The Healing Attempt, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. The Senſe of our Firſt Reformers in Henry the Eighth's Days.
IN this King's Reign Tindall, Lambert and Barnes, Men of good Learning, and bleſſed Martyrs, ſealing the Truths they profeſſed with their Blood, ſtruggled ſtrenuouſly for a Reformation of Church Government.
Tindall, looking on Corruptions in Diſcipline to be a principal occaſion of that greater Deluge of Enormities in the Church, preſſeth for a Reduction of all things in the Diſcipline to the Apoſtolical Inſtitution, and therefore makes Enquiry after thoſe Officers, the Apoſtles Ordained in Chriſt's Church, and what their Offices were, and gives us an account of his Perſwaſion of it thus: Wherefore the Apoſtles following and obeying the Rule,Tindall's Practice of Popiſh Prelates. Doctrine and Commandment of our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, Ordained in his Kingdom and Congregation TWO OFFICERS: one called after the Greek word Biſhop, in Engliſh an Overſeer, which ſame was called Prieſt after the Greek, Elder in Engliſh, becauſe of his Age, Diſcretion, and Sadneſs; for he was as nigh as could be always an Elderly Man. And this Overſeer hath put his hands unto the Plough of God's Word, and fed Chriſt's Flock, and tended them only, without looking to any other Buſineſs in the World. Another Officer they choſe, and called him Deacon, after the Greek, a Miniſter in Engliſh, to Miniſter the Alms of the People unto the Poor, and Needy. For in the Congregation of Chriſt, love maketh every Man's Gifts and Goods common to the Neceſſity of his Neighbour—There is Presbyteros called an Elder by birth,Tindall on the word Elder. which ſame is called immediately a Biſhop, or Overſeer, to declare what Perſons are meant,—They were called Elders, becauſe of their Age, Gravity, &c. and Biſhops and Overſeers by reaſon of their Offices. And all that were called Elders, or Prieſts (if they ſo will) were called Biſhops alſo, tho' they have divided the names now, which thing thou mayſt evidently ſee by the firſt Chapter of Titus, and the twentieth of the Acts. Thoſe Overſeers, which we now call Biſhops after the Greek word, were alway biding in One place to Govern the Congregation there; But Deacons were Overſeers of the Poor, and crept not into Orders till the Church grew rich.
Lambert is of the ſame Opinion. As touching Prieſthood (ſaith he) in the Primitive Church, Ach. Mon. Vol. 2.when Vertue bare (as ancient Doctors do deem, and Scripture in mine opinion recordeth the ſame) the moſt room, there were no more Officers in the Church of God than Biſhops and Deacons, that is to ſay, Miniſters, as witneſſeth beſides Scripture, full apertly Hierome in his Commentaries upon the Epiſtles of Paul; whereas he faith, That thoſe we call Prieſts, were all one and no other but Biſhops, and the Biſhops none other but Priests, Men ancient both in Age and Learning, ſo near as they could be choſen. Neither were they Inſtitute, and choſen as they be now adays, with ſmall regard of a Biſhop, or his Officer, only appoſing them, if they can conſtrue a Collect.—To conclude, I ſay, the Order, or State of Prieſts, and Deacons was Ordained by God.
The Sixth Article againſt Dr. Barnes was, That he declared himſelf thus. I will never believe, nor yet can I ever believe, that one Man may be by the Law of God a Biſhop of two, or three Cities, yea, of an whole Countrey; for it is contrary to St. Paul, which ſaith, I have left thee behind, to ſet in every City a Biſhop. And if you find in one place of Scripture that they be called Epiſcopi, you ſhall find in many that they be called Presbyteri.—I was (ſaith he) brought before my Lord Cardinal into his Gallery, and there he read all my Articles till he came to this, and there he ſtopped, and ſaid, That this touch'd him, and therefore he ask'd me, if I thought it wrong that One Biſhop ſhould have ſo many Cities underneath him? Unto whom I anſwered, That I could no further go than to St. Paul's Text, which, ſet in every City a Biſhop. Then asked he me, whether I thought it unright (ſeeing the Ordinance of the Church, that one Biſhop ſhould have ſo many Cities? I anſwered, that I knew no Ordinance of the Church, as concerning this thing, but St. Paul's Saying only? Nevertheleſs I did ſee a contrary Cuſtom and Practice in the World, but I know not the original thereof. Then ſaid He, There were divers Cities, ſome ſeven Miles, ſome ſix Miles long, and over them was there ſet but one Biſhop, and of their Suburbs alſo; ſo likewiſe now a Biſhop has alſo but one City to his Cathedral Church, and the Country about it as Suburbs to it. Methought this was far fetch'd, but I durſt not deny it, becauſe it was ſo great Authority, and of ſo Holy a Father, and ſo great a Divine. But this I dare ſay, that his Holineſs could never prove it by Scripture, nor yet by any Authority of Drs. nor yet by any Practice of the Apoſtles, and yet it muſt be true, becauſe a Pillar of the Church has ſpoken it: But let us ſee what the Drs. ſay to mine Article. Athanaſius doth declare this Text of the Apoſtle, I have left thee behind, &c. He would not commit unto one Biſhop a whole Ylde, but he did injoyn, that every City ſhould have his Proper Paſtor, ſuppoſing, that by this means they ſhould more diligently Overſee the People—Alſo Chryſostom on that ſame Text: He would not that a whole Country ſhould be permitted unto One man, but He enjoyned to every man his Cure, by that means he knew, that his Labour ſhould be more eaſie, and the Subjects ſhould be with more Diligence Govern'd, if the Teachers were not diſtract with the Governing of many Churches, but had Cure, and Charge of one Church only, &c. Methinks theſe be plain words, and able to move a man to ſpeak as much as I did—But I, poor Man, muſt be an Heretick, there is no Remedy, you will have it ſo, and who is able to ſay nay? Not all Scripture, nor yet God Himſelf. So far theſe three Worthies.
About this time the Notion of theſe bleſſed Martyrs found reſpect amongſt thoſe, that bore a great Figure in the Church. The Author of the True Difference between the Regal Power and the Eccleſiaſtical, gives countenance unto it, and at laſt Cranmer with many others fell in with it, and it became a Point eſtabliſh'd by Authority, as may be ſeen in the Neceſſary Erudition of a Chriſtian Man, where, after the Deſcription given of the Office of Priests and Deacons, it's affirmed, That of theſe Two Orders only Scripture makes expreſs mention, and that we may not miſtake 'em, it's added, of theſe two Orders only, that is to ſay, Prieſts, and Deacons, Scripture makes expreſs mention, and how they were conferred by the Apoſtles by Prayer, and Impoſition of hands. Beſides, The Deſcription they give of the Office of a Biſhop or Prieſt, for when they ſpeak of the Divine Inſtitution, they make no diſtinction between 'em; it's thus: The Office conſists in true Preaching and Teaching the Word of God unto the People, in Diſpenſing and Miniſtring the Sacraments, in Conſecrating and Offering the bleſſed Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, in looſing and aſſoyling from Sin ſuch Perſons as be ſorry and truly penitent for the ſame, and Excommunicating ſuch as be guilty in manifest Crimes, and will not be reformed otherwiſe, and finally in Praying for the whole Church of Christ, and eſpecially for the Flock committed to them. Thus there are but two Orders only, that is to ſay, Prieſts and Deacons, no third Order; Biſhops therefore muſt be of the ſame Order with Prieſts, and their Office the ſame, and the Superiority of one above the other only by Humane Ordinance and Appointment. And whereas (ſay they) we have thus ſummarily declared what is the Office and Miniſtration which in Holy Scriptures has been committed to Biſhops and Priests, and in what things it conſiſteth, as is afore rehearſed, we think it expedient and neceſſary, that all men ſhould be advertis'd, and taught, that all ſuch Lawful Power and Authority of any one Biſhop [or Priest, for they are in the ſenſe of theſe Great Divines the ſame] over another were, and be given them by the Conſent, Ordinance, and Poſitive Laws of Men only, and not by any Ordinance of God in Holy Scripture. So far the Neceſſary Erudition.
Thus in Henry the Eighth's days, the Biſhop and Prieſt of the ſame Order according to the Scriptures, and their Office the ſame, the Difference therefore between 'em and the Government that is grounded thereupon by Prelatick Biſhops, Archbiſhops, &c. is only by the Poſitive Laws of Men.
In a Declaration made of the Functions and Divine Inſtitution of Biſhops and Priests, ſubſcrib'd by Thomas Cromwell, the Archbiſhops of Canterbury and York, and divers other Biſhops,Conſult the Addenda in Dr. Burnet's Hiſtory of the Reformation, p. 321, &c. Civilians, and Learned Men, it is thus Reſolved. As touching the Sacrament of Holy Orders. We will, That all Biſhops and Preachers ſhall inſtruct and teach our People committed by us unto their Spiritual Charge. Firſt, How that Chriſt and his Apoſtles did inſtitute and ordain in the New Teſtament, that beſide the Civil Powers, and Governance of Kings and Princes, which is called in Scripture Poteſtas gladii, the Power of the Sword, there ſhould be alſo continually in the Church Militant, certain other Miniſters, or Officers, which ſhould have Spiritual Power, Authority and Commiſſion under Chriſt to Preach and Teach the Word of God unto his People, and to Diſpenſe and Adminiſter the Sacraments of God unto them; and by the ſame to confer and give the Grace of the Holy Ghoſt, to conſecrate the bleſſed Body of Chriſt in the Sacrament of the Altar, to looſe and abſoile from Sin, all Perſons which be duly penitent, and ſorry for the ſame; to bind and Excommunicate ſuch as be Guilty in manifeſt Crimes and Sins, and will not amend their defaults, to order and conſecrate others in the ſame room, Order and Office whereunto they recalled & admitted themſelves; and finally, to feed Chriſt's People like good Paſtors and Rectors, as the Apoſtle calleth them, with their wholeſom Doctrin▪ and by their continual Exhortations and Monitions to reduce them from Sin and Iniquity ſo much as in them lieth, and to bring them unto perfect Knowledge the perfect Love and Dread of God, and unto the perfect Charity of their Neighbours.—That this Office, this Power and Authority was committed and given by Chriſt and his Apoſtles unto certain Perſons only, that is to ſay, unto Prieſts, OR Biſhops, whom they did Elect, call and admit thereunto by their Prayer, and Impoſition of their hands.—And to the intent the Church of Chriſt ſhould never be deſtituted of ſuch Miniſters as ſhould have and execute the ſaid Power of the Keys, it was alſo Ordained and Commanded by the Apoſtles, that the ſame Sacrament ſhould be applied and miniſtred by the Biſhops from time to time, unto ſuch other Perſons as had the Qualities which the Apoſtles very diligently deſcryve; as it appeareth evidently in the third Chapter of the firſt Epiſtle of St. Paul to Timothy, and his Epiſtle unto Titus. And ſurely this is the whole Vertue and Efficacy, and the Cauſe alſo of the Inſtitution of this Sacrament, as it is found in the New Teſtament; for albeit the Holy Fathers of the Church of Chriſt, with all thoſe things which were commendable in the Temple of the Jews, did deviſe not only certain other Ceremonies than before rehearſed, as Tonſures, Raſures, Ʋnctions, and ſuch other Obſervances to be uſed in the Adminiſtration of the ſaid Sacraments; but did alſo Inſtitute certain Inferiour Orders or Degrees, as Janitors, Lectors, Exorciſts, Acolits, and Sub-Deacons; and deputed to every one of thoſe certain Offices to execute in the Church, wherein they followed undoubtedly the Example and Rites uſed in the Old Teſtament; yet the Truth is, That in the New Teſtament there is no mention made of any Degrees, or Diſtinctions in Orders, but only of Deacons, OR Miniſters, and of Prieſts, OR Biſhops: Nor there is any word ſpoken of any other Ceremony uſed in the Conferring of this Sacrament; but only of Prayer, and the Impoſition of the Biſhops hand.
Thus the Power of Excommunication, and conferring Orders by Prayer and Impoſition of Hands, as declared in the New Testament, belongs unto the Priest, which is the ſame with the Biſhop; there being no Degrees or Diſtinctions in Orders, but only of Deacons or Miniſters; and Priests or Biſhops, and conſequently no Superiority therefore of a Biſhop above a Prieſt to be found in the New Teſtament, during King Henry the Eighth's days.