vertue of any Authority derived to them from him are not Ministers of the Gospel but Thieves and Robbers Joh. 10. 1. from whom 't is the property of the Sheep to flee ver 4. But the present Ministers of England come not in by the Door Therefore That they come not in by the Door viz. by vertue of any Authority derived to them from Christ is evident If they have received any such Authority or Commission from him they have received it either mediately or immediately the latter will not be asserted nor without the working of Miracles should it so be would it to the world's end be made good 'T is the former must be fixt upon viz. That they have received their Authority or Commission mediately from Christ but to as little purpose for those that receive Authority to preach the Gospel mediately from Christ have it from some particular instituted Church of Christ to whom power is soley delegated for the electing of their own Officers according to the tenour of the ensuing Scriptures Acts 6. 5. 14. 23. These men as it 's known have no such Authority pretend not to it have it in derision come barely with a Presentation from a Patron and Ordination Institution and Induction from a Lord-Bishop things forreign to the Scripture and impose themselves upon the people whether they will or no. 2. 'T is not lawful to hear them as Gifted-Brethren 1. The most of them are not gifted nor 2. Brethren being Canonical-Drunkards Swearers Gamsters c. 3. The best of them cannot by Saints in respect of Gospel-communion be so accounted for 1. There was never any giving up of our selves each to other according to the will of God and primitive Example whence such a Brotherhood doth result 2. We cannot as things stand perform the duties of Brethren to them according to Mat. 18. nor will they or can they in the state in which they stand to us 3. If we acknowledge the best of them for such we must also acknowledge the worst of them for 1. They are all Members of the same Church 2. Profess themselves to be one Brotherhood so sayes their Rime upon the Lord's Prayer Our Father which in Heaven art And mak'st us all one Brotherhood c. Nay 3. we cannot so acknowledge them but we must also acknowledge the Bishops for our Reverend Fathers for theirs they are which how abhorring it is to any tender enlightned soul may easily be conjectured But to hear this Plea speak its uttermost let it be granted they are Brethren and may be so esteemed They are Brethren that walk disorderly or they do not That they walk disorderly cannot be denied by such as pretend to Reformation If submitting to Ordination or Re-ordination by a Lord Bishop covenanting and protesting with detestation against a Reformation according to the Scripture and the best Reformed Churches to own as consonant to Scripture a Lyturgy or stinted Forms of Prayer in the Church and read them to wear the Surplice c. be disorderly walking they are the very best of them beyond contradiction to be reputed in the number of disorderly walkers And so after due admonition according to the Scripture and a perseverance in their sin to be separated from by vertue of positive and express Precepts of Christ Mat. 18. 2 Thess 3. 6. Now we command you Brethren in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition he received of us With what vehemency authority and holy earnestness doth the Apostle press separation from Brethren that walk disorderly We command you and we command you in the Name of the Lord Jesus and we command you Brethren by vertue of our relation to each other and that love and endearment that is betwixt us as Brethren that you withdraw your selves c. I scarce know any one thing pressed by the Apostle with greater vehemency than what is here instanc'd in wherein we have also an undeniable convincing Argument that the persons of whom we are treating walk disorderly Those that walk not after the tradition received from the Apostles we may adde and the Primitive Church for above three hundred years after Christ but according to the traditions of the old Bawd and Strumpet of Rome are such as walk disorderly But the present Ministers of England walk not after the Tradition received from the Apostles but after the Traditions of the Whorish-Church of Rome Therefore they are such as walk disorderly What Apostolical Tradition have we for stinted Forms of Prayer or Lyturgies in the Church did they frame any those that are ascribed to some of them are all spurious as hath been over and over proved for Surplice crossing in Baptism and many other gewgaws used by them if they have any Apostolical written tradition for these things let them produce it and we shall lay our mouths in the dust and for ever be silent as to a charge of this nature If they have not as there is nothing more certain they are disorderly walkers if the Apostles Argument be valid We command you to withdraw from such as walk disorderly But who I pray are these disorderly walkers how shall we know them they are sayes the Apostle such as walk not after the tradition received from us CHAP. III. A third Argument proving the unlawfulness of hearing the present Ministers of England produced That they act by vertue of an Antichristian Office and Calling proved Their perfect agreement with the Popish Priests in seventeen Particulars demonstrated That the Office of Lord Bishops is Antichristian proved The Testimonies of the Ancients produced Whence the Antichristianism of the Office of the Ministers of England is evinced An Objection answered Argument 3. THose that act in the holy things of God by vertue of an Antichristian Power Office or Calling are not to be heard but to be separated from but the present Ministers of England act in the Holy Things of God by vertue of an Antichristian Power Office or Calling Therefore The Major is evident For 1. The Power Office and Calling of Antichrist is opposite and contrary unto the Power Office and Calling of Christ Not to separate from such as act by vertue of such an Office-Power is to stand by and plead for Antichrist against Christ 2. It s unlawful to attend upon the teachings of Antichrist therefore upon the teachings of such as act by vertue of a Power derived from him 3. Christ calls and solemnly charges his upon the penalty of most dreadful Judgments to separate from every thing of Antichrist Rev. 18. 4. and 14. 9 10 11. 4. There is not a command in the Scripture enjoyning Saints to take heed of being deceived to try the spirits because many Antichrists are gone abroad into the World but is an abundant demonstration of the truth of this Assertion 5. The institution of Officers of his own by Christ to be continued in the
way appointed by him to the end of the World Eph. 4. 11. 6. That there is not one promise of a blessing in the whole Scripture upon persons atending on such a Ministry with innumerable things of the like tendency and import that might be produced if needful are such a basis upon which the truth of the major Proposition stands as cannot be easily shaken or removed The Minor wants not sufficient demonstration First The present Ministers of England are either from Christ or from Antichrist There is no medium a Linsey-woolsey-Ministry that is partly of Christ partly of Antichrist as 't is not to be proved by Scripture so will it not be abetted That they are not from Christ hath in part been proved already and may farther be evinced 1. Their Names are forreign to the Scripture Where reade we of Deacons in their sence Priests as distinguished from Christians in the New-Testament Deans Cannons Petty-Cannons Prebendaries Arch-Deacons Lord-Bishops Parsons Vicars c. these are onely found in the Popes Pontifical whence they are derived So are 2. Their Offices Deacons attending Tables we reade of but Deacons Praying Preaching Administring Sacraments so called by vertue of an Office-power an order of the first step to the Priesthood we find not Priests in the Old-Testament both true and false we reade of in the New Saints are so called First in respect of analogie to the ritual Priests of old whose prerogative it was to come near to God Deut. 21. 5. to whom through Christ Saints have access with boldness Ephes 2. 18. and 3. 19. Jam. 4. 8. Secondly in respect of their union and engrafture into Christ the great High-Priest over the House of God Thirdly in respect of that analogy there is betwixt what Christ hath done for them as Priest and by his Spirit worketh in them He offered up Sacrifice so do they Psal 116. 17. and 141. 2. Rom. 12. 1. Heb. 13. 14. He was crucified died so are they Rom. 6. 6 7 8. c. Gal. 2. 20. Fourthly as Priests they are anointed to the participation of do thereby attain to a kind of holy and intimate communion with Christ in all his glorious Offices Rev. 5. 10. But an Office of Priesthood in men for the Ministry of the Gospel that are to be bounded by men in that their Office must preach what they would have them and cease when they would have them as is the case of the present Ministry of England the Scripture is a stranger to So is it 3. to their admission into this their office viz. by a Lord-Bishop without the consent of the Congregation in which they act as Officers The very truth is both in their Names Office and admission thereunto the present Ministers of England symbolize not with the Ministers of Christ but the Popish order of Priests so that if these do act by vertue of an Antichristian office-power then do they as he that runs may read in the ensuing parallel particulars 1. They are both called and own themselves Priests which though some may make light of yet considering that it is a term borrowed either from the Priests of the Law the assertion of such a Priesthood being a denial of Christ come in the flesh or from the Priests of the Heathen in conformity to whom as the Druides of old our Priests wear their white Garment or Surplice or from the Antichristian Church so called of Rome Such idolatrous superstitious names being commanded by the Lord to be abolished Hos 2. 15. Zech. 13. 2. wants not its sufficient weight the retention whereof being also a sore suspition of too great a compliance with if not a willingness to return to that from whence they are derived Of the same mind with us herein is Hierom upon the 2d of Hosea the Hebrew Doctors Kimchi and Aben-Ezra the Caldee Paraphrast Ribera though a Jesuit Zanchi Danaeus Sanctius Polanus Rivet and almost all that write upon the said Scripture The last mentioned viz. Learned Rivet hath these words in his Corollaries from Hos 2. 15 16. There are many names which in themselves are good enough and might be used but God abhorreth the use of them because they have been abused to Idolatry he instanceth indeed in the word Mass but Priest or Altar being of the same allay upon the same foot of account is to be rejected The reformed Churches in Helvetia in their harmony of Confessions are of the same mind The Ministry say they and the Priesthood are things far different the one from the other he himself viz. Christ remaineth only Priest for ever and we do not communicate the name Priest to any Minister lest we should detract something from Christ 2. The Priests of Rome must be first Deacons ere they are Priests So must the present Ministers of England 3. The Priests of Rome must be ordained to their Office by a Lord-Bishop or his Suffragan So must the Ministers of England 4. The Priests of Rome must at their ordination be presented by an Archdeacon or his Deputy with these words Reverende Pater c. Reverend Father I present these men unto thee to be admitted unto the order of Priesthood So are the present Ministers of England 5. The Priests of Rome must be ordained to their office according to their Pontifical devised by themselves the Priests of England according to their Book of ordering Priests and Deacons which is taken out of the Popes Pontifical as is evident to any that shall compare the one with the other and as hath been long since confest by some of themselves in an Admonition to the Parliament in Queen Elizabeths dayes in their second Treatise 6. The Popish Priests must kneel down upon their knees at the feet of the Lord-Bishop that ordains them and he must say to them blasphemously enough Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whose sins ye remit or forgive they are remitted whose sins ye retain they are retained which exactly accords with the fashion of ordaining the Priests of England 7. The Popish Priests are not ordained in and before the Congregation to whom they are to be Priests but in some Metropolitan Cathedral City several miles from the place So are the Priests of England 8. The Popish Priests take the care of souls though not elected by them from the presentation of a Patron by the institution and induction of a Lord-Bishop and do not the present Ministers of England the same 9. The Popish Priests wait not the Churches Call to the Ministry but make suit to some Prelate to be ordained Priests giving mony for their letters of Ordination So do the present Ministers of England 10. The Popish Priests are ordained to their Office though they have no Flock to attend upon So are the Priests of England 11. The Popish Priests must swear Canonical Obedience to their Ordinary So do the present Ministers of England 12. The Popish Priests may at their pleasure without the consent of the People resign and give over their
not willing to judge any thing before the time Do they succeed them in respect of their Office let them prove that and take the Cause The Apostles were first immediatly Sent by Christ Secondly Extraordinary Officers Commissionated to the preaching of the Gospel throughout the Nations of the world Are their Lordships such what can be imagined more frivolous or false where find we any Apostles after the departure of those that were immediatly by Christ called to that Office Did the Apostles ordain any as their Successors therein in any of the Churches of Christ Where reade we of their so doing yea are any qualified with Gifts as they for the discharge of such an Office or doth Christ indeed send forth Servants in any imployment and not furnish them with Gifts suitable thereunto Credat Apelles What more dishonourable to the Lord Jesus can be asserted it remains then that they being neither Prophets nor Apostles nor Pastors nor Teachers that they are not to be found in the Scripture of the institution of Christ Nor are they dream'd of in the world for several hundreds of years after Christ Clemens in his Epistle to the Church of Corinth takes notice of no other besides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops and Deacons which Bishops he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Presbyters or Elders Yea Lombard himself confesses Hos solum Ministrorum duos ordines Ecclesiam primitivam habuisse de his Solis praeceptum Apostoli nos habere Lomb. l. 4. Sen. D. 24. li. 3. ext The Primitive Church he tells you had no other Order of Ministers than Bishops or Presbyters and Deacons nor did the Apostles give commandment concerning any other That their rise and occasion was from the aims and designs of men to accommodate Ecclesiastical or Church-affairs to the state and condition of the Civil Government is ingenuously confest by one that was looked upon to be as great an Admirer of and as able a Champion for Diocesan and Metropolitical Prelates as any one of late dayes 't is Dr. Hamond we mind who in his Dissertations about Episcopacy Sect. 3. hath these words His sic positis illud statim sequitur ut in Imperli cognitione in Provinciâ qualibet cum plures urbes sint una tamen primaria et principalis consenda erat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ideo dicta cui itidem inferiores reliquae Civitates subjiciebantur ut Civitatibus Regiones sic et inter Ecclesias et Cathedras Episcopales unam semper primariam Metropoliticam fuisse So far is the Office of Lord-Bishops from being of the Institution of Christ that their Primacy and Supremacy was the result of the designs and contrivements of men to accommodate the state and frame of the Church to the state and condition of the Government of the Nations 2. That the Office of Lord Bishops is contrary to express Precepts of Christ in the Scripture the truth of which he that runs may reade in the ensuing Scriptures Mat. 20. 25. Mark 10. 42. Luke 22. 25. 1 Pet. 5. 3. the English of Vos autem non sic but ye shall not do so Neque ut Dominantes Cleris not lording it over God's Clergy or Heritage an ordinary Reader may easily conclude to be inconsistent with their fordly dignities Not to multiply Arguments in a matter that others have so largely debated 2. That Office that is derived from and is only to be found in the Papacy is surely Antichristian if the Pope be the head of Antichrist this must not be denied But the Office of Lord Bishops is derived from is onely to be found in the Papacy Which of the reformed Churches that have separated from the Papacy have retained it Did the Woman in her flight into the Wilderness carry it along with her What more absurd then to run to the persecuting Whore and Beast for an Office of Ministry and what more evident demonstration of its being an Antichristian office than its entertainment only by that false Antichristian Church and its utter rejection and detestation by the true Spouse and Witnesses of Christ in all Ages What is delivered over to us in this matter by some of them we shall briefly affix hereunto Hierome in his Epistle to Evagrius and in his Commentary upon the Epistle of Titus professes That it is more by Custom than by any Institution of the Lord that Bishops are become greater than the Elders or Ministers Har. of Conf. sect 2. Tit. 11. So from him do the Churches of Helvetia proclaim whence they infer and that truly according to Act. 4. 9. That no man by any right can forbid but that we should return to the old Appointment of God and rather receive that than the Custom devised by men Wickliff in his answer to King Richard the 2d citing Mat. 20. 25. 1 Pet. 5. 3. sayes Lordship and Dominion is plainly forbidden to the Apostles and darest thou then usurp the same if thou wilt be a Lord thou shalt lose thy Apostleship c. The University of Geneva say Theses Genev. 71. These Functions following we hold to be altogether false and destitute of all true foundation viz. the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome over all Churches the Cardinalship Patriarchship Archiepiscopalship and briefly the whole Episcopal degree of Lord Bishops over their fellow Elders Marlorat in his Exposition on the Revelation chap. 17. 3. says That Arch-Bishops Deans c. are in office under Antichrist yea upon chap. 9. that they are the tails of Antichrist Beza saith They could not be brought into the Church until they had driven him out who is the onely Master Christ and there is neither holy Scripture nor Council nor Ancient Doctors which ever did know such Monsters Beza's Confes Art 7. c. 14. The Noble Ancient Old-Castle Lord Cobham saith That the whole Episcopal degree of Lord Bishops over their Fellow-Elders is altogether false and destitute of all true foundation yea that all other Functions and Offices besides Priests and Deacons are unlawful as being Sects devised by men destitute of all true Foundation To these we might add Honest Bale upon the Revelation viz. chap. 17. where he saith Canterbury and York are the Beastly Antichrist's Metropolitans and Primates and upon chap. 13. that Arch-Bishop Diocesan Arch-Deacon Dean Prebend Doctor Parson Vicar c. are very names of Blasphemy For Offices they are not appointed by the Holy Ghost nor yet mentioned in the Scripture Cartwright saies of them That their functions are not in the Word of God but of the Earth new devised Ministries and such as can do no good that their Office is the neek of the Popish Hierarchie come out of the bottomless Pit of Hell Fenner proclaims them to be no natural Members of the Body of Christ's Church as being of humane addition not born with her nor grown up with her from the Cradle The French and Belgick Confession sayes That they pass not a Rush for them The
VVorship of England we shall be so far from condemning them therein that we shall bless God for them But this is not to the purpose in hand the attendance of our Brethren upon the Ministry of England is quite another thing that requires other Arguments for its support than we have hitherto met with Parvas habet spes Troja si Tales habet Object 3. Paul rejoyceth at the Preaching of the Gospel though 't was preached out of envy Phil. 1. 15 16. To which briefly 1. There may be cause of rejoycing in respect of the issue and event of things by the wise Providence of God though the means used for their production be evil and not to be abetted or complyed with In what have Christians greater cause of rejoycing than in the death of Christ Yet had it been utterly unlawful to have joyn'd in counsel with or any wayes abetted or encouraged those wicked persons that crucified and slew him Should the Pope send some Jesuits into any remote parts of America to preach the Gosplel to the poor Indians there here were upon some accounts ground of rejoycing yet no ground for Saints to attend upon a Jesuitical Ministry But 2ly it appears not that these Paul speaks of were not true Gospel-Ministers and so it reacheth not the case in hand This being that we have proved the Ministers of England guilty of viz. an acting in the Holy Things of God without any Commission from Christ which when our Dissenting-Brethren prove they have we shall easily acknowledge the lawfulness of attending upon their Ministry 3ly It follows not in the least that these the Apostle speaks of were either not real Saints or not true Ministers of Christ because they are said to preach him out of envy the object whereof was not Christ for had they envied him they would never have preach'd him but Paul thinking says he to add affliction to my bonds which is consistant with Grace and a lawful Mission to the preaching of the Gospel Yet 4thly Here is not in this Scripture the least word requiring Christians to hear them That because Paul rejoyces at their preaching therefore 't is the duty of Saints to attend upon their Ministry is such a Non-sequiter as will never be made good Object 4. The Ministers of England preach Truth and is it not lawful to hear Truth preached We answer 1. That 't is lawful to hear Truth preached is readily granted but this must be done lawfully and in the way of Christ's Appointment 2ly All that preach Truth are not to be heard nor will our dissenting Brethren say they are For 1. There was never yet any Heretical-Preacher in the world but he preached some Truth is it lawful to hear such this will not be said 2. The Devil himself preached Truth yet Christ forbids him and commands that he hold his peace 3. The Popish Priests preach Truth yet who will say 't is lawful to attend upon their Ministry But 3dly As the present Ministers of England preach Truth So 1. They preach it but by halves and dare not for fear of the L. Bishops Inhibition preach any doctrine though never so clearly revealed in the Scriptures and owned by them as the Truth of Christ he commands them not to meddle with 2. The main Truths they preach at least many of them are contradicted in their practice They 'l tell you that the Lord Jesus is the great Prophet and King of his Church but how palpably this is contradicted by them in their practice conforming to Institutions and Laws that are not of his prescription who sees not This we have already abundantly demonstrated 3. With the Truth they preach they mingle many Errors directly contrary to the Scripture and the Revelation Christ hath made of his Will therein Instances of this kind have been already exhibited to which may be added many more we shall mention but a few 1. That the Ministry Worship and Government which Christ hath appointed to his Church is not to be received or joyned unto unless the Magistrates where they are reputed Christian do allow it 2. That the Apocryphal books which have in them Errors 2 Mac. 12. 44 45. 14. 41 42. Eccles 46. 20. Wisd 19. 11. Untruths 2 Esd 14. 21 22 23. 2 Macc. 2. 4-8 Tob. 5. 11 12 13. with 12. 15. Judith 8. 33. 10. 9 with v. 12. 11. 6 12 13 14 15. 1 Mac. 9. 3 18. with 2 Mac. 1. 13 to 17. 9. 1 5 7 9 28 29. Blasphemy Tob. 12. 12 15. with Rom. 8. 34. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Rev. 8. 3 4. Magick Tobit 6. 6 7 8. 9. 2 3. with 3. 7 8. 11. 10 11 13. with 2. 9 10. and contradiction to the Canonical Scriptures Judith 9. 2 3 4. compared with Gen. 49. 5 6 7. Esther in the Apocrypha chap. 12. 5. 15. 9 10. with Ester canonical chap. 6. 3. 5. 2. Eccles 46. 20. with Isa 57. 2. may be used in the Publick Worship of God 3. That the most wicked and their seed may be compelled and received to be members of the Church 4. That Marriage may be forbidden at certain seasons as in Lent Advent Rogation-week c. 5. That Baptism is to be administred with a Cross in the forehead and that as a symbolical sign 6. That though the most notorious obstinate Offenders be partakers of the Lord's Supper yet the people that joyn with them are not defiled thereby 7. That there may be Holy-dayes appointed to the Virgin Mary John Baptist to the Apostles All Saints and Angels together also with Fasts on their Eves on Ember-dayes Fridayes Saturdayes so called heathenishly enough and Lent 8. That the Cope Surplice Tippit Rocket c. are meet and decent Ornaments for the Worship of God and Ministry of the Gospel 9. That the Book of Common-Prayer is the true Worship of God 10. That Christ descended into Hell as if Christ descended into the place of the Damned as the Papists hold 11. That Lord Bishops can give the Holy-Ghost and power to forgive and retain Sins 12. That Altars Candles Organs c. are necessary and useful in the Church of God 13. That all Children †Common-Prayer-Book of Publick Baptism when baptized are regenerate and received by the Lord for his own Children by Adoption Yea 14. That Children being baptized have all things necessary for their Salvation and shall undoubtedly be saved So they profess in the Order of Confirmation in the Common-Prayer-Book with much more that might be offered in this matter Object 5. Judas preached though a wicked man and no doubt 't was lawful yea the duty of Saints to hear him To this we say No doubt but it was so But 1. Judas was not a visible wicked man at the time of his preaching but so close an Hypocrite that he was not known to be so no not to the Disciples But some of the present Ministers of England are visibly wicked and prophane 2. Judas was