Wor'ster and not Mr. Baxter that is the Pastor of Kidderminster as well as of all Other Parochial Churches in that Diocesse and that the Cure of Souls in That or any other Parish of That Diocesse was never either by Himself or any Other Bishop of Wor'ster committed to Mr. Baxter c. So that the word Sole is the Animadverter's Whimsie and foysted in only to irritate the Rabble against Prelacy as tending toward Popery when not a Syllable ever dropp'd from the Bishops Pen in favour of this feigned and frivolous Assertion To discover the Forgery the Reader needs only compare the Quotation with the Text where he shall find first the Notorious Juggle of his misallegation and Then having lugg'd in by Head and Shoulders the Popes Supremacy under That Blind weakly heaven knows he bestowes his Shot upon the Superiority of Bishops where in fine all he does is but to Combat an Idole of his own Making and which is yet more pleasant the Puppet gets the Better of the Rabbi The Bishop does not deny Parochial Ministers to be Pastors of their Particular Flocks it is not at all the Question but still they are Subordinate and Delegated by the Bishop from whom they Receive Institution and Induction Reserving still to himself the Superintendency of them All. But the man 's for Parity I perceive and against Deputation He 's Consequently â—gainst the King for a Leveller in the Church never fails to be one in the State Let him examine himself and keep his own Counsel B I forbear to â—rge how contrary this Practice is to the Doctrine of the Apostlâ—s both Paul and Peter I hope the Bishop will not take it ill that I do not call them Saints for these Holy men do not need any stile of Honour out of the Popes Kalender B The Animadverter does wondrous well to forbear Paul and Peter for to my Knowledge they are Two of the greatest Enemies he has But what a wipe he gives the Bishop for his Popes Kalender and then he Churrs like a Turky-cock at the Conceit on 't I hope the Bishop will not take it ill quoth he that I do not call them Saints He 's a notable wit I warrant him Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ c. with all the SAINTS which are in all Achaia 2 Cor. 1. 1. Paul c. to the SAINTS which are at Ephesus c. Eph. 1. 1. Salute all the SAINTS Phil. 4. 21. All the SAINTS Salute you Phil. 4. 22. Since we heard of your Faith in Christ Jesus and of your Love toward all SAINTS Col. 1. 4. Was Paul a Papist or what signifies SAINT but Holy Now for a fling at the Bishop by the way of Sole Pastor C When Paul had sent for the Elders of the Church at Ephesus he bids them to feed the Church of God over which not be himself by his sole Authority aâ— Bishop of the Diocess but the Spirit of God had made them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Overseers or to use the proper stile Biâ—hops And Peter commands his Fellow Elders for so doth that Apostle 〈◊〉 to call himself to feed the Flock which was among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Overseeing or Acting the Bishops not like the Bishop of Worcester as Lording it over Gods Heritage but as Patteâ—ns of the Flock From which places we learn not only that those two so much controverted Names of Bishop and Presâ—yter are without distinction ascribed to the same Persons but likewise that whoever fâ—d the Flock are under Christ whom the Apostle there stilâ—s the Chief Shepheard the next and immediate Pastors of the Flock and to extend the Pastoral Power beyond the actual care of Feeding is a notion altogether uâ—scriptural and likewise leaves us no bounds where to fix till we come to ceâ—re upon some one Universal Pastor who may claim this Power over the whole world by the same parity of reason that a Bishop doth over one Dâ—ocesse C Very good Paul sends for the Elders of the Church at Ephesus and they come I hope so there 's Authority and Obedience The Apostle gives them their Charge also to Feed the Flock whereof the Holy Ghost had made them Over-seers not the Bishop of the Diocesse sayes our Aerius No question of it Does the Bishop of Wor'ster assume any Personal Privilege in Matters Essential to his Function Does he pretend to Act by any other Virtue then That of his Ecclesiastical Mission If not his rude Parenthesis is a double Impertinence Again Peter sayes he Commands his Fellow-Elders c. Par in Parem non habet Imperium A Superiority among Equals is a Contradiction The word in truth is soâ—ter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which intimates rather Exhortation or Entreaty and for his Fellow-Elders it signifies just as much from the Apostle as Fellow-Souldiours from a General Their Commission is to Feed he sayes and Over-see not like the Bishop of Worcester c. Lording it over Gods Heritage c. His Rayling apart Marque now his Inferences First that the Names of Bishop and Presbyter are without distinction apply'd to the same Persons Go to then but can he shew me where the Powers are exercis'd in Common too We do not argue upon Names but Things Can Presbyters Ordein Inflict a Censure or as Meer Presbyters can they Govern Let 's see a Text for 't If they are Overseers in Respect of their Flocks They are yet part of the Flock Themselves in respect of the Diocesan Bishop They Oversee and they are Overseen according to the Scale of Order and Authority His next Deduction is Haeretical Church-Parity to which he adds that the Pastoral Power extends only to the Actual care of Feeding Is 't not a Shephard's Duty as well to Govern his Flock as to Feed it To Keep in Straglers c. Bishop Andrews will tell you in his Opuscula Posthuma that Pastor in the Latin Church is alwayes taken for a Bishop for one that Governs as well as Feeds and Governs even the Feeders of Particular Flocks In Homer the King himself is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Shepheard of his People Touching his Universal Pastor by the same reason we are to have an Universal King EXCEPTION III. A IT seems to be a Light and to say no more unseemly trifling with sacred Scripture to affirm that those words of our Saviour concerning such as come not in by the door and therefore are Thieves and Robbers ought to be understood of such Ministers as preach to Congregations without the Bishops License Which thing the Bishop in great heat and Earnestnesse as if he had done very well in it tels us more then once that it was the Principal reason why he silenced Mr. Baxter A SOmebody resolve me whether This Libeller has more Wit or Honesty and take the Naked Truth of the Story Baxter for Brevity sake throwes out one Dancy the Minister of Kidderminster from his Living and
Wisdom Pag. 11. an Irony Here 's his Vomit and in the name of Peace what stirr'd this Humour De Iracundiâ Magister Iracundissimus disputat The Bishop of Wor'ster wipes off an Aspersion cast upon him by Mr. Baxter The Animadverter masques himself like a Son of the Church gives it against Baxter and without any Interest in the Dispute or Provocation to it falls upon the Bishop in what Termes we have shew'd already and after a word or two more wee 'll look into his Reasons Thrice Three are his Exceptions so that we have something Sacred and Mysterious in the Number how loose and weak-soever we find the Matter of them Truly I could wish them either Shorter Fewer or Better for the Readers sake but since that Reverend Prelate is concern'd I would not wish them Other for the Bishops In Truth so foul they are that to say What they are might pass for Railing We shall however expose the Libel every Syllable of it take it in Order and in Pieces confronting every Point Material in it with such Answer as the Quality of it requires And now to his Exceptions which begin with This Charge upon the Bishop EXCEPTION I. A FIrst That he supposeth there is so strict an Union and so inseparable a Dependence between Kings and Bishops that they must stand and fall together and all who are enemies to the one must needs be enemies to the other I know very well this Axiom is much talked of and some advantage may be taken to confirm it from the event of our Late Wars A THe Maxime which he Hints at and Abuses came from King James deliver'd upon Experience and since Confirm'd by the Murther of a King and the Dissolution of Monarchy Both which were Effect'd upon the same Grounds and by Those very Persons that Abolish'd Episcopacy But the saying is No BISHOP no KING and not in the Conversion as if it were Impossible in Nature for the One to subsist without the Other 'T is a Rule however that deserves to be Register'd in regard that never any Faction destroy'd Bishops and Sav'd the Monarch I wish it were in Capital Letters in every Chamber of his Majesties Palace No BISHOP no KING But One way or Other what does This concern the Bishop of Wor'ster who neither sayes nor supposes any thing to This Purpose for he does not so much as meddle with the Question but finding himself Traduc'd by some that had frequently and openly defam'd the King And is it any Wonder sayes he that those that are such Enemies to Kings should not be Friends to Bishops This Libeller would have the Face to tell the Sun 't were Midnight His next Fetch is a deep one B You know likewise Sir how much my Judgment is for the Order of Bishops and how Passionate a Lover I am both of the Kings Person and Government but yet being thus called by You to declaâ—e the Truth though coâ—trary to my own Humour and Interest I must needs say c. B This Cuts a Hair the Man we see is Willing but Weak Alass You know SIR how much my Judgment c. and how Passionate a Lover c. What is there in This Fawning Clause that the Kings Headsman might not set his Hand to He does not say you know that I Am Thus or So but you know how much I am that is Whether I am or not The most Pestilent Enemy the King has might have said aâ—â—ch Marque â—w what 't is his Judgment is so much for For the Order of Bishops He will not say Degree or Praelation of them That he renounces but the Order of them a Goodly Shift Because every Bishop is a Presbyter therefore every Presbyter is a Bishop The King is a Gentleman is therefore every Gentleman a King An Eâ—rl is a Baron but the Baron is not Therefore an Earl These Differ in Order upon the same proportion of Reason as does a Bishop from a Presbyter But to clear This point we are first to agree what 's meant by Order There is first Ordo Dignitatis An Order or Dignity or Praelation and in This Respect A Bishop differs from a Presbyter as does a Presbyter from a Deacon It is Otherwise taken for Potestas ad Actum Specialem a Power or Enablement for some Special Act and in This sense a Bishop differs Ordine from a Presbyter in the Power of Ordination and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction as a Presbyter does from a Deacon in the Power of Consâ—crating the Sacrament of the Eucharist Now say on C It is clear from Story that Kings were in all parts of the world in their most flourishing Estate before ever Bishops were heard of and no reason can be given why what hath once been may not with the same terms of convenience be again C 'T is right Kings flourish'd before either Bishops or Christians were ever heard of and therefore by his Argument we may be as well without Christianity as without Episcopacy But Here 's the Case Kings have been well without Bishops and never well with Presbyterians which shall they Quit First To conclude There is not at this day extant any Christian Monarchy without Bishops or the Equivalence of them D Bishops as they are by Law established in England are purely the Kings subordinate Ministers in the Management of Ecclesiastical Affairs which his Majesty may conferr upon what Order of men he pleases though they be as much Lay Persons as You and I are It is therefore very injurious to the Kings Authority to averr that He could not otherwise uphold and maintain it than by preserving the Undue and as some think Antichristian Dignity and Prelation of his inâ—iour Officers D. Infallibly This man is some Lay-Chaplain and is now beating the Bush to start a Benefice without Ordination What does he mean by Purely the Kings subordinate Ministers Does he understand by Purely as if to all purposes Ecclesiastical they Acted only by Regal Deputation The King himself does not pretend to all the Powers they Exercise The Authority of their External Jurisdiction flows from Him but their Internal and Ministerial Power derives from God As Subjects they proceed by the Kings Laws as Ministers they Act by a Divine Commission His Majesty may conferr he sayes c. What may his Majesty Conferr Leave to Elect not Power to Ordein That by a Right of Apostolical Succession descends and Rests upon the Church From This wild and weak Assertion he proceeds to give you a Tast of his Morals as well as of his Intellectuals and to uphold his Argument by Scandal and Sedition By Scandal first in charging the Fictions and Fantastiques of his own brain upon the Bishp of Wor'ster and Then by Sedition in casting his Audacious and Reproachful Epithetes of Undue and Antichristian upon an Order Instituted by Christ himself and Incorporate with the Government of this Nation by the Supreme Authority But still he persues his shadow
Enslav'd the Nation and Setled Nothing Marque now the Menace of his last Period What does it say but This Let the King take up his Bishops or look to himself And to Embitter the People against Bishops Feuds and Animosities he presages though this Bishop cares not EXCEPTION VIII A WHether as to the matter of Fact the French Protestants do enjoyn standing at the Sacrament and the Dutch kneeling I will labour to enform my self of some more Unbyassed witness than this Bishâ—p for in the Ecclesiastical Laws of those Churches which I have carefully perused I can find no such matter But if they did so this would not at all justifie the Imposition of Kneeling because 1. The Question is de Jure whether it be lawful to prescribe any one such certain Posture without submiting to which it shall not be lawful to admit any to the Sacrament and till the Affirmative of this be proved by Scriptures Examples and Instances from the Practice of men will not satisfie a doubting conscience 2. Neither of those fore-mentioned Postures are so much to exception as Kneeling because this last is manifestly more superstitious for 1. It varies most of any from the First Pattern 2. It hath been monstrously abused by the Papists to Idolatry which alone renders it most unsafe to be practised and most Unwarrantable to be imposed Especially till it be again explained as in the very first Liturgy of all it was which I particularly mention to shew how little our Reformation since Edw. 6th time hath been improved A HE cannot passe the Bishop without a Reverence Some more Unbyass'd Witnesse then This Bishop c. This is the handsomest Ly he has given the Bishop yet But to our Businesse leaving the French and Dutch to their Pleasure we have already argu'd that whatsoever is Deductively in the Scripture is sufficiently There to warrant the Practice of it and we have prov'd Kneeling to be rationally and evidently compriz'd in the General Precept of Decency Now to his Particular Exceptions It varyes sayes he from the First Pattern Was it a Pattern for a Posture or the Institution of a Sacrament Mind the Text. The Lord Jesus in the night when he was betray'd took Bread and when he had given Thanks he brake it and said Take Eat This is my body which is broken for you THIS DO ye in Remembrance of Me. After the same manner also he took the Cup when he had supped saying This Cup is the New Testament in my Bloud THIS DO as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me We have here the Complement of the Institution Now see the Extent of the Command DO THIS What 's That Take Bread Give Thanks Break it and say Take Eat c. So likewise of the Cup in such manner as is Prescrib'd Here 's the whole Precept without any Mention or the least Hint of other Circumstance either for Time Posture Habit or the like All which being left equally Indifferent why not at Night in the same Habit Language and Syllables as well as the same Posture But Kneeling he says has been abus'd to Idolatry and therefore not warrantably Impos'd Have not Churches been Abus'd has not the Holy Scripture it self been misapply'd and made the ground of Heresie Are they not therefore Warrantably Used Finally the main stumble they make of Kneeling is the Command now if a Posture of Body may not be Commanded what may So that ex professo their Enmity is not so much Levell'd at the Evil as at the Government EXCEPTION IX A AS it was needlesly so was it likewise Uncharitably done to revile the whole body of Presbyterians for the Faults of Mr. Baxter upon supposition that either he is a Presbyterian or so culpable as the Bishop would make him For since every man is to bear his own Burden what Bible did the Bishop find it in that he might without scruple asperse a whole order of Men for the pretended miscarriage of one who by the Bishop's own Confession was not of so Amicable and complyant a Temper as the rest And therefore certainly they ought not to be brought in as Parties in that crime of Unpeaceableness from which the Bishop just before hadâ—absolved them but choler spoyls the Memory and sure his Brethren the Bishops would not take it well of a Presbyterian should he cry out Crimine ab uno disce omnes See what manner of Spirit these Bishops are of and judge them all by the Bishop of Wercester ' s example Truly Sir I am a little angry when I consider how much this one mans Indiscretion hath exposed all of the same Order to Censure For were they all like him which I do not nor dare not think I should not scruple to pray heartily what the Bishop doth in scorn concerning the Preachers Lord deliver us from such Bishops And let all the People say Amen A OF This Cavil we have both had enough and said enough in and to his first Exception and the Animadverter discovers that somewhat has spoyl'd his Memory too as well as he sayes Choler has done the Bishops which is a Pitty considering how little Pretense the Libeller has for a Bad one and how much use for a Good one I would Gladly know in what Bible the Animadverter learned to despise Government and speak evil of Dignities to bear false Witnesse against his Neighbour c. He sayes the Bishop judges Uncharitably in measuring All by One and that he now condemns whom just before he absolv'd Answer Neither the One nor the Other First his words are only in Proportion of the whole Party which does not Imply either All or in the same Degree And for the Bishop's Contradicting himself with what Ingenuity can any man extend his Meaning to All which in Terminis is limited to Those of Mr. Baxter's Judgement and in distinction from others of a more complying and Peaceable Temper To go on with him D. E. tells the Honourable Sir that he is a little Angry to consider how This one mans Indiscretion exposes all of the same Order to Censure Grosse Impostour Does he not streyn his little Wit and huge Confidence to the utmost only to start a Scandal and fix a Blot upon the Bishop with what Temper of Spirit with what weight or in truth Colour of Reason with what Ingenuity and Affection he has menaged This Discourse let the Indifferent determine He concludes his Exceptions with a Prayer Lord deliver us says he from such Bishops Good God say I Preserve his Majesty from Treason and Deliver the Church from Schism POSTSCRIPT A THus Sir you see how willing I am to serve you in proposing my Exceptions the fuller prosecution of which I must leave to some other Pen more able both in Divinity and Policy who may convince both the Bishop and the World that it is not yet time to sow such Tares This Age is a liitle too knowing to be gulled