the truth is ye can give us no President for the Presbyteriall Government in any one Orthodoxe Church for 1500 yeers after our Saviours ascension All this while the wisedom of God it seemes was breeding this truth and stayed for you and such as you are to be her midwives Her pangs were long and doubtful but now Juno Lucina hath done her part and the stripâ—ing reckons fourescore yeers and that but in Cantons in some odde corners of the world Truth it is he was creeping in here about seventy yeers since but banished he was as dangerous to the Crowne But now he is returned in a fresh suite and hath got the hand both of King and Bishops yea he hath put the Peeres shroadly to it even those that complyed with him 10. It may be for all this you will replie that these are but the opinions of a few particular men What say you to that memorable convention at Auspurg where met all or most of the learned that endeavoured the Reformation These were at least the whole Reformation representative and Melancton gives them that very title in his Apologie Wherein he tels us that ALL THE REFORMATION did often professe in their meetings at Auspurg that they desired exceedingly to preserve that Ecclesiasticall Policie which was settled by the Cannons of the Church as also to continue those very Degrees in the Church which were agreed upon by humane authority These pious men desired not the subversion but the Reformation both of Church and Church-men Yea by Protestation they cleer themselves to all porsterity that it was neither their intent nor fault to overthow the Order or authority of Bishops Melancthon therefore in behalf of all his brethren acknowledgeth that Bishops have both potestatem ordinis potestatem Jurisdictionis power of Order and power of Juridiction And I beleeve that these men had seriously considred of their Protestation 11. But what is this that he calls power of Order Surely a power to do that which Presbyters could not do that is a power at least to ordain Ministers For herein by Calvins confession was the difference between a Presbyter and a Bishop properly so called in the opinion of the ancients that a Bishop hath power to ordain but not a Presbyter Indeed the resolution of the ancient Church is this Presbyterorum ordo non est potens generare patres the whole Order of Presbyters is not able to beget Fathers that is Presbyters for the Church but Bishops are able The Order therefore of Bishops and Presbyters is not one and the same Hence it follows that there is a necessity of continuing Bishops in the Church if so we desire Presbyters since without a Bishop no Presbyter and without a Presbyter at least no Lords Supper 12 Besides your grand Champion Walo Messalinus acknowledgeth that from the time that those Orders and degrees were distinguished and that a Bishop became greater then a Presbyter ORDINATION COULD NOT BE COMMON TO THEM BOTH But those Orders and degrees were from the beginning distinguished by our Saviour though not by these specificall titles Observe I beseech you In the first place he names the Twelve those of the higher Order Apostles and after this those of the lower Order the Seventy are called Diciples as I conceive 3. Luk 10. 22. Or else in the four Evangelists they are distinguished from his other Diciples by number onely and not by title In the other writings of the New Testament they are distinguished into Apostles and Presbyteres or Bishops The Apostles are of two sorts either such as were immediately ordained by Christ or such as were ordained by those Apostles The former are called the Apostles of Christ or the holy Apostles and sometimes the chief Apostles The other are styled Apostoli vestri and Apostoli Ecclesiarum your Apostles and the Apostles of the Churches because they had set Cities and a certaine people committed to their charge The twelve were ordained by our Saviour while in the flesh he was conversant here on earth But S. Matthias and S. Paul after his ascension were called to be Apostles by Jesus Christ and God the Father These did ordain but not the Seventy not Presbyters or such as in Scripture text are called Bishops S. Paul and S. Barnahas were Apostles those we finde ordaining Presbyters Act 14. 23. And S. Paul professeth that he ordained Timothy 2 Tim. 1. 6. 13. Let us now descend to those Apostles who were ordained by Christs Apostles Such were S. Iames Appollos Epaphroditus Timothy and Titus None of these were immediately ordained by Christ and yet they are called Apostles The three former plainly in Scripture as is heretofore evidenced the latter by your good friend Salmasius That Timothy Titus did ordain is too plain to be denyed and for Epaphroditus we have an acknowledgement likewise from Salmasius 14. These Offices were necessarily to be continued in the Church for Christ gave them for the gathering together of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all grow up unto a perfect man Which is now but in fieri in polishing not perfected neither will it be till the second comming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ For the Church is the body of Christ which will have her imperfections and blemishes till she be made fully compleat in the Kingdom of glory Our Saviour therefore saith Behold I am with you alwaies even unto the end of the world which could not be spoken of their persons but of their Office as is confessed by the London Ministers Since their persons were shortly to leave this world but their Office is to continue till heaven and earth passe away When therefore S. Paul had lively described the true Government of the Church and instructed Timothy the Bishop of Ephesus how he ought to behave himself in the Church he charged him in the sight of God and before Jesus Christ that he keep these commands without spot and unrebukeable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ But this he could not do in his own person which was shortly to depart Calvin therefore readily acknowledgeth that these things were written not so much for Timothy s as for other mens directions that were to come after him since herein as Beza observes many particulars belong to the daily Office of a Pastor These things then must be daily and duely done as occasion requires But diverse of these ought and might be done by Timothy onely and by such as were of his ranke but by no other needs therefore must this Order be continued for the edifying and perfecting of the body of Christ This Office then being quotidâ—aâ—um munus an Office of daily use must of necessitie be continued in the Church 15. But what Office was this that Timothy and Titus did
good King ought to be a Protector and Defender of the Bishops and Churches under his Government Rex With a willing and devout heart I promise and grant my part and that I will preserve and maintain to you and the Churches committed to your charge all Canonicall priviledges and due Law and Justice and that I will be your Protector and Defender to my power by the assistance of God as every good King in his Kingdome by right ought to protect and defend the Bishops and Churches under his Government Then the King ariseth and is led to the Communion Table where he makes a solemne Oath in sight of all the â—â—opâ—e to observe the premises and laying his hand on the Booke saith The Oath The Things that I have before promised I shall perform and keep so p 〈…〉 me God and the Contents of this Book The Contents CHAP. I. VVHether the King may lawfully consent to the abrogation of Episcopacy 1. CHAP. II. Whether the Kings Oath taken at his Coronation be an unlawfull Oath 4. CHAP. III. Whether Prelacy in the Church of England were an usurpation 9. CHAP. IV. Whether the King may consent to the abrogation of Episcopacy if so that calling be lawfull 18. CHAP. V. Whether ye have not bound your selves by your Solemne League and Covenant to maintaine Episcopacy 22. CHAP. VI. Whether the King without impeachment to his Oath at Coronation may consent to the abrogation of Episcopacy 31 CHAP. VII Whether the King may desert Episcopacy without perjury 37. CHAP. VIII Whether the Kings Oath to the Clergie be injurious to his other subjects and inconsistent with his Oath to the people 41. CHAP. IX How far forth and wherein the Clergie is subject to a Parliament and to what Parliament 52 CHAP. X. Whether it be lawfull for the King to abrogate the Rights of the Clergie 60. CHAP. XI Whether the Clergie and Laity be two distinct bodies or one body Politicke That Church-men in all ages had some singular priviledges allowed them 69. CHAP. XII Whether to sit and Vote in Parliament be incongruous to the calling of Bishops 78. CHAP. XIII Certaine light and scandalous speeches concerning Prince Preist tenderly touched 87. CHAP. XIV Whether the Lands of the Church may be forfeited by the misdemeanour of the Clergie 93. CHAP. XV. Whether it be lawfull to take away the Bishops Lands and to confer them upon the Presbytery 104. CHAP. XVI How far forth the King ought to protect the Church Bishops 114 CHAP. XVII Whether there be two Supremacies in this Kingdome 127 Mr. GEREES Case of Conscience SIFTED CHAP. I. Whether the King may lawfully consent to the abrogation of Episcopacy 1. I Find a Case of Conscience proposed by Mr. Geree and this it is Whether the King considering his O that Coronation to protect the Clergie and their Priviledges can salvâ conscientiâ consent to the abrogation of Episcopacy But why I pray you is the question proposed here when you have determined it before For doth not your Title page speak thus In this Case of Conscience it is cleared that the King may without impeachment to his Oath touching the Clergie at Coronation consent to the Abrogation of Episcopacy Thus you have full magisterially determined before the question be so much as proposed Is this the fashion first to resolve and then to argue the case This may be the course of Hereticks it is otherwise with good Catholicks But you are resolved to maintain that a Christian may swear and forswear without the least prejudice to his soul 2. And your practice is accordingly witnesse the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy which you with your great Masters have taken more then once And those of your perswasion have taken up Arms against their Soveraign Lord without impeachment to their Oath of Allegiance and maintain that The Parliament is subordinate to no power under Heaven without any breach of the Oath of Supremacie And your self like a good Preacher of Gods Word have taken the Oath of Canonicall obedience to the Bishop and yet endeavour the abrogation of Episcopacy and the extirpation of that Order from whence you had your Orders and without which you could have had no Orders 3. Me thinks the Smectymnuans should not endure this Proposition since with them a Bishop and a Presbyter are one and the same Thus while you endeavour to ruinate Episcopacy you subvert the Presbytery according to their tenets I wonder much how your case hath passed so long unsifted and uncensured by the Divine Masters of your learned Assembly 4. But I shall take it for your best advantage as it is distinguished or as we say a distinct order from Presbytery I shall also take into consideration the severall motives which you produce for the Abrogation of Episcopacy 5. Whereof your first is this that there is no hope of the Kings or Kingdoms safetie without an union between our King and Parliament I must confesse with anguish of spirit as matters have been handled the King and Kingdom are driven into a great streight and an Vnion between our King and your Parliament hath been prayed for and sought for by all commendable or tolerable means The hope left us is onely in our God and Saviour whose custome it is to scatter the proud in the imagination of their hearts to pull down the mighty from their throne and to exalt the humble and meek Thus can he shew strength with his arm and do great things for us And this I hope in his due time he will do and reduce this Kingdom from irreligion and sacriledge and not cast off the innocent with the prophane blasphemers Oh that we might begge that blessing from Heaven to see a Parliament rightly regulated religiously minded and with-out any by ends of their own men of courage fearing God men dealing truly hating covetousnesse Such as will not be led by a multitude to do evil or to subvert the truth I am certain we should then have an Union a blessed Vnion between King and Parliament 6. But by you it seems that there is now no probable or possible means of reconciliation left in mans judgement unlesse the King yeeld to the extirpation of Episcopacy You should have added unlesse he lay down his Lands Royalties and just Prerogatives at his Subjects feet unlesse he abandon the wife of his bosome and become a stranger to the Children of his loins unlesse he sacrifice his friends to the malice of his foes and the ruine of whole families to their avarice unlesse he cast off the Service of God that most excellent form of Common Prayer and give up the houses and lands of God and all that is accounted holy to satiate their sacrilegious appetite 7. But in sober sadnesse do you beleeve that the Abrogation of Episcopacy is that they yawn at You are mistaken good brother the Episcopall houses and lands as also what ever belongs to Deans and
Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof And yet the root of Episcopacy is our B. Saviour Who is called the Bishop of our soules from him it takes his rise from him it receives life it springs up and is watered with the dew of his heavenly blessing 4. We know that he from whom a familie springs is called the root of that familie That our Saviour is the root of Episcopacy that from him it received being and life is evident in the Apostles strictly so called who had their Orders immediately from Christ as is evident S. Mat 10. S. Luk 9. S. Iâ— 20. 21. c. To them he gave power to ordain Apostles in Gratis accepistis gratis date S. Mat. 10. 8. so S. Ambrose so S. Jerome so Gennadius Patriarch of Constantinople with seventy and three Bishops more in a full Synod Our Saviours words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Greekes understands thus A gift ye have received give ye this gift This Commission he renewed unto them after his Resurrection in these words As my Father sent me so send I you So S. Hilarie so S. Cyril and other with them upon the strength of this commission Christs Apostles ordeined some other to be Apostles conferring upon them the same honour and power which they themselves had received from Christ This is evident in S Iames Bishop of Hierusalem in Epaphroditus Bishop of Philippi and in Apollos Bishop of Corinth These are called Apostles in Scripture S. Iames Gal. 1. 19. Epaphroditus Phil. 2. 25. Apollos 1 Cor. 4. 9. And these are confessed to be Apostoli ab ipsis Ap stolis ordinati Apostles oâ—dained by the Apostles Even by S. Jerome Calvin and your mighty champion Walo Melsalinus 5. Apostles they were at that time called but afterwards that title upon just occasion was taken from them and the name of Bâ—shop was setled upon them and their successors in Office So Theodoret. The same persons were sometimes called both Presbiters and Bishops but those who are now named BISHOPS were then called APOSTLES But in processe of time the title of APOSTLE was reserved to those who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 APOSTLES properly and tâ—uly so called And the name of BISHOP became appropriated to those who were lately called APOSTLES Hence is it that Timothy and Titus are called Bishops and Apostles Bishops in the postscripts of those Epistles which were written to them by S. Paul but Apostles by Ignatius Theodoret and many other 6. Bishops they were at that time called when Episcopacy was distinguished from the Presbyteriall Order But Apostles they were named when a Bishop and a Presbyter were one and the same These were Apostâ—es not onely by name but in office and power and governed Churches and their Presbyter-Bishops by the same right and with the same authority that the cheife and prime Apostles swaied them with And as they governed so they and they onely ordained Presâ—yters 7. From hence we argue thus They that have the same name and office with the true Apostles are of the same order with the true Apostles Buâ— Bishop Timothy and Bishop Titus and Bishop Epaphroditus have the same name and office with the true Apostles They are therefore of the same order with the true Apostles The major is Smectymnuus his Proposition and not to be doubted of The minor or second Proposition shall be justified by Salmasius who in severall passages acknowledgeth this name and office and power in Epaphroditus Bishop of Philippi Take this for all Epaphroditus Pauâ—o dicitur Apostolus Philippensium quia ad Philippenses eum miser at ad Ecclesiam eorum confirmandam constituendos in eâ Presbyteros Episcopos That the name of Apostle was usually given to Timothy and Titus I have already manifested That the Apostâ—licall power was in each of them is evident by those Epistles which S. Paul wrote unto them and more briefly in these words to Titus For this cause left I thee in Creete that thou shouldest SET IN ORDER oâ— redresse WHAT IS WANTING or a misse and ORDAIN PRESBYTERS in every City as I have appointed thee Herein is both Jurisdiction and Ordination allowed him and the maine power of the Apostolicall Order consists in Jurisdiction and Ordination Herein the Bishops and onely Bishops succeed them 8. Since then the Apostleship and Episcopacy are one the same Office he that is the root and author of the one is the root and author of the other But Christ is the root and author of the Apostleship he is therefore the root and author of Episcopacy In Covenanting then to take away Episcopacy root and branch you have done no lesse then Covenanted to take away Jesus Christ who gave the Apâ—stles and u ordeined them in the Church Indeed ye have taken the ready way to root him out oâ— our hearts soules For ye have absolutely stripped the Church of the three Creeds the ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer with the Epistles and Gospels wherein was daily mention made of our B. God and Saviour as also of his power pleasure and mercy And what I pray you is become of the Lords Supper which we are commanded to administer and receive in remembrance of our B. Saviour And unlesse we eat his flesh and drink his blood in that holy Sacrament we have no life abiding in us Many Parishes in this Kingdom have been utterly deprived of this heavenly Supper even since their lawfull Parsons or Vicars have been imprisoned or sequestred by your instigation So farewell roâ—t and branch and fruit as much as in you lieth And now I hope the Kings Oath is cleerly discharged of sin and your Covenant sufficiently proved to be the bond of iniquity 9. But how comes it to passe that if root and branch must up yet by your Ordinance some branches of that root may be preserved For it is resolved that Ordination performed by a BISHOP being a Presbyter jâ—yned with other Presbyters is for substance vaâ—id and not to be disclaimedâ—y any that have received it And most probable it is that you are a branch or sucker of that root For Presbyters so ordained shall he admitted to a charge without any new ordination Is not this a flat contradiction some branches lopped off and some spared is this according to your solemne league and Covenant Indeed had they taken all branches away which spring from that root there had hardly been a man of any learning left And is not that Clerke who hath been ordeined by a Bishop a wise man to sware to root himselfe up if not here yet out of the land of the living For he that is not a member of the Church militant can never be a Saint in the Church triumphant CHAP. III. whether Prelacy in the Church of England were an usurpation 1. THe Question proposed is of Episcopacy the
injoyned him to denounce Both Regall and Priestly power are the gift of God they cannot therefore but be good But the abuse of this power to other ends then God gave it is the viciousnesse of man and therefore bad Solomon made just use of this power when he despoiled Abiathar the High Priest not onely of his priviledges but also of his office and of all that belonged to his office The reason is because Abiathar for his treason deserved this and an heavier doom And I presume it was no usurpation in St. Paul when he delivered Hymeneus unto Satan that he might learn not to blaspheme nor yet when he anathematized and accursed those Preachers that taught otherwise then they had received If then our Bishops have made use of this power in silencing or depriving hereticall schismaticall or seditious Preachers they have done no more then they ought to do This therefore is no usurpation but a just use of that power which with their Orders was conferr'd upon them for this end and purpose 7. I have done with your Major now to your Minor But this Prelacy did as it stood in England What did it why it despoiled Christs â—fficers the good Presbyters that preached up the Scottish discipline and doctrine of their priviledges indulged and duty injâ—yned them by the Word of God If they deserved this censure it was no despoiling but a just deprivation If they deserved it not let it be proved I am sure Courts and Committees have been long enough open to receive large informations and easie proofs against them And I am as sure that our Saviour never indulged any such priviledge to his Apostles or any other of his â—fficers as to vent heresie schisme or sedition If any Bishâ—p be faultie I plead not for him I justifie Episcopacy not the Bishop Judas was bad cut his Episcopacy good Judas offended but not his office Judas was cut off not his Episcopacy the office is continued and a good man must be put into it So St. Peter And let another take HIS BISHOPPRICK So the Spirit of Prophecie Prelacy therefore is not in fault but the Prelate And it is as false a speech to say Prelacy despoils any as to say Judicature wrongs any Since we know that Judicature is blamelesse when the Judge is criminous And as improper a speech it is to say that a man is despoiled of his duty I may be forbidden my duty but not spoiled of it because I am bound to discharge it though forbidden if unlawfully forbidden 8. But what are these priviledges and duties whereof they are said to be despoiled The particulars are these Power to rule and to preach in their own congregations and this power they are indued with â—y Christs warrant Power to Rule and by Christs warrant sound high and raise attention And this they have as well as much as power to preach if we may beleeve you As if they had ruledome as you call it from Christ himself If this be doubted of you give us Scripture for it and that in foure severall texts The first is this If any cannot rule his own house how shall he take care for the Church Here is care to be taken for the Church but no rule given to a Presbyter in the Church unlesse you allow him as much power to rule in his Parish as he hath in his own house To which assertion no man I conceive will subscribe It is required indeed if any Lay-man desire to be a Presbyter-Bishop that before he be ordained he be known to be such a one that could rule his own house well But what is this to prove that by Christs warrant in Scripture a Presbyter is indued with power to rule in his eongregation Alas this government as your learned brethren confesse is but domesticall in private families not Ecclesiasticall in the publick congregation In like manner Deacons must be such as rule their houses and children well And yet ye allow them no ruledome in the Church but set Lay-Ruling Elders to over-top them No warrant here for this Presbyteriall ruling power what may come hereafter shall be examined 9. The next proof is from the same Epistle the words are these I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels that THOV OBSERVE THESE THINGS without preferring one before another and do nothing partially This is something were it to the purpose Here is a large authoritie given to Timothy in this Chapter and a charge in this verse that he be carefull to discharge his office with integritie But what is this to the point in question Alas you are clean mistaken in your mark It rests upon you to prove that this power in Scripture is given to a presbyter-Presbyter-Bishop whereas it is here given to an apostle-Apostle-Bishop who is clean of another an higher order If I should justifie that a Sergeant at Law hath power to hear and determine Suits in Westminster-Hall because the Justices of the Kings Bench and Common Pleâ—â— have such a Commission you would think I were beside the cushion and so are you 10. In the third place you produce a text of the same Apostle to the Hebrews where-in he commands his brethren to obey those that have the over-sight of them and to submit themselves unâ—o them No question but they ought to do so But who are these Praepositi these Rulers here mentioned Are they Presbyters onely Presbyters are not mentioned here and it is impossible to prove that Presbyters onely are intended here unlesse they be the onely Church-governors It is rather to be beleeved that all Church-governors or else the chief Governors were here intended That he speaks of Presbyters I deny not but that he speaks of Presbyters onely I utterly deny When you can prove that onely Presbyters watch for the souls of the people and that they onely must give an account for those souls then shall I readily acknowledge that the Apostle speaks only of Presbyters in this place 11. If the Kings Majestie should command his Souldiers to obey their Commanders could any man imagine that he spake of the Lieutenants and Captains onely No wise man can have this imagination but this must reach to Majors and Collonels and all other in authority Thus when the Lord commands his people to obey those Governors that watch for their souls he means not onely Deacons and Presbyters but Bishops also For as in an Army there are Captains over souldiers and Commanders over Captains so in the Church which is aciâ—s ordinata a well-ordered Army there are Praepositi populo Praepositi Presbyteris Spirituall Governors of the people and some set over both people and Presbâ—ters Such were the Apostâ—â—s in Scripture and such their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their copartners in labour and successors in office whom we now call Bishops Such were Timothy and Titus who
take it well that you complain so much of one lay Chancelour in a Diocese and yet enthrall them to so many lay Elders Parochiall Classicall Provinciall and Nationall Say not that there be preaching Elders joyned with them least it be returned upon you that the lay Chancelour is but the Bishops Officer in such cases of Judicature as belong to his profession and to the Bishop he is accountable But you can endure no loy Judges over you on any hand And whereas you charge the lay Chancelorship with usuâ—pation contrary to Gods direction I am certain ye have made use of it against Gods direction For how many of you have been instituted into Benefices by lay Chancelours Quâ— jure comes not now to be scanned Thus ye can abuse them and yet use them But I shall turn you over to the Doctâ—rs of the Commons them it concerns they are well able to argue the case with you and to wash off these aspersions 18. Your first argument is I hope sufficiently confuted in the eye of indifferent and judicious men I shall not therefore any longer insist upon it but observe at how low a rate you value authority Nor Bishop nor King nor your Idolized Parliament shall be a Power but an usurpation against God and his Word if they deny you any priviledge indulged or debarre you any dutie which ye suppose to be injoyned you by the word If they sequester you from the Pulpit or from ruling in your congregations farewell my great Lords and Masters at Westminster And when they have sold the Bishops and Chapters lands they shall no longer be a Parliament but an Vsurpation because they have despoiled you of those lands which ye lay claim to and which they ought to have disposed of to supply you and your predicant brethren with such maintenance as your selves hold sufficient CHAP. IV. Whether the King may consent to the abrogation of Epiâ—copacy if so that calling be laâ—full 1. SAving your argument in the first place this is certain â—f Episcopacy be lawfull then the Kings Oath at Coronation was not as you would have it vinculum iniquitatis a bond of iniquitie And hereupon it follows quod non obligatur in contrarium that he is not bound to break this oath Take this by the way You must then seek some other way to cleere it to us that it is lawfull for his Majestie to wave this oath But your own conscience seemes to check you for your former resolution you therefore confesse that this way of invalidating the Kings is most satisfactory but to some 2. Surely if to some it be satisfactory those some are such that are either very weak or wilfully blinded with avarice Whose gaine is godlinesse But the end will prove thâ—t Godlinesse is prâ—fitable to all things That is as the Geneva Note hath it he that hath faith and a good conscience is promised to have all things necessâ—ry for this life and to injoy life everlasting This would be seriously layed to heart 3. But though your former argument seem satisfactory to some yet to some it will not hold namely to those that are not câ—nvinced of the UNLAWFULNESSE OF EPISCOPACY What so satisfactory and yet not hold Alas alas what creatures have you to deale with Pitie it is that you have to deale with learned and rationall men and not with Ignoramus and his Dull man What shall now become of your Case of Conscience Why It will cast the resolution of this doubt upon another question From one question to an other And what 's that The lawfulnesse of Episcopacy This is a large field that you are not acquainted with And yet to satisfie the conscience of your Reader you have already concluded that Episcâ—pacy is an usurpation against the word of Gâ—d and therefore sinfull and unlawfull How Conclude first that Episcopacy is unlawfull and then grant it to be lawfull But this is granted onely for argument sake That is because your argument is so loose that it proves just nothing againâ—â— Episcopacy For a firme demonstration admits of no contradiction it leaves no doubt behind 4. Well be it lawfull yet not withstanding that his Oâ—th thâ— King without impeaâ—hment may in this circumstance consent to the abâ—â—gâ—tion of Episcopacy What mean you by circumstance Is the Kings Oâ—â—h or Episcopacy or the abrâ—gaâ—iâ—n of Episcopacy but a circumstance A circumstance is that which is not substantiall or essentiall to the point in question but comes in upon the by at most for illustration The question is Whether the King notwithstanding his oath may consent with a safe conscience to the abrogation of Episcopacy All these then I take to be essentiall to the question unlesse a safe Conscience be with you and with your brethren but a circumstance And yet it is such an ingredient that a man may neither swear nor consent to nor act but what he may undertake with a safe conscience For if our heart if our conscience condemn us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things His Majesty I make no question hath sadly thought on this 5. That he may abrogate that which is lawfull you say and we deny not since God hath given Kings a power nt onely over things indifferent but even in such things as are lawfull and honest and in their kind necessary for the preservation of a Common-wealth This is evident in Jonadab the sonne of Rechab who commanded his posterity that they should neither drink Wine nor build House nor sow seed nor plant Vineyard nor have any And yet as lawfull and necessary as these things were they obeyed their fathers voice God approves of their obedience and crowns it with a blessing And what a father is in his own familie that is a King at least within his own Dominions 6. But here the case is different for the question is concerning Christs own Ordinance and Institution which the King hath sworne to maintaine This then being lawfull and legally sworne the oath may not in any wise be dispenced with Nay if we say that the King or any authoritie upon earth may alter or abolish any one Ordinance of our Saviour we contradict our selves and complie with the Papists What reason bring we against the halfe Communion but Christs own institution who commanded it to be deliver'd and received in both kinds And Calvin deservedly reproves Bishop Cardiner for attributing this power to a King Now if Episcopacy be our Saviours institution then may no humane power root it up least they that do it be rooted out of the land of the living But that this very order which we now call Episcopacy is Christs own institution is already proved cap. 2. 6. 7 8. 7. Besides if this be the onely Order to which Christ hath given power to ordaine Presbyters and Deacons who shall confer these Orders when Bishops are taken away and utterly extinguished
Say not that in case of necessity Presbyters may ordaine when you maliciously make the necessity God provides for such necessities as are inforced upon us or happen casually and inevitably not for those whereinto we wittingly and wilfully plunge our selves Delve up the root God will hardly work a miracle to provide sap for the branches or body of the tree Sine nostro officio est plebi certa pernicies It is S. Austins Without our without the EPISCOPALL OFFICE there is certaine ruine to the people S. Austine was a Bishop when he resolved thus and wrote it to a Bishop That I may speake plainly God and the times require it No Bishop no Preist no Preist no Lords Supper no Lords Supper no Salvation according to the ordinary way prescribed by our blessed Saviour 8. This shall be made good first according to your Protestation secondly according to your Solemn League and Covenant In your Protestation ye have vowed in the presence of Almighty God to maintain and defend the true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the doctrine of the Church of England This doctrine is punctually and carefully delivered in the 39 Articles According to which Articles I proceed thus The ordinary way to heaven is by the Word and Sacraments No man may preach or administer the Sacraments but he that is lawfully called and sent None are lawfully called and sent but they onely who are called and sent by those that have authority But Bishops and onely Bishops have authority to send in this kind And therefore No Bishop no ordinary way to heaven 9 The first Proposition is not doubted of by Protestant or Papist it is therefore taken for granted The second Proposition is in terminis let down Art 23. It is not lawfull for any man to take upon him the Office of PUBLICKE PREACHING or MINISTRING THE SACRAMENTS in the congregation before he be lawfully called and sent to execute the same The third is likewise expressed in the same Article Those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent which be chosen and called to this work by men who have publick authority given unto them in the congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords Vineyard And who are these men that have this authority Bishops onely Bishops So the 36 Article The book of consecration of arch-Arch-Bishops and Bishops and ordering of Preists and Deacons doth containe all things NECESSARY to such consecration and ordering And whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the Rites of that Book â—â—e decreed to be RIGHTLY ORDERLY and LAWFULLY CONSECRATED and ordered But therein the Bishop onely hath authority to ordain And in the Preface to the Book of Ordination it is resolved that I is requisite that NO MAN SHALL EXECUTE ANY OF THESE ORDERS except he be called tried examined and admitted ACCORDING TO THE FORME FOLLOWING in that Book 10. Thus we cannot but see that according to the expresse doctrine of this Church of England without a Bishop no Sacraments and consequently no salvation For though God can save without meanes yet he hath tied us to the meanes and the meanes must be used if we desire to be saved This book was composed and set forth in the time of K Edward the sixt by those holy men who afterwards were blessed Martyrs and at the same time confirmed by full consent and authority of Parliament After this in the time of Queen Elizabeth it was again confirmed and alwaies ratified with the 39 Articles and the Clergie injoyned to subscribe to this booke in and with those Articles that so they might be known to be in Communion with the Church of England Thus far with the Protestation CHAP. V. Whether ye have not bornd your selves by your Solemne League and Covenant to maintain Episcopacy 1. NOw I descend to your Solemne League and Covenant wherein ye have publickly vowed to endeavour the Reformation of Religion according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches I shall therefore prove first by the Word of God and secondly by the best reformed Churches that ye have solemnly bound your selves to maintain Episcopacy if so ye are resolved to keep this branch of your Covenant 2. First we know that there is no other name under heaven whereby we may be saved but onely the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ Secondly we are agreed that Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Thirdly our Saviour saith flatly Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood ye have no life in you We cannot therefore but acknowledge that without the Word and Sacraments there 's no salvation Since then all those that are in Orders exercise the ministration of the Word and Sacraments not in their own name but in Christs and do MINISTER BY HIS COMMISSION AND AUTHORITY we are therefore to enquire who have this Commission given them in and by the word of Christ For S. Paul wonders how any man can preach in publick except he be sent The Commission for preaching was immediately given by our B. Saviour both to the twelve Apostles and to the seventy Disciples To the twelve St. Luk 9. 2. St. Matth. 28. 19. To the seventy St. Luk. 10. 9. 16. The Commission to consecrate and administer the Lords Supper is given to the twelve Apostles St. Luk. 22. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 24. St. Paul and St. Matthias also were immediately admitted to the Apostleship by Christ himself These and onely these who are here mention'd were immediately ordained by our B. Saviour 3. But our Saviour having commanded and provided that All Nations should be taught and baptized and having instituted and in his holy Gospel commanded us to continue a perpetuall memory of his precious death untill his coming again that this might be done he gave his Apostles this large commission As my Father hath sent me even so send I you And how was that even to preach to baptize to consecrate and administer the Lords Supper to binde sinners and loose the penitent and to ordain other Apostles and Presbyters which might continue these blessings to his people in all ages As also else-where in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A gift ye have received give this gift The Greeks take not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adverbially but substantively and I beleeve in the East they understand their own the Greek tongue better then we do in the West And as they were commanded they did S. Paul and S. Barnabas were Apostles and them we find ordaining Presbyters in every Church where they come Act. 14. 23. S. Paul himself ordains Timothy to be the Apostle or Bishop of Ephesus He gives the power of Ordination to Titus Tit. 1. 5. And acknowledgeth it to be in Timothy 1 Tim. 5. 22. These were the Apostles or Bishops properly so called of their severall Churches These had the
power of Ordination but not the Seventy not those of the inferior order not meer Presbyters 4. Besides doth not St. Paul justifie that none may preach except they be sent Talk not of an inward calling or extraordinary sending Neither of these will serve the turn without the outward without the ordinary Ordination St. Pauls words are full to this purpose No man taketh this honour of Priesthood to himself but he that is called of God as Aaron was The extraordinary calling which some pretend to is abolished in that No man takes this honour to himself How then must he attain the Priesthood The Apostle tels you he must be called of God as Aaron was And how was that Non immediatè a Deo sed mediante hominis ministerio he was not called or ordained immediately by God but by the interceding Ministery of man The Apostle therefore doth not say He that is called of God as Moses was but He that is called of God as Aaron was But we know that though Moses were immediately ordained by God yet Aaron was not he was ordained by Moses And yet both Moses and Aaron are among his Priests for Moses discharged the Priests office before Aaron was ordained Exod. 24. 4. c. Exod. 29. 12. 18. 25. 36. c. Exod. 30. 29. 30. 5. I have done with your first way having according to your Covenant proved by Scripture that none may confer Orders in the Church of Christ but onely Apostles or Bishops as we take them in a strict and Ecclesiasticall sense that is onely such as are of the same order with the Apostles and may fitly be called Apostle-Bishops 6. We are now cast upon the Example of the best reformed Churches which may raise some dust For when we descend to comparisons we cannot but displease those who are left out of the superlative Yet this I dare say that those Churches are best reformed which come neerest to the Primitive Church in Doctrine and Government For to reform is not to innovate but In primaevam veram formam reducere to settle it in the ancient and true state For thus saith the Lord Stand in the wayes and behold and ask for the OLD WAY WHICH IS THE GOOD WAY AND WALK THEREIN and ye shall find rest for your souls This rule therefore is given by Zanchius Exempla veteris Ecclesiae nobis debent esse instar praecepti and your learned Ministers of London second him assuring us that the examples of the ancient Church bind us as firmly as any precept And reason good since the custome of the ancient Church is Optima legis interpres the best interpreter of the Law of Christ The ancient Church then ought to be a pattern to all Reformers 7. Well what kinde of Government was there in the primitive Church Peter Moulin testifies that either in the Apostles times or suddenly after Bishops had praeheminence over Presbyters in the severall Cities wherein they were setled This Government is very ancient and in the Church of Christ every thing the MORE ANCIENT it is the TRUER AND BETTER it is Zanchius justifies it In Ecclesia Dei quo quid ANTIQUIUS eo etiam est VERIUS ideoque MELIUS And lest I may seem to wrest that famous learned mans words to another sense then he intended them I shall give you his resolution at large concerning this point in question whether Bishops or no Bishops and this it is Hoc unum addo me coram Deo IN MEA CONSCIENTIA non alio habere LOCO quà m SCHISMATICORUM illos OMNES qui in parte Reformationis Ecclesiarum ponunt NULLOS HABERE EPISCOPOS qui AUTHORITATIS GRADU supra veros compresbyteros emineant ubi liquido possint haberi Praeterea cum D. Calvino NULLO NON ANATHEMATE DIGNOS CENSEO quotquot illi Hierarchiae quae se Domino Jesu Christo snbmittit subjici nolunt These are his words in Latine and to your comfort you shall have them in English like them as you please This one thing I adde saith learned Zanchius that IN MY CONSCIENCE before God I esteeme ALL those NO BETTER THEN SCHISMATICKS who make it A PART OF REFORMATION TO HAVE NO BISHOPS in the Church where they may readily be had which maybe above their true fellow-Presbyters IN DEGREE OF AUTHORITIE Yea with Mr. Calvin I HOLD THEM WORTHY OF THE MOST GRIEVOUS CURSE who will not submit to that SACRED PRELACY which is subject to Christ He was far from a Rooter 8. Neither is Zanchius alone he hath that moderate and judicious Melancthon to second him who is so right and home for Episcopacy that he comes with his Ego reddo I for my part restore the whole Jurisdiction and dignitie to Bishops And he wisheth with all that he and the rest of his friends might redeem peace though it were upon harder terms Yea he affirms that he sees not quo ore with what face they can take from Bishops their Ecclesiasticall government And then he adds That I may speak my mind Vtinam utinam POSSEM non quidem dominationem confirmare sed ADMINISTRATIONEM EPIScOPORUM restituere I would to God I would to God IT WERE IN MY POWER not to confirm the Dominion but to restore the ADMINISTRATION OF BISHOPS For I see I see saith he what a â—inde of Church we are like to have when the Ecclesiasticall policie shall be dissolved Video postea MULTO INTOLERABILIOREM futuram TYRANNIDEM quam antea unquam fuit I see we are hereafter like to have a FAR MORE INTOLERABLE TYRANNY then ever we have known heretofore Note that and consider whether experience hath not made us sensible that his words were but a Prophecie of these times And after this he expostulates the same businesse with Camerarius and questions Quo jure by what law it might be free for them to subvert the Ecclesiasticall Policie if so the Bishops would yeeld unto them what is meet The question being thus proposed his resolution follows Et ut liceat certè non expedit but suppose it lawfull yet is it not expedient Luther himself was ever of this opinion whom some I perceive love meerly for this because by his means they had shaked off their Bishops and thereby gained Libertatem minimè utilem ad posteritatem such a LITERTIE AS WILL BE LITTLE FOR THE GOOD OF POSTERITIE This he spake and we feel For what kinde of state shall the Church be in in after ages if all ancient customes and manners be utterly abolished and no certain Governors established God knows and we imagine 9. Hitherto you have seen how Zanchius for himselfe and Calvin and Melanthon with Luther did endeavour even in the shell to crush that new model which ye boast to be of divine Right and yet confesse that it is not much above fourscore yeers standing and that but in some Churches For
beare in the Church Let Salmasius speake They at that time were mamed Apostles revera erant EPISCOPI JVRE EODEM ET ORDINE QUO HODIE HABENTUR qui Ecclesiam regunt Presbyteris praesunt and indeed were BISHOPS IN THE SAME RIGHT AND OF THE SAME ORDER WHEREOF AT THIS DAY THOSE ARE ACCOUNTED Who govern the Church and rule Presbyters But this very Office was none of those which were extraordinary and to continue for a season onely no no in Beza's judgement it is quotidianum munus an Office of daily use of necessity therefore it must be perpetull in the Church And yet the duties of that Office were such quibus sustinendis non alius quilibet e vulgo pastorum par fuisset as none of the vulgar Pastors no ordinary Presbyters were meet to undertake And what are these Even to redresse what is amisse and to ordain Presbyters These are matters of moment and require more then ordinary discretion For this cause S. Paul left Titus at Creete and for this very end he sent Epaphroditus to Philippi though at that time there were in that Citie many Bishops Phil. 1. 1. If then there needed no ordination but every man without orders might have discharged Presbyteriall duties or if the presbyter-Presbyter-Bishops of that Citie might have set that Church in order and therein ordaine Presbyters Why did S. Paul send Epaphroditus to Philippi to do those things which might either have been left undone or at least have been done as well without him Surely S. Paul imposeth not needlesse businesses upon any 16. Bishops there were you will say before in that Church if then it belong to the Episcopall Order to ordain and reforme in the Church what is amisse why was Epaphroditus sent thither Take notice I beseech you that those Bishops were but Presbyters or Presbyter Bishops which Order never had the power either of Ordination or Jurisdiction S. Paul therefore sends unto them Epaphroditus an Apostle-Bishop who could performe both This you see acknowledged by your most able and subtill advocate 17. Well let it be what it will lawfull or unlawfull t is all one in this exigent or distresse that his Majestie is put to notwithstanding that his oath the King say you without impeachment may in this circumstance consent to the Abrogation of Episcopacy His Majesties oath now falls in question and I shall be willing fairely and calmely to consider wherein and how far forth a Christian King is bound to keepe or breake his Oath CHAP. VI. Whether the King without impeachment to his Oath at Coronation may consent to the Abrogation of Episcopacy 1. THis question hath two branches The first Whether a Christian King be bound to keep his Oath The second Whether he may notwithstanding his Oath consent to the Abrogation of Episcopacy His Majesties Coronation deserves also to be looked upon since an oath deliberately and solemnly taken deserves the more seriously to be thought on and will draw from God the heavier doome if despised or slighted 2. By your own confession it is evident that an oath against Christs Institution is vinâ—u um iniquitatis an impious oath and ought not to be observed but to be cut off with shame and sorrow since all bonds to sin is frustrate Confesse we must that an oath against God revealed will or honour is a bond to sin and therefore no sooner made then void and to be abhorred Such is your Covenant against Episcopacy And had the King either through misunderstanding ill advice or fear taken that irreligious Covenant he had been obliged by your confession to have made it frustrate since it is a bond to sin because it is against Christs Word and Instituition as is manifested c. 2. 4. 3. But an oath taken in truth and righteousnesse and judgement because it is of such things as may justly and lawfully be performed yea because God approves ratifies this oath is vinculum aequitatis necessitatis such a bond as equity and conscience bind us necessarily to performe to the utmost of our power But such is his Majesties Oath at Coronation concerning the Church the Spouse of Christ 4. No unrighteousnesse can ye shew in it the lawfulnesse of Episcopacy as also their just right to govern Presbyters is sufficiently justified c. 4. No untruth for our Soveraigne hath sworn to maintaine an Ordinance of truth of Christ himself And sub paenâ judicij upon paine of judgment he is bound to make good this his Oath so justly taken least he fall into the hands of God and so into eternall judgement For Justice requires that every man much more a Christian and a King keep his Oath made upon such grounds though it be with hazard both of Crown and life and all that may be indangered upon earth 5. Consider I beseech you how in an oath we call God to record and we make him not onely our witnesse but our suretie that we will with his blessing performe what we have vowed or sworne in his name And not onely so but we call upon him to be our Judge and the Revenger of our perfidiousnesse if so we wittingly depart from this Oath With what face then can we fall back and wilfully incurre perjury Is not this as Philo Judaeus hath it to make God a shelter for our wickednesse and to cast our sin upon him That so to the infamie of Christian Religion we may â—oder up a faire repute before men Is not this to cast aside not onely a fore-head but all conscience and the fear of God Oh saith S. Austin What blindnesse can equall this to hunt after a little vaine glory by deceiveing man while in thy heart thou sleightest God the searcher of all secrets As if his error who thinks thee good were comparable with thine who seekest to please man with a show of good whilest thou displealest God with that which is truly naught 6. But this is no new thing to you that have dispenced so long so often so variously with so many Oaths of Supremacie Allegeance and canonicall obedience That have done so many strange acts contrarie to your faith and subscription Take heed in time lest not onely your oaths but your own hand-writing arise in judgement against you for casting off the Book of Ordination For renouncing the Booke of Common-Prayer For disclaiming the Articles of the Church of England with those three Creeds the glory and hope of all good Christians Thus you and your brethren are become Apostata's and renegadoes to all Religion and piety gracelesse faithlesse perjured men God of his mercy give you a sence of these sins that so you may in time repent and make some satisfaction to the Church of Christ by an open confession and by a full detestation of those presumptuous and crying sins 7. This Oath his Majestie took solemnly before God in the house of God in the presence of
tenths which Lay Impropriators are seldome charged with To the King we grant and pay subsidies after an higher rate then any of the Laity by many degrees Where then are the two Supremacies which we erect 12. 'T is true indeed that For deciding of controversies and for distribution of Justice within this Realm there be TWO DISTINCT JURISDICTIONS the one ECCLESIASTICALL limited to certain spirituall and particular cases The Court wherin these causes are handled is called Forum Ecclesiasticum the Ecclesiasticall Court The other is SECULAR and generall for that it is guided by the Common and generall Law of the Realme Now this is a maxime affirmed by the Master of the Law that The Law doth appoint every thing to be done by those unto whose office it properly appertaineth But unto the Ecclesiasticall Court diverse causes are committed jure Apostolico by the Apostolicall Law Such are those that are commended by S. Paul to Timothy the Bishop of the Ephesians and to Titus the Bishop of the Cretians First to receive an accusation against a Presbyter and the manner how 2ly to rebuke him if occasion require 3ly If any Presbyter preach unsound doctrine the Bishop is to withdraw himself from him that is to excommunicate him 4ly In the same manner he is to use blasphemers disobedient and unholy persons false accusers trucebreakers Traitors and the like 5ly The Bishop is to reject that is to excommunicate all Hereticks after the first and second admonition 13. These things the Ordinary or Bishop ought to do De droit of Right as Sir Edward Coke speaks that is to say he ought to do it by the Ecclesiasticall Law IN THE RIGHT OF HIS OFFICE These censures belong not to secular Courts they are derived from our Saviours Preistly power aud may not be denounced by any that is not a Preist at least And a Maxime it is of the Common Law saith that famous Lawyer that where the right is spirituall and the remedy therefore ONELY BY THE ECCLESIASTICALL LAW the câ—nusans thereof doth appertain to the Ecclesiasticall Court But A BIHOP is regularly THE KINGS IMMEDIATE OFFICER to the Kings Court of Justice in causes Ecclesiasticall Therefore not a company of Presbyters no rule for that And this is it that wrings and vexes you so sorely For your a me is to share the Bishops Lands and Jurisdiction among you of the Presbyteriall faction This your vast covetousnesse ambition have of late cost the Church full deere and have been a maine cause of these divisions and combustions By these means you have made a forcible entrie upon Nabaoths Vineyard It were well Ahab and Jezabel would beware in time However wise men consider that every one that steps up to the Bar is not fit to be a Judge nor every one that layes about him in the Pulpit meet to be a Bishop 14. Besides in those Epistles this power is committed to single Governors to Timothy alone and to Titus alone But Timothy and Titus were Bishops strictly and properly so called that is they were of an higher order then Presbyters even of the same with the Apostles Hence is that of S. Cyprian Ecclesia super EPISCOPOS constituitur omnis actus Ecclesiae PER EOSDEM PRAEPOSITOS gubernatur The Church is settled upon BISHOPS and every Act of the Church is ruled BY THE SAME GOVERNORS By Bishops not by Presbyters Now the word of God is norma sui obliqui the rule whereby we must be regulated from which if we depart we fall foule or runne awry Since then the Church is settled upon Bishops it is not safe for any King or State to displace them lest they unsettle themselves and their posterity They that have endeavoured to set the Church upon Presbyters have incurred such dangers as they wot not of For if we beleive S. Cyprian they offend God they are unmindfull of the Gospel they affront the perpetuall practise of the Church they neglect the judgment to come and endanger the souls of their brethren whom Christ dyed for Neither is this the opinion of S. Cyprian onely Ignatius speaks as much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As many as are Christs cleave fast to the Bishop But these that forsake him and hold communion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the accursed shall be cut off with them This is Ignatius genuine resolution attested by Vedelâ—us from Geneva and if true a most dreadfull sentence for those that endeavour the extirpation of Episcopacy 15. As for the Priviledges of the Clergie which you are so earnest to ruinate I shall manifest that they have footing in the Law of Nature in the Law of Moses and in the Gospel In the Law of Nature Abraham give tithes to the Preist of the most high God The Preists in Egypt had lands belonging to them as also portions of the Kings free bountie And the same Law of Nature taught Pharoah and Joseph not to alienate either the Preists lands or other their maintenance in time of extremest famine By the light of Nature Aâ—taxerxes King of Perfia decreed that it should not be lawfull for any man to lay toll tribute or custome upon any Preist Levite Singer Porter or other Minister of the house of God And King Alexander sonne of Antiochus Epiphanes made Jonathan the High Preist a Duke and Governor of a Province He commanded him also to be clothed in purple and caused him to sit by or with his own Royall Person He sent also to the same High Preist a Buckle or collar of Gold to weare even such as were in use with the Princes of the blood And by Proclamation he commanded that no man should molest the High Preist or prefer complaint against him And can it be denied that Melchisedec Preist of the most high God was King of Salem and made so by God himself 16. In the Law the Lord made Aaron more honourable and gave him an heritage He divided unto him the first fruits of the increase and to him especially he appointed bread in abundance For him he ordained glorious and beautifull garments He beautified Aaron with comely ornaments and clothed him with a robe of glory Upon his head he set a miter and a crown of pure gold upon the miter wherein was ingraved Holinesse And this if I mistake not is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Philo tels us was set upon the Preists head and is the cheife ornament of the Eastern Kings The reason he gives for it is this because while the Preist is discharging his dutie he is more eminent then any person whatsoever even then Kings But I rather conceive it was because at that time he represented or prefigured the Royall Preisthood of our Saviour 17. For the Gospel we have prophecies in what state and honor
miters were your aim these you have preached for these you have fought for what would you more All these your Masters have and the Crown to boot and yet not quiet Indeed all these thus gained will not afford a quiet conscience That there may be some shew of legality the King must get the CLERGIES CONSENT and the Bishops must lay down their Miters And then 't will passe for currant that these Acts were passed by their own consent and so no wrong done Volenti non fit injuria True it is undone they are without consent but if they consent they undo themselves and wrong their souls And a madnesse it were to be chronicled if I should cut mine own throat to save my enemie the labour How then can I give away Gods inheritance to the Edomites Ishmalites lest perchance they enter forcibly upon it And yet the Bishops are much to blame if they will not do this if not the Crown will run an hazard and the whole Land be brought to ruine 21. What is to be done in this case Surely if the Bishops knew themselves guilty of the difference betweene the King and his subjects God forbid but they should be willing to part with all they may lawfully part with and be earnest with Jonah that they might be cast into the sea to allay this dangerous storme if that would do it But what is Gods and the Churches they cannot give away or alienate No no saith S. Ambrose I cannot deliver up that which I have received to preserve not to betray The Lands of the Church they may take if they please Imperatori non dono sed non nego I give them not to the Emperour but I deny them not I withstand him not I use no violence What I do is for the Emperours good quia nec mihi expediret tradere necilli accipere because it would be neither safe for me to give them up nor for him to receive them What beseemes a free Preist I advise freely si vult sibi esse consultum recedat à Christi injuriâ If he desire to prosper let him forbear to wrong Christ Observe what belongs to the Church is Christs not the Bishops If any part of it be diminished the wrong is done to God and not to man Ananias layed down his possession at the Apostles feet but kept back part of the price Here was wrong done But to whom think you Not to the Apostles no he lyed not unto men but unto God he couzen'd God and not man This was the moderation of S. Peter and S. Ambrose and we may not be drawn from this moderation Advise your great Masters to embrace so much moderation as to wrong no man but to give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs unto God Till then however they may seem to prosper they will never be secure CHAP. XV. Whether it be lawfull to take away the Bishops lands and to confer them upon the Presbytery 1. THe Church at this present is much like her Saviour hanging between two theeves but in so much the worse case because neither of these are for our Saviour One the Independent is wholly for stripping the Church of all settled maintenance With him the Minister is to rely meerly upon the peoples benevolence And reason good for he is no longer a Minister then it pleaseth that Congregation But the other the Presbyterian is like the chough in the fable that would faine prank up himself with other birds feathers The Bishops lands and revenues must be diverted divided to maintaine Parochiall Pastors so you call them Sacriledge you condemne but theft you like well of so you and your fellow Presbyterians may be gainers Quocunque modo rem is profitable doctrine so you may have it you care not how you come by it nor who smarts for it The man of Jerusalem fel into such hands 2. Prelacy must be abolisht that 's agreed upon So far you go with your Parliament but you are against seizing of the Prelates revenues to private or civill interest That is as I conceive to any particular mans use or for the service of the State as ye call it I am just of your mind and resolve with you that this kind of impropriation could want neither staine nor guilt Such was that in the dayes of K. Henry the eight which was deservedly cried out of all the Christian world over But cry out you and your Mr. Beza with your Stentorian voices upon this detestable sacriledge your good Masters are resolved upon the question and have exposed the Bishops lands to sale So they may have these revenues to dispose of they will venter stain guilt and curse too say what ye can 3. I must confesse you would faine set a faire glosse upon this detestable act You would have those large revenues as you are pleased to call them to be passed over from the Fathers of the Church to the sons of the Church from the Bishops to Parochiall Pastors or Presbyters I call these parochiall Pastors sons of the Church because though they be called Fathers in respect of their Parishioners yet are they but sons in respect of Bishops from whom they have their orders and by whom as Ministers they are begotten For Presbyters have not power to ordain a Deacon much lesse to ordain a Presbyter as hath been already manifested shall be more fully if God give me life and leave to examine the Divine Right of Church Government 4. But since these revenues must be diverted or passed over from the Fathers to the sons to supply them with sufficient maintenance who shall make the conveiance And when the conveiance is drawn with all the skill that may be it is nothing worth till the proprietary the true owner give his consent and confirme it Desire you to know who is the true owner Look upon God he hath accepted them and taken possession of them his they are by deed of gift The Charters usually run thus Concessi offero confirmavi DEO Ecclesiae I grant offer or confirme TO GOD and the Church such and such Lands Mannors or messuages When they are thus offered God accepts of the gift and sets this stamp upon them They offered them before the Lord THEREFORE THEY ARE HALLOWED And again Nothing devoted or separated from the common use that a man shall devote unto the Lord whether it be man or beast or LAND OF HIS INHERITANCE MAY BE SOLD OR REDEEMED every devoted thing is MOST HOLY UNTO THE LORD When it is once seperated from common use it may no more return to common use since as your Geneva Note tells us It is dedicated to the Lord WITH A CURSE To HIM that doth turn it to his private use And of this curse they have been sensible that have turned it to such use Observable therefore it is
Lay-mens hands which heretofore were appropriated and annexed to this or that particular Religious House Which house according to Mr. Spelman was the perpetuall incumbent Parson of each of those Rectories and did duely officiate the Cure by one of their own fraternity Then were there few or no defective Parishes But upon these new Statutes the Lay Appropriatoes swept all into their own custody and possession From hence ariseth the want of congruous maintenance in too many Parishes for him or them that serve those Cures And shall Bishops smart for it when Lay-men have done the mischief and purse up the profits Dat veniam corvis vexat censura columbas when the Laity offends the Clergie suffers Is this Justice But so the Parliament do it it is with you valid in Law though injurious But God and you are of severall minds 11. Nay if this be done if Bishops lands be removed to Presbyters there will be no danger of sacrilege How prove you that This say you will not be to ruine but to rectifie the devotion of former ages and turn pomp into use and impediments into helps This is somewhat like Cardinall Wolseys pretence who dissolved fourty small Monasteries of ignorant silly Monks to erect two goodly Colleges for the breeding up of learned and industrious Divines Was not this to turn impediments into helps Lo he removed lazie drones that did little but eat and drink and sleep that so learned men might be provided for who would labour in the Word and doctrine and might be able to do Church and State good service Was not this as fair a pretence as yours or as any you can invent And how was this accepted of God that forbids theft will no more endure the offering gained by theft then by adultery One of his Colledges dyes in the conception the other remains unfinished to this day and it pities me to see her foundations under rubbish And a misery it is to take into consideration the ruine of this man as also of that King and Pope who gave him licence to commit this sin This attempt and grant opened a gap to the most profuse sacrilege that ever Christian Nation before that time had been acquainted with And yet for ought I find by this particular sacrilege there came no gain into any of their private purses 12. But I beseech you what is the meaning of these words this will turn pomp into use What your intent is perchance I may gesse but to take them according to the plain and literall sense I can make no other construction of them then this If the Prelates revenues were diverted to supply with sufficient maintenance all those Parochiall Pastors that want congruous maintenance this would turn pomp into use That is that pomp which the Prelates made no use of the Presbyterians would turn into use If this be not the Grammaticall sense I appeal to any rationall man And their Essay in the Divine right of Church government shews what their proceedings would prove I must confesse ye have marvellously improved the impediments and turned them into helps For the power and Jurisdiction of Bishops which were the main impediments to Schisme and Heresie you have covenanted to root up and have brought in all the helps that may be to further irreligion and Atheisme While the Bishops had power heresies were rarae nantes seldom seen and suddenly supprest if any such crept in But now they flowe in by shoals and have Pulpits and Presses cloyed with them Does not your own Mr. Edwards professe that never was there such plenty of Sects and Heresies As many more in truth as ever the Church knew in former ages Onely as by Julian the Apostata both Pulpits and Presses are locked up to the Orthodox no coming there for them lest perchance they infect the Auditories with sound and Apostolike Doctrine 13. Parochiall Pastors are most necessary men by them the work of the Ministery is CHIEFLY to be performed This is true and not true True in the Fathers sense not in yours In the Fathers sense a Pastor is a Bishop strictly so called as by his Order he is differenced from a Presbyter and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no petty Countrey or Citie Parish it is a whole Citie with the Precincts and Countrey adjoyning which were under the jurisdiction of the Citie and repaired thither for justice if differences arose With them Paraecia was the same that a Diocese is with us So a Parochiall Pastor in the ancient and Church sense is a Diocesan Bishop and in this sense the work of the Ministery is CHIEFLY PERFORMED BY THE PAROCHIALL PASTOR This Pastor indeed can perform all Ministeriall acts divers of which are clean out of a Presbyters power And yet you say that by the Parochiall Pastor who is with you but a Presbyter the work of the Ministery is chiefly performed Not so my good brother not so not that work without which the Church cannot possibly subsist And that is twofold first the ordering of the Church and 2ly ordeining of Presbyters The chief works of the Ministery according to St. Paul are to 1 regular the Church and to 2 beget those by whom the Sacraments may be administred and absolution pronounced But these works may not cannot be done by any or many Presbyters In your sense therefore this proposition is false 14. But why cheifly What because Presbyters offer up the prayers and supplications of the Church Because they are the usuall Preachers and dispensers of the Sacraments These indeed are the most usuall and daily offices and very necessary but I dare not say that by them these offices are cheifly discharged What say you to that principle of reason Propter quod aliquid est tale illud est magis tale Especially if it be such an efficient or ministeriall cause without which in the ordinary way there can be no such thing But by a Bishop a Presbyter is made a Minister of these holy duties in the ordinary way without him he could not be a Presbyter The Bishop then doth cheifly performe the work of the Ministery The reason is because illo mediante by his means or mediation that is done which without him could not be done The work of Justice is usually performed by the Justice of the severall Benches But I presume you will not say cheifly that you will reserve to the Parliament since you have sworne that to be the Supreme Judicatorie of this Kingdome And in this treatise you have concluded that The Parliament is the Supreme Court by which all other Courts are to be regulated And as all Courts are to be regulated by Parliament so are all Presbyters to be guided by their own Bishop 15. Cheifly say you onely saith your Ordinance for Ordination wherein you make the Presbyter the onely Minister In your Solemne League and Covenant ye resolve and vow the extirpation of Arch-Bishops and
Bishops And in both ye lay the whole work upon the Presbytery as if they were the men that could discharge all sacred and Ministerial duties No such matter the contrary is manifested Can any man imagine that a common souldier or an ordinary marriner doth performe the cheife work in an army or ship because they take the greater toile to the outward eye No no it is the Pilot in a Ship the Colonel in a Regiment the Admirall in a Navy and the Generall in an Army that discharge the cheife duties Without these there would be wise worke by Sea or Land Evâ—ry one that can pull a gable or manage an oare is not fit to be a Pilot. Every man that can and dare fight and charge with courage is not fit to be a Commander But the Church is both a ship and an armie And I dare say that every one that can talke lavishly or make a rhetoricall flourish in the Pulpit is not fit to be a Bishop or Governour in the Church of Christ And yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this cause left I thee in Creet that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting ordain Presbyters in every City These are the duties of a Bishop without which the Church will suddenly be out of frame and crumble into nothing 16. In a ship or regiment no man comes to sit at the stern no man attempts the cheife command the first day if he do both ship and regiment suffer for it No they are trained up in their severall professions and by degrees they rise till they come to the highest Thus was it in the ancient and thus is it in the present Church If any be suddenly raised to a Bishoprick it is seldom for the good of that Diocese 17. But you and your fellow Presbyters want congruous and sufficient maintenance down therefore must the Bishops and their Revenues must be divided amongst such good Pastors as you are The Levellers doctrine right the Nobility and Gentrey have too much the godly of the land to little all therefore must be shared that Jack and Tom may have a congrurus maintenance If the great men of the Land will not yeeld to this the Parliament shall be garbled the Nobility and Gentry shall be turned aside and then look for a new Covenant and a fresh extirpation Dukes descend from profane Esau Marquesses Earles Vicounts c. are but heathenish titles invented by the children of darknesse and the children of light defie them What Are we not all Adams sons Are we not brethren in Christ Is it not fit that we should all have share and share like as had the children of Israel in the land of promise As long as the Church onely was strook at it was well liked of but now patience perforce we must be leveled both in Church and State We shall find that there is such a sympathy between them in all Christian Common-wealths that they stand and fall swimme and sink together 18. What talke we of Levelling That is enough to destroy the State and face of a Kingdome But in your project there will be no danger How No danger No danger say you of sacriledge No danger in the subversion of the Church Surely this must be ruine to Episcopacy and consequently to the Church For no Bishop no Church Ecclesia enim super Episcopos constituitur for the Church is founded and settled upon Bishops So S. Cyprian Think not that we exclude Christ Christ it is that layd the foundation and settled the Church so And it is not for man to unsettle it or to lay another a new foundation For other foundation can no man lay then that is layed by Jesus Christ But we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets And Bishops and Apostles are of the same order they are one and the same Apostolos id est Episcopos Praepositos Dominus elegit So S. Cyprian the Lord made choice of APOSTLES THAT IS OF BISHOPS Prelates When therefore our Saviour founded the Church upon the Apostles he founded it upon Bishops Who dare then after this foundation He that endeavours it doth not build but destroy the Church 19. Is there no danger of sacriledge in robbing father and mother The Bishop your father and the Church your mother For as in the Church you were born anew of water and the Holy Ghost so if you be a Presbyter as a Presbyter you have your being from a Bishop or else you have no such being But you return that ye rob not the Church for you intend that these revenues shall be settled upon Church-men that is upon Presbyters Suppose you rob but one but your Father the sacriledge is detestable For doth not the Lord say Who so robbeth his father or mother and saith it is no transgression the same is the companion of a murtherer But to make the sacriledge more odious I shall manifest that ye have not onely robbed your Father but your Mother also The Bishop your father is the husband to his particular Church If then you rob him of his meanes who will succeed in his roome and become an husband to that Church For though there be a thousand Presbyters in a Diocese yet if she be without a Bishop that Church is a widow So that great Councell of Chalcedon Thus ye rob the Bishop of his means that Church of her husband And wile a widow she can bring forth but a bastard brood Consider that 20. Upon these motives I must tell you that if his Majestie shall gratifie either the Parliament or the Assembly in the abolition of Episcopacy and in sacrificing the Church-lands to your or their sacrilegious avarice it will be such a work for which following generations shall have just cause to pitie lament him that so good a man should either be cheated or enforced into so foule a sin His children and the whole Kingdome would rue it and the generations to come unlesse the world turn Presbyterian will speak of Him as of King Henry the eight with this difference that King Henry wilfully plunged himself into this sin and King Charles was driven into it by an Atheisticall and bloody faction But I am confident his Majestie is seasoned with better principles he knows it was no excuse for Saul to confesse that he had sinned because he was afraid of the people and obeyed their voice not Gods directions This King knew Gods Word rejected it God therefore rejected him from being King and his seed from the throne A lamentable case to be frighted by a multitude out of Gods favour and the Crowne But I hope you have no Saul in hand Our good Kings Crowne you may cause to totter but not his resolution Ye may and have robbed him of his Prerogatives revenues and liberty but you cannot imprison or force his conscience that will injoy her ancient priviledges freedome
with the chief Priest the Priest of the first Order And is it not so now Have we not just cause to say to you Ye take too much upon you ye Presbyters ye sons of Bishops What Is it not enough for you that God hath separated you from the multitude that he hath taken you neer himself to do the service of the Lords house and to administer the Sacraments but you must have the Bishops office But you must be giving Orders as well as the Bishop Surely this is to assume that power to your selves which God never committed to any Presbyter while a Presbyter 24. Last of all I cannot but observe that when the Lord had punished these schismaticall and seditious persons the tumult ariseth afresh against Moses and Aaron they cry out upon them as murderers as if these two had slain the people of the Lord for thus they call that factious and damnable crue But the Lord decided the controversie and shewed manifestly who were His first by consuming the mutineers with the plague and secondly by causing Aarons rod when it seemed to be quite dead to revive even to bud and blossom and bear fruit in the Tabernacle Thus the mouthes of the rebellious Children were stopped and Gods Ordinance justified Oh that salvation were given unto Israel out of Sion Oh that the Lord would deliver his people out of Captivity Oh that we might see Aarons rod once more bud and blossom and bring forth Almonds Then should Jacob rejoyce and Israel should be right glad CHAP. XVII Whether there be two Supremacies in this Kingdom 1. IN this Treatise you blame those that seem to set up two Supremacies and yet you cannot see the same beam in your own eye You are of kin sure to those Lamiae those witches that were blind at home but quick-sighted abroad Thou that findest fault with another doest the same thing For do not you say plainly that there 's a Supremacie in the King and a Supremacy in the Parliament I hope you know your own language Clodius accusat It is an usuall thing for your confederacie to charge the King and his good Subjects with that which your selves are either guilty of or intend to induce 2. What two Supremacies two superlatives at the same time in the same Kingdom Is this possible What because there is summus and supremus because there are two superlatives of the same word shall we therefore have two Supremacies in the same Realm Is not this flatly against the Oath of Supremacy Wherein you and I and your great Patriots have sworn that the Kings Highnesse is the ONELY SUPREME GOVERNOUR OF THIS REALME and of all other his Highnesse Dominions and Countreys But the King hath been so long out of your eye that he is now out of your minde and the Parliament shall at least be his corrivall in the Supremacy Take heed take heed of perjury I can tell you of severall Acts of Parliament since the Reformation that lay a penaltie of fourty pounds upon every particular perjurie If His Majestie had all these forfeitures they would satisfie his debts and make him a glorious King after all these pressures 3. But you clip His Majesties wings though ye make him flie and tell us as you conceive that the Supremum jus Dominii the supreme right of Dominion which is above all Laws is not in the King To say it is in him is in this in our State a manifest error Why what 's become of the Oath of Supremacy Have we forgot that Was not that provided for this State In our State this is no error in yours it may be or else you are in a manifest error Certainly the members have sworn that the King is the ONLY SUPREME GOVERNOUR OF THIS REALM or State And that he is so as well IN ALL Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall things or causes as Temporall If He be the onely Supreme how shall we find another Supreme or an equall to him within his own Dominions If He be so in all things and causes both Ecclesiasticall and Temporall what thing or cause is there wherein he is not the onely Supreme or wherein he hath any other Supreme joyned to him For certain these particles Onely and All are exclusive of any copartner 4. But you will chalk out a way whereby to elude or avoid this Oath and the restrictions therein There 's a supreme Parliament as well as a supreme King Or a Supremacy is in the Parliament and a Supremacy in the King An excellent Arithmetician he hath learned to multiply of one and one onely he hath made two Thus have they raised division out of unity and from hence are these distractions and divisions which are so repugnant to the weal of the people This is one of their new lights which is borrowed from their multiplying glasse that makes a molehill as bigge as a mountain and a Spider as large as a Sea-crab But when the multiplying glasse is layed aside the spider will be but a spider 5. Well let us see how you make good this twofold Supremacy The Supremacy or the Supremum jus Dominii that is over all Laws figere or refigere to make or disanull them at pleasure is neither in the King nor in the Houses apart but in both conjoyned Here then we are fallen back to one Supremacy And this Supremacy is not the Kings onely but it is the Parliaments as well as his This is to skip from Monarchy to Aristocracy Kingdoms indure no corrivals and Kings have no Peers But this man hath found one thing wherein the King hath Peers and consequently is not the onely supreme Governour of this Realm Strange how that Parliament and all since that time have been so mistaken as not to see their own right but to ascribe all to the King and that in a point of so high concernment Surely they wanted this young Preacher to bring them in a new light But I beleeve it will appeare that the Supremacie over all Laws to make or disanull them is in the King alone at the Petition of both houses and that those Parliaments knew full well 6. For satisfaction in this point I shall observe what Scriptures Fathers and some modern writers have resolved concerning Kings S. Petter plainly and fully ascribes Supremacy to the King Submit your selves saith he to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake Whether it be to the KING as SUPREME or unto Governors as unto them that are sent by him Kings are sent by God to them therfore we submit for the Lords sake All other civill Governours are sent by the King to them therefore we submit for the Kings sake that sent them Answerable hereunto are those passages in Tertullian that the Emperor is homo a Deo secundus solo Deo minor in Dei solius potestate a quo secundus post quem primus the man second to God and
had not onely the power of Ordination but of Jurisdiction also that is they had authoritie not onely to set in order what was amisse in the Church and to reform the Laitie but to 1. convent 2. silence and 3. excommunicate the Clergie even Deacons and Presbyters if they deserved it 12. For convention in the first place observe that S. Paul acknowledgeth in Bishop Timothy power to receive an accusation against a Presbyter or Elder and upon proofe to rebuke him Which could not be done without conventing him 2ly That the power to silence preaching Presbyters was in Bishop Timothy these words manifest Thou maiest command some that they teach no other doctrine And as for Bishop Titus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it be hoves him to stop the mouths of the disobedient and deceitfull as also to stay foolish questions and contentions And if this will not serve then must they proceed to higher censures even to excommunication For doth not S. Paul command Timothy to withdraw himself from those that teach unwholsome Doctrine And what this means let Beza speake Gravissime damnatos extra Ecclesiam ejicit he casts forâ—h these as condemned men out of the Church For as S. Cyprian speaks They that are not in communion with the Bishop are out of the Church Timothy then being Bishop of that Church and withdrawing his communion from them they were no longer members of the Church This power we see was in the Apostle Bishops but no man can shew that ever it was in the Presbyter Bishops Par enim in parem non habet potestatem it is a sure rule that no man hath power over his equall while his equall 13. The last place is reserved for the first in Scripture which you have kept for your reserve to help at a dead lift and this it is We beseech you brethren that ye know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you A great friend of the Presbytery tels us that this is the same with that which the Apostle speaks in another Epistle that those Presbyters are worthy of double honour who labour in the word and doctrine So then in his judgement this rule you so much boast of is but your labouring in the word and doctrine And surely he hath two able men that back him very well viz. Theâ—dâ—ret and Caâ—vin Theodoret tels us that when S. Pau saith Quâ—praesunt thâ—se thâ—t are over you in the Lord it is all one as if he haâ— said they that â—ffâ—â— up prayers and supplicaâ—ions for yâ—u And Caâ—vin thuâ— Qu DOCENDO rite fideliter GUâ—ERNANT who by TEACHING orderly and faithfully GOVERN the people And elâ—ewhere he expounds this kind of Gâ—verning by boris salutaribus consiliis popuâ—o praeire by guiding the peâ—ple with good and wholesome counsell The Preifis rule then consists in 1 Prayer for Gods people in 2 Admonishing 3 Instâ—ucting and 4 Advising them as also in 5 conveying to them those heavenly blessings by the Sacraments which in an ordinary way they could not otherwiâ—e obtain This is all the rule that I can find belonging to Presbyters And this was ever allowed you in your own Congregations while ye behaved your selves as the Ministers of Christ in all meeknesse and sobriety dividing the Word of God aright and while ye kept within the ruâ—e of faith 14. Thus your ruledome my fellow Presbyters is come to no great matter by these texts Shew me one place of Scripture that allowes Presbyters to excommunicate or absolve of their own authority and I shall be of your mind and justifie that ye have susteined much wrong If ye have been suspended from officiating or silenced ye may thank your unbridled tongues which have been so lavish in venting unsound and seditious doctrine The Bishop in these cases hath but discharged that dutie which is required of him by Gods Word 1 Tim. 6. 3. 5. 2. Tim. 3. 5. Tit. 1. 11. Tit. 3. 9. And it is no more then the Presbytery chalengeth to it selfe in those places where it hath gained authoâ—iâ—y 15. That ye were excluded from all society in Rule is that which troubles you Society pretends equâ—litie and Rule is that which ye affect So ye may be made Bishops or Bâ—shops fellowes equall with them in rule and authority all shâ—ll be well but till then we must expect no pâ—ace if ye can hinder it Hâ—d your leading Church-men beâ—n made Bishâ—ps or Deanes the Kâ—ngs oath had been most just and unalterable yea unquestionâ—ble Some mens mouths have been stopt so heretofâ—re the more the pitie And ye have gaped after such morsels What the benefit hath been is sufficiently discerned and ambitious male-contents shall no more I hope be tempted in this manner to continue among us when they are neither with us nor of us But I pray you what Society in Rule can you chalenge with the Bishops when by Scripture ye are made subject to them We know your pride Ye would faine be hail-fellows with your Governours both Ecclesiasticall and Civill Faine would ye have the raines in your own hands with Phaeton though it were with the same issue But how shall they learn to govern that know not how to obey All Baristers are not qualified to be Judges 16. But there is another thing which troubles you marvelously that you deem to be much more prejudiciall to the dignity and liberty of the Ministery namely to be subjected to a lay Chancelour And yet how many lay Chancelours have you subjected us to To the whole Parliament that 's plaine and yet not so much as one Presbyter among them And to every Committee-man both in Citie and Countrie Whose busie Apparators are all persons disaffected to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England And all this is for the dignity and liberty of the Ministery according to your new Magna Charta Thus much to manifest that ye are deeply plunged in those crimes which you boldly charge upon others But this is no new no strange thing For this hath been generally observed when your great Masters blemish our most gracious Soveraigne with any foule or illegall surmise they usually act it themselves Dominisimiles such Masters and such Chaplaines Par autem erat ut vel quod accusant non facerent vel quod facerent non accusarent But it were meet that either they should not do what they blame or not blame what they do 17. And now I beseech you which is most prejudicall to be subject to one lay Chancelour in a Diocese or to those great lay Courts of Lords and Commons and others at Westminster to so many lay Committees in the City to so many in every Countie Without whom ye are not able to subsist nor to abide in your Congregations if these men take but the least offence against you And how can the Gentrie and Comminaltie of this Kingdome
This right is grounded upon Scripture for God saith Erunt Reges nutritii tui Kings shall be nursing Fathers and Queens shall be nursing Mothers to the Church Who then dares say they ought not or shall not 3. Besides what is done in right is injurious to no man since jus and injuria right and wrong cannot consist in the same action under the same consideration And yet no right is done but it is displeasing to the adverse partie God did right in protecting Moses and Aaron against Korah and his confederates He did right in destroying those factious and rebellious persons and yet this was displeasing to all the congregation of the children of Israel And shall God or the King forbear to do right because the multitude murmure at it This be far from the Lord and his Vicegerent A Judge is sworn to do right If then he do not right to the utmost of his understanding he is perjured And the more eminent a man is in place the greater the sin You know to whom it was said Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the childe that is born unto thee shall surely dye And of Jerâ—boam it was said z Go tell him thus saith thâ— Lord God of Israel For as much as I exâ—â—ted the frâ—m â—mâ—â—g the people and made thee Prince over my people Israel and yet thâ—â— hast done evill above all that were before thee and hast casâ— me behind thy 〈…〉 Therefore behold I will bring evill upon the house of Jeroboam c. 4. Secondly the King hath sworn to be the Protectâ—r and Defender of the Churches under his Government and this you will confesse the King ought to do But the King doth not protect the Church unlesse he protect the Bishops since without Bishops the Church must needs crumble away and come to nothing The Bishop is the ministeriall Spouse of the Church how then can the Church be protected if her husband be taken from her or stripped of his means Just as our wives are maintained with the fift part Fed with an Ordinance with words but where 's the fift part which of our wives have had that justly payed them 5. The Bishop is under Christ the Father of the Church Destroy the Father and how shall the Children be provided for Nay who shall beget children of the Church when she is void of an Husband And the Bishop is the onely Husband of the Church take â—way the Bishop and the Church is a Widow if you will beleeve the Councell of Chalcedon I have heretofore manifested that none but a Bishop can ordain either Priest or Deacon And Zanchius determines that the Church may not want Ministers who are to administer these externall things the Word and Sacraments Remove the Ministers that have this power derived unto them from Christ and the Sacraments must fail and consequently the Church For what is the Church but a Congregation of Christians wherein the pure Word of God is preached and the Sacraments duly administred ACCORDING TO CHRISTS ORDINANCE But according to Christs Ordinance none may administer the Word and Sacraments but Bishops Priests and Deacons Take these away and what becomes of the Sacraments Take away Baptisme and according to Gods ordinary and revealed way we cannot become Christians we cannot be born anew of water and of the holy Ghost And when we are become Christians take away that food of life the Lords Supper and we must needs famish for unlesse we eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood in that blessed Sacrament we have no life in us Hence is that of Calvin The light and heat of the Sun meat and drink are not so necessary for the cherishing and sustaining this present life as the APOSTOLICALL and Pâ—storall OFFICE is for the PRESERVATION OF THE CHURCH on earth If then it be proved that Bishops properly and strictly so called be of the same office and order with the Apostles then have we Calvins acknowledgement that the Church cannot subsist without Bishops 6. Indeed it cannot if we beleeve S. Cyprian for he saith that we ought to know Episcopum in Ecclesia esse ECCLESIAM IN EPISCOPO that the Bishop is in the Church and the CHURCH IN THE BISHOP it stands and fals with him What then becomes of that Church where there is no Bishop Si qui cum Episcopo non sint in Ecclesia non esse We must also know saith that blessed Martyr that they which are not with the Bishop are out of the Church Thus the Bishop is in the Church causaliter causally but the Church in the Bishop virtually The fountain is in the brook causally and the brook in the fountain virtually because from the fountain the Rives derives his being from thence it is derived and fed Damne up the fountain or divert his course and what becomes of the river Thus is it between the Bishop and the Church Hence I infer that the matter of the Oath is lawfull I conclude therefore with the Author of the Review that His Majestie is bound in Religion and conscience to protect the Bishops with their Churches and priviledges Unlesse it be so that you can bring him a new Christ who will ordain another way to heaven 7. But say you it is a ground laid down by this Author that no oath is obligatory beyond the intention of it That is according to the common plain and literall meaning thereof otherwise we know no intention of an oath We must therefore look back to the intention of the first framers thereof as also to the good and securitie of those to whom and for whose sake it is takâ—n n. That the intention of this oath and the framers thereof is against a tyramous invasion on the rights of the Clergie as also to protect them against violence no question at all is to be made and you do well to acknowledge it So far then the King is to protect them to the utmost of his power And hitherto by the assistance of God he hath done it and my trusâ— is in Jesus Christ that he will strengthen our good King to live and dye in this pious and Princely resolution 8. This Oath is to the Clergie the King then must have an eye upon them and their intention who so humbly begge his protection and to whom he makes this oath Expectationem enim eorum quibus juratur quisquis decipit non potest esse non perjurus For he that deceives their expectation to whom he swears cannot but be perjured This S. Austin proves at large in the preceding Epistle wherein he wonders that any man should be of such an opinion as to conceive that a man might incur certain perjurie to avoid uncertain danger losse or death It is a rule therfore in the Canon Law Quacunque arte verborum
Rights of the Clergie As if this were a sound and unanswerable argument It is lawfull for the King to abrogate the Rights of the Clergy Ergo It is lawfull for him to abrogate Episcopacy It is for all the world as if one should say It is lawfull for the King to take away the Rights of Lawyers Ergo he may also take away Judicature Yet all men would say that this were flat tyrannie since without Judicature no man can compasse or enjoy his own with peace 2. But I shall return your argument so upon you as shall concern you more neerly It is lawfull for the King to abrogate the Rights of the Clergie it is therefore lawfull for him to abrogate Presbytery How like you this Is it not your own argument changing terme Episcopacy into Presbytery Ye have strooke out the former set up the latter in the place of Episcopacy And your scholers by the same argument may live to root up thut too if any lands be annexed to this great Diana of Geneva Thus you have made a rod to scourge your selves with 3. But you will say that though it be legall for the King to take away the Rights yet he may not destroy the Order And why so Because the Rights are granted by man but the Order was settled by God And what God hath ordained is not lawfull for man to abrogate I must return you the same answer since t is sufficiently justified C. 4. 5. That the Order of Episcopacy is the immediate institution of our B. Saviour and Ministeriall root from whence all Orders spring Though then this be the usuall way of cleering this your assertion and you conceive it to be a sound resolution yet learned men see that you have said just nothing unlesse you confesse that the Order of Presbyter may likewise be exâ—iâ—pated by Royall authority 4. But return we to the Rights of the Clergie and take notice upon what grounds you suppose it lawfull for the King to abrogate those Rights which he hath vowed so solemnly to maintain The King say you is sworne to maintaine the Laws of the Land in force at his Coronation Yet it is not unlawfull for him after to abrogate any of them upon the motion or with the consent of his Parliament I am glad that you acknowledge it to be the Kings Prerogative to maintaine the Laws of the Land and that it is not unlawfull for him to abrogate any of them with the consent of his Parliament If he be bound by Oath either he hath power to maintain these Laws or not If he hath not power it is a senselesse Oath If he hath power where is it What is become of it Hath he resigned it We know the contrary Hath he forfeited it To whom To his subjects He can no more forfeit his Regall power to his subjects then a father the right of fatherhood to his children He is no more a King upon condition then a father is a father upon condition His power he hath not from the people but from God Per me Reges regnant by me Kings reign saith God And I hope God speaks no untruth His substitute the King is for He sits on Gods not on the peoples throne and King he is for the Lord in his stead 5. If you object misdemeanours or bearing armes against His Parliament your self say that He is sworne to maintain the Laws of the Land The Laws Liberties and Properties were all at stake they were trampled upon by his faithlesse but potent Subjects This enforced him to take up that sword which he ought not to beare in vaine but to execute wrath as the Minister of God upon them that do evill upon such as plunder his good subjects and turn them out of house and home For the King is made by God the Supreme Governor for the punishment of evill doers as also for the praise of those that do well But suppose the King were a tyrant as bad as bad may be yet we ought from our hearts to give him all due honour so Beza and not to rob him of his just power If he sin it is against God onely and to him onely he must account not to his Subjects 6. Well bound he is by Oath to maintain the Laws while they are Laws As yet then the rights of the Church are safe and the King is bound to maintain them But how long are these Laws in force Till they are abrogated BY JUST POWER IN A REGULAR WAY They are your own words and we subscribe them But the just power is in His Majestie by your own confession both to maintain and to abrogate Laws And the regular way say you is at the motion or with the consent of HIS PARLIAMENT But with all our loyall Predecessors we say at the petition or humble suit not at the motion of His Parliament And His it is his they are all though Members of Parliament since the Parliament is His. They are not then a Parliament of themselves at their own choice or disposing nor yet without him His they are I am sure they should be so I would to God they were so The King is the fountain of honour and power within his own Dominions And who may say unto him What doest thou Why doest thou honour this man and not that Why doest thou call a Parliament at this time and not at that Impius est qui Regi dixerit inique agis He is impious that saith unto the King thou dealest unjustly or unequally So the Fathers read that place No obbraiding no controulling of a King He can do no wrong So the Law 7. His the Kings they are when they are met and set in Parliament His great Councell Magnum Concilium Regis His Houses His Parliament And therefore called so that they may Parlar la ment speak their minds freely for the generall good Him they may entreat not controul advise not command perswade not enforce Suppose the King grants them power and authoritie he grants them none either over or against himself this he cannot do This were to set the Members above the Head and to make his Subjects superior to himself This were to despoil himself of the power of the Sword But this he may not do since God hath made him supreme and given him the charge of the Sword And His Majestie may not invert that order which God hath set neither may he repeal Gods ordinance or make it void God hath laid the charge upon him and he cannot with a safe conscience decline it or neglect it 8. Observe I beseech you though Pharaoh set Joseph over his house and over his people to rule and arm them at his pleasure though Joseph were so made Ruler over all the land of Egypt yet without him no man might lift up his hand or foot within that land
forlorn man and yet in his good time he restored him to his Scepter in peace and subdued the people to him 7. And whereas you term them others privileges as if they concerned no man but the Clergie I dare boldly say they concern every man as he is a member of this Church and Realm If we have sown unto you spirituall things is it a great matter if we reap your carnall things And if we reap not your carnall things how shall we sowe unto you spirituall things This is worthy of consideration unlesse you have layed aside all care of the soul Have we some privileges that the Laity have not They are not ours alone they are every mans that enters into Orders And Orders are indifferently proposed to all of all families whatsoever so they be sufficiently qualified High and lowe noble and ignoble have reaped the benefit of these privileges I have known some of high birth in Orders and some of good rank that have taken Sanctuary under a Priests coat And we read of a young man of the tribe of Judah of the most remarkable family that was glad to turn Priest and to serve by the yeer for ten shekels of silver a double suit of apparell and his victuals If then our Calling suffer all families suffer in it and with it 8. But what if the Laws of the Land what if Magna Charta do oblige all men to stand up for the due observation of these privileges If so then must every man readily acknowledge that all good Subjects are bound to obey His Majestie when he commands that which the Law requires View we then the words of that Great and justly magnified Charter which are these Reserving to all Arch-bishops Bishops Earls Barons and all persons as well Spirituall as Temporall all their liberties and free customes which they have had in times past And all these customes and liberties aforesaid which we have granted to be holden within this our Realm as much as appertaineth to us and our Heirs we shall observe And ALL MEN of this our Realm as well SPIRITUALL AS TEMPORALL as much as in them is SHALL likewise OBSERVE THE SAME AGAINST ALL PERSONS Mark that are we not all both spirituall and temporall bound to maintain each others privileges as much as in us lies 9. I know you will return that Abbots and Priors are provided for by the same Law and yet they have since been taken away by Act of Parliament I confesse it but I shall desire you to observe in the first place how they prospered that were the contrivers and procurers of that Act. 2ly I cannot but take notice that you with your Master Beza call that dissoâ—ution detestandum sacrilegium detestable sacrilege and such as was cried out of all the Christian world over It is not therefore to be drawn into president 3ly consider I pray you that they who did so are stiled Enemies of our Soveraign Lord the King and his Realm 4ly that great Councell of Chalcedon consisting of above 600. Bishops resolves that no Monastery consecrated with the Bishops liking may be turned to a secular dwelling And those that suffer any such thing are lyable to the Canonicall censures 5ly you will I hope make a difference between our Saviours institution and mans invention Bishops are of our Saviours own institution but Abbots and Priors are titles and orders of mans invention And yet hospitalitie and alms and other works of charity for which these fraternities were erected failed much with them How those means were imployed I shall not enquire but I am certain that good and pious men have wished that the abuses had been pruned off and that the lands had been disposed of according to the Doners intentions This indeed had been pietie not sacrilege 10. How oft have the Kings of this Realm ingaged themselves to observe Magna Charta and to maintain the rights and liberties of the Church Are not these the words of the Statute We take the Prelates and Clergie with their possessions goods and chattels INTO OUR SPECIALL PROTECTION AND DEFENCE The Princes of this Land have bound themselves strictly to keep this Great Charter and have provided that if any other shall do or procure to be done any thing contrary to this Charter it is to be accounted void as soon as procured Take the words of the Charter We have granted unto them the Spirituall and Temporal persons of this Realm on the other part that neither we nor our Heirs shall procure or do any thing whereby the liberties in this Charter shall be infringed or broken But suppose they shall make any such grant through ignorance wilfulnesse or evill counsell shall it be of force The Law saith no. For it follows immediately And if any thing be procured BY ANY PERSON contrary to the premisses it shall be holden OF NO FORCE NE EFFECT You and your great contrivers what have ye laboured for all this while What have ye fought for what have ye shed so much blood for For wind nothing but wind For all the Westminster Orders and Ordinances contrary to this Charter shall be holden of no force ne effect You had best then keepe your paper for a more necessary use 11. And yet you tell his Majestie that it is not equall to ingage the lives of some to uphold the honour of others Is it equall then I beseech you to ingage the lives of some to destroy the honour and estate of others All this while you have been on the destructive part all for rooting up what the Lords right hand hath planted and for alienating the Lords inheritance And that ye might effect what ye have subtilly projected ye have ingaged the lives of many who were very unwilling to uphold the honour of some at Westminster that had overlashed ran themselves upon dreadfull rocks I would to God the Commons of this Kingdome would lay it to heart how cruell ye have been to many thousands to be indulgent to a few to uphold the honour of a few Consider how many thousands in England and Ireland have been plundered sequestred imprisoned maimed and murdered because they would not submit to the illegall unjust and irreligious decrees of the men at Westminster A compleat Mercurius Rusticus will make after ages stand amazed and their hearts bleed within them to consider that such a Nation as this so blessed with peace and plentie should be so miserably deluded as to undoe themselves willfully and sheath their swords into one anothers bowels to save a Lord and five Members from tryall by Law 12. That you may perswade us some way or other that the King ought to give up the Bishops and their lands since he hath hitherto protected them to the utmost of his power you argue by supposition Suppose say you a King put a Commander into a City and give him an Oath to maintaine the priviledges of it and
dutie to be Master of his negative voice and to deny consent If he deny consent he does his dutie observes his Oath If he yeeld assent he breaks his oath and failes of his dutie And this will prove no lesse then sin I have already demonstrated that Episcopacy is agreable to the word of God and that it is the Institution of Christ himself It is sinne therefore to abolish it or to consent to the abolishing thereof You neither have nor can justifie the contrary out of holy writ or from the ancient and Apostolike Church And yet the Observations upon the Ordinance for Ordination have been extant in Print above these three years But you and your Assembly Rabbines take no notice of it because you have not what to say against it 19. But though you have neither Scripture Councels nor Fathers for the abolishing of Episcopacy yet you have reason grounded upon policy to worke his Miajestie to yeeld to this abolition For say you he cannot now deny consent without sin It seemes then he might without sin deny consent heretofore but not now And why not now as well as heretofore Because say you if he consent not there will evidently continue such distraction and confusion as is most repugnant to the weale of his people which he is bound by the Rule of Government and his Oath to provide for Thus sin shall vary at your pleasure sin it shall be now that was none heretofore That shall be sin in King Charles which was vertue and piety in Queen Elizabeth and all their religious ancesters 20. Where no Law is there is no transgression Before then you prove it to be a sin you must prove it to be against some Law either of God or man Not against the Law of God that 's already proved Not against the Law of man since no man can sin against that Law to which he is not subject The Laws are the Kings he gives Laws to his subjects not his subjects to him and we know no Law of his against Bishops Indeed the Laws of this Land are so far from the extirpation of Bishops that the fundament all Law of this Kingdom approves of them They then that are enemies to Bishops are enemies to the fundamentall Law of this Kingdom And what is fundamentall is in and of the foundation If then a Law be made to extirpate Bishops it grates upon the foundation it is against the fundamentall Law of this Realme it contradicts that Law of Laws the word of God Besides we are assured by that learned in the Law Justice Jenkins that it is against the Kings Oath and the Oaths of the Houses to alter the Government for Religion But an alteration of this Government must necessarily follow upon the abolition of Episcopacy Yea with Bishops not onely the Church and Religion will be ruined but the very Government and Laws of the Kingdom will be so confounded that the learned in the Law will not know where to find Law They must burn their old books and begin the world upon the new model All this will amount to no small sin it will be to the shame of this Land to the ruine of those two noble professions Divinity and Law and to the common misery of the people 21. These reasons premised I shall justly return your own words upon your self in this manner It is not in the Kings power to consent to the abolition of Episcopacy because he cannot now yeeld consent without sin For if he consent there will evidently follow such distraction and confusion as is most repugnant to the weal of his people which he is bound by the Rule of Government and his Oath to provide for I say so and true it is because it is evident to every discerning eye that there are as many and those more considerable that are cordially for Episcopacy and Common Prayer as are against them Indeed they are not so factious so mutinous and bloody as the other What multitudes are there in this Kingdom that mourn and grieve to see Religion so opprest so trampled on and almost breathing out her last In truth it is palpable that these seditious and irreligious courses have ingendred and propagated and will continue such distraction and confusion in Church and State as is most repugnant not onely to the present but to the eternall wedl and salvation of his people both which he is bound to provide for but more especially for the later 22. And whereas you say Such distraction and confusion will continue unlesse Episcopacy be abolished if seems you are resolved to continue these distractions But God knows and your words testifie that it is not the calling or the office of a Bishop that is offensive it is their honour and their wealth which you aim at these with their revenues must be shared amongst you of the Presbyterian faction and then all shall be well Till then we must look for nothing but fire and sword Hence it evidently appears that neither Episcopacy nor the Kings dissent but your ambition and avarice have been the true cause of these distractions and combustions Such a sedition as this there was in the time of Moses about the Priesthood because every man might not sacrifice as when and where he pleased Because Corah might not wear a Miter and go into the most holy place as well as Aaron And yet who dares say that the Priestood was the cause of those uproars 23. That insurrection was against Moses and Aaron against Prince and Priest but against the Prince for the Priests sake because the Prince would not endure that every one should meddle with the Priests office or strip him of his means and honour That conspiracie was linsie-woolsie loomed up of Clergie and Laitie Korah the son of Levi was the ring-leader and with him two hundreth and fiftie of his own Tribe To these were joyned Dathan and Abiram great Princes and men of renown such as were eminent in blood and of the tribe of Reuben And was not the crie the same then that is now Moses and Aaron Prince and Priest ye take too much upon you seeing all the congregation is holy every one of them and the Lord is among them Wherfore then lift ye your selves above the congregation of the Lord The Prince and Priest did but their duty and yet are obbraided with pride God raised them to their places and they are charged to raise themselves But Moses justly retorts upon them what they had falsly cast upon him Ye take too much upon you ye sons of Levi. What Is it not enough for you that God hath separated you from the multitude that he hath taken you neer himself to do the service of the Lords tabernacle but you must have the Priests office But you must be offering incense as well as the High Priest The Priest of the second Order would needs be equall