Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 33 – Chapter 34
CHAP: XXXIII. That the example of the first Reformers openeth no gap to confusion, seeing they had the outward calling, and that albeit they should not hauehave had it, the misery of those times excuseth, yea iustifieth that defect.
NEverthelesse, here diuerse difficulties throw themselues in our way. 1 That it must necessarily breed confusion, to permit eueryevery man to exercise that charge of which he is capable, without being orderly called vntounto to it. 2 That the example of the Priests in the ancient law is contrary to it, who being fallen from God, yet no man was permitted to substitute himselfe into their roomes. 3 That the example of commonwealth is against it, in which no man is suffered, to take vponupon him any office, of what worth soeuer he bee, vnlesse he be legally deputed to it. 4 That there will be no danger in ioyning with a schismaticall Church, if to be true ministers of the Church, it sufficeth to hauehave the truth, and purity of doctrine. From these obiections, they conclude that outward mission and vocation are absolutely necessary, vnlesse they are supplyed by some other circumstances, as the gift of miracles, or prophecying.
But wee easily wind our selues out of these difficulties, by shewing, that our first reformers had the calling which was at that time ordinary: & that therefore they gaue no example of selfe-intrusion into the Priests office, seeing themselues were priests; nor of vndertaking the execution of a charge without a patent, seing they were priuiledged, and licenced to that function which they vndertooke, hauing beene called to be ministers; That no man may take occasion by their example, to be schismaticall, because schisme is a separation made without a lawfull cause, and the separation made by them was most iust, 1 for the Apostacy, 2 heresie, 3 idolatry, 4 cruelty of the Romish Church. To the verifying of which, we beg that wee may be admitted, because the manifestation of this, is the onelyonly proofe of our innocency. If the Church of Rome be not Apostaticall, hereticall, idolatrous, cruell, if wee make not this accusation good, let vsus be condemned for schismatickes in separating from her; for heretickes, seing that our separation, hath beene grounded vponupon the cōtrariety betweene our doctrine and theirs.
But because in the former Chapter, wee hauehave principally reckoned vponupon sufficiency, and occasion to exercise this sufficiency, so farre as to thinke these two circumstances, the notes of divine calling and sending, Let vsus suppose (that which was not) that the first which God employed in the worke of reformation, had not an humane, and outward ordination; let vsus consider if that therefore, they indiscreetly vndertooke a businesse of such consequence, and whether the reasons a…leaged to that purpose bee of any weight. It is a freq…ent saying in their mouthes, How shall they preach vnlesse they bee s…nt? But this hindreth not, but that he who is sent by God, may ofttimes be thrust backe by men. Our Lord was not only reiected, but euen persecuted to death, by the Scribes and Pharises; the Apostles, were entertained with the like contempt, the like crueltie; and which of the prophets is it (said the Lord to the Iewes) which your fathers hauehave not ki…led? In the meane time it is certaine, that no man may thrust himselfe into a charge in the Church without mission. But the controversie is about the nature of this mission, whether it be humane, hauing its approbation from men, or diuine, hauing its approbation from God? In a tolerable estate of the Church, God hath established an order which he would hauehave to bee kept; euen as Kings and princes in their dominions, who though they might by their authority install their officers immediately, yet they will hauehave them passe through certaine formalities, which they hauehave ord…ined for orders sa…e, and for preventing hasty, and crafty surprisalls. But when their state is disturbed, when their officers are combined against them, when all order is perverted, and these formalities hauehave no longer place, the Prince immediately setleth his officers in their places, it sufficeth them for all patents, to be authorised by his commandement. So it is in the Church, God will hauehave every thing done in order, so farre as it may be obserued, but when confusion hath turned all vpside down, he forbiddeth not, to looke to the maine chance, though it be without a methode, but commandeth, to sollicite the principall businesse, the more zealously, because there is lesse possibilitie of compassing it the ordinary way. Methode is commendable in all things, but when exigences are so violent, that they make it impossible, nature, lawes, customes, instruct vsus to betake our selues vntounto that which is most necessary.
This then is not to giuegive example to tumultuous persons, or to open a gap to confusion: for he is truely tumultuous who contemneth order, not he who cannot finde it: he who neglecteth it without any good motiue, not he who is constrained to passe over it. It supposeth then, not introduceth a confusion, to permit the exercise of a function to one who is capable of it, destitute of a humane calling, then when the calling is impossible, the exercise of the function necessary. But whilest the ordinary formalities may bee obserued, and the case is not so vrgent, as to exact an extraordinary proceeding, it would be truely to open a gate to disorder. So it maketh no way for sedition in a citty, or mutinie in a campe, to permit that in case of treason, the citizen should rise against the subordinate Magistrate, the Souldier against his Captaine, without any other commission, then his owne private motion, if he cannot hauehave time for a more formall course. Confusion is only when without this case this licence is permitted. So the first obiection drawne from the inconvenience, which the liberty of not observing order and formes of law when it is possible, draweth after it, cannot disadvantage our predecessors, although they were not furnished with an outward calling, seeing they were driuen to such plunges, as gaue them not leaue, safely, to follow the methode of law.
For the affaires of the Church, being at that passe that heresie, and idolatrie bare the sway, that they which had the outward calling, not only exercised it abusiuely, but which is worse, hauing the authority to conferre it, they bestowed it not vponupon those who would and could exercise it aright: keeping backe (as some times the Pharises did) the key of knowledge, shutting vp heaven gates, neither entring in themselues, nor suffering any other to get in: It was necessary then, albeit, they had no outward calling, in an extraordinary case, to venture vponupon an extraordinary proiect. St Paul had foretold, that there should come a falling away, so notable that by a kinde of singularity he calleth it2. Thess. 2.3. foreign.Apostacy. Not then one heresie, one sect, a part by it selfe, for there had been already in his time such fallings away, but a revolt which should ouerspread the face of the Church, so that she might hardly be espyed through the thicknes of so horrid a cloud. Now who are those which were to oppose thēselues against this revolt? Doubtlesse not the Apostates themselues, not they who persevered in this revolt: but they who separated themselues from it, who protested against it, be it that they either had authority amongst the fallen away, as the Levits amongst the tenne revolted Tribes, or be it that they had it not. But they will say, perhaps we our selues hauehave made this revolt? Let this then be our question, the preiudice laid aside, and then we must come to the examination of doctrine, which is all that we desire.
CHAPTER. XXXIV. That the example of the Priests vnderunder the law, cannot be drawne into argument to proue that a man may not sometimes exercise a function in the Church without an outward calling.
THE second obiection which they make against vsus, is that, as it was not lawfull, to occupy the roomes of the Priests in the ancient law even during their revolt: so it is not lawfull for any man, in the revolt of the Doctors of the Christian Church, to take the place of a Doctour.
But there is not the same reason betweene the Pastours of the Christian Church, and the Priests of the Iewish Church. Their function was typicall, & carnall, and therefore fastned to certaine typicall, and carnall circumstances of times, places and persons: they were not to sacrifice but at a certaine time, it was not permitted but to a certaine race, to exercise the Priests office, and that in the Land of Iuda only.
The administration of the Gospell is reall, spirituall, free from all circumstances. Preaching may bee in all times, at all places, by all men of ability, who both may and ought to preach, when it's requisite. Salvation depended not vponupon the carnall and typicall administration, the ceremoniall sacrificing in the law, the omission of which, the circumstances of times, places, persons requisite for the businesse ceasing, as in the time of captivitie, of it selfe endangered not mens soules, as doth that of the pre…ching of the word, which the Lord even vnderunder the old Testament set free, chaining it not to these conditions, to such a time, such a place, such a person, because it is simply and absolutely necessary to salvation. Whence it was that there were teachers out of all the Tribes of Israel, who although they supplied not the defect of Priests, for so much as was typicall and ceremoniall in their charge, as in offering of sacrifice; this part of their charge, being especially, appropriat…d to their persons: neverthelesse, in that which concerned teaching and instruction, they were substituted for aid, and releefe, and were to make good those stations which the others had forsaken. Witnesse the Prophets and the Sonnes of the Prophets, being indifferently of any Tribe, witnesse the Pharises whose calling our Saviour alloweth, censuring only the abuse of it, who were not only of the Tribe of Levi, but of all Tribes, of which St Paul furnisheth vsus with an example in his owne person, being of the stocke of Beniamin, and yet a Pharisee, borne of a Pharisee. And indeed, if here were fit place to alleage the ancient law against this truth, as it was not lawfull but for one Tribe to execute the Priesthood of the old Testament, and but at a certaine time only, and in a certaine place: we should by the same reason, circumscribe the calling of Ministers vnderunder the Gospell with the same limits, and girde in their liberty with the same fetters; making it requisite that they should be of a certaine family, and exercise their calling at a definite time and place. Whence it is manifest, that the priesthood of the old Testament cannot be brought for an example, when the controversie is about preaching vnderunder the new, that being tyed to certaine circumstances, from which this by the propertie of its nature is freed.