A Second True Defense of the Nonconformists, Publishers advertisement – To the reader
Books lately Printed for Nevil Simmons, … the Three Cocks at the Weſt and of St. Pauls▪
1. CHurch-Hiſtory of the Government of Biſhops and their Councils abbreviated▪ Including the Chief part of the Government of Chriſtian Princes and Popes, and a true account of the moſt troubling Controverſies and Hereſies till the Reformation. Written for the uſe eſpecially of them; 1. Who are ignorant or miſinformed of the ſtate of the Ancient Churches. 2. Who cannot read many and great Volumes. 3. Who think that the Univerſal Church muſt have one viſible Soveraign, Perſonal or Collective, Pope or General Councils. 4. Who would know whether Patriarchs, Dioceſans, and their Councils, have been, or muſt be the Cure of Hereſies and Schiſms. 5. Who would know the truth about the great Hereſies which have divided the Chriſtian World, eſpecially the Donatiſts, Novatians, Arians, Macedonians, Neſtorians▪ Eutychians, Monothelites, &c.
2. A Treatiſe of Epiſcopacy; Confuting by Scripture, Reaſon, and the Churches Teſtimony, that ſort of Dioceſan Churches, Prelacy, and Government, which caſteth out the Primitive Church Species, Epiſcopacy, Miniſtry and Diſcipline, and confoundeth the Chriſtian World by Corruption, Uſurpation, Schiſm, and Perſecution. Meditated in the Year, 1640, when the Et-c…tera Oath was impoſed. Written 1671. and caſt by. Publiſhed 1680. by the importunity of our Superiours, who demand the Reaſons of our Nonconformity.
3. A Moral Prognoſtication, 1. What ſhall befall the Church on Earth, till their Concord, by the Reſtitution of their Primitive purity, ſimplicity, and Charity. 2. How that Reſtitution is like to be made, (if ever) and what ſhall befall them thenceforth unto the End, in that Golden Age of Love. All three by Rich. Baxter.
4. Memorabilia: or, The moſt Remarkable Paſſages and Counſels, Collected out of the ſeveral Declarations and Speeches that have been made by the King, his Lord-Chancellors and Keepers, and the Speeches of the Honourable Houſe of Commons in Parliament; ſince his Majeſties happy Reſtauration, Anno 1660. till the end of the laſt Parliament, 1680. Reduced under four Heads; 1. Of the Proteſtant Religion, 2. Of Popery. 3. Of Liberty and Property, &c. 4. Of …rliaments. By Edward Cooks, of the Middle. Temple, Eſq
READER,
I Muſt take this opportunity for the avoiding of miſtakes to give thee notice, that whereas againſt them that plead for the neceſſity of an uninterrupted Succeſſion of Epiſcopal ordination, I have in the Preface to my Book for Univerſal Concord, and in the beginning of my Breviate of Church-Hiſtory, ſaid that our Northern Engliſh Epiſcopacy was derived from ſuch as were no Biſhops, but Scottiſh Monks and Presbyters, and that Aidan and Finan, (Tromhere, Coleman) were ſuch, leſt I be miſunderſtood, I muſt further explain my meaning; viz. 1. The Culdees that were no Biſhops, firſt guided the Affairs of Religion in Scotland, long before the coming of Palladius. 2. Theſe Culdees choſe themſelves for order ſake ſome few to be as Guides and Governorus to the reſt, whom Writers called Scotorum Epiſcopos, but were no Biſhops in our controverted ſenſe: but as an Abbot among Monks, and as the Preſidents or Principals of Colledges, rule thoſe that are of the ſame office or order with them. Nor had they any limited fixed Dioceſſes.
3. And if any will call theſe Biſhops, and the queſtion be but de nomine, let them call them ſo and ſpare not: I contend not againſt them.
4. Afterwards Palladius ſent from Rome, began a higher ſort of Biſhops: But the Culdees ſtill kept up the greater part againſt him.
5. Columbanus his Monaſtery in the Iſle of Hy reſtored the Culdees ſtrength. And the Monks out of that Iſland were the moſt prevailing Clergy of Scotland; who had no proper Epiſcopal ordination: Or if you will call their ordainers Biſhops, they were not only ejuſdem ordinis with the Presbyters, but alſo not ordained by Biſhops themſelves, but made ſuch by miſſion from the Monaſtery, and bare election and ordination of Presbyters.
6. Out of this famous holy Monaſtery, was Aidan firſt, and Finan after, [and Tromhere &c.] and Coleman after ſent into Northumberland, where they areſaid to be made Biſhops. And they were the firſt Biſhops that came thither; and ſo, had no ordination in England from any Biſhops that were there before: Nor is there any probability that the Palladian Biſhops did ordain them Biſhops: But that their own order of Senior Monks and Presbyters only ordained them.
7. Beda was ſuch a votary to the Church of Rome, that his teſtimony runs more for the Romiſh intereſt than moſt of the Scottiſh or Engliſh Hiſtorians of thoſe times: yet lib. 3. c. 5. ſaith of Aidan but that his approbation was in Conventu Seniorum, and ſic illum ordinantes ad praedicandum miſerunt. And c. 25. that Finan pro illo gradum Epiſcopatus a Scottis ordinatus & miſſus acceperat, qui in inſula Lindisfarnenſi ſecit Eccleſiam Epiſcopali ſedi congruam; Quam tamen more Scottorum, uno de lapide, ſed de robore ſecto totam compoſuit, & arundine …exit. Et defuncto Finano, qui poſt ipſum fuerit, cum Colmannus in Epiſcopain ſuc…ederet, & ipſe miſſus a Scotia, &c. And the King Oſwi himſelf was taught by the Scots, and was of their Language and for their way. And Cedda was ordained by the Scots; And at a Synod three or four of theſe kind of Biſhops with the King and his Son, and Hilda a woman, Abbeſſe, were the Company that made it. c. 25. And c. 26. Tuda alſo was ordained by the Scots. And c. 4. The Biſhops themſelves were under the Government of the Abbot, juxta exemplum primi Doctoris, qui non Epiſcopus, ſed Presbyter extitit et Monachus.
8. Li. 3. c. 28. he ſaith that non erat tune ullus excepto Wini in totâ Britania Canoniee ordinatus Epiſcopus.
9. And as there is no word of proof that it was the Palladian Roman Biſhops that ordained theſe Northumbrian Biſhops, ſo there is enough to the contrary, in that all theſe foreſaid Biſhops continued the ſtiffe enemies of the Roman Power and order, which Palladius came to introduce. Inſomuch that Beda oft mentioneth their utter averſion to the Roman party, and that the Brittons and Scots, were all of a mind, and Daganus and the reſt would not ſo much as eate with the Romaniſts, no nor ſo much as eat in the ſame houſe or Inn with them, lib. 2. c. 4.
10. And laſtly even that ſort of Epiſcopacy, which they took in Northumberland, was but Equivocally ſo called as to that which we diſpute about, and not Ejuſdem Speciei. For. 1. They never pretended to a diſtinct order from the Presbyters. 2. They had but one poor Church made of Wood, and thatcht with Reeds, and no poſſeſſions elſe: And from the…e they went from village to village to inſtruct, convert and pray with the people.
And that our Engliſh Epiſcopacy …eri…eth its ſucceſſion from theſe Scots and the Brittaine…, and not frome Rome by Auguſtine and Palladius, I refer the Reader to Mr. Jones, and to the Preface before Knox his Church-Hiſtory.
Thus much I thought needfull to prevent being miſunderſtood about the Epiſcopacy of Aidan, … &c. Such an Epiſcopacy as the Biſhop of Hereford pleade th for in his Naked Truth. I meet with few that are againſt; any more than that the Colledge of Phyſicians, or Philoſophers, or Divines have … Preſident.
FINIS.
End of the text · Richard Baxter, A Second True Defense of the Nonconformists (1681)