A Defense of the Sermon Preached at the Consecration of the Bishop of Bath, Book 1 · Chapter 11 – Colophon
CHAP. XI. Answering the Allegations out of the Fathers, for Lay-Elders.
OF the Fathers he also braggeth, as he did before of the Scriptures. But in the vpshot, all the force of his argumēts, either out of Scriptures or Fathers, relyeth vponupon the authority of certaine new writers, who are the most, & almost all of them, parties in the cause. Which is a kinde of arguing, deuised to retaine the vnlearned in their former opinion; that because so many late Diuines vnderstand the Scriptures and Fathers, according to their receiued opinions, they may be confirmed therein.
But is not this a strange kind of reasoning: Ignatius, Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, (which are all the Fathers hee nameth, & but nameth, as though with their names hee hoped to ouercome vsus) giuegive testimonie to Lay-Elders; therefore Lay-Elders were in vse in the primitiue church: & when we quietly grant this consequence, & only desire them to proue the antecedent: Is it not strange, I say, that this disputer should not produce the testimonies themselues, & endeuour by necessary euidence to demonstrate, that they are to be vnderstood as speaking of Lay-Elders? but to bring in a sort of new writers, the most wherof are parties, to depose, that these, ancient Fathers say as they would hauehave them.
Did they heare them say so, or did they read their writings? If they read their testimonies; are they ye same which we hauehave in print, or some speciall manuscripts, which yet are not come to light? if such, why are they not produced? If their testimonies be vponupon publike record, & in print, why should not we examine the records thēselues, & trust to our owne eyes and iudgmēts, rather thē to the opinions of them, who are partiall in the cause? Or if these new writers had reasons to perswade vsus, that these Fathers doe speake for Lay-Elders, why are not their reasons produced?
By your leaue, I will produce their testimonies for you. And because it pittyeth me the to see well-meaning people abused (I had almost said guld) with glorious shewes: I will let them see, that not any one testimonie, which you doe vse to produce out of the Fathers, doth conclude for Lay-Elders.
And first,§ Sect. 2. The testimonies of Ignatius answered. as touching Ignatius, whom hee first nameth: because his testimonies were (belike) too hot to be handled▪ yet, hee putteth him off fairely, saying that hereafter he will shew how he is to be vnderstood, when he commeth to answere my quotations out of him.
But I quote him not in the question of Elders, but among my proofs for Bishops. And if hee hauehave no stronger proofes out of Ignatius for elders, then the selfe-same that I alledge for Bishops, may you not think that he is very strōg for them? The truth is, he perceiued they were too weake to bee vrged by him as an opponent, and therefore chose to speake to them as an answerer, hoping to perswade the simple reader, that Lay-Elders are sufficiently proued by Ignatius his testimonie, if they be not disproued thereby, as hereafter you shall heare.
T. C. and after him the author of the counterpoison,Lib: 2. part: 2.45. H.I. pag: 67, Protestat. out of Sc. 41. Ad Trallian. Ad Trall. the demonstrator of discipline, & almost who not? cite this sentence of Ignatius. There is no Church which can stand without her Eldership or counsell. VntoUnto which, H.I. addeth 2. more, out of his epistles to them of Tarsus & Smyrna. In the 1. of these Epistles, Ignatius saith, foreign, be subiect to the Bishop as to the Lord: & a little after, foreign, & to the Presbyters, as to the Apostles of Iesus Christ our hope. Of the Deacons in the next words he sath, that they be ministers of the mysteries of Christ Iesus, and not of meate and drinke. A reason of the former speech he rendreth in these words, the Byshop is the type of the Father of all, the Presbyters are foreign, as the Consistory of God, and a band or Colledge of the Apostles of Christ. Then followeth, foreign, without these, that is, BB. Presbyters, Deacons, no elect Church is, no holy congregation, no assemblie of Saints.
This testimony proueth, that as each Church had a Bishop and Deacons, so also Presbyters and a presbyterie. But what manner of presbyters they were, it appeareth: 1. by the Bishops and Deacons, between whom they are vsually ranged by Ignatius, as the second degree of the Clergie, willing the Lay-men to bee subiect to the Deacons, the Deacons to the Presbyters, the Presbyters to the Bishop, Ah Smyrn.and the Bishop to Christ: which by the way is H. I. third testimonie, and in effect the same with the second.Ad Tarsens: Ad Philadelp
And againe, let the Presbyters, and the Deacons, and the rest of the Cleargie, together with all the people, bee obedient to the Bishop.
By which it is plaine, they had not in those times, either Lay-Elders, or Lay-Deacons: For the very Deacons are by him called the ministers of Christ vntounto the word of God, and ministers of the mysteries of Christ.
Ad Smyrn. Ad Trall.As for the BB: they were not parish Byshops assisted, according to the new conceit, with Lay-Elders, but BB: of Cities (such as Ignatius himselfe, who was Bishop of Antioch, the chiefe Citie of Syria,) hauing the assistance of diuerse Presbyters, who were Clergie men, or ministers; and so are in expresse termes reckoned by Ignatius, as one of the degrees of the clergie, whom in the words before alleaged, and in other places, hee resembleth to the Apostles of Christ, and would hauehave them so obeyed:Ad Smyrn. foreign. ad Maguel. The Senate of the Apostles. Ad Antioch. exhorting them with the words which Saint Peter vseth to ministers, 1. Epist: 5.2. to feed the flocke, foreign, &c.
This is also proued by the vniuersal consent of the most ancient Councells, Canons, and Fathers, who in innumerable places, mētioning Bishops, Presbyters, Deacons, neuer conceiue of them otherwise then of 3. degrees of the clergie, in that very sense wherin our church doth vse & retaine them.
And thus much concerning that most worthy martyr, and Bishop Ignatius: sauing, that I would commend a few sen…ences of his, to this disputer and his consorts. foreign, be you vnited to the Bishop, submitting your selues to God by him in Chirist, foreign for whosoeuer are Christs, they are with the Bishop. And againe, doe not thinke that I speake this, as hauing vnderstood the separation of some, (a)Ad Philadelph.he is witnesse to me, for whose sake I am bound, that I hauehave not learned this from the mouth of man, (b)Ibid. § Sect. 3.but the spirit hath preached vntounto me, saying these things, foreign without the Bishop doe nothing, louelove vnitie, auoid diuisions.
The testimonie, which is vsually cited out of Tertullian, is in his Apologetico. Where, hauing said that Christians did vse to meet in assemblies and congregations to prayer, and to the hearing of the word, he addeth (c)The testimonie of Tertulli. apolog. Cap. 39.there are also exhortations, (d)T. C. and after him the counter poi…. cite this testimonie thus: If there be any that hath committed such a fault that he is to be put away from the pertaking of the prayer of the Church, and from all holy matters or affaires: there d… beare rule or be presidents, certaine of the most approued ancients or Elders, which hauehave obtained this honour, not by money, but by good report.chastis…ments and diuine censure: iudgement is exercised with great aduise, as among those who are certaine that God doth see them: and it is a great foreshewing of the iudgement to come, if any shall so offend as that he shalbe banished from the communion of prayer, and of the assembly, and of all holy fellowship. Praesident probati qui que seniores honorem istum non pretio sed testimonio adepti, the presidents of our meetings are approued Seniors, hauing obtained this honour, not by reward, but by good report. By which testimonie it is apparant, that the same parties were the presidents of the assembly as well in prayer and in the ministerie of the word, as in the exercise of discipline and censures. But Ministers and not Lay-Elde…s were presidents and Rulers of the meetings in publicke prayer and ministerie of the word, therefore also in the exercise of discipline. Who these presidents were, Tertullian himselfe sheweth else where, testifying that the Christians receiued the Sacrament both in the time of their meales, and also in their meetings before day, nec de aliorum manu quam presidentium sumimus Neither doe we receiue it at the hands of any others then of our presidents. On which words Beatus Rhenanus writeth thus, Presidentes voc at presbyteros etiam alibi, the Presbyters he calleth presidents also in another place, and quoteth the place alleaged out of the Apologeticke. And whereas Tertullian imagined (though erroneously) that the husband of a second wife could not be a Bishop or Minister,(e)Dc c… rona militis. his opinion he vttere… ▪ in these words, how derogatorie from faith,Lib. 1. ad vxorem. and how opposite to pietie second mariages are, the discipline of the Church and the prescript of the Apostle doth declare, cum digamos non siuit presidere, when it doth not suffer twice maried men to be presidents that is Ministers. And whereas the Catholicks,De Monogamia: quem librum scripsit aduersus Ecclesiam. Hierom. in Catalog. whom he endeuoureth to refute, vnderstood that rule of the Apostle as peculiar to Bishops & Ministers, he chargeth them also with the breach thereof euen in that sense. Quot enim & ex digamiae president apud vos, insultantes vti que apostolo? for how many after their second mariage are presidents among you, euen insulting ouer the Apostle and blush not when these things are read before them? It is plaine therefore, that the Seniors which were presidents in the assemblies of Christians, of whom Tertullian speaketh, were Ministers, whatsoeuer some new writers whom he quoteth, doe say to the contrarie. For whereas among others who were parties in the cause, he quoteth B. Iewell, who indeed is no partie, I answere, if he hauehave alleaged the rest no better then him, (as for my part I meane not to search, especially seeing the chiefe of his Authors are quoted at Random,) he will gaine the opinion of a notable falsifier of Authors.Pag. 649. Harding blamed the translator of the Apologie into English, for translating Presbyteri Elders and not Priests;Pag. 650. The translation Bishop Iewell defendeth, saying that Presbyter a Priest is nothing else but Senior, and that a Priest and Elder are both one thing. And whereas Harding affirmed, that Priests and Deacons waited onelyonly vponupon the Bishops but gaue no sentence in counsels (which in respect of prouinciall counsels, is euidently false) he disproueth that assertion. First by Act. 15.Pag. 651. Secondly, by Nicephorus. Thirdly, by this testimonie of Tertull…an, president probati qui que Seniores the iudges in such Ecclesiasticall assemblies be the best allowed Elders, that is according to Bishop Iewels interpretation, Priests, for to that end he citeth the testimonie, and before he had said that Senior and Priest is all one.
D. Whitgift conceiuing, as Bishop Iewell did, that these Seniors were Ministers; T. C. obiecteth, (and it is the onelyonly thing he obiecteth) that it is incredible, Li. 2. part. 2 Pag. 41.that all the Churches, whose defence Tertullian taketh vponupon him, and whose vsage he doth describe, had such a college of Seniors that were Ministers. Whereunto the answere is easie, that Tertullian speaketh of the Churches in cities, in which onelyonly were Presbyteries (vntounto which the parishes of the countrey adioyning, so soone as there were any, were subiect) and those wholy consisting of Minist…rs. Neither can any testimonie or example be alleaged, either of Presbyters that were not Ministers, or of Presbyteries in villages or countrey parishes.
As touching Cyprian:§ Sect. 4. The testimonie of Cyprian answered. the disputer might hauehave cited some testimonie, or at least quoted some place in his writings, before he had laboured to proue what was his meaning. But his concealing of the place it selfe, and his producing of witnesses (who are all parties) to depose that Cyprian speaketh for Lay-Elders, is a plaine argument that he trusteth to his witnesses, more then to Cyprian himselfe. For my part, I know not what place he meaneth: if he will approue his sinceritie, let him name one place if he can, which euen in his owne conscience doth seeme indeed to make for Lay-Elders.Demonstr. c. 12. H. I. pag. 67. The Demonstrator of discipline and H. I. in his booke though they take together such testimonies of the Fathers as they thought fauoured Lay-Elders; yet they durst not mention Cyprian, as reposing any of their strength in his testimonie.
T. C. citeth Cyprian, as noting a piece of the office of these Elders by diuiding the communion bread into equall portions, Lib. 2. part. 2.42. Cypr. lib. 4. epist. 5.and carying it for the assistance of the Bishop in little baskets or trayes, where by placing their office in this assisting the Minister, he doth manifestly shut thē out from the ministering of the Sacramēt, &c: whereof also it commeth that in another place he calleth them brethren which had care of the basket.Li. 1. epist. 9. Sportulantes fratres.
When I consider T. C. his learning and professed pietie, I cannot sufficiently wonder at his allegations out of the Fathers,Li. 4. epist. 5. and at this among the rest. Cyprian, being himselfe absent in time of persecution, writeth to the Presbyters, Deacons and people of Carthage, signifying that he and some other Bishops (whom he calleth his collegues) had receiued Celerinus, and Aurelius, two notable young men into the Clergie, and ordained them Lectores Readers, with purpose, that when they should be of age, to ordaine them Presbyters. In the meane time, know ye saith he, that we hauehave alreadie designed to thē honorē Presbyterij, the honour of Priesthood, vt sportulis ijsdem cum. Presbyteris honorentur that they may be honoured with the wages (or as it was afterwards called canonicall portion) equall with Presbyters, sessuri nobiscum, being hereafter to fit with vsus (namely as Presbyters) when they shalbe growne in yeares. And that this was Cyprians meaning, the other place by him cited doth proue. For whereas one Geminius Victor had by his will named Faustinus a Presbyter to be a tutor or gardian;Li. 1. epist. 9. Cyprian doth reproue it as contrarie, not only to the Canons of the Church, but also to the word of God, which would hauehave none that is a Souldiour to God to be entangled with worldly busines.2. Tim. 2.4. To which purpose he alleageth the example of the Leuits, who for the same cause had no possession like the other tribes. The which manner and forme saith he, is still retained in the Clergie, that they who in the Church of God are preferred to the order of Clerkes, should by no meanes be called away from the diuine administration, nor be tyed to worldly cumbers and imployments, sed in honore sportulantium fratrum tanquam decimas ex fructibus accipientes, but that receiuing the honour of brethren, who hauehave wages of the Church, as it were tythes of fruits, they should not depart from the Altar and seruice of God. Those,Duaren. de sacr. eccl. minist. & b…n. lib. 1. c. 18. C. de sacro. cccl. l. placet. &c. Lib. 3. epist. 14. & 15. whom he calleth sportulantes fratres, were afterwards called Canonici, a Canon, that is from the ordinarie and certaine pension or prebend which was allotted to them.
And where he saith the Presbyters were excluded from ministring the communion, it is apparant in the writings of Cyprian, that vsually they did administer that Sacrament, and in diuerse of his Epistles are reproued by him, for giuing the communion to some, which had fallen in time of persecution, without his consent.
The Author of the Counterpoyson citeth another testimonie of Cyprian, Lib. 3. epist. 22.writing to the Presbyters and Deacons, signifying vntounto them, that in the wāt of diuerse of the Clergie, he had ordained new.Clero proximos. Know ye saith he that I hauehave made Saturus Reader, and Optatus subdeacon, whom we heretofore had made next the Clegie, when either to Saturus on Easterday we granted once or twice leaue to read, or when with the Presbyters Doctors Readers we appointed Optatus the Teacher of the hea…ers, Doctorem audientium.examining whether all things did agree to them, which ought to be in those who are prepared for the Clergie. Where, because Presbyters are mentioned as distinct from Doctors, (which he supposeth to be Ministers) and Readers, he inferreth they were Lay-Elders. To omit his mistakings, and not vnderstanding the place, it is euident that Doctores audientium were Catechists, Theod. Balsam. in Conc. Nēocaess. c. 5. & Ancyr. c. 20. Niceph li. 5. c. 4.(for audientes were the inferiour ranke of Catechumeni) who were so farre from being chiefe in the Clergie next to the Bishop as Presbyters, that Cyprian signifieth, when he and the rest had appointed Optatus doctorem audientium, they had made him next to the Clergie, that is at the next election to be chosen into the Clergie, examining whether all things did agree to him which ought to be in them who are prepared for the Clergie. Neither should this seeme strange, seeing Origen was Catechist at Alexandria, when he was but eighteene yeare old: Who afterwards comming into Palaestina, was permitted by the Bishops there, publickly to expound the scriptures. Which when Demetrius the Bishop of Alexandria vnderstood, by letters he reproued those Bishops;Euseb. lib. 6. c. 20. Niceph. l. 5. c. 14. asking them, if euer it were heard, that Lay-men, such as Origen then was, should preach in the presence of Bishops. Therefore the distinction of Presbyters from such Teachers, doth not proue that themselus were not Ministers.
Such Teachers in Alexandria after Origen, were Dionysius and Heraclas; whom notwithstanding, the Presbyters, who till then were wont to choose their Bishop out of their owne order,Hier. adeuagrium. elected Bishops, as hereafter we shall shew. But what manner of Seniors the Presbyters were, whom Cyprian so often mentioneth, may sufficiently appeare by this one testimonie, where he saith,Li. 3. epist. 1. cum episcopo Presbyteri sacerdotali honore coniuncti, the Presbyters were ioyned with the Bishop in the honour of Priesthood.
What other allegations they hauehave out of Cyprian worth the answering, I know not. But this I protest, that I hauehave read ouer Cyprian, hauing alwaies an eye to this present question; but I neuer met with any one testimonie, that (in my poore iudgement) did seeme to sound for Lay-Elders.
Pag. 11.As for those other places, which are in a petition directed to Q. Elizabeth, Pag. 41.and in a protestation which lately came out of the North, quoted out of Cyprian, and other ancient writers;Perpet. gouern. Chap. 11. I find them all more then sufficiently answered by the learned and reuerend B. Bilson, to whom I referre the Reader, hauing my selfe insisted longer on this question then at the first I intended.
Ad pag. 52.Neither will I vouchsafe an answere to his new supply, either of testimonies of new writers (though I know some of them to be falsified) or examples of other reformed Churches, whereby he seeketh to bleare the eyes of the simple. For if this cause were to be tryed by pluralitie of voices for witnesse to the truth, or of examples for practise of it, who knoweth not, that we are able to ouersway them without comparison, no writer till our age giuing testimonie, no Church since the Apostles times vntill this present age giuing approbation to Lay-Elders; but all writers and Churches before our time, giuing testimonie and approbation to the gouernement of Bishops.
To omit that as in the number of learned men we are not inferiour, so in the multitude of Churches at this day, which doe not admit the Lay-Elders,Lib. 4. c. ult. we are farre superiour, as hereafter shalbe shewed.
And thus much I hope will suffice for the first point.
FINIS.
LONDON Imprinted by Thomas Creed. 1611.