Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 125
The 3. consideration in this matter is, about such devises, as Mr Bern. hath found for the shifting off such places, as prove that the people ought to choose their Ministers. The scriptures are Act. 1. and 6. & 14. 23. to which also might be added Numb. 8. 9. 10. Act. 11. 22. 1 Cor. 16. 3. 2 Cor. 8 19. vvith many others. His ansvverMr B. is, first, that these places testify, that such examples of practise were then, but that there is no praecept for the perpetuity of it.
This is an vngodly evasion *Mat. 15. 6. Hebr. 9. 15. 16. 17.making the commaundements of God of Answ:none authority by mens traditions: & tending to the abolishment of the testament of Christ, which he hath confirmed by his death: vvherein he hath not onelyonly by practise, but also by the doctrine †Eph. 2. 20 21.of the Apostles, vponupon which he hath founded the Church, or temple of God, for ever, established this ordinaunce, as a part of the nevv testament: and that not vponupon some extraordinary, temporary, and changeable occasion, as some thing have been ordered, and decreed by the Apostles, Act. 15. 1. 2. 28. 29. but vponupon ordinary, & constant grounds, and vponupon reasons, and causes of perpetuall equity; such as concern all Churches in all places to the vvorlds end: as shall appear hereafter.
When the Lord Iesus sent forth his Apostles to gather Churches, he gave them in charge “Math. 28. 20.to teach them to obserue all things, whatsoever he had commaunded thē. promising vvithall that in so doing he would be with them alway vntill the end of the world. And that, amongst other doctrines, they taught the people this, that they were to choose their officers, the scriptures cited do fully testify. See Act. 1. 15. 16. 16—23. & 6. 2. 3. 5 6. & 14. 23. Answerable vntounto this is that which the Apostle Paul protesteth to the ‘*Act 20. 17. 20. 26. 27.Elders of Ephesus at Miletum that he was pure from the blood of all men, in that he had kept no thing back, but shewed them all the counsel of God: one part of which counsayl was, that the people were to chuse their Officers, which by Mr Bernards own graunt they observed. to which also adde, that the same Apostle writing vntounto the Church of Corinth about a matter of “1. Cor. 14 40.order, avoweth †v. 37. 38.the things which he writes, to be the cō maundements of the Lord; and chargeth all them as wilfully ignorant, which do not so acknowledge them. With what conscience then. or colour of reason …an this man say, that this power, and right of the people to chuse their Ministers, was onelyonly a matter of practise, but not of praecept? & no immediate right from Christ, but a graunt vntounto them from the Apostles, or vponupon their exhortation for the tyme?
It is true he sayth in the same place, 1. that the people did not elect, or chuse, but when the Apostles were amongst them; & 2. that theypag. 296. did it vponupon their exhortation. And for the first who denyes, but that where faithful, and godly officers are, the people are by their direction, & government according to the will of Christ, to vse their liberty in this, and all the other affaires of the Church? So for the second, it was so the Apostles exhortation, as it was also a divine institution by the spirit of God, never reversed but by those *Rev. 16. 13. 14.vnclean spirits of Divels, which like froggs came out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the false Prophet: part of the counsel of God, never altered, or departed from, but by them, “Isa. 30. 1.which take counsayl, but not of God: and lastly, one of the commaundements of Christ, which the Apostles were bound both to teach, and exhort the people to observe, never disannulled, but by the counter-commaund, craft, and violence of Antichrist: who as one of your own Prelates hath truely observed, never ceased, till by cursing, and fighting he had gotten all into his own hands. The insinuation therefore which you make against vsus in assuming this liberty vntounto vsus, as a right of our selves, is vnjust: considering we have it conveyed vntounto vsus from Christ in the writings of the Apostles, wherein they do as expresly teach it vsus, and as effectually exhort vsus vntounto it, as if they were personally present with vsus. And that which the people might then doe in their presence, vponupon their speach, they may now do vponupon their writings, in their absence, and in the absence of all other officers also, if the particular Churches be for the present vnfurnished of them.
Now where he further addeth, that the people then were very iudicious, and able to make a choise, whereas it is now far otherwise with many: it is of some consideration for the people, & Church of England, but of none at all for the people, & Church of God. If the people in the parish assemblies there should vsurp this power, it would be far otherwise with them indeed, for the most part, then with people iudicious, or able to make a choise. Can blind men judge of colours,? or *1 Cor. 2. 14.naturall men of spirituall things? If a man would prophesie vntounto them of wine, and strong drink, he were a Prophet for such a people. It is certayn they would chuse Ministers like themselves, ignorant, & loose fellowes for the most part, & the saying of the Prophet would be verifyed, *Hos. 4. ….as is the people, so is the Preist. And yet worse then are made, and chosen by the Bishops, and Patrons generally, they could hardly find. But observe your self Mr B. when you plead for2. Book 110 114. the ignorance, and prophanenes of your own people, you write that the Apostles received into the Churches persons very ignorāt▪ and of lewd conversation: Now when you come to plead against the liberty of the people of God, you make them in the Apostles tymes to have been very iudicious, & able to discern of things, far otherwise then the people now are.
Now for the exception it self, it is of no valew. But as the ordinances, and administration of the Iewish Church, remayned the same, and vnalterable, though the peoples knowledge were not alwayes the same but sometimes greater, sometimes lesse: so is it in the estate of the new testament with all thē which deem that †Heb. 3 3.Christ the Sonne is worthy of as much honour in his ordinances, as was Moses, a servant of the house, in his. And if this devise were admitted of, that the liberty of the people should eb, and flow, according to the measure of their knowledge, then should not all the brethren in the same Church hauehave the same Christian liberty in the choise of officers, censuring of offenders, and the like ordinances; for all have not the same measure of knowledge, nay it may be scarce two of all; so divers is the dispensation of grace to the severall members. Then should scarce two severall Churches in the world injoy the same Christian liberty, the one with the other; no nor any one with it self, any long tyme, since one Church differeth from another, yea from it self at divers times, in the measure, & degree of knowledge, and other graces of God. Besides, if we should wey together in the ballances, the Churches of Christ now, and in the Apostles times, the Christian liberty of the people would rather sway the ballance this way, then the other way, and to the people now, then in the Apostles dayes.
For first there were present with the people in those first times, besides other extraordinary officers extraordinarily indowed, the Apostles themselves, those great Maister-buylders, which (if any other in the world) might lawfully hauehave deprived the people of their power in this & the like cases: which notwithstāding they did not, but on the cōtrary did faithfully inform, & direct thē according to the cōmaundement of Christ, in the right, & lawful vse of the same. And yet notwithstanding the Bishops of the Romish, and English Church (though not worthy so much as of the name of daubers in the Lords house, in comparison of those other Maister-buylders) dare without fear, or shame, engrosse all into their owne hands; and hauehave their proctours, this man and others, many a one, to plead for them in their vsurpation.
2. The Churches in the Apostles tyme were newly converted frō Iudaism, and Paganism, and had still cleaving vntounto them much ignorance in many great poynts. And in particular, the disciples, or Church at Ierusalem, after they were both possessed, and had vse ofAct. & 1. 6. this power of chusing officers, were ignorant of no lesse a point then the calling of the Gentiles; of which, or the like mayn groundAct. 10. 14 15▪ 3…. 35. with Ch. 11 2. 3. 4. 5. & …. of religion, no true Church of Christ now is ignorant, as that Ch: then was. And thus it appeareth, that the choise of Officers by the people in the primitive Churches was not a matter casual or of the Apostles courtesy, but a commaundement of Christ, left penned by the H. Ghost, as is the rest of that story, and of those Acts of the Apostles, for our direction, and the direction of all the Churches of Christ to the worlds end.