Lord Bishops None of the Lords Bishops, Chapter 3

Lord Bishops None of the Lords Bishops · Chapter 3

CHAP. III.

Wherein sundry passages of the Prelate in his said Booke, for the mainteynance of his Hierarchy, and so for the disabling of the Authority and Evidence of the Holy Scripture, are met withall.

FOr concerning the Scripture, he hath writ a large Treatise or**Sect. 16. Section of his Relation, of almost 15 Sheets of paper, wherein he extremely abuses the clearenesse and Sufficiencie of Scripture, as wanting light enough of it selfe to show it to be the word of God; untill the Authority and Tradition of the present Church doe light it. And for proofe hereof he saith, that God in his Providence hath kindled in it no light for that. Thus belying and blaspeming Gods Providence. It shalbe sufficient to name and note this onelyonly, for the present, the confutation thereof requiring a larger discourse, then this of mine will admit. Againe, he saith,‡‡Confer. pag. …57. 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 shalbe 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 onelyonly of Prelates: I deny them to be competent Iudges in this Case. For by the Prelates own Confession **pag. 157.No man ought to be both party and Iudge in his own Cause. And again, the‡‡pag. 220. 226. 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,‡‡pag. 200. I beleeve, Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church Aristocratically by Diverse, rather then by one Vice-Roy. A…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 sto…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 Anticr…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?… Tim. 3… 2. 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 strik…r, not greedy of filthy l…re: but patient, not a brawler, not covetous, &c. And in Titus: Tit. 1, 7.Titus 1:7Not selfe-willed: not soon angry: a lover of good men… 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 onelyonly 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: **pag. 210, 21.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 beliefe… And not unlikely it is … 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 1Apostles and Disciples, such as he inspired with his Spirit, to instruct and governe his Church. But the Prelate a**lbid. 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 2any such to be visible Iudges in matters of faith and Religion, who are in their judgement not onelyonly 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‡‡Gal. 4. 29.Gal 4:29 the bendwoman, that where of Babylon, whose …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 3Law-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 4can 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 3not 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.

2Secondly, 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 5Peace. 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**Confe. Epist. Dedicatory, & pag. 376. 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 6Rome, 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 shalbe 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 shalbe 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 **Ioh. 19. …John 19Law 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 good, as the former, and no better. For what Laws of the Realme doth he account just? Those, that crosse any Prelaticall practises, and Antichristian lawlesse courses of his Spirituall Courts? Surely those are not to be ranked among the just Laws of the Realme those must needs be unjust Laws, which are made to restraine; the Infolencie and Lawlesse proceedings of Prelaticall Courts. Which is the reason, that now of late, under this Archprelate, Prohibitions out of the Kings bench to the High-Commission are so gueason, so well Schooled are both Lawyers to move, and Judges to grant any such thing. Thus the Prelates practises are a sufficient Commentary of his owne words. So as the Summe of this his whole passage is, That his Church of England must submit her beliefe to her Arch Bishops and Bishops, as visible Iudges left by Christ to governe, and to determine all matters of difference in point of Faith and Religion, and that according to Scripture too, so farre as they crosse not her own Canons, and those of the Catholicke Church, wherein England and Rome are one and the Same, one Church, of one Faith, of one Religion. And all this (if we may beleeve her Metropolitan) the Church of England beleeves. O miserable Church!