A Treatise of Episcopacy, Part 2 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. The Confeſſions of the greateſt and Learnedeſt Prelatiſts.
1. THe Church of England doth publickly notifie her judgment, that Church Government, Discipline, and the power of the Keys is not a thing aliene from or above the Order of the Presbyters, but belongeth to their office. 1. In that they allow Presbyters to be members of Convocations (and that as choſen by the Presbyters.) And whereas it is ſaid, that the Lower houſe of Convocation are but Adviſers to the Upper, I anſwer, All together have but an adviſing power to the King and Parliament; But in that ſort of power, the lower houſe hath its part, as experience ſheweth.
2. There are many exempt Juriſdictions in England, (as the Kings Chappel, The Deanry of Windſor, and Wolverhampton, Bridgenorth, (where ſix Pariſhes are governed by a Court held by a Presbyter) and many more, which ſhew that it is conſiſtent with the Presbyters office.
3. The Archdeacons who are no Biſhops exerciſe ſome Government; And ſo do their Officials under them. The Objection from Deputation is anſwered.
4. The Surrogates of the Biſhops, whether Vicar General, Principal Official, or Commiſſaries, are allowed a certain part of government.
5. They that give Lay-Chancellors the power of Judicial Excommunication and Abſolution, cannot think a Presbyter uncapable of it.
6. A Presbyter proforma oft paſſeth the ſentence of Excommunication and Abſolution in the Chancellors Court when he hath judged it.
7. A Presbyter in the Church muſt publiſh that Excommunication and Abſolution.
8. By allowing Presbyters to baptize, and to deliver the Lords Supper, and to keep ſome back for that time, and to admit them again if they openly profeſs to repent and amend their naughty lives, and to abſolve the ſick, they intimate that the Power of the Keys belongeth to them, though they contradict themſelves otherwiſe by denying it them.
9. And in Ordination the Presbyter is required to exerciſe diſcipline: And the words of Act. 20. 28. were formerly uſed to them [Take heed to your ſelves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghoſt hath made you Overſeers (or Biſhops) to feed (or Rule) the Church of God: Whence Biſhop Uſher gathereth that the Churches ſence was that the Presbyters had a joynt power with the Biſhop in Church Government. And though lately Anno 1662. this be altered, and thoſe words left out, yet it is not any ſuch new change that can diſprove this to have been the meaning of them that made the book of Ordination, and that uſed it.
II. Archbiſhop Cranmer with the reſt of the Commiſſioners appointed by King Edward the Sixth for the Reformation of Eccleſiaſtical Laws, decreed the adminiſtring Diſcipline in every Pariſh by the Miniſter and certain Elders; Labouring and intending by all means to bring in the ancient diſcipline. Vid. Reform. Leg. Eccleſ. tit. de Divinis Officiis cap. 10. And our Liturgy wiſheth this Godly Diſcipline reſtored, and ſubſtituteth the Curſes till it can be done. And the ſame Cranmer was the firſt of 46 who in the time of King Henry the Eighth affirmed (in a book called The Biſhops Book, to be ſeen in Fox's Martyrology,) that the difference of Biſhops was a device of the ancient Fathers, and not mentioned in Scripture. And of the opinion of Cranmer with others in this point, his own papers publiſhed by Dr. Stillingfleet Irenic. p. 390, 391, &c. are ſo full a proof, that no more is needful.
III. Dr. Richard Coſins in his Tables ſheweth how Church Diſcipline is partly exerciſed by Presbyters, and by the Kings Commiſſion may be much more. And it is not aliene to their office.
IV. Hooker Eccleſ. Pol. lib. 5. pleadeth againſt the Divine ſettlement of one form of Government: And lib. 7. Sect. 7. p. 17, 18. he ſheweth at large that the Biſhops with their Presbyters as a Conſeſs governed the Churches: And that in this reſpect, [It is moſt certain truth, that the Churches Cathedral and the Biſhops of them are as glaſſes wherein the face and very countenance of Apoſtolical antiquity remaineth yet to be ſeen, notwithſtanding the alterations which tract of time and courſe of the world hath brought. And much he hath elſewhere, which granteth that the Presbyters are Church governours, though not in equality with the Biſhops.
V. Dr. Field, lib. 5. c. 27. ſhewing how the Apoſtles firſt limiting and fixing of Paſtors to particular Churches, was a giving them Juriſdiction, ſaith, [this aſſigning to men having the power of order, the perſons to whom they were to miniſter holy things, and of whom they were to take the care, and the ſubjecting of ſuch perſons to them, gave them the power of Juriſdiction which they had not before.]
And [As another of my Rank cannot have that Juriſdiction within my Church as I have, but if he will have any thing to do there, he muſt be inferiour in degree to me; ſo we read in the Revelation, of the Angel of the Church of Epheſus, &c.] So that with him a Biſhop is but one of the Presbyters, of the ſame Rank, having the firſt charge of the Church, (as every Incumbent in reſpect to his Curates) and ſo above his Curates in Degree.]
And [As the Presbyters may do nothing without the Biſhop, ſo he may do nothing in matters of greateſt moment without their preſence and advice. Conc. Carthag. 4. c. 23.—It is therefore moſt falſe that Bellarmine ſaith, that Presbyters have no power of Juriſdiction—For it is moſt clear and evident, that in all Provincial Synods Presbyters did ſit, give voices, and ſubſcribe as well as Biſhops:—And the Biſhops that were preſent (in General Councils) bringing the reſolution and conſent of the provincial Synods of thoſe Churches from whence they came, in which Synods Presbyters had their voices, they had a kind of conſent to the decrees of General Councils alſo: and nothing was paſſed in them without their concurrence.
And Chap. 49. [The Papiſts think that this is the peculiar right of Biſhops:And c. 30. he ſheweth inſtances of Concil. Antiſiodor. c. 7. Tarrac. c. 13. Concil. Tolet. 1. & ex Gregor. l. 4. ep. 88. Synod. Eliber. &c. But they are clearly refuted by the univerſal practice of the whole Church, from the beginning: For in all Provincial and National Synods, Presbyters did ever give voice and ſubſcribe in the very ſame ſort that Biſhops did; whether they were aſſembled to make Canons of Diſcipline, to hear Cauſes, or to define doubtful points of doctrine: And that they did not anciently ſit and give deciſive voices in General Councils, the reaſon was, not becauſe they have no intereſt in ſuch deliberations and reſolutions, but becauſe ſeeing all cannot meet in Councils that have intereſt in ſuch buſineſs, …but ſome muſt be deputed for and authorized by the reſt, it was thought fit that the Biſhops—] So here are Biſhops authorized by Presbyters as their Deputies in the greateſt affairs in General Councils.
He proceedeth to prove this by inſtances, Concil. Later. ſub Innoc. 3. &c.
VI. Even Archbiſhop Whitgift maintaineth (as Doctor Stillingfleet hath collected, Iren. pag. 394.) that [No kind of Government is expreſſed in the word, or can neceſſarily be concluded thence:—No form of Church Government is by the Scriptures commanded to the Church of God (or preſcribed.)] And Doctor Stillingfleet there citeth *King James, Dr. Low, Ep. Bridges, Coſins, Sutliffe, Crakenthorp, Hales, Chillingworth, &c with Chemnitius and many Lutherans and Calviniſts.many teſtimonies, to prove this the judgment of the Church of England: And if ſo, it muſt be only men and not God, who make any difference between a Presbyter and a Biſhop in the point of Juriſdiction.
VII. Biſhop Bilſon Perpet. Govern. p. 16. c. 391. ſaith, [The Synod of Antioch which depoſed Paulus Samoſat. as Euſebius ſheweth lib. 7. c. 38. & in Concil Eliber. about the time of the firſt Nicene Council ſate Biſhops and Presbyters, even 36. In the ſecond Concil. Arelat. About the ſame time ſubſcribed twelve Presbyters beſides Deacons. So in Concil. Rom. ſub Hilario & Gregor. where 34 Presbyters ſubſcribed after 22 Biſhops. And in the firſt ſub Symmach. where after 72 Biſhops ſubſcribed 67 Presbyters: So in the third, fifth, and ſixth, under the ſame Symmachus, Felix had a council of 43 Biſhops and 74 Presbyters. The Concil. Antiſiod. c 7. ſaith, Let all the Presbyters being called come to the Synod in the City. *By this judge how big the Dioceſe was.]
Concil. Tolet. 4. c. 3. ſaith, Let the Biſhops aſſembled go to the Church together and ſit according to the time of their Ordination: After all the Biſhops are entred and ſet, let the Presbyters be called, and the Biſhops ſitting in a compaſs let the Presbyters ſit behind them, and the Deacons ſtand before them. Even in the General Council at Lateran ſub Innoc. 3. were 482 Biſhops, and 800 Abbots and Priors conventual, ſaith Platina.] Thus Bilſon and more.
VIII. To the ſame purpoſe writeth the Greateſt Defender of Prelacy Biſhop Downam, Def. lib. 1. c. 2. ſect. 11. pag. 43, 44. and the places before cited out of him, profeſſing that the Biſhop hath but a chief and not ſole juriſdiction.
IX. Biſhop Uſhers judgment is fully opened in his Model which we offered to the King and Biſhops in vain, and which he owned to me with his own mouth.
X. Becauſe the citing of mens words is tedious, I add, that All thoſe whom I cited Chriſt. Concord. p. 57, &c. to ſhew that they judge the Presbyters Ordination may be lawful, and valid, do much more thereby infer that they are not void of a Governing power over their own flocks. viz. 1. Dr. Field lib. 3. c. 32. 2. Biſhop Downam Def. lib. 3. c. 4. p. 108. 3. Biſhop Jewel Def. of Apol. Part 2. p. 131. 4. Saravia De diverſ. Min. Grad. cap. p. 10, 11. 5. Biſhop Alley Poor mans Libr. Prelect. 3. & 6. p. 95, 96. 6. Biſhop Pilkington. 7. Biſhop Bridges. 8. Biſhop Bilſon, Of Subject. p. 540, 541, 542, 233, 234, &c. 9. Alex. Nowel. 10. Grotius de imper. 11. Mr. Chiſenhall. 12. Lord Digby (then a Proteſtant.) 13. Biſhop Davenant Determ. Q. 42. p. 191, 192. 14. Biſhop Prideaux, cont. de Diſciplin. Eccleſ. p. 249. 15. Biſhop Andrews. 16. Chillingworth. To which I add 17. Biſhop Bramhall in his Anſwer to Mileterius's Epiſtle to the King. 18. Dr. Steward's Anſwer to Fountains Letter. 19. Dr. Fern. 20. Maſon at large. 21. Biſhop Morton Apolog.
XI. Spalatenſis is large to prove the power of the Keys to belong in common to Presbyters as ſuch. I cited the words before, Lib. 5. c. 9. n. 2. &c. 2. n. 48, &c.
XII. Even Gropperus the Papiſt pleadeth in the Council of Trent for the reſtoring of Synods of Presbyters inſtead of Officials, (the thing ſo much deteſted in England, as that all we undergo muſt rather be endured) yet ſaith Gropperus▪ [Reſtore the Synodals which are not ſubject to ſo great corruption, removing thoſe Officers by whom the world is ſo much ſcandalized, becauſe it is not poſſible that Germany ſhould endure them.] The Spaniards and Dutch men willingly heard this, but not the reſt. Hiſt. p. 334. lib. 4.
XIII. The opinion of Paulus himſelf, the author of that Hiſtory, is ſo fully and excellently laid down, of the Original of the Biſhops grandeur, and of the manner of introducing the Eccleſiaſtical Courts by the occaſion of Pacifications, Arbitrations, and Conſtantines Edict, as that I intreat the Reader to turn to and peruſe p. 330, 331, 332, 333.
XIV. Fileſacus (a Learned Papiſt) copiouſly proveth from Councils that Presbyters were called the Rectors of the Churches, pag. 560. And more than ſo, that they were called Hierarchici and Prelates, and had place in Councils, eſpecially Provincial, p. 576, 577, 578. Pag. 574. he citeth Concil. Aquiſgr. ſaying, Presbyteri qui praeſunt Eccleſiis, de omnibus hominibus qui ad eorum Eccleſiam pertinent, per omnia curam gerant. Pag. 576. he proveth they were called Prelates abundantly. Pag. 577. Epiſcoporum inſtar ſuam habebant plebem regendam.
XV. Mr. H. Thorndike is ſo large in defending the Presbyters Governing power, and that as grounded on the power of Congregating, in his Form of Primit. Gov. and Right of Church, &c. that it would be tedious to recite his words. Pag. 98. he ſaith, [The power of the Keys belongeth to the Presbyters and is convertible with the power of celebrating the Euchariſt, and that's the Reaſon why it belongeth to them (Nothing could be ſpoken plainer to our uſe.)
And p. 128. The power of the Keys, that is, The whole power of the Church, whereof that power is the root and ſource, is common to Biſhops and Presbyters.]
And Right of Ch. p. 126, 129, 130, 131. he ſaith much more to confirm this by teſtimonies and inſtances of antiquity.
XVI. The great Jo. Gerſon is cited to your hand by the ſame Fileſacus as ſhewing that Curates were Hierarchical, Quia eadem opera Hierarchica eis incumbunt quae & Epiſcopis: And more out of Gerſon, de Concil. Evangel. & de ſtat. Eccleſiaſtic. tit. de ſtatu Curatorum conſid. 1. & 4, &c.
XVII. I will end all in the fulleſt teſtimony for theſe times, His Majeſties Declaration concerning Eccleſiaſtical Affairs, before the paſſing of which it was examined by his Majeſty and the Lord Chancellor, before Dukes, Lords, Biſhops, Doctors of their party, and many of us alſo that are now ſilenced, and after all two great Biſhops with Biſhop Reynolds and Mr. Calamy appointed by the King to joyn with two Lords to ſee that it were worded according to the Kings expreſſed ſenſe. And it ſaith p. 11, &c. [Becauſe the Dioceſes, eſpecially ſome of them are thought to be of too large extent, we will appoint ſuch a number of Suffragan Biſhops in every Dioceſe as ſhall be ſufficient for the due performance of their work *But no one in all the land was appointed to this day.. 3. No Biſhop ſhall Ordain or exerciſe any part of juriſdiction which appertaineth to the cenſures of the Church without the advice and aſſiſtance of the Presbyters: And no Chancellors, Commiſſaries or Officials as ſuch, ſhall exerciſe any act of Spiritual Juriſdiction, in theſe caſes, viz. Excommunication, Abſolution, &c.—[As to Excommunication our will and pleaſure is, that no Chancellor, Commiſſary, or Official Decree any Sentence of Excommunication or Abſolution—Nor ſhall the Archdeacon exerciſe any Juriſdiction without the advice and aſſiſtance of ſix Miniſters of his Archdeaconry, whereof three to be nominated by the Biſhop, and three by the election of the major part of the Presbyters within the Archdeaconry. 4. To the end the Dean and Chapters may the better be fitted to afford counſel and aſſiſtance to the Biſhops both in Ordination and other offices mentioned before, &c.—Moreover an equal number to thoſe of the Chapter of the moſt learned, pious, and diſcreet Presbyters of the ſame Dioceſe annually choſen by the major Vote of all the Presbyters of that Dioceſe preſent at the Election, ſhall be always adviſing and aſſiſting together with thoſe of the Chapter in all Ordinations and every part of Juriſdiction which appertains to the cenſure of the Church, and at all other ſolemn and important actions in the exerciſe of the Eccleſiaſtical Juriſdiction wherein any of the Miniſtery are concerned.—And our Will is that the great work of Ordination be conſtantly and ſolemnly performed by the Biſhop and his aforeſaid Presbytery—5. We will take care that confirmation be rightly and ſolemnly performed by the information and with the conſent of the Miniſter of the place: Who ſhall admit none to the Lords Supper till they have made a credible profeſſion of their faith, and promiſed obedience, &c.—Beſides the Suffragans and their Presbytery, every Rural Dean—together with three or four Miniſters of that Deanry choſen by the major part of all the Miniſters within the ſame, ſhall meet once in every month, to receive ſuch complaints as ſhall be preſented to them by the Miniſters and Church-wardens of the reſpective pariſhes, and alſo to compoſe all ſuch differences between party and party, as ſhall be referred to them by way of Arbitration, and to convince offenders, and reform all ſuch things as they find amiſs, by their Paſtoral Reproofs and Admonitions, if they may be ſo reformed. And ſuch matters as they cannot by this Paſtoral and perſwaſive way compoſe and reform, are by them to be prepared for and preſented to the Biſhop; At which meeting any other Miniſters of the Deanry may if they pleaſe be preſent and aſſiſt. Moreover the Rural Dean and his Aſſiſtants are in their reſpective diviſions to ſee that the children and younger ſort be carefully inſtructed by the reſpective Miniſters, &c.] See the reſt.
This was the judgment of his Majeſty, &c. 1660. And on theſe terms we were ready to have Conformed and United with the Prelatiſts ſo far as to go in the peaceable performance of our Offices. But that very Parliament who gave his Majeſty thanks for this his Declaration, did lay it by, ſo that it was never done, but other Laws eſtabliſhed which we feel.
Obj. You do but obtrude on us your own opinions: For when you had drawn up moſt of thoſe words, his Majeſty was fain to ſeem for the preſent to grant them you, for the quieting of you.
Anſw. 1. If we did offer ſuch things, let the world judge what we ſought by them. 2. There is moſt of that about Rural Deanries put in (I ſuppoſe by the Biſhops conſent who were to word it) after it went from us, and after the King had done with it, on October 22. 1660. 3. Whoever motioned or deſired it, by this it appeareth that his Majeſty and thoſe that counſelled him, did not then think the work of Juriſdiction, Excommunication, Abſolution, no nor Ordination, to be aliene to or above the office of the Presbyter. And if that be no part of his Paſtoral work, they would not have appointed it him.
Yet finally let the Reader note, that though my proofs have reached as high as the power of Canon-making, Juriſdiction, Court-excommunications and Ordination; Yet it is no more than the power of Paſtoral Guidance of our particular Pariſh Churches, and not to be forced to adminiſter all holy things (Sacraments, Abſolutions, &c.) contrary to our conſciences, at other mens will who know not our people, and not to thoſe that we know to be utterly Ignorant, Infidels, Scandalous, and Impenitent, that I am here pleading for.
I conclude therefore boldly after all this proof, that the Presbyters office which was inſtituted by God, and uſed by the ancient Churches, contained an obligation and Authority not only to Teach and Worſhip, but alſo the reſt of the Power of the Keys, to Rule the Churches committed to their care, (not by the ſword or force, but) by a paſtoral perſwaſive power, judging who is to be taken in and put out, and what perſons are fit objects for the reſpective exerciſes of their, own Miniſterial acts: (which was the thing I was engaged to make good.)