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A47044
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A sermon preached at the consecration of the Right Reverend Father in God Ambrose Lord Bishop of Kildare in Christ-Church, Dublin, June 29, 1667 / by the right reverend father in God, Henry, Lord Bishop of Meath.
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Jones, Henry, 1605-1682.
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1667
(1667)
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Wing J948; ESTC R5267
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35,856
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90
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Imprimatur Mich. Dublin Canc. A SERMON Preached at the Consecration OF The Right Reverend Father in God AMBROSE Lord Bishop of KILDARE IN Christ-Church Dublin June 29. 1667. BY The Right Reverend Father in God HENRY Lord Bishop of MEATH DUBLIN Printed by John Crook Printer to the King 's most Excellent Majestie and are to be sold by Samuel Dancer in Castle-street 1667. To the Most Honourable JAMES Duke Marquess and Earl of Ormond Earl of Ossory and Brecknock Viscount Thurles Lord Baron of Arklow and Lanthony Lord of the Regalities and Liberties of the County of Tipperary Chancellor of the Universitie of Dublin Lord Lieutenant General and General Governour of His MAJESTIES Kingdom of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of the County of Somerset the City and County of Bristol and the Cities of Bath and Wells one of the Lords of His MAJESTIES Most Honourable Privy Councils of His MAJESTIES Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland Lord Steward of His MAJESTIES Household Gentleman of His MAJESTIES Bed-chamber and Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter His GRACE My LORD WHat of Ecclesiastical Government in the Christian Church hath passed our fore-fathers unquestioned more than One thousand five hundred years from the Apostles downward that is become the unhappy Dispute of this last Age both as to Pen and Sword This had its Rise at Geneva Anno 1541. the people having thence tumultuously expelled their Bishop and being thereby without Government and to seek for the way toward it thereupon did Calvin put himself on them finding in that a fit introduction to greatness and by his prudence and learning in both which he excelled became he there an Oracle and his will a law Of that made he use in meditating forming and proposing a Model of Church-government it being desired of him by the people which he well ordered to his ends and interests intermixing Church and Lay-Elders those fixed these yearly elected appointing a double number of the Laity to what was of the other That is six Ministers and twelve others chosen out of their three Councils of State viz. Six out of their Council of two hundred and four out of that of sixty and two out of the twenty five wherein for pleasing the people the advantage of major Votes was given them in decisions and in that most of power in them seemingly placed whereas indeed all was thereby in himself and in his Church-Elders principally well judging that the fewer being learned leading and lasting might easily influence and overbear a greater number not so reaching and changing whose election also might be by the other so ordered as to serve a Church-interest And least on consideration this might be over-soon apprehended and avoided Therefore had Calvin undertaking that form of Government desired of him first politickly obliged that people by Oath to receive and submit to what should be so proposed Provided it were agreeable to Gods Word and to the approbation of such of the Reformed Churches as should be thought fit to be therein consulted And accordingly did he carefully hold in that to Scripture-names and words knowing that this could not but sound well howsoever and that it might take with the less discerning and would certainly pass with those whose interest it was to be so satisfied In which he fixed principally on the name of Elders a Scripture-name of which much is spoken in both Testaments but in the New Testament sounding toward the frame of Government in the Christian Church yet in the New Testament was found the word Bishop also and this as considerable for Church government as could be pretended to in that other of Elders and yet must not notwithstanding the name of Bishop be in this new Model mentioned for the Name would mind the injurious casting off of their Bishop and the Thing stood in the way to other grandeures therefore with the person must the name of Bishop be shut out also But how may that be without force and wrong to Scripture where of the Name and Office of Bishops is mention frequent and honourable As to that the expedient is readie and easie It is but ordering the Text to the gloss and framing such an Interpretation for that Scripture-name Bishop that thenceforth although never till then by Bishops Elders be understood so as whatsoever is in the New Testament said of Bishops should be of Elders onely that Bishops and Elders be as the same not distinguished in office or work But such avoiding of express Scriptures by private constructions could not satisfie all therefore what is short in that is to be supplied otherwise that is by the sense and approbation of other Reformed Churches and to that is this new Law-giver put unexpectedly by a reluctancy found in the people they beginning to resent the design and desiring if possible to get off and loose from that in which they now saw but too late themselves intangled And whereas their late obligation of an Oath could not but stick close it behoved to seek their libertie some other way and no other way appeared so ready as that part of the mentioned proviso the sense of other Churches in the case by which was hope for evading it being observed that no other Church was then so modelled in Government and therefore was it hoped they might be inclined not to favour this being new and strange This the people now press and to four of the Helvetian Cities and Churches is by them addressed with which Calvin closeth readily that being what he expected and for what he was prepared and of which he had already assurance For all that having been foreseen he had before underhand by Letters dealt with the principals of those Churches that they would not fail to declare for that form of Government in which he had so laboured for Geneva saying That Religion and piety and the welfare of that Church and people depended on it Whereby when that business was by all parties laid before those Churches the Answer was readie which was That they had heard of those Consistorial Laws which they acknowledged for godly Ordinances and drawing towards the prescript of Gods Word therefore did they think it good for the Church of Geneva not to change the same but rather to keep as they were Thus is Calvins Work done and setled and the people brought to a succumbency onely it remained That whereas it had been by those compromising Churches more warily delivered concerning those Laws of Government that they were godly Ordinances which might seem a lean expression and that they did draw toward the prescript of Gods Word which was short and diminishing therefore was something to be declared more absolute and positive in the case And seeing it was not to be expected from other Churches it was thus therefore otherwise ordered and as effectually First that this Discipline be cried up as it was industriously for ancient Apostolical and wholly Scriptural and so above all other forms
common consent of all Christendom Quis autem ego c And who am I that I should disallow what the whole Church approveth nor date all the learned men of our times oppose it knowing that it was both lawfull for the Church so to order it and that those things proceeded and were ordained for the best ends and for the edifying of the Elect. So Zanchius he in that agreeing with the sence of the moderate sort of Reformers Notwithstanding which as a little stepping out of the right way and so proceeding makes in long running the return more difficult so those Reformers stepping so out of the right path of truth in acting as they did without Bishops although thereunto enforced thereby was occasion given to those following to proceed in that error and so farre as not onely to be without Bishops but to be also to them ill spirited which their leaders were not and that at length ending in Schisme and Seperation But let such consider that for that very thing was Aerius by the Fathers branded with haeresie as was before mentioned He as an Arian first opposed Christ and after his Church in its government and that obstinately and Schismatically the occasion whereof would be considered It was his standing for a Bishoprick in competition with Eustathius both of them Arians and in an Arian Church For very Arians also held the true Government of the Church by Bishops But Aërius being put by what he so ambitiously desired and Eustathius preferred to the Bishoprick thereupon discontented discontent proyeing oft a rise to haeresies and schismes Aërius did first set himself against Eustathius and after against the whole Episcopal Order teaching that between a Preshiter and a Bishop there is no difference That the order is the same and the honour alike in both c The very doctrine of our late Aëriaus But in that was he opposed by St. Augustin And by Epiphanus both censuring that his opinion for heresie Nor was he by them alone oppugned but as Epiphanus who lived in the same times with him addeth All Churches both in City and Country so detested him and his followers which were many that being abandoned of all they were forced to live in open fields and woods which opinion of Aërius against Bishops being so by the Fathers adjudged heresie it was in that judged to be contrary to Gods word for there is no heresie that is not contrary to Gods word And let those in his case among us se to this and how farre they are gone in this seperation casting of the Sacred order of Bishops utterly contrary to the sence of the first Reformers who would have bad Bishops if they might but these will not though they may and those such Bishops as are affectionate to them in the truth And readie to receive them returning with embracements of love in Christian Communion Which spoken of the Reformed Churches acting in the first Reformation without Bishops is not to be understood as if they after continued without Bishops for as soon as could be they did many of them set up that holy Order of Bishops and Archbishops in their Churches Yet I know not why with change of those good ancient names for worse In Ecclesijs protestantium non desunt reipsâ— Episcopi Archiepiscopi quoâ— mutatisâ—onis graecis nominibus in male latina voâ—ant Superintendentes generales Superintendentes saith Zarichius The Protestant Churches understand many of them want not Bishops and Archbishops haveing them in effect whom changing good Greek names into bad latine names they call Superintendents and general Superintendents And when it is said that of the reformed Churches retaineing Episcopal government there are many understand those many for the more considerable Some of them holding to that Order in substance but under varied names as was said others under the proper appollations of Archbishops and Bishops and that in their primitive lustre and dignity Among these and above all are the Churches of great Brittaine and Ireland in this emmently glorious where that Apostolical government is here held up in name and forme in title and substance to the lasting honour of those our Princes who in that as otherwise well merited the Title of Defenders of the Faith A glorious gemme in the Royal Diadem an honour I may say it peculiar to His Sacreâ—d Majesty Charles the 〈◊〉 above all his 〈◊〉 Progenitors they having but maintained what of this they found and had been delivered into their hands in a long settlement but He restoring what had 〈◊〉 by a stoole of iniquitie as by a law 〈◊〉 out as they intended Root and branch The praise of the reforming Princes of Juda such were Asa Jehosaphat Hezekiah and Josiah was next those by whom Gods worship was first Setled David and Solomon and in that above all others although other ways good in maintaining Gods worship as they found it delivered to their hands Among these Hezekiah was eminent for he found all in confusion 〈…〉 29. the Temple defiled Prophaned and Shut up and its Service neglected and interrupted He opened the doors of the house of the Lord. v. 3. and ordered the carrying out the filthyness out of the Sanctuary v. 5. 15. 16. after setling those appointed for the holy Service together with then worke v. 18. c and all that by him early begun and soon perfected For the first 〈◊〉 and first month of his Reign v. â— and the first day of the month v. 17. he immediately on his comeing in was this begun and so was it industriously followed as that in sixteen days the work was finished v. 17. that expedition shewing it to be from the Lord so is it observed v. 36. that God prepared the people for the thing was done suddainly and Châ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 it is said That in Judah the hand of God was to give theâ— one heart to do the Commandement of the King and of the Princes by the word of the Lord On all which followed great joy in salem for since the time of Solomon the Son of David King of Israell there was not the like in Hierusalem 2. Chr. 30. 36. So was it in Hezekiahs reformation In which we see his Sacred Majestie our dread Soveraign in his glorious work of Reformation lively portrayed 1. As to the greatness of the work all was among us in greatest confusion and deformation by a pretended Reformation Gods houses prophaned his holy Service neglected interrupted and despised and the Sacred Office and Officers of the Church cast off and 〈…〉 on and in order to their 〈…〉 were the ample 〈◊〉 of the Church the Lords portion â—acrilegiously invaded and designedly alienated into 〈◊〉 great and many thereby ingaged to oppose the very Office for ever 2. And as wene the proceedings in Hezekiahs reformation so were they 〈◊〉 of His Majesties answereably 〈◊〉 that work did he set himself early even the first year the first month and the first day of