A Treatise of Episcopacy, Part 2 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Objections againſt Pariſh Diſcipline anſwered.
Obj. 1. YOu make this diſcipline ſeem more needful than it is. A Church may be a true Church without it. The Helvetians uſe very little of it at all.
Anſ. 1. The Helvetian Divines write for it, though with lenity and they are for denying the Sacrament to the Impenitently wicked, which is not nothing; and they are for Paſtoral admonition of the perſons that are ſcandalous. And the reſt the Magiſtrates hinder them from, and partly undertake themſelves. And verily I take it to be much more iningenuous to let the Magiſtrate do what he can, and to pretend to no more diſcipline, than to talk for it, and never uſe it.
2. A Man may be a true man though he have the Palſie, Dropſie, Gout or Stone, or be diſmembred. And are theſe therefore indifferent things?
3. Whether diſcipline be needful judge after theſe Reaſons. 1. Otherwiſe Biſhops are not needful to exerciſe it, nor any other Paſtors, but bare Preachers. Why ſhould Lordſhips▪ wealth and honours, be allowed Biſhops for that which is not needful? 2. If it be needful to be exerciſed on Miniſters, why not on the People alſo? And if not on Miniſters, why have there ſo great numbers been ſilenced, ſuſpended, and troubled? Sure ſomebody thinketh, that our ſilencing is needful. 3. If it be not needful, why did the univerſal Church uſe it, and that ſo ſtrictly from the beginning? And why do they that ſay this, pretend a reverence to the Ancient Churches, to the Councils, the Canons, and the Biſhops of thoſe times, who went ten times further in their Severities than we do. 4. It is needful by Precept and Divine Canon as may be ſeen, Lev. 19. 17. Matth. 18. 15, 16, 17, 18. 1 Cor. 5. Tit. 1. 13. and 2. 15. and 3. 10. 1 Tim. 3. 5. 15. and 5. 19, 20, 21 22, 24. 2 Tim. 3. 5. and 4. 2. 2 Theſ. 3▪ 6, 14. 5. It is needful to the honour of God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, that he may be declared Holy in the Holyneſs of his Church, and not by our allowed wickedneſs be repreſented as an unholy friend to ſin. 6. It is needful to the Churches honour, that it be not as a very ſtie and ſink of wickedneſs as the Infidel World. 7. It is needful to the Churches beauty, ſafety, and felicity, that God may delight in it, and not forſake it, as he hath done moſt of the Eaſt, nor make them miſerable by his judgments. 8. It is needful to the Honour of Holineſs it ſelf, which will be vilified if we difference not the precious from the vile. 9. It is needful to the Conviction and Converſion of Mahometans, and other Infidels and Heathens, who now are kept in their Infidelity, by ſeeing that Chriſtians as are bad or worſe than themſelves; and would be more drawn to Chriſt, if the holy Lives of Chriſtians, and holy State of Churches did invite them. 10. It is needful to the comfortable Communion of Saints, as it is profeſſed by us in our Creed. 11. It is needful to prevent the infection of the Church, and the increaſe of ſin; ſeeing a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and he that toucheth pitch will be defiled by it. 12. It is needful to encourage and ſtrengthen the Faithful, when they ſee by this praejudicium futuri judicii, as Tertullian calleth it, the difference that God himſelf will make▪. 13. It is an Eſſential part of the Paſtoral Office to have the Power of Diſcipline: And what is the Power for but the Work? yea Power and Obligation are eſſential to his Office. 14. It is needful to the Holy Adminiſtration of Sacraments, and other parts of Divine Worſhip, that Holy things be not given to Dogs. 15. It is needful to convince the ordinary careleſs ſinners among us, that ſeeing a difference put between the good and bad, they may not think that preaching is but idle talk and falſhood, and that they are as ſafe as others. 16. It is needful to keep the better people from offending God by their familiarity and communion with the notoriouſly wicked. 17. It is needful to break the Serpents head, that in Chriſts Church the Devils works may be renounced and caſt out, and ſin be publickly made a ſhame, as the Devil out of the Church endeavoureth to do by Truth and Holineſs. 18. It is needful to the eaſe and peace of Magiſtrates, that they may not he overwhelmed with the cares, troubles, dangers, that come by multitudes of Wicked Men; but the Paſtors labours with the voluntary may prevent much of the Magiſtrates trouble with the involuntary. 19. It is needful to the ſafety of Commonwealths and Kingdomes, that they be not poyſoned by wickedneſs, and ſo expoſed to the judgment of God. 20. And laſtly, it is needful to the ſcandalous Sinners themſelves, that they may not be ſuffered to die and periſh in their ſin, but have all poſſible means uſed to bring them to repentance, that they may be ſaved. Conſider whether all theſe Reaſons prove not Diſcipline to be needful.
Object. II. But till Conſtantines time there was no Chriſtian Magiſtrate, which made it then needful: But ſince the caſe is not the ſame.
Anſw. 1. Down then with Biſhops now, if their work be needleſs. But why then were they ſet ſo much higher, and had ſo much more power ſince the dayes of Conſtantine then before? 2. Are you wiſer than all the Councils (Nice, Epheſ. Chalced. Conſtance, &c.) which have ever ſince made Canons for Diſcipline? 3. Again, try whether none of the foregoing reaſons, be ſtill in force. 4. Read Galaſpies Aarons Rod, which fully proveth the continued need of diſcipline.
Object. III. But diſcipline is not to be uſe… on all that deſerve it, but only one now and then, one to be a terror to the reſt: You are for too much ſtrictneſs, rigidneſs and ſeverity.
Anſ. 1. I am not for half the rigidneſs and ſeverity of the Ancient Biſhops and Churches, who made the penitents waite at the Church doors, and caſt down themſelves with cryes and tears to beg abſolution and readmiſſion, and in many caſes to waite thus many years together, and in ſome, till their death bed. I am for accepting the firſt credible profeſſion of Repentance: I am for gentle exhorting them and praying for them long before we caſt them out. I am not for troubling any for ſmall faults: Nor for bringing any mans ſecret ſins to light, or making them more publick than he maketh them himſelf; I am not for impoſing ſuch penances as the Papiſts do. And is a ſtrictneſs ſhort of theirs intolerable to you, that pretend to be more holy than they? Yea more, I am not for the uſe of diſcipline at all, where it is notorious to true reaſon that its like to do more harme than good. And is all this too much ſtrictneſs? But I am not for keeping it out, and then making ſuch pretences, nor for cauſing the inconveniences, and then pleading them againſt the duty.
2. The Scripture and Canons do not bid you reprove or ſuſpend or reject one blaſphemer, or drunkard of many; but all that are ſuch: And do you ſay that God and Councils diſſembled, and bid us do that which they would not have us do?
3. To cenſure one of a hundred or a thouſand, yea, or twenty offenders, will be no terror or warning to the reſt; who will look to ſcape that which falleth on ſo few.
4. When one of ſo many only is cenſured, the Church will be ſtill under moſt of the forementioned danger and defilement; and this much will not reach the End.
5. Partiality is an odious Character of injuſtice, and ſhould not be found in civil judges; much leſs in the Churches of Chriſt. And it will but harden and enrage thoſe perſons whom you deal with, when you enable them to ſay, you cenſure me, and let many others alone, in the ſame ſin. Is this your Church juſtice, or rather malice to me?
Obj. IV. You confeſs your ſelf that it is ſo hard to uſe diſcipline in one Pariſh, that moſt Miniſters did neglect it when the Biſhops were out: And why blame you the Biſhops then for neglecting it?
Anſ. 1. We were to deal with the Pariſhes in that defiled and unruly ſtate as the Biſhops left them: And all great works muſt have time to be done in. And at laſt the reformation proſpered apace, till they pull'd it down. 2. We were to make uſe of ſuch Miniſters as the Biſhops left us, and of young men who were newly come from the Univerſities. And men cannot get wiſdom intereſt, experience and reſolution in a day. 3. The remaining reſpects which the people had to the Prelates and their way was a hinderance to us that deſired, to meddle herein with none but conſenters. 4. A great number of Sectaries, raiſed by the diſtaſtes of the Prelates wayes, did alſo hinder us. 5. Yet it was than poſſible and feaſible to Miniſters that were wiſe and willing to do ſo much as might very much attain the ends of diſcipline, though not ſo much as they deſired. 6. But is this an Objection fit for the Prelatiſts to make? or doth it not encreaſe their condemnation? what would you ſay to a Phyſician, a Pilot, a Schoolmaſter, that ſhould ſay, It is not an hundred Phyſicians, that can do what ſhould be done for all the Patients in this City; nor an hundred Pilots that can well govern all the Navy; nor an hundred School maſters that can well Govern all the Schools in the Dioceſs: Therefore I will get them all turned out and▪ I will be the only Phyſician (with my Apothecaries) the only Pilot (with my S…am…n) the only Schoolmaſter (with my Monitors and Uſhers) my ſelf; for the work can be but left undone? Such rule the Churches muſt have while God for our ſins will ſuffer it.
The doing it per alios is oft enough anſwered before.
Obj. V. Many Pariſh Miniſters are young and raw and unfit to govern. Anſ. 1. They are unfit who make this Objection, who bring and keep ſuch in, and caſt ſo many hundred out that are better (however ignorant malice ſlander them) 2. This alſo may be ſaid againſt their preaching, much more: For, 3. They may Rule with others, when they cannot preach by others. 4. There may be appeals to the next Synod (or Prelate if you will have it ſo).
Obj. VI. You would have a Prieſt to be a Pope in his Pariſh. Anſ. I can call this Objection no better than groſs Impudency: For, 1. Its a Contradiction: A Pope is a Head of the Univerſal Church: And ſo it is ſaying, that we make every Miniſter a Head of the Univerſal Church to his Pariſh. 2. We deſire more Presbyters than One in a Church. 3. We deſire Appeals to the next Synod: and is that to be a Pope? 4. Is not one Miniſter as able to Rule a Pariſh, without the help of aſſiſtants and Synods, as one Prelate to Rule many hundred Pariſhes, who likely is a worſe man than the Miniſter? Impudent pride will perhaps ſay no.