Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 51
The idle and senseles exposition Mr B. gives is of the Porters watching. Where the mayster at his departure appoyntes every serv…t his work, and commaunds all to watch, and the porter specially, least he … suddenly and fynd them sleeping, Mr B. to ioyne all together for the holding out of Mr Smythes Argument, makes the Porter Gods spirit, as if the Holy Ghost were one of the servants, and had a commaundement from Christ to watch, least it should be found asleep at his comming. And by this, I hope, it appeareth in the generall contrary to Mr B. affirmation, that the power of Christ (or keyes of the kingdom) is not delegated or committed primarily much lesse solaryly, or alone, to the officers of the Church how soever they as the governours are to direct, and as the minister to exequute in the vse of this power, or of these keyes. Of the particulars hereafter. That which comes next into consideration is, that the Apostles committed that theyr power received from Christ not to Mr B.the body of the people, but to the cheife ministers of the gospell, and cheife officers of the Church.
First here let the reader observe how Mr B. interesses theseAnsw. cheiftayns onelyonly in the power of Christ as the Apostles successours (excluding himselfe and the rest of his rank) that he may advance the throne of Antichrist in his cheife ministers the Lord Archbishops & Bishops, whose chayre he thus stoutly laboures to vphold with both shoulders.
Secondly I deny, that eyther the Evangelists, such as were Timothy, and Titus, succeeded the Apostles in their office, or that any other ministers in the Church, did or do succeed eyther the Apostles, or Evangelists, as they were such (as we speak). They were extraordinary officers in the first plāting of the faith amongst the gentiles, theyr qualifications extraordinary, and miraculous, as the gift of tongues, and the like, and so theyr offices were determined in theyr persons. And yet I deny not but the true Ministers of the gospell the Bishops or Elders, in theyr particular Churches do succeed the Apostles (though not in office) yet in theyr ordinary ministration of the word, sacraments, censures, prayer, ordination, & all other ordinances of the Church whatsoever, according to the order Christ hath left; but that the Apostles and Evangelists have by any order committed theyr power or any part of it to any such Cheif Ministers or rather Lords, yea spiritual tyrāts as the Lordbishops & Archbishops in Engl. are, that I deny withall my power. There are no such cheifteyns in the Church of Christ, or communion of saynts. The Apostles did, by the Churches free choyce, ordeyn in every particular assembly a company of Elders or Bishops, whome they charged with the particular flockes, in, and to which they were to minister the holy things of God, and none other. Act. 14. 23. and 20. 17. 28. 1 Tim. 3. 1. 2. 4. Tit. 1. 5. 1 Pet. 5. …. 2. Much lesse are the great Antichrists of Rome, the Popes, and Cardinalles, the Apostles, and Evangelists successours in any right by the word of God, or capable in that theyr estate of Apostolicall or other ministeriall power of Christ, as you Mr B. will make them, of which your Popish errour more in place.
Now for the scriptures cited, they serve well to prove that which no man denyes, in which kynd of disputing Mr B. hath a speciall faculty.
The scriptures are▪ 1 Tim. 1. 3. and 3. 14. 15. and 5. 21. 22. Tit. …. 5. which places prove thus much in effect, that Timothy was to see false doctrine suppressed in Ephesus; that men gifted according to the word of God should be chosē into the office of Bishops and Deacons: that he should deale vnpartially in all things: that he should not partake in the sinns of other men by laying hands suddaynly vponupon any: & that Titus was left in Crete to redresse things amisse, and to ordayne Elders in the Churches.
And what followes vponupon this? I know well what Mr B. infers: namely, that the cheif Ministers alone in the Churches whether pure, or impure (by which latter he meanes the Church of Rome) as he expounds himself▪ pag. 145. that is, that Popes, Cardinalls, Archbishops, Bishops, Suffraganes, Chauncelours▪ and the rest of the triumphant Clergy, and they alone should medle with supressing errour, rectifying things amisse, calling and ordayning ministers, and that all others are absolutely inhibited any medling with these things. Well, (to let passe your fearefull retyring (Mr B.) into the battered bulwarks of the Papists for succour, and the discharging of your selfe, and all the inferiour ministery that these cheif ministers might reigne alone) the scriptures do not debar…e the members of the Church from medling in those things in their place, and order, nor impropriate them to the cheife Lords, as is pretended, onelyonly they declare that the officers are to do theyr own duetyes in those businesses, and to put the brethren in remembrance of theyrs, to commaund, teach, and speak those things, exhorting & rebuking with all authority by the word of God as occasion serves. 1 Tim. 4. 6. 11. Tit. 2. 15. And if Mr B. will conclude any thing for his purpose by the scriptures he alledgeth he must take this position for graunted, that whatsoever Paul wrytes to Timothy, or Titus, touching the Church, about that onelyonly they, & theyr successours the cheif ministers are to medle; which presumpteous affirmation is sufficiently refuted by the very recitall of it. He that reads over the Epistles but with a pece of an ey may see the contrary. There is no greater force in this collection then in that Mar. 13. 34. bycause the porter is to watch, therefore he alone, and not the rest also, which is cōtrary to the expresse words immediatly following, where all are cōmaunded to watch, v. 37. And thus the conclusion, which Mr B. would make, that the place, 1 Cor. 5. though generally spoken, must be vnderstood of the cheife officers of the Church, is without pr…mises. It must be vnderstood as it is spoken, though both he, & the Pope say nay to it, and of the meaning of it, we shall speak hereafter at large, when we come to handle the censures of the Church, as also of your pretended proof. 2 Cor. 2. 6.
OnelyOnly I must needs take knowledge of that part of the truth, which Mr B. being set vponupon the rack of his conscience in reading this, 1 Cor. 5. is compelled to confesse, and that is, that from v. 5. … may be gathered for the body of the Church, that the offender must be delivered to Satan with their knowledge publiquely, when they meet together in the open assembly.
Towching which his graunt I observe these three particulars.
First it overthrowes the practise in the Church of England, where the offender is excommunicated by the Chauncelour, or Officiall, it may be, fourty miles off from the body of the congregation, whereof he is a member, and that most what without the presence of any one of the body, yea or their privity eyther, till such tymes as eyther the Parish Preist, or Church dore signify the matter vntounto them.
2. If the officers must judge, and excommunicate in the open assembly, then can they alone in no sense be the Church. For the Church is nothing but the assembly. And it is all one to say theforeign officers in the assembly, are the Church, as to say the officers in the assembly, are the assembly▪ which is a senseles affirmation. And if the Officers alone be the Church, to which complaint is to be made, and which is to reprove the offender and judge him, they must do it in a distinct assembly from the body, and not in the assembly compounded necessarily of the officers and the body: as your Courtkeepers doe in their Consistories, & the Elders in the reformed Churches in their private Chambers.
3. It is most vntrue which you say, that no more can be gathered from this place, but that excommunication was performed in the presence of the body of the Church, and with their knowledge being gathered together: it is apparent that they which were gathered together, were by the power of Christ to deliver to Satan the offender, to purge out the old leven, to iudge, and to put out from among themselves that wicked fornicatour. v. 5. 6. 7. 12. 13. of which more hereafter.
And so I come to the 4. Reason against Popularity (as you term …t) but in truth against Christian liberty: which is grounded vpō Ephe. 4. 11. 12. Your words are these.