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A95843 The supreme povver of Christian states vindicated against the insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii, or A translation of a book intituled, Grallæ, seu vere puerilis cothurnus sapientiæ, &c. Or, the stilts, or most childish chapin of knowledge upon which William Appolonius of Trever, and minister of the church of Middleburgh boasts, among such as are ignorant, in his patcht rhapsodies, which hee set forth concerning supreame power and jurisdiction in matters of religion. Against the book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius, intituled Of the episcopacy of Constantine the Great.; Grallæ. English. Vedel, Nicolaus, 1596-1642, 1647 (1647) Wing V168; Thomason E388_5; ESTC R201503 255,312 305

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Church be in the representing Church that is in the governours suppose in the Consistory or Classis c. if the dignity of the Consistory be restrained to Ministers as the eyes and worthy of double honour in the Church for the Elders are for the most part but the Ministers foot-stools if the dignity of many Pastors reside at last in some one chiefe Pastor to whose dreames all other Pastors must subscribe either out of ignorance or negligence as you may see in the Walachran Classis who doth not now see that all the holinesse and jurisdiction of the whole Church flowes into this chiefe Pastor as into a sink-hole To whose impudencie and madnesse if no Minister dare or will make resistance if no Magistrate must under pain of sacriledge shall not he in the end be Pope of that Island or Province The third errour borrowed from the Papists is this they use to obtrude to us their visible Roman Church in stead of the Catholick and for the whole Church that part only which governeth and in lieu of the Church they recommend to us the government thereof Lastly under the title of government and the Apostolicall Church they thrust upon us all the fictions and dreames of their brain-sick Popes so that among them the Church-government is no more like that of the Apostles then a vizard is like a true face or a picture like a man Though this Stilt-walker be not as yet so impudent yet because he is continually brawling with the Magistrates as with worldly men about the right of making lawes in Church matters he doth plainly shew that he is of the Popes mind in imposing upon Christians this yoak and upon Magistrates themselves under pretence of Ecclesiastick dignity so that whatsoever the Apolonian Colledge in Walachran shall judge to be holy and to be fit or necessary for the Church Christs Spouse must be received with obedience under pain of excommunication Which licentiousnesse of Ecclesiastick Conventicles if the godly Magistrate cannot suppresse without sacriledge as he still cryes out who sees not but that Centaures and other ugly M●nsters of Antichrist will quickly break out of these Dedalaean labyrinths Such births have come to light at Middleburgh already as I have shewed in the Preface Hence it is apparent that Apolonius playes the Pope in many respects under the name of the Church For in stead of the Catholick Church the true Spouse of Christ holy and invisible he obtrudes the visible Church defiled with many spots then promising that he will maintain the digni●y of the whole Church he fails upon the commendation of the Government and Governours thereof he slights and contemnes the body of the Church Lastly under pretence of a holy and Apostolicall government he endeavours to obtrude a human corrupt and Pope-like tyrannicall Discipline as I will shew hereafter Which Jesuiticall canvasse wares of Apolonius I would have the Reader diligently to mark For he deludes us no otherwise then if an Impostor should brag that he brings us Gold which proves but Tin and this Tin but Quicksilver and at last meer drosse or poysonable Arsenick CHAP. III. Of the divers acceptions of Sanctity AS the word Church so the word Sanctity is ambiguous There is no man so irreligious but highly accounts of the name of Sanctity Hence for a person or thing to be Sacred or Holy is among fearfull superstitious people of no small weight so that not onely Papists of old but also this new upstart as often as he speakes of the Church Church-men he stil vapours having the name of Sacred and Holy in his mouth under this veile he deceives ignorant people whilst he aimes at worldly authority which I will briefly make appeare The word Sanctity signifieth properly the inward and perfect integrity of a thing such as is in God eminently hence in Isaiah he is called Holy Holy Holy to whose nature because the blessed Angels and Soules in heaven come neerest they also are called Holy And although in regard of corporiety Christs humane nature is distant from the divine yet in respect of the incomprehensible priviledge of the Hypostaticall union by which it is personally united to the divine Nature it 's not to be doubted but that the Majesty and dignity of Christs glorious body sitting at Gods right hand in heaven is ineffable so that this body may be justly called Most holy Such are the bodies of Henoch and Elijah but in a lower degree inferiour to which is the heaven and place of the blessed all which notwithstanding are truly inherently and after their manner perfectly holy and free from all pollution This word is also transferred to many other things chiefly to the worship of God because this tends to the glory of the most holy God and is the mean by which men are brought into the possession of that true and perfect holinesse which wee shall enjoy in heaven hence the worship of God and the manner or meanes of this worship lastly the persons conversant about this worship are called and are so in some measure Holy But we must be cautious in using this distinction for the confusion of these things will easily beget pride in the presumptuous and Idolatry in the superstitious There is nothing more sure then that this deserves best the name of Holinesse which hath in it self a perpetuall and inherent perfection and ordination for promoting Gods worship and mans salvation For God is so holy that whatsoever hath him for its Authour and is ordained to his holinesse is to be accounted holy Such are the vertues which by the holy Ghost are infused into us as wisdome hope love and chiefly true justifying faith which therefore in Scripture is called Most holy because not onely is it holy and most divine in it selfe but whosoever also is endowed with it though he had been never so prophane before and most unworthy in the eyes of the world yet with God he is holy and elect because he is inseparably united to Christ but mystically by faith For though Faith doth not presently change a man as to be endowed with inherent sanctity yet he is brought to have a firm hope of attaining perfect holinesse in heaven the beginning of which he obtaines here by sanctification after the infusion of true faith so that the name of Sanctity doth very well belong to justifying Faith as having God alone who is most holy for its Authour and where-ever it is infused it causeth an inseparable holinesse in that man which is the reason that every where in Scripture true beleelvers are called the holy Elect. To these vertues succeeds Gods Word which having the most holy God for its Authour is in it selfe perfectly holy For how can any prophane thing be found in that word which is known to be uttered and written by the instinct and motion of the holy Ghost So that our most holy Faith is begot of this as of an immortall seed but here is the difference
proceeds Kingly Power I answer all these titles are figurative of which this only followes That it is the Teachers office to take care of Christian mens salyation and to fore-warne them of destruction which is not properly an imperiall but a servile office for he that was the Overseer of Boaz his husbandry is called a servant Ruth 2. Ruth 2. he were a foole that should thinke himselfe a King or a man of authority because hee carrieth a torch or a lanterne before another or because he is hired to watch on a Tower or at a Becon perhaps the Stilt-walker will tell as that he is no ordinary inspector or link-bearer or a common watch-man but an Ecclesiastick and an honourable one because Paul faith that the office of a Bishop is a worthy office and that Preachers are worthy of double honor The answer is easie I deny not but the office of a Bishop is honourable but hence it followeth not that therefore Bishops must domineere for so the basest members of our body and which serve for necessity should be chiefe in the body because Paul saith that the greater honor is given to the weaker 1 Cor. 12.13 and more uncomely members of the body I do not think that Apollonius is such a dastard as to perswade Christians to be subject to womens commands against Gods Law and natures because the Apostle saith that the greater honor belongs to the woman as the weaker vessell but what if overseeing and Ecclesiastick inspection should conferre Kingly authority by what consequence will it be proved that this right belongs to Preachers only for it is plaine by many places of Scripture that the burthen and office of a Bishop is not onely ascribed to ordinary Preachers Act. 20. 1 Tim. 5.17 but also to all Elders yea it belonged to Deacons under the Apostles so that here Kingly power is not to remaine in the superlative sanctity of Pastors but it must passe to the comparative of Elders and positive of Deacons I need not then tell that it was common to all Lay-men and the Church-members under the Apostles to teack and consequently to exercise the office of a Bishop however the Stile-walker may cunningly goe about to unfold himselfe of these yet this is sure that Episcopall dignity did of old belong by a certaine preheminence to the Apostles and not now to Popish Bishops because by this right the Bishop of Rome excerciseth regall power but he can have no leisure to teach Christs people This new VValachrian Papist by this his unsavory writing shewes that he wants either power or will to provide for and give light to Gods people being hee is convicted of so many falshoods whence it may bee justly concluded that though Kingly power were contained under Episcopacy yet it belongs not to him as being no Bishop The title also of Governour and Leader is often used among Papists Prapositi Ducis 1 Tim. 5.17 Heb. 13.17 Christians are commanded to give double honour and to obey those that are set over them whence they conciude that Ministers must be presidents and chiefe in Church-businesse and that therefore they are subject to none nay not to the Magistrate I answer if there were such Governours and Captaines as there were then of whom Paul speakes this the consequence might have some shew because they were unblameable and infallible and therefore were true lenders and presidents but if we look upon old Papists they are seducers if on this Walachrian Divine with his Classis because their errors and blasphemies are so many who will account them leaders they are blind leaders whom Christ wills us to avoid least we fall with them into the ditch Againe if we should yeeld this also that there are true Captaines and Presidents in the Church who will thence grant to them a perpetuall presidency and dominion over Christians May not a president or leader come sometimes behind and be led They that know military affaires whence this metaphor was taken know that it is ordinary that he who leads a company to day and goeth before is led to morrow and comes after now hee should bee laughed at who should argue that he must never come after because he went once before or that he must never obey because he once commanded for so every one must be a Monarch and all must run into confusion wherefore I have often said that under the most spirituall Government of the Church in the Apostles time there was no such maxime that he who was once a ruler and leader must alwaies be so but it was ordinary to lead and to be led to go before and after to be uppermost and lowermost I know that Government is not answerable to the Popish pride who will alwaies be before and uppermost yet it agrees very well with Pauls precept who wills us to be obedient to our leaders Heb. 13.27 but he presently adds because they watch for our soules whence the Walachrian Papist may see that this title of Captaine doth not patronize his regall pride for Paul saith plainely that Preachers are such Captaines as are bound to watch over us but there is no man so ignorant of military matters who knowes not that they are the common and lower sort of fouldiers who are tied to keep Centinell or Watch So that this Stilt-walker ridiculously goeth about to make himselfe a Generall or Monarch of a poore stipendary souldier The name of Angel also is used 4. Aug●● to shew their Ecclesiastick principality but this word properly signifieth a Messenger And who will brag himselfe to be a King because he is a Messenger I confesse the dignity of heavenly Angels and Spirits is great but Apollonius is said to be too carnall to live an Angelicall life except he meane by his subtill inventions of new Popery to strip Thomas of his title of Angelicall Doctor They pride themselves more in the name Pastor Pastor●● whence Bellarmine drawes the Popes mighty Majesty over all Christian Monarchs For because it was said to Peter Feed my sheep he concludes that to Peter belenged the right of feeding all sheep And because that right was given to Peter he inferres that it was also given to the Pope as to Peter that he should feed all Christs sheep But with him to feed is to rule and to be fed is to be ruled Hence he proveth that it appertains to all Monarchs as being sheep to be fed that is to be ruled and to the Pope to feed and rule Kings according to Virgils Verse Tytere coge pecus This device pleaseth the new Popish Walachrian for he speaks so often of his authoritative office of feeding that of his Shepheards crooke he makes a sword yea a regall Scepter I answer The title of Pastor is figurative therefore by an ill consequence do Popish Pastors draw to themselves whatsoever is found in earthly Shepheards and sheep At this day Shepheards are a mean and servile kind