Necessity of Reforming Our Churches, Letter
AN EXHORTATION.
To all the godly, learned, and faithfull Paſtors of the ſeverall Churches in England, HENRY IACOB Miniſter of Gods word, wiſheth grace and peace to be multiplied in CHRIST IESVS.
BRETHREN, my hearts deſire & prayer to God for the People of England is that they may be ſaved. And this you know well, can not be attained ordinarily with comfortable & firme aſſurance in Gods Promiſes vntounto vsus, but by the due executiō of the whole & entire Paſtorall office ſanctified and ſet by Chriſt himſelf in his Churches to this purpoſe. For which cauſe I have ben ſpecially at this time moved with inward compaſſion towards our whole Nation; wherein through Gods mercifull goodnes the Goſpell hath ben famouſly profeſſed now theſe 50. yeares almoſt wholy togeather. And yet notwithſtanding never all this while have any of you (the Paſtors of our Churches) executed your whole and intiré function towardes your flockes. Being by all meanes forbidden and forcibly kept from one naturall part thereof, and moſt effectuall, which Chriſt in his word preſcribeth & hath left for you and for all true Paſtors to performe. Namely the holy Governement and ſpiritual Diſcipline; as by the 2.4. & 7. Reaſons in the firſt Aſſertion before hath appeared. Whence manifeſtly it is com to paſſe, that 3. vnſpeakeable evills do raigne among vsus. Firſt a generall impeachment & wracke of the ſoules health of the People every where throughout the Land, by wanting this Ordinarie meanes appointed of God for ſalvation to every man. Secondly, an iniurious ſpoyling of all you (beloved Brethren) the true and proper Paſtors in England of a principall part of your holy function and ſpirituall right. Third: no ſmall diminution of the honour of Chriſt and of his heavenly word. Touching the firſt I do not ſay (as ſom ſeeme to do) that ſimply there is no ſalvation in our Chrches, nor true Chriſtianitie at all. But this I ſay, indeed Chriſt graciouſly and apparantly doth impart ſalvation to many among vsus; Howbeit that cometh not by our inioying the whole ordinarie meanes aſſigned of God for vsus, which we hauehave not; but (as it were) by the one halfe thereof only, that is by the Preaching and Sacraments, which by his ſpeciall mercy we hauehave and do inioy. In which caſe whoſoever preſumeth of Gods louelove, and aſſureth himſelfe of bleſſednes with quiet contentment without longing for and ſeeking further to walke in the perfect way, now that it is diſcovered, peradventure he may deceaue himſelfe. Certainly many thouſands among vsus do thus very commonly make ſhipwrack. The rather ſeeing even that alſo which we hauehave ſound in our Land, is mixed and mingled with many other inventions and Traditions of men. And thoſe (though they ſay they are indifferent things, yet they) are not indifferently vſed, but neceſſarily vrged by authoritie & impoſed vponupon vsus. Which ſurely are to none any helpes vntounto life: but vntounto many (if not to all) are dangerous ſnares vntounto death. And this is all the good that comes by them. The ſecond evill is the iniurious ſpoyling of all the true Paſtors in England of their moſt precious right, the Crowne of their Miniſtery, the ſpirituall governing and ordering of their owne flocks for whoſe ſoules they ſtand Bound to anſwer before God. O my Brethren, what are all your worldly benefites beſides to this loſſe? What are your dignities to this indignitie? Or elſe are you not the men you are taken to bee? Are you not rightly and truly Paſtors to your ſeverall flockes? Are you the Dioceſan Biſhops Curates, and Subſtitutes only? Have you not properly the charge of ſoules, and ſhall you anſwer to God nothing for the ſtraying & leeſing of your ſheepe? If you thinke ſo, let the world vnderſtand this matter. If otherwiſe, looke to your charge, fulfill your miniſtery which you have receaved of the Lord. Or els conſider how you can be in ſuch an office, and yet not do the office; not intend to do it. The things which God hath conioyned, who may ſeparate? The Lord for the ſaving of his children needeth no mans ſinne, which you heere commit in thus violating his Ordinance. Yea he will ſave his by his owne meanes, and not as we thinke he will. Heaven and Earth may periſh, but one Iot or title of his ſpirituall Ordinances may not periſh, nor be changed by men. It is not in men therfore nor Angels to diſpenſe with you heerein, nor to diſcharge you of a part of your holy office. Much leſſe may lay Chancelors or ſtrange Paſtors take into their hands the ſpirituall cenſures (which belong vntounto you) both over your flockes and over your ſelves alſo. The laſt, but not the leaſt evill is, the manefeſt diminutiō of Chriſts honour amongſt vsus thereby. For whatſoever ſufficiency is yeelded vntounto men to inſtitute and command theſe Eccleſiaſticall ordinances, that is vniuſtly detracted from the proper and ſole perſon of Chriſt, and from his Word, as in the 1. & 8. Reaſons before we ſhewed. Theſe things then are farr from indifferent matters or ſmall trifles in the Churches, as ſom fond men ſuggeſt, and ſtill reiterat. You do ſee in this Treatiſe (I hope) how directly contrary they are to Gods word, how preiudiciall and diſhonorable to your holy calling, & likewiſe how pernicious to the ſoules of all the Chriſtians in the Land. Which alſo very experience ſheweth vsus too much. For how do Libertines and Atheiſts grow by this meanes? How doth Poperie and other Hereſies ſpread abroad & gett footing by it? There is no other ſuch reaſon truly to be given of theſe evills, as this, even becauſe the Churches are deprived among vsus (contrary to Chriſts ordinance) of their power to correct and redreſſe the ſame. And, becauſe every man wanteth this heavenly defenſe and preſervatiue appointed for vsus of God; without which how ſhould they be preſerved? Yea it may be truly ſaid, that they all do want one part of their ordinary appointed and ſanctified food to eternall life, & that they all do want the vſe of one of the Keyes which do open the Kingdom of heaven ordinarily, as before hath ben ſhewed. Why do you not therefore, bretheren, chiefly now at this time, ſeeke vntounto God by prayer and to our moſt wiſe and noble King, by humble and earneſt ſuit, both for your owne, for your peoples, yea for Chriſts due right? Our Soveraigne is a gracious Chriſtian Prince: He (as we dayly ſee) righteth every mans tēporall wrongs who do come vntounto him. Much more will he (being dutifully and diligently ſought vntounto) give you & your Flockes (every of which is Chriſts proper viſible Church) theſe ſo manifeſt and ſo neceſſarie ſpirituall rights appertayning vntounto them, & concerning ſo neerely all their ſoules health. And for Chriſts honor who wilbe more forward then he, who hath don many things moſt vertuouſly, moſt religiouſly already heeretofore. For the better procurement whereof now, and for the eaſier perſwading of you & all men duely to ſeeke this bleſſing, I hauehave taken a little paines in the collecting of theſe Aſſertions and Reaſons before going. Hoping that even our Adverſaries heerein, who hauehave conſciences fearing God, and frameable by his word wiſhing ſincerely the right ſtate of Chriſts Viſible Churches in England, will accord with vsus, and not preferr their owne temporall reſpectes before Gods true glory, yea and their owne principall good. If any (as I feare to many) will reſiſt and pretend reaſon, and Religion, and care for the State, &c. Them I deſire to be as willing, as we are, Chriſtianly to diſcuſſe theſe queſtions. Wherein humbly we deſire that the King him ſelfe would iudge; who is wiſe as an Angell of God, to vnderſtand & determine this whole cauſe by the tryall and evidence of Gods written word. Which is and muſt be among Chriſtians the end of all religious controverſies. Wherefore now Brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build vsus further, & to give vsus an inheritance among them that are ſanctified.
Your Brother in the Lord HENRY IACOB.
I am the way, the trueth, and the life.
Iohn 14.6.
I will not give my glory to another.
Iſa. 42.8.
They teach things which they ought not for filthy lucres ſake.
Tit. 1.11.
End of the text · Henry Jacob, Necessity of Reforming Our Churches (1604)