Testimonies in All Ages, Part 3
THE THIRD SQVADRON.
THe third Squ…dron is constituted of forraigne Cannonists, and Popish Schoolemen, w…iters and Councels from th… Yeare of our Lord 1100 till this present: as I…o Carna…nsis D…. …al…lu… pa. …5. c, …8, 59.72, 1….143.144. Peter Lombard Sententiarum l, 4. distin…. 24. I. K. L, m… & Comen…a…i…m Phil. 1, 1, Tit: 1. & 1, Tim: 3 Gratian the g…ea… Can…onist distinctio 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 39, 50, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 6…, 67, 68, 80, 93, 95, Causa 2, qu. 7, Causa 24, qu, 3, Hugo Ca…dinalis in Phil: …, 1, Tit: 1, & 1: Tim: 3, Aquinas secund… secundae, qu: …4, Ar: 6 …rg: 1. Supplementum in tertiam p…rtem qu: 37, Art 7 Durandus in l, 4, Sentent: Distinct: 24. qu: 5, 6, & Rational Divinorum l, 2, Iohannis Parisiensi…, de potestate Regia & Pap…li apud mo…um de Ecclesia c, 11, & Catalogum Testium veritatis p, 525) Carthusi… Ca…etan and the Author of the O…dina…y glosse in Acts 15, & c, 20, 17, 28, Phil: 1, 1, 1, Tim: … Tit, 1, 5, 7, cardinalis Arelatensi… apud AEneam Sylvium de Gestis Concilij Basiliensis l. 1, p, 27, 28, 29, Alvarus Pelagius de Plainetu Ecclesia …, 1, Art: 70. l, 2, Art 1 to 17, Panormitam c, 4, de Consuetudine, Anselmus Lucensis Collectanea Can: l. …, c. 87 & 127: G…egorius Tholosamus, Polycarp l, 2, Tit: 19, & 39, Iohn Thiery Glos…a in G…ationum distinct: 95, cap olim, with all other Glosses and Canonists on that Text He…i…us Gorichen. in l, 4, Sentent: Distinct: 24… Astensis Summa pars 2 l, 6, Tit: 2, Artic: 2, Angelus de claucisio Summa Angelica Ordo 1, The eApud Bochellum decreta Eccles Gal l 3. Tit. 2. de Ordinie c: 4 5.councell of Lingon, Anno 1404, & of Paris Anno 1557 Duarenus de sacr: Eccle: injust l, 1, c, 7, Onus Eccl…sia c, 14, to 27, Nicholas Cusa… de conco…di… Catholic…, l. 2, c. 13. Alphonsus a C…st…o advers, … Sit …piscopus, Michael Medina de sacro h…m O…ig, et continetia, … …spenca… in 1 Tim. c 3, Digressio…m in Tim, … 1 c: 1, 2, 3… and in Tit, 1 …, … The Rhemist; …nnot…tion; on Acts … sect 4 and in Tim 4. Phil, 1. 1, …it. 1 … …, I…obus Fabor in 1, Tim, … &, 4 … & Tit 1. Sixtus
Sevensi, Bibl …, l …, Anno 32…, Azo…ius M…lium: p…r…, 2 l, 3 c, 1… Buoniu… An…u…ll Eccles, …om 1. p, 5… Iacobus de Gr…ss…s d…s…lionum Au…carum par…, 2 l, 1 c 9: 11, 5, …, 9, 1…, 14 16, l, 3, c. 12, 11, 3.4. Pet…s B…sseldin, …uchy…idion, Te…giae P…storalis p…s, 1 c, 15. with other Pontis…ans though sundry else of them are the greatest s…icklers for …is…op…ll M…ne of Pu… pose to adv…nce the … Suprem…cy with the Parity of Bishops and P…esbiters Iu… D…m…, …sterly subverts and ruine… I shall close up this Squ…dr…n with the …e Authorities of some Semi… Priests in En…land. As namely of Ni…c…las Smi…h, in his modest and b…iefe discussion of certaine Assertions which are taught by Mr. Doctor …l…ison in his Treatise of the …cclesiasticall …. where thus he determines, *See C… su… …a u…ta…tis Pa…ien…is … 16.31. p. 16 21 24.2…, 37I judge is no rashnes to affirm that since England enjoyed a Bis…p… (to wit a Po…s …ishop… to confirme the Papists, and controll the P…iests, namely Rich…d bis…op of Ch…lced… created the generall …ishop and superintend…nt, both of England … and Scotland, by Pope Vrbaus speciall Bull, dated the 4th. of August, Anno 1625. The Coppy whereof you shall …ind printed, in Censura Proposition…m qua…undam &c. per sacram facultatem Theolog…a Parisi…nsis factae Pa…isiis, 1631, p, 63, 64, 65: that more damage hath happened to the Catholikes in generall by reason of discord, and frequent losse of charity, then they have received benefit, by the Sacrament of Con…irmation onelyonly conferred on some few.
That all holy men have exceedingly e…deavoured to s…un such an high dig…ity.
That a Bishop is in a State which presupposeth but yet gives not perfection: which the State of Religion, not onelyonly presupposeth but giveth.
That a vow not to receive a Bishopricke is valid and sacred.
That …o desi…e a Bishopricke even for that which i… best in it, to wit for the good of soules according to St: Thom…s s…cunda s…u…da, que 185. Art, 1, seemes to be presumpti…n, and there are some who stick not to say (and that commonly) it is a mo…tall sinne.
That these …ropositions following are strange, idle, and absurd.
That it is d… iure divin…, and that the law of God is, that every particular Church (as England is) ought to have a Bishop.
That without a Bishop England were not a particular Church.
That unlesse every particular Church hath its Bishop or Bishops, the whole and Vnive…sall Church could not be) as Christ hath instituted it) an Hierarchie composed of divers particular Churches.
That without a Bishop we cannot have con…irmation &c.
All which principles (saith hee) are worse then the concultion it selfe and demonstrated by us (to …it in that Treatise) to have no foundation at all.
Thus this Popish Priest who proving that the Church of England may well subsist without a Popish Bishop to sway and order it; grants that it may doe the like without our Protes…ant Prelates, and that plainly resolves that it is not from any divine law or institution, that the Church of England should have any Bishop at all to govern it. Daniell a Iesu another Priest, and a Reader of Divinity thus seconds him, in his Apologie for the proceeding of the holy see Apostolike, as to the government of the catholickes in England during the time of Persecution *Cens…rae Pa…isi…nsis p, 40, 48, 49, 60That it is most false and of dangerous consequence, that a particular Church cannot be without a Bishop: That Gods law requires no more, but that there be som… Bishops in the Church to wit so many, that there bee no danger, that the whole Order should suddainly be taken away by their deaths and so dispersed through the world, that all Christians may bee sufficiently provided of learned and vertuous Priests.
If this be done the law of God is satisfied although there be no Bishops in F…ance, Spaine, or, England.
Give me there…o…e a mul…itude of Christians how great soever who want not a Bishop to ordaine Priests, and I will boldly affirm that there is n… need that the governour of that society should be a Bi…op.
Yea let us suppose the Ordina…ion o… Priests and the Ministry of the Chu…ch, not to be necessary in the Church, and presently it followes, that there is no need the universall Church should bee governed by Bishops who are superior to Priests.
That in the time of Persecution it is neither good, nor convenient, nor any solace or comfort to the Church to have a Bishop.
That tho…e who of Bishops are made Religious persons may be said in some sort to fly …igher, and not at all to descend.
That if the Catholickes of England should yeeld to this motion (name…y to receive the Bishop of Chalcedon as their p…oper Pastor and Bish…p they could by no meanes excuse themselves… from being worthy of that reprehension which the C…rinthians received from Saint Paul, namely, that they rashly, and indiscreetly, put themselves into subjection that they should bestow their temporall goods, so as they could exspect no reward from God, as exercising humility, Obedience, Pat…ence, for which no crowne of Righteousnesse is prepared: yea that they may by their blind receiving o… him (though by the Popes owne Bull and authority) expose themselves to manifest perill by falling into mortall sinne &c.
These Positions of theirs were publikely taught and maintained by many other Priests both in England, and Ireland as appeares by the censure of the faculty of Paris, and Nicholas I… Maistre his Instauratio antiqui Principatus Episcoporum Parisijs 1633. Written upon this occasion in answer of these Treatises and some others. Some of which Propositions though they were censured as Eronious, by the faculty of the Divine… of Paris. Anno 1631. through the power of the Bishop of Chalcedon, as striking at the Popes Supremacy and the Bishops Hierarchie, yet in all that censu…e, I finde not one passage of Scripture produced to prove them contrary to the word of God, and therfore that censure of theirs not much to be regard….