The Holy State, Book 4 · Chapter 9
CHAP. 9. The good Bishop.
HE is an Overseer of a Flock of Shepherds, as a Minister is of a Flock of Gods sheep. Divine providence and his Princes bounty advanced him to the Place, whereof he was no whit ambitious: OnelyOnly he counts it good manners to sit there where God hath placed him, though it be higher then he conceives himself to deserve, and hopes that he who call'd him to the Office hath or will in some measure fit him for it.
His life is so spotlesse, Maxime 1that Malice is angry with him, because she cannot be angry with him: because she can find no just cause to accuse him. And as *Diogen. Laerr. lib. 6. pag. 212. in vit. Diogenis.Diogenes confuted him who denyed there was any motion, by saying nothing but walking before his eyes; so our Bishop takes no notice of the false accusations of people disaffected against his order, but walks on circumspectly in his calling, really refelling their cavils by his conversation. A Bishops bare presence at a marriage in his own diocesse, is by the Law interpreted for a licence; and what actions soever he graceth with his company, he is conceived to priviledge them to be lawfull, which makes him to be more wary in his behaviour.
With his honour, 2his holinesse and humility doth increase. His great Place makes not his piety the lesse: farre be it from him that the glittering of the candlestick should dimme the shining of his candle. The meanest Minister of Gods word may have free accesse unto him: whosoever brings a good cause brings his own welcome with him. The pious poore may enter in at his wide gates, when not so much as his wicket shall be open to wealthy unworthinesse.
3He is diligent and faithfull in preaching the Gospel: either by his pen, Evangelizo manu & scriptione, saith a strict *Reinold. de Idol. Rom. Eccles. Epist. dedicat.Divine; or by his vocall Sermons (if age and other indispensable occasions hinder him not) teaching the Clergie to preach, and the Laity to live, according to the ancient *Concil. To…etan. 2. Cap. 2. Tom. 4. pag. 820. Concil. Constant. 6. Can. 19. Tom. 5. pag. 328. Concil. Aurel. Can. 33. pag. 723. and lately, Concil Trident. Sess 24. Can. 4Canons. Object not that it is unfitting he should lie Perdue, who is to walk the round, and that Governing as an higher employment is to silence his Preaching: For Preaching is a principall part of Governing, and Christ himself ruleth his Church by his Word. Hereby Bishops shall govern hearts, and make men yield unto them a true and willing obedience, reverencing God in them. Many in consumptions have recover'd their healths by returning to their native aire wherein they were born: If Episcopacy be in any declination or diminution of honour, the going back to the painfulnesse of the primitive Fathers in Preaching, is the onelyonly way to repair it.
4Painfull, pious, and peaceable Ministers are his principall Favourites. If he meets them in his way (yea he will make it his way to meet them) he bestoweth all grace and lustre upon them.
5He is carefull that Church-censures be justly and solemnly inflicted: namely,
1 Admonition, when the Church onelyonly chideth, but with the rod in her hand.
2 Excommunication, the Mittimus whereby the Malefactour is sent to the gaolour of hell, and delivered to Satan.
3 Aggravation, whereby for his greater contempt, he is removed out of the gaole into the dungeon.
4 Penance, which is or should be inward repentance, made visible by open confession, whereby the Congregation is satisfied for the publick offense given her.
5 Absolution, which fetcheth the penitent out of hell, and opens the doore of heaven for him, which Excommunication had formerly lock'd, and Aggravation bolted against him.
As much as lies in his power, he either prevents or corrects those too frequent abuses, whereby offenders are not *Acts 2.37.prick'd to the heart, but let bloud in the purse; and when the Court hath her costs, the Church hath no damage given her, nor any reparation for the open scandall she received by the parties offence. Let the memory of Worthy Bishop Lake ever survive, whose hand had the true seasoning of a Sermon with Law and Gospel, and who was most fatherly grave in inflicting Church-censures: Such offenders as were unhappy in deserving, were happy in doing penance in his presence.
He is carefull and happy in suppressing of Heresies and Schismes. 6He distinguisheth of Schismaticks, as Phisicians do of Leprous people: Some are infectious, *The Leprosy Eleph…ntiasis not infectious to the company.others not; Some are active to seduce others, others quietly enjoy their opinions in their own consciences. The latter by his mildnesse he easily reduceth to the truth; whereas the Chirurgeons rigourously handling it, often breaks that bone quite off, which formerly was but out of joynt: Towards the former he useth more severity, yet endeavouring first to inform him aright, before he punisheth him. To use force first before people are fairly taught the truth, is to knock a nail into a board, without wimbling a hole for it, which then either not enters, or turns crooked, or splits the wood it pierceth.
He is very mercifull in punishing offenders;7 both in matters of life and livelyhood, seing in S. Johns Language the same word *Iohn. 3 17.B…os signifies both. He had rather draw tears, then bloud. It was the honour of the Romane State, as yet being Pagan, *Livius lib. 1. pag. 20.In hoc gloriari licet, nulli Gentium mitiores placuisse poenas: Yea for the first seventy years (till the reigne of Ancus Martius) they were without a prison. Clemency therefore in a Christian Bishop is most proper: O let not the Starres of our Church be herein turn'd to Comets, whose appearing in place of judicature presageth to some death or destruction. I confesse that even Justice it self is a kind of mercy: But God grant that my portion of mercy be not paid me in that coin. And though the highest detestation of sinne best agreeth with Clergy-men, yet ought they to cast a severe eye on the vice and example, and a mercifull eye on the person.
8None more forward to forgive a wrong done to himself. Worthy Archbishop *Cambd. Elizab. in Anno 1588. p. 538.Whitgift interceded to Queen Elizabeth for remitting of heavie fines laid on some of his Adversaries (learning from Christ his Master to be a mediatour for them) till his importunity had angred the Queen, yea and till his importunity had pleas'd her again, and gave not over till he got them to be forgiven.
9He is very carefull on whom he layeth hands in Ordination; lest afterwards he hath just cause to beshrew his fingers, and with Martianus, a Bishop of Constantinople (who made Sabbatius a Jew and a turbulent man Priest) wish he had then rather laid his hand on the *Socrat. Eccles. Hist. lib. 5. cap. 20.briers, then such a mans head. For the sufficiency of Scholarship he goeth by his own eye; but for their honest life, he is guided by other mens hands, which would not so oft deceive him, were Testimonialls a matter of lesse courtesie and more conscience. For whosoever subscribes them enters into bond to God and the Church, under an heavy forfeiture, to avouch the honestie of the party commended; and, as Judah for Benjamin, they become sureties for the young man unto his father. Nor let them think to void the band and make it but a blank with that clause, so farre forth as we know, or words to the like effect: For what saith the Apostle? God is not mocked.
He meddleth as little as may be with Temporall matters:10 having little skill in them, and lesse will to them. Not that he is unworthy to manage them, but they unworthy to be managed by him. Yea generally the most dexterous in spirituall matters are left-handed in temporall businesse, and go but untowardly about them. Wherefore our Bishop, with reverend *Funerall Serm. on him, pag. 19.Andrews, meddleth little in civill affairs, being out of his profession and element. Heaven is his vocation, and therefore he counts earthly employments avocations: except in such cases which lie (as I may say) in the Marches of Divinity, and have connexion with his calling; or else when temporall matters meddle with him, so that he must rid them out of his way. Yet he rather admireth then condemneth such of his brethren, who are strengthned with that which would distract him, making the concurrence of spirituall and temporall power in them support one another, and using worldly businesse as their recreation to heavenly employment.
If call'd to the Court he there doth all good offices, 11betwixt Prince and people, striving to remove all misprisions & disaffections, & advancing unity and concord. They that think the Church may flourish when the Common-wealth doth wither may as well conceive that the brains may be sound when pia mater is perished. When in the way of a Confessour he privately tells his Prince of his faults, he knows by Nathans parable, to go the nearest way home by going farre about.
He improves his power with his Prince for the Churches good, 12in maintaining both true religion and the maintenance thereof; lest some pretending with pious Ezechiah to beat down the brazen serpent, the occasion of Idolatry, do indeed with sacrilegious Ahaz take away the brazen bulls from the Laver, and set it on a pavement of stone. He jointly advanceth the pains and gains, the work and wages of Ministers, which going together make a flourishing Clergy, with Gods blessing, and without mans envy.
13His mortified mind is no whit moved with the magnificent vanities of the Court: no more then a dead corps is affected with a velvet herse-cloth over it. He is so farre from wondring at their pomps, that though he looks daily on them, he scarce sees them, having his eyes taken up with higher objects; and onelyonly admires at such, as can admire such low matters. He is loved and feared of all; and his presence frights the Swearer either out of his oathes or into silence, and he stains all other mens lives with the clearnesse of his own.
14Yet he daily prayeth God to keep him in so slippery a place. Elisha prayed that a double portion of Eliahs Spirit might rest upon him. A Father descanteth hereon, that a double portion of grace was necessary for Elisha, who was gratious at Court, lived in a plentifull way, and favoured of the Kings of Israel; whereas Eliah lived poorely, and privately: And more wisdome is requisite to manage prosperity then affliction.
15In his grave writings he aims at Gods glory, and the Churches peace, with that worthy Prelate, the second Jewell of Salisbury, whose Comments and Controversies will transmit his memory to all Posterity:
Whose dying pen did write of Christian Union,
How Church with Church might safely keep Communion.
Commend his care, although the cure do misse;
The woe is ours, the happinesse is his:
Who finding discords daily to encrease,
Because he could not live, would die, in peace.
He ever makes honourable mention of forein Protestant Churches;16 even when he differs and dissents from them. The worst he wisheth the French Church is a Protestant King: not giving the left hand of Fellowship to them, and reserving his right for some other. Cannot Christs coat be of different colours, but also it must be of severall seams? railing one on another, till these Sisters, by bastardizing one another, make the Popish Church the sole heir to all truth. How often did reverend *S. G. …. in his life. p…. 63, 64.Whitgift (knowing he had the farre better cheere) send a messe of meat from his own table to the Ministers of Geneva? relieving many of them by bountifull contributions. Indeed English charity to forein Protestant Churches in some respect is payment of a debt: their children deserve to be our welcome guests, whose Grandfathers were our loving hosts in the dayes of Queen Mary.
He is thankfull to that Colledge whence he had his education. 17He conceiv'd himself to heare his Mother-Colledge alwayes speaking to him in the language of Joseph to Pharaohs Butler, *Gen. 40.14.But think on me, I pray thee, when it shall be well with thee. If he himself hath but little, the lesse from him is the more acceptable: A drop from a spunge is as much as a tunne of water from a Marish. He bestows on it Books, or Plate, or Lands or Building; and the Houses of the Prophets rather lack watering then planting, there being enough of them, if they had enough.
He is hospitable in his housekeeping according to his estate. 18His bounty is with discretion to those that deserve it: Charity mistaken, which relieves idle people, like a dead corps, onelyonly feeds the vermin it breeds. The ranknesse of his housekeeping produceth no riot in his Family. S. Paul calls a Christian Family well ordered, *Rom. 6.5. Theoph. in locum.a Church in their house. If a private mans house be a Parochiall, a Bishops may seem a Cathedrall Church, as much better as bigger, so decently all things therein are disposed.
We come now to give a double Example of a godly Bishop: the first out of the Primitive times, the second out of the English Church since the Reformation, both excellent in their severall wayes.