A Reply to the Defense of Dr Stillingfleet, Text
Materials for Ʋnion.
WHereas there are three Parties of Proteſtants in the Nation, the Epiſcopalian, the Presbyterian, and the Independent (or Congregational-Men, which are of diverſe ſorts) who do, and will ever differ in their Opinions about the Church, and Diſcipline of it, in the Queſtion, which is of Chriſt's Inſtitution; or, Whether the One, or the Other, is moſt conſonant to Scripture: it is not our Diſputes about the Church as Particular (which are rather to be mutually forborn, and every Party (left herein to their own Perſwaſion) but a Common Agreement in what we Can Agree, and that is in the Church as National, muſt Heal our Diviſions.
It is here we muſt lay the Foundation-Stone of Ʋnion.
When the Parliament then ſhall ſet about this buſineſs to purpoſe, A Bill ſhould be brought in for Declaring the Conſtitution of Our Church of England.
A Parliament is the Repreſentative of the whole People of England, and I doubt not, but by Conſent and Agreement, they might Make a New Conſtitution of the CHURCH, as it is National; and much more may they Declare the Conſtitution of it.
The Papiſts are for one Univerſal Organical Church throughout the world, whereof the Pope is Head by Chriſt's Appintment; and whoſoever conſequently is not of this Roman Catholick-Church, and Governed by him, muſt be damned. There are ſome of our late Prelatiſts are for the ſame Church, but under the Dioceſan Biſhops of the whole Earth, who being Convened in a General Council, are the Head that muſt give laws to it; and whoſoever refuſe to be Govern'd by the Laws of theſe General Counſels, are Schiſmaticks. I am much rather therefore, in my mind, for the Notion (which is that in the Embryo the Reverend Dean of St. Pauls ſeems to me to aim at, if it could be once well formed) of an Independent National Church Political, but not to be held, as the Congregationaliſt ſuppoſes his Particular Independent One, and They their Catholick, to be of Divine, but of Humane Inſtitution; for it is manifeſtly a thing Accidental to the Church of Chriſt, that the Supream Magiſtrate, and the whole Body of a Nation, are Chriſtian.
It ſhould be declared then in ſuch a Bill of Act of Parliament, that the Church of England conſiſts of the King as the Head, and all the ſeveral Aſſemblies of the Proteſtants as the Body.
A Diſcrimination between the Tolerable and Intolerable is never to be gain-ſaid by any Wiſe Man.
It is not for me, or any One perſons, but a Convocation, or Parliament, to preſcribe the Terms of National Communion; but I would have all our Aſſemblies that are Tolerable, to be made Legal by ſuch an Act, and thereby parts of the National Church, as well as the Parochial Congregations.
That the Biſhops ſhould be declared Eccleſiaſtical Officers under the KING, acting Circa Sacra only by Vertue of His Authority and Commiſſion.
As Jehoſhophat appointed Officers for Government in the Matters of God, and the Kings Matters: So ſhould the Biſhops be in Our Eccleſiaſtical, as the Judges are in Civil Matters, the Subſtitutes of his Majeſty, and Execute His Juriſdiction.
Upon this Account, if any of the Eminent among the Non-conformiſts were Choſen to be Biſhops, they could not refuſe it.
Let two or three the moſt fit of thoſe Parties be the next that are called to this Function upon ſuch an Act, an commanded to Hold it, and then would UNION indeed Commence.
Their Work in general, ſhould be to Superviſe the Churches of both ſorts in their Dioceſſes, that they all Walk according to their own Order, agreeable to the Goſpel, and the Peace of one another.
I am ſenſible unto what Diſtreſs a Congregational Miniſter may be brought in the exerciſe of Diſcipline over ſome potent, turbulent, and refractory Members; and what Relief he might find in ſuch a …al Eccleſiaſtical Officer as this. I am ſenſible how the many inconveniences (ſuppoſed) of Congregational Epiſcopacy, by this one onelyonly means may be ſalved.
This ſhall Advance, and not Leſſen, the outward Power and Honour of the Biſhops.
I humbly Motion a Third Clerk for the Convocation, to be added to the Two in every Dioceſs, and choſe out of the Non-conformiſts for the Unanimous proſecution of Holineſs and Concord throughout all the Churches: And the two Provinces of Canterbury and York ſhould Unite in this Convocation, for the making them one National Church, and not two Provincial ones in a diverſe Aſſembly.
By this means ſhould one Organ more be added to this great Political Society for deriving an influence from this Head to theſe parts of the Body as well as Others, which now ſeem neglected, and to have no care taken of them.
It were the part of ſuch a Convocation to Decree that neither Church ſhould Unchurch one another; That no members of Either ſhould depart from One Church to the Other without a ſufficient peaceable reaſon; That when a man hath his choice to be of One Church, which he will, in regard to Fixed Communion, he ſhould Occaſionally come alſo to the Other for maintaining this National Union.
There are theſe and other things of ſuch a nature as theſe, I ſhould expect then would be moulded into Canons, that kindly preventing all our ſcruples, would render the Nation happy, in the ſatisfaction of both Parties.
An Act of Parliament to this purpoſe, would make the Church of England to be in Earneſt, ſuch a Church, as the Church-men would have us ſtill think it, the Beſt Conſtituted, the moſt Exemplary, and the moſt Glorious of any that is, or indeed that well can be in this World.
But is not all this at laſt too Eraſtian? I anſwer, No. We ſuppoſe that every Pariſh where there is a Paſtor and a Flock does contain in it ſuch a Particular Church as is of Chriſts Inſtitution. That Chriſt committed to every ſuch Church a compleat power of Doctrine, Worſhip, and Diſcipline. That what Chriſt hath committed to his Church cannot be taken away by any. That the Authority of the Magiſtrate is for care and overſight, and ſo to protect and maintain this power, but not to deſtroy it. That the Church as National, and Dioceſan as part of the National, and Parochial (qua Parochial) as part of the Dioceſan, are of Humane inſtitution, and owe their power, and preſervation of it, to the Supream Magiſtrate. That as the Magiſtrate does not take away or invade, but preſerve the power of the Keys (inveſted in the Miinſter, but given with the Paſtor himſelf to the Church), No more can the Dioceſans that Derive from him, aſſume it to themſelves, and deprive the Particular Churches of it. That ſo long as this Power is preſerved, there is no Eraſtianiſm maintained as to a Particular Church, and as to the National there is no danger of it.
And thus I have offered my Mite to the Sanctuary; that is, ſo much as I have, and what I think fit for Cultivation by Others, whom GOD ſhall make Wiſe-hearted, and Concern'd, for the Welfare of Sion.
There is Room alſo here left for the farther Invention of Such, in regard to many the like things as (or greater then) theſe: For they that will, may ſee ſomething more in a few Sheets, in part Entituled, Animadverſions upon the Debate between Dr. Stillingfleet and Mr. Baxter, Concerning the National Church and Head of it.
J. H.
THE END.
End of the text · John Humfrey, A Reply to the Defense of Dr Stillingfleet (1681)