Against the Revolt to a Foreign Jurisdiction, Title page – To the reader
Against the Revolt to A Foreign Jurisdiction, Which would be to England its PERJURY, CHVRCH-RVINE, and SLAVERY.
In Two Parts.
I. The History of Mens Endeavors to introduce it.
II. The Confutation of all Pretences for it.
Fully stating the Controversie, and Proving, That there is no Soveraign Power of Legislation, Judgment and Execution over the whole Church on Earth, Aristocratical or Monarchical, but only Christ: Especially against the Aristocratists who place it in a Council or College.
By RICHARD BAXTER, an Earnest Desirer of the Churches Concord, and therefore an Enemy to all false Terms, and Dividing Engines, and Self-exalting Sects; and a Defender of Christ's own assigned Terms, which take in all the true Christians in the World, and are Injurious or Cruel to none.
To be offered to the next Convocation, beseeching them to own the Doctrine of Foreign Communion, but to note with Renunciation the Doctrine of Foreign Jurisdiction, and to Vindicate the Reformed Church of England, from the Guilt and Suspition which the French and Innovators injuriously seek to fasten on them.
Luk. 22.24, 25, 26.
And there was a strife among them which of them should be accounted the Greatest: And he said to them, The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them, and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors: But ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the Younger, and he that is chief as he that doth serve.
1 Thess. 5.12.
We beseech you Brethren to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, 13. And to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake; and be at Peace among your selves.
London, Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and … Crow… at the lower end of Cheapfi… near Mercers Chapel. 1691.
To the Reverend and deservedly Honoured Dr. JOHN TILLOTSON Dean of St. Paul's Church.
Reverend Sir,
THE Message on which this Epistle cometh to you is, to intreat you to Present this Treatise to the next Convocation, and to endeavour their publick renunciation of Foreign Jurisdiction, and their censure of the Books that are written here for it. The Reasons of my request are,
I. The Canons condemn them, that deny the Convocation to be the Church of England Representative: And they that have written for and promoted this Doctrine and Design, have not only been Chief Men in the Church, but have laboured to fasten their Doctrine on the Church, which yet before the time of Bishop Laud, the Church disclaimed and openly condemned; and took Foreign Bishops and Councils, for Brethren and a laudable means of Communion, while they did their proper work, but not by Jurisdiction to be the Governours of us, and all Christian Kings and Kingdoms as their Subjects. And who can be Ignorant, that when at the present the Papist Bishops are very Many to One Protestant Bishop, they will accordingly carry it by their Votes in Councils: And if the Major Vote be the Collegium Pastorum, that have the Chief Government in the Interval of Councils, we are now Subjects to the Bishops and Church of Rome: And if … Roman Petrus Primus must call the next Council, (or there must be none till all Christian Kings agree to call it) the present College is like to be long the Universal Aristocracy.
The Representative Church of England is so nearly concerned in this great Matter, both for the moment of it, and the imputation of this Design unto it, that we cannot think they will lightly pass it by without their censure.
Which will be the more expected because of the Owning of Dr. Beveridge's Sermon to them, which I have here examined.
Dr. Whitby's Reconciler of Protestants escaped not the Oxford censure; and we hope the Representative Church of England, will not be more favourable to Subjection, which is more than Reconciling to the Foreign Papists: Lest they cherish the Suspicion that the desire of so much Concord with France in Church Constitution and Government, will intimate a preparation to another Relation to them, which England cannot bear with ease.
And we are loth to be disabled to confute the Separatists, that will never be reconciled to the Church of England, if they can say that it is revolted to a Subjection to the Papists.
But why should we doubt whether the Convocation will renounce that which both themselves and all the Church and Kingdom are Sworn against, even all Ecclesiastical Foreign Jurisdiction.
II. The Reasons why I presume to desire you to be the Man that shall present this Book and Motion to them, Are 1. Because it is said that Custom maketh the Dean of Pauls usually to be chosen the Prolocutor to the Lower House. I speak but by hearsay, having never been one of them: (For the Clergy of London choosing Mr. Calamy and Me for their Clerks, of that Convocation that made the Materials of the late differencing Impositions, Bishop Sheldon by Prerogative excluded us to our great Ease: and so the City of London consented not by their Clerks to any of those Acts.)
2. And you are the Man that Published that Excellent Book of Dr. Isaac Barrow, which unanswerably (against Mr. Thorndike and such others) confuted the Pretences to a Foreign Jurisdiction.
3. And you are known to be so firm a Friend to Love, Concord and Peace, (like your Father in Law Bishop Wilkins, who once by appointment treated, and agreed with us in a Vniting Form of Concord) that I may confidently expect your best Assistance.
If any should be so adverse to this Necessary Work as to turn it off by diverting to Accusation against me, or the Nonconformists, I pray tell them how impertinent that is to the present Business: And if it be needful, shew them my Treatise for National Churches, and that of Episcopacy; and my English Nonconformity stated and argued: And whereas I am said to have refused a Bishoprick because I was against Epis…opacy, be it known that in 1661, …he Pacificators never offered any …hing lower than Archbishop Vsher's Model of the Primitive Episcopacy: …nd when the King's Declaration …anted us less, we Published a …hankful Acceptance. And I gave … Writing the Reasons of my Refusal to the Lord Chancellor Hyde, That If that Declaration were Confirmed by a Law, I would be no Bishop, because I would not disable my self to perswade as many as I could to Conformity, by drawing them to say that I did it for my own Ends. Which Answer satisfied the Lord Chancellor. I think every Bishoprick in England hath Buried many of its Bishops since my refusal; who am now near Dying in the 76th Year of a Painful Life; and intreat you though I be Dead to do this Office, for the Endangered Church of England, and for your truly honouring Brother,
Ri. Baxter.
TO THE READER.
THis Book being Written at several times, most of it many Years ago, and some lately, and answering many Persons who use the same Arguments, it hath one blemish which I am ashamed of in the review: that is, The too oft repeating the same things; especially in my four Letters to Bishop Guning, occasioned by our oft repeating them in Conference. The thing is usual in long Disputations, (as in the Schoolmen, in Dr. Twisse Vind. Grat. and such others, the Adversary making it needful;) But I am far from justifying it: Had I intended it as one orderly Treatise at first, and not written the Parts on several Occasions, or had I yet Time and Strength to have cast it into a more regular shape it might have been partly amended: But I had rather it came out thus than not at all: Whoever is displeased at it, by guilt or different judgment, I will please my Conscience, whose Peace I find possible and quietting, while such Mens hath been neither hitherto to me.
I know that Age and Natural Weakness, hath been part of the Cause of my forgetting oft that I had written the same before. But while I confess this Infirmity, I will tell the Reader two Stories for his use of it.
I read in a great Man that oft repeating in the Pulpit the same thing, was a sign to the Hearers, that their Teacher spake not crudely and rashly that he had never digested or well studied, nor light things that he valued not: but that which he thought necessary and had long considered.
I heard of a Preacher that would needs have his Servant tell him what Men said of his Preaching: And being urged (but loth) he said, They say, Sir, that you very often repeat the same things, And to tell you the truth, I think it is too true: For the last Day you repeated that which you had said divers Days before: Saith his Master, Tell me what it was? He Paused a while, and said, I remember not the words now: Saith his Master, Didst thou so understand them as to tell me the Matter and meaning of them? But he could tell neither: Nay then, saith his Master, I will repeat them yet again for thy sake, and such as thou art: Till they are understood and remembred I have not said them oft enough. God be merciful to us Sinners.