great priviledge of Church-Communion and that giving it to the unwilling that had but rather endure it than a Prison is a great profanation of it and a cheat to poor souls and a horrid corrupting of Christ's Churches and Ordinances 68. If wilful Church-corruptions have made any places uncapable of a present conformity to Christ's Institutions their incapacity must not become the measure and rule of our Reformation But a true Conformity to the Institution must be intended and endeavoured though all cannot come up to it at the first 69. We do not hold that every Corruption in Number or Officers or Order nullifieth a Church or maketh all Communion with it unlawful as long as the essential constitution doth remain Yea though my own judgment is that every Church in Town or Country should have a Bishop yet if they would but set up one Bishop with his assistant Presbyters in every Corporation and Great Town with the neighbour Villages according to the antient practise from the middle of the third Century for many following so that true discipline might but be made possible to them that had a heart to practice it I should greatly rejoyce in such a Reformation much more if every Parish Pastor were restored to all the parts of his Office though he exercised all under the Government of Bishops 70. We hold the Parish Churches of England that have true Ministers that are not utterly uncapable through Ignorance Heresie Insufficiency or Wickedness to be true Churches of Christ But that is because we hold the particular Ministers to be true Bishops Episcopos Gregis etsi non Episcoporum and to have the power of the Keys over all their Flocks And that is because we hold that it is not in our Bishops power to deprive them of it though they would And because we hold that when Christ hath instituted and described the Office of a Pastor or Presbyter and the Ordainers ordain a man to that Office their power shall be judged of by Christs institution and not by the Ordainers will though he mistake or would maim and change it by his wrong description And that the Ordainer is but a Ministerial Invester delivering possession according to his Masters will and not his own And as long as Christ giveth to Pastors the power of the Keys and they themselves consent to receive and use them especially if the People also consent to the exercise of them it is not the Bishops will or words that can nullifie this power And if this Answer were not good I confess I were not able to Answer a Brownist who saith that we have no true Publick Churches of God's Institution Diocesan Churches being but Humane if they had Bishops in each Church under them and being sinful when they have none and Parochial Churches being Humane or null as having no Bishops of their own nor Pastors of Christ's Institution but half Pastors and therefore being but part of a Diocesan Church But all this is sufficiently answered by our foresaid Reasons which no high Prelatist can soundly answer 71. I do hold that those Parish Assemblies that have no Ministers but such as are uncapable either through notorious Ignorance or Heresie or utter Insufficiency as to the Essentials of their Office or by disclaiming themselves any Essential part of the Pastoral Office or by notorious Preaching against Godliness and opposing the Churches necessary good are indeed no true Churches of Christ but only are Analogically or Equivocally so called As you may call a Community of Christians that have no Pastor or Church which is no Organized or Political Society 72. But yet I think it not simply unlawful to joyn at any time with such an Assembly For I may joyn with a Christian Family or occasional Assembly though not as with a Church 73. We hold that all the Christians in the World in particular Churches or out do make up one Catholick or Universal Church which is Mystical and Invisible in that 1. the Faith of Mens minds is Invisible 2. and Christ is Invisible to us Mortals now he is in Heaven But it is also Visible 1. In respect of the Members and their outward Baptism and Profession 2. and because that Christ the Head was once Visible on Earth and is still Visible in Heaven to the Glorified part as the King is to his Courtiers when the rest of the Kingdom seeth him not and will Visibly appear again to all 74. We hold that this Universal Church is One in Christ alone and that it hath no other King or Head That he hath Instituted no Vicarious Head either Pope or General Council Nor is any mortal man or men capable of such an Office 75. We hold therefore that the Roman Pope and General Councils if they claim such an Headship is an Usurper of part of Christ's Prerogative which having usurped he hath used against Christ and his interest against the Soveraignty of Princes and against the true Unity Concord Peace and Holiness of the Churches 76. And we hold that it was the modelling of the Church to the Policy of the Roman Empire which gave the Pope the advantage for this usurpation And that the Roman Catholick Papal Church is a meeâ— Humane Form and an Imperial Church as much as the Archbishop of Canterbury as Superiour to the rest of England is of Man and that Body so united is a National Church And that the General Councils were never truly General as to all the Churches in the World but only as to the Roman Imperial Church None considerable ever coming to such Councils but those that were or had been in the Roman Empire or some very few that closely bordered on them Nor had the Roman Emperour who usually called or gave his Warrant for such Councils or Governed them any power over the Clergy of all the rest of the Christian World in Ethiopia the outer Armenia Persia India c. Nor did the Imperial Pope then exercise any power over them And we are perswaded that the power of the Patriarchs of Alexandria Antioch Jerusalem Constantinople and of the Metropolitaâ—â— Primates c. stood on the same foundation with the Primacy of the Pope and that one is no more of Divine right than the other But that the Papacy is the far more wicked Usurpation as pretending to more of Christ's Prerogative 77. We hold therefore that the Roman Church as such that is as pretending to be the Church-Catholick Headed by an Usurping Universal Bishop is no true Church of Christ but a Humane and traiterous Usurpation and conspiracy therefore by Protestants called Antichristian Though those that are true Christians among them are Parts of Christ's Catholick Church and those that are true Pastors among them may be the Guides of true particular Churches 78. We hold therefore that no Power on Earth Popes Council or Prince hath power to make Universal Laws to bind the whole Church of Christ on Earth because there is no Universal Head or
definitely to signifie these Churches Congregate into a Synod or Consistory But I believe his word of neither place One is Mat. 18. 17. Tell the Church c. If I say that tell the Church signifieth tell the Society containing Pastors and Christians though it is the Pastors that you must immediately speak to and the offender must hear I give as good proof of my exposition as he doth of his If I speak to a man and hear a man though it be only his ears that hear me and his tongue that speaketh to me yet by the word man I mean not only ears and tongue If the King send a Command to a Corporation to expel a seditious member though the Mayor or Aldermen only do it Authoritatively and the People but executively yet the word Corporation doth not therefore signifie the Officers only The other Text is Act. 15. 22. But I will not believe him that the whole Church signifieth the Synod only For though they only decreed it I think the rest consented and approved it and are meant in the word the whole Church I grant him that Rom. 16. 1. the word signifieth the Church of a Village or Town But he will never prove that it is not meant of a Church of the same Species as City Churches were And as to the House or Family Churches which he mentioneth Rom. 16. 5. 1 Cor. 16. 19. Col. 4. 15. Phil. 2. Dr. Hammond expoundeth Col. 4 15. of the Church that did meet in his house and so some do all the rest But that we stand not for nor doth it concern us But when he addeth a multitude of Texts as using the word Church indefinitely not defining the place Society of a Nation or City quantity c. most of the instances brought are of Churches definite as to place and of the same Species as the Apostles Instituted though when the Church of such a place is said to do a thing it 's no determination what number of the members did it His first instance is Acts 4. 31. and next Acts 15. 3 9 c. The Churches had rest through all Judaea and Gallile and Samaria Acts 15. 3. Speaks of the Church of Antioch which v. 27. it 's said they gathered together v. 4. mentioneth the Church at Jerusalem v. 11. mentioneth the Churches of Syria and Cilicia Acts 18. 22. Speaketh of the Church at Caesarea Rom. 16. 16. Speaks of the Churches where Paul lately travelled v. 23. Gaius was the Host of a definite whole Church at Corinth And when 1 Cor. 4. 17. he speaketh of his teaching in every Church it is an Universal enunciation but of Churches of a certain or definite species and so of the rest Then p. 5. he telleth us what is truly and properly a Church on Earth and saith Every company of men professing the true faith of Christ is both truly a Church and a true Church Ans. Yes As Canis caelestis is truly a Dog and a true Dog but not properly but equivocally A Church in its most famous signification is a Society constituted of the Pastor and Flock as a School of the Schoolmaster and Schollars And an accidental meeting of Christians in a Market or Ship is no more properly called a Church than School-boys meeting in such places are a School No nor occasionally praying together neither So p. 5. He concludeth that the Christian People of one City and Country adjoyning whether Province or Diocess are one Church yea of any Nation or part of the World not because under one Spiritual Government or Priest-hood but because one People or Commonwealth ruled by the same Laws professing the same Religion All this is de nomine only But are we not likely to dispute well when we never agree of the Subject or terms of the Question We have no mind to contend about Names Let him call the World or a Corporation or Kingdom or Ecclesiam Malignantium by the name of a Church if he will so that we first agree what Church we dispute of We talk not of any accidental meeting or Community but a Society before defined constituted of the pars gubernans and pars subdita And of this sort we know of Divine Institution an Universal Church Headed by Christ and particular Churches headed under him by their Bishops or Pastors A Church without a Head in Fair Ship or Temple we talk not of Nor yet of a Church that hath but an Accidental Extrinsick and not an Essential Constitutive Head to them as they are Churches of Christ's Institution Whether it be the Emperour of Germany or of Constantinople Mahometan Christian Papist or Protestant we believe that every Soveraign is so the Head that is the Ruler of the Church that is of the Christians in his Dominions We denominate â formâ Bishop Downame may denominate whence he please à materiâ or ab accidente c. and say They are one Church that are under one Prince Law of one Religion Do with your Equivocals what you will But forget not that it is a Pastoral particular Church of the Holy Ghost's Institution that we Dispute about Otherwise I deny not Diocesan or Patriarchal Churches nor deny that the Papal Kingdom is a Church of a certain species right or wrong And forget not his Concession p. 6. and we need no more Indeed at the very first conversion of Cities the whole number of the People converted being sometimes not much greater than the number of the Presbyters placed among them were able to make but a small Congregation But those Churches were in Constituting they were not fully Constituted till their number being increased they had their Bishop or Pastor their Presbyters and Deacons without which Ignatius saith there was no Church c. Of wâ—â—â—h after He next Cap. 1. laboureth much to prove that the words Ecclesia Paraecia and Diocaesis of old were of the sâ—â—e signification About words we have no mind to strive But all the proofs that he brings of the extent of a Church to more than one Congregation or Altar are fetcht from later times when indeed Churches were transformed into Societies much different from those before them He citeth Concil Carth. 2. c. 5. 3. 42 43 c. that places that had no Bishops before should not receive Bishops without the consent of the Bishop whom they were before under Indeed by these Canons we see much of the state of the Church in those times and partly how the Case was altered Every Church had a Bishop of its own Those Churches were almost all first planted in Cities The multitudes were Heathens but the City Christians with those in the Country near them were enow to make a Church or Congregation In time so many were Converted in the Country Villages that they were allowed Assemblies like our Chappels at home And some of them had Country Bishops set over them And in many places greater Towns which they then called Cities were anew converted The Presbyters
and entered Italy after that Ambrose had stopt him a while Theophilus Alexandr sendeth an Agent Presbyter with two Letters and a rich present one to Maximus and one to Theodosius ordering him to stay the issue of the Fight and give the Present with his Letter to him that proved the Conqueror But a Servant stole the Letters from the Priest and opened the whole business and caused the Priest to fly and hide himself 50. These contentions of the Bishops and corruption of manners so distasted the more Religious sort of the people that it occasioned the multiplying of separating Heresies and greatly encreased and confirmed others especially the Donatists and Novations because men thought them to be of better lives than the Orthodox 51. Yea by their very abuse of good and holy men they drove even the Orthodox often to separated Societies as thinking so bad Prelates unfit to be communicated with As in Constantinople their abuse ejection and banishment of Chrysostome caused great numbers of his faithful people to forsake the Church and meet only in separated Conventicles And though they differed in no point of Doctrine Worship or Discipline from the rest all that they could do by tyranny and threats would never bring them again to the Church but they were called Joannites and assembled by themselves till Atticus by wise and honest means first began the reconciliatiâ—â— by the publick inserting of Chrysostome's name among their honoured Bishops in the daily Liturgy of the Church and Proclus after wisely perfected it by fetching the bones of Chrysostome with honour from the place of his banishment into the Church But Theodoret Hist Eccl. l. 5. c. 36. ascribeth it to that good Emperour Theodosius Junior It 's like a good Bishop and he consented For saith Socrates c. 40. Proclus behaved himself fairly towards all men perswading himself that it was far easier for him by fair means to allure men to the Church than by force to compel them to the Faith 52. The multitudes of Schismes and horrid enormities in the Church of Rome the grand corruption of Religion by them the shameful divisions between the Greek and Western Churches began so long ago and continued to this day with much more such evidence do tell the World that is willing to see what all this tended to as it's perfection 53. And having thus shewed how the Bishops of the Flock came to be Bishops of Bishops and how they grew from the Pastoral Office to a pompous denomination mostly secular and how the Bishops of single Churches did grow to be the Bishops of multitudes of Churches turned into one Diocesan Church of another species we shall leave it to those that are wise and impartial to judge whether a true Reformation must retrieve them and what Age and state of the Church must be our pattern to which we should endeavour to return and in what point it is that it is meet or possible for Christians unanimously to fix between the Apostolical institution and the height of Popery And what satisfying proof any man can give that in a line of 1500 Years that it is the right point that he hath chosen CHAP. IV. The Judgement of those Nonconformists now silenced who 1660. addressed themselves to King Charles the Second for Concord in the matter of Church-Government what they then offered and what those of the Authors mind now hold as to the Right of what is before Historically related AS I have delivered our Judgment about the History of Prelacy so shall I next freely and truly express my own Judgment and those that have concurred with me about the right of Church-Government it self supposing those 100 Propos ad Lud. Molinaeum which I have published about the Nature of Church-power and the extent of the Magistrates power in Church-matters For Truth hath great advantage when it appeareth 1. compact and entire 2. and in the open light Since the writing of this our judgment is more fully published in the Nonconformists first and second Plea for Peace Prop. 1. Since the Fall of Man as God hath given a Saviour to the World by whom he hath made a new Covenant with or for Mankind so hath he delivered all things into the Redeemer's hands and given him all power in Heaven and Earth making him the Administrator General and Head over all things to the Church 2. Some things are under Christ as Utensils viz Inanimates and Braites some are under him as meer enemies subdued as Devils some are under him as generally Redeemed and subjects de jure or quoad obligationem to be Ruled and used upon terms of Mercy And so are all Mankind in general till the day of life and grace is past some are under him as Visible Consenters and Professed subjects so are the Baptized and visible professors of Christianity And some are under him as sincere Heart-Covenanters Justified and Sanctified and to be Glorified by him 3. As Nature it self is now delivered up to Christ and the Law of Nature is now part of his Law and the Instrument of his Government both for the common good and order of the Redeemed World and also as sanctified to the special good and order of his Church Even so is the Office of Magistracy now under him and derived from him and dependant on him in both these forementioned respects Notwithstanding all the vain arguments which Mr. Brown a Scotch Divine Cont. Velthusium hath written to the contrary which need no confutation to an intelligent Reader 4. But the Office of the Sacred Ministry is much of Grace and Institution and less of Natural original than Magistracy For though it be of Natural obligation that one man teach another and that there be some fitter persons than the multitude to instruct the people and guide them in Gods Worship Yet that in specie there should be Preachers of the Gospel and Administrators of this instituted worship and Church-discipline this is it self of Christs Institution as the Doctrine worship and discipline which are their Office-work are of his Institution 5. And though a great part of a Christian Magistrates work be also Instituted viz. to promote Christs Instituted Doctrine Worship and Discipline yet so much also of his work is natural as that he may be called a Magistrate though he be not a Christian Magistrate while he executeth Gods Laws of Nature for the common good But he is at least less fitly called a Minister or Priest of God who shall only teach the Law of Nature and guide an Assembly in meer Natural Worship omitting all that is by Institution Or if any think otherwise it being but de nomine at least this is certain that the Christian or Evangelical Ministry is by Institution 6. Therefore though so far as the Mosaical Magistracy was founded in Nature or in any Revelation expounding the Law of Nature we may under the Gospel fetch proofs thence for the Christian Magistrates Authority and Obligation Yet can we fetch
no Model of a Gospel Ministry nor proof of our Authority or obligation as instituted from the Instituted Ministry of the Mosaical Church Because the Law of Moses is abrogate and indeed did never bind the Gentiles as I have fullier proved in my Treat of the Lords day Nor is it safe to argue from parity of reason that we must now be or do as they did in point of pure institution while we so little know the total reason of God's institutions and when he himself hath taken them down and set up new ones we must not then plead our Reason against the alterations which God himself hath made 7. Therefore though Christ be now the Head and Fountain of Power both to Magistrates and Ministers yet he did not institute a new Office of Magistracy but add new Laws for them to rule by as part of their Rule of Government Because their Office was so much founded in Nature and so much of their work lay in ruling mankind according to their common Natural Law But a Ministry he did institute a-new as to the species and great essentials of the Office 8. Christ changing both the Instituted Mosaical Law and Priesthood did begin himself in his own person as the Great Prophet High Priest and King of his Church to exercise his Office in the Jewish Nation 9. Being not to continue corporally on earth nor his bodily presence being ubiquitary he designed that the Holy Ghost should be his Agent internally to carry on his work in the World And he appointed the Sacred Office of the Ministry that meet men might be his Agents externally in the Teaching and Governing of his Redeemed ones in a holy order and in conducting them in holy worship in a Ministerial subordination to his Prophetical Regal and Priestly Office 10. As he himself did Officiate among the Jews so he first placed this Ministerial Power in twelve chosen men and seventy Assistants with some relation to the twelve Tribes and seventy Elders of Israel to whom he sent them 11. During the time of Christ's abode among them in the flesh they were but as Pupils and Learners while they were Teachers and their Abilities Commissions Office and Work and so their success were all yet imperfect They were not yet authorized openly and commonly so much as to declare Christ to be the Messiah and Saviour but only to prepare men for that belief Because those works were not yet done which must be the Evidences of their Doctrine and the Instruments of mens Conviction viz. Christ's Death Resurrection Ascension and his sending the miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost 12. When Christ was risen before his Ascension he perfected their Commission both as to their Work and Province but appointed them to stay till the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them as the sealing and full delivery of it giving them full ability for their work before they set themselves about the solemn performance of it 13. Their Commission and Office was 1. to Teach men and make them Christians or Christ's Disciples 2. and then to Baptize them into the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost and so to take them into his Covenant and Church and 3. to Teach them as Covenanted and en-Churched persons to observe all his commands The first part of their work was to be exercised unlimitedly on all the World as far as they were able The second part on the new Converted Believers and their infant seed And the third part on the Baptized that were adult And he added the promise of his presence with them to the end 14. As he now enlarged their Commission to All the World as the object of the first part of their Office so he added one Paul by a voice from Heaven unto the number of the Apostles who was especially made an Apostle to the Gentiles to shew the rest that they were no more confined to the twelve Tribes of Israel 15. Because these Apostles were entrusted not only with a common Preaching of the Gospel but as Founders of the Churches to be the eye and ear witnesses of the life miracles resurrection and doctrine of Christ and to acquaint men certainly with the Laws of Christ therefore he promised them the extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost to lead them infallibly into all truth and to bring all things to their remembrance which he had taught and given them in Charge and so to enable them to perform all their Commission which he gave them accordingly and so made them the Foundations of his Church and the infallible deliverers of his Will to the World by their preaching and practice first and afterwards by their Writings 16. Therefore since their miraculous reception of the Spirit all their Doctrines Writings and Establishments which were done in the Execution of their Commission are ascribed to the Holy Ghost It was the Holy Ghost that â—ndited the Sacred Scriptures and it was the Holy Ghost that settled the Churches and that wrought the Miracles and that bare witness of Christ and the Christian verity For the Apostles spake not of themselves but as the Holy Ghost inspired them 17. As others in that time were employed as their assistants in propagating the Christian Faith so had they also the same spirit though in several measures and gifts And so far as they had that spirit he was the seal of their doctrine But because it was the Apostles that had the promise of Infallibility we have greater assurance of the Infallibility of their writings than of others It being their approbation which is much of our assurance that the writings of their Assistants were infallible and the testimony which they give of the persons that wrote them viz. Mark and Luke 18. These Apostles with their many Assistants Prophets and Evangelists did by preaching holiness and miracles the effects of Divine Wisdome Goodness and Power convert multitudes and baptize them and did not only thus gather them into the Catholick Church to Christ but also settled them in a holy Order in particular Churches for personal communion among themselves in holy worship and holy living And they made such regular Church-communion a duty to all that could obtain it 19. By the authority of Christ and the Holy Ghost they ordained others to the sacred Office of the Ministry The same office with their own as to the common works of Preaching and Teaching the Gospel Worshiping and Guiding the Churches by holy Discipline which are the common essentials of the sacred Ministry But not the same in respect of their extraordinary endowments and works before described as eye and ear witnesses infallibly delivering the will of Christ 20. Though in the Nature of the Office all Christs Ministers have the Power before mentioned 1. to convert men to the Faith by preaching 2. to take them into the holy Covenant and Church by Baptism 3. to teach worship and rule in particular Churches or 1. to gather Churches by preaching and
serve to the being of a particular Church we might be of the same particular Church with men in the several parts of the World 32. Deacons are subordinate Officers or Ministers to Christs Ministers not essential to the Church but only Integral as needful to its well being in such Churches where the number and benefit of the People do require them 33. The necessity of these Individual or particular Churches is founded in the necessity of the foresaid publick worshiping of God and in the use of the mutual assistance of Christian Neighbours in the matters of salvation and in the need of the personal inspection and conduct of the Pastors over all the Flock 34. The difference between this personal Communion and the distant Communion by Letters or Delegates or meerly internal in Faith and Love is so great and notorious as must make those Societies specifically distinct which are associated for such distinct Ends. 35. Yet do we not hold that all true Churches do Assemble together in one place or that they consist of no more than can meet at once For whole Families seldom go all at once to the Assembly Therefore if one part go to day and another the next day they worship God publickly in personal Communion though not all at the same time 2. And many may be sick and many infants and many aged and the great distance of some may make a Chapel or subordinate Meeting often needful And yet 1. they may all come together in one place at several times for Church communion 2. And they may live so near that one may be capable of neighbourly converse with others and of admonishing exhorting and encouraging each other in their Christian Course 36. Where a Church is so small as to need but one Pastor Christ doth not require that they have more And One can neither be superiour or inferiour to himself 37. But it is most desirable that a Church be as numerous or great as will consist with that sort of Communion which is the end of the Society and consequently that they have many Pastors Because this tendeth to their strength and beauty and it is a joyful thing to worship God in full Assemblies 38. The work of a Bishop or Pastor of a single Church is to mention it more particularly to Teach the Church the meaning of the Scriptures especially of all the Articles of Faith and the things to be Desired in Prayer and the matters and order of Obedience to all the commands of Christ To instruct the Children in the Catechistical or Fundamental verities To Baptize to Pray in the Assembly to praise God to celebrate the Lords Supper to visit the Sick and pray for them To visit the several Families or personally instruct those ignorant ones that understand not publick Preaching as far as he hath opportunity To watch over the Conversations of the several Members and to receive informations concerning them To resolve the doubts of those that seek resolutions and to offer help to them that are so sensless as not to seek it when their need appeareth To comfort the sad and afflicted To reprove the scandalous To admonish the obstinate before all To censure and cast out the impenitent that continue to reject such admonition To absolve the penitent To take care of the Poor And to be exemplary in holiness sobriety justice and charity I pass by Marriage Burials and such other particular Offices And I meddle not here with Ordination or any thing that concerneth other Churches but only with the work of a Bishop or Pastor to the People of his proper Flock 39. The ablest Man among us for mind and body may find full and needful employment of this sort among an hundred persons especially such as our common Christians are But if he have five hundred or a thousand he hath so much to do as will constrain him to leave something undone which belongeth to his Office Therefore our Market Towns and large Country Parishes where there are ordinarily two three or four thousand in a Parish have need of many pastors to do that for which the Pastoral Office was ordained Much more our greatest City and Town Parishes that have ten thousand twenty thousand and some above thirty if not forty or fifty thousand in a Parish 40. The office of a Pastor containing the Power of the Keys as subordinate Ministerially to Christ in his Teaching Ruling and priestly work is not by man to be divided and part of it to be given to one sort and part to another though they that have the whole power may variously exercise it as there is cause But every Church must have such as have the whole power as far as concerneth the People of that Church 41. To divide the essential parts of the Sacred Office as to give one the power of Teaching only another of Worshiping only and another of Ruling only or any two of these without the third is to destroy it and change the species as much as in them lieth that do it And as no one is a man without his Animal Vital and Natural parts so no one is a true Pastor without the threefold power forementioned of Teaching Ruleing that Church by Pastoral means and Conducting them in publick Worship He may be a Pastor that is hindered from the exercise of some one of these or more but not he that hath not the Power in his Office Dividers therefore make new Church Offices and destroy the old 42. Churches headed by such a new sort of Officers specifically distinct from the old of Christ's Institution are Churches specifically differing from the Churches which Christ Instituted Because the Society is specified by the species of its Head or Governour 43. To make a new sort of Church-Heads or Rulers as their Constitutive parts is to make a new sort of Churches 44. The three forsaid Essential parts of the Pastoral Office are not to be exercised by any Lay-man nor by any man that hath not that Office Nor may the Pastors do that work per alios or delegate Lay-men or men of another Office to do it as in their stead For the Office is nothing but just Authority and Obligation to do that work And if they convey such Authority and Obligation to another they convey the Office to another And so he is no longer a Lay-man or of another Office only 45. Therefore though many Pastors of the same Office may in a great Church distribute the work among them yet none of them must do it only as the delegate of another not having himself from God the Office which containeth the power of doing it 46. But the Accidentals of the Pastoral Office may be committed to a Lay-man or one that is no Pastor As to summon Assemblies to keep Registers or the Church Books Goods Buildings with many the like And so some think that the Apostles instituting Deacons was but a communicating the Accidentals of their Office to other men Therefore if
Chancellors did only these accidental works or Lay Elder either and meddled not with the sacred power of the Keys we should not be so quarrelsome as to condemn their undertaking unless it were for the abuse 47. We doubt not but in a Church that hath many Pastors those that are young and weak should much submit to the elder and more able and be as far ruled by them as the difference of age experience and abilities without a difference of Office doth require 48. And we doubt not but where Temples and Church-maintenance are at the dispose of Patrons People or Magistrates they may give them to some one Pastor as the present possessor so that no other shall have part but by his concession And this difference there is between the Parson and his Curates in our Parishes and an accidental superiority and inferiority thereby without a difference of Office 49. If Magistrates or Councils or Custome should in each particular Church that hath many Pastors give one a Governing that is a negative voice among the rest in the management of the affairs of that Church so that the rest should not go against him or without him as Archbishops now are over Bishops and Archpresbyters were formerly over Presbyters and Archdeacons over Deacons and Presidents over Colleges and Courts of Justice without claiming a distinct Office though the sad experience of Mens inclination to Church-tyranny make us doubtful whether we should wish for such an inequality yet would we not unpeaceably disturb or quarrel with such an Order when it is settled Our Parish Order aforesaid being indeed but such 50. Whether God himself hath appointed another sort of Bishops who may be better called Archbishops as Successors of the Apostles in the Ruling part of their Office and whether these have not a Power above particular Church Pastors in Ordinations and in the oversight of the Pastors themselves and in the Care of many Churches I have long ago confessed is a Case of too much difficulty for me to determine On the one side though the Apostles have no Successors in the extraordinary and temporary part of their Office yet Church-government being an ordinary and permanent part as doctrine is I can hardly think that when we find one Form of Church-government instituted by Christ himself and continuing till the end of that Age that we should presume to say that this Form then ceased and another must succeed it without good proof What we find enacted and setled must stand till we can prove it abrogate And unless it were a thing which in the nature of it were temporary it seemeth a harsh imputation of mutability to feign Christ to set up a Church-government which should be in force but for an hundred years And on the other side it puzleth me 1. to find it so hard to prove that the Apostles themselves did indeed exercise any Office power over other Pastors which one may not do towards another over and above that which accrewed to them from the meer extraordinary advantage of their gifts and Apostolical proper work 2. And to find it so obscure whether they settled any as their Successors in that superiority of power which they had 51. But being in such doubt and being uncertain whether such Arch-Bishops or Apostolical Successors in the points of Ordination and oversight of many Churches be of Divine right or not I resolve not to contend against any such Order nor to disobey any just commands of such nor to reproach the custome of the Churches 52. And though I know that Pastors should not unnecessarily be diverted by any aliene works yet if it please the Magistrate to commit some of his power of Church-government by the Sword about things extrinsick to the Pastoral Office into the hands of some Ministers as his Officers and if he call them Bishops and command us to obey them and if he make them Barons and endow them with Lordships and great revenues though I see the great peril to the Church from hence by reason of mens pride and worldliness yet will I not reproach this Order nor deny any just obedience to any such Officers of the King 53. If any acknowledging the Pastors of each Church to have the whole Pastoral Office and power of the Keys of that Church which he overseeth shall yet affirm that the aforesaid superiour General Bishops or Arch-Bishops have a superiour power of the Keys and therefore shall have the decision of controversies that arise in particular Churches between the Pastors and the People and that appeals may be made by the people to them and that they may visit the particular Churches at their pleasure and have power to censure the particular Bishops or Pastors when they deserve it or to Ordain Ministers remove them and depose them as there is just cause by bare sentence and the peoples consent and all this jure divino as Successors to the Apostles in their Government or to such Archbishops or General Bishops as Timothy and Titus I shall not contend against any of this for the reasons aforesaid being uncertain of the thing in question But if I must be put to subscribe that I believe all this to be true as if it were an Article of my Faith the same uncertainty would forbid me 54. And here I must take occasion to say that I take unnecessary Subscriptions Declarations Promises and Oaths to be one of the chiefest of the Devil's Engines to divide Christ's Churches and to fish out those Ministers that make conscience of perjury and lying and to turn them out of the work of Christ and to leave in those that do not when Conscience can find but any shifting pretence And how fit such are for the Sacred Ministry and whose servants really they are and how they are like to do Christ's work and what a Case the Churches will be in that have such and what the effects will be with the common people and how the lovers of Godliness will resent all this and what else will follow hereupon I leave to the Reader that hath the brains of a man or ever opened his eyes to mark what is done abroad in the World or that ever read with observation the things that in other Ages have befallen the Churches or that knoweth what relation light hath to darkness good to evil and Christ to Belial I think that the Articles of our Faith and the matters of our practice are so to be distinguished as that there is a necessity of Believing the former and therefore we may be called to profess that we do Believe them And for the other the Agenda we must be called to Do them and if they be plain and necessary duties of our Religion being to be Believed to be Duties before we do them we may sometime be put to profess that Belief But duties of humane imposition or of doubtful nature may be done as things lawful by thousands of peaceable men that cannot say or
swear that they are duties or may be done as of humane obligation by those that cannot say they are of Divine obligation 55. We hold that the first Churches that did divolve all arbitrations of differences among Christians upon the Pastors did that which brought no great present inconvenience when the People were but few and the Pastors had sufficient leisure but that which prepared for the degenerating of the Ministry and the Churches lamentable corruption And therefore that they should have foreseen this and done as St. Paul directed them and referred matters to any fit wise man among them And when they saw the mischief they should have quickly reformed it as Silvanus Bishop of Troas aforementioned did And that if there were Lay Elders in any of the ancient Churches as one passage in Origen and one in Ambrose and this of Silvanus in Socrates have made some think they were truly Lay and appointed only to such Arbitrations as these and such other Animadversions over the rest as Lay-men may do A help that I once tryed and found to be very great 56. We hold that when Constantine gave the Clergy the sole Power of Judging the Causes Civil and Criminal of all the Christians he shewed more ignorant zeal than true discretion and did let in a pestilence into the Church and that instead of that he should have only left Arbitrations to mans free choice and have set up a Christian or Righteous Magistracy to whom both Bishops and all other Christians should submit 57. We hold that when Christians so multiplyed as that they grew uncapable of Personal Communion at one Altar it was the duty of them and the Bishops to have ordered them into new Churches whcih should every one have had its proper Bishop or plenary Pastoral Office among them and not to have kept them all still in the name of one particular Church infimi ordinis when they were uncapable of the nature and end 58. We hold that it was sinfully done to make a new Office or Order of subject Presbyters that had not the Governing power of their perticular Churches neither alone nor conjunct but had only the power to Teach and Worship the Government being reserved only to the Bishop of another called a Mother Church 59. But we believe that this came not in till many hundred Years after Christ and that but by slow degrees and that after subordinate Churches and Altars were invented and set up yet the Pastors under the name of Presbyters had much of the Governing power of the Keys though with and under the Bishop of the Mother Church 60. The deposing of all the first rank or Order of Bishops which were before over each particular Church the making of a new Office of half Presbyters the making of Churches of a new species as being under a new sort of Officers the making Archbishops who should have many Churches and Bishops under them to become the Bishops of the lowest rank having none under them but above all these the making of the Pastoral work especially discipline become utterly impossible by putting that into one mans hand that cannot be done but by many or many hundred these and such like are the things that we can neither swear to nor approve 61. We hold that though the Magistrate may shape his part of the Church Government variously according to the Interest of the common good yet that the Spiritual or Pastoral part should not have been molded into the shape of the Civil Imperial Government And that so doing did give the Papacy that countenance which is the ground of its usurpation 62. For we hold that the essential constitution of the Pastoral Office and its work and the essential constitution of the Church Universal and of Individual or particular Churches are all of Divine unalterable Institution And that all Laws of Christ for such Constitution and for Administration are unalterable by man Though we hold that Circumstancials and Accidentals are alterable as being not setled by any Divine determination As e. g. how many Ministers shall be in each Church which of them shall be more regarded than the rest as being of greater wisdom how ost and when and where they shall assemble with many the like 63. We hold that as all Christians ordinarily should have personal Communion in particular Churches so those Churches and their Bishops should hold such Communion as is needful to their strength and concord and the common good 64. This Communion of Churches is to be held internally by Concord in the same Faith and Love and Religion and externally by the same profession and instrumentally 1. by Messengers and Letters and 2. by Delegates and Synods when there is need which as is said for Time Place Numbers Provinces Orders are left to humane Prudence 65. If any that divide the Country into Provinces will settle Synods accordingly and settle over them Presidents for the ordering of their proceedings and will give power to one above others to call such Synods and will call these Provinces or Nations or Empires by the name of Provincial National or Imperial Churches and the Bishops so exalted by the name of Metropolitans Primates Patriarchs c. We contend not against this as unlawful in it self though we easily see the accidental danger being taught it by long and sad experience so be it 1. that none of these be pretended to be of Divine Institution but of humane determination 2. and that they meddle with nothing but such accidentals as are left to humane prudence 3. and that they equal not their humane Association with the Christian Worshiping Churches which are of Christ's Institution 4. and that much less they do not oppress their brethren and tyrannize nor deprive the particular Pastors and Churches of their proper priviledges and work But alas when were these Rules observed by humane Churches 66. The Canons of such Synods or Councils of Bishops may be made Laws indeed by the Civil power and they are if just obligatory to the people by virtue of the Pastoral Authority of the Bishops But as to the particular Bishops they are only Agreements and no proper Laws the Major Vote of Bishops being not proper Governours of the rest and bind only by virtue of Christ's General Laws for Love and Concord 67. The Pastoral power is not at all Coactive by secular force on body or estate but only Nunciative and perswasive commanding in Christ's name as authorized by him and executed no otherwise than by a Ministerial word and by with-holding our own acts of Administration and denying our Communion to offenders Nor did the Apostles themselves pretend to any other than this power of the Word for the Keys are exercised but thus excepting what they did by Miracle And if Bishops would go no further they would work on none but Voluntiers and their usurpations might be the more easily born 67. And indeed we are fully perswaded that none but Voluntiers are â—it for the
many Churches without Bishops under him and of half-Presbyters how little he saith the Reader will soon see yea how much on our side 4. As for Hooker till his 7th Book came lately out we had nothing in him considerable of this subject And in that Book it self so little to the purpose as to our foresaid two Controversies as is next to nothing nor worthy a Reply In his § 2. p. 4. He attempts that which few do to give us the definition of a Bishop which is A Bishop is a Minister of God unto whom with permanent continuance there is given not only power of Administring the Word and Sacraments which power other Presbyters have but also a further power to Ordain Ecclesiastical persons and a power of Chiefty in Government over Presbyters as well as Lay men a power to be by way of Jurisdiction a Pastor even to Pastors themselves And then he distinguisheth of Bishops at large or indefinite and Bishops with restraint and saith he meaneth the later And so you have what must be expected from Mr. Hooker for the information of you what Episcopacy he pleads for Where it is obvious how fraudulently through oversight or partiality I know not he dealeth For whereas he durst put no more into the definition of Episcopacy about Jurisdiction but a power of Chiefty in Government over Presbyters as well as Lay-men yet would not tell us whether Government of Lay-men under the Bishop belong to the Presbyters or not His words seem plainly to imply it what use else is there for his Chiefly and as well as Lay-men And yet twice over he would name nothing but Teaching and Sacraments which belong to the Pastor as a Pastor in general leaving it as a thing which he would neither affirm nor deny whether Pastors Governed their Flocks Yet all that Decantate Book turneth on the Hinges of this lame Definition which hath other defects which I pass by And without this we cannot know what Subject he disputeth of Whereas Saravia well noted and acknowledged three Essential parts of the Ministry in General Mr. Hooker who leaveth out one of them and yet durst not deny it should have told us whether he include it or not seeing it is the matter of most of our difference and we take him for no Pastor or Presbyter that is without the power of Government nor that to be a true Church in sensu politico that hath no other Pastor 2. And when as one part of his Adversaries deny not at least the Lawfulness of one Bishops superiority in a single Church as far as his description speaketh but only in many Churches no nor one Archbishops power over many Churches that have their own Bishops but only his power to depose all the Bishops of particular Churches and turn them all into one Diocesan Church his Definition visibly reacheth to no other sort of Bishops but such as we oppose not and so he saith nothing at all against us to any purpose through all his Book For where after he confidently tells us that the extent of his Jurisdiction alters not the Species it is but barely said and by his leave I shall fully prove the contrary anon And pag. 4. l. 7. He confesseth that de facto Many things are in the state of Bishops which the times have changed Many a Parsonage at this day is larger than some ancient Bishopricks were It 's well confest And I shall try among other things whether the Name of a Bishoprick will make a Parsonage and a Diocess to be ejusdem speciei and whether magnitude do not make a specifick difference between the Sea and a Rivulet or a glass of water or between a Ship and a Nut-shel And whereas page 6. He undertaketh to prove a Coercive Power in Bishops either he speaketh according to the common use of men or not If not he would not be understood Qui non vâ—lt intelligi debet negligi If he do then by Coercive he must mean by Outward force upon the body which is false and is proper to the Magistrate Parents or Masters and is disclaimed by all sober Protestant Divines yea by Papists as not at all belonging to the Pastoral Office Though we easily grant that Pastors may Coercere by nord and so may Presbyters sure yet no otherwise but by word For Excommunication and Degradation as far as belongs to them are but words and an after forbearing of their own acts of Communion But this is not the common use of the word Coercive as applyed to Government by way of distinction How much wiselier doth the more Learned and judicious Bishop Bilson still distinguish by the Power of the Word as differing from the Magistrates Coercive or by the Sword Yet note that page 8. § 5. l. 7. He is brought to acknowledge that All Churches by the Apostles erected received from them the same Faith the same Sacraments the same Form of publick Regiment The Form of Regiment by them established at first was that the Laity be subject to a College of Ecclesiastical persons which were in every such City appointed for that purpose These in their writings they term sometime Presbyters and sometime Bishops To take one Church out of a number for a pattern what the rest were the Presbyters of Ephesus as it is in the History of their departure from the Apostle Paul at Miletum are said to have wept abundantly all which speech doth shew them to have been many And by the Apostles exhortation it may appear that they had not each his several Flock to feed but were in common appointed to feed that one Flock the Church of Ephesus for which cause the phrase of his speech is this Attendite gregi Look to all that one Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Bishops These persons Ecclesiastical being termed then Presbyters and Bishops both c. And page 9. he saith The outward being of a Church consisteth in the having of a Bishop Then the Brownists must carry it that our Parishes are no true Churches but parts of a Church because they have no Bishop Only a Diocesan Church hath a Bishop Therefore only a Diocesan is a true Church which anon shall be proved to be but Humane And page 12. He thus expoundeth Hierome as holding Episcopacy alterable The Church hath power by Universal consent upon urgent cause to take it away if thereunto she be constrained through the proud tyrannical and unreformable dealing of her Bishop Wherefore lest Bishops forget themselves as if none on earth had authority to touch their states let them continually bear in mind that it is rather the force of custome than any such true heavenly law can be shewed by the evidence whereof it may of a truth appear that the Lord himself hath appointed Presbyters for ever to be under the Regiment of Bishops in what sort soever they behave themselves Let this consideration be a bridle to them Let it
that were abroad among these new Converts or scatered Christians made them know that every Church should have a Bishop and that they might choose one of their own And few Presbyters being then Learned able men in Comparison of the Bishops by this advantage of presence among them many raw and schismatical Presbyters crept into the Peoples affections and perswaded them to choose them for their Bishops when they were chosen and ordained they encroached on the rest of the old Bishops Diocess and also refused to come to the Synods lest their failings should be known pretending that they must stay with their own People Now the Bishops that complained of this did not alledge 1. That no Bishop should be made but in a City 2. Nor that when Christians multiplyed they must not multiply Bishops accordingly but all be under their first Bishop only 3. Nor that a new Congregation had not as good right to have and chuse a Bishop of their own as the first City Congregation had But only to keep ignorant Schismatical Presbyters from deceiving the People for their own exaltation and from hindering Synodical Concord they Decreed that none in their Diocesses should have Bishops without the first Bishops consent And that being so Consecrated they should frequent Synods and should be Bishops only of that People that first chose them and not encroach on the rest of the Diocess And whereas he hence gathereth that the Country Churches ever from the beginning belonged to the City Bishops There were no such things as Appendant Country Churches from the beginning of the City Churches But it 's true that from the beginning of the Country Peoples Conversion when they were not enow to make Churches themselves they belonged to the City Churches as Members Even as now the Anabaptists and Independent Churches consist of the People of Market-Towns and the adjoyning Country Associated into one Assembly After that the Country Meetings were but as Oratories or Chappels And when they came to be enow to make dinstinct Churches of some good Bishops had the Wit and Grace to help them to Chorepiscopi Bishops of their own but most did choose rather to enlarge their own Possessions or Powers and set Subject Presbyters only over the People And that these new Bishopricks must be by the old Bishops consent is apparently a point of Order to avoid inconveniences if not of Usurpation For what power had the old Bishop to keep any Church of Christ without a Bishop of their own when it was for there good That he hath some countenance from Leo for the New Church-Form without Bishops I wonder not when Leo was one of the hottest that betimes maintained the Roman Primacy if not Universal Soveraignty And as the Care against placing Bishops in small places ne vilescat nomen Episcopi came in late so 1. It intimateth that it was otherwise done at least by some before 2. And it is but the Prelatical grandure which Constantine had pufft up which is then alledged as the Reason of this Restraint His Argument is That which was judged unlawful by the Canons of approved Councils and Decrees of Godly Bishops was never lawfully regularly and ordinarily practised But c. I deny the Major Kneeling at Prayer or Sacrament on the Lords day the Marriage of Priests the Reading of the Heathens Writings and abundance such-like were forbidden by such approved Councils especially a multitude of things depending on the new Imperial shape of the Churches which are now lawful and were lawful and ordinarily practised before Paul Kneeled and Prayed on the Lord's day Acts 20. c. Therefore the placing of Bishops in Country Parishes was not unlawful before because the Councils of Bishops afterward forbad it nor was it ever unlawful by Gods Law Methinks a Bishop that subscribeth to the 39 Articles of the Church of England which mentioneth General Councils erring even in matters of Faith should never have asserted that they cannot erre in matter of Government nor retract and alter that which was well practised before them His next Argument is this If there were any Parish Bishops then they were the Chorepiscopi But the Chorepiscopi were not such Ans 1. I deny the Major There were then many City Bishops that were but Parish Bishops or had but one Church as shall be further proved 2. Yet as to a great number it is granted that their Diocesses had many Churches at the time of Concil Eliber Sardic c. which he mentioneth But it followeth not that therefore it was so with any in the time of Ignatius or with many in Cyprian's time 3. If it were all granted de facto it will not follow that de jure it was well done and that the old Form was not sinfully changed 4. The Chorepiscopi themselves might have many Congregations under them like our Chapels and yet be Parish Bishops And it 's most probable that at first they had no more than one of our Country Parishes though afterwards they had many Churches under them as City Bishops had His next Argument is Churches endued with Power Ecclesiastical sufficient for the Government of themselves having also a Bishop and Presbytery had the power of Ordination But Country Parishes had not the Power of Ordination Ergo c. Ans 1. Government is Inferiour or Superiour They might have sufficient Inferiour power of Government though they had none of the Superiour power such as belongeth to Archbishops to whom Appeals were made As a Corporation that hath a Mayor and Assistants hath sufficient Inferiour power but not Regal nor such as Judges Lord Lieutenants c. have And if it were proved as some hold that only General or unfixed Ministers like the Apostles and Evangelists or Archbishops that were over many Churches had the power of Ordination and not the Inferiour Bishops of single Churches it would not follow that these Inferiour Bishops had not the power of Governing their own Churches with assisting Presbyters And if he will prove for us that every fixed Bishop hath the power of Ordination who hath but the Inferiour power of Governing his single Church by Admonitions Excommunications and Absolutions he will but do our work for us 2. I deny his Minor Propos If by Country Parishes he mean the Bishops of Country Parishes they had the Power of Ordination And all that he saith against it is only to prove that de facto they had not the Exercise of it in the times he mentioneth and that de jure humano it was not allowed them by Canons But 3. We grant so much of the Conclusion as that de facto few Country Parishes had a Bishop and Presbytery Because there were but few Country Parishes in the World till the third Century that were really Christian Churches or fixed Societies of Christians that had ordinary Church-communion together in the Sacrament or had an Altar But our Case is About single Churches now called Parish Churches and not about Country
Able also to admonish one another so Col. 3. 16. Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns But more of this in the 2d part 5. Lastly it is their part to admonish a brother that offendeth and if he hear not to take two or three witnesses and if he hear not to tell the Church Matth. 18. 15. of which see Dr. Hammonds Annot. and of the Keys But all this requireth personal knowledge and propinquity Obj. It is not necessary to the being of Church members that every one that is a Church member know them many in London know not their next Neighbours Ans I Speak not 1. Of the Act but of the Power or Capacity and the Relation with its end 2. I speak not of every member but of so great a part as denominateth the Church 1. As a Pastor who by sickness or other impediment preacheth not of a long time may yet be a Pastor because he hath 1. The Power 2. And a Relation whose end is the Instructing of the Flock 3. And he intendeth the exercise as soon as the impediment is removed or if lazyness or any culpable neglect be the cause that altereth not the natuâ—e of the office but proveth him faulty So a member that is 1. Capable 2. Related to the end may be a member though neglect or impediments keep them from the exercise of much of that which they otherwise may do He that dwelleth in the Neighborhood may do all these Offices to another if he will when opportunity calleth for it and therefore may be so obliged to it But so cannot he that dwelleth out of reach Citizens or members of Corporations are in a capacity for officesbelonging to the society though some may neglect them and others want opportunity to do them but one out of reach is uncapable of the duty and therefore uncapable of the Relation which is made up of obligation to that duty when there is cause The Relation is essentially a Power and obligation to the Duty And the Dispositio materiâ— is necessary to the reception of the forme He therefore that is not in a capable means by cohabitation is not materia disposita and can neither have Power nor obligation to the dutyes of a Church member towards the rest and so cannot have the Relative form or be indeed a member And therefore all that write judiciously of the definition of a particular Church do make Propinquity or Cohabitation to be the Dispositio materiae sine qua non From which they are called Parishioners They are not a Church because a Parish but they are therefore the materia disposita as to this part of the capacity extrinsick Christianity being it that maketh them intrinsecally fit materials 2. And I deny not but some few members may be several waies uncapable naturally of the ordinary offices of members Some by infancy some by distraction some by sickness some by the restraint of Parents Masters or Husbands and some by a retired disposition c. And some Churches may be so sinfully over-great as that the number hindereth many of the members from a capacity of the ordinary duty of the relation which is the case of some great Parishes in London But either this is the case of the greater part and main body of the Society or bâ—t of a few If but of a few it may prove it a disordered Church but it cannot prove it no Church no more than a few Hereticks can denominate the Church Heretical or a few mad or leprous persons can denominate it mad or leprous or than the family of Noah David Christ was denominated from a Cham an Absolom a Judas But if it be the main body though in intrinsick qualifications the Church may be denominated from the better part sometimes and not from the greater yet in extrinsick qualifications it is now to be denominated a Church only from the Pastor and that number who are capable of the relation as being the two constitutive parts and all the rest are none of the Church And if there be no such body united to the Pastor for true Church ends and capable of them it is no Church Obj. But it is enough to make one Church if they be all united in one Bishop or Governour though their distance make them uncapable of knowing one another and doing what you have described Ans It is enough indeed to make a Church of another species such as I before named either the Catholick Church through out the world or a Church composed of many particular Churches if it may be called a Church Because their Communion is not to be Local or present nor to the ends of a particular Church but only intrinsical in Faith and Love and extrinsical by Delegates or Mediators But this is not enough to the being of a Church of the first order which now we speak of which should have a Bishop of their own and is not composed of many united Churches For else the Church of a Patriark or a Primate or an Arch-Bishop or Metropolitane should be a Church of the first order and have no Church or Bishop under it For such a Church is united in one Governour To say nothing of the Papal Church which yet pretendeth not to depose all Bishops Therefore the unity of the Governour will not suffice of it self to make one Primary Church though it may make one Compounded or General Church conteining many Churches and Bishops 2. And the nature of the thing telleth us that as the People have their Duties and Priviledges as well as the Pastors so the people must be united among themselves by some common Relation conteining Power of and Obligation to that duty and capacity of that priviledge Which is past all doubt among knowing men Therefore an uncapable body cannot be made one Primary Church by the unity of a Prelate 3. But as we distinguish of a Church single and compounded of many particular and General Primary and Secondary all which termes I use to be clearly understood so do we also of Bishops or Pastors which are particular Bishops of one Church or General Bishops of many Churches Of the first sort we confess all that is said positively that is that one such Bishop maketh one Church Because the very nature of his office as shall be after shewed doth suppose a capable society It being his office in presence personally to conduct them which a General distant Bishop cannot do so that indeed one Present Pastor or more of a flock by Christianity and Uicinity capable and by consent united with him and one another for presential Communion in publick worship and holy conversation are the constitutive parts by which a Primary Church is essentiated and must be defined Obj. But even the Presbyterians say that many worshiping congregations may make up one Governed Church though each congregation have ordinary Communion in the Sacrament c. among themselves distinct from the rest because they may be all united
not give the Pastor an evidence in the Court of Reason acceptable to signifie a voluntary Repentance or consent and therefore what ever possibly may be known to God he is not to be taken into the Church For we must judge by evidence and that is by such free profession of Repentance as Christ hath taught us to expect and therefore we can only Judge that person to be one that had rather say he repenteth than be imprisoned but not as one that indeed repenteth or desireth Church Communion as such and for true ends Obj. But if he be in the Church though without Repentance he may there he brought to Repentance afterward Ans Possibilities are no Rule for us to go by in such cases so you may say if one be Baptized before he profess to believe or repent he may be brought to it after by hearing in the Church But this is but to make Lawes for the Church instead of Christs when we have cast out his Lawes and to confound the world and the Church by our foolish adverse reason He that is in the Church notoriously against or without his will stands there but as a testimony of the Bishops perfidiousness And he that will not come in by any reasoning or intreating without the violence of the Sword is in all process of humane Judgments to be esteemed unwilling The ancient Churches would indeed importune men to Baptism but they never baptized any at age that did not intreat to be baptized and voluntarily make profession of faith and repentance And Papists and Protestants commonly affirm that none should be constrained to be baptized or to make profession of Christianity But the Papists come after and tell us that vet when one is baptized he may be compelled by force to all his duty and so may be constrained to stay in the Church or to return if he forsake it Their Reasons are 1. Because now he is obliged by his own consent 2. Because he hath put himself under the Government of the Church and therefore must be Governed by it Ans But 1. to consent to be a Christian Ruled by Christ and to consent to be constrained by force to continue this consent are two things Prove the latter if you can to be included in our Baptism Contrarily as we freely and not forcedly consent it is supposed that we are accordingly to continue it as we began it 2. And to put our selves under the Government of the Church is not to put our selves under the sword the Church punishment reacheth no further then excomunication and where a man is fully excomunicated he is cast out of the Church again and when he is out of it he is not under its Government Indeed he is under the Magistrates Government But if that will prove that he may be punished for not repenting and returning to the Church when Excomunicate it will prove too that he might be punished before Baptism for not repenting and being baptized For though there be some aggravations of his sin that Apostatizeth to it yet that differeth the case but as to the degree It is for the quality of the crime itself that the Magistrate is to punish as Murder Theft Adultery Blasphemy c. Whether it be in the unbaptized or baptized or excomunicate But it is for Impenitency only in some crime that the Church doth excommunicate And if the Magistrate must imprison or kill men properly for Impeniâ—encie it must be as it aggravateth the crime itself and it may be as well the unbaptized as the baptized for he is the Governour of both It is therefore a meer fiction of Papists Church Tyrants that there is such a difference between the unbaptized and the excommunicate as that the first must not have Church priviledges till they disire them and the later may have them if they be but commpelled to keep them or return to them by the sword And so schismaticaly different are they from the Catholick Church for many hundered years after Christ as directly to contradict them For all the Canons as well as the History tell us that all the antient Churches when they had excommunicated a sinner would not receive him till he had penitently begged readmission Yea they used to cast down themselves on the earth as even great Theodostus did before Ambrose when but suspended and to beg pardon and readmission with tears nay for great faults this was not received till many months or years continued penitence shewed their desires to be sincere and now Prelates must have a Blasphemer or a common Drunkard compelled by the sword to say that he repenteth that he may the next day have the honour and priviledge of a Christian Communicant whether he will or not O kind-natured-cruell-Church And when Gyriâ— of Alexandria began to use the sword and when the Circumcellian Donatists tempted Augistine to change his opinion about using force in matters of Religion yea and when Ithacius and his partakers offended Martin and Ambrose by stirring up Maximuâ— against the Priscillianists none of all this was to force these Hereticks by the sword to Communicate in the Church before they had showed a voluntary repentance nor to make them Church members against their wills even that Ithacius whom Hooker himself acknowledgeth so bad was not so foolish But only they would have forced them from thier own waies and punished them as seduâ—eis of the people and as disturbers of the Churches purity and peace Though yet it is too evident that the pride and passion of the Prelates that were orthodox did quickly and sterely flame out to the constagration of the Churches when they found that the Christian Emperours were ready to serve their passions with the sword It is then past denial that all the power of Bishops or any Pastors is but the â—â—â—â—dgement of the word of God upon the Conferences of men that believe them and voluntarily receive that word only with this advantage that they do not this as private men but as Officers appointed so to mannage this word And therefore he that disobeyeth the word of God truly delivered and applied by them committeth a double sin one as he disobeyeth Gods word as such in the matter in hand and the other as he disobeyeth that particular word of God which commandeth him to hear and obey his Pastors But if men will so sin we have nothing but that word of God which they despise to cure them by For instance 1. In our admonitions and reproofs of the greatest sinners we can do no more but shew them Gods Law which they have broken and which threatneth damnation to them and to perswade them by Scripture arguments to repent that they may escape 2. In excommunication it self we have nothing to do but to shew them the same word and shew them how God hath threatned to punish them and to shew them and the Church that word which commandeth us to have no Communion with them but to avoid them
they might with one voice sing by Jesus Christ to the Father that he may hear them and know by whom they do good Where it is most plainly signified that it was a Church which sung to God by Christ in one Chore in unity of concenting voice under one Bishop and his Presbytery and Deacons present and conducting them 3. After pag. 20. he praiseth them for being consonant in Unity with the Bishop For if any be not within the Altar he is deprived of the â—read of God For if the prayer of one or two have so great force how much more that which is of the Bishop and all the Church He therefore that cometh not to the same is proud and condemneth himself And by how much you see the Bishop silent reverence him the more for we must receive every one that the Lord of the house sendeth as him that sent him you must therefore look upon the Bishop manifest or visibly present as to the Lord. Onesimus praiseth your Divine Order Here it is plain that it was a Church where many yea all the Church joyned presentially in prayer with the Bishop which a thousand Parishes nor two do not 4. It was a Church where the Bishop was seen by all when he was silent and so reverenced for his silent presence 5. It was a Church which they that wilfully absented themselves from were self-condemned But a man can be but in one Parish at once 6. It was a Church where they might all see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bishop manifest that is Perspicuum visible 7. It was a Church where all that had the Sacred Bread were within the Altar that is the one Sacrarium or place of communicating in the Eucharist 8. And this was their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Order of their Assembly After pag. 25. he saith Hasten therefore to assemble frequently for the Eucharist or thanksgiving of God and for Glory For when you oft meet for the same thing the powers of Satan are destroyed and his perdition loosed in the concord of your faith 9. Here it is plain that it was a Church that used to meet together for the Eucharist manifesting therein the concord of the faith of all the Church And after pag. 29. he saith Because they who according to Man do all by name meet commonly in Grace in one faith and in Jesus Christ in your obeying the Bishop and Presbytery with an undivided mind breaking one bread c. 10. Here it is signified that the Bishop and Presbytery were all present as Guides in one Assembly which was that Church which they supervised 11. And that it was such a Church that brake one Bread professing one faith in presence with undivided minds So plainly doth this Epistle decide our controversie IV. The next Epistle is Ad Magnesios In which he saith Canto Ecclesias in quibus Unionem oro Carnis Spiritus Union of Flesh signifieth local Communion 2. Pag. 31. he saith I am dignified to see you by Dama your Bishop worthy of God and the worthy Presbyters Bassus and Apollonius and my fellow Servant Sotion the Deacon whom I enjoy because he is subject to the Bishop and Presbytery c. By which words it is plain that this Church which had a Bishop Presbytery and Deacon was a Parochial Church that had presential Communion with them and not as our Diocesses 3. Pag. 33. Having mentioned the Bishop he saith Because in the aforesaid persons I behold all the multitude in faith and love I warn you study to do all in the concord of God the Bishop presiding in the place of God and the Presbyters in the stead of the Consession of the Apostles and the Deacons c. Which sheweth that it was a Church where Bishop Presbyters and Deacons sate together in presence 4. And after it 's said Let there be nothing among you which may divide or separate you but be united to the Bishop and Presidents c. Which sheweth the same present Presidency as aforesaid 5. Pag. 33. He repeateth without the Bishop and Presbyters do nothing which no reason can interpret of any Presbyters but the present So 6. Pag. 34. Let nothing else seem reasonable proper to your selves but one Prayer for the same thing one deprecation one understanding one hope in love and undefiled joy Which importeth their present Communion in Prayer and Profession 7. He addeth All of you run or meet together into one Temple of God as to one Altar This needeth only an impartial Reader and it 's plain 8. And pag. 37. With your worthily honoured Bishop and the worthily Complexe Spiritual Crown of your Presbytery and the Deacons c. Where no Presbyters are mentioned but the Bishops Presbytery which sate about him in the Church called the Complexe Corona 9. He addeth ut unio sit carnalis spiritualis that is of present bodies and of minds V. The next is the Epistle to the Philadelphians where praising them for their union with their Bishop as the strings of a Harp he saith Study therefore to use one Eucharist or Thanksgiving that is to joyn all together in the Eucharistical Communion For there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one Cup that is which is there Sacramentally represented and given into Union of his Blood one Altar and one Bishop with the Presbytery and the Deacons my fellow Servants that what you do you may do according to God Here one Church is notified in its Unity by these marks 1. That they all joyn in one Assembly for the Eucharist Which signifieth one Body and Blood of Christ 2. And that there be one Altar for this Communion 3. And one Bishop 4. And one Presbytery with his Deacons with him But here Bishop Gunning saith It is not meant of one material Altar Answ 1. It must be noted that as Master Mede and others have observed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in Church Writers for the Chancel Sacrarium or place where the Altar stood as well as for the Altar it self Into which place the Communicants only were admitted to which form our Chancels are made 2. And to be intra Altare is usually meant of being one admitted to that Eucharistical Communion 3. And though as we give the Sacrament in private houses to the sick and have Chappels for the weak and distant so might some great Churches then and yet have but one Chancel Altar or place for the Communion of the whole Church 4. The express words and the Context and sense fully shew that it is personal present Communion that is here spoken of and therefore in one place 5. The common use of the word in other Writers sheweth it as being intra vel extra Altare and setting up Altare contra Altare that is separated Assemblies for such Communion 6. The most learned and famous Expositors so expound it such as Master Mede before cited and Arch-Bishop Usher and others 7. The Contradictors can feign no other
ones called Pro-Consular which were taken by the publick Notaries Certainly the Gravel-pits afforded them advantage for the celebrating of their publick Assemblies in the time of persecution especially at Rome where in the digged gravel there remain many subterraneous ample recesses Though when the persecution was vehement they were thence also excluded as the letters P. Cornelii ad Lupic Episc Vien testifie saying Christians may not missas agere keep their meetings for Church worship publickly no not in the vaults or pits So much of the Churches and publick assemblies of the Christians c. saith Baronius Which Polyd. Virgil secondeth c. 6. yea the Bishops durst scarce be seen in the streets so hot were the persecutions as Euseb lib. 6. cap. 31. Therefore as I before noted they had yet no capacious Temples as Illyricus well gathereth Catalog Testi verit p. 112. But they began to have days of peace and liberty under Alexand. Severus Gordian Philip Galienus Flavius Claudius Aurelianus Probus and then they did enlarge their too small rooms to that described by Euseb lib. 8. c. 1. XXVI Another evidence is that Monasteries were built before Chappels and Countrey Parish Churches and far more numerous so that we frequently read of Monasteries under a Bishop with their Abbot or Presbyter when we read little or nothing of Parish Churches in the Countries under him And if these had been as common why are they not as much mentioned in the ancient records of the Church The Egyptian Monks and those in Judaea and those in Britain in Beda and the life of Hierome Fulgentius and abundance such witness this XXVII Another evidence is the Canons that none but a Bishop must publickly reconcile a penitent nor pronounce the blessing in the Church c. Of which before in particular Canons XXVIII Another evidence is that Presbyters or Bishops were not to remove from the Places they were Ordained in But those places of old were single Churches usually in Cities with the suburbs that could come to the same Church as Dr. Field saith Concil Arelat 1. cited by Spelman pag. 40. because we had 3 Brittish Bishops there In quibuscunque locis ordinati fuerint Ministri in ipsis locis perseverent And ipse locus was not a circuit of 40 or 50 or 100 miles long but the Bishops Parish or Vicinity Of the Bishops not removing without a Synod many Councils speak XXIX Another evidence is that the Canons which take down the Chorepiscopi and turn them to periodeutae Visitors or Itinerants and which forbid the making of Bishops in small Cities or villages 1. Were of late date 2. And were in aspiring times and had a reason answerable ne vilescat nomen Episcopi 3. And therefore intimate that it was otherwise before as I have before shewed XXX A Separatist or Schismatick was then known by his withdrawing from his proper Church and so was an Apostate or deserter And he that stayed away certain days was to be excommunicate And they that fall into sins and never present themselves to the Church to shew their penitence even when they fall sick and desire Communion shall not have it till they shew fruits worthy of repentance faith Concil Arelat 1. Can. 22. But 1. in our way when the Church that I am of is an hundred miles long and hath above a thousand Parishes who can tell when a man is at the Church and when he is not unless you make half a years work to examine the matter in a thousand Assemblies 2. And a man may wander and never be in the same Assembly once in three years and yet be still in his own Church because the Docese is the Church 3. Unless the Bishops presence as well as remote relation be necessary And then no man cometh to Church but he that cometh where the Bishop is for ubi Episcopus ibi Ecclesia And the Parish Church is with them no Church unless equivocally as a Community For as Learned Dr. Field saith and they must all say None are to be ordained but to serve in some Church and none have Churches but Bishops all other being but assistants to them in their Churches Lib. 5. c. 27. p. 139. Therefore they call the Parish Priests the Bishops Curates and Dr. Field maketh the Bishops Church or Diocese and a particular Church all one If then one Parish priest of a thousand be an Arrian Antinomian Socinian Papist Seeker c. he that separateth not from that one Priest and Parish meeting separateth not from his Bishops Church nor any particular Church For his Church is a countrey which while he is in he is no Separatist if he joyn with any part of it XXXI But my greatest evidence which I trust to above all the rest is The greatness of the Bishops work which no mortal man can truly and faithfully discharge and do for a Diocese in the opposed sence nor for more than one of our greater Parishes I have recited some of the particulars before and I shall again have occasion to do it more at large I now only name these parts 1. To be the ordinary Baptizer or still present with all that are Baptized to anoint their nostrils c. as aforesaid 2. To be the Confirmer of all the baptized in all the Diocese 3. To be the ordinary preacher to his flock and to expound the Scriptures to them 4. To be the only publick reconciler or absolver of all penitents 5. To be the publick Priest to be the Guide of the people in publick worship and to administer the Lords Supper 6. To take particular account and care of all the peoples souls and admonish teach and exhort them as there is special need 7. To be the Excommunicator of the impenitent or ever one and the chief 8. To Ordain all Ministers and Subministers 9. To oversee and rule the Clergy 10. To receive all Oblations Tithes Gifts and Glebes and be the distributer of them 11. To visit the sick in all his flock 12. To take a particular care of all the poor the sick the strangers the imprisoned c. as their Curator 13. To keep almost daily but constantly weekly Assemblies for all the publick offices 14. To keep Synods among his Colleagues Bishops and Presbyters 15. To try and hear Causes with the Bishops and Synods and with his Presbyters at home about all scandals c. that come before him of which one Town may find him work enough the convincing and gentle reproof and exhortation will take up so much time 16. The looking after and convincing or confuting Hereticks 17. The reconciling disagreeing neighbours 18. The confecting of oyl and holy bread c. to furnish all his Presbyters with 19. The Benediction of Marriages and Solemnizing of Funerals with a multitude of other Ceremonies 20. And besides all this the right government of his own house And if he had Children the education of them 21. The oversight of all the Schools
form or species of Bishops And here I need not add much to the former because they are coincident and in proving the one I have already proved the other A Bishop of one Church united for Individuals Communion and a Bishop of one Church united only for Communion in specie actionum are not the same But because I hear many say that Magis Minus non variant speciem And that a Greater and a Lesser Diocese make neither the Church nor Bishop to be of a different species I am here to prove the contrary And first let it be remembred in what predicament the things in question are a Church and a Bishop That is They are relations Then let it be remembred what goeth to the essence and definition of a Relation that is The Relate the Correlate the Subject the Fundamentum or as some speak the Ratio fundandi also and the Terminus Now where these are not the same or any of these then the Relation is not the same because where an essential ingredient is wanting the essence is wanting Again it must be remembred that many Natural Relations are so founded in an act past that the Relation resulteth from it without depending on any thing future As God is Creator quia jam creavit Pater est qui genuit But there are other Relations which are founded in meer Undertaking Mandate authority and obligation to future actions As he is a Tutor a Schoolmaster a Judge a Chancellor a Pilot a Bishop a Husband c. who by mandate and undertaking is authorized and obliged to such and such works implyed in the names And in these cases there is nothing more specifieth the offices than the work of the office which is its nearest End And these nearest ends are ever essential to such Relations whether you will call them the Tâ—rmini or End or by what other name we contend not And therefore Aquinas and all 1. 2. q. 18. art 2. and others commonly agree that the Object and the End do specifie humane acts But remote ends may be the same in Acts and so in Offices of the same species It proving but a Generical agreement which yet may be in specie subalterna All humane Acts should have the same ultimate end that is The pleasing of God in the resplendency of his Glory and the felicity of man Yet this maketh them not all of the same infimae speciei All Government intendeth the common good and yet there are different species of Government All Church Government is for the good of the Church and for the killing of sin and the promoting of faith and holiness And yet there are different species of Church Governours But besides the Object and End which all agree to there are by Schoolmen and Casuists said to be circumstances which may also specifie Moral acts The seven named by Cicero in Rhetor. are Quis Quid Ubi Quibus auxiliis Cur Quomodo Quando And Aquinas and others tell us that these circumstances communicate special Goodness or evil to actions Vid. P. Soto in relect 5. in fine de bonit mal act Greg. de Valent. tom 2. qu. 13. puncto 4. Jos Angles in Florib 2. sent d. 37. q. 3. a. 5. p. 2. Greg Sayrus in Clav. Regia Lib. 2. Cap. 3. pag. 54. giveth us these two notes to know when circumstances specifie actions 1. Quando Circumstantia novam conformitatem aut deformitatem actui tribuit ita ut peculiariter conveniat vel repugnet rectae rationi novam speciem constituit Rat. Quia in hoc casu circumstantia transit in rationem objecti 2. Quotiescunque circumstantia non respicit specialem ordinem rationis in bono vel malo nisi praesupposita alia circumstantia a qua actus moralis habet speciem boni vel mali quam solam intra eandem speciem auget vel diminuit reddendo actum illum meliorem aut pejorem toties circumstantia illa aggravans vel diminuens non autem speciem mutans censenda est ut quantitas v. g. magna vel parva in furto Note also that though Relatio in forma relationis non recipit magis minus e. g. Titius non est magis Pater quam Sempronius Yet quoad subjectum aliquando quoad fundamentum correlatum it may recipere magis minus so that magis vel minus shall change the species This is in such cases wherein the alteration of Quantity altereth the Capacity of the subject quoad finem essentialem For as in Physicks besides the Matter the Dispositio materiae which Aristotle calls Privation is necessary ad formam recipiendam which is comonly called A third Principle but I would call it the Conditio necessaria of the Material Principle so in Relations there must be the Dispositio necessaria subjecti or else there can no relation result E. g. to the being of a house some quantity is necessary to the End that is habitation And therefore it is no house except equivocally which is no bigger than an egg-shell So to the being of a Ship of a Church c. that which is no bigger than a nutshel is no Ship or Church though you call it so or Consecrate it c. And on the other side It is not a spoon a dish a ladle a pen which is as big as a Church a Ship a House Yea a Ship and a Boat do differ in specie though both have the same End safe passage over the waters by portage by the circumstantial differences of the End and Subject So also in Societies the whole world or a Kingdom is too big to be a Family And a Family is too little to be a Kingdom Pagus Vicus Civitas Regnum differ principally in their Ends and next in their Quantity of the subject matter because every quantity is not capable of the same Essential End These things being premised for the use of such ignorant Lads only as know them not who may possibly study the controversie I proceed to my proofs I. And I will begin though it be weakest in it self with an Argument ad hominem For with the men that I now deal with I shall take that to be the most effectual argument which is fetcht from their interest and fitted to their wills I remember that once when an Army was resolved for Liberty of Conscience for all that professed the fundamentals of faith in God by Jesus Christ and the Parliament appointed some of us to draw up a Catalogue of fundamentals which I thought was best done by giving them the Sacramental Covenant the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue a good man with others of his mind would needs have many more fundamentals than I was for and among others That to allow our selves or others in known sin is inconsistent with salvation or is damnable I told him that I would not dispute against it but undertake to make him cast it by without dispute And when they would not believe me but went
on I did all that I promised presently with telling them You know that the Parliament take Independency to be a sin and they will say If we allow or tolerate them they here pronounce the sentence of damnation on us under their own hands Dictum factum we had no more of that fundamental I have greater confidence of prevailing with Diocesans by such an argument In taking the Covenant in the Westminster Assembly it would not pass till the parenthesis describing the English species of Prelacy was inserted because many declared that they were not against all Episcopacy but only the present English species Accordingly those that took the Covenant in that sense take not themselves bound to endeavour the extirpation of all Episcopacy but only of that species And they that would have conformed on the terms of the Kings Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs went on this supposition that the species of Prelacy was altered by it Now I put these questions to the Diocesans Quest 1. If a Usurper by power should take down all the Diocesans and their lands Lordships and Courts and turn them into Parish Bishops and say I alter not the species but the degree would they believe him Quest 2. If one that thinketh himself obliged by the Vow or Covenant against this species only should think that he answereth his obligation if he procure no other alteration than is made in the Kings forenamed Declaration would they tell him You alter not the species unless you totally extirpate Episcopacy supposing that he had power to do it Quest 3. Seeing most that we speak with who conform and who take or plead for the Oxford Oath Never to endeavour any alteration of Church Government do tell us that the meaning is only that we will not endeavour to alter the present species which is Episcopacy and not the appurtenances as Chancellors c. I ask If it should please the King to take down all Diocesanes and to set up only a Bishop in every Parish or Independent Church say I change not the species or if I believed that this were a Change of the English species of Church Government I would not do it what answer would they give to this Quest 4. If a Conformist or one that hath taken that Oath shall say I did subscribe and swear only not to endeavour an alteration of the species but not of the degree Therefore I will do all that I can to take down Diocesans and to set up Congregational or Parochial Bishops in their stead will you tell this man that indeed by so doing he endeavoureth not to change the species Quest 5. Seeing many of the greatest opposers of Prelacy do consent to a Congregational or Parochial Bishop will you grant that these are not at all your adversaries as to the species of Church Government but only as to the degree or extent of Dioceses These cases are practical Therefore take heed how you resolve them left you do that which you are unwilling of Quest 6. And I may ask Why is it that many deny that it was a Parliament of Episcopal men that raised the Army against the King only because in the Proposition sent to Nottingham they would have had Episcopacy reduced to what is there intimated and would have had their power shortned Come come deny not the plain truth If magis minus non variant speciem Parliament men yea and the Learnedest part of that Synod who took down Bishops were Episcopal men yea Prelatists as you are for they were but for a Gradual alteration at the beginning of their war till they were carried further by necessity and interest Quest 7. And I ask you also why and with what front do you call us all Presbyterians who offered Bishop Ushers Model to the King and you in 1660. as the terms of Concord Is it against your Consciences meerly to make us odious with you know whom what can it be better if you grant that we are not only for Episcopacy in genere but even for the same species with your selves Yea those that are against Bishop Ushers Model and are only for Congregational or Parish Bishops are it seemeth even for your species And are they not then Episcopal as well as you So much ad hominem now ad rem II. Where the specifying Ends differ there the Species of Relations differ But in the Churches and the Bishops in question the specifying Ends differ Ergo c. I will first manifest the truth of the Minor for the Major is unquestionable of Churches and next of Bishops 1. The ends of a particular Church as described by us are these 1. Communion sensible and external 2. And that local or presential 3. And that personal by all the body of the Church 4. And that in the same Individual acts of Gods publick worship 5. In watching over or helping each other towards Heaven by provoking each other to love and to good works and if a brother offend to tell him of his fault to comfort each other and to live together in holiness love and peace 6. To be related to the same Pastors as those that are their Ordinary Teachers Governours and Guides in publick worship as labouring amongst them and being ensamples to the flock 7. To hold a distant Communion with the neighbour associated concordant Churches and particularly with those nearest them of the first order of Composition of which association this particular Church is a part for Communion of Churches as they are themselves a Society for Communion of Individual Christians in a single Church 2. Now the ends of our Diocesane Churches are not one of all these For 1. Their Communion is internal in Faith and Love such as we have with the Abassines 2. It is distant only and not presential at all For as Diocesane we never see each other it's like in our whole lives 3. It is not personal as external and sensible but only by the intervention of Delegates Messengers Officers or Synods of such 4. It is only in eadem specie of publick worship and sacred actions that we have Communion but not in the same Individual actions of worship And so we may have Communion with the Antipodes while we believe the same Scriptures and Creed and use the same Sacraments c. in specie 5. We have no converse with one another at all as Diocesane though as Parochial we may we never meet together pray together hear together exhort or watch over or help each other If a Brother trespass we tell him not of his fault c. for we never know one of five hundred in the Diocese no more than men of another Countrey 6. We hear not the same Teachers we have not the same Guides to resolve our doubts and to instruct us as we need We have not the same Priests to joyn with in Gods publick worship But he that Teacheth and officiateth in one Church hath no power in another Only we have the same
such a change is no proof that it was the Intent of the Apostles that this change should be made when they were dead no more than you can prove that all this turbulent pride and strife was intended by them If any say that it is not probable that so soon after the Apostles all the Churches would conspire in such an error I answer If all these things before mentioned were not done or if matter of known fact may be denied as improbable then that objection hath some sence To which I add 8. I have proved that this change was not made at once but by slow degrees No nor made so soon as is pretended nor so universally but in long time except at Alexandria and Rome It was long before the Churches knew it 9. And I think none will deny but other things were taken up as the Traditions of the Apostles and all the Churches customes which yet are now rejected as no such thing To say no more of Easter and the Millennium there were five ceremonies which were accounted the Churches universal customes and traditions and none was to omit viz. not kneeling in adoration on the Lords days Adoring towards the East the White Garment the Milk and Honey and the Chrism to the Baptized But were these such Socrates Sozomen and Nicephorus tell us great Reasons to believe that whatever some say the time of Easter the Fast of Lent and many other observances and among others the largeness or smallness of Dioceses were no Laws of God or the Apostles but usages voluntarily and diversly taken up in several places in which no Christians should condemn each other but allow a liberty of dissent and difference without breach of Charity or peace 10. Moreover it is a clear proof that the Apostles intended no such change in that they left no Rule Instructions or Directions for it nor for the calling of the new sort of Presbyters nor for their performance of their places They left full directions for the Ordination and Regulation of Bishops called Pesbyters and for Deacons not leaving out so much as Deaconesses And would they have wholly omitted all instructions for the new order of Presbyters and Prelates c. if they had intended them 11. To put all out of controversie God hath told us that his setled orders are for continuance Eph. 4. 11 12 13. Such Offices as Christ hath given to the Church are for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man c. If God do give some to lay the foundation and some to build thereon yet he leaveth not men to make new Officers besides all these to do his appointed work Timothy had charge to propagate the same Doctrine and the same Church orders even to the coming of Christ 1 Tim. 6. 13 14. 2 Tim. 2. 2. and 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. 5. Heb. 10. 23 24 25. But of this I desire the Reader to see full proofs in my 2. sheet for the Ministry 12. Lastly the holy Scripture is a perfect standing Rule for all things necessary to Salvation and Divine Faith and duty and to Church worship and Communion If not what is And where shall we find it And what stop shall we make of our additions if there be no Law or Rule to govern the universal Church And who are they that have power to Rule the Church universal See my Key for Catholicks against the claim of Pope and General Councils But if it be then the adding and altering is presumption except in circumstantials which God hath left to mans determination And then why must we swear never to alter unnecessary circumstances were they such CHAP. XVIII The fourth Argument From the Impossibility of their performance of the Episcopal Office in a Diocesane Church And the certain exclusion and destruction of true particular Church Government while one man only will undertake a work too great for many hundreds ALI that I have said hitherto is far short of this one Argument from the notorious unquestionable mischiefs which the opposed frame of Prelacy doth infer not probably but certainly not only where Bishops are bad but with the best not in some Churches but in all ARGUMENT IV. That Form of Prelacy is not lawful and to be sworn to which maketh the Episcopal Office impossible to be performed and certainly destroyeth and nullifieth true particular Church Government wherever it obtaineth But such is the opposed frame None will deny the Major but the Erastians who think that the Magistrate only is the Church Governour which as to forcing Government is true And they that so think must needs be against Bishops otherwise than as they are Preachers or Magistrates Therefore I may let them pass The Minor I am to prove by parts It must be remembred that I have shewed how great the Dioceses are and that no work proper to the Office of a Bishop can be done by a Lay-man or any but a Bishop And have prevented the pretence of doing it per alios And now I must shew more fully than in the former breviate what the work of a Bishop is And then you shall see whether it be not impossible And lest you think I precisely feign more work than God hath put upon them I will take it out of Scripture and Dr. Hammonds Annotations I. The Teaching of the Flock II. The Priestly worshipping of God with them III. The Government of them by Discipline are the three parts of the Bishops Office as hath been proved I. The Teaching of the Flock is 1. Publick Teaching them in their Sacred Assemblies by expounding and applying the word of God 1 Pet. 5. 2 3. Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof c. saith Dr. Hammond The Bishops of your several Churches I exhort take care of your several Churches and govern them c. Heb. 13. Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken to you the word of God Dr. H. Set before your eyes the Bishops and Governours that have been in your Church and preached the Gospel to you Acts 20. 7. Upon the first day of the week when the Disciples came together to break bread Paul preached to them Matth. 24. 45 46. Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his houshold to give them meat in due season 1 Thes 5. 12. We beseech you brethren to know them that 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 D. H. Pay your Bishops as great a respect as is possible for the pains they have taken among you 1 Tim. 5. 17. The Elders that rule well are worthy of double honour especially they that labour in the word and doctrine D. H.
call us to seek the alteration which we are required to abjure 10. Lastly by this objection they shew themselves too ignorant of the nature of Church and discipline and Sacrament and Ministery Or else they would better know how far Volunteers are proper objects of Church discipline and have the right to the privileges and Communion of the Church II. The Magistrates Sword will not serve instead of Church discipline 1. Else Christ would not have instituted another office for it 2. Else it might serve also instead of Ministry Preaching and Sacraments 3. The nature of it tendeth not directly to convince men of Errours to lead them into truth to move them by heavenly motions and to bring them to true repentance and godlyness But this will be fuller proved under the next and is confessed by all save the Erastians III. The Magistrates Sword should not be used too forwardly or too much to second or enforce Church discipline much less to be its life and strength and inseparably twisted with it I mean 1. No unbeliever should be forced to say he is a Believer and to professe the Christian faith 2. None upon such profession should be forced to be Baptized 3. None that hath no right to Church Communion in the Sacrament should be forced to receive it 4. None that Apostatizeth from Christ should be forced falsly to professe that he is still a Christian 5. None that are at age should be forced to stay in the Church by local presence or relation as a member of it who is not willing and the practice of the Papists who force no Heathens to be Christians but afterward force Christians by fire and Sword and burn them that were Hereticks Schismaticks or Apostates is self contradicting and self condemning God having left man as much unto his own choice for continuing as for Entring into the Church And as for Obedience to Rulers Infidels may owe it to Christian Kings as well as Christians And none but Magistrates can use the Sword to punish either 6. No Magistrate should punish a Mans body meerly because he is Excommunicate and so punished already Nor should he be made a meer executioner to the Bishop without hearing trying and judging the Cause himself in order to his own execution 7. No Magistrate should force an Impenitent sinner to lie and say he doth repent that thereby he may be admitted to the Church Communion and Sacrament but it is the force of Gods word that must try his Repentance But yet I acknowledge 1. That Magistrates and Parents and Masters may force their Subjects to use those means which tend to make them Christians as to hear Preaching Conference or disputations or to read convincing books But with these two Cautions 1. That it be but when it is like or hopeful to do more good than harme 2. That it be by wise and moderate means of constreint and not hang or burn them to convert them 2. Accordingly Magistrates Parents and Masters may use the like force with their Subjects who are Christians to cause them to use the foresaid meanes of hearing and Reading and conference for the cureing of their dangerous errours or sinful lives 3. And I doubt not but Magistrates may punish men Corporally for their crime according to the nature of them and even for the same that the Church hath excommunicated them If one be excommunicated for Treason Murder Theft Swearing Prophaning the Lords day and holy things c. it followeth not that the Magistrate may not also meddle with him 4. And we doubt not but Magistrates may Restraine false Teachers from seducing others and drawing them from God to sin 5. And the Magistrate may and ought to encourage Ministers in the use of the Church Keyes and to preserve them from the violence of wicked men 7. And they may make a difference in their favours and rewards between Christians obedient to God and their Pastors and Infidels excommunicate in penitent ones and Apostates by denying honors and preferments and rewards to the worse which he giveth to the better sort of men But yet as to the Cases before denied especially the forcing men by fire sword and imprisonment to say they believe and repent and to take the Sacrament and other Church priviledges and making this the strength of Church discipline I have all this against it 1. No force should be used to the hindering and destruction of Christs ordinance of discipline and his Church Laws But such it would be in the case in hand For Christs fundamental Covenant is that the true willing penitent and believer shall be a member of his Church or those only that credibly profess to be so at age He that will may freely drink of the water of life Nemo invitus fit Christianus so that to say that any man hath right to the mystical Church priviledges but Consenters or any man hath right to the visible Church priviledges but credible Professors of consent is to contradict the very condition of the Covenant of life which is the sum of all the Gospel It s true you may compel some men to duty but you cannot compel them to be happy But to force them by perpetual Imprisonment confiscation and the sword to say that they are Christians or repent consent or are willing and so to give them absolution and Church-communion is to make Christs ordinance of none effect For true discipline is to make them penitent and willing and then to use them as such But 1 It is not credible that that person is truly penitent and willing to be a Christian or have Church-communion who will not be perswaded to consent by all that can be said by the Pastors from the word of God but yet on the rack or to prevent undoing will say I consent This is contrary to the nature of true Repentance 2. Or if it did not make this forced consent utterly incredible yet it utterly crosseth the ends of Church discipline which is to discern the voluntary penitent which force so obscureth that no man can tell whether the person be credibly penitent or not If I left a Legacy to so many that are Lovers of the Church and its Communion and my Executors should get the Magistrate to hang or Imprison or undo certain men that are accused as Enemies of the Church unless they will say we Love the Church I think my Will would be ill performed if those men had my Legacy that were forced to say so 2. No man should be forced to his own sin and distruction But he that is forced to take the Sacrament when he is unwilling and had rather be without it in likelihood is forced to his sin and destruction For even the Liturgy telleth the unworthy that they eat and drink damnation to themselves and that the Devil may enter into them as he did into Judas And who is unworthy if the unwilling are not 3. Force is not fitted to cause love and willingness therefore
men should not be forced to take a Gift which Love and willingness is the condition of men use not to say Love me or I will hang thee or imprison thee This seemeth to make a new way of Preaching which Christ never made 4. Christs terms are self-denial Cross-bearing and forsaking all and following him for the hopes of heaven But this seemeth a new and contrary Gospel as if Christ had said He that will be my disciple rather than be imprisoned or die shall be saved or received Christ saith He that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my disciple Luk. 14. 33. This way saith He that will come to the Church-communion rather than forsake all shall be my disciple Christ saith He that loveth any thing even his life more than me cannot be my disciple This way saith He that loveth life credit wealth liberty so well as that he will rather receive the Sacrament than lose it shall be my disciple Christ saith except ye repent ye shall all perish This forceth a Minister to absolve a wicked man as if he should not perish if he will but rather say I repent than lose his liberty and estate God saith He that loveth the World the love of the Father is not in him This way saith Do but Love the world so well as to say and do any thing to keep it and then Pastor and people shall number thee with the Lovers of the Father God saith The carnal mind is enmity to God and is not subject to his Law nor can be This way saith If thy carnal mind make thee say or do any thing to save thy liberty or money thou art an obedient Son of the Church and of God And is not this to set up a new Gospel Gal. 1. 7. 8. 5. And this way compelleth men to lie and play the Hypocrites when we may discerne it is so Mr. Capel of Tempt would perswade us that a lie thus differeth from most other sins that it is so evil in it self as that it cannot in the very act be lawful When a man against all perswasion saith or sheweth you that he doth not believe in Christ or doth not repent to say to that man Say thou believest or Repentest or thou shalt be confiscate and lie in jaile is plainly to say Lie or suffer I deny not but that in some cases a man may be examined when it is foreknown that he will lie But it s one thing to force him to examination and answer and another to force him to that particular answer 6. It is a compelling men to pretend to that which we cannot compel them to that is to have a Right to so great a benefit as Absolution and Church Communion Force giveth no man Right to the Benefit and their force should not compel him falsly to pretend a Right 7. It confoundeth the Church and the world Whilest every man is made a member of the Church that had but rather tell a lie and take bread and wine than be undone what wicked man on earth will not do the same unless he be so Consciencious that mistake and Conscience hindereth him Is there any Infidel Heathen Atheist Murderer Traytor or Sensualist in the world that will not do it What should hinder him that believeth there is no God to do thus rather than be undone Is it so hard a word to say in a Chancellours Court I repent and deride and curse them when he is gone out or is a bit of Bread and a Sup of Wine so hard for a Glutton or Drunkard to get down as that any of them would rather lie in jaile 1. So that by this course the Church and the Infidel world are made equal and no man can prove that any Mabometan Congregation is not as good as to the persons as such a Christian Congregation For what Mabometan would not say and do this rather then be undone unless he be a Consciencious one who is not so bad as those Christians that have no Conscience 2. And by this meanes no conjecture can be made of the real members of the Church Thousands may be driven in at the doors but we have no means to perceive whither any of them indeed be Christians 8. And hereby the Church and the Christian Religion are greatly dishonoured while this odious stigma is made the marke of a visible member One that had rather say he is a Christian and repenteth than lie in a jaile Is this a laudable description 9. And hereby Mabometans Jews and Heathens are hardened in their Infidelity and reproach of Christ while Christians are such as these 10. It putteth every consciencious Minister into a snare and troubleth his Conscienceâ— or turneth him out when he must put the Sacrament into the very hand of every man that had rather take it than be imprisoned and must read the Absolution of every one that had rather say I repent than be undone 11. It hindereth the comfort of the faithful in Church Communion to know that this is the measure and Character of these with whom they must hold that Communion which is called the Communion of Saints 12. It destroyeth Church unity and Love For every visible member of the Church being a seeming Saint should be loved with the special Love which belongeth to Saints by us who are not Searchers of the heart But who that is not out of his wits can by any obedience to the Church be brought to Love all those as seeming Saints who will choose a Sacrament before a jaile He that cannot believe them such cannot Love them as such 13. It will strengthen them that Separate from us as no Church and make it not so easy to prove that we have any Church as else it would be when they should argue Where there is no credible Profession of Faith and repentance there is no true Church But c. Ergo. The Major is undenyable The Minor indeed is not true because many do Voluntarily profess and shew their Voluntariness other waies But no thanks to them that teach the accusers thus to argue When the Laws of Profession are Profess or lie in jayle there is no credible Voluntary Profession But c. The Major they prove Non esse non apparere here are equipollent But under such a law no voluntariness and Credibility is apparent Ergo And I know but this answer to the Minor it is apparent otherwise though not by that forced profession because multitudes daily shew that they approve of what they do 14. Force tendeth rather to hinder mens Repentance and Love to the Church For Fear breadeth Hatred or at least Hurt doth Kindness breedeth Love God winneth our Love by mercy And we are so to win the Love of others Give a man but a box on the ear or slander or wrong him and try whether it will make him Love you to say Love Christ and the Christian or I will undo thee and lay thee in jaile is
General Pastors And therefore it they say It is not the Presbyters but the Diocesane that is the cheif Pastor of your Parish Church I answer there is none above the Resident or incumbent Presbyters that take the particular charge and oversight The Bishop takes but the general charge as a general Officer in an Army If they do indeed take the particular Pastoral charge of every Soul which belongs to the Bishops infimi gradus then woe to that man that voluntary takes such a charge upon him and hath such a charge to answer for before the Lord. If they say that the Presbyters have the particular charge for teaching and Sacraments but the Bishops for ruling I answer 1. It is Government that we are speaking of if they are Bishops infimi gradus then there are no Bishops or Governours under them And if so then it is they that must perform and answer for Government of every particular Soul And then woe to them 2. Governing and teaching are acts of the same Office by Christs institution as appears in 1 Tim. 5 17. Acts 20. 28. c. And indeed they are much the same thing For Government in our Church sense is nothing but the explication of Gods Word and the application of it to particular Cases And this is Teaching Let them that would divide prove that Christ hath allowed a division If one man would be the general Schoolmaster of a whole Diocess only to oversee the particular School-masters and give them rules we might bear with them But if he will say to all the particular Schoolmasters you are but to teach and I only must govern all your Scholars when governing them is necessarily the act of him that is upon the place conjunct with teaching this man would need no words for the manifestation of the vanity of his ambition The same I may say of the Masters of every Science whose government is such as our Church Government is not Imperial but Doctoral yea of the Army or the Navy where the government is most imperial Now for the Argument 1. The consequence of the Major is undeniable because every such Society is essentially constituted of the Ruling and Ruled parts as every Common-wealth of the pars imperans and the pars subdita So every organized Church of the Pastor and the Flock 2. And for the Minor if they denyed both our Parish Churches and our City Churches that is those in Towns Corporate to be true Churches they then confess the shame and open the ulcer and leprosic of their way of governing that to build up one Diocesane Church which is not of Christs institution but destructive of his institution they destroy and pull down five hundred or a thousand Parish Churches and many City Churches If they will also feign a specifique difference of Churches as they do of Pastors and say that Parish Churches are Ecclesiae dociae but Diocesan Churches are only Ecclesiae gubernatae of which the Parish Churches are but parts I answer 1. The Scripture knoweth no such distinction of stated Churches All stated Churches for worship are to be governed Churches and the government is but guidance and therefore to be by them that are their Guides 2. I have before proved that every worshipping Church that had unum altare was to have a Bishop or Government by Presbyters at least Arg. III. That Ordination which is much better than the ordination of the Church of Rome or of any Diocesane Bishops of the same sort with theirs is valid The Ordination now questioned by some in England is much better then the Ordination of the Church of Rome or of any Diocesane Bishops of the same sort with theirs Ergo the Ordination now questioned by some in England is valid The Major will not be denied by those which we plead with because they hold the Ordination of the Church of Rome to be valid and their Priests not to be re-ordained The Minor I prove If the Ordination that hath no Reason of its validity alledged but that it is not done by Diocesane Bishops be much better than the Ordination of such as derive their power from a meer Usurper of Headship over the universal Church whose succession hath been oft interrupted and of such as profess themselves Pastors of a false Church as having a Head and form of divine Institution and that ordain into that false Church and cause the ordained to swear to be obedient to the Pope to swear to false Doctrine as Articles of Faith and ordain him to the Office of making a peice of Bread to be accounted no Bread but the Body of Christ which being Bread still is to be worshipped as God by himself and others to pass by the rest than the Ordination now questioned in England is much better than the Ordination of the Church of Rome But the Antecedent is true Ergo so is the consequent And for the other part of the Minor I further prove it If the Office and government of the Romish Bishops and of any Diocesanes of the same sort with them be destructive of that form of Episcopacy and Church Government which was instituted by Christ and used in the Primitive Church then the Ordination now questioned by some in England is much better than that which is done by such Diocesanes But the Office and Covernment of the Romish Bishops and of any Diocesanes of the same sort with them is destructive of that form of Episcopacy and Church Government which was instituted by Christ and used in the Primitive Church Ergo The Ordination now questioned by some in England is much better than that which is done by such Diocesanes The Reason of the consequence is because the Ordination of Presbyters now in question is not destructive of the Episcopacy and Government instituted by Christ and used in the Primitive Church Or if it were that 's the worst that can be said of it And therefore if other Ordination may be valid notwithstanding that fault so may it N. B. 1. I here suppose the Reader to understand what that Ordination is now questioned in England viz. Such as we affirm to be by Bishops not only as Presbyters as such are called Bishops but as the cheif Presbyters of particular Churches especially City Churches having Curates under them and also as the Presidents of Synods are called Bishops 2. Note that all I say hereafter about Diocesanes is to be understood only of those Bishops of a Diocess of many hundred or score Churches which are infimi gradus having no Bishops under them who are only Priests who are denied to have any proper Church Government And not at all of those Diocesane Bishops who are Arch-Bishops having many Bishops under them or under whom each Parish Pastor is Episcopus Gregis having the true Church Government of his particular Flock And thus because the Major is of great moment I shall handle it the more largely The Viciousnes of the Romish Ordinations appeareth thus 1.