Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 52
It is most apparant that Christ ascending vp gave gifts for preaching, Mr B.administration of sacraments, and government vntounto some sorts of men, who …e set out there and plainly distinguished from the other saynts, the body of the Church.
Against this hitherto I take no great exceptiō: though the ApostlesAnsw. meaning may be better layd down thus, that Christ Iesus the King and Lord of his Church hath set in it certaine sorts, and orders, of officers rightly fitted, and furnished with graces for the reparation of the saynts, and aedification of his body to the worlds end.
This we affirme as lowd as you, and with more comfort. And therfore after I have observed in a few wordes, how little this scripture serves for your present purpose, I will in as few more make it appeare, how directly it serves against you in many other mayn matters, and that you in bringing it have onelyonly lighted a candle whereby to discover your own nakednes.
This then is that which you would conclude, that bycause Christ hath given power, and charge to the sorts of ministers here set downe for the reparation of the saynts, and aedification of the body, that therefore no brethren out of office may medle with the reparation and aedification of the Saynts, or Church.
I do acknowledge that onelyonly Apostles, Prophets, &c. by office, and as works of their Ministery, are to look to the reparation, and aedification of the body: but that the brethren out of office, are discharged of those du…ties, I deny, any more then the rest of the servants were of watching, (though out of office) bycause the Porter alone was by office to watch. Mark. 13. 34 37. Yea look what is layd vponupon the officers in this place, after a more speciall manner, by vertue of their office, that also is layd vponupon the rest of the brethren els where in the same words to be performed in their places as a duty of love, for which they have not onelyonly liberty but charge from the Lord.
The officers are here charged with the reparation or knitting together of the saynts: the same duty in the same words is imposed vponupon every brother *Gal. 6. 1. foreignspirituall: and I hope you the Ministers will not be the onelyonly spirituall men in the Church.
Secondly the officers are here given to aedifie the body: the same duety in the same termes is layd vponupon every one of the brethren in their places. 1 Thes. 5. 11. and vntounto these few might be added an hundred places of the same nature. Why then should the Ministers of the Lord, or any other †Num. 11. 29. 1 King. 22. 24.for their sake envy, vntounto the Lords people eyther their graces or liberty, or thus arrogate all vntounto thē selves, as though all knowledge were treasured vp in their breasts, all power given into their handes, & as though no drop of grace for aedificatiō or comfort of the Church could fall from els where then from their lips. Moses in the place of numbers before named wisht that all the Lords people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit vponupon them: and Paul gives liberty to *1 Cor. 14. 3. 23. 36. 31.the whol Church, and to all in it (women excepted ver. 34.) to prophesie one by one for the instruction, edification and comfort of all: but with Mr B: and his Church, I perceive, neyther Moses prayer, nor Pauls graunt, nor Gods spirit must be avayleable, or find acceptance for aedification by any save the Ministers. The subjects of Kings vse to complayn much of Monopolyes, but the subjects of the Lord Iesus have greater cause of complaint, that he himself, his power, presence, and graces wherewith he honoureth all his saynts, are thus monopolized, and ingrossed.
The similitude which here you borrow frō the body of man, wherein (you say) the special members have their speciall vertues in themselves given of God and not bestowed vponupon them by the body, as the eyes to see, the tongue to speak &c. for the confirmation of the power of the Lord Iesus, or liberty to teach, admonish, and censure in the hands of the officers alone is faulty in both parts of it, and conteynes in it sundry errours both theologicall, and phylosophicall.
And first I do here most justly except against your shuffling togetherI. and confounding of the personall gifts, graces, and vertues of the Ministers and their ministeriall power or office. The first in deed they have from Christ, and not from, or by the Church at all, as their knowledge, zeale, vtterance, wisdome, holynes, and the like: with which the Church findes them furnished, & so appoints them vnderunder Christ to vse these gifts in office of Ministery, whereof out of office they have erst given knowledge: & this power or appointment, which they have from or by the Church thus to vsus… these gifts is another thing then their personall gifts, and qualifications themselves, which you Mr B. do very fraudulently confound.
Secondly, it is ignorantly affirmed, that God endu…s certayn members II.of the body with speciall vertues and properties, as th… …y with seing, and the like: & that they have thes properties not from the body but from God. For first the very vertue, or faculty of seing is not in the ey, but in the soul, which vseth the ey onelyonly for the instrument of seing, & so other parts in their kind. Oculus non vide…, sed anima per oculi…. And that not immediately neyther, but with the help of the spirits, naturall, vitall, and animall diffused throughout the body, which the soul vseth most immediately as the instruments of all life, sense, & motion. And so it comes to passe not onelyonly in death where the soul and body are separated, but in sundry diseases also of the body, that the ey fayleth in seeing, and so other members in their service.
Thirdly, as the Elders of the Church (I confesse) may be comparedIII. to eyes in the body, and the Deacons to hands in a respect, so I deny the similitude to hold absolutely. Similitudes (as they say) do not run vponupon four feet: & to streyn them above that which is intended by the holy Ghost in vsing them, is a course full both of vanity and errour. The Deacons are the handes of the Church for the distribution of her bodily things to them that need, & yet I trow, you would not have the Church suffer the poore to starve, where the Deacons are wanting to minister, or fayling in their ministration: so are the Elders the eyes & mouth of the Church for her government, and ministration of spirituall things, & yet must not the Church perish spiritually for their want, or negligence: no, the Lord is more mercifull to his people then so, and doth nor ty them so short in the meanes of their aedification, & salvation, how streyt and hard hearted soever you M. B. are towards them, or cō temptuous of them: they may, and must use in cases of necessity their best helpes, for the distribution of things simply necessary to the body. And dare you say (as you hauehave done in both your books) that the officers are absolutely to the Church, as the eyes to the body? and that there is no spirituall light in the rest of the members save onelyonly in them? and that all the body besides and without them is darknes? Indeed such a blind beetle your spirituall Lords, and you make your Churches, and so you lead them. But, oh you the people of God, yet in Babylon, partakers of the heavenly illumination, trust not these your Seers too much. they would be thought all ey from top to bottom, and would make you beleeve, that you the multitude are stoneblind, and can not possibly without them see one step before you, that so they might lead you by the lip, whither they list: but open your eyes more and more, and you shall see more and more clearely that the wayes of your Nationall Church▪ are not the wayes which Christ hath left for his visible Churches to walk in, but a very by path: and take heed that these men, which would be thought all, and onelyonly light, cause not a …og of earthly ordinances to rise vponupon you, and a dark mist to cover you.
To proceed. This one scripture, Ephe. 4. 11. 12. truely expounded, and according to the Apostles meaning, serves at one blow to overthrow the whol ministery of your Church of England, and all communion with it.
Your whol plea for your Ministery is, that you teach the word of God, & the true word of God, and therewith you invite all your guests vntounto your bāquet. But now if your ministery be not the Ministery which Christ hath set vp in his Ch: no… of the gifts, which he hath givē vntounto his Church, but of an other sort, & foundatiō, then it followes that no felowship or cōmuniō is to be had with it vnderunder any plausible pretense, nor vponupon any experimentall profit neyther.
The officers thē which Christ hath given for the aedificatiō of his Church to the worlds end are, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, & Teachers, Ephe. 4. 11. 12. Now the first three sorts of these abovenamed were extraordinary, & extraordinarily endued, for the first publishing of faith, and planting of Churches, and so as temporary are ceased, with their endowments, and this you graunt in effect, pag. 184. of your last book. And for the Pastor… and Teachers here spoken of, you Mr B: and the Ministers of your order would be thought the men. Of what sort then (I pray you) are your grand Metropolitans, your Archbishops, Bishops, Suffraganes, Deanes, Archdeacons, Chauncelours, Officials and the residew of that Lordly Clergy? They must needs be of some other order then is here named, and the gifts of some other cheif Lord then of Christ, when he ascended on high, and gave his gifts, & that is Antichrist, whose gifts they were when he ascended on high, even to the throne of his Apostasy.
And now for you, which are set over the particular Parishes, to teach the people, (as I confesse you of all the rest to be likest vntounto the true Pastours) so by your own confession are you excluded frō that rank. The Officers which Christ hath appointed, when he ascended, have received power (by your own assertion) not onelyonly for preaching and administring the sacraments, but for government also. Thepag. 92. want then of the power of government bewrayeth you to be anothers gift then Christs, even his and none others, which hath devised an other order, and distribution of giftes then ever came into Christs hart to appoint.
Lastly, as it is true you affirm, that Christ never sayd to the body of the congregation, viz: in expresse termes, go preach, so is it most vntrue which you intend, viz: that he never gave libertie, and charge to any out of office to teach in the exercise of prophesy. This point I have touched formerly, but will more fully handle hereafter. The same I also affirme in the second place touching the power of government, not opposing your words well interpreted, but your meaning, which is, that none but men in office have power eyther to reforme any abuse in the Church or to perform any other necessary Church duty without them. And for shutting vp of this fourth Argument, let it be considered, that here is a great difference in administration of doctrine by teaching, and of admonition & excommunication in the order of discipline. OnelyOnly one man in the Church doth teach at once, and all the rest both Elders & people are taught by him, but the whol Church may admonish, or excommunicate one or more at once, or by one act: and so though Christ never say to the Church, goe teach, yet, he sayth to the Ch: admonish, & excommunicate. Mat. 18. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 4. 5. In doctrine one man teacheth the whol Church, & the whol Church is taught: in disciplyne the whole Church reproveth and excommunicateth one man and hi… censureth.
And thus your light Mr B. which you boast, is as clear… as the sun in the firmament of heaven, is darkened, your sun is gone downe at noon day. Amos 8. 9.
The fifth reason is thus layd down.