A Treatise of Episcopacy, Part 1 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. That there is no need of ſuch as our Dioceſans for the Unity or the Government of the particular Miniſters, nor for the ſilencing of the unworthy.
IT ſtuck much in the minds of the Ancient Doctors and Chriſtians that Epiſcopacy was neceſſary to avoid Schiſm and diſcord among the Miniſters and the people; and that it was introduced for that reaſon. And I am ſo averſe to ſingularity in Religion, that I will not be he that ſhall gainſay it. A double, yea a treble Epiſcopacy, though I cannot prove inſtituted of Chriſt, yet will I not contradict, becauſe one ſort I cannot diſprove, and the other two I take to be but a prudential humane determination of the Circomſtances of one and the ſame ſacred Miniſterial office-worke. 1. That which I cannot diſprove as to a Divine Inſtitution, is a General Miniſtry over many Churches (like the Scors Viſiters at their Reformation) who as Succeſſors to the Apoſtles and Evangeliſts in the durable parts of their office, were by a conjunction of Scripture evidence and Divine authority of office, to perſwade Paſ…ors and people to their ſeveral duties, and to have a chief hand in ordaining and removing Miniſters. 2. That which I will not contradict antiquity in, is a Biſhop in every particular Church, to be as the chief Presbyter, like the chief Juſtice on the bench or one of the Quorum, as our Pariſh Miniſters now are in reſpect to all their Curates of the Chappels under them. 3. And I would not deny but at all Miniſterial Synods, one man may be Moderator, either pro tempore, or for continuance, as there is cauſe. Theſe two laſt are but Prudential circumſtances, as Doctor Stiling fleet hath proved. And in all theſe I like the Diſcipline of the Waldenſes, B…emian and Polonian Churches.
But no Government of the Presbyters, no concord, no keeping out of Hereſie, requireth ſuch as our Dioceſans; 1. Who put down all the Biſhops of the particular Churches, under them, 2. And pretending Spiritual Power, Govern by the force of the Magiſtrates Sword: 3. And obtrude themſelves on the people and Paſtors, without their conſent, and againſt their wills, being by multitudes taken for the enemies of the Church. 4. And viſibly before the world introducing ſo many bad Miniſters, and ſilencing ſo many faithful ones, as in this age they have done.
Without them we have all theſe means of concord following. 1. We have a clear deſcription of the duty of Miniſters and people in Gods word. 2. We have Miniſters to Preach up all theſe duties by Office. 3. The people are taught by Scripture what Miniſters to chooſe. 4. We find it natural to the people to before Learned and godly Miniſters, though many of them be bad themſelves. And though it be not ſo with them all, yet the ſober part do uſually perſwade the reſt: So that in London and elſe where, thoſe Pariſhes where the people chooſe, had uſually far worthier Paſtors than the reſt, eſpecially than thoſe in the Biſhops preſentation. 5. The people are obliged by God to marke thoſe Miniſters that cauſe diviſion and contention and avoid them. 6. The Miniſters are bound to give notice to the people of falſe teachers and Schiſmaticks, and to command them to avoid them; And themſelves to renounce Communion with them after the firſt and ſecond admonition. 7. Theſe Miniſters may have correſpondence by Synods, to keep up concord by agreement among themſelves. So we have over all a Chriſtian King and Magiſtracy, who are the rightful Governours of the Clergy as well as of all other ſubjects; and may conſtrain the negligent to their duty, and reſtrain the Heretical, Schiſmatical and wicked from their ſin. And may not all this do much to keep up Concord?
2. What our Dioceſans really effect in order to concord or order, they do it by the Magiſtrates power, and not by the Keys; without the Magiſtrate they would be ſo contemned a ſort of men, that inſtead of ſilencing us by their keyes, one of us now ſilenced could do more to ſilence them, were that according to our Judgment; I mean, it were eaſier to perſwade ten people from Hearing one of them (ſpecially of late) than for them to perſwade one from hearing us, in many places. And what the Magiſtrate doth, he can do by others if he pleaſe, as well as now he doth by them.
3. The Churches that have no Biſhops have incomparably leſſe Hereſie, Schiſm, Wickedneſs, and more concord then we have here. The Church of Scotland is an eminent inſtance, which hath known but little by experience what Schiſm or Hereſies are. And ſo are the Proteſtant Churches of France, of Geneva, of Helvetia, and other places:
4. Were but the true Epiſcopacy forementioned reſtored, we ſhould yet leſs know any ſhew of need for our Dioceſane, Magiſtrate Miniſters, and they would ſuffice, to do what on earth may be expected.
Obj. Were not Biſhops the meanes of the Churches concord in all ages?
Anſ. True Biſhops ſuch as afore deſcribed, did their parts, but when ſuch as our Dioceſans ſprang up, the Church was preſently broken into pieces, and by odious contentions and diviſions became a ſandal and ſcorne to unbelievers. To read but the Acts of Counſels and the Hiſtory of the Church, and there find the horrid contentions of Prelates againſt each others, the parties which they made, their running up and down the world, to Princes and Rulers, and Synods to bear down one another, it will do as much to grieve and amaze the Soul of a Sober Chriſtan, almoſt as an Hiſtory in the world that he can peruſe.
Obj But they ſilenced Hereticks and depoſed them, and ſo kept Doctrine ſound and ſafe. Anſ. Before they had the Sword of the Magiſtrate to ſecond them, they ſilenced none: For how could they do it? They only judged them to be caſt out of their Communion, and depoſed, which they could no way execute but by avoiding them, and perſwading the people to diſown them and avoid them: For they neither did nor could hinder them from gathering Churches and Preaching to their followers: And there the rejected ones did reject their Rejecters, and excommunicate their excommunicaters, and in the eyes of their followers were the better men, and only Orthodox: So that their ſilencing was but changeing their Congregations. And ſo numerous were the ſects that followed ſuch Teachers, that they ſometimes ſeemed more than the Orthodox: Epiphanius found enow in his time to fill a large Volume. And the Donatiſts alone were ſo numerous in Africa as to pretend to be the Catholick Church, and by their numbers and inſolency deterred Auguſtine into a change of his opinion, and to call for that help from the Princes Sword, which before he had denyed. Never had the Church in any place, ſo many Sects and Hereſies, as ſince the times that Prelacy grew up, and in thoſe Countries, and where it wasmoſt exerciſed. Andindeed the ignorance and pride of Prelates was not the leaſt cauſe. For ſome of them (and no ſmall number) became the Authors of Hereſies themſelves, ſuch as Paulus, Samoſatenus, the Ap…linarii, the great Patriarcks, Dioſcorus, Neſtorious, Macedonius, and alas how great a number more and others of them did by their dominering inſolency riſe up with ſo much pride and wrath againſt thoſe that humoured them not, eſpecially if indeed they erred, as that they forced ſome into Schiſms, and by ſilenceing the diſſenters, did but drive them… …t up for themſelves in ſeparated aſſemblies; And they ſo diſaffected the zealous people, as drove them away from the Orthodox Churches, to the Sects and Hereticks, as the Engliſh Prelates do at this day; ſo that multitudes of the moſt ſtrict and temperate Chriſtians followed the Novations, the Donatiſts, and much worſer ſects.
And when the Prelates grew up to a ſecular terrour, and twiſted with the Civil power, and were backed by the Sword, 1. They made the more ſober and mortified Chriſtians the more diſlike them, as may appear by what Euſebius, Socrates, and others write of them, and the Characters that are given of Cyril and Theophilus, Alexander, and ſuch others: And by Martins ſeparation from Ithacius and Idacius, and their Synods, and by the increaſe of the Priſcilianiſts by their pride and violence, mentioned by Sulp. Severus, and others. 2. And it was not by the Keys indeed, but by the Sword which backt them, that they did all that they did, be it good or evil, in ſilencings, and in keeping up their order. 3. And they did but teach the Hereticks to ſtrengthen themſelves by the ſame means: So that the Priſcilianiſts once got countenance from Gratians Courtiers againſt the Biſhops; And Ambroſe was perſecuted or endangered by Valentinian, as Athanaſius at laſt was by Conſtantine himſelf, and Chryſoſtome depoſed, and many others by ſuch means: Yea till at laſt the Biſhops found that evil is more commonly befriended by corrupted nature than good; and that Goodneſs is uſually loweſt where wealth and honours make men higheſt, and that few Princes were the beſt of men, and therefore that if one befriended the truth, many were like to be againſt it, and till the Arrians by the help of Emperours, and Vandal and Gothiſh Kings, had almoſt turned all the Church into Arrians, and had got the General Councels on their ſides, and had cruelly perſecuted the Orthodox Biſhops, and taught them what it was to truſt to the Sword, for the clenſing, and concord of the Churches. And when the controverſie of Images came up, one Emperour was for them and another againſt them: By which means and by the contending of the Eaſtern and Weſtern Patriarcks and Prelates, who ſhould be the greateſt, the Churches have been torne to pieces, and ſo continue lamentably to this day (as in the Hiſtory was before declared.)
And it was the Prelatical Tyranny of the Romaniſts, that ſince raiſed ſo many parties againſt them, and then had no way to Cu…b them, but by proſ…c…ting them by the Sword and flames, as in the caſe of the Waldenſes, Albigenſes, and Proteſtants appeareth: And as the Murders of many hundred thouſands in Piedmont, France, Germany, Ireland, England, &c, Beſides their Inquiſitions ſhew. Thus Solitudinem fecerunt, & unitatem & pacem …car…nt. When they have hanged, burnt and ſlain the people and Prieſts, they have quieted and ſilenced them, and when they have made a ſolitude and depopulation by killing thoſe that diſſer…d from them, they have brought all to concord, and been all of a mind.
And let none be offended that I mention the Papiſts in deſcribing Prelacy. For I do it not to raiſe an Odium on them; but I refer it to the conſideration of ſober men, 1. Whether as Herbariſts give us the picture and deſcription of herbes, not in their ſpring, but in their full grown ſtalk, bloſſom and fruits, and as he that will know the nature and difference of fruits, or animals, muſt ſtay till they are come to their full growth and ripeneſs, and not take them green and young; ſo he that will judge either of Schiſm or of Church-tyranny: Luſt do. 2. And whether the Quakers, Ranters▪ Familiſts and Munſter monſters be not Schiſmaticks ripe and at full growth, and therefore a young Schiſmatick is not …o tell us what Schiſm is, but ſhould himſelf ſee what he will be when he is ripe. And ſo whether Popery be not the Dioceſane Prelacy full grown and ripe; and whether they ſhould not therefore ſee what they would come to, if that which witho…deth in the ſeveral Kingdoms were taken out of the way, as the Pope hath removed it in the Empire. If the Dioceſans, Metropolitanes, Patriarks, and Pope (as to his Primacy in the Empire) did not all ſtand on the ſame humane foundation, then are they not the things that I am ſpeaking of.
Obj. But the late and preſent Schiſmes in England ſhew that it is the adverſaries of Prelacy that are the cauſes.
Anſ. Very true, for Prelacy maketh it ſelf adverſaries, and ſo maketh ſome of the Schiſmaticks. There are two ſort of Schiſmatick…; ſome Prelatiſts (as the Papiſts, the Novatians, the Donatiſts, and moſt of the old Schiſmaticks were); and ſome Anti-prelatiſts. And there are two ſorts of Anti prelatiſts: Some Catholick being for the Primitive Epiſcopacy, and ſome Schiſmaticks. And theſe laſt the Prelates make, and then complain of them. It is their ſtate, and practice, hereafter deſcribed, that driveth men to diſtaſt them, and ſo precipitateth the injudicious into the Contrary extreme. It is Prelacy that maketh almoſt all the Sects that be in England at this day: When they ſee how the Spiritual Keys are ſecularly uſed by Laymen in their Courts, when they ſee what Miniſters and how many hundred of them are ſilenced, and what Fellows in many places are ſet up in their ſtead, they think they can never fly far enough from ſuch Prelates: To tell the world, It is Schiſmaticks that we ſilence, and they are obedient and Orthodox perſons that we ſet up, may ſignifie ſomething in another land or age, but it doth but increaſe the diſaff…ction of thoſe that are upon the place, and know what kind of men the Prelates commend, and who they diſcommend and ſilence. A very Child when he is eating his …pple, will not caſt it away, becauſe a Prelate ſaith it is a Crab, nor when he taſteth a Crab, will he eate it, if a Prelate Swear it is a ſweat apple. Though he that doth but look on them may poſſibly believe him.
I believe they that thought that Prelacy was the only cure of our Schiſmes, do know by this time by experience, that by that time the Prelates had again ruled but ſeven years, there were ſeven and ſeven againſt them for one that was ſo before: And we that dwell among them, do take thoſe that diſlike their courſe and waies, to be the Generality of the moſt Religious and ſober people of the land (alwaies excepting the King and Parliament and thoſe that muſt be ſtill excepted).