contains the Law and the Gospel the killing letter and the reviving spirit others interpret the Rod to signifie the Government and Discipline of the Church as the Manna the Doctrine of Christ and food that came down from heaven I take it to signifie both and both answers my purpose if both be therein contained neither must be touch'd but by the Priests themselves neither must we confine this prohibition to the Priests of the Law only but we must extend it also to the Ministers of the Gospel both which were typified by the two Cherubims or Ministring Angels of the Almighty these Ministers or Angels though opposite to one another yet they both lookt alike and neither of them upon one another but both of them upon the Ark that was between them there was mutuality in their looks and their wings touch'd one another so though the Ministers of the Law and the Gospel seem opposite in the Administration of the same grace yet they must come so near as to touch one another in the manner of the Administration exempli gratiâ as there was in the old Law High Priests Priests and Levites so in the new Law Bishops Presâ—yters and Deacons as none but Priests were to touch the Ark so none but the Ministers should reform the Church Thus much for Government Now for Episcopacy the question then concerning Episcopacy will be whether or no Jure Divino one Minister which answers to all names and sorts of Church-men and Church-Officers whatsoever may not exercise jurisdiction and power over many Ministers within such a place or territory If this be granted the Bishops ask no more if it be denyed how then did Christ Jesus Bishop of our souls give orders and directions to his twelve Apostles and taught them how they should behave themselves throughout this Diocese the whole World How did St. Paul exercise jurisdiction over Timothy and Titus who were both Bishops and how did these two Bishops exercise jurisdiction over all the Ministers of Creet and Ephesus was not this by Divine Institution If I find by Divine Writ that Christ laid the foundation of his Church in himself alone being over all the Apostles and if I find that these Apostles every Apostle by himself in imitation of our Saviour accordingly exercised jurisdiction and authority over many Ministers which were under them and commanded others to do the like as Paul Timothy and Titus and if I find the practice of the Church all along through the whole tract of time to continue the like Discipline shall not I believe this Discipline to be Jure Divino except Christ sends down a new conje deslier from heaven upon the election of every new Bishop Christ lays the foundation we build upon it he gives us the Model we follow the Pattern the Church is built is not this by Divine Right because he doth not lay the several stones with his own hands Christ promised that he would be alwaies with his Church and that he would send his holy spirit amongst them which should lead them into all truth so that the gates of Hell should not prevail against it but if Episcopacy â—e Anti-Christian then the gates of Hell have not only prevailed against it a long time but all along As all Judgments are given in the Kings Name and all Records run Rege praesente though the King be not there in person but in power so the universal and un-interrupted and continued and generally received Discipline of his holy Catholick Church which Church we are bound to believe by the Apostolical Creed is Christo praesente Ergo Jure Divino though Christ be not there in person but in power which power he conferr'd upon those who were to be his Successours which were called Apostles As my Father sent me so send I you and he that heareth you heareth me and loe I will be with you alwaies unto the end of the world surely this Discipliâ—â— of one over many call it what you will is to descend and continue unto the end of the World Object But it may be objected How can you prove that Christ commanded any such thing or that Christ gave to the Apostles any such power as to make Successors in their steads with a warrant for it to continue from age to age Sol. Where do you find that Christ gave the Sacrament to any but his Disciples drink ye all of this but they were all Apostles to whom he said so where did you find that Christ administred the Sacrament or commanded it to be administred unto any Lay-men or women therefore is not the Sacrament given unto them Jure Divino because the words were left out in the conveyance When there grew a disputation concerning Divorcements Christ sends us to the Original Sic autem non fuit ab initio if Christs rule be good then the Bishops are well enough for they may say concerning Episcopacy I mean one over many and that safely too sic erat ab origine Some are very unwilling that this Episcopacy should be intail'd by Christ upon his Apostles and their successors out of these words Mat. 28.20 I will be with you alwaies to the end of the world they will not have it to mean in their successors but the meaning to be this I will 〈◊〉 with you alwaies unto the end of the world that is to say in the efficacy and power of my word and Gospel to all ages why may it not signifie this and that too that it doth one is no argument but that it may do both God made all things in number weight and measure and will you slight his word shall sensus factus thrust our sensus destinatus out of Scriptures the first Ministers of the Gospel must be adâ—equate to the first Minister of the Law and behold the same Method observed in both their Institutions what difference is there between Christ's words to his Disciples I am with you alwaies unto the end of the world Mat. 28.20 and Gods words unto Aaron at his setting him apart for the High Priests Office This shall be a Statute for ever unto thee and to thy seed after thee Exod. 28.43 Certainly if the Gospel be nothing else but the Law revealed and the Law be nothing else but the Gospel hidden whatsoever is written or said of the Ministers of the one must needs have reference to the Ministers of the other and I shall desire you to look a little back upon the words which God said to Aaron when God speaks of the seed of Aaron he only maketh mention of the seed after him but when he speaks of the Statute he saith it shall be for ever if I do not flatter my own judgment that tells me that this Statute of High Priesthood or Episcopacy call it what you will must have heirs after the seed of Abraham is expired and did not the Catholick Church all along call the receiving of the Holy-Ghost the order of Priest-hood did ever
in it they Pray'd and Preach'd and Writ against it tasted and pray'd for a diversion of all such intentions but I pray who took the Scepter out of his hand in taking away the Militia of which it was an Emblem that should have defended him was it not the Presbyterians who cast down his Throne by taking away his Negative voice was it not the Presbyterians who took off his Crown the fountain of Honour from off his Head by denying those honour on whom he had confer'd it without them was it not the Presbyterian Who took away his Supremacy signified by the Sacred Unction wherewith he was Anointed in not allowing him the Liberty of his own Conscience in the point of Episcopacy and Church-Government was it not the Presbyterian Who would not Treat a minute with their King before they had made him acknowledge himself guilty as they say of all the blood that had been spilt throughout his Dominions was it not the Presbyterian Who notwithstanding all the Concessions on his part that could be granted even to the very grating his Princely Conscience when he bid them ask flesh from off his bones and he would not deny it them if it might have been a benefit unto his people prayed that he might keep his Conscience whole it was the Queen Regent of all good mens actions and he hoped there were none would force this Queen before him in his house as Ahasuerus said to Haman voted not satisfactory so long until the Independent Army came from Edenborough and surpriz'd and murdred him was it not the Presbyterians He that said the Presbyterians held him down by the hair while the Independents cut off his Head said true enough they murdered him as a King before ever they murdered him as a man for what may the Independent say to the Presbyter if you 'l take off his Authority we 'l take off his Head if you 'l make him no King we 'l make him no Body if you 'l make him a man of blood we 'l use him accordingly therefore at your doors O Presbyterian Hypocrites do I lay his innocent blood it is but like the rest of your actions committed by your Ancestors to former Princes alâ— along One thing I pray you well observe There was never any Reformed Church in Christendom but when they shook off their Bishops they made their Apologies to all the Christian World how they were necessitated to alter that Ancient and best form of Government of the Church by Bishops in regard that they could not be drawn off from their obedience and dependance on the Pope of Rome and if possible they would retain that laudable Government as most convenient but never were there any Reformers in the World but ours that ever held Episcopacy to be unlawful and Anti christian before and will you know the reason which is only this the Bishops what they receive they lay down at his Majesties feet as acknowledging him to be Supreme in all cases when they would have him to be Supreme in no case as Buch. de jure Regni plainly tells us that Princes are no more but the Proxies and Attorneys of the people and yet for all this the Authority which they hold to be as Anti-christian in the Chair they practise as most Christian on the Bench and much improve it These Monsters that they may the better cry down the Divine Right that is in Episcopacy and descended to them from the Apostles tell us that the calling of the Apostles was extraordinary and died with them to make answer to which assertion we must consider how many waies a thing may be taken to be extraordinary and if we find that it may be taken so many waies if we can prove a thing extraordinary one way we must not take it to be extraordinary in every respect exempli gratiâ Saul was extraordinarily called by God because immediately by him but this doth not make the calling of Kings to be an extraordinary calling for that succeeded so the Apostles were extraordinarily called by God as not being called out of the Tribe of Levi nor taken from the feet of Gamaliel nor brought up in the schools of the Prophets yet this doth not follow that the calling of the Apostles should be extraordinary for they had their successors It may be extraordinary à parte ante but not à parte post only in regard of the manner of their election but not in regard of the nature of their commission they were called Apostles in regard of their Mission not in respect of their Commission which which was no more but what Bishops had neither doth the word Apostle signifie so great Authority as doth the word Bishop the one betokening but a Messenger the other an Overseer and therefore there is no extraordinariness hitherto that they should not be extraordinary 2. A man may be said to be extraordinary in regard of some extraordinary gifts and endowments which God hath given unto a man as unto the Apostles the gift of tongues of healing c. but this doth no way make the calling extraordinary for then it would follow that if God Almighty should give unto any ordinary Minister extraordinary gifts then his calling should be extraordinary or that the calling of Kings should be an extraordinary calling because God bestows on some Kings the extraordinary gift of healing 3. It may be further urg'd the calling of the Apostles was an extraordinary calling because they were pen-men of the Holy-Ghost and in regard that the Holy-Ghost sat upon each of them no that doth not make it extraordinary quoad nos that it should not descend for other Divines and Evangelists were pen-men of the Holy-Ghost as well as they therefore what was not extraordinary to themselves cannot be extraordinary to us 4. For their receiving the Holy-Ghost it is no otherwise but what all Bishops Pastors and Curates do receive when they receive Orders Receive ye the Holy Ghost only the difference is this they received it by the sitting of cloven tongues and they by impâ—sition of hands but still the extraordinaries consist in the manner but not the matter of the thing received so that all the while there is no reason why this calling of the Apostles should be so extraordinary as that it should not descend If Christ promised to be with his Apostles unto the end of the World and they did not continue unto the end of the World surely I should think without any straining at Gnats or swallowing of Cammels that the meaning of our Saviours words should be this that he would be with those in the assistance of his holy spirit that should succeed the Apostles in their Offices of supervising his Church and propagation of his Gospel except I should see more reason than I do yet why the Apostles calling should be so peculiar that it must not descend or that the Government of one over many be so inconsistent with the Church her good in
after-time more than in the beginning that Episcopacy should be so abominable Briefly I can compare these Presbyters pulling down the Bishops to no other thing than to a company of unhappy boys who being not tall enough to reach the fruit and wanting a Ladder for the fruit sake lay hold upon the branches and break down a bow making it thereby no part of the tree so â—hese men wanting merit to taste the fruit of learning and not having capacity enough in themselves to reach those preferments which the Church holds out to those who are deserving they render that which was part of the Church as sever'd from the Body which is the highest kind of Sacriledge not only in depriving the Church of part of its goods but part of it self Lastly if there be no other reason to be given if not for the Divine Right of Episcopacy yet for the lawfulness thereof but this one topical argument which I shall use raised out of the continued practice of the Church in all ages to men whose faces are not braâ—'d so thick that it were reason proof it were sufficient in my understanding viz. Suppose all the arguments which were for Episcopacy were as weak as so many straws to support a cause yet though four straws are not able to support a table yet fourteen thousand bound up together in four bundles will hold it up as firm as so many props of Iron so though some few practices of some few men within some few places are not able to make an argument for Episcopacy that shall be evincing yet the practice of the Church all along for fourteen hundred years in fourteen hundred Dioceses and throughout forty ages makes good the argument against any few Jack Straws or Wat Tilers whatsoever Ob. But there were no Diocesan Bishops in the Primitive times Sol. Was not Christ a Diocesan Bishop and was not the World his Diocess were not the Apostles Diocesan Bishops when the whole World divided into twelve parts were their twelve Diocess were not Timothy and Titus Diocesan Bishops when Creet and Ephesus were allotted to be their Diocess Ob. There were no Lord Bishops in those daies Sol. Those who ruled well were to be accounted worthy of double honour and will you not allow them a single Lordship Ob. The Lords of the Gentiles exercised Dominion but so shall not you Sol. No not such dominion as they exercised there is a great deal of difference betwixt dominion and domineering betwixt Lordship and lording it over God's Inheritance a Paternal Government was never accounted intolerable but by unruly Children if this were not to be allowed of how did Christ rule his Apostles Paul Timothy and Titus both these all the Ministers in Creet and Ephesus Ob. St. Paul laboured with his hands that he might not be chargeable to the brethren Sol. So might the Bishops if they needed no more to study Divinity than did the Apostles but if any Benefactor had bestowed large Revenues upon St. Paul I see no reason why he might not be a keeper of Hospitality as well as he advised Timothy so to do but now Julians persecution is reviv'd Do not saith Julian destroy the Christians but take away the maintenance of the Church and that will bring their Ministers into contempt and so destroy their Religion and now they are at it Libera me domine saith St. Augustine ab homine impio id est libera me à me so we had need to pray unto Almighty God that he would save his Church out of the hands of her Church-men for she now lies upon the ground like the tree that complained that she was rent in sunder by wedges made out of her own body FINIS See Buch. de Jure Reg. 1 Sam. 24.5