of equall dignitie and authoritie or whether or no there ought to bee amongst the multitude of Ministers some superiours to gouerne and some inferiours to be gouerned for good orders sake and to bee called for distinctions sake by different names applying or appropriating the common name of Bishop to the superiour and the common name of Presbyter Priest or Pastour to the inferiour And truly in the time of my owne Puritanisme and Geneuisme I was wont to presse this verball argument asmuch as any man to prooue thereby the paritie of pastours and there is not another argument to that purpose worth a pinne but in the end I found it both fallacious and friuolous for in the Scriptures Kings Apostles Act. 6. Rom. 13 4 1. Cor. 4 1. Colosi 1.25 1. Thess 3.2 1. Tim. 3.8.12 Prophets Euangelists Pastours and Deacous are called by the common name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministers or seruants of God and yet their Ministrations and seruices are not of the same nature nor of equall dignitie and the two names of presbyter or elder beeing referred to office and not to age and of Gouernour or Ruler or Ouerseer are conucrtible for euery Elder is a Gouernour and euery Gouernour is on Elder and yet the Elderships and Gouernments are distinct Numb 11 16.17 Ezra 10.8 Luk. 22.66 Act. 20.17 for some are called Lay-elders or elders of the people to wit in temporal matters and those were the Magistrates of the lewish Common-wealth and others are called Elders of the Church to wit Gouernours of the people in spirituall matters as Ministers of the Word and Sacraments so that both the one and the other were Elders and Gouernours and yet they were of different and distinct kindes the one temporall Elders and Gouernours of the people in the Common-weale the other spirituall Elders and Gouernours of the same people in the Church and semblably these spiritual Gouernours of the Church and Ministers of the word both Bishops and Presbyters or Priests are called by the common name of Presbyters Priests and Elders and likewise by the common name of Episcopi Bishops Superintendents or Ouerseers and yet they differ both in the obiect of their office and in their degree for the one are cheife Priests Elders of the Church and the other are inferiour Priests and Elders of the same Church the one are Bishops Superintendents and Ouerseers of the Laitie or people in spirituall things but the other are Bishops Superintendents and Ouerseers of the Clergie as well as of the Laitie and of their inferiour priests and pastours aswell as of the people in the same spirituall things In a word the Church of God being the best ordered Body that can be behoued to consist of Superiours to gouerne and of Inferiours to bee gouerned to wit of these two rankes Clergie and Laitte and as the Laitie was to bee gouerned by the Clergie as the children by the fathers and schollers by their masters so the Clergie being a great multitude was to haue order and gouernement in it selfe and therfore behoued to consist of superiours and inferiours likewise And to these ouerseers of the Church were assigned different names and titles for distinctions sake the Ouerseers or Rulers of the Church in the quarters of the world were called Patriarkes the Ouerseer and Ruler of the Church of a whole kingdome was called a Primate the Ouerseers and Rulers of the Clergie or Church in the seuerall Prouinces of a kingdome were called Archbishops and the Ouerseers or Rulers of the same Clergie in a diocesse or shiere were called Bishops like as the Ouerseers of the Laitie or people in a parish were called Presbyters Priests or Pastours for in the last Section of this worke wherein we doe entreate more at large of the honourable titles and maintenance of the ministerie we show likewise how that the Ministers of the Gospel ought not to disclaime the honourable stile and title of Priests Thus we see how that there must needs bee imparitie and inequalitie amongst Ministers except wee meane to make them a multitude without order and gouernment or else giue them from Geneua Lay-gouernours for amongst them the Elders of the Church which bee lay men being more in number to passe ouer their Lay-deacons doe gouerne the Ministers beeing the smaller number iudge and censure them both in life and doctrine and so are they well serued because they refused to bee gouerned by men of their owne order to wit by Bishops therefore God hath giuen them ouer to bee deluded derided debased and dishonoured by the Lay gouernment of those whom they ought to gouerne and rule as the Shepheard his sheepe the father his children the schoolemaster his schollers for amongst the Geneuians it is quite contrary where the Lay-elders as being more in number doe ouer-rule the Ministers as hath beene said But thankes bee vnto Almighty God for raising vp a Iacob from the North Isay 41.8 9 25. Reuel 1.20 12.7 and calling him from the endes of the earth to doe him seruice in restoring of his Church in the North to the ancient Angelicall forme and in banishing out of it the Grashopper-gouernment of Geneua and let all Britaines North and South Prouerb 30.27 euen as many as doe loue the likenesse of Ierusalems Angels better then of Geneuian Grashoppers say Amen Sect. 16 Thirdly the Church of England is more like the Church in heauen for holinesse then the Geneuian is The Church of England more heauen-like for holines Isay 6.1 2 3 Reul 4. 5.8 12.13 7.15 for in heauen the Angels and blessed Spirits keepe euery day holy incessantly praising God and saying holy holy holy is the Lord of hostes the whole world is full of his glory so saith the euangelicall Prophet Isay in the old Testament diuine S. Iohn in the new saith that they cease not day nor night to say and to sing holy holy holy Lord God almighty which was and which is and which is to come that they serue him day and night in his Temple saying Praise and honour and glory and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for euer more and the foure said Amen Now the Church of England is farre holier then the Geneuian because the Geneuians are not so holy as the Iewes were nor haue not so many holy dayes as they had for besides the two and fifty Sabbaths of the yeare Exod. 12.14 15 16 17 18. 13.6.7 20.8 9 10. 23.12 14 15 16 17. 38.18 Deut. 16. Ester 9.17 18 19 21 26 27 28 29. 30 31. 1. Machab. 4.43 44 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59. which are the Geneuian holy dayes they had other holy dayes and festiuities which they did obserue as of the Passeouer of the first fruites of Tabernacles and of Purim instituted by Queene Ester and Mordecai and of the dedication of the Altar instituted by Machabaeus But the English like
supreame Gouernour thereof vpon earth which is the King whom God himselfe hath called by the name of God as hee that hath his royall power immediately from God and not from man contrary to the opinion of Romanes and Geneuians and whose dignity is absolutely the greatest and diuinest of all other and much more eminent then the Priestly contrary to the opinion of the same and whose person and power is mixt of ecclesiasticall and ciuill as he that is not a meere lay-man contrary to the opinion of them likewise and whose Maiestie and dignitie is inuiolable and not liable to any kinde of censure or punishment at the hands of man spirituall or temporall otherwise then both Romanes and Geneuians would make vs beleeue in all which points for all their iumping together they erre most grossely and the Church of England holdeth or thodoxally Now in the next place wee shall prooue the perfection of the same Church by shewing how that she is more Angelicall or Angel-like in respect of the secondary Gouernours of the Church and consequently liker vnto Gods Church in heauen then any Geneuian Church is For like as in the Church of God in heauen God himselfe gouerneth soueraignely and supreamely as Monarch and King and the Archangells doe gouerne the inferiour Angels secondarily as Senatours and the twenty foure crowned Elders which are of the blessed Spirits of men doe gouerne the inferiour spirits as we may learne by some ten chapters of the Reuelation and as all ancient Diuines doe deliuer so in the Church of England the Soueraigne Prince as God and for God doth gouerne it supreamely vpon earth and secondarily the Archbishops Colloss 1.16 1. Thess 4.16 as Archangels doe preside aboue the Bishops which againe as Angels and so are they called in the same Diuine Reuelation seuen times in two chapters doe gouerne the inferiour Ministers of the Word and Sacraments and these againe like vnto those more perfit spirits or soules of men Reuela 45 7 8 9 12 14 15 16 19. cap. Reuel 2.1 8 12 18 3 1 7 14 doe gouerne the lay multitude of men and women So that the Anglicane or English Church is more Angelicall or Angel-like then the Geneuian is which admitteth no such Angelicall distinction and order of Ministers for there they are equall and neither like the Angels in heauen which haue their chiefe Princes Dan. 10.13 12.1 Juâ—e vers 9. Reuel 12.7 Colos 1.16 Reuel 9.11 12.7 and their inferiours as namely Michael the Archangel and his Angels euen Thrones Domimons Principalities Powers as the Apostle speaketh nor like the Diuels in hell which are better ordered as hauing a distinction of degrees for the Angel-king of the bottomlesse pit otherwise called the Dragon hath many blacke Angels vnder him whence it followeth that the Anglicane Church as being the more Angelicall or Angel-like is perfiter then the Geneuian by farre And truly I can not wonder inough of this paritie of theirs from whence they had it for it is more then manifest that they had it not from heauen nor yet from hell as hath beene before shewed belike they haue learned it of the Grashoppers that leape about the banks of the Lemannian lake for they haue no King yet goe they forth all by bands saith Salomon From the Church of God vnder the law they had it not for they had their high Priests their principall or chiefe Priests and their inferiour Priests Exod. 28. Leuit. 8. Numb 3. 4 8 18 1. Chron. 9. 15 16 24 25 26 2. King 23. Nehem. 12. Heb. 5 5 6 10 Mat. 10 1 2 28 16 Mark 3.14 6 7 Luk. 6 13 9 1 Act. 1.22 16 2 14 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 5 6 14 15 16 17 19 1 2 3 4 5 7 Cor. 12.28 29. Ephes 4.11.12 and likewise among the Leuites some were superiours and some inferiours some were as Lords and chiefe Fathers and other some as sonnes and followers Nor had they their paritie and equalitie of Church Ministers from the Church of God vnder the Gospell such as it was in the daies of Christ and his Apostles for our Sauiour himselfe was as the high Priest the Apostles as the chiefe Priests the seuenty Disciples as the inferiour Priests and the Deacons as the Leuites and no man that hath his right wittes will say that the Apostles Prophets Euangelists and Pastours mentioned by the Apostle Paul as ordained of God in the Church were all equall in dignitie and office Neither had they their paritie of pastours from the Church such as it was after the Apostles daies for within the first fiue hundreth yeares we read in the Ecclesiasticall histories how that the Church was gouerned by Patriarkes and Arch bishops representing the twelue Apostles and by Bishops representing the Euangelists Yea in the very Apostles daies there were Bishops which had vnder them inferiour Pastours as S. Iames Bishop of lerusalem S. Peter Bishop of Antioch S. Paul Bishop of Rome S. Marke Bishop of Alexandria and if we will not beleeue the Ecclesiasticall historie of the Primitiue Church yet let vs beleeue the Epistles of the Apostle Paul who enstileth Timothie the Euangelist 2. Tim. 4. Tit. 3. 1. Tim. 5.22 Tit. 1 5 the first Bishop of the Church of Ephesus and Titus another Euangelist first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians and testifieth that by vertue of their function they did ordaine presbyters or inferiour pastours in those Churches for ordination argueth demonstratiuely the superioritie of the ordainer and the inferioritie of the ordained Act. 20 17 18 1. Tim. 3.1 2 5.17 19 Tit. 1 5.6 7 and without such inequalitie their can bee neither ordination nor order And though it be true that in the Scripture the names of Bishop and Presbyter or Pastour be taken indifferently for one and the same office yet that doth argue only that euery Pastor or Presbyter is and may bee called a Bishop in respect of his people or parish ouer which hee is placed so that he may bee called a Bishop aboue the Laitie but it doth not argue that their were no superiour Bishops aboue those Bishops of the Laitie to ordaine order and direct them which were Bishops of a more eminent degree and distinct from the other these Bishops Presbyters and Pastours aboue the Clergie and those Bishops Presbyters and Pastours aboue the Laitie and consequently inferiour vnto the former wherefore I could wish that learned men would not leane so much as they doe to that argument taken from the indifferencie of those two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeing the question and controuersie is not verball but reall for the question is not if all the Ministers of the Church may be called by the common name of Pastor Presbyter and Bishop but if all those that are called by the common name ought to bee
giuen my minde wholly to good letters and aswell diuine as humane For three yeares of the said space I spent in the priuate studie of Philosophy in considering of the more noble and choice questions that haue beene mooued or disputed by the followers of Aristotle but especially of diuine Plato vnto whom I was alwayes more deuoted and of the renowned Aegyptian Philosopher Hermes Trismegistus following therein the example of those foure famous Italian Philosophers Franciscus Ioannes Picus Mirandula Marsilius Ficinus Franciscus Patricius Other three years I spent in reading and pondering the Church questions and controuersies of our time as they haue beene learnedly and diligently debated on both hands by diuers great Diuines of these dayes One yeare I spent in perusing some fourty treatises discourses commentaries and consuitations written by some of the more moderate and ingenuous tending to pacification Fiue yeares I spent in reading and perusing some of the choicest bookes of the Doctors of the Church Greekes and Latines and of the more renowned amongst the Schoole-men and other fiue I spent in perusing politicall and historicall workes penned by diuers authors especially Italians and Germans together with the Genealogies of the Kings and Princes of Christendome And for some clearer euidence and proofe of this studious pastime besides some ten little things already published in english most part vpon diuine and morall arguments namely the Looking glasse of grace and glory the Treasure of tranquillity the Mirrour of religious men godly Matrons the Golden art or the right way of enriching the Game of concord and vnion admirable Prophecies of 24. famous Romane catholikes touching the deformation and reformation of Rome two Pamphlets containing some seauen short Poems in honour of your Maiestie and your noble children together with these two present Treatises written of late in defence of the Church of Englands discipline and doctrine besides these ten little exercises I say I haue written diuers things in Latine vpon Philosophicall Historicall and Politicall arguments but most of all vpon Theologicall points for being once a follower of the most precise sort and euen a professed Puritane as they tearme it I began at nineteene yeares of age to write in Latine two bookes against Poperie one of the which I haue entituled of the admirable Antipathie or contrariety of Theologie and Papalogie or of Gods word and the Popes Wherein I point forth the oppositions contradictions betweene the Scripture and the Romane doctrine from the beginning of the Bible vnto the end thereof going thorow euery chapter of both Testaments answerable whereunto I haue deuided the said worke into two parts the first containing an hundred and fourty nine Sections the second an hundred and thirty and it hath bin seene and well liked of some learned Schollers The other is a description of the Tyrannie which was to be exercised vpon the militant Church according to the tenure of the two noble prophesies of Daniel and Saint Iohn where I doe entreat of the authors instruments duration beginning manner and ending of those great troubles and doe compare the opinions of writers together touching the foresaid circumstances with the reasons thereof a worke of no small labour consisting of eighteene large Sections or Chapters and was by me dedicated vnto the Church and Colledge of Edenburgh where I tooke my degree and therefore I sent it home out of France with my Coosin M. William Maxwell of Kauens to be presented accordingly though as I vnderstood since it was the fortune of my Booke to fall into the hands of M. Iohn Welshe then a famous Preacher in those parts who borrowed the same for a few daies but not deliuering it againe carried the same away with him into France and hath kept it vntill this houre I haue likewise written in Latine another Booke called Romase redarguens or Rome rebuking and reproouing her selfe Wherein I doe prooue by the expresse Testimonies of Popes Cardinals Archbishops Bishops Monkes Friers Prophets Prophetesses Schoolemen and Cell-women of the Church of Rome that shee standeth in need of reformation against the contrary assertion of the learned Iesuite Martinus Becanus The Propheticall part if so I may call it of which worke I did publish of late in English a Booke containing a collection of more then an hundred strange Prophesies vtteredin former times touching the deformation and reformation of Rome by twenty foure famous Romane-Catholikes whereof some twelue haue beene canonized for Saints to wit seauen men and fiue women I haue likewise written a disputation or disquisition touching the seate of Sathan whether it was to be in the North as the Romish Doctors doe holde or in the South where I prooue against the Romane Doctors by Scripture and nature by Theologie and Astrologie by Philosophie and Historie how that the North is absolutely the most diuine eminent and excellent the very seate of God and not of Sathan and the chiefe receptacle of his Church Another disputation and disquisition I haue written touching the seate of soules where I refute the Popish opinions of Purgatory Limbus Patrum Limbus infantium and the like hollow habitations of soules within the earth and I doe show that the ancient Fathers knewne more places but three at most as the Greekes doe at this day Paradise Heauen and Hell In the same I doe refute the erroneous opinions of Romanes and Geneuians Papists and Puritanes touching our Sauiours descending into hell and prooue the doctrine of the Church of England touching that article to be only orthodoxe a briefe of which part of that Booke I haue here published in English And in the same larger worke I do defend the saluation of Salomons soule against Cardinall Bellarmine and others iumping with him in that vnprobable and vncharitable opinion Another disputation I haue written in Latine vpon the Inuocation of Saints against the Romane Knight of Saint Peter Gaspar Scioppius against whose allegations of Scripture and probations fetcht from thence I who am a layman like himselfe howsoeuer inferiour for humane letters and titles doe employ some 28. arguments fetcht not only from Scriptures but also from Greeke and Latine Fathers besides Philosophers Poets and Historians and the same Methode and manner of probation I doe vse in a certaine Theologicall and Historicall Plea against the learned Iesuite Iames Gretser for the preheminence of the Emperour and Kings aboue Popes Patriarkes Archbishops and Bishops and generally of all Priests and for their mixt condition of Ecclesiasticall and ciuill Lastly I haue written a Treatise called Catholico-Iacobus Catholico Britannus wherein I do demonstrate the true Catholicisme of Britaines and doe euidently prooue that your Maiestie and your subiects haue all those things that Gods word requireth to make men true Christians and Catholikes against the contrary assertion of the learned French Archbishop Cardinall Iames Perron The which two Treatises last mentioned written in defence of King Iames and this Church against two learned and famous Romane