Twelve General Arguments, Argument 10
The 10. Argument.
It is a Sinne against Christ the ſole Head of the Church, For any one of his Miniſters, (eſpecially in the Administration of Divine things) either by Worde or Signes, ſolemnely to profeſſe and acknowledge a ſpirituall Homage, to a uſurped ſpirituall authoritie in the Church.
But to uſe theſe controverted Ceremonies in manner and forme preſcribed, is even in the ſolemne Service of Chriſt, by ſolemne Signes, to acknowledge a ſpirituall Homage, to the ſpirituall authoritie of Lord Archbiſhops and Biſhops, which is uſurped.
Ergo, It is a ſinne to uſe theſe Ceremonies.
The Propoſition may not be gaineſaid: For all ſpirituall power uſurped over the Churches of God, is an Antichriſtian authoritie, and to profeſſe ſpirituall homage thereunto, is to profeſſe ſpirituall homage unto Antichriſt, which muſt needs be a ſinne.
The Aſſumption hath two partes.
I. That theſe Ceremonies are an acknowledging by ſolemne ſignes, a ſpirituall Homage to the ſpirituall authoritie of Archbiſhops and Biſhops.
Which is moſt evident; for it having bene proved before, that they are meere Eccleſiaſticall, Religious & ſpirituall Actions, injoyned by an Eccleſiaſticall and ſpirituall authoritie, They muſt needes be Signes of ſpirituall homage to the ſame authoritie. For either the doing of a Religious and ſpirituall Action, in obedience to a ſpirituall authoritie, is a Signe of ſpirituall homage, or no Actions can bee a Signe thereof. As therefore a ſerving man being a civill perſon, upon the Biſhops pleaſure, wearing a Tawnie Cote, and a Chaine of Golde, holding vp his Trayne, Going bare-headed before him; holding a Trencher at his Table: lighting him to the houſe of office: dreſſing his meate, rubbing his Horſes, &c. doeth by theſe Actions, as it were by ſolemne Signes acknowledge Civill homage to him, being a Civill Lord and Maiſter: So a Miniſter of the Goſpell and a Paſtor of a particular Congregation, beeing by his office a mere ſpirituall man; beeing commaunded by the Biſhop, as he is a ſpirituall Lord and Maiſter over the Church of God, To weare a Tippet, a ſquare cap, a Prieſtes Gowne & Cloke, a Surplice: to make Croſſes upō childes faces; To put Rings on Brides fingers, &c. and all this in their Divine Service. I ſay a Miniſter doeth thereby give ſolemne Signes and Tokens of ſpirituall homage to their ſpirituall Lordſhips, even as by preaching the Word & Adminiſtration of Sacramentes & prayer, he profeſſeth by ſolemne Signes a ſpirituall homage to the ſpirituall authoritie of Chriſt.
If they ſhall peremptorilie affirme, That they are onelyonly Civill matters (as ſome in high place have done to my ſelf) Then this will follow of it; Wheras the Biſhops commaunde now Miniſters To weare a Surplice, a Prieſtes Cloke, &c. hee may commaund them to weare Tawnie Cotes, & livry clokes; & in their courſes to waite and attend upon him, as ſerving Creatures: For there is no more civill authoritie ſhewed in requiring the one, thē the other, If the one as well as the other bee civill matters. Neither will it helpe their cauſe, That the Magiſtrate requireth theſe things to be done. For the Magiſtrate com̄aunding Eccleſiaſticall matters to be done, his commaundement doth no more make them civill, thē his commanding the Sacraments & other partes of Divine worſhip to bee adminiſtred, duly doeth make them, civill matters. For the ratificatiō by civill authoritie the Conſtitutions of Eccleſiaſticall authoritie, doeth no more make them civill matters thē the ratification and confirmation of civill matters, by Eccleſiaſticall authoritie doeth make them Eccleſiaſticall or ſpirituall matters. Though therefore there is none of us that ſtande out in theſe matters, but have ever been content to yeeld unto their Lordſhips all civill honor, ſuch as is given to Barons, Earles, Dukes, and Princes, yet except they were Gods & Chriſtes, wee have no reaſon, to give ſpirituall homage unto them; which is it that in very deede they require in theſe things: And therefore hence it comes to paſſe, That as they turne out of their Pallaces, Thoſe ſervauntes that refuſe their liveries, and to doe their civill Services, So as though they were Lords & Maſters in the Church, They turne the Miniſters out of their offices, & ſhut them out of the Church, if they refuſe to weare their ſpirituall Liveries, and to doe them ſpirituall and Religious Service. But I come to the ſecond part of the Aſſumption.
II. That the authoritie of our Lorde Archbiſhops and Biſhops, is a uſurped authoritie.
This is ſufficiently proved of late by Mai. Iacob in his I. Aſſertion by many reaſons, OnelyOnly becauſe the weight of the Argument leaneth upon it, I will uſe one Reaſon.
Thoſe Officers and Rulers in the Church that make claime to be of Divine inſtitution, chalenge to them ſelves Apostolicall authoritie and Iuriſdiction as the onelyonly Succeſſours of the Apostles; to ſitt onelyonly in Moſes chaire; To have ſole power of the Keys; To cut from the viſible Church, & receyue againe: To hauehave power of creating & diſplacing all other Eccleſiasticall Officers; To bee the Vniverſall Pastors of whole Dukedomes and Kingdomes, under whom all other Pastors are as Curates, &c. And yet for all this, are ſuch as ſtand & are ſupported only by humane Traditions and Ceremonies, ſuch as a civill Magistrate may without ſinne, put out of the Church, And ſuch as the true Churches of God may renounce (and yet continue the true Church) as Antichriſtian Vſurpers and ſpirituall Tyrants. (I ſay) all ſuch Officers & Rulers exerciſe a uſurped authoritie in the Church:
But our Archbiſhops & Biſhops are ſuch Rulers and Officers as are aforeſaid.
Ergo, They execute a Vſurped power over the Church.
The Propoſition may eaſily be iuſtified. For it inferiour officers, viz. Paſtors of particular Congregations, have had and may have firme continuance in the Church, without theſe humane deviſes & inventions; If the Magiſtrate cannot without ſinne put them out of the Church; And if thoſe can bee no true Churches that renounce to hauehave perticular Paſtors and Miniſters over them, It muſt much more hold in ſuch church-Officers & Rulers as theſe are, if their authoritie be lawfull and good: For whileſt the Apoſtles lived, They needed not any humane Traditions & diviſes to ſupport their authoritie: The Magiſtrates that ſought to putt them downe ſinned with a high hande: And that was no Church, that renounced and diſclaimed their Office, Authoritie and Iuriſdiction.
The Aſſumptiō is as eaſilie iuſtified. For 1. They make claime and Title to all thoſe Prerogatives before rehearſed in the firſt part of the Propoſition, and unto more then that, as ſhalbe proved if it be denied, 2. It is an Embleme of their own, NO CEREMONIE, NO BISHOP. Ergo, No humane Tradition and Invention, no Biſhop, Ergo, The office of a Biſhop is ſupported by them either only or ſpecially. 3. Their Eccleſiaſticall Iuriſdiction is derived from the King, els it is a flat deniall of his Supremacie. Alſo them ſelves graūt in their laſt Tables of Diſcipline, That the King hath power to increaſe or diminiſh the Circuit of a Biſhopricke: That he may make two or more Biſhopricks of one, & one Biſhoprick to be two or more: Yea what ſhould hinder but that he may divide the Biſhoprike of London into 800. For where God hath not defined the number of Pariſhes that a Biſhop is to raign over, it muſt needes bee a thing indifferent: in which by their owne Doctrines the King hath authoritie without ſinne, to diſpoſe. If therefore the King may as well (notwithſtanding any thing in the Law of God) Give the Keyes of the Church to everie particular Paſtour of a Congregation, over his owne Congregation, as to a Biſhop over a Dioceſſe, which taketh away the very Eſſence of an Engliſh Biſhop, He may without ſinne take away the very Office of the Biſhop, which cōſiſtes in having Iuriſdiction over many Cōgregations. Alſo it being not defined by the word of God, but left free what attire Biſhops ſhall weare, as alſo what maintenance they ſhal have, The K. having abſolute power in things indifferēt, according to their owne Doctrine, hee may turne them out of their Rochetts and Parliament Robes. Thruſt them out of their Pallaces, and put them to their ſtipendes, to live upon voluntarie devotions of poore Chriſtian people, and then a man may eaſily imagine what the office of a Biſhop would bee worth: For he that hath authoritie to preſcribe to a Biſhop and other Miniſters, the Formes, Rites and Ceremonies of their Divine Service, hath alſo power much more, To preſcribe, moderate and appointe their Apparell, Diet, and manner of maintenance. So that it is cleare, That the King may without ſinne diſanull the authorities, dignities and prerogatives of Biſhops. Any of which ſhalbe (if it bee denied) prooved to be matters of greater indifferencie, and therefore more appertayning to his Supremacte, then the preſcribing of Formes of Divine Service and myſticall Rites of Religion. For let the King take from the Biſhop all indifferent things (which he may doe by their owne doctrine) and a Biſhop will be no Biſhop, as ſhalbe prooved, if it be denied. 4. There is no true and ſober Chriſtians but will ſay that the Churches of Scotland, Fraunce, the low Countries, and other places (that renounce ſuch Archbiſhops & Biſhops (as ours are) as Antichriſtian and uſurping Prelates) are true Churches of God: which they could not bee, if the authorities & prerogatives they claime to them ſelves, were of Chriſt, and not uſurped. For if it were the ordinance of Chriſt Ieſus, That in every Kingdom, that receaveth the Goſpel, There ſhould bee one Archbiſhop over the whole Kingdome: One Biſhop over many hundred Paſtors in a kingdome, and all they inveſted with that authoritie and iuriſdictiō Apoſtolicall which they claime iure Divino, to be due vntounto them, and to reſide in them, by the ordināce of Chriſt, certainly that church that ſhould renounce and diſclaime ſuch an authoritie, ordayned in the Church, cannot be a true Church but a Synagogue of Sathan. For they that ſhould renounce and denie ſuch, muſt needes therein renounce and denie Chriſt him ſelfe. Thus the Aſſumption, is cleared.