Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 118
That which Mr B: reputes our nynth errour, is our holding all Mr B.their ministers false Ministers.Answ.
As I have formerly sayd of your Churches, so say I here of your ministers: that if one be false, all are: for all are of one constitution. In deed Mr B: if he might be let alone, would save himself much labour this way, by restreyning his defence to some few of the most able, and conscionable men excluding the rest: and therefore in his former book, he speaks of such ministers, as God hath “pag. 132. 133.furnished with gifts to discharge their functiō: with holy graces: & a blamelesse lif…: and in his 2. book, he desires to *pag. 290.be vnderstood of such as are sent of God, and set over congregations, according to the truth, and true meaning of the lawes, and book of ordination. In which he doth directly exclude the Archbishops, Bishops, Suffragans, Deanes, Archdeacons, Chauncelours, Commissaries, and with them, all pluralists, non-residents, vnpreaching, and prophane ministers. For some of these are not set over congregations at all, but over Provinces, & Diocesse: others not in respect of their offices above named: and others, though they be set over particular Churches, yet hauehave they neyther gifts, nor graces for their function. But as he were nothing faythfull vntounto a city, that vndertaking the defence of it, should p…ck out here and there a corner most strong, and defensible, and fortify there, leaving the body of the city to the invasion, & spoyl of any that would assault it: so neyther is Mr B: faythfull to the Ministery of England, who pretending the defence of it against vsus, calls out here and there a man, whom he will iustifie, and leaves the body, and all the principall members of it vndefended. And here I would demaund of him why he doth not as well defend all the Ministers, in this place, as he did even now defend all the people, or why a Minister so called, though vnapt to teach, and of a prophane life, is not as well a true, though a bad Minister: as a Christian so called, being ignorant, and of a lewd conversation, a a true, though a bad Christian? There is one and the same reason of both: though Mr B: have more reason for to plead the one then the other, considering his own standing. If he should plead for the ignorant, and prophane Ministers, he should deprive himself of all arguments for the justification of the preaching, & more conscionable sort: for he rayseth them all, as the reader may see in both his books, from their gifts, and aptnes to teach, from their holy graces, their painfull and zealous preaching, their suppressing of Popery, and conversion of soules, with other the like effects of the truthes of the gospel published, and taught by them: which things since he dares not affirm of the scandalous, & vnpreaching Preists, he cunningly passeth them by as some small moat faln into the Church, by the covetousnes of †2 Book p. …90. 296.Much-wormly patrons, but contrary to the true meaning of the lawes: and without the least default of the Bishops, or Archbishops: as though the covetous Patrons could present them, except the vngodly Bishops had first ordeyned them. If he had undertaken the justification (but as true, though not as good) both of the vnpreaching, and preaching Ministers, he must have sought, and produced such Arguments as would hauehave agreed to both; but finding himself able to make no shew at all for the ignorant, idle, and scandalous sort, having no colours to paynt, no morter to dawb over those filthy stones, no not to any shew, he smothers all them, though far the greater both in number, and authority, and in deed the almost onelyonly true formall ministers (according to the Church canon, and constitution) and presents to the reader a few dispersed, disgraced, tolerated, and tolerating persons, and vndertakes their defence: manifesting himself a right naturall “Rev. 1… 11.merchant of that great whore, in shewing some handfull of tolerable wares, thereby to deceive the simple buyer with the whole peice, or heap of rotten stuffe, which goes with them. Now on the contrary if Mr B. should not hauehave defended men of lewd conversation, as true visible matter of the Church and members of Christs body, he could not hauehave justifyed with any colour, the Nationall, Provinciall, Diocesan, and Parish Churches, or any one of them, as true; since they were all at the first collected, and do still consist, for the greatest part, of such people, and so disposed. He therefore takes liberty vntounto himself to make such defence, and for so much of his Church, and Ministery, as will serve his turn amongst the deceived multitude, and of no more.
But the mayn point in this place, & about this matter in hand, to be considered of, is, whether ability to preach be a qualification, and so preaching a work, necessarily required in the ministery of Engl: according to the true meaning of the lawes ecclesiasticall, & civil, and the book of ordination. This Mr B. takes for graunted affirmatively, and vponupon it as a mayn ground builds his whole treatise about this matter: but I on the contrary do affirm, that this is (& so is known to be to all that mind it, with wisdom, & good conscience) cleane otherwise: and that neyther this ability, nor practise of preaching is of necessity required to the true, and naturall constitution of the English ministery, in the meaning of the lawes established in that case.
And for the confirmation of that I affirm against this mans presumptuous asseveration, these proofs suffice.
First, the books of Homilies published, and confirmed by law,I. to be read of such ministers as cannot preach, do evidently declare, that ability to preach, is not necessarily required of all, in the true meaning of the law.
2. By the statute law of the land, and in particular by one statuteII. enacted for the prevention of vnworthy ministers (though wanting the book, I cannot set down the title, tyme, or order of it) he that is eyther a Bachilour of arts in one of the Universities; or can give an account of his faith in latin: or hath been brought vp in a Bishops house; (though he hauehave been his porter, or horsekeeper) or hath a gift in preaching, is capable of orders, and may be by the Bishop ordeyned a minister: so that by the expresse letter, and playn meaning of the law aptnes, and ability to teach is not necessarily required in the English ministery. If he hauehave any one of the three former qualifications, the law approves of him; and being ordeyned, the Patron may present him to any congregation in the land, whom the Bishop also must institute, the Archdeacon induct, and the people receive; and may be therevnto compelled, whither they will, or no.
Adde vntounto these, that your canons, and constitutions, framedIII. by the convocation house, and confirmed by the Kings royall assent, & so being the lawes ecclesiasticall of your Church, & by your doctrine Mr B. the Act of all the Church, though the inferiours come not pag. 144.to consent, do not onelyonly approve an vnpreaching Ministery, but also lay deep curses, and Anathemaes vponupon all that deny eyther the truth or lawfulnes of it. To this also I might annex that it is a very common doctrine with your Prelates, and their Chaplins, and faction, that †Mr Col….preaching is no necessary annexum, or appurtenance vntounto Orders, which they also offer to defend against all gainsayers.
But it seems you hauehave speciall reference to the book of ordination: let vsus therefore see what it makes for you, or your purpose. That you build vponupon, I know, i… these words of the Bishop, when he orders his Preist; and delivers him the Bible in his hand. Take thou authority to preach the word of God, and to minister the holy sacraments in this congregation, where thou shalt be so appointed. The words I hear, and acknowledge, but the true meaning of the book I deny it to be, that every Minister should be able to preach. It may as wel be sayd, it is the meaning of the book, that that every Preist should be ordeyned in the particular congregation, where he is to minister, bycause of the latter words in this congregation, where thou shalt be so appoynted: and that he is to minister the discipline of Christ, as well as the doctrine and sacraments, bycause such words passe betwixt him, and the Bishop in another place of the same book. It is not the least delusion of Sathan, or mistery, that such formes of good wordes are reteyned both in the Romish, & English Church, without any truth eyther of purpose or practise in those which vse them: for by them the eyes of the simple are easily bleared by such deceivable merchants, as right now I spake of: though it be not without a speciall providence of God, that these, & the like forms of words should be vsed, for the more full conviction, and condemnation of them that chuse to be deceived, as I have formerly noted in this book.pag. 244.
To conclude this poynt. The reading of the service book, in form, and maner, the celebrating of mariage, churching of women, burying of the dead, conformity, and subscription, are more essentiall to your ministery, and more necessarily requyred by the lawes of your Church both civil and ecclesiasticall, then preaching of the gospel is. The wearing of the surplice, and signing with the crosse in baptism are of absolute necessity, without partial dispensation, yea I may ad violation of oath by the Bishops: whereas preaching of the word is no such necessary, or essentiall duety, but a work casuall, accessory, and supererrogatory, which may be done or vndone, as the minister is able, or willing, without any such absolute necessity, as is here pretended. Herevpon then it followeth, that since the preaching of the gospel is no necessary part, or property of the office of ministery, in the Church of England, that that ministery cannot be of Christ: as also that the conscionable and effectual preaching of some men is no iustification at all of the office, which may, and doth consist essentially without it, and to which it is but casual, & accidentall; but a commendation of the persons, which, besydes the natural, and necessary parts of their office, do so practise and preach. And this consideration alone might suffice for answer vntounto all Mr B. proofs for the legitimating of the ministery in the Church of England: yet will I for the further discovering of them (considering the confidence wherwith he propounds them) descend to the particulars.
In his former book he layes down, and proves by the scriptures these three sound, and mayn grounds touching the ministery.pag. 131. 1. that the Lord onelyonly ordeyns offices in his Church. 2. that he distinguisheth them one from another, that one may not intrude into an others office. 3. that he onelyonly prescribes the dutyes to be done in every distinct office, and so in the fourth place he comes to the qualification and gifting of men for their functions, and so proceeds to other particulars. But observe his dealings: when he comes to apply, and compare the ministery of England to, and with these golden rules, and by them generally and truely propounded, to iustify it in the particulars, he passeth them all by in silence, as if he had vtterly forgotten them, and speaks not one word, eyther of the offices themselves, or of the distinction of them one from another, or the duties to be done in pag. 141.them; but comes in the very first place to the guifts, and graces of the persons. And in so doing (like the vnrighteous steward) he doth wisely, though nothing lesse then faythfully. He knowes wel, that he cannot fynd in the scriptures the least colour for the offices of Archbishops, Bishops, Suffragans, Deanes, Arch-deacons, halfe Preists, or Engl: Deacons: nor that the dutyes of celebrating marriage, purifying women, burying the dead, reading the service book in manner, and form, are layd vponupon the ministers of the gospel, as dutyes to be done in their offices: nor that the Provinciall, and Diocesan officers may intrude into their office, which are set over particular congregations, and deprive them of the power of government; nor the Deacons to administer the sacramēts: nor that any of them may intrude into the office of the civil Magistrate (as they all do lesse or more) in medling with matters of mariage, divorce, testaments, or with iniuryes, as they respect the body, or outward man, according to your, and other m…ns exposition of Math. 18. making ministers Magistrates, and E…ders in the Church, Elders in the gates. These things he knew, and therefore cōming to speak of the ministery in England, and to apply these general rules to their particular estate, he not so much as once mentions eyther the diversity of offices in the Church; or their distinction one from another: or the several dutyes to be done in them, least in naming them, he should (as it could not have been otherwise) have condemned that thing, which he would so gladly iustify. And this I desire the Reader to note not onelyonly against him, but specially against the Ministery he pleads for.