judgement zeale courage constancy unity unamity in the love of the Truth that such a perfect Reformation may be wrought as Christ at this time calleth for as his word appointeth as all Gods people every where thirst after and as the whole Antichristian faction is afraid of that so when Christ alone shall be set upon his Throne over our soules to rule us according to his word and to dwell among us by his Spirit the Kings throne may be for ever established in justice and judgement and Gods people in this Land may enjoy both inward and outward peace unto the day of Christ and so our posterity after us may blesse God and for ever call this Parliament The blessed Parliament Let the Reader correct as here he sees cause Errata PAge 4. line 1. reade 3. hundred l. 11. blot out 1. p. 6. l. 12. r. possibly be l. 20. r. as is usuall p. 7. l. 10. r. may be proved p. 11. l. 19. r. truly ancient p. 16. l. 8. r. order sake l. ult. r. of false p. 20. l. 10. r. of Prelates p. 16. l. 11. r. forme of Liturgie p. 24. r. in the Test. l. 26. r. Commandements of men p. 28. l. 23. r. grievances p. 31. l. 18. r. accommodate p. 34. l. 11. r. and is surest p. 38. l. 9. r. out of the way p. 50. l. 16. r. said Articles p. 66. l. 4. r. and lay p. 67. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 CASES OF CONCIENCE CASE I. Whether Diocesan Bishops as they are commonly called be by Divine right THe answer is negative They are not The reasons are First Because the Scripture knoweth no such creatures as Diocesan Bishops for the Bishops mentioned in Scripture are none other than Presbyters whereof one or moe were set over their several congregations respectively as we clearly reade Tit. 1. 5 7. Act. 20. 17 â—8 So Act. 14. 23. compared with Philip 1. 1. So as Presbyters Bishops in Scripture are convertible termes every Presbyter a Bishop and every Bishop a Presbyter Secondly Because all such prelaticall jurisdiction and domination as our Diocesans usurpe and exercise is expresly forbidden by Christ himselfe as Mat. 20 25 26. Mark 10. 42 43. Luke 22. 25 26. Thirdly Because the Apostles condemned all such jurisdiction and domination as our Prelats use As 2 Cor. 1. 24. 2 Cor. 11. 20. 2 Thess. 2. 4. 1 Pet. 5. 3. 3 Joh. 9. 10. Fourthly Because Apostles themselves whose successors Prelats pretend to be never used any such jurisdiction as the Prelats doe neither in Ordination of Ministers nor in excommunication both which they doe most grosly abuse nor in making of Canons or setting up or imposing of Ceremonies both of meer humane invention which the Apostles utterly condemned Gal. 4. 9. 10. Col. 2. 8 c. Fiftly Because the Prelats are never able to prove by any demonstration from Scripture that their jurisdiction is of Divine authority their allegations are meere pervertings of scripture as they alledge first Christs ordaining twelve Apostles and seventy Disciples here was an inequality say they Ergo a superiority of jurisdiction But neither can hee prove here any such authority as they pretend or much lesse any subordination of the seventy unto the Twelve for the Twelve neither ordained nor sent forth the Seventy Secondly they alledge the post-scripts after the second Epistle to Timothy and after that to Titus which say That those two were Bishops But 't is cleare that those postscripts are no part of the Text as Beza well sheweth Nor are they to be found in the vulgar Latine translation which was at the least an hundred yeares after Christ Timothy and Titus were both Evangelists not resident anywhere but as the Apostles called them from Country to country as we read in Pauls Epistles and if they were to bee called Bishops according to the scripture they must have beene Bishops over one Congregation respectively Thirdly they aledge those seven Angels 1 Revel 2 3. These say they were seven Bishops This they can never prove And if Bishops yet Diocesans they were not seeing for some hundreds of yeares after there were no such Diocesse extant And our last Translation in the contents of the second Chapter of the Revelation calls those Angels the Ministers of those Churches And for the Angel to be meant of one single man doth imply many absurdities as that God should destroy a whole Church for one mans sake for God threatneth the Angell of Ephesus if hee repent not to remove his Candlesticke out of his place to wit that whole Church But God never doth so there is not in all the whole scripture any one example that God ever rooted out a whole State or Church generall or particular for one mans sinne be he Magistrate or Governor And if God for one pretended Prelates sin should remove or destroy a whole Church as that of Ephesus as there he threatens the Angell who alone is charged with one onely sinne which was a declination from his first love Then what security or safety can the whole Church or State of England long promise to it selfe so long as it harboreth in the bosome and bowels thereof such a crew and confederacy of most notorious and apostatised Prelates who have not now declined in some degrees from the faith formerly professed but have openly oppressed and persecuted the Preachers and preaching of the Gospel and that even unto bloud And againe to goe about to proove the lawfulnesse of Prelacy by the Word of God from a word of a darke and figurative signification against cleer and expresse testimonies of Scripture to the contrary is most absurd and too presumptuous For for Angell here to signifie a Prelate cannot possibly because the Scripture elsewhere as before damneth all Prelacy in the Church of Christ And there be many other reasons to confute them that these Angells were no such Bishops other than Scripture Bishops as aforesaid and that which was spoken to one was by a Senechdochae spoken to all as is usually in Scripture and cleare in all those seven Epistles Sixtly The wisest and learnedest of the Prelats at this day among us doe warily decline the Scripture in this point dare not stand to their authority as being point blanke against them but they fly to Custom and antiquity as the Papists doe for all their unwritten Traditions CASE II. Whether the next Age immediately succeeding the Apostles be not a sufficient warrant for Prelaticall jurisdiction seeing it may be mooved say they that there were then Bishops THe Answer is negative first because it is not a sufficient warrant to build the government of the Church upon any Humaine example which hath not expresse warrant from Gods Word Secondly Because those who were there called Bishops cannot be proved to have been Diocesan Bishops or to have had or exercised such a jurisdiction as our Prelates usurpe Thirdly could that be proved yet being not according unto but directly against the Scripture
in Gods Service It beeing also a strange presumption for any man to think that either he hath authority to prescribe how God should bee worshipped or that God should be pleased with any such will-worship when in stead of being pleased hee saith In vain they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Comments of men For surely with vaine worship God is neither pleased nor honoured Againe seeing we are here fallen upon the consideration or examination of the Service booke let all wise hearted and well instructed schollers in Christs schoole that have learned the art of separating the pretious from the vile but tell me what they think of Apocryphall bookes publiquely read in Churches as if they were the holy Scriptures What of the whole Letanie so stuffed with Tautologies or vain repetitions What of the prayer in the Letanie and of the Collect wherein Bishops or Prelates are prayed for being Antichristian and false Bishops and all other Ministers are prayed for as being the Curates of those Bishops than which what can be a greater reproach and shame to the Ministers of the Church of England What of so many carvings of Scriptures into Epistles and Gospels with their severall Collects for the maintenance and celebration of Saints days called Holydayes What of the lame and incongruous yea senseles translations of those sundry Scriptures with the Psalmes What of prayers at the buriall of the Dead What of Churching of women aliâs Their Purification as some call it and which answers to that under the Law What of Priestly absolution with many more particulars too long here to rehearse And in a word What of so many prayers injoyned to be read enough to blunt the edge of any true devotion and so to tyre out the strongest sided Minister as hee hath neither strength nor time left for Gods Ordinance namely the preaching of the Word And to say the very truth this kind of long Service was devised by the Popes successively to that very end namely to entertaine the people with a blinde devotion and to retaine them in ignorance when now no roome was left for preaching which was by this meanes thrust by the head and sholders out of their Churches And thus what a deale of pretious time is taken up with a long dull and dead forme of prayer which might and ought to be spent to edification of Gods people on the Lords owne Day which should be sanctified not in humane devises but in Gods owne Ordinances to the glory of Him who is the Lord of the day I say againe for I speake nothing definitively as passing myne own private judgement of these things let this wise and grave Senate now assembled for a thorow-reformation and removall of all abuses and grievanand primarily in the matters of God and of Christ maturely judge CASE VII Whether any set forme of a Liturgie or publique Prayer be necessarie to bee used in the publique Worship of God FOr answer Indeed if it bee necessary to have unpreaching Ministers and dumb dogs over the people of the Lord who can nor preach nor pray then it will bee no lesse necessary to have some form of Booke prayers or Liturgy for such to officiate by And for this cause the Prelates have had some reason to hold up their Liturgy to the full as without which there had beene nothing for their Mutes to do in the Church Now though dumbe Priests have need of such a Liturgy yet it doth not follow that therfore able godly Ministers that know how to fit their prayers to all such severall occasions as do continually present themselves which a set prayer in a booke cannot do should be tied to any such precise set forme For otherwise this were to quench the spirit of prayer and to muzzle the mouth of prayer and to stoppe the course of Gods spirit which doth wonderfully improve it self in all those both Ministers and people on whom God hath powred the spirit of grace and supplication and who do by daily exercise grow unto such a habit of prayer and which doth powre it selfe forth in such a life and power as is not possible for any set read prayer to exercise or have For true fervent effectuall prayer is that which is the hearts expression by the Spirit of God As the Apostle saith I will pray with my Spirit and Phil. 19. Prayer is supplied by the Spirit of Jesus Christ This is that prayer which is first in the heart before it come to the mouth and is dictated by Gods spirit before it be uttered with the lippes whereas a read prayer is in the mouth before it can come unto the heart which in prayer is a speaking unadvifedly with the lips before the heart hath first digested and suggested the matter This is an abortive birth which never had a right conception But a godly Minister that is best acquainted with the state of his flocke and of the church of God can accordingly so inlarge and apply his prayer by the supply of Gods spirit as may be most usefull to the Congregation as beeing most occmmodate to their spirits when they finde the matter of the prayer to be that the want whereof they are most sencible of so as there is here a concurrence of the spirits both of the Minister and people which causeth a prayer to bee so much the more effectuall lively powerfull and operative and that not onely with God but in the hearts of all those whose joint praier it is Whereas a read prayer is in comparison a dead and dull formal prayer without any life or power either to prevaile with God or to profit the people as beeing such a prayer as suits only such Readers as are destitute of the spirit of Grace and supplication and of faith and sanctification and therefore such as God regardeth not So as a true Minister of Christ ought not to be tyed with the bonds and lines of a written forme of prayer that must bee read forasmuch as hereby the spirit of prayer in him is bound up and both he and the people of God deprived both of the benefit of such a gift and of that profit also which the prevailing prayer of Christs spirit procures of God Yea not even a set written prayer which the Minister makes saith by heart though he reade it not and though it bee better to say it by heart than to read it out of a booke yet is or can be so lively and powerfull as that prayer which is not tied to a set forme of words From such a prayer as is uttered by heart as we say the memory is more exercised than the understanding and affections within him there beeing now a suspension of that worke of the spirit of supplication and grace which breatheth forth with a lively power in a conceived prayer wherein not the memory so much as the whole mind soule spirit affections have their joint operation But it may be objected That the
Declaration prefixed before the Articles in the Kings name prohibiting the free preaching of those points according to the Scriptures So as Ministers canot resolve what it is they subscribe unto in the sayd Article And therefore it is necessary that the said false Articles be wholly expunged and the doubtful as they pretend more fully explained and so the said Declaration prefixed taken away CASE XI Now all this done and the whole Antichristian yoke in the Prelacy with the burthen of all their Rites and Ceremonies removed from Christians neckes what is that particular form of government which is to be set up FOr answer First we premised something hereof in generall namely That Christs governement alone is to be set up in all true Christian congregations and so his yoke to be borne as our glory upon our neckes But secondly for further and a more particular unfolding of this government of Christ over every true Church or congregation First we are to enquire what the true Church of Christ is And secondly what is that governement which Christ hath appointed over every such Church For the first A true Church of Christ is a congregation of true beleevers men and women who by the Word of God preached are separated from the world and the reigning lusts thereof and declared to be such by the open profession of the true and right faith and by the conversation of Christian life conformable thereunto Such is a particular visible true Church or Congregation and so is as farre as wee can judge a true branch of the holy Catholique Church which is invisible comprehending the number of Gods Elect and is apprehended only by faith not by sight Now every such particular Congregation as aforesaid consisting of professed beleevers of the knowne truth of God according to which they frame the course of their life and conversation is in it selfe an absolute Church whose onely Governor for matters of faith and the true worship of God is Iesus Christ He it is that as King reigneth in this congregation and in all the members therof they acknowledge none other Governor for matters of Religion but Christ onely For herein stands his kingly Office and the Laws by which this King reigneth and governeth his Church is his written Word And his Vicegerent by whom Christ is alwayes present with every one of his severall Congregations is the holy Ghost which who so hath not is none of Christs Now having thus defined what a true Church of Christ is namely a congregation professing the known true faith every member thereof being able in some measure to give a reason of the maine points of faith and to make proofe of their profession by walking in a holy course of life hence it appeares who they be that are not admitted to bee members of this congregation or church of Christ therein to participate of the holy Sacrament untill their repentance and reformation namely all ignorant and prophane persons which neither beleeve a right nor live accordingly For the congregation of Christ is called the Communion of Saints being sanctified by faith in Christ and by his word and Spirit The second thing is to enquire and consider how this Church of Christ is to be governed To finde this out is no difficulty First sure it is that none but Christ is supreme and immediate Lord King and Governor of his Church whether of the Catholique or of every particular church or congregation rightly constituted as aforesaid so as no power on earth hath any authority to prescribe Lawes for the governement of this Church whether for doctrine or discipline whether for faith or worship but onely Christ whose written Word and Law is the onely rule of this government which Law all Princes who are therefore called Custodes utriusque Tabulae are bound by him whose Vicegerents they are to see well observed both by Ministers and people Here then wee will speake of the Officers which Christ hath appointed over every Christian congregation and those are either Ministers or other officers of the people First for the Ministers they are called by sundry titles as a Bishops or Presbyters b Pastors and Teachers c Ministers d Labourers and the like Their principall office is to pray to preach the word to administer the Sacraments And these Ministers however stiled in Scripture are all of equall authority not one over another nor one over many nor many over one each being in his place peculiar congregation under Christ alone as the King of his Church to whom he is accountable and under Christ to the civill Magistrate as being a subject But here a question may be moved whether a Synod of Ministers or of the churches have not power over any one Minister and so over all the Congregations either to censure particular persons or congregations or to prescribe and impose orders Rites Canons or the like For answer Some are of opinion that a Synod hath authoritie to binde particular churches to such rites as they shall prescribe and impose And they alledge that Synod or assembly of the Apostles wherein were determined certaine observances which they sent and imposed on the churches of the new convert Gentiles as necessary for them to observe some wherof were Iewish ceremonies Hence they conclude That a Synod collected of the churches hath power over particular churches to ordaine and impose ceremonies as necessary to bee observed But this act of the Apostles is no president or patterne for succeeding ages The reason is first because the Apostles were inspired with the holy Ghost which wholly guided them in all matters of the Church so as in that their determination they say expressely It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burthen Now what Synod in any age after the Apostles could ever say that they were infallibly inspired and assisted by the holy Ghost If any can infallibly assure me hereof that a Synod after the Apostles cannot erre but that they can truly say It pleased the holy Ghost and us then I will obey all their Decrees Secondly That injunction of the holy Ghost and of the Apostles was but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for that present time for the avoyding of offences betweene Iewes and Gentiles who in every city conversed together Which James the Apostle alledgeth for the only reason of that determination But we reade not in all the writings of the Apostles afterward that they either ordained or imposed the least rite or ceremonie to bee observed in any of the Churches of God yea they expressely condemned all such ordinances as before is shewed But here another question ariseth If particular congregations be not subject to bee ruled by Synods or the like jurisdiction what order can be expected or what meanes is left for ordaining of Ministers over every congregation For answer briefely First for order What better or
CHRIST ON HIS THRONE OR Christs Church-government briefly laid downe and how it ought to bee set up in all Christian Congregations Resolved in sundry Cases of Conscience IER. 6. 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the wayes and see and aske for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall finde rest for your soules LVKE 19. 27. But those mine Enemies which would not that I should raigne over them bring them hither and slay them before me Printed in the yeare 1640. THE PREFACE To the Reader IT is an observation as true as antient that such workes of God as are done immediatly by himselfe alone though for their excellent greatnesse farre surpassing not onely mans apprehension but even admiration it selfe yet are done by him without any rubbe or difficulty at all Such was that glorious and magnificall worke of Creation But such workes as God doth by instrumentall meanes as by man the greater they be the greater difficulties they are attended with and meet with many impediments And this is most seene in great and generall Reformations of Churches or States Even Christ himselfe The onely Potentate the Mighty God when hee came to restore and re-erect the Tabernacle of David which was fallen downe to wit his spirituall Temple or Church what opposition did hee meet withall what sweat did it cost him before hee could finish this glorious and wondrous worke In which respect the Antients were wont to say That God with his word alone created the world but it cost the life of his onely begotten sonne to redeeme the world for this was opposed by Devills and men And so it was with the type of Redemption Israels deliverance from Egypt where Gods mighty wonders and plagues upon Egypt found a proud and hard hearted Pharaoh with his blinde Egyptians obstinately resisting to the very last So in the reparation of the Temple in Jerusalem there wanted not most malignant spirits envious men is Tatnai Shether Boznai Tobiah and Sanballat who mocked and accused the Iewes to the King and by force sought to hinder the worke And therefore can wee wonder when in the proceeding of so great a worke of reformation as we see begun in our dayes nothing inferior all circumstances considered to that deliverance from Egypt or to the restauration of religion after Babylons captivity difficulties and impediments both great and many have and doe interpose themselves which when wee see wee should not be discouraged for discouragement in such cases is an argument and consequent of a mind too much relying upon outward meanes which while they prosper they are as a good gale filling the sayles of our hope to attaine the wished Port. But when an adverse winde begins but to whistle a little up we are afflicted and are ready to cast away our hope being left as a ship without an Anchor floating and without a rudder driven with every winde ready to bee split on every rocke or shelfe But in such a case we must as in the first place look up unto God the great master of the winds yea and mover of the mindes of the violent men So herein behold and observe the beaten wayes of the Lord how hee is pleased in all such great works to suffer himselfe and his people to bee opposed And this he doth for speciall reasons as to shew forth the deepe wisdome of his providence in circumventing his adversaries to crosse and thwart them even in those great and good workes which himselfe will have to be done and certainly purposeth to accomplish which he calleth them unto and commandeth them to doe that so he may take them off from trusting in the outward meanes though never so faire and might teach them still and stedfastly to trust in his helpe in his strength in his faithfulnes and not to cease to call upon him and depend on his promise who will certainely save and fully answer the prayers of his people and in the happy issue of the work that his glory may in all shine forth the more clearely when nothing shall be left in man to glory in but that we may give all the honour and praise of the worke to him alone Againe in all such great workes of generall Reformation especially of Religion the difficulties prove to be the greater by how much the vices and corruptions to be purged out as we see in naturall bodies are and have been of longer continuance and such also as have received strength under pretence at least even from the Lawes themselves and by universall consent of the whole State Nor only this but there is also in our natures a kinde of Antipathy against that purity and power of Religion which ought to be the maine end that all true Reformations should aime at And besides all this although the corruptions be so grosse and of so high a nature as they proclaime themselves intollerable grievances no longer to bee borne but doe by a kinde of necessity presse to a Reformation yet there stands so great a gulfe in the way as untill it be removed or so made up as to be made passable it will be found no easie matter to compasse so great a worke Now this gulfe is ignorance and that of a long standing contracted partly through a generall security and sloth and partly through the want of meanes while through the subtilty of the Prelates and cowardise of their inferiors the Light hath been put under a Bushel So as though the sense of our Aegyptian burthens hath at length let us see in a great measure our misery yea and though God in his great mercy hath put into our hands such an opportunity of Reformation even armed with a kinde of necessity to worke it Yet how unresolved are many men of the manner and measure of this Reformation and what God requires at our hands herein Yet can we not be otherwise perswaded but that all good men would joyne together quickly to goe through with this great worke did they but apprehend it to bee as well a matter of Conscience as of grievance For which cause I have in these straits of time thought it one part of my duty which I owe unto Christ and to his Church to propound and briefly to resolve as God hath enabled me some important Cases of Conscience which hoping they may conduce to the furthering of the great businesse now in agitation concerning Religion I have adventured most humbly to recommend unto the serious consideration of this most just sage and grave Senate as to which not only I but all the people of the Land doe owe our best service and for whose happy successe of all their grave Counsels we are all bound daily and that in a more than ordinary manner to solicite as we still doe the throne of Grace that the Spirit of Christ may be abundantly poured forth upon this most Noble Assembly in all wisdome and understanding and in all