and the Holy Ghost Now as we received the Holy Ghost by hearing of Faith preached So this Spirit of God doth guide us into all truth by and according unto the Scripture And as the Holy Ghost is as I may so say § begotten in us by the Seed of Gods word Sown in our hearts though properly we are begotten again by the Holy Ghost so this Holy Ghost is as it were nourished and preserved in us by and through the word of God even as the light of the Lamp is nourished by the Oyle or as the breath goeth with the voyce or word spoken or as the blood hath its course in the veins or the vitall Spirits have their Sâ—at in the heart or as the Animall Spirits in the braine when they are derived into all the parts of the body in the Arteries and veines so as all the members are thereby actuated and moved And as the Philosopher saith of naturall bodies * A'panta trephétas tois aâ—utois e'x o`pér e`isi All things are nourished by selfe same Substance whereof they are begotten or have their beginning or beeing So in a sort it may truly be said that as we begin Spiritually to live by the Holy Ghost through Faith by the Preaching of the word of God So this Holy Ghost in the severall graces and operations there of is preserved and as it were nourished in us by the continuall ministration of the food of the same word in our Soules Or in a word the Holy Ghost hath no operation in us either for instruction or illumination or consolation or corroboration of any Grace in our Soules but in and by or according to the word of God So as besides Gods written word there are no revelations of the Spirit to be expected in Gods true Church Secondly therefore the promise of the Holy Ghost to Christs true Church and Children succeeding the Apostles even to the end of the world is made good to all and every particular member of Christs Mysticall body whether Ministers or People so as in the matter of their faith and whatsoever appertains to their salvation they are by Christs Spirit guided into all truth being led by the rule and light of Gods word which to those that are in Christ never goes unaccompanied with the Holy Ghost For even as * so many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of Godâ— So as If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his So none are led by the Spirit of God but those that are led by the word of God And therefore as Christs Spirit dwells in all his so his ‡ Word also For these two are inseperable the Holy Ghost teaching us no other things but what we find written in the word of Christ To which purpose Christ saith When § the Spirit of Truth is come be will guide you into all truth for he shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoever he shall heare that shall he speake Now the whole Scripture is Christs word this the Holy Ghost receiving from Christ revealed to his Apostles or as Christ saith †brought to their remembrance and the Apostles commited those things to writing as the Holy Ghost directed them for our both instruction and remembrance So as if * any Speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Whatever Spirit men bragge of not indurcing the Law and Testimony of the Scripture it is without light a counterfet Spirit a lying spirit And this is that very Spirit of Antichrist and of his Prelates who to advance their own Canons and Decrees and to cry up their usurped Antichristian Authority in taking upon them to be the onely visible Iudges in matters of faith as * before we have noted of our Prelate of Cantâ— as if they had the Spirit of Infallibility and were the onely men of Gods Privy Counsell and the onely Privilegiats not to erre doe so much depresse viâ—ifie and cry down the Authority and Sufficiencie of the Scripture as if it were a ‡ dumbe dead and blind Iuâ—ge having not so much light in it as is sufficient to demonstrate it to be the word of God but what it must be beholden to the Authority and Tradition of the present Prelaticall Churchâ—or But â— ye blind Guides § To the Law and to the Testimony for while ye Speake not accordiag to this word but contrariwise blaspheme the same it is a manifest signe that there is neither light nor ‡ life in you Come we now to prosecute the remainder of the former particulars propounded the second generall whereof is the Practise of the Apostles as they were Ministers of the Gospell whose example all true Ministers imitating are said to be their true Successors And first of this Practise in regard of Doctrine to wit in their Ministy of the Word and Sacraments First for their Doctrine it was sound and sincere the very word of God which they preached with all diligence and good Conscience exhorting other Ministers also to the like diligence and faithfullnesse in preaching as 2 Timâ— 4. 1 2. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ c. Preach the word be instant in season out of season c. Thus did the Apostles But doe our Prelates thus First do they preach diligently Are their Sermons any more then 2 or 3 Festivalls in the yeare And doe they preach sound Doctrine Nay as the Apostle there saith They will not indure sound doctrine they neither preach it themselves nor permit others And instead of exhorting Ministers to be diligent in preaching and teaching the people they flatly forbid them to preach so ofâ—en as twice on the Sabbath or to expound the Catechisine for instructing the People Thus they are enemies of Gods word and so of the salvation of Gods people Are these men then Successors of the Apostles Againe for the two Sacraments the Apostles administred them duly according to ‡ Christs institution not varying one title from it they neither detracted any thing from iâ— nor added ought of their own inventions Now doth the Prelaticall Catholicke Church wherein that of England and of Rome are both one and the same and doe professe one and the same faith and Religion as our great Prelate saith noted before thus Now Romes detractions and additions we all know But what hath the Prelaticall Church of England done in this kind 1. Doe they not detract both from Christs institution and from the dignity of the Sacraments while they set dumb Priests no better then Masse-Priests to administer Doe they not detract from Baptisme while they doe as much debase it in comparison of the Lords Supper as they doe exalt this which they * call the Great Eucharist in comparison of that Do they not administer that neere the Belfrey or Church-door the lowest part of the Church as they estimate it
Apostles to afflict persecute and oppresse all true Religion with all the true Preachers and Professors therof and so prove themselves to be of those of whom Christ foretold his Disciples saying * They shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will thinke that be doth God Service And surely the Prelates grounding their usurped Authority upon Christ which they so exercise in afflicting and oppressiing Christs Ministers and people must needs consequently conclude that this their persecution is a speciall part of Gods service to conclude then the Parable as these Prelates have their good things here and nothing is left them but a ‡ fearefull expectation of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devoure the Adversaries so as they shall not find a drop of mercy in Hell who would not shew a crumme of mercy here but contrariwise shal be tormented with more scorching flames then Dives by how much their wickednesse here exceeded his So Gods faithfull Ministers as they receive their evill things here and especially at the hands of Antichristian Prelates whose malice and cruelty against them exceedeth all other in the world so they shal be sure to receive a most glorious and unfading ‡ Crown of Glory which the Lord the Chiefe Shepheard the righteous Iudge shall give unto them at that day nor to them onely but to all those that love his Appearing CHAP. VII Wherein is shewed that the Prelates are no lesse contrary to the Practise of the Apostles whose Successors notwithstanding they pretend to be then they are to their Doctrines as hath been proved FOr the more cleare demonstration hereof we will consider the Practise of the Apostles in a twofold notion 1. the Practise of their Ministry 2. the Practise of their life and conversation First for their Ministry that also we consider in a double respect 1. of Doctrine 2. of Discipline Of these being to speake we will first consider the Apostles two wayes 1. as they were Apostles and 2. as they were Ministers First as they were Apostles to speake in a strict and proper sence they left no Successors behind them For as Apostles 1. they had their immediate Calling from Christ 2. they did * see Christ with their bodily eyes 3. they were inspired immediately from Christ with Apostolicall Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost ‡ which led them into all truth so as their judgement was infallible they could not erre 4. they were made the Pen-men of the Scripture 5. They had a power given them to appoint Euangelists to attend their Apostleship in the Gospell to settle and water where the Apostles had planted and where they appointed them 6. They had ‡ immediate direction from the Holy Ghost where to preach at such or such a time 7 They had their § Commision immediately from Châ—â—st which was to preach the Gospell throughout the world though the †Holy Ghost did more particularly dispose of them to severall Countries Now in all these respects the Apostles as Apostles left no Successors behind them For after the decease of Apostles and so also of the Euangelists some whereof writ the Gospell and some preached the Gospell and did other things at the Apostles appointment whereof we shall have occasion to speake more anon their Office of Apostles and Euangelists ceased So as never since they lived have there beene any Apostles or Euangelists properly so called Though in a generall notion all true Preachers of the Gospell in asmuch as they have a Calling from God being sent of him though mediately by the Church may be called Apostoli that is sent as the Apostle called Epaphroditus ‡ A'póstolon the Philippìans Apostle which our English translates a Messenger because they had sent him to him as they are called in the selfe same respect Aggeloi * Angels or Messengers and they may be called also for the same reason Euangelists because they are Preachers of the Gospell But I say strictly and properly the Apostles onely were called Apostles and the Euangelists Euangelists for the reasons aforesaid So as after their decease the ordinary Ministers of the Word which God appointed to succeed them in their Ministry were called Pastors and Teachers as Eph. 4. 11. and somtimes Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or Episcopi set over their severall Congregations respectively as aforesaid and somtimes ‡ uâ—pereta or dÃakoni Ministers of the Word as the Apostle often styles himselfe So as in the Second place we come to speake of the practise of the Apostles as they were Ministers of the Gospel whose examample all true Ministers imitating are said to be their true Successors But before we speake thereof one Objection crosseth us in our way which is this We noted before that one peculiar priviledge and badge of an Apostleâ— properly so called was that he had the Holy Ghost immediately inspired into him by Christ so as it led him into all truth that he could not erre in his preaching or writing of the word of God Now it is Objected that the promise of * Christs Spirituall presence and so of the Holy Ghost is made to the Apostles but to all the succeeding generations of all their true Successors to the end of the world Upon which promise but most falsely applyed the Pope doth build his Imaginary Infallibility of a power of not erring in the faith For Answere hereunto briefly First neither the Pope nor any Prelate have any thing to doe with this promise For they have no Calling from Christ as hath been proved and they are Antichrists and so led by another spirit to wit of him of whom they have their Calling and thaâ— is of the great red Dragon as remaines yet further to be cleared Secondly concerning this promise made immediately by Christ to his Apostles that he would be with them to the end of the world and that the Holy Ghost should lead them into all truth we must distinguish between the Aposâ—les and all Succeeding true Ministers First this promise was actuaâ—ly fullfilled to the Apostles so as they neither erred in their preaching nor in their writing of the word of God and the substance of all their preaching so farre as it is necessary for the salvation of Gods Chruch to the end of the world is by them left in writing to be a rule of our faith and the ground of all holy and saving knowledge Now then all true Ministers succeeding the Apostles in all ages and also all true Beleevers though they neither receive the Holy Ghost inmiediately from Christ as the Apostles did nor are any to expect to receive it in that extraordinary way yet all true beleeving both Ministers and People doe receive the Holy Ghost But how By what meanes The Apostle tells us ‡ By the hearing of Faith preached that is by hearing the Gospell which is the ground of Faith preached we receive both faith
discourse then this of mine will admit Againe he saith ‡ If there be a jealousie or doubt of the Sense of the Scripture we must repaire to the Exposition of the Primitive Church and submit to that or call and submit to a Generall Councel c. Now if he shall quarrell this Scripture and those words of Christ forementioned as being either jealous or doubtfull of the sense thereof and so send me to the Primitive Church or call me to a Generall Councel for the determination of this point what shall we say For in no case can he yeeld the Scripture the honour to be sole Judge of controversies in faith And for the Primitive Church which he meanes namely that which came after Christ and his Apostles that he will say had Bishops or Prelates And for a Generall Councel that by his own verdict must consist of Prelates and so then shal be Judges in their own cause Therefore herein I must tell him plainly that first for the Primitive Church which was that of the Apostles never any one of them was a Prelate or Diocesan Bishop as we shall see more anon Secondly the next ages of the Church succeeding that of the Apostles knew no such Lord Bishops or Prelates as are now adayes with their Traines and Courts And when they began to get Prelacies old Hierome reprooved them and so did others Thirdly never any Generall Councel yet concluded that Prelates were jure divino Fourthly For a Generall Councel now to be called for the determining of this controversie which must consist onely of Prelates I deny them to be competent Iudges in this Case For by the Prelates own Confession * No man ought to be both party and Iudge in his own Cause And again the ‡ Prelate is too strict and Canonicall in tying all men to the decision of a Generall Councel and to yeeld obedience unto it yea although it determine a matter erronious in the Faith Now then if a Generall Councel of Prelates should determine that Prelates are jure divino although it be erronious yet according to the Prelates Rule all must yeeld obedience and submit thereunto And then we are gone if we commit this matter to a Generall Councel But we will passe by these and come to some other of his passages for his Prelacy He saith ‡ I beleeve Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church Aristocratically by Diverse rather then by one Vice-Roy Aâ—d those Diverse he makes to be Prelates or Hierarchs or rather Archprelates Now except he verily beleeve that Prelates are the best men in the world how can he beleeve that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by them For Aristocracie is a Government of the best men Aristoi Optimi and therefore called Optimates most honourable for their vertues But are Prelates so Doth their extreme pride ambition covetousnesse voluptuousnesse idlenesse hatred and suppressing of Gods word persecution of Gods Ministers oppression of Gods people even all that professe godlinesse and extreme both injustice and cruelty without all Law or Conscience in Censuring poore innocent soules that come before them doe these their vertues make them to be the best men for Christ to thinke the fittest by whom to governe his Church unlesse in this respect Christ might thinke it fittest that seeing he thought it fittest to keep his true Church his little stoâ—ke alwayes under manifold tryalls of afflictions and persecutions as being the exercises of all that will live godly in Christ Iesus and the way through which they must goe into the Kingdome of God therefore for this very cause he might thinke it fittest to suffer Satan to set up Anticrâ—ist in the Temple of God with his Traine of Prelates who should prove the most vengable Instruments of persecuting and oppressing Gods true children of all other men in the world And this I beleeve to be true And againe I beleeve this to be true also that Christ thought it fittest to governe his true Church Aristocratically that is by the best men because he hath so expressed himselfe in his word Why Where and who be those best men Let my Lord Prelate have patience and I will shew him a cleare ground of this my faith such as he can never shew for his blind faith Those best men that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by are the severall Ministerss rightly qualified and lawfully placed over their Severall Congregations respectively And they are called both Presbyteri and Episcopi Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or as Prelates falsely style themselves Bishops But how are these o i aristoi the best men Because Christ requires such to have the qualities of the best men What be those First such a Bishop or Overseer must be blamelesse the husband of one wife not therfore one tyed from Marriage which is for Antichrists Priests vigilant sober of good behaviour given to hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no strikâ—r not greedy of filthy lâ—â—re but patient not a brawler not covetous c. And in Titus Not selfe-willed not soon angry a lover of good menâ— sober just holy temperate holding fast the faithfull word that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainesayers Such therefore as call themselves the onely Bishops to exercise Lordship over many Ministers and Congregations and are proud heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God cruell strikers with their High-Commission-weapons soone angry and never appeased againe not lovers but persecuters of good men not such as hold fast the wholesome word but suppresse it all they can forbidding others to convince the gainesayers as those of the Arminian party and the like and cutting off the Eares of those Ministers that should dare to reprove the Prelates notorious practises and attempts in setting up a false Idolatrous and Anchristian Religion for Christs Religion and such like such I say how can the Prelate beleeve to be of those diverse whom Christ thought it fittest to governe his Church by Againe another passage of his is this * She the Church of England beleeves That our Saviour Christ hath left in his Church besides his Law-booke the Scripture visible Magistrates and Iudges that is Arch-bishops and Bishops under a gracious King to governe both for Truth and Peace according to the Scripture and her owne Canons and Constitutions as also chose of the Catholick Church which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme So the Prelate In the next passage before the Prelate makes profession of his own Faith concerning Christs thought for Prelaticall Government and here he tells us what is the Faith of the Church of England about the same new Article of his beliefeâ—â— And not unlikely it is â— that the Prelaticall Church of England is of the saine beliefe with her learned Champion and great Metropolitan But the faith both of the Prelate and his Church
in this point is notoriously erronious as both is proved before and which the Prelates own words here will sufficiently convince of fashood For first Christ left none when he went into heaven but his Apostles and Disciples such as he inspired with his Spirit to instruct and governe his Church But the Prelate a * little after confesseth that one of these visible Iudges Arch-bishops and Bishops are infallible Therfore Christ left no such Iudges and when he went into heaven there were no Prelats extant nor yet hatched and therfore Christ cannot be so much as thought much lesse beleeved to have left any such visible Iudges as the Prelate mentioneth Secondly it cannot be safe to beleeve that Christ left any such to be visible Iudges in matters of faith and Religion who are in their judgement not onely erronious but in their affections malicious against Christ and his word and his trile Church For the universall and constant practise of Prelates and especially ever since Antichrist hath been exalted in his Throne in persecuting the Professors of the Gospell doth proclaime them to be of the malignant Church and of ‡ the bendwoman that where of Babylon whose â—eed doth persecute the true Church and Children of God and therefore Christ would never appoint such to be visible Iudges in matters of Faith and Religion in his Church Thirdly the Prelate in making such visible Iudges besides Christs Law-booke the Scripture as he saith doth hereby deny and exclude the Scripture from being the Sole Iudge in all matters of Faith and Religion And the Church of England formerly before this her Metropolitan started up was of this beliefe that the Scripture was the Sole Iudge and Rule of Faith and admitted of no other Iudges to sit on the same Bench with it This the many learned works of our English Divines yet extant can abundantly testifie Therfore except the Church of England hath lost her wits and hath no more grace left her then the grace and faith of Canterbury she cannot be so madde as to beleeve Christ left any such visible Iudges as her Prelate speakes of Fourthly it can never be beleeved of any sensible man much lesse of any even common Christian that Christ would leave notorious hypocrites to be Iudges in matters of Religion who under a faire pretence of Truth and Peace doe labour utterly to destroy both Truth and Peace in his Church As here the Prelate names Truth and Peace as the end of his Hierarchicall Government but his practises doe prove him to be the greatest enemy both of Truth and Peace that ever Sate in the Chaire of Canterbury For first for Truth as the Truth of the Doctrines of Grace layd down in the Articles of Religion of the Church of England hath he not in the Declaracion before those 39 Articles but set forth in the Kings Name for all must be under a gracious King baffled it making the Articles to speake nonsense or in the language of the Delphick Oracle ambiguous that may be taken either way as favouring the Arminian aswell as the Orthodox so as by this meanes his Arminian Crew may prove their Heresies out of those Articles aswell as the Orthodox can the Truth Is this visible Iudge then for Truth Againe how doth he suppresse all preaching of the Doctrines of Grace by terrifying Ministers in all the Visitations of these visible Iudges So cleare it is that he governes for Truth Secondly for Peace What Peace I pray you hath either the Church or State of England had since this Polypragmatick began to stirre and stickle both in Church and State Nay what Peace hath the Neighbour-Kingdome had since his Arme hath been imped out to put his hot coale under the Eves of that Church also So as now when Scotland burneth is 't not time for England to looke out and to cast on water and to quench the fire not with more fire to consume all but by quenching the coale that both first kindled and still fomenteth the flame Thus we see what a Governour here is under a Gratious King For Truth and Peace But fiftly he addeth According to the Scripture This is something And yet as good as nothing for he immediately annexeth And her own Canons and Constitutions Canons enough to batter the Scripture and Constitutions to undermine and blow it up For what Scripture can stand in any force where his Canons come And much more where these Canons of his Church of England are seconded by his Catholike Church Wherein his Church of England and that of Rome are become according to his * own words one and the Same Church of one and the Same Faith and Religion And thus indeed the Church of England may enter Common with Rome in her Canons as namely in her Canon Law and so make Corpus Cononicum the Rule whereby to governe this new Corporation of the Two Churches now become one againe So as let but the Canons of the Church of England be seconded with those of her Prelates Catholicke Church and then all Scripture is gone in Common Law So vaine is it that with Scripture he names and yoakes his Canons of England and Rome by which his Figures of value he conjures the Scripture within the circle of a meere Cypher But Sixtly he concludes with this qualification which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme But first for the Scripture who shal be Judge whether the Canons doe crosse it Who but the Canon-makers and Canon-masters the Prelates And will they trow you turne the mouth of their own Canons against themselves Nay their Canons though never so crosse to Scripture yet are like to Darius his Decree which though against the Scripture yet rather then it shal be broken Daniel must to the Lions denne to try whether the Lions or the Kings Decree be more cruell So the Prelates Church Catholick Canons are like the Laws of the Medes and Persians all the Daniels in the world shall rather to the Lions denne then the Canons be reversed To give but one instance for many That Canon De Haeretibus comburendis Of Burning the Hereticks which is one of those speciall Canons of his Catholick Church and a most damnable Canon as any in all the packe and such as if Christ and his Apostles were now upon the earth and did Preach as once they did they should by vertue of that Canon be brought to the Stake as Christ was by the High Priests * Law to his Crosse that Canon I say though it crosse the Scripture as being against all true Chistians whom this Canon calls Hereticks and burnes for the Scripture-sake yet shall it not be for ever in force so long as there is one Hereticke remaining upon the face of the earth and one Pope or Prelate to discharge the Canon But the Prelate addes And the just Laws of the Realme If the said Canons crosse not the just Laws of the Realme This is as
are comprehended many for it is a Mystery yet one is mentioned Chap. 2. 1. because I say it holds proportion with the vision Againe if by the Angel here they would have to be understood a Diocesan Bishop then they must prove that this Diocesan hath a lawfull Calling as Sent of God Otherwise he is no Angel that is no Messenger no Angel sent of God Or if they say This Angel was sent of God let them prove him to be a Diocesan Bishop And thus they are brought into a Circle and cannot find the way out But they alledge againe That one here notes unity which cannot be without a Diocesan Bishop And therefore a Diocesan Bishop was set up for that end to be a Head of unity for the conservation of Order and Peace in Schismatis remedium for a remedy of Schisme Insomuch as our Arch-prelate as is before noted holds a necessity of one Ordine Primus for the unity and peace of his Catholicke Church Now for answere briefly this being partly touched before true it is that one here is a mysticall note of unity so as in the Angel of the Church of Ephesus is comprehended the whole Church of Ephesus both Ministers and People But one here doth not signifie one Diocesan Bishop Neither is one Diocesan Bishop in a Diocese nor one Metropolitan in a Province or Kingdome nor one Ordine Primus in the whole Catholicke Church of necessity to preserve unity in the Church 'T is true indeed that the Prelates new Catholicke-Church which is Prelaticall may need such a Head as one Ordine Primus to preserve it in unity and peace this being also very usefull for the inlarging of the Tower of Babel for which the Prelate hath so laboured for Peace in the Church of England under the Headship of his Primacy so as had he none to oppose or contradict his wicked practises for the setting up of Popery but all did quietly submit and conforme to his Canon his Babylon would goe up apace and prosper even as * when the old world was all of one language the Tower of Babel went up a maine till God confounded their worke in the division of tongues but the true Catholicke Church of Iesus Christ hath one Bishop of there Soules which is Christ who is that Ordine Primus that ‡ unites the whole body every joynt and every member that is not onely every particular beleever but every particular Christian Congregation is knit to the whole in and under that one Head And so this Body groweth and this building goeth up notwithstanding all the mouths of contradiction and of malicious Sandballets that seek to hinder it Whereas it is not so with the building of Babel For one small breath of the mouth of God in his word breathed by one poore Minister is able to blast the building and therefore the builders cry out against such Fellows as troublers of the State and movers of Sedition And they cannot be in quiet nor their building goe up untill such make-bates be silenced or made our of the way And therefore they labour with the Prince when themselves want power and Law to dâ—e with such as Constantine did with Athanasius Athanasius was the onely man that refused to hold Communion with a sort of Arian Bishops which caused a great gappe in that unity and peace in the Church which Constantine so much desired Well what 's the remedy He thereupon was easily moved to send Athanasius away into banishment and then he thought all would be quiet and in peace But by the way Truth must be looked unto in the first place otherwise what peace For that a false peace and the moeher of farther discord for the which truth is lost And even our Prelate himselfe in his said Booke doth often harpe upon these two strings together Truth and Peace a good harmony were they rightly meant and that his Truth were not made of a Wolfes gut which will never agree with a string made of a Sheeps gut as he pretends his Peace to be But this by the way And whereas they alledge the Prelacie to be a remedy of Schisme Heare ô heavens and hearken ô earth is not the Prelacy the grand Schismaticke I mean not onely in being the most busie and usuall make-bate in all Civil States dividing Prince and People but in setting up a new and false Catholicke Church altogether seperate from and holding no communion with yea excluding all Reformed Churches not Prelaticall as no members of the Catholicke as indeed they be not of the false Catholicke all Prelacie drawing to one Head of the Papacy and that by a necessity of one Ordine Primus as before is noted But to draw to a Conclusion The last Allegation which I note they make is that S. Marke was Bishop of Alexandria Ergo Episcopall Iurisdiction is an Apostolicall Tradition and so jure divino And for this they alledge the Testimony of Ierome where he saith At Alexandria from Marke the Evangelist the Presbyters alwayes chusing one from among them and placing him in a more eminent degree called him Bishop Whereupon the Prelate thus inferres So even according to S. Jerome Bishops had a very ancient and honourable Discent in the Church from St. Marke the Euangelist and this saith Ierome was a Tradition Apostolicke So the Prelate But first for Ierome we noted his words before of such Bishops saying They were set up by humane presumption and not by divine Institution and consequently not by Apostolike Tradition For Apostolicke Tradition is farre from â—umâ—ne presumption So as it is humane presumption to make that Apostolicke Tradition And for S. Marke * Ecclesiasticall Story tells us that Marke was the first that preached the Gospell which also he writ at Alexandria But the Story saith not that Marke was Bishop of Alexandria And the Prelate must marke that he was an Euangelist as also Iereme saith for he wrote the Gospel And the History saith he was ‡ a follower of Peter the Apostle Which if true it makes it more probable that it was that Babylon in Egypt whence Peter wrote his Epistle where he saith The Church that is at Babylon saluteth you and so doth Marcus my Son then that Peter was then at Rome which the Papists to make Peter to have been at Rome are content should be that Babylon from whence he writ And if they will needs have it so let them have it with the whore of Babylon to boot But this by the way But be it that Marke was at Alexandria he was there onely as an Euangelist and to doe the Office of an Euangelist of which we have Spoken before Bishop he was not as the Prelates would have him for that we have already proved to be in their sense condemned both by Christ and by his Apostles and therfore is neither an Institution of Christ nor a Tradition Apostolicke And therefore what ever the Presbyters at Alexandria began to
practise after Marke the Euangelist in chusing and exalting one over them whom they called a Bishop whence our Prelates derive their Ancieut and Honourable descent sure we are they can never prove that ever either any Apostle delivered this to Marke or Marke from the Apostles to the Presbyters to make it a Tradition Apostolicke Yea this is a sure and infallible Rule in Divinity That whatever the Apostles expresly set down in their Sacred writing they never delivered the contrary by word of mouth As the Apostle writes to the Corinthians saying ‡ As God is true our word towards you was not yea and any Now as we have sufficiently proved before the Apostles as Christ their Masters forbad them forbid Prelacy to others they exercised it not themselves they disclaimed dominion over the saith of Christians they brand it for Antichristian therfore Prelaticall Iurisdiction is no Apostolick Tradition and so no wâ—y of divine Institution And thus the Truth and Title agreeing together I end as I began Lord Bishops are none of the LORDS Bishops FINIS GOOD COVNCEL FOR THE PRESENT STATE OF ENGLAND I Call that Counsel onely good which God himselfe giveth in his Word and such is this Counsel which is here given as being taken from the mouth of God speaking in his Word 'T is a dangerous thing and impious too for Men to neglect Gods Councel and follow their own This is a signe of a People given up of God As the Lord saith * My poople would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own heaâ—â—s lust and they walked in their own Counsels And what 's the issue of such Counsels David tells us and that with an imprecasion ‡ Destroy thou them ô God let them fall by their own Councels And this is meant of such Councels especially as are taken not onely without the Lord but against the Lord Of which David also saith ‡ Why doe the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine thing The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take Councel together against the Lord and against his Christ Saying Let us breake their bonds a sunder and cast away their cords from us And what followeth He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure For God hath set his King even the Lord Iesus Christ upon his holy hill of Sion This King hath all power in heaven and in earth given into his hand And he hath as a golden Scepter sweetly to governe and protect his own people so an Iron Rod to break in pieces his enemies wherupon the Kingly Prophet concludes thus Be wise now therefore ô ye Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the Eearth Serve the Lord in feare and trembling Kisse the Son least he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little And what doth more kindle Gods wrath against a State or Nation then to Slight and Scorn his Councels and with those Giants of old to consult and confederate and even make Warre against the Lord and his Christ And now ô England thou aâ—t making a great preparation for Warre But of whom hast thou taken Councel Of the Lord From his mouth Hast thou consulted his Oracle his Word If not what ever other Councel thou takest or followest it is but such whereof David thus speakes * The Lord bringeth the Councel of the Heathen to nought be maketh the devises of the people of none effect and casteth out the Counsels of Princes The Councel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations And ‡ There is no King saved by the multitude of an Host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength An Horse is a vaine thing for safety neither shall be deliver any by his great strength Solomon saith By wise Councel thou shalt make thy Warre And no Councel can be wise which is not taken of God and much lesse what is taken of enemies against God Of whom then dost thou take Councel for thy Warreâ— Heare ô England examine thy selfe I know the Councel of thy heart as Solomon saith is as ‡ deep waters into the bottome wherof a vulgar eye cannot elsily pierce But yet a man of understanding will draw it out But if thou wilâ— not discover who is thy Counsellour certainly thy intended actions will bewray and publish to the world And therefore in the Second place consider the Cause of thy Warre that it be just I do not meane made seemingly just by false colours and pretences but that it be really and truly just before God an Men Otherwise thou hast two grand Causes of feare that the issue shall not be prosperous to wit not takiug Councel first of God for thy Warre secondly not undertaking it upon a just Cause or quarrell But to come a little nearer home to the point is the Cause such as it will beare any Consultation or Communion with God So as thou mayst with a good heart and Conscience seek unto God to maintaine thy Cause And for what ever Cause thou indendest thy Warre or against whom surely the Cause being publicke and so concerning the whole Land such a seeking of God is required as is solemne publicke and universall And we are sure that as yet ô England thou hast not sought God for the good Speed of this thy great and warlike preparation And then what good issue canst thou expect for But thou wilt say how shall I seeke Counsel and helpe of God For this I will propound but one example The whole Tribe of Benjamin stood up in maintenance of a most wicked and prodigious fact as that towards the Levites Wife He sent her being dead in 12 pieces to all the Tribes of Israel who abhorring such a Fact first sent to their Brethren the Benjamites to punish the Malefactors They refused Whereupon all the Tribes assembled And first they aske Counsel of the Lord which of the Tribes shall goe up first against Benjamin He Answers Iudaâ— And though the Cause was just and God councelled them yet they were expulsed with the losse of 22 thousand men They consult God the Second time and that with weeping before the Lord untill even the Lord answers them Goe up yet this time also they were beaten and lost 18 thousand men Strange Well they inquire of the Lord the third time but in a better manner then before for all the People of Israel assemble to the House of God weeping and fasting the whole day untill even and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord and then asking the Lord shall I yet againe goe to battaile against Benjamin or shall I cease The Lord answers them the third time Goe up for to morrow I will deliver them into thy hand Whence it is to