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A27115 The royal charter granted unto kings, by God himself and collected out of his Holy Word, in both Testaments / by T.B. ... ; whereunto is added by the same author, a short treatise, wherein Episcopacy is proved to be jure divino. Bayly, Thomas, d. 1657? 1649 (1649) Wing B1514; ESTC R17476 64,496 181

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is no question but the Church may alter their own government so that it be left to themselves to alter as they shall thinke most convenient as well as alter the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first of the week or as well as they chang'd immersion into aspersion of the baptised and many other things which carried as much Jus Divinum with them as Episcopacy and yet were chang'd The Jus Divinum that is in Episcopall Government doth not consist in the Episcopacy but in the Government be it Episcopall or what it will but where the government is Episcopall no question but there Episcopall government is Jure Divino because a government and if it were otherwise that government into which Episcopacy degenerateth would be Jure Divino as well it provided that none touch this Ark of the Church but the Priests themselves for if the hand which belongs to the same body pull the hat from off the head the man loses not his right only he stands in a more humble posture but he is in as strong possession of his owne right as when 't was on his head but if another hand should chance to pull it off the party stands disgracefully depriv'd of his highest right and ornament So if Episcopall Government of the Church be put down or altered by Church-men themselves the Jus Divinum is but removed from the supremacy of one and fastened in the stronger hold of many members for this is a Maxim that admits no posterne power never fals to the ground neither in Church nor State but look what one lets fall another takes up before ever it comes to ground wherefore loosing nothing they keep their own but whether this power in Church or State in the point of convenience be better in the hands of one or many let whose will look to that that 's not my work neither the names of governments nor the numbers of governours shall ever be able to fright away this Jus Divinum out of the Church government be the government what it will bene visum fuit spiritui sancto nobis keeps in the Jus Divinum be the government never so altered whereas forbidden and improper hands actions as unusuall as unwarrantable lets out this Jus Divinum when they have changed it to what they can imagine now whether or no it be proper for a Lay Parliament or a Representative of Lay-men by the power of the Sword declining the Kings Authority will and pleasure who was appointed by God to be a nursing Father of his Church to alter Church-government so Antient so begun by Christ himself in his own person over so many Apostles so practis'd by the Apostles over others so continued all along I mean Episcopacy that is to say one Minister constituted an overseer of many and to lay hold upon tumults and insurrections to pull down these overseers and for men who in such cases should be governed by the Church to pull down the Church-government without any the least consent of the Church-governours I leave it for the world to judge only my own opinion is this That any government thus set up or by such practises as these altered must needs be so far from being Jure Divino that it must needs be Jure Diabolico but it may be objected that if they should have stayed untill the Bishops had altered themselves they might have staied long enough to which it may be answered that had the Bishops been but as poor as Job there would have been no such haste to change their cloathes The Ark was a tipe of the Church and whatsoever was literally commanded concerning the tipe must be analogically observed in the thing tipified God sate in the Mercy-Seat that was over the Ark the Ark contained within it Aarons Rod and a pot of Manna so the Church containes the Law the Gospel the killing letter and the reviving spirit others interpret the Rod to signifie the government and discipline of the Church as the Manna the Doctrine of Christ and food that came down from heaven I take it to signifie both and both answers my purpose if both be therein contained neither must be touch'd but by the Priests themselves neither must we confine this prohibition to the Priests of the Law only but we must extend it also to the Ministers of the Gospel both which were tipified by the two Cherubims or ministring Angels of the Almighty these Ministers or Angels though opposite to one another yet they both lookt alike and neither of them upon one another but both of them upon the Ark that was between them there was mutuality in their looks and their wings touch'd one another so though the Ministers of the Law and the Gospel seem opposite in the administration of the same grace yet they must come so near as to touch one another in the manner of the administration exempli gratia as there was in the old Law High Priests Priests and Levites so in the new Law Bishops Presbyters and Deacons as none but Priests were to touch the Ark so none but the Ministers should reforme the Church Thus much for Government now for Episcopacy the question then concerning Episcopacy will be whether or no Jure Divino one Minister which answers to all names and sorts of Church-men and Church-officers whatsoever may not exercise jurisdiction and power over many Ministers within such a place or territory if this be granted the Bishops aske no more if it be denied how then did Christ Jesus Bishop of our souls give orders and directions to his twelve Apostles and taught them how they should behave themselves throughout this Dioces the whole world how did Saint Paul exercise jurisdiction over Timothy and Titus who were both Bishops and how did these two Bishops exercise jurisdiction over all the Ministers of Creet and Ephesus was not this by divine institution If I find by divine writ that Christ laid the foundation of his Church in himselfe alone being over all the Apostles and if I find that these Apostles every Apostle by himselfe in imitation of ou● Saviour accordingly exercised jurisdiction and authority over many Minister● which were under them and commanded others to do the like as Paul Timothy and Titus and if I find the practise of the Church all along through the whole tract of time to continue the like Discipline shall not I believe this Discipline to be Jure Divino except Christ sends down a new conje deslier from heaven upon the election of every new Bishop Christ laies the foundation we build upon it he gives us the modell we follow the pattern the Church is built is not this by Divine Right because he doth not lay the severall stones with his own hands Christ promised that he would be alwayes with his Church and that he would send his holy spirit amongst them which should lead them into all truth so that the gates of Hell should not prevaile against it