Lord Bishops None of the Lords Bishops, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate are taken tripping, though he would run away with it, That his Hierarchie is Jure Divino.
HE saith, *Confer, pag. 175, 176.For the Calling and Authority of Bishops over the inferiour Clergie, that was a thing of known use, and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church. And so much St. Jerome tells us. Though being none himselfe, he was no great friend to Bishops. And this was so sei…ed in the minds of men from the very Infancy of the Christian Church, as that it had not been to that time contradicted by any. So that then there was no Controversie about the Calling. The difficulty, was to accommodate their Precedencies… And the‡pag. 183. Ordine Primus (whereof there was a necessity) falling to the Roman Prelate, by reason of the Imperiall Seat, this was the very fountaine of Papall Greatnesse, the Pope having his Residence in the Imperiall City. So he.
Now for Answere hereunto: First, for the Authority of Bishops or Prelats over the Inferiour Clergie (as he calls it) first he must prove their Calling, before he can make good their Authority. Now Prelates have no such Calling from God. And the Apostle saith,‡Heb. 5. 4, 5. No man taketh this honour unto himselfe, but he that is called of God as Aaron. So Christ glorified not himselfe, to be made an High Priest: but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee: Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec. But that the Prelates have no such Calling from God, the Prelate himselfe (as before is noted) doth as good as confesse, saying,§Confer. pag. 177. Among Bishops there was effectuall Subjection respectively grounded upon Canon, and Posuive Law in their Severall Quarters Ergo this was not jure divino. And if not, where is their Authority then? And therfore, as the Prelate saith of the Popes Supremacy, in being the Sole Living Iudge in and over the universall Church. †pag. 198, 199.Neither (saith he) hath he power from Christ over the whole Church to doe it; nay out of all doubt, 'tis not the least Reason, why De Facto he hath so little Successe, because De Jure he hath no Power given: So I may say as truly of all Prelates (who challenge to be the living visible Iudges (as before is shewed) which is one maine part of their usurped Authority over the Ministry) that they have no such Power from Christ over their severall Diocese, Provinces, or Quarters to doe it; nay out of all doubt 'tis not the least Reason, why De Facto they have so little Successe, because De Jure they have no Power given. According to that in the Prophet.*ler. 23. 30, 31, 32. Behold (saith the Lord) I am against the Prophets, that steale my word every one from his Neighbour. Behold I am against the Prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He Saith. Behold I am against them that prophecie false dreames, saith the Lord, and doe tell them, and cause my people to erre by their lyes, and by their lightnesse, yet I sent them not, nor commanded them therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. And this: is the very case of the Prelates; they are faise Prophets, they steale Gods word from the people of God, and instead thereof use their own word, prophecying false dreames, saying, The Lord saith, the Lord hath sent us, we have our Calling and Authority from God over all Ministers, we are the sole living visible Iudges in matters of Faith and Religion, so as all must rest in our Iudgement, according to our own Canons and Constitutions, &c. thus causing simple people to erre by their lyes, and by their lightnesse: yet the Lord hath not sent them, nor commanded them, they have no Calling, and so no Power and Authority from God: and therfore the Lord is against these false Prophets: and because he hath not commanded them, nor sent them, therfore they shall not profit the people at all.
But Secondly, the Prelate saith, that his Prelaticall Iurisdiction over the inferiour Clergie, was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church. Now first, for his Inferiour Clergie. Clergie being appropriated to the Ministry is an abusive Monopoly, and usurpation; for all Gods people redeemed by Christ, are his kleros, his Lot, or …nheritance, whereof the word Clergie is derived. As Peter saith, writing to the Presbyters, ‡1 Pet. 5.Not as Lording over t…n kleron, Gods heritage, but as ensamples to the flocke. So that the flocke of God, are his kleros, his heritage. But to passe over this: Secondly, he tells us of an Inferiour Clergie: he meanes his Priests, and the rest, as Archdeacons, and so forth, to the number of 7 Orders, as they call them. A rabble of Orders not unsutable to the Subjects of a Lord Prelate, as being all of them of humane devise and institution; of which their Hierarc…ie is made up; another word of mans invention, which some call rather‡Hist. Concil. T…id. Hierodoulia; but what holy Orders Christ hath left in his Church, we shall see anon. Thirdly, this was (saith he) a thing of known use and benefit. Of the known use we have formerly spoken. But now, what's the benefit? Namely, for the preservation of unity and peace in the Church. How proves he this? From S. Ierome, who said, That one was chosen over the rest in Sckismatis remedium, to remedy Schisme in the Church. But by the way, these very words of Ierome doe argue, that Prelates were of humane Institution: for unus electus est, one was chosen, I …rgo of men. But lerome speaks more expresly, which the Prelate wisely passeth over dry foot, where he saith, that Prelacy was set up humana praesumptione, non Institutione Divina, by humane Presumption, and not by Divine Institution. Well: but had it that successe, the Prelate speaks of? Did it produce the fruitfull benefit of unity and Pea…e? Or what unity? Or what peace? Indeed we find by wofull proof, that this Hierarchy was the very egge, of which the Cockatrice, Antichrist was hatched, so as the Hierarchy consisting of so many Prelates, grew at length co…lescere, to grow together into one Antichrists …n body, whereof the Ordine Primus came to be the head. And herein unity and Peace are so conjoyned, as they have made up one intire new Catholicke Church, that, whereof the Prelate professeth himselfe, with the Church of England, and of Rome, and all other Prelaticall Churches in the world, (all other not Prelaticall, as the Reformed Protestants beyond the Seas, excluded, as before is noted) to be, in all which this his Catholick Church (as*Confer. pag. 370. elswhere he saith, hath its existence. Which Prelaticall Catholicke Church is the ver… head and body of Antichrist. Even as the Prelate tells us, that the Ordine Primus, the Roman Prelate having his Throne in Rome. This (saith he) was the very fountaine of Papall Greatnesse: So I may say, The Prelacie, or Hierarchie was the very fountaine…, when…e hath issued the maine Ocean of th…se ‡Revel. 17. 15.many waters over which the Whore sitteth, which though it be distinguished into many severall Seas of so many Prelates, yes all make up but one Maine Sea (as it were) one Catholicke Church. And this is that unity and Peace, the benefit of both the constitution, and preservation whereof is to be ascribed to the Hierarchy of Prelates over their inferiour Clergy.
Thirdly where he saith, Though S. Jerome, being no Prelate himselfe, he was no gre…t friend to Bishops. Hence I note onelyonly the conceit of the Prelate, that he thinks none can speake against Prelates, but such as are none themselves, as if it were onelyonly a matter of envie. But as the Poet said, Dic mibi, si fi…l tis L…, qualis eris… Tell me, if thou thy selfe wert a Lion, what manner of man wouldst thou be? So the Prelate imagines, that if any of those, that speake against the Authority of Prelates, were themselves Lions that is, Lord Prelates, they would be of another mind, they would then say, We Prelates have Authority over all Inferiour Priests, Jure Divino; we are the Sole visible living Iudges to determine and resolve all doubts in matters of Faith and Religion; we are the Sole Masters of Ceremonies, to bind all men to Canonicall obedience to all our Canons and Constitutions: we enjoy honours, pleasures, riches, ease, delights of the world, favours in Court, and what not? Thus the Prelate thinks all men would be of his mind, were they in his Place. And I thinke so too, thus farre, that they who take upon them the Prelacy, they no sooner sit in that Chaire, but it proves a Chaire of Pestilence unto them, infecting and corrupting mans very reason and judgement so farre, as to make him beleeve all is gold that glistereth. OnelyOnly few come to that Chaire, but such as are selfe-infected with their own imbred Plagues, as pride, Ambition, Covetousnesse, and that in a high Degree. So as King Iames being once asked, why he had made so many Bishops, in Scotland, and not one honest man amongst them all: he replyed, saying, By his Saule there was never an Honest Man wad tack a Bishopricke. And Histories tell us of many holy men, that utterly refused Bishopricks, And there is never a true Reformed Protestant Minister, Vid Espencaeum in Tim.but hates a Bishoprick, as he doth the Throne of the Beast. But
Fourthly (saith the Prelate) This (to wit Anthority of Bishops) was so settled in the minds of men from the very Infancy of the Christian Church, as that it had not been to that time (in the 4th Age or Century) contradicted by any. No doubt but such a brave and bonny thing, as a Prelacy; would find Grace enough in the world, and quickly sink down, and settle in mens minds and affections. But what's this to the purpose, as to prove it a Calling from God… But this was (saith he) from the very Infancy of the Christian Church. Surely the Prelacy, in the very Infancy of the Christian Church, either had no being at all i…rerum natura, or was but a misshapen Embrio, or infant in the Mothers belly, as Es… was at the same time in his Mothers belly with Isaac, yea and would have claimed the blessing of the birth-right too from Isaac, because of his antiquity. And did not this young Babe wrastle with … in the wombe, when the Apostle saith, The Mystery of iniquity doth already works, and this young Prelate wanted but time and opportunity to grow up to be a ‡ Gen. 10. 8, 9.Nimrod, even the great Antichrist, as we shall see further anon. So as to plead Antiquity of the Prelacy even from the very Infancy of the Christian Church, is yet no good Argument to confirme their Authority to be jure divino. For even Satans Kingdome had existence in the world, before Christ was Promised. And the Kingdome of heaven, to wit of … here, is described to be such as no sooner was the wheat of the Gospell sowne, but that wicked one had his Supersemination of Tares of manifold …rrors, such as sprung up even in the Apostles times, the very Infancy of the Church. But had not been till that time which the Prelate speakes of) contradicted by any. That I must now contradict. For first (as before is shewed) Christ forbad it upon the first motion of it. Secondly, the Apostles of which we shall speake by and by) mightily contradicted it, and cryed it down, as being that monstrous mystery of Iniquity. And thirdly, it was contradicted by sundry; as by …. But you will presently say, that Epiphanius ranks him (even for that very opinion only, that he held Prelates not to be de jure divino, or that the Degree of a Bishop was no greater, then that of a Priest) in the Catalogue of Hereticks. And so am I also content, upon the same termes, to be by the Prelates, counted for an Hereticke. But Secondly, himselfe confesseth S. Ierome to have contradicted their Authority; as we noted before; saying, that their Institution was meerly of humane Presumption. Yea and thirdly Augustine (that Famous light) was of the same mind with Ierome: So as some of the Learned in the*Hist. Concil. Trid. Councel of Trent alledged both of them in this point. So that contradicted it was, and had been, and that by many, and some of them (as Christ and his Apostles) of Divine and Infallible Authority. So as without all Controversie, Prelaticall Authority over other Ministers is no Calling of God at all; which we now come more fully to shew, by the Testimony of the Apostles, both in their Doctrine and Practise.