to that of God in thy conscience doth act And thus to all both Magistrates Priests and people have I cleared my conscience and laid down the grounds and reasons why I who of the world and to the world am known by the name of Gervase Benson deny the called Ministers and Priests of England aforesaid and to pay Tyths contrary to the Law of God which is written in my heart not with Ink but with the Spirit of the living God who am the servant of the living God who doth him obey whose soul is made subject to the higher powers for conscience sake and to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King as unto the Superiour or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evill doers and for the prayse of them that do well 2 Pet. 2. 13. 14. For so is the Will of God that by well doing I may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men who resisters are of the power which is the Ordinance of God which whosoever doth resist shall receive to themselves damnation for Rulers are not a terror to good works but to the evill Rom. 13. 2 3. And if for my subjection to the Higher Powers for conscience sake and for bearing witnesse against all resisters of the power according to the Ordinance of God or for not swearing contrary to the commands of Christ Iesus who saith Swear not at all Matth. 5. 34. And the doctrine of the Apostle of Christ James 5. 12. who saith Above all things my Brethren swear not neither by Heaven neither by the Earth neither by any other oath but let your yea be yea and your nay nay least ye fall into condemnation or for not putting forth my hand to Act that which that of God in my conscience doth shew me to be evil or for not owning a form which is contrary to the Truth and so more then yea and nay I suffer I suffer knowing if the Will of God be so It is better to suffer for well doing then for evill And so to the Will of my God I commit my soul and body in wel-doing who saith If we suffer with him we shall raign with him And before Governours and Kings ye shall be brought for my sake for a Testimony against them and the Gentiles London Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black-Spread-Eagle near the West End of Pauls 1656.