Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A27454
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The original of kingly and ecclesiastical government by T.B. ...
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Barlow, Thomas, 1607-1691.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing B1513A; Wing B196; ESTC R37045
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57,729
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118
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the Christians shambles I should be sorry that Holland should be the English-mans Looking-glass a spur for his feet or a copy for his hand I hope the hand of Providence will cure us like the Physician who cur'd his Patient by improving his disease from a gentle Ague to a high Feaver that he might the better help him CHAP. XV. That Episcopacy is Jure Divino IN this Discourse I shall not trouble my self nor you with Titles Names and words of Apostles Evangelists Arch-bishops Bishops Patriarchs Presbyters Ministers Angels of Churches c. which were all from the highest to the lowest but tearms reciprocal and were often taken in the Church of God and in the Scripture it self for one and the same for if any man though never so mean a Minister of the Gospel converted any Nation the Church ever called him the Apostle of that Country as Austin though but a Monk was every where tearmed the Apostle of England and St. Paul being an Apostle stiles himself a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Paul bids Timothy being a Bishop to do the work of an Evangelist and therefore no wonder if Bishops and Presbyters be often mentioned for one and the same but it is a great wonder that any manner of men should make this a ground for any argument against Episcopacy these kind of arguments instead of striking fire that should light the candle they do but pin napkins over our eyes and turn us round until we know not where we are and then we grope for we know not who and lay hold of we know not what he that will cut down this over-grown up-start-tree of error must first clear his way to the root and brush away all those brambles and briers which grow about it we must not leave any thing standing that may lay hold of the hatchet and deviate the stroke turning the same edge upon the feller that was intended for the tree if we should insist upon names and titles we should make but a confounded piece of work and run our selves into a most inextricable labyrinth and Mazes of error where we might run and go forwards and backwards and round about and ne're the near Christs are Kings Kings are Gods God is Christ and Christ is Bishop of our souls Bishops are Presbyters Presbyters are Ministers a Minister is an Apostle an Apostle is a Minister and so if you will quite back again I must put off these as David threw away Sauls Armour non possum incedere cum iis I love to knock down this mâ—nstrum informe ingens cui lumen ademptum with a blunt stone taken out of a clear River which with the sling of application may serve well enough to slay this erroneous Philistine though he were far greater than he iâ— In the first place therefore let us understand what is meant by Jus Diviâ—um if any man means that Episcopacy is so Jure Divino that it is unalterable and must continue at all times and in all places so that where it is left off there can be no Church he means to give much offence and little reason for there is no question but the Church may alter their own Government so that it be left to themselves to alter as they shall think 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 Episcopal Government doth not consist in the Episcopacy but in the Government be it Episcopal or what it will but where the Government is Episcopal no question but there Episcopal Government is Jure Divino because a Government and if it were otherwise that Government into which Episcopacy degenerateth would be Jure Divino as well as 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 aâ— strong possession of his own 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 Episcopal 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 postern power never falls to the ground neither in Church nor State but look what one lets fall another takes up before ever it comes to ground wherefore losing 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 unusual as unwarrantable le ts out this Jus Diviâ—â—â— 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 one opinion is this That any Government thus set up or by such practices 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 until the Bishops had altered themselves they might have styed long enough to which it may be answered that had the Bishops been but as poor as Job there would have been no such hast to change their cloaths The Ark was a type of the Church and whatsoever was literally commanded concerning the type must be Analogically observed in the thing typified 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
a man without aspersing himself with the least immodesty may pretend to see more then all those who went before him had observed and what hath this child pick-a-pocket spied a Birds-neast can there be a simpler thing imagined whereby to give impudence the chair and throw all the Ancient Fathers flat upon their backs then this so common and so much approv'd of instance to usher innovation not only into the Church but also into the very soul of Scripture it self for what if it be granted that a child upon a Gyants shoulders sees further then doth the Gyant himself doth the child know better what he sees then doth the said Gyant must not the child ask the Gyant what is what of all that he beholds must not the child be informed by the knowing Gyant of the difference between the mountains and the valleys the water and the skie a cock and a bull if the child be thus ignorant what doth the childs getting up upon the Gyants shoulders advantage the child in points of controversie except it be such a child as Saint Christopher had got upon his shoulders that was Judg of all the World if the child be not so simple but understands all these things then believe me he is no chilâ— in understanding but a Gyant himself in knowledge anâ— so the similitude the child and the Gyant come tumbling all down together seat a child nâ—ver so high he is but a child still and sits but at the feet of a Gamaliel when he is upon the â—houlders of a Gyant no child was ever thought worthy to pose all the Doctors but the Child Jesus Now to clear the Text from those blots and blurs that are thrown upon the words going before this Text of Scripture Touch not mine Anointed viz. I have reproved Kings for their sakes Ergo the word Anointed could not betoken Kings because Kings were reproved for their sakes who were the Lords Anointed now say they the word Anointed must necessarily signifie the people of God for whose sake these Kings were reproved and so it doth but yet my Corahmites Dathamites and Abiramites you must not think to be all alike holy unto the Lord as that ye are all concern'd in this nolite tangere There is no question but that in some sence the elect of God are anointed ones of the Lord but not peculiarly the Lords Anointed they are filii olii sons of oyl as the Prophet terms them but not Christi mei or Christi tui or Christi ejus or Christi Domini which were attributâ—s that were never given by the holy Ghost to any but to Christ and Kings the Priests who were anointed really never were term'd in Scripture the Lords Anointed anâ— the prouâ—eâ—t and most rebellious people that ever â—ere whose arrogance claim'd an equality with never in sacris strove to be above their Prieâ—s Now if you expect clearness in the fountain do not ye trouble the waters anâ— you hâ—â— beholâ— the springs of truth arise 't was the elect and chosen of the Lord that were here meant by anointed and it was the feeâ— of Abraham and it was not Kings that were meant by this word anointed in the Text But it was not all the elect of God that must not be touch'd it was not all the seed of Abraham who have this noli me tangere about them but it was Abraham Isâ—aâ— and Jacob for whose sake God reproved Kings as they are plainly nominated in the same Psalm and none else if there be mention made of the seed of Abraham Isaac and Jacob were the seed of Abraham who were else mentioned and though we cannot comprehend these three under the notion of nominal Kings yet we may be pleased to consider them as real Princes Principi Dei es enter nos as it was said to Abraham thou art a mighty Prince amongâ—t us so Kings may be reproved for their sakes they may be Kings too and yet the Lords Anointed for whose sake Kings were reproved for we do not dispute about the name but the thing Now wheresoever you find this word nolite tangere you shall find this word saying going before it which of necessity must have some reference to some other place of Scripture to which it must allude and in reference to which it must be spoken for the word saying makes it rather a question of some Author then the Psalmist's own this allusion you may easily perceive Gen. 26.11 where it is set down how that God touched the heart of Abimelech King of the Philistims in the behalf of Isaac one of the three named in the Psalm so that King Abimelech charged all his people saying He that toucheth this man shall surely die So Abimelech and King Herod were both reproved for Abrahams sake Gen. 12.10 And to what place of Scripture can this nolite tangere be more aptly applyed then to this where we find the same words reiterated Or what clearer testimony can be given of the Scriptures alluding to this saying Touch not mine Anointed then to Gen 16.29 where totidem verbis it is said to Abimelech in the behalf of Isaac We have not touched thee thou blessed of the Lord what difference between these words And touch not mine Anointed Besides the Marginal notes of all our Bibles directs us to Abraham Isaac and Jacob as to the Anointed of the Lord and as the Princes of Gods people which must not be touch'd and for whose sakes Kings were so much reproved the word King in the Text doth not exclude those who were Princes but it only includes those Princes who were called Kings and were reproved for their sakes who were Kings themselves re though not nomine so that all the ground that will be gained hereby will be that one Prince was reproved for another though not called Kings To concluâ—e as no Christians ever interpreted this place of â—cripture but of Kings and Princes until Jesuits and Puritans unâ—ertook that it is lawful to murther Kings So no English Author ever interpretâ—d it otherwise till within this seven or eight years when Presbyters and Independents began to put this doctrin in execution and if the former of these two would wash their hands in innocency as relating to this last unparallel'd act of Regicide let them remember CHARLES the Proto-Martyr of Gods Church and People His own words in his Book of Meditations wherein He tells them How vain is the shift of their pleading exemption from that aspersion to grant Commission for shooting of bullets of Iron and Lead in his face and preserving him in a Parenthesis of words CHAP. XI Objection REhoboam hearkened unto young men which gave him evil counsel and would not hearken unto his sages which gave him good advice but answered the people roughly wherefore they renounced the right they had in David and the inheritance they had in the son of Jesse fled to their Tents and Crowned Jeroboam King Ergo we may do the like upon the